Physical activity and event detection with inertial sensors: Design and evaluation for low power microcontroller

The aim of this thesis is to design inertial sensor based activity recognition for a low power continuous sensing architecture for today's mobile technology using a dedicated low-power sensor processor. The system framework is designed to provide higher level access to sensors and run sensor based algorithms. The sensor processor can provide consistently low latencies for feedback and interaction and continuous low power sensing for context adaptive user interfaces. In the current state of the art of hand-helds, every sensor is interfaced to the host processor directly and all the sensory data preprocessing and event detection is performed at the expense of the host processor. A dedicated sensor processor with good system architecture would improve the power and processing efficiency. The objective of the thesis is to interface all inertial sensors to a low-power discrete sensor hub where this low power discrete sensor hub implements most of the sensor pre-processing and algorithm. This sensor hub is directly interfaced via Bluetooth link to the host processor which is an Android mobile device. The sensor firmware architecture is event driven and reduces the power consumption without the need for polling the sensors. Host processor sends control messages to the sensor box and the device when replies back to the control messages also produces sensor data so most of the traffic is from the sensor hub to the host. Activity context detects user actions such as stand-still, walking, running, cycling, vehicle and sports. The activity context module uses naive bayesian classifier algorithm to classify the accelerometer sensor data and this module is implemented in the sensor box which has an ARM based microcontroller. Sensor drivers and sensor algorithms are tested using a test framework implemented in the application program. Event detection module implements free-fall detection in the sensor processor with the help of accelerometer data which shows the capability of the system. Classification algorithm verified in simulation environment shows around 92 percent accuracy in detecting the physical activity of the user

Multi-Objective Optimization in Friction Welding Process Parameters on EN353 Alloy Steel using Taguchi based GRA

Joining of similar materials by varying the input factors on a continuous drive friction welding process is done in this study. The intention is to find the optimal solution in friction welding input process parameters. Among several types of welding processes, friction welding forms good metal joints. The process factors considered for this material joining practice are Upset Time (UT), Heating Time (HT), Heating Pressure (HP), Upset Pressure (UP), chemical composition and measurements of the materials. Frictional joints provide better mechanical properties, hence it is attracted by researchers. Here, EN353 is used as the specimen, for its extensive usage in the automobile and manufacturing sectors. Axial shortening, hardness testing and the temperature during welding are evaluated, compared and optimized using Taguchi Design of Experiments (DoE) scheme using L27 orthogonal array and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA)

Small bowel obstruction caused by a carcinoid tumour

Carcinoid tumours are rare neuroendocrine tumours causing a spectrum of symptoms ranging from chronic intestinal obstruction to systemic symptoms like sweating, diarrhoea and right side heart failure. We present here the case history of a male patient aged forty with a carcinoid tumour in the distal small intestine presenting with chronic intermittent intestinal obstruction and no systemic symptoms and metastasis. This case is presented for its rarity

Sikap Keuangan Pada Perusahaan Keluarga: Peran Moderasi Komitmen Keluarga

This study aims to examine the moderating role of family commitment to the influence of the financial knowledge, positive experience with debt suppliers, and   economic  goal  orientation  to  owner- managers’ attitudes toward debt financing in family firms. This study was conducted through a questionnaire survey of 66 owners of family firms, operated in Special Region of Yogyakarta. This study used moderated regression analysis. The results of this study found several important things as follows.  First, the high family commitment toward business strengthened the positive effect of the positive experience with debt suppliers to owner-managers’ attitudes toward debt financing in family firms. Second, the result of the interaction coefficient of economic goal  orientation  and family Commitment was negative and not significant. Third, the result of the interaction coefficient of financial knowledge and family commitment toward business was positive and not significant. This result was opposite to the direction of prediction of the hypothesi

Primary Prevention for Rheumatic Fever Progress, Obstacles, and Opportunities

ABSTRACT Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease are noninfectious sequelae of group A streptococcal pharyngeal infection. These diseases represent a huge public health burden in developing countries with significant mortality and morbidity. Early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatment with group A streptococcal pharyngitis provides an opportunity for prevention of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. The use of locally adapted clinical algorithms for diagnosing group A streptococcal pharyngitis has great potential in resource-poor settings for earlier diagnosis and early treatment. Intramuscular penicillin is the drug of choice in developing country settings. Recent work has demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of a treat-all strategy with intramuscular penicillin, whereas incorporating a clinical decision rule remains the preferred strategy. We strongly support the adoption of a comprehensive prevention and control program for acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, incorporating primary prevention, as critical to underpinning the efforts in many parts of the world to stem the tide of this devastating disease. Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) continue to kill children, adolescents, and young adults living in poverty. Yet, a cheap and effective preventative agent to these sequelae of group A streptococcal (GAS) infection has existed for decades in the form of penicillin. Despite strong evidence of penicillin's efficacy in primary prevention of ARF, debate still rages on regarding the appropriate role for primary prevention within RHD prevention and control strategies. Some of the arguments against the incorporation of primary prevention into RF/RHD control strategies are based on the expense and logistics of delivery, but as has been discussed elsewhere [1], these need not be limiting factors. Conversely, a recent publication has demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of such a strateg

4-[(Dieth­oxy­phosphino­yl)meth­yl]benzoic acid

In the title compound, C12H17N2O5P, the phospho­nate group is almost orthogonal to both the ethyl groups, with a dihedral angle of 83.75 (11)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into centrosymmetric dimers via pairs of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds with an R 2 2(20) graph-set motif. The crystal structure is further consolidated by weak C—H⋯π inter­actions

Suitability of vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides) for removal of Cr (III) from tannery effluent using floating bed and rhizofiltration systems

Various physico-chemical methods have been employed in remediating heavy metals from wastewater, but most of them are expensive. While phytoremediation, is one cost-effective and eco-friendly technology, proves to be an alternate amongst which Vetiver, a unique tropical plant, is recognized for its large biomass and dense root system and has been proven for various remediation studies. The current research was conducted to assess the potential for Vetiver rhizofiltration of chromium. A pilot study was conducted in rhizobox wherein Vetiver was grown using sand as a medium and samples were collected from rhizobox port 1 and rhizobox port 2. Subsequently, the study was upscaled to a floating bed experiment. In both studies, Vetiver were grown under 500 mg L-1 Cr (III) solution and tannery effluent had a chromium concentration of 379 mg L-1 and the results were compared to control. Between the samples collected from port 1 and 2, the removal of chromium in port 1 was recorded to be higher than that of port 2. Moreover, the removal of chromium ions from the tannery effluent was relatively higher than the spiked solution. In both the ports, the highest removal of chromium concentration was recorded in T5 (Sand + Vetiver + Cr (III) @ 500 mg kg-1) with a removal percent of 12.59 and 10.38% in port 1 and 2, respectively. Hence, Vetiver grass has a great potential in removing pollutants like chromium from the wastewater.

Electrochemical Biosensors for Point of care Applications

Biosensor refers to powerful and innovative analytical tool involving biological sensing element and transducer with broad range of applications, such as diagnosis, drug discovery, biomedicine, food safety and processing, environmental monitoring, security and defense. Recent advances in the field of biotechnology, microelectronics, and nanotechnology have improved the development of biosensors. Glucometers utilizing the electrochemical determination of oxygen or hydrogen peroxide employing immobilised glucose oxidase electrode seeded the discovery and development of biosensors. Molecular recognition based on geometry and forces of interaction play an important role in the biosensor development. The advent of nanotechnology led to highly efficient and sensitive biosensors. They also provide an effective immobilisation matrix for the various bioreceptors. Enzymatic and their mimetic (metalloporphyrin)-based biosensors for reactive oxygen, nitrogen species and cytochrome c will also be discussed. The role of antibodies and their applications in immunosensors development for cytochrome c and superoxide dismutase will be highlighted. The electrochemical biosensors are less expensive, miniaturised and used for point-of-care applications. Further, the fabrication of labVIEW based virtual biosensor instrumentation and microcontroller based portable biosensor for wide variety of applications also devices will be presented

3,4-Dibromo-2,5-bis­[(dieth­oxy­phosphor­yl)meth­yl]-1-phenyl­sulfonyl-1H-pyrrole

In the title compound, C20H29Br2NO8P2S, the pyrrole ring is essentially planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.013 (3) Å for a C atom. The pyrrole ring is almost orthogonal to the sulfonyl-bound phenyl ring, with a dihedral angle 88.5 (2)°. Both P atoms exhibit distorted tetra­hedral configurations with O—P—O angles widened and O—P—C angles narrowed from the ideal tetra­hedral value. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into centrosymmetric dimers via C—H⋯O inter­actions, resulting in R 2 2(10) graph-set motifs which are further consolidated by R 2 2(13) graph-set ring motifs via C—H⋯O inter­actions, further resulting in chains of mol­ecules running parallel to the c axis; a phosphono O atom is involved in bifurcated hydrogen bonding. All the eth­oxy groups are disordered over two positions each with unequal site-occupancy factors