Independent Judgment Research Articles

Dealing with expert bias in collective decision-making

Quite some real-world problems can be formulated as decision-making problems wherein one must repeatedly make an appropriate choice from a set of alternatives. Multiple expert judgments, whether human or artificial, can help in taking correct decisions, especially when exploration of alternative solutions is costly. As expert opinions might deviate, the problem of finding the right alternative can be approached as a collective decision making problem (CDM) via aggregation of independent judgments. Current state-of-the-art approaches focus on efficiently finding the optimal expert, and thus perform poorly if all experts are not qualified or if they display consistent biases, thereby potentially derailing the decision-making process. In this paper, we propose a new algorithmic approach based on contextual multi-armed bandit problems (CMAB) to identify and counteract such biased expertise. We explore homogeneous, heterogeneous and polarized expert groups and show that this approach is able to effectively exploit the collective expertise, outperforming state-of-the-art methods, especially when the quality of the provided expertise degrades. Our novel CMAB-inspired approach achieves a higher final performance and does so while converging more rapidly than previous adaptive algorithms.

Therapy for Stage IV Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Without Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2023.1

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis; as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See appendix for disclaimers and other important information (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-non-da-living-guideline.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2023.1.

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis; as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See appendix for disclaimers and other important information (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-da-living-guideline.

SOME IMPACTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF JUDGEMENTS, INDEPENDENT JUDGES, ONLY OBEYING THE LAW AND PERFECT SOLUTIONS IN VIETNAM CRIMINAL PROCEDURES LAW

The principle of judgments, independent judgements and only obeying the law is one of the specific principles of the implementation of judicial rights, which our country's court system has been operating for many years. However, in reality, judges and jurors may be influenced by lawyers, organizations, individuals, state agencies, distorting the proceedings, greatly affecting the operation of the court proceedings aimed at adjudicating in their favor and impeding the implementation of this principle. This article addresses two issues: (i) Theoretical and legal basis of this principle; (ii) Factors affecting the implementation of this principle, based on the results of a survey of 100 random criminal cases through judgments, minutes of deliberations and interviews with 50 Judges and jurors to get opinions on the implementation of the principle that judges and jurors conduct independent trials and only obey the law in the practice of adjudicating criminal cases. Thereby the author offers specific solutions to improve the implementation of this principle.

SOME IMPACTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF JUDGEMENTS, INDEPENDENT JUDGES, ONLY OBEYING THE LAW AND PERFECT SOLUTIONS IN VIETNAM CRIMINAL PROCEDURES LAW

The principle of judgments, independent judgements and only obeying the law is one of the specific principles of the implementation of judicial rights, which our country's court system has been operating for many years. However, in reality, judges and jurors may be influenced by lawyers, organizations, individuals, state agencies, distorting the proceedings, greatly affecting the operation of the court proceedings aimed at adjudicating in their favor and impeding the implementation of this principle. This article addresses two issues: (i) Theoretical and legal basis of this principle; (ii) Factors affecting the implementation of this principle, based on the results of a survey of 100 random criminal cases through judgments, minutes of deliberations and interviews with 50 Judges and jurors to get opinions on the implementation of the principle that judges and jurors conduct independent trials and only obey the law in the practice of adjudicating criminal cases. Thereby the author offers specific solutions to improve the implementation of this principle.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Drug Discovery and its Application in Drug Development

Artificial intelligence is an area of computer science that deals with the ability to solve problems using symbolic programming. Artificial intelligence can help solve health-care issues with large-scale applications. Expert system development is a significant and effective application of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology-based system that uses a variety of advanced tools and networks to simulate human intelligence. AI makes use of systems and software that can read and learn from data and to make independent judgments in order to achieve certain goals. Its applications in the pharmaceutical area are constantly being expanded, as discussed in this chapter. Recently, healthcare sector is facing some complex challenges, such as the increased cost of drugs and therapies, and society needs specific significant changes in this area. Personalized medications with the necessary dose, release parameters, and other required aspects can be manufactured according to individual patient need with the use of AI in pharmaceutical product manufacturing. Using the latest AI-based technologies will not only reduce the time it takes for products to reach the market, but it will also improve product quality and overall safety of the manufacturing process, as well as provide better resource utilization and cost-effectiveness, emphasize the importance of automation. This chapter emphasizes the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in the pharmaceutical sector, including drug research and development, medication repurposing, enhancing pharmaceutical productivity, and clinical trials And its current and future applications in drug discovery development.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Without Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2022.3.

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis, as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See appendix for disclaimers and other important information (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-non-da-living-guideline.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2022.3.

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis; as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See appendix for disclaimers and other important information (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2). Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-da-living-guideline.

Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável e relação com as pesquisas de Turismo:

The United Nations has made commitments to countries through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tourism is explicitly mentioned in four passages of the 2030 Agenda, but not in a central position. The aim of this article is to identify the presence, explicit or implicit, of the SDGs in scientific tourism journals in Brazil, in particular, it seeks to identify the most frequent SDGs. Main characteristics of the relationships built, research gaps and areas with greater concentration of knowledge were identified. Bibliometric analysis of articles published in the four main Brazilian tourism journals between 2018 and April 2021 was used, whose objectives of the articles were classified by their relationships with the SDGs through content analysis by independent judgments. Among the 396 articles analyzed, 43% are related to one or more SDGs: 8 (35%); 12 (25%); 16 (12%); 11 (10%); 14 and 15 (5%). It contributes to recognizing the SDGs as classification criteria and suggesting directions for future research.

The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders.

The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders.

Technik, Wirtschaft und Propaganda im Nationalsozialismus. Didaktische Erfahrungen und Materialien für Unterricht und historisch-politische Bildung

Over the past decades, the history of technology has opened itself toward a variety of new perspectives. How can educational and memory work regarding National Socialism benefit from this development? Aiming to sustain pupils’ and recipients’ active engagement and independent judgement, this paper delivers two examples from practice, both linking a broadened history of technology with further fields of research by relating to current debates.

The cognitive identity of a media culture carrier as a subject of education in the information society

The paper supports the idea that the growth of media education is based on the temporality of the topic as synchronization of communicative, cognitive demands on a person with dynamic changes of information reality. It is understandable that developing the necessary skills to be a carrier of modern culture is challenging, as the main threats posed by the deterioration of critical conditions for cognitive activity, the proliferation of communicative interaction models, and the complexity of media culture's semiotic systems fall within the purview of abilities like critical thinking, independent judgment of the quality of content, and safeguards against communication risks, among others. The modern subject of information activity's identified symptomatic cognitive characteristics point to the need for an urgent educational response, which includes the development of requirements and criteria for media literacy, a balanced approach to taking temporality into consideration, procedural thinking in terms of knowledge, memory, and self-identification. It is claimed that a key component of media education is acquiring the semantics, topology, and navigation of the fundamentals of audiovisual communication. The article focuses on how crucial it is for the educational system to respond comprehensively to the issues facing civilization brought on by the shift to the information society.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Without Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2022.2.

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis, as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See Appendix 1 (online only) for disclaimers and other important information. Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-non-da-living-guideline.

Therapy for Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Driver Alterations: ASCO Living Guideline, Version 2022.2.

Living guidelines are developed for selected topic areas with rapidly evolving evidence that drives frequent change in recommended clinical practice. Living guidelines are updated on a regular schedule by a standing expert panel that systematically reviews the health literature on a continuous basis, as described in the ASCO Guidelines Methodology Manual. ASCO Living Guidelines follow the ASCO Conflict of Interest Policy Implementation for Clinical Practice Guidelines. Living Guidelines and updates are not intended to substitute for independent professional judgment of the treating provider and do not account for individual variation among patients. See Appendix 1 (online only) for disclaimers and other important information. Updates are published regularly and can be found at https://ascopubs.org/nsclc-da-living-guideline.

Improved Agreement With American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) publishes clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis and management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Previous versions made controversial recommendations, which failed to yield universal endorsement. Updated guidelines were published in 2016, and we aimed to evaluate agreement with their highest-strength recommendations among members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. An online questionnaire was sent to American Society for Surgery of the Hand members. There were 22 questions that inquired about respondents' specialty, experience level, and practice patterns. We sought to determine their level of agreement with 6 of the highest-strength recommendations in the guidelines. We also investigated their awareness of the guidelines and perceived barriers to their use in clinical practice. The response rate was 17%. The typical respondent was a private practice orthopedic surgeon with at least 10 years of practice. The majority of respondents were aware of the AAOS guidelines. Approximately half (55%) felt that there were no significant barriers to their implementation into clinical practice. Overall, our study demonstrated that nearly half of the respondents agreed with the highest-strength recommendations. There is an improved agreement with the current AAOS guidelines on CTS, perhaps because they reflect a more accurate role in assisting physicians with their independent medical judgment, rather than as fixed protocols. We believe that all surgeons managing CTS should be familiar with the AAOS guidelines. [Orthopedics. 2023;46(2):114-120.].

Vulnerable yet Unprotected: The Hidden Curriculum of the Care of the Incarcerated Patient.

Vulnerable yet Unprotected: The Hidden Curriculum of the Care of the Incarcerated Patient.

Effect of personality on blood glucose control in patients with type 1 diabetes

ObjectiveThe diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) has a major impact on young people and their families. Psychosocial factors, patient motivation, participation and acceptance of the disease are essential to achieve good blood glucose control. Our aims were to analyse personality traits and how they are related to blood glucose control in patients with DM1. MethodsSixty-two patients with DM1 over 18 years of age, with at least one-year disease duration and absence of advanced chronic complications were studied. Clinical, biological and personality parameters were measured. The Millon Index of Personality Styles was administered for personality assessment. ResultsSignificant correlations between different personality variables and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) values were found. Individuals with poor blood glucose control had significantly higher scores on the Feeling-guided (53.6±25.7 vs 36.2±26.8, p=0.021), Innovation-seeking (36.7±24.1 vs 21.9±21.4, p=0.025), Dissenting (41.1±24.4 vs 15.6±16.6, p=0.001), Submissive (41.5±25.1 vs 28.3±14.7, p=0.038) and Dissatisfied (37.5±27.5 vs 19.5±20.2, p=0.015) scales. This psychological profile is characterised by greater focus on emotions and personal values (feeling-guided), the tendency to reject conventional ideas (innovation-seeking), an aversion to complying with norms and a preference for autonomy (unconventional/dissenting), labile self-confidence (submissive/yielding) and expressed disagreement with others (dissatisfied/complaining). Factor analysis based on the main components of the variance yielded four factors. Factor characterised as related to rebelliousness or independent judgement and action was correlated with poor blood glucose control (r=0.402, p<0.05). ConclusionThe rebellious or non-conformist personality type is closely associated with poor blood glucose control in patients with DM1.

AI-Assisted Decision-making: a Cognitive Modeling Approach to Infer Latent Reliance Strategies

AI assistance is readily available to humans in a variety of decision-making applications. In order to fully understand the efficacy of such joint decision-making, it is important to first understand the human’s reliance on AI. However, there is a disconnect between how joint decision-making is studied and how it is practiced in the real world. More often than not, researchers ask humans to provide independent decisions before they are shown AI assistance. This is done to make explicit the influence of AI assistance on the human’s decision. We develop a cognitive model that allows us to infer the latent reliance strategy of humans on AI assistance without asking the human to make an independent decision. We validate the model’s predictions through two behavioral experiments. The first experiment follows a concurrent paradigm where humans are shown AI assistance alongside the decision problem. The second experiment follows a sequential paradigm where humans provide an independent judgment on a decision problem before AI assistance is made available. The model’s predicted reliance strategies closely track the strategies employed by humans in the two experimental paradigms. Our model provides a principled way to infer reliance on AI-assistance and may be used to expand the scope of investigation on human-AI collaboration.

Hesitant fuzzy for conflicting criteria in multi-objective deployment of electric vehicle charging stations

The penetration rate of electric vehicles is expected to experience continual growth. The expansion planning of charging stations includes conflicting interests in urban distribution systems. This paper addresses three different viewpoints from stakeholders, municipalities, and DSOs who may not easily agree on unanimous interests in infrastructure developments. A multi-objective optimization approach is suggested regarding profit, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and voltage profile. The vagueness and contradiction of experts’ opinions are taken into account. Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques are employed to prioritize the candidates. Besides, uncertainties of price, load, and number of available electric vehicles are considered and the best solutions are selected using Crow Search Algorithm (CSA). Hesitant Fuzzy Independent Judgement (HFIJ), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Hesitant Fuzzy AHP mechanisms are implemented to vote for the best expansion solution. IEEE 69-bus test system with modified loads along with the market data from Nordpool are considered in simulations. Sensitivity analysis is also provided to assess the solidity of MCDM. The results show that HFAHP makes more concrete and consistent assembly choices that even 30% variations in weighting coefficients cannot change the alternative rankings.

Proposed methods for evaluating efforts made by governments to prevent and mitigate corporate influence and conflicts of interest in public health policy.

Background: There is evidence that corporations try to delay, weaken, and avoid the adoption of measures that would protect and improve population health. This is particularly true and problematic for health harming industries, such as those producing ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and cigarettes. Financial conflicts of interest (COI) are also problematic in policy-making because they may compromise decision-makers' loyalty and independent judgment. Public opinion is in favor of preventing and mitigating that influence from corporations and COI on public health policy. A scoping review recently identified twenty-three mechanisms that could be adopted with that purpose and which principally cover: i) transparency and disclosure; ii) identification, monitoring, and education; iii) management; iv) prohibition of interactions with the industry and/or COI. There is, however, limited knowledge on the adoption of such mechanisms by governments. We therefore propose new methods for evaluating that progress at the country level. Methods and expected results: The proposed evaluation comprises five steps: 1) Gathering information about the national context; 2) Gathering evidence on the implementation of mechanisms by national governments; 3) Verification of step 2 by government officials and policy experts and local public health experts; 4) Identification and prioritization of actions in a workshop; 5) Supporting the translation of findings into policy actions. Conclusions: The evaluation of progress made by governments in their implementation of mechanisms for preventing and mitigating the influence of corporations and COI in public health policy could help countries systematize their efforts, benchmark their progress internationally, and give perspective on particular weaknesses, approaches, and investment gaps needed for change. We will implement and validate our methods in Ireland, as a first case-study.