bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Identification Procedure for Behavioral Analysis in a Multi-User environment
Authors: Guerra Claudio  , Bianchi Valentina  , De Munari Ilaria  , Ciampolini Paolo
Published: February 2025

As the average age of the EU population increases, ICT solutions are going to play a key role in order to find answers to the new challenges the demographic change is carrying on. At the University of Parma an AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) system named CARDEA has been developed during the last 10 years. Within CARDEA, behavioral analysis is carried out, based on environmental sensors. If multiple users live in the same environment, however, data coming from sensors need to be properly tagged: in this paper, a simple technique for such tagging is proposed, which exploits the same wireless transmission used for transmitting data, thus not requiring additional hardware components and avoiding more complex and expensive (radio)localization techniques. Preliminary results are shown, featuring a satisfactory accuracy.
Service composition towards increasing end-user accessibility
Authors: Kaklanis Nikolaos  , Votis Konstantinos  , Tzovaras Dimitrios
Published: February 2025

This paper presents the Cloud4all Service Synthesizer Tool, a framework that enables efficient orchestration of accessibility services, as well as their combination into complex forms, providing more advanced functionalities towards increasing the accessibility of end-users with various types of functional limitations. The supported services are described formally within an ontology, enabling, thus, semantic service composition. The proposed service composition approach is based on semantic matching between services specifications on the one hand and user needs/preferences and current context of use on the other hand. The use of automatic composition of accessibility services can significantly enhance end-users' accessibility, especially in cases where assistive solutions are not available in their device.
Measuring Benefits of Telepresence robot for Individuals with Motor Impairments
Authors: Yamaguchi Jun  , Parone Christian  , Di Federico Deborah  , Beomonte Zobel Pierluigi  , Felzani Giorgio
Published: February 2025

The telepresence robot is a type of technology used to socialize with people in remote places. If this technology is efficient, it could be an alternative means to attend social activities such as going to school and work for people who have difficulty to go out because of motor impairments. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of using a telepresence robot in the marketplace by individuals with motor impairments. Three participants were involved with trial use for attending university courses for a month and the initial results are shown.
Developing User-Centered Continuous Professional Education for ATD Service Personnel
Authors: Kanto-Ronkanen Anne  , Paalasmaa Pekka  , Saarni Lea
Published: February 2025

Background: Finnish Assistive Technology Device Service centers raised the question about education to the full-time workers of ATD Services. They nominated a group which included representatives of universities, ATD Service centers and national authorities. This small group drew up background questionnaires concerning the education, its content and length. Three universities started the education, the aim of which was to learn new methods to develop their own work, learning by doing at work with their superiors. This continuous professional education corresponded to 30 ECTS credits and lasted 10 months.
Support Services for Informal Caregivers: First Results of Expert Interviews with Providers in the City of Vienna
Authors: Hensely-Schinkinger Susanne
Published: February 2025

The burden of informal caregivers can be potentially reduced with support services targeting them primarily. But when it comes to the utilization of such services, there are still barriers on the side of suppliers and demanders that leads to the fact that too less concerned people are making use of it. Expert interviews were done with offering institutions in the City of Vienna to find out more about the types of offered support services, consideration of special circumstances, utilization behavior, awareness, benefit, costs and future development. This paper is presenting the preliminary results of the data analysis of the first round of interviews that shows the status quo of utilization of support services for informal caregivers in the City of Vienna.
Acceptance Criteria of Ambient Assistant Living Technologies
Authors: Weegh Harriet  , Kampel Martin
Published: February 2025

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is a growing field resulting from aging populations in the majority of the well-developed regions of the world. AAL technologies aim at supporting independent living at home and therefore, include a wide variety of innovations. However, even though AAL technologies are on the rise, the acceptance of them among the elderly population is still low. In order to elaborate acceptance criteria, the state of the art on opinions and perceptions of elderly people about AAL technologies, is summarized. A total of eleven acceptance criteria are excerpted from this and a diagram is created to show their connections. This information can be helpful for the developers of future AAL technologies, so that they have a better idea of aspects they have to consider to improve the acceptance of their technology. The excerpted criteria are illustrated based on the FEARLESS – life comfort system, which is an image-based fall detection system as an example for a recently developed AAL technology.
PUMA project: Active involving of end users to achieve a smart solution to prevent pressure ulcer
Authors: Laparra-Hernández José  , Chicote Juan Carlos  , Medina Enrique  , Barberà Ricard  , Durà-Gil Juan V.  , Lozano Vicente  , Gil Ángel  , Bermejo Ignacio
Published: February 2025

This paper shows the benefits to include spinal cord injury users and the other stakeholders during the development of a new system to prevent pressure ulcers. The complementary of information has been key and has enhanced the possibility to achieve market acceptance and introduction.
On the Use of Dance as a Rehabilitation Approach for Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Single Case Study
Authors: Morán Pascual Patricia  , Mortes Roselló Esther  , Domingo Jacinto Amparo  , Belda Lois Juan Manuel  , Bermejo Ignacio  , Medina Enric  , Barberà Guillem Ricard
Published: February 2025

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. It is a group of permanent disorders that affect child development causing disorders of movement and posture and activity limitations. The impairment of psychomotor skills of children with Cerebral Palsy is attributed to a permanent alteration occurred in non-progressive brain development of the fetus or nursing infant. Some motor related symptoms can be treated using proper physical therapy. However, one of the biggest problems of the usual physical therapy is adherence to therapy. Ballet can be an alternative or a complement to physiotherapy, with the added attraction of not being part of a to therapy, but a fun activity with the extra reward associated with the realization of an artistic activity. For some years the ballet is used as therapeutically valuable for both children with cerebral palsy: Intensive ballet training can generate changes in the sensorimotor cortex. Ballet is characterized by a complex process of movements that have to be in a musical rhythm (hence have to be precise), in which there is an overall coordination of the muscles. It is also a highly motivating and rewarding activity that allows many children with CP sharing the activities of their peers without special needs. Objective measurements of the Full Port de Bras movement has been chosen as an index of improvement. The results shows progressive improvements of the execution in a single case.
Theories and Methods for Context Sensitive Health Informatics
Authors: Nøhr Christian  , Borycki Elizabeth M.  , Kushniruk Andre W.  , Kuziemsky Craig E.
Published: February 2025

Context is a key issue when designing, implementing, and evaluating health information technology. Advanced and well-designed systems may not achieve desired outcomes because of complex contextual issues, and unintended consequences are often reported in the literature. The conference introduced in this article integrates sociotechnical and human factors based theories and methods for analysis and evaluation of complex health information technologies in diverse environments demanding high context sensitivity.
Integrating Methods to Evaluate Health Information Systems
Authors: Borim Heloá Costa  , Mukai Lilian Mie  , Silva E Oliveira Lucas Emanuel  , Lopes Vagner José  , Moro Claudia Maria Cabral
Published: February 2025

There are different methods to evaluate Health Information Systems (HIS), such as Quality Evaluation of software products, human factors, and socio-technical approaches. This work aims to identify the main aspects used to evaluate HIS, and whether there are relationships between issues considered in assessment of software quality and the ones applied specific to the health domain. This was an exploratory study that included a literature search related to HIS evaluation and software quality analyses applying the norms of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/IEC), to identify aspects and features applied during the assessment process. The result is a proposal of an evaluation method based on the integration of these two evaluative approaches, combining or complementing the considered aspects. The method was applied to an evaluation of a natural language processing system to identify continuity of care in discharge summaries.
The Question Concerning Narration of Self in Health Informatics
Authors: Botin Lars
Published: February 2025

Narration is central, even crucial, when it comes to embracing the whole individual, continuity of care, and responsible (ethical) handling of the technological construction of the self that takes place in health informatics. This paper will deal with the role of narratives in the construction of health informatics platforms and how different voices should have space for speech on these platforms. Theoretically the paper takes an outset in the actant model for narratives by the French-Lithuanian theorist of linguistics and literature A.-J. Greimas and post-phenomenological readings of human-technology interactions. The main assumption is that certain interactions and voices are absent from the construction of health informatics platforms, because regarded as outside the text of computational and medical practice and expertise. This has implications for what concerns meaning and understanding regarding both the actual users (physicians and medical staff) and excluded users (patients and citizens).
Health Informatics Can Avoid Committing Symbolic Violence by Recognizing and Supporting Generic Decision-making Competencies
Authors: Kaltoft Mette Kjer  , Nielsen Jesper Bo  , Salkeld Glenn  , Dowie Jack
Published: February 2025

‘Symbolic violence’ is committed, however well-intentionally, by the imposition of particular conceptualizations of what information, in what form and quality, is needed in order to make an ‘informed choice’ and hence – by questionable segue - a high quality decision. The social and cultural forms of relevant cognitive capital possessed by those who fail, because of their low general literacy, professionally-set knowledge tests of functional health literacy, are being ignored. Failing to recognise and exploit a particular form of functional decision literacy, in fact leads to symbolic violence being experienced by individuals at any and all levels of general literacy. It leads many to adopt the same range of avoidant and other undesirable strategies within healthcare situations observed in those of low basic literacy. The alternative response we propose exploits the alternative generic decision literacy which comes in the form of the ability to access and use the decision-relevant resources provided for many consumer services and products on comparison websites and magazines. The methodology is the simple form of multi-criteria analysis in which the products' ratings on multiple criteria are combined with criterion weights (supplied by the site) to produce scores and ‘best buys’ and ‘good value for money’ verdicts. Our alternative approach extends this approach to healthcare options and permits the incorporation of personal criterion weights in furtherance of person-centred care. Health informaticians, especially those in the decision support field, should build on this widespread generic competence. The fact that it is generic, far from implying context insensitivity, can be seen as a necessary basis for achieving context-sensitivity and sensitivisation at the level of the individual person as they experience a lifelong sequence of healthcare decisions.
Development of a Video Coding Scheme for Analyzing the Usability and Usefulness of Health Information Systems
Authors: Kushniruk Andre W.  , Borycki Elizabeth M.
Published: February 2025

Usability has been identified as a key issue in health informatics. Worldwide numerous projects have been carried out in an attempt to increase and optimize health system usability. Usability testing, involving observing end users interacting with systems, has been widely applied and numerous publications have appeared describing such studies. However, to date, fewer works have been published describing methodological approaches to analyzing the rich data stream that results from usability testing. This includes analysis of video, audio and screen recordings. In this paper we describe our work in the development and application of a coding scheme for analyzing the usability of health information systems. The phases involved in such analyses are described.
Medication Review: Human Factors Study Aiming at Helping an Acute Geriatric Unit to Sustain and Systematize the Process
Authors: Wawrzyniak Clément  , Beuscart-Zephir Marie-Catherine  , Marcilly Romaric  , Douze Laura  , Beuscart Jean-Baptiste  , Lecoutre Dominique  , Puisieux François  , Pelayo Sylvia
Published: February 2025

Background: Medication Review (MRev) has been implemented in many hospitals to improve patient safety and well-being. However, it seems sometimes difficult to implement, maintain and systematize this process, especially when key-elements are absent. This study focuses on the analysis of a MRev process implemented in an Acute Geriatric Unit (AGU) which, at the time of the study, had no Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) and no sufficient staff to - normally - support the process.
From Research Prototypes to a Marketable eHealth System
Authors: Andersen Tariq  , Kensing Finn  , Kjellberg Lisbeth  , Moll Jonas
Published: February 2025

This paper presents three distinct challenges to research and development (R&D) of marketable eHealth systems and suggests strategies to mitigate them. The eHealth system in question is designed to improve self-care and collaboration between remotely monitored heart failure patients and clinicians. By way of introspection and reflection on a current and a previous project, the authors propose solutions for mitigating the central challenges.
A framework for Risk Assessment of Groundwater Drawdown Induced Subsidence
Authors: Sundell Jonas  , Rosén Lars  , Norberg Tommy  , Wladis David  , Alén Claes
Published: February 2025

Sub-surface constructions generally involve drainage of groundwater, which can induce land subsidence in compressible soil deposits and cause extensive damage costs in urban areas. A probabilistic framework, in accordance with the risk management framework outlined by the International Standard Organization (ISO), for assessing risks of groundwater drawdown induced subsidence is presented here. The framework consists of five modules: (1) A stratified geostatistical (Kriging) procedure for probabilistic spatial analysis of soil layers. This module is necessary for a detailed understanding of the soil stratification, drainage paths, and their potential spatial variations; (2) A stochastic hydrogeological model capable of representing possible groundwater drawdowns for a specific sub-surface construction; (3) A stochastic subsidence model; (4) A model for estimating the economic consequences and calculating the risk, i.e. the expected cost, of groundwater induced subsidence; and (5) A module for evaluating the need for additional information to reduce the risk of erroneous decisions with respect to risk acceptance criteria based on economic Value of Information Analysis (VOIA), i.e. a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of additional information collection alternatives for suggested strategies to reduce or control subsidence. The modelled land-area is represented by a grid with calculation points. When the three first modules are linked together in a Monte Carlo-simulation, it is possible to estimate the spatial distribution of probability of subsidence and evaluate the sensitivity to different model and parameter assumptions. An estimation of the risk of subsidence is performed by combining the probability of land subsidence with the locations and expected damage costs of existing buildings across the modeled area (module 4). With sensitivity analysis, significant weaknesses can be identified and robust safety measures at locations with significant risks for subsidence can be planned for. Uncertainties can be communicated by mapping and comparing different outcomes of the model, e.g. the expected value and the 95th percentile of the risk. Together with affected stakeholders the assumptions and the outcomes of the model should be discussed - both how well the model describes the system dynamics and how safety measures should be implemented.
Flood Safety on Dikes with Wind Turbines
Authors: Halter W.R.
Published: February 2025

Many governments want to realize wind power, because it is a technology that promotes sustainable energy. That is why there is need for locations for wind farms (groups of wind turbines). Dikes are good locations for wind farms, because of favourable wind conditions, the absence of cultivation and the presence of road infrastructure. However, wind turbines near dikes might have negative effects on their primary function: flood safety. A recent trend is that wind turbines become larger. This increases the possibility of damage if the superstructure fails. Current directives, handbooks and guidelines treat the topics of flood safety and failure of wind turbines separately. A custom-made overview of the risks is needed for each project to ensure an adequate risk reduction strategy. An integrated approach is required to assess flood risk resulting from failure of these superstructures. This paper presents an integrated risk approach for wind turbines on dikes based on new research. This approach consists of systematic steps and includes the life cycle of both structures (wind turbines and dikes), which are assuredly interlinked. One important risk during the exploitation phase is highlighted: the incident of a falling blade or nacelle. The probability of such an incident is very low. However, if it falls on an important dike even this small probability might become relevant. This is because the required minimum probability of dike failure is relatively low. A Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) provides insight into the probability of a falling object on an earth dike.
Semi-Probabilistic Safety Assessment of Pipelines near Levees
Authors: Sanders M.P.M.  , Wiggers A.G.
Published: February 2025

Traditionally Dutch design codes require a minimum distance between a pipeline and the toe of the levee: the ‘safety zone’. The codes provide additional design and maintenance requirements for pipeline sections located within this ‘safety zone’. For existing pipelines, designed before the establishment of the codes, the sections located in the vicinity of the levee often do not pass the deterministic criteria of the flood risk assessment guidelines. Relocating the pipeline or the levee at those sections will dramatically impact on social and economic aspects and is therefore only recommended if absolutely necessary.
Modeling Geomorphic Features in Levee Reliability Analyses
Authors: Polanco-Boulware Lourdes  , Rice John
Published: February 2025

It has long been understood that subsurface geology affects internal erosion potential in levee foundations. Geomorphic features associated with fluvial deposition environments are known to concentrate or block seepage, resulting in sand boils and internal erosion. However, incorporating the effects of geomorphic features into either deterministic or probabilistic analysis has remained a challenge. Based on the assumption that the preponderance of the underseepage risk to a levee reach is due to the geomorphic features along that reach, a methodology is being developed to incorporate the combined effects of these geomorphic features into reliability analyses of underseepage risk. A Response Surface-Monte Carlo (RSMC) analysis that takes into account the uncertainty in the subsurface geometry and the soil properties of the geomorphic features is used to assess the flow regime associated with each geomorphic feature. The RSMC is followed by an event-tree analysis to assess the likelihood of levee failure based on the resulting flow regime. Three-dimensional finite-element seepage analyses will be used to develop the response surface in order to take into account the inherent three-dimensional aspects of the geomorphic features. Finally, the total probability of failure of the levee reach due to underseepage will be calculated by combining the probabilities of failure for the geomorphic features located along a levee reach. In this manner, the “length effects” of a levee reach in a fluvial environment can be assessed by combining the failure probabilities of the geomorphic features located along the levee alignment.
Presence at a distance
Authors: Haddouk Lise
Published: February 2025

Nowadays in the context of the cyberculture, computer-mediated inter-subjective relationships are part of our everyday lives, in both the professional and personal spheres, and for all age groups. In the clinical field, many applications have been developed to facilitate the exchange of informations and mediate the relationship between patient and therapist. In psychology, more or less immersive technologies are used, to encourage the feeling of presence among the users, and to trigger certain psychological processes. In our research, we have explored the remote clinical interview through videoconferencing, with the development and utilisation of the iPSY platform, totally focused on this objective. In this context, we have considered the notion of intersubjectivity, despite the physical absence. This research is leading us today to envision the notions of distance and presence, and possibly to redefine them. Thus, can we still oppose physical distance to psychological distance? Can we still affirm that the physical absence does not permit a psychological co-presence in certain interactions, like this observed in video interviews? The results show that the psychological processes, activated in this context, are similar to those observed in “traditional” clinical consults between the patient and the therapist. However, certain specifics have led us to consider the concept of distance, here influenced by the framework, and to observe its effects. This distance could possibly constitute a therapeutic lever for some patients, notably for those who have difficulties establishing the right psychological distance in their relationships with others. According to these results, can “distance” still be opposed to “presence”, or could it be re-defined? This also opens up questions on the more general concept of digital relationships, and the definition of their specificities.
Combining Face-to-face Therapy with Computerized Techniques: A therapists' Attitudes Survey
Authors: Shalom Jonathan G.  , Israel Roee  , Shalom Nira
Published: February 2025

Therapists' attitudes towards the use of computerized therapies have been the focus of numerous studies. Nevertheless, little is known about therapists' perception of a combined model that uses computerized methods as adjuncts to face-to-face (FTF) therapy. Current study surveyed 87 Israeli therapists' attitudes towards such combined model. Results show that more than half of therapists find it as potentially more effective than regular therapy, better for providing feedback and maintaining continuity of care. More than a third of the therapists found it may elicit better patient satisfaction and engagement. With respect to different modalities, therapists indicated that e-mail correspondence are better suited for combining with FTF treatments. Theoretical orientation had little effect on practitioners' attitudes. Finally, more than half of the therapists showed willingness to undergo training for a combined model. Compared to previously researched computerized interventions, current study indicates more positive attitudes and acceptability among therapists towards an integrative model.
Influence of Clogging on the Performance of Stone Column Improved Soft Ground
Authors: Basack Sudip  , Siahaan Firman  , Indraratna Buddhima  , Rujikiatkamjorn Cholachat
Published: February 2025

Soft ground reinforcement by stone columns not only acts as vertical stiffening material increasing the overall bearing capacity of soft ground, but they also assists in accelerating the radial consolidation. Migration of clay particles into the granular column initiated by high hydraulic gradient at the soil-column interface, results in clogging. The pore water flow through the columns is adversely affected by clogging due to significant decrease in the column permeability in the vicinity of the interface. The Authors have developed a novel numerical model based on unit cell analogy aided with the modified Cam-clay theory to incorporate the influence of clogging on the performance of stone column stabilized soft ground. Also, a series of large scale laboratory model tests has been conducted to study the clogging characteristics.
Mapa geotécnico y mapas de riesgo de suelos de la Región Oriental del Paraguay
Authors: Lugo Lisa  , Cantero Norma
Published: February 2025

La estructura económica del Paraguay se sustenta básicamente en el sector agropecuario. El país está realizando esfuerzos importantes para fomentar procesos de industrialización de sus productos agropecuarios y aumentar su diversificación. Estas actividades son altamente dependientes de los niveles de cobertura, accesibilidad y de la calidad de infraestructura vial. El transporte terrestre moviliza el 90% de las cargas de exportación y el 89% de las cargas de importación, debiendo estas cargas recorrer grandes distancias (1.325 km en promedio) para llegar a los principales puertos de exportación del país. La red vial básica del Paraguay cuenta con un total general de 61.816,81 kilómetros de longitud entre rutas asfálticas, de hormigón, empedradas, enripiadas y de tierra no pavimentadas en tiempo seco (MOPC, 2010). La mejora de ésta red vial primaria nacional es de suma importancia para la comunicación interna e integración territorial para el movimiento de carga y personas entre las zonas productivas, los centros urbanos y los corredores de exportación. El Estado invierte anualmente importantes recursos económicos para la obtención de información geotécnica en cada nuevo proyecto de infraestructura. Como no existe sistematización, estos antecedentes se pierden, y eventualmente el Estado vuelve a contratar servicios para la obtención de datos similares, con el consiguiente gasto innecesario para el país. La elaboración de mapas geotécnicos, proporcionan una base de información fundamental para el conocimiento, planificación y proyecto de construcción o gestión de infraestructura vial. Los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) constituyen una potente herramienta para el procesamiento, mantenimiento y mejoramiento de las bases de datos en formato digital. La creación del Mapa Geotécnico y Mapas de Riesgo para el Paraguay a partir de estudios pre-existentes, colabora en la optimización de utilización de recursos destinados a la ejecución de infraestructuras, a la vez de brindar información preliminar valiosa acerca de las zonas desfavorables o de riesgos para nuevas estructuras.
Continous Flight Auger (CFA) Piles – A Review of the Execution Process and Integrity Evaluation By Low Strain Test
Authors: Bungenstab Felipe C.  , Beim Jorge W.
Published: February 2025

Although the Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) pile installation process is monitored by an electronic system, it is known that its structural integrity is still affected by different sources of uncertainties and errors, for example inadequate maintenance and calibration of the monitoring sensors, equipment operation and installation in difficult soils. On the other hand, low strain tests (LST) have been used as a good alternative to evaluate the integrity and length of piles, but due to some limitations its efficiency has become a controversial issue in the geotechnical community. The aim of this paper is to discuss the CF A piles integrity assessment by LST, showing real signals (force-velocity) that reflect typical impedance changes and accounting for the peculiarity of its executive process and associated damages. A brief review on integrity analysis of piles is presented as well.
Triaxial Extension Tests Show an Incresase in Shear Strength of Soil with Grass Roots
Authors: Miranda Neto Manoel Isidro de  , Mahler Claudio Fernando
Published: February 2025

The role of roots on shear strength has been a matter of searches and also uncertainties. An investigation to identify and quantify the contribution of the vetiver grass Chysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty in shear strength of soils was performed by means of triaxial test. Samples were prepared from 4 inch PVC pipe molds where tropical soil was compacted and specimens of vetiver seedling, obtained by tillering, were grown. After several months of growth vetiver grass reached maturation and each mold provided at least four samples with roots inside. Similar samples of the same soil without vetiver grass and others roots were performed on triaxial tests to obtain shear strength of soil alone. The confining pressure ranging from 25 to 200 kPa was used in triaxial extension drained tests to determine a Mohr-Coulomb envelope. The shear strength parameters of soil without roots, cohesion and friction angle were respectively 13 kPa and 34°, and the Mohr-Coulomb envelope of the soil with vetiver roots shows a bilinear shape and shows that an increase in shear strength was obtained due roots acting like a reinforce in soil mass. The shear strength parameters of soil with vetiver roots, cohesion and friction angle were, respectively, 17 kPa and 59° for confining pressure below 75 kPa and 22 kPa and 33° for confining pressure above 75 kPa. Triaxial compression tests were conducted in same soil with and without roots and none increase of resistance was observed. It is an expected behavior due a vertical spread of roots and any reinforcement in the same direction of the compressive force, do not contribute to increase the strength. In conclusion, for extensional stress above 75 kPa confining pressure, the friction angle was the same that the soil without roots although the cohesion was larger. Below 75 kPa the soil shows a very large friction angle due the roots. Therefore vetiver roots contribute for an increase of shear strength in soils under extensional loadings.
Geotechnical characterization of the rock mass for rock-embedded pile foundations: Case study
Authors: da Silva Marilia Dantas  , Quental Coutinho Roberto
Published: February 2025

The geotechnical characterization of the rock mass for rock-embedded pile foundations describes the particularities and their conditioning factors, in this type of project ranging from prospecting to completion of the foundations. Depending on the investigations, the project may be designed and implemented using a better safer, more economical and faster technique. The investigation activities involved: a) site: determining the Rock Quality Designation (RQD)and recovery using test cores, and b) laboratory: determining the physical indices (dry and saturated specific mass, porosity and water absorption), and uniaxial compressive strength, and petrographic analysis. The characterization of the rock mass involved in building the foundations does not finish at the design phase but continues steadily as the project progresses, with the controlled accuracy to refine methods, re-dimension structures and adopt solutions for the overall project. Based on this, expedite rock drilling was also accompanied for the geotechnical characterization and control of the pile foundations, which was a good control tool for this type of foundation. It is also used for confirming the cap rock and verifying less resistant layers, before or during pile driving, simplifying the services, at a faster rate and lower cost. The analysis of the physical indices was compatible with the indices existing for this type of rock and the analyzed rock masses demonstrated good characteristics to support a foundation.
Geomechanical conditions in the design of General Mugica multipurpose dam (México)
Authors: Filloy J.E.  , Giambastiani M.  , Calcina A.M.  , Rosas J.L.
Published: February 2025

The geological and geotechnical characteristics of the proposed site for General Mugica multipurpose dam (Mexico) strongly conditioned its basic and executive design. The presence of a paleo depressed relief wrought in volcanic rocks (andesites and volcanic breccias) covered by deposits of fluviovolcanic origin (lahars), from the quaternary age, on the right margin of the project, imposed restrictions in terms of the load capacity of the foundation, deformability and permeability. This condition on the right margin forced to modify the initial concept of a comprehensive RCC dam about 90 m height, for an RCC mixed dam on the left margin and river bed, and clay core rockfill on the right margin. The permeability problems of the lahar and the implications of groundwater flow (hydraulic gradients and uplift pressure) in downstream slope stability were resolved by a drainage gallery excavated in the lahars deposit downstream of the dam axis.
The Need for Evidence in Health Informatics
Authors: Rigby Michael  , Ammenwerth Elske
Published: February 2025

While the use of health IT applications has increased rapidly over past decades, this does not compare strongly with other business sectors. Both reluctance to invest in, and lack of demand to use IT systems may in part be due to lack of robust evidence as to proven benefits. At the same time, the health IT sector has lagged behind other health technology areas in working to, and being expected to work to, robust evidence standards showing benefit and also avoidance of harm. Exacerbating this, limited availability of evidence has perpetuated this misplaced comfort in use of aspiration and expectation rather than evidence in driving investment in health IT applications. Reference back to the core principles drawn from influential thinkers shows the essential centrality of the need for evidence of safety and effectiveness, and for its use relevantly related to context.
Medical Informatics and Information Technology Supporting Oral Medicine
Authors: Zvárová Janat  , Chleborád Karel  , Zvára Karel  , Dostálová Tat'jána
Published: February 2025

Electronic healthcare documentation is the key element of electronic healthcare (eHealth). Electronic oral health record (EOHR) supporting oral medicine is discussed. To provide dentists with a methodology and instrument to create oral health documentation in more efficient way, support information exchange and integration in dental domain and to ease dental decision-making and forensic dentistry identification tasks.The proposed methodology is used to model lifelong EOHR based on a small specific ontology where the use of other classification systems and nomenclatures, e.g. SNODENT, is possible. EOHRwith Lifelong DentCross user interface was developed and it has been supporting dental care at the University Hospital in Prague-Motol. The user interface is working in four languages and controlled by voice or keyboard. Lifelong DentCross user interface is reflecting the way of the work in dentistry and the EOHR can provide both structured and free text information to oral medicine.
How Many Patients Could Benefit From Pre-emptive Pharmacogenomic Testing and Decision Support? A Retrospective Study Based on Nationwide Austrian Claims Data
Authors: Kuch Wolfgang  , Rinner Christoph  , Gall Walter  , Samwald Matthias
Published: February 2025

Pre-emptive pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing combined with clinical decision support is a promising new strategy for making pharmacotherapy safer and more effective. To estimate the number of patients whose therapies could be guided by this approach, we analysed claims data for patients in Austria in the years 2006 and 2007. We calculated the number of patients receiving one or several drugs for with pharmacogenomic guidelines are available (PGx drugs). The cohort consisted of 6,761,034 patients and was split into four age groups. Patients in the age group >= 65 were prescribed the most PGx drugs, with 72% of the patients receiving at least one PGx drug. 39.1% of all people over 65 received at least one drug metabolized by the three most frequent cytochrome P450 enzymes. Our data indicate that a sizable fraction of elderly patients could profit from the implementation of pre-emptive PGx testing and decision support.
Automated Transformation of openEHR Data Instances to OWL
Authors: Haarbrandt Birger  , Jack Thomas  , Marschollek Michael
Published: February 2025

Standard-based integration and semantic enrichment of clinical data originating from electronic medical records has shown to be critical to enable secondary use. To facilitate the utilization of semantic technologies on clinical data, we introduce a methodology to enable automated transformation of openEHR-based data to Web Ontology Language (OWL) individuals. To test the correctness of the implementation, de-identified data of 229 patients of the pediatric intensive care unit of Hannover Medical School has been transformed into 2.983.436 individuals. Querying of the resulting ontology for symptoms of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) yielded the same result set as a SQL query on an openEHR-based clinical data repository.
Smartphone-based Continuous Blood Pressure Measurement Using Pulse Transit Time
Authors: Gholamhosseini Hamid  , Meintjes Andries  , Baig Mirza  , Linden Maria
Published: February 2025

The increasing availability of low cost and easy to use personalized medical monitoring devices has opened the door for new and innovative methods of health monitoring to emerge. Cuff-less and continuous methods of measuring blood pressure are particularly attractive as blood pressure is one of the most important measurements of long term cardiovascular health. Current methods of noninvasive blood pressure measurement are based on inflation and deflation of a cuff with some effects on arteries where blood pressure is being measured. This inflation can also cause patient discomfort and alter the measurement results. In this work, a mobile application was developed to collate the PhotoPlethysmoGramm (PPG) waveform provided by a pulse oximeter and the electrocardiogram (ECG) for calculating the pulse transit time. This information is then indirectly related to the user's systolic blood pressure. The developed application successfully connects to the PPG and ECG monitoring devices using Bluetooth wireless connection and stores the data onto an online server. The pulse transit time is estimated in real time and the user's systolic blood pressure can be estimated after the system has been calibrated. The synchronization between the two devices was found to pose a challenge to this method of continuous blood pressure monitoring. However, the implemented continuous blood pressure monitoring system effectively serves as a proof of concept. This combined with the massive benefits that an accurate and robust continuous blood pressure monitoring system would provide indicates that it is certainly worthwhile to further develop this system.
Adoption Space and the Idea-to-Market Process of Health Technologies
Authors: Saranummi Niilo  , Beuscart Regis  , Black Norman  , Maglaveras Nicos  , Strano Chiara  , Karavidopoulou Youla
Published: February 2025

Although Europe ‘produces’ excellent science, it has not been equally successful in translating scientific results into commercially successful companies in spite of European and national efforts invested in supporting the translation process. The Idea-to-Market process is highly complex due to the large number of actors and stakeholders. ITECH was launched to propose recommendations which would accelerate the Idea-to-Market process of health technologies leading to improvements in the competitiveness of the European health technology industry in the global markets. The project went through the following steps: defining the Idea-to-Market process model; collection and analysis of funding opportunities; identification of 12 gaps and barriers in the Idea-to-Market process; a detailed analysis of these supported by interviews; a prioritization process to select the most important issues; construction of roadmaps for the prioritized issues; and finally generating recommendations and associated action plans. Seven issues were classified as in need of actions. Three of these are part of the ongoing Medical Device Directive Reform (MDR), namely health technology assessment, post-market surveillance and regulatory process, and therefore not within the scope of ITECH. Recommendations were made for eHealth taxonomy; Education and training; Clinical trials and Adoption space and Human Factors Engineering (HFE).
Geotechnical characterisation and monitoring versus FEM calculation results for a massive quay wall in the harbour of Antwerp, Belgium
Authors: Van Alboom Gauthier  , Baertsoen An
Published: February 2025

For the construction of a container terminal (Deurganckdok) in the harbour of Antwerp in Belgium, an extensive soil investigation was performed: CPT, borings with continuous and discontinuous sampling, laboratory tests (triaxial, but also bender element tests). Out of the results of this investigation program, soil profiles with characteristic values of the soil properties were put forward. Design calculations of the massive quay wall were performed, using as well analytical as finite element methods. During construction a monitoring program, including inclimometers and extensometers was set up.
Fundamental study on the mechanical interaction between two parallel tunnels
Authors: Kikumoto M.  , Kishida K.  , Tamura T.  , Adachi T.
Published: February 2025

When designing twin tunnels, grasping interaction between tunnels accurately is essential. Although a spacing of at least 1.0D–4.0D (D is diameter of a tunnel) is recommended in current design, constraining factors that make the spacing requirements impossible exist; existence of important structures, cost and land expropriation difficulties. The ultimate goal of this research is to theorize the mechanical behavior of closely spaced twin tunnels. This paper will examine the influence of the spacing between tunnels and the overburden on the magnitude of interaction. Trapdoor tests were conducted to establish criterion for judging the dominant factors influencing severity of interaction effects.
Failure of a highway embankment on soft clay foundation – A case study with remedial measures
Authors: Bhandari R.K.M.  , Roychowdhury Pinaki
Published: February 2025

The paper presents a case history of a highway embankment which failed while being constructed over soft to very soft marine clays improved with band drains and preloading. The failure occurred at a height greater than the height determined from the bearing capacity considerations. The paper examines the reasons and nature of failure and briefly describes the remedial measures that were proposed for implementation during reconstruction of the embankment. The measures suggested included provision of basal reinforcement, construction of wide berms and providing band drains at closer spacing to achieve early strength grains. In addition, staged construction was recommended besides checking out performance of the embankment through a comprehensive instrumentation programme. Critical considerations involved in the design of prefabricated vertical band drains are presented and discussed in relation to the project site conditions.
Modelling contaminant transport through clay membrane barriers
Authors: Dominijanni A.  , Manassero M.
Published: February 2025

A model able to describe the macroscopic transport of an electrolyte solution through a semi-permeable clay membrane is proposed. Such a mechanical model may be derived imposing a dynamical equilibrium on the forces acting on the components of the solution. The partition of ions within the pores of the membrane is attributed to the presence of a fixed charge on the solid phase and is modelled as a Donnan partition mechanism. Such a model is able to explain the dependency, observed in laboratory experiments, of the chemico-osmotic efficiency coefficient, ω, on the solute concentration, Cs, and to explain the dependency of the other experimental parameters on ω.
Enhanced electrokinetic remediation of mixed heavy metal and organic contaminants in low permeability soils
Authors: Reddy Krishna R.  , Maturi Kranti
Published: February 2025

In the present study, the feasibility of using electrokinetic remediation for the removal of mixed contaminants, specifically mixtures of heavy metals and PAHs, from low permeability soils is investigated. Laboratory bench-scale electrokinetic experiments were conducted using kaolin soil spiked with both phenanthrene and nickel to simulate typical field contamination. Different types of flushing solutions were evaluated by performing a series of batch experiments and the most effective solutions were selected for the electrokinetic experiments. Based on the results, it was concluded that solubilzation of the contaminants as well as the sustained electroosmotic flow are the critical factors that contribute to the removal of both heavy metals and PAHs from low permeability soils.
Development of a sampler designed for laminar box and its application to dynamic centrifuge modeling of footing settlement due to liquefaction
Authors: Fujiwara T.  , Horikoshi K.  , Sakai K.
Published: February 2025

In some soils with fines such as that observed in the Upper Yurakucho Layer of Tokyo, aging effects can also affect the liquefaction strength. In this study, an attempt was made to collect a relatively large undisturbed soil sample containing fines by using a newly designed sampler, and to carry out dynamic centrifuge tests on the obtained soil sample. In designing the sampler, special attention was paid to the application to shaking table tests using a laminar box. To confirm the applicability of the developed sampler, soil sampling from the Upper Yurakucho Layer was conducted at an actual construction site in Tokyo. The applicability of the sampler to shaking table tests with a laminar box was also confirmed, and compared with another dynamic centrifuge test using a reconstituted soil model from the above sample.