How much evidence is in evidence-based policymaking: a case study of an expert group of the European Commission

Evidence & Policy A Journal of Research Debate and Practice ◽

10.1332/174426418x15337551315717 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 45-63

Author(s):

Jean Philippe Pierre Décieux

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

European Commission ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Real Life ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Expert Group ◽

Documentary Analysis ◽

Life Problems ◽

The Right

Knowledge co-production is a solution-oriented approach to analysing real-life problems such as making the right decision in a given scenario. The most popular examples come from evidence-based policymaking contexts. Political decisions made in this way rely on specialist expertise co-produced in organisations that can be characterised as Hybrid Fora. However, despite the rise in popularity of Hybrid Fora and evidence-based policymaking processes, there are only a few studies that analyse the influencing factors of knowledge co-production in these contexts. The case study presented here addresses this new area of research through a documentary analysis and 11 expert interviews, both analysed via qualitative content analysis. First, the study reconstructs how knowledge is produced within an Expert Group of the European Commission. Second, it reflects how the produced knowledge is de facto included as “evidence” into the decision-making processes of the relevant policy area. The results of this study show that in this expert group, pragmatic and extra-scientific criteria such as specific stakes and interests as well as the group hierarchy controlled the process of knowledge co-production. Moreover, it also seems that knowledge produced by the interaction of experts within the examined Expert Group has a more symbolic, policy-orientated function, rather than being specifically used as decision-making evidence.

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Misophonia: An Evidence-Based Case Report

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2020_aja-19-00111 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 685-690

Author(s):

C. S. Vanaja ◽

Miriam Soni Abigail

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Case Report ◽

Case History ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Management Option ◽

Pure Tone Audiogram

Purpose Misophonia is a sound tolerance disorder condition in certain sounds that trigger intense emotional or physiological responses. While some persons may experience misophonia, a few patients suffer from misophonia. However, there is a dearth of literature on audiological assessment and management of persons with misophonia. The purpose of this report is to discuss the assessment of misophonia and highlight the management option that helped a patient with misophonia. Method A case study of a 26-year-old woman with the complaint of decreased tolerance to specific sounds affecting quality of life is reported. Audiological assessment differentiated misophonia from hyperacusis. Management included retraining counseling as well as desensitization and habituation therapy based on the principles described by P. J. Jastreboff and Jastreboff (2014). A misophonia questionnaire was administered at regular intervals to monitor the effectiveness of therapy. Results A detailed case history and audiological evaluations including pure-tone audiogram and Johnson Hyperacusis Index revealed the presence of misophonia. The patient benefitted from intervention, and the scores of the misophonia questionnaire indicated a decrease in the severity of the problem. Conclusions It is important to differentially diagnose misophonia and hyperacusis in persons with sound tolerance disorders. Retraining counseling as well as desensitization and habituation therapy can help patients who suffer from misophonia.

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Automated vehicles and the morality of post-collision behavior

Ethics and Information Technology ◽

10.1007/s10676-021-09607-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sebastian Krügel ◽

Matthias Uhl ◽

Bryn Balcombe

Keyword(s):

European Commission ◽

Research Program ◽

Collision Detection ◽

Expert Group ◽

Automated Vehicles ◽

Automated Driving ◽

Data Provision

AbstractWe address the considerations of the European Commission Expert Group on the ethics of connected and automated vehicles regarding data provision in the event of collisions. While human drivers’ appropriate post-collision behavior is clearly defined, regulations for automated driving do not provide for collision detection. We agree it is important to systematically incorporate citizens’ intuitions into the discourse on the ethics of automated vehicles. Therefore, we investigate whether people expect automated vehicles to behave like humans after an accident, even if this behavior does not directly affect the consequences of the accident. We find that appropriate post-collision behavior substantially influences people’s evaluation of the underlying crash scenario. Moreover, people clearly think that automated vehicles can and should record the accident, stop at the site, and call the police. They are even willing to pay for technological features that enable post-collision behavior. Our study might begin a research program on post-collision behavior, enriching the empirically informed study of automated driving ethics that so far exclusively focuses on pre-collision behavior.

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Measurement of Gem Colour Using a Computer Vision System: A Case Study with Jadeite-Jade

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11080791 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 791

Author(s):

Sufei Zhang ◽

Ying Guo

Keyword(s):

Computer Vision ◽

Regression Model ◽

Vision System ◽

Expert Group ◽

Group Test ◽

System A ◽

Real Objects ◽

Practical Tool ◽

Almost All

This paper introduces computer vision systems (CVSs), which provides a new method to measure gem colour, and compares CVS and colourimeter (CM) measurements of jadeite-jade colour in the CIELAB space. The feasibility of using CVS for jadeite-jade colour measurement was verified by an expert group test and a reasonable regression model in an experiment involving 111 samples covering almost all jadeite-jade colours. In the expert group test, more than 93.33% of CVS images are considered to have high similarities with real objects. Comparing L*, a*, b*, C*, h, and ∆E* (greater than 10) from CVS and CM tests indicate that significant visual differences exist between the measured colours. For a*, b*, and h, the R2 of the regression model for CVS and CM was 90.2% or more. CVS readings can be used to predict the colour value measured by CM, which means that CVS technology can become a practical tool to detect the colour of jadeite-jade.

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The role of epistemic communities in the “constitutionalization” of internet governance: The example of the European Commission High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence

Telecommunications Policy ◽

10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102149 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 45 (6) ◽

pp. 102149 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nicola Palladino

Keyword(s):

Artificial Intelligence ◽

European Commission ◽

Epistemic Communities ◽

Expert Group ◽

Internet Governance ◽

High Level

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The Implementation of Visual Comfort Evaluation in the Evidence-Based Design Process Using Lighting Simulation

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11114982 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 4982

Author(s):

Anahita Davoodi ◽

Peter Johansson ◽

Myriam Aries

Keyword(s):

Performance Metrics ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Visual Comfort ◽

Simulation Tools ◽

Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽

Lighting Simulation ◽

Insight Into

Validation of the EBD-SIM (evidence-based design-simulation) framework, a conceptual framework developed to integrate the use of lighting simulation in the EBD process, suggested that EBD’s post-occupancy evaluation (POE) should be conducted more frequently. A follow-up field study was designed for subjective–objective results implementation in the EBD process using lighting simulation tools. In this real-time case study, the visual comfort of the occupants was evaluated. The visual comfort analysis data were collected via simulations and questionnaires for subjective visual comfort perceptions. The follow-up study, conducted in June, confirmed the results of the original study, conducted in October, but additionally found correlations with annual performance metrics. This study shows that, at least for the variables related to daylight, a POE needs to be conducted at different times of the year to obtain a more comprehensive insight into the users’ perception of the lit environment.

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