Healthcare services in Nova Scotia : a conceptual model to optimize resource allocation and reduce waiting time in homecare services

1 online resource (ii, 47 leaves)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-47).This research provides a review of healthcare services in Nova Scotia, specifically continuing care. The research examines a variety of existing challenges, and possible solutions to waiting times in continuing care services for seniors. Homecare support is proposed as a probable solution to address significant challenges resulting from aging population. The research also presents a brief overview of existing literature for optimizing healthcare operations. Finally a conceptual mathematical model is discussed with the objective of reducing waiting times for homecare services, while minimizing the overall costs of the homecare support system

NON-CONTACT SENSOR FOR THE REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT OF STIFFNESS OF ASPHALT PAVEMENTS DURING COMPACTION

The development of a non-contact sensor capable of determining the quality of asphalt pavements during their construction is addressed in this dissertation. Adequate compaction of asphalt pavement during its construction is necessary for the proper functioning of the pavement over its design life. Rutting, cracking, pot holes and other forms of distress in asphalt pavements can be attributed partly to improper compaction during the construction process. While the mechanism of pavement failure is well understood, there are no widely accepted tools that can determine the quality of the entire pavement during its construction. Furthermore, quality control and acceptance criteria require the extraction of roadway cores from the finished pavement. Such tests are destructive in nature and also contribute to the early deterioration of the pavements. The complexity of the compaction process and the limitations of the spot tests have led researchers to develop advanced compaction technologies, such as Intelligent Compaction (IC).Intelligent Compaction is an emerging area of research that attempts to extend mechanistic-empirical design principles to the compaction of bound and unbound aggregate materials and soil subgrades. Intelligent Compaction is based on the hypothesis that the vibratory compactor and the underlying pavement layers form a coupled system whose response characteristics are influenced by the changing properties of the pavement material. IC techniques estimate the stiffness of the pavement layer by observing the vibratory response of the roller during compaction. One of the limitations of IC technologies is that the measurement values reported by these devices cannot be easily verified through in-situ measurements of density or dynamic modulus. The lack of established theoretical foundations has also limited the widespread acceptance of these technologies.In this dissertation, the problem of ensuring adequate compaction of asphalt pavement during construction is addressed through the development of a mathematical model that can replicate the compaction process in the field. The asphalt pavement is first modeled as a Visco-Elastic-Plastic (VEP) material and the equations governing the motion of the coupled system comprised of the vibratory compactor and the asphalt mat are developed. The parameters of the model are shown to depend on the properties of the asphalt mix, as well as the type of vibratory compactor. Numerical simulations show that this model can not only capture the effects of static rolling, but can also accurately predict the effects of vibratory compaction. The VEP model can also account for the effect of asphalt mat thickness and temperature on the quality of compaction. The simulation results along with the data recorded during the construction of asphalt pavements are used to validate the hypothesis of Intelligent Compaction.The theoretical results of this dissertation are central to the development of verifiable Intelligent Compaction technology. The Intelligent Asphalt Compaction Analyzer (IACA) prototype that was developed during the course of this dissertation is the first step in this direction. This prototype was successfully tested on several types of dual drum vibratory compactors such as IR DD110, IR DD118, IR DD132, and IR DD138HF, manufactured by Volvo Construction Equipment Company, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania (formerly Ingersoll Rand). The field evaluation of the IACA was carried out at six different construction sites between June 2009 and April 2010. These results conclusively show that the IACA can not only be used for effective quality control during the construction of asphalt pavements but can also serve as a non-destructive quality assurance tool.It is anticipated that the research carried out in this dissertation will pave the way towards closed-loop control of vibratory compactors for intelligent compaction of aggregate materials and soil subgrades. Improving the quality and consistency of pavements during their construction will increase the life span of the roads, reduce the cost of their maintenance, and reduce the impact of road construction and traffic on the environment

Quality control of subgrade soil using intelligent compaction

Intelligent Compaction (IC) of subgrade soil has been proposed to continuously monitor the stiffness of subgrade during its compaction. Modern IC rollers are vibratory compactors equipped with (1) an onboard measuring system capable of estimating the stiffness of the pavement material being compacted, (2) Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor to precisely locate the roller, and (3) an integrated mapping and reporting system. Using IC, the roller operator is able to evaluate the entire subgrade and address deficiencies encountered during compaction. Continuous monitoring of quality during construction can help build better quality and long-lasting pavements. However, most of the commercially available IC rollers report stiffness in terms of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specified indicator, known as Intelligent Compaction Measurement Value (ICMV). Although useful, additional tests are required to establish the correlation between these ICMV values and the resilient modulus of subgrade (M-r). Since the mechanistic design of the pavement is performed using M-r, it is important to know if the design M-r is achieved on the entire subgrade during compaction. This paper presents a systematic procedure for monitoring the level of compaction of subgrade in real time using intelligent compaction (IC). Specifically, the Intelligent Compaction Analyzer (ICA) developed at the University of Oklahoma was used for estimating the modulus of the subgrade. Results from two demonstration studies show that the ICA is able to estimate subgrade modulus with an accuracy that is acceptable for quality control activities during the construction of pavements

Adquisición de datos con comunicación inalámbrica

This paper presents an innovative system that allows monitoring of variables associated with industrial processes, either remotely or locally, starting with a sensing of the variables, which performs the adaptation of sensors and signal conditioning and then make a step perform data acquisition and digital processing for displaying on an LCD, in turn making a protocol serial communication RS-232 and send data wirelessly via two-way RF modules, which communicate industrial process with a central computer that will monitor. Then the system involves a serial device server, tailoring the format of the data to Ethernet protocol allowing the process to be mounted on any network, and be monitored from anywhere via Ethernet through a graphical interface implemented in LabVIEW, creating a pleasant environment for creating graphical user behavior and data tables of the variables involved in theprocess. This system is widely applicable as it allows scalability and adaptation to any type of need in various environments such as industrial, agricultural, and environmental, among others.En este documento se presenta un sistema innovador que permite realizar el monitoreo de variables asociadas a procesos industriales, tanto remota como localmente. Se empieza por un sensado de las variables y se hace la adecuación de sensores y el acondicionamiento de señal. Después viene una etapa de adquisición de datos y de procesamiento digital, que permite visualizar en una pantalla LCD el estado de los datos, también se efectúa una comunicación serial por protocolo RS-232, y se envían los datos de forma inalámbrica bidireccional por medio de módulos RF, que comunican el proceso industrial con un computador que funcionará como central de monitoreo. Posteriormente, el sistema involucra un dispositivo servidor serial, adaptando el formato de los datos al protocolo Ethernet, para permitir que el proceso pueda ser montado sobre cualquier red y sea monitoreado desde cualquier parte vía Ethernet, por medio de una interfaz gráfica implementada en LabVIEW. Esto crea un entorno agradable para el usuario y genera gráficas de comportamiento y tablas de datos de las variables involucradas en el proceso. Este sistema es de gran aplicabilidad, ya que permite la escalabilidad y la adaptación a cualquier tipo de necesidad en diversos entornos, como el industrial, agrícola y medioambiental, entre otros

SISTEMA DE MONITOREO Y CONTROL REMOTO CON ACCESO INALÁMBRICO BIDIRECCIONAL A PROCESOS INDUSTRIALES

En este artículo se presenta un sistema innovador que permite realizar elmonitoreo y control de procesos industriales, empezando por la adecuación de sensores y actuadores, pasando por una etapa de adquisición de datos y realizando un procesamiento digital que permite implementar una comunicación bidireccional inalámbrica, que comunica el proceso con una estación remota, en la cual se adhiere un dispositivo servidor serial que convierte los datos al protocolo Ethernet permitiendo que el proceso pueda ser montado sobre cualquier red de datos, y monitorear y ejercer acciones básicas de control por medio de una interfaz gráfica implementada en el software LabView™. Este sistema es de gran aplicabilidad ya que permite la escalabilidad y adaptación a cualquier tipo de necesidad en diversos entornos como el industrial, agrícola, medioambiental, entre otros

ROBOT DIBUJANTE CONTROLADO MEDIANTE EL SENSOR KINECT

En este artículo se presenta la implementación de un brazo de 3 DOF planar  que es controlado mediante procesamiento digital de imágenes, el sensor utilizado consta de una cámara RGB y un emisor de infrarrojos que proyecta un patrón de puntos de luz con sus coordenadas x, y, pasándolas a un esquema de procesamiento y convirtiendo los datos en una serie de rotaciones en los servomotores del robot. Se describen las generalidades y resultados obtenidos dentro de la investigación realizada

A Photonic Atom Probe coupling 3D Atomic Scale Analysis with in situ Photoluminescence Spectroscopy

Laser enhanced field evaporation of surface atoms in Laser-assisted Atom Probe Tomography (La-APT) can simultaneously excite phtotoluminescence in semiconductor or insulating specimens. An atom probe equipped with appropriate focalization and collection optics has been coupled with an in-situ micro-Photoluminescence ({\mu}PL) bench that can be operated during APT analysis. The Photonic Atom Probe instrument we have developped operates at frequencies up to 500 kHz and is controlled by 150 fs laser pulses tunable in energy in a large spectral range (spanning from deep UV to near IR). Micro-PL spectroscopy is performed using a 320 mm focal length spectrometer equipped with a CCD camera for time-integrated and with a streak camera for time-resolved acquisitions. An exemple of application of this instrument on a multi-quantum well oxide heterostructure sample illustrates the potential of this new generation of tomographic atom probe.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures. The following article has been accepted by the Review of Scientific Instruments. After it is published, it will be found at https://publishing.aip.org/resources/librarians/products/journals