Fireground location understanding by semantic linking of visual objects and building information models

This paper presents an outline for improved localization and situational awareness in fire emergency situations based on semantic technology and computer vision techniques. The novelty of our methodology lies in the semantic linking of video object recognition results from visual and thermal cameras with Building Information Models (BIM). The current limitations and possibilities of certain building information streams in the context of fire safety or fire incident management are addressed in this paper. Furthermore, our data management tools match higher-level semantic metadata descriptors of BIM and deep-learning based visual object recognition and classification networks. Based on these matches, estimations can be generated of camera, objects and event positions in the BIM model, transforming it from a static source of information into a rich, dynamic data provider. Previous work has already investigated the possibilities to link BIM and low-cost point sensors for fireground understanding, but these approaches did not take into account the benefits of video analysis and recent developments in semantics and feature learning research. Finally, the strengths of the proposed approach compared to the state-of-the-art is its (semi -)automatic workflow, generic and modular setup and multi-modal strategy, which allows to automatically create situational awareness, to improve localization and to facilitate the overall fire understanding

Smart Textiles Production

The research field of smart textiles is currently witnessing a rapidly growing number of applications integrating intelligent functions in textile substrates. With an increasing amount of new developed product prototypes, the number of materials used and that of specially designed production technologies are also growing. This book is intended to provide an overview of materials, production technologies, and product concepts to different groups concerned with smart textiles. It will help designers to understand the possibilities of smart textile production, so that they are enabled to design this type of products. It will also help textile and electronics manufacturers to understand which production technologies are suitable to meet certain product requirements

Real-time human ambulation, activity, and physiological monitoring:taxonomy of issues, techniques, applications, challenges and limitations

Automated methods of real-time, unobtrusive, human ambulation, activity, and wellness monitoring and data analysis using various algorithmic techniques have been subjects of intense research. The general aim is to devise effective means of addressing the demands of assisted living, rehabilitation, and clinical observation and assessment through sensor-based monitoring. The research studies have resulted in a large amount of literature. This paper presents a holistic articulation of the research studies and offers comprehensive insights along four main axes: distribution of existing studies; monitoring device framework and sensor types; data collection, processing and analysis; and applications, limitations and challenges. The aim is to present a systematic and most complete study of literature in the area in order to identify research gaps and prioritize future research directions

Biosensing and Actuation—Platforms Coupling Body Input-Output Modalities for Affective Technologies

Research in the use of ubiquitous technologies, tracking systems and wearables within mental health domains is on the rise. In recent years, affective technologies have gained traction and garnered the interest of interdisciplinary fields as the research on such technologies matured. However, while the role of movement and bodily experience to affective experience is well-established, how to best address movement and engagement beyond measuring cues and signals in technology-driven interactions has been unclear. In a joint industry-academia effort, we aim to remodel how affective technologies can help address body and emotional self-awareness. We present an overview of biosignals that have become standard in low-cost physiological monitoring and show how these can be matched with methods and engagements used by interaction designers skilled in designing for bodily engagement and aesthetic experiences. Taking both strands of work together offers unprecedented design opportunities that inspire further research. Through first-person soma design, an approach that draws upon the designer’s felt experience and puts the sentient body at the forefront, we outline a comprehensive work for the creation of novel interactions in the form of couplings that combine biosensing and body feedback modalities of relevance to affective health. These couplings lie within the creation of design toolkits that have the potential to render rich embodied interactions to the designer/user. As a result we introduce the concept of “orchestration”. By orchestration, we refer to the design of the overall interaction: coupling sensors to actuation of relevance to the affective experience; initiating and closing the interaction; habituating; helping improve on the users’ body awareness and engagement with emotional experiences; soothing, calming, or energising, depending on the affective health condition and the intentions of the designer. Through the creation of a range of prototypes and couplings we elicited requirements on broader orchestration mechanisms. First-person soma design lets researchers look afresh at biosignals that, when experienced through the body, are called to reshape affective technologies with novel ways to interpret biodata, feel it, understand it and reflect upon our bodies

Practical precooling strategies and cycling time trial performance

Whole-body precooling can improve endurance exercise performance, especially in the heat; however there are logistical considerations that restrict the use of various precooling strategies prior to actual competition. Precooling is proposed to collectively reduce deep skin and body temperature and in effect, increase the heat storage capacity of an athlete, thereby allowing a greater amount of work to be completed prior to attainment of a critical core temperature. While there is a sound theoretical basis for implementing precooling to improve cycling time trial performance in the heat, the practicalities of employing effective precooling strategies in the field warrant further investigation. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effectiveness of various practical precooling strategies for reducing core temperature and improving cycling time trial performance in hot (32-35ºC; 50-60% r.h.) and temperate (20-22 ºC; 50-60% r.h.) conditions. The first three studies of this thesis involved the manipulation of body temperature via a range of precooling strategies that were applied under hot and humid environmental conditions. In study 1, eight precooling strategies involving external application or internal ingestion of cold water and ice were evaluated for their effectiveness in lowering deep body temperature, with due consideration regarding their application in a practical setting. The novel strategy identified in this study, which involved the combined application of iced towels and ingestion of an ice-slurry (“slushie”) made from sports drink, was then compared with an established cooling strategy (Study 2). Both the new and established precooling strategies achieved noticeable cooling effects (moderate and very large, respectively) but only the new strategy enhanced mean power output (3%, 8W) during a 46.4 km laboratory-based cycling protocol, with performance improvements detected in the second half of the time trial. This strategy was also found to be practical to implement. In study 3, practical precooling and hyperhydration were evaluated to assess whether their combination offered further benefits to endurance cycling time trial performance, when assessed over the same laboroatory protocol. The main findings indicated that practical precooling and hyperhydration, with and without the co-ingestion of glycerol, failed to achieve a clear enhancement of cycling performance. However, when practical precooling and hyperhydration without glycerol was compared to the control condition (i.e., hyperhydration alone), there was a 2% (30 s) improvement in cycling performance time, which was detected in the second half (climb 2) of the time trial. These improvements may be partially explained by a lower percieved exertion, which was observed during the initial 10 km of the time trial. Study 4 was conducted to validate anecdotal reports and laboratory-based observations of thermoregulatory strain in elite cyclists during a real-life event performed in temperate environmental conditions. The rationale for this study was to determine whether the magnitude of hyperthermia achieved during real-life cycling performed in temperate conditions was high enough to possibly benefit from precooling. Although fluid losses during racing were mild (1.3%), cyclists experienced hyperthermia, at magnitudes typically associated with heat-stress induced fatigue (\u3e67% of observations). Therefore, in the final study of this thesis, the effects of practical precooling on 45.6 km cycling time trial performance was examined in both hot (32˚C) and temperate (21˚C) environmental conditions. The effectiveness of practical precooling was enhanced in temperate conditions, such that there was a greater magnitude of body cooling achieved. However, this strategy failed to provide a clear performance benefit in temperate conditions and instead, was likely to impair performance, particularly in the first (flat) section of the time trial course (-2.3%, 8 W). Collectively, the studies contained within this thesis have contributed to the development of a practical precooling strategy involving the combined application of iced towels and ingestion of a slushie made from sports drink. These studies confirm the effectiveness of this novel strategy in reducing skin and core temperature and enhancing heat storage capacity prior to the commencement of exercise. However, the associated reduction in thermoregulatory strain translates into a performance enhancement in hot, but not temperate conditions. This thesis has provided detailed information regarding the range of factors that may be involved in altering the efficacy of a precooling manoeuvre and offers a highly practical insight into the application of precooling strategies aimed at improving field-based sports performance specific to time trial cycling

Assessment of Heat Stress for Outdoor Work Conditions in Saudi Arabia

Outdoor workers have an increased risk of heat stress in Saudi Arabia since it is one of the hottest places in the Middle East. Recently, the government decided to limit outdoor work hours during the months of June, July, and August every year, and banned working under the direct sunlight from 12:00 to 03:00 p.m., although outdoor workers in the petroleum, natural gas, or emergency maintenance work industries are exempt from this prohibition. Traditionally, the efforts by safety and health professionals to mitigate work-related heat injury has been directed toward the assessment of environmental heat stress (e.g., wet-bulb globe temperature), rather than toward the associated physiological strain responses (e.g., heart rate and core temperatures). However, because a worker’s physiological response to given heat stress is modified independently by individual factors of each worker (e.g., age, sex, chronic disease, others), it becomes challenging to protect workers on an individual basis from heat-related injury without assessing those physiological responses. The primary objective of this study was to examine whether limiting work hours will reduce the risk of heat stress among outdoor workers or not. That can be achieved by (1) examining if the ban on three-month midday outdoor work needs to be extended to cover the period from June 1st to September 30th (2) examining if the midday break between 12:00 pm and 03:00 pm need to be extended by a few more hours. A field study was carried out in Dammam City on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast where the humidity reaches 95% and temperature can reach 47°C (116.6°F) during summer months. The core temperature of 20 subjects matched for age, gender, and experience subjects was monitored while they performed their normal duties in the outdoor environment of Dammam City. The core temperature of these outdoor workers was measured using a novel non-invasive measurement method. The obtained results showed that subjects were under the risk of heat stress over a large part of the workday and their body temperature exceeds the allowable core temperature (38.5°C; 101.3°F) which the ACGIH has proposed to protect workers from experiencing heat stress. The intensity of exposure was high from (10:00-12:00 a.m.) that is not included in the midday break. A control group (non-policy) which did not experience the mid-day break showed essentially the same core body temperature as the experimental (policy) group. Among chief findings was that complying with a midday break work ban (12:00–3:00 p.m.) was not effective in reducing heat stress risk under the conditions and limitations of the design. The policymakers should be informed that this particular policy is not helpful and does not significantly lower core body temperatures. Some policy modifications are suggested which might better impact core body temperatures under these extreme conditions

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 138

This special bibliography lists 343 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in January 1975

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 363)

This bibliography lists 164 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1992. Subject coverage includes aerospace medicine and physiology, life support systems and man/system technology, protective clothing, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, planetary biology, and flight crew behavior and performance