L-deprenyl, A Selective MAO-B Inhibitor

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are now recognized as effective medications in the treatment of major depression (1). However, their clinical use has been limited by the risk of severe hypertensive reactions to oral tyramine challenge. Prevention of this so-called cheese effect requires adherence to diet restrictions that can lead to problems with patient compliance to MAOIs. L-deprenyl is a selective MAO-B inhibitor that is reportedly free of the cheese effect (2). This review will discuss the clinical and theoretical importance of this interesting drug

Multimodal Machine Learning for Automated ICD Coding

This study presents a multimodal machine learning model to predict ICD-10 diagnostic codes. We developed separate machine learning models that can handle data from different modalities, including unstructured text, semi-structured text and structured tabular data. We further employed an ensemble method to integrate all modality-specific models to generate ICD-10 codes. Key evidence was also extracted to make our prediction more convincing and explainable. We used the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC -III) dataset to validate our approach. For ICD code prediction, our best-performing model (micro-F1 = 0.7633, micro-AUC = 0.9541) significantly outperforms other baseline models including TF-IDF (micro-F1 = 0.6721, micro-AUC = 0.7879) and Text-CNN model (micro-F1 = 0.6569, micro-AUC = 0.9235). For interpretability, our approach achieves a Jaccard Similarity Coefficient (JSC) of 0.1806 on text data and 0.3105 on tabular data, where well-trained physicians achieve 0.2780 and 0.5002 respectively.Comment: Machine Learning for Healthcare 201

Understanding ground deformation mechanisms for multi-propped excavation in soft clay

Deep excavation works are carried out to construct underground infrastructures such as deep basements, subways, and service tunnels. The execution of these deep excavation works requires the use of retaining walls and bracing systems. Inadequate support systems have always been of major concern, as excessive ground movement induced during excavation could cause damage to neighboring structures, resulting in delays, disputes, and cost overruns. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in soil excavations, centrifuge model tests of deep excavations in slightly over-consolidated soft clay have been carried out using a newly developed testing system, in which the construction sequence of a multi-propped wall for deep excavations can be simulated in flight. Deformation mechanisms are observed using Particle Image Velocimetry. Settlements of the ground surface and changes in pore water pressure are monitored during the excavation. The effects of prop stiffness, wall rigidity, and excavation geometry on the characteristics of ground deformation and soil-structure interaction are demonstrated and discussed. The use of the conservation of energy within the framework of the mobilizable strength design in calculating ground movements is validated and shown to perform satisfactorily.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final published version can be found on the publisher website at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038080614000286 Copyright © 2014 Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A new apparatus for modelling excavations

Underground space is commonly exploited both to maximise the utility of costly land in urban development and to reduce the vertical load acting on the ground. Deep excavations are carried out to construct various types of underground infrastructure such as deep basements, subways and service tunnels. Although the soil response to excavation is known in principle, designers lack practical calculation methods for predicting both short- and long-term ground movements. As the understanding of how soil behaves around an excavation in both the short and long term is insufficient and usually empirical, the judgements used in design are also empirical and serious accidents are common. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in soil excavation, a new apparatus for the centrifuge model testing of deep excavations in soft clay has been developed. This apparatus simulates the field construction sequence of a multi-propped retaining wall during centrifuge flight. A comparison is given between the new technique and the previously used method of draining heavy fluid to simulate excavation in a centrifuge model. The new system has the benefit of giving the correct initial ground conditions before excavation and the proper earth pressure distribution on the retaining structures during excavation, whereas heavy fluid only gives an earth pressure coefficient of unity and is unable to capture any changes in the earth pressure coefficient of soil inside the zone of excavation, for example owing to wall movements. Settlements of the ground surface, changes in pore water pressure, variations in earth pressure, prop forces and bending moments in the retaining wall are all monitored during excavation. Furthermore, digital images taken of a cross-section during the test are analysed using particle image velocimetry to illustrate ground deformation and soil–structure interaction mechanisms. The significance of these observations is discussed.The authors would also like to acknowledge the Platform grant (GR/T18660/01) awarded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/content/article/10.1680/ijpmg.2012.12.1.24

Wnt5a induces ROR1 to recruit cortactin to promote breast-cancer migration and metastasis.

ROR1 is a conserved oncoembryonic surface protein expressed in breast cancer. Here we report that ROR1 associates with cortactin in primary breast-cancer cells or in MCF7 transfected to express ROR1. Wnt5a also induced ROR1-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin (Y421), which recruited ARHGEF1 to activate RhoA and promote breast-cancer-cell migration; such effects could be inhibited by cirmtuzumab, a humanized mAb specific for ROR1. Furthermore, treatment of mice bearing breast-cancer xenograft with cirmtuzumab inhibited cortactin phosphorylation in vivo and impaired metastatic development. We established that the proline at 841 of ROR1 was required for it to recruit cortactin and ARHGEF1, activate RhoA, and enhance breast-cancer-cell migration in vitro or development of metastases in vivo. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that the interaction of ROR1 with cortactin plays an important role in breast-cancer-cell migration and metastasis

Flight data monitoring/tracker system for search and rescue mission

Traditionally, Kalman Filter is used for the purpose of mixing several input signals and extracting a more reliable output, which greatly benefits aircraft navigation. This paper considers a fusion of four sensor systems: Global Positioning System (GPS), accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer. The resultant device, known as Starfish Main Tracking Unit (MTU), is a Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) / Tracking System equipment that uses General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) / Iridium / ICS (Internet Communications Services), which provides low cost telemetry as well as multiple solutions for global flight following and flight data transfer between aircraft and ground. Users from ground are able to monitor their fleet, configure their systems and also generate various flight reports from a single web-based interface, named the Starfish Fleet Management system. This developed system complements the Black Box by downloading limited aircraft data to the ground, provides real time tracking and assist in Search and Rescue (SAR) mission

Correlation between ocular elasticity and intraocular pressure on optic nerve damages

Optic neuropathy in glaucoma causes visual field loss and blindness [1]. The optic nerve damage in the lamina cribrosa (LC) of the sclera, the primary site of glaucoma, is correlated with the intraocular pressure (IOP) [2]. Literature shows that the optic nerves are sheared at high IOP and the scleral biomechanical properties play an important role in the development and progression of glaucomatous damage to the LC and ganglion cell axons with the optic nerve head (ONH). The aim of this study is to determine and characterize the correlation between the corneal, scleral and ONH elasticity, and intraocular pressure on the optic nerve damages