In Platforms We Trust?Unlocking the Black-Box of News Algorithms through Interpretable AI

With the rapid increase in the use and implementation of AI in the journalism industry, the ethical issues of algorithmic journalism have grown rapidly and resulted in a large body of research that applied normative principles such as privacy, information disclosure, and data protection. Understanding how users’ information processing leads to information disclosure in platformized news contexts can be important questions to ask. We examine users’ cognitive routes leading to information disclosure by testing the effect of interpretability on privacy in algorithmic journalism. We discuss algorithmic information processing and show how the process can be utilized to improve user privacy and trust

Design Analysis of a Microcontroller Based Wireless Wattmeter

This paper considered the design of a microcontroller based wireless wattmeter which can be used to measure power in both domestics, hazardous and industrial locations where restrictions to movement is critical. The wireless wattmeter is made up of the transmitter and receiver parts kept at a distance not more than 300 m apart. PIC16F877A is programmed using C language to measure current, voltage, frequency and power which is shown on the liquid Crystal display screen. The results obtained showed that the wireless wattmeter constructed from a microcontroller has a steady reading compared to fluctuating readings obtained from contemporary meters. The readings are also comparably accurate and can be accessed wirelessly within a distance of approximately 300 m making it usable in hazardous areas where human movement is strictly prohibited

The genetics of asthma and the promise of genomics-guided drug target discovery

Asthma is an inflammatory airway disease that is estimated to affect 339 million people globally. The symptoms of about 5-10% of patients with asthma are not adequately controlled with current therapy, and little success has been achieved in developing drugs that target the underlying mechanisms of asthma rather than suppressing symptoms. Over the past 3 years, well powered genetic studies of asthma have increased the number of independent asthma-associated genetic loci to 128. In this Series paper, we describe the immense progress in asthma genetics over the past 13 years and link asthma genetic variants to possible drug targets. Further studies are needed to establish the functional significance of gene variants associated with asthma in subgroups of patients and to describe the biological networks within which they function. The genomics-guided discovery of plausible drug targets for asthma could pave the way for the repurposing of existing drugs for asthma and the development of new treatments

Integrated Access and Backhaul via Satellites

To allow flexible and cost-efficient network densification and deployment, the integrated access and backhaul (IAB) was recently standardized by the third generation partnership project (3GPP) as part of the fifth-generation new radio (5G-NR) networks. However, the current standardization only defines the IAB for the terrestrial domain, while non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are yet to be considered for such standardization efforts. In this work, we motivate the use of IAB in NTNs, and we discuss the compatibility issues between the 3GPP specifications on IAB in 5G-NR and the satellite radio regulations. In addition, we identify the required adaptation from the 3GPP and/or satellite operators for realizing an NTN-enabled IAB operation. A case study is provided for a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite-enabled in-band IAB operation with orthogonal and non-orthogonal bandwidth allocation between access and backhauling, and under both time- and frequency-division duplex (TDD/FDD) transmission modes. Numerical results demonstrate the feasibility of IAB through satellites, and illustrate the superiority of FDD over TDD transmission. It is also shown that in the absence of precoding, non-orthogonal bandwidth allocation between the access and the backhaul can largely degrades the network throughput.Comment: This paper has been accepted for publication at the 2023 IEEE PIMRC conferenc

Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction Coil Treatment for Severe Emphysema:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Individual Participant Data

BACKGROUND: Lung volume reduction coil (LVR-coil) treatment provides a minimally invasive treatment option for severe emphysema patients which has been studied in multiple clinical trials. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of LVR-coil treatment on pulmonary function, quality of life, and exercise capacity using individual participant data. METHOD: PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched until May 17, 2021. Prospective single-arm and randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effect of LVR-coil treatment on forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), residual volume (RV), St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) total score, and/or 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and were registered in an official clinical trial database were eligible for inclusion. Individual patient data were requested, and a linear mixed effects model was used to calculate overall treatment effects. RESULTS: Eight trials were included in the final analysis, representing 680 individual patients. LVR-coil treatment resulted in a significant improvement in FEV1 at 3- (0.09 L [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.06-0.12]) and 6-month follow-up (0.07 L [95% CI: 0.03-0.10]), a significant reduction in RV at 3- (-0.45L [95% CI: -0.62 to -0.28]), 6- (-0.33L [95% CI: -0.52 to -0.14]), and 12-month follow-up (-0.36L [95% CI: -0.64 to -0.08]), a significant reduction in SGRQ total score at 3- (-12.3 points [95% CI: -15.8 to -8.8]), 6- (-10.1 points [95% CI: -12.8 to -7.3]), and 12-month follow-up (-9.8 points [95% CI: -15.0 to -4.7]) and a significant increase in 6MWD at 3-month follow-up (38 m [95% CI: 18-58]). CONCLUSIONS: LVR-coil treatment in emphysema patients results in sustained improvements in pulmonary function and quality of life and shorter lived improvements in exercise capacity. Since the owner of this LVR-coil has decided to stop the production and newer generations LVR-coils are currently being developed, these results can act as a reference for future studies and clinical guidance

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) fails to improve blood flow and to promote collateralization in a diabetic mouse ischemic hindlimb model

BACKGROUND: Angiogenic therapy with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been proposed as a treatment paradigm for patients suffering from an insufficiency of collateral vessels. Diabetes is associated with increase in the production of VEGF and therefore additional VEGF may not be beneficial. Accordingly, we sought to determine the efficacy of VEGF therapy to augment collateral formation and tissue perfusion in a diabetic mouse ischemic hindlimb model. METHODS: Diabetic and non-diabetic mice were studied in parallel for the efficacy of VEGF administration. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin. Hindlimb ischemia was produced by severing the left iliac artery. An outlet tube from an osmotic infusion pump with placebo/ 500 micrograms of plasmid-DNA encoding VEGF was fenestrated and tunneled into the left quadriceps muscle. RESULTS: VEGF induced more rapid and complete restoration of blood flow in normal mice. However, in the setting of diabetes there was no difference between VEGF Vs. placebo in the rate or adequacy of flow restoration. There was a significant increase in smooth muscle actin and Factor-VIII antigen densities in diabetic animals and in animals which received VEGF. CONCLUSIONS: Angiogenic therapy with VEGF in the setting of diabetes does not appear to have the beneficial effects seen in the absence of diabetes