Precision Livestock Farming IT Support Model for the Poultry Industry

The presented work proposes a practical approach to bird weight data processing and augmentation to enable production outcome forecast model training, which contributes to higher productivity. We suggest using the parametrized model, where parameter values are found through genetic optimization and thus are closely corresponding to broiler body weight factual measurements. The proposed approach is implemented as a stand-alone software system, exposing the models through containerized web services enabling different use scenarios

The impact of body mass index on disease progression in ankylosing spondylitis

Publisher Copyright: © 2018 De Gruyter Open Ltd. All rights reserved.Obesity can be a factor that affects the course of chronic systemic inflammatory arthritis. The objective of this study was to characterise patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) according to an evaluation of their body mass index (BMI) and by exploring the link between the overweightness and obesity with routinely measured disease-specific variables, including disease activity (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index BASDAI; Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, using CRP, ASDAScrp), spinal mobility (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, BASMI), functional capacity (BASFI), extraspinal manifestations like fatigue, uveitis, and peripheral arthritis present during the course of the disease. A total of 107 patients were included in the cross-sectional study fulfilling the modified New York criteria for AS. Patients were divided into three groups: with the evaluation of BMI 30.0 (obesity). The mean BMI was 25.13 (SD 4.07). 33% of patients were overweight and 15% were obese. The mean values of age, duration of AS, ASDAScrp, BASDAI, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), BASMI, pain in spine, and fatigue in the group with BMI < 24.9 were lower than in the other groups (p < 0.05). There was no difference between groups in age of AS onset, uveitis and peripheral arthritis. AS patients who were overweight or obese had a higher level of the disease activity, pain, fatigue, functional disability and spinal mobility impairment with worse values in the case of obesity.publishersversionPeer reviewe

The Conceptual Model for Reliable Multi-Robot Map Merging

This article addresses multi-robot map merging and the problem of acquiring reliable merging results. The conceptual model of the multi-robot map merging in the context of mapping is presented. The model can be used to dynamically propose and reject map merging hypotheses without losing the information acquired after the map merging. It consists out of three modules (Global map merging module, Local map merging module and Hypothesis verification module), and each module fulfills an important role to ensure that the map merging is reliable and easily reversible

Map Merging in the Context of Image Processing

The area of map merging is tightly connected to the area of image processing. Usually metric maps created by robots are represented as occupancy grids. It is easy to apply algorithms used in image processing to this kind of map representation. The image processing subfield that is closest to the map merging is the image registration. It can be assumed that metric map merging methods similarly to the image registration methods consist of three components: feature space, search strategy and similarity metric. Algorithms from image processing can also be used in map merging for map preprocessing. The goal of this paper is to explore similarities between the fields of map merging and image processing and to determine how the results of this research can be used for the development of a map merging framework and consequently new map merging approaches

Metrisku karšu apvienošanas metodes realizācija

Karšu apvienošana ir aktuāla problēma telpas izpētē ar vairākiem robotiem. Katrs no robotiem izpēta savu telpas daļu un sastāda daļēju karti. Lai iegūtu pilnīgu telpas karti, šīs daļējās kartes ir jāapvieno. Īpaši sarežģīta šī problēma ir gadījumā, ja roboti sastāda metriskas kartes – kartes, kurās ir tikai ģeometriska informācija, bet nav strukturālas informācijas. Rakstā ir aplūkota vienas metrisku karšu apvienošanas metodes realizācija un veikti eksperimenti ar izstrādāto programmatūru. Raksta mērķis ir aprakstīt metodes realizācijas gaitu, kā arī eksperimentāli noteikt metodes priekšrocības un trūkumus

Metrisku karšu apvienošanas metodes realizācija

Karšu apvienošana ir aktuāla problēma telpas izpētē ar vairākiem robotiem. Katrs no robotiem izpēta savu telpas daļu un sastāda daļēju karti. Lai iegūtu pilnīgu telpas karti, šīs daļējās kartes ir jāapvieno. Īpaši sarežģīta šī problēma ir gadījumā, ja roboti sastāda metriskas kartes – kartes, kurās ir tikai ģeometriska informācija, bet nav strukturālas informācijas. Rakstā ir aplūkota vienas metrisku karšu apvienošanas metodes realizācija un veikti eksperimenti ar izstrādāto programmatūru. Raksta mērķis ir aprakstīt metodes realizācijas gaitu, kā arī eksperimentāli noteikt metodes priekšrocības un trūkumus

The Influence of the Map Merging Order on the Resulting Global Map in Multi-Robot Mapping

An important prerequisite for creation of an autonomous robot is the ability to create the map of the environment. While the use of robot teams becomes more and more widely used, the issue of robot coordination becomes one of the central questions to be addressed. If multiple robots are used for the exploration of the environment, their collected information has to be fused into one general global map. This problem is called map merging. In the case, when more than two robots map the environment, it is possible that the order of map merging can influence the quality of the result – the global map. However, most researches in the map merging field address the problem as if the recommended order of map merging were known. The goal of this paper is to prove that the merging order can greatly influence the resulting global map and discuss the consequences this knowledge makes in the mapping process

Hibrīdas karšu apvienošanas metodes izstrādāšana un realizēšana

Promocijas darbā izstrādātā metode piedāvā alternatīvu risinājumu, kā apvienot metriskas robotu sastādītas kartes un kā rīkoties kļūdainas karšu apvienošanas gadījumā. Metode risina karšu apvienošanas problēmu gan lokālā (divu metrisku karšu apvienošana bez informācijas par to savstarpējo novietojumu), gan globālā (rezultāta pārbaude un karšu apvienošanas atgriezeniskums) līmenī

Reliable Multi-Robot Map Merging of Inaccurate Maps

The multi-robot teams have a potential to significantly speed up the mapping process of the environment, compared to the single robot mapping. However, in multi-robot case the problem of merging the information collected by individual robots must be addressed. There are many map merging approaches that allow the fusion of the maps, when the relative positions of the robots are known initially or are discovered during the mapping. The case, when relative positions of robots are unknown, is considered by relatively few researchers. This paper presents a novel method of map merging during multi-robot exploration, when the relative positions of the robots are not known

Robot Map Similarity Evaluation for Non-Identical Maps

When several robots explore the same environment, it is at some point necessary to merge their local maps into a global map to exploit the full potential of the robot team. Efficient multi-robot task coordination is virtually impossible without a common interpretation of the environment. If there is no information available about the relative positioning of the robots or if this information is uncertain, the evaluation of the map merging result is a vital step in the creation of a global map. The proposed map similarity evaluation offers a way to successfully evaluate the similarity of occupancy grid maps that are not locally identical