Survey analysis for optimization algorithms applied to electroencephalogram

This paper presents a survey for optimization approaches that analyze and classify Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The automatic analysis of EEG presents a significant challenge due to the high-dimensional data volume. Optimization algorithms seek to achieve better accuracy by selecting practical features and reducing unwanted features. Forty-seven reputable research papers are provided in this work, emphasizing the developed and executed techniques divided into seven groups based on the applied optimization algorithm particle swarm optimization (PSO), ant colony optimization (ACO), artificial bee colony (ABC), grey wolf optimizer (GWO), Bat, Firefly, and other optimizer approaches). The main measures to analyze this paper are accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score assessment. Several datasets have been utilized in the included papers like EEG Bonn University, CHB-MIT, electrocardiography (ECG) dataset, and other datasets. The results have proven that the PSO and GWO algorithms have achieved the highest accuracy rate of around 99% compared with other techniques

Slow plasmon modes in polymeric salt solutions

The dynamics of polymeric salt solutions are presented. The salt consists of chains $\rm A$ and $\rm B$, which are chemically different and interact with a Flory-interaction parameter $\chi$, the $\rm A$ chain ends carry a positive charge whereas the $\rm B$ chain ends are modified by negative charges. The static structure factor shows a peak corresponding to a micro phase separation. At low momentum transfer, the interdiffusion mode is driven by electrostatics and is of the plasmon-type, but with an unusually low frequency, easily accessible by experiments. This is due to the polymer connectivity that introduces high friction and amplifies the charge scattering thus allowing for low charge densities. The interdiffusion mode shows a minimum (critical slowing down) at finite $k$ when the interaction parameter increases we find then a low $k$ frequency quasi-plateau.Comment: accepted in Europhys. Let

Qualité microbiologique du lait cru ovin collecte dans la steppe centrale de l’Algérie

L’objectif de l’étude consiste à évaluer la qualité microbiologique du lait cru ovin collecté localement, en milieu steppique Algérien dans la région de Djelfa situé à 300 km au sud d’Alger. Au total 51 échantillons de lait ont été prélevés pour des fins analytiques. La contamination moyenne est de 2,3.107 cfu/mL pour la flore totale contre 1,1.105 pour les coliformes totaux et 1,5.104 pour les coliformes fécaux. Pour la flore fongique, les laits sont plus contaminés en levures qu’en moisissures (2,4.105 vs 3,4.103 germes/mL respectivement). Les Streptocoques fécaux sont détectés chez 43,14% des échantillons par contre E.coli n’est décelée que chez 17,65% des laits. Par ailleurs, 28% des prélèvements sont positifs vis-à-vis de Clostridium contre 9,8% pour Staphylococcus aureus. En revanche, tous les laits sont exempts de Salmonella. Pour ce qui est de la recherche des anticorps brucelliques, 13,73% des laits analysés sont positifs au Ring-test. La mauvaise qualité du lait reflète bien les conditions déplorables de production et la non-observance des bonnes pratiques hygiéniques lors de la traiteMots-clés : brebis, lait cru, qualité hygiénique, microorganismes pathogènes, Algérie.Microbiological quality of raw ewe’s milk in Algerian middle steppeThe objective of this study was to assess the microbiological quality of raw milk sheep collected in Algerian steppe. A total of 51 samples of bulk milk were examined. The results obtained show the unsatisfactory quality of milk analyzed. The average contamination is 2,3.107 cfu/ml for the total flora against 1,1.105 for total coliforms and 1,5.104 for fecal coliforms. For the fungal flora, milk is more contamined with yeast than fungi (2,4.105 vs 3,4.103 germes/ml respectively). Fecal streptococci were detected in 43,14% of the samples were E.coli is detected in 17,65% of the milk. In addition, 28% of samples are positive for Clostridium against 9,8% for Staphylococcus aureus. All milk are free from Salmonella. In terms of Brucella antibody, 13,73% of milk are ring test positive. The poor quality of milk reflects the deplorable conditions of production and non-observance of good hygiene practices during milking.Keywords : Ewe, Raw milk, Hygienic quality, Pathogens, Algeria

Fertilization capacity with rainbow trout DNA-damaged sperm and embryo developmental success

Mammalian spermatozoa undergo a strong selection process along the female tract to guarantee fertilization by good quality cells, but risks of fertilization with DNA-damaged spermatozoa have been reported. In contrast, most external fertilizers such as fish seem to have weaker selection procedures. This fact, together with their high prolificacy and external embryo development, indicates that fish could be useful for the study of the effects of sperm DNA damage on embryo development. We cryopreserved sperm from rainbow trout using egg yolk and low-density lipoprotein as additives to promote different rates of DNA damage. DNA fragmentation and oxidization were analyzed using comet assay with and without digestion with restriction enzymes, and fertilization trials were performed. Some embryo batches were treated with 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) to inhibit DNA repair by the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, which is an enzyme of the base excision repair pathway. Results showed that all the spermatozoa cryopreserved with egg yolk carried more than 10% fragmented DNA, maintaining fertilization rates of 61.1+/-2.3 but a high rate of abortions, especially during gastrulation, and only 14.5+/-4.4 hatching success. Furthermore, after 3AB treatment, hatching dropped to 3.2+/-2.2, showing that at least 10% DNA fragmentation was repaired. We conclude that trout sperm maintains its ability to fertilize in spite of having DNA damage, but that embryo survival is affected. Damage is partially repaired by the oocyte during the first cleavage. Important advantages of using rainbow trout for the study of processes related to DNA damage and repair during development have been reported. Reproduction (2010) 139 989-997Junta de Castilla y Leon (Spain) [LE007A06]; University of Leoninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prevalence and risk factors of intestinal protozoan infection among symptomatic and asymptomatic populations in rural and urban areas of southern Algeria

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are amongst the most common infections worldwide and have been identified as one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality among disadvantaged populations. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections and to identify the significant risk factors associated with intestinal parasitic infections in Laghouat province, Southern Algeria. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 623 symptomatic and 1654 asymptomatic subjects. Structured questionnaires were used to identify environmental, socio demographic and behavioral factors. Stool specimens were collected and examined using direct wet mount, formalin-ether concentration, xenic in vitro culture and staining methods. Results: A highly significant difference of prevalence was found between symptomatic (82.3%) and asymptomatic subjects (14.9%), with the majority attributable to protozoan infection. The most common species in the symptomatic subjects were Blastocystis spp. (43.8%), E. histolytica/dispar (25.4%) and Giardia intestinalis (14.6%) and more rarely Enterobius vermicularis (02.1%), Teania spp. (0.6%) and Trichuris trichiura (0.2%), while in asymptomatic population Blastocystis spp. (8%), Entamoeba coli (3.3%) and Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (2.5%) were the most common parasites detected with no case of helminth infection. Multivariate log-linear analysis showed that contact with animals was the main risk factor for transmission of these protozoa in both populations. Furthermore, living in rural areas was significantly associated with combined protozoan infection in the asymptomatic population, whereas, in the symptomatic population an increasing trend of protozoan infection was detected in the hot season. In addition, Blastocystis spp. and G. intestinalis infection were found to be associated with host sex and contact with animals across the study period. Conclusions: Based on these results, several strategies are recommended in order to effectively reduce these infections including good animal husbandry practices, health education focused on good personal hygiene practices and adequate sanitation

Inactivation of Chk2 and Mus81 Leads to Impaired Lymphocytes Development, Reduced Genomic Instability, and Suppression of Cancer

Chk2 is an effector kinase important for the activation of cell cycle checkpoints, p53, and apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Mus81 is required for the restart of stalled replication forks and for genomic integrity. Mus81Δex3-4/Δex3-4 mice have increased cancer susceptibility that is exacerbated by p53 inactivation. In this study, we demonstrate that Chk2 inactivation impairs the development of Mus81Δex3-4/Δex3-4 lymphoid cells in a cell-autonomous manner. Importantly, in contrast to its predicted tumor suppressor function, loss of Chk2 promotes mitotic catastrophe and cell death, and it results in suppressed oncogenic transformation and tumor development in Mus81Δex3-4/Δex3-4 background. Thus, our data indicate that an important role for Chk2 is maintaining lymphocyte development and that dual inactivation of Chk2 and Mus81 remarkably inhibits cancer