Ecg-based prediction algorithm for imminent malignant ventricular arrhythmias using decision tree

Spontaneous prediction of malignant ventricular arrhythmia (MVA) is useful to avoid delay in rescue operations. Recently, researchers have developed several algorithms to predict MVA using various features derived from electrocardiogram (ECG). However, there are several unresolved issues regarding MVA prediction such as the effect of number of ECG features on a prediction remaining unclear, possibility that an alert for occurring MVA may arrive very late and uncertainty in the performance of the algorithm predicting MVA minutes before onset. To overcome the aforementioned problems, this research conducts an in-depth study on the number and types of ECG features that are implemented in a decision tree classifier. In addition, this research also investigates an algorithm’s execution time before the occurrence of MVA to minimize delays in warnings for MVA. Lastly, this research aims to study both the sensitivity and specificity of an algorithm to reveal the performance of MVA prediction algorithms from time to time. To strengthen the results of analysis, several classifiers such as support vector machine and naive Bayes are also examined for the purpose of comparison study. There are three phases required to achieve the objectives. The first phase is literature review on existing relevant studies. The second phase deals with design and development of four modules for predicting MVA. Rigorous experiments are performed in the feature selection and classification modules. The results show that eight ECG features with decision tree classifier achieved good prediction performance in terms of execution time and sensitivity. In addition, the results show that the highest percentage for sensitivity and specificity is 95% and 90% respectively, in the fourth 5-minute interval (15.1 minutes–20 minutes) that preceded the onset of an arrhythmia event. Such results imply that the fourth 5-minute interval would be the best time to perform prediction

Penormaan Pengawasan Izin Lingkungan dalam Pencegahan Pencemaran dan Kerusakan Lingkungan Hidup dalam Eksploitasi Sumber Daya Alam

In environmental protection and management, the main effort is to prevent pollution and damage on environment instead of repressing the damages occurred. Permit is one of preventive measures and becomes a principle in Administrative Law. Permits can be seen as government\u27s tool as judicial preventive and used as an administrative instrument to control people\u27s behavior. Environmental permit can be seen as preventive measure, because it always related to orders and obligations that must be obeyed by the holder. On the other hand, environmental permit also function as repressive instrument to counter environmental problems due to human activities, including mining. The norm\u27s obscurity on the supervision of environmental permits in in Law No. 32 Year 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management (hereafter will refer as UUPPLH) is an indicator for the lack of the objective results.Based on type, this research focuses the study on the Environmental permit as an absolute requirement. Normatively, the principle of environmental permit as stipulated in Environmental Law regulates that every business and/or activity which required an Environmental Impact Analysis document or UKL-UPL should also hold an environmental permit. The purpose of Environmental permits is to maintain the preservation of environmental functions while also prevent and counter environmental pollution and damage due to human activities. Based on this construction, permits plays a very important role in environmental activity. Exploitation of natural resources has a significant impact on the environment, thus based on Article 22 paragraph (1) of Environmental Law these activities requires an Environment Impact Analysis. Important impacts as detailed in Article 22 paragraph (2) at empirical level still occurs so the goal of preventing pollution and damage as the objective of environmental permits still has not been achieved

Performance comparison of baseline routing protocols in pocket switched network

Pocket Switched Network (PSN) is a branch of Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) which is intended to work in a challenged network. Challenged network is network with lack of infrastructure such as disaster area. As such, the network has intermittent connectivity. PSN provides a new paradigm to distribute messages in the network by taking advantage of roaming nodes from one place to another. In this paper, network performances of eight PSN routing protocols are investigated namely, First Contact, Direct Delivery, Epidemic, PRotocol using History of Encounter and Transitivity (PRoPHET), Spray and Wait, Binary Spray and Wait, Fuzzy Spray, Adaptive Fuzzy Spray and Wait. The performance metrics are packet delivery ratio, overhead ratio and average latency. Opportunistic Network Environment (ONE) simulator is used to evaluate the network performance. Experiments show that Epidemic has the best performance in term of message delivery ratio, but it has the highest overhead ratio. Direct Delivery has the lowest overhead ratio (zero overhead ratio) and PRoPHET has the lowest latency average

Algorithm To Architecture Mapping Model (ATAMM) multicomputer operating system functional specification

A functional description of the ATAMM Multicomputer Operating System is presented. ATAMM (Algorithm to Architecture Mapping Model) is a marked graph model which describes the implementation of large grained, decomposed algorithms on data flow architectures. AMOS, the ATAMM Multicomputer Operating System, is an operating system which implements the ATAMM rules. A first generation version of AMOS which was developed for the Advanced Development Module (ADM) is described. A second generation version of AMOS being developed for the Generic VHSIC Spaceborne Computer (GVSC) is also presented

BPPV: Comparison of the SémontPLUS With the Sémont Maneuver: A Prospective Randomized Trial

Objective: To compare the efficacy of the Sémont maneuver (SM) with the new “SémontPLUS maneuver” (SM+) in patients with posterior canal BPPV canalolithiasis (pcBPPVcan). Methods and Patients: In a prospective trinational (Germany, Italy, and Belgium) randomized trial, patients with pcBPPVcan were randomly assigned to SM or SM+; SM+ means overextension of the head by 60+° below earth horizontal line during the movement of the patient toward the affected side. The first maneuver was done by the physician, and the subsequent maneuvers by the patients 9 times/day on their own. Each morning the patient documented whether vertigo could be induced. The primary endpoints were: “How long (in days) does it take until no attacks can be induced?” and “What is the efficacy of a single SM/SM+?” Results: In the 194 patients analyzed (96 SM, 98 SM+), it took 2 days (median, range 1–21 days, mean 3.6 days) for recovery with SM and 1 day (median, range 1-8 days, mean 1.8 days) with SM+ (p = 0.001, Mann-Whitney U-test). There was no difference in the second primary endpoint (chi2-test, p = 0.39). Interpretation: This prospective trial shows that SM+ is more effective than SM when repeated therapeutic maneuvers are performed but not when a single maneuver is performed. It also supports the hypothesis of the biophysical model: overextension of the head during step 2 brings the clot of otoconia beyond the vertex of the canal, which increases the effectivity. Classification of Evidence: This study provides Class I evidence that SM+ is superior to SM for multiple treatment maneuvers of pcBPPVcan. © The Author

Delayed acquisition of Plasmodium falciparum antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses in HIV-exposed uninfected Malawian children receiving daily cotrimoxazole prophylaxis

BACKGROUND: Cotrimoxazole (CTX) prophylaxis, recommended in HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children primarily against HIV-related opportunistic infections, has been shown to have some efficacy against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The effects of CTX prophylaxis on the acquisition of P. falciparum antigen specific CD4(+) T cells-mediated immunity in HEU children is still not fully understood. METHODS: Peripheral blood was collected from HEU and HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) children at 6, 12 and 18 months of age. Proportion of CD4(+) T cells subsets were determined by immunophenotyping. P. falciparum antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells responses were measured by intracellular cytokine staining assay. RESULTS: There were no differences in the proportions of naïve, effector and memory CD4(+) T cell subsets between HEU and HUU children at all ages. There was a trend showing acquisition of P. falciparum-specific IFN-γ and TNF-producing CD4(+) T cells with age in both HUU and HEU children. There was, however, lower frequency of P. falciparum-specific IFN-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells in HEU compared to HUU at 6 and 12 months, which normalized 6 months after stopping CTX prophylaxis. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that there is delayed acquisition of P. falciparum-specific IFN-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells in HEU children on daily cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, which is evident at 6 and 12 months of age in comparison to HUU age-matched controls. However, whether this delayed acquisition of P. falciparum-specific IFN-γ-producing CD4(+) T cells leads to higher risk to malaria disease remains unknown and warrants further investigation

Frequency-Dependent Reduction of Cybersickness in Virtual Reality by Transcranial Oscillatory Stimulation of the Vestibular Cortex

Virtual reality (VR) applications are pervasive of everyday life, as in working, medical, and entertainment scenarios. There is yet no solution to cybersickness (CS), a disabling vestibular syndrome with nausea, dizziness, and general discomfort that most of VR users undergo, which results from an integration mismatch among visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular information. In a double-blind, controlled trial, we propose an innovative treatment for CS, consisting of online oscillatory imperceptible neuromodulation with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 10 Hz, biophysically modelled to reach the vestibular cortex bilaterally. tACS significantly reduced CS nausea in 37 healthy subjects during a VR rollercoaster experience. The effect was frequency-dependent and placebo-insensitive. Subjective benefits were paralleled by galvanic skin response modulation in 25 subjects, addressing neurovegetative activity. Besides confirming the role of transcranially delivered oscillations in physiologically tuning the vestibular system function (and dysfunction), results open a new way to facilitate the use of VR in different scenarios and possibly to help treating also other vestibular dysfunctions