Can we make a carpet smart enough to detect falls?

PubMed

Muheidat, Fadi; Tyrer, Harry W

2016-08-01

In this paper, we have enhanced smart carpet, which is a floor based personnel detector system, to detect falls using a faster but low cost processor. Our hardware front end reads 128 sensors, with sensors output a voltage due to a person walking or falling on the carpet. The processor is Jetson TK1, which provides more computing power than before. We generated a dataset with volunteers who walked and fell to test our algorithms. Data obtained allowed examining data frames (a frame is a single scan of the carpet sensors) read from the data acquisition system. We used different algorithms and techniques, and varied the windows size of number of frames (WS ≥ 1) and threshold (TH) to build our data set, which later used machine learning to help decide a fall or no fall. We then used the dataset obtained from applying a set of fall detection algorithms and the video recorded for the fall pattern experiments to train a set of classifiers using multiple test options using the Weka framework. We measured the sensitivity and specificity of the system and other metrics for intelligent detection of falls. Results showed that Computational Intelligence techniques detect falls with 96.2% accuracy and 81% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity. In addition to fall detection, we developed a database system and web applications to retain these data for years. We can display this data in realtime and for all activities in the carpet for extensive data analysis any time in the future.

Fall prevention walker during rehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tee, Kian Sek; E, Chun Zhi; Saim, Hashim; Zakaria, Wan Nurshazwani Wan; Khialdin, Safinaz Binti Mohd; Isa, Hazlita; Awad, M. I.; Soon, Chin Fhong

2017-09-01

This paper proposes on the design of a walker for the prevention of falling among elderlies or patients during rehabilitation whenever they use a walker to assist them. Fall happens due to impaired balance or gait problem. The assistive device is designed by applying stability concept and an accelerometric fall detection system is included. The accelerometric fall detection system acts as an alerting device that acquires body accelerometric data and detect fall. Recorded accelerometric data could be useful for further assessment. Structural strength of the walker was verified via iterations of simulation using finite element analysis, before being fabricated. Experiments were conducted to identify the fall patterns using accelerometric data. The design process and detection of fall pattern demonstrates the design of a walker that could support the user without fail and alerts the helper, thus salvaging the users from injuries due to fall and unattended situation.

In-home fall risk assessment and detection sensor system.

PubMed

Rantz, Marilyn J; Skubic, Marjorie; Abbott, Carmen; Galambos, Colleen; Pak, Youngju; Ho, Dominic K C; Stone, Erik E; Rui, Liyang; Back, Jessica; Miller, Steven J

2013-07-01

Falls are a major problem in older adults. A continuous, unobtrusive, environmentally mounted (i.e., embedded into the environment and not worn by the individual), in-home monitoring system that automatically detects when falls have occurred or when the risk of falling is increasing could alert health care providers and family members to intervene to improve physical function or manage illnesses that may precipitate falls. Researchers at the University of Missouri Center for Eldercare and Rehabilitation Technology are testing such sensor systems for fall risk assessment (FRA) and detection in older adults' apartments in a senior living community. Initial results comparing ground truth (validated measures) of FRA data and GAITRite System parameters with data captured from Microsoft(®) Kinect and pulse-Doppler radar are reported. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Fall detection in homes of older adults using the Microsoft Kinect.

PubMed

Stone, Erik E; Skubic, Marjorie

2015-01-01

A method for detecting falls in the homes of older adults using the Microsoft Kinect and a two-stage fall detection system is presented. The first stage of the detection system characterizes a person's vertical state in individual depth image frames, and then segments on ground events from the vertical state time series obtained by tracking the person over time. The second stage uses an ensemble of decision trees to compute a confidence that a fall preceded on a ground event. Evaluation was conducted in the actual homes of older adults, using a combined nine years of continuous data collected in 13 apartments. The dataset includes 454 falls, 445 falls performed by trained stunt actors and nine naturally occurring resident falls. The extensive data collection allows for characterization of system performance under real-world conditions to a degree that has not been shown in other studies. Cross validation results are included for standing, sitting, and lying down positions, near (within 4 m) versus far fall locations, and occluded versus not occluded fallers. The method is compared against five state-of-the-art fall detection algorithms and significantly better results are achieved.

Falling-incident detection and throughput enhancement in a multi-camera video-surveillance system.

PubMed

Shieh, Wann-Yun; Huang, Ju-Chin

2012-09-01

For most elderly, unpredictable falling incidents may occur at the corner of stairs or a long corridor due to body frailty. If we delay to rescue a falling elder who is likely fainting, more serious consequent injury may occur. Traditional secure or video surveillance systems need caregivers to monitor a centralized screen continuously, or need an elder to wear sensors to detect falling incidents, which explicitly waste much human power or cause inconvenience for elders. In this paper, we propose an automatic falling-detection algorithm and implement this algorithm in a multi-camera video surveillance system. The algorithm uses each camera to fetch the images from the regions required to be monitored. It then uses a falling-pattern recognition algorithm to determine if a falling incident has occurred. If yes, system will send short messages to someone needs to be noticed. The algorithm has been implemented in a DSP-based hardware acceleration board for functionality proof. Simulation results show that the accuracy of falling detection can achieve at least 90% and the throughput of a four-camera surveillance system can be improved by about 2.1 times. Copyright © 2011 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Android Device-Based Solutions for Fall Detection

PubMed Central

Casilari, Eduardo; Luque, Rafael; Morón, María-José

2015-01-01

Falls are a major cause of health and psychological problems as well as hospitalization costs among older adults. Thus, the investigation on automatic Fall Detection Systems (FDSs) has received special attention from the research community during the last decade. In this area, the widespread popularity, decreasing price, computing capabilities, built-in sensors and multiplicity of wireless interfaces of Android-based devices (especially smartphones) have fostered the adoption of this technology to deploy wearable and inexpensive architectures for fall detection. This paper presents a critical and thorough analysis of those existing fall detection systems that are based on Android devices. The review systematically classifies and compares the proposals of the literature taking into account different criteria such as the system architecture, the employed sensors, the detection algorithm or the response in case of a fall alarms. The study emphasizes the analysis of the evaluation methods that are employed to assess the effectiveness of the detection process. The review reveals the complete lack of a reference framework to validate and compare the proposals. In addition, the study also shows that most research works do not evaluate the actual applicability of the Android devices (with limited battery and computing resources) to fall detection solutions. PMID:26213928

Analysis of Android Device-Based Solutions for Fall Detection.

PubMed

Casilari, Eduardo; Luque, Rafael; Morón, María-José

2015-07-23

Falls are a major cause of health and psychological problems as well as hospitalization costs among older adults. Thus, the investigation on automatic Fall Detection Systems (FDSs) has received special attention from the research community during the last decade. In this area, the widespread popularity, decreasing price, computing capabilities, built-in sensors and multiplicity of wireless interfaces of Android-based devices (especially smartphones) have fostered the adoption of this technology to deploy wearable and inexpensive architectures for fall detection. This paper presents a critical and thorough analysis of those existing fall detection systems that are based on Android devices. The review systematically classifies and compares the proposals of the literature taking into account different criteria such as the system architecture, the employed sensors, the detection algorithm or the response in case of a fall alarms. The study emphasizes the analysis of the evaluation methods that are employed to assess the effectiveness of the detection process. The review reveals the complete lack of a reference framework to validate and compare the proposals. In addition, the study also shows that most research works do not evaluate the actual applicability of the Android devices (with limited battery and computing resources) to fall detection solutions.

Bridging the gap between real-life data and simulated data by providing a highly realistic fall dataset for evaluating camera-based fall detection algorithms.

PubMed

Baldewijns, Greet; Debard, Glen; Mertes, Gert; Vanrumste, Bart; Croonenborghs, Tom

2016-03-01

Fall incidents are an important health hazard for older adults. Automatic fall detection systems can reduce the consequences of a fall incident by assuring that timely aid is given. The development of these systems is therefore getting a lot of research attention. Real-life data which can help evaluate the results of this research is however sparse. Moreover, research groups that have this type of data are not at liberty to share it. Most research groups thus use simulated datasets. These simulation datasets, however, often do not incorporate the challenges the fall detection system will face when implemented in real-life. In this Letter, a more realistic simulation dataset is presented to fill this gap between real-life data and currently available datasets. It was recorded while re-enacting real-life falls recorded during previous studies. It incorporates the challenges faced by fall detection algorithms in real life. A fall detection algorithm from Debard et al. was evaluated on this dataset. This evaluation showed that the dataset possesses extra challenges compared with other publicly available datasets. In this Letter, the dataset is discussed as well as the results of this preliminary evaluation of the fall detection algorithm. The dataset can be downloaded from www.kuleuven.be/advise/datasets.

Fall Prediction and Prevention Systems: Recent Trends, Challenges, and Future Research Directions

PubMed Central

Rajagopalan, Ramesh; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2017-01-01

Fall prediction is a multifaceted problem that involves complex interactions between physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors. Existing fall detection and prediction systems mainly focus on physiological factors such as gait, vision, and cognition, and do not address the multifactorial nature of falls. In addition, these systems lack efficient user interfaces and feedback for preventing future falls. Recent advances in internet of things (IoT) and mobile technologies offer ample opportunities for integrating contextual information about patient behavior and environment along with physiological health data for predicting falls. This article reviews the state-of-the-art in fall detection and prediction systems. It also describes the challenges, limitations, and future directions in the design and implementation of effective fall prediction and prevention systems. PMID:29104256

Fall detection of elderly through floor vibrations and sound.

PubMed

Litvak, Dima; Zigel, Yaniv; Gannot, Israel

2008-01-01

Falls are very prevalent among the elderly especially in their home. The statistics show that approximately one in every three adults 65 years old or older falls each year. Almost 30% of those falls result in serious injuries. Studies have shown that the medical outcome of a fall is largely dependent upon the response and rescue time. Therefore, reliable and immediate fall detection system is important so that adequate medical support could be delivered. We have developed a unique and inexpensive solution that does not require subjects to wear anything. The solution is based on floor vibration and acoustic sensing, and uses a pattern recognition algorithm to discriminate between human or inanimate object fall events. Using the proposed system we can detect human falls with a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 95%.

Towards a social and context-aware multi-sensor fall detection and risk assessment platform.

PubMed

De Backere, F; Ongenae, F; Van den Abeele, F; Nelis, J; Bonte, P; Clement, E; Philpott, M; Hoebeke, J; Verstichel, S; Ackaert, A; De Turck, F

2015-09-01

For elderly people fall incidents are life-changing events that lead to degradation or even loss of autonomy. Current fall detection systems are not integrated and often associated with undetected falls and/or false alarms. In this paper, a social- and context-aware multi-sensor platform is presented, which integrates information gathered by a plethora of fall detection systems and sensors at the home of the elderly, by using a cloud-based solution, making use of an ontology. Within the ontology, both static and dynamic information is captured to model the situation of a specific patient and his/her (in)formal caregivers. This integrated contextual information allows to automatically and continuously assess the fall risk of the elderly, to more accurately detect falls and identify false alarms and to automatically notify the appropriate caregiver, e.g., based on location or their current task. The main advantage of the proposed platform is that multiple fall detection systems and sensors can be integrated, as they can be easily plugged in, this can be done based on the specific needs of the patient. The combination of several systems and sensors leads to a more reliable system, with better accuracy. The proof of concept was tested with the use of the visualizer, which enables a better way to analyze the data flow within the back-end and with the use of the portable testbed, which is equipped with several different sensors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The inescapable smart impact detection system (ISIS): An ubiquitous and personalized fall detector based on a distributed 'divide and conquer strategy'.

PubMed

Prado-Velasco, Manuel; del Rio-Cidoncha, Maria Gloria; Ortiz-Marin, Rafael

2008-01-01

Despite the intense research in the last decade with the aim of developing a reliable solution for fall detection in the elderly and other risk populations, it can be asserted that the diffusion of fall detectors in the geriatric practice is near null. This scenario is similar to the very scarce use of telemedicine in healthcare. The present work begins analyzing why fall detectors have not achieved to permeate the industry. That road is used to know the drawbacks of current devices and systems, besides to allow studying several important concepts underlying the principles of fall detection. A novel smart detection system based on that survey is finally briefly presented. The design of this device is founded on the experience and results obtained by an earlier device that was designed in the framework of the thesis of one of the authors.

A Novel Detection Model and Its Optimal Features to Classify Falls from Low- and High-Acceleration Activities of Daily Life Using an Insole Sensor System

PubMed Central

Cates, Benjamin; Sim, Taeyong; Heo, Hyun Mu; Kim, Bori; Kim, Hyunggun; Mun, Joung Hwan

2018-01-01

In order to overcome the current limitations in current threshold-based and machine learning-based fall detectors, an insole system and novel fall classification model were created. Because high-acceleration activities have a high risk for falls, and because of the potential damage that is associated with falls during high-acceleration activities, four low-acceleration activities, four high-acceleration activities, and eight types of high-acceleration falls were performed by twenty young male subjects. Encompassing a total of 800 falls and 320 min of activities of daily life (ADLs), the created Support Vector Machine model’s Leave-One-Out cross-validation provides a fall detection sensitivity (0.996), specificity (1.000), and accuracy (0.999). These classification results are similar or superior to other fall detection models in the literature, while also including high-acceleration ADLs to challenge the classification model, and simultaneously reducing the burden that is associated with wearable sensors and increasing user comfort by inserting the insole system into the shoe. PMID:29673165

A novel wearable smart button system for fall detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Wei; Sun, Xiang; Zhi, Yueyan; Han, Yue; Mao, Hande

2017-05-01

Fall has been the second most cause of accidental injury to death in the world. It has been a serious threat to the physical and mental health of the elders. Therefore, developing wearable node system with fall detecting ability has become increasingly pressing at present. A novel smart button for long-term fall detection is proposed in this paper, which is able to accurately monitor the falling behavior, and sending warning message online as well. The smart button is based on the tri-axis acceleration sensor which is used to collect the body motion signals. By using the statistical metrics of acceleration characteristics, a new SVM classification algorithm with high positive accuracy and stability is proposed so as to classify the falls and activities of daily living, and the results can be real-time displayed on Android based mobile phone. The experiments show that our wearable node system can continuously monitor the falling behavior with positive rate 94.8%.

Optimization and evaluation of the human fall detection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alzoubi, Hadeel; Ramzan, Naeem; Shahriar, Hasan; Alzubi, Raid; Gibson, Ryan; Amira, Abbes

2016-10-01

Falls are the most critical health problem for elderly people, which are often, cause significant injuries. To tackle a serious risk that made by the fall, we develop an automatic wearable fall detection system utilizing two devices (mobile phone and wireless sensor) based on three axes accelerometer signals. The goal of this study is to find an effective machine learning method that distinguish falls from activities of daily living (ADL) using only a single triaxial accelerometer. In addition, comparing the performance results for wearable sensor and mobile device data .The proposed model detects the fall by using seven different classifiers and the significant performance is demonstrated using accuracy, recall, precision and F-measure. Our model obtained accuracy over 99% on wearable device data and over 97% on mobile phone data.

Automated In-Home Fall Risk Assessment and Detection Sensor System for Elders.

PubMed

Rantz, Marilyn; Skubic, Marjorie; Abbott, Carmen; Galambos, Colleen; Popescu, Mihail; Keller, James; Stone, Erik; Back, Jessie; Miller, Steven J; Petroski, Gregory F

2015-06-01

Falls are a major problem for the elderly people leading to injury, disability, and even death. An unobtrusive, in-home sensor system that continuously monitors older adults for fall risk and detects falls could revolutionize fall prevention and care. A fall risk and detection system was developed and installed in the apartments of 19 older adults at a senior living facility. The system includes pulse-Doppler radar, a Microsoft Kinect, and 2 web cameras. To collect data for comparison with sensor data and for algorithm development, stunt actors performed falls in participants' apartments each month for 2 years and participants completed fall risk assessments (FRAs) using clinically valid, standardized instruments. The FRAs were scored by clinicians and recorded by the sensing modalities. Participants' gait parameters were measured as they walked on a GAITRite mat. These data were used as ground truth, objective data to use in algorithm development and to compare with radar and Kinect generated variables. All FRAs are highly correlated (p < .01) with the Kinect gait velocity and Kinect stride length. Radar velocity is correlated (p < .05) to all the FRAs and highly correlated (p < .01) to most. Real-time alerts of actual falls are being sent to clinicians providing faster responses to urgent situations. The in-home FRA and detection system has the potential to help older adults remain independent, maintain functional ability, and live at home longer. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A comparison of accuracy of fall detection algorithms (threshold-based vs. machine learning) using waist-mounted tri-axial accelerometer signals from a comprehensive set of falls and non-fall trials.

PubMed

Aziz, Omar; Musngi, Magnus; Park, Edward J; Mori, Greg; Robinovitch, Stephen N

2017-01-01

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality among older adults. Over 90 % of hip and wrist fractures and 60 % of traumatic brain injuries in older adults are due to falls. Another serious consequence of falls among older adults is the 'long lie' experienced by individuals who are unable to get up and remain on the ground for an extended period of time after a fall. Considerable research has been conducted over the past decade on the design of wearable sensor systems that can automatically detect falls and send an alert to care providers to reduce the frequency and severity of long lies. While most systems described to date incorporate threshold-based algorithms, machine learning algorithms may offer increased accuracy in detecting falls. In the current study, we compared the accuracy of these two approaches in detecting falls by conducting a comprehensive set of falling experiments with 10 young participants. Participants wore waist-mounted tri-axial accelerometers and simulated the most common causes of falls observed in older adults, along with near-falls and activities of daily living. The overall performance of five machine learning algorithms was greater than the performance of five threshold-based algorithms described in the literature, with support vector machines providing the highest combination of sensitivity and specificity.

iFall: an Android application for fall monitoring and response.

PubMed

Sposaro, Frank; Tyson, Gary

2009-01-01

Injuries due to falls are among the leading causes of hospitalization in elderly persons, often resulting in a rapid decline in quality of life or death. Rapid response can improve the patients outcome, but this is often lacking when the injured person lives alone and the nature of the injury complicates calling for help. This paper presents an alert system for fall detection using common commercially available electronic devices to both detect the fall and alert authorities. We use an Android-based smart phone with an integrated tri-axial accelerometer. Data from the accelerometer is evaluated with several threshold based algorithms and position data to determine a fall. The threshold is adaptive based on user provided parameters such as: height, weight, and level of activity. The algorithm adapts to unique movements that a phone experiences as opposed to similar systems which require users to mount accelerometers to their chest or trunk. If a fall is suspected a notification is raised requiring the user's response. If the user does not respond, the system alerts pre-specified social contacts with an informational message via SMS. If a contact responds the system commits an audible notification, automatically connects, and enables the speakerphone. If a social contact confirms a fall, an appropriate emergency service is alerted. Our system provides a realizable, cost effective solution to fall detection using a simple graphical interface while not overwhelming the user with uncomfortable sensors.

Automatic fall detection using wearable biomedical signal measurement terminal.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thuy-Trang; Cho, Myeong-Chan; Lee, Tae-Soo

2009-01-01

In our study, we developed a mobile waist-mounted device which can monitor the subject's acceleration signal and detect the fall events in real-time with high accuracy and automatically send an emergency message to a remote server via CDMA module. When fall event happens, the system also generates an alarm sound at 50Hz to alarm other people until a subject can sit up or stand up. A Kionix KXM52-1050 tri-axial accelerometer and a Bellwave BSM856 CDMA standalone modem were used to detect and manage fall events. We used not only a simple threshold algorithm but also some supporting methods to increase an accuracy of our system (nearly 100% in laboratory environment). Timely fall detection can prevent regrettable death due to long-lie effect; therefore increase the independence of elderly people in an unsupervised living environment.

Visual Sensor Based Abnormal Event Detection with Moving Shadow Removal in Home Healthcare Applications

PubMed Central

Lee, Young-Sook; Chung, Wan-Young

2012-01-01

Vision-based abnormal event detection for home healthcare systems can be greatly improved using visual sensor-based techniques able to detect, track and recognize objects in the scene. However, in moving object detection and tracking processes, moving cast shadows can be misclassified as part of objects or moving objects. Shadow removal is an essential step for developing video surveillance systems. The goal of the primary is to design novel computer vision techniques that can extract objects more accurately and discriminate between abnormal and normal activities. To improve the accuracy of object detection and tracking, our proposed shadow removal algorithm is employed. Abnormal event detection based on visual sensor by using shape features variation and 3-D trajectory is presented to overcome the low fall detection rate. The experimental results showed that the success rate of detecting abnormal events was 97% with a false positive rate of 2%. Our proposed algorithm can allow distinguishing diverse fall activities such as forward falls, backward falls, and falling asides from normal activities. PMID:22368486

A cyber-physical system for senior collapse detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grewe, Lynne; Magaña-Zook, Steven

2014-06-01

Senior Collapse Detection (SCD) is a system that uses cyber-physical techniques to create a "smart home" system to predict and detect the falling of senior/geriatric participants in home environments. This software application addresses the needs of millions of senior citizens who live at home by themselves and can find themselves in situations where they have fallen and need assistance. We discuss how SCD uses imagery, depth and audio to fuse and interact in a system that does not require the senior to wear any devices allowing them to be more autonomous. The Microsoft Kinect Sensor is used to collect imagery, depth and audio. We will begin by discussing the physical attributes of the "collapse detection problem". Next, we will discuss the task of feature extraction resulting in skeleton and joint tracking. Improvements in error detection of joint tracking will be highlighted. Next, we discuss the main module of "fall detection" using our mid-level skeleton features. Attributes including acceleration, position and room environment factor into the SCD fall detection decision. Finally, how a detected fall and the resultant emergency response are handled will be presented. Results in a home environment will be given.

Smartphone-Based Solutions for Fall Detection and Prevention: Challenges and Open Issues

PubMed Central

Habib, Mohammad Ashfak; Mohktar, Mas S.; Kamaruzzaman, Shahrul Bahyah; Lim, Kheng Seang; Pin, Tan Maw; Ibrahim, Fatimah

2014-01-01

This paper presents a state-of-the-art survey of smartphone (SP)-based solutions for fall detection and prevention. Falls are considered as major health hazards for both the elderly and people with neurodegenerative diseases. To mitigate the adverse consequences of falling, a great deal of research has been conducted, mainly focused on two different approaches, namely, fall detection and fall prevention. Required hardware for both fall detection and prevention are also available in SPs. Consequently, researchers' interest in finding SP-based solutions has increased dramatically over recent years. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no published review on SP-based fall detection and prevention. Thus in this paper, we present the taxonomy for SP-based fall detection and prevention solutions and systematic comparisons of existing studies. We have also identified three challenges and three open issues for future research, after reviewing the existing articles. Our time series analysis demonstrates a trend towards the integration of external sensing units with SPs for improvement in usability of the systems. PMID:24759116

Using Temporal Covariance of Motion and Geometric Features via Boosting for Human Fall Detection.

PubMed

Ali, Syed Farooq; Khan, Reamsha; Mahmood, Arif; Hassan, Malik Tahir; Jeon, And Moongu

2018-06-12

Fall induced damages are serious incidences for aged as well as young persons. A real-time automatic and accurate fall detection system can play a vital role in timely medication care which will ultimately help to decrease the damages and complications. In this paper, we propose a fast and more accurate real-time system which can detect people falling in videos captured by surveillance cameras. Novel temporal and spatial variance-based features are proposed which comprise the discriminatory motion, geometric orientation and location of the person. These features are used along with ensemble learning strategy of boosting with J48 and Adaboost classifiers. Experiments have been conducted on publicly available standard datasets including Multiple Cameras Fall ( with 2 classes and 3 classes ) and UR Fall Detection achieving percentage accuracies of 99.2, 99.25 and 99.0, respectively. Comparisons with nine state-of-the-art methods demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach on both datasets.

Survey on fall detection and fall prevention using wearable and external sensors.

PubMed

Delahoz, Yueng Santiago; Labrador, Miguel Angel

2014-10-22

According to nihseniorhealth.gov (a website for older adults), falling represents a great threat as people get older, and providing mechanisms to detect and prevent falls is critical to improve people's lives. Over 1.6 million U.S. adults are treated for fall-related injuries in emergency rooms every year suffering fractures, loss of independence, and even death. It is clear then, that this problem must be addressed in a prompt manner, and the use of pervasive computing plays a key role to achieve this. Fall detection (FD) and fall prevention (FP) are research areas that have been active for over a decade, and they both strive for improving people's lives through the use of pervasive computing. This paper surveys the state of the art in FD and FP systems, including qualitative comparisons among various studies. It aims to serve as a point of reference for future research on the mentioned systems. A general description of FD and FP systems is provided, including the different types of sensors used in both approaches. Challenges and current solutions are presented and described in great detail. A 3-level taxonomy associated with the risk factors of a fall is proposed. Finally, cutting edge FD and FP systems are thoroughly reviewed and qualitatively compared, in terms of design issues and other parameters.

Falls event detection using triaxial accelerometry and barometric pressure measurement.

PubMed

Bianchi, Federico; Redmond, Stephen J; Narayanan, Michael R; Cerutti, Sergio; Celler, Branko G; Lovell, Nigel H

2009-01-01

A falls detection system, employing a Bluetooth-based wearable device, containing a triaxial accelerometer and a barometric pressure sensor, is described. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of barometric pressure measurement, as a surrogate measure of altitude, to augment previously reported accelerometry-based falls detection algorithms. The accelerometry and barometric pressure signals obtained from the waist-mounted device are analyzed by a signal processing and classification algorithm to discriminate falls from activities of daily living. This falls detection algorithm has been compared to two existing algorithms which utilize accelerometry signals alone. A set of laboratory-based simulated falls, along with other tasks associated with activities of daily living (16 tests) were performed by 15 healthy volunteers (9 male and 6 female; age: 23.7 +/- 2.9 years; height: 1.74 +/- 0.11 m). The algorithm incorporating pressure information detected falls with the highest sensitivity (97.8%) and the highest specificity (96.7%).

Statistical data mining of streaming motion data for fall detection in assistive environments.

PubMed

Tasoulis, S K; Doukas, C N; Maglogiannis, I; Plagianakos, V P

2011-01-01

The analysis of human motion data is interesting for the purpose of activity recognition or emergency event detection, especially in the case of elderly or disabled people living independently in their homes. Several techniques have been proposed for identifying such distress situations using either motion, audio or video sensors on the monitored subject (wearable sensors) or the surrounding environment. The output of such sensors is data streams that require real time recognition, especially in emergency situations, thus traditional classification approaches may not be applicable for immediate alarm triggering or fall prevention. This paper presents a statistical mining methodology that may be used for the specific problem of real time fall detection. Visual data captured from the user's environment, using overhead cameras along with motion data are collected from accelerometers on the subject's body and are fed to the fall detection system. The paper includes the details of the stream data mining methodology incorporated in the system along with an initial evaluation of the achieved accuracy in detecting falls.

Home Camera-Based Fall Detection System for the Elderly.

PubMed

de Miguel, Koldo; Brunete, Alberto; Hernando, Miguel; Gambao, Ernesto

2017-12-09

Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in elderly individuals. Unfortunately, fall detectors are typically based on wearable devices, and the elderly often forget to wear them. In addition, fall detectors based on artificial vision are not yet available on the market. In this paper, we present a new low-cost fall detector for smart homes based on artificial vision algorithms. Our detector combines several algorithms (background subtraction, Kalman filtering and optical flow) as input to a machine learning algorithm with high detection accuracy. Tests conducted on over 50 different fall videos have shown a detection ratio of greater than 96%.

Home Camera-Based Fall Detection System for the Elderly

PubMed Central

de Miguel, Koldo

2017-01-01

Falls are the leading cause of injury and death in elderly individuals. Unfortunately, fall detectors are typically based on wearable devices, and the elderly often forget to wear them. In addition, fall detectors based on artificial vision are not yet available on the market. In this paper, we present a new low-cost fall detector for smart homes based on artificial vision algorithms. Our detector combines several algorithms (background subtraction, Kalman filtering and optical flow) as input to a machine learning algorithm with high detection accuracy. Tests conducted on over 50 different fall videos have shown a detection ratio of greater than 96%. PMID:29232846

On the Comparison of Wearable Sensor Data Fusion to a Single Sensor Machine Learning Technique in Fall Detection.

PubMed

Tsinganos, Panagiotis; Skodras, Athanassios

2018-02-14

In the context of the ageing global population, researchers and scientists have tried to find solutions to many challenges faced by older people. Falls, the leading cause of injury among elderly, are usually severe enough to require immediate medical attention; thus, their detection is of primary importance. To this effect, many fall detection systems that utilize wearable and ambient sensors have been proposed. In this study, we compare three newly proposed data fusion schemes that have been applied in human activity recognition and fall detection. Furthermore, these algorithms are compared to our recent work regarding fall detection in which only one type of sensor is used. The results show that fusion algorithms differ in their performance, whereas a machine learning strategy should be preferred. In conclusion, the methods presented and the comparison of their performance provide useful insights into the problem of fall detection.

Implementation of accelerometer sensor module and fall detection monitoring system based on wireless sensor network.

PubMed

Lee, Youngbum; Kim, Jinkwon; Son, Muntak; Lee, Myoungho

2007-01-01

This research implements wireless accelerometer sensor module and algorithm to determine wearer's posture, activity and fall. Wireless accelerometer sensor module uses ADXL202, 2-axis accelerometer sensor (Analog Device). And using wireless RF module, this module measures accelerometer signal and shows the signal at ;Acceloger' viewer program in PC. ADL algorithm determines posture, activity and fall that activity is determined by AC component of accelerometer signal and posture is determined by DC component of accelerometer signal. Those activity and posture include standing, sitting, lying, walking, running, etc. By the experiment for 30 subjects, the performance of implemented algorithm was assessed, and detection rate for postures, motions and subjects was calculated. Lastly, using wireless sensor network in experimental space, subject's postures, motions and fall monitoring system was implemented. By the simulation experiment for 30 subjects, 4 kinds of activity, 3 times, fall detection rate was calculated. In conclusion, this system can be application to patients and elders for activity monitoring and fall detection and also sports athletes' exercise measurement and pattern analysis. And it can be expected to common person's exercise training and just plaything for entertainment.

Fall Risk Assessment and Early-Warning for Toddler Behaviors at Home

PubMed Central

Yang, Mau-Tsuen; Chuang, Min-Wen

2013-01-01

Accidental falls are the major cause of serious injuries in toddlers, with most of these falls happening at home. Instead of providing immediate fall detection based on short-term observations, this paper proposes an early-warning childcare system to monitor fall-prone behaviors of toddlers at home. Using 3D human skeleton tracking and floor plane detection based on depth images captured by a Kinect system, eight fall-prone behavioral modules of toddlers are developed and organized according to four essential criteria: posture, motion, balance, and altitude. The final fall risk assessment is generated by a multi-modal fusion using either a weighted mean thresholding or a support vector machine (SVM) classification. Optimizations are performed to determine local parameter in each module and global parameters of the multi-modal fusion. Experimental results show that the proposed system can assess fall risks and trigger alarms with an accuracy rate of 92% at a speed of 20 frames per second. PMID:24335727

Fall risk assessment and early-warning for toddler behaviors at home.

PubMed

Yang, Mau-Tsuen; Chuang, Min-Wen

2013-12-10

Accidental falls are the major cause of serious injuries in toddlers, with most of these falls happening at home. Instead of providing immediate fall detection based on short-term observations, this paper proposes an early-warning childcare system to monitor fall-prone behaviors of toddlers at home. Using 3D human skeleton tracking and floor plane detection based on depth images captured by a Kinect system, eight fall-prone behavioral modules of toddlers are developed and organized according to four essential criteria: posture, motion, balance, and altitude. The final fall risk assessment is generated by a multi-modal fusion using either a weighted mean thresholding or a support vector machine (SVM) classification. Optimizations are performed to determine local parameter in each module and global parameters of the multi-modal fusion. Experimental results show that the proposed system can assess fall risks and trigger alarms with an accuracy rate of 92% at a speed of 20 frames per second.

Involvement of older people in the development of fall detection systems: a scoping review.

PubMed

Thilo, Friederike J S; Hürlimann, Barbara; Hahn, Sabine; Bilger, Selina; Schols, Jos M G A; Halfens, Ruud J G

2016-02-11

The involvement of users is recommended in the development of health related technologies, in order to address their needs and preferences and to improve the daily usage of these technologies. The objective of this literature review was to identify the nature and extent of research involving older people in the development of fall detection systems. A scoping review according to the framework of Arksey and O'Malley was carried out. A key term search was employed in eight relevant databases. Included articles were summarized using a predetermined charting form and subsequently thematically analysed. A total of 53 articles was included. In 49 of the 53 articles, older people were involved in the design and/or testing stages, and in 4 of 53 articles, they were involved in the conceptual or market deployment stages. In 38 of the 53 articles, the main focus of the involvement of older people was technical aspects. In 15 of the 53 articles, the perspectives of the elderly related to the fall detection system under development were determined using focus groups, single interviews or questionnaires. Until presently, involvement of older people in the development of fall detection systems has focused mainly on technical aspects. Little attention has been given to the specific needs and views of older people in the context of fall detection system development and usage.

Real-time monitoring system for elderly people in detecting falling movement using accelerometer and gyroscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siregar, B.; Andayani, U.; Bahri, R. P.; Seniman; Fahmi, F.

2018-03-01

Most of the elderly people is experiencing a decrease in physical quality, especially the weakness in the legs. This will cause elderly easy to fall and can have a serious impact on their health if not getting help very quickly. It is, therefore, necessary to take immediate action against the falling cases experienced by the elderly. One such action is by developing supervision and detecting of falling movements in real-time, which is then the connection to a member of the family. In this research, we used Arduino Uno as a microcontroller, sensor accelerometer, and gyroscope that serves to measure falling movement of the elderly person and supported by GPS technology Ublox Neo 6M to provide information about coordinates. The result was the high accuracy of delivering notification data to server and accuracy of data delivery to family notification equal to 93,75%. The system successfully detects the direction of falling: forward, backward, left or right and able to distinguish between unintentional falling and conscious falling like a bow or prostrate position.

Survey on Fall Detection and Fall Prevention Using Wearable and External Sensors

PubMed Central

Delahoz, Yueng Santiago; Labrador, Miguel Angel

2014-01-01

According to nihseniorhealth.gov (a website for older adults), falling represents a great threat as people get older, and providing mechanisms to detect and prevent falls is critical to improve people's lives. Over 1.6 million U.S. adults are treated for fall-related injuries in emergency rooms every year suffering fractures, loss of independence, and even death. It is clear then, that this problem must be addressed in a prompt manner, and the use of pervasive computing plays a key role to achieve this. Fall detection (FD) and fall prevention (FP) are research areas that have been active for over a decade, and they both strive for improving people's lives through the use of pervasive computing. This paper surveys the state of the art in FD and FP systems, including qualitative comparisons among various studies. It aims to serve as a point of reference for future research on the mentioned systems. A general description of FD and FP systems is provided, including the different types of sensors used in both approaches. Challenges and current solutions are presented and described in great detail. A 3-level taxonomy associated with the risk factors of a fall is proposed. Finally, cutting edge FD and FP systems are thoroughly reviewed and qualitatively compared, in terms of design issues and other parameters. PMID:25340452

Efficient source separation algorithms for acoustic fall detection using a microsoft kinect.

PubMed

Li, Yun; Ho, K C; Popescu, Mihail

2014-03-01

Falls have become a common health problem among older adults. In previous study, we proposed an acoustic fall detection system (acoustic FADE) that employed a microphone array and beamforming to provide automatic fall detection. However, the previous acoustic FADE had difficulties in detecting the fall signal in environments where interference comes from the fall direction, the number of interferences exceeds FADE's ability to handle or a fall is occluded. To address these issues, in this paper, we propose two blind source separation (BSS) methods for extracting the fall signal out of the interferences to improve the fall classification task. We first propose the single-channel BSS by using nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) to automatically decompose the mixture into a linear combination of several basis components. Based on the distinct patterns of the bases of falls, we identify them efficiently and then construct the interference free fall signal. Next, we extend the single-channel BSS to the multichannel case through a joint NMF over all channels followed by a delay-and-sum beamformer for additional ambient noise reduction. In our experiments, we used the Microsoft Kinect to collect the acoustic data in real-home environments. The results show that in environments with high interference and background noise levels, the fall detection performance is significantly improved using the proposed BSS approaches.

Social-aware Event Handling within the FallRisk Project.

PubMed

De Backere, Femke; Van den Bergh, Jan; Coppers, Sven; Elprama, Shirley; Nelis, Jelle; Verstichel, Stijn; Jacobs, An; Coninx, Karin; Ongenae, Femke; De Turck, Filip

2017-01-09

With the uprise of the Internet of Things, wearables and smartphones are moving to the foreground. Ambient Assisted Living solutions are, for example, created to facilitate ageing in place. One example of such systems are fall detection systems. Currently, there exists a wide variety of fall detection systems using different methodologies and technologies. However, these systems often do not take into account the fall handling process, which starts after a fall is identified or this process only consists of sending a notification. The FallRisk system delivers an accurate analysis of incidents occurring in the home of the older adults using several sensors and smart devices. Moreover, the input from these devices can be used to create a social-aware event handling process, which leads to assisting the older adult as soon as possible and in the best possible way. The FallRisk system consists of several components, located in different places. When an incident is identified by the FallRisk system, the event handling process will be followed to assess the fall incident and select the most appropriate caregiver, based on the input of the smartphones of the caregivers. In this process, availability and location are automatically taken into account. The event handling process was evaluated during a decision tree workshop to verify if the current day practices reflect the requirements of all the stakeholders. Other knowledge, which is uncovered during this workshop can be taken into account to further improve the process. The FallRisk offers a way to detect fall incidents in an accurate way and uses context information to assign the incident to the most appropriate caregiver. This way, the consequences of the fall are minimized and help is at location as fast as possible. It could be concluded that the current guidelines on fall handling reflect the needs of the stakeholders. However, current technology evolutions, such as the uptake of wearables and smartphones, enables the improvement of these guidelines, such as the automatic ordering of the caregivers based on their location and availability.

Analysis of a Smartphone-Based Architecture with Multiple Mobility Sensors for Fall Detection

PubMed Central

Santoyo-Ramón, Jose Antonio; Cano-García, Jose Manuel

2016-01-01

During the last years, many research efforts have been devoted to the definition of Fall Detection Systems (FDSs) that benefit from the inherent computing, communication and sensing capabilities of smartphones. However, employing a smartphone as the unique sensor in a FDS application entails several disadvantages as long as an accurate characterization of the patient’s mobility may force to transport this personal device on an unnatural position. This paper presents a smartphone-based architecture for the automatic detection of falls. The system incorporates a set of small sensing motes that can communicate with the smartphone to help in the fall detection decision. The deployed architecture is systematically evaluated in a testbed with experimental users in order to determine the number and positions of the sensors that optimize the effectiveness of the FDS, as well as to assess the most convenient role of the smartphone in the architecture. PMID:27930736

Analysis of a Smartphone-Based Architecture with Multiple Mobility Sensors for Fall Detection.

PubMed

Casilari, Eduardo; Santoyo-Ramón, Jose Antonio; Cano-García, Jose Manuel

2016-01-01

During the last years, many research efforts have been devoted to the definition of Fall Detection Systems (FDSs) that benefit from the inherent computing, communication and sensing capabilities of smartphones. However, employing a smartphone as the unique sensor in a FDS application entails several disadvantages as long as an accurate characterization of the patient's mobility may force to transport this personal device on an unnatural position. This paper presents a smartphone-based architecture for the automatic detection of falls. The system incorporates a set of small sensing motes that can communicate with the smartphone to help in the fall detection decision. The deployed architecture is systematically evaluated in a testbed with experimental users in order to determine the number and positions of the sensors that optimize the effectiveness of the FDS, as well as to assess the most convenient role of the smartphone in the architecture.

A smart phone-based pocket fall accident detection, positioning, and rescue system.

PubMed

Kau, Lih-Jen; Chen, Chih-Sheng

2015-01-01

We propose in this paper a novel algorithm as well as architecture for the fall accident detection and corresponding wide area rescue system based on a smart phone and the third generation (3G) networks. To realize the fall detection algorithm, the angles acquired by the electronic compass (ecompass) and the waveform sequence of the triaxial accelerometer on the smart phone are used as the system inputs. The acquired signals are then used to generate an ordered feature sequence and then examined in a sequential manner by the proposed cascade classifier for recognition purpose. Once the corresponding feature is verified by the classifier at current state, it can proceed to next state; otherwise, the system will reset to the initial state and wait for the appearance of another feature sequence. Once a fall accident event is detected, the user's position can be acquired by the global positioning system (GPS) or the assisted GPS, and sent to the rescue center via the 3G communication network so that the user can get medical help immediately. With the proposed cascaded classification architecture, the computational burden and power consumption issue on the smart phone system can be alleviated. Moreover, as we will see in the experiment that a distinguished fall accident detection accuracy up to 92% on the sensitivity and 99.75% on the specificity can be obtained when a set of 450 test actions in nine different kinds of activities are estimated by using the proposed cascaded classifier, which justifies the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

Evaluation of Accelerometer-Based Fall Detection Algorithms on Real-World Falls

PubMed Central

Bagalà, Fabio; Becker, Clemens; Cappello, Angelo; Chiari, Lorenzo; Aminian, Kamiar; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M.; Zijlstra, Wiebren; Klenk, Jochen

2012-01-01

Despite extensive preventive efforts, falls continue to be a major source of morbidity and mortality among elderly. Real-time detection of falls and their urgent communication to a telecare center may enable rapid medical assistance, thus increasing the sense of security of the elderly and reducing some of the negative consequences of falls. Many different approaches have been explored to automatically detect a fall using inertial sensors. Although previously published algorithms report high sensitivity (SE) and high specificity (SP), they have usually been tested on simulated falls performed by healthy volunteers. We recently collected acceleration data during a number of real-world falls among a patient population with a high-fall-risk as part of the SensAction-AAL European project. The aim of the present study is to benchmark the performance of thirteen published fall-detection algorithms when they are applied to the database of 29 real-world falls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic comparison of fall detection algorithms tested on real-world falls. We found that the SP average of the thirteen algorithms, was (mean±std) 83.0%±30.3% (maximum value = 98%). The SE was considerably lower (SE = 57.0%±27.3%, maximum value = 82.8%), much lower than the values obtained on simulated falls. The number of false alarms generated by the algorithms during 1-day monitoring of three representative fallers ranged from 3 to 85. The factors that affect the performance of the published algorithms, when they are applied to the real-world falls, are also discussed. These findings indicate the importance of testing fall-detection algorithms in real-life conditions in order to produce more effective automated alarm systems with higher acceptance. Further, the present results support the idea that a large, shared real-world fall database could, potentially, provide an enhanced understanding of the fall process and the information needed to design and evaluate a high-performance fall detector. PMID:22615890

Pre-impact fall detection system using dynamic threshold and 3D bounding box

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otanasap, Nuth; Boonbrahm, Poonpong

2017-02-01

Fall prevention and detection system have to subjugate many challenges in order to develop an efficient those system. Some of the difficult problems are obtrusion, occlusion and overlay in vision based system. Other associated issues are privacy, cost, noise, computation complexity and definition of threshold values. Estimating human motion using vision based usually involves with partial overlay, caused either by direction of view point between objects or body parts and camera, and these issues have to be taken into consideration. This paper proposes the use of dynamic threshold based and bounding box posture analysis method with multiple Kinect cameras setting for human posture analysis and fall detection. The proposed work only uses two Kinect cameras for acquiring distributed values and differentiating activities between normal and falls. If the peak value of head velocity is greater than the dynamic threshold value, bounding box posture analysis will be used to confirm fall occurrence. Furthermore, information captured by multiple Kinect placed in right angle will address the skeleton overlay problem due to single Kinect. This work contributes on the fusion of multiple Kinect based skeletons, based on dynamic threshold and bounding box posture analysis which is the only research work reported so far.

Improving Fall Detection Using an On-Wrist Wearable Accelerometer

PubMed Central

Chira, Camelia; González, Víctor M.; de la Cal, Enrique

2018-01-01

Fall detection is a very important challenge that affects both elderly people and the carers. Improvements in fall detection would reduce the aid response time. This research focuses on a method for fall detection with a sensor placed on the wrist. Falls are detected using a published threshold-based solution, although a study on threshold tuning has been carried out. The feature extraction is extended in order to balance the dataset for the minority class. Alternative models have been analyzed to reduce the computational constraints so the solution can be embedded in smart-phones or smart wristbands. Several published datasets have been used in the Materials and Methods section. Although these datasets do not include data from real falls of elderly people, a complete comparison study of fall-related datasets shows statistical differences between the simulated falls and real falls from participants suffering from impairment diseases. Given the obtained results, the rule-based systems represent a promising research line as they perform similarly to neural networks, but with a reduced computational cost. Furthermore, support vector machines performed with a high specificity. However, further research to validate the proposal in real on-line scenarios is needed. Furthermore, a slight improvement should be made to reduce the number of false alarms. PMID:29701721

Analysis of Public Datasets for Wearable Fall Detection Systems.

PubMed

Casilari, Eduardo; Santoyo-Ramón, José-Antonio; Cano-García, José-Manuel

2017-06-27

Due to the boom of wireless handheld devices such as smartwatches and smartphones, wearable Fall Detection Systems (FDSs) have become a major focus of attention among the research community during the last years. The effectiveness of a wearable FDS must be contrasted against a wide variety of measurements obtained from inertial sensors during the occurrence of falls and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). In this regard, the access to public databases constitutes the basis for an open and systematic assessment of fall detection techniques. This paper reviews and appraises twelve existing available data repositories containing measurements of ADLs and emulated falls envisaged for the evaluation of fall detection algorithms in wearable FDSs. The analysis of the found datasets is performed in a comprehensive way, taking into account the multiple factors involved in the definition of the testbeds deployed for the generation of the mobility samples. The study of the traces brings to light the lack of a common experimental benchmarking procedure and, consequently, the large heterogeneity of the datasets from a number of perspectives (length and number of samples, typology of the emulated falls and ADLs, characteristics of the test subjects, features and positions of the sensors, etc.). Concerning this, the statistical analysis of the samples reveals the impact of the sensor range on the reliability of the traces. In addition, the study evidences the importance of the selection of the ADLs and the need of categorizing the ADLs depending on the intensity of the movements in order to evaluate the capability of a certain detection algorithm to discriminate falls from ADLs.

Analysis of Public Datasets for Wearable Fall Detection Systems

PubMed Central

Santoyo-Ramón, José-Antonio; Cano-García, José-Manuel

2017-01-01

Due to the boom of wireless handheld devices such as smartwatches and smartphones, wearable Fall Detection Systems (FDSs) have become a major focus of attention among the research community during the last years. The effectiveness of a wearable FDS must be contrasted against a wide variety of measurements obtained from inertial sensors during the occurrence of falls and Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). In this regard, the access to public databases constitutes the basis for an open and systematic assessment of fall detection techniques. This paper reviews and appraises twelve existing available data repositories containing measurements of ADLs and emulated falls envisaged for the evaluation of fall detection algorithms in wearable FDSs. The analysis of the found datasets is performed in a comprehensive way, taking into account the multiple factors involved in the definition of the testbeds deployed for the generation of the mobility samples. The study of the traces brings to light the lack of a common experimental benchmarking procedure and, consequently, the large heterogeneity of the datasets from a number of perspectives (length and number of samples, typology of the emulated falls and ADLs, characteristics of the test subjects, features and positions of the sensors, etc.). Concerning this, the statistical analysis of the samples reveals the impact of the sensor range on the reliability of the traces. In addition, the study evidences the importance of the selection of the ADLs and the need of categorizing the ADLs depending on the intensity of the movements in order to evaluate the capability of a certain detection algorithm to discriminate falls from ADLs. PMID:28653991

Fall Detection Devices and their Use with Older Adults: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Chaudhuri, Shomir; Thompson, Hilaire; Demiris, George

2013-01-01

Background Falls represent a significant threat to the health and independence of adults 65 years of age and older. As a wide variety and large amount of passive monitoring systems are currently and increasingly available to detect when an individual has fallen, there is a need to analyze and synthesize the evidence regarding their ability to accurately detect falls to determine which systems are most effective. Objectives The purpose of this literature review is to systematically assess the current state of design and implementation of fall detection devices. This review also examines the extent to which these devices have been tested in the real world as well as the acceptability of these devices to older adults. Data sources A systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsycINFO from their respective inception dates to June 25, 2013. Study Eligibility Criteria and Interventions Articles were included if they discussed a project or multiple projects involving a system with the purpose of detecting a fall in adults. It was not a requirement for inclusion in this review that the system targets persons over the age of 65. Articles were excluded if they were not written in English or if they looked at fall risk, fall detection in children, fall prevention or a Personal Emergency Response device. Study appraisal and synthesis methods Studies were initially divided into those using sensitivity, specificity or accuracy in their evaluation methods, and those using other methods to evaluate their devices. Studies were further classified into wearable devices and non-wearable devices. Studies were appraised for inclusion of older adults in sample and if evaluation included real world settings. Results This review identified 57 projects that used wearable systems and 35 projects using non-wearable systems, regardless of evaluation technique. Non-wearable systems included cameras, motion sensors, microphones and floor sensors. Of the projects examining wearable systems, only 7.1% reported monitoring older adults in a real world setting. There were no studies of non-wearable devices that used older adults as subjects in either a lab or a real world setting. In general, older adults appear to be interested in using such devices although they express concerns over privacy and understanding exactly what the device is doing at specific times. Limitations This systematic review was limited to articles written in English and did not include gray literature. Manual paper screening and review processes may have been subject to interpretive bias. Conclusions and implications of key findings There exists a large body of working describing various fall detection devices. The challenge in this area is to create highly accurate unobtrusive devices. From this review it appears that the technology is becoming more able to accomplish such a task. There is a need now for more real world tests as well as standardization of the evaluation of these devices. PMID:24406708

Wearable vital parameters monitoring system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caramaliu, Radu Vadim; Vasile, Alexandru; Bacis, Irina

2015-02-01

The system we propose monitors body temperature, heart rate and beside this, it tracks if the person who wears it suffers a faint. It uses a digital temperature sensor, a pulse sensor and a gravitational acceleration sensor to monitor the eventual faint or small heights free falls. The system continuously tracks the GPS position when available and stores the last valid data. So, when measuring abnormal vital parameters the module will send an SMS, using the GSM cellular network , with the person's social security number, the last valid GPS position for that person, the heart rate, the body temperature and, where applicable, a valid fall alert or non-valid fall alert. Even though such systems exist, they contain only faint detection or heart rate detection. Usually there is a strong correlation between low/high heart rate and an eventual faint. Combining both features into one system results in a more reliable detection device.

Fall Detection Using Smartphone Audio Features.

PubMed

Cheffena, Michael

2016-07-01

An automated fall detection system based on smartphone audio features is developed. The spectrogram, mel frequency cepstral coefficents (MFCCs), linear predictive coding (LPC), and matching pursuit (MP) features of different fall and no-fall sound events are extracted from experimental data. Based on the extracted audio features, four different machine learning classifiers: k-nearest neighbor classifier (k-NN), support vector machine (SVM), least squares method (LSM), and artificial neural network (ANN) are investigated for distinguishing between fall and no-fall events. For each audio feature, the performance of each classifier in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and computational complexity is evaluated. The best performance is achieved using spectrogram features with ANN classifier with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy all above 98%. The classifier also has acceptable computational requirement for training and testing. The system is applicable in home environments where the phone is placed in the vicinity of the user.

[Intelligent videosurveillance and falls detection: Perceptions of professionals and managers].

PubMed

Lapierre, Nolwenn; Carpentier, Isabelle; St-Arnaud, Alain; Ducharme, Francine; Meunier, Jean; Jobidon, Mireille; Rousseau, Jacqueline

2016-02-01

Gerontechnologies can be used to detect accidental falls. However, existing systems do not entirely meet users' expectations. Our team developed an intelligent video-monitoring systems to fill these gaps. Authors advocate consulting potential users at the early stages of the design of gerontechnologies and integrating their suggestions. This study aims to explore health care workers' opinion regarding the intelligent video monitoring to detect falls by older adults living at home. This qualitative study explored the opinions of 31 participants using focus groups. Transcripts were analyzed using predetermined codes based on the competence model. Participants reported several advantages for using the intelligent video monitoring and provided suggestions for improving its use. The participants' suggestions and comments will help to improve the system and match it to users' needs. © CAOT 2015.

Embedded DSP-based telehealth radar system for remote in-door fall detection.

PubMed

Garripoli, Carmine; Mercuri, Marco; Karsmakers, Peter; Jack Soh, Ping; Crupi, Giovanni; Vandenbosch, Guy A E; Pace, Calogero; Leroux, Paul; Schreurs, Dominique

2015-01-01

Telehealth systems and applications are extensively investigated nowadays to enhance the quality-of-care and, in particular, to detect emergency situations and to monitor the well-being of elderly people, allowing them to stay at home independently as long as possible. In this paper, an embedded telehealth system for continuous, automatic, and remote monitoring of real-time fall emergencies is presented and discussed. The system, consisting of a radar sensor and base station, represents a cost-effective and efficient healthcare solution. The implementation of the fall detection data processing technique, based on the least-square support vector machines, through a digital signal processor and the management of the communication between radar sensor and base station are detailed. Experimental tests, for a total of 65 mimicked fall incidents, recorded with 16 human subjects (14 men and two women) that have been monitored for 320 min, have been used to validate the proposed system under real circumstances. The subjects' weight is between 55 and 90 kg with heights between 1.65 and 1.82 m, while their age is between 25 and 39 years. The experimental results have shown a sensitivity to detect the fall events in real time of 100% without reporting false positives. The tests have been performed in an area where the radar's operation was not limited by practical situations, namely, signal power, coverage of the antennas, and presence of obstacles between the subject and the antennas.

A vision-based fall detection algorithm of human in indoor environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hao; Guo, Yongcai

2017-02-01

Elderly care becomes more and more prominent in China as the population is aging fast and the number of aging population is large. Falls, as one of the biggest challenges in elderly guardianship system, have a serious impact on both physical health and mental health of the aged. Based on feature descriptors, such as aspect ratio of human silhouette, velocity of mass center, moving distance of head and angle of the ultimate posture, a novel vision-based fall detection method was proposed in this paper. A fast median method of background modeling with three frames was also suggested. Compared with the conventional bounding box and ellipse method, the novel fall detection technique is not only applicable for recognizing the fall behaviors end of lying down but also suitable for detecting the fall behaviors end of kneeling down and sitting down. In addition, numerous experiment results showed that the method had a good performance in recognition accuracy on the premise of not adding the cost of time.

An automatic fall detection framework using data fusion of Doppler radar and motion sensor network.

PubMed

Liu, Liang; Popescu, Mihail; Skubic, Marjorie; Rantz, Marilyn

2014-01-01

This paper describes the ongoing work of detecting falls in independent living senior apartments. We have developed a fall detection system with Doppler radar sensor and implemented ceiling radar in real senior apartments. However, the detection accuracy on real world data is affected by false alarms inherent in the real living environment, such as motions from visitors. To solve this issue, this paper proposes an improved framework by fusing the Doppler radar sensor result with a motion sensor network. As a result, performance is significantly improved after the data fusion by discarding the false alarms generated by visitors. The improvement of this new method is tested on one week of continuous data from an actual elderly person who frequently falls while living in her senior home.

Image-based fall detection and classification of a user with a walking support system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taghvaei, Sajjad; Kosuge, Kazuhiro

2017-10-01

The classification of visual human action is important in the development of systems that interact with humans. This study investigates an image-based classification of the human state while using a walking support system to improve the safety and dependability of these systems.We categorize the possible human behavior while utilizing a walker robot into eight states (i.e., sitting, standing, walking, and five falling types), and propose two different methods, namely, normal distribution and hidden Markov models (HMMs), to detect and recognize these states. The visual feature for the state classification is the centroid position of the upper body, which is extracted from the user's depth images. The first method shows that the centroid position follows a normal distribution while walking, which can be adopted to detect any non-walking state. The second method implements HMMs to detect and recognize these states. We then measure and compare the performance of both methods. The classification results are employed to control the motion of a passive-type walker (called "RT Walker") by activating its brakes in non-walking states. Thus, the system can be used for sit/stand support and fall prevention. The experiments are performed with four subjects, including an experienced physiotherapist. Results show that the algorithm can be adapted to the new user's motion pattern within 40 s, with a fall detection rate of 96.25% and state classification rate of 81.0%. The proposed method can be implemented to other abnormality detection/classification applications that employ depth image-sensing devices.

MEMS-based sensing and algorithm development for fall detection and gait analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Piyush; Ramirez, Gabriel; Lie, Donald Y. C.; Dallas, Tim; Banister, Ron E.; Dentino, Andrew

2010-02-01

Falls by the elderly are highly detrimental to health, frequently resulting in injury, high medical costs, and even death. Using a MEMS-based sensing system, algorithms are being developed for detecting falls and monitoring the gait of elderly and disabled persons. In this study, wireless sensors utilize Zigbee protocols were incorporated into planar shoe insoles and a waist mounted device. The insole contains four sensors to measure pressure applied by the foot. A MEMS based tri-axial accelerometer is embedded in the insert and a second one is utilized by the waist mounted device. The primary fall detection algorithm is derived from the waist accelerometer. The differential acceleration is calculated from samples received in 1.5s time intervals. This differential acceleration provides the quantification via an energy index. From this index one may ascertain different gait and identify fall events. Once a pre-determined index threshold is exceeded, the algorithm will classify an event as a fall or a stumble. The secondary algorithm is derived from frequency analysis techniques. The analysis consists of wavelet transforms conducted on the waist accelerometer data. The insole pressure data is then used to underline discrepancies in the transforms, providing more accurate data for classifying gait and/or detecting falls. The range of the transform amplitude in the fourth iteration of a Daubechies-6 transform was found sufficient to detect and classify fall events.

Wearable technology and ECG processing for fall risk assessment, prevention and detection.

PubMed

Melillo, Paolo; Castaldo, Rossana; Sannino, Giovanna; Orrico, Ada; de Pietro, Giuseppe; Pecchia, Leandro

2015-01-01

Falls represent one of the most common causes of injury-related morbidity and mortality in later life. Subjects with cardiovascular disorders (e.g., related to autonomic dysfunctions and postural hypotension) are at higher risk of falling. Autonomic dysfunctions increasing the risk of falling in the short and mid-term could be assessed by Heart Rate Variability (HRV) extracted by electrocardiograph (ECG). We developed three trials for assessing the usefulness of ECG monitoring using wearable devices for: risk assessment of falling in the next few weeks; prevention of imminent falls due to standing hypotension; and fall detection. Statistical and data-mining methods are adopted to develop classification and regression models, validated with the cross-validation approach. The first classifier based on HRV features enabled to identify future fallers among hypertensive patients with an accuracy of 72% (sensitivity: 51.1%, specificity: 80.2%). The regression model to predict falls due to orthostatic dropdown from HRV recorded before standing achieved an overall accuracy of 80% (sensitivity: 92%, specificity: 90%). Finally, the classifier to detect simulated falls using ECG achieved an accuracy of 77.3% (sensitivity: 81.8%, specificity: 72.7%). The evidence from these three studies showed that ECG monitoring and processing could achieve satisfactory performances compared to other system for risk assessment, fall prevention and detection. This is interesting as differently from other technologies actually employed to prevent falls, ECG is recommended for many other pathologies of later life and is more accepted by senior citizens.

A system for ubiquitous fall monitoring at home via a wireless sensor network.

PubMed

Fernandez-Luque, Francisco J; Zapata, Juan; Ruiz, Ramon

2010-01-01

Accidental falls of our elderly, and physical injuries resulting, represent a major health and economic. Falls are the most common causes of serious injuries and a major health threats in the stratum of older population. Early detection of a fall is a key factor when trying to provide adequate care to the elderly person who has suffered an accident at home. In this paper, we present a support system for detecting falls of an elder person by a static wireless nonintrusive sensorial infrastructure based on heterogenous sensor nodes. This previous infrastructure, named AID (Alarm Intelligent Device), is an AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) system that allows to infer a potential fall. We have developed, different to other contributions, a specific low-power multi-hop network consists of nodes (Motes) that wirelessly communicate to each other and are capable of hopping radio messages to a base station where they are passed to a PC (or other possible client). The goal of this project is 1) to provide alerts to caregivers in the event of an accident, acute illness or strange (possibly dangerous) activities, and 2) to enable that authorized and authenticated caregivers by means of a itinerant wearable mote can be inserted into mesh and interact with it. In this paper, we describe an ubiquitous assistential monitoring system at home.

Animal-vehicle crash mitigation using advanced technology : phase II, system effectiveness and system acceptance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-01

This project was initiated in the fall of 1999. The results through the fall of 2005 (Phase I) have been documented in detail in an earlier report. The accomplishments of Phase I included the following: the identification of existing animal detection...

Detection Thresholds of Falling Snow from Satellite-Borne Active and Passive Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skofronick-Jackson, Gail; Johnson, Benjamin T.; Munchak, S. Joseph

2012-01-01

Precipitation, including rain and snow, is a critical part of the Earth's energy and hydrology cycles. Precipitation impacts latent heating profiles locally while global circulation patterns distribute precipitation and energy from the equator to the poles. For the hydrological cycle, falling snow is a primary contributor in northern latitudes during the winter seasons. Falling snow is the source of snow pack accumulations that provide fresh water resources for many communities in the world. Furthermore, falling snow impacts society by causing transportation disruptions during severe snow events. In order to collect information on the complete global precipitation cycle, both liquid and frozen precipitation must be collected. The challenges of estimating falling snow from space still exist though progress is being made. These challenges include weak falling snow signatures with respect to background (surface, water vapor) signatures for passive sensors over land surfaces, unknowns about the spherical and non-spherical shapes of the snowflakes, their particle size distributions (PSDs) and how the assumptions about the unknowns impact observed brightness temperatures or radar reflectivities, differences in near surface snowfall and total column snow amounts, and limited ground truth to validate against. While these challenges remain, knowledge of their impact on expected retrieval results is an important key for understanding falling snow retrieval estimations. Since falling snow from space is the next precipitation measurement challenge from space, information must be determined in order to guide retrieval algorithm development for these current and future missions. This information includes thresholds of detection for various sensor channel configurations, snow event system characteristics, snowflake particle assumptions, and surface types. For example, can a lake effect snow system with low (approx 2.5 km) cloud tops having an ice water content (IWC) at the surface of 0.25 g / cubic m and dendrite snowflakes be detected? If this information is known, we can focus retrieval efforts on detectable storms and concentrate advances on achievable results. Here, the focus is to determine thresholds of detection for falling snow for various snow conditions over land and lake surfaces. The results rely on simulated Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) simulations of falling snow cases since simulations provide all the information to determine the measurements from space and the ground truth. Sensitivity analyses were performed to better ascertain the relationships between multifrequency microwave and millimeter-wave sensor observations and the falling snow/underlying field of view. In addition, thresholds of detection for various sensor channel configurations, snow event system characteristics, snowflake particle assumptions, and surface types were studied. Results will be presented for active radar at Ku, Ka, and W-band and for passive radiometer channels from 10 to 183 GHz.

Wearable Fall Detector using Integrated Sensors and Energy Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Sungmook; Hong, Seungki; Kim, Jaemin; Lee, Sangkyu; Hyeon, Taeghwan; Lee, Minbaek; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2015-11-01

Wearable devices have attracted great attentions as next-generation electronic devices. For the comfortable, portable, and easy-to-use system platform in wearable electronics, a key requirement is to replace conventional bulky and rigid energy devices into thin and deformable ones accompanying the capability of long-term energy supply. Here, we demonstrate a wearable fall detection system composed of a wristband-type deformable triboelectric generator and lithium ion battery in conjunction with integrated sensors, controllers, and wireless units. A stretchable conductive nylon is used as electrodes of the triboelectric generator and the interconnection between battery cells. Ethoxylated polyethylenimine, coated on the surface of the conductive nylon electrode, tunes the work function of a triboelectric generator and maximizes its performance. The electrical energy harvested from the triboelectric generator through human body motions continuously recharges the stretchable battery and prolongs hours of its use. The integrated energy supply system runs the 3-axis accelerometer and related electronics that record human body motions and send the data wirelessly. Upon the unexpected fall occurring, a custom-made software discriminates the fall signal and an emergency alert is immediately sent to an external mobile device. This wearable fall detection system would provide new opportunities in the mobile electronics and wearable healthcare.

Wearable Fall Detector using Integrated Sensors and Energy Devices.

PubMed

Jung, Sungmook; Hong, Seungki; Kim, Jaemin; Lee, Sangkyu; Hyeon, Taeghwan; Lee, Minbaek; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2015-11-24

Wearable devices have attracted great attentions as next-generation electronic devices. For the comfortable, portable, and easy-to-use system platform in wearable electronics, a key requirement is to replace conventional bulky and rigid energy devices into thin and deformable ones accompanying the capability of long-term energy supply. Here, we demonstrate a wearable fall detection system composed of a wristband-type deformable triboelectric generator and lithium ion battery in conjunction with integrated sensors, controllers, and wireless units. A stretchable conductive nylon is used as electrodes of the triboelectric generator and the interconnection between battery cells. Ethoxylated polyethylenimine, coated on the surface of the conductive nylon electrode, tunes the work function of a triboelectric generator and maximizes its performance. The electrical energy harvested from the triboelectric generator through human body motions continuously recharges the stretchable battery and prolongs hours of its use. The integrated energy supply system runs the 3-axis accelerometer and related electronics that record human body motions and send the data wirelessly. Upon the unexpected fall occurring, a custom-made software discriminates the fall signal and an emergency alert is immediately sent to an external mobile device. This wearable fall detection system would provide new opportunities in the mobile electronics and wearable healthcare.

Wireless Falling Detection System Based on Community.

PubMed

Xia, Yun; Wu, Yanqi; Zhang, Bobo; Li, Zhiyang; He, Nongyue; Li, Song

2015-06-01

The elderly are more likely to suffer the aches or pains from the accidental falls, and both the physiology and psychology of patients would subject to a long-term disturbance, especially when the emergency treatment was not given timely and properly. Although many methods and devices have been developed creatively and shown their efficiency in experiments, few of them are suitable for commercial applications routinely. Here, we design a wearable falling detector as a mobile terminal, and utilize the wireless technology to transfer and monitor the activity data of the host in a relatively small community. With the help of the accelerometer sensor and the Google Mapping service, information of the location and the activity data will be send to the remote server for the downstream processing. The experimental result has shown that SA (Sum-vector of all axes) value of 2.5 g is the threshold value to distinguish the falling from other activities. A three-stage detection algorithm was adopted to increase the accuracy of the real alarm, and the accuracy rate of our system was more than 95%. With the further improvement, the falling detecting device which is low-cost, accurate and user-friendly would become more and more common in everyday life.

Towards a Single Sensor Passive Solution for Automated Fall Detection

PubMed Central

Belshaw, Michael; Taati, Babak; Snoek, Jasper; Mihailidis, Alex

2012-01-01

Falling in the home is one of the major challenges to independent living among older adults. The associated costs, coupled with a rapidly growing elderly population, are placing a burden on healthcare systems worldwide that will swiftly become unbearable. To facilitate expeditious emergency care, we have developed an artificially intelligent camera-based system that automatically detects if a person within the field-of-view has fallen. The system addresses concerns raised in earlier work and the requirements of a widely deployable in-home solution. The presented prototype utilizes a consumer-grade camera modified with a wide-angle lens. Machine learning techniques applied to carefully engineered features allow the system to classify falls at high accuracy while maintaining invariance to lighting, environment and the presence of multiple moving objects. This paper describes the system, outlines the algorithms used and presents empirical validation of its effectiveness. PMID:22254671

Accelerometer and Camera-Based Strategy for Improved Human Fall Detection.

PubMed

Zerrouki, Nabil; Harrou, Fouzi; Sun, Ying; Houacine, Amrane

2016-12-01

In this paper, we address the problem of detecting human falls using anomaly detection. Detection and classification of falls are based on accelerometric data and variations in human silhouette shape. First, we use the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) monitoring scheme to detect a potential fall in the accelerometric data. We used an EWMA to identify features that correspond with a particular type of fall allowing us to classify falls. Only features corresponding with detected falls were used in the classification phase. A benefit of using a subset of the original data to design classification models minimizes training time and simplifies models. Based on features corresponding to detected falls, we used the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to distinguish between true falls and fall-like events. We apply this strategy to the publicly available fall detection databases from the university of Rzeszow's. Results indicated that our strategy accurately detected and classified fall events, suggesting its potential application to early alert mechanisms in the event of fall situations and its capability for classification of detected falls. Comparison of the classification results using the EWMA-based SVM classifier method with those achieved using three commonly used machine learning classifiers, neural network, K-nearest neighbor and naïve Bayes, proved our model superior.

Accurate Fall Detection in a Top View Privacy Preserving Configuration.

PubMed

Ricciuti, Manola; Spinsante, Susanna; Gambi, Ennio

2018-05-29

Fall detection is one of the most investigated themes in the research on assistive solutions for aged people. In particular, a false-alarm-free discrimination between falls and non-falls is indispensable, especially to assist elderly people living alone. Current technological solutions designed to monitor several types of activities in indoor environments can guarantee absolute privacy to the people that decide to rely on them. Devices integrating RGB and depth cameras, such as the Microsoft Kinect, can ensure privacy and anonymity, since the depth information is considered to extract only meaningful information from video streams. In this paper, we propose an accurate fall detection method investigating the depth frames of the human body using a single device in a top-view configuration, with the subjects located under the device inside a room. Features extracted from depth frames train a classifier based on a binary support vector machine learning algorithm. The dataset includes 32 falls and 8 activities considered for comparison, for a total of 800 sequences performed by 20 adults. The system showed an accuracy of 98.6% and only one false positive.

Fall Detection in Individuals With Lower Limb Amputations Using Mobile Phones: Machine Learning Enhances Robustness for Real-World Applications.

PubMed

Shawen, Nicholas; Lonini, Luca; Mummidisetty, Chaithanya Krishna; Shparii, Ilona; Albert, Mark V; Kording, Konrad; Jayaraman, Arun

2017-10-11

Automatically detecting falls with mobile phones provides an opportunity for rapid response to injuries and better knowledge of what precipitated the fall and its consequences. This is beneficial for populations that are prone to falling, such as people with lower limb amputations. Prior studies have focused on fall detection in able-bodied individuals using data from a laboratory setting. Such approaches may provide a limited ability to detect falls in amputees and in real-world scenarios. The aim was to develop a classifier that uses data from able-bodied individuals to detect falls in individuals with a lower limb amputation, while they freely carry the mobile phone in different locations and during free-living. We obtained 861 simulated indoor and outdoor falls from 10 young control (non-amputee) individuals and 6 individuals with a lower limb amputation. In addition, we recorded a broad database of activities of daily living, including data from three participants' free-living routines. Sensor readings (accelerometer and gyroscope) from a mobile phone were recorded as participants freely carried it in three common locations-on the waist, in a pocket, and in the hand. A set of 40 features were computed from the sensors data and four classifiers were trained and combined through stacking to detect falls. We compared the performance of two population-specific models, trained and tested on either able-bodied or amputee participants, with that of a model trained on able-bodied participants and tested on amputees. A simple threshold-based classifier was used to benchmark our machine-learning classifier. The accuracy of fall detection in amputees for a model trained on control individuals (sensitivity: mean 0.989, 1.96*standard error of the mean [SEM] 0.017; specificity: mean 0.968, SEM 0.025) was not statistically different (P=.69) from that of a model trained on the amputee population (sensitivity: mean 0.984, SEM 0.016; specificity: mean 0.965, SEM 0.022). Detection of falls in control individuals yielded similar results (sensitivity: mean 0.979, SEM 0.022; specificity: mean 0.991, SEM 0.012). A mean 2.2 (SD 1.7) false alarms per day were obtained when evaluating the model (vs mean 122.1, SD 166.1 based on thresholds) on data recorded as participants carried the phone during their daily routine for two or more days. Machine-learning classifiers outperformed the threshold-based one (P<.001). A mobile phone-based fall detection model can use data from non-amputee individuals to detect falls in individuals walking with a prosthesis. We successfully detected falls when the mobile phone was carried across multiple locations and without a predetermined orientation. Furthermore, the number of false alarms yielded by the model over a longer period of time was reasonably low. This moves the application of mobile phone-based fall detection systems closer to a real-world use case scenario. ©Nicholas Shawen, Luca Lonini, Chaithanya Krishna Mummidisetty, Ilona Shparii, Mark V Albert, Konrad Kording, Arun Jayaraman. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 11.10.2017.

Automatic fall monitoring: a review.

PubMed

Pannurat, Natthapon; Thiemjarus, Surapa; Nantajeewarawat, Ekawit

2014-07-18

Falls and fall-related injuries are major incidents, especially for elderly people, which often mark the onset of major deterioration of health. More than one-third of home-dwelling people aged 65 or above and two-thirds of those in residential care fall once or more each year. Reliable fall detection, as well as prevention, is an important research topic for monitoring elderly living alone in residential or hospital units. The aim of this study is to review the existing fall detection systems and some of the key research challenges faced by the research community in this field. We categorize the existing platforms into two groups: wearable and ambient devices; the classification methods are divided into rule-based and machine learning techniques. The relative merit and potential drawbacks are discussed, and we also outline some of the outstanding research challenges that emerging new platforms need to address.

Automatic Fall Monitoring: A Review

PubMed Central

Pannurat, Natthapon; Thiemjarus, Surapa; Nantajeewarawat, Ekawit

2014-01-01

Falls and fall-related injuries are major incidents, especially for elderly people, which often mark the onset of major deterioration of health. More than one-third of home-dwelling people aged 65 or above and two-thirds of those in residential care fall once or more each year. Reliable fall detection, as well as prevention, is an important research topic for monitoring elderly living alone in residential or hospital units. The aim of this study is to review the existing fall detection systems and some of the key research challenges faced by the research community in this field. We categorize the existing platforms into two groups: wearable and ambient devices; the classification methods are divided into rule-based and machine learning techniques. The relative merit and potential drawbacks are discussed, and we also outline some of the outstanding research challenges that emerging new platforms need to address. PMID:25046016

Shuttlecock detection system for fully-autonomous badminton robot with two high-speed video cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masunari, T.; Yamagami, K.; Mizuno, M.; Une, S.; Uotani, M.; Kanematsu, T.; Demachi, K.; Sano, S.; Nakamura, Y.; Suzuki, S.

2017-02-01

Two high-speed video cameras are successfully used to detect the motion of a flying shuttlecock of badminton. The shuttlecock detection system is applied to badminton robots that play badminton fully autonomously. The detection system measures the three dimensional position and velocity of a flying shuttlecock, and predicts the position where the shuttlecock falls to the ground. The badminton robot moves quickly to the position where the shuttle-cock falls to, and hits the shuttlecock back into the opponent's side of the court. In the game of badminton, there is a large audience, and some of them move behind a flying shuttlecock, which are a kind of background noise and makes it difficult to detect the motion of the shuttlecock. The present study demonstrates that such noises can be eliminated by the method of stereo imaging with two high-speed cameras.

Detection of tripping gait patterns in the elderly using autoregressive features and support vector machines.

PubMed

Lai, Daniel T H; Begg, Rezaul K; Taylor, Simon; Palaniswami, Marimuthu

2008-01-01

Elderly tripping falls cost billions annually in medical funds and result in high mortality rates often perpetrated by pulmonary embolism (internal bleeding) and infected fractures that do not heal well. In this paper, we propose an intelligent gait detection system (AR-SVM) for screening elderly individuals at risk of suffering tripping falls. The motivation of this system is to provide early detection of elderly gait reminiscent of tripping characteristics so that preventive measures could be administered. Our system is composed of two stages, a predictor model estimated by an autoregressive (AR) process and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The system input is a digital signal constructed from consecutive measurements of minimum toe clearance (MTC) representative of steady-state walking. The AR-SVM system was tested on 23 individuals (13 healthy and 10 having suffered at least one tripping fall in the past year) who each completed a minimum of 10 min of walking on a treadmill at a self-selected pace. In the first stage, a fourth order AR model required at least 64 MTC values to correctly detect all fallers and non-fallers. Detection was further improved to less than 1 min of walking when the model coefficients were used as input features to the SVM classifier. The system achieved a detection accuracy of 95.65% with the leave one out method using only 16 MTC samples, but was reduced to 69.57% when eight MTC samples were used. These results demonstrate a fast and efficient system requiring a small number of strides and only MTC measurements for accurate detection of tripping gait characteristics.

Wearable Fall Detector using Integrated Sensors and Energy Devices

PubMed Central

Jung, Sungmook; Hong, Seungki; Kim, Jaemin; Lee, Sangkyu; Hyeon, Taeghwan; Lee, Minbaek; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2015-01-01

Wearable devices have attracted great attentions as next-generation electronic devices. For the comfortable, portable, and easy-to-use system platform in wearable electronics, a key requirement is to replace conventional bulky and rigid energy devices into thin and deformable ones accompanying the capability of long-term energy supply. Here, we demonstrate a wearable fall detection system composed of a wristband-type deformable triboelectric generator and lithium ion battery in conjunction with integrated sensors, controllers, and wireless units. A stretchable conductive nylon is used as electrodes of the triboelectric generator and the interconnection between battery cells. Ethoxylated polyethylenimine, coated on the surface of the conductive nylon electrode, tunes the work function of a triboelectric generator and maximizes its performance. The electrical energy harvested from the triboelectric generator through human body motions continuously recharges the stretchable battery and prolongs hours of its use. The integrated energy supply system runs the 3-axis accelerometer and related electronics that record human body motions and send the data wirelessly. Upon the unexpected fall occurring, a custom-made software discriminates the fall signal and an emergency alert is immediately sent to an external mobile device. This wearable fall detection system would provide new opportunities in the mobile electronics and wearable healthcare. PMID:26597423

Evaluation of Feature Extraction and Recognition for Activity Monitoring and Fall Detection Based on Wearable sEMG Sensors.

PubMed

Xi, Xugang; Tang, Minyan; Miran, Seyed M; Luo, Zhizeng

2017-05-27

As an essential subfield of context awareness, activity awareness, especially daily activity monitoring and fall detection, plays a significant role for elderly or frail people who need assistance in their daily activities. This study investigates the feature extraction and pattern recognition of surface electromyography (sEMG), with the purpose of determining the best features and classifiers of sEMG for daily living activities monitoring and fall detection. This is done by a serial of experiments. In the experiments, four channels of sEMG signal from wireless, wearable sensors located on lower limbs are recorded from three subjects while they perform seven activities of daily living (ADL). A simulated trip fall scenario is also considered with a custom-made device attached to the ankle. With this experimental setting, 15 feature extraction methods of sEMG, including time, frequency, time/frequency domain and entropy, are analyzed based on class separability and calculation complexity, and five classification methods, each with 15 features, are estimated with respect to the accuracy rate of recognition and calculation complexity for activity monitoring and fall detection. It is shown that a high accuracy rate of recognition and a minimal calculation time for daily activity monitoring and fall detection can be achieved in the current experimental setting. Specifically, the Wilson Amplitude (WAMP) feature performs the best, and the classifier Gaussian Kernel Support Vector Machine (GK-SVM) with Permutation Entropy (PE) or WAMP results in the highest accuracy for activity monitoring with recognition rates of 97.35% and 96.43%. For fall detection, the classifier Fuzzy Min-Max Neural Network (FMMNN) has the best sensitivity and specificity at the cost of the longest calculation time, while the classifier Gaussian Kernel Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis (GK-FDA) with the feature WAMP guarantees a high sensitivity (98.70%) and specificity (98.59%) with a short calculation time (65.586 ms), making it a possible choice for pre-impact fall detection. The thorough quantitative comparison of the features and classifiers in this study supports the feasibility of a wireless, wearable sEMG sensor system for automatic activity monitoring and fall detection.

Evaluation of Feature Extraction and Recognition for Activity Monitoring and Fall Detection Based on Wearable sEMG Sensors

PubMed Central

Xi, Xugang; Tang, Minyan; Miran, Seyed M.; Luo, Zhizeng

2017-01-01

As an essential subfield of context awareness, activity awareness, especially daily activity monitoring and fall detection, plays a significant role for elderly or frail people who need assistance in their daily activities. This study investigates the feature extraction and pattern recognition of surface electromyography (sEMG), with the purpose of determining the best features and classifiers of sEMG for daily living activities monitoring and fall detection. This is done by a serial of experiments. In the experiments, four channels of sEMG signal from wireless, wearable sensors located on lower limbs are recorded from three subjects while they perform seven activities of daily living (ADL). A simulated trip fall scenario is also considered with a custom-made device attached to the ankle. With this experimental setting, 15 feature extraction methods of sEMG, including time, frequency, time/frequency domain and entropy, are analyzed based on class separability and calculation complexity, and five classification methods, each with 15 features, are estimated with respect to the accuracy rate of recognition and calculation complexity for activity monitoring and fall detection. It is shown that a high accuracy rate of recognition and a minimal calculation time for daily activity monitoring and fall detection can be achieved in the current experimental setting. Specifically, the Wilson Amplitude (WAMP) feature performs the best, and the classifier Gaussian Kernel Support Vector Machine (GK-SVM) with Permutation Entropy (PE) or WAMP results in the highest accuracy for activity monitoring with recognition rates of 97.35% and 96.43%. For fall detection, the classifier Fuzzy Min-Max Neural Network (FMMNN) has the best sensitivity and specificity at the cost of the longest calculation time, while the classifier Gaussian Kernel Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis (GK-FDA) with the feature WAMP guarantees a high sensitivity (98.70%) and specificity (98.59%) with a short calculation time (65.586 ms), making it a possible choice for pre-impact fall detection. The thorough quantitative comparison of the features and classifiers in this study supports the feasibility of a wireless, wearable sEMG sensor system for automatic activity monitoring and fall detection. PMID:28555016

Detection Thresholds of Falling Snow from Satellite-Borne Active and Passive Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Gail

2012-01-01

Precipitation, including rain and snow, is a critical part of the Earth's energy and hydrology cycles. In order to collect information on the complete global precipitation cycle and to understand the energy budget in terms of precipitation, uniform global estimates of both liquid and frozen precipitation must be collected. Active observations of falling snow are somewhat easier to estimate since the radar will detect the precipitation particles and one only needs to know surface temperature to determine if it is liquid rain or snow. The challenges of estimating falling snow from passive spaceborne observations still exist though progress is being made. While these challenges are still being addressed, knowledge of their impact on expected retrieval results is an important key for understanding falling snow retrieval estimations. Important information to assess falling snow retrievals includes knowing thresholds of detection for active and passive sensors, various sensor channel configurations, snow event system characteristics, snowflake particle assumptions, and surface types. For example, can a lake effect snow system with low (2.5 km) cloud tops having an ice water content (Iwe) at the surface of 0.25 g m-3 and dendrite snowflakes be detected? If this information is known, we can focus retrieval efforts on detectable storms and concentrate advances on achievable results. Here, the focus is to determine thresholds of detection for falling snow for various snow conditions over land and lake surfaces. The analysis relies on simulated Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) simulations of falling snow cases since simulations provide all the information to determine the measurements from space and the ground truth. Results are presented for active radar at Ku, Ka, and W-band and for passive radiometer channels from 10 to 183 GHz (Skofronick-Jackson, et al. submitted to IEEE TGRS, April 2012). The notable results show: (1) the W-Band radar has detection thresholds more than an order of magnitude lower than the future GPM sensors, (2) the cloud structure macrophysics influences the thresholds of detection for passive channels, (3) the snowflake microphysics plays a large role in the detection threshold for active and passive instruments, (4) with reasonable assumptions, the passive 166 GHz channel has detection threshold values comparable to the GPM DPR Ku and Ka band radars with 0.05 g m-3 detected at the surface, or an 0.5-1 mm hr-l melted snow rate (equivalent to 0.5-2 cm hr-l solid fluffy snowflake rate).

Performance of RASS vortex detection/measurement system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-06-01

Preliminary tests conducted by WLR Research in the Fall of 1993 showed considerable promise that a Radio Acoustic Sounding System (RASS) was capable of detecting and tracking wake vortices located in the approach glide slope. Initial testing of the R...

Unsupervised machine-learning method for improving the performance of ambulatory fall-detection systems

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Falls can cause trauma, disability and death among older people. Ambulatory accelerometer devices are currently capable of detecting falls in a controlled environment. However, research suggests that most current approaches can tend to have insufficient sensitivity and specificity in non-laboratory environments, in part because impacts can be experienced as part of ordinary daily living activities. Method We used a waist-worn wireless tri-axial accelerometer combined with digital signal processing, clustering and neural network classifiers. The method includes the application of Discrete Wavelet Transform, Regrouping Particle Swarm Optimization, Gaussian Distribution of Clustered Knowledge and an ensemble of classifiers including a multilayer perceptron and Augmented Radial Basis Function (ARBF) neural networks. Results Preliminary testing with 8 healthy individuals in a home environment yields 98.6% sensitivity to falls and 99.6% specificity for routine Activities of Daily Living (ADL) data. Single ARB and MLP classifiers were compared with a combined classifier. The combined classifier offers the greatest sensitivity, with a slight reduction in specificity for routine ADL and an increased specificity for exercise activities. In preliminary tests, the approach achieves 100% sensitivity on in-group falls, 97.65% on out-group falls, 99.33% specificity on routine ADL, and 96.59% specificity on exercise ADL. Conclusion The pre-processing and feature-extraction steps appear to simplify the signal while successfully extracting the essential features that are required to characterize a fall. The results suggest this combination of classifiers can perform better than MLP alone. Preliminary testing suggests these methods may be useful for researchers who are attempting to improve the performance of ambulatory fall-detection systems. PMID:22336100

Determination of simple thresholds for accelerometry-based parameters for fall detection.

PubMed

Kangas, Maarit; Konttila, Antti; Winblad, Ilkka; Jämsä, Timo

2007-01-01

The increasing population of elderly people is mainly living in a home-dwelling environment and needs applications to support their independency and safety. Falls are one of the major health risks that affect the quality of life among older adults. Body attached accelerometers have been used to detect falls. The placement of the accelerometric sensor as well as the fall detection algorithms are still under investigation. The aim of the present pilot study was to determine acceleration thresholds for fall detection, using triaxial accelerometric measurements at the waist, wrist, and head. Intentional falls (forward, backward, and lateral) and activities of daily living (ADL) were performed by two voluntary subjects. The results showed that measurements from the waist and head have potential to distinguish between falls and ADL. Especially, when the simple threshold-based detection was combined with posture detection after the fall, the sensitivity and specificity of fall detection were up to 100 %. On the contrary, the wrist did not appear to be an optimal site for fall detection.

Privacy-preserved behavior analysis and fall detection by an infrared ceiling sensor network.

PubMed

Tao, Shuai; Kudo, Mineichi; Nonaka, Hidetoshi

2012-12-07

An infrared ceiling sensor network system is reported in this study to realize behavior analysis and fall detection of a single person in the home environment. The sensors output multiple binary sequences from which we know the existence/non-existence of persons under the sensors. The short duration averages of the binary responses are shown to be able to be regarded as pixel values of a top-view camera, but more advantageous in the sense of preserving privacy. Using the "pixel values" as features, support vector machine classifiers succeeded in recognizing eight activities (walking, reading, etc.) performed by five subjects at an average recognition rate of 80.65%. In addition, we proposed a martingale framework for detecting falls in this system. The experimental results showed that we attained the best performance of 95.14% (F1 value), the FAR of 7.5% and the FRR of 2.0%. This accuracy is not sufficient in general but surprisingly high with such low-level information. In summary, it is shown that this system has the potential to be used in the home environment to provide personalized services and to detect abnormalities of elders who live alone.

A new microcomputer-based safety and life support system for solitary-living elderly people.

PubMed

Miyauchi, Kosuke; Yonezawa, Yoshiharu; Maki, Hiromichi; Ogawa, Hidekuni; Hahn, Allen W; Caldwell, W Morton

2003-01-01

A new safety and life support system has been developed to detect emergency situations of solitary-living elderly persons. The system employs a dual axis accelerometer, two low-power active filters, a low-power 8-bit single chip microcomputer and a personal handy phone. Body movements due to walking, running and posture changes are detected by the dual axis accelerometer and sent to the microcomputer. If the patient is in an inactive state for 5 minutes after falling, or for 64 minutes without previously falling, then the system automatically alarms the emergency situation, via the personal handy phone, to the patient's family, the fire station or the hospital.

Autoregressive-moving-average hidden Markov model for vision-based fall prediction-An application for walker robot.

PubMed

Taghvaei, Sajjad; Jahanandish, Mohammad Hasan; Kosuge, Kazuhiro

2017-01-01

Population aging of the societies requires providing the elderly with safe and dependable assistive technologies in daily life activities. Improving the fall detection algorithms can play a major role in achieving this goal. This article proposes a real-time fall prediction algorithm based on the acquired visual data of a user with walking assistive system from a depth sensor. In the lack of a coupled dynamic model of the human and the assistive walker a hybrid "system identification-machine learning" approach is used. An autoregressive-moving-average (ARMA) model is fitted on the time-series walking data to forecast the upcoming states, and a hidden Markov model (HMM) based classifier is built on the top of the ARMA model to predict falling in the upcoming time frames. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated through experiments with four subjects including an experienced physiotherapist while using a walker robot in five different falling scenarios; namely, fall forward, fall down, fall back, fall left, and fall right. The algorithm successfully predicts the fall with a rate of 84.72%.

Ice detection systems : experimental feature : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-01-01

In the fall of 1980, an experimental ice detection system was installed on the Fremont Bridge in Portland, Oregon. this bridge, which caries I-405 over the Willamette River, has a history of icing problem when the deck is wet and the temperature hove...

An online detection system for aggregate sizes and shapes based on digital image processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jianhong; Chen, Sijia

2017-02-01

Traditional aggregate size measuring methods are time-consuming, taxing, and do not deliver online measurements. A new online detection system for determining aggregate size and shape based on a digital camera with a charge-coupled device, and subsequent digital image processing, have been developed to overcome these problems. The system captures images of aggregates while falling and flat lying. Using these data, the particle size and shape distribution can be obtained in real time. Here, we calibrate this method using standard globules. Our experiments show that the maximum particle size distribution error was only 3 wt%, while the maximum particle shape distribution error was only 2 wt% for data derived from falling aggregates, having good dispersion. In contrast, the data for flat-lying aggregates had a maximum particle size distribution error of 12 wt%, and a maximum particle shape distribution error of 10 wt%; their accuracy was clearly lower than for falling aggregates. However, they performed well for single-graded aggregates, and did not require a dispersion device. Our system is low-cost and easy to install. It can successfully achieve online detection of aggregate size and shape with good reliability, and it has great potential for aggregate quality assurance.

EEG-based emergency braking intention prediction for brain-controlled driving considering one electrode falling-off.

PubMed

Huikang Wang; Luzheng Bi; Teng Teng

2017-07-01

This paper proposes a novel method of electroencephalography (EEG)-based driver emergency braking intention detection system for brain-controlled driving considering one electrode falling-off. First, whether one electrode falls off is discriminated based on EEG potentials. Then, the missing signals are estimated by using the signals collected from other channels based on multivariate linear regression. Finally, a linear decoder is applied to classify driver intentions. Experimental results show that the falling-off discrimination accuracy is 99.63% on average and the correlation coefficient and root mean squared error (RMSE) between the estimated and experimental data are 0.90 and 11.43 μV, respectively, on average. Given one electrode falls off, the system accuracy of the proposed intention prediction method is significantly higher than that of the original method (95.12% VS 79.11%) and is close to that (95.95%) of the original system under normal situations (i. e., no electrode falling-off).

Concurrent validation of an index to estimate fall risk in community dwelling seniors through a wireless sensor insole system: A pilot study.

PubMed

Di Rosa, Mirko; Hausdorff, Jeff M; Stara, Vera; Rossi, Lorena; Glynn, Liam; Casey, Monica; Burkard, Stefan; Cherubini, Antonio

2017-06-01

Falls are a major health problem for older adults with immediate effects, such as fractures and head injuries, and longer term effects including fear of falling, loss of independence, and disability. The goals of the WIISEL project were to develop an unobtrusive, self-learning and wearable system aimed at assessing gait impairments and fall risk of older adults in the home setting; assessing activity and mobility in daily living conditions; identifying decline in mobility performance and detecting falls in the home setting. The WIISEL system was based on a pair of electronic insoles, able to transfer data to a commercially available smartphone, which was used to wirelessly collect data in real time from the insoles and transfer it to a backend computer server via mobile internet connection and then onwards to a gait analysis tool. Risk of falls was calculated by the system using a novel Fall Risk Index (FRI) based on multiple gait parameters and gait pattern recognition. The system was tested by twenty-nine older users and data collected by the insoles were compared with standardized functional tests with a concurrent validity approach. The results showed that the FRI captures the risk of falls with accuracy that is similar to that of conventional performance-based tests of fall risk. These preliminary findings support the idea that theWIISEL system can be a useful research tool and may have clinical utility for long-term monitoring of fall risk at home and in the community setting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigating passage of ESA-listed juvenile fall Chinook salmon at Lower Granite Dam during winter when the fish bypass system is not operated

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kock, Tobias J.; Tiffan, Kenneth F.; Connor, William P.

2007-01-01

During the winter of 2006-07, we radio and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tagged, and released 99 juvenile fall Chinook salmon to evaluate over-wintering behavior and dam passage in the lower Snake River, Washington. All fish were released 10 km upstream of Lower Granite Dam at Granite Point in early November, 2006. Fixed radio telemetry detection sites located in the forebay and tailrace areas of Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, Ice Harbor, Bonneville dams, and at Lyle, Washington were used to monitor fish movements and dam passage through early-May 2007. Of the 99 fish released during our study, 80 passed Lower Granite Dam and were detected at downstream detection sites, 37 passed Little Goose Dam, 41 passed Lower Monumental Dam, 31 passed Ice Harbor Dam, 18 passed Lyle, WA, and 13 passed Bonneville Dam. Of the fish that passed Lower Granite Dam in the fall, 63 fish did so during the extended bypass period from November 1 through December 16. Of these fish, 53 were also detected by the PIT-tag interrogation system. Fifteen of the fish that passed Lower Granite Dam in the fall continued to pass lower Snake River dams and exit the system by the end of January. The remaining fish either died, their tags failed, or they resided in Little Goose Reservoir until spring when relatively few continued their seaward migration. Passage of tagged fish past lower Snake River dams generally declined during the winter as temperatures decreased, but increased again in the spring as temperatures and flows increased. Fish residence times in reservoirs and forebays was lengthy during the winter (up to 160 d), and varied by reservoir and time of year. We observed no diel trends in fish passage. Very few fish were detected at PIT-tag interrogation sites in the spring compared to detection by radio telemetry detection sites indicating that fish may have passed via spill. We believe that passage of overwintering juvenile fall Chinook salmon during winter is due more to chance than directed downstream movement. Since the primary route of passage during the winter is through powerhouse turbines, the potential exists for increased mortality for over-wintering juvenile fall Chinook salmon in the Snake River. Our findings that some fish can pass undetected during the winter likely bias traditional smolt-to-adult return rate calculations that are typically used to measure the success of juvenile transportation studies.

Selecting Power-Efficient Signal Features for a Low-Power Fall Detector.

PubMed

Wang, Changhong; Redmond, Stephen J; Lu, Wei; Stevens, Michael C; Lord, Stephen R; Lovell, Nigel H

2017-11-01

Falls are a serious threat to the health of older people. A wearable fall detector can automatically detect the occurrence of a fall and alert a caregiver or an emergency response service so they may deliver immediate assistance, improving the chances of recovering from fall-related injuries. One constraint of such a wearable technology is its limited battery life. Thus, minimization of power consumption is an important design concern, all the while maintaining satisfactory accuracy of the fall detection algorithms implemented on the wearable device. This paper proposes an approach for selecting power-efficient signal features such that the minimum desirable fall detection accuracy is assured. Using data collected in simulated falls, simulated activities of daily living, and real free-living trials, all using young volunteers, the proposed approach selects four features from a set of ten commonly used features, providing a power saving of 75.3%, while limiting the error rate of a binary classification decision tree fall detection algorithm to 7.1%.Falls are a serious threat to the health of older people. A wearable fall detector can automatically detect the occurrence of a fall and alert a caregiver or an emergency response service so they may deliver immediate assistance, improving the chances of recovering from fall-related injuries. One constraint of such a wearable technology is its limited battery life. Thus, minimization of power consumption is an important design concern, all the while maintaining satisfactory accuracy of the fall detection algorithms implemented on the wearable device. This paper proposes an approach for selecting power-efficient signal features such that the minimum desirable fall detection accuracy is assured. Using data collected in simulated falls, simulated activities of daily living, and real free-living trials, all using young volunteers, the proposed approach selects four features from a set of ten commonly used features, providing a power saving of 75.3%, while limiting the error rate of a binary classification decision tree fall detection algorithm to 7.1%.

Protection against impact with the ground using wearable airbags.

PubMed

Fukaya, Kiyoshi; Uchida, Mitsuya

2008-01-01

Incidental falls from heights, falls on the same level caused by slipping or tripping, and falls from wheelchair overturns are commonplace phenomena, associated with serious injuries from impact with the ground. A wearable airbag device is a countermeasure applicable to all these types of incidents. Three types of wearable airbag systems were developed and evaluated: for protection against falls from heights (Type-1), against wheelchair overturns (Type-2), and against falls on the same level (Type-3). The systems consist of an airbag, sensor, inflator, and jacket. The sensor detects the fall and the airbag inflates to protect the user. Fall tests using dummies with/without the airbags demonstrated the effectiveness of these devices. In the experiments with system Type-1, for fall heights of less than 2m, the airbags reduced the impact acceleration, and the Head Injury Criterion (HIC) values were under 1,000, the auto-crash test requirement. However, there are limits to the amount of protection afforded: in Type-1, the airbag can protect only the back of the head.; in Types-2 and 3, the fall height of the center of gravity is lower than 2m, and there is some margin of extra protective resource, which can be used to extend the protected area.

Automated Fall Detection With Quality Improvement “Rewind” to Reduce Falls in Hospital Rooms

PubMed Central

Rantz, Marilyn J.; Banerjee, Tanvi S.; Cattoor, Erin; Scott, Susan D.; Skubic, Marjorie; Popescu, Mihail

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the implementation of a fall detection and “rewind” privacy-protecting technique using the Microsoft® Kinect™ to not only detect but prevent falls from occurring in hospitalized patients. Kinect sensors were placed in six hospital rooms in a step-down unit and data were continuously logged. Prior to implementation with patients, three researchers performed a total of 18 falls (walking and then falling down or falling from the bed) and 17 non-fall events (crouching down, stooping down to tie shoe laces, and lying on the floor). All falls and non-falls were correctly identified using automated algorithms to process Kinect sensor data. During the first 8 months of data collection, processing methods were perfected to manage data and provide a “rewind” method to view events that led to falls for post-fall quality improvement process analyses. Preliminary data from this feasibility study show that using the Microsoft Kinect sensors provides detection of falls, fall risks, and facilitates quality improvement after falls in real hospital environments unobtrusively, while taking into account patient privacy. PMID:24296567

A ubiquitous and low-cost solution for movement monitoring and accident detection based on sensor fusion.

PubMed

Felisberto, Filipe; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino; Pereira, António

2014-05-21

The low average birth rate in developed countries and the increase in life expectancy have lead society to face for the first time an ageing situation. This situation associated with the World's economic crisis (which started in 2008) forces the need of equating better and more efficient ways of providing more quality of life for the elderly. In this context, the solution presented in this work proposes to tackle the problem of monitoring the elderly in a way that is not restrictive for the life of the monitored, avoiding the need for premature nursing home admissions. To this end, the system uses the fusion of sensory data provided by a network of wireless sensors placed on the periphery of the user. Our approach was also designed with a low-cost deployment in mind, so that the target group may be as wide as possible. Regarding the detection of long-term problems, the tests conducted showed that the precision of the system in identifying and discerning body postures and body movements allows for a valid monitorization and rehabilitation of the user. Moreover, concerning the detection of accidents, while the proposed solution presented a near 100% precision at detecting normal falls, the detection of more complex falls (i.e., hampered falls) will require further study.

Meteorite Fall Detection and Analysis via Weather Radar: Worldwide Potential for Citizen Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fries, M.; Bresky, C.; Laird, C.; Reddy, V.; Hankey, M.

2017-12-01

Meteorite falls can be detected using weather radars, facilitating rapid recovery of meteorites to minimize terrestrial alteration. Imagery from the US NEXRAD radar network reveals over two dozen meteorite falls where meteorites have been recovered, and about another dozen that remain unrecovered. Discovery of new meteorite falls is well suited to "citizen science" and similar outreach activities, as well as automation of computational components into internet-based search tools. Also, there are many more weather radars employed worldwide than those in the US NEXRAD system. Utilization of weather radars worldwide for meteorite recovery can not only expand citizen science opportunities but can also lead to significant improvement in the number of freshly-fallen meteorites available for research. We will discuss the methodologies behind locating and analyzing meteorite falls using weather radar, and how to make them available for citizen science efforts. An important example is the Aquarius Project, a Chicago-area consortium recently formed with the goal of recovering meteorites from Lake Michigan. This project has extensive student involvement geared toward development of actual hardware for recovering meteorites from the lake floor. Those meteorites were identified in weather radar imagery as they fell into the lake from a large meteor on 06 Feb 2017. Another example of public interaction is the meteor detection systems operated by the American Meteor Society (AMS). The AMS website has been developed to allow public reporting of meteors, effectively enabling citizen science to locate and describe significant meteor events worldwide.

Detecting falls with wearable sensors using machine learning techniques.

PubMed

Özdemir, Ahmet Turan; Barshan, Billur

2014-06-18

Falls are a serious public health problem and possibly life threatening for people in fall risk groups. We develop an automated fall detection system with wearable motion sensor units fitted to the subjects' body at six different positions. Each unit comprises three tri-axial devices (accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer/compass). Fourteen volunteers perform a standardized set of movements including 20 voluntary falls and 16 activities of daily living (ADLs), resulting in a large dataset with 2520 trials. To reduce the computational complexity of training and testing the classifiers, we focus on the raw data for each sensor in a 4 s time window around the point of peak total acceleration of the waist sensor, and then perform feature extraction and reduction. Most earlier studies on fall detection employ rule-based approaches that rely on simple thresholding of the sensor outputs. We successfully distinguish falls from ADLs using six machine learning techniques (classifiers): the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifier, least squares method (LSM), support vector machines (SVM), Bayesian decision making (BDM), dynamic time warping (DTW), and artificial neural networks (ANNs). We compare the performance and the computational complexity of the classifiers and achieve the best results with the k-NN classifier and LSM, with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy all above 99%. These classifiers also have acceptable computational requirements for training and testing. Our approach would be applicable in real-world scenarios where data records of indeterminate length, containing multiple activities in sequence, are recorded.

Hardware Design of the Energy Efficient Fall Detection Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skorodumovs, A.; Avots, E.; Hofmanis, J.; Korāts, G.

2016-04-01

Health issues for elderly people may lead to different injuries obtained during simple activities of daily living. Potentially the most dangerous are unintentional falls that may be critical or even lethal to some patients due to the heavy injury risk. In the project "Wireless Sensor Systems in Telecare Application for Elderly People", we have developed a robust fall detection algorithm for a wearable wireless sensor. To optimise the algorithm for hardware performance and test it in field, we have designed an accelerometer based wireless fall detector. Our main considerations were: a) functionality - so that the algorithm can be applied to the chosen hardware, and b) power efficiency - so that it can run for a very long time. We have picked and tested the parts, built a prototype, optimised the firmware for lowest consumption, tested the performance and measured the consumption parameters. In this paper, we discuss our design choices and present the results of our work.

Assessment of Fall Characteristics From Depth Sensor Videos.

PubMed

O'Connor, Jennifer J; Phillips, Lorraine J; Folarinde, Bunmi; Alexander, Gregory L; Rantz, Marilyn

2017-07-01

Falls are a major source of death and disability in older adults; little data, however, are available about the etiology of falls in community-dwelling older adults. Sensor systems installed in independent and assisted living residences of 105 older adults participating in an ongoing technology study were programmed to record live videos of probable fall events. Sixty-four fall video segments from 19 individuals were viewed and rated using the Falls Video Assessment Questionnaire. Raters identified that 56% (n = 36) of falls were due to an incorrect shift of body weight and 27% (n = 17) from losing support of an external object, such as an unlocked wheelchair or rolling walker. In 60% of falls, mobility aids were in the room or in use at the time of the fall. Use of environmentally embedded sensors provides a mechanism for real-time fall detection and, ultimately, may supply information to clinicians for fall prevention interventions. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(7), 13-19.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Radar fall detection using principal component analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokanovic, Branka; Amin, Moeness; Ahmad, Fauzia; Boashash, Boualem

2016-05-01

Falls are a major cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in people aged 65 years and older. Radar has the potential to become one of the leading technologies for fall detection, thereby enabling the elderly to live independently. Existing techniques for fall detection using radar are based on manual feature extraction and require significant parameter tuning in order to provide successful detections. In this paper, we employ principal component analysis for fall detection, wherein eigen images of observed motions are employed for classification. Using real data, we demonstrate that the PCA based technique provides performance improvement over the conventional feature extraction methods.

CMOS direct time interval measurement of long-lived luminescence lifetimes.

PubMed

Yao, Lei; Yung, Ka Yi; Cheung, Maurice C; Chodavarapu, Vamsy P; Bright, Frank V

2011-01-01

We describe a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Direct Time Interval Measurement (DTIM) Integrated Circuit (IC) to detect the decay (fall) time of the luminescence emission when analyte-sensitive luminophores are excited with an optical pulse. The CMOS DTIM IC includes 14 × 14 phototransistor array, transimpedance amplifier, regulated gain amplifier, fall time detector, and time-to-digital convertor. We examined the DTIM system to measure the emission lifetime of oxygen-sensitive luminophores tris(4,7-diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline) ruthenium(II) ([Ru(dpp)(3)](2+)) encapsulated in sol-gel derived xerogel thin-films. The DTIM system fabricated using TSMC 0.35 μm process functions to detect lifetimes from 4 μs to 14.4 μs but can be tuned to detect longer lifetimes. The system provides 8-bit digital output proportional to lifetimes and consumes 4.5 mW of power with 3.3 V DC supply. The CMOS system provides a useful platform for the development of reliable, robust, and miniaturized optical chemical sensors.

Distinguishing the causes of falls in humans using an array of wearable tri-axial accelerometers.

PubMed

Aziz, Omar; Park, Edward J; Mori, Greg; Robinovitch, Stephen N

2014-01-01

Falls are the number one cause of injury in older adults. Lack of objective evidence on the cause and circumstances of falls is often a barrier to effective prevention strategies. Previous studies have established the ability of wearable miniature inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyroscopes) to automatically detect falls, for the purpose of delivering medical assistance. In the current study, we extend the applications of this technology, by developing and evaluating the accuracy of wearable sensor systems for determining the cause of falls. Twelve young adults participated in experimental trials involving falls due to seven causes: slips, trips, fainting, and incorrect shifting/transfer of body weight while sitting down, standing up from sitting, reaching and turning. Features (means and variances) of acceleration data acquired from four tri-axial accelerometers during the falling trials were input to a linear discriminant analysis technique. Data from an array of three sensors (left ankle+right ankle+sternum) provided at least 83% sensitivity and 89% specificity in classifying falls due to slips, trips, and incorrect shift of body weight during sitting, reaching and turning. Classification of falls due to fainting and incorrect shift during rising was less successful across all sensor combinations. Furthermore, similar classification accuracy was observed with data from wearable sensors and a video-based motion analysis system. These results establish a basis for the development of sensor-based fall monitoring systems that provide information on the cause and circumstances of falls, to direct fall prevention strategies at a patient or population level. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of real-life accidental falls in older people with experimental falls in middle-aged test subjects.

PubMed

Kangas, M; Vikman, I; Nyberg, L; Korpelainen, R; Lindblom, J; Jämsä, T

2012-03-01

Falling is a common accident among older people. Automatic fall detectors are one method of improving security. However, in most cases, fall detectors are designed and tested with data from experimental falls in younger people. This study is one of the first to provide fall-related acceleration data obtained from real-life falls. Wireless sensors were used to collect acceleration data during a six-month test period in older people. Data from five events representing forward falls, a sideways fall, a backwards fall, and a fall out of bed were collected and compared with experimental falls performed by middle-aged test subjects. The signals from real-life falls had similar features to those from intentional falls. Real-life forward, sideways and backward falls all showed a pre impact phase and an impact phase that were in keeping with the model that was based on experimental falls. In addition, the fall out of bed had a similar acceleration profile as the experimental falls of the same type. However, there were differences in the parameters that were used for the detection of the fall phases. The beginning of the fall was detected in all of the real-life falls starting from a standing posture, whereas the high pre impact velocity was not. In some real-life falls, multiple impacts suggested protective actions. In conclusion, this study demonstrated similarities between real-life falls of older people and experimental falls of middle-aged subjects. However, some fall characteristics detected from experimental falls were not detectable in acceleration signals from corresponding heterogeneous real-life falls. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

It is always on your mind: experiences and perceptions of falling of older people and their carers and the potential of a mobile falls detection device.

PubMed

Williams, Veronika; Victor, Christina R; McCrindle, Rachel

2013-01-01

Background. Falls and fear of falling present a major risk to older people as both can affect their quality of life and independence. Mobile assistive technologies (AT) fall detection devices may maximise the potential for older people to live independently for as long as possible within their own homes by facilitating early detection of falls. Aims. To explore the experiences and perceptions of older people and their carers as to the potential of a mobile falls detection AT device. Methods. Nine focus groups with 47 participants including both older people with a range of health conditions and their carers. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Results. Four key themes were identified relating to participants' experiences and perceptions of falling and the potential impact of a mobile falls detector: cause of falling, falling as everyday vulnerability, the environmental context of falling, and regaining confidence and independence by having a mobile falls detector. Conclusion. The perceived benefits of a mobile falls detector may differ between older people and their carers. The experience of falling has to be taken into account when designing mobile assistive technology devices as these may influence perceptions of such devices and how older people utilise them.

UHF wearable battery free sensor module for activity and falling detection.

PubMed

Nam Trung Dang; Thang Viet Tran; Wan-Young Chung

2016-08-01

Falling is one of the most serious medical and social problems in aging population. Therefore taking care of the elderly by detecting activity and falling for preventing and mitigating the injuries caused by falls needs to be concerned. This study proposes a wearable, wireless, battery free ultra-high frequency (UHF) smart sensor tag module for falling and activity detection. The proposed tag is powered by UHF RF wave from reader and read by a standard UHF Electronic Product Code (EPC) Class-1 Generation-2 reader. The battery free sensor module could improve the wearability of the wireless device. The combination of accelerometer signal and received signal strength indication (RSSI) from a reader in the passive smart sensor tag detect the activity and falling of the elderly very successfully. The fabricated smart sensor tag module has an operating range of up to 2.5m and conducting in real-time activity and falling detection.

On Robustness of Deadlock Detection Algorithms for Distributed Computing Systems.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-02-01

temrs : nake it much,- ore Eff’: -ult -,o detect, avcii :r -revenn -hsr fn -,he earlier muJtiroaming centralized computing systems. :eadlock :)rever...failure of site C would not have been critical after the B ^ad ’ teen sent. The effect of a type c site (site _ in our examrle’ falling would have no

Fall detection algorithms for real-world falls harvested from lumbar sensors in the elderly population: a machine learning approach.

PubMed

Bourke, Alan K; Klenk, Jochen; Schwickert, Lars; Aminian, Kamiar; Ihlen, Espen A F; Mellone, Sabato; Helbostad, Jorunn L; Chiari, Lorenzo; Becker, Clemens

2016-08-01

Automatic fall detection will promote independent living and reduce the consequences of falls in the elderly by ensuring people can confidently live safely at home for linger. In laboratory studies inertial sensor technology has been shown capable of distinguishing falls from normal activities. However less than 7% of fall-detection algorithm studies have used fall data recorded from elderly people in real life. The FARSEEING project has compiled a database of real life falls from elderly people, to gain new knowledge about fall events and to develop fall detection algorithms to combat the problems associated with falls. We have extracted 12 different kinematic, temporal and kinetic related features from a data-set of 89 real-world falls and 368 activities of daily living. Using the extracted features we applied machine learning techniques and produced a selection of algorithms based on different feature combinations. The best algorithm employs 10 different features and produced a sensitivity of 0.88 and a specificity of 0.87 in classifying falls correctly. This algorithm can be used distinguish real-world falls from normal activities of daily living in a sensor consisting of a tri-axial accelerometer and tri-axial gyroscope located at L5.

A study of using smartphone to detect and identify construction workers' near-miss falls based on ANN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mingyuan; Cao, Tianzhuo; Zhao, Xuefeng

2018-03-01

As an effective fall accident preventive method, insight into near-miss falls provides an efficient solution to find out the causes of fall accidents, classify the type of near-miss falls and control the potential hazards. In this context, the paper proposes a method to detect and identify near-miss falls that occur when a worker walks in a workplace based on artificial neural network (ANN). The energy variation generated by workers who meet with near-miss falls is measured by sensors embedded in smart phone. Two experiments were designed to train the algorithm to identify various types of near-miss falls and test the recognition accuracy, respectively. At last, a test was conducted by workers wearing smart phones as they walked around a simulated construction workplace. The motion data was collected, processed and inputted to the trained ANN to detect and identify near-miss falls. Thresholds were obtained to measure the relationship between near-miss falls and fall accidents in a quantitate way. This approach, which integrates smart phone and ANN, will help detect near-miss fall events, identify hazardous elements and vulnerable workers, providing opportunities to eliminate dangerous conditions in a construction site or to alert possible victims that need to change their behavior before the occurrence of a fall accident.

Impact sites representing potential bruising locations associated with rearward falls in children.

PubMed

Dsouza, Raymond; Bertocci, Gina

2016-04-01

Children presenting multiple unexplained bruises can be an early sign of physical abuse. Bruising locations on the body can be an effective indicator of abusive versus accidental trauma. Additionally, childhood falls are often used as falsely reported events in child abuse, however, characterization of potential bruising locations associated with these falls does not exist. In our study we used a 12-month old pediatric anthropomorphic test device (ATD) adapted with a custom developed force sensing skin to predict potential bruising locations during rearward falls from standing. The surrogate bruising detection system measured and displayed recorded force data on a computerized body image mapping system when sensors were activated. Simulated rearward fall experiments were performed onto two different impact surfaces (padded carpet and linoleum tile over concrete) with two different initial positions (standing upright and posteriorly inclined) so that the ATD would fall rearward upon release. Findings indicated impact locations, and thus the potential for bruising in the posterior plane primarily within the occipital head and posterior torso regions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fall Down Detection Under Smart Home System.

PubMed

Juang, Li-Hong; Wu, Ming-Ni

2015-10-01

Medical technology makes an inevitable trend for the elderly population, therefore the intelligent home care is an important direction for science and technology development, in particular, elderly in-home safety management issues become more and more important. In this research, a low of operation algorithm and using the triangular pattern rule are proposed, then can quickly detect fall-down movements of humanoid by the installation of a robot with camera vision at home that will be able to judge the fall-down movements of in-home elderly people in real time. In this paper, it will present a preliminary design and experimental results of fall-down movements from body posture that utilizes image pre-processing and three triangular-mass-central points to extract the characteristics. The result shows that the proposed method would adopt some characteristic value and the accuracy can reach up to 90 % for a single character posture. Furthermore the accuracy can be up to 100 % when a continuous-time sampling criterion and support vector machine (SVM) classifier are used.

A comparison of public datasets for acceleration-based fall detection.

PubMed

Igual, Raul; Medrano, Carlos; Plaza, Inmaculada

2015-09-01

Falls are one of the leading causes of mortality among the older population, being the rapid detection of a fall a key factor to mitigate its main adverse health consequences. In this context, several authors have conducted studies on acceleration-based fall detection using external accelerometers or smartphones. The published detection rates are diverse, sometimes close to a perfect detector. This divergence may be explained by the difficulties in comparing different fall detection studies in a fair play since each study uses its own dataset obtained under different conditions. In this regard, several datasets have been made publicly available recently. This paper presents a comparison, to the best of our knowledge for the first time, of these public fall detection datasets in order to determine whether they have an influence on the declared performances. Using two different detection algorithms, the study shows that the performances of the fall detection techniques are affected, to a greater or lesser extent, by the specific datasets used to validate them. We have also found large differences in the generalization capability of a fall detector depending on the dataset used for training. In fact, the performance decreases dramatically when the algorithms are tested on a dataset different from the one used for training. Other characteristics of the datasets like the number of training samples also have an influence on the performance while algorithms seem less sensitive to the sampling frequency or the acceleration range. Copyright © 2015 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Fall-Related Severe Injuries Occurring in a Hospital

PubMed Central

Toyabe, Shin-ichi

2014-01-01

Inpatient falls are the most common adverse events that occur in a hospital, and about 3 to 10% of falls result in serious injuries such as bone fractures and intracranial haemorrhages. We previously reported that bone fractures and intracranial haemorrhages were two major fall-related injuries and that risk assessment score for osteoporotic bone fracture was significantly associated not only with bone fractures after falls but also with intracranial haemorrhage after falls. Based on the results, we tried to establish a risk assessment tool for predicting fall-related severe injuries in a hospital. Possible risk factors related to fall-related serious injuries were extracted from data on inpatients that were admitted to a tertiary-care university hospital by using multivariate Cox’ s regression analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis. We found that fall risk score and fracture risk score were the two significant factors, and we constructed models to predict fall-related severe injuries incorporating these factors. When the prediction model was applied to another independent dataset, the constructed model could detect patients with fall-related severe injuries efficiently. The new assessment system could identify patients prone to severe injuries after falls in a reproducible fashion. PMID:25168984

A Radar-Based Smart Sensor for Unobtrusive Elderly Monitoring in Ambient Assisted Living Applications.

PubMed

Diraco, Giovanni; Leone, Alessandro; Siciliano, Pietro

2017-11-24

Continuous in-home monitoring of older adults living alone aims to improve their quality of life and independence, by detecting early signs of illness and functional decline or emergency conditions. To meet requirements for technology acceptance by seniors (unobtrusiveness, non-intrusiveness, and privacy-preservation), this study presents and discusses a new smart sensor system for the detection of abnormalities during daily activities, based on ultra-wideband radar providing rich, not privacy-sensitive, information useful for sensing both cardiorespiratory and body movements, regardless of ambient lighting conditions and physical obstructions (through-wall sensing). The radar sensing is a very promising technology, enabling the measurement of vital signs and body movements at a distance, and thus meeting both requirements of unobtrusiveness and accuracy. In particular, impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar has attracted considerable attention in recent years thanks to many properties that make it useful for assisted living purposes. The proposed sensing system, evaluated in meaningful assisted living scenarios by involving 30 participants, exhibited the ability to detect vital signs, to discriminate among dangerous situations and activities of daily living, and to accommodate individual physical characteristics and habits. The reported results show that vital signs can be detected also while carrying out daily activities or after a fall event (post-fall phase), with accuracy varying according to the level of movements, reaching up to 95% and 91% in detecting respiration and heart rates, respectively. Similarly, good results were achieved in fall detection by using the micro-motion signature and unsupervised learning, with sensitivity and specificity greater than 97% and 90%, respectively.

A Radar-Based Smart Sensor for Unobtrusive Elderly Monitoring in Ambient Assisted Living Applications

PubMed Central

Leone, Alessandro; Siciliano, Pietro

2017-01-01

Continuous in-home monitoring of older adults living alone aims to improve their quality of life and independence, by detecting early signs of illness and functional decline or emergency conditions. To meet requirements for technology acceptance by seniors (unobtrusiveness, non-intrusiveness, and privacy-preservation), this study presents and discusses a new smart sensor system for the detection of abnormalities during daily activities, based on ultra-wideband radar providing rich, not privacy-sensitive, information useful for sensing both cardiorespiratory and body movements, regardless of ambient lighting conditions and physical obstructions (through-wall sensing). The radar sensing is a very promising technology, enabling the measurement of vital signs and body movements at a distance, and thus meeting both requirements of unobtrusiveness and accuracy. In particular, impulse-radio ultra-wideband radar has attracted considerable attention in recent years thanks to many properties that make it useful for assisted living purposes. The proposed sensing system, evaluated in meaningful assisted living scenarios by involving 30 participants, exhibited the ability to detect vital signs, to discriminate among dangerous situations and activities of daily living, and to accommodate individual physical characteristics and habits. The reported results show that vital signs can be detected also while carrying out daily activities or after a fall event (post-fall phase), with accuracy varying according to the level of movements, reaching up to 95% and 91% in detecting respiration and heart rates, respectively. Similarly, good results were achieved in fall detection by using the micro-motion signature and unsupervised learning, with sensitivity and specificity greater than 97% and 90%, respectively. PMID:29186786

Fall prevention: is the STRATIFY tool the right instrument in Italian Hospital inpatient? A retrospective observational study.

PubMed

Castellini, Greta; Demarchi, Antonia; Lanzoni, Monica; Castaldi, Silvana

2017-09-15

Although several risk assessment tools are in use, uncertainties on their accuracy in detecting fall risk already exist. Choosing the most accurate tool for hospital inpatient is still a challenge for the organizations. We aimed to retrospectively assess the appropriateness of a fall risk prevention program with the STRATIFY assessment tool in detecting acute-care inpatient fall risk. Number of falls and near falls, occurred from January 2014 to March 2015, was collected through the incident reporting web-system implemented in the hospital's intranet. We reported whether the fall risk was assessed with the STRATIFY assessment tool and, if so, which was the judgement. Primary outcome was the proportion of inpatients identified as high risk of fall among inpatients who fell (True Positive Rate), and the proportion of inpatients identified as low-risk that experienced a fall howsoever (False Negative Rate). Characteristics of population and fall events were described among subgroups of low risk and high risk inpatients. We collected 365 incident reports from 40 hospital units, 349 (95.6%) were real falls and 16 (4.4%) were near falls. The fall risk assessment score at patient's admission had been reported in 289 (79%) of the overall incident reports. Thus, 74 (20.3%) fallers were actually not assessed with the STRATIFY, even though the majority of them presented risk recommended to be assessed. The True Positive Rate was 35.6% (n = 101, 95% CI 30% - 41.1%). The False Negative Rate was 64.4% (n = 183, 95% CI 58.9%-70%) of fallers, nevertheless they incurred in a fall. The STRATIFY mean score was 1.3 ± 1.4; the median was 1 (IQQ 0-2). The prevention program using only the STRATIFY tool was found to be not adequate to screen our inpatients population. The incorrect identification of patients' needs leads to allocate resources to erroneous priorities and to untargeted interventions, decreasing healthcare performance and quality.

The state of knowledge on technologies and their use for fall detection: A scoping review.

PubMed

Lapierre, N; Neubauer, N; Miguel-Cruz, A; Rios Rincon, A; Liu, L; Rousseau, J

2018-03-01

Globally, populations are aging with increasing life spans. The normal aging process and the resulting disabilities increase fall risks. Falls are an important cause of injury, loss of independence and institutionalization. Technologies have been developed to detect falls and reduce their consequences but their use and impact on quality of life remain debatable. Reviews on fall detection technologies exist but are not extensive. A comprehensive literature review on the state of knowledge of fall detection technologies can inform research, practice, and user adoption. To examine the extent and the diversity of current technologies for fall detection in older adults. A scoping review design was used to search peer-reviewed literature on technologies to detect falls, published in English, French or Spanish since 2006. Data from the studies were analyzed descriptively. The literature search identified 3202 studies of which 118 were included for analysis. Ten types of technologies were identified ranging from wearable (e.g., inertial sensors) to ambient sensors (e.g., vision sensors). Their Technology Readiness Level was low (mean 4.54 SD 1.25; 95% CI [4.31, 4.77] out of a maximum of 9). Outcomes were typically evaluated on technological basis and in controlled environments. Few were evaluated in home settings or care units with older adults. Acceptability, implementation cost and barriers were seldom addressed. Further research should focus on increasing Technology Readiness Levels of fall detection technologies by testing them in real-life settings with older adults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimal fall indicators for slip induced falls on a cross-slope.

PubMed

Domone, Sarah; Lawrence, Daniel; Heller, Ben; Hendra, Tim; Mawson, Sue; Wheat, Jonathan

2016-08-01

Slip-induced falls are among the most common cause of major occupational injuries in the UK as well as being a major public health concern in the elderly population. This study aimed to determine the optimal fall indicators for fall detection models which could be used to reduce the detrimental consequences of falls. A total of 264 kinematic variables covering three-dimensional full body model translation and rotational measures were analysed during normal walking, successful recovery from slips and falls on a cross-slope. Large effect sizes were found for three kinematic variables which were able to distinguish falls from normal walking and successful recovery. Further work should consider other types of daily living activities as results show that the optimal kinematic fall indicators can vary considerably between movement types. Practitioner Summary: Fall detection models are used to minimise the adverse consequences of slip-induced falls, a major public health concern. Optimal fall indicators were derived from a comprehensive set of kinematic variables for slips on a cross-slope. Results suggest robust detection of falls is possible on a cross-slope but may be more difficult than level walking.

Fall classification by machine learning using mobile phones.

PubMed

Albert, Mark V; Kording, Konrad; Herrmann, Megan; Jayaraman, Arun

2012-01-01

Fall prevention is a critical component of health care; falls are a common source of injury in the elderly and are associated with significant levels of mortality and morbidity. Automatically detecting falls can allow rapid response to potential emergencies; in addition, knowing the cause or manner of a fall can be beneficial for prevention studies or a more tailored emergency response. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate techniques to not only reliably detect a fall but also to automatically classify the type. We asked 15 subjects to simulate four different types of falls-left and right lateral, forward trips, and backward slips-while wearing mobile phones and previously validated, dedicated accelerometers. Nine subjects also wore the devices for ten days, to provide data for comparison with the simulated falls. We applied five machine learning classifiers to a large time-series feature set to detect falls. Support vector machines and regularized logistic regression were able to identify a fall with 98% accuracy and classify the type of fall with 99% accuracy. This work demonstrates how current machine learning approaches can simplify data collection for prevention in fall-related research as well as improve rapid response to potential injuries due to falls.

A new intelligent bed care system for hospital and home patients.

PubMed

Yonezawa, Yoshiharu; Miyamoto, Yasuaki; Maki, Hiromichi; Ogawa, Hidekuni; Ninomiya, Ishio; Sada, Kouji; Hamada, Shingo; Caldwell, W Morton

2005-01-01

An intelligent bed-care system has been developed for monitoring patient movements and behavior in the hospital and at home in order to prevent injuries from falls, a major problem in health care facilities. Falls, as well as patient activity immediately preceding falls (i.e. exiting the bed), are especially dangerous when infusion extubation also occurs. This new system detects in-bed infusion fluid leaks, bleeding due to infusion-tube pullout, and urine resulting from incontinence. It employs stainless steel tape and wire noncontacting electrodes, several linear integrated circuits, and a low-power, 8-bit single-chip microcomputer The electrodes are installed between the bed mattress and sheet to record changes in an always-present alternating current (AC) voltage, which is induced on the patient's body by electrostatic coupling from a 100-V, 60-Hz alternating current power line around the bed. The microcomputer uses changes in the induced alternating current voltage to detect the patient's movements before and after leaving the bed, as well as any fluid leakage. The microcomputer alerts the nursing station, via the nurse call system or personal handy phone (PHS), that the patient is in an active state; has a dangerous posture on the bed; is contaminating the sheet due to leaking, bleeding or incontinence; or is out of bed.

History of falls, gait, balance, and fall risks in older cancer survivors living in the community.

PubMed

Huang, Min H; Shilling, Tracy; Miller, Kara A; Smith, Kristin; LaVictoire, Kayle

2015-01-01

Older cancer survivors may be predisposed to falls because cancer-related sequelae affect virtually all body systems. The use of a history of falls, gait speed, and balance tests to assess fall risks remains to be investigated in this population. This study examined the relationship of previous falls, gait, and balance with falls in community-dwelling older cancer survivors. At the baseline, demographics, health information, and the history of falls in the past year were obtained through interviewing. Participants performed tests including gait speed, Balance Evaluation Systems Test, and short-version of Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale. Falls were tracked by mailing of monthly reports for 6 months. A "faller" was a person with ≥1 fall during follow-up. Univariate analyses, including independent sample t-tests and Fisher's exact tests, compared baseline demographics, gait speed, and balance between fallers and non-fallers. For univariate analyses, Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons. Baseline variables with P<0.15 were included in a forward logistic regression model to identify factors predictive of falls with age as covariate. Sensitivity and specificity of each predictor of falls in the model were calculated. Significance level for the regression analysis was P<0.05. During follow-up, 59% of participants had one or more falls. Baseline demographics, health information, history of falls, gaits speed, and balance tests did not differ significantly between fallers and non-fallers. Forward logistic regression revealed that a history of falls was a significant predictor of falls in the final model (odds ratio =6.81; 95% confidence interval =1.594-29.074) (P<0.05). Sensitivity and specificity for correctly identifying a faller using the positive history of falls were 74% and 69%, respectively. Current findings suggested that for community-dwelling older cancer survivors with mixed diagnoses, asking about the history of falls may help detect individuals at risk of falling.

History of falls, gait, balance, and fall risks in older cancer survivors living in the community

PubMed Central

Huang, Min H; Shilling, Tracy; Miller, Kara A; Smith, Kristin; LaVictoire, Kayle

2015-01-01

Older cancer survivors may be predisposed to falls because cancer-related sequelae affect virtually all body systems. The use of a history of falls, gait speed, and balance tests to assess fall risks remains to be investigated in this population. This study examined the relationship of previous falls, gait, and balance with falls in community-dwelling older cancer survivors. At the baseline, demographics, health information, and the history of falls in the past year were obtained through interviewing. Participants performed tests including gait speed, Balance Evaluation Systems Test, and short-version of Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale. Falls were tracked by mailing of monthly reports for 6 months. A “faller” was a person with ≥1 fall during follow-up. Univariate analyses, including independent sample t-tests and Fisher’s exact tests, compared baseline demographics, gait speed, and balance between fallers and non-fallers. For univariate analyses, Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple comparisons. Baseline variables with P<0.15 were included in a forward logistic regression model to identify factors predictive of falls with age as covariate. Sensitivity and specificity of each predictor of falls in the model were calculated. Significance level for the regression analysis was P<0.05. During follow-up, 59% of participants had one or more falls. Baseline demographics, health information, history of falls, gaits speed, and balance tests did not differ significantly between fallers and non-fallers. Forward logistic regression revealed that a history of falls was a significant predictor of falls in the final model (odds ratio =6.81; 95% confidence interval =1.594–29.074) (P<0.05). Sensitivity and specificity for correctly identifying a faller using the positive history of falls were 74% and 69%, respectively. Current findings suggested that for community-dwelling older cancer survivors with mixed diagnoses, asking about the history of falls may help detect individuals at risk of falling. PMID:26425079

Is Your School Truly Fire-Safe?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Carol Silverman

1995-01-01

Though most people assume that their schools are protected by smoke alarms and sprinkler systems, many are not. Older schools can fall through fire-code loopholes. Some schools have insufficient fire detection systems. Sprinkler systems can be too expensive for schools. Parents should educate themselves and insist on fire safety. (SM)

Event detection in an assisted living environment.

PubMed

Stroiescu, Florin; Daly, Kieran; Kuris, Benjamin

2011-01-01

This paper presents the design of a wireless event detection and in building location awareness system. The systems architecture is based on using a body worn sensor to detect events such as falls where they occur in an assisted living environment. This process involves developing event detection algorithms and transmitting such events wirelessly to an in house network based on the 802.15.4 protocol. The network would then generate alerts both in the assisted living facility and remotely to an offsite monitoring facility. The focus of this paper is on the design of the system architecture and the compliance challenges in applying this technology.

Analysis of a Smartphone-Based Architecture with Multiple Mobility Sensors for Fall Detection with Supervised Learning

PubMed Central

Santoyo-Ramón, José Antonio

2018-01-01

This paper describes a wearable Fall Detection System (FDS) based on a body-area network consisting of four nodes provided with inertial sensors and Bluetooth wireless interfaces. The signals captured by the nodes are sent to a smartphone which simultaneously acts as another sensing point. In contrast to many FDSs proposed by the literature (which only consider a single sensor), the multisensory nature of the prototype is utilized to investigate the impact of the number and the positions of the sensors on the effectiveness of the production of the fall detection decision. In particular, the study assesses the capability of four popular machine learning algorithms to discriminate the dynamics of the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and falls generated by a set of experimental subjects, when the combined use of the sensors located on different parts of the body is considered. Prior to this, the election of the statistics that optimize the characterization of the acceleration signals and the efficacy of the FDS is also investigated. As another important methodological novelty in this field, the statistical significance of all the results (an aspect which is usually neglected by other works) is validated by an analysis of variance (ANOVA). PMID:29642638

Monitoring of bedridden patients: development of a fall detection tool.

PubMed

Vilas-Boas, M; Silva, P; Cunha, S R; Correia, M V

2013-01-01

Falls of patients are an important issue in hospitals nowadays; it causes severe injuries, increases hospitalization time and treatment costs. The detection of a fall, in time, provides faster rescue to the patient, preventing more serious injuries, as well as saving nursing time. The MovinSense® is an electronic device designed for monitoring patients to prevent pressure sores, and the main goal of this work was to develop a new tool for this device, with the purpose of detecting if the patient has fallen from the hospital bed, without changing any of the device's original features. Experiments for gathering data samples of inertial signals of falling from the bed were obtained using the device. For fall detection a sensitivity of 72% and specificity of 100% were reached. Another algorithm was developed to detect if the patient got out of his/her bed.

A smart room for hospitalised elderly people: essay of modelling and first steps of an experiment.

PubMed

Rialle, V; Lauvernay, N; Franco, A; Piquard, J F; Couturier, P

1999-01-01

We present a study of modelling and the first steps of an experiment of a smart room for hospitalised elderly people. The system aims at detecting falls and sicknesses, and implements four main functions: perception of patient and environment through sensors, reasoning from perceived events and patient clinical findings, action by way of alarm triggering and message passing to medical staff, and adaptation to various patient profiles, sensor layouts, house fixtures and architecture. It includes a physical multisensory device located in the patient's room, and a multi-agent system for fall detection and alarm triggering. This system encompasses a perception agent, and a reasoning agent. The latter has two complementary capacities implemented by sub-agents: deduction of type of alarm from incoming events, and knowledge induction from recorded events. The system has been tested with a few patients in real clinical situation, and the first experiment provides encouraging results which are described in a precise manner.

Kinect4FOG: monitoring and improving mobility in people with Parkinson's using a novel system incorporating the Microsoft Kinect v2.

PubMed

Amini, Amin; Banitsas, Konstantinos; Young, William R

2018-05-23

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative condition associated with several motor symptoms including tremors and slowness of movement. Freezing of gait (FOG); the sensation of one's feet being "glued" to the floor, is one of the most debilitating symptoms associated with advanced Parkinson's. FOG not only contributes to falls and related injuries, but also compromises quality of life as people often avoid engaging in functional daily activities both inside and outside the home. In the current study, we describe a novel system designed to detect FOG and falling in people with Parkinson's (PwP) as well as monitoring and improving their mobility using laser-based visual cues cast by an automated laser system. The system utilizes a RGB-D sensor based on Microsoft Kinect v2 and a laser casting system consisting of two servo motors and an Arduino microcontroller. This system was evaluated by 15 PwP with FOG. Here, we present details of the system along with a summary of feedback provided by PwP. Despite limitations regarding its outdoor use, feedback was very positive in terms of domestic usability and convenience, where 12/15 PwP showed interest in installing and using the system at their homes. Implications for Rehabilitation Providing an automatic and remotely manageable monitoring system for PwP gait analysis and fall detection. Providing an automatic, unobtrusive and dynamic visual cue system for PwP based on laser line projection. Gathering feedback from PwP about the practical usage of the implemented system through focus group events.

Laboratory review: the role of gait analysis in seniors' mobility and fall prevention.

PubMed

Bridenbaugh, Stephanie A; Kressig, Reto W

2011-01-01

Walking is a complex motor task generally performed automatically by healthy adults. Yet, by the elderly, walking is often no longer performed automatically. Older adults require more attention for motor control while walking than younger adults. Falls, often with serious consequences, can be the result. Gait impairments are one of the biggest risk factors for falls. Several studies have identified changes in certain gait parameters as independent predictors of fall risk. Such gait changes are often too discrete to be detected by clinical observation alone. At the Basel Mobility Center, we employ the GAITRite electronic walkway system for spatial-temporal gait analysis. Although we have a large range of indications for gait analyses and several areas of clinical research, our focus is on the association between gait and cognition. Gait analysis with walking as a single-task condition alone is often insufficient to reveal underlying gait disorders present during normal, everyday activities. We use a dual-task paradigm, walking while simultaneously performing a second cognitive task, to assess the effects of divided attention on motor performance and gait control. Objective quantification of such clinically relevant gait changes is necessary to determine fall risk. Early detection of gait disorders and fall risk permits early intervention and, in the best-case scenario, fall prevention. We and others have shown that rhythmic movement training such as Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics, tai chi and social dancing can improve gait regularity and automaticity, thus increasing gait safety and reducing fall risk. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Enhancing Home Health Mobile Phone App Usability Through General Smartphone Training: Usability and Learnability Case Study

PubMed Central

Harte, Richard; Hall, Tony; Glynn, Liam; Rodríguez-Molinero, Alejandro; Scharf, Thomas; ÓLaighin, Gearóid

2018-01-01

Background Each year, millions of older adults fall, with more than 1 out of 4 older people experiencing a fall annually, thereby causing a major social and economic impact. Falling once doubles one’s chances of falling again, making fall prediction an important aspect of preventative strategies. In this study, 22 older adults aged between 65 and 85 years were trained in the use of a smartphone-based fall prediction system. The system is designed to continuously assess fall risk by measuring various gait and balance parameters using a smart insole and smartphone, and is also designed to detect falls. The use case of the fall prediction system in question required the users to interact with the smartphone via an app for device syncing, data uploads, and checking system status. Objective The objective of this study was to observe the effect that basic smartphone training could have on the user experience of a group that is not technically proficient with smartphones when using a new connected health system. It was expected that even short rudimentary training could have a large effect on user experience and therefore increase the chances of the group accepting the new technology. Methods All participants received training on how to use the system smartphone app; half of the participants (training group) also received extra training on how to use basic functions of the smartphone, such as making calls and sending text messages, whereas the other half did not receive this extra training (no extra training group). Comparison of training group and no extra training group was carried out using metrics such as satisfaction rating, time taken to complete tasks, cues required to complete tasks, and errors made during tasks. Results The training group fared better in the first 3 days of using the system. There were significant recorded differences in number of cues required and errors committed between the two groups. By the fourth and fifth day of use, both groups were performing at the same level when using the system. Conclusions Supplementary basic smartphone training may be critical in trials where a smartphone app–based system for health intervention purposes is being introduced to a population that is not proficient with technology. This training could prevent early technology rejection and increase the engagement of older participants and their overall user experience with the system. PMID:29699969

Unified framework for triaxial accelerometer-based fall event detection and classification using cumulants and hierarchical decision tree classifier.

PubMed

Kambhampati, Satya Samyukta; Singh, Vishal; Manikandan, M Sabarimalai; Ramkumar, Barathram

2015-08-01

In this Letter, the authors present a unified framework for fall event detection and classification using the cumulants extracted from the acceleration (ACC) signals acquired using a single waist-mounted triaxial accelerometer. The main objective of this Letter is to find suitable representative cumulants and classifiers in effectively detecting and classifying different types of fall and non-fall events. It was discovered that the first level of the proposed hierarchical decision tree algorithm implements fall detection using fifth-order cumulants and support vector machine (SVM) classifier. In the second level, the fall event classification algorithm uses the fifth-order cumulants and SVM. Finally, human activity classification is performed using the second-order cumulants and SVM. The detection and classification results are compared with those of the decision tree, naive Bayes, multilayer perceptron and SVM classifiers with different types of time-domain features including the second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-order cumulants and the signal magnitude vector and signal magnitude area. The experimental results demonstrate that the second- and fifth-order cumulant features and SVM classifier can achieve optimal detection and classification rates of above 95%, as well as the lowest false alarm rate of 1.03%.

Towards the run and walk activity classification through step detection--an android application.

PubMed

Oner, Melis; Pulcifer-Stump, Jeffry A; Seeling, Patrick; Kaya, Tolga

2012-01-01

Falling is one of the most common accidents with potentially irreversible consequences, especially considering special groups, such as the elderly or disabled. One approach to solve this issue would be an early detection of the falling event. Towards reaching the goal of early fall detection, we have worked on distinguishing and monitoring some basic human activities such as walking and running. Since we plan to implement the system mostly for seniors and the disabled, simplicity of the usage becomes very important. We have successfully implemented an algorithm that would not require the acceleration sensor to be fixed in a specific position (the smart phone itself in our application), whereas most of the previous research dictates the sensor to be fixed in a certain direction. This algorithm reviews data from the accelerometer to determine if a user has taken a step or not and keeps track of the total amount of steps. After testing, the algorithm was more accurate than a commercial pedometer in terms of comparing outputs to the actual number of steps taken by the user.

Chair rise transfer detection and analysis using a pendant sensor: an algorithm for fall risk assessment in older people.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Regterschot, G Ruben H; Wahle, Fabian; Geraedts, Hilde; Baldus, Heribert; Zijlstra, Wiebren

2014-01-01

Falls result in substantial disability, morbidity, and mortality among older people. Early detection of fall risks and timely intervention can prevent falls and injuries due to falls. Simple field tests, such as repeated chair rise, are used in clinical assessment of fall risks in older people. Development of on-body sensors introduces potential beneficial alternatives for traditional clinical methods. In this article, we present a pendant sensor based chair rise detection and analysis algorithm for fall risk assessment in older people. The recall and the precision of the transfer detection were 85% and 87% in standard protocol, and 61% and 89% in daily life activities. Estimation errors of chair rise performance indicators: duration, maximum acceleration, peak power and maximum jerk were tested in over 800 transfers. Median estimation error in transfer peak power ranged from 1.9% to 4.6% in various tests. Among all the performance indicators, maximum acceleration had the lowest median estimation error of 0% and duration had the highest median estimation error of 24% over all tests. The developed algorithm might be feasible for continuous fall risk assessment in older people.

Automated fall detection on privacy-enhanced video.

PubMed

Edgcomb, Alex; Vahid, Frank

2012-01-01

A privacy-enhanced video obscures the appearance of a person in the video. We consider four privacy enhancements: blurring of the person, silhouetting of the person, covering the person with a graphical box, and covering the person with a graphical oval. We demonstrate that an automated video-based fall detection algorithm can be as accurate on privacy-enhanced video as on raw video. The algorithm operated on video from a stationary in-home camera, using a foreground-background segmentation algorithm to extract a minimum bounding rectangle (MBR) around the motion in the video, and using time series shapelet analysis on the height and width of the rectangle to detect falls. We report accuracy applying fall detection on 23 scenarios depicted as raw video and privacy-enhanced videos involving a sole actor portraying normal activities and various falls. We found that fall detection on privacy-enhanced video, except for the common approach of blurring of the person, was competitive with raw video, and in particular that the graphical oval privacy enhancement yielded the same accuracy as raw video, namely 0.91 sensitivity and 0.92 specificity.

An Event-Triggered Machine Learning Approach for Accelerometer-Based Fall Detection.

PubMed

Putra, I Putu Edy Suardiyana; Brusey, James; Gaura, Elena; Vesilo, Rein

2017-12-22

The fixed-size non-overlapping sliding window (FNSW) and fixed-size overlapping sliding window (FOSW) approaches are the most commonly used data-segmentation techniques in machine learning-based fall detection using accelerometer sensors. However, these techniques do not segment by fall stages (pre-impact, impact, and post-impact) and thus useful information is lost, which may reduce the detection rate of the classifier. Aligning the segment with the fall stage is difficult, as the segment size varies. We propose an event-triggered machine learning (EvenT-ML) approach that aligns each fall stage so that the characteristic features of the fall stages are more easily recognized. To evaluate our approach, two publicly accessible datasets were used. Classification and regression tree (CART), k -nearest neighbor ( k -NN), logistic regression (LR), and the support vector machine (SVM) were used to train the classifiers. EvenT-ML gives classifier F-scores of 98% for a chest-worn sensor and 92% for a waist-worn sensor, and significantly reduces the computational cost compared with the FNSW- and FOSW-based approaches, with reductions of up to 8-fold and 78-fold, respectively. EvenT-ML achieves a significantly better F-score than existing fall detection approaches. These results indicate that aligning feature segments with fall stages significantly increases the detection rate and reduces the computational cost.

Doppler radar fall activity detection using the wavelet transform.

PubMed

Su, Bo Yu; Ho, K C; Rantz, Marilyn J; Skubic, Marjorie

2015-03-01

We propose in this paper the use of Wavelet transform (WT) to detect human falls using a ceiling mounted Doppler range control radar. The radar senses any motions from falls as well as nonfalls due to the Doppler effect. The WT is very effective in distinguishing the falls from other activities, making it a promising technique for radar fall detection in nonobtrusive inhome elder care applications. The proposed radar fall detector consists of two stages. The prescreen stage uses the coefficients of wavelet decomposition at a given scale to identify the time locations in which fall activities may have occurred. The classification stage extracts the time-frequency content from the wavelet coefficients at many scales to form a feature vector for fall versus nonfall classification. The selection of different wavelet functions is examined to achieve better performance. Experimental results using the data from the laboratory and real inhome environments validate the promising and robust performance of the proposed detector.

Investigating passage of ESA-listed juvenile fall Chinook salmon at Lower Granite Dam during winter when the fish bypass system is not operated. 2006 Annual Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tiffan, Kenneth F.; Kock, Tobias J.; Connor, William P.

2007-01-01

During the winter of 2005-06, we radio and PIT tagged and released 48 juvenile fall Chinook salmon to evaluate over-wintering behavior and dam passage in the lower Snake River, Washington. Fish were released at the upstream end of the Lower Granite Dam forebay in November and December 2005. Fixed radio telemetry detection sites located in forebay and tailrace areas of Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental and Ice Harbor dams were used to monitor fish movements and dam passage through early-May 2006. Of the 48 fish released during our study, 39 (81 %) passed Lower Granite Dam and were detected at downstream detection sites, 29 (60%) passed Little Goose Dam, 25 (52%) passed Lower Monumental Dam, and 15 (31%) passed Ice Harbor Dam. Thirty-seven (95%), 23 (79%), 16 (64%), and 9 (60%) of the fish that passed Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, and Ice Harbor dams respectively, did so when the fish bypass system was not operated. Passage of tagged fish past lower Snake River dams generally declined during the winter, but increased again after bypass began in April. Fish residence times in reservoirs and forebays was lengthy during the winter (up to 118 d), and varied by reservoir and time of year. We observed no diel passage trends. Only 15 of the 48 fish were subsequently detected at a PIT-tag interrogation site the following spring. We believe that passage of overwintering juvenile fall Chinook salmon during winter is due more to chance than directed downstream movement. Since the primary route of passage during the winter is through powerhouse turbines, the potential exists for increased mortality for over-wintering juvenile fall Chinook salmon in the Snake River. Our findings also have implications for transportation studies of subyearling fall Chinook salmon in the Snake River. Specifically, the finding that some fish can pass undetected during the winter may bias smolt-to-adult return rate calculations that are typically used to measure the success of the aforementioned management actions.

The Intelligent Transportation Systems Public Safety Program : opportunities for technological advancement in detecting, responding, and recovering from community emergencies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

During the summer and fall of 2000, a group of high level public safety and transportation officials was brought together by the US Department of Transportations (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program to consider the interaction bet...

Apparatus for detecting a condition of a medication infusion system and providing an informational signal in response thereto

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fischell, Robert E. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

A medication infusion system having a means for providing an informational signal when (1) medication in the reservoir falls below a threshold level; (2) a fluid leak occurs in different portions of the system; and (3) the intended medication pumping does not correlate with the pumping actually affected.

Fall incidents unraveled: a series of 26 video-based real-life fall events in three frail older persons

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background For prevention and detection of falls, it is essential to unravel the way in which older people fall. This study aims to provide a description of video-based real-life fall events and to examine real-life falls using the classification system by Noury and colleagues, which divides a fall into four phases (the prefall, critical, postfall and recovery phase). Methods Observational study of three older persons at high risk for falls, residing in assisted living or residential care facilities: a camera system was installed in each participant’s room covering all areas, using a centralized PC platform in combination with standard Internet Protocol (IP) cameras. After a fall, two independent researchers analyzed recorded images using the camera position with the clearest viewpoint. Results A total of 30 falls occurred of which 26 were recorded on camera over 17 months. Most falls happened in the morning or evening (62%), when no other persons were present (88%). Participants mainly fell backward (initial fall direction and landing configuration) on the pelvis or torso and none could get up unaided. In cases where a call alarm was used (54%), an average of 70 seconds (SD=64; range 15–224) was needed to call for help. Staff responded to the call after an average of eight minutes (SD=8.4; range 2–33). Mean time on the ground was 28 minutes (SD=25.4; range 2–59) without using a call alarm compared to 11 minutes (SD=9.2; range 3–38) when using a call alarm (p=0.445). The real life falls were comparable with the prefall and recovery phase of Noury’s classification system. The critical phase, however, showed a prolonged duration in all falls. We suggest distinguishing two separate phases: a prolonged loss of balance phase and the actual descending phase after failure to recover balance, resulting in the impact of the body on the ground. In contrast to the theoretical description, the postfall phase was not typically characterized by inactivity; this depended on the individual. Conclusions This study contributes to a better understanding of the fall process in private areas of assisted living and residential care settings in older persons at high risk for falls. PMID:24090211

Review of fall detection techniques: A data availability perspective.

PubMed

Khan, Shehroz S; Hoey, Jesse

2017-01-01

A fall is an abnormal activity that occurs rarely; however, missing to identify falls can have serious health and safety implications on an individual. Due to the rarity of occurrence of falls, there may be insufficient or no training data available for them. Therefore, standard supervised machine learning methods may not be directly applied to handle this problem. In this paper, we present a taxonomy for the study of fall detection from the perspective of availability of fall data. The proposed taxonomy is independent of the type of sensors used and specific feature extraction/selection methods. The taxonomy identifies different categories of classification methods for the study of fall detection based on the availability of their data during training the classifiers. Then, we present a comprehensive literature review within those categories and identify the approach of treating a fall as an abnormal activity to be a plausible research direction. We conclude our paper by discussing several open research problems in the field and pointers for future research. Copyright © 2016 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flight Tests of the Turbulence Prediction and Warning System (TPAWS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, David W.; Proctor, Fred H.; Ahmad, Nashat N.

2012-01-01

Flight tests of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Turbulence Prediction And Warning System (TPAWS) were conducted in the Fall of 2000 and Spring of 2002. TPAWS is a radar-based airborne turbulence detection system. During twelve flights, NASA's B-757 tallied 53 encounters with convectively induced turbulence. Analysis of data collected during 49 encounters in the Spring of 2002 showed that the TPAWS Airborne Turbulence Detection System (ATDS) successfully detected 80% of the events at least 30 seconds prior to the encounter, achieving FAA recommended performance criteria. Details of the flights, the prevailing weather conditions, and each of the turbulence events are presented in this report. Sensor and environmental characterizations are also provided.

Enhancing Home Health Mobile Phone App Usability Through General Smartphone Training: Usability and Learnability Case Study.

PubMed

Harte, Richard; Hall, Tony; Glynn, Liam; Rodríguez-Molinero, Alejandro; Scharf, Thomas; Quinlan, Leo R; ÓLaighin, Gearóid

2018-04-26

Each year, millions of older adults fall, with more than 1 out of 4 older people experiencing a fall annually, thereby causing a major social and economic impact. Falling once doubles one’s chances of falling again, making fall prediction an important aspect of preventative strategies. In this study, 22 older adults aged between 65 and 85 years were trained in the use of a smartphone-based fall prediction system. The system is designed to continuously assess fall risk by measuring various gait and balance parameters using a smart insole and smartphone, and is also designed to detect falls. The use case of the fall prediction system in question required the users to interact with the smartphone via an app for device syncing, data uploads, and checking system status. The objective of this study was to observe the effect that basic smartphone training could have on the user experience of a group that is not technically proficient with smartphones when using a new connected health system. It was expected that even short rudimentary training could have a large effect on user experience and therefore increase the chances of the group accepting the new technology. All participants received training on how to use the system smartphone app; half of the participants (training group) also received extra training on how to use basic functions of the smartphone, such as making calls and sending text messages, whereas the other half did not receive this extra training (no extra training group). Comparison of training group and no extra training group was carried out using metrics such as satisfaction rating, time taken to complete tasks, cues required to complete tasks, and errors made during tasks. The training group fared better in the first 3 days of using the system. There were significant recorded differences in number of cues required and errors committed between the two groups. By the fourth and fifth day of use, both groups were performing at the same level when using the system. Supplementary basic smartphone training may be critical in trials where a smartphone app–based system for health intervention purposes is being introduced to a population that is not proficient with technology. This training could prevent early technology rejection and increase the engagement of older participants and their overall user experience with the system. ©Richard Harte, Tony Hall, Liam Glynn, Alejandro Rodríguez-Molinero, Thomas Scharf, Leo R Quinlan, Gearóid ÓLaighin. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (http://humanfactors.jmir.org), 26.04.2018.

Falling Person Detection Using Multi-Sensor Signal Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toreyin, B. Ugur; Soyer, A. Birey; Onaran, Ibrahim; Cetin, E. Enis

2007-12-01

Falls are one of the most important problems for frail and elderly people living independently. Early detection of falls is vital to provide a safe and active lifestyle for elderly. Sound, passive infrared (PIR) and vibration sensors can be placed in a supportive home environment to provide information about daily activities of an elderly person. In this paper, signals produced by sound, PIR and vibration sensors are simultaneously analyzed to detect falls. Hidden Markov Models are trained for regular and unusual activities of an elderly person and a pet for each sensor signal. Decisions of HMMs are fused together to reach a final decision.

Study on Walking Training System using High-Performance Shoes constructed with Rubber Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayakawa, Y.; Kawanaka, S.; Kanezaki, K.; Doi, S.

2016-09-01

The number of accidental falls has been increasing among the elderly as society has aged. The main factor is a deteriorating center of balance due to declining physical performance. Another major factor is that the elderly tend to have bowlegged walking and their center of gravity position of the body tend to swing from side to side during walking. To find ways to counteract falls among the elderly, we developed walking training system to treat the gap in the center of balance. We also designed High-Performance Shoes that showed the status of a person's balance while walking. We also produced walk assistance from the insole in which insole stiffness corresponded to human sole distribution could be changed to correct the person's walking status. We constructed our High- Performances Shoes to detect pressure distribution during walking. Comparing normal sole distribution patterns and corrected ones, we confirmed that our assistance system helped change the user's posture, thereby reducing falls among the elderly.

A fuzzy logic control in adjustable autonomy of a multi-agent system for an automated elderly movement monitoring application.

PubMed

Mostafa, Salama A; Mustapha, Aida; Mohammed, Mazin Abed; Ahmad, Mohd Sharifuddin; Mahmoud, Moamin A

2018-04-01

Autonomous agents are being widely used in many systems, such as ambient assisted-living systems, to perform tasks on behalf of humans. However, these systems usually operate in complex environments that entail uncertain, highly dynamic, or irregular workload. In such environments, autonomous agents tend to make decisions that lead to undesirable outcomes. In this paper, we propose a fuzzy-logic-based adjustable autonomy (FLAA) model to manage the autonomy of multi-agent systems that are operating in complex environments. This model aims to facilitate the autonomy management of agents and help them make competent autonomous decisions. The FLAA model employs fuzzy logic to quantitatively measure and distribute autonomy among several agents based on their performance. We implement and test this model in the Automated Elderly Movements Monitoring (AEMM-Care) system, which uses agents to monitor the daily movement activities of elderly users and perform fall detection and prevention tasks in a complex environment. The test results show that the FLAA model improves the accuracy and performance of these agents in detecting and preventing falls. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Population Dynamics of Adult Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and Shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) Suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, 2006-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barry, Patrick M.; Janney, Eric C.; Hewitt, David A.; Hayes, Brian S.; Scott, Alta C.

2009-01-01

We report results from ongoing research into the population dynamics of endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California. Results are included for sampling that occurred from fall 2006 to spring 2008. We summarize catches and passive integrated transponder tagging efforts from trammel net sampling in fall 2006 and fall 2007, and report on detections of tagged suckers on remote antennas in the primary spawning tributary, Willow Creek, in spring 2007 and spring 2008. Results from trammel net sampling were similar to previous years, although catches of suckers in fall 2006 were lower than in 2007 and past years. Lost River and shortnose suckers combined made up about 80 percent of the sucker catch in each year, and more than 2,000 new fish were tagged across the 2 years. Only a small number of the suckers captured in fall sampling were recaptures of previously tagged fish, reinforcing the importance of remote detections of fish for capture-recapture analysis. Detections of tagged suckers in Willow Creek were low in spring 2007, presumably because of low flows. Nonetheless, the proportions of tagged fish that were detected were reasonably high and capture-recapture analyses should be possible after another year of data collection. Run timing for Lost River and shortnose suckers was well described by first detections of individuals by antennas in Willow Creek, although we may not have installed the antennas early enough in 2008 to monitor the earliest portion of the Lost River sucker migration. The duration and magnitude of the spawning runs for both species were influenced by flows and water temperature. Flows in Willow Creek were much higher in 2008 than in 2007, and far more detections were recorded in 2008 and the migrations were more protracted. In both years and for both species, migrations began in early March at water temperatures between 5 and 6 deg C and peaks were related to periods of increasing water temperature. The sex ratio of Lost River suckers detected in Willow Creek was skewed toward males, despite consistently more females having been tagged in fall sampling. This pattern indicates that some tagged female Lost River suckers may be spawning elsewhere in the system, and we intend to investigate this possibility to verify or alter the representativeness of our spring monitoring. Length frequency analysis of fall trammel net catches showed that the populations of both species in Clear Lake Reservoir have undergone major demographic transitions during the last 15 years. In the mid-1990s, the populations were dominated by larger fish and showed little evidence of recent recruitment. These larger fish apparently disappeared in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the populations are now dominated by fish that recruited into the adult populations in the late 1990s. The length frequencies from the last 4 years provide evidence of consistent recruitment into the Lost River sucker population, but provide no such evidence for the shortnose sucker population. Overall, annual growth rates for both species in Clear Lake were 2-4 times greater than growth rates for conspecifics in Upper Klamath Lake. However, little or no growth occurred for either species in Clear Lake between 2006 and 2007. Based on available evidence, we are unable to fully explain differences in growth rates between systems or among years within Clear Lake.

How Accurately Can Your Wrist Device Recognize Daily Activities and Detect Falls?

PubMed Central

Gjoreski, Martin; Gjoreski, Hristijan; Luštrek, Mitja; Gams, Matjaž

2016-01-01

Although wearable accelerometers can successfully recognize activities and detect falls, their adoption in real life is low because users do not want to wear additional devices. A possible solution is an accelerometer inside a wrist device/smartwatch. However, wrist placement might perform poorly in terms of accuracy due to frequent random movements of the hand. In this paper we perform a thorough, large-scale evaluation of methods for activity recognition and fall detection on four datasets. On the first two we showed that the left wrist performs better compared to the dominant right one, and also better compared to the elbow and the chest, but worse compared to the ankle, knee and belt. On the third (Opportunity) dataset, our method outperformed the related work, indicating that our feature-preprocessing creates better input data. And finally, on a real-life unlabeled dataset the recognized activities captured the subject’s daily rhythm and activities. Our fall-detection method detected all of the fast falls and minimized the false positives, achieving 85% accuracy on the first dataset. Because the other datasets did not contain fall events, only false positives were evaluated, resulting in 9 for the second, 1 for the third and 15 for the real-life dataset (57 days data). PMID:27258282

AMSNEXRAD-Automated detection of meteorite strewnfields in doppler weather radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hankey, Michael; Fries, Marc; Matson, Rob; Fries, Jeff

2017-09-01

For several years meteorite recovery in the United States has been greatly enhanced by using Doppler weather radar images to determine possible fall zones for meteorites produced by witnessed fireballs. While most fireball events leave no record on the Doppler radar, some large fireballs do. Based on the successful recovery of 10 meteorite falls 'under the radar', and the discovery of radar on more than 10 historic falls, it is believed that meteoritic dust and or actual meteorites falling to the ground have been recorded on Doppler weather radar (Fries et al., 2014). Up until this point, the process of detecting the radar signatures associated with meteorite falls has been a manual one and dependent on prior accurate knowledge of the fall time and estimated ground track. This manual detection process is labor intensive and can take several hours per event. Recent technological developments by NOAA now help enable the automation of these tasks. This in combination with advancements by the American Meteor Society (Hankey et al., 2014) in the tracking and plotting of witnessed fireballs has opened the possibility for automatic detection of meteorites in NEXRAD Radar Archives. Here in the processes for fireball triangulation, search area determination, radar interfacing, data extraction, storage, search, detection and plotting are explained.

Battery control system for hybrid vehicle and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle battery

DOEpatents

Bockelmann, Thomas R [Battle Creek, MI; Hope, Mark E [Marshall, MI; Zou, Zhanjiang [Battle Creek, MI; Kang, Xiaosong [Battle Creek, MI

2009-02-10

A battery control system for hybrid vehicle includes a hybrid powertrain battery, a vehicle accessory battery, and a prime mover driven generator adapted to charge the vehicle accessory battery. A detecting arrangement is configured to monitor the vehicle accessory battery's state of charge. A controller is configured to activate the prime mover to drive the generator and recharge the vehicle accessory battery in response to the vehicle accessory battery's state of charge falling below a first predetermined level, or transfer electrical power from the hybrid powertrain battery to the vehicle accessory battery in response to the vehicle accessory battery's state of charge falling below a second predetermined level. The invention further includes a method for controlling a hybrid vehicle powertrain system.

Tracheal wheezes during methacholine airway challenge (MAC) in workers exposed to occupational hazards.

PubMed

Bohadana, A B; Massin, N; Teculescu, D; Peslin, R

1994-09-01

Methacholine airway challenge (MAC) is a simple and useful means to assess bronchial hyperreactivity in workers exposed to various occupational hazards. Recently, wheeze detection by tracheal auscultation has been proposed as an indicator of bronchial responsiveness during bronchial provocation test in children. Our aim was to examine the relationship between the appearance of wheezes and the concurrent changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) observed during MAC test in adults. Three cumulative doses of a methacholine solution (100 micrograms, 500 micrograms and 1500 micrograms) were inhaled by 45 workers with occupational exposure to flour dust. Spirometry was done using an electronic spirometer. Tracheal sounds were recorded with an electronic stethoscope placed over the anterior cervical triangle, 2 cm above the sternal notch. The amplified sounds were stored on magnetic tape, band-pass filtered (50-2000 Hz), and digitized at a sampling rate of 4096 Hz into a GenRad Vibration Control System. Wheezes were detected by fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis and their presence compared to a 20% fall in FEV1. A positive MAC test by spirometry was found in 12 subjects whereas wheezes were identified in 14 subjects. Among the wheezing subjects, nine had a positive MAC test (range of fall in FEV1 = 20.6 to 42.3%) and five had a negative one (range of fall in FEV1 = 3.6 to 16.9%). Moreover, no wheezes were found in the remaining three subjects with a positive MAC test (range of fall in FEV1 = 20.7 to 27.4%). Taking a 20% fall in FEV1 as reference, wheezes were 75% sensitive and 84.8% specific to detect airflow obstruction. In conclusion, since it carries a significant although small false-negative rate, the acoustic technique based upon wheeze detection cannot, at the present time, fully replace spirometry during airway challenge testing in subjects with suspected asthma.

Mapping of quantitative trait loci controlling adaptive traits in coastal Douglas-fir.II. Spring and fall cold-hardiness

Treesearch

K.D. Jermstad; D.L. Bassoni; N.C. Wheeler; T.S. Anekonda; S.N. Aitken; W.T. Adams; D.B. Neale

2001-01-01

Abstract Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting fall and spring cold-hardiness were identified in a three-generation outbred pedigree of coastal Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga meniziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii]. Eleven QTLs controlling fall cold-hardiness were detected on four linkage groups, and 15 QTLs controlling spring cold-hardiness were detected on four...

Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE): A Cluster-Randomized Pragmatic Trial of a Multifactorial Fall Injury Prevention Strategy: Design and Methods.

PubMed

Bhasin, Shalender; Gill, Thomas M; Reuben, David B; Latham, Nancy K; Gurwitz, Jerry H; Dykes, Patricia; McMahon, Siobhan; Storer, Thomas W; Duncan, Pamela W; Ganz, David A; Basaria, Shehzad; Miller, Michael E; Travison, Thomas G; Greene, Erich J; Dziura, James; Esserman, Denise; Allore, Heather; Carnie, Martha B; Fagan, Maureen; Hanson, Catherine; Baker, Dorothy; Greenspan, Susan L; Alexander, Neil; Ko, Fred; Siu, Albert L; Volpi, Elena; Wu, Albert W; Rich, Jeremy; Waring, Stephen C; Wallace, Robert; Casteel, Carri; Magaziner, Jay; Charpentier, Peter; Lu, Charles; Araujo, Katy; Rajeevan, Haseena; Margolis, Scott; Eder, Richard; McGloin, Joanne M; Skokos, Eleni; Wiggins, Jocelyn; Garber, Lawrence; Clauser, Steven B; Correa-De-Araujo, Rosaly; Peduzzi, Peter

2017-10-14

Fall injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among older adults. We describe the design of a pragmatic trial to compare the effectiveness of an evidence-based, patient-centered multifactorial fall injury prevention strategy to an enhanced usual care. Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders (STRIDE) is a 40-month cluster-randomized, parallel-group, superiority, pragmatic trial being conducted at 86 primary care practices in 10 healthcare systems across USA. The 86 practices were randomized to intervention or control group using covariate-based constrained randomization, stratified by healthcare system. Participants are community-living persons, ≥70 years, at increased risk for serious fall injuries. The intervention is a co-management model in which a nurse Falls Care Manager performs multifactorial risk assessments, develops individualized care plans, which include surveillance, follow-up evaluation, and intervention strategies. Control group receives enhanced usual care, with clinicians and patients receiving evidence-based information on falls prevention. Primary outcome is serious fall injuries, operationalized as those leading to medical attention (non-vertebral fractures, joint dislocation, head injury, lacerations, and other major sequelae). Secondary outcomes include all fall injuries, all falls, and well-being (concern for falling; anxiety and depressive symptoms; physical function and disability). Target sample size was 5,322 participants to provide 90% power to detect 20% reduction in primary outcome rate relative to control. Trial enrolled 5451 subjects in 20 months. Intervention and follow-up are ongoing. The findings of the STRIDE study will have important clinical and policy implications for the prevention of fall injuries in older adults. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Fall Protection Introduction, #33462

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chochoms, Michael

The proper use of fall prevention and fall protection controls can reduce the risk of deaths and injuries caused by falls. This course, Fall Protection Introduction (#33462), is designed as an introduction to various types of recognized fall prevention and fall protection systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), including guardrail systems, safety net systems, fall restraint systems, and fall arrest systems. Special emphasis is given to the components, inspection, care, and storage of personal fall arrest systems (PFASs). This course also presents controls for falling object hazards and emergency planning considerations for persons who have fallen.

An Energy-Efficient Multi-Tier Architecture for Fall Detection Using Smartphones.

PubMed

Guvensan, M Amac; Kansiz, A Oguz; Camgoz, N Cihan; Turkmen, H Irem; Yavuz, A Gokhan; Karsligil, M Elif

2017-06-23

Automatic detection of fall events is vital to providing fast medical assistance to the causality, particularly when the injury causes loss of consciousness. Optimization of the energy consumption of mobile applications, especially those which run 24/7 in the background, is essential for longer use of smartphones. In order to improve energy-efficiency without compromising on the fall detection performance, we propose a novel 3-tier architecture that combines simple thresholding methods with machine learning algorithms. The proposed method is implemented on a mobile application, called uSurvive, for Android smartphones. It runs as a background service and monitors the activities of a person in daily life and automatically sends a notification to the appropriate authorities and/or user defined contacts when it detects a fall. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated in terms of fall detection performance and energy consumption. Real life performance tests conducted on two different models of smartphone demonstrate that our 3-tier architecture with feature reduction could save up to 62% of energy compared to machine learning only solutions. In addition to this energy saving, the hybrid method has a 93% of accuracy, which is superior to thresholding methods and better than machine learning only solutions.

Prostaglandin-mediated recovery from bacteriosemia delays larval development in fall armyworms, Spodoptera frugiperda

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insect immunity includes a surveillance system that detects and signals infections, coupled with hemocytic and humoral immune functions. These functions are signaled and coordinated by several biochemicals, including biogenic amines, insect cytokines, peptides and prostaglandins (PGs). The actions o...

SisFall: A Fall and Movement Dataset

PubMed Central

Sucerquia, Angela; López, José David; Vargas-Bonilla, Jesús Francisco

2017-01-01

Research on fall and movement detection with wearable devices has witnessed promising growth. However, there are few publicly available datasets, all recorded with smartphones, which are insufficient for testing new proposals due to their absence of objective population, lack of performed activities, and limited information. Here, we present a dataset of falls and activities of daily living (ADLs) acquired with a self-developed device composed of two types of accelerometer and one gyroscope. It consists of 19 ADLs and 15 fall types performed by 23 young adults, 15 ADL types performed by 14 healthy and independent participants over 62 years old, and data from one participant of 60 years old that performed all ADLs and falls. These activities were selected based on a survey and a literature analysis. We test the dataset with widely used feature extraction and a simple to implement threshold based classification, achieving up to 96% of accuracy in fall detection. An individual activity analysis demonstrates that most errors coincide in a few number of activities where new approaches could be focused. Finally, validation tests with elderly people significantly reduced the fall detection performance of the tested features. This validates findings of other authors and encourages developing new strategies with this new dataset as the benchmark. PMID:28117691

SisFall: A Fall and Movement Dataset.

PubMed

Sucerquia, Angela; López, José David; Vargas-Bonilla, Jesús Francisco

2017-01-20

Research on fall and movement detection with wearable devices has witnessed promising growth. However, there are few publicly available datasets, all recorded with smartphones, which are insufficient for testing new proposals due to their absence of objective population, lack of performed activities, and limited information. Here, we present a dataset of falls and activities of daily living (ADLs) acquired with a self-developed device composed of two types of accelerometer and one gyroscope. It consists of 19 ADLs and 15 fall types performed by 23 young adults, 15 ADL types performed by 14 healthy and independent participants over 62 years old, and data from one participant of 60 years old that performed all ADLs and falls. These activities were selected based on a survey and a literature analysis. We test the dataset with widely used feature extraction and a simple to implement threshold based classification, achieving up to 96% of accuracy in fall detection. An individual activity analysis demonstrates that most errors coincide in a few number of activities where new approaches could be focused. Finally, validation tests with elderly people significantly reduced the fall detection performance of the tested features. This validates findings of other authors and encourages developing new strategies with this new dataset as the benchmark.

A miniature, wearable activity/fall monitor to assess the efficacy of mobility therapy for children with cerebral palsy during everyday living.

PubMed

Smith, Warren D; Bagley, Anita

2010-01-01

Children with cerebral palsy may have difficulty walking and may fall frequently, resulting in a decrease in their participation in school and community activities. It is desirable to assess the effectiveness of mobility therapies for these children on their functioning during everyday living. Over 50 hours of tri-axial accelerometer and digital video recordings from 35 children with cerebral palsy and 51 typically-developing children were analyzed to develop algorithms for automatic real-time processing of the accelerometer signals to monitor a child's level of activity and to detect falls. The present fall-detection algorithm has 100% specificity and a sensitivity of 100% for falls involving trunk rotation. Sensitivities for drops to the knees and to the bottom are 72% and 78%, respectively. The activity and fall-detection algorithms were implemented in a miniature, battery-powered microcontroller-based activity/fall monitor that the child wears in a small fanny pack during everyday living. The monitor continuously logs 1-min. activity levels and the occurrence and characteristics of each fall for two-week recording sessions. Pre-therapy and post-therapy recordings from these monitors will be used to assess the efficacies of alternative treatments for gait abnormalities.

Development and clinical application of a computer-aided real-time feedback system for detecting in-bed physical activities.

PubMed

Lu, Liang-Hsuan; Chiang, Shang-Lin; Wei, Shun-Hwa; Lin, Chueh-Ho; Sung, Wen-Hsu

2017-08-01

Being bedridden long-term can cause deterioration in patients' physiological function and performance, limiting daily activities and increasing the incidence of falls and other accidental injuries. Little research has been carried out in designing effective detecting systems to monitor the posture and status of bedridden patients and to provide accurate real-time feedback on posture. The purposes of this research were to develop a computer-aided system for real-time detection of physical activities in bed and to validate the system's validity and test-retest reliability in determining eight postures: motion leftward/rightward, turning over leftward/rightward, getting up leftward/rightward, and getting off the bed leftward/rightward. The in-bed physical activity detecting system consists mainly of a clinical sickbed, signal amplifier, a data acquisition (DAQ) system, and operating software for computing and determining postural changes associated with four load cell sensing components. Thirty healthy subjects (15 males and 15 females, mean age = 27.8 ± 5.3 years) participated in the study. All subjects were asked to execute eight in-bed activities in a random order and to participate in an evaluation of the test-retest reliability of the results 14 days later. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to compare the system's determinations of postural states with researchers' recordings of postural changes. The test-retest reliability of the system's ability to determine postures was analyzed using the interclass correlation coefficient ICC(3,1). The system was found to exhibit high validity and accuracy (r = 0.928, p < 0.001; accuracy rate: 87.9%) in determining in-bed displacement, turning over, sitting up, and getting off the bed. The system was particularly accurate in detecting motion rightward (90%), turning over leftward (83%), sitting up leftward or rightward (87-93%), and getting off the bed (100%). The test-retest reliability ICC(3,1) value was 0.968 (p < 0.001). The system developed in this study exhibits satisfactory validity and reliability in detecting changes in-bed body postures and can be beneficial in assisting caregivers and clinical nursing staff in detecting the in-bed physical activities of bedridden patients and in developing fall prevention warning systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A configurable sensor network applied to ambient assisted living.

PubMed

Villacorta, Juan J; Jiménez, María I; Del Val, Lara; Izquierdo, Alberto

2011-01-01

The rising older people population has increased the interest in ambient assisted living systems. This article presents a system for monitoring the disabled or older persons developed from an existing surveillance system. The modularity and adaptability characteristics of the system allow an easy adaptation for a different purpose. The proposed system uses a network of sensors capable of motion detection that includes fall warning, identification of persons and a configurable control system which allows its use in different scenarios.

An Energy-Efficient Multi-Tier Architecture for Fall Detection on Smartphones

PubMed Central

Guvensan, M. Amac; Kansiz, A. Oguz; Camgoz, N. Cihan; Turkmen, H. Irem; Yavuz, A. Gokhan; Karsligil, M. Elif

2017-01-01

Automatic detection of fall events is vital to providing fast medical assistance to the causality, particularly when the injury causes loss of consciousness. Optimization of the energy consumption of mobile applications, especially those which run 24/7 in the background, is essential for longer use of smartphones. In order to improve energy-efficiency without compromising on the fall detection performance, we propose a novel 3-tier architecture that combines simple thresholding methods with machine learning algorithms. The proposed method is implemented on a mobile application, called uSurvive, for Android smartphones. It runs as a background service and monitors the activities of a person in daily life and automatically sends a notification to the appropriate authorities and/or user defined contacts when it detects a fall. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated in terms of fall detection performance and energy consumption. Real life performance tests conducted on two different models of smartphone demonstrate that our 3-tier architecture with feature reduction could save up to 62% of energy compared to machine learning only solutions. In addition to this energy saving, the hybrid method has a 93% of accuracy, which is superior to thresholding methods and better than machine learning only solutions. PMID:28644378

Moving forward in fall prevention: an intervention to improve balance among patients in a quasi-experimental study of hospitalized patients.

PubMed

Villafañe, Jorge H; Pirali, Caterina; Buraschi, Riccardo; Arienti, Chiara; Corbellini, Camilo; Negrini, Stefano

2015-12-01

We investigated the effectiveness of three different rehabilitative programs: group exercise, individual core stability or balance training intervention with a stabilometric platform to improve balance ability in elderly hospitalized patients. We used a prospective quasi-experimental study design. Twenty-eight patients, 39.3% women [age (mean±SD) 72.4±6.5 years], known to have had at least a fall in the last 12 months, were consecutively assigned to one of the following three groups: group exercise intervention, individual core stability or balance training with a stabilometric platform (five sessions a week for 3 weeks in each group). Outcomes were collected at baseline and immediately following the intervention period. In each intervention group, patients showed improvement in balance and mobility, shown as an improvement in the three functional tests score (the Tinetti scale, the Berg Balance Scale, and the Time Up and Go test) (all, P<0.05), whereas, generally, the changes in the score of the test of the stabilometric platform (Postural Stability Test and Fall Risk Test) were not significant for all the interventions. No significant group-by-time interaction was detected for any of the intervention groups, which suggests that the groups improved in the same way. These findings indicate that participation in an exercise program can improve balance and functional mobility, which might contribute toward the reductions of the falls of elderly hospitalized patients and the subsequent fall-related costs. Functional scales might be more appropriate than an instrumental test (Postural Stability Test and Fall Risk Test of the Biodex Balance System) in detecting the functional improvement because of a rehabilitative intervention.

Freezing of gait and fall detection in Parkinson's disease using wearable sensors: a systematic review.

PubMed

Silva de Lima, Ana Lígia; Evers, Luc J W; Hahn, Tim; Bataille, Lauren; Hamilton, Jamie L; Little, Max A; Okuma, Yasuyuki; Bloem, Bastiaan R; Faber, Marjan J

2017-08-01

Despite the large number of studies that have investigated the use of wearable sensors to detect gait disturbances such as Freezing of gait (FOG) and falls, there is little consensus regarding appropriate methodologies for how to optimally apply such devices. Here, an overview of the use of wearable systems to assess FOG and falls in Parkinson's disease (PD) and validation performance is presented. A systematic search in the PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed using a group of concept key words. The final search was performed in January 2017, and articles were selected based upon a set of eligibility criteria. In total, 27 articles were selected. Of those, 23 related to FOG and 4 to falls. FOG studies were performed in either laboratory or home settings, with sample sizes ranging from 1 PD up to 48 PD presenting Hoehn and Yahr stage from 2 to 4. The shin was the most common sensor location and accelerometer was the most frequently used sensor type. Validity measures ranged from 73-100% for sensitivity and 67-100% for specificity. Falls and fall risk studies were all home-based, including samples sizes of 1 PD up to 107 PD, mostly using one sensor containing accelerometers, worn at various body locations. Despite the promising validation initiatives reported in these studies, they were all performed in relatively small sample sizes, and there was a significant variability in outcomes measured and results reported. Given these limitations, the validation of sensor-derived assessments of PD features would benefit from more focused research efforts, increased collaboration among researchers, aligning data collection protocols, and sharing data sets.

Does smart home technology prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults: a literature review.

PubMed

Pietrzak, Eva; Cotea, Cristina; Pullman, Stephen

2014-01-01

Falls in older Australians are an increasingly costly public health issue, driving the development of novel modes of intervention, especially those that rely on computer-driven technologies. The aim of this paper was to gain an understanding of the state of the art of research on smart homes and computer-based monitoring technologies to prevent and detect falls in the community-dwelling elderly. Cochrane, Medline, Embase and Google databases were searched for articles on fall prevention in the elderly using pre-specified search terms. Additional papers were searched for in the reference lists of relevant reviews and by the process of 'snowballing'. Only studies that investigated outcomes related to falling such as fall prevention and detection, change in participants' fear of falling and attitudes towards monitoring technology were included. Nine papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The following outcomes were observed: (1) older adults' attitudes towards fall detectors and smart home technology are generally positive; (2) privacy concerns and intrusiveness of technology were perceived as less important to participants than their perception of health needs and (3) unfriendly and age-inappropriate design of the interface may be one of the deciding factors in not using the technology. So far, there is little evidence that using smart home technology may assist in fall prevention or detection, but there are some indications that it may increase older adults' confidence and sense of security, thus possibly enabling aging in place.

Detecting Human Motion: Introducing Step, Fall and ADL Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vermeiren, Dries; Weyn, Maarten; de Ron, Geert

Telecare is the term given to offering remote care to elderly and vulnerable people, providing them with the care and reassurance needed to allow them to keep living at home. As telecare is gaining research interests, we'll introduce a system which can be used to monitor the steps, falls and daily activities of high risk populations in this paper. Using this system it is possible for a patient to rehabilitate at home or for elderly to keep living independently in their own house while they are still monitored. This leads to a huge cost reduction in health services and moreover it will make patients satisfied for being able to live at home as long as possible and in all comfort.

Runway Incursion Prevention System for General Aviation Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Denise R.; Prinzel III, Lawrence J.

2006-01-01

A Runway Incursion Prevention System (RIPS) and additional incursion detection algorithm were adapted for general aviation operations and evaluated in a simulation study at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) in the fall of 2005. RIPS has been designed to enhance surface situation awareness and provide cockpit alerts of potential runway conflicts in order to prevent runway incidents while also improving operational capability. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the airborne incursion detection algorithms and associated alerting and airport surface display concepts for general aviation operations. This paper gives an overview of the system, simulation study, and test results.

Development of a Daily Life Support System for Elderly Persons with Dementia in the Care Facility.

PubMed

Takahashi, Yoshiyuki; Kawai, Toshihiro; Komeda, Takashi

2015-01-01

Taking care for dementia persons with BPSD is burdening on caregivers. To reduce caregivers' burdens and improve dementia persons' quality of life, monitoring and communication intervention system has been proposed. A part of the system, wandering and falling down detection system has been developed. It is designed based on the requirement of the caregivers working in the care facility. Functional test was carried out and had positive impressions from the caregivers.

Application of the SHOALS survey system to fisheries investigations in the Columbia River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tiffan, Kenneth F.; Wagner, Paul G.; Wolf, Keith S.; Hoffarth , Paul A.

2009-01-01

We used a Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Survey (SHOALS) system to collect high-resolution bathymetry for 33 km of the Hanford Reach. Data were used in conjunction with hydrodynamic and predictive habitat models within a GIS (Geographical Information System) framework to evaluate the effects of a varying hydrograph on juvenile fall Chinook salmon rearing habitat and risk from stranding and entrapment. Furthermore, we were able to estimate the number of juvenile fish that were stranded and entrapped in pools when operations at Priest Rapids Dam caused rapid decreases in river flows. Our findings were ultimately used to estimate impacts of power generation operations at Priest Rapids Dam and develop long-term policy and operational guidelines to protect juvenile fall Chinook salmon during the spring rearing period.

Parkinsonian signs are a risk factor for falls.

PubMed

Dahodwala, Nabila; Nwadiogbu, Chinwe; Fitts, Whitney; Partridge, Helen; Karlawish, Jason

2017-06-01

Parkinsonian signs are common, non-specific findings in older adults and associated with increased rates of dementia and mortality. It is important to understand which motor outcomes are associated with parkinsonian signs. To determine the role of parkinsonian signs on fall rates among older adults. We conducted a longitudinal study of primary care patients from the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Adults over 55 years were assessed at baseline through surveys and a neurological examination. We recorded falls over the following 2 years. Parkinsonian signs were defined as the presence of 2 of 4 cardinal signs. Incident falls were compared between subjects with and without parkinsonian signs, and modified Poisson regression used to adjust for potential confounders in the relationship between parkinsonian signs and falls. 982 subjects with a mean age of 68 (s.d. 8.8) years participated. 29% of participants fell and 12% exhibited parkinsonian signs at baseline. The unadjusted RR for falls among individuals with parkinsonian signs was 1.36 (95% CI 1.05-1.76, p=0.02). After adjusting for age, cognitive function, urinary incontinence, depression, diabetes, stroke and arthritis, individuals with parkinsonian signs were still 38% more likely to fall than those without parkinsonian signs (RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.04-1.82; p=0.03). Falls among those with parkinsonian signs were more likely to lead to injury (53% vs 37%; p=0.04). Parkinsonian signs are a significant, independent risk factor for falls. Early detection of this clinical state is important in order to implement fall prevention programs among primary care patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Real-Life/Real-Time Elderly Fall Detection with a Triaxial Accelerometer

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The consequences of a fall on an elderly person can be reduced if the accident is attended by medical personnel within the first hour. Independent elderly people often stay alone for long periods of time, being in more risk if they suffer a fall. The literature offers several approaches for detecting falls with embedded devices or smartphones using a triaxial accelerometer. Most of these approaches have not been tested with the target population or cannot be feasibly implemented in real-life conditions. In this work, we propose a fall detection methodology based on a non-linear classification feature and a Kalman filter with a periodicity detector to reduce the false positive rate. This methodology requires a sampling rate of only 25 Hz; it does not require large computations or memory and it is robust among devices. We tested our approach with the SisFall dataset achieving 99.4% of accuracy. We then validated it with a new round of simulated activities with young adults and an elderly person. Finally, we give the devices to three elderly persons for full-day validations. They continued with their normal life and the devices behaved as expected. PMID:29621156

Real-Life/Real-Time Elderly Fall Detection with a Triaxial Accelerometer.

PubMed

Sucerquia, Angela; López, José David; Vargas-Bonilla, Jesús Francisco

2018-04-05

The consequences of a fall on an elderly person can be reduced if the accident is attended by medical personnel within the first hour. Independent elderly people often stay alone for long periods of time, being in more risk if they suffer a fall. The literature offers several approaches for detecting falls with embedded devices or smartphones using a triaxial accelerometer. Most of these approaches have not been tested with the target population or cannot be feasibly implemented in real-life conditions. In this work, we propose a fall detection methodology based on a non-linear classification feature and a Kalman filter with a periodicity detector to reduce the false positive rate. This methodology requires a sampling rate of only 25 Hz; it does not require large computations or memory and it is robust among devices. We tested our approach with the SisFall dataset achieving 99.4% of accuracy. We then validated it with a new round of simulated activities with young adults and an elderly person. Finally, we give the devices to three elderly persons for full-day validations. They continued with their normal life and the devices behaved as expected.

Archeological treasures protection based on early forest wildfire multi-band imaging detection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouverneur, B.; Verstockt, S.; Pauwels, E.; Han, J.; de Zeeuw, P. M.; Vermeiren, J.

2012-10-01

Various visible and infrared cameras have been tested for the early detection of wildfires to protect archeological treasures. This analysis was possible thanks to the EU Firesense project (FP7-244088). Although visible cameras are low cost and give good results during daytime for smoke detection, they fall short under bad visibility conditions. In order to improve the fire detection probability and reduce the false alarms, several infrared bands are tested ranging from the NIR to the LWIR. The SWIR and the LWIR band are helpful to locate the fire through smoke if there is a direct Line Of Sight. The Emphasis is also put on the physical and the electro-optical system modeling for forest fire detection at short and longer ranges. The fusion in three bands (Visible, SWIR, LWIR) is discussed at the pixel level for image enhancement and for fire detection.

Elemental composition analysis of stony meteorites discovered in Phitsanulok, Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loylip, T.; Wannawichian, S.

2017-09-01

A meteorite is a fragment of pure stone, iron or the mixture of stony-iron. The falling of meteorites into Earth’s surface is part of Earth’s accretion process from dust and rocks in our solar system. When these fragments come close enough to the Earth to be attracted by its gravity, they may fall into the Earth. Following the detection of objects that fall from the sky onto a home in Phitsanulok in June 27, the meteorites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) instruments. The results from SEM/EDS analysis show that the meteorites are mainly composed of Fe-Ni and Fe-s. The meteorite is Achondrite, a class of meteorite which does not contain Chondrule. The meteorites in this work are thought to be part of a large asteroid.

Fall risk assessment among older adults with mild Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Ryan, John J; McCloy, Constance; Rundquist, Peter; Srinivasan, Visalakshi; Laird, Rosemary

2011-01-01

Older adults with Alzheimer disease (AD) fall more than twice as often as those without dementia, yet few studies have assessed fall risk in this population. The purpose of the study was to determine whether a fall assessment, the Physical Performance Test 7-item (PPT 7-item), could accurately identify subjects with history of falls in a group of community-dwelling elders with mild AD. An additional purpose was to determine whether the PPT 7-item, a cognitive screen, and/or nonperformance data could predict falling in this population. Forty-three community-dwelling elders diagnosed with mild AD completed the fall risk assessment. In addition, the following data were collected: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, age, gender, education, gait aid use, number of falls in the past 6 months, and history of fall-related injury. There was a significant difference in the PPT 7-item total score between subjects with history of falls and subjects without history of falls (z = -2.04, P = .042), with items related to turning (z = -2.56, P = .01) and walking (z = -2.89, P = .004) accounting for most of the difference. However, only gait aid usage predicted falling (45.8% of the variance). While the PPT 7-item was able to detect differences in mobility between subjects with history of falls and subjects without history of falls in subjects with mild AD, total PPT 7-item score did not predict falling. Gait aid usage was more strongly related to falling in these subjects. Early detection of fall risk in individuals with mild AD is important to prevent injuries and moderate costs of care.

A reliable transmission protocol for ZigBee-based wireless patient monitoring.

PubMed

Chen, Shyr-Kuen; Kao, Tsair; Chan, Chia-Tai; Huang, Chih-Ning; Chiang, Chih-Yen; Lai, Chin-Yu; Tung, Tse-Hua; Wang, Pi-Chung

2012-01-01

Patient monitoring systems are gaining their importance as the fast-growing global elderly population increases demands for caretaking. These systems use wireless technologies to transmit vital signs for medical evaluation. In a multihop ZigBee network, the existing systems usually use broadcast or multicast schemes to increase the reliability of signals transmission; however, both the schemes lead to significantly higher network traffic and end-to-end transmission delay. In this paper, we present a reliable transmission protocol based on anycast routing for wireless patient monitoring. Our scheme automatically selects the closest data receiver in an anycast group as a destination to reduce the transmission latency as well as the control overhead. The new protocol also shortens the latency of path recovery by initiating route recovery from the intermediate routers of the original path. On the basis of a reliable transmission scheme, we implement a ZigBee device for fall monitoring, which integrates fall detection, indoor positioning, and ECG monitoring. When the triaxial accelerometer of the device detects a fall, the current position of the patient is transmitted to an emergency center through a ZigBee network. In order to clarify the situation of the fallen patient, 4-s ECG signals are also transmitted. Our transmission scheme ensures the successful transmission of these critical messages. The experimental results show that our scheme is fast and reliable. We also demonstrate that our devices can seamlessly integrate with the next generation technology of wireless wide area network, worldwide interoperability for microwave access, to achieve real-time patient monitoring.

Utilizing Weather RADAR for Rapid Location of Meteorite Falls and Space Debris Re-Entry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fries, Marc D.

2016-01-01

This activity utilizes existing NOAA weather RADAR imagery to locate meteorite falls and space debris falls. The near-real-time availability and spatial accuracy of these data allow rapid recovery of material from both meteorite falls and space debris re-entry events. To date, at least 22 meteorite fall recoveries have benefitted from RADAR detection and fall modeling, and multiple debris re-entry events over the United States have been observed in unprecedented detail.

The search for other planets: clues from the solar system.

PubMed

Owen, T

1994-01-01

Studies of element abundances and values of D/H in the atmospheres of the outer planets and Titan support a two-step model for the formation of these bodies. This model suggests that the dimensions of Uranus provide a good index for the sensitivity required to detect planets around other stars. The high proportion of N2 on the surfaces of Pluto and Triton indicates that this gas was the dominant reservoir of nitrogen in the early solar nebula. It should also be abundant on pristine comets. There is evidence that some of these comets may well have brought a large store of volatiles to the inner planets, while others were falling into the sun. In other systems, icy planetesimals falling into stars should reveal themselves through high values of D/H.

Evaluation of a fall-prevention program in older people after femoral neck fracture: a one-year follow-up.

PubMed

Berggren, M; Stenvall, M; Olofsson, B; Gustafson, Y

2008-06-01

A randomized, controlled fall-prevention study including 199 patients operated on for femoral neck fracture reduced inpatient falls and injuries. No statistically significant effects of the intervention program could be detected after discharge. It seems that fall-prevention must be part of everyday life in fall-prone old people. This study evaluates whether a postoperative multidisciplinary, multifactorial fall-prevention program performed by a geriatric team that reduced inpatient falls and injuries had any continuing effect after discharge. The intervention consisted of staff education, systematic assessment and treatment of fall risk factors and vitamin D and calcium supplementation. The randomized, controlled trial with a one-year follow-up at Umeå University Hospital, Sweden, included 199 patients operated on for femoral neck fracture, aged > or = 70 years. After one year 44 participants had fallen 138 times in the intervention group compared with 55 participants and 191 falls in the control group. The crude postoperative fall incidence was 4.16/1,000 days in the intervention group vs. 6.43/1,000 days in the control group. The incidence rate ratio was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.40-1.02, p = 0.063). Seven new fractures occurred in the intervention group and 11 in the control group. A team applying comprehensive geriatric assessment and rehabilitation, including prevention and treatment of fall-risk factors, reduced inpatient falls and injuries, but no statistically significant effects of the program could be detected after discharge. It seems that fall-prevention must be part of everyday life in fall-prone elderly.

Preoperative and postoperative serial assessments of postural balance and fall risk in patients with arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

PubMed

Gokalp, Oguzhan; Akkaya, Semih; Akkaya, Nuray; Buker, Nihal; Gungor, Harun R; Ok, Nusret; Yorukoglu, Cagdas

2016-04-27

Impaired postural balance due to somatosensory data loss with mechanical instability has been shown in patients with ACL deficiency. To assess postural balance in patients with ACL insufficiency prior to surgery and following reconstruction with serial evaluations. Thirty patients (mean age of 27.7 ± 6.7 years) who underwent arthroscopic reconstruction of ACL with bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft were examined for clinical and functional variables at preoperative day and postoperative 12th week. Posturographic analysis were performed by using Tetrax Interactive Balance System (Sunlight Medical Ltd, Israel) at preoperative day, at 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks following reconstruction. Data computed by posturographic software by the considerations of the oscillation velocities of body sways is fall risk as a numeric value (0-100, lower values indicate better condition). All of the patients (mean age of 27.7 ± 6.7 years) had significant improvements for clinical, functional evaluations and fall risk (p< 0.05). Mean fall risk was within high-risk category (59.9 ± 22.8) preoperatively. The highest fall risk was detected at postoperative 4th week. Patients had high fall risk at 8th week similar to preoperative value. Mean fall risk decreased to low level risk at 12th week. Preoperative symptom duration had relationships with preoperative fall risk and postoperative improvement of fall risk (p= 0.001, r= -0.632, p= 0.001, r= -0.870, respectively). The improvement of fall risk was higher in patients with symptoms shorter than 6 months (p= 0.001). According to these results, mean fall risk of patients with ACL insufficiency was within high risk category preoperatively, and fall risk improves after surgical reconstruction, but as the duration of complaints lengthens especially longer than 6 months, the improvement of fall risk decreases following reconstruction.

Behavior Analysis Based on Coordinates of Body Tags

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luštrek, Mitja; Kaluža, Boštjan; Dovgan, Erik; Pogorelc, Bogdan; Gams, Matjaž

This paper describes fall detection, activity recognition and the detection of anomalous gait in the Confidence project. The project aims to prolong the independence of the elderly by detecting falls and other types of behavior indicating a health problem. The behavior will be analyzed based on the coordinates of tags worn on the body. The coordinates will be detected with radio sensors. We describe two Confidence modules. The first one classifies the user's activity into one of six classes, including falling. The second one detects walking anomalies, such as limping, dizziness and hemiplegia. The walking analysis can automatically adapt to each person by using only the examples of normal walking of that person. Both modules employ machine learning: the paper focuses on the features they use and the effect of tag placement and sensor noise on the classification accuracy. Four tags were enough for activity recognition accuracy of over 93% at moderate sensor noise, while six were needed to detect walking anomalies with the accuracy of over 90%.

Validity of a Smartphone-Based Fall Detection Application on Different Phones Worn on a Belt or in a Trouser Pocket.

PubMed

Vermeulen, Joan; Willard, Sarah; Aguiar, Bruno; De Witte, Luc P

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a smartphone-based fall detection application when different smartphone models are worn on a belt or in a trouser pocket. Eight healthy adults aged between 18 and 24 years old simulated 10 different types of true falls, 5 different types of falls with recovery, and 11 daily activities, five consecutive times. Participants wore one smartphone in a pocket that was attached to their belt and another one in their trouser pocket. All smartphones were equipped with a built-in accelerometer and the fall detection application. Four participants tested the application on a Samsung S3 and four tested the application on a Samsung S3 mini. Sensitivity scores were .75 (Samsung S3 belt), .88 (Samsung S3 mini trouser pocket), and .90 (Samsung S3 mini belt/Samsung S3 trouser pocket). Specificity scores were .87 (Samsung S3 trouser pocket), .91 (Samsung S3 mini trouser pocket), .97 (Samsung S3 belt), and .99 (Samsung S3 mini belt). These results suggest that an application on a smartphone can generate valid fall alarms when worn on a belt or in a trouser pocket. However, sensitivity should be improved before implementation of the application in practice.

Temporary Restoration of Bull Trout Passage at Albeni Falls Dam, 2008 Progress Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bellgraph, Brian J.

2009-03-31

The goal of this project is to provide temporary upstream passage of bull trout around Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River, Idaho. Our specific objectives are to capture fish downstream of Albeni Falls Dam, tag them with combination acoustic and radio transmitters, release them upstream of Albeni Falls Dam, and determine if genetic information on tagged fish can be used to accurately establish where fish are located during the spawning season. In 2007, radio receiving stations were installed at several locations throughout the Pend Oreille River watershed to detect movements of adult bull trout; however, no bull troutmore » were tagged during that year. In 2008, four bull trout were captured downstream of Albeni Falls Dam, implanted with transmitters, and released upstream of the dam at Priest River, Idaho. The most-likely natal tributaries of bull trout assigned using genetic analyses were Grouse Creek (N = 2); a tributary of the Pack River, Lightning Creek (N = 1); and Rattle Creek (N = 1), a tributary of Lightning Creek. All four bull trout migrated upstream from the release site in Priest River, Idaho, were detected at monitoring stations near Dover, Idaho, and were presumed to reside in Lake Pend Oreille from spring until fall 2008. The transmitter of one bull trout with a genetic assignment to Grouse Creek was found in Grouse Creek in October 2008; however, the fish was not found. The bull trout assigned to Rattle Creek was detected in the Clark Fork River downstream from Cabinet Gorge Dam (approximately 13 km from the mouth of Lightning Creek) in September but was not detected entering Lightning Creek. The remaining two bull trout were not detected in 2008 after detection at the Dover receiving stations. This report details the progress by work element in the 2008 statement of work, including data analyses of fish movements, and expands on the information reported in the quarterly Pisces status reports.« less

Non-seismic tsunamis: filling the forecast gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C. W.; Titov, V. V.; Spillane, M. C.

2015-12-01

Earthquakes are the generation mechanism in over 85% of tsunamis. However, non-seismic tsunamis, including those generated by meteorological events, landslides, volcanoes, and asteroid impacts, can inundate significant area and have a large far-field effect. The current National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tsunami forecast system falls short in detecting these phenomena. This study attempts to classify the range of effects possible from these non-seismic threats, and to investigate detection methods appropriate for use in a forecast system. Typical observation platforms are assessed, including DART bottom pressure recorders and tide gauges. Other detection paths include atmospheric pressure anomaly algorithms for detecting meteotsunamis and the early identification of asteroids large enough to produce a regional hazard. Real-time assessment of observations for forecast use can provide guidance to mitigate the effects of a non-seismic tsunami.

Runway Incursion Prevention for General Aviation Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Denise R.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III

2006-01-01

A Runway Incursion Prevention System (RIPS) and additional incursion detection algorithm were adapted for general aviation operations and evaluated in a simulation study at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) in the fall of 2005. RIPS has been designed to enhance surface situation awareness and provide cockpit alerts of potential runway conflicts in order to prevent runway incidents while also improving operational capability. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the airborne incursion detection algorithms and associated alerting and airport surface display concepts for general aviation operations. This paper gives an overview of the system, simulation study, and test results.

Mobile Motion Capture--MiMiC.

PubMed

Harbert, Simeon D; Jaiswal, Tushar; Harley, Linda R; Vaughn, Tyler W; Baranak, Andrew S

2013-01-01

The low cost, simple, robust, mobile, and easy to use Mobile Motion Capture (MiMiC) system is presented and the constraints which guided the design of MiMiC are discussed. The MiMiC Android application allows motion data to be captured from kinematic modules such as Shimmer 2r sensors over Bluetooth. MiMiC is cost effective and can be used for an entire day in a person's daily routine without being intrusive. MiMiC is a flexible motion capture system which can be used for many applications including fall detection, detection of fatigue in industry workers, and analysis of individuals' work patterns in various environments.

Temporal Causal Diagrams for Diagnosing Failures in Cyber Physical Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-02

11 P Open Close C Close none St Close Table 3. Transition Information for Distance Relay’s behavioral model. Rows 1-7 deal with the anomaly detection ... PROGNOSTICS AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SOCIETY 2014 238 ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE PROGNOSTICS AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SOCIETY 2014 fall into the Zone settings of...OF THE PROGNOSTICS AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SOCIETY 2014 239 ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE PROGNOSTICS AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SOCIETY 2014 event systems has

Wide field and highly sensitive angiography based on optical coherence tomography with akinetic swept source.

PubMed

Xu, Jingjiang; Song, Shaozhen; Wei, Wei; Wang, Ruikang K

2017-01-01

Wide-field vascular visualization in bulk tissue that is of uneven surface is challenging due to the relatively short ranging distance and significant sensitivity fall-off for most current optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) systems. We report a long ranging and ultra-wide-field OCTA (UW-OCTA) system based on an akinetic swept laser. The narrow instantaneous linewidth of the swept source with its high phase stability, combined with high-speed detection in the system enable us to achieve long ranging (up to 46 mm) and almost negligible system sensitivity fall-off. To illustrate these advantages, we compare the basic system performances between conventional spectral domain OCTA and UW-OCTA systems and their functional imaging of microvascular networks in living tissues. In addition, we show that the UW-OCTA is capable of different depth-ranging of cerebral blood flow within entire brain in mice, and providing unprecedented blood perfusion map of human finger in vivo . We believe that the UW-OCTA system has promises to augment the existing clinical practice and explore new biomedical applications for OCT imaging.

Wide field and highly sensitive angiography based on optical coherence tomography with akinetic swept source

PubMed Central

Xu, Jingjiang; Song, Shaozhen; Wei, Wei; Wang, Ruikang K.

2016-01-01

Wide-field vascular visualization in bulk tissue that is of uneven surface is challenging due to the relatively short ranging distance and significant sensitivity fall-off for most current optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) systems. We report a long ranging and ultra-wide-field OCTA (UW-OCTA) system based on an akinetic swept laser. The narrow instantaneous linewidth of the swept source with its high phase stability, combined with high-speed detection in the system enable us to achieve long ranging (up to 46 mm) and almost negligible system sensitivity fall-off. To illustrate these advantages, we compare the basic system performances between conventional spectral domain OCTA and UW-OCTA systems and their functional imaging of microvascular networks in living tissues. In addition, we show that the UW-OCTA is capable of different depth-ranging of cerebral blood flow within entire brain in mice, and providing unprecedented blood perfusion map of human finger in vivo. We believe that the UW-OCTA system has promises to augment the existing clinical practice and explore new biomedical applications for OCT imaging. PMID:28101428

Real-time signal processing of accelerometer data for wearable medical patient monitoring devices.

PubMed

Van Wieringen, Matt; Eklund, J

2008-01-01

Elderly and other people who live at home but required some physical assistance to do so are often more susceptible injury causing falls in and around their place of residence. In the event that a fall does occur, as a direct result of a previous medical condition or the fall itself, these people are typically less likely to be able to seek timely medical help without assistance. The goal of this research is to develop a wearable sensor device that uses an accelerometer for monitoring the movement of the person to detect falls after they have occurred in order to enable timely medical assistance. The data coming from the accelerometer is processed in real-time in the device and sent to a remote monitoring station where operators can attempt to make contact with the person and/or notify medical personnel of the situation. The ADXL330 accelerometer is contained within a Nintendo WiiMote controller, which forms the basis of the wearable medical sensor. The accelerometer data can then be sent via Bluetooth connection and processed by a local gateway processor. If a fall is detected, the gateway will then contact a remote monitoring station, on a cellular network, for example, via satellite, and/or through a hardwired phone or Internet connection. To detect the occurrence of ta fall, the accelerometer data is passed through a matched filter and the data is compared to benchmark analysis data that will define the conditions that represents the occurrence of a fall.

Detection of a meteorite 'stream' - Observations of a second meteorite fall from the orbit of the Innisfree chondrite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halliday, I.

1987-03-01

The first observational evidence of multiple meteorite falls from the same orbit is adduced from the February 6, 1980 fall of a meteorite precisely 3 yr after the fall of the Innisfree meteorite. Due consideration of the detection probability for two related objects with the meteorite camera network in western Canada suggests that the Innisfree brecciated LL chondrite was a near-surface fragment from a parent object whose radius was of the order of several tens of meters. A meteorite mass of 1.8 kg is predicted for the new object, whose recovery in the vicinity of Ridgedale, Saskatchewan, is now sought for the sake of comparison with the Innisfree chondrite.

Judge Rules Plagiarism-Detection Tool Falls under "Fair Use"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jeffrey R.

2008-01-01

Judge Claude M. Hilton, of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, in March found that scanning the student papers for the purpose of detecting plagiarism is a "highly transformative" use that falls under the fair-use provision of copyright law. He ruled that the company "makes no use of any work's particular expressive or creative…

A collaborative computing framework of cloud network and WBSN applied to fall detection and 3-D motion reconstruction.

PubMed

Lai, Chin-Feng; Chen, Min; Pan, Jeng-Shyang; Youn, Chan-Hyun; Chao, Han-Chieh

2014-03-01

As cloud computing and wireless body sensor network technologies become gradually developed, ubiquitous healthcare services prevent accidents instantly and effectively, as well as provides relevant information to reduce related processing time and cost. This study proposes a co-processing intermediary framework integrated cloud and wireless body sensor networks, which is mainly applied to fall detection and 3-D motion reconstruction. In this study, the main focuses includes distributed computing and resource allocation of processing sensing data over the computing architecture, network conditions and performance evaluation. Through this framework, the transmissions and computing time of sensing data are reduced to enhance overall performance for the services of fall events detection and 3-D motion reconstruction.

The Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool: A Study of Reliability and Validity.

PubMed

Poe, Stephanie S; Dawson, Patricia B; Cvach, Maria; Burnett, Margaret; Kumble, Sowmya; Lewis, Maureen; Thompson, Carol B; Hill, Elizabeth E

Patient falls and fall-related injury remain a safety concern. The Johns Hopkins Fall Risk Assessment Tool (JHFRAT) was developed to facilitate early detection of risk for anticipated physiologic falls in adult inpatients. Psychometric properties in acute care settings have not yet been fully established; this study sought to fill that gap. Results indicate that the JHFRAT is reliable, with high sensitivity and negative predictive validity. Specificity and positive predictive validity were lower than expected.

Mechanism and DNA-based detection of field-evolved resistance to transgenic Bt corn in fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Evolution of resistance threatens sustainability of transgenic crops producing insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The fall armyworm is a devastating pest controlled by transgenic Bt corn producing the Cry1Fa insecticidal protein. However, fall armyworm populations ...

Validity and Relative Ability of 4 Balance Tests to Identify Fall Status of Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.

PubMed

Marques, Alda; Silva, Alexandre; Oliveira, Ana; Cruz, Joana; Machado, Ana; Jácome, Cristina

The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), the Mini-BESTest, and the Brief-BESTest are useful tests to assess balance; however, their clinimetric properties have not been studied well in older adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study compared the validity and relative ability of the BBS, BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest to identify fall status in older adults with T2D. This study involved a cross-sectional design. Sixty-six older adults with T2D (75 ± 7.6 years) were included and asked to report the number of falls during the previous 12 months and to complete the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale. The BBS and the BESTest were administered, and the Mini-BESTest and Brief-BESTest scores were computed based on the BESTest performance. Receiver operating characteristics were used to assess the ability of each balance test to differentiate between participants with and without a history of falls. The 4 balance tests were able to identify fall status (areas under the curve = 0.74-0.76), with similar sensitivity (60%-67%) and specificity (71%-76%). The 4 balance tests were able to differentiate between older adults with T2D with and without a history of falls. As the BBS and the BESTest require longer application time, the Brief-BESTest may be an appropriate choice to use in clinical practice to detect fall risk.

49 CFR 214.103 - Fall protection, generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fall protection, generally. 214.103 Section 214... Fall protection, generally. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, when... shall use a personal fall arrest system or safety net system. All fall protection systems required by...

49 CFR 214.103 - Fall protection, generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fall protection, generally. 214.103 Section 214... Fall protection, generally. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, when... shall use a personal fall arrest system or safety net system. All fall protection systems required by...

49 CFR 214.103 - Fall protection, generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fall protection, generally. 214.103 Section 214... Fall protection, generally. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, when... shall use a personal fall arrest system or safety net system. All fall protection systems required by...

49 CFR 214.103 - Fall protection, generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fall protection, generally. 214.103 Section 214... Fall protection, generally. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, when... shall use a personal fall arrest system or safety net system. All fall protection systems required by...

49 CFR 214.103 - Fall protection, generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fall protection, generally. 214.103 Section 214... Fall protection, generally. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this section, when... shall use a personal fall arrest system or safety net system. All fall protection systems required by...

Detection of falls using accelerometers and mobile phone technology.

PubMed

Lee, Raymond Y W; Carlisle, Alison J

2011-11-01

to study the sensitivity and specificity of fall detection using mobile phone technology. an experimental investigation using motion signals detected by the mobile phone. the research was conducted in a laboratory setting, and 18 healthy adults (12 males and 6 females; age = 29 ± 8.7 years) were recruited. each participant was requested to perform three trials of four different types of simulated falls (forwards, backwards, lateral left and lateral right) and eight other everyday activities (sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit, level walking, walking up- and downstairs, answering the phone, picking up an object and getting up from supine). Acceleration was measured using two devices, a mobile phone and an independent accelerometer attached to the waist of the participants. Bland-Altman analysis shows a higher degree of agreement between the data recorded by the two devices. Using individual upper and lower detection thresholds, the specificity and sensitivity for mobile phone were 0.81 and 0.77, respectively, and for external accelerometer they were 0.82 and 0.96, respectively. fall detection using a mobile phone is a feasible and highly attractive technology for older adults, especially those living alone. It may be best achieved with an accelerometer attached to the waist, which transmits signals wirelessly to a phone.

29 CFR Appendix B to Subpart I of... - General Testing Conditions and Additional Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) B Appendix B to Subpart I of Part 1915 Labor Regulations... Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) 1. Personal fall arrest systems—(a) General... create the free fall distance should be the one supplied with the system, or in its absence, the least...

29 CFR Appendix B to Subpart I of... - General Testing Conditions and Additional Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) B Appendix B to Subpart I of Part 1915 Labor Regulations... Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) 1. Personal fall arrest systems—(a) General... create the free fall distance should be the one supplied with the system, or in its absence, the least...

29 CFR Appendix B to Subpart I of... - General Testing Conditions and Additional Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) B Appendix B to Subpart I of Part 1915 Labor Regulations... Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) 1. Personal fall arrest systems—(a) General... create the free fall distance should be the one supplied with the system, or in its absence, the least...

Observing ice particle growth along fall streaks in mixed-phase clouds using spectral polarimetric radar data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfitzenmaier, Lukas; Unal, Christine M. H.; Dufournet, Yann; Russchenberg, Herman W. J.

2018-06-01

The growth of ice crystals in presence of supercooled liquid droplets represents the most important process for precipitation formation in the mid-latitudes. However, such mixed-phase interaction processes remain relatively unknown, as capturing the complexity in cloud dynamics and microphysical variabilities turns to be a real observational challenge. Ground-based radar systems equipped with fully polarimetric and Doppler capabilities in high temporal and spatial resolutions such as the S-band transportable atmospheric radar (TARA) are best suited to observe mixed-phase growth processes. In this paper, measurements are taken with the TARA radar during the ACCEPT campaign (analysis of the composition of clouds with extended polarization techniques). Besides the common radar observables, the 3-D wind field is also retrieved due to TARA unique three beam configuration. The novelty of this paper is to combine all these observations with a particle evolution detection algorithm based on a new fall streak retrieval technique in order to study ice particle growth within complex precipitating mixed-phased cloud systems. In the presented cases, three different growth processes of ice crystals, plate-like crystals, and needles are detected and related to the presence of supercooled liquid water. Moreover, TARA observed signatures are assessed with co-located measurements obtained from a cloud radar and radiosondes. This paper shows that it is possible to observe ice particle growth processes within complex systems taking advantage of adequate technology and state of the art retrieval algorithms. A significant improvement is made towards a conclusive interpretation of ice particle growth processes and their contribution to rain production using fall streak rearranged radar data.

Detection Thresholds of Falling Snow From Satellite-Borne Active and Passive Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skofronick-Jackson, Gail M.; Johnson, Benjamin T.; Munchak, S. Joseph

2013-01-01

There is an increased interest in detecting and estimating the amount of falling snow reaching the Earths surface in order to fully capture the global atmospheric water cycle. An initial step toward global spaceborne falling snow algorithms for current and future missions includes determining the thresholds of detection for various active and passive sensor channel configurations and falling snow events over land surfaces and lakes. In this paper, cloud resolving model simulations of lake effect and synoptic snow events were used to determine the minimum amount of snow (threshold) that could be detected by the following instruments: the W-band radar of CloudSat, Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR)Ku- and Ka-bands, and the GPM Microwave Imager. Eleven different nonspherical snowflake shapes were used in the analysis. Notable results include the following: 1) The W-band radar has detection thresholds more than an order of magnitude lower than the future GPM radars; 2) the cloud structure macrophysics influences the thresholds of detection for passive channels (e.g., snow events with larger ice water paths and thicker clouds are easier to detect); 3) the snowflake microphysics (mainly shape and density)plays a large role in the detection threshold for active and passive instruments; 4) with reasonable assumptions, the passive 166-GHz channel has detection threshold values comparable to those of the GPM DPR Ku- and Ka-band radars with approximately 0.05 g *m(exp -3) detected at the surface, or an approximately 0.5-1.0-mm * h(exp -1) melted snow rate. This paper provides information on the light snowfall events missed by the sensors and not captured in global estimates.

Preclinical Alzheimer disease and risk of falls.

PubMed

Stark, Susan L; Roe, Catherine M; Grant, Elizabeth A; Hollingsworth, Holly; Benzinger, Tammie L; Fagan, Anne M; Buckles, Virginia D; Morris, John C

2013-07-30

We determined the rate of falls among cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults, some of whom had presumptive preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD) as detected by in vivo imaging of fibrillar amyloid plaques using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and PET and/or by assays of CSF to identify Aβ₄₂, tau, and phosphorylated tau. We conducted a 12-month prospective cohort study to examine the cumulative incidence of falls. Participants were evaluated clinically and underwent PiB PET imaging and lumbar puncture. Falls were reported monthly using an individualized calendar journal returned by mail. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to test whether time to first fall was associated with each biomarker and the ratio of CSF tau/Aβ₄₂ and CSF phosphorylated tau/Aβ₄₂, after adjustment for common fall risk factors. The sample (n = 125) was predominately female (62.4%) and white (96%) with a mean age of 74.4 years. When controlled for ability to perform activities of daily living, higher levels of PiB retention (hazard ratio = 2.95 [95% confidence interval 1.01-6.45], p = 0.05) and of CSF biomarker ratios (p < 0.001) were associated with a faster time to first fall. Presumptive preclinical AD is a risk factor for falls in older adults. This study suggests that subtle noncognitive changes that predispose older adults to falls are associated with AD and may precede detectable cognitive changes.

Reliability, Validity, and Ability to Identify Fall Status of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test, Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test, and Brief-Balance Evaluation Systems Test in Older People Living in the Community.

PubMed

Marques, Alda; Almeida, Sara; Carvalho, Joana; Cruz, Joana; Oliveira, Ana; Jácome, Cristina

2016-12-01

To assess the reliability, validity, and ability to identify fall status of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest, compared with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), in older people living in the community. Cross-sectional. Community centers. Older adults (N=122; mean age ± SD, 76±9y). Not applicable. Participants reported on falls history in the preceding year and completed the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. The BBS, BESTest, and the Five Times Sit-To-Stand Test were administered. Interrater (2 physiotherapists) and test-retest relative (48-72h) and absolute reliabilities were explored with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) equation (2,1) and the Bland and Altman method. Minimal detectable changes at the 95% confidence level (MDC 95 ) were established. Validity was assessed by correlating the balance tests with each other and with the ABC Scale (Spearman correlation coefficients-ρ). Receiver operating characteristics assessed the ability of each balance test to differentiate between people with and without a history of falls. All balance tests presented good to excellent interrater (ICC=.71-.93) and test-retest (ICC=.50-.82) relative reliability, with no evidence of bias. MDC 95 values were 4.6, 9, 3.8, and 4.1 points for the BBS, BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest, respectively. All tests were significantly correlated with each other (ρ=.83-.96) and with the ABC Scale (ρ=.46-.61). Acceptable ability to identify fall status (areas under the curve, .71-.78) was found for all tests. Cutoff points were 48.5, 82, 19.5, and 12.5 points for the BBS, BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest, respectively. All balance tests are reliable, valid, and able to identify fall status in older people living in the community. Therefore, the choice of which test to use will depend on the level of balance impairment, purpose, and time availability. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Estimation of the kinetic energy dissipation in fall-arrest system and manikin during fall impact.

PubMed

Wu, John Z; Powers, John R; Harris, James R; Pan, Christopher S

2011-04-01

Fall-arrest systems (FASs) have been widely applied to provide a safe stop during fall incidents for occupational activities. The mechanical interaction and kinetic energy exchange between the human body and the fall-arrest system during fall impact is one of the most important factors in FAS ergonomic design. In the current study, we developed a systematic approach to evaluate the energy dissipated in the energy absorbing lanyard (EAL) and in the harness/manikin during fall impact. The kinematics of the manikin and EAL during the impact were derived using the arrest-force time histories that were measured experimentally. We applied the proposed method to analyse the experimental data of drop tests at heights of 1.83 and 3.35 m. Our preliminary results indicate that approximately 84-92% of the kinetic energy is dissipated in the EAL system and the remainder is dissipated in the harness/manikin during fall impact. The proposed approach would be useful for the ergonomic design and performance evaluation of an FAS. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: Mechanical interaction, especially kinetic energy exchange, between the human body and the fall-arrest system during fall impact is one of the most important factors in the ergonomic design of a fall-arrest system. In the current study, we propose an approach to quantify the kinetic energy dissipated in the energy absorbing lanyard and in the harness/body system during fall impact.

Older adults' perceptions of technologies aimed at falls prevention, detection or monitoring: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hawley-Hague, Helen; Boulton, Elisabeth; Hall, Alex; Pfeiffer, Klaus; Todd, Chris

2014-06-01

Over recent years a number of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have emerged aiming at falls prevention, falls detection and alarms for use in case of fall. There are also a range of ICT interventions, which have been created or adapted to be pro-active in preventing falls, such as those which provide strength and balance training to older adults in the prevention of falls. However, there are issues related to the adoption and continued use of these technologies by older adults. This review provides an overview of older adults' perceptions of falls technologies. We undertook systematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsychINFO, COMPENDEX and the Cochrane database. Key search terms included 'older adults', 'seniors', 'preference', 'attitudes' and a wide range of technologies, they also included the key word 'fall*'. We considered all studies that included older adults aged 50 and above. Studies had to include technologies related specifically to falls prevention, detection or monitoring. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tool and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies by the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) were used. We identified 76 potentially relevant papers. Some 21 studies were considered for quality review. Twelve qualitative studies, three quantitative studies and 6 mixed methods studies were included. The literature related to technologies aimed at predicting, monitoring and preventing falls suggest that intrinsic factors related to older adults' attitudes around control, independence and perceived need/requirements for safety are important for their motivation to use and continue using technologies. Extrinsic factors such as usability, feedback gained and costs are important elements which support these attitudes and perceptions. Positive messages about the benefits of falls technologies for promoting healthy active ageing and independence are critical, as is ensuring that the technologies are simple, reliable and effective and tailored to individual need. The technologies need to be clearly described in research and older peoples' attitudes towards different sorts of technologies must be clarified if specific recommendations are to be made. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lifetime Fluorescence and Raman Imaging for Detection of Wound Failure and Heterotopic Ossification

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

containing ten bandpass filters ( Semrock Fluorescence filters) centered at: 407nm, 434 nm, 465 nm, 494 nm, 520 nm, 542 nm, 572 nm, 605 nm, 652 nm, 676 nm...meat (~2 - 3 mm thickness), and a bottom piece (~8 mm). The system was built around an 852 nm tunable narrow-band optical filter ( Semrock , LL01-852...optical filters to block light that falls outside the detection band: 785 nm notch filter ( Semrock , NF03-785E-25), and a bandpass filter at 842 nm

Lifetime Fluorescence and Raman Imaging for Detection of Wound Failure and Heterotopic Ossification

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

Filter Wheel) containing ten bandpass filters ( Semrock Fluorescence filters) centered at: 407nm, 434 nm, 465 nm, 494 nm, 520 nm, 542 nm, 572 nm...and a bottom piece (~8 mm). The system was built around an 852 nm tunable narrow-band optical filter ( Semrock , LL01-852-25) mounted in front of...light that falls outside the detection band: 785 nm notch filter ( Semrock , NF03-785E-25), and a bandpass filter at 842 nm ( Semrock , FF01-842/56-25

Wavelet-based multiscale analysis of minimum toe clearance variability in the young and elderly during walking.

PubMed

Khandoker, Ahsan H; Karmakar, Chandan K; Begg, Rezaul K; Palaniswami, Marimuthu

2007-01-01

As humans age or are influenced by pathology of the neuromuscular system, gait patterns are known to adjust, accommodating for reduced function in the balance control system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a wavelet based multiscale analysis of a gait variable [minimum toe clearance (MTC)] in deriving indexes for understanding age-related declines in gait performance and screening of balance impairments in the elderly. MTC during walking on a treadmill for 30 healthy young, 27 healthy elderly and 10 falls risk elderly subjects with a history of tripping falls were analyzed. The MTC signal from each subject was decomposed to eight detailed signals at different wavelet scales by using the discrete wavelet transform. The variances of detailed signals at scales 8 to 1 were calculated. The multiscale exponent (beta) was then estimated from the slope of the variance progression at successive scales. The variance at scale 5 was significantly (p<0.01) different between young and healthy elderly group. Results also suggest that the Beta between scales 1 to 2 are effective for recognizing falls risk gait patterns. Results have implication for quantifying gait dynamics in normal, ageing and pathological conditions. Early detection of gait pattern changes due to ageing and balance impairments using wavelet-based multiscale analysis might provide the opportunity to initiate preemptive measures to be undertaken to avoid injurious falls.

Are triage questions sufficient to assign fall risk precautions in the ED?

PubMed

Southerland, Lauren T; Slattery, Lauren; Rosenthal, Joseph A; Kegelmeyer, Deborah; Kloos, Anne

2017-02-01

The American College of Emergency Physicians Geriatric Emergency Department (ED) Guidelines and the Center for Disease Control recommend that older adults be assessed for risk of falls. The standard ED assessment is a verbal query of fall risk factors, which may be inadequate. We hypothesized that the addition of a functional balance test endorsed by the Center for Disease Control Stop Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries Falls Prevention Guidelines, the 4-Stage Balance Test (4SBT), would improve the detection of patients at risk for falls. Prospective pilot study of a convenience sample of ambulatory adults 65 years and older in the ED. All participants received the standard nursing triage fall risk assessment. After patients were stabilized in their ED room, the 4SBT was administered. The 58 participants had an average age of 74.1 years (range, 65-94), 40.0% were women, and 98% were community dwelling. Five (8.6%) presented to the ED for a fall-related chief complaint. The nursing triage screen identified 39.7% (n=23) as at risk for falls, whereas the 4SBT identified 43% (n=25). Combining triage questions with the 4SBT identified 60.3% (n=35) as at high risk for falls, as compared with 39.7% (n=23) with triage questions alone (P<.01). Ten (17%) of the patients at high risk by 4SBT and missed by triage questions were inpatients unaware that they were at risk for falls (new diagnoses). Incorporating a quick functional test of balance into the ED assessment for fall risk is feasible and significantly increases the detection of older adults at risk for falls. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of eye movement measuring system OBER 2 to medicine and technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ober, Jozef; Hajda, Janusz; Loska, Jacek; Jamicki, Michal

1997-08-01

The OBER 2 is an infrared light eye movement measuring system and it works with IBM PC compatible computers. As one of the safest systems for measuring of eye movement it uses a very short period of infrared light flashing time (80 microsecond for each measure point). System has an advanced analog-digital controller, which includes background suppression and prediction mechanisms guaranteeing elimination of slow changes and fluctuations of external illumination frequency up to 100 Hz, with effectiveness better than 40 dB. Setting from PC the active measure axis, sampling rate (25 - 4000 Hz) and making start and stop the measure, make it possible to control the outside environment in real-time. By proper controlling of gain it is possible to get high time and position resolution of 0.5 minute of arc even for big amplitude of eye movement (plus or minus 20 degree of visual angle). The whole communication system can also be driven directly by eye movement in real time. The possibility of automatic selection of the most essential elements of eye movement, individual for each person and those that take place for each person in determined situations of life independently from personal features, is a key to practical application. Hence one of conducted research topic is a personal identification based on personal features. Another task is a research project of falling asleep detection, which can be applied to warn the drivers before falling asleep while driving. This measuring system with a proper expert system can also be used to detect a dyslexia and other disabilities of the optic system.

Identifying balance impairments in people with Parkinson's disease using video and wearable sensors.

PubMed

Stack, Emma; Agarwal, Veena; King, Rachel; Burnett, Malcolm; Tahavori, Fatemeh; Janko, Balazs; Harwin, William; Ashburn, Ann; Kunkel, Dorit

2018-05-01

Falls and near falls are common among people with Parkinson's (PwP). To date, most wearable sensor research focussed on fall detection, few studies explored if wearable sensors can detect instability. Can instability (caution or near-falls) be detected using wearable sensors in comparison to video analysis? Twenty-four people (aged 60-86) with and without Parkinson's were recruited from community groups. Movements (e.g. walking, turning, transfers and reaching) were observed in the gait laboratory and/or at home; recorded using clinical measures, video and five wearable sensors (attached on the waist, ankles and wrists). After defining 'caution' and 'instability', two researchers evaluated video data and a third the raw wearable sensor data; blinded to each other's evaluations. Agreement between video and sensor data was calculated on stability, timing, step count and strategy. Data was available for 117 performances: 82 (70%) appeared stable on video. Ratings agreed in 86/117 cases (74%). Highest agreement was noted for chair transfer, timed up and go test and 3 m walks. Video analysts noted caution (slow, contained movements, safety-enhancing postures and concentration) and/or instability (saving reactions, stopping after stumbling or veering) in 40/134 performances (30%): raw wearable sensor data identified 16/35 performances rated cautious or unstable (sensitivity 46%) and 70/82 rated stable (specificity 85%). There was a 54% chance that a performance identified from wearable sensors as cautious/unstable was so; rising to 80% for stable movements. Agreement between wearable sensor and video data suggested that wearable sensors can detect subtle instability and near-falls. Caution and instability were observed in nearly a third of performances, suggesting that simple, mildly challenging actions, with clearly defined start- and end-points, may be most amenable to monitoring during free-living at home. Using the genuine near-falls recorded, work continues to automatically detect subtle instability using algorithms. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A self-mixing based ring-type fiber-optic acoustic sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lutang; Wu, Chunxu; Fang, Nian

2014-07-01

A novel, simple fiber-optic acoustic sensor consisting of a self-mixing effect based laser source and a ring-type interferometer is presented. With weak external optical feedbacks, the acoustic wave signals can be detected by measuring the changes of oscillating frequency of the laser diode, induced by the disturbances of sensing fiber, with the ring-type interferometer. The operation principles of the sensor system are explored in-depth and the experimental researches are carried out. The acoustic wave signals produced by various actions, such as by pencil broken, mental pin free falling and PZT are detected for evaluating the sensing performances of the experimental system. The investigation items include the sensitivity as well as frequency responses of the sensor system. An experiment for the detection of corona discharges is carried out, which occur in a high-voltage environment between two parallel copper electrodes, under different humidity levels. The satisfied experimental results are obtained. These experimental results well prove that our proposed sensing system has very high sensitivity and excellent high frequency responses characteristics in the detections of weak, high-frequency acoustic wave signals.

Effectiveness of an automatic manual wheelchair braking system in the prevention of falls.

PubMed

Martorello, Laura; Swanson, Edward

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an automatic manual wheelchair braking system in the reduction of falls for patients at high risk of falls while transferring to and from a manual wheelchair. The study design was a normative survey carried out through the use of a written questionnaire sent to 60 skilled nursing facilities to collect data from the medical charts, which identified patients at high risk for falls who used an automatic wheelchair braking system. The facilities participating in the study identified a frequency of falls of high-risk patients while transferring to and from the wheelchair ranging from 2 to 10 per year, with a median fall rate per facility of 4 falls. One year after the installation of the automatic wheelchair braking system, participating facilities demonstrated a reduction of zero to three falls during transfers by high-risk patients, with a median fall rate of zero falls. This represents a statistically significant reduction of 78% in the fall rate of high-risk patients while transferring to and from the wheelchair, t (18) = 6.39, p < .0001. Incident reports of falls to and from manual wheelchairs were reviewed retrospectively for a 1-year period. This study suggests that high-risk fallers transferring to or from manual wheelchairs sustained significantly fewer falls when the Steddy Mate automatic braking system for manual wheelchairs was installed. The application of the automatic braking system allows clients, families/caregivers, and facility personnel an increased safety factor for the reduction of falls from the wheelchair.

Intrinsic factors associated with pregnancy falls.

PubMed

Wu, Xuefang; Yeoh, Han T

2014-10-01

Approximately 25% to 27% of women sustain a fall during pregnancy, and falls are associated with serious injuries and can affect pregnancy outcomes. The objective of the current study was to identify intrinsic factors associated with pregnancy that may contribute to women's increased risk of falls. A literature search (Medline and Pubmed) identified articles published between January 1980 and June 2013 that measured associations between pregnancy and fall risks, using an existing fall accident investigation framework. The results indicated that physiological, biomechanical, and psychological changes associated with pregnancy may influence the initiation, detection, and recovery phases of falls and increase the risk of falls in this population. Considering the logistic difficulties and ethnic concerns in recruiting pregnant women to participate in this investigation of fall risk factors, identification of these factors could establish effective fall prevention and intervention programs for pregnant women and improve birth outcomes. [Workplace Health Saf 2014;62(10):403-408.]. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Measuring atmospheric visibility cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jie, Guo; Ye, Shan-Shan; Yang, Xiao; Han, Ye-Xing; Tang, Huai-Wu; Yu, Zhi-Wei

2016-10-01

In the paper, an accurate and sensitive cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (CAPS) system was used to monitor the atmospheric visibility coefficient in urban areas. The CAPS system, which detects the atmospheric visibility within a 10 nm bandpass centered at 532 nm, comprises a green LED with center wavelength in 532nm, a resonant optical cavity (36 cm length), a Photo Multiplier Tube detector and a lock in amplifier. The performance of the CAPS system was evaluated by measuring of the stability and response of the system. The minima ( 0.06 Mm-1) in the Allan plots show the optimum average time( 80s) for optimum detection performance of the CAPS system. The 2L/min flow rate, the CAPS system rise and fall response time is about 15 s, so as to realize the fast measurement of visibility. By comparing the forward scatter visibility meter measurement results, the CAPS system measurement results are verified reliably, and have high precision measurement. These figures indicate that this method has the potential to become one of the most sensitive on-line analytical techniques for atmospheric visibility detection.

Assessment of the quality of fall detection and management in primary care in the Netherlands based on the ACOVE quality indicators.

PubMed

Askari, M; Eslami, S; van Rijn, M; Medlock, S; Moll van Charante, E P; van der Velde, N; de Rooij, S E; Abu-Hanna, A

2016-02-01

We determined adherence to nine fall-related ACOVE quality indicators to investigate the quality of management of falls in the elderly population by general practitioners in the Netherlands. Our findings demonstrate overall low adherence to these indicators, possibly indicating insufficiency in the quality of fall management. Most indicators showed a positive association between increased risk for functional decline and adherence, four of which with statistical significance. This study aims to investigate the quality of detection and management of falls in the elderly population by general practitioners in the Netherlands, using the Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) quality indicators. Community-dwelling persons aged 70 years or above, registered in participating general practices, were asked to fill in a questionnaire designed to determine general practitioner (GP) adherence to fall-related indicators. We used logistic regression to estimate the association between increased risk for functional decline-quantified by the Identification of Seniors At Risk for Primary Care score-and adherence. We then cross-validated the self-reported falls with medical records. Of the 950 elders responding to our questionnaire, only 10.6 % reported that their GP proactively asked them about falls. Of the 160 patients who reported two or more falls, or one fall for which they visited the GP, only 23.1 % had fall documentation in their records. Adherence ranged between 13.6 and 48.6 %. There was a significant positive association between the ISAR-PC scores and adherence in four QIs. Documentation of falls was highest (36.7 %) in patients whom the GP had proactively asked about falls. Based on patient self-reports, adherence to the ACOVE fall-related indicators was poor, suggesting that the quality of evaluation and management of falls in community-dwelling older persons in the Netherlands is poor. The documentation of falls and fall-related risk factors was also poor. However, for most QIs, adherence to them increased with the increase in the risk of functional decline.

Preclinical Alzheimer disease and risk of falls

PubMed Central

Roe, Catherine M.; Grant, Elizabeth A.; Hollingsworth, Holly; Benzinger, Tammie L.; Fagan, Anne M.; Buckles, Virginia D.; Morris, John C.

2013-01-01

Objective: We determined the rate of falls among cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults, some of whom had presumptive preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD) as detected by in vivo imaging of fibrillar amyloid plaques using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and PET and/or by assays of CSF to identify Aβ42, tau, and phosphorylated tau. Methods: We conducted a 12-month prospective cohort study to examine the cumulative incidence of falls. Participants were evaluated clinically and underwent PiB PET imaging and lumbar puncture. Falls were reported monthly using an individualized calendar journal returned by mail. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to test whether time to first fall was associated with each biomarker and the ratio of CSF tau/Aβ42 and CSF phosphorylated tau/Aβ42, after adjustment for common fall risk factors. Results: The sample (n = 125) was predominately female (62.4%) and white (96%) with a mean age of 74.4 years. When controlled for ability to perform activities of daily living, higher levels of PiB retention (hazard ratio = 2.95 [95% confidence interval 1.01–6.45], p = 0.05) and of CSF biomarker ratios (p < 0.001) were associated with a faster time to first fall. Conclusions: Presumptive preclinical AD is a risk factor for falls in older adults. This study suggests that subtle noncognitive changes that predispose older adults to falls are associated with AD and may precede detectable cognitive changes. PMID:23803314

The relationship between orthostatic hypotension and falling in older adults.

PubMed

Shaw, Brett H; Claydon, Victoria E

2014-02-01

Falls are devastating events and are the largest contributor towards injury-related hospitalization of older adults. Orthostatic hypotension (OH) represents an intrinsic risk factor for falls in older adults. OH refers to a significant decrease in blood pressure upon assuming an upright posture. Declines in blood pressure can reduce cerebral perfusion; this can impair consciousness, lead to dizziness, and increase the likelihood of a fall. Although theoretical mechanisms linking OH and falls exist, the magnitude of the association remains poorly characterized, possibly because of methodological differences between previous studies. The use of non-invasive beat-to-beat blood pressure monitoring has altered the way in which OH is now defined, and represents a substantial improvement for detecting OH that was previously unavailable in many studies. Additionally, there is a lack of consistency and standardization of orthostatic assessments and analysis techniques for interpreting blood pressure data. This review explores the previous literature examining the relationship between OH and falls. We highlight the impact of broadening the timing, degree, and overall duration of blood pressure measurements on the detection of OH. We discuss the types of orthostatic stress assessments currently used to evaluate OH and the various techniques capable of measuring these often transient blood pressure changes. Overall, we identify future solutions that may better clarify the relationship between OH and falling risk in order to gain a more precise understanding of potential mechanisms for falls in older adults.

Comparison of the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale, Mini-BESTest, and Berg Balance Scale to Predict Falls in Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Schlenstedt, Christian; Brombacher, Stephanie; Hartwigsen, Gesa; Weisser, Burkhard; Möller, Bettina; Deuschl, Günther

2016-04-01

The correct identification of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) at risk for falling is important to initiate appropriate treatment early. This study compared the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale with the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to identify individuals with PD at risk for falls and to analyze which of the items of the scales best predict future falls. This was a prospective study to assess predictive criterion-related validity. The study was conducted at a university hospital in an urban community. Eighty-five patients with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages: 1-4) participated in the study. Measures were number of falls (assessed prospectively over 6 months), FAB scale, Mini-BESTest, BBS, and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. The FAB scale, Mini-BESTest, and BBS showed similar accuracy to predict future falls, with values for area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.68, 0.65, and 0.69, respectively. A model combining the items "tandem stance," "rise to toes," "one-leg stance," "compensatory stepping backward," "turning," and "placing alternate foot on stool" had an AUC of 0.84 of the ROC curve. There was a dropout rate of 19/85 participants. The FAB scale, Mini-BESTest, and BBS provide moderate capacity to predict "fallers" (people with one or more falls) from "nonfallers." Only some items of the 3 scales contribute to the detection of future falls. Clinicians should particularly focus on the item "tandem stance" along with the items "one-leg stance," "rise to toes," "compensatory stepping backward," "turning 360°," and "placing foot on stool" when analyzing postural control deficits related to fall risk. Future research should analyze whether balance training including the aforementioned items is effective in reducing fall risk. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

Randomized Trial of Intelligent Sensor System for Early Illness Alerts in Senior Housing.

PubMed

Rantz, Marilyn; Phillips, Lorraine J; Galambos, Colleen; Lane, Kari; Alexander, Gregory L; Despins, Laurel; Koopman, Richelle J; Skubic, Marjorie; Hicks, Lanis; Miller, Steven; Craver, Andy; Harris, Bradford H; Deroche, Chelsea B

2017-10-01

Measure the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of using sensor data from an environmentally embedded sensor system for early illness recognition. This sensor system has demonstrated in pilot studies to detect changes in function and in chronic diseases or acute illnesses on average 10 days to 2 weeks before usual assessment methods or self-reports of illness. Prospective intervention study in 13 assisted living (AL) communities of 171 residents randomly assigned to intervention (n=86) or comparison group (n=85) receiving usual care. Intervention participants lived with the sensor system an average of one year. Continuous data collected 24 hours/7 days a week from motion sensors to measure overall activity, an under mattress bed sensor to capture respiration, pulse, and restlessness as people sleep, and a gait sensor that continuously measures gait speed, stride length and time, and automatically assess for increasing fall risk as the person walks around the apartment. Continuously running computer algorithms are applied to the sensor data and send health alerts to staff when there are changes in sensor data patterns. The randomized comparison group functionally declined more rapidly than the intervention group. Walking speed and several measures from GaitRite, velocity, step length left and right, stride length left and right, and the fall risk measure of functional ambulation profile (FAP) all had clinically significant changes. The walking speed increase (worse) and velocity decline (worse) of 0.073 m/s for comparison group exceeded 0.05 m/s, a value considered to be a minimum clinically important difference. No differences were measured in health care costs. These findings demonstrate that sensor data with health alerts and fall alerts sent to AL nursing staff can be an effective strategy to detect and intervene in early signs of illness or functional decline. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The design of a purpose-built exergame for fall prediction and prevention for older people.

PubMed

Marston, Hannah R; Woodbury, Ashley; Gschwind, Yves J; Kroll, Michael; Fink, Denis; Eichberg, Sabine; Kreiner, Karl; Ejupi, Andreas; Annegarn, Janneke; de Rosario, Helios; Wienholtz, Arno; Wieching, Rainer; Delbaere, Kim

2015-01-01

Falls in older people represent a major age-related health challenge facing our society. Novel methods for delivery of falls prevention programs are required to increase effectiveness and adherence to these programs while containing costs. The primary aim of the Information and Communications Technology-based System to Predict and Prevent Falls (iStoppFalls) project was to develop innovative home-based technologies for continuous monitoring and exercise-based prevention of falls in community-dwelling older people. The aim of this paper is to describe the components of the iStoppFalls system. The system comprised of 1) a TV, 2) a PC, 3) the Microsoft Kinect, 4) a wearable sensor and 5) an assessment and training software as the main components. The iStoppFalls system implements existing technologies to deliver a tailored home-based exercise and education program aimed at reducing fall risk in older people. A risk assessment tool was designed to identify fall risk factors. The content and progression rules of the iStoppFalls exergames were developed from evidence-based fall prevention interventions targeting muscle strength and balance in older people. The iStoppFalls fall prevention program, used in conjunction with the multifactorial fall risk assessment tool, aims to provide a comprehensive and individualised, yet novel fall risk assessment and prevention program that is feasible for widespread use to prevent falls and fall-related injuries. This work provides a new approach to engage older people in home-based exercise programs to complement or provide a potentially motivational alternative to traditional exercise to reduce the risk of falling.

Detection of compensatory balance responses using wearable electromyography sensors for fall-risk assessment.

PubMed

Nouredanesh, Mina; Kukreja, Sunil L; Tung, James

2016-08-01

Loss of balance is prevalent in older adults and populations with gait and balance impairments. The present paper aims to develop a method to automatically distinguish compensatory balance responses (CBRs) from normal gait, based on activity patterns of muscles involved in maintaining balance. In this study, subjects were perturbed by lateral pushes while walking and surface electromyography (sEMG) signals were recorded from four muscles in their right leg. To extract sEMG time domain features, several filtering characteristics and segmentation approaches are examined. The performance of three classification methods, i.e., k-nearest neighbor, support vector machines, and random forests, were investigated for accurate detection of CBRs. Our results show that features extracted in the 50-200Hz band, segmented using peak sEMG amplitudes, and a random forest classifier detected CBRs with an accuracy of 92.35%. Moreover, our results support the important role of biceps femoris and rectus femoris muscles in stabilization and consequently discerning CBRs. This study contributes towards the development of wearable sensor systems to accurately and reliably monitor gait and balance control behavior in at-home settings (unsupervised conditions), over long periods of time, towards personalized fall risk assessment tools.

Exploring user experience and technology acceptance for a fall prevention system: results from a randomized clinical trial and a living lab.

PubMed

Vaziri, Daryoush D; Aal, Konstantin; Ogonowski, Corinna; Von Rekowski, Thomas; Kroll, Michael; Marston, Hannah R; Poveda, Rakel; Gschwind, Yves J; Delbaere, Kim; Wieching, Rainer; Wulf, Volker

2016-01-01

Falls are common in older adults and can result in serious injuries. Due to demographic changes, falls and related healthcare costs are likely to increase over the next years. Participation and motivation of older adults in fall prevention measures remain a challenge. The iStoppFalls project developed an information and communication technology (ICT)-based system for older adults to use at home in order to reduce common fall risk factors such as impaired balance and muscle weakness. The system aims at increasing older adults' motivation to participate in ICT-based fall prevention measures. This article reports on usability, user-experience and user-acceptance aspects affecting the use of the iStoppFalls system by older adults. In the course of a 16-week international multicenter study, 153 community-dwelling older adults aged 65+ participated in the iStoppFalls randomized controlled trial, of which half used the system in their home to exercise and assess their risk of falling. During the study, 60 participants completed questionnaires regarding the usability, user experience and user acceptance of the iStoppFalls system. Usability was measured with the System Usability Scale (SUS). For user experience the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) was applied. User acceptance was assessed with the Dynamic Acceptance Model for the Re-evaluation of Technologies (DART). To collect more detailed data on usability, user experience and user acceptance, additional qualitative interviews and observations were conducted with participants. Participants evaluated the usability of the system with an overall score of 62 (Standard Deviation, SD 15.58) out of 100, which suggests good usability. Most users enjoyed the iStoppFalls games and assessments, as shown by the overall PACES score of 31 (SD 8.03). With a score of 0.87 (SD 0.26), user acceptance results showed that participants accepted the iStoppFalls system for use in their own home. Interview data suggested that certain factors such as motivation, complexity or graphical design were different for gender and age. The results suggest that the iStoppFalls system has good usability, user experience and user acceptance. It will be important to take these along with factors such as motivation, gender and age into consideration when designing and further developing ICT-based fall prevention systems.

Automated Assessment of Postural Stability (AAPS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

evaluation capability, 15 healthy subjects (7 male, 8 female) were required to perform the BESS test, while simultaneously being tracked by a Kinect 2.0...scale, specific behaviors corresponding to deficits in postural control while simultaneously spotting the subject to prevent falls. The subject under...of the error detection algorithm, we simultaneously collected data using a Kinect sensor and a 12-Camera Qualisys system. Qualisys data have been post

Optimized spatio-temporal descriptors for real-time fall detection: comparison of support vector machine and Adaboost-based classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charfi, Imen; Miteran, Johel; Dubois, Julien; Atri, Mohamed; Tourki, Rached

2013-10-01

We propose a supervised approach to detect falls in a home environment using an optimized descriptor adapted to real-time tasks. We introduce a realistic dataset of 222 videos, a new metric allowing evaluation of fall detection performance in a video stream, and an automatically optimized set of spatio-temporal descriptors which fed a supervised classifier. We build the initial spatio-temporal descriptor named STHF using several combinations of transformations of geometrical features (height and width of human body bounding box, the user's trajectory with her/his orientation, projection histograms, and moments of orders 0, 1, and 2). We study the combinations of usual transformations of the features (Fourier transform, wavelet transform, first and second derivatives), and we show experimentally that it is possible to achieve high performance using support vector machine and Adaboost classifiers. Automatic feature selection allows to show that the best tradeoff between classification performance and processing time is obtained by combining the original low-level features with their first derivative. Hence, we evaluate the robustness of the fall detection regarding location changes. We propose a realistic and pragmatic protocol that enables performance to be improved by updating the training in the current location with normal activities records.

Automatic classifier based on heart rate variability to identify fallers among hypertensive subjects.

PubMed

Melillo, Paolo; Jovic, Alan; De Luca, Nicola; Pecchia, Leandro

2015-08-01

Accidental falls are a major problem of later life. Different technologies to predict falls have been investigated, but with limited success, mainly because of low specificity due to a high false positive rate. This Letter presents an automatic classifier based on heart rate variability (HRV) analysis with the goal to identify fallers automatically. HRV was used in this study as it is considered a good estimator of autonomic nervous system (ANS) states, which are responsible, among other things, for human balance control. Nominal 24 h electrocardiogram recordings from 168 cardiac patients (age 72 ± 8 years, 60 female), of which 47 were fallers, were investigated. Linear and nonlinear HRV properties were analysed in 30 min excerpts. Different data mining approaches were adopted and their performances were compared with a subject-based receiver operating characteristic analysis. The best performance was achieved by a hybrid algorithm, RUSBoost, integrated with feature selection method based on principal component analysis, which achieved satisfactory specificity and accuracy (80 and 72%, respectively), but low sensitivity (51%). These results suggested that ANS states causing falls could be reliably detected, but also that not all the falls were due to ANS states.

Micro-controller based fall detector to assist recovering patients or senior citizens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Páez, Francisco; Asplund, Lars

2010-09-01

Senior citizens and patients recovering from surgery or using strong medications with severe side effects tend to fall unexpectedly. The consequences of such an uncontrolled fall could be worse than the original malady, especially when there is no communication with the care-takers. We describe a fall-detector device capable of distinguishing falls from normal daily activities. Based on three-axis accelerometer and advanced data processing, the microcontroller emits an alarm requesting help in the case of a physical fall. We design and construct the fall-detector prototype for either inside or outside use. In order to determine the device performance, fifty instances of each fall event have been evaluated; all of them detected as fall event. In the case of daily activities, the only movement that produces an alarm is the transition from standing up to lying in 5% of the occurrences.

Design a Learning-Oriented Fall Event Reporting System Based on Kirkpatrick Model.

PubMed

Zhou, Sicheng; Kang, Hong; Gong, Yang

2017-01-01

Patient fall has been a severe problem in healthcare facilities around the world due to its prevalence and cost. Routine fall prevention training programs are not as effective as expected. Using event reporting systems is the trend for reducing patient safety events such as falls, although some limitations of the systems exist at current stage. We summarized these limitations through literature review, and developed an improved web-based fall event reporting system. The Kirkpatrick model, widely used in the business area for training program evaluation, has been integrated during the design of our system. Different from traditional event reporting systems that only collect and store the reports, our system automatically annotates and analyzes the reported events, and provides users with timely knowledge support specific to the reported event. The paper illustrates the design of our system and how its features are intended to reduce patient falls by learning from previous errors.

Pyroelectric IR sensor arrays for fall detection in the older population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sixsmith, A.; Johnson, N.; Whatmore, R.

2005-09-01

Uncooled pyroelectric sensor arrays have been studied over many years for their uses in thermal imaging applications. These arrays will only detect changes in IR flux and so systems based upon them are very good at detecting movements of people in the scene without sensing the background, if they are used in staring mode. Relatively-low element count arrays (16 x 16) can be used for a variety of people sensing applications, including people counting (for safety applications), queue monitoring etc. With appropriate signal processing such systems can be also be used for the detection of particular events such as a person falling over. There is a considerable need for automatic fall detection amongst older people, but there are important limitations to some of the current and emerging technologies available for this. Simple sensors, such as 1 or 2 element pyroelectric infra-red sensors provide crude data that is difficult to interpret; the use of devices worn on the person, such as wrist communicator and motion detectors have potential, but are reliant on the person being able and willing to wear the device; video cameras may be seen as intrusive and require considerable human resources to monitor activity while machine-interpretation of camera images is complex and may be difficult in this application area. The use of a pyroelectric thermal array sensor was seen to have a number of potential benefits. The sensor is wall-mounted and does not require the user to wear a device. It enables detailed analysis of a subject's motion to be achieved locally, within the detector, using only a modest processor. This is possible due to the relative ease with which data from the sensor can be interpreted relative to the data generated by alternative sensors such as video devices. In addition to the cost-effectiveness of this solution, it was felt that the lack of detail in the low-level data, together with the elimination of the need to transmit data outside the detector, would help to avert feelings intrusiveness on the part of the end-user.The main benefits of this type of technology would be for older people who spend time alone in unsupervised environments. This would include people living alone in ordinary housing or in sheltered accommodation (apartment complexes for older people with local warden) and non-communal areas in residential/nursing home environments (e.g. bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms and toilets). This paper will review the development of the array, the pyroelectric ceramic material upon which it is based and the system capabilities. It will present results from the Framework 5 SIMBAD project, which used the system to monitor the movements of elderly people over a considerable period of time.

33 CFR 150.619 - What are the fall arrest system requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What are the fall arrest system... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Fall Arrest § 150.619 What are the fall arrest system requirements? (a) The deepwater port operator must ensure that...

33 CFR 150.619 - What are the fall arrest system requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What are the fall arrest system... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Fall Arrest § 150.619 What are the fall arrest system requirements? (a) The deepwater port operator must ensure that...

33 CFR 150.619 - What are the fall arrest system requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What are the fall arrest system... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Fall Arrest § 150.619 What are the fall arrest system requirements? (a) The deepwater port operator must ensure that...

33 CFR 150.619 - What are the fall arrest system requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What are the fall arrest system... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Fall Arrest § 150.619 What are the fall arrest system requirements? (a) The deepwater port operator must ensure that...

33 CFR 150.619 - What are the fall arrest system requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What are the fall arrest system... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Fall Arrest § 150.619 What are the fall arrest system requirements? (a) The deepwater port operator must ensure that...

The PARAChute Project: Remote Monitoring of Posture and Gait for Fall Prevention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hewson, David J.; Duchêne, Jacques; Charpillet, François; Saboune, Jamal; Michel-Pellegrino, Valérie; Amoud, Hassan; Doussot, Michel; Paysant, Jean; Boyer, Anne; Hogrel, Jean-Yves

2007-12-01

Falls in the elderly are a major public health problem due to both their frequency and their medical and social consequences. In France alone, more than two million people aged over 65 years old fall each year, leading to more than 9 000 deaths, in particular in those over 75 years old (more than 8 000 deaths). This paper describes the PARAChute project, which aims to develop a methodology that will enable the detection of an increased risk of falling in community-dwelling elderly. The methods used for a remote noninvasive assessment for static and dynamic balance assessments and gait analysis are described. The final result of the project has been the development of an algorithm for movement detection during gait and a balance signature extracted from a force plate. A multicentre longitudinal evaluation of balance has commenced in order to validate the methodologies and technologies developed in the project.

Developing the FARSEEING Taxonomy of Technologies: Classification and description of technology use (including ICT) in falls prevention studies.

PubMed

Boulton, Elisabeth; Hawley-Hague, Helen; Vereijken, Beatrix; Clifford, Amanda; Guldemond, Nick; Pfeiffer, Klaus; Hall, Alex; Chesani, Federico; Mellone, Sabato; Bourke, Alan; Todd, Chris

2016-06-01

Recent Cochrane reviews on falls and fall prevention have shown that it is possible to prevent falls in older adults living in the community and in care facilities. Technologies aimed at fall detection, assessment, prediction and prevention are emerging, yet there has been no consistency in describing or reporting on interventions using technologies. With the growth of eHealth and data driven interventions, a common language and classification is required. The FARSEEING Taxonomy of Technologies was developed as a tool for those in the field of biomedical informatics to classify and characterise components of studies and interventions. The Taxonomy Development Group (TDG) comprised experts from across Europe. Through face-to-face meetings and contributions via email, five domains were developed, modified and agreed: Approach; Base; Components of outcome measures; Descriptors of technologies; and Evaluation. Each domain included sub-domains and categories with accompanying definitions. The classification system was tested against published papers and further amendments undertaken, including development of an online tool. Six papers were classified by the TDG with levels of consensus recorded. Testing the taxonomy with papers highlighted difficulties in definitions across international healthcare systems, together with differences of TDG members' backgrounds. Definitions were clarified and amended accordingly, but some difficulties remained. The taxonomy and manual were large documents leading to a lengthy classification process. The development of the online application enabled a much simpler classification process, as categories and definitions appeared only when relevant. Overall consensus for the classified papers was 70.66%. Consensus scores increased as modifications were made to the taxonomy. The FARSEEING Taxonomy of Technologies presents a common language, which should now be adopted in the field of biomedical informatics. In developing the taxonomy as an online tool, it has become possible to continue to develop and modify the classification system to incorporate new technologies and interventions. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Data Fusion for a Vision-Radiological System for Source Tracking and Discovery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Enqvist, Andreas; Koppal, Sanjeev

2015-07-01

A multidisciplinary approach to allow the tracking of the movement of radioactive sources by fusing data from multiple radiological and visual sensors is under development. The goal is to improve the ability to detect, locate, track and identify nuclear/radiological threats. The key concept is that such widely available visual and depth sensors can impact radiological detection, since the intensity fall-off in the count rate can be correlated to movement in three dimensions. To enable this, we pose an important question; what is the right combination of sensing modalities and vision algorithms that can best compliment a radiological sensor, for themore » purpose of detection and tracking of radioactive material? Similarly what is the best radiation detection methods and unfolding algorithms suited for data fusion with tracking data? Data fusion of multi-sensor data for radiation detection have seen some interesting developments lately. Significant examples include intelligent radiation sensor systems (IRSS), which are based on larger numbers of distributed similar or identical radiation sensors coupled with position data for network capable to detect and locate radiation source. Other developments are gamma-ray imaging systems based on Compton scatter in segmented detector arrays. Similar developments using coded apertures or scatter cameras for neutrons have recently occurred. The main limitation of such systems is not so much in their capability but rather in their complexity and cost which is prohibitive for large scale deployment. Presented here is a fusion system based on simple, low-cost computer vision and radiological sensors for tracking of multiple objects and identifying potential radiological materials being transported or shipped. The main focus of this work is the development on two separate calibration algorithms for characterizing the fused sensor system. The deviation from a simple inverse square-root fall-off of radiation intensity is explored and accounted for. In particular, the computer vision system enables a map of distance-dependence of the sources being tracked. Infrared, laser or stereoscopic vision sensors are all options for computer-vision implementation depending on interior vs exterior deployment, resolution desired and other factors. Similarly the radiation sensors will be focused on gamma-ray or neutron detection due to the long travel length and ability to penetrate even moderate shielding. There is a significant difference between the vision sensors and radiation sensors in the way the 'source' or signals are generated. A vision sensor needs an external light-source to illuminate the object and then detects the re-emitted illumination (or lack thereof). However, for a radiation detector, the radioactive material is the source itself. The only exception to this is the field of active interrogations where radiation is beamed into a material to entice new/additional radiation emission beyond what the material would emit spontaneously. The aspect of the nuclear material being the source itself means that all other objects in the environment are 'illuminated' or irradiated by the source. Most radiation will readily penetrate regular material, scatter in new directions or be absorbed. Thus if a radiation source is located near a larger object that object will in turn scatter some radiation that was initially emitted in a direction other than the direction of the radiation detector, this can add to the count rate that is observed. The effect of these scatter is a deviation from the traditional distance dependence of the radiation signal and is a key challenge that needs a combined system calibration solution and algorithms. Thus both an algebraic approach as well as a statistical approach have been developed and independently evaluated to investigate the sensitivity to this deviation from the simplified radiation fall-off as a function of distance. The resulting calibrated system algorithms are used and demonstrated in various laboratory scenarios, and later in realistic tracking scenarios. The selection and testing of radiological and computer-vision sensors for the additional specific scenarios will be the subject of ongoing and future work. (authors)« less

Linguistic Summarization of Video for Fall Detection Using Voxel Person and Fuzzy Logic

PubMed Central

Anderson, Derek; Luke, Robert H.; Keller, James M.; Skubic, Marjorie; Rantz, Marilyn; Aud, Myra

2009-01-01

In this paper, we present a method for recognizing human activity from linguistic summarizations of temporal fuzzy inference curves representing the states of a three-dimensional object called voxel person. A hierarchy of fuzzy logic is used, where the output from each level is summarized and fed into the next level. We present a two level model for fall detection. The first level infers the states of the person at each image. The second level operates on linguistic summarizations of voxel person’s states and inference regarding activity is performed. The rules used for fall detection were designed under the supervision of nurses to ensure that they reflect the manner in which elders perform these activities. The proposed framework is extremely flexible. Rules can be modified, added, or removed, allowing for per-resident customization based on knowledge about their cognitive and physical ability. PMID:20046216

29 CFR Appendix B to Subpart I of... - General Testing Conditions and Additional Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS FOR SHIPYARD EMPLOYMENT Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Pt. 1915... Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) B Appendix B to Subpart I of Part 1915 Labor Regulations... Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) 1. Personal fall arrest systems—(a) General...

29 CFR Appendix B to Subpart I of... - General Testing Conditions and Additional Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS FOR SHIPYARD EMPLOYMENT Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Pt. 1915... Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) B Appendix B to Subpart I of Part 1915 Labor Regulations... Guidelines for Personal Fall Protection Systems (Non-Mandatory) 1. Personal fall arrest systems—(a) General...

Improving the Capture of Fall Events in Hospitals: Combining a Service for Evaluating Inpatient Falls with an Incident Report System

PubMed Central

Shorr, Ronald I.; Mion, Lorraine C.; Chandler, A. Michelle; Rosenblatt, Linda C.; Lynch, Debra; Kessler, Lori A.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVES To determine the utility of a fall evaluation service to improve the ascertainment of falls in acute care. DESIGN Six-month observational study. SETTING Sixteen adult nursing units (349 beds) in an urban, academically affiliated, community hospital. PARTICIPANTS Patients admitted to the study units during the study period. INTERVENTION Nursing staff identifying falls were instructed to notify, using a pager, a trained nurse ‘‘fall evaluator.’’ Fall evaluators provided 24-hour-per-day 7-day-per-week coverage throughout the study. Data on patient falls gathered by fall evaluators were compared with falls data obtained through the hospital’s incident reporting system. RESULTS During 51,180 patient-days of observation, 191 falls were identified according to incident reports (3.73 falls/1,000 patient-days), whereas the evaluation service identified 228 falls (4.45 falls/1,000 patient-days). Combining falls reported from both data sources yielded 266 falls (5.20 falls/1,000 patient-days), a 39% relative rate increase compared with incident reports alone (P<.001). For falls with injury, combining data from both sources yielded 79 falls (1.54 injurious falls/1,000 patient-days), compared with 57 falls (1.11 injurious falls/1,000 patient-days) filed in incident reports—a 28% increase (P = .06). In the 16 nursing units, the relative percentage increase of captured fall events using the combined data sources versus the incident reporting system alone ranged from 13% to 125%. CONCLUSION Incident reports significantly underestimate both injurious and noninjurious falls in acute care settings and should not be used as the sole source of data for research or quality improvement initiatives. PMID:18205761

Utilization of the Seniors Falls Investigation Methodology to identify system-wide causes of falls in community-dwelling seniors.

PubMed

Zecevic, Aleksandra A; Salmoni, Alan W; Lewko, John H; Vandervoort, Anthoney A; Speechley, Mark

2009-10-01

As a highly heterogeneous group, seniors live in complex environments influenced by multiple physical and social structures that affect their safety. Until now, the major approach to falls research has been person centered. However, in industrial settings, the individuals involved in an accident are seen as the inheritors of system defects. The objective of the present study was to investigate safety deficiencies that contributed to falls in community-dwelling seniors using a systems approach. The investigations were conducted using the Seniors Falls Investigation Methodology (SFIM), an adapted version of a method used to examine transportation accidents, such as airplane crashes. Fifteen seniors, who experienced a fall or near fall, participated in multiple case studies. A cross-case synthesis was used to summarize findings and identify common patterns of causes and safety deficiencies. Falls and near falls are a result of latent unsafe conditions, and unsafe acts and decisions combined in a diverse set of circumstances. If not identified and removed, these unsafe conditions can cause falls for other seniors. This study provided compelling evidence that causes of falling are systemic and develop over time. It demonstrated that the systems approach is needed to expand the focus from the individual to multilayered organizational and supervisory causes. The SFIM demonstrated capability to identify causes of falls that will allow better prevention and management programs, hence advancing seniors' safety. SFIM shows great potential for implementation in organized settings, such as hospitals and long-term care homes.

[Establishment and application effect of fall prevention and control information system in elderly community].

PubMed

Zhao, Ting; Pi, Hong-Ying; Ku, Hong-An; Pan, Li; Gong, Zhu-Yun

2018-02-08

To investigate establishing, applying and evaluating the fall prevention and control information system in elderly community. Relying on internet technology and informatization means, the fall comprehensive prevention and control strategy of elderly was guided into online from offline. The fall prevention and control information system which was a collection of risk assessment, remote education and feedback was established. One hundred and twenty-six elderly (over 60 years old) in community were screened in this study and 84 high-risk elders who were involved in the remote continuous comprehensive intervention were screened out. Intervening measures included distributing propaganda album, making mission slides and video used to play with the interpretation remotely. Then fall related situation before and after intervention was analyzed and the effectiveness of system evaluated. After remote intervention, the fall incidence of high-risk group decreased from 21.43% to 4.76%( P <0.01). The body balance and gait stability improved clearly( P <0. 01). The rate of taking proper prevention and control behavior significantly improved( P <0.01). They believed in themselves not to fall down with more confidence when taking complex behaviors( P <0.01). The security of environment at home significantly enhanced( P <0. 01). Fall prevention and control information system in elderly community was innovative and convenient. The system could roundly assess the status related to fall and accurately screen out high-risk group. The system could implement the remote continuous comprehensive intervention so that the incident of fall was decrease. In conclusion, the system is stable and effective, can be further popularization and application as a successful pilot.

System Performance of Absolute Quartz-Crystal Barometers with Sub-Microbar Precision

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

respectively. signals , which falls in the microbarom frequency band. This affirms the detection of ocean generated infrasound (microbaroms) using a single...scales down to seconds is demonstrated. The first observations of ocean- generated , atmospheric infrasound with periods of about 5 s and sub-microbar...demonstrated. The first observations of ocean- generated , atmospheric infrasound with periods of about 5 s and sub-microbar amplitudes, called microbaroms

Effects of a Community-Based Fall Management Program on Medicare Cost Savings.

PubMed

Ghimire, Ekta; Colligan, Erin M; Howell, Benjamin; Perlroth, Daniella; Marrufo, Grecia; Rusev, Emil; Packard, Michael

2015-12-01

Fall-related injuries and health risks associated with reduced mobility or physical inactivity account for significant costs to the U.S. healthcare system. The widely disseminated lay-led A Matter of Balance (MOB) program aims to help older adults reduce their risk of falling and associated activity limitations. This study examined effects of MOB participation on health service utilization and costs for Medicare beneficiaries, as a part of a larger effort to understand the value of community-based prevention and wellness programs for Medicare. A controlled retrospective cohort study was conducted in 2012-2013, using 2007-2011 MOB program data and 2006-2013 Medicare data. It investigated program effects on falls and fall-related fractures, and health service utilization and costs (standardized to 2012 dollars), of 6,136 Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MOB from 2007 through 2011. A difference-in-differences analysis was employed to compare outcomes of MOB participants with matched controls. MOB participation was associated with total medical cost savings of $938 per person (95% CI=$379, $1,498) at 1 year. Savings per person amounted to $517 (95% CI=$265, $769) for unplanned hospitalizations; $81 for home health care (95% CI=$20, $141); and $234 (95% CI=$55, $413) for skilled nursing facility care. Changes in the incidence of falls or fall-related fractures were not detected, suggesting that cost savings accrue through other mechanisms. This study suggests that MOB and similar prevention programs have the potential to reduce Medicare costs. Further research accounting for program delivery costs would help inform the development of Medicare-covered preventive benefits. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

Detection system for high-resolution gamma radiation spectroscopy with neutron time-of-flight filtering

DOEpatents

Dioszegi, Istvan; Salwen, Cynthia; Vanier, Peter

2014-12-30

A .gamma.-radiation detection system that includes at least one semiconductor detector such as HPGe-Detector, a position-sensitive .alpha.-Detector, a TOF Controller, and a Digitizer/Integrator. The Digitizer/Integrator starts to process the energy signals of a .gamma.-radiation sent from the HPGe-Detector instantly when the HPGe-Detector detects the .gamma.-radiation. Subsequently, it is determined whether a coincidence exists between the .alpha.-particles and .gamma.-radiation signal, based on a determination of the time-of-flight of neutrons obtained from the .alpha.-Detector and the HPGe-Detector. If it is determined that the time-of-flight falls within a predetermined coincidence window, the Digitizer/Integrator is allowed to continue and complete the energy signal processing. If, however, there is no coincidence, the Digitizer/Integrator is instructed to be clear and reset its operation instantly.

Study of Wearable Knee Assistive Instruments for Walk Rehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yong; Nakamura, Masahiro; Ito, Noritaka; Fujimoto, Hiroshi; Horikuchi, Kenichi; Wakabayashi, Shojiro; Takahashi, Rei; Terada, Hidetsugu; Haro, Hirotaka

A wearable Knee Assistive Instrument for the walk rehabilitation was newly developed. Especially, this system aimed at supporting the rehabilitation for the post-TKA (Total Knee Arthroplasty) which is a popular surgery for aging people. This system consisted of an assisting mechanism for the knee joint, a hip joint support system and a foot pressure sensor system. The driving system of this robot consisted of a CPU board which generated the walking pattern, a Li-ion battery, DC motors with motor drivers, contact sensors to detect the state of foot and potentiometers to detect the hip joint angle. The control method was proposed to reproduce complex motion of knee joint as much as possible, and to increase hip or knee flexion angle. Especially, this method used the timing that heel left from the floor. This method included that the lower limb was raised to prevent a subject's fall. Also, the prototype of knee assisting system was tested. It was confirmed that the assisting system is useful.

78 FR 38311 - Broad River Electric Cooperative and Cherokee Falls Associates; Aquenergy Systems, Inc.; Notice...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-26

... Electric Cooperative and Cherokee Falls Associates; Aquenergy Systems, Inc.; Notice of Application for... Electric Cooperative and Cherokee Falls Associates (transferors) and Aquenergy Systems, Inc. (transferee... 15222. Transferee: Mr. Steve Champagne, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Aquenergy Systems...

Development of a wearable wireless body area network for health monitoring of the elderly and disabled

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rushambwa, Munyaradzi C.; Gezimati, Mavis; Jeeva, J. B.

2017-11-01

Novel advancements in systems miniaturization, electronics in health care and communication technologies are enabling the integration of both patients and doctors involvement in health care system. A Wearable Wireless Body Area Network (WWBAN) provides continuous, unobtrusive ambulatory, ubiquitous health monitoring, and provide real time patient’s status to the physician without any constraint on their normal daily life activities. In this project we developed a wearable wireless body area network system that continuously monitor the health of the elderly and the disabled and provide them with independent, safe and secure living. The WWBAN system monitors the following parameters; blood oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter sensor (SpO2), heart rate (HR) pulse sensor, Temperature, hydration, glucose level and fall detection. When the wearable system is put on, the sensor values are processed and analysed. If any of the monitored parameter values falls below or exceeds the normal range, there is trigger of remote alert by which an SMS is send to a doctor or physician via GSM module and network. The developed system offers flexibility and mobility to the user; it is a real time system and has significance in revolutionizing health care system by enabling non-invasive, inexpensive, continuous health monitoring.

Avoiding fraud risks associated with EHRs.

PubMed

Helton, Jeffrey R

2010-07-01

Fraud associated with electronic health records (EHRs) generally falls into two categories: inappropriate billing by healthcare providers and inappropriate access by a system's users. A provider's EHR system requires controls to be of any significant help in detecting such fraudulent activity, or in gathering transactional evidence should such activity be identified. To protect against potential EHR-related healthcare fraud, providers should follow the recommendations established in 2007 by RTI International for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeGange, A.R.; Douglas, D.C.; Monson, D.H.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) abundance and distribution in the Gulf of Alaska west of Prince William Sound were surveyed by helicopter in the spring of 1989 at the time of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the following fall. Estimated population sizes did not significantly decline between spring and fall for areas with comparable survey data. No significant (p>0.05) shifts of sea otter distributions in heavily, lightly and unoiled areas were detected between spring and fall surveys.

Fall prevention intervention technologies: A conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art.

PubMed

Hamm, Julian; Money, Arthur G; Atwal, Anita; Paraskevopoulos, Ioannis

2016-02-01

In recent years, an ever increasing range of technology-based applications have been developed with the goal of assisting in the delivery of more effective and efficient fall prevention interventions. Whilst there have been a number of studies that have surveyed technologies for a particular sub-domain of fall prevention, there is no existing research which surveys the full spectrum of falls prevention interventions and characterises the range of technologies that have augmented this landscape. This study presents a conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art of technology-based fall prevention systems which is derived from a systematic template analysis of studies presented in contemporary research literature. The framework proposes four broad categories of fall prevention intervention system: Pre-fall prevention; Post-fall prevention; Fall injury prevention; Cross-fall prevention. Other categories include, Application type, Technology deployment platform, Information sources, Deployment environment, User interface type, and Collaborative function. After presenting the conceptual framework, a detailed survey of the state of the art is presented as a function of the proposed framework. A number of research challenges emerge as a result of surveying the research literature, which include a need for: new systems that focus on overcoming extrinsic falls risk factors; systems that support the environmental risk assessment process; systems that enable patients and practitioners to develop more collaborative relationships and engage in shared decision making during falls risk assessment and prevention activities. In response to these challenges, recommendations and future research directions are proposed to overcome each respective challenge. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Balance Improvement Effects of Biofeedback Systems with State-of-the-Art Wearable Sensors: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Ma, Christina Zong-Hao; Wong, Duo Wai-Chi; Lam, Wing Kai; Wan, Anson Hong-Ping; Lee, Winson Chiu-Chun

2016-03-25

Falls and fall-induced injuries are major global public health problems. Balance and gait disorders have been the second leading cause of falls. Inertial motion sensors and force sensors have been widely used to monitor both static and dynamic balance performance. Based on the detected performance, instant visual, auditory, electrotactile and vibrotactile biofeedback could be provided to augment the somatosensory input and enhance balance control. This review aims to synthesize the research examining the effect of biofeedback systems, with wearable inertial motion sensors and force sensors, on balance performance. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials were included in this review. All studies were evaluated based on the methodological quality. Sample characteristics, device design and study characteristics were summarized. Most previous studies suggested that biofeedback devices were effective in enhancing static and dynamic balance in healthy young and older adults, and patients with balance and gait disorders. Attention should be paid to the choice of appropriate types of sensors and biofeedback for different intended purposes. Maximizing the computing capacity of the micro-processer, while minimizing the size of the electronic components, appears to be the future direction of optimizing the devices. Wearable balance-improving devices have their potential of serving as balance aids in daily life, which can be used indoors and outdoors.

Balance Improvement Effects of Biofeedback Systems with State-of-the-Art Wearable Sensors: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Ma, Christina Zong-Hao; Wong, Duo Wai-Chi; Lam, Wing Kai; Wan, Anson Hong-Ping; Lee, Winson Chiu-Chun

2016-01-01

Falls and fall-induced injuries are major global public health problems. Balance and gait disorders have been the second leading cause of falls. Inertial motion sensors and force sensors have been widely used to monitor both static and dynamic balance performance. Based on the detected performance, instant visual, auditory, electrotactile and vibrotactile biofeedback could be provided to augment the somatosensory input and enhance balance control. This review aims to synthesize the research examining the effect of biofeedback systems, with wearable inertial motion sensors and force sensors, on balance performance. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials were included in this review. All studies were evaluated based on the methodological quality. Sample characteristics, device design and study characteristics were summarized. Most previous studies suggested that biofeedback devices were effective in enhancing static and dynamic balance in healthy young and older adults, and patients with balance and gait disorders. Attention should be paid to the choice of appropriate types of sensors and biofeedback for different intended purposes. Maximizing the computing capacity of the micro-processer, while minimizing the size of the electronic components, appears to be the future direction of optimizing the devices. Wearable balance-improving devices have their potential of serving as balance aids in daily life, which can be used indoors and outdoors. PMID:27023558

Use of tracheal auscultation for the assessment of bronchial responsiveness in asthmatic children.

PubMed Central

Sprikkelman, A. B.; Grol, M. H.; Lourens, M. S.; Gerritsen, J.; Heymans, H. S.; van Aalderen, W. M.

1996-01-01

BACKGROUND: It can be difficult to assess bronchial responsiveness in children because of their inability to perform spirometric tests reliably. In bronchial challenges lung sounds could be used to detect the required 20% fall in the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). A study was undertaken to determine whether a change in lung sounds corresponded with a 20% fall in FEV1 after methacholine challenge, and whether the occurrence of wheeze was the most important change. METHODS: Fifteen children with asthma (eight boys) of mean age 10.8 years (range 8-15) were studied. All had normal chest auscultation before the methacholine challenge test. Lung sounds were recorded over the trachea for one minute and stored on tape. They were analysed directly and also scored blindly from the tape recording by a second investigator. Wheeze, cough, increase in respiratory rate, and prolonged expiration were assessed. RESULTS: The total cumulative methacholine dose causing a fall in FEV1 of 20% or more (PD20) was detected in 12 children by a change in lung sounds - in four by wheeze and in eight by cough, increased respiratory rate, and/or prolonged expiration. In two subjects altered lung sounds were detectable one dose step before PD20 was reached. In three cases in whom no fall in FEV1 occurred, no change in lung sounds could be detected at the highest methacholine dose. CONCLUSION: Changes in lung sounds correspond well with a 20% fall in FEV1 after methacholine challenge. Wheeze is an insensitive indicator for assessing bronchial responsiveness. Cough, increase in respiratory rate, and prolonged expiration occurs more frequently. PMID:8779140

Involvement of the end user: exploration of older people’s needs and preferences for a wearable fall detection device – a qualitative descriptive study

PubMed Central

Thilo, Friederike JS; Bilger, Selina; Halfens, Ruud JG; Schols, Jos MGA; Hahn, Sabine

2017-01-01

Purpose To explore the needs and preferences of community-dwelling older people, by involving them in the device design and mock-up development stage of a fall detection device, consisting of a body-worn sensor linked to a smartphone application. Patients and methods A total of 22 community-dwelling persons 75 years of age and older were involved in the development of a fall detection device. Three semistructured focus group interviews were conducted. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative descriptive analysis with deductive coding. Results The mock-up of a waterproof, body-worn, automatic and manual alerting device, which served both as a day-time wearable sensor and a night-time wearable sensor, was welcomed. Changes should be considered regarding shape, color and size along with alternate ways of integrating the sensor with items already in use in daily life, such as jewelry and personal watches. The reliability of the sensor is key for the participants. Issues important to the alerting process were discussed, for instance, who should be contacted and why. Several participants were concerned with the mandatory use of the smartphone and assumed that it would be difficult to use. They criticized the limited distance between the sensor and the smartphone for reliable fall detection, as it might restrict activity and negatively influence their degree of independence in daily life. Conclusion This study supports that involving end users in the design and mock-up development stage is welcomed by older people and allows their needs and preferences concerning the fall detection device to be explored. Based on these findings, the development of a “need-driven” prototype is possible. As participants are doubtful regarding smartphone usage, careful training and support of community-dwelling older people during real field testing will be crucial. PMID:28053509

Intelligent monitoring system of bedridden elderly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Rue Shao; Tanaka, Motohiro; Ushijima, Miki; Ishimatsu, Takakazu

2005-12-01

In this paper we propose a system to detect physical behavior of the elderly under bedridden status. This system is used to prevent those elderly from falling down and being wounded. Basic idea of our approach is to measure the body movements of the elderly using the acceleration sensor. Based on the data measured, dangerous actions of the elderly are extracted and warning signals to the caseworkers are generated via wireless signals. A feature of the system is that the senor part is compactly assembled as a wearable unit. Another feature of the system is that the system adopts a simplified wireless network system. Due to the network capability the system can monitor physical movements of multi-patients. Applicability of the system is now being examined at hospitals.

Simple Fall Criteria for MEMS Sensors: Data Analysis and Sensor Concept

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Alwathiqbellah; Younis, Mohammad I.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a new and simple fall detection concept based on detailed experimental data of human falling and the activities of daily living (ADLs). Establishing appropriate fall algorithms compatible with MEMS sensors requires detailed data on falls and ADLs that indicate clearly the variations of the kinematics at the possible sensor node location on the human body, such as hip, head, and chest. Currently, there is a lack of data on the exact direction and magnitude of each acceleration component associated with these node locations. This is crucial for MEMS structures, which have inertia elements very close to the substrate and are capacitively biased, and hence, are very sensitive to the direction of motion whether it is toward or away from the substrate. This work presents detailed data of the acceleration components on various locations on the human body during various kinds of falls and ADLs. A two-degree-of-freedom model is used to help interpret the experimental data. An algorithm for fall detection based on MEMS switches is then established. A new sensing concept based on the algorithm is proposed. The concept is based on employing several inertia sensors, which are triggered simultaneously, as electrical switches connected in series, upon receiving a true fall signal. In the case of everyday life activities, some or no switches will be triggered resulting in an open circuit configuration, thereby preventing false positive. Lumped-parameter model is presented for the device and preliminary simulation results are presented illustrating the new device concept. PMID:25006997

Landslides and rock fall processes in the proglacial area of the Gepatsch glacier, Tyrol, Austria - Quantitative assessment of controlling factors and process rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vehling, Lucas; Rohn, Joachim; Moser, Michael

2013-04-01

Due to the rapid deglaciation since 1850, lithological structures and topoclimatic factors, mass movements like rock fall, landslides and complex processes are important contributing factors to sediment transport and modification of the earth's surface in the steep, high mountain catchment of the Gepatsch reservoir. Contemporary geotechnical processes, mass movement deposits, their source areas, and controlling factors like material properties and relief parameters are mapped in the field, on Orthofotos and on digital elevation models. The results are presented in an Arc-Gis based geotechnical map. All mapped mass movements are stored in an Arc-Gis geodatabase and can be queried regarding properties, volume and controlling factors, so that statistical analyses can be conducted. The assessment of rock wall retreat rates is carried out by three different methods in multiple locations, which differ in altitude, exposition, lithology and deglaciation time: Firstly, rock fall processes and rates are investigated in detail on five rock fall collector nets with an overall size of 750 m2. Rock fall particles are gathered, weighed and grain size distribution is detected by sieving and measuring the diameter of the particles to distinct between rock fall processes and magnitudes. Rock wall erosion processes like joint formation and expansions are measured with high temporal resolution by electrical crack meters, together with rock- and air temperature. Secondly, in cooperation with the other working groups in the PROSA project, rock fall volumes are determined with multitemporal terrestrial laserscanning from several locations. Lately, already triggered rock falls are accounted by mapping the volume of the deposit and calculating of the bedrock source area. The deposition time span is fixed by consideration of the late Holocene lateral moraines and analysing historical aerial photographs, so that longer term rock wall retreat rates can be calculated. In order to limit homogenous bedrock sections for calculating specific rock wall retreat rates and to extrapolate the local determinated rock wall retreat rates to larger scale, bedrock areas will be divided into units of similar morphodynamic intensities which will be therefore classified by a rock mass strength (RMS) system. The RMS-System contains lithological and topoclimatic factors but also takes the measured rock wall retreat rates into account.

An Application for Driver Drowsiness Identification based on Pupil Detection using IR Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, K. S. Chidanand; Bhowmick, Brojeshwar

A Driver drowsiness identification system has been proposed that generates alarms when driver falls asleep during driving. A number of different physical phenomena can be monitored and measured in order to detect drowsiness of driver in a vehicle. This paper presents a methodology for driver drowsiness identification using IR camera by detecting and tracking pupils. The face region is first determined first using euler number and template matching. Pupils are then located in the face region. In subsequent frames of video, pupils are tracked in order to find whether the eyes are open or closed. If eyes are closed for several consecutive frames then it is concluded that the driver is fatigued and alarm is generated.

Hanging drop crystal growth apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naumann, Robert J. (Inventor); Witherow, William K. (Inventor); Carter, Daniel C. (Inventor); Bugg, Charles E. (Inventor); Suddath, Fred L. (Inventor)

1990-01-01

This invention relates generally to control systems for controlling crystal growth, and more particularly to such a system which uses a beam of light refracted by the fluid in which crystals are growing to detect concentration of solutes in the liquid. In a hanging drop apparatus, a laser beam is directed onto drop which refracts the laser light into primary and secondary bows, respectively, which in turn fall upon linear diode detector arrays. As concentration of solutes in drop increases due to solvent removal, these bows move farther apart on the arrays, with the relative separation being detected by arrays and used by a computer to adjust solvent vapor transport from the drop. A forward scattering detector is used to detect crystal nucleation in drop, and a humidity detector is used, in one embodiment, to detect relative humidity in the enclosure wherein drop is suspended. The novelty of this invention lies in utilizing angular variance of light refracted from drop to infer, by a computer algorithm, concentration of solutes therein. Additional novelty is believed to lie in using a forward scattering detector to detect nucleating crystallites in drop.

The Effect of Personalization on Smartphone-Based Fall Detectors

PubMed Central

Medrano, Carlos; Plaza, Inmaculada; Igual, Raúl; Sánchez, Ángel; Castro, Manuel

2016-01-01

The risk of falling is high among different groups of people, such as older people, individuals with Parkinson's disease or patients in neuro-rehabilitation units. Developing robust fall detectors is important for acting promptly in case of a fall. Therefore, in this study we propose to personalize smartphone-based detectors to boost their performance as compared to a non-personalized system. Four algorithms were investigated using a public dataset: three novelty detection algorithms—Nearest Neighbor (NN), Local Outlier Factor (LOF) and One-Class Support Vector Machine (OneClass-SVM)—and a traditional supervised algorithm, Support Vector Machine (SVM). The effect of personalization was studied for each subject by considering two different training conditions: data coming only from that subject or data coming from the remaining subjects. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was selected as the primary figure of merit. The results show that there is a general trend towards the increase in performance by personalizing the detector, but the effect depends on the individual being considered. A personalized NN can reach the performance of a non-personalized SVM (average AUC of 0.9861 and 0.9795, respectively), which is remarkable since NN only uses activities of daily living for training. PMID:26797614

Feasibility of using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set for evaluation of fall-related risk factors in acute rehabilitation settings.

PubMed

Huang, Shih W; Lin, Li F; Chou, Lin C; Wu, Mei J; Liao, Chun D; Liou, Tsan H

2016-04-01

Previously, we reported the use of an International Classification of Functioning (ICF) core set that can provide a holistic framework for evaluating the risk factors of falls; however, data on the feasibility of applying this core set are lacking. To investigate the feasibility of applying the fall-related ICF risk-factor core set in the case of patients in an acute-rehabilitation setting. A cross-sectional and descriptive correlational design. Acute-rehabilitation ward. A total of 273 patients who experienced fall at acute-rehabilitation ward. The data on falls were collected from the hospital's Nursing Information System (NIS) and the fall-reporting system (Adverse Event Reporting System, AERS) between 2010 and 2013. The relationship of both systems to the fall-related ICF core set was analyzed to assess the feasibility of their clinical application. We evaluated the feasibility of using the fall-related ICF risk-factor core set by using the frequency and the percentage of the fall patients in of the listed categories. The fall-related ICF risk-factor core set category b735 (muscle tone functions) exhibited a high feasibility (85.95%) for clinical application, and the category b730 (muscle power functions) covered 77.11% of the patients. The feasibility of application of the category d410 (change basic body position) was also high in the case of all fall patients (81.69%). In the acute-rehabilitation setting, the feasibility of application of the fall-related ICF risk-factor core set is high. The fall-related ICF risk-factor core set can help multidisciplinary teams develop fall-prevention strategies in acute rehabilitation wards.

Evaluation of the antioxidant system and neurotoxic effects observed in Rhamdia branneri (Teleostei: Heptapteridae) sampled from streams of the lower Iguazu River basin.

PubMed

Sobjak, Thaís Maylin; Romão, Silvia; Cazarolli, Luisa Helena; Sampaio, Silvio César; Remor, Marcelo Bevilacqua; Guimarães, Ana Tereza Bittencourt

2018-07-15

The use of multiple biomarkers has been shown to be an efficient method for evaluating environmental contamination. In this work, we evaluate neurotoxic effects and the antioxidant system responses of the R. branneri collected in two streams of lower Iguazu River basin, relating them with different percentage of vegetation coverture, presence of pesticides and fall and winter seasons. The biological samples were collected in March and August of 2015, from two streams that belong to the lower Iguazu River basin (Brazil): the Manoel Gomes River and the Arquimedes Stream. Soil analyses were performed, and the results showed the presence of the following organophosphates in the Manoel Gomes River and the Arquimedes Stream: disulfoton, methyl parathion, and ronnel. The present study detected inhibition of cholinesterase activity in the brain and muscle of fish samples during the fall from the Manoel Gomes River and the Arquimedes Stream. In the Manoel Gomes River, elevated lipoperoxidation was also observed during the fall. It was observed that the increase or decrease of biomarkers was related to temporal variation and, possibly, to the exposure of animals to agrochemicals. Although the Manoel Gomes River and the Arquimedes Stream are located in regions with large areas of vegetation, the soil analyses show that agrochemical residues are able to reach these locations, which suggests that the fauna are in contact with oxidant and anti-cholinesterase agents during the fall, in addition to respond differently during each season. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of West Nile virus in migratory birds during spring and fall migration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dusek, Robert J.; McLean, R.G.; Kramer, L.D.; Ubico, S.R.; Dupuis, A.P.; Ebel, G.D.; Guptill, S.C.

2009-01-01

To investigate the role of migratory birds in the dissemination of West Nile virus (WNV), we measured the prevalence of infectious WNV and specific WNV neutralizing antibodies in birds, principally Passeriformes, during spring and fall migrations in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways from 2001-2003. Blood samples were obtained from 13,403 birds, representing 133 species. Specific WNV neutralizing antibody was detected in 254 resident and migratory birds, representing 39 species, and was most commonly detected in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) (9.8%, N = 762) and gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) (3.2%,N = 3188). West Nile virus viremias were detected in 19 birds, including 8 gray catbirds, and only during the fall migratory period. These results provide additional evidence that migratory birds may have been a principal agent for the spread of WNV in North America and provide data on the occurrence of WNV in a variety of bird species. Copyright ?? 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

One-leg balance is an important predictor of injurious falls in older persons.

PubMed

Vellas, B J; Wayne, S J; Romero, L; Baumgartner, R N; Rubenstein, L Z; Garry, P J

1997-06-01

To test the hypothesis that one-leg balance is a significant predictor of falls and injurious falls. Analysis of data from a longitudinal cohort study. Healthy, community-living volunteers older than age 60 enrolled in the Albuquerque Falls Study and followed for 3 years (N = 316; mean age 73 years). Falls and injurious falls detected via reports every other month. Baseline measures of demographics, history, physical examination, Iowa Self Assessment Inventory, balance and gait assessment, and one-leg balance (ability to stand unassisted for 5 seconds on one leg). At baseline, 84.5% of subjects could perform one-leg balance. (Impairment was associated with older age and gait abnormalities.) Over the 3-year follow-up, 71% experienced a fall and 22% an injurious fall. The only independent significant predictor of all falls using logistic regression was age greater than 73. However, impaired one-leg balance was the only significant independent predictor of injurious falls (relative risk: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.04, 4.34; P = .03). One-leg balance appears to be a significant and easy-to-administer predictor of injurious falls, but not of all falls. In our study, it was the strongest individual predictor. However, no single factor seems to be accurate enough to be relied on as a sole predictor of fall risk or fall injury risk because so many diverse factors are involved in falling.

75 FR 22844 - Construction Fall Protection Systems Criteria and Practices and Training Requirements; Extension...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-30

...] Construction Fall Protection Systems Criteria and Practices and Training Requirements; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of Information Collection (Paperwork) Requirements AGENCY... requirements contained in the construction standards on Fall Protection Systems Criteria and Practices (29 CFR...

Occurrence, distribution, and transport of pesticides, trace elements, and selected inorganic constituents into the Salton Sea Basin, California, 2001-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

LeBlanc, Lawrence A.; Schroeder, Roy A.; Orlando, James L.; Kuivila, Kathyrn M.

2004-01-01

A study of pesticide distribution and transport within the Salton Sea Basin, California, was conducted from September 2001 to October 2002. Sampling for the study was done along transects for the three major rivers that flow into the Salton Sea Basin: the New and Alamo Rivers at the southern end of the basin and the Whitewater River at the northern end. Three stations were established on each river: an outlet station approximately 1 mile upstream of the river discharge, a near-shore station in the river delta, and off-shore station in the Salton Sea. Water and suspended and bed sediments were collected at each station in October 2001, March-April 2002, and September 2002, coinciding with peak pesticide applications in the fall and spring. Fourteen current-use pesticides were detected in the water column. Concentrations of dissolved pesticides typically decreased from the outlets to the sea in all three rivers, consistent with the off-shore transport of pesticides from the rivers to the sea. Dissolved concentrations ranged from the limits of detection to 151 nanograms per liter (ng/L); however, diazinon, eptam (EPTC), and malathion were detected at much higher concentrations (940?3,830 ng/L) at the New and Alamo River outlet and near-shore stations. Concentrations of carbaryl, dacthal, diazinon, and eptam were higher during the two fall sampling periods, whereas concentrations of atrazine, carbofuran, and trifluralin were higher during the spring. Current-use pesticides also were detected on suspended and bed sediments in concentrations ranging from method detection limits to 106 ng/g (nanograms per gram). Chlorpyrifos, dacthal, eptam, trifluralin, and DDE were the most frequently detected pesticides on sediments from all three rivers. The number and concentrations of pesticides associated with suspended sediments frequently were similar for the river outlet and near-shore sites, consistent with the downstream transport of sediment-associated pesticides out of the rivers. Seasonal trends in pesticide concentration were similar to those for dissolved concentrations in fall 2001 and spring 2002, but not in fall 2002. Generally, the pesticides detected in the suspended sediments were the same pesticides detected in the bed sediments, and concentrations were similar, especially at the Alamo River outlet site in spring 2002 and fall 2002. Pesticides generally were not detected in sediments from the off-shore sites; however, the samples from these sites also had greater incidences of matrix interference during analysis. Sediment-associated pesticide concentrations were above equilibrium in water, suggesting a bound fraction of sediment-associated pesticides that are resistant to desorption. Concentrations of trace elements and other inorganic constituents in suspended sediments collected during the fall 2001 followed expected trends with dilution of river-derived minerals owing to highly organic autochthonous production within the Salton Sea Basin. However, calculation of enrichment ratios provided evidence for the bioconcentration of several trace elements, notably selenium in the off-shore biota.

Selective attentional processing to fall-relevant stimuli among older adults who fear falling.

PubMed

Brown, Lesley A; White, Patti; Doan, Jonathan B; de Bruin, Natalie

2011-05-01

Fear of falling is known to affect more than half of community-dwelling older adults over 60 years of age. This fear is associated with physical and psychological effects that increase the risk of falling. The authors' theory is that attentional processing biases may exist in this population that serve to perpetuate fear of falling and subsequently increase fall risk. As a starting point in testing this proposition, the authors examined selective attentional processing bias to fall-relevant stimuli among older adults. Thirty older adult participants (M(age) = 70.8 ± 5.8), self-categorized to be Fearful of Falling (FF, n = 15) or Non-Fearful of Falling (NF, n = 15) completed a visual dot-probe paradigm to determine detection latencies to fall-threatening and general-threat stimuli. Attentional processing was defined using three index scores: attentional bias, congruency index, and incongruency index. Bias indicates capture of attention, whereas congruency and incongruency imply vigilance and disengagement difficulty, respectively. Both groups showed an attentional bias to fall-threat words but those who were fearful of falling also showed an incongruency effect for fall-threat words. These findings confirm that selective attentional processing profiles for fall-relevant stimuli differ between older adults who exhibit fear of falling and those who do not have this fear. Moreover, in accordance with current interpretations of selective attentional processing, the incongruency effect noted among fall-fearful older adults presents a possibility for a difficulty disengaging from fall-threatening stimuli.

Avoiding Low Falling Numbers Problems in Wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Hagberg-Perten Falling Number (FN) method is used to detect starch degradation due to ''-amylase enzyme activity in wheat meal. Wheat can be severely discounted when the FN is below 300 seconds. Farmers in the northwest wheat-growing states suffered serious economic losses due to widespread pro...

A multi-modal approach for activity classification and fall detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, José Carlos; Carneiro, Davide; Serrano-Cuerda, Juan; Novais, Paulo; Fernández-Caballero, Antonio; Neves, José

2014-04-01

The society is changing towards a new paradigm in which an increasing number of old adults live alone. In parallel, the incidence of conditions that affect mobility and independence is also rising as a consequence of a longer life expectancy. In this paper, the specific problem of falls of old adults is addressed by devising a technological solution for monitoring these users. Video cameras, accelerometers and GPS sensors are combined in a multi-modal approach to monitor humans inside and outside the domestic environment. Machine learning techniques are used to detect falls and classify activities from accelerometer data. Video feeds and GPS are used to provide location inside and outside the domestic environment. It results in a monitoring solution that does not imply the confinement of the users to a closed environment.

78 FR 25406 - Proposed Modification of Class E Airspace; Twin Falls, ID

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

...) Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Instrument Landing System (ILS) or Localizer (LOC) standard... the earth. * * * * * ANM ID E5 Twin Falls, ID [Modified] Twin Falls Joslin Field-Magic Valley Regional...

Terrestrial record of the solar system's oscillation about the galactic plane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stothers, R. B.

1985-01-01

A new study is presented of the observational evidence pertaining to the theory which attributes the episodic component of the earth's impact cratering record over the past 600 Myr to gravitational encounters between the solar system and interstellar clouds that cause comets to fall into the solar system and impact the earth. Contrary to a claim by Thaddeus and Chanan (1985), the vertical scale height of the clouds seems to be sufficently small and the sun's vertical trajectory sufficiently large for the modulating effect of the sun's galactovertical motion to be detectable in the terrestrial record of impact cratering with at least a 50 percent a priori probability.

29 CFR 1915.159 - Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS FOR SHIPYARD EMPLOYMENT Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) § 1915.159 Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). The criteria of this section apply... 29 Labor 7 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). 1915.159 Section 1915...

Effect of square stepping exercise for older adults to prevent fall and injury related to fall: systematic review and meta-analysis of current evidences.

PubMed

Fisseha, Berihu; Janakiraman, Balamurugan; Yitayeh, Asmare; Ravichandran, Hariharasudhan

2017-02-01

Falls and fall related injuries become an emerging health problem among older adults. As a result a review of the recent evidences is needed to design a prevention strategy. The aim of this review was to determine the effect of square stepping exercise (SSE) for fall down injury among older adults compared with walking training or other exercises. An electronic database search for relevant randomized control trials published in English from 2005 to 2016 was conducted. Articles with outcome measures of functional reach, perceived health status, fear of fall were included. Quality of the included articles was rated using Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale and the pooled effect of SSE was obtained by Review Manager (RevMan5) software. Significant effect of SSE was detected over walking or no treatment to improve balance as well to prevent fear of fall and improve perceived health status. The results of this systematic review proposed that SSE significantly better than walking or no treatment to prevent fall, prevent fear of fall and improve perceived health status.

Spatial analysis of falls in an urban community of Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Lai, Poh C; Low, Chien T; Wong, Martin; Wong, Wing C; Chan, Ming H

2009-01-01

Background Falls are an issue of great public health concern. This study focuses on outdoor falls within an urban community in Hong Kong. Urban environmental hazards are often place-specific and dependent upon the built features, landscape characteristics, and habitual activities. Therefore, falls must be examined with respect to local situations. Results This paper uses spatial analysis methods to map fall occurrences and examine possible environmental attributes of falls in an urban community of Hong Kong. The Nearest neighbour hierarchical (Nnh) and Standard Deviational Ellipse (SDE) techniques can offer additional insights about the circumstances and environmental factors that contribute to falls. The results affirm the multi-factorial nature of falls at specific locations and for selected groups of the population. Conclusion The techniques to detect hot spots of falls yield meaningful results that enable the identification of high risk locations. The combined use of descriptive and spatial analyses can be beneficial to policy makers because different preventive measures can be devised based on the types of environmental risk factors identified. The analyses are also important preludes to establishing research hypotheses for more focused studies. PMID:19291326

Graduation and Persistence Rates: University of Hawaii Community Colleges, Fall 1987-Fall 1995 Cohorts. A Summary of Selected Data from the NCHEMS/University of Hawaii System Longitudinal Database Project. Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawaii Univ., Honolulu. Institutional Research Office.

This report details graduation and persistence rates for degree-seeking students at the seven University of Hawaii Community Colleges (UHCC) from Fall 1987-Fall 1995. The data are from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems/University of Hawaii System Longitudinal Database Project. The report focuses on full-time and part-time…

Occurrence of Pesticides in Ground Water of Wyoming, 1995-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartos, Timothy T.; Eddy-Miller, Cheryl A.; Hallberg, Laura L.

2009-01-01

Little existing information was available describing pesticide occurrence in ground water of Wyoming, so the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality on behalf of the Wyoming Ground-water and Pesticides Strategy Committee, collected ground-water samples twice (during late summer/early fall and spring) from 296 wells during 1995-2006 to characterize pesticide occurrence. Sampling focused on the State's ground water that was mapped as the most vulnerable to pesticide contamination because of either inherent hydrogeologic sensitivity (for example, shallow water table or highly permeable aquifer materials) or a combination of sensitivity and associated land use. Because of variations in reporting limits among different compounds and for the same compound during this study, pesticide detections were recensored to two different assessment levels to facilitate qualitative and quantitative examination of pesticide detection frequencies - a common assessment level (CAL) of 0.07 microgram per liter and an assessment level that differed by compound, referred to herein as a compound-specific assessment level (CSAL). Because of severe data censoring (fewer than 50 percent of the data are greater than laboratory reporting limits), categorical statistical methods were used exclusively for quantitative comparisons of pesticide detection frequencies between seasons and among various natural and anthropogenic (human-related) characteristics. One or more pesticides were detected at concentrations greater than the CAL in water from about 23 percent of wells sampled in the fall and from about 22 percent of wells sampled in the spring. Mixtures of two or more pesticides occurred at concentrations greater than the CAL in about 9 percent of wells sampled in the fall and in about 10 percent of wells sampled in the spring. At least 74 percent of pesticides detected were classified as herbicides. Considering only detections using the CAL, triazine pesticides were detected much more frequently than all other pesticide classes, and the number of different pesticides classified as triazines was the largest of all classes. More pesticides were detected at concentrations greater than the CSALs in water from wells sampled in the fall (28 different pesticides) than in the spring (21 different pesticides). Many pesticides were detected infrequently as nearly one-half of pesticides detected in the fall and spring at concentrations greater than the CSALs were detected only in one well. Using the CSALs for pesticides analyzed for in 11 or more wells, only five pesticides (atrazine, prometon, tebuthiuron, picloram, and 3,4-dichloroaniline, listed in order of decreasing detection frequency) were each detected in water from more than 5 percent of sampled wells. Atrazine was the pesticide detected most frequently at concentrations greater than the CSAL. Concentrations of detected pesticides generally were small (less than 1 microgram per liter), although many infrequent detections at larger concentrations were noted. All detected pesticide concentrations were smaller than U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) drinking-water standards or applicable health advisories. Most concentrations were at least an order of magnitude smaller; however, many pesticides did not have standards or advisories. The largest percentage of pesticide detections and the largest number of different pesticides detected were in samples from wells located in the Bighorn Basin and High Plains/ Casper Arch geographic areas of north-central and southeastern Wyoming. Prometon was the only pesticide detected in all eight geographic areas of the State. Pesticides were detected much more frequently in samples from wells located in predominantly urban areas than in samples from wells located in predominantly agricultural or mixed areas. Pesticides were detected distinctly less often in sa

Passive imaging based multi-cue hazard detection spacecraft safe landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huertas, Andres; Cheng, Yang; Madison, Richard

2006-01-01

Accurate assessment of potentially damaging ground hazards during the spacecraft EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) phase is crucial to insure a high probability of safe landing. A lander that encounters a large rock, falls off a cliff, or tips over on a steep slope can sustain mission ending damage. Guided entry is expected to shrink landing ellipses from 100-300 km to -10 km radius for the second generation landers as early as 2009. Regardless of size and location, however, landing ellipses will almost always contain hazards such as craters, discontinuities, steep slopes, and large rocks. It is estimated that an MSL (Mars Science Laboratory)-sized lander should detect and avoid 16- 150m diameter craters, vertical drops similar to the edges of 16m or 3.75m diameter crater, for high and low altitude HAD (Hazard Detection and Avoidance) respectively. It should also be able to detect slopes 20' or steeper, and rocks 0.75m or taller. In this paper we will present a passive imaging based, multi-cue hazard detection and avoidance (HDA) system suitable for Martian and other lander missions. This is the first passively imaged HDA system that seamlessly integrates multiple algorithm-crater detection, slope estimation, rock detection and texture analysis, and multicues- crater morphology, rock distribution, to detect these hazards in real time.

Real World Experience With Ion Implant Fault Detection at Freescale Semiconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sing, David C.; Breeden, Terry; Fakhreddine, Hassan; Gladwin, Steven; Locke, Jason; McHugh, Jim; Rendon, Michael

2006-11-01

The Freescale automatic fault detection and classification (FDC) system has logged data from over 3.5 million implants in the past two years. The Freescale FDC system is a low cost system which collects summary implant statistics at the conclusion of each implant run. The data is collected by either downloading implant data log files from the implant tool workstation, or by exporting summary implant statistics through the tool's automation interface. Compared to the traditional FDC systems which gather trace data from sensors on the tool as the implant proceeds, the Freescale FDC system cannot prevent scrap when a fault initially occurs, since the data is collected after the implant concludes. However, the system can prevent catastrophic scrap events due to faults which are not detected for days or weeks, leading to the loss of hundreds or thousands of wafers. At the Freescale ATMC facility, the practical applications of the FD system fall into two categories: PM trigger rules which monitor tool signals such as ion gauges and charge control signals, and scrap prevention rules which are designed to detect specific failure modes that have been correlated to yield loss and scrap. PM trigger rules are designed to detect shifts in tool signals which indicate normal aging of tool systems. For example, charging parameters gradually shift as flood gun assemblies age, and when charge control rules start to fail a flood gun PM is performed. Scrap prevention rules are deployed to detect events such as particle bursts and excessive beam noise, events which have been correlated to yield loss. The FDC system does have tool log-down capability, and scrap prevention rules often use this capability to automatically log the tool into a maintenance state while simultaneously paging the sustaining technician for data review and disposition of the affected product.

Development of a quantitative model for the mechanism of raveling failure in highway rock slopes using LIDAR.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-03-01

Rock falls on highways while dangerous are unpredictable. Most rock falls are of the raveling type and not conducive to stability : calculations, and even the failure mechanisms are not well understood. LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) has been sh...

[Evaluation of a simple screening tool for ambulant fall prevention].

PubMed

Knobe, M; Rasche, P; Rentemeister, L; Bliemel, C; Bücking, B; Bollheimer, L C; Pape, H-C

2018-02-02

An individual's risk of falling is generally difficult to detect and it is likely to be underestimated. Thus, preventive measures are challenging and they demand sufficient integration and implementation into aftercare and outpatient management. The Aachen Falls Prevention Scale (AFPS) is a quick and easy tool for patient-driven fall risk assessment. Older adults' risk of falling is identified in a suitable manner and they then have the opportunity to independently assess and monitor their risk of falling. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the AFPS as a simple screening tool in geriatric trauma patients via the identification of influencing factors, e.g. objective or subjective fall risk, fear of falling (FOF) and demographic data. In this context, we investigated older adults' willingness to take part in special activities concerning fall prevention. Retrospectively, all patients over 70 years of age who received in-hospital fracture treatment between July 2014 and April 2016 were analyzed at a level I trauma center. After identification of 884 patients, participants completed a short questionnaire (47 questions, yes/no, Likert scale) comprising the AFPS. A history of falls in the past year was considered an indicator of a balance disorder. In addition, ambulant patients were invited to participate between July and August 2016. In total, 201 patients (mean 80.4 years, range 63-97 years) performed a self-assessment based on the AFPS. After steps 1 and 2 of the AFPS had been completed, 95 (47%) participants rated their subjective risk of falling as high (more than 5 points). Of the participants 84 (42%) were objectively classified as "fallers" with significant effects on their AFPS evaluation and rating of their subjective risk of falling. Furthermore, 67% of the participants identified a general practitioner as their main contact person, and 43% of the respondents viewed the AFPS as a beneficial screening tool in fall risk evaluation (8% negative attitudes). Only 12% of the participants could imagine using the AFPS app version as a feasible option. It would be advantageous to pretest at-risk individuals in their environment using a simple self-assessment approach, with the main purpose of identifying potential balance problems. With this approach, cost savings in the healthcare system are possible, combined with a higher health-related quality of life in the geriatric population.

Skeletal Muscle Pump Drives Control of Cardiovascular and Postural Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Ajay K.; Garg, Amanmeet; Xu, Da; Bruner, Michelle; Fazel-Rezai, Reza; Blaber, Andrew P.; Tavakolian, Kouhyar

2017-03-01

The causal interaction between cardio-postural-musculoskeletal systems is critical in maintaining postural stability under orthostatic challenge. The absence or reduction of such interactions could lead to fainting and falls often experienced by elderly individuals. The causal relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP), calf electromyography (EMG), and resultant center of pressure (COPr) can quantify the behavior of cardio-postural control loop. Convergent cross mapping (CCM) is a non-linear approach to establish causality, thus, expected to decipher nonlinear causal cardio-postural-musculoskeletal interactions. Data were acquired simultaneously from young participants (25 ± 2 years, n = 18) during a 10-minute sit-to-stand test. In the young population, skeletal muscle pump was found to drive blood pressure control (EMG → SBP) as well as control the postural sway (EMG → COPr) through the significantly higher causal drive in the direction towards SBP and COPr. Furthermore, the effect of aging on muscle pump activation associated with blood pressure regulation was explored. Simultaneous EMG and SBP were acquired from elderly group (69 ± 4 years, n = 14). A significant (p = 0.002) decline in EMG → SBP causality was observed in the elderly group, compared to the young group. The results highlight the potential of causality to detect alteration in blood pressure regulation with age, thus, a potential clinical utility towards detection of fall proneness.

Seasonal and spatial variations of source and drinking water quality in small municipal systems of two Canadian regions.

PubMed

Scheili, A; Rodriguez, M J; Sadiq, R

2015-03-01

A one-year sampling program covering twenty-five small municipal systems was carried out in two Canadian regions to improve our understanding of the variability of water quality in small systems from water source to the end of the distribution system (DS). The database obtained was used to develop a global portrait of physical, chemical and microbiological water quality parameters. More precisely, the temporal and the spatial variability of these parameters were investigated. We observed that the levels of natural organic matter (NOM) were variable during different seasons, with maxima in the fall for both provinces. In the regions under study, the highest trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA) levels were achieved in warmer seasons (summer, fall), as observed in previous studies involving large systems. Observed THM and HAA levels were three times higher in systems in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador than in the province of Quebec. Taste and odor indicators were detected during the summer and fall, and higher heterotrophic plate count (HPC) levels were associated with lower free chlorine levels. To determine spatial variations, stepwise statistical analysis was used to identify parameters and locations in the DS that act as indicators of drinking water quality. As observed for medium and large systems, free chlorine consumption, THM and HAA levels were dependent on their location in the DS. We also observed that the degradation of HAAs is more important in small systems than in medium or large DS reported in the literature, and this degradation can occur from the beginning of the DS. The results of this research may contribute to providing precious information on drinking water quality to small system operators and pave the way for several opportunities to improve water quality management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

29 CFR 1915.159 - Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). 1915.159 Section 1915... Protective Equipment (PPE) § 1915.159 Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). The criteria of this section apply to PFAS and their use. Effective January 1, 1998, body belts and non-locking snaphooks are not...

29 CFR 1915.159 - Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). 1915.159 Section 1915... Protective Equipment (PPE) § 1915.159 Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). The criteria of this section apply to PFAS and their use. Effective January 1, 1998, body belts and non-locking snaphooks are not...

29 CFR 1915.159 - Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). 1915.159 Section 1915... Protective Equipment (PPE) § 1915.159 Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). The criteria of this section apply to PFAS and their use. Effective January 1, 1998, body belts and non-locking snaphooks are not...

29 CFR 1915.159 - Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). 1915.159 Section 1915... Protective Equipment (PPE) § 1915.159 Personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). The criteria of this section apply to PFAS and their use. Effective January 1, 1998, body belts and non-locking snaphooks are not...

Real-time monitoring of drowsiness through wireless nanosensor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramasamy, Mouli; Varadan, Vijay K.

2016-04-01

Detection of sleepiness and drowsiness in human beings has been a daunting task for both engineering and medical technologies. Accuracy, precision and promptness of detection have always been an issue that has to be dealt by technologists. Generally, the bio potential signals - ECG, EOG, EEG and EMG are used to classify and discriminate sleep from being awake. However, the potential drawbacks may be high false detections, low precision, obtrusiveness, aftermath analysis, etc. To overcome the disadvantages, this paper reviews the design aspects of a wireless and a real time monitoring system to track sleep and detect fatigue. This concept involves the use of EOG and EEG to measure the blink rate and asses the person's condition. In this user friendly and intuitive approach, EOG and EEG signals are obtained by the textile based nanosensors mounted on the inner side of a flexible headband. The acquired signals are then electrically transmitted to the data processing and transmission unit, which transmits the processed data to the receiver/monitoring module through ZigBee communication. This system is equipped with a software program to process, feature extract, analyze, display and store the information. Thereby, immediate detection of a person falling asleep is made feasible and, tracking the sleep cycle continuously provides an insight about the fatigue level. This approach of using a wireless, real time, dry sensor on a flexible substrate mitigates obtrusiveness that is expected from a wearable system. We have previously presented the results of the aforementioned wearable systems. This paper aims to extend our work conceptually through a review of engineering and medical techniques involved in wearable systems to detect drowsiness.

Trends in selected water-quality characteristics, Flathead River at Flathead, British Columbia, and at Columbia Falls, Montana, water years, 1975-86

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cary, L.E.

1989-01-01

Data for selected water quality variables were evaluated for trends at two sampling stations--Flathead River at Flathead, British Columbia (Flathead station) and Flathead River at Columbia Falls, Montana (Columbia Falls station). The results were compared between stations. The analyses included data from water years 1975-86 at the Flathead station and water years 1979-86 at the Columbia Falls station. The seasonal Kendall test was applied to adjusted concentrations for variables related to discharge and to unadjusted concentrations for the remaining variables. Slope estimates were made for variables with significant trends unless data were reported as less than the detection limit. At the Flathead station, concentrations of dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, sodium, dissolved nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen (total and dissolved), total organic nitrogen, and total phosphorus increased during the study period. Concentrations of total nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen and dissolved iron decreased during the same period. At the Columbia Falls station, concentrations increased for calcium and magnesium and decreased for sulfate and dissolved phosphorus. No trends were detected for 10 other variables tested at each station. Data for the Flathead station were reanalyzed for water years 1979-86. Trends in the data increased for magnesium and dissolved nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen and decreased for dissolved iron. Magnesium was the only variable that displayed a trend (increasing) at both stations. The increasing trends that were detected probably will not adversely affect the water quality of the Flathead River in the near future. (USGS)

A Portable Platform for Evaluation of Visual Performance in Glaucoma Patients

PubMed Central

Rosen, Peter N.; Boer, Erwin R.; Gracitelli, Carolina P. B.; Abe, Ricardo Y.; Diniz-Filho, Alberto; Marvasti, Amir H.; Medeiros, Felipe A.

2015-01-01

Purpose To propose a new tablet-enabled test for evaluation of visual performance in glaucoma, the PERformance CEntered Portable Test (PERCEPT), and to evaluate its ability to predict history of falls and motor vehicle crashes. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods The study involved 71 patients with glaucomatous visual field defects on standard automated perimetry (SAP) and 59 control subjects. The PERCEPT was based on the concept of increasing visual task difficulty to improve detection of central visual field losses in glaucoma patients. Subjects had to perform a foveal 8-alternative-forced-choice orientation discrimination task, while detecting a simultaneously presented peripheral stimulus within a limited presentation time. Subjects also underwent testing with the Useful Field of View (UFOV) divided attention test. The ability to predict history of motor vehicle crashes and falls was investigated by odds ratios and incident-rate ratios, respectively. Results When adjusted for age, only the PERCEPT processing speed parameter showed significantly larger values in glaucoma compared to controls (difference: 243ms; P<0.001). PERCEPT results had a stronger association with history of motor vehicle crashes and falls than UFOV. Each 1 standard deviation increase in PERCEPT processing speed was associated with an odds ratio of 2.69 (P = 0.003) for predicting history of motor vehicle crashes and with an incident-rate ratio of 1.95 (P = 0.003) for predicting history of falls. Conclusion A portable platform for testing visual function was able to detect functional deficits in glaucoma, and its results were significantly associated with history of involvement in motor vehicle crashes and history of falls. PMID:26445501

Detection and Compensation of Degeneracy Cases for IMU-Kinect Integrated Continuous SLAM with Plane Features †

PubMed Central

Cho, HyunGi; Yeon, Suyong; Choi, Hyunga; Doh, Nakju

2018-01-01

In a group of general geometric primitives, plane-based features are widely used for indoor localization because of their robustness against noises. However, a lack of linearly independent planes may lead to a non-trivial estimation. This in return can cause a degenerate state from which all states cannot be estimated. To solve this problem, this paper first proposed a degeneracy detection method. A compensation method that could fix orientations by projecting an inertial measurement unit’s (IMU) information was then explained. Experiments were conducted using an IMU-Kinect v2 integrated sensor system prone to fall into degenerate cases owing to its narrow field-of-view. Results showed that the proposed framework could enhance map accuracy by successful detection and compensation of degenerated orientations. PMID:29565287

Beyond the limits of present active matrix flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs) for diagnostic radiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonuk, Larry E.; El-Mohri, Youcef; Jee, Kyung-Wook; Maolinbay, Manat; Nassif, Samer C.; Rong, Xiujiang; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H.; Zhao, Qihua; Street, Robert A.

1999-05-01

A theoretical cascaded systems analysis of the performance limits of x-ray imagers based on thin-film, active matrix flat-panel technology is presented. This analysis specifically focuses upon an examination of the functional dependence of the detective quantum efficiency on exposure. While the DQE of AMFPI systems is relatively high at the large exposure levels associated with radiographic x-ray imaging, there is a significant decline in DQE with decreasing exposure over the medium and lower end of the exposure range associated with fluoroscopic imaging. This fall-off in DQE originates from the relatively large size of the additive noise of AMFPI systems compared to their overall system gain. Therefore, strategies to diminish additive noise and increase system gain should significantly improve performance. Potential strategies for noise reduction include the use of charge compensation lines while strategies for gain enhancement include continuous photodiodes, pixel amplification structures, or higher gain converters. The effect of the implementation of such strategies is examined for a variety for hypothetical imager configurations. Through the modeling of these configurations, such enhancements are shown to hold the potential of making low frequency DQE response large and essentially independent of exposure while greatly reducing the fall-off in DQE at higher spatial frequencies.

Developing a multi-systemic fall prevention model, incorporating the physical environment, the care process and technology: a systematic review.

PubMed

Choi, Young-Seon; Lawler, Erin; Boenecke, Clayton A; Ponatoski, Edward R; Zimring, Craig M

2011-12-01

This paper reports a review that assessed the effectiveness and characteristics of fall prevention interventions implemented in hospitals. A multi-systemic fall prevention model that establishes a practical framework was developed from the evidence. Falls occur through complex interactions between patient-related and environmental risk factors, suggesting a need for multifaceted fall prevention approaches that address both factors. We searched Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo and the Web of Science databases for references published between January 1990 and June 2009 and scrutinized secondary references from acquired papers. Due to the heterogeneity of interventions and populations, we conducted a quantitative systematic review without a meta-analysis and used a narrative summary to report findings. From the review, three distinct characteristics of fall prevention interventions emerged: (1) the physical environment, (2) the care process and culture and (3) technology. While clinically significant evidence shows the efficacy of environment-related interventions in reducing falls and fall-related injuries, the literature identified few hospitals that had introduced environment-related interventions in their multifaceted fall intervention strategies. Using the multi-systemic fall prevention model, hospitals should promote a practical strategy that benefits from the collective effects of the physical environment, the care process and culture and technology to prevent falls and fall-related injuries. By doing so, they can more effectively address the various risk factors for falling and therefore, prevent falls. Studies that test the proposed model need to be conducted to establish the efficacy of the model in practice. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Use of the Dynamic Visual Acuity Test as a screener for community-dwelling older adults who fall.

PubMed

Honaker, Julie A; Shepard, Neil T

2011-01-01

Adequate function of the peripheral vestibular system, specifically the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR; a network of neural connections between the peripheral vestibular system and the extraocular muscles) is essential for maintaining stable vision during head movements. Decreased visual acuity resulting from an impaired peripheral vestibular system may impede balance and postural control and place an individual at risk of falling. Therefore, sensitive measures of the vestibular system are warranted to screen for the tendency to fall, alerting clinicians to recommend further risk of falling assessment and referral to a falling risk reduction program. Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) testing is a computerized VOR assessment method to evaluate the peripheral vestibular system during head movements; reduced visual acuity as documented with DVA testing may be sensitive to screen for falling risk. This study examined the sensitivity and specificity of the computerized DVA test with yaw plane head movements for identifying community-dwelling adults (58-78 years) who are prone to falling. A total of 16 older adults with a history of two or more unexplained falls in the previous twelve months and 16 age and gender matched controls without a history of falls in the previous twelve months participated. Computerized DVA with horizontal head movements at a fixed velocity of 120 deg/sec was measured and compared with the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) a gold standard gait assessment measurement for identifying falling risk. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were used to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the computerized DVA as a screening measure for falling risk as determined by the DGI. Results suggested a link between computerized DVA and the propensity to fall; DVA in the yaw plane was found to be a sensitive (92%) and accurate screening measure when using a cutoff logMAR value of >0.25.

Falls from height during the floor slab formwork of buildings: current situation in Spain.

PubMed

Adam, Jose M; Pallarés, Francisco J; Calderón, Pedro A

2009-01-01

One of the phases with the highest risk of falls from a height in the construction of a building is during the floor slab formwork stage. This paper analyzes this particular risk, as well as the most frequently used fall-protection systems. A survey was carried out to define the current situation in Spain with regard to falls from a height during floor slab formwork and the fall-protection systems used to prevent such a risk. The results of the survey clarified the current situation in Spain with regard to this risk, and made it clear that there is considerable risk of falling from a height during the floor slab formwork stage. All the safety systems analyzed presented a series of weak points that should be studied in detail before they can be used on building sites. The risk of falling associated with floor slab formwork and the most frequently used protection systems are analyzed. As no research had been carried out to date on this type of risk, we consider the research presented in this article to be a pioneer in the field.

Development and evaluation of an automated fall risk assessment system.

PubMed

Lee, Ju Young; Jin, Yinji; Piao, Jinshi; Lee, Sun-Mi

2016-04-01

Fall risk assessment is the first step toward prevention, and a risk assessment tool with high validity should be used. This study aimed to develop and validate an automated fall risk assessment system (Auto-FallRAS) to assess fall risks based on electronic medical records (EMRs) without additional data collected or entered by nurses. This study was conducted in a 1335-bed university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The Auto-FallRAS was developed using 4211 fall-related clinical data extracted from EMRs. Participants included fall patients and non-fall patients (868 and 3472 for the development study; 752 and 3008 for the validation study; and 58 and 232 for validation after clinical application, respectively). The system was evaluated for predictive validity and concurrent validity. The final 10 predictors were included in the logistic regression model for the risk-scoring algorithm. The results of the Auto-FallRAS were shown as high/moderate/low risk on the EMR screen. The predictive validity analyzed after clinical application of the Auto-FallRAS was as follows: sensitivity = 0.95, NPV = 0.97 and Youden index = 0.44. The validity of the Morse Fall Scale assessed by nurses was as follows: sensitivity = 0.68, NPV = 0.88 and Youden index = 0.28. This study found that the Auto-FallRAS results were better than were the nurses' predictions. The advantage of the Auto-FallRAS is that it automatically analyzes information and shows patients' fall risk assessment results without requiring additional time from nurses. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Simulating a High-Spin Black Hole-Neutron Star Binary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derby, John; Lovelace, Geoffrey; Duez, Matt; Foucart, Francois; Simulating Extreme Spacetimes (SXS) Collaboration

2017-01-01

During their first observing run (fall 2015) Advanced LIGO detected gravitational waves from merging black holes. In its future observations LIGO could detect black hole neutron star binaries (BHNS). It is important to have numerical simulations to predict these waves, to help find as many of these waves as possible and to estimate the sources properties, because at times near merger analytic approximations fail. Also, numerical models of the disk formed when the black hole tears apart the neutron star can help us learn about these systems' potential electromagnetic counterparts. One area of the parameter space for BHNS systems that is particularly challenging is simulations with high black hole spin. I will present results from a new BHNS simulation that has a black hole spin of 90% of the theoretical maximum. We are part of SXS but not all.

Stochastic multiresonance in coupled excitable FHN neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huiyan; Sun, Xiaojuan; Xiao, Jinghua

2018-04-01

In this paper, effects of noise on Watts-Strogatz small-world neuronal networks, which are stimulated by a subthreshold signal, have been investigated. With the numerical simulations, it is surprisingly found that there exist several optimal noise intensities at which the subthreshold signal can be detected efficiently. This indicates the occurrence of stochastic multiresonance in the studied neuronal networks. Moreover, it is revealed that the occurrence of stochastic multiresonance has close relationship with the period of subthreshold signal Te and the noise-induced mean period of the neuronal networks T0. In detail, we find that noise could induce the neuronal networks to generate stochastic resonance for M times if Te is not very large and falls into the interval ( M × T 0 , ( M + 1 ) × T 0 ) with M being a positive integer. In real neuronal system, subthreshold signal detection is very meaningful. Thus, the obtained results in this paper could give some important implications on detecting subthreshold signal and propagating neuronal information in neuronal systems.

Status of the Prototype Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) Inspection System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prototype Photonuclear Inspection Technoloby - An

Prototype Photonuclear Inspection Technology – An Integrated Systems Approach* James L. Jonesa, Daren R. Normana, Kevin J. Haskella, James W. Sterbentza, Woo Y. Yoona, Scott M. Watsona, James T. Johnsona, John M. Zabriskiea, Calvin E. Mossb, Frank Harmonc a – Idaho National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1625-2802, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415-2802 b – Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, MS B228, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87585 c – Idaho State University, 1500 Alvin Ricken Dr., Pocatello, Idaho 83201 Active interrogation technologies are being pursued in order to address many of today’s challenging inspection requirements related to both nuclear and non-nuclearmore » material detection. The Idaho National Laboratory, along with the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Idaho State University’s Idaho Accelerator Center, continue to develop electron accelerator-based, photonuclear inspection technologies for the detection of shielded nuclear material within air-, rail-, and especially, maritime-cargo containers. This paper presents an overview and status of the prototype Pulsed Photonuclear Assessment (PPA) inspection system and its ability to detect shielded nuclear material by focusing on the integration of three major detection system components: delayed neutron measurement, delayed gamma-ray measurements, and a transmission, gray-scale mapping for shield material detection. Areas of future development and advancement within each detection component will be presented. *Supported in part by the Department of Homeland Security under DOE-ID Contract Number DE-AC07-99ID13727. POC: James L. Jones, 208-526-1730« less

The correlation between white matter hyperintensity and balance disorder and fall risk: An observational, prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Shen, Dong-Chao; Wu, Shuo-Lin; Shi, Yu-Zhi; Wang, Shuo; Zhang, Yu-Mei; Wang, Chun-Xue

2016-09-01

The presence of an association between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and the risk of falls in older people is uncertain, with little supporting prospective evidence available at present. We aimed to determine whether WMH was associated with dysfunctions of balance and gait, and other sensorimotor factors leading to falls, and the independent factors related to falls in older Chinese people. The protective effect of exercise against falls was also addressed. In a representative sample of hospital-based individuals aged 50 years and older in China, the patients' history of falls, magnetic resonance imaging data, scores on the 9-item Berg Balance Scale (BBS-9) test and timed up-and-go test (TUGT), and sensorimotor measures of computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) were analyzed. Incident falls were recorded prospectively over a 12-month period. Using regression modeling, the association between the risk of falls and baseline WMH was estimated. Only individuals with severe WMH were at an increased risk of falls, and CDP was more sensitive than BBS-9 in detecting WMH-related balance and gait dysfunction. However, WMH was not an independent predictor of falls. Taller height and overweight or obese body habitus were identified as novel protective factors for falls. Female, fall history, and increased TUGT score were identified as independent risk factors for falls in older Chinese people. Although WMH was associated with an increased risk of falls, it was not an independent predictor.

Comparison of American Fisheries Society (AFS) standard fish sampling techniques and environmental DNA for characterizing fish communities in a large reservoir

USGS Publications Warehouse

Perez, Christina R.; Bonar, Scott A.; Amberg, Jon J.; Ladell, Bridget; Rees, Christopher B.; Stewart, William T.; Gill, Curtis J.; Cantrell, Chris; Robinson, Anthony

2017-01-01

Recently, methods involving examination of environmental DNA (eDNA) have shown promise for characterizing fish species presence and distribution in waterbodies. We evaluated the use of eDNA for standard fish monitoring surveys in a large reservoir. Specifically, we compared the presence, relative abundance, biomass, and relative percent composition of Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides and Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum measured through eDNA methods and established American Fisheries Society standard sampling methods for Theodore Roosevelt Lake, Arizona. Catches at electrofishing and gillnetting sites were compared with eDNA water samples at sites, within spatial strata, and over the entire reservoir. Gizzard Shad were detected at a higher percentage of sites with eDNA methods than with boat electrofishing in both spring and fall. In contrast, spring and fall gillnetting detected Gizzard Shad at more sites than eDNA. Boat electrofishing and gillnetting detected Largemouth Bass at more sites than eDNA; the exception was fall gillnetting, for which the number of sites of Largemouth Bass detection was equal to that for eDNA. We observed no relationship between relative abundance and biomass of Largemouth Bass and Gizzard Shad measured by established methods and eDNA copies at individual sites or lake sections. Reservoirwide catch composition for Largemouth Bass and Gizzard Shad (numbers and total weight [g] of fish) as determined through a combination of gear types (boat electrofishing plus gillnetting) was similar to the proportion of total eDNA copies from each species in spring and fall field sampling. However, no similarity existed between proportions of fish caught via spring and fall boat electrofishing and the proportion of total eDNA copies from each species. Our study suggests that eDNA field sampling protocols, filtration, DNA extraction, primer design, and DNA sequencing methods need further refinement and testing before incorporation into standard fish sampling surveys.

Fall Chinook Salmon Survival and Supplementation Studies in the Snake River and Lower Snake River Reservoirs, 1995 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, John G.; Bjomn

1997-03-01

In 1994, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service began a cooperative study to investigate migrational characteristics of subyearling fall chinook salmon in the Snake River. The primary study objectives were to (1) determine the feasibility of estimating detection and passage survival probabilities of natural and hatchery subyearling fall chinook salmon released in the Snake River (Chapter 1), (2) investigate relationships between detection and passage survival probabilities and travel time of subyearling fall chinook salmon and environmental influences such as flow volume and water temperature (Chapter 1), (3) monitor and evaluate dispersal of hatchery subyearlingmore » chinook salmon into nearshore rearing areas used by natural fish (Chapter 2), and (4) monitor and evaluate travel time to Lower Granite Dam, growth from release in the Snake River to recapture at Lower Granite Dam, ATPase levels of fish recaptured at Lower Granite Dam, and survival from release in the free-flowing Snake River to the tailrace of Lower Granite Dam (Chapter 2).« less

Risk Factors for Falls in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer Disease.

PubMed

Ansai, Juliana Hotta; de Andrade, Larissa Pires; Masse, Fernando Arturo Arriagada; Gonçalves, Jessica; de Medeiros Takahashi, Anielle Cristhine; Vale, Francisco Assis Carvalho; Rebelatto, José Rubens

2017-03-03

Understanding fall risk factors in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD) can help to establish specific plans for prevention of falls. The purpose of this study was to identify fall risk factors in older adults with MCI and mild AD. A prospective study was conducted with community-dwelling older adults (40 MCI; 38 mild AD). The assessments consisted of sociodemographic and health variables, caloric expenditure, functional status, functional mobility (10-m walk test, dual-task test, and transition Timed Up and Go phases), cognitive domains, and depressive symptoms. Falls were recorded for 6 months by a falls calendar and monthly telephone calls. Falls were reported in 52.6% and 51.4% of people with MCI and mild AD, respectively. Among people with MCI, lower functional status, higher time spent on walk and dual task tests, and higher depressive symptom scores were associated with falls. Higher time spent on the dual-task test was independently associated with falls. Among people with mild AD, falls were associated with lower time spent on the walk test and turn-to-sit phase, and a higher visuospatial domain score. Lower time spent on the turn-to-sit phase was identified as an independent predictor of falls. Careful attention should be given to dual-task and turn-to-sit activities when detecting risk of falls among older people with MCI and mild AD.

Masculinity and preventing falls: insights from the fall experiences of men aged 70 years and over.

PubMed

Liddle, J L M; Lovarini, Meryl; Clemson, Lindy M; Jang, Haeyoung; Lord, Stephen R; Sherrington, Catherine; Willis, Karen

2018-01-11

To explore men's fall experiences through the lens of masculine identities so as to assist health professionals better engage men in fall prevention programs. Twenty-five men, aged 70-93 years who had experienced a recent fall, participated in a qualitative semi-structured interview. Men's willingness to engage in fall prevention programs taking account of individual contexts and expressions of masculinity, were conceptualised using constant comparative methods. Men's willingness to engage in fall prevention programs was related to their perceptions of the preventability of falls; personal relevance of falls; and age, health, and capability as well as problem-solving styles to prevent falls. Fall prevention advice was rarely given when men accessed the health system at the time of a fall. Contrary to dominant expectations about masculine identity, many men acknowledged fall vulnerability indicating they would attend or consider attending, a fall prevention program. Health professionals can better engage men by providing consistent messages that falls can be prevented; tailoring advice, understanding men are at different stages in their awareness of fall risk and preferences for action; and by being aware of their own assumptions that can act as barriers to speaking with men about fall prevention. Implications for rehabilitation Men accessing the health system at the time of the fall, and during rehabilitation following a fall represent prime opportunities for health professionals to speak with men about preventing falls and make appropriate referrals to community programs. Tailored advice will take account of individual men's perceptions of preventability; personal relevance; perceptions of age, health and capability; and problem-solving styles.

Are leaves that fall from imidacloprid-treated maple trees to control Asian longhorned beetles toxic to non-target decomposer organisms?

PubMed

Kreutzweiser, David P; Good, Kevin P; Chartrand, Derek T; Scarr, Taylor A; Thompson, Dean G

2008-01-01

The systemic insecticide imidacloprid may be applied to deciduous trees for control of the Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive wood-boring insect. Senescent leaves falling from systemically treated trees contain imidacloprid concentrations that could pose a risk to natural decomposer organisms. We examined the effects of foliar imidacloprid concentrations on decomposer organisms by adding leaves from imidacloprid-treated sugar maple trees to aquatic and terrestrial microcosms under controlled laboratory conditions. Imidacloprid in maple leaves at realistic field concentrations (3-11 mg kg(-1)) did not affect survival of aquatic leaf-shredding insects or litter-dwelling earthworms. However, adverse sublethal effects at these concentrations were detected. Feeding rates by aquatic insects and earthworms were reduced, leaf decomposition (mass loss) was decreased, measurable weight losses occurred among earthworms, and aquatic and terrestrial microbial decomposition activity was significantly inhibited. Results of this study suggest that sugar maple trees systemically treated with imidacloprid to control Asian longhorned beetles may yield senescent leaves with residue levels sufficient to reduce natural decomposition processes in aquatic and terrestrial environments through adverse effects on non-target decomposer organisms.

Requirements for the Development of Bacillus Anthracis Spore Reference Materials Used to Test Detection Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

the sporangium) contributes the com- plex layers of the spore coats that encase the spore DNA. The mother cell dies and begins to fall apart at the end...spores. Bacillus spores contain a number of coat layers and some species posses an additional outermost layer called the exosporium. BA, B. cereus, and B...exosporium is the outermost layer of the BA spores, it likely contains important protein and carbohydrate markers that are recognized by antibodies

Occurrence of foodborne bacteria in Alberta feedlots.

PubMed

Van Donkersgoed, Joyce; Bohaychuk, Valerie; Besser, Thomas; Song, Xin-Ming; Wagner, Bruce; Hancock, Dale; Renter, David; Dargatz, David

2009-02-01

The occurrence of generic Escherichia coli, E. coli O157, Salmonella, and Campylobacter in cattle manure, beef carcasses, catch basin water, and soils receiving manure application was determined in 21 Alberta feedlots. In cattle manure, generic E. coli (98%, 2069/2100) and Campylobacter (76%, 1590/2100) were frequently detected; E. coli O157 (7%, 143/2100) and Salmonella (1%, 20/2100) were less frequently detected. Samples from beef carcasses in the cooler following Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point interventions yielded only 1 isolate each of generic E. coli and Campylobacter (1/1653) and no Salmonella (0/1653). Catch basin water specimens were positive for generic E. coli in both the spring (62%, 13/21) and the fall (52%, 11/21). Other bacteria were detected only in the spring water specimens, including E. coli O157 (29%, 6/21), Salmonella (5%, 1/21), and Campylobacter (52%, 11/21). Generic E. coli was frequently isolated from soil specimens (30%, 27/88), but E. coli O157 was not found in soil samples obtained in the spring and was only occasionally detected in the fall samples (9%, 3/32). Salmonella were occasionally found in the soil specimens collected in the spring (3%, 2/56), but not in the fall season (0/32). Campylobacter jejuni was frequent in cattle manure (66%, 1070/1623), but rare in carcass and environmental samples. E. coli O157 and Salmonella were rarely detected in cattle or the environment. Generic E. coli and Salmonella were rarely detected on carcasses.

Detecting dynamical boundaries from kinematic data in biomechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, Shane D.; Tanaka, Martin L.; Senatore, Carmine

2010-03-01

Ridges in the state space distribution of finite-time Lyapunov exponents can be used to locate dynamical boundaries. We describe a method for obtaining dynamical boundaries using only trajectories reconstructed from time series, expanding on the current approach which requires a vector field in the phase space. We analyze problems in musculoskeletal biomechanics, considered as exemplars of a class of experimental systems that contain separatrix features. Particular focus is given to postural control and balance, considering both models and experimental data. Our success in determining the boundary between recovery and failure in human balance activities suggests this approach will provide new robust stability measures, as well as measures of fall risk, that currently are not available and may have benefits for the analysis and prevention of low back pain and falls leading to injury, both of which affect a significant portion of the population.

Automated enzyme-based diagonal capillary electrophoresis: application to phosphopeptide characterization

PubMed Central

Wojcik, Roza; Vannatta, Michael

2010-01-01

Diagonal capillary electrophoresis is a form of two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis that employs identical separation modes in each dimension. The distal end of the first capillary incorporates an enzyme-based microreactor. Analytes that are not modified by the reactor will have identical migration times in the two capillaries and will generate spots that fall on the diagonal in a reconstructed two-dimensional electropherogram. Analytes that undergo enzymatic modification in the reactor will have a different migration time in the second capillary and will generate spots that fall off the diagonal in the electropherogram. We demonstrate the system with immobilized alkaline phosphatase to monitor the phosphorylation status of a mixture of peptides. This enzyme-based diagonal capillary electrophoresis assay appears to be generalizable; any post-translational modification can be detected as long as an immobilized enzyme is available that reacts with the modification under electrophoretic conditions. PMID:20099889

Characterization of polymorphic states in energetic samples of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) fabricated using drop-on-demand inkjet technology.

PubMed

Emmons, Erik D; Farrell, Mikella E; Holthoff, Ellen L; Tripathi, Ashish; Green, Norman; Moon, Raphael P; Guicheteau, Jason A; Christesen, Steven D; Pellegrino, Paul M; Fountain, Augustus W

2012-06-01

The United States Army and the first responder community are evaluating optical detection systems for the trace detection of hazardous energetic materials. Fielded detection systems must be evaluated with the appropriate material concentrations to accurately identify the residue in theater. Trace levels of energetic materials have been observed in mutable polymorphic phases and, therefore, the systems being evaluated must be able to detect and accurately identify variant sample phases observed in spectral data. In this work, we report on the novel application of drop-on-demand technology for the fabrication of standardized trace 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) samples. The drop-on-demand sample fabrication technique is compared both visually and spectrally to the more commonly used drop-and-dry technique. As the drop-on-demand technique allows for the fabrication of trace level hazard materials, concerted efforts focused on characterization of the polymorphic phase changes observed with low concentrations of RDX commonly used in drop-on-demand processing. This information is important when evaluating optical detection technologies using samples prepared with a drop-on-demand inkjet system, as the technology may be "trained" to detect the common bulk α phase of the explosive based on its spectral features but fall short in positively detecting a trace quantity of RDX (β-phase). We report the polymorphic shifts observed between α- and β-phases of this energetic material and discuss the conditions leading to the favoring of one phase over the other.

Older people's experience of falls: understanding, interpretation and autonomy.

PubMed

Roe, Brenda; Howell, Fiona; Riniotis, Konstantinos; Beech, Roger; Crome, Peter; Ong, Bie Nio

2008-09-01

This paper is a report of a study to explore the experiences of older people who suffered a recent fall and identify possible factors that could contribute to service development. Falls in older people are prevalent and are associated with morbidity, hospitalization and mortality, personal costs to individuals and financial costs to health services. A convenience sample of 27 older people (mean age 84 years; range 65-98) participated in semi-structured taped interviews. Follow-up interviews during 2003-2004 were undertaken to detect changes over time. Data were collected about experience of the fall, use of services, health and well-being, activities of daily living, informal care, support networks and prevention. Thematic content analysis was undertaken. Twenty-seven initial interviews and 18 follow-up interviews were conducted. The majority of people fell indoors (n = 23) and were alone (n = 15). The majority of falls were repeat falls (n = 22) and five were a first-ever fall. People who reflected on their fall and sought to understand why and how it occurred developed strategies to prevent future falls, face their fear, maintain control and choice and continue with activities of daily living. Those who did not reflect on their fall and did not know why it occurred restricted their activities and environments and remained in fear of falling. Assisting people to reflect on their falls and to understand why they happened could help with preventing future falls, allay fear, boost confidence and aid rehabilitation relating to their activities of daily living.

Anthropogenic Impacts of Recreational Use on Sandbars in Hells Canyon on the Snake River, Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morehead, M. D.

2014-12-01

Sandbars along large rivers are important cultural, recreational, and natural resources. In modern, historic and prehistoric times the sandbars have been used for camping, hunting, fishing and recreational activities. Sandbars are a dynamic geomorphic unit of the river system that stores and exchanges sand with the main river channel. Both natural and anthropogenic changes to river systems affect the size, shape and dynamics of sandbars. During high spring flows, the Snake River can resupply and build the sand bars. During the lower flows of the summer and fall the sand is redistributed to lower levels by natural and anthropogenic forces, where it can be remobilized by the river and exported from the bar. During the summer and fall high use season many people camp and recreate on the bars and redistribute the sand. This study utilizes change detection from repeat high resolution terrestrial LiDAR scanning surveys to study the impacts humans have on the sandbars in Hells Canyon. Nearly a decade of annual LiDAR and Bathymetric surveys were used to place these recreational impacts into the context of overall sandbar dynamics.

Validity, Reliability, and Ability to Identify Fall Status of the Berg Balance Scale, BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest in Patients With COPD.

PubMed

Jácome, Cristina; Cruz, Joana; Oliveira, Ana; Marques, Alda

2016-11-01

The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), Mini-BESTest, and Brief-BESTest are useful in the assessment of balance. Their psychometric properties, however, have not been tested in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to compare the validity, reliability, and ability to identify fall status of the BBS, BESTest, Mini-BESTest, and the Brief-BESTest in patients with COPD. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Forty-six patients (24 men, 22 women; mean age=75.9 years, SD=7.1) were included. Participants were asked to report their falls during the previous 12 months and to fill in the Activity-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. The BBS and the BESTest were administered. Mini-BESTest and Brief-BESTest scores were computed based on the participants' BESTest performance. Validity was assessed by correlating balance tests with each other and with the ABC Scale. Interrater reliability (2 raters), intrarater reliability (48-72 hours), and minimal detectable changes (MDCs) were established. Receiver operating characteristics assessed the ability of each balance test to differentiate between participants with and without a history of falls. Balance test scores were significantly correlated with each other (Spearman correlation rho=.73-.90) and with the ABC Scale (rho=.53-.75). Balance tests presented high interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=.85-.97) and intrarater reliability (ICC=.52-.88) and acceptable MDCs (MDC=3.3-6.3 points). Although all balance tests were able to identify fall status (area under the curve=0.74-0.84), the BBS (sensitivity=73%, specificity=77%) and the Brief-BESTest (sensitivity=81%, specificity=73%) had the higher ability to identify fall status. Findings are generalizable mainly to older patients with moderate COPD. The 4 balance tests are valid, reliable, and valuable in identifying fall status in patients with COPD. The Brief-BESTest presented slightly higher interrater reliability and ability to differentiate participants' fall status. © 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

FRACTIONATING COLUMN PRODUCT COLLECTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Paxson, G.D. Jr.

1964-03-10

Means for detecting minute fluid products from a chemical separation column and for advancing a collector tube rack in order to automatically separate and collect successive fractionated products are described. A charge is imposed on the forming drops at the column orifice to create an electric field as the drop falls in the vicinity of a sensing plate. The field is detected by an electrometer tube coupled to the plate causing an output signal to actuate rotation of a collector turntable rack, thereby positioning new collectors under the orifice. The invention provides reliable automatic collection independent of drop size, rate of fall, or chemical composition. (AEC)

Longitudinal patient-oriented outcomes in neuropathy

PubMed Central

Kerber, Kevin; Langa, Kenneth M.; Banerjee, Mousumi; Rodgers, Ann; McCammon, Ryan; Burke, James; Feldman, Eva

2015-01-01

Objective: To evaluate longitudinal patient-oriented outcomes in peripheral neuropathy over a 14-year time period including time before and after diagnosis. Methods: The 1996–2007 Health and Retirement Study (HRS)–Medicare Claims linked database identified incident peripheral neuropathy cases (ICD-9 codes) in patients ≥65 years. Using detailed demographic information from the HRS and Medicare claims, a propensity score method identified a matched control group without neuropathy. Patient-oriented outcomes, with an emphasis on self-reported falls, pain, and self-rated health (HRS interview), were determined before and after neuropathy diagnosis. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess differences in longitudinal outcomes between cases and controls. Results: We identified 953 peripheral neuropathy cases and 953 propensity-matched controls. The mean (SD) age was 77.4 (6.7) years for cases, 76.9 (6.6) years for controls, and 42.1% had diabetes. Differences were detected in falls 3.0 years before neuropathy diagnosis (case vs control; 32% vs 25%, p = 0.008), 5.0 years for pain (36% vs 27%, p = 0.002), and 5.0 years for good to excellent self-rated health (61% vs 74%, p < 0.0001). Over time, the proportion of fallers increased more rapidly in neuropathy cases compared to controls (p = 0.002), but no differences in pain (p = 0.08) or self-rated health (p = 0.9) were observed. Conclusions: In older persons, differences in falls, pain, and self-rated health can be detected 3–5 years prior to peripheral neuropathy diagnosis, but only falls deteriorates more rapidly over time in neuropathy cases compared to controls. Interventions to improve early peripheral neuropathy detection are needed, and future clinical trials should incorporate falls as a key patient-oriented outcome. PMID:26019191

Intelligent assistant carer for active aging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bizjak, Jani; Gradišek, Anton; Stepančič, Luka; Gjoreski, Hristijan; Gams, Matjaž

2017-12-01

We present the concept of an Intelligent Assistant Carer system for the elderly, designed to help with active aging and to facilitate the interactions with carers. The system is modular, allowing the users to choose the appropriate functions according to their needs, and is built on an open platform in order to make it compatible with third-party products and services. Currently, the system consists of a wearable device (a smartwatch) and an internet portal that manages the data and takes care of the interactions between the user, the carers, and the support services. We present in detail one of the modules, i.e., fall detection, and the results of a pilot study for the system on 150 users over the course of 3 months.

Neutral degradates of chloroacetamide herbicides: occurrence in drinking water and removal during conventional water treatment.

PubMed

Hladik, Michelle L; Bouwer, Edward J; Roberts, A Lynn

2008-12-01

Treated drinking water samples from 12 water utilities in the Midwestern United States were collected during Fall 2003 and Spring 2004 and were analyzed for selected neutral degradates of chloroacetamide herbicides, along with related compounds. Target analytes included 20 neutral chloroacetamide degradates, six ionic chloroacetamide degradates, four parent chloroacetamide herbicides, three triazine herbicides, and two neutral triazine degradates. In the fall samples, 17 of 20 neutral chloroacetamide degradates were detected in the finished drinking water, while 19 of 20 neutral chloroacetamide degradates were detected in the spring. Median concentrations for the neutral chloroacetamide degradates were approximately 2-60ng/L during both sampling periods. Concentrations measured in the fall samples of treated water were nearly the same as those measured in source waters, despite the variety of treatment trains employed. Significant removals (average of 40% for all compounds) were only found in the spring samples at those utilities that employed activated carbon.

Combination of BTrackS and Geri-Fit as a targeted approach for assessing and reducing the postural sway of older adults with high fall risk

PubMed Central

Goble, Daniel J; Hearn, Mason C; Baweja, Harsimran S

2017-01-01

Atypically high postural sway measured by a force plate is a known risk factor for falls in older adults. Further, it has been shown that small, but significant, reductions in postural sway are possible with various balance exercise interventions. In the present study, a new low-cost force-plate technology called the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) was utilized to assess postural sway of older adults before and after 90 days of a well-established exercise program called Geri-Fit. Results showed an overall reduction in postural sway across all participants from pre- to post-intervention. However, the magnitude of effects was significantly influenced by the amount of postural sway demonstrated by individuals prior to Geri-Fit training. Specifically, more participants with atypically high postural sway pre-intervention experienced an overall postural sway reduction. These reductions experienced were typically greater than the minimum detectable change statistic for the BTrackS Balance Test. Taken together, these findings suggest that BTrackS is an effective means of identifying older adults with elevated postural sway, who are likely to benefit from Geri-Fit training to mitigate fall risk. PMID:28228655

Combination of BTrackS and Geri-Fit as a targeted approach for assessing and reducing the postural sway of older adults with high fall risk.

PubMed

Goble, Daniel J; Hearn, Mason C; Baweja, Harsimran S

2017-01-01

Atypically high postural sway measured by a force plate is a known risk factor for falls in older adults. Further, it has been shown that small, but significant, reductions in postural sway are possible with various balance exercise interventions. In the present study, a new low-cost force-plate technology called the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) was utilized to assess postural sway of older adults before and after 90 days of a well-established exercise program called Geri-Fit. Results showed an overall reduction in postural sway across all participants from pre- to post-intervention. However, the magnitude of effects was significantly influenced by the amount of postural sway demonstrated by individuals prior to Geri-Fit training. Specifically, more participants with atypically high postural sway pre-intervention experienced an overall postural sway reduction. These reductions experienced were typically greater than the minimum detectable change statistic for the BTrackS Balance Test. Taken together, these findings suggest that BTrackS is an effective means of identifying older adults with elevated postural sway, who are likely to benefit from Geri-Fit training to mitigate fall risk.

Handheld hyperspectral imager for standoff detection of chemical and biological aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinnrichs, Michele; Jensen, James O.; McAnally, Gerard

2004-08-01

Pacific Advanced Technology has developed a small hand held imaging spectrometer, Sherlock, for gas leak and aerosol detection and imaging. The system is based on a patented technique, (IMSS Image Multi-spectral Sensing), that uses diffractive optics and image processing algorithms to detect spectral information about objects in the scene of the camera. This cameras technology has been tested at Dugway Proving Ground and Dstl Porton Down facilities looking at Chemical and Biological agent simulants. In addition to Chemical and Biological detection, the camera has been used for environmental monitoring of green house gases and is currently undergoing extensive laboratory and field testing by the Gas Technology Institute, British Petroleum and Shell Oil for applications for gas leak detection and repair. In this paper we will present some of the results from the data collection at the TRE test at Dugway Proving Ground during the summer of 2002 and laboratory testing at the Dstl facility at Porton Down in the UK in the fall of 2002.

ICT-based system to predict and prevent falls (iStoppFalls): study protocol for an international multicenter randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Gschwind, Yves J; Eichberg, Sabine; Marston, Hannah R; Ejupi, Andreas; Rosario, Helios de; Kroll, Michael; Drobics, Mario; Annegarn, Janneke; Wieching, Rainer; Lord, Stephen R; Aal, Konstantin; Delbaere, Kim

2014-08-20

Falls are very common, especially in adults aged 65 years and older. Within the current international European Commission's Seventh Framework Program (FP7) project 'iStoppFalls' an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based system has been developed to regularly assess a person's risk of falling in their own home and to deliver an individual and tailored home-based exercise and education program for fall prevention. The primary aims of iStoppFalls are to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention program, and its effectiveness to improve balance, muscle strength and quality of life in older people. This international, multicenter study is designed as a single-blinded, two-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 160 community-dwelling older people aged 65 years and older will be recruited in Germany (n = 60), Spain (n = 40), and Australia (n = 60) between November 2013 and May 2014. Participants in the intervention group will conduct a 16-week exercise program using the iStoppFalls system through their television set at home. Participants are encouraged to exercise for a total duration of 180 minutes per week. The training program consists of a variety of balance and strength exercises in the form of video games using exergame technology. Educational material about a healthy lifestyle will be provided to each participant. Final reassessments will be conducted after 16 weeks. The assessments include physical and cognitive tests as well as questionnaires assessing health, fear of falling, quality of life and psychosocial determinants. Falls will be followed up for six months by monthly falls calendars. We hypothesize that the regular use of this newly developed ICT-based system for fall prevention at home is feasible for older people. By using the iStoppFalls sensor-based exercise program, older people are expected to improve in balance and strength outcomes. In addition, the exercise training may have a positive impact on quality of life by reducing the risk of falls. Taken together with expected cognitive improvements, the individual approach of the iStoppFalls program may provide an effective model for fall prevention in older people who prefer to exercise at home. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Trial ID: ACTRN12614000096651.International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN15932647.

Posture recognition based on fuzzy logic for home monitoring of the elderly.

PubMed

Brulin, Damien; Benezeth, Yannick; Courtial, Estelle

2012-09-01

We propose in this paper a computer vision-based posture recognition method for home monitoring of the elderly. The proposed system performs human detection prior to the posture analysis; posture recognition is performed only on a human silhouette. The human detection approach has been designed to be robust to different environmental stimuli. Thus, posture is analyzed with simple and efficient features that are not designed to manage constraints related to the environment but only designed to describe human silhouettes. The posture recognition method, based on fuzzy logic, identifies four static postures and is robust to variation in the distance between the camera and the person, and to the person's morphology. With an accuracy of 74.29% of satisfactory posture recognition, this approach can detect emergency situations such as a fall within a health smart home.

The effect of narrow-band noise maskers on increment detection1

PubMed Central

Messersmith, Jessica J.; Patra, Harisadhan; Jesteadt, Walt

2010-01-01

It is often assumed that listeners detect an increment in the intensity of a pure tone by detecting an increase in the energy falling within the critical band centered on the signal frequency. A noise masker can be used to limit the use of signal energy falling outside of the critical band, but facets of the noise may impact increment detection beyond this intended purpose. The current study evaluated the impact of envelope fluctuation in a noise masker on thresholds for detection of an increment. Thresholds were obtained for detection of an increment in the intensity of a 0.25- or 4-kHz pedestal in quiet and in the presence of noise of varying bandwidth. Results indicate that thresholds for detection of an increment in the intensity of a pure tone increase with increasing bandwidth for an on-frequency noise masker, but are unchanged by an off-frequency noise masker. Neither a model that includes a modulation-filter-bank analysis of envelope modulation nor a model based on discrimination of spectral patterns can account for all aspects of the observed data. PMID:21110593

Entropy Based Classifier Combination for Sentence Segmentation

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

speaker diarization system to divide the audio data into hypothetical speakers [17...the prosodic feature also includes turn-based features which describe the position of a word in relation to diarization seg- mentation. The speaker ...ro- bust speaker segmentation: the ICSI-SRI fall 2004 diarization system,” in Proc. RT-04F Workshop, 2004. [18] “The rich transcription fall 2003,” http://nist.gov/speech/tests/rt/rt2003/fall/docs/rt03-fall-eval- plan-v9.pdf.

Pilot study to investigate the feasibility of the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) to identify older Malaysian people at risk of falls

PubMed Central

Romli, Muhammad Hibatullah; Mackenzie, Lynette; Lovarini, Meryl; Tan, Maw Pin

2016-01-01

Objective The relationship between home hazards and falls in older Malaysian people is not yet fully understood. No tools to evaluate the Malaysian home environment currently exist. Therefore, this study aimed to pilot the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) to identify hazards in Malaysian homes, to evaluate the feasibility of using the HOME FAST in the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study and to gather preliminary data about the experience of falls among a small sample of Malaysian older people. Design A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted. Setting An urban setting in Kuala Lumpur. Participants 26 older people aged 60 and over were recruited from the control group of a related research project in Malaysia, in addition to older people known to the researchers. Primary outcome measure The HOME FAST was applied with the baseline survey for the MELoR study via a face-to-face interview and observation of the home by research staff. Results The majority of the participants were female, of Malay or Chinese ethnicity and living with others in a double-storeyed house. Falls were reported in the previous year by 19% and 80% of falls occurred at home. Gender and fear of falling had the strongest associations with home hazards. Most hazards were detected in the bathroom area. A small number of errors were detected in the HOME FAST ratings by researchers. Conclusions The HOME FAST is feasible as a research and clinical tool for the Malaysian context and is appropriate for use in the MELoR study. Home hazards were prevalent in the homes of older people and further research with the larger MELoR sample is needed to confirm the validity of using the HOME FAST in Malaysia. Training in the use of the HOME FAST is needed to ensure accurate use by researchers. PMID:27531736

Effects of hemodialysis therapy on sit-to-walk characteristics in end stage renal disease patients.

PubMed

Soangra, Rahul; Lockhart, Thurmon E; Lach, John; Abdel-Rahman, Emaad M

2013-04-01

Patients with end stage renal diseases (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) have high morbidity and mortality due to multiple causes; one of which is dramatically higher fall rates than the general population. In spite of the multiple efforts aiming to decrease the high mortality and improve quality of life in ESRD patients, limited success has been achieved. If adequate interventions for fall prevention are to be achieved, the functional and mobility mechanisms consistent with falls in this population must be understood. Human movements such as sit-to-walk (STW) tasks are clinically significant, and analysis of these movements provides a meaningful evaluation of postural and locomotor performance in elderly patients with functional limitations indicative of fall risks. In order to assess the effects of HD therapy on fall risks, 22 sessions of both pre- and post-HD measurements were obtained in six ESRD patients utilizing customized inertial measurement units (IMU). IMU signals were denoised using ensemble empirical mode decomposition and Savistky-Golay filtering methods to detect relevant events for identification of STW phases. The results indicated that patients were slower to get out of the chair (as measured by trunk flexion angular accelerations, time to peak trunk flexion, and overall STW completion time) following the dialysis therapy session. STW is a frequent movement in activities of daily living, and HD therapy may influence the postural and locomotor control of these movements. The analysis of STW movement may assist in not only assessing a patient's physical status, but in identifying HD-related fall risk as well. This preliminary study presents a non-invasive method of kinematic measurement for early detection of increased fall risk in ESRD patients using portable inertial sensors for out-patient monitoring. This can be helpful in understanding the pathogenesis better, and improve awareness in health care providers in targeting interventions to identify individuals at risk for fall.

Effects of Hemodialysis Therapy on Sit-to-Walk Characteristics in End Stage Renal Disease Patients

PubMed Central

Soangra, Rahul; Lockhart, Thurmon E.; Lach, John; Abdel-Rahman, Emaad M.

2013-01-01

Patients with end stage renal diseases (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) have high morbidity and mortality due to multiple causes; one of which is dramatically higher fall rates than the general population. In spite of the multiple efforts aiming to decrease the high mortality and improve quality of life in ESRD patients, limited success has been achieved. If adequate interventions for fall prevention are to be achieved, the functional and mobility mechanisms consistent with falls in this population must be understood. Human movements such as sit-to-walk (STW) tasks are clinically significant, and analysis of these movements provides a meaningful evaluation of postural and locomotor performance in elderly patients with functional limitations indicative of fall risks. In order to assess the effects of HD therapy on fall risks, 22 sessions of both pre- and post-HD measurements were obtained in six ESRD patients utilizing customized inertial measurement units (IMU). IMU signals were denoised using ensemble empirical mode decomposition and Savistky-Golay filtering methods to detect relevant events for identification of STW phases. The results indicated that patients were slower to get out of the chair (as measured by trunk flexion angular accelerations, time to peak trunk flexion, and overall STW completion time) following the dialysis therapy session. STW is a frequent movement in activities of daily living, and HD therapy may influence the postural and locomotor control of these movements. The analysis of STW movement may assist in not only assessing a patient’s physical status, but in identifying HD-related fall risk as well. This preliminary study presents a non-invasive method of kinematic measurement for early detection of increased fall risk in ESRD patients using portable inertial sensors for out-patient monitoring. This can be helpful in understanding the pathogenesis better, and improve awareness in health care providers in targeting interventions to identify individuals at risk for fall. PMID:23212801

Effects of a Longer Detection Window in VHF Time-of-Arrival Lightning Detection Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, M.; Holle, R.; Demetriades, N.

2003-12-01

Lightning detection systems that operate by measuring the times of arrival (TOA) of short bursts of radiation at VHF can produce huge volumes of data. The first automated system of this kind, the NASA Kennedy Space Center LDAR network, is capable of producing one detection every 100 usec from each of seven sensors (Lennon and Maier, 1991), where each detection consists of the time and amplitude of the highest-amplitude peak observed within the 100 usec window. More modern systems have been shown to produce very detailed information with one detection every 10 usec (Rison et al., 2001). Operating such systems in real time, however, can become expensive because of the large data communications rates required. One solution to this problem is to use a longer detection window, say 500 usec. In principle, this has little or no effect on the flash detection efficiency because each flash typically produces a very large number of these VHF bursts (known as sources). By simply taking the largest-amplitude peak from every 500-usec interval instead of every 100-usec interval, we should detect the largest 20{%} of the sources that would have been detected using the 100-usec window. However, questions remain about the exact effect of a longer detection window on the source detection efficiency with distance from the network, its effects on how well flashes are represented in space, and how well the reduced information represents the parent thunderstorm. The latter issue is relevant for automated location and tracking of thunderstorm cells using data from VHF TOA lightning detection networks, as well as for understanding relationships between lightning and severe weather. References Lennon, C.L. and L.M. Maier, Lightning mapping system. Proceedings, Intl. Aerospace and Ground Conf. on Lightning and Static Elec., Cocoa Beach, Fla., NASA Conf. Pub. 3106, vol. II, pp. 89-1 - 89-10, 1991. Rison, W., P. Krehbiel, R. Thomas, T. Hamlin, J. Harlin, High time resolution lightning mapping observations of a small thunderstorm during STEPS. Eos Trans. AGU, 82 (47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract AE12A-83, 2001.

Development of radar-based system for monitoring of frail home-dwelling persons: A healthcare perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudmann, Tobba T.; Børsheim, Ingebjørg T.; Øvsthus, Knut; Ciamulski, Tomasz; Miękina, Andrzej; Wagner, Jakub; Mazurek, Paweł; Jacobsen, Frode F.

2016-11-01

This interdisciplinary project aims to develop and assess the functional potential of radar technology in the care services. The project mainly has an exploratory character where the technological and functional potential of impulse-radar sensor are tested out in monitoring of elderly and disabled people living in their own home. Designing a non-invasive system for monitoring of movements of frail persons living at home is the main goal, with the intent of assessing health and functional status through monitoring of activities of daily life (ADL) and detecting potentially dangerous situations, not the least related to a long lie following falls.

Use and clinical efficacy of standard and health information technology fall risk assessment tools.

PubMed

Teh, Ruth C; Wilson, Anne; Ranasinghe, Damith; Visvanathan, Renuka

2017-12-01

To evaluate the health information technology (HIT) compared to Fall Risk for Older Persons (FROP) tool in fall risk screening. A HIT tool trial was conducted on the geriatric evaluation and management (GEM, n = 111) and acute medical units (AMU, n = 424). Health information technology and FROP scores were higher on GEM versus AMU, with no differences between people who fell and people who did not fall. Both score completion rates were similar, and their values correlated marginally (Spearman's correlation coefficient 0.33, P < 0.01). HIT and FROP scores demonstrated similar sensitivity (80 vs 82%) and specificity (32 vs 36%) for detecting hospital falls. Hospital fall rates trended towards reduction on AMU (4.20 vs 6.96, P = 0.15) and increase on GEM (10.98 vs 6.52, P = 0.54) with HIT tool implementation. Health information technology tool acceptability and scoring were comparable to FROP screening, with mixed effects on fall rate with HIT tool implementation. Clinician partnership remains key to effective tool development. © 2017 AJA Inc.

Evaluation of juvenile salmonid behavior near a prototype weir box at Cowlitz Falls Dam, Washington, 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kock, Tobias J.; Liedtke, Theresa L.; Ekstrom, Brian K.; Tomka, Ryan G.; Rondorf, Dennis W.

2014-01-01

Collection of juvenile salmonids at Cowlitz Falls Dam is a critical part of the effort to restore salmon in the upper Cowlitz River because the majority of fish that are not collected at the dam pass downstream and enter a large reservoir where they become landlocked and lost to the anadromous fish population. However, the juvenile fish collection system at Cowlitz Falls Dam has failed to achieve annual collection goals since it first began operating in 1996. Since that time, numerous modifications to the fish collection system have been made and several prototype collection structures have been developed and tested, but these efforts have not substantially increased juvenile fish collection. Studies have shown that juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) tend to locate the collection entrances effectively, but many of these fish are not collected and eventually pass the dam through turbines or spillways. Tacoma Power developed a prototype weir box in 2009 to increase capture rates of juvenile salmonids at the collection entrances, and this device proved to be successful at retaining those fish that entered the weir. However, because of safety concerns at the dam, the weir box could not be deployed near a spillway gate where the prototype was tested, so the device was altered and re-deployed at a different location, where it was evaluated during 2013. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an evaluation using radiotelemetry to monitor fish behavior near the weir box and collection flumes. The evaluation was conducted during April–June 2013. Juvenile steelhead and coho salmon (45 per species) were tagged with a radio transmitter and passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag, and released upstream of the dam. All tagged fish moved downstream and entered the forebay of Cowlitz Falls Dam. Median travel times from the release site to the forebay were 0.8 d for steelhead and 1.2 d for coho salmon. Most fish spent several days in the dam forebay; median forebay residence times were 4.4 d for juvenile steelhead and 5.7 d for juvenile coho salmon. A new radio transmitter model was used during the study period. The transmitter had low detection probabilities on underwater antennas located within the collection system, which prevented us from reporting performance metrics (discovery efficiency, entrance efficiency, retention efficiency) that are traditionally used to evaluate fish collection systems. Most tagged steelhead (98 percent) and coho salmon (84 percent) were detected near the weir box or collection flume entrances during the study period; 39 percent of tagged steelhead and 55 percent of tagged coho salmon were detected at both entrances. Sixty-three percent of the tagged steelhead that were detected at both entrances were first detected at the weir box, compared to 52 percent of the coho salmon. Twelve steelhead and 15 coho salmon detected inside the weir box eventually left the device and were collected in collection flumes or passed the dam. Overall, collection rates were relatively high during the study period. Sixty-five percent of the steelhead and 80 percent of the coho salmon were collected during the study, and most of the remaining fish passed the dam and entered the tailrace (24 percent of steelhead; 13 percent of coho salmon). The remaining 11 percent of steelhead and 7 percent of coho salmon did not pass the dam while their transmitters were operating. We were able to confirm collection of tagged fish at the fish facility using three approaches: (1) detection of radio transmitters in study fish; (2) detection of PIT-tags in study fish; (3) observation of study fish by staff at the fish facility. Data from all three methods were used to develop a multistate mark-recapture model that estimated detection probabilities for the various monitoring methods. These estimates then were used to describe the percent of tagged fish that were collected through the weir box and collection flumes. Detection probabilities of PIT-tag antennas in the collection flumes were 0.895 for juvenile steelhead and 0.881 for juvenile coho salmon, although radiotelemetry detection probabilities were 0.654 and 0.646 for the two species, respectively. The multistate model estimates showed that all steelhead and most coho salmon (94.5 percent) that were collected at the dam entered the collection system through the flumes rather than through the weir box. None of the tagged steelhead and only 5.5 percent of the tagged coho salmon were collected through the weir box. These data show that juvenile steelhead and coho salmon collection rates were much higher through the collection flumes than through the weir box. Low detection probabilities of tagged fish in the fish collection system resulted in uncertainty for some aspects of our evaluation. Missing detection records within the collection system for fish that were known to have been collected resulted in four tagged steelhead and seven tagged coho salmon being removed from the dataset, which was used to assess discovery rates of the weir box and collection flumes. However, the multistate model allowed us to provide unbiased estimates of the percentage of tagged fish that were collected through each route, and these data showed that few fish were collected through the weir box. Overall, the fish collection system performed reasonably well in collecting juvenile steelhead and coho salmon during the 2013 collection season. Fish collection efficiency estimates from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife showed that steelhead collection efficiency was slightly higher than the 10-year average (46 percent compared to 42 percent), whereas coho salmon collection efficiency was more than twice as high as the 10-year average (63 percent compared to 30 percent). However, the performance of the weir box was poor because most fish were collected through the collection flumes.

Investigations into the Early Life History of Naturally Produced Spring Chinook Salmon in the Grande Ronde River Basin : Fish Research Project Oregon : Annual Progress Report Project Period 1 September 1998 to 31 August 1999.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jonasson, Brian C.

2000-01-01

We determined migration timing and abundance of juvenile spring chinook salmon from three populations in the Grande Ronde River basin. We estimated 13,180 juvenile chinook salmon left upper rearing areas of the Grande Ronde River from July 1998 to June 1999; approximately 0.2% of the migrants left in summer, 18% in fall and 82% in spring. We estimated 15,949 juvenile chinook salmon left upper rearing areas of Catherine Creek from July 1998 to June 1999; approximately 0.2% of the migrants left in summer, 57% in fall, 2% in winter, and 41% in spring. We estimated 14,537 juvenile chinook salmon leftmore » the Grande Ronde Valley, located below the upper rearing areas in Catherine Creek and the Grande Ronde River, from October 1998 to June 1999; approximately 99% of the migrants left in spring. We estimated 31,113 juvenile chinook salmon left upper rearing areas of the Lostine River from July 1998 to June 1999; approximately 4% of the migrants left in summer, 57% in fall, 3% in winter, and 36% in spring. We estimated 42,705 juvenile spring chinook salmon left the Wallowa Valley, located below the mouth of the Lostine River, from August 1998 to June 1999; approximately 46% of the migrants left in fall, 6% in winter, and 47% in spring. Juvenile chinook salmon PIT-tagged on the upper Grande Ronde River were detected at Lower Granite Dam from 31 March to 20 June 1999, with a median passage date of 5 May. PIT-tagged salmon from Catherine Creek were detected at Lower Granite Dam from 19 April to 9 July 1999, with a median passage date of 24 May. PIT-tagged salmon from the Lostine River were detected at Lower Granite Dam from 31 March through 8 July 1999, with a median passage date of 4 May. Juveniles tagged as they left the upper rearing areas of the Grande Ronde River in fall and that overwintered in areas downstream were detected in the hydrosystem at a higher rate than fish tagged during winter in the upper rearing areas, indicating a higher overwinter survival in the downstream areas. Juveniles tagged as they left the upper rearing areas of Catherine Creek in fall and that overwintered in areas downstream were detected in the hydrosystem at a lower rate than fish tagged during winter in the upper rearing areas, indicating a higher overwinter survival in the upper rearing areas. Juveniles tagged as they left the upper rearing areas of the Lostine River in fall and that overwintered in areas downstream were detected in the hydrosystem at a similar rate to fish tagged during winter in the upper rearing areas, indicating similar overwinter survival in the upstream and downstream areas. Chinook salmon parr were generally associated with low velocity habitat types, that is pools, during both winter and summer in the Lostine River.« less

Intelligent transportation system (ITS) study for the Buffalo and Niagara Falls metropolitan area, Erie and Niagara Counties, New York : functional requirements, working paper #4

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-06-18

This paper is the fourth in a series that together will comprise an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Study for the Buffalo / Niagara Falls region. This document presents the market packages for the deployment of the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area ...

Visual risk factors for falls in older people.

PubMed

Lord, Stephen R

2006-09-01

Poor vision reduces postural stability and significantly increases the risk of falls and fractures in older people. Most studies have found that poor visual acuity increases the risk of falls. However, studies that have included multiple visual measures have found that reduced contrast sensitivity and depth perception are the most important visual risk factors for falls. Multifocal glasses may add to this risk because their near-vision lenses impair distance contrast sensitivity and depth perception in the lower visual field. This reduces the ability of an older person to detect environmental hazards. There is now evidence that maximising vision through cataract surgery is an effective strategy for preventing falls. Further randomised controlled trials are required to determine whether individual strategies (such as restriction of use of multifocal glasses) or multi-strategy visual improvement interventions can significantly reduce falls in older people. Public health initiatives are required to raise awareness in older people and their carers of the importance of regular eye examinations and use of appropriate prescription glasses.

ICT-based system to predict and prevent falls (iStoppFalls): study protocol for an international multicenter randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Falls are very common, especially in adults aged 65 years and older. Within the current international European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) project ‘iStoppFalls’ an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based system has been developed to regularly assess a person’s risk of falling in their own home and to deliver an individual and tailored home-based exercise and education program for fall prevention. The primary aims of iStoppFalls are to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention program, and its effectiveness to improve balance, muscle strength and quality of life in older people. Methods/Design This international, multicenter study is designed as a single-blinded, two-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 160 community-dwelling older people aged 65 years and older will be recruited in Germany (n = 60), Spain (n = 40), and Australia (n = 60) between November 2013 and May 2014. Participants in the intervention group will conduct a 16-week exercise program using the iStoppFalls system through their television set at home. Participants are encouraged to exercise for a total duration of 180 minutes per week. The training program consists of a variety of balance and strength exercises in the form of video games using exergame technology. Educational material about a healthy lifestyle will be provided to each participant. Final reassessments will be conducted after 16 weeks. The assessments include physical and cognitive tests as well as questionnaires assessing health, fear of falling, quality of life and psychosocial determinants. Falls will be followed up for six months by monthly falls calendars. Discussion We hypothesize that the regular use of this newly developed ICT-based system for fall prevention at home is feasible for older people. By using the iStoppFalls sensor-based exercise program, older people are expected to improve in balance and strength outcomes. In addition, the exercise training may have a positive impact on quality of life by reducing the risk of falls. Taken together with expected cognitive improvements, the individual approach of the iStoppFalls program may provide an effective model for fall prevention in older people who prefer to exercise at home. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Trial ID: ACTRN12614000096651. International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN15932647. PMID:25141850

Perceived pain, fear of falling and physical function in women with osteoporosis.

PubMed

Hübscher, Markus; Vogt, Lutz; Schmidt, Katharina; Fink, Matthias; Banzer, Winfried

2010-07-01

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate pain intensity-related differences in physical performance and fear of falling in elderly women with osteoporosis. A sample of 82 osteoporotic women (73.8±8.1 years) with and without vertebral fractures was included. Numeric rating scale (NRS) measures (0=no pain, 10=unbearable) were applied to obtain actual pain intensity and to stratify between patients with mild (0-3), moderate (4-6) and severe (7-10) pain. Activity-related fear of falling was evaluated with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International Version (FES-I). Physical performance measures included maximum voluntary quadriceps strength, postural sway and gait speed measures. Controlling for age, fractures, and history of falls ANCOVA with Scheffe's post hoc test indicated significant slower walking velocities and greater postural sway for patients with severe pain. Furthermore, significant group differences could be detected for muscle strength and fear of falling. Patients with more intense pain (NRS≥5) were 6.4 times (odds ratio; 95%CI: 1.5-26.7) more likely to score below average in fall-related self-efficacy and all physical performance tests. Among women with osteoporosis, heightened back pain intensity increases fear of falling and decreases physical performance irrespective of vertebral fractures and history of falls. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Experience of a falls prevention unit in an intermediate care hospital].

PubMed

Roca Carbonell, Ferran; Hernandez Ocampo, Erwin Martin; Aragonès Pascual, Jose Maria; Soler, Eulalia; Clapera, Fina; Espaulella Panicot, Joan

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine clinical features and interventions in patients attended in our hospital falls prevention unit. Medical records and evaluation protocols from October 2010 to June 2012 were reviewed. Results are expressed in means and standard deviation. We studied 68 patients: 53 came due to falls (77.9%), and 15 (22%) due to gait disorders. The mean age was 77.6±7.9. Number of women: 63 (92.6%). Previous Barthel Index was 94/100, cognitive impairment 23 (33.8%), polypharmacy 69.1%, orthostatic hypotension 18 (26.4%). Walking speed 0.66± 0.19m/s and Time up and go to (TUG) 16.6±4.5 s. Post-urography detected vestibular dysfunction in 34 patients (77%). Clinical cause of fall and/or gait disorder was multifactorial in 33 (48.5%), Parkinsonism 19 (27.9%), chronic pain/arthropathy 8 (11.4%), and vestibular syndrome 8 (11.4%). Two-thirds (45; 66.1%) of the patients began Physical therapy, and vitamin D was given to 47 (69.1%). Phone calls were made to patients and/or their relatives and noted that after 3 months of the treatment: 48 (70.5%) had no fall; 59 (86.7%) patients followed the recommendations, and 57 (83.8%) were satisfied. In this sample of older patients, mostly female with a good functional and cognitive condition, the causes of the falls were multifactorial in the half of the cases, and the post-urography detected vestibular changes in the half of the patients. Copyright © 2013 SEGG. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Type and Location of Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Falls during Static and Dynamic Tasks in Healthy Elderly: A Review

PubMed Central

Sorriso, Antonietta; Liparoti, Marianna; Ferraioli, Giampaolo; Sorrentino, Pierpaolo

2018-01-01

In recent years, the meaning of successful living has moved from extending lifetime to improving the quality of aging, mainly in terms of high cognitive and physical functioning together with avoiding diseases. In healthy elderly, falls represent an alarming accident both in terms of number of events and the consequent decrease in the quality of life. Stability control is a key approach for studying the genesis of falls, for detecting the event and trying to develop methodologies to prevent it. Wearable sensors have proved to be very useful in monitoring and analyzing the stability of subjects. Within this manuscript, a review of the approaches proposed in the literature for fall risk assessment, fall prevention and fall detection in healthy elderly is provided. The review has been carried out by using the most adopted publication databases and by defining a search strategy based on keywords and boolean algebra constructs. The analysis aims at evaluating the state of the art of such kind of monitoring, both in terms of most adopted sensor technologies and of their location on the human body. The review has been extended to both dynamic and static analyses. In order to provide a useful tool for researchers involved in this field, the manuscript also focuses on the tests conducted in the analyzed studies, mainly in terms of characteristics of the population involved and of the tasks used. Finally, the main trends related to sensor typology, sensor location and tasks have been identified. PMID:29783647

Fall Chinook Salmon Survival and Supplementation Studies in the Snake River Reservoirs, 1996 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, John G.; Bjornn

1998-05-01

In 1996, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed the second year of cooperative research to investigate migrational characteristics of subyearling fall chinook salmon in the Snake River Basin. In spring and early summer, we captured natural subyearling fall chinook salmon by beach seine, PIT tagged them, and released them in two reaches of the Snake River. Also, subyearling fall chinook salmon reared at Lyons Ferry Hatchery were PIT tagged at the hatchery, transported, and released weekly at Pittsburg Landing on the Snake River and Big Canyon Creek on themore » Clearwater River to collect data on survival detection probabilities, and travel time.« less

Fatal falls in the US construction industry, 1990 to 1999.

PubMed

Derr, J; Forst, L; Chen, H Y; Conroy, L

2001-10-01

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) database allows for the detailed analysis of risk factors surrounding fatal occupational events. This study used IMIS data to (1) perform a risk factor analysis of fatal construction falls, and (2) assess the impact of the February 1995 29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart M OSHA fall protection regulations for construction by calculating trends in fatal fall rates. In addition, IMIS data on fatal construction falls were compared with data from other occupational fatality surveillance systems. For falls in construction, the study identified several demographic factors that may indicate increased risk. A statistically significant downward trend in fatal falls was evident in all construction and within several construction categories during the decade. Although the study failed to show a statistically significant intervention effect from the new OSHA regulations, it may have lacked the power to do so.

Evaluation of information-theoretic similarity measures for content-based retrieval and detection of masses in mammograms.

PubMed

Tourassi, Georgia D; Harrawood, Brian; Singh, Swatee; Lo, Joseph Y; Floyd, Carey E

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate image similarity measures employed in an information-theoretic computer-assisted detection (IT-CAD) scheme. The scheme was developed for content-based retrieval and detection of masses in screening mammograms. The study is aimed toward an interactive clinical paradigm where physicians query the proposed IT-CAD scheme on mammographic locations that are either visually suspicious or indicated as suspicious by other cuing CAD systems. The IT-CAD scheme provides an evidence-based, second opinion for query mammographic locations using a knowledge database of mass and normal cases. In this study, eight entropy-based similarity measures were compared with respect to retrieval precision and detection accuracy using a database of 1820 mammographic regions of interest. The IT-CAD scheme was then validated on a separate database for false positive reduction of progressively more challenging visual cues generated by an existing, in-house mass detection system. The study showed that the image similarity measures fall into one of two categories; one category is better suited to the retrieval of semantically similar cases while the second is more effective with knowledge-based decisions regarding the presence of a true mass in the query location. In addition, the IT-CAD scheme yielded a substantial reduction in false-positive detections while maintaining high detection rate for malignant masses.

Evaluation of information-theoretic similarity measures for content-based retrieval and detection of masses in mammograms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tourassi, Georgia D.; Harrawood, Brian; Singh, Swatee

The purpose of this study was to evaluate image similarity measures employed in an information-theoretic computer-assisted detection (IT-CAD) scheme. The scheme was developed for content-based retrieval and detection of masses in screening mammograms. The study is aimed toward an interactive clinical paradigm where physicians query the proposed IT-CAD scheme on mammographic locations that are either visually suspicious or indicated as suspicious by other cuing CAD systems. The IT-CAD scheme provides an evidence-based, second opinion for query mammographic locations using a knowledge database of mass and normal cases. In this study, eight entropy-based similarity measures were compared with respect to retrievalmore » precision and detection accuracy using a database of 1820 mammographic regions of interest. The IT-CAD scheme was then validated on a separate database for false positive reduction of progressively more challenging visual cues generated by an existing, in-house mass detection system. The study showed that the image similarity measures fall into one of two categories; one category is better suited to the retrieval of semantically similar cases while the second is more effective with knowledge-based decisions regarding the presence of a true mass in the query location. In addition, the IT-CAD scheme yielded a substantial reduction in false-positive detections while maintaining high detection rate for malignant masses.« less

Reduction in Fall Rate in Dementia Managed Care Through Video Incident Review: Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Netscher, George; Agrawal, Pulkit; Tabb Noyce, Lynn; Bayen, Alexandre

2017-01-01

Background Falls of individuals with dementia are frequent, dangerous, and costly. Early detection and access to the history of a fall is crucial for efficient care and secondary prevention in cognitively impaired individuals. However, most falls remain unwitnessed events. Furthermore, understanding why and how a fall occurred is a challenge. Video capture and secure transmission of real-world falls thus stands as a promising assistive tool. Objective The objective of this study was to analyze how continuous video monitoring and review of falls of individuals with dementia can support better quality of care. Methods A pilot observational study (July-September 2016) was carried out in a Californian memory care facility. Falls were video-captured (24×7), thanks to 43 wall-mounted cameras (deployed in all common areas and in 10 out of 40 private bedrooms of consenting residents and families). Video review was provided to facility staff, thanks to a customized mobile device app. The outcome measures were the count of residents’ falls happening in the video-covered areas, the acceptability of video recording, the analysis of video review, and video replay possibilities for care practice. Results Over 3 months, 16 falls were video-captured. A drop in fall rate was observed in the last month of the study. Acceptability was good. Video review enabled screening for the severity of falls and fall-related injuries. Video replay enabled identifying cognitive-behavioral deficiencies and environmental circumstances contributing to the fall. This allowed for secondary prevention in high-risk multi-faller individuals and for updated facility care policies regarding a safer living environment for all residents. Conclusions Video monitoring offers high potential to support conventional care in memory care facilities. PMID:29042342

Baseline Characteristics of fall from Height Victims Presenting to Emergency Department; a Brief Report.

PubMed

Hatamabadi, Hamidreza; Arhami Dolatabadi, Ali; Atighinasab, Batoul; Safari, Saeed

2017-01-01

Trauma due to accidents or fall from height is a major cause of disability and mortality. The present study was designed aiming to evaluate the baseline characteristics of fall from height victims presenting to emergency department (ED). This prospective cross-sectional study evaluates the baseline characteristics of fall from height cases presenting to EDs of three educational Hospitals, Tehran, Iran, during one year. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 and presented using descriptive statistics. 460 patients with the mean age of 27.89 ± 20.95 years were evaluated (76.5% male). 191 (41.5%) falls occurred when working, 27 (5.9%) during play, and 242 (52.6%) in other times. Among construction workers, 166 (81.4%) had not used any safety equipment. Fracture and dislocation with 180 (39.1%) cases and soft tissue injury with 166 (36.1%) were the most common injuries inflicted. Mean height of falling was 3.41 ± 0.34 (range: 0.5 - 20) meters. Finally, 8 (1.7%) of the patients died (50% intentional) and 63% were discharged from ED. A significant correlation was detected between mortality and the falls being intentional (p < 0.0001) as well as greater height of fall (p < 0.0001). Based on the findings, most fall from height victims in the present study were young men, single, construction workers, with less than high school diploma education level. Intentional fall and greater height of falling significantly correlated with mortality.

Systematic review of fall risk screening tools for older patients in acute hospitals.

PubMed

Matarese, Maria; Ivziku, Dhurata; Bartolozzi, Francesco; Piredda, Michela; De Marinis, Maria Grazia

2015-06-01

To determine the most accurate fall risk screening tools for predicting falls among patients aged 65 years or older admitted to acute care hospitals. Falls represent a serious problem in older inpatients due to the potential physical, social, psychological and economic consequences. Older inpatients present with risk factors associated with age-related physiological and psychological changes as well as multiple morbidities. Thus, fall risk screening tools for older adults should include these specific risk factors. There are no published recommendations addressing what tools are appropriate for older hospitalized adults. Systematic review. MEDLINE, CINAHL and Cochrane electronic databases were searched between January 1981-April 2013. Only prospective validation studies reporting sensitivity and specificity values were included. Recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews have been followed. Three fall risk assessment tools were evaluated in seven articles. Due to the limited number of studies, meta-analysis was carried out only for the STRATIFY and Hendrich Fall Risk Model II. In the combined analysis, the Hendrich Fall Risk Model II demonstrated higher sensitivity than STRATIFY, while the STRATIFY showed higher specificity. In both tools, the Youden index showed low prognostic accuracy. The identified tools do not demonstrate predictive values as high as needed for identifying older inpatients at risk for falls. For this reason, no tool can be recommended for fall detection. More research is needed to evaluate fall risk screening tools for older inpatients. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A rockfall hazard assessment for a residential area by using 2D and 3D simulation models: A case study from North Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akgün, Aykut; Yakut, Mehmet

2017-04-01

Rockfalls are one of the most common and important mass movement type encountered throughout both the World and Turkey. In Turkey, especially in Black Sea Region, rock fall cases frequently occur due to the steep topography, lithological characteristics, improper land use and structural elements such as discontinuity density. As a consequence of rock fall cases, serious injury and loss of lives can be observed in the area. In this study, a residential area located in Trabzon city (Northeast part of Black Sea Region, Turkey) was handled in point of rock fall hazard assessment. In the area, several rock fall cases occurred, and one of them occurred in year of 2009, resulted two people died. The last one also occurred in year of 2016, and the source of both cases are the same location. In the area, several houses and working places are available, and up to now any effective protection measurements have been installed. The area is also located near a highway connecting Trabzon city to the southeast region of Turkey, and daily vehicle number is highly considerable. Due to all these sensitive issues, the area was selected to be study location. In order to make a rock fall hazard assessment in the area to determine and propose an effective mitigation system, a 2D and 3D simulation models were applied. Initially a digital elevation model (DEM) of the area was obtained by a 1:1000 scale digital topographical sheets. By using the obtained digital terrain data, detailed cross sections of the slope profiles were created. Then, a detailed field and photo survey was carried out to detect the dangerous and hanging rock blocks that may be source for a possible rock fall cases. The physico-mechanical properties of the intact rock material were determined so that they can be used to be input parameters for the rock fall simulation models. To create simulation models, Rocfall 6.0®, Rockfall Analyst for ArcGIS and CONEFALL softwares were used. Using the Rockfall Analyst extension for ArcGIS and CONEFALL software, propagation and runout distances of possible rock fall cases were evaluated. By Rocfall 6.0® software, possible rock fall paths and proper mitigation measurements such as protection barriers or ditches were also assessed. At the end of the assessment processes, a detailed rock fall hazard map was produced for the area. With the help of this map, an important extent of area was determined to be under rock fall threat. This obtained map is also expected to be considered by the local governmental authorities to make persistent hazard mitigation measurements in the area. Keywords: Rock fall, simulation, hazard, Turkey

The value of Doppler LiDAR systems to monitor turbulence intensity during storm events in order to enhance aviation safety in Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shu; Nína Petersen, Guðrún; Finger, David C.

2017-04-01

Turbulence and wind shear are a major natural hazards for aviation safety in Iceland. The temporal and spatial scale of atmospheric turbulence is very dynamic, requiring an adequate method to detect and monitor turbulence with high resolution. The Doppler Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system can provide continuous information about the wind field using the Doppler effect form emitted light signals. In this study, we use a Leosphere Windcube 200s LiDAR systems stationed near Reykjavik city Airport and at Keflavik International Airport, Iceland, to evaluate turbulence intensity by estimating eddy dissipation rate (EDR). For this purpose, we retrieved radial wind velocity observations from Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) scans (360°scans at 15° and 75° elevation angle) to compute EDR. The method was used to monitor and characterize storm events in fall 2016 and the following winter. The preliminary result reveal that the LiDAR observations can detect and quantify atmospheric turbulence with high spatial and temporal resolution. This finding is an important step towards enhanced aviation safety in subpolar climate characterized by sever wind turbulence.

Detecting a Defective Casing Seal at the Top of a Bedrock Aquifer.

PubMed

Richard, Sandra K; Chesnaux, Romain; Rouleau, Alain

2016-03-01

An improperly sealed casing can produce a direct hydraulic connection between two or more originally isolated aquifers with important consequences regarding groundwater quantity and quality. A recent study by Richard et al. (2014) investigated a monitoring well installed in a fractured rock aquifer with a defective casing seal at the soil-bedrock interface. A hydraulic short circuit was detected that produced some leakage between the rock and the overlying deposits. A falling-head permeability test performed in this well showed that the usual method of data interpretation is not valid in this particular case due to the presence of a piezometric error. This error is the direct result of the preferential flow originating from the hydraulic short circuit and the subsequent re-equilibration of the piezometric levels of both aquifers in the vicinity of the inlet and the outlet of the defective seal. Numerical simulations of groundwater circulation around the well support the observed impact of the hydraulic short circuit on the results of the falling-head permeability test. These observations demonstrate that a properly designed falling-head permeability test may be useful in the detection of defective casing seals. © 2015, National Ground Water Association.

Leveraging Event Reporting Through Knowledge Support: A Knowledge-Based Approach to Promoting Patient Fall Prevention.

PubMed

Yao, Bin; Kang, Hong; Miao, Qi; Zhou, Sicheng; Liang, Chen; Gong, Yang

2017-01-01

Patient falls are a common safety event type that impairs the healthcare quality. Strategies including solution tools and reporting systems for preventing patient falls have been developed and implemented in the U.S. However, the current strategies do not include timely knowledge support, which is in great need in bridging the gap between reporting and learning. In this study, we constructed a knowledge base of fall events by combining expert-reviewed fall prevention solutions and then integrating them into a reporting system. The knowledge base enables timely and tailored knowledge support and thus will serve as a prevailing fall prevention tool. This effort holds promise in making knowledge acquisition and management a routine process for enhancing the reporting and understanding of patient safety events.

Molecular Detection of Vertebrates in Stream Water: A Demonstration Using Rocky Mountain Tailed Frogs and Idaho Giant Salamanders

PubMed Central

Goldberg, Caren S.; Pilliod, David S.; Arkle, Robert S.; Waits, Lisette P.

2011-01-01

Stream ecosystems harbor many secretive and imperiled species, and studies of vertebrates in these systems face the challenges of relatively low detection rates and high costs. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has recently been confirmed as a sensitive and efficient tool for documenting aquatic vertebrates in wetlands and in a large river and canal system. However, it was unclear whether this tool could be used to detect low-density vertebrates in fast-moving streams where shed cells may travel rapidly away from their source. To evaluate the potential utility of eDNA techniques in stream systems, we designed targeted primers to amplify a short, species-specific DNA fragment for two secretive stream amphibian species in the northwestern region of the United States (Rocky Mountain tailed frogs, Ascaphus montanus, and Idaho giant salamanders, Dicamptodon aterrimus). We tested three DNA extraction and five PCR protocols to determine whether we could detect eDNA of these species in filtered water samples from five streams with varying densities of these species in central Idaho, USA. We successfully amplified and sequenced the targeted DNA regions for both species from stream water filter samples. We detected Idaho giant salamanders in all samples and Rocky Mountain tailed frogs in four of five streams and found some indication that these species are more difficult to detect using eDNA in early spring than in early fall. While the sensitivity of this method across taxa remains to be determined, the use of eDNA could revolutionize surveys for rare and invasive stream species. With this study, the utility of eDNA techniques for detecting aquatic vertebrates has been demonstrated across the majority of freshwater systems, setting the stage for an innovative transformation in approaches for aquatic research. PMID:21818382

Molecular detection of vertebrates in stream water: a demonstration using Rocky Mountain tailed frogs and Idaho giant salamanders.

PubMed

Goldberg, Caren S; Pilliod, David S; Arkle, Robert S; Waits, Lisette P

2011-01-01

Stream ecosystems harbor many secretive and imperiled species, and studies of vertebrates in these systems face the challenges of relatively low detection rates and high costs. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has recently been confirmed as a sensitive and efficient tool for documenting aquatic vertebrates in wetlands and in a large river and canal system. However, it was unclear whether this tool could be used to detect low-density vertebrates in fast-moving streams where shed cells may travel rapidly away from their source. To evaluate the potential utility of eDNA techniques in stream systems, we designed targeted primers to amplify a short, species-specific DNA fragment for two secretive stream amphibian species in the northwestern region of the United States (Rocky Mountain tailed frogs, Ascaphus montanus, and Idaho giant salamanders, Dicamptodon aterrimus). We tested three DNA extraction and five PCR protocols to determine whether we could detect eDNA of these species in filtered water samples from five streams with varying densities of these species in central Idaho, USA. We successfully amplified and sequenced the targeted DNA regions for both species from stream water filter samples. We detected Idaho giant salamanders in all samples and Rocky Mountain tailed frogs in four of five streams and found some indication that these species are more difficult to detect using eDNA in early spring than in early fall. While the sensitivity of this method across taxa remains to be determined, the use of eDNA could revolutionize surveys for rare and invasive stream species. With this study, the utility of eDNA techniques for detecting aquatic vertebrates has been demonstrated across the majority of freshwater systems, setting the stage for an innovative transformation in approaches for aquatic research.

Molecular detection of vertebrates in stream water: A demonstration using rocky mountain tailed frogs and Idaho giant salamanders

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goldberg, C.S.; Pilliod, D.S.; Arkle, R.S.; Waits, L.P.

2011-01-01

Stream ecosystems harbor many secretive and imperiled species, and studies of vertebrates in these systems face the challenges of relatively low detection rates and high costs. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has recently been confirmed as a sensitive and efficient tool for documenting aquatic vertebrates in wetlands and in a large river and canal system. However, it was unclear whether this tool could be used to detect low-density vertebrates in fast-moving streams where shed cells may travel rapidly away from their source. To evaluate the potential utility of eDNA techniques in stream systems, we designed targeted primers to amplify a short, species-specific DNA fragment for two secretive stream amphibian species in the northwestern region of the United States (Rocky Mountain tailed frogs, Ascaphus montanus, and Idaho giant salamanders, Dicamptodon aterrimus). We tested three DNA extraction and five PCR protocols to determine whether we could detect eDNA of these species in filtered water samples from five streams with varying densities of these species in central Idaho, USA. We successfully amplified and sequenced the targeted DNA regions for both species from stream water filter samples. We detected Idaho giant salamanders in all samples and Rocky Mountain tailed frogs in four of five streams and found some indication that these species are more difficult to detect using eDNA in early spring than in early fall. While the sensitivity of this method across taxa remains to be determined, the use of eDNA could revolutionize surveys for rare and invasive stream species. With this study, the utility of eDNA techniques for detecting aquatic vertebrates has been demonstrated across the majority of freshwater systems, setting the stage for an innovative transformation in approaches for aquatic research.

Is there a link between the hospital-acquired injurious fall rates in US acute care hospitals and these institutions' implementation levels of computerized systems?

PubMed

Tzeng, Huey-Ming; Hu, Hsou Mei; Yin, Chang-Yi

2011-12-01

Medicare no longer reimburses acute care hospitals for the costs of additional care required due to hospital-acquired injuries. Consequently, this study explored the effective computerized systems to inform practice for better interventions to reduce fall risk. It provided a correlation between type of computerized system and hospital-acquired injurious fall rates at acute care hospitals in California, Florida, and New York. It used multiple publicly available data sets, with the hospital as the unit of analysis. Descriptive and Pearson correlation analyses were used. The analysis included 462 hospitals. Significant correlations could be categorized into two groups: (1) meaningful computerized systems that were associated with lower injurious fall rates: the decision support systems for drug allergy alerts, drug-drug interaction alerts, and drug-laboratory interaction alerts; and (2) computerized systems that were associated with higher injurious fall rates: the decision support system for drug-drug interaction alerts and the computerized provider order entry system for radiology tests. Future research may include additional states, multiple years of data, and patient-level data to validate this study's findings. This effort may further inform policy makers and the public about effective clinical computerized systems provided to clinicians to improve their practice decisions and care outcomes.

Assessing balance through the use of a low-cost head-mounted display in older adults: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Saldana, Santiago J; Marsh, Anthony P; Rejeski, W Jack; Haberl, Jack K; Wu, Peggy; Rosenthal, Scott; Ip, Edward H

2017-01-01

Introduction As the population ages, the prevention of falls is an increasingly important public health problem. Balance assessment forms an important component of fall-prevention programs for older adults. The recent development of cost-effective and highly responsive virtual reality (VR) systems means new methods of balance assessment are feasible in a clinical setting. This proof-of-concept study made use of the submillimeter tracking built into modern VR head-mounted displays (VRHMDs) to assess balance through the use of visual–vestibular conflict. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity, acceptability, and reliability of using a VRHMD to assess balance in older adults. Materials and methods Validity was assessed by comparing measurements from the VRHMD to measurements of postural sway from a force plate. Acceptability was assessed through the use of the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire pre- and postexposure to assess possible side effects of the visual–vestibular conflict. Reliability was assessed by measuring correlations between repeated measurements 1 week apart. Variables of possible importance that were found to be reliable (r≥0.9) between tests separated by a week were then tested for differences compared to a control group. Assessment was performed as a cross-sectional single-site community center-based study in 13 older adults (≥65 years old, 80.2±7.3 years old, 77% female, five at risk of falls, eight controls). The VR balance assessment consisted of four modules: a baseline module, a reaction module, a balance module, and a seated assessment. Results There was a significant difference in the rate at which participants with a risk of falls changed their tilt in the anteroposterior direction compared to the control group. Participants with a risk of falls changed their tilt in the anteroposterior direction at 0.7°/second vs 0.4°/second for those without a history of falls. No significant differences were found between pre/postassessment for oculomotor score or total Simulator Sickness Questionnaire score. Both the force plate and the head-mounted display balance-assessment system were able to detect differences between conditions meant to mask visual and proprioceptive information. Conclusion This VRHMD is both affordable and portable, causes minimal simulator sickness, and produces repeatable results that can be used to assess balance in older adults. PMID:28883717

Assessing balance through the use of a low-cost head-mounted display in older adults: a pilot study.

PubMed

Saldana, Santiago J; Marsh, Anthony P; Rejeski, W Jack; Haberl, Jack K; Wu, Peggy; Rosenthal, Scott; Ip, Edward H

2017-01-01

As the population ages, the prevention of falls is an increasingly important public health problem. Balance assessment forms an important component of fall-prevention programs for older adults. The recent development of cost-effective and highly responsive virtual reality (VR) systems means new methods of balance assessment are feasible in a clinical setting. This proof-of-concept study made use of the submillimeter tracking built into modern VR head-mounted displays (VRHMDs) to assess balance through the use of visual-vestibular conflict. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity, acceptability, and reliability of using a VRHMD to assess balance in older adults. Validity was assessed by comparing measurements from the VRHMD to measurements of postural sway from a force plate. Acceptability was assessed through the use of the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire pre- and postexposure to assess possible side effects of the visual-vestibular conflict. Reliability was assessed by measuring correlations between repeated measurements 1 week apart. Variables of possible importance that were found to be reliable ( r ≥0.9) between tests separated by a week were then tested for differences compared to a control group. Assessment was performed as a cross-sectional single-site community center-based study in 13 older adults (≥65 years old, 80.2±7.3 years old, 77% female, five at risk of falls, eight controls). The VR balance assessment consisted of four modules: a baseline module, a reaction module, a balance module, and a seated assessment. There was a significant difference in the rate at which participants with a risk of falls changed their tilt in the anteroposterior direction compared to the control group. Participants with a risk of falls changed their tilt in the anteroposterior direction at 0.7°/second vs 0.4°/second for those without a history of falls. No significant differences were found between pre/postassessment for oculomotor score or total Simulator Sickness Questionnaire score. Both the force plate and the head-mounted display balance-assessment system were able to detect differences between conditions meant to mask visual and proprioceptive information. This VRHMD is both affordable and portable, causes minimal simulator sickness, and produces repeatable results that can be used to assess balance in older adults.

Community service provider perceptions of implementing older adult fall prevention in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Dykeman, Catherine S; Markle-Reid, Maureen F; Boratto, Lorna J; Bowes, Chris; Gagné, Hélène; McGugan, Jennifer L; Orr-Shaw, Sarah

2018-02-01

Despite evidence for effective fall prevention interventions, measurable reductions in older adult (≥ 65 years) fall rates remain unrealized. This study aimed to describe the perceived barriers to and effective strategies for the implementation of evidence-based fall prevention practices within and across diverse community organizations. This study is unique in that it included community service providers who are not generally thought to provide fall prevention services to older adults, such as retail business, community support, volunteer services, community foundations, recreation centres, and various emergency services. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a purposive sampling of providers (n = 84) in varied roles within diverse community-based organizations across disparate geographical settings. Community service providers experience significant multi-level barriers to fall prevention within and across organizations and settings. The overall challenge of serving dispersed populations in adverse environmental conditions was heightened in northern rural areas. Barriers across the system, within organizations and among providers themselves emerged along themes of Limited Coordination of Communication, Restrictive Organizational Mandates and Policies, Insufficient Resources, and Beliefs about Aging and Falls. Participants perceived that Educating Providers, Working Together, and Changing Policies and Legislation were strategies that have worked or would work well in implementing fall prevention. An unintentional observation was made that several participants in this extremely varied sample identified expanded roles in fall prevention for themselves during the interview process. Community service providers experience disabling contexts for implementing fall prevention on many levels: their specific geography, their service systems, their organizations and themselves. A systemic lack of fit between the older adult and fall prevention services limits access, making fall prevention inaccessible, unaccommodating, unavailable, unaffordable, and unacceptable. Educating Providers, Working Together, and Changing Policies and Legislation offers promise to create more enabling contexts for community stakeholders, including those who do not initially see their work as preventing falls.

Impacts of PM concentrations on visibility impairment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jie, Guo; Wang, Mei-mei; Han, Ye-Xing; Yu, Zhi-Wei; Tang, Huai-Wu

2016-11-01

In the paper, an accurate and sensitive cavity attenuated phase shift spectroscopy (CAPS) sensor was used to monitor the atmospheric visibility. The CAPS system mainly includes a LED light source, a band-pass filter, an optical resonant cavity (composed of two high mirror, reflectivity is greater than 99.99%), a photoelectric detector and a lock-in amplifier. The 2L/min flow rate, the optical sensor rise and fall response time is about 15 s, so as to realize the fast measurement of visibility. An Allan variance analysis was carried out evaluating the optical system stability (and hence the maximum averaging time for the minimum detection limit) of the CAPS system. The minima ( 0.1 Mm-1) in the Allan plots show the optimum average time ( 100s) for optimum detection performance of the CAPS system. During this period, the extinction coefficient was correlated with PM2.5 mass (0.88), the extinction coefficient was correlated with PM10 mass (0.85). The atmospheric visibility was correlated with PM2.5 mass (0.74). The atmospheric visibility was correlated with PM10 mass (0.66).

Detecting, reporting, and analysis of priority diseases for routine public health surveillance in Liberia.

PubMed

Frimpong, Joseph Asamoah; Park, Meeyoung Mattie; Amo-Addae, Maame Pokuah; Adewuyi, Peter Adebayo; Nagbe, Thomas Knue

2017-01-01

An essential component of a public health surveillance system is its ability to detect priority diseases which fall within the mandate of public health officials at all levels. Early detection, reporting and response to public health events help to reduce the burden of mortality and morbidity on communities. Analysis of reliable surveillance data provides relevant information which can enable implementation of timely and appropriate public health interventions. To ensure that a resilient system is in place, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided guidelines for detection, reporting and response to public health events in the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy. This case study provides training on detection, reporting and analysis of priority diseases for routine public health surveillance in Liberia and highlights potential errors and challenges which can hinder effective surveillance. Table-top exercises and group discussion lead participants through a simulated verification and analyses of summary case reports in the role of the District Surveillance Officer. This case study is intended for public health training in a classroom setting and can be accomplished within 2 hours 30 minutes. The target audience include residents in Frontline Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP-Frontline), Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programs (FELTPs), and others who are interested in this topic.

Diagnostics of wear in aeronautical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wedeven, L. D.

1979-01-01

Maintenance costs associated with the transmissions and drive train greatly increase the maintenance burden and failure risk. Detection measurements fall under two general categories of vibration and particle detectors. The latter are more amenable to tracking wear. Wear debris analysis can supply a great deal of information such as: particle concentration, rate of change in concentration, composition, particle size and shape, principal metals, etc. It is not economically feasible to monitor all variables. At least one role of the lubrication and wear specialist is to provide guidance in selecting the most appropriate variables to monitor.

CAALYX: a new generation of location-based services in healthcare.

PubMed

Boulos, Maged N Kamel; Rocha, Artur; Martins, Angelo; Vicente, Manuel Escriche; Bolz, Armin; Feld, Robert; Tchoudovski, Igor; Braecklein, Martin; Nelson, John; Laighin, Gearóid O; Sdogati, Claudio; Cesaroni, Francesca; Antomarini, Marco; Jobes, Angela; Kinirons, Mark

2007-03-12

Recent advances in mobile positioning systems and telecommunications are providing the technology needed for the development of location-aware tele-care applications. This paper introduces CAALYX--Complete Ambient Assisted Living Experiment, an EU-funded project that aims at increasing older people's autonomy and self-confidence by developing a wearable light device capable of measuring specific vital signs of the elderly, detecting falls and location, and communicating automatically in real-time with his/her care provider in case of an emergency, wherever the older person happens to be, at home or outside.

Planning and executing motions for multibody systems in free-fall. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cameron, Jonathan M.

1991-01-01

The purpose of this research is to develop an end-to-end system that can be applied to a multibody system in free-fall to analyze its possible motions, save those motions in a database, and design a controller that can execute those motions. A goal is for the process to be highly automated and involve little human intervention. Ideally, the output of the system would be data and algorithms that could be put in ROM to control the multibody system in free-fall. The research applies to more than just robots in space. It applies to any multibody system in free-fall. Mathematical techniques from nonlinear control theory were used to study the nature of the system dynamics and its possible motions. Optimization techniques were applied to plan motions. Image compression techniques were proposed to compress the precomputed motion data for storage. A linearized controller was derived to control the system while it executes preplanned trajectories.

Data collection and processing tools for naturalistic study of powered two-wheelers users' behaviours.

PubMed

Espié, Stéphane; Boubezoul, Abderrahmane; Aupetit, Samuel; Bouaziz, Samir

2013-09-01

Instrumented vehicles are key tools for in-depth understanding of drivers' behaviours, thus for the design of scientifically based countermeasures to reduce fatalities and injuries. The instrumentation of Powered Two-Wheelers (PTW) has been less widely implemented that for vehicles, in part due to the technical challenges involved. The last decade has seen the development in Europe of several tools and methodologies to study motorcycle riders' behaviours and motorcycle dynamics for a range of situations, including crash events involving falls. Thanks to these tools, a broad-ranging research programme has been conducted, from the design and tuning of real-time falls detection to the study of riding training systems, as well as studies focusing on naturalistic riding situations such as filtering and line splitting. The methodology designed for the in-depth study of riders' behaviours in naturalistic situations can be based upon the combination of several sources of data such as: PTW sensors, context-based video retrieval system, Global Positioning System (GPS) and verbal data on the riders' decisions making process. The goals of this paper are: (1) to present the methodological tools developed and used by INRETS-MSIS (now Ifsttar-TS2/Simu) in the last decade for the study of riders' behaviours in real-world environment as well as on track for situations up to falls, (2) to illustrate the kind of results that can be gained from the conducted studies, (3) to identify the advantages and limitations of the proposed methodology to conduct large scale naturalistic riding studies, and (4) to highlight how the knowledge gained from this approach will fill many of the knowledge gaps about PTW-riders' behaviours and risk factors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal Distribution and Movements of Atlantic and Shortnose Sturgeon in the Penobscot River Estuary, Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Fernandes, Stephen J.; Zydlewski, Gayle B.; Wippelhauser, Gail S.; Kinnison, Michael T.

2016-01-01

Relatively little is known about the distribution and seasonal movement patterns of shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum and Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus occupying rivers in the northern part of their range. During 2006 and 2007, 40 shortnose sturgeon (66–113.4 cm fork length [FL]) and 8 Atlantic sturgeon (76.2–166.2 cm FL) were captured in the Penobscot River, Maine, implanted with acoustic transmitters, and monitored using an array of acoustic receivers in the Penobscot River estuary and Penobscot Bay. Shortnose sturgeon were present year round in the estuary and overwintered from fall (mid-October) to spring (mid-April) in the upper estuary. In early spring, all individuals moved downstream to the middle estuary. Over the course of the summer, many individuals moved upstream to approximately 2 km of the downstream-most dam (46 river kilometers [rkm] from the Penobscot River mouth [rkm 0]) by August. Most aggregated into an overwintering site (rkm 36.5) in mid- to late fall. As many as 50% of the tagged shortnose sturgeon moved into and out of the Penobscot River system during 2007, and 83% were subsequently detected by an acoustic array in the Kennebec River, located 150 km from the Penobscot River estuary. Atlantic sturgeon moved into the estuary from the ocean in the summer and concentrated into a 1.5-km reach. All Atlantic sturgeon moved to the ocean by fall, and two of these were detected in the Kennebec River. Although these behaviors are common for Atlantic sturgeon, regular coastal migrations of shortnose sturgeon have not been documented previously in this region. These results have important implications for future dam removals as well as for rangewide and river-specific shortnose sturgeon management.

Executive Control Deficits as a Prodrome to Falls in Healthy Older Adults: A Prospective Study Linking Thinking, Walking, and Falling

PubMed Central

Herman, Talia; Mirelman, Anat; Giladi, Nir; Schweiger, Avraham

2010-01-01

Background. Executive function (EF) deficits may increase fall risk, even among older adults with no overt cognitive impairment. Indeed, the effects of dual tasking (DT) on gait, a challenge to executive control, are more exaggerated in persons with a history of falls. Prospective evidence is, however, lacking. Methods. We prospectively evaluated whether EF predicts falls over a 2-year period among 262 community-living, healthy, and well-functioning older adults, focusing on the 201 who reported no falls during the previous year. At baseline, participants completed a computerized cognitive battery that generated an index of EF and other cognitive domains. Gait was assessed using performance-based tests and by quantifying walking during single- and dual-task conditions. Results. The 262 participants (mean age: 76.3 ± 4.3 years, 60.3% women) had intact cognitive function on testing, a low comorbidity index, and good mobility. The EF index predicted future falls. Among those who reported no previous falls, participants in the worst EF quartile were three times more likely to fall during the 2 years of follow-up, and they were more likely to transition from nonfaller to faller sooner. DT gait variability also predicted future falls and multiple falls, whereas other measures of cognitive function, gait, and mobility did not. Conclusions. Among healthy older adults, individuals with poorer EF are more prone to falls. Higher-level cognitive functions such as those regulated by the frontal lobes are apparently needed for safe everyday navigation that demands multitasking. Optimal screening, early detection, and treatment of falls should, apparently, also target this cognitive domain. PMID:20484336

The REFORM study protocol: a cohort randomised controlled trial of a multifaceted podiatry intervention for the prevention of falls in older people

PubMed Central

Cockayne, Sarah; Adamson, Joy; Corbacho Martin, Belen; Fairhurst, Caroline; Hewitt, Catherine; Hicks, Kate; Hull, Robin; Keenan, Anne Maree; Lamb, Sarah E; Loughrey, Lorraine; McIntosh, Caroline; Menz, Hylton B; Redmond, Anthony C; Rodgers, Sara; Vernon, Wesley; Watson, Judith; Torgerson, David

2014-01-01

Introduction Falls and fall-related injuries are a serious cause of morbidity and cost to society. Foot problems and inappropriate footwear may increase the risk of falls; therefore podiatric interventions may play a role in reducing falls. Two Cochrane systematic reviews identified only one study of a podiatry intervention aimed to reduce falls, which was undertaken in Australia. The REFORM trial aims to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted podiatry intervention in reducing falls in people aged 65 years and over in a UK and Irish setting. Methods and analysis This multicentre, cohort randomised controlled trial will recruit 2600 participants from routine podiatry clinics in the UK and Ireland to the REFORM cohort. In order to detect a 10% point reduction in falls from 50% to 40%, with 80% power 890 participants will be randomised to receive routine podiatry care and a falls prevention leaflet or routine podiatry care, a falls prevention leaflet and a multifaceted podiatry intervention. The primary outcome is rate of falls (falls/person/time) over 12 months assessed by patient self-report falls diary. Secondary self-report outcome measures include: the proportion of single and multiple fallers and time to first fall over a 12-month period; Short Falls Efficacy Scale—International; fear of falling in the past 4 weeks; Frenchay Activities Index; fracture rate; Geriatric Depression Scale; EuroQoL-five dimensional scale 3-L; health service utilisation at 6 and 12 months. A qualitative study will examine the acceptability of the package of care to participants and podiatrists. Ethics and dissemination The trial has received a favourable opinion from the East of England—Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee and Galway Research Ethics Committee. The trial results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and at conference presentations. Trial registration number Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN68240461assigned 01/07/2011. PMID:25518875

Older people and falls: health status, quality of life, lifestyle, care networks, prevention and views on service use following a recent fall.

PubMed

Roe, Brenda; Howell, Fiona; Riniotis, Konstantinos; Beech, Roger; Crome, Peter; Ong, Bie Nio

2009-08-01

This study has investigated older people's experiences of a recent fall, its impact on their health, lifestyle, quality of life, care networks, prevention and their views on service use. Falls are common in older people and prevalence increases with age. Falls prevention is a major policy and service initiative. An exploratory, qualitative design involving two time points. A convenience sample of 27 older people from two primary care trusts who had a recent fall. Taped semi structured qualitative interviews were conducted and repeated at follow up to detect change over time and repeat falls. Data were collected on their experience of falls, health, activities of living, lifestyle, quality of life, use of services, prevention of falls, informal care and social networks. Content analysis of transcribed interviews identified key themes. The majority of people fell indoors (n = 23), were repeat fallers (n = 22) with more than half alone when they fell (n = 15). For five people it was their first ever fall. Participants in primary care trust 1 had a higher mean age than those in primary care trust 2 and had more injurious falls (n = 12, mean age 87 years vs. n = 15, mean age 81 years). The majority of non-injurious falls went unreported to formal services. Falls can result in a decline in health status, ability to undertake activities of living, lifestyle and quality of life. Local informal care and support networks are as important as formal care for older people at risk of falls or who have fallen. Access to falls prevention programmes and services is limited for people living in more rural communities. Falls prevention initiatives and services should work with local communities, agencies and informal carers to ensure equitable access and provision of information, resources and care to meet the needs of older people at risk or who have fallen.

UNIX security in a supercomputing environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Matt

1989-01-01

The author critiques some security mechanisms in most versions of the Unix operating system and suggests more effective tools that either have working prototypes or have been implemented, for example in secure Unix systems. Although no computer (not even a secure one) is impenetrable, breaking into systems with these alternate mechanisms will cost more, require more skill, and be more easily detected than penetrations of systems without these mechanisms. The mechanisms described fall into four classes (with considerable overlap). User authentication at the local host affirms the identity of the person using the computer. The principle of least privilege dictates that properly authenticated users should have rights precisely sufficient to perform their tasks, and system administration functions should be compartmentalized; to this end, access control lists or capabilities should either replace or augment the default Unix protection system, and mandatory access controls implementing multilevel security models and integrity mechanisms should be available. Since most users access supercomputing environments using networks, the third class of mechanisms augments authentication (where feasible). As no security is perfect, the fourth class of mechanism logs events that may indicate possible security violations; this will allow the reconstruction of a successful penetration (if discovered), or possibly the detection of an attempted penetration.

The Association between Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Subthreshold Anxiety Symptoms and Fear of Falling among Older Adults: Preliminary Results from a Pilot Study.

PubMed

Payette, Marie-Christine; Bélanger, Claude; Benyebdri, Fethia; Filiatrault, Johanne; Bherer, Louis; Bertrand, Josie-Anne; Nadeau, Alexandra; Bruneau, Marie-Andrée; Clerc, Doris; Saint-Martin, Monique; Cruz-Santiago, Diana; Ménard, Caroline; Nguyen, Philippe; Vu, T T Minh; Comte, Francis; Bobeuf, Florian; Grenier, Sébastien

2017-01-01

A relationship between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and fear of falling (FOF) has long been proposed but never specifically studied. This study aimed at analyzing the relationship between FOF and GAD or anxiety symptoms, while controlling for major depressive episodes (MDE), depressive symptoms, fall risk, and sociodemographic variables. Twenty-five older adults participated in this pilot study. Assessments included the following: Anxiety Disorder Interview Schedule, Geriatric Anxiety Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale, Falls-Efficacy Scale-International. A multidisciplinary team evaluated fall risk. FOF was significantly correlated with GAD, MDE, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and fall risk, but not with sociodemographic variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated that GAD and anxiety symptoms were significantly and independently associated with FOF. Although the results of this pilot study should be replicated with larger samples, they suggest that FOF is associated with GAD and anxiety symptoms even when considering physical factors that increase the risk of falling. Treatment of FOF in patients with GAD may present a particular challenge because of the central role of intolerance of uncertainty, which may prevent patients from regaining confidence despite the reduction of fall risk. Clinicians should screen for GAD and anxiety symptoms in patients with FOF to improve detection and treatment.

Visual acuity, self-reported vision and falls in the EPIC-Norfolk Eye study.

PubMed

Yip, Jennifer L Y; Khawaja, Anthony P; Broadway, David; Luben, Robert; Hayat, Shabina; Dalzell, Nichola; Bhaniani, Amit; Wareham, Nicholas; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Foster, Paul J

2014-03-01

To examine the relationship between visual acuity (VA) and self-reported vision (SRV) in relation to falls in 8317 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk Eye study. All participants completed a health questionnaire that included a question regarding SRV and questions regarding the number of falls in the past year. Distance VA was measured using a logMAR chart for each eye. Poor SRV was defined as those reporting fair or poor distance vision. The relationship between VA and SRV and self-rated falls was analysed by logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, body mass index, chronic disease, medication use and grip strength. Of 8317 participants, 26.7% (95% CI 25.7% to 27.7%) had fallen in the past 12 months. Worse VA and poorer SRV were associated with one or more falls in multivariable analysis (OR for falls=1.31, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.66 and OR=1.32, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.61, respectively). Poorer SRV was significantly associated with falls even after adjusting for VA (OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.57). SRV was associated with falls independently of VA and could be used as a simple proxy measure for other aspects of visual function to detect people requiring vision-related falls interventions.

Designing and evaluating an electronic patient falls reporting system: perspectives for the implementation of health information technology in long-term residential care facilities.

PubMed

Mei, Yi You; Marquard, Jenna; Jacelon, Cynthia; DeFeo, Audrey L

2013-11-01

Patient falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury and death among older adults. In 2000, falls resulted in over 10,300 elderly deaths, costing the United States approximately $179 million in incidence and medical costs. Furthermore, non-fatal injuries caused by falls cost the United States $19 billion annually. Health information technology (IT) applications, specifically electronic falls reporting systems, can aid quality improvement efforts to prevent patient falls. Yet, long-term residential care facilities (LTRCFs) often do not have the financial resources to implement health IT, and workers in these settings are often not ready to adopt such systems. Additionally, most health IT evaluations are conducted in large acute-care settings, so LTRCF administrators currently lack evidence to support the value of health IT. In this paper, we detail the development of a novel, easy-to-use system to facilitate electronic patient falls reporting within a LTRCF using off-the-shelf technology that can be inexpensively implemented in a wide variety of settings. We report the results of four complimentary system evaluation measures that take into consideration varied organizational stakeholders' perspectives: (1) System-level benefits and costs, (2) system usability, via scenario-based use cases, (3) a holistic assessment of users' physical, cognitive, and marcoergonomic (work system) challenges in using the system, and (4) user technology acceptance. We report the viability of collecting and analyzing data specific to each evaluation measure and detail the relative merits of each measure in judging whether the system is acceptable to each stakeholder. The electronic falls reporting system was successfully implemented, with 100% reporting at 3-months post-implementation. The system-level benefits and costs approach showed that the electronic system required no initial investment costs aside from personnel costs and significant benefits accrued from user time savings. The usability analysis revealed several fixable design flaws and demonstrated the importance of scenario-based user training. The technology acceptance model showed that users perceived the reporting system to be useful and easy to use, even more so after implementation. Finally, the holistic human factors evaluation identified challenges encountered when nurses used the system as a part of their daily work, guiding further system redesign. The four-pronged evaluation framework accounted for varied stakeholder perspectives and goals and is a highly scalable framework that can be easily applied to health IT implementations in other LTRCFs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A long-recommended but seldom-used method of analysis for fall injuries found a unique pattern of risk factors in the youngest-old.

PubMed

Legrand, Helen; Pihlsgård, Mats; Nordell, Eva; Elmståhl, Sölve

2015-08-01

Few studies on fall risk factors use long-recommended methods for analysis of recurrent events. Previous falls are the biggest risk factor for future falls, but few fall studies focus on the youngest-old. This study's objective was to apply Cox regression for recurrent events to identify factors associated with injurious falls in the youngest-old. Participants were community-dwelling residents of southern Sweden (n = 1,133), aged 59-67 at baseline (median 61.2), from the youngest cohorts of the larger Good Aging in Skåne (GÅS) study. Exposure variable data were collected from baseline study visits and medical records. Injurious falls, defined as emergency, inpatient, or specialist visits associated with ICD-10 fall codes during the follow-up period (2001-2011), were gathered from national and regional registries. Analysis was conducted using time to event Cox Regression for recurrent events. A majority (77.1 %) of injurious falls caused serious injuries such as fractures and open wounds. Exposure to nervous system medications [hazard ratio (HR) 1.40, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.03-1.89], central nervous system disease (HR 1.79, CI 1.18-2.70), and previous injurious fall(s) (HR 2.00, CI 1.50-2.68) were associated with increased hazard of injurious fall. Regression for recurrent events is feasible with typical falls' study data. The association of certain exposures with increased hazard of injurious falls begins earlier than previously studied. Different patterns of risk factors by age can provide insight into the progression of frailty. Tailored fall prevention screening and intervention may be of value in populations younger than those traditionally screened.

Research notes : detecting objects at railroad crossings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-04-01

The highest risks are at intersections with roadways. An object may fall off of a truck or farm vehicle, or someone may drop something. The goal of this research was to evaluate promising technologies for the detection of such objects at railroad-roa...

Tablet PC Enabled Body Sensor System for Rural Telehealth Applications

PubMed Central

Panicker, Nitha V.; Kumar, A. Sukesh

2016-01-01

Telehealth systems benefit from the rapid growth of mobile communication technology for measuring physiological signals. Development and validation of a tablet PC enabled noninvasive body sensor system for rural telehealth application are discussed in this paper. This system includes real time continuous collection of physiological parameters (blood pressure, pulse rate, and temperature) and fall detection of a patient with the help of a body sensor unit and wireless transmission of the acquired information to a tablet PC handled by the medical staff in a Primary Health Center (PHC). Abnormal conditions are automatically identified and alert messages are given to the medical officer in real time. Clinical validation is performed in a real environment and found to be successful. Bland-Altman analysis is carried out to validate the wrist blood pressure sensor used. The system works well for all measurements. PMID:26884757

Fall Prevention in a Neurological Care Unit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeffrey, Claudeth

2017-01-01

Patient falls are an ongoing concern for health systems in the US and in the setting where this project took place. Inpatient falls affect consumers and health providers because falls often result in patient morbidity and mortality, legal risk, increased length of stay, and increased costs. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the existing…

Epidemiology of Falls in Older Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peel, Nancye May

2011-01-01

Worldwide, falls among older people are a public health concern because of their frequency and adverse consequences in terms of morbidity, mortality, and quality of life, as well as their impact on health system services and costs. This epidemiological review outlines the public health burden of falls and fall-related injuries and the impact of…

Testing the Predictive Validity of the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model.

PubMed

Jung, Hyesil; Park, Hyeoun-Ae

2018-03-01

Cumulative data on patient fall risk have been compiled in electronic medical records systems, and it is possible to test the validity of fall-risk assessment tools using these data between the times of admission and occurrence of a fall. The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model scores assessed during three time points of hospital stays were extracted and used for testing the predictive validity: (a) upon admission, (b) when the maximum fall-risk score from admission to falling or discharge, and (c) immediately before falling or discharge. Predictive validity was examined using seven predictive indicators. In addition, logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that significantly affect the occurrence of a fall. Among the different time points, the maximum fall-risk score assessed between admission and falling or discharge showed the best predictive performance. Confusion or disorientation and having a poor ability to rise from a sitting position were significant risk factors for a fall.

UWB Monitoring System for AAL Applications

PubMed Central

Kolakowski, Jerzy

2017-01-01

Independent living of elderly persons in their homes requires support that can be provided with modern assistive technologies. Monitoring of elderly persons behaviour delivers valuable information that can be used for diagnosis and detection of health problems as well as triggering alerts in emergency situations. The paper includes a description of the ultra wideband system developed within Networked InfrasTructure for Innovative home Care Solutions (NITICS) Active and Assisted Living (AAL) project. The system can be used as a component of AAL platforms. It delivers data on users localization and has a fall detector functionality. The system also provides access to raw measurement results from Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors embedded in the device worn by the monitored person. These data can be used in solutions intended for elderly person’s behaviour investigation. The system was investigated under laboratory conditions as well as in home environment. The detailed system description and results of performed tests are included in the article. PMID:28895917

Cross-cultural adaptation and measurement properties testing of the Iconographical Falls Efficacy Scale (Icon-FES).

PubMed

Franco, Marcia Rodrigues; Pinto, Rafael Zambelli; Delbaere, Kim; Eto, Bianca Yumie; Faria, Maíra Sgobbi; Aoyagi, Giovana Ayumi; Steffens, Daniel; Pastre, Carlos Marcelo

2018-02-14

The Iconographical Falls Efficacy Scale (Icon-FES) is an innovative tool to assess concern of falling that uses pictures as visual cues to provide more complete environmental contexts. Advantages of Icon-FES over previous scales include the addition of more demanding balance-related activities, ability to assess concern about falling in highly functioning older people, and its normal distribution. To perform a cross-cultural adaptation and to assess the measurement properties of the 30-item and 10-item Icon-FES in a community-dwelling Brazilian older population. The cross-cultural adaptation followed the recommendations of international guidelines. We evaluated the measurement properties (i.e. internal consistency, test-retest reproducibility, standard error of the measurement, minimal detectable change, construct validity, ceiling/floor effect, data distribution and discriminative validity), in 100 community-dwelling people aged ≥60 years. The 30-item and 10-item Icon-FES-Brazil showed good internal consistency (alpha and omega >0.70) and excellent intra-rater reproducibility (ICC 2,1 =0.96 and 0.93, respectively). According to the standard error of the measurement and minimal detectable change, the magnitude of change needed to exceed the measurement error and variability were 7.2 and 3.4 points for the 30-item and 10-item Icon-FES, respectively. We observed an excellent correlation between both versions of the Icon-FES and Falls Efficacy Scale - International (rho=0.83, p<0.001 [30-item version]; 0.76, p<0.001 [10-item version]). Icon-FES versions showed normal distribution, no floor/ceiling effects and were able to discriminate between groups relating to fall risk factors. Icon-FES-Brazil is a semantically and linguistically appropriate tool with acceptable measurement properties to evaluate concern about falling among the community-dwelling older population. Copyright © 2018 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Marine mammal acoustic detections in the northeastern Chukchi Sea, September 2007-July 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannay, David E.; Delarue, Julien; Mouy, Xavier; Martin, Bruce S.; Leary, Del; Oswald, Julie N.; Vallarta, Jonathan

2013-09-01

Several cetacean and pinniped species use the northeastern Chukchi Sea as seasonal or year-round habitat. This area has experienced pronounced reduction in the extent of summer sea ice over the last decade, as well as increased anthropogenic activity, particularly in the form of oil and gas exploration. The effects of these changes on marine mammal species are presently unknown. Autonomous passive acoustic recorders were deployed over a wide area of the northeastern Chukchi Sea off the coast of Alaska from Cape Lisburne to Barrow, at distances from 8 km to 200 km from shore: up to 44 each summer and up to 8 each winter. Acoustic data were acquired at 16 kHz continuously during summer and on a duty cycle of 40 or 48 min within each 4-h period during winter. Recordings were analyzed manually and using automated detection and classification systems to identify calls. Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) whale calls were detected primarily from April through June and from September to December during their migrations between the Bering and Beaufort seas. Summer detections were rare and usually concentrated off Wainwright and Barrow, Alaska. Gray (Eschrichtius robustus) whale calls were detected between July and October, their occurrence decreasing with increasing distance from shore. Fin (Balaenoptera physalus), killer (Orcinus orca), minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales were detected sporadically in summer and early fall. Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) was the most commonly detected species between June and October, primarily occupying the southern edge of Hanna Shoal and haul-outs near coastal recording stations off Wainwright and Point Lay. Ringed (Pusa hispida) and bearded (Erignathus barbatus) seals occur year-round in the Chukchi Sea. Ringed seal acoustic detections occurred throughout the year but detection numbers were low, likely due to low vocalization rates. Bearded seal acoustic detections peaked in April and May during their breeding season, with much lower detection numbers in July and August, likely as a result of reduced calling rates after breeding season. Ribbon seals (Histriophoca fasciata) were only detected in the fall as they migrated south through the study area toward the Bering Sea. These results suggest a regular presence of marine mammals in the Chukchi Sea year-round, with species-dependent seasonal and spatial density variations.

US and Dutch nurse experiences with fall prevention technology within nursing home environment and workflow: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Vandenberg, Ann E; van Beijnum, Bert-Jan; Overdevest, Vera G P; Capezuti, Elizabeth; Johnson, Theodore M

Falls remain a major geriatric problem, and the search for new solutions continues. We investigated how existing fall prevention technology was experienced within nursing home nurses' environment and workflow. Our NIH-funded study in an American nursing home was followed by a cultural learning exchange with a Dutch nursing home. We constructed two case reports from interview and observational data and compared the magnitude of falls, safety cultures, and technology characteristics and effectiveness. Falls were a high-magnitude problem at the US site, with a collectively vigilant safety culture attending to non-directional audible alarms; falls were a low-magnitude problem at the NL site which employed customizable, infrared sensors that directed text alerts to assigned staff members' mobile devices in patient-centered care culture. Across cases, 1) a coordinated communication system was essential in facilitating effective fall prevention alert response, and 2) nursing home safety culture is tightly associated with the chosen technological system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The functional assessment Berg Balance Scale is better capable of estimating fall risk in the elderly than the posturographic Balance Stability System.

PubMed

Pereira, Vanessa Vieira; Maia, Roberto Alcantara; Silva, Sonia Maria Cesar de Azevedo

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to verify which instrument better identifies recurrent falls in the elderly. Ninety-eight old people, with an average age of 80 ± 4 years, were submitted to an assessment of balance and fall risk by means of the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the posturographic Balance Stability System (BSS). The BBS was correlated with the BSS (r=-0.27; p=0.008), age (r=-0.38; p<0.001) and number of falls (r=-0.25; p=0.013) and the analysis of logistical regression showed that the elderly classified with fall risk on the BBS presented 2.5 (95%CI 1.08-5.78) more chance of identifying who had two falls or more over the last year. The BBS identified that the greater the age the worse the functional balance and demonstrated a greater capacity to identify falls risk suffered over the last year when compared with the BSS.

Automatic segmentation of triaxial accelerometry signals for falls risk estimation.

PubMed

Redmond, Stephen J; Scalzi, Maria Elena; Narayanan, Michael R; Lord, Stephen R; Cerutti, Sergio; Lovell, Nigel H

2010-01-01

Falls-related injuries in the elderly population represent one of the most significant contributors to rising health care expense in developed countries. In recent years, falls detection technologies have become more common. However, very few have adopted a preferable falls prevention strategy through unsupervised monitoring in the free-living environment. The basis of the monitoring described herein was a self-administered directed-routine (DR) comprising three separate tests measured by way of a waist-mounted triaxial accelerometer. Using features extracted from the manually segmented signals, a reasonable estimate of falls risk can be achieved. We describe here a series of algorithms for automatically segmenting these recordings, enabling the use of the DR assessment in the unsupervised and home environments. The accelerometry signals, from 68 subjects performing the DR, were manually annotated by an observer. Using the proposed signal segmentation routines, an good agreement was observed between the manually annotated markers and the automatically estimated values. However, a decrease in the correlation with falls risk to 0.73 was observed using the automatic segmentation, compared to 0.81 when using markers manually placed by an observer.

To crash or not to crash: how do hoverflies cope with free-fall situations and weightlessness?

PubMed

Goulard, Roman; Vercher, Jean-Louis; Viollet, Stéphane

2016-08-15

Insects' aptitude to perform hovering, automatic landing and tracking tasks involves accurately controlling their head and body roll and pitch movements, but how this attitude control depends on an internal estimation of gravity orientation is still an open question. Gravity perception in flying insects has mainly been studied in terms of grounded animals' tactile orientation responses, but it has not yet been established whether hoverflies use gravity perception cues to detect a nearly weightless state at an early stage. Ground-based microgravity simulators provide biologists with useful tools for studying the effects of changes in gravity. However, in view of the cost and the complexity of these set-ups, an alternative Earth-based free-fall procedure was developed with which flying insects can be briefly exposed to microgravity under various visual conditions. Hoverflies frequently initiated wingbeats in response to an imposed free fall in all the conditions tested, but managed to avoid crashing only in variably structured visual environments, and only episodically in darkness. Our results reveal that the crash-avoidance performance of these insects in various visual environments suggests the existence of a multisensory control system based mainly on vision rather than gravity perception. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Impact of Diabetic Complications on Balance and Falls: Contribution of the Vestibular System

PubMed Central

Lin, James; Staecker, Hinrich; Whitney, Susan L.; Kluding, Patricia M.

2016-01-01

Diabetes causes many complications, including retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy, which are well understood as contributing to gait instability and falls. A less understood complication of diabetes is the effect on the vestibular system. The vestibular system contributes significantly to balance in static and dynamic conditions by providing spatially orienting information. It is noteworthy that diabetes has been reported to affect vestibular function in both animal and clinical studies. Pathophysiological changes in peripheral and central vestibular structures due to diabetes have been noted. Vestibular dysfunction is associated with impaired balance and a higher risk of falls. As the prevalence of diabetes increases, so does the potential for falls due to diabetic complications. The purpose of this perspective article is to present evidence on the pathophysiology of diabetes-related complications and their influence on balance and falls, with specific attention to emerging evidence of vestibular dysfunction due to diabetes. Understanding this relationship may be useful for screening (by physical therapists) for possible vestibular dysfunction in people with diabetes and for further developing and testing the efficacy of interventions to reduce falls in this population. PMID:26251477

An Analysis on Sensor Locations of the Human Body for Wearable Fall Detection Devices: Principles and Practice

PubMed Central

Özdemir, Ahmet Turan

2016-01-01

Wearable devices for fall detection have received attention in academia and industry, because falls are very dangerous, especially for elderly people, and if immediate aid is not provided, it may result in death. However, some predictive devices are not easily worn by elderly people. In this work, a huge dataset, including 2520 tests, is employed to determine the best sensor placement location on the body and to reduce the number of sensor nodes for device ergonomics. During the tests, the volunteer’s movements are recorded with six groups of sensors each with a triaxial (accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer) sensor, which is placed tightly on different parts of the body with special straps: head, chest, waist, right-wrist, right-thigh and right-ankle. The accuracy of individual sensor groups with their location is investigated with six machine learning techniques, namely the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifier, Bayesian decision making (BDM), support vector machines (SVM), least squares method (LSM), dynamic time warping (DTW) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Each technique is applied to single, double, triple, quadruple, quintuple and sextuple sensor configurations. These configurations create 63 different combinations, and for six machine learning techniques, a total of 63 × 6 = 378 combinations is investigated. As a result, the waist region is found to be the most suitable location for sensor placement on the body with 99.96% fall detection sensitivity by using the k-NN classifier, whereas the best sensitivity achieved by the wrist sensor is 97.37%, despite this location being highly preferred for today’s wearable applications. PMID:27463719

An Analysis on Sensor Locations of the Human Body for Wearable Fall Detection Devices: Principles and Practice.

PubMed

Özdemir, Ahmet Turan

2016-07-25

Wearable devices for fall detection have received attention in academia and industry, because falls are very dangerous, especially for elderly people, and if immediate aid is not provided, it may result in death. However, some predictive devices are not easily worn by elderly people. In this work, a huge dataset, including 2520 tests, is employed to determine the best sensor placement location on the body and to reduce the number of sensor nodes for device ergonomics. During the tests, the volunteer's movements are recorded with six groups of sensors each with a triaxial (accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer) sensor, which is placed tightly on different parts of the body with special straps: head, chest, waist, right-wrist, right-thigh and right-ankle. The accuracy of individual sensor groups with their location is investigated with six machine learning techniques, namely the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classifier, Bayesian decision making (BDM), support vector machines (SVM), least squares method (LSM), dynamic time warping (DTW) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Each technique is applied to single, double, triple, quadruple, quintuple and sextuple sensor configurations. These configurations create 63 different combinations, and for six machine learning techniques, a total of 63 × 6 = 378 combinations is investigated. As a result, the waist region is found to be the most suitable location for sensor placement on the body with 99.96% fall detection sensitivity by using the k-NN classifier, whereas the best sensitivity achieved by the wrist sensor is 97.37%, despite this location being highly preferred for today's wearable applications.

Is the detection of aquatic environmental DNA influenced by substrate type?

PubMed

Buxton, Andrew S; Groombridge, Jim J; Griffiths, Richard A

2017-01-01

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess the presence-absence of rare, cryptic or invasive species is hindered by a poor understanding of the factors that can remove DNA from the system. In aquatic systems, eDNA can be transported out either horizontally in water flows or vertically by incorporation into the sediment. Equally, eDNA may be broken down by various biotic and abiotic processes if the target organism leaves the system. We use occupancy modelling and a replicated mesocosm experiment to examine how detection probability of eDNA changes once the target species is no longer present. We hypothesise that detection probability falls faster with a sediment which has a large number of DNA binding sites such as topsoil or clay, over lower DNA binding capacity substrates such as sand. Water removed from ponds containing the target species (the great crested newt) initially showed high detection probabilities, but these fell to between 40% and 60% over the first 10 days and to between 10% and 22% by day 15: eDNA remained detectable at very low levels until day 22. Very little difference in detection was observed between the control group (no substrate) and the sand substrate. A small reduction in detection probability was observed between the control and clay substrates, but this was not significant. However, a highly significant reduction in detection probability was observed with a topsoil substrate. This result is likely to have stemmed from increased levels of PCR inhibition, suggesting that incorporation of DNA into the sentiment is of only limited importance. Surveys of aquatic species using eDNA clearly need to take account of substrate type as well as other environmental factors when collecting samples, analysing data and interpreting the results.

Distribution and seasonal differences in Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp eDNA across 18 Puget Sound watersheds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ostberg, Carl O.; Chase, Dorothy M.; Hayes, Michael C.; Duda, Jeffrey J.

2018-01-01

Lampreys have a worldwide distribution, are functionally important to ecological communities and serve significant roles in many cultures. In Pacific coast drainages of North America, lamprey populations have suffered large declines. However, lamprey population status and trends within many areas of this region are unknown and such information is needed for advancing conservation goals. We developed two quantitative PCR-based, aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) assays for detection of Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and Lampetra spp, using locked nucleic acids (LNAs) in the probe design. We used these assays to characterize the spatial distribution of lamprey in 18 watersheds of Puget Sound, Washington, by collecting water samples in spring and fall. Pacific Lamprey and Lampetraspp were each detected in 14 watersheds and co-occurred in 10 watersheds. Lamprey eDNA detection rates were much higher in spring compared to fall. Specifically, the Pacific Lamprey eDNA detection rate was 3.5 times higher in spring and the Lampetra spp eDNA detection rate was 1.5 times higher in spring even though larval lamprey are present in streams year-round. This significant finding highlights the importance of seasonality on eDNA detection. Higher stream discharge in the fall likely contributed to reduced eDNA detection rates, although seasonal life history events may have also contributed. These eDNA assays differentiate Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp across much of their range along the west coast of North America. Sequence analysis indicates the Pacific Lamprey assay also targets other Entosphenus spp and indicates the Lampetra spp assay may have limited or no capability of detecting Lampetra in some locations south of the Columbia River Basin. Nevertheless, these assays will serve as a valuable tool for resource managers and have direct application to lamprey conservation efforts, such as mapping species distributions, occupancy modeling, and monitoring translocations and reintroductions.

Distribution and seasonal differences in Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp eDNA across 18 Puget Sound watersheds

PubMed Central

Hayes, Michael C.; Duda, Jeffrey J.

2018-01-01

Lampreys have a worldwide distribution, are functionally important to ecological communities and serve significant roles in many cultures. In Pacific coast drainages of North America, lamprey populations have suffered large declines. However, lamprey population status and trends within many areas of this region are unknown and such information is needed for advancing conservation goals. We developed two quantitative PCR-based, aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) assays for detection of Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) and Lampetra spp, using locked nucleic acids (LNAs) in the probe design. We used these assays to characterize the spatial distribution of lamprey in 18 watersheds of Puget Sound, Washington, by collecting water samples in spring and fall. Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp were each detected in 14 watersheds and co-occurred in 10 watersheds. Lamprey eDNA detection rates were much higher in spring compared to fall. Specifically, the Pacific Lamprey eDNA detection rate was 3.5 times higher in spring and the Lampetra spp eDNA detection rate was 1.5 times higher in spring even though larval lamprey are present in streams year-round. This significant finding highlights the importance of seasonality on eDNA detection. Higher stream discharge in the fall likely contributed to reduced eDNA detection rates, although seasonal life history events may have also contributed. These eDNA assays differentiate Pacific Lamprey and Lampetra spp across much of their range along the west coast of North America. Sequence analysis indicates the Pacific Lamprey assay also targets other Entosphenus spp and indicates the Lampetra spp assay may have limited or no capability of detecting Lampetra in some locations south of the Columbia River Basin. Nevertheless, these assays will serve as a valuable tool for resource managers and have direct application to lamprey conservation efforts, such as mapping species distributions, occupancy modeling, and monitoring translocations and reintroductions. PMID:29576966

Body mass index, falls, and injurious falls among U.S. adults: Findings from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

PubMed

Ylitalo, Kelly R; Karvonen-Gutierrez, Carrie A

2016-10-01

Falls are an important health concern because they are associated with loss of independence and disability, particularly among women. We determined the age- and sex-specific prevalence of injurious falls among adults in the United States and examined the impact of obesity on fall risk. Self-reported falls, injurious falls, and health histories were obtained from 280,035 adults aged 45-79years in the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Body mass index was categorized as underweight (<18.5kg/m 2 ), normal weight (18.5-24.9kg/m 2 ), overweight 25-29.9kg/m 2 ), class I obesity (30.0-34.9kg/m 2 ), or class II/III obesity (≥35.0kg/m 2 ) based on self-reported height and weight. Data were analyzed using weighted age- and sex-specific prevalence rates and Poisson regression. Overall, 11.0% reported ≥1 injurious fall in the previous 12months. Mid-life women 55-59years reported the highest prevalence of injurious falls (15.4%). Among mid-life women, overweight was associated with injurious falls (RR=1.17; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.28), but overweight was not associated with falling among other age-sex groups. Class II/III obesity was associated with injurious falls among all age-sex groups. After considering the mediators like health conditions (depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis) and behaviors (physical activity, sleep), the association of class II/III obesity and injurious fall risk persisted only among mid-life women (RR=1.23; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.36). Not only are mid-life women at high risk for falls, but the class II/III obesity is a risk factor for injurious falls. Targeting mid-life women for fall and injury prevention is an important aim for practitioners, particularly given unique correlates of falling for this group. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pilot study to investigate the feasibility of the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) to identify older Malaysian people at risk of falls.

PubMed

Romli, Muhammad Hibatullah; Mackenzie, Lynette; Lovarini, Meryl; Tan, Maw Pin

2016-08-16

The relationship between home hazards and falls in older Malaysian people is not yet fully understood. No tools to evaluate the Malaysian home environment currently exist. Therefore, this study aimed to pilot the Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool (HOME FAST) to identify hazards in Malaysian homes, to evaluate the feasibility of using the HOME FAST in the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study and to gather preliminary data about the experience of falls among a small sample of Malaysian older people. A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted. An urban setting in Kuala Lumpur. 26 older people aged 60 and over were recruited from the control group of a related research project in Malaysia, in addition to older people known to the researchers. The HOME FAST was applied with the baseline survey for the MELoR study via a face-to-face interview and observation of the home by research staff. The majority of the participants were female, of Malay or Chinese ethnicity and living with others in a double-storeyed house. Falls were reported in the previous year by 19% and 80% of falls occurred at home. Gender and fear of falling had the strongest associations with home hazards. Most hazards were detected in the bathroom area. A small number of errors were detected in the HOME FAST ratings by researchers. The HOME FAST is feasible as a research and clinical tool for the Malaysian context and is appropriate for use in the MELoR study. Home hazards were prevalent in the homes of older people and further research with the larger MELoR sample is needed to confirm the validity of using the HOME FAST in Malaysia. Training in the use of the HOME FAST is needed to ensure accurate use by researchers. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Running functional sport vest and short for e-textile applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baskan, H.; Acikgoz, H.; Atakan, R.; Eryuruk, H.; Akalın, N.; Kose, H.; Li, Y.; Kursun Bahadir, S.; Kalaoglu, F.

2017-10-01

Sports garments with functional properties have become crucial as well as comfort properties since they improve the wearer performance. For this reason, sport vest and short having high elastic recovery with fall detection sensor, were designed and produced by using flat-bed knitting machine. Comfort properties of short and vest were tested with several test instruments and; tensile strength of elastomeric yarn, air permeability, moisture management, drape and objective handle (FAST tests) of garments were achieved. It was proved that short and vest samples have good comfort properties as a functional sport garment. It was also tested that fall-detection sensor can work efficiently by using a mobile phone application.

Prototype Systems Containing Human Cytochrome P450 for High-Throughput Real-Time Detection of DNA Damage by Compounds That Form DNA-Reactive Metabolites.

PubMed

Brito Palma, Bernardo; Fisher, Charles W; Rueff, José; Kranendonk, Michel

2016-05-16

The formation of reactive metabolites through biotransformation is the suspected cause of many adverse drug reactions. Testing for the propensity of a drug to form reactive metabolites has increasingly become an integral part of lead-optimization strategy in drug discovery. DNA reactivity is one undesirable facet of a drug or its metabolites and can lead to increased risk of cancer and reproductive toxicity. Many drugs are metabolized by cytochromes P450 in the liver and other tissues, and these reactions can generate hard electrophiles. These hard electrophilic reactive metabolites may react with DNA and may be detected in standard in vitro genotoxicity assays; however, the majority of these assays fall short due to the use of animal-derived organ extracts that inadequately represent human metabolism. The current study describes the development of bacterial systems that efficiently detect DNA-damaging electrophilic reactive metabolites generated by human P450 biotransformation. These assays use a GFP reporter system that detects DNA damage through induction of the SOS response and a GFP reporter to control for cytotoxicity. Two human CYP1A2-competent prototypes presented here have appropriate characteristics for the detection of DNA-damaging reactive metabolites in a high-throughput manner. The advantages of this approach include a short assay time (120-180 min) with real-time measurement, sensitivity to small amounts of compound, and adaptability to a microplate format. These systems are suitable for high-throughput assays and can serve as prototypes for the development of future enhanced versions.

Exposure to fall hazards and safety climate in the aircraft maintenance industry.

PubMed

Neitzel, Richard L; Seixas, Noah S; Harris, Michael J; Camp, Janice

2008-01-01

Falls represent a significant occupational hazard, particularly in industries with dynamic work environments. This paper describes rates of noncompliance with fall hazard prevention requirements, perceived safety climate and worker knowledge and beliefs, and the association between fall exposure and safety climate measures in commercial aircraft maintenance activities. Walkthrough observations were conducted on aircraft mechanics at two participating facilities (Sites A and B) to ascertain the degree of noncompliance. Mechanics at each site completed questionnaires concerning fall hazard knowledge, personal safety beliefs, and safety climate. Questionnaire results were summarized into safety climate and belief scores by workgroup and site. Noncompliance rates observed during walkthroughs were compared to the climate-belief scores, and were expected to be inversely associated. Important differences were seen in fall safety performance between the sites. The study provided a characterization of aircraft maintenance fall hazards, and also demonstrated the effectiveness of an objective hazard assessment methodology. Noncompliance varied by height, equipment used, location of work on the aircraft, shift, and by safety system. Although the expected relationship between safety climate and noncompliance was seen for site-average climate scores, workgroups with higher safety climate scores had greater observed noncompliance within Site A. Overall, use of engineered safety systems had a significant impact on working safely, while safety beliefs and climate also contributed, though inconsistently. The results of this study indicate that safety systems are very important in reducing noncompliance with fall protection requirements in aircraft maintenance facilities. Site-level fall safety compliance was found to be related to safety climate, although an unexpected relationship between compliance and safety climate was seen at the workgroup level within site. Finally, observed fall safety compliance was found to differ from self-reported compliance.

Habitat use and movement patterns by adult saugers from fall to summer in an unimpounded small-river system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuhn, K.M.; Hubert, W.A.; Johnson, K.; Oberlie, D.; Dufek, D.

2008-01-01

The Little Wind River drainage in Wyoming is a relatively small unimpounded river system inhabited by native saugers Sander canadensis. Radio telemetry was used to assess habitat use and movement patterns by adult saugers in the river system from fall through early summer. Fifty-four adult saugers were captured during fall 2004, surgically implanted with radio transmitters, and tracked through mid-July 2005. Tagged saugers selected large and deep pools. Such pools were abundant throughout the Little Wind River system and led to saugers being widely dispersed from fall to early spring. During fall, winter, and early spring, tagged saugers remained sedentary and moved short distances among pools in close proximity to each other. Longer movements by tagged saugers occurred from mid-spring to early summer, and were associated with both upstream and downstream movements to and from two river segments believed to be used for spawning. During early summer, most saugers returned to locations where they had been tagged the previous fall and had spent the winter. Our results provide evidence that preservation of the sauger fishery in the Wind River system will depend on maintaining fish passage throughout the portion of the watershed inhabited by saugers and preserving natural fluvial processes that maintain large and deep pools. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

Incipient Crack Detection in Composite Wind Turbine Blades

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, Stuart G.; Choi, Mijin; Jeong, Hyomi

2012-08-28

This paper presents some analysis results for incipient crack detection in a 9-meter CX-100 wind turbine blade that underwent fatigue loading to failure. The blade was manufactured to standard specifications, and it underwent harmonic excitation at its first resonance using a hydraulically-actuated excitation system until reaching catastrophic failure. This work investigates the ability of an ultrasonic guided wave approach to detect incipient damage prior to the surfacing of a visible, catastrophic crack. The blade was instrumented with piezoelectric transducers, which were used in an active, pitchcatch mode with guided waves over a range of excitation frequencies. The performance results inmore » detecting incipient crack formation in the fiberglass skin of the blade is assessed over the range of frequencies in order to determine the point at which the incipient crack became detectable. Higher excitation frequencies provide consistent results for paths along the rotor blade's carbon fiber spar cap, but performance falls off with increasing excitation frequencies for paths off of the spar cap. Lower excitation frequencies provide more consistent performance across all sensor paths.« less

Seniors Falls Investigative Methodology (SFIM): A Systems Approach to the Study of Falls in Seniors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zecevic, Aleksandra A.; Salmoni, Alan W.; Lewko, John H.; Vandervoort, Anthony A.

2007-01-01

An in-depth understanding of human factors and human error is lacking in current research on seniors' falls. Additional knowledge is needed to understand why seniors are falling. The purpose of this article is to describe the adapting of the Integrated Safety Investigation Methodology (ISIM) (used for investigating transportation and industrial…

Models for financial crisis detection in Indonesia based on bank deposits, real exchange rate and terms of trade indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyanto; Zukhronah, Etik; Nur Aini, Anis

2017-12-01

Several times Indonesia has experienced to face a financial crisis, but the crisis occurred in 1997 had a tremendous impact on the economy and national stability. The impact of the crisis fall the exchange rate of rupiah against the dollar so it is needed the financial crisis detection system. Some data of bank deposits, real exchange rate and terms of trade indicators are used in this paper. Data taken from January 1990 until December 2016 are used to form the models with three state. Combination of volatility and Markov switching models are used to model the data. The result suggests that the appropriate model for bank deposit and terms of trade is SWARCH (3,1), and for real exchange rates is SWARCH (3,2).

Intelligent transportation system (ITS) study for the Buffalo and Niagara Falls metropolitan area, Erie and Niagara Counties, New York : system architecture, working paper #5

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-06-18

This document has been prepared as part of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Buffalo and Niagara Falls Intelligent Transportation System Study. Working Paper #5 defines the conceptual system architecture that applies to the reg...

Timed up and go test combined with self-rated multifactorial questionnaire on falls risk and sociodemographic factors predicts falls among community-dwelling older adults better than the timed up and go test on its own

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Azianah; Singh, Devinder Kaur Ajit; Shahar, Suzana; Omar, Mohd Azahadi

2017-01-01

Background Early detection of falls risk among older adults using simple tools may assist in fall prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to identify the best parameters associated with previous falls, either the timed up and go (TUG) test combined with sociodemographic factors and a self-rated multifactorial questionnaire (SRMQ) on falls risk or the TUG on its own. Falls risk was determined based on parameters associated with previous falls. Design This was a retrospective cohort study. Setting The study was conducted in a community setting. Participants The participants were 1,086 community-dwelling older adults, with mean age of 69.6±5.6 years. Participants were categorized into fallers and nonfallers based on their history of falls in the past 12 months. Method Participants’ sociodemographic data was taken, and SRMQ consisting of five falls-related questions was administered. Participants performed the TUG test twice, and the mean was taken as the result. Results A total of 161 participants were categorized as fallers (14.8%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the model (χ2(6)=61.0, p<0.001, Nagelkerke R2=0.10) consisting of the TUG test, sociodemographic factors (gender, cataract/glaucoma and joint pain), as well as the SRMQ items “previous falls history” (Q1) and “worried of falls” (Q5), was more robust in terms of falls risk association compared to that with TUG on its own (χ2(1)=10.3, p<0.001, Nagelkerke R2=0.02). Conclusion Combination of sociodemographic factors and SRMQ with TUG is more favorable as an initial falls risk screening tool among community-dwelling older adults. Subsequently, further comprehensive falls risk assessment may be performed in clinical settings to identify the specific impairments for effective management. PMID:29138571

Reduction in Fall Rate in Dementia Managed Care Through Video Incident Review: Pilot Study.

PubMed

Bayen, Eleonore; Jacquemot, Julien; Netscher, George; Agrawal, Pulkit; Tabb Noyce, Lynn; Bayen, Alexandre

2017-10-17

Falls of individuals with dementia are frequent, dangerous, and costly. Early detection and access to the history of a fall is crucial for efficient care and secondary prevention in cognitively impaired individuals. However, most falls remain unwitnessed events. Furthermore, understanding why and how a fall occurred is a challenge. Video capture and secure transmission of real-world falls thus stands as a promising assistive tool. The objective of this study was to analyze how continuous video monitoring and review of falls of individuals with dementia can support better quality of care. A pilot observational study (July-September 2016) was carried out in a Californian memory care facility. Falls were video-captured (24×7), thanks to 43 wall-mounted cameras (deployed in all common areas and in 10 out of 40 private bedrooms of consenting residents and families). Video review was provided to facility staff, thanks to a customized mobile device app. The outcome measures were the count of residents' falls happening in the video-covered areas, the acceptability of video recording, the analysis of video review, and video replay possibilities for care practice. Over 3 months, 16 falls were video-captured. A drop in fall rate was observed in the last month of the study. Acceptability was good. Video review enabled screening for the severity of falls and fall-related injuries. Video replay enabled identifying cognitive-behavioral deficiencies and environmental circumstances contributing to the fall. This allowed for secondary prevention in high-risk multi-faller individuals and for updated facility care policies regarding a safer living environment for all residents. Video monitoring offers high potential to support conventional care in memory care facilities. ©Eleonore Bayen, Julien Jacquemot, George Netscher, Pulkit Agrawal, Lynn Tabb Noyce, Alexandre Bayen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 17.10.2017.

Seasonality of the Mindanao Current/Undercurrent System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Qiuping; Li, Yuanlong; Wang, Fan; Song, Lina; Liu, Chuanyu; Zhai, Fangguo

2018-02-01

Seasonality of the Mindanao Current (MC)/Undercurrent (MUC) system is investigated using moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measurements off Mindanao (8°N, 127.05°E) and ocean model simulations. The mooring observation during December 2010 to August 2014 revealed that the surface-layer MC between 50-150 m is dominated by annual-period variation and tends to be stronger in spring (boreal) and weaker in fall. Prominent semiannual variations were detected below 150 m. The lower MC between 150 and 400 m is stronger in spring and fall and weaker in summer and winter, while the northward MUC below 400 m emerges in summer and winter and disappears in spring and fall. In-phase and out-of-phase current anomalies above and below 150 m were observed alternatively. These variations are faithfully reproduced by an eddy-resolving ocean model simulation (OFES). Further analysis demonstrates that seasonal variation of the MC is a component of large-scale upper-ocean circulation gyre, while current variations in the MUC layer are confined near the western boundary and featured by shorter-scale (200-400 km) structures. Most of the MC variations and approximately half of the MUC variations can be explained by the first and second baroclinic modes and caused by local wind forcing of the western Pacific. Semiannual surface wind variability and superimposition of the two baroclinic modes jointly give rise to the enhanced subsurface semiannual variations. The pronounced mesoscale eddy variability in the MUC layer may also contribute to the seasonality of the MUC through eddy-current interaction.

A risk-factor analysis of medical litigation judgments related to fall injuries in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Insook; Won, Seonae; Lee, Mijin; Lee, Won

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to find out the risk factors through analysis of seven medical malpractice judgments related to fall injuries. The risk factors were analysed by using the framework that approaches falls from a systems perspective and comprised people, organisational or environmental factors, with each factor being comprised of subfactors. The risk factors found in each of the seven judgments were aggregated into one framework. The risk factors related to patients (i.e. the people factor) were age, pain, related disease, activities and functional status, urination state, cognitive function impairment, past history of fall, blood transfusion, sleep endoscopy state and uncooperative attitude. The risk factors related to the medical staff and caregivers (i.e. people factor) were observation negligence, no fall prevention activities and negligence in managing high-risk group for fall. Organisational risk factors were a lack of workforce, a lack of training, neglecting the management of the high-risk group, neglecting the management of caregivers and the absence of a fall prevention procedure. Regarding the environment, the risk factors were found to be the emergency room, chairs without a backrest and the examination table. Identifying risk factors is essential for preventing fall accidents, since falls are preventable patient-safety incidents. Falls do not happen as a result of a single risk factor. Therefore, a systems approach is effective to identify risk factors, especially organisational and environmental factors.

Deep Learning to Predict Falls in Older Adults Based on Daily-Life Trunk Accelerometry.

PubMed

Nait Aicha, Ahmed; Englebienne, Gwenn; van Schooten, Kimberley S; Pijnappels, Mirjam; Kröse, Ben

2018-05-22

Early detection of high fall risk is an essential component of fall prevention in older adults. Wearable sensors can provide valuable insight into daily-life activities; biomechanical features extracted from such inertial data have been shown to be of added value for the assessment of fall risk. Body-worn sensors such as accelerometers can provide valuable insight into fall risk. Currently, biomechanical features derived from accelerometer data are used for the assessment of fall risk. Here, we studied whether deep learning methods from machine learning are suited to automatically derive features from raw accelerometer data that assess fall risk. We used an existing dataset of 296 older adults. We compared the performance of three deep learning model architectures (convolutional neural network (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM) and a combination of these two (ConvLSTM)) to each other and to a baseline model with biomechanical features on the same dataset. The results show that the deep learning models in a single-task learning mode are strong in recognition of identity of the subject, but that these models only slightly outperform the baseline method on fall risk assessment. When using multi-task learning, with gender and age as auxiliary tasks, deep learning models perform better. We also found that preprocessing of the data resulted in the best performance (AUC = 0.75). We conclude that deep learning models, and in particular multi-task learning, effectively assess fall risk on the basis of wearable sensor data.

Deep Learning to Predict Falls in Older Adults Based on Daily-Life Trunk Accelerometry

PubMed Central

Englebienne, Gwenn; Pijnappels, Mirjam

2018-01-01

Early detection of high fall risk is an essential component of fall prevention in older adults. Wearable sensors can provide valuable insight into daily-life activities; biomechanical features extracted from such inertial data have been shown to be of added value for the assessment of fall risk. Body-worn sensors such as accelerometers can provide valuable insight into fall risk. Currently, biomechanical features derived from accelerometer data are used for the assessment of fall risk. Here, we studied whether deep learning methods from machine learning are suited to automatically derive features from raw accelerometer data that assess fall risk. We used an existing dataset of 296 older adults. We compared the performance of three deep learning model architectures (convolutional neural network (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM) and a combination of these two (ConvLSTM)) to each other and to a baseline model with biomechanical features on the same dataset. The results show that the deep learning models in a single-task learning mode are strong in recognition of identity of the subject, but that these models only slightly outperform the baseline method on fall risk assessment. When using multi-task learning, with gender and age as auxiliary tasks, deep learning models perform better. We also found that preprocessing of the data resulted in the best performance (AUC = 0.75). We conclude that deep learning models, and in particular multi-task learning, effectively assess fall risk on the basis of wearable sensor data. PMID:29786659

A falls case summary: Application of the public health nursing intervention wheel.

PubMed

Leahy-Warren, Patricia; Day, Mary Rose; Philpott, Lloyd; Glavin, Kari; Gjevjon, Edith Roth; Steffenak, Anne Kjersti Myhrene; Nordhagen, Live S; Egge, Hilde; Healy, Elizabeth; Mulcahy, Helen

2018-04-20

The Public Health Intervention Wheel (PHIW) is a population-based practice model that encompasses three levels of practice (community, systems, and individual/family) and 17 public health interventions. Each intervention and practice level contributes to improving population health. Public health nurses (PHNs) provide care at the three levels of practice. Prevention of falls is a public health issue and the majority of falls happen at home. Therefore, prevention and management of falls in the community could benefit from a public health systems approach by PHNs underpinned by the PHIW. A hypothetical case is presented of a 78-year-old gentleman who had a fall which resulted in a fractured right acetabulum and surgery before being discharged home. The aim of this paper was to use a case summary to illustrate PHN practice in the context of the PHIW as applied to falls management and prevention. This paper focuses on fall incidence and PHN response in Ireland and Norway. The PHIW is described and relevant interventions from the PHIW are applied to PHN practice in managing the case. The PHIW model provides insight into the potential scope of public health nursing in falls, articulating PHN practice in the community. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Monitoring over-the-counter medication sales for early detection of disease outbreaks--New York City.

PubMed

Das, Debjani; Metzger, K; Heffernan, R; Balter, S; Weiss, D; Mostashari, F

2005-08-26

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are frequently used during the initial phase of illness, and increases in their sales might serve as an early indicator of communitywide disease outbreaks. Since August 2002, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has tracked OTC medication sales to enhance detection of natural and intentional infectious disease outbreaks. This report describes the surveillance system and presents results from retrospective analyses and a comparison between citywide trends in OTC medication sales and emergency department (ED) visits. Sales data transmitted daily to DOHMH are categorized into two groups: influenza-like illness (ILI), which includes cough and influenza medications, and gastrointestinal illness (GI), which includes major brand and generic antidiarrheals. Cyclical, linear regression models were used to identify significant (p<0.05) increases in the daily ratio of ILI to analgesics sales (analgesics are used as a denominator in the absence of total sales). Daily and weekly average ratios of GI to analgesic sales were analyzed. Citywide trends in OTC ILI and GI medication sales were compared with ED visits for fever/influenza and diarrhea syndromes. Citywide ILI drug sales were highest during annual influenza epidemics and elevated during spring and fall allergy seasons, similar to trends in the ED fever/influenza syndrome. ILI sales did not consistently provide earlier warning than the ED system of communitywide influenza. GI drug sales increased during the fall and peaked during early winter and after the blackout of August 2003. Unlike ED diarrheal visits, GI medication sales did not substantially increase during late winter (February-March). Citywide OTC medication sales can provide indications of communitywide illness, including annual influenza epidemics. Antidiarrheal medication sales were more sensitive to increases in GI caused by norovirus and influenza than illness caused by rotavirus. OTC medication sales can be considered as an adjunct syndromic surveillance system but might not be as sensitive as ED systems.

Risk Profiles for Injurious Falls in People Over 60: A Population-Based Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Ek, Stina; Rizzuto, Debora; Fratiglioni, Laura; Johnell, Kristina; Xu, Weili

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Although falls in older adults are related to multiple risk factors, these factors have commonly been studied individually. We aimed to identify risk profiles for injurious falls in older adults by detecting clusters of established risk factors and quantifying their impact on fall risk. Methods Participants were 2,566 people, aged 60 years and older, from the population-based Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen. Injurious falls was defined as hospitalization for or receipt of outpatient care because a fall. Cluster analysis was used to identify aggregation of possible risk factors including chronic diseases, fall-risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), physical and cognitive impairments, and lifestyle-related factors. Associations between the clusters and injurious falls over 3, 5, and 10 years were estimated using flexible parametric survival models. Results Five clusters were identified including: a “healthy”, a “well-functioning with multimorbidity”, a “well-functioning, with multimorbidity and high FRID consumption”, a “physically and cognitively impaired”, and a “disabled” cluster. The risk of injurious falls for all groups was significantly higher than for the first cluster of healthy individuals in the reference category. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) ranged from 1.71 (1.02–2.66) for the second cluster to 12.67 (7.38–21.75) for the last cluster over 3 years of follow-up. The highest risk was observed in the last two clusters with high burden of physical and cognitive impairments. Conclusion Risk factors for injurious fall tend to aggregate, representing different levels of risk for falls. Our findings can be useful to tailor and prioritize clinical and public health interventions. PMID:28605455

Risk factors of falls among elderly living in Urban Suez - Egypt

PubMed Central

Kamel, Mohammed Hany; Abdulmajeed, Abdulmajeed Ahmed; Ismail, Sally El-Sayed

2013-01-01

Introduction Falling is one of the most common geriatric syndromes threatening the independence of older persons. Falls result from a complex and interactive mix of biological or medical, behavioral and environmental factors, many of which are preventable. Studying these diverse risk factors would aid early detection and management of them at the primary care level. Methods This is a cross sectional study about risk factors of falls was conducted to 340 elders in Urban Suez. Those are all patients over 60 who attended two family practice centers in Urban Suez. Results When asked about falling during the past 12 months, 205 elders recalled at least one incident of falling. Of them, 36% had their falls outdoors and 24% mentioned that stairs was the most prevalent site for indoor falls. Falls were also reported more among dependant than independent elderly. Using univariate regression analysis, almost all tested risk factors were significantly associated with falls in the studied population. These risk factors include: living alone, having chronic diseases, using medications, having a physical deficit, being in active, and having a high nutritional risk. However, the multivariate regression analysis proved that the strongest risk factors are low level of physical activity with OR 0.6 and P value 0.03, using a cane or walker (OR 1.69 and P value 0.001) and Impairment of daily living activities (OR 1.7 and P value 0.001). Conclusion Although falls is a serious problem among elderly with many consequences, it has many preventable risk factors. Health care providers should advice people to remain active and more research is needed in such an important area of Family Practice. PMID:23504298

Risk factors of falls among elderly living in urban Suez--Egypt.

PubMed

Kamel, Mohammed Hany; Abdulmajeed, Abdulmajeed Ahmed; Ismail, Sally El-Sayed

2013-01-01

Falling is one of the most common geriatric syndromes threatening the independence of older persons. Falls result from a complex and interactive mix of biological or medical, behavioral and environmental factors, many of which are preventable. Studying these diverse risk factors would aid early detection and management of them at the primary care level. This is a cross sectional study about risk factors of falls was conducted to 340 elders in Urban Suez. Those are all patients over 60 who attended two family practice centers in Urban Suez. When asked about falling during the past 12 months, 205 elders recalled at least one incident of falling. Of them, 36% had their falls outdoors and 24% mentioned that stairs was the most prevalent site for indoor falls. Falls were also reported more among dependant than independent elderly. Using univariate regression analysis, almost all tested risk factors were significantly associated with falls in the studied population. These risk factors include: living alone, having chronic diseases, using medications, having a physical deficit, being in active, and having a high nutritional risk. However, the multivariate regression analysis proved that the strongest risk factors are low level of physical activity with OR 0.6 and P value 0.03, using a cane or walker (OR 1.69 and P value 0.001) and Impairment of daily living activities (OR 1.7 and P value 0.001). Although falls is a serious problem among elderly with many consequences, it has many preventable risk factors. Health care providers should advice people to remain active and more research is needed in such an important area of Family Practice.

Prevalence of hyponatraemia in patients over the age of 65 who have an in-hospital fall.

PubMed

Lobo-Rodríguez, Carmen; García-Pozo, Ana M; Gadea-Cedenilla, Carmen; Moro-Tejedor, M Nieves; Pedraz Marcos, Azucena; Tejedor-Jorge, Alberto

2016-01-01

Hyponatraemia is the most common electrolyte disorder. Some studies have found that it increases morbidity and mortality. There are new lines of research that are investigating the link between hyponatraemia and patient falls. To determine if hyponatraemia is associated with falls in elderly hospitalised patients. Design observational, analytical, case-control study. Patients older than 65 years who had fallen during their hospitalisation at Gregorio Marañón Hospital (Madrid) were considered cases. Patients who did not fall were considered to be controls, paired according to the following variables: hospital ward, age, length of hospital stay, gender and Downton fall risk index. The sample size was 206 subjects. Socio-demographic factors, variables included in the falls record sheet, Downton fall risk index and sodium levels were studied (hyponatraemia was considered Na(+)< 135mmol/l). A descriptive analysis was performed to determine the sample homogeneity. The OR was calculated, and an analytical analysis using Chi-square test and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were also performed. Of 103 cases recruited, 61 were men (50.4%) and 42 were women (49.4%). Hyponatraemia was detected in 29 cases with an association with falls of P: 0.002. The adjusted OR was 3.708 (1.6-8.3), 95% CI. Risk factors for falls were identified as hyponatraemia and limb sensory deficits. Given that hyponatraemia could be considered a risk factor for falls, the inclusion of the determination of sodium level would be important for fall prevention strategies in the elderly. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Nefrología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A low cost automatic detection and ranging system for space surveillance in the medium Earth orbit region and beyond.

PubMed

Danescu, Radu; Ciurte, Anca; Turcu, Vlad

2014-02-11

The space around the Earth is filled with man-made objects, which orbit the planet at altitudes ranging from hundreds to tens of thousands of kilometers. Keeping an eye on all objects in Earth's orbit, useful and not useful, operational or not, is known as Space Surveillance. Due to cost considerations, the space surveillance solutions beyond the Low Earth Orbit region are mainly based on optical instruments. This paper presents a solution for real-time automatic detection and ranging of space objects of altitudes ranging from below the Medium Earth Orbit up to 40,000 km, based on two low cost observation systems built using commercial cameras and marginally professional telescopes, placed 37 km apart, operating as a large baseline stereovision system. The telescopes are pointed towards any visible region of the sky, and the system is able to automatically calibrate the orientation parameters using automatic matching of reference stars from an online catalog, with a very high tolerance for the initial guess of the sky region and camera orientation. The difference between the left and right image of a synchronized stereo pair is used for automatic detection of the satellite pixels, using an original difference computation algorithm that is capable of high sensitivity and a low false positive rate. The use of stereovision provides a strong means of removing false positives, and avoids the need for prior knowledge of the orbits observed, the system being able to detect at the same time all types of objects that fall within the measurement range and are visible on the image.

Bayesian networks: a new method for the modeling of bibliographic knowledge: application to fall risk assessment in geriatric patients.

PubMed

Lalande, Laure; Bourguignon, Laurent; Carlier, Chloé; Ducher, Michel

2013-06-01

Falls in geriatry are associated with important morbidity, mortality and high healthcare costs. Because of the large number of variables related to the risk of falling, determining patients at risk is a difficult challenge. The aim of this work was to validate a tool to detect patients with high risk of fall using only bibliographic knowledge. Thirty articles corresponding to 160 studies were used to modelize fall risk. A retrospective case-control cohort including 288 patients (88 ± 7 years) and a prospective cohort including 106 patients (89 ± 6 years) from two geriatric hospitals were used to validate the performances of our model. We identified 26 variables associated with an increased risk of fall. These variables were split into illnesses, medications, and environment. The combination of the three associated scores gives a global fall score. The sensitivity and the specificity were 31.4, 81.6, 38.5, and 90 %, respectively, for the retrospective and the prospective cohort. The performances of the model are similar to results observed with already existing prediction tools using model adjustment to data from numerous cohort studies. This work demonstrates that knowledge from the literature can be synthesized with Bayesian networks.

Tritium concentrations in flow from selected springs that discharge to the Snake River, Twin Falls-Hagerman area, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mann, L.J.

1989-01-01

Concern has been expressed that some of the approximately 30,900 curies of tritium disposed to the Snake River Plain aquifer from 1952 to 1988 at the INEL (Idaho National Engineering Laboratory) have migrated to springs discharging to the Snake River in the Twin Falls-Hagerman area. To document tritium concentrations in springflow, 17 springs were sampled in November 1988 and 19 springs were sampled in March 1989. Tritium concentrations were less than the minimum detectable concentration of 0.5 pCi/mL (picocuries/mL) in November 1988 and less than the minimum detectable concentration of 0.2 pCi/mL in March 1989; the minimum detectable concentration was smaller in March 1989 owing to a longer counting time in the liquid scintillation system. The maximum contaminant level of tritium in drinking water as established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is 20 pCi/mL. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sample analyses indicate that the tritium concentration has decreased in the Snake River near Buhl since the 1970's. In 1974-79, tritium concentrations were less than 0.3 +/-0.2 pCi/mL in 3 of 20 samples; in 1983-88, 17 of 23 samples contained less than 0.3 +/-0.2 pCi/mL of tritium; the minimum detectable concentration is 0.2 pCi/mL. On the basis of decreasing tritium concentrations in the Snake River, their correlation to cessation of atmospheric weapons tests tritium concentrations in springflow less than the minimum detectable concentration, and the distribution of tritium in groundwater at the INEL, aqueous disposal of tritium at the INEL has had no measurable effect on tritium concentrations in springflow from the Snake River Plain aquifer and in the Snake River near Buhl. (USGS)

The REFORM study protocol: a cohort randomised controlled trial of a multifaceted podiatry intervention for the prevention of falls in older people.

PubMed

Cockayne, Sarah; Adamson, Joy; Corbacho Martin, Belen; Fairhurst, Caroline; Hewitt, Catherine; Hicks, Kate; Hull, Robin; Keenan, Anne Maree; Lamb, Sarah E; Loughrey, Lorraine; McIntosh, Caroline; Menz, Hylton B; Redmond, Anthony C; Rodgers, Sara; Vernon, Wesley; Watson, Judith; Torgerson, David

2014-12-17

Falls and fall-related injuries are a serious cause of morbidity and cost to society. Foot problems and inappropriate footwear may increase the risk of falls; therefore podiatric interventions may play a role in reducing falls. Two Cochrane systematic reviews identified only one study of a podiatry intervention aimed to reduce falls, which was undertaken in Australia. The REFORM trial aims to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted podiatry intervention in reducing falls in people aged 65 years and over in a UK and Irish setting. This multicentre, cohort randomised controlled trial will recruit 2600 participants from routine podiatry clinics in the UK and Ireland to the REFORM cohort. In order to detect a 10% point reduction in falls from 50% to 40%, with 80% power 890 participants will be randomised to receive routine podiatry care and a falls prevention leaflet or routine podiatry care, a falls prevention leaflet and a multifaceted podiatry intervention. The primary outcome is rate of falls (falls/person/time) over 12 months assessed by patient self-report falls diary. Secondary self-report outcome measures include: the proportion of single and multiple fallers and time to first fall over a 12-month period; Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International; fear of falling in the past 4 weeks; Frenchay Activities Index; fracture rate; Geriatric Depression Scale; EuroQoL-five dimensional scale 3-L; health service utilisation at 6 and 12 months. A qualitative study will examine the acceptability of the package of care to participants and podiatrists. The trial has received a favourable opinion from the East of England-Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee and Galway Research Ethics Committee. The trial results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and at conference presentations. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN68240461 assigned 01/07/2011. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Undersafe: Monitoring safety parameters in touristic mines and caves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parcerisa, David; Sanmiquel, Lluís; Alfonso, Pura; Oliva, Josep

2014-05-01

Tourism is a key sector of the European economy, generating more than 5% of the EU GPD (Gross Domestic Product). Usually, underground touristic sites receive non-expert visitors; nevertheless these activities are poorly regulated or completely deregulated. Nowadays, safety is provided by underground expert professionals whom proceed to regular inspections and by basic safety infrastructures. Even with these measures, some potential personal and environmental dangers are always present and cannot be totally avoided. Therefore, there is a clear need of a new technological product for safety and environmental continuous monitoring of tourist underground attractions. So, the aim of the Undersafe project is to provide underground attractions with a novel and specifically tailored monitoring system, easy to use and maintain. One of the goals of the Undersafe project is to develop a rock falling detection based on a set of cost limited vibration sensors. Based on the technical needs, but with cost constraints, different types of potential sensors are considered: Underground microphone: It is placed in the surface or in the underground. It is based on the consideration that the impact of the stone generates a ground impact vibration which can be understood as a "noise" that is received by a microphone capsule. Airborne sound sensing microphone: It similarly applies to underground use of the microphones, but now the microphone is tested as for its traditional use (I.e. air sound detection). In such case, the microphone detects the environmental noise produced by the impact of the stone falling onto the ground, which will include the impact sound of the stone. Geophone: It is the de facto standard for ground vibrations. Although this technology was initially discarded due to its high cost, recently, low cost geophones have appeared in the market that allows its use inside the underground attractions. Accelerometers: These, can have enough sensibility to act as vibration sensors. Although the costs of the most sensible ones are out of the limits needed for our purposes, but some non-expensive accelerometers will be tested in real environment. All these systems have been tested and it can be concluded that results have been positive for the following technologies: piezoelectric, Electret (airborne and underground) and geophone. On the contrary, accelerometer and movement sensor provided negative results. The most sensible sensor that we have found is Electret that, in turn, is the most sensitive one to out of ground environmental noise (relevant in order to discard surface vibrations effect). All sensors can provide detections in a range of 15m. Low cost rock falling detectors, in cercles of 30 m of diameter are feasible. Also detection for longer distances, up to 80 meters, is feasible, but not advisable for low-cost application. Aknowledgements: Undersafe is an European project under the auspices of the EU 7h Framework Program. EDMA Innovation S.L. deeply contributed to the development of this study.

Sensor Network Infrastructure for a Home Care Monitoring System

PubMed Central

Palumbo, Filippo; Ullberg, Jonas; Štimec, Ales; Furfari, Francesco; Karlsson, Lars; Coradeschi, Silvia

2014-01-01

This paper presents the sensor network infrastructure for a home care system that allows long-term monitoring of physiological data and everyday activities. The aim of the proposed system is to allow the elderly to live longer in their home without compromising safety and ensuring the detection of health problems. The system offers the possibility of a virtual visit via a teleoperated robot. During the visit, physiological data and activities occurring during a period of time can be discussed. These data are collected from physiological sensors (e.g., temperature, blood pressure, glucose) and environmental sensors (e.g., motion, bed/chair occupancy, electrical usage). The system can also give alarms if sudden problems occur, like a fall, and warnings based on more long-term trends, such as the deterioration of health being detected. It has been implemented and tested in a test environment and has been deployed in six real homes for a year-long evaluation. The key contribution of the paper is the presentation of an implemented system for ambient assisted living (AAL) tested in a real environment, combining the acquisition of sensor data, a flexible and adaptable middleware compliant with the OSGistandard and a context recognition application. The system has been developed in a European project called GiraffPlus. PMID:24573309

Sensor network infrastructure for a home care monitoring system.

PubMed

Palumbo, Filippo; Ullberg, Jonas; Stimec, Ales; Furfari, Francesco; Karlsson, Lars; Coradeschi, Silvia

2014-02-25

This paper presents the sensor network infrastructure for a home care system that allows long-term monitoring of physiological data and everyday activities. The aim of the proposed system is to allow the elderly to live longer in their home without compromising safety and ensuring the detection of health problems. The system offers the possibility of a virtual visit via a teleoperated robot. During the visit, physiological data and activities occurring during a period of time can be discussed. These data are collected from physiological sensors (e.g., temperature, blood pressure, glucose) and environmental sensors (e.g., motion, bed/chair occupancy, electrical usage). The system can also give alarms if sudden problems occur, like a fall, and warnings based on more long-term trends, such as the deterioration of health being detected. It has been implemented and tested in a test environment and has been deployed in six real homes for a year-long evaluation. The key contribution of the paper is the presentation of an implemented system for ambient assisted living (AAL) tested in a real environment, combining the acquisition of sensor data, a flexible and adaptable middleware compliant with the OSGistandard and a context recognition application. The system has been developed in a European project called GiraffPlus.

Systems and Methods for Imaging of Falling Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fallgatter, Cale (Inventor); Garrett, Tim (Inventor)

2014-01-01

Imaging of falling objects is described. Multiple images of a falling object can be captured substantially simultaneously using multiple cameras located at multiple angles around the falling object. An epipolar geometry of the captured images can be determined. The images can be rectified to parallelize epipolar lines of the epipolar geometry. Correspondence points between the images can be identified. At least a portion of the falling object can be digitally reconstructed using the identified correspondence points to create a digital reconstruction.

Numerical Estimation of Balanced and Falling States for Constrained Legged Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mummolo, Carlotta; Mangialardi, Luigi; Kim, Joo H.

2017-08-01

Instability and risk of fall during standing and walking are common challenges for biped robots. While existing criteria from state-space dynamical systems approach or ground reference points are useful in some applications, complete system models and constraints have not been taken into account for prediction and indication of fall for general legged robots. In this study, a general numerical framework that estimates the balanced and falling states of legged systems is introduced. The overall approach is based on the integration of joint-space and Cartesian-space dynamics of a legged system model. The full-body constrained joint-space dynamics includes the contact forces and moments term due to current foot (or feet) support and another term due to altered contact configuration. According to the refined notions of balanced, falling, and fallen, the system parameters, physical constraints, and initial/final/boundary conditions for balancing are incorporated into constrained nonlinear optimization problems to solve for the velocity extrema (representing the maximum perturbation allowed to maintain balance without changing contacts) in the Cartesian space at each center-of-mass (COM) position within its workspace. The iterative algorithm constructs the stability boundary as a COM state-space partition between balanced and falling states. Inclusion in the resulting six-dimensional manifold is a necessary condition for a state of the given system to be balanced under the given contact configuration, while exclusion is a sufficient condition for falling. The framework is used to analyze the balance stability of example systems with various degrees of complexities. The manifold for a 1-degree-of-freedom (DOF) legged system is consistent with the experimental and simulation results in the existing studies for specific controller designs. The results for a 2-DOF system demonstrate the dependency of the COM state-space partition upon joint-space configuration (elbow-up vs. elbow-down). For both 1- and 2-DOF systems, the results are validated in simulation environments. Finally, the manifold for a biped walking robot is constructed and illustrated against its single-support walking trajectories. The manifold identified by the proposed framework for any given legged system can be evaluated beforehand as a system property and serves as a map for either a specified state or a specific controller's performance.

Electrostatic demonstration of free-fall weightlessness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balukovic, Jasmina; Slisko, Josip; Corona Cruz, Adrian

2015-05-01

The phenomena of free-fall weightlessness have been demonstrated to students for many years in a number of different ways. The essential basis of all these demonstrations is the fact that in free-falling, gravitationally accelerated systems, the weight force and weight-related forces (for example, friction and hydrostatic forces) disappear. In this article, an original electrostatic demonstration of weightlessness is presented. A charged balloon fixed at the opening of a plastic container cannot lift a light styrofoam sphere sitting on the bottom when the container is at rest. However, while the system is in free-fall, the sphere becomes weightless and the charged balloon is able to lift it electrostatically.

Feasibility of Pilates exercise to decrease falls risk: a pilot randomized controlled trial in community-dwelling older people.

PubMed

Barker, Anna L; Talevski, Jason; Bohensky, Megan A; Brand, Caroline A; Cameron, Peter A; Morello, Renata T

2016-10-01

To evaluate the feasibility of Pilates exercise in older people to decrease falls risk and inform a larger trial. Pilot Randomized controlled trial. Community physiotherapy clinic. A total of 53 community-dwelling people aged ⩾60 years (mean age, 69.3 years; age range, 61-84). A 60-minute Pilates class incorporating best practice guidelines for exercise to prevent falls, performed twice weekly for 12 weeks. All participants received a letter to their general practitioner with falls risk information, fall and fracture prevention education and home exercises. Indicators of feasibility included: acceptability (recruitment, retention, intervention adherence and participant experience survey); safety (adverse events); and potential effectiveness (fall, fall injury and injurious fall rates; standing balance; lower limb strength; and flexibility) measured at 12 and 24 weeks. Recruitment was achievable but control group drop-outs were high (23%). Of the 20 participants who completed the intervention, 19 (95%) attended ⩾75% of the classes and reported classes were enjoyable and would recommend them to others. The rate of fall injuries at 24 weeks was 42% lower and injurious fall rates 64% lower in the Pilates group, however, was not statistically significant (P = 0.347 and P = 0.136). Standing balance, lower-limb strength and flexibility improved in the Pilates group relative to the control group (P < 0.05). Estimates suggest a future definitive study would require 804 participants to detect a difference in fall injury rates. A definitive randomized controlled trial analysing the effect of Pilates in older people would be feasible and is warranted given the acceptability and potential positive effects of Pilates on fall injuries and fall risk factors. The protocol for this study is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN1262000224820). © The Author(s) 2015.

Detection of preferential particle orientation in the atmosphere. Development of an alternative polarization lidar system

DOE PAGES

Geier, Manfred; Arienti, Marco

2014-07-19

Increasing interest in polarimetric characterization of atmospheric aerosols has led to the development of complete sample-measuring (Mueller) polarimeters that are capable of measuring the entire backscattering phase matrix of a probed volume. The Mueller polarimeters consist of several moving parts, which limit measurement rates and complicate data analysis. In this paper, we present the concept of a less complex polarization lidar setup for detection of preferential orientation of atmospheric particulates. On the basis of theoretical considerations of data inversion stability and propagation of measurement uncertainties, an optimum optical configuration is established for two modes of operation (with either a linearmore » or a circular polarized incident laser beam). We discovered that the conceptualized setup falls in the category of incomplete sample-measuring polarimeters and uses four detection channels for simultaneous measurement of the backscattered light. Likewise, the expected performance characteristics are discussed through an example of a typical aerosol with a small fraction of particles oriented in a preferred direction. As a result, the theoretical analysis suggests that achievable accuracies in backscatter cross-sections and depolarization ratios are similar to those with conventional two-channel configurations, while in addition preferential orientation can be detected with the proposed four-channel system for a wide range of conditions.« less

Gadolinium-loaded Plastic Scintillators for Thermal Neutron Detection using Compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumazert, Jonathan; Coulon, Romain; Hamel, Matthieu; Carrel, Frédérick; Sguerra, Fabien; Normand, Stéphane; Méchin, Laurence; Bertrand, Guillaume H. V.

2016-06-01

Plastic scintillator loading with gadolinium-rich organometallic complexes shows a high potential for the deployment of efficient and cost-effective neutron detectors. Due to the low-energy photon and electron signature of thermal neutron capture by Gd-155 and Gd-157, alternative treatment to pulse-shape discrimination has to be proposed in order to display a count rate. This paper discloses the principle of a compensation method applied to a two-scintillator system: a detection scintillator interacts with photon and fast neutron radiation and is loaded with gadolinium organometallic compound to become a thermal neutron absorber, while a not-gadolinium loaded compensation scintillator solely interacts with the fast neutron and photon part of incident radiation. After the nonlinear smoothing of the counting signals, a hypothesis test determines whether the resulting count rate post-background response compensation falls into statistical fluctuations or provides a robust indication of neutron activity. Laboratory samples are tested under both photon and neutron irradiations, allowing the authors to investigate the performance of the overall detection system in terms of sensitivity and detection limits, especially with regards to a similar-active volume He-3 based commercial counter. The study reveals satisfactory figures of merit in terms of sensitivity and directs future investigation toward promising paths.

The Balloon Experimental Twin Telescope for Infrared Interferometry (BETTII): Towards the First Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rizzo, Maxime J.; Rinehart, S. A.; Dhabal, A.; Ade, P.; Benford, D. J.; Fixsen, D. J.; Griffin, M.; Juanola Parramon, R.; Leisawitz, D. T.; Maher, S. F.;

CAALYX: a new generation of location-based services in healthcare

PubMed Central

Boulos, Maged N Kamel; Rocha, Artur; Martins, Angelo; Vicente, Manuel Escriche; Bolz, Armin; Feld, Robert; Tchoudovski, Igor; Braecklein, Martin; Nelson, John; Ó Laighin, Gearóid; Sdogati, Claudio; Cesaroni, Francesca; Antomarini, Marco; Jobes, Angela; Kinirons, Mark

2007-01-01

Recent advances in mobile positioning systems and telecommunications are providing the technology needed for the development of location-aware tele-care applications. This paper introduces CAALYX – Complete Ambient Assisted Living Experiment, an EU-funded project that aims at increasing older people's autonomy and self-confidence by developing a wearable light device capable of measuring specific vital signs of the elderly, detecting falls and location, and communicating automatically in real-time with his/her care provider in case of an emergency, wherever the older person happens to be, at home or outside. PMID:17352802

Abstracts for student symposium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldman, B.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Science and Engineering Research Semester (SERS) students are participants in a national program sponsored by the DOE Office of Energy Research. Presented topics from Fall 1993 include: Laser glass, wiring codes, lead in food and food containers, chromium removal from ground water, fiber optic sensors for ph measurement, CFC replacement, predator/prey simulation, detection of micronuclei in germ cells, DNA conformation, stimulated brillouin scattering, DNA sequencing, evaluation of education programs, neural network analysis of nuclear glass, lithium ion batteries, Indonesian snails, optical switching systems, and photoreceiver design. Individual papers are indexed separately on the Energy Data Base.

Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2004, and Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Faculty, 2004-05. E.D. TAB. NCES 2006-187

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp, Laura G.; Kelly-Reid, Janice E.; Whitmore, Roy W.; Levine, Burton; Broyles, Susan G.; Huh, Seungho; Broyles, Susan G.

2006-01-01

This E.D. TAB presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Winter 2004-05 data collection, which included two required survey components: Employees by Assigned Position (EAP) for fall 2004 and Salaries (SA) for academic year 2004-05; the Fall Staff (S) component was optional for fall 2004. These data were…

An experiment to detect and locate lightning associated with eruptions of Redoubt Volcano

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoblitt, R.P.

1994-01-01

A commercially-available lightning-detection system was temporarily deployed near Cook Inlet, Alaska in an attempt to remotely monitor volcanogenic lightning associated with eruptions of Redoubt Volcano. The system became operational on February 14, 1990; lightning was detected in 11 and located in 9 of the 13 subsequent eruptions. The lightning was generated by ash clouds rising from pyroclastic density currents produced by collapse of a lava dome emplaced near Redoubt's summit. Lightning discharge (flash) location was controlled by topography, which channeled the density currents, and by wind direction. In individual eruptions, early flashes tended to have a negative polarity (negative charge is lowered to ground) while late flashes tended to have a positive polarity (positive charge is lowered to ground), perhaps because the charge-separation process caused coarse, rapid-settling particles to be negatively charged and fine, slow-settling particles to be positively charged. Results indicate that lightning detection and location is a useful adjunct to seismic volcano monitoring, particularly when poor weather or darkness prevents visual observation. The simultaneity of seismicity and lightning near a volcano provides the virtual certainty that an ash cloud is present. This information is crucial for aircraft safety and to warn threatened communities of impending tephra falls. The Alaska Volcano Observatory has now deployed a permanent lightning-detection network around Cook Inlet. ?? 1994.

Improved Conflict Detection for Reducing Operational Errors in Air Traffic Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paielli, Russell A.; Erzberger, Hainz

2003-01-01

An operational error is an incident in which an air traffic controller allows the separation between two aircraft to fall below the minimum separation standard. The rates of such errors in the US have increased significantly over the past few years. This paper proposes new detection methods that can help correct this trend by improving on the performance of Conflict Alert, the existing software in the Host Computer System that is intended to detect and warn controllers of imminent conflicts. In addition to the usual trajectory based on the flight plan, a "dead-reckoning" trajectory (current velocity projection) is also generated for each aircraft and checked for conflicts. Filters for reducing common types of false alerts were implemented. The new detection methods were tested in three different ways. First, a simple flightpath command language was developed t o generate precisely controlled encounters for the purpose of testing the detection software. Second, written reports and tracking data were obtained for actual operational errors that occurred in the field, and these were "replayed" to test the new detection algorithms. Finally, the detection methods were used to shadow live traffic, and performance was analysed, particularly with regard to the false-alert rate. The results indicate that the new detection methods can provide timely warnings of imminent conflicts more consistently than Conflict Alert.

Intelligent monitoring of critical pathological events during anesthesia.

PubMed

Gohil, Bhupendra; Gholamhhosseini, Hamid; Harrison, Michael J; Lowe, Andrew; Al-Jumaily, Ahmed

2007-01-01

Expert algorithms in the field of intelligent patient monitoring have rapidly revolutionized patient care thereby improving patient safety. Patient monitoring during anesthesia requires cautious attention by anesthetists who are monitoring many modalities, diagnosing clinically critical events and performing patient management tasks simultaneously. The mishaps that occur during day-to-day anesthesia causing disastrous errors in anesthesia administration were classified and studied by Reason [1]. Human errors in anesthesia account for 82% of the preventable mishaps [2]. The aim of this paper is to develop a clinically useful diagnostic alarm system for detecting critical events during anesthesia administration. The development of an expert diagnostic alarm system called ;RT-SAAM' for detecting critical pathological events in the operating theatre is presented. This system provides decision support to the anesthetist by presenting the diagnostic results on an integrative, ergonomic display and thus enhancing patient safety. The performance of the system was validated through a series of offline and real-time testing in the operation theatre. When detecting absolute hypovolaemia (AHV), moderate level of agreement was observed between RT-SAAM and the human expert (anesthetist) during surgical procedures. RT-SAAM is a clinically useful diagnostic tool which can be easily modified for diagnosing additional critical pathological events like relative hypovolaemia, fall in cardiac output, sympathetic response and malignant hyperpyrexia during surgical procedures. RT-SAAM is currently being tested at the Auckland City Hospital with ethical approval from the local ethics committees.

Fall Risk Assessment in Geriatric-Psychiatric Inpatients to Lower Events (FRAGILE).

PubMed

Nanda, Sudip; Dey, Tanujit; Gulstrand, Rudolph E; Cudnik, Daniel; Haller, Harold S

2011-02-01

The objectives of this retrospective case-control study were to identify risk factors of falls in geriatric-psychiatric inpatients and develop a screening tool to accurately predict falls. The study sample consisted of 225 geriatric-psychiatric inpatients at a Midwestern referral facility. The sample included 136 inpatients who fell and a random stratified sample of 89 inpatients who did not fall. Data collected included age, gender, activities of daily living, and nursing parameters such as bathing assistance, bed height, use of bed rails, one-on-one observation, fall warning system, Conley Scale fall risk assessment, medical diagnosis, and medications. History of falls, impaired judgment, impaired gait, dizziness, delusions, delirium, chronic use of sedative or antipsychotic agents, and anticholinergic urinary bladder medications significantly increased fall risk. Alzheimer's disease, acute use of sedative or anti-psychotic agents, and depression reduced fall risk. A falls risk tool, Fall Risk Assessment in Geriatric-psychiatric Inpatients to Lower Events (FRAGILE), was developed for assessment and risk stratification with new diagnoses or medications. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

The role of geriatric assessment tests and anthropometric measurements in identifying the risk of falls in elderly nursing home residents

PubMed Central

Yardimci, Bulent; Aran, Sinan N.; Ozkaya, Ismail; Aksoy, Sevki M.; Demir, Tarik; Tezcan, Gulsen; Kaptanoglu, Aysegul Y.

2016-01-01

Objectives: To determine the relation among the risk of falls, geriatric assessment, and anthropometric measurements, including the mini mental state examination, geriatric depression scale, handgrip test, and key pinch test. Methods: This prospective study included 89 residents hospitalized between May 2014 and September 2015 in the geriatric care unit of the Istanbul Balikli Rum Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Patients were followed-up for one year, and their falls were recorded. Medical records of the included patients were retrieved and analyzed. Results: A total of 89 patients, comprising 37 men and 52 women with an average age of 75.8 ± 8.2 years were included in the study. The residents’ annual falling averages were 1.0 ± 1.5. The most significant factors were identified to be predicted muscle mass, skeletal muscle index, whole body bioimpedance, dominant arm muscle strength, dominant arm bioimpedance, and free fat mass. Conclusions: The mini mental test, geriatric depression scale and lawton-brody scale combined with the handgrip, 6-meters walking, and bioimpedance tests are favorable for detecting the risk of falls and recurrent falls in vulnerable elderly nursing home residents. PMID:27652361

Hydrometeor Size Distribution Measurements by Imaging the Attenuation of a Laser Spot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lane, John

2013-01-01

The optical extinction of a laser due to scattering of particles is a well-known phenomenon. In a laboratory environment, this physical principle is known as the Beer-Lambert law, and is often used to measure the concentration of scattering particles in a fluid or gas. This method has been experimentally shown to be a usable means to measure the dust density from a rocket plume interaction with the lunar surface. Using the same principles and experimental arrangement, this technique can be applied to hydrometeor size distributions, and for launch-pad operations, specifically as a passive hail detection and measurement system. Calibration of a hail monitoring system is a difficult process. In the past, it has required comparison to another means of measuring hydrometeor size and density. Using a technique recently developed for estimating the density of surface dust dispersed during a rocket landing, measuring the extinction of a laser passing through hail (or dust in the rocket case) yields an estimate of the second moment of the particle cloud, and hydrometeor size distribution in the terrestrial meteorological case. With the exception of disdrometers, instruments that measure rain and hail fall make indirect measurements of the drop-size distribution. Instruments that scatter microwaves off of hydrometeors, such as the WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar 88 Doppler), vertical wind profilers, and microwave disdrometers, measure the sixth moment of the drop size distribution (DSD). By projecting a laser onto a target, changes in brightness of the laser spot against the target background during rain and hail yield a measurement of the DSD's second moment by way of the Beer-Lambert law. In order to detect the laser attenuation within the 8-bit resolution of most camera image arrays, a minimum path length is required. Depending on the intensity of the hail fall rate for moderate to heavy rainfall, a laser path length of 100 m is sufficient to measure variations in optical extinction using a digital camera. For hail fall only, the laser path may be shorter because of greater scattering due to the properties of hailstones versus raindrops. A photodetector may replace the camera in automated installations. Laser-based rain and hail measurement systems are available, but they are based on measuring the interruption of a thin laser beam, thus counting individual hydrometeors. These systems are true disdrometers since they also measure size and velocity. The method reported here is a simple method, requiring far less processing, but it is not a disdrometer.

The Clinical Relevance of Force Platform Measures in Multiple Sclerosis: A Review

PubMed Central

Prosperini, Luca; Pozzilli, Carlo

2013-01-01

Balance impairment and falls are frequent in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), and they may occur even at the earliest stage of the disease and in minimally impaired patients. The introduction of computer-based force platform measures (i.e., static and dynamic posturography) has provided an objective and sensitive tool to document both deficits and improvements in balance. By using more challenging test conditions, force platform measures can also reveal subtle balance disorders undetectable by common clinical scales. Furthermore, posturographic techniques may also allow to reliably identify PwMS who are at risk of accidental falls. Although force platform measures offer several theoretical advantages, only few studies extensively investigated their role in better managing PwMS. Standardised procedures, as well as clinical relevance of changes detected by static or dynamic posturography, are still lacking. In this review, we summarized studies which investigated balance deficit by means of force platform measures, focusing on their ability in detecting patients at high risk of falls and in estimating rehabilitation-induced changes, highlighting the pros and the cons with respect to clinical scales. PMID:23766910

Adverse Events Associated with Hospitalization or Detected through the RAI-HC Assessment among Canadian Home Care Clients

PubMed Central

Doran, Diane; Hirdes, John P.; Blais, Régis; Baker, G. Ross; Poss, Jeff W.; Li, Xiaoqiang; Dill, Donna; Gruneir, Andrea; Heckman, George; Lacroix, Hélène; Mitchell, Lori; O'Beirne, Maeve; Foebel, Andrea; White, Nancy; Qian, Gan; Nahm, Sang-Myong; Yim, Odilia; Droppo, Lisa; McIsaac, Corrine

2013-01-01

Background: The occurrence of adverse events (AEs) in care settings is a patient safety concern that has significant consequences across healthcare systems. Patient safety problems have been well documented in acute care settings; however, similar data for clients in home care (HC) settings in Canada are limited. The purpose of this Canadian study was to investigate AEs in HC, specifically those associated with hospitalization or detected through the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC). Method: A retrospective cohort design was used. The cohort consisted of HC clients from the provinces of Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Results: The overall incidence rate of AEs associated with hospitalization ranged from 6% to 9%. The incidence rate of AEs determined from the RAI-HC was 4%. Injurious falls, injuries from other than fall and medication-related events were the most frequent AEs associated with hospitalization, whereas new caregiver distress was the most frequent AE identified through the RAI-HC. Conclusion: The incidence of AEs from all sources of data ranged from 4% to 9%. More resources are needed to target strategies for addressing safety risks in HC in a broader context. Tools such as the RAI-HC and its Clinical Assessment Protocols, already available in Canada, could be very useful in the assessment and management of HC clients who are at safety risk. PMID:23968676

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Imidacloprid Within the Crown of Eastern Hemlock

PubMed Central

Turcotte, Richard M.; Lagalante, Anthony; Jones, Jonathan; Cook, Frank; Elliott, Thomas; Billings, Anthony A.

2017-01-01

Systemic imidacloprid is the most widely used insecticide to control the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), an exotic pest of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriére in the United States. This study was conducted to 1) determine the effect of treatment timing (spring vs. fall) and application method (trunk injection vs. soil injection) on the spatial and temporal distribution of imidacloprid within the crown of A. tsugae-free eastern hemlock using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), 2) compare ELISA to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the detection of imidacloprid in xylem fluid, and 3) determine the concentration of imidacloprid in leaf tissue using high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric (LC/MS/MS) detection methods. Xylem fluid concentrations of imidacloprid were found to be significantly higher for spring applications than for fall applications and for trunk injections than soil injections in the first year posttreatment. A total of 69% of samples analyzed by ELISA gave 1.8 times higher concentrations of imidacloprid than those found by GC/MS, leading to evidence of a matrix effect and overestimation of imidacloprid in xylem fluid by ELISA. A comparison of the presence of imidacloprid with xylem fluid and in leaf tissue on the same branch showed significant differences, suggesting that imidacloprid moved intermittently within the crown of eastern hemlock. PMID:28130463

A regression tree for identifying combinations of fall risk factors associated to recurrent falling: a cross-sectional elderly population-based study.

PubMed

Kabeshova, A; Annweiler, C; Fantino, B; Philip, T; Gromov, V A; Launay, C P; Beauchet, O

2014-06-01

Regression tree (RT) analyses are particularly adapted to explore the risk of recurrent falling according to various combinations of fall risk factors compared to logistic regression models. The aims of this study were (1) to determine which combinations of fall risk factors were associated with the occurrence of recurrent falls in older community-dwellers, and (2) to compare the efficacy of RT and multiple logistic regression model for the identification of recurrent falls. A total of 1,760 community-dwelling volunteers (mean age ± standard deviation, 71.0 ± 5.1 years; 49.4 % female) were recruited prospectively in this cross-sectional study. Age, gender, polypharmacy, use of psychoactive drugs, fear of falling (FOF), cognitive disorders and sad mood were recorded. In addition, the history of falls within the past year was recorded using a standardized questionnaire. Among 1,760 participants, 19.7 % (n = 346) were recurrent fallers. The RT identified 14 nodes groups and 8 end nodes with FOF as the first major split. Among participants with FOF, those who had sad mood and polypharmacy formed the end node with the greatest OR for recurrent falls (OR = 6.06 with p < 0.001). Among participants without FOF, those who were male and not sad had the lowest OR for recurrent falls (OR = 0.25 with p < 0.001). The RT correctly classified 1,356 from 1,414 non-recurrent fallers (specificity = 95.6 %), and 65 from 346 recurrent fallers (sensitivity = 18.8 %). The overall classification accuracy was 81.0 %. The multiple logistic regression correctly classified 1,372 from 1,414 non-recurrent fallers (specificity = 97.0 %), and 61 from 346 recurrent fallers (sensitivity = 17.6 %). The overall classification accuracy was 81.4 %. Our results show that RT may identify specific combinations of risk factors for recurrent falls, the combination most associated with recurrent falls involving FOF, sad mood and polypharmacy. The FOF emerged as the risk factor strongly associated with recurrent falls. In addition, RT and multiple logistic regression were not sensitive enough to identify the majority of recurrent fallers but appeared efficient in detecting individuals not at risk of recurrent falls.

A Wearable Inertial Measurement Unit for Long-Term Monitoring in the Dependency Care Area

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Martín, Daniel; Pérez-López, Carlos; Samà, Albert; Cabestany, Joan; Català, Andreu

2013-01-01

Human movement analysis is a field of wide interest since it enables the assessment of a large variety of variables related to quality of life. Human movement can be accurately evaluated through Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), which are wearable and comfortable devices with long battery life. The IMU's movement signals might be, on the one hand, stored in a digital support, in which an analysis is performed a posteriori. On the other hand, the signal analysis might take place in the same IMU at the same time as the signal acquisition through online classifiers. The new sensor system presented in this paper is designed for both collecting movement signals and analyzing them in real-time. This system is a flexible platform useful for collecting data via a triaxial accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer, with the possibility to incorporate other information sources in real-time. A μSD card can store all inertial data and a Bluetooth module is able to send information to other external devices and receive data from other sources. The system presented is being used in the real-time detection and analysis of Parkinson's disease symptoms, in gait analysis, and in a fall detection system. PMID:24145917

A wearable inertial measurement unit for long-term monitoring in the dependency care area.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Martín, Daniel; Pérez-López, Carlos; Samà, Albert; Cabestany, Joan; Català, Andreu

2013-10-18

Human movement analysis is a field of wide interest since it enables the assessment of a large variety of variables related to quality of life. Human movement can be accurately evaluated through Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), which are wearable and comfortable devices with long battery life. The IMU's movement signals might be, on the one hand, stored in a digital support, in which an analysis is performed a posteriori. On the other hand, the signal analysis might take place in the same IMU at the same time as the signal acquisition through online classifiers. The new sensor system presented in this paper is designed for both collecting movement signals and analyzing them in real-time. This system is a flexible platform useful for collecting data via a triaxial accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer, with the possibility to incorporate other information sources in real-time. A µSD card can store all inertial data and a Bluetooth module is able to send information to other external devices and receive data from other sources. The system presented is being used in the real-time detection and analysis of Parkinson's disease symptoms, in gait analysis, and in a fall detection system.

[Measurement and analysis of reflected information from crops canopy suffering from wind disaster influence].

PubMed

Bao, Yu-Long; Zhang, Ji-Quan; Liu, Xiao-Jing; Wang, Yong-Fang; Ma, Dong-Lai; Sun, Zhong-Qiu

2013-04-01

The corn in the grain filling stage fell over in the central region of Jilin province by the Typhoon Bolaven influence. In order to determine the impact of falling over corn canopy on the reflected information, the hyperspectral reflectance was detected at different viewing zenith angles, at the same time, the polarized reflection was also measured. The results from the analysis by combining the reflection and polarization from corn canopy showed that the reflection of falling over corn is low in visible, while increases in the near infrared wavelength. The reflection from falling over corn canopy was more anisotropic than stand-up corn canopy. The reflected light was highly polarized, the polarization of corn canopy provided the probability for distinguishing between falling over corn and stand-up corn. This research provides a basis for estimating the disaster area and lost units.

Healthcare Providers’ Perceptions and Self-Reported Fall Prevention Practices: Findings from a Large New York Health System

PubMed Central

Smith, Matthew Lee; Stevens, Judy A.; Ehrenreich, Heidi; Wilson, Ashley D.; Schuster, Richard J.; Cherry, Colleen O’Brien; Ory, Marcia G.

2015-01-01

Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths and emergency department visits, and the incidence of falls in the United States is rising as the number of older Americans increases. Research has shown that falls can be reduced by modifying fall-risk factors using multifactorial interventions implemented in clinical settings. However, the literature indicates that many providers feel that they do not know how to conduct fall-risk assessments or do not have adequate knowledge about fall prevention. To help healthcare providers incorporate older adult fall prevention (i.e., falls risk assessment and treatment) into their clinical practice, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Injury Center has developed the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) tool kit. This study was conducted to identify the practice characteristics and providers’ beliefs, knowledge, and fall-related activities before they received training on how to use the STEADI tool kit. Data were collected as part of a larger State Fall Prevention Project funded by CDC’s Injury Center. Completed questionnaires were returned by 38 medical providers from 11 healthcare practices within a large New York health system. Healthcare providers ranked falls as the lowest priority of five conditions, after diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and musculoskeletal conditions. Less than 40% of the providers asked most or all of their older patients if they had fallen during the past 12 months. Less than a quarter referred their older patients to physical therapists for balance or gait training, and <20% referred older patients to community-based fall prevention programs. Less than 16% reported they conducted standardized functional assessments with their older patients at least once a year. These results suggest that implementing the STEADI tool kit in clinical settings could address knowledge gaps and provide the necessary tools to help providers incorporate fall-risk assessment and treatment into clinical practice. PMID:25964942

Evaluation of an inpatient fall risk screening tool to identify the most critical fall risk factors in inpatients.

PubMed

Hou, Wen-Hsuan; Kang, Chun-Mei; Ho, Mu-Hsing; Kuo, Jessie Ming-Chuan; Chen, Hsiao-Lien; Chang, Wen-Yin

2017-03-01

To evaluate the accuracy of the inpatient fall risk screening tool and to identify the most critical fall risk factors in inpatients. Variations exist in several screening tools applied in acute care hospitals for examining risk factors for falls and identifying high-risk inpatients. Secondary data analysis. A subset of inpatient data for the period from June 2011-June 2014 was extracted from the nursing information system and adverse event reporting system of an 818-bed teaching medical centre in Taipei. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and logistic regression analysis. During the study period, 205 fallers and 37,232 nonfallers were identified. The results revealed that the inpatient fall risk screening tool (cut-off point of ≥3) had a low sensitivity level (60%), satisfactory specificity (87%), a positive predictive value of 2·0% and a negative predictive value of 99%. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0·805 (sensitivity, 71·8%; specificity, 78%). To increase the sensitivity values, the Youden index suggests at least 1·5 points to be the most suitable cut-off point for the inpatient fall risk screening tool. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a considerably increased fall risk in patients with impaired balance and impaired elimination. The fall risk factor was also significantly associated with days of hospital stay and with admission to surgical wards. The findings can raise awareness about the two most critical risk factors for falls among future clinical nurses and other healthcare professionals and thus facilitate the development of fall prevention interventions. This study highlights the needs for redefining the cut-off points of the inpatient fall risk screening tool to effectively identify inpatients at a high risk of falls. Furthermore, inpatients with impaired balance and impaired elimination should be closely monitored by nurses to prevent falling during hospitalisations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Intelligent transportation system (ITS) study for the Buffalo and Niagara Falls metropolitan area, Erie and Niagara Counties, New York : transportation systems and deficiencies, working paper #1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-06-18

This document has been prepared as part of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Buffalo and Niagara Falls Intelligent Transportation Systems Study. The primary objective of this working paper is to define and document transportati...

Status of the Desert Fireball Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devillepoix, H. A. R.; Bland, P. A.; Towner, M. C.; Cupák, M.; Sansom, E. K.; Jansen-Sturgeon, T.; Howie, R. M.; Paxman, J.; Hartig, B. A. D.

2016-01-01

A meteorite fall precisely observed from multiple locations allows us to track the object back to the region of the Solar System it came from, and sometimes link it with a parent body, providing context information that helps trace the history of the Solar System. The Desert Fireball Network (DFN) is built in arid areas of Australia: its observatories get favorable observing conditions, and meteorite recovery is eased thanks to the mostly featureless terrain. After the successful recovery of two meteorites with 4 film cameras, the DFN has now switched to a digital network, operating 51 cameras, covering 2.5 million km2 of double station triangulable area. Mostly made of off-the-shelf components, the new observatories are cost effective while maintaining high imaging performance. To process the data (~70TB/month), a significant effort has been put to writing an automated reduction pipeline so that all events are reduced with little human intervention. Innovative techniques have been implemented for this purpose: machine learning algorithms for event detection, blind astrometric calibration, and particle filter simulations to estimate both physical properties and state vector of the meteoroid. On 31 December 2015, the first meteorite from the digital systems was recovered: Murrili (the 1.68 kg H5 ordinary chondrite was observed to fall on 27 November 2015). Another 11 events have been flagged as potential meteorites droppers, and are to be searched in the coming months.

Compensated gadolinium-loaded plastic scintillators for thermal neutron detection (and counting)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dumazert, Jonathan; Coulon, Romain; Bertrand, Guillaume H. V.

2015-07-01

Plastic scintillator loading with gadolinium-rich organometallic complexes shows a high potential for the deployment of efficient and cost-effective neutron detectors. Due to the low-energy photon and electron signature of thermal neutron capture by gadolinium-155 and gadolinium-157, alternative treatment to Pulse Shape Discrimination has to be proposed in order to display a trustable count rate. This paper discloses the principle of a compensation method applied to a two-scintillator system: a detection scintillator interacts with photon radiation and is loaded with gadolinium organometallic compound to become a thermal neutron absorber, while a non-gadolinium loaded compensation scintillator solely interacts with the photon partmore » of the incident radiation. Posterior to the nonlinear smoothing of the counting signals, a hypothesis test determines whether the resulting count rate after photon response compensation falls into statistical fluctuations or provides a robust image of a neutron activity. A laboratory prototype is tested under both photon and neutron irradiations, allowing us to investigate the performance of the overall compensation system in terms of neutron detection, especially with regards to a commercial helium-3 counter. The study reveals satisfactory results in terms of sensitivity and orientates future investigation toward promising axes. (authors)« less

Acoustics and hydrodynamics of a drop impact on a water surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chashechkin, Yu. D.; Prokhorov, V. E.

2017-01-01

Hydrodynamic and acoustic processes associated with a drop impact on a water surface were studied experimentally. Acoustic signals were detected underwater (with a hydrophone) and in air (with a microphone), the flow pattern was recorded with a high-speed camera, and the surface perturbation was monitored with a laser detector. The dimensionless parameters of flows (Reynolds, Froude, and Weber numbers) induced by the impact varied with fall height within the ranges of 5000 < Re < 20000, 20 < Fr < 350, and 70 < We < 1000. The sequence of acoustic signals incorporated an impact pulse at the moment of contact between a drop and the surface and a series of acoustic packets attributable to the resonance emission of gas cavities. The top of the impact pulse, which was detected clearly in the entire fall height range, had a complex structure with short high-frequency and longer low-frequency oscillations. The total number and the parameters of emitted acoustic packets depended to a considerable extent on the fall height. The cases of lacking, one-time, and repeated emission of packets were noted in a series of experiments performed at a constant fall height. The analysis of video data showed that the signal variability was induced by considerable differences in the scenarios of water entry of a drop, which assumed an ovoid shape at the end trajectory segment, in the mentioned experiments.

Analysis of Choice Stepping with Visual Interference Can Detect Prolonged Postural Preparation in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment at High Risk of Falling.

PubMed

Uemura, Kazuki; Hasegawa, Takashi; Tougou, Hiroki; Shuhei, Takahashi; Uchiyama, Yasushi

2015-01-01

We aimed to clarify postural control deficits in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at high risk of falling by addressing the inhibitory process. This study involved 376 community-dwelling older adults with MCI. Participants were instructed to execute forward stepping on the side indicated by the central arrow while ignoring the 2 flanking arrows on each side (→→→→→, congruent, or →→←→→, incongruent). Initial weight transfer direction errors [anticipatory postural adjustment (APA) errors], step execution times, and divided phases (reaction, APA, and swing phases) were measured from vertical force data. Participants were categorized as fallers (n = 37) and non-fallers (n = 339) based on fall experiences in the last 12 months. There were no differences in the step execution times, swing phases, step error rates, and APA error rates between groups, but fallers had a significantly longer APA phase relative to non-fallers in trials of the incongruent condition with APA errors (p = 0.005). Fallers also had a longer reaction phase in trials with the correct APA, regardless of the condition (p = 0.01). Analyses of choice stepping with visual interference can detect prolonged postural preparation as a specific falling-associated deficit in older adults with MCI. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) Demonstrates Higher Accuracy in Identifying Older Adult Participants With History of Falls Than Do the BESTest, Berg Balance Scale, or Timed Up and Go Test.

PubMed

Yingyongyudha, Anyamanee; Saengsirisuwan, Vitoon; Panichaporn, Wanvisa; Boonsinsukh, Rumpa

2016-01-01

Balance deficits a significant predictor of falls in older adults. The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) and the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) are tools that may predict the likelihood of a fall, but their capabilities and accuracies have not been adequately addressed. Therefore, this study aimed at examining the capabilities of the BESTest and Mini-BESTest for identifying older adult with history of falls and comparing the participants with history of falls identification accuracy of the BESTest, Mini-BESTest, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) for identifying participants with a history of falls. Two hundred healthy older adults with a mean age of 70 years were classified into participants with and without history of fall groups on the basis of their 12-month fall history. Their balance abilities were assessed using the BESTest, Mini-BESTest, BBS, and TUG. An analysis of the resulting receiver operating characteristic curves was performed to calculate the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, cutoff score, and posttest accuracy of each. The Mini-BESTest showed the highest AUC (0.84) compared with the BESTest (0.74), BBS (0.69), and TUG (0.35), suggesting that the Mini-BESTest had the highest accuracy in identifying older adult with history of falls. At the cutoff score of 16 (out of 28), the Mini-BESTest demonstrated a posttest accuracy of 85% with a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 75%. The Mini-BESTest had the highest posttest accuracy, with the others having results of 76% (BESTest), 60% (BBS), and 65% (TUG). The Mini-BESTest is the most accurate tool for identifying older adult with history of falls compared with the BESTest, BBS, and TUG.

Ice fall streaks in a warm front . An S-band polarimetric radar study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keppas, Stavros; Crosier, Jonathan; Choularton, Thomas; Bower, Keith

2017-04-01

On 21st January 2009, a maturing low pressure system approached the UK along with several associated systems. An observational research flight (part of the APPRAISE-Clouds project) took place in southern England, sampling the leading warm front of this system. During the flight, the Warm Conveyor Belt (WCB) was well depicted by the radar Doppler velocity parameter. Simultaneously, extensive ice fall streaks appeared on ZDR RHI scans as long slanted zones of high ZDR. It seems that there is a connection between the WCB activity and the formation and structure of the ice fall streaks. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability caused by the WCB played a key role on their formation. Moreover, in-situ measurements showed that the ice fall streaks had a very specific substance and they can affect the surface precipitation.

Mitigating fall risk: A community fall reduction program.

PubMed

Reinoso, Humberto; McCaffrey, Ruth G; Taylor, David W M

One fourth of all American's over 65 years of age fall each year. Falls are a common and often devastating event that can pose a serious health risk for older adults. Healthcare providers are often unable to spend the time required to assist older adults with fall risk issues. Without a team approach to fall prevention the system remains focused on fragmented levels of health promotion and risk prevention. The specific aim of this project was to engage older adults from the community in a fall risk assessment program, using the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) program, and provide feedback on individual participants' risks that participants could share with their primary care physician. Older adults who attended the risk screening were taking medications that are known to increase falls. They mentioned that their health care providers do not screen for falls and appreciated a community based screening. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validity and sensitivity to change of the falls efficacy scales international to assess fear of falling in older adults with and without cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Hauer, Klaus A; Kempen, Gertrudis I J M; Schwenk, Michael; Yardley, Lucy; Beyer, Nina; Todd, Chris; Oster, Peter; Zijlstra, G A Rixt

2011-01-01

Measures of fear of falling have not yet been validated in patients with dementia, leaving a methodological gap that limits research in a population at high risk of falling and fall-related consequences. The objectives of this study are to determine: (1) the validity of the 7-item Short Falls Efficacy Scale International (Short FES-I) in geriatric patients with and without cognitive impairment, and (2) the sensitivity to change of the 10-item Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), the 16-item FES-I and the 7-item Short FES-I in geriatric patients with dementia. Cross-sectional data of community-dwelling older adults and geriatric rehabilitation patients (n = 284) collected during face-to-face interviews were used to determine construct and discriminant validity by testing for differences within variables related to fear of falling. Sensitivity to change was studied in an intervention study including patients with mild to moderate dementia (n = 130) as determined by standard response means (SRMs). The Short FES-I showed excellent construct and discriminant validity in the total group and subsamples according to cognitive status. Sensitivity to change was adequate to good in the FES (range SRM: 0.18-0.77) and FES-I (range SRM: 0.21-0.74), with the Short FES-I showing the highest peak sensitivity to change (range SRM: 0.18-0.91). The Short FES-I is a valid measure to assess fear of falling in frail older adults with and without cognitive impairment, yet it may show floor effects in higher functioning older people. All scales, including the Short FES-I, were sensitive to detecting intervention-induced changes in concerns about falling in geriatric patients with dementia. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Action seniors! - secondary falls prevention in community-dwelling senior fallers: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Liu-Ambrose, Teresa; Davis, Jennifer C; Hsu, Chun Liang; Gomez, Caitlin; Vertes, Kelly; Marra, Carlo; Brasher, Penelope M; Dao, Elizabeth; Khan, Karim M; Cook, Wendy; Donaldson, Meghan G; Rhodes, Ryan; Dian, Larry

2015-04-10

Falls are a 'geriatric giant' and are the third leading cause of chronic disability worldwide. About 30% of community-dwellers over the age of 65 experience one or more falls every year leading to significant risk for hospitalization, institutionalization, and even death. As the proportion of older adults increases, falls will place an increasing demand and cost on the health care system. Exercise can effectively and efficiently reduce falls. Specifically, the Otago Exercise Program has demonstrated benefit and cost-effectiveness for the primary prevention of falls in four randomized trials of community-dwelling seniors. Although evidence is mounting, few studies have evaluated exercise for secondary falls prevention (that is, preventing falls among those with a significant history of falls). Hence, we propose a randomized controlled trial powered for falls that will, for the first time, assess the efficacy and efficiency of the Otago Exercise Program for secondary falls prevention. A randomized controlled trial among 344 community-dwelling seniors aged 70 years and older who attend a falls prevention clinic to assess the efficacy and the cost-effectiveness of a 12-month Otago Exercise Program intervention as a secondary falls prevention strategy. Participants randomized to the control group will continue to behave as they did prior to study enrolment. The economic evaluation will examine the incremental costs and benefits generated by using the Otago Exercise Program intervention versus the control. The burden of falls is significant. The challenge is to make a difference - to discover effective, ideally cost-effective, interventions that prevent injurious falls that can be readily translated to the population. Our proposal is very practical - the exercise program requires minimal equipment, the physical therapist expertise is widely available, and seniors in Canada and elsewhere have adopted the program and complied with it. Our innovation includes applying the intervention to a targeted high-risk population, aiming to provide the best value for money. Given society's limited financial resources and the known and increasing burden of falls, there is an urgent need to test this feasible intervention which would be eminently ready for roll out. ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration System: NCT01029171; registered 7 December 2009.

Influence of whitebark pine decline on fall habitat use and movements of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Costello, Cecily M.; van Manen, Frank T.; Haroldson, Mark A.; Ebinger, Michael R.; Cain, Steven L.; Gunther, Kerry A.; Bjornlie, Daniel D.

2014-01-01

When abundant, seeds of the high-elevation whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis) are an important fall food for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Rates of bear mortality and bear/human conflicts have been inversely associated with WBP productivity. Recently, mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) have killed many cone-producing WBP trees. We used fall (15 August–30 September) Global Positioning System locations from 89 bear years to investigate temporal changes in habitat use and movements during 2000–2011. We calculated Manly–Chesson (MC) indices for selectivity of WBP habitat and secure habitat (≥500 m from roads and human developments), determined dates of WBP use, and documented net daily movement distances and activity radii. To evaluate temporal trends, we used regression, model selection, and candidate model sets consisting of annual WBP production, sex, and year. One-third of sampled grizzly bears had fall ranges with little or no mapped WBP habitat. Most other bears (72%) had a MC index above 0.5, indicating selection for WBP habitats. From 2000 to 2011, mean MC index decreased and median date of WBP use shifted about 1 week later. We detected no trends in movement indices over time. Outside of national parks, there was no correlation between the MC indices for WBP habitat and secure habitat, and most bears (78%) selected for secure habitat. Nonetheless, mean MC index for secure habitat decreased over the study period during years of good WBP productivity. The wide diet breadth and foraging plasticity of grizzly bears likely allowed them to adjust to declining WBP. Bears reduced use of WBP stands without increasing movement rates, suggesting they obtained alternative fall foods within their local surroundings. However, the reduction in mortality risk historically associated with use of secure, high-elevation WBP habitat may be diminishing for bears residing in multiple-use areas.

Influence of whitebark pine decline on fall habitat use and movements of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

PubMed Central

Costello, Cecily M; van Manen, Frank T; Haroldson, Mark A; Ebinger, Michael R; Cain, Steven L; Gunther, Kerry A; Bjornlie, Daniel D

2014-01-01

When abundant, seeds of the high-elevation whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis) are an important fall food for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Rates of bear mortality and bear/human conflicts have been inversely associated with WBP productivity. Recently, mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) have killed many cone-producing WBP trees. We used fall (15 August–30 September) Global Positioning System locations from 89 bear years to investigate temporal changes in habitat use and movements during 2000–2011. We calculated Manly–Chesson (MC) indices for selectivity of WBP habitat and secure habitat (≥500 m from roads and human developments), determined dates of WBP use, and documented net daily movement distances and activity radii. To evaluate temporal trends, we used regression, model selection, and candidate model sets consisting of annual WBP production, sex, and year. One-third of sampled grizzly bears had fall ranges with little or no mapped WBP habitat. Most other bears (72%) had a MC index above 0.5, indicating selection for WBP habitats. From 2000 to 2011, mean MC index decreased and median date of WBP use shifted about 1 week later. We detected no trends in movement indices over time. Outside of national parks, there was no correlation between the MC indices for WBP habitat and secure habitat, and most bears (78%) selected for secure habitat. Nonetheless, mean MC index for secure habitat decreased over the study period during years of good WBP productivity. The wide diet breadth and foraging plasticity of grizzly bears likely allowed them to adjust to declining WBP. Bears reduced use of WBP stands without increasing movement rates, suggesting they obtained alternative fall foods within their local surroundings. However, the reduction in mortality risk historically associated with use of secure, high-elevation WBP habitat may be diminishing for bears residing in multiple-use areas. PMID:24963393

Influence of whitebark pine decline on fall habitat use and movements of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

PubMed

Costello, Cecily M; van Manen, Frank T; Haroldson, Mark A; Ebinger, Michael R; Cain, Steven L; Gunther, Kerry A; Bjornlie, Daniel D

2014-05-01

When abundant, seeds of the high-elevation whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis) are an important fall food for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Rates of bear mortality and bear/human conflicts have been inversely associated with WBP productivity. Recently, mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae) have killed many cone-producing WBP trees. We used fall (15 August-30 September) Global Positioning System locations from 89 bear years to investigate temporal changes in habitat use and movements during 2000-2011. We calculated Manly-Chesson (MC) indices for selectivity of WBP habitat and secure habitat (≥500 m from roads and human developments), determined dates of WBP use, and documented net daily movement distances and activity radii. To evaluate temporal trends, we used regression, model selection, and candidate model sets consisting of annual WBP production, sex, and year. One-third of sampled grizzly bears had fall ranges with little or no mapped WBP habitat. Most other bears (72%) had a MC index above 0.5, indicating selection for WBP habitats. From 2000 to 2011, mean MC index decreased and median date of WBP use shifted about 1 week later. We detected no trends in movement indices over time. Outside of national parks, there was no correlation between the MC indices for WBP habitat and secure habitat, and most bears (78%) selected for secure habitat. Nonetheless, mean MC index for secure habitat decreased over the study period during years of good WBP productivity. The wide diet breadth and foraging plasticity of grizzly bears likely allowed them to adjust to declining WBP. Bears reduced use of WBP stands without increasing movement rates, suggesting they obtained alternative fall foods within their local surroundings. However, the reduction in mortality risk historically associated with use of secure, high-elevation WBP habitat may be diminishing for bears residing in multiple-use areas.

Using a Medical Intranet of Things System to Prevent Bed Falls in an Acute Care Hospital: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Balaguera, Henri U; Wise, Diana; Ng, Chun Yin; Tso, Han-Wen; Chiang, Wan-Lin; Hutchinson, Aimee M; Galvin, Tracy; Hilborne, Lee; Hoffman, Cathy; Huang, Chi-Cheng; Wang, C Jason

2017-05-04

Hospitalized patients in the United States experience falls at a rate of 2.6 to 17.1 per 1000 patient-days, with the majority occurring when a patient is moving to, from, and around the bed. Each fall with injury costs an average of US $14,000. The aim was to conduct a technology evaluation, including feasibility, usability, and user experience, of a medical sensor-based Intranet of things (IoT) system in facilitating nursing response to bed exits in an acute care hospital. Patients 18 years and older with a Morse fall score of 45 or greater were recruited from a 35-bed medical-surgical ward in a 317-bed Massachusetts teaching hospital. Eligible patients were recruited between August 4, 2015 and July 31, 2016. Participants received a sensor pad placed between the top of their mattress and bed sheet. The sensor pad was positioned to monitor movement from patients' shoulders to their thighs. The SensableCare System was evaluated for monitoring patient movement and delivering timely alerts to nursing staff via mobile devices when there appeared to be a bed-exit attempt. Sensor pad data were collected automatically from the system. The primary outcomes included number of falls, time to turn off bed-exit alerts, and the number of attempted bed-exit events. Data on patient falls were collected by clinical research assistants and confirmed with the unit nurse manager. Explanatory variables included room locations (zones 1-3), day of the week, nursing shift, and Morse Fall Scale (ie, positive fall history, positive secondary diagnosis, positive ambulatory aid, weak impaired gait/transfer, positive IV/saline lock, mentally forgets limitations). We also assessed user experience via nurse focus groups. Qualitative data regarding staff interactions with the system were collected during two focus groups with 25 total nurses, each lasting approximately 1.5 hours. A total of 91 patients used the system for 234.0 patient-days and experienced no bed falls during the study period. On average, patients were assisted/returned to bed 46 seconds after the alert system was triggered. Response times were longer during the overnight nursing shift versus day shift (P=.005), but were independent of the patient's location on the unit. Focus groups revealed that nurses found the system integrated well into the clinical nursing workflow and the alerts were helpful in patient monitoring. A medical IoT system can be integrated into the existing nursing workflow and may reduce patient bed fall risk in acute care hospitals, a high priority but an elusive patient safety challenge. By using an alerting system that sends notifications directly to nurses' mobile devices, nurses can equally respond to unassisted bed-exit attempts wherever patients are located on the ward. Further study, including a fully powered randomized controlled trial, is needed to assess effectiveness across hospital settings. ©Henri U Balaguera, Diana Wise, Chun Yin Ng, Han-Wen Tso, Wan-Lin Chiang, Aimee M Hutchinson, Tracy Galvin, Lee Hilborne, Cathy Hoffman, Chi-Cheng Huang, C Jason Wang. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 04.05.2017.

Accidental Falls Among Geriatric Patients: Can More Be Prevented?

PubMed Central

Johnson, Edwin T.

1985-01-01

The potential for accidental falls among geriatric patients is of mounting concern. Two hundred forty-one accidental falls over a 12-month period at the VA Medical Center were analyzed retrospectively and the literature reviewed in order to highlight factors that have bearing on the incidence and severity of falls. If a patient's potential for falling could be identified through a grading system based on these premonitory features, preventive measures might be more clearly focused where needed to reduce this frequent hazard in our hospital population. PMID:4046062

Seasonal Synechococcus and Thaumarchaeal population dynamics examined with high resolution with remote in situ instrumentation

PubMed Central

Robidart, Julie C; Preston, Christina M; Paerl, Ryan W; Turk, Kendra A; Mosier, Annika C; Francis, Christopher A; Scholin, Christopher A; Zehr, Jonathan P

2012-01-01

Monterey Bay, CA is an Eastern boundary upwelling system that is nitrogen limited much of the year. In order to resolve population dynamics of microorganisms important for nutrient cycling in this region, we deployed the Environmental Sample Processor with quantitative PCR assays targeting both ribosomal RNA genes and functional genes for subclades of cyanobacteria (Synechococcus) and ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (Thaumarchaeota) populations. Results showed a strong correlation between Thaumarchaea abundances and nitrate during the spring upwelling but not the fall sampling period. In relatively stratified fall waters, the Thaumarchaeota community reached higher numbers than in the spring, and an unexpected positive correlation with chlorophyll concentration was observed. Further, we detected drops in Synechococcus abundance that occurred on short (that is, daily) time scales. Upwelling intensity and blooms of eukaryotic phytoplankton strongly influenced Synechococcus distributions in the spring and fall, revealing what appear to be the environmental limitations of Synechococcus populations in this region. Each of these findings has implications for Monterey Bay biogeochemistry. High-resolution sampling provides a better-resolved framework within which to observe changes in the plankton community. We conclude that controls on these ecosystems change on smaller scales than are routinely assessed, and that more predictable trends will be uncovered if they are evaluated within seasonal (monthly), rather than on annual or interannual scales. PMID:21975596

Occurrence and molecular detection of Spiroplasma citri in carrots and Circulifer tenellus in Mexico

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In the fall of 2014, carrot plants in Zacatecas, Mexico, were found with yellow, brown (chlorotic), and/or purple-colored leaves, small and/or rolled leaves, and hairy, deformed, and/or small roots. Molecular diagnostics of these symptomatic plants failed to detect phytoplasmas in these samples, bu...

Radioisotope studies of the farmville meteorite using γγ-coincidence spectrometry.

PubMed

Howard, Chris; Ferm, Megan; Cesaratto, John; Daigle, Stephen; Iliadis, Christian

2014-12-01

Radionuclides are cosmogenically produced in meteorites before they fall to the surface of the Earth. Measurement of the radioactive decay of such nuclides provides a wealth of information on the irradiation conditions of the meteorite fragment, the intensity of cosmic rays in the inner solar system, and the magnetic activity of the Sun. We report here on the detection of (26)Al using a sophisticated spectrometer consisting of a HPGe detector and a NaI(Tl) annulus. It is shown that modern γ-ray spectrometers represent an interesting alternative to other detection techniques. Data are obtained for a fragment of the Farmville meteorite and compared to results from Geant4 simulations. In particular, we report on optimizing the detection sensitivity by using suitable coincidence gates for deposited energy and event multiplicity. We measured an (26)Al activity of 48.5±3.5dpm/kg for the Farmville meteorite, in agreement with previously reported values for other H chondrites. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-impact falls: demands on a system of trauma management, prediction of outcome, and influence of comorbidities.

PubMed

Kennedy, R L; Grant, P T; Blackwell, D

2001-10-01

Falls from a low height are an extremely common source of injury, the severity of which is often underestimated. As a result, low fall patients are usually not transferred to Level I trauma centers. There are surprisingly few systematic data relating to the demands made on systems of trauma care by patients with low falls. This study addresses this issue using information from a comprehensive national trauma database. The performance of TRISS methodology, and the factors associated with prolonged hospital stay, in low fall patients is also examined. The study included 31,419 patients. Patients with low falls (< 2 m) were compared with those suffering high falls (> or = 2 m), motor vehicle crashes, assault, sports injuries, and a group with unclassified injuries. Probability of survival was estimated using TRISS, and its performance in different types of injury was assessed using measures of discrimination and calibration. The influence of coexistent medical conditions on mortality and length of stay was investigated using logistic regression. Low falls accounted for 45.5% of all admissions, and 43.9% of the total bed days. The low fall group was older (mean age, 61.6 years), and predominantly female (62.5%) in contrast to the other groups (both p < 0.001). There were fewer severely injured patients than in all of the other groups except sports injuries. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for TRISS applied to low falls (0.874) was less than that for high falls (0.969), motor vehicle crashes (0.973), assaults (0.960), sports (1.000), and unclassified injuries (0.965). Also, the calibration of the TRISS model was poor for patients with low falls. A logistic regression model derived from a training set of 5,000 patients gave slightly improved discrimination and markedly improved calibration when compared with TRISS. Although there was a strong relationship between the number of coexistent medical conditions and the risk of dying after a low fall, including data on comorbidities in a predictive model did not improve performance. Prolonged stay (defined as greater than the 90th centile, 23 days) was more likely in women (p < 0.005), or with advanced age (p < 0.001) or low initial calculated probability of survival (p < 0.001). Cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases and diabetes were associated with longer hospital stay (all p < 0.001). A logistic regression model using TRISS variables and comorbidity data gave poor prediction of prolonged stay. There was considerable variation in the length of stay between institutions. Patients with low falls make considerable demands on a system of trauma care. TRISS methodology performs less well in this group than with other types of injury. Chronic medical conditions are associated with increased mortality and more prolonged stay after a low fall. Between-institutional variation in length of stay was considerable and this, along with the poor performance of predictive models derived from routinely collected clinical data, make it unlikely that length of stay could be used as a measure of institutional performance. More robust audit measures for patients with low falls are required.

Washington Community Colleges Fall Quarter Report, 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Story, Sherie; And Others

This three-part report presents a series of 46 tables providing data about enrollments, student characteristics, and personnel in the Washington community college system for Fall Quarter 1980. After a summary of the statistical highlights of the study, Chapter I offers historical data on Fall Quarter, full-time equivalent (FTE) and student…

Incidence and characteristics of accidental falls in hospitalizations

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, Kazuyoshi; Imagama, Shiro; Inagaki, Yuko; Suzuki, Yusuke; Ando, Kei; Nishida, Yoshihiro; Nagao, Yoshimasa; Ishiguro, Naoki

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Aging of the patient population has led to increased occurrence of accidental falls in acute care settings. The aim of this study is to survey the annual occurrence of falls in a university hospital, and to examine procedures to prevent fall. A total of 49,059 inpatients were admitted to our hospital from April 2015 to March 2016. A fall assessment scale was developed to estimate the risk of fall at admission. Data on falls were obtained from the hospital incident reporting system. There were fall-related incidents in 826 patients (1.7%). Most falls occurred in hospital rooms (67%). Adverse events occurred in 101 patients who fell (12%) and were significantly more frequent in patients aged ≥80 years old and in those wearing slippers. The incidence of falls was also significantly higher in patients in the highest risk group. These results support the validity of the risk assessment scale for predicting accidental falls in an acute treatment setting. The findings also clarify the demographic and environmental factors and consequences associated with fall. These results of the study could provide important information for designing effective interventions to prevent fall in elderly patients. PMID:28878434

Energy and information near black hole horizons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Freivogel, Ben, E-mail: benfreivogel@gmail.com

2014-07-01

The central challenge in trying to resolve the firewall paradox is to identify excitations in the near-horizon zone of a black hole that can carry information without injuring a freely falling observer. By analyzing the problem from the point of view of a freely falling observer, I arrive at a simple proposal for the degrees of freedom that carry information out of the black hole. An infalling observer experiences the information-carrying modes as ingoing, negative energy excitations of the quantum fields. In these states, freely falling observers who fall in from infinity do not encounter a firewall, but freely fallingmore » observers who begin their free fall from a location close to the horizon are ''frozen'' by a flux of negative energy. When the black hole is ''mined,'' the number of information-carrying modes increases, increasing the negative energy flux in the infalling frame without violating the equivalence principle. Finally, I point out a loophole in recent arguments that an infalling observer must detect a violation of unitarity, effective field theory, or free infall.« less

Path tortuosity in everyday movements of elderly persons increases fall prediction beyond knowledge of fall history, medication use, and standardized gait and balance assessments.

PubMed

Kearns, William D; Fozard, James L; Becker, Marion; Jasiewicz, Jan M; Craighead, Jeffrey D; Holtsclaw, Lori; Dion, Charles

2012-09-01

We hypothesized that variability in voluntary movement paths of assisted living facility (ALF) residents would be greater in the week preceding a fall compared with residents who did not fall. Prospective, observational study using telesurveillance technology. Two ALFs. The sample consisted of 69 older ALF residents (53 female) aged 76.9 (SD ± 11.9 years). Daytime movement in ALF common use areas was automatically tracked using a commercially available ultra-wideband radio real-time location sensor network with a spatial resolution of approximately 20 cm. Movement path variability (tortuosity) was gauged using fractal dimension (fractal D). A logistic regression was performed predicting movement related falls from fractal D, presence of a fall in the prior year, psychoactive medication use, and movement path length. Fallers and non-fallers were also compared on activities of daily living requiring supervision or assistance, performance on standardized static and dynamic balance, and stride velocity assessments gathered at the start of a 1-year fall observation period. Fall risk due to cognitive deficit was assessed by the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), and by clinical dementia diagnoses from participant's activities of daily living health record. Logistic regression analysis revealed odds of falling increased 2.548 (P = .021) for every 0.1 increase in fractal D, and having a fall in the prior year increased odds of falling by 7.36 (P = .006). There was a trend for longer movement paths to reduce the odds of falling (OR .976 P = .08) but it was not significant. Number of psychoactive medications did not contribute significantly to fall prediction in the model. Fallers had more variable stride-to-stride velocities and required more activities of daily living assistance. High fractal D levels can be detected using commercially available telesurveillance technologies and offers a new tool for health services administrators seeking to reduce falls at their facilities. Copyright © 2012 American Medical Directors Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reliability and fall experience discrimination of Cross Step Moving on Four Spots Test in the elderly.

PubMed

Yamaji, Shunsuke; Demura, Shinichi

2013-07-01

To examine the reliability and fall experience discrimination of the Cross Step Moving on Four Spots Test (CSFT) and the relationship between CSFT and fall-related physical function. The reliability of the CSFT was examined in a test-retest format with the same tester. Fall history, fall risk, fear of falling, activities of daily living (ADL), and various physical parameters were measured for all participants. A community center and university medical school. Elderly community-dwelling subjects (N=533; 62 men, 471 women) aged 65 to 94 years living independently. Not applicable. Time to complete all the CSFT steps required, fall risk score, ADL score, and fall-related physical function (isometric muscle strength: toe grip, plantar flexion, knee extension, hip flexion, hand grip; balance: 1-leg standing time with eyes open, functional reach test using an elastic stick; and gait: 10-m maximal walking speed). The trial-to-trial reliability test indicated good reliability of the CSFT in both sexes (intraclass correlation coefficient =.833 in men, .825 in women). However, trial-to-trial errors increased with an increase in the CSFT values in both sexes. Significant correlations were observed between the CSFT values and scores for most fall-related physical function tests in both sexes. However, the correlation coefficient for all significant correlations was <0.5. Two-way analysis of variance (sex × fall experience) revealed that the fall experience is a significant factor affecting CSFT values; values in fallers were significantly lower than those in nonfallers. The odds ratios in logistic regression analysis were significant in both sexes (men, 1.35; women, 1.48). As determined by the Youden index, the optimal cutoff value for identifying fall experience was 7.32 seconds, with an area under the curve of .676. The CSFT can detect fall experience and is useful in the evaluation of different fall-related physical functions including muscle strength, balance, and mobility. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Real time sound analysis for medical remote monitoring.

PubMed

Istrate, Dan; Binet, Morgan; Cheng, Sreng

2008-01-01

The increase of aging population in Europe involves more people living alone at home with an increased risk of home accidents or falls. In order to prevent or detect a distress situation in the case of an elderly people living alone, a remote monitoring system based on the sound environment analysis can be used. We have already proposed a system which monitors the sound environment, identifies everyday life sounds and distress expressions in order to participate to an alarm decision. This first system uses a classical sound card on a PC or embedded PC allowing only one channel monitor. In this paper, we propose a new architecture of the remote monitoring system, which relies on a real time multichannel implementation based on an USB acquisition card. This structure allows monitoring eight channels in order to cover all the rooms of an apartment. More than that, the SNR estimation leads currently to the adaptation of the recognition models to environment.

Interrater and test-retest reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the BESTest and mini-BESTest in people with increased risk of falling.

PubMed

Hamre, Charlotta; Botolfsen, Pernille; Tangen, Gro Gujord; Helbostad, Jorunn L

2017-04-20

The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) was developed to assess underlying systems for balance control in order to be able to individually tailor rehabilitation interventions to people with balance disorders. A short form, the Mini-BESTest, was developed as a screening test. The study aimed to assess interrater and test-retest reliability of the Norwegian version of the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest in community-dwelling people with increased risk of falling and to assess concurrent validity with the Fall Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and it was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. Forty-two persons with increased risk of falling (elderly over 65 years of age, persons with a history of stroke or Multiple Sclerosis) were assessed twice by two raters. Relative reliability was analysed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), and absolute reliability with standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Concurrent validity was assessed against the FES-I using Spearman's rho. The BESTest showed very good interrater reliability (ICC = 0.98, SEM = 1.79, SDC 95  = 5.0) and test-retest reliability (rater A/rater B = ICC = 0.89/0.89, SEM = 3.9/4.3, SDC 95  = 10.8/11.8). The Mini-BESTest also showed very good interrater reliability (ICC = 0.95, SEM = 1.19, SDC 95  = 3.3) and test-retest reliability (rater A/rater B = ICC = 0.85/0.84, SEM = 1.8/1.9, SDC 95  = 4.9/5.2). The correlations were moderate between the FES-I and both the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest (Spearman's rho -0.51 and-0.50, p < 0.01). The BESTest and its short form, the Mini-BESTest, showed very good interrater and test-retest reliability when assessed in a heterogeneous sample of people with increased risk of falling. The concurrent validity measured against the FES-I showed moderate correlation. The results are comparable with earlier studies and indicate that the Norwegian versions can be used in daily clinic and in research.

Lighting and perceptual cues: Effects on gait measures of older adults at high and low risk for falls

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The visual system plays an important role in maintaining balance. As a person ages, gait becomes slower and stride becomes shorter, especially in dimly lighted environments. Falls risk has been associated with reduced speed and increased gait variability. Methods Twenty-four older adults (half identified at risk for falls) experienced three lighting conditions: pathway illuminated by 1) general ceiling-mounted fixtures, 2) conventional plug-in night lights and 3) plug-in night lights supplemented by laser lines outlining the pathway. Gait measures were collected using the GAITRite© walkway system. Results Participants performed best under the general ceiling-mounted light system and worst under the night light alone. The pathway plus night lights increased gait velocity and reduced step length variability compared to the night lights alone in those at greater risk of falling. Conclusions Practically, when navigating in more challenging environments, such as in low-level ambient illumination, the addition of perceptual cues that define the horizontal walking plane can potentially reduce falls risks in older adults. PMID:21864387

Electronic Out-fall Inspection Application - 12007

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weymouth, A Kent III; Pham, Minh; Messick, Chuck

2012-07-01

In early 2009 an exciting opportunity was presented to the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The SRS maintenance group was directed to maintain all Out-falls on Site, increasing their workload from 75 to 183 out-falls with no additional resources. The existing out-fall inspection system consisted of inspections performed manually and documented via paper trail. The inspections were closed out upon completion of activities and placed in file cabinets with no central location for tracking/trending maintenance activities. A platform for meeting new improvements required for documentation by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC)more » out-fall permits was needed to replace this current system that had been in place since the 1980's. This was accomplished by building a geographically aware electronic application that improved reliability of site out-fall maintenance and ensured consistent standards were maintained for environmental excellence and worker efficiency. Inspections are now performed via tablet and uploaded to a central point. Work orders are completed and closed either in the field using tablets (mobile application) or in their offices (via web portal) using PCs. And finally completed work orders are now stored in a central database allowing trending of maintenance activities. (authors)« less

Postural stability effects of random vibration at the feet of construction workers in simulated elevation.

PubMed

Simeonov, P; Hsiao, H; Powers, J; Ammons, D; Kau, T; Amendola, A

2011-07-01

The risk of falls from height on a construction site increases under conditions which degrade workers' postural control. At elevation, workers depend heavily on sensory information from their feet to maintain balance. The study tested two hypotheses: "sensory enhancement"--sub-sensory (undetectable) random mechanical vibrations at the plantar surface of the feet can improve worker's balance at elevation; and "sensory suppression"--supra-sensory (detectable) random mechanical vibrations can have a degrading effect on balance in the same experimental settings. Six young (age 20-35) and six aging (age 45-60) construction workers were tested while standing in standard and semi-tandem postures on instrumented gel insoles. The insoles applied sub- or supra-sensory levels of random mechanical vibrations to the feet. The tests were conducted in a surround-screen virtual reality system, which simulated a narrow plank at elevation on a construction site. Upper body kinematics was assessed with a motion-measurement system. Postural stability effects were evaluated by conventional and statistical mechanics sway measures, as well as trunk angular displacement parameters. Analysis of variance did not confirm the "sensory enhancement" hypothesis, but provided evidence for the "sensory suppression" hypothesis. The supra-sensory vibration had a destabilizing effect, which was considerably stronger in the semi-tandem posture and affected most of the sway variables. Sensory suppression associated with elevated vibration levels on a construction site may increase the danger of losing balance. Construction workers at elevation, e.g., on a beam or narrow plank might be at increased risk of fall if they can detect vibrations under their feet. To reduce the possibility of losing balance, mechanical vibration to supporting structures used as walking/working surfaces should be minimized when performing construction tasks at elevation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Transfer Patterns of Students, University of Hawaii System, Fall 1975.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawaii Univ., Honolulu. Management Systems Office.

In fall 1975, 4,702 students transferred into the University of Hawaii (UH) System, representing a 15.5 percent increase over the number of transfers in 1974. Of the total, 56 percent transferred from within the UH System, 6 percent transferred from other Hawaii institutions, and 36 percent transferred from out-of-state institutions. The total…

Postural balance and the risk of falling during pregnancy.

PubMed

Cakmak, Bulent; Ribeiro, Ana Paula; Inanir, Ahmet

2016-01-01

Pregnancy is a physiological process and many changes occur in a woman's body during pregnancy. These changes occur in all systems to varying degrees, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal systems. The hormonal, anatomical, and physiological changes occurring during pregnancy result in weight gain, decreased abdominal muscle strength and neuromuscular control, increased ligamentous laxity, and spinal lordosis. These alterations shift the centre of gravity of the body, altering the postural balance and increasing the risk of falls. Falls during pregnancy can cause maternal and foetal complications, such as maternal bone fractures, head injuries, internal haemorrhage, abruption placenta, rupture of the uterus and membranes, and occasionally maternal death or intrauterine foetal demise. Preventative strategies, such as physical exercise and the use of maternity support belts, can increase postural stability and reduce the risk of falls during pregnancy. This article reviews studies that have investigated changes in postural balance and risk of falling during pregnancy.

Intelligent transportation system (ITS) study for the Buffalo and Niagara Falls metropolitan area, Erie and Niagara Counties, New York : final report, technical summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-06-18

This document provides a technical summary for the seven working papers prepared for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Buffalo and Niagara Falls Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Study.

Sex Differences in the Association Between Pain and Injurious Falls in Older Adults: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study

PubMed Central

Rizzuto, Debora; Calderón-Larrañaga, Amaia; Johnell, Kristina

2017-01-01

Abstract We investigated whether there are sex differences in the association between pain and incident injurious falls. A total of 2,934 people (ages ≥60 years) from the population-based Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (2001–2004) participated. Participants were followed up for 3 and 10 years for falls leading to hospitalization or outpatient care. Data were analyzed with flexible parametric survival models that adjusted for potential confounders. During the first 3 years of follow-up, 67 men and 194 women experienced an injurious fall, and over 10 years of follow up, 203 men and 548 women experienced such a fall. In men, the presence of pain, having pain that was at least mild, having pain that affected several daily activities, and having daily pain all significantly increased the likelihood of incurring an injurious fall during the 3-year follow-up period. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios ranged from 1.78 (95% confidence interval: 1.00, 3.15) for the presence of pain to 2.89 (95% confidence interval: 1.41, 5.93) for several daily activities’ being affected by pain. Results for the 10-year follow-up period were similar. No significant associations were detected in women. Although pain is less prevalent in men than in women, its impact on risk of injurious falls seems to be greater in men. PMID:28535169

A Preliminary Study on the Efficacy of a Community-Based Physical Activity Intervention on Physical Function-Related Risk Factors for Falls Among Breast Cancer Survivors.

PubMed

Lee, C Ellen; Warden, Stuart J; Szuck, Beth; Lau, Y K James

2016-08-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-week community-based physical activity (PA) intervention on physical function-related risk factors for falls among 56 breast cancer survivors (BCS) who had completed treatments. This was a single-group longitudinal study. The multimodal PA intervention included aerobic, strengthening, and balance components. Physical function outcomes based on the 4-meter walk, chair stand, one-leg stance, tandem walk, and dynamic muscular endurance tests were assessed at 6-week pre-intervention (T1), baseline (T2), and post-intervention (T3). T1 to T2 and T2 to T3 were the control and intervention periods, respectively. All outcomes, except the tandem walk test, significantly improved after the intervention period (P < 0.05), with no change detected after the control period (P > 0.05). Based on the falls risk criterion in the one-leg stance test, the proportion at risk for falls was significantly lower after the intervention period (P = 0.04), but not after the control period. A community-based multimodal PA intervention for BCS may be efficacious in improving physical function-related risk factors for falls, and lowering the proportion of BCS at risk for falls based on specific physical function-related falls criteria. Further larger trials are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

Changes in Staff Distribution and Salaries of Full-Time Employees in Postsecondary Institutions: Fall 1993-2003. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report. NCES 2006-152

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiaojie

2006-01-01

Using data from the 1993 and 2003 Fall Staff Surveys, a component of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), this report examines the change in the number and composition of staff in U.S. postsecondary institutions and the change in average salaries of full-time staff between fall 1993 and fall 2003. Over the decade, the…

Horizontal fall arrest systems: rigid systems vs. flexible line systems.

PubMed

Lough, David

2004-09-01

There are many types of flexible and rigid systems on the market, both permanent and temporary. This article does not mean to encompass all possible systems or hazards and only intends to give an outline of what at a minimum should be examined to make an educated purchasing decision. In many instances, the buyer will use the same type of horizontal system for all situations. This is a good idea in some cases because it will reduce the need for training on a number of different systems, reduce system compatibility issues, and may reduce costs for installation, supply, and maintenance. This may not be the best idea if the hazard areas differ a great deal; as we have illustrated, one system may not function for all areas and tasks. The rigid system is typically the best solution simply based on the fact the worker won't fall as far as when he is connected to a flexible system, because of the elimination of any dynamic sag and horizontal energy absorber deployment. In any case, where you stop the worker from falling farther, you decrease the chance there may be an incident where the worker is injured. From a cost standpoint, flexible fall arrest systems typically are cheapest. In the end, safety professionals must balance the cost and effectiveness of the system to prevent an injury.

An inventory of terrestrial mammals at national parks in the Northeast Temperate Network and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilbert, Andrew T.; O'Connell, Allan F.; Annand, Elizabeth M.; Talancy, Neil W.; Sauer, John R.; Nichols, James D.

2008-01-01

An inventory of mammals was conducted during 2004 at nine national park sites in the Northeast Temperate Network (NETN): Acadia National Park (NP), Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (NHP), Minute Man NHP, Morristown NHP, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site (NHS), Saint-Gaudens NHS, Saugus Iron Works NHS, Saratoga NHP, and Weir Farm NHS. Sagamore Hill NHS, part of the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN), was also surveyed. Each park except Acadia NP was sampled twice, once in the winter/spring and again in the summer/fall. During the winter/spring visit, indirect measure (IM) sampling arrays were employed at 2 to 16 stations and included sampling by remote cameras, cubby boxes (covered trackplates), and hair traps. IM stations were established and re-used during the summer/fall sampling period. Trapping was conducted at 2 to 12 stations at all parks except Acadia NP during the summer/fall period and consisted of arrays of small-mammal traps, squirrel-sized live traps, and some fox-sized live traps. We used estimation-based procedures and probabilistic sampling techniques to design this inventory. A total of 38 species was detected by IM sampling, trapping, and field observations. Species diversity (number of species) varied among parks, ranging from 8 to 24, with Minute Man NHP having the most species detected. Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), Fisher (Martes pennanti), and Domestic Cat (Felis silvestris) were the most common medium-sized mammals detected in this study and White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda), Deer Mouse (P. maniculatus), and Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) the most common small mammals detected. All species detected are considered fairly common throughout their range including the Fisher, which has been reintroduced in several New England states. We did not detect any state or federal endangered or threatened species.

Serum feline-specific pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity concentrations and abdominal ultrasonographic findings in cats with trauma resulting from high-rise syndrome.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Elke; Hittmair, Katharina M; Suchodolski, Jan S; Steiner, Jörg M; Tichy, Alexander; Dupré, Gilles

2013-05-01

To evaluate serum feline-specific pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (fPLI) concentrations and abdominal ultrasonographic findings in cats with trauma resulting from high-rise syndrome. Prospective case series. Animals-34 client-owned cats. From cats evaluated because of high-rise syndrome between March and October 2009, a blood sample was obtained for measurement of serum fPLI concentration within 12 hours after the fall and at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the first blood collection. Pancreatitis was diagnosed in cats with an fPLI concentration > 5.4 μg/L. Each cat had abdominal ultrasonography performed twice 48 hours apart, and pancreatic trauma was assessed via detection of pancreatic enlargement, hypoechoic or heteroechoic pancreatic parenchyma, hyperechoic mesentery, and peritoneal effusion. Cats were assigned 1 point for each abnormality present, and a cumulative score ≥ 3 was considered suggestive of traumatic pancreatitis. Traumatic pancreatitis was diagnosed in 9 and 8 cats on the basis of serum fPLI concentration and ultrasonographic findings, respectively. For cats with pancreatitis, fPLI concentration was significantly higher at 12 and 24 hours after the fall than at 48 and 72 hours after the fall, and serum fPLI concentration decreased as time after the fall increased. Significant agreement existed between the use of serum fPLI concentration and abdominal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of traumatic pancreatitis. Cats with high-rise syndrome often had serum fPLI concentrations > 5.4 μg/L within 12 hours after the fall, and concurrent evaluation of those cats via abdominal ultrasonography twice, 48 hours apart, improved detection of traumatic pancreatitis.