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Abstract in UndeterminedIn this paper we describe and reflect upon a novel methodology using attention cards to facilitate communication, concentration and creativity in a user requirement workshop with seniors. Previous research indicates that seniors tend to lose focus and start cross talking during workshops, which results in broad and shallow findings. However, our findings indicate that the u
Identifying optimal inspection and repair strategies for offshore jacket structures is a challenging task. We present an approach, which is based on recent developments in the field of risk-based operation and maintenance planning at the structural system level. The approach utilizes heuristics to define inspection and repair strategies at the system level and to reduce the search space of possibl
Over the last decade, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been used for monitoring construction and operation of civil infrastructure, as well as industrial facilities and power plants. Their operational simplicity along with time-and-cost-related benefits have already rendered them attractive for structural surveying. Nevertheless, the field of UAV research currently lacks a targeted employment
A software prototype is developed for assessing and updating the reliability of single-cell prestressed concrete box girders subjected to chloride-induced reinforcement corrosion. The underlying system model consists of two integrated sub-models: a condition model for predicting the deterioration state of the box girder and a structural model for evaluating the overall system reliability. The cond
Plants have evolved under the influence of UV-B radiation and have acquired systems for monitoring it and investing appropriate resources for protection against it, i.e., filters, quenchers of radicals and reactive oxygen species, and repair systems. An hypothesis for how plants monitor radiation has been presented.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have become a fundamental part of business infrastructure. In an effort to minimize the risk associated with ERP implementation, a number of critical success factors (CSFs) have been developed. However, CSFs are presented as independent from context, under the pretense that all ERP implementations are equal. In this study, we challenged this assumption by
Understanding implications on firm performance from the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) is critical in order for firms to make rational decisions regarding business model configurations and investments in IoT. The transition between the current state and widespread adoption and diffusion of IoT is expected to be complex, and standardization is one of multiple barriers discussed in research r
We extend a thermodynamically consistent finite strain micro-sphere framework elaborated by Carol et al. towards the modelling of phase-transformations to allow for the simulation of polycrystalline solids such as, e.g., shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers undergoing large deformations. The considered phase-transformation mechanism is based on statistical physics and allows the considera
Purpose: To compare the patient-reported, clinical, and radiographic outcome of 2 methods of internal fixation in distal radius fractures. Methods: Fifty patients, mean age 56 years (range, 21-69 years) with primarily nonreducible or secondarily redisplaced distal radius fractures were randomized to open reduction internal fixation using volar locking plates (n = 25) or fragment-specific fixation
Mycobacterium bovis bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is currently the only approved vaccine against tuberculosis (TB). BCG mimics M. tuberculosis (Mtb) in its persistence in the body and is used as a benchmark to compare new vaccine candidates. BCG was originally designed for mucosal vaccination, but comprehensive knowledge about its interaction with epithelium is currently lacking. We used primary a
The anatomy, function and plasticity of the primary olfactory centre, the antennal lobe (AL), of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria was investigated using a number of neuroanatomical and neurophysiological methods. Anatomical characterisation of the AL in a number of orthopteran species made it possible to deduce a model concerning the evolution of microglomeruli. These neuropil structures, c
Two separate apps that address the increasingly important issue of accessible housing for senior citizens have been developed in different project settings. One of the apps was developed to facilitate the process for professional raters to assess housing accessibility in the context of individual housing adaptations. The other app was developed for senior citizens to raise their awareness of possi
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), the ancestors of all blood cells, have the ability to give rise to mature effector cells through a series of developmental steps. This is a tightly regulated, though a highly dynamic process: on the one hand, dysregulation in steady-state could lead to under- or overgrowth of certain blood cell lineages, whereas, on the other hand, demands for certain mature blood c
In the present paper we report on the design decisions and the field test results of an inclusive mobile tourist guide app, the Time Machine. The historical information is conveyed by sound and the navigation information by haptics, while the app can be controlled eyes-free by a combination of on-screen and free-form gestures. To emphasize the eyes-free use, 9 of 11 test users recruited had severe
Generation of good non-repeatable and non-predictable random number sequences is of increasing importance, both in security applications and in simulations. A novel, compact system is presented in which a secure random number is generated by sampling a chaotic system and using this bitstream as the input to a pseudo-random generator. An optional hash function can be used on the seed in order to de
In this paper we introduce two new methods for solving binary quadratic problems. While spectral relaxation methods have been the workhorse subroutine for a wide variety of computer vision problems - segmentation, clustering, image restoration to name a few - it has recently been challenged by semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxations. In fact, it can be shown that SDP relaxations produce better
Female students' traditional and non-traditional choices of education is the subject of this study. Facing difficult choices on different levels of the educational system girls often, statistically, make traditional choices, but they also in different ways break traditional patterns. The study takes its starting-point in the following issues: What is the girls' understanding of the formal liberty
