This paper presents the design of a wireless sensor network particularly designed for remote monitoring and control of industrial parameters. The article describes the network components, protocol ...and sensor deployment, aimed to accomplish industrial constraint and to assure reliability and low power consumption. A particular case of study is presented. The system consists of a base station, gas sensing nodes, a tree-based routing scheme for the wireless sensor nodes and a real-time monitoring application that operates from a remote computer and a mobile phone. The system assures that the industrial safety quality and the measurement and monitoring system achieves an efficient industrial monitoring operations. The robustness of the developed system and the security in the communications have been guaranteed both in hardware and software level. The system is flexible and can be adapted to different environments. The testing of the system confirms the feasibility of the proposed implementation and validates the functional requirements of the developed devices, the networking solution and the power consumption management.
Eye blink artifacts in electroencephalographic (EEG) signals have been used in multiple applications as an effective method for human-computer interaction. Hence, an effective and low-cost blinking ...detection method would be an invaluable aid for the development of this technology. A configurable hardware algorithm, described using hardware description language, for eye blink detection based on EEG signals from a one-channel brain-computer interface (BCI) headset was developed and implemented, showing better performance in terms of effectiveness and detection time than manufacturer-provided software.
Obesity is known to be related to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). The most commonly used anthropometric indicator (body mass index BMI) presents several limitations such as the ...lack of possibility to distinguish adipose tissue distribution. Thus, this study examines the suitability of a body shape index (ABSI) for prediction of body composition and sarcopenic obesity in obese or overweight T2D subjects.
Cross-sectional study in 199 overweight/obese T2D adults. Anthropometric (BMI, ABSI) and body composition (fat mass FM, fat-free mass FFM, fat mass index FMI and fat-free mass index, and the ratio FM/FFM as an index of sarcopenic obesity) data was collected, as well as metabolic parameters (glycated haemoglobin HbA
, mean blood glucose, fasting plasma glucose FPG, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol HDL, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides TG levels; the ratio TG/HDL was also calculated as a surrogate marker for insulin resistance).
ABSI was significantly associated with age and waist circumference. It showed a statistically significant correlation with BMI exclusively in women. Regarding body composition, in men, ABSI was associated with FM (%), while in women it was associated with both FM and FFM. Both males and females groups with high ABSI scores were significantly older (men: 59.3 ± 10.8 vs 54.6 ± 10.1, p ≤ 0.05; women: 65.1 ± 9.8 vs 58.1 ± 13.3, p ≤ 0.005) and showed lower FFM values (men: 62.3 ± 9.0 vs 66.2 ± 9.3, p ≤ 0.05; women: 48.7 ± 5.6 vs 54.5 ± 8.9, p ≤ 0.001) compared with low-ABSI groups. Multiple linear regression revealed that ABSI independently predict FMI and the FM/FFM ratio in women. Sarcopenic obesity was identified in 70 (36.5%) individuals according to the FM/FFM ratio. The AUROC of ABSI was 63.1% (95% CI 54.6-71.6%; p = 0.003) and an ABSI value of 0.083 m
kg
was the optimal threshold in discriminating patients with sarcopenic obesity (sensitivity: 48%, specificity: 73%). Moreover, a significant association between ABSI and FPG was found in men.
ABSI could be useful to identify visceral and sarcopenic obesity in overweight/obese adults with T2D, adding some relevant clinical information to traditional anthropometric measures.
This paper presents a wireless fault detection system for industrial motors that combines vibration, motor current and temperature analysis, thus improving the detection of mechanical faults. The ...design also considers the time of detection and further possible actions, which are also important for the early detection of possible malfunctions, and thus for avoiding irreversible damage to the motor. The remote motor condition monitoring is implemented through a wireless sensor network (WSN) based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The deployed network uses the beacon-enabled mode to synchronize several sensor nodes with the coordinator node, and the guaranteed time slot mechanism provides data monitoring with a predetermined latency. A graphic user interface offers remote access to motor conditions and real-time monitoring of several parameters. The developed wireless sensor node exhibits very low power consumption since it has been optimized both in terms of hardware and software. The result is a low cost, highly reliable and compact design, achieving a high degree of autonomy of more than two years with just one 3.3 V/2600 mAh battery. Laboratory and field tests confirm the feasibility of the wireless system.
This paper presents the design of a wireless flood sensor to detect the presence of water on home floors, providing early warning of water leaks. A wireless sensor network has been deployed to gather ...the measurements from the sensor nodes. A control central coordinates the network and processes the data. Users can remotely inquire for the presence of water, status of the batteries for a specific node, the type of liquid and information about its functionality and alarms, thanks to a proprietary software application. The alerts are also communicated to the user within the home through an audible siren. The designed device is optimized in terms of costs, ease of deployment and maintenance, thus making it widely acceptable to end users.
Biodiesel production from energy tobacco Fornasier, Franccesca; Cardona Gomez, Jonathan Fernando; Sansone de Carvalho, Fernando ...
Orbital : The Electronic Journal of Chemistry,
01/2018, Letnik:
10, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
The production of biodiesel from energy tobacco as an alternative fuel source is discussed herein. Biodiesel was obtained through the transesterification of tobacco seed oil using CH.sub.3ONa as an ...alkaline catalyst. Full factorial design was used in these studies to determine the best operating conditions. The independent variables were oil/methanol molar ratio, temperature and catalyst loading. The tobacco oil was analyzed by gas chromatography, and the fatty acids present in the highest concentrations were linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, which made up 74.16, 11.80 and 8.62% of the oil, respectively. Some physicochemical characteristics of this oil were determined: acid value 3.7 mg g.sup.-1 KOH, iodine value 144.74 g 10.sup.-2 g.sup.-1 I.sub.2 and saponification index 190.66 mg g.sup.-1 KOH. Subsequently, biodiesel was produced from this oil with a conversion > 97% using the optimized conditions, which were a temperature of 70 degreesC, an oil/methanol molar ratio of 1: 4 or 1: 8 and a catalyst loading of 2%. Keywords: energy tobacco; factorial planning; fatty acids; biodiesel; catalyst; temperature
(1) Goals: The purpose of this study was to analyze the feasibility of using the information obtained from a one-channel electro-encephalography (EEG) signal to control a mouse pointer. We used a ...low-cost headset, with one dry sensor placed at the FP1 position, to steer a mouse pointer and make selections through a combination of the user's attention level with the detection of voluntary blinks. There are two types of cursor movements: spinning and linear displacement. A sequence of blinks allows for switching between these movement types, while the attention level modulates the cursor's speed. The influence of the attention level on performance was studied. Additionally, Fitts' model and the evolution of the emotional states of participants, among other trajectory indicators, were analyzed. (2) Methods: Twenty participants distributed into two groups (Attention and No-Attention) performed three runs, on different days, in which 40 targets had to be reached and selected. Target positions and distances from the cursor's initial position were chosen, providing eight different indices of difficulty (IDs). A self-assessment manikin (SAM) test and a final survey provided information about the system's usability and the emotions of participants during the experiment. (3) Results: The performance was similar to some brain-computer interface (BCI) solutions found in the literature, with an averaged information transfer rate (ITR) of 7 bits/min. Concerning the cursor navigation, some trajectory indicators showed our proposed approach to be as good as common pointing devices, such as joysticks, trackballs, and so on. Only one of the 20 participants reported difficulty in managing the cursor and, according to the tests, most of them assessed the experience positively. Movement times and hit rates were significantly better for participants belonging to the attention group. (4) Conclusions: The proposed approach is a feasible low-cost solution to manage a mouse pointer.
This article introduces a control architecture designed for the development of Hybrid Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles. The term ”Hybrid” characterizes Remotely Operated systems capable of ...autonomously executing specific operations. The presented architecture maintains teleoperation capabilities while enabling two fully autonomous applications. The approach emphasizes the implementation of reactive navigation by exclusively utilizing data from a Mechanical Scanned Imaging Sonar for control decisions. This mandates the control system to solely react to data derived from the vehicle’s environment, without considering other positioning information or state estimation. The study involves transforming a small-scale commercial Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle into a hybrid system without structural modifications, and details the development of an intermediate Operational Control Layer responsible for sensor data processing and task execution control. Two practical applications, inspired by tasks common in natural or open-water aquaculture farms, are explored: one for conducting transects, facilitating monitoring and maintenance operations, and another for navigating toward an object for inspection purposes. Experimental results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the authors’ hypotheses. This approach expands the potential applications of underwater vehicles and facilitates the development of Hybrid Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles, enabling the execution of autonomous reactive tasks.
As in most equatorial zones, in the sugarcane production zone of Colombia (SPZ), a typical rainfall pattern is known, i.e. bimodal. This pattern, in which two rainy seasons alternate with two dry ...seasons throughout the year, is explained by the marked effect of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) on the climate of the region. Although the referred pattern is true, it has been generalized and idealized, suggesting dry and rainy seasons with similar duration and intensity. A classic intervention analysis was applied to three daily mean time series generated with historical data from 29 locations located in the SPZ to generate the intra-annual rainfall patterns for each location. The series corresponds to the historical climatological scenario, and the other two scenarios correspond to a synthetic El Niño year and a La Niña year. It was found that there are marked differences between the rainfall patterns in the northern, southern and central localities of the SPZ, although the maximum distance between the two farthest localities is only 200 km. The idealized bimodal rainfall pattern is very similar to that of the center of the SPZ but dissimilar to that of the southern and northern zones. The patterns also vary depending on the La Niña or El Niño condition. With this information, zones of differential management of cane crop were defined.
The double-strand break (DSB) DNA repair pathway has been implicated in breast cancer (BC). RAD51 and its paralogs XRCC3 and RAD51D play an important role in the repair of DSB through homologous ...recombination (HR). Some polymorphisms including XRCC3-Thr241Met, RAD51-135G>C, and RAD51D-E233G have been found to confer increased BC susceptibility. In order to detect novel mutations that may contribute to BC susceptibility, 150 patients belonging to 150 Chilean BRCA1/2-negative families were screened for mutations in XRCC3. No mutations were detected in the XRCC3 gene. In addition, using a case-control design we studied the XRCC3-Thr241Met, and RAD51D-E233G polymorphisms in 267 BC cases and 500 controls to evaluate their possible association with BC susceptibility. The XRCC3 Met/Met genotype was associated with an increased BC risk (P = 0.003, OR = 2.44 95%CI 1.34-4.43). We did not find an association between E233G polymorphism and BC risk. We also analyzed the effect of combined genotypes among RAD51-135G>C, Thr241Met, and E233G polymorphisms on BC risk. No interaction was observed between Thr241Met and 135G>C. The combined genotype Thr/Met-E/G was associated with an increased BC risk among women who (a) have a family history of BC, (b) are BRCA1/2-negative, and (c) were <50 years at onset (n = 195) (P = 0.037, OR = 10.5 95%CI 1.16-94.5). Our results suggested that the variability of the DNA HR repair genes XRCC3 and RAD51D may play a role in BC risk, but this role may be underlined by a mutual interaction between these genes. These findings should be confirmed in other populations.
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