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From a universal design perspective, products should attract both people with disabilities and other persons. Design of chairs has decisive importance for activity and independence of users with physical disabilities. In an experimental study aiming at an easy chair with universal design qualities, six able-bodied young adults were asked to position a wide range of photo-represented chairs, includ

The purpose of this work is the investigation of some constitutive and configurational aspects of phenomenological model formulations for a class of materials with history-dependent gradient microstructure. The assumption that the behavior of a material point is affected by history-dependent processes in a finite neighbor of this point yields an extended continuum characterized by non-simple mater

BACKGROUND: We report the surgical treatment of a consecutive series of scan negative patients with the intention of unilateral parathyroid exploration with the aid of intraoperative quick PTH (qPTH).MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 35 consecutive sestamibi scan negative patients (27 women, eight men) with sporadic pHPT subjected to first time surgery. Median age was 70 years and median p

This paper deals with a novel constitutive framework suitable for non-coherent interfaces, such as cracks, undergoing large deformations in a geometrically exact setting. For this type of interface, the displacement field shows a jump across the interface. Within the engineering community, so-called cohesive zone models are frequently applied in order to describe non-coherent interfaces. However,

The main limitation of operating sensor networks autonomously is the finite battery capacity of sensor nodes. Sensors are usually operated at low duty cycle; that is, they remain in active mode for short duration of time, in order to prolong the network lifetime. However, operating at low duty cycle may result in significant performance degradation in system operation. Hence, in this work, we quan

The purpose of this contribution is to present a survey of the recent developments in constructing composite science and technology (S&T) indicators on a national level as well as new evidence of the variability of such S&T indicators which opens the gateway to "country-tuning". It has become standard practice to combine several indicators for science, technology, and innovation to form co

The purpose of this qualitative 2-year follow-up study was to obtain a deeper understanding of motivation for change towards an active and independent life in patients with prolonged musculoskeletal disorders and to explore and identify personal resources that might influence such improvements. Data collection and analysis were performed according to the qualitative case study design. An initial c

Although pharmacological treatments can help alleviate mood symptoms in youth with paediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), residual symptoms still commonly persist. In many cases, these symptoms seriously affect the social and psychological development of children and adolescents suffering from PBD. Complementary interventions, such as psychosocial and psychoeducational treatments, can help children an

This paper presents a method for modeling and control of a piezo-actuated high-dynamic compensation mechanism (HDCM) for usage together with an industrial robot during a machining operation, such as milling in aluminum. The spindle is attached to the compensation mechanism and the robot holds the workpiece. Due to the inherent resonant character of mechanical constructions of this type, and the no

Effective utilization of the spatial domain enhances the capacity of a mobile radio network. A common technique is to use sector antennas, where the sectors are formed by weighting the outputs from the antenna elements. This results in spatial domain selectivity, which significantly improves the signal-to-(noise and interference) ratio in the received signals. However, the operation of the sector

The purpose of this work is to develop and implement a simple and robust preservation technology that can enhance food and economic security and thereby improve the lives of people in developing countries. The technique under development is termed “solar assisted pervaporation (SAP)”. It is a sustainable technology whereby fruit juices or purées are concentrated using reusable pouches made of “bre

The introduction of laminated timber, glulam being an example, allowed many of the disadvantages associated with solid wood to be overcome. The disadvantages in question are mainly those related to the size and shape limits of structural elements made of solid wood and to the large variability in such material properties of solid wood as strength and stiffness.In the present thesis, which comprise

Background: Biologgers have contributed greatly to studies of animal movement, behaviours and physiology. Accelerometers, among the various on-board sensors of biologgers, have mainly been used for animal behaviour classification and energy expenditure estimation. However, a general principle for the combined sampling duration and frequency for different taxa is lacking. In this study, we evaluate

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a serious complication of diabetes, where skin biopsy assessing intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) plays an important diagnostic role. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus has been proposed as a noninvasive diagnostic modality for DPN. Direct comparisons of skin biopsy and IVCM in controlled cohorts are lacking, as

Dynamic heterogeneity in lung ventilation is an important measure of pulmonary function and may be characteristic of early pulmonary disease. While standard indices like spirometry, body plethysmography, and blood gases have been utilized to assess lung function, they do not provide adequate information on regional ventilatory distribution nor function assessments of ventilation during the respira

Our aim was to compare the inter-rater agreement about transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with regard to diagnosing adenomyosis and for assessing various predefined imaging features of adenomyosis, in the same set of women. The study cohort included 51 women, prospectively, consecutively recruited based on a clinical suspicion of adenomyosis. MRIs and TVS vide