Classification of oximetry signals using Bayesian neural networks to assist in the detection of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome

In the present study, multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks were applied to help in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). Oxygen saturation (SaO2) recordings from nocturnal pulse oximetry were used for this purpose. We performed time and spectral analysis of these signals to extract 14 features related to OSAS. The performance of two different MLP classifiers was compared: maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian (BY) MLP networks. A total of 187 subjects suspected of suffering from OSAS took part in the study. Their SaO2 signals were divided into a training set with 74 recordings and a test set with 113 recordings. BY-MLP networks achieved the best performance on the test set with 85.58% accuracy (87.76% sensitivity and 82.39% specificity). These results were substantially better than those provided by ML-MLP networks, which were affected by overfitting and achieved an accuracy of 76.81% (86.42% sensitivity and 62.83% specificity). Our results suggest that the Bayesian framework is preferred to implement our MLP classifiers. The proposed BY-MLP networks could be used for early OSAS detection. They could contribute to overcome the difficulties of nocturnal polysomnography (PSG) and thus reduce the demand for these studies.

Babies, bodies and entitlement: gendered aspects of access to citizenship in the Republic of Ireland

Since the mid-1990s, automatic citizenship for children born in the Republic has been a source of growing debate against a backdrop of increasing immigration and the peace process. In June 2004, the debate culminated in a referendum, opening the way to a constitutional amendment that attaches residence qualifications to the hitherto unfettered entitlement to citizenship available through ius soli. Arguments for the amendment were couched in terms of a threat posed by Third World women having babies in Ireland to obtain residence, and a putative obligation to the EU to harmonise citizenship laws. This article explores how pregnant foreign women’s bodies became a site of perplexity about the borders of the twenty-first century Irish nation. It is therefore suggested that neither the ‘racial state’ theories nor feminist theories of the nation-state account fully for this. On closer inspection, the seemingly sui generis case of the Irish referendum is therefore fruitful in that it demands further reflection in terms of bridging gaps in the existing theory.

Range of self-tests available to buy in the United Kingdom: an Internet survey

We aimed to describe the availability in the United Kingdom of self-tests that are used to diagnose or screen for conditions without involving a health professional. A systematic Internet search identified 104 unique self-tests related to 24 named conditions including cancers, chronic conditions and infections. These self-tests require various samples including blood obtained using a lancet. The samples are processed at home with results available in minutes or sent to a laboratory for processing with results returned to the individual by e-mail or post. Prices per self-test and condition range from <1 pound to 76 pound. Self-tests are readily available, and further work is needed to assess their impact.

Evolving approaches to sovereignty in the French Pacific

This contribution explores notions of sovereignty in the three French territories of the South Pacific: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna. It also analyses the key nuances and challenges of the transition from aspirations of 'independence' to those of 'shared sovereignty'. From protectorates or colonies to overseas territories (Territoires d'Outre-Mer), these three territories have experienced specific and customised statuses with various degrees of autonomy, all underscoring a fine line between autonomy and sovereignty. Indeed, 'sovereignty' has today become much more synonymous with the concept of 'self-government' or 'large autonomy', as the current situation in French Polynesia demonstrates. Meanwhile, New Caledonia is one step closer to 'full sovereignty', since its actual status includes provisions for a referendum on self-determination between 2014 and 2018. The claim for independence, a characteristic of Kanak and Maohi movements, has become more pragmatically focused, to the extent that considering sovereignty 'in free-association' with France is now a perfectly conceivable option. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Adipokines have a role to play in the treatment of metabolic disease

Editorial

Measuring business growth:high-growth firms and their contribution to employment in the UK

The Measuring Business Growth report is a comprehensive look at UK business growth over the past decade. It makes a powerful case that a small number of high-growth businesses are responsible for the lion's share of job creation and prosperity. It is the counterpart to Business Growth and Innovation, which considers the wider benefits of growth businesses, their socio-economic impact, and the relationship between growth and innovation. This has significant implications for the direction of economic policy. It suggests that focusing attention on growing businesses and promoting excellence, far from being an elitist policy, gives rise to widespread job creation and prosperity.

Regularity analysis of nocturnal oximetry recordings to assist in the diagnosis of sleep apnoea syndrome

The relationship between sleep apnoea–hypopnoea syndrome (SAHS) severity and the regularity of nocturnal oxygen saturation (SaO2) recordings was analysed. Three different methods were proposed to quantify regularity: approximate entropy (AEn), sample entropy (SEn) and kernel entropy (KEn). A total of 240 subjects suspected of suffering from SAHS took part in the study. They were randomly divided into a training set (96 subjects) and a test set (144 subjects) for the adjustment and assessment of the proposed methods, respectively. According to the measurements provided by AEn, SEn and KEn, higher irregularity of oximetry signals is associated with SAHS-positive patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Pearson correlation analyses showed that KEn was the most reliable predictor of SAHS. It provided an area under the ROC curve of 0.91 in two-class classification of subjects as SAHS-negative or SAHS-positive. Moreover, KEn measurements from oximetry data exhibited a linear dependence on the apnoea–hypopnoea index, as shown by a correlation coefficient of 0.87. Therefore, these measurements could be used for the development of simplified diagnostic techniques in order to reduce the demand for polysomnographies. Furthermore, KEn represents a convincing alternative to AEn and SEn for the diagnostic analysis of noisy biomedical signals.

The economics behind the move to 'localism' in England

This paper explores the economic thinking behind the UK Coalition government’s new framework for achieving local growth and the creation of Local Enterprise Partnerships in England. It does so in the light of recent debates about ‘space-neutral’ and ‘place-based’ policymaking. While the British government states its ambition to achieve greater spatial and industrial balance across England (and by implication the UK), we argue that so far at least there is a mismatch between the ‘rhetoric’ and ‘policies’ of local growth and its limitations. These relate to inconsistencies in the way that the different competing economic ideas in circulation within government have been adopted in practice. As a result, the paper highlights six key disconnects and limitations of the economics behind the move in England to local growth.