Using Extended Range Telepresence to Investigate Route Choice Behavior

A combination of a telepresence system and a microscopic traffic simulator is introduced. It is evaluated using a hotel evacuation scenario. Four different kinds of supporting information are compared, standard exit signs, floor plans with indicated exit routes, guiding lines on the floor and simulated agents leading the way. The results indicate that guiding lines are the most efficient way to support an evacuation but the natural behavior of following others comes very close. On another level the results are consistent with previously performed real and virtual experiments and validate the use of a telepresence system in evacuation studies. It is shown that using a microscopic traffic simulator extends the possibilities for evaluation, e.g. by adding simulated humans to the environment

Using a Telepresence System to Investigate Route Choice Behavior

A combination of a telepresence system and a microscopic traffic simulator is introduced. It is evaluated using a hotel evacuation scenario. Four different kinds of supporting information are compared, standard exit signs, floor plans with indicated exit routes, guiding lines on the floor and simulated agents leading the way. The results indicate that guiding lines are the most efficient way to support an evacuation but the natural behavior of following others comes very close. On another level the results are consistent with previously performed real and virtual experiments and validate the use of a telepresence system in evacuation studies. It is shown that using a microscopic traffic simulator extends the possibilities for evaluation, e.g. by adding simulated humans to the environment.Comment: Preprint of TGF11 (Traffic and Granular Flow, Moscow, September 2011) conference proceedings contributio

Calibrating Dynamic Pedestrian Route Choice with an Extended Range Telepresence System

In this contribution we present the results of a pilot study in which an Extended Range Telepresence System is used to calibrate parameters of a pedestrian model for simulation. The parameters control a model element that is intended to make simulated agents walk in the direction of the esti- mated smallest remaining travel time. We use this to, first, show that that an Extended Range Telepresence System can serve for such a task in general and second to actually find simulation parameters that yield realistic results

Extended Range Telepresence for Evacuation Training in Pedestrian Simulations

In this contribution, we propose a new framework to evaluate pedestrian simula-tions by using Extended Range Telepresence. Telepresence is used as a virtual reality walking simulator, which provides the user with a realistic impression of being present and walking in a virtual environment that is much larger than the real physical environment, in which the user actually walks. The validation of the simulation is performed by comparing motion data of the telepresent user with simulated data at some points of the simulation. The use of haptic feedback from the simulation makes the framework suitable for training in emergency situations.Comment: Contribution to Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics 2010 (PED2010) conferenc

A generally applicable validation scheme for the assessment of factors involved in reproducibility and quality of DNA-microarray data

BACKGROUND: In research laboratories using DNA-microarrays, usually a number of researchers perform experiments, each generating possible sources of error. There is a need for a quick and robust method to assess data quality and sources of errors in DNA-microarray experiments. To this end, a novel and cost-effective validation scheme was devised, implemented, and employed. RESULTS: A number of validation experiments were performed on Lactococcus lactis IL1403 amplicon-based DNA-microarrays. Using the validation scheme and ANOVA, the factors contributing to the variance in normalized DNA-microarray data were estimated. Day-to-day as well as experimenter-dependent variances were shown to contribute strongly to the variance, while dye and culturing had a relatively modest contribution to the variance. CONCLUSION: Even in cases where 90 % of the data were kept for analysis and the experiments were performed under challenging conditions (e.g. on different days), the CV was at an acceptable 25 %. Clustering experiments showed that trends can be reliably detected also from genes with very low expression levels. The validation scheme thus allows determining conditions that could be improved to yield even higher DNA-microarray data quality

Systematic review of injuries and chronic musculoskeletal pain among high-speed boat operators

Introduction: High-speed boat operators constitute a population at risk of work-related injuries and disabilities. This review aimed to summarize the available knowledge on workplace-related injuries and chronic musculoskeletal pain among high-speed boat operators. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, we searched Medline, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library Database for studies, published AQ9 from 1980 to 2022, on occupational health and hazards onboard high-speed boats. Studies and reports were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated, compared, used, or described harms associated with impact exposure onboard high-speed boats. Studies on recreational injuries and operators of unplanned boats were excluded. The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of acute injuries. The secondary outcome measures comprised the presence of chronic musculoskeletal disorders, pain medication use, and days off work. Results: Of the 163 search results, 5 (2 prospective longitudinal and 3 cross-sectional cohort studies) were included in this systematic review. A total of 804 cases with 3,312 injuries sustained during 3,467 person-years onboard high-speed boats were included in the synthesis of the results. The pooled incidence rate was 1.0 per person-year. The most common injuries were related to the lower back (26%), followed by neck (16%) and head (12%) injuries. The pooled prevalence of chronic pain was 74% (95% CI: 73–75%) and 60% (95% CI: 59–62%) of the cohort consumed analgesics. Conclusions: Despite very limited data, this review found evidence that high-speed boat operators have a higher rate of injuries and a higher prevalence of chronic pain than other naval service operators and the general workforce. Given the low certainty of these findings, further prospective research is required to verify the injury incidence and chronic pain prevalence among high-speed boat operators. Review registration: PROSPERO: CRD4202235892

Teaching ultrasound in a curricular course according to certified EFSUMB standards during undergraduate medical education: a prospective study

Background: As a non-invasive and readily available diagnostic tool, ultrasound is one of the most important imaging techniques in medicine. Ultrasound is usually trained during residency preferable according to German Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM) standards. Our curriculum calls for undergraduate training in ultrasound of medical students in their 4th year of undergraduate education. An explorative pilot study evaluated the acceptance of this teaching method, and compared it to other practical activities in medical education at Muenster University. Methods: 240 medical students in their 4th year of undergraduate medical education participated in the training and completed a pre- and post-questionnaire for self-assessment of technical knowledge, self-assurance of the procedure, and motivation in performing ultrasound using a Likert scale. Moreover, students were asked about their interest in pursuing a career in internal medicine. To compare this training to other educational activities a standardized online evaluation tool was used. A direct observation of procedural skills assessment (DOPS) for the first time applied on ultrasound aimed to independently assess the success of our teaching method. Results: There was a significant increase in technical knowledge and self-assurance (p < 0.001) of the students’ self-assessments. The clinical relevance and self-motivation of the teaching were evaluated positively. The students’ DOPS results demonstrated proficiency in the understanding of anatomic structures shown in ultrasonographic images, including terminology, machine settings, and transducer frequencies. Conclusions: Training ultrasound according to certified DEGUM standards was successful and should be offered in undergraduate medical education. The evaluation of the course affirmed the necessity, quality and clinical relevance of the course with a top ranking score of hands-on training courses within the educational activities of the Medical Faculty of Muenster.<br

A Framework for Evaluating the VISSIM Traffic Simulation with Extended Range Telepresence

This paper presents a novel framework for combining traffic simulations and extended range telepresence. The real user\u27s position data can thus be used for validation and calibration of models of pedestrian dynamics, while the user experiences a high degree of immersion by interacting with agents in realistic simulations

The PLATO Dome A Site-Testing Observatory : instrumentation and first results

The PLATeau Observatory (PLATO) is an automated self-powered astrophysical observatory that was deployed to Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic plateau, in 2008 January. PLATO consists of a suite of site-testing instruments designed to quantify the benefits of the Dome A site for astronomy, and science instruments designed to take advantage of the unique observing conditions. Instruments include CSTAR, an array of optical telescopes for transient astronomy; Gattini, an instrument to measure the optical sky brightness and cloud cover statistics; DASLE, an experiment to measure the statistics of the meteorological conditions within the near-surface layer; Pre-HEAT, a submillimeter tipping radiometer measuring the atmospheric transmission and water vapor content and performing spectral line imaging of the Galactic plane; and Snodar, an acoustic radar designed to measure turbulence within the near-surface layer. PLATO has run completely unattended and collected data throughout the winter 2008 season. Here we present a detailed description of the PLATO instrument suite and preliminary results obtained from the first season of operation

Field analysis of solar PV-based collective systems for rural electrification.

This article analyses the long-term performance of collective off-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems in rural areas. The use of collective PV systems for the electrification of small medium-size villages in developing countries has increased in the recent years. They are basically set up as stand-alone installations (diesel hybrid or pure PV) with no connection with other electrical grids. Their particular conditions (isolated) and usual installation places (far from commercial/industrial centers) require an autonomous and reliable technology. Different but related factors affect their performance and the energy supply; some of them are strictly technical but others depend on external issues like the solar energy resource and users’ energy and power consumption. The work presented is based on field operation of twelve collective PV installations supplying the electricity to off-grid villages located in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. Five of them have PV generators as unique power source while other seven include the support of diesel groups. Load demand evolution, energy productivity and fuel consumption are analyzed. Besides, energy generation strategies (PV/diesel) are also discussed