High-quality Recordings Research Articles

Earthquake fatalities and potency

We have compiled a new catalogue of earthquake fatalities for the world, covering the period 856 BC to March 2022, listing 2795 reports. We estimate that the reporting of fatal earthquakes is complete for events with more than 16 fatalities since 1927. The total number of fatalities recorded is 8,336,526. 117 countries have reported at least one earthquake with one fatality or more. 77 and 52 countries have reported more than 100 and 1000 earthquake fatalities, respectively. Caution has to be exercised in estimating what earthquake disasters are in store for a given country because the 95 year period of high quality recording is about an order of magnitude shorter than return times of great earthquakes. Nevertheless, we introduce the earthquake potency for a country, defined as the sum of recorded fatalities divided by the number of earthquakes that it took to accumulate them, which equals the average earthquake disaster size in a given country, in units of fatalities per event. Potency is listed based on all known fatal earthquakes and also based on those since 1927. Both lists have their shortcomings, but provide estimates of what size of future earthquake disaster is likely in store for a particular country. For rescue purposes, it is important to realize that small earthquake, M 5 ± 0.5, can cause significant numbers of fatalities.

Mapping and Recording of Ancient Shipwrecks by Using Marine Remote Sensing Techniques: Case Studies From Turkish Coasts

Within the context of the “Shipwreck Inventory Project of Turkey (SHIPT),” numerous acoustic remote sensing and photogrammetric surveys have been carried out along the coast of Turkey with the aim of detecting, mapping and documenting underwater cultural heritage. During the surveys, many ancient shipwreck sites have been discovered thanks to advanced technologies such as high-resolution side-scan sonar (SSS), sub-bottom profiler (SBP), and remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Once acoustic anomalies have been located, shipwreck sites have been verified by ROV and documented by 3D photogrammetric survey. Analysis of the collected data confirmed that the survey design and data acquisition parameters are the most important criteria for obtaining best quality image. Performing high-resolution remote sensing and photogrammetric survey for shipwrecks using optimal data collection techniques provides rapid results, decreasing time and budget and increasing the quantity of underwater cultural heritage that can be recorded. This paper discusses proper survey stages for the rapid, effective, high quality detection and recording of the shipwrecks using advanced technology. Acoustic images of shipwrecks comparing cargo, period, and form are also introduced in this paper, for the first time, which provide data on interpreting anomalies accurately for further exploration and monitoring surveys.

Scalable Nanotrap Matrix Enhanced Electroporation for Intracellular Recording of Action Potential.

Electrophysiological recording, as a long-sought objective, plays a crucial role in fundamental biomedical research and practical clinical applications. The challenge in developing electrophysiological detection platforms is to combine simplicity, stability, and sensitivity in the same device. In this study, we develop a nanotrapped microelectrode based on a porous PET membrane, which is compatible with large-scale microtechnologies. The nanotraps can promote the protrusion of the local cell membrane in the hollow center and offer a unique nanoedge structure for tight sealing and effective electroporation. We demonstrate that scalable nanotraps can enhance cell-electrode coupling and perform high-quality intracellular recording. Further, the nanoedge-enhanced electroporation and minimally invasive nanotrapped recordings afford much longer intracellular access of over 100 min and permit consecutive electroporation events in a short period of time. This study suggests that the geometry-regulating strategy of the cell-electrode nanointerface could significantly improve the intracellular recording performance of a nanopatterned electrode.

Microsimulation of an educational attainment register to study record linkage quality.

Population covering educational attainment registers have been proven helpful for planning and research concerning educational efforts. Regular linking of different databases is needed to build and update such a register. Without unique national identification numbers, record linkage must be based on quasi-identifiers such as names, date of birth and sex. High-quality record linkage require the unique identification of persons. Therefore, available identifiers should be sufficient for unique identification despite missing identifiers for some cases. Redundant identifiers can achieve this goal. However, the data protection principle of data minimization, as recommended in the European General Data Protection Regulation, aims to avoid additional data if possible for the given purpose. Therefore, a ministry commissioned a simulation study to inform legislators on the minimum set of identifiers needed for a national register. A microsimulation of the population consisting of nearly 20 million people was implemented to generate data on accumulating changes and errors in identifiers over ten simulated years. The simulation covered, for example, international migration, regional mobility, marriages, school careers and mortality. Each event triggered changes of identifiers according to specified error probability models. The resulting data were linked by different record-linkage procedures. Linkage quality and linkage bias dependent on the available identifiers were assessed. We report on the design of the simulation study, the linkage results and recommendations for the minimum set of identifiers. The results may be helpful for the design of other population covering registers.

Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Comparison and evaluation of multiple satellite aerosol products over China in different scenarios under a unified criterion: Preparation for consistent and high-quality dataset construction

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) products provided by satellite sensors are widely used in climate modeling and climate change research. However, inconsistencies between products can cause large biases. It is necessary to integrate multiple satellite aerosol products to produce a consistent and high-quality aerosol record that satisfies the requirements of climate research users. To effectively combine the advantages of different datasets, their performance under different conditions needs to be compared during overlapping periods using uniform methods and criteria. Based on Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measurements from 2019 to 2021, this study is the first to systematically compare the accuracy of 16 publicly released products from multiple satellite sensors in China under various scenarios using the same criteria to support the construction of a harmonized and high-quality dataset. Compared with AERONET AOD, the average retrieval percentage of 16 products satisfying the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) accuracy requirement is 26.51%, with MISR and VIIRS Deep Blue (DB) products exceeding 40%, while MODIS 3 km Dark Target (DT), VIIRS DT, VIIRS Enterprise Processing System (EPS), and Sentinel-3 products are below 20%. By quantifying the accuracy of the products under different surface conditions, aerosol loadings, and particle size types, the accuracy ranking matrix of 16 products under different scenarios is established to provide a priori knowledge for the construction of a merged dataset. Finally, AOD products from October 2020 are merged based on the accuracy ranking matrix. The merged results show that, compared to the commonly used MODIS DT product, the percentage of retrievals satisfying GCOS requirement is improved by 22.55%, the correlation coefficient and mean absolute error are also improved, and the national average AOD coverage increases from 22.18% to 47.73%. These results are expected to provide guidance for the construction of high-quality datasets and the application of satellite aerosol products in climate research.

The Multimodal Driver Monitoring Database: A Naturalistic Corpus to Study Driver Attention

A smart vehicle should be able to monitor the actions and behaviors of the human driver to provide critical warnings or intervene when necessary. Recent advancements in deep learning and computer vision have shown great promise in monitoring human behaviors and activities. While these algorithms work well in a controlled environment, naturalistic driving conditions add new challenges such as illumination variations, occlusions and extreme head poses. A vast amount of in-domain data is required to train models that provide high performance in predicting driving related tasks to effectively monitor driver actions and behaviors. Toward building the required infrastructure, this paper presents the multimodal driver monitoring (MDM) dataset, which was collected with 59 subjects that were recorded performing various tasks. We use the Fi- Cap device that continuously tracks the head movement of the driver using fiducial markers, providing frame-based annotations to train head pose algorithms in naturalistic driving conditions. We ask the driver to look at predetermined gaze locations to obtain accurate correlation between the driver's facial image and visual attention. We also collect data when the driver performs common secondary activities such as navigation using a smart phone and operating the in-car infotainment system. All of the driver's activities are recorded with high definition RGB cameras and time-of-flight depth camera. We also record the controller area network-bus (CAN-Bus), extracting important information. These high quality recordings serve as the ideal resource to train various efficient algorithms for monitoring the driver, providing further advancements in the field of in-vehicle safety systems.

Quantifying methane emissions from the global scale down to point sources using satellite observations of atmospheric methane

Abstract. We review the capability of current and scheduled satellite observations of atmospheric methane in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) to quantify methane emissions from the global scale down to point sources. We cover retrieval methods, precision and accuracy requirements, inverse and mass balance methods for inferring emissions, source detection thresholds, and observing system completeness. We classify satellite instruments as area flux mappers and point source imagers, with complementary attributes. Area flux mappers are high-precision (<1 %) instruments with 0.1–10 km pixel size designed to quantify total methane emissions on regional to global scales. Point source imagers are fine-pixel (<60 m) instruments designed to quantify individual point sources by imaging of the plumes. Current area flux mappers include GOSAT (2009–present), which provides a high-quality record for interpretation of long-term methane trends, and TROPOMI (2018–present), which provides global continuous daily mapping to quantify emissions on regional scales. These instruments already provide a powerful resource to quantify national methane emissions in support of the Paris Agreement. Current point source imagers include the GHGSat constellation and several hyperspectral and multispectral land imaging sensors (PRISMA, Sentinel-2, Landsat-8/9, WorldView-3), with detection thresholds in the 100–10 000 kg h−1 range that enable monitoring of large point sources. Future area flux mappers, including MethaneSAT, GOSAT-GW, Sentinel-5, GeoCarb, and CO2M, will increase the capability to quantify emissions at high resolution, and the MERLIN lidar will improve observation of the Arctic. The averaging times required by area flux mappers to quantify regional emissions depend on pixel size, retrieval precision, observation density, fraction of successful retrievals, and return times in a way that varies with the spatial resolution desired. A similar interplay applies to point source imagers between detection threshold, spatial coverage, and return time, defining an observing system completeness. Expanding constellations of point source imagers including GHGSat and Carbon Mapper over the coming years will greatly improve observing system completeness for point sources through dense spatial coverage and frequent return times.

High-performance Flexible Microelectrode Array with PEDOT:PSS Coated 3D Micro-cones for Electromyographic Recording.

High signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) electromyography (EMG) recordings are essential for identifying and analyzing single motor unit activity. While high-density electrodes allow for greater spatial resolution, the smaller electrode area translates to a higher impedance and lower SNR. In this study, we developed an implantable and flexible 3D microelectrode array (MEA) with low impedance that enables high-quality EMG recording. With polyimide micro-cones realized by standard photolithography process and PEDOT:PSS coating, this design can increase effective surface area by up to 250% and significantly improve electrical performance for electrode sites with various geometric surface areas, where the electrode impedance is at most improved by 99.3%. Acute EMG activity from mice was recorded by implanting the electrodes in vivo, and we were able to detect multiple individual motor units simultaneously and with high resolution ([Formula: see text]). The charge storage capacity was measured to be 34.2 mC/cm2, indicating suitability of the electrodes for stimulation applications as well.

Use of technical means during an investigative experiment

The article highlights the problems of using technical means during such an investigative (search) activity as an investigative experiment. For this purpose, the practice of pre-trial investigation bodies, expert institutions and scientific literature have been analyzed. Since the purpose of this procedural action is to verify and clarify information important for the pre-trial investigation, it emphasizes the need for mandatory use of a variety of technical means, which will be most appropriate and effective depending on the circumstances of the criminal offence.
 Attention is drawn to cases when an investigative experiment should be conducted in the housing or other property of a person. In this case, a video camera will be a mandatory means of recording, for the normal operation of which during the entire procedural action it is advisable to have several powerbanks and a significant amount (32 GB or more) of data storage device in reserve. To provide direct technical assistance, it is recommended to involve a specialist who has special skills in using technical and other means in conducting an investigative experiment. This will allow the investigator to focus on drawing up a protocol, high-quality organization of the investigative experiment and achieving the purpose of its implementation, and the specialist will ensure its high-quality recording and proper design of applications.
 Recommendations are given for the use during the investigative experiment of not only such standard means of fixation as a camera or video camera, but also a forensic briefcase, various means of lighting, measuring devices (laser range measuring device, measuring tape, sound level meter, speed gun TruCAM), means for reconstructing an event or creating conditions close to it (water sprayers, fans), etc. Taking into account the variety of technical means, it is noted that the investigator must comply with the requirements of Article 104 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine regarding a detailed description in the protocol of the characteristics of technical means and information carriers using which the investigative experiment is recorded.

High-Performance Flexible Microneedle Array as a Low-Impedance Surface Biopotential Dry Electrode for Wearable Electrophysiological Recording and Polysomnography

Highlights Polyimide-based flexible microneedle array (PI-MNA) electrodes realize high electrical/mechanical performance and are compatible with wearable wireless recording systems.The normalized electrode–skin interface impedance (EII) of the PI-MNA electrodes reaches 0.98 kΩ cm2 at 1 kHz and 1.50 kΩ cm2 at 10 Hz, approximately 1/250 of clinical standard electrodes.This is the first report on the clinical study of microneedle electrodes. The PI-MNA electrodes are applied to clinical long-term continuous monitoring for polysomnography.Microneedle array (MNA) electrodes are an effective solution to achieve high-quality surface biopotential recording without the coordination of conductive gel and are thus very suitable for long-term wearable applications. Existing schemes are limited by flexibility, biosafety, and manufacturing costs, which create large barriers for wider applications. Here, we present a novel flexible MNA electrode that can simultaneously achieve flexibility of the substrate to fit a curved body surface, robustness of microneedles to penetrate the skin without fracture, and a simplified process to allow mass production. The compatibility with wearable wireless systems and the short preparation time of the electrodes significantly improves the comfort and convenience of electrophysiological recording. The normalized electrode–skin contact impedance reaches 0.98 kΩ cm2 at 1 kHz and 1.50 kΩ cm2 at 10 Hz, a record low value compared to previous reports and approximately 1/250 of the standard electrodes. The morphology, biosafety, and electrical/mechanical properties are fully characterized, and wearable recordings with a high signal-to-noise ratio and low motion artifacts are realized. The first reported clinical study of microneedle electrodes for surface electrophysiological monitoring was conducted in tens of healthy and sleep-disordered subjects with 44 nights of recording (over 8 h per night), providing substantial evidence that the electrodes can be leveraged to substitute for clinical standard electrodes.

ECGAssess: A Python-Based Toolbox to Assess ECG Lead Signal Quality.

Electrocardiography (ECG) is the method most often used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases. To obtain a high-quality recording, the person conducting an ECG must be a trained expert. When these experts are not available, this important diagnostic tool cannot be used, consequently impacting the quality of healthcare. To avoid this problem, it must be possible for untrained healthcare professionals to record diagnostically useful ECGs so they can send the recordings to experts for diagnosis. The ECGAssess Python-based toolbox developed in this study provides feedback regarding whether ECG signals are of adequate quality. Each lead of the 12-lead recordings was classified as acceptable or unacceptable. This feedback allows people to identify and correct errors in the use of the ECG device. The toolbox classifies the signals according to stationary, heart rate, and signal-to-noise ratio. If the limits of these three criteria are exceeded, this is indicated to the user. To develop and optimize the toolbox, two annotators reviewed a data set of 1,200 ECG leads to assess their quality, and each lead was classified as acceptable or unacceptable. The evaluation of the toolbox was done with a new data set of 4,200 leads, which were annotated the same way. This evaluation shows that the ECGAssess toolbox correctly classified over 94% of the 4,200 ECG leads as either acceptable or unacceptable in comparison to the annotations.

VR-enabled portable brain-computer interfaces via wireless soft bioelectronics

Noninvasive, wearable brain-computer interfaces (BCI) find limited use due to their obtrusive nature and low information. Currently available portable BCI systems are limited by device rigidity, bulky form factors, and gel-based skin-contact electrodes – and therefore more prone to noise and motion artifacts. Here, we introduce virtual reality (VR)-enabled split-eye asynchronous stimulus (SEAS) allowing a target to present different stimuli to either eye. This results in unique asynchronous stimulus patterns measurable with as few as four EEG electrodes, as demonstrated with improved wireless soft electronics for portable BCI. This VR-embedded SEAS paradigm demonstrates potential for improved throughput with a greater number of unique stimuli. A wearable soft platform featuring dry needle electrodes and shielded stretchable interconnects enables high throughput decoding of steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) for a text spelling interface. A combination of skin-conformal electrodes and soft materials offers high-quality recordings of SSVEP with minimal motion artifacts, validated by comparing the performance with a conventional wearable system. A deep-learning algorithm provides real-time classification, with an accuracy of 78.93% for 0.8 s and 91.73% for 2 s with 33 classes from nine human subjects, allowing for a successful demonstration of VR text spelling and navigation of a real-world environment. With as few as only four data recording channels, the system demonstrates a highly competitive information transfer rate (243.6 bit/min). Collectively, the VR-enabled soft system offers unique advantages in wireless, real-time monitoring of brain signals for portable BCI, neurological rehabilitation, and disease diagnosis.

Workplace Trauma in a Digital Age: The Impact of Video Evidence of Violent Crime on Criminal Justice Professionals.

High-quality video and audio recordings of violent crimes, captured using now ubiquitous digital technologies, play an increasingly important role in the administration of justice. However, the effects of exposure to gruesome material presented in this form on criminal justice professionals who analyze, evaluate, and use this potentially traumatic content in the context of their work, are largely unknown. Using long interviews and constructivist grounded theory, this qualitative study sought to explore experiences of exposure to video evidence of violent crime among Canadian criminal justice professionals. Sixteen individuals including police, lawyers, judges, psychiatrists, law clerks, and court reporters volunteered to participate in qualitative long interviews asking about workplace exposures to violent videos. Themes identified address the ubiquity of video evidence of violent crime; proximity to violence through video; being blindsided through lack of preparedness for violent content; repeated exposures through multiple and protracted viewings; insufficient customary methods for self-protection; and the enduring impact of exposure to videoed violence. We determine that criminal justice professionals are increasingly and repeatedly presented with deeply disturbing imagery that was once imperceptible or unknowable and thus previously held at a greater distance. Elements of what is newly visible and audible in video evidence of violent crime create a new emotional proximity to violence that potentially increases the risks of secondary trauma and underscores the need for improved safety measures.

Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland.

Butterflies and moths, collectively Lepidoptera, are integral components of ecosystems, providing key services such as pollination and a prey resource for vertebrate and invertebrate predators. Lepidoptera are a relatively well studied group of invertebrates. In Great Britain and Ireland numerous citizen science projects provide data on changes in distribution and abundance. The availability of high-quality monitoring and recording data, combined with the rapid response of Lepidoptera to environmental change, makes them ideal candidates for traits-based ecological studies. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of studies documenting traits-based responses of Lepidoptera, highlighting the demand for a standardized and referenced traits database. There is a wide range of primary and secondary literature sources available regarding the ecology of British and Irish Lepidoptera to support such studies. Currently these sources have not been collated into one central repository that would facilitate and enhance future research. Here, we present a comprehensive traits database for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland. The database covers 968 species in 21 families. Ecological traits fall into four main categories: life cycle ecology and phenology, host plant specificity and characteristics, breeding habitat, and morphological characteristics. The database also contains data regarding species distribution, conservation status, and temporal trends for abundance and occupancy. This database can be used for a wide array of purposes including further fundamental research on species and community responses to environmental change, conservation and management studies, and evolutionary biology. There are no copyright restrictions, and this paper must be cited if data are used in publications.

Gagaku, Ensemble OnoTeruhisa Fukuda, maître de shakuhachi. Offrande musicale

Gagaku, Ensemble OnoTeruhisa Fukuda, maître de shakuhachi. Offrande musicale

Highly Conducting and Stretchable Double-Network Hydrogel for Soft Bioelectronics.

Conducting polymer hydrogels are promising materials in soft bioelectronics because of their tissue-like mechanical properties and the capability of electrical interaction with tissues. However, it is challenging to balance electrical conductivity and mechanical stretchability: pure conducting polymer hydrogels are highly conductive, but they are brittle; while incorporating the conducting network with a soft network to form a double network can improve the stretchability, its electrical conductivity significantly decreases. Here, the problem is addressed by concentrating a poorly crosslinked precursor hydrogel with a high content ratio of the conducting polymer to achieve a densified double-network hydrogel (5.5wt% conducting polymer), exhibiting both high electrical conductivity (≈10 S cm-1 ) and a large fracture strain (≈150%), in addition to high biocompatibility, tissue-like softness, low swelling ratio, and desired electrochemical properties for bioelectronics. A surface grafting method is further used to form an adhesive layer on the conducting hydrogel, enabling robust and rapid bonding on the tissues. Furthermore, the proposed hydrogel is applied to show high-quality physiological signal recording and reliable, low-voltage electrical stimulation based on an in vivo rat model. This method provides an ideal strategy for rapid and reliable tissue-device integration with high-quality electrical communications.

A Fully Adapted Headstage With Custom Electrode Arrays Designed for Electrophysiological Experiments.

Electrophysiological recordings lead amongst the techniques that aim to investigate the dynamics of neural activity sampled from large neural ensembles. However, the financial costs associated with the state-of-the-art technology used to manufacture probes and multi-channel recording systems make these experiments virtually inaccessible to small laboratories, especially if located in developing countries. Here, we describe a new method for implanting several tungsten electrode arrays, widely distributed over the brain. Moreover, we designed a headstage system, using the Intan® RHD2000 chipset, associated with a connector (replacing the expensive commercial Omnetics connector), that allows the usage of disposable and inexpensive cranial implants. Our results showed high-quality multichannel recording in freely moving animals (detecting local field, evoked responses and unit activities) and robust mechanical connections ensuring long-term continuous recordings. Our project represents an open source and inexpensive alternative to develop customized extracellular records from multiple brain regions.

A universal, multimodal cell-based biosensing platform for optimal intracellular action potential recording

Intracellular recording of action potentials is an essential mean for studying disease mechanisms, and for electrophysiological studies, particularly in excitable cells as cardiomyocytes or neurons. Current strategies to obtain intracellular recordings include three-dimensional (3D) nanoelectrodes that can effectively penetrate the cell membrane and achieve high-quality intracellular recordings in a minimally invasive manner, or transient electroporation of the membrane that can yield temporary intracellular access. However, the former strategy requires a complicated and costly fabrication process, and the latter strategy suffers from high dependency on the method of application of electroporation, yielding inconsistent, suboptimal recordings. These factors hinder the high throughput use of these strategies in electrophysiological studies. In this work, we propose an advanced cell-based biosensing platform that relies on electroporation to produce consistent, high-quality intracellular recordings. The suggested universal system can be integrated with any electrode array, and it enables tunable electroporation with controllable pulse parameters, while the recorded potentials can be analyzed in real time to provide instantaneous feedback on the electroporation effectiveness. This integrated system enables the user to perform electroporation, record and assess the obtained signals in a facile manner, to ultimately achieve stable, reliable, intracellular recording. Moreover, the proposed platform relies on microelectrode arrays which are suited for large-scale production, and additional modules that are low-cost. Using this platform, we demonstrate the tuning of electroporation pulse width, pulse number, and amplitude, to achieve effective electroporation and high-quality intracellular recordings. This integrated platform has the potential to enable larger scale, repeatable, convenient, and low-cost electrophysiological studies.

Multichannel optogenetics combined with laminar recordings for ultra-controlled neuronal interrogation

Simultaneous large-scale recordings and optogenetic interventions may hold the key to deciphering the fast-paced and multifaceted dialogue between neurons that sustains brain function. Here we have taken advantage of thin, cell-sized, optical fibers for minimally invasive optogenetics and flexible implantations. We describe a simple procedure for making those fibers side-emitting with a Lambertian emission distribution. Here we combined those fibers with silicon probes to achieve high-quality recordings and ultrafast multichannel optogenetic inhibition. Furthermore, we developed a multi-channel optical commutator and general-purpose patch-cord for flexible experiments. We demonstrate that our framework allows to conduct simultaneous laminar recordings and multifiber stimulations, 3D optogenetic stimulation, connectivity inference, and behavioral quantification in freely moving animals. Our framework paves the way for large-scale photo tagging and controlled interrogation of rapid neuronal communication in any combination of brain areas.