7,361 research outputs found
A framework for applying natural language processing in digital health interventions
BACKGROUND: Digital health interventions (DHIs) are poised to reduce target symptoms in a scalable, affordable, and empirically supported way. DHIs that involve coaching or clinical support often collect text data from 2 sources: (1) open correspondence between users and the trained practitioners supporting them through a messaging system and (2) text data recorded during the intervention by users, such as diary entries. Natural language processing (NLP) offers methods for analyzing text, augmenting the understanding of intervention effects, and informing therapeutic decision making.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to present a technical framework that supports the automated analysis of both types of text data often present in DHIs. This framework generates text features and helps to build statistical models to predict target variables, including user engagement, symptom change, and therapeutic outcomes.
METHODS: We first discussed various NLP techniques and demonstrated how they are implemented in the presented framework. We then applied the framework in a case study of the Healthy Body Image Program, a Web-based intervention trial for eating disorders (EDs). A total of 372 participants who screened positive for an ED received a DHI aimed at reducing ED psychopathology (including binge eating and purging behaviors) and improving body image. These users generated 37,228 intervention text snippets and exchanged 4285 user-coach messages, which were analyzed using the proposed model.
RESULTS: We applied the framework to predict binge eating behavior, resulting in an area under the curve between 0.57 (when applied to new users) and 0.72 (when applied to new symptom reports of known users). In addition, initial evidence indicated that specific text features predicted the therapeutic outcome of reducing ED symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: The case study demonstrates the usefulness of a structured approach to text data analytics. NLP techniques improve the prediction of symptom changes in DHIs. We present a technical framework that can be easily applied in other clinical trials and clinical presentations and encourage other groups to apply the framework in similar contexts
Generating readable texts for readers with low basic skills
Most NLG systems generate texts for readers with good reading ability, but SkillSum adapts its output for readers with poor literacy. Evaluation with lowskilled readers confirms that SkillSum's knowledge-based microplanning choices enhance readability. We also discuss future readability improvements
Crowdsourcing Argumentation Structures in Chinese Hotel Reviews
Argumentation mining aims at automatically extracting the premises-claim
discourse structures in natural language texts. There is a great demand for
argumentation corpora for customer reviews. However, due to the controversial
nature of the argumentation annotation task, there exist very few large-scale
argumentation corpora for customer reviews. In this work, we novelly use the
crowdsourcing technique to collect argumentation annotations in Chinese hotel
reviews. As the first Chinese argumentation dataset, our corpus includes 4814
argument component annotations and 411 argument relation annotations, and its
annotations qualities are comparable to some widely used argumentation corpora
in other languages.Comment: 6 pages,3 figures,This article has been submitted to "The 2017 IEEE
International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC2017)
Text as Environment: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Text Readability Assessment Model
Evaluating the readability of a text can significantly facilitate the precise
expression of information in a written form. The formulation of text
readability assessment demands the identification of meaningful properties of
the text and correct conversion of features to the right readability level.
Sophisticated features and models are being used to evaluate the
comprehensibility of texts accurately. Still, these models are challenging to
implement, heavily language-dependent, and do not perform well on short texts.
Deep reinforcement learning models are demonstrated to be helpful in further
improvement of state-of-the-art text readability assessment models. The main
contributions of the proposed approach are the automation of feature
extraction, loosening the tight language dependency of text readability
assessment task, and efficient use of text by finding the minimum portion of a
text required to assess its readability. The experiments on Weebit, Cambridge
Exams, and Persian readability datasets display the model's state-of-the-art
precision, efficiency, and the capability to be applied to other languages.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 6 equations, 7 table
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