Uncertainty-aware data pipeline of calibrated MEMS sensors used for machine learning

Sensors are a key element of recent Industry 4.0 developments and currently further sophisticated functionality is embedded into them, leading to smart sensors. In a typical “Factory of the Future” (FoF) scenario, several smart sensors and different data acquisition units (DAQs) will be used to monitor the same process, e.g. the wear of a critical component, in this paper an electromechanical cylinder (EMC). If the use of machine learning (ML) applications is of interest, data of all sensors and DAQs need to be brought together in a consistent way. To enable quality information of the obtained ML results, decisions should also take the measurement uncertainty into account. This contribution shows an ML pipeline for time series data of calibrated Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors. Data from a lifetime test of an EMC from multiple DAQs is integrated by alignment, (different schemes of) interpolation and careful handling of data defects to feed an automated ML toolbox. In addition, uncertainty of the raw data is obtained from calibration information and is evaluated in all steps of the data processing pipeline. The results for the lifetime prognosis of the EMC are evaluated in the light of “fitness for purpose”.EMPIR Met4Fo

Simulation of the effects of correlated and uncorreltaed sampling jitter on a sinusoidal signals

<p># Simulation of Sampling Time Deviations on a Sine Signal</p><p>All the videos show a simulation of the influence of correlated or uncorrelated sampling time deviations on a sine signal.</p><p>Within the video, the signal frequency is swept in 1 Hz steps.</p><p>## 1. Top Image</p><p>The top image shows an overlap of all the periods of the sine signal in the 1-second simulation duration.</p><p>- **Blue dashed line:** Nominal signal.</p><p>- **Dots:** Values of the data sampled with the time deviation, but on the nominal time points (without time deviation).</p><p>- **Time color coding:** Rainbow color-coded: blue first → green → red last.</p><p>- **Orange line:** Sine Approximation/FFT result for the simulation frequency.</p><p> </p><p>## 2. Second Plot</p><p>This plot shows the sampling time deviation of this sample point in fractions of a sample interval.</p><p>- **Time color coding:** Rainbow color-coded: blue first → green → red last.</p><p> </p><p>## 3. Third Plot</p><p>Shows the residue of the sampled data to the nominal signal (orange) or the approximated signal (blue).</p><p> </p><p>## 4. Fourth Plot</p><p>Shows the Amplitude and Phase of the Sine approximation, as well as the RMS of the complete signal.</p><p> </p><p>## 5. Last Plot</p><p>Shows the FFT of the signal assuming equidistant sampling. For the uncorrelated jitter simulation, the 1 and 2 sigma confidence intervals for 1000 simulations are shown as well.</p><p> </p&gt

Relation between Exercise Performance and Blood Storage Condition and Storage Time in Autologous Blood Doping

Professional athletes are expected to continuously improve their performance, and some might also use illegal methods—e.g., autologous blood doping (ABD)—to achieve improvements. This article applies a systematic literature review to investigate differences in the ABD methods and the related performance and blood parameters owing to different storage conditions—cryopreservation (CP) and cold storage (CS)—and different storage durations. The literature research resulted in 34 original articles. The majority of currently published studies employed CS during ABD. This contrasts to the applied storage technique in professional sports, which was mainly reported to be CP. The second outcome of the literature research revealed large differences in the storage durations applied, which were in the range of one day to 17 weeks between blood sampling and re-infusion, which might affect recovery of the red blood cell mass and thus performance outcome related to ABD. Data revealed that performance parameters were positively affected by ABD when a minimal storage duration of four weeks was adhered. This article identified a need for further research that reflect common ABD practice and its real effects on performance parameters, but also on related blood parameters in order to develop valid and reliable ABD detection methods

Daten als eigenständiges Vermögensgut in den Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen - ein Werkstattbericht

In einer zunehmend digitalisierten Welt gewinnen Daten als eigenständiges Vermögensgut erheblich an Bedeutung. Die aktuelle Revision des System of National Accounts der Vereinten Nationen empfiehlt, Daten als Vermögensgut in das Bruttoinlandsprodukt zu integrieren. Das Statistische Bundesamt untersucht, wie Investitionen in Daten und darauf anfallende Abschreibungen erfasst werden könnten. Neben einem möglichen Berechnungsansatz werden auch die Grenzen und Schwächen des aktuell empfohlenen Rechenmodells diskutiert, die eine Integration in das Bruttoinlandsprodukt und damit die Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnungen herausfordernd machen.In our increasingly digitalised world, data are growing in importance as an asset in their own right. The recommendation to integrate data as an asset in the gross domestic product (GDP) has arisen from the current revision of the United Nations System of National Accounts. The Federal Statistical Office is currently investigating how investments in data and associated depreciation could be captured. In addition to a possible calculation approach, the article also discusses the limitations of the currently recommended calculation model. These weaknesses represent the challenges involved in integrating the assets in GDP and national accounts

Toward Smart Traceability for Digital Sensors and the Industrial Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is characterized by a large number of interconnected devices or assets. Measurement instruments in the IoT are typically digital in the sense that their indications are available only as digital output. Moreover, a growing number of IoT sensors contain a built-in pre-processing system, e.g., for compensating unwanted effects. This paper considers the application of metrological principles to such so-called “smart sensors” in the IoT. It addresses the calibration of digital sensors, mathematical and semantic approaches, the communication of data quality and the meaning of traceability for the IoT in general

Effects of Recurring IPC vs. rIPC Maneuvers on Exercise Performance, Pulse Wave Velocity, and Red Blood Cell Deformability: Special Consideration of Reflow Varieties

Beneficial effects of (remote) ischemia preconditioning ((r)IPC), short episodes of blood occlusion and reperfusion, are well-characterized, but there is no consensus regarding the effectiveness of (r)IPC on exercise performance. Additionally, direct comparisons of IPC and rIPC but also differences between reflow modes, low reflow (LR) and high reflow (HR) in particular, are lacking, which were thus the aims of this study. Thirty healthy males conducted a performance test before and after five consecutive days with either IPC or rIPC maneuvers (n = 15 per group). This procedure was repeated after a two-week wash-out phase to test for both reflow conditions in random order. Results revealed improved exercise parameters in the IPC LR and to a lesser extent in the rIPC LR intervention. RBC deformability increased during both rIPC LR and IPC LR, respectively. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and blood pressures remained unaltered. In general, deformability and PWV positively correlated with performance parameters. In conclusion, occlusion of small areas seems insufficient to affect large remote muscle groups. The reflow condition might influence the effectiveness of the (r)IPC intervention, which might in part explain the inconsistent findings of previous investigations. Future studies should now focus on the underlying mechanisms to explain this finding

Generation of synthetic nanobodies against delicate proteins

Here, we provide a protocol to generate synthetic nanobodies, known as sybodies, against any purified protein or protein complex within a 3-week period. Unlike methods that require animals for antibody generation, sybody selections are carried out entirely in vitro under controlled experimental conditions. This is particularly relevant for the generation of conformation-specific binders against labile membrane proteins or protein complexes and allows selections in the presence of non-covalent ligands. Sybodies are especially suited for cases where binder generation via immune libraries fails due to high sequence conservation, toxicity or insufficient stability of the target protein. The procedure entails a single round of ribosome display using the sybody libraries encoded by mRNA, followed by two rounds of phage display and binder identification by ELISA. The protocol is optimized to avoid undesired reduction in binder diversity and enrichment of non-specific binders to ensure the best possible selection outcome. Using the efficient fragment exchange (FX) cloning method, the sybody sequences are transferred from the phagemid to different expression vectors without the need to amplify them by PCR, which avoids unintentional shuffling of complementary determining regions. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), the efficiency of each selection round is monitored to provide immediate feedback and guide troubleshooting. Our protocol can be carried out by any trained biochemist or molecular biologist using commercially available reagents and typically gives rise to 10-30 unique sybodies exhibiting binding affinities in the range of 500 pM-500 nM

Autologous Blood Doping Induced Changes in Red Blood Cell Rheologic Parameters, RBC Age Distribution, and Performance

Autologous blood doping (ABD) refers to the transfusion of one’s own blood after it has been stored. Although its application is prohibited in sports, it is assumed that ABD is applied by a variety of athletes because of its benefits on exercise performance and the fact that it is not detectable so far. Therefore, this study aims at identifying changes in hematological and hemorheological parameters during the whole course of ABD procedure and to relate those changes to exercise performance. Eight healthy men conducted a 31-week ABD protocol including two blood donations and the transfusion of their own stored RBC volume corresponding to 7.7% of total blood volume. Longitudinal blood and rheological parameter measurements and analyses of RBC membrane proteins and electrolyte levels were performed. Thereby, responses of RBC sub-populations—young to old RBC—were detected. Finally, exercise tests were carried out before and after transfusion. Results indicate a higher percentage of young RBC, altered RBC deformability and electrolyte concentration due to ABD. In contrast, RBC membrane proteins remained unaffected. Running economy improved after blood transfusion. Thus, close analysis of RBC variables related to ABD detection seems feasible but should be verified in further more-detailed studies

Morphology of the distal thoracic duct and the right lymphatic duct in different head and neck pathologies: an imaging based study

Background The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of head and neck pathologies on the detection rate, configuration and diameter of the thoracic duct (TD) and right lymphatic duct (RLD) in computed tomography (CT) of the head and neck. Methods One hundred ninety-seven patients were divided into the subgroups "healthy", "benign disease" and "malignant disease". The interpretation of the images was performed at a slice thickness of 3 mm in the axial and coronal plane. In each case we looked for the distal part of the TD and RLD respectively and subsequently evaluated their configuration (tubular, sacciform, dendritic) as well as their maximum diameter and correlated the results with age, gender and diagnosis group. Results The detection rate in the study population was 81.2 % for the TD and 64.2 % for the RLD and did not differ significantly in any of the subgroups. The predominant configuration was tubular. The configuration distribution did not differ significantly between the diagnosis groups. The mean diameter of the TD was 4.79 ± 2.41 mm and that of the RLD was 3.98 ± 1.96 mm. No significant influence of a diagnosis on the diameter could be determined. Conclusions There is no significant influence of head/neck pathologies on the CT detection rate, morphology or size of the TD and RLD. However our study emphasizes that both the RLD and the TD are detectable in the majority of routine head and neck CTs and therefore reading physicians and radiologists should be familiar with their various imaging appearances