Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postural Transitions during Activities of Daily Living Could Identify Frailty Status: Application of Wearable Technology to Identify Frailty during Unsupervised Condition

Background: Impairment of physical function is a major indicator of frailty. Functional performance tests have been shown to be useful for identification of frailty in older adults. However, these tests are often not translatable into unsupervised and remote monitoring of frailty status at home and/or community settings. Objective: In this study, we explored daily postural transition quantified using a chest-worn wearable technology to identify frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Spontaneous daily physical activity was monitored over 24 h in 120 community-dwelling elderly (age: 78 ± 8 years) using an unobtrusive wearable sensor (PAMSys™, BioSensics LLC, Watertown, MA, USA). Participants were classified as non-frail and pre-frail/frail using Fried's criteria. A validated software package was used to identify body postures and postural transition between each independent postural activity such as sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit, stand-to-walk, and walk-to-stand. The transition from walking to sitting was further classified as quick sitting and cautious sitting based on presence/absence of a standing posture pause between sitting and walking. A general linear model univariate test was used for between-group comparison. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the association between sensor-derived parameters and age. Logistic regression model was used to identify independent predictors of frailty. Results: According to Fried's criteria, 63% of participants were pre-frail/frail. The total number of postural transitions, stand-to-walk, and walk-to-stand were, respectively, 25.2, 30.2, and 30.6% lower in the pre-frail/frail group when compared to the non-frail group (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.73-0.79). Furthermore, the ratio of cautious sitting was significantly higher by 6.2% in pre-frail/frail compared to non-frail (p = 0.025, Cohen's d = 0.22). Total number of postural transitions and the ratio of cautious sitting also showed significant negative and positive correlations with age, respectively (r = -0.51 and 0.29, p < 0.05). After applying a logistic regression model, among tested parameters, walk-to-stand (odds ratio [OR] = 0.997 p = 0.013), quick sitting (OR = 1.036, p = 0.05), and age (OR = 1.073, p = 0.016) were recognized as independent variables to identify frailty status. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that daily number of specific postural transitions such as walk-to-stand and quick sitting could be used for monitoring frailty status by unsupervised monitoring of daily physical activity. Further study is warranted to explore whether tracking the daily number of specific postural transitions is also sensitive to track change in the status of frailty over time.
Analysis of Chromatin Regulators Reveals Specific Features of Rice DNA Methylation Pathways1

The methyl-transferases OsDDM1 and OsDRM2 display functional specificities that define distinct DNA methylation pathways in the bulk of DNA methylation of the rice genome. Plant DNA methylation that occurs at CG, CHG, and CHH sites (H = A, C, or T) is a hallmark of the repression of repetitive sequences and transposable elements (TEs). The rice (Oryza sativa) genome contains about 40% repetitive sequence and TEs and displays specific patterns of genome-wide DNA methylation. The mechanism responsible for the specific methylation patterns is unclear. Here, we analyzed the function of OsDDM1 (Deficient in DNA Methylation 1) and OsDRM2 (Deficient in DNA Methylation 1) in genome-wide DNA methylation, TE repression, small RNA accumulation, and gene expression. We show that OsDDM1 is essential for high levels of methylation at CHG and, to a lesser extent, CG sites in heterochromatic regions and also is required for CHH methylation that mainly locates in the genic regions of the genome. In addition to a large member of TEs, loss of OsDDM1 leads to hypomethylation and up-regulation of many protein-coding genes, producing very severe growth phenotypes at the initial generation. Importantly, we show that OsDRM2 mutation results in a nearly complete loss of CHH methylation and derepression of mainly small TE-associated genes and that OsDDM1 is involved in facilitating OsDRM2-mediated CHH methylation. Thus, the function of OsDDM1 and OsDRM2 defines distinct DNA methylation pathways in the bulk of DNA methylation of the genome, which is possibly related to the dispersed heterochromatin across chromosomes in rice and suggests that DNA methylation mechanisms may vary among different plant species.
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Decreases All-Cause and Pancreatitis Readmissions in Patients With Acute Gallstone Pancreatitis Who Do Not Undergo Cholecystectomy: A Nationwide 5-Year Analysis

Objectives Cholecystectomy is the definitive management of gallstone pancreatitis (GSP). The benefit of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients who do not undergo cholecystectomy remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the effect of ERCP on all-cause and pancreatitis readmissions in GSP. Methods Adult hospitalizations for GSP in the 2010–2014 National Readmissions Database were divided into the following 3 groups: (1) no cholecystectomy nor ERCP, (2) no cholecystectomy with ERCP, and (3) cholecystectomy group. A multivariable Cox model was used to compare the 60-day readmission rates controlling for significant confounders. Results There were 153,480 GSP admissions, 29.2% did not undergo cholecystectomy or ERCP, 12.0 % underwent ERCP only, and 58.8% had cholecystectomy. In the no cholecystectomy group, ERCP was associated with lower all-cause readmissions (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.83; P < 0.0001) and pancreatitis readmissions rate (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.47–0.55; P < 0.0001) compared with no ERCP. The protective effect of ERCP remained significant in severe pancreatitis. Cholecystectomy had the strongest protective effect against readmissions. Conclusions In this large, nationally representative sample, ERCP was associated with reduced readmissions in patients with GSP who did not undergo cholecystectomy. Although cholecystectomy remains the most important intervention to prevent readmissions, these results support performing ERCP in patients unfit for surgery.
Modeling Citation Networks Using Latent Random Offsets

Out of the many potential factors that determine which links form in a document citation network, two in particular are of high importance: first, a document may be cited based on its subject matter—this can be modeled by analyzing document content; second, a document may be cited based on which other documents have previously cited it—this can be modeled by analyzing citation structure. Both factors are important for users to make informed decisions and choose appropriate citations as the network grows. In this paper, we present a novel model that integrates the merits of content and citation analyses into a single probabilistic framework. We demonstrate our model on three real-world citation networks. Compared with existing baselines, our model can be used to effectively explore a citation network and provide meaningful explanations for links while still maintaining competitive citation prediction performance.
Concomitant repair for mild aortic insufficiency and continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices

OBJECTIVES Aortic insufficiency (AI) after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implantation has become a highly relevant subject. However, management of pre-existing mild AI is unknown. We examined the fate of pre-existing mild AI during CF-LVAD support. METHODS From March 2004 to October 2015, 446 consecutive patients received CF-LVAD. Of these, 56 (12.6%) patients with pre-existing mild AI were identified. Outcomes were compared between patients who underwent repair [n = 41 (73.2%); Group A] and those who did not [n = 15 (26.8%); Group B]. RESULTS Group A patients were more likely to have destination therapy intent at device insertion than Group B. Otherwise both groups displayed similar clinical/echocardiographic findings at baseline. There was no difference with respect to the occurrence of postoperative adverse events between groups. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed the estimated 2-year on-device survival to be 63.3 ± 10.7 and 84.0 ± 10.6% (P = 0.41) and freedom from AI ≥moderate at 2 years to be 81.8 ± 9.7 and 45.0 ± 21.1% (P = 0.031) in Groups A and B, respectively. Furthermore, 83.3% (5 of 6) of Group B patients with large (>1.94 cm/m2; 75th percentile) body surface area-indexed aortic diameter developed ≥moderate AI, while none of the Group B individuals with smaller aortic root (0 of 9) did. In contrast, Group A patients with large indexed aortic root (n = 7) have all been free of AI at 2 years. CONCLUSIONS AI progression among CF-LVAD-supported patients with baseline mild AI is highly prevalent. Baseline aortic root diameter may help identify patients with 'borderline' AI lesion needing repair at device insertion.
Toward the Design of Evidence-Based Mental Health Information Systems for People With Depression: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Existing research postulates a variety of components that show an impact on utilization of technology-mediated mental health information systems (MHIS) and treatment outcome. Although researchers assessed the effect of isolated design elements on the results of Web-based interventions and the associations between symptom reduction and use of components across computer and mobile phone platforms, there remains uncertainty with regard to which components of technology-mediated interventions for mental health exert the greatest therapeutic gain. Until now, no studies have presented results on the therapeutic benefit associated with specific service components of technology-mediated MHIS for depression. Objective This systematic review aims at identifying components of technology-mediated MHIS for patients with depression. Consequently, all randomized controlled trials comparing technology-mediated treatments for depression to either waiting-list control, treatment as usual, or any other form of treatment for depression were reviewed. Updating prior reviews, this study aims to (1) assess the effectiveness of technology-supported interventions for the treatment of depression and (2) add to the debate on what components in technology-mediated MHIS for the treatment of depression should be standard of care. Methods Systematic searches in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library were conducted. Effect sizes for each comparison between a technology-enabled intervention and a control condition were computed using the standard mean difference (SMD). Chi-square tests were used to test for heterogeneity. Using subgroup analysis, potential sources of heterogeneity were analyzed. Publication bias was examined using visual inspection of funnel plots and Begg’s test. Qualitative data analysis was also used. In an explorative approach, a list of relevant components was extracted from the body of literature by consensus between two researchers. Results Of 6387 studies initially identified, 45 met all inclusion criteria. Programs analyzed showed a significant trend toward reduced depressive symptoms (SMD –0.58, 95% CI –0.71 to –0.45, P<.001). Heterogeneity was large (I2≥76). A total of 15 components were identified. Conclusions Technology-mediated MHIS for the treatment of depression has a consistent positive overall effect compared to controls. A total of 15 components have been identified. Further studies are needed to quantify the impact of individual components on treatment effects and to identify further components that are relevant for the design of future technology-mediated interventions for the treatment of depression and other mental disorders.
Hyperkalaemia prevalence, recurrence and management in chronic haemodialysis: a prospective multicentre French regional registry 2-year survey

Background Observational studies have reported increased mortality rates in hyperkalaemic or hypokalaemic chronic haemodialysis patients. This study assessed the prevalence and recurrence of hyperkalaemia (HK) along with the concomitant prescription of low-potassium (K) dialysis baths and of K-binding agents in a registry within a French regional disease management programme. Methods This was a prospective multicentre (14 chronic haemodialysis centres, Lorraine Region) study encompassing 527 chronic haemodialysis patients followed from 2 January 2014 to 31 December 2015. Predialysis serum K (14 734) measurements, dialysis bath K concentrations and concomitant K binder prescriptions were collected with an electronic health record system. Results At baseline, 26.4%, 13.8% and 4.9% of patients were hyperkalaemic (i.e. K >5.1, 5.5 or 6 mmol/L, respectively) and 12.5%, 1.9% and 0.4% were hypokalaemic (i.e. K<4, 3.5 or 3 mmol/L, respectively). A total of 61% of patients were prescribed a K-binding resin [essentially sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS)], while 2 mmol/L and 3 mmol/L K concentration baths were used relatively equally. Over time, the proportion of patients being prescribed any K-binding agent increased up to 78%. The percentage of patients experiencing HK at any time was 73.8% (HK >5.1 mmol/L), 57.9% (HK >5.5 mmol/L) and 34.5% (HK >6 mmol/L). Only 6.3% of patients became normokalaemic within 3 months after an HK >5.5 mmol/L despite dynamic management of K baths and K binders (i.e. increased prescription of 2 mmol/L K baths and increased SPS doses). Conclusions HK was found to be highly prevalent and recurrent in this regional registry despite the widespread and dynamic prescription of low-K dialysis baths and K binders. More effective potassium mitigating strategies are eagerly warranted.
Three-dimensional printed models for surgical planning of complex congenital heart defects: an international multicentre study

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of 3D printed models (3D models) on surgical planning in complex congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS A prospective case-crossover study involving 10 international centres and 40 patients with complex CHD (median age 3 years, range 1 month-34 years) was conducted. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography were used to acquire and segment the 3D cardiovascular anatomy. Models were fabricated by fused deposition modelling of polyurethane filament, and dimensions were compared with medical images. Decisions after the evaluation of routine clinical images were compared with those after inspection of the 3D model and intraoperative findings. Subjective satisfaction questionnaire was provided. RESULTS 3D models accurately replicate anatomy with a mean bias of -0.27 ± 0.73 mm. Ninety-six percent of the surgeons agree or strongly agree that 3D models provided better understanding of CHD morphology and improved surgical planning. 3D models changed the surgical decision in 19 of the 40 cases. Consideration of a 3D model refined the planned biventricular repair, achieving an improved surgical correction in 8 cases. In 4 cases initially considered for conservative management or univentricular palliation, inspection of the 3D model enabled successful biventricular repair. CONCLUSIONS 3D models are accurate replicas of the cardiovascular anatomy and improve the understanding of complex CHD. 3D models did not change the surgical decision in most of the cases (21 of 40 cases, 52.5% cases). However, in 19 of the 40 selected complex cases, 3D model helped redefining the surgical approach.
The effect of Pb contamination on the microstructure and mechanical properties of SnAg/Cu and SnSb/Cu solder joints in SMT

The effects of Pb contamination on the microstructure and shear strength of lead‐free solder joints with non‐lead containing finishes on both the PCB and terminals of 1,206 chip capacitors at different temperatures were investigated. Two kinds of lead‐free solders (Sn96.5Ag3.5 and Sn95Sb5) were selected, and different amounts of eutectic Sn‐Pb were added to these lead‐free solders according to the potential Pb contamination in a 1,206 chip capacitor solder joint. It was found that there was no difference in shear strength of solder joint at room temperature for those with or without Pb contamination, but the shear strength at 1258C for the solder joint without Pb contamination was about 15 percent higher than for those with Pb contamination.
Prevalence of celiac disease and related antibodies in patients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome according to the Rome III criteria. A case–control study

The cost‐effectiveness for screening for celiac disease (CD) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), specifically in the diarrhea (IBS‐D) subtype, is beneficial if the prevalence is >1%. However, recent studies have shown controversial results. In this large case–control study, our aim was to determine the prevalence of CD and a panel of related antibodies in patients diagnosed with IBS.
Microanatomy of the digestive tract, hooves and some visceral organs of addax antelope (Addax nasomaculatus) following a concentrate or forage feeding regime

Subacute ruminal acidosis is a common disease in captive non‐domesticated ruminants and is mainly diagnosed by rumen fluid pH and rumen histology. Furthermore, differences in ruminant gastrointestinal histology have been hypothesized to correlate with the browser–grazer continuum. Twelve surplus addax antelope (Addax nasomaculatus) were divided into two groups, fed either their usual diet, consisting of a concentrate feed with a limited amount of hay, or a diet of unlimited hay only, for 3 months. After culling, descriptive and morphometric histology and pH measurements were compared between groups. Significant variations in cellular subpopulations were noted between groups, with roughage‐fed individuals presenting primarily with balloon cells of the Stratum corneum and living layer cell vacuolization, whereas parakeratosis and intermediate‐type cells were more frequent in the concentrate‐fed group. Lesions typical of subacute ruminal acidosis were significantly more pronounced in concentrate‐fed individuals. Ruminal pH measurements did not differ significantly, but were more consistent in forage‐fed individuals, indicating a more stable reticuloruminal environment. The results indicate that ruminal histology may be more appropriate in assessing ruminal health compared to a single post‐mortem pH measurement. It is proposed that Stratum corneum balloon cells may indicate cell maturation and not, as previously assumed, hyperfunction. Concentrate‐fed individuals scored higher on the presence of inflammatory cells on hoof corium histology. The study further emphasizes the adaptability of ruminant digestive tract microanatomy in adult animals even after a short period of time and the positive effects an increased roughage diet may have in populations of captive grazing ruminants.
Real-time lens blur effects and focus control

We present a novel rendering system for defocus blur and lens effects. It supports physically-based rendering and outperforms previous approaches by involving a novel GPU-based tracing method. Our solution achieves more precision than competing real-time solutions and our results are mostly indistinguishable from offline rendering. Our method is also more general and can integrate advanced simulations, such as simple geometric lens models enabling various lens aberration effects. These latter is crucial for realism, but are often employed in artistic contexts, too. We show that available artistic lenses can be simulated by our method. In this spirit, our work introduces an intuitive control over depth-of-field effects. The physical basis is crucial as a starting point to enable new artistic renderings based on a generalized focal surface to emphasize particular elements in the scene while retaining a realistic look. Our real-time solution provides realistic, as well as plausible expressive results.
The Importance of Being Recurrent for Modeling Hierarchical Structure

Recent work has shown that recurrent neural networks (RNNs) can implicitly capture and exploit hierarchical information when trained to solve common natural language processing tasks (Blevins et al., 2018) such as language modeling (Linzen et al., 2016; Gulordava et al., 2018) and neural machine translation (Shi et al., 2016). In contrast, the ability to model structured data with non-recurrent neural networks has received little attention despite their success in many NLP tasks (Gehring et al., 2017; Vaswani et al., 2017). In this work, we compare the two architectures—recurrent versus non-recurrent—with respect to their ability to model hierarchical structure and find that recurrency is indeed important for this purpose. The code and data used in our experiments is available at https://github.com/ ketranm/fan_vs_rnn
Adherence to the Caffeine Intake Guideline during Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes: A Prospective Cohort Study

The aims of this study were to identify: (i) the proportion of women exceeding the caffeine intake guideline (>200 mg/day) during each trimester, accounting for point of pregnancy awareness; (ii) guideline adherence trajectories across pregnancy; (iii) maternal characteristics associated with trajectories; and (iv) association between adherence and growth restriction birth outcomes. Typical and maximal intake per consumption day for the first trimester (T1; pre- and post-pregnancy awareness), second (T2), and third trimester (T3) were recorded for a prospective cohort of pregnant Australian women with singleton births (n = 1232). Birth outcomes were birth weight, small for gestational age, and head circumference. For each period, participants were classified as abstinent, within (≤200 mg), or in excess (>200 mg). Latent class growth analyses identified guideline adherence trajectories; regression analyses identified associations between adherence in each trimester and birth outcomes. The percentage of participants who reported caffeine use declined between T1 pre- and post-pregnancy awareness (89% to 68%), and increased in T2 and T3 (79% and 80%). Trajectories were: ‘low consumption’ (22%): low probability of any use; ‘within-guideline’ (70%): high probability of guideline adherence; and ‘decreasing heavy use’ (8%): decreasing probability of excess use. The latter two groups were more likely to report alcohol and tobacco use, and less likely to report planning pregnancy and fertility problems. Exceeding the guideline T1 pre-pregnancy awareness was associated with lower birth weight after covariate control (b = −143.16, p = 0.011). Overall, high caffeine intake pre-pregnancy awareness occurs amongst a significant minority of women, and continued excess use post-pregnancy awareness is more common where pregnancy is unplanned. Excess caffeine consumption pre-pregnancy awareness may increase the risk for lower birth weight. Increasing awareness of the guideline in pregnancy and preconception health care may be warranted.
Nonfunctional SCN1A Is Common in Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy

Summary: Purpose: Mutations in SCN1A, encoding the human NaV1.1 neuronal voltage‐gated sodium channel, cause the syndrome of severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI). Most SMEI‐associated mutations are predicted to truncate the SCN1A protein, likely causing a loss of sodium channel function. However, many missense or in‐frame deletion SCN1A mutations have also been reported in this disorder, but their functional impact is largely unknown. Here we report the functional characterization of eight SCN1A mutations (G177E, I227S, R393H, Y426N, H939Q, C959R, delF1289, and T1909I) previously identified in SMEI probands.