Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

Background: Cerebral palsy is a common motor disorder in children, resulting in many musculoskeletal deformities and physical disability. Knee flexion contractures, hip dislocation and scoliosis are main symptoms caused by both changes to the muscles themselves and changes in the neural drive to muscles. It affects mobility and independence with crouch gait, pain, and trunk and head imbalance as consequence. As conservative treatment in cerebral palsy, orthoses are used to correct and prevent these deformities, to facilitate carrying, and to improve the efficiency of daily activities such as sitting, lying down, standing, and walking. Objectives: To review the use of knee, hip, and spinal orthoses as treatment in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: A systematic review was conducted, retrieved by scanning databases as PubMed and Cochrane Library, with exclusion criteria: ankle-foot orthoses and other interventional therapies. Results: Knee orthoses seem to give an improvement on flexion contractures of the hamstrings, though we only found a few studies concerning knee orthoses. Small amounts of evidence support the use hip orthoses as treatment of cerebral palsy, since we found no great effect on Gross Motor Function (GMF) and hip displacement rates. Concerning spinal orthoses, an improvement in sitting stability and head and trunk control was reported. However, the expected effect on progression on spinal curvature could not be confirmed. Conclusion: Further research on the use and effect of orthoses as treatment in children with cerebral palsy is needed to create an overview of when benefits and effects of a certain orthosis outweigh the discomfort and costs.

Choose an application

• Reference Manager
• EndNote
• RefWorks (Direct export to RefWorks)

High-end domestic swimming pools (HIOD) are a trending object for middle to higher class houses in Belgium. The yearly electrical energy consumption to maintain the water quality and temperature during the 5 month’s season can rise above the yearly average electrical energy consumption of a four-person household. Installing such a swimming pool has therefore an impact on the national yearly household electrical consumption, while nowadays the mindset is to reduce as much as possible the energy consumption. This study starts with an overview of the different components of a swimming pool. While discussing the components the parameters are derived having an influence on the energy consumption. This paper proposes a mathematical model for the thermal performance of a swimming pool. A private test pool was used for water temperature measurements during last summer. Meteorological data form a weather station of KULeuven were obtained and in combination with the measurements a validation of this model could be performed. Using the same weather data a sensitivity analysis was accomplished. Heat losses were calculated during three different seasons. An analysis was performed with different proposed water temperatures and finally using different settings for tub insulation or using other type of covers. To optimise the technical pallet of the pool, water pressure losses were calculated for the test pool. The total pressure loss was computed for the hydraulic pipes, over the filter and over the heat pump. Implementation of the thermal performance model and water pressure losses on the test pool made it possible to calculate the estimated electrical energy consumption using different set-ups of circulation pumps and heating possibilities. The possible heating of a pool with solar irradiation only in a passive manner is being addressed. The newest technologies regarding circulation pump and heating can reduce this consumption considerably and are worth the initial cost. The insulation of the tub and the type of cover are however parameters which must not be neglected. As for residential houses an energy level could be assigned to the HIOD which is usable for determination of the yearly electrical energy consumption. This paper can act as a foundation for the creation of an energy level for HIOD swimming pools.