New Insights on the Biomechanics of the Fetal Membrane.

During pregnancy, the Fetal Membrane (FM) is subjected to mechanical stretching that may result in preterm labor. The structural integrity of the FM is maintained by its collagenous layer. Disconnection and reconnection of molecular bonds between collagen fibrils is the fundamental process that governs the irreversible mechanical and supramolecular changes in the FM.

Association between betamethasone levels and respiratory distress syndrome in preterm births: A prospective cohort study.

The recommended fixed dosage of betamethasone for pregnancies at risk of preterm birth was determined in the 1970s, regardless of gestational age (GA), number of fetuses, and maternal weight. We aimed to examine the association between maternal and neonatal betamethasone serum levels and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and to examine whether levels correlate with maternal weight, GA, or number of fetuses. A prospective study was conducted at a single academic medical center between August 2016 and February 2019.

Indoors audio classification with structure image method for simulating multi-room acoustics.

In this paper, we introduce an extension of the image method for generating room impulse responses in a structure with more than a single confined space, namely, the structure image method (StIM). The proposed method, StIM, can efficiently generate a large number of environmental examples for a structure impulse response, which is required by current deep-learning methods for many tasks, while maintaining low computational complexity. We address the integration of the environment representation, produced by StIM, into the training process, and present a framework for training deep models.

Enthalpy of collagen interfibrillar bonds in fetal membranes.

During pregnancy, the fetal membrane (FM) is subjected to mechanical stretching that may result in preterm labor. The structural integrity of the FM is maintained by its collagenous layer. The disconnection and reconnection of molecular bonds between collagen fibrils are the fundamental processes that govern the irreversible mechanical and supermolecular changes in the FM.

On the Value of Alert Systems and Gentle Rule Enforcement in Addressing Pandemics.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a major challenge to policy makers on how to encourage compliance to social distancing and personal protection rules. This paper compares the effectiveness of two policies that aim to increase the frequency of responsible health behavior using smartphone-tracking applications. The first involves enhanced alert capabilities, which remove social externalities and protect the users from others' reckless behavior.