Finding the discriminative frequencies of motor electroencephalography signal using genetic algorithm

A crucial part of the brain-computer interface is a classification of electroencephalography (EEG) motor tasks. Artifacts such as eye and muscle movements corrupt EEG signal and reduce the classification performance. Many studies try to extract not redundant and discriminative features from EEG signals. Therefore, this study proposed a signal preprocessing and feature extraction method for EEG classification. It consists of removing the artifacts by using discrete fourier transform (DFT) as an ideal filter for specific frequencies. It also cross-correlates the EEG channels with the effective channels to emphases the EEG motor signals. Then the resultant from cross correlation are statistical calculated to extract feature for classifying a left and right finger movements using support vector machine (SVM). The genetic algorithm was applied to find the discriminative frequencies of DFT for the two EEG classes signal. The performance of the proposed method was determined by finger movement classification of 13 subjects and the experiments show that the average accuracy is above 93 percent

The Effect of Moisturizing Treatment of Wind-Catcher on Internal Thermal Environment

Abstract Wind-catchers in traditional architecture in Iraq were small in dimensions, where their horizontal cross section and their largest section did not exceed 0.20 square meters. AS a result, architects abandoned their use in modern building designs, especially after electric fans made available and adopted in buildings. Due to the importance of natural air on human health and as natural air is rich in refreshing negative ions that artificial ventilation lacks, which is usually charged with positive ions, causing drowsiness and depression. New large wind-catchers of more than 2 square meters in cross section were employed by the author in house design responsive to hot climate at the end of the eighties in Iraq. Such wind-catchers have proved their efficiency in the provision of natural ventilation and lowering internal temperatures during spring and autumn and summer nights. So came the idea of this research by moisturizing the wind catcher walls to raise the performance in summer. For this purpose practical study has been done by building Wind catcher lined with bricks burned at a temperature ranging between 1150 - 750 C at which the capillary action integrated, making the water content moderate. Measurements shows in days of 43o C that the moisturized wind catcher reduces air temperature of space connected to the wind catcher to about 12 ° C Keywords: Wind Catchers, Natural Ventilation, Climatic Design, Healthy Architecture

Unequal socioeconomic distribution of the primary care workforce : whole-population small area longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE: To measure changes in socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of family physicians (general practitioners (GPs)) relative to need in England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. DESIGN: Whole-population small area longitudinal data linkage study. SETTING: England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. PARTICIPANTS: 32 482 lower layer super output areas (neighbourhoods of 1500 people on average). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Slope index of inequality (SII) between the most and least deprived small areas in annual full-time equivalent GPs (FTE GPs) per 100 000 need adjusted population. RESULTS: In 2004/2005, inequality in primary care supply as measured by the SII in FTE GPs was 4.2 (95% CI 3.1 to 5.3) GPs per 100 000. By 2013/2014, this SII had fallen to -0.7 (95% CI -2.5 to 1.1) GPs per 100 000. The number of FTE GPs per 100 000 serving the most deprived fifth of small areas increased over this period from 54.0 to 60.5, while increasing from 57.2 to 59.9 in the least deprived fifth, so that by the end of the study period there were more GPs per 100 000 need adjusted population in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived. The increase in GP supply in the most deprived fifth of neighbourhoods was larger in areas that received targeted investment for establishing new practices under the 'Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care'. CONCLUSIONS: There was a substantial reduction in socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply associated with national policy. This policy may not have completely eliminated socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply since existing need adjustment formulae do not fully capture the additional burden of multimorbidity in deprived neighbourhoods. The small area approach introduced in this study can be used routinely to monitor socioeconomic inequality of access to primary care and to indicate workforce shortages in particular neighbourhoods. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

The Effect of Urban Street Planting on Improving the Climate of Baghdad city

The aim of this research is to study the effect of tree planting on the reduction of thermal load of solar radiation falling on the area of Baghdad city and its contribution to weather treatments; since the temperature of green mass of trees is less than the human body and higher than air temperature in winter, so one expects condense tree plantation and foliage may participate in reducing air temperature in summer and could make the climate of the city to approach near the human temperature comfort limits .The impetus to encourage the authors to undertake the research is the positive results and indications derived from earlier authors' research work and that done by other researchers. Recent advances of modern scientific and technological in the field of electronic instrumentation measurements and sophisticated thermal imaging devices, which are expected to help in measurement and obtain temperature pattern of every point on the trees or at any point on block trees, besides measuring the thermal effect of shading on human body of people using the road (the camera has an accuracy of (0.1 oC). In order to ensure high precision and optimum reliability of experimental results in the proposed work, experts from the College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad were approached to assist in selecting one of the best suitable tree for Baghdad environment. Their choice was ( Albizia Lebbech ), and by the use of (GIS) photos of Baghdad city, the most suitable site to perform the experimental measurements in Baghdad city is chosen as the Baghdad University, in view of abundance of Albizia in addition to the availability of all other required variables. With the kind permission of the Presidency of Baghdad University, experiments have been performed on the 21st of June 2012, since this day has the highest amount of solar radiation all over the year The results and analysis have shown that there is a distinct effect of shading with trees in reducing temperature street air temperature and in providing better human effective temperature than shading the walkways with buildings . In an attempt to theoretically verify the extent of this impact on the entire city of Baghdad calculated, only the whole length of the main streets of Baghdad city are found by satellite images "GIS" ( within the boundaries of Municipality of Baghdad). It shows that the forestation process, including the effect of shading and evaporative cooling is equivalent to 45 million tones of refrigeration, which certainly will help in reducing the required energy for buildings' cooling . Therefore, the results will encourage in recommending forestation over all main streets as well as all streets in residential districts, which in return will change the whole climate of the city of Baghdad. Key words: planting trees, thermal comfort, energy consumption, shade an

Correlation of red cell distribution width with inflammatory markers and its prognostic value in patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease

Background. Recent studies have shown red blood cell distribution width (RDW) as a marker for severity and prognosis in coronary artery disease patients. Other studies have also correlated RDW with diabetes mellitus and inflammation. However, such correlation and prognosis in patients with concomitant coronary artery disease and diabetes after percutaneous intervention remains unclear. Material and methods. Our study group comprised of 730 subjects including 700 patients (cases) and 30 normal subjects (control group). Patients who presented with coronary artery disease were divided into diabetic and non-diabetic groups. All patients had RDW measured at admission and percutaneous intervention was done. Follow-up for adverse events was carried out between 6 to 12 months. Results. RDW was elevated in patients as compared to control group (p < 0.05). RDW correlated well with inflammatory markers including erythrocyte sedimen­tation rate, C-reactive protein, HbA1c, white blood cells and troponin. RDW was higher with more severe atherosclerosis based on SYNTAX and Gensini scores (p < 0.05). Prognosis was found to be worse in patients with high RDW as well as in diabetics. Conclusions. RDW has positive correlation with other inflammatory marker. It may be used as a marker in determining the severity and prognosis in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease

Strategies to improve coverage of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) immunization campaign in Karachi, Pakistan

The emergence and spread of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid in Karachi, Pakistan led to an outbreak response in Lyari Town, Karachi utilizing a mass immunization campaign with typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV), Typbar TCV®. The mass immunization campaign, targeted Lyari Town, Karachi, one of the worst affected towns during the XDR typhoid outbreak. Here we describe the strategies used to improve acceptance and coverage of Typbar TCV in Lyari Town, Karachi. The mass immunization campaign with Typbar TCV was started as a school- and hospital-based vaccination campaign targeting children between the age of 6 months to 15 years old. A dose of 0.5 mL Typbar TCV was administered intramuscularly. A mobile vaccination campaign was added to cope with high absenteeism and non-response from parents in schools and to cover children out of school. Different strategies were found to be effective in increasing the vaccination coverage and in tackling vaccine hesitancy. Community engagement was the most successful strategy to overcome refusals and helped to gain trust in the newly introduced vaccine. Community announcements and playing typhoid jingles helped to increase awareness regarding the ongoing typhoid outbreak. Mop-up activity in schools was helpful in increasing coverage. Networking with locally active groups, clubs and community workers were found to be the key factors in decreasing refusals

Risk Factors Associated with Extensively Drug-Resistant Typhoid in an Outbreak Setting of Lyari Town Karachi, Pakistan

Typhoid fever is endemic in Pakistan, with high annual incidence rates. An outbreak of extensively drug-resistant typhoid fever that first started in the Hyderabad district of Sindh province in November 2016 immediately spread to the whole province. We conducted an age-matched case–control study to assess the risk factors of typhoid fever in an outbreak setting of Lyari Town, Karachi. We enrolled 82 patients with blood culture-confirmed Salmonella typhi between August 2019 to December 2019, 82 age-matched hospital and 164 age-matched community control subjects. In a matched conditional logistic regression model, consumption of meals outside the home more than once per month was associated significantly with developing culture-confirmed typhoid fever compared with no consumption of food outside the home (odds ratio, 4.11). Hygiene of the environment in which food is prepared, practices of adult food handlers, access to clean water, and food legislation play significant roles in the spread of typhoid fever.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Effectiveness of typhoid conjugate vaccine against culture-confirmed typhoid in a peri-urban setting in Karachi : A case-control study

Background: Enteric fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi and S. Paratyphi, is a cause of high morbidity and mortality among children in South Asia. Rising antimicrobial resistance presents an additional challenge. Typhoid Conjugate Vaccines (TCV) are recommended by the World Health Organization for use among people 6 months to 45 years old living in endemic settings. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of TCV against culture-confirmed S. Typhi in Lyari Town, Karachi, Pakistan. This peri-urban town was one of the worst affected by the outbreak of extensively drug resistant (XDR) typhoid that started in November 2016. Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted following a mass immunization campaign with TCV at three key hospitals in Lyari Town Karachi, Pakistan. Children aged 6 months to 15 years presenting with culture-confirmed S. Typhi were enrolled as cases. For each case, at least 1 age-matched hospital control and two age-matched community controls were enrolled. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Of 82 typhoid fever patients enrolled from August 2019 through December 2019, 8 (9·8%) had received vaccine for typhoid. Of the 164 community controls and 82 hospital controls enrolled, 38 (23·2%) community controls and 27 (32·9%) hospital controls were vaccinated for typhoid. The age and sex-adjusted vaccine effectiveness was found to be 72% (95% CI: 34% − 88%). The consumption of meals prepared outside home more than once per month (adjusted odds ratio: 3·72, 95% CI: 1·55- 8·94; p-value: 0·003) was associated with the development of culture-confirmed typhoid. Conclusion: A single dose of TCV is effective against culture confirmed typhoid among children aged 6 months to 15 years old in an XDR typhoid outbreak setting of a peri-urban community in Karachi, Pakistan.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Health equity indicators for the English NHS

Background: There are inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes in the English NHS which raise concerns about both quality of care and justice. In 2012, the NHS was given a statutory duty to consider reducing these inequalities Objectives: To develop indicators of socioeconomic inequality in healthcare access and outcomes at different stages of the patient pathway To develop methods for monitoring local NHS equity performance in tackling socioeconomic healthcare inequalities To produce prototype equity indicators at national and local (clinical commissioning group) level, with appropriate adjustment for need and risk To develop “equity dashboards” for communicating equity indicator findings to decision makers in a clear and concise format Design: Longitudinal whole-population study at small area level Setting: England from 2001/2 to 2011/12 Participants: 32,482 small area neighbourhoods (lower super output areas) of approximately 1,500 people Main outcome measures: Slope index of inequality gaps between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods in England, adjusted for need or risk, for: (1) patients per family doctor, (2) primary care quality, (3) inpatient hospital waiting time, (4) emergency hospitalisation for chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions, (5) repeat emergency hospitalisation in the same year, (6) dying in hospital, (7) mortality amenable to healthcare and (8) overall mortality Data sources: Practice level workforce data from the general practice census (Indicator 1), practice level quality and outcomes framework data (Indicator 2), inpatient hospital data from hospital episode statistics (Indicators 3-6), mortality data from ONS (Indicators 6-8) Results: Between 2004/5 and 2011/12, primary care was strengthened and more deprived neighbourhoods gained larger absolute improvements on all indicators except waiting time and repeat hospitalisation. Inequality gaps decreased by: 193 patients per family doctor (95% confidence interval 173 to 213), 0.42 preventable hospitalisations per 1,000 people (0.29 to 0.55) and 0.23 amenable deaths per 1,000 people (0.15 to 0.31). In 2011/12, there was little measurable inequality in primary care supply and quality but inequality was associated with 171,119 preventable hospitalisations and 41,123 deaths amenable to healthcare. Indicators (1) through (5) above found that more than twenty percent of CCGs performed statistically significantly better or worse on equity than the England average in 2011/12 Conclusions: NHS actions can have a measurable impact on socioeconomic inequality in both healthcare access and outcomes. Reducing inequality in healthcare outcomes is more challenging than reducing inequality of access to healthcare. Monitoring of local NHS equity against a national benchmark can now be performed using any administrative geography comprising 100,000 or more people, both to help managers learn quality improvement lessons and to improve public accountability Future work: Exploration of quality improvement lessons from local NHS areas doing better and worse than the national equity benchmark, development of better measures of need and risk and other methodological refinements, and monitoring of other dimensions of equity. Research using these indicators is also needed to evaluate the healthcare equity impacts of interventions and to make international healthcare equity comparisons Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programm

How robust are value judgements of health inequality aversion? Testing for framing and cognitive effects

Background: Empirical studies have found that members of the public are inequality averse and value health gains for disadvantaged groups with poor health many times more highly than gains for better off groups. However, these studies typically use abstract scenarios that involve unrealistically large reductions in health inequality, and face-to-face survey administration. It is not known how robust these findings are to more realistic scenarios or anonymous online survey administration. Methods: This study aimed to test the robustness of questionnaire estimates of inequality aversion by comparing the following: (1) small versus unrealistically large health inequality reductions; (2) population-level versus individual-level descriptions of health inequality reductions; (3) concrete versus abstract intervention scenarios; and (4) online versus face to face mode of administration. Fifty-two members of the public participated in face-to-face discussion groups, while 83 members of the public completed an online survey. Participants were given a questionnaire instrument with different scenario descriptions for eliciting aversion to social inequality in health. Results: The median respondent was inequality averse under all scenarios. Scenarios involving small rather than unrealistically large health gains made little difference in terms of inequality aversion, as did population-level rather than individual-level scenarios. However, the proportion expressing extreme inequality aversion fell 19 percentage points when considering a specific health intervention scenario rather than an abstract scenario, and was 11-21 percentage points lower among online public respondents compared to the discussion group. Conclusions: Our study suggests that both concrete scenarios and online administration reduce the proportion expressing extreme inequality aversion but still yield median responses implying substantial health inequality aversion