Fast Detrending of Unevenly Sampled Series with Application to HRV

Abstract Detrending RR series is a common processing step prior to HRV analysis. In the classical approaches RR series, which are inherently unevenly sampled, are interpolated and uniformly resampled, thus introducing errors in subsequent HRV analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to detrending unevenly sampled series and apply it to RR series. The approach is based on the notion of weighted quadratic variation, which is a suitable measure of variability for unevenly sampled series. Detrending is performed by solving a constrained convex optimization problem that exploits the weighted quadratic variation. Numerical results confirm the effectiveness of the approach. The algorithm is simple and favorable in terms of computational complexity, which is linear in the size of the series to detrend. This makes it suitable for long-term HRV analysis. To the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the fastest algorithm for detrending RR series

mid term surgical results of proximal ulnar and radial fracture dislocations classified and treated with a new comprehensive classification system

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Infectious diseases and vaccination strategies: how to protect the "unprotectable"?

Introduction. The circulation of infectious diseases puts small infants too young to be vaccinated at risk of morbidity and mortality, often requiring prolonged hospitalization. Material and Methods. We have reviewed the medical records of children not eligible for vaccination because of age, admitted to hospital for pertussis, measles, or varicella from February 1, 2010, till February 1, 2012. Results. Of the case records scrutinized, 21 were hospitalized for pertussis, 18 for measles, and 32 for varicella. Out of them, 42%, 66%, and 78% diagnosed with, respectively, pertussis, measles, and varicella had a complicated course of the disease. Discussion. To avoid infectious disease circulation, childhood immunization strategies should be adopted, such as vaccination of healthcare givers, adult household contacts, and parents planning to have, or who have had, a newborn baby

A General Methodology for Adapting Industrial HMIs to Human Operators

Modern production systems are becoming more and more complex to comply with diversified market needs, flexible production, and competitiveness. Despite technological progress, the presence of human operators is still fundamental in production plants, since they have the important role of supervising and monitoring processes, by interacting with such complex machines. The complexity of machines implies an increased complexity of human-machine interfaces (HMIs), which are the main point of contact between the operator and the machine. Thus, HMIs cannot be considered anymore an accessory to the machine and their improvement has become an important part of the design of the whole machines, to enable a nonstressful interaction and make them easy to also use less skilled operators. In this article, we present a general framework for the design of HMIs that adapt to the skills and capabilities of the operator, with the ultimate aim of enabling a smooth and efficient interaction and improving user's situation awareness. Adaptation is achieved by considering three different levels: Perception (i.e., how information is presented), cognition (i.e., what information is presented), and interaction (i.e., how interaction is enabled). For each level, general guidelines for adaptation are provided, thus defining a meta-HMI independent of the application. Finally, some examples of how the proposed adaptation patterns can be applied to the case of procedural and extraordinary maintenance tasks are presented. Note to Practitioners-This article was motivated by the problem of facilitating the interaction of human operators with human-machine interfaces (HMIs) of complex industrial systems. Standard industrial HMIs are static and do not consider the user's characteristics. As a consequence, least-skilled operators are prevented from their use and/or have poor performance. In this article, we suggest a novel methodology to the design of adaptive industrial HMIs that adapt to the skills and capabilities of operators and compensate their limitations (e.g., due to age or inexperience). In particular, we propose a methodological framework that consists of general rules to accommodate the user's characteristics. Adaptation is achieved at three different levels: Perception (i.e., how information is presented), cognition (i.e., what information is presented), and interaction (i.e., how interaction is enabled). The presented rules are independent of the target application. Nevertheless, we establish a relationship between such design rules and user's impairments and capabilities and kind of working tasks. Hence, designers of HMIs are called to instantiate them considering the specific requirements and characteristics of the users and the working tasks of the application at hand