Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Risk Scoring System to Predict Cardiovascular Death in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: CHA2DS2-VASc-CF Score

The present study aimed to determine the long-term prognostic validity of the CHA2DS2-VASc score in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In addition, we formulated a novel scoring system, the CHA2DS2-VASc-CF (which includes cigarette smoking and a family history of coronary artery disease as risk factors). This study included 4373 consecutive patients with AMI who presented to the emergency department of our hospital and underwent cardiac catheterization procedures between December 2009 and September 2016. Among these patients, 1427 were diagnosed with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 2946 were diagnosed with non-STEMI. The study included 4373 patients. The study population was divided into 2 groups according to the occurrence of cardiovascular death during the follow-up period. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the CHA2DS2-VASc-CF score, CHA2DS2-VASc score, major adverse cardiac events, current cigarette smoking, older age, hypertension, and family history of coronary artery disease were significantly higher, and that the left ventricular ejection fraction and glomerular filtration rate were significantly lower in the cardiovascular death (+) group. Using a cutoff score of >3 for the CHA2DS2-VASc-CF score, long-term cardiovascular death was predicted with a sensitivity of 78.4% and specificity of 76.4%. The CHA2DS2-VASc-CF score is suitable for use in all patients with AMI, regardless of the type of treatment, presence of atrial fibrillation, and type of AMI. This risk score, which is easy to calculate, provides important prognostic data. In the future, we think that interventional cardiologists will be able to use this novel scoring system to identify patients with a high risk of long-term cardiovascular death.
Indexing and querying algorithm based on structure indexing for managing massive-scale RDF data

Resource description framework (RDF) data management systems (triplestores) that store, index, and process RDF data sets has been a core research interest in semantic web area. Even though the value-based approach with a RDBMS support for constructing triplestores is highly successful in practice, it falls short in storing massive scale RDF data sets and improving query processing performance. In this paper, we propose a novel indexing approach for massive-scale RDF management. Our indexing approach builds collections of vertices, predicates, and graph/relation information with optimized form for both SPARQL query and keyword-based query. Also, we propose a grouping and flagging algorithm to optimize stored data. Triplestore based on our approach can support highly scalability with a distributed repository and a high-performance query processing. Our experimental results show the proposed indexing approach performs considerably better in query processing time than conventional approaches, and the performance benefits are even greater when the query is complex (more constrains or with FILTER).
Gender Differences in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Stroke has a greater effect on women than men owing to the fact that women have more stroke events and are less likely to recover. Age-specific stroke rates are higher in men; however, because of women's longer life expectancy and the much higher incidence of stroke at older ages, women have more stroke events than men overall. The aims of this prospective study in consecutive patients were to assess whether there are gender differences in stroke risk factors, treatment or outcome. Consecutive patients with ischemic stroke were included in this prospective study at four study centers. Disability was assessed using a modified Rankin Scale score (≥3 indicating disabling stroke) in both genders at 90 days. Outcomes and risk factors in both genders were compared using the χ2 test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify any independent predictors of outcome. A total of 1136 patients were included in this study; of these, 494 (46%) were female. Women were statistically older compared with men: 76.02 (± 12.93) and 72.68 (± 13.27) median years of age, respectively. At admission, females had higher NIH Stroke Scale scores compared with males (9.4 [± 6.94] vs 7.6 [± 6.28] for men; p = 0.0018). Furthermore, females tended to have more cardioembolic strokes (153 [30%] vs 147 [23%] for men; p = 0.004). Males had lacunar and atherosclerotic strokes more often (146 [29%] vs 249 [39%] for men; p = 0.002, and 68 [13%] vs 123 [19%] for men; p = 0.01, respectively). The mean modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months was also significantly different between genders, at 2.5 (± 2.05) for women and 2.1 (± 2.02) for men (p = 0.003). However, at multivariate analysis, female gender was not an indicator for negative outcome. It was concluded that female gender was not an independent factor for negative outcome. In addition, both genders demonstrated different stroke pathophysiologies. These findings should be taken into account when diagnostic workup and treatment are being planned.
YaxAB, a Yersinia enterocolitica Pore-Forming Toxin Regulated by RovA

ABSTRACT The transcriptional regulator RovA positively regulates transcription of the Yersinia enterocolitica virulence gene inv. Invasin, encoded by inv, is important for establishment of Y. enterocolitica infection. However, a rovA mutant is more attenuated for virulence than an inv mutant, implying that RovA regulates additional virulence genes. When the Y. enterocolitica RovA regulon was defined by microarray analysis, YE1984 and YE1985 were among the genes identified as being upregulated by RovA. Since these genes are homologous to Xenorhabdus nematophila cytotoxin genes xaxA and xaxB, we named them yaxA and yaxB, respectively. In this work, we demonstrate the effects of YaxAB on the course of infection in the murine model. While a yaxAB mutant (ΔyaxAB) is capable of colonizing mice at the same level as the wild type, it slightly delays the course of infection and results in differing pathology in the spleen. Further, we found that yaxAB encode a probable cytotoxin capable of lysing mammalian cells, that both YaxA and YaxB are required for cytotoxic activity, and that the two proteins associate. YaxAB-mediated cell death occurs via osmotic lysis through the formation of distinct membrane pores. In silico tertiary structural analysis identified predicted structural homology between YaxA and proteins in pore-forming toxin complexes from Bacillus cereus (HBL-B) and Escherichia coli (HlyE). Thus, it appears that YaxAB function as virulence factors by inducing cell lysis through the formation of pores in the host cell membrane. This characterization of YaxAB supports the hypothesis that RovA regulates expression of multiple virulence factors in Y. enterocolitica.
Achieving Color Constancy and Illumination Compensation

Human vision system is able to adapt to the changes of lighting conditions to a great extent but machine vision cannot adapt itself to these color changes which presents a challenge. Color constancy and illumination variation compensation are important cue in object identification, tracking, surveillance and other threat assessments. The objective will be directed towards an effort to obtain the color constancy under varying illumination. What is optimal color constancy? What is the best solution to the above stated challenges? Some of these questions till date have no perfect answers. Efforts made in past provides a path for the future work. In this report experiment with some of the methods, which seems to answer most of the above questions to a great extent? was performed. These methods where identified after a literature review on the issue under scrutiny. Retinex Image Enhancement method [1997] and Linear Dependence Vector algorithms were implemented. The results of the two methods are evaluated for its robustness to varying illumination changes. The retinex is aimed at obtaining the balance between the human vision and machine vision system along with color constancy. The linear dependence vector algorithm uses the vector orientation to define an operator that is robust to mathematical transformation that occurs due to changing condition between the consecutive frames. Suitable suggestion on the performance of these methods is made after evaluating them on the basis of limitations and merits. The favorable outcome was aimed at obtaining color constancy using the abovementioned methods. The input data will involve sequences images under varying lighting conditions. The output is expected to be color corrected images.
Modeling faults among e-bike-related fatal crashes in China

ABSTRACT Objectives: This article aims to model fault in e-bike fatal crashes in a county-level city in China. Method: Three-year crash data are retrieved from the crash reports (2012–2014) from the Taixing Police Department. A mixed logit model is introduced to explore significant factors associated with fault assignment, as well as accounting for similarity among fault assignment and heterogeneity within unobserved variables. Results: The modeling results indicate some interesting new findings. First, precrash behaviors of both drivers and e-bike riders are found to be significant to fault assignment. Second, bike lane and median type are significantly associated with e-bike rider fault commitment. Third, specific groups of e-bike riders (low-educated and older) and drivers (heavy good vehicles) are more likely to be at fault in e-bike crashes. Last, crash location and the built environment have significant correlations with faulty behaviors of e-bike riders. Conclusions: Safety countermeasures are proposed including (1) the deployment of traffic design and control elements including physically separated bike lanes, medians, video surveillance systems for e-bike riders, and left-turning treatments for nonmotorists (e.g., a 2-step e-bike left turning); (2) the amendment of the current traffic regulations on drunk e-bike riders and child e-bike passengers; (3) the development of a license system for specific e-bike rider groups (older and low-educated) and a safety campaign for drivers (to increase safety awareness when parking on-street or driving heavy good vehicles). Some interesting future research topics are also suggested: e-bike riders' behaviors at unsignalized intersections and mid-block openings, e-bike safety in suburban areas, and an in-depth study of the effect of the built environment on e-bike safety.
P wave anisotropic tomography of the Alps

The first tomographic images of P wave azimuthal and radial anisotropies in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Alps are determined by joint inversions of arrival time data of local earthquakes and teleseismic events. Our results show the south dipping European plate with a high‐velocity (high‐V) anomaly beneath the western central Alps and the north dipping Adriatic plate with a high‐V anomaly beneath the Eastern Alps, indicating that the subduction polarity changes along the strike of the Alps. The P wave azimuthal anisotropy is characterized by mountain chain‐parallel fast‐velocity directions (FVDs) in the western central Alps and NE‐SW FVDs in the Eastern Alps, which may be caused by mantle flow induced by the slab subductions. Our results reveal a negative radial anisotropy (i.e., Vph < Vpv) within the subducting slabs and a positive radial anisotropy (i.e., Vph > Vpv) in the low‐velocity mantle wedge, which may reflect the subvertical plate subduction and its induced mantle flow. The results of anisotropic tomography provide important new information on the complex mantle structure and dynamics of the Alps and adjacent regions.
Maximum Entropy for Collaborative Filtering

Within the task of collaborative filtering two challenges for computing conditional probabilities exist. First, the amount of training data available is typically sparse with respect to the size of the domain. Thus, support for higher-order interactions is generally not present. Second, the variables that we are conditioning upon vary for each query. That is, users label different variables during each query. For this reason, there is no consistent input to output mapping. To address these problems we purpose a maximum entropy approach using a non-standard measure of entropy. This approach can be simplified to solving a set of linear equations that can be efficiently solved.
Uncovered Interest Rate Parity and the Term Structure

This paper examines uncovered interest rate parity (UIRP) and the expectations hypotheses of the term structure (EHTS) at both short and long horizons. The statistical evidence against UIRP is mixed and is currency- not horizon-dependent. Economically, the deviations from UIRP are less pronounced than previously documented. The evidence against the EHTS is statistically more uniform, but, economically, actual spreads and theoretical spreads (spreads constructed under the null of the EHTS) do not behave very differently, especially at long horizons. Partly because of this, the deviations from the EHTS only play a minor role in explaining deviations from UIRP at long horizons. A random walk model for both exchange rates and interest rates fits the data marginally better than the UIRP-EHTS model.
MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) promoter polymorphisms and susceptibility to severe malarial anemia.

BACKGROUND Severe malarial anemia (SMA) resulting from Plasmodium falciparum infection is one of the leading causes of childhood mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The innate immune mediator macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of SMA. METHODS To investigate the influence of MIF genetic variation on susceptibility to SMA, haplotypes of the MIF -173G/C and -794CATT5-8 polymorphisms were examined in a cohort of Kenyan children. RESULTS A statistically significant relationship between increasing frequencies of longer CATT repeats at -794 and increasing severity of malarial anemia was observed. In addition, there was a strong association between lower MIF concentrations and longer CATT repeats. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that the 6G haplotype (ie, MIF -794CATT6/-173G) was associated with protection against SMA, whereas carriers of the 7C or 8C haplotype had increased risk of developing SMA. Furthermore, carriers of the 7C or 8C haplotype had reduced plasma MIF levels during acute disease. CONCLUSIONS The findings demonstrate that variation in the MIF promoter influences susceptibility to SMA and peripheral MIF production. However, the MIF -173 and -794 polymorphisms appear to have both independent and interactive effects on different measures of disease severity, suggesting that MIF plays a complex role in malarial pathogenesis.
Successful Protein Extraction from Over-Fixed and Long-Term Stored Formalin-Fixed Tissues

One of the major breakthroughs in molecular pathology during the last decade was the successful extraction of full-length proteins from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) clinical tissues. However, only limited data are available for the protein extraction efficiency of over-fixed tissues and FFPE blocks that had been stored for more than 15 years in pathology archives. In this study we evaluated the protein extraction efficiency of FFPE tissues which had been formalin-fixed for up to 144 hours and tissue blocks that were stored for 20 years, comparing an established and a new commercial buffer system. Although there is a decrease in protein yield with increasing fixation time, the new buffer system allows a protein recovery of 66% from 144 hours fixed tissues compared to tissues that were fixed for 6 hours. Using the established extraction procedure, less than 50% protein recovery was seen. Similarly, the protein extraction efficiency decreases with longer storage times of the paraffin blocks. Comparing the two buffer systems, we found that 50% more proteins can be extracted from FFPE blocks that were stored for 20 years when the new buffer system is used. Taken together, our data show that the new buffer system is superior compared to the established one. Because tissue fixation times vary in the routine clinical setting and pathology archives contain billions of FFPE tissues blocks, our data are highly relevant for research, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.
Chylothorax after surgery for congenital heart disease

Purpose of review Postoperative chylothorax is a frequently encountered pathology in the cardiac intensive care unit. The continuous loss of chyle is a challenging problem to treat and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this article is to review the pathophysiology of chylothorax in patients after surgery for congenital heart disease, its implications and the current therapies available. Recent findings The incidence of chylothorax has been increasing over the last two decades. Multiple uncontrolled case series describe octreotide as an effective treatment, and octreotide usage is increasing around the world for patients nonresponsive to dietary modifications. Most centers reserve surgical treatment for patients nonresponsive after 4 weeks of medical treatment. Less-invasive surgical procedures such as thoracic duct ligation by video-assisted thoracoscopy are gaining popularity. Summary Chylothorax is commonly seen in children after surgery for congenital heart disease. The multiple and serious complications associated with chylous effusions are well known. Conservative therapy with diet modification and octreotide remain the standard initial approach. Thoracic duct ligation has been reported as a highly successful treatment but has considerable risk. Thus, this procedure should be reserved for patients nonresponsive to conservative therapy.
Towards Regional Fusion for High-Resolution Palmprint Recognition

The existing high resolution palm print matching algorithms essentially follow the minutiae-based fingerprint matching strategy and focus on full-to-full/partial-to-full palm print comparison. These algorithms would face problems when they are applied to forensic palm print recognition where latent marks have much smaller area than full palm prints. Therefore, towards forensic scenarios, we propose a novel matching strategy based on regional fusion for high resolution palm print recognition using regions segmented by major creases features. The matching strategy includes two stages: 1) region-to-region palm print comparison, 2) regional fusion at score level. We first studied regional discriminability of a high resolution palm print under the concept of three regions, i.e., interdigital, hypothenar and thenar, which is the most significant difference between palmprits and fingerprints. Then we implemented regional fusion based on logistic regression at score level using region-to-region comparison scores obtained by a commercial SDK, Mega Matcher 4.0. Significant improvement of recognition accuracy is achieved by regional fusion on a public high resolution palm print database THUPALMLAB. The EER of logistic regression based regional fusion is 0.25%, while the EER of full-to-full palm print comparison is 1%.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Male Fertility: Should Fertility Preservation Options Be Considered before Treatment?

Simple Summary Recently, a new type of cancer treatment called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has become an option for many cancer patients, including children. While these treatments are effective against different types of cancer, they can lead to immune-related side effects impacting different organs. However, knowledge about the effect of ICIs on testicular function and male fertility is limited. There is a possibility that ICI treatment directly or indirectly affects testicular function and sperm production. This review looks at the available evidence on how ICIs, especially those targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), may disrupt sperm production. It also emphasizes the need for further investigations and encourages discussions about associated risks and fertility-preservation options between clinicians and patients. Abstract In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a viable option for many cancer patients, including specific subgroups of pediatric patients. Despite their efficiency in treating different types of cancer, ICIs are responsible for a number of immune-related adverse events, including inflammatory toxicities, that can affect several organs. However, our knowledge of the impact of ICIs on the testis and male fertility is limited. It is possible that ICI treatment affects testicular function and spermatogenesis either directly or indirectly (or both). Treatment with ICIs may cause increased inflammation and immune cell infiltration within the seminiferous tubules of the testis, disturbing spermatogenesis or testosterone deficiency (primary hypogonadism). Additionally, the interference of ICIs with the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis may alter testosterone production, affecting testicular function (secondary hypogonadism) and spermatogenesis. This review provides an overview of the available evidence on the potential association between ICIs and the disruption of spermatogenesis, with special focus on ICIs targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Moreover, it highlights the need for further investigations and encourages the discussion of associated risks and fertility-preservation considerations between clinicians and patients.
Analysis Of Consumer Perceived Value To Quality Service Healthcare During The COVID-19 Pandemic At Tanjung Balai City Hospital

Background:Perception is a person's process of knowing several things through his five senses. Perception does not appear to exist because it occurs outside of awareness, but perception depends on the complex functions of the nervous system. Health service facilities, during the COVID-19 period, became something terrible for the community, where people who were sick were afraid to come to health services because they were worried about being diagnosed positively with COVID-19, whether health services during COVID-19 increased or decreased. Objective: to analyze the quality of health services on public perception at Tanjung Balai General Hospital during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Method: This type of research is observational analytic research. The research location was at the Tanjung Balai General Hospital which was carried out in November 2022. Results: Most respondents were in the 45–54-year-old age category (32.2%). Based on gender, the most were women as many as 208 people (77%). Based on work, the most were in the PNS category, with 105 people (38.9%). Based on education at most S1 as many as 63 people (23.3%). Most people's perceptions of the quality of Tanjung Balai General Hospital were in the good category with 144 people (53.3%) and those who said they were not good were 126 people (46.7%). There is a significant relationship between people's perceptions of tangible quality (p=0.000), reliability (p=0.000), responsiveness (p=0.000), assurance (p=0.000), and attention (p=0.000) at Tanjung Balai Hospital to health services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between public perception of quality at Tanjung Balai General Hospital for health services during the Covid-19 pandemic.