Sleep disturbances are common in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, and together represent a potential therapeutic target for disease modification. A major barrier for ...studying sleep in patients with dementia is the requirement for overnight polysomnography (PSG) to achieve formal sleep staging. This is not only costly, but also spending a night in a hospital setting is not always advisable in this patient group. As an alternative to PSG, portable electroencephalography (EEG) headbands (HB) have been developed, which reduce cost, increase patient comfort, and allow sleep recordings in a person’s home environment. However, naïve applications of current automated sleep staging systems tend to perform inadequately with HB data, due to their relatively lower quality. Here we present a deep learning (DL) model for automated sleep staging of HB EEG data to overcome these critical limitations. The solution includes a simple band-pass filtering, a data augmentation step, and a model using convolutional (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) layers. With this model, we have achieved 74% (±10%) validation accuracy on low-quality two-channel EEG headband data and 77% (±10%) on gold-standard PSG. Our results suggest that DL approaches achieve robust sleep staging of both portable and in-hospital EEG recordings, and may allow for more widespread use of ambulatory sleep assessments across clinical conditions, including neurodegenerative disorders.
A new background rejection strategy for
γ-ray astrophysics with stereoscopic Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACT), based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and real background data from the ...H.E.S.S. High Energy Stereoscopic System, see
1. experiment, is described. The analysis is based on a multivariate combination of both previously-known and newly-derived discriminant variables using the physical shower properties, as well as its multiple images, for a total of eight variables. Two of these new variables are defined thanks to a new energy evaluation procedure, which is also presented here. The method allows an enhanced sensitivity with the current generation of ground-based Cherenkov telescopes to be achieved, and at the same time its main features of rapidity and flexibility allow an easy generalization to any type of IACT. The robustness against Night Sky Background (NSB) variations of this approach is tested with MC simulated events. The overall consistency of the analysis chain has been checked by comparison of the real
γ-ray signal obtained from H.E.S.S. observations with MC simulations and through reconstruction of known source spectra. Finally, the performance has been evaluated by application to faint H.E.S.S. sources. The gain in sensitivity as compared to the best standard
Hillas analysis ranges approximately from 1.2 to 1.8 depending on the source characteristics, which corresponds to an economy in observation time of a factor 1.4 to 3.2.
The γ-ray emission above $250 \mathrm{GeV}$ from the BL Lac object Markarian 421 was observed by the CAT Cherenkov imaging telescope between December, 1996, and June, 2000. In 1998, the source ...produced a series of small flares, making it the second extragalactic source detected by CAT. The time-averaged differential spectrum has been measured from 0.3 to $5 \mathrm{TeV}$, which is well fitted with a power law: $\frac{\mathrm{d}\phi}{\mathrm{d}E}\varpropto E_{\mathrm{TeV}}^{-2.88\pm0.12^\mathrm{stat}\pm0.06^\mathrm{syst}}$. In 2000, the source showed an unprecedented activity, with variability time-scales as short as one hour, as for instance observed during the night between 4 and 5 February. The 2000 time-averaged spectrum measured is compatible with that of 1998, but some indication of a spectral curvature is found between 0.3 and $5 \mathrm{TeV}$. The possibility of $\mathrm{TeV}$ spectral hardening during flares is also discussed, and the results are compared to those obtained on the other $\mathrm{TeV}$ BL Lac, Markarian 501.
H.E.S.S.––the high energy stereoscopic system––is a new system of large imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, with about 100 m
2 mirror area for each of four telescopes, and photomultiplier ...cameras with a large field of view (5°) and small pixels (0.16°). The dish and reflector are designed to provide good imaging properties over the full field of view, combined with mechanical stability. The paper describes the design criteria and specifications of the system, and the individual components––dish, mirrors, and Winston cones––as well as their characteristics. The optical performance of the telescope as a whole is the subject of a companion paper.
To assess the accuracy of hysterosonography (HSG) and its role in diagnostic confidence and therapeutic clinical decision making among referring physicians caring for patients with postmenopausal ...bleeding (PMB).
One hundred twenty-three patients with PMB underwent transvaginal ultrasonography (US) and HSG. They were examined for cancer, polyp, leiomyoma, and hyperplasia. Physicians assessed the effect of the studies on diagnostic confidence and care, including biopsy, dilation and curettage, hysteroscopy, hormone manipulation, and/or patient reassurance. Abnormality was proved with histopathologic evaluation, and normality, with 6-month follow-up.
In 10 patients, HSG was unsuccessful, and in 15, follow-up was incomplete; this left 98 patients. Endometrial polyps were seen in 46 (47%) patients; leiomyoma, in 11 (11%); cancer, in four (4%); hyperplasia, in eight (8%); and normal findings, in 29 (30%). Our calculations yielded a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 88%. In 86 (88%) patients, US added certainty to the diagnosis; in 78 (80%), it resulted in a change in patient treatment.
HSG and transvaginal US in patients with PMB improves diagnostic accuracy, clinical decision making, and the clinician's diagnostic certainty. In patients with benign causes of PMB, the absence of abnormality at HSG and a normal endometrial biopsy result may eliminate the need for further studies.
To determine whether women with vulvodynia differ from women with chronic pelvic pain and normal controls in their psychological functioning, somatic preoccupation, pain experience and sexual ...functioning.
Cross-sectional, self-report study of women presenting to University of Michigan specialty and general clinics for the treatment of vulvodynia or chronic pelvic pain or seeking a routine gynecologic examination. All subjects completed questionnaires assessing demographic characteristics, pain, depressive symptoms, general affective state, marital adjustment, functional activity, somatic complaints, exposures, and medical and sexual history. Univariate analyses, chi 2 tests, analyses of variance and logistic regression were used to assess associations between these variables and the diagnostic category.
Women with vulvodynia (n = 31) were similar to asymptomatic control women (n = 23) in demographic characteristics, sexual relationship variables, sexual behaviors, current and past depression, somatic sensitivity, and history of sexual or physical abuse. Women with chronic pelvic pain (n = 18) were younger and less educated than the other two groups and were more likely to have a history of physical and sexual abuse, to report recent depression and to screen positive for current depression, to have more work absences and to have more somatic complaints.
Women with vulvodynia are psychologically similar to control women but differ significantly from women with chronic pelvic pain. A primary psychological cause of vulvodynia is not supported.
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