SimplyRetrieve: A Private and Lightweight Retrieval-Centric Generative AI Tool

Large Language Model (LLM) based Generative AI systems have seen significant progress in recent years. Integrating a knowledge retrieval architecture allows for seamless integration of private data into publicly available Generative AI systems using pre-trained LLM without requiring additional model fine-tuning. Moreover, Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG) approach, a promising future research direction that explicitly separates roles of LLMs and retrievers in context interpretation and knowledge memorization, potentially leads to more efficient implementation. SimplyRetrieve is an open-source tool with the goal of providing a localized, lightweight, and user-friendly interface to these sophisticated advancements to the machine learning community. SimplyRetrieve features a GUI and API based RCG platform, assisted by a Private Knowledge Base Constructor and a Retrieval Tuning Module. By leveraging these capabilities, users can explore the potential of RCG for improving generative AI performance while maintaining privacy standards. The tool is available at https://github.com/RCGAI/SimplyRetrieve with an MIT license.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Preventive effect of statin pretreatment on contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty: Propensity score analysis from a multicenter registry

BackgroundThe prophylactic benefit of statins in reducing the incidence of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) has been investigated in several studies with conflicting results. We sought to investigate whether statin pretreatment prevents CI-AKI in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).MethodsA total of 2198 CAD patients who underwent PCI, except for those undergoing dialysis or who died within 7 days after angioplasty, were analyzed from the ICAS (Ibaraki Cardiovascular Assessment Study) multicenter registry. Analyzed subjects were divided into 2 groups according to statin pretreatment: statin pretreatment (n = 839) and non-statin pretreatment (n = 1359). Selection bias of statin pretreatment was adjusted by propensity score-matching method: pretreatment statin (n = 565) and non-statin pretreatment (n = 565). CI-AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine of ≥ 25% or 0.5 mg/dl from baseline within 1 week of contrast medium exposure.ResultsA total of 192 (8.7%) patients developed CI-AKI. No significant differences were observed in baseline patient characteristics between the statin and non-statin pretreatment groups after propensity score matching. In the propensity score-matched groups, the incidence of CI-AKI was significantly lower in patients with statin pretreatment than in those without statin pretreatment (3.5% vs.10.6%, odds ratio [OR]: 0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18–0.52, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that statin pretreatment remained an independent negative predictor of CI-AKI (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.18–0.53, P < 0.001) among propensity score-matched subjects.ConclusionsStatin pretreatment was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of CI-AKI in CAD patients undergoing PCI in the ICAS Registry

Vessel Deployment and De-Hubbing in Maritime Networks: A Case Study on Colombo Port and Its Feeder Market

Generally, vessels are deployed as hub-and-spoke networks to achieve high slot utilization and cost efficiency for shipping lines in global maritime container shipping networks. At the Port of Colombo, most transhipment containers originate from and are destined for Indian ports, the export/import container volume of which has been rapidly increasing, and Indian ports have been developed to accommodate vessel enlargement. In such circumstances, the partial or complete abandonment of a hub (Colombo port) in this region is expected, which is known as &ldquo;de-hubbing.&rdquo; This study aims to clarify the impact of port developments and an increase in container cargo demand from the source country on maritime network selection from the perspective of shipping lines. We develop a mixed integer linear programming model to describe vessel deployment, including transhipment via the Colombo port and direct shipment in Indian ports. As a result of the analysis, the number of direct services to Indian ports is expected to increase when the cargo demand of Indian ports increases and the port development of Indian ports is conducted. The progress of the de-hubbing phenomenon decreases vessel size at Colombo port because the container demand at Indian ports is mostly satisfied by newly deployed trunk lines to Indian ports. This study suggests that if Colombo port expects to maintain its hub status, it is critical to consider various other incentives to attract and retain mainline carriers in addition to expanding its port infrastructure. Similarly, if India expects to receive direct calls from mainlines, it is important not only to develop their port infrastructure but also to increase their cargo demand

Localized Short Elastic Tape Affects the Hamstring Reflex on Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficient Knee

We evaluated the effect of localized continuous cutaneous stimulation on functional stability of the knee in a subject with an old anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) complete tear. Three controlled comparative experiments were performed: 1) without applying the cutaneous stimulation to defi- cient and uninjured knees, 2) with applying the stimulation to deficient knee, and 3) with applying the stimulation to deficient knee with subcutaneous anesthesia. For the cutaneous stimulation, we applied a short elastic tape (SET) on the lateral side of the knee, which did not immobilize the joint. We evaluated functional stability of the knee by measuring response latency of the stretch reflex in the hamstring muscle after acute anterior translation of the tibia. The latencies in ACL deficient and uninjured knees without applying SET were 66.7 ms and 43.4 ms, respectively. When SET was applied, the value in the deficient knee was shortened to 49.0 ms, and the value was prolonged to 58.5 ms after subcutaneous anesthesia. Our data indicate the possibility that continuous cutaneous stimulation to a small and localized area in ACL-deficient knee may improve the stretch reflex, which may contribute to the functional stability of the knee