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The graph AG(R) of a commutative ring R with identity has an edge linking two unique vertices when the product of the vertices equals the zero ideal and its vertices are the nonzero annihilating ideals of R. The annihilatingideal graph with respect to an ideal (I), which is denoted by AGI (R), has distinct vertices K and J that are adjacent if and only if KJ ⊆ I. Its vertices are {K | KJ ⊆ I for some ideal J and K, J * I, K is a ideal of R}. The study of the two graphs AGI (R) and AG(R/I) and extending certain prior findings are two main objectives of this research. This studys among other things, the findings of this study reveal that AGI (R) is bipartite if and only if AGI (R) is triangle-free. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective assessment of activity via accelerometry can provide valuable insights into dog health and welfare. Common activity metrics involve using acceleration cut-points to group data into intensity categories and reporting the time spent in each category. Lack of consistency and transparency in cut-point derivation makes it difficult to compare findings between studies. We present an alternative metric for use in dogs: the acceleration threshold (as a fraction of standard gravity, 1 g = 9.81 m/s2) above which the animal's X most active minutes are accumulated (MXACC) over a 24-hour period. We report M2ACC, M30ACC and M60ACC data from a colony of healthy beagles (n = 6) aged 3–13 months. To ensure that reference values are applicable across a wider dog population, we incorporated labelled data from beagles and volunteer pet dogs (n = 16) of a variety of ages and breeds. The dogs' normal activity patterns were recorded at 200 Hz for 24 hours using collar-based Axivity-AX3 accelerometers. We calculated acceleration vector magnitude and MXACC metrics. Using labelled data from both beagles and pet dogs, we characterize the range of acceleration outputs exhibited enabling meaningful interpretation of MXACC. These metrics will help standardize measurement of canine activity and serve as outcome measures for veterinary and translational research.

Abstract Background High concentrations of NEFA relative to a defined reference or ‘cut‐point’ values before calving can predict the risk of specific or collective periparturient disease events. Objectives A field‐based cohort study was conducted to evaluate the value and critical points of serum nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) at the precalving time to predict the occurrence of postpartum diseases and reproductive performance in dairy cows. Methods Blood samples were taken from 521 high‐yielding dairy cows at 1 week (±3 days) before calving and NEFA levels were measured. Health and reproduction information of each cow includes dystocia, retained placenta, milk fever, metritis, mastitis, pregnancy in the first insemination and pregnancy in the first two inseminations, and culling in the first 60 days of lactation and milk production. Results Our results show that there are significant relationships between precalving NEFA with the probability of pregnancy at the first and the first two inseminations after calving. The cows that had NEFA concentrations less than 0.5 mmol/L at the last week of pregnancy were 3.51 and 3.15 times more likely to be pregnant at first insemination and the first two inseminations, respectively. Also, our results showed that there are significant relationships between precalving NEFA concentration and the likelihood of dystocia and milk fever. The probability of dystocia and milk fever occurrence were 2.56 and 1.91 times greater in those cows that had NEFA concentrations more than 0.3 mmol/L, respectively. Conclusions The present results indicated that Increasing NEFA during the prepartum period could adversely affect the reproductive efficiency of dairy cows.

Background: The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ‐C) is widely used to assess physical activity in populations; however, there is a lack of information about the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) and about the PAQ‐C score meaning in populations from low‐middle income countries. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of PAQ‐C and to determine the cut‐point values of PAQ‐C using accelerometry as a reference in a group of Moroccan children. Methods: In a sample of 171 children and adolescents aged 8 to 14 years, physical activity was assessed with the GT3X + accelerometer and the PAQ‐C. PAQ‐C was administered for a second time (retest) after 1 week for a subsample (n = 73). Reliability was analyzed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The PAQ‐C was compared against count per minute CPM and moderate to vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) obtained by accelerometry. Receiver operating curve analyses were performed to assess the performance of PAQ‐C in identifying MVPA as measured by accelerometry (reference method). Results: Test–retest reliability was poor with an ICC = (0.48 [0.27; 0.63] for the whole sample, while for the ≥11 year group, the intra‐class correlation coefficient was moderate (0.71 [0.42; 0.86]. PAQ‐C scores were significantly related to accelerometry‐derived metrics of physical activity, CPM (R = 0.29, P < 0.001) and MVPA (R = 0.26, P < 0.001). For the age group ≥11 years, the associations between PAQ‐C Scores and CPM and MVPA were stronger, respectively, R = 0.37 (P < 0.001), R = 0.38 (P < 0.0001). We identified that a PAQ‐C Score cut‐point of 2.33 (95%CI [0.43–0.68]) discriminated adequately between those who met physical activity guidelines and those that did not in the overall sample. Conclusions: The PAQ‐C is valid and useful to assess population level physical activity in those ≥11 years in Morocco and so might be helpful in population surveillance of physical activity in Moroccan adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High concentrations of NEFA relative to a defined reference or 'cut‐point' values before calving can predict the risk of specific or collective periparturient disease events. Objectives: A field‐based cohort study was conducted to evaluate the value and critical points of serum nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) at the precalving time to predict the occurrence of postpartum diseases and reproductive performance in dairy cows. Methods: Blood samples were taken from 521 high‐yielding dairy cows at 1 week (±3 days) before calving and NEFA levels were measured. Health and reproduction information of each cow includes dystocia, retained placenta, milk fever, metritis, mastitis, pregnancy in the first insemination and pregnancy in the first two inseminations, and culling in the first 60 days of lactation and milk production. Results: Our results show that there are significant relationships between precalving NEFA with the probability of pregnancy at the first and the first two inseminations after calving. The cows that had NEFA concentrations less than 0.5 mmol/L at the last week of pregnancy were 3.51 and 3.15 times more likely to be pregnant at first insemination and the first two inseminations, respectively. Also, our results showed that there are significant relationships between precalving NEFA concentration and the likelihood of dystocia and milk fever. The probability of dystocia and milk fever occurrence were 2.56 and 1.91 times greater in those cows that had NEFA concentrations more than 0.3 mmol/L, respectively. Conclusions: The present results indicated that Increasing NEFA during the prepartum period could adversely affect the reproductive efficiency of dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyzed the associations between pulmonary function and frailty (prevalence and incidence) in community dwelling older adults. • We identified cut-off points for pulmonary function to detect frailty. • These cut-off points were associated with hospitalization and mortality regardless of existing pulmonary disease. The relationship between pulmonary impairment and frailty has rarely been studied in community-dwelling older adults. This study aimed to analyze the association between pulmonary function and frailty (prevalent and incident), identifying the best cut-off points to detect frailty and its association with hospitalization and mortality. A longitudinal observational cohort study with 1188 community-dwelling older adults was taken from the Toledo Study for Healthy Aging. The forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1) and the forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured with spirometry. Frailty was evaluated using the Frailty Phenotype and Frailty Trait Scale 5. Associations between pulmonary function and frailty, hospitalization and mortality in a 5-year follow-up and the best cut-off points for FEV 1 and FVC were analyzed. FEV 1 and FVC were associated with frailty prevalence (OR from 0.25 to 0.60), incidence (OR from 0.26 to 0.53), and hospitalization and mortality (HR from 0.35 to 0.85). The cut-off points of pulmonary function identified in this study: FEV1 (≤1.805 L for male and ≤1.165 L for female) and FVC (≤2.385 L for male and ≤1.585 L for female) were associated with incident frailty (OR: 1.71–4.06), hospitalization (HR: 1.03–1.57) and mortality (HR: 2.64–5.17) in individuals with and without respiratory diseases (P < 0.05 for all). Pulmonary function was inversely associated with the risk of frailty, hospitalization and mortality in community-dwelling older adults. The cut-off points for FEV 1 and FVC to detect frailty were highly associated with hospitalization and mortality in the 5-year follow-up, regardless of the existence of pulmonary diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundA consensus on the definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) for children does not exist. There is still lack of published work presenting the epidemiology, risk factors and outcomes at different cut-points for PMV patients. These are important for planning the goals of treatment and counseling of the prognosis for patient families. We aimed to determine the incidence, baseline characteristics, risk factors and outcomes of PMV in pediatric patients at various cut-points (>14, >21 or >30days).MethodsA retrospective cohort study among children 14 days in the PICU of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital was conducted. The primary outcomes were incidence of PMV with various cut-points. We stratified patients into three groups (Group 1; PMV > 14–21, Group 2; >21–30, Group 3; >30 days) for evaluating the baseline characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of PMV (extubation success, tracheostomy status and death). Factors associated with PMV and deaths were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.ResultsFrom January 2018 to August 2022, 1,050 patients were screened. Of these, 114 patients were enrolled. The incidence of PMV > 14, >21 and >30 days were 10.9%, 7.3% and 5.0% respectively. Extubation success was significantly lower in Group 3 than in Groups 1 & 2 (15.4% vs. 62.2% & 56.0%, P 30 days was VAP (aOR: 19.53, 95% CI: 2.38–160.34, P = 0.01). Factors associated with non-surviving patients were 3rd degree PEM (aOR: 5.14, 95% CI: 1.57–16.88, P = 0.01), PIM3 score ≥14 (aOR: 6.75, 95% CI: 2.26–20.15, P 30 days. Consequently, we suggest that a 30-day duration as a cut-point for PMV in PICUs might be more appropriate.

Background: The usual accelerometry-based measures of physical activity (PA) are dependent on physical performance. We investigated the associations between PA relative to walking performance and the prevalence and incidence of early and advanced walking difficulties compared to generally used measures of PA.Methods: Perceived walking difficulty was evaluated in 994 community-dwelling participants at baseline (age 75, 80, or 85 years) and 2 years later over 2 km (early difficulty) and 500 m (advanced difficulty). We used a thigh-mounted accelerometer to assess moderate-to-vigorous PA, daily mean acceleration, and relative PA as movement beyond the intensity of preferred walking speed in a 6-minute walking test (PArel). Self-reported PA was assessed using questionnaires.Results: The prevalence and incidence were 36.2% and 18.9% for early and 22.4% and 14.9% for advanced walking difficulty, respectively. PArel was lower in participants with prevalent (mean 42 [SD 45] vs 69 [91] min/week, p < .001) but not incident early walking difficulty (53 [75] vs 72 [96] min/week, p = .15) compared to those without difficulty. The associations between absolute measures of PA and incident walking difficulty were attenuated when adjusted for preferred walking speed.Conclusions: The variation in habitual PA may not explain the differences in the development of new walking difficulty. Differences in physical performance explain a meaningful part of the association of PA with incident walking difficulty. Scaling of accelerometry to preferred walking speed demonstrated independence on physical performance and warrants future study as a promising indicator of PA in observational studies among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective assessment of activity via accelerometry can provide valuable insights into dog health and welfare. Common activity metrics involve using acceleration cut-points to group data into intensity categories and reporting the time spent in each category. Lack of consistency and transparency in cut-point derivation makes it difficult to compare findings between studies. We present an alternative metric for use in dogs: the acceleration threshold (as a fraction of standard gravity, 1 g = 9.81 m/s 2 ) above which the animal's X most active minutes are accumulated (MX ACC ) over a 24-hour period. We report M2 ACC, M30 ACC and M60 ACC data from a colony of healthy beagles ( n = 6) aged 3-13 months. To ensure that reference values are applicable across a wider dog population, we incorporated labelled data from beagles and volunteer pet dogs ( n = 16) of a variety of ages and breeds. The dogs' normal activity patterns were recorded at 200 Hz for 24 hours using collar-based Axivity-AX3 accelerometers. We calculated acceleration vector magnitude and MX ACC metrics. Using labelled data from both beagles and pet dogs, we characterize the range of acceleration outputs exhibited enabling meaningful interpretation of MX ACC . These metrics will help standardize measurement of canine activity and serve as outcome measures for veterinary and translational research., Competing Interests: We have no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In this study it is hypothesized that there are differences between immunoglobulin G (IgG) content in colostrum from beef (Chianina, Podolica) and dairy (Holstein Friesian) cows and that variables such as breed, and parity can influence IgG content. The further objective was to determine if these factors may vary in terms of sensitivity, specificity and the cut point when data obtained with the digital Brix refractometer is compared with the gold standard radial immunodiffusion assay (RID). A total of 90 samples of first-milking colostrum were collected within 2 h after parturition. IgG concentration was determined indirectly by digital Brix refractometer and directly by RID. Results obtained by RID were compared among breed and parity. For the digital Brix refractometer, sensitivity and specificity to detect colostrum with an IgG concentration lower than 50 g/l were calculated and the optimal cut-point was selected for each breed. Samples containing less than <50 g/l IgG accounted for 15.9% of the total. Parity influenced colostral IgG concentration and beef cows had a higher mean concentration of IgG (101.1 g/l in Chianina and 90.6 g/l in Podolica) than dairy cows (71.1 g/l in Holstein Friesian) First parity Chianina cows had the highest IgG mean content (116.1 g/l). At the optimal cut-point for Brix refractometer (20%) sensitivity and specificity were 0.93 (0.84–0.97) and 0.81 (0.70–0.88), however, a breed-related cut-point could be used to reduce evaluation error. Linear regression modeling showed that refractometer data were related to RID (r = 0.78). Results obtained suggest that breed and parity can influence IgG content of colostrum and, despite the Brix refractometer being an excellent on-farm tool, a breed-based definition of optimal cut point is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) has been shown to indicate renal function in various conditions. As cholangiocarcinoma may have renal involvement due to immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis, this study aimed to determine whether or not there is any association between ADC values and renal function in these patients. Methods: This was a retrospective, analytical study. The inclusion criteria were age over 18 years, pathologically proven cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis and having undergone either 1.5 T or 3.0 T diffusion-weighted MRI. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73m2. Patients’ ADC levels in the CKD and non-CKD groups were compared, and subgroup analysis was performed by MRI field strength and type of cholangiocarcinoma. Results: One hundred fifty-eight patients participated in the study. Most were male (66.46 %), and the average age (SD) was 61.59 years (7.91). Average ADC levels in the CDK and non-CDK group differed significantly, regardless of MRI field strength or type of cholangiocarcinoma (2.11 mm/s2 in the ADC group vs 1.91 mm/s2 in the non-ADC group; P < 0.001). An ADC cut-point of 1.75 mm/s2 yielded sensitivities ranging from 66.67–90.00 in almost all study populations. The distal cholangiocarcinoma group had a perfect cut-point at 1.78 mm/s2 with 100 % sensitivity and area under the ROC curve. Conclusions: Radiologists can use ADC to detect CKD in cholangiocarcinoma patients regardless of MRI field strength or type of cholangiocarcinoma.

Aims: The aim of this study is to assess the American Diabetes Association (ADA) risk score as a self-assessment screening tool for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Iran.Methods: In a national survey of risk factors for non-communicable diseases, we included 3458 Iranian adults. The discrimination and validity were assessed using the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, Youden's index, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV). The frequency of high-risk Iranian population who need a glucose test and those who need intervention were also estimated.Results: The AUC was 73.7% and the suggested ADA score of ≥5 yielded a sensitivity of 51.6%, specificity 82.4%, NPV 98.3%, and PPV 7.9%. This threshold results in classifying 18.6% of the Iranians, equals to 8.5 million, as high-risk and 1.5% of the population, about 700,000, would need intervention. However, our study suggested score ≥4 that identified 34% of the population as high-risk and 2% of the population would need intervention.Conclusion: Our findings support the ADA suggested threshold for identifying high-risk individuals for undiagnosed T2DM; however, a lower threshold is also recommended for higher sensitivity. The ADA screening tool could help the public health system for low-cost screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The appropriate limit to the amount of daily sedentary time (ST) required to minimize mortality is uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the dose-response association between daily ST and all-cause mortality and to explore the cut-off point above which health is impaired in adults aged 18–64 years old. We also examined whether there are differences between studies using self-report ST and those with device-based ST. Methods Prospective cohort studies providing effect estimates of daily ST (exposure) on all-cause mortality (outcome) were identified via MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases until January 2018. Dose-response relationships between daily ST and all-cause mortality were examined using random-effects meta-regression models. Results Based on the pooled data for more than 1 million participants from 19 studies, the results showed a log-linear dose-response association between daily ST and all-cause mortality. Overall, more time spent in sedentary behaviors is associated with increased mortality risks. However, the method of measuring ST moderated the association between daily ST and mortality risk (p

Background: Walking forms a large portion of physical activity (PA) of older adults. We assessed free-living PA using acceleration corresponding to preferred walking speed as a relative cut-point and studied how it relates to age. We compared the relative cut-point to a common absolute cut-point of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).Method: Four hundred forty-four community-dwelling adults aged 75, 80, and 85 years wore an accelerometer on the thigh during a PA surveillance period and a modified 6-minute walking test (6MWT) at preferred speed. Each individual's mean acceleration (g) during the 6MWT was used as a cut-point for relative PA. Acceleration corresponding to three metabolic equivalents (METs) was used as the cut-point for absolute MVPA.Results: When using the acceleration of preferred walking speed as a cut-point, 62 (SD 82) minutes a week of relative PA was detected, compared to 228 (163) minutes of absolute MVPA. For 96% of the participants, the acceleration generated by their preferred walking speed exceeded the common absolute cut-point for MVPA. Absolute MVPA was lower in the older age groups, and 6MWT speed explained 22% of its variation (p < .001), whereas relative PA was independent of walking speed and age.Conclusions: Preferred walking speed was a significant contributor to absolute MVPA and those who walked the slowest accumulated the least MVPA. Assessing relative PA using the intensity of preferred walking speed as a cut-point eliminated the dependency of PA on age and walking speed, and may be a feasible scaling option to evaluate relative PA among older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present novel tests for the hypothesis of independence when the number of variables is larger than the number of vector observations. We show that two multivariate normal vectors are independent if and only if their interpoint distance are independent. The proposed test statistics exploit different properties of the sample interpoint distances. A simulation study compares the new tests with three existing tests under various scenarios, including monotone and non-monotone dependence structures. Numerical results show that the new methods are effective for independence testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers can identify individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology (eg, amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles), but defined analyte cut‐points using high‐throughput automated assays are necessary for general clinical use. Methods: CSF amyloid β42 peptide (Aβ42), t‐tau, and t‐tau/Aβ42 were quantified by the Lumipulse platform in two test cohorts (A/B: Eisai BAN2401‐201/MISSION AD E2609‐301/302, n = 138; C: Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), n = 198), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses defined cut‐points corresponding best to amyloid determinations using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The best‐performing cut‐point was then validated as a predictor of amyloid status in an independent cohort (D: MISSION AD E2609‐301/302, n = 240). Results: Virtually identical t‐tau/Aβ42 cut‐points (∼0.54) performed best in both test cohorts and with similar accuracy (areas under ROC curve [AUCs] [A/B: 0.95; C: 0.94]). The cut‐point yielded an overall percent agreement with amyloid PET of 85.0% in validation cohort D. Discussion: Lumipulse CSF biomarker measures with validated cut‐points have clinical utility in identifying AD pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of the right methodology to perform binary classification based on an observed quantitative variable is usually a complex choice. Thus, the use of appropriate accuracy measures is crucial. In fact, the ROC curve reveals a lot of information about the accuracy of the applied methodology for all the possible values of the cut-point. In particular, the integral and partial areas under the ROC curve are widely used. The φ index, in which sensitivity equals specificity, may also be applied. Nevertheless, the accuracy at one specific cut-point may be sufficient to assess the accuracy in some applications. Therefore, different ways to define the optimal cut-point may be applied, such as the maximization of the Youden index, the maximization of the concordance probability or the minimization of the distance to the point with absence of misclassification. To compare the adequacy of these measures, a simulation study was performed under different scenarios. The results highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each procedure and advise the use of the φ index.

Purpose: Distress is an important issue facing adolescent and young adults (AYA) with cancer due to their stage of development. Metrics are necessary to help improve psychosocial outcomes in this population. This study determined cut-points for the newly developed Cancer Distress Scales (CDS)-AYA. Methods: The CDS-AYA is a new patient-reported outcomes measure that comprises five independently functioning scales, including the following: Impact of Cancer (12 items), Physical (12 items), Emotional (11 items), Cognitive (8 items), and Cancer Worry (5 items). Canadian AYA with cancer 15–39 years of age completed the CDS-AYA and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), as part of the CDS-AYA field test. Only patients who had completed responses to the CDS-AYA and HADS were included in these analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to generate cut-points for five CDS-AYA scales based on distress defined by the HADS anxiety and HADS depression scale. Results: In total 453 of 515 respondents had complete data for the CDS-AYA and HADS were included in analyses. Area under the curve (AUC) in the ROC analyses ranged from 0.75 to 0.85. The CDS-AYA Emotional scale had the greatest AUC. The cutoff value for the Emotional scale was 27 based on the HADS anxiety scores (78.3% and 78.9%). Conclusions: The five CDS-AYA scales had fair to good accuracy when classifying the none/low and moderate/severe distress categories based on HADS anxiety and depression scales. For screening purposes, it is recommended that the Emotional scale or Impact of Cancer scale be utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increase in body mass index value is a serious health problem across the world. Humans with high body mass index value have the higher probability of getting the cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. The proposed work is concerned in predicting the probability of CVD and high blood pressure in India. The disease has been predicted with body mass index value; from the health reports of India, the pervasiveness of CVD and HBP is identified. The demographic health survey 2016 of India is used in this work. Bayesian model is used to find the pervasiveness of CVD and HBP based on the gender and the place of living. Out of 432 articles studied, 34 articles suggested the pervasiveness of CVD and HBP. Pervasiveness of CVD increased (95% of interval) rapidly between 1992 and 2016 from 3.0% (0.3–5.7) to 16.4% (9.4–16.2) for men, and from 5.2% (2.3–8.6) to 15.4% (3.3–18.6) for women. Pervasiveness of high blood pressure increased rapidly between 1992 and 2016 from 11.0% (8.6–17.4) to 21.4% (19.4–23.6) for men and from 14.0% (4.3–16.7) to 20.4% (5.6–25.6) for women. The pervasiveness of CVD in 2030 is predicted as 24.6% (13.6–37.8), and pervasiveness of high blood pressure is predicted to be 21.7% (19.6–27.8). The annual average of pervasiveness of CVD is high for women in village areas, and pervasiveness of high blood pressure is found high for men in city regions. The cutoff point for pervasiveness of CVD for overall population is 23.02 kg/m2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objectives To define a standardised acromial distance (AD) in relaxed, supine position and its cut-point with sensitivity and specificity for classifying pectoralis minor (PMI) shortness. To clarify a predictive value of AD while relaxed, supine (AD2) from AD while sitting (AD1), adjusted by the effect of body mass index (BMI). Design Cross-sectional; Setting Laboratory of Physical Therapy Faculties. Participants Eighty-five participants aged 18–38 years. Main outcome measures A standardised-AD was proportionate of AD at scapular retraction (AD3) to AD2. AD1 was clarified as a predictive variable for AD2 in circumstances of adjusted BMI. Results The cut-point of standardised-AD for PMI shortness was equal to or above 0.61. The sensitivity and specificity were 75.64% and 85.71%. AD2 was 0.355 time of AD1 when adjusted for effect of BMI. This cumulative effect may be able to explain AD2 for 41.4% of the variation in the AD1 and BMI around its mean. Conclusions Standardised-AD may be suitable to reflect PMI shortness while supine. Application for clinical practise may estimate AD2 from AD1 by summation of the effect of BMI. When designing postural education for correcting PMI shortness while lying, efficacy may be a concern in transfer to upright or functional position. Highlights • Standardised-acromial distance may be suitable to reflect pectoralis minor shortness while supine. • The cut-point of standardised-acromial distance for pectoralis minor shortness was equal to or above 0.61. • The cumulative effect of acromial distance (AD) in sitting and BMI may be able to explain AD in relaxed supine for 41.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an extension of (the annihilation graph of the commutator poset (lattice) with respect to an element ), we discuss when (the annihilation graph of the commutator poset (lattice) with respect to an ideal ) is a complete bipartite (-partite) graph together with some of its other graph-theoretic properties. We investigate the interplay between some (order-) lattice-theoretic properties of and graph-theoretic properties of its associated graph . We provide some examples to show that some conditions are not superfluous assumptions. We prove and show by a counterexample that the class of lower sets of a commutator poset is properly contained in the class of -ideals of (i.e. multiplicatively absorptive ideals (sets) of that are defined by commutator operation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every self-similar group acts on the space Xω of infinite words over some alphabet X. We study the Schreier graphs Γw for w 2 Xω of the action of self-similar groups generated by bounded automata on the space Xω. Using sofic subshifts we determine the number of ends for every Schreier graph Γw. Almost all Schreier graphs Γw with respect to the uniform measure on Xw have one or two ends, and we characterize bounded automata whose Schreier graphs have two ends almost surely. The connection with (local) cut-points of limit spaces of self-similar groups is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new, widely generalized context for the study of the zero-divisor type (annihilating-ideal) graphs, where the vertices of graphs are not elements/ideals of a commutative ring, but elements of an abstract ordered set [lattice] (imitating the lattice of ideals of a ring), equipped with a commutative (not necessarily associative) binary operation (imitating the product of ideals of a ring). We discuss, when (the annihilation graph of the commutator poset [lattice] with respect to an element ) is a complete bipartite graph together with some of its other graph-theoretic properties. In contrast to the case of rings, we construct a commutator poset whose contains a cut-point. We provide some examples to show that some conditions are not superfluous assumptions. We also give some examples of a large class of lattices, such as the lattice of ideals of a commutative ring, the lattice of normal subgroups of a group, and the lattice of all congruences on an algebra in a variety (congruence modular variety) by using the commutators as the multiplicative binary operation on these lattices. This shows that how the commutator theory can define and unify many zero-divisor type graphs of different algebraic structures as a special case of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Korea, a person with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 is considered obese, and a person with a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 is classified as severely obese. Central obesity is defined as a waist circumference ≥90 cm for Korean men and ≥85 cm for Korean women. Recent epidemiologic data show that the prevalence of severe obesity and metabolic syndrome is steadily increasing. These epidemics increased morbidity and mortality of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity-related cancers such as breast, colorectal, and other cancers in Korea. Decreased physical activity, increased fat and alcohol consumption, heavy smoking, and stress/depressed mood are the primary modifiable life-style risk factors for Koreans. Recently, public health interventions to encourage life-style changes have shown promising results in reducing the prevalence of severe obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Background: A consensus on the definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) for children does not exist. There is still lack of published work presenting the epidemiology, risk factors and outcomes at different cut-points for PMV patients. These are important for planning the goals of treatment and counseling of the prognosis for patient families. We aimed to determine the incidence, baseline characteristics, risk factors and outcomes of PMV in pediatric patients at various cut-points (>14, >21 or >30days)., Methods: A retrospective cohort study among children <18-years-old who were PMV > 14 days in the PICU of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital was conducted. The primary outcomes were incidence of PMV with various cut-points. We stratified patients into three groups (Group 1; PMV > 14-21, Group 2; >21-30, Group 3; >30 days) for evaluating the baseline characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of PMV (extubation success, tracheostomy status and death). Factors associated with PMV and deaths were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression., Results: From January 2018 to August 2022, 1,050 patients were screened. Of these, 114 patients were enrolled. The incidence of PMV > 14, >21 and >30 days were 10.9%, 7.3% and 5.0% respectively. Extubation success was significantly lower in Group 3 than in Groups 1 & 2 (15.4% vs. 62.2% & 56.0%, P  < 0.001). Consequently, the tracheostomy rate (63.5% vs. 16.2% & 12.0%, P  < 0.001), VAP rate (98.1% vs. 59.5% & 80.0% , P  < 0.001), mortality rate by disease (34.6% vs. 5.4% & 20.0% , P  = 0.003), median PICU LOS (50.5 vs. 22.0 & 28.0 days, P  < 0.001) and median hospital LOS (124.5 vs. 55.0 & 62.0 days, P  < 0.001) were also significantly higher for Group 3 compared with Groups 1 & 2. The factor associated with PMV > 30 days was VAP (aOR: 19.53, 95% CI: 2.38-160.34, P  = 0.01). Factors associated with non-surviving patients were 3rd degree PEM (aOR: 5.14, 95% CI: 1.57-16.88, P  = 0.01), PIM3 score ≥14 (aOR: 6.75, 95% CI: 2.26-20.15, P  < 0.001) and muscle relaxant usage (aOR: 5.58, 95% CI: 1.65-18.86, P  = 0.01)., Conclusion: Extubation failure, tracheostomy rate, VAP rate, mortality rate by disease, PICU LOS and hospital LOS were significantly higher for PMV >30 days. Consequently, we suggest that a 30-day duration as a cut-point for PMV in PICUs might be more appropriate., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2023 Chongcharoenyanon, Sophonphan and Samransamruajkit.)

Measuring sedentary behaviour and physical activity with wearable sensors provides detailed information on activity patterns and can serve health interventions. At the basis of activity analysis stands the ability to distinguish sedentary from active time. As there is no consensus regarding the optimal cut-point for classifying sedentary behaviour, we studied the consequences of using different cut-points for this type of analysis. We conducted a battery of sitting and walking activities with 14 office workers, wearing the Promove 3D activity sensor to determine the optimal cut-point (in counts per minute (mᾑs-2)) for classifying sedentary behaviour. Then, 27 office workers wore the sensor for five days. We evaluated the sensitivity of five sedentary pattern measures for various sedentary cut-points and found an optimal cut-point for sedentary behaviour of 1660 x 10-3 mᾑs-2. Total sedentary time was not sensitive to cut-point changes within ±10% of this optimal cut-point; other sedentary pattern measures were not sensitive to changes within the +20% interval. The results from studies analyzing sedentary patterns, using different cut-points, can be compared within these boundaries. Furthermore, commercial, hip-worn activity trackers can implement feedback and interventions on sedentary behaviour patterns, using these cut-points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) contribute to many negative physiological, psychological, and behavioral health consequences. However, a cut-point for adverse childhood experience (ACE) scores, as it pertains to health outcomes, has not been clearly identified. This ambiguity has led to the use of different cut-points to define high scores. The aim of this study is to clarify a cut-point at which ACEs are significantly associated with negative chronic health outcomes. To accomplish this aim, a secondary analysis using data from a cross-sectional study was conducted. The Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, nonparametric regression, and logistic regression analyses were performed on a sample of 10,047 adults. Data from demographic and self-report health measures were included. The results showed that a cut-point of four or more ACEs was significantly associated with increased rates of chronic disease. Participants with at least one chronic disease were almost 3 times more likely (OR = 2.8) to be in the high ACE group. A standardized cut-point for ACE scores will assist in future research examining the impact of high ACEs across cultures to study the effect of childhood experiences on health., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar to the case of commutative rings, we define the notion of a zero-divisor graph of a commutative semiring R with respect to an ideal I of R, denoted by $${\Gamma_I(R)}$$ . That is an undirected graph whose vertex set is the set $${\{x \in R {\setminus} I | xy \in I {\rm for some} y \in R {\setminus} I\}}$$ with distinct vertices x and y adjacent if and only if xy ∈ I. We discuss when $${\Gamma_I(R)}$$ is r-partite. We also give some results on the subgraphs and the parameters of $${\Gamma_I(R)}$$ . In addition, we apply these results to the annihilating-ideal graph of R with respect to I, denoted by $${\mathbb{AG}_I(R)}$$ , as an example (special case) of $${\Gamma_I(R)}$$ . It is also shown that for I a radical ideal of $${R, \Gamma_I(R)}$$ is isomorphic to a subgraph of $${\mathbb{AG}_I(R)}$$ which naturally asserts some known results (properties) between them interchangeably. Finally, we provide some counterexamples and construct a semiring whose ideal-based zero-divisor graph has a cut-point and more than one bridge, which is in contrast to the ring case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Liquid bead microarray antibody (LBMA) assays are used to assess pathogen–cancer associations. However, studies analyze LBMA data differently, limiting comparability. Methods We generated 10,000 Monte Carlo-type simulations of log-normal antibody distributions (exposure) with 200 cases and 200 controls (outcome). We estimated type I error rates, statistical power, and bias associated with t -tests, logistic regression with a linear exposure and with the exposure dichotomized at 200 units, 400 units, the mean among controls plus two standard deviations, and the value corresponding to the optimal sensitivity and specificity. We also applied these models, and data visualizations (kernel density plots, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, predicted probability plots, and Q–Q plots), to two empirical datasets to assess the consistency of the exposure–outcome relationship. Results All strategies had acceptable type I error rates (0.03 ≤ P ≤ 0.048), except for the dichotomization according to optimal sensitivity and specificity, which had a type I error rate of 0.27. Among the remaining methods, logistic regression with a linear predictor ( Power = 1.00) and t -tests ( Power = 1.00) had the highest power to detect a mean difference of 1.0 MFI (median fluorescence intensity) on the log scale and were unbiased. Dichotomization methods upwardly biased the risk estimates. Conclusion These results indicate that logistic regression with linear predictors and unpaired t -tests are superior to logistic regression with dichotomized predictors for assessing disease associations with LBMA data. Logistic regression with continuous linear predictors and t -tests are preferable to commonly used LBMA dichotomization methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In biomedical research and practice, continuous biomarkers are often used for diagnosis and prognosis, with a cut-point being established on the measurement to aid binary classification. When survival time is examined for the purposes of disease prognostication and is found to be related to the baseline measure of a biomarker, employing a single cut-point on the biomarker may not be very informative. Using survival time-dependent sensitivity and specificity, we extend a concordance probability-based objective function to select survival time-related cut-points. To estimate the objective function with censored survival data, we adopt a non-parametric procedure for time-dependent receiver operational characteristics curves, which uses nearest neighbor estimation techniques. In a simulation study, the proposed method, when used to select a cut-point to optimally predict survival at a given time within a specified range, yields satisfactory results. We apply the procedure to estimate survival time-dependent cut-point on the prognostic biomarker of serum bilirubin among patients with primary biliary cirrhosis. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a commutative ringRwith identity, the annihilating-ideal graph ofR, denoted 𝔸𝔾(R), is the graph whose vertices are the nonzero annihilating ideals ofRwith two distinct vertices joined by an edge when the product of the vertices is the zero ideal. We will generalize this notion for an idealIofRby replacing nonzero ideals whose product is zero with ideals that are not contained inIand their product lies inIand call it theannihilating-ideal graphofRwith respect toI, denoted 𝔸𝔾I(R). We discuss when 𝔸𝔾I(R) is bipartite. We also give some results on the subgraphs and the parameters of 𝔸𝔾I(R). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]