Reliability Of Data Acquisition Research Articles

A deep learning classification task for brain navigation in rodents using micro-Doppler ultrasound imaging

Positioning and navigation are essential components of neuroimaging as they improve the quality and reliability of data acquisition, leading to advances in diagnosis, treatment outcomes, and fundamental understanding of the brain. Functional ultrasound imaging is an emerging technology providing high-resolution images of the brain vasculature, allowing for the monitoring of brain activity. However, as the technology is relatively new, there is no standardized tool for inferring the position in the brain from the vascular images. In this study, we present a deep learning-based framework designed to address this challenge. Our approach uses an image classification task coupled with a regression on the resulting probabilities to determine the position of a single image. To evaluate its performance, we conducted experiments using a dataset of 51 rat brain scans. The training positions were extracted at intervals of 375 μm, resulting in a positioning error of 176 μm. Further GradCAM analysis revealed that the predictions were primarily driven by subcortical vascular structures. Finally, we assessed the robustness of our method in a cortical stroke where the brain vasculature is severely impaired. Remarkably, no specific increase in the number of misclassifications was observed, confirming the method's reliability in challenging conditions. Overall, our framework provides accurate and flexible positioning, not relying on a pre-registered reference but rather on conserved vascular patterns.

Design of Portable High Precision Scale Hardness Tester Based on STM32

Hardness measurement is a very important index in the process of production and quality inspection. In the past, the precision of portable hardness tester is low, and the stability is poor. Combined with the internal high-speed ADC of the STM32 hardness tester can achieve a more demanding test accuracy requirements. Low power consumption, high accuracy and reliability of data acquisition is realized. And designed with the stemwin library can do more perfect function, human-computer interaction interface is more friendly.

Enhancing Data Discretization for Smoother Drone Input Using GAN-Based IMU Data Augmentation

This study investigates the use of generative adversarial network (GAN)-based data augmentation to enhance data discretization for smoother drone input. The goal is to improve unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAVs) performance and maneuverability by incorporating synthetic inertial measurement unit (IMU) data. The GAN model is employed to generate synthetic IMU data that closely resemble real-world IMU measurements. The methodology involves training the GAN model using a dataset of real IMU data and then using the trained model to generate synthetic IMU data. The generated synthetic data are then combined with the real data for data discretization. The resulting improved data discretization is evaluated using statistical metrics and a similarity evaluation. The improved data discretization demonstrates enhanced drone performance in terms of flight stability, control accuracy, and smoothness of movements when compared to standard data discretization methods. These results highlight the potential of GAN-based data augmentation for enhancing data discretization and improving drone performance. The proposition of improved data discretization offers a tangible benefit for the successful integration of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) systems. Enhancing the accuracy and reliability of data acquisition and processing in UAS makes UAS operations safer and more reliable. This improvement is crucial for achieving the goal of automated and autonomous operations in diverse settlement environments, encompassing multiple mobility modes such as ground and air transportation.

Phone Administration of the Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index Is More Reliable Than Administration via Email.

The Western Ontario Shoulder Instability (WOSI) questionnaire is a 21-item questionnaire to evaluate quality of life in patients with shoulder instability. Completing the questionnaire is time-consuming because each item is evaluated on a visual analog scale. Telephone or email versions of the score are appealing alternatives to administering it during the standard in-person patient visit; however, their validity and reliability remain unknown. (1) Does the numerical scale (NS) version of the WOSI correlate with the original WOSI and Quick-DASH? (2) Do telephone and email administration of the NS-WOSI have good reliability and consistency? (3) Compared with the original WOSI form, does the NS form lead to faster completion for patients and quicker data extraction for researchers? Between 2014 and 2019, 50 patients with a documented history of shoulder dislocation with persistent symptomatic shoulder instability, whether anterior, posterior, or multidirectional; patients scheduled for surgery; and patients with traumatic or nontraumatic injuries were prospectively recruited from the outpatient clinic of two university hospitals acting as Level 1 trauma centers and sports traumatology tertiary referral centers. The median (IQR) age was 28 years (24 to 36), and 80% (40 of 50) were men. Most (52% [26 of 50]) patients had two to five lifetime shoulder dislocations. Validity of the NS-WOSI was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient during an in-person visit; the original WOSI questionnaire (or its previously validated French-language version), NS-WOSI, and Quick-DASH questionnaires were administered in a random order. After a minimum 7-day interval, 78% (39 of 50) of patients completed the phone interview, and 74% (37 of 50) of patients completed the email version of the NS-WOSI score to evaluate NS-WOSI's reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), which was interpreted as poor (< 0.5), moderate (0.50-0.75), strong (0.75-0.90), and very strong (> 0.90). The standard error of measurement (SEM) was used to evaluate variability around the true score, with a low value indicating a high reliability. The 95% minimal detectable change (MDC 95% ) was calculated to evaluate the minimal change in score that was not related to measurement errors. Lastly, the Cronbach alpha was used to assess internal consistency (intercorrelation strength), where a value > 0.70 was considered good. The time needed for the patient to complete the various versions and for researchers to extract data was recorded. The NS-WOSI score was very strongly correlated with the original WOSI score (r = 0.96 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93 to 0.98]; p < 0.001). Although telephone-acquired and email-acquired data for the NS-WOSI questionnaires were correlated with the NS-WOSI (telephone r = 0.91 [95% CI 0.83 to 0.95]; p < 0.001; email r = 0.84 [95% CI 0.71 to 0.91]; p < 0.001), the ICC was higher for telephone interviews (0.92 [95% CI 0.86 to 0.96] versus email 0.80 [95% CI 0.64 to 0.89]), indicating that although both had good reliability, the phone interview was more suitable. The phone interview was also preferable to email regarding SEM (3% [52 of 2100 points] versus 6% [132 of 2100 points]) and the MDC 95% (7% [144 of 2100 points] versus 17% [366 of 2100 points]). The 95% CI of the MDC acquired by email was superior to the reported minimum clinically important difference for the original WOSI (7% [152 of 2100 points]), meaning that an error of measurement could wrongly be interpreted as a clinically significant change in score. Internal consistency was deemed good, with a Cronbach alpha of 0.96 (95% CI 0.92 to 98) and 0.89 (95% CI 0.79 to 0.94) for NS-WOSI telephone and email, respectively. The time to complete the NS-WOSI was reduced compared with the original WOSI (221 ± 153 seconds versus 266 ± 146 seconds, mean difference -45 seconds [95% CI -72 to -12]; p = 0.009). Lastly, data extraction was faster (62 ± 15 seconds versus 209 ± 52 seconds, mean difference -147 seconds [95% CI -164 to -130]; p < 0.001) with the NS-WOSI than with the original WOSI. The NS-WOSI in person, by telephone, or by email is a valid, reliable, and timesaving alternative to the original WOSI questionnaire. However, the reliability of data acquisition by telephone interviews was superior to that of email. Given that there were no important differences in performance for the NS-WOSI, regardless of whether it was administered in person or by phone, we suggest that physicians use both interchangeably based on patient convenience. However, we do not recommend using the email version, especially for research purposes, since it was not as reliable when compared with in-person administration. The responsiveness of the modified NS-WOSI, as well as factors influencing response rates to phone interview, are questions that remain to be explored.

0091 The Practicality of Implementing Nightly Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) of OSA Patients in Clinical Practice

Abstract Introduction If Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is to become integrated into sleep medicine practices, patient compliance and reliability of data acquisition needs to be determined. We developed the REST Tracker platform to monitor OSA patients nightly, using an oximeter ring with data analyzed by a recognized method (1) to render a sAHI that has been FDA approved (FDA reference number K182618) providing an equivalent to the AHI. The REST Tracker tracks the sAHI along with multiple other parameters, providing the clinician nightly physiologic data to assist in OSA management decisions. Here we present patient compliance and system reliability data. Methods Data obtained from a ring pulse oximeter worn nightly is transmitted by Bluetooth to a cellular device at the bedside. Nightly data from bedtime to final morning awakening is transmitted to the cloud and retrieved by the REST Tracker system which tabulates and displays the data in a format that assists the clinician in OSA management decisions. Compliance and reliability performance criteria used to assess the REST Tracker system were as follows: Patient Retention Rate (patients were considered a Drop Out if there was no usage within 15 days prior study termination on Dec 15th), Data Acquisition Reliability = percentage of nights with &amp;gt; 3 hours of data on those nights the ring was used. Successful Monitoring Achieved if a patient had over 70% of nights containing &amp;gt; 3 hours of data. Data acquisition was initiated on 1/1/21 and ended 12/15/21 with a minimum of 6 weeks of monitoring. Results A total 38 patients (28 M / 10 F) Ave age 60 (SD +/-13) enrolled from 1/1/21 to 10/31/21, and acquisition ended 12/15/21. Monitoring ranged from 6 to 50 weeks. 10 patients dropped out, rendering a 74% Patient Retention Rate. Data was collected for a total 4072 nights from all patients, of which 3441 nights had &amp;gt; 3 hrs of data, rendering an overall Data Acquisition Reliability of 84.5%. There were 33 patients that achieved Successful Monitoring (87%) as defined above. Conclusion In our practice RPM has been well accepted with 74% Patient Retention Rate and 87% achieving Successful Monitoring. This study demonstrated the feasibility of this approach. We are currently implementing methods to achieve higher retention successful monitoring rates. The REST Tracker has been used in our practice for the management of OSA patients undergoing a variety of treatments approaches ranging from PAP, dental appliances and Inspire (HGNS). The REST Tracker has enhanced our ability to assess these patients on an ongoing basis, decreased the need for in lab sleep testing and expedited management decisions. Clinical cases are currently being accumulated and will be presented to demonstrate the utility of the REST Tracker RPM approach. Support (If Any) Reference: (1) Al Ashry HS, Hilmisson H, Ni Y, Thoms RJ, Investigators A. Automated Apnea-Hypopnea Index from Oximetry and Spectral Analysis of Cardiopulmonary Coupling. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2021;18(5):876-83.

Validation of automated detection of physical and mental stress during work in a Hühnermobil 225.

<b>Introduction.</b> The effects of the use of mobile henhouses and their equipment on the physical and mental stress of farmers in the organic egg production, and the reliability of the sensor-based detection of these in work processes are insufficiently known. There are neither measurement results nor key figures, according to operation and gender especially, available in the literature. <b>Objective.</b> The aim of this case study is to quantify the physical and mental stress of work processes on the basis of heart rate and the Baevsky Stress Index, as measured by the ECG- and activity sensor Movisens®, which is used mainly in the sports and rehabilitation sectors. To analyse the impact, daily routine work was divided into operations and the data collected for this purpose analysed descriptively and analytically. <b>Conclusions.</b> In summary, it can be concluded that measurement technology has the potential to capture the activity-related exceedances of the endurance limit of the work severity by means of the heart rate reliably, to identify risk areas of employment and to quantify stress situations. The accuracy and reliability of data acquisition with Movisens® should be validated by a larger sample size and further measurements. In particular, the algorithm for calculating the data to quantify the mental and physical stress without movement needs to be improved significantly through further development.

Parking lot management system based on embedded design

To improve poor stability problem of the traditional PC-based parking management system working in harsh environment, a parking lot management system based on embedded design was proposed in this paper. In this design, being combined with MVC patterns and QT/E techniques to achieve a friendly interactive interface for embedded devices; taking into account the multiple-in and multiple-out work mode of large parking lot, using the heartbeat signal to reinforce unstable link which is a common problem in network communication; making use of data collection based on multithreading technology, the real-time and reliability of data acquisition were effectively guaranteed. By a great number of tests and practicalities, it is certificated that this new parking management system is stable and the cost is decreased.

OP10.08: Evaluation of the reliability of data acquisition for 3D ultrasound and power Doppler angiography of the whole placenta at 12 and 20 weeks gestation

Objectives: 3D power Doppler angiography (3DPD) is used to quantify the vascularity of an organ. Analysis of a stored dataset can be reliable but few studies have considered the reliability of data acquisition. Our aim was to investigate the intraand interobserver reproducibility of serial acquisition of 3DPD data of the whole placenta from women at 12 and 20 weeks gestation. We hypothesised a high level of agreement would exist. Methods: 20 low risk women with an uncomplicated, viable singleton pregnancy were scanned (Voluson 730 Expert) at two gestational age groups: 12+0 to 13+6 and 19+0 to 21+6 weeks. 3DPD whole placental datasets were acquired by two observers: the 1st made two acquisitions and the 2nd a single acquisition resulting in 3 datasets per patient and 120 overall. These were analysed by a single observer who used VOCAL (A plane, 9 degree steps) to define the VI, FI and VFI. The reliability of these measurements was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC + 95% CI) and Bland-Altman plots. The presence of systematic bias within and between observers was also analysed. Results: Mean BMI was 24 (SD 5) in each group. Interobserver ICC was highest for the VI 0.81 (0.59–0.92) and VFI 0.76 (0.48–0.90). ICC for FI showed only moderate correlation at 0.55 (0.18–0.79). Bland Altman plots showed the FI to be the most reliable vascular index however at ±15% (expressed as a % of the mean) and ±17% at 12 weeks and ±9% and ±10% at 20 weeks for intraobserver and interobserver differences respectively. Intraand inter-observer differences were greater for VI at ±40% and ±70% respectively at 20 weeks. There was no bias between datasets. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that 3D can be used to reliably acquire power Doppler data from the whole placenta at 12 and 20 weeks gestation. Previous studies had only addressed the reliability of data analysis. Prospective studies are now required to identify if 3DPD is sensitive enough to identify patients with early-onset placental dysfunction.

Field performance in agricultural settings of a wireless temperature monitoring system based on a low-cost infrared sensor

Continuous measurement of plant canopy temperature is useful in both research and production agriculture settings. Industrial-quality infrared thermometers which are often used for measurement of canopy temperatures, while reliable, are not always cost effective. For this study a relatively low-cost, consumer-quality infrared thermometer was incorporated into a wireless monitoring system intended for use in plant physiological studies and in agricultural production settings. The field performance of this low-cost wireless system was compared to that of a typical research system based on an industrial-quality infrared thermometer. Performance was evaluated in terms of: reliability of data acquisition, quality of seasonal temperature measurements, seasonal stability of the consumer-quality infrared sensor, and the equivalence of temperatures measured by the consumer-quality and industrial-quality temperature sensors. Results indicate that for many common uses of plant temperature data, the two sensors provide functionally equivalent results. The cost savings and ease of use associated with the low-cost wireless temperature monitoring system present advantages over the higher-cost industrial-quality sensors which may make them a viable alternative in many agricultural settings.

Improvement of data receive ratio in remote water meter system by upgrading sensor

A remote Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system was developed for water supply organizations and implemented in the field. To improve data acquisition, a water AMR sensor was modified. A water meter sensor with lower noise was introduced and efficient wireless transmission was studied. Low reliability of data acquisition was the most difficult problem in the field. A success ratio of at least 98% is required for stable and economical operation of an AMR. The ratio of reliable data acquisition in a trial AMR with image acquisition using a digital camera was only 67.8%, but tests using the improved sensor showed a reliable acquisition ratio of up to 97.38%. The MR (Magnetic Resistive) Reed switch and CYBLE sensor modules were simply mounted on mechanical water meters to achieve remote metering. The terminal was connected by a cable to the meter. For short distance transmission to a collector, RF (Radio Frequency) and Zigbee modules were used. For long distance transmission to a server, a CDMA cellular network was employed.

The Digital Pen and Paper

To evaluate the efficiency and acceptance of digital pen and paper technology for real-time clinical data acquisition. A prospective interventional unblinded study involving consecutive patients in two clinical settings during a defined time-frame was proposed. The first trial was designed as a stress test to evaluate acceptance in a workload-intensive environment. Acceptance was assessed using observations and a satisfaction questionnaire. The second trial was intended to determine the reliability of data acquisition in a controlled environment. Reliability was assessed by comparing the performance of the digital pen against scanner analysis and a double human blinded acquisition. Overall, users were satisfied with the use of the digital pen (median 3 on a Likert-scale (-5, 5)). Without any specific user training, successful data acquisition was greater than 80%. Use of this technology required less adaptation than standard computer devices, and was easy to learn and use. Ergonomic problems shaded the perception of the technology by inducing an increased cognitive load. Digitalized data was missing either because of a bug or due to lack of data validation. The reliability obtained with the digital pen was significantly lower to that obtained with the scanner. Natural technology such as the digital pen proved to be a good tool in stressful clinical environments without interfering with the normal workload or increasing the time for data acquisition. However, in order to improve quality of data acquisition, designing acquisition forms specifically for the use of digital pens is of paramount importance.

Information reliability in marine waste disposal studies

Prediction of the performance of systems designed to discharge municipal and industrial wastes into the marine environment, and of the effects of these discharges on the environment, requires an understanding of the dynamic behavior of the system. Such an understanding can be achieved only by extensive measurement of a variety of parameters of both the marine system and of the waste materials to be discharged. Techniques for the measurement of waste characteristics are well developed. In this area, the primary problem is quantification of the variability of the waste characteristics. This problem is not so much one of instrumentation as of achieving statistical reliability, applicability, and interpretability. This is due, in part, to the variety of instruments and measurement techniques available in nearshore oceanographic work, and in part, due to the complexities of the dynamic processes in the marine environment. This paper examines and discusses a number of these and related problems. The subjects discussed will include: the types of data needed for marine outfall design, types and extent of data required for determination of environmental effects, suitability of various types of instrumentation, techniques for maximizing the reliability of data acquisition, needs for new types of instrumentation, and the interpretation of data. The paper also discusses the tradeoffs which must be made between the needs and desire for information and the costs of acquiring it.