The LHCb experiment has gone through a major upgrade for LHC Run 3 at CERN, scheduled to start in the middle of 2022. The entire readout system of the experiment has been replaced by Front-End and ...Back-End electronics that are able to record LHC events at the full LHC bunch crossing rate of 40 MHz. In order to maintain synchronicity across the full system, clock and control commands are originated from a single Readout Supervisor (SODIN) and distributed downstream through a Passive Optical Network (PON) infrastructure, reaching all Back-End cards of the readout system, via a two-level hierarchy and utilizing PON splitters. An FPGA firmware core, called LHCb-PON and based on the CERN TTC-PON, is instantiated on SODIN and all Back-End cards and provides the communication protocol while ensuring a stable distribution of control commands within the readout period of 25 ns as well as a clock signal with fixed and deterministic latency with a precision of a few hundreds of picoseconds. This is achieved by the firmware backbone that provides clock recovery and ensures the transmission of a control word downstream with fixed latency. Additionally, the LHCb-PON also provides monitoring functionalities over the upstream link, with less strict timing requirements, connecting multiple Back-End cards to the central SODIN. This is achieved by having each Back-End card send data upstream through a Time Division Multiplexing scheme. This paper describes the implementation, measurements and results from the usage of the system during the start-up of The LHC Run 3.
Claire Garros, Jérémy Bouyer, Willem Takken and Renate C. Smallegange, Editors)Pests and vector-borne diseases in the livestock industry.Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers; 2018.611 pages. ...ISBN 978-90-8686-315-0 (ISSN 1875-0699).
A survey of industrial augmented reality de Souza Cardoso, Luís Fernando; Mariano, Flávia Cristina Martins Queiroz; Zorzal, Ezequiel Roberto
Computers & industrial engineering,
January 2020, 2020-01-00, Volume:
139
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
•State of the art review of Augmented Reality in industrial environments.•Augmented Reality applications to improve complexes process.•Wearable devices and markerless tracking are tendencies to ...improve Augmented Reality applications in production environments.•Considerations to implement Augmented Reality.•Future developments to improve Augmented Reality use in industrial environments.
This article aims to evaluate the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) applicability and usefulness on real industrial processes by employing a systematic literature review (SLR). The SLR was performed in five digital libraries to identify articles and reviews concerning the AR applicability from 2012 to 2018. A patent search in Google’s patents database was also conducted, for the same period. This paper describes how AR has been applied, which industries are most interested in the technology, how the technology has been developed to meet industry needs, as well as the benefits and challenges of AR. This survey concludes by providing a starting point for companies interested in integrating AR into their processes and proposing future directions for AR developers and researchers.
Dirofilaria repens is a nematode affecting domestic and wild canids, transmitted by several species of mosquitoes. It usually causes a non-pathogenic subcutaneous infection in dogs and is the ...principal agent of human dirofilariosis in the Old World. In the last decades, D. repens has increased in prevalence in areas where it has already been reported and its distribution range has expanded into new areas of Europe, representing a paradigmatic example of an emergent pathogen. Despite its emergence and zoonotic impact, D. repens has received less attention by scientists compared to Dirofilaria immitis. In this review we report the recent advances of D. repens infection in dogs and humans, and transmission by vectors, and discuss possible factors that influence the spread and increase of this zoonotic parasite in Europe. There is evidence that D. repens has spread faster than D. immitis from the endemic areas of southern Europe to northern Europe. Climate change affecting mosquito vectors and the facilitation of pet travel seem to have contributed to this expansion; however, in the authors' opinion, the major factor is likely the rate of undiagnosed dogs continuing to perpetuate the life-cycle of D. repens. Many infected dogs remain undetected due to the subclinical nature of the disease, the lack of rapid and reliable diagnostic tools and the poor knowledge and still low awareness of D. repens in non-endemic areas. Improved diagnostic tools are warranted to bring D. repens diagnosis to the state of D. immitis diagnosis, as well as improved screening of imported dogs and promotion of preventative measures among veterinarians and dog owners. For vector-borne diseases involving pets, veterinarians play a significant role in prevention and should be more aware of their responsibility in reducing the impact of the zoonotic agents. In addition, they should enhance multisectorial collaboration with medical entomologists and the public health experts, under the concept and the actions of One Health-One Medicine.
BACKGROUND: Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are caused by a wide range of pathogens transmitted to dogs by arthropods including ticks and insects. Many CVBD-agents are of zoonotic concern, with ...dogs potentially serving as reservoirs and sentinels for human infections. The present study aimed at assessing the seroprevalence of infection with or exposure to Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma spp. and Leishmania infantum in dogs in Portugal. METHODS: Based on 120 veterinary medical centres from all the regions of mainland and insular Portugal, 557 apparently healthy and 628 CVBD-suspect dogs were sampled. Serum, plasma or whole blood was tested for qualitative detection of D. immitis antigen and antibodies to E. canis, B. burgdorferi s. l., Anaplasma spp. and L. infantum with two commercial in-clinic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors of exposure to the vector-borne agents. RESULTS: Total positivity levels to D. immitis, E. canis, B. burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp., L. infantum, one or more agents and mixed agents were 3.6%, 4.1%, 0.2%, 4.5%, 4.3%, 14.0% and 2.0% in the healthy group, and 8.9%, 16.4%, 0.5%, 9.2%, 25.2%, 46.3% and 11.6% in the clinically suspect group, respectively. Non-use of ectoparasiticides was a risk factor for positivity to one or more agents both in the apparently healthy (OR = 2.1) and CVBD-suspect (OR = 1.5) dogs. Seropositivity to L. infantum (OR = 7.6), E. canis (OR = 4.1) and D. immitis (OR = 2.4) were identified as risk factors for the presence of clinical signs compatible with CVBDs. Positivity to mixed agents was not found to be a risk factor for disease. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs in Portugal are at risk of becoming infected with vector-borne pathogens, some of which are of zoonotic concern. CVBDs should be considered by practitioners and prophylactic measures must be put in place to protect dogs and limit the risk of transmission of vector-borne agents to humans. This study is expected to give veterinary and public health authorities an increased awareness about CVBDs in Portugal and to serve as a reference for future investigations and control actions.
The human-animal bond has been recognized as having positive effects on the health and well-being of both humans and pets. The present study aims to explore the influence of attachment on physical ...activity (PA), lifestyle, and health outcomes of dog owners (DO), highlighting the mutual benefits resulting from the relationship between DO and dogs.
Thirty-eight DO and their dogs participated in this study. Socio-demographic data, the Self-Rated Health (SRH), FANTASTICO Lifestyle Scale, and the Lexington Attachment Pet Scale (LAPS) were assessed. PA was measured in both the DO and the dogs, using an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer in the context of daily routine. Descriptive statistics and Spearman rank correlation analyses were performed to examine the associations between LAPS, PA levels, socio-demographic variables, lifestyle behaviors, and SRH.
Significant correlations were found between the dog owners' light-level PA and the pets' vigorous level of PA (rho = 0.445, p = 0.01). Furthermore, the importance of the pets' health (rho = -0.785, p = 0.02) and the LAPS subscales, namely proximity (rho = 0.358, p = 0.03), and attachment (rho = 0.392, p = 0.01), were related to taking the pet for a walk. Regarding lifestyle, DO with a healthier lifestyle had a better self-assessment of their health using the SRH (rho = 0.39, p = 0.02). Moreover, DO with better lifestyles also exhibited greater concern for their pet's health (rho = 0.398, p = 0.01).
This study emphasizes that individuals who adopt healthier habits tend to perceive themselves as healthier and exhibit greater concern for their pets' health. The attachment between DO and dogs is important in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors and engagement in PA. Our results highlight that the presence of a dog is associated with a higher level of PA in DO, depending on the strength of the human-animal bond.
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute Respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has become unstoppable, spreading rapidly worldwide and, consequently, reaching ...a pandemic level. This review aims to provide the information available so far on the likely animal origin of SARS-CoV-2 and its possible hosts/reservoirs as well as all natural animal infections and experimental evidence using animal models. Horseshoe bats from the species
Rhinolophus affinis
seem to be a natural reservoir and pangolins (
Manis javanica
) appear to be an intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2. Humans remain the most likely spreading source of SARS-CoV-2 to other humans and also to domestic, zoo and farm animals. Indeed, human-to-animal transmission has been reported in cats, dogs, tigers, lions, a puma and minks. Animal-to-human transmission is not a sustained pathway, although mink-to-human transmission remains to be elucidated. Through experimental infections, other animals seem also to be susceptible hosts for SARS-CoV-2, namely ferrets, some non-human primate species, hamsters and transgenic mice, while dogs, pigs and poultry are resistant. A One Health perspective must be implemented in order to develop epidemiological surveillance and establish disease control mechanisms to limit zoonotic transmission. Moreover, research in this field is important to better understand SARS-CoV-2 and to obtain the long-awaited vaccine and specific treatment.
A smart environment is an assistive technology space that can enable people with motor disabilities to control their equipment (TV, radio, fan, etc.) through a human-machine interface activated by ...different inputs. However, assistive technology resources are not always considered useful, reaching quite high abandonment rate. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a smart environment controlled through infrared oculography by people with severe motor disabilities. The study sample was composed of six individuals with motor disabilities. Initially, sociodemographic data forms, the Functional Independence Measure (FIMTM), and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were applied. The participants used the system in their domestic environment for a week. Afterwards, they were reevaluated with regards to occupational performance (COPM), satisfaction with the use of the assistive technology resource (QUEST 2.0), psychosocial impact (PIADS) and usability of the system (SUS), as well as through semi-structured interviews for suggestions or complaints. The most common demand from the participants of this research was 'control of the TV'. Two participants did not use the system. All participants who used the system (four) presented positive results in all assessment protocols, evidencing greater independence in the control of the smart environment equipment. In addition, they evaluated the system as useful and with good usability. Non-acceptance of disability and lack of social support may have influenced the results.
In this contribution I argue that the reduced impact of the impact factors’ culture in the history of economics community is due to three interlinked main motives, namely: the belonging to a ...disciplinary field with a reduced number of practitioners who tend to downgrade the relevance of quantitative metrics as a substitute for quality assessment; the preference for publication formats where books and book chapters play an important role; and the increasing adherence to alternative solutions for impact measurement. The discussion of these motives leads to the defence of new approaches fostering further improvements in the bibliometric coverage of academic outcomes, as well as in open access policies and publishing strategies.
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