Data Collection Cycle Research Articles

Literary Learning with Digital Media in Inclusive Settings

Following on from existing research results (cf. Dannecker, 2020, p. 82f.; Ziemen, 2018, p. 42ff.), the BMBF-funded DigiLi project pursues the question of to what extent a media-supported learning offering can contribute to realizing an educational goal of cultural participation for all (cf. Kerres, 2013, p. 74). Based on Feuser's core idea that "development-inducing learning through cooperation on the Common Subject Matter” (Feuser, 2013, p. 286, transl. DigiLi) can achieve the goal of participation for all, the DigiLi project investigates a learning arrangement in a composite grade seven/eight at the Inclusive University School of Cologne (IUS) which relates to the discussion of a literary text. Here the data collection focusses on collaborative learning, communication, active collaboration, and cooperative togetherness (cf. Reis et al., 2011; Traub, 2019, p. 138; Dannecker, 2020, p. 82f.), before the digital learning arrangement is examined in form of a web app under field conditions. This paper focuses on investigating the cooperation between students in relation to their engagement with literary texts in the form of iterative data collection cycles and presents the results of the data analysis for discussion.

A Hybrid Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique and Deep Neural Network Framework for Improving Rice Yield Estimation in an Open Environment

Quick and accurate prediction of crop yields is beneficial for guiding crop field management and genetic breeding. This paper utilizes the fast and non-destructive advantages of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a multispectral camera to acquire spatial characteristics of rice and conducts research on yield estimation in an open environment. The study proposes a yield estimation framework that hybrids synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) and deep neural network (DNN). Firstly, the framework used the Pearson correlation coefficient to select 10 key vegetation indices and determine the optimal feature combination. Secondly, it created a dataset for data augmentation through SMOTE, addressing the challenge of long data collection cycles and small sample sizes caused by long growth cycles. Then, based on this dataset, a yield estimation model was trained using DNN and compared with partial least squares regression (PLSR), support vector regression (SVR), and random forest (RF). The experimental results indicate that the hybrid framework proposed in this study performs the best (R2 = 0.810, RMSE = 0.69 t/ha), significantly improving the accuracy of yield estimation compared to other methods, with an R2 improvement of at least 0.191. It demonstrates that the framework proposed in this study can be used for rice yield estimation. Additionally, it provides a new approach for future yield estimation with small sample sizes for other crops or for predicting numerical crop indicators.

NAVIGATING THE PERCEPTION-PRACTICE DILEMMA: AN INQUIRY INTO ASSESSORS’ IMPLEMENTATION OF ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRICS

Background and Purpose: Various factors affect the assessor’s ability to assess an oral presentation and arrive at an accurate assessment of the interconnected skills such as fluency, coherence, syntax, grammar, diction, and task achievement concurrently. The oral presentation rubric aids in achieving consistency in assessing this complex skill. This research investigates assessors’ application and perceptions of the speaking assessment rubric prepared in-house and used in the Foundation Program (FP) English Unit at Dhofar University (DU) for levels 1, 2, and 3 in order to identify the rubric’s possible weakness and ambiguities to provide insights to plug the loopholes and ensure fair, objective and uniform assessment. Methodology: Data was collected in a 3-phase data collection cycle through a pre-session task (n=18), a hands-on focus groups session (n=16) to explore qualitative data regarding actual application of the rubric, and a questionnaire (n=40) to obtain quantitative data for further investigation of teachers’ perceptions to cross check with implementation. This makes the present study a mixed-methods one in an exploratory sequential design. Findings: The findings of this research clearly showed the loopholes in the current oral presentation rubric used by the FP for formative and summative assessments. This research has exposed a notable inconsistency in grading practices of the oral presentation using the in-house rubric despite the surprising finding regarding assessors’ confidence in the rubric’s reliability and their level of training. The identified gap between assessors’ perceptions and the application of rubric criteria highlights potential issues in the design of the rubric leading to inconsistencies in the assessment outcomes. Contributions: This research emphasizes the importance of the regular refinement of assessment rubrics to minimize ambiguity and subjective elements, coupled with comprehensive user training to enhance assessment practices, support professional development, promote clearer learning expectations for students, and mitigate the impact of grading disparities in evaluation processes. Keywords: Rubric, oral presentation, assessment, discrepancy, raters. Cite as: Veetil, M., Iqbal, R., & Abugohar, M. (2024). Navigating the perception-practice dilemma: An inquiry into assessors’ implementation of oral presentation rubrics. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 9(2), 267-296. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol9iss2pp267-296

Food insecurity is associated with metabolic syndrome among US adults: NHANES 2005–2016

The primary objective of this study was to examine the association between food security status and metabolic syndrome (MetS) using a nationally representative dataset. We hypothesized that food insecurity would be associated with an increased odds of having MetS. This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2005–2006 to 2015–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collection cycles. Food security was measured using the US Food Security Survey Module. Presence of MetS was determined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. The association between food insecurity and MetS was examined using logistic regression models stratified by sex and adjusted for poverty to income ratio, age, race, marital status, educational attainment, smoking status, and body mass index. After adjusting for covariates, men with marginal (odds ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22–2.20) and low (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.02–1.73) food security had a higher odds of having MetS than men with full food security; however, this association was lost among men with very low food security. For women, very low food security was associated with a 1.61 times greater odds of having MetS (95% CI, 1.16–2.25). These results suggest that food insecurity is generally associated with an increased prevalence of MetS for women, but not necessarily for men. These findings highlight the need to address rising food insecurity rates, while also highlighting the need for further research to fully elucidate the role of gender and sex in food insecurity and chronic disease.

From Theory to Practice: Incentives for Managers and Professionals

Abstract Although, in theory, a considerable amount of literature emphasizes the significance of employee incentive pay, there is not much empirical research indicating their dispersion in practice. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the level of implementation of various incentives in three countries: Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research was conducted on a sample of 321 companies. Data for this study were extracted from the CRANET dataset. The latest data collection cycle was conducted in 2021-2022. In addition to descriptive statistics, the Pearson Chi-Square Test and Cramer’s V test were used to test hypotheses. The research results indicate a statistically significant difference in using most observed compensation elements among the observed countries. The study contributes to compensation management literature by presenting empirical data regarding the degree of implementation of various compensation instruments in three observed countries.

The application of target trials with longitudinal targeted maximum likelihood estimation to assess the effect of alcohol consumption in adolescence on depressive symptoms in adulthood.

Time-varying confounding is a common challenge for causal inference in observational studies with time-varying treatments, long follow-up periods, and participant dropout. Confounder adjustment using traditional approaches can be limited by data sparsity, weight instability, and computational issues. The Nicotine Dependence in Teens Study is a prospective cohort study, and we used data from 21 data collection cycles carried out from 1999 to 2008 among 1294 students recruited from 10 high schools in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, including follow-up into adulthood. Our aim in this study was to estimate associations of timing of alcohol initiation and cumulative duration of alcohol use with depression symptoms in adulthood. Based on the target trials framework, we defined intention-to-treat and as-treated parameters in a marginal structural model with sex as a potential effect-modifier. We then used the observational data to emulate the trials. For estimation, we used pooled longitudinal target maximum likelihood estimation, a plug-in estimator with double-robust and local efficiency properties. We describe strategies for dealing with high-dimensional potential drinking patterns and practical positivity violations due to a long follow-up time, including modifying the effect of interest by removing sparsely observed drinking patterns from the loss function and applying longitudinal modified treatment policies to represent the effect of discouraging drinking.

A Canadian longitudinal study of the associations between weight control status and lifestyle behaviors during adolescence

This study aimed to estimate associations between weight control status (trying to lose, gain or maintain weight) and lifestyle behaviors (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen time, and the consumption of breakfast, fast food, fruits and vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB)) in adolescents.Data from 919 adolescents in the MATCH study, in New Brunswick, Canada, who self-reported their weight control status at least once within 24 data collection cycles over 8 years (from 2011 to 2019) and from 812 who provided data at least once over the 7 cycles on eating behaviors were used. Generalized estimating equations were used.At the first cycle, mean age was 11.3 (SD = 1.2) years old and 56% were girls. Trying to gain (β = 0.47, CI = [0.15, 0.79]) and maintain weight (β = 0.35, CI = [0.12, 0.57]) were positively associated with MVPA. Trying to lose weight was negatively associated with breakfast (IRR = 0.90, CI = [0.85, 0.94]) and positively associated with screen time (β = 0.62, CI = [0.15, 1.10]), fruit and vegetable (IRR = 1.12, CI = [1.01, 1.25]) and SSB (IRR = 1.42, CI = [1.10, 1.84]). Changes from one weight control status to trying to lose weight were associated with increases in fast food consumption (β = 0.49, CI = [0.15, 0.84]).Weight control status was associated with healthy and unhealthy behaviors in adolescents. Trying to gain or maintain weight was generally associated with more favorable health-related behaviors. Education on healthy weight management behaviors is needed to improve adolescents’ health.

Exploring Candidates' Initial Images of Similar Figures

This article investigates preservice candidates' knowledge of similar figures while engaged in teacher-related mathematical tasks (TRMT) with the primary goal of developing a lesson plan on similar figures. This investigation was part of a larger study investigating candidate knowledge of what and how to teach proportional reasoning concepts while engaged in TRMT. The data collection and TRMT cycle included individual discussions and reflections, group planning and discussions, and group presentations. Individual candidates also wrote their teaching philosophies and math autobiographies, which were reviewed. While candidates appeared to grasp many of the aspects of the concept of similar figures and similarity, there was a lack of precision and strength in their representations. The knowledge base of the candidates in both mathematics and teaching varied. As the study progressed, candidates relied heavily on their subject matter knowledge to justify their images and ideas.

Assessing Adherence to Royal College of Surgeons Guidelines: A Closed-Loop Audit of Operation Notes in a Tertiary Healthcare Unit.

Introduction Accurate, comprehensive, and legible operation notes are essential for maintaining patient records, supporting healthcare professionals, and facilitating research. The study focused on adherence toRoyal College of Surgeons (RCS) guidelines established in 2008. Despite the guidelines, poor documentation practices have been reported globally. This audit seeks to address this issue and enhance documentation quality. Methodology The audit evaluated 19 parameters as defined in the 2014 RCS operative note guidelines. Data collection occurred during the initial cycle, spanning from March to April 2023, encompassing all surgical procedures at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC). Subsequently, a re-audit took place in July 2023 to gauge enhancements following a survey and educational intervention that took place in June 2023. The process included the formation of an audit team, securing ethical approval, and implementing a comprehensive methodology for data collection and analysis. The study spanned two data collection cycles to comprehensively assess improvements. Results Comparing initial and re-audit cycles (n = 390 and n = 108, respectively), improvements were observed in several documentation aspects. Parameters such as surgery date, elective/emergency classification, and names of key personnel showed significant enhancement. Notable improvements were also seen in the recording of operative details, complications, extra procedures, and post-operative care instructions. In our department, an educational survey was conducted to gain insights into compliance rates. This survey underscored the significance of adhering to RCS guidelines, identified the factors influencing adherence, and proposed strategies for improvement. Conclusion The audit affirmed the significance of adhering to RCS guidelines for operation note documentation. The study demonstrated improvements in documentation practices, emphasising the importance of accurate records for patient care, research, and ethical standards. The findings validate RCS guidelinesas a tool for the identification of defects in documentation and thus as a guide that highlights where improvements are necessary. Addressing challenges identified in this audit can drive the department towards becoming a model for RCS guideline adherence and showcasing high-quality surgical documentation and patient-centred care.

The Views of Undergraduate Students and Faculty Members: Distance Education during COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to examine the views of undergraduate students studying in and their faculty members teaching in distance education during COVID-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 35 undergraduate students and 34 faculty members. The 'typical case sampling' method was used for selection of participants from different faculties of a foundation trust university in Türkiye. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation (until no new information was obtained from participants). Data was collected through online focus group interviews. Data was analyzed inductively by repetitive data collection cycles, data coding with multi-step processes and comparative analysis. Findings revealed negative, neutral and positive metaphors which described distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, these metaphors indicated the existence of a continuum in the form of three higher order categories including the Experience of Loss, Transformation and Neutrality under which a number of themes and sub-themes were present. The present findings present a user-derived evidence base for improving distance education and therefore these findings could be considered as targets for systems aiming at improving distance education that would be delivered in the future in similar difficult circumstances.

PD30-11 TURNING THE PAGE AGAIN: DECREASING INAPPROPRIATE AFTER-HOURS PAGES

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023PD30-11 TURNING THE PAGE AGAIN: DECREASING INAPPROPRIATE AFTER-HOURS PAGES Rachel Mann, Brent Cleveland, Jacob Albersheim, and Martin Koyle Rachel MannRachel Mann More articles by this author , Brent ClevelandBrent Cleveland More articles by this author , Jacob AlbersheimJacob Albersheim More articles by this author , and Martin KoyleMartin Koyle More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003316.11AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Taking after-hours call is an important and necessary part of resident training, however this is a key source of burnout. In 2003, the ACGME implemented resident work hour restrictions, requiring programs to implement solutions to cover after-hours call burden without violating duty hour limits. Even with optimal sleep hygiene, overnight paging contributes to fatigue. We sought to decrease the number of inappropriate pages after-hours by 50% to promote resident sleep and decrease burnout. METHODS: Over 9 weeks, all after-hours pages to the on-call resident at the University of Minnesota Department of Urology were documented. Pages were deemed “appropriate” or “inappropriate” based on three independent reviewers. The source of each page was documented and three were chosen for implementation of interventions: the wards, the call triage center, patient phone calls. A single intervention was implemented for each source. We allowed a 6-week period for implementation of these interventions, then performed another 9-week data collection cycle for after-hours pages. We compared total number of pages and inappropriate pages across sources for each cycle. RESULTS: In phase I, 48 shifts were recorded. The mean number of pages per shift was 8.9 (range 1-27), with 52.7% of pages considered “inappropriate.” The most pages came from the wards (48.9%) followed by the emergency department (20.4%), patient phone calls (19.4%), and the call center (2.6%). From these domains, the call center had the highest proportion of inappropriate pages (90.9%), followed by the wards (56.0%), patient phone calls (51.8%), and the emergency department (44.8%). After implementation of our interventions, 42 shifts were recorded. The mean number of pages per shift decreased to 5.9 (range 1-20), and 25.0% of pages were deemed “inappropriate.” All domains saw a decrease in inappropriate after-hours pages (Figure 1). CONCLUSIONS: By improving communication to nurses, call center personnel, and patients, inappropriate after-hours pages decreased by 52.6%. Future studies are needed to assess if resident burnout was impacted and if the impact was sustainable over time. Source of Funding: None © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e835 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Rachel Mann More articles by this author Brent Cleveland More articles by this author Jacob Albersheim More articles by this author Martin Koyle More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Infection Control Practices in In-Center Hemodialysis Units During Wave 1 of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario, Canada: Research Letter.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a virus that caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the multisystem disease central to the COVID-19 pandemic. As patients receiving in-center maintenance hemodialysis require treatment 3 times weekly, they were unable to fully isolate. It was important for in-center hemodialysis units to implement robust infection control practices to ensure patient safety and minimize risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 among patients and staff. There are 27 renal programs within Ontario, Canada, providing care for about 9000 people across about 100 in-center hemodialysis units. These units are funded by the Ontario Renal Network (ORN), which is part of the provincial agency Ontario Health. The objective was to track infection control practices that were implemented by in-center hemodialysis units and be able to provide a descriptive narrative of the COVID-19 pandemic response of Ontario's hemodialysis units between March and September 2020. Between May and September 2020, data were collected from Ontario's 27 renal programs on the implementation of key infection control practices, including symptom screening, use of personal protective equipment, testing, practices specifically related to patients from congregate living settings, other prevention practices, and outbreak management. There were 4 data collection cycles, each approximately 1 month apart. The results were compiled and shared across the province, and infection control practices were also discussed at provincial COVID-19 teleconferences hosted by the ORN. By March 2020, all but one renal program had implemented one or more forms of symptom screening, all renal programs had implemented physical distancing in waiting rooms and restricted visitors, and 74% of renal programs had implemented universal masking for all staff. By April 2020, 89% of renal programs had implemented universal masking for all patients, 52% had implemented enhanced contact and droplet precautions for suspected or positive cases, and 59% of renal programs tested all patients from congregate living settings regularly (with a low symptom threshold for testing). Infection control practices became more homogeneous across renal programs over time, and most practices were in place as of the last data collection. The renal system in Ontario was able to respond quickly within the first 2 months of the pandemic to minimize the spread of COVID-19 within in-center hemodialysis units. Through provincial teleconferences, infection control practices were shared across the province as the pandemic and hemodialysis unit responses evolved. This supported renal programs to advocate locally if their hospital was lagging in practices felt to be of value in other hemodialysis units. Although no direct correlation can be made regarding the implementation of infection control practices within in-center hemodialysis units and the number of COVID-19 cases in this population, the limited number of outbreaks in hemodialysis units may have been influenced by the proactive response of renal programs. Practices described in this article may support management and response to subsequent waves of COVID-19 or future similar infectious diseases.

Description of sport participation profiles and transitions across profiles during adolescence

ABSTRACT Few studies describe sport participation profiles in the general population using multiple characteristics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify sport participation profiles during adolescence and to describe transitions across profiles from grades 5 to 12 (age 10 to 18 years). We used data from 916 participants (55% girls; age 10–12 years at inception) of the Monitoring Activities of Teenagers to Comprehend their Habits (MATCH) study. Participants self-reported involvement in 36 organized and unorganized physical activities three times/year from grades 5 to 12 (24 data collection cycles; 2011–2018). At each school grade, we derived four categorical variables of sport involvement: number of organized sports, number of unorganized activities, weekly sessions, and number of year-round activities. To identify sport participation profiles, we used latent class analysis at each grade. To characterize transitions between sport participation profiles across grades, we used latent transition analysis. Five distinct sport participation profiles emerged: “non-participants”, “unorganized activities only”, “single-sport low frequency”, “single sport high frequency”, and “multi-sport”. Only “multi-sport” participants were unlikely to be classified as “non-participants” over time. Encouraging multi-sport participation might help protect against later non-participation. This study helps identify important times to intervene for improving physical activity levels.

Receipt of Baseline Laboratory Testing Recommended by the HIV Medicine Association for People Initiating HIV Care, United States, 2015-2019.

BackgroundThe HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Disease Society of America publishes Primary Care Guidance for Persons with Human Immunodeficiency Virus. We assessed receipt of recommended baseline tests among newly diagnosed patients initiating HIV care.MethodsThe Medical Monitoring Project is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey designed to produce nationally representative estimates of behavioral and clinical characteristics of adults with diagnosed HIV in the United States. We analyzed data for 725 participants in the 2015–2019 data collection cycles who received an HIV diagnosis within the past 2 years and had ≥1 HIV provider visit. We estimated the prevalence of having recommended tests after the first HIV provider visit and between 3 months before and 3/6 months after the first HIV provider visit and estimated prevalence differences of having 4 combinations of tests by sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.ResultsWithin 6 months of care initiation, HIV monitoring tests were performed for 91.3% (95% CI, 88.7%–93.8%) of patients; coinfection blood tests, 27.5% (95% CI, 22.5%–32.4%); site-based STI tests, 59.7% (95% CI, 55.4%–63.9%); and blood chemistry and hematology tests, 50.8% (95% CI, 45.8%–55.8%). Patients who were younger, gay, or bisexual were more likely to receive site-based STI tests, and patients receiving care at Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP)–funded facilities were more likely than patients at non-RWHAP-funded facilities to receive all test combinations.ConclusionsReceipt of recommended baseline tests among patients initiating HIV care was suboptimal but was more likely among patients at RWHAP-funded facilities. Embedding clinical decision support in HIV provider workflow could increase recommended baseline testing.

Frequency of data collection and estimation of trajectories of physical functioning and their associations with survival in older men: analyses of longitudinal data from the Manitoba Follow-Up Study

ObjectiveIn studies of trajectories of physical functioning among older people, the data cannot be measured continuously, but only at certain time points in prespecified cycles. We examine how data collection...

The Action Project Method Applied in Nursing Home Settings

The Action-Project Method (A-PM) is a qualitative research approach used to understand the actions and experiences co-constructed by individuals. We applied the A-PM in a nursing home (NH) setting with the aim to explore how NH residents and the people closest to them describe their priorities for care and act on these priorities. Due to the health of residents, the demands on staff and family members, and general issues around scheduling, applying the A-PM in the setting required adaptations. The core focus of this article is on the necessary adaptations to apply the A-PM in a NH setting. (1) The A-PM is typically longitudinal with multiple data collection cycles; however, given the circumstances surrounding the residents’ health and the highly structured institutional setting, we opted for a single round of data collection. (2) During recruitment, three residents asked to participate alone, which we accommodated to acknowledge their experiences. (3) The setting posed challenges to data collection such as ensuring privacy and avoiding interruptions, but these challenges often reinforced participants’ experiences. With the necessary adaptations the A-PM in NHs gives voice to participants while contextualizing that within their core relationships.

Implementing effective community-based surveillance in research studies of maternal, newborn and infant outcomes in low resource settings

BackgroundGlobally adopted health and development milestones have not only encouraged improvements in the health and wellbeing of women and infants worldwide, but also a better understanding of the epidemiology of key outcomes and the development of effective interventions in these vulnerable groups. Monitoring of maternal and child health outcomes for milestone tracking requires the collection of good quality data over the long term, which can be particularly challenging in poorly-resourced settings. Despite the wealth of general advice on conducting field trials, there is a lack of specific guidance on designing and implementing studies on mothers and infants. Additional considerations are required when establishing surveillance systems to capture real-time information at scale on pregnancies, pregnancy outcomes, and maternal and infant health outcomes.Main bodyBased on two decades of collaborative research experience between the Kintampo Health Research Centre in Ghana and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, we propose a checklist of key items to consider when designing and implementing systems for pregnancy surveillance and the identification and classification of maternal and infant outcomes in research studies. These are summarised under four key headings: understanding your population; planning data collection cycles; enhancing routine surveillance with additional data collection methods; and designing data collection and management systems that are adaptable in real-time.ConclusionHigh-quality population-based research studies in low resource communities are essential to ensure continued improvement in health metrics and a reduction in inequalities in maternal and infant outcomes. We hope that the lessons learnt described in this paper will help researchers when planning and implementing their studies.

Literacy proficiency and political information seeking in the U.S.

This quantitative exploratory study is the first to investigate the literacy skills and political efficacy-related information seeking behavior with a secondary analysis of a nationally representative sample of older youth and adults in the United States (U.S), ages 16–74 across two PIAAC data collection cycles (2012/2014 and 2017). Over time, newspapers, magazines, TV, and books use declined, while internet use as a source for political efficacy-related information increased. Associations of literacy skill proficiency with the internet and TV were reliable between two time-points and cycles of data; however, the direction of these associations varied. Older youth and adults with greater literacy skills were more likely to seek political efficacy-related information from the internet, while those with less literacy proficiency preferred T.V.

An Algorithm for Detecting Collision Risk between Trucks and Pedestrians in the Connected Environment

This study develops an algorithm to detect the risk of collision between trucks (i.e., yard tractors) and pedestrians (i.e., workers) in the connected environment of the port. The algorithm consists of linear regression-based movable coordinate predictions and vertical distance and angle judgments considering the moving characteristics of objects. Time-to-collision for port workers (TTCP) is developed to reflect the characteristics of the port using the predictive coordinates. This study assumes the connected environment in which yard tractors and workers can share coordinates of each object in real time using the Internet of Things (IoT) network. By utilizing microtraffic simulations, a port network is implemented, and the algorithm is verified using data from simulated workers and yard trucks in the connected environment. The risk detection algorithm is validated using confusion matrix. Validation results show that the true-positive rate (TPR) is 61.5∼98.0%, the false-positive rate (FPR) is 79.6∼85.9%, and the accuracy is 72.2∼88.8%. This result implies that the metric scores improve as the data collection cycle increases. This is expected to be useful for sustainable transportation industry sites, particularly IoT-based safety management plans, designed to ensure the safety of pedestrians from crash risk by heavy vehicles (such as yard tractors).

Design, implementation, and performance evaluation of a drone wakeup and data collection system for smart meters

It is expected that in the future traditional gas, water, electricity, parking, etc. meters will be replaced by smart meters (i.e., smart IoT devices) to provide many advantages. To avoid the need to find power sources for a huge number of such smart meters, they are expected to operate on batteries and the batteries should be able to last for a long time to avoid frequent battery replacements. The operation office of these smart meters needs to collect their usage data periodically for billing purposes. In this work, we used wake-up radios (WuR) and a drone to design and implement a wakeup and data collection system to collect the usage data of smart meters. In our system, smart meters are powered off most of the time to save their battery power. When our drone approaches them and sends out a wake-up signal (WuS) packet, they will be powered on, send their usage data to the drone, and then be powered off. We have conducted real-life experiments to evaluate the performance of our system under different conditions. We measured the wakeup and data transfer success probability, the wakeup and data transfer delay, the amount of data that can be transferred while the drone is flying over a smart meter, and the power saving ratio for a smart meter. Experimental results show that our approach works well and can reduce the energy consumption of a smart meter by a factor of 180 when the data collection cycle is more than 10 days. Even if the data collection cycle is shortened to only 1 day, the energy consumption can still be reduced by a factor of 145.