Thermal Image Processing System for the measurement of body temperature using a Drone

In December 2019, several cases of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 were identified in the city of Wuhan (China), which was declared by the WHO as a pandemic in March 2020 because it caused enormous problems to public health due to its rapid transmission of contagion. Being an uncontrolled case, precautions were taken all over the world to moderate the coronavirus that undoubtedly was very deadly for any person, presenting several symptoms, among them we have fever as a common symptom. A biosecurity measure that is frequently used is the taking of temperature with an infrared thermometer, which is not well seen by some specialists due to the error they present, therefore, it would not represent a safe measurement. In view of this problem, in this article a thermal image processing system was made for the measurement of body temperature by means of a drone to obtain the value of body temperature accurately, being able to be implemented anywhere, where it is intended to make such measurement, helping to combat the spread of the virus that currently continues to affect many people. Through the development of the system, the tests were conducted with various people, obtaining a more accurate measurement of body temperature with an efficiency of 98.46% at 1.45 m between the drone and the person, in such a way that if it presents a body temperature higher than 38° C it could be infected with COVID-19. © 2023 IEEE.

Effects of various respiratory activities on human aerosol emissions: experimental design and preliminary results

This study combines particle measurements and acoustic measurements to study aerosols generated in breathing, speaking, singing and coughing. Particle measurements are carried out using a portable measurement chamber designed specially for the study. Acoustic measurements of voice production are conduced to standardize measurements in human aerosol emission and to reveal possible reasons for the individual differences in particle generation. Understanding mechanisms of human aerosol generation is important in trying to understand how the airborne transmission of pathogens takes place and furthermore in assessing how to minimize the risk of transmission. The results can be used in the context of all airborne diseases. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

Monintoring Student Depression by Mobile Devices with Autoencoder Networks

The timely assessment of mental health is difficult since we lack the objective measurements of symptoms, especially for the Covid-19 pandemic quarantined students. Fortunately, smart phones can capture the real-world data such as the GPS traces and the phone active time et.al that link the behavioral patterns to the mental health. However, recent studies are based on a very small size of participants and only collect fewer phone features, which means that the effective predicting models which require various features are hardly adopted. In this paper, we develop an android application to record multidimensional data of users as well as a PHQ-9 and a SAS questionary, and we distribute it to 176 college students to collect larger scale data when in quarantine period. To address the unprecise problem of handcrafted feature extraction, we design an autoencoder machine learning model to monitor the student mental health. Extensive experiments indicate that the performance of the proposed method improves its F-1 score for PHQ-9 and SAS by 5% and 6% to the state of the current studies, respectively. © 2023 IEEE.

Measurement of Ventilation Rate and Evaluation of Infection Risk in a Classroom

To quantitatively evaluate the effect of increasing ventilation using the immediately practicable method on infection risk, the ventilation rate in a classroom was measured by the concentration decay method using CO2. The measured value was then substituted into the Wells-Riley model to evaluate aerosol infection risk in steady and non-steady states. In the classroom, the air change rate per hour (ACH) ranged from 3.1 to 10.2, and the local mean age of air tended to be larger near the outlet. It was also shown that opening the windows increased the ventilation rate the most, resulting in a more evenly distributed local mean age of air. We also showed that the aerosol infection risk in the classroom could be significantly reduced by increasing ventilation, suppressing vocalization, and wearing a mask, compared to some outbreaks of COVID-19. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

Investigation into workplace ventilation at COVID-19 outbreak sites

Site visits were made to ten (non-healthcare) workplace COVID-19 outbreaks to assess ventilation. Measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature and humidity were made. Room activity and occupancy was observed, and ventilation management assessed. CO2 readings were used to identify areas of poor air quality, and where possible, airflow measurements were made at ventilation openings and CO2 decay rates were used to estimate ventilation rates. Poorly ventilated, regularly occupied spaces were frequently identified by this work. Measures to reduce transmission risk and improve ventilation included opening windows and reducing room capacities. Attempts at reconfiguration of mechanical ventilation systems were not common. Thermal comfort and heating costs were factors cited that influenced decision making. Overall understanding of ventilation was low and identified a need for simple tools to allow stakeholders to assess their workspaces. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

Mobile Information System for Determining the Level of Creatine in Food Products

The study of food products to determine the level of creatine in them is an actual task, taking into account the need for this substance for patients with Covid'19 and spinal muscular atrophy. The purpose of our research is to develop a mobile information system for determining the level of creatine in food products. The developed method for determining the level of creatine in food products by the user and the method for determining the level of creatine in food products using a mobile information system provide the user with the opportunity to quickly, conveniently, cheaply and effectively assess the presence and level of creatine in any food products, on the basis of which to build a rational diet from the point vision of body saturation with creatine. The proposed mobile information system for determining the level of creatine in food products provides convenience, low-cost, celerity, miniaturization and automation for measurement of concentration of creatine in any food products. The conclusion obtained from the system regarding the presence and level of creatine in this or that food product is useful and extremely important when preparing the diet of patients, especially patients with Covid'19 and/or spinal muscular atrophy. The proposed approach and mobile information system for determining the level of creatine in food products can be used not only for drawing up the diet of patients, especially patients with Covid'19 and/or spinal muscular atrophy, from the point vision of body saturation with creatine, but also for example, to check the quality of meat products. © 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors.

Analysis of the Potential of Tourism Restorative Destinations to Overcome Health Disorders Due to Work Fatigue: (Study on Perceived Destination Restorative Qualities (PDRQ) in the Context of Tourism)

The tourism industry is greatly affected by environmental changes. Especially after the world went through the Covid pandemic era, people prefer doing healthy tourism. The daily workload, the increase in education and welfare have resulted in a shift in the trend of tourism choices. People are increasingly considering the fulfillment of work-life balance. This study is designed to examine the elements contained in the measurement of the restorative quality of destinations known as "Perceived destination restorative quality (PDRQ)”. PDRQ consists of four elements, namely being away, extent, fascination, and compatibility. These four elements will be tested for their effect on the overall restorative impact and visitor satisfaction. A quantitative study will be conducted in Indonesia with tourism objects in Jogjakarta and Central Java covering rural and urban areas. SEM statistical analysis tools will be used to test the validity and reliability of the data collected. This research will enrich the literature review in the field of health tourism and for managers will be useful to further broaden the perspective of offering tourism program that has more restorative impacts. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Lifelong learning processes in professional development for online teachers during the Covid era

Introduction: Lifelong learning encompasses four pillars: (1) learning to know;(2) learning to do;(3) learning to be;and (4) learning to live together. These four pillars, which are expanded upon within the current study provide a lens to examine relationships between professional development, use of technology for remote online teaching, and pedagogical efficacy in the age of COVID-19. Methods: The study examined survey responses from 372 primary school subjects representing six different districts, and interviews with 16 teachers. The responses were analyzed using correlation and MANOVA statistical tests. Results: Teachers' professional development processes were found to have a positive impact on the teachers' pedagogical efficacy, by means of positive perceptions toward the use of technology for remote online teaching. Learning foci predicted the use of technology, and the use of technology predicted learning assessment measurements. Discussion: The study's findings reinforce the need for professional development processes based on systematic identification of pedagogical needs that arise in the field, their analysis and the understanding of the added value of pedagogical tools that can support enhanced implementation of teaching - learning - evaluation. The study's findings point to epistemological elements related to the types of acquired knowledge and to learning methods, which make it possible to differentiate between various processes in teachers' professional development as well as processes in the use of innovative pedagogical technology. Copyright © 2023 Reychav, Elyakim and McHaney.

Assessing Acoustic Conditions in Hybrid Classrooms with COVID-19 Social Distancing at the University of Sharjah

In response to COVID-19 global pandemic, institutions are required to follow health protocols involving social distancing, which led to the need to redesign the teaching and learning spaces. The University of Sharjah (UOS), United Arab Emirates (UAE), has adopted a flexible hybrid teaching approach where the capacity of the classrooms is reduced to 50% and added the necessary audiovisual equipment to support the hybrid teaching model. As a result, the acoustic conditions are expected to be affected. The aim of this study is to assess the acoustic parameters in hybrid classrooms with a focus on reverberation time, sound clarity (C50), and strength (G). Measurements of the reverberation time, clarity, and strength were taken in six different classrooms were performed using a sound analyzer and ROOM EQ Wizard software in accordance with the guidelines set by ISO 3382. In addition, we compared the experimental data with the obtained from Sabine's diffuse-field theory and from a model developed by E. Nilsson, which considers that the absorption in classrooms is mainly due to an absorbing ceiling. Reverberation times results show that Leq (dBA) varies from 43.0-50.9 dBA. Results obtained from the theoretical model showed the same overall behavior over the investigated frequency range. Sound clarity and strength measurements indicated that the acoustic conditions in hybrid classrooms do not satisfy the international standards with the exception of one classroom, which was acoustically treated. © 2022 Internoise 2022 - 51st International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering. All rights reserved.

Research on 5.5 μm Infrared Filter Applied to Infrared Thermometer

With the expansion of novel coronavirus pneumonia's influence on the world, people's dependence on infrared thermometer guns is increasing. In order to improve the measurement accuracy of the infrared temperature measuring gun and meet the requirements of rapid and accurate measurement of human body temperature, the core components for the infrared temperature measuring gun are developed and prepared in this paper. The film fogging phenomenon caused by the anisotropy of metal germanium and semiconductor properties is analysed and solved by measuring the atomic force microscope image and infrared spectrum of the film, the 5.5-micron infrared filter with high transmittance and good film quality was prepared by electron beam evaporation, resistance evaporation and ion source assisted deposition. © 2022 IEEE.

Enhance Supply Chain Resilience through Industry 4.0-A view of designing simulation scenarios

COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war demonstrate the inevitability of supply chain disruptions. A lack of effective supply chain resilience (SCR) causes mismatches between demand and supply, and the destabilization of normal operational policies in production, distribution, and inventory control. Existing research mainly provides different definitions and measurements of supply chain resilience for different product supply chains. In this paper, we look at how Industry 4.0 (14.0) technologies enhance supply chain resilience. An 14.0 enabled architecture is designed for a factory with multiple suppliers and extended inventory for improving SCR. Different simulation scenarios for a LED factory are designed for demonstrating 14.0 technologies supporting SCR in different phases. © 2022 IEEE.

Experimental measurement of respiratory particles dispersed by wind instruments and analysis of the associated risk of infection transmission

Activities such as singing or playing a wind instrument release respiratory particles into the air that may contain pathogens and thus pose a risk for infection transmission. Here we report measurements of the size distribution, number, and volume concentration of exhaled particles from 31 healthy musicians playing 20 types of wind instruments using aerosol size spectrometry complemented with in-line holography in a strictly controlled cleanroom environment. We find that playing wind instruments carries a lower risk of airborne disease transmission than speaking or singing. We attribute this to the fact that the resonators of wind instruments act as filters for particles >10 µm in diameter, which were found in high abundance right after a brass mouthpiece but very rarely at the instrument bell end. We have also measured the size-dependent filtering properties of different types of filters that can be used as instrument masks. Based on these measurements, we calculated the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in different near- and far-field scenarios with and without masking and/or distancing. We conclude that in all cases where there is a possibility that the musician is infectious, the only safe measure to prevent airborne transmission of the disease is the use of well-fitting and well-filtering masks for the instrument and the susceptible person. © 2022 The Author(s)

Vital Measurements of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients as a Predictor of Long COVID: An EHR-based Cohort Study from the RECOVER Program in N3C

It is shown that various symptoms could remain in the stage of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), otherwise known as Long COVID. A number of COVID patients suffer from heterogeneous symptoms, which severely impact recovery from the pandemic. While scientists are trying to give an unambiguous definition of Long COVID, efforts in prediction of Long COVID could play an important role in understanding the characteristic of this new disease. Vital measurements (e.g. oxygen saturation, heart rate, blood pressure) could reflect body's most basic functions and are measured regularly during hospitalization, so among patients diagnosed COVID positive and hospitalized, we analyze the vital measurements of first7 days since the hospitalization start date to study the pattern of the vital measurements and predict Long COVID with the information from vital measurements. © 2022 IEEE.

The First Electroanalytical Study Of Umifenovir (Arbidol) Used As A Potential Antiviral Drug For The Treatment of SARS-CoV-2: A Voltammetric Quantification On The Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode By Using Anionic Surfactant Media

In this work, an electroanalytical procedure for sensing umifenovir (arbidol) by square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SW-AdSV) was developed utilizing an anodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode. Measurements of umifenovir using cyclic voltammetry with phosphate buffer solution (PBS, 0.1 M, pH 2.5) revealed irreversible behaviour, adsorption-controlled as well as an ill-defined (+1.13 V, PA1) and a well-defined (+1.47 V, PA2) two oxidation peaks. Umifenovir oxidations depend critically on supporting electrolytes and pH. The second oxidation peak (PA2) current of the umifenovir was enhanced by adding sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS, anionic surfactant) in the chosen supporting electrolyte. Umifenovir was quantified using its second oxidation peak (PA2) at about +1.39 V. Using the optimized condition, the oxidation peak current of PA2 showed a linear relationship for umifenovir determination in the concentration range from 0.005 to 1.0 μg ml−1 (9.73 × 10−9−1.95 × 10−6 M), with a detection limit of 0.0014 μg ml−1 (2.72 × 10−9 M) in PBS (PH 2.5) with SDS. Finally, the developed approach was successfully utilized to determine umifenovir in the pharmaceutical formulation and urine samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first electroanalytical approach for voltammetric sensing of umifenovir. © 2023 The Electrochemical Society ("ECS”). Published on behalf of ECS by IOP Publishing Limited

Performance Measures on IoMT Enabled Sensor based Respiratory Monitoring System for Measurement of Vital Parameters: A Descriptive Study

Currently, COVID-19 causes a variety of irregular respiratory symptoms that need to be tracked and assessed in order to deliver prompt medical aid. Wearable sensors and various patient tracking systems provide enhanced health services. IoT based monitoring system using various wearable sensors can be implemented to provide immediate medical support to the patients which will reduce human errors and also can eliminate delays in decision making. This paper provides a systematic approach for measuring respiration rate through sensor-based measurement system with integration of IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) wireless communication protocol. This paper also provides a descriptive study on breathing signal extraction and monitoring. The wide range of scientific articles have been collected and reviewed for developing a smart respiratory monitoring system. The development of IoMT enabled piezo sensor based respiratory rate monitoring system is designed and tested with software and hardware programming environment for accurate measurement of respiration rate. © 2022 IEEE.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in a Medical ICU: Nurses' Travel Distance

In this study, the nurse's workload in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) was analyzed through the measurement of travel distances and compared between before the pandemic in Feb 2020 and during the pandemic in Feb 2021. The total moving distance of each ICU nurse in four main locations (i.e., a nurse station, central desk, patient room, and hallway) was collected by using the near-field electromagnetic ranging system, which is the advanced real-time location system. We hypothesized that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influences the nurse's travel distance. The results showed no significant difference in travel distance at the central desk between the Feb and July data. However, the ICU nurse's travel distance in the patient room was significantly increased while the travel distances in the hallway and nurse station were decreased. The findings from this study will help us to understand how the pandemic affects the nurses' workload in a medical intensive care unit. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Assessing Supply Chain Performance in the Covid 19 Context: A Prospective Model

The Covid-19 pandemic [1] has severely disrupted companies' activities, especially in their supply chains. Indeed, the crisis has generated a disruption of supplies and therefore of supply and demand in different countries [2], a transformation of customer and supplier paradigms [3], and a revitalization of transport and logistics modes ([4];[1]). If the crisis continues to disrupt both the design and the management of companies' supply chains [5], the measurement of their performance, which is already largely controversial, must be revisited. This study aims at proposing the measurement of the performance of SCs with respect to the challenges and opportunities induced by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Its objective is to propose a prospective model for evaluating this performance in the post-pandemic period. The study analyzes the existing literature and proposes a set of indicators to measure the performance of SCs through a prospective approach. The indicators selected are relatively global and integrate financial and non-financial, strategic, tactical and operational dimensions. © 2022 IEEE.

Measurement of Blood Oxygen based on Remote-Photoplethysmography

SpO2, also known as blood oxygen saturation, is a vital physiological indicator in clinical care. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, silent hypoxia has been one of the most serious symptoms. This symptom makes the patient's SpO2 drop to an extremely low level without discomfort and causes medical care delay for many patients. Therefore, regularly checking our SpO2 has become a very important matter. Recent work has been looking for convenient and contact-free ways to measure SpO2 with cameras. However, most previous studies were not robust enough and didn't evaluate their algorithms on the data with a wide SpO2 range. In this paper, we proposed a novel non-contact method to measure SpO2 by using the weighted K-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm. Five features extracted from the RGB traces, POS, and CHROM signals were used in the KNN model. Two datasets using different ways to lower the SpO2 were constructed for evaluating the performance. The first one was collected through the breath-holding experiment, which induces more motion noise and confuses the actual blood oxygen features. The second dataset was collected at Song Syue Lodge, which locates at an elevation of 3150 meters and has lower oxygen concentration in the atmosphere making the SpO2 drop between the range of 80% to 90% without the need of holding breath. The proposed method outperforms the benchmark algorithms on the leave-one-subject-out and cross-dataset validation. © 2022 IEEE.

Understanding Students' Online Learning Performance during Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

Academic performance of students is the measurement of their academic achievement, which is influenced by various factors. This study aims to investigate the antecedents that affected Students' online learning performance during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh. The current study is a quantitative cross-sectional study that has been conducted by performing an online survey on 408 university students in Bangladesh. The study found that perceived satisfaction mediated e-learning quality and metacognitive strategies with the students' academic performance partially and fully, respectively, and made an indirect relationship between home environment and performance. The present study provides practical and theoretical implications by developing a framework and providing information to the stakeholders. Finally, this study has been concluded by mentioning a few limitations and giving direction for future research. © 2022 IEEE.

Measurement of the muon flux in the bunker of Monte Soratte with the CRC detector

The Cosmic Ray Cube is a portable tracking device conceived for outreach activities allowing a direct scientific experience for secondary school students. In the context of the PTOLEMY project, the detector was used to measure the differential muon flux inside the bunker of Monte Soratte, a suitable location at about 50 km north of Rome (Italy). Its simple operation was crucial to finalise the measurements, carried out during the Covid-19 lockdown in a site devoid of scientific equipment. The fine scanning of the differential muon rate highlights the details of the mountain above the bunker providing a map of the thickness of the rock which surrounds the detector. The result shows a muon flux at the Soratte hypogeum of about two orders of magnitude lower than the one observed on the surface. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.