Detection of EEG Signal Post-Stroke Using FFT and Convolutional Neural Network

Stroke is a condition that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted or reduced. It may be caused by a blockage (ischemic stroke) or rupture of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke) so that it can cause disability. Therefore patients need to undergo rehabilitation. One of the procedures of monitoring of the recovery of stroke patients using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) method, but sometimes subjectively. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is an instrument that can measure electrical activity in the brain, including abnormalities caused by stroke. This study investigates EEG signal detection in post-stroke patients using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and 1D Convolutional Neural Network (1D CNN). Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) extraction can increase accuracy from 60% to 80.3% from the use of Adam's optimization model. Meanwhile, the AdaDelta model gave 20% accuracy without FFT. And its condition increased to 79.9% with FFT extraction. Therefore, Adam's stability has the advantage of remembering to use hyper-parameter. On the other hand, FFT is beneficial for directing information used for the use of 1D CNN, thus increasing accuracy. The results showed that using of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in identification could increase accuracy by 45-80% compared to identification using only 1D CNN. Meanwhile, the results of the study show that the relative weight correction model using Adaptive Moment Estimation (Adam) provided higher accuracy compared to the Adaptive learning rate (AdaDelta)

Apathy and mood disorders after Acquired Brain Injury: presentation of two research projects

This abstract is only referred to the first study presented in my Phd thesis: The diagnosis of apathy, one of the most common behavioral changes of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), is important to improve clinical understanding and treatment of persons with ABI, and to decrease the degree of disability. The main aim of the study was to determine the possible role of apathy on conflict monitoring, by using choice reaction time tasks. We examined behavioral responses of conflict monitoring during three different Flanker tasks (each defined by a specific set of stimuli) in 5 severe ABI patients with diagnosis of apathy, 5 severe ABI patients without apathy and 15 healthy controls. The main result of the study was that the performance of patients with apathy was worse than that of healthy subjects, whereas patients without apathy showed slower reactions times in comparison both to healthy subjects and patients with apathy. Results also showed that only patients with apathy exhibited a significantly higher number of missing trials, suggesting that this clinical population may have had more difficulties in identifying the target stimuli, preferring a strategy of not reacting when they found more difficulties instead of taking more time to response. Our results may suggest a potential link between apathy following severe ABI and conflict monitoring processes, even though further investigations with larger sample size are needed

Sleep and daytime functioning in chronic stroke patients with hemiparesis

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

A psychosocial educational programme for caregivers of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder

Bipolêre versteuring is ‘n kroniese, herhalende en ernstige siekte met ‘n voorkoms van 1 % wêreldwyd. Pasiënte kan psigoties word, selfmoordideasie hê en ook soms aggressief raak. Dikwels moet hulle gehospitaliseer word - ook teen hulle wil, want hulle mag soms geen insig toon nie. Pasiënte mag presenteer met ‘n ko-morbiede toestand, byvoorbeeld substansmisbruik of ‘n persoonlikheidsversteuring. Dit gebeur dikwels dat hulle nie hulle toegewysde rolle, byvoorbeeld dié van gade, broodwinner, ouer of volwasse kind, kan vervul nie. Versorgers van pasiënte gediagnoseer met bipolêre versteuring, word eweneens beïnvloed deur die siekte en die gepaardgaande stigma daarvan. Dit kan vir hulle baie moeilik wees wanneer hulle die verantwoordelikhede en rolle van die pasiënt moet oorneem. Beskou vanuit die oogpunt van ‘n ekologiese sisteemperspektief is die aard van hierdie impak op die maatskaplike funksionering van die versorgers relevant vir maatskaplike werk in die geestesgesondheidsveld. Die verkenning van hierdie impak en die ontwikkeling van ‘n intervensie om die impak aan te spreek het dus die rasionaal van hierdie studie gevorm. Die geïntegreerde biopsigososiale model, binne ‘n ekologiese sisteem perspektief, word aangewend by die psigiatriese instelling waar die navorser werk. Hierdie benadering het dus ook gedien as die vertrekpunt vir die betrokke studie. Die gemengde-metode navorsingsbenadering is tydens hierdie studie benut ten einde ‘n uitgebreide analise van die navorsingsprobleem te verskaf. Die voorgenome studie het binne die kategorie van toegepaste navorsing geval, want die doel daarvan was om ‘n program te ontwikkel om hulp te verleen aan versorgers van individue gediagnoseer met bipolêre versteuring. Die navorser het haar navorsing gerig aan die hand van Rothman en Thomas (1994) se intervensie ontwerp en ontwikkelingsmodel (D&D) deur gebruik te maak van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes. Na afloop van die analise van die kwalitatiewe data, is ‘n unieke psigo-maatskaplike opvoedkundige program, die SEE-SAW program, ontwikkel en toe geïmplementeer. Die konsep van balans versus wanbalans binne die sisteem is essensieel; die navorser se program het ten doel gehad om beter balans binne die sisteem van die pasiënt en versorger te bewerkstellig. Die gevolgtrekkings het duidelik getoon dat die versorger van die bipolêre pasiënt blootgestel is aan ‘n wye spectrum van behoeftes en uitdagings, maar dat intervensies soos die SEE-SAW program van groot waarde mag wees.Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic, recurrent, serious illness that occurs in 1 % of people globally. Patients might become psychotic, suicidal and sometimes violent. They often need to be hospitalised, even against their will because they may have no insight. Patients may have a comorbid condition such as substance abuse or a personality disorder. They are frequently unable to fulfil their assigned roles of spouse, breadwinner, parent or adult child. Caregivers of patients diagnosed with BD are also affected by the illness and the associated stigma. It becomes very difficult for them when they have to take over the responsibilities and roles of the patient. The nature of this impact on the social functioning of the caregivers, understood from an ecological systems perspective, is relevant for social work in the mental health care field. Discovering more about this impact and developing an intervention to curb it therefore formed the rationale for this study. The integrated biopsychosocial model, within an ecological systems perspective, is being used at the psychiatric institution where the researcher works. This approach therefore also served as the point of departure from which this research was conducted. A mixed methods research approach was utilised to provide a comprehensive analysis of the research problem. The proposed study fell into the category of applied research, due to its aim of designing a programme to assist caregivers of people diagnosed with BD. The researcher directed the study according to Rothman and Thomas’s (1994) intervention design and development model (D&D), using qualitative and quantitative methods. After the analysis of the qualitative data a unique psychosocial educational programme, the SEE-SAW programme, was developed and then implemented. The concept of equilibrium versus disequilibrium in the system is central; the researcher’s programme therefore strove towards better equilibrium within the system of patient and caregiver. From the conclusions it is apparent that the caregiver of the BD patient is exposed to a wide spectrum of needs and challenges, but that interventions such as the SEE-SAW programme may be very helpful.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014.Social Work and CriminologyPhD (Social Work)Unrestricte

Trajectories of care and changing relationships : the experiences of adults with acquired brain injuries and their families

This PhD thesis explores issues around acquired brain injury, focusing particularly on changing relationships between patients and carers and the trajectories they follow from the point of injury or diagnosis as a reconstructed life unfolds. Patients are identified as having strategies of adaptation and carers as taking on levels of agency, both of which shift according to time, context and other complex interactions. Each impacts on the other to produce an internal dynamic, the functionality of which is explored. Issues of care delivery are also raised, including the effects of mismatched expectations and of sharing or restricting information. This research is qualitative and based on the principles of grounded theory. 62 interviews were conducted involving 82 people (52 patients and 30 carers) and additional evidence was gathered from professional records, media reports and personal diaries. Themes were developed that can be linked together to form a trajectory of care, inside of which there is a finely balanced ecology. It is proposed that this trajectory although developed around data from people with brain injury is also applicable to other chronic conditions

A Resilient Warrior: Coping Positively With Combat Stress Exposure

The purpose of this study was to explore and examine coping with combat stress exposure in a homogeneous group of 132 U.S. Marines who served in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom, and who self-reported that they were coping positively. A mixed methods concurrent triangulation strategy was employed with positive psychology as the quantitative theoretical base and Husserlian transcendental phenomenology as the qualitative conceptual framework. Quantitatively, hardiness, hope, social support, personality, and coping strategies were assessed in the participants to examine how these variables may moderate or mediate the relationship between combat stress exposure and subjective well-being. Five hypotheses were tested using the one sample t test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis for moderation and mediation interaction. It was found that Marines with higher subjective well-being were generally hardy, hopeful, less neurotic, more extraverted, used adaptive coping strategies, and coped best with good social support. Thirteen volunteers from the larger sample were interviewed yielding qualitative data concerning how and why they coped positively. Seven themes emerged using an inductive and descriptive coding method. The themes were: (a) emotionality, (b) moral dilemma/injury, (c) self-awareness, (d) training, (e) job, (f) shared experience, and (g) social support. The negative effects of war can be economically, physically, and psychologically devastating to individuals, families, institutions, and society. Learning more about coping positively with combat stress exposure can enable the U.S. military to foster positive social change by mitigating the negative effects of stress, reducing medical treatment costs, strengthening warriors to be fit to fight, and ensuring that military service personnel return to society as better citizen

COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Acceptance in Ethnic Minority Individuals in the United Kingdom: a mixed-methods study using Protection Motivation Theory

Background: Uptake of the COVID-19 booster vaccine among ethnic minority individuals has been lower than in the general population. However, there is little research examining the psychosocial factors that contribute to COVID-19 booster vaccine hesitancy in this population.Aim: Our study aimed to determine which factors predicted COVID-19 vaccination intention in minority ethnic individuals in Middlesbrough, using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, in addition to demographic variables.Method: We used a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. 64 minority ethnic individuals (33 females, 31 males; mage = 31.06, SD = 8.36) completed the survey assessing PMT constructs, COVID-19conspiracy beliefs and demographic factors. 42.2% had received the booster vaccine, 57.6% had not. 16 survey respondents were interviewed online to gain further insight into factors affecting booster vaccineacceptance.Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 was a significant predictor of booster vaccination intention, with higher perceived susceptibility being associated with higher intention to get the booster. Additionally, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs significantly predictedintention to get the booster vaccine, with higher conspiracy beliefs being associated with lower intention to get the booster dose. Thematic analysis of the interview data showed that barriers to COVID-19 booster vaccination included time constraints and a perceived lack of practical support in the event ofexperiencing side effects. Furthermore, there was a lack of confidence in the vaccine, with individuals seeing it as lacking sufficient research. Participants also spoke of medical mistrust due to historical events involving medical experimentation on minority ethnic individuals.Conclusion: PMT and conspiracy beliefs predict COVID-19 booster vaccination in minority ethnic individuals. To help increase vaccine uptake, community leaders need to be involved in addressing people’s concerns, misassumptions, and lack of confidence in COVID-19 vaccination