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Is the answer to improved health hiding in plain sight?
Get PDFA socio-political commentary on integrating the Fitness and Medical Industries to confront an increasing chronic disease burden
Strength and conditioning for golf athletes: biomechanics, injury risk, physical requirements, and recommendations for testing and training
Get PDFHistorically, golf is not a sport that has a strong tradition of strength and conditioning (S&C). However, a greater understanding of the health and performance-related benefits of S&C training has resulted in players starting to take their physical fitness much more seriously. As a result, professional players are hitting the ball much further than 20 years ago, primarily due to increases in club head speed (CHS). Owing to the unique nature of the sport, it is not always entirely obvious how S&C practitioners can impact golf performance. This article aims to provide practitioners with an overview of the biomechanics associated with golf, common sites of injury, required physical capacities and proposed recommendations for testing and training the golf athlete
VANT-GAN: adversarial learning for discrepancy-based visual attribution in medical imaging
Get PDFVisual attribution (VA) in relation to medical images is an essential aspect of modern automation-assisted diagnosis. Since it is generally not straightforward to obtain pixel-level ground-truth labelling of medical images, classification-based interpretation approaches have become the de facto standard for automated diagnosis, in which the ability of classifiers to make categorical predictions based on class-salient regions is harnessed within the learning algorithm. Such regions, however, typically constitute only a small subset of the full range of features of potential medical interest. They may hence not be useful for VA of medical images where capturing all of the disease evidence is a critical requirement. This hence motivates the proposal of a novel strategy for visual attribution that is not reliant on image classification. We instead obtain normal counterparts of abnormal images and find discrepancy maps between the two. To perform the abnormal-to-normal mapping in unsupervised way, we employ a Cycle-Consistency Generative Adversarial Network, thereby formulating visual attribution in terms of a discrepancy map that, when subtracted from the abnormal image, makes it indistinguishable from the counterpart normal image. Experiments are performed on three datasets including a synthetic, Alzheimer’s disease Neuro imaging Initiative and, BraTS dataset. We outperform baseline and related methods in both experiments
CroLSSim: Cross‐language software similarity detector using hybrid approach of LSA‐based AST‐MDrep features and CNN‐LSTM model
Get PDFSoftware similarity in different programming codes is a rapidly evolving field because of its numerous applications in software development, software cloning, software plagiarism, and software forensics. Currently, software researchers and developers search cross-language open-source repositories for similar applications for a variety of reasons, such as reusing programming code, analyzing different implementations, and looking for a better application. However, it is a challenging task because each programming language has a unique syntax and semantic structure. In this paper, a novel tool called Cross-Language Software Similarity (CroLSSim) is designed to detect similar software applications written in different programming codes. First, the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) features are collected from different programming codes. These are high-quality features that can show the abstract view of each program. Then, Methods Description (MDrep) in combination with AST is used to examine the relationship among different method calls. Second, the Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency approach is used to retrieve the local and global weights from AST-MDrep features. Third, the Latent Semantic Analysis-based features extraction and selection method is proposed to extract the semantic anchors in reduced dimensional space. Fourth, the Convolution Neural Network (CNN)-based features extraction method is proposed to mine the deep features. Finally, a hybrid deep learning model of CNN-Long-Short-Term Memory is designed to detect semantically similar software applications from these latent variables. The data set contains approximately 9.5K Java, 8.8K C#, and 7.4K C++ software applications obtained from GitHub. The proposed approach outperforms as compared with the state-of-the-art methods
Statistical investigation of climate change effects on the utilization of the sediment heat energy
Get PDFSuvilahti, a suburb of the city of Vaasa in western Finland, was the first area to use seabed sediment heat as the main source of heating for a high number of houses. Moreover, in the same area, a unique land uplift effect is ongoing. The aim of this paper is to solve the challenges and find opportunities caused by global warming by utilizing seabed sediment energy as a renewable heat source. Measurement data of water and air temperature were analyzed, and correlations were established for the sediment temperature data using Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Enterprise Guide 7.1. software. The analysis and provisional forecast based on the autoregression integrated moving average (ARIMA) model revealed that air and water temperatures show incremental increases through time, and that sediment temperature has positive correlations with water temperature with a 2-month lag. Therefore, sediment heat energy is also expected to increase in the future. Factor analysis validations show that the data have a normal cluster and no particular outliers. This study concludes that sediment heat energy can be considered in prominent renewable production, transforming climate change into a useful solution, at least in summertime
Reiki practitioners' perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experience, practice and future of Reiki
Get PDFObjectives: This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experience, practice and future of Reiki in the UK, including the personal impact of the pandemic on practitioners and their work, practitioner perceptions of the future of the profession and Reiki delivery, and practitioner experiences and views of distant Reiki in comparison to hands on or near the body treatments.
Method: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was carried out with 10 Reiki practitioners. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: Three themes were identified: adapting and growing with the challenges of COVID-19, Reiki for individual and community resilience, and moving from the mainstream hands on to lesser known distant Reiki.
Conclusion: While the COVID-19 pandemic personally impacted Reiki practitioners, they focused on turning adversity into opportunity to overcome a sense of disconnectedness and social isolation by providing social support and promoting individual and community resilience. Practitioners focused on self-care, personal development and reaching out to the community. Personal Protective Equipment was perceived as necessary for infection control but a potential barrier to the client’s experience of Reiki. They saw value in adapting their practice as part of the future of the profession by utilising new technology and distant Reiki healing, but were clear this could not replace in person contact
A critical review of household recycling barriers in the United Kingdom
Get PDFThe UK recycling rate fluctuates between 45% and 47% and has consistently failed to meet the 65% target set by the post-Brexit Resource and Waste Strategy. Understanding the issues surrounding the low recycling rate in metropolitan cities in the UK will help to overcome these recycling challenges. The review examines the current situation with regards to the recycling rate and tonnage of waste produced in the UK based on available secondary waste flow data and explores different barriers related to household recycling. Many areas giving rise to the recycling challenges have been identified, including waste policy constraints, lack of effective communication, public engagement, physical barriers, service constraints, human factors, and socio-economic barriers. The literature review reveals factors such as waste policy, communication, and physical factors were the most important aspects in influencing recycling rate or output. It is concluded that a multi-dimension intervention is required, which includes a thorough review of waste policy, a more stringent enforcement, an improved communication strategy, and a more integrated planning development policy to mitigate issues affecting the UK’s low recycling rate or output. This approach will propel the local authorities to launch or initiate effective recycling management and to put in place the required infrastructure to facilitate effective recycling activities
Taxane monotherapy regimens for the treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer [Review - Intervention]
No full textBackground Ovarian cancer is the seventh most frequent cancer diagnosis worldwide, and the eighth leading cause of cancer mortality. Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most common kind, accounting for 90% of cases. First-line therapy for women with epithelial ovarian cancer consists of a combination of cytoreductive surgery and platinum and taxane-based chemotherapy. However, more than 50% of women with epithelial ovarian cancer will experience a relapse and require further chemotherapy and at some point develop resistance to platinum-based drugs. Currently, guidance on the use of most chemotherapy drugs, including taxanes, is unclear for women whose epithelial ovarian cancer has recurred. Paclitaxel, topotecan, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride, trabectedin and gemcitabine are all licensed for use in the UK at the discretion of clinicians, following discussion with the women as to potential adverse effects. Taxanes can be given in once-weekly regimens (at a lower dose) or three-weekly regimens (at a higher dose), which may have differences in the severity of side effects and effectiveness. As relapsed disease suggests incurable disease, it is all the more important to consider side effects and the impact of treatment schedules, as well as quality of life, and not only the life-prolonging effects of treatment.
Objectives To assess the efficacy and toxicity of different taxane monotherapy regimens for women with recurrent epithelial ovarian, tubal or primary peritoneal cancer. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Embase, up to 22 March 2022. Other related databases and trial registries were searched as well as grey literature and no additional studies were identified. A total of 1500 records were identified. Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials of taxane monotherapy for adult women diagnosed with recurrent epithelial ovarian, tubal or primary peritoneal cancer, previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. We included trials comparing two or more taxane monotherapy regimens. Participants could be experiencing their first recurrence of disease or any line of recurrence.
Data collection and analysis Two review authors screened, independently assessed studies, and extracted data from the included studies. The clinical outcomes we examined were overall survival, response rate, progression-free survival, neurotoxicity, neutropenia, alopecia, and quality of life. We performed statistical analyses using fixed-effect and random-effects models following standard Cochrane methodology. We rated the certainty of evidence according to the GRADE approach.
Main results Our literature search yielded 1500 records of 1466 studies; no additional studies were identified by searching grey literature or hand searching. We uploaded the search results into Covidence. After the exclusion of 92 duplicates, we screened titles and abstracts of1374 records. Of these, we identified 24 studies for full-text screening. We included four parallel-group randomised controlled trials (RCTs).All trials were multicentred and conducted in a hospital setting. The studies included 981 eligible participants with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer, tubal or primary peritoneal cancer with a median age ranging between 56 to 62 years of age. All participants had a WHO(World Health Organization) performance status of between 0 to 2. The proportion of participants with serous histology ranged between56% to 85%. Participants included women who had platinum-sensitive (71%) and platinum-resistant (29%) relapse. Some participants were taxane pre-treated (5.6%), whilst the majority were taxane-naive (94.4%). No studies were classified as having a high risk of bias for any of the domains in the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We found that there may be little or no difference in overall survival (OS) between weekly paclitaxel and three-weekly paclitaxel, but the evidence is very uncertain (risk ratio (RR) of 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66 to 1.33, two studies, 263 participants, very low-certainty evidence). Similarly, there may be little or no difference in response rate (RR of 1.07, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.48, two studies, 263 participants, very low-certainty evidence) and progression-free survival (PFS) (RR of 0.83, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.52, two studies, 263 participants, very low-certainty evidence) between weekly and three-weekly paclitaxel, but the evidence is very uncertain. We found differences in the chemotherapy-associated adverse events between the weekly and three-weekly paclitaxel regimens. The weekly paclitaxel regimen may result in a reduction in neutropenia (RR 0.51, 95% 0.27 to 0.95, two studies, 260 participants, low-certainty evidence) and alopecia (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.73, one study, 205 participants, low-certainty evidence). There may be little or no difference in neurotoxicity, but the evidence was very low-certainty and we cannot exclude an effect (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.19 to 1.45, two studies, 260 participants).When examining the effect of paclitaxel dosage in the three-weekly regimen, the 250 mg/m2 paclitaxel regimen probably causes more neurotoxicity compared to the 175 mg/m2 regimen (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.80, one study, 330 participants, moderate-certainty evidence).Quality-of-life data were not extractable from any of the included studies.
Authors' conclusions Fewer people may experience neutropenia when given weekly rather than three-weekly paclitaxel (low-certainty evidence), although it may make little or no difference to the risk of developing neurotoxicity (very low-certainty evidence). This is based on the participants receiving lower doses of drug more often. However, our confidence in this result is low and the true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Weekly paclitaxel probably reduces the risk of alopecia, although the rates in both arms were high (46%versus 79%) (low-certainty evidence). A change to weekly from three-weekly chemotherapy could be considered to reduce the likelihood of toxicity, as it may have little or no negative impact on response rate (very low-certainty evidence), PFS (very low-certainty evidence) or OS (very low-certainty evidence).Three-weekly paclitaxel, given at a dose of 175 mg/m2 compared to a higher dose, probably reduces the risk of neurotoxicity. We are moderately confident in this result; the true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. A change to 175 mg/m2 paclitaxel (from a higher dose), if a three-weekly regimen is used, probably has little or no negative impact on PFS or OS (very low-certainty evidence)
Classification techniques for arrhythmia patterns using convolutional neural networks and Internet of Things (IoT) devices
Get PDFThe rise of Telemedicine has revolutionized how patients are being treated, leading to several advantages such as enhanced health analysis tools, accessible remote healthcare, basic diagnostic of health parameters, etc. The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and their incorporation into Telemedicine extends the potential of health benefits of Telemedicine even further. Therefore, the synergy between AI, IoT, and Telemedicine creates diverse innovative scenarios for integrating cyber-physical systems into medical health to provide remote monitoring and interactive assistance to patients. Data from World Health Organization reports that 7.4 million people died because of Atrial Fibrillation (AF), recognizing the most common arrhythmia associated with human heart rate. Causes like unhealthy diet, smoking, poor resources to go to the doctor and based on research studies, about 12 and 17.9 million of people will be suffering the AF in the USA and Europe, in 2050 and 2060, respectively. The AF as a cardiovascular disease is becoming an important public health issue to tackle. By using a systematic approach, this paper reviews recent contributions related to the acquisition of heart beats, arrhythmia detection, IoT, and visualization. In particular, by analysing the most closely related papers on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and IoT devices in heart disease diagnostics, we present a summary of the main research gaps with suggested directions for future research