Advance in optimal design and deployment of ambient intelligence systems

[SPA]Se ha pronosticado un futuro excepcional para los sistemas de Inteligencia Ambiental (AmI). Dichos sistemas comprenden aquellos entornos capaces de anticiparse a las necesidades de la gente, y reaccionar inteligentemente en su ayuda. La inteligencia de estos sistemas proviene de los procesos de toma de decisión, cuyo funcionamiento resulta transparente al usuario. Algunos de estos entornos previstos pertenecen al ámbito de los hogares inteligentes, monitorización de la salud, educación, lugares de trabajo, deportes, soporte en actividades cotidianas, etc. La creciente complejidad de estos entornos hace cada vez más difícil la labor de tomar las decisiones correctas que sirvan de ayuda a los usuarios. Por tanto, la toma de decisiones resulta una parte esencial de estos sistemas. Diversas técnicas pueden utilizarse de forma eficaz en los sistemas AmI para resolver los problemas derivados de la toma de decisiones. Entre ellas están las técnicas de clasificación, y las herramientas matemáticas de programación. En la primera parte de este trabajo presentamos dos entornos AmI donde la toma de decisiones juega un papel fundamental: • Un sistema AmI para el entrenamiento de atletas. Este sistema monitoriza variables ambientales y biométricas de los atletas, tomando decisiones durante la sesión de entrenamiento, que al atleta le ayudan a conseguir un determinado objetivo. Varias técnicas han sido utilizadas para probar diferentes generadores de decisión: interpolación mediante (m, s)-splines, k-Nearest-Neighbors, y programación dinámica mediante Procesos de Decisión de Markov. • Un sistema AmI para detección de caza furtiva. En este caso, el objetivo consiste en localizar el origen de un disparo utilizando, para ello, una red de sensores acústicos. La localización se realiza utilizando el método de multilateración hiperbólica. Además, la calidad de las decisiones generadas está directamente relacionada con la calidad de la información disponible. Por lo tanto, es necesario que los nodos de la infraestructura AmI encargados de la obtención de datos relevantes del usuario y del ambiente, estén en red y situados correctamente. De hecho, el problema de posicionamiento tiene dos partes: los nodos deben ubicarse cerca de los lugares donde ocurren sucesos de interés, y deben estar conectados para que los datos capturados sean transmitidos y tengan utilidad. Adicionalmente, pueden considerarse otras restricciones, tales como el coste de despliegue de red. Por tanto, en el posicionamiento de los nodos es habitual que existan compromisos entre las capacidades de sensorización y de comunicación. Son posibles dos tipos de posicionamiento. Posicionamiento determinista donde puede seleccionarse de forma precisa la posición de cada nodo, y, aleatorio donde debido a la gran cantidad de nodos o a lo inaccesible del terreno de depliegue, sólo resulta posible la distribución aleatoria de los nodos. Esta tesis aborda tres problemas de posicionamiento de red. Los dos primeros problemas se han planteado de forma general, siendo de aplicación a cualquier tipo de escenario AmI. El objetivo es seleccionar las mejores posiciones para los nodos y mantener los nodos de la red conectados. Las opciones estudiadas son un posicionamiento determinista resuelto mediante el metaheurístico Ant Colony Optimization para dominios continuos, y un posicionamiento aleatorio, donde se realiza un despliegue cuasi-controlado mediante varios clusters de red. En cada clúster podemos determinar tanto el punto objetivo de despliegue, como la dispersión de los nodos alrededor de dicho punto. En este caso, el problema planteado tiene naturaleza estocástica y se resuelve descomponiéndolo en fases de despliegue, una por clúster. Finalmente, el tercer escenario de despliegue de red está estrechamente ligado al entorno AmI para la detección de caza furtiva. En este caso, utilizamos el método matemático de descenso sin derivadas. El objetivo consiste en maximizar la cobertura, minimizando a la vez el coste de despliegue. Debido a que los dos objetivos son opuestos, se utiliza un frente Pareto para que el diseñador seleccione un punto de operación. [ENG] A brilliant future is forecasted for Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems. These comprise sensitive environments able to anticipate people’s actions, and to react intelligently supporting them. AmI relies on decision-making processes, which are usually hidden to the users, giving rise to the so-called smart environments. Some of those envisioned environments include smart homes, health monitoring, education, workspaces, sports, assisted living, and so forth. Moreover, the complexity of these environments is continuously growing, thereby increasing the difficulty of making suitable decisions in support of human activity. Therefore, decision-making is one of the critical parts of these systems. Several techniques can be efficiently combined with AmI environments and may help to alleviate decisionmaking issues. These include classification techniques, as well as mathematical programming tools. In the first part of this work we introduce two AmI environments where decisionmaking plays a primary role: • An AmI system for athletes’ training. This system is in charge of monitoring ambient variables, as well as athletes’ biometry and making decisions during a training session to meet the training goals. Several techniques have been used to test different decision engines: interpolation by means of (m, s)-splines, k-Nearest-Neighbors and dynamic programming based on Markov Decision Processes. • An AmI system for furtive hunting detection. In this case, the aim is to locate gunshots using a network of acoustic sensors. The location is performed by means of a hyperbolic multilateration method. Moreover, the quality of the decisions is directly related to the quality of the information available. Therefore, is necessary that nodes in charge of sensing and networking tasks of the AmI infrastructure must be placed correctly. In fact, the placement problem is twofold: nodes must be near important places, where valuable events occur, and network connectivity is also mandatory. In addition, some other constraints, such as network deployment cost could be considered. Therefore, there are usually tradeoffs between sensing capacity and communication capabilities. Two kinds of placement options are possible. Deterministic placements, where the position for each node can be precisely selected, and random deployments where, due to the large number of nodes, or the inaccessibility of the terrain, the only suitable option for deployment is a random scattering of the nodes. This thesis addresses three problems of network placement. The first two problems are not tied to a particular case, but are applicable to a general AmI scenario. The goal is to select the best positions for the nodes, while connectivity constraints are met. The options examined are a deterministic placement, which is solved by means of an Ant Colony Optimization metaheuristic for continuous domains, and a random placement, where partially controlled deployments of clustered networks take place. For each cluster, both the target point and dispersion can be selected, leading to a stochastic problem, which is solved by decomposing it in several steps, one per cluster. Finally, the third network placement scenario is tightly related to the furtive hunting detection AmI environment. Using a derivate-free descent methodology, the goal is to select the placement with maximal sensing coverage and minimal cost. Since both goals are contrary, the Pareto front is constructed to enable the designer to select the desired operational point.Universidad Politécnica de Cartagen

A systematic review on machine learning approaches in the diagnosis and prognosis of rare genetic diseases

JALE has received funds from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant# PI20-1126), CIBERER (Grant# PIT21_GCV21), Andalusian University, Research and Innovation Department (PY20-00303, EPIMEN), Andalusian Health Department (Grant# PI027-2020), Asociación Síndrome de Meniere España (ASMES) and Meniere’s Society, UK. PRNV is supported by PY20-00303 Grant (EPIMEN). AMPP is a PhD student in the Biomedicine Program at Universidad de Granada and his salary was supported by Andalusian University, Research and Innovation Department (Grant# PREDOC2021/00343).Background: The diagnosis of rare genetic diseases is often challenging due to the complexity of the genetic underpinnings of these conditions and the limited availability of diagnostic tools. Machine learning (ML) algorithms have the potential to improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis by analyzing large amounts of genomic data and identifying complex multiallelic patterns that may be associated with specific diseases. In this systematic review, we aimed to identify the methodological trends and the ML application areas in rare genetic diseases. Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature following the PRISMA guidelines to search studies that used ML approaches to enhance the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases. Studies that used DNA-based sequencing data and a variety of ML algorithms were included, summarized, and analyzed using bibliometric methods, visualization tools, and a feature co-occurrence analysis. Findings: Our search identified 22 studies that met the inclusion criteria. We found that exome sequencing was the most frequently used sequencing technology (59%), and rare neoplastic diseases were the most prevalent disease scenario (59%). In rare neoplasms, the most frequent applications of ML models were the differential diagnosis or stratification of patients (38.5%) and the identification of somatic mutations (30.8%). In other rare diseases, the most frequent goals were the prioritization of rare variants or genes (55.5%) and the identification of biallelic or digenic inheritance (33.3%). The most employed method was the random forest algorithm (54.5%). In addition, the features of the datasets needed for training these algorithms were distinctive depending on the goal pursued, including the mutational load in each gene for the differential diagnosis of patients, or the combination of genotype features and sequence-derived features (such as GC-content) for the identification of somatic mutations. Conclusions: ML algorithms based on sequencing data are mainly used for the diagnosis of rare neoplastic diseases, with random forest being the most common approach. We identified key features in the datasets used for training these ML models according to the objective pursued. These features can support the development of future ML models in the diagnosis of rare genetic diseases.Salud Carlos III PI20-1126CIBERER PIT21_GCV21Research and Innovation Department PY20-00303, EPIMENAndalusian Health Department PI027-2020Asociación Síndrome de Meniere España, ASMESMeniere’s Society, UKAndalusian University, Research and Innovation Department PREDOC2021/0034

Effects of Physical Activity Governmental Programs on Health Status in Independent Older Adults: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT: This systematic review analyzes the evidence of the effects of physical activity governmental programs oriented towards the health of independent older adults. Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection databases were used for data mining and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) recommendations were followed. Five studies (n=2,545 participants) fulfilled the established inclusion criteria. The physical activity programs had beneficial effects on the older adults? quality of life, fall risk, activities of daily living, physical activity levels, nutritional risk, body mass index, arterial pressure, resting heart rate, blood glucose, triglycerides and/or cholesterol, but did not significantly alter their body fat mass percentage. Programs involving diverse physical capacities seem to be more effective for healthy aging. It is recommended that governments start to disseminate the outcomes of these programs within society and the scientific community

CBDQ: garantía de calidad de servicio

En este artículo presentamos un nuevo mecanismo para proporcionar servicios asegurados en cuanto a contratos de tráfico (CIR) y reparto justo del ancho de banda sobrante. En este trabajo proponemos emplear un esquema de gestión del buffer distinto de RIO, que también trata de forma distinta los paquetes ‘in-of-profile’ y ‘out-ofprofile’, pero evitando interferencias entre ellos. Este esquema se emplea de manera combinada con el acondicionador de tráfico ‘Counters-Based’, por su gran precisión garantizando los contratos de tráfico. Evaluamos y comparamos por simulación el rendimiento de nuestra propuesta empleando fuentes TCP RENO

Remote Sensing of Cell-Culture Assays

This chapter describes a full system developed to perform the remote sensing of cell-culture experiments from any access point with internet connection. The proposed system allows the real-time monitoring of cell assays thanks to bioimpedance measurement circuits developed to count the number of cell present in a culture. Cell-culture characterization is performed through the measurement of the increasing bioimpedance parameter over time. The circuit implementation is based on the oscillation-based test (OBT) methodology. Bioimpedance of cell cultures is measured in terms of the oscillation parameters (frequency, amplitude, phase, etc.) and used as empirical markers to carry out an appropriate interpretation in terms of cell size identification, cell counting, cell growth, growth rhythm, etc. The device is capable of managing the whole sensing task and performs wireless communication through a Bluetooth module. Data are interpreted and displayed on a computer or a mobile phone through a web application. The system has its practical application in drug development processes, offering a label-free, high-throughput, and high-content screening method for cellular research, avoiding the classical end-point techniques and a significant workload and cost material reduction

Predictive value and dynamic risk stratification of high sensitive basal or stimulated thyroglobulin assay in a long-term thyroid carcinoma cohort

Producción CientíficaPurpose: To evaluate the predictive value of the rhTSH thyroglobulin stimulation test (rhTSH-Tg) compared to basal high- sensitive thyroglobulin (hs-Tg) under TSH suppressive therapy at 12 months after the completion of initial treatment to predict the long-term response and Dynamic Risk Stratification (DRS) at the last follow-up visit in a long-term DTC cohort. Methods: Prospective study in 114 DTC patients (77.2% women, mean age 46.4 ± 14.1 years old, median/IQR evolution 6.7[3.1–8.0] years) from 2013 to 2020 undergoing total thyroidectomy and radioiodine ablation in whom hs-Tg and rhTSH- Tg was performed 12 months after completing initial treatment. Pearson correlation, receiving operating characteristics (ROC) and DRS at initial and last follow-up visit were analyzed. Results: hs-Tg and rhTSH-Tg show a strong positive linear correlation (r = 0.864, p < 0.001). The diagnostic performance of initial hs-Tg and rhTSH-Tg levels were evaluated via ROC-AUC as a predictor of excellent response (ER) in the last follow-up visit. Hs-Tg showed a better AUC (0.969, 95%CI = 0.941–0.997) than rhTSH-Tg (0.944, 95%IC = 0.905–0.984; p < 0.001). The hs-Tg and rhTSH-Tg cutoff point of highest sensitivity (S) and specificity (E) was 0.110 and 0.815 ng/dl, respectively. Hs-Tg showed a higher diagnostic accuracy than rhTSH-Tg (S = 100% vs 96.8%, E = 84.3% vs 84.3%, NPV = 100% vs 98.6%, PPV = 70.5% vs 69.7%; p < 0.05). The DRS based on initial hs-Tg showed better ability to predict ER (93.3% vs 86.7%) and biochemical incomplete response (53.3%vs13.3%) in the last follow-up visit compared to rhTSH-Tg. Conclusions: Both initial hs-Th and rhTSH-Tg were good predictors of long-term ER. In patients with hs-Tg, the rhTSH-test did not provide relevant prognosis information. An ER after initial treatment was associated with a very high NPV at subsequent follow-up.Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

System Based on an Inertial Measurement Unit for Accurate Flight Time Determination in Vertical Jumps

The world of elite sports has always been characterized by intense competition, where victories are often determined by minimal differences. This means that every little detail in the preparation of top-level athletes is crucial to their performance at the highest level. One of the most significant aspects to monitor is the jumping capacity, as it enables the measurement of performance, progression, and helps prevent injuries. Herein, we present the development of a system capable of measuring the flight time and height reached by the user, reporting the results through a smartphone using an Android ad-hoc application, which handles all the data processing. The system consists of an affordable and portable circuit based on an accelerometer. It communicates with the smartphone via UART using a Bluetooth module, and its battery provides approximately 9 h of autonomy, making it suitable for outdoor operations. To evaluate the system’s precision, we conducted performance tests (counter-movement jumps) with seven subjects. The results confirmed the system’s potential for monitoring high-level sports training sessions, as the average deviation obtained was only 2.1% (~0.01 s) in the analysis of flight time and 4.6% (~0.01 m) in jump height.Projects Sensorsportlab (ref. 07/UPB/22, Redes de Investigación en Ciencias Del Deporte 2022)Sensorsportlab II (ref. 11/UPB/23, Redes de Investigación en Ciencias Del Deporte 2023)Consejo Superior de Deportes (Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte)Andamove project (ref. EXP_74829) founded by the European Union by the NextGeneration EU program with the “Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia 2022” into the program “Proyectos de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología aplicada a la Actividad Física Beneficiosa para la Salud (AFBS) y la Medicina Deportiva” of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte)

Realización de medidas de tráfico utilizando NeTraMet

La medición de tráfico basada en flujos proporciona una reducción del volumen de datos recolectados en tiempo real. RTFM es un estándar del IETF que define una arquitectura para la medición de flujos de tráfico y, NeTraMet es una implementación de dicha arquitectura. En este artículo presentamos una introducción de NeTraMet, de sus componentes, y de las distintas formas de configuración para realizar medidas de flujos de tráfico.Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Telecomunicació

Underwater Cultural Heritage as an Engine for Social, Economic and Cultural Development. State of Research at the University of Cadiz (Andalusia, Spain)

Public access to underwater and maritime cultural heritage has proven to have a very positive effect on the local economy. This type of heritage is very attractive for the cultural tourism sector in general and for active and diving tourism. The Nautical and Underwater Archeology Line of the University of Cadiz, within the framework of the TIDE Project (Interreg Atlantic Area) and Herakles Project (FEDER-UCA18-107327) have been working on the enhancement of maritime and underwater heritage through the application of new technologies. In this paper, we will present the advances in the project in the Strait of Gibraltar, based on the first phase of scientific analysis and on the definition of a common working methodology that has resulted in a toolkit for the development of tourism activities linked to the MCH and UCH. Pilot activities under development are focused on accessible underwater heritage routes, VR applications to create Dry Dive experiences and the streaming of underwater archaeological works, thanks to a bottom-surface acoustic communication buoy. Results show that these types of outreach solutions and, by extension, of tourism application, must be preceded by a rigorous archaeological research process, a study of the target audience and the evaluation of the carrying capacity of the sites, to avoid falling into the mercantilisation or deterioration of the UCH. On the other hand, virtual or indirect access solutions are very useful, but always through the correct interpretation of the heritage.This research was funded by TIDE, or Atlantic Network for Developing HistoricalMaritime Tourism; EAPA_630/2018 is an Interreg funded project. Thiswork has been co-financed by the 2014-2020 ERDFOperational Programme and by theDepartment of Economy, Knowledge, Business andUniversity of the Regional Government of Andalusia. Project reference: FEDER-UCA18-107327. This work has been co-financed by II Convocatoria de Ayudas Para El Fomento de Proyectos Universidad-Empresa Fundacion Campus Tecnologico de Algeciras. Project Reference: FCTA2020-07