Two performance parameters are particularly important for the assessment of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems, i.e., their damage detection capabilities and risk of false positive indications due to varying environmental and operational conditions (EOCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: HIV treatment prescription is a complex process. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are a category of health information technologies that can assist clinicians to choose optimal treatments based on clinical trials and expert knowledge. The usability of some CDSSs for HIV treatment would be significantly improved by using the knowledge obtained by treating other patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGuided waves are a potent tool in structural health monitoring, with promising machine learning algorithm applications due to the complexity of their signals. However, these algorithms usually require copious amounts of data to be trained. Collecting the correct amount and distribution of data is costly and time-consuming, and sometimes even borderline impossible due to the necessity of introducing damage to vital machinery to collect signals for various damaged scenarios.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of a machine's condition monitoring system is often a challenging task. This process requires the collection of a sufficiently large dataset on signals from machine operation, context information related to the operation conditions, and the diagnosis experience. The two referred problems are today relatively easy to solve.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe capabilities of ceramic PZT transducers, allowing for elastic wave excitation in a broad frequency spectrum, made them particularly suitable for the Structural Health Monitoring field. In this paper, the approach to detecting impact damage in composite structures based on harmonic excitation of PZT sensor in the so-called pitch-catch PZT network setup is studied. In particular, the repeatability of damage indication for similar configuration of two independent PZT networks is analyzed, and the possibility of damage indication for different localization of sensing paths between pairs of PZT sensors with respect to damage locations is investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCondition monitoring is an indispensable element related to the operation of rotating machinery. In this article, the monitoring system for the parallel gearbox was proposed. The novelty detection approach is used to develop the condition assessment support system, which requires data collection for a healthy structure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral computer-assisted polyp detection systems have been proposed, but they have various limitations, from utilizing outdated neural network architectures to a requirement for multi-graphics processing unit (GPU) processing, to validating on small or non-robust datasets. To address these problems, we developed a system based on a state-of-the-art convolutional neural network architecture able to detect polyps in real time on a single GPU and tested on both public datasets and full clinical examination recordings. The study comprised 165 colonoscopy procedure recordings and 2678 still photos gathered retrospectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOptimizing the workflow of a complex organization such as a hospital is a difficult task. An accurate option is to use a real-time locating system to track locations of both patients and staff. However, privacy regulations forbid hospital management to assess location data of their staff members.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol
June 2018
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) mRNA is increased with both exercise and exposure to cold temperature. However, transcriptional control has yet to be examined during exercise in the cold. Additionally, the need for environmental cold exposure after exercise may not be a practical recovery modality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To determine the impact of local muscle heating and cooling on myogenic and proteolytic gene responses following resistance exercise.
Methods: Recreationally trained males (n = 12), age 25.3 ± 1.
Fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 (FNDC5) is a skeletal muscle membrane-bound precursor to the myokine irisin. Irisin is involved in stimulating adipose tissue to become more metabolically active in order to produce heat. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of exercise in a hot (33 °C), cold (7 °C), and room temperature (RT, 20 °C) environment on the skeletal muscle gene expression of FNDC5 and the plasma concentrations of irisin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBrain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a biomarker of cognitive function that is released into the blood stream following exercise, and cognitive function is impaired by environmental temperatures that are hot and cold. To evaluate the exercise-dependent release of BDNF in different environmental temperatures. Recreationally trained males each completed three trials consisting of cycling for 1 h at 60% W at three different temperatures: 33°C (hot), 7°C (cold), and 20°C (moderate room temperature).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Excessive positive energy balance is a major factor leading to obesity. The ability to alter the appetite-regulating hormones leptin, adiponectin, and ghrelin may help decrease excessive energy intake. Exercise and exposure to extreme temperatures can independently affect these appetite-regulating hormones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Recovery that takes place in a cold environment after endurance exercise elevates PGC-1α mRNA whereas ERRα and NRF2 mRNA expression are inhibited. However, the effect of local skeletal muscle cooling on mitochondrial-related gene expression is unknown.
Purpose: To determine the impact of local skeletal muscle cooling during recovery from an acute bout of exercise on mitochondrial-related gene expression.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends adults participate in weekly aerobic activity for a minimum of 30 minutes moderate intensity exercise 5 days per week or 20 minutes of vigorous activity 3 days per week. The electrically assisted bicycle may help individuals achieve the ACSM's aerobic recommendations and introduce inactive individuals to physical activity. To compare the physiological requirements of riding a bicycle with electric pedal assist versus non-assist among healthy active young adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Physiol Nutr Metab
March 2017
Many human diseases lead to a loss of skeletal muscle metabolic function and mass. Local and environmental temperature can modulate the exercise-stimulated response of several genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and skeletal muscle function in a human model. However, the impact of environmental temperature, independent of exercise, has not been addressed in a human model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Question: What is the cost-effectiveness of elective single embryo transfer (eSET) versus double embryo transfer (DET) strategies from a societal perspective, when applying a time horizon of 1, 5 and 18 years?
Summary Answer: From a short-term perspective (1 year) it is cost-effective to replace DET with single embryo transfer; however when intermediate- (5 years) and long-term (18 years) costs and consequences are incorporated, DET becomes the most cost-effective strategy, given a ceiling ratio of €20 000 per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained.
What Is Already Known: According to previous cost-effectiveness research into embryo transfer strategies, DET is considered cost-effective if society is willing to pay around €20 000 for an extra live birth. However, interpretation of those studies is complicated, as those studies fail to incorporate long-term costs and outcomes and used live birth as a measure of effectiveness instead of QALYs.
The purpose of this study was to determine mitochondrial biogenesis-related mRNA expression, binding of transcription factors to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1-α (PGC-1α) promoter, and subcellular location of PGC-1α protein in human skeletal muscle following exercise in a hot environment compared with a room temperature environment. Recreationally trained males (n = 11) completed two trials in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environmental chamber. Each trial consisted of cycling in either a hot (H) or room temperature (C) environment (33 and 20°C, respectively) for 1 h at 60% of maximum wattage (Wmax) followed by 3 h of supine recovery at room temperature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Question: Do in vitro fertilization (IVF) multiples generate higher hospital costs than IVF singletons, from birth up to age 5?
Summary Answer: Hospital costs from birth up to age 5 were significantly higher among IVF/ICSI multiple children compared with IVF/ICSI singletons; however, when excluding the costs incurred during the birth admission period, hospital costs of multiples and singletons were comparable.
What Is Known Already: Concern has risen over the long-term outcome of children born after IVF. The increased incidence of multiple births in IVF as a result of double-embryo transfer predisposes children to a poorer neonatal outcome such as preterm birth and low birthweight.
J Sports Med Phys Fitness
March 2016
Background: The purpose of this study was to determine whether constant load (CL) cycling or variable load (VL) cycling stimulates different physiological and psychological responses.
Methods: Recreationally-trained male cyclists (N.=8, age 32±5 yr, weight 75.
Wilderness Environ Med
December 2014
Background: The ability to physically perform at high altitude may require unique strategies to acclimatize before exposure. The effect of acute hypoxic exposure on the metabolic response of the skeletal muscle may provide insight into the value of short-term preacclimatization strategies.
Objective: To determine the human skeletal muscle response to a single acute bout of exercise in a hypoxic environment on metabolic gene expression.
J Strength Cond Res
February 2015
Self-paced time trials have long been used as an indicator of running performance. The purpose of this study was to examine if potential physiological and thermoregulatory differences between treadmill and track running would alter performance in a self-paced 10-km time trial. Ten (n = 10) recreationally trained male distance runners (age: 32 ± 6 years, height: 177 ± 6 cm, body mass: 76 ± 11 kg, % body fat: 14.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Strength Cond Res
August 2014
The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological and psychological responses to laboratory vs. outdoor cycling. Twelve recreationally trained male cyclists participated in an initial descriptive testing session and 2 experimental trials consisting of 1 laboratory and 1 outdoor session, in a randomized order.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Obstet Gynecol Scand
March 2014
Objective: To compare perinatal singleton and multiple outcomes in a large Dutch in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) population and within risk subgroups. Newborns were assigned to a risk category based on gestational age, birthweight, Apgar score and congenital malformation.
Design: Register-based retrospective cohort study.
The purpose of this study was to determine how the timing of isoenergetic carbohydrate feedings during prolonged cycling affects performance in a subsequent 10-km cycling time trial. Recreationally trained male cyclists (n = 8; age, 34.5 ± 8.
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