A feedback control architecture for bioelectronic devices with applications to wound healing

Bioelectronic devices can provide an interface for feedback control of biological processes in real-time based on sensor information tracking biological response. The main control challenges are guaranteeing system convergence in the presence of saturating inputs into the bioelectronic device and complexities from indirect control of biological systems. In this paper, we first derive a saturated-based robust sliding mode control design for a partially unknown nonlinear system with disturbance. Next, we develop a data informed model of a bioelectronic device for in silico simulations. Our controller is then applied to the model to demonstrate controlled pH of a target area. A modular control architecture is chosen to interface the bioelectronic device and controller with a bistable phenomenological model of wound healing to demonstrate closed-loop biological treatment. External pH is regulated by the bioelectronic device to accelerate wound healing, while avoiding chronic inflammation. Our novel control algorithm for bioelectronic devices is robust and requires minimum information about the device for broad applicability. The control architecture makes it adaptable to any biological system and can be used to enhance automation in bioengineering to improve treatments and patient outcomes.

Development of Multi-Disciplinary Green-BOM to Maintain Sustainability in Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

The reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) appears to be eco-friendly while coping with rapidly changing market demands. However, there remains a lack of discussion or research regarding sustainability or environment-friendly functions within RMS. In this study, the reconfiguration planning problem is introduced to represent the core issues within the RMS. Reconfiguration occurs depending on new demands or conditions in the company by reconfiguring machines, such as removing, adding, or changing parts, giving considerable consideration to arrangement of machines, known as configurations in RMS. Therefore, reconfiguration process is always strongly connected to cost, energy consumption, and, more importantly, data management. The complexity of reconfiguration, product variation, and development processes requires tools that are capable of managing multi-disciplinary bill-of-material(BOM) or product data and providing a better collaboration support for data/information tracking while maintaining sustainability. This paper proposes a multi-disciplinary green bill-of-material (MDG-BOM)—an improved Green-BOM concept—with an additional multi-disciplinary feature to minimize emissions and hazardous materials during product development, as well as manage product information across multiple disciplines during the reconfiguration process. A smart spreadsheet for managing MDG-BOM was developed to allow multiple departments to integrate multiple sources of CAD design data and monitor/track changes throughout each step of the process.

Use of Analogies in Science Education, a Systematic Mapping Study

This systematic mapping study consisted of tracking the scientific literature that addresses the issue of analogies as a didactic strategy in science teaching. An analogy can be understood as comparing an existing knowledge with a new knowledge to achieve a better understanding of the new knowledge as a result of the comparison of similarities; or in other words, use students' own concepts to introduce new concepts using comparisons between the two. The purpose of this study was to identify, analyze, synthesize and evaluate research works that touched on this topic, with this, to have knowledge about the models of uses of analogies, most used didactic strategies, research methodologies in this field and how to evaluate the learning effectiveness of working with analogies. The methodology that was used is the systematic mapping study; Five questions were posed that guided the information tracking process. Later, the electronic documents in English for the last twenty years were traced in five databases related to the educational field. Finally, it is concluded by responding to the purpose of the study where it is evident that, broadly speaking, the research methodologies in this field are quantitative as well as qualitative, to implement analogies, resources such as images, illustrations, textual indications and audiovisual aids are used, it is usually evaluated the effectiveness of using analogies with multiple choice tests, oral tests of creating analogies by students.

Identity recognition on waterways: a novel ship information tracking method based on multimodal data

Video monitoring is an important means of ship traffic supervision. In practice, regulators often need to use an electronic chart platform to determine basic information concerning ships passing through a video feed. To enrich the information in the surveillance video and to effectively use multimodal maritime data, this paper proposes a novel ship multi-object tracking technology based on improved single shot multibox detector (SSD) and DeepSORT algorithms. In addition, a night contrast enhancement algorithm is used to enhance the ship identification performance in night scenes and a multimodal data fusion algorithm is used to incorporate the ship automatic identification system (AIS) information into the video display. The experimental results indicate that the ship information tracking accuracies in the day and night scenes are 78⋅2% and 70⋅4%, respectively. Our method can effectively help regulators to quickly obtain ship information from a video feed and improve the supervision of a waterway.

Symbolic annihilation through design: Pregnancy loss in pregnancy-related mobile apps

Pregnancy is a significant life event for many. Using mobile apps to manage pregnancies is common. Pregnancy loss is a common complication associated with stigma that impacts one’s wellbeing, relationships, sense of self, and more. While pregnancy loss is important to many experiencing it, it is unclear to what extent pregnancy-related mobile apps account for it and consider associated users’ needs in their designs. We conducted a feature analysis of 166 pregnancy-related apps. We found that their main features focus on information, tracking, reminders, and social contact, and that 72% of these apps do not account for loss, 18% explicitly account for it, and 10% passively do so. We theorize this lack of consideration as symbolic annihilation through design. We argue that such annihilation is partly shaped by intensified mothering ideologies, further stigmatizes pregnancy loss, and perpetuates a normative, linear portrait of the pregnancy experience which is harmful and marginalizing.

A Dynamic Model of Optimal Retargeting

The optimal retargeting strategy requires dynamic analysis, with better information tracking potentially leading to less retargeting.

COVID-19 Mobile Apps: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background A vast amount of mobile apps have been developed during the past few months in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Objective This systematic review aims to shed light into studies found in the scientific literature that have used and evaluated mobile apps for the prevention, management, treatment, or follow-up of COVID-19. Methods We searched the bibliographic databases Global Literature on Coronavirus Disease, PubMed, and Scopus to identify papers focusing on mobile apps for COVID-19 that show evidence of their real-life use and have been developed involving clinical professionals in their design or validation. Results Mobile apps have been implemented for training, information sharing, risk assessment, self-management of symptoms, contact tracing, home monitoring, and decision making, rapidly offering effective and usable tools for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions Mobile apps are considered to be a valuable tool for citizens, health professionals, and decision makers in facing critical challenges imposed by the pandemic, such as reducing the burden on hospitals, providing access to credible information, tracking the symptoms and mental health of individuals, and discovering new predictors.

COVID-19 Mobile Apps: A Systematic Review of the Literature (Preprint)

BACKGROUND A vast amount of mobile apps have been developed during the past few months in an attempt to “flatten the curve” of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. OBJECTIVE This systematic review aims to shed light into studies found in the scientific literature that have used and evaluated mobile apps for the prevention, management, treatment, or follow-up of COVID-19. METHODS We searched the bibliographic databases Global Literature on Coronavirus Disease, PubMed, and Scopus to identify papers focusing on mobile apps for COVID-19 that show evidence of their real-life use and have been developed involving clinical professionals in their design or validation. RESULTS Mobile apps have been implemented for training, information sharing, risk assessment, self-management of symptoms, contact tracing, home monitoring, and decision making, rapidly offering effective and usable tools for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS Mobile apps are considered to be a valuable tool for citizens, health professionals, and decision makers in facing critical challenges imposed by the pandemic, such as reducing the burden on hospitals, providing access to credible information, tracking the symptoms and mental health of individuals, and discovering new predictors.

Usability Evaluation of Mobile Tracking Applications: A Systematic Review

In the recent years, mobile is found to be useful since they allow the user to perform more tasks in a mobile context. However, this usefulness come at the expense of the usability of these devices in some contexts. Thus, usability becomes an important factor in the adoption of mobile applications (such as mobile tracking applications, mobile health and mobile learning), which are often used by people who have problems when using mobile devices and who have a limited experience of technology. It’s critical in the Mobile domain to ensure the success of mobile applications. Despite some studies review usability evaluation, regrettably there are no systematic literature reviews focused on usability evaluation of mobile tracking applications. Consequently, in this study, the researchers strive to present the results of a systematic literature review (SLR) involving the use of usability evaluation techniques in Mobile tracking applications. Based on three research questions, the results indicated that, there are three kinds of the Mobile tracking applications namely: information tracking, location tracking and information and location tracking. In addition, and regard to the techniques used to evaluate the usability, the experimental study was the regularly used in the selected studies. Finally, the results shown that, for characteristics were frequently exploited to measure the usability of mobile tracking application are: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Usefulness and Accurate. This study is valuable for the researchers who need to evaluate the usability for any new mobile application through explored the appropriate methods used to evaluation the usability and indicators required for this purpose.