Motoriske ferdigheter hos sju- og åtteåringer i 1995 og i 2004

Det fokuseres stadig på at barns motoriske ferdigheter og fysiske form er blitt dårligere de siste årene. Faktum er at det i Norge er sparsomt med forskning som kan vise til sammenliknbare undersøkelser av barns motoriske ferdigheter og fysiske form før og nå. I den foreliggende undersøkelsen har vi testet og sammenliknet grovmotoriske ferdigheter hos sju- og åtteåringer på Nøtterøy i 1995 og i 2004. Et representativt utvalg fra en bestemt skolekrets ble testet med den grovmotoriske testen Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder, KTK (Kiphard & Schilling, 1974). Barnas resultater gis i motorisk kvotient, MQ, på hver av de fire deloppgavene og totalt. Hovedmålet var å finne ut om det er en forskjell på de to gruppene vi undersøkte, den ene i 1995 og den andre i 2004. I tillegg ble dataene analysert for mulige kjønnsforskjeller. Resultatene viser, noe overraskende, at barna på Nøtterøy i 2004 presterte bedre enn barna i 199

Dialog als Instrument der Datenschutzregulierung: eine wissenschaftliche Innovationswerkstatt im Austausch mit Datenschutzbehörden und der Internetwirtschaft

Gegenstand dieses Projekts ist der regulatorische Dialog zwischen Datenschutzaufsicht und Unternehmen verschiedener Internet-Branchen. Im Rahmen einer im August und September 2013 durchgeführten Befragung des Hans-Bredow-Instituts in Kooperation mit der Senatskanzlei der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg wurden Vertreter der Aufsicht und Vertreter von Unternehmen sowie Datenschutzberater um gegenseitiges, anonymisiertes Feedback gebeten sowie um ihre Erfahrungswerte zu der Frage, wie man diesen Dialog möglichst effizient und lösungsorientiert gestalten kann

Comparison of Neural Network Error Measures for Simulation of Slender Marine Structures

Training of an artificial neural network (ANN) adjusts the internal weights of the network in order to minimize a predefined error measure. This error measure is given by an error function. Several different error functions are suggested in the literature. However, the far most common measure for regression is the mean square error. This paper looks into the possibility of improving the performance of neural networks by selecting or defining error functions that are tailor-made for a specific objective. A neural network trained to simulate tension forces in an anchor chain on a floating offshore platform is designed and tested. The purpose of setting up the network is to reduce calculation time in a fatigue life analysis. Therefore, the networks trained on different error functions are compared with respect to accuracy of rain flow counts of stress cycles over a number of time series simulations. It is shown that adjusting the error function to perform significantly better on a specific problem is possible. On the other hand. it is also shown that weighted error functions actually can impair the performance of an ANN

The smallest worthwhile effect of primary care physiotherapy did not differ across musculoskeletal pain sites

Objectives: To determine and compare estimates of the smallest worthwhile effect (SWE) for physiotherapy in neck, shoulder, and low-back pain patients and to investigate the influence of sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors on these estimates. Methods: A structured telephone interview was conducted before treatment was commenced in 160 patients referred for primary care physiotherapy. The benefit-harm trade-off method was used to estimate the SWE of physiotherapy for the following outcomes; pain, disability, and time to recovery, compared with the improvement achieved without any treatment (natural course). Regression analyses were used to assess the influence of sociodemographics, clinical variables, and intake scores on pain, disability, and psychological scales. Results: The median SWE for improvements on pain and disability was 20% (interquartile range 10%–30%), and the SWE for time to recovery was 10 days (interquartile range 7–14 days) over a period of 6 weeks. These estimates did not differ with respect to pain location (neck, shoulder, or back) and were generally unaffected by sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors. Conclusion: People with neck, shoulder, and low-back pain need to see at least 20% of additional improvement on pain and disability compared with natural recovery to consider that the effect of physiotherapy is worthwhile, given its costs, potential side effects, and inconveniences