Remote Locations Research Articles

EvolvRehab–MoveWell telerehabilitation for stroke survivors: study protocol for a feasibility with embedded initial proof-of-concept study

IntroductionStroke is a leading cause of disability throughout the world. Unilateral upper limb impairment is common in people who have had a stroke. As a result of impaired upper limb...

Machine learning prediction of the mass and the velocity of controlled single-block rockfalls from the seismic waves they generate

Abstract. Understanding the dynamics of slope instabilities is critical to mitigate the associated hazards, but their direct observation is often difficult due to their remote locations and their spontaneous nature. Seismology allows us to get unique information on these events, including on their dynamics. However, the link between the properties of these events (mass and kinematics) and the seismic signals generated is still poorly understood. We conducted a controlled rockfall experiment in the Riou Bourdoux torrent (southern French Alps) to try to better decipher those links. We deployed a dense seismic network and inferred the dynamics of the block from the reconstruction of the 3D trajectory from terrestrial and airborne high-resolution stereophotogrammetry. We propose a new approach based on machine learning to predict the mass and the velocity of each block. Our results show that we can predict those quantities with average errors of approximately 10 % for the velocity and 25 % for the mass. These accuracies are as good as or better than those obtained by other approaches, but our approach has the advantage in that it does not require the source to be localised, nor does it require a high-resolution velocity model or a strong assumption on the seismic wave attenuation model. Finally, the machine learning approach allows us to explore more widely the correlations between the features of the seismic signal generated by the rockfalls and their physical properties, and it might eventually lead to better constraints on the physical models in the future.

Telemedicine Is Reshaping the Healthcare Landscape

The rapid rise of telemedicine in healthcare has revolutionized the way patients and healthcare professionals interact, offering a convenient and accessible alternative to traditional healthcare visits. Telemedicine proved to be indispensable during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a safe way for individuals to seek medical guidance from the comfort of their homes while minimizing the risk of virus transmission. This article explores the significance of telemedicine in modern healthcare, highlighting its role in bridging geographical divides and offering consultations, diagnoses, and treatment monitoring to patients in remote locations. Telemedicine encompasses various services, including real-time telemedicine, store-and-forward telemedicine, and remote patient monitoring, providing patients with a range of options for accessing medical care. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, telemedicine will likely remain a cornerstone of transformative technologies, with future trends and innovations poised to redefine the landscape of telemedicine and ensure its role as a transformative force in healthcare.

Modified Perturb and Observe-based MPPT control of MHPCS for single-phase power distribution positioned in remote locations

Modified Perturb and Observe-based MPPT control of MHPCS for single-phase power distribution positioned in remote locations

LoRa-Powered IoT Messaging System for Internet-Free Communication

Abstract: This paper describes a novel message system that makes use of LoRa technology and the ESP32 IoT chip to deliver dependable communication in places with spotty internet access. The ESP32 module is integrated into the system architecture as an access point, and WebSocket protocol is used to enable messaging services. As a key center for communication, the ESP32- based access point facilitates flawless message exchanges between users. The key innovation lies in its incorporation of the LoRa RA-02 module, which enables RF-based communication among devices. The messaging system guarantees connectivity even in remote locations or areas with inadequate internet infrastructure by utilizing LoRa technology. This capability is especially helpful in situations when regular internet connectivity is unavailable or inconsistent, including in low-resource contexts, rural populations, or areas affected by disasters. Because of the messaging system's easy-to-use and accessible architecture, users can communicate without an internet connection. This lessens the need for internet connections and lowers related expenses, improving communication accessibility and affordability for marginalized communities.

Tropospheric sulfate from Cumbre Vieja (La Palma) observed over Cabo Verde contrasted with background conditions: a lidar case study of aerosol extinction, backscatter, depolarization and lidar ratio profiles at 355, 532 and 1064 nm

Abstract. In September 2021, volcanic aerosol (mainly freshly formed sulfate plumes) originating from the eruption of Cumbre Vieja on La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, crossed Cabo Verde at altitudes below 2 km. On 24 September 2021, an extraordinary large aerosol optical depth (AOD) close to 1 (daily mean at 500 nm) was observed at Mindelo, Cabo Verde. This event provided favorable conditions to obtain lidar-derived profiles of extinction and backscatter coefficients, lidar ratio, and depolarization ratio at 355, 532 and 1064 nm in the sulfate aerosol plume. A novel feature of the lidar system operated at Mindelo is the availability of extinction, lidar ratio and depolarization measurements at 1064 nm in addition to the standard wavelengths of 355 and 532 nm. Having measurements of these parameters at all three wavelengths is a major advantage for the aerosol characterization and in aerosol typing efforts as the lidar ratio and the particle linear depolarization ratio are key parameters for this purpose. In this article, we present the key results of the lidar observations obtained on one specific day, namely on 24 September 2021 at 04:38–05:57 UTC, including the first ever measurements of the particle extinction coefficient, the lidar ratio and the depolarization ratio at 1064 nm for volcanic sulfate, and discuss the findings in terms of aerosol optical properties and mass concentrations by comparison with a reference observation (16 September 2021) representing the typical background conditions before the start of the eruptions. We found an unusual high particle extinction coefficient of 721 ± 51, 549 ± 38 and 178 ± 13 Mm−1, as well as an enhanced lidar ratio of 66.9 ± 10.1, 60.2 ± 9.2 and 30.8 ± 8.7 sr at 355, 532 and 1064 nm, respectively, in the sulfate-dominated planetary boundary layer (PBL). The particle linear depolarization ratio was ≤ 0.9 % at all respective wavelengths. It is the first time that lidar-derived intensive aerosol optical properties could be derived for volcanic sulfate at all three wavelengths, and thus it is a highly valuable data set for global aerosol characterization. The lidar analysis also revealed a sulfate-related AOD of about 0.35 ± 0.03 at 532 nm of the total PBL-related AOD of 0.43. The rest of the AOD contribution was caused by a lofted Saharan dust layer extending from 1.4 to 5 km and leading to a total AOD of 0.79 at 532 nm. Volcanic ash contribution to the observed aerosol plumes could be mostly excluded based on trajectory analysis and the observed optical properties. Peak mass concentration was 178.5 ± 44.6 µg m−3 in the volcanic-influenced and sulfate-dominated polluted PBL, showing the hazardous potential of such sulfate plumes to significantly worsen local air quality even at remote locations.

AI Enabled Drone for Automatic Detection of Human Movements in Disaster Situation

The concept of an innovative drone system designed to revolutionize search and rescue operations in disaster scenarios. This system aims to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) for automatic human detection, alongside advanced technologies such as cameras, processors, and payload mechanisms. By integrating these components, the drone system will autonomously survey disaster areas, identifying individuals in need of assistance with precision and speed. Upon detection, the system will generate alarms to alert rescue teams promptly. Furthermore, the drone will be equipped with efficient payload dropping mechanisms, enabling it to deliver essential supplies to remote or inaccessible locations within the disaster zone. Through the seamless integration of AI and advanced technologies, this drone system represents a significant advancement in disaster response capabilities, with the potential to save lives and mitigate the impact of disasters on affected communities.

Ecological correlates of alternative reproductive tactics: conspecific brood parasitism rates vary with nest predation and seasonal effects influenced by climate change

Ecological and social factors shape individual reproductive strategies. Climate change has wide‐ranging effects on the timing of reproduction and availability of nesting sites for many birds. Ecological factors such as season length or predation rate could in turn affect the relative success rates of alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). A new article by Pöysä (2024) featuring a long‐term study of common goldeneyes Bucephala clangula highlights the role of climate change in altering rates of conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) by affecting nest initiation dates and season length. While some authors have emphasized the effects of spatial and temporal aggregation of nests in promoting tactics of reproductive interference, few studies have addressed the effects of environmental variables on rates of CBP and other ARTs. I review some of the evidence for a relationship between population‐level nest predation rate and rates of CBP, principally in ducks and rails, and suggest a role for high rates of nest loss from all sources in the evolution of CBP and host responses. There is a need for further studies that examine environmental correlates of ARTs. Long‐term studies have the highest potential to reveal how shifts in phenology and life history variables may respond to environmental perturbations. Comparative studies of similar species in remote geographic locations can add perspective of how different ecological variables affect the prevalence of ARTs.

Nutrition profiles of farm households across different farming systems in Ethiopia: Unpacking the determinants and implications for nutrition‐sensitive interventions

AbstractTackling nutrition insecurity remains a critical challenge in developing countries. In the predominantly rain‐fed and smallholder‐based farming systems of Ethiopia, production diversity and livelihood strategies of the farm households vary across geographic areas. However, the effects of household socioeconomic characteristics, production diversity, and household incomes on nutrition profiles in distinct settings have been inadequately understood. Therefore, this study was undertaken to examine the association of farming system type, sources of income, and household wealth status with household nutrition profiles in three remote locations such as Mennisa, Welmel Tiqa, and Agam Wuha that represent root crops‐based farming, maize‐based semi‐pastoral farming, and teff‐based cereal farming systems, respectively. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques was employed. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 265 smallholder households for the structured survey interviews. Standard statistical tests and Tobit regression analyses were performed after determining the wealth category of each household. Results revealed a diversity of income sources used by each of the farm households with average values of 9 in Mennisa, 10 in Agam Wuha, and 11 in Welmel Tiqa, with the contributions of each income source varying by household wealth category and location. As expected, expenditures on food significantly exceeded those on non‐food categories for poor households and vice versa for rich wealth households. The average total food variety score (FVS) for Welmel Tiqa was twice that for Agam Wuha, confirming the need for site‐specific nutrition profile assessments. Despite the observed differences in household nutrition profiles among wealth categories and locations, the apparent intakes of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium were consistently below the population‐level estimated average requirements across all locations. The number of adequately consumed nutrients by farm households was negatively associated with family size, age of household heads, livestock holdings, wealth categories, and irrigation use, and positively associated with crop production diversity, income diversity, and FVS. The negative association between irrigation use and nutrition security was likely due to the focus on producing crops with a high market value on land under irrigation, coupled with ineffective allocation of generated income for enhancing household nutritional outcomes. Therefore, programs that include irrigated agriculture investments should consider adopting a more integrated nutrition‐sensitive interventions, including consideration of locally adapted nutritious crops, such as orange‐flesh sweet potato, to address critical deficiency of Vitamin A, nutrition training coupled with development of recipes and cooking demonstrations, and marketing and promotion for nutritious crops.

Human decomposition in the unique context of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India): a comparative analysis with reference data

ABSTRACT The understanding of the victim’s decomposition process is crucial in forensic science for establishing accurate time since death, and the overall timelines of criminal investigations. Global research, which primarily relies on non-human animal proxies, highlights a scarcity of facilities using human bodies and a lack of baseline data for some regions and remote locations. In cases such as the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands (India), forensic practitioners turn to literature-derived patterns developed at the closest locations (mostly mainland India). This study examines 51 human decomposition cases investigated in A&N in comparison with the existing literature, emphasizing distinctions and similarities in their decomposition relative to the current Indian literature. This study advocates for further research and potentially calls for the establishment of the first anthropology research facility in the Indo-Pacific region, encouraging the development of tailored methodologies for more accurate estimations in diverse environments.

Enhancing Reliability in Rural Networks Using a Software-Defined Wide Area Network

Due to limited infrastructure and remote locations, rural areas often need help providing reliable and high-quality network connectivity. We propose an innovative approach that leverages Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) architecture to enhance reliability in such challenging rural scenarios. Our study focuses on cases in which network resources are limited to network solutions such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and a Low-Earth-Orbit satellite connection. The SD-WAN implementation compares three tunnel selection algorithms that leverage real-time network performance monitoring: Deterministic, Random, and Deep Q-learning. The results offer valuable insights into the practical implementation of SD-WAN for rural connectivity scenarios, showing its potential to bridge the digital divide in underserved areas.

IoT-Based Virtual Primary Clinic: Remote Patient Monitoring and Consultation System

Using Internet of Things technology, the Virtual Primary Clinic project is a cutting-edge healthcare endeavor that enables remote patient monitoring and consultation. The project collects essential health metrics including body temperature, oxygen saturation, heartbeat, and ECG signals by integrating a variety of sensors, including NodeMCU ESP32, SpO2, DHT11, and AD8232 ECG. The information collected by these sensors is sent via API to a specially created website and an online platform called ThingSpeak. With features including patient registration, appointment scheduling, access to medical histories, and doctor-patient contact, the website acts as a comprehensive interface between patients and physicians. Patients can register on the website, provide their medical information, and get medications sent to them remotely based on their conditions. However, without having to see patients in person, doctors can examine patient data, diagnose ailments, and write prescriptions or offer medical advice.The Virtual Primary Clinic project intends to improve healthcare accessible, especially in remote or underserved locations, by enabling remote monitoring and consultation. In addition to providing healthcare providers with an effective platform for remote patient care, it gives patients the ability to take charge of their health. This project is a major step toward using cutting-edge IoT-based technologies to improve patient outcomes and democratize healthcare.

Experiences and impacts of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure on remote Aboriginal families.

Aboriginal Australians face significant health disparities, with hospitalisation rates 2.3 times greater, and longer hospital length of stay, than non-Indigenous Australians. This additional burden impacts families further through out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure (OOPHE), which includes additional healthcare expenses not covered by universal taxpayer insurance. Aboriginal patients traveling from remote locations are likely to be impacted further by OOPHE. The objective of this study was to examine the impacts and burden of OOPHE for rurally based Aboriginal individuals. Participants were recruited through South Australian community networks to participate in this study. Decolonising methods of yarning and deep listening were used to centralise local narratives and language of OOPHE. Qualitative analysis software was used to thematically code transcripts and organise data. A total of seven yarning sessions were conducted with 10 participants. Seven themes were identified: travel, barriers to health care, personal and social loss, restricted autonomy, financial strain, support initiatives and protective factors. Sleeping rough, selling assets and not attending appointments were used to mitigate or avoid OOPHE. Government initiatives, such as the patient assistance transport scheme, did little to decrease OOPHE burden on participants. Family connections, Indigenous knowledges and engagement with cultural practices were protective against OOPHE burden. Aboriginal families are significantly burdened by OOPHE when needing to travel for health care. Radical change of government initiative and policies through to health professional awareness is needed to ensure equitable healthcare access that does not create additional financial hardship in communities already experiencing economic disadvantage.

Autonomous Vehicle for Fire detecting and Extinguishing

— Our project presents an innovative solution for fire detection and extinguishing through an autonomous rover system. Leveraging fire sensors integrated with a node MCU, the system swiftly identifies fire outbreaks and transmits alerts to the rover via the ThingSpeak cloud platform. Upon receipt of the alert, the rover activates a buzzer for immediate local notification and dispatches alerts through a dedicated mobile application, ensuring rapid response from relevant personnel. Employing a line follower mechanism, the rover autonomously navigates towards the fire-affected area. Equipped with a water spraying system, the rover efficiently extinguishes flames, minimizing water wastage and enhancing firefighting effectiveness. This approach significantly reduces response time, enhancing safety across diverse environments. The system's ability to optimize resource utilization and automate firefighting procedures makes it adaptable to various settings, including industrial facilities, urban areas, and remote locations. Overall, our autonomous rover system represents a substantial advancement in firefighting technology, offering swift and efficient fire detection and extinguishing capabilities to mitigate fire hazards effectively. Keywords— NodeMCU, Rover, Flame Sensors, Servomotor, L293d motor drivers, Li-ion batteries

Antivenom surveillance: An audit of antivenom stock within South Australia.

Antivenoms are important emergency medications to be held within Australia, particularly in regional and remote locations. We audited current antivenom holdings in hospitals and health services across South Australia (SA) and compared to recommendations in the 'Snakebite and Spiderbite Management Guidelines' from the State's Toxinology service. The process also assessed the feasibility of 'real-time' remote stock monitoring. Fifty-three sites listed in the guideline were recommended to hold antivenom, though only 49 are currently operational. Interrogation of antivenom stock for 29 sites was possible using electronic reports generated from the State Pharmacy database. The 20 remaining centres had their stock levels confirmed by calling the centres directly. Data obtained were then compared to recommended levels of antivenom holdings in the guideline with discrepancies and associated costs documented. A separate report verification process was used to determine 'real-time' accuracy of the electronic reports. Thirty-seven sites (75%) held more than the recommended number of antivenom vials, totalling 129 vials in excess with an approximate total cost of $110 000. Twelve sites (24%) held inadequate stock to deliver a treatment dose for 19 envenoming events. The report verification revealed variances in the electronic reports. This audit has demonstrated a significant disparity between recommended and actual antivenom holdings across most sites in SA and has also revealed that 'real-time' remote monitoring of state antivenom holdings is not currently feasible. Correction of stock levels to that recommended may result in financial benefit for State Health while also addressing inequity in regional and remote healthcare provision.

Investigation of Thermal Similarity and Performances of Solar Thermal Air Collector with Heat-Soaked Vehicle Cabin

This article explores the potential of vehicle interiors, which can reach temperatures of up to 120°C due to solar exposure, as efficient solar collectors. Comparative studies have been conducted on the thermal behavior of heat-soaked vehicle cabins and dedicated solar collectors, highlighting their potential benefits in heating, cooling and ventilation. Thermal soak tests reveal a remarkable similarity in thermal performance between the two, with minor temperature variations of up to 5.3°C between the equivalent components. These temperature deviations are mainly due to differences in absorptivity characteristics, in which the black absorber plate exhibits superior absorption capabilities compared to the grey interior cabin surfaces. Integration of ambient air through the inlets on the cabin floor helps with initial cooling of the hot soaked cabin. The collector benefits from a preheated air mixture (comprising heat-soaked cabin air and ambient air), which improves its operating temperatures. This characteristic is attributed to the synergistic integration of the two systems. By decoupling these systems and aligning the properties of the absorber plate, the cabin and the collector could become thermally identical. The potential of the heated vehicle cabin as a power generation source is underscored, which presents opportunities to supplement the energy demand in remote locations. This study illuminates the untapped potential of vehicular solar heat capture, highlighting its feasibility, diverse applications, and significant implications for sustainable energy strategies and community development.

Potential climate-induced impacts on trade: the case of agricultural commodities and maritime chokepoints

This study assesses the potential macro-economic effects of climate change affecting operations in three maritime chokepoints, i.e., the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, and the Turkish Straits. The analysis focuses on agricultural commodities. It couples a “logistics” model of maritime trade flows with a Computable General Equilibrium model considering three modelling alternatives: (1) increase of “iceberg trade costs”, (2) shadow import tariffs, and (3) shadow export tariffs. Methodologically, we found a comforting qualitative agreement across methodologies in predicting the direction of changes in the main economic variables under scrutiny. However, negative GDP performances are more frequent and larger using the first method that also tends to predict lower import contractions than the other two methods. The impact assessment, examining storylines of climate-change-induced events delaying chokepoints operations, highlights that climate change impacts on chokepoints’ operations can convey detectable effects on production and prices of agricultural commodities associated with negative GDP impacts worldwide. In addition, although trade re-composition generates winners and losers, total losses tend to prevail. The combined GDP losses of the three chokepoints can reach $34 billion (2014 prices) in 2030. It shows that weather events in remote locations, such as the Panama Canal, can have cascading effects on the EU, with potential losses of USD 2 billion $ in GDP. North Africa, Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa are particularly vulnerable. They suffer from a drop in imports of agricultural commodities and GDP losses in all the three cases. This impact assessment emphasizes another mechanism at play that could increase the asymmetry and the adverse distributional impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Effect of Ni Doping on the Thermoelectric Properties of YbCo2Zn20.

Thermoelectric devices are both solid-state heat pumps and energy generators. Having a reversible process without moving parts is of high importance for applications in remote locations or under extreme conditions. Yet, most thermoelectric devices have a rather limited energy conversion efficiency due to the natural competition between high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity, both being essential conditions for achieving a high energy conversion efficiency. Heavy-fermion compounds YbT2Zn20 (T = Co, Rh, Ir) have been reported to be potential candidate materials for thermoelectric applications at low temperatures. Motivated by this result, we applied chemical substitution studies on the transition metal site in order to optimize the charge carrier concentration as well as promote more efficient phonon scatterings. Here, we present the latest investigation on the Ni-doped specimens YbCo2-xNixZn20, where enhanced thermoelectric figure of merit values have been obtained.

Learning disability nursing in a remote and rural location: benefits and challenges

Learning disability nursing in a remote and rural location: benefits and challenges

Easy Development of Industry 4.0 Remote Labs

Acquiring hands-on skills is nowadays key for engineers in the context of Industry 4.0. However, it is not always possible to achieve this in person. Therefore, it is essential to be able to conduct skill acquisition from a remote location. To support the development of remote labs for experimentation, this work proposes the development of an open Industry 4.0 remote platform that can be easily configured and scaled to develop new remote labs for IoT (Internet of Things), cybersecurity, perception systems, robotics, AI (artificial intelligence), etc. Over time, these capabilities will enable the development of sustainable Industry 4.0 remote labs. These labs will coexist on the same Industry 4.0 platform, as our proposed Industry 4.0 remote platform is capable of connecting multiple heterogeneous types of devices for remote programming. In this way, it is possible to easily design open remote labs for the digital transition to Industry 4.0 in a standardized way, which is the main research goal of our In4Labs project. Several users already conducted a series of IoT experiments on our remote Industry 4.0 platform, providing useful recommendations to be included in future versions of the platform.