Formulae of Partial Reduction for Linear Systems of First Order Operator Equations

This paper deals with reduction of non-homogeneous linear systems of first order operator equations with constant coefficients. An equivalent reduced system, consisting of higher order linear operator equations having only one variable and first order linear operator equations in two variables, is obtained by using the rational canonical form

Comparison of Similarity Measures for Trajectory Clustering - Aviation Use Case

Various distance-based clustering algorithms have been reported, but the core component of all of them is a similarity or distance measure for classification of data. Rather than setting the priority to comparison of the performance of different clustering algorithms, it may be worthy to analyze the influence of different similarity measures on the results of clustering algorithms. The main contribution of this work is a comparative study of the impact of 9 similarity measures on similarity-based trajectory clustering using DBSCAN algorithm for commercial flight dataset. The novelty in this comparison is exploring the robustness of the clustering algorithm with respect to algorithm parameter. We evaluate the accuracy of clustering, accuracy of anomaly detection, algorithmic efficiency, and we determine the behavior profile for each measure. We show that DTW and Frechet distance lead to the best clustering results, while LCSS and Hausdorff Cosine should be avoided for this task

Using Clinical Vignettes to Evaluate VTE Protocol Adherence

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis is underutilized in hospitalized medical patients. Underutilization might occur as a result of resident practice variation incurred by using a complex risk assessment tool. OBJECTIVE: To examine what impact repetitive exposure to an electronic point-based VTE risk assessment tool has on resident inter-rater reliability and protocol adherence. DESIGN: Pre and post intervention cross-sectional cohort study. SETTING: Single academic center. PATIENTS: Convenience samples of Internal Medicine residents. INTERVENTIONS: Residents completed clinical vignettes before and after any exposure to an electronic risk assessment tool and reminder alert. They were asked to make three determinations using a point-based VTE risk assessment tool: risk stratification, identify contraindications, and VTE prevention strategy. MEASUREMENTS: Inter-rater reliability for risk assessment, contraindications, and VTE prophylaxis strategy and protocol adherence. RESULTS: Kappa scores for VTE risk assessment did not change, but improved for VTE plan increasing from 0.28 to 0.37. Protocol adherence improved from 71% in 2008 to 79% (P = 0.06). There was a significant decrease in under-prophylaxis (22% to 6%, P \u3c 0.0001) but a significant increase in over-prophylaxis (7% to 16%, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Using clinical vignettes, we determined that daily exposure to an electronic risk assessment tool did not improve the inter-rater reliability of a point-based risk assessment tool when used by medical residents. This might be due to inexperienced providers using a complex point-based tool. Overall, adherence improved, and under-prophylaxis decreased, but over-prophylaxis increased. Clinical vignettes are a generalizable method to monitor resident prophylaxis practices and way to identify educational and process improvement opportunities. KEYWORDS: Resident; Inter-rater reliability; Venous thromboembolism; Agreement; Risk assessment score

Fetuin-A Characteristics during and after Pregnancy: Result from a Case Control Pilot Study

Objective. Fetuin-A has been associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We investigated fetuin-A levels during and after pregnancy in women with GDM. Fetuin-A measurements were performed in 10 women with GDM and 10 age and body mass index (BMI) matched healthy pregnant women. All women underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in and 3 months after gestation. Results. Fasting fetuin-A correlated with BMI in women with former GDM (r = 0.90, P < 0.0001) but showed no association with parameters of glucose tolerance in women with GDM or post-GDM. GDM featured significantly lower insulin sensitivity and higher insulin and C-peptide secretion profiles compared to NGT during pregnancy (P < 0.05). Fasting and postprandial fetuin-A did not differ between groups, neither during nor after pregnancy. Conclusion. Fetuin-A is not influenced by glucose tolerance during or after pregnancy or acute glucose elevations following glucose ingestion in young women, but closely relates to BMI early postpartum

Autoimmunity in Immunodeficiency

Primary immunodeficiencies (PID) comprise a diverse group of clinical disorders with varied genetic defects. Paradoxically, a substantial proportion of PID patients develop autoimmune phenomena in addition to having increased susceptibility to infections from their impaired immunity. Although much of our understanding comes from data gathered through experimental models, there are several well-characterized PID that have improved our knowledge of the pathways that drive autoimmunity. The goals of this review will be to discuss these immunodeficiencies and to review the literature with respect to the proposed mechanisms for autoimmunity within each put forth to date

IL-1 receptor antagonist reduces endotoxin-induced airway inflammation in healthy volunteers

Asthma with neutrophil predominance is challenging to treat with corticosteroids. Novel treatment options for asthma include those that target innate immune activity. Recent literature has indicated a significant role for IL-1β in both acute and chronic neutrophilic asthma

TRACE ELEMENTS CONCENTRATIONS ASSOCIATION WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS; A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN CROATIA

Background: Significant inconsistencies exist in findings on association of bio-elements (BE) concentrations and schizophrenia. Hypothesis of this research was that different concentrations of BE are associated with different psychopathological schizophrenia symptoms. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed from 2014 to 2016 at Psychiatric Hospital “Sveti Ivan” and University Psychiatric Hospital “Vra

Wild-Type p53 Enhances Endothelial Barrier Function by Mediating RAC1 Signalling and RhoA Inhibition

Inflammation is the major cause of endothelial barrier hyper-permeability, associated with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. This study reports that p53 orchestrates the defence of vascular endothelium against LPS, by mediating the opposing actions of Rac1 and RhoA in pulmonary tissues. Human lung microvascular endothelial cells treated with HSP90 inhibitors activated both Rac1- and P21-activated kinase, which is an essential element of vascular barrier function. 17AAG increased the phosphorylation of both LIMK and cofilin, in contrast to LPS which counteracted those effects. Mouse lung microvascular endothelial cells exposed to LPS exhibited decreased expression of phospho-cofilin. 17AAG treatment resulted in reduced levels of active cofilin. Silencing of cofilin pyridoxal phosphate phosphatase (PDXP) blocked the LPS-induced hyper-permeability, and P53 inhibition reversed the 17AAG-induced PDXP down-regulation. P190RHOGAP suppression enhanced the LPS-triggered barrier dysfunction in endothelial monolayers. 17AAG treatment resulted in P190RHOGAP induction and blocked the LPS-induced pMLC2 up-regulation in wild-type mice. Pulmonary endothelial cells from super p53 mice, which carry additional p53-tg alleles, exhibited a lower response to LPS than the controls. Collectively, our findings help elucidate the mechanisms by which p53 operates to enhance barrier function

Long-Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids May Be Beneficial for Reducing Obesity—A Review

Current recommendations for counteracting obesity advocate the consumption of a healthy diet and participation in regular physical activity, but many individuals have difficulty complying with these recommendations. Studies in rodents and humans have indicated that long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) potentially elicit a number of effects which might be useful for reducing obesity, including suppression of appetite, improvements in circulation which might facilitate nutrient delivery to skeletal muscle and changes in gene expression which shift metabolism toward increased accretion of lean tissue, enhanced fat oxidation and energy expenditure and reduced fat deposition. While LC n-3 PUFA supplementation has been shown to reduce obesity in rodents, evidence in humans is limited. Epidemiological associations between LC n-3 PUFA intakes and obesity are inconclusive but small cross-sectional studies have demonstrated inverse relationships between markers of LC n-3 PUFA status and markers of obesity. Human intervention trials indicate potential benefits of LC n-3 PUFA supplementation, especially when combined with energy-restricted diets or exercise, but more well-controlled and long-term trials are needed to confirm these effects and identify mechanisms of action