A Kinetic Study of Anaerobic Biodegradation of Food and Fruit Residues during Biogas Generation Using Initial Rate Method

A kinetic study of biogas production from Urban Solid Waste (USW) generated in Dar es Salaam city (Tanzania) is presented. An experimental bioreactor simulating mesophilic conditions of most USW landfills was developed. The goal of the study was to generate the kinetic order of reaction with respect to biodegradable organic waste and use it to model biogas production from food residues mixed with fruit waste. Anaerobic biodegradation was employed under temperature range of 28℃ - 38℃. The main controls were leachate recirculation and pH adjustments to minimize acid inhibitory effects and accelerate waste biodegradation. The experimental setup comprised of three sets of bioreactors. A biodegradation rate law in differential form was proposed and the numerical values of kinetic order and rate constant were determined using initial rate method as 0.994 and 0.3093 mol0.006·day-1, respectively. Results obtained were consistent with that found in literature and model predictions were in reasonable agreement with experimental data.

Gas Exchange Rates of Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) in Central Texas Woodlands

Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon) is a secondary species in most Juniperus ashei/Quercus fusiformis woodlands in central Texas. It has high density, but plants are mostly in the community understory. Light response curves at ambient and elevated levels of CO2 and temperature were measured for D. texana. The Anet (photosynthetic rate) increased significantly as both light level and CO2 levels increased but not temperature. The Amax (maximum photosynthetic rate) of D. texana in full sun at elevated levels of CO2 was increased for all treatments. Stomatal conductance increased with levels of CO2 but only if the interaction was removed from the model. Intercellular levels of CO2 increased with both temperature and CO2 treatments as did water use efficiency (WUE). Furthermore, light saturation (Lsat) increased with CO2 treatments and light compensation (Lcp) increased with temperature. The dark respiration (Rd) increased with both temperature and CO2 treatments. Markov population models suggested D. texana populations would remain ecologically similar in the future. However, sub-canopy light levels and herbivory should be considered when examining population projections. For example, Juniperus ashei juveniles are not recruited into any canopy unless there are high light levels. Herbivory reduces the success of Quercus juveniles from reaching the canopy. These factors do not seem to be a problem for D. texana juveniles which would allow them to reach the canopy without need of a high light gap and are not prevented by herbivory. Thus, Juniperus/Quercus woodlands will change in the future to woodlands with D. texana a more common species.

Readmission rate and early complications in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Total knee arthroplasty(TKA)can improve pain,quality of life,and functional outcomes.Although uncommon,postoperative complications are extremely consequential and thus must be carefully tracked and communicated to patients to assist their decision-making before surgery.Identification of the risk factors for complications and readmissions after TKA,taking into account common causes,temporal trends,and risk variables that can be changed or left unmodified,will benefit this process.AIM To assess readmission rates,early complications and their causes after TKA at 30 days and 90 days post-surgery.METHODS This was a prospective and retrospective study of 633 patients who underwent TKA at our hospital between January 1,2017,and February 28,2022.Of the 633 patients,28 were not contactable,leaving 609 who met the inclusion criteria.Both inpatient and outpatient hospital records were retrieved,and observations were noted in the data collection forms.RESULTS Following TKA,the 30-day and 90-day readmission rates were determined to be 1.1%(n=7)and 1.8%(n=11),respectively.The unplanned visit rate at 30 days following TKA was 2.6%(n=16)and at 90 days was 4.6%(n=28).At 90 days,the unplanned readmission rate was 1.4%(n=9).Reasons for readmissions included medical(27.2%,n=3)and surgical(72.7%,n=8).Unplanned readmissions and visits within 90 days of follow-up did not substantially differ by age group(P=0.922),body mass index(BMI)(P=0.633),unilateral vs bilateral TKA(P=0.696),or patient comorbidity status(30-day P=0.171 and 90-day P=0.813).Reoperation rates after TKA were 0.66%(n=4)at 30 days and 1.15%(n=8)at 90 days.The average length of stay was 6.53 days.CONCLUSION In this study,there was a low readmission rate following TKA.There was no significant correlation between readmission rate and patient factors such as age,BMI,and co-morbidity status.

Heart Rate Variability, Standard of Measurement, Physiological Interpretation and Clinical Use in Mountain Marathon Runners during Sleep and after Acclimatization at 3480 m

Fluctuations in autonomic cardiovascular regulation during exposure to high altitude may increase the risk of heart attack during waking and sleep. This study compared heart rate variability (HVR) and its components during sleep at low altitude and after 30 - 41 hours of acclimatization at high altitude (3480 m) in five mountain marathon runners controlled for diet, drugs, light-dark cycle and jet lag. In comparison to sea level, RR-intervals during sleep at high altitude decreased significantly (P 0.001). The significant increase in sympathetic autonomic cardiovascular modulation at high altitude protects against excessive oxygen deprivation during sleep. Increases in R-R intervals can require longer periods of acclimatization at3480 m to mitigate the effects of altitude/hypoxia on sympathetic tone, thus reducing cardiovascular distress at rest during waking and sleep and probably before during and after athletic performance at altitude.

Frequency of Monthly Ejaculation at Sexual Intercourse, DNA Fragmentation Index and Fertilization Rate among Sperm Donors and Fertility-Challenged Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: Paper 2

Introduction: Heterogenous sexual intercourse often produces a powerful orgasm that stimulates the pituitary function. Studies have suggested ejaculation frequency based on age. Materials and Methods: Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information from subjects. Semen samples were collected from sperm donors and sub-fertile men who presented for infertility challenges. Processing and analysis of semen samples were done according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation was evaluated using the Halosperm kit. Results: Among sperm donors, those aged χ2 = 0.09, P-value = 0.81, OR = 3.2, 95% CI: 0.23, 45.19) while among sub-fertile men those aged ≥40 years were approximately 2.3 times more likely to have very low frequency of MESI compared to aged χ2 = 2.11, P-value = 0.51, OR = 2.27, 95% CI: 0.74, 9.92). The frequency of all categories of MESI was highest among sub-fertile men aged χ2 = 0.03, P-value = 0.57, OR = 2.42, 95% CI: 0.41, 14.46). Sub-fertile men aged ≥40 with diastolic hypertension (≥90 mmHg) were approximately 6 times more likely to have a low (6 - 10) frequency of MESI compared to those aged χ2 = 1.97, P-value = 0.16, OR = 6.22, 95% CI: 0.69, 55.77). Overall mean fertilization rate was significantly higher (t-test = 2.44, P-value = 0.01) among sub-fertile men aged Conclusion: Cigarette smoking, more than alcohol consumption, appears to be a major factor that significantly affects the frequency of MESI among sub-fertile men in all age groups. Frequency of MESI negatively but insignificantly correlated with systolic blood pressure.

Poly Ethylene Glycols as Efficient Media for the Synthesis of <i>β</i>-Nitro Styrenes from <i>α</i>, <i>β</i>-Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids and Metal Nitrates under Conventional and Non-Conventional Conditions

Poly ethylene glycols (PEG-200, 400, 600, 4000 and 6000) supported reactions were conducted with certain α, β-unsaturated acids in presence of metal nitrates under solvent free (solid state) and mineral acid free conditions. The reactants were ground in a mortar with a pestle for about 30 minutes. The aromatic acids underwent nitro decarboxylation and afforded β-nitro styrene derivatives in very good yield while α, β-unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids gave corresponding nitro derivatives. Addition of PEG accelerated rate of the reaction enormously. Reaction times substantially decreased from several hours to few minutes followed by highly significant increase in the product yield. Among the several PEGs PEG-300 has been found to be much more effective than other PEGs.

利用Rate-Blank消除胆红素对肌酐测定的负干扰因素

目的分析苦味酸法测定肌酐时胆红素干扰物质的影响,探讨一种消除胆红素干扰苦味酸法测定肌酐的方法。方法在日立7170A全自动生化分析仪上设定两种苦味酸测量肌酐的方法,一种为RateA,另一种利用带血清信息的空白速率(Rate-Blank)RateA法,参数设定为测定方法RateA,反应时间10分钟,读数点〔19 23 11 15〕。用两种方法分别测定正常体检组、高胆红素组标本血清肌酐的浓度。将以上两种方法测得的结果与酶法测得的结果进行对比分析。结果高胆红素对Rat-eA法测量肌酐有明显负干扰,采用Rate-Blank RateA法后此干扰明显降低。结论采用Rate-Blank RateA可基本消除胆红素对苦味酸测定肌酐的干扰。

Ordered Rate Constitutive Theories for Non-Classical Thermoviscoelastic Fluids with Internal Rotation Rates

The paper presents constitutive theories for non-classical thermoviscoelastic fluids with dissipation and memory using a thermodynamic framework based on entirety of velocity gradient tensor. Thus, the conservation and the balance laws used in this work incorporate symmetric as well as antisymmetric part of the velocity gradient tensor. The constitutive theories derived here hold in coand contra-variant bases as well as in Jaumann rates and are derived using convected time derivatives of Green’s and Almansi strain tensors as well as the Cauchy stress tensor and its convected time derivatives in appropriate bases. The constitutive theories are presented in the absence as well as in the presence of the balance of moment of moments as balance law. It is shown that the dissipation mechanism and the fading memory in such fluids are due to stress rates as well as moment rates and their conjugates. The material coefficients are derived for the general forms of the constitutive theories based on integrity. Simplified linear (or quasi-linear) forms of the constitutive theories are also presented. Maxwell, Oldroyd-B and Giesekus constitutive models for non-classical thermoviscoelastic fluids are derived and are compared with those derived based on classical continuum mechanics. Both, compressible and incompressible thermoviscoelastic fluids are considered.

Stabilization of estimated glomerular filtration rate in kidney transplantation from deceased donors with acute kidney injuries

AIM To evaluate and compare the outcomes of kidney transplant(KT) from deceased donors among standard criteria, acute kidney injury(AKI) and expanded criteria donors(ECDs). METHODS This retrospective study included 111 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients(DDKT). Deceased donors were classified as standard criteria donor(SCD), AKI donor and ECD. AKI was diagnosed and classified based on change of serum Cr by acute kidney injury network(AKIN) criteria. Primary outcome was one-year estimated glomerular filtration rate(eG FR) calculated from Cr by CKD-EPI. Multivariate regression analysis was done by adjusting factors such as type of DDKT, %Panel-reactive antibodies, cold ischemic time, the presence of delayed graft function and the use of induction therapy. Significantfactors that can affect the primary outcomes were then identified. RESULTS ECD group had a significantly lower eG FR at one year(33.9 ± 17.3 mL /min) when compared with AKI group(56.6 ± 23.9) and SCD group(63.6 ± 19.9)(P < 0.001). For AKI group, one-year eG FR was also indifferent among AKIN stage 1, 2 or 3. Patients with AKIN stage 3 had progressive increase of eG FR from 49.6 ± 27.2 at discharge to 61.9 ± 29.0 mL /min at one year. From Kaplan-Meier analysis, AKI donor showed better two-year graft survival than ECD(100% vs 88.5%, P = 0.006). Interestingly, AKI group had a stable eG FR at one and two year. The two-year eG FR of AKI group was not significantly different from SCD group(56.6 ± 24.5 mL /min vs 58.6 ± 23.2 mL /min, P = 0.65). CONCLUSION Kidney transplantations from deceased donors with variable stage of acute kidney injuries were associated with favorable two-year allograft function. The outcomes were comparable with KT from SCD. This information supports the option that deceased donors with AKI are an important source of organ for kidney transplantation even in the presence of stage 3 AKI.

The rate of deadwood decomposition processes in tree stand gaps resulting from bark beetle infestation spots in mountain forests

Decaying wood is an essential element of forest ecosystems and it affects its other components.The aim of our research was to determine the decomposition rate of deadwood in various humidity and thermal conditions in the gaps formed in the montane forest stands.The research was carried out in the Babiog orski National Park.The research plots were marked out in the gaps of the stands,which were formed as a result of bark beetle gradation.Control plots were located in undisturbed stands.The research covered wood of two species–spruce and beech in the form of cubes with dimensions of 50 mm×50 mm×22 mm.Wood samples were placed directly on the soil surface and subjected to laboratory analysis after 36 months.A significant influence of the wood species and the study plot type on the physicochemical properties of the tested wood samples was found.Wood characteristics strongly correlated with soil moisture.A significantly higher mass decline of wood samples was recorded on the reference study plots,which were characterized by more stable moisture conditions.Poorer decomposition of wood in the gaps regardless of the species is related to lower moisture.The wood species covered by the study differed in the decomposition rate.Spruce wood samples were characterized by a significantly higher decomposition rate compared to beech wood samples.Our research has confirmed that disturbances that lead to the formation of gaps have a direct impact on the decomposition process of deadwood.

Success of susceptibility-guided eradication of Helicobacter pylori in a region with high secondary clarithromycin and levofloxacin resistance rates

BACKGROUND Resistance to clarithromycin(CLA)and levofloxacin(LFX)of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)is increasing in severity,and successful eradication is essential.Presently,the eradication success rate has greatly declined,leaving a large number of patients with previous treatment histories.AIM To investigate secondary resistance rates,explore risk factors for antibiotic resistance,and assess the efficacy of susceptibility-guided therapy.METHODS We recruited 154 subjects positive for Urea Breath Test who attended The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University between July 2022 and April 2023.Participants underwent a string test after an overnight fast.The gastric juice was obtained and transferred to vials containing storage solution.Subsequently,DNA extraction and the specific DNA amplification were performed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR).Demographic information was also analyzed as part of the study.Based on these results,the participants were administered susceptibility-guided treatment.Efficacy was compared with that of the empiric treatment group.RESULTS A total of 132 individuals tested positive for the H.pylori ureA gene by qPCR technique.CLA resistance rate reached a high level of 82.6%(n=109),LFX resistance rate was 69.7%(n=92)and dual resistance was 62.1%(n=82).Gastric symptoms[odds ratio(OR)=2.782;95%confidence interval(95%CI):1.076-7.194;P=0.035]and rural residence(OR=5.152;95%CI:1.407-18.861;P=0.013)were independent risk factors for secondary resistance to CLA and LFX,respectively.A total of 102 and 100 individuals received susceptibility-guided therapies and empiric treatment,respectively.The antibiotic susceptibility-guided treatment and empiric treatment groups achieved successful eradication rates of 75.5%(77/102)and 59.0%(59/411)by the intention-to-treat(ITT)analysis and 90.6%(77/85)and 70.2%(59/84)by the per-protocol(PP)analysis,respectively.The eradication rates of these two treatment strategies were significantly different in both ITT(P=0.001)and PP(P=0.012)analyses.CONCLUSION H.pylori presented high secondary resistance rates to CLA and LFX.For patients with previous treatment failures,treatments should be guided by antibiotic susceptibility tests or regional antibiotic resistance profile.

Monte Carlo method for evaluation of surface emission rate measurement uncertainty

The aim of this study is to evaluate the uncertainty of 2πα and 2πβ surface emission rates using the windowless multiwire proportional counter method.This study used the Monte Carlo method (MCM) to validate the conventional Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) method.A dead time measurement model for the two-source method was established based on the characteristics of a single-channel measurement system,and the voltage threshold correction factor measurement function was indirectly obtained by fitting the threshold correction curve.The uncertainty in the surface emission rate was calculated using the GUM method and the law of propagation of uncertainty.The MCM provided clear definitions for each input quantity and its uncertainty distribution,and the simulation training was realized with a complete and complex mathematical model.The results of the surface emission rate uncertainty evaluation for four radioactive plane sources using both methods showed the uncertainty’s consistency E_(n)<0.070 for the comparison of each source,and the uncertainty results of the GUM were all lower than those of the MCM.However,the MCM has a more objective evaluation process and can serve as a validation tool for GUM results.

Revisiting the Curie-Von Schweidler Law for Dielectric Relaxation and Derivation of Distribution Function for Relaxation Rates as Zipf’s Power Law and Manifestation of Fractional Differential Equation for Capacitor

The classical power law relaxation, i.e. relaxation of current with inverse of power of time for a step-voltage excitation to dielectric—as popularly known as Curie-von Schweidler law is empirically derived and is observed in several relaxation experiments on various dielectrics studies since late 19th Century. This relaxation law is also regarded as “universal-law” for dielectric relaxations;and is also termed as power law. This empirical Curie-von Schewidler relaxation law is then used to derive fractional differential equations describing constituent expression for capacitor. In this paper, we give simple mathematical treatment to derive the distribution of relaxation rates of this Curie-von Schweidler law, and show that the relaxation rate follows Zipf’s power law distribution. We also show the method developed here give Zipfian power law distribution for relaxing time constants. Then we will show however mathematically correct this may be, but physical interpretation from the obtained time constants distribution are contradictory to the Zipfian rate relaxation distribution. In this paper, we develop possible explanation that as to why Zipfian distribution of relaxation rates appears for Curie-von Schweidler Law, and relate this law to time variant rate of relaxation. In this paper, we derive appearance of fractional derivative while using Zipfian power law distribution that gives notion of scale dependent relaxation rate function for Curie-von Schweidler relaxation phenomena. This paper gives analytical approach to get insight of a non-Debye relaxation and gives a new treatment to especially much used empirical Curie-von Schweidler (universal) relaxation law.

Comparative analysis of breast and lung cancer survival rates and clinical trial enrollments among rural and urban patients in Georgia

Objectives:Rural patients have poor cancer outcomes and clinical trial(CT)enrollment compared to urban patients due to attitudinal,awareness,and healthcare access differential.Knowledge of cancer survival disparities and CT enrollment is important for designing interventions and innovative approaches to address the stated barriers.The study explores the potential disparities in cancer survival rates and clinical trial enrollments in rural and urban breast and lung cancer patients.Our hypotheses are that for both cancer types,urban cancer patients will have longer 5-year survival rates and higher enrollment rates in clinical trials than those in rural counties.Methods:We compared breast and lung cancer patients’survival rates and enrollment ratios in clinical trials between rural(RUCC 4-9)and urban counties in Georgia at a Comprehensive Cancer Center(CCC).To assess these differences,we carried out a series of independent samples t-tests and Chi-Square tests.Results:The outcomes indicate comparable 5-year survival rates across rural and urban counties for breast and lung cancer patients,failing to substantiate our hypothesis.While clinical trial enrollment rates demonstrated a significant difference between breast and lung cancer patients at CCC,no significant variation was observed based on rural or urban classification.Conclusion:These findings underscore the need for further research into the representation of rural patients with diverse cancer types at CCC and other cancer centers.Further,the findings have considerable implications for the initiation of positive social change to improve CT participation and reduce cancer survival disparities.

Envita’s Precision Cancer Care: 35-Fold Improvement in Response Rates

New clinical approaches are imperative beyond the widely adopted National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, utilized by prominent cancer institutions. Cancer is the leading cause of death among individuals younger than 85 years within the United States. Despite significant technological advances, including the expenditure of hundreds of billions, treatment outcomes and overall survival have not notably improved for most types of advanced cancer over the last several decades. Over the past 24 years, Envita Medical Centers has pioneered a unique form of personalized treatment approach for late-stage and refractory cancer patients, introducing groundbreaking innovations in the field. Our integrated algorithm utilizes advanced genomics, transcriptomics, and highly tailored immunotherapy, resulting in remarkable outcome improvements. This study presents Envita’s innovative personalized treatment algorithms and examines the response outcomes of 199 late-stage cancer patients treated at Envita Medical Centers over a two-year period. Compared to standard of care and palliative chemotherapy, Envita’s treatment demonstrated a remarkable 35-fold improvement in overall response rates (Figure 1). Moreover, 88% of the patients, the majority presenting with Stage 3 or 4 cancer, experienced a 43-fold improvement in quality of life with minimal side effects, as compared to standard of care chemotherapy and palliative care. This revolutionary success is attributed to Envita’s personalized therapeutic algorithms, which incorporate customized immunotherapy. Envita’s precision care approach has also achieved a 100% better response rate compared to over 65 global chemotherapy clinical trials with more than 2700 patients. The results from this study suggest that a wider utilization of Envita’s personalized approach can significantly benefit patients with late-stage and refractory cancer.

Fish Consumption Advisories and the Surprising Relationship to Prevalence Rate of Developmental Disability as Reported by Public Schools

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fish consumption is the most significant route of mercury exposure, and the concern is greatest for women of childbearing age due to the potential for neurodevelopmental effects on a developing fetus. Rates of developmental disorders vary. But in 2008 it was demonstrated that the rate of autism is higher near industries that emit heavy metals. Furthermore past research findings can be taken to show that where a pregnancy occurred may predict later autism likelihood in the offspring more than where diagnosis occurs. If mercury plays any role in developmental disabilities, the rate of disability should relate to any reliable direct measure of contamination. The current research focuses on one index of environmental mercury contamination. Specifically, mercury-related fish advisories are found to be a surprisingly strong predictor of a state’s autism rate, r = 0.48, p < 0.001. The relationship remains strong after controlling for student to teacher ratio and per pupil spending. It is argued that a secular increase in autism has been occurring and that prenatal exposure to heavy metal toxins may play a significant role. Because we suspect this finding may be of some interest, the full data set is provided in the appendix so that researchers can independently analyze the key findings which rely on CDC, EPA and IDEA data sets.

Humic Acid Effects on Reducing Corn Leaf Burn Caused by Foliar Spray of Urea-Ammonium Nitrate at Different Humic Acid/Urea-Ammonium Nitrate Ratios

Technologies for reducing corn leaf burn caused by foliar spray of urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) during the early growing season are limited. A field experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of humic acid on corn leaf burn caused by foliar spray of undiluted UAN solution on corn canopy at Jackson, TN in 2018. Thirteen treatments of the mixtures of UAN and humic acid were evaluated at V6 of corn with different UAN application rates and different UAN/humic acid ratios. Leaf burn during 1 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 14 days after UAN foliar spray significantly differed between with or without humic acid addition. The addition of humic acid to UAN significantly reduced leaf burn at each UAN application rate (15, 25, and 35 gal/acre). The reduction of leaf burn was enhanced as the humic acid/UAN ratio went up from 10% to 30%. Leaf burn due to foliar application of UAN became severer with higher UAN rates. The linear regression of leaf burn 14 days after application with humic acid/UAN ratio was highly significant and negative. However, the linear regression of leaf burn 14 days after application with the UAN application rate was highly significant and positive. In conclusion, adding humic acid to foliar-applied UAN is beneficial for reducing corn leaf burn during the early growing season.

Pulse rate estimation based on facial videos:an evaluation and optimization of the classical methods using both self-constructed and public datasets

Pulse rate is one of the important characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis,and it is of great significance for determining the nature of cold and heat in diseases.The prediction of pulse rate based on facial video is an exciting research field for getting palpation information by observation diagnosis.However,most studies focus on optimizing the algorithm based on a small sample of participants without systematically investigating multiple influencing factors.A total of 209 participants and 2,435 facial videos,based on our self-constructed Multi-Scene Sign Dataset and the public datasets,were used to perform a multi-level and multi-factor comprehensive comparison.The effects of different datasets,blood volume pulse signal extraction algorithms,region of interests,time windows,color spaces,pulse rate calculation methods,and video recording scenes were analyzed.Furthermore,we proposed a blood volume pulse signal quality optimization strategy based on the inverse Fourier transform and an improvement strategy for pulse rate estimation based on signal-to-noise ratio threshold sliding.We found that the effects of video estimation of pulse rate in the Multi-Scene Sign Dataset and Pulse Rate Detection Dataset were better than in other datasets.Compared with Fast independent component analysis and Single Channel algorithms,chrominance-based method and plane-orthogonal-to-skin algorithms have a more vital anti-interference ability and higher robustness.The performances of the five-organs fusion area and the full-face area were better than that of single sub-regions,and the fewer motion artifacts and better lighting can improve the precision of pulse rate estimation.

Federated Learning Model for Auto Insurance Rate Setting Based on Tweedie Distribution

In the assessment of car insurance claims,the claim rate for car insurance presents a highly skewed probability distribution,which is typically modeled using Tweedie distribution.The traditional approach to obtaining the Tweedie regression model involves training on a centralized dataset,when the data is provided by multiple parties,training a privacy-preserving Tweedie regression model without exchanging raw data becomes a challenge.To address this issue,this study introduces a novel vertical federated learning-based Tweedie regression algorithm for multi-party auto insurance rate setting in data silos.The algorithm can keep sensitive data locally and uses privacy-preserving techniques to achieve intersection operations between the two parties holding the data.After determining which entities are shared,the participants train the model locally using the shared entity data to obtain the local generalized linear model intermediate parameters.The homomorphic encryption algorithms are introduced to interact with and update the model intermediate parameters to collaboratively complete the joint training of the car insurance rate-setting model.Performance tests on two publicly available datasets show that the proposed federated Tweedie regression algorithm can effectively generate Tweedie regression models that leverage the value of data fromboth partieswithout exchanging data.The assessment results of the scheme approach those of the Tweedie regressionmodel learned fromcentralized data,and outperformthe Tweedie regressionmodel learned independently by a single party.

Plasma hemoglobin concentration was related to estimated glomerular filtration rate in elderly patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy

Objectives To study the relationship between plasma hemoglobin concentration and estimated glomerular filtration rate （eGFR） in elderly patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy （ICM）.Methods Clinical data of patients with coronary heart disease who were discharged from The First Affiliated Hospital,Chongqing Medical University between 2005 and 2007 were analyzed retrospectively. Echocardiography results,plasma hemoglobin and creatinine concentration were abstracted from the medical records.The study included 235 Chinese Hart patients with age 60 years and older with angiography confirmed coronary heart disease,silent myocardial ischemia or angina pectoris,of whom 154 had ICM defined as left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVDd）,male≥56 mm,female≥51 mm （63. 51±7.70 mm） measured by M-mode echocardiography.The differences in plasma hemoglobin concentration were analyzed retrospec- tively between patients with and without ICM,and between patients with an eGFR【60 ml·min-1·1.73m-2 and those with an eGFR≥60 ml·min-1·1.73m-2.Results There were no significant differences in plasma hemoglobin concentration and eGFR between ICM and non-ICM group (118.49±20.52 g·L-1 vs.115.80±23.32 g·L-1 and 75.13±24.21 ml·min-1·1.73m-2 vs.79.09±28.41 ml·min- 1·1.73m-2,respectively,both P】0.05).However,in both ICM and non-ICM groups,plasma hemoglobin concentration was lower in those with an eGFR【60 ml·min-1·1.73m-2 compared with compared with those with an eGFR≥60 ml·min-1·1.73m-2 group (112. 29±18.61 g·L-1 vs.119.92±20.74L-1,P【0.05);plasma hemoglobin concentration was related positively to eGFR.Conclusions There were no significant changes in plasma hemoglobin concentration and eGFR;however,plasma hemoglobin concentration was related to eGFR significantly positively in elderly patients with ICM due to coronary heart