Point-of-care estimation of haemoglobin concentration in all age groups in clinical practice

Background: The measurement of haemoglobin (Hb) concentration provides a reliable, primary screening test for the presence and severity of anaemia. The HemoCue® is a point-of-care test for Hb measurement. The introduction of point-of-care testing in hospitals and general practice has improved patient care and accessibility. This study was performed to evaluate the utility of point-of-care Hb measurement with the HemoCue® device for the diagnosis of anaemia. Method: In this prospective study, we compared the analytical performance of the HemoCue® to the Coulter® LH 750 automated haematology analyser with regard to accuracy, precision and linearity in the measurement of Hb in adult and paediatric patient samples, referred for routine laboratory testing. Results: Samples from 100 patients were analysed with both instruments, and the results were compared using standard scatter and difference plots. The mean Hb value of the HemoCue® (11.3 g/dl; range 4.6-16.7) was comparable to the Coulter® LH 750 (11.3 g/dl; range 4.7-17.2). The Bland-Altman difference plot revealed good correlation. Bias between the two methods was small, and the imprecision was within acceptable limits. Hb measurement was linear in the range of 4.8-20 g/dl. Conclusion: In all age groups, the HemoCue® point-of-care device can be used to provide accurate and reliable Hb measurements with a smaller sample volume, improved turnaround time, and long-term cost saving.Keywords: haemoglobin, HemoCue®, point-of-care testing, anaemia screenin

Temporal bone phantom for decoupled cochlear implant electrode insertion force measurement

In research on cochlear implants, preclinical testing of newly developed electrode arrays and surgical tools is an essential procedure, which requires the availability of a suitable testing environment. For this purpose, human temporal bone specimens are most realistic, but their availability is limited and additional parameters such as insertion forces are hardly measurable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a temporal bone phantom with realistic anatomical structures for intracochlear force measurement. The temporal bone was segmented from CBCT data of a human cadaver head. The segmented model was 3D printed with an additional artificial skin layer to enable the simulated use of surgical instruments such as a self-retaining retractor. A mechanically decoupled artificial cochlear model was realistically positioned within the temporal bone and was furthermore attached to a force sensor. The usability of the phantom was evaluated by performing automated EA insertions using an automated hydraulic insertion device. The experiments showed that the insertion forces within the cochlea could be measured without interferences from surrounding structures. Moreover, the artificial skin provided a rigid interface for the insertion tool. The new phantom is a realistic testing and training platform for cochlear implant electrode insertions with the advantage of measureable insertion forces

From eye to machine: shifting authority in color measurement

Given a subject so imbued with contention and conflicting theoretical stances, it is remarkable that automated instruments ever came to replace the human eye as sensitive arbiters of color specification. Yet, dramatic shifts in assumptions and practice did occur in the first half of the twentieth century. How and why was confidence transferred from careful observers to mechanized devices when the property being measured – color – had become so closely identified with human physiology and psychology? A fertile perspective on the problem is via the history of science and technology, paying particular attention to social groups and disciplinary identity to determine how those factors affected their communities’ cognitive territory. There were both common and discordant threads motivating the various technical groups that took on the problems of measuring light and color from the late nineteenth century onwards, and leading them towards the development of appropriate instruments for themselves. The transition from visual to photoelectric methods <i>could</i> be portrayed as a natural evolution, replacing the eye by an alternative roviding more sensitivity and convenience – indeed, this is the conventional positivist view propounded by technical histories. However, the adoption of new measurement technologies seldom is simple, and frequently has a significant cultural component. Beneath this slide towards automation lay a raft of implicit assumptions about objectivity, the nature of the observer, the role of instruments, and the trade-offs between standardization and descriptive power. While espousing rational arguments for a physical detector of color, its proponents weighted their views with tacit considerations. The reassignment of trust from the eye to automated instruments was influenced as much by the historical context as by intellectual factors. I will argue that several distinct aspects were involved, which include the reductive view of color provided by the trichromatic theory; the impetus provided by its association with photometry; the expanding mood for a quantitative and objective approach to scientific observation; and, the pressures for commercial standardization. As suggested by these factors, there was another shift of authority at play: from one technical specialism to another. The regularization of color involved appropriation of the subject by a particular set of social interests: communities of physicists and engineers espousing a ‘physicalist’ interpretation, rather than psychologists and physiologists for whom color was conceived as a more complex phenomenon. Moreover, the sources for automated color measurement, and instrumentation for measuring color, were primarily from the industrial sphere rather than from academic science. To understand these shifts, then, this chapter explores differing views of the importance of observers, machines and automation

Automatic surface defect quantification in 3D

Three-dimensional (3D) non-contact optical methods for surface inspection are of significant interest to many industrial sectors. Many aspects of manufacturing processes have become fully automated resulting in high production volumes. However, this is not necessarily the case for surface defect inspection. Existing human visual analysis of surface defects is qualitative and subject to varying interpretation. Automated 3D non-contact analysis should provide a robust and systematic quantitative approach. However, different 3D optical measurement technologies use different physical principles, interact with surfaces and defects in diverse ways, leading to variation in measurement data. Instrument s native software processing of the data may be non-traceable in nature, leading to significant uncertainty about data quantisation. Sub-millimetric level surface defect artefacts have been created using Rockwell and Vickers hardness testing equipment on various substrates. Four different non-contact surface measurement instruments (Alicona InfiniteFocus G4, Zygo NewView 5000, GFM MikroCAD Lite and Heliotis H3) have been utilized to measure different defect artefacts. The four different 3D optical instruments are evaluated by calibrated step-height created using slipgauges and reference defect artefacts. The experimental results are compared to select the most suitable instrument capable of measuring surface defects in robust manner. This research has identified a need for an automatic tool to quantify surface defect and thus a mathematical solution has been implemented for automatic defect detection and quantification (depth, area and volume) in 3D. A simulated defect softgauge with a known geometry has been developed in order to verify the implemented algorithm and provide mathematical traceability. The implemented algorithm has been identified as a traceable, highly repeatable, and high speed solution to quantify surface defect in 3D. Various industrial components with suspicious features and solder joints on PCB are measured and quantified in order to demonstrate applicability

All Sky Camera for the CTA Atmospheric Calibration work package

The All Sky Camera (ASC) is a passive non-invasive imaging system for rapid night sky atmosphere monitoring. By design, the operation of the ASC will not affect the measurement procedure of the CTA observatory, for which we discuss its application in this report. The data collected should enable improved productivity and increased measurement time for the CTA observatory. The goal of ASC is to identify cloud position, atmosphere attenuation and time evolution of the sky condition, working within the CTA Central Calibration Facilities (CCF) group. Clouds and atmosphere monitoring may allow near-future prediction of the night-sky quality, helping scheduling. Also, in the case of partly cloudy night sky the cameras will identify the uncovered regions of the sky during the operation time, and define potential observable sources that can be measured. By doing so, a higher productivity of the CTA observatory measurements may be possible

Bridges Structural Health Monitoring and Deterioration Detection Synthesis of Knowledge and Technology

INE/AUTC 10.0

Overcoming non-determinism in testing smart devices: how to build models of device behaviour

Justification of smart instruments has become an important topic in the nuclear industry. In practice, however, the publicly available artefacts are often the only source of information about the device. Therefore, in many cases independent black-box testing may be the only way to increase the confidence in the device. In this paper we provide a set of recommendations, which we consider to be the best practices for performing black-box assessments. We present our method of testing smart instruments, in which we use the publicly available artefacts only. We present a test harness and describe a method of test automation. We focus on the analysis of test results, which is made particularly complex by the inherent non determinism in the testing of analogue devices. In the paper we analyse the sources of non-determinism, which for instance may arise from inaccuracy in an analogue measurement made by the device when two alternative actions are possible. We propose three alternative ideas on how to build models of device behaviour, which can cope with this kind of non-determinism. We compare and contrast these three solutions, and express our recommendations. Finally, we use a case study, in which a black box assessment of two similar smart instruments is performed to illustrate the differences between the solutions

Automated testing of developmental satellite communications systems and subsystems

Lower frequency bands allocated for satellite communications use are becoming saturated due to steadily increasing demand. An ongoing program to develop the new technologies required to meet the demands of future systems is described. Higher frequency components and more efficient system techniques are developed. In order to accurately evaluate the performance of these technologies, an automated test system was designed and built. The automated system's design an capabilities are discussed