Search results for: monitor
477 Microplastic Migration from Food Packaging on Cured Meat Products
Authors: Klytaimnistra Katsara, George Kenanakis, Eleftherios Alissandrakis, Vassilis M. Papadakis
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In recent decades, microplastics (MPs) attracted the interest of the research community as the level of environmental plastic pollution has increased over the years. Through air inhalation and food consumption, MPs enter the human body, creating a series of possible health issues. The majority of MPs enter through the digestive tract; they migrate from the plastic packaging of the foodstuffs. Several plastics, such as Polyethylene (PE), are commonly used as food packaging material due to their preservation and storage capabilities. In this work, the surfaces of three different cured meat products with varied fat compositions were studied (bacon, mortadella, and salami) to determine the migration of MPs from plastic packaging. Micro-Raman spectroscopic measurements were performed in an experimental set lasting 28 days, where the meat samples were stored in vacuum-sealed low-density polyethylene (LDPE) pouches under refrigeration conditions at 4°C. Specific measurement days (0, 3, 9, 12, 15, and 28 days of storage) were chosen to obtain comparative results. Raman micro-spectroscopy was used to monitor the MPs migration, where the Raman spectral profile of LDPE first appeared on day 9 in Bacon, day 15 in Salami, and finally, on day 28 in Mortadella. All the meat samples on day 28 were tainted because a layer of bacterial outgrowth had developed on their surface. In conclusion, MP migration from food packaging to the surface of the cured meat samples was proven. To minimize the consumption of MPs in cured meat products that are stored in plastic packaging, a short period of storage time under refrigeration conditions is advised.Keywords: cured meat, food packaging, low-density polyethylene, microplastic migration, micro-Raman spectroscopy
Procedia PDF Downloads 75476 Invasion of Pectinatella magnifica in Freshwater Resources of the Czech Republic
Authors: J. Pazourek, K. Šmejkal, P. Kollár, J. Rajchard, J. Šinko, Z. Balounová, E. Vlková, H. Salmonová
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Pectinatella magnifica (Leidy, 1851) is an invasive freshwater animal that lives in colonies. A colony of Pectinatella magnifica (a gelatinous blob) can be up to several feet in diameter large and under favorable conditions it exhibits an extreme growth rate. Recently European countries around rivers of Elbe, Oder, Danube, Rhine and Vltava have confirmed invasion of Pectinatella magnifica, including freshwater reservoirs in South Bohemia (Czech Republic). Our project (Czech Science Foundation, GAČR P503/12/0337) is focused onto biology and chemistry of Pectinatella magnifica. We monitor the organism occurrence in selected South Bohemia ponds and sandpits during the last years, collecting information about physical properties of surrounding water, and sampling the colonies for various analyses (classification, maps of secondary metabolites, toxicity tests). Because the gelatinous matrix is during the colony lifetime also a host for algae, bacteria and cyanobacteria (co-habitants), in this contribution, we also applied a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for determination of potentially present cyanobacterial toxins (microcystin-LR, microcystin-RR, nodularin). Results from the last 3-year monitoring show that these toxins are under limit of detection (LOD), so that they do not represent a danger yet. The final goal of our study is to assess toxicity risks related to fresh water resources invaded by Pectinatella magnifica, and to understand the process of invasion, which can enable to control it.Keywords: cyanobacteria, fresh water resources, Pectinatella magnifica invasion, toxicity monitoring
Procedia PDF Downloads 239475 Evaluation of Environmental Disclosures on Financial Performance of Quoted Industrial Goods Manufacturing Sectors in Nigeria (2011 – 2020)
Authors: C. C. Chima, C. J. M. Anumaka
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This study evaluates environmental disclosures on the financial performance of quoted industrial goods manufacturing sectors in Nigeria. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to establish the relationship that exists between the environmental disclosure index and financial performance indices (return on assets - ROA, return on equity - ROE, and earnings per share - EPS). A purposeful sampling technique was employed to select five (5) industrial goods manufacturing sectors quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Secondary data covering 2011 to 2020 financial years were extracted from annual reports of the study sectors using a content analysis method. The data were analyzed using SPSS, Version 23. Panel Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression method was employed in estimating the unknown parameters in the study’s regression model after conducting diagnostic and preliminary tests to ascertain that the data set are reliable and not misleading. Empirical results show that there is an insignificant negative relationship between the environmental disclosure index (EDI) and the performance indices (ROA, ROE, and EPS) of the industrial goods manufacturing sectors in Nigeria. The study recommends that: only relevant information which increases the performance indices should appear on the disclosure checklist; environmental disclosure practices should be country-specific; and company executives in Nigeria should increase and monitor the level of investment (resources, time, and energy) in order to ensure that environmental disclosure has a significant impact on financial performance.Keywords: earnings per share, environmental disclosures, return on assets, return on equity
Procedia PDF Downloads 86474 The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Digital Crime
Authors: Á. L. Bendes
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By the end of the second decade of the 21st century, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an unavoidable part of everyday life and has necessarily aroused the interest of researchers in almost every field of science. This is no different in the case of jurisprudence, whose main task is not only to create its own theoretical paradigm related to AI. Perhaps the biggest impact on digital crime is artificial intelligence. In addition, the need to create legal frameworks suitable for the future application of the law has a similar importance. The prognosis according to which AI can reshape the practical application of law and, ultimately, the entire legal life is also of considerable importance. In the past, criminal law was basically created to sanction the criminal acts of a person, so the application of its concepts with original content to AI-related violations is not expected to be sufficient in the future. Taking this into account, it is necessary to rethink the basic elements of criminal law, such as the act and factuality, but also, in connection with criminality barriers and criminal sanctions, several new aspects have appeared that challenge both the criminal law researcher and the legislator. It is recommended to continuously monitor technological changes in the field of criminal law as well since it will be timely to re-create both the legal and scientific frameworks to correctly assess the events related to them, which may require a criminal law response. Artificial intelligence has completely reformed the world of digital crime. New crimes have appeared, which the legal systems of many countries do not or do not adequately regulate. It is considered important to investigate and sanction these digital crimes. The primary goal is prevention, for which we need a comprehensive picture of the intertwining of artificial intelligence and digital crimes. The goal is to explore these problems, present them, and create comprehensive proposals that support legal certainty.Keywords: artificial intelligence, chat forums, defamation, international criminal cooperation, social networking, virtual sites
Procedia PDF Downloads 89473 Construction of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Index through Global Sensitivity Analysis of Radiative Transfer Model
Authors: Guanhua Zhou, Zhongqi Ma
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Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in wetlands can absorb nitrogen and phosphorus effectively to prevent the eutrophication of water. It is feasible to monitor the distribution of SAV through remote sensing, but for the reason of weak vegetation signals affected by water body, traditional terrestrial vegetation indices are not applicable. This paper aims at constructing SAV index to enhance the vegetation signals and distinguish SAV from water body. The methodology is as follows: (1) select the bands sensitive to the vegetation parameters based on global sensitivity analysis of SAV canopy radiative transfer model; (2) take the soil line concept as reference, analyze the distribution of SAV and water reflectance simulated by SAV canopy model and semi-analytical water model in the two-dimensional space built by different sensitive bands; (3)select the band combinations which have better separation performance between SAV and water, and use them to build the SAVI indices in the form of normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI); (4)analyze the sensitivity of indices to the water and vegetation parameters, choose the one more sensitive to vegetation parameters. It is proved that index formed of the bands with central wavelengths in 705nm and 842nm has high sensitivity to chlorophyll content in leaves while it is less affected by water constituents. The model simulation shows a general negative, little correlation of SAV index with increasing water depth. Moreover, the index enhances capabilities in separating SAV from water compared to NDVI. The SAV index is expected to have potential in parameter inversion of wetland remote sensing.Keywords: global sensitivity analysis, radiative transfer model, submerged aquatic vegetation, vegetation indices
Procedia PDF Downloads 263472 A Vehicle Monitoring System Based on the LoRa Technique
Authors: Chao-Linag Hsieh, Zheng-Wei Ye, Chen-Kang Huang, Yeun-Chung Lee, Chih-Hong Sun, Tzai-Hung Wen, Jehn-Yih Juang, Joe-Air Jiang
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Air pollution and climate warming become more and more intensified in many areas, especially in urban areas. Environmental parameters are critical information to air pollution and weather monitoring. Thus, it is necessary to develop a suitable air pollution and weather monitoring system for urban areas. In this study, a vehicle monitoring system (VMS) based on the IoT technique is developed. Cars are selected as the research tool because it can reach a greater number of streets to collect data. The VMS can monitor different environmental parameters, including ambient temperature and humidity, and air quality parameters, including PM2.5, NO2, CO, and O3. The VMS can provide other information, including GPS signals and the vibration information through driving a car on the street. Different sensor modules are used to measure the parameters and collect the measured data and transmit them to a cloud server through the LoRa protocol. A user interface is used to show the sensing data storing at the cloud server. To examine the performance of the system, a researcher drove a Nissan x-trail 1998 to the area close to the Da’an District office in Taipei to collect monitoring data. The collected data are instantly shown on the user interface. The four kinds of information are provided by the interface: GPS positions, weather parameters, vehicle information, and air quality information. With the VMS, users can obtain the information regarding air quality and weather conditions when they drive their car to an urban area. Also, government agencies can make decisions on traffic planning based on the information provided by the proposed VMS.Keywords: LoRa, monitoring system, smart city, vehicle
Procedia PDF Downloads 419471 An IoT-Enabled Crop Recommendation System Utilizing Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) for Efficient Data Transmission to AI/ML Models
Authors: Prashansa Singh, Rohit Bajaj, Manjot Kaur
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In the modern agricultural landscape, precision farming has emerged as a pivotal strategy for enhancing crop yield and optimizing resource utilization. This paper introduces an innovative Crop Recommendation System (CRS) that leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol to collect critical environmental and soil data via sensors deployed across agricultural fields. The system is designed to address the challenges of real-time data acquisition, efficient data transmission, and dynamic crop recommendation through the application of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) models. The CRS architecture encompasses a network of sensors that continuously monitor environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and nutrient levels. This sensor data is then transmitted to a central MQTT server, ensuring reliable and low-latency communication even in bandwidth-constrained scenarios typical of rural agricultural settings. Upon reaching the server, the data is processed and analyzed by AI/ML models trained to correlate specific environmental conditions with optimal crop choices and cultivation practices. These models consider historical crop performance data, current agricultural research, and real-time field conditions to generate tailored crop recommendations. This implementation gets 99% accuracy.Keywords: Iot, MQTT protocol, machine learning, sensor, publish, subscriber, agriculture, humidity
Procedia PDF Downloads 69470 The Effect of Geographical Differentials of Epidemiological Transition on Health-Seeking Behavior in India
Authors: Sumit Kumar Das, Laishram Ladusingh
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Aim: The aim of the study is to examine the differential of epidemiological transition across fifteen agro-climatic zones of India and its effect on health-seeking behavior. Data and Methods: Unit level data on consumption expenditure on health of India from three decadal rounds conducted by National Sample Survey Organization are used for the analysis. These three rounds are 52nd (1995-96), 60th (2004-05) and 71st (2014-15). The age-adjusted prevalence rate for communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases are estimated for fifteen agro-climatic zones of India for three time periods. Bivariate analysis is used to find out determinants of health-seeking behavior. Multilevel logistic regression is used to examine factors effecting on household health-seeking behavior. Result: The prevalence of communicable diseases is increasing in most of the zones of India. Every South Indian zones, Gujarat plains, and lower Gangetic plain are facing the severe attack of dual burden of diseases. Demand for medical advice has increased in southern zones, and east zones, reliance on private healthcare facilities are increasing in most of the zone. Demographic characteristics of the household head have a significant impact on health-seeking behavior. Conclusion: Proper program implementation is required considering the disease prevalence and differential in the pattern of health seeking behavior. Along with initiation and strengthening of programs for non-communicable, existing programs for communicable diseases need to monitor and supervised strictly.Keywords: agro-climatic zone, epidemiological transition, health-seeking behavior, multilevel regression
Procedia PDF Downloads 184469 Contactless Electromagnetic Detection of Stress Fluctuations in Steel Elements
Authors: M. A. García, J. Vinolas, A. Hernando
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Steel is nowadays one of the most important structural materials because of its outstanding mechanical properties. Therefore, in order to look for a sustainable economic model and to optimize the use of extensive resources, new methods to monitor and prevent failure of steel-based facilities are required. The classical mechanical tests, as for instance building tasting, are invasive and destructive. Moreover, for facilities where the steel element is embedded, (as reinforced concrete) these techniques are directly non applicable. Hence, non-invasive monitoring techniques to prevent failure, without altering the structural properties of the elements are required. Among them, electromagnetic methods are particularly suitable for non-invasive inspection of the mechanical state of steel-based elements. The magnetoelastic coupling effects induce a modification of the electromagnetic properties of an element upon applied stress. Since most steels are ferromagnetic because of their large Fe content, it is possible to inspect their structure and state in a non-invasive way. We present here a distinct electromagnetic method for contactless evaluation of internal stress in steel-based elements. In particular, this method relies on measuring the magnetic induction between two coils with the steel specimen in between them. We found that the alteration of electromagnetic properties of the steel specimen induced by applied stress-induced changes in the induction allowed us to detect stress well below half of the elastic limit of the material. Hence, it represents an outstanding non-invasive method to prevent failure in steel-based facilities. We here describe the theoretical model, present experimental results to validate it and finally we show a practical application for detection of stress and inhomogeneities in train railways.Keywords: magnetoelastic, magnetic induction, mechanical stress, steel
Procedia PDF Downloads 51468 Creation of Ultrafast Ultra-Broadband High Energy Laser Pulses
Authors: Walid Tawfik
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The interaction of high intensity ultrashort laser pulses with plasma generates many significant applications, including soft x-ray lasers, time-resolved laser induced plasma spectroscopy LIPS, and laser-driven accelerators. The development in producing of femtosecond down to ten femtosecond optical pulses has facilitates scientists with a vital tool in a variety of ultrashort phenomena, such as high field physics, femtochemistry and high harmonic generation HHG. In this research, we generate a two-octave-wide ultrashort supercontinuum pulses with an optical spectrum extending from 3.5 eV (ultraviolet) to 1.3 eV (near-infrared) using a capillary fiber filled with neon gas. These pulses are formed according to nonlinear self-phase modulation in the neon gas as a nonlinear medium. The investigations of the created pulses were made using spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER). A complete description of the output pulses was considered. The observed characterization of the produced pulses includes the beam profile, the pulse width, and the spectral bandwidth. After reaching optimization conditions, the intensity of the reconstructed pulse autocorrelation function was applied for the shorts pulse duration to achieve transform limited ultrashort pulses with durations below 6-fs energies up to 600μJ. Moreover, the effect of neon pressure variation on the pulse width was examined. The nonlinear self-phase modulation realized to be increased with the pressure of the neon gas. The observed results may lead to an advanced method to control and monitor ultrashort transit interaction in femtochemistry.Keywords: supercontinuum, ultrafast, SPIDER, ultra-broadband
Procedia PDF Downloads 224467 Visual Simulation for the Relationship of Urban Fabric
Authors: Ting-Yu Lin, Han-Liang Lin
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This article is about the urban form of visualization by Cityengine. City is composed of different domains, and each domain has its own fabric because of arrangement. For example, a neighborhood unit contains fabrics such as schools, street networks, residential and commercial spaces. Therefore, studying urban morphology can help us understand the urban form in planning process. Streets, plots, and buildings seem as urban fabrics, and they configure urban form. Traditionally, urban morphology usually discussed single parameter, which is building type, ignoring other parameters such as streets and plots. However, urban space is three-dimensional, instead of two-dimensional. People perceive urban space by their visualization. Therefore, using visualization can fill the gap between two dimensions and three dimensions. Hence, the study of urban morphology will strengthen the understanding of whole appearance of a city. Cityengine is a software which can edit, analyze and monitor the data and visualize the result for GIS, a common tool to analyze data and display the map for urban plan and urban design. Cityengine can parameterize the data of streets, plots and building types and visualize the result in three-dimensional way. The research will reappear the real urban form by visualizing. We can know whether the urban form can be parameterized and the parameterized result can match the real urban form. Then, visualizing the result by software in three dimension to analyze the rule of urban form. There will be three stages of the research. It will start with a field survey of Tainan East District in Taiwan to conclude the relationships between urban fabrics of street networks, plots and building types. Second, to visualize the relationship, it will turn the relationship into codes which Cityengine can read. Last, Cityengine will automatically display the result by visualizing.Keywords: Cityengine, urban fabric, urban morphology, visual simulation
Procedia PDF Downloads 299466 Photographic Documentation of Archaeological Collections in the Grand Egyptian Museum
Authors: Sameh El Mahdy
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Recording and documenting archaeological collections, especially photographic documentation, is considered one of the very important matters that museums care about and give great priority, as photographic documentation is of great importance. We monitor some of them for example, Photographs of collectibles are considered evidence and an archival record that proves the condition of the collectibles at various stages. A photo of the possessions is placed on the paper record of the possessions registration. These photos are used in inventorying archaeological collections. These pictures are viewed by researchers and scholars interested in studying these collections. These images are used in advertising campaigns for museum displays of archaeological collections. The Grand Egyptian Museum is considered one of the museums that is a unique model in terms of establishing a specific system that is used when photographing archaeological collections. The Grand Egyptian Museum sets standards for the photos that are taken inside the Grand Egyptian Museum. We mention some of them for example, Pictures must be of high quality. It is necessary to set a color scale for the drawing in order to clarify the dimensions of the collectibles in the picture and also in order to clarify the natural colors of the collectibles without any additions. Putting the numbers of the collectibles in the pictures, especially the number of the Grand Egyptian Museum. To take a good photo of the artifacts in the Grand Egyptian Museum, there are many steps: (1) Create a good location, (2) How to handle the Artifacts. (3) Choose the best position for the artifact, (4) Make the light to create a good photo without shadows to make the photo represent all the artifact details. (5) Be sure of the camera settings, and their quality. All of these steps and other ones are the best criteria for taking the best photo, which helps us in the database to represent the details of the artifact in our interface.Keywords: grand egyptian museum, photographing, museum collections, registration and documentation
Procedia PDF Downloads 43465 Modeling Breathable Particulate Matter Concentrations over Mexico City Retrieved from Landsat 8 Satellite Imagery
Authors: Rodrigo T. Sepulveda-Hirose, Ana B. Carrera-Aguilar, Magnolia G. Martinez-Rivera, Pablo de J. Angeles-Salto, Carlos Herrera-Ventosa
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In order to diminish health risks, it is of major importance to monitor air quality. However, this process is accompanied by the high costs of physical and human resources. In this context, this research is carried out with the main objective of developing a predictive model for concentrations of inhalable particles (PM10-2.5) using remote sensing. To develop the model, satellite images, mainly from Landsat 8, of the Mexico City’s Metropolitan Area were used. Using historical PM10 and PM2.5 measurements of the RAMA (Automatic Environmental Monitoring Network of Mexico City) and through the processing of the available satellite images, a preliminary model was generated in which it was possible to observe critical opportunity areas that will allow the generation of a robust model. Through the preliminary model applied to the scenes of Mexico City, three areas were identified that cause great interest due to the presumed high concentration of PM; the zones are those that present high plant density, bodies of water and soil without constructions or vegetation. To date, work continues on this line to improve the preliminary model that has been proposed. In addition, a brief analysis was made of six models, presented in articles developed in different parts of the world, this in order to visualize the optimal bands for the generation of a suitable model for Mexico City. It was found that infrared bands have helped to model in other cities, but the effectiveness that these bands could provide for the geographic and climatic conditions of Mexico City is still being evaluated.Keywords: air quality, modeling pollution, particulate matter, remote sensing
Procedia PDF Downloads 156464 Development of a Smart System for Measuring Strain Levels of Natural Gas and Petroleum Pipelines on Earthquake Fault Lines in Turkiye
Authors: Ahmet Yetik, Seyit Ali Kara, Cevat Özarpa
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Load changes occur on natural gas and oil pipelines due to natural disasters. The displacement of the soil around the natural gas and oil pipes due to situations that may cause erosion, such as earthquakes, landslides, and floods, is the source of this load change. The exposure of natural gas and oil pipes to variable loads causes deformation, cracks, and breaks in these pipes. Cracks and breaks on the pipes cause damage to people and the environment due to reasons such as explosions. Especially with the examinations made after natural disasters, it can be easily understood which of the pipes has more damage in the regions followed. It has been determined that the earthquakes in Turkey caused permanent damage to the pipelines. This project was designed and realized because it was determined that there were cracks and gas leaks in the insulation gaskets placed in the pipelines, especially at the junction points. In this study, A new SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) application has been developed to monitor load changes caused by natural disasters. The newly developed SCADA application monitors the changes in the x, y, and z axes of the stresses occurring in the pipes with the help of strain gauge sensors placed on the pipes. For the developed SCADA system, test setups in accordance with the standards were created during the fieldwork. The test setups created were integrated into the SCADA system, and the system was followed up. Thanks to the SCADA system developed with the field application, the load changes that will occur on the natural gas and oil pipes are instantly monitored, and the accumulations that may create a load on the pipes and their surroundings are immediately intervened, and new risks that may arise are prevented. It has contributed to energy supply security, asset management, pipeline holistic management, and sustainability.Keywords: earthquake, natural gas pipes, oil pipes, strain measurement, stress measurement, landslide
Procedia PDF Downloads 72463 The Scope and Effectiveness of Interactive Voice Response Technologies in Post-Operative Care
Authors: Zanib Nafees, Amir Razaghizad, Ibtisam Mahmoud, Abhinav Sharma, Renzo Cecere
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More than one million surgeries are performed each year in Canada, resulting in more than 100,000 associated serious adverse events (SAEs) per year. These are defined as unintended injuries or complications that adversely affect the well-being of patients. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of digital health interventions that have the potential to assist, monitor, and educate patients—facilitating self-care following post-operative discharge. Among digital health, interventions are interactive-voice response technologies (IVRs), which have been shown to be highly effective in certain medical settings. Although numerous IVR-based interventions have been developed, their effectiveness and utility remain unclear, notably in post-operative settings. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic or scoping reviews have evaluated this topic to date. Thus, the objective of this scoping review protocol is to systematically map and explore the literature and evidence describing and examining IVR tools, implementation, evaluation, outcome, and experience for post-operative patients. The focus will be primarily on the evaluation of baseline performance status, clinical assessment, treatment outcomes, and patient management, including self-management and self-monitoring. The objective of this scoping review is to assess the extent of the literature to direct future research efforts by identifying gaps and limitations in the literature and to highlight relevant determinants of positive outcomes in the emerging field of IVR monitoring for health outcomes in post-operative patients.Keywords: digital healthcare technologies, post-surgery, interactive voice technology, interactive voice response
Procedia PDF Downloads 264462 Strain Sensing Seams for Monitoring Body Movement
Authors: Sheilla Atieno Odhiambo, Simona Vasile, Alexandra De Raeve, Ann Schwarz
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Strain sensing seams have been developed by integrating conductive sewing threads in different types of seams design on a fabric typical for sports clothing using sewing technology. The aim is to have a simple integrated textile strain sensor that can be applied to sports clothing to monitor the movements of the upper body parts of the user during sports. Different types of commercially available sewing threads were used as the bobbin thread in the production of different architectural seam sensors. These conductive sewing threads have been integrated into seams in particular designs using specific seam types. Some of the threads are delicate and needed to be laid into the seam with as little friction as possible and less tension; thus, they could only be sewn in as the bobbin thread and not the needle thread. Stitch type 304; 406; 506; 601;602; 605. were produced. The seams were made on a fabric of 80% polyamide 6.6 and 20% elastane. The seams were cycled(stretch-release-stretch) for five cycles and up to 44 cycles following EN ISO 14704-1: 2005 (modified), using a tensile instrument and the changes in the resistance of the seams with time were recorded using Agilent meter U1273A. Both experiments were conducted simultaneously on the same seam sample. Sensing functionality, among which is sensor gauge and reliability, were evaluated on the promising sensor seams. The results show that the sensor seams made from HC Madeira 40 conductive yarns performed better inseam stitch 304 and 602 compared to the other combination of stitch type and conductive sewing threads. These sensing seams 304, 406 and 602 will further be interconnected to our developed processing and communicating unit and further integrated into a sports clothing prototype that can track body posture. This research is done within the framework of the project SmartSeam.Keywords: conductive sewing thread, sensing seams, smart seam, sewing technology
Procedia PDF Downloads 190461 Development of Mobile Application for Internship Program Management Using the Concept of Model View Controller (MVC) Pattern
Authors: Shutchapol Chopvitayakun
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Nowadays, especially for the last 5 years, mobile devices, mobile applications and mobile users, through the deployment of wireless communication and mobile phone cellular network, all these components are growing significantly bigger and stronger. They are being integrated into each other to create multiple purposes and pervasive deployments into every business and non-business sector such as education, medicine, traveling, finance, real estate and many more. Objective of this study was to develop a mobile application for seniors or last-year students who enroll the internship program at each tertiary school (undergraduate school) and do onsite practice at real field sties, real organizations and real workspaces. During the internship session, all students as the interns are required to exercise, drilling and training onsite with specific locations and specific tasks or may be some assignments from their supervisor. Their work spaces are both private and government corporates and enterprises. This mobile application is developed under schema of a transactional processing system that enables users to keep daily work or practice log, monitor true working locations and ability to follow daily tasks of each trainee. Moreover, it provides useful guidance from each intern’s advisor, in case of emergency. Finally, it can summarize all transactional data then calculate each internship cumulated hours from the field practice session for each individual intern.Keywords: internship, mobile application, Android OS, smart phone devices, mobile transactional processing system, guidance and monitoring, tertiary education, senior students, model view controller (MVC)
Procedia PDF Downloads 315460 The Sensitivity of Electrical Geophysical Methods for Mapping Salt Stores within the Soil Profile
Authors: Fathi Ali Swaid
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Soil salinization is one of the most hazardous phenomenons accelerating the land degradation processes. It either occurs naturally or is human-induced. High levels of soil salinity negatively affect crop growth and productivity leading land degradation ultimately. Thus, it is important to monitor and map soil salinity at an early stage to enact effective soil reclamation program that helps lessen or prevent future increase in soil salinity. Geophysical method has outperformed the traditional method for assessing soil salinity offering more informative and professional rapid assessment techniques for monitoring and mapping soil salinity. Soil sampling, EM38 and 2D conductivity imaging have been evaluated for their ability to delineate and map the level of salinity variations at Second Ponds Creek. The three methods have shown that the subsoil in the study area is saline. Salt variations were successfully observed under either method. However, EM38 reading and 2D inversion data show a clear spatial structure comparing to EC1:5 of soil samples in spite of that all soil samples, EM38 and 2D imaging were collected from the same location. Because EM38 readings and 2D imaging data are a weighted average of electrical soil conductance, it is more representative of soil properties than the soil samples method. The mapping of subsurface soil at the study area has been successful and the resistivity imaging has proven to be an advantage. The soil salinity analysis (EC1:5) correspond well to the true resistivity bringing together a good result of soil salinity. Soil salinity clearly indicated by previous investigation EM38 have been confirmed by the interpretation of the true resistivity at study area.Keywords: 2D conductivity imaging, EM38 readings, soil salinization, true resistivity, urban salinity
Procedia PDF Downloads 378459 The Study on Corpse Floating Time in Shanghai Region of China
Authors: Hang Meng, Wen-Bin Liu, Bi Xiao, Kai-Jun Ma, Jian-Hui Xie, Geng Fei, Tian-Ye Zhang, Lu-Yi Xu, Dong-Chuan Zhang
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The victims in water are often found in the coastal region, along river region or the region with lakes. In China, the examination for the bodies of victims in the water is conducted by forensic doctors working in the public security bureau. Because the enter water time for most of the victims are not clear, and often lack of monitor images and other information, so to find out the corpse enter water time for victims is very difficult. After the corpse of the victim enters the water, it sinks first, then corruption gas produces, which can make the density of the corpse to be less than water, and thus rise again. So the factor that determines the corpse floating time is temperature. On the basis of the temperature data obtained in Shanghai region of China (Shanghai is a north subtropical marine monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 17.1℃. The hottest month is July, the average monthly temperature is 28.6℃, and the coldest month is January, the average monthly temperature is 4.8℃). This study selected about 100 cases with definite corpse enter water time and corpse floating time, analyzed the cases and obtained the empirical law of the corpse floating time. For example, in the Shanghai region, on June 15th and October 15th, the corpse floating time is about 1.5 days. In early December, the bodies who entered the water will go up around January 1st of the following year, and the bodies who enter water in late December will float in March of next year. The results of this study can be used to roughly estimate the water enter time of the victims in Shanghai. Forensic doctors around the world can also draw on the results of this study to infer the time when the corpses of the victims in the water go up.Keywords: corpse enter water time, corpse floating time, drowning, forensic pathology, victims in the water
Procedia PDF Downloads 197458 Effect of Food Supplies Holstein Calves Supplemented with Bacillus Subtilis PB6 in Morbidity and Mortality
Authors: Banca Patricia Pena Revuelta, Ramiro Gonzalez Avalos, Juan Leonardo Rocha Valdez, Jose Gonzalez Avalos, Karla Rodriguez Hernandez
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Probiotics are a promising alternative to improve productivity and animals' health. In addition, they can be part of the composition of different types of products, including foods (functional foods), medicines, and dietary supplements. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of the feeding of Holstein calves supplemented with bacillus subtilis PB6 in morbidity and mortality. 60 newborn animals were used, randomly included in 1 of 3 treatments. The treatments were as follows: T1 = control, T2 = 10 g / calf / day. The first takes within 20 min after birth, T3 = 10 g / calf/day. The first takes between 12 and 24 h after birth. In all the treatments, 432 L of pasteurized whole milk divided into two doses/day 07:00 and 15:00, respectively, were given for 60 days. The addition of bacillus subtilis PB6 was carried out in the milk tub at the time of feeding them. The first colostrum intake (2 L • intake) was given within 2 h after birth, after which they were given a second 6 h after the first one. The diseases registered to monitor the morbidity and mortality of the calves were: diarrhea and pneumonia. The registry was carried out from birth to 60 days of life. The parameter evaluated was food consumption. The variable statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance, and comparison of means was performed using the Tukey test. The value of P < 0.05 was used to consider the statistical difference. The results of the present study in relation to the consumption of food show no statistical difference P < 0.05 between treatments (14,762, 11,698, and 12,403 kg of food average, respectively). Calves group to which they were not provided Bacillus subtilis PB6 obtained higher feed intake. The addition of Bacillus subtilis PB6 in feeding calves does not increase feed intake.Keywords: feeding, development, milk, probiotic
Procedia PDF Downloads 149457 Noise Pollution: An Emerging Threat to Urban Health
Authors: M. Sirajul Islam Molla
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Noise pollution has been a continuous and an increasing threat to human health in urban population all over the world. The situation in Bangladesh particularly in major cities has been dangerously aggravating. Despite the government of Bangladesh have laws in its hand to curb the noise pollution the authority’s reluctance in enforcing it, is making the situation worse. We do not see any difference in some other major cities of the South Asian Regional Countries like Delhi and Kathmandu, both of the cities are facing the same situation like Dhaka. With the expansion of technology-based township all over the world, the noise pollution has been an emerging threat to urban health. The information for this review has been derived from websites of GOs, NGOs, peer-reviewed papers, seminars and symposia. The worse situation of noise pollution results in people’s irritation and protest, but in many cases, the protesters are facing the wrath of the polluters. Two such consequences in Bangladesh have resulted in killing the protesters by the polluters – one happened in Dhaka city and the other in a rural town. The law-enforcing agencies proactively do not attempt to impose the law. Noise pollution has been increasing so rapidly that it has become a burden on human health in urban populations. Prolonged exposure to higher noise causes mental stress, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, cardiac failure, respiratory disorder, miscarriage and breaks attention of students to their studies and also irritates their behavior. The noise pollution-caused mortality has also been increasing all over the world. Recommendations from the international conferences such as ICUH should be forwarded to the United Nations. The UN then should pass it on to the concerned countries. The UN should also keenly monitor if the countries have appropriate plan to curb noise pollution to meet the sustainable development goals.Keywords: decibel, environment, noise, pollution
Procedia PDF Downloads 246456 Monitor Student Concentration Levels on Online Education Sessions
Authors: M. K. Wijayarathna, S. M. Buddika Harshanath
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Monitoring student engagement has become a crucial part of the educational process and a reliable indicator of the capacity to retain information. As online learning classrooms are now more common these days, students' attention levels have become increasingly important, making it more difficult to check each student's concentration level in an online classroom setting. To profile student attention to various gradients of engagement, a study is a plan to conduct using machine learning models. Using a convolutional neural network, the findings and confidence score of the high accuracy model are obtained. In this research, convolutional neural networks are using to help discover essential emotions that are critical in defining various levels of participation. Students' attention levels were shown to be influenced by emotions such as calm, enjoyment, surprise, and fear. An improved virtual learning system was created as a result of these data, which allowed teachers to focus their support and advise on those students who needed it. Student participation has formed as a crucial component of the learning technique and a consistent predictor of a student's capacity to retain material in the classroom. Convolutional neural networks have a plan to implement the platform. As a preliminary step, a video of the pupil would be taken. In the end, researchers used a convolutional neural network utilizing the Keras toolkit to take pictures of the recordings. Two convolutional neural network methods are planned to use to determine the pupils' attention level. Finally, those predicted student attention level results plan to display on the graphical user interface of the System.Keywords: HTML5, JavaScript, Python flask framework, AI, graphical user
Procedia PDF Downloads 101455 Exploring Data Stewardship in Fog Networking Using Blockchain Algorithm
Authors: Ruvaitha Banu, Amaladhithyan Krishnamoorthy
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IoT networks today solve various consumer problems, from home automation systems to aiding in driving autonomous vehicles with the exploration of multiple devices. For example, in an autonomous vehicle environment, multiple sensors are available on roads to monitor weather and road conditions and interact with each other to aid the vehicle in reaching its destination safely and timely. IoT systems are predominantly dependent on the cloud environment for data storage, and computing needs that result in latency problems. With the advent of Fog networks, some of this storage and computing is pushed to the edge/fog nodes, saving the network bandwidth and reducing the latency proportionally. Managing the data stored in these fog nodes becomes crucial as it might also store sensitive information required for a certain application. Data management in fog nodes is strenuous because Fog networks are dynamic in terms of their availability and hardware capability. It becomes more challenging when the nodes in the network also live a short span, detaching and joining frequently. When an end-user or Fog Node wants to access, read, or write data stored in another Fog Node, then a new protocol becomes necessary to access/manage the data stored in the fog devices as a conventional static way of managing the data doesn’t work in Fog Networks. The proposed solution discusses a protocol that acts by defining sensitivity levels for the data being written and read. Additionally, a distinct data distribution and replication model among the Fog nodes is established to decentralize the access mechanism. In this paper, the proposed model implements stewardship towards the data stored in the Fog node using the application of Reinforcement Learning so that access to the data is determined dynamically based on the requests.Keywords: IoT, fog networks, data stewardship, dynamic access policy
Procedia PDF Downloads 60454 Exploring the Potential of Phase Change Materials in Construction Environments
Authors: A. Ait Ahsene F., B. Boughrara S.
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The buildings sector accounts for a significant portion of global energy consumption, with much of this energy used to heat and cool indoor spaces. In this context, the integration of innovative technologies such as phase change materials (PCM) holds promising potential to improve the energy efficiency and thermal comfort of buildings. This research topic explores the benefits and challenges associated with the use of PCMs in buildings, focusing on their ability to store and release thermal energy to regulate indoor temperature. We investigated the different types of PCM available, their thermal properties, and their potential applications in various climate zones and building types. To evaluate and compare the performance of PCMs, our methodology includes a series of laboratory and field experiments. In the laboratory, we measure the thermal storage capacity, melting and solidification temperatures, latent heat, and thermal conductivity of various PCMs. These measurements make it possible to quantify the capacity of each PCM to store and release thermal energy, as well as its capacity to transfer this energy through the construction materials. Additionally, field studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of PCMs in real-world environments. We install PCM systems in real buildings and monitor their operation over time, measuring energy savings, occupant thermal comfort, and material durability. These empirical data allow us to compare the effectiveness of different types of PCMs under real-world use conditions. By combining the results of laboratory and field experiments, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the advantages and limitations of PCMs in buildings, as well as recommendations for their effective application in practice.Keywords: energy saving, phase change materials, material sustainability, buildings sector
Procedia PDF Downloads 43453 Technical Aspects of Closing the Loop in Depth-of-Anesthesia Control
Authors: Gorazd Karer
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When performing a diagnostic procedure or surgery in general anesthesia (GA), a proper introduction and dosing of anesthetic agents are one of the main tasks of the anesthesiologist. However, depth of anesthesia (DoA) also seems to be a suitable process for closed-loop control implementation. To implement such a system, one must be able to acquire the relevant signals online and in real-time, as well as stream the calculated control signal to the infusion pump. However, during a procedure, patient monitors and infusion pumps are purposely unable to connect to an external (possibly medically unapproved) device for safety reasons, thus preventing closed-loop control. The paper proposes a conceptual solution to the aforementioned problem. First, it presents some important aspects of contemporary clinical practice. Next, it introduces the closed-loop-control-system structure and the relevant information flow. Focusing on transferring the data from the patient to the computer, it presents a non-invasive image-based system for signal acquisition from a patient monitor for online depth-of-anesthesia assessment. Furthermore, it introduces a UDP-based communication method that can be used for transmitting the calculated anesthetic inflow to the infusion pump. The proposed system is independent of a medical device manufacturer and is implemented in Matlab-Simulink, which can be conveniently used for DoA control implementation. The proposed scheme has been tested in a simulated GA setting and is ready to be evaluated in an operating theatre. However, the proposed system is only a step towards a proper closed-loop control system for DoA, which could routinely be used in clinical practice.Keywords: closed-loop control, depth of anesthesia (DoA), modeling, optical signal acquisition, patient state index (PSi), UDP communication protocol
Procedia PDF Downloads 218452 A Review of Protocols and Guidelines Addressing the Exposure of Occupants to Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Radiation in Buildings
Authors: Shabnam Monadizadeh, Charles Kibert, Jiaxuan Li, Janghoon Woo, Ashish Asutosh, Samira Roostaei, Maryam Kouhirostami
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A significant share of the technology that has emerged over the past several decades produces electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation. Communications devices, household appliances, industrial equipment, and medical devices all produce EMF radiation with a variety of frequencies, strengths, and ranges. Some EMF radiation, such as Extremely Low Frequency (ELF), Radio Frequency (RF), and the ionizing range have been shown to have harmful effects on human health. Depending on the frequency and strength of the radiation, EMF radiation can have health effects at the cellular level as well as at brain, nervous, and cardiovascular levels. Health authorities have enacted regulations locally and globally to set critical values to limit the adverse effects of EMF radiation. By introducing a more comprehensive field of EMF radiation study and practice, architects and designers can design for a safer electromagnetic (EM) indoor environment, and, as building and construction specialists, will be able to monitor and reduce EM radiation. This paper identifies the nature of EMF radiation in the built environment, the various EMF radiation sources, and its human health effects. It addresses European and US regulations for EMF radiation in buildings and provides a preliminary action plan. The challenges of developing measurement protocols for the various EMF radiation frequency ranges and determining the effects of EMF radiation on building occupants are discussed. This paper argues that a mature method for measuring EMF radiation in building environments and linking these measurements to human health impacts occupant health should be developed to provide adequate safeguards for human occupants of buildings for future research.Keywords: biological affection, electromagnetic field, building regulation, human health, healthy building, clean construction
Procedia PDF Downloads 184451 Device-integrated Micro-thermocouples for Reliable Temperature Measurement of GaN HEMTs
Authors: Hassan Irshad Bhatti, Saravanan Yuvaraja, Xiaohang Li
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GaN-based devices, such as high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), offer superior characteristics for high-power, high-frequency, and high-temperature applications [1]. However, this exceptional electrical performance is compromised by undesirable self-heating effects under high-power applications [2, 3]. Some of the issues caused by self-heating are current collapse, thermal runway and performance degradation [4, 5]. Therefore, accurate and reliable methods for measuring the temperature of individual devices on a chip are needed to monitor and control the thermal behavior of GaN-based devices [6]. Temperature measurement at the micro/nanoscale is a challenging task that requires specialized techniques such as Infrared microscopy, Raman thermometry, and thermoreflectance. Recently, micro-thermocouples (MTCs) have attracted considerable attention due to their advantages of simplicity, low cost, high sensitivity, and compatibility with standard fabrication processes [7, 8]. A micro-thermocouple is a junction of two different metal thin films, which generates a Seebeck voltage related to the temperature difference between a hot and cold zone. Integrating MTC in a device allows local temperature to be measured with high sensitivity and accuracy [9]. This work involves the fabrication and integration of micro-thermocouples (MTCs) to measure the channel temperature of GaN HEMT. Our fabricated MTC (Platinum-Chromium junction) has shown a sensitivity of 16.98 µV/K and can measure device channel temperature with high precision and accuracy. The temperature information obtained using this sensor can help improve GaN-based devices and provide thermal engineers with useful insights for optimizing their designs.Keywords: Electrical Engineering, Thermal engineering, Power Devices, Semiconuctors
Procedia PDF Downloads 22450 Application of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy to Monitor the Steel/Soil Interface During Cathodic Protection of Steel in Simulated Soil Solution
Authors: Mandlenkosi George Robert Mahlobo, Tumelo Seadira, Major Melusi Mabuza, Peter Apata Olubambi
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Cathodic protection (CP) has been widely considered a suitable technique for mitigating corrosion of buried metal structures. Plenty of efforts have been made in developing techniques, in particular non-destructive techniques, for monitoring and quantifying the effectiveness of CP to ensure the sustainability and performance of buried steel structures. The aim of this study was to investigate the evolution of the electrochemical processes at the steel/soil interface during the application of CP on steel in simulated soil. Carbon steel was subjected to electrochemical tests with NS4 solution used as simulated soil conditions for 4 days before applying CP for a further 11 days. A previously modified non-destructive voltammetry technique was applied before and after the application of CP to measure the corrosion rate. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), in combination with mathematical modeling through equivalent electric circuits, was applied to determine the electrochemical behavior at the steel/soil interface. The measured corrosion rate was found to have decreased from 410 µm/yr to 8 µm/yr between days 5 and 14 because of the applied CP. Equivalent electrical circuits were successfully constructed and used to adequately model the EIS results. The modeling of the obtained EIS results revealed the formation of corrosion products via a mixed activation-diffusion mechanism during the first 4 days, while the activation mechanism prevailed in the presence of CP, resulting in a protective film. The x-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of corrosion products and the predominant protective film corresponding to the calcareous deposit.Keywords: carbon steel, cathodic protection, NS4 solution, voltammetry, EIS
Procedia PDF Downloads 65449 Applied Spatial Mapping and Monitoring of Illegal Landfills for Deprived Urban Areas in Romania
Authors: Șercăianu Mihai, Aldea Mihaela, Iacoboaea Cristina, Luca Oana, Nenciu Ioana
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The rise and mitigation of unauthorized illegal waste dumps are a significant global issue within waste management ecosystems, impacting disadvantaged communities. Globally, including in Romania, many individuals live in houses without legal recognition, lacking ownership or construction permits, in areas known as "informal settlements." An increasing number of regions and cities in Romania are struggling to manage their illegal waste dumps, especially in the context of increasing poverty and lack of regulation related to informal settlements. One such informal settlement is located at the end of Bistra Street in Câlnic, within the Reșița Municipality of Caras Severin County. The article presents a case study that focuses on employing remote sensing techniques and spatial data to monitor and map illegal waste practices, with subsequent integration into a geographic information system tailored for the Reșița community. In addition, the paper outlines the steps involved in devising strategies aimed at enhancing waste management practices in disadvantaged areas, aligning with the shift toward a circular economy. Results presented in the paper contain a spatial mapping and visualization methodology calibrated with in situ data collection applicable for identifying illegal landfills. The emergence and neutralization of illegal dumps pose a challenge in the field of waste management. These approaches, which prove effective where conventional solutions have failed, need to be replicated and adopted more wisely.Keywords: informal settlements, GIS, waste dumps, waste management, monitoring
Procedia PDF Downloads 88448 Evidence Theory Enabled Quickest Change Detection Using Big Time-Series Data from Internet of Things
Authors: Hossein Jafari, Xiangfang Li, Lijun Qian, Alexander Aved, Timothy Kroecker
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Traditionally in sensor networks and recently in the Internet of Things, numerous heterogeneous sensors are deployed in distributed manner to monitor a phenomenon that often can be model by an underlying stochastic process. The big time-series data collected by the sensors must be analyzed to detect change in the stochastic process as quickly as possible with tolerable false alarm rate. However, sensors may have different accuracy and sensitivity range, and they decay along time. As a result, the big time-series data collected by the sensors will contain uncertainties and sometimes they are conflicting. In this study, we present a framework to take advantage of Evidence Theory (a.k.a. Dempster-Shafer and Dezert-Smarandache Theories) capabilities of representing and managing uncertainty and conflict to fast change detection and effectively deal with complementary hypotheses. Specifically, Kullback-Leibler divergence is used as the similarity metric to calculate the distances between the estimated current distribution with the pre- and post-change distributions. Then mass functions are calculated and related combination rules are applied to combine the mass values among all sensors. Furthermore, we applied the method to estimate the minimum number of sensors needed to combine, so computational efficiency could be improved. Cumulative sum test is then applied on the ratio of pignistic probability to detect and declare the change for decision making purpose. Simulation results using both synthetic data and real data from experimental setup demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented schemes.Keywords: CUSUM, evidence theory, kl divergence, quickest change detection, time series data
Procedia PDF Downloads 335