Clinical evaluation of a novel test strip technology for blood glucose monitoring:accuracy at hypoglycaemic glucose levels

Aim: To evaluate OneTouch® Verio™ test strip performance at hypoglycaemic blood glucose (BG) levels (<3.9mmol/L [<70mg/dL]) at seven clinical studies. Methods: Trained clinical staff performed duplicate capillary BG monitoring system tests on 700 individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes using blood from a single fingerstick lancing. BG reference values were obtained using a YSI 2300 STAT™ Glucose Analyzer. The number and percentage of BG values within ±0.83. mmol/L (±15. mg/dL) and ±0.56. mmol/L (±10. mg/dL) were calculated at BG concentrations of <3.9. mmol/L (<70. mg/dL), <3.3. mmol/L (<60. mg/dL), and <2.8. mmol/L (<50. mg/dL). Results: At BG concentrations <3.9. mmol/L (<70. mg/dL), 674/674 (100%) of meter results were within ±0.83. mmol/L (±15. mg/dL) and 666/674 (98.8%) were within ±0.56. mmol/L (±10. mg/dL) of reference values. At BG concentrations <3.3. mmol/L (<60. mg/dL), and <2.8. mmol/L (<50. mg/dL), 358/358 (100%) and 270/270 (100%) were within ±0.56. mmol/L (±10. mg/dL) of reference values, respectively. Conclusion: In this analysis of data from seven independent studies, OneTouch Verio test strips provide highly accurate results at hypoglycaemic BG levels. © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

High accuracy discrimination of Parkinson's disease participants from healthy controls using smartphones

The aim of this study is to accurately distinguish Parkinson's disease (PD) participants from healthy controls using self-administered tests of gait and postural sway. Using consumer-grade smartphones with in-built accelerometers, we objectively measure and quantify key movement severity symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Specifically, we record tri-axial accelerations, and extract a range of different features based on the time and frequency-domain properties of the acceleration time series. The features quantify key characteristics of the acceleration time series, and enhance the underlying differences in the gait and postural sway accelerations between PD participants and controls. Using a random forest classifier, we demonstrate an average sensitivity of 98.5% and average specificity of 97.5% in discriminating PD participants from controls. © 2014 IEEE.

Intelligence Algorithms for Increasing Navigation Systems Accuracy

Application of neural network algorithm for increasing the accuracy of navigation systems are showing. Various navigation systems, where a couple of sensors are used in the same device in different positions and the disturbances act equally on both sensors, the trained neural network can be advantageous for increasing the accuracy of system. The neural algorithm had used for determination the interconnection between the sensors errors in two channels to avoid the unobservation of navigation system. Representation of thermal error of two- component navigation sensors by time model, which coefficients depend only on parameters of the device, its orientations relative to disturbance vector allows to predict thermal errors change, measuring the current temperature and having identified preliminary parameters of the model for the set position. These properties of thermal model are used for training the neural network and compensation the errors of navigation system in non- stationary thermal fields.

Two-axis accelerometer based on multicore fibre Bragg gratings

We report an accelerometer based upon a simple fibre cantilever constructed from a short length of multicore fibre(MCF) containing fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs). Two-axis measurement is demonstrated up to 3 kHz.

Extension of the C-XSC Library with Scalar Products with Selectable Accuracy

The C++ class library C-XSC for scientific computing has been extended with the possibility to compute scalar products with selectable accuracy in version 2.3.0. In previous versions, scalar products have always been computed exactly with the help of the so-called long accumulator. Additionally, optimized floating point computation of matrix and vector operations using BLAS-routines are added in C-XSC version 2.4.0. In this article the algorithms used and their implementations, as well as some potential pitfalls in the compilation, are described in more detail. Additionally, the theoretical background of the employed DotK algorithm and the necessary modifications of the concrete implementation in C-XSC are briefly explained. Run-time tests and numerical examples are presented as well.

Accuracy and optimal sampling in Monte Carlo solution of population balance equations

Implementation of a Monte Carlo simulation for the solution of population balance equations (PBEs) requires choice of initial sample number (N0), number of replicates (M), and number of bins for probability distribution reconstruction (n). It is found that Squared Hellinger Distance, H2, is a useful measurement of the accuracy of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, and can be related directly to N0, M, and n. Asymptotic approximations of H2 are deduced and tested for both one-dimensional (1-D) and 2-D PBEs with coalescence. The central processing unit (CPU) cost, C, is found in a power-law relationship, C= aMNb0, with the CPU cost index, b, indicating the weighting of N0 in the total CPU cost. n must be chosen to balance accuracy and resolution. For fixed n, M × N0 determines the accuracy of MC prediction; if b > 1, then the optimal solution strategy uses multiple replications and small sample size. Conversely, if 0 < b < 1, one replicate and a large initial sample size is preferred. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 2394–2402, 2015

Loss of Accuracy in Numerical Computations

Михаил М. Константинов, Петко Х. Петков - Разгледани са възможните катастрофални ефекти от неправилното използване на крайна машинна аритметика с плаваща точка. За съжаление, тази тема не винаги се разбира достатъчно добре от студентите по приложна и изчислителна математика, като положението в инженерните и икономическите специалности в никакъв случай не е по-добро. За преодоляване на този образователен пропуск тук сме разгледали главните виновници за загубата на точност при числените компютърни пресмятания. Надяваме се, че представените резултати ще помогнат на студентите и лекторите за по-добро разбиране и съответно за избягване на основните фактори, които могат да разрушат точността при компютърните числени пресмятания. Последното не е маловажно – числените катастрофи понякога стават истински, с големи щети и човешки жертви.

High accuracy mobile robot positioning using external large volume metrology instruments

A method of accurately controlling the position of a mobile robot using an external large volume metrology (LVM) instrument is presented in this article. By utilising an LVM instrument such as a laser tracker or indoor GPS (iGPS) in mobile robot navigation, many of the most difficult problems in mobile robot navigation can be simplified or avoided. Using the real-time position information from the laser tracker, a very simple navigation algorithm, and a low cost robot, 5mm repeatability was achieved over a volume of 30m radius. A surface digitisation scan of a wind turbine blade section was also demonstrated, illustrating possible applications of the method for manufacturing processes. Further, iGPS guidance of a small KUKA omni-directional robot has been demonstrated, and a full scale prototype system is being developed in cooperation with KUKA Robotics, UK. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

Metrology enhanced tooling for aerospace (META):strategies for improved accuracy of jig built structures

The accuracy of many aerospace structures is limited by the accuracy of assembly tooling which is in turn limited by the accuracy of the measurements used to set the tooling. Further loss of accuracy results from different rates of thermal expansion for the components and tooling. This paper describes improved tooling designs and setting processes which have the potential to significantly improve the accuracy of aerospace structures. The most advanced solution described is environmentally isolated interferometer networks embedded within tooling combined with active compensation of component pick-ups. This would eliminate environmental effects on measurements while also allowing compensation for thermal expansion. A more immediately realizable solution is the adjustment of component pick-ups using micrometer jacking screws allowing multilateration to be employed during the final stages of the setting process to generate the required offsets. Copyright © 2011 SAE International.

High-accuracy discrimination of Parkinson’s Disease participants from healthy controls using smartphones

Objective: To test the practicality and effectiveness of cheap, ubiquitous, consumer-grade smartphones to discriminate Parkinson’s disease (PD) subjects from healthy controls, using self-administered tests of gait and postural sway. Background: Existing tests for the diagnosis of PD are based on subjective neurological examinations, performed in-clinic. Objective movement symptom severity data, collected using widely-accessible technologies such as smartphones, would enable the remote characterization of PD symptoms based on self-administered, behavioral tests. Smartphones, when backed up by interviews using web-based videoconferencing, could make it feasible for expert neurologists to perform diagnostic testing on large numbers of individuals at low cost. However, to date, the compliance rate of testing using smart-phones has not been assessed. Methods: We conducted a one-month controlled study with twenty participants, comprising 10 PD subjects and 10 controls. All participants were provided identical LG Optimus S smartphones, capable of recording tri-axial acceleration. Using these smartphones, patients conducted self-administered, short (less than 5 minute) controlled gait and postural sway tests. We analyzed a wide range of summary measures of gait and postural sway from the accelerometry data. Using statistical machine learning techniques, we identified discriminating patterns in the summary measures in order to distinguish PD subjects from controls. Results: Compliance was high all 20 participants performed an average of 3.1 tests per day for the duration of the study. Using this test data, we demonstrated cross-validated sensitivity of 98% and specificity of 98% in discriminating PD subjects from healthy controls. Conclusions: Using consumer-grade smartphone accelerometers, it is possible to distinguish PD from healthy controls with high accuracy. Since these smartphones are inexpensive (around $30 each) and easily available, and the tests are highly non-invasive and objective, we envisage that this kind of smartphone-based testing could radically increase the reach and effectiveness of experts in diagnosing PD.

Assembly accuracy analysis for small components with a planar surface in large-scale metrology

Large-scale mechanical products, such as aircraft and rockets, consist of large numbers of small components, which introduce additional difficulty for assembly accuracy and error estimation. Planar surfaces as key product characteristics are usually utilised for positioning small components in the assembly process. This paper focuses on assembly accuracy analysis of small components with planar surfaces in large-scale volume products. To evaluate the accuracy of the assembly system, an error propagation model for measurement error and fixture error is proposed, based on the assumption that all errors are normally distributed. In this model, the general coordinate vector is adopted to represent the position of the components. The error transmission functions are simplified into a linear model, and the coordinates of the reference points are composed by theoretical value and random error. The installation of a Head-Up Display is taken as an example to analyse the assembly error of small components based on the propagation model. The result shows that the final coordination accuracy is mainly determined by measurement error of the planar surface in small components. To reduce the uncertainty of the plane measurement, an evaluation index of measurement strategy is presented. This index reflects the distribution of the sampling point set and can be calculated by an inertia moment matrix. Finally, a practical application is introduced for validating the evaluation index.

On the accuracy of nonsurvey regional input-output multipliers: An empirical study

Correct specification of the simple location quotients in regionalizing the national direct requirements table is essential to the accuracy of regional input-output multipliers. The purpose of this research is to examine the relative accuracy of these multipliers when earnings, employment, number of establishments, and payroll data specify the simple location quotients.^ For each specification type, I derive a column of total output multipliers and a column of total income multipliers. These multipliers are based on the 1987 benchmark input-output accounts of the U.S. economy and 1988-1992 state of Florida data.^ Error sign tests, and Standardized Mean Absolute Deviation (SMAD) statistics indicate that the output multiplier estimates overestimate the output multipliers published by the Department of Commerce-Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) for the state of Florida. In contrast, the income multiplier estimates underestimate the BEA's income multipliers. For a given multiplier type, the Spearman-rank correlation analysis shows that the multiplier estimates and the BEA multipliers have statistically different rank ordering of row elements. The above tests also find no significant different differences, both in size and ranking distributions, among the vectors of multiplier estimates. ^

Variables affecting the precision and accuracy of the Intoxilyzer 5000

The Intoxilyzer 5000 was tested for calibration curve linearity for ethanol vapor concentration between 0.020 and 0.400g/210L with excellent linearity. Calibration error using reference solutions outside of the allowed concentration range, response to the same ethanol reference solution at different temperatures between 34 and 38$\sp\circ$C, and its response to eleven chemicals, 10 mixtures of two at the time, and one mixture of four chemicals potentially found in human breath have been evaluated. Potential interferents were chosen on the basis of their infrared signatures and the concentration range of solutions corresponding to the non-lethal blood concentration range of various volatile organic compounds reported in the literature. The result of this study indicates that the instrument calibrates with solutions outside the allowed range up to $\pm$10% of target value. Headspace FID dual column GC analysis was used to confirm the concentrations of the solutions. Increasing the temperature of the reference solution from 34 to 38$\sp\circ$C resulted in linear increases in instrument recorded ethanol readings with an average increase of 6.25%/$\sp\circ$C. Of the eleven chemicals studied during this experiment, six, isopropanol, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, trichloroethylene, acetaldehyde, and methanol could reasonably interfere with the test at non-lethal reported blood concentration ranges, the mixtures of those six chemicals showed linear additive results with a combined effect of as much as a 0.080g/210L reading (Florida's legal limit) without any ethanol present. ^

Consistency and accuracy in memory: Effects of schema-typicality, retention interval and question-format

This study examined the effect of schemas on consistency and accuracy of memory across interviews, providing theoretical hypotheses explaining why inconsistencies may occur. The design manipulated schema-typicality of items (schema-typical and atypical), question format (free-recall, cued-recall and recognition) and retention interval (immediate/2 week and 2 week/4 week). Consistency, accuracy and experiential quality of memory were measured. ^ All independent variables affected accuracy and experiential quality of memory while question format was the only variable affecting consistency. These results challenge the commonly held notion in the legal arena that consistency is a proxy for accuracy. The study also demonstrates that other variables, such as item-typicality and retention interval have different effects on consistency and accuracy in memory. ^