A systematic review of speech recognition technology in health care

BACKGROUND To undertake a systematic review of existing literature relating to speech recognition technology and its application within health care. METHODS A systematic review of existing literature from 2000 was undertaken. Inclusion criteria were: all papers that referred to speech recognition (SR) in health care settings, used by health professionals (allied health, medicine, nursing, technical or support staff), with an evaluation or patient or staff outcomes. Experimental and non-experimental designs were considered. Six databases (Ebscohost including CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, OVID Technologies, PreMED-LINE, PsycINFO) were searched by a qualified health librarian trained in systematic review searches initially capturing 1,730 references. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were retained. RESULTS The heterogeneity of the studies made comparative analysis and synthesis of the data challenging resulting in a narrative presentation of the results. SR, although not as accurate as human transcription, does deliver reduced turnaround times for reporting and cost-effective reporting, although equivocal evidence of improved workflow processes. CONCLUSIONS SR systems have substantial benefits and should be considered in light of the cost and selection of the SR system, training requirements, length of the transcription task, potential use of macros and templates, the presence of accented voices or experienced and in-experienced typists, and workflow patterns.Funding for this study was provided by the University of Western Sydney. NICTA is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Communications and the Australian Research Council through the ICT Centre of Excellence Program. NICTA is also funded and supported by the Australian Capital Territory, the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian Governments, the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, Monash University and other university partners

Climate-related hydrological regimes and their effects on abundance of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico

The abundance of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico was investigated in response to climate-related hydrological regimes. Two distinct periods of blue crab abundance (1, 1973–94 and 2, 1997–2005) were associated with two opposite climaterelated hydrological regimes. Period 1 was characterized by high numbers of crabs, whereas period 2 was characterized by low numbers of crabs. The cold phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and high north-south wind momentum were associated with period 1. Hydrological conditions associated with phases of the AMO and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in conjunction with the north-south wind momentum may favor blue crab productivity by influencing blue crab predation dynamics through the exclusion of predators. About 25% (22–28%) of the variability in blue crab abundance was explained by a north–south wind momentum in concert with either salinity, precipitation, or the Palmer drought severity index, or by a combination of the NAO and preci

Clinical vignette: Subarachnoid hemorrhage the initial manifestation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis flare

This is a 42 year old female with a past medical history of GPA resulting in renal failure, post renal transplant in 1999 with recent nephrectomy after rejection, hypertension, and hypothyroidism. She was diagnosed with GPA 15 years prior by renal biopsy and was ANCA +. She was treated with immunosuppression after the renal transplant, but had discontinued medications after having a nephrectomy 3 weeks prior to presentation. She presented to an outside hospital with severe headache and confusion in the setting of systolic blood pressures \u3e200. CT scan showed a subarachnoid hemorrhage involving the basal cisterns and filling the fourth ventricle. Diagnostic angiogram on presentation to our facility was normal with no aneurysms, AVMs or other vascular abnormalities. She was admitted to the NSICU and was treated for hypertensive urgency and had frequent neuro checks. She had severe headache, nausea and vomiting, but no progression of SAH on CT imaging and no need for surgical intervention. On hospital day 5, she developed swelling and new skin lesions on her face. These lesions progressed to involve the extremities, face, and trunk;becoming ulcerated and painful. A rheumatologic work-up was completed and showed: Labs: ANCA screen: negative, ANA: negative. C3: 73 (normal 90-180), C4: 19(normal 10-40). PR3: negative, MPO: positive. Skin biopsy was performed and showed leukocytoclasticvasculitis. In patients with a history of GPA a subarachnoid hemorrhage can be the initial presentation of a vasculitis flare. In GPA 22-54% of patients can present with neurological involvement, most commonly mononeuritismultiplex and polyneuritis while CNS manifestation occurs in only 7-11% of patients. Of those, SAH or ICH are very uncommon. There have only been 8 reported cases of SAH associated with GPA in the literature and only 2 of those cases reported full recovery. SAH in patients with GPA is clinically different than in the general population. All but 1 of the cases of SAH in patients with GPA were non-aneurysmal, while 85% of spontaneous SAH in the general population is caused by ruptured cerebral aneurysms. Another interesting difference is that SAH in the general population has a female preponderance, while only 1 of the 8 previously reported cases in GPA was femal

Upregulation of Transglutaminase andε(γ-Glutamyl)-Lysine in the Fisher-Lewis Rat Model of Chronic Allograft Nephropathy

Background. Tissue transglutaminase (TG2), a cross-linking enzyme, modulates deposition of extracellular matrix protein in renal fibrosis. This study aimed to examine TG2 and its cross-link product ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine in the Fisher-Lewis rat renal transplantation (RTx) model of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN). Materials and Methods. Left renal grafts from male Fisher and Lewis were transplanted into Lewis rats, generating allografts and isografts, respectively. Blood pressure, renal function, and proteinuria were monitored for up to 52 weeks. At termination, CAN was assessed in the renal tissue by light and electron microscopy, TG2 and ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine by immunofluorescence, and the urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine by high performance liquid chromatography. Results. Compared to the isograft, the allografts were hypertensive, proteinuric, and uraemic and developed CAN. Extracellular TG2 (glomerulus: 64.55 + 17.61 versus 2.11 + 0.17, P<0.001; interstitium: 13.72 + 1.62 versus 3.19 + 0.44, P<0.001), ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (glomerulus: 21.74 + 2.71 versus 1.98 + 0.37, P<0.01; interstitium: 37.96 + 17.06 versus 0.42 + 0.11, P<0.05), TG2 enzyme activity (1.09 + 0.13 versus 0.41 + 0.03 nmol/h/mg protein, P<0.05), TG2 mRNA (20-fold rise), and urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine (534.2 + 198.4 nmol/24 h versus 57.2 + 4.1 nmol/24 h,P<0.05) levels were significantly elevated in the allografts and showed a positive linear correlation with tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Conclusion. CAN was associated with upregulation of renal TG2 pathway, which has a potential for pharmacological intervention. The elevated urinary ε(γ-glutamyl)-lysine, measured for the first time in RTx, is a potential biomarker of CA

Cost-effective, near-term deployment of carbon capture and storage from biorefineries in the United States

Abstract: Capture and permanent sequestration of biogenic CO2 emissions play a pivotal role in stringent climate change mitigation. Bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) technologies, in particular, can remove atmospheric CO2 emissions while producing valuable energy products such as fuels, electricity, and gaseous hydrocarbons. Yet, most near-term assessments of climate change mitigation opportunities assume BECCS is either too costly or commercially unavailable. In contrast, biogenic CO2 capture and sequestration from industrial fermentation is already deployed at commercial scale, including several corn ethanol facilities in the United States. Such capture opportunities target pure streams of biogenic CO2 from existing biofuel infrastructure, resulting in a low cost of capture and sequestration. Moreover, existing and proposed policies in the United States, including California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the 2016 Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act (S.3179, the CCUS Act), could provide sufficient financial incentive for industry-wide deployment of CCS for saline aquifers. Here, we study the abatement potential and costs of biogenic CO2 capture and sequestration from biorefineries in the United States using process engineering, spatial optimization, and lifecycle assessment. We minimize the total cost of capture, compression, transportation, and sequestration, building from existing spatial pipeline optimization models [1]. We consider two options for CO2 transport: pipelines, and trucking, which recent work has shown is cost-effective at low CO2 volumes [2]. Preliminary results identify ~44 Mt of biogenic CO2 emitted annually from 217 facilities, most of which can be captured for under $30/tCO2. We also find strong evidence for economies of scale in pipeline transportation. Recent financial incentives under California’s LCFS (~$75-150/tCO2 abated) and proposed in the U.S Senate ($50/tCO2 stored in saline aquifers) suggest a substantial near-term opportunity to permanently sequester biogenic CO2, given proper policy incentives. This opportunity can catalyze the growth of carbon capture, transport, utilization, and sequestration across the U.S. and improve the lifecycle impacts of conventional ethanol. When complete, we expect to produce the following results: Spatially-optimized infrastructure design and supply curves for biogenic CO2 capture, transport, and sequestration in the United States, for both pipeline and truck transport Lifecycle carbon intensity impacts for transportation fuels, evaluated under CA-GREET Cost-optimal deployment levels under multiple CA LCFS and CCUS Act price scenarios References: [1] N. Johnson, J. Ogden, Detailed spatial modeling of carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure deployment in the southwestern United States, Energy Procedia, 4 (2011). [2] P. Psarras, P. Bains, P. Charoensawadpong, M. Carringon, S. Comello, S. Reichelstein, J. Wilcox, A Pathway Towards Reducing CO2 Emissions from the Industrial Sector (In Press)

Reliable First-Principles Alloy Thermodynamics via Truncated Cluster Expansions

In alloys cluster expansions (CE) are increasingly used to combine first-principles electronic-structure and Monte Carlo methods to predict thermodynamic properties. As a basis-set expansion in terms of lattice geometrical clusters and effective cluster interactions, the CE is exact if infinite, but is tractable only if truncated. Yet until now a truncation procedure was not well-defined and did not guarantee a reliable truncated CE. We present an optimal truncation procedure for CE basis sets that provides reliable thermodynamics. We then exemplify its importance in Ni$_3$V, where the CE has failed unpredictably, and now show agreement to a range of measured values, predict new low-energy structures, and explain the cause of previous failures.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

The ferroelectric Mott-Hubbard phase of organic (TMTTF)2X conductors

We present experimental evidences for a ferro-electric transition in the family of quasi one- dimensional conductors (TMTTF)2X. We interpret this new transition in the frame of the combined Mott-Hubbard state taking into account the double action of the spontaneous charge disproportionation on the TMTTF molecular stacks and of the X anionic potentials

PPAK Wide-field Integral Field Spectroscopy of NGC 628: I. The largest spectroscopic mosaic on a single galaxy

We present a wide-field IFS survey on the nearby face-on Sbc galaxy NGC 628, comprising 11094 individual spectra, covering a nearly circular field-of-view of ~6 arcmin in diameter, with a sampling of ~2.7 arcsec per spectrum in the optical wavelength range (3700--7000 AA). This galaxy is part of the PPAK IFS Nearby Galaxies Survey, (PINGS, Rosales-Ortega et al. 2009). To our knowledge, this is the widest spectroscopic survey ever made in a single nearby galaxy. A detailed flux calibration was applied, granting a spectrophotometric accuracy of $\sim$\,0.2 mag. The age of the stellar populations shows a negative gradient from the inner (older) to the outer (younger) regions. We found an inversion of this gradient in the central ~1 kpc region, where a somewhat younger stellar population is present within a ring at this radius. This structure is associated with a circumnuclear star-forming region at ~ 500 pc, also found in similar spiral galaxies. From the study of the integrated and spatially resolved ionized gas we found a moderate SFR of ~ 2.4 Msun yr$^{-1}$. The oxygen abundance shows a a clear gradient of higher metallicity values from the inner part to the outer part of the galaxy, with a mean value of 12~+~log(O/H) ~ 8.7. At some specific regions of the galaxy, the spatially resolved distribution of the physical properties show some level of structure, suggesting real point-to-point variations within an individual \hh region. Our results are consistent with an inside-out growth scheme, with stronger star formation at the outer regions, and with evolved stellar populations in the inner ones.Comment: 31 pages, 22 Figuras, Accepted for Publishing in MNRAS (corrected PDF

The Providence St. Vincent Emergency Department implementation of a standardized communication tool in patient’s rooms

https://digitalcommons.psjhealth.org/stvincent-bootcamp/1018/thumbnail.jp