Intelligent technologies for real-time monitoring and decision support systems

MPhilAutomation of data processing and control of operations involving intelligent technologies that is considered the next generation technology requires error-free data capture systems in both clinical research and healthcare. The presented research constitutes a step in the development of intelligent technologies in healthcare. The proposed improvement is by automation that includes the elements of intelligence and prediction. In particular automatic data acquisition systems for several devices are developed including pervasive computing technologies for mobility. The key feature of the system is the minimisation/near eradication of erroneous data input along with a number of other security measures ensuring completeness, accuracy and reliability of the patients‟ data. The development is based on utilising existing devices to keep the cost of Data Acquisition Systems down. However, with existing technology and devices one can be limited to features required to perform more refined analysis. Research of existing and development of a new device for assessment of neurological diseases, such as MS (Multiple Sclerosis) using Stroop test is performed. The software can also be customized for use in other diseases affecting Central Nervous System such as Parkinson‟s disease. The introduction of intelligent functions into the majority of operations enables quality checks and provides on-line user assistance. It could become a key tool in the first step of patient diagnosis before referring to more advanced tests for further investigation. Although the software cannot fully ensure the diagnosis of MS or PD but can make significant contribution in the process of diagnosis and monitorin

Development of decision support system for the diagnosis of arthritis pain for rheumatic fever patients: Based on the fuzzy approach

Developing a Decision Support System (DSS) for Rheumatic Fever (RF) is complex due to the levels of vagueness, complexity and uncertainty management involved, especially when the same arthritis symptoms can indicate multiple diseases. It is this inability to describe observed symptoms precisely that necessitates our approach to developing a Decision Support System (DSS) for diagnosing arthritis pain for RF patients using fuzzy logic. In this paper we describe how fuzzy logic could be applied to the development of a DSS application that could be used for diagnosing arthritis pain (arthritis pain for rheumatic fever patients only) in four different stages, namely: Fairly Mild, Mild, Moderate and Severe. Our approach employs a knowledge-base that was built using WHO guidelines for diagnosing RF, specialist guidelines from Nepal and a Matlab fuzzy tool box as components to the system development. Mixed membership functions (Triangular and Trapezoidal) are applied for fuzzification and Mamdani-type is used for the fuzzy reasoning process. Input and output parameters are defined based on the fuzzy set rules

A Rule-based Methodology and Feature-based Methodology for Effect Relation Extraction in Chinese Unstructured Text

The Chinese language differs significantly from English, both in lexical representation and grammatical structure. These differences lead to problems in the Chinese NLP, such as word segmentation and flexible syntactic structure. Many conventional methods and approaches in Natural Language Processing (NLP) based on English text are shown to be ineffective when attending to these language specific problems in late-started Chinese NLP. Relation Extraction is an area under NLP, looking to identify semantic relationships between entities in the text. The term “Effect Relation” is introduced in this research to refer to a specific content type of relationship between two entities, where one entity has a certain “effect” on the other entity. In this research project, a case study on Chinese text from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) journal publications is built, to closely examine the forms of Effect Relation in this text domain. This case study targets the effect of a prescription or herb, in treatment of a disease, symptom or body part. A rule-based methodology is introduced in this thesis. It utilises predetermined rules and templates, derived from the characteristics and pattern observed in the dataset. This methodology achieves the F-score of 0.85 in its Named Entity Recognition (NER) module; 0.79 in its Semantic Relationship Extraction (SRE) module; and the overall performance of 0.46. A second methodology taking a feature-based approach is also introduced in this thesis. It views the RE task as a classification problem and utilises mathematical classification model and features consisting of contextual information and rules. It achieves the F-scores of: 0.73 (NER), 0.88 (SRE) and overall performance of 0.41. The role of functional words in the contemporary Chinese language and in relation to the ERs in this research is explored. Functional words have been found to be effective in detecting the complex structure ER entities as rules in the rule-based methodology

10th International Conference on Business, Technology and Innovation 2021

Welcome to IC – UBT 2021 UBT Annual International Conference is the 10th international interdisciplinary peer reviewed conference which publishes works of the scientists as well as practitioners in the area where UBT is active in Education, Research and Development. The UBT aims to implement an integrated strategy to establish itself as an internationally competitive, research-intensive university, committed to the transfer of knowledge and the provision of a world-class education to the most talented students from all background. The main perspective of the conference is to connect the scientists and practitioners from different disciplines in the same place and make them be aware of the recent advancements in different research fields, and provide them with a unique forum to share their experiences. It is also the place to support the new academic staff for doing research and publish their work in international standard level. This conference consists of sub conferences in different fields like: Security Studies Sport, Health and Society Psychology Political Science Pharmaceutical and Natural Sciences Mechatronics, System Engineering and Robotics Medicine and Nursing Modern Music, Digital Production and Management Management, Business and Economics Language and Culture Law Journalism, Media and Communication Information Systems and Security Integrated Design Energy Efficiency Engineering Education and Development Dental Sciences Computer Science and Communication Engineering Civil Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Architecture and Spatial Planning Agriculture, Food Science and Technology Art and Digital Media This conference is the major scientific event of the UBT. It is organizing annually and always in cooperation with the partner universities from the region and Europe. We have to thank all Authors, partners, sponsors and also the conference organizing team making this event a real international scientific event. Edmond Hajrizi, President of UBT UBT – Higher Education Institutio

Epistemological issues in the theory of Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been criticized for being unscientific because the theory on which it is based involves entities like qi and ’meridians’ that appear ambiguous and because the internal ‘organs’ like the kidney and the spleen are very different from those of modern anatomy and physiology. Even more so, TCM methods of therapy based on the yin-yang principle, the model of the five elements, and the classification of illnesses according to standard constellations of symptoms (TCM “syndromes”) are largely unproven by the protocols of modern evidence-based medicine. This dissertation attempts to reconstruct TCM theory by: (a) providing explanations of TCM entities as abstractions and constructs that relate to observable body functions and illness symptoms and (b) interpreting TCM theory as comprising heuristic models that were constructed from clinical experience to fit empirical observations of illnesses and their treatments with herbal medications and acupuncture. It suggests that scientists should be less concerned with the ontological status of TCM entities and the epistemic credentials of TCM models than with the ability of these concepts and models to guide physicians in therapy. More importantly, it makes the argument that these models are testable using the methods of evidence-based medicine. There are methodological difficulties associated with randomized controlled trials partly because TCM treatments tend to be individualized and syndromes are dynamic in nature; observational trials may be more appropriate in some situations. It is also possible that, for patients who are more culturally attuned to TCM, the placebo effect is strongly at play and may render the real effects of TCM treatments harder to tease out in clinical trials. The dissertation concludes that the main postulates of TCM should be put to rigorous test. The result may be a leaner but more robust theory, with parts that do not stand up to the test being rejected or modified, and a possible acceptance of its more modest therapeutic claims for a limited range of pathological conditions like pain and chronic illnesses

Brand Kerala: Commodification of Open Source Ayurveda

This dissertation aimed to understand formal and informal ayurvedic knowledge and practice through the framework of commodification, in the context of the recent emergence of global ayurvedic tourism in Kerala, India. The objective was to understand how commodification, both old and new, have affected knowledges and livelihoods of actors constituting the ayurvedic commodity chain, with a focus on `social lives\u27 of ayurvedic pharmaceuticals and select herb-ingredients. I argue that the trajectory of commodification in Kerala provides a stark contrast to the national mainstream with its focus on classical vis-à-vis proprietary medicines. This therapy-centric business model maintained the integrity of traditional ayurvedic practice by keeping the ayurvedic doctor within the loop. I suggest that the new wave of multi-faceted tourism-inspired commodification draws on this strength. This in turn has created a paradigmatic shift in the way ayurveda is commodified locally and globally, by switching focus from `pharmaceuticals\u27 to `services\u27, and `illness\u27 to `wellness\u27. I suggest that conceptualizing classical medicines as `open-source commodities\u27, brings attention to the significance of background knowledge processes. While distinct stakeholder characteristics and historic State patronage are significant factors, at the root of the commercial viability of open-source-ayurveda, I argue, is the continuity of a cultural practice, the robustness of it I attribute to its historical evolution in Kerala as a mass commodity in contrast to its elitist status elsewhere. However, industrialization threatens the traditional role of knowledge-intensive actors: doctors, consumers, raw drug shops and medicinal plant collectors. I argue that the industry\u27s role is contributory rather than causal; more significant in endangering ayurvedic metis are effects of modern institutionalization shaped by goals of homogenization and scientization. Discussing the nature of deskilling each node has undergone, I demonstrate the significance of `cultural stakes\u27 in the conservation of common property resources that are more often that not at loggerheads with `economic stakes\u27. The arguments in this dissertation are built over and contribute to three bodies of anthropological research: economic anthropology engaged in the study of commodities and commodification processes, ecological anthropology concerned with conservation of common property resources, and medical anthropology concerned with study of medical systems and pharmaceuticals

Medicine – Religion – Spirituality

In modern societies the functional differentiation of medicine and religion is the predominant paradigm. Contemporary therapeutic practices and concepts in healing systems, such as Transpersonal Psychology, Ayurveda, as well as Buddhist and Anthroposophic medicine, however, are shaped by medical as well as religious or spiritual elements. This book investigates configurations of the entanglement between medicine, religion, and spirituality in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. How do political and legal conditions affect these healing systems? How do they relate to religious and scientific discourses? How do therapeutic practitioners position themselves between medicine and religion, and what is their appeal for patients

Medicine - Religion - Spirituality: Global Perspectives on Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Healing

In modern societies the functional differentiation of medicine and religion is the predominant paradigm. Contemporary therapeutic practices and concepts in healing systems, such as Transpersonal Psychology, Ayurveda, as well as Buddhist and Anthroposophic medicine, however, are shaped by medical as well as religious or spiritual elements. This book investigates configurations of the entanglement between medicine, religion, and spirituality in Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. How do political and legal conditions affect these healing systems? How do they relate to religious and scientific discourses? How do therapeutic practitioners position themselves between medicine and religion, and what is their appeal for patients

Development of the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications of plants selected from Portugal and Iran with presumptive health potentials

Tese de doutoramento, Ciências Biotecnológicas, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016All over the years scientists have studied an extensive range of medicinal and aromatic plants species which exist in nature and contain an unlimited category of bioactive compounds that could potentially be used within an extensive range of products including nutraceutical; pharmaceutical and even cosmetic. This seems to be more substantial since scientists have detected an extensive range of negative adverse effects among many of the synthetic compounds commonly used today. In this research, we have selected plants which, are particularly well known among people as being healthy and could have therapeutic for chronic and acute diseases. Therefore, after the precise researches and discussions with native residents of the selected regions-including the northwest of Iran and south Portugal, with focus on the Algarve, about 14 different plant species were selected and identified for this research. Among them, different individual parts of plants including seeds (Portugues and Iranian Pimpinella anisum L., with Coriandrum sativum L., and Levisticum officinale W. D. J. Koch., from Iran); flowers (Echium amoenum Fisch & C.A. Mey., Echinacea angustifolia DC., Matricaria chamomilla L., and Althaea officinalis L., from Iran); leaves (Thymus vulgaris L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L., and Alisma plantago-aquatica L. subsp. orientale (Sam.)Sam., from Iran and Olea europaea L. var. sylvestris., from Portugal) have been studied. Moreover the aerial parts of Lavandula pedunculata L. subsp. pedunculata., from Portugal were selected and studied in this research. An extensive range of in vitro chemical and microbial experiments as well as optimization of different variables in the extraction process and encapsulation efficiency of the bioactive compounds have been performed on the different species of plants. Initially, the research intended to study the encapsulation of two of the selected plants’ infusions including Olea europaea., and Alisma plantago-aquatica., with the preparation of calcium-alginate beads in combine of potato starch as a filling substance to study and optimise the release kinetics and encapsulation efficiency of the bioactive compounds in deionised water and simulated gastric fluid (SGF) (as solvents) respectively for each plant. The results confirmed the positive role of the potato starch, in a particular concentration, in the monitoring of release kinetics of phenols from the CAS (Calcium Alginate Starch) beads. On the other hand, the performance of the applied models of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) on the optimisation of the release kinetics and encapsulation efficiency of the bioactive compounds from the encapsulated infusion in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) as the solvent was compared, and the ANN design was reported as the more accurate tool compared to RSM in the prediction of the optimum range of the selected independent parameters including potato starch as one of the variables. Portugues P. anisum., seeds was selected to optimise the extraction process of the bioactive compounds regarding the two selected independent variables, including the time and temperature of extraction using water as a solvent. Maximum desirability was obtained for .− and TMA parameters. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed on P. anisum., seeds’ infusion to determine the major compounds profile. The obtained results demonstrated that, fatty acids with indicating 47.68% of the whole detected compounds are the most detected predominant compounds found in the tested extracts followed by triterpenoids; among fatty acids, linoleic acid in combine of oleic and palmitic acids were detected as major compounds. In the current research, the authors also detected bioactive compound content alongside different anti-oxidant parameters of 10 different plants’ infusions picked from Iran. In this regard, total phenolic content (TPC); total flavonoid content (TFC); total chlorophyll content (TCC) values along with total anti-oxidant activity (TAA); reducing power (RP); ferric reducing anti-oxidant power (FRAP); ABTS free radical inhibition and the DPPH free radical scavenging activity of different plants species were determined. The extraction of the bioactive compounds was performed using different pathways; firstly: hot aqueous infusions were obtained at 90 ºC within 5 minutes’ extraction time and cold aqueous extracts were obtained at room temperature within 2 hours blending. Most of the achieved values for the hot infusions were significantly higher compared to cold aqueous extracts. In some cases, a few exceptions were found in P. anisum., and L. officinale., species (seeds) justified by their tough and wooden textures (abnormality in extraction). The Pearson correlation coefficient established that the highest anti-oxidant parameters are related to phenols; chlorophylls and eventual further bioactive compound existence such as triterpenoids; fatty acids; sterols or others rather than flavonoids and further bioactive compounds. On the other hand, synergistic activity hypothesis among at least two or more compounds were proposed. Mostly, the examined leaves, particularly T. vulgaris., presented higher bioactivity than the other studied seeds and flowers species in this research. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was used in the identification of the bioactive compounds in the leaves and two seeds. The achieved results demonstrated an extensive range of compounds with eventual bioactivity including: fatty acids; fatty alcohols; sterols; triterpenoids; monoacylglycerols; aromatics; alkanes; waxes; di-acids; α-hydroxy fatty acids and sugars. It has been observed that in the leaves triterpenoids combined with sterols are the most abundant compounds demonstrating 63.42; 47.64 and 33.51% of the total characterised compounds respectively in R. officinalis., S. officinalis., and T. vulgaris., while in the seeds, fatty acids were discovered as the most predominant compounds, expressing 80.22, 49.04 and 47.68% of the specified compounds in Iranian C. sativum., and P. anisum from Iran and from Portugal., respectively. Betulinic, maslinic, ursolic and oleanolic acids were the most predominant triterpenoids in the leaves and oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids were identified as the most abundant fatty acid content in the seeds. The obtained results proposed that in the plants, the synergistic effects among different bioactive compounds might be expected. According to the characterised and identified bioactive compounds of the plants’ infusions in this study and their established potential health benefits, it could be expected that these plants might demonstrate further potential health benefits for human body such as anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-Alzheimer’s, anti-Parkinson’s, or others. Therefore, this research expanded the research and studied the potential health benefits including anti-bacterial and in vitro anti-diabetic, as well as anti-Alzheimer’s disease, along with anti-radical and further anti-oxidant properties of the plants. Finally the relations between the achieved in vitro results with the characterised compounds of the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) were interpreted. Selected leaves’ water infusions also were detected as stronger inhibitors in supressing of the enzymes attributed in revealing of diabetes and Alzheimer’s diseases. The anti-bacterial potential of some of the plants against five different bacterial species showed that the selected Iranian plants, except E. angustifolia., (flower) inhibited E. faecalis in MIC value ≤0.156 mg. mL-1, while other bacterial species showed activities in MIC values ≤10 mg. mL-1. Among flowers M. chamomilla., and among leaves S. officinalis., alongside R. officinalis., revealed slightly higher anti-bacterial activities than others. Alongside the abovementioned studies this research also studied the modelling of the extraction of monomeric anthocyanins using microwave assisted extraction (MAE) from L. pedunculata., picked in Algarve-Portugal. Three independent variables were selected for two responses including TAA and TMA values, among variables microwave power showed 465 W as the optimized value for the extraction of monomeric anthocyanins. In the final of this study, the inhibitory activities of Portugues P. anisum., seeds’ infusion against α-Amylase and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were determined, confirming the eventual anti-oxidant; anti-diabetic and anti-Alzheimer’s activities of this plant. Free fatty acids as well as terpenoids and sterols respectively, have demonstrated higher quantities in Portugues P. anisum L., seeds. With respect to the obtained results of inhibitory activities of this infusion against tested enzymes and free radicals, it has been approved that compounds with free radical suppressing activities might not able to participate in competitive enzymes suppressive reactions with substrates. Therefore the needs to in vivo tests for obtaining most reliable results are revealed. This research aims to introduce novel and natural sources of bioactive compounds that might be used in promoting good health, in general, and in particular in the treatment of chronic disorders such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancers as well as Parkinson’s disease along with microbial infections. This research revealed that the tested plants from Portugal and Iran could be potential sources of compounds with an extensive range of application for health benefits as well as in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.Erasmus Mundus action-2 program SALAM 201