Automatic Detection of Pain from Spontaneous Facial Expressions

This paper presents a new approach for detecting pain in sequences of spontaneous facial expressions. The motivation for this work is to accompany mobile-based self-management of chronic pain as a virtual sensor for tracking patients' expressions in real-world settings. Operating under such constraints requires a resource efficient approach for processing non-posed facial expressions from unprocessed temporal data. In this work, the facial action units of pain are modeled as sets of distances among related facial landmarks. Using standardized measurements of pain versus no-pain that are specific to each user, changes in the extracted features in relation to pain are detected. The activated features in each frame are combined using an adapted form of the Prkachin and Solomon Pain Intensity scale (PSPI) to detect the presence of pain per frame. Painful features must be activated in N consequent frames (time window) to indicate the presence of pain in a session. The discussed method was tested on 171 video sessions for 19 subjects from the McMaster painful dataset for spontaneous facial expressions. The results show higher precision than coverage in detecting sequences of pain. Our algorithm achieves 94% precision (F-score=0.82) against human observed labels, 74% precision (F-score=0.62) against automatically generated pain intensities and 100% precision (F-score=0.67) against self-reported pain intensities

Study of optoelectronic switch for satellite-switched time-division multiple access

The use of optoelectronic switching for satellite switched time division multiple access will improve the isolation and reduce the crosstalk of an IF switch matrix. The results are presented of a study on optoelectronic switching. Tasks include literature search, system requirements study, candidate switching architecture analysis, and switch model optimization. The results show that the power divided and crossbar switching architectures are good candidates for an IF switch matrix

Sustainable Packaging Design for Online Order Delivery

Due to the rising demands of package delivery, packaging for online orders has been produced rapidly in recent years. It includes plastic waste, paperboard waste, and energy waste. These wastes negatively impact the surrounding environment, natural creatures, and even human health. In this paper, a sustainable packaging design for online orders is explored that can not only help ecological systems on this planet, but also benefit the online retailers with a better package life cycle. This project is aimed to design a new packaging solution with adjustable and reusable features, which reduces packaging waste and provides a better package life cycle. The author focuses on redesigning a secondary packaging solution that creates a more efficient and eco-friendly way for online order delivery. In the research section, the author goes through a significant volume of waste caused by online delivery packaging, what aspects of packaging waste affects humans negatively, reasons that lead to severe packaging waste, methods to reduce packaging waste, and the existing sustainable packaging design for online delivery. After research, the author proposes a few potential packaging design ideas to alleviate the issue of excess packaging waste, enhance the efficiency for people to operate a package, and create a more completed packaging life cycle for retailers. User testing, interviews with experts in packaging science, and potential consumers help to inform the development of this project. The author evaluates ideas based on interviewees’ feedback and determines a final idea with most possibilities to continue physical testing and refinement steps. The final solution is durable, resizable, and reusable packaging. Furthermore, the author concludes with the benefit and future potentials of this design

DYNAMIC SHOULDER STRENGTH IN VARIOUS ELEVATION PLANES

INTRODUCTION: The objective assessment of shoulder strength is necessary to adequately predict a return to injury-free sport activities or strenuous activities. During most daily activities, the shoulder performs movements in various elevation planes and different modes of dynamic contraction. However, it appears that there has been no study of elevation plane movements, except for the sagittal plane and coronal plane. The purpose of this study was to establish a database of normal shoulder strength. More specifically, the study was performed to test the hypothesis that the mode of contraction (concentric and eccentric) and the plane of elevation would have significant effects on strength measurements of the shoulder joint. METHODS: Forty healthy young volunteers (20 men and 20 women) between 19 and 31 years of age with no history of upper extremity symptoms participated in this study. The Kin-Com isokinetic dynamometer (Chattanooga Corp., Chattanooga, TN) was used to measure elevation (abduction) and depression (adduction) strength of the shoulder in the 0° (sagittal plane), 30°, 60°, and 90° (frontal plane) of elevation, throughout the range of motion at eight angular velocities, 30°/sec to 240°/sec with steps of 30°/sec. Both concentric and eccentric tests of the dominant side were performed. The order of testing was random with respect to the elevation plane, velocity, and muscle contraction mode. MANOVA was used to analyze whether the strength ratios of elevation/depression differ with the plane of elevation, contraction mode and velocity. RESULTS: The strength ratios of elevation/depression depend on the plane of elevation, but not on the contraction mode and angular velocity. These values were greatest in the 60° plane of elevation and lowest in the 30° plane of elevation. In the 60° plane of elevation and frontal plane these strengths were greater in eccentric contraction than in concentric contraction. In contrast, in the sagittal plane and 30° plane of elevation these values were greater in concentric contraction than in eccentric contraction. There were significant differences in the plane of elevation and angular velocity, but no significance in gender and movement type, elevation or depression. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the effect of elevation plane on shoulder strength was considered in addition to muscle contraction mode and angular velocity. In summary, this study demonstrated that the mode of contraction and planes of elevation have a significant influence on the strength measurement of the shoulder joint. Such information should be considered in functional evaluation and muscle conditioning in rehabilitation

Carbon nanotube reinforced porous carbon having three-dimensionally ordered porosity and method of fabricating same

A solid carbon has CNTs dispersed therein and is formed about three-dimensionally ordered spherical voids arranged in an opal-like lattice

IMAGE-BASED MODELING AND SIMULATION OF THE SHOULDER DURING BASEBALL PITCHING

The imaged-based modeling and simulation such as the virtual, interactive, musculoskeletal system (VIMS) software provides accurate muscle orientations and their relative moment arms. An imaged-based biomechanical model of upper extremity can be used for understanding of neuromuscular control and simulation of sports activities and surgery reconstruction after injuries. The relative movement of the skeletal segments cause a change of muscle orientation and its moment arm, and then affect the role of the muscle loading during the motion. This paper reviews studies in applying three-dimensional shoulder model for investigation of the multi-joint muscle function. An image based and graphic-enhanced, quantitative model of the musculoskeletal system would be utilized for dynamic shoulder analysis with accurate muscle line of action incorporating bone movement and muscle wrapping around the joint

The actualization of the national philosophy of education in secondary schools in Kuching, Sarawak : student and teacher perspectives

The overall purpose of the study is to analyse the actualization of the National Philosophy of Education (NPE) in government and private secondary schools on the basis of student and teacher perspectives. The study believes that high tendency of failure in achieving the main objective of the NPE could occur if the relevant parties are unable to understand and personalize them. Since its establishment in 1988, there was no research conducted to study the actualization of the NPE, the present study addressed this issue, specifically from the perspective of the secondary school students and their teachers both in the government and private sectors. Survey design was adopted to obtain the research objectives. Two sets of questionnaires for students and teachers were designed and modified based on a handbook, “National Philosophy of Education, Goal and Mission” (Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan, Matlamat dan Misi), published by Ministry of Education in 2001. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient value for the teacher and student instrument was 0.96 and 0.98 respectively. A total of 185 Form 4 students and 45 teachers from both private and government secondary schools in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia were selected as participants in this research by using ‘stratified sampling method’. The mean scores for the actualization of the NPE in secondary schools based on student and teacher perspectives were 7.67 and 7.28 out of 10 respectively. 77.3% of students and 64.4% of teachers rated the level of actualization of the NPE as high. There were no significant differences between student and teacher perspectives but there were significant differences between respondents from government and private secondary schools. As per the results, the element most actualized was ‘high moral standards,’ and the least actualized was ‘‘putting on-going effort in education’. Overall, the results showed that the NPE is yet to be fully actualized in secondary school students and their lives