Optimizing the Pole Properties in Pole Vaulting by Using Genetic Algorithm Based on Frequency Analysis

Abstract. The pole vaulting is a sport with a long history involving complex dynamic motion. The aim of pole vaulting for the athlete is to achieve maximum height. The dynamic behavior of the pole-athlete system is identical to an inverted pendulum system with the buckling pole acting as a spring. The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of factors on the pole vaulting performance such as the initial velocity of the athlete, pole stiffness and length. The best results are obtained when all the stored potential energy in the pole is released with the pole reaching the 90 degrees condition for success. The natural frequency of the poleathlete system is obtained by Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The storing and releasing time of potential energy should be equal to half the natural period. Based on this condition the pole length and stiffness are determined by using Genetic Algorithm (GA) so as to achieve maximum height. This paper presents an optimization procedure to design a flexible pole based on the frequency analysis. The result of this research can be utilized in sport industries to design optimum poles

Robust Single-view Cone-beam X-ray Pose Estimation with Neural Tuned Tomography (NeTT) and Masked Neural Radiance Fields (mNeRF)

Many tasks performed in image-guided, mini-invasive, medical procedures can be cast as pose estimation problems, where an X-ray projection is utilized to reach a target in 3D space. Expanding on recent advances in the differentiable rendering of optically reflective materials, we introduce new methods for pose estimation of radiolucent objects using X-ray projections, and we demonstrate the critical role of optimal view synthesis in performing this task. We first develop an algorithm (DiffDRR) that efficiently computes Digitally Reconstructed Radiographs (DRRs) and leverages automatic differentiation within TensorFlow. Pose estimation is performed by iterative gradient descent using a loss function that quantifies the similarity of the DRR synthesized from a randomly initialized pose and the true fluoroscopic image at the target pose. We propose two novel methods for high-fidelity view synthesis, Neural Tuned Tomography (NeTT) and masked Neural Radiance Fields (mNeRF). Both methods rely on classic Cone-Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT); NeTT directly optimizes the CBCT densities, while the non-zero values of mNeRF are constrained by a 3D mask of the anatomic region segmented from CBCT. We demonstrate that both NeTT and mNeRF distinctly improve pose estimation within our framework. By defining a successful pose estimate to be a 3D angle error of less than 3 deg, we find that NeTT and mNeRF can achieve similar results, both with overall success rates more than 93%. However, the computational cost of NeTT is significantly lower than mNeRF in both training and pose estimation. Furthermore, we show that a NeTT trained for a single subject can generalize to synthesize high-fidelity DRRs and ensure robust pose estimations for all other subjects. Therefore, we suggest that NeTT is an attractive option for robust pose estimation using fluoroscopic projections

The unfinished agenda of communicable diseases among children and adolescents before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Communicable disease control has long been a focus of global health policy. There have been substantial reductions in the burden and mortality of communicable diseases among children younger than 5 years, but we know less about this burden in older children and adolescents, and it is unclear whether current programmes and policies remain aligned with targets for intervention. This knowledge is especially important for policy and programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to systematically characterise the burden of communicable diseases across childhood and adolescence. METHODS: In this systematic analysis of the GBD study from 1990 to 2019, all communicable diseases and their manifestations as modelled within GBD 2019 were included, categorised as 16 subgroups of common diseases or presentations. Data were reported for absolute count, prevalence, and incidence across measures of cause-specific mortality (deaths and years of life lost), disability (years lived with disability [YLDs]), and disease burden (disability-adjusted life-years [DALYs]) for children and adolescents aged 0-24 years. Data were reported across the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and across time (1990-2019), and for 204 countries and territories. For HIV, we reported the mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) as a measure of health system performance. FINDINGS: In 2019, there were 3·0 million deaths and 30·0 million years of healthy life lost to disability (as measured by YLDs), corresponding to 288·4 million DALYs from communicable diseases among children and adolescents globally (57·3% of total communicable disease burden across all ages). Over time, there has been a shift in communicable disease burden from young children to older children and adolescents (largely driven by the considerable reductions in children younger than 5 years and slower progress elsewhere), although children younger than 5 years still accounted for most of the communicable disease burden in 2019. Disease burden and mortality were predominantly in low-SDI settings, with high and high-middle SDI settings also having an appreciable burden of communicable disease morbidity (4·0 million YLDs in 2019 alone). Three cause groups (enteric infections, lower-respiratory-tract infections, and malaria) accounted for 59·8% of the global communicable disease burden in children and adolescents, with tuberculosis and HIV both emerging as important causes during adolescence. HIV was the only cause for which disease burden increased over time, particularly in children and adolescents older than 5 years, and especially in females. Excess MIRs for HIV were observed for males aged 15-19 years in low-SDI settings. INTERPRETATION: Our analysis supports continued policy focus on enteric infections and lower-respiratory-tract infections, with orientation to children younger than 5 years in settings of low socioeconomic development. However, efforts should also be targeted to other conditions, particularly HIV, given its increased burden in older children and adolescents. Older children and adolescents also experience a large burden of communicable disease, further highlighting the need for efforts to extend beyond the first 5 years of life. Our analysis also identified substantial morbidity caused by communicable diseases affecting child and adolescent health across the world. FUNDING: The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence for Driving Investment in Global Adolescent Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Multi-web timber-based beams filled with injected polyurethane

paper describes a study on the effects of injected polyurethane foam on the structural performance and durability of ply-webbed composite timber beams. The beams comprised timber or LVL flanges with 9mm thick three-ply plywood webs. Profiles considered included Double-I, Box, recess, Boxed-I and Boxed double-I, beams in 2.10m and 4.35 m spans with and without polyurethane infill. Structural performance of the empty and filled beams was examined with regard to their bending, shear and bearing capacities. Accelerated ageing methods were also employed to study the long-term durability of the beams. For example, Box beams of 2.10m span were exposed successively to different 'weathering' conditions in hot water, in a steam room, in a freezer and in a drying kiln. This cycle was repeated six times and at each stage the apparent modulus of elasticity and the maximum shear strength of the beams were measured. It was found that the infill material enhanced the bearing capacity of the beams by up to 23% and enhanced the beam stiffness by up to 7%, but the infill had an insignificant effect on beam bending capacities. Exposing the beams to the severe weathering conditions did not caused any delamination; however the effects of the cyclic procedure were more severe on unfilled beams, reducing bending capacity by 20%, in comparison to the filled ones

The Impact of Different Weather Files on London Detached Residential Building Performance-Deterministic, Uncertainty, and Sensitivity Analysis on CIBSE TM48 and CIBSE TM49 Future Weather Variables Using CIBSE TM52 as Overheating Criteria

Though uncertainties of input variables may have significant implications on building simulations, they are quite often not identified, quantified, or included in building simulations results. This paper considers climatic deterministic, uncertainty, and sensitivity analysis through a series of simulations using the CIBSE UKCIP02 future weather years, CIBSE TM48 for design summer years (DSYs), and the latest CIBSE TM49 DSY future weather data which incorporates the UKCP09 projections to evaluate the variance and the impact of differing London future weather files on indoor operative temperature of a detached dwelling in the United Kingdom using the CIBSE TM52 overheating criteria. The work analyses the variability of comparable weather data set to identify the most influential weather parameters that contribute to thermal comfort implications for these dwellings. The choice of these weather files is to ascertain their differences, as their development is underpinned by different climatic projections. The overall pattern of the variability of the UKCIP02 and UKCP09 Heathrow weather data sets under Monte Carlo sensitivity consideration do not seem to be very different from each other. The deterministic results show that the operative temperatures of the UKCIP02 are slightly higher than those of UKCP09, with the UKCP09 having a narrow range of operative temperatures. The Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis quantified and affirmed the dry bulb and radiant temperatures as the most influential weather parameters that affect thermal comfort on dwellings

Influence of cross-section on the strength of timber beams.

This paper investigates the strength and deformation characteristics of lightweight timber composite beams manufactured with six different cross-sectional profiles in comparison with readily available laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and glued-laminated (Glulam) beams. All engineered profiles comprised solid timber or LVL flanges and three-ply plywood webs. The number of webs varied from one to four. The beams had an overall depth of 290 mm and were either 88 mm or 106 mm wide. A study was conducted to provide a comparison of the beam designs and to determine possible effects of cross-sectional configuration and connection details on the structural properties of the beams. To enable a realistic analysis, 12 beams were replicated for each design. The individual components of the beams were tested prior to assembly to obtain the modulus of elasticity and shear modulus and were grouped to provide an even distribution of the material properties. The addition of extra webs to the I-beam profile significantly enhanced the bending and shear capacity of the beam while maintaining a high strength to weight ratio. The boxed I-beam proved to be the most efficient to manufacture and displayed superior structural performance compared with the rest of the profiles in terms of flexural stiffness and bending and shear capacity. The experimental results confirmed the significant contribution of the shear deflection to the total deflection of the I-beams, box beams and even solid section beams

Preoperative Factors as Predictors of Blood Product Transfusion Requirements in Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Context-Intraoperative transfusion can affect the chance of graft survival in liver transplantation, a complicated operation with massive blood loss. Verification of factors that are predictive of intraoperative blood loss and transfusion increases the quality of anesthesia management. Objective-To assess use of blood and blood products between 2002 and 2008 and to evaluate factors associated with blood loss and requirement for blood products in adult patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation via piggyback technique. Design-Medical charts and anesthesia records from 261 eligible adult recipients of an orthotopic liver transplant between March 2002 and May 2008 were reviewed. Setting-Shiraz Liver Transplantation Center, the only active liver transplantation center in Iran. Main Outcome Measures-Potential influencing factors in blood loss and transfusion, including sex, preoperative hemoglobin level, international normalized ratio, primary diagnosis, platelet count, creatinine level, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, central venous pressure, and total anesthesia time, were measured and subjected to multivariable analysis. Results-Mean blood loss was 54.2 (SD, 47.9) mL/kg, the mean (SD) for amounts of blood products transfused was 25.3 (19.5) mL/kg for packed red blood cells, 2.6 (3.3) units for fresh frozen plasma, and 1.7 (3.1) units for platelets. Seven recipients (2.7%) underwent transplantation without intraoperative transfusion of red blood cells, whereas 25 patients (9.6%) received more than 10 units of red blood cells intraoperatively. Multivariable analysis showed that no preoperative factor was a predictor of blood loss or requirement for intraoperative transfusion. Transfusion of fresh frozen plasma and packed red blood cells was significantly lower in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 than in 2003 to 2004 (P<.001). (Progress in Transplantation. 2011;21:254-259