Prediction of the functional properties of ceramic materials from composition using artificial neural networks

We describe the development of artificial neural networks (ANN) for the prediction of the properties of ceramic materials. The ceramics studied here include polycrystalline, inorganic, non-metallic materials and are investigated on the basis of their dielectric and ionic properties. Dielectric materials are of interest in telecommunication applications where they are used in tuning and filtering equipment. Ionic and mixed conductors are the subjects of a concerted effort in the search for new materials that can be incorporated into efficient, clean electrochemical devices of interest in energy production and greenhouse gas reduction applications. Multi-layer perceptron ANNs are trained using the back-propagation algorithm and utilise data obtained from the literature to learn composition-property relationships between the inputs and outputs of the system. The trained networks use compositional information to predict the relative permittivity and oxygen diffusion properties of ceramic materials. The results show that ANNs are able to produce accurate predictions of the properties of these ceramic materials which can be used to develop materials suitable for use in telecommunication and energy production applications

Can the British Heart Foundation PocketCPR Application Improve the Performance of Chest Compressions During Bystander Resuscitation: a Randomised Crossover Manikin Study

This study aims to determine whether the British Heart Foundation (BHF) PocketCPR application can improve the depth and rate of chest compression, and therefore be confidently recommended for bystander use. 118 candidates were recruited into a randomised crossover manikin trial. Each candidate performed CPR for two-minutes without instruction, or performed chest compressions using the PocketCPR application. Candidates then performed a further two minutes of CPR within the opposite arm. The number of chest compressions performed improved when PocketCPR was used compared to chest compressions when it was not (44.28% v40.57, P<0.001). The number of chest compressions performed to the required depth was higher in the PocketCPR group (90.86 v 66.26). The BHF PocketCPR application improved the percentage of chest compressions that were performed to the required depth. Despite this, more work is required in order to develop a feedback device that can improve bystander CPR without creating delay

An exploration of UK Paramedics' experiences of Cardiopulmonary resuscitation induced consciousness

Introduction: Consciousness may occur during cardiopulmonary resuscitation despite the absence of a palpable pulse. This phenomenon, known as CPR-Induced Consciousness (CPR-IC) was first described over three decades ago and there has been an increase in case reports describing CPR-IC. However, there remains limited evidence in relation to the incidence of CPR-IC and to practitioners’ experiences of CPR-IC. Methods: A mixed methods, cross-sectional survey of paramedics who were registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and working in the United Kingdom (UK) at the time of the survey. Participants who had experienced CPR-IC were asked to provide details about the number of episodes, a description of how consciousness was manifested, and whether or not it interfered with resuscitation. Results: 293 eligible participants completed the study and 167 (57%) said that they had witnessed CPR-IC. Of those, over 56% reported that they had experienced it on at least two occasions. CPR-IC was deemed to interfere with resuscitation in nearly 50% of first experiences but this fell to around 31% by the third experience. The most common reasons for CPR-IC to interfere with resuscitation were; patient resisting clinical interventions, increased rhythm and pulse checks, distress, confusion and reluctance to perform CPR. Conclusions: The prevalence of CPR-IC in our study was similar to earlier studies; however, unlike the other studies, we did not define what constituted interfering CPR-IC. Our findings suggest that interference may be related as much to the exposure of the clinician to CPR-IC as to any specific characteristic of the phenomenon itself

Principles of cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking and echocardiographic speckle tracking for informed clinical use

Tissue tracking technology of routinely acquired cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) cine acquisitions has increased the apparent ease and availability of non-invasive assessments of myocardial deformation in clinical research and practice. Its widespread availability thanks to the fact that this technology can in principle be applied on images that are part of every CMR or echocardiographic protocol. However, the two modalities are based on very different methods of image acquisition and reconstruction, each with their respective strengths and limitations. The image tracking methods applied are not necessarily directly comparable between the modalities, or with those based on dedicated CMR acquisitions for strain measurement such as tagging or displacement encoding. Here we describe the principles underlying the image tracking methods for CMR and echocardiography, and the translation of the resulting tracking estimates into parameters suited to describe myocardial mechanics. Technical limitations are presented with the objective of suggesting potential solutions that may allow informed and appropriate use in clinical applications

Awareness of CPR-Induced Consciousness by UK Paramedics

Objectives: Guidelines for the management of hospital cardiac arrest advocate minimally interrupted chest compressions in order to maintain cerebral perfusion pressures and improve the likelihood of a positive outcome. One condition that may lead to interruptions in the delivery of chest compressions is Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Induced Consciousness (CPR-IC). This study investigates the understanding that UK paramedics have of CPR-IC and how they came by their knowledge. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey of paramedics who were registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and practising in the United Kingdom (UK) at the time of the survey. Participants completed an online survey; the first two sections are reported here. Section one asked for demographic data pertinent to the study outcomes and section two asked participants to explain what they understood about CPR-IC and the source of their information. Results: 293 eligible participants completed the survey. Most had over 5-years’ experience as a paramedic and declared no specialist clinical role. Over 50% of respondents said that they had heard of CPR-IC prior to the study and the majority of those provided an explanation that demonstrated some understanding when compared with the definition used by the study team. Over 40% of respondents became aware of CPR-IC having witnessed it in clinical practice. Conclusion: Nearly half of the study population were not aware of CPR-IC and few have had formal training on the phenomenon. There is a clear need for further education on CPR-IC in order for paramedics to better manage CPR-IC when presented with it in practice

Development of next generation sequencing panel for UMOD and association with kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has a prevalence of approximately 10% in adult populations. CKD can progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and this is usually fatal unless some form of renal replacement therapy (chronic dialysis or renal transplantation) is provided. There is an inherited predisposition to CKD with several genetic risk markers now identified. The UMOD gene has been associated with CKD of varying aetiologies. An AmpliSeq next generation sequencing panel was developed to facilitate comprehensive sequencing of the UMOD gene, covering exonic and regulatory regions. SNPs and CpG sites in the genomic region encompassing UMOD were evaluated for association with CKD in two studies; the UK Wellcome Trust Case-Control 3 Renal Transplant Dysfunction Study (n = 1088) and UK-ROI GENIE GWAS (n = 1726). A technological comparison of two Ion Torrent machines revealed 100% allele call concordance between S5 XL™ and PGM™ machines. One SNP (rs183962941), located in a non-coding region of UMOD, was nominally associated with ESRD (p = 0.008). No association was identified between UMOD variants and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Analysis of methylation data for over 480,000 CpG sites revealed differential methylation patterns within UMOD, the most significant of these was cg03140788 p = 3.7 x 10-10

Dopaminergic Modulation of Sensory Attenuation in Parkinson's Disease: Is There an Underlying Modulation of Beta Power?

Background and Aims: Pathological high amplitude of beta oscillations is thought as the underlying mechanism of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), in particular with regard to bradykinesia. In addition, abnormality in a neurophysiological phenomenon labeled sensory attenuation has been found in patients with PD. The current study explored the hypothesis that the abnormal sensory attenuation has a causal link with the typical abnormality in beta oscillations in PD. Methods: The study tested sixteen right-handed patients with a diagnosis of PD and 22 healthy participants, which were matched by age and gender. Somatosensory evoked potentials were elicited through electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist. Electrical activity was recorded at the scalp using a 128 channels EEG. Somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded in 2 conditions: at rest and at the onset of a voluntary movement, which was a self-paced abduction movement of the right thumb. Results: Healthy participants showed a reduction of the N20-P25 amplitude at the onset of the right thumb abduction compared to the rest condition (P < 0.05). When patients were OFF medication, they showed mild reduction of the N20-P25 component at movement onset (P < 0.05). On the contrary, they did show greater attenuation of the N20-P25 component at the onset of movement compared to the rest condition when ON medication (P < 0.05). There was no significant evidence of a link between the degree of sensory attenuation and the change in beta oscillations in our cohort of patients. Conclusion: These results confirmed a significant link between dopaminergic modulation and sensory attenuation. However, the sensory attenuation and beta oscillations were found as two independent phenomena

High-frequency peripheral vibration decreases completion time on a number of motor tasks.

A recent theoretical account of motor control proposes that modulation of afferent information plays a role in affecting how readily we can move. Increasing the estimate of uncertainty surrounding the afferent input is a necessary step in being able to move. It has been proposed that an inability to modulate the gain of this sensory information underlies the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to test this theory by modulating the uncertainty of the proprioceptive signal using high-frequency peripheral vibration, to determine the subsequent effect on motor performance. We investigated if this peripheral stimulus might modulate oscillatory activity over the sensorimotor cortex in order to understand the mechanism by which peripheral vibration can change motor performance. We found that 80 Hz peripheral vibration applied to the right wrist of a total of 54 healthy human participants reproducibly improved performance across four separate randomised experiments on a number of motor control tasks (nine-hole peg task, box and block test, reaction time task and finger tapping). Improved performance on all motor tasks (except the amplitude of finger tapping) was also seen for a sample of 18PD patients ON medication. EEG data investigating the effect of vibration on oscillatory activity revealed a significant decrease in beta power (15-30 Hz) over the contralateral sensorimotor cortex at the onset and offset of 80 Hz vibration. This finding is consistent with a novel theoretical account of motor initiation, namely that modulating uncertainty of the proprioceptive afferent signal improves motor performance potentially by gating the incoming sensory signal and allowing for top-down proprioceptive predictions