bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human-Based Sensing – Sensor Systems to Complement Human Perception
Authors: Wide Peter
Published: November 2017

The approach of human-based sensing is based on the assumption that sensor systems for individual use have optimal performance if coherent with the human perception system. The benefits of complementing the human sensing with sensor systems that strengthen the information and make the human able to perform more adequate and optimized decisions based on the sensor information, will improve the human capability. The arguments for designing sensor systems that increase the human ability in order to enhance the information from its surroundings are obvious. In this paper, an example of this approach, related to human-based sensing, will be demonstrated. The ability to strengthen the human capability, and complementing human perception with additional sensing, by the use of artificial sensor systems, will increase the human performance.
Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds Based on Optical Fibre using Nanostructured Films
Authors: Elosua Cesar , Matias Ignacio R. , Bariain Candido , Arregui Francisco J.
Published: November 2017

An optical fibre sensor for detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been implemented. This device is based on a vapochromic material presented in the form of bright red powders, which suffers reversible changes in its optical properties when exposed to some organic vapours. The sensor head consists of a nano interferometer doped with the vapochromic material, built onto a cleaved ended multimode optical fibre by using the Layer by Layer Electrostatic Self Assembly Method (LbL). A reflection scheme was used, so the intensity modulated reflected signal is registered in order to study its response. Changes up to 3 dB in the reflected optical power were measured.
Human-Computer Interaction: Overview on State of the Art
Authors: Karray Fakhreddine , Alemzadeh Milad , Saleh Jamil Abou , Arab Mo Nours
Published: November 2017

The intention of this paper is to provide an overview on the subject of Human-Computer Interaction. The overview includes the basic definitions and terminology, a survey of existing technologies and recent advances in the field, common architectures used in the design of HCI systems which includes unimodal and multimodal configurations, and finally the applications of HCI. This paper also offers a comprehensive number references for each concept, method, and application in the HCI.
Biped Locomotion: Stability, Analysis and Control
Authors: Vadakkepat Prahlad , Goswami Dip
Published: November 2017

In this paper, researches and advances in biped locomotion are reviewed. A detailed survey is presented describing the various research problems and the approaches reported in the literature to analyze and control biped locomotion. A method of Zero-Moment-Point (ZMP) compensation is discussed to improve the stability of locomotion of a biped which is subjected to disturbances. A compensating torque, computed from the force sensor reading, is injected into the ankle-joint of the foot of the robot to improve stability. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated on a humanoid robot, MaNUS-I, to reject disturbances of various form.
An Embedded Wireless System For Estimating The Exposition Risk In First Emergency Management
Authors: Alippi Cesare , Galperti Cristian
Published: November 2017

In this paper we propose the design of a wearable embedded system1 for wirelessly delimiting an hazardous area during emergency, alerting the rescue operators when entering in it and measuring the consequent exposition time. (The dangerous area is previously identified, e.g., through suitable instrumentation). The suggested approach, which is identically effective in indoor and outdoor environments, significantly extends existing solutions by not requiring any absolute position information for delimiting the hazardous area or fixed infrastructure as requested instead by GPS and UWB solutions. The proposed low-power system can be easily retrieved after use and ready to be deployed in a new environment.
PV Maximum Power Point Tracking Through Pyranometric Sensor: Modelling and Characterization
Authors: Lay-Ekuakille A. , Vendramin G. , Fedele A. , Vasanelli L. , Trotta A.
Published: November 2017

Solar trackers represent apparatuses that may significantly improve electric power production of photovoltaic panels. For detecting solar position, the trackers use different sensors (e.g. photoresistor, photodiode receiver, phototransistor, etc..). This research proposes an alternative way, the use of the sensor par excellence for retrieving solar radiation; the pyranometer. A design and tests have been performed in order to show the improvements. A comparison has been made between this alternative mounted on a solar follower plant and another tracking system called S.A.I.S. which does not use any solar position sensor but tracks the panel by solar position calculations, from the ad hoc knowledge of longitude, latitude, date and hour. A second comparison has been also made between the above pyranometer architecture and a specifically designed solarimeter
Time-Varying-Geometry Object Surveillance Using A Multi-Camera Active-Vision System
Authors: Mackay Matthew , Fenton Robert G. , Benhabib Beno
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a novel, agent-based sensing-system reconfiguration methodology for the recognition of time-varying-geometry targets (objects or subjects). A multi-camera activevision system is used to improve form-recognition performance by selecting near-optimal viewpoints along a prediction time horizon. The proposed method seeks to maximize the target visibility in a cluttered, dynamic environment. Simulated experiments clearly show a tangible potential performance gain.
Humanitarian Demining Robot Gryphon – Current Status And An Objective Evaluation –
Authors: Fukushima Edwardo F. , Freese Marc , Matsuzawa Toshiaki , Aibara Takatoshi , Hirose Shigeo
Published: November 2017

Mechanical systems or robots to assist landmine detection are expected to greatly improve quality of humanitarian demining tasks. These new systems could provide: i) safer operation; ii) advanced methods for automatic target recognition and discrimination; iii) consistent performance with less influence of “human-factors”; iv) better detection performance, i.e., higher probability of detection (POD) and lower false alarm rate (FAR); among others. However, despite many research/development efforts around the world, no practical landmine detection robot has yet achieved maturity for practical use. Nonetheless, the humanitarian demining robot Gryphon, which current status of development is described in detail, is close to meet the requirements for practical use. This paper analyses the results from latest on-site tests underwent by Gryphon in Croatia (2006, 2007) and Cambodia (2006), to make a critical and objective evaluation of its validity, and clarify the points that still require further development in order to realize a practical humanitarian demining robot
The Autonomous Golf Playing Micro Robot: With Global Vision and Fuzzy Logic Controller
Authors: Jabson N. G. , Leong K.G. B. , Licarte S. W. , Oblepias G. M. S. , Palomado E. M. J. , Dadios E .P.
Published: November 2017

This paper presents design concepts in developing an Autonomous Golf Playing Micro Robot. The robot moves autonomously using 2 DC motors controlled by a remote PC using fuzzy logic system. A servomotor is used for the motion of the putter in hitting the golf ball. A microcontroller is used to process the information sent by the computer through RF communication and drive the robot motors for appropriate motions. The robot plays golf in a defined environment and avoids obstacles. A real golf ball with orange color is use during the game. The system utilizes global camera vision that serves as the eyes of the robot to know its dynamic environment for navigation. The vision system developed detects the position of the robot, golf hole, golf boundaries, and the golf ball within the playing field on real time using color object recognition algorithm. A modified golf tournament between autonomous robot golf player and man operated robot golf player was conducted. Results shows the accuracy and robustness of the autonomous robot developed in performing its tasks.
Multi-Target, Multi-Sensor Tracking Based on Quality-Of-Information and Formal Bayesian Frameworks
Authors: Lee Juo-Yu , Yao Kung
Published: November 2017

We consider a multi-target tracking problem that aims to simultaneously determine the number and state of mobile targets in the field. Conventional paradigms tend to report only the existence and state of targets according to centralized detection and data fusion. On the contrary, we investigate a multi-target, multi-sensor scenario in which (a) both the number and the state of the targets are unknown a priori; and (b) the detection with respect to targets is employed in a distributed manner. Toward this end, we exploit random set theory, a statistical tool based on Bayesian framework, for establishing generalized likelihood and Markov density functions to yield an iterative filtering procedure. We conduct a study regarding how the design of distributed detection has impact on the result of system level information fusion. The sources of analyzed data include (a) simulation-based sensor readings through bi-directional sensing/communication; and (b) practical images taken by multiple cameras through uni-directional sensing/communication. The formulation of Bayesian filtering suggests that a design of a tracking system be adaptive to change of detection performance.
Advanced Predictive Guidance Navigation for Mobile Robots: A Novel Strategy for Rendezvous in Dynamic Settings
Authors: Kunwar Faraz , Benhabib Beno
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a novel on-line trajectory planning method for the autonomous robotic interception of moving targets in the presence of dynamic obstacles, i.e., position and velocity matching (also referred to as rendezvous). The novelty of the proposed time-optimal interception method is that it directly considers the dynamics of the obstacles as well as the target in its interception maneuver: the velocities and accelerations of the obstacles and the target are predicted in real-time for potential collisions. The method is designed to deal with highly- maneuvering obstacles and targets. The interception maneuver is computed using an Advanced Predictive Guidance Law.

Extensive simulation and experimental analyses, some of which are reported in this paper, have clearly demonstrated the time efficiency of the proposed rendezvous method.
Impedance Behaviour of a Microporous PMMA-Film ‘Coated Constant Phase Element’ based Chemical Sensor
Authors: Biswas Karabi , Thomas Litty , Chowdhury Sourabh , Adhikari Basudam , Sen Siddhartha
Published: November 2017

In this work, it has been attempted to characterize a new type of impedance sensor called constant phase element (CPE) sensor; which has microporous PMMA-film coating on the electrode surface. It has been shown that the ‘constant phase angle (CPA)’ behaviour is primarily due to the porous structure of the electrode surface. And the phase angle at the output of the sensor changes with thickness variation of the PMMA coating and ionic property of the medium in which the sensor is dipped in. The sensor has been used for chemical sensing. A phase angle detector circuit gives the output in voltage with the change in the phase angle. The complex impedance plots of the probes has also been discussed. The important fact is that the constructed CPE gives rise to a fractional order system.
Development of an Fpga Based Smart Diagnostic System for Spirometric Data Processing Applications
Authors: Chowdhury Shubhajit Roy , Chakrabarti Dipankar , Saha Hiranmay
Published: November 2017

The paper describes the development of an FPGA based fuzzy processing system for pulmonary spirometry applications predicting the approaching obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disorder of the patient before criticality actually occurs. The system employs a smart agent that accepts the Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) data of patients. In order to speed up the computation process, hybrid parallel data processing architectures with dynamic scheduling mechanism have been employed leading to a speed up of approximately 12 times. The processor implemented on the FPGA can perform fuzzy inferencing at a speed of approximately 5.0 MFLIPS. The whole system is realized on Altera Cyclone EP1K6Q240C8 FPGA chip requiring 5,865 logic blocks. The system has been designed to be inexpensive, portable and user friendly for occupational health care applications in developing countries. Using the system, approaching pulmonary disorder of patients has been predicted with an accuracy of 95.83%.
K-Barrier Coverage With A Directional Sensing Model
Authors: Ssu Kuo-Feng , Wang Wei-Tong , Wu Feng-Kuang , Wu Tzu-Ting
Published: November 2017

The use of wireless sensor networks to protect sensitive facilities or international borders has attracted more and more attention. In contrast to previous studies in which the barrier coverage problem was solved under the assumption of an omni-directional sensing model, the current study presents a scheme for constructing k-barrier coverage using randomly deployed sensors with directional sensing model. The performance of the proposed scheme was evaluated using the ns-2 network simulator and compared with that of an omni-directional sensing scheme. Overall, the results show that for a given sensing range, the proposed directional sensing scheme achieved k-barrier coverage with a fewer number of active sensor nodes than the omni-directional sensing method. Moreover, the directional sensing scheme demonstrates a more robust ability than the omni-directional sensing method in constructing k-barrier coverage as the length of the belt increases or the node density within the sensing field decreases.
Normalization techniques for gas sensor array as applied to classification for black tea
Authors: Tudu Bipan , Kow Bikram , Bhattacharyya Nabarun , Bandyopadhyay Rajib
Published: November 2017

Assessment of black tea quality is a difficult task due to the presence of a large number of chemical compounds. The present day practice in the tea industry for this purpose is to employ the tea-tasters, who evaluate the quality based on their experience and professional acumen. There is a dire need in the industry to assess the tea quality objectively using instrumental methods. In this pursuit, an electronic nose instrument with five gas sensors has been developed and deployed for declaring tea-taster like scores. It has been observed that pre-processing of gas sensor data improves the classification accuracy and in this paper, a comparative study of different normalization techniques is presented for black tea application using electronic nose. For this study black tea samples were collected from different tea gardens in India. At first Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to investigate the presence of clusters in the sensors responses in multidimensional space. Then different normalization techniques were applied on electronic nose data. Finally the comparison of classification accuracy is presented with different normalization techniques using back-propagation multilayer perceptron (BP-MLP) neural network.
An electrodynamic sensor for electrostatic charge measurement
Authors: Rahmat M. F. , Kamaruddin N.S.
Published: November 2017

Electrodynamic sensors are used in the process industry because they are low cost and robust. Though frequently used very little fundamental work on them has been reported. This paper describes an investigation into characteristics of hemispherically and rectangularly shaped sensors. Two parameters are investigated, the effect of sensor area on sensitivity and the spatial filtering effect of the sensor due to its finite size. Models are proposed and results obtained using them compared with experimental values.
Design And Fpga Implementation Of Nonlinearity Compensation Of Capacitive Pick-Off Mems Accelerometer For Satellite Launch Vehicles
Authors: Paul Thampi , Jenius S.Vijin , Kumar M. Sasi
Published: November 2017

This paper presents the algorithm on the compensator design for eliminating the nonlinearity in the capacitive pick-off MEMS open-loop accelerometer and its implementation in the FPGA. A simple and elegant method is presented for the purpose. In the sensor model of compensator, upto 3rd order terms are taken. The first step approximation is derived using linear model. This approximation is improved over iterations to reduce the non-linearity. With this method, the inertial navigational grade performance is achieved. The algorithm is coded in VHDL, simulated, synthesized and implemented in the FPGA and tested. Test results matches closely with that of simulations. The VHDL design can be easily targeted into an ASIC to realize an integrated smart sensor.
Using Capacitive Sensing To Determine The Moisture Content Of Wood Pellets – Investigations And Application
Authors: Fuchs Anton , Moser Michael J. , Zangl Hubert , Bretterklieber Thomas
Published: November 2017

This paper discusses a measurement principle for online moisture determination of wood pellets that is based on capacitive sensing. To ensure reliability and proper operation of the sensing device even under harsh industrial conditions, a robust principle based on a frequency hopping approach is required. Therefore, we investigate the impact of multiple carrier frequencies and analyze the frequency dependency of the material permittivity. Two different electrode topologies, one based on parallel plates and the other on a planar structure, are tested using a laboratory prototype in a drying chamber. Investigations on the applicability of capacitive moisture measurement are carried out using stationary conditions. The non-invasive and in-situ moisture content determination of wood pellets in a screw conveyor is presented as an application of the proposed principle.
A Novel Integrated Wireless Sensor Network Architecture For Disaster Prevention
Authors: Mamun Md. Abdullah-al , koi Yuji , Nakaya Naoshi , Chakraborty Goutam
Published: November 2017

There has been growing interest in the application of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in the field of disaster prevention. In such applications, sensor nodes are randomly deployed in an area of interest, a large number of exactly same wireless sensor nodes form a robust mesh network to prevent damages in case of a disaster. In many applications, however, deploying sophisticated sensors on every sensor nodes is unnecessary and very costly. For example, in case of Earthquake one seismographic sensor in an area of a few square kilometers is good enough. Other nodes would then disseminate the sensed information to relevant locations. The main contribution of this work is to propose a WSN architecture and communication protocol for integrated disaster control, when heterogeneous sensor nodes collect relevant information from different locations of the entire WSN and transfer selectively to respective control locations where they could be used for proper disaster prevention. We have actually designed WSN based Disaster Prevention Power Control (DPPC) System which could successfully disseminate alarm signal, and control AC power to facilitate disaster protection. In addition, line interface technique has been developed to interface sensor nodes with physical devices
Mechanism Of Trace Level H2S Gas Sensing Using Rf Sputtered SnO2 Thin Films With Cuo Catalytic Overlayer
Authors: Chowdhuri Arijit , Haridas Divya , Sreenivas K. , Gupta Vinay
Published: November 2017

H2S gas sensing response characteristics of bare SnO2 thin films and heterostuctures with nanolayer (10 nm) of Cu and CuO are studied. Changes in resistance values, occurring with integration of Cu and CuO nanolayers on SnO2 is acquired real-time, and compared. Rise in sensor resistance after introduction of Cu and CuO nanolayers on SnO2 sensing layer is understood to enhance the sensing response characteristics. Formation of space charge region between p-type CuO and n-type SnO2 and difference in work-function values between catalyst and sensing layer are shown to govern the increased value of starting resistance. Increase in starting resistance and lowering of resistance in presence of H2S due to spill-over of dissociated H2S gas molecule are playing crucial role in influencing the sensing response.
Crack Identification of a Rotating Shaft with Integrated Wireless Sensor
Authors: Bejarano F. Andrés , Jia Yi , Just Frederick
Published: November 2017

This paper presents a novel real-time crack identification method to determine the position and depth of a transverse open crack on a rotating shaft. A newly developed wireless sensor capable of being mounted directly on the shaft is employed to monitor acceleration at different points of the shaft in a rotating coordinate system. The vibration parameters obtained from the wireless sensors and Finite Element Model provide operational data to perform Modal Analysis with different mock crack positions and depths, and an unique relation between the vibration parameters and crack characteristics is developed by Neural Networks Method working as function approximator to predict the crack size and location on the shaft. The method was experimentally validated and results have shown that the crack detection sensitivity parameters depend on the acceleration signals at different points of the shaft.
Modeling and Controller Design for the VVS-400 Pilot Scale Heating and Ventilation System
Authors: Rahmat M.F. , Mohd Subha N.A. , Ishaq Kashif M. , Wahab N. Abdul
Published: November 2017

In this paper, a heating and ventilation model VVS-400 from Instrutek, Larvik, Norway is modeled using ARX model structure and linear black-box technique. The conventional PID controller and artificial Fuzzy controller are designed based on the approximated plant model and real plant model. The approximated plant model is estimated using System Identification approach while the real plant model is developed by interfacing the Real-time Windows Target toolbox in Matlab with real VVS-plant by using data acquisition (DAQ) card PCI-1711. An artificial Fuzzy controller approach is incorporated in two ways which are conventional Fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and a replacement of conventional fuzzy controller known as Single input fuzzy logic controller (SIFLC). Simulations and experiment validate the equivalency of both controllers. Results reveal that SIFLC found to be better than FLC due to its less computation time compared to conventional FLC.
Highly Sensitive Porous Silicon Sensor: Detection of Organic Vapours Using Photoluminescence Quenching Technique
Authors: Dhanekar Saakshi , Islam S.S. , Islam T. , Harsh
Published: November 2017

Porous silicon based sensors were tested in the presence of various linear aliphatic alcohols (methanol to n-hexanol) and water in the range of 10-100 ppm by photoluminescence quenching technique. An increasing trend in the degree of quenching was observed with the chain length of alcohols while minimum response was given to water. Sensitivity as high as 80-90% and nearly instant response time has proven the sensors to be highly efficient. Photoluminescence quenching phenomena is discussed on the basis of charge transfer mechanism between the host and the vapour-induced surface states, but the degree of quenching and anomalous response as a function of chain length suggests no unique quenching theory for estimating the sensitivity for the set of alcohols tested. From methanol to butanol, the sensitivity was dependent on the effective concentration of analytes in the porous silicon matrix, while for pentanol and hexanol having high boiling point, the sensitivity was linked to dielectric quenching mechanism due to the condensation of vapours inside the pores.
Lamb Wave Based Monitoring of Plate-Stiffener Deboding using a Circular Array of Piezoelectric Sensors
Authors: Rathod V. T. , Mahapatra D. Roy
Published: November 2017

In this paper we propose an efficient way of localization and parametric identification of metallic plate-stiffener debonding. A concept and experimental results based on a circular array of Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensors (PWASs) is presented. Implementation of this circular array of PWASs combines the Lamb wave technique and symmetry breaking in the signal pattern to monitor the growth of a debonding of a stiffener on a metallic plate. Wavelet time-frequency maps of the sensor signals are employed and a damage index is plotted against the damage parameters for frequency sweep of the excitation signal (a windowed sine signal). Wavelet coefficient in time gives an insight regarding the effect of debonding growth on the Lamb wave transmission in time-frequency scale. We present here a method to eliminate the time scale effect which helps in identifying easily the signature of damage in the measured signals including the reflection from the boundary of the plate. The proposed method becomes useful in determining the approximate location of the damage with respect to the location of three neighboring sensors in the circular array. A cumulative damage index is computed for varying damage sizes and the results appear promising.
1-5 Napthalenedisulphonic Acid Doped Polypyrrole thin films as Coatings to Optical Fibers for Organophosphate Sensing
Authors: Bansal Lalitkumar , El-Sherif Mahmoud. A.
Published: November 2017

1-5 Napthalenedisulphonic acid (NDSA) doped polypyrrole thin films are prepared by chemical oxidation polymerization and applied as modified claddings to optical fibers for organophosphate (dimethyl-methyl phosphonate, DMMP) sensing. DMMP sensing takes place via intensity modulation in multimode fibers due to refractive index modulation in polypyrrole films due to DMMP adsorption. The polypyrrole films are characterized by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. Ellipsometry and thin film transmission study is conducted to monitor refractive index modulation in polypyrrole thin films upon DMMP exposure. The developed fiber optic sensor shows a sensitivity of 134ppm towards DMMP. Influence of sensing element length, sensing element diameter and input light intensity on the sensor response is investigated. The selectivity, environmental and thermal stability issues are also addressed.
A Spherical Haptic Interface with Unlimited Workspace
Authors: Tsumaki Yuichi , Ohgi Takeshi , Niiyama Arata
Published: November 2017

Over the last two decades, various haptic interfaces have been developed. However, their workspace has been mechanically restricted. This limited workspace reduces operationality, because operation should be suspended at the boundary. In this paper, to tackle this problem, a spherical haptic interface is developed, which utilizes a ball as an interface with the human. The ball is driven by three DC motors through omni wheels. Consequently, unlimited workspace is achieved for orientation. Furthermore, a novel artificial sensation is implemented by rolling the ball with the palm.
Two Methodologies Toward Artificial Tactile Affordance System in Robotics
Authors: Ohka M. , Hoshikawa N. , Wada J. , Yussof H. B.
Published: November 2017

If the theory of affordance is applied to a robot, performing the whole process of recognition and planning is not always required in its computer. Since the tactile sensing of a robot is important to perform any task, we focus on tactile sensing and introduce a new concept called the artificial tactile affordance system (ATAS). Its basic idea is the implementation of a recurrent mechanism in which information obtained from the object and the behavior performed by the robot's inducing the next behavior. We intend to implement ATAS based on the following two methodologies: (1) after each rule is transformed into an algorithm, a program module is coded based on the algorithm; ATAS is composed of several program modules, and a module is selected from the set of modules based on sensor information; (2) a set of rules is expressed as a table composed of sensor input columns and behavior output columns, and the table rows correspond to rules; since each rule is transformed to a string of 0 and 1, we treat a long string composed of rule strings as a gene to obtain an optimum gene that adapts to its environment using a genetic algorithm (GA). For methodology 1, we established an ATAS composed of 3 to 5 modules to accomplish such tasks as object grasping, pick and place, cap screwing, and assembling. Using methodology 1, a two-hand-arm robot equipped with an optical three- axis tactile sensor performed the above tasks. For methodology 2, we propose the Evolutionary Behavior Table System (EBTS) that uses a GA to acquire the autonomous cooperation behavior of multiple mobile robots. In validation experiments, three agents equipped with behavior tables conveyed an object to a specified goal with higher scores than the four-agent condition. Since the redundant agent does not interrupt the other agents, the agent acquires the collective behavior of not interrupting other agents based on its environment information. Methodology 1 is very effective for such fine control as handling tasks of humanoid robots, and methodology 2 is very useful to obtain general robotic behavior that is suitable for the environment.
Investigation on Velvet Hand Illusion Using Psychophysics and Fem Analysis
Authors: Ohka M. , Kawabe Y. , Chami A. , Nader R. , Yussof H. B. , Miyaoka T.
Published: November 2017

In the velvet hand illusion (VHI), a person rubs his/her hands together on either side of wires strung through a frame, producing the sensation of rubbing a very smooth and soft surface like velvet. We investigate the VHI mechanism to obtain an effective hint for a new tactile display because such tactile illusions play a good role in deceiving the brain so that operators believe that a virtual sensation is real. To elucidate the VHI mechanism, we propose two approaches: one uses psychophysics to obtain human mental models; the other is a finite element method (FEM) to evaluate the tactile stimulus that causes VHI. Based on psychophysical experiments using Thurstone's Paired Comparison, VHI strength depends on the distance between two adjacent wires, and VHI caused by wide spacing of wires is considerably stronger than that caused by narrow spacing. In FEM analysis, a mesh model of fingertips is produced to mimic an actual finger to evaluate the strain energy density (SED) because one mechanoreceptive unit is a slowly adaptive mechanoreceptive type I unit (SAI) that well responds to SED. There is a considerable difference between the SEDs of the one-finger case and the two-finger case (VHI case): the peak SED value for the VHI case is around half of that for the one-finger case. The VHI mechanism is assumed as follows: although the area bounded by two wires moves relative to the hands, tangential force does not occur on the hand surface except for the wire-passing portion, causing operators to experience the illusion of touching a smooth virtual film with a zero coefficient of friction. Since VHI decreases with a decrease of wire spacing and an increase of the peak value of SED, excessive temporal stimulus generated by wire prevents VHI from increasing.
A Low Cost Three-Directional Force Sensor
Authors: Boukhenous S.
Published: November 2017

In this work a low cost sensor has been developed to measure three-directional forces. The theory, design and sensor construction details are presented. It was constructed by using commercial strain gauges. Finite element method was adopted to optimize the structure dimensions, and improve the sensitivity of force sensor by distributing the sensing stress on the maximum strain positions. A hardware conditioning circuits was developed for the 3D force sensor. The calibration experiments were performed to calculate calibration coefficients by using the regression analysis method and test linear property of the sensor.
Self Organizing Sensor Network to Enhance Event Coverage
Authors: Indu S. , Kesam Venu , Chaudhury Santanu , Bhattacharyya Asok
Published: November 2017

We are proposing a self deploying mobile sensor network which is empowered with event based relocation of redundant sensors for enhancing the quality of event sensing. Energy efficient Cell quorum based protocol is used for communication between event location and redundant sensors. Computationally light cascaded reorganization of sensor is suggested for relocation of sensors. The proposed method provides good coverage as it dynamically relocates the sensors either for avoiding coverage hole or for improving the quality of event sensing.
Capacitive Sensor Design Utilizing Conformal Mapping Methods
Authors: Eidenberger N. , Zagar B. G.
Published: November 2017

In this work we demonstrate the advantages of conformal mapping methods for the design of capacitive sensor setups. If the setups are modeled appropriately, the respective Laplace equations can be solved utilizing conformal mapping methods. These methods yield the equations describing the electric field of the sensor setups. The field equations contain the distinct geometric properties of the sensor setups. An in depth analysis of these equations permits the optimization of the sensor setups with respect to their sensitivities. This approach also facilitates the application of efficient signal processing methods. In addition, we propose a method which expands the application range of conformal maps produced by the Schwarz-Christoffel transform. This method permits the analysis of more complex sensor setups.
Synthesis of Zno Nanorods by Hydrothermal Method for Gas Sensor Applications
Authors: Shinde Sarika D. , Patil G. E. , Kajale D. D. , Ahire D. V. , Gaikwad V. B. , Jain G. H.
Published: November 2017

ZnO nanorods with different sizes and shapes have been successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal route, using zinc acetate and Cetyltriammonium bromide (CTAB) as the reactants. The thick films of as prepared ZnO were prepared by screen-printing technique in desired pattern. The films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The gas sensing properties of the materials have been investigated for various interfering gases such as CO2, CO, Ethanol, NH3 and H2S etc at operating temperature from 30° (room temperature) to 300°C. The results indicate that the ZnO nanorod thick films showed much better sensitivity and stability than the conventional materials to H2S gas at 30°C. The nanoshaped pillar can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensors. ZnO nanorods are excellent potential candidates for gas sensors.
A Review of Sensing and Distributed Detection Algorithms for Cognitive Radio Systems
Authors: Viswanathan Ramanarayanan , Ahsant Babak
Published: November 2017

Optimized spectrum sensing using distributed detection techniques for secondary user spectrum access is becoming important in Cognitive Radio (CR) systems, which have been proposed to utilize the available frequency spectrum more efficiently. For achieving best performance and ensuring minimal acceptable interference to spectrum owners, it is important to accurately sense and detect the presence or absence of primary licensed users. For this purpose, the solutions learned within the framework of distributed detection in wireless sensor networks have been considered. In this paper, we review sensing algorithms and approaches of distributed detection and their relevance to CR systems.
Oxygen Sensor with Advanced Oxide Electrode Materials
Authors: Shuk P. , Jantz R. , Guth H.-U.
Published: November 2017

Calcium doped lanthanum and yttrium manganite electrode materials with oxygen deficiency and low polarization resistance (<30Ω*cm2at 600°C) were tested in new advanced electrochemical sensor for the oxygen measurements. Oxygen sensor with oxide electrodes was showing fast response (t95~5s at 600°C), good reproducibility (±0.04% O2) and long term stability at different oxygen concentration.
Effect of Annealing on Gas Sensing Performance of Nanostructured Zno Thick Film Resistors
Authors: Shinde Sarika D. , Patil G. E. , Kajale D. D. , Wagh V. G. , Gaikwad V. B. , Jain G. H.
Published: November 2017

ZnO nano-particles have been synthesized by simple chemical route using a starting solution consisting of zinc acetate and citric acid as a surfactant agent. The structural properties of the prepared ZnO nano-particles annealed at different temperatures have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The XRD patterns show ZnO-wurtize phase in the nano-powders, and size of crystals increases by increasing the annealing temperatures. The TEM images show nano-particles as clusters with size in the range of 10-20 nm. Electron diffraction pattern of nano-powders annealed at 900°C temperature shows a well distribution of spherical particles due to the effect of citric acid as surfactant in chemical process. Thick films prepared by screen printing technique from zinc oxide nano-powders annealed at different temperatures (500–900 °C), characterized by SEM analysis and tested for various gases. The film prepared from ZnO powder annealed at 700°C shows the higher sensitivity to H2S gas for 10 ppm gas concentration.
Breath Analysis for Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Hill Darryl , Binions Russell
Published: November 2017

The purpose of this review is to highlight the advances in technology and understanding in the field of breath analysis for medical diagnosis. A critical review of the methods of breath collection, treatment, and analysis is given, highlighting the problems facing the field and areas where promising advancement has been made. One particular area of interest is centered around electronic noses, ideally, portable devices which aim to mimic biological olifactory systems in analysing gases to produce odor fingerprints. Furthermore, recent work has shown it is possible to modify the basic sensor materials to both improve their performance, increase their tolerance to factors such as water vapour interferance which often leave the sensor system de-sensitized to the gaseous biomarkers, and enhance their selectivity. It will be shown how it is possible to accurately quantify concentrations of VOC’s and make disease diagnosis from analysis of the collected data which compare favorably with traditional medical diagnostic techniques.
Optimizing Perceived Heaviness and Motion for Lifting Objects with a Power Assist Robot System Considering Change in Time Constant
Authors: Rahman S. M. Mizanoor , Ikeura Ryojun
Published: November 2017

Power assist robots are usually used for disabled and elderly people to augment their abilities and skills. This paper proposes to use these robots to handle heavy objects in industries, and thus brings a novelty in the applications of power assist robots. However, it is difficult to optimize perceived heaviness and motion either independently or simultaneously for lifting objects with power-assist. Hence, this paper investigates the techniques to optimize perceived heaviness and motion following bionic and psychophysical approaches. We developed two systems-one was used to lift objects manually, and another was a power assist system to lift objects with it. Several hypotheses and strategies related to weight perception and time constant were adopted. Humans lifted objects manually and with power-assist independently. Analyses showed that load force rate for power-assisted lifting were lower than that for manual lifting. We hypothesized that time constant of the assist system might be responsible for this. We changed time constant and found that increase in time constant reduced perceived heaviness and load force. Then, objects were lifted with power-assist in some selected conditions pertaining to time constant. Analyses showed that perceived heaviness was related to load force rate while object motion (acceleration) was related to load force magnitude. It was then demonstrated how to independently optimize perceived heaviness and motion by optimizing load force rate and its magnitude respectively. Techniques for simultaneous optimization of motion and perceived heaviness were also presented. Finally, we proposed to use the findings to develop power assist robots for manipulating heavy objects in industries that may enhance interactions with humans in terms of maneuverability, safety etc.
Smoking as an early risk factor for problematic parenting practices
Authors: Tandon Mini , Grant Julia D. , Madden Pamela A.F. , Bucholz Kathleen K. , Heath Andrew C.
Published: November 2017

Parenting among those who use non-illicit and more common drugs such as cigarettes remains an understudied area for investigation. Secondary data analyses were performed in 2015 on a prospective study with parent and twin data available on n=3,009 individual members of female twin pairs born between July 1975 and June 1985 identified from Missouri-state birth records. Maternal smoking when the twins were 3+ years of age remained a significant predictor of offspring report of childhood sexual abuse (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.02-1.92) after controlling for key covariates. Given limited public health resources, mothers who smoke during child’s preschool years may be targeted for tailored parenting intervention.
Joint Calibration Estimator for Dual Frame Surveys
Authors: Elkasabi Mahmoud A. , Heeringa Steven G. , Lepkowski James M.
Published: November 2017

Many dual frame estimators have been proposed in the statistics literature. Some of these estimators are theoretically optimal but hard to apply in practice, whereas others are applicable but have larger variances than the first group. In this paper, a Joint Calibration Estimator (JCE) is proposed that is simple to apply in practice and meets many desirable properties for dual frame estimators. The JCE is asymptotically design unbiased conditional on the strong relationship between the estimation variable and the auxiliary variables employed in the calibration. The JCE achieves better performance when the auxiliary variables can fully explain the variability in the study variables or at least when the auxiliary variables are strong correlates of the estimation variables. As opposed to the standard dual frame estimators, the JCE does not require domain membership information. Even if included in the JCE auxiliary variables, the effect of the randomly misclassified domains does not exceed the random measurement error effect. Therefore, the JCE tends to be robust for the misclassified domains if included in the auxiliary variables. Meanwhile, the misclassified domains can significantly affect the unbiasedness of the standard dual frame estimators as proved theoretically and empirically in this paper.
Multinomial Logistic Regression Approach for the Evaluation of Binary Diagnostic Test in Medical Research
Authors: Dwivedi Alok Kumar , Mallawaarachchi Indika , Figueroa-Casas Juan B. , Morales Angel M. , Tarwater Patrick
Published: November 2017

Evaluating the effect of variables on diagnostic measures (sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values) is often of interest to clinical researchers. Logistic regression (LR) models can be used to predict diagnostic measures of a screening test. A marginal model framework using generalized estimating equation (GEE) with logit/log link can be used to compare the diagnostic measures between two or more screening tests. These individual modeling approaches to each diagnostic measure ignore the dependency among these measures that might affect the association of covariates with each diagnostic measure. The diagnostic measures are computed using joint distribution of screening test result and reference test result which generates a multinomial response data. Thus, multinomial logistic regression (MLR) is a more appropriate approach to modeling these diagnostic measures. In this study, the validity of LR and GEE approaches as compared to MLR model was assessed for modeling diagnostic measures. All methods provided unbiased estimates of diagnostic measures in the absence of any covariate. LR and GEE methods produced more biased estimates as compared to MLR approach especially for small sample size studies. No bias was obtained in predicting sensitivity measure using MLR method for one screening test. Our proposed MLR method is robust for modeling diagnostic measures of a screening test as opposed to LR method. MLR method and GEE method produced similar estimates of diagnostic measures for comparing two screening tests in large sample size studies. The proposed MLR model for diagnostic measures is simple, and available in common statistical software. Our study demonstrates that MLR method should be preferred as an alternative for modeling diagnostic measures.
Functional Structure of Polish Regions in the Period 2004-2013 – Measurement Via HHI Index, Florence’s Coefficient of Localization and Cluster Analysis
Authors: Obrębalski Marek , Walesiak Marek
Published: November 2017

The article addresses the measurement and identification problems covering particular social and economic areas (referred to as functions) in the regions of the country, based on the employment structure analysis and assessment by the sectors of the economy. The Herfindahl-Hirschman index was applied to measure sectoral concentration and Florence’s coefficient of localization to determine regional functional specialization. Finally, cluster analysis was conducted to produce the functional typology of regions.
The Office for National Statistics Experience of Collecting and Measuring Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Tinkler Lucy
Published: November 2017

The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) started measuring subjective well-being in 2011 as part of the ONS Measuring National Well-being programme. The aim of the Measuring National Well-being programme is to measure the quality of life and progress of the UK. This article explores the development of the ONS subjective well-being measures, data collection methods, data presentational considerations, overview of findings, and latest developments. It discusses the way in which user engagement has been key to the development of the ONS subjective well-being statistics.
An Initial Research on Output Well-Being Index Applied to Residents in Wealthy Counties From China
Authors: Xing Zhanjun , Qu Xiaxia
Published: November 2017

Sampling from three wealthy counties in Shandong province (n = 855), this research examined the characteristics of an output well-being index, and the index shows good internal consistency reliability and ideal construct validity. It could be used as an instrument to evaluate the quality of life of Chinese citizens. The index was applied to an analysis of the quality of life of the residents from three wealthy counties. It shows that the level of the quality of life of the rural residents is higher than that of the urban residents, but the level of some indicators is imbalanced, and the levels of subjective and objective indicators are consistent. These characteristics of the well-being index of the rural residents from the wealthy counties are closely related with the level of the local economy and social development. It is advised that the output well-being index could be used to evaluate the degree of citizen’s need that was met and the degree of human being’s all-over development that was realized. It could also be used as an important policy instrument for the policy makers’ good governance.