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We develop a first exit time methodology to model the life time process of a complicated system. We assume that the functionality level of a complicated system follows a stochastic process during time and the end of the functionality of the system comes when the functionality function reaches a zero level. After solving several technical details including the Fokker-Planck equation for the appropriate boundary conditions we estimate the transition probability density function and then the first exit time probability density of the functionality of the system reaching a barrier during time. The formula we arrive is essential for complicated system forms. A simpler case has the form called as Inverse Gaussian and was first proposed independently by Schrödinger and Smoluchowsky in the same journal issue (1915) to express the probability density of a simple first exit time process hitting a linear barrier. Applications to the health state of biological systems (the human population and the Mediterranean flies) and to the functionality life time of cars are done. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Preference valuations of health status are essential in health technology and economic appraisal. This study estimated utilities for treatment-related health states of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and disutilities of severe adverse events (SAEs) using a representative sample of adults from the general population in the United States (US). Methods Treatment-related AML health states, defined based on literature and interviews with clinicians, included complete remission (CR), no CR, relapse, stem cell transplant (SCT), and post SCT short-term recovery. Six attributes with varying levels, including fever, lack of energy, problems with daily function, anxiety/depression, blood transfusions, and hospitalization, were used to define health states. An online survey using discrete choice experiment methodology was designed to capture preferences for health status scenarios including the identified attributes and key grade 3/4 chemotherapy-related SAEs. Health state utilities and SAE disutilities were generated from a conditional logistic regression with generalized estimating equations. Results Of the 300 survey participants, the demographic distributions were within a 3% margin of those in the 2010 US Census. CR had the highest utility value (0.875), followed by post-SCT short-term recovery (0.398), relapse (0.355), no CR (0.262), and SCT (0.158). Of the SAEs, serious infection had the highest decline in utility (0.218), followed by severe diarrhea (0.176), abnormally low blood cell counts (0.100), and severe redness/skin peeling (0.060). Conclusions AML and treatments can result in reduced quality of life and impaired ability to perform daily activities. Findings of this study underline the value that society places on treatment-related AML health states and SAEs.

Kohonen Network is an unsupervised learning which forms clusters from patterns that share common features and group similar patterns together. This network are commonly uses grids of artificial neurons which connected to all the inputs. This paper presents an exploratory study of Kohonen Neural Network to classify human health state. Neural Connection tool is used to generate the result based on Kohonen learning algorithm. Procedural steps are provided to assist the implementation of the Kohonen Network. The result shows that side 2 is more appropriate for this problem with efficient learning rate 1.0. It gives good distribution for training and test patterns. Study to the variation of dataset’s size will be considered in the near future to evaluate the performance of the network.

Integrated modular avionics (IMA) is one of the most advanced systems whose performance deeply impact on the security of civil aircraft. In order to enhance the safety and reliability of aircraft, the health state of the IMA must be estimated accurately. Since IMA is a real-time system, the estimation algorithm should have fast learning speed to satisfy the real-time requirement. In this paper, an enhanced deep extreme learning machine is developed to estimate the health states of IMA. First, the enhanced deep extreme learning machine is built in a novel fashion by using a dropout technique and extreme learning machine autoencoder. Second, multiple-enhanced deep extreme learning machines with different activation functions are employed to estimate the health states, simultaneously. Finally, a synthesis strategy is designed to combine all the results of different enhanced deep extreme learning machines. In such a manner, the robust and accurate estimation results can be obtained. In order to collect the data under different health states, a performance degradation model of IMA is built by the intermittent faults. The proposed method is applied to health state estimation, and the results confirm that the proposed method can present a superior estimation to the conventional methods.

For the prevention and management of diseases in chronic patients, attention has been directed at ubiquitous healthcare systems in order to reduce medical expenses and provide high-quality medical services at different places, including hospitals and homes. In this paper, a ubiquitous healthcare system has been proposed in order to care for a chronic patient, to be used by a nurse or a care professional at the patient's residence. It comprises a portable bio-signal acquisition device, smartphone application, and ubiquitous health server. The smartphone application collects the patient information, including lifelog and the bio-signals from the device, and transfers the patient information through bio-signals to the ubiquitous health server. The ubiquitous health server monitors the bio-signals with the help of lifelog, analyzes the patient's health state, and alerts medical staff on symptoms of any illness. The proposed system collects five types of bio-signals from patients using the acquisition device, automatically monitors and analyzes their bio-data with lifelog, displays the state of their health as determined by the analysis, using graphical representation, such that the doctor can understand the patient's condition and undertake an appropriate medical treatment procedure.

The detection of vertical heterogeneity in vegetation has attracted an increasing attention as it has a great significance for precise agriculture. The hyperspectral light detection and ranging (LiDAR) (HSL) can obtain the spectral and spatial information simultaneously. However, its ability to monitor the vertical distribution of biochemical parameters in plants has not been fully explored. In this article, the applicability of empirical ratio and normalized spectral indices for HSL channels in chlorophyll (Chl) detection was investigated using three data sets: the PROSPECT-5 synthetic data set, the ANGERS public data set, and an HSL-measured data set. A linear regression model of the best performing index against measured Chl values was constructed so as to build 3-D Chl point clouds of maize. The performance of HSL in Chl detection at the upper and lower layers was also tested based on the selected spectral index. The result showed that the CIred edge index was most compatible with the HSL channels. The estimated Chl concentrations of the upper and lower layers showed the close relationships with HSL measurements ($R^{2} = 0.73$ and 0.91, respectively). The vertical Chl profiles in maize were also presented, indicating that the HSL system has a strong ability to monitor the vertical distribution of maize Chl concentrations. This article provides a basis for the vertical detection of vegetation biochemical parameters directly from HSL measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preferences for health states for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are necessary to assess costs and benefits of novel therapies. Because DMD progression begins in childhood, the impact of DMD on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) affects preferences of both DMD patients and their families. The objective of this review was to synthesize published evidence for health state utility from the DMD patient and caregiver perspectives.Methods: A systematic review was performed using MEDLINE and Embase, according to best practices. Data were extracted from studies reporting DMD patient or caregiver utilities; these included study and patient characteristics, health states considered, and utility estimates. Quality appraisal of studies was performed.Results: From 888 abstracts, eight publications describing five studies were identified. DMD utility estimates were from preference-based measures presented stratified by ambulatory status, ventilation, and age. Patient (or patient-proxy) utility estimates ranged from 0.75 (early ambulatory DMD) to 0.05 (day-and-night ventilation). Caregiver utilities ranged from 0.87 (for caregivers of adults with DMD) to 0.71 (for caregivers of predominantly childhood patients). Both patient and caregiver utilities trended lower with higher disease severity. Variability in utilities was observed based on instrument, respondent type, and country. Utility estimates for health states within non-ambulatory DMD are under reported; nor were utilities for DMD-related health states such as scoliosis or preserved upper limb function identified.Conclusion: Published health state utilities document the substantial HRQoL impacts of DMD, particularly with disease progression. Additional research in patient utilities for additional health states, particularly in non-ambulatory DMD patients, is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are critical in evaluating the effectiveness of surgical spine interventions. The Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is commonly used but tedious to administer routinely. The EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) questionnaire is easier to administer but not traditionally used to measure spine surgical results. This study aimed to investigate the correlation of commonly administered PROMs in lumbar tubular microdecompression patients, and to consider whether ODI could be predicted from remaining PROMs. This study examined 304 index lumbar tubular microdecompression patients with PROMs collected at routine intervals. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated for each pairwise combination of the following PROMs: ODI, EQ-5D index, leg pain visual analog scale (VAS), low back pain VAS, health state item. Linear regression modeling was conducted to predict ODI from the remaining four PROMs. The patients had a mean age of 65.55 ± 12.97 years and 46.4% were male. Each combination of PROMs demonstrated a statistically significant pairwise correlation (P < 0.001). ODI showed strong correlation with EQ-5D index (r = −0.77), leg pain VAS (r = 0.73), and back pain VAS (r = 0.65), but weak correlation with health state item (r = −0.33). Forwards stepwise model selection yielded a multiple linear regression model including all four PROMs predictors, with an adjusted R2 of 0.690. There was strong correlation between predicted and observed ODI (r = 0.83, P < 0.001). ODI can be predicted from EQ-5D, leg and low back pain VAS, and health state items with moderate accuracy. The added utility of capturing ODI routinely may not out-weigh the challenges in doing so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the moderator role of resilience in the relationship between exposure to stressful life events and health state. The study included 238 participants from the general Romanian population, aged between 23 and 68 years, M = 44.16, SD = 11.03, 188 women and 50 men. The instruments used were Stressful Life Event Questionnaire, Resilience Scale, RS-14, and General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-12. The results revealed that resilience moderates the relationship between stressful life events and health state, but contrary to our expectations, in a negative direction. The negative relationship between exposure to stressful life events and mental health became non-significant at lower levels of resilience and higher levels of resilience failed to buffer the effects of stressful life events on mental health of the individual. These results extend the current knowledge about resilience's role in individual's health state after confronting with stressful life events. The implications of the findings, the limitations, and future research directions were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background and objective: We previously built a weighted Depressive Health State Index (DHSI) based on 29 parameters routinely collected in an automated healthcare database (AHDB). We now propose a linear DHSI (L-DHSI) which is easier to use and to replicate across AHDBs. Methods: A historical cohort of patients with ≥1 episode of depression was identified in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The DHSI was calculated for each treated episode of depression. Validation was performed by using validated definitions of remission (proxy and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 or PHQ-9) and comparing the L-DHSI between subgroups. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Results: Between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012, 309,279 episodes of depression were identified in the CPRD. Remission was observed in 5% of the patients with lowest L-DHSI scores and in 78% of the patients with highest L-DHSI scores. Although less sensitive than the weighted DHSI, the L-DHSI was reliable and relatively easy of use. The L-DHSI was highly correlated to the weighted DHSI (Spearman coefficient 0.790, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The L-DHSI represents a good balance between reliability, usability, and reproducibility. In addition, the linearity of this index allows for an easier interpretation than the original weighted DHSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: A Depressive Health State Index (DHSI) based on 29 parameters routinely collected in an automated healthcare database (AHDB) was developed to evaluate the health state of depressive patients, and its evolution. The study objective was to describe and validate this DHSI. Methods: A historical cohort of patients with at least one episode of depression was identified in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The DHSI was calculated for each episode of depression. Validation was performed by comparing the DHSI between subgroups and using validated definitions of remission (proxy and PHQ-9). Robustness was studied by assessing the impact of modifying parameters of the DHSI. Results: 309,279 episodes of depression were identified in the CPRD between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012. Remission was observed in 8% of the patients showing the lower DHSI scores and in 88% of the patients showing the higher DHSI scores. The DHSI was robust to a modification of the most frequent variables and to the removal of rare parameters. Conclusion: The DHSI is specific to depression severity (with remission rates in accordance with the expected variations of the DHSI) and robust. It represents a promising tool for the analysis of AHDBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed complex clinical and hygienic research on 234 workers suffering from occupational bronchitis; they were employed in petrochemical industry, mining, civil engineering, as well as in construction. Group of workers with occu-pational diseases comprised hose suffering from dust bronchitis and toxic-dust bronchitis. Workers employed in the exam-ined branches had to work under exposure to production aerosols with complex structure and they working conditions had 3.2–3.4 hazard degree. We showed that occupational factors exerted negative influence on workers' health as they caused occupational bronchitis development, grave complications, and frequent associated diseases evolvement. The paper dwells on the results of our research on lipid peroxidation products content in workers exposed to production aerosols. We detected increased activity of free radical oxidation caused by impacts exerted by production aerosols; here we revealed that growth in lipid peroxidation products depended on duration of work under hazardous conditions. We set a goal to detect correlation between polymorph gene types of xenobiotics transformation enzymes and occupational bronchitis evolvement via poly-merase chain reaction technique; to achieve this, we analyzed polymorphic locuses in a group of sick workers (131 people) and healthy ones (156 people). We determined genetic markers which had protective significance in terms of occupational bronchitis evolvement risk. The research results prove that occupational bronchitis nature and peculiarities of its clinic pic-ture are determined both by occupational impacts and individual features of a worker' s body.

The article presents the results of a research of pathological changes in bones of livestock from five settlements of the Middle and Late Bronze Age of the Southern Trans-Urals: Kamennyi Ambar (Ol'gino), Konoplyanka, Malaya Berezovaya-4, Bol’shaya Berezovaya-2 and Alexandro-Nevskoe-II. It was found that most of all identified pathologies relate to the cattle bone remains. Far fewer cases of pathologies were observed on the bones of small cattle and horses. In more than a half of cases, pathologies on the cattle bones are manifestations of diffe-rent forms of limb bones osteoarthritis. This group of deviations has a chronic and age character. The remaining part of pathologies relates to the dental system. Pathologies of the skeletal system of small cattle and horses generally have an inflammatory character. The number and nature of the identified abnormalities in the bones of the livestock indicate to satisfactory health state and conditions of handling at the settlements under consideration. Different forms of osteoarthritis in the cattle limb bones in the settlement of Kamennyi Ambar (Ol'gino) suggest that some animals of those species were used as draught animals.

Microbiome is a new field of interest in clinical medicine with high potential in forensic medicine. It could be used in several applications, such as post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation, personal identification, differential diagnosis of cause of death and toxicology. Regarding PMI, during the decomposition of a corpse, the passage of time involves changing in microbial population both outside and inside the corpse but also in surrounding soil (cadaver decomposition island). These variations could be hypothetically used as PMI indicators (microbial clock), even thanks to the development of machine learning approach. Another potential use of skin and saliva microbiome is personal identification thanks to its inter-individual variability and tendency to remain unvarying over time. It may also be helpful to link a person to a specific object that has been touched (microbial fingerprint). Furthermore, we could infer some information about health state of human subjects, comparing post-mortem and ante-mortem microbiome, but this field of research is quite new and needs further studies. Moreover, we have to consider the influence of microbiome metabolism in post-mortem toxicological evaluation; microbes could alter substances concentrations – for example of ethanol, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and nitrobenzodiazepines – due to enzymatic degradation and individual microbial metabolism. Finally, integration of microbiome and human being’s transcriptomic analysis may be helpful to depict their complex interactions even after death.

Background and objective: A Depressive Health State Index (DHSI) based on 29 parameters routinely collected in an automated healthcare database (AHDB) was developed to evaluate the health state of depressive patients, and its evolution. The study objective was to describe and validate this DHSI. Methods: A historical cohort of patients with at least one episode of depression was identified in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The DHSI was calculated for each episode of depression. Validation was performed by comparing the DHSI between subgroups and using validated definitions of remission (proxy and PHQ-9). Robustness was studied by assessing the impact of modifying parameters of the DHSI. Results: 309,279 episodes of depression were identified in the CPRD between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012. Remission was observed in 8% of the patients showing the lower DHSI scores and in 88% of the patients showing the higher DHSI scores. The DHSI was robust to a modification of the most frequent variables and to the removal of rare parameters. Conclusion: The DHSI is specific to depression severity (with remission rates in accordance with the expected variations of the DHSI) and robust. It represents a promising tool for the analysis of AHDBs.

Background and objective: We previously built a weighted Depressive Health State Index (DHSI) based on 29 parameters routinely collected in an automated healthcare database (AHDB). We now propose a linear DHSI (L-DHSI) which is easier to use and to replicate across AHDBs. Methods: A historical cohort of patients with ≥1 episode of depression was identified in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The DHSI was calculated for each treated episode of depression. Validation was performed by using validated definitions of remission (proxy and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 or PHQ-9) and comparing the L-DHSI between subgroups. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: Between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012, 309,279 episodes of depression were identified in the CPRD. Remission was observed in 5% of the patients with lowest L-DHSI scores and in 78% of the patients with highest L-DHSI scores. Although less sensitive than the weighted DHSI, the L-DHSI was reliable and relatively easy of use. The L-DHSI was highly correlated to the weighted DHSI (Spearman coefficient 0.790, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The L-DHSI represents a good balance between reliability, usability, and reproducibility. In addition, the linearity of this index allows for an easier interpretation than the original weighted DHSI.

In this paper, we propose a study on updating the theoretical and practical knowledge of the Romanian pigeon breed Galaþi players. The aim of the research is to make an extensive study on the variability of the conformation and constitution characters existing within the "Galaþi players" breed to see the limits of variability and its use in the selection process. The study of the biochemical and haematological profile function of color variety will allow to establish possible correlations with the phenotypic diversity of the breed, and the flying and playing skills, while the genetic biodiversity is maintained. Hematological investigations are part of any protocol that shows the health status of the investigated organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burden and vulnerability factors after the genocide by ISIS accumulate to a high risk of health for displaced Yezidi women having survived or escaped the "ISIS" persecutions and massacres 2014. In May 2017, standardized interviews, including tests for the acquisition of healthrelated quality of life (SF12), stress (PSS10) and experienced trauma were performed with 29 and a medical anamnesis with 10 displaced female Yezidi in camps for internally displaced people (IDP) and unofficial settlements in Northern Iraq. 58, 62% stated their general health as "poor", 17.24% each as "fair" or "good" and 3.45% each as "very good" or "excellent". In the assessment of health-related quality of life, physical as well as mental health showed significantly reduced values, while simultaneously a high level of stress was recorded. 79.3% reported about having experienced at least one traumatic event. Chronic stress due to living conditions and traumatization is most likely responsible for the recorded poor health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A descriptive study of 80 aged patients with ages over 65 years, belonging to "Ramón López Peña" Teaching Polyclinic in Santiago de Cuba was made from January to May, 2017, for which a mixed methodology was used, with a strategy of triangulation of data in a quanti-qualitative sense, in order to determine the social representations that they built on their health. The main results indicated that the social representation of the health state in these elderly included the figurative nucleus composed by the importance that they attribute to this category, perceived as the absence or not of somatic disease, and by the emotional states, such as fear and insecurity that generates not possessing an appropriate health state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how different health states and cancer-related depression influence time perception in temporal extension (TE) regarding the past and the future over individuals’ entire lives. We used the magnitude estimation method to investigate TE (past and future) and long duration (20 years), and directly measured patients with cancer and their subjective feelings about their lives. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether there were differences in perceptions of TE between patients with cancer (n = 144) compared to a healthy control group (n = 208). Results indicated that the patients with cancer group evaluated longer TE in healthy states (imagination condition) than in unhealthy states (objectivity condition), and the healthy control group evaluated longer TE in healthy states (objectivity condition) than in unhealthy states (imagination condition). Moreover, the patients with cancer group evaluated longer past-oriented TE than future-oriented TE, whereas the healthy control group evaluated longer future-oriented TE than past-oriented TE. Experiment 2 was conducted to further examine the unexplained findings of Experiment 1. Results indicated that because of the impact of depression on the cancer group, their embodied time system slowed down, and explicit behavior indicated an over-evaluation of time, resulting in group differences. In conclusion, TE could be affected by different health states. Moreover, healthy and unhealthy states may be more associated with future and past orientation, respectively. Lastly, individuals’ time perception can be influenced by depression.

When we have health problems, we become ”consumers” of resources (financial, material, affective and so on), and personal autonomy is losing ground to dependence on others (family, friends, doctors, health system, society in general), so that, our problem can become a problem of the society which, despite its good intentions may not be able to provide the necessary support”here and now”. In order to prevent, eliminate or at least improve the causes that gave rise to the various health problems, we first need to know them. Heredity, environment and education are factors often invoked in explaining the processes and phenomena underlying at our wellbeing, indisputable thing in fact, but which of them have a higher share in the evolution of our health state, and how do they do it ? Thus, the paper aims to highlight the possible determinants of the population’s health state in general, and of the individual’s especially from the medical/health geaography point of view.

Model-based diagnosis (MBD) has been widely acknowledged to be an effective fault diagnosis paradigm for combinational circuits. Most diagnosis algorithms (DAs) return a single diagnosis, a list of diagnoses or a score for every returned diagnosis, which estimates the likelihood of each diagnosis to be correct. Roni Stern et al. recently proposed the heath state as an output of DA to provide a manageable view of which components are likely to be faulty for human operators in the circuit diagnosis area. The health state can be used widely in areas such as troubleshooting problems, among others. This paper proposes a novel approach that improves the quality of health state with difference degree (IHSD) utilizing the MBD approach with multiple observations in the circuit diagnosis area, which returns a list of possible diagnoses that explain these observations simultaneously. In addition, we also propose a multi-observation “scoring” method based on the difference degree for every returned diagnosis, where the difference degree denotes the “distance” from the multi-observations diagnosis to the relevant diagnosis that satisfies only one observation. We present evidence that shows that, compared with the state-of-the-art algorithm on health state (Stern et al., Artif Intell 248:26-45 2018), our approach improves the quality of health state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how different health states and cancer-related depression influence time perception in temporal extension (TE) regarding the past and the future over individuals’ entire lives. We used the magnitude estimation method to investigate TE (past and future) and long duration (20 years), and directly measured patients with cancer and their subjective feelings about their lives. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether there were differences in perceptions of TE between patients with cancer (n = 144) compared to a healthy control group (n = 208). Results indicated that the patients with cancer group evaluated longer TE in healthy states (imagination condition) than in unhealthy states (objectivity condition), and the healthy control group evaluated longer TE in healthy states (objectivity condition) than in unhealthy states (imagination condition). Moreover, the patients with cancer group evaluated longer past-oriented TE than future-oriented TE, whereas the healthy control group evaluated longer future-oriented TE than past-oriented TE. Experiment 2 was conducted to further examine the unexplained findings of Experiment 1. Results indicated that because of the impact of depression on the cancer group, their embodied time system slowed down, and explicit behavior indicated an over-evaluation of time, resulting in group differences. In conclusion, TE could be affected by different health states. Moreover, healthy and unhealthy states may be more associated with future and past orientation, respectively. Lastly, individuals’ time perception can be influenced by depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to examine metazoans parasite communities of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in freshwater (Tonga Lake) and brackish water (El Mellah lagoon) in the northeast of Algeria. Six parasite taxa were collected: one monogenean, Pseudodactylogyrus sp.; two crustaceans, Ergasilus sp. and Argulus foliaceus; two nematodes, Cucullanus sp. and Anguillicola crassus; one cestode, Bothriocephalus claviceps. The most prevalent parasite taxa in freshwater were Pseudodactylogyrus sp., A. crassus and Bothriocephalus claviceps; whereas in the brackish water, eels were infected mainly with A. crassus. The characteristics of the parasite component community structure revealed low parasite species diversity and high dominance values in eels from the two localities. Both communities were dominated by a single parasite species: Tonga eels by the monogenean Pseudodactylogyrus sp. and El Mellah lagoon eels by the nematode A. crassus, verified by high Berger-Parker dominance values of 0.76 and 0.87 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel data-driven method based on Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and distance evaluation technique (DET) is proposed to predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of rolling bearings. The data sets are clustered by GMM to divide all data sets into several health states adaptively and reasonably. The number of clusters is determined by the minimum description length principle. Thus, either the health state of the data sets or the number of the states is obtained automatically. Meanwhile, the abnormal data sets can be recognized during the clustering process and removed from the training data sets. After obtaining the health states, appropriate features are selected by DET for increasing the classification and prediction accuracy. In the prediction process, each vibration signal is decomposed into several components by empirical mode decomposition. Some common statistical parameters of the components are calculated first and then the features are clustered using GMM to divide the data sets into several health states and remove the abnormal data sets. Thereafter, appropriate statistical parameters of the generated components are selected using DET. Finally, least squares support vector machine is utilized to predict the RUL of rolling bearings. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method reliably predicts the RUL of rolling bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Automated healthcare databases (AHDB) are an important data source for real life drug and healthcare use. In the filed of depression, lack of detailed clinical data requires the use of binary proxies with important limitations. The study objective was to create a Depressive Health State Index (DHSI) as a continuous health state measure for depressed patients using available data in an AHDB. Methods: The study was based on historical cohort design using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Depressive episodes (depression diagnosis with an antidepressant prescription) were used to create the DHSI through 6 successive steps: (1) Defining study design; (2) Identifying constituent parameters; (3) Assigning relative weights to the parameters; (4) Ranking based on the presence of parameters; (5) Standardizing the rank of the DHSI; (6) Developing a regression model to derive the DHSI in any other sample. Results: The DHSI ranged from 0 (worst) to 100 (best health state) comprising 29 parameters. The proportion of depressive episodes with a remission proxy increased with DHSI quartiles. Conclusion: A continuous outcome for depressed patients treated by antidepressants was created in an AHDB using several different variables and allowed more granularity than currently used proxies.

The rapid development of complexity and intelligence in manufacturing systems leads to an increase in potential operational risks and therefore requires a more comprehensive system-level health diagnostics approach. Based on the massive multi-source operational data collected by smart sensors, this paper proposes a mission reliability-driven manufacturing system health state evaluation method. Characteristic attributes affecting the mission reliability are monitored and analyzed based on different sensor groups, including the performance state of the manufacturing equipment, the execution state of the production task and the quality state of the manufactured product. The Dempster-Shafer (D-S) evidence theory approach is used to diagnose the health state of the manufacturing system. Results of a case study show that the proposed evaluation method can dynamically and effectively characterize the actual health state of manufacturing systems.

In the health universal covering, the importance of financing the health systems and the population's resources stands out to make the health services disposable, where there is also the influence of other aspects such as the lack of political will, knowledge, organization and training of authorities and heads of the different sectors and levels, to achieve a care in correspondence with the health social determinants. Although exogenous problems which affect the population's health and that influence in the health systems, as environment, natural disasters, among others are defined, is not stated how these systems should interact in a more active way with the phenomena that originate them and the factors that intervene, so that some proposals to such effects are described in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline phenomenon of stands can be defined as the totality of effects that damage the normal vegetation state of trees and stands. There are two types of decline, the acute one, with fast development, and the chronical one, with slow development in space and time. The accurate capture of the phenomenon has direct implications for the forest management measures. A first step in this direction is the analysis of the development type and of its dynamics. Forests which have Quercus species in composition are affected more by this phenomenon. There were identified oak stands presenting decline phenomenon in 9 Forest Districts in Northwestern Transylvania and 22 experimental plots were analyzed. These plots were located in middle aged stands that were affected in different ways. The study was performed during 2013-2015 and focused on crown level assessments of trees, taking into consideration the shape and size, defoliations, percentage of dead or missing slender branches, number of dead thick branches, presence of epicormic branches or dormant buds on the stem, presence of pathogens or pests. These elements were used for calculating some technical indicators of the health and vegetation state: degree of dieback, damage and devitalization, synthetic index damage, annual mortality rate. In 7 out of 22 stands, the overcoming of the incipient stage and beginning of active dieback stage was observed. The strongest correlation occurred between the annual mortality rate and the synthetic index damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cost-effectiveness analyses often inform healthcare reimbursement decisions. The preferred measure of effectiveness is the quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained, where the quality of life adjustment is measured in terms of utility. Areas covered: We assessed the availability and variation of utility values for health states associated with advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to identify values appropriate for cost-effectiveness models assessing alternative treatments. Our systematic search of six electronic databases (January 2000 to August 2015) found the current literature to be sparse in terms of utility values associated with NSCLC, identifying 27 studies. Utility values were most frequently reported over time and by treatment type, and less frequently by disease response, stage of disease, adverse events or disease comorbidities. Expert commentary: In response to rising healthcare costs, payers increasingly consider the cost-effectiveness of novel treatments in reimbursement decisions, especially in oncology. As the number of therapies available to treat NSCLC increases, cost-effectiveness analyses will play a key role in reimbursement decisions in this area. Quantifying the relationship between health and quality of life for NSCLC patients via utility values is an important component of assessing the cost effectiveness of novel treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our work is to assess the health state of woody plants growing in different habitats of the city of Aktobe. We have studied the health state of arboreal and shrubby plants growing in various urban habitats; the survey was conducted during 2016-2017 by route-visual method. We performed the analysis of species diversity, abundance and density in urban area. The assessment of health state of the trees was made according to V.A. Alekseev. From your data and literature review we established that such species as Ulmus pinnato-ramosa, Acer negundo, Populus tremula, Populus nigra, and Syringa vulgaris have strong winter resistnce in the territory of Aktobe; we registered that only their apex buds and emds of the shoots were frozen in severe winters. The medium-resistant speices include Ulmus laevis and Acer platonoides. They are less plastic and suffer from late spring and early autumn frosts. The Amorpha fruticosa, Vitis vinifera, and Parthenocissus guinguefolia could be considered as the non-resistant species, since they usually freeze up to the snow cover line. The analysis of the vital state made it possible to assess the resistance to urban conditions of the majority of trees and shrubs registered in urban habitats of Aktobe. According to the preliminary data, the origin of the plant and its winter resistance are of main importance when introducing new species to urban area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilized peripheral haematopoietic progenitor cells collected by apheresis (HPC-A) are the most common source used for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Retrospective short and long-term donor follow-up studies show very low risks of serious complications and do not report compelling evidence of increased cancer occurrence. Some studies reported a prolonged period of leucopenia without an obvious association with infectious complications. However, beyond the first few weeks after the procedure a relationship between events is elusive. We therefore evaluated medical service utilization by prospectively recruited HPC-A donors and first-time platelet apheresis donors for comparison for 1 year after donation. Data were prospectively collected using questionnaires and by medical record review. A total of 215 HPC-A donors (111 unrelated donors and 104 related donors) and 96 first-time platelet donors consented to participation in the study. Follow-up was available for 202 (96%): questionnaires were returned by 74% and records from nonstudy contacts were available for 94% of donors. During the 1-year follow-up, 94 of the donors who returned questionnaires sought medical attention for diagnostic evaluation and/or treatment: 41% of HPC-A donors and 40% of platelet donors. Medical service utilization the first year after HPC-A donation is similar to that after first-time platelet donation. The occurrence of serious medical conditions in both related and unrelated HPC-A donors underscores the importance of participation in long-term follow-up in large cohorts. The findings in this relatively small cohort contribute to evidence on the safety of G-CSF mobilization and HPC-A. J. Clin. Apheresis 31:523-528, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of long standing investigations on studying the features of forming the main indices characterizing the losses of the demographic potential in the contingents of teenagers and young people of Irkutsk Region during 1990-2000th are presented in this paper. The index of general morbidity among the teenagers was found to increase 2,8 times for the period of this study: the prevalence indices of the endocrine system, the pathology of the urogenital system, the digestion organs as well as the parasitic and infectious diseases were found to increase in the highest degree. Among the girls of 15-17 years old the prevalence index of the inflammatory diseases of the female pelvic organs increased more than 20 times; the disorder frequency of the menstrual cycle - 9,1. In studying the lifestyle in the young people a number of the factors which may exert the negative influence on their health state (the early beginning of sexual life, smoking and alcohol consumption) has been revealed. The structural-quantitative invalidity features among the children and teenagers were revealed: the index of common invalidity increased 1,8 times among the boys and 1,9 times among the girls in the age groups of 10-14 years old; 1,4 times among the boys and 1,3 times among the girls in the age group of 15-17 years old; the indices of common invalidity were found to be higher in the boys than in the girls; the main pathology which may stipulate the invalidization may be associated with the psychical disorders and the behavior disorders, the diseases of the nervous system and the inborn anomalies. The rate of common mortality was found to be higher than the average Russian level among the youths and girls. The main proportion of the irrevocable losses of the teenagers is stipulated by the external causes of death: the mortality rate among the youths and girls was stipulated by such causes as suicides and murders in 78,6 % and 62,2 % of cases in 2010. The analysis of the value - motivation aspects of reproductive behavior among the students has shown that the largest proportion of the students were oriented to forming the families with few children in the future. These factors are characterized by the society states such as anomia which may stipulate the desocialization of the teenagers and young people which may on later form the deviant behavior and the health-destroying lifestyle.

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal de 108 ancianos con 60 años y más, pertenecientes al Policlínico Universitario "28 de Septiembre" de Santiago de Cuba, desde abril hasta octubre del 2011, a fin de evaluar los estados funcional y afectivo en esta población geriátrica. En la casuística prevalecieron las edades de 70-79 años (35,2 %), el sexo femenino (60,2 %) y las que tenían dependencia funcional en la realización de 1 o 2 tareas básicas de la vida diaria, así como en 3 o 4 actividades instrumentadas. También primaron los trastornos afectivos con predominio de la depresión y la ansiedad.A descriptive and cross-sectional study of 108 aged patients with 60 years and over, belonging to "28 de Septiember" University Polyclinic in Santiago de Cuba , was carried out from April to October, 2011, in order to evaluate the functional and affective states in this geriatric population. Ages from 70-79 years (35.2 %), the female sex (60.2 %) and those who had functional dependence in carrying out 1 or 2 basic tasks of the daily life activity, as well as in 3 or 4 instrumental activities, prevailed in the case material. The affective disorders also prevailed with a prevalence of depression and anxiety.

The article deals with the problem of transportation improvement of the children with low and extremely low birth weight, who were born at the obstetrical clinics of the I–II levels and are transferred to the intensive care units of a diversified pediatric hospital in order to render highly qualified medical care. Methodological approaches to the transportation of such children, including case-records of transportation, indications and contraindications and health state of newborns, are developed by the authors. The efficacy of complex approach to the newborns with low and extremely low birth weight transportation were expressed as the decrease in children mortality from 8,5 to 4,1% per 1000 newborns in the Perm territory.

Background and Purpose: Forests monitoring is one of the largest forest bio-monitoring systems that is carried out in order to record changes by using the most important environmental parameters. The National Focal Centre for forest monitoring in the Republic of Serbia, within the Institute of Forestry of the Republic of Serbia has been taking an active part in an international program of ICP Forest, with a view to improving its working activities and harmonizing them with other approaches to monitoring forests and forest ecosystems. Material and Methods: In order to determine forest ecosystem processes, it is necessary to carry out detailed research of ecological and socio-economic consequences of forest deterioration and to study the impacts of regional climate changes on forest communities. In the period from 2004 to 2009, observations were performed on 130 sample plots and data necessary for further analysis were collected. These plots are systematically arranged in either a 16x16 km or a 4 x 4 km grid system. The main parameters assessed on the sample plots are the degree of defoliation and discolouration as well as the extent of damage. A comparative analysis of the data obtained in this period will provide a better insight into the present state of beech forests in Serbia as well the effects of defoliation and discolouration trends. Results and Conclusion: Beech is the most common broadleaved tree species on the Level I sample plots. Its health state is the result of adverse effects of complex factors of abiotic and biotic origin (i.e. effects of both living organisms and complex natural processes within the beech forests habitats). This paper presents some indicators of beech forest vitality whose occurrence show certain regularity and which can be interpreted as a trend. The annual values of the health state elements and the fluctuations of these parameters from year to year present important indicators of vitality of beech forests in Serbia.