The Development and Testing of Pour-Flush Toilet Sensors for Understanding User Interaction in Peri-Urban Households

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Cotera Rivera ◽  
Amy M. Bilton
Keyword(s):  
User Interaction ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Households ◽  
Sensor Performance ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Small Footprint ◽  
Distance Sensor ◽  
Automated Data Analysis ◽  
Sanitation Systems

Abstract Rapid worldwide urbanization has created peri-urban environments that often lack services and infrastructure for water and sanitation. Globally, around 4.5 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation, as is often the case in such environments. Efforts to develop appropriate sanitation alternatives in these contexts recognize the value of understanding users’ preferences and interaction with their sanitation systems, however, the traditional tools for assessing technology usage and adoption are based on physical observation, which presents limitations. In this work, we developed a toilet sensor to identify usage patterns of pour-flush toilets by quantifying flushing and defecation events. The device has a methane gas sensor, IR distance sensor and a motion sensor connected to a microcontroller. Its small footprint allows for unobtrusive installation inside a toilet bowl and operates battery-powered for about 5 days depending on usage patterns. To evaluate the sensor performance, units were installed for a field trial in nine participants’ households in a Mexican peri-urban community and an algorithm for automated data analysis was developed. Surveys were also conducted to benchmark the sensor performance and determine the potential value of the approach. Results showed that on average people underreported their daily toilet usage by two events compared to the measurements and they flushed only 75% of the time after defecation. By monitoring the usage of the current pour-flush toilets lacking piped water and sewerage and complementing the data with users’ feedback, we can gain an understanding of the existing limitations so more suitable sanitation alternatives can be proposed.

scholarly journals Video-ethnography of social media apps’ connection cues in public settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Figeac ◽  
Johann Chaulet
Keyword(s):  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Network Services ◽  
Mobile Social Network ◽  
Video Capture ◽  
Smartphone Applications ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Video Ethnography ◽  
Usage Patterns

This paper aims to analyze the uses of mobile social network services (mSNS) during daily commutes on the basis of a video ethnography conducted with 35 users of the Facebook app. This method is based on the combination of context-oriented recordings made with user-worn camera glasses and mobile screen video capture. These data reveal the way smartphone usage patterns tend to be organized according to notification functions (mSNS, SMS), a specific set of technical cues that mediatize social demand and promote social connectedness. Users manage these cues through a recurrent trend composed of a three-step sequence: they often start by using applications displaying notifications; they favor those that display social demands; and, among them, they prioritize these relational solicitations in accordance with social status or types of relationships. By examining the distribution of users’ attention between urban environments and smartphone applications, this video-ethnography also highlights how these “checking habits” are organized according to a set of spatial cues and some daily commute characteristics, such as visual coordination with passengers in public transport. These technical cues mediatize a growing number of social demands that encourage users to keep their eyes focused on their smartphone’s screen in public spaces. We argue that these technical cues create a temporary bubble effect and social isolation at a proximal scale, which mostly operate at the beginning of smartphone usage patterns.

scholarly journals Charging Point Usage in Germany—Automated Retrieval, Analysis, and Usage Types Explained

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13046
Author(s):  
Philipp A. Friese ◽  
Wibke Michalk ◽  
Markus Fischer ◽  
Cornelius Hardt ◽  
Klaus Bogenberger
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Large City ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Agglomerative Clustering ◽  
Charging Infrastructure ◽  
Random Forest Classification ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Usage Behavior ◽  
Usage Patterns

This study presents an approach to collect and classify usage data of public charging infrastructure in order to predict usage based on socio-demographic data within a city. The approach comprises data acquisition and a two-step machine learning approach, classifying and predicting usage behavior. Data is acquired by gathering information on charging points from publicly available sources. The first machine learning step identifies four relevant usage patterns from the gathered data using an agglomerative clustering approach. The second step utilizes a Random Forest Classification to predict usage patterns from socio-demographic factors in a spatial context. This approach allows to predict usage behavior at locations for potential new charging points. Applying the presented approach to Munich, a large city in Germany, results confirm the adaptability in complex urban environments. Visualizing the spatial distribution of the predicted usage patterns shows the prevalence of different patterns throughout the city. The presented approach helps municipalities and charging infrastructure operators to identify areas with certain usage patterns and, hence different technical requirements, to optimize the charging infrastructure in order to help meeting the increasing demand of electric mobility.

scholarly journals Epidemic Situation in Ukraine Related to the Quality of Drinking Water

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Rudenko
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
The Past ◽  
Source Of Infection ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Enteric Infections ◽  
Quality Water ◽  
Poor Quality Water ◽  
Sanitation Systems

70 outbreaks of severe enteric infections were registered among the population in 19 administrative territories in Ukraine over the past 17 years. The source of infection was poor-quality water. A total of 8265 people acquired an infection, 4140 of them were children. Most outbreaks were related to the piped water contaminated by rotaviruses, as a result of emergencies in the water supply and sanitation systems.

scholarly journals Cats in Czech Rural and Urban Households

2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Baranyiová ◽  
A. Holub ◽  
M. Tyrlík ◽  
M. Volfová
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Urban Households ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Household Members ◽  
Aggressive Behaviours

The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of rural and urban environments on the coexistence of humans and their cats. From the obtained questionnaire data we selected the rural cats (R, n = 54) and compared them with urban cats (U, n = 144). The R group cats lived predominantly in family houses, U cats in urban apartments. The pressures of physical and social factors in the small niches of urban apartments (dwellings in Czech urban high-density living settings, though comfortable, are smaller than in numerous European countries; they prevailed in our U group) resulted in statistically significant differences in only 31 (51.7%) out of 60 traits under study. Among them, 15 (68.2%) out of 22 concerned the conduct of household members, and 16 (42.1%) out of 38 concerned the behaviour of their cats. Thus the conduct of people in U households showed relatively higher proportion of changes than the behaviour of their cats. U onwers more frequently purchased their cats (R = 24.1%, U = 48.6%, chi-square = 10.648, df = 4, p < 0.05), they kept the cat pedigrees (R = 37.0%, U = 75.4%, chisquare = 24.661, df = 1, p < 0.001), paid more attention to their cats ((R = 93.0%, U = 100.0%, chi-square = 8.950, df = 1, p < 0.005), talked to them daily (R = 87.0%, U = 98.6%, chi-square = 12.024, df = 1, p < 0.001), allowed them to use furniture (R = 77.8%, U = 100.0%, chi-square = 33.839, df = 1, p < 0.001), sleep in beds of family members (R = 61.1%, U = 95.1%, chi-square = 37.149, df = 1, p < 0.001), and celebrated their birthdays (R = 25.9%, U = 100.0%, chi-square = 7.014, df = 2, p < 0.05). Their cats were more destructive than R cats, hunted less and were less aggressive when stroked. However, they showed a slightly larger scope of aggressive behaviours and were more frequently described as nervous and restless. The nature of the significant differences found in this study indicates that the co-existence of cats with people in the urbanized world is becoming more intimate. More interactions occur between the two species. The relationships between people and their cats deserve further study not only in order to gain more insight but also for a practical application of this knowledge.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing, Mobile Applications and Open Data Science Tools for Better Monitoring of Sanitation Systems

10.29007/31tr ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Schoebitz ◽  
Stuart Woolley ◽  
Jaime Sanchez Ferragut ◽  
Alison Weber ◽  
Jeff Hallowell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Open Data ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Treatment Unit ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Sanitation Systems ◽  
And Control

Safely managed sanitation services, monitored by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, require data on treatment of excreta from sanitation systems. This data is not readily available for the majority of United Nations member states and has led to estimates being established mostly for those countries where conventional sewer-based sanitation systems are prevalent. Presented in this article is a decentralized portable treatment unit for the safe treatment of excreta and sludges from non-sewered sanitation systems. Data from daily operations is generated from a variety of sensors, each collecting approximately ten data points per minute. Innovative cloud- based methods and data science tools are implemented to collect, store and analyze data. A software platform was developed that offers real-time reporting and alerts to operators and supervisors, allows for remote operation and control, and provides a multi tier architecture that enables user interaction through a mobile or web interface. Key Performance Indicators and results from long-term analytics are presented to quantify the effectiveness of the treatment process and provide relevant information to improve daily operations.

Vocal Communications of a Developmentally Delayed Child

1987 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-130
Author(s):  
Mary Ann Romski ◽  
Sharon Ellis Joyner ◽  
Rose A. Sevcik
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Developmental Delays ◽  
Developmentally Delayed ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Diary Data ◽  
Word Acquisition ◽  
Diary Studies ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Vocal Communications ◽  
Impaired Children

Studies of first-word acquisition in typical language-learning children frequently take the form of diary studies. Comparable diary data from language-impaired children with developmental delays, however, are not currently available. This report describes the spontaneous vocalizations of a child with a developmental delay for 14 months, from the time he was age 6:5 to age 7:7. From a corpus of 285 utterances, 47 phonetic forms were identified and categorized. Analysis focused on semantic, communicative, and phonological usage patterns.

Predictors of Problematic Video Game Usage in Childhood and Adolescence

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Mößle ◽  
Florian Rehbein
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
School Children ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Video Gaming ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Longitudinal Control ◽  
Peer Problems ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Usage Patterns

Aim: The aim of this article is to work out the differential significance of risk factors of media usage, personality and social environment in order to explain problematic video game usage in childhood and adolescence. Method: Data are drawn from the Berlin Longitudinal Study Media, a four-year longitudinal control group study with 1 207 school children. Data from 739 school children who participated at 5th and 6th grade were available for analysis. Result: To explain the development of problematic video game usage, all three areas, i. e. specific media usage patterns, certain aspects of personality and certain factors pertaining to social environment, must be taken into consideration. Video game genre, video gaming in reaction to failure in the real world (media usage), the children’s/adolescents’ academic self-concept (personality), peer problems and parental care (social environment) are of particular significance. Conclusion: The results of the study emphasize that in future – and above all also longitudinal – studies different factors regarding social environment must also be taken into account with the recorded variables of media usage and personality in order to be able to explain the construct of problematic video game usage. Furthermore, this will open up possibilities for prevention.

The influence of natural and urban environments on attentional processing of emotional stimuli

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrono Nu ◽  
Katie Mullin ◽  
Hailey Edwards ◽  
Kailey Kornhauser ◽  
Russell Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environments ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Attentional Processing

Minimetrò in Perugia as leverage for urban regeneration

TERRITORIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 148-163
Author(s):  
Luca Fondacci
Keyword(s):  
Urban Regeneration ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Peripheral Area ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
Considerable Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
Historical Centre

In the 1970s, the fragile historical centre of the city of Perugia was a key area where the binomial of sustainable mobility and urban regeneration was developed and applied. At the turn of the xxi century, the low carbon automatic people-mover Minimetrò broadened that application from the city's historical centre to the outskirts, promoting the enhancement of several urban environments. This paper is the outcome of an investigation of original sources, field surveys and direct interviews, which addresses the Minimetrò as the backbone of a wide regeneration process which has had a considerable impact on the economic development of a peripheral area of the city which was previously devoid of any clear urban sense. The conclusion proposes some solutions to improve the nature of the Minimetrò as an experimental alternative means of transport.

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