Journal articles on the topic 'Remote relay testing'
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Ren, Jian Feng, and Shu Tao Zhao. "Transformer Automatic Test System Based on Virtual Instrument." Applied Mechanics and Materials 556-562 (May 2014): 3084–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.556-562.3084.
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This paper introduces a transformer automatic test system based on virtual instrument (LabVIEW) and PCI hardware platform, and being Improved separately from hardware and software section. use remote control functions to achieve relay testing automatic commutation function and remote automatic control; Increase the voltage and the current automatic locking feature in the empty / load test, and not only improve the security and accuracy of the test system, but also greatly improve the automation of the test system.
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Wang, Junkang, Jiayi Wang, Jishun Wu, Weidong Wang, Yejie Liu, and Quanke Ba. "Research on integrated test technology of relay protection device based on cloud-edge collaboration." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2290, no. 1 (June 1, 2022): 012035. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2290/1/012035.
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Abstract The relay protection debugging of smart substation is limited to single unit test. For the intelligent equipment across bays, it can only be tested in batches and one by one, and there is no means to test the integrated system of bus and main transformer with multiple bays. This paper proposes an integrated test technology of intelligent substation based on cloud-edge collaboration. Build an integrated test system based on cloud edge collaboration, which is cross bays, multi intelligent devices and remote vertical connection. Open up the test island of single equipment. Establish equipment signal acquisition and output, multi-protocol access of edge equipment, unified cloud management and process monitoring system. It can realize the value integration of high-quality resources such as substation managers, testers and test expert database. This method improves the testing comprehensiveness, pertinence and timeliness.
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Balde, Alpha Yaya, Emmanuel Bergeret, Denis Cajal, and Jean-Pierre Toumazet. "Low Power Environmental Image Sensors for Remote Photogrammetry." Sensors 22, no. 19 (October 8, 2022): 7617. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22197617.
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This paper aims to prove the feasibility of a 4D monitoring solution (3D modeling and temporal monitoring) for the sandbar and to characterize the species’ role in the landscape. The developed solution allows studying the interaction between the river dynamics and vegetation using a network of low resolution and low power sensors. The issues addressed concern the feasibility of implementing a photogrammetry solution using low-resolution sensors as well as the choice of the appropriate sensor and its testing according to different configurations (image capture and storage on the sensor and/or image transmission to a centralization node) and also the detailed analysis of the different phases of the process (camera initialization, image capture, network transmission and selection of the most appropriate standby mode). We reveal that the tiny, low-cost board (ESP32-Cam) can perform a 3D reconstruction and propose using the camera’s UXGA (1600, 1200) resolution because of the quality rendering and energy consumption. A multi-node scenario based on a combined Wi-Fi and GSM relay is proposed in the study showing several years of autonomy for the system. Finally, to illustrate the energy cost of the module, we have defined a study process, where we have identified and quantified one by one the different phases of operation of the card for better energy optimization (setup, camera configuration, shooting, saving on SD card, or sending by Wi-Fi). The device is now operational for deployment on the Allier River (France).
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Park, Jaewoo, Franklyn Jumu, Justin Power, Maxime Richard, Yomna Elsahli, Mohamad Ali Jarkas, Andy Ruan, Adina Luican-Mayer, and Jean-Michel Ménard. "Drone-Mountable Gas Sensing Platform Using Graphene Chemiresistors for Remote In-Field Monitoring." Sensors 22, no. 6 (March 19, 2022): 2383. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22062383.
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We present the design, fabrication, and testing of a drone-mountable gas sensing platform for environmental monitoring applications. An array of graphene-based field-effect transistors in combination with commercial humidity and temperature sensors are used to relay information by wireless communication about the presence of airborne chemicals. We show that the design, based on an ESP32 microcontroller combined with a 32-bit analog-to-digital converter, can be used to achieve an electronic response similar, within a factor of two, to state-of-the-art laboratory monitoring equipment. The sensing platform is then mounted on a drone to conduct field tests, on the ground and in flight. During these tests, we demonstrate a one order of magnitude reduction in environmental noise by reducing contributions from humidity and temperature fluctuations, which are monitored in real-time with a commercial sensor integrated to the sensing platform. The sensing device is controlled by a mobile application and uses LoRaWAN, a low-power, wide-area networking protocol, for real-time data transmission to the cloud, compatible with Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
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Prabowo, Dhito Aji Tri, Marsekal Dadrian Setyayudha, and Renny Sari Dewi. "Implementasi Intelligent IoT Gateway Sebagai Pengendali Jarak Jauh Pada Raspberry Pi Berbasis OpenWrt." JURIKOM (Jurnal Riset Komputer) 7, no. 1 (February 15, 2020): 104. http://dx.doi.org/10.30865/jurikom.v7i1.1882.
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Internet of Things is a concept where a particular object has a function to transfer data through wireless networks and the internet as a remote controller, this activity does not require interaction from human to human or human to computer. Everything has been run automatically with the program. Internet of Things is commonly called IoT. By implementing IoT at home it is hoped that it can improve efficiency and comfort for the occupants of the house. The smart home system that will be made has two main elements, namely an Android-based smart phone device and an automation system that has been installed on a Raspberry-Pi that has OpenWrt firmware installed and is connected directly to the relay. The system will also be equipped with an ACS712 current sensor and a ZMPT101B voltage sensor, the two devices are used to obtain electrical voltage data which will then be stored in storage on the router. After testing using AVOmeter, the data difference is relatively small. The error rate of the voltage gauge is 4.1% on average and the error rate of the current sensor is 6.2%. Data from the electricity load will be displayed on the application on an Android-based smart phone device. The results of this study are a remote control system for devices connected to electricity and provide information to analyze the use of electrical loads at home, so they can choose devices that should not be activated by the system so as to cut monthly electricity costs
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Swan, A., P. Skipworth, L. Walker, and G. Thursfield. "Field testing a remote monitoring system for hand water pumps." Water Practice and Technology 13, no. 4 (December 1, 2018): 821–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2018.093.
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Abstract Throughout Africa, many hand water pumps malfunction and remain inoperable for long periods of time. Previous studies from a number of sub-Saharan countries have indicated that in some regions up to 65% of hand pumps may be broken. It is reported that robust monitoring of remote water pumps can help address some of these problems. However, traditional project monitoring strategies generally rely on physical site visits to remote locations. These visits can be time consuming and resource intensive, which in turn may delay the implementation of pump repairs. In contrast, recent years have seen the emergence of a range of new monitoring technologies that use mobile phone networks to rapidly report the operational status of water projects from remote sites. The authors describe the development of a new monitoring system, called MANTIS, which is intended for hand pumps in developing regions. The paper presents data from early field trials of MANTIS in Sierra Leone and The Gambia. The unit relays ‘near real time’ operational data from the water pump to an accessible online platform.
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Chen, Lei, Ping Wang, Fuqiang Liu, Chao Wang, Haibo Zhou, Lijun Pu, Jiping Xiong, and Nguyen Ngoc Van. "A Replay Approach for Remote Testing User Experience of Mobile Bursty Data Application." International Journal of Online Engineering (iJOE) 9, S7 (October 22, 2013): 18. http://dx.doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v9is7.3187.
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Hengel, Belinda, Rebecca Guy, Linda Garton, James Ward, Alice Rumbold, Debbie Taylor-Thomson, Bronwyn Silver, et al. "Barriers and facilitators of sexually transmissible infection testing in remote Australian Aboriginal communities: results from the Sexually Transmitted Infections in Remote Communities, Improved and Enhanced Primary Health Care (STRIVE) Study." Sexual Health 12, no. 1 (2015): 4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/sh14080.
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Background Remote Australian Aboriginal communities experience high rates of bacterial sexually transmissible infections (STI). A key strategy to reduce STIs is to increase testing in primary health care centres. The current study aimed to explore barriers to offering and conducting STI testing in this setting. Methods: A qualitative study was undertaken as part of the STI in Remote communities, Improved and Enhanced Primary Health Care (STRIVE) project; a large cluster randomised controlled trial of a sexual health quality improvement program. We conducted 36 in-depth interviews in 22 participating health centres across four regions in northern and central Australia. Results: Participants identified barriers including Aboriginal cultural norms that require the separation of genders and traditional kinship systems that prevent some staff and patients from interacting, both of which were exacerbated by a lack of male staff. Other common barriers were concerns about client confidentiality (lack of private consulting space and living in small communities), staff capacity to offer testing impacted by the competing demands for staff time, and high staff turnover resulting in poor understanding of clinic systems. Many participants also expressed concerns about managing positive test results. To address some of these barriers, participants revealed informal strategies, such as team work, testing outside the clinic and using adult health checks. Conclusions: Results identify cultural, structural and health system issues as barriers to offering STI testing in remote communities, some of which were overcome through the creativity and enthusiasm of individuals rather than formal systems. Many of these barriers can be readily addressed through strengthening existing systems of cultural and clinical orientation and educating staff to view STI in a population health framework. However others, particularly issues in relation to culture, kinship ties and living in small communities, may require testing modalities that do not rely on direct contact with health staff or the clinic environment.
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Páez, Felipe, and Héctor Kaschel. "Design and Testing of a Computer Security Layer for the LIN Bus." Sensors 22, no. 18 (September 13, 2022): 6901. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s22186901.
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Most modern vehicles are connected to the internet via cellular networks for navigation, assistance, etc. via their onboard computer, which can also provide onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth services. The main in-vehicle communication buses (CAN, LIN, FlexRay) converge at the vehicle’s onboard computer and offer no computer security features to protect the communication between nodes, thus being highly vulnerable to local and remote cyberattacks which target the onboard computer and/or the vehicle’s electronic control units through the aforementioned buses. To date, several computer security proposals for CAN and FlexRay buses have been published; a formal computer security proposal for the LIN bus communications has not been presented. So, we researched possible security mechanisms suitable for this bus’s particularities, tested those mechanisms in microcontroller and PSoC hardware, and developed a prototype LIN network using PSoC nodes programmed with computer security features. This work presents a novel combination of encryption and a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC) scheme with replay attack rejection for the LIN communications. The obtained results are promising and show the feasibility of the implementation of an LIN network with real-time computer security protection.
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Needs, Sarah H., Stephanie P. Bull, Josefina Bravo, Sue Walker, Gemma Little, Julie Hart, and Alexander D. Edwards. "Remote videolink observation of model home sampling and home testing devices to simplify usability studies for point-of-care diagnostics." Wellcome Open Research 5 (July 21, 2020): 174. http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16105.1.
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Both home sample collection and home testing using rapid point-of-care diagnostic devices can offer benefits over attending a clinic/hospital to be tested by a healthcare professional. Usability is critical to ensure that in-home sampling or testing by untrained users does not compromise analytical performance. Usability studies can be laborious and rely on participants attending a research location or a researcher visiting homes; neither has been appropriate during COVID-19 outbreak control restrictions. We therefore developed a remote research usability methodology using videolink observation of home users. This avoids infection risks from home visits and ensures the participant follows the test protocol in their home environment. In this feasibility study, volunteers were provided with models of home blood testing and home blood sampling kits including a model lancet, sampling devices for dried blood spot collection, and model lateral flow device. After refining the study protocol through an initial pilot (n = 7), we compared instructions provided either as written instructions (n = 5), vs addition of video instructions (n = 5), vs written and video instructions plus videolink supervision by the researcher (n = 5). All users were observed via video call to define which test elements could be assessed remotely. All 22 participants in the study accessed the video call and configured their videolink allowing the researcher to clearly observe all testing tasks. The video call allowed the researcher to assess distinct errors during use including quantitative (volume of blood) and qualitative (inaccurate interpretation of results) errors many of which could compromise test accuracy. All participants completed the tasks and returned images of their completed tests (22/22) and most returned completed questionnaires (20/22). We suggest this remote observation via videolink methodology is a simple, rapid and powerful methodology to assess and optimise usability of point-of-care testing methods in the home setting.
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Brett, Alexa, Heather Foster, Michael Joseph, and Jill S. Warrington. "Patient-Centered Telehealth Solution for Observed Urine Collections in Substance Use Disorder Care Delivery During COVID-19 and Beyond." Journal of Patient Experience 8 (January 1, 2021): 237437352110331. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/23743735211033128.
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Patients with substance use disorder (SUD) rely upon urine drug testing to support treatment adherence and to mitigate relapse. Before the onset of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the logistical challenges of randomized observed collections for urine drug testing for the patient were significant. During COVID-19, these barriers were often insurmountable. Since SUD patients represent a population at a higher risk for complications from COVID-19, an alternative strategy to support COVID-19 testing was urgently needed. We designed and deployed a telehealth-based solution in which patients could use mobile devices to connect with trained collection professionals to perform observed urine collections, often referred to a UA (urinalysis). The solution was designed with patient-centered best practices for telehealth, stigma prevention, trauma-informed, empathy and compassion, and to remove barriers to access to care. This approach demonstrated high patient satisfaction scores thereby proving that it is possible to provide urine collection services in the patient’s home via a telehealth technology, while still upholding SUD testing integrity best practices. This study lays the path for a more patient-centered way to support this population.
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Duarte, Diogo, Francesco Nex, Norman Kerle, and George Vosselman. "Multi-Resolution Feature Fusion for Image Classification of Building Damages with Convolutional Neural Networks." Remote Sensing 10, no. 10 (October 14, 2018): 1636. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs10101636.
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Remote sensing images have long been preferred to perform building damage assessments. The recently proposed methods to extract damaged regions from remote sensing imagery rely on convolutional neural networks (CNN). The common approach is to train a CNN independently considering each of the different resolution levels (satellite, aerial, and terrestrial) in a binary classification approach. In this regard, an ever-growing amount of multi-resolution imagery are being collected, but the current approaches use one single resolution as their input. The use of up/down-sampled images for training has been reported as beneficial for the image classification accuracy both in the computer vision and remote sensing domains. However, it is still unclear if such multi-resolution information can also be captured from images with different spatial resolutions such as imagery of the satellite and airborne (from both manned and unmanned platforms) resolutions. In this paper, three multi-resolution CNN feature fusion approaches are proposed and tested against two baseline (mono-resolution) methods to perform the image classification of building damages. Overall, the results show better accuracy and localization capabilities when fusing multi-resolution feature maps, specifically when these feature maps are merged and consider feature information from the intermediate layers of each of the resolution level networks. Nonetheless, these multi-resolution feature fusion approaches behaved differently considering each level of resolution. In the satellite and aerial (unmanned) cases, the improvements in the accuracy reached 2% while the accuracy improvements for the airborne (manned) case was marginal. The results were further confirmed by testing the approach for geographical transferability, in which the improvements between the baseline and multi-resolution experiments were overall maintained.
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Ohmura, Kito, Christian M. Thürlimann, Marco Kipf, Juan Pablo Carbajal, and Kris Villez. "Characterizing long-term wear and tear of ion-selective pH sensors." Water Science and Technology 80, no. 3 (August 1, 2019): 541–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2019.301.
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Abstract Today, the development and testing of methods for fault detection and identification in wastewater treatment research relies on two important assumptions: (i) that sensor faults appear at distinct times in different sensors and (ii) that any given sensor will function near-perfectly for a significant amount of time following installation. In this work, we show that such assumptions are unrealistic, at least for sensors built around an ion-selective measurement principle. Indeed, long-term exposure of sensors to treated wastewater shows that sensors exhibit fault symptoms that appear simultaneously and with similar intensity. Consequently, this suggests that future research should be reoriented towards methods that do not rely on the assumptions mentioned above. This study also provides the first empirically validated sensor fault model for wastewater treatment simulation, which is useful for effective benchmarking of both fault detection and identification methods and advanced control strategies. Finally, we evaluate the value of redundancy for remote sensor validation in decentralized wastewater treatment systems.
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Auchère, F., V. Andretta, E. Antonucci, N. Bach, M. Battaglia, A. Bemporad, D. Berghmans, et al. "Coordination within the remote sensing payload on the Solar Orbiter mission." Astronomy & Astrophysics 642 (September 30, 2020): A6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201937032.
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Context. To meet the scientific objectives of the mission, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft carries a suite of in-situ (IS) and remote sensing (RS) instruments designed for joint operations with inter-instrument communication capabilities. Indeed, previous missions have shown that the Sun (imaged by the RS instruments) and the heliosphere (mainly sampled by the IS instruments) should be considered as an integrated system rather than separate entities. Many of the advances expected from Solar Orbiter rely on this synergistic approach between IS and RS measurements. Aims. Many aspects of hardware development, integration, testing, and operations are common to two or more RS instruments. In this paper, we describe the coordination effort initiated from the early mission phases by the Remote Sensing Working Group. We review the scientific goals and challenges, and give an overview of the technical solutions devised to successfully operate these instruments together. Methods. A major constraint for the RS instruments is the limited telemetry (TM) bandwidth of the Solar Orbiter deep-space mission compared to missions in Earth orbit. Hence, many of the strategies developed to maximise the scientific return from these instruments revolve around the optimisation of TM usage, relying for example on onboard autonomy for data processing, compression, and selection for downlink. The planning process itself has been optimised to alleviate the dynamic nature of the targets, and an inter-instrument communication scheme has been implemented which can be used to autonomously alter the observing modes. We also outline the plans for in-flight cross-calibration, which will be essential to the joint data reduction and analysis. Results. The RS instrument package on Solar Orbiter will carry out comprehensive measurements from the solar interior to the inner heliosphere. Thanks to the close coordination between the instrument teams and the European Space Agency, several challenges specific to the RS suite were identified and addressed in a timely manner.
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Bognár, Péter, Anikó Kern, Szilárd Pásztor, Péter Steinbach, and János Lichtenberger. "Testing the Robust Yield Estimation Method for Winter Wheat, Corn, Rapeseed, and Sunflower with Different Vegetation Indices and Meteorological Data." Remote Sensing 14, no. 12 (June 15, 2022): 2860. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14122860.
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Remote sensing-based crop yield estimation methods rely on vegetation indices, which depend on the availability of the number of observations during the year, influencing the value of the derived crop yield. In the present study, a robust yield estimation method was improved for estimating the yield of corn, winter wheat, sunflower, and rapeseed in Hungary for the period 2000–2020 using 16 vegetation indices. Then, meteorological data were used to reduce the differences between the estimated and census yield data. In the case of corn, the best result was obtained using the Green Atmospherically Resistant Vegetation Index, where the correlation between estimated and census data was R2 = 0.888 before and R2 = 0.968 after the meteorological correction. In the case of winter wheat, the Difference Vegetation Index produced the best result with R2 = 0.815 and 0.894 before and after the meteorological correction. For sunflower, these correlation values were 0.730 and 0.880, and for rapeseed, 0.765 and 0.922, respectively. Using the meteorological correction, the average percentage differences between estimated and census data decreased from 7.7% to 3.9%, from 6.7% to 3.9%, from 7.2% to 4.2%, and from 7.8% to 5.1% in the case of corn, winter wheat, sunflower, and rapeseed, respectively.
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Aina, Segun, Samuel Dayo Okegbile, Adeniran Ishola Oluwaranti, Oghenerukome Brenda Okoro, and Tayo Obasanya. "Toward a More Robust Home Automated System." International Journal of Information Technology and Web Engineering 14, no. 3 (July 2019): 78–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijitwe.2019070105.
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The work reported in this article developed a home automated system using voice activation. This is with a view to providing users complete control over electrical appliances using simple easy to remember voice commands on an Android mobile device. This work was implemented using the Atmega 328 microcontroller, Relays and a Wi-Fi shield. The human voice is first converted to text using a Natural language processing tool from the Android based application. Thereafter, the text is sent over the internet via the PubNub to the microcontroller. The Atmega 328 microcontroller was programmed on an Arduino using C programming language and the Android based application was developed using Android Software Development Kit. Results obtained from the testing show that the implemented system achieves the mean scores of 8, 7.6, and 7.2 for ease of use, learnability and effectiveness respectively justifying the fact that the system is capable of controlling appliances by changing their state (ON/OFF) from remote a location with a response time within the reasonable limit.
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Zou, Sheng, Paul Gader, and Alina Zare. "Hyperspectral tree crown classification using the multiple instance adaptive cosine estimator." PeerJ 7 (February 28, 2019): e6405. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6405.
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Tree species classification using hyperspectral imagery is a challenging task due to the high spectral similarity between species and large intra-species variability. This paper proposes a solution using the Multiple Instance Adaptive Cosine Estimator (MI-ACE) algorithm. MI-ACE estimates a discriminative target signature to differentiate between a pair of tree species while accounting for label uncertainty. Multi-class species classification is achieved by training a set of one-vs-one MI-ACE classifiers corresponding to the classification between each pair of tree species and a majority voting on the classification results from all classifiers. Additionally, the performance of MI-ACE does not rely on parameter settings that require tuning resulting in a method that is easy to use in application. Results presented are using training and testing data provided by a data analysis competition aimed at encouraging the development of methods for extracting ecological information through remote sensing obtained through participation in the competition. The experimental results using one-vs-one MI-ACE technique composed of a hierarchical classification, where a tree crown is first classified to one of the genus classes and one of the species classes. The species-level rank-1 classification accuracy is 86.4% and cross entropy is 0.9395 on the testing data, provided by the competition organizer, without the release of ground truth for testing data. Similarly, the same evaluation metrics are computed on the training data, where the rank-1 classification accuracy is 95.62% and the cross entropy is 0.2649. The results show that the presented approach can not only classify the majority species classes, but also classify the rare species classes.
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Zagrouba, Ezzeddine, and Walid Barhoumi. "A PRELIMARY APPROACH FOR THE AUTOMATED RECOGNITION OF MALIGNANT MELANOMA." Image Analysis & Stereology 23, no. 2 (May 3, 2011): 121. http://dx.doi.org/10.5566/ias.v23.p121-135.
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In this work, we are motivated by the desire to classify skin lesions as malignants or benigns from color photographic slides of the lesions. Thus, we use color images of skin lesions, image processing techniques and artificial neural network classifier to distinguish melanoma from benign pigmented lesions. As the first step of the data set analysis, a preprocessing sequence is implemented to remove noise and undesired structures from the color image. Second, an automated segmentation approach localizes suspicious lesion regions by region growing after a preliminary step based on fuzzy sets. Then, we rely on quantitative image analysis to measure a series of candidate attributes hoped to contain enough information to differentiate melanomas from benign lesions. At last, the selected features are supplied to an artificial neural network for classification of tumor lesion as malignant or benign. For a preliminary balanced training/testing set, our approach is able to obtain 79.1% of correct classification of malignant and benign lesions on real skin lesion images.
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Fißmer, Ina, Thomas Klein, Walter Magerl, Rolf-Detlef Treede, Peter K. Zahn, and Esther M. Pogatzki-Zahn. "Modality-specific Somatosensory Changes in a Human Surrogate Model of Postoperative Pain." Anesthesiology 115, no. 2 (August 1, 2011): 387–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/aln.0b013e318219509e.
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Background Postoperative pain remains a challenging problem in part because the underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. There is a compelling need for translational studies in human models of postoperative pain to bridge the gap between animal models und human clinical studies. Methods Somatosensory changes using Quantitative Sensory Testing for up to 72 h after an experimental 4-mm incision were characterized in 20 male volunteers. Results During incision, perceived pain was 29 on a 100-point numeric rating scale and declined rapidly over the next 60 min. After incision, thresholds at the site of incision were lowered to painful heat (primary heat hyperalgesia; P < 0.01, effect size: 0.68) but not to painful cold (P > 0.05, effect size: 0.00). Remote to the incision, mechanical pain thresholds were lowered, pain ratings were increased, and an area of hyperalgesia occurred (P < 0.05, effect size: 0.56; P < 0.01, effect size: 0.70; P < 0.01, respectively; secondary mechanical hyperalgesia). All signs of heat and mechanical hyperalgesia declined until full resolution at 27-72 h after incision. Increased mechanical pain ratings remote to the incision (r = 0.47; P < 0.01) but not the area of hyperalgesia (r = 0.28) or heat hyperalgesia (r = 0.12) correlated with incision-induced pain. Conclusions Ongoing activity of nociceptors underlying nonevoked pain after incision in humans may not be explained by sensitization of nociceptors to heat but triggers the increased painfulness of mechanical stimuli in the area of secondary hyperalgesia. However, the spatial expansion of hyperalgesia seems to rely on at least partly different mechanisms. These findings may contribute to the understanding of pain and hyperalgesia after surgery.
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Aguilar, Fernando J., Abderrahim Nemmaoui, Manuel A. Aguilar, and Alberto Peñalver. "Building Tree Allometry Relationships Based on TLS Point Clouds and Machine Learning Regression." Applied Sciences 11, no. 21 (October 29, 2021): 10139. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app112110139.
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Most of the allometric models used to estimate tree aboveground biomass rely on tree diameter at breast height (DBH). However, it is difficult to measure DBH from airborne remote sensors, and is common to draw upon traditional least squares linear regression models to relate DBH with dendrometric variables measured from airborne sensors, such as tree height (H) and crown diameter (CD). This study explores the usefulness of ensemble-type supervised machine learning regression algorithms, such as random forest regression (RFR), categorical boosting (CatBoost), gradient boosting (GBoost), or AdaBoost regression (AdaBoost), as an alternative to linear regression (LR) for modelling the allometric relationships DBH = Φ(H) and DBH = Ψ(H, CD). The original dataset was made up of 2272 teak trees (Tectona grandis Linn. F.) belonging to three different plantations located in Ecuador. All teak trees were digitally reconstructed from terrestrial laser scanning point clouds. The results showed that allometric models involving both H and CD to estimate DBH performed better than those based solely on H. Furthermore, boosting machine learning regression algorithms (CatBoost and GBoost) outperformed RFR (bagging) and LR (traditional linear regression) models, both in terms of goodness-of-fit (R2) and stability (variations in training and testing samples).
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Cuypers, Suzanna, Maarten Bassier, and Maarten Vergauwen. "Deep Learning on Construction Sites: A Case Study of Sparse Data Learning Techniques for Rebar Segmentation." Sensors 21, no. 16 (August 11, 2021): 5428. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s21165428.
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With recent advancements in deep learning models for image interpretation, it has finally become possible to automate construction site monitoring processes that rely on remote sensing. However, the major drawback of these models is their dependency on large datasets of training images labeled at pixel level, which have to be produced manually by skilled personnel. To alleviate the need for training data, this study evaluates weakly- and semi-supervised semantic segmentation models for construction site imagery to efficiently automate monitoring tasks. As a case study, we compare fully-, weakly- and semi-supervised methods for the detection of rebar covers, which are useful for quality control. In the experiments, recent models, i.e., IRNet, DeepLabv3+ and the cross-consistency training model, are compared for their ability to segment rebar covers from construction site imagery with minimal manual input. The results show that weakly- and semi-supervised models can indeed approach the performance of fully-supervised models, with the majority of the target objects being properly found. Through this study, construction site stakeholders are provided with detailed information on how tp leverage deep learning for efficient construction site monitoring and weigh preprocessing, training and testing efforts against each other in order to decide between fully-, weakly- and semi-supervised training.
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Rezaei, Meysam, Sajad Razavi Bazaz, Sareh Zhand, Nima Sayyadi, Dayong Jin, Martin P. Stewart, and Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani. "Point of Care Diagnostics in the Age of COVID-19." Diagnostics 11, no. 1 (December 23, 2020): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11010009.
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The recent outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its associated serious respiratory disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), poses a major threat to global public health. Owing to the lack of vaccine and effective treatments, many countries have been overwhelmed with an exponential spread of the virus and surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Current standard diagnostic methods are inadequate for widespread testing as they suffer from prolonged turn-around times (>12 h) and mostly rely on high-biosafety-level laboratories and well-trained technicians. Point-of-care (POC) tests have the potential to vastly improve healthcare in several ways, ranging from enabling earlier detection and easier monitoring of disease to reaching remote populations. In recent years, the field of POC diagnostics has improved markedly with the advent of micro- and nanotechnologies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, POC technologies have been rapidly innovated to address key limitations faced in existing standard diagnostic methods. This review summarizes and compares the latest available POC immunoassay, nucleic acid-based and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats- (CRISPR)-mediated tests for SARS-CoV-2 detection that we anticipate aiding healthcare facilities to control virus infection and prevent subsequent spread.
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Rühland, K. M., A. M. Paterson, W. Keller, N. Michelutti, and J. P. Smol. "Global warming triggers the loss of a key Arctic refugium." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 280, no. 1772 (December 7, 2013): 20131887. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.1887.
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We document the rapid transformation of one of the Earth's last remaining Arctic refugia, a change that is being driven by global warming. In stark contrast to the amplified warming observed throughout much of the Arctic, the Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) of subarctic Canada has maintained cool temperatures, largely due to the counteracting effects of persistent sea ice. However, since the mid-1990s, climate of the HBL has passed a tipping point, the pace and magnitude of which is exceptional even by Arctic standards, exceeding the range of regional long-term variability. Using high-resolution, palaeolimnological records of algal remains in dated lake sediment cores, we report that, within this short period of intense warming, striking biological changes have occurred in the region's freshwater ecosystems. The delayed and intense warming in this remote region provides a natural observatory for testing ecosystem resilience under a rapidly changing climate, in the absence of direct anthropogenic influences. The environmental repercussions of this climate change are of global significance, influencing the huge store of carbon in the region's extensive peatlands, the world's southern-most polar bear population that depends upon Hudson Bay sea ice and permafrost for survival, and native communities who rely on this landscape for sustenance.
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Fazzino, Tera L., Corby K. Martin, and Kelsie Forbush. "The Remote Food Photography Method and SmartIntake App for the Assessment of Alcohol Use in Young Adults: Feasibility Study and Comparison to Standard Assessment Methodology." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 6, no. 9 (September 24, 2018): e10460. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/10460.
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Background Heavy drinking is prevalent among young adults and may contribute to obesity. However, measurement tools for assessing caloric intake from alcohol are limited and rely on self-report, which is prone to bias. Objective The purpose of our study was to conduct feasibility testing of the Remote Food Photography Method and the SmartIntake app to assess alcohol use in young adults. Aims consisted of (1) quantifying the ability of SmartIntake to capture drinking behavior, (2) assessing app usability with the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ), (3) conducting a qualitative interview, and (4) comparing preference, usage, and alcohol use estimates (calories, grams per drinking episode) between SmartIntake and online diet recalls that participants completed for a parent study. Methods College students (N=15) who endorsed a pattern of heavy drinking were recruited from a parent study. Participants used SmartIntake to send photographs of all alcohol and food intake over a 3-day period and then completed a follow-up interview and the CSUQ. CSUQ items range from 1-7, with lower scores indicating greater usability. Total drinking occasions were determined by adding the number of drinking occasions captured by SmartIntake plus the number of drinking occasions participants reported that they missed capturing. Usage was defined by the number of days participants provided food/beverage photos through the app, or the number of diet recalls completed. Results SmartIntake captured 87% (13/15) of total reported drinking occasions. Participants rated the app as highly usable in the CSUQ (mean 2.28, SD 1.23). Most participants (14/15, 93%) preferred using SmartIntake versus recalls, and usage was significantly higher with SmartIntake than recalls (42/45, 93% vs 35/45, 78%; P=.04). Triple the number of participants submitted alcohol reports with SmartIntake compared to the recalls (SmartIntake 9/15, 60% vs recalls 3/15, 20%; P=.06), and 60% (9/15) of participants reported drinking during the study. Conclusions SmartIntake was acceptable to college students who drank heavily and captured most drinking occasions. Participants had higher usage of SmartIntake compared to recalls, suggesting SmartIntake may be well suited to measuring alcohol consumption in young adults. However, 40% (6/15) did not drink during the brief testing period and, although findings are promising, a longer trial is needed.
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Mariyaselvam, Maryanne Z. A., Ken R. Catchpole, David K. Menon, Arun K. Gupta, and Peter J. Young. "Preventing Retained Central Venous Catheter Guidewires." Anesthesiology 127, no. 4 (October 1, 2017): 658–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000001797.
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Abstract Background Retained central venous catheter guidewires are never events. Currently, preventative techniques rely on clinicians remembering to remove the guidewire. However, solutions solely relying upon humans to prevent error inevitably fail. A novel locked procedure pack was designed to contain the equipment required for completing the procedure after the guidewire should have been removed: suture, suture holder, and antimicrobial dressings. The guidewire is used as a key to unlock the pack and to access the contents; thereby, the clinician must remove the guidewire from the patient to complete the procedure. Methods A randomized controlled forced-error simulation study replicated catheter insertion. We created a retained guidewire event and then determined whether clinicians would discover it, comparing standard practice against the locked pack. Results Guidewires were retrieved from 2/10 (20%) standard versus 10/10 (100%) locked pack, n = 20, P < 0.001. In the locked pack group, participants attempted to complete the procedure; however, when unable to access the contents, this prompted a search for the key (guidewire). Participants discovered the guidewire within the catheter lumen, recovered it, utilized it to unlock the pack, and finish the procedure. A structured questionnaire reported that the locked pack also improved subjective safety of central venous catheter insertion and allowed easy disposal of the sharps and guidewire (10/10). Conclusions The locked pack is an engineered solution designed to prevent retained guidewires. Utilizing forced-error simulation testing, we have determined that the locked pack is an effective preventative device and is acceptable to clinicians for improving patient safety.
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Joseph, S. Iwin Thanakumar. "Accurate Segmentation for Low Resolution Satellite images by Discriminative Generative Adversarial Network for Identifying Agriculture Fields." Journal of Innovative Image Processing 3, no. 4 (December 17, 2021): 298–310. http://dx.doi.org/10.36548/jiip.2021.4.002.
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Agricultural field identification is still a difficult issue because of the poor resolution of satellite imagery. Monitoring remote harvest and determining the condition of farmlands rely on the digital approach agricultural applications. Therefore, high-resolution photographs have obtained much more attention since they are more efficient in detecting land cover components. In contrast, because of low-resolution repositories of past satellite images used for time series analysis, wavelet decomposition filter-based analysis, free availability, and economic concerns, low-resolution images are still essential. Using low-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite photos, this study proposes a GAN strategy for locating agricultural regions and determining the crop's cultivation state, linked to the initial or harvesting time. An object detector is used in the preprocessing step of training, followed by a transformation technique for extracting feature information and then the GAN strategy for classifying the crop segmented picture. After testing, the suggested algorithm is applied to the database's SAR images, which are further processed and categorized based on the training results. Using this information, the density between the crops is calculated. After zooming in on SAR photos, the crop condition may be categorized based on crop density and crop distance. The Euclidean distance formula is used to calculate the distance. Finally, the findings are compared to other existing approaches to determine the proposed technique's performance using reliable measures.
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Saad, José Roberto Cury, Gisselle Moraima Chávez-Andrade, Andrea Abi Rached Dantas, José Cláudio Martins Segalla, Fabio Luiz Camargo Vilella Berbert, Camila Galletti Espir, Fernando Simões Crisci, et al. "Ultrasound Effect in the Removal of Intraradicular Posts Cemented with Different Materials." Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice 16, no. 6 (2015): 437–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-10024-1703.
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ABSTRACT Aim This study evaluated the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the tensile strength required to remove intraradicular post cemented with different materials. Materials and methods Bovine teeth were selected, and 7 mm of the cervical root canals were prepared to size 5 Largo drill, the posts were cemented with zinc phosphate, Enforce (resin) or Rely X (glass ionomer). The specimens were divided into six groups (n = 10), according to the following procedures: GI—cementation with zinc phosphate associated with traction force; GII—cementation with zinc phosphate associated with ultrasonic activation and traction force; GIII—cementation with Enforce associated with traction force; GIV—cementation with Enforce associated with ultrasonic activation and traction force; GV—cementation with Rely X associated with traction force; and GVI—cementation with Rely X associated with ultrasonic activation and traction force. The tensile test was conducted using the electromechanical testing machine, the force was determined by a specialized computer program and ultrasonic activation using the Jet Sonic Four Plus (Gnatus) device in 10P. Results Concerning to average ranking, GI showed statistically significant difference in comparison with GII and GVI (p < 0.05); there was no statistical difference in GIII and GIV when compared to other groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion The ultrasound favored the intraradicular post traction regardless of the employed cement in greater or lesser extent. Clinical significance The post removal is a routine practice in the dental office, therefore, new solutions and better alternatives are need to the practitioner. We did not find in the literature many articles referring to this practice. Thus, the results from this study are relevant in the case planning and to promote more treatment options. How to cite this article Berbert FLCV, Espir CG, Crisci FS, de Andrade MF, Chávez-Andrade GM, de Toledo Leonardo R, Saad JRC, Segalla JCM, Vaz LG, Basso KCFJ, Dantas AAR. Ultrasound Effect in the Removal of Intraradicular Posts Cemented with Different Materials. J Contemp Dent Pract 2015;16(6):437-441.
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Meadows, Michael, and Matthew Wilson. "A Comparison of Machine Learning Approaches to Improve Free Topography Data for Flood Modelling." Remote Sensing 13, no. 2 (January 14, 2021): 275. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs13020275.
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Given the high financial and institutional cost of collecting and processing accurate topography data, many large-scale flood hazard assessments continue to rely instead on freely-available global Digital Elevation Models, despite the significant vertical biases known to affect them. To predict (and thereby reduce) these biases, we apply a fully-convolutional neural network (FCN), a form of artificial neural network originally developed for image segmentation which is capable of learning from multi-variate spatial patterns at different scales. We assess its potential by training such a model on a wide variety of remote-sensed input data (primarily multi-spectral imagery), using high-resolution, LiDAR-derived Digital Terrain Models published by the New Zealand government as the reference topography data. In parallel, two more widely used machine learning models are also trained, in order to provide benchmarks against which the novel FCN may be assessed. We find that the FCN outperforms the other models (reducing root mean square error in the testing dataset by 71%), likely due to its ability to learn from spatial patterns at multiple scales, rather than only a pixel-by-pixel basis. Significantly for flood hazard modelling applications, corrections were found to be especially effective along rivers and their floodplains. However, our results also suggest that models are likely to be biased towards the land cover and relief conditions most prevalent in their training data, with further work required to assess the importance of limiting training data inputs to those most representative of the intended application area(s).
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Wyllie, Anne, Chantal B. Vogels, Orchid M. Allicock, Anne Watkins, Mary Petrone, Devyn Yolda-Carr, Christina Harden, et al. "362. Saliva as a Reliable Sample Type for Mass SARS-CoV-2 Testing Strategies." Open Forum Infectious Diseases 8, Supplement_1 (November 1, 2021): S284. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofab466.563.
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Abstract Background Quickly detecting and isolating individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 is essential for limiting virus spread. Policy makers rely on the number of active cases to make decisions, and individuals use this information to evaluate risk should they return to public spaces. Robust testing strategies have been plagued with limited authorized diagnostic assays and high test prices, with large-scale implementation hampered by worldwide supply chain issues. Methods Having identified its potential early in the pandemic, we simplified saliva-based COVID-19 diagnostic testing by (1) not requiring collection tubes with preservatives, (2) replacing nucleic acid extraction with a simple enzymatic and heating step, and (3) testing specimens for SARS-CoV-2 in dualplex RT-qPCR. Moreover, we validated this approach (“SalivaDirect”) with reagents and instruments from multiple vendors to circumvent supply chain disruptions. Results SalivaDirect’s simplified protocol does not compromise on sensitivity. In our hospital cohort, we found a high positive agreement (94%) between saliva tested with SalivaDirect and nasopharyngeal swabs tested with a commercial RT-qPCR kit. With the National Basketball Association we tested 3,779 saliva specimens from healthy individuals and detected low rates of invalid (0.3%) and false-positive (< 0.05%) results. Using comparative assays and sample types, we also demonstrated SalivaDirect to efficiently detect SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic individuals. SalivaDirect is a simplified method for SARS-CoV-2 detection (A) Schematic overview of SalivaDirect workflow depicting the main steps of mixing saliva with proteinase K, heat inactivation, and dualplex qRT-PCR testing. Figure created with Biorender.com. (B) SARS-CoV-2 is stable in saliva for at least 7 days at 4C, room temperature (RT; 19C), and 30C without addition of stabilizing buffers. Spiked-in saliva samples of low virus concentrations (12, 25, and 50 SARS-CoV-2 copies/mL) were kept at the indicated temperature for 7 days and then tested with SalivaDirect. N1 cycle threshold (Ct) values were lower when kept for 7 days at 30C as compared to fresh specimens (Kruskal-Wallis; p = 0.03). Horizontal bars indicate the median. (C) Comparing Ct values for saliva treated with proteinase K and heat as compared to nucleic extraction yields higher N1 Ct values without extraction (Wilcoxon; p < 0.01). (D) Testing extracted nucleic acid from saliva with the N1 primer-probe set (singleplex) as compared to a multiplex assay showed stronger N1 detection in multiplex (Wilcoxon; p < 0.01). The dotted line in (B)–(D) indicates the limit of detection. Conclusion Saliva is a valid alternative to swabs for SARS-CoV-2 screening. Importantly, SalivaDirect enables labs to utilize existing infrastructure, improving test implementation time and requiring limited investment to scale-up to meet mass testing needs. With the safe and reliable self-collection of saliva, our vision is to help provide accessible and equitable testing solutions, especially in low-resource and remote settings. Disclosures Anne Wyllie, PhD, Global Diagnostic Systems (Consultant)Pfizer (Advisor or Review Panel member, Research Grant or Support)PPS Health (Consultant)Tempus Labs, Inc (Research Grant or Support) Nathan D. Grubaugh, PhD, Tempus Labs (Consultant)
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Edwing, Richard, Chung-Chu Teng, and Robert Heitsenrether. "Technology Developments in NOAA's Real-Time Coastal Observing Systems." Marine Technology Society Journal 49, no. 2 (March 1, 2015): 122–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.4031/mtsj.49.2.15.
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AbstractThe critical need for real-time coastal oceanographic and meteorological measurements to support maritime forecasters, emergency managers, pilots, vessel operators, port authorities, coastal planners, and many other decision makers has rapidly grown, along with the variety of scientific research applications that rely on resulting long-term data records. To support the needs for such observations, the National Ocean Service Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) continues to maintain and develop the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) and Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems (PORTS®). Together, these networks consist of over 300 long-term, real-time observatories distributed across the nation's coasts. In situ data measured and disseminated in real time from NWLON and PORTS stations include water levels, ocean currents, waves, water temperature, conductivity, bridge clearance, visibility, and several meteorological parameters. CO-OPS invests heavily in analysis of emerging technologies to identify potential improvements in data quality and operating efficiency and to ensure that the evolving needs of its diverse user community are continuously met. Recent enhancements to the CO-OPS network include the transition to microwave radar water level sensors to increase accuracy and simplify installation and maintenance requirements; development and testing of nearshore wave measurement systems; development of standalone, bottom-mounted water level gauges for applications in remote Arctic areas; and expanding data communication capabilities to improve usage of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites and to broaden use of the Iridium satellite system. An overview of the latest design features of typical CO-OPS real-time stations is presented, along with highlights of recent system developments and enhancements.
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Polhemus, Ashley Marie, Jan Novák, Jose Ferrao, Sara Simblett, Marta Radaelli, Patrick Locatelli, Faith Matcham, et al. "Human-Centered Design Strategies for Device Selection in mHealth Programs: Development of a Novel Framework and Case Study." JMIR mHealth and uHealth 8, no. 5 (May 7, 2020): e16043. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/16043.
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Background Despite the increasing use of remote measurement technologies (RMT) such as wearables or biosensors in health care programs, challenges associated with selecting and implementing these technologies persist. Many health care programs that use RMT rely on commercially available, “off-the-shelf” devices to collect patient data. However, validation of these devices is sparse, the technology landscape is constantly changing, relative benefits between device options are often unclear, and research on patient and health care provider preferences is often lacking. Objective To address these common challenges, we propose a novel device selection framework extrapolated from human-centered design principles, which are commonly used in de novo digital health product design. We then present a case study in which we used the framework to identify, test, select, and implement off-the-shelf devices for the Remote Assessment of Disease and Relapse-Central Nervous System (RADAR-CNS) consortium, a research program using RMT to study central nervous system disease progression. Methods The RADAR-CNS device selection framework describes a human-centered approach to device selection for mobile health programs. The framework guides study designers through stakeholder engagement, technology landscaping, rapid proof of concept testing, and creative problem solving to develop device selection criteria and a robust implementation strategy. It also describes a method for considering compromises when tensions between stakeholder needs occur. Results The framework successfully guided device selection for the RADAR-CNS study on relapse in multiple sclerosis. In the initial stage, we engaged a multidisciplinary team of patients, health care professionals, researchers, and technologists to identify our primary device-related goals. We desired regular home-based measurements of gait, balance, fatigue, heart rate, and sleep over the course of the study. However, devices and measurement methods had to be user friendly, secure, and able to produce high quality data. In the second stage, we iteratively refined our strategy and selected devices based on technological and regulatory constraints, user feedback, and research goals. At several points, we used this method to devise compromises that addressed conflicting stakeholder needs. We then implemented a feedback mechanism into the study to gather lessons about devices to improve future versions of the RADAR-CNS program. Conclusions The RADAR device selection framework provides a structured yet flexible approach to device selection for health care programs and can be used to systematically approach complex decisions that require teams to consider patient experiences alongside scientific priorities and logistical, technical, or regulatory constraints.
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Davies, K. P., J. Duncan, N. Wales, R. Varea, H. Shojaei, E. Bruce, B. Boruff, and E. Biggs. "AN OPEN-SOURCE MOBILE GEOSPATIAL PLATFORM FOR PROMOTING CLIMATE-SMART LIVELIHOOD-LANDSCAPE SYSTEMS IN FIJI AND TONGA." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLII-4/W14 (August 23, 2019): 31–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-4-w14-31-2019.
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<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Communities in Fiji and Tonga rely on landscape services to support a variety of livelihoods. These communities are increasingly vulnerable to climate (e.g. increasing cyclone occurrence and intensity) and environmental (e.g. mining and deforestation) stressors. Within these landscape systems, accurate and timely monitoring of human-climate-environment interactions is important to inform landscape management, land use policies, and climate-smart sustainable development. Data collection and monitoring approaches exist to capture landscape-livelihood information such as surveys, participatory GIS (PGIS), and remote sensing. However, these monitoring approaches are challenged by data collection and management burdens, timely integration of databases and data streams, aligning system requirements with local needs, and socio-technical issues associated with low-resource development contexts. Such monitoring approaches only provide static representation of livelihood-landscape interactions failing to capture the dynamic nature of vulnerabilities, and benefit only a small user base. We present a prototype of a mobile, open-source geospatial tool being collaboratively developed with the Ministries of Agriculture in Fiji and Tonga and local stakeholders, to address the above shortcomings of PGIS and other environmental monitoring and data sharing approaches. The tool is being developed using open-source mobile GIS technologies following a formal ICT for Development (ICT4D) framework. We discuss the results for each component of the ICT4D framework which involves multiple landscape stakeholders across the two Small Island Developing States. Based on the ICT4D user requirements analysis, we produced a prototype open-source mobile geospatial data collection, analysis and sharing tool. New dynamic spatial data layers related to landscape use and climate were specifically developed for use in the tool. We present the functionality of the tool alongside the results of field-testing with stakeholders in Fiji and Tonga.</p>
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Ayala, Christian, Rubén Sesma, Carlos Aranda, and Mikel Galar. "A Deep Learning Approach to an Enhanced Building Footprint and Road Detection in High-Resolution Satellite Imagery." Remote Sensing 13, no. 16 (August 7, 2021): 3135. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs13163135.
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The detection of building footprints and road networks has many useful applications including the monitoring of urban development, real-time navigation, etc. Taking into account that a great deal of human attention is required by these remote sensing tasks, a lot of effort has been made to automate them. However, the vast majority of the approaches rely on very high-resolution satellite imagery (<2.5 m) whose costs are not yet affordable for maintaining up-to-date maps. Working with the limited spatial resolution provided by high-resolution satellite imagery such as Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 (10 m) makes it hard to detect buildings and roads, since these labels may coexist within the same pixel. This paper focuses on this problem and presents a novel methodology capable of detecting building and roads with sub-pixel width by increasing the resolution of the output masks. This methodology consists of fusing Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data (at 10 m) together with OpenStreetMap to train deep learning models for building and road detection at 2.5 m. This becomes possible thanks to the usage of OpenStreetMap vector data, which can be rasterized to any desired resolution. Accordingly, a few simple yet effective modifications of the U-Net architecture are proposed to not only semantically segment the input image, but also to learn how to enhance the resolution of the output masks. As a result, generated mappings quadruplicate the input spatial resolution, closing the gap between satellite and aerial imagery for building and road detection. To properly evaluate the generalization capabilities of the proposed methodology, a data-set composed of 44 cities across the Spanish territory have been considered and divided into training and testing cities. Both quantitative and qualitative results show that high-resolution satellite imagery can be used for sub-pixel width building and road detection following the proper methodology.
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Taylor, Michael J., and Simona C. Baicu. "Nonenzymatic Cryogenic Isolation of Therapeutic Cells: Novel Approach for Enzyme-Free Isolation of Pancreatic Islets Using In Situ Cryopreservation of Islets and Concurrent Selective Freeze Destruction of Acinar Tissue." Cell Transplantation 23, no. 11 (November 2014): 1365–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.3727/096368913x672055.
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Cell-based therapies, which all involve processes for procurement and reimplantation of living cells, currently rely upon expensive, inconsistent, and even toxic enzyme digestion processes. A prime example is the preparation of isolated pancreatic islets for the treatment of type 1 diabetes by transplantation. To avoid the inherent pitfalls of these enzymatic methods, we have conceptualized an alternative approach based on the hypothesis that cryobiological techniques can be used for differential freeze destruction of the pancreas (Px) to release islets that are selectively cryopreserved in situ. Pancreata were procured from juvenile pigs using approved procedures. The concept of cryoisolation is based on differential processing of the pancreas in five stages: 1) infiltrating islets in situ preferentially with a cryoprotectant (CPA) cocktail via antegrade perfusion of the major arteries; 2) retrograde ductal infusion of water to distend the acinar; 3) freezing the entire Px solid to lt; −160°C for storage in liquid nitrogen; 4) mechanically crushing and pulverizing the frozen Px into small fragments; 5) thawing the frozen fragments, filtering, and washing to remove the CPA. Finally, the filtered effluent (cryoisolate) was stained with dithizone for identification of intact islets and with Syto 13/PI for fluorescence viability testing and glucose-stimulated insulin release assessment. As predicted, the cryoisolate contained small fragments of residual tissue comprising an amorphous mass of acinar tissue with largely intact and viable (>90%) embedded islets. Islets were typically larger (range 50–500 μm diameter) than their counterparts isolated from juvenile pigs using conventional enzyme digestion techniques. Functionally, the islets from replicate cryoisolates responded to a glucose challenge with a mean stimulation index = 3.3 ± 0.7. An enzyme-free method of islet isolation relying on in situ cryopreservation of islets with simultaneous freeze destruction of acinar tissue is feasible and proposed as a new and novel method that avoids the problems associated with conventional collagenase digestion methods.
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Puteri, Ratna Azizah, Arkhan Subari, and Dista Yoel Tadeus. "RANCANG BANGUN SISTEM RACK IN DAN RACK OUT PMT OTOMATIS DI KUBIKEL 20 KV BERBASIS ARDUINO MEGA 2560 MENGGUNAKAN VTSCADA 11.2." Gema Teknologi 20, no. 4 (April 30, 2020): 113–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/gt.v20i4.29560.
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The 20 KV PMT (Circuit Breaker) is an important equipment for the reliability of electricity distribution. Therefore it must be maintained so that it is always in good condition with regular maintenance. Prior to maintenance, PMT is terminated from the bus bar, which is called the rack out process. After maintenance, the PMT is reconnected with the bus bar, which is called the rack in process. Usually, 20 KV PMT rack in and rack out process in maintenance or disturbance is still using the manual method. The 20 KV PMT can only be racked in and racked out in one way, by turning the lever. The lever will rotate the bolt as a PMT rail. In the manual method, there is no system for monitoring the condition of the bus bar whether it is has electric-voltage or not. There is also no remote control that can rack in and rack out. So officers must ensure the conditions of PMT and bus bars are safe manually, before maintenance is carried out. This is quite troublesome and dangerous for officers. From these problems, in this research designed a system that could ensure the condition of the PMT and the bus bar was safe before the rack in and rack out process was carried out and could monitor and control the system remotely using SCADA. Rack-in and rack-out automation system using VT SCADA, using Ethernet Shield that has been connected with Arduino Mega. Ethernet is connected to a mini PC. The microcontroller pins will be connected to the relays that will turn or stop the motor. The rack in and rack out commands from VT SCADA will determine the rotation of the motor so that the PMT moves. The current sensor reads the current flow and detects interference. Interference detection will automatically make PMT Rack out. System testing shows that the process of racking out in a state of maintenance or disturbance can be carried out automatically controlled by VT SCADA. Current sensor works to detect the current flowing, so that it can detect PMT interference and perform automatic rack out. The rack-in process is also capable of being remotely controlled with VT SCADA. This makes it easier for officers to also become additional reliability of PMT in the 20 KV cubicle.
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Rassenfoss, Stephen. "An Invention Promising Less Carbon and Cost Could Allow More Stranded-Gas Development." Journal of Petroleum Technology 74, no. 04 (April 1, 2022): 26–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/0422-0026-jpt.
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A promising innovation with a ponderous name, pseudo dry gas (PDG), opens the possibility of developing stranded-gas fields in remote locations by making it possible to build far-longer tiebacks and ultimately produce more gas. But it comes with a major challenge: convincing offshore producers that they can rely on a subsea system that separates natural gas from the condensate and water in the production stream. The benefits are obvious. Being able to move gas and liquids separately is a lot more efficient and avoids problems associated with multiphase flow, particularly slug formation, which requires topsides equipped to catch the slugs. Separation also reduces backpressure, which is expected to increase the ultimate recovery from those fields. In the 4 years since the idea debuted at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), a small team in Worley’s Aberdeen office has built and successfully tested a small-scale prototype of a flow loop with the support of an industry partnership including three unnamed energy companies. Even with all of that, they needed to establish an added benefit to win a critical government grant to build and test a full-scale prototype for high-pressure testing. This energy-efficient alternative promises to significantly reduce carbon emissions compared to offshore compression and platforms. “As the energy industry strives toward sustainability, it’s important to support solutions that enable decarbonization,” said Andy McDonald, head of Low Carbon Transition at Scottish Enterprise, which put up £765,000 ($1 million) to support testing, according to a release from Worley. They are currently building a full-scale unit to be tested later this year at the National Engineering Laboratory in Glasgow, pushing the device closer to the technical readiness level that will allow an offshore field test. This new approach is competing against two well-established alternatives—platform-based development and compression. Their counterargument is based on the energy efficiency of separation, which limits the compression required and the steel that goes into platforms. When comparing the energy required, Thomas Lee, lead development engineer at Worley who co-invented PDG, pointed out that the power required for separation is measured in thousands of watts, while compression requires millions of watts. “It effectively decarbonizes upstream gas production. It gets rid of compression from the gas field. The amount of CO2 from this operation is really low,” Lee said. The amount of carbon and cost also depends on the location of the compression equipment. Normally it has been on a platform, which provides power and easy access for maintenance but adds costs and carbon. Worley’s inline separator is built to fit into the space filled by a standard joint of pipe (Fig. 1). Onshore compression is also an option, and Equinor and Shell have shown that compression can be done subsea. Compression has been used in projects around the world, the majority of which are in fields that hold reserves of 10 Tcf or more (Fig. 2).
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Forbes, David, and Pornpit Wongthongtham. "Ontology based intercultural patient practitioner assistive communications from qualitative gap analysis." Information Technology & People 29, no. 2 (June 6, 2016): 280–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/itp-08-2014-0166.
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Purpose – There is an increasing interest in using information and communication technologies to support health services. But the adoption and development of even basic ICT communications services in many health services is limited, leaving enormous gaps in the broad understanding of its role in health care delivery. The purpose of this paper is to address a specific (intercultural) area of healthcare communications consumer disadvantage; and it examines the potential for ICT exploitation through the lens of a conceptual framework. The opportunity to pursue a new solutions pathway has been amplified in recent times through the development of computer-based ontologies and the resultant knowledge from ontologist activity and consequential research publishing. Design/methodology/approach – A specific intercultural area of patient disadvantage arises from variations in meaning and understanding of patient and clinician words, phrases and non-verbal expression. Collection and localization of data concepts, their attributes and individual instances were gathered from an Aboriginal trainee nurse focus group and from a qualitative gap analysis (QGA) of 130 criteria-selected sources of literature. These concepts, their relationships and semantic interpretations populate the computer ontology. The ontology mapping involves two domains, namely, Aboriginal English (AE) and Type II diabetes care guidelines. This is preparatory to development of the Patient Practitioner Assistive Communications (PPAC) system for Aboriginal rural and remote patient primary care. Findings – The combined QGA and focus group output reported has served to illustrate the call for three important drivers of change. First, there is no evidence to contradict the hypothesis that patient-practitioner interview encounters for many Australian Aboriginal patients and wellbeing outcomes are unsatisfactory at best. Second, there is a potent need for cultural competence knowledge and practice uptake on the part of health care providers; and third, the key contributory component to determine success or failures within healthcare for ethnic minorities is communication. Communication, however, can only be of value in health care if in practice it supports shared cognition; and mutual cognition is rarely achievable when biopsychosocial and other cultural worldview differences go unchallenged. Research limitations/implications – There has been no direct engagement with remote Aboriginal communities in this work to date. The authors have initially been able to rely upon a cohort of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people with relevant cultural expertise and extended family relationships. Among these advisers are health care practitioners, academics, trainers, Aboriginal education researchers and workshop attendees. It must therefore be acknowledged that as is the case with the QGA, the majority of the concept data is from third parties. The authors have also discovered that urban influences and cultural sensitivities tend to reduce the extent of, and opportunity to, witness AE usage, thereby limiting the ability to capture more examples of code-switching. Although the PPAC system concept is qualitatively well developed, pending future work planned for rural and remote community engagement the authors presently regard the work as mostly allied to a hypothesis on ontology-driven communications. The concept data population of the AE home talk/health talk ontology has not yet reached a quantitative critical mass to justify application design model engineering and real-world testing. Originality/value – Computer ontologies avail us of the opportunity to use assistive communications technology applications as a dynamic support system to elevate the pragmatic experience of health care consultations for both patients and practitioners. The human-machine interactive development and use of such applications is required just to keep pace with increasing demand for healthcare and the growing health knowledge transfer environment. In an age when the worldwide web, communications devices and social media avail us of opportunities to confront the barriers described the authors have begun the first construction of a merged schema for two domains that already have a seemingly intractable negative connection. Through the ontology discipline of building syntactically and semantically robust and accessible concepts; explicit conceptual relationships; and annotative context-oriented guidance; the authors are working towards addressing health literacy and wellbeing outcome deficiencies of benefit to the broader communities of disadvantage patients.
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Gregory, J. E., D. L. Morgan, and U. Proske. "Aftereffects in the responses of cat muscle spindles." Journal of Neurophysiology 56, no. 2 (August 1, 1986): 451–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/jn.1986.56.2.451.
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Responses have been recorded from primary endings of muscle spindles in the cat soleus muscle. Changes in spindle responsiveness were measured following a period of conditioning that consisted of a series of rapid stretches or of tetanic ventral root stimulation. In the testing procedure the response of a single spindle afferent was recorded to stimulation of a dynamic fusimotor axon during a slow stretch. Changes in gross afferent discharge coming from the muscle were measured by integrating the activity recorded in dorsal roots. If, after conditioning stretches, the muscle was immediately returned to its initial length, the spindle responded to the test fusimotor stimulation with a high-frequency burst of afferent impulses. If the muscle was held stretched for 3 s after conditioning the response to the brief test tetanus was small or "depressed." It has been suggested that conditioning stretches result in detachment of stable crossbridges in intrafusal fibers and that these bridges then reform over the next few seconds at whatever length the muscle happens to have at the time. When it is long, shortening the muscle back to the initial length leads to the development of slack in intrafusal fibers because of the passive stiffness they have acquired from the presence of the stable bridges. Under these conditions a brief test fusimotor tetanus will lead to a depressed response because the slack must first be taken up before a full response can be generated. It was possible to reverse the depression by interposing an extrafusal contraction during the period between the conditioning and test sequences. It is suggested that lateral compression from the contracting extrafusal fibers and the stretch they impose as they relax reduces any intrafusal slack and thereby reduces the depression. A more quantitative measure of intrafusal slack than the test for depression is to determine the delay in onset of the afferent response to a longer fusimotor tetanus. The delay was short a long initial muscle lengths where, if the muscle was left undisturbed, it soon disappeared completely and spontaneously. It is suggested that at long lengths passive tension in the muscle tends to remove any slack in intrafusal fibers and therefore removes any after effects. The rise in resting discharge of muscle afferents after a conditioning tetanus applied to the ventral root ("postcontraction sensory discharge") can be accounted for by the same hypothesis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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Ding, Yulin, Hui Lin, and Rongrong Li. "CHANGE SEMANTIC CONSTRAINED ONLINE DATA CLEANING METHOD FOR REAL-TIME OBSERVATIONAL DATA STREAM." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLI-B2 (June 7, 2016): 177–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-xli-b2-177-2016.
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Recent breakthroughs in sensor networks have made it possible to collect and assemble increasing amounts of real-time observational data by observing dynamic phenomena at previously impossible time and space scales. Real-time observational data streams present potentially profound opportunities for real-time applications in disaster mitigation and emergency response, by providing accurate and timeliness estimates of environment’s status. However, the data are always subject to inevitable anomalies (including errors and anomalous changes/events) caused by various effects produced by the environment they are monitoring. The “big but dirty” real-time observational data streams can rarely achieve their full potential in the following real-time models or applications due to the low data quality. Therefore, timely and meaningful online data cleaning is a necessary pre-requisite step to ensure the quality, reliability, and timeliness of the real-time observational data. <br><br> In general, a straightforward streaming data cleaning approach, is to define various types of models/classifiers representing normal behavior of sensor data streams and then declare any deviation from this model as normal or erroneous data. The effectiveness of these models is affected by dynamic changes of deployed environments. Due to the changing nature of the complicated process being observed, real-time observational data is characterized by diversity and dynamic, showing a typical Big (Geo) Data characters. Dynamics and diversity is not only reflected in the data values, but also reflected in the complicated changing patterns of the data distributions. This means the pattern of the real-time observational data distribution is not <i>stationary or static</i> but <i>changing and dynamic</i>. After the data pattern changed, it is necessary to adapt the model over time to cope with the changing patterns of real-time data streams. Otherwise, the model will not fit the following observational data streams, which may led to large estimation error. In order to achieve the best generalization error, it is an important challenge for the data cleaning methodology to be able to characterize the behavior of data stream distributions and adaptively update a model to include new information and remove old information. However, the complicated data changing property invalidates traditional data cleaning methods, which rely on the assumption of a stationary data distribution, and drives the need for more dynamic and adaptive online data cleaning methods. <br><br> To overcome these shortcomings, this paper presents a change semantics constrained online filtering method for real-time observational data. Based on the principle that the filter parameter should vary in accordance to the data change patterns, this paper embeds semantic description, which quantitatively depicts the change patterns in the data distribution to self-adapt the filter parameter automatically. Real-time observational water level data streams of different precipitation scenarios are selected for testing. Experimental results prove that by means of this method, more accurate and reliable water level information can be available, which is prior to scientific and prompt flood assessment and decision-making.
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Ding, Yulin, Hui Lin, and Rongrong Li. "CHANGE SEMANTIC CONSTRAINED ONLINE DATA CLEANING METHOD FOR REAL-TIME OBSERVATIONAL DATA STREAM." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XLI-B2 (June 7, 2016): 177–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-xli-b2-177-2016.
Full textAbstract:
Recent breakthroughs in sensor networks have made it possible to collect and assemble increasing amounts of real-time observational data by observing dynamic phenomena at previously impossible time and space scales. Real-time observational data streams present potentially profound opportunities for real-time applications in disaster mitigation and emergency response, by providing accurate and timeliness estimates of environment’s status. However, the data are always subject to inevitable anomalies (including errors and anomalous changes/events) caused by various effects produced by the environment they are monitoring. The “big but dirty” real-time observational data streams can rarely achieve their full potential in the following real-time models or applications due to the low data quality. Therefore, timely and meaningful online data cleaning is a necessary pre-requisite step to ensure the quality, reliability, and timeliness of the real-time observational data. <br><br> In general, a straightforward streaming data cleaning approach, is to define various types of models/classifiers representing normal behavior of sensor data streams and then declare any deviation from this model as normal or erroneous data. The effectiveness of these models is affected by dynamic changes of deployed environments. Due to the changing nature of the complicated process being observed, real-time observational data is characterized by diversity and dynamic, showing a typical Big (Geo) Data characters. Dynamics and diversity is not only reflected in the data values, but also reflected in the complicated changing patterns of the data distributions. This means the pattern of the real-time observational data distribution is not <i>stationary or static</i> but <i>changing and dynamic</i>. After the data pattern changed, it is necessary to adapt the model over time to cope with the changing patterns of real-time data streams. Otherwise, the model will not fit the following observational data streams, which may led to large estimation error. In order to achieve the best generalization error, it is an important challenge for the data cleaning methodology to be able to characterize the behavior of data stream distributions and adaptively update a model to include new information and remove old information. However, the complicated data changing property invalidates traditional data cleaning methods, which rely on the assumption of a stationary data distribution, and drives the need for more dynamic and adaptive online data cleaning methods. <br><br> To overcome these shortcomings, this paper presents a change semantics constrained online filtering method for real-time observational data. Based on the principle that the filter parameter should vary in accordance to the data change patterns, this paper embeds semantic description, which quantitatively depicts the change patterns in the data distribution to self-adapt the filter parameter automatically. Real-time observational water level data streams of different precipitation scenarios are selected for testing. Experimental results prove that by means of this method, more accurate and reliable water level information can be available, which is prior to scientific and prompt flood assessment and decision-making.
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Paguirigan, Amy L., Jordan Smith, and Jerald P. Radich. "Molecular Analyses of Clonality Via in Vitro Models: Approaches for Describing Clinical Clonal Evolution." Blood 124, no. 21 (December 6, 2014): 2361. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.v124.21.2361.2361.
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Abstract While the role of clonal evolution during leukemia development and therapy has been a focus for a number of avenues of research, our abilities to deduce the clonal composition of individual samples have been limited by the use of bulk samples. Leukemia populations of unknown heterogeneity are typically described by extracting nucleic acids from the entire sample, including cells of unrelated lineages, any residual normal cells, and those cells constituting the leukemic population. Then bioinformatic approaches are employed to reconstruct the identities of the clones involved using feature frequencies in sequence data from the large scale sequencing done (e.g., whole exome or methylation). By definition, this type of approach, while realistic to perform on a large number of clinical samples, must rely on a basic set of assumptions regarding the limits of the type of genomic features that can exist in a sample. For whole exome sequencing data, assumptions include that mutations occur in cells heterozygously and that mutations which cluster together based on observed allele frequencies in the entire DNA sample occur concurrently in the same cells. To describe sub-clones within a population, a typical assumption is that mutations that occur at lower frequencies are sub-clones of the more abundant clone rather than a unique population. It is entirely possible that these assumptions are biologically appropriate for certain loci. However, for those loci for which the evolutionary patterns do not match this model (mutations occur sequentially and are retained throughout the subsequent lineage), we will inevitably come to an incorrect conclusion if this type of model is applied. In order to best begin testing bioinformatic methods to describe clonal structure and identify the presence of evolution, we have begun experiments mixing AML cell lines with distinct immunologic and mutational characteristics. Initial flow cytometric validation of perspective cell lines along with the molecular characterization of each cell type and verification of comparable growth rates in a normalized medium in vitro has been performed. Subsequent mixing of these cell lines and application of drugs specifically targeting one line or another provides a valuable opportunity to create controlled in vitro clonal evolution scenarios in which we can validate bulk, sorted fractions, and single cell methods and the required computational frameworks for each. As an example clonal framework, the cell lines were mixed in equal concentrations and allowed to compete in culture for 2 days with or without the presence of crenolanib, to which only one cell line is sensitive. The results of analyzing bulk and sorted fractions showed that we can effectively remove one “clone” in this in vitro poly-clonal leukemia model with crenolanib and that the observed flow cytometric frequency data reflect that seen in the genotyping data knowing the mutational distribution in the sample. However, if the allele frequency data is analyzed via the typical bulk sequencing assumptions, the reconstructed clonal structure is actually incorrect. If this were a clinical sample, we would conclude that initially the leukemia had one predominant clone with one mutation, and a subclone which had acquired 3 additional mutations. The true clonal structure was two clones with two known mutations each, (one mutation can be carried as a homozygous mutant), and one clone with no known mutations. With the addition of therapy, one would conclude that the subclone was reduced in frequency when in reality one clone was nearly completely removed, but two remained untouched. We have created a simple system to which we can apply different conditions to the in vitro culture, generate different types of molecular data, and test methods of analyzing those data to better understand how to approach bulk sample analyses for clonal evolution. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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Ede, Benjamin C., Paraskevi Diamanti, David C. Williams, and Allison Blair. "Biodegradable Nanovectors As a Direct Platform for the Controlled Delivery of Chemotherapeutic Drugs Against Childhood ALL." Blood 136, Supplement 1 (November 5, 2020): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2020-141222.
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Drugs used to treat childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), both clinically and experimentally, are often highly insoluble making drug delivery inefficient due to precipitation and poor distribution. Toxicity is also a major issue owing to the high levels of harmful solvents used to solubilize drugs for administration. Therefore, identifying strategies to enhance the stability and solubility of poorly soluble drugs is an ongoing challenge. Data from clinical trials indicates that the pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone (Dex), commonly used in induction regimens for ALL, vary considerably between patients (pts) and prolonging drug exposure rather than increasing absolute dose may improve efficacy. Copolymeric nanovectors (NV) are an excellent candidate for the delivery of insoluble drugs. However, despite reports of multiple systems, the fabrication processes often rely on complex methodologies with purification steps to remove harmful chemicals used to load drugs. To bypass these fabrication issues, we have shown that fully biodegradable copolymer NV comprised of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly (trimethylene carbonate) (PEG-PTMC) can sequester highly insoluble drugs (with almost total efficiency) through a direct hydration process in 5 minutes, eliminating the need for purification and use of harmful solvents. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of this systemin vitroandin vivousing Dex. NV were formulated with Dex or 1,1'-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindotricarbocyanine iodide (DiR, a near infrared insoluble dye) to model NV distributionin vivo. Both Dex and DiR solubilization was initiated using residual (<0.025%) amounts of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) prior to addition to PEG-PTMC, oligo ethylene glycol and stirring into phosphate buffered saline. The average hydrodynamic radii of NV were ca. 40nm when loaded with Dex or DiR, as measured by dynamic light scattering. All formulations had low polydispersity index values (<0.18), indicating highly uniform monodispersed populations of NV. DiR-NV were optimised to 0.125wt% to give the best linearity in fluorescence signal (r2 = 0.97) over a wide range of copolymer concentrations (0.1-20 mg/ml).In vitro, Dex-NV were equipotent with free Dex (dispersed in medium with DMSO) against primary T-ALL cells from all pts tested. The highest dose (100 µM) reduced cell viability to 45±38% in Dex-NV and 46±40% in free Dex treated cells. Crucially, the NV formulation did not reduce Dex efficacy and confirmed our previous findings using parthenolide in this system. As a control, empty (unloaded) NV were not toxicin vitro. To assess the effects of NVin vivo, NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice were injected with primary ALL cells from 3 pts and engraftment was measured in peripheral blood (PB) aspirates using flow cytometry. Once engrafted (>0.1% ALL cells) animals were treated daily for 5 days, over 4 weeks with 2.5 mg/kg Dex via intraperitoneal injection (IP). Both Dex-NV and free Dex delayed disease progression until day 18 in pt 1, and until after treatment cessation in pts 2 and 3 with disease levels of 0.24±0.1% and 0.55±0.1% near the end of treatment, respectively. In contrast, leukemia engraftment increased immediately following engraftment in placebo controls. Dex-NV and free Dex significantly improved the survival of NSG by up to 27 days (P<0.01) with no significant differences between treatments. Ten minutes after intravenous injection (IV) with DiR-NV, ventral imaging showed that fluorescence was detected throughout NSG with accumulations in the bone marrow, lungs, liver, spleen and the head area, indicative of uniquely broad distribution properties. Peak fluorescence was also detected in PB aspirated from the opposite tail vein to that injected, from the first time point (452±225 RFU, 30 minutes). The half-life of DiR-NV in PB was 2.25 hours for IV treated mice. As expected, in IP treated mice fluorescence levels took longer to peak (2 hours, 138±83 RFU) and had a half-life of 3.2 hours from this point. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the usefulness of PEG-PTMC NV for the delivery and consequent retention of insoluble chemotherapeutic drugs; without hindering their performancein vitroorin vivo. The generated NV are biocompatible, do not require purification and can be fabricated within 5 minutes. These data support the testing of NV against more pt samplesin vivowith Dex and other insoluble drugs. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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Iskandar, Dwi, and Ahmad Sunandar. "Utilization of Arduino UNO Technology and Arduino IDE to Create Electrical Disconnect Products for Electronic Equipment." Jurnal AKSI (Akuntansi dan Sistem Informasi) 6, no. 1 (October 2, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.32486/aksi.v6i1.6.
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Today many people often forget to turn off household appliances such as fans or lights, which results in the flow of electricity from the socket even when not in use, resulting in excessive power consumption. Electricity tariff for the first quarter of 2019: IDR 1,115 / kWh for medium voltage customers. If the lecture room has 4 lamps where each lamp has 23 watts of power, 2 Daikin AC units with 1 PK each, each air conditioner has 840 watts of power. Acer S1213Hn LCD projector has the power: 250 Watt, the total cost of electricity consumption per hour and usage for a month of 26 days for the lecture hall consisting of lamps, air conditioner and LCD projectors is IDR 58,617.78. The research method used is literature study and data collection, technology concept design, development preparation, hardware assembly, Arduino UNO coding, upload coding to hardware, technology testing. To find out the test results whether the technology can work properly, it must be applied directly by connecting the technology that has been created with electricity directly. The way that can be done is to connect the Arduino with mains power using a DC 5 V adapter then connect the relay to a 220 V AC power source and a 220 V halogen lamp. After everything is connected, the lights can be turned on by bringing the registered RFID closer to the RFID Reader, if you want. set how long it takes for the light to turn on can press a button on the IR remote
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Brown, Alexander A., Bradley J. Ferguson, Vovanti Jones, Bruce E. Green, Justin D. Pearre, Ifeoma A. Anunoby, David Q. Beversdorf, Richard J. Barohn, and Carmen M. Cirstea. "Pilot Study of Real-World Monitoring of the Heart Rate Variability in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis." Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence 5 (July 7, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frai.2022.910049.
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AimsCardiovascular dysautonomia may impact the quality of life and survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Such dysfunction is not systematically assessed in these patients. Wearable devices could help. The feasibility of a wearable biosensor to detect heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological marker of sympathovagal balance, was studied for the first time in real-world settings in ALS.MethodsFive ALS patients (two early/three late; one bulbar-onset; mildly-to-moderately disabled) and five age/sex/BMI/comorbidities-matched controls underwent assessment of 3-day HRV via VitalConnect biosensor (worn on the left thorax). De-identified data captured by the biosensor were transferred to a secure cloud server via a relay Bluetooth device. Baseline ALS severity/anxiety and physical activity during testing were documented/quantified. Time-domain HRV measures (i.e., pNN50) were analyzed.ResultsAn overall 3-day abnormal HRV (pNN50 < 3%), was found in three out of five patients (mean ± SD for the group, 2.49 ± 1.51). Similar changes were reported in controls (12.32 ± 21.14%). There were no statistically significant relationships between pNN50 values and baseline anxiety or physical activity during the tested days (p > 0.05 for both groups). A negative correlation was found between pNN50 values and age in patients (p = 0.01) and controls (p = 0.09), which is similar with what is found in the general population. In line with prior studies, pNN50 values were independent of disease stage (p = 0.6) and disability (p = 0.4).ConclusionsThese preliminary results suggest that remote HRV measures using the VitalConnect is feasible and may constitute an improved strategy to provide insights into sympathovagal balance in ALS. Further work with larger sample sizes is warranted.
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Rocheleau, Jackie. "Remote Sensing Could Predict Well Water Quality After Floods." Eos 102 (December 16, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2021eo210639.
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Du, Juan, Jingjia Zhang, Dong Zhang, Yiwen Zhou, Pengfei Wu, Wenchao Ding, Jun Wang, Chuan Ouyang, and Qiwen Yang. "Background Filtering of Clinical Metagenomic Sequencing with a Library Concentration-Normalized Model." Microbiology Spectrum, September 22, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01779-22.
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Most of the existing methods to remove wet-lab contamination rely on large-scale observational microbiome studies and may not be applicable to clinical mNGS testing in individual cases. In clinical settings, only a handful of samples might be sequenced in a run.
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Solenski, Nina J., Heather Haughey, and J. A. Allende. "Abstract P19: Developing an Innovative Visual Fields Rapid Assessment Device (VRAD) for Acute Telestroke Use." Stroke 52, Suppl_1 (March 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p19.
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Background: Acute telestroke evaluations rely on the ability to rapidly and accurately calculate the NIH Stroke Scale. Remote visual field deficit (VFD) testing is often challenging, requiring trained bedside assistance particularly in rural hospital settings. These deficits account for up to 3 points on the NIHSS, which is enough to affect treatment decisions and impact outcomes. Objective: To create a simple, rapid, and robust screening telemedicine peripheral device to standardize visual field testing during acute telestroke consults and to reduce reliance on bedside assistants for this task. Methods: A one-size-fits-all device was designed such that an LED stimulus is located in each quadrant of the peripheral visual field. Bioengineers, neuro-ophthalmologists, and vascular neurologists collaborated in the development of the prototype. A randomized investigator-blinded pilot clinical trial is in progress. Stroke patients with fully-mapped visual fields were selected. The device, in the form of glasses, is easily placed on the patient’s face, and LED lights are flashed in the standard 8 fields, via a repeatable algorithm, during a simulated acute telestroke encounter. Lights are visible to the remote teleprovider for interpretation of the responses. Patients and examiners will be surveyed for feedback on ease of use of the device (primary outcome). Results from device will be compared to in-person confrontational testing and to previously recorded Humphrey mapped deficits in this same patient population (secondary). Validation is set at a sensitivity of 90% compared to confrontational or to the Humphrey static visual field test results. Results/Conclusion: Remote testing of VFDs in acute telestroke patients is difficult, especially in smaller community rural hospitals. We developed a simple and rapidly applied facial device that can assist the teleprovider in VFD evaluations, potentially affecting treatment options of thrombectomy, thrombolytics, or transfer. An on-going pilot study will test the sensitivity of the device against confrontational and static VF assessments. Innovative telestroke peripherals represent the future of the next generation of diagnostic tools specifically engineered fo remote acute stroke patient evaluations.
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Bell, Kevan, Saad Abbasi, Deepak Dinakaran, Muba Taher, Gilbert Bigras, Frank K. H. van Landeghem, John R. Mackey, and Parsin Haji Reza. "Reflection-mode virtual histology using photoacoustic remote sensing microscopy." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1 (November 5, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76155-6.
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Abstract Histological visualizations are critical to clinical disease management and are fundamental to biological understanding. However, current approaches that rely on bright-field microscopy require extensive tissue preparation prior to imaging. These processes are both labor intensive and contribute to creating significant delays in clinical feedback for treatment decisions that can extend to 2–3 weeks for standard paraffin-embedded tissue preparation and interpretation, especially if ancillary testing is needed. Here, we present the first comprehensive study on the broad application of a novel label-free reflection-mode imaging modality known as photoacoustic remote sensing (PARS) for visualizing salient subcellular structures from various common histopathological tissue preparations and for use in unprocessed freshly resected tissues. The PARS modality permits non-contact visualizations of intrinsic endogenous optical absorption contrast to be extracted from thick and opaque biological targets with optical resolution. The technique was examined both as a rapid assessment tool that is capable of managing large samples (> 1 cm2) in under 10 min, and as a high contrast imaging modality capable of extracting specific biological contrast to simulate conventional histological stains such as hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). The capabilities of the proposed method are demonstrated in a variety of human tissue preparations including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks and unstained slides sectioned from these blocks, including normal and neoplastic human brain, and breast epithelium involved with breast cancer. Similarly, PARS images of human skin prepared by frozen section clearly demonstrated basal cell carcinoma and normal human skin tissue. Finally, we imaged unprocessed murine kidney and achieved histologically relevant subcellular morphology in fresh tissue. This represents a vital step towards an effective real-time clinical microscope that overcomes the limitations of standard histopathologic tissue preparations and enables real-time pathology assessment.
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Solenski, Nina, J. A. Allende, Chad Aldridge, Arjun Dirghangi, Miah Perch, Andrew Weko, Prajeeth Koyada, Leah Shabo, Carter Gottschalk, and Sonya Gunter. "Abstract TMP25: The Visual Field Rapid Analysis Device (vrad) Is Safe, Effective And Easy To Use." Stroke 53, Suppl_1 (February 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/str.53.suppl_1.tmp25.
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Background: Acute telestroke consults rely on a rapid, accurate NIH Stroke Scale. An important sign in cortical-based ischemic strokes is a Visual Field Deficit (VFD) contributing up to 3 points on the NIHSS affecting treatment decisions. Remote confrontational VFD testing is challenging and requires a trained assistant. We created a simple, rapid, telecart peripheral device to remotely administer a standardized VF test . The “ V isual fields R apid A ssessment D evice” ( VRAD ) is a wearable eye-glasses device. The device flashes LED lights in the 4 quadrants of each eye via remote control by a teleprovider allowing real-time control and interpretation. Methods: The VRAD Phase I study examined FDA-related human design factors of comfort, speed, and ease of use with direct use of VRAD. The results guided optimization of the prototype in preparation for the Phase II validation clinical trial. Subjects were randomly-selected, consented adult UVA Stroke Unit inpatients, with confirmed ischemic strokes. Following each VF test, blinded teleproviders, the patient ,and the telepresenter (nurse) completed a brief binary response questionnaire with open-ended comments. Biostatistical analysis: N= 20 subjects; 95% confidence interval with precision of +/- 10%. Results: The vast majority of patients, presenters, and providers (95-100%) reported VRAD testing was easy to understand and rapid. Patients: The device was comfortable (90%); 10% felt the stimulus light was too bright and 5% too dim. All identified when the light was on and had enough time to respond. Presenters: All reported rapid testing; 75% felt the device was easy to don on patients. The device was “sturdy and durable” 90%, “easy to use” 75%, “easy to clean” 70%, and “easy to connect” 60%. Providers: Reported the device sufficiently screened standard VFs (90%). All agreed they could remotely administer the test in various settings. Conclusion: The VRAD Phase I trial found the device to be safe, effective, easy to use, and comfortable by patients, providers, and presenters. Based on the results, an upgraded prototype was manufactured for our upcoming Phase II Non-Inferiority Validation Trial (Fall 2021). This data is a proof-of-concept of the value of teleneurology peripheral tools in remote settings.
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Bambha, Valerie P., and Marianella Casasola. "From Lab to Zoom: Adapting Training Study Methodologies to Remote Conditions." Frontiers in Psychology 12 (July 19, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.694728.
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Training studies extend developmental research beyond single-session lab tasks by evaluating how particular experiences influence developmental changes over time. This methodology is highly interactive and typically requires experimenters to have easy, in-person access to large groups of children. When constraints were placed on in-person data collection due to the COVID-19 pandemic, administering this study format in the conventional manner became unfeasible. To implement this type of research under these new circumstances, we devised an alternative approach that enabled us to conduct a live, multi-session training study using a diverse array of activities through an online interface, a task necessitating creative problem solving, since most existing remote methodologies either rely on unsupervised methods or have been limited to single sessions and restricted to a limited number of tasks. The current paper describes the technological and practical adaptations implemented in our online training study of 118 4- and 5-year-old children from a geographically diverse sample. An experimenter interacted with the children once a week for 5 weeks over Zoom. The first and final sessions were dedicated to collecting baseline and post-test measures, while the intermediate 3 weeks were structured as a training designed to teach children specific spatial-cognitive and visuo-motor integration skills. The assessments and training contained image-filled spatial tasks that experimenters shared on their screen, a series of hands-on activities that children completed on their own device and on paper while following experimenters’ on-screen demonstrations, and tasks requiring verbal indicators from the parent about their child’s response. The remote nature of the study presented a unique set of benefits and limitations that has the potential to inform future virtual child research, as our study used remote behavioral methods to test spatial and visuo-motor integration skills that have typically only been assessed in lab settings. Results are discussed in relation to in-lab studies to establish the viability of testing these skills virtually. As our design entailed continual management of communication issues among researchers, parents, and child participants, strategies for streamlined researcher training, diverse online recruitment, and stimuli creation are also discussed.