In this paper, formation of optimal coalitions of nodes is investigated for data acquisition in bearings-only target localization such that the average sleep time allocated to the nodes is maximized. Targets are required to be localized with a prespecified accuracy where the localization accuracy metric is defined to be the determinant of the Bayesian Fisher information matrix (B-FIM). We utilize cooperative game theory as a tool to devise a distributed dynamic coalition formation algorithm in which nodes autonomously decide which coalition to join while maximizing their feasible sleep times. Nodes in the sleep mode do not record any measurements, hence, save energy in both sensing and transmitting the sensed data. It is proved that if each node operates according to this algorithm, the av...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

This study presents a new classifier that automatically differentiates obstructive and central hypopneas with the Pes signal and a new approach for an automatic noninvasive classifier with nasal airflow. An overall of 28 patients underwent night polysomnography with Pes recording, and a total of 769 hypopneas were manually scored by human experts to create a gold-standard annotation set. Features were automatically extracted from the Pes signal to train and test the classifiers (discriminant analysis, support vector machines, and adaboost). After a significantly ( $p

In this study, we investigate the diagnostic effectiveness of a classifier trained on a set of features derived from single-channel airflow measurements. The features considered are based on recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) of the measurement time series and are optionally augmented with single measurements of neck circumference and body mass index. The airflow measurement utilized is the nasal pressure (NP). The study used an overnight recording from each of 77 patients undergoing PSG testing. Mixture discriminant analysis was used to obtain a classifier, which predicts whether or not a measurement segment contains an SDB event. Patients were diagnosed as having SDB disease if the recording contained measurement segments predicted to include an SDB event at a rate exceeding a thre...

During the spring and fall migratory seasons, sparrows become significantly less capable of resisting temptation. Researchers investigated impulse control and sleep in white-crowned sparrows during migratory and non-migratory seasons. During migratory periods, the birds slept very little and became more impulsive, but sleep loss itself was not entirely to blame for their impulsivity. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Conclusions: In narcoleptic patients, modafinil in comparison with placebo is effective in the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, but not cataplexy. (Source: Medical Science Monitor)

LOS ANGELES, July 30 (UPI) -- Requiring 5 hours of rest for surgical residents after a 16-hour day is unlikely to improve outcomes for two common operations, U.S. researchers say. United States - Surgery - LOS ANGELES - California - Counties (Source: Health News - UPI.com)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 29 (UPI) -- A sleep disorder may signal dementia or Parkinson's disease up to 50 years before diagnosis, U.S. researchers said. Parkinson's disease - Dementia - Sleep disorder - Health - Conditions and Diseases (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

Some dreams feel so revelatory--if only returning to sleep would take us back there. It turns out, however, that our ability to shape our dreams is better than mere chance. In the blockbuster movie Inception , Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his compatriots use drugs and psychological profiles to trigger specific dreams in people. Although the heavy sedation and level of detail incited are far-fetched, dream control isn't entirely a Hollywood fantasy. [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)

Sleep apnea (SA) is defined as intermittent respiratory arrest during sleep and affects up to 20% of the adult population. SA is also associated with an increased incidence of hypertension and peripheral vascular disease. Exposing rodents to intermittent hypoxia during sleep mimics the cyclical hypoxia/normoxia of SA. We have previously shown that in mice and rats intermittent hypoxia induces ET-1 upregulation and systemic hypertension. Furthermore, intermittent hypoxia (IH) in mice increases nuclear factor of activated T cells isoform 3 (NFATc3) transcriptional activity in aorta and mesenteric arteries, whereas the calcineurin/NFAT inhibitor cyclosporin A prevents IH-induced hypertension. More importantly, NFATc3 knockout (KO) mice do not develop IH-induced hypertension. The goals of this...

PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 29 (UPI) -- U.S. psychiatrists report medicating one-third of their school-age and teenage patients for insomnia. Insomnia - Health - Sleep disorder - Conditions and Diseases - United States (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

I will never forget the night my 6′3″ tall, slender brother and his even taller, slender friend bought two tickets for the 7:15 p.m. showing of the movie “Troy,” starring an unusually ripped and rippled Brad Pitt. At 10:30 that same night my phone rang, and I heard my brother say to me, “My friend and I have decided that we need to go to the gym. We think we need to get in shape.” They went out for a night of light cinematic escapism and came back with body esteem issues. Two perfectly healthy, well adjusted, intelligent, funny, fit, and loving human beings had not changed that much in just three hours — at least on the outside. But something on the inside had obviously changed. The American Heart Association reports that as of January 2010, 58 percent of ...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

American neurologists and sleep experts suggest in a recent study that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder could be an early sign of Parkinson's disease or dementia that develops up to 50 years later. You can read how neurologist and sleep specialist Dr Bradley F. Boeve and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota arrived at their findings in an online before print issue of a paper published in the journal Neurology on 28 July... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Amy, one week prior to visiting Children's Hospital Boston As a high school sophomore, Amy Rucki was admitted to Children’s Hospital Boston with a brain tumor. She was followed by ABC camera crews, who were taping for the medical documentary, Boston Med (tune in tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC). Though she wasn’t included in the final cut of the show, you can watch exclusive mini-episodes about her experience online (part one here, part two here). Below, Amy reflects on being a teen, brain surgery and her long road to recovery. In the spring of 2009 I began feeling sick, on and off, for seemingly no reason. My blood pressure was higher than normal, my heart would occasionally palpitate and every now and again I’d get strong flu symptoms. It was confusing and slowed me dow...

The finding has important implications for early diagnosis and future interventions to slow or halt neurodegenerative process, researchers say. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

(MedPage Today) -- REM sleep behavior disorder -- in which dreams are accompanied by excessive movement -- may be a sign of neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's disease that manifest several decades later, a case series showed. (Source: MedPage Today Cardiovascular)

Conclusion These findings suggest that the brain changes associated with certain neurodegenerative diseases could begin many years before the symptoms start to show. There are a few points to note about this study: This study was not set up to evaluate the strength of the association between RBD and neurodegenerative disease, and it does not shed any light on how many people with restless sleep go on to develop neurological conditions. The study only looked at a few specific types of dementia and not the more common Alzheimer’s or vascular type of dementia. As such, these findings are even less applicable to people concerned about the more common dementias. These participants had a very specific form of severe sleep disturbance, involving lashing out and characteristic brain wav...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

"Jimmy legs," a common sleep disorder that results in violent nighttime kicks and punches, could indicate brain disorders up to 50 years later. (Source: WDSU.com - Health)

Researchers found a link between people with rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorders and brain conditions many years later. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

A Glasgow-based medical research company is leading a worldwide sleep study which could radically reduce the symptoms associated with dementia. The groundbreaking trial, conducted by CPS Research, is the first of its kind to investigate the use of sleep hormone melatonin as an add on treatment for dementia. The study is already showing remarkable initial results in volunteers from Scotland. Melatonin is the natural hormone produced at night to prepare the body for sleep and produced throughout the night to maintain sleep... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

A new study shows that a sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)