Analysis of monotonicity properties of some rule interestingness measures

One of the crucial problems in the field of knowledge discovery is development of good interestingness measures for evaluation of the discovered patterns. In this paper, we consider quantitative, objective interestingness measures for "if..., then... " association rules. We focus on three popular interestingness measures, namely rule interest function of Piatetsky-Shapiro, gain measure of Fukuda et al., and dependency factor used by Pawlak. We verify whether they satisfy the valuable property M of monotonic dependency on the number of objects satisfying or not the premise or the conclusion of a rule, and property of hypothesis symmetry (HS). Moreover, analytically and through experiments we show an interesting relationship between those measures and two other commonly used measures of rule support and anti-support

Magnetic susceptibility, exchange interactions and spin-wave spectra in the local spin density approximation

Starting from exact expression for the dynamical spin susceptibility in the time-dependent density functional theory a controversial issue about exchange interaction parameters and spin-wave excitation spectra of itinerant electron ferromagnets is reconsidered. It is shown that the original expressions for exchange integrals based on the magnetic force theorem (J. Phys. F14 L125 (1984)) are optimal for the calculations of the magnon spectrum whereas static response function is better described by the ``renormalized'' magnetic force theorem by P. Bruno (Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 087205 (2003)). This conclusion is confirmed by the {\it ab initio} calculations for Fe and Ni.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, submitted to JPC

Microalbuminuria associated with indicators of inflammatory activity in an HIV-positive population

Background. The survival of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients has increased significantly since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy, leading to the development of important long-term complications including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and renal disease. Microalbuminuria, an indicator of glomerular injury, is associated with an increased risk of progressive renal deterioration, CVD and mortality. However, the prevalence of microalbuminuria has barely been investigated in HIV-infected individuals

Updated Ganymede Mosaic from Juno Perijove 34 Images

In preparation of the JUICE mission with the primary target Ganymede we generated a new controlled version of the global Ganymede image mosaic from Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, and Juno images

Electrical Sintering of Silver Nanoparticle Ink Studied by In-Situ TEM Probing

Metallic nanoparticle inks are used for printed electronics, but to reach acceptable conductivity the structures need to be sintered, usually using a furnace. Recently, sintering by direct resistive heating has been demonstrated. For a microscopic understanding of this Joule heating sintering method, we studied the entire process in real time inside a transmission electron microscope equipped with a movable electrical probe. We found an onset of Joule heating induced sintering and coalescence of nanoparticles at power levels of 0.1–10 mW/m3. In addition, a carbonization of the organic shells that stabilize the nanoparticles were found, with a conductivity of 4 105 Sm−1

Species diversity of Trichoderma in Poland

In the present study, we reinvestigate the diversity of Trichoderma in Poland utilizing a combination of morphological and molecular/phylogenetic methods. A total of 170 isolates were collected from six different substrata at 49 sites in Poland. These were divided among 14 taxa as follows: 110 of 170 Trichoderma isolates were identified to the species level by the analysis of their ITS1, ITS2 rDNA sequences as: T. harzianum (43 isolates), T. aggressivum (35), T. citrinoviride (11), T. hamatum (9), T. virens (6), T. longibrachiatum (4), T. polysporum (1), and T. tomentosum (1); 60 isolates belonging to the Viride clade were identified based on a fragment of the translation-elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) gene as: T. atroviride (20 isolates), T. gamsii (2), T. koningii (17), T. viridescens (13), T. viride (7), and T. koningiopsis (1). Identifications were made using the BLAST interface in TrichOKEY and TrichoBLAST (http://www.isth.info). The most diverse substrata were soil (nine species per 22 isolates) and decaying wood (nine species per 75 isolates). The most abundant species (25%) isolated from all substrata was T. harzianum

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease among people living with HIV/AIDS in Burundi: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since little is known about chronic kidney disease (CKD) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence and nature of CKD were assessed in Burundi through a multicenter cross-sectional study.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients underwent assessments at baseline and 3 months later. Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) was estimated using abbreviated 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Diseases (MDRD) and Cockroft-Gault estimation methods. Patients were classified at month 3 into various CKD stages using the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) definition, which combines GFR and urinary abnormalities. Risk factors for presence of proteinuria (PRO) and aseptic leukocyturia (LEU) were further analyzed using multiple logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Median age of the patients in the study (N = 300) was 40 years, 70.3% were female and 71.7% were on highly active antiretroviral therapy. Using the MDRD method, CKD prevalence in patients was 45.7%, 30.2% of whom being classified as stage 1 according to the NKF classification, 13.5% as stage 2 and 2% as stage 3. No patient was classified as stage 4 or 5. Among CKD patients with urinary abnormality, PRO accounted for 6.1% and LEU for 18.4%. Significant associations were found between LEU and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, previous history of tuberculosis, low body mass index and female gender and between PRO and high viral load.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study, using a very sensitive definition for CKD evaluation, suggests a potentially high prevalence of CKD among PLWHA in Burundi. Patients should be regularly monitored and preventative measures implemented, such as monitoring NSAID use and adjustment of drug dosages according to body weight. Urine dipsticks could be used as a screening tool to detect patients at risk of renal impairment.</p

Creatine Fails to Augment the Benefits from Resistance Training in Patients with HIV Infection: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Progressive resistance exercise training (PRT) improves physical functioning in patients with HIV infection. Creatine supplementation can augment the benefits derived from training in athletes and improve muscle function in patients with muscle wasting. The objective of this study was to determine whether creatine supplementation augments the effects of PRT on muscle strength, energetics, and body composition in HIV-infected patients.This is a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, clinical research center-based, outpatient study in San Francisco. 40 HIV-positive men (20 creatine, 20 placebo) enrolled in a 14-week study. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive creatine monohydrate or placebo for 14 weeks. Treatment began with a loading dose of 20 g/day or an equivalent number of placebo capsules for 5 days, followed by maintenance dosing of 4.8 g/day or placebo. Beginning at week 2 and continuing to week 14, all subjects underwent thrice-weekly supervised resistance exercise while continuing on the assigned study medication (with repeated 6-week cycles of loading and maintenance). The main outcome measurements included muscle strength (one repetition maximum), energetics ((31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy), composition and size (magnetic resonance imaging), as well as total body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). Thirty-three subjects completed the study (17 creatine, 16 placebo). Strength increased in all 8 muscle groups studied following PRT, but this increase was not augmented by creatine supplementation (average increase 44 vs. 42%, difference 2%, 95% CI -9.5% to 13.9%) in creatine and placebo, respectively). There were no differences between groups in changes in muscle energetics. Thigh muscle cross-sectional area increased following resistance exercise, with no additive effect of creatine. Lean body mass (LBM) increased to a significantly greater extent with creatine. CONCLUSIONS / SIGNIFICANCE: Resistance exercise improved muscle size, strength and function in HIV-infected men. While creatine supplementation produced a greater increase in LBM, it did not augment the robust increase in strength derived from PRT.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00484627

Recent advances in understanding hypertension development in sub-Saharan Africa

Consistent reports indicate that hypertension is a particularly common finding in black populations. Hypertension occurs at younger ages and is often more severe in terms of blood pressure levels and organ damage than in whites, resulting in a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and mortality. This review provides an outline of recent advances in the pathophysiological understanding of blood pressure elevation and the consequences thereof in black populations in Africa. This is set against the backdrop of populations undergoing demanding and rapid demographic transition, where infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus predominates, and where under and over-nutrition coexist. Collectively, recent findings from Africa illustrate an increased lifetime risk to hypertension from foetal life onwards. From young ages black populations display early endothelial dysfunction, increased vascular tone and reactivity, microvascular structural adaptions, as well as increased aortic stiffness resulting in elevated central and brachial blood pressures during the day and night, when compared to whites. Together with knowledge on the contributions of sympathetic activation and abnormal renal sodium handling, these pathophysiological adaptations result in subclinical and clinical organ damage at younger ages. This overall enhanced understanding on the determinants of blood pressure elevation in blacks encourages (a) novel approaches to assess and manage hypertension in Africa better, (b) further scientific discovery to develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies, and (c) policymakers and health advocates to collectively contribute in creating health-promoting environments in Africa