Patients’ Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry: A Controlled Study

Background: As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly important in modern dentistry, we aimed to assess patients' perspectives on AI in dentistry specifically for radiographic caries detection and the impact of AI-based diagnosis on patients' trust. Methods: Validated questionnaires with Likert-scale batteries (1: "strongly disagree" to 5: "strongly agree") were used to query participants' experiences with dental radiographs and their knowledge/attitudes towards AI as well as to assess how AI-based communication of a diagnosis impacted their trust, belief, and understanding. Analyses of variance and ordinal logistic regression (OLR) were used (p < 0.05). Results: Patients were convinced that "AI is useful" (mean Likert +/- standard deviation 4.2 +/- 0.8) and did not fear AI in general (2.2 +/- 1.0) nor in dentistry (1.6 +/- 0.8). Age, education, and employment status were significantly associated with patients' attitudes towards AI for dental diagnostics. When shown a radiograph with a caries lesion highlighted by an arrow, patients recognized the lesion significantly less often than when using AI-generated coloured overlays highlighting the lesion (p < 0.0005). AI-based communication did not significantly affect patients' trust in dentists' diagnosis (p = 0.44; OLR). Conclusions: Patients showed a positive attitude towards AI in dentistry. AI-supported diagnostics may assist communicating radiographic findings by increasing patients' ability to recognize caries lesions on dental radiographs

Our Planet: The magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme

Magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme discussing worldwide environmental policies and other concerns. This issue is devoted to the connection between health, environment, and women

Human Brucellosis in Febrile Patients Seeking Treatment at Remote Hospitals, Northeastern Kenya, 2014-2015

During 2014–2015, patients in northeastern Kenya were assessed for brucellosis and characteristics that might help clinicians identify brucellosis. Among 146 confirmed brucellosis patients, 29 (20%) had negative serologic tests. No clinical feature was a good indicator of infection, which was associated with animal contact and drinking raw milk

Demonstrating Analog Inference on the BrainScaleS-2 Mobile System

We present the BrainScaleS-2 mobile system as a compact analog inference engine based on the BrainScaleS-2 ASIC and demonstrate its capabilities at classifying a medical electrocardiogram dataset. The analog network core of the ASIC is utilized to perform the multiply-accumulate operations of a convolutional deep neural network. At a system power consumption of 5.6W, we measure a total energy consumption of 192uJ for the ASIC and achieve a classification time of 276us per electrocardiographic patient sample. Patients with atrial fibrillation are correctly identified with a detection rate of (93.7${\pm}$0.7)% at (14.0${\pm}$1.0)% false positives. The system is directly applicable to edge inference applications due to its small size, power envelope, and flexible I/O capabilities. It has enabled the BrainScaleS-2 ASIC to be operated reliably outside a specialized lab setting. In future applications, the system allows for a combination of conventional machine learning layers with online learning in spiking neural networks on a single neuromorphic platform

The sex-specific factor SOA controls dosage compensation in <i>Anopheles</i> mosquitos

The Anopheles mosquito is one of thousands of species in which sex differences play a central role in their biology, as only females need a blood meal in order to produce eggs. Sex differentiation is regulated by sex chromosomes, but their presence creates a dosage imbalance between males (XY) and females (XX). Dosage compensation (DC) can re-equilibrate the expression of sex-chromosomal genes, but because DC mechanisms have only been fully characterized in a few model organisms, key questions about its evolutionary diversity and functional necessity remain unresolved 1. Here we report the discovery of a previously uncharacterized gene (SOA, for sex chromosome activation) as a master regulator of DC in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Sex-specific alternative splicing prevents functional SOA protein expression in females. The male isoform encodes a DNA-binding protein that binds the promoters of active X chromosomal genes. Expressing male SOA is sufficient to induce DC in female cells. Male mosquitoes lacking SOA or female mosquitos ectopically expressing the male isoform exhibit X chromosome misregulation, which is compatible with viability but causes developmental delay. Thus, our molecular analysis of the first DC master regulator in a non-model organism elucidates the evolutionary steps leading to the establishment of a chromosome-specific fine-tuning mechanism

The Rate for e+e−→BB±π∓e^+e^-\to B B^\pm \pi^\mp and its Implications for the Study of CP Violation, BsB_s Identification, and the Study of BB Meson Chiral Perturbation Theory

H.~Yamamoto has proposed employing $B$ mesons produced in conjunction with a single charged pion at an $\Upsilon$ resonance for studies of CP violation in the neutral $B$ meson system at a symmetric $e^+$-$e^-$ collider. The sign of the charged pion would tag the neutral $B$ meson. We estimate this branching ratio, employing the heavy meson chiral effective field theory. We find a negligible branching ratio to $B B^{\pm} \pi^{\mp}$ at the $\Upsilon$(5S) and a branching ratio of only a few percent at the $\Upsilon$(6S). However, if nonresonant studies of neutral $B$ mesons should prove feasible, Yamamoto's proposal could be a good method for tagging neutral $B$'s for the study of CP violation at a symmetric collider. We also explore the possibility of studying $B_s$ at the $\Upsilon$(5S). The rate is low but depends sensitively on the precise value of the mass of the $B_s$. The background we compute is comparable to the rate at the largest allowed value of the $B_s$ mass. Finally, we discuss the extraction of the axial pion coupling to $B$ mesons from measurement of the B\bbar\pi branching fraction in a restricted region of phase space, where chiral perturbation theory should work well.Comment: 32 pages, 3 PS figures available upon request, MIT-CTP#215

The RNA polymerase II subunit RPB-9 recruits the integrator complex to terminate Caenorhabditis elegans piRNA transcription.

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are genome-encoded small RNAs that regulate germ cell development and maintain germline integrity in many animals. Mature piRNAs engage Piwi Argonaute proteins to silence complementary transcripts, including transposable elements and endogenous genes. piRNA biogenesis mechanisms are diverse and remain poorly understood. Here, we identify the RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) core subunit RPB-9 as required for piRNA-mediated silencing in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that rpb-9 initiates heritable piRNA-mediated gene silencing at two DNA transposon families and at a subset of somatic genes in the germline. We provide genetic and biochemical evidence that RPB-9 is required for piRNA biogenesis by recruiting the Integrator complex at piRNA genes, hence promoting transcriptional termination. We conclude that, as a part of its rapid evolution, the piRNA pathway has co-opted an ancient machinery for high-fidelity transcription

Teaching Innovation in Interdisciplinary Environments: Toward a Design Thinking Syllabus

An increasing number of universities offer user-centric innovation courses based on the principles of design thinking. Lecturers combine a plethora of design thinking elements in design thinking course syllabi and thereby adopt teaching styles that range from autonomy-supportive to structured. Using a balance between these two teaching styles seems most suitable to optimally engage students and provide guidance through the innovation process. To develop a syllabus for innovation courses, we draw on best practices currently being undertaken in universities worldwide and examine 11 design thinking syllabi from different departments (Engineering, Design, Business, and Information Systems). We identify 17 common and 18 unique elements of design thinking courses and related course materials. Based on our results, we propose a design thinking syllabus that includes suggestions for course objectives, course setup, assignment design, and team composition using a balance between autonomous-support and structural teaching styles