193 research outputs found
The year in cardiology 2014: Peripheral circulation
No full textIn 2014, the debate on the indication of revascularization in case of asymptomatic carotid disease continued, while another one regarding the use of surgery vs. stenting addressed some new issues regarding the long-term cardiac risk of these patients. Renal arteries interventions trials were disappointing, as neither renal denervation nor renal artery stenting was found associated with better blood pressure management or outcome. In contrast, in lower-extremities artery disease, the endovascular techniques represent in 2014 major alternatives to surgery, even in distal arteries, with new insights regarding the interest of drug-eluting balloons. Regarding the aorta, the ESC published its first guidelines document on the entire vessel, emphasizing on the role of every cardiologist for screening abdominal aorta aneurysm during echocardiography. Among vascular wall biomarkers, the aorta stiffness is of increasing interest with new data and meta-analysis confirming its ability to stratify risk, whereas carotid intima-media thickness showed poor performances in terms of reclassifying patients into risk categories beyond risk scores. Regarding the veins, new data suggest the interest of D-dimers and residual venous thrombosis to help the decision of anti-coagulation prolongation or discontinuation after the initial period of treatment for deep vein thrombosis
Kijkduinlaan, H.W. Mesdagstraat en Tillenhof te Huisduinen, gemeente Den Helder
No full textADC ArcheoProjecten heeft in augustus en september 2022 een bureauonderzoek uitgevoerd naar de kans op de aanwezigheid van archeologische waarden op de locaties Kijkduinlaan, Tillenhof en H.W. Mesdagstraat. Op basis van het bureauonderzoek kunnen binnen het plangebied archeologische resten uit de 16e eeuw en later worden verwacht. De verwachting op het aantreffen is hoog en is gebaseerd op de ligging van het plangebied in de oude dorpskern van Huisduinen. Op basis van de kadastrale minuut van 1811-1832 zijn binnen het plangebied in enkele zones resten of sporen van eerdere bebouwing of erven te verwachten. Deze archeologische resten kunnen zich al op enkele decimeters onder maaiveld bevinden indien deze niet reeds verstoord zijn door latere ingrepen. Eventueel aanwezige archeologische resten direct onder het maaiveld kunnen zijn aangetast door met name de aanleg van wegen, het aanleggen van riolering en de overige ondergrondse infrastructuur, bebouwing in de 20e eeuw en bombardementen tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De bodemingrepen zullen grotendeels plaatsvinden in reeds verstoorde grond. De verwachte archeologische resten kunnen worden verstoord door de graafwerkzaamheden ten behoeve voorgenomen ontwikkelingen. Op basis van de Kadastrale minuut 1811-1832 worden ter plaatse van delen van wegvak D, E en F resten van bebouwing of erven verwacht
Kijkduinlaan, H.W. Mesdagstraat en Tillenhof te Huisduinen, gemeente Den Helder
No full textADC ArcheoProjecten heeft in augustus en september 2022 een bureauonderzoek uitgevoerd naar de kans op de aanwezigheid van archeologische waarden op de locaties Kijkduinlaan, Tillenhof en H.W. Mesdagstraat. Op basis van het bureauonderzoek kunnen binnen het plangebied archeologische resten uit de 16e eeuw en later worden verwacht. De verwachting op het aantreffen is hoog en is gebaseerd op de ligging van het plangebied in de oude dorpskern van Huisduinen. Op basis van de kadastrale minuut van 1811-1832 zijn binnen het plangebied in enkele zones resten of sporen van eerdere bebouwing of erven te verwachten. Deze archeologische resten kunnen zich al op enkele decimeters onder maaiveld bevinden indien deze niet reeds verstoord zijn door latere ingrepen. Eventueel aanwezige archeologische resten direct onder het maaiveld kunnen zijn aangetast door met name de aanleg van wegen, het aanleggen van riolering en de overige ondergrondse infrastructuur, bebouwing in de 20e eeuw en bombardementen tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De bodemingrepen zullen grotendeels plaatsvinden in reeds verstoorde grond. De verwachte archeologische resten kunnen worden verstoord door de graafwerkzaamheden ten behoeve voorgenomen ontwikkelingen. Op basis van de Kadastrale minuut 1811-1832 worden ter plaatse van delen van wegvak D, E en F resten van bebouwing of erven verwacht
Xylos, creating a game for the Imagine Cup 2009
No full textCreating games is always an exciting occupation. In ten months, we have created a game for the Microsoft Imagine Cup, revolved around the Millennium Development Goals. Set on a distant planet, the game was to convey the MDG message in a more subtle way than most games did, but still recognizable. The most interesting gameplay mechanic in the game was the ability to travel back in time up to a maximum of five minutes, or until the energy meter runs out. This was also the most complex mechanic, and took the most time to implement correctly. In the end however, we prevailed and delivered a great game using a great structure built using a great engine. Unfortunately, the jury of the Imagine Cup did not seem to think so, and we did not make it into the finals.Dep. Mediamatica - basiseenheid Computer GraphicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Evaluation of novel Rhizopus microsporus fungal biomass and its impact on growth performance, and nutrient digestibility in the diet of nursery pigs
No full textFeed is a major variable cost that impacts efficient and economical pork production. Recent expansion of the ethanol industry has created competition for corn used as livestock feed. This expansion has increased water and energy usage, creating a need for greater efficiency in production. As a result, fungal cultivation of thin stillage leftover from ethanol production represents an opportunity for reducing water and energy usage and adding value to the nutrient profile of ethanol by-products. The ensuing fungal biomass (FB) is more nutrient rich in amino acids and lipids than corn or dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), and is seen as a potential feedstuff for animal agriculture.
Therefore, the overall objective of this thesis was to evaluate a novel FB (Rhizopus microsporus var. oligosporus grown on thin stillage) in the diet of nursery pigs, and determine its lysine bioavailability, nutrient digestibility, and its effects on growth performance and tissue accretion. To accomplish these objectives, a series of experiments were conducted and are outlined in two research chapters (Chapter 2 and 3).
In Chapter 2, two experiments were conducted using crossbred nursery pigs. The first experiment assessed growth performance parameters and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of the FB incorporated into diets at three concentrations. The second experiment further examined apparent ileal digestibility (AID), lysine bioavailability using slope-ratio assays, tissue accretion rates and intestinal health. The last chapter (chapter 3) was conducted to assess if probiotic (Pr) supplementation would increase nutrient digestibility of the FB and improve growth performance, and tissue accretion of nursery pigs.
Piglets for all experiments were randomly assigned and housed in individual metabolism pens with free access to water. Pigs were fed ad libitum for the first and third experiments, and restricted for the second to ensure appropriate lysine uptake. Pigs were fed a nursery diet consisting of corn, soybean meal (SBM), and whey protein and substituted with or without FB. All feed contained an exogenous digestibility marker, titanium dioxide, for ATTD and AID of the diets. Feces were collected from all three experiments to determine total tract nutrient digestibility and ileal digesta from the second and third for ileal nutrient digestibility. In the second and third experiments, serial slaughter methods were used that contained initial (ISG) and final (FSG) slaughter group animals for whole body composition and tissue accretion rates. Intestinal health was assessed ex vivo using pig ileum and cecum mounted into modified Ussing chambers.
Results from the first chapter (Experiment 1) indicated that 10 and 20% FB inclusion had no negative effects on growth performance parameters of ADG, ADFI and gain:feed. ATTD coefficients for energy, nitrogen, fat, and phosphorus were all reduced in the 20% FB diet compared to the control (P
The value of FB as a swine feed stuff is largely dependent on the bioavailability of its lysine to support growth. The lysine bioavailability was assessed in Experiment 2 using slope-ratio assay methods. These results showed that compared to Reference (Ref) diets containing increasing amounts of crystalline lysine that is freely available to support pig growth, when FB had to supply lysine as the first limiting amino acid, pigs had reduced growth performance (P
Using the data from the previous two experiments, we hypothesized that reduction in lysine bioavailability and digestibility of nutrients in FB diets was due to the high amount of complex polysaccharides such as chitin and chitosan. Therefore, our objective in Chapter 3 (Experiment 3) was to test whether the addition of a Pr would increase the digestibility of FB and improve growth performance of nursery pigs. Results from this experiment showed no significant FB Ã? Pr interaction in any parameters assessed. However, Pr increased ADG (0.47 vs. 0.45 kg/d) and G:F (0.61 vs. 0.57), compared to the no Pr treatments (P
In conclusion, the FB feedstuff composition is high in fat and energy, protein and essential amino acids such as lysine, representing an attractive option for monogastric nutrition. Further, we have determined its lysine bioavailability to be 54% for ADG, which is similar or lower to reported values for DDGS but decreased compared to corn. We have demonstrated that FB can be used as suitable replacement for corn or SBM at low inclusion levels ( 20%) would reduce overall efficiency. The reduced nutrient availability also decreases overall growth and tissue accretion, although no changes to intestinal health were observed. Further investigation is needed to evaluate other methods for increasing digestibility, such as different bacterial species or exogenous enzyme supplementation. Additionally, FB may be suited for formulation in diets of species with greater native chitinase production e.g., poultry. Lastly, given the anti-obesity benefit of chito-oligosaccharides, adaptation of FB for human consumption is an avenue that warrants research.</p
Not Pregnant Now in almost two-thirds of all municipalities in The Netherlands
No full textHet programma Nu Niet Zwanger is gericht op het voorkomen van onbedoelde zwangerschappen bij mensen in kwetsbare omstandigheden. Hulpverleners in het sociaal en medisch domein gaan daartoe tijdens reguliere contactmomenten met hun eigen cliënten (m/v) in gesprek over hun kinderwens. Ze ondersteunen hen bij het maken van een geïnformeerde en vrijwillige keuze, en bieden desgewenst begeleiding bij het kiezen en het realiseren van anticonceptie. Onderzoek laat zien dat de ervaringen van hulpverleners en cliënten met Nu Niet Zwanger positief zijn en leverde ook verbeterpunten op. Begin 2023 wordt het programma in bijna twee derde van de gemeenten in Nederland uitgevoerd en ligt de focus op structurele, landelijke borging.The program Not Pregnant Now aims to prevent unintended pregnancies in vulnerable populations. To this end, care providers start an openconversation during regular social and healthcare visits with their clients about their desire to have children. They support their clients in making an informed and voluntary decision about this and, ifwanted, offer support in choosing and realizing contraception. Research showed that the experiences of the care providers and clients with the program arepositive and also resulted in recommendations for improvement. At the beginning of 2023, the program runs in three quarters of the municipalities in TheNetherlands and the focus is on structural, national maintenance
"Connect & drive" C&D C-ACC for reducing congestion dynamics
No full textThis paper concentrates on a recently started project (Q4-2008), entitled "Connect & Drive" (C&D) defined in The Netherlands and subsidized by government funding. This project combines Adaptive Cruise Control techniques, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication to dampen congestion dynamics. This is termed "Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control" (CACC). The use of this Advanced Driver Assistant (ADA) system will result in currently unforeseeable benefits on emissions and congestions, particularly since they are mutually enforcing mechanisms. The paper describes the Connect & Drive definition, motivation for this definition and some preliminary expected results on congestion damping. Furthermore, the underlying research and development work that is currently ongoing in The Netherlands within the framework of the Connect & Drive project is also briefly addressed throughout the paper
Radiation-Enhanced Diffusion and Defect Production During Ion Irradiation of MgO and Al(2)O(3)
No full textRadiation enhanced diffusion of O\sp{18}, Ca and Zn buried tracer layers in MBE grown MgO was measured following irradiation with either 2.0 MeV Kr or 1.0 MeV Ne, He or H from 30 to 1500\sp\circC. This represents the first reported RED measurements on an oxide system. Ion beam mixing at 30\sp\circC on both sublattices was approximately 1.0 to 5.0 A\sp5/ev indicating the temperature independent mixing (ballistic mixing) is produced only by direct recoil and cascade events and that thermal spikes are not significant. D\sb{\rm red} was proportional to the square root of the irradiation flux with an activation enthalpy of 1.2 eV for diffusion on the anion sublattice from 1350 to 1500\sp\circC. The flux dependence is characteristic of kinetics in the recombination limited regime; accordingly, the measured activation enthalpy of 1.2 eV is identified as one-half the migration enthalpy of the anion vacancy. This assignment agrees with the predicted anion vacancy migration enthalpy of 2.1 to 2.4 eV. Between 1150\sp\circC and 1350\sp\circC an apparent activation enthalpy of 4.1 eV was measured. This enthalpy was attributed to vacancy clustering reactions. Measurements on the cation sublattice were conducted at temperatures below 900\sp\circC. At higher temperatures excessive thermal diffusion from extrinsic vacancies stemming from trivalent impurities prevented measurements of RED.Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T20:53:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 1997Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 84163
Lift date: Forever
Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDsU of I Only120 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997
Application of Panel Data Models in Benchmarking Analysis of the Electrivity Distribution Sector
No full textThis paper explores the application of several panel data models in measuring productive efficiency of the electricity distribution sector. Stochastic Frontier Analysis has been used to estimate the cost-efficiency of 59 distribution utilities operating over a nine-year period in Switzerland. The estimated coefficients and inefficiency scores are compared across three different panel data models. The results indicate that individual efficiency estimates are sensitive to the econometric specification of unobserved firm-specific heterogeneity. When these factors are considered as a separate stochastic term, the efficiency estimates are substantially higher indicating that conventional models could confound efficiency differences with other unobserved variations among companies. The results suggest that alternative panel models such as the “true” random effects model proposed by Greene (2005) could be used to evaluate the possible impacts of unobserved factors such as network effects on efficiency estimates.
Early outcomes with a single-sided access endovascular stent
No full textObjective: The objective of this study was to report the 1-year follow-up study results of the new Horizon stent graft (Endospan, Herzliya, Israel) from two different prospective consecutive trials. The Horizon abdominal aortic aneurysm stent graft system is a 14F profile system requiring only a single access site. It consists of three modules, introduced separately: base limb (iliac to iliac limb); distal aortic limb; and proximal aortic limb with a bare suprarenal crown and active fixation. Methods: Data from the first in man (FIM) clinical study with 10 patients enrolled and the pivotal study with 30 patients were analyzed. Outcomes measured were freedom from major adverse events (MAEs) including all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, renal failure, respiratory failure, paraplegia, stroke, bowel ischemia, and procedural blood loss ≥1000 mL. Performance end points included successful delivery and deployment of the device, freedom from aneurysm growth ≥5 mm, type I or type III endoleak, stent graft occlusion, conversion to open surgery, rupture, and stent graft migration. Results: In the FIM study, one conversion to open surgery with >1000 mL of blood loss was registered perioperatively. In the pivotal study, no perioperative MAE was registered. Overall, at 1-year follow-up, two deaths and one aneurysm growth unrelated to endoleak were registered. Conclusions: The results of both the FIM and pivotal studies demonstrated that 39 of 40 procedures were successful for delivery and deployment of the Horizon stent graft. No MAE was registered during the follow-up. The primary safety and performance end points were met in both studies
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