28 research outputs found
Vulnerability in acquisition, language impairments in Dutch: Creating a VALID data archive
The VALID Data Archive is an open multimedia data archive (under construction) with data from speakers suffering from language impairments. We report on a pilot project in the CLARIN-NL framework in which five data resources were curated. For all data sets concerned, written informed consent from the participants or their caretakers has been obtained. All materials were anonymized. The audio files were converted into wav (linear PCM) files and the transcriptions into CHAT or ELAN format. Research data that consisted of test, SPSS and Excel files were documented and converted into CSV files. All data sets obtained appropriate CMDI metadata files. A new CMDI metadata profile for this type of data resources was established and care was taken that ISOcat metadata categories were used to optimize interoperability. After curation all data are deposited at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen where persistent identifiers are linked to all resources. The content of the transcriptions in CHAT and plain text format can be searched with the TROVA search engin
The potential applicability of the Life-Quality Index to maintenance optimisation problems
ABSTRACT: The Life-Quality Index (LQI) is a tool for the assessment of risk reduction initiatives that would enhance safety and quality of life. The paper evaluates the impact of road maintenance programs on the quality of life in the Netherlands using the LQI method. The LQI is calibrated using the specific economic and demographic data for the Netherlands. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis shows that the current road maintenance program is beneficial to the Dutch society. The paper also concludes that the LQI can be promising in supporting decisions for structure and infrastructure maintenance.
câ—‹IABMAS THE USE OF LIFETIME DISTRIBUTIONS IN BRIDGE REPLACEMENT MODELLING
Key words: lifetime distribution, bridge replacement, renewal theory, censored observations
Optimal Inspection Decisions For The Block Mats of the Eastern-Scheldt Barrier
To prevent the south-west of The Netherlands from flooding, the Eastern-Scheldt storm-surge barrier was constructed, has to be inspected and, when necessary, repaired. Therefore, one is interested in obtaining optimal rates of inspection for which the expected maintenance cost are minimal and the barrier is safe. For optimisation purposes, a maintenance model has been developed for part of the sea-bed protection of the Eastern-Scheldt barrier, namely the block mats. This model enables optimal inspection decisions to be determined on the basis of the uncertainties in the process of occurrence of scour holes and, given that a scour hole has occurred, of the process of current-induced scour erosion. The stochastic processes of scour-hole initiation and scour-hole development have been regarded as a Poisson process and a gamma process, respectively. Engineering knowlegde has been used to estimate their parameters
he Dutch Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management is responsible for
management of the national road infrastructure in the Netherlands. Structures such as bridges and tunnels are important structures in the road network and largely determine the functionality of the road network as well as necessary maintenance budgets. A methodology for a probabilistic life-cycle cost approach to bridge management was applied to the concrete highway bridges in the Netherlands. The Dutch national road network contains over 3,000 highway bridges, most of which are 30 years old or more. The annual maintenance cost of these bridges is a substantial part of the total maintenance cost. The question arises of when to carry out bridge replacements. A fundamental solution is to take a life-cycle cost approach with costs of maintenance and replacement and service lifetime as key elements. Maintenance strategies were drawn up for groups of similar elements, such as concrete elements, preserved steel, extension joints, and bearings. The structures were categorized into generic types, each with its own maintenance characteristics. For each structure, the maintenance cost was estimated on the basis of the life-cycle cost analyses of the underlying elements. After aggregation over the entire stock, this process eventually led to the maintenance cost on a network level. To calculate the life-cycle cost, lifetime distributions for concrete bridges were determined, and the expected cos
Life-Cycle-Cost-Based Bridge Management in the Netherlands
ABSTRACT: The main reason for the existence of transportation systems is public interest. From this point of view, any road program should be driven by various societal aspects. In this paper societal aspects are schematized into two categories, public and politics. The position of the engineer responsible for bridge management within the road agency is described in general and elaborated for two fields important for bridge management: ‘reliability and structural safety’ and ‘maintenance’. The paper gives an overview of the discussion on these fields in the Netherlands. Key objectives are to establish open communication and to place this in a life-cycle perspective. The role of the managing authority is to create a coherent system having an interface to the societal domain.
ANTIBODIES DEFINING RAT ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS - RECA-1, A PAN-ENDOTHELIAL CELL-SPECIFIC MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY
We have been searching for antibodies reactive with rat endothelial cells. Two monoclonal antibodies (mAb), named RECA-1 and RECA-2 were produced and tested in immunoperoxidase staining on frozen sections of various rat tissues. Staining patterns were compared to those obtained with the mAbs OX-2, OX-26, OX-43, and the polyclonal antibody to von Willebrand Factor (vWF), which all have been described to react with rat endothelial cells. The RECA-2 mAb showed staining patterns similar to those obtained with OX-2. RECA-1 showed to be the only antibody reactive with all vascular endothelium in the tested tissues. In addition, RECA-1 was endothelial cell-specific whereas all other antibodies crossreacted with one or more other cell types. No reactivity of RECA-1 was found in various tested species other than rat. The RECA-1 antibody was successfully applied in staining of paraformaldehyde fixed, plastic embedded tissue material. Immunofluorescence staining of viable endothelial cells demonstrated that RECA-1 recognizes a cell surface antigen. This was supported by intravenous injection of RECA-1, which showed the antibody to localize along the endothelium lining the vasculature in various organs tested. No reactivity of the antibody was seen when applied in immunoblotting of PAGE-run lysates from endothelial cell cultures and stromal cell preparations. We believe RECA-1 to be a promising antibody for rat endothelial cell studies, and in particular for further defining nature and function of endothelial cell-specific antigens