The efficiency of the Data Acquisition (DAQ) of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment for LHC Run 2 is constantly being improved. A significant factor affecting the data taking efficiency is the ...experience of the DAQ operator. One of the main responsibilities of the DAQ operator is to carry out the proper recovery procedure in case of failure of data-taking. At the start of Run 2, understanding the problem and finding the right remedy could take a considerable amount of time (up to many minutes). Operators heavily relied on the support of on-call experts, also outside working hours. Wrong decisions due to time pressure sometimes lead to an additional overhead in recovery time. To increase the efficiency of CMS data-taking we developed a new expert system, the DAQExpert, which provides shifters with optimal recovery suggestions instantly when a failure occurs. DAQExpert is a web application analyzing frequently updating monitoring data from all DAQ components and identifying problems based on expert knowledge expressed in small, independent logic-modules written in Java. Its results are presented in real-time in the control room via a web-based GUI and a sound-system in a form of short description of the current failure, and steps to recover.
During Run-1 of the LHC, many operational procedures have been automated in the run control system of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. When detector high voltages are ramped up or down or ...upon certain beam mode changes of the LHC, the DAQ system is automatically partially reconfigured with new parameters. Certain types of errors such as errors caused by single-event upsets may trigger an automatic recovery procedure. Furthermore, the top-level control node continuously performs cross-checks to detect sub-system actions becoming necessary because of changes in configuration keys, changes in the set of included front-end drivers or because of potential clock instabilities. The operator is guided to perform the necessary actions through graphical indicators displayed next to the relevant command buttons in the user interface. Through these indicators, consistent configuration of CMS is ensured. However, manually following the indicators can still be inefficient at times. A new assistant to the operator has therefore been developed that can automatically perform all the necessary actions in a streamlined order. If additional problems arise, the new assistant tries to automatically recover from these. With the new assistant, a run can be started from any state of the sub-systems with a single click. An ongoing run may be recovered with a single click, once the appropriate recovery action has been selected. We review the automation features of CMS Run Control and discuss the new assistant in detail including first operational experience.
Analysis of population-based national hospital discharge data collected for the National Inpatient Sample.
To examine demographics of patients undergoing primary anterior spine fusion (ASF), ...posterior spine fusion (PSF), and anterior/posterior spine fusion (APSF) of the noncervical spine, assess the incidence of perioperative morbidity and mortality, and determine independent risk factors for in-hospital death.
The utilization of surgical fusion has been increasing dramatically. Despite this trend, a paucity of literature addressing perioperative outcomes exists.
Data collected for each year between 1998 and 2006 for the National Inpatient Sample were analyzed. Discharges with a procedure code for primary noncervical spine fusion were included in the sample. The prevalence of patient as well as health care system-related demographics were evaluated by procedure type (ASF, PSF, and APSF). Frequencies of procedure-related complications and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. Independent predictors for in-hospital mortality were determined.
We identified 261,256 entries representing an estimated 1,273,228 hospitalizations for primary spine fusion. Patients undergoing ASF and APSF were significantly younger (44.8 ± 0.08 and 44.22 ± 0.11 years) and had lower average comorbidity indeces (0.30 ± 0.002 and 0.31 ± 0.004) than those undergoing PSF (52.12 ± 0.04 years and 0.41 ± 0.002) (P < 0.0001). The incidence of procedure-related complications was 18.68% among ASF, 15.72% in PSF, and 23.81% in APSF patients (P < 0.0001). In-hospital mortality rates after APSF were approximately twice those of PSF (0.51 ± 0.038 vs. 0.26 ± 0.012) (P < 0.0001). Adjusted risk factors for in-hospital mortality included the following: APSF and ASF compared to PSF, male gender, increasing age, and increasing comorbidity burden. Several comorbidities and complications independently increased the risk for perioperative death, as did underlying spinal pathology.
Despite being performed in generally younger and healthier patients, APSF and ASF are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Our findings can be used for the purposes of risk stratification, accurate patient consultation, and hypothesis formation for future research.
This paper describes the design and testing of a wearable position recording system for workers in orchards or in protected cultivation environments, where GPS data are typically unavailable. The ...major goal of the wearable system is to track worker position in relation to trees. This system consists of a pedometer and a small barcode reader and utilizes barcode tags permanently attached to fixed objects of known location (e.g., individual trees in an orchard). The pedometer computes a worker’s relative displacement with respect to a known starting position, and the barcode provides the absolute (starting) position information at regular intervals to keep the localization error at an acceptable level. Evaluations of the accuracy and reliability of the pedometer revealed a 2–3% accumulated error in the estimation of the worker’s position. The use of the pedometer alone was insufficient and could not establish correctly the association between trees and workers. The prototype system was implemented and tested during manual harvest in two commercial peach orchards. The fruit pickers’ movements were captured accurately and the association between producing tree(s) and fruit picker, as well as the sequence of the trees which the picker visited, were established correctly.
Radio propagation within a plum orchard was investigated using ZigBee devices operating within the 2.4 GHz band. Measurements were performed to estimate power attenuation due to the presence of trees ...and their foliage. Radio path loss (PL) measurements, with and without leaves, revealed that at antennas heights close to the tree tops the PL was not affected significantly by the presence of tree leaves, mainly because of diffraction from the tree canopy–air interface, which provided an additional propagation mode. At antenna heights where foliage takes up a significant portion of the propagation path the attenuation was increased in the presence of leaves. However, at 2.4 GHz this effect was not severe mainly because the corresponding wavelength is greater than the average leaf size of the plum tree. An approach was carried out to characterise empirical data by means of established vegetation-attenuation models. The most accurate model for the particular orchard layout was the parametric exponential decay (PED) model using parameters best-fitted to the measurements, whereas the second-best was the standard Weissberger exponential decay model, which does not require any parameter fitting. Also, several standard exponential decay models which have been developed for forest environments can be used as ‘conservative’ upper bounds of PL, at least for the particular orchard. These models can also be used for the prediction of range between wireless sensor network (WSN) nodes in orchards, since range can be defined as the distance over which the received power drops below the known sensitivity of the receiver.
► Foliage effects on electromagnetic (EM) propagation examined in a plum orchard. ► Attenuation at tree-top height not affected much by foliage due to diffraction. ► Attenuation at mid-canopy height was slightly increased in the presence of leaves. ► Scattering-induced attenuation at 2.4 GHz was limited due to long wavelength. ► Foliage path-loss models provided conservative lower bounds for 2.4 GHz range.
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•Research studies on proximal ground crop phenotyping increased over the past two decades.•Efficient autonomous phenotyping platforms replace labor-based platforms.•Multi-source ...sensor fusion technologies provide better navigation.•Large-scale model would benefit phenotyping data processing.•Current developments indicate possibilities of future fully autonomous phenotyping.
Current crop phenotyping mainly relies on manual measurements and visual inspection for data collection and crop assessment, which is labor-intensive, subjective, and inefficient. Hence, modern methods depend primarily on using sensors for phenotypic data collection to replace labor vision, developing algorithms for decision-making to replace human domain knowledge, and integrating autonomous phenotyping systems to improve efficiencies in the past decades. Despite the research progress in phenotyping, there is a lack of extensive review on this topic that will be useful to various stakeholders interested in this field. Therefore, this study was conducted to perform a comprehensive review of multiple methodologies and techniques used in high-throughput ground crop phenotyping systems. A Web of Science literature search was conducted with appropriate keywords for the recent past, and the research trends in this field were captured. The current review categorizes the progress of technology in terms of phenotyping platform, sensing, data processing, and system integration. Platforms have evolved from manual-based to autonomous. Manual-based platforms require workers for data collection, while autonomous platforms involve new technologies for navigation and data collection. Different sensing techniques are used for phenotyping data collection. This study mainly discusses the mainstream sensors, including RGB, multi/hyperspectral, thermal, stereo, and light detection and ranging, and concludes that multi-source sensors could provide more accurate phenotypic information. Algorithms are applied to collected data to extract useful phenotyping information at different scales (organ, individual plant, and community). Both machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have been used for phenotyping information extraction, and the DL is gradually replacing ML due to its superior performance. A case study of integrated high-throughput proximal phenotyping robot was presented, showing how different sensors and navigation systems come together to achieve on-site and real-time measurements. Advancements in high-throughput proximal ground phenotyping systems through new information, communication, sensing, and autonomous technologies in agriculture are anticipated to be more integrated and efficient phenotyping. It is anticipated that autonomous robots would finally replace workers from laborious phenotyping work.
Despite the increasing prevalence of sleep apnoea, little information is available regarding its impact on the peri-operative outcome of patients undergoing posterior lumbar fusion. Using a national ...database, patients who underwent lumbar fusion between 2006 and 2010 were identified, sub-grouped by diagnosis of sleep apnoea and compared. The impact of sleep apnoea on various outcome measures was assessed by regression analysis. The records of 84,655 patients undergoing posterior lumbar fusion were identified and 7.28% (n = 6163) also had a diagnostic code for sleep apnoea. Compared with patients without sleep apnoea, these patients were older, more frequently female, had a higher comorbidity burden and higher rates of peri-operative complications, post-operative mechanical ventilation, blood product transfusion and intensive care. Patients with sleep apnoea also had longer and more costly periods of hospitalisation. In the regression analysis, sleep apnoea emerged as an independent risk factor for the development of peri-operative complications (odds ratio (OR) 1.50, confidence interval (CI) 1.38;1.62), blood product transfusions (OR 1.12, CI 1.03;1.23), mechanical ventilation (OR 6.97, CI 5.90;8.23), critical care services (OR 1.86, CI 1.71;2.03), prolonged hospitalisation and increased cost (OR 1.28, CI 1.19;1.37; OR 1.10, CI 1.03;1.18). Patients with sleep apnoea who undergo posterior lumbar fusion pose significant challenges to clinicians.
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