Information Exchange Research Articles

Intelligent system based on a satellite image detection algorithm and a fuzzy model for evaluating sugarcane crop quality by predicting uncertain climatic parameters

The increase in uncertain weather affects agriculture, impacting crop yield and quality, mainly due to the interaction of climatic variables such as temperature, wind speed, and humidity. In addition, soil erosion and nutrient loss are regional problems aggravated by inadequate agricultural practices in developing sugarcane agriculture. The present research proposes an Intelligent System based on a detection algorithm and a fuzzy model to estimate the quality of the sugarcane crop and the probability of the presence of pests and diseases through the prediction of uncertain variables. Wind speed, cloudiness, humidity, and thermal amplitude were considered variables of interest because parameters out of control of these variables generate a state of thermal stress, triggering pests and diseases that reduce crop quality and sugar production. This research uses geospatial information to simplify the exchange of information through a detection algorithm using real-time satellite images and a fuzzy model to estimate crop quality and prevent climate change-related problems. The variables humidity and cloudiness determine sugarcane quality as they are related to crop phenology and the probability that the crop will develop pests and diseases. In contrast, the intelligent system showed a correlation of over 93% for predicting the variables of interest.

Analysis of Mixed Traffic Flow Characteristics Based on Fleet Composition

In urban road networks, the integration of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) significantly influences traffic flow patterns, with the Fleet Composition—representing the positioning of these vehicles within convoys—being crucial in dictating the symmetry of information exchange amongst them. First, the vehicle composition of the mixed traffic flow is analyzed, and the mathematical analytical expressions of the random distribution characteristics of different types of vehicles are constructed. Second, we analyze the vehicle according to human characteristics in different situations. Then, consider the following characteristics and reaction times of manual drivers, establish a mixed traffic flow following model, and validate the established following. Finally, the basic graph model considering Fleet Composition is derived, and the effects of reaction time, Fleet Composition, driver following characteristics, and other parameters on road capacity under different penetration rates of CAV are analyzed by a Python and SUMO joint simulation. Finally, the characteristics of mixed traffic flow at intersections were analyzed.

Institutional model of commercial real estate market

The study considers institutions of the commercial real estate market with the aim to develop a descriptive institutional model. Institutional boundaries of the commercial real estate market are outlined. Time limits are determined by the equalization of supply and demand through the dynamics of rental rates. Geographical limits, despite the local character of the market, are determined by the participation of the largest developers. Commodity boundaries form the intended purpose of commercial real estate related to its use by lessees for business. This allows the interconnection of commercial real estate institutions to be considered from the perspective of value creation. By means of land relations, the initial conditions are determined by the institution of the state, which also establishes registration requirements. The developer connects the land supply with the rental market by developing a concept of the object, thus influencing related industries (developers, producers of construction materials). The institution of commercial real estate management ensures the interests of the developer. The composition of its participants is diverse, allowing the investor’s offer to be communicated to potential tenants as a value. The institute of accompanying participants of the commercial real estate market is mainly involved in information exchange between its other subjects; however, this institute is responsible for making the constituent links of the market sustainable. The lessee forms the final product using the value created by the developer (lessor) in the form of the intended purpose and individual properties of the object. Rental rates affect the profitability of commercial real estate, thereby determining the developer’s demand for capital. The results obtained can be used by both developers and researchers. The conclusion is made about the limited institutional role of the investor due to irrational capital raising and transferring these costs to the lessee. The reasons lie both in the strategies of most developers and in the desire to reduce risks through the preferred use of debt capital.

Correcting mortality estimates among children and youth on antiretroviral therapy in southern Africa: A comparative analysis between a multi-country tracing study and linkage to a health information exchange.

The objective of this study is to assess the outcomes of children, adolescents and young adults with HIV reported as lost to follow-up, correct mortality estimates for children, adolescents and young adults with HIV for unascertained outcomes in those loss to follow-up (LTFU) based on tracing and linkage data separately using data from the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS in Southern Africa. We included data from two different populations of children, adolescents and young adults with HIV; (1) clinical data from children, adolescents and young adults with HIV aged ≤24 years from Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe; (2) clinical data from children, adolescents and young adults with HIV aged ≤14 years from the Western Cape (WC) in South Africa. Outcomes of patients lost to follow-up were available from (1) a tracing study and (2) linkage to a health information exchange. For both populations, we compared six methods for correcting mortality estimates for all children, adolescents and young adults with HIV. We found substantial variations of mortality estimates among children, adolescents and young adults with HIV reported as lost to follow-up versus those retained in care. Ascertained mortality was higher among lost and traceable children, adolescents and young adults with HIV and lower among lost and linkable than those retained in care (mortality: 13.4% [traced] vs. 12.6% [retained-other Southern Africa countries]; 3.4% [linked] vs. 9.4% [retained-WC]). A high proportion of lost to follow-up children, adolescents and young adults with HIV had self-transferred (21.0% and 47.0%) in the traced and linked samples, respectively. The uncorrected method of non-informative censoring yielded the lowest mortality estimates among all methods for both tracing (6.0%) and linkage (4.0%) approaches at 2 years from ART start. Among corrected methods using ascertained data, multiple imputation, incorporating ascertained data (MI(asc.)) and inverse probability weighting with logistic weights were most robust for the tracing approach. In contrast, for the linkage approach, MI(asc.) was the most robust. Our findings emphasise that lost to follow-up is non-ignorable and both tracing and linkage improved outcome ascertainment: tracing identified substantial mortality in those reported as lost to follow-up, whereas linkage did not identify out-of-facility deaths, but showed that a large proportion of those reported as lost to follow-up were self-transfers.

Foraging trail traffic rules: a new study method of trajectories of the harvester ants.

Harvester ants are one of the most extensively studied groups of ants, especially the group foraging ants, Messor barbarus (Linnaeus, 1767), which construct long-lasting trunk trails. Limited laboratory investigations have delved into head-on encounters along foraging trails involving workers moving in opposing directions, with fewer corresponding studies conducted in the natural environment. To address this gap, we devised an in-field experimental design to induce lane segregation on the foraging trunk trail of M. barbarus. Using an image-based tracking method, we analyzed the foraging behavior of this species to assess the costs associated with head-on encounters and to figure out the natural coexistence of outgoing and returning workers on a bidirectional route. Our results consistently reveal heightened straightness and speed in unidirectional test lanes, accompanied by an elevated foraging rate compared to bidirectional lanes. This suggests a potential impact of head-on collisions on foraging behavior, especially on foraging efficiency. Additionally, Kinematic analysis revealed distinct movement patterns between outbound and inbound flows, particularly low speed and sinuous trajectories of inbounding unladen workers. The study of encounter rates in two traffic systems hints at the plausible utilization of individual memory by workers within trails, underscoring the pivotal role of encounters in information exchange and load transfer.

Collaborative advance care planning in palliative care: a randomised controlled trial

ObjectiveAn effective tool for establishing concordant end-of-life (EOL) care in patients with cancer is advance care planning (ACP). However, various barriers, including psychological obstacles, hamper the access to ACP. Therefore,...

Peer2Me – evaluation of a peer supported program for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients: study protocol of a randomised trial using a comprehensive cohort design

BackgroundDeveloping cancer in young adulthood is a non-normative life event and associated with adverse physical, social and psychological consequences. High psychological distress is common in AYA cancer patients including anxiety, depression or fear of recurrence. At the same time, it is well known that AYA often report unmet needs for support, particularly in terms of informational exchange and emotional support from peers in order to benefit from shared experiences and enhance self-efficacy. Especially in the AYA group, interactions with other same-aged cancer patients may represent an essential resource in terms of coping with the disease, as family members and friends are often overwhelmed and struggling with helplessness. Currently, there is a lack of professional support services using peer support (e.g. psycho-oncological support, aftercare consultations, social legal counselling) or evaluated peer support interventions in Germany. Our aim is to assess the effectiveness of the Peer2Me intervention for AYAs, in which acute patients (mentees) are accompanied by an AYA survivor (mentor) over a period of three months.MethodsA prospective Comprehensive Cohort Design with repeated measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of Peer2Me for AYA. A sample of 180 patients in active cancer treatment aged 18 to 39 years will be enrolled and randomized to the intervention or control condition (a single AYA-specific consultation). Following mentor training, mentees and mentors are matched by diagnosis, age, and gender. The primary outcome is self-efficacy; secondary outcomes include measures of anxiety, depression, health literacy, life satisfaction and social support life. Outcomes will be measured at baseline before the intervention (t1), immediately after completion of the three-month intervention (t2) and three months after completion the intervention (t3). For the final analyses, we will use an intention-to-treat approach (ITT) and compare patients in the assigned treatment groups.DiscussionPeer2Me might be an important addition to existing professional psychosocial support services for young cancer patients. At the end of the study, a psycho-oncological intervention for young cancer patients undergoing acute treatment should be available, from which both mentors and mentees could benefit. The long-term continuity of Peer2Me should be ensured through collaboration with different partners.Trial RegistrationThe study was retrospectively registered on February 4, 2022 at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05336318).

Introduction to the database “efficacy of different treatment modalities for lower respiratory tract infections in children”

AbstractThis study aimed to establish a registry database of different treatment modalities for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in Chinese children, thereby filling gaps in knowledge on clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and rational drug use in relation to LRTIs in Chinese children, and providing large amounts of continuous, complete, scientific, and objective clinical data, and an information exchange platform. Multicenter data from these children's clinical visits were collected, pooled, and analyzed using medical informatics and statistical techniques to explore their potential value. The database was preliminarily established and a real‐world study cohort was constructed based on a total of 4805 patients registered in this database. Pneumonia was identified as the most common type of LRTIs (72.44%), followed by acute bronchitis (20.71%). The mean age of the enrolled children with LRTIs was 3.26 ± 2.84 years, and boys accounted for 59.21% of the samples. Among the enrolled children, pneumonia and acute bronchitis had the highest incidence in children aged 1–3 years (27.44%) and those aged 3–6 years (34.16%), respectively. In this national, multicenter, observational database of LRTIs in children, the real‐world characteristics and treatment modalities for LRTIs in Chinese children are elucidated. This database will help improve the research efficiency of clinicians and facilitate the exploration of underlying clinical patterns in real‐world medical big data.

Emergency Hospital Admissions of Elderly Patients with Dementia: General Characteristics, Outcome, and Areas of Improvement at an Accident and Emergency Department

Aim: Age-related disorders, such as dementia, are relevant for healthcare services and health systems worldwide. The prevalence of dementia across European countries is estimated to exceed 7 %, and may rise over time. Those patients are at increased risk for hospital admission and prolonged hospitalization, and such care increases the cost for the healthcare system. Less is known regarding patients with dementia in Greece that visit the Accident and Emergency departments (A&E) in general hospitals. The present retrospective study aimed to address this issue. Subjects and methods: The sample of patients and the control group were traced in the A&E department of the University Hospital of Ioannina, Northwest Greece. The study sample consisted of 100 patients with dementia, aged > 65 years and 100 matched controls. The median age of patients with dementia was 85 years, for the control group 83 years, and 63 % were females. In most cases the diagnosis had been made by primary care physicians, and in of patients 21 % by neurologists/psychiatrists. Results: In both groups a median of 2 comorbidities was recorded, with hypertension, heart failure and dyslipidaemia being the most common. Fever and falls were the most common reasons for dementia patients visiting the A&E department. Infection was the most common diagnosis in dementia patients, whereas in 17 % of cases no diagnosis was made and no interventions were needed. The probability of admission after an A&E visit was significantly higher for the dementia group, whereas there were no differences regarding length of hospital stay between patients and controls. Conclusions: The results of the study are in line with international research and highlight the need for the establishment of a national register for patients with dementia, that would enable information exchange between primary and tertiary care and would enable proper diagnosis, management and discharge arrangements.

Virtual Exchange Genres: what Can Genre Theories Inform us about the First Synchronous Session?

Virtual exchange or telecollaboration refers to pedagogical practices that connect geographically distant learners who work together towards a common goal. Despite the growing interest in telecollaborative practices and research, few studies have concentrated on investigating the genres that emerge in such contexts. This study shares the understanding that genres are goal-directed events organized in rhetorical patterns and used by members of a discourse community. It aims to explore the first synchronous session between dyads in a telecollaborative project directed to language learning, Teletandem, from a genre perspective. In particular, this paper describes the rhetorical organization patterns of the genre. Data were selected from MulTeC (Multimodal Teletandem Corpus) and comprise transcripts of ten initial Teletandem Oral Sessions (itos) – the first synchronous encounter – from three learning scenarios, which were held in Portuguese and English and recorded between 2012 and 2015. The research involved analyzing each transcript to describe the genre patterns and discuss the specificities in itos organization relative to the learning scenarios. Results show that itos has a flexible and scenario-dependent structure in which the actions of greetings and introduction, information exchange, negotiation, and saying goodbye are prevalent.

Implantación y uso de la telemedicina en la asistencia sanitaria del brote de viruela símica en el Área de Salud de Ibiza y Formentera

ObjectiveThe objective of this work is to describe how the use of the information and communication technologies has been used in the clinical control, follow-up and treatment of all the patients affected by monkeypox in our health area. Design and siteA descriptive, observational and retrospective work has been carried out to show the clinical management of the monkeypox cases assisted in the Health Area of Ibiza and Formentera (ASEF), in the field of the primary care. Participants and methodsAll patients affected by monkeypox who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study (a total of 79 patients), covering the period from 01/06/22 to 30/11/22. A protocol was designed in order to recruit the patients, extract the samples, monitor the close contacts, notify the cases to the health authorities, clinical assistance and administrative processing of the sick leaves. Results and conclusionsThe adherence of the patients with the control system was majoritarian. Telemedicine has been a useful tool for the exchange of information during the provision of continuous medical care to patients affected by the outbreak of monkeypox infection, guaranteeing their safety and privacy and allowing the management of an infectious disease that requires isolation, control, and medical monitoring.

Experimental study on improving effect of cooling garment on thermal comfort and EEGs

Phase change cooling garments (PCCGs) utilize phase change materials to store and release thermal energy, which can be used to reduce thermal sensation in hot environments. This study aims to investigate the effects of PCCGs on thermal comfort and electroencephalography (EEG) signals for laborers in hot conditions. Experiments were conducted in a climate chamber at 33 °C with 50% relative humidity, with subjects having a metabolic rate of 2.7 met. EEG signals from 20 participants were recorded using a 32-channel EEG system after completing laboring task wearing the PCCGs or normal garment (NG), and the mean power of EEG and topological features of the brain network were analyzed. The results indicate that the use of PCCGs significantly reduce the mean power of the EEG signals, with notable changes in the θ, α, and β-bands. Additionally, wearing PCCGs alters the topological structure of the brain network, and the inter-regional information exchange was enhanced, as evidenced by the increased clustering coefficient, global efficiency, local efficiency, and decreased characteristic path length of the brain network. In this study, the effects of PCCGs on thermal comfort, EEG activity and brain network of laborers in hot environment were explored, which provides a possible indicator for assessing the improvement of thermal comfort by PCCGs.

European Health Information Portal: a one-stop shop for health information.

Timely and high-quality population-level health information is needed to support evidence-informed decision-making, for planning and evaluation of prevention, care and cure activities as well as for research to generate new knowledge. FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles are one of the key elements supporting health research and making it more cost-effective through the reuse of already existing data. Currently, health data are in many countries dispersed and difficult to find and access. Two EU Public Health Programmes co-funded Joint Actions, Information for Action (InfAct) and Population Health Information Research Infrastructure (PHIRI) have established a European Health Information Portal, a web-based service, to facilitate better findability, access, interoperability and reuse of existing health information. The European Health Information Portal (www.healthinformationportal.eu) has been established including sections on National Nodes, data sources, publications, health information projects within countries and across Europe, research networks and research infrastructures, ethical and legal issues for health information exchange and use, capacity-building activities in all areas of population health and a dedicated COVID-19 section. The European Health Information Portal, being a central place for a wide range of population health information from EU Member States, is an information source for researchers, policy-makers and other relevant stakeholders. It is important to ensure the sustainability of the portal, especially in light of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation proposal and its requirements regarding the secondary use of health data.

Smart Patient Consent Management Model for Health Information Exchange Based on Blockchain Technology

Smart Patient Consent Management Model for Health Information Exchange Based on Blockchain Technology

Statistical Interdependence between Daily Precipitation and Extreme Daily Temperature in Regions of Mexico and Colombia

We study the statistical interdependence between daily precipitation and daily extreme temperature for regions of Mexico (14 climatic stations, period 1960–2020) and Colombia (7 climatic stations, period 1973–2020) using linear (cross-correlation and coherence) and nonlinear (global phase synchronization index, mutual information, and cross-sample entropy) synchronization metrics. The information shared between these variables is relevant and exhibits changes when comparing regions with different climatic conditions. We show that precipitation and temperature records from La Mojana are characterized by high persistence, while data from Mexico City exhibit lower persistence (less memory). We find that the information exchange and the level of coupling between the precipitation and temperature are higher for the case of the La Mojana region (Colombia) compared to Mexico City (Mexico), revealing that regions where seasonal changes are almost null and with low temperature gradients (less local variability) tend to display higher synchrony compared to regions where seasonal changes are very pronounced. The interdependence characterization between precipitation and temperature represents a robust option to characterize and analyze the collective dynamics of the system, applicable in climate change studies, as well as in changes not easily identifiable in future scenarios.

Исследование алгоритмов организации сетей АНПА с использованием программной среды моделирования

Development of a network of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) is a complex multifactorial task. Solution of this problem requires the fulfillment of a number of stringent requirements, including, requirements for fault tolerance, efficiency of information exchanges, energy efficiency, etc. As a result, it is very important to use simulation for test proposed solutions of AUV network design. The purpose of current research is development and test a software environment for designing AUV networks. The simulation environment is implemented within the framework of an object-oriented approach in Python. The main results obtained include the established principles for implementing a software environment for simulation of AUV networks. The layout of the hardware and software for underwater communication network developed in Concern CSRI Elektropribor is the basis of the developed simulation model. The results of testing the software are presented using the example of solving the problem of ensuring the efficiency of information exchanges. The developed software environment makes it possible to increase the efficiency of AUV network development.

Penggunaan Sistem Blockchain Di Perpustakaan Sekolah Dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Guru Bahasa Indonesia Pasca Pandemi Covid-19

The school library is one of the important components in the educational ecosystem affected by the pandemic, including the private high school SMA XYZ in South Tangerang, which is the subject of this study. The research objective is to describe the effectiveness of the Blockchain system in accommodating data storage and its impact on efforts to improve the performance of Indonesian language teachers at SMA XYZ in utilizing the library. This study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach involving Indonesian language teachers and library staff. Data were collected through interviews and participatory observation. The collected data were validated through observation, documentation, and providing written questionnaires, administered directly in front of the researchers. If there were discrepancies in the data, further discussion with the sources would be conducted. Validated data were compared and summarized. The results of data analysis indicate that Indonesian language teachers have not maximized the use of the school library. The service system and data management in the library are also not optimal. The Blockchain system is proposed as an effort to improve teacher performance because it enables transparency, reliability, and security in information storage and exchange. In the context of the school library, the Blockchain system can be used to record and manage teachers' learning history, awards, and assessments by students and colleagues. Poorly organized book inventory management and borrowing processes make it difficult to utilize library facilities. The research findings indicate that the Blockchain system effectively addresses various challenges mentioned above.

Przemyt wyrobów tytoniowych. Reakcja prawna na napływ z Europy Wschodniej

Cigarette smuggling is an important part of the illicit cigarette trade in the European Union. The most frequently cited reason for smuggling is a significant difference in cigarette prices resulting from the large share of customs and taxes (primarily the excise tax) in cigarette prices. The magnitude of this phenomenon in a given country depends, among other things, on its geopolitical location and its legal, economic and social conditions. Poland, taking into account its geopolitical location, is one of the EU countries that are crossed by “transit routes” for cigarette smuggling, including the route across the EU’s internal border between Poland and Lithuania. At the same time, it is a country where smuggling detection rates are high. Customs control by customs administration bodies based on risk analysis, supported by international exchange of information, and their cooperation with other entities on the national, European, and international level are of particular importance in this regard. The main objectives of the article are to identify the legal arrangements for customs control as the primary guarantor of compliance with the prohibitions and restrictions on international trade in goods and to assess its impact on the rates of detection of cigarette smuggling.

The Aapplication of Cooperation Principles on Bahtsul Masa'il Activities at Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Blokagung: Pragmatic Studies

This research aims to describe the application of the principle of cooperation in the bahtsul masa’il activities at Darussalam Blokagung Islamic Boarding School. The research method employed is qualitative descriptive with a pragmatic approach. The data consists of linguistic data, namely oral conversations during the bahtsul masa’il activities at Darussalam Blokagung Islamic Boarding School, which have been transcribed into written texts. The data sources are from three sessions of bahtsul masail activities held on December 27-28, 2022. Data collection techniques include free listening, free speech, and note-taking. Data analysis techniques involve organizing, sorting, identifying patterns, and determining important points to be conveyed to others. The results of the research show compliance with the principle of cooperation in 42 instances and violations in 45 instances, encompassing the maxims of quantity, quality, relevance, and manner. Factors contributing to compliance with the principle of cooperation in the bahtsul masa’il activities at Darussalam Blokagung Islamic Boarding School include striving to provide sufficient information, ensuring smooth information flow, maintaining the continuity of information exchange, delivering quality information, respecting opinions, keeping conversations effective, keeping conversations relevant to the topic, maintaining the continuity of information exchange, achieving mutual understanding, providing clear information, and understanding the topic. Factors contributing to violations include clarifying information, boasting, criticizing, lacking understanding of the topic, disagreement, lack of coordinated understanding, changing the topic, providing affirmations, and hesitancy.

Real-time coordination of integrated transmission and distribution systems: Flexibility modeling and distributed NMPC scheduling

This paper proposes a real-time distributed operational architecture to coordinate integrated transmission and distribution systems (ITD). At the distribution system level, the distribution system operator (DSO) calculates the aggregated flexibility of all controllable devices by power-energy envelopes and provides them to the transmission system operator (TSO). At the transmission system level, a distributed nonlinear model predictive control (nmpc) approach is proposed to coordinate the economic dispatch of multiple TSOs, considering the aggregated flexibility of all distribution systems. The subproblems of the proposed approach are associated with different TSOs and individual time periods. In addition, the aggregated flexibility of controllable devices in distribution networks is encapsulated, re-calculated, and communicated through the power-energy envelopes, facilitating a reduction in computational complexity and eliminating redundant information exchanges between TSOs and DSOs, thereby enhancing privacy and security. The framework’s effectiveness and applicability in real-world scenarios are validated through simulated operational scenarios on a summer day in Germany, highlighting its robustness in the face of significant prediction mismatches due to severe weather conditions.