Behaviour patterns detection for persuasive design in Nursing Homes to help dementia patients

Nursing homes usually host large accounts of persons with different levels of dementia. Detecting dementia process in early stages may allow the application of mechanisms to reduce or stop the cognitive impairment. Our ultimate objective is to demonstrate that the use of persuasive techniques may serve to motivate these subjects and induct re-learning mechanisms to stop mental impairment. Nevertheless, this requires the study of the behaviour of each patient individually in order to detect conduct disorders in their living ambient. This study presents a behavior pattern detection architecture based on the Ambient Assisted Living paradigm and Workflow Mining technology to enable re-learning mechanisms in dementia processes via providing tools to automate the conduct disorder detection. This architecture fosters the use of Workflows as representation languages to allow health professionals to represent persuasive motivation protocols in the AAL environment to react individually to dementia symptoms detected.

Effects of culling Eurasian wild boar on the prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis and Aujeszky's disease virus

Worldwide, failure to eradicate a disease in livestock has sometimes been related to wildlife reservoirs of infection. We describe the effects of Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) abundance reduction through increased culling on the prevalence of two chronic infectious diseases, tuberculosis (TB) and Aujeszky's disease (AD), in a region of South-central Spain (SCS). The two infections studied responded differently to an approximately 50% reduction of wild boar abundance. Wild boar TB prevalence remained stable in control sites, whereas it decreased by 21-48% in treatment sites. In one treatment site, the annual wild boar abundance was positively correlated with the annual percentage of skin test reactor cattle. In another treatment site, red deer (Cervus elaphus) M. bovis infection prevalence decreased after culling wild boar. No significant effect of wild boar culling on wild boar ADV seroprevalence was found. The reduction in wild boar TB was achieved despite no alternative M. bovis host being included in the culling strategy. We advocate that culling could become a part of integrated control strategies including habitat and game management changes and vaccination, contributing to increase their success likelihood, or reducing the total expenses.

Lipochoristoma of the internal auditory canal

PROBLEM

Approximately 90% of tumours of cerebellopontine angle and internal auditory canal are vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas) and meningiomas. Lipochoristomas are rare benign masses that represent only 0.15% of cases.

METHODOLOGY

We report the case of a 39-year-old man who consulted us for right-sided hearing loss and tinnitus.

RESULTS

Tonal audiometry showed a down-sloping right sensorineural hearing loss in frequencies above 2000 Hz. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a heterogeneous lesion in the right internal auditory canal with areas of hyperintensity on noncontrast T1-weighted MRI and suppression of much of the signal of the lesion with persistence of some areas of enhancement on T1-weighted fat-suppressed images.

CONCLUSION

Correct imaging diagnosis through MRI (high signal intensity on noncontrast T1-weighted images together with a missing signal in fat suppression sequences) is essential in order to avoid unnecessary surgery or radiation therapy, which are not recommended in the treatment of these lesions.

Seroprevalence evolution of selected pathogens in Iberian wild boar

A total of 1279 Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) sera were collected from 2000 to 2011 in the Iberian Peninsula to reveal time changes in serum antibody prevalences against selected infectious agents (porcine circovirus type 2, PCV2; porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, PRRSV; hepatitis E virus, HEV; and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae) and to identify putative individual or population factors driving such changes. Overall seroprevalences were 48%, 26%, 2% and 15% for PCV2, HEV, PRRSV and E. rhusiopathiae, respectively. The global observed prevalence of antibodies against PCV2 and HEV remained stable during the study period, while the global mean antibody seroprevalence against E. rhusiopathiae declined. The mean increment in prevalence was always lower for open than for fenced sites. This study evidenced for the first time that wild boar from the Iberian Peninsula have widespread contact with E. rhusiopathiae, and confirmed high prevalences of antibodies against PCV2 and HEV. Maintained high prevalences of transmissible agents in wild boar suggest that epidemiological drivers such as aggregation and high density are still acting. This will most probably also affect the transmission rates of other disease agents and should be taken into account regarding disease control at the wildlife-livestock interface.

Trends in HIV and hepatitis C virus infections among injecting drug users in Europe, 2005 to 2010

Data on newly diagnosed HIV infections and HIV prevalence in 2005 to 2010 suggest falling infection rates in injecting drug users (IDUs) in the European Union (EU). However, recent increases in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rates in IDUs suggest increasing injecting risks in some countries. The coverage of effective prevention measures has increased, but is still low in several countries. Overall the data suggest a continued risk of new outbreaks of HIV infection among IDUs.

Trends in HIV and hepatitis C virus infections among injecting drug users in Europe, 2005 to 2010

Data on newly diagnosed HIV infections and HIV prevalence in 2005 to 2010 suggest falling infection rates in injecting drug users (IDUs) in the European Union (EU). However, recent increases in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rates in IDUs suggest increasing injecting risks in some countries. The coverage of effective prevention measures has increased, but is still low in several countries. Overall the data suggest a continued risk of new outbreaks of HIV infection among IDUs.

Integration of hollow fiber membranes improves nutrient supply in three-dimensional tissue constructs

Sufficient nutrient and oxygen transport is a potent modulator of cell proliferation in in vitro tissue-engineered constructs. The lack of oxygen and culture medium can create a potentially lethal environment and limit cellular metabolic activity and growth. Diffusion through scaffold and multi-cellular tissue typically limits transport in vitro, leading to potential hypoxic regions and reduction in the viable tissue thickness. For the in vitro generation of clinically relevant tissue-engineered grafts, current nutrient diffusion limitations should be addressed. Major approaches to overcoming these include culture with bioreactors, scaffolds with artificial microvasculature, oxygen carriers and pre-vascularization of the engineered tissues. This study focuses on the development and utilization of a new perfusion culture system to provide adequate nutrient delivery to cells within large three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds. Perfusion of oxygenated culture medium through porous hollow fiber (HF) integrated within 3D free form fabricated (FFF) scaffolds is proposed. Mouse pre-myoblast (C2C12) cells cultured on scaffolds of poly(ethylene-oxide-terephthalate)-poly(butylene-terephthalate) block copolymer (300PEOT55PBT45) integrated with porous HF membranes of modified poly(ether-sulfone) (mPES, Gambro GmbH) is used as a model system. Various parameters such as fiber transport properties, fiber spacing within a scaffold and medium flow conditions are optimized. The results show that four HF membranes integrated with the scaffold significantly improve the cell density and cell distribution. This study provides a basis for the development of a new HF perfusion culture methodology to overcome the limitations of nutrient diffusion in the culture of large 3D tissue constructs.

Incremental Gaussian Discriminant Analysis based on Graybill and Deal weighted combination of estimators for brain tumour diagnosis

In the last decade, machine learning (ML) techniques have been used for developing classifiers for automatic brain tumour diagnosis. However, the development of these ML models rely on a unique training set and learning stops once this set has been processed. Training these classifiers requires a representative amount of data, but the gathering, preprocess, and validation of samples is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, for a classical, non-incremental approach to ML, it is necessary to wait long enough to collect all the required data. In contrast, an incremental learning approach may allow us to build an initial classifier with a smaller number of samples and update it incrementally when new data are collected. In this study, an incremental learning algorithm for Gaussian Discriminant Analysis (iGDA) based on the Graybill and Deal weighted combination of estimators is introduced. Each time a new set of data becomes available, a new estimation is carried out and a combination with a previous estimation is performed. iGDA does not require access to the previously used data and is able to include new classes that were not in the original analysis, thus allowing the customization of the models to the distribution of data at a particular clinical center. An evaluation using five benchmark databases has been used to evaluate the behaviour of the iGDA algorithm in terms of stability-plasticity, class inclusion and order effect. Finally, the iGDA algorithm has been applied to automatic brain tumour classification with magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and compared with two state-of-the-art incremental algorithms. The empirical results obtained show the ability of the algorithm to learn in an incremental fashion, improving the performance of the models when new information is available, and converging in the course of time. Furthermore, the algorithm shows a negligible instance and concept order effect, avoiding the bias that such effects could introduce.

Bilateral ovarian teratoma in a free-living Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus)

CASE HISTORY

A 8.5 x 5.7 x 5 cm irregularly shaped mass was detected in the location of the left ovary of a 9-year-old Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) hind shot during a hunting drive.

PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS

On the cut surface, the mass consisted of numerous fluid- or keratin-filled inter-communicating cysts, separated by connective tissue containing solid nodules of dark-coloured foci and hairy skin. The right ovary was of normal size, but contained a 1.5 cm mass of hairy skin and spongy structures. Histologically, the large mass comprised differentiated structures such as cartilage, fibrous connective tissue, smooth muscle, stratified squamous keratinised epithelium, cuboidal multi-layered and respiratory epithelium, clusters of pigment-laden cells, hair follicles, nervous tissue and glandular structures. The hind had a grossly and microscopically normal uterus that contained a 449.5 g female fetus.

DIAGNOSIS

Bilateral mature ovarian teratomas.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This case describes the first known description of an ovarian teratoma in a free-living red deer. The tumour had unique features, such as bilateral presence and concurrency with a normal pregnancy.

Optimal dose and timing in phytohaemagglutinin skin-testing of deer

AIM

To establish the optimal dose of the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and the optimal time for measuring increased skin-fold thickness in red deer following intradermal injection, as an indicator of cell-mediated immune response.

METHODS

Three doses (10, 50 and 250 microg) of PHA were injected intradermally in the right side of the neck, and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was injected at a fourth site as a control, in 20 captive Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) hinds. Skin-fold thicknesses were measured at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84 and 96 h following injection.

RESULTS

The highest dose of PHA tested (250 microg) resulted in a clear and long-lasting cellular response; increases in skin-fold thickness between 48 and 84 h post-injection varied minimally and response correlated positively with liveweight. No correlations with liveweight and no clear increases in skin-fold thickness occurred at the lower doses of PHA or the PBS.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This technique could be applied with minimal training and without specialised equipment in deer, for immunological and ecological research.

Mean and oscillating plasma flows and turbulence interactions across the L-H confinement transition

A complex interaction between turbulence driven E × B zonal flow oscillations, i.e., geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs), the turbulence, and mean equilibrium flows is observed during the low to high (L-H) plasma confinement mode transition in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. Below the L-H threshold at low densities a limit-cycle oscillation forms with competition between the turbulence level and the GAM flow shearing. At higher densities the cycle is diminished, while in the H mode the cycle duration becomes too short to sustain the GAM, which is replaced by large amplitude broadband flow perturbations. Initially GAM amplitude increases as the H-mode transition is approached, but is then suppressed in the H mode by enhanced mean flow shear.

Ante-mortem testing wild fallow deer for bovine tuberculosis

This study aimed to maximize the sensitivity of bovine tuberculosis detection in living wild fallow deer (Dama dama) under field conditions. We evaluated the rapid test (RT; CervidTB STAT-PAK Assay, Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., USA) in comparison with the comparative cervical skin test (CCT). A total of 134 fallow deer were captured between January and March 2008. At time 0, 0.1 ml of avian purified protein derivative (avian PPD; Cooper-Zeltia, Spain), 0.1 ml bovine PPD (Cooper-Zeltia, Spain), 0.1 ml negative control PBS and 0.1 ml of a positive control (the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin, PHA; containing 250 mg PHA, diluted in PBS) were injected intradermally at four shaved sites in the neck. The skin fold thickness at each injection site was measured at time 0 and 72 h (3 repeats each time). Animals with a skin test response of 2mm or more at the bovine PPD injection site and animals with any visible reactivity in the RT were necropsied and tissues submitted for culture and for histopathology. A total of 36 fallow deer were considered reactors to bovine PPD or to the RT (apparent prevalence 27%). Regarding both bovine PPD reactivity and the skin fold increase at the PHA injection site, we found significant effects of age and sex by age interaction. Adult males had the largest responses. Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from lymphoid tissues of 21 fallow deer. Skin test sensitivity, as compared to M. bovis culture confirmed deer, was 80.1% (17/21). But, the CCT alone would have missed 4 of 21 culture confirmed animals. RT sensitivity, based on culture confirmed deer, was also 80.1% (17/21). Similarly, the RT alone would have missed another 4 of 21 culture confirmed deer. However, combining the CCT and the RT allowed for detecting all 21 culture positive fallow deer. We conclude that the combined application of the RT and the skin testing can maximize the sensitivity of bTB detection in living fallow deer, thus facilitating control programs for wildlife disease surveillance.

Experimental infection of Eurasian wild boar with Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium

The Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is increasingly relevant as a host for several pathogenic mycobacteria. We aimed to characterize the first experimental Mycobacterium avium subsp. avium (MAA) infection in wild boar in order to describe the lesions and the immune response as compared to uninfected controls. Twelve 1-4-month-old wild boar piglets were housed in class III bio-containment facilities. Four concentrations of MAA suspension were used: 10, 10(2) and 10(4) mycobacteria (2 animals each, oropharyngeal route) and 2.5 x 10(6) mycobacteria (2 animals each by the oropharyngeal and nasal routes). No clinical signs were observed and pathology evidenced a low pathogenicity of this MAA strain for this particular host. Bacteriological and pathological evidence of successful infection after experimental inoculation was found for the group challenged with 2.5 x 10(6) mycobacteria. These four wild boar showed a positive IFN-gamma response to the avian PPD and the real-time RT-PCR data revealed that three genes, complement component C3, IFN-gamma and RANTES, were significantly down regulated in infected animals. These results were similar to those found in naturally and experimentally M. bovis-infected wild boar and may constitute biomarkers of mycobacterial infection in this species.

Market impact and trading profile of hidden orders in stock markets

We empirically study the market impact of trading orders. We are specifically interested in large trading orders that are executed incrementally, which we call hidden orders. These are statistically reconstructed based on information about market member codes using data from the Spanish Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange. We find that market impact is strongly concave, approximately increasing as the square root of order size. Furthermore, as a given order is executed, the impact grows in time according to a power law; after the order is finished, it reverts to a level of about 0.5-0.7 of its value at its peak. We observe that hidden orders are executed at a rate that more or less matches trading in the overall market, except for small deviations at the beginning and end of the order.

Model for non-Gaussian intraday stock returns

Stock prices are known to exhibit non-Gaussian dynamics, and there is much interest in understanding the origin of this behavior. Here, we present a model that explains the shape and scaling of the distribution of intraday stock price fluctuations (called intraday returns) and verify the model using a large database for several stocks traded on the London Stock Exchange. We provide evidence that the return distribution for these stocks is non-Gaussian and similar in shape and that the distribution appears stable over intraday time scales. We explain these results by assuming the volatility of returns is constant intraday but varies over longer periods such that its inverse square follows a gamma distribution. This produces returns that are Student distributed for intraday time scales. The predicted results show excellent agreement with the data for all stocks in our study and over all regions of the return distribution.