Dimensionality reduction and unsupervised learning techniques applied to clinical psychiatric and neuroimaging phenotypes

Unsupervised learning and other multivariate analysis techniques are increasingly recognized in neuropsychiatric research. Here, finite mixture models and random forests were applied to clinical observations of patients with major depression to detect and validate treatment response subgroups. Further, independent component analysis and agglomerative hierarchical clustering were combined to build a brain parcellation solely on structural covariance information of magnetic resonance brain images. Übersetzte Kurzfassung: Unüberwachtes Lernen und andere multivariate Analyseverfahren werden zunehmend auf neuropsychiatrische Fragestellungen angewendet. Finite mixture Modelle wurden auf klinische Skalen von Patienten mit schwerer Depression appliziert, um Therapieantwortklassen zu bilden und mit Random Forests zu validieren. Unabhängigkeitsanalysen und agglomeratives hierarchisches Clustering wurden kombiniert, um die strukturelle Kovarianz von Magnetresonanz­tomographie-Bildern für eine Hirnparzellierung zu nutzen

Human psychophysiological responses to visceral and somatic pain – the development of integrated, reproducible human pain phenotypes

PhDBackground Pain is the ubiquitous human experience, yet displays considerable inter- and intraindividual variability in health and disease. Many factors have been proposed to account for these differences. Pain activates a complex stress response, multiply determined through genetic, psychological, physiological and neuroanatomical factors. Chronic pain is a central defining characteristic of functional gastrointestinal disorders. They represent a major challenge for modern healthcare. An integrated understanding of the pathophysiology of these disorders remains to be elucidated. Aims To investigate human psychophysiological responses to visceral and somatic pain in health and disease, in order to develop multidimensional and reproducible pain phenotypes. Methods Study 1, in healthy volunteers, investigated personality traits, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axes and selective novel non-invasive measures of autonomic tone in response to visceral and somatic pain. Study 2 examined the salience of genetic polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter. Study 3 evaluated the reproducibility of these responses after a period of one year. Study 4 utilised the methods of studies 1 and 2 in a case control study of patients with functional chest pain. Key Results Studies 1, 2 and 3 – Two pain phenotypes, or clusters, were found – cluster 1 (39%) had higher neuroticism scores, with higher sympathetic and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis tone at rest, and a predominant parasympathetic response to pain in the presence of the short allele of the serotonin transporter. Cluster 2 (61%) displayed the converse profile in the absence of the short allele. These responses were stable at an interval of one year. Study 4 – similar phenotypes were observed in patients with functional chest pain, although the Cluster 1 phenotype was overrepresented in patients in comparison to the controls (71% vs. 29%). Conclusions and Inferences This series of studies provides evidence for the existence of two reproducible human pain phenotypes in health, which have clinical salience in patients with functional chest pain. By phenotyping pain responses, subject homogeneity in future studies may be improved. Furthermore, such phenotyping techniques may open new therapeutic avenues by facilitating the selective targeting of nociceptive aberrancies, particularly in functional gastrointestinal disorders

Advances in Food Processing (Food Preservation, Food Safety, Quality and Manufacturing Processes)

This e-book aims to compile advances in the area of food manufacturing including packaging to address issues of food safety, quality, fraud, and how these processes (new or old) could affect the organoleptic characteristics of foods, with the aim to promote consumers’ satisfaction. Moreover, food supply issues are explored. New and improved technologies are employed in the area of food manufacturing to address consumer needs in terms of quality and safety. The issues of research and development should be taken into account seriously before launching a new product onto the market. Finally, food fraud and authenticity are very important issues, and the food industry should focus on addressing them

Proceedings of the 2011 Joint Workshop of Fraunhofer IOSB and Institute for Anthropomatics, Vision and Fusion Laboratory

This book is a collection of 15 reviewed technical reports summarizing the presentations at the 2011 Joint Workshop of Fraunhofer IOSB and Institute for Anthropomatics, Vision and Fusion Laboratory. The covered topics include image processing, optical signal processing, visual inspection, pattern recognition and classification, human-machine interaction, world and situation modeling, autonomous system localization and mapping, information fusion, and trust propagation in sensor networks

Diurnal Preference, Clock Gene Polymorphisms and Personality.

Recent research has shown that morningness is negatively correlated with the personality variable impulsivity. Additionally, a relationship between conscientiousness and morningness has been reported. As several researchers have demonstrated links between clock gene polymorphisms and diurnal preference, this thesis aims to test the possibility that there is a direct link between these polymorphisms and personality. A total of 617 participants completed an online survey consisting of well known self report questionnaires relating to personality and diurnal preference. Conscientiousness was found to be the largest predictor of diurnal preference, with associations also evident with openness to experience and agreeableness. The relationship between impulsivity and eveningness was also confirmed. 174 participants were invited to donate buccal swabs and high and low conscientiousness groups were formed from the 20% extremes of conscientiousness score. A central 20% formed an intermediate group Genotyping of these subjects in relation to clock gene polymorphisms known to associate with diurnal preference was then undertaken. No differences in genotype were observed between conscientiousness groups in any of the polymorphisms. Further analysis of possible relationships between genotype and personality variables revealed associations between CLOCK rs 11932595 and neuroticism, impulsivity and openness, before Bonferroni correction. 97 participants within the conscientiousness groups completed the GoStop behavioural test. No differences were observed between conscientiousness groups on the primary measure of the task. Furthermore, no relationship was observed between self-report and behavioural impulsivity. In relation to genotype, a longer mean stop latency was associated with PER3 VNTR 5/5 genotype, before Bonferroni correction. In conclusion, conscientiousness is the primary personality dimension associated with diurnal preference and should be considered in future studies. Moreover, two possible candidate clock gene polymorphisms that may relate to personality were also identified, the replication of which in future studies may contribute to the understanding of the underlying genetic basis of personality

Application of Optimization in Production, Logistics, Inventory, Supply Chain Management and Block Chain

The evolution of industrial development since the 18th century is now experiencing the fourth industrial revolution. The effect of the development has propagated into almost every sector of the industry. From inventory to the circular economy, the effectiveness of technology has been fruitful for industry. The recent trends in research, with new ideas and methodologies, are included in this book. Several new ideas and business strategies are developed in the area of the supply chain management, logistics, optimization, and forecasting for the improvement of the economy of the society and the environment. The proposed technologies and ideas are either novel or help modify several other new ideas. Different real life problems with different dimensions are discussed in the book so that readers may connect with the recent issues in society and industry. The collection of the articles provides a glimpse into the new research trends in technology, business, and the environment

The Impact of British Military Foreign Postings on Accompanying Spouses

In this thesis I report an investigation into the psychological, emotional and social impact of British military foreign postings on accompanying spouses. I adopted an ethnographic methodology utilising a four phase mixed method approach consisting of one quantitative and three qualitative components. The thesis was based on research data collected in Phase 1 from a systematic review of British and US military research focusing on the experiences of accompanying spouses on overseas postings. Data from Phase 2 focused on the experiences from 34 British military spouses based in one location in southern Europe and were collected via individual interviews or focus groups. In Phase 3 data were collated via an online forum from 13 other British military spouses, who had experienced postings to alternative worldwide locations, rather than the single one identified in Phase 2. The final phase represented the study’s quantitative component, which further examined the findings from the previous qualitative phases through 136 responses to an online survey. The systematic review highlighted that the impact of a foreign posting could be detrimental to the military spouse’s well-being particularly if support resources were inadequate. Thematic analysis of data from Phases 2 and 3 corroborated the importance of support networks on international postings, but also identified the fundamental influence of individual differences and personal meaning-making of the military spouse. Ultimately, in Phase 4 multiple linear regression analysis determined that a person’s level of tough-mindedness, their self-efficacy and available instrumental support were all significant predictors of the perceived level of support provided by the British military. Overseas relocations are not beneficial for all military spouses. To have a greater understanding of this impact, it is necessary to examine and combine principles in the domains of sociology and psychology. The outcome of this then feeds into adjustment theories and contributes to the field of healthcare practice. Nonetheless, the military are in a constructive position to maximise the effectiveness of support resources alongside health professionals to provide the holistic support that military spouses may need. Specifically, regular informal checks from a healthcare professional or a support worker to assess the well-being of the military spouse could help early identification of any coping problems. This together with cross-cultural awareness training and a greater involvement of the military spouse throughout the relocation process could enhance their foreign posting experience