LED Location Beacon System Based on Processing of Digital Images

This paper is in the field of vehicle positioning technology for the Intelligent Transportation Systems. The ideas of an innovative light-emitting diode (LED)-based location beacon system are developed and verified. The system developed is a combination of several latest technologies which include a CMOS vision sensor, high brightness LEDs, and digital image processing techniques. It belongs to a new kind of simplex communication link. A digital camera is used to capture images contained in the LED beacon signal. The captured digital images are processed by the algorithms developed and a location code is extracted. The location code can be used for calibration of a vehicle positioning system which may consist of a GPS, Inertial Navigation System (INS) and other sensors. The issues examined include the structure of the transmitter and the receiver, the signaling method, the transmission protocol of the LED panel, the relationship between the camera capturing rate and the LED pattern update rate, the digital camera exposure technology, and the efficiency of the image processing algorithms. Experiments using a prototype transmitter and a receiver were performed. The experimental results provide a good demonstration of the viability of the ideas and methodologies developed.published_or_final_versio

A hierarchical key pre-distribution scheme for fog networks

Security in fog computing is multi-faceted, and one particular challenge is establishing a secure communication channel between fog nodes and end devices. This emphasizes the importance of designing efficient and secret key distribution scheme to facilitate fog nodes and end devices to establish secure communication channels. Existing secure key distribution schemes designed for hierarchical networks may be deployable in fog computing, but they incur high computational and communication overheads and thus consume significant memory. In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical key pre-distribution scheme based on “Residual Design” for fog networks. The proposed key distribution scheme is designed to minimize storage overhead and memory consumption, while increasing network scalability. The scheme is also designed to be secure against node capture attacks. We demonstrate that in an equal-size network, our scheme achieves around 84% improvement in terms of node storage overhead, and around 96% improvement in terms of network scalability. Our research paves the way for building an efficient key management framework for secure communication within the hierarchical network of fog nodes and end devices. KEYWORDS: Fog Computing, Key distribution, Hierarchical Networks

Three-dimensional virtual-reality surgical planning and soft-tissue prediction for orthognathic surgery

Complex maxillofacial malformations continue to present challenges in analysis and correction beyond modern technology. The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual-reality workbench for surgeons to perform virtual orthognathic surgical planning and soft-tissue prediction in three dimensions. A resulting surgical planning system, i.e., three-dimensional virtual-reality surgical-planning and soft-tissue prediction for orthognathic surgery, consists of four major stages: computed tomography (CT) data post-processing and reconstruction, three-dimensional (3-D) color facial soft-tissue model generation, virtual surgical planning and simulation, soft-tissue-change preoperative prediction. The surgical planning and simulation are based on a 3-D CT reconstructed bone model, whereas the soft-tissue prediction is based on color texture-mapped and individualized facial soft-tissue model. Our approach is able to provide a quantitative osteotomy-simulated bone model and prediction of postoperative appearance with photorealistic quality. The prediction appearance can be visualized from any arbitrary viewing point using a low-cost personal-computer-based system. This cost-effective solution can be easily adopted in any hospital for daily use.published_or_final_versio

Associations between exemption and survival outcomes in the UK's primary care pay-for-performance programme:a retrospective cohort study

PublishedJournal ArticleThis is the final version of the article. Available from BMJ Publishing Group via the DOI in this record.OBJECTIVES: The UK's Quality and Outcomes Framework permits practices to exempt patients from financially-incentivised performance targets. To better understand the determinants and consequences of being exempted from the framework, we investigated the associations between exception reporting, patient characteristics and mortality. We also quantified the proportion of exempted patients that met quality targets for a tracer condition (diabetes). DESIGN: Retrospective longitudinal study, using individual patient data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. SETTING: 644 general practices, 2006/7 to 2011/12. PARTICIPANTS: Patients registered with study practices for at least one year over the study period, with at least one condition of interest (2 460 341 in total). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Exception reporting rates by reason (clinical contraindication, patient dissent); all-cause mortality in year following exemption. Analyses with logistic and Cox proportional-hazards regressions, respectively. RESULTS: The odds of being exempted increased with age, deprivation and multimorbidity. Men were more likely to be exempted but this was largely attributable to higher prevalence of conditions with high exemption rates. Modest associations remained, with women more likely to be exempted due to clinical contraindication (OR 0.90, 99% CI 0.88 to 0.92) and men more likely to be exempted due to informed dissent (OR 1.08, 99% CI 1.06 to 1.10). More deprived areas (both for practice location and patient residence) were non-linearly associated with higher exception rates, after controlling for comorbidities and other covariates, with stronger associations for clinical contraindication. Compared with patients with a single condition, odds ratios for patients with two, three, or four or more conditions were respectively 4.28 (99% CI 4.18 to 4.38), 16.32 (99% CI 15.82 to 16.83) and 68.69 (99% CI 66.12 to 71.37) for contraindication, and 2.68 (99% CI 2.63 to 2.74), 4.02 (99% CI 3.91 to 4.13) and 5.17 (99% CI 5.00 to 5.35) for informed dissent. Exempted patients had a higher adjusted risk of death in the following year than non-exempted patients, regardless of whether this exemption was for contraindication (hazard ratio 1.37, 99% CI 1.33 to 1.40) or for informed dissent (1.20, 99% CI 1.17 to 1.24). On average, quality standards were met for 48% of exempted patients in the diabetes domain, but there was wide variation across indicators (ranging from 8 to 80%). CONCLUSIONS: Older, multimorbid and more deprived patients are more likely to be exempted from the scheme. Exception reported patients are more likely to die in the following year, whether they are exempted by the practice for a contraindication or by themselves through informed dissent. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between exception reporting and patient outcomes.NIHR School for Primary Care Research (Project #141); Medical Research Council; Health eResearch Centre grant MR/K006665/1

Nitrogen remobilization in wheat as influenced by nitrogen application and post-anthesis water deficit during grain filling

Pre-anthesis stored nitrogen in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is important because grain filling greatly depends on the remobilization of pre-anthesis nitrogen under Mediterranean growth conditions. This field study was conducted to assess the effect of post-anthesis water deficit and three N fertilizer levels on N remobilization and N losses in three wheat cultivars (‘Shiraz’, ‘Marvdasht’ and ‘Chamran’). Nitrogen remobilization in plant parts decreased to 29 to 58% under water deficit compared with the well watered (WW) treatment. Grain N was 40% higher under post-anthesis water deficit than the WW treatment and with the addition of 160 kg N ha-1. The application of nitrogen fertilizer increased N remobilization to 78%. ‘Shiraz’ remobilized 13 and 25% more nitrogen than ‘Marvdasht’ and ‘Chamran’, respectively. Under water deficit, N remobilization efficiency increased by 13%. Leaves were more efficient than stem and spike in N remobilization efficiency either in the WW or the WD treatment. The application of fertilizer N generally lowered whole plant remobilization efficiency. The N remobilization efficiency of ‘Chamran’ increased when the soil moisture and/or N were limited during the grain filling period. Grain N concentration was correlated positively with N concentration or N content of vegetative parts at anthesis. In addition to nitrogen fertilizer, WD during grain filling reduced nitrogen use efficiency by 30 and 25%, respectively. In the WW treatment, 25% of the N at anthesis was lost at maturity. In contrast, under WD only 6% of the N was lost. High amount of N led to N losses at maturity. Significant negative correlations were found between grain yield and grain protein concentration in the three wheat cultivars. Results indicate that the greater the amount of N accumulated before anthesis, the higher the translocation rates of nitrogen to grain and the greater the risk of net N losses at maturity.Key words: Nitrogen harvest index, nitrogen loss, grain protein, nitrogen use efficiency

The role of news media in supporting democracy in Kurdistan Region

This thesis has chosen the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a case study to examine the media's function in newly democratised countries. In any new transitional democracy, the media will be influenced by the new political system and they will frequently be criticised for being unable to act as a watchdog because of the close relationship with the political elites. However, there are also many other factors, such as cultural, political and economic pressures that affect the development of the media. This thesis makes an original contribution by furthering understanding of the role of the media in supporting an emerging democracy in the Kurdistan Region after 2003. It argues that there is also an assumption the news media will try to keep their independence from political dominance, and work actively to expose the political and government wrongdoings. Therefore, this thesis aims to examine the state of the news media in playing the role of watchdog and holding power to account. It also assesses the working environment for journalists in Kurdistan to see whether the general situation encourages media to the same degree as in established democratic societies. To understand the current situation of the media and how the news media take a critical stance towards political corruptions, this thesis has conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results show that the media have demonstrated good practice in exposing corruption and malfeasance in the government. It argued that the media are present in the political scene and have performed their task as a forum for the public, providing the public with the necessary information. However, as a newly democratised country, the general environment in the political system is not helpful, for example, the executive, legislative and judicial authorities do not have enough power to play a key role in the democratic system. Various pressures on the media still exist, and the country lacks effective democratic institutions supporting the media, which are essential to build a strong democratic system. This has certainly limited the media's ability to stand against political corruption and hold the government to account

Medical countermeasures for national security: a new government role in the pharmaceuticalization of society

How do governments contribute to the pharmaceuticalization of society? Whilst the pivotal role of industry is extensively documented, this article shows that governments too are accelerating, intensifying and opening up new trajectories of pharmaceuticalization in society. Governments are becoming more deeply invested in pharmaceuticals because their national security strategies now aspire to defend populations against health-based threats like bioterrorism and pandemics. To counter those threats, governments are acquiring and stockpiling a panoply of ‘medical countermeasures’ such as antivirals, next-generation vaccines, antibiotics and anti-toxins. More than that, governments are actively incentivizing the development of many new medical countermeasures – principally by marshaling the state's unique powers to introduce exceptional measures in the name of protecting national security. At least five extraordinary policy interventions have been introduced by governments with the aim of stimulating the commercial development of novel medical countermeasures: (1) allocating earmarked public funds, (2) granting comprehensive legal protections to pharmaceutical companies against injury compensation claims, (3) introducing bespoke pathways for regulatory approval, (4) instantiating extraordinary emergency use procedures allowing for the use of unapproved medicines, and (5) designing innovative logistical distribution systems for mass drug administration outside of clinical settings. Those combined efforts, the article argues, are spawning a new, government-led and quite exceptional medical countermeasure regime operating beyond the conventional boundaries of pharmaceutical development and regulation. In the first comprehensive analysis of the pharmaceuticalization dynamics at play in national security policy, this article unearths the detailed array of policy interventions through which governments too are becoming more deeply imbricated in the pharmaceuticalization of society

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on principles for deriving and applying Dietary Reference Values

This Opinion of the EFSA Panel on Dietetic products, Nutrition, and Allergies (NDA) deals with the general principles for development and application of Dietary Reference Values (DRVs). These quantitative reference values for nutrient intakes for healthy individuals and populations are based on health criteria. Derived from DRVs, nutrients goals and recommendations take into account other criteria such as food composition or dietary habits, and may be used for assessment and planning of diets. It is proposed to derive the following DRVs: 1) Population Reference Intakes (PRI), 2) Average Requirement (AR), 3) Lower Threshold Intake (LTI), 4) Adequate Intake (AI), 5) Reference Intake ranges for macronutrients (RI). Nutrient requirements differ with age, sex and physiological condition. The Panel proposes to define the age ranges used for each nutrient on a case-by-case basis depending on the available data. For the age group < 6 months requirements are considered to be equal to the supply from breast- milk, except in those cases where this does not apply. Separate reference values will be established for pregnant and lactating women. Interpolation or extrapolation between population groups will be used in instances where no data are available for defined age and sex groups

Tangible Interaction with In-Car Smart Intelligence

Interacting with a car was once a tactile experience, which is on the decline with the rise of car assistants, where the dominant form of interaction is through screen displays and voice recognition. These interaction modalities within a car are not the only options available. In this paper, we discuss reintroducing tactility into the automotive experience. This work presents a tactile embodiment of an intelligent car system, different from previous studies, to improve engagement and emotional connection between users and future intelligent cars. A prototype tool was designed to embody an intelligent car system. It was used to investigate how to interact with and control a smart-comfort system to improve user comfort. The tool invited users to interact through touch. Users could use their hands to physically agree or disagree with changes made by the system with the system moving in response, creating a bi-directional interaction symbiosis that re-prioritises tactility

Chasing Carbon: The Elusive Environmental Footprint of Computing

Given recent algorithm, software, and hardware innovation, computing has enabled a plethora of new applications. As computing becomes increasingly ubiquitous, however, so does its environmental impact. This paper brings the issue to the attention of computer-systems researchers. Our analysis, built on industry-reported characterization, quantifies the environmental effects of computing in terms of carbon emissions. Broadly, carbon emissions have two sources: operational energy consumption, and hardware manufacturing and infrastructure. Although carbon emissions from the former are decreasing thanks to algorithmic, software, and hardware innovations that boost performance and power efficiency, the overall carbon footprint of computer systems continues to grow. This work quantifies the carbon output of computer systems to show that most emissions related to modern mobile and data-center equipment come from hardware manufacturing and infrastructure. We therefore outline future directions for minimizing the environmental impact of computing systems