4,645 research outputs found
Compressing Inertial Motion Data in Wireless Sensing Systems â An Initial Experiment
The use of wireless inertial motion sensors, such as accelerometers, for supporting medical care and sportâs training, has been under investigation in recent years. As the number of sensors (or their sampling rates) increases, compressing data at source(s) (i.e. at the sensors), i.e. reducing the quantity of data that needs to be transmitted between the on-body sensors and the remote repository, would be essential especially in a bandwidth-limited wireless environment. This paper presents a set of compression experiment results on a set of inertial motion data collected during running exercises. As a starting point, we selected a set of common compression algorithms to experiment with. Our results show that, conventional lossy compression algorithms would achieve a desirable compression ratio with an acceptable time delay. The results also show that the quality of the decompressed data is within acceptable range
Bounds and Inequalities Relating h-Index, g-Index, e-Index and Generalized Impact Factor
Finding relationships among different indices such as h-index, g-index,
e-index, and generalized impact factor is a challenging task. In this paper, we
describe some bounds and inequalities relating h-index, g-index, e-index, and
generalized impact factor. We derive the bounds and inequalities relating these
indexing parameters from their basic definitions and without assuming any
continuous model to be followed by any of them.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, 5 table
Estimating metabolic rate for butadiene at steady state using a Bayesian physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model
In a study of 133 volunteer subjects, demographic, physiologic and pharmacokinetic
data through exposure to 1,3-Butadiene (BD) were collected in order to
estimate the percentage of BD concentration metabolized at steady state, and to determine
whether this percentage varies across gender, racial, and age groups. During the
20 min of continuous exposure to 2 parts per million (ppm) of BD, five measurements
of exhaled concentration were made on each subject. In the following 40 min washout
period, another five measurements were collected. A Bayesian hierarchical compartmental
physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model (PKPB) was used. Using prior
information on the model parameters, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation
was conducted to obtain posterior distributions. The overall estimate of the
mean percent of BD metabolized at steady state was 12.7% (95% credible interval:
7.7â17.8%). There was no significant difference in gender with males having a mean
of 13.5%, and females 12.3%. Among the racial groups, Hispanic (13.9%), White
(13.0%), Asian (12.1%), and Black (10.9%), the significant difference came from
the difference between Black and Hispanic with a 95% credible interval from â5.63
to â0.30%. Those older than 30 years had a mean of 12.2% versus 12.9% for the younger group; although this was not a statistically significant difference. Given a
constant inhalation input of 2 ppm, at steady state, the overall mean exhaled concentrationwas
estimated to be 1.75ppm (95% credible interval: 1.64â1.84).An equivalent
parameter, first-order metabolic rate constant, was also estimated and found to be consistent
with the percent of BD metabolized at steady state across gender, race, and age
strata
As a Matter of Fact: The National Charter School Study III 2023
Now in its third version, this study evaluates the academic progress of students enrolled in charter schools in the United States. Using a common methodology across the three studies, results are translated into trends that support insights into the performance of charter school students over the past 15 years
A people-oriented paradigm for smart cities
Most works in the literature agree on considering the Internet of Things (IoT) as the base technology to collect information related to smart cities. This information is usually offered as open data for its analysis, and to elaborate statistics or provide services which improve the management of the city, making it more efficient and more comfortable to live in. However, it is not possible to actually improve the quality of life of smart citiesâ inhabitants if there is no direct information about them and their experiences. To address this problem, we propose using a social and mobile computation model, called the Internet of People (IoP) which empowers smartphones to recollect information about their users, analyze it to obtain knowledge about their habits, and provide this knowledge as a service creating a collaborative information network. Combining IoT and IoP, we allow the smart city to dynamically adapt its services to the needs of its citizens, promoting their welfare as the main objective of the city.Universidad de MĂĄlaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional AndalucĂa Tech
Geospatial modelling of watershed peak flood discharge in Selangor, Malaysia
© 2019 by the authors. Conservative peak flood discharge estimation methods such as the rational method do not take into account the soil infiltration of the precipitation, thus leading to inaccurate estimations of peak discharges during storm events. The accuracy of estimated peak flood discharge is crucial in designing a drainage system that has the capacity to channel runoffs during a storm event, especially cloudbursts and in the analysis of flood prevention and mitigation. The aim of this study was to model the peak flood discharges of each sub-watershed in Selangor using a geographic information system (GIS). The geospatial modelling integrated the watershed terrain model, the developed Soil Conservation Service Curve Cumber (SCS-CN) and precipitation to develop an equation for estimation of peak flood discharge. Hydrological Engineering Center-Hydrological Modeling System (HEC-HMS) was used again to simulate the rainfall-runoffbased on the Clark-unit hydrograph to validate the modelled estimation of peak flood discharge. The estimated peak flood discharge showed a coefficient of determination, r2 of 0.9445, when compared with the runoffsimulation of the Clark-unit hydrograph. Both the results of the geospatial modelling and the developed equation suggest that the peak flood discharge of a sub-watershed during a storm event has a positive relationship with the watershed area, precipitation and Curve Number (CN), which takes into account the soil bulk density and land-use of the studied area, Selangor in Malaysia. The findings of the study present a comparable and holistic approach to the estimation of peak flood discharge in a watershed which can be in the absence of a hydrodynamic simulation model
Inhibiting ERK Activation with CI-1040 Leads to Compensatory Upregulation of Alternate MAPKs and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 following Subtotal Nephrectomy with No Impact on Kidney Fibrosis
Extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) activation by MEK plays a key role in many of the cellular processes that underlie progressive kidney fibrosis including cell proliferation, apoptosis and transforming growth factor ÎČ1-mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition. We therefore assessed the therapeutic impact of ERK1/2 inhibition using a MEK inhibitor in the rat 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy (SNx) model of kidney fibrosis. There was a twentyfold upregulation in phospho-ERK1/2 expression in the kidney after SNx in Male Wistar rats. Rats undergoing SNx became hypertensive, proteinuric and developed progressive kidney failure with reduced creatinine clearance. Treatment with the MEK inhibitor, CI-1040 abolished phospho- ERK1/2 expression in kidney tissue and prevented phospho-ERK1/2 expression in peripheral lymphocytes during the entire course of therapy. CI-1040 had no impact on creatinine clearance, proteinuria, glomerular and tubular fibrosis, and α-smooth muscle actin expression. However, inhibition of ERK1/2 activation led to significant compensatory upregulation of the MAP kinases, p38 and JNK in kidney tissue. CI-1040 also increased the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a key inhibitor of plasmin-dependent matrix metalloproteinases. Thus inhibition of ERK1/2 activation has no therapeutic effect on kidney fibrosis in SNx possibly due to increased compensatory activation of the p38 and JNK signalling pathways with subsequent upregulation of PAI-1
Benefits of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for spastic subjects : clinical, functional and biomechanical parameters for lower limb and walking in five hemiparetic patients
Introduction. Spasticity is a disabling symptom resulting from reorganization of spinal reflexes no longer inhibited by supraspinal control. Several studies have demonstrated interest in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in spastic patients. We conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind crossover study on five spastic hemiparetic patients to determine whether this type of stimulation of the premotor cortex can provide a clinical benefit. Material and Methods. Two stimulation frequencies (1âHz and 10âHz) were tested versus placebo. Patients were assessed clinically, by quantitative analysis of walking and measurement of neuromechanical parameters (H and T reflexes, musculoarticular stiffness of the ankle). Results. No change was observed after placebo and 10âHz protocols. Clinical parameters were not significantly modified after 1âHz stimulation, apart from a tendency towards improved recruitment of antagonist muscles on the FĂŒgl-Meyer scale. Only cadence and recurvatum were significantly modified on quantitative analysis of walking. Neuromechanical parameters were modified with significant decreases in Hmax / Mmaxand T/Mmax ratios and stiffness indices 9 days or 31 days after initiation of TMS. Conclusion. This preliminary study supports the efficacy of low-frequency TMS to reduce reflex excitability and stiffness of ankle plantar flexors, while clinical signs of spasticity were not significantly modified
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