Sensing the heat of tomato products red: the new approach to the objective assessment of their color

The concept of optothermal window (OW) detection was used for the first time to assess the color of several products (juice, purée, paste) derived from thermally processed tomatoes. Unlike traditional techniques that operate either in the reflectance or transmission mode, the method proposed here actually relies on indirect measurement of absorbance in optically opaque and scattering samples. Very good correlation between the magnitude of the OW signal and the color-related parameters [colorimetric index L* and tomato paste index (TPI)] was observed

On the feasibility of using IEEE 802.11ad mmWave for accurate object detection

Millimeter wave (mmWave) bands are considered highly for localization and object detection. In this paper we assess the potential of commercial IEEE 802.11ad mmWave equipment to offer accurate object detection, ultimately providing models of the physical environment. Unlike solutions using bespoke mmWave equipment for detection, the use of IEEE 802.11ad ensures a low-cost system, and one in which detection can be integrated with communication, creating potential for innovative applications. Our approach is to build a laboratory testbed in which we capture reflected mmWave signals that are generated and transmitted by a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IEEE 802.11ad mmWave device. From the measured channel impulse response, we measured the distance from the mmWave transceiver to the objects in the environment, by some simple signal processing techniques. By knowing the angle of mmWave departure/arrival and this measured distance, we can develop a 2D model of the physical environment. We report on the achieved accuracy, which is 2cm in most experiments, and discuss technology limitations and research opportunities

Prevalence of dyslipidaemia and associated risk factors in a rural population in south-western Uganda : a community based survey

BACKGROUND: The burden of dyslipidaemia is rising in many low income countries. However, there are few data on the prevalence of, or risk factors for, dyslipidaemia in Africa. METHODS: In 2011, we used the WHO Stepwise approach to collect cardiovascular risk data within a general population cohort in rural south-western Uganda. Dyslipidaemia was defined by high total cholesterol (TC) ≥ 5.2 mmol/L or low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) 6% (men aOR=3.00, 95%CI=1.37-6.59; women aOR=2.74, 95%CI=1.77-4.27). The odds of high TC was also higher among married men, and women with higher education or high BMI. CONCLUSION: Low HDL-C prevalence in this relatively young rural population is high whereas high TC prevalence is low. The consequences of dyslipidaemia in African populations remain unclear and prospective follow-up is required

Preventable risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke amongst ethnic groups in London

Objectives. People of African Caribbean descent have higher mortality rates from stroke than other ethnic groups. However, little is known about the prevalence of stroke risk factors in UK ethnic minority groups. We investigated the prevalence of these risk factors amongst African Caribbeans, black Africans and whites. Design. A random sample of patients aged 45-74 registered with 16 general practices in south London was surveyed in 1995. Main outcome measures were: prevalence of hypertension, mean serum cholesterol, serum fibrinogen and glycosylated haemoglobin A1C. Logistic and linear regressions were used to determine ethnic differences in these measures. Results. Hypertension was more prevalent in black Caribbeans (79.4%) and black Africans (71.6%) than in whites (54.3%) ( p < 0.0001). There were ethnic group differences in mean random total cholesterol ( p < 0.0001), triglycerides ( p < 0.0001), fibrinogen ( p = 0.03), HDL ( p = 0.02) and HbA1C ( p < 0.0001). Whites had higher mean random total cholesterol, triglycerides and fibrinogen than black Caribbeans but lower HDL and HbA1C. Black Africans had similar rates to black Caribbeans for these risk factors apart from lower triglyceride levels. Conclusion. These differences in risk factors may partially explain the high stroke mortality rates in black Caribbeans and black Africans compared to whites. There was little difference in prevalence of these risk factors between black Caribbean and black African groups. Specific strategies targeted to each ethnic group need to be developed to reduce risk factors

Performance Analysis of Multiple Indoor Positioning Systems in a Healthcare Environment

Background: The combination of an aging population and nursing staff shortages implies the need for more advanced systems in the healthcare industry. Many key enablers for the optimization of healthcare systems require provisioning of location awareness for patients (e.g. with dementia), nurses, doctors, assets, etc. Therefore, many Indoor Positioning Systems(IPSs) will be indispensable in healthcare systems. However, although many IPSs have been proposed in literature, most of these have been evaluated in non-representative environments such as office buildings rather than in a hospital. Methods: To remedy this, the paper evaluates the performance of existing IPSs in an operational modern healthcare environment: the “Sint-Jozefs kliniek Izegem” hospital in Belgium. The evaluation (data-collecting & data-processing) is executed using a standardized methodology and evaluates the point accuracy, room accuracy and latency of multiple IPSs. To evaluate the solutions, the position of a stationary device was requested at 73 evaluation locations. By using the same evaluation locations for all IPSs the performance of all systems could objectively be compared. Results: Several trends can be identified such as the fact that Wi-Fi based fingerprinting solutions have the best accuracy result (point accuracy of 1.21 m and room accuracy of 98 %) however it requires calibration before use and needs 5.43 s to estimate the location. On the other hand, proximity based solutions (based on sensor nodes) are significantly cheaper to install, do not require calibration and still obtain acceptable room accuracy results. Conclusion: As a conclusion of this paper, Wi-Fi based solutions have the most potential for an indoor positioning service in case when accuracy is the most important metric. Applying the fingerprinting approach with an anchor installed in every two rooms is the preferred solution for a hospital environment.Evarilo

A realistic evaluation and comparison of indoor location technologies: Experiences and lessons learned

We present the results, experiences and lessons learned from comparing a diverse set of technical approaches to indoor localization during the 2014 Microsoft Indoor Localization Competition. 22 different solutions to indoor localization from different teams around the world were put to test in the same unfamiliar space over the course of 2 days, allowing us to directly compare the accuracy and overhead of various technologies. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis of the evaluation study's results, discuss the current state-of-the-art in indoor localization, and highlight the areas that, based on our experience from organizing this event, need to be improved to enable the adoption of indoor location services