Breast cancer is an all too common disease in women, making how to effectively predict it an active research problem. A number of statistical and machine learning techniques have been employed to ...develop various breast cancer prediction models. Among them, support vector machines (SVM) have been shown to outperform many related techniques. To construct the SVM classifier, it is first necessary to decide the kernel function, and different kernel functions can result in different prediction performance. However, there have been very few studies focused on examining the prediction performances of SVM based on different kernel functions. Moreover, it is unknown whether SVM classifier ensembles which have been proposed to improve the performance of single classifiers can outperform single SVM classifiers in terms of breast cancer prediction. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to fully assess the prediction performance of SVM and SVM ensembles over small and large scale breast cancer datasets. The classification accuracy, ROC, F-measure, and computational times of training SVM and SVM ensembles are compared. The experimental results show that linear kernel based SVM ensembles based on the bagging method and RBF kernel based SVM ensembles with the boosting method can be the better choices for a small scale dataset, where feature selection should be performed in the data pre-processing stage. For a large scale dataset, RBF kernel based SVM ensembles based on boosting perform better than the other classifiers.
Nanopore sequencing has been widely used for the reconstruction of microbial genomes. Owing to higher error rates, errors on the genome are corrected via neural networks trained by Nanopore reads. ...However, the systematic errors usually remain uncorrected. This paper designs a model that is trained by homologous sequences for the correction of Nanopore systematic errors. The developed program, Homopolish, outperforms Medaka and HELEN in bacteria, viruses, fungi, and metagenomic datasets. When combined with Medaka/HELEN, the genome quality can exceed Q50 on R9.4 flow cells. We show that Nanopore-only sequencing can produce high-quality microbial genomes sufficient for downstream analysis.
Introduction
K-nearest neighbor (k-NN) classification is conventional non-parametric classifier, which has been used as the baseline classifier in many pattern classification problems. It is based on ...measuring the distances between the test data and each of the training data to decide the final classification output.
Case description
Since the Euclidean distance function is the most widely used distance metric in k-NN, no study examines the classification performance of k-NN by different distance functions, especially for various medical domain problems. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate whether the distance function can affect the k-NN performance over different medical datasets. Our experiments are based on three different types of medical datasets containing categorical, numerical, and mixed types of data and four different distance functions including Euclidean, cosine, Chi square, and Minkowsky are used during k-NN classification individually.
Discussion and evaluation
The experimental results show that using the Chi square distance function is the best choice for the three different types of datasets. However, using the cosine and Euclidean (and Minkowsky) distance function perform the worst over the mixed type of datasets.
Conclusions
In this paper, we demonstrate that the chosen distance function can affect the classification accuracy of the k-NN classifier. For the medical domain datasets including the categorical, numerical, and mixed types of data, K-NN based on the Chi square distance function performs the best.
In Taiwan, which has one of the most rapidly aging populations in the world, it is becoming increasingly critical to promote successful aging strategies that are effective, easily usable, and ...acceptable to institutionalized older adults. Although many practitioners and professionals have explored aromatherapy and identified its psychological benefits, the effectiveness of combining 3-dimensional (3D) virtual reality and hands-on aromatherapy remains unknown.
A quasi-experimental trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of this combination in lowering perceived stress and promoting happiness, sleep quality, meditation experience, and life satisfaction among institutionalized older adults in Taiwan.
A total of 60 institutionalized elderly participants either received the combined intervention or were in a control group. Weekly 2-hour sessions were implemented over 9 weeks. The outcome variables were happiness, perceived stress, sleep quality, meditation experience, and life satisfaction, which were assessed at baseline and after the intervention.
Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses indicated that the experimental group showed significant post-intervention improvements in terms of scores for happiness, perceived stress, sleep quality, meditation experience, and life satisfaction (n=48; all P<.001). Another GEE analysis showed that the significant improvements in the 5 outcome variables persisted in participants aged 80 years and older (n=35; all P<.001).
This is the first trial to explore the effectiveness of a combination of 3D virtual reality and hands-on aromatherapy in improving older adults' psychological health. The results are promising for the promotion of psychological health in institutionalized older adults.
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04324216; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04324216.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) papain-like protease (PLPro) reportedly inhibits the production of type I interferons (IFNs) and pro-inflammatory cytokines in Toll-like ...receptor 3 (TLR3) and retinoic acid-inducible gene 1 (RIG-I) pathways. The study investigated the inhibitory effect and its antagonistic mechanism of SARS-CoV PLPro on TLR7-mediated cytokine production. TLR7 agonist (imiquimod (IMQ)) concentration-dependently induced activation of ISRE-, NF-κB- and AP-1-luciferase reporters, as well as the production of IFN-α, IFN-β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 in human promonocyte cells. However, SARS-CoV PLPro significantly inhibited IMQ-induced cytokine production through suppressing the activation of transcription factors IRF-3, NF-κB and AP-1. Western blot analysis with anti-Lys48 and anti-Lys63 ubiquitin antibodies indicated the SARS-CoV PLPro removed Lys63-linked ubiquitin chains of TRAF3 and TRAF6, but not Lys48-linked ubiquitin chains in un-treated and treated cells. The decrease in the activated state of TRAF3 and TRAF6 correlated with the inactivation of TBK1 in response to IMQ by PLPro. The results revealed that the antagonism of SARS-CoV PLPro on TLR7-mediated innate immunity was associated with the negative regulation of TRAF3/6-TBK1-IRF3/NF-κB/AP1 signals.
Background
The aim of this study was to assess the reconstructive potential of a submerged healing approach for the treatment of infraosseous peri‐implantitis defects.
Methods
Patients with a ...diagnosis of peri‐implantitis were recruited. Implant suprastructures were removed before the surgical treatment, which included implant surface and defect detoxification using implantoplasty, air‐power driven devices, and locally delivered antibiotics. The augmentation procedure included a composite bone graft and a non‐resorbable membrane followed by primary wound coverage and a submerged healing of 8 months, at which point membranes were removed, and peri‐implant defect measurements were obtained as the primary outcome. Secondary endpoints included assessment of cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) and probing depth (PD) reductions.
Results
Thirty implants in 22 patients were treated. A significant clinical bone gain of 3.22 ± 0.41 mm was observed at 8 months. Radiographic analysis also showed an average gain of 3.47 ± 0.41 mm. Three months after installment of new crowns, final PD measures showed a significant reduction compared to initial examinations and a significant reduction in bleeding on probing compared to examinations at the pre‐surgical visit.
Conclusions
Reconstruction of infraosseous peri‐implantitis defects is feasible with thorough detoxification of implant sites, and a submerged regenerative healing approach.
Background
The aim of this study was to test a non‐submerged reconstructive approach for peri‐implantitis osseous defects, by removing the prosthetic components, augmenting of the infraosseous bony ...compartment, and flap readaptation around the replaced healing abutments, without obtaining a primary wound closure.
Methods
Twenty‐nine implants in 24 patients were treated. Implant suprastructures were removed at the time of the intervention, to aid with the debridement process which included curettage, implantoplasty, air‐power driven devices, and locally delivered antibiotics. The infraosseous part of peri‐implant defects were augmented using a composite bone graft and an absorbable membrane to be secured around the replaced healing abutments without attempting to submerge the implants. After 8 months, direct peri‐implant defect measurements were obtained to serve as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included of radiographic bone changes, and probing depth (PD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) changes at 12 months.
Results
At the time of the surgical re‐entry (8 months), a statistically significant clinical and radiographic defect fill was observed (average of 2.33 and 1.63 mm, respectively). Approximately 3 months after crown replacement, 12 months from the surgical intervention, a significant PD (1.51 mm) and BOP (65%) reduction were also noted.
Conclusions
Considering its limitations, the use of a non‐submerged approach (with removal of implant crowns) led to significant improvements in clinical (defect fill, PD, BOP) and radiographic outcomes.
Understanding the magnetic and ferroelectric ordering of magnetoelectric multiferroic materials at the nanoscale necessitates a versatile imaging method with high spatial resolution. Here, soft X‐ray ...ptychography is employed to simultaneously image the ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic domains in an 80 nm thin freestanding film of the room‐temperature multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO). The antiferromagnetic spin cycloid of period 64 nm is resolved by reconstructing the corresponding resonant elastic X‐ray scattering in real space and visualized together with mosaic‐like ferroelectric domains in a linear dichroic contrast image at the Fe L3 edge. The measurements reveal a near perfect coupling between the antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric ordering by which the propagation direction of the spin cycloid is locked orthogonally to the ferroelectric polarization. In addition, the study evinces both a preference for in‐plane propagation of the spin cycloid and changes of the ferroelectric polarization by 71° between multiferroic domains in the epitaxial strain‐free, freestanding BFO film. The results provide a direct visualization of the strong magnetoelectric coupling in BFO and of its fine multiferroic domain structure, emphasizing the potential of ptychographic imaging for the study of multiferroics and non‐collinear magnetic materials with soft X‐rays.
The ferroelectric and magnetic structure of a freestanding thin film of multiferroic bismuth ferrite are imaged with soft x‐ray ptychography at the Fe L‐edge. This scanning coherent diffractive imaging technique directly visualizes the strong magnetoelectric coupling between the antiferromagnetic spin cycloid and ferroelectric domains on the nanoscale.
Background
The objective of this study was to histologically evaluate and compare vital bone formation, residual graft particles, and fraction of connective tissue (CT)/other tissues between three ...different time points at 2‐month intervals after alveolar ridge preservation with a cancellous allograft and dense‒polytetrafluoroethylene (d‐PTFE) membrane.
Methods
Ridge preservation with a cancellous allograft and d‐PTFE membrane was performed at 49 extraction sockets (one per patient). Volunteers were assigned to implant placement at three different time points of 2, 4, and 6 months, at which time core biopsies were obtained. Histomorphometric analysis was performed to determine the percentages of vital bone, residual graft particles, and connective tissue/other non‐bone components, and subjected to statistical analyses.
Results
There was a statistically significant difference in the amount of vital bone at every time point from 28.31% to 40.87% to 64.11% (at 2‐, 4‐, and 6‐month groups, respectively) (P < 0.05). The percentage of residual graft particles ranged from 44.57% to 36.16% to 14.86%, showing statistical significance from 4 to 6 months (21.29%, P < 0.001), and 2 to 6 months (29.71%, P < 0.001), while there were no significant differences for the amount of CT/other tissue among the different time points.
Conclusions
This study provided the first histologic comparison of alveolar ridge preservation using a cancellous allograft and d‐PTFE membrane at three different time points. Extraction sockets that healed for 6 months produced the highest amount of vital bone in combination with the least percentage of residual graft particles, while similar results were observed for the fraction of CT/other tissues between the three time points.
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