Search results for: mobile phone addiction

Authors: Matias Micheletto, Rodrigo Santos, Sergio F. Ochoa

Abstract:

In developing countries, the most roads in rural areas are dirt road. They require frequent maintenance since are affected by erosive events, such as rain or wind, and the transit of heavy-weight trucks and machinery. Early detection of damages on the road condition is a key aspect, since it allows to reduce the main-tenance time and cost, and also the limitations for other vehicles to travel through. Most proposals that help address this problem require the explicit participation of drivers, a permanent internet connection, or important instrumentation in vehicles or roads. These constraints limit the suitability of these proposals when applied into developing regions, like in Latin America. This paper proposes an alternative method, based on unattended crowdsensing, to determine the quality of dirt roads in rural areas. This method involves the use of a mobile application that complements the road condition surveys carried out by organizations in charge of the road network maintenance, giving them early warnings about road areas that could be requiring maintenance. Drivers can also take advantage of the early warnings while they move through these roads. The method was evaluated using information from a public dataset. Although they are preliminary, the results indicate the proposal is potentially suitable to provide awareness about dirt roads condition to drivers, transportation authority and road maintenance companies.

Keywords: dirt roads automatic quality assessment, collaborative system, unattended crowdsensing method, roads quality awareness provision

Procedia PDF Downloads 184

Authors: Kun Xu, Yuan Xu, Jia Qiao

Abstract:

The document detection plays an important role in optical character recognition and text analysis. Because the traditional detection methods have weak generalization ability, and deep neural network has complex structure and large number of parameters, which cannot be well applied in mobile devices, this paper proposes a lightweight Document Corner Detection Network (DCDNet). DCDNet is a two-stage architecture. The first stage with Encoder-Decoder structure adopts depthwise separable convolution to greatly reduce the network parameters. After introducing the Feature Attention Union (FAU) module, the second stage enhances the feature information of spatial and channel dim and adaptively adjusts the size of receptive field to enhance the feature expression ability of the model. Aiming at solving the problem of the large difference in the number of pixel distribution between corner and non-corner, Weighted Binary Cross Entropy Loss (WBCE Loss) is proposed to define corner detection problem as a classification problem to make the training process more efficient. In order to make up for the lack of Dataset of document corner detection, a Dataset containing 6620 images named Document Corner Detection Dataset (DCDD) is made. Experimental results show that the proposed method can obtain fast, stable and accurate detection results on DCDD.

Keywords: document detection, corner detection, attention mechanism, lightweight

Procedia PDF Downloads 337

Authors: Renata Mekovec, Dijana Peras, Ruben Picek

Abstract:

The advent of the Internet, mobile devices and social media is revolutionizing the experience of retail customers by linking multiple sources through various channels. Omnichannel retailing is a retailing that combines multiple channels to allow customers to seamlessly leverage all the distribution information online and offline while shopping. Therefore, today data are an asset more critical than ever for all organizations. Nonetheless, because of its heterogeneity through platforms, developers are currently facing difficulties in dealing with personal data. Considering the possibilities of omnichannel communication, this paper presents channel categorization that could enhance the customer experience of omnichannel center called hyper center. The purpose of this paper is fundamentally to describe the connection between the omnichannel hyper center and the customer, with particular attention to privacy protection. The first phase was finding the most appropriate channels of communication for hyper center. Consequently, a selection of widely used communication channels has been identified and analyzed with regard to the effect requirements for optimizing user experience. The evaluation criteria are divided into 3 groups: general, user profile and channel options. For each criterion the weight of importance for omnichannel communication was defined. The most important thing was to consider how the hyper center can make user identification while respecting the privacy protection requirements. The study carried out also shows what customer experience across digital networks would look like, based on an omnichannel approach owing to privacy protection principles.

Keywords: personal data, privacy protection, omnichannel communication, retail

Procedia PDF Downloads 122

Authors: Razieh Karimian, Kim Burton, Mohammad Mehdi Naghizadeh, Maryam Karimian

Abstract:

Introduction: Habitual upper body postures are associated with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored whether adding an exercise routine to an ergonomic advice intervention improves these postures. Methods: In this randomized trial, 42 male adolescent students with a forward head posture were randomly divided into two equal groups, one allocated to ergonomic advice alone and the other to ergonomic advice plus an exercise routine. The angles of forward head, shoulder, and back postures were measured with a photogrammetric profile technique before and after the 8-week intervention period. Findings: During home quarantine, 76% of the students used their mobile phones, while 35% used a table-chair-computer for online learning. While significant reductions of the forward, shoulder, and back angles were found in both groups (P < 0.001), the effect was significantly greater in the exercise group (P < 0.001: forward head, shoulder, and back angles reduced by some 9, 6, and 5 degrees respectively, compared with 4 degrees in the forward head, and 2 degrees in the shoulder and back angles for ergonomic advice alone. Conclusion: The exercise routine produced a greater improvement in habitual upper body postures than ergonomic advice alone, a finding that may extend beyond online learning at home.

Keywords: randomized trial, online learning, adolescent, posture, exercise, ergonomic advice

Procedia PDF Downloads 52

Authors: Yan-Lin Liu, Cheng-Ting Shih, Jay Wu

Abstract:

Tablet devices have been introduced into the medical environment in recent years. The performance of display can be varied based on the use of different hardware specifications and types of display technologies. Therefore, the differences between tablet devices and medical diagnostic LCDs have to be verified to ensure that image quality is not jeopardized for clinical diagnosis in a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). In this study, a set of randomized object test patterns (ROTPs) were developed, which included randomly located spheres in abdominal CT images. Five radiologists were asked to independently review the CT images on different generations of iPads and a diagnostic monochrome medical LCD monitor. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed by using a five-point rating scale, and the average area under curve (AUC) and average reading time (ART) were calculated. The AUC values for the second generation iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and monochrome medical monitor were 0.712, 0.717, 0.725, and 0.740, respectively. The differences between iPads were not significant. The ARTs were 177 min and 127 min for iPad mini and medical LCD monitor, respectively. A significant difference appeared (p = 0.04). The results show that the iPads were slightly inferior to the monochrome medical LCD monitor. However, tablet devices possess advantages in portability and versatility, which can improve the convenience of rapid diagnosis and teleradiology. With advances in display technology, the applicability of tablet devices and mobile devices may be more diversified in PACS.

Keywords: tablet devices, PACS, receiver operating characteristic, LCD monitor

Procedia PDF Downloads 469

Authors: Elizabeth Ankiambom Chiatii

Abstract:

The effective participation of graduates as leaders in entrepreneurial resilience is a key driver to achieving sustainable job creation and curbing unemployment issues in the urban and rural communities of Cameroon. The unemployment problem is a global challenge in the Labour market, especially for youths graduating from universities. Statistics from the Cameroon National Institute of statistics indicate that the unemployment rate in the country increased to 3.9% in 2021 from 3.8% in 2020. One of the main causes of unemployment challenges and job hooping among university graduates is the high expectation for “white-collar jobs syndrome” as opposed to involvement in ‘blue-collar jobs’. In the recent years, the Catholic University of Cameroon has engaged its resources in problem and project based learning (PBL) approaches in order to enable the students at the end of their course work to be competent and resourceful in impacting their communities and the world at large. It is so encouraging to notice that most of our current and female ex-students have engaged as leaders in fostering entrepreneurial resilience through small and medium size ‘blue-collar’ enterprises like seamstresses or tailors, designers, catering services, poultry owners, traditional regalia designers, phone booth operators, farming (gardening) activities, saloon owners, wedding designers, restaurant operators and many other creative jobs where they also act as petty employers. A good number of them sponsor their university studies through these self-income generating activities. Part one of this paper centres on the introduction and background of study. Part two embodies some literature review in which we concentrate on some related conceptual issues. For example, we have some analogy of employment difficulties faced by the university graduates. Secondly, we will examine the details on entrepreneurial resilience within the context of Bamenda- Cameroon. Thirdly, we expound on the leadership role played by these graduates in building resilience as entrepreneurs stemming from their university training. The primary method of data collection is implemented, where questionnaires are distributed to at least 100 of these graduates engaged in building entrepreneurial resilience. The IVProbit regression analysis is used to determine the effect of these graduate participation as leader on entrepreneurial resilience. The results can contribute to the development of entrepreneurial resilience, and recommendations will be made to CATUC Bamenda, some communities and government leaders to enhance their policies to empower these young graduates in fostering these resourceful activities.

Keywords: graduates entrepreneurial resilience, unemployment challenges, white-collar job syndrome, small and medium size blue-collar enterprises

Procedia PDF Downloads 51

Authors: Abubakar Samaila

Abstract:

Pastoralism has been an old practice in the Sahel region of west Africa. In recent years, pastoralists in Nigeria have increasingly been migrating on seasonal transhumance southward from the neighboring countries, especially Niger Republic, in search of better grazing conditions due to mainly, climate change. This has increased pressure on farm lands which instigate farmer-herder conflicts. These conflicts occur mainly between farmers and pastoralists but also between pastoralist groups themselves. However, there has been a shift in these conflicts recently to involve traditional institutions and, in some cases, the local authorities along the borderlands. The involvement of local institutions in the conflict has created an incentive to local actors, particularly pastoralcommunity-based groups, in responding to these violent threats. As pastoralists are mobile, these conflicts became difficult to contain and, thus, spill across borders. Consequently, the conflict has now transformed into an urbanized regional conflicts that involve some major cities along the Nigeria-Niger borderlands; Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina on the Nigerian side andDosso, Tahoa andMaradi in Niger republic. These areas are now experiencing unprecedented growing wave of violence that have become complex and escalates into a hydra-social conflict. The aim of this research is to investigate how the fluidities of Nigeria-Niger borderland intensified armed conflicts between the local pastoral organizations and sedentary populationspreading to some urban cities along the borderlands. The paper further suggests alternative approaches towards addressing the perennial crisis in African borderlands.

Keywords: pastoralism, climate change, conflict, nigeria, niger, borderlands

Procedia PDF Downloads 73

Authors: V. Ayishwarya Bharathi, S. M. Hasker, J. Indhu, M. Mohamed Azarudeen, G. Gowthami, R. Vinoth Rajan, N. Vijayarangan

Abstract:

Identification of water quality conditions in a river system based on limited observations is an essential task for meeting the goals of environmental management. The traditional method of water quality testing is to collect samples manually and then send to laboratory for analysis. However, it has been unable to meet the demands of water quality monitoring today. So a set of automatic measurement and reporting system of water quality has been developed. In this project specifies Water quality parameters collected by multi-parameter water quality probe are transmitted to data processing and monitoring center through GPRS wireless communication network of mobile. The multi parameter sensor is directly placed above the water level. The monitoring center consists of GPRS and micro-controller which monitor the data. The collected data can be monitor at any instant of time. In the pollution control board they will monitor the water quality sensor data in computer using Visual Basic Software. The system collects, transmits and processes water quality parameters automatically, so production efficiency and economy benefit are improved greatly. GPRS technology can achieve well within the complex environment of poor water quality non-monitored, and more specifically applicable to the collection point, data transmission automatically generate the field of water analysis equipment data transmission and monitoring.

Keywords: multiparameter sensor, GPRS, visual basic software, RS232

Procedia PDF Downloads 387

Authors: Nitin Dewangan, Nitin Kattula, Megha Anawat

Abstract:

Hydraulic reservoir is the key component in the mobile construction vehicles; most of the off-road earth moving construction machinery requires bigger side hydraulic reservoirs. Their reservoir construction is very much non-uniform and designers used such design to utilize the space available under the vehicle. There is no way to find out the space utilization of the reservoir by oil and validity of design except virtual simulation. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) helps to predict the reservoir space utilization by vortex mapping, path line plots and dwell time prediction to make sure the design is valid and efficient for the vehicle. The dwell time acceptance criteria for effective reservoir design is 15 seconds. The paper will describe the hydraulic reservoir simulation which is carried out using CFD tool acuSolve using automated mesh strategy. The free surface flow and moving reference mesh is used to define the oil flow level inside the reservoir. The first baseline design is not able to meet the acceptance criteria, i.e., dwell time below 15 seconds because the oil entry and exit ports were very close. CFD is used to redefine the port locations for the reservoir so that oil dwell time increases in the reservoir. CFD also proposed baffle design the effective space utilization. The final design proposed through CFD analysis is used for physical validation on the machine.

Keywords: reservoir, turbulence model, transient model, level set, free-surface flow, moving frame of reference

Procedia PDF Downloads 136

Authors: Rowan Moore, Kai Scheffler, Eugen Damoc, Jennifer Sutton, Aaron Bailey, Stephane Houel, Simon Cubbon, Jonathan Josephs

Abstract:

Purpose: MS analysis of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) at the protein and peptide levels is critical during development and production of biopharmaceuticals. The compositions of current generation therapeutic proteins are often complex due to various modifications which may affect efficacy. Intact proteins analyzed by MS are detected in higher charge states that also provide more complexity in mass spectra. Protein analysis in native or native-like conditions with zero or minimal organic solvent and neutral or weakly acidic pH decreases charge state value resulting in mAb detection at higher m/z ranges with more spatial resolution. Methods: Three commercially available mAbs were used for all experiments. Intact proteins were desalted online using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) or reversed phase chromatography coupled on-line with a mass spectrometer. For streamlined use of the LC- MS platform we used a single SEC column and alternately selected specific mobile phases to perform separations in either denaturing or native-like conditions: buffer A (20 % ACN, 0.1 % FA) with Buffer B (100 mM ammonium acetate). For peptide analysis mAbs were proteolytically digested with and without prior reduction and alkylation. The mass spectrometer used for all experiments was a commercially available Thermo Scientific™ hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer, equipped with the new BioPharma option which includes a new High Mass Range (HMR) mode that allows for improved high mass transmission and mass detection up to 8000 m/z. Results: We have analyzed the profiles of three mAbs under reducing and native conditions by direct infusion with offline desalting and with on-line desalting via size exclusion and reversed phase type columns. The presence of high salt under denaturing conditions was found to influence the observed charge state envelope and impact mass accuracy after spectral deconvolution. The significantly lower charge states observed under native conditions improves the spatial resolution of protein signals and has significant benefits for the analysis of antibody mixtures, e.g. lysine variants, degradants or sequence variants. This type of analysis requires the detection of masses beyond the standard mass range ranging up to 6000 m/z requiring the extended capabilities available in the new HMR mode. We have compared each antibody sample that was analyzed individually with mixtures in various relative concentrations. For this type of analysis, we observed that apparent native structures persist and ESI is benefited by the addition of low amounts of acetonitrile and formic acid in combination with the ammonium acetate-buffered mobile phase. For analyses on the peptide level we analyzed reduced/alkylated, and non-reduced proteolytic digests of the individual antibodies separated via reversed phase chromatography aiming to retrieve as much information as possible regarding sequence coverage, disulfide bridges, post-translational modifications such as various glycans, sequence variants, and their relative quantification. All data acquired were submitted to a single software package for analysis aiming to obtain a complete picture of the molecules analyzed. Here we demonstrate the capabilities of the mass spectrometer to fully characterize homogeneous and heterogeneous therapeutic proteins on one single platform. Conclusion: Full characterization of heterogeneous intact protein mixtures by improved mass separation on a quadrupole-Orbitrap™ mass spectrometer with extended capabilities has been demonstrated.

Keywords: disulfide bond analysis, intact analysis, native analysis, mass spectrometry, monoclonal antibodies, peptide mapping, post-translational modifications, sequence variants, size exclusion chromatography, therapeutic protein analysis, UHPLC

Procedia PDF Downloads 350

Authors: Ruth Green, Samantha Milton, Rinal Desai

Abstract:

Background/Aims: Eye pain/swelling/redness is a common presentation to Barnet General Hospital (a district general hospital), pediatric emergency department, and is managed by both the pediatric and emergency teams. The management of each child differs dramatically depending on the healthcare professional who reviews them. There also appears to be confusion in diagnosis between periorbital cellulitis, pre-septal cellulitis, and orbital cellulitis. Pre septal cellulitis refers to an inflammation of the eyelids and soft tissue anterior to the orbital septum. In contrast, orbital cellulitis is a serious, rapidly progressive infection of soft tissues located posterior to the orbital septum. Pre-septal cellulitis is more prevalent and less serious than orbital cellulitis, although it may be part of a continuous spectrum if untreated. Pre-septal cellulitis should there be diagnosed and treated urgently to prevent spread to the septum. For the purpose of the audit, the term periorbital cellulitis has been used as an umbrella term for all spectrums of this infection. The audit aimed to look at, how as a whole, the department is diagnosing and managing orbital and pre-septal cellulitis. Gold Standard: Patients of the same age and diagnosis should be treated with the same medication, advice, and follow-up. Method: Data was collected retrospectively from pediatric patients ( < 18years) who attended the emergency department from June 2019 to February 2020 who had been coded as pre-septal cellulitis, periorbital cellulitis, orbital cellulitis, or eye pain/swelling/redness. Demographics, signs and symptoms, management, and follow-up were recorded for all patients with any of the diagnoses of pre-septal, periorbital, or orbital cellulitis. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to record the anonymised data. Results: There were vast discrepancies in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with periorbital cellulitis. Conclusion/Discussion: The audit concluded there is no uniform approach to managing periorbital cellulitis in Barnet General Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department. Healthcare professionals misdiagnosed conjunctivitis as periorbital cellulitis, and adequate steps did not appear to be documented on excluding red flag signs and symptoms of patients presenting. There was no consistency in follow-up, with some patients having timely phone reviews or clinical reviews for mild symptoms. Advice given by the staff was appropriate, and patients did return when symptoms got worse and were treated accordingly. Plan: Given the inconsistency, a gold standard care pathway or local easily accessible clinical guideline can be developed to help with the diagnosis and management of periorbital cellulitis. Along with this, a teaching session can be carried out for the staff of the pediatric team and emergency department to disseminate the teaching. Following the introduction of a guideline and teaching sessions, patients notes can be re-reviewed to check improvement in patient care.

Keywords: periorbital cellulitis, preseptal cellulitis, orbital cellulitis, erythematous eyelid

Procedia PDF Downloads 114

Authors: Jyoti Rani, Ashima Anand, Shivendra Shivani

Abstract:

In recent years, physiological signals obtained in telemedicine have been stored independently from patient information. In addition, people have increasingly turned to mobile devices for information on health-related topics. Major authentication and security issues may arise from this storing, degrading the reliability of diagnostics. This study introduces an approach to reversible watermarking, which ensures security by utilizing the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal as a carrier for embedding patient information. In the proposed work, Pan-Tompkins++ is employed to convert the 1D ECG signal into a 2D signal. The frequency subbands of a signal are extracted using RDWT(Redundant discrete wavelet transform), and then one of the subbands is subjected to MSVD (Multiresolution singular valued decomposition for masking. Finally, the encrypted watermark is embedded within the signal. The experimental results show that the watermarked signal obtained is indistinguishable from the original signals, ensuring the preservation of all diagnostic information. In addition, the DnCNN (Denoising convolutional neural network) concept is used to denoise the retrieved watermark for improved accuracy. The proposed ECG signal-based watermarking method is supported by experimental results and evaluations of its effectiveness. The results of the robustness tests demonstrate that the watermark is susceptible to the most prevalent watermarking attacks.

Keywords: ECG, VMD, watermarking, PanTompkins++, RDWT, DnCNN, MSVD, chaotic encryption, attacks

Procedia PDF Downloads 79

Authors: L. Cruz-Lopes, M. Sell, P. Escudeiro, B. Esteves

Abstract:

It might be difficult for deaf people to communicate since spoken and written languages are different from sign language. When it comes to getting information, going to places of cultural heritage, or using services and infrastructure, there is a clear lack of inclusiveness. By creating assistive technology that enables deaf individuals to get around communication hurdles and encourage inclusive tourism, the ICHT- Inclusive Cultural Heritage Tourism initiative hopes to increase knowledge of sign language. The purpose of the Inclusive Cultural Heritage Tourism (ICHT) project is to develop online and on-site sign language tools and material for usage at popular tourist destinations in the northern region of Portugal, including Torre dos Clérigos, the Lello bookstore, Maia Zoo, Porto wine cellars, and São Pedro do Sul (Viseu) thermae. The ICHT system consists of an application using holography, a mobile game, an online platform for collaboration with deaf and hearing users, and a collection of International Sign training courses. The project also offers a prospect for a more inclusive society by introducing a method of teaching sign languages to tourism industry professionals. As a result, the teaching and learning of sign language along with the assistive technology tools created by the project sets up an inclusive environment for the deaf community, producing results in the area of automatic sign language translation and aiding in the global recognition of the Portuguese tourism industry.

Keywords: inclusive tourism, games, international sign training, deaf community

Procedia PDF Downloads 104

Authors: Thaís T. Valério Caetano, João Máximo De Siqueira, Carlos Alexandre Carollo, Arthur Ladeira Macedo, Vanessa C. Stein

Abstract:

Nicotiana glauca, commonly known as wild tobacco or tobacco bush, belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is native to South America but has become naturalized in various regions, including Australia, California, Africa, and the Mediterranean. N. glauca is listed in the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) and the Invasive Species Compendium (CABI). It is known for producing pyridine alkaloids, including anabasine, which is highly toxic. Anabasine is predominantly found in the leaves and can cause severe health issues such as neuromuscular blockade, respiratory arrest, and cardiovascular problems when ingested. Mistaken identity with edible plants like spinach has resulted in food poisoning cases in Israel and Brazil. Anabasine, a minor alkaloid constituent of tobacco, may contribute to tobacco addiction by mimicking or enhancing the effects of nicotine. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the production pattern of anabasine and its relationship to the developmental stages of the plant. This study aimed to establish the relationship between the phenological plant age, cultivation place, and the increase in anabasine concentration, which can lead to human intoxication cases. In this study, N. glauca plants were collected from three different rural areas in Brazil for a year to examine leaves at various stages of development. Samples were also obtained from cultivated plants in Marilândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as from Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In vitro cultivated plants on MS medium were included in the study. The collected leaves were dried, powdered, and stored. Alkaloid extraction was performed using a methanol and water mixture, followed by liquid-liquid extraction with chloroform. The anabasine content was determined using HPLC-DAD analysis with nicotine as a standard. The results indicated that anabasine production increases with the plant's development, peaking in adult leaves during the reproduction phase and declining afterward. In vitro, plants showed similar anabasine production to young leaves. The successful adaptation of N. glauca in new environments poses a global problem, and the correlation between anabasine production and the plant's developmental stages has been understudied. The presence of substances produced by the plant can pose a risk to other species, especially when mistaken for edible plants. The findings from this study shed light on the pattern of anabasine production and its association with plant development, contributing to a better understanding of the potential risks associated with N. glauca and the importance of accurate identification.

Keywords: nicotiana glauca graham, global invasive species database, alkaloids, toxic

Procedia PDF Downloads 64

Authors: Thaís T. Valério Caetano, Lívia de Carvalho Ferreira, João Máximo De Siqueira, Carlos Alexandre Carollo, Arthur Ladeira Macedo, Vanessa C. Stein

Abstract:

Nicotiana glauca, commonly known as wild tobacco or tobacco bush, belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is native to South America but has become naturalized in various regions, including Australia, California, Africa, and the Mediterranean. N. glauca is listed in the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD) and the Invasive Species Compendium (CABI). It is known for producing pyridine alkaloids, including anabasine, which is highly toxic. Anabasine is predominantly found in the leaves and can cause severe health issues such as neuromuscular blockade, respiratory arrest, and cardiovascular problems when ingested. Mistaken identity with edible plants like spinach has resulted in food poisoning cases in Israel and Brazil. Anabasine, a minor alkaloid constituent of tobacco, may contribute to tobacco addiction by mimicking or enhancing the effects of nicotine. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the production pattern of anabasine and its relationship to the developmental stages of the plant. This study aimed to establish the relationship between the phenological plant age, cultivation place, and the increase in anabasine concentration, which can lead to human intoxication cases. In this study, N. glauca plants were collected from three different rural areas in Brazil during a year to examine leaves at various stages of development. Samples were also obtained from cultivated plants in Marilândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as from Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In vitro cultivated plants on MS medium were included in the study. The collected leaves were dried, powdered, and stored. Alkaloid extraction was performed using a methanol and water mixture, followed by liquid-liquid extraction with chloroform. The anabasine content was determined using HPLC-DAD analysis with nicotine as a standard. The results indicated that anabasine production increases with the plant's development, peaking in adult leaves during the reproduction phase and declining afterward. In vitro, plants showed similar anabasine production to young leaves. The successful adaptation of N. glauca in new environments poses a global problem, and the correlation between anabasine production and the plant's developmental stages has been understudied. The presence of substances produced by the plant can pose a risk to other species, especially when mistaken for edible plants. The findings from this study shed light on the pattern of anabasine production and its association with plant development, contributing to a better understanding of the potential risks associated with N. glauca and the importance of accurate identification.

Keywords: alkaloid production, invasive species, nicotiana glauca, plant phenology

Procedia PDF Downloads 64

Authors: Seyed Hamed Mousavi, Juha M. Hijmans, Reza Rajabi, Ron Diercks, Johannes Zwerver, Henk van der Worp

Abstract:

Introduction: Running is one of the most popular sports activity among people. Improper sagittal plane ankle, knee and hip kinematics are considered to be associated with the increase of injury risk in runners. Motion assessing smart-phone applications are increasingly used to measure kinematics both in the field and laboratory setting, as they are cheaper, more portable, accessible, and easier to use relative to 3D motion analysis system. The aims of this study are 1) to compare the results of 3D gait analysis system and CE; 2) to evaluate the test-retest and intra-rater reliability of coach’s eye (CE) app for the sagittal plane hip, knee, and ankle angles in the touchdown and toe-off while running. Method: Twenty subjects participated in this study. Sixteen reflective markers and cluster markers were attached to the subject’s body. Subjects were asked to run at a self-selected speed on a treadmill. Twenty-five seconds of running were collected for analyzing kinematics of interest. To measure sagittal plane hip, knee and ankle joint angles at touchdown (TD) and toe off (TO), the mean of first ten acceptable consecutive strides was calculated for each angle. A smartphone (Samsung Note5, android) was placed on the right side of the subject so that whole body was simultaneously filmed with 3D gait system during running. All subjects repeated the task with the same running speed after a short interval of 5 minutes in between. The CE app, installed on the smartphone, was used to measure the sagittal plane hip, knee and ankle joint angles at touchdown and toe off the stance phase. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess test-retest and intra-rater reliability. To analyze the agreement between 3D and 2D outcomes, the Bland and Altman plot was used. The values of ICC were for Ankle at TD (TRR=0.8,IRR=0.94), ankle at TO (TRR=0.9,IRR=0.97), knee at TD (TRR=0.78,IRR=0.98), knee at TO (TRR=0.9,IRR=0.96), hip at TD (TRR=0.75,IRR=0.97), hip at TO (TRR=0.87,IRR=0.98). The Bland and Altman plots displaying a mean difference (MD) and ±2 standard deviation of MD (2SDMD) of 3D and 2D outcomes were for Ankle at TD (MD=3.71,+2SDMD=8.19, -2SDMD=-0.77), ankle at TO (MD=-1.27, +2SDMD=6.22, -2SDMD=-8.76), knee at TD (MD=1.48, +2SDMD=8.21, -2SDMD=-5.25), knee at TO (MD=-6.63, +2SDMD=3.94, -2SDMD=-17.19), hip at TD (MD=1.51, +2SDMD=9.05, -2SDMD=-6.03), hip at TO (MD=-0.18, +2SDMD=12.22, -2SDMD=-12.59). Discussion: The ability that the measurements are accurately reproduced is valuable in the performance and clinical assessment of outcomes of joint angles. The results of this study showed that the intra-rater and test-retest reliability of CE app for all kinematics measured are excellent (ICC ≥ 0.75). The Bland and Altman plots display that there are high differences of values for ankle at TD and knee at TO. Measuring ankle at TD by 2D gait analysis depends on the plane of movement. Since ankle at TD mostly occurs in the none-sagittal plane, the measurements can be different as foot progression angle at TD increases during running. The difference in values of the knee at TD can depend on how 3D and the rater detect the TO during the stance phase of running.

Keywords: reliability, running, sagittal plane, two dimensional

Procedia PDF Downloads 184

Authors: Asep Sukohar, Ramadhan Triyandi, Muhammad Iqbal, Sahidin, Suharyani

Abstract:

Introduction: Resveratrol is a class of bioactive chemicals found in melinjo, which has a wide range of biological actions. The purpose of this study is to determine the linarin content of the melinjo fraksi by using preparative-high-performance liquid chromatography (prep-HPLC). Method: Extraction used the soxhletation method with 96% ethanol solvent. Fractionation used ethyl acetate and ethanol in a ratio of 1:1. Tracing of linarin compound used prep-HPLC with a mobile phase ratio of distilled water: methanol (55: 45, v/v). The presence of linarin was detected using a wavelength of 215 nm. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) was used to identify the functional groups of compound. Result: The retention time required to elute the ethyl acetate fraction was 2.601 minutes. Compound separation identification using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy - Quest Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR - QATR) has a similarity value range with standards from 0 to 1000. The elution results of the ethyl acetate fraction have similar values with the standard compounds linarin (668), resveratrol (578), and catechin (455). Conclusion: Tracing for active compound in the ethyl acetate fraction of Gnetum Gnemon L. using prep-HPLC showed a strong suspicion of the presence of linarin compound.

Keywords: Gnetum gnemon L., linarin, prep-HPLC, fraction ethyl acetate

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Yuan-Lin Liu, Ye Li, Tian Xia

Abstract:

Taxi-calling APPs have been used widely, while brought both benefits and a variety of issues for the taxi market. Many countries do not know whether the benefits are remarkable than the issues or not. This paper established a comparison between the basic scenario (2009-2012) and a taxi-calling software usage scenario (2012-2015) to explain the impact of taxi-calling APPs. The impacts of taxi-calling APPs illustrated by the comparison results are: 1) The supply and demand distribution is more balanced, extending from the city center to the suburb. The availability of taxi service has been improved in low density areas, thin market attribute has also been improved; 2)The ratio of short distance taxi trip decreased, long distance service increased, the utilization of mileage increased, and the rate of empty decreased; 3) The popularity of taxi-calling APPs was able to reduce the average empty distance, cruise time, empty mileage rate and average times of loading passengers, can also enhance the average operating speed, improve the taxi operating level, and reduce social cost although there are some disadvantages. This paper argues that the taxi industry and government can establish an integrated third-party credit information platform based on credit evaluated by the data of the drivers’ driving behaviors to supervise the drivers. Taxi-calling APPs under fully covered supervision in the mobile Internet environment will become a new trend.

Keywords: taxi, taxi-calling APPs, credit, scenario comparison

Procedia PDF Downloads 239

Authors: Lasha Mskhaladze, Guram Burchuladze, Khvicha Datunashvili

Abstract:

Technological changes have an impact not only on economic but also on social elements of society which in turn has created new challenges for states’ political systems and their regimes. As a result of unprecedented growth of information technologies and communications digital democracy and electronic governance have emerged. Nowadays effective state functioning cannot be imagined without electronic governance. In Georgia, special attention is paid to the development of such new systems and establishment of electronic governance. Therefore, in parallel to intensive development of information technologies an important priority for public sector in Georgia is the development of electronic governance. In spite of the fact that today Georgia with its economic indicators satisfies the standards of western informational society, and major part of its gross domestic product comes from the service sector (59.6%), it still remains a backward country on the world map in terms of information technologies and electronic governance. E-transparency in Georgia should be based on such parameters as government accountability when the government provides citizens information about their activities; e-participation which involves government’s consideration of external expert assessments; cooperation between officials and citizens in order to solve national problems. In order to improve electronic systems the government should actively do the following: Fully develop electronic programs concerning HR and exchange of data between public organizations; develop all possible electronic services; improve existing electronic programs; make electronic services available on different mobile platforms (iPhone, Android, etc.).

Keywords: electronic transparency, electronic services, information technology, information society, electronic systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 258

Authors: Essam Mansour

Abstract:

The key purpose of this study is to provide first-hand information about beggars in Egypt, especially from the perspective of their information seeking behaviour including their information needs. The researcher tries to investigate the information-seeking behaviour of Egyptian beggars with regard to their thoughts, perceptions, motivations, attitudes, habits, preferences as well as challenges that may impede their use of information. The research methods used were an adapted form of snowball sampling of a heterogeneous demographic group of participants in the beggary activity in Egypt. This sampling was used to select focus groups to explore a range of relevant issues. Data on the demographic characteristics of the Egyptian beggars showed that they tend to be men, mostly with no formal education, with an average age around 30s, labeled as low-income persons, mostly single and mostly Muslims. A large number of Egyptian beggars were seeking for information to meet their basic needs as well as their daily needs, although some of them were not able to identify their information needs clearly. The information-seeking behaviour profile of a very large number of Egyptian beggars indicated a preference for informal sources of information over formal ones to solve different problems and meet the challenges they face during their beggary activity depending on assistive devices, such as mobile phones. The high degree of illiteracy and the lack of awareness about the basic rights of information as well as information needs were the most important problems Egyptian beggars face during accessing information. The study recommended further research to be conducted about the role of the library in the education of beggars. It also recommended that beggars’ awareness about their information rights should be promoted through educational programs that help them value the role of information in their life.

Keywords: user studies, information-seeking behaviour, information needs, information sources, beggars, Egypt

Procedia PDF Downloads 303

Authors: Ryan A. Black, Stacey A. McCaffrey

Abstract:

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made towards improving the science in the measurement of psychological constructs. Item Response Theory (IRT) has been the foundation upon which statistical models have been derived to increase both precision and accuracy in psychological measurement. These models are now being used widely to develop and refine tests intended to measure an individual's level of academic achievement, aptitude, and intelligence. Recently, the field of clinical psychology has adopted IRT models to measure psychopathological phenomena such as depression, anxiety, and addiction. Because advances in IRT measurement models are being made so rapidly across various fields, it has become quite challenging for psychologists and other behavioral scientists to keep abreast of the most recent developments, much less learn how to employ and decide which models are the most appropriate to use in their line of work. In the same vein, IRT measurement models vary greatly in complexity in several interrelated ways including but not limited to the number of item-specific parameters estimated in a given model, the function which links the expected response and the predictor, response option formats, as well as dimensionality. As a result, inferior methods (a.k.a. Classical Test Theory methods) continue to be employed in efforts to measure psychological constructs, despite evidence showing that IRT methods yield more precise and accurate measurement. To increase the use of IRT methods, this study endeavors to provide a comprehensive overview of binary IRT models; that is, measurement models employed on test data consisting of binary response options (e.g., correct/incorrect, true/false, agree/disagree). Specifically, this study will cover the most basic binary IRT model, known as the 1-parameter logistic (1-PL) model dating back to over 50 years ago, up until the most recent complex, 4-parameter logistic (4-PL) model. Binary IRT models will be defined mathematically and the interpretation of each parameter will be provided. Next, all four binary IRT models will be employed on two sets of data: 1. Simulated data of N=500,000 subjects who responded to four dichotomous items and 2. A pilot analysis of real-world data collected from a sample of approximately 770 subjects who responded to four self-report dichotomous items pertaining to emotional consequences to alcohol use. Real-world data were based on responses collected on items administered to subjects as part of a scale-development study (NIDA Grant No. R44 DA023322). IRT analyses conducted on both the simulated data and analyses of real-world pilot will provide a clear demonstration of how to construct, evaluate, and compare binary IRT measurement models. All analyses will be performed using the new IRT procedure in SAS 9.4. SAS code to generate simulated data and analyses will be available upon request to allow for replication of results.

Keywords: instrument development, item response theory, latent trait theory, psychometrics

Procedia PDF Downloads 336

Authors: Dorsa Rahi, Arghavan Tonkanbonbi, Soheila Manifar, Behzad Jafvarnejad

Abstract:

Background and Aim: Intraoral manipulation is performed during endotracheal intubation for general anesthesia, which can traumatize the soft and hard tissue in the oral cavity and cause postoperative pain and discomfort. Dental trauma is the most common complication of intubation. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dental complications due to intubation in patients hospitalized in Imam Khomeini Hospital during 2018-2019. Materials and Methods: A total of 805 patients presenting to the Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini Hospital for preoperative anesthesia consultation were randomly enrolled. A dentist interviewed the patients and performed a comprehensive clinical oral examination preoperatively. The patients underwent clinical oral examination by another dentist postoperatively. Results: No significant correlation was found between dental trauma (tooth fracture, tooth mobility, or soft tissue injury) after intubation with the age or gender of patients. According to the Wilcoxon test and McNemar-Bowker Test, the rate of mobility before the intubation was significantly different from that after the intubation (P=0.000). Maxillary central incisors, maxillary left canine and mandibular right and left central incisors had the highest rate of fracture. Conclusion: Mobile teeth before the intubation are at higher risk of avulsion and aspiration during the procedure. Patients with primary temporomandibular joint disorders are more susceptible to post-intubation trismus.

Keywords: oral trauma, dental trauma, intubation, anesthesia

Procedia PDF Downloads 132

Authors: Mario A. Blanco, Nicholas Burkhardt

Abstract:

An important problem in satellite communication systems which operate in the Ka and EHF frequency bands consists of the overall degradation in link performance of mobile terminals due to various types of degradations in the link/channel, such as fading, blockage of the link to the satellite (especially in urban environments), intentional as well as other types of interference, etc. In this paper, we focus primarily on the interference problem, and we develop a very efficient and cost-effective solution based on the use of fountain codes. We first introduce a satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal uplink interference channel model that is classically used against communication systems that use spread-spectrum waveforms. We then consider the use of fountain codes, with focus on Raptor codes, as our main mitigation technique to combat the degradation in link/receiver performance due to the interference signal. The performance of the receiver is obtained in terms of average probability of bit and message error rate as a function of bit energy-to-noise density ratio, Eb/N0, and other parameters of interest, via a combination of analysis and computer simulations, and we show that the use of fountain codes is extremely effective in overcoming the effects of intentional interference on the performance of the receiver and associated communication links. We then show this technique can be extended to mitigate other types of SATCOM channel degradations, such as those caused by channel fading, shadowing, and hard-blockage of the uplink signal.

Keywords: SATCOM, interference mitigation, fountain codes, turbo codes, cross-layer

Procedia PDF Downloads 344

Authors: Mehmet Balci, Sakir Tasdemir, Mustafa Altin, Ozlem Bozok

Abstract:

Our globalizing world has become almost a small village and everyone can access any information at any time. Everyone lets each other know who does whatever in which place. We can learn which social events occur in which place in the world. From the perspective of education, the course notes that a lecturer use in lessons in a university in any state of America can be examined by a student studying in a city of Africa or the Far East. This dizzying communication we have mentioned happened thanks to fast developments in computer technologies and in parallel with this, internet technology. While these developments in the world, has a very large young population and a rapidly evolving electronic communications infrastructure Turkey has been affected by this situation. Researches has shown that almost all young people in Turkey has an account in a social network. Especially becoming common of mobile devices causes data traffic in social networks to increase. In this study, has been surveyed on students in the different age groups and at the Selcuk University Vocational School of Technical Sciences Department of Computer Technology. Student’s opinions about the use of internet and social media has been gotten. Using the Internet and social media skills, purposes, operating frequency, access facilities and tools, social life and effects on vocational education etc. have been explored. Both internet and use of social media positive and negative effects on this department students results have been obtained by the obtained findings evaluating from various aspects. Relations and differences have been found out with statistic.

Keywords: computer technologies, internet use, social network, higher vocational school

Procedia PDF Downloads 522

Authors: Rahimi-Movaghar Vafa, Mansouri Pejman, Chardoli Mojtaba, Rezvani Samina

Abstract:

Introduction: Blunt abdominal trauma is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in all age groups, but diagnosis of serious intra-abdominal pathology is difficult and most of the damages are obscure in the initial investigation. There is still controversy about which patients should undergo abdomen/pelvis CT, which patients needs more observation and which patients can be discharged safely The aim of this study was to determine that is it safe to discharge patients with blunt abdominal trauma with normal initial findings. Methods: This non-randomized cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2013 to September 2014 at two levels I trauma centers, Sina hospital and Rasoul-e-Akram hospital (Tehran, Iran). Our inclusion criteria were all patients were admitted for suspicious BAT and our exclusion criteria were patients that have serious head and neck, chest, spine and limb injuries which need surgical intervention, those who have unstable vital signs, pregnant women with a gestational age over 3 months and homeless or without exact home address. 390 patients with blunt trauma abdomen examined and the necessary data, including demographic data, the abdominal examination, FAST result, patients’ lab test results (hematocrit, base deficit, urine analysis) on admission and at 6 and 12 hours after admission were recorded. Patients with normal physical examination, laboratory tests and FAST were discharged from the ED during 12 hours with the explanation of the alarm signs and were followed up after 24 hours and 1 week by a telephone call. Patients with abnormal findings in physical examination, laboratory tests, and FAST underwent abdomino-pelvic CT scan. Results: The study included 390 patients with blunt abdominal trauma between 12 and 80 years of age (mean age, 37.0 ± 13.7 years) and the mean duration of hospitalization in patients was 7.4 ± 4.1 hours. 88.6% of the patients were discharged from hospital before 12 hours. Odds ratio (OR) for having any symptoms for discharge after 6 hours was 0.160 and after 12 hours was 0.117 hours, which is statistically significant. Among the variables age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, hematocrit and base deficit at admission, 6 hours and 12 hours after admission showed no significant statistical relationship with discharge time. From our 390 patients, 190 patients have normal initial physical examination, lab data and FAST findings that didn’t show any signs or symptoms in their next assessment and in their follow up by the phone call. Conclusion: It is recommended that patients with no symptoms at admission (completely normal physical examination, ultrasound, normal hematocrit and normal base deficit and lack of microscopic hematuria) and good family and social status can be safely discharged from the emergency department.

Keywords: blunt abdominal trauma, patient discharge, emergency department, FAST

Procedia PDF Downloads 352

Authors: Rosilyn Sanders

Abstract:

This qualitative study examined the impact of hiring people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The research questions were: What defines a disability? What accommodations are needed to ensure the success of a person with a disability? As a leader, what benefits do people with intellectual disabilities bring to the organization? What are the benefits of hiring people with intellectual disabilities in retail organizations? Moreover, how might people with intellectual disabilities contribute to the organizational culture of retail organizations? A narrative strength approach was used as a theoretical framework to guide the discussion and uncover the benefits of hiring individuals with intellectual disabilities in various retail organizations. Using qualitative interviews, the following themes emerged: diversity and inclusion, accommodations, organizational culture, motivation, and customer service. These findings put to rest some negative stereotypes and perceptions of persons with ID as being unemployable or unable to perform tasks when employed, showing instead that persons with ID can work efficiently when given necessary work accommodations and support in an enabling organizational culture. All participants were recruited and selected through various forms of electronic communication via social media, email invitations, and phone; this was conducted through the methodology of snowball sampling with the following demographics: age, ethnicity, gender, number of years in retail, number of years in management, and number of direct reports. The sample population was employed in several retail organizations throughout Arkansas and Texas. The small sample size for qualitative research in this study helped the researcher develop, build, and maintain close relationships that encouraged participants to be forthcoming and honest with information (Clow & James, 2014 ). Participants were screened to ensure they met the researcher's study; and screened to ensure that they were over 18 years of age. Participants were asked if they recruit, interview, hire, and supervise individuals with intellectual disabilities. Individuals were given consent forms via email to indicate their interest in participating in this study. Due to COVID-19, all interviews were conducted via teleconferencing (Zoom or Microsoft Teams) that lasted approximately 1 hour, which were transcribed, coded for themes, and grouped based on similar responses. Further, the participants were not privy to the interview questions beforehand, and demographic questions were asked at the end, including questions concerning age, education level, and job status. Each participant was assigned random numbers using an app called ‘The Random Number Generator ‘to ensure that all personal or identifying information of participants were removed. Regarding data storage, all documentation was stored on a password-protected external drive, inclusive of consent forms, recordings, transcripts, and researcher notes.

Keywords: diversity, positive psychology, organizational development, leadership

Procedia PDF Downloads 42

Authors: Petar Kurecic, Josipa Penic

Abstract:

The paper represents a product of mentor-graduate student cooperation, developed at the graduate study of Business Economics, major Tourism. The analysis was made through the anonymous questionnaire filled by the respondents from Croatia. Following the latest threatening events and having in mind those yet to come, it can be concluded that no country can benefit from the tourism industry if at the same time does not develop its security system as an integral part of the standard tourist offer. Analyzing the trends in contemporary tourism, the safety and security issues became the decisive factors for the choice of a certain destination. Consequently, countries must not perceive security systems and measures as an unnecessary expense but as an essential element in organizing their tourist services. All hotels and respectable tourist agencies should have a crisis management, with detailed, thoroughly elaborated procedures for emergency situations. Tourists should be timely informed about the potential dangers and risks and the measures taken to prevent them, as well as on procedures for emergency situations. Additionally, it would be good to have mobile applications that would enable tourists to make direct emergency calls with instructions on behavior in crisis situations. It is also essential to implement and put into effect sophisticated security measures such as using surveillance cameras, controlling access to buildings, information exchange with colleagues and neighbors, reporting the suspicious occurrences to the security services, and training staff for crisis management. The security issue is definitely one of the crucial factors in the development of tourism in a certain country.

Keywords: security, security measures in tourism, tourism, tourist destinations

Procedia PDF Downloads 266

Authors: Essam Mansour

Abstract:

The key purpose of this study is to show information-seeking behaviour of Kuwaiti Judges (KJs). Being one of the few studies about the information needs and information-seeking behaviour conducted in Arab and developing countries, this study is a pioneer one among many studies conducted in information seeking, especially with this significant group of information users. The authors tried to investigate this seeking behavior in terms of KJs' thoughts, perceptions, motivations, techniques, preferences, tools and barriers met when seeking information. The authors employed a questionnaire, with a response rate 77.2 percent. This study showed that most of KJs were likely to be older, educated and with a work experience ranged from new to old experience. There is a statistically reliable significant difference between KJs' demographic characteristics and some sources of information, such as books, encyclopedias, references and mass media. KJs were using information moderately to make a decision, to be in line with current events, to collect statistics and to make a specific/general research. The office and home were the most frequent location KJs were accessing information from. KJs' efficiency level of the English language is described to be moderately good, and a little number of them confirmed that their efficiency level of French was not bad. The assistance provided by colleagues, followed by consultants, translators, sectaries and librarians were found to be most strong types of assistance needed when seeking information. Mobile apps, followed by PCs, information networks (the Internet) and information databases were the highest technology tool used by KJs. Printed materials, followed by non-printed and audiovisual materials were the most preferred information formats KJs use. The use of languages, the recency of information and the place of information, the deficit role of the library to deliver information were at least significant barriers to KJs when seeking information.

Keywords: information users, information-seeking behaviour, information needs, judges, Kuwait

Procedia PDF Downloads 292

Authors: Jelena S. Kiurski, Vesna S. Kecić, Snežana M. Aksentijević

Abstract:

The identification and evaluation of organic and inorganic pollutants were performed in a flexographic facility in Novi Sad, Serbia. Air samples were collected and analyzed in situ, during 4-hours working time at five sampling points by the mobile gas chromatograph and ozonometer at the printing of collagen casing. Experimental results showed that the concentrations of isopropyl alcohol, acetone, total volatile organic compounds and ozone varied during the sampling times. The highest average concentrations of 94.80 ppm and 102.57 ppm were achieved at 200 minutes from starting the production for isopropyl alcohol and total volatile organic compounds, respectively. The mutual dependences between target hazardous and microclimate parameters were confirmed using a multiple linear regression model with software package STATISTICA 10. Obtained multiple coefficients of determination in the case of ozone and acetone (0.507 and 0.589) with microclimate parameters indicated a moderate correlation between the observed variables. However, a strong positive correlation was obtained for isopropyl alcohol and total volatile organic compounds (0.760 and 0.852) with microclimate parameters. Higher values of parameter F than F_critical for all examined dependences indicated the existence of statistically significant difference between the concentration levels of target pollutants and microclimates parameters. Given that, the microclimate parameters significantly affect the emission of investigated gases and the application of eco-friendly materials in production process present a necessity.

Keywords: flexographic printing, indoor air, multiple regression analysis, pollution emission

Procedia PDF Downloads 180

Authors: Suraj Nair, Aravindkumar Vijayalingam, Alexander Perzylo, Alois Knoll

Abstract:

In the last decade robotics research and development activities have grown rapidly, especially in the domain of service robotics. Integrating service robots into human occupied spaces such as homes, offices, hospitals, etc. has become increasingly worked upon. The primary motive is to ease daily lives of humans by taking over some of the household/office chores. However, several challenges remain in systematically integrating such systems in human shared work-spaces. In addition to sensing and indoor-navigation challenges, programmability of such systems is a major hurdle due to the fact that the potential user cannot be expected to have knowledge in robotics or similar mechatronic systems. In this paper, we propose a cognitive system for service robotics which allows non-expert users to easily model system behaviour in an underspecified manner through abstract tasks and objects associated with them. The system uses domain knowledge expressed in the form of an ontology along with logical reasoning mechanisms to infer all the missing pieces of information required for executing the tasks. Furthermore, the system is also capable of recovering from failed tasks arising due to on-line disturbances by using the knowledge base and inferring alternate methods to execute the same tasks. The system is demonstrated through a coffee fetching scenario in an office environment using a mobile robot equipped with sensors and software capabilities for autonomous navigation and human-interaction through natural language.

Keywords: cognitive robotics, reasoning, service robotics, task based systems

Procedia PDF Downloads 221