Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of hypotension in patients newly diagnosed with heart failure in UK general practice: retrospective cohort and nested case–control analyses

Objectives Hypotension is of particular relevance for patients with heart failure (HF), since almost all HF drugs cause lowering of blood pressure (BP) and it is associated with a poor prognosis. We aimed to investigate hypotension incidence and risk factors in patients with incident HF in the UK. Design Retrospective cohort study including nested case–control analyses. Setting The Health Improvement Network UK primary care database. Participants 18 677 adult patients with incident HF during 2000–2005 were followed and cases of hypotension (systolic BP ≤90 mm Hg) were identified. Controls were age-matched, sex-matched and date-matched to cases (1:2). Primary and secondary outcome measures We estimated hypotension incidence in the full study population and relevant subgroups (eg, sex and age). Potential risk factors for hypotension overall and for multiple versus single hypotensive episodes were evaluated using conditional logistic regression and unconditional regression models, respectively. Results During a mean follow-up of 3.31 years, 2565 patients (13.7%) developed hypotension. The incidence of hypotension was 3.17 cases per 100 patient years (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.05–3.30), and was markedly increased in women aged 18–39 years (n=32; 17.72 cases per 100 patient-years; 95% CI: 9.69–29.73). Hypotension risk factors included high healthcare utilisation (proxy measure for HF severity and general comorbidity; eg, ≥10 primary care physician visits versus none, odds ratio (OR): 2.29; 95% CI: 1.34–3.90), previous hypotensive episodes (OR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.84–2.92), renal failure and use of aldosterone antagonists, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. Risk factors identified for hypotension generally overlapped with those for multiple versus single hypotensive episodes. Conclusions Hypotension occurs frequently in patients with incident HF. Our findings may help identify patients most likely to benefit from close BP monitoring. The increased incidence of hypotension in young women with HF requires investigation.
Design and Implementation of Improved Algorithm for Association Rules Mining

For traditional algorithm of association rules mining based on frequent item sets and ignored the exception rules, as well as the traditional issues such as frequent item sets algorithm can be costly, a new association rules mining algorithm which isn’t based on frequent item sets is given in this paper. This method scanned the database once firstly, and then uses the logical and set theory operations to generate association rules, including frequent association rules and exception rules. Through case analysis, results showed that the algorithm with high accuracy, low cost, and the ability to generate exception rules could provide some reference data for exception knowledge mining. Keywords-association rules; data mining; frequent item sets; algorithm; exception rules;
Breaking up prolonged sitting with moderate-intensity walking improves attention and executive function in Qatari females

Background Cultural, environmental and logistical factors promote a sedentary lifestyle within Qatar, particularly for females. Sedentary behaviour is acutely associated with poor cognitive function and fatigue, and chronically may be implicated with cognitive decline (i.e. Alzheimer’s disease). Purpose To examine the effects of breaking up sitting with short-duration frequent walking bouts on cognitive function and fatigue in Qatari females. Method Eleven sedentary (sitting ≥7 h/day) females completed three visits; the first being familiarisation. In a cross-over randomised manner, experimental visits two and three were identical, except participants either remained seated for 5-h (SIT) or interrupted their sitting every 30-min with a 3-min moderate-intensity walk (WALK) on a motorised treadmill. The Computerised Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) assessed cognition at baseline (-15-min), and then at 2.5-h and 5-h into the experimental conditions. Specific COMPASS tasks employed were; serial-3 subtractions (2-min), serial-7 subtractions (2-min), simple reaction time (RT; 50 stimuli), rapid visual information processing [RVIP (5-min)], choice reaction time (CRT; 50 stimuli), and Stroop (60 stimuli); and a visual analogue scale for fatigue (VAS-F) was completed at the same time intervals. Results There was a significant condition effect for CRT (f = 26.7, p = 0.007). On average CRT was 101 s (95% CI = -47 to -156 s) quicker in WALK compared to SIT. There was a significant time effect for CRT (f = 15.5, p = 0.01). On average CRT was 134 s slower at 5-h compared to baseline (p = 0.006; 95% CI = -64 to -203 s), and 114 s slower at 5-h compared to 2.5-h (p = 0.01; 95% CI = -44 to -183 s). There was a significant interaction effect for RT in the Stroop incongruent task (f = 10.0, p = 0.03). On average RT was 210 s quicker at 2.5-h in WALK compared to SIT (p = 0.01; 95% CI = -76 to -346 s). Conclusion Breaking up prolonged sitting with moderate-intensity walking offers an ecologically valid intervention to enhance some aspects of cognitive function, whilst not affecting fatigue in sedentary Qatari females. Whilst these findings are promising, the long-term effects of breaking up sitting on cognitive function requires testing before population level recommendations can be made.
Inflammasome inhibition blocks cardiac glycoside cell toxicity

Chronic heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias have high morbidity and mortality, and drugs for the prevention and management of these diseases are a large part of the pharmaceutical market. Among these drugs are plant-derived cardiac glycosides, which have been used by various cultures over millennia as both medicines and poisons. We report that digoxin and related compounds activate the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages and cardiomyocytes at concentrations achievable during clinical use. Inflammasome activation initiates the maturation and release of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1β and the programmed cell death pathway pyroptosis in a caspase-1–dependent manner. Notably, the same fluxes of potassium and calcium cations that affect heart contraction also induce inflammasome activation in human but not murine cells. Pharmaceuticals that antagonize these fluxes, including glyburide and verapamil, also inhibit inflammasome activation by cardiac glycosides. Cardiac glycoside–induced cellular cytotoxicity and IL-1β signaling are likewise antagonized by inhibitors of the NLRP3 inflammasome or the IL-1 receptor–targeting biological agent anakinra. Our results inform on the molecular mechanism by which the inflammasome integrates the diverse signals that activate it through secondary signals like cation flux. Furthermore, this mechanism suggests a contribution of the inflammasome to the toxicity and adverse events associated with cardiac glycosides use in humans and that targeted anti-inflammatories could provide an additional adjunct therapeutic countermeasure.
ALEX: automatic learning in expert systems

An environment for automatic learning (ALEX) has been designed and implemented in a modular fashion. The system consists of an example generation module (i.e., tutor software system representing the application domain); the learning subsystem; an analysis component; and the user interface and control structure integrating these components. As the core of the learning subsystem the incremental learning algorithm ID-H has been developed, based on the incremental application of hybrid clustering. To improve the overall performance of the learning environment, a feedback loop between the results of a learning step and the input of the next learning step has been introduced. The learning environment can automatically direct its learning strategy according to its assessment of its performance. <<ETX>>
Earnings among people with multiple sclerosis compared to references, in total and by educational level and type of occupation: a population-based cohort study at different points in time

Objectives To investigate earnings among people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) before and after MS diagnosis compared with people without MS, and if identified differences were associated with educational levels and types of occupations. Furthermore, to assess the proportions on sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) in both groups. Design Population-based longitudinal cohort study, 10 years before until 5 years after MS diagnosis. Setting Working-age population using microdata linked from nationwide Swedish registers. Participants Residents in Sweden in 2004 aged 30–54 years with MS diagnosed in 2003–2006 (n=2553), and references without MS (n=7584) randomly selected by stratified matching. Outcome measures Quartiles of earnings were calculated for each study year prior to and following the MS diagnosis. Mean earnings, by educational level and type of occupation, before and after diagnosis were compared using t-tests. Tobit regressions investigated the associations of earnings with individual characteristics. The proportions on SA and/or DP, by educational level and type of occupation, for the diagnosis year and 5 years later were compared. Results Differences in earnings between PwMS and references were observed beginning 1 year before diagnosis, and increased thereafter. PwMS had lower mean earnings for the diagnosis year (difference=SEK 28 000, p<0.05), and 5 years after diagnosis, this difference had more than doubled (p<0.05). These differences remained after including educational level and type of occupation. Overall, the earnings of PwMS with university education and/or more qualified occupations were most like their reference peers. The proportions on SA and DP were higher among PwMS than the references. Conclusions The results suggest that the PwMS’ earnings are lower than the references’ beginning shortly before MS diagnosis, with this gap increasing thereafter. Besides SA and DP, the results indicate that educational level and type of occupation are influential determinants of the large heterogeneity of PwMS’ earnings.
Novel steroid sulfatase inhibitors based on N‐thiophosphorylated 3‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐coumarin‐7‐O‐sulfamates

In the present work, we described convenient methods for the synthesis of N‐thiophosphorylated 3‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐coumarin‐7‐O‐sulfamates as steroid sulfatase (STS) inhibitors. To design the structures of the potential STS inhibitors, molecular modeling techniques were used. A computational docking method was used to determine the binding modes of the synthesized inhibitors as well as to identify potential interactions between specified functional groups on the inhibitors and the amino acid residues present in the active site of the enzyme. The inhibitory activities of the synthesized compounds were tested in an enzymatic assay with STS isolated from a human placenta. Within the set of newly synthesized compounds, 9e demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity in the enzymatic assay with an IC50 value of 0.201 μM (the IC50 value of 667‐COUMATE in the same test was 0.062 μM). Furthermore, we tried to verify if the obtained STS inhibitors are able to pass through the cellular membrane effectively in cell line experiments. In the course of our study, we determined the STS activity in the MCF‐7 cell line after incubation in the presence of the inhibitors (at 100 nM concentration). For this evaluation, we included newly synthesized compounds 9a‐g and their N‐phosphorylated analogs 6a‐h, whose synthesis has been previously described. We found that the lowest STS activities were measured in the presence of N‐phosphorylated derivatives 6e (0.1% of STS activity) and 6f (0.2% of STS activity). The measured STS activity in the presence of 667‐COUMATE (used as a reference) was 0.1%. Moreover, at concentrations up to 1 μM, the most active compounds (6e, 6f, 9b, and 9e) did not exert any toxic effects on zebrafish embryos.
Idioms of resilience among cancer patients in urban South Africa: An anthropological heuristic for the study of culture and resilience

Despite the large body of research on idioms of distress in anthropology and transcultural psychiatry, few scholars have examined the concepts that people use to describe social and psychological resilience. The experience of social and psychological resilience is embedded in and shaped by social, political, and economic contexts—much like the factors that shape idioms of distress. As resilience literature more broadly has adopted a socio-ecological rather than trait-based approach, anthropology has much to contribute. This article investigates what idioms of resilience and cultural scripts emerge among low-income patients with cancer residing in Soweto, a peri-urban neighborhood in Johannesburg, South Africa. We conducted 80 life history interviews to better understand what social and psychological factors led some people to thrive more than others despite extraordinary adversity. We describe one idiom of resilience, acceptance (ukwamukela in isiZulu), and three broader themes of resilience that emerged from life history narrative interviews (social support, religious support, and receiving medical care). We also present two examples from study participants that weave these concepts together. Our findings suggest that rarely is one form of resilience experienced in isolation. A focus on idioms of resilience can help chart the complex dimensions of acceptance and the dynamic social, religious, political, and temporal factors that mediate both suffering and resilience within individuals and communities.
Statistical Methods in the Atmospheric Sciences (3rd Edition), Daniel S. Wilks : book review

This book is an introduction to the application of statistical methods to atmospheric data. Every edition of Statistical Methods in the Atmospheric Sciences has been quite relevant to contemporary analysis of observed and modelled atmospheric data, but the book assumes that the reader has completed some introductory course, or has a working knowledge, in statistics. On the other hand, although I highly recommend this book to all atmospheric scientists, more complete and advanced texts than what this book offers may be what are required by professional statisticians.
Mining Spatial And Temporal Data To ClassifyWater Quality: A Case Study

Water is part of the heritage of the planet. Every continent, nation, region, city, and citizens are fully responsible for it. The environment and the future of our planet depend on the preservation of water and its cycles. Those should remain intact and work normally in order to ensure continuity of life on Earth. This balance depends, in particular, on the preservation of the seas and oceans where the cycles begin. The water management requires a balance between the necessity of environmental protection and the need for economic order, health and social affairs. In Brazil, around 80% of the sewage is discharged into water bodies without treatment, in which 85% are domestic sewage and 15% industry sewerage. Therefore, the conditions of sanitation are poor in most Brazilian cities. This scenario is not very different in the City of Rio de Janeiro. In the waters of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, the problem of sewage release has mostly been solved, but there is still much to do. A better control over the quality of its waters is necessary, in contrast to the lack of public resources needed for this. This work proposes to investigate the correlations of the spatial and temporal data that compose the set of pollutants of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. The main goal is to achieve a methodology for the classification of water quality, which may be used in other water bodies. For that, in the investigative process, several techniques of data mining will be used to group and classify the available data. The work includes several steps of knowledge discovery that will be implemented to reach the goals. Tasks such as cleaning, integration and data selection, as well as post-processing and visualization algorithms must be executed. Some preliminary results, already available, will be shown in this article.
Facial Anthropometric Proportion of Chinese Han Nationality in South China.

Facial anthropometric measurements play an important part not only in forensic cases but also in clinical treatments. The utilization of 2D photograph methods in facial anthropometric studies to found database with age, gender, ethnicity, and region was expanded by other races but little for Han nationality. This study was undertaken to describe reference ranges of facial anthropometric proportions of Han nationality and compare the anthropometric characteristics with other ethnicities. Our subjects focused on full-face photos of Han nationality in South China which consisted of 1176 healthy person (425 adult males, 421 adult females and 157 underage boys and 173 underage girls). Eight anthropometric landmarks on photos were examined by ImageJ software, and 7 anthropometric ratios were analyzed. The results indicated sex- and age- and ethnics-related anthropometric variations in Chinese Han nationality in South China. For adults, females have larger ratios in intercanthal-nasal width and lip height index and smaller nose width index; for impubes, boys were larger in lip height index and smaller in lip width ratios than girls, but as age achieved, the underage boys and girls exhibited a significantly larger nose width index and lip width index, smaller canthal index, intercanthal-nasal width and lip height index. Comparing with Japanese, India, North American and Persian, Chinese Han showed great difference in facial anthropometric proportions.
2018 update of the EULAR recommendations for the role of the nurse in the management of chronic inflammatory arthritis

To update the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the role of the nurse in the management of chronic inflammatory arthritis (CIA) using the most up to date evidence. The EULAR standardised operating procedures were followed. A task force of rheumatologists, health professionals and patients, representing 17 European countries updated the recommendations, based on a systematic literature review and expert consensus. Higher level of evidence and new insights into nursing care for patients with CIA were added to the recommendation. Level of agreement was obtained by email voting. The search identified 2609 records, of which 51 (41 papers, 10 abstracts), mostly on rheumatoid arthritis, were included. Based on consensus, the task force formulated three overarching principles and eight recommendations. One recommendation remained unchanged, six were reworded, two were merged and one was reformulated as an overarching principle. Two additional overarching principles were formulated. The overarching principles emphasise the nurse’s role as part of a healthcare team, describe the importance of providing evidence-based care and endorse shared decision-making in the nursing consultation with the patient. The recommendations cover the contribution of rheumatology nursing in needs-based patient education, satisfaction with care, timely access to care, disease management, efficiency of care, psychosocial support and the promotion of self-management. The level of agreement among task force members was high (mean 9.7, range 9.6-10.0). The updated recommendations encompass three overarching principles and eight evidence-based and expert opinion-based recommendations for the role of the nurse in the management of CIA.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance in emergency patients with multivessel disease or unobstructed coronary arteries: a cost-effectiveness analysis in the UK

Objective To identify the key drivers of cost-effectiveness for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) when patients activate the primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) pathway. Design Economic decision models for two patient subgroups populated from secondary sources, each with a 1 year time horizon from the perspective of the National Health Service (NHS) and personal social services in the UK. Setting Usual care (with or without CMR) in the NHS. Participants Patients who activated the PPCI pathway, and for Model 1: underwent an emergency coronary angiogram and PPCI, and were found to have multivessel coronary artery disease. For Model 2: underwent an emergency coronary angiogram and were found to have unobstructed coronary arteries. Interventions Model 1 (multivessel disease) compared two different ischaemia testing methods, CMR or fractional flow reserve (FFR), versus stress echocardiography. Model 2 (unobstructed arteries) compared CMR with standard echocardiography versus standard echocardiography alone. Main outcome measures Key drivers of cost-effectiveness for CMR, incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Results In both models, the incremental costs and QALYs between CMR (or FFR, Model 1) versus no CMR (stress echocardiography, Model 1 and standard echocardiography, Model 2) were small (CMR: −£64 (95% CI −£232 to £187)/FFR: £360 (95% CI −£116 to £844) and CMR/FFR: 0.0012 QALYs (95% CI −0.0076 to 0.0093)) and (£98 (95% CI −£199 to £488) and 0.0005 QALYs (95% CI −0.0050 to 0.0077)), respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the tests was the key driver of cost-effectiveness for both patient groups. Conclusions If CMR were introduced for all subgroups of patients who activate the PPCI pathway, it is likely that diagnostic accuracy would be a key determinant of its cost-effectiveness. Further research is needed to definitively answer whether revascularisation guided by CMR or FFR leads to different clinical outcomes in acute coronary syndrome patients with multivessel disease.
Controlling information access in workflow management systems using RBAC‐based model

Abstract We developed an RBAC‐based model RBAC/WF (RBAC‐based workflow information access control) to control information access in workflow management systems. Primary features offered by the model are preventing workflow information leakage and adapting to dynamic role association change. This paper presents RBAC/ WF and proves that the model offers the mentioned features.
Word-superiority effect as a function of semantic transparency of Chinese bimorphemic compound words

The word-superiority effect (WSE) describes the superior recognition of word constituents in a word, as opposed to a non-word, context. In this study, the WSE was used as a diagnostic tool to examine the modulatory effect of word semantic transparency on the degree to which Chinese bimorphemic compound words are lexically represented as unitised wholes. Word semantic transparency refers to the degree to which word constituents are semantically transparent/opaque to whole-word meaning. A modified Reicher–Wheeler paradigm and a character identification task were employed. Compounds with at least one opaque constituent (fully and partially opaque) patterned together and displayed a larger WSE (more word-like) than fully transparent compounds. A space occurs naturally between constituents of Chinese compounds. Present results corroborated with recent results on English compound processing in which a space was artificially inserted between constituents of naturally concatenated compounds. Independently, the WSE was larger for high-frequency than low-frequency Chinese compounds.