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Public Perception of the Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Diabetes Based on YouTube Comments

Kim et al. | Jun 25, 2024

Public Perception of the Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Diabetes Based on YouTube Comments
Image credit: The authors

Artificial sweeteners are rising in popularity, in part due to the influence of social media platforms like YouTube. However, YouTube commenters often repeat information about artificial sweeteners that is not supported by scientific research. To investigate how misinformation about sweeteners spreads through social media, Kim and Yoo conduct a content analysis of YouTube comments to reveal how many comments repeat misinformation about artificial sweeteners' effects.

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Trust in the use of artificial intelligence technology for treatment planning

Srivastava et al. | Sep 18, 2024

Trust in the use of artificial intelligence technology for treatment planning

As AI becomes more integrated into healthcare, public trust in AI-developed treatment plans remains a concern, especially for emotionally charged health decisions. In a study of 81 community college students, AI-created treatment plans received lower trust ratings compared to physician-developed plans, supporting the hypothesis. The study found no significant differences in AI trust levels across demographic factors, suggesting overall skepticism toward AI-driven healthcare.

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COVID 19 and the perceived impacts on adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health: A quantitative survey

Kumar et al. | Jul 31, 2023

COVID 19 and the perceived impacts on adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health: A quantitative survey
Image credit: Nick Fewings

Here, recognizing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young peoples' mental health and wellbeing the authors used an online survey which included the short General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to probe 102 young adults. Overall they found that young adults perceived the pandemic to be detrimental to many areas of their wellbeing, with females and those aged 18-19 and 22-23 reporting to be the most significantly impacted.

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POC-MON: A Novel and Cost-Effective Pocket Lemon Sniff Test (PLST) for Early Detection of Major Depressive Disorder

Cruz et al. | Jul 07, 2020

POC-MON: A Novel and Cost-Effective Pocket Lemon Sniff Test (PLST) for Early Detection of Major Depressive Disorder

Effective treatment of depression requires early detection. Depressive symptoms overlap with olfactory regions, which led to several studies of the correlation between sense of smell and depression. The alarming rise of depression, its related crimes, suicides, and lack of inexpensive, quick tools in detecting early depression — this study aims in demonstrating decreased olfaction and depression correlation. Forty-two subjects (ages 13-83) underwent POC-MON (Pocket Lemon) assessment — an oven-dried lemon peel sniff test, subjected to distance measurement when odor first detected (threshold) and completed Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-9). POC-MON and PHQ-9 scores yielded a correlation of 20% and 18% for the right and left nostrils, respectively. Among male (n=17) subjects, the average distance of POC-MON and PHQ-9 scores produced a correlation of 14% and 16% for the right and left nostrils, respectively. Females (n=25) demonstrated a correlation of 28% and 21% for the right and left nostrils, respectively. These results suggest the correlation between olfaction and depression in diagnosing its early-stage, using a quick, inexpensive, and patient-friendly tool — POC-MON.

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Mathematical modeling of plant community composition for urban greenery plans

Fang et al. | Jul 05, 2023

Mathematical modeling of plant community composition for urban greenery plans
Image credit: CHUTTERSNAP

Here recognizing the importance of urban green space for the health of humans and other organisms, the authors investigated if mathematical modeling can be used to develop an urban greenery management plan with high eco-sustainability by calculating the composition of a plant community. They optimized and tested their model against green fields in a Beijing city park. Although the compositions predicted by their models differed somewhat from the composition of testing fields, they conclude that by using a mathematical model such as this urban green space can be finely designed to be ecologically and economically sustainable.

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A land use regression model to predict emissions from oil and gas production using machine learning

Cao et al. | Mar 24, 2023

A land use regression model to predict emissions from oil and gas production using machine learning

Emissions from oil and natural gas (O&G) wells such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and ozone (O3) can severely impact the health of communities located near wells. In this study, we used O&G activity and wind-carried emissions to quantify the extent to which O&G wells affect the air quality of nearby communities, revealing that NO2, NOx, and NO are correlated to O&G activity. We then developed a novel land use regression (LUR) model using machine learning based on O&G prevalence to predict emissions.

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