Reducing the Health and Digital Divides: A Model for Using Community‐Based Participatory Research Approach to E‐Health Interventions in Low‐Income Hispanic Communities

Low‐income Hispanics are the most digitally underserved population in the U.S. This article examines the potential of community‐based participatory research approach to e‐health to decrease the disparities in access to technology and health information in low‐income Hispanic communities. To demonstrate this framework, we describe the process of designing a community‐based e‐health intervention to increase knowledge and parental self‐efficacy in coping with young children's mental health problems including mental health service utilization. Our model incorporates utilizing promotoras de salud (lay community health educators) and community media principles to create the content of e‐health interventions and train community members in using the technology. This case study illustrates the processes involved in using this approach, barriers for participatory e‐health interventions in bridging the Digital Divide, and lessons learned.     

The influence of epiphylls on remote sensing of humid forests

Epiphylls - lichens, fungi, liverworts, etc. infesting leaf surfaces - are found throughout humid forests of the world. It is well understood that epiphylls inhibit light interception by host plants, but their effect on remote sensing of colonized forests has not been examined. Incorporating leaf-level spectra from Terra Firme (primary forest) and Amazonian Caatinga (woodlands/forest growing on nutrient-deficient sandy soils), we used the GeoSAIL model to propagate leaf-level measurements to the canopy level and determine their effect on commonly used vegetation indices. In Caatinga, moderate infestations (50% leaf area epiphyll cover), lowered simulated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) values by 6.1% and 20.4%, respectively, largely due to near infrared dampening. Heavy infestation (100% cover) simulations exhibited decreases 1.5-2 times greater than those of moderate infestations. For Terra Firme, which are generally less affected by epiphylls, moderate (20% leaf area) and heavy infestations (40%) lowered EVI by 4.4% (S.D. 0.8%) and 8.1% (S.D. 1.5%), respectively. Near infrared and green reflectance were most affected at the canopy level, showing mean decreases of 10.6% (S.D. 2.25%) and 9.5% (S.D. 3.49%), respectively, in heavy Terra Firme infestations. Time series of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data corroborated the modeling results, suggesting a degree of coupling between epiphyll cover and the EVI and NDVI. These results suggest that, without explicit consideration of the presence of epiphylls, remote sensing-based methodologies may underestimate leaf area index, biomass and productivity in humid forests.     

Fitness functions in evolutionary robotics: A survey and analysis

This paper surveys fitness functions used in the field of evolutionary robotics (ER). Evolutionary robotics is a field of research that applies artificial evolution to generate control systems for autonomous robots. During evolution, robots attempt to perform a given task in a given environment. The controllers in the better performing robots are selected, altered and propagated to perform the task again in an iterative process that mimics some aspects of natural evolution. A key component of this process–one might argue, the key component–is the measurement of fitness in the evolving controllers. ER is one of a host of machine learning methods that rely on interaction with, and feedback from, a complex dynamic environment to drive synthesis of controllers for autonomous agents. These methods have the potential to lead to the development of robots that can adapt to uncharacterized environments and which may be able to perform tasks that human designers do not completely understand. In order to achieve this, issues regarding fitness evaluation must be addressed. In this paper we survey current ER research and focus on work that involved real robots. The surveyed research is organized according to the degree of a priori knowledge used to formulate the various fitness functions employed during evolution. The underlying motivation for this is to identify methods that allow the development of the greatest degree of novel control, while requiring the minimum amount of a priori task knowledge from the designer.     

iDCX 51在Webit上的设计与实现

Webit是一个独立的、低成本的网络服务器,由东大新业技术股份有限公司研制成功.iDCX 51是Intel公司开发的实时操作系统,在工业控制等领域已成功应用,为使其能在Webit中也能够运行,以增强Webit的性能,对此本文以Webit内部单片机AT90S8515为例介绍iDCX 51往Webit中移植的设计与实现,并对移植后的时间性能进行了测试与对比分析,得知其任务切换时间与最大中断禁止时间这两项关键的时间性能指标分别减少33.3%和31.9%,表明系统移植后实时性得到了提高.     

单级倒立摆建模及其控制方法设计

单级倒立摆控制是一个即复杂而又对准确性、快速性要求很高的非线性不稳定系统控制问题。单级倒立摆数学模型的建立对研究其稳定性具有指导作用。用拉格朗日功能平衡法建立了倒立摆的刚体动力学方程,采用了LQR法对其进行了控制设计,并且进行了MATLAB仿真,结果表明此方法均可以成功控制倒立摆,使其稳定并具有良好的鲁棒性。     

The effects of multifocal refractive lenses on occipital extension and forward head posture during a visual task

The purpose of this study was to determine if a change in forward head posture and occipital extension occurred in participants who wore multifocal lenses vs. those persons with non-multifocal lenses while performing an 8-min visual reading task on a visual display unit (VDU). Forty-two healthy human participants were recruited for this study. Thirty-three participants completed the study. Fourteen participants wore multifocal lenses and 19 wore frames with non-multifocal lenses. To evaluate the degree of change of forward head posture and occipital extension digital photographs of cervical posture were taken at four different time intervals: prior to performing the reading task and at 3, 5 and 8 min during the reading task. The digital photographs were analysed utilizing a computer program. Two one-way ANOVA were utilized to determine the degree of change of forward head posture and occipital extension between groups. A significant difference was identified between groups for changes in degrees of forward head posture while performing a visual reading task on a VDU. However, no significant difference between groups was found for occipital extension while performing the same task. Multifocal wearers exhibit greater degrees of change in forward head posture and occipital extension than non-multifocal wearers. These postural changes may place them at a greater risk for musculoskeletal disorders and headaches.     

Symbolic computation with finite biquandles

A method of computing a basis for the second Yang–Baxter cohomology of a finite biquandle with coefficients in Q$\mathbb{Q}$ and _Zp${\mathbb{Z}}_p$ from a matrix presentation of the finite biquandle is described. We also describe a method for computing the Yang–Baxter cocycle invariants of an oriented knot or link represented as a signed Gauss code. We provide a URL for our Maple implementations of these algorithms.     

Temporal alignment of tissue and arterial data and selection of integration start times for the H(2)(15)O autoradiographic CBF model in PET

A technique has been developed and tested that provides an automated method of temporally aligning the PET tissue activity curve with the arterial activity curve for quantification of cerebral blood flow using the H(2)(15)O autoradiographic model. This technique not only determines the relative time delay between the two curves, but also provides the start time of integration. Variability in computing global cerebral blood flow using this technique is shown to be less than that obtained by trained observers manually selecting parameters and at least as good as that obtained by using another automated alignment technique.