This thesis presents a comprehensive work on computerised analysis of fetal heart rate (FHR) features, including feature extraction, feature selection, analysis of influencing factors and setting up/validation of a computerised decision support system. Firstly, a novel feature – pattern readjustment – was extracted and tested. Clinical data were used to train a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to detect pattern readjustment. Then, the association of pattern readjustment and adverse labour outcome was investigated. The validation results with clinical experts show that the pattern readjustment can be accurately detected, while the study on labour outcome shows that the feature is related to fetal acidemia at birth. Secondly, Genetic Algorithms were employed as a feature selection method to select a best subset of FHR features and to use them to predict fetal acidemia with linear and nonlinear SVM. The diagnostic power of the classifier output using selected features was tested on the total set of 7,568 cases. As the classifier output increases, there is a consistent increase of the risk of fetal acidemia. Thirdly, an important influencing factor on FHR features - signal loss – was investigated. A bivariate model was built to estimate error based on signal loss. Validation results show that the bivariate model can accurately predict the error generated by signal loss. The influence of signal loss on labour outcome classification was also investigated. Finally, a computerised decision support system to estimate the risk of fetal acidemia was set up based on the above studies. The system was validated using new retrospective data. Validation results show that the system is capable of predicting adverse labour outcome and providing timely decision support. It is the first time an intrapartum computerised FHR decision support system has been built and validated on this size of dataset. With further improvements, such a system could be implemented clinically in the long term.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo experimental sobre o comportamento de dutos enterrados sofrendo perda de apoio ou elevação em uma determinada região ao longo do comprimento. Foram realizados ensaios com modelos físicos compostos por um maciço de areia pura contendo um tubo repousando sobre um alçapão localizado no centro do vão. A pesquisa envolveu dois programas experimentais distintos. O primeiro foi desenvolvido na Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos/USP e contou com o desenvolvimento e a construção de um equipamento de ensaios possuindo um sistema de alçapão. Os modelos eram dotados de instrumental capaz de medir as deflexões e as deformações específicas ao longo do duto, além das tensões totais no maciço de solo circundante e na base do equipamento. O segundo programa experimental foi conduzido na Universidade do Colorado em Boulder, EUA, e envolveu ensaios em centrífuga. Essa fase da pesquisa teve por finalidade realizar uma investigação visual dos mecanismos de ruptura do sistema composto pelo solo e pelo duto sujeito à perda de apoio. Ambas as etapas do trabalho contaram com a execução de testes com modelos sem tubo. Os ensaios realizados revelaram aspectos importantes do problema investigado. A movimentação ativa ou passiva do alçapão exerceu uma forte influência na redistribuição das tensões no maciço de solo exterior à estrutura, a qual abrangeu distâncias horizontais superiores a 5 B e verticais superiores a 4 B. Após a perda de apoio ou a elevação, o topo, a base e as demais partes do conduto assumiram perfis de deflexão distintos ao longo do comprimento, os quais foram consideravelmente influenciados pela densidade relativa do solo e pela sobrecarga aplicada. A movimentação ativa do alçapão revelou ainda padrões de ruptura incluindo localizações de deformação propagando-se para a região do maciço de solo fora do alçapão / This thesis presents an experimental study on the behavior of buried pipes undergoing a loss of support or elevation in a localized region along its length. Tests with physical models comprising a pure dry sand and a tube resting on a rigid trapdoor base located at the center of its length were performed. The research included two distinct testing programs. The first testing program was carried out at the School of Engineering of Sao Carlos/USP, and included the construction of a laboratory facility containing a trapdoor system. The models were equipped with devices for measuring deflections and strains in the pipe, and total stresses in the soil mass and in the lower boundary of the model. The second phase of this investigation was conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, and involved centrifuge testing. The main goal of this part of the research was to assess the failure mechanisms that take place when the pipe experiences loss of support. Models without the pipe were also tested in both phases. Important aspects of the soil-structure interaction were verified with the testing programs carried out in this study. A strong influence on the stress redistribution within the soil mass in the vicinity of the structure was achieved after the active or passive conditions were established, encompassing horizontal distances greater than 5 B and vertical distances greater than 4 B. The crown, the base, and the other parts of the pipe assumed distinct deflection profiles after the loss of support or elevation, which were strongly influenced by the relative density of the surrounding soil and by the surficial applied surcharge. The imposed downward boundary movement included the formation of shear bands initiating at the edge of the void and propagating towards the soil mass in the vicinity of the trapdoor

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo experimental sobre o comportamento de dutos enterrados sofrendo perda de apoio ou elevação em uma determinada região ao longo do comprimento. Foram realizados ensaios com modelos físicos compostos por um maciço de areia pura contendo um tubo repousando sobre um alçapão localizado no centro do vão. A pesquisa envolveu dois programas experimentais distintos. O primeiro foi desenvolvido na Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos/USP e contou com o desenvolvimento e a construção de um equipamento de ensaios possuindo um sistema de alçapão. Os modelos eram dotados de instrumental capaz de medir as deflexões e as deformações específicas ao longo do duto, além das tensões totais no maciço de solo circundante e na base do equipamento. O segundo programa experimental foi conduzido na Universidade do Colorado em Boulder, EUA, e envolveu ensaios em centrífuga. Essa fase da pesquisa teve por finalidade realizar uma investigação visual dos mecanismos de ruptura do sistema composto pelo solo e pelo duto sujeito à perda de apoio. Ambas as etapas do trabalho contaram com a execução de testes com modelos sem tubo. Os ensaios realizados revelaram aspectos importantes do problema investigado. A movimentação ativa ou passiva do alçapão exerceu uma forte influência na redistribuição das tensões no maciço de solo exterior à estrutura, a qual abrangeu distâncias horizontais superiores a 5 B e verticais superiores a 4 B. Após a perda de apoio ou a elevação, o topo, a base e as demais partes do conduto assumiram perfis de deflexão distintos ao longo do comprimento, os quais foram consideravelmente influenciados pela densidade relativa do solo e pela sobrecarga aplicada. A movimentação ativa do alçapão revelou ainda padrões de ruptura incluindo localizações de deformação propagando-se para a região do maciço de solo fora do alçapão / This thesis presents an experimental study on the behavior of buried pipes undergoing a loss of support or elevation in a localized region along its length. Tests with physical models comprising a pure dry sand and a tube resting on a rigid trapdoor base located at the center of its length were performed. The research included two distinct testing programs. The first testing program was carried out at the School of Engineering of Sao Carlos/USP, and included the construction of a laboratory facility containing a trapdoor system. The models were equipped with devices for measuring deflections and strains in the pipe, and total stresses in the soil mass and in the lower boundary of the model. The second phase of this investigation was conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, and involved centrifuge testing. The main goal of this part of the research was to assess the failure mechanisms that take place when the pipe experiences loss of support. Models without the pipe were also tested in both phases. Important aspects of the soil-structure interaction were verified with the testing programs carried out in this study. A strong influence on the stress redistribution within the soil mass in the vicinity of the structure was achieved after the active or passive conditions were established, encompassing horizontal distances greater than 5 B and vertical distances greater than 4 B. The crown, the base, and the other parts of the pipe assumed distinct deflection profiles after the loss of support or elevation, which were strongly influenced by the relative density of the surrounding soil and by the surficial applied surcharge. The imposed downward boundary movement included the formation of shear bands initiating at the edge of the void and propagating towards the soil mass in the vicinity of the trapdoor

This doctoral dissertation's topic is mourning in people with intellectual disabilities who have lost a loved one. The research focuses mainly on the loss of parents, but also includes the loss of other people, such as grandparents. By loss we mean death, but the results of the work can also be used for losses of a different nature. The aim of this work is to understand grief in people with intellectual disabilities and to suggest appropriate ways to support their grieving process, with emphasis on grief support groups. As part of the research, we set up and implemented 2 support groups for grieving people with intellectual disabilities, each lasting at least 2 months and meeting once a week. At the very beginning of our research, we carried out one support group of the same length as a pilot study. The pilot study was first evaluated and the proposal of the support group according to the original foreign script was modified to better meet the needs of Czech citizens with intellectual disabilities. After the pilot study, we enriched the research with a questionnaire test of our own design, capturing a possible change in process of mourning in people involved in our support groups. We presented the questionnaire test to the participants before the start of the support groups and immediately after...

No description available.

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Different methods of calculation of the loss of support of minor children, are investigated. According to one method (A), one first has to establish that the deceased's income was not all absorbed for his/her own maintenance. Only if there is surplus income available, it can be inferred that the deceased contributed towards the maintenance of the minor children and that the children have suffered a loss. According to another method (B) both parents' income are added and then divided between the family members. The minor child's loss of support is an amount which represent his/her share in the deceased's own income - a child automatically suffers a loss according to this method, in the event of death of a parent. Method B ought to be applied, because it is consistent with the reciprocal duty of support between spouses and the duty of spouses to maintain children. / Verskillende metodes om die verlies aan onderhoud van afhanklike kinders te bereken word ondersoek. Volgens een benadering (A) moet eers vasgestel word of die oorledene se inkomste nie alles geabsorbeer is vir sy /haar eie onderhoud nie. Slegs indien daar surplusinkomste was, kan aanvaar word dat die oorledene bygedra het tot die onderhoud van die minderjarige kinders en dat die kinders 'n verlies ly. Volgens die ander benadering (B) word beide ouers se inkomste bymekaar getel en dan tussen die gesinslede verdeel. Elke minderjarige kind se verlies aan onderhoud is 'n bedrag wat sy/haar aandeel in die oorlede ouer se afsonderlike inkomste verteenwoordig - 'n kind ly outomaties volgens hierdie metode 'n verlies. Metode B behoort meestal aanwending te vind, aangesien dit in ooreenstemming is met die wederkerige onderhoudsplig tussen gades en die plig van ouers om hul kinders te onderhou. / Private Law / LL. M. (Law)

The available sources on the dependency action in South Africa do not mention the presence or absence of traditional values. This study was prompted by a simple curiosity to discover the traditional legal values of the dependency action for loss of support. Accordingly, the study critically examines the action of dependants for loss of support and other related losses in South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho from an African perspective. It then compares this to its application in Australia, a country that is known for its recognition and inclusion of indigenous Australian customary law. The study recommends that traditional values should be preserved in the records of the legal system, as it might stimulate a discussion, which could lead to the culmination of a single dependency action tailored to fit the whole nation and all its different cultures and religions. / Private Law

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Different methods of calculation of the loss of support of minor children, are investigated. According to one method (A), one first has to establish that the deceased's income was not all absorbed for his/her own maintenance. Only if there is surplus income available, it can be inferred that the deceased contributed towards the maintenance of the minor children and that the children have suffered a loss. According to another method (B) both parents' income are added and then divided between the family members. The minor child's loss of support is an amount which represent his/her share in the deceased's own income - a child automatically suffers a loss according to this method, in the event of death of a parent. Method B ought to be applied, because it is consistent with the reciprocal duty of support between spouses and the duty of spouses to maintain children. / Verskillende metodes om die verlies aan onderhoud van afhanklike kinders te bereken word ondersoek. Volgens een benadering (A) moet eers vasgestel word of die oorledene se inkomste nie alles geabsorbeer is vir sy /haar eie onderhoud nie. Slegs indien daar surplusinkomste was, kan aanvaar word dat die oorledene bygedra het tot die onderhoud van die minderjarige kinders en dat die kinders 'n verlies ly. Volgens die ander benadering (B) word beide ouers se inkomste bymekaar getel en dan tussen die gesinslede verdeel. Elke minderjarige kind se verlies aan onderhoud is 'n bedrag wat sy/haar aandeel in die oorlede ouer se afsonderlike inkomste verteenwoordig - 'n kind ly outomaties volgens hierdie metode 'n verlies. Metode B behoort meestal aanwending te vind, aangesien dit in ooreenstemming is met die wederkerige onderhoudsplig tussen gades en die plig van ouers om hul kinders te onderhou. / Private Law / LL. M. (Law)

The aim of this thesis is to present new results concerning duality in scalar optimization. We show how the theory can be applied to optimization problems arising in the theory of risk measures, portfolio optimization and machine learning. First we give some notations and preliminaries we need within the thesis. After that we recall how the well-known Lagrange dual problem can be derived by using the general perturbation theory and give some generalized interior point regularity conditions used in the literature. Using these facts we consider some special scalar optimization problems having a composed objective function and geometric (and cone) constraints. We derive their duals, give strong duality results and optimality condition using some regularity conditions. Thus we complete and/or extend some results in the literature especially by using the mentioned regularity conditions, which are weaker than the classical ones. We further consider a scalar optimization problem having single chance constraints and a convex objective function. We also derive its dual, give a strong duality result and further consider a special case of this problem. Thus we show how the conjugate duality theory can be used for stochastic programming problems and extend some results given in the literature. In the third chapter of this thesis we consider convex risk and deviation measures. We present some more general measures than the ones given in the literature and derive formulas for their conjugate functions. Using these we calculate some dual representation formulas for the risk and deviation measures and correct some formulas in the literature. Finally we proof some subdifferential formulas for measures and risk functions by using the facts above. The generalized deviation measures we introduced in the previous chapter can be used to formulate some portfolio optimization problems we consider in the fourth chapter. Their duals, strong duality results and optimality conditions are derived by using the general theory and the conjugate functions, respectively, given in the second and third chapter. Analogous calculations are done for a portfolio optimization problem having single chance constraints using the general theory given in the second chapter. Thus we give an application of the duality theory in the well-developed field of portfolio optimization. We close this thesis by considering a general Support Vector Machines problem and derive its dual using the conjugate duality theory. We give a strong duality result and necessary as well as sufficient optimality conditions. By considering different cost functions we get problems for Support Vector Regression and Support Vector Classification. We extend the results given in the literature by dropping the assumption of invertibility of the kernel matrix. We use a cost function that generalizes the well-known Vapnik's ε-insensitive loss and consider the optimization problems that arise by using this. We show how the general theory can be applied for a real data set, especially we predict the concrete compressive strength by using a special Support Vector Regression problem.