181 research outputs found

    Exploring the social, ethical, legal, and responsibility dimensions of artificial intelligence for health - a new column in Intelligent Medicine

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    open access articleThis essay is the starting point of a new column in Intelligent Medicine that invites interdisciplinary perspectives on the social, ethical, legal, and responsibility aspects of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine and health care. Papers in this column will examine the practical, conceptual, and policy dimensions of the use of AI for health-related purposes from comparative and international perspectives. We invite contributions from around the world in all application areas of AI for health, including health care, health research, drug development, health care system management, and public health and public health surveillance. The column aims to provide a forum for reflective and critical scholarship that contributes to the ongoing academic and policy debates about the development, use, governance, and implications of AI in medical and health care settings. We first provide an overview of recent approaches that have been developed to identify and address the effects and ramifications of science and technology innovations on human societies and the environment. These include ethical, legal, and social implications/aspects (ELSI/A) research, responsible research and innovation (RRI), sustainability transitions research, and the use of international standard-setting frameworks for responsible and open science issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other international bodies. In Part Two of this essay, we discuss some of the central challenges that arise with regard to the integration of AI and big data analytics in medical and health care settings. This includes concerns regarding (i) the control, reliability, and trustworthiness of AI systems, (ii) privacy and surveillance, (iii) the impact of AI and automation on health care staff employment and the nature of clinical work, (iv) the effects of AI on health inequalities, justice, and access to medical care, and (v) challenges related to regulation and governance. We end the essay with a call for papers and a set of questions that could be relevant for future studies

    Thick film magnetic nanoparticulate composites and method of manufacture thereof

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    Thick film magnetic/insulating nanocomposite materials, with significantly reduced core loss, and their manufacture are described. The insulator coated magnetic nanocomposite comprises one or more magnetic components, and an insulating component. The magnetic component comprises nanometer scale particles (about 1 to about 100 nanometers) coated by a thin-layered insulating phase. While the intergrain interaction between the immediate neighboring magnetic nanoparticles separated by the insulating phase provides the desired soft magnetic properties, the insulating material provides high resistivity, which reduces eddy current loss

    Resolving Fine-Scale Surface Features on Polar Sea Ice: A First Assessment of UAS Photogrammetry Without Ground Control

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    Mapping landfast sea ice at a fine spatial scale is not only meaningful for geophysical study, but is also of benefit for providing information about human activities upon it. The combination of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) with structure from motion (SfM) methods have already revolutionized the current close-range Earth observation paradigm. To test their feasibility in characterizing the properties and dynamics of fast ice, three flights were carried out in the 2016–2017 austral summer during the 33rd Chinese National Antarctic Expedition (CHINARE), focusing on the area of the Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Three-dimensional models and orthomosaics from three sorties were constructed from a total of 205 photos using Agisoft PhotoScan software. Logistical challenges presented by the terrain precluded the deployment of a dedicated ground control network; however, it was still possible to indirectly assess the performance of the photogrammetric products through an analysis of the statistics of the matching network, bundle adjustment, and Monte-Carlo simulation. Our results show that the matching networks are quite strong, given a sufficient number of feature points (mostly > 20,000) or valid matches (mostly > 1000). The largest contribution to the total error using our direct georeferencing approach is attributed to inaccuracies in the onboard position and orientation system (POS) records, especially in the vehicle height and yaw angle. On one hand, the 3D precision map reveals that planimetric precision is usually about one-third of the vertical estimate (typically 20 cm in the network centre). On the other hand, shape-only errors account for less than 5% for the X and Y dimensions and 20% for the Z dimension. To further illustrate the UAS’s capability, six representative surface features are selected and interpreted by sea ice experts. Finally, we offer pragmatic suggestions and guidelines for planning future UAS-SfM surveys without the use of ground control. The work represents a pioneering attempt to comprehensively assess UAS-SfM survey capability in fast ice environments, and could serve as a reference for future improvements

    Incorporating inflammatory biomarkers into a prognostic risk score in patients with non-ischemic heart failure: a machine learning approach

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    ObjectivesInflammation is involved in the mechanisms of non-ischemic heart failure (NIHF). We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of 21 inflammatory biomarkers and construct a biomarker risk score to improve risk prediction for patients with NIHF.MethodsPatients diagnosed with NIHF without infection during hospitalization were included. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause mortality and heart transplantations. We used elastic net Cox regression with cross-validation to select inflammatory biomarkers and construct the best biomarker risk score model. Discrimination, calibration, and reclassification were evaluated to assess the predictive value of the biomarker risk score.ResultsOf 1,250 patients included (median age, 53 years, 31.9% women), 436 patients (34.9%) experienced the primary outcome during a median of 2.8 years of follow-up. The final biomarker risk score included high-sensitivity C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) and red blood cell distribution width-standard deviation (RDW-SD), both of which were 100% selected in 1,000 times cross-validation folds. Incorporating the biomarker risk score into the best basic model improved the discrimination (ΔC-index = 0.012, 95% CI 0.003–0.018) and reclassification (IDI, 2.3%, 95% CI 0.7%–4.9%; NRI, 17.3% 95% CI 6.4%–32.3%) in risk identification. In the cross-validation sets, the mean time-dependent AUC ranged from 0.670 to 0.724 for the biomarker risk score and 0.705 to 0.804 for the basic model with a biomarker risk score, from 1 to 8 years. In multivariable Cox regression, the biomarker risk score was independently associated with the outcome in patients with NIHF (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.49–2.08, p < 0.001, per 1 score increase).ConclusionsAn inflammatory biomarker-derived risk score significantly improved prognosis prediction and risk stratification, providing potential individualized therapeutic targets for NIHF patients
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