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Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) May 2021Changing the construction of mart Meter (SM) devices, more specifically equipping them with more than one communication module, facilitates the elimination of a...
Changing the construction of mart Meter (SM) devices, more specifically equipping them with more than one communication module, facilitates the elimination of a Transformer Station Data Concentrator (TSC) module, moving its function to one of the SMs. The opportunity to equip a chosen device in an additional communication module makes it possible to use it as an acquisition node. The introduction of this solution creates a problem with the optimum selection of the above-mentioned node out of all the nodes of the analyzed network. This paper suggests the criterion of its location and, as per the criterion, the way of conduct using the elements of the graph theory. The discussion is illustrated with the examples of the possibility to use the method for the optimization of the architecture of the network. The described method makes it possible to choose the location of a backup acquisition node as well as locate intermediary nodes (signal repeaters) in case of a failure (removal) of some SM devices. In the era of the common introduction of dispersed telemetric systems requiring an adequate level of performance and reliability of information transmission, the offered method can be used for the optimization of the structures of Smart Grids.
PubMed: 34074017
DOI: 10.3390/e23060658 -
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Mar 2022Adequate, secure, and sustainable water supply gained utmost importance as an essential public service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this research study is to...
Adequate, secure, and sustainable water supply gained utmost importance as an essential public service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this research study is to investigate impacts of the protective measures taken for the COVID-19 pandemic on water consumption and post meter leakages in public places. A total of 22 pilot study sites (PSS) representing schools, graveyards, parks, mosques, public toilets, a university building, and a sport facility were chosen to apply this study. The PSS were equipped with smart meters with different sizes that were capable of measuring the flow rates at short intervals of 15 min. The flow rates were continuously monitored at the PSS for more than 1 year before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020. Post meter leakages were determined based on the minimum night flow (MNF). The monitoring results showed a considerable decrease (42%) in the total flow rates at public places because of the lockdown measures, but excessive post meter leakages (72% of total flow rates) were also observed. Additionally, the decrease in flow rates adversely affected measuring accuracy of the meters and thereby increased the apparent water losses. Control of post meter leakages and selection of appropriate size of meters are important for efficient use of urban water. Water and energy savings besides reduction in greenhouse gas emissions are the main environmental benefits of leakage control. The use of smart technologies contributes to efficient and sustainable management of urban water demand, but raising public awareness for conservation of water is essential.
Topics: COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Pandemics; Pilot Projects; Water Supply
PubMed: 35262900
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-09913-w -
Health Physics Aug 2000Neutron rem meters are routinely used for real-time field measurements of neutron dose equivalent where neutron spectra are unknown or poorly characterized. These meters...
Neutron rem meters are routinely used for real-time field measurements of neutron dose equivalent where neutron spectra are unknown or poorly characterized. These meters are designed so that their response per unit fluence approximates an appropriate fluence-to-dose conversion function. Typically, a polyethylene moderator assembly surrounds a thermal neutron detector, such as a BF3 counter tube. Internal absorbers may also be used to further fine-tune the detector response to the shape of the desired fluence conversion function. Historical designs suffer from a number of limitations. Accuracy for some designs is poor at intermediate energies (50 keV-250 keV) critical for nuclear power plant dosimetry. The well-known Andersson-Braun design suffers from angular dependence because of its lack of spherical symmetry. Furthermore, all models using a pure polyethylene moderator have no useful high-energy response, which makes them inaccurate around high-energy accelerator facilities. This paper describes two new neutron rem meter designs with improved accuracy over the energy range from thermal to 5 GeV. The Wide Energy Neutron Detection Instrument (WENDI) makes use of both neutron generation and absorption to contour the detector response function. Tungsten or tungsten carbide (WC) powder is added to a polyethylene moderator with the expressed purpose of generating spallation neutrons in tungsten nuclei and thus enhance the high-energy response of the meter beyond 8 MeV. Tungsten's absorption resonance structure below several keV was also found to be useful in contouring the meter's response function. The WENDI rem meters were designed and optimized using the Los Alamos Monte Carlo codes MCNP, MCNPX, and LAHET. A first generation prototype (WENDI-I) was built in 1995 and its testing was completed in 1996. This design placed a BF3 counter in the center of a spherical moderator assembly, whose outer shell consisted of 30% by weight WC in a matrix of polyethylene. A borated silicone rubber (5% boron by weight) absorber covered an inner polyethylene sphere to control the meter's response at intermediate energies. A second generation design (WENDI-II) was finalized and tested in 1999. It further extended the high-energy response beyond 20 MeV, increased sensitivity, and greatly facilitated the manufacturing process. A 3He counter tube is located in the center of a cylindrical polyethylene moderator assembly. Tungsten powder surrounds the counter tube at an inner radius of 4 cm and performs the double duty of neutron generation above 8 MeV and absorption below several keV. WENDI-II is suitable for field use as a portable rem meter in a variety of work place environments, and has been recently commercialized under license by Eberline Instruments, Inc. and Ludlum Measurements, Inc. Sensitivity is about a factor of 12 higher than that of the Hankins Modified Sphere (Eberline NRD meter) in a bare 252Cf field. Additionally, the energy response for WENDI-II closely follows the contour of the Ambient Dose Equivalent per unit fluence function [H'(10)/phi] above 0.1 MeV. Its energy response at 500 MeV is approximately 15 times higher than that of the Hankins and Andersson-Braun meters. Measurements of the energy and directional response of the improved meter are presented and the measured response function is shown to agree closely with the predictions of the Monte Carlo simulations in the range from 0.144 MeV to 19 MeV.
Topics: Borates; Calibration; Equipment Design; Fast Neutrons; Helium; Monte Carlo Method; Polyethylene; Power Plants; Radiometry; Rubber; Sensitivity and Specificity; Tungsten; Tungsten Compounds
PubMed: 10910387
DOI: 10.1097/00004032-200008000-00010 -
Journal of Diabetes Science and... May 2020When used in hospital settings, glucose meter performance issues involve analytic comparability to lab-based testing, patient and sample variables, and clinical affects... (Review)
Review
When used in hospital settings, glucose meter performance issues involve analytic comparability to lab-based testing, patient and sample variables, and clinical affects such as insulin treatment protocol outcomes and morbidity or outcome risk factors. Different tools are available to assess these issues, including accuracy and precision statistics along with clinical risk measures such as error grids or simulation testing. Regulatory, guidance, and professional bodies have advocated a number of varying recommendations for glucose meter performance in different situations and under different patient conditions. These are summarized and compared, but reconciling these guidelines can be confusing or difficult for providers. Blood glucose meters are useful in the management of patients in acute or assisted care facilities, but users must appreciate the variables that affect measurements and provide for oversight that can manage risk factors and maintain meter performance expectations.
Topics: Biomarkers; Blood Chemical Analysis; Blood Glucose; Equipment Design; Guideline Adherence; Hospitals; Humans; Point-of-Care Systems; Point-of-Care Testing; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 31983225
DOI: 10.1177/1932296819898277 -
The Journal of Pediatrics Aug 1982The correlation of transcutaneous bilirubin measurements with serum bilirubin concentrations is not good enough to allow for accurate prediction of the serum values. To... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The correlation of transcutaneous bilirubin measurements with serum bilirubin concentrations is not good enough to allow for accurate prediction of the serum values. To impose the jaundice meter's potential clinical usefulness, we evaluated 344 paired jaundice meter-serum bilirubin measurements in 125 infants, using new guidelines from the marketing company which were designed to identify which infants require serum bilirubin determinations rather than to predict the actual bilirubin values. Use of the new guidelines correctly assessed the need for serum determinations in most infants, but false positives and, more importantly, false negatives (missed high serum values) did occur.
Topics: Bilirubin; Equipment and Supplies; Ethnicity; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Jaundice, Neonatal; Skin; Skin Pigmentation
PubMed: 7097424
DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3476(82)80135-2 -
ISA Transactions Jun 2019The echo signal of the ultrasonic gas flow-meter is difficult to locate, and the computation of signal processing methods proposed by others is extensive which affects...
The echo signal of the ultrasonic gas flow-meter is difficult to locate, and the computation of signal processing methods proposed by others is extensive which affects the meter's real-time performance. Aiming at solving these problems the echo signal envelopes under different flow rates are analyzed. And three kinds of signal processing methods based on echo signal envelope fitting are proposed. The shape of the echo signal remains the "approximate spindle shape" as the flow rate increases, and the envelope gradient of the middle parts of the upper envelope's rising section and the lower envelope's falling section remains the same at different flow rates, so the mathematical models of the two sections are established to obtain the envelope gradient curves of the two sections. With the envelope gradient curves, the ranges of envelope and peak points that linearly distributed are obtained. The least squares fitting is performed on those peak points to obtain two feature straight lines for respectively representing the upper envelope's rising section and the lower envelope's falling section. According to the spatial characteristics of the feature straight lines, the points on the feature straight lines are selected as the feature points for quickly locating the echo signal. According to the offline verification and comparison, the best one of three kinds of signal processing methods is selected, and realized on the hardware system of the two-channel ultrasonic gas flow-meter. The transmitter of two-channel ultrasonic gas flow-meter is developed based on FPGA & DSP dual core structure. It utilizes the parallel processing capacity and logic control ability of FPGA to realize the controlling of the high-speed ADC & DAC and the storage of the data. At the same time, it adopts the high-speed computing capacity of DSP to implement the digital signal processing method. The gas flow calibration experiments were carried out in a national accredited testing agency to verify the effectiveness of the signal processing methods and system. The experimental results show that the improved signal processing method based on echo signal upper and lower envelope fitting can quickly and accurately locate the echo signal. And the measurable range of the ultrasonic gas flow meter based on this signal processing method is broadened to 10 m/h to 1,300 m/h, and the turndown ratio is broadened to 1:130.
PubMed: 30616970
DOI: 10.1016/j.isatra.2018.12.035 -
Journal of Diabetes Science and... Mar 2013Blood glucose (BG) meters used for assisted monitoring of blood glucose (AMBG) require different attributes compared with meters designed for home use. These include... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Blood glucose (BG) meters used for assisted monitoring of blood glucose (AMBG) require different attributes compared with meters designed for home use. These include safety considerations (i.e., minimized risk of blood-borne pathogen transmission), capability for testing multiple blood sample types, and enhanced performance specifications. The OneTouch® Verio™Pro+ BG meter is designed to incorporate all of these attributes.
METHODS
Meter accuracy was assessed in clinical studies with arterial, venous, and capillary blood samples with a hematocrit range of 22.9-59.8%. The effect of interferents, including anticoagulants, on accuracy was evaluated. The meter disinfection protocol was validated, and instructions for use and user acceptance of the system were assessed.
RESULTS
A total of 97% (549/566) of BG measures from all blood sample types and 95.5% (191/200) of arterial blood samples were within ±12 mg/dl or 12.5% of reference measurements. The system was unaffected by 4 anticoagulants and 57 of 59 endogenous and exogenous compounds; it was affected by 2 compounds: pralidoxime iodide and xylose. Bleach wipes were sufficient to disinfect the meter. Users felt that the meter's quality control (QC) prompts would help them to comply with regulatory requirements.
CONCLUSION
The meter provided accurate measurements of different blood samples over a wide hematocrit range and was not affected by 57 physiologic and therapeutic compounds. The QC prompts and specific infection-mitigating design further aid to make this meter system practical for AMBG in care facilities.
Topics: Arteries; Blood Glucose; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; Blood-Borne Pathogens; Capillaries; Disinfection; Hematocrit; Humans; Monitoring, Physiologic; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Point-of-Care Systems; Veins
PubMed: 23566997
DOI: 10.1177/193229681300700215 -
EJIFCC Sep 2014Glucose meters are a fast and convenient way to measure circulating blood glucose. Like many technologies in healthcare, the use of glucose meters within the hospital...
Glucose meters are a fast and convenient way to measure circulating blood glucose. Like many technologies in healthcare, the use of glucose meters within the hospital has evolved significantly over the last few decades. This change has been driven predominantly by changes in the approach to glycemic control for critically ill patients. Both glycemic control in the intensive care unit (ICU), and use of glucose meters to manage insulin dosing during glycemic control, are likely to remain controversial topics in the years to come. This review will elaborate on the evidence for and against use of glucose meters in the ICU to monitor glucose concentrations during glycemic control, and provide some tips for point of care programs on how to evaluate glucose monitors for this purpose.
PubMed: 27683465
DOI: No ID Found -
Micromachines Jul 2023The detection of nucleic acids as specific markers of infectious diseases is commonly implemented in molecular biology laboratories. The translation of these benchtop...
The detection of nucleic acids as specific markers of infectious diseases is commonly implemented in molecular biology laboratories. The translation of these benchtop assays to a lab-on-a-chip format demands huge efforts of integration and automation. The present work is motivated by a strong requirement often posed by molecular assays that combine isothermal amplification and CRISPR/Cas-based detection: after amplification, a 2-8 microliter aliquot of the reaction products must be taken for the subsequent reaction. In order to fulfill this technical problem, we have designed and prototyped a microfluidic device that is able to meter and aliquot in the required range during the stepped assay. The operation is achieved by integrating a porous material that retains the desired amount of liquid after removing the excess reaction products, an innovative solution that avoids valving and external actuation. The prototypes were calibrated and experimentally tested to demonstrate the overall performance (general fluidics, metering, aliquoting, mixing and reaction). The proposed aliquoting method is fully compatible with additional functions, such as sample concentration or reagent storage, and could be further employed in alternative applications beyond molecular diagnosis.
PubMed: 37512736
DOI: 10.3390/mi14071425 -
Pediatric Research Mar 2021Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is a widely used screening method for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Deviation of the transcutaneous bilirubin concentration (TcB) from the...
BACKGROUND
Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is a widely used screening method for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Deviation of the transcutaneous bilirubin concentration (TcB) from the total serum bilirubin concentration (TSB) is often ascribed to biological variation between patients, but variations between TcB meters may also have a role. This study aims to provide a systematic evaluation of the inter-device reproducibility of TcB meters.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirteen commercially available TcB meters (JM-105 and JM-103) were evaluated in vitro on phantoms that optically mimic neonatal skin. The mimicked TcB was varied within the clinical range (0.5-181.3 μmol/L).
RESULTS
Absolute differences between TcB meter outcomes increased with the measured TcB, from a difference of 5.0 μmol/L (TcB = 0.5 μmol/L phantom) up to 65.0 μmol/L (TcB = 181.3 μmol/L phantom).
CONCLUSION
The inter-device reproducibility of the examined TcB meters is substantial and exceeds the specified accuracy of the device (±25.5 μmol/L), as well as the clinically used TcB safety margins (>50 µmol/L below phototherapy threshold). Healthcare providers should be well aware of this additional uncertainty in the TcB determination, especially when multiple TcB meters are employed in the same clinic. We strongly advise using a single TcB meter per patient to evaluate the TcB over time.
IMPACT
Key message: The inter-device reproducibility of TcB meters is substantial and exceeds the clinically used TcB safety margins. What this study adds to existing literature: The inter-device reproducibility of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) meters has not been reported in the existing literature. This in vitro study systematically evaluates this inter-device reproducibility.
IMPACT
This study aids in a better interpretation of the measured TcB value from a patient and is of particular importance during patient monitoring when using multiple TcB meters within the same clinical department. We strongly advise using a single TcB meter per patient to evaluate the TcB over time.
Topics: Bilirubin; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Equipment Design; Humans; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Infant, Premature; Monitoring, Physiologic; Neonatal Screening; Phantoms, Imaging; Reproducibility of Results; Skin Physiological Phenomena
PubMed: 32919392
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-020-01118-6