Health Electroencephalogram epileptic classification based on Hilbert probability similarity

This paper has proposed a new classification method based on Hilbert probability similarity to detect epileptic seizures from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Hilbert similarity probability-based measure is exploited to measure the similarity between signals. The proposed system consisted of models based on Hilbert probability similarity (HPS) to predict the state for the specific EEG signal. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) has been employed for feature selection and extraction. Furthermore, the used dataset in this study is Bonn University's publicly available EEG dataset. Several metrics are calculated to assess the performance of the suggested systems such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The experimental results show that the suggested model is an effective tool for classifying EEG signals, with an accuracy of up to 100% for two-class status

Climatisation of a closed greenhouse in the Middle East

Cooling is an essential part of greenhouse climate control in warm climates. There are three types of cooling technique: natural ventilation, evaporative cooling and mechanical cooling. Natural ventilation can only be applied when the outside temperature does not exceed 35°C and the average daily temperature is not higher than 22°C. Above these temperatures, production will be negatively affected. Evaporative cooling can be applied when the dew-point temperature of the outside air is less than these limits. These methods of cooling work effectively in arid regions, though the water consumption is high. The third method of cooling demands a cold surface to remove the latent and sensible heat from the greenhouse. This method has been applied in the current research. This method allows optimal control of the greenhouse climate in terms of temperature and humidity, but also in terms of carbon dioxide concentration. The amount of cooling capacity required depends on the amount of solar radiation being absorbed in the greenhouse and the convective heat transfer from outside, provided the outside temperature is higher than the greenhouse air temperature. The experiment showed that roughly 50% of the solar radiation has to be cooled from the greenhouse in order to maintain its temperature. Sixty per cent of the heat being absorbed in the greenhouse is transformed into latent heat through the transpiration of the crop. The system was able to maintain the preset temperature and humidity for the greenhouse air.</p

Differences in educational attainment between obese and non-obese Kuwaiti female university students

Individuals with obesity tend to perform less well than their non-obese peers in tertiary education, but there is little evidence from non-Western countries and recent studies. The present study aimed to test whether academic attainment differed between female undergraduates with obesity (defined by body mass index (BMI)), and those who were non-obese in Kuwait, a country with very high obesity prevalence. In 400 female Kuwaiti first- and second-year Social Science students (mean age 18⋅0, sd 0⋅6 years), educational attainment was defined as the Grade Point Average (GPA) across all subjects (from 1⋅00 to 4⋅00). The mean GPA (2⋅51, sd 0⋅53) among students defined as obese by the BMI (n 163) was significantly lower than among the students defined as non-obese by the BMI (n 237; 2⋅80, sd 0⋅63; P < 0⋅001), and those defined as obese were more likely to be in the lowest quartile for the GPA (OR 3⋅03; 95% CI 1⋅90, 4⋅85), independent of socio-economic status. Similar differences were observed between students defined as having high versus normal body fatness. Female undergraduates in Kuwait with obesity have lower academic attainment than their non-obese peers, and universities should consider measures to mitigate reduced attainment among their female undergraduates

Coverage and Energy Analysis of Mobile Sensor Nodes in Obstructed Noisy Indoor Environment: A Voronoi Approach

The rapid deployment of wireless sensor network (WSN) poses the challenge of finding optimal locations for the network nodes, especially so in (i) unknown and (ii) obstacle-rich environments. This paper addresses this challenge with BISON (Bio-Inspired Self-Organizing Network), a variant of the Voronoi algorithm. In line with the scenario challenges, BISON nodes are restricted to (i) locally sensed as well as (ii) noisy information on the basis of which they move, avoid obstacles and connect with neighboring nodes. Performance is measured as (i) the percentage of area covered, (ii) the total distance traveled by the nodes, (iii) the cumulative energy consumption and (iv) the uniformity of nodes distribution. Obstacle constellations and noise levels are studied systematically and a collision-free recovery strategy for failing nodes is proposed. Results obtained from extensive simulations show the algorithm outperforming previously reported approaches in both, convergence speed, as well as deployment cost.Comment: 17 pages, 24 figures, 1 tabl

S100A8/A9 regulates CD11b expression and neutrophil recruitment during chronic tuberculosis

Neutrophil accumulation is associated with lung pathology during active tuberculosis (ATB). However, the molecular mechanism or mechanisms by which neutrophils accumulate in the lung and contribute to TB immunopathology are not fully delineated. Using the well-established mouse model of TB, our new data provide evidence that the alarmin S100A8/A9 mediates neutrophil accumulation during progression to chronic TB. Depletion of neutrophils or S100A8/A9 deficiency resulted in improved Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) control during chronic but not acute TB. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that, following Mtb infection, S100A8/A9 expression is required for upregulation of the integrin molecule CD11b specifically on neutrophils, mediating their accumulation during chronic TB disease. These findings are further substantiated by increased expression of S100A8 and S100A9 mRNA in whole blood in human TB progressors when compared with nonprogressors and rapidly decreased S100A8/A9 protein levels in the serum upon TB treatment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that S100A8/A9 serum levels along with chemokines are useful in distinguishing between ATB and asymptomatic Mtb-infected latent individuals. Thus, our results support targeting S100A8/A9 pathways as host-directed therapy for TB