scholarly journals Self-Adaptation of mHealth Devices: The Case of the Smart Cane Platform

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Ayala ◽  
Joaquín Ballesteros ◽  
Juan Caro-Romero ◽  
Mercedes Amor ◽  
Lidia Fuentes
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Relative Error ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Product Lines ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Self Adaptation ◽  
Battery Consumption

Nowadays, more than one billion people are in need of one or more assistive technologies, and this number is expected to increase beyond two billion by 2050. The majority of assistive technologies are supported by battery-operated devices like smartphones and wearables. This means that battery weight is an important concern in such assistive devices because it may affect negatively its ergonomics. Saving power in these assistive devices is of utmost importance for its potential twofold benefits: extend the device life and reduce the global warming aggravated by billion of these devices. Dynamic Software Product Lines (DSPLs) are a suitable technology that supports system adaptation, in this case, to reduce energy consumption at runtime, considering contextual information and the current state of the device. However, a reduction in battery consumption could negatively affect other quality of service parameters, like response time. Therefore, it is important to trade-off battery saving and these other concerns. This work illustrates how to approach the self-adaptation of smart assistive devices by means of a DSPL-based strategy that optimizes battery consumption taking into account other QoS parameters at the same time. We illustrate our proposal with a real case study: a Smart Cane that is integrated with a DSPL platform, Tanit. Experimentation shows that it is possible to make a trade-off between different quality concerns (energy consumption and relative error). The results of the experiments allow us to conclude that the Tanit approach elongates battery duration of the Smart Cane in one day (an increase of a 6% with a relative error of 1%), so we improve the user quality of experience and reduce the energy footprint with a reasonable relative error.

scholarly journals Obstacles to Using Assistive Technology for Older Adults – Results from a Focus Group Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Fotteler ◽  
Beate Risch ◽  
Petra Gaugisch ◽  
Jan-Lukas Furmanek ◽  
Walter Swoboda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Related Case ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Coherent Information

Much hope is placed in the use of assistive technologies (AT) to support older adults and retain their independence and quality of life. AT could also be a way to help fulfill the increasing requirements of caring for an aging population. While many devices are freely available, successful and broad adoption is progressing slowly. In a qualitative analysis, we investigated the popularity of AT and the willingness to and obstacles for use. Eleven older adults aged 62–85 participated in three groups, each focusing on a specific age-related case example. Using content analysis, statements have been categorized into three levels: the affected person, their surroundings, and supportive devices. Information (knowledge, consultation) was the topic spoken about the most (n=101), followed by statements focusing on everyday life and the use of assistive devices (n=99). Comments on economic topics carried the least weight (n=28). The biggest obstacles for the reluctant adoption of AT don’t seem to be acceptance issues but rather a lack of knowledge of AT and where to get counseling. Thus, the provision and promotion of coherent information material and accessible consultation for users and relatives should be prioritized. AT training for healthcare professionals can provide further opportunities.

China: "A Bee Has a Stripy Back, but No One Can Call It a Tiger"

2003 ◽  
pp. 61-75
Author(s):  
V. Guelbras
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Gdp Growth ◽  
International Demand ◽  
Real Size ◽  
Rates Of Growth

The article is devoted to verification of the Chinese GDP data. The author compares the rates of GDP growth with the rates of growth of energy consumption, transport turnover of goods, and numbers of projected and constructed objects in 1980-2000. The former was significantly lower during that period. He also analyses the level of using productive capacities and the quality of production. About 25-30% of industrial productive capacities are not used because there is neither national nor international demand for their low quality goods. The main conclusion of the article is that the Chinese GDP real size is about 20-30% less than official releases.

Social Investment and Childcare Expansion

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita León
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Perfect Match ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Conceptual Level ◽  
Social Investment ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Education And Care

The chapter first examines at a conceptual level the links between theories of social investment and childcare expansion. Although ‘the perfect match’ between the two is often taken for granted in the specialized literature as well as in policy papers, it is here argued that a more nuance approach that ‘unpacks’ this relationship is needed. The chapter will then look for elements of variation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) expansion. Despite an increase in spending over the last two decades in many European and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, wide variation still exists in the way in which ECEC develops. A trade-off is often observed between coverage and quality of provision. A crucial dividing line that determines, to a large extent, the quality of provision in ECEC is the increasing differentiation between preschool education for children aged 3 and above and childcare for younger children.

UBAR

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Elham Shamsa ◽  
Alma Pröbstl ◽  
Nima TaheriNejad ◽  
Anil Kanduri ◽  
Samarjit Chakraborty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Quality Of Experience ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
State Of Charge ◽  
User Preference ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Run Time

Smartphone users require high Battery Cycle Life (BCL) and high Quality of Experience (QoE) during their usage. These two objectives can be conflicting based on the user preference at run-time. Finding the best trade-off between QoE and BCL requires an intelligent resource management approach that considers and learns user preference at run-time. Current approaches focus on one of these two objectives and neglect the other, limiting their efficiency in meeting users’ needs. In this article, we present UBAR, User- and Battery-aware Resource management, which considers dynamic workload, user preference, and user plug-in/out pattern at run-time to provide a suitable trade-off between BCL and QoE. UBAR personalizes this trade-off by learning the user’s habits and using that to satisfy QoE, while considering battery temperature and State of Charge (SOC) pattern to maximize BCL. The evaluation results show that UBAR achieves 10% to 40% improvement compared to the existing state-of-the-art approaches.

Evaluation of Drying Performance, Energy Consumption, and Quality of Two-Stage Dried Maize Grain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Akhtaruzzaman ◽  
Md. Hasan Tarek Mondal ◽  
Mrityunjoy Biswas ◽  
Md. Abdul Momin Sheikh ◽  
Anwara Akter Khatun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Maize Grain

scholarly journals Improving Stress Management and Sleep Hygiene in Intelligent Homes

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2398
Author(s):  
Asterios Leonidis ◽  
Maria Korozi ◽  
Eirini Sykianaki ◽  
Eleni Tsolakou ◽  
Vasilios Kouroumalis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Sleep Hygiene ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Intelligent Home ◽  
And Control

High stress levels and sleep deprivation may cause several mental or physical health issues, such as depression, impaired memory, decreased motivation, obesity, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented changes in our lives, generating significant stress, and worries about health, social isolation, employment, and finances. To this end, nowadays more than ever, it is crucial to deliver solutions that can help people to manage and control their stress, as well as to reduce sleep disturbances, so as to improve their health and overall quality of life. Technology, and in particular Ambient Intelligence Environments, can help towards that direction, when considering that they are able to understand the needs of their users, identify their behavior, learn their preferences, and act and react in their interest. This work presents two systems that have been designed and developed in the context of an Intelligent Home, namely CaLmi and HypnOS, which aim to assist users that struggle with stress and poor sleep quality, respectively. Both of the systems rely on real-time data collected by wearable devices, as well as contextual information retrieved from the ambient facilities of the Intelligent Home, so as to offer appropriate pervasive relaxation programs (CaLmi) or provide personalized insights regarding sleep hygiene (HypnOS) to the residents. This article will describe the design process that was followed, the functionality of both systems, the results of the user studies that were conducted for the evaluation of their end-user applications, and a discussion about future plans.

Effect of intermittent drying on the energy consumption and physiological quality of soybean seeds

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Andressa Bissaro ◽  
Rafael Oliveira Defendi ◽  
Lucas Caiubi Pereira ◽  
Alessandro Lucca Braccini ◽  
Diogo Francisco Rossoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Soybean Seeds ◽  
Physiological Quality
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