Over the past few years, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has witnessed numerous breakthroughs. One such remarkable milestone was the development and adoption of chatbots and conversational agents based on large language models, including ChatGPT. These systems can engage in realistic, human-like conversations with users and help them in many ways, such as by curating information, generating recommendations, or assisting in complex tasks. Interestingly, owing to their pre-training on large amounts of data, chatbots like ChatGPT are capable of generating highly personalized recommendations, considering factors like user’s interests, ...

Hospital visits from alcohol- and substance-related disorders are driven by elevated temperatures and could be further affected by rising temperatures due to climate change, according to new research by environmental health scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.  The study, which is published in the peer-reviewed journal Communications Medicine, is likely the first comprehensive investigation of the association between temperature and alcohol- and substance-related hospital visits.   “We ...

LA JOLLA (September 26, 2023)—Movement offers a window into how the brain operates and controls the body. From clipboard-and-pen observation to modern artificial intelligence-based techniques, tracking human and animal movement has come a long way. Current cutting-edge methods utilize artificial intelligence to automatically track parts of the body as they move. However, training these models is still time-intensive and limited by the need for researchers to manually mark each body part hundreds to thousands of times. Now, Associate Professor Eiman Azim and team have created GlowTrack, a non-invasive movement tracking method that uses fluorescent dye markers to train ...

Key points   Biosensing has been valuable for detecting biomolecules, including novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), but achieving both high sensitivity and rapidity has been challenging.   Rapid and high-sensitivity detection of SARS-CoV-2 was achieved by utilizing optical-to-electric frequency conversion of optical combs and active-dummy temperature compensation with dual-optical-comb configuration.   This enables ultra-early detection of infectious pathogens, health biomarkers, food contaminants, environmental hormones, and more, contributing to various preventive measures. Research Introduction ...

Indigenous communities act in sophisticated ways to deter unauthorised mining in Colombia, shows a recently published book by Postdoctoral Researcher Diana Arbeláez-Ruiz from the University of Eastern Finland. The book focuses on Indigenous people and mining in Colombia’s North Cauca region, where multiple armed groups and illicit economies operate. The research the book is based upon was carried out in 2016–2019. As the illegal armed group presence and illicit economies situation in the region has intensified since, the book remains highly topical today. Published by Routledge, the book documents what the Nasa Indigenous community do to stop unauthorised mining in their ...

*Embargoed until 07:00 BST / 08:00 CEST, 26 September 2023* The grounding line of the southern Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica can shift up to 15 km (six miles) with changing tides, new analysis shows. The research, published today in The Cryosphere, examines the key region where land-based Antarctic ice spills over into the surrounding ocean. Observing and understanding the dynamics of this region can help scientists predict Antarctica’s response to climate change, and so how much global sea levels will rise. “We typically think of ice sheet change as being very slow, ...

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a fast-growing ‘financial portfolio’ within the larger illegal, violent, parallel transnational global economy. As such, it creates state-level security and development risks, especially in source countries. IWT is also known as wildlife trafficking, which includes the illicit trade of animals and plants, and derivative products such as pangolin scales, rhino horn, elephant ivory, lion and tiger bones, and leopard pelts. But many highly developed countries signed up to CITES, are yet to implement a crucial legal instrument required to prosecute IWT and the associated financial ...

Imagine you’re sitting in your living room on a quiet evening with your family reading a book, when suddenly, complete strangers let themselves in your front door. If that wasn’t enough of a shock, before you can even find your voice to ask who they are, they begin rearranging your furniture, painting your walls different colors, bagging up possessions that are important to you, and appear to be swapping out the food in your refrigerator. They do not seem to mean you any harm and work with such purpose that you question yourself, wondering whether you may have forgotten ...

WASHINGTON – A new paper by Environmental Working Group scientists proposes an intriguing concept: Humans can serve as a valuable resource for understanding the impact on other animal species of the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.  “PFAS pollution is not just a problem for humans,” said David Andrews, Ph.D., senior scientist at EWG. “It’s a problem for species across the globe. This new paper delves into how humans serve as an early warning system ...

Redwoods and oaks that thrive on California’s coastline and coastal mountains might soon start finding it harder to survive. Human-caused climate change is altering the temperatures and rainfall patterns to which those and other trees are accustomed, and many have already been pushed close to the edge of what they can endure. Identifying suitable new habitats will soon become a matter of life or death for some California native species, according to Lawren Sack, a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. But if those trees could talk, where would they tell scientists they wanted to live? In a new study, a team led by Sack and other UCLA biologists ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that are among the body's first line of defense against infection. In addition to killing harmful microorganisms, macrophages typically can initiate a response against tumors. However, macrophages, like other cells, can enter a state called senescence, which is linked to aging, disease and multiple physiological problems. When cells become senescent, they stop dividing, but they do not die and are not always eliminated from the body. They can linger and accumulate in tissues and may ...

The effective use of data storytelling could positively impact public library managers' approaches to data collection and their advocacy for libraries, according to Kate McDowell, associate professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. However, cultural roadblocks to data storytelling must be addressed for the process to be successful, McDowell discovered in a recently completed study. McDowell discusses her findings in the Public Library Quarterly article, "Library Data Storytelling: Obstacles and Paths Forward." This work is the result of her research project, "Data ...

The proportion of people dying before their time (under the age of 75) is set to rise by nearly 6.5%---30 extra deaths/100,000 of the population annually—with those in the most deprived households experiencing a rate 4 times that of the least deprived. In recent years, the UK has experienced levels of inflation not seen since the 1970s as a result of the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, Brexit and fiscal policy, note the researchers. Poorer households have borne the brunt as they spend a larger proportion of their income on energy, the cost of which has soared. In a bid to mitigate the impact, the UK government introduced a universal Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) and a series of more targeted ...

Overly broad definitions, a lack of appropriate, or any, comparison groups, among other things, in studies looking at the incidence, prevalence, and control of the condition—epidemiology—have distorted the risks, say the researchers. This is further compounded by inclusion of poorly conducted studies into systematic reviews and pooled data analyses that end up overstating the risk yet again, they add.  The likely consequences of this include, but aren’t limited to, increased public anxiety and healthcare spend; misdiagnoses; ...

The findings confound predictions in some quarters that disadvantaged children, who had worse mental health to start with, would be hardest hit. But even if child mental health has become more equal, it worsened, overall, following the pandemic, emphasise the researchers. There is some evidence that declines in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic may have been greatest among younger people, say the researchers, but the impact on inequalities in child mental health isn’t clear. To explore this further, they analysed 16,361 parental observations of 9272 children in the nationally ...

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, or aHSCT for short, is usually used to treat blood cancers, and involves harvesting stem cells from the person’s own bone marrow or blood followed by chemotherapy and antibody treatment. Emerging evidence indicates that it is suitable for treating relapsing-remitting MS— characterised by distinct inflammatory episodes that cause varying degrees of residual disability. But aHSCT has yet to be included in most national clinical guidelines.  The researchers therefore ...

The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) marked the completion of an important step on the path to spacecraft assembly, test, and launch operations this week at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland. The IMAP team met with a review panel to evaluate the plan for integrating all systems onto the spacecraft, such as the scientific instrumentation, electrical and communication systems, and navigation systems. Successful completion of this System Integration Review (SIR) means that the project can proceed with assembling and testing the spacecraft in preparation ...

Over the past 22 years, wildfires in the United States have caused damages exceeding $100 billion, and as climate change continues to intensify wildfire frequency and severity, research is essential to protect lives, property, and ecosystems—and to help communities adapt to these changing conditions. To this end, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has added Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to its Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), a collaboration between universities and industry. Supported by a three-year, $450,000 grant with additional direct funding from industry partners, WPI will build upon its longstanding expertise ...

Doctor and Pharmacist Revamp Standard Processes for Ordering and Documenting Mifepristone Use Clinical researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School partnered with the university health system’s compliance department to create standard processes for ordering and documenting mifepristone administration, which adhere to the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) requirements. They established a single prescriber account to represent all system prescribers who met REMS requirements, ...

Screening for Adverse Childhood Experience Can Improve Trauma-Informed Care, Though Time Constraints and Limited Referral Resources Present Challenges Researchers conducted a qualitative evaluation in five clinics in Los Angeles County to understand physician and clinical staff perspectives on the implementation of routine Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) screening in pediatric primary care. The researchers employed focus group discussions with 125 clinic staff involved in ACE screening, including frontline staff who administer ...

Understanding Parents’ Care Expectations for a Child With Gastroenteritis Could Prevent After-Hours Care Requests Researchers from the Netherlands conducted a qualitative study to explore parental motivations, expectations, and experiences of off-hours primary care contacts for children with acute gastroenteritis. They conducted 14 semistructured interviews with parents who contacted primary care physicians outside of normal operating hours seeking medical attention for their children. Parents were more likely to contact their primary care physician after hours when their ...

Learning Collaborative Promotes Mifepristone Education and Utilization Training in Federally Qualified Health Centers Researchers created a learning collaborative that included implementing an intervention titled, “Excellence in Providing Access to New Directions in Mifepristone Use (ExPAND Mifepristone)” in two Chicago-area Federally Qualified Health Centers with a focus on enhancing educational and training support services for primary care doctors and staff to use mifepristone for miscarriage management and abortion provision. Prior to program implementation, clinicians and staff had little knowledge of mifepristone. After program ...

Men Who Trust Their Doctors, Receive Adequate Time and General Information About Prostate Cancer Screening Are More Likely to Have Productive Discussions Members of the University of Ottawa Department of Family Medicine conducted a scoping review to understand men’s communication preferences when they discuss prostate cancer screening with their doctors. Researchers analyzed a total of 29 studies and identified four main themes: men preferred that their doctors use everyday language; men wanted more information; men wanted the doctor to spend adequate time with them to explain prostate cancer; and desired a trusting and respectful relationship with their doctor. Three additional themes ...

Study Identifies Patient and Clinician-Level Characteristics Associated With Sexual History Screening Administration Researchers conducted a mixed methods study that investigated patient- and clinician-level characteristics associated with a sexual history screening (SHS). Participants included 53,246 patients and 56 clinicians from 13 clinical sites. Less than half (42.41%) of patients had any SHS documentation. Gay and lesbian patients; patients who were cisgender women; and patients whose doctors were cisgender women had significantly higher odds of having any SHS documented in their medical chart. Conversely, older patients; patients whose doctors have more patients on their ...

Researchers Identify Important Strategies for Diabetes Care and Quality Improvements in the Primary Care Setting This qualitative study considers how the strategies used by high-performing primary care practices to improve diabetes care might play a role in successfully managing practice change. The research team conducted semistructured interviews at 10 Minnesota primary care practices (rural and urban) ranked in the top quartile of diabetes care improvement per their Optimal Diabetes Care (ODC) scores. (Minnesota’s ODC scores are calculated based on mandatory ...