Send in the robots: automated journalism and its potential impact on media pluralism (part 2)

In his previous post, Pieter-Jan Ombelet of the KU Leuven Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT (ICRI-CIR) analysed automated journalism (also referred to as robotic reporting) as a potential solution to combat the diminution of investigative journalism. Here, he focuses on the future possibilities of robotic reporting in personalising specific news stories for each reader and assesses the potential (positive and negative) impact of automated journalism on the diversity of media exposure and personal data protection

Not so different after all? Reconciling Delfi vs. Estonia with EU rules on intermediary liability

On 16 June 2015, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its final judgment in Delfi AS v. Estonia. By fifteen votes to two, the Grand Chamber ruled that there was no violation of Article 10 of the Convention of Human Rights (‘the Convention’ hereafter) despite the imposition of publisher liability for user generated content. Would the case have been decided differently if it had been referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for assessment under the E-Commerce Directive? Aleksandra Kuczerawy and Pieter-Jan Ombelet of the KU Leuven Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT (ICRI-CIR) analyse whether the Delfi ruling can be reconciled with existing CJEU case law regarding liability of internet intermediaries

Delfi revisited: the MTE-Index.hu v. Hungary case

On 2 February 2016, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered a judgement on Magyar Tartalomszolgáltatók Egyesülete and Index.hu Zrt v. Hungary (MTE and Index.hu). The case concerned the liability of online intermediaries for user comments. Using the criteria established in the Delfi AS case of 16 June 2015, the Court found that there had been a violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to freedom of expression. Unlike in Delfi AS, the Court decided that the incriminated comments in this case did not amount to hate speech or incitement to violence. Following on from this recent blogpost which summarises the two cases, Pieter-Jan Ombelet and Aleksandra Kuczerawy from KU Leuven analyse the criteria that were taken into account by the ECtHR in both cases, and highlight some of the implications of the recent judgement

Binocular Integrated Visual Field Deficits Are Associated With Changes in Local Network Function in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma:A Resting-State fMRI Study

In glaucoma participants, both structural and functional brain changes have been observed, but we still have insufficient understanding of how these changes also affect the integrity of cortical functional networks, and how these changes relate to visual function. This is relevant, as functional network integrity may affect the applicability of future treatments, as well as the options for rehabilitation or training. Here, we compare global and local functional connectivity in local and global brain networks between glaucoma and control participants. Moreover, we study the relationship between functional connectivity and visual field (VF) loss. For our study, 20 subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 24 age-similar healthy participants were recruited to undergo an ophthalmic assessment followed by two resting-state (RS) (f)MRI scans. For each scan and for each group, the ROIs with eigenvector centrality (EC) values higher than the 95th percentile were considered the most central brain regions (“hubs”). Hubs for which we found a significant difference in EC in both scans between glaucoma and healthy participants were considered to provide evidence for network changes. In addition, we tested the notion that a brain region's hub function in POAG might relate to the severity of a participant's VF defect, irrespective of which eye contributed mostly to this. To determine this, for each participant, eye-independent scores were derived for: (1) sensitivity of the worse eye – indicating disease severity, (2) sensitivity of both eyes combined – with one eye potentially compensating for loss in the other, or (3) difference in eye sensitivity – potentially requiring additional network interactions. By correlating each of these VF scores and the EC values, we assessed whether VF defects could be associated with centrality alterations in POAG. Our results show that no functional connectivity disruptions were found at the global brain level in POAG participants. This indicates that in glaucoma global brain network communication is preserved. Furthermore, for the Lingual Gyrus, identified as a brain hub, we found a positive correlation between the EC value and the VF sensitivity of both eyes combined. The fact that reduced local network functioning is associated with reduced binocular VF sensitivity suggests the presence of local brain reorganization that has a bearing on functional visual abilities

Access to infertility consultations: what women tell us about it?

The main objective of the present paper is to evaluate the perception of women concerning the barriers and access to infertility consultations. Socio cultural and economic access to infertility consultations is detached and three municipalities of the northwest of Portugal were chosen as an example of a peripheral country. A quantitative/qualitative study was done with 60 women. Three dimensions were evaluated: geographic and structural and functional access; economic access; and sociocultural access. The main barriers were mainly identified in the last two dimensions. The economic access was the less well evaluated by women being the cost of treatment (medication, and concentration of costs in a short period) difficult to bear. This can justify a greater involvement of the Portuguese Government, by developing policies for the reimbursement of part of the costs. Also, some changes in structural and functional access must be done with special regard to the separation of the infertility consultations from the reproductive medicine section. The setting of the teams, with a follow-up by the same team of health professionals is also needed

The case for mild stimulation for IVF: recommendations from The International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction.

The practice of ovarian stimulation for IVF is undergoing a fundamental re-evaluation as recent data begin to successfully challenge the traditional paradigm that ovarian stimulation should be aimed at the retrieval of as many oocytes as possible, in the belief that this will increase pregnancy rates. An opposing view is that live birth rate should not be the only end-point in evaluating the success of IVF treatment and that equal emphasis should be placed on safety and affordability. The International Society for Mild Approaches in Assisted Reproduction (ISMAAR) committee has carried out an up-to-date literature search, with the evidence being graded according to the University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The recommendations were formulated taking into account the quality of evidence on the efficacy, risk and cost of each intervention. ISMAAR recommends adopting a mild approach to ovarian stimulation in all clinical settings as an increasing body of evidence suggests that mild stimulation is as effective as conventional stimulation, while being safer and less expensive. Mild ovarian stimulation could replace conventional stimulation, thus making IVF safer and more accessible worldwide

Creating the BELgian COngenital heart disease database combining administrative and clinical data (BELCODAC) : rationale, design and methodology

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) entails a broad spectrum of malformations with various degrees of severity and prognosis. Consequently, new and specific healthcare needs are emerging, requiring responsive healthcare provision. Research on this matter is predominantly performed on population-based databases, to inform clinicians, researchers and policy-makers on health outcomes and economic burden of CHD. Most databases contain data either from administrative sources or from clinical systems. We describe the methodological design of the BELgian COngenital Heart Disease Database combining Administrative and Clinical data (BELCODAC), to investigate patients with CHD. Methods: Data on clinical characteristics from three university hospitals in Belgium (Leuven, Ghent and Brussels) were merged with mortality and socio-economic data from the official Belgian statistical office (StatBel), and with healthcare use data from the InterMutualistic Agency, an overarching national organization that collects data from the seven sickness funds for all Belgian citizens. Over 60 variables with multiple entries over time are included in the database. Results: BELCODAC contains data on 18,510 patients, of which 8926 patients (48%) have a mild, 7490 (41%) a moderately complex and 2094 (11%) a complex anatomical heart defect. The most prevalent diagnosis is Ventricular Septal Defect in 3879 patients (21%), followed by Atrial Septal Defect in 2565 patients (14%). Conclusions: BELCODAC comprises longitudinal data on patients with CHD in Belgium. This will help build evidence-based provision of care to the changing CHD population

Infertility and the provision of infertility medical services in developing countries

developing countrie