159 research outputs found
SWITCH education material
No full textEducation material (in Dutch) about healthy and sustainable food for secondary schools (age 12-16
Towards Self-Reliant Development: Inhabitant Housing Capacity Gap of Rural Inhabitants on Mt. Elgon
No full textRural communities in developing countries show a socially inclusive, resilient, and self-reliant model for their housing, despite the lack of individual capacities. However, due to scarce opportunities, many people move to the cities, often returning to challenging living conditions. As a result, both urban and rural inhabitants struggle to reach the desired living standards and well-being. This article explores general capacities of rural inhabitants in Kenya and identifies what shortages prevent inhabitant well-being within their housing. Outcomes of the interviews performed on two hundred families (four communities) evaluate whether the different communities still build housing by themselves, if they would like to continue this ‘self-reliant model’, or would prefer professionals ro realize their housing. The conclusion indicates that inhabitants would prefer to build housing by themselves and exposes why these communities change to ‘external’, housing solutions. Housing alternatives which lie within their capacities, play a crucial role in sustaining the communities’ self-reliance in relation to their housing.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Situated Architectur
The Total Cost of Living in Relation to Energy Efficiency Upgrades in the Dutch, Multi-Residential Building Stock
No full textDecarbonizing the housing stock is one of the largest challenges in the built environment today, and is getting attention not only from policymakers, but also from social housing corporations, financial and tenants’ organisations. In line with the international Paris-Climate-Change-Conference 2015, Dutch cities and housing associations have embraced this challenge with the ambitions to become carbon neutral in 2050. To reach such ambitious goals, both the rate and depth of renovation need to increase significantly. In the Netherlands, the Energy Agreement for Sustainable Growth, indicates that 300.000 dwellings have to be renovated annually, in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive adopted by the European Union, to improve the Dutch building stock towards energy neutrality. Several technical solutions to eliminate the energy demand in dwelling have been developed and tested. Nevertheless, the intake rate of deep retrofitting is low. Currently, most improvements in residential buildings consist of basic maintenance and shallow renovation, but broader or deeper energy renovation measures are required. Despite more recent developments, there are still significant barriers related to financing, lack of information, and user acceptance. Complex technical characteristics are not always taken into account by tenants; the focus is usually on the ease of use, comfort and living expenses.To this end, the present study sets of to investigate the relationship between energy efficiency upgrade measures and cost of living. Focusing on the post-war, multi-family social housing in the Netherlands, a framework of refurbishment measures that affect the energy efficiency were identified, and their performance was simulated. The variations refer to the façade design, thermal envelope upgrade, winter-garden addition and reviewable energy. The energy efficiency indicator is the energy cost reduction, as well as the carbon footprint of the energy use. Furthermore, the rental price adjustment was estimated, taking into account the refurbishment investment and the operation cost of the renovated dwellings. All tested combination of variables resulted in significant energy savings, up to 70%, while energy generation was proven to be cost-effective, as it has a considerable positive effect on the energy use and the energy cost, without increasing the rental price.The results aim at supporting the decision-making discussion between the stakeholders, primarily housing associations and tenants. The relation between the energy consumption and rental price for the different options identifies the effect of design variation and demonstrated the attractive solutions that the tenants are more likely to accept, taking into account the overall cost of living and sustainability benefits.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Building Product InnovationHousing Institutions & GovernanceHousing ManagementDesign & Construction ManagementArchitectural Engineerin
«Труд в крови». О языке женского субъекта и животного субъекта в поэтическом сборнике Matecznik [Матечник] Малгожаты Лебды
Full text linkAnouk Herman’s aim in this article is to introduce the ecofeminist theory of the animal subject and its absent referent in the poetry book Matecznik by Polish author Małgorzata Lebda. Ecofeminism provides tools for elaborate analysis of the conceptual connections between women (as well as persons of nonbinary identities) and animals and may be used as a theoretical background for ecocritical research on literature. Ecofeminist philosophers Carol J. Adams and Marti Kheel have developed theories regarding relationships of human and non-human phenomena. They examine the issues of sexuality and carnality in the context of the killing and hunting of animals, themes which constitute important motifs in Lebda’s poetry.Celem niniejszej pracy jest przybliżenie ekofeministycznej teorii zwierzęcego podmiotu i jego nieobecnego przedmiotu odniesienia w tomiku Matecznik Małgorzaty Lebdy. Ekofeminizm dostarcza narzędzi do rozbudowanej analizy konceptualnych związków pomiędzy kobietami (a także osobami niebinarnymi) i zwierzętami, może być również stanowić teoretyczne zaplecze ekokrytycznego badania literatury. Ekofeministyczne myślicielki, Carol J. Adams i Marti Kheel, rozwinęły teorie dotyczące relacji ludzkich i nieludzkich fenomenów, zbadały także zagadnienia seksualności i cielesności w kontekście zabijania i polowania na zwierzęta. Wszystkie te problemy są ważnymi motywami w twórczości Małgorzaty Lebdy.Цель этой статьи – представить экофеминистскую теорию животного субъекта и его отсутствующего референтного объекта в книге Matecznik [Матечник] Малгожаты Лебды. Экофеминизм предоставляет инструменты для обширного анализа концептуальных отношений между женщинами (и небинарными людьми) и животными, а также может служить теоретической основой для экокритического исследования литературы. Мыслители-экофеминистки Кэрол Дж. Адамс и Марти Хил разработали теории о взаимосвязи между человеческими и нечеловеческими феменами и исследовали вопросы сексуальности и телесности в контексте убийства и охоты на животных. Все эти проблемы являются важными мотивами творчества Малгожаты Лебды
Literary Representations of Non-heteronormative and Trans People in Polish Young Adult (YA) Literature: the example of Natalia Osińska’s trilogy and Anouk Herman’s novel <i>Nigdy nie będziesz szło samo</i>
No full textThe author focuses on literary representations of LGBT+ youth in Polish novels classified as Young Adult Literature (YAL). They use a three-part framework created by Michael Cart and Christine A. Jenkins to analyse books viewed as emblematic for Polish queer YAL: Natalia Osińska’s trilogy (Fanfik 2016, Slash 2017, Fluff 2019) and Anouk Herman’s novel Nigdy nie będziesz szło samo [You’ll Never Walk Alone, 2023]. When describing literary representations of coming out and queer youth subcultures, the author draws attention to the multidimensionality of the identities of the characters in this type of literary work. They are presented not only in the context of their gender identity and sexual orientation, but also through the prism of their economic situation and place of birth. The queerness of the characters is not limited to issues of gender and sexuality, but also involves challenging the norm of neurotypicality. According to the author, the novels analysed represent an interesting cultural representation of the Polish community of young people who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender and non-binary, as well as their allies (parents, friends)
Unilateral changes of the multifidus in persons with lumbar disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is one of the most often diagnosed degenerative pathologies within the lumbar spine. Paraspinal muscle involvement could be a possible mediator in the pathophysiology of disc herniation and influences the course of pain and disability after both surgical or nonsurgical treatment. To potentially improve treatment, it may be important to assess multifidus muscle morphology in patients diagnosed with a LDH. OBJECTIVE: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis regarding the multifidus morphology in patients diagnosed with a LDH was conducted to assess the differences in multifidus muscle morphology between persons with LDH and healthy controls, and between the involved and the uninvolved side within subjects experiencing unilateral LDH. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted of articles published up to and including November 2019 using the Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and MEDLINE Ovid search engines. The articles obtained from this search were screened based on title and abstract using the predetermined eligibility criteria. Included full text articles were assessed for their methodologic quality using the modified Downs and Black checklist. Heterogeneous data regarding multifidus muscle morphology was included in the descriptive analysis; data that was homogenous was included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: We identified 3,176 articles. Based on the screening for inclusion/exclusion criteria, 18 articles were included. Studies were either cross sectional or case-control studies assessing side-toside differences or comparing patients diagnosed with a LDH to a healthy control group. Nine studies investigated whole muscle atrophy, six looked at muscle fat infiltration, seven studies assessed microscopic muscle properties including muscle fiber size, distribution, and muscle fibrosis. From the 18 articles, 10 were included in the meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis, a comparison was made between side-to-side differences for muscle fiber size, distribution, and whole muscle size. Descriptive analysis showed increased fat infiltration and atrophy (muscle and individual fiber) of the multifidus muscle when comparing side-to-side differences or comparing cases to controls. Meta-analysis showed a significant decrease in type I and II muscle fiber size (p=.002, .01, respectively) combined with a significant increase in the number of type I muscle fibers (p=.008) at the side of LDH. Regarding whole muscle size, no significant differences were found. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the presence of ipsilateral multifidus muscle changes in persons with unilateral LDH. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-forprofit sectors. None of the authors state to have professional
and financial affiliations that may be perceived to have biased the presentation.Stevens, S (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, Fac Rehabil Sci, Rehabil Res Ctr, Agoralaan Bldg A, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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Guiding the specification of sociotechnical Machine Learning systems: Addressing vulnerabilities and challenges in Machine Learning practice
No full textThere is a need for a more comprehensive sociotechnical systems view on ML. Such a view looks at the development and use of an ML system in practice as being a sociotechnical ML system: "a system consisting of technical artefacts, human agents and institutions, in which a machine-based subsystem influences its real or virtual environment by automating, supporting or augmenting decision-making". This research takes on this view to design a sociotechnical guide for ML practice, centring the specication of sociotechnical ML systems. Taking on the guidelines contributes to a safe and effective development and use of ML systems.Complex Systems Engineering and Management (CoSEM
To Bid or not to Bid: that is the Question: Relating Contractor Bid Decisions to Tender Design Related Attributes
No full textThe construction industry has always been an important driver of the economy. An important part of the projects in this industry is commissioned by public entities. However, recently a trend can be observed in which the procurement process fails more often than before. Due to the current times of economic expansion in the Netherlands contractors are more selective in project selection. Failed procurement processes are however undesirable since the transaction costs and time invested in such a process can mount up. Many scholars have investigated the bid decision of contractors (Bagies & Fortune, 2006; Shokri-Ghasabeh & Chileshe, 2016). Yet, in order to contribute to solving the issue mentioned above not all considerations of contractors are relevant. Therefore, this research specifically focused on those considerations, or decision attributes, that a client can influence during the tender design phase. Resulting in the following research question: “What tender design related attributes are key decision drivers in the contractor’s bid decision and how do these key decision drivers influence the bid decision in economic times of expansion for publicly procured non-residential construction projects in the Netherlands?”Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineerin
Synthetic Steady-State Model of the Dutch EHV Network: Study of the impact of future additions of VRES and electrolysers
No full textDue to the much needed energy transition as agreed under the Paris climate agreement, it is expected that large amounts of variable renewable energy supply will be connected to the Dutch Transmission Network. Future social, economic and technological developments will determine both the amount of electrification as the central or decentral nature of the future supply of electricity. By investigating different reports with scenarios for 2030 and 2050, key uncertainties for the Extra High Voltage (EHV) network can be identified. As of now, no open source model of the Dutch EHV network is available for research. In this thesis a synthetic model of the Dutch EHV network is created from only publicly available data in DIgSILENT PowerFactory. The created synthetic model can be used as a tool to investigate future steady-state power flows considering the sensitivities of the topology, component parameters and different operational scenarios. Besides this, a method is created for generation of future scenarios in Python. Using this model and method, simulations were done to gain key insights into the Steady-State security of the future Dutch EHV Transmission Network. For the case study, it is investigated what the effect of future additions of variable renewable energy sources (VRES) and selected locations of 10 GW installed capacity of electrolysers would be on the Dutch EHV transmission network for 2030
Clinical implementation of adaptive intensity-modulated proton therapy (aIMPT) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC)
No full textEach year, more than 800 women in the Netherlands are diagnosed with cervical cancer, of which approximately half have locally advanced disease. The standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) is external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with concurrent chemotherapy followed by brachytherapy. Many patients experience some degree of treatment-related toxicity, mainly concerning the bowel, urinary tract, or vagina. Another important morbidity is hematologic toxicity (HT) due to bone marrow suppression, which might negatively impact the efficacy of adjuvant therapies. Treatment-related morbidity has a profound impact on patients’ quality of life. Proton therapy allows easier sparing of organs at risk (OARs), which might result in a decrease of treatment-related morbidities. One initiative to reduce treatment morbidities for LACC-patients was proposed in a collaborative project between Erasmus Medical Center (Erasmus MC), Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), and Holland Proton Therapy Center (HollandPTC): the PROTECT-project. A clinical pilot study will be conducted to determine differences in dose to OARs and in morbidity outcomes when comparing state-of-the-art photon therapy with adaptive intensity-modulated proton therapy (aIMPT) for patients with LACC. Additionally, bone marrow sparing capabilities of both delivery techniques will be evaluated. The focus of this thesis is on the clinical implementation of aIMPT to facilitate the pilot-study and consists of three parts. The thesis started with a systematic review of the literature about the relationship between bone marrow dose and HT in LACC-patients treated with primary chemoradiation. The review has been submitted for publication. There was a scarcity of studies investigating the relationship between bone marrow dose and HT and clinically useful prediction models were not available yet. The majority of the studies defining bone marrow as the whole pelvic bone found a significant association between bone marrow and HT, in contrast to studies evaluating lower density marrow spaces or active bone marrow. Future studies may use whole pelvic bone contouring to develop normal tissue complication probability models.Secondly, the development and implementation of the treatment planning strategy for LACC-patients in HollandPTC were proposed. Uncertainties arising from proton therapy delivery were identified and strategies to address these uncertainties were determined. The proposed aIMPT-strategy for LACC-treatment consisted of a plan-of-the-day-approach with margins and robust planning. Further work includes establishing the balance between robustness settings and margins and optimizing the clinical implementation of the plan-of-the-day-strategy.Lastly, the workflow for LACC-patients in Erasmus MC was translated into the HollandPTC environment. Requirements for the new workflow were generated with input from both the investigator and a risk evaluation with the users. A workflow was designed and translated into HollandPTC's situation. Secondly, the implementation of the plan-of-the-day-strategy in the treatment management process of the oncology information system ARIA was investigated. Recommendations were made to finalize and validate the implementation of the workflows. This thesis provides a base for the clinical implementation of aIMPT for LACC in HollandPTC. The systematic review gives guidance for bone marrow sparing techniques in Erasmus MC and HollandPTC. Additionally, a combination of a plan-of-the-day-approach with margins and robust planning was identified as the most optimal treatment planning strategy. Lastly, an implementation strategy for the clinical workflow and treatment management process in HollandPTC was determined. Further work should focus on finalizing and validating the clinical implementation to facilitate PROTECT's clinical pilot study in HollandPTC.Technical Medicine | Imaging and Interventio
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