Deep learning with convolutional neural networks for decoding and visualization of EEG pathology

We apply convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) to the task of distinguishing pathological from normal EEG recordings in the Temple University Hospital EEG Abnormal Corpus. We use two basic, shallow and deep ConvNet architectures recently shown to decode task-related information from EEG at least as well as established algorithms designed for this purpose. In decoding EEG pathology, both ConvNets reached substantially better accuracies (about 6% better, ~85% vs. ~79%) than the only published result for this dataset, and were still better when using only 1 minute of each recording for training and only six seconds of each recording for testing. We used automated methods to optimize architectural hyperparameters and found intriguingly different ConvNet architectures, e.g., with max pooling as the only nonlinearity. Visualizations of the ConvNet decoding behavior showed that they used spectral power changes in the delta (0-4 Hz) and theta (4-8 Hz) frequency range, possibly alongside other features, consistent with expectations derived from spectral analysis of the EEG data and from the textual medical reports. Analysis of the textual medical reports also highlighted the potential for accuracy increases by integrating contextual information, such as the age of subjects. In summary, the ConvNets and visualization techniques used in this study constitute a next step towards clinically useful automated EEG diagnosis and establish a new baseline for future work on this topic.Comment: Published at IEEE SPMB 2017 https://www.ieeespmb.org/2017

The haemato-protective effect of Piliostigma thonningii leaf extract on indomethacin-induced gastric mucosa ulcer in rats

Background: Gastric ulcer is a common gastrointestinal disorder with global consequence, which is aggravated by an imbalance between the aggressive factors and factors that maintain the mucosal integrity. The role of Piliostigma thonningii leaf extract on hematological indices of indomethacin-induced gastric mucosa lesions in Wistar rats was examined.Methods: Thirty-six male rats were divided into six groups of 6 rats each. Group I, the normal control, II gastric ulcerated + cimetidine (standard control), III extract only (100mg/kg bwt), while IV, gastric ulcerated control, V gastric ulcerated + extract (100mg/kg bwt) and VI gastric ulcerated + extract (200mg/kg bwt). After 12 days of administration, gastric ulcer was then induced by oral administration of 40mg/kg bwt indomethacin to rats in groups II, IV, V and VI. The rats were sacrificed 12 hours after indomethacin treatment and blood collected for hematological assay.Results: The RBC count and Hb pattern were similar. There was a significant (P<0.05) decrease in RBC and Hb of the ulcer control group which was normalized on administration of 200mg/kg bwt of P. thonningii extract. The MCV of the ulcer lesion was significantly (P<0.05) reversed to normal by the extract.Conclusions: The P. thonningii leaf extract showed promising result by normalizing decreased levels in RBC and Hb caused by ulcer. Except for platelet counts, the WBC count and differential WBC counts were quite positive. It was able to reverse macrocytosis caused by ulcer lesions to normal, hence exhibiting a hemato-protective nature

Post-harvest and food safety: Africa RISING science, innovations and technologies with scaling potential from the Ethiopian Highlands

United States Agency for International Developmen

Multi-stakeholder Platforms Strengthening Selection and use of Fodder Options in Ethiopia: Lessons and Challenges

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceAlthough existing literature eloquently elaborates the role of an “innovation systems perspective” in rural development and provides theoretical insights into the concepts of the approach, there are few practical lessons emerging from application of the approach in research for development projects in various contexts. This paper analyzes a project designed to strengthen the ability of smallholders to innovate in ways that improved the returns to fodder use in Ethiopia. The paper applies an innovation systems perspective to the innovation process as a means of describing the contribution of a project-driven multi-stakeholder platform. A number of key lessons were gleaned from our research. Participatory selection of technologies that addressed farmers' priority problems and demonstrating tangible economic benefits were found to be effective in winning the trust of farmers and drawing the attention of a wider group of stakeholders. The benefits from the technologies needed to carry limited risk and accrue early economic gains to be attractive to farmers. Linking forage technologies with a range of value chain issues in livestock enterprises was essential for successful adoption of forage technologies by farmers. Engaging diverse actors in stakeholder platforms, including local decision makers, along the dairy/fattening value chain was found to be instrumental in turning the wealth of knowledge surrounding fodder technologies and practices into action and creating immediate benefits to poor livestock keepers. On the other hand we found that nurturing collective capacity of a network of organizations and individuals was a major challenge for small projects with limited mandate and resources. For sustainability, organizations with a long term commitment and strong decision-making power need to play a leading role in facilitating innovation processes. An effective agricultural innovation system requires a cadre of professionals with a new skill set and mind set (markets, agribusiness, rural institutions, rural microfinance, facilitation, system analysis, conflict management, etc.). This implies the need for research and development organizations to re-skill, and the need for the reform of university curricula to include skills in agribusiness, communication and partnership facilitation. Large scale institutional and policy change requires piloting of the concept and practices of facilitating innovation through stakeholder platforms in different contexts, documenting and sharing experiences, building on successes and engaging policy makers in the research process

Coronavirus Disease-2019 in Heart Transplant Recipients in Southeastern Michigan: A Case Series

BACKGROUND: Since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the number of cases has risen exponentially. Clinical characteristics and outcomes among patients with orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) with COVID-19 remain poorly described. METHODS: We performed a retrospective case series of patients with OHT with COVID-19 admitted to 1 of 2 hospitals in Southeastern Michigan between March 21 and April 22, 2020. Clinical data were obtained through review of the electronic medical record. Final date of follow-up was May 7, 2020. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiologic, treatment, and mortality data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: We identified 13 patients with OHT admitted with COVID-19. The mean age of patients was 61 ± 12 years, 100% were black males, and symptoms began 6 ± 4 days before admission. The most common symptoms included subjective fever (92%), shortness of breath (85%), and cough (77%). Six patients (46%) required admission to the intensive care unit. Two patients (15%) died during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Black men may be at increased risk for COVID-19 among patients with OHT. Presenting signs and symptoms in this cohort are similar to those in the general population. Elevated inflammatory markers on presentation appear to be associated with more severe illness

SUSPECTS: enabling fast and effective prioritization of positional candidates.

SUSPECTS is a web-based server which combines annotation and sequence-based approaches to prioritize disease candidate genes in large regions of interest. It uses multiple lines of evidence to rank genes quickly and effectively while limiting the effect of annotation bias to significantly improve performance

The role of irrigated fodder production to supplement the diet of fattening sheep by smallholders in southern Ethiopia

Feed shortage and poor quality of available feeds are major constraints for livestock production in the highlands of Ethiopia. A trial was conducted to assess if producing irrigated oat-vetch fodder during the dry period could adequately supplement the diet of fattening sheep and generate additional income for smallholders. A total of 14 farmers and 70 sheep (5 per farmer) were involved in the trial. The farmers supplemented their fattening sheep with 200 g of irrigated oat-vetch fodder per day for about 70 days. The mean daily body weight gain of the fattened sheep ranged from 52 to 110 grams. The partial budget analysis revealed that while farmers with good feeding management could earn an additional income in the range of ETB 55 – 161 per sheep, farmers with the lower rate of weight gain could lose up to ETB 58 per sheep unless purchase and sale prices remained constant. Sheep prices do, however, fluctuate, peaking during major holiday periods occurring during the dry season. Therefore, timing of the fattening period is essential to profitability, and supplemental irrigated fodder production offers smallholders opportunities to produce good quality feed and target favourable markets for fattened animals

Reading, Trauma and Literary Caregiving 1914-1918: Helen Mary Gaskell and the War Library

This article is about the relationship between reading, trauma and responsive literary caregiving in Britain during the First World War. Its analysis of two little-known documents describing the history of the War Library, begun by Helen Mary Gaskell in 1914, exposes a gap in the scholarship of war-time reading; generates a new narrative of "how," "when," and "why" books went to war; and foregrounds gender in its analysis of the historiography. The Library of Congress's T. W. Koch discovered Gaskell's ground-breaking work in 1917 and reported its successes to the American Library Association. The British Times also covered Gaskell's library, yet researchers working on reading during the war have routinely neglected her distinct model and method, skewing the research base on war-time reading and its association with trauma and caregiving. In the article's second half, a literary case study of a popular war novel demonstrates the extent of the "bitter cry for books." The success of Gaskell's intervention is examined alongside H. G. Wells's representation of textual healing. Reading is shown to offer sick, traumatized and recovering combatants emotional and psychological caregiving in ways that she could not always have predicted and that are not visible in the literary/historical record