Search results for " selection"
showing 10 items of 1271 documents
The role of the Heart Failure Survival Score and psychosocial stress in predicting event-free survival in patients referred for heart transplantation
2012
We read with interest the article “Selecting patients for heart transplantation: Comparison of the Heart Failure Survival Score (HFSS) and the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM)” by Goda et al. Their study showed that the HFSS and the SHFM are similarly predictive of event-free survival in heart transplant (HTx) candidates enrolled at a single center in the USA. We also found that a HFSS denoting high medical risk predicts time until death, urgent transplantation, and implantation of ventricular assist devices (VAD) in patients newly listed for an HTx with Eurotransplant; in that same study, we have also shown that low HFSS risk predicts de-listing due to clinical improvement. The article b…
Tracking Five Millennia of Horse Management with Extensive Ancient Genome Time Series
2019
Summary Horse domestication revolutionized warfare and accelerated travel, trade, and the geographic expansion of languages. Here, we present the largest DNA time series for a non-human organism to date, including genome-scale data from 149 ancient animals and 129 ancient genomes (≥1-fold coverage), 87 of which are new. This extensive dataset allows us to assess the modern legacy of past equestrian civilizations. We find that two extinct horse lineages existed during early domestication, one at the far western (Iberia) and the other at the far eastern range (Siberia) of Eurasia. None of these contributed significantly to modern diversity. We show that the influence of Persian-related horse …
General method for automated feature extraction and selection and its application for gender classification and biomechanical knowledge discovery of …
2020
Modern technologies enable to capture multiple biomechanical parameters often resulting in relational data. The current work proposes a generally applicable method comprising automated feature extraction, ensemble feature selection and classification to best capture the potentials of the data also for generating new biomechanical knowledge. Its benefits are demonstrated in the concrete biomechanically and medically relevant use case of gender classification based on spinal data for stance and gait. Very good results for accuracy were obtained using gait data. Dynamic movements of the lumbar spine in sagittal and frontal plane and of the pelvis in frontal plane best map gender differences.
PSA reduction (after antibiotics) permits to avoid or postpone prostate biopsy in selected patients
2007
Microscopic foci of prostatitis may induce prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increase. PSA reduction after antibiotics might identify those patients in whom biopsy can be avoided. Ninety-nine patients received ciprofloxacin for 3 weeks, of whom 59 showed PSA reduction. Histology detected small foci of prostatitis in 65% of cases. Carcinoma was found in 40 and 20.3% of patients with unchanged or decreased PSA, respectively (P=0.03). No cancer was detected if PSA decreased below 4 ng/ml or more than 70%. Biopsy can be postponed, with a low risk of missing a cancer, if PSA decreases more than 70% or below 4 ng/ml.
The REALIST (REsiduAl risk, LIpids and Standard Therapies) study: an analysis of residual risk attributable to lipid profile in acute coronary syndro…
2010
The R3i Foundation (Residual Risk Reduction Initiative), an independent, multinational and academic organization, is conducting the REALIST (Residual Risk, Lipids and Standard Therapies) study in 40 centers in different countries. This is a retrospective epidemiological study, designed to provide new data on the residual risk of major coronary events attributable to lipid abnormalities in patients receiving the current standard treatment. The initial results are expected in mid 2010, and the overall results at the end of 2010.
The impact of sexual selection on Corynosoma magdaleni (Acanthocephala) infrapopulations in Saimaa ringed seals (Phoca hispida saimensis)
2004
In free-living animals sexual selection is a central force shaping the spatial distribution of individuals in a population as well as sexual size dimorphism. We studied the influence of sexual selection on spatial distribution, female-to-male body size ratio, and female mating success of acanthocephalans in a natural host population of Saimaa ringed seal (Phoca hispida saimensis) harbouring a single intestinal helminth species, Corynosoma magdaleni. The acanthocephalans were always found along the full length of the small intestine; however, the site selection varied among the individual seals according to the age of the infection. The distribution of male acanthocephalans was not random wi…
Life-history differences in age-dependent expressions of multiple ornaments and behaviors in a lekking bird
2015
Age is a major factor explaining variation in life-history traits among individuals with typical patterns of increasing trait values early in life, maximum trait expression, and senescence. However, age-dependent variation in the expressions of sexually selected traits has received less attention, although such variation underpins differences in male competitive abilities and female preference, which are central to sexual selection. In contrast to previous studies focusing on single traits, we used repeated measures of seven sexually selected morphological and behavioral traits in male black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) to quantify the effects of age and life span on their expressions and quantif…
Clinical importance of eosinophil count in nasal fluid in patients with allergic and non-allergic rhinitis
2009
Eosinophil count in nasal fluid (ECNF) was used to differentiate nasal pathologies. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the area under the curve (AUC) were performed to evaluate the ECNF's accuracy in distinguishing allergic rhinitis (AR) from non-allergic rhinitis (NAR). We also evaluated the accuracy of ECNF in recognizing patients with mild and severe symptoms of rhinitis and patients with ineffective and effective clinical responses to antihistamines. 1,170 consecutive adult patients with a clinical history of rhinitis were studied. ECNF's median in AR was 6.0 and 2.0 in NAR and the best cut-off value was > 3.0, AUC = 0.75. ECNF's median in AR with mild nasal …
Using visual modelling to study the evolution of lizard coloration: sexual selection drives the evolution of sexual dichromatism in lacertids
2012
Sexual selection has been invoked as a major force in the evolution of secondary sexual traits, including sexually dimorphic colorations. For example, previous studies have shown that display complexity and elaborate ornamentation in lizards are associated with variables that reflect the intensity of intrasexual selection. However, these studies have relied on techniques of colour analysis based on human – rather than lizard – visual perception. Here, we use reflectance spectrophotometry and visual modelling to quantify sexual dichromatism considering the overall colour patterns of lacertids, a lizard clade in which visual signalling has traditionally been underrated. These objective method…
A Lack of Sexual Dimorphism in Width-to-Height Ratio in White European Faces Using 2D Photographs, 3D Scans, and Anthropometry
2012
Facial width-to-height ratio has received a great deal of attention in recent research. Evidence from human skulls suggests\ud that males have a larger relative facial width than females, and that this sexual dimorphism is an honest signal of\ud masculinity, aggression, and related traits. However, evidence that this measure is sexually dimorphic in faces, rather than\ud skulls, is surprisingly weak. We therefore investigated facial width-to-height ratio in three White European samples using\ud three different methods of measurement: 2D photographs, 3D scans, and anthropometry. By measuring the same\ud individuals with multiple methods, we demonstrated high agreement across all measures. Ho…