Recording Characteristics Research Articles

Response characteristics of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials recorded over splenius capitis in young adults and adolescents

Background and objectivesExamine vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) responses recorded from surface electrodes over Splenius Capitis (SPC) in a seated position. Specific aims: (1) validate response characteristics of VEMP recordings from surface electrodes over Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and over SCP and (2) assess age effects on responses in adolescents and young adults. Materials and methodsSimultaneous surface VEMP was recorded bilaterally from electrodes placed over the dorsal neck musculature at a location known from previous work to record from SPC in 15 healthy participants during trials with head rotation toward and away from the stimulated ear. VEMP was also recorded from electrodes over SCM, ipsilateral to the stimulus ear, in the same participants in a supine, head lift/turn position. ResultsResponse amplitudes significantly increased with contraction strength and decreased with age. Participants were able to maintain sufficient contraction strength (amplitude) with head rotation to reliably measure over SPC. Normalized response amplitudes measured from electrodes over contralateral SPC were largest with head rotation contralateral to the stimulus ear. Normalized amplitudes and peak latencies were comparable to the same measures from SCM obtained in supine, head lift/turn position. ConclusionsOtolith generated myogenic responses can be recorded seated from electrodes over the dorsal neck with head rotation contralateral to the stimulus ear. In this position, contralateral recordings are consistent with responses known from previous work to arise from SPC; ipsilateral recordings may include crosstalk from activated muscles nearby, including ipsilateral SCM. Overall, techniques targeting contralateral SPC during contralateral head turn may provide additional methods of recording VEMPs.

Quality Analysis of AISI 321 Welds of Bellow Compensators Used in Shipbuilding

The production of compensators (expansion joints), and especially of bellows as their most demanding elements, requires the usage of stainless materials. These stainless materials exhibit certain particularities at welding (and quality control) since they are very thin, i.e., their thickness ranges usually from 0.12 to 3.00 mm. This paper starts with the elaboration of compensators and their application, and further presents characteristics of the material selected for experimental testing. In the second part, the paper continues with a description of the experiment referring to longitudinal welding of samples without filler material. The experiment focused on the determination of accurate characteristics of radiographic recordings and their assessment based on comparison with the tensile testing (mechanical properties), FEM numerical simulation and dimensional control. The paper also presents the analysis of obtained results and conclusions made thereof. The research hypothesis was to determine in what way the welding parameters affect the mechanical properties, the geometric shape of the welds, and the exploitation possibilities of the compensator. According to the performed experimental part and the performed testing of mechanical properties, all welded joints are acceptable for use. Nevertheless, according to the standard that prescribes the acceptability criteria of defects that occur in welded joints, some of tested samples were not suitable for operating conditions. Such kinds of welded sheets must be repaired or eliminated from further processing.

Advanced forensic procedure for the authentication of audio recordings generated by Voice Memos application of iOS14.

In this study, we propose an advanced forensic examination procedure for audio recordings generated by the Voice Memos application with iPhone Operation System (iOS)14, to verify that these are the original recordings and have not been manipulated. The proposed examination procedure consists of an analysis of the characteristics of audio recordings and of the file system of the device storing the audio recordings. To analyze the characteristics of audio recordings, we compare the encoding parameters (bitrate, sampling rate, timestamps, etc.) and the file structure to determine whether audio recordings were manipulated. Next, in the device examination step, we analyze the media-log history and temporary files of the file system obtained by mobile forensic tools. For comparative analysis, a total of 100 audio recording samples were obtained through the Voice Memos application from five iPhone mobile handsets of different models with iOS14 installed using Advanced audio coding (AAC) or Apple lossless audio codec (ALAC). As a result of analyzing the encoding parameters between the original and manipulated audio recordings, as well as the temporary files contained in the device file system, the difference in the encoding parameters and the very unique trace of the original audio recordings in the temporary files were confirmed when manipulating the audio recordings. In particular, the primary advantage of our proposed method is its potential ability to recover original audio recordings that were subsequently manipulated via the temporary files examined in the device file system analysis.

Macrostratigraphy: Insights into Cyclic and Secular Evolution of the Earth-Life System

Rocks in Earth's crust are formed, modified, and destroyed in response to myriad interactions between the solid Earth (tectonics, geodynamics), the fluid Earth (ocean-atmosphere, cryosphere), and the living Earth (evolution, biochemistry). As such, the geological record is an integrator of geological, biological, and climatological processes and their histories. Here we review contrasting perceptions of the processes that govern the formation and destruction of the geological record, beginning with the relationship between macroevolutionary patterns in the fossil and sedimentary rock records and culminating with contrasting models of rock cycling. Using the approach of macrostratigraphy, we present an integrated summary of the quantity-age properties of rocks in continental and oceanic crust. The predominant process signal in the rock quantity-age distribution in continental crust is one of episodic growth, whereas in oceanic crust it is one of continual destruction. Relatively abrupt shifts in the dominant locus of sediment deposition, from fast-cycling oceanic crust to long-term continental reservoirs, and attendant expansions and contractions in the area of crust that is emergent, are correlated in timing and magnitude with shifts in the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere and major macroevolutionary transitions in the biosphere. The most recent of possibly two such first-ordertransitions occurred at the start of the Phanerozoic and is marked by a prominent preserved geomorphic surface known as the Great Unconformity. ▪ Macrostratigraphy uses the bulk characteristics of the rock record to probe the evolution of the Earth system. ▪ Quantifying the creation and destruction of rock units can illuminate the long-term evolution of continents and the life that inhabits them.

Weakened dust activity in southern Central Asia during Heinrich events

Central Asia is one of the dustiest regions of the world, although our understanding of its dust activity over time is limited due to the paucity of continuous, high-resolution, geological records with robust chronologies. In this study, we explore the particle size characteristics of an age-constrained high-resolution last glacial loess record in Tajikistan, southern Central Asia, with a view to reconstructing associated climate dynamics. In contrast to the situation in northern Central Asia and northern China, our results indicate that dust activity declined during Heinrich events and increased during interstadials. It is proposed that dust emission and transportation conditions played an important part in determining regional dust activity and that the role of reactivated paleo-dust has been underestimated. Not only annual humidity but also seasonal humidity should be considered in the paleo-dust activity investigation.

A Fault Signal Processing Method Based on An Improved Prony Algorithm

The fault of power systems introduces a severe challenge in terms of fault recording analysis, and the traditional Prony method cannot perform satisfactorily in the process of signal recordings fitting caused by faults. Therefore, an improved adaptive Prony algorithm is proposed in this article to study the characteristics of fault recordings. Specifically, the search step size is taken as an adaptive variable, and the mean square relative fitting error (MSRFE) is set as the criterion. Then, a large step is employed to rapidly determine an approximate segmentation point in the initial stage of the searching process, and its horizon is gradually reduced to establish an accurate subsegment point. Finally, the Prony algorithm is deployed to analyze the subsegment fitting original signal. The proposed approach has been simulated on an assumed fault signal, and the results validate the accuracy and efficiency of the method.

Decomposing seismic accelerograms with optimized window and its application for generating artificial fully non-Gaussian and nonstationary ground motion time histories

In the present study, we propose a framework to simulate artificial seismic ground motion time histories for a given target record based on the time-frequency decomposition with an optimized window. The considered time-frequency decomposition technique is the S-transform (ST), where the optimized window is determined based on an energy concentration measure (ECM). For the evaluation of ECM for S-transform, we propose to use the time-frequency power spectral density function rather than the ST coefficients. Depending on the adopted assumption, the use of the iterative power and amplitude correction algorithm (IPAC) or the spectral represent method is suggested. The use of IPAC could also preserve the non-Gaussian characteristics of the target record. The proposed framework to simulate the artificial seismic ground motion time histories can capture the irregular pockets of power concentration in the time-frequency domain, and no assumptions on the functional forms of the spectra are required. The use of the proposed framework in simulating the time histories is illustrated by numerical examples, showing that the zero-upcrossing rate, the power distribution in time and in frequency, and the spectral acceleration of the simulated time histories match well their corresponding targets.

Recognition of lifethreatening arrhythmias by the spectral characteristics of a short electrocardiogram recording

Recognition of lifethreatening arrhythmias by the spectral characteristics of a short electrocardiogram recording

Analysis of the possibility for seismic early warning in the Balkan Peninsula

This study analyses the possibility for seismic early warning (EW) in the Balkan Peninsula. A number of characteristics of seismic record were evaluated for EW utility. Some tests checked the possibility to locate events reliably by Golitsyn’s method, using one seismic station (SS). The distance and relevant travel time from some crustal faults to the nearest SS and big towns were appraised. EW procedures for most of the seismic zones in the Balkan Peninsula are not reliable, excepting the Vrancea zone, because of the small density of the SS, crustal depth of the earthquakes and fault crowdedness of the region.

A Comparative Analysis of the Different Performance Methods of the First Movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto K622 in the 20th Century

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto K622 is one of the most famous Concertos in the world. Due to the original score has been lost, Bassett clarinet in G key has gradually stepped out of people's vision in the long history, resulting in 18 versions of score on the world, and there are many completely different recorded versions at the same time. Taking 1970 as a time point, this paper analyzes the recording versions of four international mainstream clarinet masters before and after the 1970s, and horizontally discusses the differences and characteristics of early and late recording, in order to provide reference for clarinet performance and version selection.

Prediction of pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy using machine learning models in patients with breast cancer

The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) based model to accurately predict pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) using pretreatment clinical and pathological characteristics of electronic medical record (EMR) data in breast cancer (BC). The EMR data from patients diagnosed with early and locally advanced BC and who received NAC followed by curative surgery were reviewed. A total of 16 clinical and pathological characteristics was selected to develop ML model. We practiced six ML models using default settings for multivariate analysis with extracted variables. In total, 2065 patients were included in this analysis. Overall, 30.6% (n = 632) of patients achieved pCR. Among six ML models, the LightGBM had the highest area under the curve (AUC) for pCR prediction. After hyper-parameter tuning with Bayesian optimization, AUC was 0.810. Performance of pCR prediction models in different histology-based subtypes was compared. The AUC was highest in HR+HER2- subgroup and lowest in HR-/HER2- subgroup (HR+/HER2- 0.841, HR+/HER2+ 0.716, HR-/HER2 0.753, HR-/HER2- 0.653). A ML based pCR prediction model using pre-treatment clinical and pathological characteristics provided useful information to predict pCR during NAC. This prediction model would help to determine treatment strategy in patients with BC planned NAC.

Response characteristics of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials recorded over splenius capitis in young adults and adolescents

Background and objectivesExamine vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) responses recorded from surface electrodes over Splenius Capitis (SPC) in a seated position. Specific aims: (1) validate response characteristics of VEMP recordings from surface electrodes over Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and over SCP and (2) assess age effects on responses in adolescents and young adults. Materials and methodsSimultaneous surface VEMP was recorded bilaterally from electrodes placed over the dorsal neck musculature at a location known from previous work to record from SPC in 15 healthy participants during trials with head rotation toward and away from the stimulated ear. VEMP was also recorded from electrodes over SCM, ipsilateral to the stimulus ear, in the same participants in a supine, head lift/turn position. ResultsResponse amplitudes significantly increased with contraction strength and decreased with age. Participants were able to maintain sufficient contraction strength (amplitude) with head rotation to reliably measure over SPC. Normalized response amplitudes measured from electrodes over contralateral SPC were largest with head rotation contralateral to the stimulus ear. Normalized amplitudes and peak latencies were comparable to the same measures from SCM obtained in supine, head lift/turn position. ConclusionsOtolith generated myogenic responses can be recorded seated from electrodes over the dorsal neck with head rotation contralateral to the stimulus ear. In this position, contralateral recordings are consistent with responses known from previous work to arise from SPC; ipsilateral recordings may include crosstalk from activated muscles nearby, including ipsilateral SCM. Overall, techniques targeting contralateral SPC during contralateral head turn may provide additional methods of recording VEMPs.

A microclimatic study of urban neighbourhood parks

Green spaces are considered important natural and human-centric spaces in a city. They are considered essential to allow the proper functioning of the natural ecosystem in an urban environment. The study aims to determine the thermal impact of a neighbourhood park upon its residential surroundings in a rapidly urbanising city. The city of Gurugram, India, was chosen for a study as it has seen unprecedented growth, increasing the need to develop green spaces. A traverse survey is conducted in some chosen neighbourhood parks of Gurugram, and microclimatic variables are recorded. Three sites in different wards are surveyed multiple times to record on-site climatic data, building typology, building heights, survey points, and characteristics. These are then denoted graphically, and specific trends are generated and explained. The study also provides a path towards the study’s future scope, further enhancing the research topic’s overall understanding.

Application of 2021 American Diabetes Association Glycemic Treatment Clinical Practice Recommendations in Primary Care.

We aimed to identify the proportion of primary care patients meeting criteria for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) for cardiorenal comorbidities per 2021 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Standards of Care recommendations using readily available electronic health record (EHR) characteristics. We applied 2021 ADA recommendations to a primary care cohort of 13,350 adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We found that 33% of patients with diabetes would be eligible for an SGLT2i or GLP-1 RA based on cardiorenal comorbidities, 13% of patients met criteria for an SGLT2i based on heart failure or albuminuric chronic kidney disease (CKD), and 18% of patients met criteria for either agent based on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or CKD with an albumin-to-creatinine ratio of ≤300 mg/g. This EHR algorithm identified one-third of primary care patients with T2D as meeting criteria for SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA based on strict comorbidity definitions according to 2021 ADA recommendations.

Smart sensors to predict entrainment of freshwater mussels: A new tool in freshwater habitat assessment

1.The quantification and assessment of dynamic hydrogeomorphological processes is crucial in defining suitable habitat for aquatic benthic species. Yet a consistent approach to accurately record and monitor near-bed flow characteristics, remains largely undefined in freshwater ecology.2.The purpose of this work was to provide a direct, non-intrusive, low-cost and accessible tool to evaluate near-bed incipient flow conditions and predict when flow forcing results in the entrainment of individuals.3.This study designed, for the first time, an instrumented freshwater mussel, encompassing inertial microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS), housed within Margaritifera margaritifera shells.4.Following initial calibration of the embedded sensors to ensure accurate detection of three-dimensional displacement, dedicated flume experiments were undertaken to assess instrumented shell movement metrics, for a range of flow conditions and shell orientations.5.Analysis found that data from the sensors' readings could successfully detect, and potentially predict, entrainment events through the examination of variability in recordings of total acceleration, with entrainment risk shown to vary across flowrate, shell orientation and size.6.Instrumented shells could provide a valuable tool for assisting conservation management of freshwater mussel species: aiding the identification and monitoring of suitable habitat in reintroduction and restoration schemes. Instrumented shells could also assist habitat suitability surveys for a range of freshwater species, intimately linked to the physical environment of freshwater ecosystems.7.Evidence from this study suggests further research into this tool may yield methods for accurately predicting more complex flow metrics associated with hydraulic stress. It is therefore clear that the potential of this tool is still to be fully investigated.

Clinical analysis of video recordings of the basic motor patterns (CLAVIR) for the assessment of movement disorders in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Movement disorders arising in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during treatment require a more differentiated approach to diagnosis and the choice of rehabilitation methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the conceptional structure of supine-to-stand (STS) transition patterns and to develop a method for the diagnosis of movement disorders and the assessment of the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation in children and adolescents with ALL. We carried out a prospective comparative non-randomized study. The study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee and the Scientific Council of the Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology of Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation. The study included 184 children who were assigned to three groups. Group 1 (study group) included patients with ALL treated at the Center (n = 48, the median age was 14.0 years). Group 2 (control group) included patients with various serious diseases (acute myeloid leukemia, primary immunodeficiency, CNS malignancies, bone tumors, etc.) who also underwent treatment at the Center (n = 69, the median age was 14.5 years). Group 3 (control group) included healthy children and adolescents (n = 67, the median age was 14.2 years). We analyzed the characteristics of video recordings of the supine-to-stand process in apparently healthy children (Group 3) and in the patients treated at the Center (Groups 1 and 2) and then performed comparative analysis. We managed to detect, document, and divide into phases the video-based criteria of invariant characteristics of the acyclic locomotor pattern of the STS movement (from a supine to standing position with both feet on the floor). We identified the STS movement phases and clinically significant variants of STS transition patterns which were easily detectable on the video recordings. The objectivity of the analysis of the video-based criteria of invariant characteristics of the STS movement was achieved by the registration of timing characteristics of the locomotion pattern phases on video recordings. By calculating the coefficients of variation for observations from different angles and inter-researcher variability, we detected the most representative phases of the STS movement pattern on video recordings. A quantitative analysis of the STS test performance revealed significant differences between healthy controls and children with oncological diseases. The clinical analysis of video recordings of the basic motor patterns (CLAVIR) contributes a substantial amount of objective data to the clinical assessment of the diagnostic supine-to-stand test results in children and adolescents treated for ALL.

A long short-term recurrent spatial-temporal fusion for myoelectric pattern recognition

Current state-of-the-art myoelectric interfaces employ traditional pattern recognition (PR) algorithms to decode the Electromyogram (EMG) signals into hand movements for controlling artificial limbs. Recently, deep learning (DL) models have also been exploited for EMG feature learning/extraction. Models like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), which capture the spatial correlations, and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), which capture the non-linear temporal dynamics of EMG time-series data, have been shown to outperform traditional EMG PR systems. Nevertheless, the large number of model parameters, long training times, and large amounts of data required to train these DL models remain limiting factors that may hinder their translation into clinically viable prostheses. Consequently, rather than applying DL directly, this paper leverages concepts derived from these models to build upon our proposed concept of a Fusion of Time Domain Descriptors (FTDD). The FTDD are augmented with Range Spatial Filtering (RSF) to capture the spatial correlations and combined into an LSTM-style framework. This process, denoted as Recurrent Spatial-Temporal Fusion (RSTF), can be applied in combination with any traditional feature extraction method to exploit temporal and spatial correlations, with the potential for bi-directional applications. The advantages of the proposed RSTF method include (1) the memory concept, capturing long- and short-term spatial and temporal dependencies of the EMG signals, (2) significantly improved performance outperforming other state-of-the-art models and (3) the simplicity and the fairly low computational costs for feature extraction. Results are bench-marked against several feature extraction methods, proving the power of the RSTF using data from 82 subjects from five EMG databases with varying recording characteristics. The proposed method significantly outperforms all other methods tested for EMG pattern recognition, including a deep LSTM and other CNN methods previously reported in the literature and at a fracture of the computational cost. On the most challenging dataset, improvements of as much as 15% were found.

A research synthesis of quasi and experimental studies about palliative care nursing in Thailand

Objectives The objective of the study was to synthesize existing quantitative evidence on palliative care intervention among patients with various types of illness in Thailand. Methods A synthesis of quasi and experimental studies published between 2010-2020 was conducted. The sample included theses and research articles that focused on nursing therapeutic therapeutic nursing. programs and which utilized a quasi or experimental study design. The main research instrument was a coding sheet developed by the researchers to record characteristics of the studies that met the inclusion criteria. Data were analyzed by frequency and percentage Results The study found seven studies that were included in literature reviews. Of the seven studies, one was classified as level 2.B and other six were classified as level 2.C. The outcomes of these existing nursing therapeutic programs specific focuses of the therapeutic nursing studies were quality of life (2 studies, 28.5%), symptom management in patients with advanced cancer (1 study, 14.3%), measurement of palliative care behavior (1 study, 14.3%), measurement of self-adaptation (1 study, 14.3%), measurement of quality of nursing care (1 study, 14.3%), and perceived symptom distress and quality of care (1 study, 14.3%). There were four types of interventions for caring patients and families during periods of palliative care: structured information programs, concrete nursing care programs, teaching and counseling programs, and family participation programs. Conclusion The findings of this study could be utilized as empirical evidence in developing clinical practice guidelines for patients in need of palliative care related to the patients’ health problems, symptoms, and needs.

Capturing hand use of individuals with spinal cord injury at home using egocentric video: a feasibility study.

Feasibility study. The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of capturing egocentric (first person) video recordings in the home of individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) for hand function evaluation. Community-based study in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Three participants with SCI recorded activities of daily living (ADLs) at home without the presence of a researcher. Information regarding recording characteristics and compliance was obtained as well as structured and semi-structured interviews involving privacy, usefulness, and usability. A video processing algorithm capable of detecting interactions between the hand and objects was applied to the home recordings. In all, 98.58 ± 1.05% of the obtained footage was usable and included four to eight unique activities over a span of 3-7 days. The interaction detection algorithm yielded an F1 score of 0.75 ± 0.15. Capturing ADLs using an egocentric camera in the home environment after SCI is feasible. Considerations regarding privacy, ease of use of the devices, and scheduling of recordings are provided.

Modeling and Reproducibility of Twin Concentric Electrical Impedance Myography.

Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a recent technology to assess muscle health. As of today, the clinical application of EIM has been applied only to evaluate muscle condition using non-invasive surface electrodes in contact with the skin; however, intermediate tissues at the recording site introduce confounding artifacts which reduce the technique's performance as a biomarker of neuromuscular disorders (NMD). Here, we develop and test in humans a new approach using two concentric needles for intramuscular EIM recordings. First, we study the recording characteristics of dual concentric needle EIM via analytical models and finite element models (FEMs). Next, the validity of the models is verified by performing experiments on saline and agar phantoms. Finally, 8 subjects with various neuromuscular diseases were studied measuring tibialis anterior, biceps, deltoid, adductor pollicis brevis, first dorsal interosseous and flexor carpi radialis muscles. Analytical and FEM simulations are in good agreement with a maximum experimental discrepancy 8% and 9% using gauge needles 26 and 30, respectively. The inter-session reproducibility, as measured by the intraclass correlation coefficients for all muscles studied, was 0.926, which is comparable or exceeds the reproducibility of other well-established electrophysiological tests to assess muscle health. The reproducibility of the technique support future clinical validation of needle EIM for assessment of disease status, either as part of standard patient care or as biomarker measure in clinical trials. Needle EIM has the potential of becoming a valuable diagnostic tool to evaluate NMD in adult population.