A Review of the Literature on HIV and Neuropsychological Functioning in Older Adults: Is More Research Needed?

The increase in the number of ageing people living with HIV and the documented neurocognitive impairments have highlighted the need to illuminate the existing findings and evaluate the impact that HIV has on older individuals. A review of the evidence for neuropsychological declines in memory, executive functions, attention and language in people aged 60 years or more was conducted. The databases MEDLINE, PsychINFO and Pubmed were searched for eligible studies based on keywords. Eight studies of low to high quality that looked at HIV+ older adults (≥ 60) were identified. The majority of older HIV+ adults experienced severe declines in all the cognitive domains under study. There were mixed results regarding the association among advancing age, functioning decline and HIV. Comparisons between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected older adults showed that HIV+ subjects demonstrate higher scores of cognitive decline in memory, attention, language and executive functions. Further, comparisons among HIV+ adults, demographically matched individuals with mild cognitive impairment of the Alzheimer's type and healthy controls demonstrated that both disease groups perform worse, but the Alzheimer’s type group reports a greater decline in memory and language. Neuropsychological functioning in HIV+ adults presents great decline but studies on this population are limited. As individuals with HIV are increasingly living longer, studies should pay attention to these individuals and examine predictors of neuropsychological decline in the face of well-controlled interventions and treatments. Keywords: HIV, memory, neuropsychological function, executive functions, older adult

Support Vector Machines in Classification and Regression Problems

117 σ.Η μηχανική μάθηση έχει ως στόχο τη δημιουργία αλγορίθμων ικανών να βελτιώνουν την απόδοση τους, αξιοποιώντας προγενέστερη γνώση και εμπειρία, με σκοπό την εξαγωγή χρήσιμων συμπερασμάτων και την περιγραφή φαινομένων, μέσω της επεξεργασίας δεδομένων τεράστιου, πολλές φορές, όγκου. Το ζητούμενο στην περίπτωση της επιβλεπόμενης μάθησης είναι η κατασκευή ενός μοντέλου που αναπαριστά τη γνώστη που αποκτήθηκε μέσω της εμπειρίας και το οποίο στη συνέχεια χρησιμοποιείται για την αξιολόγηση νέων παρατηρήσεων. Μία από τις πιο οικείες μεθόδους περιγραφής φαινομένων είναι η ταξινόμηση, η ένταξη δηλαδή κάθε παρατήρησης σε μία ομάδα, από ένα πεπερασμένο πλήθος υποψήφιων ομάδων. Η παρούσα εργασία επικεντρώνεται στην παρουσίαση ενός πολύ διαδεδομένου αλγόριθμου ταξινόμησης, προερχόμενου από τον τομέα της μηχανικής μάθησης, με όνομα «Μηχανή Διανυσματικής Υποστήριξης» (Support Vector Machine - SVM). Η ανάπτυξη του θεωρητικού υπόβαθρου του αλγόριθμου παρουσιάζεται σταδιακά, ώστε να γίνει κατανοητή από τον αναγνώστη όλη η διαδρομή. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, το πρώτο κεφάλαιο αποτελεί μια εισαγωγή στους αλγόριθμους εξόρυξης δεδομένων (Data Mining) και σε σχετικές εφαρμογές αυτών. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζονται οι θεμελιώδεις έννοιες που απαιτούνται για την κατανόηση των SVMs. Στο τρίτο και στο τέταρτο κεφάλαιο γίνεται μία λεπτομερής αναφορά στις Μηχανές Διανυσματικής Υποστήριξης και στην Παλινδρόμηση με SVM, αντίστοιχα. Στη συνέχεια, στο πέμπτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζουμε τις μεθόδους αξιολόγησης του μοντέλου ενώ στο έκτο κεφάλαιο κάνουμε μία μικρή αναφορά στην επιλογή χαρακτηριστικών με SVM. Στο έβδομο και τελευταίο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζουμε τρεις εφαρμογές καθώς και την ερμηνεία των αντίστοιχων αποτελεσμάτων, με σκοπό να αξιολογήσουμε τη γνώση που αποκτήσαμε.The aim of machine learning is to develop algorithms capable of improving their own performance, exploiting existing data, stored in huge databases, in order to discover knowledge and interpret several phenomena. Supervised learning aims in creating a model that takes into account the knowledge adapted by experience, and then uses it for evaluating new observations. One of the most common methods for describing phenomena is through classification. Where a particular object is classified to one of several available classes of objects. The presentation thesis focuses on one of the most promising classification algorithms in the field of machine learning, the «The Support Vector Machine» (SVM). The presentation of the theoretical foundation advances gradually, starting from the most intuitive classification algorithm and reaching up to the optimized approach of SVM, so that it΄s easier for the reader to follow. More specifically, the first chapter is an introduction to data mining algorithms and some related applications. The second chapter presents the fundamental concepts required for an understanding of SVMs. In the third and fourth chapter, there is a detailed report on Support Vector Machines and Regression with SVM, respectively. Then, the fifth chapter presents the evaluation methods of the model while in the sixth chapter a short reference to the feature selection with SVM in made. In the seventh and final chapter three applications and the interpretation of the corresponding results are presented, thus we are able to evaluate the knowledge gained.Δανάη Π. Γιαννούλ

Perception of Symmetries in Drawings of Graphs

Symmetry is an important factor in human perception in general, as well as in the visualization of graphs in particular. There are three main types of symmetry: reflective, translational, and rotational. We report the results of a human subjects experiment to determine what types of symmetries are more salient in drawings of graphs. We found statistically significant evidence that vertical reflective symmetry is the most dominant (when selecting among vertical reflective, horizontal reflective, and translational). We also found statistically significant evidence that rotational symmetry is affected by the number of radial axes (the more, the better), with a notable exception at four axes.Comment: Appears in the Proceedings of the 26th International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2018

Nano-Tubular Cellulose for Bioprocess Technology Development

Delignified cellulosic material has shown a significant promotional effect on the alcoholic fermentation as yeast immobilization support. However, its potential for further biotechnological development is unexploited. This study reports the characterization of this tubular/porous cellulosic material, which was done by SEM, porosimetry and X-ray powder diffractometry. The results showed that the structure of nano-tubular cellulose (NC) justifies its suitability for use in “cold pasteurization” processes and its promoting activity in bioprocessing (fermentation). The last was explained by a glucose pump theory. Also, it was demonstrated that crystallization of viscous invert sugar solutions during freeze drying could not be otherwise achieved unless NC was present. This effect as well as the feasibility of extremely low temperature fermentation are due to reduction of the activation energy, and have facilitated the development of technologies such as wine fermentations at home scale (in a domestic refrigerator). Moreover, NC may lead to new perspectives in research such as the development of new composites, templates for cylindrical nano-particles, etc

The My Active and Healthy Aging (My-AHA) ICT platform to detect and prevent frailty in older adults: Randomized control trial design and protocol

[EN] Introduction Frailty increases the risk of poor health outcomes, disability, hospitalization, and death in older adults and affects 7%¿12% of the aging population. Secondary impacts of frailty on psychological health and socialization are significant negative contributors to poor outcomes for frail older adults. Method The My Active and Healthy Aging (My-AHA) consortium has developed an information and communications technology¿based platform to support active and healthy aging through early detection of prefrailty and provision of individually tailored interventions, targeting multidomain risks for frailty across physical activity, cognitive activity, diet and nutrition, sleep, and psychosocial activities. Six hundred adults aged 60 years and older will be recruited to participate in a multinational, multisite 18-month randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the My-AHA platform to detect prefrailty and the efficacy of individually tailored interventions to prevent development of clinical frailty in this cohort. A total of 10 centers from Italy, Germany, Austria, Spain, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden, Japan, South Korea, and Australia will participate in the randomized controlled trial. Results Pilot testing (Alpha Wave) of the My-AHA platform and all ancillary systems has been completed with a small group of older adults in Europe with the full randomized controlled trial scheduled to commence in 2018. Discussion The My-AHA study will expand the understanding of antecedent risk factors for clinical frailty so as to deliver targeted interventions to adults with prefrailty. Through the use of an information and communications technology platform that can connect with multiple devices within the older adult's own home, the My-AHA platform is designed to measure an individual's risk factors for frailty across multiple domains and then deliver personalized domain-specific interventions to the individual. The My-AHA platform is technology-agnostic, enabling the integration of new devices and sensor platforms as they emerge.This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 689582 and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC) European Union grant scheme (1115818). M.J.S. reports personal fees from Eli Lilly (Australia) Pty Ltd and grants from Novotech Pty Ltd, outside the submitted work. All other authors report nothing to disclose.Summers, MJ.; Rainero, I.; Vercelli, AE.; Aumayr, GA.; De Rosario Martínez, H.; Mönter, M.; Kawashima, R. (2018). 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Predictors of 1-year compliance with adaptive servoventilation in patients with heart failure and sleep disordered breathing: preliminary data from the ADVENT-HF trial

Despite its effectiveness in suppressing sleep disordered breathing (SDB), positive airway pressure therapy (PAP) is not always well tolerated by patients and long-term adherence can be problematic. Recently, two multicentre, randomised clinical trials (RCTs) tested the effects of PAP for patients with cardiovascular disease and co-existing SDB on morbidity and mortality with negative outcomes [1, 2]. Relatively poor adherence to PAP therapy (mean 3.7 and 3.3 h·day-1, respectively) in these two trials might have contributed to their poor results. Indeed, higher PAP use per day is associated with better clinical outcomes than lower use [3]

Evaluation of Biodegradable Gelatin and Gelatin–Rice Starch Coatings to Fresh Cut Zucchini Slices

Biodegradable packaging minimizes negative environmental impacts of synthetic materials and maintains product quality. Fresh cut vegetables and fruits such as zucchini were sensitive to degradation, which could be delayed by edible coatings. Mixtures of gelatin and other biopolymers were commonly used in novel food packaging preserving quality characteristics of foods. In this study, for first time, gelatin and a gelatin mixture with rice starch were applied to zucchini slices during 7 days of storage at 5 °C in order to evaluate weight loss, firmness, breaking force and color. Gelatin coating as a treatment type demonstrated superior ability to preserve the quality of sliced zucchini fruit and contributed to the maintenance of their texture characteristics similar to values of the control group. The addition of rice starch to the gelatin coating also maintained firmness and breaking force, but accelerated the increase of weight loss and decreased lightness compared to control samples. In conclusion, this study on coatings of gelatin and a gelatin–rice starch mixture enriches the knowledge within the food industry on biodegradable coatings, and gives useful information for zucchini slice storage at a low temperature. © 2022 by the authors