Artificial moral experts: asking for ethical advice to artificial intelligent assistants

In most domains of human life, we are willing to accept that there are experts with greater knowledge and competencies that distinguish them from non-experts or laypeople. Despite this fact, the very recognition of expertise curiously becomes more controversial in the case of “moral experts”. Do moral experts exist? And, if they indeed do, are there ethical reasons for us to follow their advice? Likewise, can emerging technological developments broaden our very concept of moral expertise? In this article, we begin by arguing that the objections that have tried to deny the existence (and convenience) of moral expertise are unsatisfactory. After that, we show that people have ethical reasons to ask for a piece of moral advice in daily life situations. Then, we argue that some Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems can play an increasing role in human morality by becoming moral experts. Some AI-based moral assistants can qualify as artificial moral experts and we would have good ethical reasons to use them.This article is part of the research project EthAI+3 (Digital Ethics. Moral Enhancement through an Interactive Use of Artificial Intelligence), funded by the State Research Agency of the Spanish Government (PID2019-104943RB-I00) and the project SOCRAI3 (Moral Enhancement and Artificial Intelligence. Ethical aspects of a virtual Socratic assistant), funded by FEDER Junta de Andalucía (B-HUM-64-UGR20). Jon Rueda thanks the funding of an INPhINIT Retaining Fellowship of the La Caixa Foundation (Grant number LCF/BQ/DR20/11790005)

Circulating MiRNAs As Biomarkers In Diffuse Large B-Cell lymphoma: A Systematic Review

This study was funded by the Basque Government (IT989-16), and UPV/EHU (UFI11/35). The funding source did not have any role in study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the report, or decision to submit the article for publication

Systematic Review of the Potential of MicroRNAs in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of invasive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). DLBCL presents with variable backgrounds, which results in heterogeneous outcomes among patients. Although new tools have been developed for the classification and management of patients, 40% of them still have primary refractory disease or relapse. In addition, multiple factors regarding the pathogenesis of this disease remain unclear and identification of novel biomarkers is needed. In this context, recent investigations point to microRNAs as useful biomarkers in cancer. The aim of this systematic review was to provide new insight into the role of miRNAs in the diagnosis, classification, treatment response and prognosis of DLBCL patients. We used the following terms in PubMed" (('Non-coding RNA') OR ('microRNA' OR 'miRNA' OR 'miR') OR ('exosome') OR ('extracellular vesicle') OR ('secretome')) AND ('Diffuse large B cell lymphoma' OR 'DLBCL')" to search for studies evaluating miRNAs as a diagnosis, subtype, treatment response or prognosis biomarkers in primary DLBCL in human patient populations. As a result, the analysis was restricted to the role of miRNAs in tumor tissue and we did not consider circulating miRNAs. A total of thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Among them, twenty-one were classified in the diagnosis category, twenty in classification, five in treatment response and nineteen in prognosis. In this review, we have identified miR-155-5p and miR-21-5p as miRNAs of potential utility for diagnosis, while miR-155-5p and miR-221-3p could be useful for classification. Further studies are needed to exploit the potential of this field.This study was funded by the Basque Government (IT989-16), and Bioef-EiTB maratoia (BIO15/CA/022). The funding source did not have any role in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the report, or decision to submit the article for publication

Beyond the Altruistic Donor: Embedding Solidarity in Organ Procurement Policies

Altruism and solidarity are concepts that are closely related to organ donation for transplantation. On the one hand, they are typically used for encouraging people to donate. On the other hand, they also underpin the regulations in force in each country to different extents. They are often used indistinctly and equivocally, despite the different ethical implications of each concept. This paper aims to clarify to what extent we can speak of altruism and solidarity in the predominant models of organ donation. It also raises the ethical question of whether these categories are adequate as a basis for such models, bearing in mind that organs are a scarce resource and that a shortage of them may mean that fewer lives are saved or improved.INEDyTO [Investigation on the Ethics of Organ Donation and Transplantation]Spanish Government European Commission MINECO FFI2017-88913-P"Bioethics and end-of-life practices" (INEDyTOII) MINECO PID2020-118729RBSpanish Government FPU19/06027La Caixa Foundation LCF/BQ/DR20/1179000

Precise Integration of Polymeric Sensing Functional Materials within 3D Printed Microfluidic Devices

This work presents a new architecture concept for microfluidic devices, which combines the conventional 3D printing fabrication process with the stable and precise integration of polymeric functional materials in small footprints within the microchannels in well-defined locations. The approach solves the assembly errors that normally occur during the integration of functional and/or sensing materials in hybrid microfluidic devices. The method was demonstrated by embedding four pH-sensitive ionogel microstructures along the main microfluidic channel of a complex 3D printed microfluidic device. The results showed that this microfluidic architecture, comprising the internal integration of sensing microstructures of diverse chemical compositions, highly enhanced the adhesion force between the microstructures and the 3D printed microfluidic device that contains them. In addition, the performance of this novel 3D printed pH sensor device was investigated using image analysis of the pH colour variations obtained from photos taken with a conventional camera. The device presented accurate and repetitive pH responses in the 2 to 12 pH range without showing any type of device deterioration or lack of performance over time.This research was founded by the University of the Basque Country (ESPPOC 16/65 and PIF16/204), “Ministerio de Ciencia y Educación de España” grant PID2020-120313GB-I00/AIE/10.13039/501100011033, and “Gobierno Vasco” grant IT1633-22

Assessment of Social Housing Energy and Thermal Performance in Relation to Occupants & Behaviour and COVID-19 Influence: A Case Study in the Basque Country, Spain

Evidence shows that people have a major impact on building performance. Occupants’ impact is especially important in social housing, where their occupants may present greater vulnerabilities, and their needs are not always considered. This study aims to analyse the socio-demographic influence in social rental housing concerning hygrothermal comfort and energy consumption in a case study located in Vitoria, Spain during the first 4-month period of 2020 and 2021 (during and after COVID-19 lockdown). An innovative data management system is included, where the users and administration can see in real-time the temperature and consumption in the dwellings. A 2-phase method has been applied; phase 1 is associated with outdoor climate conditions, building properties and social profile. Phase 2 determined the results in energy consumption, indoor hygrothermal comfort and occupant energy-use pattern. The results show that the comfort levels and energy consumption vary according to the analysed social profiles, as well as the heating activation periods and domestic hot water system usage. In conclusion, socio-demographic characteristics of social housing households influence the hygrothermal comfort of their dwellings, occupants’ behaviour and heating and domestic hot water energy consumption.This research was funded by the research project “Development of a methodology with a life cycle perspective to evaluate the energy rehabilitation actions of the existing building stock in accordance with the requirements of the new technical code” (PUE_2020_1_0013), supported by the Department of Education of the Basque Government

ænet-PyTorch: A GPU-supported implementation for machine learning atomic potentials training

In this work, we present ænet-PyTorch, a PyTorch-based implementation for training artificial neural network-based machine learning interatomic potentials. Developed as an extension of the atomic energy network (ænet), ænet-PyTorch provides access to all the tools included in ænet for the application and usage of the potentials. The package has been designed as an alternative to the internal training capabilities of ænet, leveraging the power of graphic processing units to facilitate direct training on forces in addition to energies. This leads to a substantial reduction of the training time by one to two orders of magnitude compared to the central processing unit implementation, enabling direct training on forces for systems beyond small molecules. Here, we demonstrate the main features of ænet-PyTorch and show its performance on open databases. Our results show that training on all the force information within a dataset is not necessary, and including between 10% and 20% of the force information is sufficient to achieve optimally accurate interatomic potentials with the least computational resources.This work was supported by the “Departamento de Educación, Política Lingüística y Cultura del Gobierno Vasco” (IT1458-22), the “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación” (Grant No. PID2019-106644GB-I00), and the Project HPC-EUROPA3 (Grant No. INFRAIA-2016-1-730897), with the support of the EC Research Innovation Action under the H2020 Programme. The authors acknowledge technical and human support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU/ERDF, EU) and the Duch National e-Infrastructure and the SURF Cooperative for computational resources (National Supercomputer Snellius). J.L.-Z. acknowledges financial support from the Basque Country Government (PRE_2019_1_0025). N.A. acknowledges funding from the Bayer AG Life Science Collaboration (“!AIQU”)

La conexión como sociabilidad. Mediación de las redes sociales en las soledades juveniles

Social networks are connection infrastructures that produce sense and experience of loneliness. It is on that premise that we have conducted interviews of youngsters conducted during the 2020 spring lockdown. From them, we suggest that connection is a socio-technical process capable of narratively structure emerging meanings of loneliness. It unfolds in three membranes that referrring to: the means of contact and the beliefs around immediacy; the bonding network, in a conflicting logic of exposure and intimacy; and projections, which points to the imaginary basis of otherness and the mechanisms of generalization of the other. We will thus highlight the contradictory sociability to which digital mediations lead, between the drive for fluidity and transience of a dynamic social life and the assembly of an interpersonal network in which the self can obtain presence and value.Las redes sociales son infraestructuras de conexión que producen sentidos y experiencias en torno a la soledad. A partir de un trabajo de campo basado en entrevistas abiertas realizadas a jóvenes durante el confinamiento de 2020, proponemos entender la conexión como un proceso sociotécnico capaz de estructurar narrativamente sentidos emergentes de la soledad. Desplegamos dicha conexión en tres membranas que remiten: al medio de contacto y las creencias entorno a la inmediatez; al entramado vincular, en una lógica contrapuesta de exposición e intimidad; y a las proyecciones, que apuntan a la base imaginaria de la otredad y los mecanismos de generalización del otro. Pondremos así de relieve en este artículo la sociabilidad contradictoria a la que conducen las mediaciones digitales, situada entre la pulsión de fluidez y transitoriedad de una vida social dinámica y el montaje de una red interpersonal en la que el yo pueda obtener presencia y valor

Multiple window access antrostomy in maxillary sinus grafting. Presentation of a clinical serie of 10 cases and literature review

Objectives: A variation on the usual maxillary sinus grafting technique and its results are presented, using a more conservative approach that provides better conditions for applying the graft in complicated situations. Material and Methods: Ten case reports are presented in which the multiple access technique was used due to the existence of large maxillary sinuses, where a wide surgical approach was needed because several implants were to be installed or cases in which sinus bone graft was part of a more extensive reconstructive prodedure. Results: All the implants that were placed after using this technique were correctly integrated and it was possible to proceed to the prosthesis stage without any problems. Conclusions: This modified technique of sinus floor bone grafting can have a beneficial effect with a lower risk of perforations, better preservation of vascularisation in the area and improved integration and stability of the implants and bone graft, specially where wider surgical access is require