Optimizing Information Gathering for Environmental Monitoring Applications

The goal of environmental monitoring is to collect information from the environment and to generate an accurate model for a specific phenomena of interest. We can distinguish environmental monitoring applications into two macro areas that have different strategies for acquiring data from the environment. On one hand the use of fixed sensors deployed in the environment allows a constant monitoring and a steady flow of information coming from a predetermined set of locations in space. On the other hand the use of mobile platforms allows to adaptively and rapidly choose the sensing locations based on needs. For some applications (e.g. water monitoring) this can significantly reduce costs associated with monitoring compared with classical analysis made by human operators. However, both cases share a common problem to be solved. The data collection process must consider limited resources and the key problem is to choose where to perform observations (measurements) in order to most effectively acquire information from the environment and decrease the uncertainty about the analyzed phenomena. We can generalize this concept under the name of information gathering. In general, maximizing the information that we can obtain from the environment is an NP-hard problem. Hence, optimizing the selection of the sampling locations is crucial in this context. For example, in case of mobile sensors the problem of reducing uncertainty about a physical process requires to compute sensing trajectories constrained by the limited resources available, such as, the battery lifetime of the platform or the computation power available on board. This problem is usually referred to as Informative Path Planning (IPP). In the other case, observation with a network of fixed sensors requires to decide beforehand the specific locations where the sensors has to be deployed. Usually the process of selecting a limited set of informative locations is performed by solving a combinatorial optimization problem that model the information gathering process. This thesis focuses on the above mentioned scenario. Specifically, we investigate diverse problems and propose innovative algorithms and heuristics related to the optimization of information gathering techniques for environmental monitoring applications, both in case of deployment of mobile and fixed sensors. Moreover, we also investigate the possibility of using a quantum computation approach in the context of information gathering optimization

Unsupervised activity recognition for autonomous water drones

We propose an automatic system aimed at discovering relevant activities for aquatic drones employed in water monitoring applications. The methodology exploits unsupervised time series segmentation to pursue two main goals: i) to support on-line decision making of drones and operators, ii) to support off-line analysis of large datasets collected by drones. The main novelty of our approach consists of its unsupervised nature, which enables to analyze unlabeled data. We investigate different variants of the proposed approach and validate them using an annotated dataset having labels for activity \u201cupstream/downstream navigation\u201d. Obtained results are encouraging in terms of clustering purity and silhouette which reach values greater than 0.94 and 0.20, respectively, in the best models

Acta kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis. 13(Supplement)

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1227224*es

The building of an accurate 3D physical model of the skull and maxillary dentition.

3D rapid prototyping is a useful tool for the production of 3D models of the human skull taken from cone beam computed tomography scans. Although the accuracy of these models is acceptable the dentition is distorted. The aim of the study is to replace the inaccurately reproduced dental arch of a 3D printed skull model with accurate, correctly proportioned plaster teeth, obtained from a dental impression. 6 dried human skulls were scanned using a Faro laser arm scanner. Impressions of the dentition were taken using silicone impression material. Plaster dental casts were produced using dental stone. Following removal of the inaccurate dentition from the 3D printed skull model, the corresponding plaster dental cast was attached to the 3D printed skull model using a custom designed technique. The six modified 3D printed skull models with replaced dentition were laser scanned using a Faro arm. VRmesh software was used to superimpose the laser scanned skull images

Effects of obesity and resistance exercise on bone health studied with modern imaging methods

Altered metabolic states, such as obesity and resistance exercise, may affect bone health either in a negative or positive manner. In clinical practice, bone health may be easily understood as a synonym for bone mineral density or osteoporosis, which is defined as a skeletal disorder resulting from decreased bone strength. In addition, bone glucose metabolism and bone marrow adiposity may contribute to bone overall health status. The aims of this thesis were to investigate the effects of obesity and resistance exercise on bone glucose metabolism, bone marrow adiposity and bone mineral density using modern imaging methods, such as positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and quantitative computed tomography, in various study settings. It was found that obesity did not alter bone glucose metabolism or bone marrow adiposity. However, resistance exercise resulted in improved bone glucose metabolism and bone mineral density. In conclusion, resistance exercise, but not obesity, had an impact on bone health studied with modern imaging methods. The obtained results may offer new insights into quantification and into the follow-up of bone health during altered metabolic conditions. In addition, more individualized and accurately allocated lifestyle interventions may be administered in the treatment or prevention of diseases associated with obesity or insulin resistance.Ylipainon ja lihasvoimaharjoittelun vaikutus luun terveyteen tutkittuna modernien kuvantamismenetelmien avulla Aineenvaihduntaa muuntelevat fysiologiset tilat kuten lihavuus ja lihasvoimaharjoittelu voivat mahdollisesti vaikuttaa luun terveyteen joko negatiivisesti tai positiivisesti. Luun terveys kuitenkin ymmärretään usein vain synonyymina luuntiheydelle tai osteoporoosille, joka on luun alentuneesta lujuudesta johtuva sairaus. Luun terveyteen voi kuitenkin olla osallisena muitakin vähemmän tunnettuja potentiaalisia tekijöitä kuten luun sokeriaineenvaihdunta ja luuytimen rasvoittuminen. Väitöskirjan tarkoituksena oli tutkia lihavuuden ja lihasvoimaharjoittelun vaikutuksia luun sokeriaineenvaihduntaan, luuytimen rasvoittumiseen sekä luuntiheyteen modernien kuvantamismenetelmien kuten positroniemissiotomografian, magneettikuvauksen ja kvantitatiivisen tietokonetomografian avulla erilaisissa tutkimusasetelmissa. Tulosten mukaan lihavuudella ei ollut vaikutusta luun sokeriaineenvaihduntaan tai luuytimen rasvoittumiseen. Sen sijaan lihasvoimaharjoittelu näytti parantavan luun sokeriaineenvaihduntaa ja luuntiheyttä. Yhteenvetona voidaan siis todeta, että lihasvoimaharjoittelulla on positiivinen vaikutus luun terveyteen modernien kuvantamismenetelmien avulla tutkittuna. Sen sijaan lihavuudella ei ole siihen vaikutusta. Väitöskirjatutkimuksen tulokset voivat tuottaa uusia oivalluksia aineenvaihdunnallisiin häiriötiloihin liittyvässä luun terveyden määrittämisessä ja seurannassa. Lisäksi tuloksia soveltaen voidaan suunnitella aiempaa yksilöllisempiä ja kohdistetumpia elämäntapainterventioita lihavuuteen ja insuliiniresistenssiin liittyvien luun häiriötilojen ehkäisyssä ja hoidossa.Siirretty Doriast

A research on footwear and foot interaction through anatomy and human engineering

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, Industrial Design, Izmir, 2005Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 144)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxix, 155 leavesThe main purpose of this thesis is to examine the footwear design from the human engineering point of view. Traditionally, the concern of the designer has mostly concerned to the form in footwear design field, but user and environment-conscious designer should think about the value and compatibility of the footwear to experience comfort, performance, safety and satisfaction during use. To develop the "Footwear Design" in a human centered way, the designer should be able to synthesis the datum of design that had been analyzed from the "Human Engineering. point of view and able to assess or evaluate which design solution is better and compatible for human mobility.The basic aim of this study is to help designers to comprehend the conceptual infrastructure of footwear and foot interaction such as anatomy, anthropometry, biomechanics, physical characteristics, and ergonomics.One of the main purposes of chapter 2 is to examine the every aspect of industrial product design from the human engineering point of view and in this context, the definition of footwear design elements.In chapter 3, the foot structure is analyzed from the anatomical, morphological and biomechanical point of view with respect to foot-footwear interaction and human engineering and the Failings of modern footwear design and its discordant features and detrimental manner for the foot natural characteristics are examined to attract the attention of the designers for perceiving the responsibility that they have.In chapter 4, there are two main sections which contain fundamental design criteria through foot- footwear interaction and ergonomic considerations. Then the innovative and affirmative characteristic of modern footwear design is analyzed to encourage the designer to design the better products to drive the footwear design to new heights with respect to human nature using appropriate materials and appropriate forms

Embodied interaction with visualization and spatial navigation in time-sensitive scenarios

Paraphrasing the theory of embodied cognition, all aspects of our cognition are determined primarily by the contextual information and the means of physical interaction with data and information. In hybrid human-machine systems involving complex decision making, continuously maintaining a high level of attention while employing a deep understanding concerning the task performed as well as its context are essential. Utilizing embodied interaction to interact with machines has the potential to promote thinking and learning according to the theory of embodied cognition proposed by Lakoff. Additionally, the hybrid human-machine system utilizing natural and intuitive communication channels (e.g., gestures, speech, and body stances) should afford an array of cognitive benefits outstripping the more static forms of interaction (e.g., computer keyboard). This research proposes such a computational framework based on a Bayesian approach; this framework infers operator\u27s focus of attention based on the physical expressions of the operators. Specifically, this work aims to assess the effect of embodied interaction on attention during the solution of complex, time-sensitive, spatial navigational problems. Toward the goal of assessing the level of operator\u27s attention, we present a method linking the operator\u27s interaction utility, inference, and reasoning. The level of attention was inferred through networks coined Bayesian Attentional Networks (BANs). BANs are structures describing cause-effect relationships between operator\u27s attention, physical actions and decision-making. The proposed framework also generated a representative BAN, called the Consensus (Majority) Model (CMM); the CMM consists of an iteratively derived and agreed graph among candidate BANs obtained by experts and by the automatic learning process. Finally, the best combinations of interaction modalities and feedback were determined by the use of particular utility functions. This methodology was applied to a spatial navigational scenario; wherein, the operators interacted with dynamic images through a series of decision making processes. Real-world experiments were conducted to assess the framework\u27s ability to infer the operator\u27s levels of attention. Users were instructed to complete a series of spatial-navigational tasks using an assigned pairing of an interaction modality out of five categories (vision-based gesture, glove-based gesture, speech, feet, or body balance) and a feedback modality out of two (visual-based or auditory-based). Experimental results have confirmed that physical expressions are a determining factor in the quality of the solutions in a spatial navigational problem. Moreover, it was found that the combination of foot gestures with visual feedback resulted in the best task performance (p\u3c .001). Results have also shown that embodied interaction-based multimodal interface decreased execution errors that occurred in the cyber-physical scenarios (p \u3c .001). Therefore we conclude that appropriate use of interaction and feedback modalities allows the operators maintain their focus of attention, reduce errors, and enhance task performance in solving the decision making problems

Potential of the Osteoclast’s Proton Pump as a Drug Target in Osteoporosis

Decreasing bone mass during aging predisposes to fractures and it is estimated that every second woman and one in five men will suffer osteoporotic fractures during their lifetime. Bone is an adaptive tissue undergoing continuous remodeling in response to physical and metabolic stimuli. Bone mass decreases through a net negative balance in the bone remodeling process of bone, in which the new bone incompletely replaces the resorbed bone mass. Bone resorption is carried out by the osteoclasts; the bone mineral is solubilized by acidification and the organic matrix is subsequently degraded by proteases. Several classes of drugs are available for prevention of osteoporotic fractures. They act by different mechanisms to increase bone mass, and some of them act mainly as antiresorptives by inhibition of osteoclast formation or their function. Optimally, a drug should act selectively on a specific process, since other processes affected usually result in adverse effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the osteoclastic vacuolar adenosine trisphosphatases (V-ATPase), which drives the solubilization of bone mineral, can be selectively inhibited despite its ubiquitous cellular functions. The V-ATPase is a multimeric protein composed of 13 subunits of which six possesses two or more isoforms. Selectivity for the osteoclastic V-ATPase could be provided if it has some structural uniqueness, such as a unique isoform combination. The a3 isoform of the 116kDa subunit is inevitable for bone resorption; however, it is also present in, and mainly limited to, the lysosomes of other cells. No evidence of a structural uniqueness of the osteoclastic V-ATPase compared to the lysosomal V-ATPase was found, although this can not yet be excluded. Thus, an inhibitor selective for the a3 isoform would target the lysosomal V-ATPase as well. However, the results suggest that selectivity for bone resorption over lysosomal function can be obtained by two other mechanisms, suggesting that isoform a3 is a valid target. The first is differential compensation; bone resorption depends on the high level of a3 expression, and is not compensated for by other isoforms, while the lower level of a3 in lysosomes of other cells may be partly compensated for. The second mechanism is because the bone resorption process itself is fundamentally different from lysosomal acidification because of the chemistry of bone dissolution and the anatomy of the resorbing osteoclast. By this mechanism, full inhibition of bone resorption is obtained with more than tenfold lower inhibitor concentration than those needed to fully inhibit lysosomal acidification. The two mechanisms are additive. Based on the results, we suggest that bone resorption can be selectively inhibited if VATPase inhibitors that are sufficiently selective for the a3 isoform over the other isoforms are developed.Siirretty Doriast

Leisure and recreation in New Zealand: A research register (1974-1991)

In March 1990 the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at Lincoln University was commissioned and funded, in part, by the Hillary Commission for Recreation and Sport (now Sport, Fitness and Leisure) to compile a comprehensive register of research into leisure and recreation in New Zealand. The financial support of the Hillary Commission and Lincoln University must be recognised.A register of research on leisure and recreation is important to researchers, practitioners and students as well as to the generral public. The value of such a register is enhanced when it is assembled in concise format for easy reference and when it is an extension of similar projects from previous years. This register builds usefully on, and complements the earlier bibliographies of Jorgensen (1974), Neave (1977) and Middleton (1981), all of which are referenced in the present publication. The major aim of this project is to make available to researchers, and others interested in research, a listing of much of the research which has been conducted on this topic since 1974. The volume will assist researchers to locate reports or papers of interest and for their work. It provides a reasonably comprehensive picture of recreation research activity in New Zealand. Leisure and recreation research in New Zealand has been undertaken by a wide range of individuals and organisations, with much of this research not being readily accessible. Access to this infonnation was gained by researchers and practitioners drawing our attention to people and organisations involved in relevant research which otherwise might have been neglected. In addition the papers and reports held by libraries, unpublished material and research in progress is included in this volume. It is envisaged that the register, and in particular the researcher/practitioner listing, will have the useful outcome of putting researchers in touch with each other. Experience suggests that direct discourse between researchers is often as valuable as reading formal research reports. Leisure and recreation has been defined in the broadest terms. embracing recreational tourism and travel, sport and physical education, arts and cultural activities, outdoor recreation, home-based leisure, non-formal learning, and including those activities and experiences not always recognised as recreational, such as drinking, gambling and vandalism. Similarly, the settings and situations are many and varied, including leisure centres, sports fields, libraries, urban sub-divisions, rivers, ski-fields, national parks, beaches, hotels, restaurants, botanical gardens, zoos and shopping centres to name but a few. The disciplinary focus includes research relating to the social, natural and medical sciences, as well as the practical application of these. The nature of research has been interpreted widely, and includes not only empirical research, but also work which is conceptual and has a policy focus