A biorefinery in Rotterdam with isobutanol as platform molecule?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Posada Duque, J.A.; Zirkzee, H.; Hellemond, van E.W.; Lopez Contreras, A.M.; Hal, van J.W.; Straathof, A.J.J.

2014-01-01

The port area of Rotterdam with its concentration of chemical and petrochemical
industry is an important contributor to the emission of CO2 in this country. The
Rotterdam Climate Initiative (RCI) aims to reduce the CO2 emission in 2025 by 50%
compared to 1990 levels. The use of biomass

Ondergronds Station Blijdorp, Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hijma, M.P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/266562426; Cohen, K.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/185633374

2014-01-01

Het is in de herfst van 2005. Een lief meisje, Marieke, rijdt op haar vouwfiets door Rotterdam. Bij het Centraal Station is het al tijden een grote bouwplaats. Onder de nieuwe hal komt een veel groter metrostation en ook onder de Statenweg in Blijdorp is een grote bouwput voor een nieuw station.

Jaarverslag 2001: Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2002-01-01

textabstractDe Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam heeft in 2001 resultaten geboekt waar zij voor staat, zowel op het gebied van wetenschappelijk onderwijs, wetenschappelijk onderzoek als in de sfeer van maatschappelijke dienstverlening. Met genoegen presenteren we u daarom dit verslag. Daarin laten we

Radicalisering moslimjongeren in Rotterdam?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ton Notten

2011-05-01

Inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten houden radicaliseringtendensen binnen de islamitische gemeenschappen scherp in de gaten. Het zijn vooral moslimjongeren die, volgens openbare verslagen van de Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (AIVD, de Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding (NCTb en het Informatie SchakelPunt Radicalisering (ISPR, ontvankelijk zijn voor radicale ideeën. Bij de juistheid en nauwkeurigheid van die rapportages plaatsen wij vraagtekens. Van radicalisering blijkt bijvoorbeeld in Rotterdam vrijwel geen sprake te zijn. Voor zover de problemen iets van doen hebben met radicalisering, lijken ze meer te liggen op het gebied van samenleven en opvoeding: de culturele en normatieve tegenstellingen tussen bevolkingsgroepen – moslims en niet-moslims – nemen toe. Polarisatie is het eigenlijke probleem en niet radicalisering. Wij stellen het diffuse begrip ‘radicalisering’ ter discussie zoals dat een belangrijke rol speelt in de veiligheidsrisicodebatten, bij wetenschappelijk onderzoek en binnen de kring van inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten. Ter illustratie gaan we nader in op de feitelijke ontwikkelingen in Rotterdam. Op grond van onze verkenning bepleiten we andere vormen en aandachtsvelden in het onderzoek naar radicalisering.

Jaarverslag 2003: Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2004-01-01

textabstractDe Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam heeft in 2003 resultaten ge- boekt waar zij voor staat, zowel op het gebied van wetenschap- pelijk onderwijs, wetenschappelijk onderzoek als in de sfeer van maatschappelijke dienstverlening. Daarvan kunt u in dit verslag kennisnemen. Veel aandacht is

Developing the Rotterdam City Region Food System: acting and thinking at the same time

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schans, van der J.W.

2015-01-01

The city region of Rotterdam is located in the western part of the Netherlands, bordering the North Sea. It contains the municipality of Rotterdam and several neighbouring municipalities, with about 1.2 million inhabitants. Rotterdam hosts Europe’s largest sea port as well as a large

Rotterdam Nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1975-01-01

In 1965 Rotterdam Nuclear received an order for the design, supply of materials, manufacture, testing, inspection and preparation for shipment of one 450MW Boiling Water Reactor pressure vessel. This was one of the first orders for a reactor pressure vessel, ever obtained by a European Manufacturer. The Company has since supplied 19 reactor pressure vessels for nuclear power stations, having a total weight of about 10,000,000kg. The nuclear power stations in which these are installed represent an electrical output of about 15,000MW and they are located in seven different countries (USA, Spain, Switzerland, Argentina, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands). (Auth.)

The Adapting city. Resilience through water design in Rotterdam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurizio Francesco Errigo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The Netherlands is a fragile and vulnerable land; dutch landscape consists of a dense network of polders characterized by key elements such as dams, windmills and farms; it is a unique landscape but, at the same time, is very fragile and constantly changing; spatial planning is very important, just as important is the resilience of the system and its adaptation to climate change. Rotterdam is a delta city and, in a period of heavy climate change, it will experiment more extreme weather conditions, such as heavier rainstorms, longer periods of drought and more heat waves, as well as higher water levels in the river Meuse; so is important to know that it is a deep vulnerable city and need right strategies to overcome the problem and to be adapted to conseguences of climate change. Resilience has been under the attention of the municipality for about fifteen years; Rotterdam is the inspiring example to other delta cities around the world going through a sustainability approach; as a green city is an attractive and resilient city where people love to live, work and relax; sustainability is an integral part of all area development projects in Rotterdam; sustainable areas are future-proof areas with good living conditions. In Rotterdam, architects and urban designers are finally responding to the threats of rising sea levels by "welcoming the water" into city, so the waterscape is becoming a new paradigm of spatial planning; Rotterdam is striving to become a climate proof city that will be safe and attractive to inhabitants, visitors and businesses, and will remain so in the future. A healthy delta city in which it is pleasant to live, work and spend leisure time.

Contributing Determinants to Hearing Loss in Elderly Men and Women: Results from the Population-Based Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.C. Rigters (Stephanie); R.M. Metselaar (Mick); Wieringa, M.H. (Marjan H.); De Jong, R.J.B. (Robert J. Baatenburg); A. Hofman (Albert); A. Goedegebure (Andre)

2016-01-01

textabstractTo contribute to a better understanding of the etiology in age-related hearing loss, we carried out a cross-sectional study of 3,315 participants (aged 52-99 years) in the Rotterdam Study, to analyze both low- and high-frequency hearing loss in men and women. Hearing thresholds with

Evaluatie terugbrengen sluitingstijden coffeeshops Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korf, D.J.; Liebregts, N.

2015-01-01

Vanaf oktober 2013 heeft de gemeente Rot-terdam in de loop van ongeveer een jaar de sluitingstijd van de meeste van de 40 coffee-shops vervroegd van 24:00 uur naar 22:00 uur, met uitzondering van 7 coffeeshops in het centrum. Onderzocht is welke gevolgen deze maatregel had voor de overlast,

A Local Dimension of Integration Policies? A Comparative Study of Berlin, Malmö, and Rotterdam

OpenAIRE

Dekker, Rianne; Emilsson, Henrik; Krieger, Bernhard; Scholten, Peter

2015-01-01

textabstractThis study examines three theses on local integration policies by a qualitative comparative case study of integration policies in three cities in three different countries (Berlin, Malmö, and Rotterdam). We found little evidence of a congruent local dimension of integration policies. Local policies resemble their national policy frameworks fairly well in terms of policy approaches and domains. Our multi-level perspective shows that this is not the result of top-down hierarchical g...

Regional economic impact of an event: the case of the Rotterdam Marathon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willem, Jan; Goedknegt, Bart; Heijman, W.J.M.

2016-01-01

The Rotterdam Marathon is an annual sports event in Rotterdam. This biggest one-day event in the Netherlands attracted around 925,000 visitors in 2014. This paper aims at evaluating its regional economic impact by way of input output analysis in terms of number of jobs.

Particulates in the city background of Rotterdam, Netherlands; Fijn stof in de stadsachtergrond van Rotterdam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Voogt, M.; Keuken, M. [TNO Bouw en Ondergrond, Utrecht (Netherlands); Weijers, E.; Kraai, A. [ECN Biomassa, Kolen en Milieuonderzoek, Petten (Netherlands)

2009-04-15

The Dutch research programme particulate matter (Policy oriented research programme Particulate matter or BOP) has examined the city background of PM10 and PM2,5 in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Currently, little is known about the variation in background concentrations among districts. The new European Directive has included an obligation to improve the city background in 2020 compared to 2010. It is not sufficiently clear, though, where the border lies between regional and urban background. Moreover, little is known about the uncertainties in the city background. In order to gain more insight, a study has been conducted of the spatial variability of the city background and the gradient of the regional background into the city background. This article presents the results of the study. [mk]. [Dutch] In het Nederlands onderzoeksprogramma fijn stof (Beleidsgeorienteerd Onderzoeksprogramma Particulate matter of BOP) is de stadsachtergrond van PM10 en PM2,5 in Rotterdam onderzocht. Er is echter nog weinig bekend over de variatie in de achtergrondconcentratie van wijk tot wijk. In de nieuwe Europese Richtlijn is een verplichting opgenomen om de stadsachtergrond in 2020 te verbeteren ten opzichte van 2010. Onvoldoende duidelijk is waar de grens tussen de regionale en stedelijke achtergrond ligt. Er is ook weinig bekend over de onzekerheid in de stadsachtergrond. Om meer inzicht te krijgen is onderzoek uitgevoerd naar de ruimtelijke variabiliteit van de stadsachtergrond en de gradient van de regionale achtergrond naar de stadsachtergrond. In dit artikel worden de resultaten van het onderzoek gepresenteerd.

Adherence to the 2015 Dutch dietary guidelines and risk of non-communicable diseases and mortality in the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.G. Voortman (Trudy); J.C. Kiefte-de Jong (Jessica); M.A. Ikram (Arfan); B.H.Ch. Stricker (Bruno); F.J.A. van Rooij (Frank); L. Lahousse (Lies); H.W. Tiemeier (Henning); G.G. Brusselle (Guy); O.H. Franco (Oscar); J.D. Schoufour (Josje)

2017-01-01

textabstractWe aimed to evaluate the criterion validity of the 2015 food-based Dutch dietary guidelines, which were formulated based on evidence on the relation between diet and major chronic diseases. We studied 9701 participants of the Rotterdam Study, a population-based prospective cohort in

Erasmus University Rotterdam Wrestles With Sustainability Strategy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Coughlan (Geraldine); T. Yue (Tao); F.H. Wijen (Frank)

2014-01-01

textabstractErasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is in the midst of a sustainability dilemma. The university is in a stage of transition, shifting focus from the city to the world stage. EUR’s current environmental sustainability policy needs more impetus. The university wants to incorporate

Resilience as strategy for climate adaptation under uncertainty. Case study on the area outside the dike of Rotterdam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Jong, A.

2008-07-01

This study has two aims; (1) to obtain insight in the concepts resilience and uncertainty; to gain insight in how a resilience oriented approach deals with uncertainties about the future; and (2) putting the resilience oriented approach into operation in a case: the area outside the dike of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which is designated for new buildings [nl

Transmitting Memory between and beyond Generations: The Rotterdam Bombardment in Local Memory Culture and Education from 1980 to 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Hogervorst, Susan

2015-01-01

This article analyses three local educational projects about the Nazi bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940, all of which took place from 1980 to the present day in the context of the dynamic memory culture of the bombardment. These three contexts testify to a process by which memory, increasingly derived from authentic locations and objects instead of…

The Rotterdam Rules from an Estonian perspective / Heiki Lindpere

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Lindpere, Heiki, 1949-

2010-01-01

Rotterdami reeglite (Konventsioon lepingute kohta kaupade rahvusvaheliseks veoks täies ulatuses või osaliselt meritsi = Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea (Rotterdam Rules)) tähtsusest Eestile ja kaubaveo reguleerimisest Eesti õiguses

A very large proportion of young Danish women have polycystic ovaries: is a revision of the Rotterdam criteria needed?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Susanne Lund; Ramlau-Hansen, Cecilia; Ernst, Erik

2010-01-01

According to the Rotterdam 2003 criteria, an ovary is defined as polycystic if 12 or more follicles of 2-9 mm are present, when evaluating the ovary by ultrasonography on Days 3-5 of the menstrual cycle in women not using hormonal contraceptives. The aim of this population-based study...... was to estimate the prevalence of polycystic ovaries (PCO) in a representative sample of young Danish women according to the Rotterdam criteria....

ASPECTS OF MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT IN THE ROTTERDAM RULES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina SULICU

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea (hereinafter – The Rotterdam Rules or Convention signed on 23 September 2009 is taking a novel approach to international trade. It might be the reason why it has not received positive acknowledgement from the signatories, law experts and other interested parties. However, one might wonder whether the trade itself stayed novel-free during the past several decades. It should not come as a surprise that it has not. Tackle-to tackle approach is no longer applicable to a majority of contracts concluded that provide for delivery to the consignee’s doorstep, as of 1970 container ships and container terminals dominate cargo handling in ports and onboard the ship, electronic communication and documentation is becoming a common feature in the current trade. Even if there are more developments to be named, the aforementioned three make the regime under the Hague ,Hague-Visby and Hamburg Rules appear outdated. So is the unfamiliar approach as envisioned by the Rotterdam Rules really such a big failure?

The role of marshall and rotterdam score in predicting 30-day outcome of traumatic brain injury

Science.gov (United States)

Siahaan, A. M. P.; Akbar, T. Y. M.; Nasution, M. D.

2018-03-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, especially in the young population. To predict the outcome of TBI, Marshall, and Rotterdam–CT Scan based scoring was mostly used. As many studies showed conflicting results regarding of the usage of both scoring, this study aims to determine the correlation between Rotterdam and Marshall scoring system with outcome in 30 days and found correlation among them. In 120 subjects with TBI that admitted to Adam Malik General Hospital, we found a significant association of both scorings with the 30-day Glasgow Outcome Score. Therefore, we recommend the use of Marshall and Rotterdam CT Score in initial assessment as a good predictor for patients with TBI.

Multimodal Transportation: The Case of Laptop from Chongqing in China to Rotterdam in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young Joon Seo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Multimodal transportation is a key component of modern logistics systems, especially for long-distance transnational transportation. This paper explores the various alternative routes for laptop exports from Chongqing, China to Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It selects seven available routes for laptop transportation from Chongqing to Rotterdam. The multimodal model was adopted to demonstrate alternative routes using various factors such as transport cost, transfer cost, transit time, transport distance, document charge, port congestion surcharge, customs charge, confidence index and so on. Among possible alternative routes, the results indicate that the route 6 was the fastest routes except for the air transport (route 7, while the route 1 was the cheapest and safest way. Nonetheless, route 1 may be not suitable for the laptop transport due to the importance of timeliness. The logisticians may able to utilize this research's findings to make a balance between transit time and transport cost for effective multimodal transport of laptops from Chongqing to Rotterdam.

Performance Effects of the Corporatisation of Port of Rotterdam Authority

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P.W. de Langen (Peter); C. Heij (Christiaan)

2013-01-01

textabstractPort of Rotterdam Authority is a publicly owned but corporatized port development company. In 2004, this organisation was transformed from a municipal department to an independently operating company. The corporatisation intended to improve the overall performance of the port of

3D spatial information infrastructure : The case of Port Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zlatanova, S.; Beetz, J.

2012-01-01

The development and maintenance of the infrastructure, facilities, logistics and other assets of the Port of Rotterdam requires a broad spectrum of heterogeneous information. This information concerns features, which are spatially distributed above ground, underground, in the air and in the water.

3D Spatial Information Infrastructure for the Port of Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zlatanova, S.; Beetz, J.; Boersma, A.J.; Mulder, A.; Goos, J.

2013-01-01

The maintenance of the complex infrastructure and facilities of Port of Rotterdam is based on large amounts of heterogeneous information. Almost all activities of the Port require spatial information about features above- and under- ground. Current information systems are department and data

Rising incidence of chancroid in Rotterdam. Epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Nayyar, K C; Stolz, E; Michel, M F

1979-01-01

The incidence of chancroid in Rotterdam has increased by more than five-fold during 1977-78. In a retrospective study of 53 patients with chancroid seen at this clinic during this period, the results of smears were positive in 82% and of cultures in 84% (of those for whom cultures had been performed). Symptoms were generally mild. Treatment with co-trimoxazole was highly effective clinically, as confirmed by in-vitro sensitivity studies. PMID:526847

Oil Pipelines, Politics and International Business : The Rotterdam Oil Port, Royal Dutch Shell and the German Hinterland, 1945-1975

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Boon (Marten)

2014-01-01

markdownabstractThe dissertation questions how and why the transition from coal to oil affected the economic relations between the Port of Rotterdam and its German hinterland between 1945 and 1975. From the 1880s onwards, Rotterdam had become the main seaport of the German industrial heartland in

The Pauluskerk: an unorthodox church in Rotterdam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank van der Hoeven

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The tale of the rebuilding of the Pauluskerk (St. Paul’s Church in the Dutch city of Rotterdam is a multilayered story that blurs the lines between architecture, societal issues, policymaking and urban redevelopment.The original Pauluskerk was built in the late 1950s in a city centre that was still recovering from the damage it suffered during the Second World War. The church may never have received the attention it has were it not for Reverend Visser, who developed the church into a refuge for the outcasts of Dutch society: asylum seekers, homeless people and drug addicts. Visser’s activism eventually evolved into the Perron Nul (Platform Zero initiative, through which he organized support for the addicted and indigent on a scale not seen before in the city.The close proximity of the Pauluskerk to Rotterdam Central Station and the controversy surrounding its mission brought it slowly but steadily onto a collision course with the renewal and redevelopment of the station area, which would eventually lead to the demolition of the original Pauluskerk in 2007 and the construction of a new church building as part of the CalypSO project, designed by British architect William Alsop.This article brings these story lines together to showcase the complex process involved in an inner-city urban development founded in the well-established practice of local democracy, where consensus-seeking is the norm, even when this crosses societal borders.

Coffee and herbal tea consumption is associated with lower liver stiffness in the general population: The Rotterdam study.

Science.gov (United States)

Alferink, Louise J M; Fittipaldi, Juliana; Kiefte-de Jong, Jessica C; Taimr, Pavel; Hansen, Bettina E; Metselaar, Herold J; Schoufour, Josje D; Ikram, M Arfan; Janssen, Harry L A; Franco, Oscar H; Darwish Murad, Sarwa

2017-08-01

Coffee and tea have been proposed to limit the progression of liver fibrosis in established liver disease, but it is unknown if this is also true for subclinical fibrosis. We therefore aimed to evaluate whether coffee and tea consumption are associated with liver stiffness in the general population. The Rotterdam Study is an ongoing prospective population-based cohort. We included participants who underwent transient elastography, ultrasound and completed a food frequency questionnaire. Coffee and tea consumption were categorized into no, moderate (>0-3), or frequent (⩾3) intake (cups/day), and tea further into green, black and herbal tea (no/any). Significant fibrosis was defined as liver stiffness measurements (LSM) ⩾8.0kPa. We performed regression analyses relating coffee and tea intake with fibrosis, steatosis and log-transformed LSM and adjusted for energy, sugar and creamer intake, age, gender, BMI, steatosis/LSM, HOMA-IR, ALT, alcohol, smoking, soda, healthy diet index and physical activity. We included 2,424 participants (age 66.5±7.4; 43% male) of whom 5.2% had LSM ⩾8.0kPa and 34.6% steatosis. Proportion of LSM ⩾8.0kPa decreased with higher coffee consumption (7.8%, 6.9% and 4.1% for no, moderate and frequent respectively; P trend =0.006). This inverse association was confirmed in multivariable regression (OR mod 0.75, 95% CI 0.33-1.67; OR freq 0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.86; p=0.005). Amongst tea consumers, only herbal tea consumers (36.3%) had lower log-transformed LSM after adjustment (Beta-0.05, 95% CI-0.08;-0.02, p=0.001). Subtypes of tea were associated with steatosis in univariate but not multivariable analysis. In the general population, frequent coffee and herbal tea consumption were inversely related with liver stiffness but not steatosis. Longitudinal analyses, as well as studies validating and unravelling underlying mechanisms are needed. The Rotterdam Study is a large ongoing population study of suburban inhabitants of Rotterdam in whom data

Mortality and life expectancy in homeless men and women in Rotterdam: 2001-2010.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilma J Nusselder

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Data on mortality among homeless people are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to describe mortality patterns within a cohort of homeless adults in Rotterdam (the Netherlands and to assess excess mortality as compared to the general population in that city. METHODS: Based on 10-year follow-up of homeless adults aged ≥ 20 years who visited services for homeless people in Rotterdam in 2001, and on vital statistics, we assessed the association of mortality with age, sex and type of service used (e.g. only day care, convalescence care, other within the homeless cohort, and also compared mortality between the homeless and general population using Poisson regression. Life tables and decomposition methods were used to examine differences in life expectancy. RESULTS: During follow-up, of the 2096 adult homeless 265 died. Among the homeless, at age 30 years no significant sex differences were found in overall mortality rates and life expectancy. Compared with the general Rotterdam population, mortality rates were 3.5 times higher in the homeless cohort. Excess mortality was larger in women (rate ratio [RR] RR 5.56, 95% CI 3.95-7.82 as compared to men (RR 3.31, 95% CI 2.91-3.77, and decreased with age (RR 7.67, 95% CI 6.87-8.56 for the age group 20-44 and RR 1.63, 95% CI 1.41-1.88 for the age group 60+ years. Life expectancy at age 30 years was 11.0 (95% CI 9.1-12.9 and 15.9 (95% CI 10.3-21.5 years lower for homeless men and women compared to men and women in the general population respectively. CONCLUSION: Homeless adults face excessive losses in life expectancy, with greatest disadvantages among homeless women and the younger age groups.

Student diversity at Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam: does it make any difference?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Selleger, V.; Bonke, B.; Leeman, Y.A.M.

2006-01-01

In an ethnically diverse society cultural competence is indispensable for medical doctors. At present 10% of the Dutch population are first- or second-generation non-Western immigrants. With 8% Western and 18% non-Western immigrants, originating from 30 different countries, the 2001 Rotterdam

High Prevalence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Adolescents: Is There a Difference Depending on the NIH and Rotterdam Criteria?

Science.gov (United States)

Busiah, Kanetee; Colmenares, Ana; Bidet, Maud; Tubiana-Rufi, Nadia; Levy-Marchal, Claire; Delcroix, Christine; Jacquin, Paul; Martin, Delphine; Benadjaoud, Lila; Jacqz-Aigrain, Evelyne; Laborde, Kathleen; Robert, Jean-Jacques; Samara-Boustani, Dinane; Polak, Michel

2017-01-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is more frequently observed in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) adult women than in nondiabetic women. No such prevalence has yet been studied in adolescent girls with T1DM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PCOS in adolescent girls with T1DM and to determine the clinical and hormonal features associated with the disorder. A cross-sectional study of 53 adolescent girls (gynecological age >2 years) referred for routine evaluation for T1DM was conducted. We diagnosed PCOS using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Rotterdam criteria. 26.4 and 47.9% of adolescents had PCOS according to NIH (NIH-PCOS) and Rotterdam (Rotterdam-PCOS) criteria. 66.7% of NIH-PCOS adolescents had a complete phenotype associated with hyperandrogenism, oligomenorrhea, and polycystic ovarian morphology, unlike only 33.3% of the Rotterdam-PCOS adolescents. A family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was more frequent in PCOS than in non-PCOS girls, whichever criteria were used. Late pubertal development and a T1DM diagnosis close to puberty were factors associated with NIH-PCOS. Adolescents with T1DM had a high prevalence of PCOS. More differences between PCOS and non-PCOS patients were found using the NIH criteria, suggesting that clinical characteristics might be more accurate for diagnosing PCOS in girls with T1DM. A family history of T2DM is associated with a high risk of PCOS. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Assessing Public Leadership Styles for Innovation: A Comparison of Copenhagen, Rotterdam and Barcelona

NARCIS (Netherlands)

L.M. Ricard (Lykke Margot); E-H. Klijn (Erik-Hans); J.M. Lewis (Jenny M.); T. Ysa (Tamyko)

2017-01-01

textabstractThis article explores which leadership qualities public managers regard as important for public innovation. It is based on a survey of 365 senior public managers in Copenhagen, Rotterdam and Barcelona. Five perspectives on leadership were identified and tested using a number of items.

Explorative Observations of the Urban Climate System in the Rotterdam Metropolis

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, C. M.; van Hove, L. W.; Heusinkveld, B. G.; Steeneveld, G.; van Heerwaarden, C.; Elbers, J. A.

2009-12-01

Until recently, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect was thought to be relatively unimportant for Dutch conditions since The Netherlands are located in the mild Cfb climate, close to the sea. This view altered after the heat waves of 2003 and 2006 that caused an excess mortality between 1400 and 2200. The excess mortality was found in the cities in particular. Climate projections show that also in The Netherlands heat waves will likely become more frequent in the next decades, which may form an important threat to the livability in urban areas. However, information regarding UHI in Dutch cities is completely lacking, both from observational and model perspective, which hampers the design of suitable adaptation and heat mitigation strategies. In this study, an assessment of the intensity of UHI in the city of Rotterdam is made. The main aim is to assess whether or not heat stress already is or will be a critical issue in the Rotterdam area. Traverse measurements were performed in the city using two cargo bicycles as a mobile platform, equipped specifically for urban meteorology measurements. The cargo bicycles allow manoeuvring easily through the narrow streets in the city. They are equipped with a thermometer, a humidity sensor, a 2-dimensional sonic anemometer and a set of radiation sensors to measure solar radiation and infrared radiation exchange from six directions. The data are recorded at 1 Hz, and connected with concurrent GPS readings. The instruments are powered by a solar panel mounted on the baggage carrier. Measurements were performed along two previously determined routes through a number of characteristic urban districts, including an industrial area, an older residential area, a city park and the harbour area. The routes were photographed at fixed intervals from 50 cm above the ground with a fisheye lens pointing upwards. The observations were carried out during four 1-2h time intervals on 6 August 2009, a warm day with a maximum temperature of near 30

A step towards functional integration : Reflection program case ‘Rotterdam roof park’

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kok, M.; Kothuis, Baukje; Kok, Matthijs

2017-01-01

Many functions are combined in the Rotterdam Roof Park project: It is a shopping mall, a parking garage, a park on the roof, and last but not least, a flood defense. The research in our program was done after the buildings and structures had been built. So the

Line and Form: linear, areal, inclusive and accessible public spaces. Hoofbogen in Rotterdam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurizio Francesco Errigo

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In the contemporary city places more and more lose their character of physical stock and became space of flow; the city isn’t characterized by its immobile uniqueness, but is modified and reassembled at the rate of circulation in it comes to life. Today the city is presented as a set of discontinuous fragments, which return an image of plural spaces, places and non-places, past and present. Disappearing borders, perimeters, which marked the places, neighborhoods are uncommon spaces, undefined areas between built and unbuilt. The square is the gap in the building density; it has lost its significance as a place of socialization. The recent planning instruments (plans and programs that belong to the city of Rotterdam are geared to transform the city into a “child-friendly city" (city suitable for children, the city attracts young couples and middle-class families just for the fact that the city is distancing itself from the modernist planning based on the zoning and is encouraging the mix of urban functions; particular emphasis in this phase of planning and urban design is given by the statement of the urban Vision Rotterdam 2030. The case dealt with in the article is related to the area of ​​Bergpolder, in the north of Rotterdam, an area affected by a strong identity disposed element, a railway viaduct, and is characterized by a strong strategic value for the location and proximity with the urban center and is affected by both social and economic problem due to the insufficiency of public spaces, the use of spaces and public facilities, to the social mixité, characterized by the mixture of different ethnic groups.

Anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic comparisons of the four Rotterdam PCOS phenotypes: A prospective study of PCOS women.

Science.gov (United States)

Kar, Sujata

2013-07-01

1. To study the distribution of various Rotterdam classified phenotypes of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) women, in our population. 2. To compare the four phenotypes with respect to anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic parameters. 3. To report the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome in these women. Private practice, Prospective cross-sectional comparative study. Women attending gynecology outpatient with the primary complains of irregular menses and/or infertility were evaluated. Each of them underwent detailed clinical examination, transvaginal sonography, and biochemical and hormonal assays. Four hundred and ten women with a clinical diagnosis of PCOS based on Rotterdam criteria were included in the study. The four phenotypes were 1) PCO complete, that is oligo/anovulation (O) + polycystic ovaries (P) + hyperandrogenism (H) 2) P + O, 3) P + H, and 4) O + H. All women were also evaluated for metabolic syndrome (American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI), modified Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III 2005 guidelines) and IR (homeostatic model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR)). Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18. Largest group was PCOS complete (65.6%) followed by P + O (22.2%); H + O (11.2%); and P + H (0.9%). Overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 35.07%. Hyperandrogenic phenotyptes; H + O (50%) and P + H + O (37.04%), had significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than normoandrogenic P + O phenotype (10%) (P ≤ 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 (P = 0.0004; odds ratio (OR) = 3.07 (1.6574-5.7108, 95% CI)), waist circumference (WC) ≥ 80 cm (P = 0.001; OR = 3.68 (1.6807-8.0737, 95% CI)) and family history of diabetes (P = 0.019; OR 1.82 (1.1008-3.0194, 95% CI)), were strongly associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. The overall prevalence of IR in PCOS women was 30.44% (HOMA-IR cutoff ≥ 3.8) and 34.94% (HOMA-IR cutoff ≥ 3.5). The prevalence of

Put the plug in. Shore-side electricity for moored sea ships can improve environmental quality in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Of je stopt de stekker erin. Walstroom voor afgemeerde zeeschepen kan de omgevingskwaliteit in Rotterdam verbeteren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okkerse, W.J.; Molenaar, R. [DCMR Milieudienst Rijnmond, Schiedam (Netherlands)

2011-10-15

Moored vessels consume much energy for their 'hotel' function: heating, cooling and lighting. Containers with perishable goods are cooled. Mammoth oil tankers unload oil onshore. That takes a lot of energy and cause much emissions to the air. Use of quay-side electricity can reduce such emissions considerably. Global developments bring the use of onshore power a step closer. This article discusses the environmental benefits for Rotterdam, Netherlands. [Dutch] Afgemeerde zeeschepen verbruiken veel energie voor hun 'hotel' functie: verwarming, verlichting en koeling. Containers met bederfelijke goederen worden gekoeld. Mammoettankers Iossen olie naar de wal. Dat kost veel energie en de bijbehorende emissies zijn groot. Toepassing van walstroom kan deze emissies sterk verminderen. Mondiale ontwikkelingen zorgen ervoor dat toepassing van walstroom een stapje dichterbij is gekomen. In dit artikel wordt de milieuwinst berekend voor Rotterdam.

Investigating Multiculturalism and Mono-Culturalism through the Infrastructure of Integration in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Jennifer

2015-01-01

This paper explores first-hand experiences of citizenship education specifically-designed for immigrants from the perspective of native Dutch settlement workers and volunteers in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Based on eight months of ethnographic research and in-depth interviews with settlement workers, this article explores how these "minor…

Association Between Mind-Body Practice and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: The Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Younge, John O; Leening, Maarten J G; Tiemeier, Henning; Franco, Oscar H; Kiefte-de Jong, Jessica; Hofman, Albert; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W; Hunink, M G Myriam

2015-09-01

The increased popularity of mind-body practices highlights the need to explore their potential effects. We determined the cross-sectional association between mind-body practices and cardiometabolic risk factors. We used data from 2579 participants free of cardiovascular disease from the Rotterdam Study (2009-2013). A structured home-based interview was used to evaluate engagement in mind-body practices including meditation, yoga, self-prayer, breathing exercises, or other forms of mind-body practice. We regressed engagement in mind-body practices on cardiometabolic risk factors (body mass index, blood pressure, and fasting blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose) and presence of metabolic syndrome. All analyses were adjusted for age, sex, educational level, smoking, alcohol consumption, (in)activities in daily living, grief, and depressive symptoms. Fifteen percent of the participants engaged in a form of mind-body practice. Those who did mind-body practices had significantly lower body mass index (β = -0.84 kg/m, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.30 to -0.38, p triglyceride levels (β = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.04 to -0.001, p = .037), and log-transformed fasting glucose levels (β = -0.01, 95% CI = -0.02 to -0.004, p = .004). Metabolic syndrome was less common among individuals who engaged in mind-body practices (odds ratio = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.54-0.95, p = .019). Individuals who do mind-body practices have a favorable cardiometabolic risk profile compared with those who do not. However, the cross-sectional design of this study does not allow for causal inference and prospective, and intervention studies are needed to elucidate the association between mind-body practices and cardiometabolic processes.

Enkele hydrologische aspecten van een bodem- en grondwaterverontreiniging op het fabrieksterrein van Nestle te Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mulschlegel; J.; Kusse; A.A.M.

1984-01-01

De Regionaal Inspecteur van de Volksgezondheid voor de Milieuhygiene voor Zuid-Holland verzocht RIVM-LBG inzicht te geven in de eventuele verbreiding van een verontreiniging op het fabrieksterrein van Nestle te Rotterdam. Bij het uitgevoerde onderzoek is gebruik gemaakt van een 3-dimensionaal

The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a normal population according to the Rotterdam criteria versus revised criteria including anti-Mullerian hormone.

Science.gov (United States)

Lauritsen, M P; Bentzen, J G; Pinborg, A; Loft, A; Forman, J L; Thuesen, L L; Cohen, A; Hougaard, D M; Nyboe Andersen, A

2014-04-01

What is the prevalence in a normal population of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) according to the Rotterdam criteria versus revised criteria including anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)? The prevalence of PCOS was 16.6% according to the Rotterdam criteria. When replacing the criterion for polycystic ovaries by antral follicle count (AFC) > 19 or AMH > 35 pmol/l, the prevalence of PCOS was 6.3 and 8.5%, respectively. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY?: The Rotterdam criteria state that two out of the following three criteria should be present in the diagnosis of PCOS: oligo-anovulation, clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries (AFC ≥ 12 and/or ovarian volume >10 ml). However, with the advances in sonography, the relevance of the AFC threshold in the definition of polycystic ovaries has been challenged, and AMH has been proposed as a marker of polycystic ovaries in PCOS. From 2008 to 2010, a prospective, cross-sectional study was performed including 863 women aged 20-40 years and employed at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark. We studied a subgroup of 447 women with a mean (±SD) age of 33.5 (±4.0) years who were all non-users of hormonal contraception. Data on menstrual cycle disorder and the presence of hirsutism were obtained. On cycle Days 2-5, or on a random day in the case of oligo- or amenorrhoea, sonographic and endocrine parameters were measured. The prevalence of PCOS was 16.6% according to the Rotterdam criteria. PCOS prevalence significantly decreased with age from 33.3% in women polycystic ovaries with a significant age-related decrease from 69.0% in women polycystic ovaries in women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria [area under the curve (AUC) 0.994; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.990-0.999] and AUC 0.992 (95% CI: 0.987-0.998), respectively], and an AMH cut-off value of 18 pmol/l and AMH Z-score of -0.2 showed the best compromise between sensitivity (91.8 and 90.4%, respectively) and specificity (98.1 and

Reach and effectiveness of a community program to reduce smoking among ethnic Turkish residents in Rotterdam, the Netherlands: a quasi-experimental design

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nierkens, Vera; Kunst, Anton E.; de Vries, Hein; Voorham, Toon A. J.; Stronks, Karien

2013-01-01

Community interventions have been considered promising strategies to reduce smoking prevalence among ethnic minority populations. We assessed the reach and effectiveness of a community program targeted at the Turkish population in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study had a quasi-experimental

Anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic comparisons of the four Rotterdam PCOS phenotypes: A prospective study of PCOS women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sujata Kar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Aims: 1. To study the distribution of various Rotterdam classified phenotypes of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS women, in our population. 2. To compare the four phenotypes with respect to anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic parameters. 3. To report the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR and metabolic syndrome in these women. Settings and Design: Private practice, Prospective cross-sectional comparative study. Materials and Methods: Women attending gynecology outpatient with the primary complains of irregular menses and/or infertility were evaluated. Each of them underwent detailed clinical examination, transvaginal sonography, and biochemical and hormonal assays. Four hundred and ten women with a clinical diagnosis of PCOS based on Rotterdam criteria were included in the study. The four phenotypes were 1 PCO complete, that is oligo/anovulation (O + polycystic ovaries (P + hyperandrogenism (H 2 P + O, 3 P + H, and 4 O + H. All women were also evaluated for metabolic syndrome (American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI, modified Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III 2005 guidelines and IR (homeostatic model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR. Statistical Analysis: Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 18. Results: Largest group was PCOS complete (65.6% followed by P + O (22.2%; H + O (11.2%; and P + H (0.9%. Overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 35.07%. Hyperandrogenic phenotyptes; H + O (50% and P + H + O (37.04%, had significantly higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than normoandrogenic P + O phenotype (10% (P ≤ 0.001. Body mass index (BMI ≥ 25 (P = 0.0004; odds ratio (OR = 3.07 (1.6574-5.7108, 95% CI, waist circumference (WC ≥ 80 cm (P = 0.001; OR = 3.68 (1.6807-8.0737, 95% CI and family history of diabetes (P = 0.019; OR 1.82 (1.1008-3.0194, 95% CI, were strongly associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome. The overall prevalence of IR in PCOS women was 30.44% (HOMA-IR cutoff �

Safety and immunogenicity of the RIVM hexavalent meningococcal B vesicle vaccine for Rotterdam children aged 2-3 and 7-8

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Labadie J; de Kleijn ED; Lafeber AB; Mees MMM; Booy K; de Groot R; van Omme GW; van Dijken H; Kuipers AJ; van den Dobbelsteen G; Juttmann RE; Wala M; van Alphen AJW; Rumke HC; LVO

2000-01-01

In dit rapport wordt verslag gedaan van een gerandomiseerde gecontroleerd fase-II klinische studie naar de veiligheid en immunogeniciteit van het RIVM hexavalente MenB vesicle vaccin in 189 kinderen van 2-3 jaar en 168 kinderen van 7-8 jaar in de stad Rotterdam. Twee concentraties van het MenB

Vitamin D status and metabolic syndrome in the elderly: the Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vitezova, A; Zillikens, M C; van Herpt, T T W; Sijbrands, E J G; Hofman, A; Uitterlinden, A G; Franco, O H; Kiefte-de Jong, J C

2015-03-01

The effects of vitamin D in the elderly are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between vitamin D status and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the elderly, as well as between vitamin D status and the components of MetS (i.e. serum glucose, triglycerides (TG), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), waist circumference (WC), and blood pressure (BP)). The study was embedded in the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort of middle-aged and elderly adults. We analyzed data from 3240 people (median age 71.2 years) who did not have type 2 diabetes mellitus at baseline. We found higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations associated with lower prevalence of MetS (odds ratio (OR); 95% CI: 0.61; 0.49, 0.77 for adequate levels (≥75  nmol/l) vs deficiency (vitamin D levels were: 0.66 (95% CI 0.53, 0.83) for elevated WC, 0.67 (95% CI 0.52, 0.86) for reduced HDL-C, 0.69 (95% CI 0.54, 0.88) for elevated TG, and 0.80 (95% CI 0.65, 0.99) for elevated fasting glucose. Vitamin D was not associated with elevated blood pressure, and ORs for adequacy vs deficiency were 0.82 (95% CI 0.65, 1.03). Higher 25(OH)D concentrations in the elderly are associated with lower prevalence of MetS and, in particular, with more beneficial HDL-C, TG, WC, and serum glucose. Since the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide and its risk increases with age, if causality is proven, benefits of improving vitamin D status among the elderly may be great. © 2015 European Society of Endocrinology.

Enhancing of Carriers’ Liabilities in the Rotterdam Rules – Too Expensive Costs for Navigational Safety?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Sooksripaisarnkit

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea (the ‘Rotterdam Rules’ was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 11 December 2008. The Rotterdam Rules contain two oft-criticised changes from the existing regime governing international carriage of goods widely adopted among maritime nations, namely the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Bills of Lading, Brussels, 25 August 1924 (the ‘Hague Rules’ and its subsequent Protocol in 1968 (the ‘Visby Protocol’ or the ‘Hague-Visby Rules’. These changes are, namely, an extension of the carrier’s obligations to maintain seaworthy vessel throughout the voyage (Article 14 and a deletion of an exclusion of carrier’s liabilities due to negligent navigation (Article 17. This paper addresses implications of these changes and assess whether ship-owners and ship-operators can comply with these without having to incur excessive additional expenses.

A Modelling Approach for Integrated Planning of Port Capacity- Trade-Offs in Rotterdam Investment Planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sander Dekker

2006-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a modelling approach for planning ofport capacity. The approach integrates port commercial andpublic interests. It further incorporates route competition andautonomous demand growth. It is applied to port expansion,which can be considered as a strategy for an individual port todeal with route competition. The basis for solving this planningproblem comprises an analysis of port demand and supply in apartial equilibrium model. With such an approach, the reactionof a single port on the change in a transport network comprisingalternative routes to a hinterland destination can be simulated.To establish the optimal expansion strategy, port expansion iscombined with congestion pricing. This is used for the simultaneousdetermination of 1 optimal expansion size, and 2 investmentrecovery period. The modelling approach will be appliedto Rotterdam port focusing on port expansion by means ofland reclamation. The scenmio of the entry of a new competingroute via the Italian port Gioia Tauro is used to address sometrade-offs in Rotterdam investment planning.

Safety and immunogenicity of the RIVM hexavalent meningococcal B vesicle vaccine for Rotterdam children aged 2-3 and 7-8

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Labadie J; Kleijn ED de; Lafeber AB; Mees MMM; Booy K; Groot R de; Omme GW van; Dijken H van; Kuipers AJ; Dobbelsteen G van den; Juttmann RE; Wala M; Alphen AJW van; Rumke HC; Sophia Kinderziekenhuis /; LVO

2000-01-01

This report documents the results of a randomised controlled phase-II clinical study into the safety and immunogenicity of the RIVM hexavalent MenB vesicle vaccine among 189 children aged 2-3 and 168 children aged 7-8 in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Two concentrations of the MenB vesicle

Bone mineral density and mortality in elderly men and women: the Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Der Klift, M; Pols, H A P; Geleijnse, J M; Van Der Kuip, D A M; Hofman, A; De Laet, C E D H

2002-04-01

Recent studies have shown that a low bone mineral density (BMD) is associated with a higher risk of mortality. Most studies have investigated this relationship in women only and presented their risk estimates per standard deviation change in BMD. However, when using this approach, a BMD threshold might be missed when relative risks are presented in the traditional manner. Therefore, in this study our aim was to model the relation between BMD and all-cause mortality. In the Rotterdam Study, follow-up was complete for 5819 men and women aged > or =55 years for whom BMD data were available. During an average follow-up of 5.4 years, 399 men and 317 women died. We calculated BMD Z scores using measurements performed at the femoral neck. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to fit the model. An average BMD, reflected by a Z score = 0, was used as the reference. For women, no significant relationship between BMD and overall mortality was observed. For men, however, a cubic model best fitted the relationship under study, also after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI). The risk of mortality increased when BMD was below average. Similar results were found when separate curves were made for diabetics and nondiabetics, smokers (ever or never), and tertiles of BMI. Excluding subjects who had suffered hip fractures, or adjusting for the number of drugs used and for lower limb disability, essentially did not change results. This suggests that low BMD is not mainly due to morbidity and impaired mobility in our cohort, which makes this a less likely explanation for the observed relation with mortality. The results of our study suggest that, in men, a nonlinear relationship between BMD and mortality exists, which is independent of comorbidity, whereas, in women, no significant relationship was observed.

Sport as a vehicle for social mobility and regulation of disadvantaged urban youth: lessons from Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spaaij, R.

2009-01-01

This article addresses sport's contribution to social mobility of disadvantaged urban youth through an analysis of the Sport Steward Program in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Sport-based social intervention programs are conceptualized as potential vehicles for the creation of different forms of capital

Improving A Priori Demand Estimates Transport Models using Mobile Phone Data : A Rotterdam-Region Case

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wismans, Luc Johannes Josephus; Friso, K.; Rijsdijk, J.; de Graaf, S.W.; Keij, J.

2018-01-01

Mobile phone data are a rich source to infer all kinds of mobility- related information. In this research, we present an approach where mobile phone data are used and analyzed for enriching the transport model of the region of Rotterdam. In this research Call Detail Records (CDR) are used from a

MR guided applicator reconstruction for brachytherapy of cervical cancer using the novel titanium Rotterdam applicator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, Steven; Wielopolski, Piotr; Rijnsdorp, Reneé; Mens, Jan-Willem; Kolkman-Deurloo, Inger-Karine

2013-01-01

A novel model of the titanium Rotterdam tandem and ovoid applicator is presented. As titanium produces artefacts in MR images, an MR sequence was sought and optimised for visualisation and accurate applicator reconstruction. The mean inter-observer (8 observers) variability for four patients was only 0.7 mm (maximum 1.7 mm)

Improving A Priori Demand Estimates Transport Models using Mobile Phone Data : A Rotterdam-Region Case

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wismans, Luc Johannes Josephus; Friso, K.; Rijsdijk, J.; de Graaf, S.W.; Keij, J.

2016-01-01

Mobile phone data are a rich source to infer all kinds of mobility related information. In this research we present an approach where mobile phone data is used and analysed for enriching the transport model of the region of Rotterdam. In our research we used Call Detail Records (CDR) from one of the

Early CT findings to predict early death in patients with traumatic brain injury: Marshall and Rotterdam CT scoring systems compared in the major academic tertiary care hospital in northeastern Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Mata-Mbemba, Daddy; Mugikura, Shunji; Nakagawa, Atsuhiro; Murata, Takaki; Ishii, Kiyoshi; Li, Li; Takase, Kei; Kushimoto, Shigeki; Takahashi, Shoki

2014-05-01

Computed tomography (CT) plays a crucial role in early assessment of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Marshall and Rotterdam are the mostly used scoring systems, in which CT findings are grouped differently. We sought to determine the scoring system and initial CT findings predicting the death at hospital discharge (early death) in patients with TBI. We included 245 consecutive adult patients with mild-to-severe TBI. Their initial CT and status at hospital discharge (dead or alive) were reviewed, and both CT scores were calculated. We examined whether each score was related to early death; compared the two scoring systems' performance in predicting early death, and identified the CT findings that are independent predictors of early death. More deaths occurred among patients with higher Marshall and Rotterdam scores (both P death (Marshall, AUC = 0. 85 vs. Rotterdam, AUC = 0.85). Basal cistern absence (odds ratio [OR] = 771.5, P death. Both Marshall and Rotterdam scoring systems can be used to predict early death in patients with TBI. The performance of the Marshall score is at least equal to that of the Rotterdam score. Thus, although older, the Marshall score remains useful in predicting patients' prognosis. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The ENDORSE study: Research into environmental determinants of obesity related behaviors in Rotterdam schoolchildren

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Looij-Jansen Petra

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Children and adolescents are important target groups for prevention of overweight and obesity as overweight is often developed early in life and tracks into adulthood. Research into behaviors related to overweight (energy balance-related behaviors and the personal and environmental determinants of these behaviors is fundamental to inform prevention interventions. In the Netherlands and in other countries systematic research into environmental determinants of energy balance related behaviors in younger adolescents is largely lacking. This protocol paper describes the design, the components and the methods of the ENDORSE study (Environmental Determinants of Obesity in Rotterdam SchoolchildrEn, that aims to identify important individual and environmental determinants of behaviors related to overweight and obesity and the interactions between these determinants among adolescents. Methods The ENDORSE study is a longitudinal study with a two-year follow-up of a cohort of adolescents aged 12–15 years. Data will be collected at baseline (2005/2006 and at two years follow-up (2007/2008. Outcome measures are body mass index (BMI, waist circumference, time spent in physical activity and sedentary behaviors, and soft drink, snack and breakfast consumption. The ENDORSE study consists of two phases, first employing qualitative research methods to inform the development of a theoretical framework to examine important energy balance related behaviors and their determinants, and to inform questionnaire development. Subsequently, the hypothetical relationships between behavioral determinants, energy balance related behaviors and BMI will be tested in a quantitative study combining school-based surveys and measurements of anthropometrical characteristics at baseline and two-year follow-up. Discussion The ENDORSE project is a comprehensive longitudinal study that enables investigation of specific environmental and individual determinants of

Effects of combined healthy lifestyle factors on functional vascular aging: the Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi, Leila; Mattace-Raso, Francesco U S; van Rosmalen, Joost; van Rooij, Frank; Hofman, Albert; Franco, Oscar H

2016-05-01

To evaluate whether components of a healthy lifestyle, combined and individually, are associated with arterial stiffness as a marker of functional vascular aging. We included 3235 participants aged 61-96 years from the Rotterdam Study. Measures of arterial stiffness included: aortic pulse wave velocity and carotid distensibility coefficient. Participants were scored one point for each of healthy lifestyle factors: consumption of five or more of fruits and/or vegetables per day, 75 min or more vigorous physical activity per week, 18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 24. 9, never smoked and light-to-moderate alcohol intake (maximum seven glasses for women and 14 glasses for men) per week. Also a combined score (0-5) was computed by adding the five factors. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of healthy lifestyle and measures of arterial stiffness adjusting for confounders. Participants had -0.113 [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.196, -0.029] difference in mean aortic pulse wave velocity m/s per unit increment of the lifestyle factors score, independent of cardiovascular risk factors. Higher fruit and vegetable consumption -0.221 (95% CI: -0.409, -0.034) and physical activity -0.239 (95% CI: -0.433, -0.044) were also significantly associated with reduced aortic pulse wave velocity. The corresponding estimates in carotid distensibility coefficient lacked statistical significance when we adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors. Combining multiple healthy lifestyle factors is associated with reduced aortic stiffness, a measure of functional vascular aging and independent of cardiovascular risk factors.

Validity of the Framingham point scores in the elderly: results from the Rotterdam study.

Science.gov (United States)

Koller, Michael T; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Wolbers, Marcel; Stijnen, Theo; Bucher, Heiner C; Hunink, M G Myriam; Witteman, Jacqueline C M

2007-07-01

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends assessing 10-year risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in individuals free of established CHD with the Framingham Point Scores (FPS). Individuals with a risk >20% are classified as high risk and are candidates for preventive intervention. We aimed to validate the FPS in a European population of elderly subjects. Subjects free of established CHD at baseline were selected from the Rotterdam study, a population-based cohort of subjects 55 years or older in The Netherlands. We studied calibration, discrimination (c-index), and the accuracy of high-risk classifications. Events consisted of fatal CHD and nonfatal myocardial infarction. Among 6795 subjects, 463 died because of CHD and 336 had nonfatal myocardial infarction. Predicted 10-year risk of CHD was on average well calibrated for women (9.9% observed vs 10.1% predicted) but showed substantial overestimation in men (14.3% observed vs 19.8% predicted), particularly with increasing age. This resulted in substantial number of false-positive classifications (specificity 70%) in men. In women, discrimination of the FPS was better than that in men (c-index 0.73 vs 0.63, respectively). However, because of the low baseline risk of CHD and limited discriminatory power, only 33% of all CHD events occurred in women classified as high risk. The FPS need recalibration for elderly men with better incorporation of the effect of age. In elderly women, FPS perform reasonably well. However, maintaining the rational of the high-risk threshold requires better performing models for a population with low incidence of CHD.

Ideas that persist for centuries - by Erasmus of Rotterdam, the prince of humanists.

Science.gov (United States)

Brucknerova, Ingrid; Holomanova, Anna; Mach, Mojmir; Ujhazy, Eduard

2013-01-01

The paper highlights the personality of the founder of European student exchange program ERASMUS (EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) Erasmus of Rotterdam. He was one of the leading European humanists and has left a literary legacy of large dimensions. His thoughts, ideas, opinions, and mainly the works have a great benefit for society even today. From 16th century to the present time they are the subject of unchanged interest.

Baseline dietary glutamic acid intake and the risk of colorectal cancer: The Rotterdam study.

Science.gov (United States)

Viana Veloso, Gilson G; Franco, Oscar H; Ruiter, Rikje; de Keyser, Catherina E; Hofman, Albert; Stricker, Bruno C; Kiefte-de Jong, Jessica C

2016-03-15

Animal studies have shown that glutamine supplementation may decrease colon carcinogenesis, but any relation with glutamine or its precursors has not been studied in humans. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether dietary glutamic acid intake was associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in community-dwelling adults. A secondary aim was to evaluate whether the association could be modified by the body mass index (BMI). This study was embedded in the Rotterdam study, which included a prospective cohort from 1990 onward that consisted of 5362 subjects who were 55 years old or older and were free of CRC at the baseline. Glutamic acid was calculated as a percentage of the total protein intake with a validated food frequency questionnaire at the baseline. Incident cases of CRC were pathology-based. During follow-up, 242 subjects developed CRC. Baseline dietary glutamic acid intake was significantly associated with a lower risk of developing CRC (hazard ratio [HR] per percent increase in glutamic acid of protein, 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-0.99). After stratification for BMI, the risk reduction for CRC by dietary glutamic acid was 42% for participants with a BMI ≤ 25 kg/m(2) (HR per percent increase in glutamic acid of protein, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.40-0.85), whereas no association was found in participants with a BMI > 25 kg/m(2) (HR per percent increase in glutamic acid of protein, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.73-1.31). Our data suggest that baseline dietary glutamic acid intake is associated with a lower risk of developing CRC, but this association may be mainly present in nonoverweight subjects. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

Physical activity types and life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease: the Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhana, Klodian; Koolhaas, Chantal M; Berghout, Mathilde A; Peeters, Anna; Ikram, M Arfan; Tiemeier, Henning; Hofman, Albert; Nusselder, Wilma; Franco, Oscar H

2017-12-01

We aimed to determine the contribution of specific physical activity (PA) types (i.e. walking, cycling, domestic work, sports and gardening) on total life expectancy (LE) and LE with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD). We constructed multistate life tables to calculate the effects of total PA and PA types on LE, among individuals older than 55 years from the Rotterdam Study. For the life table calculations, we used sex-specific prevalences, incident rates and hazard ratios for three transitions (healthy-to-CVD, healthy-to-death and CVD-to-death) by levels of PA and adjusted for confounders. High total PA was associated with gains in total and CVD-free LE. High cycling contributed to higher total LE in men (3.7 years) and women (2.1 years) and higher LE without CVD in men (3.1 years) and women (2.4 years). Total and CVD-free LE were increased by high domestic work in women (2.6 and 2.4 years, respectively) and high gardening in men (2.7 and 2.0 years, respectively). Higher PA levels are associated with increased LE and more years lived without CVD. Of the different PA types, cycling provided high effects in both men and women. Cycling could be more strongly encouraged in activity guidelines to maximize the population benefits of PA. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Validation of a model to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD: the rotterdam ischemic heart disease and stroke computer simulation (RISC) model.

Science.gov (United States)

van Kempen, Bob J H; Ferket, Bart S; Hofman, Albert; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Colkesen, Ersen B; Boekholdt, S Matthijs; Wareham, Nicholas J; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Hunink, M G Myriam

2012-12-06

We developed a Monte Carlo Markov model designed to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD. Internal, predictive, and external validity of the model have not yet been established. The Rotterdam Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke Computer Simulation (RISC) model was developed using data covering 5 years of follow-up from the Rotterdam Study. To prove 1) internal and 2) predictive validity, the incidences of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, CVD death, and non-CVD death simulated by the model over a 13-year period were compared with those recorded for 3,478 participants in the Rotterdam Study with at least 13 years of follow-up. 3) External validity was verified using 10 years of follow-up data from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study of 25,492 participants, for whom CVD and non-CVD mortality was compared. At year 5, the observed incidences (with simulated incidences in brackets) of CHD, stroke, and CVD and non-CVD mortality for the 3,478 Rotterdam Study participants were 5.30% (4.68%), 3.60% (3.23%), 4.70% (4.80%), and 7.50% (7.96%), respectively. At year 13, these percentages were 10.60% (10.91%), 9.90% (9.13%), 14.20% (15.12%), and 24.30% (23.42%). After recalibrating the model for the EPIC-Norfolk population, the 10-year observed (simulated) incidences of CVD and non-CVD mortality were 3.70% (4.95%) and 6.50% (6.29%). All observed incidences fell well within the 95% credibility intervals of the simulated incidences. We have confirmed the internal, predictive, and external validity of the RISC model. These findings provide a basis for analyzing the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors on the burden of CVD with the RISC model.

Validation of a model to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD risk factors on the burden of CVD: the rotterdam ischemic heart disease and stroke computer simulation (RISC model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van Kempen Bob JH

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We developed a Monte Carlo Markov model designed to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD risk factors on the burden of CVD. Internal, predictive, and external validity of the model have not yet been established. Methods The Rotterdam Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke Computer Simulation (RISC model was developed using data covering 5 years of follow-up from the Rotterdam Study. To prove 1 internal and 2 predictive validity, the incidences of coronary heart disease (CHD, stroke, CVD death, and non-CVD death simulated by the model over a 13-year period were compared with those recorded for 3,478 participants in the Rotterdam Study with at least 13 years of follow-up. 3 External validity was verified using 10 years of follow-up data from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC-Norfolk study of 25,492 participants, for whom CVD and non-CVD mortality was compared. Results At year 5, the observed incidences (with simulated incidences in brackets of CHD, stroke, and CVD and non-CVD mortality for the 3,478 Rotterdam Study participants were 5.30% (4.68%, 3.60% (3.23%, 4.70% (4.80%, and 7.50% (7.96%, respectively. At year 13, these percentages were 10.60% (10.91%, 9.90% (9.13%, 14.20% (15.12%, and 24.30% (23.42%. After recalibrating the model for the EPIC-Norfolk population, the 10-year observed (simulated incidences of CVD and non-CVD mortality were 3.70% (4.95% and 6.50% (6.29%. All observed incidences fell well within the 95% credibility intervals of the simulated incidences. Conclusions We have confirmed the internal, predictive, and external validity of the RISC model. These findings provide a basis for analyzing the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease risk factors on the burden of CVD with the RISC model.

Determinants of locomotor disability in people aged 55 years and over: The Rotterdam study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odding, Else; Valkenburg, Hans A.; Stam, Hendrik J.; Hofman, Albert

2001-01-01

Locomotor disability, as defined by difficulties in activities of daily living related to lower limb function, can be the consequence of diseases and impairments of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, nervous, sensory and musculoskeletal system. We estimated the associations between specific diseases and impairments and locomotor disability, and the proportion of disability attributable to each condition, controlling for age and comorbidity. The Rotterdam Study is a prospective follow-up study among people aged 55 years and over in the general population. Locomotor disability in 1219 men and 1856 women was assessed with the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire. Diseases and impairments were radiological osteoarthritis, pain of the hips and knees, morning stiffness, fractures, hypertension, vascular disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression, Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, overweight, and low vision. Adjusted odds ratios, etiologic and attributable fractions were calculated for locomotor disability. The occurrence of locomotor disability can partly be ascribed to joint pain, COPD, morning stiffness, diabetes and heart failure in both men and women. In addition in women osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, low vision, fractures, stroke and Parkinson's disease are significant etiologic fractions. In men with morning stiffness, joint pain, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, and COPD a significant proportion of their disability is attributable to this impairment. In women this was the case for Parkinson's disease, morning stiffness, low vision, heart failure, joint pain, diabetes, radiological osteoarthritis, stroke, COPD, osteoporosis, and fractures of the lower limbs, in that order. We conclude that locomotor complaints, heart failure, COPD and diabetes mellitus contribute considerably to locomotor disability in non-institutionalized elderly people

Modifiable etiological factors and the burden of stroke from the Rotterdam study: a population-based cohort study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michiel J Bos

2014-04-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Stroke prevention requires effective treatment of its causes. Many etiological factors for stroke have been identified, but the potential gain of effective intervention on these factors in terms of numbers of actually prevented strokes remains unclear because of the lack of data from cohort studies. We assessed the impact of currently known potentially modifiable etiological factors on the occurrence of stroke. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This population-based cohort study was based on 6,844 participants of the Rotterdam Study who were aged ≥55 y and free from stroke at baseline (1990-1993. We computed population attributable risks (PARs for individual risk factors and for risk factors in combination to estimate the proportion of strokes that could theoretically be prevented by the elimination of etiological factors from the population. The mean age at baseline was 69.4 y (standard deviation 6.3 y. During follow-up (mean follow-up 12.9 y, standard deviation 6.3 y, 1,020 strokes occurred. The age- and sex-adjusted combined PAR of prehypertension/hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, coronary disease, and overweight/obesity was 0.51 (95% CI 0.41-0.62 for any stroke; hypertension and smoking were the most important etiological factors. C-reactive protein, fruit and vegetable consumption, and carotid intima-media thickness in combination raised the total PAR by 0.06. The PAR was 0.55 (95% CI 0.41-0.68 for ischemic stroke and 0.70 (95% CI 0.45-0.87 for hemorrhagic stroke. The main limitations of our study are that our study population comprises almost exclusively Caucasians who live in a middle and high income area, and that risk factor awareness is higher in a study cohort than in the general population. CONCLUSIONS: About half of all strokes are attributable to established causal and modifiable factors. This finding encourages not only intervention on established etiological factors, but also further study of less

Policy priority objectives: comparative assessment in four European cities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alonso Ramos, A.

2016-07-01

Sustainability must be an urban issue. Cities should be managed so as to minimize their impacts on environment, but providing an appropriate framework for economic and social development. However, European cities are facing some trends that threaten sustainable development. The aim of the EC research project INSIGHT-7FP (2013/16) is to develop appropriate management tools that can help to achieve sustainability in the context of European cities. In the project, a set of policy objectives have been designed for the management of urban areas, in order to face the main threats existing over cities. The paper presents a methodology based on indicators for analysing the progress towards these ten policy objectives in the four EU cities participating in the project: London (12.3 mill. inhab.), Madrid (6.4 mill. inhab.), Barcelona (5.4 mill. inhab.) and Rotterdam (1.4 mill. inhab.). All the indicators used in the analysis have been validated by ten policy makers of European cities. These policy makers participated on the stakeholders consultation carried out in the project, where the importance of the policy objectives proposed was also assessed. The paper concludes determining the policy priority objectives in each city, in order to contain the main threats existing over them: London should especially address the threats of social exclusion and transport inefficiency; Madrid the threats of economic decline and urban sprawl; Barcelona the economic decline and Rotterdam the contribution to climate change and the urban sprawl. Finally, the role played by the land use and transport system in these policy objectives is analysed. To this end, the assessment allows for the comparability of the results in a horizontal manner, in the basis of common indicators. Nearly half of these indicators are related to the land use and transport system of the cities. (Author)

Clinical and molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum-β- lactamase-producing Escherichia coli causing bacteremia in the Rotterdam Area, Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.K. van der Bij (Akke); G. Peirano (G.); W.H.F. Goessens (Wil); E.R. van der Vorm (Eric); M. van Westreenen (Mireille); J.D.D. Pitout (J. D D)

2011-01-01

textabstractWe investigated the clinical and molecular characteristics of bacteremia caused by extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli over a 2-year period (2008 to 2009) in the Rotterdam region (including 1 teaching hospital and 2 community hospitals) of Netherlands. The

Sex differences in subjective and actigraphic sleep measures: A population-based study of elderly persons

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berg, J.F. van den; Miedema, H.M.E.; Tulen, J.H.M.; Hofman, A.; Neven, A.K.; Tiemeier, H.

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: To investigate and explain sex differences in subjective and actigraphic sleep parameters in community-dwelling elderly persons. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was embedded in the Rotterdam Study, a population-based study. Participants: Nine hundred fifty-six

Fetal Programming of Infant Neuromotor Development: The Generation R Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Batenburg-Eddes, T.; de Groot, L.; Steegers, E.A.P.; Hofman, A.; Jaddoe, V.W.V.; Verhulst, F.C.; Tiemeier, H.

2010-01-01

The objective of the study was to examine whether infant neuromotor development is determined by fetal size and body symmetry in the general population. This study was embedded within the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort in Rotterdam. In 2965 fetuses, growth parameters were measured in

Can IMRT or Brachytherapy Reduce Dysphagia Associated With Chemoradiotherapy of Head and Neck Cancer? The Michigan and Rotterdam Experiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eisbruch, Avraham; Levendag, Peter C.; Feng, Felix Y.; Teguh, David; Lyden, Teresa M.A.; Schmitz, Paul I.M.; Haxer, Marc; Noever, Inge; Chepeha, Douglas B.; Heijmen, Ben J.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Dysphagia is a major late complication of intensive chemoradiotherapy of head and neck cancer. The initial clinical results of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or brachytherapy, planned specifically to reduce dysphagia are presented. Patients and Methods: Previous research at Michigan University has suggested that the pharyngeal constrictors and glottic and supraglottic larynx are likely structures whose damage by chemo-RT causes dysphagia and aspiration. In a prospective Michigan trial, 36 patients with oropharyngeal (n = 31) or nasopharyngeal (n = 5) cancer underwent chemo-IMRT. IMRT cost functions included sparing noninvolved pharyngeal constrictors and the glottic and supraglottic larynx. After a review of published studies, the retropharyngeal nodes at risk were defined as the lateral, but not the medial, retropharyngeal nodes, which facilitated sparing of the swallowing structures. In Rotterdam, 77 patients with oropharyngeal cancer were treated with IMRT, three dimensional RT, or conventional RT; also one-half received brachytherapy. The dysphagia endpoints included videofluoroscopy and observer-assessed scores at Michigan and patient-reported quality-of-life instruments in both studies. Results: In both studies, the doses to the upper and middle constrictors correlated highly with the dysphagia endpoints. In addition, doses to the glottic and supraglottic larynx were significant in the Michigan series. In the Rotterdam series, brachytherapy (which reduced the doses to the swallowing structures) was the only significant factor on multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The dose-response relationships for the swallowing structures found in these studies suggest that reducing their doses, using either IMRT aimed at their sparing, or brachytherapy, might achieve clinical gains in dysphagia

Flux Festival - nieuwste muziek en anti-muziek - het instrumentale theater, Scheveningen, 13 November 1964 and Rotterdam, 23 November 1964

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Meijden, Peter Alexander

2012-01-01

Artiklen skitserer omstændighederne for tilblivelsen af en Fluxusfestival med titel "Flux Festival - nieuwste muziek en anti-muziek - het instrumentale theater" på Kurzaal-teateret i Scheveningen, nær Den Haag, d. 13. november 1964 og De Lantaren-teateret i Rotterdam d. 23. november 1964, samt...

The Erasmus Computing Grid - Building a Super-Computer Virtually for Free at the Erasmus Medical Center and the Hogeschool Rotterdam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T.A. Knoch (Tobias); L.V. de Zeeuw (Luc)

2006-01-01

textabstractThe Set-Up of the 20 Teraflop Erasmus Computing Grid: To meet the enormous computational needs of live- science research as well as clinical diagnostics and treatment the Hogeschool Rotterdam and the Erasmus Medical Center are currently setting up one of the largest desktop

Integration in urban climate adaptation: Lessons from Rotterdam on integration between scientific disciplines and integration between scientific and stakeholder knowledge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groot, A.M.E.; Bosch, P.R.; Buijs, S.; Jacobs, C.M.J.; Moors, E.J.

2015-01-01

Based on the experience acquired in the Bergpolder Zuid district in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, this paper presents lessons learned so far on science-policy interactions supporting the adaptation to climate change in an urban district. Two types of integration issues were considered: (1)

Type, severity, management and outcome of ocular and adnexal firework-related injuries: the Rotterdam experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Frimmel, Sonja; de Faber, J Tjeerd; Wubbels, Rene J; Kniestedt, Christoph; Paridaens, Dion

2018-03-13

To study the type, severity, management and outcome of firework-related adnexal and ocular injuries during New Year's Eve festivities. A retrospective analysis of 123 injured patients (143 eyes) treated at the Rotterdam Eye Hospital between 2009 and 2013. All ages were included and analysed according to age, gender, active participant or bystander, laterality, location, dimension and severity of injury. Outcome parameter was the final best-corrected visual acuity. The mean age was 22 ± 13 years with 87% males and 53% bystanders. 52% were ≤18 years. There was a higher number of female than male bystanders (63% versus 51%, p = 0.30). 50% of the eyes sustained mild, 13% moderate and 37% severe trauma. Adults suffered more from severe injuries compared to children (42% versus 31%). The most frequent intervention was gunpowder removal (20%), followed by traumatic cataract surgery (12%) and amniotic membrane grafting (8%). 76% of patients were followed over 1 year. At the end of follow-up, 88 (61.5%) eyes had recovered fully, while 55 (38.5%) eyes suffered from persistent complications with reduced vision ≤0.8 in 30% of injured eyes. 15 patients (12%, 10 adults, five children) were considered legally blind (vision ≤0.1). Three (2%) eyes were subject to evisceration. Every year, around New Year's Eve 30-45 victims were referred to the Rotterdam Eye Hospital; 50% sustained moderate-to-severe trauma. In severe firework injuries, patients required multiple treatments that may not prevent permanent blindness and/or functional/cosmetic disfigurement. The majority was bystander and younger than 18 years. © 2018 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

High androgens in postmenopausal women and the risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease: the Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Meun, Cindy; Franco, Oscar H; Dhana, Klodian; Jaspers, Loes; Muka, Taulant; Louwers, Yvonne; Ikram, M Arfan; Fauser, Bart C J M; Kavousi, Maryam; Laven, Joop S E

2018-02-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is closely linked to hyperandrogenism. In PCOS, hyperandrogenism has been associated with metabolic disturbances which increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). To assess the association of high serum androgen levels, as a postmenopausal remnant of PCOS, with the prevalence of atherosclerosis and incidence of CVD in postmenopausal women. The Rotterdam Study, a prospective population-based cohort study. Median follow up was 11.36 years. General community. 2578 women aged over 55. Exclusion criteria were missing informed consent or follow-up data, perimenopausal status, menopause by surgical intervention or at an unnatural age (age 62). None. Linear, logistic, and cox regression models assessed the association of top quartiles (P75) of serum testosterone, free androgen index (FAI), dehydroepiandrosterone, and androstenedione and SHBG with coronary artery calcium, carotid intima media thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity, peripheral artery disease and incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, and CVD. Mean age (standard deviation) was 70.19 (8.71) years and average time since menopause 19.85 (9.94) years. Highest quartile FAI was associated with higher pulse wave velocity [β (95%CI): 0.009 (0.000;0.018)]. Highest quartile dehydroepiandrosterone [β (95%CI): -0.008 (-0.015;-0.001)] and androstenedione [β (95%CI): -0.010 (-0.017;-0.003)] levels were associated with a lower IMT. We found no association between high androgen levels and incident stroke, coronary heart disease, or cardiovascular disease. Postmenopausal high androgen levels were not associated with an increased risk for CVD. Cardiovascular health in women with PCOS might be better than was anticipated. Copyright © 2018 Endocrine Society

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on the intolerance of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mahmoudpour, Seyed H.; Veluchamy, Abirami; Siddiqui, Moneeza K.; Asselbergs, Folkert W.; Souverein, Patrick C.; De Keyser, Catherine E.; Hofman, Albert; Lang, Chim C.; Doney, Alexander S.F.; Stricker, Bruno H.; De Boer, Anthonius; Maitland-Van Der Zee, Anke H.; Palmer, Colin N.A.

2017-01-01

Objectives To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with switching from an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor to an angiotensin receptor blocker. Methods Two cohorts of patients starting ACE-inhibitors were identified within the Rotterdam Study in the Netherlands and

Femoral neck BMD is a strong predictor of hip fracture susceptibility in elderly men and women because it detects cortical bone instability: the Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivadeneira, Fernando; Zillikens, M Carola; De Laet, Chris Edh; Hofman, Albert; Uitterlinden, André G; Beck, Thomas J; Pols, Huibert Ap

2007-11-01

We studied HSA measurements in relation to hip fracture risk in 4,806 individuals (2,740 women). Hip fractures (n = 147) occurred at the same absolute levels of bone instability in both sexes. Cortical instability (propensity of thinner cortices in wide diameters to buckle) explains why hip fracture risk at different BMD levels is the same across sexes. Despite the sexual dimorphism of bone, hip fracture risk is very similar in men and women at the same absolute BMD. We aimed to elucidate the main structural properties of bone that underlie the measured BMD and that ultimately determines the risk of hip fracture in elderly men and women. This study is part of the Rotterdam Study (a large prospective population-based cohort) and included 147 incident hip fracture cases in 4,806 participants with DXA-derived hip structural analysis (mean follow-up, 8.6 yr). Indices compared in relation to fracture included neck width, cortical thickness, section modulus (an index of bending strength), and buckling ratio (an index of cortical bone instability). We used a mathematical model to calculate the hip fracture distribution by femoral neck BMD, BMC, bone area, and hip structure analysis (HSA) parameters (cortical thickness, section modulus narrow neck width, and buckling ratio) and compared it with prospective data from the Rotterdam Study. In the prospective data, hip fracture cases in both sexes had lower BMD, thinner cortices, greater bone width, lower strength, and higher instability at baseline. In fractured individuals, men had an average BMD that was 0.09 g/cm(2) higher than women (p men and women. No significant differences were observed between the areas under the ROC curves of BMD (0.8146 in women and 0.8048 in men) and the buckling ratio (0.8161 in women and 0.7759 in men). The buckling ratio (an index of bone instability) portrays in both sexes the critical balance between cortical thickness and bone width. Our findings suggest that extreme thinning of cortices in

Reach and effectiveness of a community program to reduce smoking among ethnic Turkish residents in Rotterdam, the Netherlands: a quasi-experimental design.

Science.gov (United States)

Nierkens, Vera; Kunst, Anton E; De Vries, Hein; Voorham, Toon A J; Stronks, Karien

2013-01-01

Community interventions have been considered promising strategies to reduce smoking prevalence among ethnic minority populations. We assessed the reach and effectiveness of a community program targeted at the Turkish population in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study had a quasi-experimental design, with 1 pretest and 1 posttest among 18- to 60-year-old Turkish residents in a district in Rotterdam (n = 388 at pretest) and in a comparison area in the city of Utrecht (n = 389 at pretest). The surveys included measures of reach and measures of effectiveness. Logistic regression analysis assessed changes in the outcome measures over time, adjusting for sex, age, and educational level. At posttest, more smokers (62.5%) perceived pros of quitting, and 8.2% had quit. Compared with the comparison group, in the intervention group the changes tended to be greater, but differences were not statistically significant. Of all respondents, 61.2% recognized at least 1 program component, and 23.1% participated in at least 1. Based on the greater changes in the intervention group (particularly regarding quit rates and pros of smoking), this community intervention can become a promising strategy. To increase potential effectiveness, participation rates need to increase and interventions should last longer and include smoking-cessation support.

Impact on air quality of measures to reduce CO2 emissions from road traffic in Basel, Rotterdam, Xi'an and Suzhou

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keuken, M.P.; Jonkers, S.; Verhagen, H.L.M.; Perez, L.; Truëb, S.; Okkerse, W.J.; Liu, J.; Pan, X.C.; Zheng, L.; Wang, H.; Xu, R.; Sabel, C.E.

2014-01-01

Two traffic scenarios to reduce CO2 emissions from road traffic in two European cities (Basel and Rotterdam) and two Chinese cities (Xi'an and Suzhou) were evaluated in terms of their impact on air quality. The two scenarios, one modelling a reduction of private vehicle kilometres driven by 10% on

On the efficiency of the hybrid and the exact second-order sampling formulations of the EnKF: a reality-inspired 3-D test case for estimating biodegradation rates of chlorinated hydrocarbons at the port of Rotterdam

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad; Valstar, Johan; Janssen, Gijs; Marsman, Annemieke; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2016-01-01

This study considers the assimilation problem of subsurface contaminants at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It involves the estimation of solute concentrations and biodegradation rates of four different chlorinated solvents. We focus

Higher Education Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Dementia after a Stroke or TIA. The Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirza, Saira Saeed; Portegies, Marileen L P; Wolters, Frank J; Hofman, Albert; Koudstaal, Peter J; Tiemeier, Henning; Ikram, M Arfan

2016-01-01

Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia, possibly because of a higher tolerance to subclinical neurodegenerative pathology. Whether higher education also protects against dementia after clinical stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unknown. Within the population-based Rotterdam Study, 12,561 participants free of stroke, TIA and dementia were followed for occurrence of stroke, TIA and dementia. Across the levels of education, associations of incident stroke or TIA with subsequent development of dementia and differences in cognitive decline following stroke or TIA were investigated. During 124,862 person-years, 1,463 persons suffered a stroke or TIA, 1,158 persons developed dementia, of whom 186 developed dementia after stroke or TIA. Risk of dementia after a stroke or TIA, compared to no stroke or TIA, was highest in the low education category (hazards ratio [HR] 1.46, 95% CI 1.18-1.81) followed by intermediate education category (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.81). No significant association was observed in the high education category (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.25-1.54). In gender stratified analyses, decrease in risk of dementia with increasing education was significant only in men. Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia after stroke or TIA, particularly in men, which might be explained by a higher cognitive reserve. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Dietary acid load, trabecular bone integrity, and mineral density in an ageing population: the Rotterdam study.

Science.gov (United States)

de Jonge, E A L; Koromani, F; Hofman, A; Uitterlinden, A G; Franco, O H; Rivadeneira, F; Kiefte-de Jong, J C

2017-08-01

We studied the relation between a diet that is high in acid-forming nutrients (e.g. proteins) and low in base-forming nutrients (e.g. potassium) and bone structure. We showed a negative relation, which was more prominent if proteins were of animal rather than of vegetable origin and if intake of dietary fibre was high. Studies on dietary acid load (DAL) and fractures have shown inconsistent results. Associations between DAL, bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone integrity might play a role in these inconsistencies and might be influenced by renal function and dietary fibre intake. Therefore, our aim was to study (1) associations of DAL with BMD and with the trabecular bone score (TBS) and (2) the potential influence of renal function and dietary fibre in these associations. Dutch individuals aged 45 years and over (n = 4672) participating in the prospective cohort of the Rotterdam study were included. Based on food frequency questionnaires, three indices of DAL were calculated: the net endogenous acid production (NEAP) and the ratios of vegetable or animal protein and potassium (VegPro/K and AnPro/K). Data on lumbar spinal TBS and BMD were derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements. Independent of confounders, NEAP and AnPro/K, but not VegPro/K, were associated with low TBS (standardized β (95%) = -0.04 (-0.07, -0.01) and -0.08 (-0.11, -0.04)) but not with BMD. Associations of AnPro/K and VegPro/K with TBS were non-linear and differently shaped. Unfavourable associations between NEAP, BMD and TBS were mainly present in subgroups with high fibre intake. High NEAP was associated with low TBS. Associations of AnPro/K and VegPro/K and TBS were non-linear and differently shaped. No significant associations of DAL with BMD were observed, nor was there any significant interaction between DAL and renal function. Mainly in participants with high intake of dietary fibre, DAL might be detrimental to bone.

Characterizing discrete subsets of polycystic ovary syndrome as defined by the Rotterdam criteria: the impact of weight on phenotype and metabolic features.

Science.gov (United States)

Welt, C K; Gudmundsson, J A; Arason, G; Adams, J; Palsdottir, H; Gudlaugsdottir, G; Ingadottir, G; Crowley, W F

2006-12-01

The Rotterdam criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) defines discrete subgroups whose phenotypes are not yet clear. The phenotypic characteristics of women in the PCOS subgroups defined by the Rotterdam criteria were compared. The study was observational. Subjects were studied in an outpatient setting in Boston and Reykjavik. Four subgroups of subjects with PCOS defined by 1) irregular menses (IM), hyperandrogenism (HA), and polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM, n = 298); 2) IM/HA (n = 7); 3) HA/PCOM (n = 77); and 4) IM/PCOM (n = 36) and a group of controls (n = 64), aged 18-45 yr, were examined. Subjects underwent a physical exam; fasting blood samples for androgens, gonadotropins, and metabolic parameters; and a transvaginal ultrasound. The phenotype was compared between groups. Ninety-seven percent of women with IM/HA had PCOM. Therefore, the groups with and without PCOM were combined. The Ferriman-Gallwey score and androgen levels were highest in the hyperandrogenic groups (IM/HA and HA/PCOM), whereas ovarian volume was higher in all PCOS subgroups compared with controls, as expected based on the definitions of the PCOS subgroups. Body mass index and insulin levels were highest in the IM/HA subgroup. Subjects with PCOS defined by IM/HA are the most severely affected women on the basis of androgen levels, ovarian volumes, and insulin levels. Their higher body mass index partially accounts for the increased insulin levels, suggesting that weight gain exacerbates the symptoms of PCOS.

Annual City Festivals as Tools for Sustainable Competitiveness: The World Port Days Rotterdam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erwin van Tuijl

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Many cities organize annual local festivals for the positive effects on urban development, although success is far from straightforward. This article reviews a case study of the World Port Days in Rotterdam in order to demonstrate how annual city festivals can contribute to sustainable competitiveness, despite limitations as well. We show how this maritime event—that is jointly organized by the business community, the Port Authority and the City Government—offers benefits for citizens as well as for firms. Our empirical results unveil that the business value of the event includes generation of societal support, image improvement, labor market development and networking, while the value for society refers to education, leisure and to a certain degree to social inclusion. The direct value of the event for business in terms of sales and recruitment is limited, while the long-term effects of educational function deserve further attention. Finally, we provide policy lessons that, when properly contextualized, other cities may help to use annual local festivals as tools for sustainable competitiveness.

Association of anthropometric measures with fat and fat-free mass in the elderly: The Rotterdam study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhana, Klodian; Koolhaas, Chantal M; Schoufour, Josje D; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Hofman, Albert; Kavousi, Maryam; Franco, Oscar H

2016-06-01

The decrease in fat-free mass (FFM) seen in many elderly people is usually associated with an increase in fat mass (FM), a state referred to as sarcopenic obesity. It is not clear which anthropometric measures are best used to identify sarcopenic obesity. We therefore evaluated which anthropometric measures are differentially associated with FM and FFM. The anthropometric measures tested were body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and a body shape index (ABSI = WC/(BMI(2/3)*Height(1/2))). FM and FFM were estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. An index-score was calculated for both FM (FMI) and FFM (FFMI) by dividing FM and FFM by height. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the associations of BMI, WC and ABSI with FMI and FFMI among 3612 participants (2092 women) from the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study. In multivariate models adjusted for confounders, BMI and WC were positively associated with both FMI and FFMI in men and women. ABSI was positively associated with FMI (β 1.01, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 0.85, 1.17) and negatively associated with FFMI (β -0.28, 95%CI -0.38, -0.17) in men. In women, ABSI was not associated with FMI and was positively associated with FFMI (β 0.18, 95%CI 0.10, 0.26). While BMI and WC were both positively associated with FM and FFM, ABSI showed a differential association with FM and FFM in men, but not in women. Since sarcopenic obesity is associated with decreased FFM and increased FM, ABSI could be a useful tool for identifying men at higher risk of sarcopenic obesity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of physical activity on the association of overweight and obesity with cardiovascular disease: The Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Koolhaas, Chantal M; Dhana, Klodian; Schoufour, Josje D; Ikram, M Arfan; Kavousi, Maryam; Franco, Oscar H

2017-06-01

Background Being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity might reduce the risk associated with overweight and obesity. We examined the association between overweight and obesity and CVD risk as a function of physical activity levels in a middle-aged and elderly population. Design The study was a prospective cohort study. Methods The study included 5344 participants aged 55 years or older from the population-based Rotterdam Study. Participants were classified as having high or low physical activity based on the median of the population. Normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m 2 ) and obese participants (≥30 kg/m 2 ) were categorized as having high or low physical activity to form six categories. We assessed the association of the six categories with CVD risk using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for confounders. High physical activity and normal weight was used as the reference group. Results During 15 years of follow-up (median 10.3 years, interquartile range 8.2-11.7 years), 866 (16.2%) participants experienced a CVD event. Overweight and obese participants with low physical activity had a higher CVD risk than normal weight participants with high physical activity. The HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 1.33 (1.07-1.66) and 1.35 (1.04-1.75), respectively. Overweight and obese participants with high physical activity did not show a higher CVD risk (HRs (95%CIs) 1.03 (0.82-1.29) and 1.12 (0.83-1.52), respectively). Conclusions Our findings suggest that the beneficial impact of physical activity on CVD might outweigh the negative impact of body mass index among middle-aged and elderly people. This emphasizes the importance of physical activity for everyone across all body mass index strata, while highlighting the risk associated with inactivity even among normal weight people.

Papel do professor: de Erasmo de Rotterdam a Vygotsky - Teacher's role: of Rotterdam Erasmo the Vygotsky

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ada Augusta Celestino Bezerra

2016-09-01

Full Text Available ResumoO artigo analisa o circuito de ideias pedagógicas sobre a função e preparação do professor ao longo da história, sob o recorte do século XVI ao século XX, a partir das contribuições de doze teóricos/filósofos da educação, do Manifesto dos Pioneiros da Educação Nova no Brasil (1932 e do Manifesto dos Educadores. O diálogo com os teóricos estabeleceu-se cronologicamente, considerando os contextos em que as obras foram publicadas e/ou difundidas, com suas implicações no papel do professor. A metodologia adotada foi a revisão bibliográfica que permitiu o retorno aos clássicos que evocaram para si o pensar sobre o processo educativo e suas relações com a sociedade. O estudo partiu de Erasmo de Rotterdam (séc. XVI até alcançar o pensamento de Vygotsky (século XX. Nas considerações finais destaca afinidades e avanços em torno da função docente, reconhecendo que está concretamente colocado à consideração e criatividade dos educadores na contemporaneidade o desafio da construção de uma educação que, mesmo situada no contexto das determinações capitalistas, forme o aluno para o exercício pleno da cidadania a partir da apropriação da cultura produzida social e historicamente pela humanidade e da radicalização do discurso neoliberal dos governos. Para esse fim aponta como componentes da formação do professor: o conhecimento científico-cultural, o conhecimento pedagógico e didático, ao lado do conhecimento profissional docente, requeridos para a inscrição na profissão de professor.    

Intake of different types of dairy and its prospective association with risk of type 2 diabetes: The Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Brouwer-Brolsma, E M; van Woudenbergh, G J; Oude Elferink, S J W H; Singh-Povel, C M; Hofman, A; Dehghan, A; Franco, O H; Feskens, E J M

2016-11-01

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is increasing. Several studies have suggested a beneficial effect of several major dairy nutrients on insulin production and sensitivity. Conversely, harmful effects have been suggested as well. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the full-range of dairy products and its association with incidence T2DM in Dutch adults aged ≥55 years participating in the Rotterdam Study. Dairy intake was assessed with a validated FFQ, including total, skimmed, semi-skimmed, full-fat, fermented, and non-fermented dairy, and subclasses of these product groups. Verified prevalent and incident diabetes were documented. Cox proportional hazards regression and spline regression were used to analyse data, adjusting for age, sex, alcohol, smoking, education, physical activity, body mass index, intake of total energy, energy-adjusted meat, and energy-adjusted fish intake. Median total dairy intake was 398 g/day (IQR 259-559 g/day). Through 9.5 ± 4.1 years of follow-up, 393 cases of incident T2DM were reported. Cox and spline regression did not point towards associations of total dairy consumption, dairy consumption based on fat content, non-fermented or fermented dairy consumption, or individual dairy product consumption with incident T2DM. The HR for total dairy intake and T2DM was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.70-1.23) in the upper quartile (P-for trend 0.76). This prospective cohort study did not point towards an association between dairy consumption and T2DM. Copyright © 2016 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of an infill scenario for Rotterdam. Traffic noise, air pollution, and public health in relation to urban density and traffic of cars and bicycles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaminée, S.; Rietveld, E.; Salomons, E.; Kluizenaar, Y. de; Borsboom, J.; Borst, H.; Guit, M.

2012-01-01

An analysis is presented of various elements of an infill scenario for the center of Rotterdam in the year 2030, corresponding to a population increase from about 30,000 to 60,000 inhabitants. We have implemented detailed future building designs in our software instrument Urban Strategy, and

The flow of goods model of the Rotterdam Port Authority; Het goederenstromenmodel voor de Rotterdamse haven. De verhouding tussen fysieke stromen en economische grootheden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saitua, R. [Haveninnovatie van het Gemeentelijk Havenbedrijf, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

1995-12-01

Long term forecasts of the flow of goods through the Port of Rotterdam are essential for port development aims and to quantify the environmental effects of the generated traffic. Experience of the Rotterdam Port Authority shows that the differences between forecasts and realization can be explained by radical changes in the trends as a consequence of technological and social developments. In the `Flow of goods model number 6` scenario, techniques have been used to asses the fundamental uncertainty of the future, as well as a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods (for example expert judgements). Much attention has been given to the so called `dematerialization` trend, which means less use of primary commodities by production unit. Problems that have to be tackled within a more appropriate way are: (1) expected less growth of the trade measured in weight than the trade measured in monetary units; and (2) the influence of geographical patterns of production (lean production with global sourcing versus more local diffused production) on trade and transport flows. 2 tabs., 9 refs.

Straylight from glistenings in intraocular lenses : In vitro study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Łabuz, Grzegorz; Reus, Nicolaas J; van den Berg, Thomas J T P

PURPOSE: To assess light scattering from intraocular lenses (IOLs) with different numbers of laboratory-induced glistenings and create a model for predicting glistening effects on straylight. SETTING: Rotterdam Ophthalmic Institute, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. DESIGN: Experimental study. METHODS:

Vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine in depression: the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H.W. Tiemeier (Henning); H.R. van Tuijl (Ruud); J. Meijer (John); A.J. Kiliaan (Amanda); M.M.B. Breteler (Monique); A. Hofman (Albert)

2002-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVE: The associations of vitamin B(12), folate, and homocysteine with depression were examined in a population-based study. METHOD: The authors screened 3,884 elderly people for depressive symptoms. Subjects with positive screening results had psychiatric workups.

Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536): renaissance advocate of the public role of medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Albury, W R; Weisz, G M

2003-08-01

The great Renaissance scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam was a pioneering advocate of the importance of medicine for social as well as individual welfare. Erasmus' "Oration in praise of the art of medicine" (1518) illustrates his literary approach to this topic. Although the original version of his text did not address the state's role in promoting the health of the populace, Erasmus inserted new material on this topic into the "Oration" for a 1529 edition. This new material and references in some of his other writings from the same period indicate that it was in the 1520s that Erasmus first became a strong advocate of government intervention in public health matters. It is suggested that medical events in Erasmus' own life-his experiences both as a patient and as an observer of diseases-may explain why his interest in public health legislation increased significantly around this time.

The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a normal population according to the Rotterdam criteria versus revised criteria including anti-Müllerian hormone

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauritsen, M P; Bentzen, J G; Pinborg, A

2014-01-01

-anovulation, clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovaries (AFC ≥ 12 and/or ovarian volume >10 ml). However, with the advances in sonography, the relevance of the AFC threshold in the definition of polycystic ovaries has been challenged, and AMH has been proposed as a marker of polycystic ovaries...... ovaries with a significant age-related decrease from 69.0% in women reliable marker of polycystic ovaries in women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria [area....... However, future studies are needed to validate AMH threshold levels, and AMH Z-score may be appropriate to adjust for the age-related decline in the AFC. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): None. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not applicable....

Arco to enter European PGE production with new Rotterdam plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, I.

1993-01-01

Arco Chemical (Newtown Square, PA) will enter production of propylene glycol ethers (PGEs) in Europe by building a 70,000-m.t./year plant at its Rotterdam site. Arco's board has approved the project, with construction to begin this year and completion expected in mid-1995. 'This new plant supports the company's long-standing strategy to increase its downstream integration in value-added derivatives of propylene oxide,' says Jack Oppasser, president of Arco Chemical Europe (Maidenhead, U.K.). 'It allows the company to sustain its strong position in the growing European glycol ether market.' Arco's move represents a challenge to Dow Europe (Horgen, Switzerland), which dominates the European PGE market. Dow is Europe's biggest producer of PGEs, with its Dowanol brands commanding a share greater than 50% of the estimated 90,000-m.t./year methyl-based PGE market. This was recently boosted by completion of the expansion of its plant at Stade, Germany, from 60,000 m.t./year to 110,000 m.t./year. While Arco does not currently make PGEs in Europe, it is the second-largest supplier, with about 15,000 m.t.-20,000 m.t./year, via 'third-party manufacturing arrangements' with European producers, including BP Chemicals, and imports from its 90-million lbs/year plant at Bayport, TX. However, Arco refuses to comment on this because of 'antitrust aspects.'

[Health risk railroad noise - prognosis of potential health risks subsequent to night-time exposure to railroad noise in the German part of the Transversal Rotterdam Genova].

Science.gov (United States)

Greiser, E

2014-12-01

Based on risk coefficients for cardiovascular and psychiatric disease derived from a case-control study in the vicinity of a major German airport, statistics on persons exposed to night-time railroad noise in the vicinity of the Rotterdam-Genova Transversal, and on health expenditure calculations by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany a prognosis on effects of railroad noise was performed. It resulted for 1 10-year period in nearly 75 000 excess cases of diseases, nearly 30 000 excess deaths and health expenditures of 3.8 billion euros. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Validation of a model to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD: The rotterdam ischemic heart disease and stroke computer simulation (RISC) model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

B.J.H. van Kempen (Bob); B.S. Ferket (Bart); A. Hofman (Albert); E.W. Steyerberg (Ewout); E.B. Colkesen (Ersen); S.M. Boekholdt (Matthijs); N.J. Wareham (Nick); K-T. Khaw (Kay-Tee); M.G.M. Hunink (Myriam)

2012-01-01

textabstractBackground: We developed a Monte Carlo Markov model designed to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD. Internal, predictive, and external validity of the model have not yet been established.Methods: The Rotterdam Ischemic

Validation of a model to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD: the rotterdam ischemic heart disease and stroke computer simulation (RISC) model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Kempen, Bob J. H.; Ferket, Bart S.; Hofman, Albert; Steyerberg, Ewout W.; Colkesen, Ersen B.; Boekholdt, S. Matthijs; Wareham, Nicholas J.; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Hunink, M. G. Myriam

2012-01-01

Background: We developed a Monte Carlo Markov model designed to investigate the effects of modifying cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors on the burden of CVD. Internal, predictive, and external validity of the model have not yet been established. Methods: The Rotterdam Ischemic Heart Disease

The association between serum uric acid and the incidence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus: The Rotterdam Study.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Schaft, Niels; Brahimaj, Adela; Wen, Ke-Xin; Franco, Oscar H; Dehghan, Abbas

2017-01-01

Limited evidence is available about the association between serum uric acid and sub-stages of the spectrum from normoglycaemia to type 2 diabetes mellitus. We aimed to investigate the association between serum uric acid and risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eligible participants of the Rotterdam Study (n = 8,367) were classified into mutually exclusive subgroups of normoglycaemia (n = 7,030) and prediabetes (n = 1,337) at baseline. These subgroups were followed up for incident prediabetes (n = 1,071) and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 407), respectively. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine hazard ratios (HRs) for incident prediabetes among individuals with normoglycaemia and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus among individuals with prediabetes. The mean duration of follow-up was 7.5 years for incident prediabetes and 7.2 years for incident type 2 diabetes mellitus. A standard deviation increment in serum uric acid was significantly associated with incident prediabetes among individuals with normoglycaemia (HR 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01; 1.18), but not with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus among individuals with prediabetes (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.94; 1.21). Exclusion of individuals who used diuretics or individuals with hypertension did not change our results. Serum uric acid was significantly associated with incident prediabetes among normoglycaemic women (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02; 1.25) but not among normoglycaemic men (HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.96; 1.21). In contrast, serum uric acid was significantly associated with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus among prediabetic men (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.01; 1.48) but not among prediabetic women (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.84; 1.19). Our findings agree with the notion that serum uric acid is more closely related to early-phase mechanisms in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus than late-phase mechanisms.

Creating patient value in glaucoma care: applying quality costing and care delivery value chain approaches--a five-year case study in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

de Korne, Dirk F; Sol, Kees; Custers, Thomas; van Sprundel, Esther; van Ineveld, B Martin; Lemij, Hans G; Klazinga, Niek S

2009-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore in a specific hospital care process the applicability in practice of the theories of quality costing and value chains. In a retrospective case study an in-depth evaluation of the use of a quality cost model (QCM) and the applicability of Porter's care delivery value chain (CDVC) was performed in a specific care process: glaucoma care over the period 2001 to 2006 in the Rotterdam Eye Hospital in The Netherlands. The case study shows a reduction of costs per product by increasing the number of outpatient visits and surgery combined with a higher patient satisfaction. Reduction of costs of non-compliance by using the QCM is small, due to the absence of (external) financial incentives for both the hospital and individual physicians. For CDVC to be supportive to an integrated quality and cost management the notion "patient value" needs far more specification as mutually agreed on by the stakeholders involved and related reimbursement needs to depend on realised outcomes. The case study just focused on one specific care process in one hospital. To determine effects in other areas of health care, it is important to study the use and applicability of the QCM and the CDVC in other care processes and settings. QCM and a CDVC can be useful tools for hospital management to manage the outcomes on both quality and costs, but impact is dependent on the incentives in the context of the existing organisational and reimbursement system and asks for an agreed on operationalisation among the various stakeholders of the notion of patient value.

Endogenous thrombin potential in polycystic ovary syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aziz, Mubeena; Sidelmann, Johannes Jakobsen; Wissing, Marie Louise Muff

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate plasma endogenous thrombin generation in four different phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) defined by Body Mass Index (BMI) and insulin resistance (IR). PCOS is diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria. DESIGN: Multicenter...

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Hauffen, Karin; Bart, Eugene; Brady, Mark; Kersten, Daniel; Hegdé, Jay

2012-01-01

In order to quantitatively study object perception, be it perception by biological systems or by machines, one needs to create objects and object categories with precisely definable, preferably naturalistic, properties1. Furthermore, for studies on perceptual learning, it is useful to create novel objects and object categories (or object classes) with such properties2. Many innovative and useful methods currently exist for creating novel objects and object categories3-6 (also see refs. 7,8). However, generally speaking, the existing methods have three broad types of shortcomings. First, shape variations are generally imposed by the experimenter5,9,10, and may therefore be different from the variability in natural categories, and optimized for a particular recognition algorithm. It would be desirable to have the variations arise independently of the externally imposed constraints. Second, the existing methods have difficulty capturing the shape complexity of natural objects11-13. If the goal is to study natural object perception, it is desirable for objects and object categories to be naturalistic, so as to avoid possible confounds and special cases. Third, it is generally hard to quantitatively measure the available information in the stimuli created by conventional methods. It would be desirable to create objects and object categories where the available information can be precisely measured and, where necessary, systematically manipulated (or 'tuned'). This allows one to formulate the underlying object recognition tasks in quantitative terms. Here we describe a set of algorithms, or methods, that meet all three of the above criteria. Virtual morphogenesis (VM) creates novel, naturalistic virtual 3-D objects called 'digital embryos' by simulating the biological process of embryogenesis14. Virtual phylogenesis (VP) creates novel, naturalistic object categories by simulating the evolutionary process of natural selection9,12,13. Objects and object categories created

Actigraphic sleep fragmentation, efficiency and duration associate with dietary intake in the Rotterdam study

Science.gov (United States)

Short self-reported sleep duration is associated with dietary intake and this association may partly mediate the link between short sleep and metabolic abnormalities. Subjective sleep measures, however, may be inaccurate and biased. The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations betwee...

Coronary Calcification and the Risk of Heart Failure in the Elderly The Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leening, Maarten J. G.; Elias-Smale, Suzette E.; Kavousi, Maryam; Felix, Janine F.; Deckers, Jaap W.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Hofman, Albert; Steyerberg, Ewout W.; Stricker, Bruno H. Ch; Witteman, Jacqueline C. M.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the association of coronary artery calcification (CAC) with incident heart failure in the elderly and examine its independence of overt coronary heart disease (CHD). BACKGROUND Heart failure is often observed as a first manifestation of coronary

Strong adherence to a healthy dietary pattern is associated with better semen quality, especially in men with poor semen quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oostingh, Elsje C.; Steegers-Theunissen, Régine P.M.; Vries, de Jeanne H.M.; Laven, Joop S.E.; Koster, Maria P.H.

2017-01-01

Objective: To study associations between periconceptional dietary patterns and semen quality parameters. Design: Prospective periconception cohort study. Setting: Tertiary hospital. Patient(s): One hundred and twenty-nine male partners of pregnant women who participated in the Rotterdam

Definition of insulin resistance using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) in IVF patients diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) according to the Rotterdam criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Alebić, Miro Šimun; Bulum, Tomislav; Stojanović, Nataša; Duvnjak, Lea

2014-11-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women are more insulin resistant than general population. Prevalence data on insulin resistance (IR) in PCOS vary depending on population characteristics and methodology used. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether IR in PCOS is exclusively associated with body mass and to assess the prevalence of IR in lean and overweight/obese PCOS. Study included 250 consecutive women who attended a Department of Human Reproduction diagnosed as having PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria. Control group comprised 500 healthy women referred for male factor infertility evaluation during the same period as the PCOS women. PCOS women (n = 250) were more insulin resistant than controls (n = 500) even after adjustment for age and body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.03). Using logistic regression analysis, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2) (OR 6.0; 95 % CI 3.3-11.0), PCOS (OR 2.2; 95 % CI 1.4-3.5) and waist circumference ≥ 80 cm (OR 2.0; 95 % CI 1.1-3.8) were identified as independent determinants of IR (P IR was more prevalent in overweight/obese controls (n = 100) than in lean PCOS women (n = 150), 31 versus 9.3 %, but less prevalent than in overweight/obese PCOS (n = 100), 31 versus 57 %. The prevalence of IR between lean controls (5 %) and lean PCOS (9.3 %) did not significantly differ. Both PCOS-specific and obesity-related IR independently contribute to IR in PCOS. Using HOMA-IR cutoff value of 3.15 specific for Croatian women in our clinical setting, the assessed prevalence of IR in lean and overweight/obese PCOS women was 9.3 and 57 %, respectively.

New Models explaining regional Evolution in Europe. Contributions to an international conference in honour of Professor J.H.P. Paelinck Tinbergen Institute, Rotterdam, June 16-17, 1995. Introduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre-Henri Derycke

1998-02-01

Full Text Available At the end of the academic year 1994-95, Professor J.Paelinck left the chair of spatial theory he occupied at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam for several decades. On this occasion, his disciples – in particular, Hans KUIPER and Riccardo GIRARDI - and numerous colleagues and friends organised on June 16-17 an International Conference held at the Tinbergen Institute. About forty spatial analysts and regional science specialists, belonging to 10 different countries, were present to this even...

A genetic association study of the IGF-1 gene and radiological osteoarthritis in a population-based cohort study (the Rotterdam study)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meulenbelt, I.; Bijkerk, C.; Miedema, H.S.; Breedveld, F.C.; Hofman, A.; Valkenburg, H.A.; Pols, H.A.P.; Slagboom, P.E.; Duijn, C.M. van

1998-01-01

Objective - A genetic association study was performed to investigate whether radiographical osteoarthritis (ROA) was associated with specific genotypes of the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) gene. Methods - Subjects aged 55-65 years were selected from a population-based study of which ROA at

Age associated differences in prevalence of individual rotterdam criteria and metabolic risk factors during reproductive age in 446 caucasian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glintborg, D; Mumm, H; Ravn, P

2012-01-01

, fasting lipids, insulin, glucose), transvaginal ultrasound, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) (n=234), and ACTH tests (n=201). BMI, waist, Ferriman-Gallwey score, blood pressure, and lipid profile were higher in older vs. younger age groups whereas androgen levels were lower. Measures of insulin...... resistance were unchanged between age groups, but glucose levels were significantly higher in older age groups. Rotterdam criteria: The prevalence of PCO and biochemical hyperandrogenism decreased in the oldest age group whereas clinical hyperandrogenism increased. Young patients are characterized by PCO...... and biochemical hyperandrogenism, whereas older patients are more obese with more severe hirsutism and more cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors....

Development of an integral assessment approach of health status in patients with obstructive airway diseases: the CORONA study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van den Akker EF

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Edmée FMM van den Akker,1 Alex J van ‘t Hul,2 Niels H Chavannes,3 Gert-Jan Braunstahl,1 Alie van Bruggen,1 Maureen PMH Rutten-van Mölken,4 Johannes CCM in ‘t Veen1 1Department of Pulmonary Diseases, STZ Center of Excellence for Asthma & COPD, Sint Franciscus Gasthuis, Rotterdam, 2Department of Pulmonary Disease, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 3Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 4Department of Health Care Policy and Management, Institute of Medical Technology Assessment, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Background: Traditional assessment of patients with obstructive lung diseases (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COPD relies on physiological tests. The COPD and Asthma Rotterdam Integrated Care Approach (CORONA study aims to develop a diagnostic pathway with a more comprehensive approach to the assessment of patients with asthma and COPD in secondary care.Methods: An eight-step method was used to develop and implement the pathway for patients with asthma or COPD referred to an outpatient hospital setting.Results: The diagnostic pathway consists of an evidence-based set of measurements prioritized by a Delphi procedure. The pathway incorporates three innovative diagnostics: the metronome-paced hyperventilation test to measure dynamic hyperinflation, an activity monitor to objectively evaluate physical activity in daily life, and the Nijmegen Clinical Screening Instrument as a comprehensive assessment tool to acquire detailed insight into symptoms, functional limitations, and quality of life.Conclusion: An innovative diagnostic pathway was developed and implemented for patients with obstructive lung diseases referred to secondary care. As this pathway aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of health status, it focuses on biomedical aspects and also reviews behavioral aspects that further elucidate the patient’s health status. The

Anxiety Is Not Associated with the Risk of Dementia or Cognitive Decline: The Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.F.A.G. de Bruijn (Renée); N. Direk (Nese); S.S. Mirza (Saira); A. Hofman (Albert); P.J. Koudstaal (Peter Jan); H.W. Tiemeier (Henning); M.A. Ikram (Arfan)

2014-01-01

textabstractObjective: Anxiety and depression frequently co-occur in the elderly and in patients with dementia. Prior research has shown that depression is related to the risk of dementia, but the effect of anxiety on dementia remains unclear. We studied whether anxiety symptoms and anxiety

Environmental and cognitive correlates of adolescent breakfast consumption.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.S. DeJong (Cara); F.J. van Lenthe (Frank); K.A. van der Horst-Nachtegaal (Klazine); A. Oenema (Anke)

2009-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify cognitive and environmental correlates of daily adolescent breakfast consumption. METHODS: Adolescents (n=1089) aged 12-15 years in schools in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, completed a questionnaire measuring daily breakfast consumption, individual

Fish consumption in infancy and asthma-like symptoms at preschool age

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.C. Kiefte-de Jong (Jessica); J.H. de Vries (Jeanne); O.H. Franco (Oscar); V.W.V. Jaddoe (Vincent); A. Hofman (Albert); H. Raat (Hein); J.C. de Jongste (Johan); H.A. Moll (Henriëtte)

2012-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVE: To assess whether timing of introduction of fish and the amount of fish consumption in infancy were associated with asthmalike symptoms at preschool age. METHODS: This study was embedded in the Generation R study (a population-based birth cohort in Rotterdam, Netherlands). At

Verbal and visual-spatial memory problems at adolescent age after neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.J. Madderom (Marlous); F.K. Aarsen (Femke); R.M. Schiller (Raisa); S.J. Gischler (Saskia); A.F.J. van Heijst (Arno); D. Tibboel (Dick); H. IJsselstijn (Hanneke)

2018-01-01

markdownabstract__Objectives__ To assess neuropsychological outcome in 17- and 18-year–old neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors. __Design__ A prospective longitudinal follow-up study. __Setting__ Follow-up program at the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam, The

Growing Up After Critical Illness: Verbal, Visual-Spatial, and Working Memory Problems in Neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survivors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Madderom, M.J.; Schiller, R.M.; Gischler, S.J.; Heijst, A.F.J. van; Tibboel, D.; Aarsen, F.K.; Ijsselstijn, H.

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To assess neuropsychologic outcome in 17- and 18-year-old neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors. DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal follow-up study. SETTING: Follow-up program at the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. PATIENTS: Thirty

Quality of stroke prevention in general practice: relationship with practice organization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Koning, Johan S.; Klazinga, Niek; Koudstaal, Peter J.; Prins, A. D.; Borsboom, Gerard J. J. M.; Mackenbach, Johan P.

2005-01-01

Objective. To investigate the relationship between elements of practice organization related to stroke prevention in general practice, and suboptimal preventive care preceding the occurrence of stroke. Design. This study was conducted among 69 Dutch general practitioners in the Rotterdam region.

Development of a Healthy Aging Score in the Population-Based Rotterdam Study: Evaluating Age and Sex Differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaspers, Loes; Schoufour, Josje D; Erler, Nicole S; Darweesh, Sirwan K L; Portegies, Marileen L P; Sedaghat, Sanaz; Lahousse, Lies; Brusselle, Guy G; Stricker, Bruno H; Tiemeier, Henning; Ikram, M Arfan; Laven, Joop S E; Franco, Oscar H; Kavousi, Maryam

2017-03-01

To develop a healthy aging score (HAS), to assess age and sex differences in HAS, and to evaluate the association of the HAS with survival. Prospective population-based cohort. Inhabitants of Ommoord, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. A total of 1405 men and 2122 women, mean (standard deviation) age 75.9 (6.4) years. We included 7 domains in the total score of HAS: chronic diseases, mental health, cognitive function, physical function, pain, social support, and quality of life; each scored 0, 1, or 2 in each domain. A total score (range 0-14) was constructed and was assessed continuously and in tertiles (13-14: healthy aging, 11-12: intermediate aging, 0-10: poor aging). Sex-specific change in the mean HAS was computed for the age categories of 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and ≥85 years. The association between HAS and mortality was assessed with Cox proportional hazards models. Mean follow-up was 8.6 (3.4) years. Men had poorer scores in the chronic disease domain than women. However, women had poorer mental health, worse physical function, more pain, and lower quality of life compared with men. The prevalence of healthy aging was higher in men (n = 396, 28.2%), than in women (n = 526, 24.8%). The mean (standard deviation) HAS was 11.1 (2.2) in men and 10.7 (2.3) in women. Mean HAS was higher in men than in women for all age categories. The β for change in mean HAS across the 5 increasing age categories was -0.55 (-0.65 to -0.45) in men and -0.65 (-0.73 to -0.57) in women. The age-adjusted hazard ratio per unit increase in HAS with mortality was 0.86 (0.83-0.89) in men, and 0.89 (0.87-0.91) in women. Levels of HAS were lower in women compared with men, in all age categories. The HAS declined with increasing age for both sexes, albeit slightly steeper in women. The HAS was strongly associated with mortality in both sexes. A better understanding of population healthy aging and sex differences in this regard could aid to implement strategies for sustainable

Fish Consumption in Infancy and Asthma-like Symptoms at Preschool Age

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kiefte-de Jong, J.C.; Vries, de J.H.M.; Franco, O.H.; Jaddoe, V.W.V.; Hofman, A.; Raat, H.; Jongste, de J.C.; Moll, H.A.

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether timing of introduction of fish and the amount of fish consumption in infancy were associated with asthmalike symptoms at preschool age. METHODS: This study was embedded in the Generation R study (a population-based birth cohort in Rotterdam, Netherlands). At the age of

The phenotype of polycystic ovary syndrome ameliorates with aging

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brown, Zoe A.; Louwers, Yvonne V.; Fong, Sharon Lie; Valkenburg, Olivier; Birnie, Erwin; de Jong, Frank H.; Fauser, Bart C. J. M.; Laven, Joop S. E.

2011-01-01

Objective: To assess the effects of aging on the features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design: Retrospective longitudinal follow-up study. Setting: Tertiary care center. Patient(s): Patients with PCOS, diagnosed according to the 2003 Rotterdam criteria, who visited the outpatient clinic on

Prevalence and pattern of radiographic hand osteoarthritis and association with pain and disability (the Rotterdam study)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Dahaghin; S.M. Bierma-Zeinstra (Sita); A.Z. Ginai (Abida); H.A.P. Pols (Huib); J.M.W. Hazes (Mieke); B.W. Koes (Bart)

2005-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and pattern of radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) of the hand joints and its association with self reported hand pain and disability. METHODS: Baseline data on a population based study (age >/=55 years) were used (n = 3906). Hand

Modelling and measurements of urban aerosol processes on the neighborhood scale in Rotterdam, Oslo and Helsinki

Science.gov (United States)

Karl, M.; Kukkonen, J.; Keuken, M. P.; Lützenkirchen, S.; Pirjola, L.; Hussein, T.

2015-12-01

This study evaluates the influence of aerosol processes on the particle number (PN) concentrations in three major European cities on the temporal scale of one hour, i.e. on the neighborhood and city scales. We have used selected measured data of particle size distributions from previous campaigns in the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Rotterdam. The aerosol transformation processes were evaluated using an aerosol dynamics model MAFOR, combined with a simplified treatment of roadside and urban atmospheric dispersion. We have compared the model predictions of particle number size distributions with the measured data, and conducted sensitivity analyses regarding the influence of various model input variables. We also present a simplified parameterization for aerosol processes, which is based on the more complex aerosol process computations; this simple model can easily be implemented to both Gaussian and Eulerian urban dispersion models. Aerosol processes considered in this study were (i) the coagulation of particles, (ii) the condensation and evaporation of n-alkanes, and (iii) dry deposition. The chemical transformation of gas-phase compounds was not taken into account. It was not necessary to model the nucleation of gas-phase vapors, as the computations were started with roadside conditions. Dry deposition and coagulation of particles were identified to be the most important aerosol dynamic processes that control the evolution and removal of particles. The effect of condensation and evaporation of organic vapors emitted by vehicles on particle numbers and on particle size distributions was examined. Under inefficient dispersion conditions, condensational growth contributed significantly to the evolution of PN from roadside to the neighborhood scale. The simplified parameterization of aerosol processes can predict particle number concentrations between roadside and the urban background with an inaccuracy of ∼ 10 %, compared to the fully size-resolved MAFOR model.

Early sexual intercourse: Prospective associations with adolescents physical activity and screen time

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Avelar e Silva, R.N. (Raquel Nogueira); A.I. Wijtzes (Anne); Van De Bongardt, D. (Daphne); P.M. van de Looij-Jansen (Petra); R. Bannink (Rienke); H. Raat (Hein)

2016-01-01

textabstractObjectives: To assess the prospective associations of physical activity behaviors and screen time with early sexual intercourse initiation (i.e., before 15 years) in a large sample of adolescents. Methods: We used two waves of data from the Rotterdam Youth Monitor, a longitudinal study

Women with oligo-/amenorrhoea and polycystic ovaries have identical responses to GnRH stimulation regardless of their androgen status: comparison of the Rotterdam and Androgen Excess Society diagnostic criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewandowski, Krzysztof C; Cajdler-Luba, Agata; Bieńkiewicz, Małgorzata; Lewiński, Andrzej

2011-01-01

As increased frequency of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulses is characteristic for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), we assessed gonadotrophin response to GnRH in women with PCOS with normal and raised androgens and in regularly menstruating controls. The study involved 155 subjects: PCOS, n=121, age (mean±SD) 24.8±5.4 yrs, BMI 24.5±6.0 kg/m2, all with oligo-/amenorrhoea and PCO morphology, and 34 controls. Gonadotrophins were measured in early follicular phase after GnRH stimulation (0, 30 and 60 minutes). Fifty four (41.9%) women with PCOS had androgens (testosterone, androstendione, dihydroepiandrosterone sulphate) within the reference range, and would fulfil the "Rotterdam", but not the Androgen Excess Society PCOS criteria. Baseline and stimulated LH concentrations were higher in PCOS (9.09±5.56 vs 4.83±1.71 IU/l, 35.48±31.4 vs 16.30±6.68 IU/l, 33.86±31.8 vs 13.45±5.2 IU/l, at 0, 30 and 60 min post GnRH, respectively, pPCOS increased further after GnRH stimulation. ROC analysis revealed that LH30min/FSH30min >2.11 or LH60min/FSH60min >1.72 had 78.3% and 87.5% sensitivity and 81.7% and 81.3% specificity for diagnosis of PCOS. Both baseline and GnRH-stimulated LH and FSH concentrations were similar in women with PCOS and raised androgens and with androgens within the reference range (p=0.71 and p=0.20 for LH and FSH, respectively). Regardless of their androgen status, women with PCO morphology and oligo-/amenorrhoea have higher baseline and GnRH-stimulated LH concentrations and higher GnRH-stimulated LH/FSH ratio than controls, suggestive of similar underlying mechanism accounting for menstrual irregularities. These observations support validity of PCOS diagnostic criteria based on the Rotterdam consensus.

Language proficiency among immigrants and the establishment of interethnic relations: a comparative analysis of Bilbao, Lisbon and Rotterdam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina Esteves

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Despite the increasing interest in exploring language proficiency among immigrants as a quintessential element for their economic integration in the host country, less attention has been devoted to the social impacts that destination-language proficiency may have on enhancing interethnic contacts between immigrants and the native population. This research aims to shed light on this latter topic, discussing if being a native-speaker immigrant in the host country or, for those immigrants who are non-native speakers, having a stronger command of the destination-language may increase their likelihood of interacting with the native population. Moreover, we question if there are significant differences in the interaction patterns between these two groups and the natives, presenting the cities of Bilbao, Lisbon and Rotterdam as a territorial frame. The analysis is based on data gathered through the GEITONIES survey. The results obtained indicate that native-speaker immigrants generally tend to show more interaction with the natives. Nevertheless, for immigrants not sharing such cultural similarity, those with a higher level of second-language proficiency clearly show stronger bonds with the native population; in both cases this can also be related to individual, group or place related variables.

Early Sexual Intercourse : Prospective Associations with Adolescents Physical Activity and Screen Time

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nogueira Avelar e Silva, R.; Wijtzes, A.; van de Bongardt, D.; van de Looij-Jansen, P.; Bannink, R.; Raat, H.

2016-01-01

Objectives: To assess the prospective associations of physical activity behaviors and screen time with early sexual intercourse initiation (i.e., before 15 years) in a large sample of adolescents. Methods: We used two waves of data from the Rotterdam Youth Monitor, a longitudinal study conducted in

Rotterdam Aphasia Therapy Study (RATS – 3: “The efficacy of intensive cognitive-linguistic therapy in the acute stage of aphasia”; design of a randomised controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nouwens Femke

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Aphasia is a severely disabling condition occurring in 20 to 25% of stroke patients. Most patients with aphasia due to stroke receive speech and language therapy. Methodologically sound randomised controlled trials investigating the effect of specific interventions for patients with aphasia following stroke are scarce. The currently available evidence suggests that intensive speech and language therapy is beneficial for restoration of communication, but the optimal timing of treatment is as yet unclear. In the Rotterdam Aphasia Therapy Study-3 we aim to test the hypothesis that patients with aphasia due to stroke benefit more from early intensive cognitive-linguistic therapy than from deferred regular language therapy. Methods/design In a single blinded, multicentre, randomised controlled trial, 150 patients with first ever aphasia due to stroke will be randomised within two weeks after stroke to either early intensive cognitive-linguistic therapy (Group A or deferred regular therapy (Group B. Group A will start as soon as possible, at the latest two weeks after stroke, with a four week period of one hour a day treatment with cognitive-linguistic therapy. In Group B professional speech and language therapy is deferred for four weeks. After this period, patients will follow the conventional procedure of speech and language therapy. Participants will be tested with an extensive linguistic test battery at four weeks, three months and six months after inclusion. Primary outcome measure is the difference in score between the two treatment groups on the Amsterdam-Nijmegen Everyday Language Test, a measure of everyday verbal communication, four weeks after randomisation. Trial registration This trial is registered in the Dutch Trial Register (http://www.trialregister.nl, NTR3271.

Actigraphic sleep duration and fragmentation are related to obesity in the elderly: The Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berg, J.F. van den; Knvistingh Neven, A.; Tulen, J.H.M.; Hofman, A.; Witteman, J.C.M.; Miedema, H.M.E.; Tiemeier, H.

2008-01-01

Objective: The epidemiological evidence for the association between sleep duration and obesity in the elderly is inconsistent and has not been investigated with objective measures. Furthermore, the role of sleep fragmentation in this relationship is unknown. Our aim was to investigate the

Connection-based and object-based grouping in multiple-object tracking: A developmental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Hallen, Ruth; Reusens, Julie; Evers, Kris; de-Wit, Lee; Wagemans, Johan

2018-03-30

Developmental research on Gestalt laws has previously revealed that, even as young as infancy, we are bound to group visual elements into unitary structures in accordance with a variety of organizational principles. Here, we focus on the developmental trajectory of both connection-based and object-based grouping, and investigate their impact on object formation in participants, aged 9-21 years old (N = 113), using a multiple-object tracking paradigm. Results reveal a main effect of both age and grouping type, indicating that 9- to 21-year-olds are sensitive to both connection-based and object-based grouping interference, and tracking ability increases with age. In addition to its importance for typical development, these results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in this regard. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The origin of the Gestalt principles is still an ongoing debate: Are they innate, learned over time, or both? Developmental research has revealed how each Gestalt principle has its own trajectory and unique relationship to visual experience. Both connectedness and object-based grouping play an important role in object formation during childhood. What does this study add? The study identifies how sensitivity to connectedness and object-based grouping evolves in individuals, aged 9-21 years old. Using multiple-object tracking, results reveal that the ability to track multiple objects increases with age. These results provide an informative baseline to understand clinical aberrations in different types of grouping. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Developmental Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Decision Tree Analysis Of Processes Generating Water-Related Building Damage : A Case Study In Rotterdam, The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spekkers, M.H.; Clemens, F.H.L.R.; ten Veldhuis, J.A.E.; Piasecki, M

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to identify the main failure mechanisms behind water-related building damage and to investigate to what extent these processes are related to characteristics of buildings and rainfall events. Results are based on the mining of property level insurance damage data, for

An ERP Study on Self-Relevant Object Recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Miyakoshi, Makoto; Nomura, Michio; Ohira, Hideki

2007-01-01

We performed an event-related potential study to investigate the self-relevance effect in object recognition. Three stimulus categories were prepared: SELF (participant's own objects), FAMILIAR (disposable and public objects, defined as objects with less-self-relevant familiarity), and UNFAMILIAR (others' objects). The participants' task was to…

Predictive value of four kallikrein markers for pathologically insignificant compared with aggressive prostate cancer in radical prostatectomy specimens: results from the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer section Rotterdam.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlsson, Sigrid; Maschino, Alexandra; Schröder, Fritz; Bangma, Chris; Steyerberg, Ewout W; van der Kwast, Theo; van Leenders, Geert; Vickers, Andrew; Lilja, Hans; Roobol, Monique J

2013-11-01

Treatment decisions can be difficult in men with low-risk prostate cancer (PCa). To evaluate the ability of a panel of four kallikrein markers in blood-total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA, intact PSA, and kallikrein-related peptidase 2-to distinguish between pathologically insignificant and aggressive disease on pathologic examination of radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens as well as to calculate the number of avoidable surgeries. The cohort comprised 392 screened men participating in rounds 1 and 2 of the Rotterdam arm of the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer. Patients were diagnosed with PCa because of an elevated PSA ≥3.0 ng/ml and were treated with RP between 1994 and 2004. We calculated the accuracy (area under the curve [AUC]) of statistical models to predict pathologically aggressive PCa (pT3-T4, extracapsular extension, tumor volume >0.5cm(3), or any Gleason grade ≥4) based on clinical predictors (age, stage, PSA, biopsy findings) with and without levels of four kallikrein markers in blood. A total of 261 patients (67%) had significant disease on pathologic evaluation of the RP specimen. While the clinical model had good accuracy in predicting aggressive disease, reflected in a corrected AUC of 0.81, the four kallikrein markers enhanced the base model, with an AUC of 0.84 (p limitation of the present study is that clinicians may be hesitant to make recommendations against active treatment on the basis of a statistical model. Our study provided proof of principle that predictions based on levels of four kallikrein markers in blood distinguish between pathologically insignificant and aggressive disease after RP with good accuracy. In the future, clinical use of the model could potentially reduce rates of immediate unnecessary active treatment. Copyright © 2013 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subjective experience of architectural objects: A cross-cultural study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marković Slobodan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to compare Serbian and Japanese participants in their subjective experience of Serbian and Japanese architectural objects. Subjective experience was operationalized through the ratings on the bipolar scales (e.g. pleasant-unpleasant. In the Preliminary study 1, a set of twelve rating scales was generated. In the Preliminary study 2 twelve Serbian and twelve Japanese architectural objects were specified. In the main experiment two groups of participants, twenty-one Serbian and twenty Japanese, rated twelve Serbian and twelve Japanese objects. A factor analysis extracted three dimensions of subjective experience: Beauty, Firmness and Fullness. Analysis of variance have shown that both Serbian and Japanese participants agreed that Japanese architectural objects looked more beautiful and firmer than Serbian objects. These finding is generally in line with perceptualist hypothesis that stimulus constraints are more effective than culture. However, interactions revealed some cultural differences that are consistent with culturalist hypothesis: compared to Serbian participants, Japanese participants rated Japanese architectural objects as more beautiful, whereas, compared to Japanese, Serbian participants rated Serbian objects as less fragile and emptier than Japanese objects. Generaly, our study have shown that Serbian (Western and Japanese (Eastern participants show general similarity in their subjective experience of architectural objects. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179033

A Study On The Applicability Of SERVQUAL Dimensions Of Web Sites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. van der Wiele (Ton); J.D. van Iwaarden (Jos)

2002-01-01

textabstractA survey has been undertaken amongst students of two universities (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Northeastern University Boston, USA) to study what quality factors are perceived as important in relation to their use of web sites. The results of the questionnaire

EU-INTACT-case studies: Impact of extreme weather on critical Infrastructure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van Ruiten Kees

2016-01-01

One of the case studies is located in the Netherlands and deals with the port of Rotterdam. The situation in Rotterdam is representative for many other main ports in Europe. These ports are all situated in a delta area, near the sea and rivers or canals. Also, these ports are close to urban areas and industrial complexes. Finally, these ports have a multimodal transport infrastructure to and from its hinterland, which is also vulnerable for extreme weather events. The case study is not only significant for the development of methods and tools, but also of direct interest for the region itself. The combination of the National Water safety policy and the best practices from the INTACT cases offer challenges to create better adaptation options and coping capacity to these relatively unforeseen and unexpected impacts based on climate change scenario’s and socio-economic megatrends.

Modeling and measurements of urban aerosol processes on the neighborhood scale in Rotterdam, Oslo and Helsinki

Science.gov (United States)

Karl, Matthias; Kukkonen, Jaakko; Keuken, Menno P.; Lützenkirchen, Susanne; Pirjola, Liisa; Hussein, Tareq

2016-04-01

This study evaluates the influence of aerosol processes on the particle number (PN) concentrations in three major European cities on the temporal scale of 1 h, i.e., on the neighborhood and city scales. We have used selected measured data of particle size distributions from previous campaigns in the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Rotterdam. The aerosol transformation processes were evaluated using the aerosol dynamics model MAFOR, combined with a simplified treatment of roadside and urban atmospheric dispersion. We have compared the model predictions of particle number size distributions with the measured data, and conducted sensitivity analyses regarding the influence of various model input variables. We also present a simplified parameterization for aerosol processes, which is based on the more complex aerosol process computations; this simple model can easily be implemented to both Gaussian and Eulerian urban dispersion models. Aerosol processes considered in this study were (i) the coagulation of particles, (ii) the condensation and evaporation of two organic vapors, and (iii) dry deposition. The chemical transformation of gas-phase compounds was not taken into account. By choosing concentrations and particle size distributions at roadside as starting point of the computations, nucleation of gas-phase vapors from the exhaust has been regarded as post tail-pipe emission, avoiding the need to include nucleation in the process analysis. Dry deposition and coagulation of particles were identified to be the most important aerosol dynamic processes that control the evolution and removal of particles. The error of the contribution from dry deposition to PN losses due to the uncertainty of measured deposition velocities ranges from -76 to +64 %. The removal of nanoparticles by coagulation enhanced considerably when considering the fractal nature of soot aggregates and the combined effect of van der Waals and viscous interactions. The effect of condensation and

Entrepreneurship in the Fashion Industry : A Case Study of Slow Fashion Businesses

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. Brydges (Taylor); M. Lavanga (Mariangela); L. von Gunten (Lucia)

2014-01-01

markdownabstractIn this chapter, we explore entrepreneurship in the slow fashion industry at a time of significant restructuring in the global fashion industry. Drawing on a case study of selfemployed designers in the slow fashion industry in Geneva (Switzerland), Rotterdam (The Netherlands) and

Apolipoprotein E and carotid artery atherosclerosis - The Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slooter, AJC; Bots, ML; Havekes, LM; del Sol, AI; Cruts, M; Grobbee, DE; Hofman, A; Van Broeckhoven, C; Witteman, JCM; van Duijn, CM

Background and Purpose-Carotid artery atherosclerosis is a strong predictor for future stroke. It is yet unclear whether the apolipoprotein E polymorphism (APOE) is related to atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of APOE in carotid artery

PSA velocity does not aid the detection of prostate cancer in men with a prior negative biopsy: data from the European Randomized Study of Prostate Cancer Screening in Göteborg, Sweden and Rotterdam, Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

Vickers, Andrew J.; Wolters, Tineke; Savage, Caroline J.; Cronin, Angel M.; O’Brien, M. Frank; Roobol, Monique J.; Aus, Gunnar; Scardino, Peter T.; Hugosson, Jonas; Schröder, Fritz H.; Lilja, Hans

2012-01-01

Purpose Prostate specific antigen (PSA) velocity has been proposed as a marker to aid detection of prostate cancer. We sought to determine whether PSA velocity could predict the results of repeat biopsy in men with persistently elevated PSA after initial negative biopsy. Materials and Methods We identified 1,837 men who participated in the Göteborg or Rotterdam section of the European Randomized Screening study of Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), and who had one or more subsequent prostate biopsies after an initial negative finding. We evaluated whether PSA velocity improved predictive accuracy beyond that of PSA alone. Results There were a total of 2579 repeat biopsies, of which 363 (14%) were positive for prostate cancer, and 44 (1.7%) were high grade (Gleason score ≥7). Although PSA velocity was statistically associated with cancer risk (p<0.001), it had very low predictive accuracy (area-under-the-curve [AUC] of 0.55). There was some evidence that PSA velocity improved AUC compared to PSA for high grade cancer. However, the small increase in risk associated with high PSA velocity – from 1.7 % to 2.8% as velocity increased from 0 to 1 ng / ml / year - is of questionable clinical relevance. Conclusions Men with a prior negative biopsy have a lower risk for prostate cancer at subsequent biopsies, with high grade disease particularly rare. We found little evidence to support the use of PSA velocity to aid decisions about repeat biopsy for prostate cancer. PMID:20643434

Sleep in later life: a population-based approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.F. van den Berg (Julia)

2008-01-01

textabstractThis dissertation includes six epidemiological studies of sleep in a normal elderly population. The research was conducted within the setting of the Rotterdam Study, a large prospective cohort study of community-dwelling inhabitants of a district of Rotterdam, aged 55 and over. A total

Fusidic acid cream in the treatment of impetigo in general practice: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Koning (Sander); L.W.A. van Suijlekom-Smit (Lisette); J.L. Nouwen (Jan); C.M. Verduin (Cees); R.M.D. Bernsen (Roos); A.P. Oranje (Arnold); S. Thomas (Siep); J.C. van der Wouden (Hans)

2002-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that fusidic acid would not increase the treatment effect of disinfecting with povidone-iodine alone in children with impetigo. DESIGN: Randomised placebo controlled trial. SETTING: General practices in Greater Rotterdam.

Modeling and measurements of urban aerosol processes on the neighborhood scale in Rotterdam, Oslo and Helsinki

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Karl

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the influence of aerosol processes on the particle number (PN concentrations in three major European cities on the temporal scale of 1 h, i.e., on the neighborhood and city scales. We have used selected measured data of particle size distributions from previous campaigns in the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Rotterdam. The aerosol transformation processes were evaluated using the aerosol dynamics model MAFOR, combined with a simplified treatment of roadside and urban atmospheric dispersion. We have compared the model predictions of particle number size distributions with the measured data, and conducted sensitivity analyses regarding the influence of various model input variables. We also present a simplified parameterization for aerosol processes, which is based on the more complex aerosol process computations; this simple model can easily be implemented to both Gaussian and Eulerian urban dispersion models. Aerosol processes considered in this study were (i the coagulation of particles, (ii the condensation and evaporation of two organic vapors, and (iii dry deposition. The chemical transformation of gas-phase compounds was not taken into account. By choosing concentrations and particle size distributions at roadside as starting point of the computations, nucleation of gas-phase vapors from the exhaust has been regarded as post tail-pipe emission, avoiding the need to include nucleation in the process analysis. Dry deposition and coagulation of particles were identified to be the most important aerosol dynamic processes that control the evolution and removal of particles. The error of the contribution from dry deposition to PN losses due to the uncertainty of measured deposition velocities ranges from −76 to +64 %. The removal of nanoparticles by coagulation enhanced considerably when considering the fractal nature of soot aggregates and the combined effect of van der Waals and viscous interactions. The effect of

Estimation of the radiation burden to man caused by phosphogypsum discharges in the New Waterway near Rotterdam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koester, H.W.

1991-07-01

The phosphate fertiliser industries near Rotterdam dispose their waste product phosphogypsum as a slurry into the river Rhine. Phospho-gypsum contains elevated levels of several radionuclides of the U-238 series. Consequently radionuclides such as Th-230, Ra-226, Pb-210 and Po-210 are emitted into the Rhine in quantities of some TBq per year. Estimates of the increase of the radiation exposure due to these emissions are calculated for some critical groups. As there are no specific data of activity concentrations in fishproducts nor in soils of polders filled with harbour sludge, these were estimated from data of the activity concentrations in respectively the water and the bottom sediment in the area. A dose of 0,1 mSv.a -1 is estimated for those anglers and fishermen who, fishing in this environment and the nearby coast, consume very frequently a part of their own catch. Locally elevated levels of Ra-226 are likely to occur in harbour sludge soils, which may cause increased levels of Rn-222 in indoor air of houses built on these soils. Consequently, the radiation exposure to inhabitants may increase with more than 1 mSv.a -1 . Radiation exposure estimates for the consumption of drinking water from private wells and from locally produced milk and beef are in the order of 0,1 mSv.a -1 . The radiation exposure estimates are likely to exceed the allowable levels employed by the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment. In order to obtain information on the validity of the estimates further research in the area is required. (author). 26 refs.; 3 tabs

Quasi-objects, Cult Objects and Fashion Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Bjørn Schiermer

2011-01-01

This article attempts to rehabilitate the concept of fetishism and to contribute to the debate on the social role of objects as well as to fashion theory. Extrapolating from Michel Serres’ theory of the quasi-objects, I distinguish two phenomenologies possessing almost opposite characteristics. T...... as a unique opportunity for studying the interchange between these two forms of fetishism and their respective phenomenologies. Finally, returning to Serres, I briefly consider the theoretical consequences of introducing the fashion object as a quasi-object.......This article attempts to rehabilitate the concept of fetishism and to contribute to the debate on the social role of objects as well as to fashion theory. Extrapolating from Michel Serres’ theory of the quasi-objects, I distinguish two phenomenologies possessing almost opposite characteristics....... These two phenomenologies are, so I argue, essential to quasi-object theory, yet largely ignored by Serres’ sociological interpreters. They correspond with the two different theories of fetishism found in Marx and Durkheim, respectively. In the second half of the article, I introduce the fashion object...

Care for a break? An investigation of informal caregivers' attitudes toward respite care using Q-methodology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Exel, J.; de Graaf, G.; Brouwer, W.

2007-01-01

Objective: To investigate informal caregivers' attitudes toward respite care. Method: Interviews with informal caregivers during open-house support groups (three) for informal caregivers, conducted late 2004 at Informal Care Support Centres in the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. A

CYP2C9 Genotypes Modify Benzodiazepine-Related Fall Risk: Original Results From Three Studies With Meta-Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ham, Annelies C.; Ziere, Gijsbertus; Broer, Linda; Swart, Karin M. A.; Enneman, Anke W.; van Dijk, Suzanne C.; van Wijngaarden, Janneke P.; van der Zwaluw, Nikita L.; Brouwer-Brolsma, Elske M.; Dhonukshe-Rutten, Rosalie A. M.; van Schoor, Natasja M.; Zillikens, M. Carola; van Gelder, Teun; de Vries, Oscar J.; Lips, Paul; Deeg, Dorly J. H.; de Groot, Lisette C. P. G. M.; Hofman, Albert; Witkamp, Renger F.; Uitterlinden, André G.; Stricker, Bruno H.; van der Velde, Nathalie

2017-01-01

To investigate whether the CYP2C9*2 and *3 variants modify benzodiazepine-related fall risk. Three prospective studies; the Rotterdam Study, B-PROOF, and LASA. Community-dwelling individuals living in or near five Dutch cities. There were 11,485 participants aged ≥55 years. Fall incidents were

Risk Factors for Non-Adherence to cART in Immigrants with HIV Living in the Netherlands: Results from the ROtterdam ADherence (ROAD Project.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabrina K Been

Full Text Available In the Netherlands, immigrant people living with HIV (PLWH have poorer psychological and treatment outcomes than Dutch PLWH. This cross-sectional field study examined risk factors for non-adherence to combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART among immigrant PLWH. First and second generation immigrant PLWH attending outpatient clinics at two HIV-treatment centers in Rotterdam were selected for this study. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics for all eligible participants were collected from an existing database. Trained interviewers subsequently completed questionnaires together with consenting participants (n = 352 to gather additional data on socio-demographic characteristics, psychosocial variables, and self-reported adherence to cART. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted among 301 participants who had used cART ≥6 months prior to inclusion. Independent risk factors for self-reported non-adherence were (I not having attended formal education or only primary school (OR = 3.25; 95% CI: 1.28-8.26, versus University, (II experiencing low levels of social support (OR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.37-4.82, and (III reporting low treatment adherence self-efficacy (OR = 2.99; 95% CI: 1.59-5.64. Additionally, HIV-RNA >50 copies/ml and internalized HIV-related stigma were marginally associated (P<0.10 with non-adherence (OR = 2.53; 95% CI: 0.91-7.06 and OR = 1.82; 95% CI: 0.97-3.43. The findings that low educational attainment, lack of social support, and low treatment adherence self-efficacy are associated with non-adherence point to the need for tailored supportive interventions. Establishing contact with peer immigrant PLWH who serve as role models might be a successful intervention for this specific population.

PRAGMA-CF. A quantitative structural lung disease CT outcome in young children with cystic fibrosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenow, Tim; Oudraad, Merel C.J.; Murray, Conor P.

2015-01-01

RATIONALE: Chest computed tomography (CT) is the gold standard for demonstrating cystic fibrosis (CF) airways disease. However, there are no standardised outcome measures appropriate for children under 6 years. OBJECTIVES: We developed the Perth-Rotterdam Annotated Grid Morphometric Analysis for ...

Epidemiology of Parkinson's Disease: The Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.C. de Rijk (Maarten)

1997-01-01

textabstractAt present, Parkinson's disease (PO), after Alzheimer's disease, is generally considered to be the most frequent progressive neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. Due to the growing proportion of elderly in many populations, more and more persons will be affected by this disabling

Long-term outcome of muscle strength in ulnar and median nerve injury: Comparing manual muscle strength testing, grip and pinch strength dynamometers and a new intrinsic muscle strength dynamometer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A.R. Schreuders (Ton); M.E. Roebroeck (Marij); J.B. Jaquet (Jean); S.E.R. Hovius (Steven); H.J. Stam (Henk)

2004-01-01

textabstractObjective: To compare the outcome of muscle strength with manual muscle strength testing grip and pinch strength measurements and a dynamometer which allows for measurements of the intrinsic muscles of the hand in isolation (the Rotterdam Intrinsic Hand Myometer, RIHM). Methods:

Effects of travel time delay on multi-faceted activity scheduling under space-time constraints : a simulation study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rasouli, S.; Timmermans, H.J.P.

2014-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study, which simulates the effects of travel time delay on adaptations of planned activity-travel schedules. The activity generation and scheduling engine of the Albatross model system is applied to a fraction of the synthetic population of the Rotterdam region,

Health impact assessment of transport policies in Rotterdam: Decrease of total traffic and increase of electric car use.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobollik, Myriam; Keuken, Menno; Sabel, Clive; Cowie, Hilary; Tuomisto, Jouni; Sarigiannis, Denis; Künzli, Nino; Perez, Laura; Mudu, Pierpaolo

2016-04-01

Green house gas (GHG) mitigation policies can be evaluated by showing their co-benefits to health. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was used to quantify co-benefits of GHG mitigation policies in Rotterdam. The effects of two separate interventions (10% reduction of private vehicle kilometers and a share of 50% electric-powered private vehicle kilometers) on particulate matter (PM2.5), elemental carbon (EC) and noise (engine noise and tyre noise) were assessed using Years of Life Lost (YLL) and Years Lived with Disability (YLD). The baseline was 2010 and the end of the assessment 2020. The intervention aimed at reducing traffic is associated with a decreased exposure to noise resulting in a reduction of 21 (confidence interval (CI): 11-129) YLDs due to annoyance and 35 (CI: 20-51) YLDs due to sleep disturbance for the population per year. The effects of 50% electric-powered car use are slightly higher with a reduction of 26 (CI: 13-116) and 41 (CI: 24-60) YLDs, respectively. The two interventions have marginal effects on air pollution, because already implemented traffic policies will reduce PM2.5 and EC by around 40% and 60% respectively, from 2010 to 2020. The evaluation of planned interventions, related to climate change policies, targeting only the transport sector can result in small co-benefits for health, if the analysis is limited to air pollution and noise. This urges to expand the analysis by including other impacts, e.g. physical activity and well-being, as a necessary step to better understanding consequences of interventions and carefully orienting resources useful to build knowledge to improve public health. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coffee consumption and coronary calcification: The Rotterdam coronary calcification study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G.J. van Woudenbergh (Geertruida); R. Vliegenthart (Rozemarijn); F.J.A. van Rooij (Frank); A. Hofman (Albert); M. Oudkerk (Matthijs); J.C.M. Witteman (Jacqueline); J.M. Geleijnse (Marianne)

2008-01-01

textabstractBACKGROUND - The role of coffee in the cardiovascular system is not yet clear. We examined the relation of coffee intake with coronary calcification in a population-based cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS - The study involved 1570 older men and women without coronary heart disease who

Polycystic ovary syndrome in Salvador, Brazil: a prevalence study in primary healthcare

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabrielli Ligia

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS is a common condition in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by hyperandrogenism, oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea and polycystic ovaries. It is associated with obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. No studies have been conducted on the prevalence of PCOS in Brazilian or South American women. Few studies using the Rotterdam criteria have been published. The objective of the present study was to calculate the prevalence of PCOS at primary healthcare level in Salvador, Brazil based on these criteria. Methods This was a cross-sectional, two-phase study conducted in a probability sample of women of 18–45 years of age screened for cervical cancer in the primary healthcare network of the city of Salvador, Brazil. In the first phase, interviews were conducted, weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and random blood sugar levels were measured, and the presence of acne and hirsutism was investigated. Women with at least one diagnostic criterion were referred for the second phase, which consisted of specialist consultation, pelvic ultrasonography and hormone measurements for differential diagnosis and/or investigation of a second criterion. Results Of the 859 women interviewed, 88.5% were black and 58.7% had 11 years of schooling or less. A diagnosis of PCOS was excluded in 84.4%, undetermined in 7.1% and confirmed in 8.5% (95%CI: 6.80–10.56. There were no statistically significant differences between these three groups with respect to weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood sugar levels or arterial blood pressure. Women with PCOS were younger (p = 0.00, taller (p = 0.04, had fewer children (p = 0.00, were better educated (p = 0.01, and had higher total testosterone levels (p = 0.01 and a higher LH/FSH ratio (p = 0.01. Conclusion According to the Rotterdam criteria, the prevalence of PCOS in women seeking primary

Coffee consumption and coronary calcification - The Rotterdam Coronary Calcification Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Woudenbergh, Geertruida J.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; van Rooij, Frank J. A.; Hofman, Albert; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Witteman, Jacqueline C. M.; Geleijnse, Johanna M.

Background-The role of coffee in the cardiovascular system is not yet clear. We examined the relation of coffee intake with coronary calcification in a population-based cohort. Methods and Results-The study involved 1570 older men and women without coronary heart disease who participated in the

Coffee Consumption and Coronary Calcification: The Rotterdam Coronary Calcification Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woudenbergh, van G.J.; Vliegenthart, R.; Rooij, van F.J.A.; Hofman, A.; Oudkerk, M.; Witteman, J.C.M.; Geleijnse, J.M.

2008-01-01

Background¿ The role of coffee in the cardiovascular system is not yet clear. We examined the relation of coffee intake with coronary calcification in a population-based cohort. Methods and Results¿ The study involved 1570 older men and women without coronary heart disease who participated in the

Object based implicit contextual learning: a study of eye movements.

Science.gov (United States)

van Asselen, Marieke; Sampaio, Joana; Pina, Ana; Castelo-Branco, Miguel

2011-02-01

Implicit contextual cueing refers to a top-down mechanism in which visual search is facilitated by learned contextual features. In the current study we aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying implicit contextual learning using object information as a contextual cue. Therefore, we measured eye movements during an object-based contextual cueing task. We demonstrated that visual search is facilitated by repeated object information and that this reduction in response times is associated with shorter fixation durations. This indicates that by memorizing associations between objects in our environment we can recognize objects faster, thereby facilitating visual search.

Empirical study on mutual fund objective classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Xue-jun; Yang, Xiao-lan

2004-05-01

Mutual funds are usually classified on the basis of their objectives. If the activities of mutual funds are consistent with their stated objectives, investors may look at the latter as signals of their risks and incomes. This work analyzes mutual fund objective classification in China by statistical methods of distance analysis and discriminant analysis; and examines whether the stated investment objectives of mutual funds adequately represent their attributes to investors. That is, if mutual funds adhere to their stated objectives, attributes must be heterogeneous between investment objective groups and homogeneous within them. Our conclusion is to some degree, the group of optimized exponential funds is heterogeneous to other groups. As a whole, there exist no significant differences between different objective groups; and 50% of mutual funds are not consistent with their objective groups.

Network Horizon and the Dynamics of Network Positions: A Multi-Method Multi-Level Longitudinal Study of Interfirm Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D.W. van Liere (Diederik)

2007-01-01

textabstractDiederik van Liere was born in Kortenhoef, the Netherlands, on February 18, 1978. He attended Herman Jordan Lyceum in Zeist, from which he received his Atheneum diploma in 1996. After high school, Diederik went on to study Business Administration at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the

The effects of changes in object location on object identity detection: A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ping; Fan, Chenggui; Wang, Min; Fogelson, Noa; Li, Ling

2017-08-15

Object identity and location are bound together to form a unique integration that is maintained and processed in visual working memory (VWM). Changes in task-irrelevant object location have been shown to impair the retrieval of memorial representations and the detection of object identity changes. However, the neural correlates of this cognitive process remain largely unknown. In the present study, we aim to investigate the underlying brain activation during object color change detection and the modulatory effects of changes in object location and VWM load. To this end we used simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) recordings, which can reveal the neural activity with both high temporal and high spatial resolution. Subjects responded faster and with greater accuracy in the repeated compared to the changed object location condition, when a higher VWM load was utilized. These results support the spatial congruency advantage theory and suggest that it is more pronounced with higher VWM load. Furthermore, the spatial congruency effect was associated with larger posterior N1 activity, greater activation of the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and less suppression of the right supramarginal gyrus (SMG), when object location was repeated compared to when it was changed. The ERP-fMRI integrative analysis demonstrated that the object location discrimination-related N1 component is generated in the right SMG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intrinsic dechlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane at an industrial site

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosma, T.N.P.; Aalst-van Leeuwen, M.A. van; Gerritse, J.; Heiningen, E. van; Taat, J.; Pruijn, M.

1998-01-01

Bioremediation strategies for an industrial site located in the Rotterdam Harbor Area, the Netherlands and contaminated with 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), are under investigation. The contamination is present in a confined anaerobic aquifer. The objective of the research is to assess the potential

Association of three genetic loci with uric acid concentration and risk of gout: a genome-wide association study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghan, Abbas; Köttgen, Anna; Yang, Qiong; Hwang, Shih-Jen; Kao, Wh Linda; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Boerwinkle, Eric; Levy, Daniel; Hofman, Albert; Astor, Brad C; Benjamin, Emelia J; van Duijn, Cornelia M; Witteman, Jacqueline C; Coresh, Josef; Fox, Caroline S

2008-12-06

Hyperuricaemia, a highly heritable trait, is a key risk factor for gout. We aimed to identify novel genes associated with serum uric acid concentration and gout. Genome-wide association studies were done for serum uric acid in 7699 participants in the Framingham cohort and in 4148 participants in the Rotterdam cohort. Genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were replicated in white (n=11 024) and black (n=3843) individuals who took part in the study of Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC). The SNPs that reached genome-wide significant association with uric acid in either the Framingham cohort (pgout. The results obtained in white participants were combined using meta-analysis. Three loci in the Framingham cohort and two in the Rotterdam cohort showed genome-wide association with uric acid. Top SNPs in each locus were: missense rs16890979 in SLC2A9 (p=7.0 x 10(-168) and 2.9 x 10(-18) for white and black participants, respectively); missense rs2231142 in ABCG2 (p=2.5 x 10(-60) and 9.8 x 10(-4)), and rs1165205 in SLC17A3 (p=3.3 x 10(-26) and 0.33). All SNPs were direction-consistent with gout in white participants: rs16890979 (OR 0.59 per T allele, 95% CI 0.52-0.68, p=7.0 x 10(-14)), rs2231142 (1.74, 1.51-1.99, p=3.3 x 10(-15)), and rs1165205 (0.85, 0.77-0.94, p=0.002). In black participants of the ARIC study, rs2231142 was direction-consistent with gout (1.71, 1.06-2.77, p=0.028). An additive genetic risk score of high-risk alleles at the three loci showed graded associations with uric acid (272-351 mumol/L in the Framingham cohort, 269-386 mumol/L in the Rotterdam cohort, and 303-426 mumol/L in white participants of the ARIC study) and gout (frequency 2-13% in the Framingham cohort, 2-8% in the Rotterdam cohort, and 1-18% in white participants in the ARIC study). We identified three genetic loci associated with uric acid concentration and gout. A score based on genes with a putative role in renal urate handling showed a substantial risk

Large meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies five loci for lean body mass

OpenAIRE

Zillikens, Carola M.; Demissie, Serkalem; Hsu, Yi-Hsiang; Yerges-Armstrong, Laura M.; Chou, Wen-Chi; Stolk, Lisette; Demuth, Ilja; Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth [u.v.m.

2017-01-01

We acknowledge the essential role of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genome Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium in development and support of this manuscript. CHARGE members include the Netherland’s Rotterdam Study (RS), Framingham Heart Study (FHS), Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), the NHLBI’s Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, and Iceland’s Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES) Reykjavik Study. Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility Reykjavik Study (AGES-Reykja...

New Insights into Mutual Funds: Performance and Family Strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.J. Huij (Joop)

2007-01-01

textabstractJoop Huij was born in Amsterdam on August 11, 1979. He attended the Marnix Gymnasium in Rotterdam, at which he obtained a Gymnasium diploma (Dutch classical pre-university education) in 1997. From 1997 to 2002 Joop studied at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2002 he received his Master's

Teaching Object Permanence: An Action Research Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bruce, Susan M.; Vargas, Claudia

2013-01-01

"Object permanence," also known as "object concept" in the field of visual impairment, is one of the most important early developmental milestones. The achievement of object permanence is associated with the onset of representational thought and language. Object permanence is important to orientation, including the recognition of landmarks.…

Short-term effects of air pollution on hospital admissions of respiratory diseases in Europe : A quantitative summary of APHEA study results

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spix, C; Anderson, HR; Schwartz, J; Vigotti, MA; LeTertre, A; Vonk, JM; Touloumi, G; Balducci, F; Piekarski, T; Bacharova, L; Tobias, A; Ponka, A; Katsouyanni, K

1998-01-01

The Air Pollution and Health: a European Approach (APHEA) project is a coordinated study of the short-term effects of air pollution on mortality and hospital admissions. Five West European cities (i.e., London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Milano) contributed several years of hospital admissions

Monitoring programme for the MV2, Part IV : Archeological and palaeontological finds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borst, W.; Weerts, H.; Vellinga, T.; Otte, A.

2014-01-01

This is the fourth and last of a series of articles describing the extensive monitoring related to the construction of Maasvlakte 2, Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. As far back as the 1990s during the first studies by the Main Port Rotterdam (PMR) project organisation for Maasvlakte 2 (MV2),

RETINOPATHY, GLUCOSE, AND INSULIN IN AN ELDERLY POPULATION - THE ROTTERDAM STUDY

NARCIS (Netherlands)

STOLK, RP; VINGERLING, [No Value; DEJONG, PTVM; DIELEMANS, Hubertus J.A.; HOFMAN, A; LAMBERTS, SWJ; POLS, HAP; GROBBEE, DE

We studied the association between retinopathy and glucose metabolism in a population-based study of elderly men and women, Glucose metabolism was assessed by serum fructosamine and a nonfasting oral glucose tolerance test, and retinopathy was evaluated by fundus photography, Retinopathy was present

A decision support system tool for the transportation by barge of import containers : A case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fazi, Stefano; Fransoo, Jan C.; Van Woensel, Tom

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a DSS that generates schedules for the transportation of containers by barge in the hinterland, in particular from sea terminals to an inland terminal. As a case study, we propose the transportation from the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp to a terminal in the south of the

Greenery is good for the urban climate and for the well-being of the residents – people feel cooler when they see vegetation’

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klemm, W.

2014-01-01

Magazine ‘Delta Rotterdam – Connecting water with opportunities’ produced in order of the programme Rotterdam Climate Proof and the city of Rotterdam, 2014, 59 pagina’s. http://www.rotterdamclimateinitiative.nl/documents/Documenten/RCI_Delta_Magazine_UK.pdf

Lifetime risk of developing impaired glucose metabolism and eventual progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ligthart, Symen; van Herpt, Thijs T W; Leening, Maarten J G; Kavousi, Maryam; Hofman, Albert; Stricker, Bruno H C; van Hoek, Mandy; Sijbrands, Eric J G; Franco, Oscar H; Dehghan, Abbas

2016-01-01

Data are scarce for the lifetime risk of developing impaired glucose metabolism, including prediabetes, as are data for the risk of eventual progression from prediabetes to diabetes and for initiation of insulin treatment in previously untreated patients with diabetes. We aimed to calculate the lifetime risk of the full range of glucose impairments, from normoglycaemia to prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and eventual insulin use. In this prospective population-based cohort analysis, we used data from the population-based Rotterdam Study. We identified diagnostic events by use of general practitioners' records, hospital discharge letters, pharmacy dispensing data, and serum fasting glucose measurements taken at the study centre (Rotterdam, Netherlands) visits. Normoglycaemia, prediabetes, and diabetes were defined on the basis of WHO criteria for fasting glucose (normoglycaemia: ≤6·0 mmol/L; prediabetes: >6·0 mmol/L and prediabetes to overt diabetes and from diabetes free of insulin treatment to insulin use. Additionally, we calculated years lived with healthy glucose metabolism. We used data from 10 050 participants from the Rotterdam Study. During a follow-up of up to 14·7 years (between April 1, 1997, and Jan 1, 2012), 1148 participants developed prediabetes, 828 developed diabetes, and 237 started insulin treatment. At age 45 years, the remaining lifetime risk was 48·7% (95% CI 46·2-51·3) for prediabetes, 31·3% (29·3-33·3) for diabetes, and 9·1% (7·8-10·3) for insulin use. In individuals aged 45 years, the lifetime risk to progress from prediabetes to diabetes was 74·0% (95% CI 67·6-80·5), and 49·1% (38·2-60·0) of the individuals with overt diabetes at this age started insulin treatment. The lifetime risks attenuated with advancing age, but increased with increasing BMI and waist circumference. On average, individuals with severe obesity lived 10 fewer years without glucose impairment compared with normal-weight individuals. Impaired glucose

Study on safety subsidiary objective of nuclear power plant in USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Yan; Zhang Chunming; Fu Zhiwei; Song Wei; Li Chaojun; Wang Zhe; Zuo Jiaxu

2013-01-01

This paper reviewed the development of the quantitative safety objective and subsidiary objective in USA. The expressions of CDF and LERF were obtained according to NUREG-1150. The relationship between the subsidiary objective and the quantitative safety objective was derived. The method was compared with that used in NUREG-1860. The requirements of safety objective for the future nuclear power plant and the development of probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) technology in USA were studied and can be used as reference in China. (authors)

Eye-tracking study of inanimate objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ković Vanja

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Unlike the animate objects, where participants were consistent in their looking patterns, for inanimates it was difficult to identify both consistent areas of fixations and a consistent order of fixations. Furthermore, in comparison to animate objects, in animates received significantly shorter total looking time, shorter longest looks and a smaller number of overall fixations. However, as with animates, looking patterns did not systematically differ between the naming and non-naming conditions. These results suggested that animacy, but not labelling, impacts on looking behavior in this paradigm. In the light of feature-based accounts of semantic memory organization, one could interpret these findings as suggesting that processing of the animate objects is based on the saliency/diagnosticity of their visual features (which is then reflected through participants eye-movements towards those features, whereas processing of the inanimate objects is based more on functional features (which cannot be easily captured by looking behavior in such a paradigm.

Renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism, and cancer: The Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R. van der Knaap (Ronald); C. Siemes (Claire); J.W.W. Coebergh (Jan Willem); P. Tikka-Kleemola (Päivi); A. Hofman (Albert); B.H.Ch. Stricker (Bruno)

2008-01-01

textabstractBACKGROUND. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II antagonists, and the ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) gene polymorphism all influence serum angiotensin II action. Because angiotensin II levels have been associated with cancer, the objective of the current

Desorption behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons after long-term storage of two harbour sludges from the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands

KAUST Repository

Heister, Katja

2013-04-12

Purpose: The desorption behaviour of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sludges from two sites of the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which are designated to be stored in a subaqueous sludge depository, was investigated after a storage time of 14 years at 4 °C under anaerobic conditions in the dark, mimicking depository conditions. Such long-term storage is believed to effect the desorption of the PAHs. Materials and methods: Batch desorption experiments over a time period of 130 days were performed with the brackish Beerkanaal (BK) sludge and the freshwater Beneden Merwede River (BMR) sludge. The organic carbon-water partitioning coefficient (K OC) values were calculated and compared to values of a previous study on the same sludges after a storage time of 3 years and to values obtained from calculations based on octanol-water partitioning coefficient (K OW) values. Additionally, the organic matter of the sludges was characterised by C and N elemental analysis and solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results and discussion: Only desorption of low molecular weight PAHs up to pyrene was detected. Several K OC values were higher compared to the values from the previous study, and all were increased compared to values based on K OW values. It is assumed that the increase in K OC was an effect of the prolonged contact time, causing slow intradomain diffusion of PAHs into the condensed carbon domains. Desorption was higher in BK than in BMR, which is explained by differences in organic matter composition because BMR (containing predominantly aromatic carbon) and BK (which was dominated by lipids) contained the same amount of organic carbon. It is inferred that lipids compete with PAHs for sorption sites on the aromatic carbon, so that lipids block these sorption sites, and the PAHs are adsorbed to the lipids. Conclusions: Since the amounts of PAHs desorbed from both sludges in this study were so low, it is supposed that long

Non-invasive studies of objects from cultural heritage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehmann, Eberhard H.; Vontobel, Peter; Deschler-Erb, Eckhard; Soares, Marie

2005-01-01

In order to preserve the objects from European cultural heritage in its structure and shape for our future generations, there is a need to perform all investigations on important samples non-destructively or with very limited amounts of material. Among the non-destructive testing (NDT) methods available for this purpose there are those that need large installations such as accelerators and reactors to provide different kinds of radiation (X-ray, protons, neutrons, gamma, etc.). Therefore, a link between the specialists working at such facilities with scientists from museums and archaeological institutes is necessary. This paper describes the status of a European network dedicated to the NDT of museum objects (COST-G8) as an overview. In more detail, the activities in Switzerland will be presented where PSI plays a role for the study with neutrons and X-rays. Most of the investigated samples of Swiss collections are from Celtic or Roman origin. The superposition of both applied methods gives the opportunity to decide about the structure of objects and artefacts from restoration work applied later to the virgin excavation status. The presented examples will give an overview about opportunities of the applied methods and their limitations in some cases. This should be motivating to adapt the demonstrated methods to other similar objects of historical relevance

Connection-based and object-based grouping in multiple-object tracking: A developmental study

OpenAIRE

Hallen, Ruth; Reusens, J. (Julie); Evers, K. (Kris); de-Wit, Lee; Wagemans, Johan

2018-01-01

textabstractDevelopmental research on Gestalt laws has previously revealed that, even as young as infancy, we are bound to group visual elements into unitary structures in accordance with a variety of organizational principles. Here, we focus on the developmental trajectory of both connection-based and object-based grouping, and investigate their impact on object formation in participants, aged 9-21 years old (N = 113), using a multiple-object tracking paradigm. Results reveal a main effect o...

Validity and reliability of three definitions of hip osteoarthritis: cross sectional and longitudinal approach

OpenAIRE

Reijman, Max; Hazes, Mieke; Pols, Huib; Bernsen, Roos; Koes, Bart; Bierma-Zeinstra, Sita

2004-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVES: To compare the reliability and validity in a large open population of three frequently used radiological definitions of hip osteoarthritis (OA): Kellgren and Lawrence grade, minimal joint space (MJS), and Croft grade; and to investigate whether the validity of the three definitions of hip OA is sex dependent. METHODS: SUBJECTS: from the Rotterdam study (aged > or= 55 years, n = 3585) were evaluated. The inter-rater reliability was tested in a random set of 148 x rays. ...

Effect of object functions on tomographic reconstruction a numerical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babu Rao, C.; Baldev Raj; Ravichandran, V.S.; Munshi, P.

1996-01-01

Convolution back projection is the most widely used algorithm of computed tomography (CT). Theoretical studies show that under ideal conditions, the error in the reconstruction can be correlated with the second fourier space derivative of filter function and with the Laplacian of the object function. This paper looks into the second aspect of the error function. In this paper a systematic numerical study is presented on the effect to object functions on global and local errors. (author)

Object oriented distributed programming: studies and proposals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerraoui, Rachid

1992-01-01

This thesis contributes to the investigation of the object concept in distributed programming. Henceforth, this programming style has become a reality in the computer science world, since it allows to increase of the availability of applications and to decrease their execution time. Nevertheless, designing a distributed application is a hard task: the various abstraction levels that must be considered hinder the software reusability and maintenance, while errors and concurrent accesses are often sources of executions incoherence. The object concept improves the software modularity, and raises the computing abstraction level. Integrating distribution related aspects into the object model brings up the issues of expressing the concurrency and maintaining the coherency. The investigation of these problems in this thesis has been guided by a major concern for the preservation of the intrinsic properties of object-orientation, and the orthogonality of the solutions given. The main contributions of the thesis are: (i) the classification, regarding modularity, of the different design alternatives for object-oriented concurrent languages; (ii) the evaluation of various transactional mechanisms in object-based concurrent languages, and the design of an atomic asynchronous communication protocol named ACS; (iii) the definition of a transaction-based object-oriented concurrent language called KAROS; (iv) the implementation of a modular framework which allows to combine in a same application, various concurrency control and error recovery mechanisms; (v) the identification of a formal property, named general atomicity, which constitutes a correctness criteria for atomic objects specifications. (author) [fr

Object and Action Naming: A Study on Persian-Speaking Children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reza Nilipour

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Nouns and verbs are the central conceptual linguistic units of language acquisition in all human languages. While the noun-bias hypothesis claims that nouns have a privilege in children’s lexical development across languages, studies on Mandarin and Korean and other languages have challenged this view. More recent cross-linguistic naming studies on children in German, Turkish, English and Korean demonstrate that all languages, including Korean show a noun advantage however the degree of this discrepancy differs between languages. The aim of this study wasto look at object and action naming in normal Persian children as a measure of conceptual developmentin preschool children and its possible use for screening and therapeutic procedures. Methods: In this analytical study, noun bias and processing dissociation of object and action naming in 64 three to six year old healthy monolingual Persian-speaking children was investigated. A black and white picture naming task, consisting of 36 nouns (natural and man-made, and 36 verbs (transitive and intransitive was designed using DMDX software to measure response accuracy and reaction time of the subjects. Results: The results indicate a significant noun advantage with regard to accuracy and naming latencies. The results also reveal that transitive verbs are named more accurately than intransitive ones in Persianspeaking children. Also,the data indicate that accuracy of object and action namingimprove with age (P=0.000. Discussion: Based on the resultswe recommended that a standardized Persian object and action naming battery be used. Such a tool would have the potential of screening lexical development delay and possible noun-verb performance gap in preschool children.

Performing in-situ chemical oxidation with Fenton's Reagent at a former gas work in Rotterdam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plaisier, W.; Pancras, T. [In-situ Technieken BV, Wageningen (Netherlands); Bennen, M.; Bouwhuis, E. [Public Works Rotterdam (Netherlands)

2003-07-01

In-Situ Technieken BV is the first company in the Netherlands to apply full-scale in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) by means of Fenton's reagent or permanganates. The use of ISCO for soil remediation purposes originated in the USA. After three years of practical experience in the Netherlands it can be stated that ISCO has become a proven technology for source area treatment in the Netherlands as well. We present the results of a pilot ISCO treatment program with Fenton's reagent that was performed at the former gas works facility 'Feyenoord'. The site is one of the largest gas works facilities built in Rotterdam. The former gas production activities have lead to severe pollution of soil and groundwater over an area of approximately 3 hectares. Both laboratory and field observations showed that it would be very difficult to execute an efficient Fenton's reagent ISCO treatment program at this specific site for the following reasons. First of all, the contamination consisting of tar and tar-related compounds is found in an anthropogenic (man-made) soil of 9 meter in thickness. Secondly, high contents of carbonates and organic material were found in the soils, which act as a scavenger for the hydroxyl free radical in a Fenton's reagent ISCO system. The pilot test was performed in two phases with an intermediate period of 2 months. The injection of totally 24 tonnes hydrogen peroxide (50%) was anticipated. Reactions of the reagents in the soil were very strong. The presence of old (forgotten) boreholes and an intensive drainage system, in combination with the aggressive reaction resulted in short-circuiting of reagents to the surface. Out of the proposed 24 tonnes of hydrogen peroxide (50%) only 14.5 tonnes were injected. This would have effect on the amount of contamination oxidized. Nevertheless, the oxidation had a significant effect on the soil contamination. A reduction of approximately 90% for PAH was obtained. Reduction was also

A Study On The Applicability Of SERVQUAL Dimensions Of Web Sites

OpenAIRE

Wiele, Ton; Iwaarden, Jos

2002-01-01

textabstractA survey has been undertaken amongst students of two universities (Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Northeastern University Boston, USA) to study what quality factors are perceived as important in relation to their use of web sites. The results of the questionnaire survey are analysed in relation to the five service quality (SERVQUAL) dimensions (tangibles; reliability; responsiveness; assurance; empathy) as developed by Zeithaml et al [1]. There is evidence that...

Analytical techniques applied to study cultural heritage objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rizzutto, M.A.; Curado, J.F.; Bernardes, S.; Campos, P.H.O.V.; Kajiya, E.A.M.; Silva, T.F.; Rodrigues, C.L.; Moro, M.; Tabacniks, M.; Added, N., E-mail: rizzutto@if.usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Instituto de Fisica

2015-07-01

The scientific study of artistic and cultural heritage objects have been routinely performed in Europe and the United States for decades. In Brazil this research area is growing, mainly through the use of physical and chemical characterization methods. Since 2003 the Group of Applied Physics with Particle Accelerators of the Physics Institute of the University of Sao Paulo (GFAA-IF) has been working with various methodologies for material characterization and analysis of cultural objects. Initially using ion beam analysis performed with Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE), Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) and recently Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (IBIL), for the determination of the elements and chemical compounds in the surface layers. These techniques are widely used in the Laboratory of Materials Analysis with Ion Beams (LAMFI-USP). Recently, the GFAA expanded the studies to other possibilities of analysis enabled by imaging techniques that coupled with elemental and compositional characterization provide a better understanding on the materials and techniques used in the creative process in the manufacture of objects. The imaging analysis, mainly used to examine and document artistic and cultural heritage objects, are performed through images with visible light, infrared reflectography (IR), fluorescence with ultraviolet radiation (UV), tangential light and digital radiography. Expanding more the possibilities of analysis, new capabilities were added using portable equipment such as Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) and Raman Spectroscopy that can be used for analysis 'in situ' at the museums. The results of these analyzes are providing valuable information on the manufacturing process and have provided new information on objects of different University of Sao Paulo museums. Improving the arsenal of cultural heritage analysis it was recently constructed an 3D robotic stage for the precise positioning of samples in the external beam setup

Analytical techniques applied to study cultural heritage objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizzutto, M.A.; Curado, J.F.; Bernardes, S.; Campos, P.H.O.V.; Kajiya, E.A.M.; Silva, T.F.; Rodrigues, C.L.; Moro, M.; Tabacniks, M.; Added, N.

2015-01-01

The scientific study of artistic and cultural heritage objects have been routinely performed in Europe and the United States for decades. In Brazil this research area is growing, mainly through the use of physical and chemical characterization methods. Since 2003 the Group of Applied Physics with Particle Accelerators of the Physics Institute of the University of Sao Paulo (GFAA-IF) has been working with various methodologies for material characterization and analysis of cultural objects. Initially using ion beam analysis performed with Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE), Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) and recently Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (IBIL), for the determination of the elements and chemical compounds in the surface layers. These techniques are widely used in the Laboratory of Materials Analysis with Ion Beams (LAMFI-USP). Recently, the GFAA expanded the studies to other possibilities of analysis enabled by imaging techniques that coupled with elemental and compositional characterization provide a better understanding on the materials and techniques used in the creative process in the manufacture of objects. The imaging analysis, mainly used to examine and document artistic and cultural heritage objects, are performed through images with visible light, infrared reflectography (IR), fluorescence with ultraviolet radiation (UV), tangential light and digital radiography. Expanding more the possibilities of analysis, new capabilities were added using portable equipment such as Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) and Raman Spectroscopy that can be used for analysis 'in situ' at the museums. The results of these analyzes are providing valuable information on the manufacturing process and have provided new information on objects of different University of Sao Paulo museums. Improving the arsenal of cultural heritage analysis it was recently constructed an 3D robotic stage for the precise positioning of samples in the external beam setup

Studies of Ancient Russian Cultural Objects Using the Neutron Tomography Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergey Kichanov

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Neutron radiography and tomography is a non-destructive method that provides detailed information about the internal structure of cultural heritage objects. The differences in the neutron attenuation coefficients of constituent elements of the studied objects, as well as the application of modern mathematical algorithms to carry out three-dimensional imaging data analysis, allow one to obtain unique information about the spatial distribution of different phases, the presence of internal defects, or the degree of structural degradation inside valuable cultural objects. The results of the neutron studies of several archaeological objects related to different epochs of the Russian history are reported in order to demonstrate the opportunities provided by the neutron tomography method. The obtained 3D structural volume data, as well as the results of the corresponding data analysis, are presented.

Entire cities could benefit from green roofs : Heleen Mees is investigating how five metropolises are greenifying their roofs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mees, Heleen

Rotterdam is making good progress with its creation of green roofs. Heleen Mees, researcher at Utrecht University, drew this conclusion from her research, in which she compared the green roof policy of four different cities with that of Rotterdam. Rotterdam awards grants to those wishing to create a

Structure, longitudinal invariance, and stability of the Child Behavior Checklist 1½-5's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Autism Spectrum Disorder scale: Findings from Generation R (Rotterdam).

Science.gov (United States)

Rescorla, Leslie A; Ghassabian, Akhgar; Ivanova, Masha Y; Jaddoe, Vincent Wv; Verhulst, Frank C; Tiemeier, Henning

2017-11-01

Although the Child Behavior Checklist 1½-5's 12-item Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Autism Spectrum Problems Scale (formerly called Pervasive Developmental Problems scale) has been used in several studies as an autism spectrum disorder screener, the base rate and stability of its items and its measurement model have not been previously studied. We therefore examined the structure, longitudinal invariance, and stability of the Child Behavior Checklist 1½-5's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Autism Spectrum Problems Scale in the diverse Generation R (Rotterdam) sample based on mothers' ratings at 18 months ( n = 4695), 3 years ( n = 4571), and 5 years ( n = 5752). Five items that seemed especially characteristic of autism spectrum disorder had low base rates at all three ages. The rank order of base rates for the 12 items was highly correlated over time ( Qs ⩾ 0.86), but the longitudinal stability of individual items was modest (phi coefficients = 0.15-0.34). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the autism spectrum disorder scale model manifested configural, metric, and scalar longitudinal invariance over the time period from 18 months to 5 years, with large factor loadings. Correlations over time for observed autism spectrum disorder scale scores (0.25-0.50) were generally lower than the correlations across time of the latent factors (0.45-0.68). Results indicated significant associations of the autism spectrum disorder scale with later autism spectrum disorder diagnoses.

Planning and setting objectives in field studies: Chapter 2

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Robert N.; Dodd, C. Kenneth

2016-01-01

This chapter enumerates the steps required in designing and planning field studies on the ecology and conservation of reptiles, as these involve a high level of uncertainty and risk. To this end, the chapter differentiates between goals (descriptions of what one intends to accomplish) and objectives (the measurable steps required to achieve the established goals). Thus, meeting a specific goal may require many objectives. It may not be possible to define some of them until certain experiments have been conducted; often evaluations of sampling protocols are needed to increase certainty in the biological results. And if sampling locations are fixed and sampling events are repeated over time, then both study-specific covariates and sampling-specific covariates should exist. Additionally, other critical design considerations for field study include obtaining permits, as well as researching ethics and biosecurity issues.

Causes and Risk of Stroke: the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.J. Bos (Michiel)

2008-01-01

textabstractIt is not easy to imagine that the essence of our being is enclosed in a single organ: the brain. In addition to its miraculous function, also the immensely delicate anatomical and chemical structure of the brain is astounding. In order to maintain its structure and function, the brain

Incidence and progression rates of age-related maculopathy: the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.J.M. Willemse-Assink (Jacqueline); R. van Leeuwen (Redmer); R.C.W. Wolfs (Roger); J.R. Vingerling (Hans); Th. Stijnen (Theo); P.T.V.M. de Jong (Paulus); C.C.W. Klaver (Caroline); A. Hofman (Albert)

2001-01-01

textabstractPURPOSE: To describe the incidence rate of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the progression rates of early stages of age-related maculopathy (ARM), and to study the hierarchy of fundus features that determine progression. METHODS: A group of 4953 subjects

Attachment to Inanimate Objects and Early Childcare: A Twin Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keren eFortuna

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Extensive nonmaternal childcare plays an important role in children's development. This study examined a potential coping mechanism for dealing with daily separation from caregivers involved in childcare experience—children's development of attachments toward inanimate objects. We employed the twin design to estimate relative environmental and genetic contributions to the presence of object attachment, and assess whether childcare explains some of the environmental variation in this developmental phenomenon. Mothers reported about 1122 3-year-old twin pairs. Variation in object attachment was accounted for by heritability (48% and shared environment (48%, with childcare quantity accounting for 2.2% of the shared environment effect. Children who spent half-days in childcare were significantly less likely to attach to objects relative to children who attended full-day childcare.

The Study of Object-Oriented Motor Imagery Based on EEG Suppression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lili Li

Full Text Available Motor imagery is a conventional method for brain computer interface and motor learning. To avoid the great individual difference of the motor imagery ability, object-oriented motor imagery was applied, and the effects were studied. Kinesthetic motor imagery and visual observation were administered to 15 healthy volunteers. The EEG during cue-based simple imagery (SI, object-oriented motor imagery (OI, non-object-oriented motor imagery (NI and visual observation (VO was recorded. Study results showed that OI and NI presented significant contralateral suppression in mu rhythm (p 0.05. Compared with NI, OI showed significant difference (p < 0.05 in mu rhythm and weak significant difference (p = 0.0612 in beta rhythm over the contralateral hemisphere. The ability of motor imagery can be reflected by the suppression degree of mu and beta frequencies which are the motor related rhythms. Thus, greater enhancement of activation in mirror neuron system is involved in response to object-oriented motor imagery. The object-oriented motor imagery is favorable for improvement of motor imagery ability.

X-ray studies of BL Lacertae objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madejski, G.M.

1986-01-01

This thesis presents spectral x-ray data for BL Lac objects observed by the IPC and MPC aboard the Einstein Observatory and interprets that data in a context of their overall radiation spectra using synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton models. The objects considered are: OJ 287, PKS 0735 + 178, I Zw 186, PKS 0548-322, Mkn 180, BL Lacertae, PKS 2155-304, H 0414-009 and H 0323 + 022. X-ray spectra of BL Lac objects are well described by a power law model with a low energy cutoff due to absorption within the own Galaxy. The best fit values of the energy spectral index α in the IPC (0.2-4.0 keV) band range from 0.73 to 2.35, with a mean of 1.2 and rms spread of 0.51. No single, universal index can fit the spectra of all objects. For all objects except PKS 0735 + 178, the x-ray spectrum is an extrapolation of the infrared/optical UV spectrum; in PKS 0735 + 178, the x-ray spectrum lies significantly below such an extrapolation. The overall electromagnetic distribution in those objects is interpreted as arising due to the synchrotron process in at least two spatial regions, with sizes respectively ∼10 18 cm for the radio component and ∼10 16 cm for the optical component. In objects where the x-ray spectrum lies on the extrapolation of the infrared-optical-ultraviolet spectrum, the x-ray emission is interpreted also to be due to the synchrotron process

Artificial intelligence and visco-elastic analyses for modelling of pavement structures

OpenAIRE

CHABOT, Armelle

2009-01-01

Since January 1, 2009, Maryam Miradi is working as a software engineer at Logica, Rotterdam. Before that she was working as a PhD student at the department of Road and Railway Engineering of the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology. In 1998 she graduated in software engineering at the Mashad University in Iran. In 2003 she became PhD student at the Road and Railway Engineering Department. The objective of her study was to use Artificial Intelligence (AI...

Object manipulation facilitates kind-based object individuation of shape-similar objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kingo, Osman Skjold; Krøjgaard, Peter

2011-01-01

Five experiments investigated the importance of shape and object manipulation when 12-month-olds were given the task of individuating objects representing exemplars of kinds in an event-mapping design. In Experiments 1 and 2, results of the study from Xu, Carey, and Quint (2004, Experiment 4) wer...

Health impact assessment of transport policies in Rotterdam: Decrease of total traffic and increase of electric car use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobollik, Myriam; Keuken, Menno; Sabel, Clive; Cowie, Hilary; Tuomisto, Jouni; Sarigiannis, Denis; Künzli, Nino; Perez, Laura; Mudu, Pierpaolo

2016-01-01

Background: Green house gas (GHG) mitigation policies can be evaluated by showing their co-benefits to health. Method: Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was used to quantify co-benefits of GHG mitigation policies in Rotterdam. The effects of two separate interventions (10% reduction of private vehicle kilometers and a share of 50% electric-powered private vehicle kilometers) on particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), elemental carbon (EC) and noise (engine noise and tyre noise) were assessed using Years of Life Lost (YLL) and Years Lived with Disability (YLD). The baseline was 2010 and the end of the assessment 2020. Results: The intervention aimed at reducing traffic is associated with a decreased exposure to noise resulting in a reduction of 21 (confidence interval (CI): 11–129) YLDs due to annoyance and 35 (CI: 20–51) YLDs due to sleep disturbance for the population per year. The effects of 50% electric-powered car use are slightly higher with a reduction of 26 (CI: 13–116) and 41 (CI: 24–60) YLDs, respectively. The two interventions have marginal effects on air pollution, because already implemented traffic policies will reduce PM 2.5 and EC by around 40% and 60% respectively, from 2010 to 2020. Discussion: The evaluation of planned interventions, related to climate change policies, targeting only the transport sector can result in small co-benefits for health, if the analysis is limited to air pollution and noise. This urges to expand the analysis by including other impacts, e.g. physical activity and well-being, as a necessary step to better understanding consequences of interventions and carefully orienting resources useful to build knowledge to improve public health. - Highlights: • We estimated co-benefits of greenhouse gas reduction policies from 2010 to 2020. • The city scale health impact assessment base on real transport policy scenarios. • Effects of particulate matter, elemental carbon and noise on health are assessed. • The effects are rather

Health impact assessment of transport policies in Rotterdam: Decrease of total traffic and increase of electric car use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tobollik, Myriam, E-mail: mtobollik@uni-bielefeld.de [School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld (Germany); German Environment Agency, Section Exposure Assessment and Environmental Health Indicators, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Keuken, Menno [Netherlands Applied Research Organization (TNO), Utrecht (Netherlands); Sabel, Clive [School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol (United Kingdom); Cowie, Hilary [Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh (United Kingdom); Tuomisto, Jouni [National Institute for Health and Welfare Kuopio, Kuopio (Finland); Sarigiannis, Denis [Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki (Greece); Künzli, Nino; Perez, Laura [Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel (Switzerland); University of Basel, Basel (Switzerland); Mudu, Pierpaolo, E-mail: mudup@ecehbonn.euro.who.int [WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Bonn (Germany)

2016-04-15

Background: Green house gas (GHG) mitigation policies can be evaluated by showing their co-benefits to health. Method: Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was used to quantify co-benefits of GHG mitigation policies in Rotterdam. The effects of two separate interventions (10% reduction of private vehicle kilometers and a share of 50% electric-powered private vehicle kilometers) on particulate matter (PM{sub 2.5}), elemental carbon (EC) and noise (engine noise and tyre noise) were assessed using Years of Life Lost (YLL) and Years Lived with Disability (YLD). The baseline was 2010 and the end of the assessment 2020. Results: The intervention aimed at reducing traffic is associated with a decreased exposure to noise resulting in a reduction of 21 (confidence interval (CI): 11–129) YLDs due to annoyance and 35 (CI: 20–51) YLDs due to sleep disturbance for the population per year. The effects of 50% electric-powered car use are slightly higher with a reduction of 26 (CI: 13–116) and 41 (CI: 24–60) YLDs, respectively. The two interventions have marginal effects on air pollution, because already implemented traffic policies will reduce PM{sub 2.5} and EC by around 40% and 60% respectively, from 2010 to 2020. Discussion: The evaluation of planned interventions, related to climate change policies, targeting only the transport sector can result in small co-benefits for health, if the analysis is limited to air pollution and noise. This urges to expand the analysis by including other impacts, e.g. physical activity and well-being, as a necessary step to better understanding consequences of interventions and carefully orienting resources useful to build knowledge to improve public health. - Highlights: • We estimated co-benefits of greenhouse gas reduction policies from 2010 to 2020. • The city scale health impact assessment base on real transport policy scenarios. • Effects of particulate matter, elemental carbon and noise on health are assessed. • The effects are

Object-Location Memory: A Lesion-Behavior Mapping Study in Stroke Patients

Science.gov (United States)

van Asselen, Marieke; Kessels, Roy P. C.; Frijns, Catharina J. M.; Kappelle, L. Jaap; Neggers, Sebastiaan F. W.; Postma, Albert

2009-01-01

Object-location memory is an important form of spatial memory, comprising different subcomponents that each process specific types of information within memory, i.e. remembering objects, remembering positions and binding these features in memory. In the current study we investigated the neural correlates of binding categorical (relative) or…

A Qualitative Study of US Clinical Ethics Services: Objectives and Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

McClimans, Leah; Pressgrove, Geah; Rhea, James

2016-01-01

The quality of clinical ethics services in health care organizations is increasingly seen as an important aspect of the overall quality of care. But measuring this quality is difficult because there is a lack of clarity and consensus regarding the objectives of clinical ethics and the best outcome domains to measure. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the views of experts about the objectives and outcomes of clinical ethics services in the US. We interviewed 19 experts in clinical ethics, focusing on the appropriate objectives and outcomes of a clinical ethics service (CES). Participants were selected using a purposive snowball sampling strategy. The development of the interview protocol was informed by the clinical ethics literature as well as by research and theories that inform clinical ethics practice. Interviews were conducted by phone, recorded, and transcribed for individual analysis. Analysis proceeded through the development of a codebook of categories using QDA Miner software. Our experts identified 12 objectives and nine outcomes. Some of these identifications were familiar (e.g., mediation and satisfaction) and some were novel (e.g., be of service and transformation). We found that experts are divided in their emphasis on the kinds of objectives that are most important. In terms of outcomes, our experts were concerned with the appropriateness of different proxy and direct measures. This study provides the perspectives of a select group of experts on the objectives and outcomes appropriate for a CES in the United States. The themes identified will be used in future research to inform a Delphi study to refine and obtain expert consensus.

Neurobiological correlates of externalizing and prosocial behavior in school-age children: A study on truths and lies

OpenAIRE

Thijssen, Sandra

2015-01-01

markdownabstractThis thesis describes a series of studies on the neurobiological correlates of externalizing and prosocial behavior in six-to ten-year old children. Chapter 1 provides an outline and describes the background and aims of our work. The studies described in this thesis are embedded in the Generation R study, a prospective cohort from fetal life onwards in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We describe both structural (chapter 2, 3, and 6) and functional neuroimaging studies (chapter 4 a...

Left posterior BA37 is involved in object recognition: a TMS study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stewart, Lauren; Meyer, Bernd-Ulrich; Frith, Uta

2001-01-01

Functional imaging studies have proposed a role for left BA37 in phonological retrieval, semantic processing, face processing and object recognition. The present study targeted the posterior aspect of BA37 to see whether a deficit, specific to one of the above types of processing could be induced...... to name pictures when TMS was given over lBA37 compared to vertex or rBA37. rTMS over lBA37 had no significant effect on word reading, nonword reading or colour naming. The picture naming deficit is suggested to result from a disruption to object recognition processes. This study corroborates the finding...... from a recent imaging study, that the most posterior part of left hemispheric BA37 has a necessary role in object recognition....

Experimental studies of radioactive new formations of object 'Shelter'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vishnevskij, A.S.; Kuz'mina, I.E.; Tkach, V.N.; Tokarevskij, V.V.

1996-01-01

Chemical and phase composition of radioactive new-formations of object 'Shelter ' have been experimentally studied by the X-ray and local electronic probe methods of the substance analysis. Leaching of uranium is shown to be a result of attack by alkali-carbonate solutions, migration of uranium take place in the form of double alkali-carbonate system Na 4 [U O 2 (CO 3 ) 3 ]. Carbonates, sulphates, halite and probably sulphates-carbonates were found in the mineral association of new-formations. A hypothesis of formation of sodium uranyltetracarbonate Na 6 (U O 2 )(CO 3 ) 4 , under conditions of object 'Shelter' which was not described in scientific literature before has been advanced

Real-world objects are more memorable than photographs of objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacqueline C Snow

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Research studies in psychology typically use two-dimensional (2D images of objects as proxies for real-world three-dimensional (3D stimuli. There are, however, a number of important differences between real objects and images that could influence cognition and behavior. Although human memory has been studied extensively, only a handful of studies have used real objects in the context of memory and virtually none have directly compared memory for real objects versus their 2D counterparts. Here we examined whether or not episodic memory is influenced by the format in which objects are displayed. We conducted two experiments asking participants to freely recall, and to recognize, a set of 44 common household objects. Critically, the exemplars were displayed to observers in one of three viewing conditions: real-world objects, colored photographs, or black and white line drawings. Stimuli were closely matched across conditions for size, orientation, and illumination. Surprisingly, recall and recognition performance was significantly better for real objects compared to colored photographs or line drawings (for which memory performance was equivalent. We replicated this pattern in a second experiment comparing memory for real objects versus color photos, when the stimuli were matched for viewing angle across conditions. Again, recall and recognition performance was significantly better for the real objects than matched color photos of the same items. Taken together, our data suggest that real objects are more memorable than pictorial stimuli. Our results highlight the importance of studying real-world object cognition and raise the potential for applied use in developing effective strategies for education, marketing, and further research on object-related cognition.

Employing Machine-Learning Methods to Study Young Stellar Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Nicholas

2018-01-01

Vast amounts of data exist in the astronomical data archives, and yet a large number of sources remain unclassified. We developed a multi-wavelength pipeline to classify infrared sources. The pipeline uses supervised machine learning methods to classify objects into the appropriate categories. The program is fed data that is already classified to train it, and is then applied to unknown catalogues. The primary use for such a pipeline is the rapid classification and cataloging of data that would take a much longer time to classify otherwise. While our primary goal is to study young stellar objects (YSOs), the applications extend beyond the scope of this project. We present preliminary results from our analysis and discuss future applications.

Objectively determined habitual physical activity in South African adolescents: the PAHL study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background There is limited data on objectively determined habitual physical activity (PA) in 16-year old South African adolescents. The purpose of this study was to objectively determine the habitual PA of adolescents from the North West Province of South Africa by race and gender. Methods Adolescents (137 girls, 89 boys) from the ongoing Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PAHL study), participated in the present study. Habitual PA was objectively recorded by means of the Actiheart® over a period of 7 days. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was assessed. Results Average MVPA for the study sample was 50.9 ± 40.3 minutes/day. Girls were significantly more active than boys expending more time in MVPA (61.13 ± 52.2 minutes/day; p Physical activity varies by both gender and race in adolescents from the North West Province of South Africa. Objectively determined data from our study indicates that girls habitually spend more time in MVPA per day than boys, and that white adolescents habitually engage in more MVPA than black adolescents. Seeing as the average MVPA per day for the entire study sample falls below the recommended daily average of 60minutes/day, adolescents should be the foremost targets of interventions aimed at enhancing habitual PA. PMID:24885503

Herbig-Haro objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, R.D.

1983-01-01

Progress in the understanding of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects is reviewed. The results of optical studies of the proper motions and alignments, variability, and polarization of HH objects and the results of spectroscopic studies are discussed. Ground-based infrared studies and far-infrared observations are reviewed. Findings on the properties of molecular clouds associated with HH objects, on gas flows associated with HH IR stars, on maser emission, and on radio continuum observations are considered. A history of proposed excitation mechanisms for HH objects is briefly presented, and the salient shock-wave calculations aimed at synthesizing the spectra of HH objects are summarized along with hypotheses that have been advanced about the origin of the objects. 141 references

NEMD study for supercavitation mechanism with underwater object

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong Bozhi [Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027 (China); Zhang Bingjian [Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310027 (China)], E-mail: zbj@mail.ha.zj.cn; Zhang Hui [Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 (United States)

2008-11-24

An open system model was introduced for Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (NEMD) simulation for studying flow phenomenon surrounding different underwater object. Cavitation number {sigma} criterion was proved to be applicable in predicting local cavitation mechanism. An interesting phenomenon was found that low {sigma} areas and actual cavities were spatially separated in molecular scale, and stable supercavitation would require a large enough low {sigma} area to sustain. Effects of cavitator shape and flow velocity were compared with macro scale flow under similar {sigma}, providing a new computational method to study the molecular scale mechanism of this phenomenon.

NEMD study for supercavitation mechanism with underwater object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong Bozhi; Zhang Bingjian; Zhang Hui

2008-01-01

An open system model was introduced for Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics (NEMD) simulation for studying flow phenomenon surrounding different underwater object. Cavitation number σ criterion was proved to be applicable in predicting local cavitation mechanism. An interesting phenomenon was found that low σ areas and actual cavities were spatially separated in molecular scale, and stable supercavitation would require a large enough low σ area to sustain. Effects of cavitator shape and flow velocity were compared with macro scale flow under similar σ, providing a new computational method to study the molecular scale mechanism of this phenomenon

Real-time object-oriented programming: studies and proposals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fouquier, Gilles

1996-01-01

This thesis contributes to the introduction of real-time features in object-oriented programming. Object-oriented programming favours modularity and reusability. Therefore, its application to real-time introduces many theoretical and conceptual problems. To deal with these problems, a new real-time object-oriented programming model is presented. This model is based on the active object model which allows concurrence and maintains the encapsulation property. The real-time aspect is treated by replacing the concept of task by the concept of method processing and by associating a real-time constraint to each message (priority or deadline). The set of all the running methods is scheduled. This model, called ATOME, contains several sub-models to deal with the usual concurrence control integrating their priority and deadline processing. The classical HPF and EDF scheduling avoid priority or deadline inversion. This model and its variants are new proposals to program real-time applications in the object-oriented way, therefore easing reusability and code writing. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by extending and existing active object-based language to real-time, in using the rules defined in the ATOME model. (author) [fr

Art, historical and cultural heritage objects studied with different non-destructive analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizzutto, Marcia A.; Tabacniks, Manfredo H.; Added, Nemitala; Campos, Pedro H.O.V.; Curado, Jessica F.; Kajiya, Elizabeth A.M.

2012-01-01

Full text: Since 2003, the analysis of art, historical and cultural heritage objects has being performed at the Laboratorio de Analise de Materiais of the Instituto de Fisica of the Universidade de Sao Paulo (LAMFI-USP). Initially the studies were restricted to non-destructive methods using ion beams to characterize the chemical elements present in the objects. Recently, new analytical techniques and procedures have been incorporated to the better characterization of the objects and the examinations were expanded to other non-destructive analytical techniques such as portable X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), digitalized radiography, high resolution photography with visible, UV (ultraviolet) light and reflectography in the infrared region. These non-destructive analytical techniques systematically applied to the objects are helping the better understanding of these objects and allow studying them by examining their main components; their conservation status and also the creative process of the artist, particularly in easel paintings allow making new discoveries. The setup of the external beam in the LAMFI laboratory is configured to allow different simultaneous analysis by PIXE / PIGE (Particle Induced X-ray emission / Particle Induced gamma rays emission), RBS (Rutherford Backscattering) and IBL (Ion Beam Luminescence) and to expand the archaeometric results using ion beams. PIXE and XRF analysis are important to characterize the elements presents in the objects, pigments and others materials. The digitized radiography has provided important information about the internal structure of the objects, the manufacturing process, the internal particles existing and in case of easel paintings it can reveal features of the artist's creative process showing hidden images and the first paintings done by the artist in the background. Some Brazilian paintings studied by IR imaging revealed underlying drawings, which allowed us to discover the process of creation and also some

Art, historical and cultural heritage objects studied with different non-destructive analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rizzutto, Marcia A.; Tabacniks, Manfredo H.; Added, Nemitala; Campos, Pedro H.O.V.; Curado, Jessica F.; Kajiya, Elizabeth A.M. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (IF/USP), SP (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica

2012-07-01

Full text: Since 2003, the analysis of art, historical and cultural heritage objects has being performed at the Laboratorio de Analise de Materiais of the Instituto de Fisica of the Universidade de Sao Paulo (LAMFI-USP). Initially the studies were restricted to non-destructive methods using ion beams to characterize the chemical elements present in the objects. Recently, new analytical techniques and procedures have been incorporated to the better characterization of the objects and the examinations were expanded to other non-destructive analytical techniques such as portable X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), digitalized radiography, high resolution photography with visible, UV (ultraviolet) light and reflectography in the infrared region. These non-destructive analytical techniques systematically applied to the objects are helping the better understanding of these objects and allow studying them by examining their main components; their conservation status and also the creative process of the artist, particularly in easel paintings allow making new discoveries. The setup of the external beam in the LAMFI laboratory is configured to allow different simultaneous analysis by PIXE / PIGE (Particle Induced X-ray emission / Particle Induced gamma rays emission), RBS (Rutherford Backscattering) and IBL (Ion Beam Luminescence) and to expand the archaeometric results using ion beams. PIXE and XRF analysis are important to characterize the elements presents in the objects, pigments and others materials. The digitized radiography has provided important information about the internal structure of the objects, the manufacturing process, the internal particles existing and in case of easel paintings it can reveal features of the artist's creative process showing hidden images and the first paintings done by the artist in the background. Some Brazilian paintings studied by IR imaging revealed underlying drawings, which allowed us to discover the process of creation and also some

Fetal programming of infant neuromotor development: the generation R study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Batenburg-Eddes, Tamara; de Groot, Laila; Steegers, Eric A P; Hofman, Albert; Jaddoe, Vincent W V; Verhulst, Frank C; Tiemeier, Henning

2010-02-01

The objective of the study was to examine whether infant neuromotor development is determined by fetal size and body symmetry in the general population. This study was embedded within the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort in Rotterdam. In 2965 fetuses, growth parameters were measured in mid-pregnancy and late pregnancy. After birth, at age 9 to 15 wks, neuromotor development was assessed with an adapted version of Touwen's Neurodevelopmental Examination. Less optimal neuromotor development was defined as a score in the highest tertile. We found that higher fetal weight was beneficial to infant neurodevelopment. A fetus with a 1-SD score higher weight in mid-pregnancy had an 11% lower risk of less optimal neuromotor development (OR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.82-0.97). Similarly, a fetus with a 1-SD score larger abdominal-to-head circumference (AC/HC) ratio had a 13% lower risk of less optimal neuromotor development (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.79-0.96). These associations were also present in late pregnancy. Our findings show that fetal size and body symmetry in pregnancy are associated with infant neuromotor development. These results suggest that differences in infant neuromotor development, a marker of behavioral and cognitive problems, are at least partly caused by processes occurring early in fetal life.

Studying visual attention using the multiple object tracking paradigm: A tutorial review.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyerhoff, Hauke S; Papenmeier, Frank; Huff, Markus

2017-07-01

Human observers are capable of tracking multiple objects among identical distractors based only on their spatiotemporal information. Since the first report of this ability in the seminal work of Pylyshyn and Storm (1988, Spatial Vision, 3, 179-197), multiple object tracking has attracted many researchers. A reason for this is that it is commonly argued that the attentional processes studied with the multiple object paradigm apparently match the attentional processing during real-world tasks such as driving or team sports. We argue that multiple object tracking provides a good mean to study the broader topic of continuous and dynamic visual attention. Indeed, several (partially contradicting) theories of attentive tracking have been proposed within the almost 30 years since its first report, and a large body of research has been conducted to test these theories. With regard to the richness and diversity of this literature, the aim of this tutorial review is to provide researchers who are new in the field of multiple object tracking with an overview over the multiple object tracking paradigm, its basic manipulations, as well as links to other paradigms investigating visual attention and working memory. Further, we aim at reviewing current theories of tracking as well as their empirical evidence. Finally, we review the state of the art in the most prominent research fields of multiple object tracking and how this research has helped to understand visual attention in dynamic settings.

THE OBJECTIVE OF ISLAMIC BANK: A CASE STUDY IN SURAKARTA REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim Fatwa Wijaya

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The purposes of this research were for exploring the perception of the Islamic Banking stakeholders relatedwith the objective of Islamic Banking that operated in the dual banking system, Indonesia and for measuringthe gap between the perception and expectation of the stakeholders toward the objective of Islamic bank. Theprimary data was collected by questionnaires. The Respondents were limited only in the Surakarta region.They were customers, lecturers, students, employees, bank managers, regulators, and ulama (Moslem religiousteachers. Factor analysis was conducted for grouping or classifying the variables into the same group whichhad the same characters while Kruskall Wallis test was used for examining the different perception among thestakeholders. At last, paired sample t-test was used to measure the gap between perception and expectationamong the stakeholders. The findings of this study were first, stakeholders concluded that social objective ofIslamic was more important than the commercial one; second, there was a significant different perception on theIslamic Banking objective among the stakeholders; and third, there was a gap between the perception andexpectation of the stakeholders about Islamic Banking objectives.

Multi-wavelength studies of TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufmann, Sarah Sabine

2012-01-01

The discovery of TeV γ-ray emission of BL Lac objects gave new insights in the particle acceleration and the emission processes of the highly relativistic jets. To shed light on the conditions in the high energetic jets of the TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects, I have studied in great detail the spectral energy distribution (SED) of sources with different characteristics. BL Lac objects with exceptional very high energy spectra (soft and hard spectra) and with large differences in the emission peak frequencies, to cover the different classes of BL Lac objects, have been chosen. The basic aim of this thesis was, to study with new, simultaneous multi- avelength (MWL) observations, if the emission processes of these extreme cases of TeV BL Lac objects can be explained by the synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) model which is well established for the class of BL Lac objects at lower energies. We proposed MWL observations in the optical, UV and X-ray regime, to be conducted simultaneous to very high energy observations with the H.E.S.S. experiment, to study the emission processes. Simultaneous observations are crucial, since BL Lac objects are variable at all wavebands. I have analysed the MWL observations and conducted detailed variability and spectral studies in each wavelength range. The different kind of absorption at each wavelength as well as the influence of the host galaxy of the AGN has been considered to obtain the intrinsic jet spectrum. I have then applied the commonly used theoretical jet model, the SSC model, to the SED. I conducted a MWL campaign on a BL Lac object with the softest TeV spectrum, PKS 2005-489, during which it was observed in a very bright X-ray state. The good spectral coverage of the emission peaks allowed a detailed study of the SSC model. The extreme BL Lac object 1ES 0229+200 exhibits a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum. With my MWL campaign I found a clear cut-off in the optical range and therefore a high minimum Lorentz factor is needed to

Multi-wavelength studies of TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaufmann, Sarah Sabine

2012-12-21

The discovery of TeV γ-ray emission of BL Lac objects gave new insights in the particle acceleration and the emission processes of the highly relativistic jets. To shed light on the conditions in the high energetic jets of the TeV γ-ray emitting BL Lac objects, I have studied in great detail the spectral energy distribution (SED) of sources with different characteristics. BL Lac objects with exceptional very high energy spectra (soft and hard spectra) and with large differences in the emission peak frequencies, to cover the different classes of BL Lac objects, have been chosen. The basic aim of this thesis was, to study with new, simultaneous multi- avelength (MWL) observations, if the emission processes of these extreme cases of TeV BL Lac objects can be explained by the synchrotron Self-Compton (SSC) model which is well established for the class of BL Lac objects at lower energies. We proposed MWL observations in the optical, UV and X-ray regime, to be conducted simultaneous to very high energy observations with the H.E.S.S. experiment, to study the emission processes. Simultaneous observations are crucial, since BL Lac objects are variable at all wavebands. I have analysed the MWL observations and conducted detailed variability and spectral studies in each wavelength range. The different kind of absorption at each wavelength as well as the influence of the host galaxy of the AGN has been considered to obtain the intrinsic jet spectrum. I have then applied the commonly used theoretical jet model, the SSC model, to the SED. I conducted a MWL campaign on a BL Lac object with the softest TeV spectrum, PKS 2005-489, during which it was observed in a very bright X-ray state. The good spectral coverage of the emission peaks allowed a detailed study of the SSC model. The extreme BL Lac object 1ES 0229+200 exhibits a hard intrinsic TeV spectrum. With my MWL campaign I found a clear cut-off in the optical range and therefore a high minimum Lorentz factor is needed to

Effects of Selected Object Characteristics on Object Permanence Test Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lingle, Kathleen M.; Lingle, John H.

A study was conducted to investigate the degree to which both object familiarity and motivational factors influence infants' search behavior in an object permanence test. Infants' search behavior for an unfamiliar test object was compared with search behavior for (a) an experientially familiar object that each infant had played with daily for a…

Objectives of Financial Statements. Report of the Study Group on the Objectives of Financial Statements.

Science.gov (United States)

American Inst. of Certified Public Accountants, New York, NY.

This report discusses the objectives of financial statements. Emphasis is placed on the function of objectives; users, their goals, and their information needs; the primary enterprise goal and earning power; accountability and financial statements; financial statements--reporting on the goal attainment of business enterprises; financial…

Earthquake Damage Assessment Using Objective Image Segmentation: A Case Study of 2010 Haiti Earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Oommen, Thomas; Rebbapragada, Umaa; Cerminaro, Daniel

2012-01-01

In this study, we perform a case study on imagery from the Haiti earthquake that evaluates a novel object-based approach for characterizing earthquake induced surface effects of liquefaction against a traditional pixel based change technique. Our technique, which combines object-oriented change detection with discriminant/categorical functions, shows the power of distinguishing earthquake-induced surface effects from changes in buildings using the object properties concavity, convexity, orthogonality and rectangularity. Our results suggest that object-based analysis holds promise in automatically extracting earthquake-induced damages from high-resolution aerial/satellite imagery.

An Exploratory Study into the Efficacy of Learning Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas W. Farha, Ph.D.

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Learning objects have quickly become a widely accepted approach to instructional technology, particularly in on-line and computer-based learning environments. While there is a substantial body of literature concerning learning objects, very little of it verifies their efficacy. This research investigated the effectiveness of learning objects by comparing learning outcomes using a learning object with outcomes using a traditional textbook-based method of instruction. Participants were 327 undergraduate college students at a traditional public four-year coed institution, a private four-year women’s college, a private four-year engineering institution, and a public two-year community college. Through a series of independent samples t-tests and Analyses of Variance, results revealed mean scores for the learning object group that were nearly three times higher than the mean scores for the textbook-taught group. Gaming experience, age, gender, and learner preference were evaluated for their potential influence on the results; no statistically significant differences were found, implying that the learning object itself was central to the outcomes achieved. The future of learning objects is bright, and more empirical research is called for in the area of learning object effectiveness.

Actions Objected at Employees in CSR - Report from the Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szelągowska-Rudzka Katarzyna

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The study analyzed the essence of the social responsibility of organizations and indicated the areas of actions to which this concept applies in the organizations. Particular attention has been paid to CSR practices objected at employees as key stakeholders of the organization. The purpose of the study was achieved in the form of analysis of CSR practices addressed to employees of the selected organizations in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It has been confirmed that the study subjects undertake socially responsible actions addressed to their employees. These actions are compliant with the guidelines of ISO 26000 standard in the area of practice in workplace. However, it has been shown that socially responsible objectives are not commonly present in the strategies of these organizations. Personal strategies and the knowledge of the concept of CSR among employees also occur not frequently enough. The presented study is a pilot study. The reached conclusions apply only to the participating organizations. However, it should be noted that the concept of CSR is not yet widely and successfully implemented in organizations within the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It requires further popularizing and intensifying. Also, the practices of CSR addressed to employees should be further improved.

Spontaneous object recognition: a promising approach to the comparative study of memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel eBlaser

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous recognition of a novel object is a popular measure of exploratory behavior, perception and recognition memory in rodent models. Because of its relative simplicity and speed of testing, the variety of stimuli that can be used, and its ecological validity across species, it is also an attractive task for comparative research. To date, variants of this test have been used with vertebrate and invertebrate species, but the methods have seldom been sufficiently standardized to allow cross-species comparison. Here, we review the methods necessary for the study of novel object recognition in mammalian and non-mammalian models, as well as the results of these experiments. Critical to the use of this test is an understanding of the organism’s initial response to a novel object, the modulation of exploration by context, and species differences in object perception and exploratory behaviors. We argue that with appropriate consideration of species differences in perception, object affordances, and natural exploratory behaviors, the spontaneous object recognition test can be a valid and versatile tool for translational research with non-mammalian models.

Say it with flowers! An fMRI study of object mediated communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tylén, Kristian; Wallentin, Mikkel; Roepstorff, Andreas

2009-01-01

Human communicational interaction can be mediated by a host of expressive means from words in a natural language to gestures and material symbols. Given the proper contextual setting even an everyday object can gain a mediating function in a communicational situation. In this study we used event......-related fMRI to study the brain activity caused by everyday material objects when they are perceived as signals. We found that comprehension of material signals activates bilaterally areas of the ventral stream and pars triangularis of the inferior frontal cortex, that is, areas traditionally associated...

Object-based spatial attention when objects have sufficient depth cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Takeya, Ryuji; Kasai, Tetsuko

2015-01-01

Attention directed to a part of an object tends to obligatorily spread over all of the spatial regions that belong to the object, which may be critical for rapid object-recognition in cluttered visual scenes. Previous studies have generally used simple rectangles as objects and have shown that attention spreading is reflected by amplitude modulation in the posterior N1 component (150-200 ms poststimulus) of event-related potentials, while other interpretations (i.e., rectangular holes) may arise implicitly in early visual processing stages. By using modified Kanizsa-type stimuli that provided less ambiguity of depth ordering, the present study examined early event-related potential spatial-attention effects for connected and separated objects, both of which were perceived in front of (Experiment 1) and in back of (Experiment 2) the surroundings. Typical P1 (100-140 ms) and N1 (150-220 ms) attention effects of ERP in response to unilateral probes were observed in both experiments. Importantly, the P1 attention effect was decreased for connected objects compared to separated objects only in Experiment 1, and the typical object-based modulations of N1 were not observed in either experiment. These results suggest that spatial attention spreads over a figural object at earlier stages of processing than previously indicated, in three-dimensional visual scenes with multiple depth cues.

Developing Canadian oncology education goals and objectives for medical students: a national modified Delphi study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tam, Vincent C; Ingledew, Paris-Ann; Berry, Scott; Verma, Sunil; Giuliani, Meredith E

2016-01-01

Studies have shown that there is a deficiency in focused oncology teaching during medical school in Canada. This study aimed to develop oncology education goals and objectives for medical students through consensus of oncology educators from across Canada. In 2014 we created a comprehensive list of oncology education objectives using existing resources. Experts in oncology education and undergraduate medical education from all 17 Canadian medical schools were invited to participate in a 3-round modified Delphi process. In round 1, the participants scored the objectives on a 9-point Likert scale according to the degree to which they agreed an objective should be taught to medical students. Objectives with a mean score of 7.0 or greater were retained, those with a mean score of 1.0-3.9 were excluded, and those with a mean score of 4.0-6.9 were discussed at a round 2 Web meeting. In round 3, the participants voted on inclusion and exclusion of the round 2 objectives. Thirty-four (92%) of the 37 invited oncology educators, representing 14 medical schools, participated in the study. They included oncologists, family physicians, members of undergraduate medical education curriculum committees and a psychologist. Of the 214 objectives reviewed in round 1, 146 received a mean score of 7.0 or greater, and 68 were scored 4.0-6.9; no objective received a mean score below 4.0. Nine new objectives were suggested. The main themes of participants' comments were to minimize the number of objectives and to aim objectives at the knowledge level required for family physicians. In round 2, the participants were able to combine 28 of the objectives with other existing objectives. In round 3, 7 of the 49 objectives received consensus of at least 75% for inclusion. The final Canadian Oncology Goals and Objectives for Medical Students contained 10 goals and 153 objectives. Through a systematic process, we created a comprehensive, consensus-based set of oncology goals and objectives to

Object Permanence and Relational Words: A Lexical Training Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomasello, Michael; Farrar, Michael Jeffrey

1986-01-01

Describes a lexical training program developed to teach object, visible movement, and invisible movement words to children at stage 5 (N=7) and stage 6 (N=16) object permanence development. Stage 6 children learned all three types of words equally well, while stage 5 children learned object and visible movement but not invisible movement words.…

New Insights into Mutual Funds: Performance and Family Strategies

OpenAIRE

Huij, Joop

2007-01-01

textabstractJoop Huij was born in Amsterdam on August 11, 1979. He attended the Marnix Gymnasium in Rotterdam, at which he obtained a Gymnasium diploma (Dutch classical pre-university education) in 1997. From 1997 to 2002 Joop studied at Erasmus University Rotterdam. In 2002 he received his Master's degree in Informatics & Economics with appellation cum laude. In November 2002 he joined the Department of Financial Management of RSM Erasmus University as a PhD Candidate. His PhD trajectory was...

Website history and the website as an object of study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brügger, Niels

2009-01-01

This article puts on the agenda one of the fundamental theoretical questions within the emerging field of website history: how can the object of historical study — the website — be delimited? Its focus is on the 'website' artefact as a medium and a text. After elaborating a definition...

Ecological validity and infant research: An example from an experimental study on object individuation with familiar objects in 8-month-old infants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krøjgaard, Peter

shall attempt to apply an analysis based on the concept of ecological validity on a specific experimental study within the field of infant cognition. I will attempt to show that such an analysis can be worthwhile.The presentation falls in three sections. The first section is a presentation...... might make a difference when infants reason about the physical world. For example, it might be argued that infants would probably pay more attention to ‘disappearing' familiar objects compared to novel ones. Using the so-called "violation-of-expectation" method, the study employed a design that recently...... on the infants' ability to individuate objects in the present design.In the third and final section the results obtained in the experiment are discussed, not only in relation to the existing litterature within the field of research of object individuation, but also by specificly applying the concept...

A study of earthquake-induced building detection by object oriented classification approach

Science.gov (United States)

Sabuncu, Asli; Damla Uca Avci, Zehra; Sunar, Filiz

2017-04-01

Among the natural hazards, earthquakes are the most destructive disasters and cause huge loss of lives, heavily infrastructure damages and great financial losses every year all around the world. According to the statistics about the earthquakes, more than a million earthquakes occur which is equal to two earthquakes per minute in the world. Natural disasters have brought more than 780.000 deaths approximately % 60 of all mortality is due to the earthquakes after 2001. A great earthquake took place at 38.75 N 43.36 E in the eastern part of Turkey in Van Province on On October 23th, 2011. 604 people died and about 4000 buildings seriously damaged and collapsed after this earthquake. In recent years, the use of object oriented classification approach based on different object features, such as spectral, textural, shape and spatial information, has gained importance and became widespread for the classification of high-resolution satellite images and orthophotos. The motivation of this study is to detect the collapsed buildings and debris areas after the earthquake by using very high-resolution satellite images and orthophotos with the object oriented classification and also see how well remote sensing technology was carried out in determining the collapsed buildings. In this study, two different land surfaces were selected as homogenous and heterogeneous case study areas. In the first step of application, multi-resolution segmentation was applied and optimum parameters were selected to obtain the objects in each area after testing different color/shape and compactness/smoothness values. In the next step, two different classification approaches, namely "supervised" and "unsupervised" approaches were applied and their classification performances were compared. Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA) was performed using e-Cognition software.

Study on Transient Properties of Levitated Object in Near-Field Acoustic Levitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia Bing; Chen Chao; Zhao Chunsheng

2011-01-01

A new approach to the study on the transient properties of the levitated object in near-field acoustic levitation (NFAL) is presented. In this article, the transient response characteristics, including the levitated height of an object with radius of 24 mm and thickness of 5 mm, the radial velocity and pressure difference of gas at the boundary of clearance between the levitated object and radiating surface (squeeze film), is calculated according to several velocity amplitudes of radiating surface. First, the basic equations in fluid areas on Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler (ALE) form are numerically solved by using streamline upwind petrov galerkin (SUPG) finite elements method. Second, the formed algebraic equations and solid control equations are solved by using synchronous alternating method to gain the transient messages of the levitated object and gas in the squeeze film. Through theoretical and numerical analyses, it is found that there is a oscillation time in the transient process and that the response time does not simply increase with the increasing of velocity amplitudes of radiating surface. More investigations in this paper are helpful for the understanding of the transient properties of levitated object in NFAL, which are in favor of enhancing stabilities and responsiveness of levitated object. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Study on Transient Properties of Levitated Object in Near-Field Acoustic Levitation

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Bing; Chen, Chao; Zhao, Chun-Sheng

2011-12-01

A new approach to the study on the transient properties of the levitated object in near-field acoustic levitation (NFAL) is presented. In this article, the transient response characteristics, including the levitated height of an object with radius of 24 mm and thickness of 5 mm, the radial velocity and pressure difference of gas at the boundary of clearance between the levitated object and radiating surface (squeeze film), is calculated according to several velocity amplitudes of radiating surface. First, the basic equations in fluid areas on Arbitrary Lagrange—Euler (ALE) form are numerically solved by using streamline upwind petrov galerkin (SUPG) finite elements method. Second, the formed algebraic equations and solid control equations are solved by using synchronous alternating method to gain the transient messages of the levitated object and gas in the squeeze film. Through theoretical and numerical analyses, it is found that there is a oscillation time in the transient process and that the response time does not simply increase with the increasing of velocity amplitudes of radiating surface. More investigations in this paper are helpful for the understanding of the transient properties of levitated object in NFAL, which are in favor of enhancing stabilities and responsiveness of levitated object.

Sketching the Global Social Media Landscape = Küresel sosyal medya alanının Avrupa ve Hollanda'ya odaklanarak Taslaklandırılması

OpenAIRE

Reijgersberg, Maarten

2016-01-01

Maarten Reijgersberg is the founder of and social media architect at RauwCC, social media the Rotterdam way. RauwCC is ranked as the number one social agency in The Netherlands by Emerce 100/2015. Maarten is also the founder of Social Media Week Rotterdam, the largest annual conference on social media and innovation in the Benelux region. Besides his work at RauwCC and Social Media Week Rotterdam, Maarten is the founder of Social Media Signage, the window to your online activity. Social Media...

Exploring the relationship between object realism and object-based attention effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Roque, Nelson; Boot, Walter R

2015-09-01

Visual attention prioritizes processing of locations in space, and evidence also suggests that the benefits of attention can be shaped by the presence of objects (object-based attention). However, the prevalence of object-based attention effects has been called into question recently by evidence from a large-sampled study employing classic attention paradigms (Pilz et al., 2012). We conducted two experiments to explore factors that might determine when and if object-based attention effects are observed, focusing on the degree to which the concreteness and realism of objects might contribute to these effects. We adapted the classic attention paradigm first reported by Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994) by replacing abstract bar stimuli in some conditions with objects that were more concrete and familiar to participants: items of silverware. Furthermore, we varied the realism of these items of silverware, presenting either cartoon versions or photo-realistic versions. Contrary to predictions, increased realism did not increase the size of object-based effects. In fact, no clear object-based effects were observed in either experiment, consistent with previous failures to replicate these effects in similar paradigms. While object-based attention may exist, and may have important influences on how we parse the visual world, these and other findings suggest that the two-object paradigm typically relied upon to study object-based effects may not be the best paradigm to investigate these issues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Allocation of public and-or private responsibilities. Governance arrangements for green roofs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mees, H.L.P.

2012-01-01

This research was commissioned by Knowledge for Climate, Hotspot Rotterdam Region (http://knowledgeforclimate.climateresearchnetherlands.nl/hotspots/rotterdam-region), and included an international comparison of governance arrangements for the promotion of green roofs as an innovative no-regrets

Improved diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection by PCR using vaginal swabs and urine specimens compared to diagnosis by wet mount microscopy, culture, and fluorescent staining

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. van der Schee (Cindy); A.F. van Belkum (Alex); L. Zwijgers (Lisette); E. van der Brugge; E.L. O'Neill; A. Luijendijk (Ad); T. van Rijsoort-Vos; W.I. van der Meijden (Willem); J.F. Sluiters (Hans); H.A. Verbrugh (Henri)

1999-01-01

textabstractFour vaginal cotton swab specimens were obtained from each of 804 women visiting the outpatient sexually transmitted disease clinic of the Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, for validation of various forms of Trichomonas

Studies on combined model based on functional objectives of large scale complex engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Yuting, Wang; Jingchun, Feng; Jiabao, Sun

2018-03-01

As various functions were included in large scale complex engineering, and each function would be conducted with completion of one or more projects, combined projects affecting their functions should be located. Based on the types of project portfolio, the relationship of projects and their functional objectives were analyzed. On that premise, portfolio projects-technics based on their functional objectives were introduced, then we studied and raised the principles of portfolio projects-technics based on the functional objectives of projects. In addition, The processes of combined projects were also constructed. With the help of portfolio projects-technics based on the functional objectives of projects, our research findings laid a good foundation for management of large scale complex engineering portfolio management.

Object-based attention: strength of object representation and attentional guidance.

Science.gov (United States)

Shomstein, Sarah; Behrmann, Marlene

2008-01-01

Two or more features belonging to a single object are identified more quickly and more accurately than are features belonging to different objects--a finding attributed to sensory enhancement of all features belonging to an attended or selected object. However, several recent studies have suggested that this "single-object advantage" may be a product of probabilistic and configural strategic prioritizations rather than of object-based perceptual enhancement per se, challenging the underlying mechanism that is thought to give rise to object-based attention. In the present article, we further explore constraints on the mechanisms of object-based selection by examining the contribution of the strength of object representations to the single-object advantage. We manipulated factors such as exposure duration (i.e., preview time) and salience of configuration (i.e., objects). Varying preview time changes the magnitude of the object-based effect, so that if there is ample time to establish an object representation (i.e., preview time of 1,000 msec), then both probability and configuration (i.e., objects) guide attentional selection. If, however, insufficient time is provided to establish a robust object-based representation, then only probabilities guide attentional selection. Interestingly, at a short preview time of 200 msec, when the two objects were sufficiently different from each other (i.e., different colors), both configuration and probability guided attention selection. These results suggest that object-based effects can be explained both in terms of strength of object representations (established at longer exposure durations and by pictorial cues) and probabilistic contingencies in the visual environment.

MULTIPLE OBJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Bosov

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The development of complicated techniques of production and management processes, information systems, computer science, applied objects of systems theory and others requires improvement of mathematical methods, new approaches for researches of application systems. And the variety and diversity of subject systems makes necessary the development of a model that generalizes the classical sets and their development – sets of sets. Multiple objects unlike sets are constructed by multiple structures and represented by the structure and content. The aim of the work is the analysis of multiple structures, generating multiple objects, the further development of operations on these objects in application systems. Methodology. To achieve the objectives of the researches, the structure of multiple objects represents as constructive trio, consisting of media, signatures and axiomatic. Multiple object is determined by the structure and content, as well as represented by hybrid superposition, composed of sets, multi-sets, ordered sets (lists and heterogeneous sets (sequences, corteges. Findings. In this paper we study the properties and characteristics of the components of hybrid multiple objects of complex systems, proposed assessments of their complexity, shown the rules of internal and external operations on objects of implementation. We introduce the relation of arbitrary order over multiple objects, we define the description of functions and display on objects of multiple structures. Originality.In this paper we consider the development of multiple structures, generating multiple objects.Practical value. The transition from the abstract to the subject of multiple structures requires the transformation of the system and multiple objects. Transformation involves three successive stages: specification (binding to the domain, interpretation (multiple sites and particularization (goals. The proposed describe systems approach based on hybrid sets

Study on hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm for inverse treatment planning of radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Guoli; Song Gang; Wu Yican

2007-01-01

Inverse treatment planning for radiation therapy is a multi-objective optimization process. The hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm is studied by combining the simulated annealing(SA) and genetic algorithm(GA). Test functions are used to analyze the efficiency of algorithms. The hybrid multi-objective optimization SA algorithm, which displacement is based on the evolutionary strategy of GA: crossover and mutation, is implemented in inverse planning of external beam radiation therapy by using two kinds of objective functions, namely the average dose distribution based and the hybrid dose-volume constraints based objective functions. The test calculations demonstrate that excellent converge speed can be achieved. (authors)

Toetsen als Leerinterventie. Samenvatten in het Testing Effect Paradigma [Tests as learning interventions. Summarization in the testing effect paradigma investigated

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dirkx, Kim; Kester, Liesbeth; Kirschner, Paul A.

2011-01-01

Dirkx, K. J. H., Kester, L., & Kirschner, P. A. (2011, July). Toetsen als leerinterventie. Samenvatten in het testing effect paradigma onderzocht [Tests as learning interventions. Summarization in the testing effect paradigma investigated]. Presentation for Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam.

Notes on English used as a lingua franca as an object of study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Janus

2013-01-01

This article discusses how English used as a lingua franca (ELF) can be defined as an object of study. It offers a critical appraisal of a high-profile definition of ELF (the VOICE/Seidlhofer definition), and argues that definitions of this kind, whether purposely or not, in effect invite...... approach to the conceptualization of ELF where ELF is defined in straightforward functional terms as the use of English in a lingua franca language scenario. This definition underscores the complexity and breadth of ELF as an object of study, and highlights that researchers in the field of ELF studies need...

Cardiovascular disease markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome with emphasis on asymmetric dimethylarginine and homocysteine

OpenAIRE

Mohamadin, Ahmed M.; Habib, Fawzia A.; Al-Saggaf, Abdulrahman A.

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovaries. Little is known about cardiovascular risk factors in patients with PCOS. We investigated plasma markers of cardiovascular disease in Saudi women with PCOS, with an emphasis on asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and total homocysteine (tHcy). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty Saudi women with PCOS diagnosed by the Rotterdam criteria (mean age [SD...

Object similarity affects the perceptual strategy underlying invariant visual object recognition in rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federica Bianca Rosselli

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, a number of studies have explored the possible use of rats as models of high-level visual functions. One central question at the root of such an investigation is to understand whether rat object vision relies on the processing of visual shape features or, rather, on lower-order image properties (e.g., overall brightness. In a recent study, we have shown that rats are capable of extracting multiple features of an object that are diagnostic of its identity, at least when those features are, structure-wise, distinct enough to be parsed by the rat visual system. In the present study, we have assessed the impact of object structure on rat perceptual strategy. We trained rats to discriminate between two structurally similar objects, and compared their recognition strategies with those reported in our previous study. We found that, under conditions of lower stimulus discriminability, rat visual discrimination strategy becomes more view-dependent and subject-dependent. Rats were still able to recognize the target objects, in a way that was largely tolerant (i.e., invariant to object transformation; however, the larger structural and pixel-wise similarity affected the way objects were processed. Compared to the findings of our previous study, the patterns of diagnostic features were: i smaller and more scattered; ii only partially preserved across object views; and iii only partially reproducible across rats. On the other hand, rats were still found to adopt a multi-featural processing strategy and to make use of part of the optimal discriminatory information afforded by the two objects. Our findings suggest that, as in humans, rat invariant recognition can flexibly rely on either view-invariant representations of distinctive object features or view-specific object representations, acquired through learning.

Objective Cognitive Impairment and Progression to Dementia in Women: The Prospective Epidemiological Risk Factor Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neergaard, Jesper; Dragsbæk, K.; Christiansen, C.

2017-01-01

Background: Identification of subjects with a progressive disease phenotype is an urgent need in the pharmaceutical industry where most of the recent clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease have failed. Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify subgroups of individuals with objective...

Real Objects Can Impede Conditional Reasoning but Augmented Objects Do Not.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Yuri; Sugimoto, Yutaro; Ueda, Kazuhiro

2018-03-01

In this study, Knauff and Johnson-Laird's (2002) visual impedance hypothesis (i.e., mental representations with irrelevant visual detail can impede reasoning) is applied to the domain of external representations and diagrammatic reasoning. We show that the use of real objects and augmented real (AR) objects can control human interpretation and reasoning about conditionals. As participants made inferences (e.g., an invalid one from "if P then Q" to "P"), they also moved objects corresponding to premises. Participants who moved real objects made more invalid inferences than those who moved AR objects and those who did not manipulate objects (there was no significant difference between the last two groups). Our results showed that real objects impeded conditional reasoning, but AR objects did not. These findings are explained by the fact that real objects may over-specify a single state that exists, while AR objects suggest multiple possibilities. Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

A cross-sectional study of polycystic ovarian syndrome among adolescent and young girls in Mumbai, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beena Joshi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Polycystic ovary disease is a common endocrine condition which is rapidly gaining epidemic proportions. No community based prevalence data is available for this syndrome in India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was undertaken in a sampled census block of Mumbai to assess the prevalence of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS among 778 adolescents and young girls aged 15-24 years. Among them, 600 completed all clinical, ultrasonography (USG, and biochemical investigations. Results: The prevalence of PCOS among them was 22.5% by Rotterdam and 10.7% by Androgen Excess Society criteria. Nonobese comprised 71.8% of PCOS diagnosed by Rotterdam criteria. Mild PCOS (oligomenorrhea and polycystic ovaries on USG was the most common phenotype (52.6%. History of oligomenorrhea had a positive predictive value of 93.3% and negative predictive value of 86.7% to detect a possible case of PCOS. Hyperinsulinemia (serum insulin >15 μlU/mL was present among 19.2% of diagnosed PCOS cases. Obese girls with PCOS were more hirsute, hypertensive, and had significantly higher mean insulin and 2 h post 75 g glucose levels compared with nonobese PCOS. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first urban community-based study diagnosing PCOS and phenotypes among adolescent and young girls in India. This study demonstrates that PCOS is an emerging disorder during adolescence and screening could provide opportunity to target the group for promoting healthy lifestyles and early interventions to prevent future morbidities.

The challenges of genome-wide interaction studies: lessons to learn from the analysis of HDL blood levels.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth M van Leeuwen

Full Text Available Genome-wide association studies (GWAS have revealed 74 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL blood levels. This study is, to our knowledge, the first genome-wide interaction study (GWIS to identify SNP×SNP interactions associated with HDL levels. We performed a GWIS in the Rotterdam Study (RS cohort I (RS-I using the GLIDE tool which leverages the massively parallel computing power of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs to perform linear regression on all genome-wide pairs of SNPs. By performing a meta-analysis together with Rotterdam Study cohorts II and III (RS-II and RS-III, we were able to filter 181 interaction terms with a p-value<1 · 10-8 that replicated in the two independent cohorts. We were not able to replicate any of these interaction term in the AGES, ARIC, CHS, ERF, FHS and NFBC-66 cohorts (Ntotal = 30,011 when adjusting for multiple testing. Our GWIS resulted in the consistent finding of a possible interaction between rs774801 in ARMC8 (ENSG00000114098 and rs12442098 in SPATA8 (ENSG00000185594 being associated with HDL levels. However, p-values do not reach the preset Bonferroni correction of the p-values. Our study suggest that even for highly genetically determined traits such as HDL the sample sizes needed to detect SNP×SNP interactions are large and the 2-step filtering approaches do not yield a solution. Here we present our analysis plan and our reservations concerning GWIS.

Objects in Motion

Science.gov (United States)

Damonte, Kathleen

2004-01-01

One thing scientists study is how objects move. A famous scientist named Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) spent a lot of time observing objects in motion and came up with three laws that describe how things move. This explanation only deals with the first of his three laws of motion. Newton's First Law of Motion says that moving objects will continue…

Serum apolipoprotein e level is not increased in Alzheimer's disease : The Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slooter, A.J.C.; Knijff, P. de; Hofman, A.; Cruts, M.; Breteler, M.M.B.; Broeckhoven, C. van; Havekes, L.M.; Duijn, C.M. van

1998-01-01

The APOE*4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) is an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. It has been suggested that levels of apolipoprotein E (apoE) in plasma are increased in Alzheimer's disease. In this population-based study, we found that serum apoE levels were lower in

Multi-Objective Optimization for Energy Performance Improvement of Residential Buildings: A Comparative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kangji Li

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Numerous conflicting criteria exist in building design optimization, such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emission and indoor thermal performance. Different simulation-based optimization strategies and various optimization algorithms have been developed. A few of them are analyzed and compared in solving building design problems. This paper presents an efficient optimization framework to facilitate optimization designs with the aid of commercial simulation software and MATLAB. The performances of three optimization strategies, including the proposed approach, GenOpt method and artificial neural network (ANN method, are investigated using a case study of a simple building energy model. Results show that the proposed optimization framework has competitive performances compared with the GenOpt method. Further, in another practical case, four popular multi-objective algorithms, e.g., the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II, multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO, the multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA and multi-objective differential evolution (MODE, are realized using the propose optimization framework and compared with three criteria. Results indicate that MODE achieves close-to-optimal solutions with the best diversity and execution time. An uncompetitive result is achieved by the MOPSO in this case study.

Establishing Visual Category Boundaries between Objects: A PET Study

Science.gov (United States)

Saumier, Daniel; Chertkow, Howard; Arguin, Martin; Whatmough, Cristine

2005-01-01

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) often have problems in recognizing common objects. This visual agnosia may stem from difficulties in establishing appropriate visual boundaries between visually similar objects. In support of this hypothesis, Saumier, Arguin, Chertkow, and Renfrew (2001) showed that AD subjects have difficulties in…

The functional neuroanatomy of object agnosia: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Konen, Christina S; Behrmann, Marlene; Nishimura, Mayu; Kastner, Sabine

2011-07-14

Cortical reorganization of visual and object representations following neural injury was examined using fMRI and behavioral investigations. We probed the visual responsivity of the ventral visual cortex of an agnosic patient who was impaired at object recognition following a lesion to the right lateral fusiform gyrus. In both hemispheres, retinotopic mapping revealed typical topographic organization and visual activation of early visual cortex. However, visual responses, object-related, and -selective responses were reduced in regions immediately surrounding the lesion in the right hemisphere, and also, surprisingly, in corresponding locations in the structurally intact left hemisphere. In contrast, hV4 of the right hemisphere showed expanded response properties. These findings indicate that the right lateral fusiform gyrus is critically involved in object recognition and that an impairment to this region has widespread consequences for remote parts of cortex. Finally, functional neural plasticity is possible even when a cortical lesion is sustained in adulthood. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On Hedge Fund Performance, Capital Flows and Investor Psychology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Baquero

2006-01-01

textabstractGuillermo Baquero (Quito, 1967) is assistant professor of Finance and Investments at the Rotterdam School of Management of Erasmus University Rotterdam since 2005. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering (Quito, 1992) and has a professional experience of several years in the field of

QUALITY OF NURSING DOCUMENTATION AND NURSE’S OBJECTIVE WORKLOAD BASED ON TIME AND MOTION STUDY (TMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mira Amelynda Prakosa

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The quality of documentation can decrease because of bad admission filling of documentation. Workload is one of the factor that can influence admission filling of documentation. This study was aimed to analyze the correlation between nurse’s objective workload and the quality of nursing documentation in RSU Haji. Method. The design of this study was descriptive correlation with cross-sectional approach. The population on this study was the nurse that works in Marwah 3 and 4 inpatient care in RSU Haji Surabaya. The number of the sample was 14 respondents were selected by simple random sampling. The independent variable was nurse’s objective workload and the dependent variable was quality of nursing documentation. The data were analyzed by using regression logistic. Result. Nurse’s objective workload in RSU Haji was 72%. There was no correlational between nurse’s objective workload with the completeness of nursing documentation (P= 0,999, also nurse’s objective workload with accurate of nursing documentation (P= 0,999. Discussion. This study concluded that nurse’s objective workload was low and quality of nursing documentation was accurate enough and complete enough. Next researcher should provide precise operational so the factors that affected the quality of documentation can be reached and the workload of the nurses in RSU Haji become ideal. Keyword:  nurses, quality of nursing documentation, objective workload

Polycystic ovary syndrome: cardiovascular risk factors according to specific phenotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Mubeena; Sidelmann, Johannes J; Faber, Jens; Wissing, Marie-Louise M; Naver, Klara V; Mikkelsen, Anne-Lis; Nilas, Lisbeth; Skouby, Sven O

2015-10-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the impact of insulin resistance and body mass index (BMI) on inflammatory and hemostatic variables associated with long-term risk of cardiovascular disease in women with PCOS. 149 premenopausal women with PCOS were recruited consecutively from April 2010 to February 2012 at three Danish University Hospitals. The study was conducted at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Herlev University Hospital, Denmark. PCOS was diagnosed in accordance with the Rotterdam criteria and the women were classified into four phenotypes according to BMI and insulin resistance measured by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index. Body composition was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Main outcome measures were the biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and von Willebrand factor antigen. Normal weight insulin-resistant PCOS women were characterized by abdominal obesity and elevated levels of plasma PAI-1. Overweight/obese insulin-resistant PCOS women had increased levels of both PAI-1 and CRP. Of the three Rotterdam criteria, only hyperandrogenemia was significantly associated with the hemostatic risk marker of long-term cardiovascular disease risk. Surrogate risk markers for cardiovascular disease are elevated in women with PCOS, especially insulin-resistant and overweight/obese women. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The development of object function and manipulation knowledge: evidence from a semantic priming study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia Collette

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Object semantics include object function and manipulation knowledge. Function knowledge refers to the goal attainable by using an object (e.g. the function of a key is to open or close a door while manipulation knowledge refers to gestures one has to execute to use an object appropriately (e.g. a key is held between the thumb and the index, inserted into the door lock and then turned.To date, several studies have assessed function and manipulation knowledge in brain lesion patients as well as in healthy adult populations. In patients with left brain damage, a double dissociation between these two types of knowledge has been reported; on the other hand, behavioral studies in healthy adults show that function knowledge is processed faster than manipulation knowledge. Empirical evidence has shown that object interaction in children differs from that in adults, suggesting that the access to function and manipulation knowledge in children might also differ.To investigate the development of object function and manipulation knowledge, 51 typically developing 8-9-10 year-old children and 17 healthy young adults were tested on a naming task associated with a semantic priming paradigm (190-ms SOA; prime duration: 90 ms in which a series of line drawings of manipulable objects were used. Target objects could be preceded by three priming contexts: related (e.g. knife-scissors for function; key-screwdriver for manipulation, unrelated but visually similar (e.g. glasses-scissors; baseball bat-screwdriver, and purely unrelated (e.g. die-scissors; tissue-screwdriver.Results showed a different developmental pattern of function and manipulation priming effects. Function priming effects were not present in children and emerged only in adults, with faster naming responses for targets preceded by objects sharing the same function. In contrast, manipulation priming effects were already present in 8-year-olds with faster naming responses for targets preceded by objects

Landscape heritage objects' effect on driving: a combined driving simulator and questionnaire study.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonson, Hans; Ahlström, Christer; Mårdh, Selina; Blomqvist, Göran; Wiklund, Mats

2014-01-01

According to the literature, landscape (panoramas, heritage objects e.g. landmarks) affects people in various ways. Data are primarily developed by asking people (interviews, photo sessions, focus groups) about their preferences, but to a lesser degree by measuring how the body reacts to such objects. Personal experience while driving a car through a landscape is even more rare. In this paper we study how different types of objects in the landscape affect drivers during their drive. A high-fidelity moving-base driving simulator was used to measure choice of speed and lateral position in combination with stress (heart rate measure) and eye tracking. The data were supplemented with questionnaires. Eighteen test drivers (8 men and 10 women) with a mean age of 37 were recruited. The test drivers were exposed to different new and old types of landscape objects such as 19th century church, wind turbine, 17th century milestone and bus stop, placed at different distances from the road driven. The findings are in some respect contradictory, but it was concluded that that 33% of the test drivers felt stressed during the drive. All test drivers said that they had felt calm at times during the drive but the reason for this was only to a minor degree connected with old and modern objects. The open landscape was experienced as conducive to acceleration. Most objects were, to a small degree, experienced (subjective data) as having a speed-reducing effect, much in line with the simulator data (objective data). Objects close to the road affected the drivers' choice of' lateral position. No significant differences could be observed concerning the test drivers' gaze between old or modern objects, but a significant difference was observed between the test drivers' gaze between road stretches with faraway objects and stretches without objects. No meaningful, significant differences were found for the drivers' stress levels as measured by heart rate. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All

Thoughts on Improvable Objects, Contradiction and Object/Tool Reciprocity in a Study of Zoo Educator Professional Development

Science.gov (United States)

Ash, Doris B.; Kelly, Lisa-Anne DeGregoria

2013-01-01

In this forum we discuss three aspects designed to clarify and extend Kelly and Kassing's paper. These are the roles of improvable objects, contradiction and object/tool reciprocity. In each case we cite relevant literature and pose questions to the field. Our goal is to seed ideas for future discussions concerning the role of activity theory…

VIDEO GAMES ARE AN INTERESTING OBJECT TO THE COGNITION STUDIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cleci Maraschin

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Video games create a virtual space that can be inhabited in various ways by the players. Despite the controversies in which they are constantly included, electronic games bear witness to the modus operandi in our contemporary cognition permeated by technical objects. By focusing the know-how instead of a declarative experience the games open questions in the field of new literacies and problematize the use of technology in teaching practices. From the development of a locative game at the Botanical Garden of Porto Alegre, this article discussed some, methodological, political and theoretical implications arising from the research with video games in the field of cognitive studies. We discuss, finally, three theoretical / methodological implications the practice with video games forces us to think: research the video game through the process of its operation, questioning cognitive policies that organize our everyday and map the complex web of practices that supports the use of technical objects.

Determinants of cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage: the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.G. Wieberdink (Renske)

2012-01-01

textabstractStroke is a frequent disorder in elderly people. Despite improvements in primary prevention, the burden of stroke remains high and is predicted to even increase in the near future due to aging of the population. Therefore, additional targets for primary prevention are urgently needed.

Optically stimulated luminescence dating at Rose Cottage Cave

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Pienaar, M

2008-01-01

Full Text Available .W. (1984). In Late Cainozoic Palaeoclimates of the Southern Hemisphere, ed. J.C. Vogel, pp. 235–264. Balkema, Rotterdam. 6. Butzer K.W. (1984). In Southern African Prehistory and Palaeoenvironments, ed. R.G. Klein, pp. 1–64. Balkema, Rotterdam. 7. Vogel...

Object permanence in lemurs.

Science.gov (United States)

Deppe, Anja M; Wright, Patricia C; Szelistowski, William A

2009-03-01

Object permanence, the ability to mentally represent objects that have disappeared from view, should be advantageous to animals in their interaction with the natural world. The objective of this study was to examine whether lemurs possess object permanence. Thirteen adult subjects representing four species of diurnal lemur (Eulemur fulvus rufus, Eulemur mongoz, Lemur catta and Hapalemur griseus) were presented with seven standard Piagetian visible and invisible object displacement tests, plus one single visible test where the subject had to wait predetermined times before allowed to search, and two invisible tests where each hiding place was made visually unique. In all visible tests lemurs were able to find an object that had been in clear view before being hidden. However, when lemurs were not allowed to search for up to 25-s, performance declined with increasing time-delay. Subjects did not outperform chance on any invisible displacements regardless of whether hiding places were visually uniform or unique, therefore the upper limit of object permanence observed was Stage 5b. Lemur species in this study eat stationary foods and are not subject to stalking predators, thus Stage 5 object permanence is probably sufficient to solve most problems encountered in the wild.

Seeing Objects as Faces Enhances Object Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Kohske; Watanabe, Katsumi

2015-10-01

The face is a special visual stimulus. Both bottom-up processes for low-level facial features and top-down modulation by face expectations contribute to the advantages of face perception. However, it is hard to dissociate the top-down factors from the bottom-up processes, since facial stimuli mandatorily lead to face awareness. In the present study, using the face pareidolia phenomenon, we demonstrated that face awareness, namely seeing an object as a face, enhances object detection performance. In face pareidolia, some people see a visual stimulus, for example, three dots arranged in V shape, as a face, while others do not. This phenomenon allows us to investigate the effect of face awareness leaving the stimulus per se unchanged. Participants were asked to detect a face target or a triangle target. While target per se was identical between the two tasks, the detection sensitivity was higher when the participants recognized the target as a face. This was the case irrespective of the stimulus eccentricity or the vertical orientation of the stimulus. These results demonstrate that seeing an object as a face facilitates object detection via top-down modulation. The advantages of face perception are, therefore, at least partly, due to face awareness.

Seeing Objects as Faces Enhances Object Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kohske Takahashi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The face is a special visual stimulus. Both bottom-up processes for low-level facial features and top-down modulation by face expectations contribute to the advantages of face perception. However, it is hard to dissociate the top-down factors from the bottom-up processes, since facial stimuli mandatorily lead to face awareness. In the present study, using the face pareidolia phenomenon, we demonstrated that face awareness, namely seeing an object as a face, enhances object detection performance. In face pareidolia, some people see a visual stimulus, for example, three dots arranged in V shape, as a face, while others do not. This phenomenon allows us to investigate the effect of face awareness leaving the stimulus per se unchanged. Participants were asked to detect a face target or a triangle target. While target per se was identical between the two tasks, the detection sensitivity was higher when the participants recognized the target as a face. This was the case irrespective of the stimulus eccentricity or the vertical orientation of the stimulus. These results demonstrate that seeing an object as a face facilitates object detection via top-down modulation. The advantages of face perception are, therefore, at least partly, due to face awareness.

Rotterdam as a World Port City

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wouter Jacobs; Menno Huijs; Isabelle Vries

2015-01-01

Most studies and models on the port-city interface focus on the inevitable process in which ports and cities grow apart, both spatially and economically. What is often overlooked is the relationships that remain in the form of maritime business services (finance, insurance, legal). These maritime

Birth of the Object: Detection of Objectness and Extraction of Object Shape through Object Action Complexes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kraft, Dirk; Pugeault, Nicolas; Baseski, Emre

2008-01-01

We describe a process in which the segmentation of objects as well as the extraction of the object shape becomes realized through active exploration of a robot vision system. In the exploration process, two behavioral modules that link robot actions to the visual and haptic perception of objects...... interact. First, by making use of an object independent grasping mechanism, physical control over potential objects can be gained. Having evaluated the initial grasping mechanism as being successful, a second behavior extracts the object shape by making use of prediction based on the motion induced...... system, knowledge about its own embodiment as well as knowledge about geometric relationships such as rigid body motion. This prior knowledge allows the extraction of representations that are semantically richer compared to many other approaches....

Values Education as Perceived by Social Studies Teachers in Objective and Practice Dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Katilmis, Ahmet

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to reveal the objectives of values education in Turkey, values education-related activities performed in schools, and preferred approaches to values education according to the opinions of social studies teachers. This qualitative study used a phenomenological pattern. The participants of the study were selected from…

Development of novel tasks for studying view-invariant object recognition in rodents: Sensitivity to scopolamine.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchnick, Krista A; Wideman, Cassidy E; Huff, Andrew E; Palmer, Daniel; McNaughton, Bruce L; Winters, Boyer D

2018-05-15

The capacity to recognize objects from different view-points or angles, referred to as view-invariance, is an essential process that humans engage in daily. Currently, the ability to investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of this phenomenon is limited, as few ethologically valid view-invariant object recognition tasks exist for rodents. Here, we report two complementary, novel view-invariant object recognition tasks in which rodents physically interact with three-dimensional objects. Prior to experimentation, rats and mice were given extensive experience with a set of 'pre-exposure' objects. In a variant of the spontaneous object recognition task, novelty preference for pre-exposed or new objects was assessed at various angles of rotation (45°, 90° or 180°); unlike control rodents, for whom the objects were novel, rats and mice tested with pre-exposed objects did not discriminate between rotated and un-rotated objects in the choice phase, indicating substantial view-invariant object recognition. Secondly, using automated operant touchscreen chambers, rats were tested on pre-exposed or novel objects in a pairwise discrimination task, where the rewarded stimulus (S+) was rotated (180°) once rats had reached acquisition criterion; rats tested with pre-exposed objects re-acquired the pairwise discrimination following S+ rotation more effectively than those tested with new objects. Systemic scopolamine impaired performance on both tasks, suggesting involvement of acetylcholine at muscarinic receptors in view-invariant object processing. These tasks present novel means of studying the behavioral and neural bases of view-invariant object recognition in rodents. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigating Music Information Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Weissenberger, Lynnsey K.

2016-01-01

This dissertation, titled "Investigating Music Information Objects," is a study of the nature, description, representations, and ideas related to music information objects (MIOs). This research study investigates how music practitioners from various traditions describe and conceptualize MIOs, using a theoretical framework to classify…

Object-Based Benefits without Object-Based Representations

OpenAIRE

Alvarez, George Angelo; Fougnie, Daryl; Cormiea, Sarah M

2012-01-01

The organization of visual information into objects strongly influences visual memory: Displays with objects defined by two features (e.g. color, orientation) are easier to remember than displays with twice as many objects defined by one feature (Olson & Jiang, 2002). Existing theories suggest that this ‘object-benefit’ is based on object-based limitations in working memory: because a limited number of objects can be stored, packaging features together so that fewer objects have to be remembe...

Multicenter cohort association study of SLC2A1 single nucleotide polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration

Science.gov (United States)

Baas, Dominique C.; Ho, Lintje; Tanck, Michael W.T.; Fritsche, Lars G.; Merriam, Joanna E.; van het Slot, Ruben; Koeleman, Bobby P.C.; Gorgels, Theo G.M.F.; van Duijn, Cornelia M.; Uitterlinden, André G.; de Jong, Paulus T.V.M.; Hofman, Albert; ten Brink, Jacoline B.; Vingerling, Johannes R.; Klaver, Caroline C.W.; Dean, Michael; Weber, Bernhard H. F.; Allikmets, Rando; Hageman, Gregory S.

2012-01-01

Purpose Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness in older adults and has a genetically complex background. This study examines the potential association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the glucose transporter 1 (SLC2A1) gene and AMD. SLC2A1 regulates the bioavailability of glucose in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which might influence oxidative stress–mediated AMD pathology. Methods Twenty-two SNPs spanning the SLC2A1 gene were genotyped in 375 cases and 199 controls from an initial discovery cohort (the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Netherlands study). Replication testing was performed in The Rotterdam Study (the Netherlands) and study populations from Würzburg (Germany), the Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS; United States), Columbia University (United States), and Iowa University (United States). Subsequently, a meta-analysis of SNP association was performed. Results In the discovery cohort, significant genotypic association between three SNPs (rs3754219, rs4660687, and rs841853) and AMD was found. Replication in five large independent (Caucasian) cohorts (4,860 cases and 4,004 controls) did not yield consistent association results. The genotype frequencies for these SNPs were significantly different for the controls and/or cases among the six individual populations. Meta-analysis revealed significant heterogeneity of effect between the studies. Conclusions No overall association between SLC2A1 SNPs and AMD was demonstrated. Since the genotype frequencies for the three SLC2A1 SNPs were significantly different for the controls and/or cases between the six cohorts, this study corroborates previous evidence that population dependent genetic risk heterogeneity in AMD exists. PMID:22509097

Education For The Next Economy – a personal view

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.E. Ainsbury

2016-01-01

The challenges faced by business and society in the rapidly-changing 21st century require skills and capabilities that our education system, essentially fit-for-purpose in the 19th Century, struggles to provide. In this brief paper, presented at the Rotterdam TEDX-Rotterdam Clean Tech Delta forum on

The knowledge economy and lifelong learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milana, Marcella

2014-01-01

Anmeldelse af bogen: The knowledge economy and lifelong learning. A critical reader, edited by David W. Livingstone and David Guile (Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, 2012.......Anmeldelse af bogen: The knowledge economy and lifelong learning. A critical reader, edited by David W. Livingstone and David Guile (Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, 2012....

Conflicts about the Extension of the Rhine Economy. The case of the port expansion by Maasvlakte II (1969-2008).

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D.M. Koppenol (Dirk)

2014-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ The port land reclamation project - Maasvlakte II of the Port of Rotterdam - is probably, the most literal extension of the Economic Rhine Region, enhancing it in size and length. In the 1970s and the 1990s, attempts was made by Rotterdam to construct this port

Object width modulates object-based attentional selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Nah, Joseph C; Neppi-Modona, Marco; Strother, Lars; Behrmann, Marlene; Shomstein, Sarah

2018-04-24

Visual input typically includes a myriad of objects, some of which are selected for further processing. While these objects vary in shape and size, most evidence supporting object-based guidance of attention is drawn from paradigms employing two identical objects. Importantly, object size is a readily perceived stimulus dimension, and whether it modulates the distribution of attention remains an open question. Across four experiments, the size of the objects in the display was manipulated in a modified version of the two-rectangle paradigm. In Experiment 1, two identical parallel rectangles of two sizes (thin or thick) were presented. Experiments 2-4 employed identical trapezoids (each having a thin and thick end), inverted in orientation. In the experiments, one end of an object was cued and participants performed either a T/L discrimination or a simple target-detection task. Combined results show that, in addition to the standard object-based attentional advantage, there was a further attentional benefit for processing information contained in the thick versus thin end of objects. Additionally, eye-tracking measures demonstrated increased saccade precision towards thick object ends, suggesting that Fitts's Law may play a role in object-based attentional shifts. Taken together, these results suggest that object-based attentional selection is modulated by object width.

Object Persistence Enhances Spatial Navigation: A Case Study in Smartphone Vision Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Liverence, Brandon M; Scholl, Brian J

2015-07-01

Violations of spatiotemporal continuity disrupt performance in many tasks involving attention and working memory, but experiments on this topic have been limited to the study of moment-by-moment on-line perception, typically assessed by passive monitoring tasks. We tested whether persisting object representations also serve as underlying units of longer-term memory and active spatial navigation, using a novel paradigm inspired by the visual interfaces common to many smartphones. Participants used key presses to navigate through simple visual environments consisting of grids of icons (depicting real-world objects), only one of which was visible at a time through a static virtual window. Participants found target icons faster when navigation involved persistence cues (via sliding animations) than when persistence was disrupted (e.g., via temporally matched fading animations), with all transitions inspired by smartphone interfaces. Moreover, this difference occurred even after explicit memorization of the relevant information, which demonstrates that object persistence enhances spatial navigation in an automatic and irresistible fashion. © The Author(s) 2015.

Motivational Objects in Natural Scenes (MONS): A Database of >800 Objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Schomaker, Judith; Rau, Elias M; Einhäuser, Wolfgang; Wittmann, Bianca C

2017-01-01

In daily life, we are surrounded by objects with pre-existing motivational associations. However, these are rarely controlled for in experiments with natural stimuli. Research on natural stimuli would therefore benefit from stimuli with well-defined motivational properties; in turn, such stimuli also open new paths in research on motivation. Here we introduce a database of Motivational Objects in Natural Scenes (MONS). The database consists of 107 scenes. Each scene contains 2 to 7 objects placed at approximately equal distance from the scene center. Each scene was photographed creating 3 versions, with one object ("critical object") being replaced to vary the overall motivational value of the scene (appetitive, aversive, and neutral), while maintaining high visual similarity between the three versions. Ratings on motivation, valence, arousal and recognizability were obtained using internet-based questionnaires. Since the main objective was to provide stimuli of well-defined motivational value, three motivation scales were used: (1) Desire to own the object; (2) Approach/Avoid; (3) Desire to interact with the object. Three sets of ratings were obtained in independent sets of observers: for all 805 objects presented on a neutral background, for 321 critical objects presented in their scene context, and for the entire scenes. On the basis of the motivational ratings, objects were subdivided into aversive, neutral, and appetitive categories. The MONS database will provide a standardized basis for future studies on motivational value under realistic conditions.

From ship-yard to campus. Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij; Van scheepswerf naar campus. Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sosef, J.P. [Wolter en Dros, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Van der Schee, W.G. [Wolter en Dros, Amersfoort (Netherlands)

2011-03-15

The industrial buildings and halls of an old ship-yard in the Netherlands of the Rotterdam Droogdok Maatschappij (a shipbuilding and repair company in Rotterdam, Netherlands) has been renovated and transferred into educational facilities and buildings for small-scale businesses. [Dutch] Waar tientallen jaren geleden zware mokerslagen door de hallen galmden, staan nu studenten geconcentreerd gebogen over de fijnste technieken. De voormalige machinehallen van de Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) in Rotterdam huisvesten tegenwoordig onderwijsinstellingen en kleinschalige innovatieve bedrijven. Het middelpunt van deze RDM-Campus is het Innovation Dock. Het was een uitdaging om in de oude tochtige hallen een behaaglijk binnenklimaat te creeren voor onderwijsdoeleinden en kantoren.

Software Engineering with Formal Methods: The Development of a Storm Surge Barrier Control System - Revisiting Seven Myths of Formal Methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tretmans, G.J.; Wijbrans, K.C.J.; Chaudron, M.

2001-01-01

This paper discusses the use of formal methods in the development of the control system for the Maeslant Kering. The Maeslant Kering is the movable dam which has to protect Rotterdam from floodings while, at (almost) the same time, not restricting ship traffic to the port of Rotterdam. The control

Natural and artificial landscape change in a Dutch estuary: partially monitored with low budget method (a study in the fourth dimension).

Science.gov (United States)

Zonneveld, Isaak

2003-03-01

This study includes some aspects of the shift in the Dutch attitude in relation to water during the past millennia from defense to attack to keeping the balance ("co-evolution"). It has a special focus on the freshwater tidal part, which embraces the largest seaport of the world: Rotterdam, as well as the largest national park of The Netherlands. It reports especially about a young mans endeavor in half a century real time monitoring of some land(scape) units with simple means.

How healthcare professionals respond to parents with religious objections to vaccination: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruijs, Wilhelmina L M; Hautvast, Jeannine L A; van IJzendoorn, Giovanna; van Ansem, Wilke J C; Elwyn, Glyn; van der Velden, Koos; Hulscher, Marlies E J L

2012-08-01

In recent years healthcare professionals have faced increasing concerns about the value of childhood vaccination and many find it difficult to deal with parents who object to vaccination. In general, healthcare professionals are advised to listen respectfully to the objections of parents, provide honest information, and attempt to correct any misperceptions regarding vaccination. Religious objections are one of the possible reasons for refusing vaccination. Although religious objections have a long history, little is known about the way healthcare professionals deal with these specific objections. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the responding of healthcare professionals to parents with religious objections to the vaccination of their children. A qualitative interview study was conducted with health care professionals (HCPs) in the Netherlands who had ample experience with religious objections to vaccination. Purposeful sampling was applied in order to include HCPs with different professional and religious backgrounds. Data saturation was reached after 22 interviews, with 7 child health clinic doctors, 5 child health clinic nurses and 10 general practitioners. The interviews were thematically analyzed. Two analysts coded, reviewed, discussed, and refined the coding of the transcripts until consensus was reached. Emerging concepts were assessed using the constant comparative method from grounded theory. Three manners of responding to religious objections to vaccination were identified: providing medical information, discussion of the decision-making process, and adoption of an authoritarian stance. All of the HCPs provided the parents with medical information. In addition, some HCPs discussed the decision-making process. They verified how the decision was made and if possible consequences were realized. Sometimes they also discussed religious considerations. Whether the decision-making process was discussed depended on the willingness of the parents to

How healthcare professionals respond to parents with religious objections to vaccination: a qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruijs Wilhelmina LM

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In recent years healthcare professionals have faced increasing concerns about the value of childhood vaccination and many find it difficult to deal with parents who object to vaccination. In general, healthcare professionals are advised to listen respectfully to the objections of parents, provide honest information, and attempt to correct any misperceptions regarding vaccination. Religious objections are one of the possible reasons for refusing vaccination. Although religious objections have a long history, little is known about the way healthcare professionals deal with these specific objections. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the responding of healthcare professionals to parents with religious objections to the vaccination of their children. Methods A qualitative interview study was conducted with health care professionals (HCPs in the Netherlands who had ample experience with religious objections to vaccination. Purposeful sampling was applied in order to include HCPs with different professional and religious backgrounds. Data saturation was reached after 22 interviews, with 7 child health clinic doctors, 5 child health clinic nurses and 10 general practitioners. The interviews were thematically analyzed. Two analysts coded, reviewed, discussed, and refined the coding of the transcripts until consensus was reached. Emerging concepts were assessed using the constant comparative method from grounded theory. Results Three manners of responding to religious objections to vaccination were identified: providing medical information, discussion of the decision-making process, and adoption of an authoritarian stance. All of the HCPs provided the parents with medical information. In addition, some HCPs discussed the decision-making process. They verified how the decision was made and if possible consequences were realized. Sometimes they also discussed religious considerations. Whether the decision-making process was

CT-based delineation of lymph node levels and related CTVs in the node-negative neck: DAHANCA, EORTC, GORTEC, NCIC,RTOG consensus guidelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregoire, Vincent; Levendag, Peter; Ang, Kian K.; Bernier, Jacques; Braaksma, Marijel; Budach, Volker; Chao, Cliff; Coche, Emmanuel; Cooper, Jay S.; Cosnard, Guy; Eisbruch, Avraham; El-Sayed, Samy; Emami, Bahman; Grau, Cai; Hamoir, Marc; Lee, Nancy; Maingon, Philippe; Muller, Karin; Reychler, Herve

2003-01-01

Background and purpose: The appropriate application of 3-D CRT and IMRT for HNSCC requires a standardization of the procedures for the delineation of the target volumes. Over the past few years, two proposals - the so-called Brussels guidelines from Gregoire et al., and the so-called Rotterdam guidelines from Nowak et al. - emerged from the literature for the delineation of the neck node levels. Detailed examination of these proposals however revealed some important discrepancies. Materials and methods: Within this framework, the Brussels and Rotterdam groups decided to review their guidelines and derive a common set of recommendations for delineation of neck node levels. This proposal was then discussed with representatives of major cooperative groups in Europe (DAHANCA, EORTC, GORTEC) and in North America (NCIC, RTOG), which, after some additional refinements, have endorsed them. The objective of the present article is to present the consensus guidelines for the delineation of the node levels in the node-negative neck. Results and conclusions: First a short discussion of the discrepancies between the previous Brussels and the Rotterdam guidelines is presented. The general philosophy of the consensus guidelines and the methodology used to resolve the various discrepancies are then described. The consensus proposal is then presented and representative CTVs that are consistent with these guidelines are illustrated on CT sections. Last, the limitations of the consensus guidelines are discussed and some concerns about the direct applications of these guidelines to the node-positive neck and the post-operative neck are described

Embodying the institution - Object manipulation in developing interaction in study counselling meetings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hazel, Spencer; Mortensen, Kristian

2014-01-01

on how objects in the material surround are used in conjunction with talk, gaze and postural orientation to construct local social order in study guidance counselling meetings at a university. We explore here how co-participants utilize aggregates of interactional components to construct...

Associative recognition and the hippocampus: differential effects of hippocampal lesions on object-place, object-context and object-place-context memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Langston, Rosamund F; Wood, Emma R

2010-10-01

The hippocampus is thought to be required for the associative recognition of objects together with the spatial or temporal contexts in which they occur. However, recent data showing that rats with fornix lesions perform as well as controls in an object-place task, while being impaired on an object-place-context task (Eacott and Norman (2004) J Neurosci 24:1948-1953), suggest that not all forms of context-dependent associative recognition depend on the integrity of the hippocampus. To examine the role of the hippocampus in context-dependent recognition directly, the present study tested the effects of large, selective, bilateral hippocampus lesions in rats on performance of a series of spontaneous recognition memory tasks: object recognition, object-place recognition, object-context recognition and object-place-context recognition. Consistent with the effects of fornix lesions, animals with hippocampus lesions were impaired only on the object-place-context task. These data confirm that not all forms of context-dependent associative recognition are mediated by the hippocampus. Subsequent experiments suggested that the object-place task does not require an allocentric representation of space, which could account for the lack of impairment following hippocampus lesions. Importantly, as the object-place-context task has similar spatial requirements, the selective deficit in object-place-context recognition suggests that this task requires hippocampus-dependent neural processes distinct from those required for allocentric spatial memory, or for object memory, object-place memory or object-context memory. Two possibilities are that object, place, and context information converge only in the hippocampus, or that recognition of integrated object-place-context information requires a hippocampus-dependent mode of retrieval, such as recollection. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Objects of consciousness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donald David Hoffman

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Current models of visual perception typically assume that human vision estimates true properties of physical objects, properties that exist even if unperceived. However, recent studies of perceptual evolution, using evolutionary games and genetic algorithms, reveal that natural selection often drives true perceptions to extinction when they compete with perceptions tuned to fitness rather than truth: Perception guides adaptive behavior; it does not estimate a preexisting physical truth. Moreover, shifting from evolutionary biology to quantum physics, there is reason to disbelieve in preexist-ing physical truths: Certain interpretations of quantum theory deny that dynamical properties of physical objects have defi-nite values when unobserved. In some of these interpretations the observer is fundamental, and wave functions are com-pendia of subjective probabilities, not preexisting elements of physical reality. These two considerations, from evolutionary biology and quantum physics, suggest that current models of object perception require fundamental reformulation. Here we begin such a reformulation, starting with a formal model of consciousness that we call a conscious agent. We develop the dynamics of interacting conscious agents, and study how the perception of objects and space-time can emerge from such dynamics. We show that one particular object, the quantum free particle, has a wave function that is identical in form to the harmonic functions that characterize the asymptotic dynamics of conscious agents; particles are vibrations not of strings but of interacting conscious agents. This allows us to reinterpret physical properties such as position, momentum, and energy as properties of interacting conscious agents, rather than as preexisting physical truths. We sketch how this approach might extend to the perception of relativistic quantum objects, and to classical objects of macroscopic scale.

Motivational Objects in Natural Scenes (MONS: A Database of >800 Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judith Schomaker

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In daily life, we are surrounded by objects with pre-existing motivational associations. However, these are rarely controlled for in experiments with natural stimuli. Research on natural stimuli would therefore benefit from stimuli with well-defined motivational properties; in turn, such stimuli also open new paths in research on motivation. Here we introduce a database of Motivational Objects in Natural Scenes (MONS. The database consists of 107 scenes. Each scene contains 2 to 7 objects placed at approximately equal distance from the scene center. Each scene was photographed creating 3 versions, with one object (“critical object” being replaced to vary the overall motivational value of the scene (appetitive, aversive, and neutral, while maintaining high visual similarity between the three versions. Ratings on motivation, valence, arousal and recognizability were obtained using internet-based questionnaires. Since the main objective was to provide stimuli of well-defined motivational value, three motivation scales were used: (1 Desire to own the object; (2 Approach/Avoid; (3 Desire to interact with the object. Three sets of ratings were obtained in independent sets of observers: for all 805 objects presented on a neutral background, for 321 critical objects presented in their scene context, and for the entire scenes. On the basis of the motivational ratings, objects were subdivided into aversive, neutral, and appetitive categories. The MONS database will provide a standardized basis for future studies on motivational value under realistic conditions.

Parachuting from fixed objects: descriptive study of 106 fatal events in BASE jumping 1981-2006.

Science.gov (United States)

Westman, A; Rosén, M; Berggren, P; Björnstig, U

2008-06-01

To analyse the characteristics of fatal incidents in fixed object sport parachuting (building, antenna, span, earth (BASE) jumping) and create a basis for prevention. Descriptive epidemiological study. Data on reported fatal injury events (n = 106) worldwide in 1981-2006 retrieved from the BASE fatality list. Human, equipment and environmental factors. Identification of typical fatal incident and injury mechanisms for each of the four fixed object types of BASE jumping (building, antenna, span, earth). Human factors included parachutist free fall instability (loss of body control before parachute deployment), free fall acrobatics and deployment failure by the parachutist. Equipment factors included pilot chute malfunction and parachute malfunction. In cliff jumping (BASE object type E), parachute opening towards the object jumped was the most frequent equipment factor. Environmental factors included poor visibility, strong or turbulent winds, cold and water. The overall annual fatality risk for all object types during the year 2002 was estimated at about one fatality per 60 participants. Participants in BASE jumping should target risk factors with training and technical interventions. The mechanisms described in this study should be used by rescue units to improve the management of incidents.

A study on software-based sensing technology for multiple object control in AR video.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Sungmo; Song, Jae-Gu; Hwang, Dae-Joon; Ahn, Jae Young; Kim, Seoksoo

2010-01-01

Researches on Augmented Reality (AR) have recently received attention. With these, the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) market has started to be active and there are numerous efforts to apply this to real life in all sectors of society. To date, the M2M market has applied the existing marker-based AR technology in entertainment, business and other industries. With the existing marker-based AR technology, a designated object can only be loaded on the screen from one marker and a marker has to be added to load on the screen the same object again. This situation creates a problem where the relevant marker'should be extracted and printed in screen so that loading of the multiple objects is enabled. However, since the distance between markers will not be measured in the process of detecting and copying markers, the markers can be overlapped and thus the objects would not be augmented. To solve this problem, a circle having the longest radius needs to be created from a focal point of a marker to be copied, so that no object is copied within the confines of the circle. In this paper, software-based sensing technology for multiple object detection and loading using PPHT has been developed and overlapping marker control according to multiple object control has been studied using the Bresenham and Mean Shift algorithms.

A Study on Software-based Sensing Technology for Multiple Object Control in AR Video

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seoksoo Kim

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Researches on Augmented Reality (AR have recently received attention. With these, the Machine-to-Machine (M2M market has started to be active and there are numerous efforts to apply this to real life in all sectors of society. To date, the M2M market has applied the existing marker-based AR technology in entertainment, business and other industries. With the existing marker-based AR technology, a designated object can only be loaded on the screen from one marker and a marker has to be added to load on the screen the same object again. This situation creates a problem where the relevant marker should be extracted and printed in screen so that loading of the multiple objects is enabled. However, since the distance between markers will not be measured in the process of detecting and copying markers, the markers can be overlapped and thus the objects would not be augmented. To solve this problem, a circle having the longest radius needs to be created from a focal point of a marker to be copied, so that no object is copied within the confines of the circle. In this paper, software-based sensing technology for multiple object detection and loading using PPHT has been developed and overlapping marker control according to multiple object control has been studied using the Bresenham and Mean Shift algorithms.

The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a community sample of Iranian population: Iranian PCOS prevalence study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hosseinpanah Farhad

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the heavy burden and impact of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS in reproduction and public health, estimates regarding its prevalence at community levels are limited. We aimed to ascertain prevalence of PCOS in a community based sample using the National Institute of Health (NIH, the Rotterdam consensus (Rott. and the Androgen Excess Society (AES criteria. Methods Using the stratified, multistage probability cluster sampling method, 1126 women were randomly selected from among reproductive aged women of different geographic regions of Iran. PCOS were diagnosed using universal assessment of ultrasonographic parameters, hormonal profiles and clinical histories. Results The mean +/- SD of age of study population was 34.4 +/- 7.6 years. Estimated prevalence of idiopathic hirsutism was 10.9% (95% CI: 8.9-12.9%; 8.3% of women had only oligo/anovulation and 8.0% had only polycystic ovaries. The prevalence of PCOS was 7.1% (95% CI: 5.4-8.8% using the NIH definition, 11.7% (95% CI: 9.5-13.7% by AES criteria and 14.6% (95% CI: 12.3-16.9% using the Rott definition. Conclusions At community level, widespread screening of Rotterdam criteria will increase the estimated prevalence of PCOS over twofold. Establishing an explicit and contemporaneous method for definition and screening of each PCOS criteria has important investigational implications and increase the comparability of published research.

Does living in a poor neighbourhood result in network poverty? A study on local networks, locality-based relationships and neighbourhood settings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Eijk, G.

2010-01-01

This paper examines whether and how living in a poor neighbourhood results in "network poverty". Through a detailed analysis of the formation of personal networks of people living in a poor neighbourhood and those living in an affluent neighbourhood in Rotterdam, I examine the role of the

Portraits of PBL: Course Objectives and Students' Study Strategies in Computer Engineering, Psychology and Physiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlgren, Madeleine Abrandt

2000-01-01

Compares the role of course objectives in relation to students' study strategies in problem-based learning (PBL). Results comprise data from three PBL programs at Linkopings University (Sweden), in physiotherapy, psychology, and computer engineering. Faculty provided course objectives to function as supportive structures and guides for students'…

DEVELOPING VALUES FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH THE STUDY OF ART OBJECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Eliza Dulamă

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The paper begins with some issues related to aesthetics, aesthetic education, art and axiological education. The empirical research has the general assumption that secondary school students and youth have difficulties in selecting values. The objective of the research was three fold: to design, to organize and to carry learning activities from which students shall acquire educational values through the study of art objects. The exploratory research was conducted on a sample of 50 students (25 in experimental group and 25 in control group. The content sample included fairy-tales and short stories (Beauty and the Beast; The money earned by Alexandru Mitru and artistic topics on several well-known art objects (The Endless Column, Table of Silence, The Gate of Kiss, Peleş castle, Voroneţ monastery, and St. Michael’s Cathedral from Cluj-Napoca. The tested hypothesis stated that if secondary school students are involved in learning contexts where they perceive, analyze and explain artistic objects then they develop aesthetic and ethic values. The learning context students were exposed to represents the independent variable and the outputs – the educational values themselves – represent the dependent variable. In order to test for the hypothesis we planned a formative didactic experiment. In order to test the hypothesis the pre-test/post-test design was used.

Say it with flowers! An fMRI study of object mediated communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tylén, Kristian; Wallentin, Mikkel; Roepstorff, Andreas

2009-01-01

Human communicational interaction can be mediated by a host of expressive means from words in a natural language to gestures and material symbols. Given the proper contextual setting even an everyday object can gain a mediating function in a communicational situation. In this study we used event...

Predictive value of noninvasive measures of atherosclerosis for incident myocardial infarction - The Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Meer, IM; Bots, ML; Hofman, A; del Sol, AI; van der Kuip, DAM; Witteman, JCM

2004-01-01

Background - Several noninvasive methods are available to investigate the severity of extracoronary atherosclerotic disease. No population- based study has yet examined whether differences exist between these measures with regard to their predictive value for myocardial infarction (MI) or whether a

Dietary protein and risk of hypertension in a Dutch older population: the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Altorf-van der Kuil, W.; Engberink, M.F.; Rooij, van F.J.A.; Hofman, A.; Veer, van 't P.; Witteman, J.C.M.; Geleijnse, J.M.

2010-01-01

AB Background: Several observational studies suggest an inverse association of protein with blood pressure (BP). However, little is known about the role of dietary protein from specific sources in BP. Method: We examined the relation between several types of dietary protein (total, plant, animal,

Apparent and internal validity of a Monte Carlo-Markov model for cardiovascular disease in a cohort follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nijhuis, Rogier L; Stijnen, Theo; Peeters, Anna; Witteman, Jacqueline C M; Hofman, Albert; Hunink, M G Myriam

2006-01-01

To determine the apparent and internal validity of the Rotterdam Ischemic heart disease & Stroke Computer (RISC) model, a Monte Carlo-Markov model, designed to evaluate the impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and their modification on life expectancy (LE) and cardiovascular disease-free LE (DFLE) in a general population (hereinafter, these will be referred to together as (DF)LE). The model is based on data from the Rotterdam Study, a cohort follow-up study of 6871 subjects aged 55 years and older who visited the research center for risk factor assessment at baseline (1990-1993) and completed a follow-up visit 7 years later (original cohort). The transition probabilities and risk factor trends used in the RISC model were based on data from 3501 subjects (the study cohort). To validate the RISC model, the number of simulated CVD events during 7 years' follow-up were compared with the observed number of events in the study cohort and the original cohort, respectively, and simulated (DF)LEs were compared with the (DF)LEs calculated from multistate life tables. Both in the study cohort and in the original cohort, the simulated distribution of CVD events was consistent with the observed number of events (CVD deaths: 7.1% v. 6.6% and 7.4% v. 7.6%, respectively; non-CVD deaths: 11.2% v. 11.5% and 12.9% v. 13.0%, respectively). The distribution of (DF)LEs estimated with the RISC model consistently encompassed the (DF)LEs calculated with multistate life tables. The simulated events and (DF)LE estimates from the RISC model are consistent with observed data from a cohort follow-up study.

Study of archaeological objects by neutron imaging, xrd and xrf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinca, M.; Dinu, A. D.; Stanciulescu, M. G.; Mandescu, D.

2015-01-01

Archaeological objects were borrowed from Arges County History Museum (ACHM) and investigated at the Institute for Nuclear Research (INR). Metallic objects made in iron, copper alloys and silver discovered in southern part of Romania, mostly Dacian and Roman origin, were investigated. For imaging was used the neutron and gamma imaging facility from tangential channel of the TRIGA ACPR to put in evidence the internal structure of the objects. For elemental and chemical composition, concentration levels in objects were performed investigations by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). These investigations offer valuable information in archaeological research about composition, structure of the bulk, presence of alteration, inclusions, typology of the location of material extraction, manufacturing techniques etc. This work is an example of application of neutron imaging and other radiation-based analytical methods for cultural heritage research that had the aim to involve some of the non-destructive investigation methods available at INR. (authors)

Geometrical accuracy of metallic objects produced with additive or subtractive manufacturing: A comparative in vitro study.

Science.gov (United States)

Braian, Michael; Jönsson, David; Kevci, Mir; Wennerberg, Ann

2018-04-06

To evaluate the accuracy and precision of objects produced by additive manufacturing systems (AM) for use in dentistry and to compare with subtractive manufacturing systems (SM). Ten specimens of two geometrical objects were produced by five different AM machines and one SM machine. Object A mimics an inlay-shaped object, while object B imitates a four-unit bridge model. All the objects were sorted into different measurement dimensions (x, y, z), linear distances, angles and corner radius. None of the additive manufacturing or subtractive manufacturing groups presented a perfect match to the CAD file with regard to all parameters included in the present study. Considering linear measurements, the precision for subtractive manufacturing group was consistent in all axes for object A, presenting results of additive manufacturing groups had consistent precision in the x-axis and y-axis but not in the z-axis. With regard to corner radius measurements, the SM group had the best overall accuracy and precision for both objects A and B when compared to the AM groups. Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the conclusion can be made that subtractive manufacturing presented overall precision on all measurements below 0.050mm. The AM machines also presented fairly good precision, additive techniques are now being implemented. Thus all these production techniques need to be tested, compared and validated. Copyright © 2018 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

31 OBJECTIVE ORIENTED PROBLEM SOLVING A Case Study ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

succeed but which are not Wlder the direct control of the activities ..... Frequent failure of electrical machines due to intenuption .... suffers high attribution rate of skilled personnel and as a result is .... Management and Objective Oriented Project.

A Study on Re-entry Predictions of Uncontrolled Space Objects for Space Situational Awareness

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Eun-Jung; Cho, Sungki; Lee, Deok-Jin; Kim, Siwoo; Jo, Jung Hyun

2017-12-01

The key risk analysis technologies for the re-entry of space objects into Earth’s atmosphere are divided into four categories: cataloguing and databases of the re-entry of space objects, lifetime and re-entry trajectory predictions, break-up models after re-entry and multiple debris distribution predictions, and ground impact probability models. In this study, we focused on re- entry prediction, including orbital lifetime assessments, for space situational awareness systems. Re-entry predictions are very difficult and are affected by various sources of uncertainty. In particular, during uncontrolled re-entry, large spacecraft may break into several pieces of debris, and the surviving fragments can be a significant hazard for persons and properties on the ground. In recent years, specific methods and procedures have been developed to provide clear information for predicting and analyzing the re-entry of space objects and for ground-risk assessments. Representative tools include object reentry survival analysis tool (ORSAT) and debris assessment software (DAS) developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), spacecraft atmospheric re-entry and aerothermal break-up (SCARAB) and debris risk assessment and mitigation analysis (DRAMA) developed by European Space Agency (ESA), and semi-analytic tool for end of life analysis (STELA) developed by Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES). In this study, various surveys of existing re-entry space objects are reviewed, and an efficient re-entry prediction technique is suggested based on STELA, the life-cycle analysis tool for satellites, and DRAMA, a re-entry analysis tool. To verify the proposed method, the re-entry of the Tiangong-1 Space Lab, which is expected to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere shortly, was simulated. Eventually, these results will provide a basis for space situational awareness risk analyses of the re-entry of space objects.

What Makes an Object Memorable?

KAUST Repository

Dubey, Rachit

2016-02-19

Recent studies on image memorability have shed light on what distinguishes the memorability of different images and the intrinsic and extrinsic properties that make those images memorable. However, a clear understanding of the memorability of specific objects inside an image remains elusive. In this paper, we provide the first attempt to answer the question: what exactly is remembered about an image? We augment both the images and object segmentations from the PASCAL-S dataset with ground truth memorability scores and shed light on the various factors and properties that make an object memorable (or forgettable) to humans. We analyze various visual factors that may influence object memorability (e.g. color, visual saliency, and object categories). We also study the correlation between object and image memorability and find that image memorability is greatly affected by the memorability of its most memorable object. Lastly, we explore the effectiveness of deep learning and other computational approaches in predicting object memorability in images. Our efforts offer a deeper understanding of memorability in general thereby opening up avenues for a wide variety of applications. © 2015 IEEE.

What Makes an Object Memorable?

KAUST Repository

Dubey, Rachit; Peterson, Joshua; Khosla, Aditya; Yang, Ming-Hsuan; Ghanem, Bernard

2016-01-01

Recent studies on image memorability have shed light on what distinguishes the memorability of different images and the intrinsic and extrinsic properties that make those images memorable. However, a clear understanding of the memorability of specific objects inside an image remains elusive. In this paper, we provide the first attempt to answer the question: what exactly is remembered about an image? We augment both the images and object segmentations from the PASCAL-S dataset with ground truth memorability scores and shed light on the various factors and properties that make an object memorable (or forgettable) to humans. We analyze various visual factors that may influence object memorability (e.g. color, visual saliency, and object categories). We also study the correlation between object and image memorability and find that image memorability is greatly affected by the memorability of its most memorable object. Lastly, we explore the effectiveness of deep learning and other computational approaches in predicting object memorability in images. Our efforts offer a deeper understanding of memorability in general thereby opening up avenues for a wide variety of applications. © 2015 IEEE.

A Patient with Difficulty of Object Recognition: Semantic Amnesia for Manipulable Objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Yamadori

1992-01-01

Full Text Available We studied a patient who had recognition difficulty for manipulable objects. MRI showed a lesion in the left occipito-parietotemporal area. Differential diagnosis of agnosia, aphasia and apraxia is discussed. We believe this “object meaning amnesia” constitutes a distinct subtype of semantic amnesia.

The Role of Shape in Semantic Memory Organization of Objects: An Experimental Study Using PI-Release.

Science.gov (United States)

van Weelden, Lisanne; Schilperoord, Joost; Swerts, Marc; Pecher, Diane

2015-01-01

Visual information contributes fundamentally to the process of object categorization. The present study investigated whether the degree of activation of visual information in this process is dependent on the contextual relevance of this information. We used the Proactive Interference (PI-release) paradigm. In four experiments, we manipulated the information by which objects could be categorized and subsequently be retrieved from memory. The pattern of PI-release showed that if objects could be stored and retrieved both by (non-perceptual) semantic and (perceptual) shape information, then shape information was overruled by semantic information. If, however, semantic information could not be (satisfactorily) used to store and retrieve objects, then objects were stored in memory in terms of their shape. The latter effect was found to be strongest for objects from identical semantic categories.

A multi-objective set covering problem: A case study of warehouse allocation in truck industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atefeh Malekinezhad

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Designing distribution centers is normally formulated in a form of set covering where is primary objective is to minimize the number of connected facilities. However, there are other issues affecting our decision on selecting suitable distribution centers such as weather conditions, temperature, infrastructure facilities, etc. In this paper, we propose a multi-objective set covering techniques where different objectives are considered in an integrated model. The proposed model of this paper is implemented for a real-world case study of truck-industry and the results are analyzed.

Recommendations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baumeister, Ruth

2016-01-01

This article discusses three book publications: C. Kerez: Uncertain Certainty, Tokyo, 2013 H. Hertzberger: Lessons for students in architecture, Rotterdam, 2006, (1991) A. Jorn: Om Formen, Silkeborg, 2014, (1958)......This article discusses three book publications: C. Kerez: Uncertain Certainty, Tokyo, 2013 H. Hertzberger: Lessons for students in architecture, Rotterdam, 2006, (1991) A. Jorn: Om Formen, Silkeborg, 2014, (1958)...

Database Independent Migration of Objects into an Object-Relational Database

CERN Document Server

Ali, A; Munir, K; Waseem-Hassan, M; Willers, I

2002-01-01

CERN's (European Organization for Nuclear Research) WISDOM project [1] deals with the replication of data between homogeneous sources in a Wide Area Network (WAN) using the extensible Markup Language (XML). The last phase of the WISDOM (Wide-area, database Independent Serialization of Distributed Objects for data Migration) project [2], indicates the future directions for this work to be to incorporate heterogeneous sources as compared to homogeneous sources as described by [3]. This work will become essential for the CERN community once the need to transfer their legacy data to some other source, other then Objectivity [4], arises. Oracle 9i - an Object-Relational Database (including support for abstract data types, ADTs) appears to be a potential candidate for the physics event store in the CERN CMS experiment as suggested by [4] & [5]. Consequently this database has been selected for study. As a result of this work the HEP community will get a tool for migrating their data from Objectivity to Oracle9i.

Study on multi-objective flexible job-shop scheduling problem considering energy consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zengqiang Jiang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Build a multi-objective Flexible Job-shop Scheduling Problem(FJSP optimization model, in which the makespan, processing cost, energy consumption and cost-weighted processing quality are considered, then Design a Modified Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II based on blood variation for above scheduling model.Design/methodology/approach: A multi-objective optimization theory based on Pareto optimal method is used in carrying out the optimization model. NSGA-II is used to solve the model.Findings: By analyzing the research status and insufficiency of multi-objective FJSP, Find that the difference in scheduling will also have an effect on energy consumption in machining process and environmental emissions. Therefore, job-shop scheduling requires not only guaranteeing the processing quality, time and cost, but also optimizing operation plan of machines and minimizing energy consumption.Originality/value: A multi-objective FJSP optimization model is put forward, in which the makespan, processing cost, energy consumption and cost-weighted processing quality are considered. According to above model, Blood-Variation-based NSGA-II (BVNSGA-II is designed. In which, the chromosome mutation rate is determined after calculating the blood relationship between two cross chromosomes, crossover and mutation strategy of NSGA-II is optimized and the prematurity of population is overcome. Finally, the performance of the proposed model and algorithm is evaluated through a case study, and the results proved the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed model and algorithm.

Adobe Boxes: Locating Object Proposals Using Object Adobes.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Zhiwen; Cao, Zhiguo; Xiao, Yang; Zhu, Lei; Yuan, Junsong

2016-09-01

Despite the previous efforts of object proposals, the detection rates of the existing approaches are still not satisfactory enough. To address this, we propose Adobe Boxes to efficiently locate the potential objects with fewer proposals, in terms of searching the object adobes that are the salient object parts easy to be perceived. Because of the visual difference between the object and its surroundings, an object adobe obtained from the local region has a high probability to be a part of an object, which is capable of depicting the locative information of the proto-object. Our approach comprises of three main procedures. First, the coarse object proposals are acquired by employing randomly sampled windows. Then, based on local-contrast analysis, the object adobes are identified within the enlarged bounding boxes that correspond to the coarse proposals. The final object proposals are obtained by converging the bounding boxes to tightly surround the object adobes. Meanwhile, our object adobes can also refine the detection rate of most state-of-the-art methods as a refinement approach. The extensive experiments on four challenging datasets (PASCAL VOC2007, VOC2010, VOC2012, and ILSVRC2014) demonstrate that the detection rate of our approach generally outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, especially with relatively small number of proposals. The average time consumed on one image is about 48 ms, which nearly meets the real-time requirement.

Object color affects identification and repetition priming.

Science.gov (United States)

Uttl, Bob; Graf, Peter; Santacruz, Pilar

2006-10-01

We investigated the influence of color on the identification of both non-studied and studied objects. Participants studied black and white and color photos of common objects and memory was assessed with an identification test. Consistent with our meta-analysis of prior research, we found that objects were easier to identify from color than from black and white photos. We also found substantial priming in all conditions, and study-to-test changes in an object's color reduced the magnitude of priming. Color-specific priming effects were large for color-complex objects, but minimal for color-simple objects. The pattern and magnitude of priming effects was not influenced either by the extent to which an object always appears in the same color (i.e., whether a color is symptomatic of an object) or by the object's origin (natural versus fabricated). We discuss the implications of our findings for theoretical accounts of object perception and repetition priming.

New particle formation events measured on board the ATR-42 aircraft during the EUCAARI campaign

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Crumeyrolle

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Aerosol properties were studied during an intensive airborne measurement campaign that took place at Rotterdam in Netherlands in May 2008 within the framework of the European Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions project (EUCAARI. The objective of this study is to illustrate seven events of new particle formation (NPF observed with two Condensation Particle Counters (CPCs operated on board the ATR-42 research aircraft in airsectors around Rotterdam, and to provide information on the spatial extent of the new particle formation phenomenon based on 1-s resolution measurements of ultra-fine particle (in the size range 3–10 nm diameter, denoted N_3-10 hereafter concentrations. The results show that particle production occurred under the influence of different air mass origins, at different day times and over the North Sea as well as over the continent. The number concentration of freshly nucleated particles (N_3-10 varied between 5000 and 100 000 cm⁻³ within the boundary layer (BL. Furthermore the vertical extension for all nucleation events observed on the ATR-42 never exceeded the upper limit of the BL. The horizontal extent of N_3-10 could not be delimited due to inflexible flight plans which could not be modified to accommodate real-time results. However, the NPF events were observed over geographically large areas; typically the horizontal extension was about 100 km and larger.

UCP Mainport : kontseptuaalne uurimus Utrechti raudteejaama maa-ala arendamiseks = UCP Mainport : concept study redevelopment station area Utrecht

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2000-01-01

Mainporti projekti arhitekt Ben van Berkel, projekteerijad: Van Berkel & Bos, Holland Railconsult. Projekti II etapis uuriti Hoog Catherijne ostukeskuse laiendamist. Projekteerijad: Van Berkel & Bos, Neutelings & Riedijk, Alsop & Störmer.Van Berkel & Bos (arhitektibüroo, Holland). Holland Railconsult (projekteerimisbüroo, Utrecht). Alsop & Störmer (arhitektibüroo, London). Neutelings & Riedijk (arhitektibüroo, Rotterdam)

A Practical Study of Control in Objected-Oriented–Functional–Logic Programming with Paisley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baltasar Trancón y Widemann

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Paisley is an extensible lightweight embedded domain-specific language for nondeterministic pattern matching in Java. Using simple APIs and programming idioms, it brings the power of functional-logic processing of arbitrary data objects to the Java platform, without constraining the underlying object-oriented semantics. Here we present an extension to the Paisley framework that adds pattern-based control flow. It exploits recent additions to the Java language, namely functional interfaces and lambda expressions, for an explicit and transparent continuation-passing style approach to control. We evaluate the practical impact of the novel features on a real-world case study that reengineers a third-party open-source project to use Paisley in place of conventional object-oriented data query idioms. We find the approach viable for incremental refactoring of legacy code, with significant qualitative improvements regarding separation of concerns, clarity and intentionality, thus making for easier code understanding, testing and debugging.

Does long-term object priming depend on the explicit detection of object identity at encoding?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Alexandre Gomes

2015-03-01

Full Text Available It is currently unclear whether objects have to be explicitly identified at encoding for reliable behavioural long-term object priming to occur. We conducted two experiments that investigated long-term object and non-object priming using a selective-attention encoding manipulation that reduces explicit object identification. In Experiment 1, participants either counted dots flashed within an object picture (shallow encoding or engaged in an animacy task (deep encoding at study, whereas, at test, they performed an object-decision task. Priming, as measured by reaction times, was observed for both types of encoding, and was of equivalent magnitude. In Experiment 2, non-object priming (faster reaction times for studied relative to unstudied non-objects was also obtained under the same selective-attention encoding manipulation as in Experiment 1, and the magnitude of the priming effect was equivalent between experiments. In contrast, we observed a linear decrement in recognition memory accuracy across conditions (deep encoding of Experiment 1 > shallow encoding Experiment 1 > shallow encoding of Experiment 2, suggesting that priming was not contaminated by explicit memory strategies. We argue that our results are more consistent with the identification/production framework than the perceptual/conceptual distinction, and we conclude that priming of pictures largely ignored at encoding can be subserved by the automatic retrieval of two types of instances: one at the motor-level and another at an object-decision level.

An investigation of clinical studies suggests those with multiple objectives should have at least 90% power for each endpoint.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borm, G.F.; Houben, R.; Welsing, P.M.J.; Zielhuis, G.A.

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many clinical studies have more than one objective, either formally or informally, but this is not usually taken into account in the determination of the sample size. We investigated the overall power of a study, that is, the probability that all the objectives will be

Human listening studies reveal insights into object features extracted by echolocating dolphins

Science.gov (United States)

Delong, Caroline M.; Au, Whitlow W. L.; Roitblat, Herbert L.

2004-05-01

Echolocating dolphins extract object feature information from the acoustic parameters of object echoes. However, little is known about which object features are salient to dolphins or how they extract those features. To gain insight into how dolphins might be extracting feature information, human listeners were presented with echoes from objects used in a dolphin echoic-visual cross-modal matching task. Human participants performed a task similar to the one the dolphin had performed; however, echoic samples consisting of 23-echo trains were presented via headphones. The participants listened to the echoic sample and then visually selected the correct object from among three alternatives. The participants performed as well as or better than the dolphin (M=88.0% correct), and reported using a combination of acoustic cues to extract object features (e.g., loudness, pitch, timbre). Participants frequently reported using the pattern of aural changes in the echoes across the echo train to identify the shape and structure of the objects (e.g., peaks in loudness or pitch). It is likely that dolphins also attend to the pattern of changes across echoes as objects are echolocated from different angles.

The Netherlands XTC Toxicity (NeXT) study: objectives and methods of a study investigating causality, course, and clinical relevance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Win, Maartje M. L.; Jager, Gerry; Vervaeke, Hylke K. E.; Schilt, Thelma; Reneman, Liesbeth; Booij, Jan; Verhulst, Frank C.; den Heeten, Gerard J.; Ramsey, Nick F.; Korf, Dirk J.; van den Brink, Wim

2005-01-01

This paper describes the objectives and methods of The Netherlands XTC Toxicity (NeXT) study focussing on the causality, course, and clinical relevance of ecstasy neurotoxicity. Previous studies suggest that ecstasy (3,4 methylene-dioxymethamphetamine, MDMA, XTC) is toxic toward brain serotonin

Determination of the object surface function by structured light: application to the study of spinal deformities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buendia, M.; Salvador, R.; Cibrian, R.; Sotoca, J.M.; Laguia, M.

1999-01-01

The projection of structured light is a technique frequently used to determine the surface shape of an object. In this paper, a new procedure is described that efficiently resolves the correspondence between the knots of the projected grid and those obtained on the object when the projection is made. The method is based on the use of three images of the projected grid. In two of them the grid is projected over a flat surface placed, respectively, before and behind the object; both images are used for calibration. In the third image the grid is projected over the object. It is not reliant on accurate determination of the camera and projector pair relative to the grid and object. Once the method is calibrated, we can obtain the surface function by just analysing the projected grid on the object. The procedure is especially suitable for the study of objects without discontinuities or large depth gradients. It can be employed for determining, in a non-invasive way, the patient's back surface function. Symmetry differences permit a quantitative diagnosis of spinal deformities such as scoliosis. (author)

[Object-oriented remote sensing image classification in epidemiological studies of visceral leishmaniasis in urban areas].

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Andréa Sobral de; Werneck, Guilherme Loureiro; Resendes, Ana Paula da Costa

2014-08-01

This study explored the use of object-oriented classification of remote sensing imagery in epidemiological studies of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in urban areas. To obtain temperature and environmental information, an object-oriented classification approach was applied to Landsat 5 TM scenes from the city of Teresina, Piauí State, Brazil. For 1993-1996, VL incidence rates correlated positively with census tracts covered by dense vegetation, grass/pasture, and bare soil and negatively with areas covered by water and densely populated areas. In 2001-2006, positive correlations were found with dense vegetation, grass/pasture, bare soil, and densely populated areas and negative correlations with occupied urban areas with some vegetation. Land surface temperature correlated negatively with VL incidence in both periods. Object-oriented classification can be useful to characterize landscape features associated with VL in urban areas and to help identify risk areas in order to prioritize interventions.

Bats and Academics: How Do Scientists Perceive Their Object of Study?

Science.gov (United States)

Boëte, Christophe; Morand, Serge

2016-01-01

Bats are associated with conflicting perceptions among humans, ranging from affection to disgust. If these attitudes can be associated with various factors among the general public (e.g. social norms, lack of knowledge), it is also important to understand the attitude of scientists who study bats. Such reflexive information on the researchers community itself could indeed help designing adequate mixed communication tools aimed at protecting bats and their ecosystems, as well as humans living in their vicinity that could be exposed to their pathogens. Thus, we conducted an online survey targeting researchers who spend a part of their research activity studying bats. Our aim was to determine (1) how they perceive their object of study, (2) how they perceive the representation of bats in the media and by the general population, (3) how they protect themselves against pathogen infections during their research practices, and (4) their perceptions of the causes underlying the decline in bat populations worldwide. From the 587 completed responses (response rate of 28%) having a worldwide distribution, the heterogeneity of the scientists' perception of their own object of study was highlighted. In the majority of cases, this depended on the type of research they conducted (i.e. laboratory versus field studies) as well as their research speciality. Our study revealed a high level of personal protection equipment being utilised against pathogens during scientific practices, although the role bats play as reservoirs for a number of emerging pathogens remains poorly known. Our results also disclosed the unanimity among specialists in attributing a direct role for humans in the global decline of bat populations, mainly via environmental change, deforestation, and agriculture intensification. Overall, the present study suggests the need for better communication regarding bats and their biology, their role within the scientific community, as well as in the general public

Bats and Academics: How Do Scientists Perceive Their Object of Study?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Boëte

Full Text Available Bats are associated with conflicting perceptions among humans, ranging from affection to disgust. If these attitudes can be associated with various factors among the general public (e.g. social norms, lack of knowledge, it is also important to understand the attitude of scientists who study bats. Such reflexive information on the researchers community itself could indeed help designing adequate mixed communication tools aimed at protecting bats and their ecosystems, as well as humans living in their vicinity that could be exposed to their pathogens. Thus, we conducted an online survey targeting researchers who spend a part of their research activity studying bats. Our aim was to determine (1 how they perceive their object of study, (2 how they perceive the representation of bats in the media and by the general population, (3 how they protect themselves against pathogen infections during their research practices, and (4 their perceptions of the causes underlying the decline in bat populations worldwide. From the 587 completed responses (response rate of 28% having a worldwide distribution, the heterogeneity of the scientists' perception of their own object of study was highlighted. In the majority of cases, this depended on the type of research they conducted (i.e. laboratory versus field studies as well as their research speciality. Our study revealed a high level of personal protection equipment being utilised against pathogens during scientific practices, although the role bats play as reservoirs for a number of emerging pathogens remains poorly known. Our results also disclosed the unanimity among specialists in attributing a direct role for humans in the global decline of bat populations, mainly via environmental change, deforestation, and agriculture intensification. Overall, the present study suggests the need for better communication regarding bats and their biology, their role within the scientific community, as well as in the general

General object recognition is specific: Evidence from novel and familiar objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Richler, Jennifer J; Wilmer, Jeremy B; Gauthier, Isabel

2017-09-01

In tests of object recognition, individual differences typically correlate modestly but nontrivially across familiar categories (e.g. cars, faces, shoes, birds, mushrooms). In theory, these correlations could reflect either global, non-specific mechanisms, such as general intelligence (IQ), or more specific mechanisms. Here, we introduce two separate methods for effectively capturing category-general performance variation, one that uses novel objects and one that uses familiar objects. In each case, we show that category-general performance variance is unrelated to IQ, thereby implicating more specific mechanisms. The first approach examines three newly developed novel object memory tests (NOMTs). We predicted that NOMTs would exhibit more shared, category-general variance than familiar object memory tests (FOMTs) because novel objects, unlike familiar objects, lack category-specific environmental influences (e.g. exposure to car magazines or botany classes). This prediction held, and remarkably, virtually none of the substantial shared variance among NOMTs was explained by IQ. Also, while NOMTs correlated nontrivially with two FOMTs (faces, cars), these correlations were smaller than among NOMTs and no larger than between the face and car tests themselves, suggesting that the category-general variance captured by NOMTs is specific not only relative to IQ, but also, to some degree, relative to both face and car recognition. The second approach averaged performance across multiple FOMTs, which we predicted would increase category-general variance by averaging out category-specific factors. This prediction held, and as with NOMTs, virtually none of the shared variance among FOMTs was explained by IQ. Overall, these results support the existence of object recognition mechanisms that, though category-general, are specific relative to IQ and substantially separable from face and car recognition. They also add sensitive, well-normed NOMTs to the tools available to study

Selection of Objective Function For Imbalanced Classification: An Industrial Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khan, Abdul Rauf; Schiøler, Henrik; Kulahci, Murat

2017-01-01

In this article we discuss the issue of selecting suitable objective function for Genetic Algorithm to solve an imbalanced classification problem. More precisely, first we discuss the need of specialized objective function to solve a real classification problem from our industrial partner and the...... and then we compare the results of our proposed objective function with commonly used candidates to serve this purpose. Our comparison is based on the analysis of real data collected during the quality control stages of the manufacturing process....

Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS): objectives, design, methodology and implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Hazzaa, Hazzaa M; Musaiger, Abdulrahman O

2011-01-01

There is a lack of comparable data on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and dietary habits among Arab adolescents, which limits our understanding and interpretation of the relationship between obesity and lifestyle parameters. Therefore, we initiated the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS). The ATLS is a multicenter collaborative project for assessing lifestyle habits of Arab adolescents. The objectives of the ATLS project were to investigate the prevalence rates for overweight and obesity, physical activity, sedentary activity and dietary habits among Arab adolescents, and to examine the interrelationships between these lifestyle variables. This paper reports on the objectives, design, methodology, and implications of the ATLS. The ATLS is a school-based cross-sectional study involving 9182 randomly selected secondary-school students (14-19 years) from major Arab cities, using a multistage stratified sampling technique. The participating Arab cities included Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Khobar (Saudi Arabia), Bahrain, Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Kuwait, Amman (Jordan), Mosel (Iraq), Muscat (Oman), Tunisia (Tunisia) and Kenitra (Morocco). Measured variables included anthropometric measurements, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and dietary habits. The ATLS project will provide a unique opportunity to collect and analyze important lifestyle information from Arab adolescents using standardized procedures. This is the first time a collaborative Arab project will simultaneously assess broad lifestyle variables in a large sample of adolescents from numerous urbanized Arab regions. This joint research project will supply us with comprehensive and recent data on physical activity/inactivity and eating habits of Arab adolescents relative to obesity. Such invaluable lifestyle-related data are crucial for developing public health policies and regional strategies for health promotion and disease prevention.

An object-oriented computational model to study cardiopulmonary hemodynamic interactions in humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Chuong; Dahlmanns, Stephan; Vollmer, Thomas; Misgeld, Berno; Leonhardt, Steffen

2018-06-01

This work introduces an object-oriented computational model to study cardiopulmonary interactions in humans. Modeling was performed in object-oriented programing language Matlab Simscape, where model components are connected with each other through physical connections. Constitutive and phenomenological equations of model elements are implemented based on their non-linear pressure-volume or pressure-flow relationship. The model includes more than 30 physiological compartments, which belong either to the cardiovascular or respiratory system. The model considers non-linear behaviors of veins, pulmonary capillaries, collapsible airways, alveoli, and the chest wall. Model parameters were derisved based on literature values. Model validation was performed by comparing simulation results with clinical and animal data reported in literature. The model is able to provide quantitative values of alveolar, pleural, interstitial, aortic and ventricular pressures, as well as heart and lung volumes during spontaneous breathing and mechanical ventilation. Results of baseline simulation demonstrate the consistency of the assigned parameters. Simulation results during mechanical ventilation with PEEP trials can be directly compared with animal and clinical data given in literature. Object-oriented programming languages can be used to model interconnected systems including model non-linearities. The model provides a useful tool to investigate cardiopulmonary activity during spontaneous breathing and mechanical ventilation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-objective compared to single-objective optimization with application to model validation and uncertainty quantification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulze-Riegert, R.; Krosche, M.; Stekolschikov, K. [Scandpower Petroleum Technology GmbH, Hamburg (Germany); Fahimuddin, A. [Technische Univ. Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-09-13

History Matching in Reservoir Simulation, well location and production optimization etc. is generally a multi-objective optimization problem. The problem statement of history matching for a realistic field case includes many field and well measurements in time and type, e.g. pressure measurements, fluid rates, events such as water and gas break-throughs, etc. Uncertainty parameters modified as part of the history matching process have varying impact on the improvement of the match criteria. Competing match criteria often reduce the likelihood of finding an acceptable history match. It is an engineering challenge in manual history matching processes to identify competing objectives and to implement the changes required in the simulation model. In production optimization or scenario optimization the focus on one key optimization criterion such as NPV limits the identification of alternatives and potential opportunities, since multiple objectives are summarized in a predefined global objective formulation. Previous works primarily focus on a specific optimization method. Few works actually concentrate on the objective formulation and multi-objective optimization schemes have not yet been applied to reservoir simulations. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization approach applicable to reservoir simulation. It addresses the problem of multi-objective criteria in a history matching study and presents analysis techniques identifying competing match criteria. A Pareto-Optimizer is discussed and the implementation of that multi-objective optimization scheme is applied to a case study. Results are compared to a single-objective optimization method. (orig.)

Stability of multihypernuclear objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikram, M.; Rather, Asloob A.; Usmani, A.A.; Patra, S.K.

2016-01-01

In present work, we analyze the stability of multi-hypernuclear objects having higher content of strangeness. The aim of this work is to test the stability of such objects which might be produced in heavy-ion reactions. Studies of such type of systems might have great implication to nuclear-astrophysics

Prevalence and determinants of glaucoma : an epidemiologic approach (The Rotterdam Study)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

I. Dielemans (Ida)

1995-01-01

textabstractGlaucoma is an eye disease characterized by damage to the optic nerve head and related visual field defects, often accompanied by elevated intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is an important cause of blindness, particularly in the elderly. One may divide glaucoma in primary glaucoma without

Influence of a Storm Surge Barrier’s Operation on the Flood Frequency in the Rhine Delta Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hua Zhong

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The Rhine River Delta is crucial to the Dutch economy. The Maeslant barrier was built in 1997 to protect the Rhine estuary, with the city and port of Rotterdam, from storm surges. This research takes a simple approach to quantify the influence of the Maeslant storm surge barrier on design water levels behind the barrier. The dikes in the area are supposed to be able to withstand these levels. Equal Level Curves approach is used to calculate the Rotterdam water levels by using Rhine discharges and sea water levels as input. Their joint probability function generates the occurrence frequency of a certain combination that will lead to a certain high water level in Rotterdam. The results show that the flood frequency in Rotterdam is reduced effectively with the controlled barrier in current and in future scenarios influenced by climate change. In addition, an investigation of the sensitivity of the operational parameters suggests that there is a negligible influence on the high water level frequency when the decision closing water level for the barrier is set higher due to the benefits of navigation (but not exceeding the design safety level 4 m MSL.

The subjective experience of object recognition: comparing metacognition for object detection and object categorization.

Science.gov (United States)

Meuwese, Julia D I; van Loon, Anouk M; Lamme, Victor A F; Fahrenfort, Johannes J

2014-05-01

Perceptual decisions seem to be made automatically and almost instantly. Constructing a unitary subjective conscious experience takes more time. For example, when trying to avoid a collision with a car on a foggy road you brake or steer away in a reflex, before realizing you were in a near accident. This subjective aspect of object recognition has been given little attention. We used metacognition (assessed with confidence ratings) to measure subjective experience during object detection and object categorization for degraded and masked objects, while objective performance was matched. Metacognition was equal for degraded and masked objects, but categorization led to higher metacognition than did detection. This effect turned out to be driven by a difference in metacognition for correct rejection trials, which seemed to be caused by an asymmetry of the distractor stimulus: It does not contain object-related information in the detection task, whereas it does contain such information in the categorization task. Strikingly, this asymmetry selectively impacted metacognitive ability when objective performance was matched. This finding reveals a fundamental difference in how humans reflect versus act on information: When matching the amount of information required to perform two tasks at some objective level of accuracy (acting), metacognitive ability (reflecting) is still better in tasks that rely on positive evidence (categorization) than in tasks that rely more strongly on an absence of evidence (detection).

Identifying objective criterion to determine a complicated task – A comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Reliable estimation on the likelihood of human error is very critical. • Still there is no clear and objective criterion on a complicated task. • Subjective difficulty scores rated by 75 high speed train drivers are collected. • Collected difficulty scores are compared with the associated TACOM scores. • Criteria for task complexity level seem to be determined by the TACOM measure. - Abstract: A reliable estimation on the likelihood of human error is very critical for evaluating the safety of a large process control system such as NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants). In this regard, one of the determinants is to decide the level of an important PSF (Performance Shaping Factor) through a clear and objective manner along with the context of a given task. Unfortunately, it seems that there are no such decision criteria for certain PSFs including the complexity of a task. Therefore, the feasibility of the TACOM (Task Complexity) measure in providing objective criteria that are helpful for distinguishing the level of a task complexity is investigated in this study. To this end, subjective difficulty scores rated by 75 high-speed train drivers are collected for 38 tasks. After that, subjective difficulty scores are compared with the associated TACOM scores being quantified based on these tasks. As a result, it is observed that there is a significant correlation between subjective difficulty scores rated by high-speed train drivers and the associated TACOM scores. Accordingly, it is promising to expect that the TACOM measure can be used as an objective tool to identify the level of a task complexity in terms of an HRA (Human Reliability Analysis)

A comparison of subjective and objective measures of physical activity from the Newcastle 85+ study.

Science.gov (United States)

Innerd, Paul; Catt, Michael; Collerton, Joanna; Davies, Karen; Trenell, Michael; Kirkwood, Thomas B L; Jagger, Carol

2015-07-01

Little is known about physical activity (PA) in the very old, the fastest growing age group in the population. We aimed to examine the convergent validity of subjective and objective measures of PA in adults aged over 85 years. A total of 484 participants aged 87-89 years recruited to the Newcastle 85+ study completed a purpose-designed physical activity questionnaire (PAQ), which categorised participants as mildly active, moderately active and very active. Out of them, 337 participants wore a triaxial, raw accelerometer on the right wrist over a 5-7-day period to obtain objective measures of rest/activity, PA intensity and PA type. Data from subjective and objective measurement methods were compared. Self-reported PA was significantly associated with objective measures of the daily sedentary time, low-intensity PA and activity type classified as sedentary, activities of daily living and walking. Objective measures of PA were significantly different when low, moderate and high self-reported PA categories were compared (all P PAQ demonstrated convergent validity with objective measures of PA. Our findings suggest that this PAQ can be used in the very old to rank individuals according to their level of total PA. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

From Procedural to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP- Performance in OOP: An empirical study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Govender

2011-02-01

Full Text Available This exploratory study of introductory pre- and in-service teachers’ performance in object-oriented programming (OOP assessments reveals important issues with regard to learning and teaching OOP, using java. The study is set against the backdrop of the country’s transition of its national IT curriculum from a procedural to an object-oriented programming language. The effect of prior programming experience and performances in different types of questions are examined. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to analyse the data. The effect of prior programming experience of a procedural kind and the type of assessments given is shown to have a marked influence on the performance in programming assessments and teaching of OOP. Many introductory OOP courses are in effect taught procedurally as courses in the small. Therefore educating teachers how to teach programming is a significant educational challenge. Some implications for teaching are therefore suggested

Taxonomies of Educational Objective Domain

OpenAIRE

Eman Ghanem Nayef; Nik Rosila Nik Yaacob; Hairul Nizam Ismail

2013-01-01

This paper highlights an effort to study the educational objective domain taxonomies including Bloom’s taxonomy, Lorin Anderson’s taxonomy, and Wilson’s taxonomy. In this study a comparison among these three taxonomies have been done. Results show that Bloom’s taxonomy is more suitable as an analysis tool to Educational Objective domain.

Credit assignment between body and object probed by an object transportation task.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Gaiqing; Zhou, Zhihao; Wang, Qining; Kording, Konrad; Wei, Kunlin

2017-10-17

It has been proposed that learning from movement errors involves a credit assignment problem: did I misestimate properties of the object or those of my body? For example, an overestimate of arm strength and an underestimate of the weight of a coffee cup can both lead to coffee spills. Though previous studies have found signs of simultaneous learning of the object and of the body during object manipulation, there is little behavioral evidence about their quantitative relation. Here we employed a novel weight-transportation task, in which participants lift the first cup filled with liquid while assessing their learning from errors. Specifically, we examined their transfer of learning when switching to a contralateral hand, the second identical cup, or switching both hands and cups. By comparing these transfer behaviors, we found that 25% of the learning was attributed to the object (simply because of the use of the same cup) and 58% of the learning was attributed to the body (simply because of the use of the same hand). The nervous system thus seems to partition the learning of object manipulation between the object and the body.

'Come and live here and you'll experience it': : Youths talk about their deprived neighbourhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, Kirsten; Bolt, Gideon; van Kempen, Ronald

2015-01-01

This study examined youths' lived experiences of a deprived neighbourhood in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Previous studies assume that deprived neighbourhoods pose serious risks for youths. What is largely missing from these studies, however, are the experiences of young people themselves. Do they

Five-year progression of unilateral age-related macular degeneration to bilateral involvement: the Three Continent AMD Consortium report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joachim, N.; Colijn, J.M.; Kifley, A.; Lee, K.E.; Buitendijk, G.H.; Klein, B.E.; Myers, C.E.; Meuer, S.M.; Tan, A.G.; Holliday, E.G.; Attia, J.; Liew, G.; Iyengar, S.K.; Jong, p de; Hofman, A.; Vingerling, J.R.; Mitchell, P.; Klaver, C.C.W.; Klein, R.; Wang, J.J.

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: To assess the 5-year progression from unilateral to bilateral age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and associated risk factors. DESIGN: Pooled data analyses of three prospective population-based cohorts, the Blue Mountains Eye Study, Beaver Dam Eye Study and Rotterdam Study. METHODS:

Five-year progression of unilateral age-related macular degeneration to bilateral involvement : the Three Continent AMD Consortium report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joachim, Nichole; Colijn, Johanna Maria; Kifley, Annette; Lee, Kristine E; Buitendijk, Gabriëlle H S; Klein, Barbara E K; Myers, Chelsea E; Meuer, Stacy M; Tan, Ava G; Holliday, Elizabeth G; Attia, John; Liew, Gerald; Iyengar, Sudha K; de Jong, Paulus T V M; Hofman, Albert; Vingerling, Johannes R; Mitchell, Paul; Klaver, Caroline C W; Klein, Ronald; Wang, Jie Jin

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: To assess the 5-year progression from unilateral to bilateral age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and associated risk factors. DESIGN: Pooled data analyses of three prospective population-based cohorts, the Blue Mountains Eye Study, Beaver Dam Eye Study and Rotterdam Study. METHODS:

Breaking object correspondence across saccadic eye movements deteriorates object recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian H. Poth

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Visual perception is based on information processing during periods of eye fixations that are interrupted by fast saccadic eye movements. The ability to sample and relate information on task-relevant objects across fixations implies that correspondence between presaccadic and postsaccadic objects is established. Postsaccadic object information usually updates and overwrites information on the corresponding presaccadic object. The presaccadic object representation is then lost. In contrast, the presaccadic object is conserved when object correspondence is broken. This helps transsaccadic memory but it may impose attentional costs on object recognition. Therefore, we investigated how breaking object correspondence across the saccade affects postsaccadic object recognition. In Experiment 1, object correspondence was broken by a brief postsaccadic blank screen. Observers made a saccade to a peripheral object which was displaced during the saccade. This object reappeared either immediately after the saccade or after the blank screen. Within the postsaccadic object, a letter was briefly presented (terminated by a mask. Observers reported displacement direction and letter identity in different blocks. Breaking object correspondence by blanking improved displacement identification but deteriorated postsaccadic letter recognition. In Experiment 2, object correspondence was broken by changing the object’s contrast-polarity. There were no object displacements and observers only reported letter identity. Again, breaking object correspondence deteriorated postsaccadic letter recognition. These findings identify transsaccadic object correspondence as a key determinant of object recognition across the saccade. This is in line with the recent hypothesis that breaking object correspondence results in separate representations of presaccadic and postsaccadic objects which then compete for limited attentional processing resources (Schneider, 2013. Postsaccadic

Objectivity

CERN Document Server

Daston, Lorraine

2010-01-01

Objectivity has a history, and it is full of surprises. In Objectivity, Lorraine Daston and Peter Galison chart the emergence of objectivity in the mid-nineteenth-century sciences--and show how the concept differs from its alternatives, truth-to-nature and trained judgment. This is a story of lofty epistemic ideals fused with workaday practices in the making of scientific images. From the eighteenth through the early twenty-first centuries, the images that reveal the deepest commitments of the empirical sciences--from anatomy to crystallography--are those featured in scientific atlases, the compendia that teach practitioners what is worth looking at and how to look at it. Galison and Daston use atlas images to uncover a hidden history of scientific objectivity and its rivals. Whether an atlas maker idealizes an image to capture the essentials in the name of truth-to-nature or refuses to erase even the most incidental detail in the name of objectivity or highlights patterns in the name of trained judgment is a...

Object-based warping: an illusory distortion of space within objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Vickery, Timothy J; Chun, Marvin M

2010-12-01

Visual objects are high-level primitives that are fundamental to numerous perceptual functions, such as guidance of attention. We report that objects warp visual perception of space in such a way that spatial distances within objects appear to be larger than spatial distances in ground regions. When two dots were placed inside a rectangular object, they appeared farther apart from one another than two dots with identical spacing outside of the object. To investigate whether this effect was object based, we measured the distortion while manipulating the structure surrounding the dots. Object displays were constructed with a single object, multiple objects, a partially occluded object, and an illusory object. Nonobject displays were constructed to be comparable to object displays in low-level visual attributes. In all cases, the object displays resulted in a more powerful distortion of spatial perception than comparable non-object-based displays. These results suggest that perception of space within objects is warped.

Mechanical Objects and the Engineering Learner: An Experimental Study of How the Presence of Objects Affects Students' Performance on Engineering Related Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Bairaktarova, Diana N.

2013-01-01

People display varying levels of interaction with the mechanical objects in their environment; engineers in particular as makers and users of these objects display a higher level of interaction with them. Investigating the educational potential of mechanical objects in stimulating and supporting learning in engineering is warranted by the fact…

Comparative Study of Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization Algorithms for a Non-linear Greenhouse Climate Control Problem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ghoreishi, Newsha; Sørensen, Jan Corfixen; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2015-01-01

Non-trivial real world decision-making processes usually involve multiple parties having potentially conflicting interests over a set of issues. State-of-the-art multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEA) are well known to solve this class of complex real-world problems. In this paper, we...... compare the performance of state-of-the-art multi-objective evolutionary algorithms to solve a non-linear multi-objective multi-issue optimisation problem found in Greenhouse climate control. The chosen algorithms in the study includes NSGAII, eNSGAII, eMOEA, PAES, PESAII and SPEAII. The performance...... of all aforementioned algorithms is assessed and compared using performance indicators to evaluate proximity, diversity and consistency. Our insights to this comparative study enhanced our understanding of MOEAs performance in order to solve a non-linear complex climate control problem. The empirical...

Nitrogen oxides emission of mobile equipment in the port of Rotterdam. Consequences for nitrogen dioxide concentration, nitrogen deposition and a deduction of emission factors for container and bulk businesses; Stikstofoxidenemissies van mobiele werktuigen in de Rotterdamse haven. Gevolgen voor stikstofdioxide concentratie, stikstofdepositie, en een afleiding van emissiefactoren voor container- en droge bulk bedrijven

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okkerse, W J.H.; De Gier, C W

2011-08-15

In container terminals, dry bulk businesses and construction sites in the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, large masses of goods are transported by means of diesel-fuelled equipment every year. The combustion of diesel in this equipment results in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter. This study has calculated the amounts of NOx emissions of the involved businesses based on detailed data on the composition of the equipment fleet of six representative storage and transshipment businesses. The resulting contribution to nitrogen oxide concentration at ground level and the nitrogen deposition have been calculated with the OPS model (Operational Priority Substances) [Dutch] Bij containerterminals, droge bulk bedrijven en bouwplaatsen in de Rotterdamse haven wordt jaarlijks een grote massa aan goederen getransporteerd met behulp van dieselaangedreven apparatuur. De verbranding van diesel in deze apparatuur zorgt voor de emissie van stikstofoxiden (NOx) en stof. In dit onderzoek zijn de NOx emissies van de betrokken bedrijven berekend op basis van gedetailleerde gegevens over de samenstelling van het werktuigenpark van zes representatieve op- en overslagbedrijven. De resulterende bijdrage aan de stikstofdioxide (NO2) concentratie op leefniveau en de stikstofdepositie is berekend met het OPS-model (Operationele Prioritaire Stoffen)

A validated set of tool pictures with matched objects and non-objects for laterality research.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Ark; Brysbaert, Marc

2015-01-01

Neuropsychological and neuroimaging research has established that knowledge related to tool use and tool recognition is lateralized to the left cerebral hemisphere. Recently, behavioural studies with the visual half-field technique have confirmed the lateralization. A limitation of this research was that different sets of stimuli had to be used for the comparison of tools to other objects and objects to non-objects. Therefore, we developed a new set of stimuli containing matched triplets of tools, other objects and non-objects. With the new stimulus set, we successfully replicated the findings of no visual field advantage for objects in an object recognition task combined with a significant right visual field advantage for tools in a tool recognition task. The set of stimuli is available as supplemental data to this article.

A case Study of Applying Object-Relational Persistence in Astronomy Data Archiving

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, S. S.; Hiriart, R.; Barg, I.; Warner, P.; Gasson, D.

2005-12-01

The NOAO Science Archive (NSA) team is developing a comprehensive domain model to capture the science data in the archive. Java and an object model derived from the domain model weil address the application layer of the archive system. However, since RDBMS is the best proven technology for data management, the challenge is the paradigm mismatch between the object and the relational models. Transparent object-relational mapping (ORM) persistence is a successful solution to this challenge. In the data modeling and persistence implementation of NSA, we are using Hibernate, a well-accepted ORM tool, to bridge the object model in the business tier and the relational model in the database tier. Thus, the database is isolated from the Java application. The application queries directly on objects using a DBMS-independent object-oriented query API, which frees the application developers from the low level JDBC and SQL so that they can focus on the domain logic. We present the detailed design of the NSA R3 (Release 3) data model and object-relational persistence, including mapping, retrieving and caching. Persistence layer optimization and performance tuning will be analyzed. The system is being built on J2EE, so the integration of Hibernate into the EJB container and the transaction management are also explored.

Effects of Different Missing Data Imputation Techniques on the Performance of Undiagnosed Diabetes Risk Prediction Models in a Mixed-Ancestry Population of South Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katya L Masconi

Full Text Available Imputation techniques used to handle missing data are based on the principle of replacement. It is widely advocated that multiple imputation is superior to other imputation methods, however studies have suggested that simple methods for filling missing data can be just as accurate as complex methods. The objective of this study was to implement a number of simple and more complex imputation methods, and assess the effect of these techniques on the performance of undiagnosed diabetes risk prediction models during external validation.Data from the Cape Town Bellville-South cohort served as the basis for this study. Imputation methods and models were identified via recent systematic reviews. Models' discrimination was assessed and compared using C-statistic and non-parametric methods, before and after recalibration through simple intercept adjustment.The study sample consisted of 1256 individuals, of whom 173 were excluded due to previously diagnosed diabetes. Of the final 1083 individuals, 329 (30.4% had missing data. Family history had the highest proportion of missing data (25%. Imputation of the outcome, undiagnosed diabetes, was highest in stochastic regression imputation (163 individuals. Overall, deletion resulted in the lowest model performances while simple imputation yielded the highest C-statistic for the Cambridge Diabetes Risk model, Kuwaiti Risk model, Omani Diabetes Risk model and Rotterdam Predictive model. Multiple imputation only yielded the highest C-statistic for the Rotterdam Predictive model, which were matched by simpler imputation methods.Deletion was confirmed as a poor technique for handling missing data. However, despite the emphasized disadvantages of simpler imputation methods, this study showed that implementing these methods results in similar predictive utility for undiagnosed diabetes when compared to multiple imputation.

Multiple Level Crowding: Crowding at the Object Parts Level and at the Object Configural level.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimchi, Ruth; Pirkner, Yossef

2015-01-01

In crowding, identification of a peripheral target in the presence of nearby flankers is worse than when the target appears alone. Prevailing theories hold that crowding occurs because of integration or "pooling" of low-level features at a single, relatively early stage of visual processing. Recent studies suggest that crowding can occur also between high-level object representations. The most relevant findings come from studies with faces and may be specific to faces. We examined whether crowding can occur at the object configural level in addition to part-level crowding, using nonface objects. Target (a disconnected square or diamond made of four elements) identification was measured at varying eccentricities. The flankers were similar either to the target parts or to the target configuration. The results showed crowding in both cases: Flankers interfered with target identification such that identification accuracy decreased with an increase in eccentricity, and no interference was observed at the fovea. Crowding by object parts, however, was weaker and had smaller spatial extent than crowding by object configurations; we related this finding to the relationship between crowding and perceptual organization. These results provide strong evidence that crowding occurs not only between object parts but also between configural representations of objects. © The Author(s) 2015.

Ferromagnetic Objects Magnetovision Detection System.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowicki, Michał; Szewczyk, Roman

2013-12-02

This paper presents the application of a weak magnetic fields magnetovision scanning system for detection of dangerous ferromagnetic objects. A measurement system was developed and built to study the magnetic field vector distributions. The measurements of the Earth's field distortions caused by various ferromagnetic objects were carried out. The ability for passive detection of hidden or buried dangerous objects and the determination of their location was demonstrated.

The effect of introducing a helicopter trauma team to assist accident victims : a summary with conclusions and recommendations for further study. On behalf of the National Health Insurance Council.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Charro, F.T. & Oppe, S.

1998-01-01

An experiment involving the sending of emergency medical help by helicopter was started in The Netherlands on 1 May 1995. The SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research and the Centre for Health Policy and Law (CGBR) of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, have investigated the effectiveness of a

Five-year progression of unilateral age-related macular degeneration to bilateral involvement: the Three Continent AMD Consortium report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joachim, Nichole; Colijn, Johanna Maria; Kifley, Annette; Lee, Kristine E.; Buitendijk, Gabriëlle H. S.; Klein, Barbara E. K.; Myers, Chelsea E.; Meuer, Stacy M.; Tan, Ava G.; Holliday, Elizabeth G.; Attia, John; Liew, Gerald; Iyengar, Sudha K.; de Jong, Paulus T. V. M.; Hofman, Albert; Vingerling, Johannes R.; Mitchell, Paul; Klaver, Caroline C. W.; Klein, Ronald; Wang, Jie Jin

2017-01-01

Purpose To assess the 5-year progression from unilateral to bilateral age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and associated risk factors. Design Pooled data analyses of three prospective population-based cohorts, the Blue Mountains Eye Study, Beaver Dam Eye Study and Rotterdam Study. Methods Retinal

Video Cases in Teacher Education: A review study on intended and achieved learning objectives by video cases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geerts, Walter; Van der Werff, Anne; Hummel, Hans; Van Geert, Paul

2014-01-01

This literature review focuses on the use of video cases in the education of preservice teachers as a means of achieving higher order learning objectives that are necessary for gaining situated knowledge. An overview of both intended and achieved learning objectives in relevant studies involving

Predictive value of object relations for therapeutic alliance and outcome in psychotherapy for depression: an exploratory study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van, H.L.; Hendriksen, M.; Schoevers, R.A.; Peen, J.; Abraham, R.A.; Dekker, J.J.M.

2008-01-01

The concept of object relations has been shown to be relevant for the process and outcome of psychodynamic psychotherapies. However, little is known about its relevance for the psychotherapeutic treatment of depression. In this study, we explored the predictive value of object relational functioning

High free thyroxine levels are associated with QTc prolongation in males

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. van Noord (Charlotte); W.M. van der Deure (Wendy); M.C.J.M. Sturkenboom (Miriam); S.M.J.M. Straus (Sabine); A. Hofman (Albert); T.J. Visser (Theo); J.A. Kors (Jan); J.C.M. Witteman (Jacqueline); B.H.Ch. Stricker (Bruno)

2008-01-01

textabstractThe literature on the effect of excess thyroid hormone on ventricular repolarization is controversial. To study whether free thyroxine (T4) and TSH are associated with QTc prolongation we conducted population-based cohort study. This study was conducted as part of the Rotterdam Study and

Selective attention affects conceptual object priming and recognition: a study with young and older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballesteros, Soledad; Mayas, Julia

2014-01-01

In the present study, we investigated the effects of selective attention at encoding on conceptual object priming (Experiment 1) and old-new recognition memory (Experiment 2) tasks in young and older adults. The procedures of both experiments included encoding and memory test phases separated by a short delay. At encoding, the picture outlines of two familiar objects, one in blue and the other in green, were presented to the left and to the right of fixation. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to attend to the picture outline of a certain color and to classify the object as natural or artificial. After a short delay, participants performed a natural/artificial speeded conceptual classification task with repeated attended, repeated unattended, and new pictures. In Experiment 2, participants at encoding memorized the attended pictures and classify them as natural or artificial. After the encoding phase, they performed an old-new recognition memory task. Consistent with previous findings with perceptual priming tasks, we found that conceptual object priming, like explicit memory, required attention at encoding. Significant priming was obtained in both age groups, but only for those pictures that were attended at encoding. Although older adults were slower than young adults, both groups showed facilitation for attended pictures. In line with previous studies, young adults had better recognition memory than older adults.

Selective attention affects conceptual object priming and recognition: A study with young and older adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soledad eBallesteros

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we investigated the effects of selective attention at encoding on conceptual object priming (Experiment 1 and old-new recognition memory (Experiment 2 tasks in young and older adults. The procedures of both experiments included encoding and memory test phases separated by a short delay. At encoding, the picture outlines of two familiar objects, one in blue and the other in green, were presented to the left and to the right of fixation. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to attend to the picture outline of a certain color and to classify the object as natural or artificial. After a short delay, participants performed a natural/ artificial speeded conceptual classification task with repeated attended, repeated unattended and new pictures. In Experiment 2, participants at encoding memorized the attended pictures and classified them as natural or artificial. After the encoding phase, they performed an old-new recognition memory task. Consistent with previous findings with perceptual priming tasks, we found that conceptual object priming, like explicit memory, required attention at encoding. Significant priming was obtained in both age groups, but only for those pictures that were attended at encoding. Although older adults were slower than young adults, both groups showed facilitation for attended pictures. In line with previous studies, young adults had better recognition memory than older adults.

Synthesis of optical holograms of rotating objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogdanova, T.V.; Titar', V.P.; Tomchuk, E.Ya.

1998-01-01

A method of synthesis of rotating objects is analyzed and its advantages over the previously known methods and restrictions caused by the nonlinear character of motion of objects being studied are determined. Numerical simulation is used to study properties of synthesized holograms and the images reconstructed with their help. The resolving power of synthesized holograms is determined. The pulsed response of the system used for the synthesis of rotating objects is studied and its isoplanar sections are determined. It is shown that in the optical range, in contrast to the radio-frequency range, one can synthesize holograms and reconstruct visual images not only of rotating objects, but of vibrating objects as well. For small angles of object rotation (0.0025 rad), an image with a high resolution power (0.0004 m) can be obtained

Selective attention affects conceptual object priming and recognition: A study with young and older adults

OpenAIRE

Soledad eBallesteros; Julia eMayas

2015-01-01

In the present study, we investigated the effects of selective attention at encoding on conceptual object priming (Experiment 1) and old–new recognition memory (Experiment 2) tasks in young and older adults. The procedures of both experiments included encoding and memory test phases separated by a short delay. At encoding, the picture outlines of two familiar objects, one in blue and the other in green, were presented to the left and to the right of fixation. In Experiment 1, participants wer...

Ferromagnetic Objects Magnetovision Detection System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Nowicki

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the application of a weak magnetic fields magnetovision scanning system for detection of dangerous ferromagnetic objects. A measurement system was developed and built to study the magnetic field vector distributions. The measurements of the Earth’s field distortions caused by various ferromagnetic objects were carried out. The ability for passive detection of hidden or buried dangerous objects and the determination of their location was demonstrated.

Coupling Uncertainties with Accuracy Assessment in Object-Based Slum Detections, Case Study: Jakarta, Indonesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pratomo, J.; Kuffer, M.; Martinez, Javier; Kohli, D.

2017-01-01

Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) has been successfully used to map slums. In general, the occurrence of uncertainties in producing geographic data is inevitable. However, most studies concentrated solely on assessing the classification accuracy and neglecting the inherent uncertainties. Our

Study to validate the outcome goal, competencies and educational objectives for use in intensive care orientation programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyle, M; Butcher, R; Kenney, C

1998-03-01

Intensive care orientation programs have become an accepted component of intensive care education. To date, however, there have been no Australian-based standards defining the appropriate level of competence to be attained upon completion of orientation. The aim of this study was to validate a set of aims, competencies and educational objectives that could form the basis of intensive care orientation and which would ensure an outcome standard of safe and effective practice. An initial document containing a statement of the desired outcome goal, six competency statements and 182 educational objectives was developed through a review of the orientation programs developed by the investigators. The Delphi technique was used to gain consensus among 13 nurses recognised for their expertise in intensive care education. The expert group rated the acceptability of each of the study items and provided suggestions for objectives to be included. An approval rating of 80 per cent was required to retain each of the study items, with the document refined through three Delphi rounds. The final document contains a validated statement of outcome goal, competencies and educational objectives for intensive care orientation programs.

Object recognition memory in zebrafish.

Science.gov (United States)

May, Zacnicte; Morrill, Adam; Holcombe, Adam; Johnston, Travis; Gallup, Joshua; Fouad, Karim; Schalomon, Melike; Hamilton, Trevor James

2016-01-01

The novel object recognition, or novel-object preference (NOP) test is employed to assess recognition memory in a variety of organisms. The subject is exposed to two identical objects, then after a delay, it is placed back in the original environment containing one of the original objects and a novel object. If the subject spends more time exploring one object, this can be interpreted as memory retention. To date, this test has not been fully explored in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Zebrafish possess recognition memory for simple 2- and 3-dimensional geometrical shapes, yet it is unknown if this translates to complex 3-dimensional objects. In this study we evaluated recognition memory in zebrafish using complex objects of different sizes. Contrary to rodents, zebrafish preferentially explored familiar over novel objects. Familiarity preference disappeared after delays of 5 mins. Leopard danios, another strain of D. rerio, also preferred the familiar object after a 1 min delay. Object preference could be re-established in zebra danios by administration of nicotine tartrate salt (50mg/L) prior to stimuli presentation, suggesting a memory-enhancing effect of nicotine. Additionally, exploration biases were present only when the objects were of intermediate size (2 × 5 cm). Our results demonstrate zebra and leopard danios have recognition memory, and that low nicotine doses can improve this memory type in zebra danios. However, exploration biases, from which memory is inferred, depend on object size. These findings suggest zebrafish ecology might influence object preference, as zebrafish neophobia could reflect natural anti-predatory behaviour. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Channels as Objects in Concurrent Object-Oriented Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joana Campos

2011-10-01

Full Text Available There is often a sort of a protocol associated to each class, stating when and how certain methods should be called. Given that this protocol is, if at all, described in the documentation accompanying the class, current mainstream object-oriented languages cannot provide for the verification of client code adherence against the sought class behaviour. We have defined a class-based concurrent object-oriented language that formalises such protocols in the form of usage types. Usage types are attached to class definitions, allowing for the specification of (1 the available methods, (2 the tests clients must perform on the result of methods, and (3 the object status - linear or shared - all of which depend on the object's state. Our work extends the recent approach on modular session types by eliminating channel operations, and defining the method call as the single communication primitive in both sequential and concurrent settings. In contrast to previous works, we define a single category for objects, instead of distinct categories for linear and for shared objects, and let linear objects evolve into shared ones. We introduce a standard sync qualifier to prevent thread interference in certain operations on shared objects. We formalise the language syntax, the operational semantics, and a type system that enforces by static typing that methods are called only when available, and by a single client if so specified in the usage type. We illustrate the language via a complete example.

Task and spatial frequency modulations of object processing: an EEG study.

Science.gov (United States)

Craddock, Matt; Martinovic, Jasna; Müller, Matthias M

2013-01-01

Visual object processing may follow a coarse-to-fine sequence imposed by fast processing of low spatial frequencies (LSF) and slow processing of high spatial frequencies (HSF). Objects can be categorized at varying levels of specificity: the superordinate (e.g. animal), the basic (e.g. dog), or the subordinate (e.g. Border Collie). We tested whether superordinate and more specific categorization depend on different spatial frequency ranges, and whether any such dependencies might be revealed by or influence signals recorded using EEG. We used event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency (TF) analysis to examine the time course of object processing while participants performed either a grammatical gender-classification task (which generally forces basic-level categorization) or a living/non-living judgement (superordinate categorization) on everyday, real-life objects. Objects were filtered to contain only HSF or LSF. We found a greater positivity and greater negativity for HSF than for LSF pictures in the P1 and N1 respectively, but no effects of task on either component. A later, fronto-central negativity (N350) was more negative in the gender-classification task than the superordinate categorization task, which may indicate that this component relates to semantic or syntactic processing. We found no significant effects of task or spatial frequency on evoked or total gamma band responses. Our results demonstrate early differences in processing of HSF and LSF content that were not modulated by categorization task, with later responses reflecting such higher-level cognitive factors.

Processing subject-object ambiguities in Dutch

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaan, Edith

1997-01-01

Various clause types in Dutch and German are at least temporarily ambiguous with respect to the order of subject and object. A number of previous studies regarding the processing of such subject-object ambiguities have reported a preference for a subject-object interpretation. This order preference

Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS: objectives, design, methodology and implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musaiger AO; ATLS Research Group

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Hazzaa M Al-Hazzaa1,2, Abdulrahman O Musaiger3, ATLS Research Group1Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Movement Sciences, College of Education, King Saud University, 2Scientific Board, Obesity Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Arab Center for Nutrition, Manama, Bahrain, and Nutrition and Health Studies Unit, Deanship of Scientific Research, University of Bahrain, BahrainBackground: There is a lack of comparable data on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and dietary habits among Arab adolescents, which limits our understanding and interpretation of the relationship between obesity and lifestyle parameters. Therefore, we initiated the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study (ATLS. The ATLS is a multicenter collaborative project for assessing lifestyle habits of Arab adolescents. The objectives of the ATLS project were to investigate the prevalence rates for overweight and obesity, physical activity, sedentary activity and dietary habits among Arab adolescents, and to examine the interrelationships between these lifestyle variables. This paper reports on the objectives, design, methodology, and implications of the ATLS.Design/Methods: The ATLS is a school-based cross-sectional study involving 9182 randomly selected secondary-school students (14–19 years from major Arab cities, using a multistage stratified sampling technique. The participating Arab cities included Riyadh, Jeddah, and Al-Khobar (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Dubai (United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Amman (Jordan, Mosel (Iraq, Muscat (Oman, Tunisia (Tunisia and Kenitra (Morocco. Measured variables included anthropometric measurements, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration, and dietary habits.Discussion: The ATLS project will provide a unique opportunity to collect and analyze important lifestyle information from Arab adolescents using standardized procedures. This is the first time a collaborative Arab project will

Visual Servoing for Object Manipulation: A Case Study in Slaughterhouse

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Haiyan; Andersen, Thomas Timm; Andersen, Nils Axel

2016-01-01

Automation for slaughterhouse challenges the design of the control system due to the variety of the objects. Realtime sensing provides instantaneous information about each piece of work and thus, is useful for robotic system developed for slaughterhouse. In this work, a pick and place task which....... An online and offline combined path planning algorithm is proposed to generate the desired path for the robot control. An industrial robot arm is applied to execute the path. The system is implemented for a lab-scale experiment, and the results show a high success rate of object manipulation in the pick...

Polypharmacy and falls in the middle age and elderly population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

G. Ziere; J.P. Dieleman (Jeanne); A. Hofman (Albert); H.A.P. Pols (Huib); T.J.M. van der Cammen (Tischa); B.H.Ch. Stricker (Bruno)

2006-01-01

textabstractAim: Falls in the elderly are common and often serious. We studied the association between multiple drug use (polypharmacy) and falls in the elderly. Methods: This was a population-based cross-sectional study, part of the Rotterdam Study. The participants were 6928 individuals aged ≥55

Positive ageing perceptions among migrant Turkish and native Dutch older people: a matter of culture or resources?

Science.gov (United States)

Cramm, Jane M; Nieboer, Anna P

2017-07-21

This study examined ethnic differences in ageing perceptions of migrant Turkish and native Dutch elders residing in Rotterdam, and explored whether such differences could be attributed to culture or resources (personal, physical, economic and/or social). This study was based on combined data from two research projects focusing on the health and well-being of community-dwelling elderly people in Rotterdam. The first dataset contained data from 994 native Dutch elders aged 70-99 years. The Rotterdam municipal register was used to randomly sample respondents, stratified by age group (70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and ≥85 years) and neighbourhood. Of the 2593 eligible respondents, 1075 returned filled-in questionnaires (41% response rate). Of these 1075 respondents a total of 994 were natives which is the sample we selected for the current study. The second dataset contained data from 680 Turkish migrants aged 65-90 years. All Turkish people aged ≥65 years were identified using the Rotterdam municipal register and invited to participate. In total, 680 Turkish respondents returned filled-in questionnaires (32% response rate; out of 2350). Ageing perceptions were measured using the 21-item Ageing Perceptions Questionnaire-Short (APQ-S). Respondents were additionally asked about their current general health, income, education, marital status, age and gender. The results of this study clearly reveal the importance of culture for all ageing perceptions among Turkish and Dutch elders. We found that age, health, and education were also important factors. For Turkish elders, health and education were the most important resources; for Dutch elders, age and health were most important in relation to ageing perceptions. Ageing perceptions were generally more negative among Turkish than among Dutch elders. Turkish elders reported more negative awareness of ageing, felt less in control of their ageing processes, and had more negative emotional reactions to ageing. They also believed

An Intelligent Systems Approach to Automated Object Recognition: A Preliminary Study

Science.gov (United States)

Maddox, Brian G.; Swadley, Casey L.

2002-01-01

Attempts at fully automated object recognition systems have met with varying levels of success over the years. However, none of the systems have achieved high enough accuracy rates to be run unattended. One of the reasons for this may be that they are designed from the computer's point of view and rely mainly on image-processing methods. A better solution to this problem may be to make use of modern advances in computational intelligence and distributed processing to try to mimic how the human brain is thought to recognize objects. As humans combine cognitive processes with detection techniques, such a system would combine traditional image-processing techniques with computer-based intelligence to determine the identity of various objects in a scene.

Flotation of PAH contaminated dredged sludge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mulleneers, H.; Roubroeks, S.; Bruning, H.; Rulkens, W.H.; Koopal, L.K.

2000-01-01

The applicability of dissolved air flotation to remediate contaminated sediments of "Overschie" (Rotterdam) and "Petrol Harbor" (Amsterdam) is studied. Several flotation reagents (Diesel Fuel, Montanol, Aerophine, Aerofroth) are applied to enhance the flotation efficiency. The physical chemical

A Sociolinguistic Study of Differential Object Marking (DOM) in Two Varieties of Contemporary Spanish

Science.gov (United States)

Balasch Rodriguez, Sonia

2011-01-01

This sociolinguistic-variationist investigation sheds light on two little-studied issues concerning Spanish DOM, or variable use of a before animate "direct objects" (DOs), in vernacular language: the complex interaction of co-occurring linguistic (type of verb; definiteness, specificity, grammatical number, topicality, type and…

Unrewarded Object Combinations in Captive Parrots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alice Marie Isabel Auersperg

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In primates, complex object combinations during play are often regarded as precursors of functional behavior. Here we investigate combinatory behaviors during unrewarded object manipulation in seven parrot species, including kea, African grey parrots and Goffin cockatoos, three species previously used as model species for technical problem solving. We further examine a habitually tool using species, the black palm cockatoo. Moreover, we incorporate three neotropical species, the yellow- and the black-billed Amazon and the burrowing parakeet. Paralleling previous studies on primates and corvids, free object-object combinations and complex object-substrate combinations such as inserting objects into tubes/holes or stacking rings onto poles prevailed in the species previously linked to advanced physical cognition and tool use. In addition, free object-object combinations were intrinsically structured in Goffin cockatoos and in kea.

Strategic Management Accounting Corporate Objective and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

No organisation operates without a focus and this focus can be termed objective or goal; which should be clearly slated. This study therefore looked at Strategic Management Accounting Corporate Strategy and Production objectives. The study samples are selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. Questionnaires were ...

Ethnic minority dropout in economics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arnold, I.J.M.

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the first-year study success of minority students in the bachelor program in economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam. We find that the gap in study success between minority and majority students can be attributed to differences in high school education. Students from

The effect of omitting an early population-based vision screen in the Netherlands : A micro-simulation model approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

F. Sloot; E. Heijnsdijk; F. Goudsmit; E.W. Steyerberg; H.J. de Koning; H.J. Simonsz; Dr. J.H. Groenewoud

2016-01-01

To estimate the effect of omitting an individual screen from a child vision screening programme on the detection of amblyopia in the Netherlands. A previous study (Rotterdam Amblyopia Screening Effectiveness Study) suggested that the three screens carried out between 6 and 24 months contributed

Task and spatial frequency modulations of object processing: an EEG study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matt Craddock

Full Text Available Visual object processing may follow a coarse-to-fine sequence imposed by fast processing of low spatial frequencies (LSF and slow processing of high spatial frequencies (HSF. Objects can be categorized at varying levels of specificity: the superordinate (e.g. animal, the basic (e.g. dog, or the subordinate (e.g. Border Collie. We tested whether superordinate and more specific categorization depend on different spatial frequency ranges, and whether any such dependencies might be revealed by or influence signals recorded using EEG. We used event-related potentials (ERPs and time-frequency (TF analysis to examine the time course of object processing while participants performed either a grammatical gender-classification task (which generally forces basic-level categorization or a living/non-living judgement (superordinate categorization on everyday, real-life objects. Objects were filtered to contain only HSF or LSF. We found a greater positivity and greater negativity for HSF than for LSF pictures in the P1 and N1 respectively, but no effects of task on either component. A later, fronto-central negativity (N350 was more negative in the gender-classification task than the superordinate categorization task, which may indicate that this component relates to semantic or syntactic processing. We found no significant effects of task or spatial frequency on evoked or total gamma band responses. Our results demonstrate early differences in processing of HSF and LSF content that were not modulated by categorization task, with later responses reflecting such higher-level cognitive factors.

Stream Clustering of Growing Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, Zaigham Faraz; Spiliopoulou, Myra

We study incremental clustering of objects that grow and accumulate over time. The objects come from a multi-table stream e.g. streams of Customer and Transaction. As the Transactions stream accumulates, the Customers’ profiles grow. First, we use an incremental propositionalisation to convert the multi-table stream into a single-table stream upon which we apply clustering. For this purpose, we develop an online version of K-Means algorithm that can handle these swelling objects and any new objects that arrive. The algorithm also monitors the quality of the model and performs re-clustering when it deteriorates. We evaluate our method on the PKDD Challenge 1999 dataset.

Real-time objects development: Study and proposal for a parallel scheduling architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rioux, Laurent

1997-01-01

This thesis contributes to the programming and the execution control of real-time object oriented applications. Using real-time objects is very interesting for programming real- time applications, because this model can introduce the concurrence with the encapsulation properties, with modularity and reusability by taking into account the real-time constraints of the application. One essential quality of this approach is that it can directly specify the parallelism and the real-time constraints at the model level of the application. An annotation system of C++ has been defined to describe the real-time specifications in the model (or in the source code) of the application. It will supply to the execution support the different information it needs for the control. In this approach of multitasking, the control is distributed and encapsulated inside each real time object. Three complementary levels of control have been defined: the state level (defining the capability of an object to treat an operation), the concurrence level (assuring the coherence between the object attributes) and a scheduling control (allocating the processors resources to the object by taking real-time constraints into account). The proposed control architecture, named OROS, manages the attribute access of each object in an individual way, then it can parallel treatments which do not access at the same data. This architecture makes a dynamic control of an application that can take benefit from the parallelism of the new machines both for the execution parallelism and the control itself. This architecture uses only the simplest primitives of the industrial real-time operating systems which ensures its feasibility and portability. (author) [fr

Dose profile study on computerized tomography scanning of skull with simulator object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mourao, A.P.

2011-01-01

This work presents a comparison among the dose profiles in scanning of computerized tomography of a simulator object of PMMA in its periphery region. To obtain the deposited dose at the PMMA thermoluminescent dosemeters were used positioned at the interior of PMMA simulated object longitudinal to periphery and at the center of cylinder (positions denominated North, South, East, West and Center). Eight scanning were performed of simulator object using the routine protocol for skull in eight different services of radiodiagnostic by TC

Concepts and collections: A case study using objects from the Brooklyn Museum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wray, Tim; Eklund, Peter

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a browsing framework for digitised cultural collections. Using a data analysis technique called Formal Concept Analysis (FCA), units of thought can be constructed from a series of objects and their tags. FCA can dynamically generate links in between objects and induce...... a serendipitous browsing experience using a relatively simple data structure. We evaluate the utility and scalability of our approach to a collection of 15,000 objects from the Brooklyn Museum's collections. We describe how we use natural language processing techniques and external lexical resources to synthesise...... key terms from museum documentation. We then combine this term extraction process with FCA to effectively demonstrate links between and within collections of objects. In doing so we present a versatile, generalizable term extraction and browsing framework suitable for digital libraries and archives...

Food-initiated outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus analyzed by pheno- and genotyping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.A.J.W. Kluytmans (Jan); R. Hollis; S. Messer; L. Herwaldt; J. Bruining (Hans); M. Heck; J. Rost; N. van Leeuwen; W.H.F. Goessens (Wil); W.B. van Leeuwen (Willem)

1995-01-01

textabstractAn outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) involving 27 patients and 14 health-care workers (HCW) was studied. The outbreak started in the hematology unit of the University Hospital Rotterdam, Dijkzigt, The Netherlands, and spread to

Patient acceptability and practical implications of pharmacokinetic studies in patients with advanced cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobbs, N A; Twelves, C J; Ramirez, A J; Towlson, K E; Gregory, W M; Richards, M A

1993-01-01

We have studied the practical implications and acceptability to patients of pharmacokinetic studies in 34 women receiving anthracyclines for advanced breast cancer. The following parameters were recorded: age, ECOG performance status, psychological state (Rotterdam Symptom Checklist), cytotoxic drug and dose, number of venepunctures for treatment and sampling, and time when the sampling cannula was removed. Immediately after finishing pharmacokinetic sampling, patients completed a questionnaire which revealed that (i) all patients understood sampling was for research, (ii) 35% of patients experienced problems with sampling, (iii) benefits from participation were perceived by 56% of patients. Of 20 patients later questioned after completion of their treatment course, 40% recalled difficulties with blood sampling. Factors identifying in advance those patients who tolerate pharmacokinetic studies poorly were not identified but the number of venepunctures should be minimised. Patients may also perceive benefits from 'non-therapeutic' research.

Feasibility and reliability of a newly developed antenatal risk score card in routine care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E. Birnie; E.A.P. Steegers; Drs. H.W. Torij; M.J. Veen; J. Poeran; G.J. Bonsel

2015-01-01

A population-based cross-sectional study (feasibility) and a cohort study (inter-rater reliability) to study in routine care the feasibility and inter-rater reliability of the Rotterdam Reproductive Risk Reduction risk score card (R4U), a new semi-quantitative score card for use during the antenatal

The study of subjective and objective evaluation of sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LIU Chun-feng

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Background Sleep disorder is one of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD patients. At present, there are subjective and objective tools to evaluate sleepdisorders. Nevertheless, previous studies commonly used single subjective questionnaires or objective examinations. Therefore, we used the combinations of subjective and objective tools to analyze clinical characteristics of sleep disturbances in PD and investigated differences and consistence between subjective and objective tools. Methods One hundred and sixteen PD patients were eligible to participate into this study. All participants were evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS in "on" condition, Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y stage, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD 24 items, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS, and underwent a video-polysomnography (Video-PSG. Results According to PSQI score of 116 PD patients, the proportion of PD patients with sleep disturbances (PSQI ≥ 7 was 50% (N = 58. Compared to PD patients without sleep disturbances, PD patients with sleep disturbances had lower score of MoCA (23.34 ± 3.50 vs 24.89 ± 3.52; t = 2.377, P = 0.019, higher score of UPDRSⅠ[4.00 (2.00, 5.00 vs 3.00 (2.00, 5.00; U = - 2.306, P = 0.021], UPDRSⅡ[12.00 (9.00, 16.00 vs 10.00 (6.00, 13.00; U = - 1.995, P = 0.046], higher levodopa equivalent daily dose [LED, (508.14 ± 335.85 vs (394.06 ± 236.40 mg/d; t = - 2.115, P = 0.037]. Although PD patients with sleep disturbances had more score of UPDSR Ⅲ and higher H-Y stage, the differences were not significant (P > 0.05. On the other hand, decreased total sleep time (TST, reduced sleep efficiency (SE, increased sleep latency (SL, decreased non-rapid eye movement (NREM sleep stage Ⅱ time were found for PD patients with sleep disturbances (P 0.05, for all. The score of PSQI was positively correlated with the score of ESS (r = 0.200, P = 0

Category-specificity in visual object recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gerlach, Christian

2009-01-01

Are all categories of objects recognized in the same manner visually? Evidence from neuropsychology suggests they are not: some brain damaged patients are more impaired in recognizing natural objects than artefacts whereas others show the opposite impairment. Category-effects have also been...... demonstrated in neurologically intact subjects, but the findings are contradictory and there is no agreement as to why category-effects arise. This article presents a Pre-semantic Account of Category Effects (PACE) in visual object recognition. PACE assumes two processing stages: shape configuration (the...... binding of shape elements into elaborate shape descriptions) and selection (among competing representations in visual long-term memory), which are held to be differentially affected by the structural similarity between objects. Drawing on evidence from clinical studies, experimental studies...

Multi-Objective Sensitivity Analyses for Power Generation Mix: Malaysia Case Study

OpenAIRE

Siti Mariam Mohd Shokri; Nofri Yenita Dahlan; Hasmaini Mohamad

2017-01-01

This paper presents an optimization framework to determine long-term optimal generation mix for Malaysia Power Sector using Dynamic Programming (DP) technique. Several new candidate units with a pre-defined MW capacity were included in the model for generation expansion planning from coal, natural gas, hydro and renewable energy (RE). Four objective cases were considered, 1) economic cost, 2) environmental, 3) reliability and 4) multi-objectives that combining the three cases. Results show th...

Parent-child interactions and objectively measured child physical activity: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyatt Raymond R

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Parents influence their children's behaviors directly through specific parenting practices and indirectly through their parenting style. Some practices such as logistical and emotional support have been shown to be positively associated with child physical activity (PA levels, while for others (e.g. monitoring the relationship is not clear. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship between parent's PA-related practices, general parenting style, and children's PA level. Methods During the spring of 2007 a diverse group of 99 parent-child dyads (29% White, 49% Black, 22% Hispanic; 89% mothers living in low-income rural areas of the US participated in a cross-sectional study. Using validated questionnaires, parents self-reported their parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved and activity-related parenting practices. Height and weight were measured for each dyad and parents reported demographic information. Child PA was measured objectively through accelerometers and expressed as absolute counts and minutes engaged in intensity-specific activity. Results Seventy-six children had valid accelerometer data. Children engaged in 113.4 ± 37.0 min. of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA per day. Children of permissive parents accumulated more minutes of MVPA than those of uninvolved parents (127.5 vs. 97.1, p p = 0.03. While controlling for known covariates, an uninvolved parenting style was the only parenting behavior associated with child physical activity. Parenting style moderated the association between two parenting practices - reinforcement and monitoring - and child physical activity. Specifically, post-hoc analyses revealed that for the permissive parenting style group, higher levels of parental reinforcement or monitoring were associated with higher levels of child physical activity. Conclusions This work extends the current literature by demonstrating the potential

Correction of bias in belt transect studies of immotile objects

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, D.R.; Pospahala, R.S.

1970-01-01

Unless a correction is made, population estimates derived from a sample of belt transects will be biased if a fraction of, the individuals on the sample transects are not counted. An approach, useful for correcting this bias when sampling immotile populations using transects of a fixed width, is presented. The method assumes that a searcher's ability to find objects near the center of the transect is nearly perfect. The method utilizes a mathematical equation, estimated from the data, to represent the searcher's inability to find all objects at increasing distances from the center of the transect. An example of the analysis of data, formation of the equation, and application is presented using waterfowl nesting data collected in Colorado.

History of discovery of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

Stein and Leventhal are regarded to have been the first investigators of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); however, in 1721 Vallisneri, an Italian scientist, described a married, infertile woman with shiny ovaries with a white surface, and the size of pigeon eggs. It was not until the early 1990s at a National Institute of Health (NIH) sponsored conference on PCOS that formal diagnostic criteria were proposed and afterwards largely utilized. Many scientists tried to explain the pathophysiology of PCOS and many studies were made. It is now accepted that it is multifactorial, partly genetic; however, a number of candidate genes have been postulated. Insulin resistance has been noted consistently among many women with PCOS, especially in those with hyperandrogenism, but it is not included in any of the diagnostic criteria. Now there is strong evidence that cardiovascular disease risk factors and disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism are all increased in patients with PCOS compared to the healthy population. The criteria established by a group of experts during a conference in Rotterdam held in 2003 are obligatory (The Rotterdam ESHRE/ASRM - Sponsored PCOS Consensus Workshop Group). The subsequent "Rotterdam criteria" incorporated the size and morphology, as determined by an ultrasound, of the ovary into the diagnostic criteria.

Semantic memory in object use.

Science.gov (United States)

Silveri, Maria Caterina; Ciccarelli, Nicoletta

2009-10-01

We studied five patients with semantic memory disorders, four with semantic dementia and one with herpes simplex virus encephalitis, to investigate the involvement of semantic conceptual knowledge in object use. Comparisons between patients who had semantic deficits of different severity, as well as the follow-up, showed that the ability to use objects was largely preserved when the deficit was mild but progressively decayed as the deficit became more severe. Naming was generally more impaired than object use. Production tasks (pantomime execution and actual object use) and comprehension tasks (pantomime recognition and action recognition) as well as functional knowledge about objects were impaired when the semantic deficit was severe. Semantic and unrelated errors were produced during object use, but actions were always fluent and patients performed normally on a novel tools task in which the semantic demand was minimal. Patients with severe semantic deficits scored borderline on ideational apraxia tasks. Our data indicate that functional semantic knowledge is crucial for using objects in a conventional way and suggest that non-semantic factors, mainly non-declarative components of memory, might compensate to some extent for semantic disorders and guarantee some residual ability to use very common objects independently of semantic knowledge.

Integrating climate change adaptation into civil protection: comparative lessons from Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groven, K.; Aall, C.; van den Berg, Maya Marieke; Carlsson-Kanyama, A.; Coenen, Franciscus H.J.M.

2012-01-01

Integrating policy on climate change adaptation into civil protection is explored through studies of extreme weather management at the national level in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, and through local case studies of the three coastal cities of Bergen, Malmö and Rotterdam. The research issues

Object-relational database design-exploiting object orientation at the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper applies the object-relational database paradigm in the design of a Health Management Information System. The class design, mapping of object classes to relational tables, the representation of inheritance hierarchies, and the appropriate database schema are all examined. Keywords: object relational ...

Particulates and noise exposure during bicycle, bus and car commuting: A study in three European cities.

Science.gov (United States)

Okokon, Enembe O; Yli-Tuomi, Tarja; Turunen, Anu W; Taimisto, Pekka; Pennanen, Arto; Vouitsis, Ilias; Samaras, Zissis; Voogt, Marita; Keuken, Menno; Lanki, Timo

2017-04-01

In order to curb traffic-related air pollution and its impact on the physical environment, contemporary city commuters are encouraged to shift from private car use to active or public transport modes. However, personal exposures to particulate matter (PM), black carbon and noise during commuting may be substantial. Therefore, studies comparing exposures during recommended modes of transport versus car trips are needed. We measured personal exposure to various-sized particulates, soot, and noise during commuting by bicycle, bus and car in three European cities: Helsinki in Finland, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Thessaloniki in Greece using portable monitoring devices. We monitored commonly travelled routes in these cities. The total number of one-way trips yielding data on any of the measured parameters were 84, 72, 94 and 69 for bicycle, bus, closed-window car and open-window car modes, respectively. The highest mean PM 2.5 (85µg/m 3 ), PM 10 (131µg/m 3 ), black carbon (10.9µg/m 3 ) and noise (75dBA) levels were recorded on the bus, bus (again), open-window car and bicycle modes, respectively, all in Thessaloniki, PM and soot concentrations were generally higher during biking and taking a bus than during a drive in a a car with closed windows. Ratios of bike:car PM 10 ranged from 1.1 in Thessaloniki to 2.6 in Helsinki, while bus:car ratios ranged from in 1.0 in Rotterdam to 5.6 in Thessaloniki. Higher noise levels were mostly recorded during bicycle rides. Based on our study, active- and public-transport commuters are often at risk of higher air pollution and noise exposure than private car users. This should be taken into account in urban transportation planning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Object formation in visual working memory: Evidence from object-based attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jifan; Zhang, Haihang; Ding, Xiaowei; Shui, Rende; Shen, Mowei

2016-09-01

We report on how visual working memory (VWM) forms intact perceptual representations of visual objects using sub-object elements. Specifically, when objects were divided into fragments and sequentially encoded into VWM, the fragments were involuntarily integrated into objects in VWM, as evidenced by the occurrence of both positive and negative object-based attention effects: In Experiment 1, when subjects' attention was cued to a location occupied by the VWM object, the target presented at the location of that object was perceived as occurring earlier than that presented at the location of a different object. In Experiment 2, responses to a target were significantly slower when a distractor was presented at the same location as the cued object (Experiment 2). These results suggest that object fragments can be integrated into objects within VWM in a manner similar to that of visual perception. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tracking moving objects with megavoltage portal imaging: A feasibility study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, Juergen; Richter, Anne; Baier, Kurt; Wilbert, Juergen; Guckenberger, Matthias; Flentje, Michael

2006-01-01

Four different algorithms were investigated with the aim to determine their suitability to track an object in conventional megavoltage portal images. The algorithms considered were the mean of the sum of squared differences (MSSD), mutual information (MI), the correlation ratio (CR), and the correlation coefficient (CC). Simulation studies were carried out with various image series containing a rigid object of interest that was moved along a predefined trajectory. For each of the series the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was varied to compare the performance of the algorithms under noisy conditions. For a poor SNR of -6 dB the mean tracking error was 2.4, 6.5, 39.0, and 17.2 pixels for MSSD, CC, CR and MI, respectively, with a standard deviation of 1.9, 12.9, 19.5, and 7.5 pixels, respectively. The size of a pixel was 0.5 mm. These results improved to 1.1, 1.3, 1.3, and 2.0 pixels, respectively, with a standard deviation of 0.6, 0.8, 0.8, and 2.1 pixels, respectively, when a mean filter was applied to the images prior to tracking. The implementation of MSSD into existing in-house software demonstrated that, depending on the search range, it was possible to process between 2 and 15 images/s, making this approach capable of real-time applications. In conclusion, the best geometric tracking accuracy overall was obtained with MSSD, followed by CC, CR, and MI. The simplest and best algorithm, both in terms of geometric accuracy as well as computational cost, was the MSSD algorithm and was therefore the method of choice

Gender Differences in Memory for Objects and Their Locations: A Study on Automatic versus Controlled Encoding and Retrieval Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

De Goede, Maartje; Postma, Albert

2008-01-01

Object-location memory is the only spatial task where female subjects have been shown to outperform males. This result is not consistent across all studies, and may be due to the combination of the multi-component structure of object location memory with the conditions under which different studies were done. Possible gender differences in object…

On the efficiency of the hybrid and the exact second-order sampling formulations of the EnKF: a reality-inspired 3-D test case for estimating biodegradation rates of chlorinated hydrocarbons at the port of Rotterdam

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad

2016-11-15

This study considers the assimilation problem of subsurface contaminants at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It involves the estimation of solute concentrations and biodegradation rates of four different chlorinated solvents. We focus on assessing the efficiency of an adaptive hybrid ensemble Kalman filter and optimal interpolation (EnKF-OI) and the exact second-order sampling formulation (EnKFESOS) for mitigating the undersampling of the estimation and observation errors covariances, respectively. A multi-dimensional and multi-species reactive transport model is coupled to simulate the migration of contaminants within a Pleistocene aquifer layer located around 25 m below mean sea level. The biodegradation chain of chlorinated hydrocarbons starting from tetrachloroethene and ending with vinyl chloride is modeled under anaerobic environmental conditions for 5 decades. Yearly pseudo-concentration data are used to condition the forecast concentration and degradation rates in the presence of model and observational errors. Assimilation results demonstrate the robustness of the hybrid EnKF-OI, for accurately calibrating the uncertain biodegradation rates. When implemented serially, the adaptive hybrid EnKF-OI scheme efficiently adjusts the weights of the involved covariances for each individual measurement. The EnKFESOS is shown to maintain the parameter ensemble spread much better leading to more robust estimates of the states and parameters. On average, a well tuned hybrid EnKF-OI and the EnKFESOS respectively suggest around 48 and 21 % improved concentration estimates, as well as around 70 and 23 % improved anaerobic degradation rates, over the standard EnKF. Incorporating large uncertainties in the flow model degrades the accuracy of the estimates of all schemes. Given that the performance of the hybrid EnKF-OI depends on the quality of the background statistics, satisfactory results were obtained only when the uncertainty imposed on the background

Objectives and status of EUROfusion DEMO blanket studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boccaccini, L.V., E-mail: lorenzo.boccaccini@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Aiello, G.; Aubert, J. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, SEMT, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Bachmann, C. [EUROfusion, PPPT, Garching (Germany); Barrett, T. [CCFE, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Del Nevo, A. [ENEA CR Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Demange, D. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Forest, L. [CEA-Saclay, DEN, DM2S, SEMT, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Hernandez, F.; Norajitra, P. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Porempovic, G. [Fuziotech Engineering Ltd (Hungary); Rapisarda, D. [CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Sardain, P. [CEA/IRFM, 13115 Saint-Paul-lès-Durance (France); Utili, M. [ENEA CR Brasimone, 40032 Camugnano, BO (Italy); Vala, L. [Centrum výzkumu Řež, 250 68 Husinec-Řež (Czech Republic)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Short description of the new Breeding Blanket Project in the EUROfusion consortium for the design of the EU PPPT DEMO: objectives. • Presentation of the design approach used in the development of the Breeding Blanket design: requirements. • Breeding Blanket design; in particular the four blanket concepts included in the study are presented, recent results highlighted and the status discussed. • Auxiliary systems and related R&D programme: in particular the work areas addressed in the Project (Tritium Technology, Pb-Li and Solid Breeders Technology, First Wall Design and R&D, Manufacturing) are presented, recent results highlighted and the status discussed. - Abstract: The design of a DEMO reactor requires the design of a blanket system suitable of reliable T production and heat extraction for electricity production. In the frame of the EUROfusion Consortium activities, the Breeding Blanket Project has been constituted in 2014 with the goal to develop concepts of Breeding Blankets for the EU PPPT DEMO; this includes an integrated design and R&D programme with the goal to select after 2020 concepts on fusion plants for the engineering phase. The design activities are presently focalized around a pool of solid and liquid breeder blanket with helium, water and PbLi cooling. Development of tritium extraction and control technology, as well manufacturing and development of solid and PbLi breeders are part of the programme.

Metallic objects belonging to the first emperor of Brazil studied with PIXE technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ambiel, V.C. [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia; Rizzutto, M.A.; Curado, J.F.; Campos, P.H.O.V.; Kajiya, E.A.M.; Silva, T.F., E-mail: rizzutto@if.usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). lnstituto de Fisica

2013-07-01

Full text: First Emperor of Brazil, D. Pedro I is one of the main personalities in the history of Brazil and was responsible for the formation of the 'Brazilian nation', in September 7. With the death of King D. Joao VI in 1826, was acclaimed King Pedro IV in Portugal, however, held the office for a week and abdicated in favor of her daughter, Maria da Gloria. Due to political problems he also abdicated the Brazilian throne, in 1831, in favor of his son Pedro II. D. Pedro died on September 24 of 1834 at the Palace of Queluz, in Cintra and was buried in the Pantheon of the Royal House of Braganca, in Lisbon, Portugal. However in 1972, during celebrations of the 150{sup th} anniversary of the Independence of Brazil, his remains were moved to the Imperial Chapel in Monument Ipiranga installed in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the year 2012, was initiated a study in the Emperor including the exhumation, the inventory associated with it and several physical-chemical studies. The analyses have been performed with non-destructive techniques such as X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) in various classes of objects, including bones, tissues and metals and also Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) in the metal objects. This article presents the PIXE results obtained for the set of metallic artifacts such as cufflinks and medals that show a wide variation in chemical composition with alloys formed mainly of copper and zinc and also made of alloys containing silver and gold. It was also verified the presence of lead and calcium, probably due to contamination suffered in the environment in which materials were found, particularly the remains were originally kept in a coffin of lead. The analyses also indicate some degree of deterioration of these objects. (author)

Metallic objects belonging to the first emperor of Brazil studied with PIXE technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambiel, V.C.; Rizzutto, M.A.; Curado, J.F.; Campos, P.H.O.V.; Kajiya, E.A.M.; Silva, T.F.

2013-01-01

Full text: First Emperor of Brazil, D. Pedro I is one of the main personalities in the history of Brazil and was responsible for the formation of the 'Brazilian nation', in September 7. With the death of King D. Joao VI in 1826, was acclaimed King Pedro IV in Portugal, however, held the office for a week and abdicated in favor of her daughter, Maria da Gloria. Due to political problems he also abdicated the Brazilian throne, in 1831, in favor of his son Pedro II. D. Pedro died on September 24 of 1834 at the Palace of Queluz, in Cintra and was buried in the Pantheon of the Royal House of Braganca, in Lisbon, Portugal. However in 1972, during celebrations of the 150 th anniversary of the Independence of Brazil, his remains were moved to the Imperial Chapel in Monument Ipiranga installed in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the year 2012, was initiated a study in the Emperor including the exhumation, the inventory associated with it and several physical-chemical studies. The analyses have been performed with non-destructive techniques such as X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) in various classes of objects, including bones, tissues and metals and also Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) in the metal objects. This article presents the PIXE results obtained for the set of metallic artifacts such as cufflinks and medals that show a wide variation in chemical composition with alloys formed mainly of copper and zinc and also made of alloys containing silver and gold. It was also verified the presence of lead and calcium, probably due to contamination suffered in the environment in which materials were found, particularly the remains were originally kept in a coffin of lead. The analyses also indicate some degree of deterioration of these objects. (author)

ANNOTATION SUPPORTED OCCLUDED OBJECT TRACKING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devinder Kumar

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Tracking occluded objects at different depths has become as extremely important component of study for any video sequence having wide applications in object tracking, scene recognition, coding, editing the videos and mosaicking. The paper studies the ability of annotation to track the occluded object based on pyramids with variation in depth further establishing a threshold at which the ability of the system to track the occluded object fails. Image annotation is applied on 3 similar video sequences varying in depth. In the experiment, one bike occludes the other at a depth of 60cm, 80cm and 100cm respectively. Another experiment is performed on tracking humans with similar depth to authenticate the results. The paper also computes the frame by frame error incurred by the system, supported by detailed simulations. This system can be effectively used to analyze the error in motion tracking and further correcting the error leading to flawless tracking. This can be of great interest to computer scientists while designing surveillance systems etc.

The LIPT-Study: On Risk Markers of Vascular Thrombosis in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Effect of Liraglutide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frøssing, Signe; Nylander, Malin; Kistorp, Caroline Michaela

2015-01-01

arterial stiffness, all regarded as risk factors or markers for the development of cardiovascular disease. These factors are not taken into account in the definition of the syndrome, which is based on the 3 Rotterdam criteria. An uncertainty of the clinical risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD...... PCOS women were planned treated for 26 weeks in a placebo controlled randomized trial with the following effect parameters to be evaluated: Changes in Thrombin generation time, Adrenomedullin, Atrial natriuretic peptide, body fat composition (DEXA), liver fat content (MRI), BMI, IR, sex hormones...

Parent-child interactions and objectively measured child physical activity: a cross-sectional study

OpenAIRE

Hyatt Raymond R; Goldberg Jeanne P; Hughes Sheryl O; Hennessy Erin; Economos Christina D

2010-01-01

Abstract Background Parents influence their children's behaviors directly through specific parenting practices and indirectly through their parenting style. Some practices such as logistical and emotional support have been shown to be positively associated with child physical activity (PA) levels, while for others (e.g. monitoring) the relationship is not clear. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship between parent's PA-related practices, general parenting style, and ...

PEMANFAATAN BANGUNAN BERSEJARAH SEBAGAI WISATA WARISAN BUDAYA DI KOTA MAKASSAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafika Hayati

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Colonial period in Indonesia bequeathed a number of buildings such as schools, bank and offices. The buildings have nuance of Dutch architecture, therefore becoming cultural heritages and tourist attractions. The Aim of this research is to find out the historical buildings utilization in Makassar city, South Sulawesi Province, however in this research selected three bulidings which developed as heritage tourism, namely Fort Rotterdam, Museum Kota dan Gedung Kesenian Makassar. The three historical buildings selected as research location because of the physical potency is building architecture which completed with non physical potency is historical and cultural value. This research applied tourist attraction management, tourism area life cycle by Butler and tourism marketing theory to find out evolution life cycle of each buildings then arrange the effective strategy to develop Fort Rotterdam, Museum Kota and Gedung Kesenian as heritage tourism in Makassar city. The article argues that the utilization of Fort Rotterdam as a tourist attraction is classified into development phase. Fort Rotterdam has been renovated several times by developing La Galigo Museum inside to increase the attractiveness. Local government has also a lot of promotions. Museum Kota and Gedung Kesenian Makassar are classified into exploration phase since the two historical buildings need physical improvement, structuring showroom and facilities to handle collections of Museum Kota and the assurance of building management and maintenance of Gedung Kesenian. Based on the result of the research Fort Rotterdam, Museum Kota dan Gedung Kesenian Makassar do not only have physical potency of building and historical value but also to become interesting tourist attraction which need improvement by maintaining architecture identity as much as possible, providing supporting facilities needed by tourists and increasing promotion by local government.

Objective-C

CERN Document Server

DeVoe, Jiva

2011-01-01

A soup-to-nuts guide on the Objective-C programming language. Objective-C is the language behind Cocoa and Cocoa Touch, which is the Framework of applications written for the Macintosh, iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad platforms. Part of the Developer Reference series covering the hottest Apple topics, this book covers everything from the basics of the C language to advanced aspects of Apple development. You'll examine Objective-C and high-level subjects of frameworks, threading, networking, and much more.: Covers the basics of the C language and then quickly moves onto Objective-C and more advanc

Audiovisual communication of object-names improves the spatial accuracy of recalled object-locations in topographic maps.

Science.gov (United States)

Lammert-Siepmann, Nils; Bestgen, Anne-Kathrin; Edler, Dennis; Kuchinke, Lars; Dickmann, Frank

2017-01-01

Knowing the correct location of a specific object learned from a (topographic) map is fundamental for orientation and navigation tasks. Spatial reference systems, such as coordinates or cardinal directions, are helpful tools for any geometric localization of positions that aims to be as exact as possible. Considering modern visualization techniques of multimedia cartography, map elements transferred through the auditory channel can be added easily. Audiovisual approaches have been discussed in the cartographic community for many years. However, the effectiveness of audiovisual map elements for map use has hardly been explored so far. Within an interdisciplinary (cartography-cognitive psychology) research project, it is examined whether map users remember object-locations better if they do not just read the corresponding place names, but also listen to them as voice recordings. This approach is based on the idea that learning object-identities influences learning object-locations, which is crucial for map-reading tasks. The results of an empirical study show that the additional auditory communication of object names not only improves memory for the names (object-identities), but also for the spatial accuracy of their corresponding object-locations. The audiovisual communication of semantic attribute information of a spatial object seems to improve the binding of object-identity and object-location, which enhances the spatial accuracy of object-location memory.

An experimental and multi-objective optimization study of a forced draft cooling tower with different fills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Kuljeet; Das, Ranjan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Experimental and optimization study on forced draft cooling tower is done. • New correlations for splash, trickle and film type fills are proposed. • Multi-objective performance optimization study has been done using NSGA-II. • Weighted decision making criterion is proposed depending upon user priority. • Proposed generalized methodology can be implemented in industrial cooling towers. - Abstract: In the present study, a forced draft mechanical cooling tower has been experimentally investigated using trickle, film and splash fills. Various performance parameters such as range, tower characteristic ratio, effectiveness and water evaporation rate are first analyzed for each fill. Thereafter, based upon the experimental data, pertinent correlations have been developed for performance parameters by considering mass flow rates of water and air as design variables. Each of the performance parameters is considered to be an individual objective function and all objectives are then simultaneously optimized for maximizing the performance of the cooling tower using elitist Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II). The multi-objective optimization algorithm gives a set of possible combinations of design variables, which is referred as the optimal Pareto-front, out of which a unique combination is selected based upon a decision making criterion. The proposed decision making procedure evaluates a Decision Making Score (DMS) based on assigned performance priorities for each point of the Pareto-front. Depending on DMS a unique combination of design variables is then selected for each type of fill that maximizes the tower’s performance. These optimal points and the corresponding objective function are finally compared and based upon the highest DMS value, the wire-mesh (trickle) fill is found to be the most efficient fill under the present experimental conditions. The methodology presented in this work has been made more generalized, so that it

[Depressive realism: happiness or objectivity].

Science.gov (United States)

Birinci, Fatih; Dirik, Gülay

2010-01-01

Realism is described as objective evaluations and judgments about the world; however, some research indicates that judgments made by "normal" people include a self-favored, positive bias in the perception of reality. Additionally, some studies report that compared to normal people, such cognitive distortions are less likely among depressive people. These findings gave rise to the depressive realism hypothesis. While results of several studies verify the notion that depressive people evaluate reality more objectively, other studies fail to support this hypothesis. Several causes for these inconsistent findings have been proposed, which can be characterized under 3 headings. One proposed explanation suggests that what is accepted as "realistic" in these studies is not quite objective and is in fact ambiguous. According to another perspective, the term "depressive" used in these studies is inconsistent with the criteria of scientific diagnostic methods. Another suggests that the research results can only be obtained under the specific experimental conditions. General negativity and limited processing are popular approaches used for explaining the depressive realism hypothesis. Nowadays, the debate over this hypothesis continues. The present review focuses on frequently cited research related to depressive realism and discusses the findings.

Brain regions involved in subprocesses of small-space episodic object-location memory: a systematic review of lesion and functional neuroimaging studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, Kathrin; Eschen, Anne

2017-04-01

Object-location memory (OLM) enables us to keep track of the locations of objects in our environment. The neurocognitive model of OLM (Postma, A., Kessels, R. P. C., & Van Asselen, M. (2004). The neuropsychology of object-location memory. In G. L. Allen (Ed.), Human spatial memory: Remembering where (pp. 143-160). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, Postma, A., Kessels, R. P. C., & Van Asselen, M. (2008). How the brain remembers and forgets where things are: The neurocognition of object-location memory. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 32, 1339-1345. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.001 ) proposes that distinct brain regions are specialised for different subprocesses of OLM (object processing, location processing, and object-location binding; categorical and coordinate OLM; egocentric and allocentric OLM). It was based mainly on findings from lesion studies. However, recent episodic memory studies point to a contribution of additional or different brain regions to object and location processing within episodic OLM. To evaluate and update the neurocognitive model of OLM, we therefore conducted a systematic literature search for lesion as well as functional neuroimaging studies contrasting small-space episodic OLM with object memory or location memory. We identified 10 relevant lesion studies and 8 relevant functional neuroimaging studies. We could confirm some of the proposals of the neurocognitive model of OLM, but also differing hypotheses from episodic memory research, about which brain regions are involved in the different subprocesses of small-space episodic OLM. In addition, we were able to identify new brain regions as well as important research gaps.

Publicly Available Geosynchronous (GEO) Space Object Catalog for Future Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Koblick, D. C.; Shankar, P.; Xu, S.

Previously, there have been many commercial proposals and extensive academic studies regarding ground and space based sensors to assist a space surveillance network in obtaining metric observations of satellites and debris near Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). Most use physics based models for geometric constraints, lighting, and tasker/scheduler operations of sensor architectures. Under similar physics modeling assumptions, the space object catalog is often different due to proprietary standards and datasets. Lack of catalog commonality between studies creates barriers and difficulty comparing performance benefits of sensor trades. To solve this problem, we have constructed a future GEO space catalog from publicly available datasets and literature. The annual number of new payloads and rocket bodies is drawn from a Poisson distribution while the growth of the current GEO catalog is bootstrapped from the historical payload, upper stage, and debris data. We adopt a spherically symmetric explosion model and couple it with the NASA standard breakup model to simulate explosions of payloads and rocket bodies as they are the primary drivers of the debris population growth. The cumulative number of fragments follow a power-law distribution. Result from 1,000 random catalog growth simulations indicates that the GEO space object population in the year 2050 will include over 3,600 objects, nearly half of which are debris greater than 10 cm spherical diameter. The number of rocket bodies and dead payloads is projected to nearly double over the next 33 years. For comparison, the current Air Force Space Command catalog snapshot contains fewer than 50 pieces of debris and coarse Radar Cross Section (RCS) estimates which include: small, medium, and large. The current catalog may be sufficient for conjunction studies, but not for analyzing future sensor system performance. The 2050 GEO projected catalog will be available online for commercial/academic research and development.

Periconception Maternal Folate Status and Human Embryonic Cerebellum Growth Trajectories: The Rotterdam Predict Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene V Koning

Full Text Available We aimed to investigate whether periconceptional maternal folate status affects human embryonic cerebellar size and growth trajectories. In a prospective periconceptional cohort participants filled out questionnaires and received weekly transvaginal 3D-ultrasounds between 7+0 and 12+6 weeks gestational age (GA. Viable non-malformed singleton pregnancies were selected for cerebellar measurements; transcerebellar diameter, (TCD, left and right cerebellar diameters (LCD, RCD. Linear mixed models were performed to estimate associations between questionnaire data on the timing of maternal folic acid supplement initiation and longitudinal cerebellar measurements as a function of crown-rump length (CRL and GA. Maternal red blood cell folate concentrations were analysed before 8 weeks GA to validate the associations. A total of 263 serial high quality three-dimensional ultrasound scans of 135 pregnancies were studied. Preconceptional compared to postconceptional initiation of folic acid use was associated with slightly larger cerebellar diameters per millimetre increase of CRL (TCD: β = 0.260mm, 95%CI = 0.023-0.491, p<0.05; LCD: β = 0.171mm, 95%CI = 0.038-0.305, p<0.05; RCD: β = 0.156mm, 95%CI = 0.032-0.280, p<0.05 and with proportional cerebellar growth (TCD/CRL:β = 0.015mm/mm, 95%CI = 0.005-0.024, p<0.01; LCD/CRL:β = 0.012mm/mm, 95%CI = 0.005-0.018, p<0.01; RCD/CRL:β = 0.011mm/mm, 95%CI = 0.005-0.017, p<0.01. Cerebellar growth was significantly highest in the third quartile of maternal red blood cell folate levels (1538-1813 nmol/L. These first findings show that periconceptional maternal folate status is associated with human embryonic cerebellar development. Implications of these small but significant variations for fetal cerebellar growth trajectories and the child's neurodevelopmental outcome are yet unknown and warrant further investigation.

Functional dissociation between action and perception of object shape in developmental visual object agnosia.

Science.gov (United States)

Freud, Erez; Ganel, Tzvi; Avidan, Galia; Gilaie-Dotan, Sharon

2016-03-01

According to the two visual systems model, the cortical visual system is segregated into a ventral pathway mediating object recognition, and a dorsal pathway mediating visuomotor control. In the present study we examined whether the visual control of action could develop normally even when visual perceptual abilities are compromised from early childhood onward. Using his fingers, LG, an individual with a rare developmental visual object agnosia, manually estimated (perceptual condition) the width of blocks that varied in width and length (but not in overall size), or simply picked them up across their width (grasping condition). LG's perceptual sensitivity to target width was profoundly impaired in the manual estimation task compared to matched controls. In contrast, the sensitivity to object shape during grasping, as measured by maximum grip aperture (MGA), the time to reach the MGA, the reaction time and the total movement time were all normal in LG. Further analysis, however, revealed that LG's sensitivity to object shape during grasping emerged at a later time stage during the movement compared to controls. Taken together, these results demonstrate a dissociation between action and perception of object shape, and also point to a distinction between different stages of the grasping movement, namely planning versus online control. Moreover, the present study implies that visuomotor abilities can develop normally even when perceptual abilities developed in a profoundly impaired fashion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crossmodal object recognition in rats with and without multimodal object pre-exposure: no effect of hippocampal lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, James M; Jacklin, Derek L; Winters, Boyer D

2012-10-01

The neural mechanisms and brain circuitry involved in the formation, storage, and utilization of multisensory object representations are poorly understood. We have recently introduced a crossmodal object recognition (CMOR) task that enables the study of such questions in rats. Our previous research has indicated that the perirhinal and posterior parietal cortices functionally interact to mediate spontaneous (tactile-to-visual) CMOR performance in rats; however, it remains to be seen whether other brain regions, particularly those receiving polymodal sensory inputs, contribute to this cognitive function. In the current study, we assessed the potential contribution of one such polymodal region, the hippocampus (HPC), to crossmodal object recognition memory. Rats with bilateral excitotoxic HPC lesions were tested in two versions of crossmodal object recognition: (1) the original CMOR task, which requires rats to compare between a stored tactile object representation and visually-presented objects to discriminate the novel and familiar stimuli; and (2) a novel 'multimodal pre-exposure' version of the CMOR task (PE/CMOR), in which simultaneous exploration of the tactile and visual sensory features of an object 24 h prior to the sample phase enhances CMOR performance across longer retention delays. Hippocampus-lesioned rats performed normally on both crossmodal object recognition tasks, but were impaired on a radial arm maze test of spatial memory, demonstrating the functional effectiveness of the lesions. These results strongly suggest that the HPC, despite its polymodal anatomical connections, is not critically involved in tactile-to-visual crossmodal object recognition memory. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Object Repositories

Science.gov (United States)

Lehman, Rosemary

2007-01-01

This chapter looks at the development and nature of learning objects, meta-tagging standards and taxonomies, learning object repositories, learning object repository characteristics, and types of learning object repositories, with type examples. (Contains 1 table.)

Negotiating Knowledges Abroad: Non-Western Students and the Global Mobility of Knowledge

Science.gov (United States)

van Oorschot, Irene

2014-01-01

Taking the Institute for Housing Studies in Rotterdam as a case study, this paper aims to theorise the ways non-Western, international students construct and negotiate knowledges in Western institutions of higher education. It describes the types of knowledges these students identify as characteristic of their learning abroad, distinguishing…

Word finding deficitsin aphasia: diagnosis and treatment. Rotterdam Aphasia Therapy Study-2

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M. Jong-Hagelstein (Marjolein)

2011-01-01

textabstractAphasia Imagine finding yourself all of a sudden alone in a Chinese city and not speaking or understanding Chinese. How do you ask for the way or read the signs, buy food and other necessities, watch tv or listen to the news, let alone have a social conversation with someone? This

Vitamin D and cardio-metabolic health in the elderly : The Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. Vitezova (Anna)

2015-01-01

markdownabstractAbstract Chapter 1 of this thesis introduces the reader to the background of the main topic – vitamin D, its metabolism and physiological effects. Since its discovery vitamin D has been recognized as an important factor in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Recently, there

The role of metacognitive skills in solving object-oriented programming problems: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marietjie Havenga

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This article reports on the role of metacognitive skills when solving object-oriented programming problems as part of a case study. The research was constructivist-based within an interpretivist approach to explore how four students constructed their own thinking when solving programming problems. A qualitative methodology was employed. Both concept-driven coding and data-driven coding were applied. Two main issues emerged from the findings. Participating students had fragmented knowledge of the object-oriented approach and shortcomings regarding the implementation thereof, and they experienced problems with metacognitive control during all the steps of program development. Based on the findings the use of metacognitive critical control points (MCCPs is proposed to be used as a mechanism to facilitate students in their programming efforts and to prevent loss of control during program development.

Comparison of objective refraction in darkness to cycloplegic refraction: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasudevan, Balamurali; Ciuffreda, Kenneth J; Meehan, Kelly; Grk, Dejana; Cox, Misty

2016-03-01

The aim was to assess non-cycloplegic objective refraction in darkness using an open-field auto-refractor, and furthermore to compare it with distance cycloplegic subjective refraction and distance cycloplegic retinoscopy in the light, in children and young adults. Twenty-three, visually-normal, young-adults (46 eyes) ages 23 to 31 years, and five children (10 eyes) ages five to 12 years, participated in the study. The spherical component of their refraction ranged from -2.25 D to +3.75 D with a mean of +1.80 D, and a mean cylinder of -0.70 D. Three techniques were used to assess refractive error. An objective measure of the non-cycloplegic refractive state was obtained using an open-field autorefractor (WAM-5500) after five minutes in the dark to allow for dissipation of accommodative transients and relaxation of accommodation. In addition, both distance retinoscopy and subjective distance refraction were performed following cycloplegia (Cyclopentolate, 1%) using conventional clinical procedures. All measurements were obtained on the same day within a single session. The spherical component of the refraction was compared among the three techniques in both the children and adults. There was no significant difference in spherical refraction among the three techniques: non-cycloplegic objective refraction in the dark, distance cycloplegic retinoscopy and distance cycloplegic subjective refraction, in either the adults [F(2, 137) = 0.79, p = 0.45] or the children [F(2, 27) = 0.47, p = 0.62]. Mean difference in the spherical component between refraction in the dark and the cycloplegic distance retinoscopy was -0.34 D (r = 0.89) in the adults and +0.14 D (r = 0.96) in the children. The mean difference in spherical component between refraction in the dark and the cycloplegic distance subjective refraction was -0.25 D (r = 0.92) in the adults and -0.05 D (r = 0.95) in the children. Comparison of the spherical refractive component between the three techniques was not

An Object Model for Integrating Diverse Remote Sensing Satellite Sensors: A Case Study of Union Operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chuli Hu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the Earth Observation sensor web environment, the rapid, accurate, and unified discovery of diverse remote sensing satellite sensors, and their association to yield an integrated solution for a comprehensive response to specific emergency tasks pose considerable challenges. In this study, we propose a remote sensing satellite sensor object model, based on the object-oriented paradigm and the Open Geospatial Consortium Sensor Model Language. The proposed model comprises a set of sensor resource objects. Each object consists of identification, state of resource attribute, and resource method. We implement the proposed attribute state description by applying it to different remote sensors. A real application, involving the observation of floods at the Yangtze River in China, is undertaken. Results indicate that the sensor inquirer can accurately discover qualified satellite sensors in an accurate and unified manner. By implementing the proposed union operation among the retrieved sensors, the inquirer can further determine how the selected sensors can collaboratively complete a specific observation requirement. Therefore, the proposed model provides a reliable foundation for sharing and integrating multiple remote sensing satellite sensors and their observations.

Effect of year of study on stress levels in male undergraduate dental students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alzahem AM

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Abdullah M Alzahem,1 Henk T van der Molen,2 Benjamin J de Boer31Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD Residency Program, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center/King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences/National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 3Clinical Psychology, Princess Nora University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaObjective: Stress among dental students can be a significant threat, resulting in physical and/or mental illness, and have a negative effect on students' performance and the professional practice of dentistry. Stress can occur from different sources. The purpose of this study is to test whether the year of study has an effect on the stress levels of dental students.Method: Our study consisted of a cross-sectional survey using a modified version of the Dental Environment Stress (DES questionnaire. The questionnaires were filled out by male undergraduate dental students at King Saud University in Riyadh City during the 2010–2011 academic year (n = 214.Results: The results show the most common sources of stress: examinations and completing clinical requirements. Moreover, in the five-year lecture-based traditional curriculum, the third year students reported the highest level of stress, whereas the first year reported the lowest level of stress.Conclusion: Third year undergraduate dental students reported the highest level of stress. This stress could be reduced by reviewing and modifying the dental curriculum by allowing students to have contact with patients more gradually, starting from the first year, in addition to adding stress prevention and intervention programs in dental curricula.Keywords: dental, education, students, stress, study year

Scandinavian Object Shift and Optimality Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engels, Eva; Vikner, Sten

This study presents an account of object shift, a word order phenomenon found in most of the Scandinavian languages where an object occurs unexpectedly to the left and not to the right of a sentential adverbial. The book examines object shift across many of the Scandinavian languages and dialects...... and original observations, this book is an important addition to the fields of phonology, optimality theory and theoretical syntax......., and analyses the variation, for example whether object shift is optional or obligatory, whether it applies only to pronouns or other objects as well, and whether it applies to adverbials. The authors show that optimality theory, traditionally used in phonology, is a useful framework for accounting...

Exploring Preschoolers' Engagement and Perceived Physical Competence in an Autonomy-Based Object Control Skill Intervention: A Preliminary Study

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, Samuel; Robinson, Leah; Webster, E. Kipling; Barber, Laura

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe children's engagement during two (high and low) autonomy-based climates. Twenty-five preschool children participated in a nine-week object control skill intervention. Children completed the object control subscale of the Test of Gross Motor Development 2nd Edition and the perceived physical competence…

Terrestrial scanning or digital images in inventory of monumental objects? - case study

Science.gov (United States)

Markiewicz, J. S.; Zawieska, D.

2014-06-01

Cultural heritage is the evidence of the past; monumental objects create the important part of the cultural heritage. Selection of a method to be applied depends on many factors, which include: the objectives of inventory, the object's volume, sumptuousness of architectural design, accessibility to the object, required terms and accuracy of works. The paper presents research and experimental works, which have been performed in the course of development of architectural documentation of elements of the external facades and interiors of the Wilanów Palace Museum in Warszawa. Point clouds, acquired from terrestrial laser scanning (Z+F 5003h) and digital images taken with Nikon D3X and Hasselblad H4D cameras were used. Advantages and disadvantages of utilisation of these technologies of measurements have been analysed with consideration of the influence of the structure and reflectance of investigated monumental surfaces on the quality of generation of photogrammetric products. The geometric quality of surfaces obtained from terrestrial laser scanning data and from point clouds resulting from digital images, have been compared.

The environmental impact and recovery at two dumping sites for dredged material in the North Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stronkhorst, J.; Ariese, F.; Hattum, van B.; Postma, J.F.; Kluijver, de M.; Besten, den P.; Bergman, M.J.N.; Daan, R.; Murk, A.J.; Vethaak, A.D.

2003-01-01

The environmental impact and recovery associated with the long and uninterrupted disposal of large volumes of moderately contaminated dredged material from the port of Rotterdam was studied at nearby dumping sites in the North Sea. Observations were made on sediment contamination, ecotoxicity,

Mandatory volunteer work as fair reciprocity for unemployment and social benefits?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veldboer, Lex; Kleinhans, Reinout; van Ham, Maarten

This small exploratory study aims to reveal the perceptions of female participants in mandatory volunteering programmes and to formulate directions for further research. We analyse how in Rotterdam the transition from labour market re-integration policies to a mandatory reciprocity approach is

Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Evidence from Drug Introductions in the U.S.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

L.H. Pattikawa

2007-01-01

textabstractAfter studying technical metallurgy for one semester at Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Lenny Pattikawa (1973) decided to pursue a master’s degree in economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She specialized in economics and business economics and graduated in May 2000. In September

Visual object agnosia is associated with a breakdown of object-selective responses in the lateral occipital cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Ptak, Radek; Lazeyras, François; Di Pietro, Marie; Schnider, Armin; Simon, Stéphane R

2014-07-01

Patients with visual object agnosia fail to recognize the identity of visually presented objects despite preserved semantic knowledge. Object agnosia may result from damage to visual cortex lying close to or overlapping with the lateral occipital complex (LOC), a brain region that exhibits selectivity to the shape of visually presented objects. Despite this anatomical overlap the relationship between shape processing in the LOC and shape representations in object agnosia is unknown. We studied a patient with object agnosia following isolated damage to the left occipito-temporal cortex overlapping with the LOC. The patient showed intact processing of object structure, yet often made identification errors that were mainly based on the global visual similarity between objects. Using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) we found that the damaged as well as the contralateral, structurally intact right LOC failed to show any object-selective fMRI activity, though the latter retained selectivity for faces. Thus, unilateral damage to the left LOC led to a bilateral breakdown of neural responses to a specific stimulus class (objects and artefacts) while preserving the response to a different stimulus class (faces). These findings indicate that representations of structure necessary for the identification of objects crucially rely on bilateral, distributed coding of shape features. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neutron activation analysis of limestone objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyers, P.; Van Zelst, L.

1977-01-01

The elemental composition of samples from limestone objects were determined by neutron activation analysis to investigate whether this technique can be used to distinguish between objects made of limestone from different sources. Samples weighing between 0.2-2 grams were obtained by drilling from a series of ancient Egyptian and medieval Spanish objects. Analysis was performed on aliquots varying in weight from 40-100 milligrams. The following elements were determined quantitatively: Na, K, Rb, Cs, Ba, Sc, La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Hf, Th, Ta, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Zn. The data on Egyptian limestones indicate that, because of the inhomogeneous nature of the stone, 0.2-2 gram samples may not be representative of an entire object. Nevertheless, multivariate statistical methods produced a clear distinction between objects originating from the Luxor area (ancient Thebes) and objects found north of Luxor. The Spanish limestone studied appeared to be more homogeneous. Samples from stylistically related objects have similar elemental compositions while relative large differences were observed between objects having no relationship other than the common provenance of medieval Spain. (orig.) [de

Arterial stiffness, cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity and postural blood pressure changes in older adults: the Rotterdam Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mattace-Raso, Francesco U. S.; van den Meiracker, Anton H.; Bos, Willem Jan; van der Cammen, Tischa J. M.; Westerhof, Berend E.; Elias-Smale, Suzette; Reneman, Robert S.; Hoeks, Arnold P. G.; Hofman, Albert; Witteman, Jacqueline C. M.

2007-01-01

Arterial stiffness may be involved in the impairment of the arterial baroreflex. In the present study the associations between arterial stiffness and cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and between BRS and postural blood pressure (BP) changes were investigated within the framework of the

Influence of personality on objective and subjective social support among patients with major depressive disorder: a prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Leskelä, Ulla; Melartin, Tarja; Rytsälä, Heikki; Jylhä, Pekka; Sokero, Petteri; Lestelä-Mielonen, Paula; Isometsä, Erkki

2009-10-01

Personality and social support (SS) influence risk for depression and modify its outcome through multiple pathways. The impact of personality dimensions neuroticism and extraversion on SS among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) has been little studied. In the Vantaa Depression Study, we assessed neuroticism and extraversion with the Eysenck Personality Inventory, objective SS with the Interview Measure of Social Relationships, and subjective SS with the Perceived Social Support Scale-Revised at baseline, at 6 and 18 months among 193 major depressive disorder patients diagnosed according to the fourth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS-IV). At all time-points, low neuroticism and high extraversion associated significantly with between-subject differences in levels of objective and subjective SS. Lower neuroticism (beta = 0.213, p = 0.003) and higher extraversion (beta = 0.159, p = 0.038) predicted greater within-subject change of subjective, but not objective SS. Thus, neuroticism and extraversion associated with the size of objective and subjective SS and predicted change of subjective SS. Modification of subjective SS, particularly, may indirectly influence future vulnerability to depression.

Introducing the HOPE (Hypospadias Objective Penile Evaluation)-score : A validation study of an objective scoring system for evaluating cosmetic appearance in hypospadias patients

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Toorn, Fred; de Jong, Tom P. V. M.; de Gier, Robert P. E.; Callewaert, Piet R. H.; van der Horst, Eric H. J. R.; Steffens, Martijn G.; Hoebeke, Piet; Nijman, Rien J. M.; Bush, Nicol C.; Wolffenbuttel, Katja P.; van den Heijkant, Marleen M. C.; van Capelle, Jan-Willem; Wildhagen, Mark; Timman, Reinier; van Busschbach, Jan J. V.

2013-01-01

Objective: To determine the reliability and internal validity of the Hypospadias Objective Penile Evaluation (HOPE)-score, a newly developed scoring system assessing the cosmetic outcome in hypospadias. Patients and methods: The HOPE scoring system incorporates all surgically-correctable items:

The Rotterdam AMblyopia Screening Effectiveness Study (RAMSES): compliance and predictive value in the first 2 years

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.E. Juttmann (Rikard)

2001-01-01

textabstractBACKGROUND: RAMSES is a 7 year follow up study, aiming at the evaluation of the effectiveness and the efficiency of screening for amblyopia. In this first report, concerning the first 2 years of life, the compliance with the prevention programme and the positive

Parent-child interactions and objectively measured child physical activity: a cross-sectional study

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Background Parents influence their children's behaviors directly through specific parenting practices and indirectly through their parenting style. Some practices such as logistical and emotional support have been shown to be positively associated with child physical activity (PA) levels, while for others (e.g. monitoring) the relationship is not clear. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship between parent's PA-related practices, general parenting style, and children's PA level. Methods During the spring of 2007 a diverse group of 99 parent-child dyads (29% White, 49% Black, 22% Hispanic; 89% mothers) living in low-income rural areas of the US participated in a cross-sectional study. Using validated questionnaires, parents self-reported their parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved) and activity-related parenting practices. Height and weight were measured for each dyad and parents reported demographic information. Child PA was measured objectively through accelerometers and expressed as absolute counts and minutes engaged in intensity-specific activity. Results Seventy-six children had valid accelerometer data. Children engaged in 113.4 ± 37.0 min. of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. Children of permissive parents accumulated more minutes of MVPA than those of uninvolved parents (127.5 vs. 97.1, p parents who provided above average levels of support had children who participated in more minutes of MVPA (114.2 vs. 98.3, p = 0.03). While controlling for known covariates, an uninvolved parenting style was the only parenting behavior associated with child physical activity. Parenting style moderated the association between two parenting practices - reinforcement and monitoring - and child physical activity. Specifically, post-hoc analyses revealed that for the permissive parenting style group, higher levels of parental reinforcement or monitoring were associated with higher levels of child

Parent-child interactions and objectively measured child physical activity: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hennessy, Erin; Hughes, Sheryl O; Goldberg, Jeanne P; Hyatt, Raymond R; Economos, Christina D

2010-10-07

Parents influence their children's behaviors directly through specific parenting practices and indirectly through their parenting style. Some practices such as logistical and emotional support have been shown to be positively associated with child physical activity (PA) levels, while for others (e.g. monitoring) the relationship is not clear. The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship between parent's PA-related practices, general parenting style, and children's PA level. During the spring of 2007 a diverse group of 99 parent-child dyads (29% White, 49% Black, 22% Hispanic; 89% mothers) living in low-income rural areas of the US participated in a cross-sectional study. Using validated questionnaires, parents self-reported their parenting style (authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved) and activity-related parenting practices. Height and weight were measured for each dyad and parents reported demographic information. Child PA was measured objectively through accelerometers and expressed as absolute counts and minutes engaged in intensity-specific activity. Seventy-six children had valid accelerometer data. Children engaged in 113.4 ± 37.0 min. of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day. Children of permissive parents accumulated more minutes of MVPA than those of uninvolved parents (127.5 vs. 97.1, p parents who provided above average levels of support had children who participated in more minutes of MVPA (114.2 vs. 98.3, p = 0.03). While controlling for known covariates, an uninvolved parenting style was the only parenting behavior associated with child physical activity. Parenting style moderated the association between two parenting practices - reinforcement and monitoring - and child physical activity. Specifically, post-hoc analyses revealed that for the permissive parenting style group, higher levels of parental reinforcement or monitoring were associated with higher levels of child physical activity. This work

The role of farmers’ objectives in current farm practices and adaptation preferences: a case study in Flevoland, the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mandryk, M.; Reidsma, P.; Kanellopoulos, A.; Groot, J.C.J.; Ittersum, van M.K.

2014-01-01

The diversity in farmers’ objectives and responses to external drivers is usually not considered in integrated assessment studies that investigate impacts and adaptation to climate and socio-economic change. Here, we present an approach to assess how farmers’ stated objectives relate to their

Structuring research methods and data with the research object model: genomics workflows as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hettne, Kristina M; Dharuri, Harish; Zhao, Jun; Wolstencroft, Katherine; Belhajjame, Khalid; Soiland-Reyes, Stian; Mina, Eleni; Thompson, Mark; Cruickshank, Don; Verdes-Montenegro, Lourdes; Garrido, Julian; de Roure, David; Corcho, Oscar; Klyne, Graham; van Schouwen, Reinout; 't Hoen, Peter A C; Bechhofer, Sean; Goble, Carole; Roos, Marco

2014-01-01

One of the main challenges for biomedical research lies in the computer-assisted integrative study of large and increasingly complex combinations of data in order to understand molecular mechanisms. The preservation of the materials and methods of such computational experiments with clear annotations is essential for understanding an experiment, and this is increasingly recognized in the bioinformatics community. Our assumption is that offering means of digital, structured aggregation and annotation of the objects of an experiment will provide necessary meta-data for a scientist to understand and recreate the results of an experiment. To support this we explored a model for the semantic description of a workflow-centric Research Object (RO), where an RO is defined as a resource that aggregates other resources, e.g., datasets, software, spreadsheets, text, etc. We applied this model to a case study where we analysed human metabolite variation by workflows. We present the application of the workflow-centric RO model for our bioinformatics case study. Three workflows were produced following recently defined Best Practices for workflow design. By modelling the experiment as an RO, we were able to automatically query the experiment and answer questions such as "which particular data was input to a particular workflow to test a particular hypothesis?", and "which particular conclusions were drawn from a particular workflow?". Applying a workflow-centric RO model to aggregate and annotate the resources used in a bioinformatics experiment, allowed us to retrieve the conclusions of the experiment in the context of the driving hypothesis, the executed workflows and their input data. The RO model is an extendable reference model that can be used by other systems as well. The Research Object is available at http://www.myexperiment.org/packs/428 The Wf4Ever Research Object Model is available at http://wf4ever.github.io/ro.

Dietary acid load, trabecular bone integrity, and mineral density in an ageing population: the Rotterdam study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.A.L. de Jonge (Ester); F. Koromani (Fjorda); A. Hofman (Albert); A.G. Uitterlinden (André); O.H. Franco (Oscar); F. Rivadeneira Ramirez (Fernando); J.C. Kiefte-de Jong (Jessica)

2017-01-01

textabstractSummary: We studied the relation between a diet that is high in acid-forming nutrients (e.g. proteins) and low in base-forming nutrients (e.g. potassium) and bone structure. We showed a negative relation, which was more prominent if proteins were of animal rather than of vegetable origin

BL Lacertae objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Disney, M.J.; Veron, P.

1977-01-01

The properties of BL Lacertae objects are discussed including their spectra, variability, and brightness. The historical development of observation, and the conclusion that these objects are possibly quasar-related objects rather than variable stars as originally supposed are treated. The possible mechanisms for the unusual luminosity of these objects are considered

Conceptual Coherence Affects Phonological Activation of Context Objects During Object Naming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oppermann, F.; Jescheniak, J.D.; Schriefers, H.J.

2008-01-01

In 4 picture-word interference experiments, speakers named a target object that was presented with a context object. Using auditory distractors that were phonologically related or unrelated either to the target object or the context object, the authors assessed whether phonological processing was

Diagnostic characteristics and metabolic risk factors of cases with polycystic ovary syndrome during adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Sıklar, Zeynep; Berberoğlu, Merih; Çamtosun, Emine; Kocaay, Pınar

2015-04-01

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder without definite consensus on its diagnosis and management during adolescence. According to Amsterdam-2012 consensus, as physiological characteristics of adolescence may overlap with PCOS signs, it has been indicated that all Rotterdam criteria should be met. In this present study, characteristics of adolescents with different phenotypes who were diagnosed with PCOS were evaluated; and presence of differences for metabolic risk factors between phenotypes were investigated. The study was performed on adolescent females. According to phenotypic application models, individuals with all Rotterdam diagnostic criteria [hyperandrogenism (HA), polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM), and chronic anovulation (CA) on the ultrasonography] were in Group 1 (n = 26); with HA and CA were in Group 2 (n = 10); with HA and PCOM were in Group 3 (n = 7); and with CA and PCOM were in Group 4 (n = 10). The most common application complaint (87%) among 53 cases enrolled in the study was menstrual irregularities, and 57% of cases were not obese. When PCOS was evaluated according to phenotypes, it was realized that cases that meet all 3 diagnostic Rotterdam criteria according to the current recommendation in adolescents. (Group 1) was the most common phenotype. Hyperandrogenism was associated with more metabolic abnormalities. The close monitoring of adolescents, who have 2 diagnostic criteria is advisable among PCOS phenotypes. Potentially Groups 2 and 3 which have hyperandrogenism, in particular should warrant closer follow-up although they do not meet current diagnostic criteria for adolescents. Copyright © 2015 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implications of perspective in teaching objects first and object design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Henrik Bærbak

2005-01-01

There are an increasing number of books published on the important topics of "object-oriented programming" and "object-oriented design" for use in education. However, object-orientation can be viewed from a number of different perspectives---each perspective having its benefits and liabilities...

Neural processes underlying the"same"-"different" judgment of two simultaneously presented objects--an EEG study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruiling Zhang

Full Text Available The present study investigated the neural processes underlying "same" and -"different" judgments for two simultaneously presented objects, that varied on one or both, of two dimensions: color and shape. Participants judged whether or not the two objects were "same" or "different" on either the color dimension (color task or the shape dimension (shape task. The unattended irrelevant dimension of the objects was either congruent (same-same; different-different or incongruent (same-different. ERP data showed a main effect of color congruency in the time window 190-260 ms post-stimulus presentation and a main effect of shape congruency in the time window 220-280 ms post-stimulus presentation in both color and shape tasks. The interaction between color and shape congruency in the ERP data occurred in a later time window than the two main effects, indicating that mismatches in task-relevant and task-irrelevant dimensions were processed automatically and independently before a response was selected. The fact that the interference of the task-irrelevant dimension occurred after mismatch detection, supports a confluence model of processing.

Objects of Worship in South Asian Religions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Objects of worship are an aspect of the material dimension of lived religion in South Asia. The omnipresence of these objects and their use is a theme which cuts across the religious traditions in the pluralistic religious culture of the region. Divine power becomes manifest in the objects and fo...... objects of worship, the book contributes to an understanding of the central significance of these objects in the religious and social life of South Asia. It will be of interest to students and scholars of Religious Studies and South Asian Religion, Culture and Society....

Multiple Object Permanence Tracking: Maintenance, Retrieval and Transformation of Dynamic Object Representations

OpenAIRE

Saiki, Jun

2008-01-01

Multiple object permanence tracking (MOPT) task revealed that our ability of maintaining and transforming multiple representations of complex feature-bound objects is limited to handle only 1-2 objects. Often reported capacity of 3-5 objects likely reflects memory for partial representations of objects and simple cases such as just color and their locations. Also, performance in multiple object tracking (MOT) task is likely mediated by spatiotemporal indices, not by feature-bound object repre...

Long-term integrated radiophysical studies of the ionosphere, near space, and the propagation of radio waves from space objects

Science.gov (United States)

Misyura, V. A.

1974-01-01

The radiophysical studies reported consist of direct measurements of certain effects induced in the propagation of radio waves from space objects. From measured effects and from data on the motion and position of space objects, physical parameters of the medium and bodies are determined.