Population-Based Studies of Bullying in Young Children

__Abstract__ School bullying is defined as repeated and intentional aggression toward the peers who have difficulty to stop or counteract such harassment.1,2 Bullying and victimization have serious negative effects on health and functioning of children.3-5 Detecting and preventing bullying problems early in the schooling process is an opportunity to protect children from long-lasting adverse health consequences.6,7 A comprehensive understanding of school bullying, its prevalence and the associated with it risk factors form the basis of evidence-based prevention programs. Whereas the importance of early preventive efforts has been widely recognized8,9, studies of bullying among young elementary school children remain scarce, as most of research is usually carried out among adolescents. With the help of large, prospective, population- based studies of children from preschool age onwards, we can gain a better understanding of the risk factors associated with bullying. This thesis describes several population-based studies that address bullying involvement in early elementary school, with a specific focus on its assessment, prevalence and early-age predictors

Investigating the Links between the Process Parameters and Their Influence on the Aesthetic Evaluation of Selective Laser Melted Parts

This study is a precursor to gaining a deeper understanding of how each parameter of the Additive Manufacturing (AM) process influences the aesthetic properties of 3D printed products. Little research has been conducted on this specific aspect of AM. Using insights from the work presented in this paper, we intend to develop design support tools to give the designer more control over the printed products in terms of aesthetics. In this initial work, we fabricated samples using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology, and investigated the parameters geometry, building strategy, and post-processing. We asked participants to evaluate the visual and physical interaction with the manufactured samples. Results show that, in addition to geometry and post-processing, the aesthetic evaluation can also be strongly influenced by the SLM process’ building strategy. This understanding will enable us to develop tools to give designers more control over the part’s aesthetic appearance. In addition, we present a systematic procedure and setup to evaluate the aesthetic appearance of products manufactured using AM

Joint Spectrum Management and Constrained Partial Crosstalk Cancellation in a Multi-User xDSL Environment

Publication in the conference proceedings of EUSIPCO, Florence, Italy, 200

Non-uniform quaternion spline interpolation in vehicle kinematics

SGS-2022-00

A Continuum Model for Metabolic Gas Exchange in Pear Fruit

Exchange of O2 and CO2 of plants with their environment is essential for metabolic processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. In some fruits such as pears, which are typically stored under a controlled atmosphere with reduced O2 and increased CO2 levels to extend their commercial storage life, anoxia may occur, eventually leading to physiological disorders. In this manuscript we have developed a mathematical model to predict the internal gas concentrations, including permeation, diffusion, and respiration and fermentation kinetics. Pear fruit has been selected as a case study. The model has been used to perform in silico experiments to evaluate the effect of, for example, fruit size or ambient gas concentration on internal O2 and CO2 levels. The model incorporates the actual shape of the fruit and was solved using fluid dynamics software. Environmental conditions such as temperature and gas composition have a large effect on the internal distribution of oxygen and carbon dioxide in fruit. Also, the fruit size has a considerable effect on local metabolic gas concentrations; hence, depending on the size, local anaerobic conditions may result, which eventually may lead to physiological disorders. The model developed in this manuscript is to our knowledge the most comprehensive model to date to simulate gas exchange in plant tissue. It can be used to evaluate the effect of environmental stresses on fruit via in silico experiments and may lead to commercial applications involving long-term storage of fruit under controlled atmospheres

The newly revised interview for deteriorations in daily living activities in dementia (R-IDDD2): distinguishing initiative from performance at assessment

Background: Minimal evidence exists on the detailed deficits in complex instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in mild dementia. The aim of this study was twofold, to validate a revised questionnaire focusing measuring the initiative and performance of IADLs in mild dementia and to explore the relationship between individual IADLs and patient and carer well-being. Methods: A total of 183 carers of people with mild dementia completed a further modified Revised Interview for Deterioration in Daily Living Activities 2 (R-IDDD2), which comprised new activities such as computer use, as well as sub-activities on the performance scale. Carers also completed questionnaires assessing patient quality of life (QoL-AD), carer quality of life (AC-QoL), and burden (GHQ-12). Results: Persons with dementia were significantly poorer initiating than performing cleaning, doing repair work, and preparing a hot or cold meal, whereas being poorer at performing dressing and following current affairs. Using the computer, preparing a hot meal, finance, and medication management were most impaired, whereas more basic activities of dressing, washing oneself, brushing hair or teeth, and preparing a hot drink were most preserved. Poor initiative and performance on nearly all activities were significantly related to reduced carer and patient well-being. Conclusions: The R-IDDD2 offers a platform to comprehensively assess everyday functioning. Deteriorations in initiative and performance need to be targeted separately in interventions, as the former requires effective triggering and the latter structured training and support. Most activities were significantly associated with well-being, particularly patient quality of life so that improving any activity should improve well-being

On-line MRI sequences for the evaluation of apple internal quality.

On-line dynamic MRI, which is oriented to industrial grading lines, requires high-speed sequences with motion correction artefacts. In this study two different types of motion correction sequences have been used and have been implemented in real-time (FLASH and UFLARE). They are based on T2* and T2 respectively and their selection depends on the expected contrast effect of the disorder: while watercore enhances bright areas due to higher fluid mobility, internal breakdown potentiates low signal due to texture degradation. For watercore study, five different apple cultivars were used (Normanda-18-, Fuji-35-, Helada-36-, Verde Doncella-54-, Esperiega-75-) along two seasons (2011 and 2012). In total 218 fruits were measured under both, static conditions (20 slices per fruit) and under dynamic conditions (3 repetitions without slice selection). For internal breakdown, Braeburn cultivar has been studied (in total 106 fruits) under both static (20 slices per fruit) and dynamic conditions (3 replicates with slice selection). Metrological aspects such as repeatability of dynamic images and subsequent histogram feature stability become of major interest for further industrial application. Segregation ability among varying degrees of disorder is also analyzed