Guidance on noncorticosteroid systemic immunomodulatory therapy in noninfectious uveitis: fundamentals of care for uveitis (focus) initiative

Topic: An international, expert-led consensus initiative to develop systematic, evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of noninfectious uveitis in the era of biologics. Clinical Relevance: The availability of biologic agents for the treatment of human eye disease has altered practice patterns for the management of noninfectious uveitis. Current guidelines are insufficient to assure optimal use of noncorticosteroid systemic immunomodulatory agents. Methods: An international expert steering committee comprising 9 uveitis specialists (including both ophthalmologists and rheumatologists) identified clinical questions and, together with 6 bibliographic fellows trained in uveitis, conducted a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol systematic reviewof the literature (English language studies from January 1996 through June 2016; Medline [OVID], the Central Cochrane library, EMBASE,CINAHL,SCOPUS,BIOSIS, andWeb of Science). Publications included randomized controlled trials, prospective and retrospective studies with sufficient follow-up, case series with 15 cases or more, peer-reviewed articles, and hand-searched conference abstracts from key conferences. The proposed statements were circulated among 130 international uveitis experts for review.Atotal of 44 globally representativegroupmembersmet in late 2016 to refine these guidelines using a modified Delphi technique and assigned Oxford levels of evidence. Results: In total, 10 questions were addressed resulting in 21 evidence-based guidance statements covering the following topics: when to start noncorticosteroid immunomodulatory therapy, including both biologic and nonbiologic agents; what data to collect before treatment; when to modify or withdraw treatment; how to select agents based on individual efficacy and safety profiles; and evidence in specific uveitic conditions. Shared decision-making, communication among providers and safety monitoring also were addressed as part of the recommendations. Pharmacoeconomic considerations were not addressed. Conclusions: Consensus guidelines were developed based on published literature, expert opinion, and practical experience to bridge the gap between clinical needs and medical evidence to support the treatment of patients with noninfectious uveitis with noncorticosteroid immunomodulatory agents

From business transactions to business process work flows: Using DEMO and BPMN

For many years Capgemini has been using the Integrated Architecture Framework (IAF) as guide for the formation of an enterprise architecture. The Integrated Architecture Framework (IAF) constitutes four abstraction levels: the contextual, the conceptual, the logical and the physical abstraction level. When forming an enterprise architecture, one often starts with the highest abstraction level, containing the least detail, and handles each abstraction level in succession. With each abstraction level more and more detail is added, until the enterprise architecture has been fully shaped. Enterprise architects of Capgemini have observed that in the subsidy market most competing organizations offer solutions that cover only one or maybe two abstraction levels of the IAF, mostly the third and fourth level, but there are no organizations offering end-to-end solutions, i.e. solutions which handle the three lower abstraction levels of the IAF in succession, known by these enterprise architects. A solution which covers these three abstraction levels of the IAF would give Capgemini a unique selling point. Within Capgemini it is believed that DEMO can provide a comprehensive and easy means to represent the interpretation of the second abstraction level of the IAF, i.e. the conceptual abstraction level. For the representation of the third abstraction level of the IAF, the logical abstraction level, the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a well proven and often used standard at Capgemini. A a result they would like to know if DEMO can be transformed to BPMN, with the goal to incorporate DEMO and this transformation in the end-to-end solution Capgemini would like to offer. This master thesis researches and proposes a transformation between the Design & Engineering Methodology for Organizations and the Business Process Modeling Notation within the context of the Integrated Architecture Framework of Capgemini.Web Information SystemsSoftware TechnologyElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Augmented and Virtual Reality: Development of applications for a usability study

This report presents the development of an Augmented Reality (AR) application to visualize research data and the development of a 3D video game. These applications are completely developed at the University of Aveiro (UA) as a part of the Bachelor Project IN3700 of TU Delft. The AR application is used for a qualitative study which visualization method is most natural for human perception. The 3D game is used for a quantitative study of usability using different navigation methods.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Stadsbrug Nijmegen

Structural EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience

Methods for increasing the potential of integration of EV chargers into the DC catenary of electric transport grids: A trolleygrid case study

The traction substations of urban electric transport grids are oversized and underutilized in terms of their capacity. While their over-sizing is an unfortunate waste, their under-utilization creates the major hurdle for the integration of renewables into these grids due to the lack of a base load. Therefore, integrating smart grid loads such as EV chargers is not only an opportunity but a necessity for the sustainable transport grid of the future. This paper examines six methods for increasing the potential of EV chargers in three case studies of a trolleygrid, namely a higher substation no-load voltage, a higher substation power capacity, a smart charging method, adding a third overheard parallel line, adding a bilateral connection, and installing a multi-port converter between two substations. From the case studies, the most promising and cost-effective method seems to be introducing a bilateral connection, bringing a charging capacity for up to 175 electric cars per day. Meanwhile, other costly and complex methods, such as smart charging with grid state sensors and communication, can offer charging room for over 200 electric cars per day. Furthermore, using solar PV systems to power the grid showed a more than doubling of the directly utilized energy by installing a 150kW charger, from 19% to 41%. This reduces the power mismatch between the trolleygrid and the PV system from 81% to 59% and thereby reduces the severe economic need for storage, AC grid power exchange, or PV power curtailment while allowing a high penetration of renewables.DC systems, Energy conversion & Storag

Usability in virtual and augmented environments: A qualitative and quantitative study

Virtual and Augmented Reality are developing rapidly: there is a multitude of environments and experiments in several laboratories using from simple HMD (Head-Mounted Display) visualization to more complex and expensive 6-wall projection CAVEs, and other systems. Still, there is not yet a clear emerging technology in this area, nor commercial applications based on such a technology are used in large scale. In addition to the fact that this is a relatively recent technology, there is little work to validate the utility and usability of Virtual and Augmented Reality environments when compared with the traditional desktop set-up. However, usability evaluation is crucial in order to design better systems that respond to the users’ needs, as well as for identifying applications that might really gain from the use of such technologies. This paper presents a preliminary usability evaluation of a low-cost Virtual and Augmented Reality environment under development at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. The objective is to assess the difference between a traditional desktop set-up and a Virtual/Augmented Reality system based on a stereo HMD. Two different studies were performed: the first one was qualitative and some feedback was obtained from domain experts who used an Augmented Reality set-up as well as a desktop in different data visualization scenarios. The second study consisted in a controlled experiment meant to compare users’ performances in a gaming scenario in a Virtual Reality environment and a desktop. The overall conclusion is that these technologies still have to overcome some hardware problems. However, for short periods of time and specific applications, Virtual and Augmented Reality seems to be a valid alternative since HMD interaction is intuitive and natural.Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc