29 research outputs found
The effects of Milou central fetal monitoring system on maternal and perinatal outcomes at Landspítali: Retrospective cohort study
No full textBakgrunnur: Ljósmæður hafa í áraraðir sinnt því hlutverki að fylgjast með líðan móður og barns í fæðingu og tryggja sem besta fæðingarútkomu. Ein aðferð til að meta líðan barns í fæðingu er með síritun fósturhjartsláttar. Í ört vaxandi tækniheimi hafa margar sjúkrastofnanir tekið upp síritunarkerfi sem kallast miðlæg fósturhjartsláttarkerfi. Á fæðingarvakt Landspítalans var í október árið 2017 tekið upp slíkt kerfi sem ber heitið Milou. Tilgangur þess var að auka öryggi skjólstæðinga þar sem fleira starfsfólk sér nú fósturhjartsláttarritin í rauntíma en áður, jafnframt því að bæta skráningu og varðveislu gagna.
Tilgangur: Kanna tengsl Milou miðlægs fósturhjartsláttarkerfis við útkomu fæðinga á fæðingarvakt Landspítala m.t.t tíðni áhaldafæðinga, bráðakeisaraskurða og útkomu nýbura eftir fæðingu.
Aðferðir: Rannsóknin er afturvirk ferilrannsókn. Gögnin voru fengin úr fæðingarskrá og eru rannsóknartímabilin tvö. Fyrra tímabilið var árið fyrir innleiðingu Milou, frá 1. október 2016 til og með 30. september 2017. Seinna tímabilið var eftir innleiðingu Milou, frá 1. október 2018 til og með 30. september 2019. Þátttakendur í rannsókninni voru alls 4279 eða allar konur sem fengu greininguna síritun fósturhjartsláttar í fæðingu og fæddu einbura í höfuðstöðu eftir 37. vikna meðgöngu á Landspítala. Gerð var lýsandi tölfræði til að lýsa bakgrunns- og útkomubreytum. Einnig var gerð greinandi tölfræði þar sem framkvæmd voru bæði kí-kvaðrat og t-próf til að meta mun á milli rannsóknarhópa.
Niðurstöður: Ekki reyndist marktæk aukning á áhaldafæðingum og bráðakeisaraskurðum fyrir og eftir innleiðingu á Milou á fæðingarvakt Landspítala. Auk þess reyndist ekki marktækur munur á fjölda nýbura með Apgar stigun <7 við 5 mínútur.
Ályktanir: Innleiðing á miðlæga fósturhjartsláttarkerfinu Milou á fæðingarvakt Landspítalans tengist hvorki fjölgun á inngripum né bættri útkomu nýbura. Nauðsynlegt er að vera áfram vakandi fyrir áhrifum Milou á útkomu fæðinga á Landspítala og er frekari rannsókna þörf á efninu.
Lykilorð: Fósturhjartsláttarrit, miðlæg fósturhjartsláttarkerfi, inngrip í fæðingu, útkoma fæðinga, ljósmóðurfræðiBackground: For years, midwives have performed the important role in monitoring the well- being of mother and child during birth to ensure the best birth outcome. One method is by monitoring the fetal heart rate. In this era of rapid technological change, many medical facilities have adopted systems known as central fetal monitoring systems. In October 2017, one such system, called Milou, was installed at Landspítali‘s birth unit. The intention was twofold: to increase the safety of clients, as more staff would be in a situation to see the heart rate charts in real time than before, and to improve documentation.
Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between Milou central fetal monitoring system and the outcome of births at Landspítali‘s birth unit in terms of the rate of operative deliveries, emergency c-sections, and the outcome of newborns after birth.
Methods: The study is a retrospective cohort study. The data was obtained from birth records and covers two periods. The first period was the year before the introduction of Milou, from 1st of October 2016 to 30th of September 2017, and the second period was after the introduction of Milou, from 1st of October 2018 to 30th of September 2019. There were 4,279 participants in the study comprising all women who received the diagnosis recording of fetal heart rate during labor and delivered a singleton in a cephalic postition, after 37 weeks of pregnancy at Landspítali‘s birth unit. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe both background and outcome variables. Analytical statistics were also performed, where both chi- square and t-tests were performed to assess differences between the study groups.
Results: There was no significant change in operative deliveries and emergency c-sections before and after the introduction of Milou at Landspítali‘s birth unit. In addition, there was no significant difference in the number of newborns with an Apgar score <7 at 5 minutes.
Conclusions: The use of the Milou central fetal monitoring system at Landspítali‘s birth unit has not resulted in an increase in obstetric intervention nor in better outcomes for newborns. It is necessery to remain vigilant of the effects of the Milou system on birth outcomes at Landspítali and further research is required on the topic.
Key words: cardiotocography, central fetal monitoring systems, obstetric intervention, perinatal outcome, midwifer
From digital harm to recovery: a multidisciplinary framework for First Aid after Online Sexual Abuse
No full textOnline sexual abuse in adolescence encompasses various forms of digital exploitation, including grooming, sexting, sextortion, and image-based sexual abuse. Current research indicates that a significant proportion of minors are exposed to online sexual abuse. The psychological impact on victims includes severe mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Responses to online sexual abuse disclosures often require a multidisciplinary approach. In the Netherlands, Sexual Assault Centers (SACs) utilize the First Aid after Online Sexual Abuse protocol. This approach addresses immediate safety and (forensic) medical concerns, facilitates the removal of image-based content, and supports natural recovery while providing referrals for psychological treatment if needed. This paper highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to online sexual abuse, emphasizing the importance of integrating psychological, medical, and legal support to tackle the complex challenges posed by online abuse, ensuring effective, context-sensitive interventions, and supporting victims’ recovery and well-being
From digital harm to recovery: a multidisciplinary framework for First Aid after Online Sexual Abuse
No full textOnline sexual abuse in adolescence encompasses various forms of digital exploitation, including grooming, sexting, sextortion, and image-based sexual abuse. Current research indicates that a significant proportion of minors are exposed to online sexual abuse. The psychological impact on victims includes severe mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Responses to online sexual abuse disclosures often require a multidisciplinary approach. In the Netherlands, Sexual Assault Centers (SACs) utilize the First Aid after Online Sexual Abuse protocol. This approach addresses immediate safety and (forensic) medical concerns, facilitates the removal of image-based content, and supports natural recovery while providing referrals for psychological treatment if needed. This paper highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to online sexual abuse, emphasizing the importance of integrating psychological, medical, and legal support to tackle the complex challenges posed by online abuse, ensuring effective, context-sensitive interventions, and supporting victims' recovery and well-being
Development of multidisciplinary sexual assault centres in the Netherlands
No full textBackground: The professional approach of sexual assault victims has changed since the 1970s: from a fragmented model to a centralised ‘gate management model’, where multiple disciplines offer collaborative services at one central location. Like other countries across the globe, the Netherlands took steps towards an integrated, multi-agency support framework for victims of sexual assault. Objective: The objective of this paper was threefold: (1) to describe the development of the multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Centres (SAC) in the Netherlands, (2) to assess the characteristics of victims who attended the SAC, and the services they used (3) to analyse Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of the current framework (SWOT). Method: The development of the national network of SAC was described. Data on victims presenting at the SACs were routinely collected between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2020. This data from the sixteen sites was combined and analysed. Also, a SWOT analysis of the SAC was performed. Results: The SAC was established between 2012 and 2018. From 2016 through 2020 almost 16,000 victims of sexual assault contacted one of the 16 SACs. The data show a steady increase in yearly cases, with a consistently high use of medical and psychological services. The SAC has several strengths, such as its accessibility, and opportunities, such as increasing media attention, that underline its quality and relevance. However, the SAC's inability to reach certain minority groups and the current financial structure are its main weakness and threat. Conclusions: Despite the growing number of victims attending the SAC and the increasing awareness of the benefits of an immediate multidisciplinary response to sexual assault, there are still deficiencies in the SAC. The SAC continues to work on these deficiencies in order to optimise efficient and effective care for all victims of sexual assault
Idiocnemis milou Gassmann & Richards 2019, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Idiocnemis milou</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs 2, 4, 6–8, 10, 13, 15, 18–19, 22–23, 26–28) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 29502AED-F155-41A4-8348-65394A61C205</p> <p> <b>Holotype.</b> ♂ Papua New Guinea, Gulf Province, Lakekamu Basin: small creek ca. 1.5 km SSW of Ivimka Camp (Camp coordinates: 146 ° 29.761'E, 7 ° 44.117'S, 120 m a.s.l.), 25-xi-96, S.J. Richards leg. (SAMA 07-001524). Deposited in the South Australian Museum.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes</b>. Papua New Guinea, Gulf Province, Lakekamu Basin. All specimens leg. S.J. Richards, collected from within ~ 2 km SSW of the following coordinates: 146 ° 29.761'E, 7 ° 44.117'S, at altitudes between 100–120 m a.s.l.: 1♂, 1 km transect, 24.xi.1996, field no 185 (SAMA 07-001525); 1♂, Bulldog Track, 2 km south Ivimka Camp, 26.xi.1996, field no. 169 (SAMA 07-001526); 1♀, Bulldog Track, 1 km south of Ivimka Camp, 17.xi.1996, field no. 149 (SAMA 07-001527); 1♀, 1 km transect, south of Ivimka Camp, in forest, 22.xi.1996, field no. 153 (RMNH); 1♀, Bulldog Track, adjacent Ivimka Camp, 23.xi.1996, field no. 154 (SAMA 07-001528); 1♂, small stream, 1 km transect, 26.xi.1996, field no. 158 (SAMA 07-001529); 1♀, 1 km transect, south of Ivimka Camp, in forest, 22.xi.1996 (SAMA 07-001530); 1♂, along 1 km transect, south of Ivimka Camp, 25.xi.1996, field no. 23 (RMNH); 1♀, creek at end of ‘garden’ path, 300 m south of Ivimka Camp, 25.xi.1996, field no. 155 (SAMA 07-001531). Papua New Guinea, Gulf Province, Dark End Lumber (DEL) area, all specimens collected within a 500 m radius of the following coordinates: 07°08.894S, 144°22.937E, ~ 55 m a.s.l.: 1♂, west of DEL Camp, 4.00 p.m., next to pool in forest, 06.x.1999, field no. 130 (SAMA 07-001532); 1♂, field no. 85; 1♀, shady forest stream, adjacent DEL Camp, field no. 86 (ZFMK ODO 2018 /2); 1♂, in forest at ‘unlogged’ site, nr. DEL Camp, 4.30 p.m., in shade over small stream, field no. 131(ZFMK ODO 2018 /3); 1♂, small “seepage” at DEL Camp, in sun, 3.00 pm, 04.x.1999, field no. 87 (SAMA 07-001533); 1♂, 1♀, DEL Camp, 03.x.1999, field no. 136 (SAMA 07-001534 – 35).</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> It is a pleasure to name the new species after Mrs. Milout Martinot (Oegstgeest/ Netherlands), both in gratitude for her long-lasting personal friendship towards the first author, and in recognition of her engagement in civil initiatives for a more sustainable future. The name is placed as a noun by apposition.</p> <p> <b>Description of the holotype</b>. <i>Head</i>. Labium, except for reddish-brown end-hook, yellowish-brown. Mandibles and maxillae of same colour, except distal parts of mandibles reddish-brown. Labrum orange-brown, darkened at upper margin and on medio-basal depression. Ante- and postclypeus medium brown with traces of black. Entire dorsal surface of head including antennal sockets purple, except for a central black marking on vertex shaped as in Fig. 4. Antennal scapus black with distal pale yellow ring, pedicellus medium brown, flagellum medium brown. Central black marking continuing on rear of head, turning ventrally into a diffuse colour pattern of light and medium brown.</p> <p> <i>Thorax.</i> Prothorax with median lobe very slightly convex in lateral view; posterior pronotal lobe in dorsal view subtriangular but with lateral parts distinctly discontinued, lateral edges rectangular; posterior lobe not raised, in lateral view slightly bulgy except for posterior edge; prothorax dark brown to black, except for a diffuse pale yellow stripe reaching from lateral parts of anterior lobe across prothoracic pleura up to the mesostigmal laminae and areas more ventral to them. Synthorax (Fig. 6) dark brown to black with pale markings as follows: Mesepisternum with antehumeral purple stripes complete, evaginated halfway for nearly a third of entire course of stripe, this area black, which also covers dorsal carinal suture (Figs 6, 27). Metepisternum with a posterior squarish purple spot and a black area of same but slightly more irregular shape just anterior to it, the latter followed by a rather irregular purple rectangle covering roughly one fourth of metepisternum; all these pale markings connected ventrally (posteriorly) by a continuation of the pale marking that ends on mesepimeron in an irregular stripe. Anterior fourth of metepisternum deep black, bordered at its lower edge by a slightly diffuse but distinct pale yellow stripe. Metepimeron largely dark, except for a small diffuse pale yellow subtriangular spot at anterior upper corner; an even more diffuse pale yellow spot medially at lower margin. Underside of synthorax pale yellow anteriorly, pale orange posteriorly, with a pair of dark-brown stripes.</p> <p> <i>Wings</i>. Entirely hyaline. Ac inserts at Ab. Arc at Ax2 (forewings), slightly distal to Ax2 (hindwings). Pt rhombic, costal side very slightly longer than anal side, reddish-brown. FW with 16 Px (left) to 17 Px (right), HW with 15 Px.</p> <p> <i>Abdomen.</i> Largely medium brown to black, with pale markings as follows: S1 with a pair of roughly subtriangular purple spots. S2 with a pale pink dorsal marking shaped as an isosceles trapezoid widening distally, reaching from anterior end of segment to distinctly beyond halfway along segment. S3 to 6 with diffuse pale yellow-brown dorso-basal and subdistal markings (Fig. 2), the latter well defined against the dark brown rings that cover the posterior fifths of these segments; pale markings on S3 to 6 becoming less distinct posteriorly; S7 entirely dark, lacking bright dorsal markings; S8 with posterior half of dorsum and S9 with entire dorsum pink, with anterior dorsal edge of pink marking medially protruded at the level of dorsal carina; laterally, the marking reaches half way down the segments, edges roughly convex. Anal appendages in dorsal view strongly curved inwards; basal two-third of superior appendage comparatively straight in lateral view, apical part curved downwards. Superior appendage with large, basal protuberance shaped as an almost perfect right-angled triangle, slightly hooked apically; from the basal protuberance, a moderate inner shelf-like structure continuing distally bearing a subdistal spine-shaped process and in addition a smaller but distinct spine which is located between the subdistal process and the basal protuberance (Fig. 10). Inferior appendages robust and blunt apically, slightly curved upwards, about two-third the length of superiors. Appendages black, except for some diffuse orange-brown markings at inner sides and tips of superior ones, inner tubercle pale yellow.</p> <p>Measurements of holotype (mm). FW 22.0, HW 20.5; abdomen including appendages 31.5.</p> <p> <b>Variation in males.</b> The small spine between subbasal and subdistal process of superior appendage is lacking in some specimens (Fig. 13).</p> <p>Measurements (mm). FW 21.5–22.0, HW 20.5–21.0 (n = 4); abdomen including appendages 30.5–32.0 (n = 2).</p> <p> <b>Female</b> (paratypes). <i>Head</i>. Labium, maxilles and mandibles medium brown; the latter apically orange, with black tips. Labrum orange; ante- and postclypeus medium to dark brown; frons covered by a diffuse pale yellow stripe; its upper part, including antennal sockets, reddish-brown. Antennal scapus dark brown, the latter with pale yellow distal rings; pedicellus proximally and distally dark brown, medially light brown; flagellum dark brown. Posterior part of vertex, occiput and rear of head deep black, interrupted only by reddish-brown areas posterior to antennae as well as anterior and lateral to ocelli, by a pair of conspicuous pale yellow subtriangular postocellar spots (original coloration presumably faded) and a diffuse pale yellow stripe situated anteriorly and parallel to occipital ridge, isolated from postocular spots and protruding anteriorly between the posterior ocelli (Fig. 15).</p> <p> <b>FIGURE 25.</b> <i>Idiocnemis lakekamuensis</i> <b>sp. nov.,</b> ♀, Lakekamu, terminal abdominal segments in latero-dorsal view.</p> <p> <i>Thorax.</i> Prothorax with median lobe very slightly convex in lateral view; pronotum largely black-brown, pleura pale yellow. Anterior part of median lobe with a pair of slightly diffuse roundish to slightly oval black spots each covering a distinct depression of the median lobe (Fig. 18). Posterior pronotal lobe comparatively long, about same length as median lobe, not raised in lateral view, shaped as broadly rounded subtriangle with rather obtuse posterior edge and with lateral edges distinctly subrectangular; edge of posterior pronotal lobe broadly and clearly demarcated from its central part both in dorsal and lateral view, central part slightly bulgy (Figs 22, 23). Synthorax with coloration similar to male, but more diffuse and much paler. Anterior pale marking on metepisternum dorsally distinctly widened, the dark spot posterior to it narrowed dorsally. Underside of synthorax as in male.</p> <p> <i>Wings</i>. FW with 16 (right) to 17 (left) Px, HW with 15 Px (n=5). Arc distinctly distal to Ax2. Pt as in male but shape more equilateral. Otherwise as in holotype.</p> <p> <i>Abdomen</i>. Mainly black; similar to male, but with the following differences: S1 with a pair of subquadrangular whitish spots on dorsal half of segment; S2 with a dorsal elongate pale yellow marking which has its posterior corners extended into narrow stripes that extend halfway down the segment laterally. S3 to 7 with diffuse pale yellow markings, similar to male but less distinct. S8 to 10 each covered by a pale yellow marking dorsally, dorsal colour diffusely intermingled with black (S8), intruded by an anterior medial dark area (S9) or with an anterior half-circular black marking (S10); S 8 to 9 almost entirely covered by pale yellow in some specimens. Sternites of S8 dark brown to black, those of S9 yellow. Cerci yellow, their tips narrow, sharply pointed, darkened. Valvae with upper part yellow or with at least traces of yellow, lower part dark brown; visible part of ovipositor yellow. Styli medium to dark brown, apical parts yellowish.</p> <p>Measurements (mm). FW 21.0–23.0, HW 20.0–22.5 (n = 6); abdomen including valvae 29.0 (n = 3).</p> <p> <b>Differential diagnosis.</b> The new species, along with <i>I. lakekamuensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, belongs to the smallest species of the <i>I. bidentata</i> species group and may be easily distinguished from all congeners by its thoracic colour pattern. The black dorsal synthoracic marking extends medially into the antehumeral stripes (Fig. 27), taking a roughly cross-shaped overall shape in dorsal view without, however, fully subdividing the latter as is the case in <i>I. nigriventris</i> Lieftinck, 1937 and <i>I. obliterata</i> Lieftinck, 1932. In lateral view, the colour pattern is characterized by the distinct bright mesepimeral marking showing two upper subrectangular offshoots, of which only the anterior one is in partial contact with the antehumeral stripe. This pattern most closely approaches that of <i>I. lakekamuensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> In that species, however, the anterior subrectangular element is fully in contact with the antehumeral stripe. The male superior appendage of <i>I. milou</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is usually characterized by a small spine halfway between the subbasal and subdistal processes. A similar minute spine is present in <i>I. schorri</i>, but in that species the spine is situated close to the subbasal process (cf. Gassmann <i>et al</i>., 2016: figs 14a, b). In cases where the minute spine is lacking, the superior appendages of <i>I. milou</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> are reminiscent of those of <i>I. mertoni</i> (Fig. 12). However, both the subbasal and the subdistal process are more distinctly pointed in the new species.</p> <p> <b>Distribution and habitats.</b> Currently known only from Gulf Province in southern central New Guinea, between the Kikori River lowlands in the west and the Lakekamu Basin in the east. Like <i>I. lakekamuensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, this species is closely associated with small, clear-flowing seepages and streams in lowland rainforest where it perches on low vegetation and twigs in patches of sunlight. A detailed description of the vegetation, climate, fauna and flora of the type locality can be found in Mack (1998).</p>Published as part of <i>Gassmann, Dirk & Richards, Stephen J., 2019, Two new damselflies of the genus Idiocnemis Selys from Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea (Odonata: Platycnemididae), pp. 121-140 in Zootaxa 4560 (1)</i> on pages 128-139, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4560.1.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/2627426">http://zenodo.org/record/2627426</a>
Effects of the Integrated Care Program 'Asja' for Actual and Potential Adolescent Female Victims of Sexual Exploitation
No full textAbstract
Adolescent girls who are at risk of, or have experienced, sexual exploitation (female SEC) often face complex and multifaceted challenges, including trauma-related symptoms, psychosocial difficulties, unstable home environments, and adverse developmental trajectories. To mitigate further harm and support positive development, integrated care targeting multiple domains—such as trauma, psychosocial functioning, and systemic factors—is essential. However, few integrated care programs have been systematically evaluated, and none within a quasi-experimental design. This study examined the effectiveness of the Dutch Asja residential integrated care program using a before-and-after design. A sample of 39 to 55 adolescent girls admitted between 2020 and 2025 (Mtreatment days = 234.98; Sd = 117.01) was assessed using linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts. Outcomes included self-reported measures (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and clinician-rated assessments (Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents). Results indicated significant improvements in key domains, including reductions in self-reported emotional and behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and clinician-assessed emotional and social difficulties. Total problem scores from both adolescents and healthcare professionals also showed significant declines over time. At discharge, 75.4% of the adolescents reported high levels of treatment-goal attainment, and 53.6% indicated no immediate need for follow-up care. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the Asja program. Future research should focus on reducing unplanned discharges and addressing methodological challenges such as attrition and the high complexity inherent in integrated care for this vulnerable population
Embedding Human Centered Design in the creation of Blockchain based consults
No full textThis thesis researches the topic ‘embedding stakeholder needs in the creation of blockchain applications’ as part of digital strategies within the KPMG Digital Transformation department. The research resulted in a framework consisting of a digital asset and a creative session enabling KPMG consultants and clients to explore the possibilities of blockchain within their value chain. The blockchain technology has gotten more publicity over the last few. The decentralization of data in combination with an immutable ledger seems promising, but will drastically change our existing economies. It will disrupt our economy by ‘taking out the middlemen.’ As value chains will simplify, the blockchain will take over human-tasks. The aim of this research was to explore how this technology could enter our market by looking at stakeholder needs. KPMG Digital Transformation also saw an increased demand of implementing emerging technologies like blockchain. In collaboration with KPMG, the project was executed to find a structural approach for the creation of blockchain based projects. The literature review discusses, the topics design thinking, blockchain, digital transformation and the KPMG strategy. In the exploratory analysis, three analyses were executed from the perspectives of the human, technology and business similar to IDEOs three pillars of design thinking (IDEO, n.d.). From both the literature review as the exploratory analysis, insights were collected. These insights are key for the creation of blockchain applications and focus on three perspectives: technological feasibility, viability in business and human desirability. In the value proposition analysis, 80 public blockchains and 50 permissioned blockchains were analyzed on their customer values. These values were used to bridge the gap between stakeholder needs and a back-end solution such as blockchain. Answering which common blockchain values are important in the creation of a customer benefit statement if we focus on stakeholder needs. And secondly, answering how these values relate to interactions within a digital infrastructure. The tests conclude whether and how a digital infrastructure can be created using the insights (in cards) focusing on feasibility, viability and desirability. This workbook-based assignment was tested with two companies and four groups of consultants on the content and flow. Final Design The final design consists of a combination of a digital asset and the creative session design, meant for KPMG consultants to explore the value of blockchain within a digital strategy with their clients. The digital asset consists of three elements: 1. Blockchain news (on specific industries) and education. 2. A case checker: answering how interesting blockchain is for a specific case. 3. Session preparation, collecting data for the creative session. For the creative session, a workbook was designed consisting of three exploring assignments: finding stakeholder needs & values, creating a customer benefit statement and exploring cases to experience the value of blockchain in a tangible and explorative structure. The framework assesses the potential of blockchain in a certain context, simulates a discussion on its value and inspires creative thinking among KPMG consultants and its clients.Strategic Product Desig
City Hotel Amsterdam, The Host: Creating communities on different scales
No full textThe outcome of constantly striving for economic growth and making a profit has led to a city in which every building is seen as a product. Power, ownership, and mass tourism are taking over the city, exacerbating the housing shortage and making the housing prices rise to an unprecedented height. As a result, inhabitants are being pushed out of the city, while the discussion of housing as a human right is being ignored and wellbeing and equality are undermined. Alongside this housing crisis, tourism has developed into an economy with negative impacts on the city. Being a product for the almost 17 million visitors has been very overwhelming for the only 830.000 inhabitants of Amsterdam, which becomes visible through anti-hotel protests. This raises the question of the right to the city. The main objective of this project is to design a hotel that does not see tourism as a thread for the locals, but instead, as a resource. Considering different ways in which tourism can still take place in harmony with the wellbeing of Amsterdam’s inhabitants, I started to think of an architectural model in which tourists and residents live in the same building, benefitting from each other. The idea is a model where residents have a guest room in their home. The money that the guest room generates enables them to live in the city. The City Hotel will consist of multiple of these units, all housing a guest room. Together, they will form a collective house, sharing multiple facilities like gardens, a big kitchen, a dining room, working spaces and a laundry space. Thereby shifting the almost parasitic relationship between tourists and residents into a symbiotic one.<br/
Mixed in place permeability reductive layer through Al and OM precipitation
No full textThe control of infiltration and seepage of water is one ofthe most challenging tasks in water management and civil-engineering and, inan attempt to control this, methods for forming a waterimpermeable layer inthe soil have been widely practised in soil engineering (Laumann et al., 2018;Proto et al., 2016). The use of natural processes to modify the engineeringproperties of the subsurface could help to develop cost-effective, robust andsustainable engineering technologies and is attracting increasing attentionfrom the industry (Zhou, 2020). This research aims to reduce the permeabilityby using aluminium (Al) and organic matter (OM) precipitates mixed ex-situwith porous media to create a horizontal barrier. The Al-OM precipitates wereexpected to clog the pore space with a reduction in permeability and hydraulicconductivity as result. To find out if it is feasible to use Al-OMprecipitates mixed ex-situ with porous media for a permeability reductivelayer, the Al-OM precipitates and the permeability of the medium wereresearched. To characterise the flocculation reaction, experiments onthe flocculation were performed. The yield of the reaction was obtained byadding certain amounts of Al and OM solutions to form particular amounts of drymass of flocs. This experiment confirmed the hypothesis that 85% of the addedmass of OM will result in dry mass of flocs. The concept of a critical metal tocarbon ratio (M/C-ratio), indicating flocculation regardless of the inputconcentrations, was tested by measuring the pH over an increasing M/C-ratio.From this titration curve, the found critical M/C ratio is between 0.0230.031,and the pH stabilises at a level lower than pH 4. This result proves theconcept behind the numerical scenarios describing the titration of OM solutionswith Al3+, with a critical molar M/C ratio independent of the inputconcentrations (Veerkamp, 2018; Zhou, 2020). After determining the yield of thereaction and concluding that the concentration of Al and OM was not ofinfluence, the by-products of the Al-OM reaction were quantified. The ionicstrength of the supernatant of an increasing density of flocs in solution wasdetermined by measuring the electrical conductivity (EC). The results showedthat the ionic strength increased linearly with an increasing density of flocs.The relationship between the ionic strength and the density of flocs was coupledto the linear relationship between concentrations potassium chloride (KCl) andits EC. From the results, the measured EC can be used as a tracer since the K+and Cl are nonreactive. The hydraulic conductivity measurements were conducted by afalling head test to be able to make an indication of the change inpermeability when adding the Al-OM precipitates to the sand. To find theoptimal method to mix the Al, OM and porous media, the influence of differentmethods of producing, adding and mixing the materials on the permeabilityreduction is explored. In the first mixing method, the Al and OM were added insolution, the solution containing Al-OM precipitates was centrifuged until thereduced ionic strength was at an EC value less than 700 µm/cm. The hydraulicconductivity measurements were used to obtain the relationship between thehydraulic conductivity reduction over an increasing concentration of flocsretained by one kilogram of sand. The hydraulic conductivity was reducedexponentially over an increasing concentration of flocs up to a magnitude of 3.The results imply a large variability in the achieved reduction dominated bythe amount of retained flocs. The second method is using Al and OM in powderformat and adding them to the dry sand and adding 500 ml of water to thismixture. This mixing method resulted in a completely different floc structure.The flocs produced by mixing in solution have a shear dependency feature, whiledry mixing created particles that have a constant size. For this method, theincrease of the reduction is linear over an increase of concentration of flocsretained by the soil. The highest reduction for this method was found to be ofa magnitude of two, measured at 50 grams of flocs retained by one kilogram ofsand. Finally, this research gave proof of principle of using Al-OMprecipitates mixed directly with sand could reduce the permeability up to amagnitude of 3. These results present a new road to research on this Al-OM-sandmixture’s strength parameters and compaction over time over an increasing flocdensity, since these parameters are critical for using the layer in practice. SoSEA
Towards better understanding of the opaque phase in the self-assembly of PBd-PEO polymers
No full textNano-carriers have the potential to be an enormous game-changer in medicinal drug delivery systems. The polymeric nano-carriers used in this study are a product of the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers, a complicated process which must be understood completely to finely tune the desired morphology for drug delivery. The goal of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of the self-assembly process of amphiphilic block copolymers. Specifically, it will focus on the ’opaque phase’ observed for poly(1,2-butadiene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PBd-PEO) block copolymers, which seems to occur in the early stages of the self-assembly process. A nano-precipitation method has been developed at the TU Delft, which induces selfassembly and brings forward the opaque phase. The used block copolymer has a hydrophobic PBd block and a hydrophilic PEO block. This block copolymer dissolves well in acetone, but upon water (H2O) addition, it starts to self-assemble into spherical aggregates, useful for drug delivery. At small volumes of H2O, the opaque phase appears and disappears as more H2O is added. In this thesis, multiple samples have been prepared with the so-called Inverse Nanoprecipitation method and different experimental parameters among which the volume percentage of H2O present in the sample, have been varied. The samples have been studied using Visual Inspection, Dynamic Light Scattering and Spin Echo Small Angle Neutron Scattering. The experiments show that the time intervals between H2O addition do not affect the formation of aggregates, but rather the ‘when’ of adding the H2O. If this is added to the acetone before the block copolymer is dissolved, it affects the self-assembly process. A visual experiment showed that the opaque phase occurred 1.2±0.1 vol% H2O earlier than in previous research, which might be a result of the lower room temperature during this thesis. Another significant result might be that the addition of acetone-D6 or D2O affects the self-assembly process, which must be considered for future SESANS measurements. Lastly, during the opaque phase a strong temperature sensitivity is observed (which was already found in previous research at TU Delft, by E. Remmelts and further researched by R. Baaijens), high light scattering intensities are detected with DLS and for SESANS measurements the scattered neutron intensities were low. These observations all strongly point to a theory called ‘pre-micellization’, which gives a better understanding of the opaque phase.Applied Physic
