Classification of Urinary Calculi using Feed-Forward Neural Networks

Recent studies have shown that more than 80% of the analysed samples of urinary calculi in our  laboratory were mainly composed of four types of calculi, consisting of the following substances: (1) whewellite and weddellite, (2) whewellite, weddellite and uric acid, (3) whewellite, weddellite and struvite and (4) whewellite, weddellite and carbonate apatite. In this work the results of classification of these types of calculi (using their infrared spectra in the region 1450–450 cm–1) by feed-forward neural networks are presented. Genetic algorithms were used for optimization of neural networks and for selection of the spectral regions most suitable for classification purposes. The generalization abilities of the neural networks were controlled by an early stopping procedure. The best network architecture and the most suitable spectral regions were chosen using twentyfold cross-validation. The cross-validation error for the real samples varies from 5.3% to 5.9% misclassifications, which makes the proposed method a promising tool for the identification of these types of calculi.KEY WORDS:Urinary calculi, infrared spectroscopy, classification, neural networks, variable selection, genetic algorithms

How AI Systems Challenge the Conditions of Moral Agency?

The article explores the effects increasing automation has on our conceptions of human agency. We conceptualize the central features of human agency as ableness, intentionality, and rationality and define responsibility as a central feature of moral agency. We discuss suggestions in favor of holding AI systems moral agents for their functions but join those who refute this view. We consider the possibility of assigning moral agency to automated AI systems in settings of machine-human cooperation but come to the conclusion that AI systems are not genuine participants in joint action and cannot be held morally responsible. Philosophical issues notwithstanding, the functions of AI systems change human agency as they affect our goal setting and pursuing by influencing our conceptions of the attainable. Recommendation algorithms on news sites, social media platforms, and in search engines modify our possibilities to receive accurate and comprehensive information, hence influencing our decision making. Sophisticated AI systems replace human workforce even in such demanding fields as medical surgery, language translation, visual arts, and composing music. Being second to a machine in an increasing number of fields of expertise will affect how human beings regard their own abilities. We need a deeper understanding of how technological progress takes place and how it is intertwined with economic and political realities. Moral responsibility remains a human characteristic. It is our duty to develop AI to serve morally good ends and purposes. Protecting and strengthening the conditions of human agency in any AI environment is part of this task.Peer reviewe

Question answering enhanced with a window function

Question answering (QA) can be generally defined as an automatic process capable to understand questions formulated in a natural language and responding exactly with the requested information [1]. However, this simple definition turns to be very complex when the characteristics and functionalities of the “ideal” QA system are analyzed. The knowledge from several research areas, such as, Natural Language Processing, Information Extraction, Information Retrieval, Knowledge Representation, are required to design the “ideal” QA system. Researchers have experimented with different approaches in every stage of the QA system. Same stadies focus on utilizing question keywords density distribution to enhance retrieval of relevant information snippets [2]. It is evident that the distances between the sequence od words indicating the correct answer and the keywords extracted from the question are especially important for QA systems [3]. This study presents the results from the final stage of the several years developing Question answering system for Macedonian language. A window function is implemented in the process of selecting the correct answer by assigning higher weights to keywords from the question and the evaluated answer that appear densely in a particular window [4]. So, the aim of this study is to assess the influence of keywords proximity in the process of selecting the correct answer for a given multiple-choice question posed in Macedonian language. The preliminary experimental results show that the Hanning window function can be effectively used for that purpose

Regulatory barriers to equity in a health system in transition : a qualitative study in Bulgaria

Background: Health reforms in Bulgaria have introduced major changes to the financing, delivery and regulation of health care. As in many other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, these included introducing general practice, establishing a health insurance system, reorganizing hospital services, and setting up new payment mechanisms for providers, including patient co-payments. Our study explored perceptions of regulatory barriers to equity in Bulgarian child health services. Methods: 50 qualitative in-depth interviews with users, providers and policy-makers concerned with child health services in Bulgaria, conducted in two villages, one town of 70,000 inhabitants, and the capital Sofia. Results: The participants in our study reported a variety of regulatory barriers which undermined the principles of equity and, as far as the health insurance system is concerned, solidarity. These included non-participation in the compulsory health insurance system, informal payments, and charging user fees to exempted patients. The participants also reported seemingly unnecessary treatments in the growing private sector. These regulatory failures were associated with the fast pace of reforms, lack of consultation, inadequate public financing of the health system, a perceived “commercialization” of medicine, and weak enforcement of legislation. A recurrent theme from the interviews was the need for better information about patient rights and services covered by the health insurance system. Conclusions: Regulatory barriers to equity and compliance in daily practice deserve more attention from policymakers when embarking on health reforms. New financing sources and an increasing role of the private sector need to be accompanied by an appropriate and enforceable regulatory framework to control the behavior of health care providers and ensure equity in access to health services

Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N8) outbreaks: protection and management of exposed people in Europe, 2014/15 and 2016

Introduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus A(H5N8) into Europe prompted animal and human health experts to implement protective measures to prevent transmission to humans. We describe the situation in 2016 and list public health measures and recommendations in place. We summarise critical interfaces identified during the A(H5N1) and A(H5N8) outbreaks in 2014/15. Rapid exchange of information between the animal and human health sectors is critical for a timely, effective and efficient response