Unacceptable Degree Research Articles

Pediatric Forearm Fractures with Unacceptable Angulation: Is Remodeling Effective?

The aim of this study is to examine the remaining deformity after remodeling and its relationship with pronation/supination limitation in patients with unacceptable angulation according to the literature. 45 patients who had forearm fractures treated with closed reduction and plaster cast between 2014 and 2019 were included in the study. The maximum angulation amount was determined on anteroposterior or lateral radiographs by measuring the angulation of the radius and ulna on the radiographs taken during plaster removal (T1) and on the radiographs after remodeling (T2) at the last follow-up. The average follow-up period was 61.6 months (36-90 months). The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the angulation in the radiographs taken on the day the cast was removed (T1): Group 1 (acceptable angulation), and Group 2 (unacceptable angulation). While the average of maximum angulation values at T1 in Group 1 was 8.2 (±2.6) it was 15.4 (±4.1) in Group 2 (p = 0.002). While the mean residual angulation value at T2 was 3.5 (±1.8) in Group 1, it was 6.8 (±3.1) in Group 2 (p = 0.002). It was determined that 7 of 19 patients in Group 1 and 13 of 26 patients in Group 2 had a limitation of more than 10° (p = 0.382). Conservatively treated pediatric forearm fractures have the potential to heal to normal degrees at a high rate after remodeling, even if they have unacceptable angulation degrees, and the pronation/supination limitation in these patients is not directly related to the residual angulation degrees.

How far can I extrapolate my species distribution model? Exploring shape, a novel method

Species distribution and ecological niche models (hereafter SDMs) are popular tools with broad applications in ecology, biodiversity conservation, and environmental science. Many SDM applications require projecting models in environmental conditions non‐analog to those used for model training (extrapolation), giving predictions that may be statistically unsupported and biologically meaningless. We introduce a novel method, Shape, a model‐agnostic approach that calculates the extrapolation degree for a given projection data point by its multivariate distance to the nearest training data point. Such distances are relativized by a factor that reflects the dispersion of the training data in environmental space. Distinct from other approaches, Shape incorporates an adjustable threshold to control the binary discrimination between acceptable and unacceptable extrapolation degrees. We compared Shape's performance to five extrapolation metrics based on their ability to detect analog environmental conditions in environmental space and improve SDMs suitability predictions. To do so, we used 760 virtual species to define different modeling conditions determined by species niche tolerance, distribution equilibrium condition, sample size, and algorithm. All algorithms had trouble predicting species niches. However, we found a substantial improvement in model predictions when model projections were truncated independently of extrapolation metrics. Shape's performance was dependent on extrapolation threshold used to truncate models. Because of this versatility, our approach showed similar or better performance than the previous approaches and could better deal with all modeling conditions and algorithms. Our extrapolation metric is simple to interpret, captures the complex shapes of the data in environmental space, and can use any extrapolation threshold to define whether model predictions are retained based on the extrapolation degrees. These properties make this approach more broadly applicable than existing methods for creating and applying SDMs. We hope this method and accompanying tools support modelers to explore, detect, and reduce extrapolation errors to achieve more reliable models.Keywords: environmental novelty, extrapolation, Mahalanobis distance, model prediction, non‐analog environmental data, transferability

Reducing Lipid Panel Error Allowances to Improve the Accuracy of Cardiovascular Risk Stratification.

The standard lipid panel forms the backbone of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment. Suboptimal analytical performance, along with biological variability, could lead to erroneous risk assessment and management decisions. The current National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) performance recommendations have remained unchanged for almost 3 decades despite improvements in assay technology. We investigated the potential extent of risk misclassification when the current recommendations are met and explored the impact of improving analytical performance goals. We extracted lipid panel data for 8506 individuals from the NHANES database and used these to classify subjects into 4 risk groups as recommended by the 2018 US Multisociety guidelines. Analytical bias and imprecision, at the allowable limits, as well as biological variability, were introduced to the measured values to determine the impact on misclassification. Bias and imprecision were systematically reduced to determine the degree of improvement that may be achieved. Using the current performance recommendations, up to 10% of individuals were misclassified into a different risk group. Improving proportional bias by 1%, and fixing imprecision to 3% across all assays reduced misclassifications by up to 10%. The effect of biological variability can be reduced by taking the average of serial sample measurements. The current NCEP recommendations for analytical performance of lipid panel assays allow for an unacceptable degree of misclassification, leading to possible mismanagement of cardiovascular disease risk. Iteratively reducing allowable error can improve this.

Fuzzy-Rough induced spectral ensemble clustering

Ensemble clustering helps achieve fast clustering under abundant computing resources by constructing multiple base clusterings. Compared with the standard single clustering algorithm, ensemble clustering integrates the advantages of multiple clustering algorithms and has stronger robustness and applicability. Nevertheless, most ensemble clustering algorithms treat each base clustering result equally and ignore the difference of clusters. If a cluster in a base clustering is reliable/unreliable, it should play a critical/uncritical role in the ensemble process. Fuzzy-rough sets offer a high degree of flexibility in enabling the vagueness and imprecision present in real-valued data. In this paper, a novel fuzzy-rough induced spectral ensemble approach is proposed to improve the performance of clustering. Specifically, the significance of clusters is differentiated, and the unacceptable degree and reliability of clusters formed in base clustering are induced based on fuzzy-rough lower approximation. Based on defined cluster reliability, a new co-association matrix is generated to enhance the effect of diverse base clusterings. Finally, a novel consensus spectral function is defined by the constructed adjacency matrix, which can lead to significantly better results. Experimental results confirm that the proposed approach works effectively and outperforms many state-of-the-art ensemble clustering algorithms and base clustering, which illustrates the superiority of the novel algorithm.

Rapid method of arsenic estimation in geological samples by WD-XRF using a novel concept of As-Pb concentration equivalence.

The presence of arsenic in ground waters of many countries has been a subject of global concern due to its toxicity. Primary sources of arsenic are geogenic, i.e. weathering and erosion of rocks and soils containing arsenic. This paper presents a rapid method for determination of arsenic in solid geological samples by wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. To achieve the best LLD (lower limit of detection), the most intense X-ray fluorescence line Kα1,2 is preferably used for determination of elemental concentrations because it pertains to the most probable transition. But the greatest challenge in arsenic estimation is the serious line overlap of AsKα1,2 lines with the equi-energy PbLα1,2 lines. By using the conventional line overlap correction methods, uncertainty and detection limits in arsenic determination are degraded to an unacceptable degree in samples which contains high lead and low arsenic concentrations. The proposed method bypassesthe line overlap issue in employing a novel concept of arsenic-lead concentration equivalence factor for the cumulative peak of AsKα1,2 and PbLα1,2 fluorescence lines. The constancy of this factor for all geological matrices facilitates arsenic determination in samples universally irrespective of matrix elements. For the method validation, 22 international certified reference materials have been analysed and the results proved to be propitious wherein only one value out of 22 determinations showed relative error more than 20% of the certified values. This attests to the high accuracy of the proposed method which can effectively determine arsenic below 5mg/kg in the presence of high lead concentration up to 1000mg/kg.

Моніторинг та оцінювання складових регуляторного впливу держави на банківську діяльність

In the article, using the Glossary of monitoring and evaluation terms of the Ukrainian Association of Evaluators, the development of the rating evaluation system of domestic banks is disclosed. The definition of the features of the classification of banks by groups and classes in the structure of the range of integral indicators, the level of their financial condition and the degree of risk of bankruptcy is summarized. The information and methodical support for evaluating indicators of financial stability of banks as monitoring indicators is given. An algorithm and results of a discriminant analysis of the activity of 20 Ukrainian banks were developed with the construction of dynamic models for different groups and classes of banks. Their grouping was carried out according to the signs of satisfactory and unsatisfactory financial condition and acceptable and unacceptable degree of risk of bankruptcy. A reference matrix for the substantiation of the leading indicators of the formation of complex regulatory influence of the state on the activity of banks has been developed, with the definition of typical areas of regulatory influence. The target criterion of the regulatory influence of the state on banking activity is the market value of banks, and its complexity is ensured by taking into account, in addition to the economic standards of the National Bank of Ukraine, leading indicators of the level of financial condition and the degree of bankruptcy and specific areas of effective influence.

Performance comparison of peripheral arterial tonometry-based testing and polysomnography to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in military personnel.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly common among military personnel, but diagnostic capabilities are challenged by limited capability for polysomnography (PSG). We sought to evaluate the diagnostic properties of peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT)-based home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) to accurately identify and classify OSA among active-duty military personnel. This study was a retrospective review of all patients suspected of having OSA who completed an initial PAT-based HSAT followed by confirmatory PSG within 120 days. The diagnostic properties of a PAT-based, HSAT-derived apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) vs a PSG-derived AHI were assessed. Two hundred eight matched pairs of asynchronous studies were analyzed. The prevalence of OSA was 63.5%. PAT-based HSAT overdiagnosed 27.4% of patients with OSA and underdiagnosed 46.6% of patients with OSA. The majority (n = 116, 55.8%) of patients changed OSA severity classification (absent, mild, moderate, severe) after PSG. OSA severity classification concordance between PAT-based HSAT and PSG was observed in 53.4%, 40.5%, 28.6%, and 40.0% of patients with absent, mild, moderate, and severe OSA, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.715 and a proposed PAT-based, HSAT-derived AHI cutoff score for OSA diagnosis of 9.0 events/h. This PAT-based, HSAT-derived AHI provided a 52% sensitivity, 83% specificity, 84% positive predictive value, and 50% negative predictive value. Bland-Altman plots showed an unacceptable degree of agreement between PAT-based, HSAT-derived AHI and AHI. There is significant discordance between PAT-based HSAT and PSG among active-duty military personnel evaluated for OSA. PAT-based HSAT may have limited utility for diagnosing OSA and grading severity in this unique patient population. O'Reilly BM, Wang Q, Collen J, Matsangas P, Colombo CJ, Mysliwiec V. Performance comparison of peripheral arterial tonometry-based testing and polysomnography to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in military personnel. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(6):1523-1530.

Managing consistency and consensus measures and adjustment strategies in group decision making with probabilistic linguistic preference relations

The use of probabilistic linguistic preference relations (PLPRs) in pairwise comparisons enhances the flexibility of quantitative decision making. To promote the application of probabilistic linguistic term sets (PLTSs) and PLPRs, this paper introduces the consistency and consensus measures and adjustment strategies to guarantee the rationality of preference information utilized in the group decision making process. First of all, a novel entropy-based similarity measure is developed with PLTSs. Hereafter an improved consistency measure is defined on the basis of the proposed similarity measure, and a convergent algorithm is constructed to deal with the consistency improving process. Furthermore, a similarity-based consensus measure is developed in a given PLPR, and the consensus reaching process is presented to deal with the unacceptable consensus degree. The proposed consistency improving and consensus reaching processes follow a principle of minimum information loss, called a local adjustment strategy. In particular, the presented methods not only overcome the deficiencies in existing studies but also enhance the interpretation and reduce the complexity of the group decision making process. Finally, the proposed consistency measure and improving process, as well as consensus measure and reaching process are verified through a numerical example for the medical plan selection issue. The result and in-depth comparison analysis validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methods.

(2819) Proposal to reject the name Callitriche plena (Plantaginaceae)

(2819) Callitriche plena Raf. in Med. Repos., ser. 3, 2: 408. Feb–Apr 1811 [Angiosp.: Callitrich. / Plantagin.], nom. rej. prop. Typus: non designatus. This proposal is part of a complete revision of the Callitriche L. names published or treated by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783–1840) (Hassemer & Lansdown, in prep.). Callitriche plena Raf. (in Med. Repos., ser. 3, 2: 408. 1811) was described through a brief diagnosis (“Foliis inferioribus oblongis, distantibus, superioribus, ovali-subrotundis, approximatis, floribus monoicis”), and provenance of the species was indicated as “Europa ad fossas, rivulos, &c.” No specimens or illustrations were cited in its protologue, and no original material (specimens or illustrations) could be located for this name. Based on careful consideration of the evidence available, i.e., the morphological, geographical (“Europa”) and environmental (“ad fossas, rivulos, &c.”) information provided in the protologue, we were able to narrow down the possibilities regarding the identity of C. plena to the following eight species: C. brutia Petagna (Inst. Bot. 2: 10. 1787), C. cophocarpa Sendtn. (Veg.-Verh. Bayer. Wald.: 230. 1860), C. hamulata Kütz. ex W.D.J. Koch (Syn. Fl. Germ. Helv.: 246. 1837) (often treated as an infraspecific taxon of C. brutia), C. lenisulca Clavaud (in Actes Soc. Linn. Bordeaux 44: 43. 1891), C. obtusangula Le Gall (Fl. Morbihan: 202, 822. 1852), C. platycarpa Kütz. (in Reichenbach, Iconogr. Bot. Pl. Crit. 9: 38–39. 1831), C. regis-jubae Schotsman (in Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Afrique N. 64: 25. 1974) and C. ×vigens K. Martinsson (in Nordic J. Bot. 11: 151. 1991). All these species are capable of growing with all leaves expanded, the upper more ovoid and forming a rosette, as well as having male and female flowers in different leaf axils on the same plant, which is our interpretation of “floribus monoicis”, as applied to the morphology of Callitriche. Unfortunately, in the absence of original material, it is impossible to narrow this list down further, owing to the scant morphological information provided by Rafinesque. All eight species names listed above, except C. brutia, are posterior to C. plena. Also, all of these species could have been available to Rafinesque for study, considering his travels in Europe (Boewe, Rafinesque Anthology. 2005; Boewe, Life Rafinesque. 2011). The name C. plena could possibly be neotypified with a specimen belonging to any of those species; such a typification would not be in conflict with its protologue, and thus would need to be accepted. If the specimen in question would belong to any species other than C. brutia, the name C. plena would become the correct name for that species. Nevertheless, adoption of C. plena as the correct name for any European species of Callitriche would be extremely disruptive to nomenclatural stability, considering the unacceptable degree of arbitrariness that would be involved in any putative typification of this name. Furthermore, the name C. plena has not seen any use in the taxonomic literature other than in the work that includes its protologue (i.e., Rafinesque, l.c.). Callitriche plena is presented as an “unplaced name” in Plants of the World Online (http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:430038-1). Therefore, C. plena should be considered a potentially disruptive name. Thus, with the objective of preventing a nomenclatural change that would be evidently disadvantageous to nomenclatural stability, and in accordance with Art. 56 of the ICN (Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018), the name C. plena is here proposed for rejection. Because it will remain impossible to ascertain Rafinesque's intended identity for this name, we consider it more appropriate to have this name rejected than to propose, arbitrarily, its neotypification by an element identifiable as the earlier C. brutia. Acceptance of this proposal would neutralise the threat posed by C. plena to a number of well-established, unequivocal names of European species of Callitriche. Rejection of this proposal would mean that C. plena could eventually come to replace some well-established, unequivocal name of a European species of Callitriche. GH, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4365-6934 RVL, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0984-4552 We are grateful to John McNeill and John Wiersema for improving this proposal.

New clinical data on human spinal cord re-irradiation tolerance

PurposeTo provide additional clinical data about the re-irradiation tolerance of the spinal cord.MethodsThis was a retrospective bi-institutional study of patients re-irradiated to the cervical or thoracic spinal cord with minimum follow-up of 6 months. The maximum dose (Dmax) and dose to 0.1cc (D0.1cc) were determined (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]-defined cord) and expressed as equivalent dose in 2‑Gy fractions (EQD2) with an α/β value of 2 Gy.ResultsAll 32 patients remained free from radiation myelopathy after a median follow-up of 12 months. Re-irradiation was performed after 6–97 months (median 15). In 22 cases (69%) the re-irradiation spinal cord EQD2 Dmax was higher than that of the first treatment course. Forty-eight of 64 treatment courses employed fraction sizes of 2.5 to 4 Gy to the target volume. The median cumulative spinal cord EQD2 Dmax was 80.7 Gy, minimum 61.12 Gy, maximum 114.79 Gy. The median cumulative spinal cord D0.1cc EQD2 was 76.1 Gy, minimum 61.12 Gy, maximum 95.62 Gy. Besides cumulative dose, other risk factors for myelopathy were present (single-course Dmax EQD2 ≥51 Gy in 9 patients, single-course D0.1cc EQD2 ≥51 Gy in 5 patients).ConclusionEven patients treated to higher cumulative doses than previously recommended, or at a considerable risk of myelopathy according to a published risk score, remained free from this complication, although one must acknowledge the potential for manifestation of damage in patients currently alive, i.e., still at risk. Individualized decisions to re-irradiate after appropriate informed consent are an acceptable strategy, including scenarios where low re-irradiation doses to the spinal cord would compromise target coverage and tumor control probability to an unacceptable degree.

Immersive visualisation of intracardiac blood flow in virtual reality on a patient with HLHS

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): NIHR i4i funded 3D Heart project Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering [WT 203148/Z/16/Z] onbehalf 3D Heart Project Background/Introduction: Virtual Reality (VR) for surgical and interventional planning in the treatment of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is an emerging field that has the potential to improve planning. Particularly in very complex cases, VR permits enhanced visualisation and more intuitive interaction of volumetric images, compared to traditional flat-screen visualisation tools. Blood flow is severely affected by CHD and, thus, visualisation of blood flow allows direct observation of the cardiac maladaptions for surgical planning. However, blood flow is fundamentally 3D information, and viewing and interacting with it using conventional 2D displays is suboptimal. Purpose To demonstrate feasibility of blood flow visualisation in VR using pressure and velocity obtained from a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of the right ventricle in a patient with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) as a proof of concept. Methods We extend an existing VR volume rendering application to include CFD rendering functionality using the Visualization Toolkit (VTK), an established visualisation library widely used in clinical software for visualising medical imaging data. Our prototype displays the mesh outline of the segmented heart, a slicing plane showing blood pressure on the plane within the heart, and streamlines of blood flow from a spherical source region. Existing user tools were extended to enable interactive positioning, rotation and scaling of the pressure plane and streamline origin, ensuring continuity between volume rendering and CFD interaction and, thus, ease of use. We evaluated if rendering and interaction times were low enough to ensure a comfortable, interactive VR experience. Our performance benchmark is a previous study showing VR is acceptable to clinical users when rendering speed is at least 90 fps. Results CFD simulations were successfully rendered, viewed and manipulated in VR, as shown in the Figure. Evaluating performance, we found that visualisation of the mesh and streamlines was at an acceptably high and stable frame rate, over 150fps. User interactions of moving, rotating or scaling the mesh or streamlines origin did not significantly reduce this frame rate. However, rendering the pressure slicing plane reduced frame rate by an unacceptable degree, to less than 10fps. Conclusion Visualisation of and interaction with CFD simulation data was successfully integrated into an existing VR application. This aids in surgery and intervention planning for defects heavily relying on blood flow simulation, and lays a foundation for a platform for clinicians to test interventions in VR. Pressure plane rendering performance will require significant optimisation, potentially addressed by updating the pressure plane data separately from the main, VR rendering. Abstract Figure. An example render of CFD simulation

Sensitivity of various topographic data in flood management: Implications on inundation mapping over large data-scarce regions

Topographic data in the form of digital elevation models (DEMs) play a significant role in flood management. Despite the increasing availability of DEMs for large regions, there is a need to evaluate their performance at the inundation/flood level, while considering the overall complexity of flood models. The present study identifies, for the first time, the uncertainties generated in both river channel and overland flooding while considering a set of nine variants from various sources (LiDAR, Cartosat, SRTM, and ASTER) and grid resolutions (resampled versions) in the presence of discharge, rainfall, and tide boundary conditions for a severely flood-prone catchment in the Mahanadi River Basin, India. Extensive geostatistical analyses reveal the existence of significant biases with global DEMs i.e., SRTM and ASTER, whereas interestingly the LiDAR and Carto DEMs exhibit a high degree of isotropy. The global DEMs fail to capture several inundated spots; thus plummeting the flood inundation extents to a sufficient degree of unacceptability. Prominently, the inability in identifying high and very high flood depths (>1.5 m) over the coastal stretches results in large uncertainties in the majority of the grids. Our analysis reveals the existence of significant noise in global DEMs, which nullifies the hydrodynamic interaction during the coupling of 1-D and 2-D flood models in presence of tidal influence. We recommend that under unavailability of precise LiDAR DEMs, resampled and freely available Carto DEMs, that are as efficient as LiDAR if not more, be given higher preference. We caution against the copious usage of global DEMs for large data-scarce and flood-prone regions, as the DEM uncertainty may be substantially amplified at the inundation level during combined channel and overland flood simulations. Through this study, we would like to recommend the proposed framework as a guided step while selecting appropriate DEM for flood inundation mapping over large data scarce regions.

Radiosynthesis and evaluation of 18F-labeled dopamine D4-receptor ligands

IntroductionThe dopamine D4 receptor (D4R) has attracted considerable attention as potential target for the treatment of a broad range of central nervous system disorders. Although many efforts have been made to improve the performance of putative radioligand candidates, there is still a lack of D4R selective tracers suitable for in vivo PET imaging. Thus, the objective of this work was to develop a D4-selective PET ligand for clinical applications. MethodsFour compounds based on previous and new lead structures were prepared and characterized with regard to their D4R subtype selectivity and predicted lipophilicity. From these, 3-((4-(2-fluorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl)methyl)-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine I and (S)-4-(3-fluoro-4-methoxybenzyl)-2-(phenoxymethyl)morpholine II were selected for labeling with fluorine-18 and subsequent evaluation by in vitro autoradiography to assess their suitability as D4 radioligand candidates for in vivo imaging. ResultsThe radiosynthesis of [18F]I and [18F]II was successfully achieved by copper-mediated radiofluorination with radiochemical yields of 7% and 66%, respectively. The radioligand [18F]II showed specific binding in areas where D4 expression is expected, whereas [18F]I did not show any uptake in distinct brain regions and exhibited an unacceptable degree of non-specific binding. ConclusionsThe compounds studied exhibited high D4R subtype selectivity and logP values compatible with high brain uptake, but only ligand [18F]II showed low non-specific binding and is therefore a good candidate for further evaluation. Advances in knowledgeThe discovery of new lead structures for high-affinity D4 ligands opens up new possibilities for the development of suitable PET-radioligands. Implications for patientPET-imaging of dopamine D4-receptors could facilitate understanding, diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.

Dietary Dialysis with Acacia Gum: Intestinal Dialysis Technology

Background: The use of a new dietary approach used to lower urea levels in chronic renal failure, and thus simulating dialysis has been recently described. This approach has been increasingly called intestinal or dietary dialysis. The aim of this paper is to describe the treatment of nine patients with chronic renal failure associated with symptomatic uremia with intestinal dialysis. Patients and Methods: During the period from December, 2005 to October, 2009, nine patients (5 males and 4 females) with various renal disorders associated with symptomatic uremia were referred for treatment due to their unwillingness to undergo dialysis. Ages ranged from 3.5 year to 72 years (mean 28.8).All patients considered dialysis in their circumstance to be associated with an unacceptable degree of discomfort and suffering. Five patients had severe uremic symptoms (fatigability, tachypnea, and anorexia). All of the patients were unable to walk independently. The patients were treated with the new technology of intestinal dialysis. Results: All the patients enrolled experienced amelioration of symptoms of uremia with improved general wellbeing in association with lowering of urea levels and creatinine during the period of therapy. They patients were followed for a period ranging from 8 weeks to 8 years. It was possible to follow three patients for more than 2 years on this therapy, and one patient was followed for about 8 years. They three patients continued to experience low urea levels and didn’t develop any symptoms of uremia. No important side effect was observed. However, most patients experienced some degree of abdominal distention associated with increased passage of gases (flatulence). Conclusion: Patients treated with intestinal dialysis experienced conspicuous lowering of urea and creatinine and improvement in the general wellbeing.

An awakening in medicine: the partnership of humanity and intelligent machines

An awakening in medicine: the partnership of humanity and intelligent machines

Protecting Biomedical Data Against Attribute Disclosure.

Modern medical research requires access to patient-level data of significant detail and volume. In this context, privacy concerns and legal requirements demand careful consideration. Data anonymization, which means that data is transformed to reduce privacy risks, is an important building block of data protection concepts. However, common methods of data anonymization often fail to protect data against inference of sensitive attribute values (also called attribute disclosure). Measures against such attacks have been developed, but it has been argued that they are of little practical relevance, as they involve significant data transformations which reduce output data utility to an unacceptable degree. In this article, we present an experimental study of the degree of protection and impact on data utility provided by different approaches for protecting biomedical data from attribute disclosure. We quantified the utility and privacy risks of datasets that have been protected using different anonymization methods and parameterizations. We put the results into relation with trivial baseline approaches, visualized them in the form of risk-utility curves and analyzed basic statistical properties of the sensitive attributes (e.g. the skewness of their distribution). Our results confirm that it is difficult to protect data from attribute disclosure, but they also indicate that it can be possible to achieve reasonable degrees of protection when appropriate methods are chosen based on data characteristics. While it is hard to give general recommendations, the approach presented in this article and the tools that we have used can be helpful for deciding how a given dataset can best be protected in a specific usage scenario.

A context-aware privacy-preserving method for IoT-based smart city using Software Defined Networking

Smart City is an application of the Internet of Things (IoT) with the aim of managing cities without human intervention. Each IoT device that is producing data may sense a sensitive one that should not be disclosed unintentionally. Due to the existence of a large number of devices in the near future, the possibility of information leakage, privacy breach, is increasing. To prevent this, each device applies a privacy-preserving method. We discover that all of the existing solutions have three major drawbacks: (1) applying one static privacy-preserving method for the entire system, (2) sending whole data at once, and (3) not context-aware. These cause unacceptable privacy-preserving degree. To address them, in this paper, at first, we equip IoT-based smart city with Software Defined Networking paradigm (SDN). Then, we mount an efficient privacy-preserving method on top of it that manages flowing data packets of split IoT device’ data. We have done extensive simulation through MININET-WIFI to show the effectiveness of our approach. Evaluation results show that our method can be widely applied to the smart city application with a superior performance regarding accuracy, overhead, and penetration rate compared to existing privacy-preserving solutions.

Spatial distribution and risk assessment of heavy metals in contaminated paddy fields – A case study in Xiangtan City, southern China

An extensive investigation on spatial distribution and environmental risk assessment based on total content and fractions of heavy metals, as well as the cancer risk of Cd from seven adjacent contaminated paddy fields at Xiangtan City, southern China, was conducted in this study. A total of 63 soil samples were analyzed for soil physical properties and concentrations of eight heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn). The results showed that concentrations of metals except for Cr, Mn and Ni exceeded the background values to varying degrees, and particularly, content of Cd was as 57.4–612 times higher than background values. Principal components analysis and correlation analysis revealed three groups: industry activities for Cd and Zn; natural sources mainly for Cu, Pb, Ni and Cr, with some slight anthropogenic activities for Cu and Pb accumulation; and manganese ore associated with cobalt for Co and Mn. Combined with different indices, Cd and Zn were the major contributors to the ecological risk, and cancer risk of Cd indicated an unacceptable degree in this area. Altogether, results from this study will facilitate a better understanding of metals distribution characteristics and provide a scientific basis for further comprehensive management for these paddy fields. Combination of functional microbial agent and plants promises to be a feasible and effective remediation method for cadmium pollution in the study area.

��������� � �����в� �ֲ������� в��� ��������Ҳ �������ֲ���-�������ò��ί ���������� � ����Ͳ ��������� ������� �� ������������ ���������ί ������� ������������ ��ֲ������ί ����IJ� �������

In the article the indicators for assessing the level of complexity of the information-psychological situation in the area of performing public safety assurance tasks by the National Guard of Ukraine formations have been developed, which are the corresponding levels of tension of the situation, which are indirectly determined through the correlation of the integrated potential of countering the negative informational and psychological impact created by the system of providing informational and psychological security and the object of influence and potential of the influencing entity. The conditions of the relationship between these indicators will satisfy the relevant criterion, which will determine the appropriate range of values of the intensity of information and psychological environment. The level of tension in the information and psychological environment will be characterized as ordinary, complex, crisis, extraordinary. The approach to assessing the risk of psychogenic losses among personnel in the course of performing public safety tasks by formations of the National Guard of Ukraine based on the use of fuzzy sets method which allows commanders and relevant specialists as experts to determine quantitative or qualitative assessment of the risk of psychogenic losses among personnel. The qualitative assessment in this case should be based, in particular, on four gradings: a minimum degree of risk of psychogenic losses, an increased risk of psychogenic losses, a critical risk of psychogenic losses, an unacceptable degree of risk of psychogenic loss (depending on the level of tension information and psychological environment). To determine the significance of assessment of the experts, it is proposed to use the hierarchy analysis method, which allows determining the priority of the expert according to the following criteria, such as the professionalism of the expert, his qualification and awareness of the expert on the progress of the task performing of ensuring public safety by the personnel of the National Guard of Ukraine units.

Effect of the Extent of Apical Enlargement on the Degree of Debridement of the Apical Third in Curved Root Canals Debridement of the Apical Third in Curved Root Cana

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of various apical instr umentation sizes and taperson the degree of debridement of the apical third of curved root canals. Methods: We used 60 extracted humanmandibular first molars with mesial root curvatures of 20° to 30°. In all teeth, access cavity preparation wasperformed, followed by coronal flaring with Gates Glidden drills #1–4 (Dentsply Maillefer). Specimen teeth weresubsequently randomly divided into five groups (n = 12). Each group was enlarged to a par ticular apical size andt aper as follows: no apical preparation done (group I, Control group); 25/.04 and 25/.06 (Group II); 30/.04 and30/.06 (group III); 35/.04 (group IV); 40/.04 (group V). Specimens were rinsed with 17% EDTA and 3% NaOClsolutions. We used a scanning electron microscope to evaluate specimens’ degree of debridement. Retrieved datawere analyzed using Kr uskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U-tests (p < 0.05). Results: Acceptable debridementwas observed in groups III, IV, and V. Additionally, debridement was significantly better in Groups IV and V thanin group II. Conclusion: Apical preparation with <30/.04 size results in an unacceptable degree of debridementof the apical third.