My Voice: An Augmentative and Alternative Communication Android App for Children with Apraxia in Arab Countries

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a disorder that prevents people from talking. There is a need to develop different augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools to help people with AOS express themselves clearly to others. Most mobile apps dedicated to helping people with various disabilities don’t support the Arabic language, which makes them less effective for users in Arab countries. We present in this paper My Voice as an Android smartphone app that acts as an AAC tool for AOS children all around the world. In fact, this app has come to fill an obvious gap in this area of research. It supports both Arabic and English languages, allowing the users in Arabia to benefit from its features in a similar way to other users in other parts of the world. Moreover, the proposed app provides a user-friendly dashboard that can be used to convert written sentences into speech. It has three modes of communication, which are “keyboard,” “phrases,” and “words.” These modes give the user the choice to select the most intuitive method for constructing sentences. To evaluate our work, we have tested My Voice by asking a group of potential users to use it for a month and then fill out a 10-question survey. The feedback from the survey was very encouraging. As a future work, we plan to add new languages, present an iOS version, and include artificial intelligence (AI) techniques

Operational performance of a PV generator feeding DC shunt and induction motors with MPPT

This paper presented the transient and operational behavior of a parallel Combination of DC Shunt Motor and IM fed by a photovoltaic generator at different solar irradiance levels. The maximum power point of current/voltage (I/V) characteristic of the PV generator was achieved for different solar intensities, by utilizing an open circuit voltage method. The nonlinear operational behavior of (I/V) characteristics of the PV generator at various solar intensities and the magnetization curve of the ferromagnetic material of the DC shunt motor were both modeled by high order polynomial mathematical expressions. The study investigated the response of the system at different solar irradiance levels and changing the torque loads for both motors and then following step change in solar intensity levels with fixed loading torques for both motors. All numerical simulations were executed using MATLAB software

New derivatives of sulfonylhydrazone as potential antitumor agents: Design, synthesis and cheminformatics evaluation

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase α (PI3Kα) is a propitious target for designing anticancer drugs. A series of new N\u27-(diphenylmethylene)benzenesulfonohydrazide was synthesized and characterized using FT-IR, NMR (1H and 13C), HRMS, and elemental analysis. Target compounds exhibited an antiproliferative effect against the human colon carcinoma (HCT-116) cell line. Our cheminformatics analysis indicated that the para-tailored derivatives [p-NO2 (3) and p-CF3 (7)] have better ionization potentials based on calculated Moran autocorrelations and ionization potentials. Subsequent in vitro cell proliferation assays validated our cheminformatics results by providing experimental evidence that both derivatives 3 and 7 exhibited improved antiproliferative activities against HCT-116. Hence, our results emphasized the importance of electron-withdrawing groups and hydrogen bond-acceptors in the rational design of small-molecule chemical ligands targeting PI3Kα. These results agreed with the induced-fit docking against PI3Kα, highlighting the role of p-substituted aromatic rings in guiding the ligand-PI3Kα complex formation, by targeting a hydrophobic pocket in the ligand-binding site and forming π-stacking interactions with a nearby tryptophan residue

A framework for reconstructing transmission networks in infectious diseases

In this paper, we propose a general framework for the reconstruction of the underlying cross-regional transmission network contributing to the spread of an infectious disease. We employ an autoregressive model that allows to decompose the mean number of infections into three components that describe: intra-locality infections, inter-locality infections, and infections from other sources such as travelers arriving to a country from abroad. This model is commonly used in the identification of spatiotemporal patterns in seasonal infectious diseases and thus in forecasting infection counts. However, our contribution lies in identifying the inter-locality term as a time-evolving network, and rather than using the model for forecasting, we focus on the network properties without any assumption on seasonality or recurrence of the disease. The topology of the network is then studied to get insight into the disease dynamics. Building on this, and particularly on the centrality of the nodes of the identified network, a strategy for intervention and disease control is devised. © 2022, The Author(s)

Identification of features of electronic prescribing systems to support quality and safety in primary care using a modified Delphi process

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Electronic prescribing is increasingly being used in primary care and in hospitals. Studies on the effects of e-prescribing systems have found evidence for both benefit and harm. The aim of this study was to identify features of e-prescribing software systems that support patient safety and quality of care and that are useful to the clinician and the patient, with a focus on improving the quality use of medicines.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Software features were identified by a literature review, key informants and an expert group. A modified Delphi process was used with a 12-member multidisciplinary expert group to reach consensus on the expected impact of the features in four domains: patient safety, quality of care, usefulness to the clinician and usefulness to the patient. The setting was electronic prescribing in general practice in Australia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A list of 114 software features was developed. Most of the features relate to the recording and use of patient data, the medication selection process, prescribing decision support, monitoring drug therapy and clinical reports. The expert group rated 78 of the features (68%) as likely to have a high positive impact in at least one domain, 36 features (32%) as medium impact, and none as low or negative impact. Twenty seven features were rated as high positive impact across 3 or 4 domains including patient safety and quality of care. Ten features were considered "aspirational" because of a lack of agreed standards and/or suitable knowledge bases.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study defines features of e-prescribing software systems that are expected to support safety and quality, especially in relation to prescribing and use of medicines in general practice. The features could be used to develop software standards, and could be adapted if necessary for use in other settings and countries.</p

Comparison of outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction according to age

Background: Myocardial infarction constitutes a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Its pathophysiology varies according to age; atherosclerosis is the most common cause in older patients while thrombosis or plaque rupture is behind premature MI. Objective: To compare the outcome differences between young (age ≤ 45 years) and older adults (age > 45 years) presenting with STEMI. Method: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients presenting with STEMI to the Emergency Department of a tertiary care center, between 2008 and 2018.Cases were patients age ≤ 45 and controls were the older population. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted followed by Logistic regression to identify the outcomes. Results: 107 cases were matched with 214 controls. Majority of patients were males (93% of cases and controls). Younger patients were more likely to be smokers (80% vs. 57%, p < 0.001) and with a family history of MI (56% vs. 37%, p = 0.002). Diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and a previous history of MI were more common among controls, 37%, 60%, 43% and 42% respectively versus 10%, 24%, 36% and 25% in the younger population. Younger patients had a higher prevalence of single-vessel disease compared to older patients (73% vs. 50%, p = 0.001). LAD was the most commonly blocked vessel in both groups (71% vs. 64% respectively). Ejection fraction was within normal range in the majority of controls and cases (63% vs. 56% respectively and 57% vs. 60% respectively). Conclusion: Premature MI predominantly affects males and the associated risk factors are smoking and family history of MI. It's characterized by single-vessel disease as compared to older patients. © 2019 Elsevier Inc

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of bone marrow transplantation patients presenting to the ED of a tertiary care center

Background: Bone marrow transplantation is a breakthrough in the world of hematology and oncology. In our region, there is scarce literature studying emergency department visits among BMT patients, as well as their predictors of mortality. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the frequency, reasons, clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients presenting to the ED after a BMT, and to study the predictors of mortality in those patients. This study also compares those variables among the different types of BMT. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted on all adult patients who have completed a successful BMT and visited the ED. Results: Our study included 115 BMT patients, of whom 17.4% died. Those who died had a higher median number of ED visits than those who did not die. Around 36.5% presented with fever/chills with 29.6% diagnosed with pneumonia on discharge. We found that the odds of mortality were significantly higher among those who presented with dyspnea (p < .0005) and AMS (p = .023), among septic patients (p = .001), those who have undergone allogeneic BMT (p = .037), and those who were admitted to the ICU (p = .002). Moreover, the odds of mortality were significantly higher among hypotensive (p ≤0005) and tachycardic patients (p = .015). Conclusion: In our study, we have shown that BMT patients visit the ED very frequently and have high risk of in-hospital mortality. Moreover, our study showed a significant association between mortality and patients with dyspnea, AMS, sepsis, allogeneic BMT type, ICU admission, hypotension and tachycardia. © 2020 Elsevier Inc