Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343947
Szilard Liptak, A. Stone, Felipe Larrain
Presently, more than 7 million Haitians have no access to power nor basic energy related services. Available generation capacity of Haiti reaches 212 MW, which is insufficient to meet the estimated peak demand of more than 500 MW in the whole country. This deficit severely impacts basic essential facilities such as health care centers. The IEEE Student Branch PES Chapter at Georgia Tech established a project to design and implement a microgrid to supply power to a recently established health center in the mountains of Thoman, Haiti. Several combinations of power generating units were evaluated on an economic basis, including: a standalone diesel generator (DG), photovoltaic (PV) panels with batteries, and PV panels with batteries and a DG. Key parameters including power rating, daily energy production, maximum annual capacity shortage, etc., were also incorporated into the economic evaluation. This paper outlines the preliminary microgrid design steps, assessment of topology alternatives, site visit, detailed design and the fundraising process. Only commercial off-the-shelf parts were considered for device selection. To verify the preliminary design, a site visit was conducted in February 2015. Installation and commissioning is expected to take place later this year.
{"title":"Power supply of a rural off-grid health center — A case study","authors":"Szilard Liptak, A. Stone, Felipe Larrain","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343947","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343947","url":null,"abstract":"Presently, more than 7 million Haitians have no access to power nor basic energy related services. Available generation capacity of Haiti reaches 212 MW, which is insufficient to meet the estimated peak demand of more than 500 MW in the whole country. This deficit severely impacts basic essential facilities such as health care centers. The IEEE Student Branch PES Chapter at Georgia Tech established a project to design and implement a microgrid to supply power to a recently established health center in the mountains of Thoman, Haiti. Several combinations of power generating units were evaluated on an economic basis, including: a standalone diesel generator (DG), photovoltaic (PV) panels with batteries, and PV panels with batteries and a DG. Key parameters including power rating, daily energy production, maximum annual capacity shortage, etc., were also incorporated into the economic evaluation. This paper outlines the preliminary microgrid design steps, assessment of topology alternatives, site visit, detailed design and the fundraising process. Only commercial off-the-shelf parts were considered for device selection. To verify the preliminary design, a site visit was conducted in February 2015. Installation and commissioning is expected to take place later this year.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126232414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343952
R. Dzwonczyk, M. Brockman, Daniel George, Nathan Hankins, M. McHugh, Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto
The objective of this project was to design and build a simple, low-cost human-powered nebulizer (HPN) using locally available parts purchased in Honduras, and evaluate its clinical performance. The work was performed by students in an international engineering service-learning program at The Ohio State University. Nebulizers are used to treat people with respiratory diseases, e.g. asthma, which have a high prevalence in Honduras. Our design consists of a bicycle pump, two pump needles, plastic medical tubing, a soccer ball, air filter and a nebulizer/mask, all connected in series. A common motorcycle fuel filter serves as the air filter in the system. Pumping the foot-operated bicycle pump generates air pressure/flow in the system. The soccer ball acts as a low-pass mechanical compliance filter to smooth the time-varying pressure/flow pattern. We established a pumping frequency - 40 strokes/minute - that produced a pressure and volumetric flow rate consistent with a commercial electrically-powered medical nebulizer compressor. In a pilot study in Honduras, we compared our HPN - costing USD17 to construct from locally available parts - to a commercial nebulizer - costing several hundred dollars to purchase - as to how each improved the patients' breathing performance. We measured breathing performance before and after treatment with a standard peak-flow spirometer. Each machine improved the patients' breathing performance (p≤0.001); we found no difference in breathing improvement between the two machines (p=0.288) in this small study. Qualitatively, patients in both groups reported improved breathing performance following treatment. Our HPN is currently being used in clinics in the Choluteca region of Honduras where commercial nebulizers and the electricity needed to power them are scarce or unavailable.
{"title":"A method of powering a nebulizer manually using parts locally available in Honduras","authors":"R. Dzwonczyk, M. Brockman, Daniel George, Nathan Hankins, M. McHugh, Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343952","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343952","url":null,"abstract":"The objective of this project was to design and build a simple, low-cost human-powered nebulizer (HPN) using locally available parts purchased in Honduras, and evaluate its clinical performance. The work was performed by students in an international engineering service-learning program at The Ohio State University. Nebulizers are used to treat people with respiratory diseases, e.g. asthma, which have a high prevalence in Honduras. Our design consists of a bicycle pump, two pump needles, plastic medical tubing, a soccer ball, air filter and a nebulizer/mask, all connected in series. A common motorcycle fuel filter serves as the air filter in the system. Pumping the foot-operated bicycle pump generates air pressure/flow in the system. The soccer ball acts as a low-pass mechanical compliance filter to smooth the time-varying pressure/flow pattern. We established a pumping frequency - 40 strokes/minute - that produced a pressure and volumetric flow rate consistent with a commercial electrically-powered medical nebulizer compressor. In a pilot study in Honduras, we compared our HPN - costing USD17 to construct from locally available parts - to a commercial nebulizer - costing several hundred dollars to purchase - as to how each improved the patients' breathing performance. We measured breathing performance before and after treatment with a standard peak-flow spirometer. Each machine improved the patients' breathing performance (p≤0.001); we found no difference in breathing improvement between the two machines (p=0.288) in this small study. Qualitatively, patients in both groups reported improved breathing performance following treatment. Our HPN is currently being used in clinics in the Choluteca region of Honduras where commercial nebulizers and the electricity needed to power them are scarce or unavailable.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"88 2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127999756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343956
Corinne Dally, Daniel Johnson, Moriah Canon, Sarah C. Ritter, Khanjan Mehta
Arising out of civil conflict, disease, birth defects, and traumatic accidents, many people in developing countries lack hands or fingers. Prosthetic hands can help give these people a sense of agency and increased ability to perform everyday tasks. Unfortunately, many prostheses are prohibitively expensive and often require frequent maintenance and repair. Therefore, they are financially and geographically inaccessible to most people living in developing countries. A 3D printed, open-source hand is one possible solution owing to its low cost and potential for customization. However, the hand must be appropriate for the environmental conditions and lifestyles found in developing countries. To characterize the functionality of the 3D printed hand, a series of daily task and object tests were carried out. While the prosthesis was able to successfully complete a number of tasks, it had difficulty with those that required intricate movements and with heavy objects.
{"title":"Characteristics of a 3D-printed prosthetic hand for use in developing countries","authors":"Corinne Dally, Daniel Johnson, Moriah Canon, Sarah C. Ritter, Khanjan Mehta","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343956","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343956","url":null,"abstract":"Arising out of civil conflict, disease, birth defects, and traumatic accidents, many people in developing countries lack hands or fingers. Prosthetic hands can help give these people a sense of agency and increased ability to perform everyday tasks. Unfortunately, many prostheses are prohibitively expensive and often require frequent maintenance and repair. Therefore, they are financially and geographically inaccessible to most people living in developing countries. A 3D printed, open-source hand is one possible solution owing to its low cost and potential for customization. However, the hand must be appropriate for the environmental conditions and lifestyles found in developing countries. To characterize the functionality of the 3D printed hand, a series of daily task and object tests were carried out. While the prosthesis was able to successfully complete a number of tasks, it had difficulty with those that required intricate movements and with heavy objects.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115340701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343997
A. Salman, Arthur Williams, H. Amjad, M. L. Bhatti, Muhammad Saad
This paper presents an easy and accurate procedure of the modeling of a commercially available Photovoltaic Panel by using Solar Module (Physical Model) Simulator embedded in a very powerful Simulation software known as PSIM. Methods of Photovoltaic Panel modeling including mathematical modeling and software based modeling are also discussed in this paper. Apart from modeling types, I-V (Current-Voltage) and P-V (Power-Voltage) Characteristics and some other useful results obtained from PSIM Simulation are further evaluated and compared with the laboratory test results. Limitations of PSIM Solar Module (Physical Model) are also discussed in this paper.
{"title":"Simplified modeling of a PV panel by using PSIM and its comparison with laboratory test results","authors":"A. Salman, Arthur Williams, H. Amjad, M. L. Bhatti, Muhammad Saad","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343997","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents an easy and accurate procedure of the modeling of a commercially available Photovoltaic Panel by using Solar Module (Physical Model) Simulator embedded in a very powerful Simulation software known as PSIM. Methods of Photovoltaic Panel modeling including mathematical modeling and software based modeling are also discussed in this paper. Apart from modeling types, I-V (Current-Voltage) and P-V (Power-Voltage) Characteristics and some other useful results obtained from PSIM Simulation are further evaluated and compared with the laboratory test results. Limitations of PSIM Solar Module (Physical Model) are also discussed in this paper.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122163101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344006
Mir Azmath Ali, J. D. Ranadive
In India, the jail occupancy level has been around 113% for last few successive years, which calls for an urgent need to address not only spiritual and moral but also economic rehabilitation of prisoners as well. The paper discusses how the corporates can become a catalyst in improving a prisoner's rehabilitation through innovative and sustainable solutions and help the aim and objectives of the government with various well designed programmes. This paper takes into the account the literacy aspect of prisoners in various jails in India and impresses upon as to how the Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic (3Rs) of Functional Literacy can have a positive bearing on Reformation and Rehabilitation (2Rs) in the prison environment to support the moral, educational and vocational development of the jail inmates through available resources in prisons. The paper gives an account of the life and context of prisoners in India's prisons and the role of the industry to create an environment that helps to transform jails into real reformatories. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) saw it done through its indigenous Adult Literacy Programme software encompassing (3Rs), which has been implemented across the jails in India. The programme is being implemented as a joint initiative of the respective Departments of Prisons and TCS. TCS, with its programme objectives · Impart `Functional Literacy' to non-literate inmates · Provide the excluded a second chance to empower and enable themselves to deal with challenges of a literate society · Provide inmates opportunities for creative use of time and energies has successfully been helping thousands of prisoners achieve empowerment through learning and thus facilitating transformation of individuals and improving their reforms.
{"title":"Promoting literacy for prisoners' rehabilitation","authors":"Mir Azmath Ali, J. D. Ranadive","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344006","url":null,"abstract":"In India, the jail occupancy level has been around 113% for last few successive years, which calls for an urgent need to address not only spiritual and moral but also economic rehabilitation of prisoners as well. The paper discusses how the corporates can become a catalyst in improving a prisoner's rehabilitation through innovative and sustainable solutions and help the aim and objectives of the government with various well designed programmes. This paper takes into the account the literacy aspect of prisoners in various jails in India and impresses upon as to how the Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic (3Rs) of Functional Literacy can have a positive bearing on Reformation and Rehabilitation (2Rs) in the prison environment to support the moral, educational and vocational development of the jail inmates through available resources in prisons. The paper gives an account of the life and context of prisoners in India's prisons and the role of the industry to create an environment that helps to transform jails into real reformatories. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) saw it done through its indigenous Adult Literacy Programme software encompassing (3Rs), which has been implemented across the jails in India. The programme is being implemented as a joint initiative of the respective Departments of Prisons and TCS. TCS, with its programme objectives · Impart `Functional Literacy' to non-literate inmates · Provide the excluded a second chance to empower and enable themselves to deal with challenges of a literate society · Provide inmates opportunities for creative use of time and energies has successfully been helping thousands of prisoners achieve empowerment through learning and thus facilitating transformation of individuals and improving their reforms.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"142 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133465939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344003
Steven P. Diesburg, Dylan Guelig, R. Burton, Jered Singleton, P. Labarre
Accurate diagnostic tools are essential for effective diagnosis, treatment, and tracking of individuals with infectious diseases. Diagnosis can be especially difficult in low-resource settings with limited infrastructure or unreliable access to electricity. Our previous work has demonstrated feasibility of a reusable configuration of an electricity-free, non-instrumented nucleic acid amplification platform (NINA) that complements isothermal assays for precise detection of a variety of pathogens. To maximize the potential impact of the NINA technology, we redesigned the technology in a disposable configuration to meet challenging cost, size, and ease of use requirements. This paper discusses the development of the single-use, disposable NINA platform. Key challenges included meeting repeatability, temperature stability, and precision targets. Through an iterative design process, we met these challenges using a novel design strategy including re-engineering of phase change materials (PCMs), addition of thermal enhancement additives to the PCM, and metered introduction of reactants using porous media. Manufacturing, performance, and reproducibility challenges were addressed, and the resultant design was rigorously tested in preparation for the production of a pilot batch of 150 disposable NINA devices that will be used for device and assay performance testing.
{"title":"Development of a single-use, disposable, electricity-free, nucleic acid amplification platform","authors":"Steven P. Diesburg, Dylan Guelig, R. Burton, Jered Singleton, P. Labarre","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344003","url":null,"abstract":"Accurate diagnostic tools are essential for effective diagnosis, treatment, and tracking of individuals with infectious diseases. Diagnosis can be especially difficult in low-resource settings with limited infrastructure or unreliable access to electricity. Our previous work has demonstrated feasibility of a reusable configuration of an electricity-free, non-instrumented nucleic acid amplification platform (NINA) that complements isothermal assays for precise detection of a variety of pathogens. To maximize the potential impact of the NINA technology, we redesigned the technology in a disposable configuration to meet challenging cost, size, and ease of use requirements. This paper discusses the development of the single-use, disposable NINA platform. Key challenges included meeting repeatability, temperature stability, and precision targets. Through an iterative design process, we met these challenges using a novel design strategy including re-engineering of phase change materials (PCMs), addition of thermal enhancement additives to the PCM, and metered introduction of reactants using porous media. Manufacturing, performance, and reproducibility challenges were addressed, and the resultant design was rigorously tested in preparation for the production of a pilot batch of 150 disposable NINA devices that will be used for device and assay performance testing.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"9 1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123668200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343946
H. Louie, M. Shields, S. Szablya, Likonge Makai, Kimberly Shields
This paper describes the design of an off-grid energy kiosk in Filibaba, Zambia. Energy kiosks use a “walk up” retail model for electricity service. People bring mobile phones and other electronic devices to be recharged at the kiosk for a fee, and can rent portable battery kits with external LED bulbs to provide light to their homes. The revenue collected pays for the sustainable operation and expansion of the kiosk. The energy kiosk is powered by 1.8 kW of photovoltaic panels. This paper discusses the technical specifications of the system, including how information gathered from surveys, a focus group and community-wide meeting informed the technical and business design of the energy kiosk. Computer simulations are used to explore the reliability and appropriateness of the design. The energy kiosk represents a collaboration between nongovernmental organizations in the United States, Zambia and IEEE Smart Village. The energy kiosk will be installed in September of 2015.
{"title":"Design of an off-grid energy kiosk in rural Zambia","authors":"H. Louie, M. Shields, S. Szablya, Likonge Makai, Kimberly Shields","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343946","url":null,"abstract":"This paper describes the design of an off-grid energy kiosk in Filibaba, Zambia. Energy kiosks use a “walk up” retail model for electricity service. People bring mobile phones and other electronic devices to be recharged at the kiosk for a fee, and can rent portable battery kits with external LED bulbs to provide light to their homes. The revenue collected pays for the sustainable operation and expansion of the kiosk. The energy kiosk is powered by 1.8 kW of photovoltaic panels. This paper discusses the technical specifications of the system, including how information gathered from surveys, a focus group and community-wide meeting informed the technical and business design of the energy kiosk. Computer simulations are used to explore the reliability and appropriateness of the design. The energy kiosk represents a collaboration between nongovernmental organizations in the United States, Zambia and IEEE Smart Village. The energy kiosk will be installed in September of 2015.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124616950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344000
E. Naydenova, A. Tsanas, C. Casals-Pascual, M. Vos
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under five, with 1.1 million deaths annually more than the combined burden of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis for this age group; the majority of these deaths occur in resource-constrained settings. Accurate diagnosis of pneumonia relies on expensive human expertise and requires the evaluation of multiple clinical characteristics, measured using advanced diagnostic tools. The shortage of clinical experts and appropriate diagnostic tools in many low and middle income countries impedes timely and accurate diagnosis. We demonstrate that the diagnostic process can be automated using machine learning techniques, processing several clinical measurements that could be obtained with affordable and easy-to-operate point-of-care tools. We evaluated our findings on a dataset of 1093 children, comprising 777 diagnosed with pneumonia and 316 healthy controls, on the basis of 47 clinical characteristics. Seven feature selection techniques were used to identify robust, parsimonious subsets of clinical characteristics, which could be measured reliably and affordably. Standard machine learning techniques, such as support vector machines and random forests, were used to develop a predictive algorithm based on the four jointly most predictive characteristics (temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate and oxygen saturation); this approach led to 96.6% sensitivity, 96.4% specificity, and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 97.8%. The proposed approach can be easily embedded in a mobile phone application, allowing for point-of-care assessment and identification of children in need of clinical attention by basically trained healthcare workers in resource-constrained settings.
{"title":"Smart diagnostic algorithms for automated detection of childhood pneumonia in resource-constrained settings","authors":"E. Naydenova, A. Tsanas, C. Casals-Pascual, M. Vos","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7344000","url":null,"abstract":"Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under five, with 1.1 million deaths annually more than the combined burden of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis for this age group; the majority of these deaths occur in resource-constrained settings. Accurate diagnosis of pneumonia relies on expensive human expertise and requires the evaluation of multiple clinical characteristics, measured using advanced diagnostic tools. The shortage of clinical experts and appropriate diagnostic tools in many low and middle income countries impedes timely and accurate diagnosis. We demonstrate that the diagnostic process can be automated using machine learning techniques, processing several clinical measurements that could be obtained with affordable and easy-to-operate point-of-care tools. We evaluated our findings on a dataset of 1093 children, comprising 777 diagnosed with pneumonia and 316 healthy controls, on the basis of 47 clinical characteristics. Seven feature selection techniques were used to identify robust, parsimonious subsets of clinical characteristics, which could be measured reliably and affordably. Standard machine learning techniques, such as support vector machines and random forests, were used to develop a predictive algorithm based on the four jointly most predictive characteristics (temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate and oxygen saturation); this approach led to 96.6% sensitivity, 96.4% specificity, and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 97.8%. The proposed approach can be easily embedded in a mobile phone application, allowing for point-of-care assessment and identification of children in need of clinical attention by basically trained healthcare workers in resource-constrained settings.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127290324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343950
Vikram Vel, Meghana Kavakuntala, R. Rajesh, H. Sekar, Vineeth Vijayaraghavan
This paper outlines the architecture and functions of a D-agent based control and coordination framework for a typical rural Indian microgrid. The microgrid topology consists of independent agents for the storage bank, solar PV array, biogas generator and fixed load. The algorithm of the D-agent has been developed to ensure optimal load servicing by dynamic resource allocation for increased operational efficiency. The operational algorithm has been verified using three different design test cases at an hourly interval of system operation for a period of one year. Low system cost, servicing efficiency and balanced utilization of the Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), are the proposed design test cases. These cases verify the flexibility of the D-agent algorithm. The D-agent ensures optimal utilization of available resources while providing maximum servicing of loads. This is achieved by monitoring and controlling the DER operation based on the current energy availability and load demand for the next interval of system operation.
{"title":"Flexible D-agent architecture for DER operation in a rural Indian microgrid","authors":"Vikram Vel, Meghana Kavakuntala, R. Rajesh, H. Sekar, Vineeth Vijayaraghavan","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343950","url":null,"abstract":"This paper outlines the architecture and functions of a D-agent based control and coordination framework for a typical rural Indian microgrid. The microgrid topology consists of independent agents for the storage bank, solar PV array, biogas generator and fixed load. The algorithm of the D-agent has been developed to ensure optimal load servicing by dynamic resource allocation for increased operational efficiency. The operational algorithm has been verified using three different design test cases at an hourly interval of system operation for a period of one year. Low system cost, servicing efficiency and balanced utilization of the Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), are the proposed design test cases. These cases verify the flexibility of the D-agent algorithm. The D-agent ensures optimal utilization of available resources while providing maximum servicing of loads. This is achieved by monitoring and controlling the DER operation based on the current energy availability and load demand for the next interval of system operation.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122335322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2015-12-03DOI: 10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343986
Jessica Menold, Lydia Weizler, Yan Liu, S. Bilén, Scarlett R. Miller
Communication and information exchange are critical for effective response to emergencies and disasters. However, most existing communication solutions lack flexibility and are not robust enough in disconnected, interrupted, or remote communication environments. Traditional communication tools fail to meet the increasingly complex needs of both public safety and private industry workers during emergency response. The Department of Homeland Security has sponsored the Pennsylvania State University and MIT Lincoln Laboratory to develop and prototype a new communication solution to operate in these disadvantaged environments, defined herein as emergency instances in which cellular or other typical modes of communication are down. Previous research has explored the communication methods and the dynamics of information exchange on first response teams. This work focuses on comparing the needs of alternative users, defined as non-first response organizations such as the American Red Cross, with the needs of the previously studied user group (first response teams). Survey responses and interviews enabled the exploration of current practices, with an emphasis on identifying the differences and similarities amongst the various user groups. Low-fidelity and medium-fidelity prototypes were created based on the interview and survey responses and were field-tested in order to gather user feedback. Design recommendations emphasizing day-to-day use were then developed and assessed by the user groups. These recommendations tailor the communication interfaces to better meet the needs of a variety of users resulting in more efficient and effective emergency response.
{"title":"Identifying end-user requirements for communication systems in disadvantaged environments","authors":"Jessica Menold, Lydia Weizler, Yan Liu, S. Bilén, Scarlett R. Miller","doi":"10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC.2015.7343986","url":null,"abstract":"Communication and information exchange are critical for effective response to emergencies and disasters. However, most existing communication solutions lack flexibility and are not robust enough in disconnected, interrupted, or remote communication environments. Traditional communication tools fail to meet the increasingly complex needs of both public safety and private industry workers during emergency response. The Department of Homeland Security has sponsored the Pennsylvania State University and MIT Lincoln Laboratory to develop and prototype a new communication solution to operate in these disadvantaged environments, defined herein as emergency instances in which cellular or other typical modes of communication are down. Previous research has explored the communication methods and the dynamics of information exchange on first response teams. This work focuses on comparing the needs of alternative users, defined as non-first response organizations such as the American Red Cross, with the needs of the previously studied user group (first response teams). Survey responses and interviews enabled the exploration of current practices, with an emphasis on identifying the differences and similarities amongst the various user groups. Low-fidelity and medium-fidelity prototypes were created based on the interview and survey responses and were field-tested in order to gather user feedback. Design recommendations emphasizing day-to-day use were then developed and assessed by the user groups. These recommendations tailor the communication interfaces to better meet the needs of a variety of users resulting in more efficient and effective emergency response.","PeriodicalId":193664,"journal":{"name":"2015 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126854405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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