A multi-artifact EEG denoising by frequency-based deep learning

Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals are fundamental to neuroscience research and clinical applications such as brain-computer interfaces and neurological disorder diagnosis. These signals are typically a combination of neurological activity and noise, originating from various sources, including physiological artifacts like ocular and muscular movements. Under this setting, we tackle the challenge of distinguishing neurological activity from noise-related sources. We develop a novel EEG denoising model that operates in the frequency domain, leveraging prior knowledge about noise spectral features to adaptively compute optimal convolutional filters for noise separation. The model is trained to learn an empirical relationship connecting the spectral characteristics of noise and noisy signal to a non-linear transformation which allows signal denoising. Performance evaluation on the EEGdenoiseNet dataset shows that the proposed model achieves optimal results according to both temporal and spectral metrics. The model is found to remove physiological artifacts from input EEG data, thus achieving effective EEG denoising. Indeed, the model performance either matches or outperforms that achieved by benchmark models, proving to effectively remove both muscle and ocular artifacts without the need to perform any training on the particular type of artifact.Comment: Accepted at the Italian Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Human-Machine Interaction (AIxHMI 2023), November 06, 2023, Rome, Ital

Mycorrhizae: Diversity and roles in plant ecosystems

Mycorrhizae are fungi that live in association with the roots of plants, thus constituting an essential symbiosis in terrestrial ecosystems. Arbuscular endomycorrhizae, phylum Glomeromycota, are the most widely distributed in all ecosystems. They colonize the roots of the majority of terrestrial plants and provide several ecoservices. They are involved in plant growth, absorption of water and specific mineral elements (phosphorus, nitrogen, copper, zinc, and some vitamins), structural stability of soils, and participate in the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The interaction between phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) positively influences soil fertility and plant productivity.This review provideS information on previous research carried out in Morocco on mycorrhizal fungi, particularly the endomycorrhizae. Moreover, this review analyzes the positive role that mycorrhizal fungi can play as growth biostimulators and bioprotectors of plant species. Keywords: Morocco, mycorrhizae, diversity, systematic, importanc

Multicenter evaluation of efficacy and safety of lowâ dose versus highâ dose valganciclovir for prevention of cytomegalovirus disease in donor and recipient positive (D+/R+) renal transplant recipients

BackgroundThe cytomegalovirus (CMV) donorâ positive/recipientâ positive (D+/R+) population is the largest proportion of renal transplant recipients (RTR). Guidelines for prevention of CMV in the intermediateâ risk D+/R+ population include prophylaxis with valganciclovir (VGCV) 900 mg/day for 3 months. This study is the first headâ toâ head analysis, to our knowledge, comparing the efficacy and safety CMV prophylaxis of VGCV 450 vs 900 mg/day for 3 months in D+/R+ RTR.MethodsA multicenter, retrospective analysis evaluated 478 adult RTR between January 2008 and October 2011. Study participants received VGCV 450 mg/day (Group 1; n=398) or 900 mg/day (Group 2; n=89)à 3 months for CMV prophylaxis. All VGCV was adjusted for renal function. All groups included in this study received studyâ approved induction and maintenance immunosuppression regimens. The primary endpoint was incidence of CMV disease at 12 months.ResultsThe rates of graft loss, patient survival, Tâ cell and/or antibodyâ mediated rejection, hematological adverse events, opportunistic infections, and early VGCV discontinuation were evaluated. Patient demographics were comparable, but had significant differences in ethnicity and donor type between the groups.ConclusionThe occurrence of CMV disease at 12 months was similar between the groups (3.5% vs 3.4%; P=1.000). Logâ rank test found no statistically significant difference in the time to development of CMV between the 2 groups (P=.939).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135596/1/tid12609_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135596/2/tid12609.pd

A Mechanical Hand-Tracking System with Tactile Feedback Designed for Telemanipulation

: In this paper, we present a mechanical hand-tracking system with tactile feedback designed for fine manipulation in teleoperation scenarios. Alternative tracking methods based on artificial vision and data gloves have become an asset for virtual reality interaction. Yet, occlusions, lack of precision, and the absence of effective haptic feedback beyond vibrotactile still appear as a limit for teleoperation applications. In this work, we propose a methodology to design a linkage mechanism for hand pose tracking purposes, preserving complete finger mobility. Presentation of the method is followed by design and implementation of a working prototype, and by evaluation of the tracking accuracy using optical markers. Moreover, a teleoperation experiment involving a dexterous robotic arm and hand was proposed to ten participants. It investigated the effectiveness and repeatability of the hand tracking with combined haptic feedback during a proposed pick and place manipulation tasks