Redefining Representativeness of a Sample in Causal Terms
Anno: 2025
Rivista: JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Autori/autrici: Sikorski, Michał; Gebharter, Alexander; Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/345733
Citazioni:
Redefining Representativeness of a Sample in Causal Terms / Sikorski, M., Gebharter, A., Osimani, B.. - In: JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. - ISSN 1356-1294. - 31:4(2025). [10.1111/jep.70137]
Abstract:
Rationale: Despite its crucial role, sample representativeness remains a controversial topic in the methodology of medical science. There is an ongoing debate not only about how best to define and ensure the representativeness of a sample (e.g., Rudolph et al. 2023; Porta 2016), but also about wheth...er representativeness is worth pursuing at all (e.g., Rothman et al. 2013). Aims and Objectives: Our aim is to construct a formalised, precise, and practical conceptualisation of sample representativeness. Methods: We employ the established framework of causal Bayesian networks to develop such a conceptualisation. Results: We propose a precise formal definition of sample representativeness that translates into clear and actionable methodological guidance. Additionally, we provide examples and a checklist to illustrate the application of the proposed conceptualisation. Conclusion: We believe that the presented definition will facilitate further discussion of the issue of representativeness and prove useful to scientists in practice.
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The Formal Structure(s) of Analogical Inference
Anno: 2025
Rivista: ERKENNTNIS
Autori/autrici: Gebharter, Alexander; Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/340633
Citazioni:
The Formal Structure(s) of Analogical Inference / Gebharter, A., Osimani, B.. - In: ERKENNTNIS. - ISSN 0165-0106. - 91:(2025), pp. 923-953. [10.1007/s10670-025-00934-8]
Abstract:
Recently, Dardashti et al. (Stud Hist Philos Sci Part B Stud Hist Philos Mod Phys 67:1–11, 2019) proposed a Bayesian model for establishing Hawking radiation by analogical inference. In this paper we investigate whether their model would work as a general model for analogical inference. We stu...dy how it performs when varying the believed degree of similarity between the source and the target system. We show that there are circumstances in which the degree of confirmation for the hypothesis about the target system obtained by collecting evidence from the source system goes down when increasing the believed degree of similarity between the two systems. We then develop an alternative model in which the direction of the variation of the degree of confirmation always coincides with the direction of the believed degree of similarity. Finally, we argue that the two models capture different types of analogical inference
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Incentives for Research Effort: An Evolutionary Model of Publication Markets with Double-Blind and Open Review
Anno: 2023
Rivista: COMPUTATIONAL ECONOMICS
Autori/autrici: Radzvilas, M.; De Pretis, F.; Peden, W.; Tortoli, D.; Osimani, B.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/298756
Citazioni:
Incentives for Research Effort: An Evolutionary Model of Publication Markets with Double-Blind and Open Review / Radzvilas, M., De Pretis, F., Peden, W., Tortoli, D., Osimani, B.. - In: COMPUTATIONAL ECONOMICS. - ISSN 0927-7099. - 61:(2023), pp. 1433-1476. [10.1007/s10614-022-10250-w]
Abstract:
Contemporary debates about scientific institutions and practice feature many proposed reforms. Most of these require increased efforts from scientists. But how do scientists’ incentives for effort interact? How can scientific institutions encourage scientists to invest effort in research? We e...xplore these questions using a game-theoretic model of publication markets. We employ a base game between authors and reviewers, before assessing some of its tendencies by means of analysis and simulations. We compare how the effort expenditures of these groups interact in our model under a variety of settings, such as double-blind and open review systems. We make a number of findings, including that open review can increase the effort of authors in a range of circumstances and that these effects can manifest in a policy-relevant period of time. However, we find that open review’s impact on authors’ efforts is sensitive to the strength of several other influences.
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Varieties of Error and Varieties of Evidence in Scientific Inference
Anno: 2023
Rivista: BRITISH JOURNAL FOR THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.; Landes, J.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257015
Citazioni:
Varieties of Error and Varieties of Evidence in Scientific Inference / Osimani, B., Landes, J.. - In: BRITISH JOURNAL FOR THE PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE. - ISSN 0007-0882. - 74:1(2023), pp. 117-170. [10.1086/714803]
Abstract:
According to the variety of evidence thesis items of evidence from independent lines of investigation are more confirmatory, ceteris paribus, than, for example, replications of analogous studies. This thesis is known to fail (Bovens and Hartmann; Claveau). However, the results obtained by Bovens and... Hartmann only concern instruments whose evidence is either fully random or perfectly reliable; instead, for Claveau, unreliability ismodelled as deterministic bias. In both cases, the unreliable instrument delivers totally irrelevant information.We present a model that formalizes both reliability and unreliability differently. Our instruments either are reliable, but affected by random error, or are biased but not deterministically so. Bovens and Hartmann’s results are counter-intuitive in that in their model a long series of consistent reports from the same instrument does not raise suspicion of ‘too-good-to-be-true’ evidence. This happens precisely because they contemplate neither the role of systematic bias, nor unavoidable random error of reliable instruments. In our model, the variety of evidence thesis fails as well, but the area of failure is considerably smaller than for Bovens and Hartmann and Claveau, and holds for (the majority of ) realistic cases (that is, where biased instruments are very biased). The essential mechanism that triggers variety of evidence thesis failure is the rate of false to true positives for the two kinds of instruments. Our emphasis is on modelling beliefs about sources of knowledge and their role in hypothesis confirmation in interaction with dimensions of evidence, such as variety and consistency.
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The Cochrane Case: An Epistemic Analysis on Decision-Making and Trust in Science in the Age of Information
Anno: 2023
Rivista: FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE
Autori/autrici: Boem, F.; Bonzio, S.; Osimani, B.; Sacco, A.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/284881
Citazioni:
The Cochrane Case: An Epistemic Analysis on Decision-Making and Trust in Science in the Age of Information / Boem, F., Bonzio, S., Osimani, B., Sacco, A.. - In: FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE. - ISSN 1233-1821. - 28:1(2023), pp. 143-158. [10.1007/s10699-020-09668-y]
Abstract:
In this study we analyze a recent controversy within the biomedical world, concerning the evaluation of safety of certain vaccines. This specific struggle took place among experts: the Danish epidemiologist Peter Gøtzsche on one side and a respected scientific institution, the Cochrane, on th...e other. However, given its relevance, the consequences of such a conflict invest a much larger spectrum of actors, last but not least the public itself. Our work is aimed at dissecting a specific aspect happening in this complex scenario: strategy. In other words, we want to highlight the value and the impact of strategic decisions when complex issues, as those analyzed, are at stake. In order to address this we have decided to adopt a game-theoretic approach. Our work will be structured as it follows. First, we will introduce the controversy and the two main actors: Peter Gøtzsche and the Cochrane. Second, we will explain why this controversy is important and its value beyond its academic relevance. Third, we will frame the controversy as a game and will provide several models representing different situations, also furnishing an analysis of these distinct scenarios. In the end we will argue why such game-theoretic approach can be useful in dissecting this type of issues.
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"Nessuna correlazione": Gli strumenti per la valutazione del nesso causale tra vaccinazione ed evento avverso
Anno: 2022
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara; Ilardo, Maria Laura
Lingua: ITA
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/310673
Citazioni:
"Nessuna correlazione": Gli strumenti per la valutazione del nesso causale tra vaccinazione ed evento avverso / Osimani, B., Ilardo, M.L.. - STAMPA. - (2022), pp. 167-186.
Abstract:
I casi individuali di decessi o eventi avversi successivi a vaccinazione anti COVID-19 vengono raramente attribuiti al vaccino. Nei titoli di giornale che ne parlano, leggiamo spesso: “nessuna correlazione”. Tuttavia l’eccesso di mortalità generale successivo alle campagne d...i vaccinazione anti COVID-19 rispetto agli anni precedenti, soprattutto nelle fasce giovanili (Mazzucco and Campostrini, 2022, v. anche Gianfredi et al. 2021). e la proporzione significativa di segnalazioni di eventi avversi per questa tipologia di vaccini rispetto ai precedenti (Montano, 2022) destano allarme. L’origine di questa apparente contraddizione tra accertamento individuale e dati osservazionali è riconducibile a due fenomeni parzialmente interrelati: 1) il noto fenomeno della sottosegnalazione degli eventi avversi in farmacovigilanza; 2) l’utilizzo dell’algoritmo OMS per la valutazione del nesso causale tra vaccinazione ed evento avverso.Illustriamo in questo capitolo le cause che spiegano tali fenomeni, identificandone le dimensioni epistemologiche e metodologiche.
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L'idea di Università
Anno: 2022
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ITA
Classificazione IRIS: 3.8 Traduzione di libro
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/310531
Citazioni:
L'idea di Università / Osimani, B.. - STAMPA. - (2022), pp. 137-231.
Abstract:
L'asse portante dell'idea jaspersiana dell'Università, che si ispira ad una visione della filosofia non angusta e chiusa nelle sue presunte certezze, è costituito dall'ideale di un'unità armonica delle scienze, attraverso l'incrocio dei vari soggett...i e saperi implicati nella ricerca. La realizzazione di questa armonia nasce dalla comunicazione che è insieme dialogo, lavoro comune, disputa, incontro delle varie Wissenschaften e Weltanschauungen. Solo dalla comunicazione nasce la possibilità dell'oggettivazione del sapere e proprio la comunicazione ci dà il senso vivente dell'idea di Università secondo Jaspers. Il testo si rivolge non solo agli studiosi di Jaspers ma a tutti i cultori della formazione permanente, agli studenti universitari e ai lettori che si interrogano sul tema della cultura universitaria e del suo senso.
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Pharmacovigilance as Personalized Evidence
Anno: 2022
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara; Landes, Jürgen; Peden, William; DE PRETIS, Francesco
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/310827
Citazioni:
Pharmacovigilance as Personalized Evidence / Osimani, B., Landes, J., Peden, W., DE PRETIS, F.. - STAMPA. - (2022), pp. 147-171. [10.1007/978-3-030-74804-3]
Abstract:
Personalized medicine relies on two points: (1) causal knowledge about the possible effects of X in a given statistical population; (2) assignment of the given individual to a suitable reference class. Regarding point 1, standard approaches to causal inference are generally considered to be characte...rized by a trade-off between how confidently one can establish causality in any given study (internal validity) and extrapolating such knowledge to specific target groups (external validity). Regarding point 2, it is uncertain which reference class leads to the most reliable inferences. Instead, pharmacovigilance focuses on both elements of the individual prediction at the same time, that is, the establishment of the possible causal link between a given drug and an observed adverse event, and the identification of possible subgroups, where such links may arise. We develop an epistemic framework that exploits the joint contribution of different dimensions of evidence and allows one to deal with the reference class problem not only by relying on statistical data about covariances, but also by drawing on causal knowledge. That is, the probability that a given individual will face a given side effect, will probabilistically depend on his characteristics and the plausible causal models in which such features become relevant. The evaluation of the causal models is grounded on the available evidence and theory.
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Nuovi approcci alla ricerca clinica durante la pandemia da Covid-19. Il diritto alle cure tra studi randomizzati ed evidenze del mondo reale
Anno: 2021
Rivista: RESPONSABILITÀ MEDICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ITA
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/290344
Citazioni:
Nuovi approcci alla ricerca clinica durante la pandemia da Covid-19. Il diritto alle cure tra studi randomizzati ed evidenze del mondo reale / Osimani, B.. - In: RESPONSABILITÀ MEDICA. - ISSN 2533-1027. - 1(2021), pp. 31-39.
Abstract:
Sommario: 1. Introduzione. – 2. Il diritto alle cure e la ricerca clinica in uno stato di emergenza pandemica tra studi randomizzati e Real World Evidence. – 3. La ricerca clinica nel processo decisionale normativo in stato di emergenza. – 3.1. La Real World Evidence. – 4. Es...empi di utilizzo nella storia della Real World Evidence. – 5. Le prove del mondo reale nella pandemia da Covid-19 in Italia.
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Barbara Osimani’s contribution to the Discussion of ‘Testing by betting: A strategy for statistical and scientific communication’ by Glenn Shafer
Anno: 2021
Rivista: JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY. SERIES A. STATISTICS IN SOCIETY
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 4.1 Contributo in Atti di convegno
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/290359
Citazioni:
Barbara Osimani’s contribution to the Discussion of ‘Testing by betting: A strategy for statistical and scientific communication’ by Glenn Shafer / Osimani, B.. - In: JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY. SERIES A. STATISTICS IN SOCIETY. - ISSN 0964-1998. - 184:(2021), pp. 437-438. (Royal Statistical Society Discussion Meeting: ‘Testing by betting: A strategy for statistical and scientific communication’ by Glenn Shafer 9 September 2020) [10.1111/rssa.12651].

Reliability: an introduction
Anno: 2021
Rivista: SYNTHESE
Autori/autrici: Bonzio, S.; Landes, J.; Osimani, B.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/285048
Citazioni:
Reliability: an introduction / Bonzio, S., Landes, J., Osimani, B.. - In: SYNTHESE. - ISSN 0039-7857. - 198:(2021), pp. 5615-5624. [10.1007/s11229-020-02725-w]

Reliability
Anno: 2020
Rivista: SYNTHESE
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.; Landes, Jürgen; Bonzio, Stefano
Classificazione IRIS: 7.1 Curatela
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257008
Citazioni:
Reliability / Osimani, B., Landes, J., Bonzio, S.. - In: SYNTHESE. - ISSN 0039-7857. - (2020).

The Ship of Theseus Puzzle
Anno: 2020
Autori/autrici: Rose, David; Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/284924
Citazioni:
The Ship of Theseus Puzzle / Rose, D., Osimani, B.. - (2020), pp. 158-174. [10.1093/oso/9780198852407.003.0007]

A Protocol for Model Validation and Causal Inference from Computer Simulation
Anno: 2020
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara; Poellinger, Roland
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/284923
Citazioni:
A Protocol for Model Validation and Causal Inference from Computer Simulation / Osimani, B., Poellinger, R.. - 1:(2020), pp. 173-215. [10.1007/978-3-030-25001-0_9]

Social Games and Epistemic Losses: Reliability and higher order evidence in medicine and Pharmacology
Anno: 2020
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257013
Citazioni:
Social Games and Epistemic Losses: Reliability and higher order evidence in medicine and Pharmacology / Osimani, B.. - (2020).

Epistemic Gains and Epistemic Games: Reliability and Higher Order Evidence in Medicine and Pharmacology
Anno: 2020
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/277462
Citazioni:
Epistemic Gains and Epistemic Games: Reliability and Higher Order Evidence in Medicine and Pharmacology / Osimani, B.. - 338:(2020), pp. 345-372. [10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2_15]

On the Assessed Strength of Agents’ Bias.
Anno: 2020
Rivista: JOURNAL FOR GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Autori/autrici: Landes, Jürgen; Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/283804
Citazioni:
On the Assessed Strength of Agents’ Bias / Landes, J., Osimani, B.. - In: JOURNAL FOR GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE. - ISSN 0925-4560. - ELETTRONICO. - (2020). [10.1007/s10838-020-09508-4]
Abstract:
Recent work in social epistemology has shown that, in certain situations, less communication leads to better outcomes for epistemic groups. In this paper, we show that, ceteris paribus, a Bayesian agent may believe less strongly that a single agent is biased than that an entire group of independent ...agents is biased. We explain this initially surprising result and show that it is in fact a consequence one may conceive on the basis of commonsense reasoning.
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Uncertainty in Pharmacology: Epistemology, Methods and Decisions
Anno: 2020
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 3.1 Monografia o trattato scientifico
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/277464
Citazioni:
Uncertainty in Pharmacology: Epistemology, Methods and Decisions / Osimani, B.. - 338:(2020). [10.1007/978-3-030-29179-2]

Science as a weapon of mass distraction (the virus warfare).
Anno: 2020
Rivista: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara; Ilardo, MARIA LAURA; Castaldo, Pasqualina
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/284883
Citazioni:
Science as a weapon of mass distraction (the virus warfare) / Osimani, B., Ilardo, M.L., Castaldo, P.. - In: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA. - ISSN 1824-3991. - STAMPA. - (2020).

For Whom Does Determinism Undermine Moral Responsibility? Surveying the Conditions for Free Will Across Cultures
Anno: 2019
Rivista: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
Autori/autrici: Hannikainen, I. R.; Machery, E.; Rose, D.; Stich, S.; Olivola, C. Y.; Sousa, P.; Cova, F.; Buchtel, E. E.; Alai, M.; Angelucci, A.; Berniunas, R.; Chatterjee, A.; Cheon, H.; Cho, I. -R.; Cohnitz, D.; Dranseika, V.; Erana Lagos, A.; Ghadakpour, L.; Grinberg, M.; Hashimoto, T.; Horowitz, A.; Hristova, E.; Jraissati, Y.; Kadreva, V.; Karasawa, K.; Kim, H.; Kim, Y.; Lee, M.; Mauro, C.; Mizumoto, M.; Moruzzi, S.; Ornelas, J.; Osimani, B.; Romero, C.; Rosas Lopez, A.; Sangoi, M.; Sereni, A.; Songhorian, S.; Struchiner, N.; Tripodi, V.; Usui, N.; Vazquez del Mercado, A.; Vosgerichian, H. A.; Zhang, X.; Zhu, J.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/284925
Citazioni:
For Whom Does Determinism Undermine Moral Responsibility? Surveying the Conditions for Free Will Across Cultures / Hannikainen, I.R., Machery, E., Rose, D., Stich, S., Olivola, C.Y., Sousa, P., Cova, F., Buchtel, E.E., Alai, M., Angelucci, A., Berniunas, R., Chatterjee, A., Cheon, H., Cho, I.-R., Cohnitz, D., Dranseika, V., Erana Lagos, A., Ghadakpour, L., Grinberg, M., Hashimoto, T., et al.. - In: FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 1664-1078. - 10:(2019), p. 2428. [10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02428]
Abstract:
Philosophers have long debated whether, if determinism is true, we should hold people morally responsible for their actions since in a deterministic universe, people are arguably not the ultimate source of their actions nor could they have done otherwise if initial conditions and the laws of nature ...are held fixed. To reveal how non-philosophers ordinarily reason about the conditions for free will, we conducted a cross-cultural and cross-linguistic survey (N = 5,268) spanning twenty countries and sixteen languages. Overall, participants tended to ascribe moral responsibility whether the perpetrator lacked sourcehood or alternate possibilities. However, for American, European, and Middle Eastern participants, being the ultimate source of one’s actions promoted perceptions of free will and control as well as ascriptions of blame and punishment. By contrast, being the source of one’s actions was not particularly salient to Asian participants. Finally, across cultures, participants exhibiting greater cognitive reflection were more likely to view free will as incompatible with causal determinism. We discuss these findings in light of documented cultural differences in the tendency toward dispositional versus situational attributions.
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De Pulchritudine non est Disputandum? A cross-cultural investigation of the alleged intersubjective validity of aesthetic judgment
Anno: 2019
Rivista: MIND & LANGUAGE
Autori/autrici: Cova, F.; Olivola, C. Y.; Machery, E.; Stich, S.; Rose, D.; Alai, M.; Angelucci, A.; Berniunas, R.; Buchtel, E. E.; Chatterjee, A.; Cheon, H.; Cho, I. -R.; Cohnitz, D.; Dranseika, V.; Lagos, A. E.; Ghadakpour, L.; Grinberg, M.; Hannikainen, I.; Hashimoto, T.; Horowitz, A.; Hristova, E.; Jraissati, Y.; Kadreva, V.; Karasawa, K.; Kim, H.; Kim, Y.; Lee, M.; Mauro, C.; Mizumoto, M.; Moruzzi, S.; Ornelas, J.; Osimani, B.; Romero, C.; Rosas, A.; Sangoi, M.; Sereni, A.; Songhorian, S.; Sousa, P.; Struchiner, N.; Tripodi, V.; Usui, N.; del Mercado, A. V.; Volpe, G.; Vosgerichian, H. A.; Zhang, X.; Zhu, J.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/284926
Citazioni:
De Pulchritudine non est Disputandum? A cross-cultural investigation of the alleged intersubjective validity of aesthetic judgment / Cova, F., Olivola, C.Y., Machery, E., Stich, S., Rose, D., Alai, M., Angelucci, A., Berniunas, R., Buchtel, E.E., Chatterjee, A., Cheon, H., Cho, I.-R., Cohnitz, D., Dranseika, V., Lagos, A.E., Ghadakpour, L., Grinberg, M., Hannikainen, I., Hashimoto, T., Horowitz, A., et al.. - In: MIND & LANGUAGE. - ISSN 0268-1064. - 34:3(2019), pp. 317-338. [10.1111/mila.12210]
Abstract:
Since at least Hume and Kant, philosophers working on the nature of aesthetic judgment have generally agreed that common sense does not treat aesthetic judgments in the same way as typical expressions of subjective preferences—rather, it endows them with intersubjective validity, the property ...of being right or wrong regardless of disagreement. Moreover, this apparent intersubjective validity has been taken to constitute one of the main explananda for philosophical accounts of aesthetic judgment. But is it really the case that most people spontaneously treat aesthetic judgments as having intersubjective validity? In this paper, we report the results of a cross-cultural study with over 2,000 respondents spanning 19 countries. Despite significant geographical variations, these results suggest that most people do not treat their own aesthetic judgments as having intersubjective validity. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for theories of aesthetic judgment and the purpose of aesthetics in general.
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New insights in computational methods for pharmacovigilance: e-synthesis, a bayesian framework for causal assessment
Anno: 2019
Rivista: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Autori/autrici: De Pretis, F.; Osimani, B.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/277455
Citazioni:
New insights in computational methods for pharmacovigilance: e-synthesis, a bayesian framework for causal assessment / De Pretis, F., Osimani, B.. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH. - ISSN 1661-7827. - 16:12(2019), p. 2221. [10.3390/ijerph16122221]
Abstract:
Today’s surge of big data coming from multiple sources is raising the stakes that pharmacovigilance has to win, making evidence synthesis a more and more robust approach in the field. In this scenario, many scholars believe that new computational methods derived from data mining will effective...ly enhance the detection of early warning signals for adverse drug reactions, solving the gauntlets that post-marketing surveillance requires. This article highlights the need for a philosophical approach in order to fully realize a pharmacovigilance 2.0 revolution. A state of the art on evidence synthesis is presented, followed by the illustration of E-Synthesis, a Bayesian framework for causal assessment. Computational results regarding dose-response evidence are shown at the end of this article.
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Reviewing the mechanistic evidence assessors E-synthesis and EBM+: A case study of amoxicillin and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS)
Anno: 2019
Rivista: CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL DESIGN
Autori/autrici: Abdin, A. Y.; Auker-Howlett, D.; Landes, J.; Mulla, G.; Jacob, C.; Osimani, B.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/277507
Citazioni:
Reviewing the mechanistic evidence assessors E-synthesis and EBM+: A case study of amoxicillin and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) / Abdin, A.Y., Auker-Howlett, D., Landes, J., Mulla, G., Jacob, C., Osimani, B.. - In: CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL DESIGN. - ISSN 1381-6128. - 25:16(2019), pp. 1866-1880. [10.2174/1381612825666190628160603]
Abstract:
Background: Basic science has delivered unprecedented insights into intricate relationships on the smallest scales within well-controlled environments. Addressing pressing societal decision problems requires an understanding of systems on larger scales in real-world situations. Objective: To assess ...how well the evidence assessors E-Synthesis and EBM+ assess basic science findings to support medical decision making. Methods: We demonstrate the workings of E-Synthesis and EBM+ on a case study: the suspected causal connection between the widely-used drug amoxicillin (AMX) and the putative adverse drug reaction: Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS). Results: We determine an increase in the probability that AMX can cause DRESS within the E-Synthesis approach and using the EBM+ standards assess the basic science findings as supporting the existence of a mechanism linking AMX and DRESS. Conclusions: While progress is made towards developing methodologies which allow the incorporation of basic science research in the decision making process for pressing societal questions, there is still considerable need for further developments. A continued dialogue between basic science researchers and methodologists, philosophers and statisticians seems to offer the best prospects for developing and evaluating continuously evolving methodologies.
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E-synthesis: A Bayesian framework for causal assessment in pharmacosurveillance
Anno: 2019
Rivista: FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
Autori/autrici: De Pretis, F.; Landes, J.; Osimani, B.
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/277457
Citazioni:
E-synthesis: A Bayesian framework for causal assessment in pharmacosurveillance / De Pretis, F., Landes, J., Osimani, B.. - In: FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY. - ISSN 1663-9812. - 10:(2019), p. 1317. [10.3389/fphar.2019.01317]
Abstract:
Background: Evidence suggesting adverse drug reactions often emerges unsystematically and unpredictably in form of anecdotal reports, case series and survey data. Safety trials and observational studies also provide crucial information regarding the (un-)safety of drugs. Hence, integrating multiple ...types of pharmacovigilance evidence is key to minimising the risks of harm. Methods: In previous work, we began the development of a Bayesian framework for aggregating multiple types of evidence to assess the probability of a putative causal link between drugs and side effects. This framework arose out of a philosophical analysis of the Bradford Hill Guidelines. In this article, we expand the Bayesian framework and add “evidential modulators,” which bear on the assessment of the reliability of incoming study results. The overall framework for evidence synthesis, “E-Synthesis”, is then applied to a case study. Results: Theoretically and computationally, E-Synthesis exploits coherence of partly or fully independent evidence converging towards the hypothesis of interest (or of conflicting evidence with respect to it), in order to update its posterior probability. With respect to other frameworks for evidence synthesis, our Bayesian model has the unique feature of grounding its inferential machinery on a consolidated theory of hypothesis confirmation (Bayesian epistemology), and in allowing any data from heterogeneous sources (cell-data, clinical trials, epidemiological studies), and methods (e.g., frequentist hypothesis testing, Bayesian adaptive trials, etc.) to be quantitatively integrated into the same inferential framework. Conclusions: E-Synthesis is highly flexible concerning the allowed input, while at the same time relying on a consistent computational system, that is philosophically and statistically grounded. Furthermore, by introducing evidential modulators, and thereby breaking up the different dimensions of evidence (strength, relevance, reliability), E-Synthesis allows them to be explicitly tracked in updating causal hypotheses.
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Roundtable on Philosophy of Evidence: "Dimensions of Evidence and Criteria for Standards Improvement"
Anno: 2018
Rivista: BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.5 Abstract in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/266465
Citazioni:
Roundtable on Philosophy of Evidence: "Dimensions of Evidence and Criteria for Standards Improvement" / Osimani, B.. - In: BMJ EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE. - ISSN 2515-446X. - 23:(2018), pp. 5-5.

Real and Virtual Clinical Trials: A Formal Analysis
Anno: 2018
Rivista: TOPOI
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.; Bertolaso, Marta; Poellinger, Roland; Frontoni, Emanuele
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257014
Citazioni:
Real and Virtual Clinical Trials: A Formal Analysis / Osimani, B., Bertolaso, M., Poellinger, R., Frontoni, E.. - In: TOPOI. - ISSN 0167-7411. - (2018).
Abstract:
Systems biology is an interdisciplinary approach to complex biological problems through modelling, simulation, and systems-level analysis, which is increasingly establishing itself as an alternative and complementary source of knowledge to standards laboratory, clinical and epidemiologic studies in ...medicine. It has been proposed that such computer simulation and computer-aided modelling techniques could be employed in the setting of clinical testing, in order to support the planning of clinical trials, refine their conduct and reduce the possibility of their failure. According to this view, patient-specific computer models should be used to generate simulated populations, on which new biomedical products can be safely tested. The Avicenna Alliance refers to this methodology as In Silico Clinical Trial (ISCT). In their recently published Roadmap (Viceconti et al., 2016), the Avicenna alliance produced an in-depth examination of the scientific, technological, and societal obstacles that have to be overcome in order to establish a role for the ISCT in medical research. With the present paper we provide an analysis of ISCTs epistemological status, in particular with respect to the gold standard instrument of clinical investigation: Randomized Controlled Trials. We draw on Cartwright's analysis (2011) of RCTs as a basis for a formal analysis of their epistemic value and as a benchmark for investigating ISCTs. Britton et al.'s study (Britton et al., 2013) on the impact of ion current variability on cardiac electrophysiology is used for illustrative purposes.
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What's Hot in Mathematical Philosophy
Anno: 2018
Rivista: THE REASONER
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257051
Citazioni:
What's Hot in Mathematical Philosophy / Osimani, B.. - In: THE REASONER. - ISSN 1757-0522. - 12:2(2018), pp. 15-16.

Epistemology of causal inference in pharmacology: Towards a framework for the assessment of harms
Anno: 2018
Rivista: EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Autori/autrici: Landes, Jürgen; Osimani, Barbara; Poellinger, Roland
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256971
Citazioni:
Epistemology of causal inference in pharmacology: Towards a framework for the assessment of harms / Landes, J., Osimani, B., Poellinger, R.. - In: EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE. - ISSN 1879-4912. - 8:1(2018), pp. 3-49. [10.1007/s13194-017-0169-1]

Behavioral Circumscription and the Folk Psychology of Belief: A Study in Ethno-Mentalizing
Anno: 2017
Rivista: THOUGHT
Autori/autrici: Rose, David; Machery, Edouard; Stich, Stephen; Alai, Mario; Angelucci, Adriano; Berniūnas, Renatas; Buchtel, Emma E.; Chatterjee, Amita; Cheon, Hyundeuk; Cho, In-Rae; Cohnitz, Daniel; Cova, Florian; Dranseika, Vilius; Lagos, Ángeles Eraña; Ghadakpour, Laleh; Grinberg, Maurice; Hannikainen, Ivar; Hashimoto, Takaaki; Horowitz, Amir; Hristova, Evgeniya; Jraissati, Yasmina; Kadreva, Veselina; Karasawa, Kaori; Kim, Hackjin; Kim, Yeonjeong; Lee, Minwoo; Mauro, Carlos; Mizumoto, Masaharu; Moruzzi, Sebastiano; Olivola, Christopher Y.; Ornelas, Jorge; Osimani, Barbara; Romero, Carlos; Rosas, Alejandro; Sangoi, Massimo; Sereni, Andrea; Songhorian, Sarah; Sousa, Paulo; Struchiner, Noel; Tripodi, Vera; Usui, Naoki; del Mercado, Alejandro Vázquez; Volpe, Giorgio; Vosgerichian, Hrag A.; Zhang, Xueyi; Zhu, Jing
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257010
Citazioni:
Behavioral Circumscription and the Folk Psychology of Belief: A Study in Ethno-Mentalizing / Rose, D., Machery, E., Stich, S., Alai, M., Angelucci, A., Berniūnas, R., Buchtel, E.E., Chatterjee, A., Cheon, H., Cho, I., Cohnitz, D., Cova, F., Dranseika, V., Lagos, Á.E., Ghadakpour, L., Grinberg, M., Hannikainen, I., Hashimoto, T., Horowitz, A., Hristova, E., et al.. - In: THOUGHT. - ISSN 2161-2234. - 6:3(2017), pp. 193-203. [10.1002/tht3.248]

The Gettier Intuition from South America to Asia
Anno: 2017
Rivista: JOURNAL OF INDIAN COUNCIL OF PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH
Autori/autrici: Machery, Edouard; Stich, Stephen; Rose, David; Alai, Mario; Angelucci, Adriano; Berniūnas, Renatas; Buchtel, Emma E.; Chatterjee, Amita; Cheon, Hyundeuk; Cho, In-Rae; Cohnitz, Daniel; Cova, Florian; Dranseika, Vilius; Lagos, Ángeles Eraña; Ghadakpour, Laleh; Grinberg, Maurice; Hannikainen, Ivar; Hashimoto, Takaaki; Horowitz, Amir; Hristova, Evgeniya; Jraissati, Yasmina; Kadreva, Veselina; Karasawa, Kaori; Kim, Hackjin; Kim, Yeonjeong; Lee, Minwoo; Mauro, Carlos; Mizumoto, Masaharu; Moruzzi, Sebastiano; Olivola, Christopher Y.; Ornelas, Jorge; Osimani, Barbara; Romero, Carlos; Lopez, Alejandro Rosas; Sangoi, Massimo; Sereni, Andrea; Songhorian, Sarah; Sousa, Paulo; Struchiner, Noel; Tripodi, Vera; Usui, Naoki; del Mercado, Alejandro Vázquez; Volpe, Giorgio; Vosgerichian, Hrag Abraham; Zhang, Xueyi; Zhu, Jing
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257012
Citazioni:
The Gettier Intuition from South America to Asia / Machery, E., Stich, S., Rose, D., Alai, M., Angelucci, A., Berniūnas, R., Buchtel, E.E., Chatterjee, A., Cheon, H., Cho, I., Cohnitz, D., Cova, F., Dranseika, V., Lagos, Á.E., Ghadakpour, L., Grinberg, M., Hannikainen, I., Hashimoto, T., Horowitz, A., Hristova, E., et al.. - In: JOURNAL OF INDIAN COUNCIL OF PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH. - ISSN 0970-7794. - 34:3(2017), pp. 517-541. [10.1007/s40961-017-0113-y]

Nothing at Stake in Knowledge*
Anno: 2017
Rivista: NOÛS
Autori/autrici: Rose, David; Machery, Edouard; Stich, Stephen; Alai, Mario; Angelucci, Adriano; Berniūnas, Renatas; Buchtel, Emma E.; Chatterjee, Amita; Cheon, Hyundeuk; Cho, In-Rae; Cohnitz, Daniel; Cova, Florian; Dranseika, Vilius; Lagos, Ángeles Eraña; Ghadakpour, Laleh; Grinberg, Maurice; Hannikainen, Ivar; Hashimoto, Takaaki; Horowitz, Amir; Hristova, Evgeniya; Jraissati, Yasmina; Kadreva, Veselina; Karasawa, Kaori; Kim, Hackjin; Kim, Yeonjeong; Lee, Minwoo; Mauro, Carlos; Mizumoto, Masaharu; Moruzzi, Sebastiano; Olivola, Christopher Y.; Ornelas, Jorge; Osimani, Barbara; Romero, Carlos; Rosas Lopez, Alejandro; Sangoi, Massimo; Sereni, Andrea; Songhorian, Sarah; Sousa, Paulo; Struchiner, Noel; Tripodi, Vera; Usui, Naoki; Vázquez del Mercado, Alejandro; Volpe, Giorgio; Vosgerichian, Hrag Abraham; Zhang, Xueyi; Zhu, Jing
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257011
Citazioni:
Nothing at Stake in Knowledge* / Rose, D., Machery, E., Stich, S., Alai, M., Angelucci, A., Berniūnas, R., Buchtel, E.E., Chatterjee, A., Cheon, H., Cho, I., Cohnitz, D., Cova, F., Dranseika, V., Lagos, Á.E., Ghadakpour, L., Grinberg, M., Hannikainen, I., Hashimoto, T., Horowitz, A., Hristova, E., et al.. - In: NOÛS. - ISSN 0029-4624. - (2017). [10.1111/nous.12211]
Abstract:
Epistemic contextualists hold that knowledge ascription shifts across conversational contexts; interest-relative invariantists recognize a distinctive epistemic role for practical factors such as stakes in knowledge ascription. If either of these is correct, serious pressure is put on classical inva...riantism since the classical invariantist rejects both claims. However, a wide range of empirical evidence now suggests that stakes do not play any role in ordinary knowledge ascription. We set out to provide what we take to be a stringent test of whether stakes play a role in ordinary knowledge ascriptions. In doing so we pursued three main questions: Is the difference in stakes appreciated by participants? Is the lack of a stakes effect due to protagonist projection? Is the effect of stakes (or lack thereof) in knowledge ascriptions cross culturally robust? Our results indicate that subjects do indeed appreciate the difference in stakes, that a stakes effect is not being masked by protagonist projection, and that the lack of a stakes effect in ordinary knowledge ascription is cross-culturally robust. In light of our evidence and a wide range of previous empirical findings on the role of stakes in knowledge ascription, one of the core motivations for epistemic contextualism and interest relative invariantism is undercut. Although we won’t defend this claim in detail here, we conclude that classical invariantism should be taken seriously, now that its challengers have been undermined.
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Interview with Glenn Shafer
Anno: 2016
Rivista: THE REASONER
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257057
Citazioni:
Interview with Glenn Shafer / Osimani, B.. - In: THE REASONER. - ISSN 1757-0522. - 10:6(2016), pp. 44-47.

Le bayésianisme aujourd’hui. Fondements et pratiques
Anno: 2016
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.; Russo, F.
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256974
Citazioni:
Le bayésianisme aujourd’hui. Fondements et pratiques / Osimani, B., Russo, F.. - (2016).

Is genetic Information Family Property? Expanding on the Argument of Confidentiality Breach and Duty to Inform Persons at Risk
Anno: 2015
Rivista: PERSONA Y BIOETICA
Autori/autrici: Enríquez Canto, Yordanis; Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257042
Citazioni:
Is genetic Information Family Property? Expanding on the Argument of Confidentiality Breach and Duty to Inform Persons at Risk / Enríquez Canto, Y., Osimani, B.. - In: PERSONA Y BIOETICA. - ISSN 0123-3122. - 19:1(2015), pp. 11-24. [10.5294/pebi.2015.19.1.2]

Causal Assessment of Pharmaceutical Treatments: Why Standards of Evidence Should not be the Same for Benefits and Harms.
Anno: 2015
Rivista: DRUG SAFETY
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara; Mignini, Fiorenzo
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256969
Citazioni:
Causal Assessment of Pharmaceutical Treatments: Why Standards of Evidence Should not be the Same for Benefits and Harms / Osimani, B., Mignini, F.. - In: DRUG SAFETY. - ISSN 0114-5916. - 38:19(2015), pp. 1-11.
Abstract:
It is increasingly acknowledged both among epidemiologists and regulators that the assessment of pharmaceutical harm requires specific methodological approaches that cannot simply duplicate those developed for testing efficacy. However, this intuition lacks sound epistemic bases and delivers ad hoc ...advice. This paper explains why the same methods of scientific inference do not fare equally well for efficacy and safety assessment by tracing them back to their epistemic foundations. To illustrate this, Cartwright’s distinction into clinching and vouching methods is adopted and a series of reasons is provided for preferring the latter to the former: (1) the need to take into account all available knowledge and integrate it with incoming data; (2) the awareness that a latent unknown risk may always change the safety profile of a given drug (precautionary principle); (3) cumulative learning over time; (4) requirement of probabilistic causal assessment to allow decision under uncertainty; (5) impartiality; and (6) limited and local information provided by randomised controlled trials. Subsequently, the clinchers/vouchers distinction is applied to a case study concerning the debated causal association between paracetamol and asthma. This study illustrates the tension between implicit epistemologies adopted in evaluating evidence and causality; furthermore, it also shows that discounting causal evidence may be a result of unacknowledged low priors or lack of valid alternative options. We conclude with a presentation of the changing landscape in pharmacology and the trend towards an increased use of Bayesian tools for assessment of harms.
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Hunting Side Effects and Explaining Them: Should We Reverse Evidence Hierarchies Upside Down?
Anno: 2014
Rivista: TOPOI
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256992
Citazioni:
Hunting Side Effects and Explaining Them: Should We Reverse Evidence Hierarchies Upside Down? / Osimani, B.. - In: TOPOI. - ISSN 1572-8749. - 224:1(2014), pp. 295-312. [10.1007/s11245-013-9194-7]

Causing something to be one way rather than another: Genetic information, causal specificity and the relevance of linear order
Anno: 2014
Rivista: KYBERNETES
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256991
Citazioni:
Causing something to be one way rather than another: Genetic information, causal specificity and the relevance of linear order / Osimani, B.. - In: KYBERNETES. - ISSN 0368-492X. - 43:6(2014), pp. 865-881. [10.1108/K-07-2013-0149]

Safety vs. efficacy assessment of pharmaceuticals: Epistemological rationales and methods
Anno: 2014
Rivista: PREVENTIVE MEDICINE REPORTS
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257040
Citazioni:
Safety vs. efficacy assessment of pharmaceuticals: Epistemological rationales and methods / Osimani, B.. - In: PREVENTIVE MEDICINE REPORTS. - ISSN 2211-3355. - 1:(2014), pp. 9-13. [10.1016/j.pmedr.2014.08.002]

An epistemic analysis of the precautionary principle. Dilemata: International Journal of Applied Ethics
Anno: 2013
Rivista: DILEMATA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256995
Citazioni:
An epistemic analysis of the precautionary principle. Dilemata: International Journal of Applied Ethics / Osimani, B.. - In: DILEMATA. - ISSN 1989-7022. - (2013).

The precautionary principle in the pharmaceutical domain: A philosophical enquiry into probabilistic reasoning and risk aversion
Anno: 2013
Rivista: HEALTH RISK & SOCIETY
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256994
Citazioni:
The precautionary principle in the pharmaceutical domain: A philosophical enquiry into probabilistic reasoning and risk aversion / Osimani, B.. - In: HEALTH RISK & SOCIETY. - ISSN 1369-8575. - 15:2(2013), pp. 123-143. [10.1080/13698575.2013.771736]

Until RCT proven? on the asymmetry of evidence requirements for risk assessment
Anno: 2013
Rivista: JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256993
Citazioni:
Until RCT proven? on the asymmetry of evidence requirements for risk assessment / Osimani, B.. - In: JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. - ISSN 1356-1294. - 19:3(2013), pp. 454-462. [10.1111/jep.12039]

Il contributo delle teorie filosofiche della causalità al dibattito sull’informazione genetica.
Anno: 2012
Rivista: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256996
Citazioni:
Il contributo delle teorie filosofiche della causalità al dibattito sull’informazione genetica / Osimani, B.. - In: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA. - ISSN 1824-3991. - (2012).

Risk Information Processing and Rational Ignoring in the Health Context
Anno: 2012
Rivista: JOURNAL OF SOCIO-ECONOMICS
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256999
Citazioni:
Risk Information Processing and Rational Ignoring in the Health Context / Osimani, B.. - In: JOURNAL OF SOCIO-ECONOMICS. - ISSN 1053-5357. - (2012).
Abstract:
Findings about the desire for health-risk information are heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory. In particular, they seem to be at variance with established psychological theories of information-seeking behavior. The present paper posits the decision about treating illness with medicine as th...e causal determinant for the expected net value of information, and attempts to explain idiosyncrasies in information-seeking behavior by using the notion of decision sensitivity to incoming information. Furthermore, active information avoidance is explained by modeling the expected emotional distress potentially brought about by “bad news” as a disutility factor in pay-off maximization. In this context two notions of uncertainty are distinguished: an epistemic uncertainty related to the prognostic probability assigned to the risk, and an emotional uncertainty related to the expected damage. Health-risk information can both reduce epistemic and increase emotional uncertainty, giving rise to idiosyncratic processing strategies.
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Revision of international classification of functioning, disability and health ethical guidelines: International classification of functioning, disability and healthyrelated ethical issues
Anno: 2012
Rivista: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION
Autori/autrici: Colombetti, Elena; Osimani, Barbara; Aluas, Maria; Pessina, Adriano; Musio, Alessio
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257001
Citazioni:
Revision of international classification of functioning, disability and health ethical guidelines: International classification of functioning, disability and healthyrelated ethical issues / Colombetti, E., Osimani, B., Aluas, M., Pessina, A., Musio, A.. - In: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION. - ISSN 0894-9115. - 91:13 SUPPL.1(2012), pp. S155-S158. [10.1097/PHM.0b013e31823d5451]

Disability, human rights, and the international classification of functioning, disability, and health: Systematic review
Anno: 2012
Rivista: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION
Autori/autrici: Aluas, Maria; Colombetti, Elena; Osimani, Barbara; Musio, Alessio; Pessina, Adriano
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257000
Citazioni:
Disability, human rights, and the international classification of functioning, disability, and health: Systematic review / Aluas, M., Colombetti, E., Osimani, B., Musio, A., Pessina, A.. - In: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION. - ISSN 0894-9115. - 91:13 SUPPL.1(2012), pp. S146-S154. [10.1097/PHM.0b013e31823d5437]

Genetic Information: Theoretical Issues, Ethical Challenges, and Legal Implications
Anno: 2012
Rivista: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 7.1 Curatela
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/256997
Citazioni:
Genetic Information: Theoretical Issues, Ethical Challenges, and Legal Implications / Osimani, B.. - In: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA. - ISSN 1824-3991. - (2012).

Scientific evidence and the law: an objective Bayesian formalisation of the precautionary principle in pharmaceutical regulation
Anno: 2011
Rivista: JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE & LAW
Autori/autrici: Osimani, B.; Russo, Federica; Williamson, Jon
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257002
Citazioni:
Scientific evidence and the law: an objective Bayesian formalisation of the precautionary principle in pharmaceutical regulation / Osimani, B., Russo, F., Williamson, J.. - In: JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY, SCIENCE & LAW. - ISSN 1549-8549. - (2011).
Abstract:
The paper considers the legal tools that have been developed in German pharmaceutical regulation as a result of the precautionary attitude inaugurated by the Contergan decision (1970). These tools are (i) the notion of ―well-founded suspicion‖, which attenuates the requirements for safety in...tervention by relaxing the requirement of a proved causal connection between danger and source, and the introduction of (ii) the reversal of proof burden in liability norms. The paper focuses on the first and proposes seeing the precautionary principle as an instance of the requirement that one should maximise expected utility. In order to maximise expected utility certain probabilities are required and it is argued that objective Bayesianism offers the most plausible means to determine the optimal decision in cases where evidence supports diverging choices.
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Per una formalizzazione bayesiana del principio di precauzione
Anno: 2011
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257003
Citazioni:
Per una formalizzazione bayesiana del principio di precauzione / Osimani, B.. - (2011).

Is the precautionary principle risk aversive? An enquiry in the domain of pharmaceutical decisions
Anno: 2011
Rivista: STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABES-BOLYAI. BIOETHICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257041
Citazioni:
Is the precautionary principle risk aversive? An enquiry in the domain of pharmaceutical decisions / Osimani, B.. - In: STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABES-BOLYAI. BIOETHICA. - ISSN 2247-0441. - 56:2(2011), pp. 57-70.

Principio di Precauzione e Causalità Incerta: per una Formalizzazione Bayesiana della Procedura Decisionale in Ambito Farmaceutico
Anno: 2011
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 2.1 Contributo in volume (Capitolo o Saggio)
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/285111
Citazioni:
Principio di Precauzione e Causalità Incerta: per una Formalizzazione Bayesiana della Procedura Decisionale in Ambito Farmaceutico / Osimani, B.. - (2011).

Pharmaceutical risk communication: Sources of uncertainty and legal tools of uncertainty management
Anno: 2010
Rivista: HEALTH RISK & SOCIETY
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Lingua: ENG
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257004
Citazioni:
Pharmaceutical risk communication: Sources of uncertainty and legal tools of uncertainty management / Osimani, B.. - In: HEALTH RISK & SOCIETY. - ISSN 1369-8575. - 12:5(2010), pp. 453-469. [10.1080/13698575.2010.509493]

Modus tollens probabilized: deductive and inductive methods in medical diagnosis
Anno: 2009
Rivista: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257005
Citazioni:
Modus tollens probabilized: deductive and inductive methods in medical diagnosis / Osimani, B.. - In: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA. - ISSN 1824-3991. - 17:1-2(2009), pp. 43-59.
Abstract:
Medical diagnosis has been traditionally recognized as a privileged field of application for so called probabilistic induction. Consequently, the Bayesian theorem, which mathematically formalizes this form of inference, has been seen as the most adequate tool for quantifying the uncertainty surround...ing the diagnosis by providing probabilities of different diagnostic hypotheses, given symptomatic or laboratory data. On the other side, it has also been remarked that differential diagnosis rather works by exclusion, i.e. by modus tollens, i.e. deductively. By drawing on a case history, this paper aims to clarify some points on the issue. And namely: 1) Medical diagnosis does not represent, strictly speaking, a form of induction, but a type, of what in pearcean terms should be called ‘abduction’ (identifying a case as the token of a specific type); 2) Medical diagnosis uses both modus tollens and abduction, preferably in this order; 3) Medical diagnosis also uses a kind of “probabilistic modus tollens” in that signs (symptoms or laboratory data) are taken as strong evidence for a given hypothesis not to be true: the focus is not on hypothesis confirmation, but instead on its refutation [Pr (¬ H/e1 & e2 & e3): especially at the beginning of a complicated case, odds are between the hypothesis which is potentially being excluded and a vague “other”]; 5) Bayes theorem in the hypothesis-confirmation form can more faithfully, although idealistically, represent the medical diagnosis in the presence of relatively unambiguous evidence or when the diagnostic itinerary has come to a reduced set of plausible hypotheses after a long process of “trial and error”; 6) Bayes theorem is however indispensable in the case of litigation in order to assess the doctor’s responsibility for medical error by taking into account the weight of the evidence at his disposition.
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In Dubio Pro Securitate” Response to “Can a Cell have a Soul?” by John Burn
Anno: 2008
Rivista: BMJ BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.2 Recensione in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257007
Citazioni:
In Dubio Pro Securitate” Response to “Can a Cell have a Soul?” by John Burn / Osimani, B.. - In: BMJ BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL. - ISSN 1019-8350. - (2008).

The epistemic nature of package leaflet information: A contribution to the legal debate on the role of package leaflets in therapeutic consent
Anno: 2008
Rivista: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 1.1 Articolo in rivista
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257006
Citazioni:
The epistemic nature of package leaflet information: A contribution to the legal debate on the role of package leaflets in therapeutic consent / Osimani, B.. - In: MEDIC. METODOLOGIA DIDATTICA E INNOVAZIONE CLINICA. - ISSN 1824-3991. - (2008), pp. 72-90.
Abstract:
Package leaflets (PL) belong to the complex communication system related to the minimization and prevention of phar- maceutical risk. Their legal nature is not exhausted by safety regulation though: as a privileged form of product instruction, they are also subject to liability regulation with a con...sequent reallocation of damage responsibility through risk disclosure. This article pres- ents the results of a doctoral dissertation devoted to the legal and communicative analysis of PL information. After illustrating the articulation of pharmaceutical risk through risk prevention norms (residual risk, development risk), the paper goes on with a discussion of the PL role within the therapeutic decision as a complementary vehicle to doctor’s information. It re- sults that the liability framework in which both information channels are embedded determines a communication model, which far from promoting a shared decision process, radicalizes the two-step communication structure typical of the informed consent model inherited by surgery judicature. The second part investigates PL information as a source of knowledge updating through the methodological tools provided by Bayesian decision theory. Finally, an empirical study conducted over a sample of 55 drug consumers investigates the impact of PL information on drug risk per- ception and its perceived value to therapeutic decision.
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Probabilistic information and decision making in the health context : The package leaflet as basis for informed consent
Anno: 2007
Autori/autrici: Osimani, Barbara
Classificazione IRIS: 3.1 Monografia o trattato scientifico
Scheda completa IRIS: https://iris.univpm.it/handle/11566/257039
Citazioni:
Probabilistic information and decision making in the health context : The package leaflet as basis for informed consent / Osimani, B.. - ELETTRONICO. - (2007).
Abstract:
Medical decisions are paradigmatically uncertain. Awareness of this uncertainty at the policy level has produced a strict regulation of the information exchange related to medical issues, e.g. by means of the institute of the informed consent or through tight administrative norms regulating the phar...maceutical communication towards the public. As a special support of such sort of information, also the drug package leaflet has been object of thorough legal regulation, especially developed in the European and German legislation. However, precisely in Germany, recent court decisions concerning damage compensation for information faults have delivered contradictory judgments in relation to package leaflet information and the patient’s contributory negligence. Court argumentations in these cases range from the appeal to the patient’s duty of taking notice of the PL’s content to general observations concerning the irreplaceable role of doctor’s information. These observations are also backed by considerations regarding PLs’ information design and layout, which, in despite of great changes in the course of their history, are still object of improvement efforts (see also the recent conferences at the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices – BfArM – devoted to the analysis and testing of PL readability: 15th February 2006 and 5th September 2007). Moreover PL information is blamed by health professionals of hindering compliance. Indeed, empirical findings emerging from psycho- sociological literature hint at contradictory attitudes in relation to health risk information in general: desire for this sort of information is not monotonically dependent on perceived uncertainty and present research falls short of providing coherent models of health information seeking behavior, which is expected to influence information processing and eventually lead to a decision change (e.g. therapy interruption). Apart from few exceptions (Koyuncu, 2005, 2006, Schlund, 1999) the legal literature on package leaflet fails to adequately address the disclaiming function of package leaflets and their role in the lay therapeutic choice. This may be partly explained by the fact that PLs have been developed within safety regulation, in which PL information is principally called to warrant for correct and safe use (Hart, 2003 a.o.), and also by the fact that liability for adequate information mainly concerns the doctor. By tacking into account the liability constraints determining the institutional functions of PL information, the dissertation investigates the role of PL information within the lay therapeutic choice and outlines the articulation of the responsibility spheres among doctor, pharmaceutical firm and patient as far as the therapeutic risk is concerned. The main conclusion resulting from my analysis is that legal function of PL information is not exhausted by safety purposes: as a privileged form of product instruction, it is also subject to liability regulation with a consequent reallocation of damage responsibility through risk disclosure. Therefore two main legal-communicative functions are identified for PL information: 1. Warning and risk prevention function, in observance of the consumer’s right to safety; 2. Disclosure of residual risk, in observance of the constitutionally protected right to self- determination. Safety information should prevent avoidable risk to occur; instead self-determination information should declare the unavoidable (residual) risk, so as to insure that the drug user is aware of it when he decides whether to undertake the therapy or not. The notion of residual risk is fundamental in this setting, because it is the risk which the beneficiary party needs to shoulder unless he has not previously been informed about it by the doctor and/or by the pharmaceutical firm through the PL. Once it has been established that PL information is not only a means of safety protection, but also part of the therapeutic informed consent, the point is then to evaluate whether PL information can be considered adequate for consent to be “informed”, i.e. valid. Because, from a normative perspective, information prior to consent should enable the patient to make an informed choice, the role of PL information has been evaluated on the basis of its contribution to epistemic accuracy within the therapeutic choice. By drawing on Andersson and Littkens’ two components model of individual health decision (2003), consent has been defined to be informed to the extent that it approaches a decision under risk, i.e. to the extent that the decision maker can assign a probability measure to each relevant health state and that he knows whether the act of taking the drug (a) shifts the probabilistic distribution towards stochastic dominance with respect to the act of not taking the drug. The model represents in fact the health decision as composed both by states over which the agent can assign probabilities and states shrouded by total ignorance. A complementary weight factor allows representing the proportion of ignorance and risk in the choice at hand. Against the framework of this model, PL information seems to provide the drug consumer with data whose personal relevance, and therefore prognostic value for the individual, is difficult to assess. This means that consent on the basis of PL information rather approaches a decision under ignorance than one under risk: as a prognostic device, PL information fundamentally asks more questions than it answers. Finally, a quantitative study (of limited sample size: n = 55) and a qualitative research have been carried out with the aim to provide a descriptive account of PL information as basis for the therapeutic decision.
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