bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The New Features of the ExaMe Evaluation System and Reliability of Its Fixed Tests
Authors: Zvára K. , Zvárová J. , Zvára K. , Martinková P. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
The ExaMe system for the evaluation of targeted knowledge has been in development since 1998. The new features of the ExaMe system are introduced in this paper. Especially, the new three-layer architecture is described.Besides the system itself, the properties of fixed testsin the ExaMe system are studied. In special detail, the reliabilityof the fixed tests is discussed. The theory background is explained and some limitations of the reliability are pointed out.

Methods for Estimation of the Reliability:
Three characteristics used for estimation of reliability of educational tests are discussed: Cronbach’s alpha, standardized item alphaand split half coefficient. The relation between these characteristics and reliability and between characteristics themselves is investigated. In more detail, the properties of Cronbach’s alpha, the characteristics mostly used for the estimation of reliability, are discussed. A confidence interval is introduced for the characteristics.

Results and Conclusions:
Since 2000, the serviceability of the ExaMe evaluation system as the supporting evaluation tool has been repeatedly shown at the courses of Ph.D. studies in biomedical informatics at Charles University in Prague. The ExaMe system also opens new possibilities for self-evaluation and distance learning, especially when connected with electronic books on the Internet.The estimation of reliability of tests contains some limitations. Keeping them in mind, we can still get some information about the quality of certain educational tests. Therefore, the estimation of reliability of the fixed tests is implemented in the ExaMe system.
Quality Assurance of Medical Ontologies
Authors: Rogers J. E. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objective:
To review the literature concerning the quality assurance of medical ontologies.

Methods:
scholar.google.com was searched using the search strings (+ontology +”quality assurance”) and (+ontology +”evaluation/evaluating”). Relevant publications were selected by manual review. Other work already familiar to the author, or suggested by other researchers contacted by the author, were included. The papers were analysed for common themes.

Results:
Four broad properties of an ontology were identified that may be quality-assured: philosophical validity, compliance with meta-ontological commitments, ‘content correctness’, and fitness for purpose. Each published methodology addressed only a subset of these properties. ‘Content’ may be divided into domain knowledge content, and metadata describing either the provenance of domain knowledge content, or relationships between it and lexical information (e.g. for display and retrieval). ‘Correctness’ (whether of domain knowledge content or metadata) may also be further subdivided into truth, completeness, parsimony and internal consistency.

Conclusions:
Understanding of how to assure the quality of ontologies, or evaluate their fitness for specific purposes, is improving but remains poor. A combination of methodologies is required, but tools to support a comprehensive quality assurance programme remain lacking.Perfect quality of an ontology is not provable and may not be desirable: an ontology compliant with all current philosophical theories, following necessary ontological commitments, and with entirely ‘correct’ content, may be too complex to be directly usable or useful.The extent to which an ontology’s fitness for purpose is predicted or influenced by its other properties remains to be determined. Field studies of ontologies in use, including interrater effects, are required.
The Attributable Risk in a Multifactorial Situation
Authors: Gefeller O. , Rabe C. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
Different approaches to partition the attributable risk into exposure-specific components are methodologically evaluated.

Methods:
Two methods of partitioning the attributable risk in a multifactorial situation have been suggested. One is based on a solution adopted from game theory, the Shapley value, whereas the other recently suggested approach uses a heuristically motivated proportional weighting scheme. These two concepts are reviewed and compared in a situation with three exposure factors. A hypothetical numerical example is discussed illustrating differences in the case of complex interaction structures.

Results:
The two methods are found to differ in two critical features that affect the outcome of partitioning: i) including or ignoring the full interaction structure between exposure factors involved in the partitioning, ii) using an equal or proportional weighting scheme for the marginal excess risks of the exposures. As a result, not only the individual partial attributable risks for the exposure factors may be quantitatively different between the methods, but also their ranking depends on the partitioning approach.

Conclusions:
The epidemiologic properties of the partitioning procedure based on the Shapley value are known and fit to the needs of epidemiologic applications. The alternative approach recently suggested can lead to considerably different results. As long as its epidemiologic properties are not fully understood, the traditional partitioning method should be given preference in practical applications.
Markov Models for Repeated Ordinal Data
Authors: Wellmann J. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
To demonstrate the application of Markov models, especially for ordinal outcomes, within the context of regression models for correlated data.

Methods:
A brief review of regression methods for correlated data is given. A proportional odds model and a continuation ratio model is applied to repeated measurements of macular pigment density, obtained in an intervention study on the supplementation of macular carotenoids. The correlation between repeated assessments is assumed to follow a first-order Markov model. The models are implemented with standard statistical software.

Results:
Both models, though not directly comparable, provide a similar conclusion. The application of these models with standard statistical software is straightforward.

Conclusions:
Markov models can be valuable alternatives to random effects modes or procedures based on generalized estimation equations.
Evaluation of Medical Internet Sites
Authors: Obst O. , Adelhard K. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA huge amount of medical information is available on the Internet for both experts and laypersons. These resources are frequently used to answer current medical questions and are thus likely to influence the behavior of the users. Criteria for assessing the quality of medical Internet resources have been established by a number of authors and institutions to provide reliable medical information on the Internet for both patients and physicians. Clinical studies on the impact of information on the Internet are still lacking. The next step is to evaluate the outcome of such information services and to prove that they affect health-related parameters. Due to different constraints, classical strategies of controlled clinical trials can only be partly applied. New methods have to be developed and validated in practice.
Discussing Anomalous Situations using Decision Trees: A Head Injury Case Study
Authors: McQuatt A. , Andrews P. J. D. , Corruble V. , Jones P. A. , Sleeman D. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
Predicting the outcome of seriously ill patients is a challenging problem for clinicians.

Methods:
One alternative to clinical trials is to analyse existing patient data in an attempt to predict the several outcomes, and to suggest therapies. In this paper we use decision tree techniques to predict the outcome of head injury patients. The work is based on patient data from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary which contains both background (demographic) data and temporal (physiological) data.

Results:
The focus of this paper is the discussion of the anomalous cases in the decision trees with the domain experts (the clinicians).

Conclusions:
These analyses led to the detection of several situations where both the data analysis and patient data collection should be enhanced, which in turn should lead to improved patient care.
On the Design of Active Contours for Medical Image Segmentation
Authors: Bredno J. , Spitzer K. , Lehmann T.M. 
Published: March 2018

Summary
Objectives: To provide a comprehensive bottom-up categorization of model-based segmentation techniques that allows to select, implement, and apply well-suited active contour models for segmentation of medical images, where major challenges are the high variability in shape and appearance of objects, noise, artifacts, partial occlusions of objects, and the required reliability and correctness of results.
Methods: We consider the general purpose of segmentation, the dimension of images, the object representation within the model, image and contour influences, as well as the solution and the parameter selection of the model. Potentials and limits are characterized for all instances in each category providing essential information for the application of active contours to various purposes in medical image processing. Based on prolaps surgery planning, we exemplify the use of the scheme to successfully design robust 3D-segmentation.
Results: The construction scheme allows to design robust segmentation methods, which, in particular, should avoid any gaps of dimension. Such gaps result from different image domains and value ranges with respect to the applied model domain and the dimension of relevant subsets for image influences, respectively.
Conclusions: A general segmentation procedure with sufficient robustness for medical applications is still missing. It is shown that in almost every category, novel techniques are available to improve the initial snake model, which was introduced in 1987.
A UK Operational Practitioner View – some Challenges of Health Informatics are Trans-national
Authors: Roberts J. 
Published: March 2018

Summary
Objective: To explore the relevance of catalysts and inhibitors to the achievement of an inclusive identity for health informatics; particularly from an operational perspective in the UK.
Methods: Consideration of the different dimensions of health informatics, as practised in a working healthcare delivery environment; specifically commenting on the synergy and disjunctions with academic and scientific practitioners in the same domain.
Results and Conclusions: There appear to be common ground and internationally applicable issues across the domain. Recognising the differences and similarities will contribute towards harmonisation of the field and its ultimate elevation to a mature discipline and profession.
Informatics United
Authors: Wiemer J. , Schubert F. , Granzow M. , Ragg T. , Fieres J. , Mattes J. , Eils R. 
Published: March 2018

Summary
Objectives: Medical informatics, neuroinformatics and bioinformatics provide a wide spectrum of research. Here, we show the great potential of synergies between these research areas on the basis of four exemplary studies where techniques are transferred from one of the disciplines to the other.
Methods: Reviewing and analyzing exemplary and specific projects at the intersection of medical informatics, neuroinformatics, and bioinformatics from our experience in an interdisciplinary research group. Results: Synergy emerges when techniques and solutions from medical informatics, bioinformatics, or neuroinformatics are successfully applied in one of the other disciplines. Synergy was found in 1. the modeling of neurophysiological systems for medical therapy development, 2. the use of image processing techniques from medical computer vision for the analysis of the dynamics of cell nuclei, and 3. the application of neuroinformatics tools for data mining in bioinformatics and as classifiers in clinical oncology. Conclusions: Each of the three different disciplines have delivered technologies that are readily applicable in the other disciplines. The mutual transfer of knowledge and techniques proved to increase efficiency and accuracy in a manifold of applications. In particular, we expect that clinical decision support systems based on techniques derived from neuro- and bioinformatics have the potential to improve medical diagnostics and will finally lead to a personalized delivery of healthcare.
DataGrid, Prototype of a Biomedical Grid
Authors: Medina R. , Montagnat J. , Breton V. 
Published: March 2018

Summary
Background: The availability of large amounts of data in heterogeneous formats and the rapid progress in fields such as computer based drug design, medical imaging and medical simulations have lead to a growing demand for large computational power and easy accessibility to heterogeneous data sources. Objectives: The goal is to address these needs by deploying computing grids. Grids provide both large scale and distributed storage facilities and an increased computing power. Moreover, Grids are a promising tool to foster the synergy between bioinformatics and computerised medical imaging.
Methods: A first biomedical grid is being deployed within the framework of the DataGrid IST project (www.edg.org). The goal of the project is to provide a novel environment to support globally distributed scientific exploration involving up to multi-Perabyte datasets.
Results and Conclusions: The first biomedical applications deployed inside the project demonstrate the relevance of the grid paradigm for genomics and medical image processing. They also highlight the specific requirements of the biomedical community.
Building a Controlled Health Vocabulary in Japanese
Authors: Satomura Y. , Liu Y. 
Published: March 2018

Summary

Objectives:
This study is aimed at developing a controlled clinical vocabulary for use in electronic patient record (EPR) systems.

Methods:
In this paper, we propose a model for building the vocabulary. The model is composed of a Canonical Term Dictionary, an Atom Dictionary, a Composite Atom Dictionary, and an Index. Parsing and composing functions are included in this model. Canonical terms were extracted from reference terminologies. Atoms were extracted from the Canonical Term Dictionary and reduced to a set from which the Composite Atom Dictionary can be built. The index was built to link these two dictionaries. For testing the model, we compiled a sample vocabulary and applied the model to a SNOMED translation system (English to Japanese) and a term similarity estimation system.

Results:
The sample vocabulary consisted of 15,600 atomic terms and 4,450 composite terms. 33,441 SNOMED terms were translated by the SNOMED translation system. The system gave adequate Japanese candidates in 56.3% of cases. The similarity estimation system found an average of 5.4 candidates when the equality ratio was over 50%.

Conclusions:
The trial applications produced good results. The model seems promising for building a standard clinical vocabulary system. This system can be applied in certain other Asian countries, such as China and Korea.
A Requirements Index for Information Processing in Hospitals
Authors: Buchauer A. , Haux R. , Ammenwerth E. 
Published: March 2018

Summary
Objectives: Reference models describing typical information processing requirements in hospitals do not currently exist. This leads to high hospital information system (HIS) management expenses, for example, during tender processes for the acquisition of software application programs. Our aim was, therefore, to develop a comprehensive, lasting, technology-independent, and sufficiently detailed index of requirements for information processing in hospitals in order to reduce respective expenses.
Methods: Two-dozen German experts established an index of requirements for information processing in university hospitals. This was done in a consensus-based, top-down, cyclic manner. Each functional requirement was derived from information processing functions and sub-functions of a hospital.
Results: The result is the first official German version of a requirements index, containing 233 functional requirements and 102 function-independent requirements, focusing on German needs. The functional requirements are structured according to the primary care process from admission to discharge and supplemented by requirements for handling patient records, work organization and resource planning, hospital management, research and education. Both the German version and its English translation are available in the Internet.
Conclusions: The index of requirements contains general information processing requirements in hospitals which are formulated independent of information processing tools, or of HIS architectures. It aims at supporting HIS management, especially HIS strategic planning, HIS evaluation, and tender processes. The index can be regarded as a draft, which must, however, be refined according to the specific aims of a particular project. Although focused on German needs, we expect that it can also be useful in other countries. The high amount of interest shown for the index supports its usefulness.
Concept-oriented Standardization and Statistics-oriented Classification: Continuing the Classification versus Nomenclature Controversy
Authors: Giere W. , Ingenerf J. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractNowadays, most activities on controlled medical vocabularies focus on the provision of a sufficient atomic-level granularity for representing clinical data. Amongst others, clinical vocabularies should be concept oriented, compositional and should also reject “Not Elsewhere Classified” [1]. We strongly share the opinion that there is a need to deal with serious deficits of existing manually created vocabularies and with new demands for computer-based advanced processing and exchange of medical language data. However, we do not share the opinion that methodological requirements like observational and structural comparability needed for sound statistics should not be included in desiderata of controlled medical vocabularies. Statistical-oriented classifications are not developed for representing detailed clinical data but for providing purposedependent classes where cases of interest are assigned uniquely. Either statistical classifications are not included into the set of controlled medical vocabularies in the sense of Cimino, or his desiderata are misleading. We argue that statistical classifications should be linked to (formal) concept systems, but again this linkage does not change their different natures. With this article we continue the “classification versus nomenclature” controversy referring to Cote [2].
Exploring the Ontology of Surgical Procedures in the Read Thesaurus
Authors: O'Neil M. , Bentley T. E. , Brown P. J. B. , Price C. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe Read Thesaurus is a comprehensive user-led clinical vocabulary developed from earlier, and structurally simpler, versions of the Read Codes, with substantial input from United Kingdom health care professionals. A constituent template table underpins a range of functions, including semantic definition of concepts using object-attribute-value triples. Concept representation for surgical procedures has been investigated by a number of groups and a standard European structure has been proposed. Over 50% ofthe surgical procedures in the Read Thesaurus have been fully characterised using a number of attributes each with a defined concept field. We report progress to date and, based on our large-scale experience, examine the applicability of the European model to a user-defined terminology.
From Text to Knowledge: a Unifying Document-Centered View of Analyzed Medical Language
Authors: Bouaud J. , Bachimont B. , Charlet J. , Séroussi B. , Boisvieux J.-F. , Zweigenbaum P. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAlthough medical language processing (MLP) has achieved some success, the actual use and dissemination of data extracted from free text by MLP systems is still very limited. We claim that the adoption of an ‘enricheddocument’ paradigm (or ‘document-centered’ view) can help to address this issue. We present this paradigm and explain how it can be implemented, then discuss its expected benefits both for end-users and MLP researchers.
Semi-automated Database Design by the End-user
Authors: d’Hollosy W. , Walrave M. H. F. , Hendriks B. Th. , Debruyne F. M. J. , Wijkstra H. 
Published: March 2018

Abstract:An information system was developed to manage the data for a large number of research projects simultaneously. The system, called URIS, has facilitated the management of research data in an academic urological department. It enables end-users, who are not necessarily skilled computer scientists, to design their own databases semi-automatically, by supporting data entry screen design and the specification of research items. The system creates the database tables automatically after these activities. The specification of research items is the most important but also most difficult part in this process.
Cardiological Database Management System as a Mediator to Clinical Decision Support
Authors: Mavromatis A. , Maglaveras N. , Tsikotis A. , Pangalos G. , Ambrosiadou V. , Pappas C. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAn object-oriented medical database management system is presented for a typical cardiologic center, facilitating epidemiological trials. Object-oriented analysis and design were used for the system design, offering advantages for the integrity and extendibility of medical information systems. The system was developed using object-oriented design and programming methodology, the C++ language and the Borland Paradox Relational Data Base Management System on an MS-Windows NT environment. Particular attention was paid to system compatibility, portability, the ease of use, and the suitable design of the patient record so as to support the decisions of medical personnel in cardiovascular centers. The system was designed to accept complex, heterogeneous, distributed data in various formats and from different kinds of examinations such as Holter, Doppler and electrocardiography.
The Questions of Medical Informatics
Authors: Dimitrov I. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractEach science is identified with the questions it raises with respect to its object of study. This paper discusses the formulation of the basic questions of medical informatics. From a historical point of view, it first dealt with the problems of medical computing. Thereby, three classical questions arose: How can existing computers and information technologies assist in medical activities? Which components of the mathematical apparatus of informatics can be used for solving medical problems, and how and what activities of a physician are subject to algoritmization? The present time raises a new circle of questions centered around the basic one: How is the information system of the human organism structured and how does it function? This question and others form the basis of a new trend in medical informatics.