Systematic infrared image quality improvement using deep learning based techniques

This is the final version. Available from SPIE via the DOI in this recordInfrared thermography (IRT, or thermal video) uses thermographic cameras to detect and record radiation in the longwavelength infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. It allows sensing environments beyond the visual perception limitations, and thus has been widely used in many civilian and military applications. Even though current thermal cameras are able to provide high resolution and bit-depth images, there are significant challenges to be addressed in specific applications such as poor contrast, low target signature resolution, etc. This paper addresses quality improvement in IRT images for object recognition. A systematic approach based on image bias correction and deep learning is proposed to increase target signature resolution and optimise the baseline quality of inputs for object recognition. Our main objective is to maximise the useful information on the object to be detected even when the number of pixels on target is adversely small. The experimental results show that our approach can significantly improve target resolution and thus helps making object recognition more efficient in automatic target detection/recognition systems (ATD/R).Centre for Excellence for Sensor and Imaging System (CENSIS)Scottish Funding CouncilDigital Health and Care Institute (DHI)Royal Society of EdinburghNational Science Foundation of Chin

Compressed UAV sensing for flood monitoring by solving the continuous travelling salesman problem over hyperspectral maps

This is the final version. Available from SPIE via the DOI in this record.Remote Sensing of the Ocean, Sea Ice, Coastal Waters, and Large Water Regions 2018, 10 - 13 September 2018, Berlin, GermanyUnmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have shown great capability for disaster management due to their fast speed, automated deployment and low maintenance requirements. In recent years, disasters such as flooding are having increasingly damaging societal and environmental effects. To reduce their impact, real-time and reliable flood monitoring and prevention strategies are required. The limited battery life of small lightweight UAVs imposes efficient strategies to subsample the sensing field. This paper proposes a novel solution to maximise the number of inspected flooded cells while keeping the travelled distance bounded. Our proposal solves the so-called continuous Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP), where the costs of travelling from one cell to another depend not only on the distance, but also on the presence of water. To determine the optimal path between checkpoints, we employ the fast sweeping algorithm using a cost function defined from hyperspectral satellite maps identifying flooded regions. Preliminary results using MODIS flood maps show that our UAV planning strategy achieves a covered flooded surface approximately 4 times greater for the same travelled distance when compared to the conventional TSP solution. These results show new insights on the use of hyperspectral imagery acquired from UAVs to monitor water resourcesThis work was funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and National Science Foundation of China within the international project “Flood Detection and Monitoring using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” (project NNS/INT 15-16 Casaseca)

Symbolic Dynamic Analysis of Relations Between Cardiac and Breathing Cycles in Patients on Weaning Trials

Traditional time-domain techniques of data analysis are often not sufficient to characterize the complex dynamics of the cardiorespiratory interdependencies during the weaning trials. In this paper, the interactions between the heart rate (HR) and the breathing rate (BR) were studied using joint symbolic dynamic analysis. A total of 133 patients on weaning trials from mechanical ventilation were analyzed: 94 patients with successful weaning (group S) and 39 patients that failed to maintain spontaneous breathing (group F). The word distribution matrix enabled a coarse-grained quantitative assessment of short-term nonlinear analysis of the cardiorespiratory interactions. The histogram of the occurrence probability of the cardiorespiratory words presented a higher homogeneity in group F than in group S, measured with a higher number of forbidden words in group S as well as a higher number of words whose probability of occurrence is higher than a probability threshold in group S. The discriminant analysis revealed the best results when applying symbolic dynamic variables. Therefore, we hypothesize that joint symbolic dynamic analysis provides enhanced information about different interactions between HR and BR, when comparing patients with successful weaning and patients that failed to maintain spontaneous breathing in the weaning procedure

Cuerpo, hogar y barrio : lugares y experiencias cotidianas de mujeres mayores en Barcelona

Altres ajuts: Ajuntament de Barcelona / "la Caixa" Foundation, projecte 21S09290-001Proyecto de investigación "Aislamiento social y soledad entre las personas mayores urbanas: análisis y recomendaciones de política para la ciudad de Barcelona-GRANBCN"Este artículo tiene como objetivo explorar el proceso de envejecer bien en el lugar, entendiendo el lugar como un concepto que incluye diversas escalas, desde el cuerpo, el lugar más íntimo, hasta el hogar y el barrio. A partir de entrevistas semiestructuradas con mujeres mayores residentes en Barcelona (N= 30) se analiza la vida cotidiana, las necesidades diarias y las estrategias que siguen estas personas para encontrar bienestar en sus lugares cotidianos. Los resultados muestran que, a pesar de los problemas de salud de estas personas y sus limitaciones corporales y de movilidad, desarrollan una serie de estrategias cotidianas para cuidarse, mantenerse activas y conectadas socialmente en su entorno más próximo. Se muestra la importancia de los contactos sociales locales para garantizar el apoyo social, emocional e instrumental, tanto en el hogar como en la comunidad y el barrio. Sobre este último lugar, el barrio, se destaca como las personas han construido un sentido de pertenencia positivo y valoran los entornos transitables, accesibles y seguros para salir a pasear y conectarse socialmente. Se concluye que es fundamental reconocer la diversidad de experiencias en el envejecimiento, considerando las características individuales, el entorno familiar y social y el lugar de residencia. Estos factores pueden ser considerados en el diseño de políticas y programas que aborden las necesidades sociales y emocionales de las personas mayores y fomenten su autonomía y bienestar.This article explores the multifaceted process of aging well in place, conceptualizing place across various scales, encompassing the body, the most intimate scale, the home, and the neighbourhood. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with elderly women residing in Barcelona (N= 30), we investigate their daily needs and strategies for cultivating wellbeing within their immediate environments. Despite facing health challenges and mobility limitations, the study reveals that these women have developed daily routines to care for themselves, maintain activity, and sustain social connections. The findings underscore the significance of local social contacts in providing social, emotional, and instrumental support, both within the home and the broader community. Notably, the research shows the pivotal role of the neighborhood as a space contributing to a positive sense of belonging for the elderly. The participants value walkable, accessible, and secure environments, considering them as conducive spaces for social interaction and physical activity. This nuanced understanding is crucial for addressing the social and emotional needs of the elderly.These factors can be taken into account in the design of policies and programs that address the social and emotional needs of older adults, promoting their autonomy and wellbeing

Salir a la calle y conectarse : el uso y la percepción del espacio público de personas mayores en Barcelona

Contar con un entorno urbano adaptado a las necesidades de las personas mayores es clave para garantizar un envejecimiento activo y un bienestar físico y emocional entre ellas. En este artículo presentamos los resultados de un proyecto donde se han entrevistado a 38 personas de edades muy avanzadas (entre 73 y 95 años) para estudiar la relación entre envejecimiento, soledad y espacio público en Barcelona. Aunque se ha producido una mejora significativa en la calidad y la accesibilidad del espacio público, así como en la dotación de equipamientos, estas personas, que presentan algunos problemas de salud y una reducción en algunos casos importante de su movilidad, inciden y proponen determinadas medidas para una mejora de la calidad del espacio público y su entorno más próximo, el barrio, para asegurar su independencia y autonomía y mejorar su calidad de vida. La mayoría considera que su barrio es un buen lugar para envejecer y propone continuar trabajando en la mejora de la caminabilidad del espacio público, su mantenimiento, el incremento de las condiciones de seguridad, así como la creación de más equipamientos para gente mayor y que cuenten con mayor dotación de personal.Comptar amb un entorn urbà adaptat a les necessitats de la gent gran és clau per garantir- ne un envelliment actiu i un benestar físic i emocional. En aquest article presentem els resultats d'un projecte on s'han entrevistat 38 persones d'edats molt avançades (entre 73 i 95 anys) per estudiar la relació entre envelliment, solitud i espai públic a Barcelona. Tot i que s'ha produït una millora significativa en la qualitat i l'accessibilitat de l'espai públic, així com en la dotació d'equipaments, aquestes persones, que presenten alguns problemes de salut i una reducció en alguns casos important de la mobilitat, incideixen i proposen determinades mesures per millorar la qualitat de l'espai públic i el seu entorn més proper, el barri, assegurar-ne la independència i l'autonomia i millorar-ne la qualitat de vida. Encara que la majoria considera que el seu barri és un bon lloc per envellir, proposa continuar treballant en la millora de la caminabilitat de l'espai públic, el manteniment, l'increment de les condicions de seguretat, així com la creació de més equipaments per a gent gran i que tinguin més dotació de personal.Disposer d'un environnement urbain adapté aux besoins des personnes âgées est essentiel pour garantir leur vieillissement actif et leur bien-être physique et émotionnel. Dans cet article, nous présentons les résultats d'un projet dans lequel 38 personnes très âgées (entre 73 et 95 ans) ont été interrogées pour étudier la relation entre le vieillissement, la solitude et l'espace public à Barcelone. Bien qu'il y ait eu une amélioration significative de la qualité et de l'accessibilité de l'espace public, ainsi que de l'offre d'équipements, ces personnes, qui ont des problèmes de santé et, dans certains cas, une réduction significative de leur mobilité, ont suggéré certaines mesures pour améliorer la qualité de l'espace public et de leur environnement immédiat, le quartier, afin de garantir leur indépendance et leur autonomie et d'améliorer leur qualité de vie. Bien que la plupart d'entre eux considèrent que leur quartier est un endroit où il fait bon vieillir, ils proposent de continuer à travailler sur l'amélioration de la praticabilité de l'espace public, son entretien, l'augmentation des conditions de sécurité, ainsi que la création de plus d'infrastructures pour les personnes âgées et la mise à disposition de plus de personnel.An urban environment adapted to the needs of older people is key to guaranteeing active aging and physical and emotional well-being. In this article, we present the results of a project where 38 older people (between 73 and 95 years old) were interviewed to study the relationship between aging, loneliness and public space in Barcelona. Although there has been a significant improvement in the quality and accessibility of public space in recent years, as well as in the provision of facilities, these people, who present some health problems and, in some cases, a significant reduction in their mobility, suggested certain measures to improve the quality of public space and their immediate environment, the neighbourhood, in order to ensure their independence and autonomy and improve their quality of life. Although most of them consider their neighbourhood to be a good place to grow old, they suggest more work needs to be done to improve the walkability of public space, its maintenance, and its safety, as well as create more facilities for older people and provide them with more support staff

A reconfigurable supporting connected health environment for people with chronic diseases

Digital healthcare is becoming increasingly important as the ageing population and the number of people diagnosed with chronic diseases is increasing. The face of healthcare delivery has changed radically and at its core is a digital and customer revolution. Connected health is the convergence of medical devices, security devices, and communication technologies. It enables patients to be monitored and treated remotely from their home or primary care facility rather than attend outpatient clinics or be admitted to hospital. This chapter discusses the recent advances in connected health technologies and applications. The authors investigate a reconfigurable supporting connected health solution for people with chronic diseases using reconfigurable hardware and intelligent data interpretation and analysis. In addition, a thorough review of the existing information and communications technologies and challenges in the area of connected health including embedded medical devices, sensors, social networking, knowledge management, data fusion, and cloud computing is presented in this chapter. Finally, future directions and ongoing research in the area of connected health are presented. - 2018 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.Scopu