Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2021-09-06"
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- Responsiveness and Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the Brief-BESTest in People with COPD after Pulmonary RehabilitationPublication . Paixão, Cátia; Rebelo, Patrícia; Oliveira, Ana; Jácome, Cristina; Cruz, Joana; Martins, Vitória; Simão, Paula; Marques, AldaObjective: The Brief-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Brief-BESTest) is a comprehensive, reliable and valid balance test, which provides valuable information to guide balance training in people with COPD. Its clinical interpretability is, however, currently limited, as cutoff points to identify clinical relevant changes in people with COPD, after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), are still lacking. This study aimed to establish the responsiveness and minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the Brief-BESTest in people with COPD, after PR. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from two previous studies was conducted. The modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and the Brief-BESTest (0-24 points) were collected in people with COPD pre/post a 12-week PR program including balance training. The MCID was computed using anchor- and distribution-based methods. Changes in the 6MWT and the mMRC were assessed and used as anchors. The pooled MCID was computed using the arithmetic weighted mean (2/3 anchor- and 1/3 distribution-based methods). Results: Seventy-one people with COPD (69±8 years; 76% male; FEV1 49.8±18% predicted) were included. There was a significant improvement in the Brief-BESTest after PR (mean difference 3±3 points; p<0.001). Significant correlations were found between the Brief-BESTest and the mMRC (r=-0.31; p=0.008), and the 6MWT (r=0.37; p=0.002). The pooled MCID was 3.3 points. Conclusion: An improvement of at least 3 points in the Brief-BESTest in people with COPD will enhance the interpretability of PR effects on balance performance of this population and guide tailored interventions. Impact: This study reports on the responsiveness and the MCID of the Brief-BESTest, in people with COPD following PR. This outcome measure is comprehensive, easily administered and simple to interpret in clinical practice. This study represents a significant contribution for the clinical interpretation of changes in balance in people with COPD, following PR.
- An approach to integrating manufacturing data from legacy Injection Moulding Machines using OPC UAPublication . Martins, André; Miguel Lopes e Silva, Bruno; Costelha, Hugo; Neves, Carlos; Lyons, John; Cosgrove, JohnTo achieve the ambitions related with the concept of a Smart Factory, manufacturers of new industrial devices have been developing and releasing products capable of integrating themselves into fully-connected environments, with the communication capabilities and advanced specifications required. In these environments, the automatic retrieval of data across the shop floor is a must, allowing the analysis of machine performance for increased production quality and outputs. On most of the recently released industrial devices this machine data is readily available. However, the same is not true when using legacy devices. It is also well established that most SMEs are unable or do not intend to radically replace their industrial devices with this purpose only, since that would imply a high investment, and mainly because many of these legacy machines remain highly productive. That said, there is a need to develop integration methodologies for these legacy industrial devices and provide them with smart factory communication capabilities that make them suitable for the new Smart Factory environments. In this work, an approach is proposed, using as a case study an industrial shop floor, to integrate data from a range of injection moulding machines, from different generations and different models / manufacturers. This equipment diversity renders the automatic interconnection extremely challenging, but is also representative of many existing industrial scenarios. This research will contribute to the development of integration methodologies and, consequently, improve equipment compatibility. To apply these methodologies, information about specific machines within the shop floor was gathered, as well as their communication and I/O capabilities, together with other features deemed relevant. A trend in recently released machines can be identified, revealing a special focus on the use of OPC UA standard, making use of its address space based on the structured Euromap information models. On the other hand, the legacy devices mainly allow outputting a text file to an external storage unit connected to the machine, containing machine and injection cycles related information. Regarding the communication interfaces available, the Ethernet interface reveals to be the most common among the recently acquired machines, while USB is the main interface in older equipment. An experimental solution was developed for the presented case study, which uses the machine's USB interface to access these files at each injection cycle, mapping the acquired data to structured information model variables, according with Euromap specifications, and making it available through an OPC UA server address space. The developed server provides a standardized, interoperable, scalable, and secure approach for data exchange between the injection moulding machines and various OPC UA clients, allowing device monitoring and control during operation, as well as transmitting this data to higher-level management systems, e.g., MES and ERP systems. This solution shows that older legacy devices, available across the shop floors, can be retrofitted and integrated in Smart Factory scenarios, side-by-side with recently released equipment, giving production managers access to information needed to monitor and improve the production process, thus moving towards the Factories of the Future.