Functional Dependence Research Articles

A Simple Bias Reduction for Chatterjee’s Correlation

Chatterjee’s rank correlation coefficient ξn\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\xi _n$$\\end{document} is an empirical index for detecting functional dependencies between two variables X and Y. It is an estimator for a theoretical quantity ξ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\xi $$\\end{document} that is zero for independence and one if Y is a measurable function of X. Based on an equivalent characterization of sorted numbers, we derive an upper bound for ξn\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\xi _n$$\\end{document} and suggest a simple normalization aimed at reducing its bias for small sample size n. In Monte Carlo simulations of various models, the normalization reduced the bias in all cases. The mean squared error was reduced, too, for values of ξ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\xi $$\\end{document} greater than about 0.4. Moreover, we observed that non-parametric confidence intervals for ξ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\xi $$\\end{document} based on bootstrapping ξn\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\xi _n$$\\end{document} in the usual n-out-of-n way have a coverage probability close to zero. This is remedied by an m-out-of-n bootstrap without replacement in combination with our normalization method.

Analysis of spectra of external impacts, reactions to them and limit states under the non-stationary modes of loading

It is noted that under real operating conditions of technical systems the so-called non-stationary loading in which external loadings increase or decrease arbitrarily is realized most often. At the same time final ratios between strains and stresses are of practical interest to engineering calculations. It is shown that for simple cyclic loadings the state equations in final ratios which are based on the theory of small elastic-plastic strains can be used. In this case the existence of the uniform generalized deformation diagram assuming a final relation between the corresponding components of stresses and strains both for initial and cyclic stages of deformation is essential for the analysis of considered conditions of a non-stationary cyclic loading. The analysis of conditions of achieving limit states at all stages of the life cycle the criteria base and the system of the computation equations become more complicated and more saturated by the factors taken into account and among them first external and internal impacts of natural, technogenic, anthropogenous origin, load from these impacts, and the reactions of installations to such impacts and loads as well. At the same time a set of criteria defining a limit state is presented in the form of a functional dependence characterizing a set of force and deformation parameters of the state of technical system on the one hand, and, on the other hand, a complex of criterion characteristics of constructional materials taking into account their change during operation. The most important step of determining conditions for achievement of the limit state causing fracture is establishing the critical parts that determine risks of emergency and catastrophic situations in which processes of local and main fractures are initiated. In this case transition of the operated installation from design area to the area of initiation of refusals, accidents and disasters occurs when the parameters of damage, defectiveness and risk reach their critical values.

Psycho-social problems among older people residing in community of Chitwan, Nepal—A cross-sectional study

Background Older people are vulnerable to various psycho-social problems such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, dementia, and loneliness that have profound impact on overall health and their quality of life and higher use of health services. Prevention and treatment of psychological problems in this risk group is critical for improving their quality of life. Objective This study aimed to find out the psycho-social problems among older people residing in community. Methods The study was a cross-sectional study design and 388 older people aged 65 years and above residing in different wards of Bharatpur Metropolitan city were selected using probability simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using interview schedule containing geriatric depression scale-15; Geriatric anxiety scale-10, University of California Loss Angels Loneliness Scale (UCLA-20), Anthens Insomnia Scale and Mini-Cog Test. Obtained data were analyzed in SPSS version 20 for windows. Chi-square test was applied to measure the association between psychosocial problems and selected variables. Result Findings of the study revealed that the mean age (± SD) of respondents was 72.92 (±7.12) years. Almost all (93.6%) older people had full functioning of activity of daily living and two third (66.5%) had other co-morbid conditions. More than two third (67.0%) of older adults had depression, 60.3% had anxiety, 53.6% had moderate to high level loneliness, 47.2% had insomnia, and 33.3% had dementia. Age, functional dependency, sex, co-morbidity, financial dependence, education and occupation were significantly associated with the psychosocial problems among older people. Conclusion and recommendation Psychosocial problems are common among older people residing in community of Chitwan. Hence, there is need to develop and implement health care strategy by local health care planner to prevent, treat and manage the psychosocial problems among this risk groups. Further, health care providers working in geriatric problems or psychosocial health need to conduct regular screening programs for the early diagnosis and treatment of these problems.

DNA polymerase theta-mediated DNA repair is a functional dependency and therapeutic vulnerability in DNMT3A deficient leukemia cells.

Myeloid malignancies carrying somatic DNMT3A mutations (DNMT3Amut) are usually resistant to standard therapy. DNMT3Amut leukemia cells accumulate toxic DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) and collapsed replication forks, rendering them dependent on DNA damage response (DDR). DNA polymerase theta (Polθ), a key element in Polθ-mediated DNA end-joining (TMEJ), is essential for survival and proliferation of DNMT3Amut leukemia cells. Polθ is overexpressed in DNMT3Amut leukemia cells due to abrogation of PARP1 PARylation-dependent UBE2O E3 ligase-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of Polθ. In addition, PARP1-mediated recruitment of the SMARCAD1-MSH2/MSH3 repressive complex to DSBs was diminished in DNMT3Amut leukemia cells which facilitated loading of Polθ on DNA damage and promoting TMEJ and replication fork restart. Polθ inhibitors enhanced the anti-leukemic effects of mainstream drugs such as FLT3 kinase inhibitor quizartinib, cytarabine and etoposide in vitro and in mice with FLT3(ITD);DNMT3Amut leukemia. Altogether, Polθ is an attractive target in DNMT3Amut hematological malignancies.

Dihadron helicity correlation in photon-nucleus collisions

The helicity correlation of two back-to-back hadrons is a powerful tool that makes it possible to probe the longitudinal spin transfer G1L in unpolarized hadronic collisions. In this work, we investigate the helicity correlation of back-to-back dihadrons produced in photon-nucleus collisions with both spacelike and quasireal photons and explore its potential in understanding the flavor dependence of spin-dependent fragmentation functions. We present helicity amplitudes of partonic scatterings with both virtual and real photons and make numerical predictions for the dihadron helicity correlations at the future Electron Ion Collider experiment and the current Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider/LHC ultraperipheral collision experiment. Future experimental measurements can also illuminate the fragmentation function of circularly polarized gluons. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Studying strangeness and baryon production mechanisms through angular correlations between charged Ξ baryons and identified hadrons in pp collisions at s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV

The angular correlations between charged Ξ baryons and associated identified hadrons (pions, kaons, protons, Λ baryons, and Ξ baryons) are measured in pp collisions at s\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\sqrt{s} $$\\end{document} = 13 TeV with the ALICE detector to give insight into the particle production mechanisms and balancing of quantum numbers on the microscopic level. In particular, the distribution of strangeness is investigated in the correlations between the doubly-strange Ξ baryon and mesons and baryons that contain a single strange quark, K and Λ. As a reference, the results are compared to Ξπ and Ξp correlations, where the associated mesons and baryons do not contain a strange valence quark. These measurements are expected to be sensitive to whether strangeness is produced through string breaking or in a thermal production scenario. Furthermore, the multiplicity dependence of the correlation functions is measured to look for the turn-on of additional particle production mechanisms with event activity. The results are compared to predictions from the string-breaking model Pythia 8, including tunes with baryon junctions and rope hadronisation enabled, the cluster hadronisation model Herwig 7, and the core-corona model Epos-lhc. While some aspects of the experimental data are described quantitatively or qualitatively by the Monte Carlo models, no model can match all features of the data. These results provide stringent constraints on the strangeness and baryon number production mechanisms in pp collisions.

An implicit solution for Asay foil trajectories generated by separable, sustained-production ejecta source models

We present a simple implicit solution for the time-dependent trajectory of a thin Asay foil ejecta diagnostic for the general case where the impinging ejecta cloud is generated by a source function characterized by an arbitrary (sustained) time dependence and a time-independent (stationary) particle velocity distribution. In the limit that the source function time dependence becomes a delta function, this solution—which is amenable to rapid numerical calculations of arbitrary accuracy—exactly recovers a previously published solution for the special case of instantaneous ejecta production. We also derive simple expressions for the free-surface arrival (catch-up) time as well as the true ejecta areal mass accumulation on the accelerating foil and place bounds on the level of error incurred when applying instant-production mass solutions to a sustained-production trajectory. We demonstrate these solutions with example calculations for hypothetical source functions spanning a wide range of ejecta production durations, velocity distributions, and temporal behaviors. These calculations demonstrate how the foil trajectory is often insensitive to the temporal dependence of the source function, instead being dominated by the velocity distribution. We quantify this insensitivity using a “compatibility score” metric. Under certain conditions, one may capitalize upon this insensitivity to obtain a good approximation of the second integral of the velocity distribution from the observed foil trajectory.

Matters of assuring functional dependability compliance of digital manufacturing

Aim. To propose a methodological approach to ensuring the functional dependability of industrial facilities using SMART documents in the context of import-independent digital processes. Methods. The evolving applicability of the dependability theory and information systems design has defined the methodological provisions for algorithmising the application of SMART standards for minimising functional faults and failures of industrial processes. Digital models of production lines were examined as tools for machine-recognisable representation of standards. The proposed form of regulatory documents is intended to enable the transition from machine-readable data to machine-understandable content. Findings. The application of the proposed methods of content systematisation in the context of manufacturing process standardisation shows that the classification of process data based on standardised characteristics of digital information exchange processes is one of the key methodological provisions ensuring unambiguous interpretation of regulatory requirements. Specialised projects often use individual provisions rather than complete regulatory documents. In this case, in order to ensure machine-understandability of the developed content, it is proposed using special identifiers, e.g., «paragraph», «graphic object», «table cell». The deployment of such identification tools will allow creating a class of SMART standards that collect into a single document the provisions regarding the delivery of intended results in situations when the operating equipment is diverse. Publications created using intelligent processing of SMART documents are considered as containers of structured and unstructured data that take into account the conditions of particular projects. The existing dynamics of the demand for advanced industrial products often determines the admissibility of its industrial production by various companies with the parallel use of unique technologies. The conditions of such an organisation impose their limitations on the comparability of various process requirements, therefore, it is proposed to harmonise the presentation of the results of managerial, design, and process engineering solutions using the term «manufacturing system asset». The introduction of relative result estimates as part of the digital format is an efficient mechanism for ensuring management consistency. In this context, the importance of a uniform regulatory framework as the foundation for such assessments is growing. As one of the ways of minimising faults and failures of industrial equipment, it is proposed to create a situation centre with a decision support system based on the regulatory data with harmonised manufacturing system asset requirements. An experience of Industry 4.0 regulation is described in the review of the ISA digital manufacturing series of standards. It was shown that the deployment of SMART standards improves the stability of interaction between information management systems and the functional dependability of production lines. The introduction of provisions regulating the use of algorithms for the development, editing, and examination of draft regulatory documents into the content machine-understandability facilities is an important factor in ensuring the functional dependability of products. Conclusions. The presented approach is focused on the methodology for developing standards that take into account requirements from various subject areas. In the context of ongoing import substitution in manufacturing, the paper examines the feasibility of minimizing digital process faults and failures caused by the use of regulatory frameworks that are not equivalent to the provisions of international documents and take into account the specificity of Russian industrial systems.

Abstract PR-18: RNF43 Loss Induces an IRE1-dependent Metabolic Reprogramming in Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms

Abstract Background: RNF43 is frequently mutated in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), which are cystic precursor lesions of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). RNF43 encodes for an E3 ubiquitin ligase and was initially identified as a negative regulator of Wnt signaling in colorectal cancer. Clinical trials targeting ligand dependent Wnt signaling in RNF43-mutated cancers have failed to demonstrate any efficacy, suggesting other mechanisms may be involved. Methods: To elucidate the role of RNF43 in an organ specific context, we generated a genetically engineered mouse model with pancreas-specific loss of Rnf43 and co-expression of mutant Kras (referred to as Kras;Rnf43 mice). The Kras;Rnf43 mice develop pancreatic cystic lesions resembling human IPMNs, a subset of which progressive to invasive cancers. We generated derivative cell lines from the IPMN-associated cancers, referred to as Kras;Rnf43 lines. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed to compare murine PDAC arising in Kras;Rnf43 mice with that of the Kras;p53 (“KPC”) mice. To determine if observed perturbations were dependent on Rnf43, we also created isogenic Kras;Rnf43 cell lines with re-expression of full-length Rnf43 (Kras;Rnf43-RNF43OE). Results: Kras;Rnf43 tumors showed upregulation of several mitochondrial transcripts (Mt-Atp8, Atp5o.1, and Atp6v0c), as well as mitochondrial biogenesis markers (PPARGC1A and NFE2L2), compared to KPC mice. Concurrently, the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway was enriched on proteomics analyses of Kras;Rnf43 cells, relative to isogenic cell lines with RNF43 restitution. Seahorse metabolic flux analyzer revealed enhanced mitochondrial OXPHOS activity in Kras;Rnf43 cell lines, along with increased mitophagy. Kras;Rnf43 cells harbored gene signatures indicative of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress compared to KPC lines. Endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria contact sites (ERMCS) regulate ER stress and mitochondrial dynamics. Notably, Kras;Rnf43 cells had significantly increased ERMCS compared to KPC cells, and these were attenuated upon RNF43 re-expression. We further identified the ER stress sensor inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1) was markedly elevated in Kras;Rnf43 cells compared to KPC cells, and decreased upon RNF43 re-expression. Furthermore, IRE1 localized at the mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) and enhanced ERMCS formation via a non-canonical scaffolding function. Deletion of IRE1 by CRISPR/Cas9 editing in Kras;Rnf43 cells inhibited OXPHOS and significantly impaired cell viability. Conclusion: Our data suggests that bi-allelic loss of RNF43 caused increased mitochondrial function and OXPHOS dependency. This is largely attributed to upregulated level of IRE1, which localizes at MAM to promote ERMCS formation and OXPHOS in Kras;Rnf43 cells. IRE1-dependent reprogramming of mitochondrial bioenergetics serves as a cell survival mechanism. Therefore, targeting OXPHOS or the noncanonical function of IRE1 could be a potential strategy to inhibit the progression of RNF43-mutated IPMNs to PDAC. Citation Format: Akiko Sagara, Xiangdong Lv, Brandon Chen, Yuki Makino, Shui Ping So, Sonja M Woermann, Costas A Lyssiotis, Yatrik M Shah, Bidyut Ghosh, Xi Chen, Johannes F Fahrmann, Anirban Maitra. RNF43 Loss Induces an IRE1-dependent Metabolic Reprogramming in Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Research; 2024 Sep 15-18; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(17 Suppl_2):Abstract nr PR-18.

Evolution and fluctuations of chiral chemical potential in heavy ion collisions

The possible appearance of the effects of local parity breaking in the QCD medium formed in heavy ion collisions due to violation of chiral symmetry can be quantified by corresponding chiral chemical potential [Formula: see text]. The experimental observables sensitive to the effects of local parity violation in strong interaction include search for polarization splitting of the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] mesons via angular dependence of spectral functions in their decay to leptons. In this paper, we study the space-time evolution and fluctuations of [Formula: see text] using relativistic hydrodynamics and estimate their effect on the light vector meson polarization splitting in Pb–Pb collisions at LHC energy.

Role of Circadian Rhythm Changes on Functional Dependence Despite Successful Repercussion in Patients with Endovascular Treatment.

Increasing evidence of circadian biology may influence the physiopathologic mechanism, progression, and recovery of stroke. However, few data have shown about circadian rhythm on futile recanalization (FR) in patients treated with endovascular treatment (EVT). From 2017 to 2021, an observational cohort of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) underwent EVT was conducted. FR was defined as the failure to achieve functional independence in patients at 90 days after EVT, although the occluded vessels reached a recanalization. The effect of circadian rhythm on FR was investigated using the logistic regression model. Of 783 patients, there were 149 patients who had stroke onset between 23:00-6:59, 318 patients between 7:00-14:59, and 316 patients between 15:00-22:59. Patients suffered a stroke during 15:00-22:59 had shorter OTP (p =0.001) time, shorter OTR (p<0.001) time, higher rate of intravenous thrombolysis (p =0.001) than groups of other time intervals. The rate of FR post-EVT in patients who had a stroke between 15:00-22:59 was significantly higher than in those with stroke onset between 23:00-6:59 (p =0.017). After adjusting for confounding factors, the time of stroke occurring during 15:00-22:59 (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.652; 95%CI, 1.024-2.666, p =0.04) was an independent predictor of FR. Circadian rhythm can directly or indirectly affect the occurrence, development, and prognosis of AIS. More studies may be needed in the future to validate the results of our study and to explore the potential mechanisms behind the effects of circadian rhythms on FR.

Are our patients becoming more complex? Trends in comorbidity and functional dependence in General Medicine 2011-2019.

Anecdotally, patients don't seem to be more unwell than they were 10 years ago, yet they still seem more 'complex'. The aim of this study was to use an objective measure to assess the trend in complexity of general medicine patients over a 9-year period. Complexity was pragmatically defined as a composite of comorbidity plus dependence/frailty. We selected 100 consecutive patients discharged from General Medicine at Monash Medical Centre (a tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia) in the month of April of each year from 2011 to 2019. For each patient, we retrospectively calculated their burden of comorbidity and their degree of dependency/frailty. Comorbidity was measured using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and dependence/frailty was assessed using the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (Katz ADL) and the Braden Scale (BS). The BS is a pressure injury risk assessment tool. Additional demographic data were collected, including length of stay, admission and discharge residence, 30-day readmission rate and inpatient mortality. There was no statistically significant change in the CCI or the Katz ADL. The median BS did however significantly decrease from 19 in 2011 to 16 in 2019 (P = 0.006), reflecting an increased risk of pressure injuries. Despite a stable level of comorbidity, our finding of a decreasing BS score may suggest that patients are becoming more dependent. This increase in dependency rather than a change in chronic disease burden may be the cause of apparent increasing patient complexity.

Prevalence of Juvenile-Onset and Pediatric Huntington's Disease and Their Availability and Ability to Participate in Trials: A Dutch Population and Enroll-HD Observational Study.

Juvenile-onset Huntington's disease (JHD) represents 1-5% of Huntington's disease (HD) patients, with onset before the age of 21. Pediatric HD (PHD) relates to a proportion of JHD patients that is still under 18 years of age. So far, both populations have been excluded from interventional trials. Describe the prevalence and incidence of JHD and PHD in the Netherlands and explore their ability to participate in interventional trials. The prevalence and incidence of PHD and JHD patients in the Netherlands were analyzed. In addition, we explored proportions of JHD patients diagnosed at pediatric versus adult age, their diagnostic delay, and functional and modelled (CAP100) disease stage in JHD and adult-onset HD patients at diagnosis. The prevalence of JHD and PHD relative to the total manifest HD population in January 2024 was between 0.84-1.25% and 0.09-0.14% respectively. The mean incidence of JHD patients being diagnosed was between 0.85-1.28 per 1000 patient years and of PHD 0.14 per 1.000.000 under-aged person years. 55% of JHD cases received a clinical diagnosis on adult age. At diagnosis, the majority of JHD patients was functionally compromised and adolescent-onset JHD patients were significantly less independent compared to adult-onset HD patients. In the Netherlands, the epidemiology of JHD and PHD is lower than previously suggested. More than half of JHD cases are not eligible for trials in the PHD population. Furthermore, higher functional dependency in JHD patients influences their ability to participate in trials. Lastly, certain UHDRS functional assessments and the CAP100 score do not seem appropriate for this particular group.

Dimuons from neutrino-nucleus collisions in the semi-inclusive DIS approach

We present a next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculation of dimuon production in neutrino-nucleus collisions. This process is typically calculated by assuming it to be proportional to inclusive charm production, which requires an effective acceptance correction to take the experimental cuts on the decay-muon kinematics into account. Here, we instead compute the dimuon production cross section directly as a convolution of semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering to produce charmed hadrons, and a decay function fitted to e+e− data to produce a muon from the charmed hadrons. The presented approach is in a good agreement with available experimental data and will serve as a starting point for higher-order QCD calculations without an external acceptance correction. The uncertainties arising from the decay function and scale dependence are sizeably smaller than those from the nuclear parton distribution functions. We also calculate the effective acceptances within our approach and compare them to those usually used in global fits of parton distribution functions, finding differences of the order of 10 %, depending on the kinematics, perturbative order, and applied parton distributions.

Polarizable Continuum Models and Green's Function GW Formalism: On the Dynamics of the Solvent Electrons.

The many-body GW formalism, for the calculation of ionization potentials or electronic affinities, relies on the frequency-dependent dielectric function built from the electronic degrees of freedom. Considering the case of water as a solvent treated within the polarizable continuum model, we explore the impact of restricting the full frequency-dependence of the solvent electronic dielectric response to a frequency-independent (ϵ∞) optical dielectric constant. For solutes presenting small to large highest-occupied to lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital energy gaps, we show that such a restriction induces errors no larger than a few percent on the energy level shifts from the gas to the solvated phase. We further introduce a remarkably accurate single-pole model for mimicking the effect of the full frequency dependence of the water dielectric function in the visible-UV range. This allows a fully dynamical embedded GW calculation with the only knowledge of the cavity reaction field calculated for the ϵ∞ optical dielectric constant.

Design, develop, and implement the strategic information system on health, dependence, and healthy aging: an analysis of the Mexican experience

BackgroundThe Decade of Healthy Aging (2021–2030) emerges as a 10 years strategy to improve the lives of older adults, their families, and the communities in which they live. One of the actions defined in this framework is related to improving the measurement, monitoring, and understanding of characteristics, factors, and needs related to aging and health. The aim was to analyze and assess the process of construction and development of the Strategic Information System on Health, Funcional Dependence and Aging (SIESDE, for its acronym in Spanish). SIESDE will provide strategic information in Mexico at the municipal, state, and national levels that support the public policies on healthy aging.MethodsThe system processes and analyzes the data sources of the Health Information Systems and the National System of Statistical and Geographical Information. SIESDE comprises three components: (1) Design, construction, and evaluation of the indicators; (2) storage, management, and visualization, and (3) diffusion and translation of information.ResultsA total of 135 indicators were built on seven themes: (1) demographic, socioeconomic, and aging conditions, (2) health, (3) functional dependence, (4) healthy aging, (5) health services, (6) social and physical environments, and (7) complex indicators.ConclusionsSIESDE is an effective system for providing an overall view of health, aging, and functional dependence.

Kpop: a kernel balancing approach for reducing specification assumptions in survey weighting

Abstract With the precipitous decline in response rates, researchers and pollsters have been left with highly nonrepresentative samples, relying on constructed weights to make these samples representative of the desired target population. Though practitioners employ valuable expert knowledge to choose what variables X must be adjusted for, they rarely defend particular functional forms relating these variables to the response process or the outcome. Unfortunately, commonly used calibration weights—which make the weighted mean of X in the sample equal that of the population—only ensure correct adjustment when the portion of the outcome and the response process left unexplained by linear functions of X are independent. To alleviate this functional form dependency, we describe kernel balancing for population weighting (kpop). This approach replaces the design matrix X with a kernel matrix, K encoding high-order information about X. Weights are then found to make the weighted average row of K among sampled units approximately equal to that of the target population. This produces good calibration on a wide range of smooth functions of X, without relying on the user to decide which X or what functions of them to include. We describe the method and illustrate it by application to polling data from the 2016 US presidential election.

Association between functional dependence and cardiovascular disease among middle-aged and older adults: Findings from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

BackgroundThe effect of different functional dependency types on cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between functional dependence and CVD among middle-aged and older adults by conducting a cross-sectional and longitudinal study. MethodsThe study sample comprised 16,459 individuals of ≥40 years (including 10,438 without CVD) who had participated in the 2011 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Functional dependence was categorized based on the “interval-of-need” method, while CVD was defined as physician-diagnosed heart disease or stroke. Cox proportional hazard regression was employed to assess the effects of functional dependence on CVD. Moreover, patients were grouped according to the functional status changes, and the impact of these changes on CVD was observed. Heterogeneity, subgroup, and interaction analyses were used to evaluate the consistency of the study findings. Finally, a mediation analysis was performed to estimate the potential mediation effects on the relationship between functional dependence and CVD risk. ResultsCVD prevalence in the overall study population was 13.73 % (2260/16,459), while its prevalence among individuals with functional independence, low dependency, medium dependency, and high dependency was 9.60 % (1085/11,302), 14.25 % (119/835), 17.72 % (115/649), and 25.01 % (941/3763), respectively. Additionally, medium (odds ratio: 1.33, 95 % confidence interval: 1.06–1.68) and high functional dependency (1.55, 95 % CI: 1.38–1.75) were associated with CVD. A total of 2987 (28.62 %) participants with CVD were identified during the 9-year follow-up, with 4.85 % (145/2987) of the CVD cases being attributed to functional dependence. The individuals with medium (HR: 1.20, 95 % CI: 1.01–1.44) and high functional dependency (1.25, 95 % CI: 1.14–1.37) were more likely to develop CVD than their peers with functional independence. Furthermore, persistent functional dependence (HR: 1.72, 95 % CI: 1.52–1.94) and transition from functional independence to dependence (1.79, 95 % CI: 1.61–1.98) were associated with a higher CVD risk than continuous functional independence. Hypertension and diabetes may partially mediate CVD caused by functional dependence. ConclusionFunctional dependence is associated with high CVD risk. Therefore, appropriate healthcare attention must be directed towards functionally dependent populations to protect their cardiovascular health.

A Role for Systemic Inflammation in Stroke-Associated Infection and the Long-Term Prognosis of Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Mediation Analysis.

The dynamic systemic inflammation level and stroke-associated infection (SAI) are related to the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to explore whether the systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), systemic immune inflammation index (SII), and their dynamic changes possess predictability for SAI and long-term prognosis. A total of 1804 AIS patients without intravenous thrombolysis in two hospitals were included. We explored the relationship between SIRI, SII, and their dynamic changes and outcomes by constructing clusters. The mediating effects of SAI between prognosis and systemic inflammation were further evaluated. Each SD increase in the concentration of SIRI exhibited a significant correlation with the risk of poor functional outcome, mortality, and functional dependency. Through K-means clustering analysis, patients with dramatically elevated or decreased systemic inflammation levels of SIRI (OR: 2.293, 95% CI: 1.279-4.109) and SII (OR: 3.165, 95% CI: 1.627-6.156) within 7 days had a higher risk of functional outcome. Through mediation analysis, SAI mediated the association between systemic inflammation and poor prognosis (SIRI: 33.73%, SII: 16.01%). Dramatically changing dynamics of SIRI and SII were significantly associated with a higher risk of poor prognosis in AIS patients. SAI mediated the association between systemic inflammation and prognosis at 1 year.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as Predictors of Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in Ischemic Stroke Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Inflammatory response plays essential roles in the pathophysiology of both ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to investigate whether composite inflammatory markers, including neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), can serve as early predictors of short- and long-term outcomes in ischemic stroke patients with AF. Ischemic stroke patients with AF were enrolled in this cohort study. The primary outcome was 1-year functional dependence or death (modified Rankin scale (mRS) score 3-6). Secondary outcomes included hemorrhagic transformation (HT) and early neurological deterioration (END, increase in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥4 within 7 days). Partial correlations were performed to assess the correlation between systemic inflammation markers and admission NIHSS scores. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed to investigate whether systemic inflammatory markers were independent predictors of adverse outcomes. A total of 408 patients were included. Partial correlation analysis revealed statistically significant but weak correlations between the NLR (r = 0.287; P < 0.001), PLR (r = 0.158; P = 0.001) and admission NIHSS score. Compared with patients without HT or END, patients who developed HT or END had higher NLR and PLR, and lower LMR. Patients in the functional dependence or death group had significantly higher NLR and PLR, and lower LMR than those in the functional independence group (all P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that NLR, LMR and PLR were independent predictors of HT (OR = 1.069, 0.814 and 1.003, respectively), END (OR = 1.100, 0.768 and 1.006, respectively) and adverse 1-year functional outcome (OR = 1.139, 0.760 and 1.005, respectively). NLR, LMR and PLR were independent predictors for in-hospital HT, END and long-term functional outcome in ischemic stroke patients with AF. Close monitoring of these inflammatory markers may help guide risk stratification and clinical treatment strategies.