kNN Classification of Epilepsy Brainwaves

Epilepsy is a disorder of the normal brain function by the existence of abnormal synchronous discharges in large groups of neurons in brain structures and it is estimated about 1% of the world’s population suffers from this disease [Tzallas et al., 2009]. It has been reported that the brainwave of Epilepsy patient mostly in sharp, spike and complex wave pattern [Tzallas et al., 2009]. In addition, Epilepsy brainwaves pattern lies in wide variety of Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in formed of low-amplitude and polyspikes activity [Vargas et al., 2011]. Generally, this disease was examined through the brainwaves or EEG signals by clinical neurulogists. An EEG is a device to record the brainwaves in term of electrical activity from the brain. Brain patterns from wave shapes that are commonly sinusoidal and measured from peak to peak that range from 0.5 μV to 100 μV in amplitude. Moreover, the brainwaves have been categorized into four frequency bands, Beta (>13 Hz), Alpha (8-13 Hz), Theta (4-8 Hz) and Delta (0.5-4 Hz). All the frequency bands will be used to characterize the Epilepsy brainwave in terms of amplitude (voltage) and frequency [Mustafa et al., 2013]. The Epilepsy brainwaves were downloaded from http://www.vis.caltech.edu/~rodri/data.htm of Fp1 and Fp2 channels which is from rats. The brainwaves consists Epilepsy and non-Epilepsy samples. Then, the brainwaves were pre-processed to remove artefact (noise). Various methods had been introduced to detect spike-wave discharge in Epilepsy patient brainwave. Brainwave is nonstationary signal, therefore, time-frequency analysis is appropriate methods to analyse the signals[Tzallas et al., 2009, Vargas et al., 2011]. One of the most popular time-frequency analyses is ShortTime Fourier Transform (STFT). After the brainwaves were pre-processed, STFT was employed to the clean brainwaves. The STFT spectrogram was generated for four frequency bands of the samples

Plant and Microbial Responses to Repeated Cu(OH)2 Nanopesticide Exposures Under Different Fertilization Levels in an Agro-Ecosystem

The environmental fate and potential impacts of nanopesticides on agroecosystems under realistic agricultural conditions are poorly understood. As a result, the benefits and risks of these novel formulations compared to the conventional products are currently unclear. Here, we examined the effects of repeated realistic exposures of the Cu(OH)2 nanopesticide, Kocide 3000, on simulated agricultural pastureland in an outdoor mesocosm experiment over 1 year. The Kocide applications were performed alongside three different mineral fertilization levels (Ambient, Low, and High) to assess the environmental impacts of this nanopesticide under low-input or conventional farming scenarios. The effects of Kocide over time were monitored on forage biomass, plant mineral nutrient content, plant-associated non-target microorganisms (i.e., N-fixing bacteria or mycorrhizal fungi) and six soil microbial enzyme activities. We observed that three sequential Kocide applications had no negative effects on forage biomass, root mycorrhizal colonization or soil nitrogen fixation rates. In the Low and High fertilization treatments, we observed a significant increase in aboveground plant biomass after the second Kocide exposure (+14% and +27%, respectively). Soil microbial enzyme activities were significantly reduced in the short-term after the first exposure (day 15) in the Ambient (-28% to -82%) and Low fertilization (-25% to -47%) but not in the High fertilization treatment. However, 2 months later, enzyme activities were similar across treatments and were either unresponsive or responded positively to subsequent Kocide additions. There appeared to be some long-term effects of Kocide exposure, as 6 months after the last Kocide exposure (day 365), both beta-glucosidase (-57% in Ambient and -40% in High fertilization) and phosphatase activities (-47% in Ambient fertilization) were significantly reduced in the mesocosms exposed to the nanopesticide. These results suggest that when used in conventional farming with high fertilization rates, Kocide applications did not lead to marked adverse effects on forage biomass production and key plant–microorganism interactions over a growing season. However, in the context of low-input organic farming for which this nanopesticide is approved, Kocide applications may have some unintended detrimental effects on microbially mediated soil processes involved in carbon and phosphorus cycling

Engineered Nanoparticles Interact with Nutrients to Intensify Eutrophication in a Wetland Ecosystem Experiment

Despite the rapid rise in diversity and quantities of engineered nanomaterials produced, the impacts of these emerging contaminants on the structure and function of ecosystems have received little attention from ecologists. Moreover, little is known about how manufactured nanomaterials may interact with nutrient pollution in altering ecosystem productivity, despite the recognition that eutrophication is the primary water quality issue in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. In this study, we asked two main questions: (1) To what extent do manufactured nanoparticles affect the biomass and productivity of primary producers in wetland ecosystems? (2) How are these impacts mediated by nutrient pollution? To address these questions, we examined the impacts of a citrate‐coated gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) and of a commercial pesticide containing Cu(OH)2 nanoparticles (CuNPs) on aquatic primary producers under both ambient and enriched nutrient conditions. Wetland mesocosms were exposed repeatedly with low concentrations of nanoparticles and nutrients over the course of a 9‐month experiment in an effort to replicate realistic field exposure scenarios. In the absence of nutrient enrichment, there were no persistent effects of AuNPs or CuNPs on primary producers or ecosystem productivity. However, when combined with nutrient enrichment, both NPs intensified eutrophication. When either of these NPs were added in combination with nutrients, algal blooms persisted for \u3e 50 d longer than in the nutrient‐only treatment. In the AuNP treatment, this shift from clear waters to turbid waters led to large declines in both macrophyte growth and rates of ecosystem gross primary productivity (average reduction of 52% ± 6% and 92% ± 5%, respectively) during the summer. Our results suggest that nutrient status greatly influences the ecosystem‐scale impact of two emerging contaminants and that synthetic chemicals may be playing an under‐appreciated role in the global trends of increasing eutrophication. We provide evidence here that chronic exposure to Au and Cu(OH)2 nanoparticles at low concentrations can intensify eutrophication of wetlands and promote the occurrence of algal blooms

Identifying Contributions to the Stellar Halo from Accreted, Kicked-Out, and In Situ Populations

[Abridged] We present a medium-resolution spectroscopic survey of late-type giant stars at mid-Galactic latitudes of (30$^{\circ}<|b|<60^{\circ}$), designed to probe the properties of this population to distances of $\sim$9 kpc. Because M giants are generally metal-rich and we have limited contamination from thin disk stars by the latitude selection, most of the stars in the survey are expected to be members of the thick disk ($\sim$-0.6) with some contribution from the metal-rich component of the nearby halo. Here we report first results for 1799 stars. The distribution of radial velocity (RV) as a function of l for these stars shows (1) the expected thick disk population and (2) local metal-rich halo stars moving at high speeds relative to the disk, that in some cases form distinct sequences in RV-$l$ space. High-resolution echelle spectra taken for 34 of these "RV outliers" reveal the following patterns across the [Ti/Fe]-[Fe/H] plane: seventeen of the stars have abundances reminiscent of the populations present in dwarf satellites of the Milky Way; eight have abundances coincident with those of the Galactic disk and more metal-rich halo; and nine of the stars fall on the locus defined by the majority of stars in the halo. The chemical abundance trends of the RV outliers suggest that this sample consists predominantly of stars accreted from infalling dwarf galaxies. A smaller fraction of stars in the RV outlier sample may have been formed in the inner Galaxy and subsequently kicked to higher eccentricity orbits, but the sample is not large enough to distinguish conclusively between this interpretation and the alternative that these stars represent the tail of the velocity distribution of the thick disk. Our data do not rule out the possibility that a minority of the sample could have formed from gas {\it in situ} on their current orbits.Comment: 43 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, published in the Astrophysical Journa

Table_1_Plant and Microbial Responses to Repeated Cu(OH)2 Nanopesticide Exposures Under Different Fertilization Levels in an Agro-Ecosystem.DOCX

<p>The environmental fate and potential impacts of nanopesticides on agroecosystems under realistic agricultural conditions are poorly understood. As a result, the benefits and risks of these novel formulations compared to the conventional products are currently unclear. Here, we examined the effects of repeated realistic exposures of the Cu(OH)₂ nanopesticide, Kocide 3000, on simulated agricultural pastureland in an outdoor mesocosm experiment over 1 year. The Kocide applications were performed alongside three different mineral fertilization levels (Ambient, Low, and High) to assess the environmental impacts of this nanopesticide under low-input or conventional farming scenarios. The effects of Kocide over time were monitored on forage biomass, plant mineral nutrient content, plant-associated non-target microorganisms (i.e., N-fixing bacteria or mycorrhizal fungi) and six soil microbial enzyme activities. We observed that three sequential Kocide applications had no negative effects on forage biomass, root mycorrhizal colonization or soil nitrogen fixation rates. In the Low and High fertilization treatments, we observed a significant increase in aboveground plant biomass after the second Kocide exposure (+14% and +27%, respectively). Soil microbial enzyme activities were significantly reduced in the short-term after the first exposure (day 15) in the Ambient (-28% to -82%) and Low fertilization (-25% to -47%) but not in the High fertilization treatment. However, 2 months later, enzyme activities were similar across treatments and were either unresponsive or responded positively to subsequent Kocide additions. There appeared to be some long-term effects of Kocide exposure, as 6 months after the last Kocide exposure (day 365), both beta-glucosidase (-57% in Ambient and -40% in High fertilization) and phosphatase activities (-47% in Ambient fertilization) were significantly reduced in the mesocosms exposed to the nanopesticide. These results suggest that when used in conventional farming with high fertilization rates, Kocide applications did not lead to marked adverse effects on forage biomass production and key plant–microorganism interactions over a growing season. However, in the context of low-input organic farming for which this nanopesticide is approved, Kocide applications may have some unintended detrimental effects on microbially mediated soil processes involved in carbon and phosphorus cycling.</p

Copper and Gold Nanoparticles Increase Nutrient Excretion Rates of Primary Consumers

Freshwater ecosystems are exposed to engineered nanoparticles through municipal and industrial wastewater-effluent discharges and agricultural nonpoint source runoff. Because previous work has shown that engineered nanoparticles from these sources can accumulate in freshwater algal assemblages, we hypothesized that nanoparticles may affect the biology of primary consumers by altering the processing of two critical nutrients associated with growth and survivorship, nitrogen and phosphorus. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the excretion rates of nitrogen and phosphorus of Physella acuta, a ubiquitous pulmonate snail that grazes heavily on periphyton, exposed to either copper or gold engineered nanoparticles for 6 months in an outdoor wetland mesocosm experiment. Chronic nanoparticle exposure doubled nutrient excretion when compared to the control. Gold nanoparticles increased nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates more than copper nanoparticles, but overall, both nanoparticles led to higher consumer excretion, despite contrasting particle stability and physiochemical properties. Snails in mesocosms enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus had overall higher excretion rates than ones in ambient (no nutrients added) mesocosms. Stimulation patterns were different between nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, which could have implications for the resulting nutrient ratio in the water column. These results suggest that low concentrations of engineered nanoparticles could alter the metabolism of consumers and increase consumer-mediated nutrient recycling rates, potentially intensifying eutrophication in aquatic systems, for example, the increased persistence of algal blooms as observed in our mesocosm experiment

Assessing mNIS+7Ionis and international neurologists' proficiency in a familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy trial

IntroductionPolyneuropathy signs (Neuropathy Impairment Score, NIS), neurophysiologic tests (m+7Ionis ), disability, and health scores were assessed in baseline evaluations of 100 patients entered into an oligonucleotide familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) trial.MethodsWe assessed: (1) Proficiency of grading neurologic signs and correlation with neurophysiologic tests, and (2) clinometric performance of modified NIS+7 neurophysiologic tests (mNIS+7Ionis ) and its subscores and correlation with disability and health scores.ResultsThe mNIS+7Ionis sensitively detected, characterized, and broadly scaled diverse polyneuropathy impairments. Polyneuropathy signs (NIS and subscores) correlated with neurophysiology tests, disability, and health scores. Smart Somatotopic Quantitative Sensation Testing of heat as pain 5 provided a needed measure of small fiber involvement not adequately assessed by other tests.ConclusionsSpecially trained neurologists accurately assessed neuropathy signs as compared to referenced neurophysiologic tests. The score, mNIS+7Ionis , broadly detected, characterized, and scaled polyneuropathy abnormality in FAP, which correlated with disability and health scores. Muscle Nerve 56: 901-911, 2017