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Artificial Intelligence Efficacy as a Function of Trainee Interpreter Proficiency: Lessons from a Randomized Controlled Trial [RESEARCH]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Recently, artificial intelligence tools have been deployed with increasing speed in educational and clinical settings. However, the use of artificial intelligence by trainees across different levels of experience has not been well-studied. This study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence assistance on the diagnostic accuracy for intracranial hemorrhage and large-vessel occlusion by medical students and resident trainees.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This prospective study was conducted between March 2023 and October 2023. Medical students and resident trainees were asked to identify intracranial hemorrhage and large-vessel occlusion in 100 noncontrast head CTs and 100 head CTAs, respectively. One group received diagnostic aid simulating artificial intelligence for intracranial hemorrhage only (n = 26); the other, for large-vessel occlusion only (n = 28). Primary outcomes included accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for intracranial hemorrhage/large-vessel occlusion detection without and with aid. Study interpretation time was a secondary outcome. Individual responses were pooled and analyzed with the t test; differences in continuous variables were assessed with ANOVA.

RESULTS:

Forty-eight participants completed the study, generating 10,779 intracranial hemorrhage or large-vessel occlusion interpretations. With diagnostic aid, medical student accuracy improved 11.0 points (P < .001) and resident trainee accuracy showed no significant change. Intracranial hemorrhage interpretation time increased with diagnostic aid for both groups (P < .001), while large-vessel occlusion interpretation time decreased for medical students (P < .001). Despite worse performance in the detection of the smallest-versus-largest hemorrhages at baseline, medical students were not more likely to accept a true-positive artificial intelligence result for these more difficult tasks. Both groups were considerably less accurate when disagreeing with the artificial intelligence or when supplied with an incorrect artificial intelligence result.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study demonstrated greater improvement in diagnostic accuracy with artificial intelligence for medical students compared with resident trainees. However, medical students were less likely than resident trainees to overrule incorrect artificial intelligence interpretations and were less accurate, even with diagnostic aid, than the artificial intelligence was by itself.




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Deep molecular tracking over the 12-yr development of endometrial cancer from hyperplasia in a single patient [RESEARCH REPORT]

Although the progressive histologic steps leading to endometrial cancer (EndoCA), the most common female reproductive tract malignancy, from endometrial hyperplasia are well-established, the molecular changes accompanying this malignant transformation in a single patient have never been described. We had the unique opportunity to investigate the paired histologic and molecular features associated with the 12-yr development of EndoCA in a postmenopausal female who could not undergo hysterectomy and instead underwent progesterone treatment. Using a specially designed 58-gene next-generation sequencing panel, we analyzed a total of 10 sequential biopsy samples collected over this time frame. A total of eight pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations in seven genes, APC, ARID1A, CTNNB1, CDKN2A, KRAS, PTEN, and TP53, were identified. A PTEN nonsense mutation p.W111* was present in all samples analyzed except histologically normal endometrium. Apart from this PTEN mutation, the only other recurrent mutation was KRAS G12D, which was present in six biopsy samplings, including histologically normal tissue obtained at the patient's first visit but not detectable in the cancer. The PTEN p.W111* mutant allele fractions were lowest in benign, inactive endometrial glands (0.7%), highest in adenocarcinoma (36.9%), and, notably, were always markedly reduced following progesterone treatment. To our knowledge, this report provides the first molecular characterization of EndoCA development in a single patient. A single PTEN mutation was present throughout the 12 years of cancer development. Importantly, and with potential significance toward medical and nonsurgical management of EndoCA, progesterone treatments were consistently noted to markedly decrease PTEN mutant allele fractions to precancerous levels.




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Novel pathogenic PDX1 gene variant in a Korean family with maturity-onset diabetes of the young [VARIANT DISCREPANCY RESOLUTION]

The diagnosis of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), a monogenic form of diabetes mellitus caused by a mutation in a single gene, is often uncertain until genetic testing is performed. We report a 13-yr-old Korean boy who was initially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). MODY was suspected because of his nonobese body habitus and family history of multiple affected members. Targeted panel sequencing of all MODY-related genes was performed using the NextSeq 550Dx platform (Illumina). Sanger sequencing was performed using blood samples from the parents, siblings, and other relatives. A frameshift variant in the 3' region of the last exon of PDX1 was detected in the patient and his family members with diabetes. PP1_Moderate criterion was applied and this variant was confirmed to be the genetic cause of diabetes in the family and classified as likely pathogenic. The study highlights the importance of genetic testing for nonobese, early-onset diabetic patients with multiple affected family members. Increased awareness and aggressive genetic testing for MODY are needed.




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Novel pathogenic UQCRC2 variants in a female with normal neurodevelopment [RESEARCH REPORT]

Electron transport chain (ETC) disorders are a group of rare, multisystem diseases caused by impaired oxidative phosphorylation and energy production. Deficiencies in complex III (CIII), also known as ubiquinol–cytochrome c reductase, are particularly rare in humans. Ubiquinol–cytochrome c reductase core protein 2 (UQCRC2) encodes a subunit of CIII that plays a crucial role in dimerization. Several pathogenic UQCRC2 variants have been identified in patients presenting with metabolic abnormalities that include lactic acidosis, hyperammonemia, hypoglycemia, and organic aciduria. Almost all previously reported UQCRC2-deficient patients exhibited neurodevelopmental involvement, including developmental delays and structural brain anomalies. Here, we describe a girl who presented at 3 yr of age with lactic acidosis, hyperammonemia, and hypoglycemia but has not shown any evidence of neurodevelopmental dysfunction by age 15. Whole-exome sequencing revealed compound heterozygosity for two novel variants in UQCRC2: c.1189G>A; p.Gly397Arg and c.437T>C; p.Phe146Ser. Here, we discuss the patient's clinical presentation and the likely pathogenicity of these two missense variants.




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Novel inherited CDX2 variant segregating in a family with diverse congenital malformations of the genitourinary system [RAPID COMMUNICATION]

Anorectal malformations (ARMs) constitute a group of congenital defects of the gastrointestinal and urogenital systems. They affect males and females, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 1 in 5000 live births. These malformations are clinically heterogeneous and can be part of a syndromic presentation (syndromic ARM) or as a nonsyndromic entity (nonsyndromic ARM). Despite the well-recognized heritability of nonsyndromic ARM, the genetic etiology in most patients is unknown. In this study, we describe three siblings with diverse congenital anomalies of the genitourinary system, anemia, delayed milestones, and skeletal anomalies. Genome sequencing identified a novel, paternally inherited heterozygous Caudal type Homeobox 2 (CDX2) variant (c.722A > G (p.Glu241Gly)), that was present in all three affected siblings. The variant identified in this family is absent from population databases and predicted to be damaging by most in silico pathogenicity tools. So far, only two other reports implicate variants in CDX2 with ARMs. Remarkably, the individuals described in these studies had similar clinical phenotypes and genetic alterations in CDX2. CDX2 encodes a transcription factor and is considered the master regulator of gastrointestinal development. This variant maps to the homeobox domain of the encoded protein, which is critical for interaction with DNA targets. Our finding provides a potential molecular diagnosis for this family's condition and supports the role of CDX2 in anorectal anomalies. It also highlights the clinical heterogeneity and variable penetrance of ARM predisposition variants, another well-documented phenomenon. Finally, it underscores the diagnostic utility of genomic profiling of ARMs to identify the genetic etiology of these defects.




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De novo TRPM3 missense variant associated with neurodevelopmental delay and manifestations of cerebral palsy [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

We identified a de novo heterozygous transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M (melastatin) member 3 (TRPM3) missense variant, p.(Asn1126Asp), in a patient with developmental delay and manifestations of cerebral palsy (CP) using phenotype-driven prioritization analysis of whole-genome sequencing data with Exomiser. The variant is localized in the functionally important ion transport domain of the TRPM3 protein and predicted to impact the protein structure. Our report adds TRPM3 to the list of Mendelian disease–associated genes that can be associated with CP and provides further evidence for the pathogenicity of the variant p.(Asn1126Asp).




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Reclassification of the HPGD p.Ala13Glu variant causing primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy [VARIANT DISCREPANCY RESOLUTION]

Here, we highlight the case of a 31-yr-old man who had clinical features of primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (PHOAR) and harbored a homozygous variant (c.38C > A, p.Ala13Glu) in the HPGD gene, as indicated by whole-exome sequencing (WES). This variant has been previously classified by our laboratory as a variant of uncertain significance (VUS). However, another patient with the same phenotype and the same homozygous variant in HPGD was subsequently reported. In reassessing the variant, the absence of this variant in the gnomAD population database, supporting computational predictions, observation in homozygosity in two probands, and specificity of the phenotype for HPGD, all provide sufficient evidence to reclassify the HPGD c.38C > A, p.Ala13Glu variant as likely pathogenic.




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Clinical and functional analysis of the germline TP53 p.K164E acetylation site variant [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

TP53 plays a critical role as a tumor suppressor by controlling cell cycle progression, DNA repair, and apoptosis. Post-translational modifications such as acetylation of specific lysine residues in the DNA binding and carboxy-terminus regulatory domains modulate its tumor suppressor activities. In this study, we addressed the functional consequences of the germline TP53 p.K164E (NM_000546.5: c.490A>G) variant identified in a patient with early-onset breast cancer and a significant family history of cancer. K164 is a conserved residue located in the L2 loop of the p53 DNA binding domain that is post-translationally modified by acetylation. In silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses demonstrated that the glutamate substitution at K164 marginally destabilizes the p53 protein structure but significantly impairs sequence-specific DNA binding, transactivation, and tumor cell growth inhibition. Although p.K164E is currently considered a variant of unknown significance by different clinical genetic testing laboratories, the clinical and laboratory-based findings presented here provide strong evidence to reclassify TP53 p.K164E as a likely pathogenic variant.




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Synchronous T-lymphoblastic lymphoma and neuroblastoma in a 3-yr-old with novel germline SMARCA4 and EZH2 variants [RAPID CANCER COMMUNICATION]

T-lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LLy) is the most common lymphoblastic lymphoma in children and often presents with a mediastinal mass. Lymphomatous suprarenal masses are possible but rare. Here, we discuss the case of a previously healthy 3-yr-old male who presented with mediastinal T-LLy with bilateral suprarenal masses. Following initial treatment, surgical biopsy of persisting adrenal masses revealed bilateral neuroblastoma (NBL). A clinical genetics panel for germline cancer predisposition did not identify any pathogenic variants. Combination large panel (864 genes) profiling analysis in the context of a precision oncology study revealed two novel likely pathogenic heterozygous variants: SMARCA4 c.1420-1G > T p.? and EZH2 c.1943G > C p.(Ile631Phefs*44). Somatic analysis revealed potential second hits/somatic variants in EZH2 (in the T-LLy) and a segmental loss in Chromosome 19p encompassing SMARCA4 (in the NBL). Synchronous cancers, especially at a young age, warrant genetic evaluation for cancer predisposition; enrollment in a precision oncology program assessing germline and tumor DNA can fulfill that purpose, particularly when standard first-line genetic testing is negative and in the setting of tumors that are not classic for common cancer predisposition syndromes.




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Collaborative discussions between GPs and pharmacists to optimise patient medication: a qualitative study within a UK primary care clinical trial

BackgroundThere has been significant investment in pharmacists working in UK general practice to improve the effective and safe use of medicines. However, evidence of how to optimise collaboration between GPs and pharmacists in the context of polypharmacy (multiple medication) is lacking.AimTo explore GP and pharmacist views and experiences of in-person, interprofessional collaborative discussions (IPCDs) as part of a complex intervention to optimise medication use for patients with polypharmacy in general practice.Design and settingA mixed-method process evaluation embedded within the Improving Medicines use in People with Polypharmacy in Primary Care (IMPPP) trial conducted in Bristol and the West Midlands, between February 2021 and September 2023.MethodAudio-recordings of IPCDs between GPs and pharmacists, along with individual semi-structured interviews to explore their reflections on these discussions, were used. All recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.ResultsA total of 14 practices took part in the process evaluation from February 2022 to September 2023; 17 IPCD meetings were audio-recorded, discussing 30 patients (range 1–6 patients per meeting). In all, six GPs and 13 pharmacists were interviewed. The IPCD was highly valued by GPs and pharmacists who described benefits, including: strengthening their working relationship; gaining in confidence to manage more complex patients; and learning from each other. It was often challenging, however, to find time for the IPCDs.ConclusionThe model of IPCD used in this study provided protected time for GPs and pharmacists to work together to deliver whole-patient care, with both professions finding this beneficial. Protected time for interprofessional liaison and collaboration, and structured interventions may facilitate improved patient care.




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Self-Reported PrEP Use and Risk of Bacterial STIs Among Ontarian Men Who Are Gay or Bisexual or Have Sex With Men [Original Research]

PURPOSE

HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) may increase rates of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) through risk compensation (eg, an increase in condomless sex or number of partners); however, longitudinal studies exploring the time-dependent nature of PrEP uptake and bacterial STIs are limited. We used marginal structural models to estimate the effect of PrEP uptake on STI incidence.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the iCruise study, an online longitudinal study of 535 Ontarian GBM from July 2017 to April 2018, to estimate the effects of PrEP uptake on incidence of self-reported bacterial STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis) collected with 12 weekly diaries. The incidence rate was calculated as the number of infections per 100 person-months, with evaluation of the STIs overall and individually. We used marginal structural models to account for time-varying confounding and quantitative bias analysis to evaluate the sensitivity of estimates to nondifferential outcome misclassification.

RESULTS

Participating GBM were followed up for a total of 1,623.5 person-months. Overall, 70 participants (13.1%) took PrEP during the study period. Relative to no uptake, PrEP uptake was associated with an increased incidence rate of gonorrhea (incidence rate ratio = 4.00; 95% CI, 1.67-9.58), but not of chlamydia or syphilis, and not of any bacterial STI overall. Accounting for misclassification, the median incidence rate ratio for gonorrhea was 2.36 (95% simulation interval, 1.08-5.06).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed an increased incidence rate of gonorrhea associated with PrEP uptake among Ontarian GBM that was robust to misclassification. Although our findings support current guidelines for integrating gonorrhea screening with PrEP services, additional research should consider the long-term impact of PrEP among this population.

Annals Early Access article




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Family Medicine Obstetrics: Answering the Call [Editorials]




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[Evolutionary Biology] How Important Is Variation in Extrinsic Reproductive Isolation to the Process of Speciation?

The strength of reproductive isolation (RI) between two or more lineages during the process of speciation can vary by the ecological conditions. However, most speciation research has been limited to studying how ecologically dependent RI varies among a handful of broadly categorized environments. Very few studies consider the variability of RI and its effects on speciation at finer scales—that is, within each environment due to spatial or temporal environmental heterogeneity. Such variation in RI across time and/or space may inhibit speciation through leaky reproductive barriers or promote speciation by facilitating reinforcement. To investigate this overlooked aspect of speciation research, we conducted a literature review of existing studies of variation in RI in the field and then conducted individual-based simulations to examine how variation in hybrid fitness across time and space affects the degree of gene flow. Our simulations indicate that the presence of variation in hybrid fitness across space and time often leads to an increase in gene flow compared to scenarios where hybrid fitness remains static. This observation can be attributed to the convex relationship between the degree of gene flow and the strength of selection on hybrids. Our simulations also show that the effect of variation in RI on facilitating gene flow is most pronounced when RI, on average, is relatively low. This finding suggests that it could serve as an important mechanism to explain why the completion of speciation is often challenging. While direct empirical evidence documenting variation in extrinsic RI is limited, we contend that it is a prevalent yet underexplored phenomenon. We support this argument by proposing common scenarios in which RI is likely to exhibit variability and thus influence the process of speciation.




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The CheckMate 816 trial: a milestone in neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy of nonsmall cell lung cancer

Advancements in immunotherapy in the perioperative setting have revolutionised the treatment of resectable nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here we present the methodology and results of the clinical trial CheckMate 816 demonstrating the benefit of neoadjuvant therapy with nivolumab plus chemotherapy compared with chemotherapy alone. Furthermore, this article discusses the implications for future practice in resectable NSCLC and the need for future research.




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HBO Boss on Working With George R.R. Martin: ‘Marriages Can Be Difficult’



HBO's Casey Bloys was asked about the Game of Thrones author's spicy take on House of the Dragon season two.



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I Miss What The Mandalorian Was



Five years on from its incredible debut, The Mandalorian has come to embody a lot of the issues facing Star Wars in its uncertain current moment.




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U.S.-backed Syrian forces recapture Raqqa from Islamic State group

Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate after Raqqa in Syria was liberated from Islamic State militants on Oct. 17. Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters

U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announced Tuesday that they had captured the city of Raqqa from Islamic State militants.

“Everything is finished in Raqqa, our forces have taken full control of Raqqa,” SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP. A formal declaration would be announced after operations to clear any remaining sleeper cells and to remove landmines in the city were completed, Sello added.

The move is a major setback for the Islamic State which considered Raqqa the de-facto capital of its self-declared caliphate. It comes on the third anniversary of the global effort to defeat ISIS.

Raqqa was the first provincial capital to fall from government control in March 2013 after it was captured by a rebel army. The army included both Syrian opposition groups and more hard line  parties including al-Nusra and the Islamic State.

A civilian government  that was established in the city divided two months later, and less than a year later ISIS recaptured Raqqa and named the the capital of their caliphate.

About 900 civilians have been killed since the the start of the five-month operation, including 570 people in coalition air raids, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the civilian death toll at 1,130 people. American journalist James Foley was beheaded in the mountains south of the city.

SDF fighters pulled down the Islamic State’s black flag from the city’s National Hospital near the city’s stadium, according to a Reuters report.

Special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Brett McGurk said in August that the U.S. would attempt to perform a “stabilization” in Raqqa — including demining, removing rubble from major pathways to allow trucks and equipment through, and “basic electricity, sewage, water, the basic essentials to allow populations to come back to their home.”

It is not clear when the 300,000 civilians who have fled Raqqa since April during the operation will be able to return.

The post U.S.-backed Syrian forces recapture Raqqa from Islamic State group appeared first on PBS NewsHour.




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Nordic-style Open Kindergarten to be trialled in Scotland ahead of potential roll-out

A new Nordic-style Open Kindergarten will be trialled in part of Scotland ahead of a potential roll-out across the country.




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Limogate: Neil Gray to address use of ministerial car for football trips

Health Secretary Neil Gray will address concerns around his use of a ministerial car to attend football games at Hampden.




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Bacteria on the space station are evolving for life in space

Genetic analysis shows that microbes growing inside the International Space Station have adaptations for radiation and low gravity, and may pose a threat to astronauts




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New Scientist recommends Brian Cox's new series, Solar System

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week




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AI put in charge of setting variable speed limits on US freeway

Roads with variable speed limits, designed to manage traffic flow, are normally adjusted according to simple rules, but a 27-kilometre section of the I-24 freeway near Nashville, Tennessee, is now overseen by an artificial intelligence




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Ultra-strong stretchy material could enable shape-shifting aircraft

A new procedure turns an alloy of nickel and titanium into a material as strong as steel but 20 times stretchier – and one application could be building planes with shape-shifting wings




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‘Shazam for whales’ uses AI to track sounds heard in Mariana Trench

An artificial intelligence model that can identify the calls of eight whale species is helping researchers track the elusive whale behind a perplexing sound in the Pacific




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AI helps driverless cars predict how unseen pedestrians may move

A specialised algorithm could help autonomous vehicles track hidden objects, such as a pedestrian, a bicycle or another vehicle concealed behind a parked car




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The real reason VAR infuriates football fans and how to fix it

The controversies surrounding football’s video assistant referee (VAR) system highlight our troubled relationship with uncertainty – and point to potential solutions






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Engineered bacteria destroy antibiotic resistance DNA in wastewater

Wastewater is a major reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes, but modified bacteria can chop up this DNA before the dangerous microbes reach people




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Most effective migraine drugs revealed by review of trial data

A meta-analysis of 137 clinical trials finds triptan drugs are among the most effective for treating migraines, while newer ditan and gepant drugs were rated less highly




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What to know about the new covid-19 XEC variant

A new covid-19 variant called XEC may spread more easily than past variants, but current vaccines are still effective against it




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Biden supports bringing adversarial nations into new UN cyber crime alliance

The Biden administration will support a United Nations treaty this week that will create a new cybercrime convention, including China and Russia, which has not sat well with some lawmakers and critics.



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Domino’s Pizza customers may have been exposed to typhoid fever bacteria

Health officials in Saskatchewan Canada are urging customers of Domino’s Pizza in Martensville to watch for symptoms of typhoid fever. The restaurant’s customers may have been exposed to Salmonella typhi, also known as typhoid fever. Anyone who consumed food or drink from the Domino’s store at 717 Centennial Drive South... Continue Reading




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Food recalls in the U.S. spike due to Listeria, Salmonella and allergens

An in-depth analysis in the United States, covering 2002 to 2023, reveals that biological contamination and allergens are the leading causes of food recalls. The study, recently published in the Journal of Food Protection, examined more than 35,000 food and beverage recalls overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration... Continue Reading




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Norwegian project aims to tackle Listeria in fish

Norwegian scientists are working on a project investigating the separate or combined effect and suitability of different methods to reduce the presence of Listeria in salmon and trout. The DeList project is funded by FHF, the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund, and will run until the end of January 2025. Several... Continue Reading




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Sandwiches made with Brie cheese recalled because of Listeria concerns

CIBUS Fresh of Noblesville, IN, is recalling CIBUS Fresh products containing Glenview Farms Spreadable Brie, 2/3lb because of a supplier notification of possible Listeria monocytogenes (products are listed below).  More information regarding the recent Brie recall can be found here. The product was distributed under the following labels: CIBUS Fresh,... Continue Reading




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Ready-to-eat meat and poultry recalled for Listeria

Yu Shang Food, Inc., a Spartanburg, SC, business, over the weekend recalled 4,589 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products, which may have been adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The ready-to-eat meat and poultry items were produced from... Continue Reading




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Atomically Thin Materials Significantly Shrink Qubits



Quantum computing is a devilishly complex technology, with many technical hurdles impacting its development. Of these challenges two critical issues stand out: miniaturization and qubit quality.

IBM has adopted the superconducting qubit road map of reaching a 1,121-qubit processor by 2023, leading to the expectation that 1,000 qubits with today’s qubit form factor is feasible. However, current approaches will require very large chips (50 millimeters on a side, or larger) at the scale of small wafers, or the use of chiplets on multichip modules. While this approach will work, the aim is to attain a better path toward scalability.

Now researchers at MIT have been able to both reduce the size of the qubits and done so in a way that reduces the interference that occurs between neighboring qubits. The MIT researchers have increased the number of superconducting qubits that can be added onto a device by a factor of 100.

“We are addressing both qubit miniaturization and quality,” said William Oliver, the director for the Center for Quantum Engineering at MIT. “Unlike conventional transistor scaling, where only the number really matters, for qubits, large numbers are not sufficient, they must also be high-performance. Sacrificing performance for qubit number is not a useful trade in quantum computing. They must go hand in hand.”

The key to this big increase in qubit density and reduction of interference comes down to the use of two-dimensional materials, in particular the 2D insulator hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). The MIT researchers demonstrated that a few atomic monolayers of hBN can be stacked to form the insulator in the capacitors of a superconducting qubit.

Just like other capacitors, the capacitors in these superconducting circuits take the form of a sandwich in which an insulator material is sandwiched between two metal plates. The big difference for these capacitors is that the superconducting circuits can operate only at extremely low temperatures—less than 0.02 degrees above absolute zero (-273.15 °C).

Superconducting qubits are measured at temperatures as low as 20 millikelvin in a dilution refrigerator.Nathan Fiske/MIT

In that environment, insulating materials that are available for the job, such as PE-CVD silicon oxide or silicon nitride, have quite a few defects that are too lossy for quantum computing applications. To get around these material shortcomings, most superconducting circuits use what are called coplanar capacitors. In these capacitors, the plates are positioned laterally to one another, rather than on top of one another.

As a result, the intrinsic silicon substrate below the plates and to a smaller degree the vacuum above the plates serve as the capacitor dielectric. Intrinsic silicon is chemically pure and therefore has few defects, and the large size dilutes the electric field at the plate interfaces, all of which leads to a low-loss capacitor. The lateral size of each plate in this open-face design ends up being quite large (typically 100 by 100 micrometers) in order to achieve the required capacitance.

In an effort to move away from the large lateral configuration, the MIT researchers embarked on a search for an insulator that has very few defects and is compatible with superconducting capacitor plates.

“We chose to study hBN because it is the most widely used insulator in 2D material research due to its cleanliness and chemical inertness,” said colead author Joel Wang, a research scientist in the Engineering Quantum Systems group of the MIT Research Laboratory for Electronics.

On either side of the hBN, the MIT researchers used the 2D superconducting material, niobium diselenide. One of the trickiest aspects of fabricating the capacitors was working with the niobium diselenide, which oxidizes in seconds when exposed to air, according to Wang. This necessitates that the assembly of the capacitor occur in a glove box filled with argon gas.

While this would seemingly complicate the scaling up of the production of these capacitors, Wang doesn’t regard this as a limiting factor.

“What determines the quality factor of the capacitor are the two interfaces between the two materials,” said Wang. “Once the sandwich is made, the two interfaces are “sealed” and we don’t see any noticeable degradation over time when exposed to the atmosphere.”

This lack of degradation is because around 90 percent of the electric field is contained within the sandwich structure, so the oxidation of the outer surface of the niobium diselenide does not play a significant role anymore. This ultimately makes the capacitor footprint much smaller, and it accounts for the reduction in cross talk between the neighboring qubits.

“The main challenge for scaling up the fabrication will be the wafer-scale growth of hBN and 2D superconductors like [niobium diselenide], and how one can do wafer-scale stacking of these films,” added Wang.

Wang believes that this research has shown 2D hBN to be a good insulator candidate for superconducting qubits. He says that the groundwork the MIT team has done will serve as a road map for using other hybrid 2D materials to build superconducting circuits.




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Honor a Loved One With an IEEE Foundation Memorial Fund



As the philanthropic partner of IEEE, the IEEE Foundation expands the organization’s charitable body of work by inspiring philanthropic engagement that ignites a donor’s innermost interests and values.

One way the Foundation does so is by partnering with IEEE units to create memorial funds, which pay tribute to members, family, friends, teachers, professors, students, and others. This type of giving honors someone special while also supporting future generations of engineers and celebrating innovation.

Below are three recently created memorial funds that not only have made an impact on their beneficiaries and perpetuated the legacy of the namesake but also have a deep meaning for those who launched them.

EPICS in IEEE Fischer Mertel Community of Projects

The EPICS in IEEE Fischer Mertel Community of Projects was established to support projects “designed to inspire multidisciplinary teams of engineering students to collaborate and engineer solutions to address local community needs.”

The fund was created by the children of Joe Fischer and Herb Mertel to honor their fathers’ passion for mentoring students. Longtime IEEE members, Fischer and Mertel were active with the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society. Fischer was the society’s 1972 president and served on its board of directors for six years. Mertel served on the society’s board from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1989 to 1993.

“The EPICS in IEEE Fischer Mertel Community of Projects was established to inspire and support outstanding engineering ideas and efforts that help communities worldwide,” says Tina Mertel, Herb’s daughter. “Joe Fischer and my father had a lifelong friendship and excelled as engineering leaders and founders of their respective companies [Fischer Custom Communications and EMACO]. I think that my father would have been proud to know that their friendship and work are being honored in this way.”

The nine projects supported thus far have the potential to impact more than 104,000 people because of the work and collaboration of 190 students worldwide. The projects funded are intended to represent at least two of the EPICS in IEEE’s focus categories: education and outreach; human services; environmental; and access and abilities.

Here are a few of the projects:

IEEE AESS Michael C. Wicks Radar Student Travel Grant

The IEEE Michael C. Wicks Radar Student Travel Grant was established by IEEE Fellow Michael Wicks prior to his death in 2022. The grant provides travel support for graduate students who are the primary authors on a paper being presented at the annual IEEE Radar Conference. Wicks was an electronics engineer and a radio industry leader who was known for developing knowledge-based space-time adaptive processing. He believed in investing in the next generation and he wanted to provide an opportunity for that to happen.Ten graduate students have been awarded the Wicks grant to date. This year two students from Region 8 (Africa, Europe, Middle East) and two students from Region 10 (Asia and Pacific) were able to travel to Denver to attend the IEEE Radar Conference and present their research. The papers they presented are “Target Shape Reconstruction From Multi-Perspective Shadows in Drone-Borne SAR Systems” and “Design of Convolutional Neural Networks for Classification of Ships from ISAR Images.”

Life Fellow Fumio Koyama and IEEE Fellow Constance J. Chang-Hasnain proudly display their IEEE Nick Holonyak, Jr. Medal for Semiconductor Optoelectronic Technologies at this year’s IEEE Honors Ceremony. They are accompanied by IEEE President-Elect Kathleen Kramer and IEEE President Tom Coughlin.Robb Cohen

IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal for Semiconductor Optoelectronic Technologies

The IEEE Nick Holonyak Jr. Medal for Semiconductor Optoelectronic Technologies was created with a memorial fund supported by some of Holonyak’s former graduate students to honor his work as a professor and mentor. Presented on behalf of the IEEE Board of Directors, the medal recognizes outstanding contributions to semiconductor optoelectronic devices and systems including high-energy-efficiency semiconductor devices and electronics.

Holonyak was a prolific inventor and longtime professor of electrical engineering and physics. In 1962, while working as a scientist at General Electric’s Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory in Syracuse, N.Y., he invented the first practical visible-spectrum LED and laser diode. His innovations are the basis of the devices now used in high-efficiency light bulbs and laser diodes. He left GE in 1963 to join the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a professor of electrical engineering and physics at the invitation of John Bardeen, his Ph.D. advisor and a two-time Nobel Prize winner in physics. Holonyak retired from UIUC in 2013 but continued research collaborations at the university with young faculty members.

“In addition to his remarkable technical contributions, he was an excellent teacher and mentor to graduate students and young electrical engineers,” says Russell Dupuis, one of his doctoral students. “The impact of his innovations has improved the lives of most people on the earth, and this impact will only increase with time. It was my great honor to be one of his students and to help create this important IEEE medal to ensure that his work will be remembered in the future.”

The award was presented for the first time at this year’s IEEE Honors Ceremony, in Boston, to IEEE Fellow Constance Chang-Hasnain and Life Fellow Fumio Koyama for “pioneering contributions to vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and VCSEL-based photonics for optical communications and sensing.”

Establishing a memorial fund through the IEEE Foundation is a gratifying way to recognize someone who has touched your life while also advancing technology for humanity. If you are interested in learning more about memorial and tribute funds, reach out to the IEEE Foundation team: donate@ieee.org.




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