Finding the best predictive model for hypertensive depression in older adults based on machine learning and metabolomics research

ObjectiveDepression is a common comorbidity in hypertensive older adults, yet depression is more difficult to diagnose correctly. Our goal is to find predictive models of depression in hypertensive patients using a combination of various machine learning (ML) methods and metabolomics.MethodsMethods We recruited 379 elderly people aged ≥65 years from the Chinese community. Plasma samples were collected and assayed by gas chromatography/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/LC-MS). Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), volcano diagrams and thermograms were used to distinguish metabolites. The attribute discriminators CfsSubsetEval combined with search method BestFirst in WEKA software was used to find the best predicted metabolite combinations, and then 24 classification methods with 10-fold cross-validation were used for prediction.Results34 individuals were considered hypertensive combined with depression according to our criteria, and 34 subjects with hypertension only were matched according to age and sex. 19 metabolites by GC-MS and 65 metabolites by LC-MS contributed significantly to the differentiation between the depressed and non-depressed cohorts, with a VIP value of more than 1 and a P value of less than 0.05. There were multiple metabolic pathway alterations. The metabolite combinations screened with WEKA for optimal diagnostic value included 12 metabolites. The machine learning methods with AUC values greater than 0.9 were bayesNet and random forests, and their other evaluation measures are also better.ConclusionAltered metabolites and metabolic pathways are present in older adults with hypertension combined with depression. Methods using metabolomics and machine learning performed quite well in predicting depression in hypertensive older adults, contributing to further clinical research

Research on mechanical properties of high-performance cable-in-conduit conductors with different design

The China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is a new tokamak fusion reactor under preliminary design, where the toroidal field (TF) coil has been designed to create a magnetic field of over 14.3 T. The TF conductors need to operate stably at 14.3 T, requiring the exclusion of conductor performance degradation from thermal and electromagnetic loading as much as possible. The maximum Lorentz force will reach about 1200 kN m-1, which is much higher than that of ITER conductors. In previous research, performance degradation was found during electromagnetic cycles and warm-up-cool-down cycles. A correlation was found between a conductor's degradation and its mechanical properties. According to the analysis, a conductor with a short twist pitch (STP) scheme or a copper wound superconducting strand (CWS) design has large stiffness, which enables significant performance improvement in terms of the electromagnetic and thermal load cycling. The cable stiffness is closely related to the number of inter-strand contact points inside the conductor. Based on this concept, four types of prototype cable-in-conduit conductor samples with STP and CWS design were manufactured. The number of inter-strand contact points was analyzed, and mechanical transverse load testing was performed at 77 K. The results show that the conductors with more contact points per unit length exhibit a higher stiffness. However, the cable designed with high cable stiffness caused strand indentation, which was also investigated. In this paper, the conductor design and experimental results are discussed and compared with ITER TF and central solenoid conductors.</p

Discovery of potential biomarkers for osteoporosis using LC/GC−MS metabolomic methods

PurposeFor early diagnosis of osteoporosis (OP), plasma metabolomics of OP was studied by untargeted LC/GC−MS in a Chinese elderly population to find possible diagnostic biomarkers.MethodsA total of 379 Chinese community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years were recruited for this study. The BMD of the calcaneus was measured using quantitative ultrasound (QUS), and a T value ≤-2.5 was defined as OP. Twenty-nine men and 47 women with OP were screened, and 29 men and 36 women were matched according to age and BMI as normal controls using propensity matching. Plasma from these participants was first analyzed by untargeted LC/GC−MS, followed by FC and P values to screen for differential metabolites and heatmaps and box plots to differentiate metabolites between groups. Finally, metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of differential metabolites was performed based on KEGG, and pathways with P ≤ 0.05 were selected as enrichment pathways.ResultsWe screened metabolites with FC&gt;1.2 or FC&lt;1/1.2 and P&lt;0.05 and found 33 differential metabolites in elderly men and 30 differential metabolites in elderly women that could be potential biomarkers for OP. 2-Aminomuconic acid semialdehyde (AUC=0.72, 95% CI 0.582-0.857, P=0.004) is highly likely to be a biomarker for screening OP in older men. Tetradecanedioic acid (AUC=0.70, 95% CI 0.575-0.818, P=0.004) is highly likely to be a biomarker for screening OP in older women.ConclusionThese findings can be applied to clinical work through further validation studies. This study also shows that metabolomic analysis has great potential for application in the early diagnosis and recurrence monitoring of OP in elderly individuals

Synthesis of pyrrol-pyridazyl-triazolyl-pyridines via Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction

<p>Conjugated alternative donor–acceptor type pyrrol-pyridazyl-triazolyl-pyridine <i>N</i>-heterocyclic systems were synthesized via Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of pyrrol-pyridazylacetylene with azidopyridines.</p

Preparation and Properties of Fluorosilicone Fouling-Release Coatings

To improve the antifouling performance of silicone fouling-release coatings, some fluorosilicone and silicone fouling-release coatings were prepared and cured at room temperature with hydroxyl-terminated fluoropolysiloxane (FPS) or hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a film-forming resin, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a crosslinking agent, and dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) as a catalyst. The chemical structure, surface morphology and roughness, tensile properties, and antifouling properties of the coating were studied by infrared spectroscopy, a laser confocal scanning microscope, contact angle measurement, tensile tests, and marine bacteria and benthic diatom attachment tests. The results showed that the FPS coatings were not only hydrophobic but also oleophobic, and the contact angles of the FPS coatings were larger than those of the PDMS coatings. The surface free energies of the FPS coatings were much lower than those of the PDMS coatings. Generally, the fluorine groups can improve the antifouling performance of the coating. Introducing nonreactive silicone oil into PDMS or FPS coatings can improve the antifouling performance of the coating to a certain extent. The prepared fluorosilicone fouling-release coatings showed good application prospects

Development and Validation of a Behavioral Decision-based Measure for the Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior

Existing UPB scales lack context and ethical considerations, which make it hard to capture real-life scenarios. This study presents a behavioral decision-based measure for unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). It uses scenarios to simulate daily work situations in order that individuals’ choice preferences are more ecologically valid as compared to existing scales. Study 1 involved the development and initial validation of UPB decision scenarios, resulting in a seven-scenario version exhibiting content and ecological validity. Study 2 indicated that the simulated behavioral decision-based measure had good internal consistency reliability and construct validity. Additionally, the consistency of measure across gender and position was established. Study 3 showed a high association between the UPB scale and the behavioral decision-based measure, confirming the measure’s criterion validity. The test-retest reliability was also high, indicating that the behavioral decision-based measure is stable across time. The final study showed that individuals under the cognitive load conditions made UPB choices faster but with lower frequency, supporting the dual process theory of moral dilemma decision-making. The measure proves reliable, valid, and responsive to external factors, broadening our understanding of UPB. It offers a valuable tool to be applied to organizational ethics evaluations and interventions for both scholars and practitioners