Emotion classification in Parkinson's disease by higher-order spectra and power spectrum features using EEG signals: A comparative study

Deficits in the ability to process emotions characterize several neuropsychiatric disorders and are traits of Parkinson's disease (PD), and there is need for a method of quantifying emotion, which is currently performed by clinical diagnosis. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, being an activity of central nervous system (CNS), can reflect the underlying true emotional state of a person. This study applied machine-learning algorithms to categorize EEG emotional states in PD patients that would classify six basic emotions (happiness and sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust) in comparison with healthy controls (HC). Emotional EEG data were recorded from 20 PD patients and 20 healthy age-, education level- and sex-matched controls using multimodal (audio-visual) stimuli. The use of nonlinear features motivated by the higher-order spectra (HOS) has been reported to be a promising approach to classify the emotional states. In this work, we made the comparative study of the performance of k-nearest neighbor (kNN) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers using the features derived from HOS and from the power spectrum. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that power spectrum and HOS based features were statistically significant among the six emotional states (p < 0.0001). Classification results shows that using the selected HOS based features instead of power spectrum based features provided comparatively better accuracy for all the six classes with an overall accuracy of 70.10% ± 2.83% and 77.29% ± 1.73% for PD patients and HC in beta (13-30 Hz) band using SVM classifier. Besides, PD patients achieved less accuracy in the processing of negative emotions (sadness, fear, anger and disgust) than in processing of positive emotions (happiness, surprise) compared with HC. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of applying machine learning techniques to the classification of emotional states in PD patients in a user independent manner using EEG signals. The accuracy of the system can be improved by investigating the other HOS based features. This study might lead to a practical system for noninvasive assessment of the emotional impairments associated with neurological disorders

Ethyl 6-r-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-oxo-4-phenyl­cyclohex-3-ene-1-t-carboxylate

In the title mol­ecule, C21H19ClO3, the cyclo­hexene ring adopts an envelope conformation, with all substituents equatorial. The plane through its five coplanar atoms makes dihedral angles of 12.75 (14) and 74.16 (8)° with the phenyl and benzene rings, respectively. The dihedral angle between the latter two rings is 81.73 (12)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and intra­molecular C—H⋯Cl contacts are found in the crystal structure; a weak C—H⋯π inter­action is also present

Ethyl 4-(4-bromo­phen­yl)-6-r-phenyl-2-oxocyclo­hex-3-ene-1-t-carboxyl­ate

In the title compound, C21H19BrO3, the cyclo­hexene ring adopts an envelope conformation, with all substituents equatorial. The plane through its five coplanar atoms makes dihedral angles of 28.88 (10) and 71.94 (10)° with the bromo­benzene and phenyl rings, respectively. The dihedral angle between the latter two rings is 51.49 (15)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are found in the crystal structure; a C—H⋯π inter­action is also present

Extraction and characterization of various unconventional natural fibres

In this study, various unconventional fibres have been successfully extracted from crop residue of Canna indica, Areca catechu sheath, Caryota urens spadix petiole, and Abelmoschus esculentus, and their physical, chemical, thermal, and mechanical properties are studied. High cellulose contents of the fibres (20.5-67 wt%) provide better tensile strength (525-563MPa) and ensure better bonding with the matrix. Moreover, the low density of the fibre (1.37-1.44 gcm−3) makes it an alternative to hazardous synthetic fibres. The lower crystal size (0.5-12.9nm) structure tends to absorb more water than the higher crystal size structure. The thermogravimetric analysis confirms its stability up to 150-300°C, which is higher than the polymerization temperature. These characteristics show that  the fibre may be effortlessly converted into nonwoven fabrics

Versatile poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride)-layered nanocomposites for removal of cesium in water purification

In this work, we elucidate polymer-layered hollow Prussian blue-coated magnetic nanocomposites as an adsorbent to remove radioactive cesium from environmentally contaminated water. To do this, Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared using a coprecipitation method were thickly covered with a layer of cationic polymer to attach hollow Prussian blue through a self-assembly process. The as-synthesized adsorbent was confirmed through various analytical techniques. The adsorbent showed a high surface area (166.16 m2/g) with an excellent cesium adsorbent capacity and removal efficiency of 32.8 mg/g and 99.69%, respectively. Moreover, the superparamagnetism allows effective recovery of the adsorbent using an external magnetic field after the adsorption process. Therefore, the magnetic adsorbent with a high adsorption efficiency and convenient recovery is expected to be effectively used for rapid remediation of radioactive contamination

The Effect of Lateralization of Motor Onset and Emotional Recognition in PD Patients Using EEG

The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between emotion recognition and lateralization of motor onset in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The subject pool consisted of twenty PD patients [ten with predominantly leftsided (LPD) and ten with predominantly rightsided (RPD) motor symptoms] and 20 healthy controls (HC) that were matched for age and gender. Multimodal stimuli were used to evoke simple emotions, such as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. Artifactfree emotion EEG signals were processed using the auto regressive spectral method and then subjected to repeated ANOVA measures. No group differences were observed across behavioral measures? however, a significant reduction in EEG spectral power was observed at alpha, beta and gamma frequency oscillations in LPD, compared to RPD and HC participants, suggesting that LPD patients (inferred righthemisphere pathology) are impaired compared to RPD patients in emotional processing. We also found that PD related emotional processing deficits may be selective to the perception of negative emotions. Previous findings have suggested a hemispheric effect on emotion processing that could be related to emotional response impairment in a subgroup of PD patients. This study may help in clinical practice to uncover potential neurophysiologic abnormalities of emotional changes with respect to PD patient’s motor onset

Inter-hemispheric EEG coherence analysis in Parkinson's disease : Assessing brain activity during emotion processing

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is not only characterized by its prominent motor symptoms but also associated with disturbances in cognitive and emotional functioning. The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of emotion processing on inter-hemispheric electroencephalography (EEG) coherence in PD. Multimodal emotional stimuli (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust) were presented to 20 PD patients and 30 age-, education level-, and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) while EEG was recorded. Inter-hemispheric coherence was computed from seven homologous EEG electrode pairs (AF3–AF4, F7–F8, F3–F4, FC5–FC6, T7–T8, P7–P8, and O1–O2) for delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands. In addition, subjective ratings were obtained for a representative of emotional stimuli. Interhemispherically, PD patients showed significantly lower coherence in theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands than HC during emotion processing. No significant changes were found in the delta frequency band coherence. We also found that PD patients were more impaired in recognizing negative emotions (sadness, fear, anger, and disgust) than relatively positive emotions (happiness and surprise). Behaviorally, PD patients did not show impairment in emotion recognition as measured by subjective ratings. These findings suggest that PD patients may have an impairment of inter-hemispheric functional connectivity (i.e., a decline in cortical connectivity) during emotion processing. This study may increase the awareness of EEG emotional response studies in clinical practice to uncover potential neurophysiologic abnormalities

Marriage, Sex, and Hydrocele: An Ethnographic Study on the Effect of Filarial Hydrocele on Conjugal Life and Marriageability from Orissa, India

Lymphatic filariasis, the second leading cause of permanent and long-term disability, affects 120 million people globally. Hydrocele, an accumulation of fluid in the scrotum that causes it to swell, is one of the chronic manifestations of LF among men and there are about 27 million men with hydrocele worldwide. We conducted ethnographic interviews and discussions with patients, women whose husbands have hydrocele, and the general public in a rural community of eastern India. The study describes how hydrocele impacts patients' sexual and marital life. It reveals the most worrisome effect of hydrocele for patients and their wives due to the inability to have a satisfactory sexual life. Patients expressed their incapacity during sexual intercourse. A majority of hydrocele patients' wives reported that their married life became burdened and couples were not living happily. This study also highlights the impact on marriageability, and some women expressed that a hydrocele patient is the “last choice”. In some cases, the patients were persuaded by their wives to remove hydrocele by surgery (hydrocelectomy). Hence, access to hydrocelectomy has to be strengthened under the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, which is operational in several endemic areas in the world. Also, this activity may be integrated with primary healthcare services and interventions of other neglected tropical diseases

Exogenous coenzyme Q10 modulates MMP-2 activity in MCF-7 cell line as a breast cancer cellular model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background/Aims</p> <p>Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 is a key molecule in cellular invasion and metastasis. Mitochondrial ROS has been established as a mediator of MMP activity. Coenzyme Q₁₀contributes to intracellular ROS regulation. Coenzyme Q₁₀beneficial effects on cancer are still in controversy but there are indications of Coenzyme Q₁₀complementing effect on tamoxifen receiving breast cancer patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study we aimed to investigate the correlation of the effects of co-incubation of coenzyme Q10 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on intracellular H2O2 content and Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) activity in MCF-7 cell line.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>Our experiment was designed to assess the effect in a time and dose related manner. Gelatin zymography and Flowcytometric measurement of H2O2 by 2'7',-dichlorofluorescin-diacetate probe were employed. The results showed that both coenzyme Q10 and N-acetyl-L-cysteine reduce MMP-2 activity along with the pro-oxidant capacity of the MCF-7 cell in a dose proportionate manner.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, the present study highlights the significance of Coenzyme Q₁₀effect on the cell invasion/metastasis effecter molecules.</p