Review on Smart Electro-Clothing Systems (SeCSs)

This review paper presents an overview of the smart electro-clothing systems (SeCSs) targeted at health monitoring, sports benefits, fitness tracking, and social activities. Technical features of the available SeCSs, covering both textile and electronic components, are thoroughly discussed and their applications in the industry and research purposes are highlighted. In addition, it also presents the developments in the associated areas of wearable sensor systems and textile-based dry sensors. As became evident during the literature research, such a review on SeCSs covering all relevant issues has not been presented before. This paper will be particularly helpful for new generation researchers who are and will be investigating the design, development, function, and comforts of the sensor integrated clothing materials

Desarrollo de un filtro digital para señales foto pletismográficas obtenidas de una tarjeta de adquisición de datos en un entorno de laboratorio

En la presente investigación se hizo un estudio de diversos filtros digitales que puedan cumplir con la tarea de filtrar, en tiempo real, y usando una tarjeta de adquisición de datos (TAD), señales PPG obtenidas para calcular la hemoglobina en la sangre de una persona. Es por esto que, la tarea de filtrar estas señales fotopletismográficas (PPG), es crucial, ya que un mal filtrado puede terminar en un mal cálculo de hemoglobina. El primer paso fue estudiar el estado del arte alrededor del filtrado de señales PPG y así determinar cuáles pueden ser las opciones para hacer el filtrado. Posteriormente, se obtuvieron señales PPG sin filtrar de pacientes para su estudio, lo que permitió determinar los parámetros para los filtros elegidos. Luego de ello se determinaron las ecuaciones y los algoritmos para poder hacer la comparación necesaria para la determinación del filtro. Una vez determinadas las ecuaciones y algoritmos, se procedió a hacer su implementación en PyCharm, usando el lenguaje de programación Python, lo que permitió determinar los indicadores para la comparación de los filtros y la determinación del más eficiente, es decir, que optimice los recursos computacionales disponibles sin consumo excesivo. Una vez realizada la comparación, se determinó, según las necesidades del proyecto, cuál es el filtro que cumplía los requerimientos, lo que resultó en el filtro Butterworth de orden 6. Con la determinación del filtro, se procedió a desarrollarlo en lenguaje C para luego implementarse en el microcontrolador del proyecto, validando que el filtro, funciona según los requerimientos previamente establecidos.In the present investigation a study of many digital filters was made that may accomplish the task of filtering, in real time, and using a data acquisition board (DAQ), PPG signals obtained to calculate hemoglobin in a person’s blood. This is why, the task of filtering these PPG signals, is crucial, because, a bad filtering, may result in a bad hemoglobin calculation. The first step was studying the state of art surrounding photoplethysmographic signal (PPG) filtering, that way, determining which options may do the filtering task. After that, unfiltered PPG signals were obtained from patients, for its study, that way, the parameters needed, could be determined for the study of the chosen filters. After that, the equations and algorithms needed were determined for making the comparison for the filter determination. Once the equations and algorithms needed were determined, the implementation in PyCharm was done, using Python programming language, which allowed us to determine the indicators for the filter’s comparison and the determination of the most efficient one, that it optimizes the available computational resources without excessive consumption. When the comparative table was done, it was determined that, following the project needs, the most adequate filter, turned to be order 6 Butterworth filter. With this result, it was developed the filter in C language so it could be implemented in the microprocessor of the project, validating that this filter, works according to the previously established requirements.Tesi

Aerial Vehicles

This book contains 35 chapters written by experts in developing techniques for making aerial vehicles more intelligent, more reliable, more flexible in use, and safer in operation.It will also serve as an inspiration for further improvement of the design and application of aeral vehicles. The advanced techniques and research described here may also be applicable to other high-tech areas such as robotics, avionics, vetronics, and space

Neolithic land-use in the Dutch wetlands: estimating the land-use implications of resource exploitation strategies in the Middle Swifterbant Culture (4600-3900 BCE)

The Dutch wetlands witness the gradual adoption of Neolithic novelties by foraging societies during the Swifterbant period. Recent analyses provide new insights into the subsistence palette of Middle Swifterbant societies. Small-scale livestock herding and cultivation are in evidence at this time, but their importance if unclear. Within the framework of PAGES Land-use at 6000BP project, we aim to translate the information on resource exploitation into information on land-use that can be incorporated into global climate modelling efforts, with attention for the importance of agriculture. A reconstruction of patterns of resource exploitation and their land-use dimensions is complicated by methodological issues in comparing the results of varied recent investigations. Analyses of organic residues in ceramics have attested to the cooking of aquatic foods, ruminant meat, porcine meat, as well as rare cases of dairy. In terms of vegetative matter, some ceramics exclusively yielded evidence of wild plants, while others preserve cereal remains. Elevated δ15N values of human were interpreted as demonstrating an important aquatic component of the diet well into the 4th millennium BC. Yet recent assays on livestock remains suggest grazing on salt marshes partly accounts for the human values. Finally, renewed archaeozoological investigations have shown the early presence of domestic animals to be more limited than previously thought. We discuss the relative importance of exploited resources to produce a best-fit interpretation of changing patterns of land-use during the Middle Swifterbant phase. Our review combines recent archaeological data with wider data on anthropogenic influence on the landscape. Combining the results of plant macroremains, information from pollen cores about vegetation development, the structure of faunal assemblages, and finds of arable fields and dairy residue, we suggest the most parsimonious interpretation is one of a limited land-use footprint of cultivation and livestock keeping in Dutch wetlands between 4600 and 3900 BCE.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin

Taphonomy, environment or human plant exploitation strategies?: Deciphering changes in Pleistocene-Holocene plant representation at Umhlatuzana rockshelter, South Africa

The period between ~40 and 20 ka BP encompassing the Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) transition has long been of interest because of the associated technological change. Understanding this transition in southern Africa is complicated by the paucity of archaeological sites that span this period. With its occupation sequence spanning the last ~70,000 years, Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter is one of the few sites that record this transition. Umhlatuzana thus offers a great opportunity to study past environmental dynamics from the Late Pleistocene (MIS 4) to the Late Holocene, and past human subsistence strategies, their social organisation, technological and symbolic innovations. Although organic preservation is poor (bones, seeds, and charcoal) at the site, silica phytoliths preserve generally well throughout the sequence. These microscopic silica particles can identify different plant types that are no longer visible at the site because of decomposition or burning to a reliable taxonomical level. Thus, to trace site occupation, plant resource use, and in turn reconstruct past vegetation, we applied phytolith analyses to sediment samples of the newly excavated Umhlatuzana sequence. We present results of the phytolith assemblage variability to determine change in plant use from the Pleistocene to the Holocene and discuss them in relation to taphonomical processes and human plant gathering strategies and activities. This study ultimately seeks to provide a palaeoenvironmental context for modes of occupation and will shed light on past human-environmental interactions in eastern South Africa.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin

Ways and Capacity in Archaeological Data Management in Serbia

Over the past year and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire world has witnessed inequalities across borders and societies. They also include access to archaeological resources, both physical and digital. Both archaeological data creators and users spent a lot of time working from their homes, away from artefact collections and research data. However, this was the perfect moment to understand the importance of making data freely and openly available, both nationally and internationally. This is why the authors of this paper chose to make a selection of data bases from various institutions responsible for preservation and protection of cultural heritage, in order to understand their policies regarding accessibility and usage of the data they keep. This will be done by simple visits to various web-sites or data bases. They intend to check on the volume and content, but also importance of the offered archaeological heritage. In addition, the authors will estimate whether the heritage has adequately been classified and described and also check whether data is available in foreign languages. It needs to be seen whether it is possible to access digital objects (documents and the accompanying metadata), whether access is opened for all users or it requires a certain hierarchy access, what is the policy of usage, reusage and distribution etc. It remains to be seen whether there are public API or whether it is possible to collect data through API. In case that there is a public API, one needs to check whether datasets are interoperable or messy, requiring data cleaning. After having visited a certain number of web-sites, the authors expect to collect enough data to make a satisfactory conclusion about accessibility and usage of Serbian archaeological data web bases