The lack of in-depth understanding of the seismic behavior and ductility of precast concrete structures makes it difficult to reach to ductility demand which could be exhibited during an earthquake. The limitations are mainly related to the beam-to-column connections as the main load transfer paths. …

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 …

Motivation: Unambiguous sequence variant descriptions are important in reporting the outcome of clinical diagnostic DNA tests. The standard nomenclature of the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) describes the observed variant sequence relative to a given reference sequence. We propose an efficient …

Before the start and during the first weeks of their first year, it has been observed by teachers that engineering students start with a high level of motivation, which often seems to decrease during the course of the first semesters. Such a decrease in motivation can be a main driver for students …

In comparison to feral horses which spend 12-16 hours with feed intake behaviour and travel up to 28 km a day, nowadays management of the horse by humans has shortened its feeding time and introduced unfamiliar feed types, especially cereals containing a large amount of starch, protein concentrates and …

Chronic widespread pain is highly present in patients with the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type (EDS-HT), but up to now, evidence for generalized hyperalgesia is lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) at both symptomatic and asymptomatic body …

In this paper, we address the problem of people detection and tracking in crowded scenes using range cameras. We propose a new method for people detection and localisation based on the combination of background modelling and template matching. The method uses an adaptive background model in the range …

Due to their high adaptability and opportunistic predation behaviour feral cats have a great impact on worldwide bird biodiversity in particular on islands. However not much is known about their actual behaviour and time budget, as direct behavioural observations often are difficult regarding free-ranging …

Background: Most studies on birth settings investigate the association between planned place of birth at the start of labor and birth outcomes and intervention rates. To optimize maternity care it also is important to pay attention to the entire process of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores …

Social changes have been influencing determinants for sports participation since the introduction of the Sport for All ideology in the early 1970s. Consistent with Crum’s sportisation theory, today’s modes of sports practices, as well as the network of sport services, have diversified and de-traditionalised. As …