Integration of Local Positioning System & Strapdown Inertial Navigation System for Hand-Held Tool Tracking

This research concerns the development of a smart sensory system for tracking a hand-held moving device to millimeter accuracy, for slow or nearly static applications over extended periods of time. Since different operators in different applications may use the system, the proposed design should provide the accurate position, orientation, and velocity of the object without relying on the knowledge of its operation and environment, and based purely on the motion that the object experiences. This thesis proposes the design of the integration a low-cost Local Positioning System (LPS) and a low-cost StrapDown Inertial Navigation System (SDINS) with the association of the modified EKF to determine 3D position and 3D orientation of a hand-held tool within a required accuracy. A hybrid LPS/SDINS combines and complements the best features of two different navigation systems, providing a unique solution to track and localize a moving object more precisely. SDINS provides continuous estimates of all components of a motion, but SDINS loses its accuracy over time because of inertial sensors drift and inherent noise. LPS has the advantage that it can possibly get absolute position and velocity independent of operation time; however, it is not highly robust, is computationally quite expensive, and exhibits low measurement rate. This research consists of three major parts: developing a multi-camera vision system as a reliable and cost-effective LPS, developing a SDINS for a hand-held tool, and developing a Kalman filter for sensor fusion. Developing the multi-camera vision system includes mounting the cameras around the workspace, calibrating the cameras, capturing images, applying image processing algorithms and features extraction for every single frame from each camera, and estimating the 3D position from 2D images. In this research, the specific configuration for setting up the multi-camera vision system is proposed to reduce the loss of line of sight as much as possible. The number of cameras, the position of the cameras with respect to each other, and the position and the orientation of the cameras with respect to the center of the world coordinate system are the crucial characteristics in this configuration. The proposed multi-camera vision system is implemented by employing four CCD cameras which are fixed in the navigation frame and their lenses placed on semicircle. All cameras are connected to a PC through the frame grabber, which includes four parallel video channels and is able to capture images from four cameras simultaneously. As a result of this arrangement, a wide circular field of view is initiated with less loss of line-of-sight. However, the calibration is more difficult than a monocular or stereo vision system. The calibration of the multi-camera vision system includes the precise camera modeling, single camera calibration for each camera, stereo camera calibration for each two neighboring cameras, defining a unique world coordinate system, and finding the transformation from each camera frame to the world coordinate system. Aside from the calibration procedure, digital image processing is required to be applied into the images captured by all four cameras in order to localize the tool tip. In this research, the digital image processing includes image enhancement, edge detection, boundary detection, and morphologic operations. After detecting the tool tip in each image captured by each camera, triangulation procedure and optimization algorithm are applied in order to find its 3D position with respect to the known navigation frame. In the SDINS, inertial sensors are mounted rigidly and directly to the body of the tracking object and the inertial measurements are transformed computationally to the known navigation frame. Usually, three gyros and three accelerometers, or a three-axis gyro and a three-axis accelerometer are used for implementing SDINS. The inertial sensors are typically integrated in an inertial measurement unit (IMU). IMUs commonly suffer from bias drift, scale-factor error owing to non-linearity and temperature changes, and misalignment as a result of minor manufacturing defects. Since all these errors lead to SDINS drift in position and orientation, a precise calibration procedure is required to compensate for these errors. The precision of the SDINS depends not only on the accuracy of calibration parameters but also on the common motion-dependent errors. The common motion-dependent errors refer to the errors caused by vibration, coning motion, sculling, and rotational motion. Since inertial sensors provide the full range of heading changes, turn rates, and applied forces that the object is experiencing along its movement, accurate 3D kinematics equations are developed to compensate for the common motion-dependent errors. Therefore, finding the complete knowledge of the motion and orientation of the tool tip requires significant computational complexity and challenges relating to resolution of specific forces, attitude computation, gravity compensation, and corrections for common motion-dependent errors. The Kalman filter technique is a powerful method for improving the output estimation and reducing the effect of the sensor drift. In this research, the modified EKF is proposed to reduce the error of position estimation. The proposed multi-camera vision system data with cooperation of the modified EKF assists the SDINS to deal with the drift problem. This configuration guarantees the real-time position and orientation tracking of the instrument. As a result of the proposed Kalman filter, the effect of the gravitational force in the state-space model will be removed and the error which results from inaccurate gravitational force is eliminated. In addition, the resulting position is smooth and ripple-free. The experimental results of the hybrid vision/SDINS design show that the position error of the tool tip in all directions is about one millimeter RMS. If the sampling rate of the vision system decreases from 20 fps to 5 fps, the errors are still acceptable for many applications

Risk factors of metastasis in women with breast cancer in Isfahan, Iran

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women and its metastasis plays an important role in mortality, treatment failures and complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of metastatic breast cancer. Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, breast cancer patients in Isfahan, Iran were followed up for ten years. The existence of metastasis was considered as the dependent variable while independent variables included age at diagnosis, hormone receptor status, family history, number of lymph nodes dissected in surgery and involved ones, number of pregnancies, age at first pregnancy and menarche, menstrual status, histopathology and tumor size. All data was collected from patients' profiles and analyzed using logistic regression in SPSS16. Findings: A total of 685 patients with breast cancer were studied during 1999-2009. While 91.4 of cases had no metastasis, distant metastasis was found in 8.6 of subjects. Sites of metastasis according to prevalence were lung (4.7), bone (2.6), other organs (1.1), and liver (0.3). Number of involved lymph nodes (P = 0.043) and number of pregnancies (P = 0.022) had significant relationships with metastasis. Conclusion: We concluded that less pregnancies and more involved lymph nodes indicate a high probability of metastasis occurrence. Therefore, survival improvement might be possible with early diagnosis of breast cancer, using prophylactic treatments, and identifying metastatic cases by diagnostic tests

Integration of a Multi-Camera Vision System and Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SDINS) with a Modified Kalman Filter

This paper describes the development of a modified Kalman filter to integrate a multi-camera vision system and strapdown inertial navigation system (SDINS) for tracking a hand-held moving device for slow or nearly static applications over extended periods of time. In this algorithm, the magnitude of the changes in position and velocity are estimated and then added to the previous estimation of the position and velocity, respectively. The experimental results of the hybrid vision/SDINS design show that the position error of the tool tip in all directions is about one millimeter RMS. The proposed Kalman filter removes the effect of the gravitational force in the state-space model. As a result, the resulting error is eliminated and the resulting position is smoother and ripple-free

The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15-39 years) are lacking. To address this gap, we analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, with a focus on the outcome of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), to inform global cancer control measures in adolescents and young adults. Methods Using the GBD 2019 methodology, international mortality data were collected from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, and population-based cancer registry inputs modelled with mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs). Incidence was computed with mortality estimates and corresponding MIRs. Prevalence estimates were calculated using modelled survival and multiplied by disability weights to obtain years lived with disability (YLDs). Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated as age-specific cancer deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at the age of death. The main outcome was DALYs (the sum of YLLs and YLDs). Estimates were presented globally and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintiles (countries ranked and divided into five equal SDI groups), and all estimates were presented with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). For this analysis, we used the age range of 15-39 years to define adolescents and young adults. Findings There were 1.19 million (95% UI 1.11-1.28) incident cancer cases and 396 000 (370 000-425 000) deaths due to cancer among people aged 15-39 years worldwide in 2019. The highest age-standardised incidence rates occurred in high SDI (59.6 [54.5-65.7] per 100 000 person-years) and high-middle SDI countries (53.2 [48.8-57.9] per 100 000 person-years), while the highest age-standardised mortality rates were in low-middle SDI (14.2 [12.9-15.6] per 100 000 person-years) and middle SDI (13.6 [12.6-14.8] per 100 000 person-years) countries. In 2019, adolescent and young adult cancers contributed 23.5 million (21.9-25.2) DALYs to the global burden of disease, of which 2.7% (1.9-3.6) came from YLDs and 97.3% (96.4-98.1) from YLLs. Cancer was the fourth leading cause of death and tenth leading cause of DALYs in adolescents and young adults globally. Interpretation Adolescent and young adult cancers contributed substantially to the overall adolescent and young adult disease burden globally in 2019. These results provide new insights into the distribution and magnitude of the adolescent and young adult cancer burden around the world. With notable differences observed across SDI settings, these estimates can inform global and country-level cancer control efforts. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

The Role of Corruption in Increasing Non-Performing Loans

Non-Performing Loans (NPL) is an old and widespread problems in developing countries that decrease assets quality and therefore is recognized as one of the sources of financial risk in banking system and has the negative effect on country economic performance. Among different factors, economic corruption can influences NPL, also. This research focus on link between corruption (by the number of financial crimes) and NPL in 20 banks during the period of 2006-2016 in Iranian economy. The results of different models estimation indicate that firstly, economic factors such as unemployment rate have the significant positive effect on NPL. Secondly, among banking variables there is a direct and significant relationship between the ratio of equity to assets and NPL. Thirdly, the interaction effect of corruption and bank size on NPL is positive and meaningful such that the spread of corruption, as banks become larger, lead to more NPL. The results of paper show that anti-corruption policies can help to decreasing NPL in Iran

The burden of metabolic risk factors in North Africa and the Middle East, 1990–2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease StudyResearch in context

Summary: Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the trends of exposure and burden attributable to the four main metabolic risk factors, including high systolic blood pressure (SBP), high fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high body-mass index (BMI), and high low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL) in North Africa and the Middle East from 1990 to 2019. Methods: The data were retrieved from Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Summary exposure value (SEV) was used for risk factor exposure. Burden attributable to each risk factor was incorporated in the population attributable fraction to estimate the total attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). Findings: While age-standardized death rate (ASDR) attributable to high-LDL and high-SBP decreased by 26.5% (18.6–35.2) and 23.4% (15.9–31.5) over 1990–2019, respectively, high-BMI with 5.1% (−9.0–25.9) and high-FPG with 21.4% (7.0–37.4) change, grew in ASDR. Moreover, age-standardized DALY rate attributed to high-LDL and high-SBP declined by 30.2% (20.9–39.0) and 25.2% (16.8–33.9), respectively. The attributable age-standardized DALY rate of high-BMI with 8.3% (−6.5–28.8) and high-FPG with 27.0% (14.3–40.8) increase, had a growing trend. Age-standardized SEVs of high-FPG, high-BMI, high-SBP, and high-LDL increased by 92.4% (82.8–103.3), 76.0% (58.9–99.3), 10.4% (3.8–18.0), and 5.5% (4.3–7.1), respectively. Interpretation: The burden attributed to high-SBP and high-LDL decreased during the 1990–2019 period in the region, while the attributable burden of high-FPG and high-BMI increased. Alarmingly, exposure to all four risk factors increased in the past three decades. There has been significant heterogeneity among the countries in the region regarding the trends of exposure and attributable burden. Urgent action is required at the individual, community, and national levels in terms of introducing effective strategies for prevention and treatment that account for local and socioeconomic factors. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global mortality associated with 33 bacterial pathogens in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Summary Background Reducing the burden of death due to infection is an urgent global public health priority. Previous studies have estimated the number of deaths associated with drug-resistant infections and sepsis and found that infections remain a leading cause of death globally. Understanding the global burden of common bacterial pathogens (both susceptible and resistant to antimicrobials) is essential to identify the greatest threats to public health. To our knowledge, this is the first study to present global comprehensive estimates of deaths associated with 33 bacterial pathogens across 11 major infectious syndromes. Methods We estimated deaths associated with 33 bacterial genera or species across 11 infectious syndromes in 2019 using methods from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, in addition to a subset of the input data described in the Global Burden of Antimicrobial Resistance 2019 study. This study included 343 million individual records or isolates covering 11 361 study-location-years. We used three modelling steps to estimate the number of deaths associated with each pathogen: deaths in which infection had a role, the fraction of deaths due to infection that are attributable to a given infectious syndrome, and the fraction of deaths due to an infectious syndrome that are attributable to a given pathogen. Estimates were produced for all ages and for males and females across 204 countries and territories in 2019. 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for final estimates of deaths and infections associated with the 33 bacterial pathogens following standard GBD methods by taking the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles across 1000 posterior draws for each quantity of interest. Findings From an estimated 13·7 million (95% UI 10·9–17·1) infection-related deaths in 2019, there were 7·7 million deaths (5·7–10·2) associated with the 33 bacterial pathogens (both resistant and susceptible to antimicrobials) across the 11 infectious syndromes estimated in this study. We estimated deaths associated with the 33 bacterial pathogens to comprise 13·6% (10·2–18·1) of all global deaths and 56·2% (52·1–60·1) of all sepsis-related deaths in 2019. Five leading pathogens—Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa—were responsible for 54·9% (52·9–56·9) of deaths among the investigated bacteria. The deadliest infectious syndromes and pathogens varied by location and age. The age-standardised mortality rate associated with these bacterial pathogens was highest in the sub-Saharan Africa super-region, with 230 deaths (185–285) per 100 000 population, and lowest in the high-income super-region, with 52·2 deaths (37·4–71·5) per 100 000 population. S aureus was the leading bacterial cause of death in 135 countries and was also associated with the most deaths in individuals older than 15 years, globally. Among children younger than 5 years, S pneumoniae was the pathogen associated with the most deaths. In 2019, more than 6 million deaths occurred as a result of three bacterial infectious syndromes, with lower respiratory infections and bloodstream infections each causing more than 2 million deaths and peritoneal and intra-abdominal infections causing more than 1 million deaths. Interpretation The 33 bacterial pathogens that we investigated in this study are a substantial source of health loss globally, with considerable variation in their distribution across infectious syndromes and locations. Compared with GBD Level 3 underlying causes of death, deaths associated with these bacteria would rank as the second leading cause of death globally in 2019; hence, they should be considered an urgent priority for intervention within the global health community. Strategies to address the burden of bacterial infections include infection prevention, optimised use of antibiotics, improved capacity for microbiological analysis, vaccine development, and improved and more pervasive use of available vaccines. These estimates can be used to help set priorities for vaccine need, demand, and development