Tind Technologies (Norway)
Hes-so: ArODES Open Archive (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland / Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale / FH Westschweiz)Not a member yet
15764 research outputs found
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How COVID‐19 treatment in pregnancy reflects healthcare utilization during a pandemic ::a two‐stage individual participant data meta‐analysis combining case‐based registries
No full textPurpose: To describe an international response to the COVID-19 pandemic by estimating the prevalence of medication use for COVID-19 treatment in pregnancy, stratified by hospitalization, trimester of pregnancy, and country. Methods: We conducted a two-stage individual participant data meta-analysis of proportions from primary data on medications used to treat COVID-19 during pregnancy. A common data model was developed to pool the data from single-country and international registries. Data from pregnant individuals with COVID-19 between February 2020 and October 2022 were included in study platforms across 9 data sources. Patient information was abstracted from medical records. Results: Among 24 937 pregnant individuals, the pooled prevalences of individuals receiving medications to treat COVID-19 were: 34.7% heparin, 9.8% antibiotics, 4.9% corticosteroids, 2.2% antivirals, 0.8% antimalarials, 0.3% convalescent plasma, 0.2% immunosuppressants, and 0.02% monoclonal antibodies. Prevalence of medication use was higher in hospitalized individuals than in non-hospitalized individuals: 58.4% versus 17.9% for heparin, 26.9% versus 5.7% for antibiotics, 17.5% versus 1.3% for corticosteroids, 10.3% versus 0.3% for antivirals, and 4.5% versus 0.1% for antimalarials. The prevalence of corticosteroid use was lower in the first trimester (0.1%) compared with the second (7.2%) and third (4.9%) trimesters of pregnancy. The prevalence of medications differed widely across countries. Conclusion: Medication to treat COVID-19 was more frequently used in pregnant individuals hospitalized for COVID-19. Corticosteroids were used less in the first trimester of pregnancy. The differences in use between countries could reflect differences in the clinical management and access to medications for this population at risk of severe disease
On the influence of geometrical parameters and erosive wear on the dynamic behaviour of Pelton turbine runners
No full textHydro-abrasive erosion and material fatigue are amongst the main challenges for Pelton turbines. Erosive wear caused by sediment-laden water, significantly impacts turbine efficiency, time between overhaul and service life. While surface coatings and operational adjustments, like shutdowns during high sediment concentration events, offer some mitigation, damage assessment still relies on visual inspections and associated downtime. This study aims to understand the dynamic behaviour of a prototype Pelton runner by examining the influence of boundary conditions as well as the hub and bucket designs on the runner's vibration modes. Additionally, four erosion scenarios are investigated through numerical modal simulations on a single bucket geometry, by removing material from specific erosion-affected locations. The results indicate a weak correlation between main splitter erosion and frequency shifts for all modes. The most realistic erosion scenario, which includes the erosion of a large surface in the bucket intrados, reveals the balanced effect of mass loss and stiffness reduction resulting from material removal. Consequently, most vibration modes remain unaffected by this realistic scenario, except two modes which show significant frequency shifts. These findings enhance the understanding of the dynamic behaviour of Pelton turbines. Moreover, understanding the impact of common wear on Pelton runners is crucial for developing advanced vibration-based monitoring tools that would enhance turbine safety and minimize downtime
The gut
No full textIn critically ill children, gut dysfunction is frequent, especially gut dysmotility. This is the consequence of various reasons related to critical illness: sedative drugs, mechanical ventilation, immobility, fasting, gut hormone secretion shift, gut circulatory failure and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. As a result of gut dysmotility, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as delayed gastric emptying or constipation are common in critically ill children. These symptoms should be prevented, diagnosed early and treated proactively. Early enteral nutrition is one of the recommended strategies. Enteral nutrition intolerance may occur, but clinicians must distinguish GI feed related symptoms and non-feed related symptoms. Like any other organ, the gut may be damaged in case of circulatory or hypoxia, but severe complications remain rare in critically ill children. The gut microbiota may also be altered during critical illness. The use of probiotics seems promising to reduce infection and inflammation but large trials are still needed. The aim of this chapter is mainly to address gut dysfunction issues in critically ill children including gut dysmotility, the main gastrointestinal symptoms, and to review the evidence on gut microbiota including the role of probiotics
Response to letter to editor from Yeap et al ::“Endogenous sex steroid hormones, sex hormone-binding globulin, and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies”
No full textEnjeux épistémologiques et éthiques d’une recherche collaborative audiovisuelle ::la mise en voix et en images des situations liminaires
No full textPrestations sociales hors Lasoc en Ville de Fribourg ::état des lieux
No full textCette étude a été réalisée sur mandat de la Ville de Fribourg, représentée par son Service de l’aide sociale (SASV). Elle se base sur une analyse documentaire et une série d’entretiens effectuées entre fin octobre 2023 et fin février 2024. Il s’agit donc de situer ses résultats et recommandations dans un contexte particulier, celui de la période post pandémique qui a obligé certaines structures à revoir leur fonctionnement et de l’inflation économique qui a accentué la précarité, non seulement des ménages à faible revenu, mais aussi d’organisations du secteur privé offrant des prestations sociales en dehors de la Loi sur l’aide sociale (LASoc).
Le mandat est limité au périmètre de la Ville de Fribourg et l’étude est destinée à établir un panorama des prestations sociales hors LASoc existantes et à formuler des recommandations en vue d’une amélioration de l’offre pour le périmètre défini
Lightning Electromagnetics. Volume 2 ::electrical processes and effects
No full textLightning is important for all scientists and engineers involved with electric installations. It is gaining further relevance since climate warming is causing an increase in lightning strikes, and since the rising numbers of renewable power generators, the electricity grid, and charging infrastructure are susceptible to lightning damage. This is the second edition to this comprehensive work.
Both volumes have been thoroughly revised and updated for this second edition. Volume 1 treats lightning return stroke modelling and lightning electromagnetic radiation, and Volume 2 addresses electrical processes and effects. Chapter coverage includes various models and simulations of lightning strokes, measurements of lightning-generated EM fields, HF, VHF and microwave radiation, and lightning location systems; atmospheric discharge processes, lightning strikes to grounded structures and towers, EM field propagation, interaction with cables, effects on power transmission and distribution systems, effects in the ionosphere, mesosphere and magnetosphere, as well as NOx generation and climate effects. The volumes provide the rules and procedures to combine the readers' understanding with a model of every lightning-related electromagnetic process, and their effects and interactions. Readers obtain first-hand experience through simulations of the EM field of thunderclouds and lightning flashes and their effects.
These volumes are a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the areas of electrical engineering and physics involved in the fields of electromagnetic compatibility, lightning protection, renewable energy systems, smart grids, and lightning physics, as well as for professionals from telecommunication companies and manufacturers of power equipment, and advanced students
Comparative analysis of child protection systems in Sub-Saharan Africa ::review of four countries with implications for the practice of social workers
No full textIntroduction: Child protection, a persistent and urgent problem in sub-Saharan Africa, is heavily influenced by a colonial history that has shaped the region's social structures and policies, according to recent studies. This literature review compares the child protection systems of Seychelles, Ghana, Kenya, and Sierra Leone with a shared colonial history under Britain to identify similarities and differences and to understand the implications of the operating child protection system on child protection social workers. Methods: A computerized search of electronic databases, such as Social Work Abstract and Google Scholar, was undertaken from 2005 to 2024. Published, non-published, peer-reviewed, and non-peer-reviewed articles, policies, and reports were analyzed using the comparative case study method. Findings: Results from comparative analysis of policy documents, articles, and reports reveal that all four countries have legal frameworks and principles guiding the child protection system. Additionally, in all four countries, the institutional setup for child protection is a top-down approach. Findings also show one difference and more similarities. There is a difference in child protection issues and children's socioeconomic status, as countries have different Human Development Indexes. However, there are significant similarities in service approach, state control, and legislative frameworks rooted in the Anglo-Saxon child welfare model typical of the United Kingdom. The similarities indicate implications for practice as child protection social workers lack agency, flexibility/and reflexivity. Discussion: Given the implications of the child protection systems on child protection social workers, the paper argues for a system that empowers child protection social workers to work with discretion in the child's best interest rather than within a restrictive, controlled system. Conclusion: The study underscores the potential for positive change in child protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa, where child protection social workers will be empowered and provided with greater flexibility and innovation that can drive and promote a child-centered approach, potentially making child protection more effective.Introduction: La protection de l'enfance, un problème persistant et urgent en Afrique subsaharienne, est fortement influencée par une histoire coloniale qui a façonné les structures sociales et les politiques de la région, selon des études récentes. Cette revue de la littérature compare les systèmes de protection de l'enfance des Seychelles, du Ghana, du Kenya et de la Sierra Leone, qui partagent une histoire coloniale sous la domination britannique, afin d'identifier les similitudes et les différences et de comprendre les implications du système de protection de l'enfance en vigueur sur les travailleurs sociaux chargés de la protection de l'enfance. Méthodes: Une recherche informatisée dans des bases de données électroniques, telles que Social Work Abstract et Google Scholar, a été effectuée entre 2005 et 2024. Des articles, des politiques et des rapports publiés, non publiés, évalués par des pairs et non évalués par des pairs ont été analysés à l'aide de la méthode d'étude de cas comparative. Résultats: Les résultats de l'analyse comparative des documents politiques, des articles et des rapports révèlent que les quatre pays disposent de cadres juridiques et de principes guidant le système de protection de l'enfance. En outre, dans les quatre pays, la structure institutionnelle de la protection de l'enfance est une approche descendante. Les résultats montrent également une différence et davantage de similitudes. Il existe une différence dans les questions de protection de l'enfance et le statut socio-économique des enfants, car les pays ont des indices de développement humain différents. Cependant, il existe des similitudes significatives dans l'approche des services, le contrôle de l'État et les cadres législatifs, qui trouvent leur origine dans le modèle anglo-saxon de protection de l'enfance typique du Royaume-Uni. Ces similitudes ont des implications pour la pratique, car les travailleurs sociaux chargés de la protection de l'enfance manquent d'autonomie, de flexibilité et de réflexivité. Discussion: Compte tenu des implications des systèmes de protection de l'enfance sur les travailleurs sociaux chargés de la protection de l'enfance, l'article plaide en faveur d'un système qui leur permette d'agir avec discrétion dans l'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant plutôt que dans le cadre d'un système restrictif et contrôlé. Conclusion: L'étude souligne le potentiel de changement positif dans les systèmes de protection de l'enfance en Afrique subsaharienne, où les travailleurs sociaux chargés de la protection de l'enfance seront autonomisés et bénéficieront d'une plus grande flexibilité et d'une plus grande innovation, ce qui pourra favoriser et promouvoir une approche centrée sur l'enfant et rendre la protection de l'enfance plus efficace
Sizing of community energy storage system for the provision of primary frequency regulation
No full textThis paper deals with the sizing of community-based battery energy storage systems aimed at providing primary frequency regulation support while achieving the goal of local self-consumption maximization. The proposed approach aims to increase the joint flexibility services to distribution and transmission networks. Managing multiple resources to provide coordinated services at different voltage levels is a prominent topic in modern power systems since it allows sustainable integration of a large share of renewables. The system’s sizing procedure requires identifying the control strategy the battery is supposed to follow. In this regard, a new approach is proposed based on a two-step control procedure for coordinating the needs of the local resources and the transmission system. The sizing approach incorporates the proposed control which permits properly including the income derived from both the services, the costs to be sustained in case of unavailability of adequate energy reserve and those due to battery ageing. The sizing formulation is included in a probabilistic procedure that considers planning uncertainties
Numerical verification of tucuxi, a promising bayesian adaptation tool for model‐informed precision dosing
No full textTucuxi, a Swiss-developed Model-Informed Precision Dosing (MIPD) software, aims to support clinical dosage decision-making to achieve therapeutic concentration targets. This study assessed its predictive accuracy compared to NONMEM, a gold-standard tool for Bayesian PK predictions. A panel of models was created to mimic various pharmacokinetic scenarios following oral, bolus, or intravenous administration. For each scenario, a virtual population of 4000 patients receiving doses ranging from 10 to 120 mg every 24 h was created. Sparse and rich profiles were simulated, with either one or four samples taken per patient. Tucuxi and NONMEM predicted concentrations at sampling times, trough (Cmin) and peak (Cmax) concentrations, and area under the curve (AUC0-24h) were compared by calculating their relative differences, mean prediction error (MPE) and relative root mean square error (RMSE). The bioequivalence criterion was additionally applied to compare AUC0-24h, Cmin, and Cmax. All the outcomes predicted by Tucuxi closely matched those predicted by NONMEM. A median of 99.8% of predicted concentrations at sampling times presented relative errors smaller than 0.1%. For all outcomes predicted, MPE and relative RMSE were 0% (−0.09, 0.07) and 0.82% (0%, 18.79%) respectively. The bioequivalence criterion, calculated for AUC0-24h, Cmin, and Cmax, was verified for all models, with median values of 100%. This project highlights Tucuxi's excellent predictive accuracy compared to NONMEM, demonstrating its reliability and potential for adoption in clinical practice