Sex Differences In Patients With Deep Vein Thrombosis

Objective: Sex differences in short-term outcomes of patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) have been reported but differences in long-term outcomes remain poorly characterized. This study aims to evaluate sex differences in long-term mortality, venous thromboembolism (VTE)-related mortality, and bleeding-related mortality in patients with DVT at a tertiary care center. Methods: A retrospective chart review from 2012 – 2018 of all consecutive patients diagnosed with DVT was performed. Patients were grouped by sex, and baseline characteristics and treatment modalities were compared. Long-term outcomes of recurrent VTE, bleeding, and related mortalities were analyzed. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with overall mortality. Results: A total of 1,043 (female 50.0%, n = 521) patients with DVT were captured in this study period. Female patients were older (64.7 vs. 61.6 years old, p = 0.01) and less likely to be obese (68.2% vs. 71.1%, p = 0.04), but had a higher average Caprini score (6.73 vs. 6.35, p = 0.04). There was no difference in anatomic extent of DVT, association with pulmonary embolism (PE), and severity of PE between sexes. Most patients (80.5%) were treated with anticoagulation, with no differences in choice of anticoagulant or duration of anticoagulation between females and males. Male patients were more likely to undergo catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) for DVT (4.2% vs 1.7%, p = 0.02) and PE (2.7% vs 0.9%, p = 0.04). Female patients were more likely to receive systemic thrombolysis for PE (2.9% vs 1.1%, p = 0.05). After an average 2.3 years follow-up, there was significantly higher bleeding complications among females (22.2% vs 16.7%, p = 0.027). The overall mortality rate was 33.5% and not different between males and females. Females were more likely to experience VTE-related mortality compared to males (3.3% vs 0.6%, p = 0.002). On regression analysis, older age (OR = 1.04 [1.03-1.06]), cancer (OR = 7.64 [5.45-10.7]), congestive heart failure (OR = 3.84 [2.15-6.86]) were independently associated with overall mortality. Conclusions: In this study, there was no difference in overall long-term mortality between sexes for patients presenting with DVT. However, females had increased risk of long-term bleeding and VTE-related mortality compared to males

A computer-assisted pproach to the comparison of mainland southeast Asian languages

This cumulative thesis is based on three separate projects based on a computer-assisted language comparison (CALC) framework to address common obstacles to studying the history of Mainland Southeast Asian (MSEA) languages, such as sparse and non-standardized lexical data, as well as an inadequate method of cognate judgments, and to provide caveats to scholars who will use Bayesian phylogenetic analysis. The first project provides a format that standardizes the sound inventories, regulates language labels, and clarifies lexical items. This standardized format allows us to merge various forms of raw data. The format also summarizes information to assist linguists in researching the relatedness among words and inferring relationships among languages. The second project focuses on increasing the transparency of lexical data and cognate judg- ments with regard to compound words. The method enables the annotation of each part of a word with semantic meanings and syntactic features. In addition, four different conversion methods were developed to convert morpheme cognates into word cognates for input into the Bayesian phylogenetic analysis. The third project applies the methods used in the first project to create a workflow by merging linguistic data sets and inferring a language tree using a Bayesian phylogenetic algorithm. Further- more, the project addresses the importance of integrating cross-disciplinary studies into historical linguistic research. Finally, the methods we proposed for managing lexical data for MSEA languages are discussed and summarized in six perspectives. The work can be seen as a milestone in reconstructing human prehistory in an area that has high linguistic and cultural diversity

Distributed Local Linear Parameter Estimation using Gaussian SPAWN

We consider the problem of estimating local sensor parameters, where the local parameters and sensor observations are related through linear stochastic models. Sensors exchange messages and cooperate with each other to estimate their own local parameters iteratively. We study the Gaussian Sum-Product Algorithm over a Wireless Network (gSPAWN) procedure, which is based on belief propagation, but uses fixed size broadcast messages at each sensor instead. Compared with the popular diffusion strategies for performing network parameter estimation, whose communication cost at each sensor increases with increasing network density, the gSPAWN algorithm allows sensors to broadcast a message whose size does not depend on the network size or density, making it more suitable for applications in wireless sensor networks. We show that the gSPAWN algorithm converges in mean and has mean-square stability under some technical sufficient conditions, and we describe an application of the gSPAWN algorithm to a network localization problem in non-line-of-sight environments. Numerical results suggest that gSPAWN converges much faster in general than the diffusion method, and has lower communication costs, with comparable root mean square errors

A hybrid genetic algorithm based approximate cash crop model with support vector machine classifier framework for predicting economic viability of underutilised crop in rural area

The research deals with developing a hybrid Genetic Algorithm based on approximate cash crop model framework to predict economic viability of underutilised crop in rural area using Support Vector Machine. Machine learning techniques are dependent on large amount of data in order to predict outcomes. However, underutilised crops are, by definition, not cultivated on a large commercial scale causes the scarcity of training data for this application. In this proposed framework, SVM is implemented in conjunction with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and associated fitness functions to generate training data for the SVM from approximate models developed for normal cash crops. Approximate models are used in Genetic Algorithm as fitness function to generate synthetic data. Synthetic data generated is used to train Support Vector Machine. Experiments are designed to compare synthetic data from actual models and data generated from approximate models. Model and real data from World Bank is also used to validate the proposed framework. Finally, synthetic data generated from approximate farm income models for crop are tested against the real village data obtained from Crops For the Future Research Centre. The result shows that good classification is attainable in spite of the inaccuracy that existed in the training data from an approximate model and artificially generated through Genetic Algorithm which includes constraints that reflect physical conditions found in rural villages. This framework is able to identify village which is able to achieve potential success economically planting underutilised crops before cultivating the crop itself based on the approximate model from village who has successfully commercialised normal crops

Annotating Cognates in Phylogenetic Studies of South-East Asian Languages [version 2]

Compounding and derivation are frequent in many language families. As a consequence, words in different languages are often only partially cognate, sharing only a few but not all morphemes. While partial cognates do not constitute a problem for the phonological reconstruction of individual morphemes, they are problematic when it comes to phylogenetic reconstruction based on comparative wordlists. Here, we review the current practice of preparing cognate-coded wordlists and develop new approaches that make the process of cognate annotation more transparent. Comparing four methods by which partial cognate judgments can be converted to cognate judgments for whole words on a newly annotated dataset of 19 Chinese dialect varieties, we find that the choice of the conversion method has an impact on the inferred tree topologies that cannot be ignored. We conclude that scholars should take cognate judgments in languages in which compounding and derivation are frequent with great care and recommend to assign cognates always transparently

Annotating Cognates in Phylogenetic Studies of South-East Asian Languages

Compounding and derivation are frequent in South-East Asian languages. Consequently, words in different languages are often only partially cognate, sharing only a few but not all morphemes. While partial cognates do not constitute a problem for the phonological reconstruction of individual morphemes, they are problematic when it comes to phylogenetic reconstruction based on comparative wordlists. Here, we review the current practice of preparing cognate-coded wordlists and develop new approaches that make the process of cognate annotation more transparent. Comparing four methods by which partial cognate judgments can be converted to cognate judgments for whole words on a newly annotated dataset of 19 Chinese dialect varieties, we find that the choice of the conversion method has a large impact on the inferred tree topologies. We conclude that scholars should take cognate judgments in languages in which compounding and derivation are frequent with great care, and recommend to assign cognates always transparently

Hepatic protein kinase C is not activated despite high intracellular 1,2-sn-diacylglycerol in obese Zucker rats

AbstractHigh intracellular 1,2,-sn-diacylglycerol (DAG) usually activates protein kinase C (PKC). In choline-deficient Fischer 344 rats, we previously showed that fatty liver was associated with elevated hepatic DAG and sustained activation of PKC. Steatosis is a sequelae of many liver toxins, and we wanted to determine whether fatty liver is always associated with accumulation of DAG with activation of PKC. Obese Zucker rats had 11-fold more triacylglycerol in their livers and 2-fold more DAG in their hepatic plasma membrane than did lean control Zucker rats. However, this increased diacylglycerol was not associated with translocation or activation of PKC in hepatic plasma membrane (activity in obese rats was 897 pmol/mg protein×min−1 vs. 780 pmol/mg protein×min−1 in lean rats). No differences in PKC isoform expression were detected between obese and lean rats. In additional studies, we found that choline deficiency in the Zucker rat did not result in activation of PKC in liver, unlike our earlier observations in the choline deficient Fischer rat. This dissociation between fatty liver, DAG accumulation and PKC activation in Zucker rats supports previous reports of abnormalities in PKC signaling in this strain of rats