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In this study, we introduce a framework designed to help educators assess the effectiveness of popular generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in solving authentic assessments. We employed Bloom's taxonomy as a guiding principle to create authentic assessments that evaluate the capabilities of generative AI tools. We applied this framework to assess the abilities of ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-3.5, Google Bard and Microsoft Bing in solving authentic assessments in economics. We found that generative AI tools perform very well at the lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy while still maintaining a decent level of performance at the higher levels, with "create" being the weakest level of performance. Interestingly, these tools are better able to address numeric-based questions than text-based ones. Moreover, all the generative AI tools exhibit weaknesses in building arguments based on theoretical frameworks, maintaining the coherence of different arguments and providing appropriate references. Our study provides educators with a framework to assess the capabilities of generative AI tools, enabling them to make more informed decisions regarding assessments and learning activities. Our findings demand a strategic reimagining of educational goals and assessments, emphasising higher cognitive skills and calling for a concerted effort to enhance the capabilities of educators in preparing students for a rapidly transforming professional environment.

In recent years, single-channel physiological recordings have gained popularity in portable health devices and research settings due to their convenience. However, the presence of electrooculogram (EOG) artifacts can significantly degrade the quality of the recorded data, impacting the accuracy of essential signal features. Consequently, artifact removal from physiological signals is a crucial step in signal processing pipelines. Current techniques often employ Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to efficiently separate signal and artifact sources in multichannel recordings. However, limitations arise when dealing with single or a few channel measurements in minimal instrumentation or portable devices, restricting the utility of ICA. To address this challenge, this paper introduces an innovative artifact removal algorithm utilizing enhanced empirical mode decomposition to extract the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Subsequently, the algorithm targets the removal of segments related to EOG by isolating them within these IMFs. The proposed method is compared with existing single-channel EEG artifact removal algorithms, demonstrating superior performance. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in isolating artifact components, resulting in a reconstructed signal characterized by a strong correlation and a power spectrum closely resembling the ground-truth EEG signal. This outperforms the existing methods in terms of artifact removal. Additionally, the proposed algorithm exhibits significantly reduced execution time, enabling real-time online analysis.

The desired performance of nucleic acid testing (NAT) may vary if used for disease diagnosis or for the evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of a treatment, although in most cases, the same assay is used. However, these tests may not be affordable in many situations including in low/middle income countries that in response have developed domestic assays. Given the example of HCV NAT among people who inject drugs in Vietnam, we aimed at evaluating a domestic assay versus an FDA- and CE-approved assay. This cross-evaluation revealed that (i) the domestic assay had a poorer sensitivity with a threshold of detection above 104 IU/mL, and (ii) the FDA-approved assay had a percentage of false negative results close to 1%. Together, in the present study, the domestic assay had a performance compatible with diagnosis purposes (given that this population was 70% HCV seropositive) but not compatible with HCV treatment monitoring (given that treatment failures are rare and the observed viremia frequently below the threshold of detection). This study highlights the need for a proper evaluation of HCV RNA domestic assays in order to efficiently contribute to the WHO HCV elimination target by 2030.

BackgroundChronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inborn error of immunity (IEI) disorder that results from defects in the respiratory burst activity in phagocytes, leading to the inability to kill bacterial and fungal microorganisms. CGD patients usually have a high incidence of morbidity such as infections and autoinflammatory diseases and a high mortality rate. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the only definitive cure for patients who suffer from CGD.Case presentationWe report the first transplant case of chronic granulomatous disease in Vietnam. A 25-month-old boy with X-linked CGD underwent bone marrow transplantation from his 5-year-old, full-matched human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-carrier sibling after myeloablative conditioning regimen with busulfan 5.1 mg/kg/day for 4 days, fludarabine 30 mg/m2/day for 5 days, and rATG (Grafalon-Fresenius) 10 mg/kg/day for 4 days. Neutrophil was engrafted on day 13 posttransplant, donor chimerism was 100% on day 30 with the dihydrorhodamine-1,2,3 (DHR 123) flow cytometric assay test that reached 38% of the normal 45 days posttransplant. Five months after transplant, the patient was free of infection with stable DHR 123 assay at 37%, and donor chimerism remained 100%. No sign of a graft-versus-host disease had been observed posttransplant.ConclusionWe suggest that bone marrow transplantation is a safe and effectual cure for CGD patients, especially for patients with HLA-identical siblings.

Tetrasubstituted 2,3‐trans‐dihydrofuran and furan are important heterocyclic scaffolds in natural product, bioorganic and medicinal chemistry as well as in material science. The synthesis of both of these heterocycles starting from common and readily available starting materials are challenging. We found that in situ generated deoxybenzoin‐chalcone Michael adducts underwent oxidative annulation upon heating with molecular iodine in DMSO to provide selectively 2,3‐trans‐dihydrofurans at 80 °C and furans at 120 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moringa oleifera is considered to be one of the most valuable and beneficial crop tree species. The great nutritiousness is assigned to its high leaf protein content, and its health-promoting effect to the anti-carcinogenic properties of its genuine glucosinolates and their degradation products. From a plant physiological perception protein contents of 30% seem to be quite high. Accordingly, a reconsideration of these findings became necessary. The related inquiry unveils that also in the leaves of many other plant species such high protein contents are reported, provided that they are quantified by Kjeldahl nitrogen determinations. But, it is rather likely that the nitrogen accounting for the putative high protein contents is due to insoluble cell wall bound hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins. Due to their extreme insolubility, these compounds cannot be digested easily, and thus, they do not contribute to the nutritiousness of M. oleifera leaves. In contrast to classical glucosinolates, those occurring in M. oleifera are characterized by an attachment of a rhamnose to the aglycone. In consequence, the products generated during the myrosinase-cata-lysed hydrolysis correspond to non-volatile rhamnosides of isothiocyanates. Since over time, olfactorily active substances emerge, the rhamnose moiety has to be cleaved off, putatively by a corresponding rhamnosidase.

People who inject drugs (PWID) are a population exposed to many genotoxicants and with a high prevalence of HCV infection. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens are now widely used to treat chronic HCV infection. Although side effects to treatment are currently rare, the long-term effects such as suspicions of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence or HCC recurrence and cardiac defects are still up for debate. Given the structure of DAAs, the molecules have a potential mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genotoxicity. We have previously reported acute mtDNA toxicity of three DAA regimens among PWID with a strong impact on the rate of mtDNA deletion, less on the quantity of mtDNA copy per cell at sustained viral response at 12 weeks (SVR12). Herein, we report the mtDNA parameters nine months after drug discontinuation. We observed that the percentage of the deleted mtDNA genome increased over time. No exposure to any other genotoxicants during this period was associated with a high deletion percentage, suggesting that the replicative advantage of the deleted molecules outweighed their elimination processes. Such observation calls for longer-term follow-up and may contribute to the molecular basis of subclinical side effects of DAA treatments.

In the presence of a base catalyst (20 mol %) such as DBU, DABCO or Na2S ⋅ 3H2O/N‐methylpyrrolidone, phenylacetylenes were found to efficiently undergo sulfurative amination with elemental sulfur and anilines under neat conditions, leading to N‐aryl thioamides with complete atom efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In Vietnam, people who inject drugs (PWID), who are the major population infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV), remain largely undiagnosed and unlinked to HCV prevention and care despite recommended universal hepatitis C treatment. The data on the outcomes of HCV treatment among PWID also remain limited in resource-limited settings. The DRug use & Infections in ViEtnam–hepatitis C (DRIVE-C) study examines the effectiveness of a model of hepatitis C screening and integrated care targeting PWID that largely uses community-based organisations (CBO) in Hai Phong, Vietnam. In a wider perspective, this model may have the potential to eliminate HCV among PWID in this city.Methods and analysis The model of care comprises large community-based mass screening, simplified treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and major involvement of CBO for PWID reaching out, linkage to care, treatment adherence and prevention of reinfection. The effectiveness of DAA care strategy among PWID, the potential obstacles to widespread implementation and its impact at population level will be assessed. A cost-effectiveness analysis is planned to further inform policy-makers. The enrolment target is 1050 PWID, recruited from the DRIVE study in Hai Phong. After initiation of pan-genotypic treatment consisting of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir administrated for 12 weeks, with ribavirin added in cases of cirrhosis, participants are followed-up for 48 weeks. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with sustained virological response at week 48, that will be compared with a theoretical expected rate of 70%.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by Haiphong University of Medicine and Pharmacy's Ethics Review Board and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. The sponsor and the investigators are committed to conducting this study in accordance with ethics principles contained in the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki (Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects). Informed consent is obtained before study enrolment. The data are anonymised and stored in a secure database. The study is ongoing. Results will be presented at international conferences and submitted to international peer-review journals.Trial registration number NCT03537196.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed considerable lives. There are major concerns in Africa due to existing high prevalence rates for both infectious and non-infectious diseases and limited resources in terms of personnel, beds and equipment. Alongside this, concerns that lockdown and other measures will have on prevention and management of other infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs are an increasing issue with rising morbidity and mortality rates. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that a lack of nets and treatment could result in up to 18 million additional cases of malaria and up to 30,000 additional deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.ObjectiveDocument current prevalence and mortality rates from COVID-19 alongside economic and other measures to reduce its spread and impact across Africa. In addition, suggested ways forward among all key stakeholder groups.Our ApproachContextualise the findings from a wide range of publications including internet-based publications coupled with input from senior-level personnel.Ongoing ActivitiesPrevalence and mortality rates are currently lower in Africa than among several Western countries and the USA. This could be due to a number of factors including early instigation of lockdown and border closures, the younger age of the population, lack of robust reporting systems and as yet unidentified genetic and other factors. Innovation is accelerating to address concerns with available equipment. There are ongoing steps to address the level of misinformation and its consequences including fines. There are also ongoing initiatives across Africa to start addressing the unintended consequences of COVID-19 activities including lockdown measures and their impact on NCDs including the likely rise in mental health disorders, exacerbated by increasing stigma associated with COVID-19. Strategies include extending prescription lengths, telemedicine and encouraging vaccination. However, these need to be accelerated to prevent increased morbidity and mortality.ConclusionThere are multiple activities across Africa to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and address misinformation, which can have catastrophic consequences, assisted by the WHO and others, which appear to be working in a number of countries. Research is ongoing to clarify the unintended consequences given ongoing concerns to guide future activities. Countries are learning from each other.

With the medical internet of things, many automated diagnostic models related to eye diseases are easier. The doctors could quickly contrast and compare retina fundus images. The retina image contains a lot of information in the image. The task of detecting diabetic macular edema from retinal images in the healthcare system is difficult because the details in these images are very small. This paper proposed the new model based on the medical internet of things for predicting diabetic macular edema in retina fundus images. The method called DMER (Diabetic Macular Edema in Retina fundus images) to detect diabetic macular edema in retina fundus images based on improving deep residual network being combined with feature pyramid network in the context of the medical internet of things. The DMER method includes the following stages: (i) ResNet101 improved combining with feature pyramid network is used to extract features of the image and obtain the map of these features; (ii) a region proposal network to look for potential anomalies; and (iii) the predicted bounding boxes against the true bounding box by the regression method to certify the capability of macular edema. The MESSIDOR and DIARETDB1 datasets are used for testing with evaluation criteria such as sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The accuracy of the DMER method is about 98.08% with MESSIDOR dataset and 98.92% with DIARETDB1 dataset. The results of the method DMER are better than those of the other methods up to the present time with the above datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antiviral nucleoside analogues (ANA) are newly used therapeutics acting against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This class of drug is well known to exhibit toxicity on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). People who inject drugs (PWID) are particularly affected by HCV infection and cumulated mitotoxic drug exposure from HIV treatments (antiretrovirals, ARV) and other illicit drugs. This study aims to explore the impact of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments on mtDNA among PWID. A total of 470 actively injecting heroin users were included. We used quantitative PCR on whole blood to determine the mitochondrial copy number per cell (MCN) and the proportion of mitochondrial DNA deletion (MDD). These parameters were assessed before and after DAA treatment. MDD was significantly increased after HCV treatment, while MCN did not differ. MDD was even greater when subjects were cotreated with ARV. In multivariate analysis, we identified that poly-exposure to DAA and daily heroin injection or regular consumption of methamphetamines were positively associated with high MCN loss while DAA and ARV treatments or methadone use were identified as risk factors for having mtDNA deletion. These observations deserve attention since they were previously associated with premature cell ageing or cell transformation and therefore call for a long-term follow-up.

In this study, we introduce a framework designed to help educators assess the effectiveness of popular generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in solving authentic assessments. We employed Bloom's taxonomy as a guiding principle to create authentic assessments that evaluate the capabilities of generative AI tools. We applied this framework to assess the abilities of ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-3.5, Google Bard and Microsoft Bing in solving authentic assessments in economics. We found that generative AI tools perform very well at the lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy while still maintaining a decent level of performance at the higher levels, with "create" being the weakest level of performance. Interestingly, these tools are better able to address numeric-based questions than text-based ones. Moreover, all the generative AI tools exhibit weaknesses in building arguments based on theoretical frameworks, maintaining the coherence of different arguments and providing appropriate references. Our study provides educators with a framework to assess the capabilities of generative AI tools, enabling them to make more informed decisions regarding assessments and learning activities. Our findings demand a strategic reimagining of educational goals and assessments, emphasising higher cognitive skills and calling for a concerted effort to enhance the capabilities of educators in preparing students for a rapidly transforming professional environment. Implications for practice or policy • Our proposed framework enables educators to systematically evaluate the capabilities of widely used generative AI tools in assessments and assist them in the assessment design process. • Tertiary institutions should re-evaluate and redesign programmes and course learning outcomes. The new focus on learning outcomes should address the higher levels of educational goals of Bloom's taxonomy, specifically the "create" level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral load (VL) monitoring of HIV-infected patients in decentralized areas is limited due to logistic constraints. Dried Blood Spots (DBS) offer the opportunity to collect samples in remote area which can be easily transferred and tested at a central laboratory. The MOVIDA (Monitoring Of Viral load In Decentralized Area) project evaluated the performance of VL measurements on DBS using the new CE marked optimized Abbott protocol.HIV-1 infected adults from three outpatient clinics in Hanoi (Vietnam) were enrolled into the study between 1 March and 13 April 2017. VL was measured on DBS using the optimized protocol provided by the manufacturer and compared to plasma VL as reference method on the Abbott m2000rt RealTime HIV-1 platform. Sensitivity was defined as the ability for DBS samples to correctly identify VL failure at the threshold of 1000 copies/mL of plasma, while specificity represented the ability to identify patients with a plasma HIV-RNA VL of