Automated detection of hands and objects in egocentric videos for ambient assisted living applications

The need for technology assisted (or ambient assisted) living is increasing all the time as the population ages and the number of people with dementia and other conditions impairing memory and cognitive ability increases. In such applications, amongst others, it is necessary to identify and assess potentially hazardous situations. These include scenarios involving a person’s hands and their interactions with various objects. In this paper, we describe our novel approach to identify human hands and objects in videos of people performing a variety of everyday tasks. We compare the performance of our method using different strategies with that of other state of the art approaches. We conclude that, when the proposed approach takes advantage of a pre-trained model, hand detection is performed accurately (94%), providing reliable information for assisted living applications

Recognition of Activities of Daily Living with Egocentric Vision: A Review.

Video-based recognition of activities of daily living (ADLs) is being used in ambient assisted living systems in order to support the independent living of older people. However, current systems based on cameras located in the environment present a number of problems, such as occlusions and a limited field of view. Recently, wearable cameras have begun to be exploited. This paper presents a review of the state of the art of egocentric vision systems for the recognition of ADLs following a hierarchical structure: motion, action and activity levels, where each level provides higher semantic information and involves a longer time frame. The current egocentric vision literature suggests that ADLs recognition is mainly driven by the objects present in the scene, especially those associated with specific tasks. However, although object-based approaches have proven popular, object recognition remains a challenge due to the intra-class variations found in unconstrained scenarios. As a consequence, the performance of current systems is far from satisfactory

Recognition of Activities of Daily Living with Egocentric Vision: A Review

Video-based recognition of activities of daily living (ADLs) is being used in ambient assisted living systems in order to support the independent living of older people. However, current systems based on cameras located in the environment present a number of problems, such as occlusions and a limited field of view. Recently, wearable cameras have begun to be exploited. This paper presents a review of the state of the art of egocentric vision systems for the recognition of ADLs following a hierarchical structure: motion, action and activity levels, where each level provides higher semantic information and involves a longer time frame. The current egocentric vision literature suggests that ADLs recognition is mainly driven by the objects present in the scene, especially those associated with specific tasks. However, although object-based approaches have proven popular, object recognition remains a challenge due to the intra-class variations found in unconstrained scenarios. As a consequence, the performance of current systems is far from satisfactory

Application of DPSIR framework to access environmental impact of white limestone mining and processing in Luc Yen, Yen Bai province

Application of DPSIR framework (Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses) aims to assess the current impact of the environment through a process starting with “driving forces” through “pressures” to “states” and “impacts” eventually leading to political “responses” in mineral mining in Luc Yen district. Research results show that the main drivers in Luc Yen are resources consumption (Wi = 3.675), the demand for industrial development (Wi = 3.575), followed by diversification and size of mines (Wi = 3.250). The environmental pressures are solid (Wi = 4.025), dust (Wi = 3.900) and wastewater (Wi = 3.625). The current state of environment is the most affected by air (Wi = 3.400). The soil and water are almost unaffected. The current environmental impacts have positive and negative social, economic and environmental impacts. Specifically, the positive impacts are employment opportunities, income (Wi = 3.325) and an increase in state budget (Wi =3.000). There are no positive improvements of the environment related to mining activities, such as negative impacts on ecological landscape (Wi = 3.050) and infrastructure (Wi = 3.075). Improving environmental quality and mitigating environmental impacts have been applied, including innovative technology (Wi = 3.175), pollution monitoring and environmental quality monitoring (Wi = 3.400). Communication activities to enhance community participation in Luc Yen area were also highly appreciated by people (Wi = 3.375).Việc ứng dụng mô hình DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, States, Impacts and Responses) nhằm mục đích đánh giá tác động môi trường theo một quá trình từ động lực, áp lực, hiện trạng và tác động đến đáp ứng để giải quyết vấn đề môi trường liên quan đến hoạt động khai thác khoáng sản tại huyện Lục Yên. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy động lực dẫn tới hoạt động khai thác đá vôi trắng tại huyện Lục Yên là nhu cầu sử dụng tài nguyên (Wi = 3,675), nhu cầu phát triển hoạt động công nghiệp (Wi = 3,575), tiếp đến là sự đa dạng, quy mô các mỏ khoáng (Wi = 3,250). Áp lực môi trường là chất thải rắn (Wi = 4,025), tiếp đến là bụi (Wi = 3,900) và nước thải (Wi = 3,625). Hiện trạng môi trường tự nhiên hiện nay tại khu vực Lục Yên chịu ảnh hưởng mạnh nhất là không khí (trọng số Wi = 3,400), môi trường đất và nước gần như chưa bị tác động. Tác động môi trường hiện nay tại huyện Lục Yên thể hiện qua tác động đến môi trường xã hội và môi trường tự nhiên. Cụ thể, tác động giải quyết việc làm, tăng thu nhập (Wi = 3,325) và tăng ngân sách nhà nước (Wi = 3,000). Tác động tiêu cực tới cảnh quan sinh thái (Wi = 3,050) và cơ sở hạ tầng (Wi = 3,075). Các giải pháp cải thiện và giảm thiểu tác động môi trường đã áp dụng hiện nay là đổi mới công nghệ khai thác theo hướng tiên tiến (Wi = 3,175), giám sát ô nhiễm và quan trắc chất lượng môi trường (Wi = 3,400). Giải pháp truyền thông tăng cường sự tham gia của cộng đồng tại khu vực Lục Yên cũng được người dân đánh giá cao với trọng số (Wi = 3,375)

A study of the impact of an interprofessional education module in Vietnam on students' readiness and competencies

Abstract: Introduction: The literature puts forward a range of challenges of interprofessional education (IPE) related to its planning, initiation, implementation, and especially to IPE assessment. The present study aims to map changes in students\u2019 readiness and interprofessional collaboration competence (IPCC) in implementing an innovative IPE module. Potential differences in impact related to the health education programs and IPCC scores resulting from self-, peer-, and tutor assessments will also be analysed. Methods: A pre-post design was adopted. The student\u2019s readiness for interprofessional learning was assessed using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and the student\u2019s IPCC score was calculated based on self-, peer-, and tutor assessments with the interprofessional collaborator assessment rubric. Results: Students\u2019 mean post-test readiness scores and mean post-test IPCC scores were significantly higher than the total and subscales/domain pre-test scores (p<0.01). No significant within-subject differences were observed in students\u2019 readiness total or subscale scores when comparing health educational programs. However, significant differences were observed in students\u2019 mean total IPCC scores between programs (p<0.01). Significant differences in students\u2019 average IPCC scores were found when comparing self-, peer- and tutor assessment scores in six domains (p<0.01). Also, significant correlations between peer and tutor assessment scores were observed (p<0.01). Conclusion: The IPE module, designed and implemented to focus on patient-centred practice within a primary care context, positively impacted students\u2019 readiness and IPCC development. These results offer insights to expand the implementation of the IPE module to all health educational programs

Genetic landscape and personalized tracking of tumor mutations in Vietnamese women with breast cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Vietnamese women, but its mutational landscape and actionable alterations for targeted therapies remain unknown. After treatment, a sensitive biomarker to complement conventional imaging to monitor patients is also lacking. In this prospective multi‐center study, 134 early‐stage breast cancer patients eligible for curative‐intent surgery were recruited. Genomic DNA from tumor tissues and paired white blood cells were sequenced to profile all tumor‐derived mutations in 95 cancer‐associated genes. Our bioinformatic algorithm was then utilized to identify top mutations for individual patients. Serial plasma samples were collected before surgery and at scheduled visits after surgery. Personalized assay tracking the selected mutations were performed to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the plasma. We found that the mutational landscape of the Vietnamese was largely similar to other Asian cohorts, showing higher TP53 mutation frequency than in Caucasians. Alterations in PIK3CA and PI3K signaling were dominant, particularly in our triple‐negative subgroup. Using top‐ranked mutations, we detected ctDNA in pre‐operative plasma in 24.6–43.5% of the hormone‐receptor‐positive groups and 76.9–80.8% of the hormone‐receptor‐negative groups. The detection rate was associated with breast cancer subtypes and clinicopathological features that increased the risk of relapse. Interim analysis after a 15‐month follow‐up revealed post‐operative detection of ctDNA in all three patients that had recurrence, with a lead time of 7–13 months ahead of clinical diagnosis. Our personalized assay is streamlined and affordable with promising clinical utility in residual cancer surveillance. We also generated the first somatic variant dataset for Vietnamese breast cancer women that could lay the foundation for precision cancer medicine in Vietnam