This thesis investigates how the view and position of Russia and the US on nuclear disarmament has changed since the Cold War. Many theories have been found during this research. However, two particular theories regarding why Russia and the US are committed to nuclear weapons are distinctive; (i) it …

Coupling beams between shear walls are one of the key elements for energy dissipation in tall buildings. A representative mathematical model of coupling beam should represent flexure, shear and interface slip/extension mechanisms simultaneously. This goal can be achieved by using either detailed finite …

Equine assisted coaching (EAC) is a new technique to make people aware of their body language with the help of the horse. The benefits of this training concerning the people have been researched before. However, there is no indication how the horse is experiencing these trainings in any studies. Therefore …

Purpose: Self-management has become an important concept in stroke rehabilitation. This study explored allied healthcare professionals' (AHPs) perceptions and beliefs regarding the self-management of stroke survivors and their knowledge and skills regarding stroke self-management interventions. Method: …

The Hague University of Applied Sciences has high ambitions in the field of internationalisation. Two out of four priorities in the institutional policy touch this theme: global citizenship and internationalisation. In order to ensure that the curriculum of the new degree programme HBO ICT meets these …

Community forestry is a way to combine forest conservation with economic development of forest depending communities. In the Pacific zone of northern Peru, the rural population heavily relies on the endemic dry forest ecosystem as a source of firewood, timber and as grazing area. Bad management, overuse …

Chronic non-specific low back pain is assumed to be a multifactorial affliction, implying that a number of different risk factors contribute to its development and persistence. After onset, prognostic factors can potentially predict the future course. Risk factors for the development of chronic pain …

The Internet has dramatically changed the business landscape and the way word-of-mouth spreads. The possibilities for small, Internet-depending firms to compete have improved. This study addresses the question how such firms in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland deal with word-of-mouth through the …

Recent years have shown the emergence of numerous local energy initiatives (prosumer communities) in the Netherlands. Many of them have set the goal to establish a local and sustainable energy provision on a not-for-profit basis. In this study we carried out exploratory case studies on a number of Dutch …

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. Creating agents that are capable of emulating similar socio-cultural dynamics to those found in human interaction remains as one of the hardest challenges of artificial intelligence. This problem becomes particularly important when considering embodied …