System for Detecting Vehicle Features from Low Quality Data

The paper presents a system that recognizes the make, colour and type of the vehicle. The classification has been performed using low quality data from real-traffic measurement devices. For detecting vehicles’ specific features three methods have been developed. They employ several image and signal recognition techniques, e.g. Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System for colour recognition or Scale Invariant Features Transform for make identification. The obtained results are very promising, especially because only on-site equipment, not dedicated for such application, has been employed. In case of car type, the proposed system has better performance than commonly used inductive loops. Extensive information about the vehicle can be used in many fields of Intelligent Transport Systems, especially for traffic supervision. 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Affective State during Physiotherapy and Its Analysis Using Machine Learning Methods

Invasive or uncomfortable procedures especially during healthcare trigger emotions. Technological development of the equipment and systems for monitoring and recording psychophysiological functions enables continuous observation of changes to a situation responding to a situation. The presented study aimed to focus on the analysis of the individual’s affective state. The results reflect the excitation expressed by the subjects’ statements collected with psychological questionnaires. The research group consisted of 49 participants (22 women and 25 men). The measurement protocol included acquiring the electrodermal activity signal, cardiac signals, and accelerometric signals in three axes. Subjective measurements were acquired for affective state using the JAWS questionnaires, for cognitive skills the DST, and for verbal fluency the VFT. The physiological and psychological data were subjected to statistical analysis and then to a machine learning process using different features selection methods (JMI or PCA). The highest accuracy of the kNN classifier was achieved in combination with the JMI method (81.63%) concerning the division complying with the JAWS test results. The classification sensitivity and specificity were 85.71% and 71.43%

Real-time back surface landmark determination using a Time-of-Flight camera

Postural disorders, their prevention, and therapies are still growing modern problems. The currently used diagnostic methods are questionable due to the exposure to side effects (radiological methods) as well as being time-consuming and subjective (manual methods). Although the computer-aided diagnosis of posture disorders is well developed, there is still the need to improve existing solutions, search for new measurement methods, and create new algorithms for data processing. Based on point clouds from a Time-of-Flight camera, the presented method allows a non-contact, real-time detection of anatomical landmarks on the subject’s back and, thus, an objective determination of trunk surface metrics. Based on a comparison of the obtained results with the evaluation of three independent experts, the accuracy of the obtained results was confirmed. The average distance between the expert indications and method results for all landmarks was 27.73 mm. A direct comparison showed that the compared differences were statically significantly different; however, the effect was negligible. Compared with other automatic anatomical landmark detection methods, ours has a similar accuracy with the possibility of real-time analysis. The advantages of the presented method are non-invasiveness, non-contact, and the possibility of continuous observation, also during exercise. The proposed solution is another step in the general trend of objectivization in physiotherapeutic diagnostics

ROAD TRAFFIC ESTIMATION USING BLUETOOTH SENSORS

The Bluetooth standard is a low-cost, very popular communication protocol offering a wide range of applications in many fields. In this paper, a novel system for road traffic estimation using Bluetooth sensors has been presented. The system consists of three main modules: filtration, statistical analysis of historical, and traffic estimation and prediction. The filtration module is responsible for the classification of road users and detecting measurements that should be removed. Traffic estimation has been performed on the basis of the data collected by Bluetooth measuring devices and information on external conditions (e.g., temperature), all of which have been gathered in the city of Bielsko-Biala (Poland). The obtained results are very promising. The smallest average relative error between the number of cars estimated by the model and the actual traffic was less than 10%

Computer Aided Diagnostics of Developmental Dyslexia

Dysleksja jest przedmiotem wielu badań. Jedną z przyczyn tego zjawiska może być wzrasta-jący w ostatnich latach odsetek społeczeństwa ze zdiagnozowanym problemem specyficznych trudności w nauce (obecnie zdiagnozowaną dysleksję ma ok. 10% uczniów; Brejnak, 2003). Peda-godzy szkolni w ramach posiadanych środków i czasu pracy często nie są w stanie zdiagnozować wszystkich uczniów z problemami w nauce. Zaproponowany uproszczony system o cechach user friendly został wdrożony w dwóch szkołach podstawowych, gdzie został pozytywnie oceniony przez pedagogów szkolnych. Dokładność poszczególnych modułów systemu oscylowała w okolicach 80%, swoistość przyjmowała wartości 90–100%, natomiast czułość wahała się mię-dzy 60 a 70%.Dyslexia is the subject of many studies. One of the reasons for this phenomenon may be the increasing percentage of society with diagnosed problems of specific learning difficulties (current-ly about 10% of pupils have diagnosed dyslexia; Brejnak, 2003). School teachers, with limited time and money, are often unable to diagnose all students with learning disabilities. The proposed system, which is a free alternative to commercially available solutions, was implemented in two primary schools, where it was positively evaluated by school counselors. The accuracy of the individual modules of the system oscillated around 80%, the specificity was 90–100%, and the sensitivity ranged between 60 and 70%

Selected problems of technical education with the use of computer simulation as an example of correlation between trucks weight and road infrastructure damage

W artykule zaprezentowano przykład komputerowego wspomagania dydaktyki w zakresie kształcenia kultury technicznej w ramach przedmiotu zajęć technicznych. Program zasadniczo adresowany jest do odbiorcy z klas IV–VI szkoły podstawowej, jakkolwiek jego przeznaczenie do wykorzystania w edukacji dorosłych uczestników ruchu drogowego jest oczywiste w realiach naszego kraju. Zaproponowany w materiale program komputerowy jest odpowiedzią na zidentyfikowany problem związany z przeciążaniem samochodów ciężarowych. Znaczenie społeczne poruszanego zagadnienia jest istotne z uwagi na powszechność występowania tego zjawiska oraz wysokie koszty społeczne związane z koniecznością restytucji infrastruktury drogowejIn the paper an example of computer assistance in teaching in the field of technical culture education as a part of the technical classes is presented. The program is addressed to classes IV–VI of the elementary school, however, it is obvious that in the realities of our country it is also necessary for educating adult traffic participants. Program proposed in this material is an answer to the identified problem connected with the overloaded lorries. The social importance of the touched subject is significant, due to the commonness of such phenomenon, as well as the high social costs associated with the necessity of the road infrastructure restitution

About IT Education in Terms of Qualified Web Resources

W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań poświęconych zagadnieniu doboru źródeł informa-cji, z których matki dzieci w wieku 6–36 miesięcy czerpią wiedzę na temat właściwego żywienia swojego potomstwa. Ze względu na fakt, że głównym źródłem wiedzy jest obecnie internet, ważną kwestią staje się edukacja kobiet w zakresie algorytmu poszukiwania informacji przygotowanych i udostępnionych przez specjalistów oraz oddzielenia ich od, często błędnych, porad zamieszcza-nych w sieci przez przypadkowe osoby. Aż 30% ankietowanych czerpie i stosuje porady w kwestii żywienia dzieci z portali społecznościowych, których rzetelność z natury rzeczy nie jest potwier-dzona. Kwestią naczelną jest przekonanie kobiet do poszukiwania wiedzy w dostępnym również w sieci kwalifikowanym piśmiennictwie oraz konsultowania diety z lekarzem specjalistą (pediatrą lub dietetykiem), co ma w zwyczaju zaledwie 20% kobiet.The paper presents research results, dedicated to the issue of sources, from which mothers of children aged 6–36 months learn about the proper nutrition of their offspring. Due to the fact that nowadays the main source of knowledge is the Internet, it is important to educate women in the search for real information, prepared and made available by professionals, and to isolate them from the sometimes erroneous advice posted on the web by random people. Even 30% of the respondents use advice on feeding children from social networking sites, which reliability is at least questionable. It is equally important to convince women to seek knowledge in qualified literature and to consult the diet with a specialist (pediatrician or dietician), which is customary for just 20% of women

Analysis of the relationship between emotion intensity and electrophysiology parameters during a voice examination of opera singers

Objectives Emotions and stress affect voice production. There are only a few reports in the literature on how changes in the autonomic nervous system affect voice production. The aim of this study was to examine emotions and measure stress reactions during a voice examination procedure, particularly changes in the muscles surrounding the larynx. Material and Methods The study material included 50 healthy volunteers (26 voice workers – opera singers, 24 control subjects), all without vocal complaints. All subjects had good voice quality in a perceptual assessment. The research procedure consisted of 4 parts: an ear, nose, and throat (ENT)‑phoniatric examination, surface electromyography, recording physiological indicators (heart rate and skin resistance) using a wearable wristband, and a psychological profile based on questionnaires. Results The results of the study demonstrated that there was a relationship between positive and negative emotions and stress reactions related to the voice examination procedure, as well as to the tone of the vocal tract muscles. There were significant correlations between measures describing the intensity of experienced emotions and vocal tract muscle maximum amplitude of the cricothyroid (CT) and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles during phonation and non-phonation tasks. Subjects experiencing eustress (favorable stress response) had increased amplitude of submandibular and CT at rest and phonation. Subjects with high levels of negative emotions, revealed positive correlations with SCM max during the glissando. The perception of positive and negative emotions caused different responses not only in the vocal tract but also in the vegetative system. Correlations were found between emotions and physiological parameters, most markedly in heart rate variability. A higher incidence of extreme emotions was observed in the professional group. Conclusions The activity of the vocal tract muscles depends on the type and intensity of the emotions and stress reactions. The perception of positive and negative emotions causes different responses in the vegetative system and the vocal tract. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2024;37(1):84–9