Vaccine semantics : Automatic methods for recognizing, representing, and reasoning about vaccine-related information

Post-marketing management and decision-making about vaccines builds on the early detection of safety concerns and changes in public sentiment, the accurate access to established evidence, and the ability to promptly quantify effects and verify hypotheses about the vaccine benefits and risks. A variety of resources provide relevant information but they use different representations, which makes rapid evidence generation and extraction challenging. This thesis presents automatic methods for interpreting heterogeneously represented vaccine information. Part I evaluates social media messages for monitoring vaccine adverse events and public sentiment in social media messages, using automatic methods for information recognition. Parts II and III develop and evaluate automatic methods and res

Argon metastable dynamics in a filamentary jet micro-discharge at atmospheric pressure

Space and time resolved concentrations of Ar ($^{3}P_2$) metastable atoms at the exit of an atmospheric pressure radio-frequency micro-plasma jet were measured using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. The discharge features a coaxial geometry with a hollow capillary as an inner electrode and a ceramic tube with metal ring as outer electrode. Absorption profiles of metastable atoms as well as optical emission measurements reveal the dynamics and the filamentary structure of the discharge. The average spatial distribution of Ar metastables is characterized with and without a target in front of the jet, showing that the target potential and therewith the electric field distribution substantially changes the filaments' expansion. Together with the detailed analysis of the ignition phase and the discharge's behavior under pulsed operation, the results give an insight into the excitation and de-excitation mechanisms

Systematic evaluation of the 'efficacy-effectiveness gap' in the treatment of depression with venlafaxine and duloxetine

Objective Evidence of larger drug effects in highly standardized studies (efficacy) compared to clinical routine (effectiveness) is discussed as efficacy-effectiveness gap. This study aimed to quantify effect size differences of RCTs and non-RCTs in the treatment of depression with venlafaxine and duloxetine and to identify effect modifying predictors. Methods A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, including all prospective trials, which evaluated the treatment effects of duloxetine or venlafaxine in patients with depression. The primary outcome was the pre-post effect size after acute therapy, which were compared between RCTs and non-RCTs. Moreover, an exploratory analysis of predictors in a mixed meta-regression model within an information-theoretic approach was performed. Results 171 RCTs and 74 non-RCTs were included. The pre-post effect size differed significantly between RCTs and non-RCTs (−3.04 vs. −2.62, Δ = 0.41, p = 0.012, high heterogeneity). Study characteristics were very similar between RCTs and non-RCTs. Most important variables to predict effect sizes were ‘depression severity’, ‘dose’ and ‘number of participants’. Conclusion Despite differences in effect sizes between RCTs and non-RCTs, study design is not clearly an important predictor for the effect sizes. Our results question the common assumption that non-RCTs are generally better suited to describe a drug’s effectiveness in clinical practice than RCTs. Future studies and their reporting should put more emphasis on the description of external validity, in order to allow better assessments of clinical relevance.Young scientists’ programme of the German network 'Health Services Research Baden‐Württemberg' of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Social Order, Family, Women and Senior Citizens, Baden‐WürttembergPeer Reviewe

ArylexTM active – new herbicide active and base for new cereals herbicides: ZyparTM and Pixxaro™ EC to control wide range of broadleaf weeds in cereals in Europe

Arylex™ active is a new auxinic herbicide for postemergence control of a range of important broadleaf weeds in cereals. It has been discovered and developed by Dow AgroSciences globally as a first member of the new ‘arylpicolinate‘ structural class. Arylex applied together with safener brings excellent crop safety and due to the rapid degradation in soil and plant tissue it does not limit the following crop choice. In Europe the first two herbicides containing this active are Zypar™ and Pixxaro™ EC. Zypar is a premix of Arylex and florasulam, delivering at the 1 L/ha maximum use rate 6 g ae/ha of Arylex and 5 g/ha of florasulam. It can be applied to all cereals, apart from oats, in autumn and spring. Spring application is allowed from BBCH 13 till BBCH 45, however the best performance is reached up to BBCH 32. Zypar’s spectrum of controlled weeds is very wide. Pixxaro EC is a combination of Arylex and fluroxypyr and at 0.5 l/ha dose rate delivers 6 g ae/ha of Arylex and 140 g ae/ha of fluroxypyr. It can be applied in all cereals, apart from oats, in spring from BBCH 13 till BBCH 45, while the best performance is observed between BBCH 30 and 45. Pixxaro EC shows excellent efficacy against key weeds, especially Galium aparine and at all growth stages. This herbicide brings a novel non-ALS solution and will be a key component of anti-resistance strategies for broadleaf weeds in cereals.ArylexTM active– ein neuer herbizider Wirkstoff als Basis für neue Getreideherbizide: Zypar und Pixxaro EC zur Bekämpfung von dikotyler Verunkrautung in Getreide in EuropaArylex ist ein neuer Wirkstoff aus der Gruppe der Auxin-ähnlichen Herbizide für die Nachauflauf-Bekämpfung von wichtigen zweikeimblättrigen Unkräutern. Der Wirkstoff wurde global von Dow AgroSciences entwickelt und hat ein sehr breites Unkrautspektrum. Arylex wird zusammen mit einem Safener appliziert, hat eine gute Kulturpflanzenverträglichkeit und wegen des schnellen Abbaus im Boden und in der Pflanze gibt es keine Restriktionen bei der Wahl der Kulturen für den Nachbau. In Europa sind die ersten beiden Herbizide, die Arylex enthalten: Zypar und Pixxaro EC. Zypar enthält Arylex und Florasulam, mit der maximalen Aufwandmenge von 1 l/ha werden 6 g ae/ha Arylex und 5 g/ha Florasulam appliziert. Zypar ist in allen Getreidearten außer Hafer sehr gut verträglich und der für die Zulassung angestrebte Einsatzzeitraum ist Herbst und Frühjahr. Die Frühjahrsanwendung kann von BBCH 13 bis BBCH 45 erfolgen, wobei die beste Wirksamkeit bis BBCH 32 erreicht wird. Das Wirkungsspektrum von Zypar ist sehr breit. Pixxaro EC ist eine Kombination aus Arylex und Fluroxypyr und wird mit einer Aufwandmenge von 0,5 l/ha angewendet, wobei 6 g ae/ha Arylex und 140 g ae/ha Fluroxypyr zum Einsatz kommen. Es kann in allen Getreidearten außer Hafer im Frühjahr von BBCH 13 bis BBCH 45 ausgebracht werden, wobei der empfohlene Anwendungstermin zwischen BBCH 30 und BBCH 45 liegt. Das Herbizid stellt aufgrund seiner Zusammensetzung, ausschließlich von Wirkstoffen mit einem Auxin-ähnlichen Wirkungsmechanismen, einen neuen und wichtigen Baustein im Antiresistenzmanagement dikotyler Unkräuter dar

Mirroring E-service for Brick and Mortar Retail: An Assessment and Survey

The digital transformation increasingly impacts the competitive retail market structure in favor of e-commerce and digital business models, while many Brick and Mortar (BaM) retailers are struggling to meet customers’ expectations. Supported by the customer adaption of e-commerce and digital technologies, this paper applies the lens of channel complementary theory to BaM. We examine, which e-service touchpoints from e-commerce can be transferred to the physical servicescape of BaM retail to complement customer journeys. Drawing from the dominant design theory, we first assess leading e-commerce solutions to identify dominant e-service touchpoints, which are then mirrored for their application in BaM retail. Second, we surveyed 250 shoppers to elicit the likeliness of use regarding these touchpoints. Our results provide a foundation for both academia and retail to advance the knowledge of relevant e-service touchpoints in BaM

The meaning of chakin placed on koita, as the evidence that temae has changed

textabstractIntroduction: There is growing interest in whether social media can capture patient-generated information relevant for medicines safety surveillance that cannot be found in traditional sources. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential contribution of mining social media networks for medicines safety surveillance using the following associations as case studies: (1) rosiglitazone and cardiovascular events (i.e. stroke and myocardial infarction); and (2) human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine and infertility. Methods: We collected publicly accessible, English-language posts on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter until September 2014. Data were queried for co-occurrence of keywords related to the drug/vaccine and event of interest within a post. Messages were analysed with respect to geographical distribution, context, linking to other web content, and author’s assertion regarding the supposed association. Results: A total of 2537 posts related to rosiglitazone/cardiovascular events and 2236 posts related to HPV vaccine/infertility were retrieved, with the majority of posts representing data from Twitter (98 and 85 %, respectively) and originating from users in the US. Approximately 21 % of rosiglitazone-related posts and 84 % of HPV vaccine-related posts referenced other web pages, mostly news items, law firms’ websites, or blogs. Assertion analysis predominantly showed affirmation of the association of rosiglitazone/cardiovascular events (72 %; n = 1821) and of HPV vaccine/infertility (79 %; n = 1758). Only ten posts described personal accounts of rosiglitazone/cardiovascular adverse event experiences, and nine posts described HPV vaccine problems related to infertility. Conclusions: Publicly available data from the considered social media networks were sparse and largely untrackable for the purpose of providing early clues of safety concerns regarding the prespecified case studies. Further research investigating other case studies and exploring other social media platforms are necessary to further characterise the usefulness of social media for safety surveillance

Explaining Counterexamples with Giant-Step Assertion Checking

International audienceIdentifying the cause of a proof failure during deductive verification of programs is hard: it may be due to an incorrectness in the program, an incompleteness in the program annotations, or an incompleteness of the prover. The changes needed to resolve a proof failure depend on its category, but the prover cannot provide any help on the categorisation. When using an SMT solver to discharge a proof obligation, that solver can propose a model from a failed attempt, from which a possible counterexample can be derived. But the counterexample may be invalid, in which case it may add more confusion than help. To check the validity of a counterexample and to categorise the proof failure, we propose the comparison between the run-time assertion-checking (RAC) executions under two different semantics, using the counterexample as an oracle. The first RAC execution follows the normal program semantics, and a violation of a program annotation indicates an incorrectness in the program. The second RAC execution follows a novel "giant-step" semantics that does not execute loops nor function calls but instead retrieves return values and values of modified variables from the oracle. A violation of the program annotations only observed under giant-step execution characterises an incompleteness of the program annotations. We implemented this approach in the Why3 platform for deductive program verification and evaluated it using examples from prior literature

Alignment of vaccine codes using an ontology of vaccine descriptions

BACKGROUND: Vaccine information in European electronic health record (EHR) databases is represented using various clinical and database-specific coding systems and drug vocabularies. The lack of harmonization constitutes a challenge in reusing EHR data in collaborative benefit-risk studies about vaccines. METHODS: We designed an ontology of the properties that are commonly used in vaccine descriptions, called Ontology of Vaccine Descriptions (VaccO), with a dictionary for the analysis of multilingual vaccine descriptions. We implemented five algorithms for the alignment of vaccine coding systems, i.e., the identification of corresponding codes from different coding ystems, based on an analysis of the code descriptors. The algorithms were evaluated by comparing their results with manually created alignments in two reference sets including clinical and database-specific coding systems with multilingual code descriptors. RESULTS: The best-performing algorithm represented code descriptors as logical statements about entities in the VaccO ontology and used an ontology reasoner to infer common properties and identify corresponding vaccine codes. The evaluation demonstrated excellent performance of the approach (F-scores 0.91 and 0.96). CONCLUSION: The VaccO ontology allows the identification, representation, and comparison of heterogeneous descriptions of vaccines. The automatic alignment of vaccine coding systems can accelerate the readiness of EHR databases in collaborative vaccine studies