95 research outputs found
Homophobic Statements, a Bishop, and the Limits of Freedom of Expression. An In-Depth Commentary on ECtHR 31.08.2023, Amvrosios-Athanasios Lenis v. Greece, no. 47833/20
No full textDichiarazioni omofobe, un vescovo e i limiti della libertà di espressione. Un commento approfondito su CEDU 31.08.2023, Amvrosios-Athanasios Lenis v. Greece, no. 47833/20.
ABSTRACT: The decision of the ECtHR of 31.08.2023, Amvrosios-Athanasios Lenis v. Greece (no. 47833/20), is a further step toward an increasingly dense jurisprudence on “hate speech” and the limits of freedom of expression. The public proclamation of religious doctrines that are in conflict with the values of the contracting States enshrined in the ECHR is protected to a certain extent by the fundamental right of freedom of religion and belief. However, the qualification of a statement as religious does not justify “hate speech.” The AUTHOR shows the tension between freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and protection against discrimination, and analyzes the decision against the backdrop of Article 17 of the ECHR (prohibition of abuse of rights).
SOMMARIO: 1. Preliminary Remarks - 2. The Concept of Hate Speech - 3. The Facts of the Case - 4. The Procedure and Reasoning of the Court - 4.1 The ECtHR’s Preliminary Considerations on Fundamental Rights - 4.2 Legal assessment - 4.3 Some Remarks on (the Non-Invoked) Article 9 of the ECHR - 5. Concluding Remarks
Older patients with colorectal cancer at Levanger Hospital 1980-2016
No full textKreft i tykk- og endetarm har blitt den vanligste kreftsykdommen i Norge med unntak av brystkreft for kvinner og prostatakreft for menn. Sykdommen rammer i hovedsak eldre mennesker og har en insidens-topp rundt 70 års alder. Andelen eldre har økt i Norge de siste tiårene og vil fortsette å øke i årene som kommer. Moderne medisinsk behandling bidrar til at vi lever lenger, forventet levealder stiger, og de eldste aldersgruppene utgjøres av en stadig større andel av befolkningen. I takt med denne utviklingen forventer vi et økende press på helsetjenestene.
Riktig behandling av pasienter med kreft i tykk- og endetarm er viktig for å tilby best mulig behandling på individ-nivå, og for optimal utnyttelse av helseressursene. Retningslinjer for utredning og behandling følger av Helsedirektoratets handlingsprogram og er bortsett fra enkelte unntak like på tvers av aldersgruppene. Dette til tross for at evidensen i stor grad er basert på kunnskaper om yngre pasienter. Eldre pasienter utelates ofte fra kliniske studier på tross av at det er viktige forskjeller mellom aldersgruppene. Kunnskaper om yngre pasienter ikke alltid er direkte overførbare til de eldre. Yngre pasienter utgjør generelt sett en mer homogen gruppe, mens det hos eldre pasienter er store individuelle forskjeller hva angår aldersassosierte faktorer som må hensyntas ved behandling av kreft.
Å tilby en best mulig, individ-tilpasset behandling er en av de største utfordringene ved behandling av eldre pasienter med kreftsykdom. Dagens standard har rom for forbedring. Seleksjonen til de ulike behandlingsformene baseres på kunnskaper om pasienten og pasientens sykdom. Den multimodale evalueringen av pasienter må favne bredere slik at våre beslutninger baseres på et større grunnlag. Prehabilitering før behandlingsstart og intensivert tverrfaglig oppfølging gjennom behandlingsforløpet kan bidra til at flere klarer å gjennomgå tiltenkt behandling, forebygge behandlingsassosierte komplikasjoner, og forbedre overlevelse.
I Studie 1 undersøkte vi trender i insidens og presentasjon av kreft i tykk- og endetarm ved Sykehuset Levanger for perioden 1980 til 2016. Basert på våre observasjoner beregnet vi den videre insidensutviklingen frem mot 2040. Våre funn viste at insidensen av kreft i tykk- og endetarm nært fordoblet seg gjennom observasjonsperioden, hovedsakelig grunnet primært preventive (livsstilsrelaterte) årsaker. Analysene våre indikerte at påvirkningen fra primært preventive årsaker har nådd et toppunkt. Sammenlignet med insidensnivået i siste del av studien forventer vi en økning på 70% frem mot 2040. Økningen vil hovedsakelig skyldes at befolkningen blir eldre, og være spesielt merkbar i aldersgruppen 80 år.
I Studie 2 undersøkte vi diagnostikk og behandling av pasientene med tykktarmskreft ved Sykehuset Levanger i perioden 1980 til 2016, med et spesielt søkelys på åttiåringene. Studien viste at insidensen av kreft i tykktarm hos åttiåringene mer enn fordoblet seg gjennom studieperioden. Åttiåringene som gjennomgikk kirurgisk behandling med kurativt siktemål, hadde lavere korttidsoverlevelse enn de yngre pasientene. Åttiåringene som overlevde de første nitti dagene etter kirurgi, hadde like god relativ langtidsoverlevelse som de yngre pasientene. Den relative andelen av åttiåringer som ble behandlet med kirurgi økte gjennom observasjonstiden. Tiltak som forbedrer korttidsoverlevelsen, vil være nøkkelen til å forbedre langtidsoverlevelsen hos åttiåringer som blir operert med kurativt siktemål i fremtiden.
I Studie 3 undersøkte vi behandling av pasientene med endetarmskreft ved Sykehuset Levanger i perioden 1980 til 2016, med et spesielt søkelys på pasientene ≥80 år. Våre resultater viste at pasientene ≥80 år hadde mindre sjanse for å bli behandlet med kurativt siktemål sammenlignet med de yngre pasientene, på tross av like sykdomsstadier ved diagnosetidspunktet. Det var generelt en høy komplikasjonsrate ved stor kirurgi for endetarmskreft, og pasientene ≥80 år hadde mer alvorlige komplikasjoner enn de yngre pasientene. Pasientene ≥80 år som gjennomgikk kirurgisk behandling med kurativt siktemål hadde lik relativ langtidsoverlevelse som de yngre pasientene
Parallel pulsed jets for precise underwater propulsion
No full textThesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2016.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-98).A significant limitation for underwater robots is their ability to maneuver in tight spaces or for complex tracking tasks. Next generation vehicles require thrusters that can overcome this problem and efficiently provide high maneuverability at low speeds. Recently, thruster design has begun to draw inspiration from nature's swimmers, applying the principles of pulsed jet propulsion to robotic thrusters. Although most developments have focused on single jet actuators, nature provides some indications that multi-jet systems can provide propulsive benefits -- marine invertebrates called sales connect into chains of individual animals that each eject short jets to collaboratively move the entire chain efficiently around the ocean. However, despite the promise of multi-jet propulsion, there are no existing models or empirical data that explain the physics of multi-jet propulsion. As a result, there are no physically motivated rules to guide the design of man-made multi-jet thrusters. In this thesis, I experimentally investigate how interactions between neighboring jets in a multi-jet thruster will affect the system's propulsive performance. I use high-speed fluorescence imaging to investigate the mutual influence of two pulsed jets under conditions relevant to low-speed maneuvering in a vehicle (Re ~ 350). Using a new force estimation technique developed in this thesis, I analyze the video data to evaluate how thrust and efficiency are affected by the jet spacing. This analysis reveals that, compared to non-interacting jets, the efficiency and thrust generated by the pair of interacting jets can fall by nearly 10% as the jets are brought into close proximity. Based on this data, I develop a model of vortex interactions to explain the thrust and efficiency drop. The data and model described in this thesis contribute new insights to understand vortex formation in pulsed jets, and these results can be used to guide the design of multi-jet underwater propulsion systeby Athanasios G. Athanassiadis.S.M
Optical breakdown acoustics : transduction and sensing underwater
No full textThis electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-199).In the sea, infrastructures such as ships, pipelines, and wind turbines are exposed to harsh conditions that can wear down the structures through wave loading and corrosion. Because of these wear mechanisms, maritime structures require regular inspections to identify early signs of damage or fatigue. Currently, inspections are performed visually or with contact acoustic transducers, often by a human diver. However, these methods are slow and costly, and can be hindered by surface irregularities like biofouling. Therefore, new sensing techniques are needed to meet the rising demand for offshore infrastructure monitoring. In this thesis, I develop optical breakdown as an acoustic source for non-contact measurements of underwater structures. Optical breakdown occurs when a high-power laser is focused to a small spot, causing nonlinear interactions between the light and water. A compact plasma forms at the focus and expands explosively, radiating a loud, broadband pressure wave.Since this source is compact, laser-controlled and broadband, it provides unique sensing capabilities that overcome challenges faced by traditional transducers. First, I demonstrate how the breakdown source can be used to remotely measure the internal properties of submerged plates. The source is used to excite leaky Lamb waves in the plates, and broadband elastic dispersion spectra are measured using hydrophones in the water. The dispersion spectra are used to calculate the thicknesses and sound speeds in aluminum, steel, bronze and glass plates of varying thickness. Second, I characterize how the source can be controlled and scaled up by combining acoustic measurements with high-speed images of the breakdown plasma. In general, breakdown produces a loud (>100kPa at 10cm), ultra-broadband (5kHz-5MHz) source, whose characteristics depend on measurement orientation and laser properties.This transduction behavior is explained by modeling the breakdown plasma as an array of laser-driven explosions. When the laser is tightly focused, the plasma is compact, producing a loud and omnidirectional signal. However, for weak focusing and high energies, the plasma lengthens and becomes erratic, producing a weaker signal with less consistent behavior. These results reveal design challenges, tradeoffs and opportunities when adapting the breakdown source for dierent applications.by Athanasios G. Athanassiadis.Ph. D.Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineerin
A generic sparse regression imputation method for time series and tabular data
No full textAlthough many missing data imputation methods have been proposed in the relevant literature, they focus on either time series or tabular data, but not on both. Hence, a generic sparse regression method for missing data imputation is proposed. The imputed values of a target feature are generated by solving a sparse least squares problem using a preconditioned iterative method based on generic approximate sparse pseudoinverse. Sparsity is introduced by dummy encoding existing or constructed (through discretization) categorical features. Extensive experiments were conducted on several datasets, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for both time series and tabular data.279411096
Towards integrated digital twins for construction and manufacturing
No full textA digital twin (DT) can enhance construction management with comprehensive real-time simulations. However, research rarely considers prefabrication factories, whose processes have a significant impact on cost and duration. It remains unclear how construction DTs can achieve their expected benefits without dynamically interacting with the DTs of manufacturing facilities. To address this, a DT integration model is proposed. It builds upon systems theory and describes integration across the three layers objectives, processes, and data & tools. A theoretical example demonstrates potential benefits of integrated DTs. This work can assist researchers and practitioners who are focusing on DTs in the execution phase.Design & Construction ManagementIntegral Design & Managemen
Benchmark Comparison of Methods for Approximate Neighborhood Estimation of Road Segments in Large-Scale Traffic Networks
No full textAn Efficient Method for Accelerating Training of Short-Term Traffic Prediction Models in Large-Scale Traffic Networks
No full textAn adaptive cluster-based sparse autoregressive model for large-scale multi-step traffic forecasting
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