4,048 research outputs found
Density functional theory as a tool for the structure determination of radiation-induced bioradicals
Information system support in construction industry with semantic web technologies and/or autonomous reasoning agents
Information technology support is hard to find for the early design phases of the architectural design process. Many of the existing issues in such design decision support tools appear to be caused by a mismatch between the ways in which designers think and the ways in which information systems aim to give support. We therefore started an investigation of existing theories of design thinking, compared to the way in which design decision support systems provide information to the designer. We identify two main strategies towards information system support in the early design phase: (1) applications for making design try-outs, and (2) applications as autonomous reasoning agents. We outline preview implementations for both approaches and indicate to what extent these strategies can be used to improve information system support for the architectural designer
Combined salmeterol and fluticasone in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomised controlled trial. (vol 361, pg 449, 2003)
Consistency between hydrological model, large aperture scintillometer and remote sensing based evapotranspiration estimates for a heterogeneous catchment
The catchment averaged actual evapotranspiration rate is a hydrologic model variable that is difficult to quantify. Evapotranspiration rates - up till present - cannot be continuously observed at the catchment scale.
The objective of this paper is to estimate the evapotranspiration rates (or its energy equivalent, the latent heat fluxes LE) for a heterogeneous catchment of 102.3 km(2) in Belgium using three fundamentally different algorithms.
One possible manner to observe this variable could be the continuous measurement of sensible heat fluxes (H) across large distances (in the order of kilometers) using a large aperture scintillometer (LAS), and converting these observations into evapotranspiration rates. Latent heat fluxes are obtained through the energy balance equation using a series of sensible heat fluxes measured with a LAS over a distance of 9.5 km in the catchment, and point measurements of net radiation (R-n) and ground heat flux (G) upscaled to catchment average through the use of TOPLATS, a physically based land surface model.
The resulting LE-values are then compared to results from the remote sensing based surface energy balance algorithm ETLook and the land surface model. Firstly, the performance of ETLook for the energy balance terms has been assessed at the point scale and at the catchment scale. Secondly, consistency between daily evapotranspiration rates from ETLook, TOPLATS and LAS is shown
Pairing-excitation versus intruder states in 68Ni and 90Zr
A discussion on the nature of the 0+ states in 68Ni (Z=28, N=40) is presented
and a comparison is made with its valence counterpart 90Zr (Z=40, N=50).
Evidence is given for a 0+ proton intruder state at only ~2.2 MeV excitation
energy in 68Ni, while the analogous neutron intruder states in 90Zr reside at
4126 keV and 5441 keV. The application of a shell-model description of 0+
intruder states reveals that many pair-scattered neutrons across N=40 have to
be involved to explain the low excitation energy of the proton-intruder
configuration in 68Ni.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Withdrawal from treatment as an outcome in the Isolde study of COPD
Objectives: To investigate the determinants of patient withdrawal from our study, and the effect
of these withdrawals on the outcome of treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in patients with
COPD.
Design: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.
Setting: Eighteen outpatient centers in the United Kingdom.
Participants: Seven hundred fifty-one patients with stable COPD defined clinically as baseline postbronchodilator FEV1 > 0.8 L and < 85% predicted, FEV1/FVC ratio < 70%, and FEV1 change after albuterol < 10% of predicted.
Intervention: Random assignment of either 500 micrograms bid of inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP)using a spacer device or an identical placebo inhaler. Treatment was continued for 3 years or
until patients withdrew from follow-up.
Measurements and results: Postbronchodilator FEV1 was measured on three occasions before
randomization and every 3 months thereafter. Health status was assessed by the disease-specific
St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the modified short-form 36 questionnaire
(SF-36) at baseline and every 6 months. Three hundred thirty-nine patients withdrew, of whom
156 patients received FP. Prescription of frequent courses of oral prednisolone was the most
common reason for withdrawing as specified in the protocol (69 patients in the FP group
withdrew due to respiratory symptoms, compared with 93 patients in the placebo group). This
explained the significantly greater dropout of placebo-treated patients that was most evident
when FEV1 was < 50% predicted. Patients withdrawing had a significantly more rapid decline in health status, measured by both the SGRQ and the SF-36 (p < 0.001). Those withdrawing from the placebo group had a more rapid decline in FEV1 and more exacerbations than the FP-treated
groups. Baseline FEV1 was lower in dropouts than in patients completing the study receiving
placebo, but there was no difference between the respective groups receiving FP.
Conclusions: Patients who withdrew from follow-up were those with the most rapidly deteriorating
health status and lung function. Losing these patients from the final analysis can reduce the
power of a study to achieve its primary end point
AI EDAM special issue: advances in implemented shape grammars: solutions and applications
This paper introduces the special issue “Advances in Implemented Shape Grammars: Solutions and Applications” and frames the topic of computer implementations of shape grammars, both with a theoretical and an applied focus. This special issue focuses on the current state of the art regarding computer implementations of shape grammars and brings a discussion about how those systems can evolve in the coming years so that they can be used in real life design scenarios. This paper presents a brief state of the art of shape grammars implementation and an overview of the papers included in the current special issue categorized under technical design, interpreters and interface design, and uses cases. The paper ends with a comprehensive outlook into the future of shape grammars implementations.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Looking for a new panacea in ALK-rearranged NSCLC: may be Ceritinib?
In the past decade, the advent of targeted therapy led to a silent revolution
in the war against lung cancer and a significant evolution on the concept
of Phase I clinical trials design. Thanks to the specificity of their target,
the new drugs have radically changed NSCLC treatment, leading to the development
of personalized strategies. The accelerated approval of the first
ALK-inhibitor, Crizotinib and more recently Ceritinib, without a Phase III
randomized, clinical trial, has been an amazing success story in lung cancer
research, marking the beginning of a new decade of targeted drugs development,
characterized by modern, biomarker-driven, early clinical trial design
and shorter times for clinical approval. Is Ceritinib a new panacea for the
treatment of ALK-rearranged NSCLC? We aimed to discuss the reasons of
such success, including the new emerging questions, regarding mechanisms
of acquired resistance, and the best treatment algorithm for ALK-rearranged
NSCLC patients
Methodology of the biological risk classification of animal pathogens in Belgium
The biological hazards posed by micro-organisms have lead to their categorisation into risk groups and the elaboration of classification lists. Current classification systems rely on criteria defined by the World Health Organization, which cover the severity of the disease the micro-organism might cause, its ability to spread and the availability of prophylaxis or efficient treatment. Animal pathogens are classified according to the definitions of the World Organization of Animal Health, which also consider economic aspects of disease. In Europe, classification is often directly linked to containment measures. The Belgian classification system however, only considers the inherent characteristics of the micro-organism, not its use, making the risk classification independent of containment measures. A common classification list for human and animal pathogens has been developed in Belgium using as comprehensive an approach as possible. Evolution of scientific knowledge will demand regular updating of classification lists. This paper describes the Belgian risk classification system and the methodology that was used for its peer-reviewed revision (with a focus on animal pathogens)
Interoperability for the design and construction industry through semantic web technology
The domain of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) has experienced significant improvements with the advent of building information modelling (BIM) applications, which allow AEC specialists to model all information concerning a building design into one three-dimensional building model. Much of these improvements are however generated by the mere availability of such an environment, whereas many more improvements were expected by achieving an appropriate interoperability of information. We are investigating why such an interoperability is not reached fully and consider the semantic web as an alternative approach to reach the targeted interoperability. In this paper, an AEC description framework based on semantic web technology is presented and compared to the BIM approach, after which we indicate how it might solve the issue of interoperability more appropriately. Our evaluation of this investigation indicates the semantic web approach as a valid alternative approach, although considerably more research is needed to show it capable of providing the targeted interoperability of information in the AEC domain
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