Combining semantic web technologies with evolving fuzzy classifier eClass for EHR-based phenotyping : a feasibility study

In parallel to nation-wide efforts for setting up shared electronic health records (EHRs) across healthcare settings, several large-scale national and international projects are developing, validating, and deploying electronic EHR oriented phenotype algorithms that aim at large-scale use of EHRs data for genomic studies. A current bottleneck in using EHRs data for obtaining computable phenotypes is to transform the raw EHR data into clinically relevant features. The research study presented here proposes a novel combination of Semantic Web technologies with the on-line evolving fuzzy classifier eClass to obtain and validate EHR-driven computable phenotypes derived from 1956 clinical statements from EHRs. The evaluation performed with clinicians demonstrates the feasibility and practical acceptability of the approach proposed

A systematic literature review of the use of social media for business process management

In today’s expansion of new technologies, innovation is found necessary for organizations to be up to date with the latest management trends. Although organizations are increasingly using new technologies, opportunities still exist to achieve the nowadays essential omnichannel management strategy. More precisely, social media are opening a path for benefiting more from an organization’s process orientation. However, social media strategies are still an under-investigated field, especially when it comes to the research of social media use for the management and improvement of business processes or the internal way of working in organizations. By classifying a variety of articles, this study explores the evolution of social media implementation within the BPM discipline. We also provide avenues for future research and strategic implications for practitioners to use social media more comprehensively

Adoption and use of social media among public health departments

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Effective communication is a critical function within any public health system. Social media has enhanced communication between individuals and organizations and has the potential to augment public health communication. However, there is a lack of reported data on social media adoption within public health settings. The purposes of this study were to assess: 1) the extent to which state public health departments (SHDs) are using social media; 2) which social media applications are used most often; and 3) how often social media is used interactively to engage audiences.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a non-experimental, cross sectional study of SHD social media sites. Screen capture software Snag-It^®was used to obtain screenshots of SHD social media sites across five applications. These sites were coded for social media presence, interactivity, reach, and topic.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Sixty percent of SHDs reported using at least one social media application. Of these, 86.7% had a Twitter account, 56% a Facebook account, and 43% a YouTube channel. There was a statistically significant difference between average population density and use of social media (p = .01). On average, SHDs made one post per day on social media sites, and this was primarily to distribute information; there was very little interaction with audiences. SHDs have few followers or friends on their social media sites. The most common topics for posts and tweets related to staying healthy and diseases and conditions. Limitations include the absence of a standard by which social media metrics measure presence, reach, or interactivity; SHDs were only included if they had an institutionally maintained account; and the study was cross sectional.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Social media use by public health agencies is in the early adoption stage. However, the reach of social media is limited. SHDs are using social media as a channel to distribute information rather than capitalizing on the interactivity available to create conversations and engage with the audience. If public health agencies are to effectively use social media then they must develop a strategic communication plan that incorporates best practices for expanding reach and fostering interactivity and engagement.</p

Reproduction in Heteroteuthis dispar (Rüppell, 1844) (Mollusca: Cephalopoda): a sepiolid reproductive adaptation to an oceanic lifestyle

Small cephalopods of the genus Heteroteuthis are the most pelagic members in the family Sepiolidae. This study examines the reproductive biology of Heteroteuthis dispar (Rüppell, 1844), the first such study on any member of the genus, based on 46 specimens (27 females and 19 males) collected during the Mar-Eco cruise in the North Atlantic in the region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 2004, and compares it with reproductive features in the less pelagic members of the family. The unusually large spermatophores of the males have a very small ejaculatory apparatus and cement body, relative to the size of the sperm mass. Females first mate when they are still maturing: a large sperm mass (up to 3.4% of the female body mass), consisting of one to several spermatangia, was found in an internal seminal receptacle of the majority of the females examined regardless of their maturity state. The seminal receptacle has a unique form and position in this species. The receptacle is a thin-walled sac at the posterior end of the visceral mass that is an outpocketing of, and opens into, the visceropericardial coelom. Spermatangia and sperm from the spermatangia apparently enter into the visceropericardial coelom (which is mostly occupied by the ovary) from the seminal receptacle indicating that ova are fertilised internally, a strategy unknown for decapodiform cephalopods (squid and cuttlefish), but present in most octopods. Fecundity of Heteroteuthis dispar (1,100–1,300 oocytes) is much higher than in other sepiolids whereas the egg size (mean max. length ∼1.6 mm) is the smallest within the family. Spawning is continuous (sensu Rocha et al. in Biol Rev 76:291–304, 2001). These and other reproductive traits are discussed as being adaptations to an oceanic lifestyle

Social Media Collaboration in Software Projects

Social media has had a big impact on the way that software projects are managed and the way that stakeholders interact with each other: indeed, the nature of soft-ware projects has evolved substantially in keeping with the evolution of technology. A direct consequence of the ubiquity of the internet is the increasing trend towards cooperation outside the boundaries of an office. The interactions involved in soft-ware projects have changed accordingly and can be broadly divided into two types (1) interactions among stakeholders who are in a single location, (for example people sharing the same office space) and (2) interactions among stakeholders who are in distributed locations (for example software projects which are partly implemented offshore). Social media has been and remains a significant facilitator to these kinds of interactions. This chapter looks at the implications of the use of social media in 21st Century software projects

Online social media — a vehicle for city branding in China: the case of Sponge City Program (SCP)

The shift of academic attention from city marketing to city branding heralds a new era of representation and signification of cities as brands. Conscious practices of nationwide program implementation could be used not only for improving urban resilience but for city brands promotion. In China, to cope with the frequent occurrence of urban water issues, a nationwide initiative called Sponge City Program (SCP) has been launched since 2013. Given the significant impact of online social media on brand image, various levels of the Chinese Governments have begun to use online social media for city program promotion. In particular, brand community formed by stakeholders on online social media can significantly influence the brand image by co-creating contents. In this paper, we first analyze the current application of online social media for city marketing in China based on the SCP implementation. Next, we propose a framework/typology to inform how Chinese’ social media could be used for effective city branding. Finally, we conclude by discussing the implications of online social media use in China

Do schistosome vaccine trials in mice have an intrinsic flaw that generates spurious protection data?

The laboratory mouse has been widely used to test the efficacy of schistosome vaccines and a long list of candidates has emerged from this work, many of them abundant internal proteins. These antigens do not have an additive effect when co-administered, or delivered as SWAP homogenate, a quarter of which comprises multiple candidates; the observed protection has an apparent ceiling of 40–50 %. We contend that the low level of maturation of penetrating cercariae (~32 % for Schistosoma mansoni) is a major limitation of the model since 68/100 parasites fail to mature in naïve mice due to natural causes. The pulmonary capillary bed is the obstacle encountered by schistosomula en route to the portal system. The fragility of pulmonary capillaries and their susceptibility to a cytokine-induced vascular leak syndrome have been documented. During lung transit schistosomula burst into the alveolar spaces, and possess only a limited capacity to re-enter tissues. The acquired immunity elicited by the radiation attenuated (RA) cercarial vaccine relies on a pulmonary inflammatory response, involving cytokines such as IFNγ and TNFα, to deflect additional parasites into the alveoli. A principal difference between antigen vaccine protocols and the RA vaccine is the short interval between the last antigen boost and cercarial challenge of mice (often two weeks). Thus, after antigen vaccination, challenge parasites will reach the lungs when both activated T cells and cytokine levels are maximal in the circulation. We propose that “protection” in this situation is the result of physiological effects on the pulmonary blood vessels, increasing the proportion of parasites that enter the alveoli. This hypothesis will explain why internal antigens, which are unlikely to interact with the immune response in a living schistosomulum, plus a variety of heterologous proteins, can reduce the level of maturation in a non-antigen-specific way. These proteins are “successful” precisely because they have not been selected for immunological silence. The same arguments apply to vaccine experiments with S. japonicum in the mouse model; this schistosome species seems a more robust parasite, even harder to eliminate by acquired immune responses. We propose a number of ways in which our conclusions may be tested

How social media can afford engagement processes

The increasing popularity of social media has led many organizations to find new ways of customer engagement. This paper presents an initial pilot study to explore the affordance of social media in engagement processes. By applying the affordance theory and Porter’s process for engagement model, we used a case study approach to examine the case company’s Facebook and Twitter content to identify the engagement possibilities of social media. Our preliminary results show that social media opens a new channel for organisations to engage with their customers. We present a preliminary theoretical model to understand the how the functional affordances of social media are socialised in engagement processes, which ultimately gives rise to socialised affordances

Does corporate reputation matter? Role of social media in consumer intention to purchase innovative food product

The exponential growth of the corporate reputation in food industry has resulted in innovations in every link of its supply chain. There have been studies that have characterized innovation in various industries from the perspective of technology, but far fewer in the area of corporate reputation, consumer perception, and intention towards innovations in food products. This research analyses the innovations in the food industry from the perspective of the consumer and provides a conceptual framework of food innovation stages. The study also investigates the relationship between corporate reputation and intention towards food innovation along with the other components of TPB model with an extension of social media engagement. The results from India and US samples confirm that social media engagement have a significant role to play in creating intention to purchase innovative food products. The study compares the US and Indian samples and identifies differences in subjective norms and perceived behavioural control