Fibers and fabrics for chemical and biological sensing

Wearable sensors can be used to monitor many interesting parameters about the wearer’s physiology and environment, with important applications in personal health and well-being, sports performance and personal safety. Wearable chemical sensors can monitor the status of the wearer by accessing body fluids, such as sweat, in an unobtrusive manner. They can also be used to protect the wearer from hazards in the environment by sampling potentially harmful gas emissions such as carbon monoxide. Integrating chemical sensors into textile structures is a challenging and complex task. Issues which must be considered include sample collection, calibration, waste handling, fouling and reliability. Sensors must also be durable and comfortable to wear. Here we present examples of wearable chemical sensors that monitor the person and also their environment. We also discuss the issues involved in developing wearable chemical sensors and strategies for sensor design and textile integration

Firefighter and victims protecting solution based on wireless body area network nodes

Interconnectivity between Web systems and sensor networks is used to provide smart services for the Internet of Things. These services are based on data collection and processing to obtain useful information about the supervised environment. With this information it is possible to provide smart services, but some of them must be considered as protected by the legislation regarding privacy of personal data. In order to face this issue, security and privacy mechanisms must be used. So as to deal with the limited resources in sensor networks, these mechanisms must be as lightweight as possible to preserve the enough Quality of Service. However, these mechanisms must fulfill security and privacy requirements defined by the regulations. This paper describes a Wireless Body Area Network application providing services to protect firefighter work in hazardous environments. The firefighter wears a special shirt with sensors embedded. These sensors are able to monitor not only the firefighter health status, but also they can be connected to external sensors in order to monitor the health status of the victims. These external sensors are part of the equipment carried by the firefighter to face the emergencies and save lives. Thus, they are able to obtain external medical aid

THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) IN DISASTER RESPONSE

Disaster management is a complex practice that relies on access to and the usability of critical information to develop strategies for effective decision-making. The emergence of wearable internet of things (IoT) technology has attracted the interests of several major industries, making it one of the fastest-growing technologies to date. This thesis asks, How can disaster management incorporate wearable IoT technology in operations and decision-making practices in disaster response? How IoT is applied in other prominent industries, including construction, manufacturing and distribution, the Department of Defense, and public safety, provides a basis for furthering its application to challenges affecting agency coordination. The critical needs of disaster intelligence in the context of hurricanes, structural collapses, and wildfires are scrutinized to identify gaps that wearable technology could address in terms of information-sharing in multi-agency coordination and the decision-making practices that routinely occur in disaster response. Last, the specifics of wearable technology from the perspective of the private consumer and commercial industry illustrate its potential to improve disaster response but also acknowledge certain limitations including technical capabilities and information privacy and security.Civilian, Virginia Beach Fire Department / FEMA - USAR VATF-2Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Do First Responders Find Active911 Useful?

Mobile technology continues to advance, as does the field of emergency management. Today, emergency management personnel utilize the latest technology in all phases of emergency management, which include mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. This proposed study particularly identifies mobile technology in the response phase of emergency management pertaining to first responders. Specific technologies on the rise in the field of emergency management include mobile applications. Applications such as Active911 were developed in detail for first responders. It was found that not all first responders take advantage of existing technology and the reasons vary. This mixed methods study was created to be a follow-up study based on previous work completed involving Active911’s implementation in the Russellville Fire Department, Arkansas. The survey questions were designed to answer the central research question: Do first responders find Active911 useful? Participants’ responses were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine the trends in each of their responses

The key to mental fatigue:monitoring and counteracting performance decline during prolonged office work

Patterns in typing behavior are sensitive to the effects of mental fatigue, both in an experimental setting and in a work environment. Psychologist Marlon de Jong concludes this on the basis of extensive research into patterns in typing behavior and underlying brain activity during office work. In her research, De Jong shows that younger people type slower and less accurately when they are working for a longer period of time. Older people, on the other hand, continue to perform as accurately after two hours of typing as when they first started the task, however, they do become slower over time. These changes in typing behavior can be used to provide feedback to the employee, but could also provide valuable information for research in the work environment. Behavior can be monitored continuously without having to interrupt regular work activities. This makes it is possible to investigate how (older) employees could be supported in creating more optimal working conditions, for example by planning breaks at the right time. In addition to the well-known positive effect of breaks, caffeine could be used to counteract mental fatigue. De Jong and colleagues have shown that it is better to focus attention on important information in the environment after a cup of coffee. This is an advantage in a dynamic work environment, where it is important that information that is vital for the task at hand is properly processed

Watermark: The Alumni Magazine of the Center for Homeland Defense and Security Center for Information Systems. Spring 2014

Watermark is published semiannually for the alumni of Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS).Topics in this issue: Boston Alumni Discuss Marathon Bombings; Evans Named Boston Police Commissioner; Oso Landslide; Response Bolstered with CHDS Alumni; Cadre of CHDS Alumni at Seattle Fire; Cowboy Cop Rounds Up Career as Terrorism Specialist; Wearable Technology Tested in CHDS; Center Expands Educational Portfolio with Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program; Fusion Centers Critical to Nation's Intelligence Network; Criswell Leads FEMA IMAT East; Zambri Steers L.A.’s Unique Cyber Intrusion Command Center; Former FEMA Associate Administrator Carwile Shares Homeland Security Expertise With PEL

Oral application of L-menthol in the heat: From pleasure to performance

When menthol is applied to the oral cavity it presents with a familiar refreshing sensation and cooling mint flavour. This may be deemed hedonic in some individuals, but may cause irritation in others. This variation in response is likely dependent upon trigeminal sensitivity toward cold stimuli, suggesting a need for a menthol solution that can be easily personalised. Menthol’s characteristics can also be enhanced by matching colour to qualitative outcomes; a factor which can easily be manipulated by practitioners working in athletic or occupational settings to potentially enhance intervention efficacy. This presentation will outline the efficacy of oral menthol application for improving time trial performance to date, either via swilling or via co-ingestion with other cooling strategies, with an emphasis upon how menthol can be applied in ecologically valid scenarios. Situations in which performance is not expected to be enhanced will also be discussed. An updated model by which menthol may prove hedonic, satiate thirst and affect ventilation will also be presented, with the potential performance implications of these findings discussed and modelled. Qualitative reflections from athletes that have implemented menthol mouth swilling in competition, training and maximal exercise will also be included