Internet of Underwater Things and Big Marine Data Analytics -- A Comprehensive Survey

The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) is an emerging communication ecosystem developed for connecting underwater objects in maritime and underwater environments. The IoUT technology is intricately linked with intelligent boats and ships, smart shores and oceans, automatic marine transportations, positioning and navigation, underwater exploration, disaster prediction and prevention, as well as with intelligent monitoring and security. The IoUT has an influence at various scales ranging from a small scientific observatory, to a midsized harbor, and to covering global oceanic trade. The network architecture of IoUT is intrinsically heterogeneous and should be sufficiently resilient to operate in harsh environments. This creates major challenges in terms of underwater communications, whilst relying on limited energy resources. Additionally, the volume, velocity, and variety of data produced by sensors, hydrophones, and cameras in IoUT is enormous, giving rise to the concept of Big Marine Data (BMD), which has its own processing challenges. Hence, conventional data processing techniques will falter, and bespoke Machine Learning (ML) solutions have to be employed for automatically learning the specific BMD behavior and features facilitating knowledge extraction and decision support. The motivation of this paper is to comprehensively survey the IoUT, BMD, and their synthesis. It also aims for exploring the nexus of BMD with ML. We set out from underwater data collection and then discuss the family of IoUT data communication techniques with an emphasis on the state-of-the-art research challenges. We then review the suite of ML solutions suitable for BMD handling and analytics. We treat the subject deductively from an educational perspective, critically appraising the material surveyed.Comment: 54 pages, 11 figures, 19 tables, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, peer-reviewed academic journa

Deep learning for internet of underwater things and ocean data analytics

The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) is an emerging technological ecosystem developed for connecting objects in maritime and underwater environments. IoUT technologies are empowered by an extreme number of deployed sensors and actuators. In this thesis, multiple IoUT sensory data are augmented with machine intelligence for forecasting purposes

Skeletal status in children and adolescents with new-onset type 1 diabetes: a preliminary study based on bone densitometry and quantitative ultrasound

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) represents a risk factor for bone loss and impaired bone quality

The use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure vascular haemodynamics in human bone tissue in vivo

Rationale: Poor cardiovascular health is associated with reduced bone strength and increased risk of fragility fracture. However, direct measurement of intraosseous vascular health is difficult due to the density and mineral content of bone. The aim of this PhD project was to investigate the feasibility of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for the investigation of vascular haemodynamics in human bone in vivo. NIRS provides inexpensive, non-invasive, safe, and real time data on changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin concentration at superficial anatomical sites. NIRS utilises a source optode of near infrared (NIR) light and detector optode that obtains representative data of the interactions of NIR photons with tissue. Method: A systematic review was performed identifying the current existing applications of NIRS (and similar technologies) for measuring human bone tissue in vivo. This review informed the development of an arterial occlusion protocol for obtaining haemodynamic measurements of the proximal tibia and lateral calf, including assessment of the protocol’s reliability. For thirty-six participants, NIRS results were also compared to alternative tests of bone haemodynamics involving dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), and measures of general bone health based on dual x-ray absorptiometry testing and blood markers of bone metabolism. Results: This thesis presents novel data demonstrating NIRS can obtain acceptably reliable markers of haemodynamics at the proximal tibia in vivo, comparable with reliability assessments of alternative modalities measuring intraosseous haemodynamics, and the use of NIRS for measuring muscle. Novel associations have been demonstrated between haemodynamic markers measured with NIRS and DCE-MRI, giving confidence NIRS truly represents bone haemodynamics. Increased NIRS markers of oxygen extraction during occlusion, and greater post-ischaemic vascular response to occlusion, were both associated with greater bone mineral density. Conclusion: As a feasibility study, this PhD project has demonstrated the potential for NIRS to contribute to research around the potential pathophysiological role of vascular dysfunction within bone tissue, but also the limitations and need for further development of NIRS technology.The Royal College of Radiologist

Roles of P2X7 Receptors in Adipose and Skeletal Tissues of Mice

P2X7 is an ATP-gated ion channel in the plasma membrane of a number of cell types. Previous in vitro studies show that P2X7 plays a role in regulating the differentiation of osteoblasts and adipocytes from mesenchymal precursors, as well as cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis. Furthermore, P2X7 has been implicated in mediating the effects of mechanical stimuli in bone. Our objective was to investigate the roles of P2X7, mechanical vibration, and their possible interaction in regulating body composition in vivo. We developed a novel method to monitor body composition during growth and aging in mice using micro-computed tomography (Chapter 2). This method permits rapid and reproducible quantification of adipose, lean and skeletal tissues in a non-invasive manner. We then applied this methodology to monitor the body composition of wild-type and P2X7 knockout mice (Chapter 3). Loss of P2X7 function led to greater adiposity and ectopic lipid accumulation in older male mice. We next investigated the effects of low-magnitude, high-frequency vibration on wild-type and P2X7 knockout mice (Chapter 4). Under our conditions, vibration does not induce changes in body composition or bone microarchitecture. Together, our studies provide an effective tool for characterizing whole-body composition of mice and establish novel in vivo roles for the P2X7 receptor in regulating adipogenesis and lipid metabolism. Finally, our findings and those of others highlight the need to re-evaluate current thinking on the effects of low-magnitude, high-frequency vibration on body composition in vivo

Radiostereometric analysis of initial femoral stem migration in cementless total hip arthroplasty of postmenopausal women : Exploring contributing factors in initial femoral stem migration

In cementless total hip arthroplasty (THA), femoral stems rely on the initial press‐fit fixation against the cortical bone to achieve osseointegration. In aging women, structural changes of the proximal femur may jeopardize the stem stability. Preoperative screening of bone quality and exploring the factors that cause stem migration may help in the selection process of patients for the use of cementless fixation techniques. Antiresorptive denosumab therapy might be efficient in preventing periprosthetic bone loss and reducing femoral stem migration in postmenopausal women. Sixty-five postmenopausal women with primary hip osteoarthritis (60 to 85 years old and Dorr A-type or B-type femur morphology) underwent cementless THA with implantation of a parallel-sided femoral component in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. The patients randomly received denosumab or a placebo 1 month before and 5 months after the surgery. The three-dimensional stem migration was measured using model-based radiostereometric analysis (RSA). Patient’s baseline characteristics, local and systemic bone mineral density (BMD) values measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), cortical-bone thicknes measured by pulse-echo ultrasonometry, surgery-related factors, and postoperative walking activity were examined for the association with stem migration. The accuracy and clinical precision of model-based RSA were comparable to those of marker-based RSA. Denosumab significantly decreased periprosthetic bone loss but did not reduce stem migration which occurred predominately during the first 3 months. DXA and pulse-echo ultrasonometry of the distal radius helped to identify patients at high risk of stem subsidence of more than 2 mm. Walking activity and local BMD dictated the direction and magnitude of stem rotation around y-axis. Femoral stem stability is sensitive to adequate bone stock. In postmenopausal women, stem migration is predominantly due to impaired bone quality. Inhibition of periprosthetic bone resorption did not prevent stem migration. Preoperative evaluation of the skeletal status is recommended for all postmenopausal women with hip osteoarthritis before scheduling cementless THA.Lonkan tekonivelen biologinen kiinnittyminen ikääntyvillä naisilla: varsiosan liikkeen radiostereometrinen analyysi Sementitön lonkan tekonivelleikkaus perustuu implantin biologiseen kiinnittymiseen. Kantavan varsiosan luutuminen edellyttää, että implantti saadaan leikkauksessa tukevasti paikoilleen kuoriluuta vasten. Tämän saavuttaminen voi olla vaikeaa naisilla, joille on kehittynyt vaihdevuosien jälkeen reisiluun kuoriluun ohentumista ja huokoistumista. Tästä johtuen on tärkeää selvittää ennen leikkausta potilaan luuston kunto. On myös arvioitava muita tekijöitä, jotka voivat lisätä varsiosan liikettä. Ennen leikkausta aloitettu luukatoa estävä lääkitys voi vahvistaa kuoriluuta ja näin parantaa varsiosan tukevuutta. Satunnaistettuun kliiniseen potilastutkimukseen osallistui 65 lonkan nivelrikkoa sairastavaa naispotilasta (keski-ikä 69 vuotta). Potilaille tehtiin sementitön lonkan tekonivelleikkaus. Ennen leikkausta aloitettiin luulääkitys (denosumabi), jonka tiedetään vahvistavan reisiluun kuoriluuta osteoporoosia sairastavilla naisilla. Potilaiden subjektiivista toipumista seurattiin kuvaavilla kyselykaavakkeilla ja myös objektiivisilla mittauksilla (kävelynopeus, kävelyaktiviteetti, luuntiheysmittaus, kuoriluun ultraäänimittaus ja luuaineenvaihdunnan merkkiaineet). Varsiosan kolmiulotteista liikettä seurattiin 3D-mallinnukseen perustuvalla radiostereometrisellä analyysillä. Menetelmän tarkkuus ja toistettavuus varmistettiin prekliinisessä kokeessa muoviluumalleilla. Lääkehoito esti reisiluun yläosan paikallisen luukadon varsiosan ympärillä, mutta se ei vähentänyt varsiosan painumista ja kiertymistä. Liikettä tapahtui ensimmäisten kuukausien aikana leikkauksesta. Varsiosat luutuivat ja hoitoryhmien välillä ei ollut eroa kliinisessä toipumisessa. Ennen leikkausta tehty ranteen kuoriluun paksuuden ultraäänimittaus (Bindex®) ja luuntiheysmittaus auttoivat tunnistamaan kohtalaisen hyvin ne potilaat, joille kehittyi varsiosan yli 2 mm painuminen leikkauksen jälkeen. Varsiosan kiertymisen suunta ja määrä heijastivat kävelyaktiivisuutta leikkauksen jälkeen. Tulokset vahvistivat aiempia tuloksia, että biologisesti kiinnittyvä lonkan tekonivelen varsiosa vaatii hyvää luuainesta. Luulääkkeellä (denosumabi) voidaan estää paikallista luukatoa, mutta luuresorption esto ei vähennä varsiosan alkuvaiheen liikettä. Luuston kunnon seulontaa suositellaan kaikille vaihevuosi-iän ohittaneille naisille, joille suunnitellaan sementitöntä lonkan tekonivelleikkausta

Benchmark dose approach in investigating the relationship between blood metal levels and reproductive hormones: Data set from human study

The main objective of this research was to conduct a dose–response modeling between the internal dose of measured blood Cd, As, Hg, Ni, and Cr and hormonal response of serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The study included 207 male participants from subjects of 5 different cohorts (patients with prostate, testicular, and pancreatic cancer, patients suffering from various thyroid and metabolic disorders, as well as healthy volunteers), enrolled from January 2019 to May 2021 at the Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade, Serbia. Benchmark dose–response modeling analysis was performed with the PROAST software version 70.1, showing the hormone levels as quantal data. The averaging technique was applied to compute the Benchmark dose (BMD) interval (BMDI), with benchmark response set at 10%. Dose-response relationships between metal/metalloid blood concentration and serum hormone levels were confirmed for all the investigated metals/metalloid and hormones. The narrowest BMDI was found for Cd-testosterone and Hg-LH pairs, indicative of high confidence in these estimates. Although further research is needed, the observed findings demonstrate that the BMD approach may prove to be significant in the dose–response modeling of human data