TripAdvisor of healthcare: Opportunities for value creation through patient feedback platforms

The objective of this study is to explore new opportunities for hospitals to use patient feedback platforms (i.e., digital platforms on which patients express their opinions on their care journeys). Patient feedback platforms generate an ever-expanding amount of data on patient experience of care that is currently unused by most hospital or their business intelligence unit. We used the methodological approach of netnography on the negative feedback received by one hospital combined with interviews to identify the potential value of the data generated by the patient feedback platform. The main findings are that a digital feedback platform serves as a source of data to indicate: (1)Where to act (by localizing the negative comments), (2) On what to act (what thematic provides satisfaction and therefore is to be kept; or causes dissatisfaction and thus is to be improved), and (3) How to innovate (ideas about new practices to implement). It becomes evident that the platforms are developing a service to help hospitals make sense of this raw data and that a hospital can use patient feedback from other hospitals to improve their own practices. The first implication of our results is that patient feedback platforms generate a complementary type of feedback (i.e. based on patient perception and not empirical fact), as well as a source of data (i.e., patients’ external spontaneous feedback and not internally controlled survey feedback) for the Business Intelligence unit engaged in the transformation of the hospital towards patient-centered care. The second implication is that these platforms create a feedback network effect (i.e. A patient’s feedback can be used by hospitals other than the focal hospital concerned by that feedback, therefore increasing the overall value of the platform). The third implication is that digital transformation is enabled not only by data generation on the platform but also by data analysis services provided by the third party that runs the platform

Adverse reactions of biological therapies in patients with psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder characterized by well demarcated, erythematous plaques covered by thick, silvery-white scales, most often located on the knees, elbows, sacral area and scalp. It has a significant impact on the patient\u27s quality of life. Biological therapies revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris but there has been concern regarding the use of those agents due to severe adverse reactions reported in patients receiving TNF-α inhibitors for various inflammatory diseases. The aim of this paper is to review the most important adverse reactions reported in patients receiving biological treatments. The most common and severe side effects associated with biologicals are infections, cardiac adverse reactions, neurologic adverse reactions, lymphomas, non-melanoma skin cancers and hepatobiliary disease

On perturbations of Dirac operators with variable magnetic field of constant direction

We carry out the spectral analysis of matrix valued perturbations of 3-dimensional Dirac operators with variable magnetic field of constant direction. Under suitable assumptions on the magnetic field and on the pertubations, we obtain a limiting absorption principle, we prove the absence of singular continuous spectrum in certain intervals and state properties of the point spectrum. Various situations, for example when the magnetic field is constant, periodic or diverging at infinity, are covered. The importance of an internal-type operator (a 2-dimensional Dirac operator) is also revealed in our study. The proofs rely on commutator methods.Comment: 12 page

Distinct neural correlates of social and object reward seeking motivation

The “Choose‐a‐Movie‐CAM” is an established task to quantify the motivation for seeking social rewards. It allows participants to directly assess both the stimulus value and the effort required to obtain it. In the present study, we aimed to identify the neural mechanisms of such cost‐benefit decision‐making. To this end, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data were collected from 24 typical adults while they completed the CAM task. We partly replicated the results from our previous behavioural studies showing that typical adults prefer social over object stimuli and low effort over higher effort stimuli but found no interaction between the two. Results from neuroimaging data suggest that there are distinct neural correlates for social and object preferences. The precuneus and medial orbitofrontal cortex, two key areas involved in social processing are engaged when participants make a social choice. Areas of the ventral and dorsal stream pathways associated with object recognition are engaged when making an object choice. These activations can be seen during the decision phase even before the rewards have been consumed, indicating a transfer the hedonic properties of social stimuli to its cues. We also found that the left insula and bilateral clusters in the inferior occipital gyrus and the inferior parietal lobule were recruited for increasing effort investment. We discuss limitations and implications of this study which reveals the distinct neural correlates for social and object rewards, using a robust behavioural measure of social motivation

TOWARD A MORE EFFICIENT UTILISATION OF BETALAINS AS PIGMENTS FOR DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS

We report on the use of natural dyes, betalains, as pigments for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC). Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory calculations provide the electronic spectra of the various types of betalain dyes and allow a discussion of their matching to the solar spectrum. Experimentally, we vary parameters such as the nature of the extracting solvent, the pH and the composition of the extract, to optimize the fabrication of DSSCs using betalains. Based on UV-Vis spectra correlated with electro-optic measurements providing the photovolatic conversion efficiency under standard AM1.5 conditions we find that the decrease of the pH of the dye solution leads to an increase of the DSSC performance, likely due to the increasing ratios of betacyanins with respect to betaxanthins in the extracts as well as the possible hydrolysis of betanin to betanidin. In order to fabricate better DSSCs using betalain natural dyes, we propose to use water as extracting solvent, to increase the content in betacyanins on the photoanode by a preliminary purification and to raise the stability of the dyes preferably by using anti-oxidizing copigments that do not interact with the substrate

Model risk – daring to open up the black box

With the increasing use of complex quantitative models in applications throughout the financial world, model risk has become a major concern. Such risk is generated by the potential inaccuracy and inappropriate use of models in business applications, which can lead to substantial financial losses and reputational damage. In this paper we deal with the management and measurement of model risk. First, a model risk framework is developed, adapting concepts such as risk appetite, monitoring, and mitigation to the particular case of model risk. The usefulness of such a framework for preventing losses associated with model risk is demonstrated through case studies. Second, we investigate the ways in which different ways of using and perceiving models within an organisation both lead to different model risks. We identify four distinct model cultures and argue that in conditions of deep model uncertainty, each of those cultures makes a valuable contribution to model risk governance. Thus the space of legitimate challenges to models is expanded, such that, in addition to a technical critique, operational and commercial concerns are also addressed. Third, we discuss through the examples of proxy modelling, longevity risk and investment advice, common methods and challenges for quantifying model risk. Difficulties arise in mapping model errors to actual financial impact. In the case of irreducible model uncertainty, it is necessary to employ a variety of measurement approaches, based on statistical inference, fitting multiple models, and stress and scenario analysis

Quantum Simulation of Spin Chains Coupled to Bosonic Modes with Superconducting Circuits

We propose the implementation of a digital quantum simulation of spin chains coupled to bosonic field modes in superconducting circuits. Gates with high fidelities allows one to simulate a variety of Ising magnetic pairing interactions with transverse field, Tavis-Cummings interaction between spins and a bosonic mode, and a spin model with three-body terms. We analyze the feasibility of the implementation in realistic circuit quantum electrodynamics setups, where the interactions are either realized via capacitive couplings or mediated by microwave resonators.Comment: Chapter in R. S. Anderssen et al. (eds.), Mathematics for Industry 11 (Springer Japan, 2015

Essential spectra of difference operators on \sZ^n-periodic graphs

Let (\cX, \rho) be a discrete metric space. We suppose that the group \sZ^n acts freely on $X$ and that the number of orbits of $X$ with respect to this action is finite. Then we call $X$ a \sZ^n-periodic discrete metric space. We examine the Fredholm property and essential spectra of band-dominated operators on $l^p(X)$ where $X$ is a \sZ^n-periodic discrete metric space. Our approach is based on the theory of band-dominated operators on \sZ^n and their limit operators. In case $X$ is the set of vertices of a combinatorial graph, the graph structure defines a Schr\"{o}dinger operator on $l^p(X)$ in a natural way. We illustrate our approach by determining the essential spectra of Schr\"{o}dinger operators with slowly oscillating potential both on zig-zag and on hexagonal graphs, the latter being related to nano-structures