GeCoAgent: A Conversational Agent for Empowering Genomic Data Extraction and Analysis

With the availability of reliable and low-cost DNA sequencing, human genomics is relevant to a growing number of end-users, including biologists and clinicians. Typical interactions require applying comparative data analysis to huge repositories of genomic information for building new knowledge, taking advantage of the latest findings in applied genomics for healthcare. Powerful technology for data extraction and analysis is available, but broad use of the technology is hampered by the complexity of accessing such methods and tools. This work presents GeCoAgent, a big-data service for clinicians and biologists. GeCoAgent uses a dialogic interface, animated by a chatbot, for supporting the end-users’ interaction with computational tools accompanied by multi-modal support. While the dialogue progresses, the user is accompanied in extracting the relevant data from repositories and then performing data analysis, which often requires the use of statistical methods or machine learning. Results are returned using simple representations (spreadsheets and graphics), while at the end of a session the dialogue is summarized in textual format. The innovation presented in this article is concerned with not only the delivery of a new tool but also our novel approach to conversational technologies, potentially extensible to other healthcare domains or to general data science.

Harmonising the human biobanking consent process: an Irish experience

Biobanks are repositories of human biological samples and data. They are an important component of clinical research in many disease areas and often represent the first step toward innovative treatments. For biobanks to operate, researchers need human participants to give their samples and associated health data. In Ireland, research participants must provide their freely given informed consent for their samples and data to be taken and used for research purposes. Biobank staff are responsible for communicating the relevant information to participants prior to obtaining their consent, and this communication process is supported by the Participant Information Leaflets and Informed Consent Form (PI/ICFs). PILs/ICFs should be concise, intelligible, and contain relevant information. While not a substitute for layperson and research staff discussions, PILs and ICFs ensure that a layperson has enough information to make an informed choice to participate or not. However, PILs/ICFs are often lengthy, contain technical language and can be complicated and onerous for a layperson to read. The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation and the related Irish Health Research Regulation presented additional challenges to the Irish biobank community. In May 2019, the National Biobanking Working Group (NBWG) was established in Ireland. It consists of members from diverse research backgrounds located in universities, hospitals and research centres across Ireland and a public/patient partner. The NBWG aimed to develop a suite of resources for health research biobanks via robust and meaningful patient engagement, which are accessible, General Data Protection Regulation/Health Research Regulation-compliant and could be used nationally, including a PIL/ICF template. This open letter describes the process whereby this national biobank PIL/ICF template was produced. The development of this template included review by the Patient Voice in Cancer Research, led by Professor Amanda McCann at University College Dublin and the Health Research Data Protection Network.

Cybersecurity, Data Privacy and Blockchain: A Review

In this paper, we identify and review key challenges to bridge the knowledge-gap between SME’s, companies, organisations, businesses, government institutions and the general public in adopting, promoting and utilising Blockchain technology. The challenges indicated are Cybersecurity and Data privacy in this instance. Additional challenges are set out supported by literature, in researching data security management systems and legal frameworks to ascertaining the types and varieties of valid encryption, data acquisition, policy and outcomes under ISO 27001 and the General Data Protection Regulations. Blockchain, a revolutionary method of storage and immutability, provides a robust storage strategy, and when coupled with a Smart Contract, gives users the ability to form partnerships, share information and consent via a legally-based system of carrying out business transactions in a secure digital domain. Globally, ethical and legal challenges significantly differ; consent and trust in the public and private sectors in deploying such defensive data management strategies, is directly related to the accountability and transparency systems in place to deliver certainty and justice. Therefore, investment and research in these areas is crucial to establishing a dialogue between nations to include health, finance and market strategies that should encompass all levels of society. A framework is proposed with elements to include Big Data, Machine Learning and Visualisation methods and techniques. Through the literature we identify a system necessary in carrying out experiments to detect, capture, process and store data. This includes isolating packet data to inform levels of Cybersecurity and privacy-related activities, and ensuring transparency demonstrated in a secure, smart and effective manner.

Multimodal analysis of advertising discourse during the lockdown due to COVID-19: Comparison of the communication strategies of financial services and automotive products in Spain

The goal of the following text is to analyze the changes in television advertising in the banking and automobile sectors, according to the social context. The hypothesis is that communication is significantly influenced by the situational context, causing differences between the advertising of the two sectors. A multimodal discourse analysis is used, comparing twenty commercials from the banking and automobile sectors in 2019 and 2020, the period during which the lockdown due to COVID-19 took place. Based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis tables were developed with which to analyze general data such as the value proposition or target audience of the advert, or other special data like the text (verb tenses, rhetorical figures…), the image and the sound used. The fact that context is decisive in communication is made evident, and since this is different in every sector, the communication strategy is clearly different as well. However, the points that the two sectors have in common are remarkable: these range from talking about brands and products, to speaking for and about people.

Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh Masa COVID-19: Strategi Guru Meningkatkan Kreativitas Anak Usia Dini

oronavirus Disease (COVID-19) causes learning to be done remotely from home. Distance Learning is a new thing in the world of education, especially Early Childhood Education (ECE). Children's creativity in early childhood learning is important to be maximized to reduce delays in achieving child development. This paper aims to see how the teacher's strategy in increasing children's creativity in distance learning. This research uses a qualitative research type. The data sources of this study were (1) Primary data sources, namely the principal, class teacher, and 5 students' parents. (2) Secondary data sources, namely supporting data that presents general data such as online articles, previous research, and books. Technique of data collection using observation, documentation, and interviews. Data analysis was carried out using the concept developed by Miles and Huberman, consisting of data reduction, data display, and concluding. The results showed that the strategy used by the teacher in the Implementation of Distance Learning at TK IT An-Nahl used several applications, namely: Google Meet, playing youtube videos and working on worksheets. Children's creativity at TK ITAn-Nahl can be done by creating works of art, imagination, exploration, experimentation, projects, and language. Factors that influence children's creativity in TK IT An-Nahl, namely: mental stimulation, mood, the role of parents, the role of teachers, and finances. The findings of this study contribute to an understanding of how the strategies used by teachers are to increase early childhood creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Application Effect of the Standard Operating Procedure in the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism

Objective. To investigate the application effect of the standard operating procedure (SOP) in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods. The clinical data of patients admitted to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and geriatric departments in the hospital (November 2020–May 2021) were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients in line with the inclusion criteria were equally randomized into the observation group (OG) and the control group (CG). The CG was treated with the routine nursing, and the OG received the SOP of VTE prevention additionally. After the record of the incidence of VTE and nursing satisfaction of the two groups, scores of VTE awareness were compared. Results. One hundred and twenty patients were included in this study, and no obvious difference was found in the general data of patients ( P > 0.05). Compared with the CG, the incidence of VTE of the OG was obviously lower ( P < 0.05). After nursing, compared with the CG, scores of VTE awareness in the OG were conspicuously higher ( P < 0.001), and scores of VTE awareness of the nursing staff were conspicuously higher than those before nursing ( P < 0.001). Compared with the CG, nursing satisfaction of the OG was obviously higher ( P < 0.001). Conclusion. SOP can reduce the incidence of VTE of patients, improve their disease awareness, and enhance their nursing satisfaction, which should be popularized in practice.

Internal Control and Its Application in Public Management: a Literature Review

Currently, having a transparent and orderly public institution is related to the public policy of modernization of the state, which is not easy because it requires managers who have the will to implement an internal control system that allows the efficiency and effectiveness of the acts of the entities. The internal control in recent years has greater relevance seeking that the state entities are strengthened through new processes and changes of actions that allow transparency and achieve the objectives set and have an efficient management with a level of security of their administrative acts. The objective of this research is to study the simplification of actions and administrative transformations in public management through internal control. The methodology used for the literature review was descriptive, a search was made through the Scopus database, obtaining general data of 24 records, a not very significant number for the topic addressed, which has been subjected to bibliometric analysis that allowed to determine that the growth of publications from 1977 to 2020 has had an insignificant growth, having been accentuated in 2 publications from 2019 to 2020, likewise the greatest number of researches have been carried out in undefined countries, followed by Portugal, United Kingdom and United States, being the article the publication medium that has the greatest significance and the area that stands out most in publications is the social sciences followed by the economic sciences. Likewise, the Vos viewer was used to obtain the study map and the heat map of the Internal Control and Public Management theme. From the analysis, the theories related to the paradigms of internal control and public management have been analyzed, which will lead us to understand the changes or actions that public entities have or have had.

Clinical characteristics of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome having respiratory symptoms as the initial manifestations: A retrospective study

The aim of the study was to investigate clinical features of patients with AIDS having respiratory symptoms as initial manifestations and help in the early diagnosis. Eighty-eight patients admitted to the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital were included in the study. General data, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, chest computed tomography (CT) imaging features, treatments, and prognosis were analyzed. Peripheral leukopenia, lymphopenia, hypoxemia, and reduced percentage of CD4+ T lymphocytes were found in 25.6%, 43.6%, 27.5%, and 94.9% of the patients, respectively. Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) was the most frequent cause of opportunistic pulmonary infection. Patients with PCP had more bilateral lung involvement and ground-glass shadow in CT manifestations. A follow-up of the 43 patients transferred to the Public Health Center showed improvement in 27 (62.8%), stabilization in 4 (9.3%), worsening in 1 (2.3%), and death in 11 (25.6%) patients. Detailed medical history recording, screening of human immunodeficiency virus antibody, and flow cytometry would improve the diagnostic efficiency of AIDS in patients with diffuse ground-glass shadow in chest CT. Early and empirical treatment could improve the prognosis.