Predictive modeling for postoperative delirium in elderly patients with abdominal malignancies using synthetic minority oversampling technique

BACKGROUND Postoperative delirium,particularly prevalent in elderly patients after abdominal cancer surgery,presents significant challenges in clinical management.AIM To develop a synthetic minority oversampling technique(SMOTE)-based model for predicting postoperative delirium in elderly abdominal cancer patients.METHODS In this retrospective cohort study,we analyzed data from 611 elderly patients who underwent abdominal malignant tumor surgery at our hospital between September 2020 and October 2022.The incidence of postoperative delirium was recorded for 7 d post-surgery.Patients were divided into delirium and non-delirium groups based on the occurrence of postoperative delirium or not.A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors and develop a predictive model for postoperative delirium.The SMOTE technique was applied to enhance the model by oversampling the delirium cases.The model’s predictive accuracy was then validated.RESULTS In our study involving 611 elderly patients with abdominal malignant tumors,multivariate logistic regression analysis identified significant risk factors for postoperative delirium.These included the Charlson comorbidity index,American Society of Anesthesiologists classification,history of cerebrovascular disease,surgical duration,perioperative blood transfusion,and postoperative pain score.The incidence rate of postoperative delirium in our study was 22.91%.The original predictive model(P1)exhibited an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.862.In comparison,the SMOTE-based logistic early warning model(P2),which utilized the SMOTE oversampling algorithm,showed a slightly lower but comparable area under the curve of 0.856,suggesting no significant difference in performance between the two predictive approaches.CONCLUSION This study confirms that the SMOTE-enhanced predictive model for postoperative delirium in elderly abdominal tumor patients shows performance equivalent to that of traditional methods,effectively addressing data imbalance.

Simultaneous purification of minor components in natural products using twin-column recycling chromatography with a step solvent gradient

The isolation of minor components from complex natural product matrices presents a significant challenge in the field of purification science due to their low concentrations and the presence of structurally similar compounds.This study introduces an optimized twin-column recycling chromatography method for the efficient and simultaneous purification of these elusive constituents.By introducing water at a small flowing rate between the twin columns,a step solvent gradient is created,by which the leading edge of concentration band would migrate at a slower rate than the trailing edge as it flowing from the upstream to downstream column.Hence,the band broadening is counterbalanced,resulting in an enrichment effect for those minor components in separation process.Herein,two target substances,which showed similar peak position in high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)and did not exceed 1.8%in crude paclitaxel were selected as target compounds for separation.By using the twin-column recycling chromatography with a step solvent gradient,a successful purification was achieved in getting the two with the purity almost 100%.We suggest this method is suitable for the separation of most components in natural produces,which shows higher precision and recovery rate compared with the common lab-operated separation ways for natural products(thin-layer chromatography and prep-HPLC).

Cardiovascular diseases in European ethnic minorities: Beyond the traditional cardiovascular risk factors

This editorial is intended to be a reflection on cardiovascular disease(CVD)burden in European ethnic minorities.In some European countries,ethnic minority realities,due to their recent appearance,are still to be studied in depth.The experience of several European countries,where the migration processes started earlier,even more than a century ago,can help by being an example.Many studies have shown that major differences in CVD burden exist not only between countries,but also within the same country when considering different social strata and ethnic groups.The CV risk factors underlying heart disease have been well established.Important epidemiological studies have helped us understand that the underlying causes of heart disease as well as the behaviors that can help prevent them are the same.We are now well aware that CVD should be treated by considering a holistic approach.This is why the social determinants(SDs)of health that may worsen the disease burden or that,vice versa,may improve the treatment,and even more significantly,the prognosis of a patient’s illness should be taken into consideration.For ethnic minority patients,this holistic,hermeneutic approach is of importance.Several SDs of health that influence CVDs have been identified but their relevance for the health of ethnic minorities has not yet been clearly defined.In some European countries,most ethnic minorities are largely also religious minorities.Only a few studies have evaluated the role of religion,which is an important SD that affects the probability of having CV risk factors and diseases.Adolescents,particularly those belonging to the second generation,seem to be the weak link.If we believe that these young people are really citizens of their country of birth,then a way of recognizing their belonging to the community starts from a will to better understand their condition,in order to assist them while they grow physically and mentally.Thinking about safeguarding the health of this population should be more than a health task,rather a goal of social justice.

中日音乐术语的形成、传播与演变——以major和minor的译法为例

文章对英语major和minor相关的音乐术语在中日两种语言中的形成、传播与演变过程进行了梳理和分析。日源“长/短X”类术语于20世纪初进入汉语,传播路径为“洋→日→中”。汉语“大/小X”类术语最早由萧友梅使用,传播路径为“洋→中”路径。两类术语在经过竞争和淘洗后于20世纪50年代末统一为后者。汉语术语的形成过程中有日本术语的影响,术语更替的原因有语义占位、术语规范化等。

4-连通P0-Minor-Free图的特征

设H和G是两个图,如果图H可以通过从图G的一个子图中收缩边然后删除产生的环和平行边得到,我们就把图H叫做图G的一个minor。如果图G没有同构于图H的minor,我们称图G为H-minor-free图。图论中很多猜想都与H-minor-free图有关,例如Hadwiger猜想和Tutte 4-流猜想等。为了推动这些猜想的解决,我们目前非常关注Petersen-minor-free图的结构。由于它们都是15条边的3-连通图,直接刻画起来比较困难。因此为了刻画Petersen-minor-free图,许多学者尝试对每个边数小于15的3-连通图进行刻画去接近Petersen-minor-free图。记P0为Petersen收缩两条完美匹配边和一条非完美匹配边得到的子图基础上添加一条边得到的13条边的图。本文下面将给出完整的4-连通P0-minor-free图的刻画。

Research on the Employment View of Acupuncture and Tuina Undergraduates in Minority Border Areas from Students’ Perspective

With the popularization of higher education in China,the employment situation of college students is more complex and severe.This paper adopts the questionnaire method to explore the employment view of acupuncture and tuina undergraduates of Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.The employment concept of acupuncture and tuina undergraduates in the minority border areas has changed greatly.After graduation,97.95%of students choose to work in fields related to medicine and acupuncture,prefer positions close to home,and are attracted to high-salary companies,among other factors.Therefore,enhancing the competitive advantages of medical students by guiding their career planning,providing employment selection advice,fostering innovation and entrepreneurship,improving basic skills,and offering graduate entrance examination guidance is crucial for broadening their employment opportunities.

Spiritual Forests—A Nature Conservation Model of Ethnic Minority Communities in Central Viet Nam

This paper aims to analyze and evaluate a model of forest conservation and management of ethnic minority (or indigenous) people in central Vietnam, often referred to as the spiritual forest. These forests, called sacred forest or ghost forests by the ethnic minority people in Thua Thien Hue province, have existed for a long time among forest residents. However, they have recently declined, both in quality and quantity, due to various factors, including changes in society, economy, environment, and perception, among other reasons. Based on research conducted in A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province with household interviews, group discussions, and field surveys, we find that spiritual forest retains religious and human significance. They are also often among the last remaining natural forests left due to deforestation by human activities. The research results indicate challenges that conservation of spiritual forest may face, while giving recommendations derived from communities for sustainable forest development and conservation in the region.

Application of Chinese Ethnic Minority Themes in Contemporary Figurative Sculpture Creation

In the field of contemporary sculpture creation,the rich culture and historical depth of Chinese ethnic minorities have attracted the widespread attention of artists.These creations not only emphasize external features such as ethnic costumes,totems,or life scenes but also touch deep spiritual contents including historical stories,religious beliefs,and living habits of ethnic minorities.This paper discusses the integration process of Chinese ethnic minority themes in figurative sculpture creation and the inheritance of the profound spirit of ethnic groups in this process.At the same time,this paper also places the diversified expression and innovative practice of these themes in sculpture art in the context of the new era for investigation and explores the far-reaching influence of its development on promoting cultural inheritance and artistic innovation.

Study on Tourism Development and Community Participation in Villages of the Minorities ——With the Dong Village in Zhaoxing,Southeast Guizhou Autonomous Prefecture of Miao and Dong Nationalities,China

Based on basic theories of community participation in tourism development,questionnaires were designed for the field investigation in one of the largest Dong Villages in China,the Dong village in Zhaoxing.Community participation in tourism development of the Dong Village was analyzed from the perspectives of residents' participation in decision-making and management,reception and catering services,group performance,making and selling ethnic artworks,protection of village tourist resources and environment.And meanwhile,problems were pointed out as "still maintaining in the early stage of its tourism development,fewer opportunities for its residents participating in tourism development,resource protection being divorced from tourism benefits and so on",on the basis of which corresponding solutions were offered as "expanding the field of participation,improving the level of participation,increasing benefits of local residents;insisting on the principle of "not participating intentionally is the best way of their participation,guaranteeing economic compensation for rural residents;enhancing infrastructure construction;establishing a museum of folk-custom materials;creating a favorable atmosphere of folk cultures;enhancing cooperation with its neighboring villages in tourism development,and creating a "local industrial chain";establishing a research center of cultural tourism development of the Dong Minority.

Are we leveling the playing field？ Trends and disparities in sports participation among sexual minority youth in Canada

Purpose: Sports participation and physical fitness are widely beneficial for young people, yet activity levels among young people are declining.Despite growing popular media attention on the participation of sexual minority(e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual) youth in sports and various campaigns to improve the often homophobic climate of sports, there is limited evidence that sexual minority youth participate in sports. Our aim was to provide a current portrait of sports participation among 3 groups of sexual minority youth(e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual) in British Columbia, Canada, as well as to document population trends.Methods: Pooled population-level data from British Columbia, Canada(n = 99,373) were used to examine trends and disparities in sports participation among sexual minority and heterosexual youth. Age-adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine changes in participation over time and disparities in participation over time(1998—2013).Results: We found an overall decline in sports participation and physical activity(PA) for all youth. Sexual minority students were less likely to participate in formal sports(with a coach) and informal sports(without a coach) compared with their heterosexual peers. The disparity in participating in informal sports between heterosexual and sexual minority youth has narrowed over time for some sexual orientation groups, whereas the disparity in participating in formal sports has widened over time in some cases.Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive examination of sports participation among sexual minority youth over the past 15 years.Despite changing societal attitudes and laudable efforts to reduce homophobia in sports, results suggest that there are continued barriers to participation for sexual minority youth. Further research is needed to understand the factors that limit sports participation for these youth and to inform program development. PA is critical to lifelong health and well-being, and thus continued efforts are needed to increase the sports participation of sexual minority youth in particular.

Unprotected Sex with Casual Partners: A Neglected Source of HIV Transmission among Members of the Yi Minority in Southwestern China

The Yi are the largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority population in southwestern China. This region contains over eight million Yi, with approximately 2.4 million living in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture （Liangshan） in Sichuan Province. Liangshan is located along one of the main drug trafficking routes from the ＇Golden Triangle＇ to northwest and central China, making it one of the largest illicit drug production and distribution centers in China.

A minor emphasis on the outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis after devastating earthquakes in Turkey

Leishmaniasis is a serious parasitic disease caused by Leishmania species transmitted by the bite of sandflies. This disease is also an important public health problem. Clinical manifestations can be classified as cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis, depending on the species of parasite and the host’s immune status. Although the cutaneous form is not fatal, it often causes disfiguring scars on the skin[1].

Considerations for Restriction on the Right of Rescission in Case of Obviously Minor Breaches

Whether,and how,to rescind the right of one party(the non-breaching party)to rescind a contract in case of an obviously minor breach by the other party(the breaching party)is a recurring topic in the field of contract law.The Minutes of the Ninth Work Conference of the Courts Nationwide on Civil and Commercial Trial(the Minutes of the Ninth Work Conference)stipulates that whether a contract shall be rescinded depends on whether a breach is obviously minor and affects the fulfillment of the contract purposes expected by the non-breaching party.In juridical practice,however,there are no clear criteria to define what constitutes obviously minor breaches,and the factors considered in such cases are often inadequate to allow for a fully considered decision.By analyzing Article 55 of the Judicial Interpretation of the General Provisions of Contracts of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China(Draft for Comments)and reviewing the previous juridical practices,we present our conclusions regarding the conditions and factors that should be considered when restricting the right of rescission in cases of obviously minor breaches with a view to unifying the judicial judgment criteria by differentiating the type of breaches.

Maternal-Fetal Pregnancy Complications of in Minors Raped with or without Physical Restraint in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Introduction: Pregnancy resulting from rape is a public health and sexual and reproductive health issue, especially among minors. Rape can be perpetrated with or without physical restraint. The objective of the present study is to highlight the prevalence of physical coercion leading to pregnancy and the associated maternal-fetal complications. Methodology: This was a comparative descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of complications associated with post-rape pregnancy by physical restraint among minors who were treated at the General Reference Hospital of Panzi over a two-year period from June 2020 to June 2022. A total of 140 minor survivors of violence with pregnancy were included in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire, coded and analyzed in Excel and XLSTAT version 2014. Results: The prevalence of physical constraints was 65%. After mulltivariate analyses, denial of pregnancy (ORa: 9.64 95% CI: 1.1 - 81.2;p-value: 0.0370), attempted abortion (ORa: 56.1 95% CI: 1.5 - 2027.6;p-value: 0.0278) and agitation during delivery (ORa: 88.7 95% CI: 4.5 - 1715;p-value: 0.0030) were the complications associated with pregnancy in minors who experienced physical restraint rape. In addition, BMI was a factor in reducing the risk of physical restraint rape at the ORa of 0.5054 [0.3;0.8];p 0.006). Conclusion: Pregnancy among minors is a reality and occurs in a situation of physical coercion in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. These pregnancies are often associated with complications that require an intensive management system since they can jeopardize the maternal-fetal prognosis of minors.

The trend of low fertility and aging in ethnic minority areas and the policy responses in China:An analysis based on data from the latest three censuses

Low fertility and population aging are important factors affecting economic and social development.From 2000 to 2020,the development of low fertility in ethnic minority areas shows three trends of accelerated declining,slow declining and first falling and then rising,which are the results of the balance between the inhibiting effect of controlling birth policy and the rapidly rising birth cost,and the promoting effect of encouraging birth policy on the fertility desire of social members.The development of aging in ethnic minority areas shows two trends of acceleration and deceleration,which are the results of the balance between the promoting effect of controlling birth policy,the outflow of young and middle-aged labor force and the rise of life expectancy,and the inhibiting effect of the encouraging birth policy,the restraint of talent return and talent introduction.Combined with the development degree of low fertility and aging,we can accurately classify and implement policies for different ethnic minority areas.The areas with serious low fertility and population aging problems need economic policies to change the population age structure as soon as possible.The areas with slight low fertility and population aging problems should carry out ideological policies in priority to maintain the benign structure of population age.

Inheritance and Development of Guangxi Minority Musical Instruments and Their Integration With Operas

The traditional musical instrument of minorities converges the evolution of ethnic group culture and history,and ethnic musical instruments are a core component of minority culture.The traditional instruments of Guangxi minorities are rich and varied,and an all-round cultural inheritance and protection mechanism should be used for ethnic musical instruments,so that the performance form of classical musical instruments of minorities can be more widely understood and mastered.Therefore,in this paper,we discuss the specific practice idea of the inheritance and development of classical musical instruments of Guangxi minorities,and facilitate the innovation of development path of ethnic musical instruments by taking the inheritance form of integrating musical instruments with operas.

Perpetrators of Sexual Violence against Minors in Casamance (Senegal)

Introduction: The causes of sexual delinquency against children are multifactorial and the motivations that drive the perpetrators of sexual assault are diverse. Nowadays, there is still no consensus on a single portrait of child sex offenders and studies that focus on sex offenders are still rare in Senegal and Africa. Objectives: To determine the profile of the perpetrators and to identify the circumstances of sexual violence against minors in Casamance. Materials and Methods: A retrospective descriptive and analytical study from April 1, 2014 to October 31, 2019 was conducted. The study population was made up of perpetrators of sexual violence against minors whose legal proceedings were dealt with at the Ziguinchor High Court. The data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and then analyzed using Epi InfoTM 7 software. Results: A total of 106 cases of sexual violence against minors were collected for 113 aggressors and 106 victims. Rape accounted for 66.03% of sexual violence. Male aggressors were 98.23%. Female victims accounted for 95.28%. The average age of the attackers was 32.52 years (±13.68). Offenders over the age of 35 committed the most rape (p = 0.043). The average age of the victims was 12.62 years (±3.42). Victims aged ten and over (p = 0.015) and who had a low level of education (p = 0.016) were more exposed to rape. The assault took place during the day (65.71%) and at the home of the aggressor (62.26%). Victims knew their attackers (84.47%). Victims were assaulted more than once by the same assailant (40.57%). Those aged 10 years and over (p = 0.0037) and who knew their attackers (p = 0.014) were more at risk of being repeatedly sexually abused. Conclusion: In Senegal, sexual violence against minors is perpetrated by young adult men, single, with little or no education and exercising low-income professions. Rape is the type of aggression preferred by perpetrators, most of whom were known to their victims. The policy to fight sexual violence against children must integrate sex education at school and community level, public awareness, monitoring of child sex offenders and possibly, their medico-psychological care.

The Protection of Right of Minors to Express Their Opinions in Family Litigations

The right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations refers to minors,who have a certain degree of mental capacity and assertiveness,having the right to express their opinions on the arrangements or decisions related to themselves when the courts handle familial litigation cases involving their interests,and to request the courts hear their opinions.In essence,the right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations belongs to the basic procedural rights of minors as well as judicial beneficiary rights.As for the protection of the right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations,recognizing the status of minors as independent subjects of rights is the logical premise,the procedural guarantee for the rights of the substantive parties involved is the direct cause,and ensuring the best interests of children is the fundamental reason.In order to protect the right of minors to express their opinions in family litigations,China should standardize the mechanisms for judges to hear the opinions of minors directly,improve the mechanisms for family investigators,and establish mechanisms for representing the interests of minors.

Modelling Key Population Attrition in the HIV and AIDS Programme in Kenya Using Random Survival Forests with Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique-Nominal Continuous

HIV and AIDS has continued to be a major public health concern, and hence one of the epidemics that the world resolved to end by 2030 as highlighted in sustainable development goals (SDGs). A colossal amount of effort has been taken to reduce new HIV infections, but there are still a significant number of new infections reported. HIV prevalence is more skewed towards the key population who include female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and people who inject drugs (PWID). The study design was retrospective and focused on key population enrolled in a comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme by the Kenya Red Cross Society from July 2019 to June 2021. Individuals who were either lost to follow up, defaulted (dropped out, transferred out, or relocated) or died were classified as attrition;while those who were active and alive by the end of the study were classified as retention. The study used density analysis to determine the spatial differences of key population attrition in the 19 targeted counties, and used Kilifi county as an example to map attrition cases in smaller administrative areas (sub-county level). The study used synthetic minority oversampling technique-nominal continuous (SMOTE-NC) to balance the datasets since the cases of attrition were much less than retention. The random survival forests model was then fitted to the balanced dataset. The model correctly identified attrition cases using the predicted ensemble mortality and their survival time using the estimated Kaplan-Meier survival function. The predictive performance of the model was strong and way better than random chance with concordance indices greater than 0.75.

Higher Education Admission Policy and Social Class of Ethnic Minority:The Case of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,China

Gaokao has been considered as the gatekeeper of intergenerational class reproduction in today’s slowing social mobility in China.In order to bolster the fairness of Gaokao,the Policy of Bonus Scores for Ethnic Minority Candidates(PBSEMC)has been issued,whose,however,effectiveness in promoting upward social class has not been adequately empirically explored.The difference-in-differences(DID)analysis based on cross-sectional data,which is distinct from the traditional DID analysis paradigm,was implemented to assess the Reform of PBSEMC in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1988.The results showed that PBSEMC had a significant and positive impact on the social classes of ethnic minorities,and gender,residence type and occupation type were also relevant to social class,aligning with the previous literature.The PBSEMC is effective in improving the social classes of ethnic minorities.However,the PBSEMC policy should be made more precise,in order to benefit the candidates who are in genuine need of assistance.