scholarly journals Investigating pedestrians’ obstacle avoidance behaviour

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alhawsawi ◽  
Majid Sarvi ◽  
Milad Haghani ◽  
Abbas Rajabifard
Keyword(s):  
Physical Environment ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Avoidance Behaviour ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Total Speed ◽  
Lateral Direction ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
High Speeds ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pedestrian Simulation

Modelling and simulating pedestrian motions are standard ways to investigate crowd dynamics aimed to enhance pedestrians’ safety. Movement of people is affected by interactions with one another and with the physical environment that it may be a worthy line of research. This paper studies the impact of speed on how pedestrians respond to the obstacles (i.e. Obstacles avoidance behaviour). A field experiment was performed in which a group of people were instructed to perform some obstacles avoidance tasks at two levels of normal and high speeds. Trajectories of the participants are extracted from the video recordings for the subsequent intentions:(i) to seek out the impact of total speed, x and yaxis (ii) to observe the impact of the speed on the movement direction, x-axis, (iii) to find out the impact of speed on the lateral direction, y-axis. The results of the experiments could be used to enhance the current pedestrian simulation models.

THE IMPACT OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT ON RESIDENTS’ SELF-RATED HEALTH: A CASE STUDY IN PENANG, MALAYSIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Massoomeh Hedayati ◽  
Aldrin Abdullah ◽  
Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki
Keyword(s):  
Physical Environment ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

There is continuous debate on the impact of house quality on residents’ health and well-being. Good living environment improves health, and fear of crime is recognised as a mediator in the relationship between physical environment and health. Since minimal studies have investigated the relationship, this study aims to examine the impact of the house quality on fear of crime and health. A total of 230 households from a residential neighbourhood in Malaysia participated in the study. Using structural equation modelling, the findings indicate that housing quality and fear of crime can account for a proportion of the variance in residents’ self-rated health. However, there is no significant relationship between housing quality and fear of crime. Results also show that fear of crime does not mediate the relationship between housing quality and health. This study suggests that the environment-fear relationship should be re-examined theoretically.  

scholarly journals Effect of temperature, CO2 and O2 on motility and mobility of Anisakidae larvae

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiyan Guan ◽  
Inge Van Damme ◽  
Frank Devlieghere ◽  
Sarah Gabriël
Keyword(s):  
Enzymatic Digestion ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Different Temperatures ◽  
Semi Solid ◽  
Zoonotic Parasites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Phosphate Buffered Saline

AbstractAnisakidae, marine nematodes, are underrecognized fish-borne zoonotic parasites. Studies on factors that could trigger parasites to actively migrate out of the fish are very limited. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different environmental conditions (temperature, CO2 and O2) on larval motility (in situ movement) and mobility (migration) in vitro. Larvae were collected by candling or enzymatic digestion from infected fish, identified morphologically and confirmed molecularly. Individual larvae were transferred to a semi-solid Phosphate Buffered Saline agar, and subjected to different temperatures (6 ℃, 12 ℃, 22 ℃, 37 ℃) at air conditions. Moreover, different combinations of CO2 and O2 with N2 as filler were tested, at both 6 °C and 12 °C. Video recordings of larvae were translated into scores for larval motility and mobility. Results showed that temperature had significant influence on larval movements, with the highest motility and mobility observed at 22 ℃ for Anisakis spp. larvae and 37 ℃ for Pseudoterranova spp. larvae. During the first 10 min, the median migration of Anisakis spp. larvae was 10 cm at 22 ℃, and the median migration of Pseudoterranova spp. larvae was 3 cm at 37 ℃. Larval mobility was not significantly different under the different CO2 or O2 conditions at 6 °C and 12 ℃. It was concluded that temperature significantly facilitated larval movement with the optimum temperature being different for Anisakis spp. and Pseudoterranova spp., while CO2 and O2 did not on the short term. This should be further validated in parasite-infected/spiked fish fillets.

scholarly journals Ethics of Corporeal, Co-present Robots as Agents of Influence: a Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
AJung Moon ◽  
Shalaleh Rismani ◽  
H. F. Machiel Van der Loos
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Human Robot Interaction ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Natural Tendency ◽  
Ai Ethics ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose of Review To summarize the set of roboethics issues that uniquely arise due to the corporeality and physical interaction modalities afforded by robots, irrespective of the degree of artificial intelligence present in the system. Recent Findings One of the recent trends in the discussion of ethics of emerging technologies has been the treatment of roboethics issues as those of “embodied AI,” a subset of AI ethics. In contrast to AI, however, robots leverage human’s natural tendency to be influenced by our physical environment. Recent work in human-robot interaction highlights the impact a robot’s presence, capacity to touch, and move in our physical environment has on people, and helping to articulate the ethical issues particular to the design of interactive robotic systems. Summary The corporeality of interactive robots poses unique sets of ethical challenges. These issues should be considered in the design irrespective of and in addition to the ethics of artificial intelligence implemented in them.

Speech Methodologies in Cleft Palate Assessment: A Pilot Project to Compare Two Phonetically Different Sentence Sets

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-72
Author(s):  
Jennie Smith ◽  
Tim Pring ◽  
Debbie Sell
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Audio Video ◽  
Age Range ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To investigate the impact of the phonetic content of two sentence sets on speech outcomes, specifically the effects of nasal phonemes. Method: Audio-video recordings of a consecutive series of 15 participants (age range 4–22 years), with cleft palate (syndromic or non-syndromic), with and without velopharyngeal dysfunction were taken. Participants repeated Sentence Set 1 (with nasals across sentences) and Sentence Set 2 (without nasals except the three nasal target sentences) during a routine speech recording. Two experienced Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, blinded to the study’s purpose, analyzed participants’ speech using the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech-Augmented (CAPS-A). On day 1, recordings included Sentence Set 1. On day 2, 23 days later, recordings included Sentence Set 2. Main results: The difference between Sentence Set 1 and Sentence Set 2 ‘total scores’ (sum of scores on all CAPS-A parameters) was significant. The Pearson Product Moment showed high correlation. A Wilcoxon test revealed a significant difference between Sets 1 and 2 on the hypernasality parameter, and this alone accounted for the significant difference in total scores. Conclusion: The inclusion or exclusion of nasal consonants in the sentence set significantly affected perceptual ratings of hypernasality but none of the other CAPS-A parameters, highlighting the need for further investigation into perceptual nasality ratings.

scholarly journals Pallidal stimulation as treatment for camptocormia in Parkinson’s disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijie Lai ◽  
Yunhai Song ◽  
Daoqing Su ◽  
Linbin Wang ◽  
Chencheng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Lead Placement ◽  
Pallidal Stimulation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Deep Brain

AbstractCamptocormia is a common and often debilitating postural deformity in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Few treatments are currently effective. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) shows potential in treating camptocormia, but evidence remains limited to case reports. We herein investigate the effect of GPi-DBS for treating camptocormia in a retrospective PD cohort. Thirty-six consecutive PD patients who underwent GPi-DBS were reviewed. The total and upper camptocormia angles (TCC and UCC angles) derived from video recordings of patients who received GPi-DBS were used to compare camptocormia alterations. Correlation analysis was performed to identify factors associated with the postoperative improvements. DBS lead placement and the impact of stimulation were analyzed using Lead-DBS software. Eleven patients manifested pre-surgical camptocormia: seven had lower camptocormia (TCC angles ≥ 30°; TCC-camptocormia), three had upper camptocormia (UCC angles ≥ 45°; UCC-camptocormia), and one had both. Mean follow-up time was 7.3 ± 3.3 months. GPi-DBS improved TCC-camptocormia by 40.4% (angles from 39.1° ± 10.1° to 23.3° ± 8.1°, p = 0.017) and UCC-camptocormia by 22.8% (angles from 50.5° ± 2.6° to 39.0° ± 6.7°, p = 0.012). Improvement in TCC angle was positively associated with pre-surgical TCC angles, levodopa responsiveness of the TCC angle, and structural connectivity from volume of tissue activated to somatosensory cortex. Greater improvement in UCC angles was seen in patients with larger pre-surgical UCC angles. Our study demonstrates potential effectiveness of GPi-DBS for treating camptocormia in PD patients. Future controlled studies with larger numbers of patients with PD-related camptocormia should extend our findings.

scholarly journals Micro-mechanical investigation of railway ballast behavior under cyclic loading in a box test using DEM: effects of elastic layers and ballast types

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Kumar ◽  
Bettina Suhr ◽  
Stefan Marschnig ◽  
Peter Dietmaier ◽  
Christof Marte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Loading ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Damage Model ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Railway Track ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Particle Movement ◽  
Railway Ballast ◽  
Elastic Layers ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Ballasted tracks are the commonly used railway track systems with constant demands for reducing maintenance cost and improved performance. Elastic layers are increasingly used for improving ballasted tracks. In order to better understand the effects of elastic layers, physical understanding at the ballast particle level is crucial. Here, discrete element method (DEM) is used to investigate the effects of elastic layers – under sleeper pad ($$\text {USP}$$USP) at the sleeper/ballast interface and under ballast mat ($$\text {UBM}$$UBM) at the ballast/bottom interface – on micro-mechanical behavior of railway ballast. In the DEM model, the Conical Damage Model (CDM) is used for contact modelling. This model was calibrated in Suhr et al. (Granul Matter 20(4):70, 2018) for the simulation of two different types of ballast. The CDM model accounts for particle edge breakage, which is an important phenomenon especially at the early stage of a tamping cycle, and thus essential, when investigating the impact of elastic layers in the ballast bed. DEM results confirm that during cyclic loading, $$\text {USP}$$USP reduces the edge breakage at the sleeper/ballast interface. On the other hand, $$\text {UBM}$$UBM shows higher particle movement throughout the ballast bed. Both the edge breakage and particle movement in the ballast bed are found to influence the sleeper settlement. Micro-mechanical investigations show that the force chain in deeper regions of the ballast bed is less affected by $$\text {USP}$$USP for the two types of ballast. Conversely, dense lateral forces near to the box bottom were seen with $$\text {UBM}$$UBM. The findings are in good (qualitative) agreement with the experimental observations. Thus, DEM simulations can aid to better understand the micro-macro phenomena for railway ballast. This can help to improve the track components and track design based on simulation models taking into account the physical behavior of ballast. Graphical Abstract

scholarly journals Assessing asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 632-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah A Alabdulkarim ◽  
Peter Ball ◽  
Ashutosh Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Discrete Event ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Event Simulation ◽  
Product Service ◽  
Asset Monitoring ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – Asset management has recently gained significance due to emerging business models such as Product Service Systems where the sale of asset use, rather than the sale of the asset itself, is applied. This leaves the responsibility of the maintenance tasks to fall on the shoulders of the manufacturer/supplier to provide high asset availability. The use of asset monitoring assists in providing high availability but the level of monitoring and maintenance needs to be assessed for cost effectiveness. There is a lack of available tools and understanding of their value in assessing monitoring levels. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This research aims to develop a dynamic modelling approach using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to assess such maintenance systems in order to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of complex maintenance operations. Interviews were conducted and literature was analysed to gather modelling requirements. Generic models were created, followed by simulation models, to examine how maintenance operation systems behave regarding different levels of asset monitoring. Findings – This research indicates that DES discerns varying levels of complexity of maintenance operations but that more sophisticated asset monitoring levels will not necessarily result in a higher asset performance. The paper shows that it is possible to assess the impact of monitoring levels as well as make other changes to system operation that may be more or less effective. Practical implications – The proposed tool supports the maintenance operations decision makers to select the appropriate asset monitoring level that suits their operational needs. Originality/value – A novel DES approach was developed to assess asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations. In applying this quantitative approach, it was demonstrated that higher asset monitoring levels do not necessarily result in higher asset availability. The work provides a means of evaluating the constraints in the system that an asset is part of rather than focusing on the asset in isolation.

The Impact of Sweep Angle on Stepped Planing Hull Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Husser ◽  
Stefano Brizzolara
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Stability ◽  
Sweep Angle ◽  
High Speeds ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Low Speeds ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

In this study the impact of sweep angle on stepped hull resistance, running attitude, and dynamic stability is investigated for a range of planing speeds from ventilation inception (𝐹𝛻≈2) to high planing speeds (𝐹𝛻≈7) using RANS CFD. Potential performance benefits of the step are isolated for three speeds and two displacements using fixed trim simulations. Differences in running attitude and dynamic stability are investigated using free running simulations at the highest speed for a range of LCG locations. Finally, any differences in ventilation inception and performance at low speeds are investigated using fixed trim and heave simulations. The study shows that swept forward steps do not necessarily ventilate earlier than other step designs but do provide resistance reductions at 𝐹𝛻<5 compared to swept aft and unstepped designs. However, at 𝐹𝛻>5, swept forward steps demonstrate significant resistance increases compared to unswept and swept aft steps. At high speeds, swept aft steps provide improved dynamic stability compared to other step designs without a resistance penalty when compared to unswept steps.

Parameter Sensitivity Analysis of a Cooperative Dynamic Bus Lane System With Connected Vehicles

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110357
Author(s):  
Meng Xie ◽  
Michael Winsor ◽  
Tao Ma ◽  
Andreas Rau ◽  
Fritz Busch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Penetration Rate ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Driving Behavior ◽  
Connected Vehicles ◽  
Microscopic Simulation ◽  
Communication Range ◽  
Bus Lane ◽  
The Impact

This paper aims to evaluate the sensitivity of the proposed cooperative dynamic bus lane system with microscopic traffic simulation models. The system creates a flexible bus priority lane that is only activated on demand at an appropriate time with advanced information and communication technologies, which can maximize the use of road space. A decentralized multi-lane cooperative algorithm is developed and implemented in a microscopic simulation environment to coordinate lane changing, gap acceptance, and car-following driving behavior for the connected vehicles (CVs) on the bus lane and the adjacent lanes. The key parameters for the sensitivity study include the penetration rate and communication range of CVs, considering the transition period and gradual uptake of CVs. Multiple scenarios are developed and compared to analyze the impact of key parameters on the system’s performance, such as total saved travel time of all passengers and travel time variation among buses and private vehicles. The microscopic simulation models showed that the cooperative dynamic bus lane system is significantly sensitive to the variations of the penetration rate and the communication range in a congested traffic state. With a CV system and a communication range of 150 m, buses obtain maximum benefits with minimal impacts on private vehicles in the study simulation. The safety concerns induced by cooperative driving behavior are also discussed in this paper.

scholarly journals Secondary use of electronic health record data for clinical workflow analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle R Hribar ◽  
Sarah Read-Brown ◽  
Isaac H Goldstein ◽  
Leah G Reznick ◽  
Lorinna Lombardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Models ◽  
Clinical Workflow ◽  
Electronic Health Record Data ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Secondary Use ◽  
Timing Data ◽  
Data Files ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
Tracking Devices ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective Outpatient clinics lack guidance for tackling modern efficiency and productivity demands. Workflow studies require large amounts of timing data that are prohibitively expensive to collect through observation or tracking devices. Electronic health records (EHRs) contain a vast amount of timing data – timestamps collected during regular use – that can be mapped to workflow steps. This study validates using EHR timestamp data to predict outpatient ophthalmology clinic workflow timings at Oregon Health and Science University and demonstrates their usefulness in 3 different studies. Materials and Methods Four outpatient ophthalmology clinics were observed to determine their workflows and to time each workflow step. EHR timestamps were mapped to the workflow steps and validated against the observed timings. Results The EHR timestamp analysis produced times that were within 3 min of the observed times for >80% of the appointments. EHR use patterns affected the accuracy of using EHR timestamps to predict workflow times. Discussion EHR timestamps provided a reasonable approximation of workflow and can be used for workflow studies. They can be used to create simulation models, analyze EHR use, and quantify the impact of trainees on workflow. Conclusion The secondary use of EHR timestamp data is a valuable resource for clinical workflow studies. Sample timestamp data files and algorithms for processing them are provided and can be used as a template for more studies in other clinical specialties and settings.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document