A New Method for Detecting Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that can induce hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and other diseases, so the detection of sleep apnea is clinically important for the prevention of these diseases. In order to improve the detection performance and verify which physiological signals are better for sleep apnea detection, this paper uses multi-channel signal superposition and channel summation to improve the content of valid information in the original signal. Thirty features are analyzed by Relief feature selection algorithm. Finally, 15 features were used to build a classification model and support vector machine (SVM) was used for classification. The experimental results showed that the highest accuracy of 96.24% was achieved when electrocardiogram (X2) and electroencephalogram (C3-A2) channels were used for channel summation.

Explaining the Challenges of Coping with Coronavirus Crisis in the Workplaces: A Qualitative Study

Background: Workplaces play a highly important role in controlling or spreading the prevalence of COVID-19. Therefore, the lack of proper implementation of hygienic protocols in theses environments might increase the risk of getting infected with the COVID-19 among the employees, following the increase of the COVID-19 in the family and community levels. This qualitative study was aimed to explain the challenges of coping with coronavirus crisis in the workplaces.Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted with a conventional content analysis approach. We used the purposeful sampling with maximum diversity in terms of working processes. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were performed to the point of information saturation. MAXQDA software version 10 was used for data management.Results: Through the content analysis of the interviews with the participants, we identified 2 main classes and 9 sub-classes. The main classes included problems and limitations related to the intra-organizational factors (job nature, budget allocation problems, individual factors, disorganization, manpower and equipment, and Lack of commitment and insufficient support of managers) and extra-organizational factors (lack of accessibility to valid information, black market, and inter-sectorial coordination problems). Conclusion: The study findings indicated that organizations and industries face numerous internal and external challenges in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Paying attention to the mentioned limitations and attempting to eliminate them; especially, by the governmental organizations, employers, and managers could help in effective confronting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fake news identification

Fake news, deceptive information, and conspiracy theories are part of our everyday life. It is really hard to distinguish between false and valid information. As contemporary people receive the majority of information from electronic publications, in many cases fake information can seriously harm people’s health or economic status. This article will analyze the question of how up-to-date information technology can help detect false information. Our proposition is that today we do not have a perfect solution to identify fake news. There are quite a few methods employed for the discrimination of fake and valid information, but none of them is perfect. In our opinion, the reason is not in the weaknesses of the algorithms, but in the underlying human and social aspects.

Nonverbal pre-performance expressions of professional darts players distinguish between good and poor performance

The present research attempted to extend prior research that showed that thin-slices of pre-performance nonverbal behavior (NVB) of professional darts players gives valid information to observers about subsequent performance tendencies. Specifically, we investigated what kind of nonverbal cues were associated with success and informed thin-slice ratings. Participants (N = 61) were first asked to estimate the performance of a random sample of videos showing the preparatory NVB of professional darts players (N = 47) either performing well (470 clips) or poorly (470 clips). Preparatory NVB was assessed via preparation times and Active Appearance Modeling using Noldus FaceReader. Results showed that observers could distinguish between good and poor performance based on thin-slices of preparatory NVB (p = 0.001, d = 0.87). Further analyses showed that facial expressions prior to poor performance showed more arousal (p = 0.011, ƞ2p = 0.10), sadness (p = 0.040, ƞ2p = 0.04), and anxiety (p = 0.009, ƞ2p = 0.09) and preparation times were shorter (p = 0.001, ƞ2p = 0.36) prior to poor performance than good performance. Lens model analyses showed preparation times (p = 0.001, rho = 0.18), neutral (p = 0.001, rho = 0.13), sad (rho = 0.12), and facial expressions of arousal (p = 0.001, rho = 0.11) to be correlated with observers’ performance ratings. Hence, preparation times and facial cues associated with a player’s level of arousal, neutrality, and sadness seem to be valid nonverbal cues that observers utilize to infer information about subsequent perceptual-motor performance.

Giving patients a voice in Health Technology Assessment decision-making in Greece: a patient advocacy group consensus analysis

Objective This analysis aimed to assess patient advocacy groups’ (PAGs) perspectives on patients’ and PAGs’ potential role in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) decision-making in Greece. Methods In total, 22 representatives of PAGs participated in a consensus panel meeting. Participants’ views were elicited via a consensus panel meeting, through a televoting procedure, based on a structured questionnaire with close-ended questions. Voting was anonymous, to avoid the influence of the dominant personality. After voting, the results were presented to the participants and televoting was repeated to achieve consensus. Key findings The majority of participants (94.8%) believe that valid information on the developments regarding HTA in Greece is not conveyed to them by the official national regulatory sources. Key sources of valid information on developments regarding HTA were: conferences (95.2%), international PAGs (85.7%) and HTA experts/scientists (76.2%). About 76.2% of participants evaluated PAGs’ competence to participate in policy-making concerning HTA scheme formation as moderate or higher. Regarding patients’ effective participation in HTA decision-making, greater importance (points 4 and 5 on a 5-point scale) was given to their education on treatment effects in terms of quality of life (100.0%), basic principles of health economics and pharmaceutical policy (95.5%) and ethical aspects of HTA (95.0%). About 55.0% strongly agree that patients should formally express their opinion on HTA issues, while 72.7% believe that patients’ opinions on HTA issues should be expressed through participation in the process and right to vote. Conclusions The participation of patients in HTA decision-making is an issue not only of justice but also of essence. For a productive participation, PAGs training is essential.

The Importance of Apex Location and Proximal Hemi-Curve Morphology for the Surgical Tactic of Significant Convex Coronal Imbalance in Patients with Dystrophic Scoliosis Secondary to Type I Neurofibromatosis: Classification and Management

Background. There was a paucity of valid information on how to discriminate between different patterns of convex coronal imbalance (CCI>3cm) in dystrophic scoliosis secondary to Type I neurofibromatosis (DS-NF1), while aggravated postoperative CCI occurred regularly with the causes being insufficiently investigated. We aimed to develop a new classification of CCI in DS-NF1, and to optimize the coronal rebalancing strategies.Methods. NF1-related scoliosis database was reviewed and different types of CCI were identified, and the outcomes of coronal rebalance were analyzed. Results. Two main CCI patterns were defined: thoracic CCI (Type 1) and thoracolumbar/lumbar CCI (Type 2), and were further subtyped by the compensatory behavior of the upper hemi-curve (straight or curved morphology). The incidence of immediate post-op CCI was 0.0% and 63.6% for Type1 and Type 2 groups, respectively. Mismatch of both translation and inclination correction between the upper and lower hemi-curve was significant in the post-op coronal imbalanced group (△Upper Arc Translation/△Lower Arc Translation: 109.6±60.0% vs. 31.8±34.4%, p=0.008; △Upper Arc Inclination/△Lower Arc Inclination: 89.8±36.6% vs. 33.5±37.3%, p=0.012). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that △UAT/△LAT significantly correlated with the correction of coronal balance distance (β=-21.567; p=0.018). A surgical rebalancing algorithm was proposed to treat each subtype.Conclusion. Thoracolumbar/lumbar CCI in dystrophic scoliosis was prone to suffer high risk of persistent post-op CCI. Satisfying coronal rebalance should rely on maximal translational correction of lower hemi-curve, while the upper hemi-curve played the role of fine-tuning for coronal realignment rather than radical Cobb correction, straight morphology in particular.

Face-Based Judgments: Accuracy, Validity, and a Potential Underlying Mechanism

Despite the pervasiveness of facial inferences, scholars have debated whether our face reflects valid information regarding how we actually behave. Whereas previous research has largely focused on the accuracy of facial inferences, the present research examined the validity of face-based judgments. Specifically, we tested how accurate face-based judgments are, whether the accuracy of and confidence in face-based judgments are associated, and what mechanisms potentially link facial appearance to behaviors ( N = 1,386 American and Korean adults). We found that although face-based judgments could accurately predict someone’s behavior (Study 1), participants’ confidence about their face-based judgments was not associated with their accuracy (Studies 2a and 2b). Moreover, Study 3 demonstrated that the accuracy of facial inferences is possibly due to self-fulfilling effects of facial inferences. That is, accuracy is largely driven by perceivers’ beliefs rather than by the direct association between faces and behaviors.

Citizens, doctors, politicians - who´s an expert in times of COVID-19? A survey in Austria and Germany

Background This study aimed to explore which measures and risk factors for a COVID − 19 infection are considered most important in the general population, health experts and policymakers and to assess the level of agreement across the groups from Austria and Germany. Methods A two-phased survey was conducted, participants were matched according to age and gender. Three different groups were asked which measures they considered most relevant in reducing a COVID-19 transmission, to determine which factors contribute most to the risk of disease, and to evaluate the level of agreement in the assessment of risk factor relevance for (a) the transmission of the disease and (b) the risk of a severe course of COVID-19. Results Risk factors for an infection that were selected from all three groups were immunosuppression/deficiency, cancer, chronic lung disease, smoking, age and working as a health care professional. Interrater agreement per population was only poor to slight and results were highly heterogeneous. Conclusions Our survey shows a broad spectrum of opinions and the associated general uncertainty about the risk factors for infection and a severe course of disease across the groups. Profound knowledge of politicians and experts is of high relevance to provide the public with valid information to ensure cooperation fighting the pandemic. Trial registration https://apps.who.int/trialsearch/ (ID: DRKS00022166). Registered 15 June 2020.

Egocentric and Allocentric Reference Frames Can Flexibly Support Contextual Cueing

We investigated if contextual cueing can be guided by egocentric and allocentric reference frames. Combinations of search configurations and external frame orientations were learned during a training phase. In Experiment 1, either the frame orientation or the configuration was rotated, thereby disrupting either the allocentric or egocentric and allocentric predictions of the target location. Contextual cueing survived both of these manipulations, suggesting that it can overcome interference from both reference frames. In contrast, when changed orientations of the external frame became valid predictors of the target location in Experiment 2, we observed contextual cueing as long as one reference frame was predictive of the target location, but contextual cueing was eliminated when both reference frames were invalid. Thus, search guidance in repeated contexts can be supported by both egocentric and allocentric reference frames as long as they contain valid information about the search goal.

STRATEGI PEMASARAN MENYAMBUT PRANATAN BARU PARIWISATA YOGYAKARTA (STUDI KASUS HOTEL CABIN SUTOMO)

Tourism, especially hotels, is one sector that has felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To accelerate the economic recovery of the tourism sector, especially hotels, regulations are needed that can strengthen this change, both from regulations from the central and regional governments that can encourage hospitality to return to enthusiasm referring to health protocols. The purpose of this study is to examine the marketing strategy of the Cabin Sutomo hotel based on the new Yogyakarta tourism institutions. This research is descriptive qualitative, which is based on scientific studies, principles, and fundamental assumptions of science, by utilizing deductive reasoning supported by valid information and then processed for analysis through research principles. The collection method uses interviews and documentation. The results of the study explain the existence of Pergub Number 48 of 2020, the D.I. Government. Yogyakarta regarding Guidelines for Preparation, Guidelines for Implementation of Public Service Activities and Community Economics in the Special Region of Yogyakarta in the prevention and control of Covid-19 and the book Pranatan Anyar Plesiran Jogya, Guidelines for Adapting New Habits of Tourism DIY, encourage Hotel Cabin Sutomo to make changes to marketing strategies, through product aspects services and employees who pay attention to health protocols, prices with new normal jargon, increasing online (digital) promotions. With this measure in 2020 during the pandemic, room sales decreased by 22.7% compared to 2019. With this decline in sales, Hotel Cabin can still operate without reducing employees.Keywords: Marketing strategy, New institutions, Tourism