Persistent Homology of Attractors For Action Recognition

In this paper, we propose a novel framework for dynamical analysis of human actions from 3D motion capture data using topological data analysis. We model human actions using the topological features of the attractor of the dynamical system. We reconstruct the phase-space of time series corresponding to actions using time-delay embedding, and compute the persistent homology of the phase-space reconstruction. In order to better represent the topological properties of the phase-space, we incorporate the temporal adjacency information when computing the homology groups. The persistence of these homology groups encoded using persistence diagrams are used as features for the actions. Our experiments with action recognition using these features demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms other baseline methods.Comment: 5 pages, Under review in International Conference on Image Processin

3D Face Messaging On A Watch

A system and method are disclosed that may send a video-like message to a receiver even when the receiver is offline. The system includes a user smart device incorporating an application, and a receiver smart device incorporating the similar application. The method captures a single 2D image of the user’s face using a camera incorporated in the communication device. The 2D image of the user’s face is then recreated as a 3D model. The message to be sent to a receiver is recorded as an audio message and sent along with the 3D model. At the receiver end the audio message is played back with facial movements of the user that correspond to the speech signals sent by the user. The method is incorporated as an application in a smart-watch. The method offers video-like messaging experience at a low computational cost and requires low bandwidth. KEYWORDS: voice messaging, smart-watch, low bandwidth, video-like messagin

Immersive Insights: A Hybrid Analytics System for Collaborative Exploratory Data Analysis

In the past few years, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies have experienced terrific improvements in both accessibility and hardware capabilities, encouraging the application of these devices across various domains. While researchers have demonstrated the possible advantages of AR and VR for certain data science tasks, it is still unclear how these technologies would perform in the context of exploratory data analysis (EDA) at large. In particular, we believe it is important to better understand which level of immersion EDA would concretely benefit from, and to quantify the contribution of AR and VR with respect to standard analysis workflows. In this work, we leverage a Dataspace reconfigurable hybrid reality environment to study how data scientists might perform EDA in a co-located, collaborative context. Specifically, we propose the design and implementation of Immersive Insights, a hybrid analytics system combining high-resolution displays, table projections, and augmented reality (AR) visualizations of the data. We conducted a two-part user study with twelve data scientists, in which we evaluated how different levels of data immersion affect the EDA process and compared the performance of Immersive Insights with a state-of-the-art, non-immersive data analysis system.Comment: VRST 201

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Efficacy of exercises in early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PARK-EASE trial): single-blind, randomised, controlled trial

Objectives To assess the efficacy of exercises in early-stage Parkinson’s disease (PD).Design Single-blind, randomised controlled trial.Setting Tertiary rehabilitation care centre.Participants Forty individuals (≥18 years, either gender) with newly diagnosed PD (Hoehn and Yahr stage ≤2) on a stable dose of PD medications were randomised (1:1) to the intervention group (IG) and control group (CG).Interventions The IG received strengthening (30 min/day, 2 days/week), aerobic (30 min/day, 3 days/week) and agility (30 min/day, 2 days/week) exercises in a structured format for 12 weeks. CG received stretching exercises for 12 weeks.Main outcome measures Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) III (motor) at week 12 (primary), UPDRS I (mentation, behaviour and mood), UPDRS II and VI (Schwab and England Activities of daily living Scale) and Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life (PDQL) at week 12 (secondary).Results 36 participants completed 12-week study period. UPDRS III (lesser scores reflect improvement) at 12 weeks showed a significant between-group difference (−5.05 points (95% CI: −9.38 to −0.71), p=0.02). At 4 and 8 weeks, UPDRS III did not show a statistically significant between-group difference (−2.15 points (95% CI: −6.77 to 2.47) and −4.1 points (95% CI: −8.54 to 0.34), respectively). From baseline to 12 weeks, UPDRS III in the IG showed a 6.5-point (95% CI (4.85 to 8.14)) reduction, and the CG showed a 0.8-point increase (95% CI (−3.06 to 1.46)), PDQL (higher scores reflect improvement) in the IG showed a 8.45-point (95% CI (–12.78 to –4.11)) increase and CG showed a 2.75-point (95% CI (0.16 to 5.33)) reduction.Conclusions Structured exercises improve motor symptoms and quality of life in early-stage PD. Consistent adherence for at least 12 weeks is crucial for clinical improvement. Early initiation of exercises as neurorehabilitation is recommended. Further research on specific types, dosing and intensity of exercises with a larger sample size is warranted in early-stage PD.Trial registration number CTRI/2018/05/014241

Physico-chemical characteristics and impact of aquatic pollutants on the vital organs of a freshwater fish Glossogobius giuris

Environmental pollutants such as pesticides, industrial wastes and other organic wastes pose serious risks to many aquatic organisms. Accordingly a great deal of previous research has characterized physiological mechanisms of toxicity in animals exposed to contaminants. In contrast, effects of aquatic contaminants on fish pathology and physicochemical characteristics of aquatic system are less frequently studied. To investigate present position of the dam water physico-chemical characteristics and histopathological changes in fish was undertaken. Analysis exhibited richness in nitrogen, phosphates, in addition to high value of total dissolved solids, total alkalinity, DO, BOD and organic matter. The histological damage caused to the fish Glossogobius giuris by various aquatic pollutants present in polluted water body. A microscopic study exhibits the Swelling Gill Lamellae (SGL) and fusion of secondary lamellae (FL) of gill filaments and oedematous separation of basement membrane from epithelial lining of the Secondary Lamellae (SL) was also noticed. Cellular hypertrophy followed by vacuolization in Thyroid Follicles (TF), irregular pluripotent haemoblasts (hae) in haematopoietic tissue and vacuolated erythrocytes (RBC's), neutrophils and monocytes in the peripheral blood. The results obtained suggests that the gills,thyroid,haematopoietic tissue and peripheral blood cells were structurally altered in polluted water body fishes. Such alterations could affect vital physiological functions such as respiration, osmotic and ionic regulation of the gills, storage and secretion in thyroid follicles, haemopoesis of the kidney and oxygen carrying capacity, haemoglobin content in erythrocytes and loss of immune mechanism, phagocytosis in leucocytes, which intum could ultimately affect the survival and growth of G. giuris. Thus all possible remedial measures should be adopted to prevent the occurrence of contamination in the aquatic environment. © 2010 Academic Journals Inc

Inpatient Management of Delirium

This project will improve inpatient delirium treatment, with the aim of reducing use of nonviolent restraints by 10% on a single inpatient unit over a 3-month period

Platform Comparison for Evaluation of ALK Protein Immunohistochemical Expression, Genomic Copy Number and Hotspot Mutation Status in Neuroblastomas

<div><p>ALK is an established causative oncogenic driver in neuroblastoma, and is likely to emerge as a routine biomarker in neuroblastoma diagnostics. At present, the optimal strategy for clinical diagnostic evaluation of ALK protein, genomic and hotspot mutation status is not well-studied. We evaluated ALK immunohistochemical (IHC) protein expression using three different antibodies (ALK1, 5A4 and D5F3 clones), <i>ALK</i> genomic status using single-color chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), and <i>ALK</i> hotspot mutation status using conventional Sanger sequencing and a next-generation sequencing platform (Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (IT-PGM)), in archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded neuroblastoma samples. We found a significant difference in IHC results using the three different antibodies, with the highest percentage of positive cases seen on D5F3 immunohistochemistry. Correlation with <i>ALK</i> genomic and hotspot mutational status revealed that the majority of D5F3 ALK-positive cases did not possess either <i>ALK</i> genomic amplification or hotspot mutations. Comparison of sequencing platforms showed a perfect correlation between conventional Sanger and IT-PGM sequencing. Our findings suggest that D5F3 immunohistochemistry, single-color CISH and IT-PGM sequencing are suitable assays for evaluation of ALK status in future neuroblastoma clinical trials.</p></div