This paper contains an introduction, probabilistic formulation, and exemplification (1) of system state and utility actions, (2) system state and utility action value analysis and (3) a threshold formulation for a predicted information and action decision analysis. The approaches build upon structural condition assessment and provide a basis for the condition management by maximising the expected

The levelized cost of energy (LCoE) is an important measure to quantify the macro-economic efficiency of an offshore wind farm and to enable a quantitative comparison with other types of energy production. The costs of the structural integrity management - which is required to ensure an adequate lifetime reliability of the turbine support structures - are part of the operational expenditures of an

The number of people who live in bushfire-prone areas around the world is growing. In Australia, in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, over 1.5 million people live in areas rated as high to extreme bushfire risk in (SGS Economics and Planning 2019). As effects of climate change increase the size and severity of bushfires, and a greater number of people move into these at-risk areas, there

In this paper we address absolute camera pose estimation. An efficient (and standard) way to solve this problem, is to use sparse keypoint correspondences. In many cases point features are not available, or are unstable over time and viewing conditions. We propose a framework based on silhouettes of quadric surfaces, with special emphasis on cylinders. We provide mathematical analysis of the probl

Context. Energy and momentum injected by young, massive stars into the surrounding gas play an important role in regulating further star formation and in determining the galaxy's global properties. Before supernovae begin to explode, stellar feedback consists of two main processes: Radiation pressure and photoionisation. Aims. We study pre-supernova feedback and constrain the leakage of Lyman cont

Global river systems are experiencing rapid changes in sediment transport under growing anthropogenic and climatic stresses. However, the response of sediment discharge to the coupled influence of anthropogenic and natural factors and the associated impacts on the fluvial geomorphology in the Yangtze and Mekong rivers are not comprehensively assessed. Here, we recalibrated a seamless retrieval alg

OBJECTIVE: To describe the perception of quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth among migrant and nonmigrant women in Europe.METHODS: Women who gave birth at a health facility in 11 countries of the WHO European Region from March 2020 to July 2021 were invited to answer an online questionnaire including demographics and childbirth experience. Data were analyzed a

OBJECTIVE: To explore the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) during the COVID-19 pandemic by facility type among 16 European countries, comparing rates of instrumental vaginal birth and cesarean.METHODS: Women who gave birth in the WHO European Region from March 1, 2020, to February 7, 2022, answered a validated online questionnaire. Rates of instrumental birth, instrumental vaginal birth

OBJECTIVE: To investigate potential associations between individual and country-level factors and medicalization of birth in 15 European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS: Online anonymous survey of women who gave birth in 2020-2021. Multivariable multilevel logistic regression models estimating associations between indicators of medicalization (cesarean, instrumental vaginal birth [I

The pictorial representations of activities and social interactions provide the researcher with a sensory experience both during and after the fieldwork. I had interesting encounters with children and families during my ethnographic research on the social value of the child in rural Punjab (2019). Some of these encounters were also photographed. Attending a doll's marriage ceremony was one of thos

Climate change is expected to alter precipitation regimes, resulting in longer periods of drought and heavier precipitation events. Even though the direct effect of water availability on soil microbial processes is well documented, the influence of precipitation legacy on microbial resistance and resilience to drought remains unclear. Using soils from a natural mean annual precipitation (MAP) grad

Soil microorganisms regulate the decomposition of organic matter. However, microbial activities can also be rate-limited by the resource in lowest supply. Arctic ecosystems are being exposed to pronounced climate warming, with arctic greening, treeline advance and shrubification resulting in increased plant-derived carbon (C) inputs to soils, and faster rates of decomposition releasing mineral nut

Alicyclic quaternary ammonium cations having all the β-protons in a strain-free ring structure are in general highly base resistant, and are thus very attractive to employ for anion exchange membrane (AEM) applications. However, tethering cations such as N,N-dimethylpiperidinium (DMP) to polymer backbones without introducing any weak links is quite challenging. In the present study, we have attach

Real-time train arrival time prediction is crucial for providing passenger information and timely decision support. The paper develops methods to simultaneously predict train arrival times at downstream stations, including direct multiple output liner regression (DMOLR) and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) models. To capture correlations of prediction equations, two bias correction terms are t

This article summarizes and discusses some results of my earlier research focusing on the Catholic mission in Scandinavia and the alternative identity discourses that this missionary activity created. It also discusses Catholic gender discourses and ideals of masculinity. The Nordic countries were subjected to Catholic missionary activity, aimed at bringing the Nordic peoples to convert to the CatThis article summarizes and discusses some results of my earlier research focusing on the Catholic mission in Scandinavia and the alternative identity discourses that this missionary activity created. It also discusses Catholic gender discourses and ideals of masculinity. The Nordic countries were subjected to Catholic missionary activity, aimed at bringing the Nordic peoples to convert to the Cat