Transformations of Logic Programs on Infinite Lists

We consider an extension of logic programs, called \omega-programs, that can be used to define predicates over infinite lists. \omega-programs allow us to specify properties of the infinite behavior of reactive systems and, in general, properties of infinite sequences of events. The semantics of \omega-programs is an extension of the perfect model semantics. We present variants of the familiar unfold/fold rules which can be used for transforming \omega-programs. We show that these new rules are correct, that is, their application preserves the perfect model semantics. Then we outline a general methodology based on program transformation for verifying properties of \omega-programs. We demonstrate the power of our transformation-based verification methodology by proving some properties of Buechi automata and \omega-regular languages.Comment: 37 pages, including the appendix with proofs. This is an extended version of a paper published in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming, see belo

The place of vericiguat in the landscape of treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

The significant morbidity and mortality associated with heart failure with reduced (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) justify the search for novel therapeutic agents. The nitric oxide (NO)–soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway plays an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular function. This pathway is disrupted in HF resulting in decreased protection against myocardial injury. The sGC activator cinaciguat increases cGMP levels by direct, NO-independent activation of sGC, and may be particularly effective in conditions of increased oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, and then reduced NO levels, but this comes at the expense of a greater risk of hypotension. Conversely, sGC stimulators (riociguat and vericiguat) enhance sGC sensitivity to endogenous NO, and then exert a more physiological action. The phase 3 VICTORIA trial found that vericiguat is safe and effective in patients with HFrEF and recent HF decompensation. Therefore, adding vericiguat may be considered in individual patients with HFrEF, particularly those at higher risk of HF hospitalization; the efficacy of the sacubitril/valsartan-vericiguat combination in HFrEF is currently unknown

Usefulness of regional right ventricular and right atrial strain for prediction of early and late right ventricular failure following a left ventricular assist device implant: A machine learning approach

Background: Identifying candidates for left ventricular assist device surgery at risk of right ventricular failure remains difficult. The aim was to identify the most accurate predictors of right ventricular failure among clinical, biological, and imaging markers, assessed by agreement of different supervised machine learning algorithms. Methods: Seventy-four patients, referred to HeartWare left ventricular assist device since 2010 in two Italian centers, were recruited. Biomarkers, right ventricular standard, and strain echocardiography, as well as cath-lab measures, were compared among patients who did not develop right ventricular failure (N = 56), those with acute–right ventricular failure (N = 8, 11%) or chronic–right ventricular failure (N = 10, 14%). Logistic regression, penalized logistic regression, linear support vector machines, and naïve Bayes algorithms with leave-one-out validation were used to evaluate the efficiency of any combination of three collected variables in an “all-subsets” approach. Results: Michigan risk score combined with central venous pressure assessed invasively and apical longitudinal systolic strain of the right ventricular–free wall were the most significant predictors of acute–right ventricular failure (maximum receiver operating characteristic–area under the curve = 0.95, 95% confidence interval = 0.91–1.00, by the naïve Bayes), while the right ventricular–free wall systolic strain of the middle segment, right atrial strain (QRS-synced), and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion were the most significant predictors of Chronic-RVF (receiver operating characteristic–area under the curve = 0.97, 95% confidence interval = 0.91–1.00, according to naïve Bayes). Conclusion: Apical right ventricular strain as well as right atrial strain provides complementary information, both critical to predict acute–right ventricular failure and chronic–right ventricular failure, respectively

The use of pulse-compression thermography for detecting defects in paintings

Interest in the conservation of paintings grows year by year. Their periodic inspection is essential for their conservation over the time. Thermographic non-destructive inspection is one technique useful for paintings, but it is essential to be able to detect buried defects while minimising the level of thermal stimulus. This paper describes a pulse-compression infrared thermography technique whereby defect detection is optimized while minimising the rise in temperature. To accomplish this task, LED lamps driven by a coded waveform based on a linear frequency modulated chirp signal have been used on paintings on both a wooden panel and a canvas layer. These specimens contained artificially fabricated defects. Although the physical condition of each painting was different, the experimental results show that the proposed signal processing procedure is able to detect defects using a low temperature contrast

Historical trends in survival of hospitalized heart failure patients: 2000 versus 1995

BACKGROUND: Population-based secular trends in survival of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are central to public health research on the burden of the syndrome. METHODS: Patients 35–79 years old with a CHF discharge code in 1995 or 2000 were identified in 22 Minneapolis-St. Paul hospitals. A sample of the records was abstracted (50% of 1995 records; 38% of 2000 records). A total of 2,257 patients in 1995 and 1,825 patients in 2000 were determined to have had a CHF-related hospitalization. Each patient was followed for one year to ascertain vital status. RESULTS: The risk profile of the 2000 patient cohort was somewhat worse than that of the 1995 cohort in both sex groups, but the distributions of age and left ventricular ejection fraction were similar. Within one year of admission in 2000, 28% of male patients and 27% of female patients have died, compared to 36% and 27% of their counterparts in 1995, respectively. In various Cox regression models the average year effect (2000 vs. 1995) was around 0.75 for men and 0.95 to 1.00 for women. The use of angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers was associated with substantially lower hazard of death during the subsequent year. CONCLUSION: Survival of men who were hospitalized for CHF has improved during the second half of the 1990s. The trend in women was very weak, compatible with little to no change. Documented benefits of angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers were evident in these observational data in both men and women

Integrating High-Sensitivity Troponin T and Sacubitril/Valsartan Treatment in HFpEF

OBJECTIVES This study examined the relationship among high-sensitivity troponin-T (hs-TnT), outcomes, and treatment with sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). BACKGROUND hs-TnT is a marker of myocardial injury in HF. METHODS The PARAGON-HF trial randomized 4,796 patients with HFpEF to sacubitril/valsartan or valsartan. We compared the risk of the composite outcome of cardiovascular death (CVD) and total HF hospitalization (HHF) according to hs-TnT. We also assessed the effect of allocated treatment on hs-TnT. RESULTS hs-TnT was available in 1,141 patients (24%) at run-in (median value: 17 ng/L) and 1,260 (26%) at randomization, with 58.3% having hs-TnT >14 ng/L (upper limit of normal). During a median follow-up of 34 months, there were 393 outcome events (82 CVD, 311 HHF). Adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), log-hs-TnT at randomization was an independent predictor of the composite outcome (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.19-1.59; P 17 ng/L) appeared to have a greater benefit from sacubitril/valsartan treatment when accounting for other potential effect modifiers (P interaction = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS Higher baseline hs-TnT was associated with increased risk of CVD/HHF, whereas hs-TnT decrease at 16 weeks led to lower subsequent risk of CVD/HHF compared with those who had persistently elevated values. Sacubitril/valsartan significantly reduced hs-TnT compared with valsartan. hs-TnT may be helpful in identifying patients with HFpEF who are more likely to benefit from sacubitril/valsartan. (J Am Coll Cardiol HF 2021;9:627-635) (c) 2021 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation

Epidemiology of heart failure in a community-based study of subjects aged >= 57 years:Incidence and long-term survival

Background: Survival data from hospital-based or clinical trial studies of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) do not represent survival in community-based settings. Aims: To determine the incidence of CHF and the associated long-term Survival in a community-based sample aged >= 57 years and to assess the mortality risk associated with sex and age. Methods: This study was part of the Groningen Longitudinal Aging Study. Results: Annual incidence of CHF per 1000 ranged from 2.5 in middle aged adults (57-60 years) up to 22.4 in older females (>= 80 years) and 28.2 in older males (>= 80 years). The 1, 2, 5 and 7-year survival rates were 74%, 65%, 45%, 32% for patients with CHF, compared to 97%, 94%, 80% and 70% in a matched reference group without CHF. Higher age (>= 76 years) was a risk factor for mortality (OR=2.1) and male sex was a risk Factor in those aged Conclusion: Long-term survival rates for patients with CHF in the community were worse than the known survival rates front clinical trials. There is a need for Studies describing the care of patients with CHF in the community, including the type of care, the provider, the quality of care and the outcome. (c) 2005 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Angiotensin-Neprilysin Inhibition in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background The angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril-valsartan led to a reduced risk of hospitalization for heart failure or death from cardiovascular causes among patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. The effect of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibition in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is unclear. Methods We randomly assigned 4822 patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II to IV heart failure, ejection fraction of 45% or higher, elevated level of natriuretic peptides, and structural heart disease to receive sacubitril-valsartan (target dose, 97 mg of sacubitril with 103 mg of valsartan twice daily) or valsartan (target dose, 160 mg twice daily). The primary outcome was a composite of total hospitalizations for heart failure and death from cardiovascular causes. Primary outcome components, secondary outcomes (including NYHA class change, worsening renal function, and change in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire [KCCQ] clinical summary score [scale, 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating fewer symptoms and physical limitations]), and safety were also assessed. Results There were 894 primary events in 526 patients in the sacubitril-valsartan group and 1009 primary events in 557 patients in the valsartan group (rate ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 1.01; P=0.06). The incidence of death from cardiovascular causes was 8.5% in the sacubitril-valsartan group and 8.9% in the valsartan group (hazard ratio, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.16); there were 690 and 797 total hospitalizations for heart failure, respectively (rate ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.00). NYHA class improved in 15.0% of the patients in the sacubitril-valsartan group and in 12.6% of those in the valsartan group (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.86); renal function worsened in 1.4% and 2.7%, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.77). The mean change in the KCCQ clinical summary score at 8 months was 1.0 point (95% CI, 0.0 to 2.1) higher in the sacubitril-valsartan group. Patients in the sacubitril-valsartan group had a higher incidence of hypotension and angioedema and a lower incidence of hyperkalemia. Among 12 prespecified subgroups, there was suggestion of heterogeneity with possible benefit with sacubitril-valsartan in patients with lower ejection fraction and in women. Conclusions Sacubitril-valsartan did not result in a significantly lower rate of total hospitalizations for heart failure and death from cardiovascular causes among patients with heart failure and an ejection fraction of 45% or higher. (Funded by Novartis; PARAGON-HF ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01920711.

Monoclonal antibodies directed to fucoidan preparations from brown algae

Cell walls of the brown algae contain a diverse range of polysaccharides with useful bioactivities. The precise structures of the sulfated fucan/fucoidan group of polysaccharides and their roles in generating cell wall architectures and cell properties are not known in detail. Four rat monoclonal antibodies, BAM1 to BAM4, directed to sulfated fucan preparations, have been generated and used to dissect the heterogeneity of brown algal cell wall polysaccharides. BAM1 and BAM4, respectively, bind to a non-sulfated epitope and a sulfated epitope present in the sulfated fucan preparations. BAM2 and BAM3 identified additional distinct epitopes present in the fucoidan preparations. All four epitopes, not yet fully characterised, occur widely within the major brown algal taxonomic groups and show divergent distribution patterns in tissues. The analysis of cell wall extractions and fluorescence imaging reveal differences in the occurrence of the BAM1 to BAM4 epitopes in various tissues of Fucus vesiculosus. In Ectocarpus subulatus, a species closely related to the brown algal model Ectocarpus siliculosus, the BAM4 sulfated epitope was modulated in relation to salinity levels. This new set of monoclonal antibodies will be useful for the dissection of the highly complex and yet poorly resolved sulfated polysaccharides in the brown algae in relation to their ecological and economic significance

Overview of the FTU results

Since the 2018 IAEA FEC Conference, FTU operations have been devoted to several experiments covering a large range of topics, from the investigation of the behaviour of a liquid tin limiter to the runaway electrons mitigation and control and to the stabilization of tearing modes by electron cyclotron heating and by pellet injection. Other experiments have involved the spectroscopy of heavy metal ions, the electron density peaking in helium doped plasmas, the electron cyclotron assisted start-up and the electron temperature measurements in high temperature plasmas. The effectiveness of the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy system has been demonstrated and the new capabilities of the runaway electron imaging spectrometry system for in-flight runaways studies have been explored. Finally, a high resolution saddle coil array for MHD analysis and UV and SXR diamond detectors have been successfully tested on different plasma scenarios