MGait : Model-Based Gait Analysis Using Wearable Bend and Inertial Sensors

Movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, affect more than 10 million people worldwide. Gait analysis is a critical step in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of these disorders. Specifically, step and stride lengths provide valuable insights into the gait quality and rehabilitation process. However, traditional approaches for estimating step length are not suitable for continuous daily monitoring since they rely on special mats and clinical environments. To address this limitation, this article presents a novel and practical step-length estimation technique using low-power wearable bend and inertial sensors. Experimental results show that the proposed model estimates step length with 5.49% mean absolute percentage error and provides accurate real-time feedback to the user.

A Survey of AIOps Methods for Failure Management

Modern society is increasingly moving toward complex and distributed computing systems. The increase in scale and complexity of these systems challenges O&M teams that perform daily monitoring and repair operations, in contrast with the increasing demand for reliability and scalability of modern applications. For this reason, the study of automated and intelligent monitoring systems has recently sparked much interest across applied IT industry and academia. Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) has been proposed to tackle modern IT administration challenges thanks to Machine Learning, AI, and Big Data. However, AIOps as a research topic is still largely unstructured and unexplored, due to missing conventions in categorizing contributions for their data requirements, target goals, and components. In this work, we focus on AIOps for Failure Management (FM), characterizing and describing 5 different categories and 14 subcategories of contributions, based on their time intervention window and the target problem being solved. We review 100 FM solutions, focusing on applicability requirements and the quantitative results achieved, to facilitate an effective application of AIOps solutions. Finally, we discuss current development problems in the areas covered by AIOps and delineate possible future trends for AI-based failure management.

Optimization of premedication of patients with arterial hypertension and severe ventricular rhythm disturbances with Amiodarone-associated thyrotoxicosis

Introduction: The effectiveness of premedication of patients with arterial hypertension and severe ventricular rhythm disturbances against the background of Amiodarone-associated thyrotoxicosis, high anxiety and cyclothymiae disorders should be based on the pharmacological positions of the need to reduce the risk of dangerous adverse cardiovascular reactions. Materials and methods: During the research, a clinical group of 114 patients with arterial hypertension, severe ventricular arrhythmias and Amiodarone-associated type I thyrotoxicosis was formed: four subgroups were identified. In Subgroup 1 (n=22), no premedication was given. In Subgroup 2 (n=32), premedication was given with Diazepam and magnesium sulfate in a prolonged mode. In Subgroup 3 (n=30), the patients received Diazepam the day before surgery. In Subgroup 4 (n=30), premedication was given with Midazolam. A dynamic assessment of the severity of anxiety, depression, sedation and daily monitoring of blood pressure and ECG were carried out. Results and discussion: After surgery, in Subgroup 1, the level of anxiety and depression increased. In all other Subgroups, regardless of the type of premedication, the use of benzodiazepines was accompanied by a decrease in the level of anxiety after surgery. A decrease in pressure load and an increase in the stability of the parameters of systemic hemodynamics were registered in Subgroup 2 of patients, whereas in Subgroup 4 of patients, the pressure load increased while limiting the differences in blood pressure values during the day. After surgery, in Subgroup 2, cardiac rhythm disturbances were less common; in Subgroup 3, the structure of rhythmogenesis disturbances in the heart almost did not change, and in Subgroup 4, there was an unfavorable trend of an increase in the frequency of supraventricular, single and group ventricular extrasystoles. Conclusion: The prolonged premedication with long-acting benzodiazepines and magnesium preparations in patients with arterial hypertension, ventricular rhythm disturbances against the background of Amiodarone-associated thyrotoxicosis reduces the level of anxiety, as well as the risk of developing cardiovascular complications and instability of systemic hemodynamics.

Daily monitoring of scattered light noise due to microseismic variability at the Virgo interferometer

Data acquired by the Virgo interferometer during the second part of the O3 scientific run, referred to as O3b, were analysed with the aim of characterising the onset and time evolution of scattered light noise in connection with the variability of microseismic noise in the environment surrounding the detector. The adaptive algorithm used, called pytvfemd, is suitable for the analysis of time series which are both nonlinear and nonstationary. It allowed to obtain the first oscillatory mode of the differential arm motion degree of freedom of the detector during days affected by scattered light noise. The mode’s envelope i.e., its instantaneous amplitude, is then correlated with the motion of the West end bench, a known source of scattered light during O3. The relative velocity between the West end test mass and the West end optical bench is used as a predictor of scattered light noise. Higher values of correlation are obtained in periods of higher seismic noise in the microseismic frequency band. This is also confirmed by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of scattered light glitches from GravitySpy for the January-March 2020 period. Obtained results suggest that the adopted methodology is suited for scattered light noise characterisation and monitoring in gravitational wave interferometers.

Recruiting Resident Participants from Nursing Homes During the COVID Pandemic: Challenges and Solutions

Recruiting nursing home residents as participants in research is challenging. In early 2021, Covid-19 cases rose rapidly in nursing homes, prompting the rapid deployment of infectious disease protocols and ultimately, facility lockdowns to control the spread of the virus. By September, 2020, many research projects were delayed or cancelled, and future research was jeopardized. During this period, as well as prior to and after the administration of the COVID vaccine, we enrolled residents in a complex protocol involving administration of two Shingles vaccines (0- and 90 days) and three separate blood samples. Here, we present the strategies we used to recruit 216 residents, from 23 homes, over a 9-month period. We faced many challenges. Our research staff faced weekly COVID-19 antigen tests prior to entering the facility, adhering to strict protocols on travel, as well as packaging of materials that entered and left the facility. N95 masks and face shields further made it difficult to communicate with residents. For homes, COVID protocols required residents to be transported to specified areas to meet with research staff. Daily monitoring of COVID and Shingrix vaccine symptoms became part of daily care. To minimize resident harm and interruption of workflow in nursing homes, we utilized principles of stakeholder engagement, healthcare leadership, infectious disease/immunology, and staff (research and nursing homes) empowerment. In the face of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic, we have gained the trust and commitment of these facilities; thus, establishing a sustainable partnership that is prepared for what comes next.

Educación online durante la COVID-19: problemáticas afrontadas por los docentes

El presente artículo se plantea analizar cuáles son las problemáticas afrontadas por los docentes a la hora de comunicarse con las familias y discentes durante el confinamiento en contextos educativos especialmente vulnerables. Para ello, realizaremos un repaso de la teoría, la cual nos permitirá formular las preguntas y objetivos y así, orientar la investigación.Por lo tanto, conoceremos las consecuencias que las TIC han provocado en nuestra sociedad y, centrándonos en el ámbito educativo, podemos observar cómo la brecha educativa y la brecha digital se han agudizado. Por ello, las problemáticas serán presentadas en el contexto de la crisis sanitaria de la COVID-19, con el fin de poder comprender cómo el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje fue desarrollado de manera online.Para ello, se ha desarrollado un instrumento de investigación con el objetivo de tratar las problemáticas afrontadas y, además tratar las acciones que estos docentes llevaron a cabo. Estos aspectos serán tratados en un contexto vulnerable, ya que el instrumento de investigación será cumplimentado por docentes que ejercían el curso pasado en centros educativos que pertenecían al Plan de Compensación Educativa, con el fin de poder analizar esta situación en los contextos más vulnerables.Por último, en relación a los resultados obtenidos, podemos observar cómo las problemáticas que los docentes han tenido que afrontar, cómo pueden ser la falta de recursos tecnológicos o la escasa implicación familiar, han dificultado gravemente el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje del alumnado, provocando sentimientos de frustración entre el equipo docente y las familias. Por ello, ante esta situación los docentes han realizado un seguimiento diario del alumnado a través de videoconferencias y han mantenido una comunicación fluida con las familias a través de llamadas telefónicas, debido al escaso uso que las familias y alumnado realizaban de los entornos digitales proporcionados por el centro. In the present research work a review of the theory is carried out, thanks to which we will know how the current society has changed due to technological advances, thus influencing the current society, which we can affirm that it is an Information Society made up of digital citizens.Therefore, we will know the consequences that ICTs have caused in our society and, focusing on the educational field, we can observe how the educational gap and the digital divide have become more acute. Therefore, the problems will be presented in the context of the health crisis of COVID-19, in order to understand how the teaching-learning process was developed online.For this, a research instrument has been developed in order to address the problems faced and also measure the strategies that these teachers developed. These aspects will be treated in a vulnerable context, since the research instrument will be completed by teachers who exercised last year in educational centres that belonged to the Educational Compensation Plan, in order to be able to analyse this situation in the most vulnerable contexts.Finally, in relation to the results obtained, we can observe how the problems that the teachers have had to face, such as the lack of technological resources or the scarce family involvement, have seriously hampered the teaching-learning process of the students, provoking feelings of frustration between the teaching team and the families. Therefore, in the face of this situation, teachers have carried out daily monitoring of students through videoconferences and have maintained fluid communication with families through telephone calls, due to the scant use that families and students made of the digital environments provided by the centre.

Daily monitoring of D-dimer allows outcomes prediction in COVID-19

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The results of daily monitoring of salivary pepsin levels in young children with regurgitation syndrome

Regurgitation syndrome in infants is one of the manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GER), which can be both an age-related physiological condition and pathological one with the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) developing. Differential diagnosis of GERD in infants and young children is difficult due to invasiveness and low availability of the recommended diagnostic methods, in particular esophageal pH3metry. Today, the search for new non-invasive and simple, but sensitive and specific, methods for diagnosing GERD in pediatric practice is relevant and promising. Purpose — to determine the dynamic patterns of the salivary pepsin level in young children within the framework of daily monitoring and depending on the clinical manifestations of regurgitation. Materials and methods. 55 children from 3 to 18 months were examined, among them was 38 children with visible regurgitation syndrome and 17 healthy children without clinical manifestations of the regurgitation syndrome. The intensity of regurgitation was assessed using a five-point scale «ESPGHAN». A reflux questionnaire was used for screening diagnostics of pathological GER in children. Salivary pepsin level was determined three times a day by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA pepsin). Statistical processing was performed using «Statistica v.6.1» software package. Results. Regurgitation syndrome was registered in all children of the main group according to their current complaints. The results of reflux questionnaire showed the following data: half of the children (52.6%) had no signs of GER, possible reflux was revealed in 31.6% of children, and probable reflux was revealed in 15.8% of children. The results of daily monitoring of salivary pepsin level in infants showed that it was significantly higher in children with regurgitation than in control group, both in terms of average daily values and intermediate values. It was found that the maximum pepsin activity in children was immediately after regurgitation. There were no significant differences between the three saliva samples and the average daily pepsin index in the children of the main group, which may indicate the presence of latent episodes of reflux during the day. Сhildren with a high risk of GERD according to the reflux questionnaire had significantly higher values of salivary pepsin on an empty stomach and its average daily level, which has sufficient specificity and predictive value according to the ROC analysis results. Conclusions. Determination of salivary pepsin levels in infants can be included in screening noninvasive tests for the GER diagnosis. The use of these tests to predict the risk of extraesophageal damage requires further study. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the participating institution. The informed consent of the patient was obtained for conducting the studies. No conflict of interest was declared by the authors. Key words: regurgitation, GER, GERD, pepsin, children.