Ground terminal expert (GTEX). Part 2: Expert system diagnostics for a 30/20 Gigahertz satellite transponder

A research effort was undertaken to investigate how expert system technology could be applied to a satellite communications system. The focus of the expert system is the satellite earth station. A proof of concept expert system called the Ground Terminal Expert (GTEX) was developed at the University of Akron in collaboration with the NASA Lewis Research Center. With the increasing demand for satellite earth stations, maintenance is becoming a vital issue. Vendors of such systems will be looking for cost effective means of maintaining such systems. The objective of GTEX is to aid in diagnosis of faults occurring with the digital earth station. GTEX was developed on a personal computer using the Automated Reasoning Tool for Information Management (ART-IM) developed by the Inference Corporation. Developed for the Phase 2 digital earth station, GTEX is a part of the Systems Integration Test and Evaluation (SITE) facility located at the NASA Lewis Research Center

Fault isolation detection expert (FIDEX). Part 1: Expert system diagnostics for a 30/20 Gigahertz satellite transponder

LeRC has recently completed the design of a Ka-band satellite transponder system, as part of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) System. To enhance the reliability of this satellite, NASA funded the University of Akron to explore the application of an expert system to provide the transponder with an autonomous diagnosis capability. The results of this research was the development of a prototype diagnosis expert system called FIDEX (fault-isolation and diagnosis expert). FIDEX is a frame-based expert system that was developed in the NEXPERT Object development environment by Neuron Data, Inc. It is a MicroSoft Windows version 3.0 application, and was designed to operate on an Intel i80386 based personal computer system

FIDEX: An expert system for satellite diagnostics

A Fault Isolation and Diagnostic Expert system (FIDEX) was developed for communication satellite diagnostics. It was designed specifically for the 30/20 GHz satellite transponder. The expert system was designed with a generic structure and features that make it applicable to other types of space systems. FIDEX is a frame based system that enjoys many of the inherent frame base features, such as hierarchy that describes the transponder's components, with other hierarchies that provide structural and fault information about the transponder. This architecture provides a flexible diagnostic structure and enhances maintenance of the system. FIDEX also includes an inexact reasoning technique and a primitive learning ability. Inexact reasoning was an important feature for this system due to the sparse number of sensors available to provide information on the transponder's performance. FIDEX can determine the most likely faulted component under the constraint of limited information. FIDEX learns about the most likely faults in the transponder by keeping a record of past established faults. FIDEX also has the ability to detect anomalies in the sensors that provide information on the transponders performance

Intelligent fault isolation and diagnosis for communication satellite systems

Discussed here is a prototype diagnosis expert system to provide the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) System with autonomous diagnosis capability. The system, the Fault Isolation and Diagnosis EXpert (FIDEX) system, is a frame-based system that uses hierarchical structures to represent such items as the satellite's subsystems, components, sensors, and fault states. This overall frame architecture integrates the hierarchical structures into a lattice that provides a flexible representation scheme and facilitates system maintenance. FIDEX uses an inexact reasoning technique based on the incrementally acquired evidence approach developed by Shortliffe. The system is designed with a primitive learning ability through which it maintains a record of past diagnosis studies

Determining the Impact of a School-Based Health Education Package for Prevention of Intestinal Worm Infections in the Philippines: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Intervention Trial

Repeated mass drug administration (MDA) of antihelminthics to at-risk populations is still the main strategy for the control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections. However, MDA, as a stand-alone intervention, does not prevent reinfection. Accordingly, complementary measures to prevent STH reinfection, such as health education and improved sanitation, as part of an integrated control approach, are required to augment the effectiveness of MDA for optimal efficiency and sustainabilitythe UBS-Optimus Foundation, Switzerlan

Status of soil-transmitted helminth infections in schoolchildren in Laguna Province, the Philippines: Determined by parasitological and molecular diagnostic techniques

Background Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are the most common parasitic infections in impoverished communities, particularly among children. Current STH control is through school-based mass drug administration (MDA), which in the Philippines is done twice annually. As expected, MDA has decreased the intensity and prevalence of STH over time. As a result, the common Kato Katz (KK) thick smear method of detecting STH is less effective because it lacks sensitivity in low intensity infections, making it difficult to measure the impact of deworming programs. Methodology/Principal findings A cross-sectional study was carried out over a four-week period from October 27, 2014 until November 20, 2014 in Laguna province, the Philippines. Stool samples were collected from 263 schoolchildren, to determine the prevalence of STH and compare diagnostic accuracy of multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) with the KK. A large discrepancy in the prevalence between the two techniques was noted for the detection of at least one type of STH infection (33.8% by KK vs. 78.3% by qPCR), Ascaris lumbricoides (20.5% by KK vs. 60.8% by qPCR) and Trichuris trichiura (23.6% by KK vs. 38.8% by qPCR). Considering the combined results of both methods, the prevalence of at least one type of helminth infection, A. lumbricoides, and T. trichiura were 83.3%, 67.7%, and 53.6%, respectively. Sensitivity of the qPCR for detecting at least one type of STH infection, A. lumbricoides, and T. trichiura were 94.1%, 89.9%, and 72.3% respectively; whereas KK sensitivity was 40.6%, 30.3%, and 44.0%, respectively. The qPCR method also detected infections with Ancylostoma spp. (4.6%), Necator americanus (2.3%), and Strongyloides stercoralis (0.8%) that were missed by KK. Conclusion/Significance qPCR may provide new and important diagnostic information to improve assessment of the effectiveness and impact of integrated control strategies particularly in areas where large-scale STH control has led to low prevalence and/or intensity of infection.This work is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia, project grant (1046901); and the UBS-Optimus Foundation Switzerland. DJG is an Australian NHMRC Career Development Fellow; ACAC is an Australian NHMRC Senior Research Fellow; DPM is an Australian NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow

Health education and the control of intestinal worm infections in China : a new vision

The transmission of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) is associated with poverty, poor hygiene behaviour, lack of clean water and inadequate waste disposal and sanitation. Periodic administration of benzimidazole drugs is the mainstay for global STH control but it does not prevent re-infection, and is unlikely to interrupt transmission as a stand-alone intervention.; We reported recently on the development and successful testing in Hunan province, PR China, of a health education package to prevent STH infections in Han Chinese primary school students. We have recently commenced a new trial of the package in the ethnically diverse Xishuangbanna autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province and the approach is also being tested in West Africa, with further expansion into the Philippines in 2015.; The work in China illustrates well the direct impact that health education can have in improving knowledge and awareness, and in changing hygiene behaviour. Further, it can provide insight into the public health outcomes of a multi-component integrated control program, where health education prevents re-infection and periodic drug treatment reduces prevalence and morbidity

Risk factors for human helminthiases in rural Philippines

Background: A cross-sectional survey was performed in 2012 among 18 rural barangays in Northern Samar, the Philippines in order to determine the prevalence of single and multiple species helminth infections and the underlying risk factors of acquiring one or more parasites. Methods: A total of 6976 participants who completed a medical questionnaire and provided a stool sample for examination were included in the final analysis. Results: The overall prevalence rates of Schistosoma japonicum, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm were found to be moderate to high at 28.9%, 36.5%, 61.8%, and 28.4%, respectively. However, the prevalence of harbouring any of the helminths was found to be higher at 75.6%. Significant variation was evident among the predicted barangay-specific random effects for infection with S. japonicum (barangay variance of 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.31–1.40) and for any helminth infection (barangay variance of 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.30–1.29). The predictive models showed, with greater than 80% sensitivity and specificity, that low socio-economic status, low levels of education, poor sanitation, proximity to water sources, occupation (i.e., farming and fishing), and male sex were all reliable indicators of infection status. Conclusions: This study will aid in the targeting of limited resources for national treatment and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) efforts in low- and middle-income countries

Schistosomiasis mass drug administration in the Philippines: lessons learnt and the global implications

Schistosomiasis was first reported in the Philippines in 1906. A variety of treatments have been deployed to cure infection and to control the disease in the long-term. We discuss the journey to combat the disease in the Philippines and the lessons learnt which have implications for schistosomiasis control globally