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Introduction: Mobility as a multidimensional concept has rarely been examined as a day-to-day varying phenomenon in its within-person association with older adults' daily well-being. This study examined associations between daily mobility and daily well-being in community-dwelling older adults with a set of GPS-derived mobility indicators that were representative of older adults' daily mobility. Methods: Participants wore a custom-built mobile GPS sensor ("uTrail") and completed smartphone-based experience sampling questionnaires on momentary affective states (7 times per day) and daily life satisfaction (in the evening). Analyses included data across 947 days from 109 Swiss older adults aged 65–89 years. Results: Multilevel modeling showed that, within persons, a day with a larger life space area, more time spent in passive transport modes, and a higher number of different locations was associated with higher daily life satisfaction but not daily positive or negative affect. Follow-up analysis showed that the daily maximum distance from home was positively associated with daily life satisfaction, providing a first indication that exposure to non-habitual environments might be a possible underlying mechanism to explain the effects of mobility. Conclusions: Traveling a long distance away from home and visiting diverse locations may be a way to improve life satisfaction. Results are discussed in the context of research on healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mental health of older adults has become a critical issue with the rising suicide rate in older adults in South Korea. Various factors related to depression can make heterogeneous impacts in different regions. Yet, such spatial perspectives have been rarely integrated with the mental health studies in South Korea. This study aims to explore 1) how differently each factor of sociodemographic characteristics, social interactions, and health-related behaviors is associated with depression of older adults throughout different regions in South Korea, and 2) how those relationships change across five survey years (2008–2016) for a long term. Spatially local regression and small-multiple map visualization were applied to analyze a longitudinal panel survey dataset named KLoSA, collected in South Korea. It is found that age, marital status, in-person social contact frequency, and perceived physical health are significantly correlated with depression in more regions than other variables. The local regression coefficients and significance vary by region and year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mental health of older adults has become a critical issue with the rising suicide rate in older adults in South Korea. Various factors related to depression can make heterogeneous impacts in different regions. Yet, such spatial perspectives have been rarely integrated with the mental health studies in South Korea. This study aims to explore 1) how differently each factor of sociodemographic characteristics, social interactions, and health-related behaviors is associated with depression of older adults throughout different regions in South Korea, and 2) how those relationships change across five survey years (2008–2016) for a long term. Spatially local regression and small-multiple map visualization were applied to analyze a longitudinal panel survey dataset named KLoSA, collected in South Korea. It is found that age, marital status, in-person social contact frequency, and perceived physical health are significantly correlated with depression in more regions than other variables. The local regression coefficients and significance vary by region and year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) with simultaneous localization and map building (SLAM) based on matching method, and extended Kalman filter SLAM. In general, the AGV is a large mobile robot that is used in transportation to carry cargoes, and it is guided using wired or wireless guidance systems. The guidance system based AGV accounts for a majority of robots in the mobile robot industry. However, in semiconductor factories, landmarks are unavailable; hence, the existing system has not been used in the mentioned environments. Therefore, the SLAM technology is applied in the environments, and can guide the AGV without landmarks. However, the accuracy of the SLAM can be low owing to measurement error of sensors and a cumulative calculation caused by localization sensors. Therefore, the accuracy is frequently assumed to be incorrect; moreover, the accuracy of the built map is low. In order to solve the problems, this study proposes the AGV with the SLAM based on matching methods; two matching method; geometric matching method and iterative closest point algorithm. The performance of the proposed method is compared with typical methods such as singular value decomposition / RIGID transformation based technologies using feature-point-based SLAM and is compared with the aforementioned two methods using the extended Kalman filter SLAM. The proposed method is more efficient than the typical methods used in the comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mobile sensing has transformed research in Mobility, Health, and Place. • It enables pervasive real-life measurements of personal behavior, context and health. • It enables the development of novel digital biomarkers and personalized intervention. • Classification of mobile sensing technologies and methods is proposed. • Issues remain in data collection and analysis to address uncertainties and biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of technologically advanced devices, such as radars and satellites, are used in an actual weather forecasting process. Among these devices, the radar is essential equipment in this process because it has a wide observation area and fine resolution in both the time and the space domains. However, the radar can also observe unwanted nonweather phenomena. Anomalous propagation echo is one of the representative nonprecipitation echoes generated by an abnormal refraction phenomenon of a radar beam. Abnormal refraction occurs when the temperature and the humidity change dramatically. In such a case, the radar recognizes either the ground or the sea surface as an atmospheric object. This false observation decreases the accuracy of both quantitative precipitation estimation and weather forecasting. Therefore, a system that can automatically recognize an anomalous propagation echo from the radar data needs to be developed. In this paper, we propose a classification method for separating anomalous propagation echoes from the rest of the weather data by using a combination of a support vector machine classifier and the synthetic minority oversampling technique, to solve the problem of imbalanced data. By using actual cases of anomalous propagation we have confirmed that the proposed method provides good classification results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke is a common cause of mobility limitation, including a reduction in life space. Life space is defined as the spatial extent in which a person moves within a specified period of time. We aimed to analyze patients' objective and self-reported life space and clinical stroke characteristics. Methods: MOBITEC-Stroke is a prospective observational cohort study addressing poststroke mobility. This cross-sectional analysis refers to 3-month data. Life space was assessed by a portable tracking device (7 consecutive days) and by self-report (Life-Space Assessment; LSA). We analysed the timed up-and-go (TUG) test, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; NIHSS), and the level of functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale; mRS) in relation to participants' objective (distance- and area-related life-space parameters) and self-reported (LSA) life space by multivariable linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, and residential area. Results: We included 41 patients, mean age 70.7 (SD11.0) years, 29.3% female, NIHSS score 1.76 (SD1.68). We found a positive relationship between TUG performance and maximum distance from home (p = 0.006), convex hull area (i.e. area enclosing all Global Navigation Satellite System [GNSS] fixes, represented as a polygon linking the outermost points; p = 0.009), perimeter of the convex hull area (i.e. total length of the boundary of the convex hull area; p = 0.008), as well as the standard ellipse area (i.e. the two-dimensional ellipse containing approximately 63% of GNSS points; p = 0.023), in multivariable regression analyses. Conclusion: The TUG, an easily applicable bedside test, seems to be a useful indicator for patients' life space 3 months poststroke and may be a clinically useful measure to document the motor rehabilitative process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reports the preparation of superhydrophobic SiO2 layers with a micro-nano hierarchical surface structure. SiO2 layers, which were rough on the microscale, were prepared using an electrospraying method combined with a sol–gel chemical route. To create a nanoscale structure, the surface of the SiO2 layers was coated with Au nanoparticles using an ultraviolet-enhanced chemical reduction process, resulting in a micro-nano hierarchical surface structure. A subsequent fluorination treatment with a solution containing trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane resulted in fluorination of the micro-nano hierarchical SiO2 layers. The resulting SiO2 layers showed outstanding repellency toward a range of liquid droplets, for example, a water-repellency of 170°. The surface fraction and work of adhesion of the fluorinated, micro-nano hierarchical SiO2 layers were estimated using the Cassie–Baxter and Young–Dupre equations, respectively. The long-term durability and ultraviolet resistance of the superhydrophobic SiO2 layers prepared in this study highlight their potential in a range of practical applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Amorphous SiO2 films were deposited by means of an electrospray technique. The relation between the water contact angle (WCA) of the deposited SiO2 films and the surface morphology is investigated. The feeding rate of the electrospray process greatly affects the morphology of the synthesized SiO2 films. There is also a significant change in the WCA on the surface of the films: the rougher the surface, the greater the WCA. A model based on the Cassie-Baxter formulation is used to explain the change observed in the WCA on the SiO2 films. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We describe the preparation of superhydrophobic SiO2 layers through a combination of surface roughness and fluorination. Electrospraying SiO2 precursor solutions that were prepared by a sol–gel route and included trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane as a fluorination source produced highly rough, fluorinated SiO2 layers. In sharp contrast to the fluorinated flat SiO2 layer, the fluorinated rough SiO2 layer showed much enhanced repellency toward liquid droplets of different surface tensions. The surface fraction and the work of adhesion of the superhydrophobic SiO2 layers were determined, respectively, based on Cassie–Baxter and Young–Dupre equations. The satisfactory long-term stability for 30 days, the ultraviolet resistance and the thermal stability up to 400 oC of the superhydrophobic SiO2 layers prepared in this work confirm a promising practical application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The preparation of superhydrophobic SiO2 layers through a combination of a nanoscale surface roughness and a fluorination treatment is reported. Electrospraying SiO2 precursor solutions that had been prepared by a sol–gel chemical route produced very rough SiO2 layers. Subsequent fluorination treatment with a solution containing trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane resulted in highly rough, fluorinated SiO2 layers. The fluorinated rough SiO2 layers exhibited excellent repellency toward various liquid droplets. In particular, water repellency of 168° was observed. On the bases of Cassie–Baxter and Young–Dupre equations, the surface fraction and the work of adhesion of the rough, fluorinated SiO2 layers were respectively estimated. In light of the durability in water, ultraviolet resistance, and thermal stability, the superhydrophobic SiO2 layers prepared in this work hold promise in a range of practical applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Silica layers with different microstructures were prepared by electrospraying. The microstructure of the layers was changed by controlling the viscosity of the precursor solutions in the electrospray deposition. Precursor solutions of low viscosity produced particulated silica layers, exhibiting superhydrophobicity. In contrast, fibrous silica layers exhibiting superhydrophilicity were attained with viscous precursor solutions. In particular, the particulated silica layers showed a good durability and resistance to ultraviolet illumination. The dramatic change in the wettability of silica layers without any chemical treatment is promising in speeding up their use in many fields. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Homogeneous acid-doped polysiloxane (PS) electrolyte membranes were prepared by the sol–gel reaction from 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and different acids, such as sulfuric acid (SA), methanesulfonic acid (MSA), ethanesulfonic acid (ESA), and 1-propanesulfonic acid (PSA). The effect of the acidity as well as the structure on the proton transport has been investigated. The interaction between the acid and the basic nitrogen of PS made by APTES has been confirmed by FT-IR and ab initio calculation. The thermal stability depends on the stability of the doping acid. The structure of acid-doped PS was determined by X-ray diffraction pattern and changed with the kind of acid as well as the doping amount. The proton conductivity of annealed (1:1) PS/SA membrane having high acidity as well as the hexagonal-like structure reached 1.1×10−3 S/cm at 120°C under no (or low) humidity, which is more than one order of magnitude higher than those of PS/acid membranes without structure. The structural effect was studied by PS/ESA membrane having different structure with the amount of acid doping. The proton conductivity of (3:1) PS/ESA membrane showing hexagonal-like structure is 3.82×10−4 S/cm, whereas it is 9.6×10−6 S/cm at 120°C for amorphous (1:1) PS/ESA membrane. This result implies that the main requirements for high proton transport of electrolyte membranes prepared by acid–base interaction under low humidity are the acidity and the proton transport structure. If the acidity is fixed, then the presence of the ionic channel structure is essential to design the electrolyte membrane having high proton conductivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Interest in global positioning system (GPS)-based mobility assessment for health and aging research is growing, and with it the demand for validated GPS-based mobility indicators. Time out of home (TOH) and number of activity locations (#ALs) are two indicators that are often derived from GPS data, despite lacking consensus regarding thresholds to be used to extract those as well as limited knowledge about their validity. Using 7 days of GPS and diary data of 35 older adults, we make the following three main contributions. First, we perform a sensitivity analysis to investigate how using spatial and temporal thresholds to compute TOH and #ALs affects the agreement between self-reported and GPS-based indicators. Second, we show how daily self-reported and GPS-derived mobility indicators are compared. Third, we explore whether the type and duration of self-reported activity events are related to the degree of correspondence between reported and GPS event. Highest indicator agreement was found for temporal interpolation (Tmax) of up to 5 h for both indicators, a radius (Dmax) to delineate home between 100 and 200 m for TOH, and for #ALs a spatial extent (Dmax) between 125 and 200 m, and temporal extent (Tmin) between 5 and 6 min to define an activity location. High agreement between self-reported and GPS-based indicators is obtained for TOH and moderate agreement for #ALs. While reported event type and duration impact on whether a reported event has a matching GPS event, indoor and outdoor events are detected at equal proportions. This work will help future studies to choose optimal threshold settings and will provide knowledge about the validity of mobility indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) is a feature descriptor typically used for object detection. For object tracking, this feature has certain drawbacks when the target object is influenced by a change in motion or size. In this paper, the use of convolutional shallow features is proposed to improve the performance of HOG feature-based object tracking. Because the proposed method works based on a correlation filter, the response maps for each feature are summed in order to obtain the final response map. The location of the target object is then predicted based on the maximum value of the optimized final response map. Further, a model update is used to overcome the change in appearance of the target object during tracking. A performance evaluation of the proposed method is obtained by using Visual Object Tracking 2015 (VOT2015) benchmark dataset and its protocols. The results are then provided based on their accuracy-robustness (AR) rank. Furthermore, through a comparison with several state-of-the-art tracking algorithms, the proposed method was shown to achieve the highest rank in terms of accuracy and a third rank for robustness. In addition, the proposed method significantly improves the robustness of HOG-based features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of the object is an important factor in building a robust visual object tracking algorithm. To resolve this problem, complementary learners that use color histogram- and correlation filter-based representation to represent the target object can be used since they each have advantages that can be exploited to compensate the other’s drawback in visual tracking. Further, a tracking algorithm can fail because of the distractor, even when complementary learners have been implemented for the target object representation. In this study, we show that, in order to handle the distractor, first the distractor must be detected by learning the responses from the color-histogram- and correlation-filter-based representation. Then, to determine the target location, we can decide whether the responses from each representation should be merged or only the response from the correlation filter should be used. This decision depends on the result obtained from the distractor detection process. Experiments were performed on the widely used VOT2014 and VOT2015 benchmark datasets. It was verified that our proposed method performs favorably as compared with several state-of-the-art visual tracking algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weather radar is a frequently used device in remote sensing to identify meteorological phenomena using electromagnetic waves. It can observe atmospheric conditions in a wide area with a remarkably high spatiotemporal resolution, and its observation results are useful to meteorological research and services. Recent research on data analysis using radar data has concentrated on applying machine learning techniques to solve complicated problems, including quality control, quantitative precipitation estimation, and convective storm prediction. Convective storms, which consist of heavy rains and winds, are closely related to real-life and cause significant loss of life and property. This paper proposes a novel approach utilizing the given convective storms' temporal properties based on machine learning models to predict future locations. The experimental results showed that the machine learning-based prediction models are capable of nowcasting future locations of convective storms with a slight difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: GPS tracking is increasingly used in health and aging research to objectively and unobtrusively assess individuals' daily-life mobility. However, mobility is a complex concept and its thorough description based on GPS-derived mobility indicators remains challenging. Methods: With the aim of reflecting the breadth of aspects incorporated in daily mobility, we propose a conceptual framework to classify GPS-derived mobility indicators based on their characteristic and analytical properties for application in health and aging research. In order to demonstrate how the classification framework can be applied, existing mobility indicators as used in existing studies are classified according to the proposed framework. Then, we propose and compute a set of selected mobility indicators based on real-life GPS data of 95 older adults that reflects diverse aspects of individuals' daily mobility. To explore latent dimensions that underlie the mobility indicators, we conduct a factor analysis. Results: The proposed framework enables a conceptual classification of mobility indicators based on the characteristic and analytical aspects they reflect. Characteristic aspects inform about the content of the mobility indicator and comprise categories related to space, time, movement scope, and attribute. Analytical aspects inform how a mobility indicator is aggregated with respect to temporal scale and statistical property. The proposed categories complement existing studies that often underrepresent mobility indicators involving timing, temporal distributions, and stop-move segmentations of movements. The factor analysis uncovers the following six dimensions required to obtain a comprehensive view of an older adult's daily mobility: extent of life space, quantity of out-of-home activities, time spent in active transport modes, stability of life space, elongation of life space, and timing of mobility. Conclusion: This research advocates incorporating GPS-based mobility indicators that reflect the multi-dimensional nature of individuals' daily mobility in future health- and aging-related research. This will foster a better understanding of what aspects of mobility are key to healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unprecedented availability of geospatial data and technologies is driving innovation and discovery but not without the risk of losing focus on the geographic foundations of space and place in this vast "cyber sea" of data and technology. There is a pressing need to educate a new generation of scientists and citizens who understand how space and place matter in the real world and who understand and can keep pace with technological advancements in the computational world. We define cyberliteracy for GIScience (cyberGIScience literacy) and outline eight core areas that serve as a framework for establishing the essential abilities and foundational knowledge necessary to navigate and thrive in this new technologically rich world. The core areas are arranged to provide multiple dimensions of learning ranging from a technological focus to a problem solving focus or a focus on GIScience or computational science. We establish a competency matrix as a means of assessing and evaluating levels of cyberGIScience literacy across the eight core areas. We outline plans to catalyze the collaborative development and sharing of instructional materials to embed cyberGIScience literacy in the classroom and begin to realize a cyberliterate citizenry and academe. Key Words: big data, computational thinking, geographic education, GIS, spatial thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We retrospectively analyzed data on 628 leukapheresis from 160 consecutive patients with hematologic or solid malignancies to identify predictive factors affecting the achievement of optimal peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) collection, which was defined as ⩾5 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg. In univariate analysis, a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, no prior axial skeletal radiotherapy, absence of exposure to alkylating agents and cisplatin, fewer cycles of chemotherapy, and fewer number of previous chemotherapy regimens favored the achievement of target number of PBPC. In multivariate analysis, the absence of prior exposure to alkylating agents, especially cyclophosphamide, (P=0.003, RR=2.08) and cisplatin (P=0.015, RR=2.50) were independent predicting factors affecting the probability of achieving the target PBPC and the time to reach the target PBPC collection. In addition, the total dose of cyclophosphamide the patient received significantly alters the mobilization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]