1,687 research outputs found
Full probabilistic design of a submerged floating tunnel and format for partial safety factors
A submerged floating tunnel (SFT) can be a promising solution for crossing a deep or wide waterway. This innovative concept however lacks research into its probabilistic design. In this research, the reliability of the tether-stabilized SFT is assessed. A first-order reliability method (FORM) and a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) are performed for the limit state functions of the most important failure mechanisms. Stochastic variables are chosen so that a target reliability index of 3.8 for a reference period of 50 years is met. The calculated factors from the full probabilistic design are compared with the general recommended partial factors for strength and resistance from Eurocode EN1990. For the strength mechanisms, the calculated factors are smaller than the factors from Eurocode. However, for the equilibrium mechanism, the calculated factor for the unfavorable loading is larger than the factor from Eurocode and should be increased by 10% in order to design a safe enough SFT
Waisda?: video labeling game
The Waisda? video labeling game is a crowsourcing tool to collect user-generated metadata for video clips. It follows the paradigm of games-with-a-purpose, where two or more users play against each other by entering tags that describe the content of the video. Players score points by entering the same tags as one of the other players. As a result each video that is played in the game is annotated with tags that are anchored to a time point in the video. Waisda? has been deployed in two projects with videos from Dutch broadcasters. With the open source version of Waisda? crowdsourcing of video annotation becomes available for any online video collection
Eyeâhand coordination during manual object transport with the affected and less affected hand in adolescents with hemiparetic cerebral palsy
In the present study we investigated eyeâhand coordination in adolescents with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (CP) and neurologically healthy controls. Using an object prehension and transport task, we addressed two hypotheses, motivated by the question whether early brain damage and the ensuing limitations of motor activity lead to general and/or effector-specific effects in visuomotor control of manual actions. We hypothesized that individuals with hemiparetic CP would more closely visually monitor actions with their affected hand, compared to both their less affected hand and to control participants without a sensorimotor impairment. A second, more speculative hypothesis was that, in relation to previously established deficits in prospective action control in individuals with hemiparetic CP, gaze patterns might be less anticipatory in general, also during actions performed with the less affected hand. Analysis of the gaze and hand movement data revealed the increased visual monitoring of participants with CP when using their affected hand at the beginning as well as during object transport. In contrast, no general deficit in anticipatory gaze control in the participants with hemiparetic CP could be observed. Collectively, these findings are the first to directly show that individuals with hemiparetic CP adapt eyeâhand coordination to the specific constraints of the moving limb, presumably to compensate for sensorimotor deficits
Effectiveness and tolerability of pegylated interferon alfa-2b in combination with ribavirin for treatment of chronic hepatitis C: the PegIntrust Study
Background and study aims : Large international clinical trials conducted in the past 5 years rapidly improved the treatment of chronic hepatitis C; however, it is unclear whether the advances seen in clinical trials are being paralleled by similar improvements in routine clinical practice. PegIntrust is a Belgian community-based trial evaluating the sustained virological response.
Patients and Methods : Observational study of 219 patients receiving pegylated interferon alfa-2b (1.5 mu g/kg/wk) and weight. based ribavirin (800-1200 mg/day) for 48 weeks. Primary study end point was sustained virological response (SVR), defined as undetectable HCV RNA 6 months after the completion of treatment.
Results : In total, 108 patients (49.3 %) had undetectable HCV RNA at the end of therapy, 91(41.6%) attaining SVR. Of the 111 patients without an end-of-treatment response, 28 were non-responders, and 21 had virological breakthrough. In total, 134 patients attained early virological response (EVR); 88 (65.7%) of those patients attained SVR. In contrast, 82 (96.5 %) of the 85 patients who did not attain EVR also did not attain SVR. Age, fibrosis score and baseline viral load were identified as important predictors of treatment outcome. The most frequently reported serious adverse events resulting in treatment discontinuation were anemia (n = 10), fatigue/asthenia/malaise (n = 6) and fever (n = 3).
Conclusion : Our data indicate that treatment of chronic hepatitis C with PEG-IFN alfa-2b plus weight-based ribavirin results in favourable treatment outcomes in a Belgian cohort of patients treated in community-based clinical practice. (Ada gastroenterol. belg., 2010, 73, 5-11)
A global climatology of total columnar water vapour from SSM/I and MERIS
A global time series of total columnar water vapour from combined data of the
Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) onboard ESA's Environmental
Satellite (ENVISAT) and the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) onboard
the satellite series of the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)
is presented. The unique data set, generated in the framework of the ESA Data
User Element (DUE) GlobVapour project, combines atmospheric water vapour
observations over land and ocean, derived from measurements in the near-
infrared and the microwave range, respectively. Daily composites and monthly
means of total columnar water vapour are available as global maps on
rectangular latitudeâlongitude grids with a spatial resolution of 0.05° Ă
0.05° over land and 0.5° à 0.5° over ocean for the years 2003 to 2008. The
data are stored in NetCDF files and is fully compliant with the NetCDF Climate
Forecast convention. Through the combination of high-quality microwave
observations and near-infrared observations over ocean and land surfaces,
respectively, the data set provides global coverage. The combination of both
products is carried out such that the individual properties of the microwave
and near-infrared products, in particular their uncertainties, are not
modified by the merging process and are therefore well defined. Due to the
global coverage and the provided uncertainty estimates this data set is
potentially of high value for climate research. The SSM/I-MERIS TCWV data set
is freely available via the GlobVapour project web page (www.globvapour.info)
with associated doi:10.5676/DFE/WV_COMB/FP. In this paper, the details of the
data set generation, i.e. the satellite data used, the retrieval techniques
and merging approaches, are presented. The derived level 3 products are
compared to global radiosonde data from the GCOS upper air network (GUAN),
showing a high agreement with a root-mean-square deviation of roughly 4.4 kg
mâ2 and a small wet bias well below 1 kg mâ2. Furthermore, the data set is
shown to be free of seasonal biases. The consistency of the MERIS and SSM/I
retrievals is demonstrated by applying the MERIS retrieval to sun glint areas
over ocean
A global climatology of total columnar water vapour from SSM/I and MERIS
A global time series of total columnar water vapour from combined data of the
Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) onboard ESA's Environmental
Satellite (ENVISAT) and the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) onboard
the satellite series of the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)
is presented. The unique data set, generated in the framework of the ESA Data
User Element (DUE) GlobVapour project, combines atmospheric water vapour
observations over land and ocean, derived from measurements in the near-
infrared and the microwave range, respectively. Daily composites and monthly
means of total columnar water vapour are available as global maps on
rectangular latitudeâlongitude grids with a spatial resolution of 0.05° Ă
0.05° over land and 0.5° à 0.5° over ocean for the years 2003 to 2008. The
data are stored in NetCDF files and is fully compliant with the NetCDF Climate
Forecast convention. Through the combination of high-quality microwave
observations and near-infrared observations over ocean and land surfaces,
respectively, the data set provides global coverage. The combination of both
products is carried out such that the individual properties of the microwave
and near-infrared products, in particular their uncertainties, are not
modified by the merging process and are therefore well defined. Due to the
global coverage and the provided uncertainty estimates this data set is
potentially of high value for climate research. The SSM/I-MERIS TCWV data set
is freely available via the GlobVapour project web page (www.globvapour.info)
with associated doi:10.5676/DFE/WV_COMB/FP. In this paper, the details of the
data set generation, i.e. the satellite data used, the retrieval techniques
and merging approaches, are presented. The derived level 3 products are
compared to global radiosonde data from the GCOS upper air network (GUAN),
showing a high agreement with a root-mean-square deviation of roughly 4.4 kg
mâ2 and a small wet bias well below 1 kg mâ2. Furthermore, the data set is
shown to be free of seasonal biases. The consistency of the MERIS and SSM/I
retrievals is demonstrated by applying the MERIS retrieval to sun glint areas
over ocean
Kokemuksia Oman muotoinen koti -hankkeesta nuorten silmin
OpinnÀytetyön tilaaja on Helsingin kaupungin nuorisoasiainkeskuksen Oman muotoinen koti -hanke. Hanke on aloitettu 2015 ja se tarjoaa nuorille eri asumiskokeilujen avulla ratkaisua haastaviin asumistilanteisiin HelsingissÀ. Oman muotoinen koti -hankkeessa nuoret muuttivat 2017 vuoden alussa asumaan KannelmÀkeen. Asunnon lisÀksi nuorille avautui mahdollisuus tehdÀ töitÀ 20 tuntia kuukaudessa yhdessÀ mietittyjen tehtÀvien parissa. OpinnÀytetyön idea oli seurata neljÀn nuoren alkuvaihetta Oman muotoinen koti -hankkeessa.
OpinnĂ€ytetyöni tavoite oli keskittyĂ€ nuorten kokemusten taltiointiin hankkeen edetessĂ€, mistĂ€ saatu tieto auttaisi hankkeen kehittĂ€misessĂ€ tilaajaa. Sain tilaajalta vapaat kĂ€det opinnĂ€ytetyön toteuttamiseen. Valitsin nuorten kokemusten taltioimiseen teemahaastattelun menetelmĂ€n. Haastateltavien keski-ikĂ€ oli 20 vuotta, joista osa oli maahanmuuttajataustaisia ja osa kantasuomalaisia. Kaikki haastateltavat olivat erilaisia, tein haastatteluun kysymysrungon, mutta annoin tilaa haastattelussa nuorille kertoa valitsemasta aiheesta enemmĂ€n. ĂĂ€nitin haastattelut ja litteroin ne. Haastattelun teemat vaihtelivat haastateltavan kanssa. Vaikka kysymykset olivat samat, tunsi osa nuorista tarvetta puhua enemmĂ€n toisesta teemasta. Tein haastattelut hankkeen alkuvaiheessa, joten haastattelujen tulokset puhuvat vain hankkeen alkuvaiheen tunnelmista.
OpinnĂ€ytetyön teoreettisessa viitekehyksessĂ€ kĂ€sittelen asunnottomuuden lisĂ€ksi nuorten työllisyyttĂ€. Pohdin mikĂ€ motivoi nuoria työllistymiseen ja mitkĂ€ keinot auttavat nuoria löytĂ€mÀÀn sopivaa työtĂ€ ja mitkĂ€ asiat voivat vaikuttaa nuorten työllistymiseen. Aineiston analyysiosiossa avaan nuorten ajatuksia hankkeesta ja työnteosta. YhdistĂ€n teoreettista viitekehystĂ€ omaan pohdintaan. Oman muotoinen koti hankkeen alkuvaiheen aineiston analyysin perusteella, hankkeelle on kova tarve ja sitĂ€ olisi hyvĂ€ laajentaa isommaksi eri puolille pÀÀkaupunkiseutua. Hanke tukee nuorten hankalaa asumistilannetta ja työllistymistĂ€ alati muuttuvassa työelĂ€mĂ€ssĂ€.The thesis focuses on City of Helsinkiâs youth Departments Home That Fits Project. The project started at the beginning of 2015 and its objective is to provide solution for the housing crisis among the youth population in Helsinki. Home That Fits projectâs youth moved to shared apartment in KannelmĂ€ki at the beginning of 2017. Apart from housing the youth were provided with opportunity to work 20 hours a month in a agreed contract between all the partners involved. The thesis goal was to follow four young people in the projectâs early stage. The main focus was to understand on how the project can be develop through the experiences of the young participants in the Home That Fits project. From the young peopleâs experiences I did choose with the cooperation of the parties involved a particular themes that we could base our questions on. The intervieweeâs average age was early 20âs. All the participants shared their experiences differently. The interviewâs theme changed from time to time although the questions stayed the same. Some of the youth felt the need to talk more about other subject than the agreed themes. The interviews were conducted at the early stages of the project. Therefore the results are based on that. The Thesis theory part deals with the youth's employment: What motivates young people to seek employment , what are the mechanisms that have been created to help the youth find the right work and the issues that can affect youth employment. The findings shows that there is a certain need for Home That Fits project in the Helsinki area of KannelmĂ€ki and it could expand to other parts of Helsinki metropolitan area
The subtypes of developmental coordination disorder
Aim: To identify subtypes in a large group of children clinically diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) based on their pattern of motor, cognitive, and visual-motor abilities.
Method: Standardized scores for verbal IQ, total IQ, Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2) balance, MABC-2 manual dexterity, MABC-2 ball skills, and Beery-Buktenica Developmental Tests of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery-VMI), Motor Coordination (Beery-MC), and Visual Perception (Beery-VP) were used. The NbClust complete procedure was used to best partition the data on 98 children (84 males, 14 females, mean [SD] age: 8 years [2 years 1 month]) into clusters. Deviation contrasts, multivariate analysis of variance, and post hoc comparisons were used to characterize the clusters.
Results: Four clusters were revealed: two clusters with a broad motor skill problem, one with relatively preserved visual-motor integration and Beery-MC skills, and a second with abnormal ball skills, balance, and Beery-MC skills. A third cluster with more specific gross-motor problems, and a fourth with relatively preserved ball skills but low Beery-MC and performance IQ, were identified. Balance scores were 'at risk' or 'abnormal' in all four clusters.
Interpretation: DCD is a heterogeneous condition. However, subtypes can be discriminated on the basis of more severe difficulties in fine-motor performance, gross-motor performance, or both. There was evidence for generalized motor impairments in around half of all children. Importantly, at least borderline level reduced balance was evident in each subtype.
What this paper adds: Four subtypes were identified in a large clinical group of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Subtypes were based on motor, cognitive, and visual-motor abilities. There was evidence of generalized motor impairments in around 50% of children with DCD. A generalized balance problem is present across all subtypes of DCD
Preventie op de camping:Resultaten van twee pilots in West-Brabant in het souterrain van de woningmarkt
Vanwege tekorten op de woningmarkt enerzijds en de moeizame exploitatie van recreatieparken anderzijds, is permanente bewoning op recreatieparken een structureel maatschappelijk verschijnsel geworden. Permanente bewoning is wettelijk niet toegestaan en kan samengaan met diverse vormen van sociale problematiek. De sociale crisis die ontstond op camping Fort Oranje is voor de GGD WestBrabant aanleiding geweest preventieve werkwijzen voor recreatieparken te ontwikkelen. Dit artikel beschrijft twee pilots die in dit verband werden opgezet. De ambitie was bewoners van recreatieparken in beeld te krijgen en waar nodig te ondersteunen, en om een stem te geven aan hun verhaal
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