Measurement Results Research Articles

Design and Implementation of an IoT-Based Intravenous Infusion Monitoring System Using Wireless Sensor Network

This research presents a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) based infusion monitoring system that utilizes Internet of Things (IoT) technology to enhance infusion management in healthcare. Manual supervision often lacks the necessary accuracy and control, making automated solutions crucial. Our system employs optocoupler and load cell sensors to calculate the infusion drop rate per minute and assess the remaining fluid percentage. Tests conducted demonstrated that optocoupler sensors effectively measured the drop rate, while load cell sensors accurately determined fluid levels. Measurement results are easily monitored via smartphone, granting healthcare professionals rapid access to vital data. A key innovation of this system is its ability to enable remote monitoring through WSN, allowing a single nurse to oversee multiple infusions with just one smartphone. The test results indicate impressive accuracy, achieving an average precision rate of 97% for drop rate measurements and 93% for remaining fluid percentage measurements. Overall, this system offers an efficient and controlled approach to infusion fluid management, ensuring optimal care for patients. By integrating IoT and WSN technologies, this research lays the groundwork for developing more advanced and interconnected infusion monitoring systems, ultimately enhancing patient care in today's globalized healthcare environment.

Measurement of Innovative Green Façades in the Central European Climate

Green structures, such as green roofs or green façades, are great examples of climate change mitigation. Their impact is mainly focused on roofs in the area of overheating reduction. In this paper, initial measurement results of a green façade experimental test setup are provided. The green façade uses an innovative board from recycled materials with vegetation rooted directly on the board. The tested green façade is divided into three segments. These segments differ from each other in their watering regimes, which are crucial for cooling effectiveness. Watering operates with the assistance of gravity; water flows from the top gutter through the boards. In this paper, these three segments are compared to each other with respect to temperatures on the surface of a regular external thermal insulation composite system façade (ETICS) during two summer days. The green façade showed an impact on the temperature in the ventilated air gap, where the temperature is almost the same as the outdoor air temperature in the morning with direct solar radiation on the façade and lower than the outdoor air temperature in the afternoon. At the peaks, the surface temperatures within the air cavity surface are up to 8 °C lower than those on a new white ETICS coating. This demonstrates a cooling potential, although the surface temperatures are always higher than the outdoor air temperatures during daylight hours.

Form Deviation Uncertainty and Conformity Assessment on a Coordinate Measuring Machine

Coordinate measuring machines are widely used in the industrial field due to their ease of automation. However, estimating the measurement uncertainty is a delicate task, especially when controlling for deviation, given the large number of factors that influence the measurement. A precise estimate of the uncertainty is crucial to avoid incorrect conformity assessments. The purpose of this study is to control geometrical-form tolerance specifications, taking into consideration their associated uncertainty. A surface fitting model based on the least squares criterion is proposed, allowing one to obtain the variance–covariance matrix by iterative calculation according to the Levenberg–Marquard optimization method. The form deviation is then evaluated following the Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) Standard, and its associated uncertainty is estimated using the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) propagation of the uncertainty law. Finally, the conformity assessment is performed based on the measured deviation and its associated uncertainty. Different results for the measurement of straightness, flatness, circularity, roundness, and cylindricity are presented and detailed. This model is thereafter validated by a Monte Carlo simulation, and interlaboratory comparisons of the obtained results were performed, which showed satisfactory outcome. This contribution is of great use to manufacturing companies and metrology laboratories, allowing them to meet the normative guidelines, which stipulates that each measurement result must be accompanied by its associated uncertainty.

Increasing measurement accuracy by estimating multiple dissipations for the impedance tube calibration

Impedance tube measurements, employing transfer function/matrix methods, are commonly used by acousticians to characterize the acoustic properties of materials in normal incident conditions. Sound dissipation in impedance tubes can impact the accuracy of measurement results. Various effects contributing to sound dissipation in tubes are studied and analyzed. This research investigates different dissipative effects and dissipation models. This paper uses model-based Bayesian inference to estimate critical parameters in multiple dissipations. The experiments involve using an empty impedance tube terminated with a rigid metal block. A hypothetical air layer in front of the metal block is assumed for establishing a prediction model in contrasting estimation results with theoretical values. The results incorporating dissipation models demonstrate a good match with the theoretical calculation of the air layer. Applying the estimated dissipations to actual resonator materials demonstrates a significantly improves measurement accuracy.

Monitoring of GFRP pipelines in Power Plants using acoustic emission testing

In coal-fired power plants, the flue gas is transported through fibreglassreinforced pipelines to cooling towers during the combustion of the respective raw material, which often serve as a marker for a power plant in the landscape. These glass-fibre reinforced pipelines are located at great heights and can have very large diameters. Up to now, testing has been carried out as part of inspections during planned shutdowns and is associated with corresponding costs. The article discusses the use of acoustic measurement methods based on a 4-month installation at the Niederaußem power plant. Measurement results based on the acoustic emission analysis were shown. For the acoustic emission measurements, a repaired site was instrumented and different parameters like hit/event rates, acoustic energies as well as weighted peak frequencies of the acoustic signals were recorded over the monitoring period of 4 months at power plant Niederaußem. In a second power plant Neurath a 5-month AE monitoring were carried out. This measurement results were discussed as well.

A Method to Estimate Solar Panel Orientation Effectivity

Abstract In the past years, new photovoltage (solar panel) systems have been installed rapidly, for instance, in regular households. Investment decisions have often been made without knowing all technical facts and information, which are affecting total energy production of photovoltage systems. In this work, we have made a simple model, which shows solar panels energy production with the different orientation angles of solar panel. Our results show that if panels are installed more than 30 degrees from the optimal orientation, the energy production drops drastically. This result applies to both azimuth and tilt angles. The developed model is very adaptive, and it can use any locations and all orientation angles. We confirm our calculation result by making a measurement with a small (30 W) test solar panel. The model and measurement results have a good relationship (correlation coefficient, R 2 = 0.7). The obtained result is satisfactory by taking into account the fact that measurements were made during the variable weather conditions and over long period of time (six months).

Influence of input parameters on the measurement accuracy of external clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeters: An experimental study

Abstract This study comprehensively evaluated the performance of clamp-on ultrasonic gas flowmeters at a natural gas field. The research focused on the influence of key input parameters on flow measurement accuracy during practical application of the instrument and proposed specific measures to improve measurement results. It was found that errors in outer diameter and wall thickness not only lead to flow calculation inaccuracies but also directly impact the propagation path of ultrasonic waves. Therefore, accurate input parameters are crucial to ensure precise flow results. Additionally, the study revealed that changes in installation distance have minimal effects on flow measurement results and adjustments can be made as needed to obtain better signal parameters. Variations in input temperature and pressure mainly affect the conversion coefficient from operating conditions to standard conditions, with minor impacts on flow velocity and operating flow rate. Thus, the velocity ratio method can be considered during on-site calibration to mitigate the effects of temperature and pressure changes.

Low noise signal processing for electrochemical biosensor using narrow bandwidth filter

Abstract Biosensor has an important role in several domains, including medical and environmental applications. The improvement of biosensor measurement system therefore offers a better measurement quality. The objective of this work is the development of the signal processing of electrochemical biosensor for advanced analysis and use. The noise of electrochemical sensor is considered rather higher than the other sensor due to many factors such as electrode area, solution velocity, and particle size in solution, which affect adsorption-desorption process. Moreover, the sensor signal processing also makes contribution to noise level. Therefore, it must be reduced and suppressed to obtain better measurement result. In this paper, a bandwidth optimisation method is proposed and used to improve measurement quality. The system is realized with a transimpedance circuit and low-pass and high-pass filter, so that it offers low noise characteristics. The developed proposed system has provided better improvement than the standard electrochemical biosensor system. The noise of the system can be suppressed to be lower up to 14.3% of the standard transimpedance circuit. This development is promising to give better biosensor measurement.

New method for determining iron power losses in switched reluctance motors with laminated and composite magnetic cores

Power losses from motors and drives can decrease their efficiency. The development of devices with high efficiency is a necessity nowadays, with a view to reducing CO2 emissions. The application of new magnetic materials is one method for increasing the efficiency of motors, although prediction and calculation of the losses in the magnetic circuits of motors are also very important. To reduce the iron losses, iron powder composites are used here instead of Fe-Si laminated steel sheets, in a low-power switched reluctance motor (SRM), and a new method of determining the iron loss in the magnetic circuit is developed. Through the use of new materials in the motor, we can achieve a 19% decrease in the iron loss in comparison to a commercial motor. A comparison of the measurement results for our new method of iron loss prediction showed that the difference is approximately 20-26%, depending on the type of magnetic circuit used for the motor. The usage of soft magnetic composites rather than electrical steel sheets can decrease the loss in magnetic circuits. The results from our new method of determination of iron loss are in good agreement with results of measurements, meaning that it can be applied in a detailed analysis of SRMs. The application of soft magnetic composites in electromagnetic and electromechanical converters is a new method for lowering iron losses in new devices. The determination of such losses in SRMs is still challenging, and the proposed method broadens the state of the art in this area. The method developed here is based on motor current measurements, FEM calculations, and measurements of the magnetisation curves and iron loss for samples according to IEC standards. The results obtained in this work can be used by designers for the development of new kinds of SRMs.

The Synergic Effect of Brine Salinity and Dispersed Clay Particles on Water-in-Heavy Oil Emulsion: Insight into Asphaltene Structure and Emulsion Stability

Summary The research on enhancing oil recovery in sandstone reservoirs through low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) has been well-documented, while there have been few studies conducted on the impact of emulsion formation in heavy oil due to the incompatibility between the injected brine, clay particles, and heavy oil components. In this study, we explored the synergic role of asphaltene and clay in the process of LSWF by introducing an innovative and thorough experimental approach. Our findings presented new insights into how LSWF in clay-rich sandstone reservoirs can influence the behavior and properties of the water-in-heavy oil emulsions. In this regard, we contacted the heavy oil and brine (with and without clay) for 20 days at 90°C. Then, the emulsion was centrifuged to separate the oil and brine phases. The oil phase was examined by conducting the viscosity, interfacial tension (IFT), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and asphaltene onset point (AOP) precipitation experiments. Significant decreases in viscosity and asphaltene precipitation values were observed when crude oil was exposed to clay solutions, as indicated by viscosity and IP-143 results. Furthermore, the zeta potential of clay particles suspended in various brines was determined to assess the electrostatic aspects of rock-oil interactions. The analysis of the emulsion phase indicated that the emulsion stability in the presence of clay increased because of the improvement of asphaltene contribution in the interface. This trend aligns with the zeta potential measurement results. In addition, after examining the pH and conductivity of aged brine in the presence and absence of clay, it was observed that the clay caused the release of hydrogen ions in the brine and then bonded with the dissolved cations, leading to improvement in the emulsion stability. Ultimately, the asphaltene molecular structure was compared via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflection analysis before contact with the brine and after separation from the emulsion phase. The results indicated a decrease in the concentration of aliphatic groups in the molecular structure of the remaining asphaltene following the aging of the oil bulk. These new findings can potentially mitigate unwanted emulsion damage in the LSWF in heavy oil recovery.

Identification of mineralogical ore varieties using ultrasonic measurement results

Purpose. To improve the measurement and information base of ultrasonic measurements rock characteristics to assess their mineralogical varieties. It is proposed to use a combination of measurement results of the acoustic quality factor of the test sample in relation to longitudinal and transverse ultrasonic waves, as well as the characteristic coefficient based on the dispersion and the average amplitude value of the received signal, for fuzzy identification of mineralogical and technological varieties of iron ore. Methods. As elastic waves propagate through the rock mass, they undergo attenuation due to absorption and dissipation of ultrasonic signal energy. The degree of attenuation, as well as the wave propagation velocity, is dependent on the physical-mechanical and chemical-mineralogical properties of the medium through which they travel. In this paper, we analyze a rock characterized by a complex structure comprising ore inclusions and surrounding matrix, each of which differs in its physical-mechanical and chemical-mineralogical properties. In particular, in iron ore samples, the distribution of mineral grains and aggregates exhibits significant heterogeneity in terms of both amount and size. Findings. An iterative method of fuzzy identification of mineralogical-technological iron ore varieties, based on the analysis of their properties in vector space of features, allows, by minimizing the sums of weighted distances between the analyzed and reference values of ultrasonic measurement results, to attribute them with a certain degree of belonging to the main technological types of ores mined at the deposit, and define them as magnetite quartzite with a confidence probability of 0.93. Originality. As an information base for identification of mineralogical iron ore varieties, the results of measuring the velocity and attenuation of longitudinal and transverse ultrasonic waves of appropriate frequency are used, on the basis of which the acoustic quality factor of the rock sample is calculated, as well as the characteristic parameter S, which is determined by the dispersion and average values of the received ultrasonic signal intensity, which has traveled a certain distance in the studied environment. Practical implications. The results of tests and practical approbation of the method for identifying mineralogical iron ore varieties based on the data of ultrasonic well logging testify to its high efficiency, which allows recommending the developed scientific-technical solutions for wide industrial application at mining enterprises.

Hybrid Checkerboard Metasurface Combining Passive and Active AMCs

In this paper, a hybrid checkerboard metasurface is proposed for controlling radar cross-sections (RCSs) using a small number of active devices. The proposed metasurface consists of passive and active artificial magnetic conductors. The passive metasurface contributes to reducing the RCS level owing to the dispersion characteristics of the checkerboard arrangement, while the active metasurface aids in controlling the RCS. The active RCS pattern of the proposed hybrid checkerboard metasurface in response to changes in phase distribution is also investigated. The results show that the RCS level at the boresight changed from -20.3 dBsm to 4.4 dBsm, and the main lobe of the RCS pattern steered up to 31°. The fabrication and measurement results of the proposed hybrid checkerboard metasurface are also described in this study.

Magnetically Induced Displacement Force Test Method for Ultralight Implants Based on Counterweight Correction Method

ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) F2052-21 (Chinese corresponding standard titled as YY/T 0987.2) introduces a test method to measure the magnetically induced displacement force on medical devices in the magnetic resonance environment. This method has been widely accepted and utilized globally, which is intended for implantable medical devices that can be suspended from a string. The angular deflection of the string from the vertical is measured and thereby measuring out the magnitude of the magnetically induced deflection force relative to gravity. When applying this method on ultralight implants, it is practically almost impossible to use a suspension string that weighs less than 1% of the mass of the implant. That study proposes a method for measuring the magnetically induced displacement force on ultralight implants based on counterweight correction by using a string and clamp that exceed 1% of the weight of the implant. And then to measure the deflection angle according to the standard requirement, following that to correct the deflection angle by using the proportion of the mass of the implant under test to the total mass of the tested object, to obtain the measurement result. That study also provides theoretical calculations and experimental verification to the counterweight correction method, the results prove that the proposed method can effectively measure the magnetically induced displacement force on ultralight implants.

Klasifikasi Penyakit dan Kelainan Bentuk Kuku Manusia Menggunakan Convolutional Neural Network

Nails are one of the body parts that have an important role, because nails can provide signals of a disease starting from the color, shape, and size of the nails. This study aims to identify diseases and abnormalities of human nail shape using digital images. This study uses seven classes of diseases, namely beausline, clubbing, koilonychia, yellow nail, white nail, onychomycosis, and normal nail. To identify diseases and abnormalities of human nail shape, the method used is Convolutional Neural Network with VGG-16 architecture. The results obtained from this study are an accuracy of 92.9% from a total dataset that has been augmented as much as 3900 data, for an average precision measurement result of 86.1%, an average recall result of 85.8%, an average f-1 score result of 85.8%.

Comparative Characteristics of Electrolyte Solutions Using Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy Method

Electrolyte solutions can conduct electric current and help maintain balance in the human body. This study compares the electrical impedance characteristics of various electrolyte solutions using the Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) method. Three types of electrolyte solutions were tested: NaCl solution, Ringer’s Lactate (RL) solution, and Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) solution with concentration variations of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. Measurements were conducted over a frequency range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz to compare electrolyte solutions using a frequency of 10 kHz with an electric current of 50 μA. At a frequency of 10 kHz, a comparison of the three types of electrolyte solutions with concentration variations from 20% to 100% was made. The measurement result showed that the NaCl solution had an impedance value of 200Ω to 900Ω at high frequencies. The Ringer’s Lactate (RL) solution exhibited impedance variations with impedance values ranging from 800Ω to 300Ω, which is more complex due to the other hand, the Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) solution demonstrated impedance stability at high frequencies with impedance values ranging from 400Ω to 200Ω, indicating its electrical properties suitability with human body conditions. Each electrolyte solution has its characteristics in impedance values at a frequency of 10 kHz, which allows for comparing the three types of electrolyte solutions. For further research, additional studies could include impedance characteristics of electrolyte solutions to broaden understanding of their electrical properties, considering variations in frequency and current conditions to optimise impedance characteristic measurements for various electrolyte solutions.

Stereo Bi-Telecentric Phase-Measuring Deflectometry.

Replacing the endocentric lenses in traditional Phase-Measuring Deflectometry (PMD) with bi-telecentric lenses can reduce the number of parameters to be optimized during the calibration process, which can effectively increase both measurement precision and efficiency. Consequently, the low distortion characteristics of bi-telecentric PMD contribute to improved measurement accuracy. However, the calibration of the extrinsic parameters of bi-telecentric lenses requires the help of a micro-positioning stage. Using a micro-positioning stage for the calibration of external parameters can result in an excessively cumbersome and time-consuming calibration process. Thus, this study proposes a holistic and flexible calibration solution for which only one flat mirror in three poses is needed. In order to obtain accurate measurement results, the calibration residuals are utilized to construct the inverse distortion map through bicubic Hermite interpolation in order to obtain accurate anchor positioning result. The calibrated stereo bi-telecentric PMD can achieve 3.5 μm (Peak-to-Valley value) accuracy within 100 mm (Width) × 100 mm (Height) × 200 mm (Depth) domain for various surfaces. This allows the obtaining of reliable measurement results without restricting the placement of the surface under test.

Effect of age, sex, and chronic kidney disease on urinary creatinine excretion in Japanese patients.

Urinary creatinine levels are used to estimate the excretion rates of certain analytes from the respective analyte-to-creatinine ratios. We clarified the influence of age and sex on estimated daily urinary creatinine excretion (eUCrE) based on the urinary creatinine level and daily urine volume. All inpatients aged ≥ 18years who attended the Kochi Medical School Hospital with serum and urinary creatinine measurement results were enrolled. Serum and urinary creatinine concentrations were extracted from the database and fluctuations with sex and age were investigated. The eUCrE was calculated for patients with early morning spot urine protein excretion (UPE), and daily urine volume was measured on the same day. Overall, 643 participants (322 men, 321 women) were enrolled. The eUCrE levels of men and women aged 18 - 64 and 18 - 44years, respectively, significantly exceeded 1g/day. Those of women aged 65-74 and ≥ 75years were significantly lower than 1g/day. Each age group was further categorised into Groups A (patients with eGFR ≥ 30mL/min/1.73 m2 and UPE < 0.5g/gCr), B (eGFR ≥ 30mL/min/1.73 m2 and UPE ≥ 0.5g/gCr), and C (eGFR < 30mL/min/1.73 m2 and UPE ≥ 0.5g/gCr). The eUCrE levels were the highest in Group A, followed by Groups B and C. This study revealed age-, sex-, and renal function-related biases in adjusted values using urinary biomarkers, including proteinuria and creatinine ratio.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectra Measurements and Analysis of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolysis on Short Stack

Transferring Electrochemical Impedance spectroscopy from fundamental research towards close to application systems allows direct insights into kinetics, transport processes and a state of health indication. Since such stacked systems are optimized for application comprehensive monitoring with reference electrodes is hardly possible. In addition, due to the high power consumption suitable measurement devices are hard to find and the results can only be used to a limited extent. In this work such a test object was set up and tested in different measurement configurations to investigate the reasons for the high noise ratio of the impedance measurement data at more than 200A. It was found that a series circuit consisting of a DC power supply, a high-precision impedance load and the test electrolyser has the least influence on the measurement result of all the methods tested. Finally, the impedance spectra were checked for interpretability using DRT and equivalent circuit fit.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectra Measurements and Analysis of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolysis on Short Stack

Transferring Electrochemical Impedance spectroscopy from fundamental research towards close to application systems allows direct insights into kinetics, transport processes and a state of health indication. Since such stacked systems are optimized for application comprehensive monitoring with reference electrodes is hardly possible. In addition, due to the high power consumption suitable measurement devices are hard to find and the results can only be used to a limited extent. In this work such a test object was set up and tested in different measurement configurations to investigate the reasons for the high noise ratio of the impedance measurement data at more than 200A. It was found that a series circuit consisting of a DC power supply, a high-precision impedance load and the test electrolyser has the least influence on the measurement result of all the methods tested. Finally, the impedance spectra were checked for interpretability using DRT and equivalent circuit fit.

The graphene-on-diamond structure with Ni-catalyzed under high temperature

Graphene-on-diamond (GOD) composite structure has been attracting considerable attention due to its unique features for all carbon sp3-sp2 electronic applications. Whereby the electrical properties of diamond surface can be purposely tailored and significantly altered through transformed graphene layers. In this work, GOD composite structures were prepared by nickel (Ni)-catalyzed high-temperature rapid annealing, and were analyzed by Raman, Hall effect measurement and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the difference in surface conductivity of GOD composite structure is mainly related to the number of transformed graphene layers, which is mainly affected by annealing temperature, annealing time and the thickness of nickel film. Hall measurement and TEM results demonstrate that when the transformed graphene grows graphite with a lot of Ni atoms embedded into diamond, the surface carriers of GOD composite structure are electrons. On the contrary, the surface carriers are holes while the transformed graphene contains about 3 or 5 layers. These findings may provide a route for GOD structure to become a strong candidate for next generation complementary diamond electronic devices.