This paper outlines an Internet of Things (IoT)-based collaborative framework which provides a foundation for cyber physical interactions and collaborations for advanced manufacturing domains. A ...general framework for collaborative manufacturing is proposed followed by a discussion of such an IoT-based framework for the domain of micro devices assembly. The design of this collaborative framework is discussed in the context of cloud computing as well as the emerging Next Internet which is the focus of recent initiatives in the USA, EU, and other countries. The data/information exchange between the various software and physical components is modeled using the engineering Enterprise Modeling Language (eEML), which provides a structured foundation for designing and developing this IoT-based collaborative framework. The key cyber physical components and modules are described followed by a discussion of the implementation of this framework.
Solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) of the nasal cavity are specialized epithelial chemosensors that respond to irritants through the canonical taste transduction cascade involving Gα-gustducin and ...transient receptor potential melastatin 5. When stimulated, SCCs trigger peptidergic nociceptive (or pain) nerve fibers, causing an alteration of the respiratory rate indicative of trigeminal activation. Direct chemical excitation of trigeminal pain fibers by capsaicin evokes neurogenic inflammation in the surrounding epithelium. In the current study, we test whether activation of nasal SCCs can trigger similar local inflammatory responses, specifically mast cell degranulation and plasma leakage. The prototypical bitter compound, denatonium, a well-established activator of SCCs, caused significant inflammatory responses in WT mice but not mice with a genetic deletion of elements of the canonical taste transduction cascade, showing that activation of taste signaling components is sufficient to trigger local inflammation. Chemical ablation of peptidergic trigeminal fibers prevented the SCC-induced nasal inflammation, indicating that SCCs evoke inflammation only by neural activity and not by release of local inflammatory mediators. Additionally, blocking nicotinic, but not muscarinic, acetylcholine receptors prevents SCC-mediated neurogenic inflammation for both denatonium and the bacterial signaling molecule 3-oxo-C12-homoserine lactone, showing the necessity for cholinergic transmission. Finally, we show that the neurokinin 1 receptor for substance P is required for SCC-mediated inflammation, suggesting that release of substance P from nerve fibers triggers the inflammatory events. Taken together, these results show that SCCs use cholinergic neurotransmission to trigger peptidergic trigeminal nociceptors, which link SCCs to the neurogenic inflammatory pathway.
University represents a key transition into adulthood for many adolescents but there are associated concerns about health and behaviours. One important aspect relates to diet and there is emerging ...evidence that university students may consume poor quality diets, with potential implications for body weight and long-term health. This research aimed to characterise dietary patterns of university students in the UK and their sociodemographic and lifestyle antecedents.
An online, cross-sectional survey was undertaken with a convenience sample of 1448 university students from five UK universities (King's College London, Universities of St Andrews, Southampton and Sheffield, and Ulster University). The survey comprised a validated food frequency questionnaire alongside lifestyle and sociodemographic questions. Dietary patterns were generated from food frequency intake data using principal components analysis. Nutrient intakes were estimated to characterise the nutrient profile of each dietary pattern. Associations with sociodemographic variables were assessed through general linear modelling.
Dietary analyses revealed four major dietary patterns: 'vegetarian'; 'snacking'; 'health-conscious'; and 'convenience, red meat & alcohol'. The 'health-conscious' pattern had the most favourable micronutrient profile. Students' gender, age, year of study, geographical location and cooking ability were associated with differences in pattern behaviour. Female students favoured the 'vegetarian' pattern, whilst male students preferred the 'convenience, red meat & alcohol' pattern. Less healthful dietary patterns were positively associated with lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, low physical activity and take-away consumption. The health-conscious pattern had greatest nutrient density. The 'convenience, red meat & alcohol' pattern was associated with higher weekly food spending; this pattern was also identified most consistently across universities. Students reporting greater cooking ability tended towards the 'vegetarian' and 'health-conscious' patterns.
Food intake varied amongst university students. A substantial proportion of students followed health-promoting diets, which had good nutrient profiles obviating a need for dietary intervention. However, some students consumed poor diets, incurred greater food costs and practised unfavourable lifestyle behaviours, which may have long-term health effects. University policy to improve students' diets should incorporate efforts to promote student engagement in cooking and food preparation, and increased availability of low cost healthier food items.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Tropical cyclone intensity estimation is a challenging task as it required domain knowledge while extracting features, significant pre-processing, various sets of parameters obtained from satellites, ...and human intervention for analysis. The inconsistency of results, significant pre-processing of data, complexity of the problem domain, and problems on generalizability are some of the issues related to intensity estimation. In this study, we design a deep convolutional neural network architecture for categorizing hurricanes based on intensity using graphics processing unit. Our model has achieved better accuracy and lower root-mean-square error by just using satellite images than 'state-of-the-art' techniques. Visualizations of learned features at various layers and their deconvolutions are also presented for understanding the learning process.
In today’s design — manufacturing context, designers often modify existing 3D shapes (or design models) instead of creating a new design from scratch. This requires the ability to search an existing ...database of designs/3D models to identify and extract similar designs. Shape Retrieval Tools (SRTs) have been developed to provide an essential role in saving time and effort to retrieve and generate new designs. The capabilities of commercially available SRTs vary based on the form of the input design model, the search technique or algorithm used, the search/retrieval time, ease of use, and the quality of results. The focus of this paper is to study of their capabilities, performances, and differences and develop criteria to compare the effectiveness and performance of such Shape Retrieval Tools. Current search evaluation methods, such as precision and recall, are based on human interpretation of the results. This paper presents a holistic set of metrics for comparing the performance and effectiveness of SRTs, including data input options (to search), effectiveness of the search process, the associated retrieval time, overall ease of use, and additional data retrieval details. An algorithm is proposed to objectively analyze the search results based on the proposed Model Match Ratio (MMR), computed by the variance between the input and retrieved geometries. The search results are usually presented in a rank order list. A Precision Sequence Metric (PSM) is developed to evaluate the retrieved list by ranking the retrieved results based on the MMR for evaluating the quality of the search. The proposed evaluation algorithm was tested on several design models (and their subsequent retrieval results) involving three SRTs (Vizseek, Geolus, and CADENAS); the results of the comparison of the performance of these SRTs are discussed in this paper.
An 8-yr climatology of storms producing large hail is estimated from satellite measurements using Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E). This allows a unique, ...consistent comparison between regions that cannot be consistently compared using ground-based records because of varying data collection standards. Severe hailstorms are indicated most often in a broad region of northern Argentina and southern Paraguay and a smaller region in Bangladesh and eastern India. Numerous hailstorms are also estimated in the central and southeastern United States, northern Pakistan and north-western India, central and western Africa, and southeastern Africa (and adjacent waters). Fewer hailstorms are estimated for other regions over land and scattered across subtropical oceans. Very few are estimated in the deep tropics other than in Africa. Most continental regions show seasonality with hailstorms peaking in late spring or summer. The South Asian monsoon alters the hailstorm climatology around the Indian subcontinent. About 75% of the hailstorms on the eastern side (around Bangladesh) occur from April through June, generally before monsoon onset. Activity shifts northwest to northern India in late June and July. An arc along the foothills in northern Pakistan becomes particularly active from mid-June through mid-August. The AMSR-E measurements are limited to early afternoon and late night. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) measurements are used to investigate diurnal variability in the tropics and subtropics. All of the prominent regions have hailstorm peaks in late afternoon and early evening. The United States and central Africa have the fewest overnight and early morning storms, while subtropical South America and Bangladesh have the most.
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Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Coefficients are derived for computing the polarization-corrected temperature (PCT) for 10-, 19-, 37- and 89-GHz (and similar) frequencies, with applicability to satellites in the Global ...Precipitation Measurement mission constellation and their predecessors. PCTs for 10- and 19-GHz frequencies have been nonexistent or seldom used in the past; developing those is the main goal of this study. For 37 and 89 GHz, other formulations of PCT have already become well established. We consider those frequencies here in order to test whether the large sample sizes that are readily available now would point to different formulations of PCT. The purpose of the PCT is to reduce the effects of surface emissivity differences in a scene and draw attention to ice scattering signals related to precipitation. In particular, our intention is to develop a PCT formula that minimizes the differences between land and water surfaces, so that signatures resulting from deep convection are not easily confused with water surfaces. The new formulations of PCT for 10- and 19-GHz measurements hold promise for identifying and investigating intense convection. Four examples are shown from relevant cases. The PCT for each frequency is effective at drawing attention to the most intense convection, and removing ambiguous signals that are related to underlying land or water surfaces. For 37 and 89 GHz, the older formulations of PCT from the literature yield generally similar values as ours, with the differences mainly being a few kelvins over oceans. An optimal formulation of PCT can depend on location and season; results are presented here separated by latitude and month.
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Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
An advanced simulator for orthopedic surgical training Cecil, J.; Gupta, Avinash; Pirela-Cruz, Miguel
International journal for computer assisted radiology and surgery,
02/2018, Letnik:
13, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Purpose
The purpose of creating the virtual reality (VR) simulator is to facilitate and supplement the training opportunities provided to orthopedic residents. The use of VR simulators has increased ...rapidly in the field of medical surgery for training purposes. This paper discusses the creation of the virtual surgical environment (VSE) for training residents in an orthopedic surgical process called less invasive stabilization system (LISS) surgery which is used to address fractures of the femur.
Method
The overall methodology included first obtaining an understanding of the LISS plating process through interactions with expert orthopedic surgeons and developing the information centric models. The information centric models provided a structured basis to design and build the simulator. Subsequently, the haptic-based simulator was built. Finally, the learning assessments were conducted in a medical school.
Results
The results from the learning assessments confirm the effectiveness of the VSE for teaching medical residents and students. The scope of the assessment was to ensure (1) the correctness and (2) the usefulness of the VSE. Out of 37 residents/students who participated in the test, 32 showed improvements in their understanding of the LISS plating surgical process. A majority of participants were satisfied with the use of teaching Avatars and haptic technology. A paired
t
test was conducted to test the statistical significance of the assessment data which showed that the data were statistically significant.
Conclusion
This paper demonstrates the usefulness of adopting information centric modeling approach in the design and development of the simulator. The assessment results underscore the potential of using VR-based simulators in medical education especially in orthopedic surgery.
In today’s dynamic manufacturing environments, the adoption of virtual reality (VR)-based simulation technologies to help in product and process design activities is becoming more widespread. With ...the onset of the next IT-oriented revolution involving global cyber manufacturing practices, the recent emergence of Internet of things (IoT)-related technologies holds significant promise in ushering an era of seamless information exchange which will provide a robust foundation for the next generation of smart manufacturing frameworks dependent on cyber physical system (CPS)-based principles, approaches, and technologies. In this paper, we present a broad framework for IoT-based collaborations involving the adoption of VR-based analysis environments networked with other cyber physical components. The process context for this VR-centered approach is electronics assembly, which involves the assembly of printed circuit boards. In such manufacturing contexts, it is essential to have a seamless flow of data/information among the various cyber physical components to ensure an agile collaborative strategy which can accommodate changing customer needs. VR-based simulation environments play a key role in this framework which supports multiple users collaborating using haptic interfaces and next-generation network technologies. The simulation outcomes and production data from physical shop floors can be compared and analyzed using this IoT framework and approach.
An event-based method of analyzing the measurements from multiple satellite sensors is presented by using observations of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation radar (PR), ...Microwave Imager (TMI), Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS), and Lightning Imaging System (LIS). First, the observations from PR, VIRS, TMI, and LIS are temporally and spatially collocated. Then the cloud and precipitation features are defined by grouping contiguous pixels using various criteria, including surface rain, cold infrared, or microwave brightness temperature. The characteristics of measurements from different sensors inside these features are summarized. Then, climatological descriptions of many properties of the identified features are generated. This analysis method condenses the original information of pixel-level measurements into the properties of events, which can greatly increase the efficiency of searching and sorting the observed historical events. Using the TRMM cloud and precipitation feature database, the regional variations of rainfall contribution by features with different size, intensity, and PR reflectivity vertical structure are shown. Above the freezing level, land storms tend to have larger 20-dBZarea and reach higher altitude than is the case for oceanic storms, especially those land storms over central Africa. Horizontal size and the maximum reflectivity of oceanic storms decrease with altitude. For land storms, these intensity measures increase with altitude between 2 km and the freezing level and decrease more slowly with altitude above the freezing level than for ocean storms.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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