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Enhancing urban flood forecasting in drainage systems using dynamic ensemble-based data mining
Get PDFThis study presents a novel approach for urban flood forecasting in drainage systems using a dynamic ensemble-based data mining model which has yet to be utilised properly in this context. The proposed method incorporates an event identification technique and rainfall feature extraction to develop weak learner data mining models. These models are then stacked to create a time-series ensemble model using a decision tree algorithm and confusion matrix-based blending method. The proposed model was compared to other commonly used ensemble models in a real-world urban drainage system in the UK. The results show that the proposed model achieves a higher hit rate compared to other benchmark models, with a hit rate of around 85% vs 70 % for the next 3 h of forecasting. Additionally, the proposed smart model can accurately classify various timesteps of flood or non-flood events without significant lag times, resulting in fewer false alarms, reduced unnecessary risk management actions, and lower costs in real-time early warning applications. The findings also demonstrate that two features, “antecedent precipitation history” and “seasonal time occurrence of rainfall,” significantly enhance the accuracy of flood forecasting with a hit rate accuracy ranging from 60 % to 10 % for a lead time of 15 min to 3 h
Messiaen in Context
No full textExploring the many dimensions of Messiaen's life, thought and music, this book provides fresh perspectives on the contexts within which the composer worked, the intellectual currents that influenced him, and the influence he himself exerted on twentieth-century music. It enables a holistic understanding of this 'mondial' French composer in relation to the wider world, including his engagement with and refiguration of theology through music, the performance and reception of his work, the ways in which his aesthetics and conceptual universe have been understood by his students, and how his legacy continues to evolve. Reappraising known facts and adding new interpretations from a variety of inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary viewpoints, Messiaen in Context provides a fresh understanding and engagement with one of the most significant musicians of the twentieth century
Sedentary behaviour among older adults residing in flat and hilly neighbourhoods and its association with frailty and chronic disease status
Get PDFBackground Living in hilly neighbourhoods can be associated with sedentary behaviour, but no study has compared sedentary behaviour and its associations with frailty, chronic diseases, and poor health between flat and hilly neighbourhoods among older adults. This study, therefore, compared older adults’ sedentary behaviour and its association with frailty, poor health, and chronic disease status between low and hilly neighbourhoods.
Methods This study utilised a STROBE-compliant cross-sectional design with sensitivity analyses and a common methods bias assessment. The participants were 1,209 people aged 50+ years who resided in flat (Ablekuma North, n = 704) and hilly (Kwahu East, n = 505) neighbourhoods in Ghana. The data were analysed with the independent samples t-test and hierarchical linear regression.
Results Older adults in the hilly neighbourhood were more sedentary than those in the flat neighbourhood. The association between sedentary behaviour and chronic disease status was significant in both neighbourhoods, but this relationship was stronger in the hilly neighbourhood. Older adults in the flat neighbourhood reported lower sedentary behaviour at higher frailty (β = -0.18; t = -3.2, p < 0.001), but those in the hilly neighbourhood reported higher sedentary behaviour at higher frailty (β = 0.16; t = 3.54, p < 0.001).
Conclusions Older adults living in the hilly neighbourhood reported higher sedentary behaviour. In the hilly neighbourhood, sedentary behaviour was more strongly associated with frailty and chronic disease status. Older adults in hilly neighbourhoods may need extra support to avoid sedentary behaviour
Electroglottography in Medical Diagnostics of Vocal Tract Pathologies: A Systematic Review.
Get PDFElectroglottography (EGG) is a technology developed for measuring the vocal fold contact area
during human voice production. Although considered subjective and unreliable as a sole diagnostic method,
with the correct application of relevant computational methods, it can constitute a most promising non-invasive
voice disorder diagnostic tools in a form of a digital vocal tract pathology classifier. The aim of the following
study is to gather and evaluate currently existing digital voice quality assessment systems and vocal tract abnormality classification systems that rely on the use of electroglottographic bio-impedance signals. To fully
comprehend the findings of this review, first the subject of EGG is introduced. For that, we summarise most
relevant existing research on EGG with a particular focus on its application in diagnostics. Then, we move on to
the focal point of this work, which is describing and comparing the existing EGG-based digital voice pathology
classification systems. With the application of PRISMA model, 13 articles were chosen and analysed in detail.
Direct comparison between chosen studies brought us to pivotal conclusions, which have been described in
Section 5 of this report. Meanwhile, certain limitations arising from the literature were identified, such as
questionable understanding of the nature of EGG bio-impedance signals. The appropriate recommendations
for future work were made, including the application of different methods for EGG feature extraction, as well
as the need for continuous EGG datasets development containing signals gathered in various conditions and
with different equipments
Low Strings Drama (Published Score)
No full textLow Strings Drama is conceived as a programmatic musical drama for viola and violoncello. Articulating through
eleven variations, it develops melodic ideas and chord sequences exposed in the first movement. In line with
traditional dramas, possibly of a mystery or detective nature, this composition alternates tense and turbid moments
to frantic and dramatic passages. At the same time, it elegantly makes use of numerous idiomatic features that
enable the viola and violoncello to combine in highly effective and often unusual textures.
Low Strings Drama can nicely complement chamber performance programmes, and it equally suits professional
and student musicians.
This composition was originally commissioned by Intervox Production Music to be featured in their Iconica label.
The full album is available through Intervox website, as well as Spotify, iTunes, and other major online music
stores
End-of-life management strategies to mitigate the impacts of building components on climate change: a case study
Get PDFThe reduction of embodied carbon emissions in buildings has a significant impact on mitigating climate change. Current studies suggest that circular economy principles have the potential to reduce environmental impacts. Recycling and reuse of deconstructed building materials during the end of the useful lifespan of a building can help reduce carbon emissions. A process-based life cycle assessment was performed for the end-of-life phase of a steel frame and precast concrete supermarket building in the UK. The amount of potential carbon emissions reduction through the adoption of a specific end-of-life management strategy was quantified. The results indicate that reusing building components provides the greatest reduction of 72% compared to landfill, whilst recycling achieves a 41% reduction.
Additionally, a comparison between reuse and recycling reveals a reduction of about 33%, indicating reuse should be considered a priority in minimising embodied carbon emissions of buildings
The role of gut microbiota in diabetic peripheral neuropathy rats with cognitive dysfunction
Get PDFOwing to advancements in non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging, many studies have repeatedly showed that diabetes affects the central nervous system in the presence of peripheral neuropathy, suggesting a common or interacting pathological mechanism for both complications. We aimed to investigate the role of abnormal gut microbiota in rats with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) combined with cognitive dysfunction. Glucose-compliant rats with nerve conduction deficits were screened as a successful group of DPN rats. The DPN group was then divided into rats with combined cognitive impairment (CD) and rats with normal cognitive function (NCD) based on the results of the Novel object recognition test. Rat faeces were then collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the intestinal flora. The results revealed that abnormalities in Firmicutes, Ruminococcaceae, Bacteroidia, and Actinobacteria-like microorganisms may induce DPN complicated by cognitive dysfunction
The pathophysiology, assessment, and management of acute pain
Get PDFThis article reviews the pathophysiology and treatment of acute pain. Two definitions of pain are considered, along with the International Association for the Study of Pain taxonomy for nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic pain. The mechanisms of acute and neuropathic pain are considered. Methods of assessment are discussed followed by the pharmacological management of both nociceptive and neuropathic pain
Infection prevention and control in the COVID-19 pandemic: what have we learnt? [Editorial]
No full textDecember 2019 was a time of concern as public health officials globally waited with bated breath to see how events would unfold following reports of a flood of severe pneumonia cases with a high mortality rate that were being diagnosed in Wuhan, Chin
Current and future roles of intellectual disability nurses
No full textThis chapter briefly reflects on the past but most importantly looks at the present and to the future of the modern intellectual disability nurse practitioner. It discusses issues affecting intellectual disability nursing, such as changing professional requirements, policy directions such as Strengthening the Commitment and ever-growing opportunities for intellectual disability nurses to assert themselves in a widening practice arena. Therefore, this chapter focuses on the knowledge and practical skills that intellectual disability nurses will need to meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities now and in the future, and this will be contextualised within the Nursing and Midwifery Council for the United Kingdom’s Future nurse standards and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland Standards and requirements for competence