SciCombinator

Interventions to promote mental well-being can bring benefits to the individual and to society. The Internet can facilitate the large-scale and low-cost delivery of individually targeted health promoting interventions.

BACKGROUND: U-Compare is a text mining platform that allows the construction, evaluation and comparison of text miningworkflows. U-Compare contains a large library of components that are tuned to the biomedical domain. Userscan rapidly develop biomedical text mining workflows by mixing and matching U-Compare’s components.Workflows developed using U-Compare can be exported and sent to other users who, in turn, can import andre-use them. However, the resulting workflows are standalone applications, i.e., software tools that run and areaccessible only via a local machine, and that can only be run with the U-Compare platform. RESULTS: We address the above issues by extending U-Compare to convert standalone workflows into web servicesautomatically, via a two-click process. The resulting web services can be registered on a central server andmade publicly available. Alternatively, users can make web services available on their own servers, afterinstalling the web application framework, which is part of the extension to U-Compare. We have performed auser-oriented evaluation of the proposed extension, by asking users who have tested the enhanced functionalityof U-Compare to complete questionnaires that assess its functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency andmaintainability. The results obtained reveal that the new functionality is well received by users. CONCLUSIONS: The web services produced by U-Compare are built on top of open standards, i.e., REST and SOAP protocols,and therefore, they are decoupled from the underlying platform. Exported workflows can be integrated withany application that supports these open standards. We demonstrate how the newly extended U-Compareenhances the cross-platform interoperability of workflows, by seamlessly importing a number of text miningworkflow web services exported from U-Compare into Taverna, i.e., a generic scientific workflow constructionplatform.

The Internet provides a platform to access health information and support self-management by consumers with chronic health conditions. Despite recognized barriers to accessing Web-based health information, there is a lack of research quantitatively exploring whether consumers report difficulty finding desired health information on the Internet and whether these consumers would like assistance (ie, navigational needs). Understanding navigational needs can provide a basis for interventions guiding consumers to quality Web-based health resources.

Face-to-face mindfulness interventions have been shown to significantly decrease perceived stress, anxiety and depression and research is beginning to show similar benefits for such courses delivered via the internet. We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of an online mindfulness course for perceived stress, anxiety and depression.

This paper describes an interactive web-based near real-time (NRT) forest monitoring system using four levels of geographic information services: 1) the acquisition of continuous data streams from satellite and community-based monitoring using mobile devices, 2) NRT forest disturbance detection based on satellite time-series, 3) presentation of forest disturbance data through a web-based application and social media and 4) interaction of the satellite based disturbance alerts with the end-user communities to enhance the collection of ground data. The system is developed using open source technologies and has been implemented together with local experts in the UNESCO Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. The results show that the system is able to provide easy access to information on forest change and considerably improves the collection and storage of ground observation by local experts. Social media leads to higher levels of user interaction and noticeably improves communication among stakeholders. Finally, an evaluation of the system confirms the usability of the system in Ethiopia. The implemented system can provide a foundation for an operational forest monitoring system at the national level for REDD+ MRV applications.

Nowadays, technology is increasingly used to increase people’s well-being. For example, many mobile and Web-based apps have been developed that can support people to become mentally fit or to manage their daily diet. However, analyses of current Web-based interventions show that many systems are only used by a specific group of users (eg, women, highly educated), and that even they often do not persist and drop out as the intervention unfolds. In this paper, we assess the impact of design features of Web-based interventions on reach and adherence and conclude that the power that design can have has not been used to its full potential. We propose looking at design research as a source of inspiration for new (to the field) design approaches. The paper goes on to specify and discuss three of these approaches: personalization, ambient information, and use of metaphors. Central to our viewpoint is the role of positive affect triggered by well-designed persuasive features to boost adherence and well-being. Finally, we discuss the future of persuasive eHealth interventions and suggest avenues for follow-up research.

Advocacy around mass treatment for the elimination of selected Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) has typically put the cost per person treated at less than US$ 0.50. Whilst useful for advocacy, the focus on a single number misrepresents the complexity of delivering “free” donated medicines to about a billion people across the world. We perform a literature review and meta-regression of the cost per person per round of mass treatment against NTDs. We develop a web-based software application (https://healthy.shinyapps.io/benchmark/) to calculate setting-specific unit costs against which programme budgets and expenditures or results-based pay-outs can be benchmarked.

We present ClicO Free Service (ClicO FS), an online web-service based on Circos, which provides a user-friendly, interactive web-based interface with configurable features to generate Circos circular plots.

The translation of Web-based physical activity intervention research into the real world is lacking and becoming increasingly important.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are becoming increasingly popular for helping people with physical health conditions. Expanding from traditional face-to-face program delivery, there is growing interest in Web-based application of MBIs, though Web-based MBIs for people with physical health conditions specifically have not been thoroughly reviewed to date.