Entity linking: test collections revisited

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Ghent University-IBCN participation in TAC-KBP 2014 slot filling and cold start tasks

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Platform for efficient switching between multiple devices in the intensive care unit

Introduction: This article is part of the Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on "Managing Interoperability and Complexity in Health Systems". Objectives: Handheld computers, such as tablets and smartphones, are becoming more and more accessible in the clinical care setting and in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). By making the most useful and appropriate data available on multiple devices and facilitate the switching between those devices, staff members can efficiently integrate them in their workflow, allowing for faster and more accurate decisions. This paper addresses the design of a platform for the efficient switching between multiple devices in the ICU. The key functionalities of the platform are the integration of the platform into the workflow of the medical staff and providing tailored and dynamic information at the point of care. Methods: The platform is designed based on a 3-tier architecture with a focus on extensibility, scalability and an optimal user experience. After identification to a device using Near Field Communication (NFC), the appropriate medical information will be shown on the selected device. The visualization of the data is adapted to the type of the device. A web-centric approach was used to enable extensibility and portability. Results: A prototype of the platform was thoroughly evaluated. The scalability, performance and user experience were evaluated. Performance tests show that the response time of the system scales linearly with the amount of data. Measurements with up to 20 devices have shown no performance loss due to the concurrent use of multiple devices. Conclusions: The platform provides a scalable and responsive solution to enable the efficient switching between multiple devices., Due to the web-centric approach new devices can easily be integrated. The performance and scalability of the platform have been evaluated and it was shown that the response time and scalability of the platform was within an acceptable range

Luminescence of hydrothermally synthesized lanthanide doped nanophosphors

Nano sized luminescent materials are structures that can be used in a wide range of applications such as LED’s, computer monitors, fluorescent materials, nanocomposites, etc. The nanoparticles obtained can be deposited on a wide variety of organic or inorganic substrates by making use of wet deposition methods, which broadens the field of applications even further. As a surplus, these materials are often able to be synthesized by making use of green reaction pathways. First, the hydrothermal synthesis of lanthanum hydroxycarbonate nanoparticles in absence of extra ligands was investigated. By small changes in reaction parameters the morphology of the particles was tuned towards spherical shapes. Afterwards, the conversion of the obtained nanoparticles to lanthanum oxycarbonate and lanthanum oxide materials was followed by conducting additional heat treatments. Subsequently, the particles were tested for luminescence of the lanthanide ions. This was done by doping selected samples with Ce3+, Pr3+, Nd3+, Sm3+, Eu3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, Er3+, Tm3+ and Yb3+, a wide range of trivalent lanthanide ions. A comparative study between the materials and their luminescent properties was made

Connectivity-Based Predictions of Hand Motor Outcome for Patients at the Subacute Stage After Stroke

Background: Connectivity-based predictions of hand motor outcome have been proposed to be useful in stroke patients. We intended to assess the prognostic value of different imaging methods on short-term (3 months) and long-term (6 months) motor outcome after stroke.Methods: We measured resting state functional connectivity (rsFC), diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and grip strength in 19 stroke patients within the first days (5–9 days) after stroke. Outcome measurements for short-term (3 months) and long-term (6 months) motor function was assessed by the Motricity Index (MI) of the upper limb and the box and block test (BB). Patients were predominantly mildly affected since signed consent was necessary at inclusion. We performed a multiple stepwise regression analysis to compare the predictive value of rsFC, DWI and clinical measurements.Results: Patients showed relevant improvement in both motor outcome tests. As expected grip strength at inclusion was a predictor for short- and long-term motor outcome as assessed by MI. Diffusion-based tract volume (DTV) of the tracts between ipsilesional primary motor cortex and contralesional anterior cerebellar hemisphere showed a strong trend (p = 0.05) for a predictive power for long-term motor outcome as measured by MI. DTV of the interhemispheric tracts between both primary motor cortices was predictive for both short- and long-term motor outcome in BB. rsFC was not associated with motor outcome.Conclusions: Grip strength is a good predictor of hand motor outcome concerning strength-related measurements (MI) for mildly affected subacute patients. Therefore additional connectivity measurements seem to be redundant in this group. Using more complex movement recruiting bilateral motor areas as an outcome parameter, DTV and in particular interhemispheric pathways might enhance predictive value of hand motor outcom

Risk factors and outcome of pulmonary aspergillosis in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients– a multinational observational study by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology

International audienceObjectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) -associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) has emerged as a complication in critically ill COVID-19 patients. The objectives of this multinational study were to determine the prevalence of CAPA in patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICU) and to investigate risk factors for CAPA as well as outcome.Methods: The European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) conducted a multinational study including 20 centres from nine countries to assess epidemiology, risk factors and outcome of CAPA. CAPA was defined according to the 2020 ECMM/ISHAM consensus definitions.Results: A total of 592 patients were included in this study, including 11 (1.9%) patients with histologically proven CAPA, 80 (13.5%) with probable CAPA, 18 (3%) with possible CAPA and 483 (81.6%) without CAPA. CAPA was diagnosed a median of 8 days (range 0-31 days) after ICU admission predominantly in older patients (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.04 per year; 95% CI 1.02-1.06) with any form of invasive respiratory support (HR 3.4; 95% CI 1.84-6.25) and receiving tocilizumab (HR 2.45; 95% CI 1.41-4.25). Median prevalence of CAPA per centre was 10.7% (range 1.7%-26.8%). CAPA was associated with significantly lower 90-day ICU survival rate (29% in patients with CAPA versus 57% in patients without CAPA; Mantel-Byar p < 0.001) and remained an independent negative prognostic variable after adjusting for other predictors of survival (HR 2.14; 95% CI 1.59-2.87, p ≤ 0.001).Conclusion: Prevalence of CAPA varied between centres. CAPA was significantly more prevalent among older patients, patients receiving invasive ventilation and patients receiving tocilizumab, and was an independent strong predictor of ICU mortality