PubMed on Tap: discovering design principles for online information delivery to handheld computers.

PubMed

Hauser, Susan E; Demner-Fushman, Dina; Ford, Glenn; Thoma, George R

2004-01-01

Online access to biomedical information from handheld computers will be a valuable adjunct to other popular medical applications if information delivery systems are designed with handheld computers in mind. The goal of this project is to discover design principles to facilitate practitioners' access to online medical information at the point-of-care. A prototype system was developed to serve as a testbed for this research. Using the testbed, an initial evaluation has yielded several user interface design principles. Continued research is expected to discover additional user interface design principles as well as guidelines for results organization and system performance

Comparison of computed tomography and complex motion tomography in the evaluation of cholesteatoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shaffer, K.A.

1984-08-01

High-resolution axial and coronal computed tomographic (CT) scans were compared with coronal and sagittal complex motion tomograms in patients with suspected middle ear cholesteatomas. Information on CT scans equaled or exceeded that on conventional complex motion tomograms in 16 of 17 patients, and in 11 it provided additional information. Soft-tissue resolution was superior with CT. In 14 patients who underwent surgery, CT provided information that was valuable to the surgeon. On the basis of this study, high-resolution CT is recommended as the preferred method for evaluating most patients with cholesteatomas of the temporal bone.

Focus groups inform a web-based program to increase fruit and vegetable intake.

PubMed

Rolnick, Sharon J; Calvi, Josephine; Heimendinger, Jerianne; McClure, Jennifer B; Kelley, Mary; Johnson, Christine; Alexander, Gwen L

2009-11-01

To use focus groups to inform a web-based educational intervention for increased fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. Twelve groups (participants=137, aged 21-65) were recruited from four geographically diverse health systems. Four groups were stratified by gender and eight by race (white and African American) and gender. Questions included perceptions of healthy eating, factors that encourage or serve as barriers to FV consumption and features preferred for a web-based educational intervention. Though knowledgeable about healthy eating, participants did not know how to achieve or always care about healthy nutritional choices. Motivators for FV consumption included being role models and health concerns. Barriers included: lack of time, expense and FV availability. Website preferences included: visuals, links, tailored materials, menu suggestions, goal setting assistance, printable summaries and built in motivation. The developers incorporated nearly all suggestions. Focus groups provided needs-based tactical strategies for an online, education intervention targeting factors to improve FV consumption. Focus groups can provide valuable input to inform interventions. Further, web-based programs' abilities to offer information without time or geographic constraints, with capacity for tailoring and tracking progress makes them a valuable addition in the arsenal of efforts to promote healthy behaviors.

Automated mineralogy based on micro-energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence microscopy (µ-EDXRF) applied to plutonic rock thin sections in comparison to a mineral liberation analyzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikonow, Wilhelm; Rammlmair, Dieter

2017-10-01

Recent developments in the application of micro-energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry mapping (µ-EDXRF) have opened up new opportunities for fast geoscientific analyses. Acquiring spatially resolved spectral and chemical information non-destructively for large samples of up to 20 cm length provides valuable information for geoscientific interpretation. Using supervised classification of the spectral information, mineral distribution maps can be obtained. In this work, thin sections of plutonic rocks are analyzed by µ-EDXRF and classified using the supervised classification algorithm spectral angle mapper (SAM). Based on the mineral distribution maps, it is possible to obtain quantitative mineral information, i.e., to calculate the modal mineralogy, search and locate minerals of interest, and perform image analysis. The results are compared to automated mineralogy obtained from the mineral liberation analyzer (MLA) of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and show good accordance, revealing variation resulting mostly from the limit of spatial resolution of the µ-EDXRF instrument. Taking into account the little time needed for sample preparation and measurement, this method seems suitable for fast sample overviews with valuable chemical, mineralogical and textural information. Additionally, it enables the researcher to make better and more targeted decisions for subsequent analyses.

Microalgae-based biorefinery--from biofuels to natural products.

PubMed

Yen, Hong-Wei; Hu, I-Chen; Chen, Chun-Yen; Ho, Shih-Hsin; Lee, Duu-Jong; Chang, Jo-Shu

2013-05-01

The potential for biodiesel production from microalgal lipids and for CO2 mitigation due to photoautotrophic growth of microalgae have recently been recognized. Microalgae biomass also has other valuable components, including carbohydrates, long chain fatty acids, pigments and proteins. The microalgae-based carbohydrates consist mainly of cellulose and starch without lignin; thus they can be ready carbon source for the fermentation industry. Some microalgae can produce long chain fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA) as valuable health food supplements. In addition, microalgal pigments and proteins have considerable potential for many medical applications. This review article presents comprehensive information on the current state of these commercial applications, as well as the utilization and characteristics of the microalgal components, in addition to the key factors and challenges that should be addressed during the production of these materials, and thus provides a useful report that can aid the development of an efficient microalgae-based biorefinery process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Confocal laser scanning microscopy of porcine skin: implications for human wound healing studies

PubMed Central

VARDAXIS, N. J.; BRANS, T. A.; BOON, M. E.; KREIS, R. W.; MARRES, L. M.

1997-01-01

The structure of porcine skin as examined by light microscopy is reviewed and its similarities to and differences from human skin are highlighted. Special imaging techniques and staining procedures are described and their use in gathering morphological information in porcine skin is discussed. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was employed to examine the structure of porcine skin and the findings are presented as an adjunct to the information already available in the literature. It is concluded that CLSM provides valuable additional morphological information to material examined by conventional microscopy and is useful for wound healing studies in the porcine model. PMID:9183682

43 CFR 2430.5 - Additional criteria for classification of lands valuable for residential, commercial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Additional criteria for classification of..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) DISPOSAL CLASSIFICATIONS Criteria for Disposal Classifications § 2430.5 Additional criteria for classification of lands valuable for residential, commercial...

Analytical 3D views and virtual globes — scientific results in a familiar spatial context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiede, Dirk; Lang, Stefan

In this paper we introduce analytical three-dimensional (3D) views as a means for effective and comprehensible information delivery, using virtual globes and the third dimension as an additional information carrier. Four case studies are presented, in which information extraction results from very high spatial resolution (VHSR) satellite images were conditioned and aggregated or disaggregated to regular spatial units. The case studies were embedded in the context of: (1) urban life quality assessment (Salzburg/Austria); (2) post-disaster assessment (Harare/Zimbabwe); (3) emergency response (Lukole/Tanzania); and (4) contingency planning (faked crisis scenario/Germany). The results are made available in different virtual globe environments, using the implemented contextual data (such as satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and auxiliary geodata) as valuable additional context information. Both day-to-day users and high-level decision makers are addressees of this tailored information product. The degree of abstraction required for understanding a complex analytical content is balanced with the ease and appeal by which the context is conveyed.

Recontextualizing Military Structures along the Stanegate and Hadrian's Wall Utilizing Aerial Photography and GIS Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieteski, Sara

This dissertation examines the region along the Stanegate frontier, just below Hadrian's Wall, on both a macroscopic and microscopic level, to analyze how landscape affected placement of forts, camps, and other military structures. It aims to explore known archaeological structures as well as expose new areas of interest, not yet discovered through traditional survey methods. It asks the question of whether temporary structures helped lead to the development of permanent structures, as part of the overall limes defensive strategy. While a lack of archaeological dating on many of these structures often provides the greatest challenge, the aim is to determine what additional information can be deduced about how landscape affected this region and to set an agenda of future survey work, designed to improve our understanding of it. In addition, this approach aims to improve understanding of the function of these installations and their relationship to the Wall and each other. Aerial photography and the construction of a geographic information system (GIS) can prove a valuable tool in surveying the region, to extract data from forts, camps, and recently discovered land depressions. Measurements can be taken to determine if there is a similar building pattern which might reflect contemporaneous construction periods. Distances between structures can be taken to determine the significance of their spacing and arrangement. In addition, data sets containing information on bedrock, ancient woodlands, ecology, and hydrology can provide valuable insight on the topography of each site. This work is meant to serve as a foundational piece for future scholars to build upon to continue to expand our understanding of the region, as computational methods become more sophisticated and data access becomes more readily available across the globe.

The Science Manager's Guide to Case Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Branch, Kristi M.; Peffers, Melissa S.; Ruegg, Rosalie T.

2001-09-24

This guide takes the science manager through the steps of planning, implementing, validating, communicating, and using case studies. It outlines the major methods of analysis, describing their relative merits and applicability while providing relevant examples and sources of additional information. Well-designed case studies can provide a combination of rich qualitative and quantitative information, offering valuable insights into the nature, outputs, and longer-term impacts of the research. An objective, systematic, and credible approach to the evaluation of U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science programs adds value to the research process and is the subject of this guide.

Human factors considerations for the use of color in display systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demars, S. A.

1975-01-01

Identified and assessed are those human factor considerations impacting an operator's ability to perform when information is displayed in color as contrasted to monochrome (black and white only). The findings provide valuable guidelines for the assessment of the advantages (and disadvantages) of using a color display system. The use of color provides an additional sensory channel (color perception) which is not available with black and white. The degree to which one can exploit the use of this channel is highly dependent on available display technology, mission information display requirements, and acceptable operational modes.

Effects of Biosynthetic Human Epidermal Growth Factor on Wound Healing

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-10-27

regenerated or been replaced with autograft skin. The limiting factor in covering major third degree burns is the availability of autogenous skin grafts . Although...tho patient’s own skin. Since the only permant solution currently available is autografting, an agent that would accelerate healing of skin graft donor...biodegradation. Additional valuable information will be obtained when the limited clinical trial using EGF in Silvadene to treat skin graft donor sites begins

Biological imaging with coherent Raman scattering microscopy: a tutorial

PubMed Central

Alfonso-García, Alba; Mittal, Richa; Lee, Eun Seong; Potma, Eric O.

2014-01-01

Abstract. Coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy is gaining acceptance as a valuable addition to the imaging toolset of biological researchers. Optimal use of this label-free imaging technique benefits from a basic understanding of the physical principles and technical merits of the CRS microscope. This tutorial offers qualitative explanations of the principles behind CRS microscopy and provides information about the applicability of this nonlinear optical imaging approach for biological research. PMID:24615671

Annual Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, FY 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-23

Warcraft —could offer access to information that would be valuable to economic collectors or industrial espionage in the future. The virtual world ...Industrial Espionage, 2007. Economic espionage cases went up slightly and nearly every day brought reports—in the press and in the classified world —of...reports—in the press and in the classified world —of new cyber attacks against US Government and business entities. Additionally, the increasing use of

Hidden values in bauxite residue (red mud): recovery of metals.

PubMed

Liu, Yanju; Naidu, Ravi

2014-12-01

Bauxite residue (red mud) is a hazardous waste generated from alumina refining industries. Unless managed properly, red mud poses significant risks to the local environment due to its extreme alkalinity and its potential impacts on surface and ground water quality. The ever-increasing generation of red mud poses significant challenges to the aluminium industries from management perspectives given the low proportion that are currently being utilized beneficially. Red mud, in most cases, contains elevated concentrations of iron in addition to aluminium, titanium, sodium and valuable rare earth elements. Given the scarcity of iron supply globally, the iron content of red mud has attracted increasing research interest. This paper presents a critical overview of the current techniques employed for iron recovery from red mud. Information on the recovery of other valuable metals is also reviewed to provide an insight into the full potential usage of red mud as an economic resource rather than a waste. Traditional hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy are being investigated continuously. However, in this review several new techniques are introduced that consider the process of iron recovery from red mud. An integrated process which can achieve multiple additional values from red mud is much preferred over the single process methods. The information provided here should help to improve the future management and utilization of red mud. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advances in QTL Mapping in Pigs

PubMed Central

Rothschild, Max F.; Hu, Zhi-liang; Jiang, Zhihua

2007-01-01

Over the past 15 years advances in the porcine genetic linkage map and discovery of useful candidate genes have led to valuable gene and trait information being discovered. Early use of exotic breed crosses and now commercial breed crosses for quantitative trait loci (QTL) scans and candidate gene analyses have led to 110 publications which have identified 1,675 QTL. Additionally, these studies continue to identify genes associated with economically important traits such as growth rate, leanness, feed intake, meat quality, litter size, and disease resistance. A well developed QTL database called PigQTLdb is now as a valuable tool for summarizing and pinpointing in silico regions of interest to researchers. The commercial pig industry is actively incorporating these markers in marker-assisted selection along with traditional performance information to improve traits of economic performance. The long awaited sequencing efforts are also now beginning to provide sequence available for both comparative genomics and large scale single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association studies. While these advances are all positive, development of useful new trait families and measurement of new or underlying traits still limits future discoveries. A review of these developments is presented. PMID:17384738

Glaucoma history and risk factors.

PubMed

McMonnies, Charles W

Apart from the risk of developing glaucoma there is also the risk that it is not detected and irreversible loss of vision ensues. Some studies of methods of glaucoma diagnosis have examined the results of instrument-based examinations with great if not complete reliance on objective findings in arriving at a diagnosis. The very valuable advances in glaucoma detection instrument technologies, and apparent increasing dependence on them, may have led to reduced consideration of information available from a patient history in those studies. Dependence on objective evidence of glaucomatous pathology may reduce the possibility of detecting glaucoma suspects or patients at risk for becoming glaucoma suspects. A valid positive family history of glaucoma is very valuable information. However, negative family histories can often be unreliable due to large numbers of glaucoma cases being undiagnosed. No evidence of family history is appropriate rather than no family history. In addition the unreliability of a negative family history is increased when patients with glaucoma fail to inform their family members. A finding of no family history can only be stated as no known family history. In examining the potential diagnostic contribution from a patient history, this review considers, age, frailty, race, type and degree of refractive error, systemic hyper- and hypotension, vasospasm, migraine, pigmentary dispersion syndrome, pseudoexfoliation syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, diabetes, medication interactions and side effects, the degree of exposure to intraocular and intracranial pressure elevations and fluctuations, smoking, and symptoms in addition to genetics and family history of the disease. Copyright © 2016 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Literacy and Informational Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decarie, Christina

2010-01-01

Informational interviews are valuable tools for improving writing, editing, and interviewing skills, and they are also extremely valuable in improving the soft skills that are valued by employers, such as confidence, adaptability, the ability to set and keep deadlines, the ability to manage risk, and so on. These soft skills, this article argues,…

Attitude of patients, healthcare professionals, and noninjured lay persons towards online video instructions on mild traumatic brain injury: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hoek, Amber E; Hamer, Maaike van den; Deelstra, Carianne K; Beeck, Ed F van; Dippel, Diederik W J; Haagsma, Juanita A; Rood, Pleunie P M

2017-12-01

The objective of this study was to determine the attitude of patients, healthcare professionals, and noninjured lay persons towards adding a video with discharge instructions to patient care for patients with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). A survey was conducted at the emergency department (ED). Participants consisted of MTBI patients (n = 50), healthcare professionals (n = 50), and noninjured lay persons (n = 50). The participants viewed a video with discharge instructions on MTBI and filled out a questionnaire that measured their attitude towards the use of a video as part of discharge instructions. Nearly all healthcare professionals (94%) and 70% of the noninjured lay persons considered the video to be a valuable addition to oral discharge instructions. For 84% of patients, verbal information from the doctor is of importance. And, 50% of patients would like to receive additional video discharge instructions. The majority of noninjured lay persons and healthcare professionals and half of the MTBI patients consider a video with discharge instructions to be a valuable addition to patient care. Video discharge instructions are a relative low-cost measure that could enhance patient care at the ED, provided that this does not compromise the personal contact between patient and healthcare professional.

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 38: Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and the communication of technical information in aerospace

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Daniel J.; Pinelli, Thomas E.

1994-01-01

This paper discusses the use of computers as a medium for communication (CMC) used by aerospace engineers and scientists to obtain and/or provide technical information related to research and development activities. The data were obtained from a questionnaire survey that yielded 1006 mail responses. In addition to communication media, the research also investigates degrees of task uncertainty, environmental complexity, and other relevant variables that can affect aerospace workers' information-seeking strategies. While findings indicate that many individuals report CMC is an important function in their communication patterns, the research indicates that CMC is used less often and deemed less valuable than other more conventional media, such as paper documents, group meetings, telephone and face-to-face conversations. Fewer than one third of the individuals in the survey account for nearly eighty percent of the reported CMC use, and another twenty percent indicate they do not use the medium at all, its availability notwithstanding. These preliminary findings suggest that CMC is not as pervasive a communication medium among aerospace workers as the researcher expect a priori. The reasons underlying the reported media use are not yet fully known, and this suggests that continuing research in this area may be valuable.

Development of a spatial decision support system for flood risk management in Brazil that combines volunteered geographic information with wireless sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horita, Flávio E. A.; Albuquerque, João Porto de; Degrossi, Lívia C.; Mendiondo, Eduardo M.; Ueyama, Jó

2015-07-01

Effective flood risk management requires updated information to ensure that the correct decisions can be made. This can be provided by Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which are a low-cost means of collecting updated information about rivers. Another valuable resource is Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) which is a comparatively new means of improving the coverage of monitored areas because it is able to supply supplementary information to the WSN and thus support decision-making in flood risk management. However, there still remains the problem of how to combine WSN data with VGI. In this paper, an attempt is made to investigate AGORA-DS, which is a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) that is able to make flood risk management more effective by combining these data sources, i.e. WSN with VGI. This approach is built over a conceptual model that complies with the interoperable standards laid down by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) - e.g. Sensor Observation Service (SOS) and Web Feature Service (WFS) - and seeks to combine and present unified information in a web-based decision support tool. This work was deployed in a real scenario of flood risk management in the town of São Carlos in Brazil. The evidence obtained from this deployment confirmed that interoperable standards can support the integration of data from distinct data sources. In addition, they also show that VGI is able to provide information about areas of the river basin which lack data since there is no appropriate station in the area. Hence it provides a valuable support for the WSN data. It can thus be concluded that AGORA-DS is able to combine information provided by WSN and VGI, and provide useful information for supporting flood risk management.

Oral History and American Advertising: How the "Pepsi Generation" Came Alive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dreyfus, Carol; Connors, Thomas

1985-01-01

Described is a project in which the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History and the George Meany Memorial Archives analyzed a collection of advertising materials of the Pepsi-Cola USA company and conducted interviews to gather historically valuable information concerning the company. Valuable social history information was…

Quantitative benefit-harm assessment for setting research priorities: the example of roflumilast for patients with COPD.

PubMed

Puhan, Milo A; Yu, Tsung; Boyd, Cynthia M; Ter Riet, Gerben

2015-07-02

When faced with uncertainties about the effects of medical interventions regulatory agencies, guideline developers, clinicians, and researchers commonly ask for more research, and in particular for more randomized trials. The conduct of additional randomized trials is, however, sometimes not the most efficient way to reduce uncertainty. Instead, approaches such as value of information analysis or other approaches should be used to prioritize research that will most likely reduce uncertainty and inform decisions. In situations where additional research for specific interventions needs to be prioritized, we propose the use of quantitative benefit-harm assessments that illustrate how the benefit-harm balance may change as a consequence of additional research. The example of roflumilast for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease shows that additional research on patient preferences (e.g., how important are exacerbations relative to psychiatric harms?) or outcome risks (e.g., what is the incidence of psychiatric outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease without treatment?) is sometimes more valuable than additional randomized trials. We propose that quantitative benefit-harm assessments have the potential to explore the impact of additional research and to identify research priorities Our approach may be seen as another type of value of information analysis and as a useful approach to stimulate specific new research that has the potential to change current estimates of the benefit-harm balance and decision making.

Progress toward an Integrated Global GHG Information System (IG3IS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeCola, Philip

2016-04-01

Accurate and precise atmospheric measurements of greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations have shown the inexorable rise of global GHG concentrations due to human socioeconomic activity. Scientific observations also show a resulting rise in global temperatures and evidence of negative impacts on society. In response to this amassing evidence, nations, states, cities and private enterprises are accelerating efforts to reduce emissions of GHGs, and the UNFCCC process recently forged the Paris Agreement. Emission reduction strategies will vary by nation, region, and economic sector (e.g., INDCs), but regardless of the strategies and mechanisms applied, the ability to implement policies and manage them effectively over time will require consistent, reliable and timely information. A number of studies [e.g., Verifying Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Methods to Support International Climate Agreements (2010); GEO Carbon Strategy (2010); IPCC Task Force on National GHG Inventories: Expert Meeting Report on Uncertainty and Validation of Emission Inventories (2010)] have reported on the state of carbon cycle research, observations and models and the ability of these atmospheric observations and models to independently validate and improve the accuracy of self-reported emission inventories based on fossil fuel usage and land use activities. These studies concluded that by enhancing our in situ and remote-sensing observations and atmospheric data assimilation modeling capabilities, a GHG information system could be achieved in the coming decade to serve the needs of policies and actions to reduce GHG emissions. Atmospheric measurements and models are already being used to provide emissions information on a global and continental scale through existing networks, but these efforts currently provide insufficient information at the human-dimensions where nations, states, cities, and private enterprises can take valuable, and additional action that can reduce emissions for a specific GHG from a specific human activity. Based upon the recent advances in GHG observation technologies, new data-mining tools for acquiring socioeconomic activity data, and enhancements to the computational models used to merge this data, WMO and its partners are developing a plan for an Integrated Global GHG Information System (IG3IS) able to evaluate the efficacy of policy, reduce emission inventory uncertainty, and inform additional mitigation actions. The presentation will cover the principles and objectives of IG3IS, as well as progress toward answering the questions: What research capabilities are ready and able to deliver useful information for whom? What decisions will be informed? What valuable and additional outcomes will result?

Delays in using chromatic and luminance information to correct rapid reaches.

PubMed

Kane, Adam; Wade, Alex; Ma-Wyatt, Anna

2011-09-07

People can use feedback to make online corrections to movements but only if there is sufficient time to integrate the new information and make the correction. A key variable in this process is therefore the speed at which the new information about the target location is coded. Conduction velocities for chromatic signals are lower than for achromatic signals so it may take longer to correct reaches to chromatic stimuli. In addition to this delay, the sensorimotor system may prefer achromatic information over the chromatic information as delayed information may be less valuable when movements are made under time pressure. A down-weighting of chromatic information may result in additional latencies for chromatically directed reaches. In our study, participants made online corrections to reaches to achromatic, (L-M)-cone, and S-cone stimuli. Our chromatic stimuli were carefully adjusted to minimize stimulation of achromatic pathways, and we equated stimuli both in terms of detection thresholds and also by their estimated neural responses. Similar stimuli were used throughout the subjective adjustments and final reaching experiment. Using this paradigm, we found that responses to achromatic stimuli were only slightly faster than responses to (L-M)-cone and S-cone stimuli. We conclude that the sensorimotor system treats chromatic and achromatic information similarly and that the delayed chromatic responses primarily reflect early conduction delays.

Analysis of Exhaled Breath for Disease Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amann, Anton; Miekisch, Wolfram; Schubert, Jochen; Buszewski, Bogusław; Ligor, Tomasz; Jezierski, Tadeusz; Pleil, Joachim; Risby, Terence

2014-06-01

Breath analysis is a young field of research with great clinical potential. As a result of this interest, researchers have developed new analytical techniques that permit real-time analysis of exhaled breath with breath-to-breath resolution in addition to the conventional central laboratory methods using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Breath tests are based on endogenously produced volatiles, metabolites of ingested precursors, metabolites produced by bacteria in the gut or the airways, or volatiles appearing after environmental exposure. The composition of exhaled breath may contain valuable information for patients presenting with asthma, renal and liver diseases, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, inflammatory lung disease, or metabolic disorders. In addition, oxidative stress status may be monitored via volatile products of lipid peroxidation. Measurement of enzyme activity provides phenotypic information important in personalized medicine, whereas breath measurements provide insight into perturbations of the human exposome and can be interpreted as preclinical signals of adverse outcome pathways.

How to retrieve additional information from the multiplicity distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilk, Grzegorz; Włodarczyk, Zbigniew

2017-01-01

Multiplicity distributions (MDs) P(N) measured in multiparticle production processes are most frequently described by the negative binomial distribution (NBD). However, with increasing collision energy some systematic discrepancies have become more and more apparent. They are usually attributed to the possible multi-source structure of the production process and described using a multi-NBD form of the MD. We investigate the possibility of keeping a single NBD but with its parameters depending on the multiplicity N. This is done by modifying the widely known clan model of particle production leading to the NBD form of P(N). This is then confronted with the approach based on the so-called cascade-stochastic formalism which is based on different types of recurrence relations defining P(N). We demonstrate that a combination of both approaches allows the retrieval of additional valuable information from the MDs, namely the oscillatory behavior of the counting statistics apparently visible in the high energy data.

DBMS UTILIZATION: A Corporate Information System (CIS) development approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rozett, P.

1983-01-01

The Corporate Information System (CIS), an integrated information system intended to tie the corporation together as a functioning entity, is described. In addition to being a major upgraded automated data processing system, the CIS is a management philosophy which recognizes data as a valuable corporate resource and which distinguishes between data and selected data, or information. It further recognizes that different users need different kinds of information. Plans for CIS development are discussed. It will offer its users not just after-the-fact data, but timely information in a format that is meaningful and useful to the particular user, so that the information can be applied in planning, controlling, and decision making by all levels of management. In effect, CIS will help the corporation itself to function as a total, integrated system by typing together administrative activities through information exchange. The CIS supports the operational, tactical control, and strategic planning functions of the corporation. Operational functions are the day-to-day processing necessary to support the corporation's work, such as purchasing and payroll.

Incentives for knowledge sharing: impact of organisational culture and information technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Hongbo; Zhang, Zuopeng Justin

2017-10-01

This research presents and examines an analytical model of knowledge management in which organisational culture dynamically improves with knowledge-sharing and learning activities within organisations. We investigate the effects of organisational incentives and the level of information technology on the motivation of knowledge sharing. We derive a linear incentive reward structure for knowledge sharing under both homogeneous and heterogeneous conditions. In addition, we show how the organisational culture and the optimum linear sharing reward change with several crucial factors, and summarise three sets of methods (strong IT support, congruent organisational culture, and effective employee assessment) to complement the best linear incentive. Our research provides valuable insights for practitioners in terms of implementing knowledge-management initiatives.

Web-based education in anesthesiology: a critical overview.

PubMed

Doyle, D John

2008-12-01

The purpose of this review is to discuss the rise of web-based educational resources available to the anesthesiology community. Recent developments of particular importance include the growth of 'Web 2.0' resources, the development of the concepts of 'open access' and 'information philanthropy', and the expansion of web-based medical simulation software products.In addition, peer review of online educational resources has now come of age. The worldwide web has made available a large variety of valuable medical information and education resources only dreamed of two decades ago. To a large extent,these developments represent a shift in the focus of medical education resources to emphasize free access to materials and to encourage collaborative development efforts.

Practice databases and their uses in clinical research.

PubMed

Tierney, W M; McDonald, C J

1991-04-01

A few large clinical information databases have been established within larger medical information systems. Although they are smaller than claims databases, these clinical databases offer several advantages: accurate and timely data, rich clinical detail, and continuous parameters (for example, vital signs and laboratory results). However, the nature of the data vary considerably, which affects the kinds of secondary analyses that can be performed. These databases have been used to investigate clinical epidemiology, risk assessment, post-marketing surveillance of drugs, practice variation, resource use, quality assurance, and decision analysis. In addition, practice databases can be used to identify subjects for prospective studies. Further methodologic developments are necessary to deal with the prevalent problems of missing data and various forms of bias if such databases are to grow and contribute valuable clinical information.

A Foundation for Understanding Knowledge Sharing: Organizational Culture, Informal Workplace Learning, Performance Support, and Knowledge Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, Shirley J.

2017-01-01

This paper serves as an exploration into some of the ways in which organizations can promote, capture, share, and manage the valuable knowledge of their employees. The problem is that employees typically do not share valuable information, skills, or expertise with other employees or with the entire organization. The author uses research as well as…

Using language models to identify relevant new information in inpatient clinical notes.

PubMed

Zhang, Rui; Pakhomov, Serguei V; Lee, Janet T; Melton, Genevieve B

2014-01-01

Redundant information in clinical notes within electronic health record (EHR) systems is ubiquitous and may negatively impact the use of these notes by clinicians, and, potentially, the efficiency of patient care delivery. Automated methods to identify redundant versus relevant new information may provide a valuable tool for clinicians to better synthesize patient information and navigate to clinically important details. In this study, we investigated the use of language models for identification of new information in inpatient notes, and evaluated our methods using expert-derived reference standards. The best method achieved precision of 0.743, recall of 0.832 and F1-measure of 0.784. The average proportion of redundant information was similar between inpatient and outpatient progress notes (76.6% (SD=17.3%) and 76.7% (SD=14.0%), respectively). Advanced practice providers tended to have higher rates of redundancy in their notes compared to physicians. Future investigation includes the addition of semantic components and visualization of new information.

Using Language Models to Identify Relevant New Information in Inpatient Clinical Notes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rui; Pakhomov, Serguei V.; Lee, Janet T.; Melton, Genevieve B.

2014-01-01

Redundant information in clinical notes within electronic health record (EHR) systems is ubiquitous and may negatively impact the use of these notes by clinicians, and, potentially, the efficiency of patient care delivery. Automated methods to identify redundant versus relevant new information may provide a valuable tool for clinicians to better synthesize patient information and navigate to clinically important details. In this study, we investigated the use of language models for identification of new information in inpatient notes, and evaluated our methods using expert-derived reference standards. The best method achieved precision of 0.743, recall of 0.832 and F1-measure of 0.784. The average proportion of redundant information was similar between inpatient and outpatient progress notes (76.6% (SD=17.3%) and 76.7% (SD=14.0%), respectively). Advanced practice providers tended to have higher rates of redundancy in their notes compared to physicians. Future investigation includes the addition of semantic components and visualization of new information. PMID:25954438

Thermal Video Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Hughes Aircraft Corporation's Probeye Model 3300 Thermal Video System consists of tripod mounted infrared scanner that detects the degree of heat emitted by an object and a TV monitor on which results are displayed. Latest addition to Hughes line of infrared medical applications can detect temperature variations as fine as one-tenth of a degree centigrade. Thermography, proving to be a valuable screening tool in diagnosis, can produce information to preclude necessity of performing more invasive tests that may be painful and hazardous. Also useful in verifying a patient's progress through therapy and rehabilitation.

Using web technique in the managing regulatory requirements of medical equipment for the nursing department.

PubMed

Chien, Chia-Hung; Hwang, Bao-Hwa; Lin, Thuey-Ru; Wang, Cheng-Yi; Chong, Fok-Ching

2006-01-01

The centralized and information management are in common use technique of modern management. The management of the medical equipment emphasized in the purchase and the maintenance management in early days,and cost down now is import factor for medical equipment management because the health insurance system causes the hospital budget reduced, so in the cost down strategy is to reduce the amount of money and promoting the efficient of use . Another important subject in medical equipment management is patient safety, so how to ensuring the quality of medical equipment is also having to notice. In the paper, we will provide an architecture for assistant the nursing department to develop a information system on the centralized and information management of valuable medical equipment. Through the system operation we hope can promote the effect and the quality of the medical equipment usage. This system implement up to now has more than half a year, and could acquired some concrete result: the utilization rate promotes doubly, the rate of breaking downs, the borrowed time cuts 75%, the cost downs for equipment purchase and satisfaction increases for user. In this paper, in addition to explaining the above-mentioned result,also discusses the design principle and structure on the whole system. We hope the protocol could be used as for clinical unit to control their valuable equipments and match the authority expectation.

Health information technology knowledge and skills needed by HIT employers.

PubMed

Fenton, S H; Gongora-Ferraez, M J; Joost, E

2012-01-01

To evaluate the health information technology (HIT) workforce knowledge and skills needed by HIT employers. Statewide face-to-face and online focus groups of identified HIT employer groups in Austin, Brownsville, College Station, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and webinars for rural health and nursing informatics. HIT employers reported needing an HIT workforce with diverse knowledge and skills ranging from basic to advanced, while covering information technology, privacy and security, clinical practice, needs assessment, contract negotiation, and many other areas. Consistent themes were that employees needed to be able to learn on the job and must possess the ability to think critically and problem solve. Many employers wanted persons with technical skills, yet also the knowledge and understanding of healthcare operations. The HIT employer focus groups provided valuable insight into employee skills needed in this fast-growing field. Additionally, this information will be utilized to develop a statewide HIT workforce needs assessment survey.

The bioclimatological leaflet as a means conveying climatological information to tourists and the tourism industry.

PubMed

Zaninović, Ksenija; Matzarakis, Andreas

2009-07-01

Climate is an important resource for tourism and must be taken into account in tourism promotions. Here, a climate leaflet containing climatological and bioclimatological information for tourists is presented. The bioclimatological conditions are portrayed using mean values and frequency of thermal sensation based on physiologically equivalent temperature for 10-day intervals covering the whole year, along with air and sea temperature, sunshine duration, amount and number of days with precipitation and wind roses. In addition, the Climate Tourism Information Scheme is included. When combined with climatological and bioclimatological conditions, this scheme is valuable for tourists as it enables them to choose the most suitable time period for holidays, with the choice depending on personal preferences and requirements. The information provided here assists the tourism industry and stakeholders in decision-making. As an example, the bioclimatological leaflet for Hvar, an island off the Croatian Adriatic coast, is presented.

An international aerospace information system: A cooperative opportunity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cotter, Gladys A.; Blados, Walter R.

1992-01-01

Scientific and technical information (STI) is a valuable resource which represents the results of large investments in research and development (R&D), and the expertise of a nation. NASA and its predecessor organizations have developed and managed the preeminent aerospace information system. We see information and information systems changing and becoming more international in scope. In Europe, consistent with joint R&D programs and a view toward a united Europe, we have seen the emergence of a European Aerospace Database concept. In addition, the development of aeronautics and astronautics in individual nations have also lead to initiatives for national aerospace databases. Considering recent technological developments in information science and technology, as well as the reality of scarce resources in all nations, it is time to reconsider the mutually beneficial possibilities offered by cooperation and international resource sharing. The new possibilities offered through cooperation among the various aerospace database efforts toward an international aerospace database initiative which can optimize the cost/benefit equation for all participants are considered.

Towards Supporting Patient Decision-making In Online Diabetes Communities

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jing; Marmor, Rebecca; Huh, Jina

2017-01-01

As of 2014, 29.1 million people in the US have diabetes. Patients with diabetes have evolving information needs around complex lifestyle and medical decisions. As their conditions progress, patients need to sporadically make decisions by understanding alternatives and comparing options. These moments along the decision-making process present a valuable opportunity to support their information needs. An increasing number of patients visit online diabetes communities to fulfill their information needs. To understand how patients attempt to fulfill the information needs around decision-making in online communities, we reviewed 801 posts from an online diabetes community and included 79 posts for in-depth content analysis. The findings revealed motivations for posters’ inquiries related to decision-making including the changes in disease state, increased self-awareness, and conflict of information received. Medication and food were the among the most popular topics discussed as part of their decision-making inquiries. Additionally, We present insights for automatically identifying those decision-making inquiries to efficiently support information needs presented in online health communities. PMID:29854261

Hazard assessment of hydraulic fracturing chemicals using an indexing method.

PubMed

Hu, Guangji; Liu, Tianyi; Hager, James; Hewage, Kasun; Sadiq, Rehan

2018-04-01

The rapid expansion of unconventional natural gas production has triggered considerable public concerns, particularly regarding environmental and human health (EHH) risks posed by various chemical additives used in hydraulic fracturing (HF) operations. There is a need to assess the potential EHH hazards of additives used in real-world HF operations. In this study, HF additive and fracturing fluid data was acquired, and EHH hazards were assessed using an indexing approach. The indexing system analyzed chemical toxicological data of different ingredients contained within additives and produced an aggregated EHH safety index for each additive, along with an indicator describing the completeness of the chemical toxicological data. The results show that commonly used additives are generally associated with medium-level EHH hazards. In each additive category, ingredients of high EHH concern were identified, and the high hazard designation was primarily attributed to ingredients' high aquatic toxicity and carcinogenic effects. Among all assessed additive categories, iron control agents were identified as the greatest EHH hazards. Lack of information, such as undisclosed ingredients and chemical toxicological data gaps, has resulted in different levels of assessment uncertainties. In particular, friction reducers show the highest data incompleteness with regards to EHH hazards. This study reveals the potential EHH hazards associated with chemicals used in current HF field operations and can provide decision makers with valuable information to facilitate sustainable and responsible unconventional gas production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanical break junctions: enormous information in a nanoscale package.

PubMed

Natelson, Douglas

2012-04-24

Mechanical break junctions, particularly those in which a metal tip is repeatedly moved in and out of contact with a metal film, have provided many insights into electronic conduction at the atomic and molecular scale, most often by averaging over many possible junction configurations. This averaging throws away a great deal of information, and Makk et al. in this issue of ACS Nano demonstrate that, with both simulated and real experimental data, more sophisticated two-dimensional analysis methods can reveal information otherwise obscured in simple histograms. As additional measured quantities come into play in break junction experiments, including thermopower, noise, and optical response, these more sophisticated analytic approaches are likely to become even more powerful. While break junctions are not directly practical for useful electronic devices, they are incredibly valuable tools for unraveling the electronic transport physics relevant for ultrascaled nanoelectronics.

Hidden values in bauxite residue (red mud): Recovery of metals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Yanju; Naidu, Ravi, E-mail: ravi.naidu@unisa.edu.au

Highlights: • Current iron recovery techniques using red mud are depicted. • Advantages and disadvantages exist in different recovering processes. • Economic and environmental friendly integrated usage of red mud is promising. - Abstract: Bauxite residue (red mud) is a hazardous waste generated from alumina refining industries. Unless managed properly, red mud poses significant risks to the local environment due to its extreme alkalinity and its potential impacts on surface and ground water quality. The ever-increasing generation of red mud poses significant challenges to the aluminium industries from management perspectives given the low proportion that are currently being utilized beneficially.more » Red mud, in most cases, contains elevated concentrations of iron in addition to aluminium, titanium, sodium and valuable rare earth elements. Given the scarcity of iron supply globally, the iron content of red mud has attracted increasing research interest. This paper presents a critical overview of the current techniques employed for iron recovery from red mud. Information on the recovery of other valuable metals is also reviewed to provide an insight into the full potential usage of red mud as an economic resource rather than a waste. Traditional hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy are being investigated continuously. However, in this review several new techniques are introduced that consider the process of iron recovery from red mud. An integrated process which can achieve multiple additional values from red mud is much preferred over the single process methods. The information provided here should help to improve the future management and utilization of red mud.« less

Field trial of the enhanced data authentication system (EDAS)

DOE PAGES

Thomas, Maikael A.; Hymel, Ross W.; Baldwin, George; ...

2016-11-01

The Enhanced Data Authentication System (EDAS) is means to securely branch information from an existing measurement system or data stream to a secondary observer. In an international nuclear safeguards context, the EDAS connects to operator instrumentation, and provides a cryptographically secure copy of the information for a safeguards inspectorate. However, this novel capability could be a valuable complement to inspector-owned safeguards instrumentation, offering context that is valuable for anomaly resolution and contingency.

Selectively Distracted: Divided Attention and Memory for Important Information.

PubMed

Middlebrooks, Catherine D; Kerr, Tyson; Castel, Alan D

2017-08-01

Distractions and multitasking are generally detrimental to learning and memory. Nevertheless, people often study while listening to music, sitting in noisy coffee shops, or intermittently checking their e-mail. The current experiments examined how distractions and divided attention influence one's ability to selectively remember valuable information. Participants studied lists of words that ranged in value from 1 to 10 points while completing a digit-detection task, while listening to music, or without distractions. Though participants recalled fewer words following digit detection than in the other conditions, there were no significant differences between conditions in terms of selectively remembering the most valuable words. Similar results were obtained across a variety of divided-attention tasks that stressed attention and working memory to different degrees, which suggests that people may compensate for divided-attention costs by selectively attending to the most valuable items and that factors that worsen memory do not necessarily impair the ability to selectively remember important information.

Implementation of Free Text Format Nursing Diagnoses at a University Hospital's Medical Department. Exploring Nurses' and Nursing Students' Experiences on Use and Usefulness. A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Frigstad, Sigrun Aasen; Nøst, Torunn Hatlen; André, Beate

2015-01-01

Background. Nursing documentation has long traditions and represents core element of nursing, but the documentation is often criticized of being incomplete. Nursing diagnoses are an important research topic in nursing in terms of quality of nursing assessment, interventions, and outcome in addition to facilitating communication and continuity. Aim. The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' and nursing students' experiences after implementing free text format nursing diagnoses in a medical department. Method. The study design included educational intervention of free text nursing diagnoses. Data was collected through five focus group interviews with 18 nurses and 6 students as informants. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results. The informants describe positive experiences concerning free text format nursing diagnoses' use and usefulness; it promotes reflection and discussion and is described as a useful tool in the diagnostic process, though it was challenging to find the diagnosis' appropriate formulation. Conclusion. Our findings indicate a valid usability of free text format nursing diagnoses as it promotes the diagnostic process. The use seems to enhance critical thinking and may serve as valuable preparation towards an implementation of standardized nursing diagnoses. Use and support of key personnel seem valuable in an implementation process. PMID:26075091

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS, A VALUABLE TOOL IN COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

EPA Science Inventory

A historical analysis of the ecological consequences of development can be a valuable tool in community-based environmental protection. These studies can engage the public in environmental issues and lead to informed decision making. Historical studies provide an understanding of...

Ground Based Ultraviolet Remote Sensing of Volcanic Gas Plumes

PubMed Central

Kantzas, Euripides P.; McGonigle, Andrew J. S.

2008-01-01

Ultraviolet spectroscopy has been implemented for over thirty years to monitor volcanic SO2 emissions. These data have provided valuable information concerning underground magmatic conditions, which have been of utility in eruption forecasting efforts. During the last decade the traditionally used correlation spectrometers have been upgraded with miniature USB coupled UV spectrometers, opening a series of exciting new empirical possibilities for understanding volcanoes and their impacts upon the atmosphere. Here we review these technological developments, in addition to the scientific insights they have precipitated, covering the strengths and current limitations of this approach. PMID:27879780

Recent Progress in Nanomedicine: Therapeutic, Diagnostic and Theranostic Applications

PubMed Central

Rizzo, Larissa Y.; Theek, Benjamin; Storm, Gert; Kiessling, Fabian; Lammers, Twan

2013-01-01

In recent years, the use of nanomedicine formulations for therapeutic and diagnostic applications has increased exponentially. Many different systems and strategies have been developed for drug targeting to pathological sites, as well as for visualizing and quantifying important (patho-) physiological processes. In addition, ever more efforts have been undertaken to combine diagnostic and therapeutic properties within a single nanomedicine formulation. These so-called nanotheranostics are able to provide valuable information on drug delivery, drug release and drug efficacy, and they are considered to be highly useful for personalizing nanomedicine-based (chemo-) therapeutic interventions. PMID:23578464

MSX-3D: a tool to validate 3D protein models using mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Heymann, Michaël; Paramelle, David; Subra, Gilles; Forest, Eric; Martinez, Jean; Geourjon, Christophe; Deléage, Gilbert

2008-12-01

The technique of chemical cross-linking followed by mass spectrometry has proven to bring valuable information about the protein structure and interactions between proteic subunits. It is an effective and efficient way to experimentally investigate some aspects of a protein structure when NMR and X-ray crystallography data are lacking. We introduce MSX-3D, a tool specifically geared to validate protein models using mass spectrometry. In addition to classical peptides identifications, it allows an interactive 3D visualization of the distance constraints derived from a cross-linking experiment. Freely available at http://proteomics-pbil.ibcp.fr

Evaluation of the differences between the SRTM and satellite radar altimetry height measurements and the approach taken for the ACE2 GDEM in areas of large disagreement.

PubMed

Smith, Richard Gavin; Berry, Philippa A M

2011-06-01

The new ACE2 (Altimeter Corrected Elevations 2) Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) which has recently been released aims to provide the most accurate GDEM to date. ACE2 was created by synergistically merging the SRTM and altimetry datasets. The comprehensive comparison carried out between the two datasets yielded a myriad of information, with the areas of disagreement providing as much valuable information as the areas of agreement. Analysis of the comparison dataset revealed that certain topographic features displayed consistent differences between the two datasets. The largest differences globally are present over the rainforests, particularly the two largest, around the Amazon and the Congo. The differences range between 10 m and 40 m; these differences can be attributed to the height of the rainforest canopy, as the SRTM returned height values from somewhere within the uppermost reaches of the vegetation whereas the altimeter was able to penetrate through and return true ground heights. The second major class of terrain feature to demonstrate coherent differences are desert regions; here, different deserts present different characteristics. The final area of interest is that of Wetlands; these are areas of special significance because even a slight misrepresentation of the heights can have wide ranging effects in modelling wetland areas. These examples illustrate the valuable additional information content gleaned from the synergistic global combination of the two datasets.

Interoperability between phenotype and anatomy ontologies.

PubMed

Hoehndorf, Robert; Oellrich, Anika; Rebholz-Schuhmann, Dietrich

2010-12-15

Phenotypic information is important for the analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying disease. A formal ontological representation of phenotypic information can help to identify, interpret and infer phenotypic traits based on experimental findings. The methods that are currently used to represent data and information about phenotypes fail to make the semantics of the phenotypic trait explicit and do not interoperate with ontologies of anatomy and other domains. Therefore, valuable resources for the analysis of phenotype studies remain unconnected and inaccessible to automated analysis and reasoning. We provide a framework to formalize phenotypic descriptions and make their semantics explicit. Based on this formalization, we provide the means to integrate phenotypic descriptions with ontologies of other domains, in particular anatomy and physiology. We demonstrate how our framework leads to the capability to represent disease phenotypes, perform powerful queries that were not possible before and infer additional knowledge. http://bioonto.de/pmwiki.php/Main/PheneOntology.

Quality and efficiency successes leveraging IT and new processes.

PubMed

Chaiken, Barry P; Christian, Charles E; Johnson, Liz

2007-01-01

Today, healthcare annually invests billions of dollars in information technology, including clinical systems, electronic medical records and interoperability platforms. While continued investment and parallel development of standards are critical to secure exponential benefits from clinical information technology, intelligent and creative redesign of processes through path innovation is necessary to deliver meaningful value. Reports from two organizations included in this report review the steps taken to reinvent clinical processes that best leverage information technology to deliver safer and more efficient care. Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes, Indiana, implemented electronic charting, point-of-care bar coding of medications prior to administration, and integrated clinical documentation for nursing, laboratory, radiology and pharmacy. Tenet Healthcare, during its implementation and deployment of multiple clinical systems across several hospitals, focused on planning that included team-based process redesign. In addition, Tenet constructed valuable and measurable metrics that link outcomes with its strategic goals.

Support for New Physics Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adrian, Brian W.; Zollman, D.; Stevens, S.

2006-12-01

Teachers of physics can often lack the type of support they desperately need. The Physics Teaching Web Advisory (Pathway) is a dynamic digital library for physics teaching that is designed to offer such support. Carnegie Mellon University’s synthetic interview technology provides the foundation for a system that allows physics teachers to ask questions of a virtual mentor and get video responses. A log of the questions asked of our system provides a rich database of information about just what types of support teachers are requesting. This talk will present a summary of the common types of questions teachers ask. Such information is valuable as we design support systems for physics teachers, both new and experienced. In addition, recent progress and developments will be discussed. Supported by NSF grant numbers DUE-0226157, DUE-0226219, ESI-0455772 & ESI-0455813

Influence of biochar on heavy metals and microbial community during composting of river sediment with agricultural wastes.

PubMed

Chen, Yaoning; Liu, Yao; Li, Yuanping; Wu, Yanxin; Chen, Yanrong; Zeng, Guangming; Zhang, Jiachao; Li, Hui

2017-11-01

Studies were performed to evaluate influence of biochar addition on physico-chemical process, heavy metals transformation and bacterial community diversity during composting of sediment with agricultural wastes. Simultaneously, the relationships between those parameters including heavy metals and bacterial community compositions were evaluated by redundancy analysis (RDA). The results show that the extraction efficiency of DTPA extractable heavy metals decreased in both piles, and reduced more in pile with biochar addition about 0.1-2.96%. Biochar addition dramatically influenced the bacterial community structure during the composting process. Moreover, the bacterial community composition was significantly correlated with C/N ratio, water soluble carbon (WSC), and organic matter (OM) (P<0.05) in pile with biochar addition; while significantly correlated with temperature, WSC, and C/N ratio in pile which was free of biochar. This study would provide some valuable information for improving the composting for disposal of river sediment with heavy metals contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health Information Technology in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety: Literature Review.

PubMed

Feldman, Sue S; Buchalter, Scott; Hayes, Leslie W

2018-06-04

The area of healthcare quality and patient safety is starting to use health information technology to prevent reportable events, identify them before they become issues, and act on events that are thought to be unavoidable. As healthcare organizations begin to explore the use of health information technology in this realm, it is often unclear where fiscal and human efforts should be focused. The purpose of this study was to provide a foundation for understanding where to focus health information technology fiscal and human resources as well as expectations for the use of health information technology in healthcare quality and patient safety. A literature review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed publications reporting on the actual use of health information technology in healthcare quality and patient safety. Inductive thematic analysis with open coding was used to categorize a total of 41 studies. Three pre-set categories were used: prevention, identification, and action. Three additional categories were formed through coding: challenges, outcomes, and location. This study identifies five main categories across seven study settings. A majority of the studies used health IT for identification and prevention of healthcare quality and patient safety issues. In this realm, alerts, clinical decision support, and customized health IT solutions were most often implemented. Implementation, interface design, and culture were most often noted as challenges. This study provides valuable information as organizations determine where they stand to get the most "bang for their buck" relative to health IT for quality and patient safety. Knowing what implementations are being effectivity used by other organizations helps with fiscal and human resource planning as well as managing expectations relative to cost, scope, and outcomes. The findings from this scan of the literature suggest that having organizational champion leaders that can shepherd implementation, impact culture, and bridge knowledge with developers would be a valuable resource allocation to consider. ©Sue S Feldman, Scott Buchalter, Leslie W. Hayes. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 04.06.2018.

A cost-benefit analysis for materials management information systems.

PubMed

Slapak-Iacobelli, L; Wilde, A H

1993-02-01

The cost-benefit analysis provided the system planners with valuable information that served many purposes. It answered the following questions: Why was the CCF undertaking this project? What were the alternatives? How much was it going to cost? And what was the expected outcome? The process of developing cost-benefit the document kept the project team focused. It also motivated them to involve additional individuals from materials management and accounts payable in its development. A byproduct of this involvement was buy-in and commitment to the project by everyone in these areas. Consequently, the project became a team effort championed by many and not just one. We were also able to introduce two new information system processes: 1) a management review process with goals and anticipated results, and 2) a quality assurance process that ensured the CCF had a better product in the end. The cost-benefit analysis provided a planning tool that assisted in successful implementation of an integrated materials management information system.

Health Information Technology Knowledge and Skills Needed by HIT Employers

PubMed Central

Fenton, S.H.; Gongora-Ferraez, M.J.; Joost, E.

2012-01-01

Objective To evaluate the health information technology (HIT) workforce knowledge and skills needed by HIT employers. Methods Statewide face-to-face and online focus groups of identified HIT employer groups in Austin, Brownsville, College Station, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and webinars for rural health and nursing informatics. Results HIT employers reported needing an HIT workforce with diverse knowledge and skills ranging from basic to advanced, while covering information technology, privacy and security, clinical practice, needs assessment, contract negotiation, and many other areas. Consistent themes were that employees needed to be able to learn on the job and must possess the ability to think critically and problem solve. Many employers wanted persons with technical skills, yet also the knowledge and understanding of healthcare operations. Conclusion The HIT employer focus groups provided valuable insight into employee skills needed in this fast-growing field. Additionally, this information will be utilized to develop a statewide HIT workforce needs assessment survey. PMID:23646090

Leveraging Existing Heritage Documentation for Animations: Senate Virtual Tour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhanda, A.; Fai, S.; Graham, K.; Walczak, G.

2017-08-01

The use of digital documentation techniques has led to an increase in opportunities for using documentation data for valorization purposes, in addition to technical purposes. Likewise, building information models (BIMs) made from these data sets hold valuable information that can be as effective for public education as it is for rehabilitation. A BIM can reveal the elements of a building, as well as the different stages of a building over time. Valorizing this information increases the possibility for public engagement and interest in a heritage place. Digital data sets were leveraged by the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) for parts of a virtual tour of the Senate of Canada. For the tour, workflows involving four different programs were explored to determine an efficient and effective way to leverage the existing documentation data to create informative and visually enticing animations for public dissemination: Autodesk Revit, Enscape, Autodesk 3ds Max, and Bentley Pointools. The explored workflows involve animations of point clouds, BIMs, and a combination of the two.

Loess and Loess-like Sediments on the Tibetan Plateau: New Results and Findings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmkuhl, F.

2014-12-01

Aeolian, loess-like sediments distributed as mantles of silt covering the bedrock and debris are widespread depositions in the Qilain Shan and on the Tibetan Plateau (Lehmkuhl 1997). Up to now little is known about the timing and distribution of these late Quaternary sediments originated from far and local transported aeolian dust and sand. They represent valuable archives about environmental change during the late Quaternary. In addition, this fine material is important for growth of the vegetation cover and for water storage and nomadic life. Radiocarbon and luminescence dating provide information concerning their timing to the end of the last glacial cycle and especially to the Holocene, as some of them include loess-paleosol sequences. In addition, valuable information on paleoenvironmental conditions was acquired by grain-size distribution and geochemical analyses (e.g. Nottebaum et al. 2014, Lehmkuhl et. al. 2014). This contribution mainly focuses on the Qilian Shan, the northeastern and southern Tibetan Plateau. Lehmkuhl F. (1997). The spatial distribution of loess and loess-like sediments in the mountain areas of Central and High Asia, Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, N.F., Suppl.-Bd. 111, 97-116. Lehmkuhl F., Schulte P., Zhao H., Hülle D., Protze J., Stauch G. (2014). Timing and spatial distribution of loess and loess-like sediments in the mountain areas of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, Catena 117, 22-33. Nottebaum V., Lehmkuhl F., Stauch G., Hartmann K., Wünnemann B, Schimpf S, Lu H. (2014): Regional grain size variations in aeolian sediments along the transition between Tibetan highlands and northwestern Chinese deserts: The influence of geomorphological settings on aeolian transport pathways, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, in press. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3590

76 FR 7121 - Privacy Act of 1974; Proposed Implementation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-09

... identity of confidential sources and the nature of the information supplied by informants as well as... the information. Confidential sources and informers might refuse to provide valuable information... nature of the information they supplied. Loss of access to such sources would seriously impair the...

454-pyrosequencing: A tool for discovery and biomarker development

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Roche GS-FLX (454) sequencer has made possible what was thought impossible just a few years ago: sequence >1 million high-quality nucleotide reads (mean 400 bp) in less than 12 h. This technology provides valuable species-specific sequence information, and is a valuable tool to discover and und...

Effect of censoring trace-level water-quality data on trend-detection capability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gilliom, R.J.; Hirsch, R.M.; Gilroy, E.J.

1984-01-01

Monte Carlo experiments were used to evaluate whether trace-level water-quality data that are routinely censored (not reported) contain valuable information for trend detection. Measurements are commonly censored if they fall below a level associated with some minimum acceptable level of reliability (detection limit). Trace-level organic data were simulated with best- and worst-case estimates of measurement uncertainty, various concentrations and degrees of linear trend, and different censoring rules. The resulting classes of data were subjected to a nonparametric statistical test for trend. For all classes of data evaluated, trends were most effectively detected in uncensored data as compared to censored data even when the data censored were highly unreliable. Thus, censoring data at any concentration level may eliminate valuable information. Whether or not valuable information for trend analysis is, in fact, eliminated by censoring of actual rather than simulated data depends on whether the analytical process is in statistical control and bias is predictable for a particular type of chemical analyses.

Nationwide genetic testing towards eliminating Lafora disease from Miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Ahonen, Saija; Seath, Ian; Rusbridge, Clare; Holt, Susan; Key, Gill; Wang, Travis; Wang, Peixiang; Minassian, Berge A

2018-01-01

Canine DNA-testing has become an important tool in purebred dog breeding and many breeders use genetic testing results when planning their breeding strategies. In addition, information obtained from testing of hundreds dogs in one breed gives valuable information about the breed-wide genotype frequency of disease associated allele. Lafora disease is a late onset, recessively inherited genetic disease which is diagnosed in Miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds (MWHD). It is one of the most severe forms of canine epilepsy leading to neurodegeneration and, frequently euthanasia within a few years of diagnosis. Canine Lafora disease is caused by a dodecamer repeat expansion mutation in the NHLRC1 gene and a DNA test is available to identify homozygous dogs at risk, carriers and dogs free of the mutation. Blood samples were collected from 733 MWHDs worldwide, mostly of UK origin, for canine Lafora disease testing. Among the tested MWHD population 7.0% were homozygous for the mutation and at risk for Lafora disease. In addition, 234 dogs were heterozygous, indicating a carrier frequency of 31.9% in the tested population. Among the tested MWHDs, the mutant allele frequency was 0.2. In addition, data from the tested dogs over 6 years (2012-2017) indicated that the frequency of the homozygous and carrier dogs has decreased from 10.4% to 2.7% and 41.5% to 25.7%, respectively among MWHDs tested. As a consequence, the frequency of dogs free of the mutation has increased from 48.1% to 71.6%. This study provides valuable data for the MWHD community and shows that the DNA test is a useful tool for the breeders to prevent occurrence of Lafora disease in MWHDs. DNA testing has, over 6 years, helped to decrease the frequency of carriers and dogs at risk. Additionally, the DNA test can continue to be used to slowly eradicate the disease-causing mutation in the breed. However, this should be done carefully, over time, to avoid further compromising the genetic diversity of the breed. The DNA test also provides a diagnostic tool for veterinarians if they are presented with a dog that shows clinical signs associated with canine Lafora disease.

Genetic testing for the BRCA1 gene and the need for protection from discrimination: an evolving legislative and social issue.

PubMed

Dressler, L

1998-04-01

Genetic testing for the BRCA1 gene is available commercially and clinically. The information gained from this test impacts not only on the individual tested, but on family members as well. The test can offer an individual and their family the opportunity to gain valuable information about their risks of developing certain forms of inherited breast cancer and other inherited cancers. In addition to its emotional and psychological impact, this information is associated with significant social and economic issues. This includes the potential for denial, loss, or increased rates for health insurance as well as denial and loss of employment based on genetic test information. The risk for such discrimination can lead to fear of seeking testing and can discourage participation in and potential benefit from prevention, screening, and treatment programs. Therefore, misuse of this information carries significant risk for the individual being tested and for their family members. It is imperative that the potential benefits of genetic testing and genetic information be afforded to all without this risk and fear. In addition to protecting all individuals from genetic discrimination, there is a need to protect the confidentiality of genetic information and an individual's right to privacy. This article discusses protection currently available through legislation at the federal and state level, focusing on the experience in North Carolina in developing and passing a genetic antidiscrimination bill. Although progress has been made, troublesome issues still remain.

Discriminative analysis of lip motion features for speaker identification and speech-reading.

PubMed

Cetingül, H Ertan; Yemez, Yücel; Erzin, Engin; Tekalp, A Murat

2006-10-01

There have been several studies that jointly use audio, lip intensity, and lip geometry information for speaker identification and speech-reading applications. This paper proposes using explicit lip motion information, instead of or in addition to lip intensity and/or geometry information, for speaker identification and speech-reading within a unified feature selection and discrimination analysis framework, and addresses two important issues: 1) Is using explicit lip motion information useful, and, 2) if so, what are the best lip motion features for these two applications? The best lip motion features for speaker identification are considered to be those that result in the highest discrimination of individual speakers in a population, whereas for speech-reading, the best features are those providing the highest phoneme/word/phrase recognition rate. Several lip motion feature candidates have been considered including dense motion features within a bounding box about the lip, lip contour motion features, and combination of these with lip shape features. Furthermore, a novel two-stage, spatial, and temporal discrimination analysis is introduced to select the best lip motion features for speaker identification and speech-reading applications. Experimental results using an hidden-Markov-model-based recognition system indicate that using explicit lip motion information provides additional performance gains in both applications, and lip motion features prove more valuable in the case of speech-reading application.

Cell and molecular biology of the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias and little skate Leucoraja erinacea: insights from in vitro cultured cells.

PubMed

Barnes, D W

2012-04-01

Two of the most commonly used elasmobranch experimental model species are the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias and the little skate Leucoraja erinacea. Comparative biology and genomics with these species have provided useful information in physiology, pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, evolutionary developmental biology and genetics. A wealth of information has been obtained using in vitro approaches to study isolated cells and tissues from these organisms under circumstances in which the extracellular environment can be controlled. In addition to classical work with primary cell cultures, continuously proliferating cell lines have been derived recently, representing the first cell lines from cartilaginous fishes. These lines have proved to be valuable tools with which to explore functional genomic and biological questions and to test hypotheses at the molecular level. In genomic experiments, complementary (c)DNA libraries have been constructed, and c. 8000 unique transcripts identified, with over 3000 representing previously unknown gene sequences. A sub-set of messenger (m)RNAs has been detected for which the 3' untranslated regions show elements that are remarkably well conserved evolutionarily, representing novel, potentially regulatory gene sequences. The cell culture systems provide physiologically valid tools to study functional roles of these sequences and other aspects of elasmobranch molecular cell biology and physiology. Information derived from the use of in vitro cell cultures is valuable in revealing gene diversity and information for genomic sequence assembly, as well as for identification of new genes and molecular markers, construction of gene-array probes and acquisition of full-length cDNA sequences. © 2012 The Author. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Wildlife as valuable natural resources vs. intolerable pests: A suburban wildlife management model

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeStefano, S.; Deblinger, R.D.

2005-01-01

Management of wildlife in suburban environments involves a complex set of interactions between both human and wildlife populations. Managers need additional tools, such as models, that can help them assess the status of wildlife populations, devise and apply management programs, and convey this information to other professionals and the public. We present a model that conceptualizes how some wildlife populations can fluctuate between extremely low (rare, threatened, or endangered status) and extremely high (overabundant) numbers over time. Changes in wildlife abundance can induce changes in human perceptions, which continually redefine species as a valuable resource to be protected versus a pest to be controlled. Management programs thatincorporate a number of approaches and promote more stable populations of wildlife avoid the problems of the resource versus pest transformation, are less costly to society, and encourage more positive and less negative interactions between humans and wildlife. We presenta case example of the beaver Castor canadensis in Massachusetts to illustrate how this model functions and can be applied. ?? 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

Application of Acoustic Emission on the Characterization of Fracture in Textile Reinforced Cement Laminates

PubMed Central

Blom, J.; Wastiels, J.; Aggelis, D. G.

2014-01-01

This work studies the acoustic emission (AE) behavior of textile reinforced cementitious (TRC) composites under flexural loading. The main objective is to link specific AE parameters to the fracture mechanisms that are successively dominating the failure of this laminated material. At relatively low load, fracture is initiated by matrix cracking while, at the moment of peak load and thereafter, the fiber pull-out stage is reached. Stress modeling of the material under bending reveals that initiation of shear phenomena can also be activated depending on the shape (curvature) of the plate specimens. Preliminary results show that AE waveform parameters like frequency and energy are changing during loading, following the shift of fracturing mechanisms. Additionally, the AE behavior of specimens with different curvature is very indicative of the stress mode confirming the results of modeling. Moreover, AE source location shows the extent of the fracture process zone and its development in relation to the load. It is seen that AE monitoring yields valuable real time information on the fracture of the material and at the same time supplies valuable feedback to the stress modeling. PMID:24605050

Application of acoustic emission on the characterization of fracture in textile reinforced cement laminates.

PubMed

Blom, J; Wastiels, J; Aggelis, D G

2014-01-01

This work studies the acoustic emission (AE) behavior of textile reinforced cementitious (TRC) composites under flexural loading. The main objective is to link specific AE parameters to the fracture mechanisms that are successively dominating the failure of this laminated material. At relatively low load, fracture is initiated by matrix cracking while, at the moment of peak load and thereafter, the fiber pull-out stage is reached. Stress modeling of the material under bending reveals that initiation of shear phenomena can also be activated depending on the shape (curvature) of the plate specimens. Preliminary results show that AE waveform parameters like frequency and energy are changing during loading, following the shift of fracturing mechanisms. Additionally, the AE behavior of specimens with different curvature is very indicative of the stress mode confirming the results of modeling. Moreover, AE source location shows the extent of the fracture process zone and its development in relation to the load. It is seen that AE monitoring yields valuable real time information on the fracture of the material and at the same time supplies valuable feedback to the stress modeling.

Personality dimensions of the captive California sea lion (Zalophus californianus).

PubMed

Ciardelli, Lillian E; Weiss, Alexander; Powell, David M; Reiss, Diana

2017-02-01

Although the field of animal personality research is growing, information on sea lion personality is lacking. This is surprising as sea lions are charismatic, cognitively advanced, and relatively accessible for research. In addition, their presence in captivity and frequent interactions with humans allow for them to be closely observed in various contexts. These interactions provide a valuable and unique opportunity to assess dimensions of their personality. This study created a personality survey for captive California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) using a 3-step approach that balances comprehensiveness and comparability to other species. Zookeepers (N = 43) at 5 zoological parks rated sea lions (N = 16) on 52 personality traits and 7 training traits. A principal components analysis and regularized exploratory factor analysis revealed 3 dimensions (Extraversion/Impulsivity, Dominance/Confidence, and Reactivity/Undependability). Each dimension was significantly correlated with at least 1 training trait. Pups and juveniles scored significantly higher on Extraversion/Impulsivity than adults. No other age or sex effects were present on this or any other dimension. Sea lions are cognitively complex marine mammals that represent a valuable addition to the group of species in which personality structure and function have been studied. The unique behavioral and ecological characteristics of sea lions offer another vantage point for understanding how personality varies between disparate species. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring the Microbiome of Callinectes sapidus (Maryland Blue Crab)

PubMed Central

Reed, Elizabeth; Ottesen, Andrea

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT The Maryland blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is a treasured food, especially in areas surrounding the Chesapeake Bay. It has huge economic impact on commerce, and thus, understanding the bacterial, fungal, and viral constituents of its microbiome provides valuable information to safely manage aquaculture, handling, and cooking of this valuable commodity. PMID:29853506

STARPAHC systems report. Volume 2: Operational performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The Space Technology Applied to Rural Papago Advanced Health Care (STARPAHC) demonstrated the value and potential of telemedicine using physician's assistants for providing quality health care delivery to people in a remote area. Generally, the program's achievements were to: (1) establish the feasibility of the STARPAHC concept in the delivery of health care; (2) gain information for developing health care systems for future manned spacecraft; (3) determine the constraints and capabilities involved in the interaction between physicians and non-physician health care personnel; (4) determine effectiveness of the STARPAHC technique; and (5) define the additional developments that are needed and/or most valuable to improving telemedicine and its exportable potential.

The U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC) Condensed Tannin NMR Database.

PubMed

Zeller, Wayne E; Schatz, Paul F

2017-06-28

This Perspective describes a solution-state NMR database for flavan-3-ol monomers and condensed tannin dimers through tetramers obtained from the literature to 2015, containing data searchable by structure, molecular formula, degrees of polymerization, and 1 H and 13 C chemical shifts of the condensed tannins. Citations for all literature references are provided and should serve as valuable resource for scientists working in the field of condensed tannin research. The database will be periodically updated as additional information becomes available, typically on a yearly basis and is available for use, free of charge, from the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC) Website.

In silico analysis of Schmidtea mediterranea TIR domain-containing proteins.

PubMed

Tsoumtsa, Landry Laure; Sougoufora, Seynabou; Torre, Cedric; Lemichez, Emmanuel; Pontarotti, Pierre; Ghigo, Eric

2018-09-01

While genetic evidence points towards an absence of Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) in Platyhelminthes, the Toll/IL-1 Receptor (TIR)-domains that drive the assembly of signalling complexes downstream TLR are present in these organisms. Here, we undertook the characterisation of the repertoire of TIR-domain containing proteins in Schmidtea mediterranea in order to gain valuable information on TLR evolution in metazoan. We report the presence of twenty proteins containing between one and two TIR domains. In addition, our phylogenetic-based reconstruction approach identified Smed-SARM and Smed-MyD88 as conserved TLR adaptors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphology of the adult male and pupal exuviae of Glyptotendipes (Glyptotendipes) glaucus (Meigen 1818) (Diptera, Chironomidae) using scanning electron microscope (SEM).

PubMed

Kownacki, Andrzej; Woznicka, Olga; Szarek-Gwiazda, Ewa; Michailova, Paraskeva; Czaplicka, Anna

2017-02-27

In this paper, a study of the morphology of the pupa and male imago of Glyptotendipes (G.) glaucus (Meigen 1818) was carried out, with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM provided additional valuable information on the morphology of the species. Adult male head, antenna, wing, leg, abdomen, hypopygium, pupal cephalothorax and abdomen were examined. It is emphasized that SEM was not often used in Chironomidae studies. The present results confirm SEM as a suitable approach in carrying out morphological and taxonomical descriptions of Chironomidae species.

Are There Frame-Distortion Contributions to Collision-Induced Absorption and Collision-Induced Light Scattering?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hohm, Uwe

2007-12-01

Collision-induced spectroscopy, such as collision-induced absorption (CIA) and collision-induced light scattering (CILS), can give valuable information on permanent electric moments, polarizabilities and intermolecular-interaction potentials. In general the collision-induced spectra of the pure rare-gases and their binary mixtures are understood fairly well. However if at least one of the collision partners is a molecule then in some cases the spectra show features which can hardly be explained by current theories which deal with the case of undistorted molecules. Here we discuss the possibility of collision-induced frame distortion as an additional effect to be considered in collision-induced spectroscopy.

Designing a Method with Physician Participation to Assess and Improve Quality of Healthcare in Otolaryngology.

PubMed

Arce, José M; Martín Cleary, Catalina; Cenjor, Carlos; Ramos, Ángel; Ortiz, Alberto

2017-04-01

Patient choice of healthcare centers to be treated for specific diseases is compromised by the low accessibility of understandable information. Physicians are rarely involved in healthcare quality assessment, despite their potentially valuable input. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for evaluating the quality of care that specifically incorporates advice from medical specialists and provides accessible information for patients in search of high-quality healthcare. A pilot Delphi study was conducted among 28 Spanish otolaryngology experts, seeking their opinion on the quality-of-care indicators and on their ability to recommend the most suitable department for the treatment of specific otolaryngologic diseases. The average acceptance rate was 91.9% for quality-of-care indicator and 96.5% for the resources needed for improving the quality of care. Furthermore, 93% experts reported that patients frequently ask for physician advice on which center provides better care for a specific disease, 92.6% experts believe they could recommend the best centers for specific otolaryngologic diseases, and 80% experts agreed that expert opinion on the quality of care offered by different centers would be a valuable addition to quality-of-care assessment. The incorporation of physician advice into healthcare quality assessment may improve the usefulness of healthcare quality indicators for patients. Assessment tools incorporating physician advice should be developed and validated.

Single-channel in-ear-EEG detects the focus of auditory attention to concurrent tone streams and mixed speech.

PubMed

Fiedler, Lorenz; Wöstmann, Malte; Graversen, Carina; Brandmeyer, Alex; Lunner, Thomas; Obleser, Jonas

2017-06-01

Conventional, multi-channel scalp electroencephalography (EEG) allows the identification of the attended speaker in concurrent-listening ('cocktail party') scenarios. This implies that EEG might provide valuable information to complement hearing aids with some form of EEG and to install a level of neuro-feedback. To investigate whether a listener's attentional focus can be detected from single-channel hearing-aid-compatible EEG configurations, we recorded EEG from three electrodes inside the ear canal ('in-Ear-EEG') and additionally from 64 electrodes on the scalp. In two different, concurrent listening tasks, participants (n  =  7) were fitted with individualized in-Ear-EEG pieces and were either asked to attend to one of two dichotically-presented, concurrent tone streams or to one of two diotically-presented, concurrent audiobooks. A forward encoding model was trained to predict the EEG response at single EEG channels. Each individual participants' attentional focus could be detected from single-channel EEG response recorded from short-distance configurations consisting only of a single in-Ear-EEG electrode and an adjacent scalp-EEG electrode. The differences in neural responses to attended and ignored stimuli were consistent in morphology (i.e. polarity and latency of components) across subjects. In sum, our findings show that the EEG response from a single-channel, hearing-aid-compatible configuration provides valuable information to identify a listener's focus of attention.

Historical MOBLAS system characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Husson, Van S.

1993-01-01

This paper is written as a direct response to the published NASA Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS) orbital solution SL7.1, in order to close the data information loop with an emphasis on the NASA Mobile Laser Ranging System's (MOBLAS) LAGEOS full rate data since November 1, 1983. A preliminary analysis of the supporting information (i.e. satellite laser ranging system eccentricities and system dependent range and time bias corrections) contained in SL7.1 indicated centimeter (cm) level discrepancies. In addition, a preliminary analysis of the computed monthly MOBLAS range biases from SL7.1 appear to show cm level systematic trends, some of which appear to be 'real', particularly in the 1984 to 1987 time period. This paper is intended to be a reference document for known MOBLAS systematic errors (magnitude and direction) and for supporting MOBLAS information (eccentricities, hardware configurations, and potential data problem periods). Therefore, this report is different than your typical system characterization report, but will be more valuable to the user. The MOBLAS error models and supporting information contained in this paper will be easily accessible from the Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS).

Promotores as researchers: expanding the promotor role in community-based research.

PubMed

Nelson, Atiba; Lewy, Robin; Dovydaitis, Tiffany; Ricardo, Francine; Kugel, Candace

2011-09-01

The community health worker, known as promotor in the Hispanic community, is an accepted member of the public health team whose core role is that of bridging target communities with health services. However, the promotor's role in research has not been considered a core function of their work. This article will present the promotor in the additional role of researcher, as conceived by the Migrant Clinicians Network for the Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar (Men United Against Family Violence) sexual violence/intimate partner violence project. The Hombres Unidos project used promotores as survey facilitators, gathering male Hispanic farmworkers' perspectives on the sensitive topic of sexual violence and intimate partner violence. This article demonstrates that when trained, the promotores' linguistic and cultural competence make them a valuable addition to the research team, especially when collecting sensitive information.

Promotores as Researchers: Expanding the Promotor Role in Community-Based Research

PubMed Central

Nelson, Atiba; Lewy, Robin; Dovydaitis, Tiffany; Ricardo, Francine; Kugel, Candace

2011-01-01

The community health worker, known as promotor in the Hispanic community, is an accepted member of the public health team whose core role is that of bridging target communities with health services. However, the promotor’s role in research has not been considered a core function of their work. This article will present the promotor in the additional role of researcher, as conceived by the Migrant Clinicians Network for the Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar (Men United Against Family Violence) sexual violence/intimate partner violence project. The Hombres Unidos project used promotores as survey facilitators, gathering male Hispanic farmworkers’ perspectives on the sensitive topic of sexual violence and intimate partner violence. This article demonstrates that when trained, the promotores’ linguistic and cultural competence make them a valuable addition to the research team, especially when collecting sensitive information. PMID:21427265

UnCover on the Web: search hints and applications in library environments.

PubMed

Galpern, N F; Albert, K M

1997-01-01

Among the huge maze of resources available on the Internet, UnCoverWeb stands out as a valuable tool for medical libraries. This up-to-date, free-access, multidisciplinary database of periodical references is searched through an easy-to-learn graphical user interface that is a welcome improvement over the telnet version. This article reviews the basic and advanced search techniques for UnCoverWeb, as well as providing information on the document delivery functions and table of contents alerting service called Reveal. UnCover's currency is evaluated and compared with other current awareness resources. System deficiencies are discussed, with the conclusion that although UnCoverWeb lacks the sophisticated features of many commercial database search services, it is nonetheless a useful addition to the repertoire of information sources available in a library.

Experiences in extraction of contact parameters from process-evaluation test-structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lieneweg, Udo

1988-01-01

Six-terminal-contact test structures are introduced for characterizing ohmic contacts between a metal and a heavily doped semiconductor layer. Specifically, the six-terminal test structure supplies the additional information needed in order to calculate the transmission length and eventual corrections to the characteristic resistance per unit width due to finite contact length. The essential feature of this test structure is a square contact with four taps in the lower (semiconductor) layer. Every other one of these taps is used for current injection ('front'). From the voltage drop at the opposite tap and the side taps, the 'end' resistance and the 'side' resistances are calculated. The test structures are shown to give valuable information complementary to the common front resistance measurements. The interfacial resistivity is obtained directly after proper correction for flange effects.

Plane down in the city: Operation Crash and Surge.

PubMed

Kann, Duane F; Draper, Thomas W

2014-01-01

This article is about the experiences gained from the largest full-scale exercise ever conducted in the State of Florida, specifically regarding the Orlando International Airport (MCO) venues. The exercise was centred on an airplane crashing into a hotel just outside of MCO property. The scenario clarified details regarding Incident Command and the unique jurisdictional responsibilities associated with a large-scale mass casualty incident. There were additional challenges with airline operations, walking wounded, and information sharing that provided valuable experiences toward enhancing emergency operations. This article also outlines information gained by the MCO "go team" that traveled to San Francisco following the crash of Asiana flight 214. This real-life incident shone a light on many of the strengths and opportunities found throughout the MCO exercise and this article shows the interrelationship of both of these invaluable experiences.

Independent Metrics for Protein Backbone and Side-Chain Flexibility: Time Scales and Effects of Ligand Binding.

PubMed

Fuchs, Julian E; Waldner, Birgit J; Huber, Roland G; von Grafenstein, Susanne; Kramer, Christian; Liedl, Klaus R

2015-03-10

Conformational dynamics are central for understanding biomolecular structure and function, since biological macromolecules are inherently flexible at room temperature and in solution. Computational methods are nowadays capable of providing valuable information on the conformational ensembles of biomolecules. However, analysis tools and intuitive metrics that capture dynamic information from in silico generated structural ensembles are limited. In standard work-flows, flexibility in a conformational ensemble is represented through residue-wise root-mean-square fluctuations or B-factors following a global alignment. Consequently, these approaches relying on global alignments discard valuable information on local dynamics. Results inherently depend on global flexibility, residue size, and connectivity. In this study we present a novel approach for capturing positional fluctuations based on multiple local alignments instead of one single global alignment. The method captures local dynamics within a structural ensemble independent of residue type by splitting individual local and global degrees of freedom of protein backbone and side-chains. Dependence on residue type and size in the side-chains is removed via normalization with the B-factors of the isolated residue. As a test case, we demonstrate its application to a molecular dynamics simulation of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) on the millisecond time scale. This allows for illustrating different time scales of backbone and side-chain flexibility. Additionally, we demonstrate the effects of ligand binding on side-chain flexibility of three serine proteases. We expect our new methodology for quantifying local flexibility to be helpful in unraveling local changes in biomolecular dynamics.

Informational and decisional empowerment in online health support communities: initial psychometric validation of the Cyber Info-Decisional Empowerment Scale (CIDES) and preliminary data from administration of the scale.

PubMed

Seçkin, Gül

2011-12-01

This article presents initial psychometric validation of an instrument developed to measure cyber informational and decisional empowerment. The article provides preliminary insights into the extent to which cyber patients view the digital environment of peer-based information and support as a resource for informed and empowered participation in self health care management. Data come from cancer patients (N = 350) who participated in the Study of Virtual Health Networks for Cancer Patients of the 21st Century. Data were first analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with principle component extraction and Varimax rotation. Age-based split-sample analysis (≥ 51 and ≤ 50) was performed on a subsample, which consisted of only women (N = 255), in order to cross-validate psychometric data obtained from the full sample. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using AMOS 19.0. to further validate the scale. The composite scale is unidimensional with excellent internal consistency reliability. The highest average scores were obtained for informational empowerment items. The lowest average was for the item that measured empowerment to seek second opinion from additional health care professionals. The ability of this composite measure to provide information about the extent to which computer-connected patients view digital peer support as an empowerment tool makes it a valuable addition to the literature in health informatics, supportive cancer care, and health quality of life research.

An Information System Development Method Combining Business Process Modeling with Executable Modeling and its Evaluation by Prototyping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okawa, Tsutomu; Kaminishi, Tsukasa; Hirabayashi, Syuichi; Suzuki, Ryo; Mitsui, Hiroyasu; Koizumi, Hisao

The business in the enterprise is closely related with the information system to such an extent that the business activities are difficult without the information system. The system design technique that considers the business process well, and that enables a quick system development is requested. In addition, the demand for the development cost is also severe than before. To cope with the current situation, the modeling technology named BPM(Business Process Management/Modeling)is drawing attention and becoming important as a key technology. BPM is a technology to model business activities as business processes and visualize them to improve the business efficiency. However, a general methodology to develop the information system using the analysis result of BPM doesn't exist, and a few development cases are reported. This paper proposes an information system development method combining business process modeling with executable modeling. In this paper we describe a guideline to support consistency of development and development efficiency and the framework enabling to develop the information system from model. We have prototyped the information system with the proposed method and our experience has shown that the methodology is valuable.

Clinician preferences for verbal communication compared to EHR documentation in the ICU

PubMed Central

Collins, S.A.; Bakken, S.; Vawdrey, D.K.; Coiera, E.; Currie, L

2011-01-01

Background Effective communication is essential to safe and efficient patient care. Additionally, many health information technology (HIT) developments, innovations, and standards aim to implement processes to improve data quality and integrity of electronic health records (EHR) for the purpose of clinical information exchange and communication. Objective We aimed to understand the current patterns and perceptions of communication of common goals in the ICU using the distributed cognition and clinical communication space theoretical frameworks. Methods We conducted a focus group and 5 interviews with ICU clinicians and observed 59.5 hours of interdisciplinary ICU morning rounds. Results Clinicians used an EHR system, which included electronic documentation and computerized provider order entry (CPOE), and paper artifacts for documentation; yet, preferred the verbal communication space as a method of information exchange because they perceived that the documentation was often not updated or efficient for information retrieval. These perceptions that the EHR is a “shift behind” may lead to a further reliance on verbal information exchange, which is a valuable clinical communication activity, yet, is subject to information loss. Conclusions Electronic documentation tools that, in real time, capture information that is currently verbally communicated may increase the effectiveness of communication. PMID:23616870

The impact of real-time and predictive traffic information on travelers' behavior on the I-4 corridor. Final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-07-01

Real time and predicted traffic information plays a key role in the successful implementation of advanced traveler information systems (ATIS) and advance traffic management systems (ATMS). Traffic information is essentially valuable to both transport...

Preliminary Study of Bioinformatics Patents and Their Classifications Registered in the KIPRIS Database.

PubMed

Park, Hyun-Seok

2012-12-01

Whereas a vast amount of new information on bioinformatics is made available to the public through patents, only a small set of patents are cited in academic papers. A detailed analysis of registered bioinformatics patents, using the existing patent search system, can provide valuable information links between science and technology. However, it is extremely difficult to select keywords to capture bioinformatics patents, reflecting the convergence of several underlying technologies. No single word or even several words are sufficient to identify such patents. The analysis of patent subclasses can provide valuable information. In this paper, I did a preliminary study of the current status of bioinformatics patents and their International Patent Classification (IPC) groups registered in the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) database.

76 FR 23540 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual Survey of Manufactures

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-27

... provides valuable information to private companies, research organizations, and trade associations... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Census Bureau Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual... information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506...

A mass spectrometry imaging approach for investigating how drug-drug interactions influence drug blood-brain barrier permeability.

PubMed

Vallianatou, Theodosia; Strittmatter, Nicole; Nilsson, Anna; Shariatgorji, Mohammadreza; Hamm, Gregory; Pereira, Marcela; Källback, Patrik; Svenningsson, Per; Karlgren, Maria; Goodwin, Richard J A; Andrén, Per E

2018-05-15

There is a high need to develop quantitative imaging methods capable of providing detailed brain localization information of several molecular species simultaneously. In addition, extensive information on the effect of the blood-brain barrier on the penetration, distribution and efficacy of neuroactive compounds is required. Thus, we have developed a mass spectrometry imaging method to visualize and quantify the brain distribution of drugs with varying blood-brain barrier permeability. With this approach, we were able to determine blood-brain barrier transport of different drugs and define the drug distribution in very small brain structures (e.g., choroid plexus) due to the high spatial resolution provided. Simultaneously, we investigated the effect of drug-drug interactions by inhibiting the membrane transporter multidrug resistance 1 protein. We propose that the described approach can serve as a valuable analytical tool during the development of neuroactive drugs, as it can provide physiologically relevant information often neglected by traditional imaging technologies. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Objective fitting of hemoglobin dynamics in traumatic bruises based on temperature depth profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidovič, Luka; Milanič, Matija; Majaron, Boris

2014-02-01

Pulsed photothermal radiometry (PPTR) allows noninvasive measurement of laser-induced temperature depth profiles. The obtained profiles provide information on depth distribution of absorbing chromophores, such as melanin and hemoglobin. We apply this technique to objectively characterize mass diffusion and decomposition rate of extravasated hemoglobin during the bruise healing process. In present study, we introduce objective fitting of PPTR data obtained over the course of the bruise healing process. By applying Monte Carlo simulation of laser energy deposition and simulation of the corresponding PPTR signal, quantitative analysis of underlying bruise healing processes is possible. Introduction of objective fitting enables an objective comparison between the simulated and experimental PPTR signals. In this manner, we avoid reconstruction of laser-induced depth profiles and thus inherent loss of information in the process. This approach enables us to determine the value of hemoglobin mass diffusivity, which is controversial in existing literature. Such information will be a valuable addition to existing bruise age determination techniques.

Comparative antennal transcriptome of Apis cerana cerana from four developmental stages.

PubMed

Zhao, Huiting; Peng, Zhu; Du, Yali; Xu, Kai; Guo, Lina; Yang, Shuang; Ma, Weihua; Jiang, Yusuo

2018-06-20

Apis cerana cerana, an important endemic honey bee species in China, possesses valuable characteristics such as a sensitive olfactory system, good foraging ability, and strong resistance to parasitic mites. Here, we performed transcriptome sequencing of the antenna, the major chemosensory organ of the bee, using an Illumina sequencer, to identify typical differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in adult worker bees of different ages, namely, T1 (1 day); T2 (10 days); T3 (15 days); and T4 (25 days). Surprisingly, the expression levels of DEGs changed significantly between the T1 period and the other three periods. All the DEGs were classified into 26 expression profiles by trend analysis. Selected trend clusters were analyzed, and valuable information on gene expression patterns was obtained. We found that the expression levels of genes encoding cuticle proteins declined after eclosion, while those of immunity-related genes increased. In addition, genes encoding venom proteins and major royal jelly proteins were enriched at the T2 stage; small heat shock proteins showed significantly higher expression at the T3 stage; and some metabolism-related genes were more highly expressed at the T4 stage. The DEGs identified in this study may serve as a valuable resource for the characterization of expression patterns of antennal genes in A. cerana cerana. Furthermore, this study provides insights into the relationship between labor division in social bees and gene function. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Test Expectancy and Memory for Important Information

PubMed Central

Middlebrooks, Catherine D.; Murayama, Kou; Castel, Alan D.

2016-01-01

Prior research suggests that learners study and remember information differently depending upon the type of test they expect to later receive. The current experiments investigate how testing expectations impact the study of and memory for valuable information. Participants studied lists of words ranging in value from 1–10 points with the goal being to maximize their score on a later memory test. Half of the participants were told to expect a recognition test after each list, while the other half were told to expect a recall test. After several lists of receiving tests congruent with expectations, participants studying for a recognition test instead received an unexpected recall test. In Experiment 1, participants who had studied for a recognition test recalled less of the valuable information than participants anticipating the recall format. These participants continued to attend less to item value on future (expected) recall tests than participants who had only ever experienced recall testing. When the recognition tests were made more demanding in Experiment 2, value-based recall improved relative to Experiment 1: though memory for the valuable information remained superior when participants studied with the expectation of having to recall the information, there were no longer significant differences after accounting for recall testing experience. Thus, recall-based testing encouraged strategic, value-based encoding and enhanced retrieval of important information, while recognition testing in some cases limited value-based study and memory. These results extend prior work concerning the impact of testing expectations on memory, offering further insight into how people study important information. PMID:28095010

The emergence and evolution of life in a "fatty acid world" based on quantum mechanics.

PubMed

Tamulis, Arvydas; Grigalavicius, Mantas

2011-02-01

Quantum mechanical based electron correlation interactions among molecules are the source of the weak hydrogen and Van der Waals bonds that are critical to the self-assembly of artificial fatty acid micelles. Life on Earth or elsewhere could have emerged in the form of self-reproducing photoactive fatty acid micelles, which gradually evolved into nucleotide-containing micelles due to the enhanced ability of nucleotide-coupled sensitizer molecules to absorb visible light. Comparison of the calculated absorption spectra of micelles with and without nucleotides confirmed this idea and supports the idea of the emergence and evolution of nucleotides in minimal cells of a so-called Fatty Acid World. Furthermore, the nucleotide-caused wavelength shift and broadening of the absorption pattern potentially gives these molecules an additional valuable role, other than a purely genetic one in the early stages of the development of life. From the information theory point of view, the nucleotide sequences in such micelles carry positional information providing better electron transport along the nucleotide-sensitizer chain and, in addition, providing complimentary copies of that information for the next generation. Nucleotide sequences, which in the first period of evolution of fatty acid molecules were useful just for better absorbance of the light in the longer wavelength region, later in the PNA or RNA World, took on the role of genetic information storage.

Foundations of Full Text Electronic Information Delivery Systems. Implications for Information Professionals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kibirige, Harry M.

Information has become an increasingly valuable commodity. Access to full-text information, containing text, images, and in some cases, sound, is becoming vital to decision-making for organizations as well as individuals. The book covers the following topics: (1) the information marketplace in a cyberculture; (2) the telecommunications foundation…

The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study*

PubMed Central

Marshall, Joanne Gard; Sollenberger, Julia; Easterby-Gannett, Sharon; Morgan, Lynn Kasner; Klem, Mary Lou; Cavanaugh, Susan K.; Oliver, Kathleen Burr; Thompson, Cheryl A.; Romanosky, Neil; Hunter, Sue

2013-01-01

Objective: The research conducted a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library and information services on patient care. Methods: The study used: (1) 2 initial focus groups of librarians; (2) a web-based survey of physicians, residents, and nurses at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals; and (3) 24 follow-up telephone interviews. Survey respondents were asked to base their responses on a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care. Results: Of the 16,122 survey respondents, 3/4 said that they had definitely or probably handled aspects of the patient care situation differently as a result of the information. Among the reported changes were advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%). Almost all of the respondents (95%) said the information resulted in a better informed clinical decision. Respondents reported that the information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%). Conclusions: Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care. PMID:23418404

An Experiment on Prediction Markets in Science

PubMed Central

Almenberg, Johan; Kittlitz, Ken; Pfeiffer, Thomas

2009-01-01

Prediction markets are powerful forecasting tools. They have the potential to aggregate private information, to generate and disseminate a consensus among the market participants, and to provide incentives for information acquisition. These market functionalities can be very valuable for scientific research. Here, we report an experiment that examines the compatibility of prediction markets with the current practice of scientific publication. We investigated three settings. In the first setting, different pieces of information were disclosed to the public during the experiment. In the second setting, participants received private information. In the third setting, each piece of information was private at first, but was subsequently disclosed to the public. An automated, subsidizing market maker provided additional incentives for trading and mitigated liquidity problems. We find that the third setting combines the advantages of the first and second settings. Market performance was as good as in the setting with public information, and better than in the setting with private information. In contrast to the first setting, participants could benefit from information advantages. Thus the publication of information does not detract from the functionality of prediction markets. We conclude that for integrating prediction markets into the practice of scientific research it is of advantage to use subsidizing market makers, and to keep markets aligned with current publication practice. PMID:20041139

The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study.

PubMed

Marshall, Joanne Gard; Sollenberger, Julia; Easterby-Gannett, Sharon; Morgan, Lynn Kasner; Klem, Mary Lou; Cavanaugh, Susan K; Oliver, Kathleen Burr; Thompson, Cheryl A; Romanosky, Neil; Hunter, Sue

2013-01-01

The research conducted a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library and information services on patient care. THE STUDY USED: (1) 2 initial focus groups of librarians; (2) a web-based survey of physicians, residents, and nurses at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals; and (3) 24 follow-up telephone interviews. Survey respondents were asked to base their responses on a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care. Of the 16,122 survey respondents, 3/4 said that they had definitely or probably handled aspects of the patient care situation differently as a result of the information. Among the reported changes were advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%). Almost all of the respondents (95%) said the information resulted in a better informed clinical decision. Respondents reported that the information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%). Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.

Image Fusion Applied to Satellite Imagery for the Improved Mapping and Monitoring of Coral Reefs: a Proposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholoum, M.; Bruce, D.; Hazeam, S. Al

2012-07-01

A coral reef ecosystem, one of the most complex marine environmental systems on the planet, is defined as biologically diverse and immense. It plays an important role in maintaining a vast biological diversity for future generations and functions as an essential spawning, nursery, breeding and feeding ground for many kinds of marine species. In addition, coral reef ecosystems provide valuable benefits such as fisheries, ecological goods and services and recreational activities to many communities. However, this valuable resource is highly threatened by a number of environmental changes and anthropogenic impacts that can lead to reduced coral growth and production, mass coral mortality and loss of coral diversity. With the growth of these threats on coral reef ecosystems, there is a strong management need for mapping and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems. Remote sensing technology can be a valuable tool for mapping and monitoring of these ecosystems. However, the diversity and complexity of coral reef ecosystems, the resolution capabilities of satellite sensors and the low reflectivity of shallow water increases the difficulties to identify and classify its features. This paper reviews the methods used in mapping and monitoring coral reef ecosystems. In addition, this paper proposes improved methods for mapping and monitoring coral reef ecosystems based on image fusion techniques. This image fusion techniques will be applied to satellite images exhibiting high spatial and low to medium spectral resolution with images exhibiting low spatial and high spectral resolution. Furthermore, a new method will be developed to fuse hyperspectral imagery with multispectral imagery. The fused image will have a large number of spectral bands and it will have all pairs of corresponding spatial objects. This will potentially help to accurately classify the image data. Accuracy assessment use ground truth will be performed for the selected methods to determine the quality of the information derived from image classification. The research will be applied to the Kuwait's southern coral reefs: Kubbar and Um Al-Maradim.

Analyzing jobs for redesign decisions.

PubMed

Conn, V S; Davis, N K; Occena, L G

1996-01-01

Job analysis, the collection and interpretation of information that describes job behaviors and activities performed by occupants of jobs, can provide nurse administrators with valuable information for redesigning effective and efficient systems of care.

Complication Reducing Effect of the Information Technology-Based Diabetes Management System on Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Cho, Jae-Hyoung; Lee, Jin-Hee; Oh, Jeong-Ah; Kang, Mi-Ja; Choi, Yoon-Hee; Kwon, Hyuk-Sang; Chang, Sang-Ah; Cha, Bong-Yun; Son, Ho-Young; Yoon, Kun-Ho

2008-01-01

Objective We introduced a new information technology-based diabetes management system, called the Internet-based glucose monitoring system (IBGMS), and demonstrated its short-term and long-term favorable effects. However, there has been no report on clinical effects of such a new diabetes management system on the development of diabetic complications so far. This study was used to simulate the complication reducing effect of the IBGMS, given in addition to existing treatments in patients with type 2 diabetes. Research Design and Methods The CORE Diabetes Model, a peer-reviewed, published, validated computer simulation model, was used to project long-term clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes patients receiving the IBGMS in addition to their existing treatment. The model combined standard Markov submodels to simulate the incidence and progression of diabetes-related complications. Results The addition of IBGMS was associated with improvements in reducing diabetic complications, mainly microangiopathic complications, including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy, and diabetic foot ulcer. The IBGMS also delayed the development of all diabetic complications for more than 1 year. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the simulated IBGMS, compared to existing treatment, was associated with a reduction of diabetic complications. As a result, it provides valuable evidence for practical application to the public in the world. PMID:19885180

A differentiable reformulation for E-optimal design of experiments in nonlinear dynamic biosystems.

PubMed

Telen, Dries; Van Riet, Nick; Logist, Flip; Van Impe, Jan

2015-06-01

Informative experiments are highly valuable for estimating parameters in nonlinear dynamic bioprocesses. Techniques for optimal experiment design ensure the systematic design of such informative experiments. The E-criterion which can be used as objective function in optimal experiment design requires the maximization of the smallest eigenvalue of the Fisher information matrix. However, one problem with the minimal eigenvalue function is that it can be nondifferentiable. In addition, no closed form expression exists for the computation of eigenvalues of a matrix larger than a 4 by 4 one. As eigenvalues are normally computed with iterative methods, state-of-the-art optimal control solvers are not able to exploit automatic differentiation to compute the derivatives with respect to the decision variables. In the current paper a reformulation strategy from the field of convex optimization is suggested to circumvent these difficulties. This reformulation requires the inclusion of a matrix inequality constraint involving positive semidefiniteness. In this paper, this positive semidefiniteness constraint is imposed via Sylverster's criterion. As a result the maximization of the minimum eigenvalue function can be formulated in standard optimal control solvers through the addition of nonlinear constraints. The presented methodology is successfully illustrated with a case study from the field of predictive microbiology. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Comparison and validation of statistical methods for predicting power outage durations in the event of hurricanes.

PubMed

Nateghi, Roshanak; Guikema, Seth D; Quiring, Steven M

2011-12-01

This article compares statistical methods for modeling power outage durations during hurricanes and examines the predictive accuracy of these methods. Being able to make accurate predictions of power outage durations is valuable because the information can be used by utility companies to plan their restoration efforts more efficiently. This information can also help inform customers and public agencies of the expected outage times, enabling better collective response planning, and coordination of restoration efforts for other critical infrastructures that depend on electricity. In the long run, outage duration estimates for future storm scenarios may help utilities and public agencies better allocate risk management resources to balance the disruption from hurricanes with the cost of hardening power systems. We compare the out-of-sample predictive accuracy of five distinct statistical models for estimating power outage duration times caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The methods compared include both regression models (accelerated failure time (AFT) and Cox proportional hazard models (Cox PH)) and data mining techniques (regression trees, Bayesian additive regression trees (BART), and multivariate additive regression splines). We then validate our models against two other hurricanes. Our results indicate that BART yields the best prediction accuracy and that it is possible to predict outage durations with reasonable accuracy. © 2011 Society for Risk Analysis.

Curation of food-relevant chemicals in ToxCast.

PubMed

Karmaus, Agnes L; Trautman, Thomas D; Krishan, Mansi; Filer, Dayne L; Fix, Laurel A

2017-05-01

High-throughput in vitro assays and exposure prediction efforts are paving the way for modeling chemical risk; however, the utility of such extensive datasets can be limited or misleading when annotation fails to capture current chemical usage. To address this data gap and provide context for food-use in the United States (US), manual curation of food-relevant chemicals in ToxCast was conducted. Chemicals were categorized into three food-use categories: (1) direct food additives, (2) indirect food additives, or (3) pesticide residues. Manual curation resulted in 30% of chemicals having new annotation as well as the removal of 319 chemicals, most due to cancellation or only foreign usage. These results highlight that manual curation of chemical use information provided significant insight affecting the overall inventory and chemical categorization. In total, 1211 chemicals were confirmed as current day food-use in the US by manual curation; 1154 of these chemicals were also identified as food-related in the globally sourced chemical use information from Chemical/Product Categories database (CPCat). The refined list of food-use chemicals and the sources highlighted for compiling annotated information required to confirm food-use are valuable resources for providing needed context when evaluating large-scale inventories such as ToxCast. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Preliminary Study of Information Extraction of LANDSAT TM Data for a Suburban/regional Test Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toll, D. L.

1985-01-01

A substantial amount of spectral information is available from TM (as compared to MSS) data for a 14.25 square km area between Beltsville and Laurel, Maryland. Large buildings and street patterns were resolved in the TM imagery. While there was added information content in TM data for discriminating surburban/regional land cover, characteristics of MSS can improve land cover discrimination over TM when conventional classification procedures are used on digital data. The improved qualitization of TM is likely valuable in situations where there are spectral similarities between classes. The spatial resolution in TM decreased land cover discrimination as a result of increased within class variability. For many general digital evaluations, inclusion of four bands representing the four spectral regions can provide much useful land cover discrimination. Inclusion of TM 6 indicates an improvement in spectral class discrimination. Of primary spectral importance is the discrimination between water, vegetative surfaces, and impervious surfaces due to differences in thermal properties. Results from the principle component transformed data clearly indicates additional information content in TM over MSS.

A Framework for Reproducible Latent Fingerprint Enhancements.

PubMed

Carasso, Alfred S

2014-01-01

Photoshop processing of latent fingerprints is the preferred methodology among law enforcement forensic experts, but that appproach is not fully reproducible and may lead to questionable enhancements. Alternative, independent, fully reproducible enhancements, using IDL Histogram Equalization and IDL Adaptive Histogram Equalization, can produce better-defined ridge structures, along with considerable background information. Applying a systematic slow motion smoothing procedure to such IDL enhancements, based on the rapid FFT solution of a Lévy stable fractional diffusion equation, can attenuate background detail while preserving ridge information. The resulting smoothed latent print enhancements are comparable to, but distinct from, forensic Photoshop images suitable for input into automated fingerprint identification systems, (AFIS). In addition, this progressive smoothing procedure can be reexamined by displaying the suite of progressively smoother IDL images. That suite can be stored, providing an audit trail that allows monitoring for possible loss of useful information, in transit to the user-selected optimal image. Such independent and fully reproducible enhancements provide a valuable frame of reference that may be helpful in informing, complementing, and possibly validating the forensic Photoshop methodology.

Structural Studies of Fucosylated N-Glycans by Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry and Collision-Induced Fragmentation of Negative Ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, David J.; Struwe, Weston B.

2018-05-01

There is considerable potential for the use of ion mobility mass spectrometry in structural glycobiology due in large part to the gas-phase separation attributes not typically observed by orthogonal methods. Here, we evaluate the capability of traveling wave ion mobility combined with negative ion collision-induced dissociation to provide structural information on N-linked glycans containing multiple fucose residues forming the Lewisx and Lewisy epitopes. These epitopes are involved in processes such as cell-cell recognition and are important as cancer biomarkers. Specific information that could be obtained from the intact N-glycans by negative ion CID included the general topology of the glycan such as the presence or absence of a bisecting GlcNAc residue and the branching pattern of the triantennary glycans. Information on the location of the fucose residues was also readily obtainable from ions specific to each antenna. Some isobaric fragment ions produced prior to ion mobility could subsequently be separated and, in some cases, provided additional valuable structural information that was missing from the CID spectra alone.

A Framework for Reproducible Latent Fingerprint Enhancements

PubMed Central

Carasso, Alfred S.

2014-01-01

Photoshop processing1 of latent fingerprints is the preferred methodology among law enforcement forensic experts, but that appproach is not fully reproducible and may lead to questionable enhancements. Alternative, independent, fully reproducible enhancements, using IDL Histogram Equalization and IDL Adaptive Histogram Equalization, can produce better-defined ridge structures, along with considerable background information. Applying a systematic slow motion smoothing procedure to such IDL enhancements, based on the rapid FFT solution of a Lévy stable fractional diffusion equation, can attenuate background detail while preserving ridge information. The resulting smoothed latent print enhancements are comparable to, but distinct from, forensic Photoshop images suitable for input into automated fingerprint identification systems, (AFIS). In addition, this progressive smoothing procedure can be reexamined by displaying the suite of progressively smoother IDL images. That suite can be stored, providing an audit trail that allows monitoring for possible loss of useful information, in transit to the user-selected optimal image. Such independent and fully reproducible enhancements provide a valuable frame of reference that may be helpful in informing, complementing, and possibly validating the forensic Photoshop methodology. PMID:26601028

Spatial downscaling of soil prediction models based on weighted generalized additive models in smallholder farm settings.

PubMed

Xu, Yiming; Smith, Scot E; Grunwald, Sabine; Abd-Elrahman, Amr; Wani, Suhas P; Nair, Vimala D

2017-09-11

Digital soil mapping (DSM) is gaining momentum as a technique to help smallholder farmers secure soil security and food security in developing regions. However, communications of the digital soil mapping information between diverse audiences become problematic due to the inconsistent scale of DSM information. Spatial downscaling can make use of accessible soil information at relatively coarse spatial resolution to provide valuable soil information at relatively fine spatial resolution. The objective of this research was to disaggregate the coarse spatial resolution soil exchangeable potassium (K ex ) and soil total nitrogen (TN) base map into fine spatial resolution soil downscaled map using weighted generalized additive models (GAMs) in two smallholder villages in South India. By incorporating fine spatial resolution spectral indices in the downscaling process, the soil downscaled maps not only conserve the spatial information of coarse spatial resolution soil maps but also depict the spatial details of soil properties at fine spatial resolution. The results of this study demonstrated difference between the fine spatial resolution downscaled maps and fine spatial resolution base maps is smaller than the difference between coarse spatial resolution base maps and fine spatial resolution base maps. The appropriate and economical strategy to promote the DSM technique in smallholder farms is to develop the relatively coarse spatial resolution soil prediction maps or utilize available coarse spatial resolution soil maps at the regional scale and to disaggregate these maps to the fine spatial resolution downscaled soil maps at farm scale.

Surveyor 3 Preliminary Science Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

Surveyor III soft-landed on the Moon at 00:04 GMT on April 20, 1967. Data obtained have significantly increased our knowledge of the Moon. The Surveyor III spacecraft was similar to Surveyor I; the only major change in scientific instrumentation was the addition of a soil mechanics surface sampler. Surveyor III results at this preliminary evaluation of data give valuable information about the relation between the surface skin of under-dense material responsible for the photometric properties and the deeper layers of material whose properties resemble those of ordinary terrestrial soils. In addition, they provide new insight into the relation between the general lunar surface as seen by Surveyor I and the interior of a large subdued crater. The new results have also contributed to our understanding of the mechanism of downhill transport. Many critical questions cannot, however, be answered until final reduction of experimental data.

Spurious Additional Warming Reconstructed From Borehole Temperatures Corrected for the Effect of the Last Glacial Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šafanda, Jan

2018-03-01

Reconstructions of past ground surface temperature changes from temperature logs conducted in several hundred meter deep boreholes have proved to be a valuable independent source of information on climate variations over the last millennium. The reconstruction techniques have been evolving for more than two decades to extract optimally the climate signal of the last millennium contained in the temperature logs of different length performed in sites with different histories of the Last Glacial Cycle. This paper analyzes the method of the Last Glacial Cycle thermal effect removal from such borehole temperature profiles used by Beltrami et al. (2017, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL071317) in reconstructing the last 500 year history. I show that the reported results of additional warming in this period reconstructed from the corrected borehole data for North America are an artifact generated by the correction.

Evaluating the impact and costs of deploying an electronic medical record system to support TB treatment in Peru

PubMed Central

Fraser, Hamish SF; Blaya, Joaquin; Choi, Sharon S; Bonilla, Cesar; Jazayeri, Darius

2006-01-01

The PIH-EMR is a Web based electronic medical record that has been in operation for over four years in Peru supporting the treatment of drug resistant TB. We describe here the types of evaluations that have been performed on the EMR to assess its impact on patient care, reporting, logistics and observational research. Formal studies have been performed on components for drug order entry, drug requirements prediction tools and the use of PDAs to collect bacteriology data. In addition less formal data on the use of the EMR for reporting and research are reviewed. Experience and insights from porting the PIH-EMR to the Philippines, and modifying it to support HIV treatment in Haiti and Rwanda are discussed. We propose that additional data of this sort is valuable in assessing medical information systems especially in resource poor areas. PMID:17238344

Evaluating the impact and costs of deploying an electronic medical record system to support TB treatment in Peru.

PubMed

Fraser, Hamish S F; Blaya, Joaquin; Choi, Sharon S; Bonilla, Cesar; Jazayeri, Darius

2006-01-01

The PIH-EMR is a Web based electronic medical record that has been in operation for over four years in Peru supporting the treatment of drug resistant TB. We describe here the types of evaluations that have been performed on the EMR to assess its impact on patient care, reporting, logistics and observational research. Formal studies have been performed on components for drug order entry, drug requirements prediction tools and the use of PDAs to collect bacteriology data. In addition less formal data on the use of the EMR for reporting and research are reviewed. Experience and insights from porting the PIH-EMR to the Philippines, and modifying it to support HIV treatment in Haiti and Rwanda are discussed. We propose that additional data of this sort is valuable in assessing medical information systems especially in resource poor areas.

Examination of coagulant additives on qualitative composition of selected thermal waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Łukasiewicz, Ewelina; Rząsa, Mariusz

2017-10-01

On the territory of Poland occur rich deposits of thermal waters. Although the utilisation of these waters is continuously extending, Poland is not exploiting their full geothermal potential due to high investment costs. Thermal waters industry in Poland to date indicates operations within mainly balneology as well as recreation objectives. Higher temperature values of these waters foster a washout in the surrounding rocks resulting in a high concentration of diluted substances which must be often removed. The following study investigates thermal waters from three intakes for which coagulation processes were conducted. Research clearly shows that coagulant additives not impact on the qualitative composition of thermal water, what is very important according to medicinal properties of water. The study results may be further applied as a valuable piece of information for further exploitation in balneology or within the heating sector and other installations.

Technology architecture guidelines for a health care system.

PubMed

Jones, D T; Duncan, R; Langberg, M L; Shabot, M M

2000-01-01

Although the demand for use of information technology within the healthcare industry is intensifying, relatively little has been written about guidelines to optimize IT investments. A technology architecture is a set of guidelines for technology integration within an enterprise. The architecture is a critical tool in the effort to control information technology (IT) operating costs by constraining the number of technologies supported. A well-designed architecture is also an important aid to integrating disparate applications, data stores and networks. The authors led the development of a thorough, carefully designed technology architecture for a large and rapidly growing health care system. The purpose and design criteria are described, as well as the process for gaining consensus and disseminating the architecture. In addition, the processes for using, maintaining, and handling exceptions are described. The technology architecture is extremely valuable to health care organizations both in controlling costs and promoting integration.

Physician-directed software design: the role of utilization statistics and user input in enhancing HELP results review capabilities.

PubMed

Michael, P A

1993-01-01

The M.D. Rounds Report program was developed and implemented in June of 1992 as an adjunct to the HELP System at Rex Hospital. The program facilitates rapid access to information on allergies and current medications, laboratory results, radiology reports and therapist notes for a list of patients without physicians having to make additional menu or submenu selections. In planning for an upgrade of the program, utilization statistics and user feedback provided valuable information in terms of frequency of access, features used and unused, and the value of the program as a reporting tool in comparison to other online results reporting applications. A brief description of the functionality of the M.D. Rounds Report, evaluation of the program audit trail and user feedback, planned enhancements to the program, and a discussion of the prototyping and monitoring experience and the impact on future physician subsystem development will be presented.

Laser pulse bidirectional reflectance from CALIPSO mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xiaomei; Hu, Yongxiang; Yang, Yuekui; Vaughan, Mark; Liu, Zhaoyan; Rodier, Sharon; Hunt, William; Powell, Kathy; Lucker, Patricia; Trepte, Charles

2018-06-01

This paper presents an innovative retrieval method that translates the CALIOP land surface laser pulse returns into the surface bidirectional reflectance. To better analyze the surface returns, the CALIOP receiver impulse response and the downlinked samples' distribution at 30 m vertical resolution are discussed. The saturated laser pulse magnitudes from snow and ice surfaces are recovered based on information extracted from the tail end of the surface signal. The retrieved snow surface bidirectional reflectance is compared with reflectance from both CALIOP cloud-covered regions and MODIS BRDF-albedo model parameters. In addition to the surface bidirectional reflectance, the column top-of-atmosphere bidirectional reflectances are calculated from the CALIOP lidar background data and compared with the bidirectional reflectances derived from WFC radiance measurements. The retrieved CALIOP surface bidirectional reflectance and column top-of-atmosphere bidirectional reflectance results provide unique information to complement existing MODIS standard data products and are expected to have valuable applications for modelers.

A listening skill educational intervention for pediatric rehabilitation clinicians: A mixed-methods pilot study.

PubMed

King, Gillian; Servais, Michelle; Shepherd, Tracy A; Willoughby, Colleen; Bolack, Linda; Moodie, Sheila; Baldwin, Patricia; Strachan, Deborah; Knickle, Kerry; Pinto, Madhu; Parker, Kathryn; McNaughton, Nancy

2017-01-01

To prepare for an RCT by examining the effects of an educational intervention on the listening skills of pediatric rehabilitation clinicians, piloting study procedures, and investigating participants' learning experiences. Six experienced clinicians received the intervention, consisting of video simulations and solution-focused coaching regarding personal listening goals. Self- and observer-rated measures of listening skill were completed and qualitative information was gathered in interviews and a member checking session. Significant change on self-reported listening skills was found from pre- to post-test and/or follow-up. The pilot provided useful information to improve the study protocol, including the addition of an initial orientation to listening skills. Participants found the intervention to be a highly valuable and intense learning experience, and reported immediate changes to their clinical and interprofessional practice. The educational intervention has the potential to be an effective means to enhance the listening skills of practicing pediatric rehabilitation clinicians.

Non-covalent nanodiamond-polymer dispersions and electrostatic immobilization of bovine serum albumin protein

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skaltsas, T.; Pispas, S.; Tagmatarchis, N.

2015-11-01

Nanodiamonds (NDs) lack efficient dispersion, not only in solvents but also in aqueous media. The latter is of great importance, considering the inherent biocompatibility of NDs and the plethora of suitable strategies for immobilizing functional biomolecules. In this work, a series of polymers was non-covalently interacted with NDs, forming ND-polymer ensembles, and their dispersibility and stability was examined. Dynamic light scattering gave valuable information regarding the size of the ensembles in liquid phase, while their morphology was further examined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging. In addition, thermal analysis measurements were applied to collect information on the thermal behavior of NDs and their ensembles and to calculate the amount of polymer interacting with the NDs, as well as the dispersibility values of the ND-polymer ensembles. Finally, the bovine serum albumin protein was electrostatically bound to a ND-polymer ensemble in which the polymeric moiety was carrying quaternized pyridine units.

Testing of the masonry arches of the Brooklyn Bridge approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limaye, Hemant S.

1996-11-01

Diagnostic procedures play an important role in performing a condition survey of a structure. Specialized tests are used during a field survey to supplement visual observations. The tests provide valuable information regarding the internal condition of the structure and quality of the construction materials. The tests also help in determining the extent of damage, if any. Recently, a team of consulting engineers performed a study to determine the remaining capacity of the Brooklyn Bridge approaches for the Department of Transportation, City of New York. Using advanced diagnostic procedures such as impact-echo and flatjack testing, additional information was gathered to assist in the study. Impact-echo testing was helpful in identifying the condition of the brick soffits which were covered with pneumatically- applied concrete, and flatjack testing was useful in determining in-situ compressive strength and compression modulus of the brick masonry. The paper describes the work and the testing results.

Exceptional responders in conservation.

PubMed

Post, Gerald; Geldmann, Jonas

2017-08-30

Conservation operates within complex systems with incomplete knowledge of the system and the interventions utilized. This frequently results in the inability to find generally applicable methods to alleviate threats to Earth's vanishing wildlife. One approach used in medicine and the social sciences has been to develop a deeper understanding of positive outliers. Where such outliers share similar characteristics, they may be considered exceptional responders. We devised a 4-step framework for identifying exceptional responders in conservation: identification of the study system, identification of the response structure, identification of the threshold for exceptionalism, and identification of commonalities among outliers. Evaluation of exceptional responders provides additional information that is often ignored in randomized controlled trials and before-after control-intervention experiments. Interrogating the contextual factors that contribute to an exceptional outcome allow exceptional responders to become valuable pieces of information leading to unexpected discoveries and novel hypotheses. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

Technology architecture guidelines for a health care system.

PubMed Central

Jones, D. T.; Duncan, R.; Langberg, M. L.; Shabot, M. M.

2000-01-01

Although the demand for use of information technology within the healthcare industry is intensifying, relatively little has been written about guidelines to optimize IT investments. A technology architecture is a set of guidelines for technology integration within an enterprise. The architecture is a critical tool in the effort to control information technology (IT) operating costs by constraining the number of technologies supported. A well-designed architecture is also an important aid to integrating disparate applications, data stores and networks. The authors led the development of a thorough, carefully designed technology architecture for a large and rapidly growing health care system. The purpose and design criteria are described, as well as the process for gaining consensus and disseminating the architecture. In addition, the processes for using, maintaining, and handling exceptions are described. The technology architecture is extremely valuable to health care organizations both in controlling costs and promoting integration. PMID:11079913

Querying and Extracting Timeline Information from Road Traffic Sensor Data

PubMed Central

Imawan, Ardi; Indikawati, Fitri Indra; Kwon, Joonho; Rao, Praveen

2016-01-01

The escalation of traffic congestion in urban cities has urged many countries to use intelligent transportation system (ITS) centers to collect historical traffic sensor data from multiple heterogeneous sources. By analyzing historical traffic data, we can obtain valuable insights into traffic behavior. Many existing applications have been proposed with limited analysis results because of the inability to cope with several types of analytical queries. In this paper, we propose the QET (querying and extracting timeline information) system—a novel analytical query processing method based on a timeline model for road traffic sensor data. To address query performance, we build a TQ-index (timeline query-index) that exploits spatio-temporal features of timeline modeling. We also propose an intuitive timeline visualization method to display congestion events obtained from specified query parameters. In addition, we demonstrate the benefit of our system through a performance evaluation using a Busan ITS dataset and a Seattle freeway dataset. PMID:27563900

Postmortem examination of Australian sea snakes ( Hydrophiinae): Anatomy and common pathologic conditions.

PubMed

Gillett, Amber K; Ploeg, Richard; Flint, Mark; Mills, Paul C

2017-09-01

There is limited published information about disease in wild sea snakes and no standardized guideline for postmortem examination of sea snakes. Identifying causes of morbidity and mortality of marine vertebrate species has been pivotal to understanding disease factors implicated in stranding events and assisting with the formulation of conservation plans. Additionally, postmortem findings can provide valuable information on life history traits and the ecology of these reclusive species. Sick, moribund, or dead sea snakes are intermittently washed ashore along Australian and international beaches and provide an opportunity to examine a subset of the population and identify causes of population decline. We present an illustrated description of sea snake anatomy and describe a systematic approach to postmortem examination of sea snakes. We describe common pathologic conditions identified from clinical and postmortem examinations of stranded Australian sea snakes from southeast Queensland. Notable pathologic conditions include traumatic injury, inflammatory conditions, parasitic infections, and neoplasia.

Recruiting young people with a visible difference to the YP Face IT feasibility trial: a qualitative exploration of primary care staff experiences.

PubMed

Hamlet, Claire; Williamson, Heidi; Harcourt, Diana

2017-11-01

Qualitative research methods embedded within feasibility trials are of significant value as they can provide important information for a definitive trial, often unable to be fulfilled by quantitative methods alone. In addition, such information can aid researchers running other trials or evaluating interventions on a similar topic. Aim This study aimed to explore GP and nurses' experiences of recruiting to a trial exploring the feasibility of evaluating YP Face IT, a novel online psychosocial intervention to support young people with appearance-altering conditions. During the recruitment period, a focus group with participating GPs and nurses explored recruitment challenges. In addition, at the end of the recruitment period, telephone interviews were conducted with eight GPs and nurses involved in recruiting to the study, in order to inform a definitive trial of YP Face IT. Transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings Despite reporting that the study was valuable and interesting, interviewees struggled to recruit in-consultation. They appeared to lack confidence in raising the sensitive issue of a visible difference and adopted strategies to avoid mentioning the topic. Participants felt the nature of the target population, as well as pressures of the primary care environment presented challenges to recruitment, but welcomed YP Face IT as an intervention that could address unmet support needs. Primary care staff may benefit from training to help them raise the subject of a visible difference with young people in order to identify those that require additional support.

Polarization visualization of changes of anisotropic meat structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blokhina, Anastasia A.; Ryzhova, Victoria A.; Kleshchenok, Maksim A.; Lobanova, Anastasiya Y.

2017-06-01

The main aspect in developing methods for optical diagnostics and visualization of biological tissues using polarized radiation is the transformation analysis of the state of light polarization when it is scattered by the medium. The polarization characteristic spatial distributions of the detected scattered radiation, in particular the degree of depolarization, have a pronounced anisotropy. The presence of optical anisotropy can provide valuable additional information on the structural features of the biological object and its physiological status. Analysis of the polarization characteristics of the scattered radiation of biological tissues in some cases provides a qualitatively new results in the study of biological samples. These results can be used in medicine and food industry.

Modular Architecture for Integrated Model-Based Decision Support.

PubMed

Gaebel, Jan; Schreiber, Erik; Oeser, Alexander; Oeltze-Jafra, Steffen

2018-01-01

Model-based decision support systems promise to be a valuable addition to oncological treatments and the implementation of personalized therapies. For the integration and sharing of decision models, the involved systems must be able to communicate with each other. In this paper, we propose a modularized architecture of dedicated systems for the integration of probabilistic decision models into existing hospital environments. These systems interconnect via web services and provide model sharing and processing capabilities for clinical information systems. Along the lines of IHE integration profiles from other disciplines and the meaningful reuse of routinely recorded patient data, our approach aims for the seamless integration of decision models into hospital infrastructure and the physicians' daily work.

USCT data challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiter, Nicole V.; Zapf, Michael; Hopp, Torsten; Gemmeke, Hartmut; van Dongen, Koen W. A.

2017-03-01

In the past years we have perceived within the USCT research community a demand for freely available USCT data sets. Inspired by the idea of Open Science, this collection of data sets could stimulate the collaboration and the exchange of ideas and experiences between USCT researchers. In addition, it may lead to comprehensive comparison of different reconstruction algorithms and their results. Finally, by collecting feedback from the users about data and system architecture, valuable information is gathered for further development of measurement setups. For the above reasons, we have initiated a digital portal with several reference data sets and access scripts under free licenses. To kick off this initiative, we organized a USCT data challenge event at SPIE Medical Imaging 2017.

Interaction of proflavine with DNA studied by colloid surface enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koglin, E.; Séquaris, J.-M.

1986-03-01

The interaction of the mutagenic highly fluourescing proflavine (3,6-diaminoacridine: PF) dye with calf thymus DNA has been studied by Surface Enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering (SERRS). Since the Ag-colloids almost completely quenche the strong fluorescence it is possible to obtain excellent vibrational spectra in a wide frequency range providing valuable information about the intercalation. The intercalation does not affect the vibrational frequencies of the proflavine dye. On the other hand, intensity changes are observed in some of the ring- and NH 2-modes of proflavine upon intercalation. This Raman hypochromism is characteristic for ring stacking interactions and in the SERRS spetroscopy for an additional effects of the dye orientation to the surface.

Wild about Social Media and Technology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santascoy, S. J.

2011-09-01

It's tempting to jump on the social media bandwagon and insist your organization needs Facebook, twitter, etc. But, when funds are limited, social media and related publicity must be carefully thought out. The NASA Night Sky Network, which is managed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, has developed widgets for websites and blogs, an iPhone app, and a Facebook presence. This is all to attract, inform, and reach the next generation of amateur astronomers, with no additional work needed from the amateur astronomy community who are members of the Night Sky Network. Outreach professionals will gain valuable insight from our experience, and may replicate this model to design their own social media and technology plan.

Extracting Inter-business Relationship from World Wide Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yingzi; Matsuo, Yutaka; Ishizuka, Mitsuru

Social relation plays an important role in a real community. Interaction patterns reveal relations among actors (such as persons, groups, companies), which can be merged into valuable information as a network structure. In this paper, we propose a new approach to extract inter-business relationship from the Web. Extraction of relation between a pair of companies is realized by using a search engine and text processing. Since names of companies co-appear coincidentaly on the Web, we propose an advanced algorithm which is characterized by addition of keywords (or we call relation words) to a query. The relation words are obtained from either an annotated corpus or the Web. We show some examples and comprehensive evaluations on our approach.

[A Patient´s Personality: A Frequently Ignored but Important Component in General Medical Practice].

PubMed

Hengartner, Michael P

2018-06-01

A Patient´s Personality: A Frequently Ignored but Important Component in General Medical Practice Abstract. In general medical practice, a patient's personality is hardly considered and assessed. In this mini-review the author summarises how a comprehensive personality assessment may provide valuable patient information. Prospective effects of personality traits on general lifestyle as well as mental and physical health are presented. In addition, original research is introduced that shows meaningful associations between personality traits, clinical disease markers, and all-cause mortality. These findings are discussed with respect to selected etiological models. The studies illustrate that a personality assessment could be a useful aid for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning.

Inventory of echinoderms in the Iles Eparses (Europa, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova), Mozambique Channel, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conand, C.; Mulochau, T.; Stöhr, S.; Eléaume, M.; Chabanet, P.

2016-04-01

The multidisciplinary programme BioReCIE (Biodiversity, Resources and Conservation of coral reefs at Eparses Is.) inventoried multiple marine animal groups in order to provide information on the coral reef health of the Iles Eparses. All five classes of echinoderms were observed by visual census, photographed and later identified. About 100 species are reported, including a few unidentified ones which require further studies. The Holothuroidea and Ophiuroidea are the most diverse. One new species, the asterinid Aquilonastra chantalae O'Loughlin and McKenzie (2013), was discovered in addition to several new records of echinoderms. The illegal fishery targeting holothurians, which are presently highly valuable resources in this zone, is discussed.

Diversity of Holocene life forms in fossil glacier ice

PubMed Central

Willerslev, Eske; Hansen, Anders J.; Christensen, Bent; Steffensen, Jørgen Peder; Arctander, Peter

1999-01-01

Studies of biotic remains of polar ice caps have been limited to morphological identification of plant pollen and spores. By using sensitive molecular techniques, we now demonstrate a much greater range of detectable organisms; from 2000- and 4000-year-old ice-core samples, we obtained and characterized 120 clones that represent at least 57 distinct taxa and reveal a diversity of fungi, plants, algae, and protists. The organisms derive from distant sources as well as from the local arctic environment. Our results suggest that additional taxa may soon be readily identified, providing a plank for future studies of deep ice cores and yielding valuable information about ancient communities and their change over time. PMID:10393940

A Proprietary Information Dissemination and Education System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rollins, Timothy J.; Golden, Kerry

1994-01-01

In focus group interviews, 14 Pennsylvania Crop Management Association technicians identified their primary role as information providers and consultants, felt the need for better communication skills and training as nonformal adult educators, considered human resources the most valuable information sources, and believed farmers participated only…

HIV-AIDS Patients' Evaluation of Health Information on the Internet: The Digital Divide and Vulnerability to Fraudulent Claims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benotsch, Eric G.; Kalichman, Seth; Weinhardt, Lance S.

2004-01-01

Access to health information on the Internet has revolutionized how medical patients learn about their illnesses. Valuable information can be found online; however, many health Web sites contain inaccurate or misleading information. The authors surveyed 324 adults with HIV concerning their Internet use for obtaining health information. Health…

Adding Value: A GIS Minor to Complement the Geology Major

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, D. D.

2008-12-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has proven to be a valuable addition to the geology curriculum at Georgia Southern University. The Department of Geology and Geography offers course work in GIS required for the geography major and has used these courses to create a minor in GIS. Approximately half the students graduating with degrees in geology during the last 5 years have taken the GIS minor. A working knowledge of GIS has helped students secure summer employment and internships. For some of them it was the key to immediate employment upon graduation and for others it was a valuable additional skill to present as part of graduate school applications. Although once daunting in the financial and intellectual capital required to create a program, GIS software has become much more user friendly and standard PCs are now the platform on which most GIS work is conducted. Georgia Southern's GIS minor is based on five courses taught by four members of the faculty (3 geographers and 1 geologist). The foundation of the minor is two courses integrating the fundamentals of GIS and cartography. The other three courses cover data bases and web-based applications of GIS, remote sensing, and a semester long project in applied GIS. Although missing topics that are part of the curriculum for certificates or degrees in GIS, this five-course sequence provides a sound basis for introductory level positions in government and industry and graduate programs in geology.

Objective and subjective treatment evaluation of scars using optical coherence tomography, sonography, photography, and standardised questionnaires.

PubMed

Reinholz, Markus; Schwaiger, Hannah; Poetschke, Julian; Epple, Andreas; Ruzicka, Thomas; Von Braunmühl, Tanja; Gauglitz, Gerd G

2016-12-01

Currently, different types of treatments for pathological scars are available, however, to date, there is no established method of measurement to objectively assess therapeutic outcome. Treatment success is usually evaluated clinically by the physician and patient. Non-invasive imaging techniques, such as HD-OCT (high-definition optical coherence tomography), may represent a valuable diagnostic tool to objectively measure therapeutic outcome. To compare HD-OCT with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools, such as questionnaires. In total, eight patients with pathological scars were treated in this pilot study with cryotherapy and intralesional steroid injections, and evaluated pre- and post-treatment using clinical examination, photography, sonography, and HD-OCT. The analysis of objective and subjective measuring methods was used to draw direct comparisons. HD-OCT revealed reduced epidermal and dermal thickness of the scar after four treatments with triamcinolone acetonide and cryotherapy. Based on sonography, a total reduction in scar height and reduction in scar depth was demonstrated. Both methods correlated well with the injected amount of triamcinolone acetonide. In addition, a positive correlation between well-established subjective and objective evaluation methods was found. We demonstrate that HD-OCT may be used as an objective diagnostic instrument to evaluate skin thickness under therapy for pathological scars, and serves as a valuable adjunctive device in combination with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools. This provides additional information for the therapist concerning the quality and success of the applied treatment.

Development of a prototype geotechnical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

Archive geotechnical reports in the department contain valuable information such as site maps, : photographs, borehole data, laboratory and field test data, and design analyses. A proper use of the : information may bring significant cost saving for ...

Analysis of Faint Glints from Stabilized GEO Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, D.; Kervin, P.

2013-09-01

Ground-based telescopes routinely acquire temporal brightness measurements of satellites in geo-stationary and geo-synchronous orbit that provide valuable characterization information. For instance, GEO satellites that are not stabilized tend to rotate, and produce brightnesses that vary in time with frequencies corresponding to rotation rates. Temporal brightness patterns can also be exploited to characterize stabilized GEO satellites. For example, many operational GEO satellites have solar panels that glint when they reflect sunlight towards an observer in a mirror-like fashion. These well-known solar panel glints can be remarkably bright, often exceeding several stellar magnitudes in amplitude. Measured brightnesses and times of these glints can be exploited to estimate the size, segmentation, and alignment of the solar array, valuable information about the satellite's power generation and consumption capabilities. However, satellites can produce other glints in addition to those originating from solar panels. These glints can be much fainter, with amplitudes as small as 0.2 magnitudes. Several observations of GEO satellites show several such glints occurring during the span of a single night. Furthermore, many of these recur from night to night when observed from a single ground-based site, but with subtle, incremental changes in both peak times and brightnesses. These fainter glints must originate from reflective elements mounted on the satellite's main bus, solar panel structure, or other peripheral structures that might be stationary or moving with respect to the main bus. Our analysis indicates that such glints can be exploited for GEO satellite characterization.

The Identification of Proteoglycans and Glycosaminoglycans in Archaeological Human Bones and Teeth

PubMed Central

Coulson-Thomas, Yvette M.; Coulson-Thomas, Vivien J.; Norton, Andrew L.; Gesteira, Tarsis F.; Cavalheiro, Renan P.; Meneghetti, Maria Cecília Z.; Martins, João R.; Dixon, Ronald A.; Nader, Helena B.

2015-01-01

Bone tissue is mineralized dense connective tissue consisting mainly of a mineral component (hydroxyapatite) and an organic matrix comprised of collagens, non-collagenous proteins and proteoglycans (PGs). Extracellular matrix proteins and PGs bind tightly to hydroxyapatite which would protect these molecules from the destructive effects of temperature and chemical agents after death. DNA and proteins have been successfully extracted from archaeological skeletons from which valuable information has been obtained; however, to date neither PGs nor glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains have been studied in archaeological skeletons. PGs and GAGs play a major role in bone morphogenesis, homeostasis and degenerative bone disease. The ability to isolate and characterize PG and GAG content from archaeological skeletons would unveil valuable paleontological information. We therefore optimized methods for the extraction of both PGs and GAGs from archaeological human skeletons. PGs and GAGs were successfully extracted from both archaeological human bones and teeth, and characterized by their electrophoretic mobility in agarose gel, degradation by specific enzymes and HPLC. The GAG populations isolated were chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA). In addition, a CSPG was detected. The localization of CS, HA, three small leucine rich PGs (biglycan, decorin and fibromodulin) and glypican was analyzed in archaeological human bone slices. Staining patterns were different for juvenile and adult bones, whilst adolescent bones had a similar staining pattern to adult bones. The finding that significant quantities of PGs and GAGs persist in archaeological bones and teeth opens novel venues for the field of Paleontology. PMID:26107959

Single-channel in-ear-EEG detects the focus of auditory attention to concurrent tone streams and mixed speech

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiedler, Lorenz; Wöstmann, Malte; Graversen, Carina; Brandmeyer, Alex; Lunner, Thomas; Obleser, Jonas

2017-06-01

Objective. Conventional, multi-channel scalp electroencephalography (EEG) allows the identification of the attended speaker in concurrent-listening (‘cocktail party’) scenarios. This implies that EEG might provide valuable information to complement hearing aids with some form of EEG and to install a level of neuro-feedback. Approach. To investigate whether a listener’s attentional focus can be detected from single-channel hearing-aid-compatible EEG configurations, we recorded EEG from three electrodes inside the ear canal (‘in-Ear-EEG’) and additionally from 64 electrodes on the scalp. In two different, concurrent listening tasks, participants (n  =  7) were fitted with individualized in-Ear-EEG pieces and were either asked to attend to one of two dichotically-presented, concurrent tone streams or to one of two diotically-presented, concurrent audiobooks. A forward encoding model was trained to predict the EEG response at single EEG channels. Main results. Each individual participants’ attentional focus could be detected from single-channel EEG response recorded from short-distance configurations consisting only of a single in-Ear-EEG electrode and an adjacent scalp-EEG electrode. The differences in neural responses to attended and ignored stimuli were consistent in morphology (i.e. polarity and latency of components) across subjects. Significance. In sum, our findings show that the EEG response from a single-channel, hearing-aid-compatible configuration provides valuable information to identify a listener’s focus of attention.

The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer (PLCO) Screening Trial Pathology Tissue Resource.

PubMed

Zhu, Claire S; Huang, Wen-Yi; Pinsky, Paul F; Berg, Christine D; Sherman, Mark; Yu, Kelly J; Carrick, Danielle M; Black, Amanda; Hoover, Robert; Lenz, Petra; Williams, Craig; Hawkins, Laura; Chaloux, Matthew; Yurgalevitch, Susan; Mathew, Sunitha; Miller, Amy; Olivo, Vanessa; Khan, Asia; Pretzel, Shannon M; Multerer, Deborah; Beckmann, Patricia; Broski, Karen G; Freedman, Neal D

2016-12-01

Pathology tissue specimens with associated epidemiologic and clinical data are valuable for cancer research. The Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial undertook a large-scale effort to create a public resource of pathology tissues from PLCO participants who developed a cancer during the trial. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were obtained from pathology laboratories on a loan basis for central processing of tissue microarrays, with additional free-standing tissue cores collected for nucleic acid extraction. Pathology tissue specimens were obtained for prostate cancer (n = 1,052), lung cancer (n = 434), colorectal cancer (n = 675) and adenoma (n = 658), ovarian cancer and borderline tumors (n = 212), breast cancer (n = 870), and bladder cancer (n = 204). The process of creating this resource was complex, involving multidisciplinary teams with expertise in pathology, epidemiology, information technology, project management, and specialized laboratories. Creating the PLCO tissue resource required a multistep process, including obtaining medical records and contacting pathology departments where pathology materials were stored after obtaining necessary patient consent and authorization. The potential to link tissue biomarkers to prospectively collected epidemiologic information, screening and clinical data, and matched blood or buccal samples offers valuable opportunities to study etiologic heterogeneity, mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and biomarkers for early detection and prognosis. The methods and protocols developed for this effort, and the detailed description of this resource provided here, will be useful for those seeking to use PLCO pathology tissue specimens for their research and may also inform future tissue collection efforts in other settings. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(12); 1635-42. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; ...

2016-07-08

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Tremsin, Anton S; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with 100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Abstract Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components. PMID:27877885

Science project

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-08-23

Once tethered in place in Gulf Coast waters, a DRIFTER sensor device is able to transmit valuable information about water temperature and conductivity. The Applied Science and Technology Project Office at Stennis Space Center designed the DRIFTER as an inexpensive device that can be used for science projects in local schools. Two of the devices, deployed in coastal waters, survived Hurricane Isaac, continuing to transmit valuable data regarding the storm.

The CTSA Consortium's Catalog of Assets for Translational and Clinical Health Research (CATCHR)

PubMed Central

Mapes, Brandy; Basford, Melissa; Zufelt, Anneliese; Wehbe, Firas; Harris, Paul; Alcorn, Michael; Allen, David; Arnim, Margaret; Autry, Susan; Briggs, Michael S.; Carnegie, Andrea; Chavis‐Keeling, Deborah; De La Pena, Carlos; Dworschak, Doris; Earnest, Julie; Grieb, Terri; Guess, Marilyn; Hafer, Nathaniel; Johnson, Tesheia; Kasper, Amanda; Kopp, Janice; Lockie, Timothy; Lombardo, Vincetta; McHale, Leslie; Minogue, Andrea; Nunnally, Beth; O'Quinn, Deanna; Peck, Kelly; Pemberton, Kieran; Perry, Cheryl; Petrie, Ginny; Pontello, Andria; Posner, Rachel; Rehman, Bushra; Roth, Deborah; Sacksteder, Paulette; Scahill, Samantha; Schieri, Lorri; Simpson, Rosemary; Skinner, Anne; Toussant, Kim; Turner, Alicia; Van der Put, Elaine; Wasser, June; Webb, Chris D.; Williams, Maija; Wiseman, Lori; Yasko, Laurel; Pulley, Jill

2014-01-01

Abstract The 61 CTSA Consortium sites are home to valuable programs and infrastructure supporting translational science and all are charged with ensuring that such investments translate quickly to improved clinical care. Catalog of Assets for Translational and Clinical Health Research (CATCHR) is the Consortium's effort to collect and make available information on programs and resources to maximize efficiency and facilitate collaborations. By capturing information on a broad range of assets supporting the entire clinical and translational research spectrum, CATCHR aims to provide the necessary infrastructure and processes to establish and maintain an open‐access, searchable database of consortium resources to support multisite clinical and translational research studies. Data are collected using rigorous, defined methods, with the resulting information made visible through an integrated, searchable Web‐based tool. Additional easy‐to‐use Web tools assist resource owners in validating and updating resource information over time. In this paper, we discuss the design and scope of the project, data collection methods, current results, and future plans for development and sustainability. With increasing pressure on research programs to avoid redundancy, CATCHR aims to make available information on programs and core facilities to maximize efficient use of resources. PMID:24456567

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Open Data Policy--Managing Information as an Asset

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-09

Information is a valuable national resource and a strategic asset to the Federal Government, its partners, and the public. In order to ensure that the Federal Government is taking full advantage of its information resources, executive departments and...

Student Technology Use for Powerful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heidenrich, Carol

2013-01-01

Technology has evolved as a valuable information and communication tool. In our knowledge and information society, students with information and communication technology (ICT) competence will be prepared for success. Teacher pedagogy and student learning have to change to fully integrate technology into the curriculum. Students may not have…

Development, current applications and future roles of biorelevant two-stage in vitro testing in drug development.

PubMed

Fiolka, Tom; Dressman, Jennifer

2018-03-01

Various types of two stage in vitro testing have been used in a number of experimental settings. In addition to its application in quality control and for regulatory purposes, two-stage in vitro testing has also been shown to be a valuable technique to evaluate the supersaturation and precipitation behavior of poorly soluble drugs during drug development. The so-called 'transfer model', which is an example of two-stage testing, has provided valuable information about the in vivo performance of poorly soluble, weakly basic drugs by simulating the gastrointestinal drug transit from the stomach into the small intestine with a peristaltic pump. The evolution of the transfer model has resulted in various modifications of the experimental model set-up. Concomitantly, various research groups have developed simplified approaches to two-stage testing to investigate the supersaturation and precipitation behavior of weakly basic drugs without the necessity of using a transfer pump. Given the diversity among the various two-stage test methods available today, a more harmonized approach needs to be taken to optimize the use of two stage testing at different stages of drug development. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Expectations from different perspectives on future work outcome of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

PubMed

Holwerda, Anja; Brouwer, Sandra; de Boer, Michiel R; Groothoff, Johan W; van der Klink, Jac J L

2015-03-01

Expectations strongly influence future employment outcomes and social networks seem to mediate employment success of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The aim of this study is to examine the expectations of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from special needs education, their parents and their school teachers regarding future work and the extent to which these expectations predict work outcome. Data on 341 young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, coming from special needs education, aged 17-20 years, and with an ability to work according to the Social Security Institute were examined. The school teacher's expectation was the only perspective that significantly predicted entering competitive employment, with a complementary effect of the expectation of parents and a small additional effect of the expectation of the young adult. Expectations of school teachers and parents are valuable in predicting work outcome. Therefore, it is important for professionals working with the young adult in the transition from school to work to incorporate the knowledge of school teachers and parents regarding the abilities of the young adult to enter competitive employment as a valuable source of information.

Diagnostic usefulness of dermoscopy in differentiating lichen aureus from nummular eczema.

PubMed

Suh, Kee Suck; Park, Jong Bin; Yang, Myeong Hyeon; Choi, Soo Young; Hwangbo, Hyun; Jang, Min Soo

2017-05-01

Lichen aureus (LA) is a variant of pigmented purpuric dermatosis that is characterized clinically by rust macules, papules or plaques, mainly on the legs. In some cases, LA can be difficult to be distinguished from nummular eczema (NE) with the naked eye. Dermoscopy can be applied to skin lesions, revealing additional features that can be highly valuable for correct diagnosis. This study was conducted to investigate characteristic dermoscopic findings of LA and to identify distinctive features that can differentiate it from NE. Fourteen LA patients and 14 NE patients diagnosed by skin biopsy were enrolled. Skin lesions were evaluated via polarized dermoscopy. On dermoscopy, "coppery orange diffuse coloration of background", "round to oval red globules", "gray dots", and "networks of brownish to gray interconnected lines" were more commonly seen in LA (100%, 92.9%, 42.9% and 64.3%, respectively) compared with NE. "Scales", "shiny yellow clods" and "irregularly distributed brownish-red globules" were more commonly seen in NE (100%, 85.7% and 57.1%, respectively) compared with LA. Dermoscopy provides valuable information for diagnosis of LA and aids in differentiating it from NE. © 2016 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Innovative Concept for the Recovery of Silver and Indium by a Combined Treatment of Jarosite and Electric Arc Furnace Dust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegscheider, S.; Steinlechner, S.; Leuchtenmüller, M.

2017-02-01

Industrial wastes such as slags, dust, or precipitation residues contain significant amounts of valuable metals like zinc, lead, and copper as well as precious metals like silver and indium. Nevertheless, a lot of these waste materials are not recycled, and therefore, many valuable metals end up being sent to landfills. Because of harmful components in the waste, it is often necessary to send it to specialized landfills for hazardous wastes, which leads to environmental problems as well as additional costs. Consequently, the recovery of the valuable metals from the residues represents a sensible task to decrease the negative impact on the environment and to reduce costs for maintaining a landfill. In addition, recycling helps to decrease the dependency from primary resources. The present study deals with the behavior of different metals in a pyro-metallurgical treatment for a mixture of jarosite and electric arc furnace dust with a special focus on indium and silver.

Probabilistic seasonal Forecasts to deterministic Farm Leve Decisions: Innovative Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mwangi, M. W.

2015-12-01

Climate change and vulnerability are major challenges in ensuring household food security. Climate information services have the potential to cushion rural households from extreme climate risks. However, most the probabilistic nature of climate information products is not easily understood by majority of smallholder farmers. Despite the probabilistic nature, climate information have proved to be a valuable climate risk adaptation strategy at the farm level. This calls for innovative ways to help farmers understand and apply climate information services to inform their farm level decisions. The study endeavored to co-design and test appropriate innovation systems for climate information services uptake and scale up necessary for achieving climate risk development. In addition it also determined the conditions necessary to support the effective performance of the proposed innovation system. Data and information sources included systematic literature review, secondary sources, government statistics, focused group discussions, household surveys and semi-structured interviews. Data wasanalyzed using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques. Quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Qualitative data was analyzed using qualitative techniques, which involved establishing the categories and themes, relationships/patterns and conclusions in line with the study objectives. Sustainable livelihood, reduced household poverty and climate change resilience were the impact that resulted from the study.

Ferromanganese crusts and nodules, rocks that grow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mizell, Kira; Hein, James

2016-01-01

Ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts and nodules are marine sed- imentary mineral deposits, composed mostly of iron and manganese oxides. They precipitate very slowly from seawa- ter, or for nodules also from deep-sea sediment pore waters, recording the chemical signature of these source waters as they grow. Additional elements incorporate via sorption pro- cesses onto the Fe-Mn oxides, including rare and valuable metals that can reach concentrations that are economically valuable.

A Study of Personal Information Management Strategies for Online Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearns, Lorna R.; Frey, Barbara A.; Tomer, Christinger; Alman, Susan

2014-01-01

The literature suggests that personal information management is a serious challenge for many computer users. Online faculty are especially challenged because of the large number of electronic files necessitated by teaching online. Those who have experience in this environment may offer valuable insights regarding information management challenges…

Mathematics Framework for the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Assessment Governing Board, 2012

2012-01-01

Since 1973, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has gathered information about student achievement in mathematics. Results of these periodic assessments, produced in print and web-based formats, provide valuable information to a wide variety of audiences. They inform citizens about the nature of students' comprehension of the…

48 CFR 915.207-70 - Handling proposals and information during evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... information (data) before decision as to the award of a contract, or the transfer of valuable and sensitive information between competing offerors during the competitive phase of the acquisition process, would seriously disrupt the Government's decision-making process and undermine the integrity of the competitive...

77 FR 50711 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment: Pre-Purchase Homeownership...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-22

... Information Collection for Public Comment: Pre-Purchase Homeownership Counseling Demonstration and Impact... homeownership counseling. The evaluation will produce valuable information about the impact of pre- purchase homeownership counseling on a range of outcomes for low- to moderate-income, first-time home buyers. This is the...

Two additional principles for determining which species to monitor.

PubMed

Wilson, Howard B; Rhodes, Jonathan R; Possingham, Hugh P

2015-11-01

Monitoring to detect population declines is widespread, but also costly. There is, consequently, a need to optimize monitoring to maximize cost-effectiveness. Here we develop a quantitative decision analysis framework for how to optimally allocate resources for monitoring among species. By keeping the framework simple, we analytically establish two new principles about which species are optimal to monitor for detecting declines: (1) those that lie on the boundary between species being allocated resources for conservation action and species that are not and (2) those with the greatest uncertainty in whether they are declining. These two principles are in addition to other factors that are also important in monitoring decisions, such as complementarity. We demonstrate the efficacy of these principles when other factors are not present, and show how the two principles can be combined. This analysis demonstrates that the most cost-effective species to monitor are ones where the information gained from monitoring is most likely to change the allocation of funds for action, not necessarily the most vulnerable or endangered. We suggest these results are general and apply to all ecological monitoring, not just of biological species: monitoring and information are only valuable when they are likely to change how people act.

Information theory, animal communication, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, Laurance R.; McCowan, Brenda; Johnston, Simon; Hanser, Sean F.

2011-02-01

We present ongoing research in the application of information theory to animal communication systems with the goal of developing additional detectors and estimators for possible extraterrestrial intelligent signals. Regardless of the species, for intelligence (i.e., complex knowledge) to be transmitted certain rules of information theory must still be obeyed. We demonstrate some preliminary results of applying information theory to socially complex marine mammal species (bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales) as well as arboreal squirrel monkeys, because they almost exclusively rely on vocal signals for their communications, producing signals which can be readily characterized by signal analysis. Metrics such as Zipf's Law and higher-order information-entropic structure are emerging as indicators of the communicative complexity characteristic of an "intelligent message" content within these animals' signals, perhaps not surprising given these species' social complexity. In addition to human languages, for comparison we also apply these metrics to pulsar signals—perhaps (arguably) the most "organized" of stellar systems—as an example of astrophysical systems that would have to be distinguished from an extraterrestrial intelligence message by such information theoretic filters. We also look at a message transmitted from Earth (Arecibo Observatory) that contains a lot of meaning but little information in the mathematical sense we define it here. We conclude that the study of non-human communication systems on our own planet can make a valuable contribution to the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence by providing quantitative general measures of communicative complexity. Studying the complex communication systems of other intelligent species on our own planet may also be one of the best ways to deprovincialize our thinking about extraterrestrial communication systems in general.

Individual's recollections of their experiences in eye clinics and understanding of their eye condition: results from a survey of visually impaired people in Britain.

PubMed

Douglas, Graeme; Pavey, Sue; Corcoran, Christine; Eperjesi, Frank

2010-11-01

Network 1000 is a UK-based panel survey of a representative sample of adults with registered visual impairment, with the aim of gathering information about people's opinions and circumstances. Participants were interviewed (Survey 1, n = 1007: 2005; Survey 2, n = 922: 2006/07) on a range of topics including the nature of their eye condition, details of other health issues, use of low vision aids (LVAs) and their experiences in eye clinics. Eleven percent of individuals did not know the name of their eye condition. Seventy percent of participants reported having long-term health problems or disabilities in addition to visual impairment and 43% reported having hearing difficulties. Seventy one percent reported using LVAs for reading tasks. Participants who had become registered as visually impaired in the previous 8 years (n = 395) were asked questions about non-medical information received in the eye clinic around that time. Reported information received included advice about 'registration' (48%), low vision aids (45%) and social care routes (43%); 17% reported receiving no information. While 70% of people were satisfied with the information received, this was lower for those of working age (56%) compared with retirement age (72%). Those who recalled receiving additional non-medical information and advice at the time of registration also recalled their experiences more positively. Whilst caution should be applied to the accuracy of recall of past events, the data provide a valuable insight into the types of information and support that visually impaired people feel they would benefit from in the eye clinic. © 2010 The Authors. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics © 2010 The College of Optometrists.

Undergraduate Students' Use of Online Information in World Geography: Source Types and Selection Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Jung Eun; Jo, Injeong

2017-01-01

Offering up-to-date information and diverse perspectives on issues, online information can be a valuable resource that supplements traditional course materials like textbooks. In this paper, the source types that students' use for a course assignment and the criteria they apply to determine usefulness of the online information are examined.…

Revisiting Frazier's subdeltas: enhancing datasets with dimensionality, better to understand geologic systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flocks, James

2006-01-01

Scientific knowledge from the past century is commonly represented by two-dimensional figures and graphs, as presented in manuscripts and maps. Using today's computer technology, this information can be extracted and projected into three- and four-dimensional perspectives. Computer models can be applied to datasets to provide additional insight into complex spatial and temporal systems. This process can be demonstrated by applying digitizing and modeling techniques to valuable information within widely used publications. The seminal paper by D. Frazier, published in 1967, identified 16 separate delta lobes formed by the Mississippi River during the past 6,000 yrs. The paper includes stratigraphic descriptions through geologic cross-sections, and provides distribution and chronologies of the delta lobes. The data from Frazier's publication are extensively referenced in the literature. Additional information can be extracted from the data through computer modeling. Digitizing and geo-rectifying Frazier's geologic cross-sections produce a three-dimensional perspective of the delta lobes. Adding the chronological data included in the report provides the fourth-dimension of the delta cycles, which can be visualized through computer-generated animation. Supplemental information can be added to the model, such as post-abandonment subsidence of the delta-lobe surface. Analyzing the regional, net surface-elevation balance between delta progradations and land subsidence is computationally intensive. By visualizing this process during the past 4,500 yrs through multi-dimensional animation, the importance of sediment compaction in influencing both the shape and direction of subsequent delta progradations becomes apparent. Visualization enhances a classic dataset, and can be further refined using additional data, as well as provide a guide for identifying future areas of study.

Informing Mechanistic Toxicology with Computational Molecular Models

EPA Science Inventory

Computational molecular models of chemicals interacting with biomolecular targets provides toxicologists a valuable, affordable, and sustainable source of in silico molecular level information that augments, enriches, and complements in vitro and in vivo effo...

The impact of systemic cortical alterations on perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zheng

2011-12-01

Perception is the process of transmitting and interpreting sensory information, and the primary somatosensory (SI) area in the human cortex is the main sensory receptive area for the sensation of touch. The elaborate neuroanatomical connectivity that subserves the neuronal communication between adjacent and near-adjacent regions within sensory cortex has been widely recognized to be essential to normal sensory function. As a result, systemic cortical alterations that impact the cortical regional interaction, as associated with many neurological disorders, are expected to have significant impact on sensory perception. Recently, our research group has developed a novel sensory diagnostic system that employs quantitative sensory testing methods and is able to non-invasively assess central nervous system healthy status. The intent of this study is to utilize quantitative sensory testing methods that were designed to generate discriminable perception to objectively and quantitatively assess the impacts of different conditions on human sensory information processing capacity. The correlation between human perceptions with observations from animal research enables a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of human perception. Additional findings on different subject populations provide valuable insight of the underlying mechanisms for the development and maintenance of different neurological diseases. During the course of the study, several protocols were designed and utilized. And this set of sensory-based perceptual metrics was employed to study the effects of different conditions (non-noxious thermal stimulation, chronic pain stage, and normal aging) on sensory perception. It was found that these conditions result in significant deviations of the subjects' tactile information processing capacities from normal values. Although the observed shift of sensory detection sensitivity could be a result of enhanced peripheral activity, the changes in the effects of adaptation most likely reflect changes in central nervous system. The findings in this work provide valuable information for better understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of different neurological conditions.

DDx: diagnostic assistance for the radiologist using PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynor, David R.

1993-09-01

A potentially valuable tool in medical imaging is the development, and integration with PACS, of systems which enhance the interpretive accuracy of the user -- his ability, given a set of findings (in the broad sense, including clinical information about the patient as well as characteristics of the lesion being analyzed), to assign the proper disease label, or diagnosis, to them. Such systems, which we call here interpretive tools (IT), contain a variety of types of information about diseases and their radiologic diagnosis. They can contain information about large numbers of diseases, including statistical information (incidence, characteristic anatomical locations, association with age and gender or with other diseases, probabilities of various findings given a disease), textual information (description of diseases, treatment, literature references, lists of other entities that might be confused with the disease of interest, additional diagnostic points that may not be represented, or even representable, within IT), and image-based information (typical and atypical examples for each entity and radiographic finding, examples of normal anatomy). These databases can be used both for teaching purposes and as a tool for improving interpretive accuracy [Swett, 1987]. This paper describes some of the requirements for these databases and then discusses early work on the implementation of DDx, an IT whose domain is neuroradiology.

Geo-reCAPTCHA: Crowdsourcing large amounts of geographic information from earth observation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hillen, Florian; Höfle, Bernhard

2015-08-01

The reCAPTCHA concept provides a large amount of valuable information for various applications. First, it provides security, e.g., for a form on a website, by means of a test that only a human could solve. Second, the effort of the user for this test is used to generate additional information, e.g., digitization of books or identification of house numbers. In this work, we present a concept for adapting the reCAPTCHA idea to create user-generated geographic information from earth observation data, and the requirements during the conception and implementation are depicted in detail. Furthermore, the essential parts of a Geo-reCAPTCHA system are described, and afterwards transferred, to a prototype implementation. An empirical user study is conducted to investigate the Geo-reCAPTCHA approach, assessing time and quality of the resulting geographic information. Our results show that a Geo-reCAPTCHA can be solved by the users of our study on building digitization in a short amount of time (19.2 s on average) with an overall average accuracy of the digitizations of 82.2%. In conclusion, Geo-reCAPTCHA has the potential to be a reasonable alternative to the typical reCAPTCHA, and to become a new data-rich channel of crowdsourced geographic information.

Baseline and extensions approach to information retrieval of complex medical data: Poznan's approach to the bioCADDIE 2016

PubMed Central

Cieslewicz, Artur; Dutkiewicz, Jakub; Jedrzejek, Czeslaw

2018-01-01

Abstract Information retrieval from biomedical repositories has become a challenging task because of their increasing size and complexity. To facilitate the research aimed at improving the search for relevant documents, various information retrieval challenges have been launched. In this article, we present the improved medical information retrieval systems designed by Poznan University of Technology and Poznan University of Medical Sciences as a contribution to the bioCADDIE 2016 challenge—a task focusing on information retrieval from a collection of 794 992 datasets generated from 20 biomedical repositories. The system developed by our team utilizes the Terrier 4.2 search platform enhanced by a query expansion method using word embeddings. This approach, after post-challenge modifications and improvements (with particular regard to assigning proper weights for original and expanded terms), allowed us achieving the second best infNDCG measure (0.4539) compared with the challenge results and infAP 0.3978. This demonstrates that proper utilization of word embeddings can be a valuable addition to the information retrieval process. Some analysis is provided on related work involving other bioCADDIE contributions. We discuss the possibility of improving our results by using better word embedding schemes to find candidates for query expansion. Database URL: https://biocaddie.org/benchmark-data PMID:29688372

Criticality Safety Basics for INL FMHs and CSOs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

V. L. Putman

2012-04-01

Nuclear power is a valuable and efficient energy alternative in our energy-intensive society. However, material that can generate nuclear power has properties that require this material be handled with caution. If improperly handled, a criticality accident could result, which could severely harm workers. This document is a modular self-study guide about Criticality Safety Principles. This guide's purpose it to help you work safely in areas where fissionable nuclear materials may be present, avoiding the severe radiological and programmatic impacts of a criticality accident. It is designed to stress the fundamental physical concepts behind criticality controls and the importance of criticalitymore » safety when handling fissionable materials outside nuclear reactors. This study guide was developed for fissionable-material-handler and criticality-safety-officer candidates to use with related web-based course 00INL189, BEA Criticality Safety Principles, and to help prepare for the course exams. These individuals must understand basic information presented here. This guide may also be useful to other Idaho National Laboratory personnel who must know criticality safety basics to perform their assignments safely or to design critically safe equipment or operations. This guide also includes additional information that will not be included in 00INL189 tests. The additional information is in appendices and paragraphs with headings that begin with 'Did you know,' or with, 'Been there Done that'. Fissionable-material-handler and criticality-safety-officer candidates may review additional information at their own discretion. This guide is revised as needed to reflect program changes, user requests, and better information. Issued in 2006, Revision 0 established the basic text and integrated various programs from former contractors. Revision 1 incorporates operation and program changes implemented since 2006. It also incorporates suggestions, clarifications, and additional information from readers and from personnel who took course 00INL189. Revision 1 also completely reorganized the training to better emphasize physical concepts behind the criticality controls that fissionable material handlers and criticality safety officers must understand. The reorganization is based on and consistent with changes made to course 00INL189 due to a review of course exam results and to discussions with personnel who conduct area-specific training.« less

Decreasing Cloudiness Over China: An Updated Analysis Examining Additional Variables

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaiser, D.P.

2000-01-14

As preparation of the IPCC's Third Assessment Report takes place, one of the many observed climate variables of key interest is cloud amount. For several nations of the world, there exist records of surface-observed cloud amount dating back to the middle of the 20th Century or earlier, offering valuable information on variations and trends. Studies using such databases include Sun and Groisman (1999) and Kaiser and Razuvaev (1995) for the former Soviet Union, Angel1 et al. (1984) for the United States, Henderson-Sellers (1986) for Europe, Jones and Henderson-Sellers (1992) for Australia, and Kaiser (1998) for China. The findings of Kaisermore » (1998) differ from the other studies in that much of China appears to have experienced decreased cloudiness over recent decades (1954-1994), whereas the other land regions for the most part show evidence of increasing cloud cover. This paper expands on Kaiser (1998) by analyzing trends in additional meteorological variables for Chi na [station pressure (p), water vapor pressure (e), and relative humidity (rh)] and extending the total cloud amount (N) analysis an additional two years (through 1996).« less

Hybrid routing technique for a fault-tolerant, integrated information network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meredith, B. D.

1986-01-01

The evolutionary growth of the space station and the diverse activities onboard are expected to require a hierarchy of integrated, local area networks capable of supporting data, voice, and video communications. In addition, fault-tolerant network operation is necessary to protect communications between critical systems attached to the net and to relieve the valuable human resources onboard the space station of time-critical data system repair tasks. A key issue for the design of the fault-tolerant, integrated network is the development of a robust routing algorithm which dynamically selects the optimum communication paths through the net. A routing technique is described that adapts to topological changes in the network to support fault-tolerant operation and system evolvability.

A Five-Factor Model framework for understanding childhood personality disorder antecedents.

PubMed

De Clercq, Barbara; De Fruyt, Filip

2012-12-01

The present contribution reviews evidence that supports the relevance of childhood antecedents of personality disorders, and advocates that the validity of a Five-Factor Model framework for describing general trait differences in childhood can be extended towards the field of developmental personality difficulties. In addition, we suggest that several traditional childhood Axis I conditions include a substantial trait component that may be responsible for the recurring finding that childhood Axis I disorders are predictive for adult Axis II disorders. Given the valuable information provided by a trait assessment, we further propose to integrate dimensional personality and personality pathology measures as standard tools in mental health assessments at a young age. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

POPO AGIE PRIMITIVE AREA, WYOMING.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearson, Robert C.; Patten, L.L.

1984-01-01

A mineral-resource appraisal was made of the Popo Agie Primitive Area and some adjoining lands. This scenic mountainous region of the Wind River Range in west-central Wyoming is composed largely of ancient granitic rocks in which virtually no evidence of mineral deposits was found. Deep crustal seismic-reflection profiles obtained across the southern Wind River Range suggest the possibility that young sedimentary rocks, similar to those at the surface along the northeast flank of the range, are present at depth beneath the granite in the Popo Agie primitive Area. If present, such buried sedimentary rocks could be petroleum bearing. Additional seismic and gravity studies would probably add valuable information, but ultimately very expensive, very deep drilling will be necessary to test this possibility.

Development and evaluation of the impulse transfer function technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mantus, M.

1972-01-01

The development of the test/analysis technique known as the impulse transfer function (ITF) method is discussed. This technique, when implemented with proper data processing systems, should become a valuable supplement to conventional dynamic testing and analysis procedures that will be used in the space shuttle development program. The method can relieve many of the problems associated with extensive and costly testing of the shuttle for transient loading conditions. In addition, the time history information derived from impulse testing has the potential for being used to determine modal data for the structure under investigation. The technique could be very useful in determining the time-varying modal characteristics of structures subjected to thermal transients, where conventional mode surveys are difficult to perform.

Test Expectancy and Memory for Important Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middlebrooks, Catherine D.; Murayama, Kou; Castel, Alan D.

2017-01-01

Prior research suggests that learners study and remember information differently depending upon the type of test they expect to later receive. The current experiments investigate how testing expectations impact the study of and memory for valuable information. Participants studied lists of words ranging in value from 1 to 10 points with the goal…

Comparative meta-analysis and experimental kinetic investigation of column and batch bottle microcosm treatability studies informing in situ groundwater remedial design.

PubMed

Driver, Erin M; Roberts, Jeff; Dollar, Peter; Charles, Maurissa; Hurst, Paul; Halden, Rolf U

2017-02-05

A systematic comparison was performed between batch bottle and continuous-flow column microcosms (BMs and CMs, respectively) commonly used for in situ groundwater remedial design. Review of recent literature (2000-2014) showed a preference for reporting batch kinetics, even when corresponding column data were available. Additionally, CMs produced higher observed rate constants, exceeding those of BMs by a factor of 6.1±1.1 standard error. In a subsequent laboratory investigation, 12 equivalent microcosm pairs were constructed from fractured bedrock and perchloroethylene (PCE) impacted groundwater. First-order PCE transformation kinetics of CMs were 8.0±4.8 times faster than BMs (rates: 1.23±0.87 vs. 0.16±0.05d -1 , respectively). Additionally, CMs transformed 16.1±8.0-times more mass than BMs owing to continuous-feed operation. CMs are concluded to yield more reliable kinetic estimates because of much higher data density stemming from long-term, steady-state conditions. Since information from BMs and CMs is valuable and complementary, treatability studies should report kinetic data from both when available. This first systematic investigation of BMs and CMs highlights the need for a more unified framework for data use and reporting in treatability studies informing decision-making for field-scale groundwater remediation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct and comprehensive analysis of dyes based on integrated molecular and structural information via laser desorption laser postionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Liu, Rong; Yin, Zhibin; Leng, Yixin; Hang, Wei; Huang, Benli

2018-01-01

Laser desorption laser postionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDPI-TOFMS) was employed for direct analysis and determination of typical basic dyes. It was also used for the analysis and comprehensive understanding of complex materials such as blue ballpoint pen inks. Simultaneous emergences of fragmental and molecular information largely simplify and facilitate unambiguous identification of dyes via variable energy of 266nm postionization laser. More specifically, by optimizing postionization laser energy with the same energy of desorption laser, the structurally significant results show definite differences in the fragmentation patterns, which offer opportunities for discrimination of isomeric species with identical molecular weight. Moreover, relatively high spectra resolution can be acquired without the expense of sensitivity. In contrast to laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS), LDPI-MS simultaneously offers valuable molecular information about dyes in traces, solvents and additives about inks, thereby offering direct determination and comprehensive understanding of blue ballpoint inks and giving a high level of confidence to discriminate the complicated evidentiary samples. In addition, direct analysis of the inks not only allows the avoidance of the tedious sample preparation processes, significantly shortening the overall analysis time and improving throughput, but allows minimized sample consumption which is important for rare and precious samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

System Analysis and Design of a Low-Cost Micromechanical Seeker System

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching...who devoted a valuable amount of time to advising me with academic coursework as well as thesis research. Dan, your attention to detail and ability...never have come to be. Many thanks to Sean George, who sacrificed his valuable time to guide me through constructing the projectile flight simulation

Conceptual and statistical problems associated with the use of diversity indices in ecology.

PubMed

Barrantes, Gilbert; Sandoval, Luis

2009-09-01

Diversity indices, particularly the Shannon-Wiener index, have extensively been used in analyzing patterns of diversity at different geographic and ecological scales. These indices have serious conceptual and statistical problems which make comparisons of species richness or species abundances across communities nearly impossible. There is often no a single statistical method that retains all information needed to answer even a simple question. However, multivariate analyses could be used instead of diversity indices, such as cluster analyses or multiple regressions. More complex multivariate analyses, such as Canonical Correspondence Analysis, provide very valuable information on environmental variables associated to the presence and abundance of the species in a community. In addition, particular hypotheses associated to changes in species richness across localities, or change in abundance of one, or a group of species can be tested using univariate, bivariate, and/or rarefaction statistical tests. The rarefaction method has proved to be robust to standardize all samples to a common size. Even the simplest method as reporting the number of species per taxonomic category possibly provides more information than a diversity index value.

Re-examination of sea lamprey control policies for the St. Marys River: Completion of an adaptive management cycle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Michael L.; Brenden, Travis O.; Irwin, Brian J.

2015-01-01

The St. Marys River (SMR) historically has been a major producer of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the early 2000s, a decision analysis (DA) project was conducted to evaluate sea lamprey control policies for the SMR; this project suggested that an integrated policy of trapping, sterile male releases, and Bayluscide treatment was the most cost-effective policy. Further, it concluded that formal assessment of larval sea lamprey abundance and distribution in the SMR would be valuable for future evaluation of control strategies. We updated this earlier analysis, adding information from annual larval assessments conducted since 1999 and evaluating additional control policies. Bayluscide treatments continued to be critical for sea lamprey control, but high recruitment compensation minimized the effectiveness of trapping and sterile male release under current feasible ranges. Because Bayluscide control is costly, development of strategies to enhance trapping success remains a priority. This study illustrates benefits of an adaptive management cycle, wherein models inform decisions, are updated based on learning achieved from those decisions, and ultimately inform future decisions.

Development of a European Ensemble System for Seasonal Prediction: Application to crop yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terres, J. M.; Cantelaube, P.

2003-04-01

Western European agriculture is highly intensive and the weather is the main source of uncertainty for crop yield assessment and for crop management. In the current system, at the time when a crop yield forecast is issued, the weather conditions leading up to harvest time are unknown and are therefore a major source of uncertainty. The use of seasonal weather forecast would bring additional information for the remaining crop season and has valuable benefit for improving the management of agricultural markets and environmentally sustainable farm practices. An innovative method for supplying seasonal forecast information to crop simulation models has been developed in the frame of the EU funded research project DEMETER. It consists in running a crop model on each individual member of the seasonal hindcasts to derive a probability distribution of crop yield. Preliminary results of cumulative probability function of wheat yield provides information on both the yield anomaly and the reliability of the forecast. Based on the spread of the probability distribution, the end-user can directly quantify the benefits and risks of taking weather-sensitive decisions.

Data Processing and Text Mining Technologies on Electronic Medical Records: A Review

PubMed Central

Sun, Wencheng; Li, Yangyang; Liu, Fang; Fang, Shengqun; Wang, Guoyan

2018-01-01

Currently, medical institutes generally use EMR to record patient's condition, including diagnostic information, procedures performed, and treatment results. EMR has been recognized as a valuable resource for large-scale analysis. However, EMR has the characteristics of diversity, incompleteness, redundancy, and privacy, which make it difficult to carry out data mining and analysis directly. Therefore, it is necessary to preprocess the source data in order to improve data quality and improve the data mining results. Different types of data require different processing technologies. Most structured data commonly needs classic preprocessing technologies, including data cleansing, data integration, data transformation, and data reduction. For semistructured or unstructured data, such as medical text, containing more health information, it requires more complex and challenging processing methods. The task of information extraction for medical texts mainly includes NER (named-entity recognition) and RE (relation extraction). This paper focuses on the process of EMR processing and emphatically analyzes the key techniques. In addition, we make an in-depth study on the applications developed based on text mining together with the open challenges and research issues for future work. PMID:29849998

Population and performance analyses of four major populations with Illumina's FGx Forensic Genomics System.

PubMed

Churchill, Jennifer D; Novroski, Nicole M M; King, Jonathan L; Seah, Lay Hong; Budowle, Bruce

2017-09-01

The MiSeq FGx Forensic Genomics System (Illumina) enables amplification and massively parallel sequencing of 59 STRs, 94 identity informative SNPs, 54 ancestry informative SNPs, and 24 phenotypic informative SNPs. Allele frequency and population statistics data were generated for the 172 SNP loci included in this panel on four major population groups (Chinese, African Americans, US Caucasians, and Southwest Hispanics). Single-locus and combined random match probability values were generated for the identity informative SNPs. The average combined STR and identity informative SNP random match probabilities (assuming independence) across all four populations were 1.75E-67 and 2.30E-71 with length-based and sequence-based STR alleles, respectively. Ancestry and phenotype predictions were obtained using the ForenSeq™ Universal Analysis System (UAS; Illumina) based on the ancestry informative and phenotype informative SNP profiles generated for each sample. Additionally, performance metrics, including profile completeness, read depth, relative locus performance, and allele coverage ratios, were evaluated and detailed for the 725 samples included in this study. While some genetic markers included in this panel performed notably better than others, performance across populations was generally consistent. The performance and population data included in this study support that accurate and reliable profiles were generated and provide valuable background information for laboratories considering internal validation studies and implementation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Learning to navigate the healthcare system in a new country: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Straiton, Melanie L; Myhre, Sonja

2017-12-01

Learning to navigate a healthcare system in a new country is a barrier to health care. Understanding more about the specific navigation challenges immigrants experience may be the first step towards improving health information and thus access to care. This study considers the challenges that Thai and Filipino immigrant women encounter when learning to navigate the Norwegian primary healthcare system and the strategies they use. A qualitative interview study using thematic analysis. Norway. Fifteen Thai and 15 Filipino immigrant women over the age of 18 who had been living in Norway at least one year. The women took time to understand the role of the general practitioner and some were unaware of their right to an interpreter during consultations. In addition to reliance on family members and friends in their social networks, voluntary and cultural organisations provided valuable tips and advice on how to navigate the Norwegian health system. While some women actively engaged in learning more about the system, they noted a lack of information available in multiple languages. Informal sources play an important role in learning about the health care system. Formal information should be available in different languages in order to better empower immigrant women.

Predicting Social Anxiety Treatment Outcome Based on Therapeutic Email Conversations.

PubMed

Hoogendoorn, Mark; Berger, Thomas; Schulz, Ava; Stolz, Timo; Szolovits, Peter

2017-09-01

Predicting therapeutic outcome in the mental health domain is of utmost importance to enable therapists to provide the most effective treatment to a patient. Using information from the writings of a patient can potentially be a valuable source of information, especially now that more and more treatments involve computer-based exercises or electronic conversations between patient and therapist. In this paper, we study predictive modeling using writings of patients under treatment for a social anxiety disorder. We extract a wealth of information from the text written by patients including their usage of words, the topics they talk about, the sentiment of the messages, and the style of writing. In addition, we study trends over time with respect to those measures. We then apply machine learning algorithms to generate the predictive models. Based on a dataset of 69 patients, we are able to show that we can predict therapy outcome with an area under the curve of 0.83 halfway through the therapy and with a precision of 0.78 when using the full data (i.e., the entire treatment period). Due to the limited number of participants, it is hard to generalize the results, but they do show great potential in this type of information.

Natural Language Processing in Radiology: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Pons, Ewoud; Braun, Loes M M; Hunink, M G Myriam; Kors, Jan A

2016-05-01

Radiological reporting has generated large quantities of digital content within the electronic health record, which is potentially a valuable source of information for improving clinical care and supporting research. Although radiology reports are stored for communication and documentation of diagnostic imaging, harnessing their potential requires efficient and automated information extraction: they exist mainly as free-text clinical narrative, from which it is a major challenge to obtain structured data. Natural language processing (NLP) provides techniques that aid the conversion of text into a structured representation, and thus enables computers to derive meaning from human (ie, natural language) input. Used on radiology reports, NLP techniques enable automatic identification and extraction of information. By exploring the various purposes for their use, this review examines how radiology benefits from NLP. A systematic literature search identified 67 relevant publications describing NLP methods that support practical applications in radiology. This review takes a close look at the individual studies in terms of tasks (ie, the extracted information), the NLP methodology and tools used, and their application purpose and performance results. Additionally, limitations, future challenges, and requirements for advancing NLP in radiology will be discussed. (©) RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Preventing Terrorism Using Information Sharing Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

in fusing information and providing valuable intelligence that thwarted a terrorist attack at Disneyland . A videotape was received that contained a...creditable threat of a Sarin gas attack at Disneyland . The LA TEW conducted the initial analysis of the tape and the initial investigation that

Can Computers Create?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hausman, Carl R.

1985-01-01

To be creative, an act must have as its outcome something new in the way it is intelligible and valuable. Computers have restricted contexts of information and have no ability to weigh bits of information. Computer optimists presuppose either determinism or indeterminism, either of which abandons creativity. (MT)

Analysis of volatile flavor compounds influencing Chinese-type soy sauces using GC-MS combined with HS-SPME and discrimination with electronic nose.

PubMed

Gao, Lihua; Liu, Ting; An, Xinjing; Zhang, Jinlan; Ma, Xiaoran; Cui, Jinmei

2017-01-01

Soy sauce contains a variety of volatiles that are highly valuable to its quality with regard to sensory characteristics. This paper describes the analysis of volatile compounds influencing the flavor quality of Chinese-type soy sauces. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with headspace-solid phase microextraction and electronic nose (E-nose) were applied for identifying the volatile flavor compounds as well as determining their volatile profiles of 12 soy sauces manufactured by different fermentation process. Forty one key volatile components of these 12 soy sauce products, a pure soy sauce and an acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein sample, were compared in semi-quantitative form, and their volatile flavor profiles were analyzed by E-nose. The substantially similar results between hierarchical cluster analysis based on GC-MS data and E-nose analysis suggested that both techniques may be useful in evaluating the flavor quality of soy sauces and differentiating soy sauce products. The study also showed that there were less volatile flavor compounds in soy sauces produced through low-salt solid-state fermentation process, a traditional manufacturing technology and a widely adopted technology in Chinese soy sauce industries. In addition, the investigation suggested that the flavor quality of soy sauce varied widely in Chinese domestic market, and that the present Chinese national standards of soy sauce should be further perfected by the addition of flavor grades of soy sauce in the physical and chemical index. Meanwhile, this research provided valuable information to manufacturers and government regulators, which have practical significance to improve quality of soy sauces.

Using a refrigerant leak detector to monitor waste gases from halogenated anesthetics.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Henrik; Thorud, Syvert

2007-09-01

Although halogenated gas anesthetics are indispensable in laboratory animal medicine, they are hazardous when present in the working environment. A simple technique of real-time leak detection and environmental spot monitoring can provide valuable adjunct information to current techniques of time-weighted monitoring. We investigated the minimal limit of detection of halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane of a leak detector for halogenated gas refrigerants which provides a qualitative response only. We connected a container to an infrared gas analyzer to create a 135-l closed-circuit system and injected liquid halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane to create calculated gas concentrations of 0.7 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm). The infrared absorbance and response of the leak detector were recorded, and a total of 5 measurements were made per concentration. The actual gas concentrations were calculated by comparison with the agent-specific absorbance standard curve. The leak detector clearly and consistently responded to halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane from minimal concentrations of 2.1 +/- 0.2, 1.4 +/- 0.04, 0.8 +/- 0.04, and 1.2 +/- 0.4 ppm, respectively, as determined by infrared analysis. Although the detector does not provide numerical and time-weighted results, leak testing of equipment and repeated monitoring of the environment (spot monitoring) can provide valuable real-time information. In addition, with appropriate consideration of the methodological limitations, spot monitoring can be used to predict the likelihood of compliance with time-weighted exposure recommendations. A leak detector therefore represents a simple, effective, and inexpensive instrument for monitoring the leakage of halogenated anesthetic gases from equipment and into the working environment.

Needs assessment for simulation training in neuroendoscopy: a Canadian national survey.

PubMed

Haji, Faizal A; Dubrowski, Adam; Drake, James; de Ribaupierre, Sandrine

2013-02-01

In recent years, dramatic changes in surgical education have increased interest in simulation-based training for complex surgical skills. This is particularly true for endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV), given the potential for serious intraoperative errors arising from surgical inexperience. However, prior to simulator development, a thorough assessment of training needs is essential to ensure development of educationally relevant platforms. The purpose of this study was to conduct a national needs assessment addressing specific goals of instruction, to guide development of simulation platforms, training curricula, and assessment metrics for ETV. Canadian neurosurgeons performing ETV were invited to participate in a structured online questionnaire regarding the procedural steps for ETV, the frequency and significance of intraoperative errors committed while learning the technique, and simulation training modules of greatest potential educational benefit. Descriptive data analysis was completed for both quantitative and qualitative responses. Thirty-two (55.2%) of 58 surgeons completed the survey. All believed that virtual reality simulation training for ETV would be a valuable addition to clinical training. Selection of ventriculostomy site, navigation within the ventricles, and performance of the ventriculostomy ranked as the most important steps to simulate. Technically inadequate ventriculostomy and inappropriate fenestration site selection were ranked as the most frequent/significant errors. A standard ETV module was thought to be most beneficial for resident training. To inform the development of a simulation-based training program for ETV, the authors have conducted a national needs assessment. The results provide valuable insight to inform key design elements necessary to construct an educationally relevant device and educational program.

Rare Diseases on the Internet: An Assessment of the Quality of Online Information.

PubMed

Pauer, Frédéric; Litzkendorf, Svenja; Göbel, Jens; Storf, Holger; Zeidler, Jan; Graf von der Schulenburg, Johann-Matthias

2017-01-18

The importance of the Internet as a medium for publishing and sharing health and medical information has increased considerably during the last decade. Nonetheless, comprehensive knowledge and information are scarce and difficult to find, especially for rare diseases. Additionally, the quality of health or medical information about rare diseases is frequently difficult to assess for the patients and their family members. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of information on the Internet about rare diseases. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate if the quality of information on rare diseases varies between different information supplier categories. A total of 13 quality criteria for websites providing medical information about rare diseases were transferred to a self-disclosure questionnaire. Identified providers of information on the Internet about rare diseases were invited to fill out the questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions about the information provider in general (eg, supplier category, information category, language, use of quality certificates, and target group) and about quality aspects that reflect the 13 quality criteria. Differences in subgroup analyses were performed using t tests. We identified 693 websites containing information about rare diseases. A total of 123 questionnaires (17.7%) were completely filled out by the information suppliers. For the remaining identified suppliers (570/693, 82.3%), the questionnaires were filled out by the authors based on the information available on their website. In many cases, the quality of websites was proportionally low. Furthermore, subgroup analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the quality of information provided by support group/patient organization compared to medical institution (P=.19). The quality of information by individuals (patient/relative) was significantly lower compared to information provided by support group/patient organization (P=.001), medical institution (P=.009), and other associations and sponsoring bodies (P=.001) as well. Overall, the quality of information on the Internet about rare diseases is low. Quality certificates are rarely used and important quality criteria are often not fulfilled completely. Additionally, some information categories are underrepresented (eg, information about psychosocial counseling, social-legal advice, and family planning). Nevertheless, due to the high amount of information provided by support groups, this study shows that these are extremely valuable sources of information for patients suffering from a rare disease and their relatives. ©Frédéric Pauer, Svenja Litzkendorf, Jens Göbel, Holger Storf, Jan Zeidler, Johann-Matthias Graf von der Schulenburg. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 18.01.2017.

Competitive Intelligence on the Internet-Going for the Gold.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassler, Helene

2000-01-01

Discussion of competitive intelligence (CI) focuses on recent Web sties and several search techniques that provide valuable CI information. Highlights include links that display business relationships; information from vendors; general business sites; search engine strategies; local business newspapers; job postings; patent and trademark…

A Thermal-based Two-Source Energy Balance Model for Estimating Evapotranspiration over Complex Canopies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Land surface temperature (LST) provides valuable information for quantifying root-zone water availability, evapotranspiration (ET) and crop condition as well as providing useful information for constraining prognostic land surface models. This presentation describes a robust but relatively simple LS...

Assessing Website Quality in Context: Retrieving Information about Genetically Modified Food on the Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McInerney, Claire R.; Bird, Nora J.

2005-01-01

Introduction: Knowing the credibility of information about genetically modified food on the Internet is critical to the everyday life information seeking of consumers as they form opinions about this nascent agricultural technology. The Website Quality Evaluation Tool (WQET) is a valuable instrument that can be used to determine the credibility of…

The Use of Information from Wrong Responses in Measuring Students' Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birenbaum, Menucha; Tatsuoka, Kikumi K.

Much valuable information can be gained by analyzing the students' wrong responses. When a student answers a free response item she/he gives the response which she/he considers to be the correct one. Therefore, diagnosing the algorithm that led the student to his/her answer provides an important source of information for assessing his/her…

Propagation of Valuable North Sumatera Benzoin Trees (Styrax Sp) Using Macrocutting Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susilowati, A.; Hartini, K. S.; Rachmat, H. H.; Alvaroby, M.

2017-03-01

Kemenyan known as Sumatran benzoin is North Sumatera local species that produce high valuable rosin and prospective export comodities. However, sustainability of Sumatran benzoin production has many constraints such as instability of resin production, lack information of propagation technique and traditional management system. Until now, comprehensive information for Sumatran benzoin propagation system still not determined yet. The objectives of this research were (1) to get information about propagation technique of Sumatran benzoin and its suitable growing medium and 2) to get information on adventitious root formation in Sumatran benzoin cuttings. Cutting materials (Toba benzoin and Durame benzoin) were originated from 1 year old seedling propagated by seed. Media used were combination of sand : rice husk (1:0 v/v; 1/1 v/v). Results showed that interaction between media and benzoin species significantly affected primer and secondary root lenght. While planting medium significantly improved secondary root length and number. Benzoin species significantly affected primary and secondary root lenght, and secondary root number.

U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Laboratory Sampling and Analysis Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-15

valuable information during the environmental health risk assessment.  EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). IRIS is a human health assessment...information for more than 550 chemical substances containing information on human health effects that may result from exposure to various substances in the...Crystalyn E. Brown November 2016 Air Force Research Laboratory 711th Human Performance Wing School of Aerospace Medicine

The Economics of Information: A Guide to Economic and Cost-Benefit Analysis for Information Professionals. Library and Information Science Text Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingma, Bruce R.

This book provides readers with an introduction to economics and cost-benefit analysis and will be particularly valuable to individuals who are, or plan to be, managers of information services in academic, public, or special libraries. Part 1 provides a rational for economic studies in librarianship, specifically, gaining understanding of consumer…

Enhancement of colour stability of anthocyanins in model beverages by gum arabic addition.

PubMed

Chung, Cheryl; Rojanasasithara, Thananunt; Mutilangi, William; McClements, David Julian

2016-06-15

This study investigated the potential of gum arabic to improve the stability of anthocyanins that are used in commercial beverages as natural colourants. The degradation of purple carrot anthocyanin in model beverage systems (pH 3.0) containing L-ascorbic acid proceeded with a first-order reaction rate during storage (40 °C for 5 days in light). The addition of gum arabic (0.05-5.0%) significantly enhanced the colour stability of anthocyanin, with the most stable systems observed at intermediate levels (1.5%). A further increase in concentration (>1.5%) reduced its efficacy due to a change in the conformation of the gum arabic molecules that hindered their exposure to the anthocyanins. Fluorescence quenching measurements showed that the anthocyanin could have interacted with the glycoprotein fractions of the gum arabic through hydrogen bonding, resulting in enhanced stability. Overall, this study provides valuable information about enhancing the stability of anthocyanins in beverage systems using natural ingredients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and Validation of the Pediatric Diabetes Routines Questionnaire for Adolescents.

PubMed

Pierce, Jessica S; Jordan, Sara S; Arnau, Randolph C

2018-04-06

This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of an adolescent self-report version of the Pediatric Diabetes Routines Questionnaire (PDRQ:A), a measure of diabetes-specific routines for youth with type 1 diabetes, and further validation of the parent-version (PDRQ:P) in an adolescent sample. Participants included 120 parent-adolescent dyads (ages 12-17) and an additional 24 parents who completed measures of diabetes-specific adolescent routines, general adolescent routines, diabetes self-care, and family support of youth diabetes care. The PDRQ:P/A demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and parent-child agreement, and adequate validity coefficients. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor model. Promising results were obtained. The PDRQ:P/A is a clinically feasible parent- and self-report measure that can provide valuable information regarding how frequently adolescents engage in their diabetes management tasks in a consistent manner. Addition of an adolescent report format will enhance the utility of the measure for clinical and research use.

Pathophysiological significance and therapeutic applications of snake venom protease inhibitors.

PubMed

Thakur, Rupamoni; Mukherjee, Ashis K

2017-06-01

Protease inhibitors are important constituents of snake venom and play important roles in the pathophysiology of snakebite. Recently, research on snake venom protease inhibitors has provided valuable information to decipher the molecular details of various biological processes and offer insight for the development of some therapeutically important molecules from snake venom. The process of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, in addition to affecting platelet function, are well known as the major targets of several snake venom protease inhibitors. This review summarizes the structure-functional aspects of snake venom protease inhibitors that have been described to date. Because diverse biological functions have been demonstrated by protease inhibitors, a comparative overview of their pharmacological and pathophysiological properties is also highlighted. In addition, since most snake venom protease inhibitors are non-toxic on their own, this review evaluates the different roles of individual protease inhibitors that could lead to the identification of drug candidates and diagnostic molecules. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predation Risk within Fishing Gear and Implications for South Australian Rock Lobster Fisheries.

PubMed

Briceño, Felipe; Linnane, Adrian Joseph; Quiroz, Juan Carlos; Gardner, Caleb; Pecl, Gretta Tatyana

2015-01-01

Depredation of southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) within fishing gear by the Maori octopus (Pinnoctopus cordiformis) has economic and ecological impacts on valuable fisheries in South Australia. In addition, depredation rates can be highly variable resulting in uncertainties for the fishery. We examined how in-pot lobster predation was influenced by factors such as lobster size and sex, season, fishing zone, and catch rate. Using mixed modelling techniques, we found that in-pot predation risk increased with lobster size and was higher for male lobsters. In addition, the effect of catch rate of lobsters on predation risk by octopus differed among fishing zones. There was both a seasonal and a spatial component to octopus predation, with an increased risk within discrete fishing grounds in South Australia at certain times of the year. Information about predation within lobster gear can assist fishery management decision-making, potentially leading to significant reduction in economic losses to the fishery.

Investigation of Rhodopsin Dynamics in its Signaling State by Solid-State Deuterium NMR Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Struts, Andrey V.; Chawla, Udeep; Perera, Suchithranga M.D.C.; Brown, Michael F.

2017-01-01

Site-directed deuterium NMR spectroscopy is a valuable tool to study the structural dynamics of biomolecules in cases where solution NMR is inapplicable. Solid-state 2H NMR spectral studies of aligned membrane samples of rhodopsin with selectively labeled retinal provide information on structural changes of the chromophore in different protein states. In addition, solid-state 2H NMR relaxation time measurements allow one to study the dynamics of the ligand during the transition from the inactive to the active state. Here we describe the methodological aspects of solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy for functional studies of rhodopsin, with an emphasis on the dynamics of the retinal cofactor. We provide complete protocols for the preparation of NMR samples of rhodopsin with 11-cis-retinal selectively deuterated at the methyl groups in aligned membranes. In addition, we review optimized conditions for trapping the rhodopsin photointermediates; and lastly we address the challenging problem of trapping the signaling state of rhodopsin in aligned membrane films. PMID:25697522

Predation Risk within Fishing Gear and Implications for South Australian Rock Lobster Fisheries

PubMed Central

Briceño, Felipe; Linnane, Adrian Joseph; Quiroz, Juan Carlos; Gardner, Caleb; Pecl, Gretta Tatyana

2015-01-01

Depredation of southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) within fishing gear by the Maori octopus (Pinnoctopus cordiformis) has economic and ecological impacts on valuable fisheries in South Australia. In addition, depredation rates can be highly variable resulting in uncertainties for the fishery. We examined how in-pot lobster predation was influenced by factors such as lobster size and sex, season, fishing zone, and catch rate. Using mixed modelling techniques, we found that in-pot predation risk increased with lobster size and was higher for male lobsters. In addition, the effect of catch rate of lobsters on predation risk by octopus differed among fishing zones. There was both a seasonal and a spatial component to octopus predation, with an increased risk within discrete fishing grounds in South Australia at certain times of the year. Information about predation within lobster gear can assist fishery management decision-making, potentially leading to significant reduction in economic losses to the fishery. PMID:26489035

Secure communication via an energy-harvesting untrusted relay in the presence of an eavesdropper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuan, Van Phu; Kong, Hyung Yun

2018-02-01

This article studies a secure communication of a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer system in which an energy-constrained untrusted relay, which harvests energy from the wireless signals, helps the communication between the source and destination and is able to decode the source's confidential signal. Additionally, the source's confidential signal is also overheard by a passive eavesdropper. To create positive secrecy capacity, a destination-assisted jamming signal that is completely cancelled at the destination is adopted. Moreover, the jamming signal is also exploited as an additional energy source. To evaluate the secrecy performance, analytical expressions for the secrecy outage probability (SOP) and the average secrecy capacity are derived. Moreover, a high-power approximation for the SOP is presented. The accuracy of the analytical results is verified by Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results provide valuable insights into the effect of various system parameters, such as the energy-harvesting efficiency, secrecy rate threshold, power-splitting ratio, transmit powers, and locations of the relay and eavesdropper, on the secrecy performance.

Quality and accuracy of publicly accessible cancer-related physical activity information on the Internet: a cross-sectional assessment.

PubMed

Buote, R D; Malone, S D; Bélanger, L J; McGowan, E L

2016-09-01

In this study, we assessed the quality of publicly available cancer-related physical activity (PA) information appearing on reputable sites from Canada and other English-speaking countries. A cross-sectional Internet search was conducted on select countries (Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, UK) using Google to generate top 50 results per country for the keywords "'physical activity' AND 'cancer'". Top results were assessed for quality of PA information based on a coding frame. Additional searches were performed for Canadian-based sites to produce an exhaustive list. Results found that many sites offered cancer-related PA information (94.5%), but rarely defined PA (25.2%). Top 50 results from each country did not differ on any indicator examined. The exhaustive list of Canadian sites found that many sites gave information about PA for survivorship (78.3%) and prevention (70.0%), but rarely defined (6.7%) or referenced PA guidelines (28.3%). Cancer-related PA information is plentiful on the Internet but the quality needs improvement. Sites should do more than mention PA; they should provide definitions, examples and guidelines. With improvements, these websites would enable healthcare providers to effectively educate their patients about PA, and serve as a valuable resource to the general public who may be seeking cancer-related PA information. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

GIS as a vital tool for Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gharehbaghi, Koorosh; Scott-Young, Christina

2018-03-01

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a course of action which provides information to various stakeholders such as planners and relevant authorities about the planned development and its subsequent effects of the environment and the immediate ambiances. Furthermore, the EIA and mitigation are the inclusive process of collecting, analyzing information and the determination of the application for development or construction approval, which could be accessible by the concerned communities and organizations. Although the set regulations of EIA and mitigation vary from jurisdictions, they are, however, very precise and need to be integrated with the specific geographical data. In addition, the Geographical Information System (GIS) is a software intended to encapsulate and present all types of physical, biological, environmental, ecological and geological information. Conversely, GIS is the integration of statistical analysis and information technology, and can also be further broken down into two different categories of; Topological Modelling and Map overlay. To ensure that the EIA and mitigation are receptive the GIS will provide the decisive apparatus. Using GIS not only improves the overall EIA and mitigation process, but also provides valuable mapping strategies, including holistic environmental system approach. Accordingly, the main objective of this paper is to discuss the importance of the GIS and Environmental Data integration progression, to further enhance the overall EIA and Mitigation processes.

Linking physiological approaches to marine vertebrate conservation: using sex steroid hormone determinations in demographic assessments

PubMed Central

Labrada-Martagón, Vanessa; Zenteno-Savín, Tania; Mangel, Marc

2014-01-01

Sex, age and sexual maturation are key biological parameters for aspects of life history and are fundamental information for assessing demographic changes and the reproductive viability and performance of natural populations under exploitation pressures or in response to environmental influences. Much of the information available on the reproductive condition, length at sexual maturity and sex determinations of endangered species has been derived from direct examination of the gonads in dead animals, either intentionally or incidentally caught, or from stranded individuals. However, morphological data, when used alone, do not provide accurate demographic information in sexually monomorphic marine vertebrate species (e.g. sharks, sea turtles, seabirds and cetaceans). Hormone determination is an accurate and non-destructive method that provides indirect information about sex, reproductive condition and sexual maturity of free-ranging individuals. Correlations between sex steroid concentrations and biochemical parameters, gonadal development and state, reproductive behaviour and secondary external features have been already demonstrated in many species. Different non-lethal approaches (e.g. surgical and mark–recapture procedures), with intrinsic advantages and disadvantages when applied on free-ranging organisms, have been proposed to asses sex, growth and reproductive condition. Hormone determination from blood samples will generate valuable additional demographic information needed for stock assessment and biological conservation. PMID:27293619

Increasing Information Dissemination in Cancer Communication: Effects of Using "Palliative," "Supportive," or "Hospice" Care Terminology.

PubMed

Fishman, Jessica M; Greenberg, Patricia; Bagga, Margy Barbieri; Casarett, David; Propert, Kathleen

2018-04-20

When attempting to share information about comfort-oriented care, many use "palliative," "supportive," and "hospice" care terminology interchangeably, but we lack evidence about the effects of using these different terms. This study was designed to test whether the use of "palliative," "supportive," or "hospice" terminology can improve the dissemination of information among breast cancer patients-a large and growing oncology population. Design, Setting, and Measurement: This experimental study was conducted at a major U.S. hospital serving a diverse population. Patients visiting a cancer clinic encountered opportunities to learn more about cancer care. They were offered health materials that were described as reporting on "palliative," "supportive," or "hospice" care and the primary outcome was whether a patient decided to select or reject each. As a secondary outcome, the study measured the patient's level of interest in receiving each. Compared with alternatives, materials labeled as "supportive" care were most likely to be selected and considered valuable (p value <0.01). In this study, the terminology used had a large effect and, compared with alternatives, the information labeled as being about "supportive" care was significantly more likely to be selected. If these effects are supported by additional research, there may be low-cost, highly feasible changes in language choice that increase the dissemination of relevant health information.

Compressed-air energy storage: Commercialization potential and EPRI roles in the commercialization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, D. W.; Buckley, O. E.; Clark, C. E.

1982-12-01

This report describes an assessment of potential roles that EPRI might take to facilitate the commercial acceptance of compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems. The assessment is based on (1) detailed analyses of the market potential of utility storage technologies, (2) interviews with representatives of key participants in the CAES market, and (3) a decision analysis synthesizing much of the information about market and technology status. The results indicate a large potential market for CAES systems if the overall business environment for utilities improves. In addition, it appears that EPRI can have a valuable incremental impact in ensuring that utilities realize the potential of CAES by (1) continuing an aggressive information dissemination and technology transfer program, (2) working to ensure the success of the first United States CAES installation at Soyland Power Cooperative, (3) developing planning methods to allow utilities to evaluate CAES and other storage options more effectively and more realistically, and (4) supporting R and D to resolve residual uncertainties in first-generation CAES cost and performance characteristics.

Multi-Modal Active Perception for Autonomously Selecting Landing Sites on Icy Moons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arora, A.; Furlong, P. M.; Wong, U.; Fong, T.; Sukkarieh, S.

2017-01-01

Selecting suitable landing sites is fundamental to achieving many mission objectives in planetary robotic lander missions. However, due to sensing limitations, landing sites which are both safe and scientifically valuable often cannot be determined reliably from orbit, particularly, in icy moon missions where orbital sensing data is noisy and incomplete. This paper presents an active perception approach to Entry Descent and Landing (EDL) which enables the lander to autonomously plan informative descent trajectories, acquire high quality sensing data during descent and exploit this additional information to select higher utility landing sites. Our approach consists of two components: probabilistic modeling of landing site features and approximate trajectory planning using a sampling based planner. The proposed framework allows the lander to plan long horizons paths and remain robust to noisy data. Results in simulated environments show large performance improvements over alternative approaches and show promise that our approach has strong potential to improve science return of not only icy moon missions but EDL systems in general.

Applications of Experimental Suomi-NPP VIIRS Flood Inundation Maps in Operational Flood Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deweese, M. M.

2017-12-01

Flooding is the most costly natural disaster across the globe. In 2016 flooding caused more fatalities than any other natural disaster in the United States. The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) is mandated to forecast rivers for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. Since 2014, the NWS North Central River Forecast Center has utilized experimental near real time flood mapping products from the JPSS Suomi-NPP VIIRS satellite. These products have been demonstrated to provide reliable and high value information for forecasters in ice jam and snowmelt flooding in data sparse regions of the northern plains. In addition, they have proved valuable in rainfall induced flooding within the upper Mississippi River basin. Aerial photography and ground observations have validated the accuracy of the products. Examples are provided from numerous flooding events to demonstrate the operational application of this satellite derived information as a remotely sensed observational data source and it's utility in real time flood forecasting.

Nanopipettes as Monitoring Probes for the Single Living Cell: State of the Art and Future Directions in Molecular Biology.

PubMed

Bulbul, Gonca; Chaves, Gepoliano; Olivier, Joseph; Ozel, Rifat Emrah; Pourmand, Nader

2018-06-06

Examining the behavior of a single cell within its natural environment is valuable for understanding both the biological processes that control the function of cells and how injury or disease lead to pathological change of their function. Single-cell analysis can reveal information regarding the causes of genetic changes, and it can contribute to studies on the molecular basis of cell transformation and proliferation. By contrast, whole tissue biopsies can only yield information on a statistical average of several processes occurring in a population of different cells. Electrowetting within a nanopipette provides a nanobiopsy platform for the extraction of cellular material from single living cells. Additionally, functionalized nanopipette sensing probes can differentiate analytes based on their size, shape or charge density, making the technology uniquely suited to sensing changes in single-cell dynamics. In this review, we highlight the potential of nanopipette technology as a non-destructive analytical tool to monitor single living cells, with particular attention to integration into applications in molecular biology.

Gene Ontology annotations at SGD: new data sources and annotation methods

PubMed Central

Hong, Eurie L.; Balakrishnan, Rama; Dong, Qing; Christie, Karen R.; Park, Julie; Binkley, Gail; Costanzo, Maria C.; Dwight, Selina S.; Engel, Stacia R.; Fisk, Dianna G.; Hirschman, Jodi E.; Hitz, Benjamin C.; Krieger, Cynthia J.; Livstone, Michael S.; Miyasato, Stuart R.; Nash, Robert S.; Oughtred, Rose; Skrzypek, Marek S.; Weng, Shuai; Wong, Edith D.; Zhu, Kathy K.; Dolinski, Kara; Botstein, David; Cherry, J. Michael

2008-01-01

The Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD; http://www.yeastgenome.org/) collects and organizes biological information about the chromosomal features and gene products of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although published data from traditional experimental methods are the primary sources of evidence supporting Gene Ontology (GO) annotations for a gene product, high-throughput experiments and computational predictions can also provide valuable insights in the absence of an extensive body of literature. Therefore, GO annotations available at SGD now include high-throughput data as well as computational predictions provided by the GO Annotation Project (GOA UniProt; http://www.ebi.ac.uk/GOA/). Because the annotation method used to assign GO annotations varies by data source, GO resources at SGD have been modified to distinguish data sources and annotation methods. In addition to providing information for genes that have not been experimentally characterized, GO annotations from independent sources can be compared to those made by SGD to help keep the literature-based GO annotations current. PMID:17982175

Microsatellites identify depredated waterfowl remains from glaucous gull stomachs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scribner, K.T.; Bowman, Timothy D.

1998-01-01

Prey remains can provide valuable sources of information regarding causes of predation and the species composition of a predator's diet. Unfortunately, the highly degraded state of many prey samples from gastrointestinal tracts often precludes unambiguous identification. We describe a procedure by which PCR amplification of taxonomically informative microsatellite loci were used to identify species of waterfowl predated by glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus). We found that one microsatellite locus unambiguously distinguished between species of the subfamily Anserinae (whistling ducks, geese and swans) and those of the subfamily Anatidae (all other ducks). An additional locus distinguished the remains of all geese and swan species known to nest on the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta in western Alaska. The study focused on two waterfowl species which have experienced precipitous declines in population numbers: emperor geese (Chen canagica) and spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri). No evidence of predation on spectacled eiders was observed. Twenty-six percent of all glaucous gull stomachs examined contained the remains of juvenile emperor geese.

Physician-directed software design: the role of utilization statistics and user input in enhancing HELP results review capabilities.

PubMed Central

Michael, P. A.

1993-01-01

The M.D. Rounds Report program was developed and implemented in June of 1992 as an adjunct to the HELP System at Rex Hospital. The program facilitates rapid access to information on allergies and current medications, laboratory results, radiology reports and therapist notes for a list of patients without physicians having to make additional menu or submenu selections. In planning for an upgrade of the program, utilization statistics and user feedback provided valuable information in terms of frequency of access, features used and unused, and the value of the program as a reporting tool in comparison to other online results reporting applications. A brief description of the functionality of the M.D. Rounds Report, evaluation of the program audit trail and user feedback, planned enhancements to the program, and a discussion of the prototyping and monitoring experience and the impact on future physician subsystem development will be presented. PMID:8130443

Effect of spaceflight on oxidative and antioxidant enzyme activity in rat diaphragm and intercostal muscles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Mona D.; Tuttle, Ronald; Girten, Beverly

1995-01-01

There are limited data regarding changes in oxidative and antioxidant enzymes induced by simulated or actual weightlessness, and any additional information would provide insight into potential mechanisms involving other changes observed in muscles from animals previously flown in space. Thus, the NASA Biospecimen Sharing Program was an opportunity to collect valuable information. Oxidative and antioxidant enzyme levels, as well as lipid peroxidation, were measured in respiratory muscles from rates flown on board Space Shuttle mission STS-54. The results indicated that there was an increasing trend in citrate synthase activity in the flight diaphragm when compared to ground based controls, and there were no significant changes observed in the intercostal muscles for any of the parameters. However, the lipid peroxidation was significantly (p less than 0.05) decreased in the flight diaphragm. These results indicate that 6 day exposure to microgravity may have a different effect on oxidative and antioxidant activity in rat respiratory muscles when compared to data from previous 14 day hindlimb suspension studies.

An industrial ecology approach to municipal solid waste ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Municipal solid waste (MSW) can be viewed as a feedstock for industrial ecology inspired conversions of wastes to valuable products and energy. The industrial ecology principle of symbiotic processes using waste streams for creating value-added products is applied to MSW, with examples suggested for various residual streams. A methodology is presented to consider individual waste-to-energy or waste-to-product system synergies, evaluating the economic and environmental issues associated with each system. Steps included in the methodology include identifying waste streams, specific waste components of interest, and conversion technologies, plus steps for determining the economic and environmental effects of using wastes and changes due to transport, administrative handling, and processing. In addition to presenting the methodology, technologies for various MSW input streams are categorized as commercialized or demonstrated to provide organizations that are considering processes for MSW with summarized information. The organization can also follow the methodology to analyze interesting processes. Presents information useful for analyzing the sustainability of alternatives for the management of municipal solid waste.

A contribution to the development of an economic atlas of the Houston Area Test Site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

An outine description of the Houston Area Test Site was prepared, in the form of an atlas-catalog of Universal Transverse Mercator grid coordinate locations, building on the manufacturing sector and expanding along agreed lines as far as possible. It was concluded that (1) the effort expended in securing and verifying the locations of larger manufacturing plants yielded 5,000-plus usable entries, in addition to certain valuable conclusions about the general feasibility of obtaining ground information by economic sector; (2) on the basis of the number and the quality of the usable entries obtained, the resources expended on nonmanufacturing sectors and on historical data cannot be wholly justified; and (3) even without the 5,000-odd locations of completely satisfactory quality, the relatively modest cost of this pilot study secured enough data to provide a sound basis for obtaining feasibly and systematically some appropriate ground information on almost any economic or social activity, together with some indication of their relative areal and economic significance.

Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach with Hesitant Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets

PubMed Central

Peng, Juan-juan; Wang, Jian-qiang; Wang, Jing; Chen, Xiao-hong

2014-01-01

The definition of hesitant interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (HIVIFSs) is developed based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVIFSs) and hesitant fuzzy sets (HFSs). Then, some operations on HIVIFSs are introduced in detail, and their properties are further discussed. In addition, some hesitant interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy number aggregation operators based on t-conorms and t-norms are proposed, which can be used to aggregate decision-makers' information in multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) problems. Some valuable proposals of these operators are studied. In particular, based on algebraic and Einstein t-conorms and t-norms, some hesitant interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy algebraic aggregation operators and Einstein aggregation operators can be obtained, respectively. Furthermore, an approach of MCDM problems based on the proposed aggregation operators is given using hesitant interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy information. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed approach, and the study is supported by a sensitivity analysis and a comparison analysis. PMID:24983009

Polarimetric scattering behavior of materials at terahertz frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiGiovanni, David Anthony

Terahertz spectroscopic techniques have long been used to characterize the electromagnetic behavior of materials for use in radar, astronomy, and remote sensing applications. Spectroscopic information is valuable, but additional information about materials is present in the polarization of the scattered radiation. This thesis has investigated the polarimetric scattering behavior of various rough dielectric and metallic materials from 100 GHz to 1.55 THz. Common building materials and terrain, such as sand, gravel, soil, concrete, and roofing shingles, were studied. In order to obtain a better understanding of basic rough surface scattering phenomenology in this region of the spectrum, roughened metal and plastic samples were studied as well. The scattering behavior of these materials was studied as a function of incident angle, roughness, frequency, and polarization. Theoretical scattering models were used to compare measured results to theoretical predictions. Good agreement was observed between scattering measurements and theoretical predictions based on the small perturbation theory for the roughened metal surfaces. However, a substantial disagreement was observed for the rough dielectric surfaces and is discussed.

The IRAF Fabry-Perot analysis package: Ring fitting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shopbell, P. L.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Cecil, G.

1992-01-01

As introduced at ADASSI, a Fabry-Perot analysis package for IRAF is currently under development as a joint effort of ourselves and Frank Valdes of the IRAF group. Although additional portions of the package were also implemented, we report primarily on the development of a robust ring fitting task, useful for fitting the calibration rings obtained in Fabry-Perot observations. The general equation of an ellipse is fit to the shape of the rings, providing information on ring center, ellipticity, and position angle. Such parameters provide valuable information on the wavelength response of the etalon and the geometric stability of the system. Appropriate statistical weighting is applied to the pixels to account for increasing numbers with radius, the Lorentzian cross-section, and uneven illumination. The major problems of incomplete, non-uniform, and multiple rings are addressed with the final task capable of fitting rings regardless of center, cross-section, or completion. The task requires only minimal user intervention, allowing large numbers of rings to be fit in an extremely automated manner.

Sequence-Based Prediction of RNA-Binding Residues in Proteins.

PubMed

Walia, Rasna R; El-Manzalawy, Yasser; Honavar, Vasant G; Dobbs, Drena

2017-01-01

Identifying individual residues in the interfaces of protein-RNA complexes is important for understanding the molecular determinants of protein-RNA recognition and has many potential applications. Recent technical advances have led to several high-throughput experimental methods for identifying partners in protein-RNA complexes, but determining RNA-binding residues in proteins is still expensive and time-consuming. This chapter focuses on available computational methods for identifying which amino acids in an RNA-binding protein participate directly in contacting RNA. Step-by-step protocols for using three different web-based servers to predict RNA-binding residues are described. In addition, currently available web servers and software tools for predicting RNA-binding sites, as well as databases that contain valuable information about known protein-RNA complexes, RNA-binding motifs in proteins, and protein-binding recognition sites in RNA are provided. We emphasize sequence-based methods that can reliably identify interfacial residues without the requirement for structural information regarding either the RNA-binding protein or its RNA partner.

Sequence-Based Prediction of RNA-Binding Residues in Proteins

PubMed Central

Walia, Rasna R.; EL-Manzalawy, Yasser; Honavar, Vasant G.; Dobbs, Drena

2017-01-01

Identifying individual residues in the interfaces of protein–RNA complexes is important for understanding the molecular determinants of protein–RNA recognition and has many potential applications. Recent technical advances have led to several high-throughput experimental methods for identifying partners in protein–RNA complexes, but determining RNA-binding residues in proteins is still expensive and time-consuming. This chapter focuses on available computational methods for identifying which amino acids in an RNA-binding protein participate directly in contacting RNA. Step-by-step protocols for using three different web-based servers to predict RNA-binding residues are described. In addition, currently available web servers and software tools for predicting RNA-binding sites, as well as databases that contain valuable information about known protein–RNA complexes, RNA-binding motifs in proteins, and protein-binding recognition sites in RNA are provided. We emphasize sequence-based methods that can reliably identify interfacial residues without the requirement for structural information regarding either the RNA-binding protein or its RNA partner. PMID:27787829

Benchmarking in Academic Pharmacy Departments

PubMed Central

Chisholm-Burns, Marie; Nappi, Jean; Gubbins, Paul O.; Ross, Leigh Ann

2010-01-01

Benchmarking in academic pharmacy, and recommendations for the potential uses of benchmarking in academic pharmacy departments are discussed in this paper. Benchmarking is the process by which practices, procedures, and performance metrics are compared to an established standard or best practice. Many businesses and industries use benchmarking to compare processes and outcomes, and ultimately plan for improvement. Institutions of higher learning have embraced benchmarking practices to facilitate measuring the quality of their educational and research programs. Benchmarking is used internally as well to justify the allocation of institutional resources or to mediate among competing demands for additional program staff or space. Surveying all chairs of academic pharmacy departments to explore benchmarking issues such as department size and composition, as well as faculty teaching, scholarly, and service productivity, could provide valuable information. To date, attempts to gather this data have had limited success. We believe this information is potentially important, urge that efforts to gather it should be continued, and offer suggestions to achieve full participation. PMID:21179251

Benchmarking in academic pharmacy departments.

PubMed

Bosso, John A; Chisholm-Burns, Marie; Nappi, Jean; Gubbins, Paul O; Ross, Leigh Ann

2010-10-11

Benchmarking in academic pharmacy, and recommendations for the potential uses of benchmarking in academic pharmacy departments are discussed in this paper. Benchmarking is the process by which practices, procedures, and performance metrics are compared to an established standard or best practice. Many businesses and industries use benchmarking to compare processes and outcomes, and ultimately plan for improvement. Institutions of higher learning have embraced benchmarking practices to facilitate measuring the quality of their educational and research programs. Benchmarking is used internally as well to justify the allocation of institutional resources or to mediate among competing demands for additional program staff or space. Surveying all chairs of academic pharmacy departments to explore benchmarking issues such as department size and composition, as well as faculty teaching, scholarly, and service productivity, could provide valuable information. To date, attempts to gather this data have had limited success. We believe this information is potentially important, urge that efforts to gather it should be continued, and offer suggestions to achieve full participation.

A microseismic workflow for managing induced seismicity risk as CO 2 storage projects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matzel, E.; Morency, C.; Pyle, M.

2015-10-27

It is well established that fluid injection has the potential to induce earthquakes—from microseismicity to large, damaging events—by altering state-of-stress conditions in the subsurface. While induced seismicity has not been a major operational issue for carbon storage projects to date, a seismicity hazard exists and must be carefully addressed. Two essential components of effective seismic risk management are (1) sensitive microseismic monitoring and (2) robust data interpretation tools. This report describes a novel workflow, based on advanced processing algorithms applied to microseismic data, to help improve management of seismic risk. This workflow has three main goals: (1) to improve themore » resolution and reliability of passive seismic monitoring, (2) to extract additional, valuable information from continuous waveform data that is often ignored in standard processing, and (3) to minimize the turn-around time between data collection, interpretation, and decision-making. These three objectives can allow for a better-informed and rapid response to changing subsurface conditions.« less

Electro-triggering and electrochemical monitoring of dopamine exocytosis from a single cell by using ultrathin electrodes based on Au nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Mijeong; Yoo, Seung Min; Gwak, Raekeun; Eom, Gayoung; Kim, Jihwan; Lee, Sang Yup; Kim, Bongsoo

2015-12-01

A sophisticated set of an Au nanowire (NW) stimulator-Au NW detector system is developed for electrical cell stimulation and electrochemical analysis of subsequent exocytosis with very high spatial resolution. Dopamine release from a rat pheochromocytoma cell is more stimulated by a more negative voltage pulse. This system could help to improve the therapeutic efficacy of electrotherapies by providing valuable information on their healing mechanism.A sophisticated set of an Au nanowire (NW) stimulator-Au NW detector system is developed for electrical cell stimulation and electrochemical analysis of subsequent exocytosis with very high spatial resolution. Dopamine release from a rat pheochromocytoma cell is more stimulated by a more negative voltage pulse. This system could help to improve the therapeutic efficacy of electrotherapies by providing valuable information on their healing mechanism. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06021d

Drivers behind widespread informal payments in the Romanian public health care system: From tolerance to corruption to socio-economic and spatial patterns.

PubMed

Horodnic, Adrian V; Mazilu, Sorin; Oprea, Liviu

2018-03-15

In order to explain informal payments in public health care services in Romania, this paper evaluates the relationship between extra payments or valuable gifts (apart from official fees) and the level of tolerance to corruption, as well as the socio-economic and spatial patterns across those individuals offering informal payments. To evaluate this, a survey undertaken in 2013 is reported. Using logistic regression analysis, the findings are that patients with a high tolerance to corruption, high socio-economic risk (those divorced, separated, or with other form of marital status, and those not working), and located in rural or less affluent areas are more likely to offer (apart from official fees) extra payments or valuable gifts for health care services. The paper concludes by discussing the health policy implications. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A modeling tool to support decision making in future hydropower development in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vicuna, S.; Hermansen, C.; Cerda, J. P.; Olivares, M. A.; Gomez, T. I.; Toha, E.; Poblete, D.; Mao, L.; Falvey, M. J.; Pliscoff, P.; Melo, O.; Lacy, S.; Peredo, M.; Marquet, P. A.; Maturana, J.; Gironas, J. A.

2017-12-01

Modeling tools support planning by providing transparent means to assess the outcome of natural resources management alternatives within technical frameworks in the presence of conflicting objectives. Such tools, when employed to model different scenarios, complement discussion in a policy-making context. Examples of practical use of this type of tool exist, such as the Canadian public forest management, but are not common, especially in the context of developing countries. We present a tool to support the selection from a portfolio of potential future hydropower projects in Chile. This tool, developed by a large team of researchers under the guidance of the Chilean Energy Ministry, is especially relevant in the context of evident regionalism, skepticism and change in societal values in a country that has achieved a sustained growth alongside increased demands from society. The tool operates at a scale of a river reach, between 1-5 km long, on a domain that can be defined according to the scale needs of the related discussion, and its application can vary from river basins to regions or other spatial configurations that may be of interest. The tool addresses both available hydropower potential and the existence (inferred or observed) of other ecological, social, cultural and productive characteristics of the territory which are valuable to society, and provides a means to evaluate their interaction. The occurrence of each of these other valuable characteristics in the territory is measured by generating a presence-density score for each. Considering the level of constraint each characteristic imposes on hydropower development, they are weighted against each other and an aggregate score is computed. With this information, optimal trade-offs are computed between additional hydropower capacity and valuable local characteristics over the entire domain, using the classical knapsack 0-1 optimization algorithm. Various scenarios of different weightings and hydropower development targets are tested and compared. The results illustrate the capabilities of the tool to identify promising hydropower development strategies and to aid public policy discussions aimed at establishing incentives and regulations, and therefore provide decision makers with supporting material allowing a more informed discussion.

Diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnea: Fundamental and clinical knowledge in obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Shigemoto, Shuji; Shigeta, Yuko; Nejima, Jun; Ogawa, Takumi; Matsuka, Yoshizo; Clark, Glenn T

2015-07-01

This review article covers the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) from a dental perspective. It addresses the issue of when and how to screen for and then, if indicated, refer the patient for a more comprehensive. Our focus in this article was on identifying current unanswered questions that relevant to OSA problems that dental scientists have to pursue and on providing valuable information on that problems, consequently the previous studies which investigated or reviewed the diagnosis and treatment of OSA were included. In addition, we included studies on jaw movements during sleep and on the use of a lateral cephalometric film related to the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. The role of portable sleep monitoring devices versus full laboratory polysomnography is discussed. This review also describes what is known about the efficacy of mandibular advancement devices and when and how they fit in to a treatment program for a patient with obstructive sleep apnea. Finally some basic research is presented on jaw movements during sleep and how a lateral cephalometric film can be used to assess the changes of the airway with body posture and head posture. This article provides the valuable suggestions for the clinical questions in the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Genetics of Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency: Roadmap into the Genome Era.

PubMed

Fang, Qing; George, Akima S; Brinkmeier, Michelle L; Mortensen, Amanda H; Gergics, Peter; Cheung, Leonard Y M; Daly, Alexandre Z; Ajmal, Adnan; Pérez Millán, María Ines; Ozel, A Bilge; Kitzman, Jacob O; Mills, Ryan E; Li, Jun Z; Camper, Sally A

2016-12-01

The genetic basis for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) is complex, involving 30 genes in a variety of syndromic and nonsyndromic presentations. Molecular diagnosis of this disorder is valuable for predicting disease progression, avoiding unnecessary surgery, and family planning. We expect that the application of high throughput sequencing will uncover additional contributing genes and eventually become a valuable tool for molecular diagnosis. For example, in the last 3 years, six new genes have been implicated in CPHD using whole-exome sequencing. In this review, we present a historical perspective on gene discovery for CPHD and predict approaches that may facilitate future gene identification projects conducted by clinicians and basic scientists. Guidelines for systematic reporting of genetic variants and assigning causality are emerging. We apply these guidelines retrospectively to reports of the genetic basis of CPHD and summarize modes of inheritance and penetrance for each of the known genes. In recent years, there have been great improvements in databases of genetic information for diverse populations. Some issues remain that make molecular diagnosis challenging in some cases. These include the inherent genetic complexity of this disorder, technical challenges like uneven coverage, differing results from variant calling and interpretation pipelines, the number of tolerated genetic alterations, and imperfect methods for predicting pathogenicity. We discuss approaches for future research in the genetics of CPHD.

Combining remote sensing and on-site monitoring methods to investigate footpath erosion within a popular recreational heathland environment.

PubMed

Rodway-Dyer, Sue; Ellis, Nicola

2018-06-01

Footpaths are a prominent consequence of natural area tourism and reflect damage caused to valuable, sensitive habitats by people pressure. Degradation impacts on vegetation, wildlife, on and off-site soil movement and loss, creation of additional informal off-path footpaths (desire lines), and visual destruction of landscapes. Impacts need to be measured and monitored on a large temporal and spatial scale to aid in land management to maintain access and preserve natural environments. This study combined remote sensing (Light Detection and Ranging [LiDAR] and aerial photography) with on-site measurement of footpaths within a sensitive heathland habitat (Land's End, Cornwall, UK). Soil loss, slope angle change, vegetation damage and a hydrology model were combined to comprehensively study the site. Results showed 0.09 m mean soil loss over five years, footpath widening, increasing grass cover into heathland, and water channelling on the footpaths exacerbating erosion. The environments surrounding the footpaths were affected with visitors walking off path, requiring further management and monitoring. Multiple remote sensing techniques were highly successful in comprehensively assessing the area, particularly the hydrology model, demonstrating the potential of providing a valuable objective and quantitative monitoring and management tool. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Differential Effects of Social Media Sites for Promoting Cancer Risk Reduction.

PubMed

Lauckner, Carolyn; Whitten, Pamela

2016-09-01

Social media are potentially valuable tools for disseminating cancer education messages, but the differential effects of various sites on persuasive outcomes are unknown. In an effort to inform future health promotion, this research tested the effects of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs for delivering a cancer risk reduction message. Using an experimental design, participants were randomly placed in several conditions that delivered the same message but with different forms of social media. Effects on comprehension and attitudes were examined, as they are important variables in the behavior change process. YouTube led to higher comprehension and stronger attitudes toward cancer risk reduction than Twitter, but there were no differences between other sites. Additionally, YouTube led to stronger attitudes toward cancer risk reduction as compared to Facebook, but not any other sites. These results demonstrate that, even if the message is kept constant, the form of social media used to deliver content can have an effect on persuasive outcomes. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind the differences found, however. Altogether, this line of research is valuable for any individuals seeking to use social media for health promotion purposes and could have direct implications for the development of cancer risk reduction campaigns.

Spectroscopy applied to feed additives of the European Union Reference Laboratory: a valuable tool for traceability.

PubMed

Omar, Jone; Slowikowski, Boleslaw; Boix, Ana; von Holst, Christoph

2017-08-01

Feed additives need to be authorised to be placed on the market according to Regulation (EU) No. 1831/2003. Next to laying down the procedural requirements, the regulation creates the European Union Reference Laboratory for Feed Additives (EURL-FA) and requires that applicants send samples to the EURL-FA. Once authorised, the characteristics of the marketed feed additives should correspond to those deposited in the sample bank of the EURL-FA. For this purpose, the submitted samples were subjected to near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy for spectral characterisation. These techniques have the valuable potential of characterising the feed additives in a non-destructive manner without any complicated sample preparation. This paper describes the capability of spectroscopy for a rapid characterisation of products to establish whether specific authorisation criteria are met. This study is based on the analysis of feed additive samples from different categories and functional groups, namely products containing (1) selenium, (2) zinc and manganese, (3) vitamins and (4) essential oils such as oregano and thyme oil. The use of chemometrics turned out to be crucial, especially in cases where the differentiation of spectra by visual inspection was very difficult.

A thermal-based remote sensing modeling system for estimating daily evapotranspiration from field to global scales

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Thermal-infrared (TIR) remote sensing of land surface temperature (LST) provides valuable information for quantifying root-zone water availability, evapotranspiration (ET) and crop condition as well as providing useful information for constraining prognostic land surface models. This presentation d...

Six Wishes of a Public Service Librarian.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fescemyer, Kathy

2001-01-01

Suggests concepts related to information that would be valuable to library users, including the expenses related to information; unique qualities and characteristics of databases; limits of the Web; understanding differences between magazines and scholarly journals; search engine differences; and an appreciation for the amount and variety of…

Lessons from Personal Photography: The Digital Disruption of Selectivity and Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fawns, Tim

2015-01-01

Recent technological, cultural and economic factors have shifted the balance between recalling and reconstructing internalised information and accessing externalised information. While digital artefacts constitute an enormous and valuable set of resources, human engagement and reflection are important to the meaningful synthesis and application of…

Technical summary : Travtek operational test evaluation : final reports

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

This guide is packed with useful information. It focuses on some of the less well-known safety messages the road offers you. It is designed to be kept in your glove compartment after it has been read so that you will have its valuable information at ...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jens, Sjoerd, E-mail: s.jens@amc.uva.nl; Lucatelli, Pierleone, E-mail: pierleone.lucatelli@gmail.com; Koelemay, Mark J. W., E-mail: m.j.koelemaij@amc.uva.nl

Purpose. To evaluate the additional value of three-dimensional rotational angiography (3DRA) of the foot compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Technique. For 3DRA, the C-arm was placed in the propeller position with the foot in an isocentric position. The patient's unaffected foot was positioned in a footrest outside the field of view. For correct timing of 3DRA, the delay from contrast injection in the popliteal artery at the level of knee joint to complete pedal arterial enhancement was assessed using DSA. With this delay, 3DRA was started after injection of 15 ml contrast.more » Imaging of the 3DRA could directly be reconstructed and visualized.Materials and MethodsPatients undergoing 3DRA of the foot were prospectively registered. DSA and 3DRA images were scored separately for arterial patency and presence of collaterals. Treatment strategies were proposed based on DSA with and without the availability of 3DRA. Results. Eleven patients underwent 3DRA of the foot. One 3DRA was not included because the acquisition was focused on the heel instead of the entire foot. Diagnostic quality of 3DRA was good in all ten patients. 3DRA compared with DSA showed additional patent arteries in six patients, patent plantar arch in three patients, and collaterals between the pedal arteries in five patients. Additional information from 3DRA resulted in a change of treatment strategy in six patients. Conclusion, 3DRA of the foot contains valuable additional real-time information to better guide peripheral vascular interventions in patients with CLI and nonhealing tissue lesions.« less

A Lessons Learned Knowledge Warehouse to Support the Army Knowledge Management Command-Centric

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-03-01

Warehouse to Support the Army Knowledge Management Command-Centric increase the quality and availability of information in context ( knowledge ) to the... information , geographical information , knowledge base, Intelligence data (HUMINT, SIGINT, etc.); and • • Human Computer Interaction (HCI): allows...the Data Fusion Process from the HCI point of view? Can the LL Knowledge Base provide any valuable information to achieve better estimates of the

A lecture program on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients--evaluation of the pilot phase.

PubMed

Huebner, J; Ebel, M; Muenstedt, K; Micke, O; Prott, F J; Muecke, R; Hoppe, A

2015-06-01

About half of all patients with cancer use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). In 2013, we started a lecture program for patients, followed by evidence-based recommendations on counseling on CAM. These recommendations have been published before by this working group. The aim of the program is to provide scientific facts on the most often used CAM methods in standardized presentations which help patients discuss the topic with their oncologists and support shared decision making. The article presents the evaluation of the pilot phase. Participants received a standardized questionnaire before the start of the lecture. The questionnaire comprises four parts: demographic data, data concerning experience with CAM, satisfaction with the lecture, and needs for further information on CAM. In 2013, seven lectures on CAM were given in cooperation with regional branches of the German Cancer Society in several German states. Four hundred sixty patients and relatives took part (75% females and 16% males). Forty-eight percent formerly had used CAM. Most often named sources of information on CAM were print media (48%) and the Internet (37%). Most participants rated additional written information valuable. About one third would like to have an individual consultation concerning CAM. A standardized presentation of evidence on CAM methods most often used, together with recommendations on the self-management of symptoms, is highly appreciated. The concept of a highly interactive lecture comprising is feasible and if presented in lay terminology, adequate. In order to give additional support on the topic, written information should be provided as the first step.

Assessment of resting-state blood flow through anterior cerebral arteries using trans-cranial doppler recordings.

PubMed

Huang, Hanrui; Sejdić, Ervin

2013-12-01

Trans-cranial Doppler (TCD) recordings are used to monitor cerebral blood flow in the main cerebral arteries. The resting state is usually characterized by the mean velocity or the maximum Doppler shift frequency (an envelope signal) by insonating the middle cerebral arteries. In this study, we characterized cerebral blood flow in the anterior cerebral arteries. We analyzed both envelope signals and raw signals obtained from bilateral insonation. We recruited 20 healthy patients and conducted the data acquisition for 15 min. Features were extracted from the time domain, the frequency domain and the time-frequency domain. The results indicate that a gender-based statistical difference exists in the frequency and time-frequency domains. However, no handedness effect was found. In the time domain, information-theoretic features indicated that mutual dependence is higher in raw signals than in envelope signals. Finally, we concluded that insonation of the anterior cerebral arteries serves as a complement to middle cerebral artery studies. Additionally, investigation of the raw signals provided us with additional information that is not otherwise available from envelope signals. Use of direct trans-cranial Doppler raw data is therefore validated as a valuable method for characterizing the resting state. Copyright © 2013 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Source Information Shapes Lay Interpretations of Science Conflicts: Interplay between Sourcing, Conflict Explanation, Source Evaluation, and Claim Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomm, Eva; Bromme, Rainer

2016-01-01

When laypeople read controversial scientific information in order to make a personally relevant decision, information on the source is a valuable resource with which to evaluate multiple, competing claims. Due to their bounded understanding, laypeople rely on the expertise of others and need to identify whether sources are credible. The present…

The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can't See.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Chris; Price, Gary

This book takes a detailed look at the nature and extent of the Invisible Web, and offers pathfinders for accessing the valuable information it contains. It is designed to fit the needs of both novice and advanced Web searchers. Chapter One traces the development of the Internet and many of the early tools used to locate and share information via…

After Childhood Cancer: a Qualitative Study of Family Physician, Parent/Guardian, and Survivor Information Needs and Perspectives on Long-Term Follow-up and Survivorship Care Plans.

PubMed

Keats, Melanie R; Shea, Kelsey; Parker, Louise; Stewart, Samuel A; Flanders, Annette; Bernstein, Mark

2018-03-19

Despite support for the provision of a survivorship care plan (SCP) to every cancer survivor, there is a lack of understanding of the needs and preferences of key stakeholders. We examined perspectives of a novel personalized SCP for childhood cancer survivors (CCS), their family, and family physicians (FP). We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with a purposefully selected sample of CCS, parents/guardians, and FPs. Data included responses to stakeholder cancer care information needs, concerns with or gaps in communication, the perceived role of the FP in the long-term management of CCS care, utility of the SCP, preferred format, and suggestions for improvement. A deductive content analysis was conducted. Twenty-four participants including 8 CCS, 10 parents/guardians, and 6 FPs completed an interview. Four main and several sub-categories emerged. Core categories were coded as (1) informative reference, (2) coordination of follow-up, (3) barriers to follow-up care, and (4) suggestions for improvement and future implementation. The majority of participants preferred an electronic- or web-based format. Overall, the SCP was seen as an informative and concise resource. The SCP was thought to be a valuable tool to foster communication and empower CCSs to become more fully engaged in their own cancer-related health care. FPs viewed the SCP as a useful resource to facilitate and guide the long-term management of the CCS. In addition to the treatment summary, a comprehensive follow-up timeline, personalized lifestyle information, and details on how to access additional psychosocial support were highlighted as important components.

Statistics of high-level scene context.

PubMed

Greene, Michelle R

2013-01-01

CONTEXT IS CRITICAL FOR RECOGNIZING ENVIRONMENTS AND FOR SEARCHING FOR OBJECTS WITHIN THEM: contextual associations have been shown to modulate reaction time and object recognition accuracy, as well as influence the distribution of eye movements and patterns of brain activations. However, we have not yet systematically quantified the relationships between objects and their scene environments. Here I seek to fill this gap by providing descriptive statistics of object-scene relationships. A total of 48, 167 objects were hand-labeled in 3499 scenes using the LabelMe tool (Russell et al., 2008). From these data, I computed a variety of descriptive statistics at three different levels of analysis: the ensemble statistics that describe the density and spatial distribution of unnamed "things" in the scene; the bag of words level where scenes are described by the list of objects contained within them; and the structural level where the spatial distribution and relationships between the objects are measured. The utility of each level of description for scene categorization was assessed through the use of linear classifiers, and the plausibility of each level for modeling human scene categorization is discussed. Of the three levels, ensemble statistics were found to be the most informative (per feature), and also best explained human patterns of categorization errors. Although a bag of words classifier had similar performance to human observers, it had a markedly different pattern of errors. However, certain objects are more useful than others, and ceiling classification performance could be achieved using only the 64 most informative objects. As object location tends not to vary as a function of category, structural information provided little additional information. Additionally, these data provide valuable information on natural scene redundancy that can be exploited for machine vision, and can help the visual cognition community to design experiments guided by statistics rather than intuition.

Ontario: linking nursing outcomes, workload and staffing decisions in the workplace: the Dashboard Project.

PubMed

Fram, Nancy; Morgan, Beverley

2012-03-01

Research shows that nurses want to provide more input into assessing patient acuity, changes in patient needs and staffing requirements. The Dashboard Project involved the further development and application of an electronic monitoring tool that offers a single source of nursing, patient and organizational information. It is designed to help inform nurse staffing decisions within a hospital setting. The Dashboard access link was installed in computers in eight nursing units within the Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) network. The Dashboard indicators are populated from existing information/patient databases within the Decision Support Department at HHS. Committees composed of the unit manager, staff nurses, project coordinator, financial controller and an information controller met regularly to review the Dashboard indicators. Participants discussed the ability of the indicators to reflect their patients' needs and the feasibility of using the indicators to inform their clinical staffing plans. Project findings suggest that the Dashboard is a work in progress. Many of the indicators that had originally been incorporated were refined and will continue to be revised based on suggestions from project participants and further testing across HHS. Participants suggested the need for additional data, such as the time that nurses are off the unit (for code blue response, patient transfers and accompanying patients for tests); internal transfers/bed moves to accommodate patient-specific issues and particularly to address infection control issues; deaths and specific unit-centred data in addition to the generic indicators. The collaborative nature of the project enabled staff nurses and management to work together on a matter of high importance to both, providing valuable recommendations for shared nursing and interprofessional planning, further Dashboard development and project management.

Additive Manufacturing Design Considerations for Liquid Engine Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitten, Dave; Hissam, Andy; Baker, Kevin; Rice, Darron

2014-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center's Propulsion Systems Department has gained significant experience in the last year designing, building, and testing liquid engine components using additive manufacturing. The department has developed valve, duct, turbo-machinery, and combustion device components using this technology. Many valuable lessons were learned during this process. These lessons will be the focus of this presentation. We will present criteria for selecting part candidates for additive manufacturing. Some part characteristics are 'tailor made' for this process. Selecting the right parts for the process is the first step to maximizing productivity gains. We will also present specific lessons we learned about feature geometry that can and cannot be produced using additive manufacturing machines. Most liquid engine components were made using a two-step process. The base part was made using additive manufacturing and then traditional machining processes were used to produce the final part. The presentation will describe design accommodations needed to make the base part and lessons we learned about which features could be built directly and which require the final machine process. Tolerance capabilities, surface finish, and material thickness allowances will also be covered. Additive Manufacturing can produce internal passages that cannot be made using traditional approaches. It can also eliminate a significant amount of manpower by reducing part count and leveraging model-based design and analysis techniques. Information will be shared about performance enhancements and design efficiencies we experienced for certain categories of engine parts.

The storybook method: research feedback with young participants.

PubMed

Anderson, Kate; Balandin, Susan

2011-12-01

Children are valuable informants for social research; however, their participation presents additional ethical and practical challenges. Of these challenges, feedback to verify the researchers' interpretations drawn from children's data, and the dissemination of project findings to young participants, have proven difficult to overcome. In this paper, we outline the Storybook method, an approach to feedback in research with young children. In the example study, illustrations, interactive pop-ups, and third-person disclosure were used to aid children aged 7-9 years to overcome the power imbalance in interviews with adults. The Storybook method facilitated active participation in the validation process. Potential modifications of the method for use with older populations, including adults with intellectual disabilities, complex communication needs, and those requiring alternate access to written texts, are also explored.

Lambda polarization feasibility study at BM@N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvarieva, Dilyna; Gudima, Konstantin; Zinchenko, Alexander

2017-03-01

Heavy strange objects (hyperons) could provide essential signatures of the excited and compressed baryonic matter. At NICA, it is planned to study hyperons both in the collider mode (MPD detector) and the fixed-target one (BM@N setup). Measurements of strange hyperons polarization could give additional information on the strong interaction mechanisms. In heavy-ion collisions, such measurements are even more valuable since the polarization is expected to be sensitive to characteristics of the QCD medium (vorticity, hydrodynamic helicity) and to QCD anomalous transport. In this analysis, the possibility to measure at BM@N the polarization of the lightest strange hyperon Λ is studied in Monte Carlo event samples produced with the DCM-QGSM generator. It is shown that the detector will allow to measure Λ polarization with a precision required to check the model predictions.

Kinetic modeling in PET imaging of hypoxia

PubMed Central

Li, Fan; Joergensen, Jesper T; Hansen, Anders E; Kjaer, Andreas

2014-01-01

Tumor hypoxia is associated with increased therapeutic resistance leading to poor treatment outcome. Therefore the ability to detect and quantify intratumoral oxygenation could play an important role in future individual personalized treatment strategies. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can be used for non-invasive mapping of tissue oxygenation in vivo and several hypoxia specific PET tracers have been developed. Evaluation of PET data in the clinic is commonly based on visual assessment together with semiquantitative measurements e.g. standard uptake value (SUV). However, dynamic PET contains additional valuable information on the temporal changes in tracer distribution. Kinetic modeling can be used to extract relevant pharmacokinetic parameters of tracer behavior in vivo that reflects relevant physiological processes. In this paper, we review the potential contribution of kinetic analysis for PET imaging of hypoxia. PMID:25250200

Utilizing Online Connectivity to Combat Reduced Federal Spending

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayall, T.

2013-12-01

With a diminishing grant pool and increasing competition for federal funding, utilizing free online resources to collaborate with other scientists, share information and insights, and promote your research is critical to success. As budgets tighten, efficient use of both time and money is becoming more and more important. Tools such as Mendeley, ResearchGate, and Science Exchange enable scientists to promote their own work while gaining valuable connections and collaborations. Additionally, scientists can build their online presence to increase visibility for potential funding. Through intelligent use of these online tools, scientists can increase their chances of funding and minimize wasted time and resources. For this session, I will examine how to adapt to the changing landscape of federal funding through the effective use of social media and online tools.

Satellite studies of turbidity and circulation patterns in Delaware Bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klemas, V.; Srna, R.; Treasure, W. M.; Rogers, R.

1973-01-01

Satellite imagery from four successful ERTS-1 passes over Delaware Bay during different portions of the tidal cycle are interpreted with special emphasis on visibility of suspended sediment and its use as a natural tracer for gross circulation patters. The MSS red band (band 5) appears to give the best contrast, although the sediment patterns are represented by only a few neighboring shades of grey. Color density slicing improves the differentiation of turbidity levels. However, color additive enhancements are of limited value since most of the information is in a single color band. The ability of ERTS-1 to present a synoptic view of the surface circulation over the entire bay is shown to be a valuable and unique contribution of ERTS-1 to coastal oceanography.

The potential and prospects of proximal remote sensing of arthropod pests.

PubMed

Nansen, Christian

2016-04-01

Bench-top or proximal remote sensing applications are widely used as part of quality control and machine vision systems in commercial operations. In addition, these technologies are becoming increasingly important in insect systematics and studies of insect physiology and pest management. This paper provides a review and discussion of how proximal remote sensing may contribute valuable quantitative information regarding identification of species, assessment of insect responses to insecticides, insect host responses to parasitoids and performance of biological control agents. The future role of proximal remote sensing is discussed as an exciting path for novel paths of multidisciplinary research among entomologists and scientists from a wide range of other disciplines, including image processing engineers, medical engineers, research pharmacists and computer scientists. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kong, Leopold; Giang, Erick; Nieusma, Travis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a Hepacivirus, is a major cause of viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 mediate fusion and entry into host cells and are the primary targets of the humoral immune response. The crystal structure of the E2 core bound to broadly neutralizing antibody AR3C at 2.65 angstroms reveals a compact architecture composed of a central immunoglobulin-fold β sandwich flanked by two additional protein layers. The CD81 receptor binding site was identified by electron microscopy and site-directed mutagenesis and overlaps with the AR3C epitope. The x-ray and electron microscopy E2 structuresmore » differ markedly from predictions of an extended, three-domain, class II fusion protein fold and therefore provide valuable information for HCV drug and vaccine design.« less

An airborne meteorological data collection system using satellite relay (ASDAR)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bagwell, J. W.; Lindow, B. G.

1978-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed an airborne data acquisition and communication system for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This system known as ASDAR, the Aircraft to Satellite Data Relay, consists of a microprocessor based controller, time clock, transmitter and antenna. Together they acquire meteorological and position information from existing aircraft systems on B-747 aircraft, convert and format these, and transmit them to the ground via the GOES meteorological satellite series. The development and application of the ASDAR system is described with emphasis on unique features. Performance to date is exceptional, providing horizon-to-horizon coverage of aircraft flights. The data collected is of high quality and is considered a valuable addition to the data base from which NOAA generates its weather forecasts.

Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders: causal genes and molecular mechanisms.

PubMed

Srivastava, Anand K; Schwartz, Charles E

2014-10-01

Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are the most common developmental disorders present in humans. Combined, they affect between 3 and 5% of the population. Additionally, they can be found together in the same individual thereby complicating treatment. The causative factors (genes, epigenetic and environmental) are quite varied and likely interact so as to further complicate the assessment of an individual patient. Nonetheless, much valuable information has been gained by identifying candidate genes for ID or ASD. Understanding the etiology of either ID or ASD is of utmost importance for families. It allows a determination of the risk of recurrence, the possibility of other comorbidity medical problems, the molecular and cellular nature of the pathobiology and hopefully potential therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sentiment topic mining based on comment tags

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Daohai; Liu, Xue; Li, Juan; Fan, Mingyue

2018-03-01

With the development of e-commerce, various comments based on tags are generated, how to extract valuable information from these comment tags has become an important content of business management decisions. This study takes HUAWEI mobile phone tags as an example using the sentiment analysis and topic LDA mining method. The first step is data preprocessing and classification of comment tag topic mining. And then make the sentiment classification for comment tags. Finally, mine the comments again and analyze the emotional theme distribution under different sentiment classification. The results show that HUAWEI mobile phone has a good user experience in terms of fluency, cost performance, appearance, etc. Meanwhile, it should pay more attention to independent research and development, product design and development. In addition, battery and speed performance should be enhanced.

Geotourism and educational utilization of geosites in the Byeonsanbando National Park, Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Kyu-Seong; Park, Kyeong-Jin

2014-05-01

This study is to investigate the possibility of geotourism and educational use of geosites in the Byeonsanbando national park, Korea. Geosites within the national park were explored through literature search and field work, and 207 tourists were surveyed to identify the educational utilization of geosites. The results suggest seventeen geosites in the western coastal areas of Byeonsanbando such as various sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks, magmatic intrusive rock with contact metamorphism, and dinosaur track fossils. To develop effective geotourism educational programs, diverse experience programs and abundant information were regarded as important elements. If additional geological surveys of geosites are conducted and educational programs for geotourism are developed in the Byeonsanbando area in Korea, this area is likely to be valuable as the national geopark of Korea.

G6PD Deficiency Prevalence and Estimates of Affected Populations in Malaria Endemic Countries: A Geostatistical Model-Based Map

PubMed Central

Howes, Rosalind E.; Piel, Frédéric B.; Patil, Anand P.; Nyangiri, Oscar A.; Gething, Peter W.; Dewi, Mewahyu; Hogg, Mariana M.; Battle, Katherine E.; Padilla, Carmencita D.; Baird, J. Kevin; Hay, Simon I.

2012-01-01

Background Primaquine is a key drug for malaria elimination. In addition to being the only drug active against the dormant relapsing forms of Plasmodium vivax, primaquine is the sole effective treatment of infectious P. falciparum gametocytes, and may interrupt transmission and help contain the spread of artemisinin resistance. However, primaquine can trigger haemolysis in patients with a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDd). Poor information is available about the distribution of individuals at risk of primaquine-induced haemolysis. We present a continuous evidence-based prevalence map of G6PDd and estimates of affected populations, together with a national index of relative haemolytic risk. Methods and Findings Representative community surveys of phenotypic G6PDd prevalence were identified for 1,734 spatially unique sites. These surveys formed the evidence-base for a Bayesian geostatistical model adapted to the gene's X-linked inheritance, which predicted a G6PDd allele frequency map across malaria endemic countries (MECs) and generated population-weighted estimates of affected populations. Highest median prevalence (peaking at 32.5%) was predicted across sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Although G6PDd prevalence was generally lower across central and southeast Asia, rarely exceeding 20%, the majority of G6PDd individuals (67.5% median estimate) were from Asian countries. We estimated a G6PDd allele frequency of 8.0% (interquartile range: 7.4–8.8) across MECs, and 5.3% (4.4–6.7) within malaria-eliminating countries. The reliability of the map is contingent on the underlying data informing the model; population heterogeneity can only be represented by the available surveys, and important weaknesses exist in the map across data-sparse regions. Uncertainty metrics are used to quantify some aspects of these limitations in the map. Finally, we assembled a database of G6PDd variant occurrences to inform a national-level index of relative G6PDd haemolytic risk. Asian countries, where variants were most severe, had the highest relative risks from G6PDd. Conclusions G6PDd is widespread and spatially heterogeneous across most MECs where primaquine would be valuable for malaria control and elimination. The maps and population estimates presented here reflect potential risk of primaquine-associated harm. In the absence of non-toxic alternatives to primaquine, these results represent additional evidence to help inform safe use of this valuable, yet dangerous, component of the malaria-elimination toolkit. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:23152723

G6PD deficiency prevalence and estimates of affected populations in malaria endemic countries: a geostatistical model-based map.

PubMed

Howes, Rosalind E; Piel, Frédéric B; Patil, Anand P; Nyangiri, Oscar A; Gething, Peter W; Dewi, Mewahyu; Hogg, Mariana M; Battle, Katherine E; Padilla, Carmencita D; Baird, J Kevin; Hay, Simon I

2012-01-01

Primaquine is a key drug for malaria elimination. In addition to being the only drug active against the dormant relapsing forms of Plasmodium vivax, primaquine is the sole effective treatment of infectious P. falciparum gametocytes, and may interrupt transmission and help contain the spread of artemisinin resistance. However, primaquine can trigger haemolysis in patients with a deficiency in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDd). Poor information is available about the distribution of individuals at risk of primaquine-induced haemolysis. We present a continuous evidence-based prevalence map of G6PDd and estimates of affected populations, together with a national index of relative haemolytic risk. Representative community surveys of phenotypic G6PDd prevalence were identified for 1,734 spatially unique sites. These surveys formed the evidence-base for a Bayesian geostatistical model adapted to the gene's X-linked inheritance, which predicted a G6PDd allele frequency map across malaria endemic countries (MECs) and generated population-weighted estimates of affected populations. Highest median prevalence (peaking at 32.5%) was predicted across sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Although G6PDd prevalence was generally lower across central and southeast Asia, rarely exceeding 20%, the majority of G6PDd individuals (67.5% median estimate) were from Asian countries. We estimated a G6PDd allele frequency of 8.0% (interquartile range: 7.4-8.8) across MECs, and 5.3% (4.4-6.7) within malaria-eliminating countries. The reliability of the map is contingent on the underlying data informing the model; population heterogeneity can only be represented by the available surveys, and important weaknesses exist in the map across data-sparse regions. Uncertainty metrics are used to quantify some aspects of these limitations in the map. Finally, we assembled a database of G6PDd variant occurrences to inform a national-level index of relative G6PDd haemolytic risk. Asian countries, where variants were most severe, had the highest relative risks from G6PDd. G6PDd is widespread and spatially heterogeneous across most MECs where primaquine would be valuable for malaria control and elimination. The maps and population estimates presented here reflect potential risk of primaquine-associated harm. In the absence of non-toxic alternatives to primaquine, these results represent additional evidence to help inform safe use of this valuable, yet dangerous, component of the malaria-elimination toolkit. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

The Trade-Off: Consumer Privacy for Technology Products and Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scibelli, David B.

2013-01-01

With the Internet advancements of information systems and social media channels, consumer data has become a valuable source for companies and social networking communities. These Internet businesses are allowed to use and share their customers' information, with minimal regulatory intervention other than in health and financial areas. This…

Numbers Are Not Enough. Why e-Learning Analytics Failed to Inform an Institutional Strategic Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macfadyen, Leah P.; Dawson, Shane

2012-01-01

Learning analytics offers higher education valuable insights that can inform strategic decision-making regarding resource allocation for educational excellence. Research demonstrates that learning management systems (LMSs) can increase student sense of community, support learning communities and enhance student engagement and success, and LMSs…

An energy balance approach for mapping crop waterstress and yield impacts over the Czech Republic

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There is a growing demand for timely, spatially distributed information regarding crop condition and water use to inform agricultural decision making and yield forecasting efforts. Remote sensing of land-surface temperature has proven valuable for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) and crop stress from...

Key Facts about Higher Education in Washington: 2009-10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2010

2010-01-01

First published in 2002, "Key Facts about Higher Education in Washington" provides valuable information on the ways higher education serves the state and its people. The most current data and information available is presented throughout this report to highlight the "Key Facts" about Washington's postsecondary institutions,…

Land Use Planning Exercise Using Geographic Information Systems and Digital Soil Surveys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stout, Heidi M.; Lee, Brad D.

2004-01-01

Geographic information system (GIS) technology has become a valuable tool for environmental science professionals. By incorporating GIS into college-level course curricula, agricultural students become better qualified for employment opportunities. We have developed a case study-based laboratory exercise that introduces students to GIS and the…

Creating Better Library Information Systems: The Road to FRBR-Land

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercun, Tanja; Švab, Katarina; Harej, Viktor; Žumer, Maja

2013-01-01

Introduction: To provide valuable services in the future, libraries will need to create better information systems and set up an infrastructure more in line with the current technologies. The "Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records" conceptual model provides a basis for this transformation, but there are still a number of…

IsoBank – Stable isotope ecology in the age of ‘Big Data’

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stable isotopes ratios provide valuable information to fish biologists working in a diverse range of fields: e.g. ecologists, population biologists and fishery managers. Ecologists take advantage of stable isotope ratios to provide information on the diet and migration history of consumers or when a...

Synthesis Can Take Many Forms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Darrow, Rob

2005-01-01

Synthesis can take many forms at the high school level and from a Big6 perspective. Synthesis means purposeful, valuable and interesting assignments. It is very important for a classroom teacher to recognize that students can synthesize information several times during a project and that there are many different ways to present information.

The International Performance of the South African Academic Institutions: A Citation Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pouris, Anastassios

2007-01-01

This article reports the results of an investigation to identify the disciplinary strengths and the international standing of the higher education institutions in South Africa. Even though comparative assessments provide valuable information for research administrations, researchers and students such information is not available in South Africa…

Decoding tree DNA

Treesearch

M. Thompson Conkle

1986-01-01

Check the laboratory reports after your next physical. You'll find information on a number of biochemical processes. Procedures like those used in the medical sciences are yielding valuable information about genetic differences among trees and tree pests. New procedures that provide ways to isolate and move genes are advancing progress in tree improvement. These...

76 FR 42471 - Premerger Notification; Reporting and Waiting Period Requirements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-19

... reach those Confidential Information Memoranda, as stated in Comment 1, received by ``any employee... of seeking an engagement.'' These materials are sometimes also known informally as ``bankers' books... as valuable to staff. Whether developed by a third party for the purpose of seeking an engagement or...

Quantitative Analysis of Non-Financial Motivators and Job Satisfaction of Information Technology Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mieszczak, Gina L.

2013-01-01

Organizations depend extensively on Information Technology professionals to drive and deliver technology solutions quickly, efficiently, and effectively to achieve business goals and profitability. It has been demonstrated that professionals with experience specific to the company are valuable assets, and their departure puts technology projects…

A Cross-Cultural Journey into Literacy Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tour, Ekaterina

2012-01-01

A significant body of literacy and language research over the last two decades has been informed by a sociocultural perspective and an associated qualitative design, which are often seen as valuable and appropriate for researching literacy. As an emergent researcher, whose understanding of language education was mostly informed by individualistic…

The Complete Learning Disabilities Directory. 2017 Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grey House Publishing, 2016

2016-01-01

Published for over a decade, this directory continues to be a successful, sought-after resource, providing valuable information to professionals, families, and individuals in the learning disabilities community. Supported by the National Center for Learning Disabilities, this 2017 edition brings together the most up-to-date information on LD…

Mining Social Media Data for Understanding Students' Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Xin; Vorvoreanu, Mihaela; Madhavan, Krishna

2014-01-01

Students' informal conversations on social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) shed light into their educational experiences--opinions, feelings, and concerns about the learning process. Data from such uninstrumented environments can provide valuable knowledge to inform student learning. Analyzing such data, however, can be challenging. The complexity…

Social Argumentation in Online Synchronous Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alagoz, Esra

2013-01-01

The ability to argue well is a valuable skill for students in both formal and informal learning environments. While many studies have explored the argumentative practices in formal environments and some researchers have developed tools to enhance the argumentative skills, the social argumentation that is occurring in informal spaces has yet to be…

Free Recall Test Experience Potentiates Strategy-Driven Effects of Value on Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Michael S.; Rissman, Jesse; Hovhannisyan, Mariam; Castel, Alan D.; Knowlton, Barbara J.

2017-01-01

People tend to show better memory for information that is deemed valuable or important. By one mechanism, individuals selectively engage deeper, semantic encoding strategies for high value items (Cohen, Rissman, Suthana, Castel, & Knowlton, 2014). By another mechanism, information paired with value or reward is automatically strengthened in…

The Complete Learning Disabilities Directory. 2011 Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grey House Publishing, 2010

2010-01-01

Published for over a decade, this directory continues to be a successful, sought-after resource, providing valuable information to professionals, families, and individuals in the learning disabilities community. Supported by the National Center for Learning Disabilities, this 2011 edition brings together the most up-to-date information on LD…

Mathematics Framework for the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Assessment Governing Board, 2010

2010-01-01

Since 1973, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has gathered information about student achievement in mathematics. Results of these periodic assessments, produced in print and web-based formats, provide valuable information to a wide variety of audiences. The NAEP Assessment in mathematics has two components that differ in…

The Marketing of Information Analysis Center Products and Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veazie, Walter H., Jr.; Connolly, Thomas F.

Information analysis centers (IACs) represent a valuable national resource which has not been fully utilized, often because their products and services are not widely known. Recent Government economy measures demand consideration of increased marketability of these products and services and the institution of service charges as a possible source…

Using Community Assessments to Improve 4-H Youth Development Programming Efforts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teuteberg, Dan; Cummins, Melissa M.

2017-01-01

Understanding resources available in a community is essential before any 4-H youth development professional can begin addressing local needs. Conducting a community assessment generates valuable information about the unique components and resources of a specific community. This information then provides a foundation for identifying specific…

Ownership of Traditional Information: Moral and Legal Obligations to Compensate for Taking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeil, Richard J.; McNeil, Michael J.

1989-01-01

Argues that "indigenous" people transferring cultural information to other, more "developed" people should have legal protection from unfair transactions. Presents ethical and legal bases for such protection. Examples involve the knowledge of rain-forest tribes that has been used to produce valuable pharmaceutical products from…

How health information is received by diabetic patients?

PubMed Central

Zare-Farashbandi, Firoozeh; Lalazaryan, Anasik; Rahimi, Alireza; Zadeh, Akbar Hassan

2015-01-01

Background: Knowledge of correct information-seeking behavior by the patients can provide health specialists and health information specialists with valuable information in improving health care. This study aimed to investigate the passive receipt and active seeking of health information by diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: A survey method was used in this research on 6426 diabetic patients of whom 362 patients were selected by a no percentage stratified random sampling. The Longo information-seeking behavior questionnaire was used to collect data and they were analyzed by SPSS 20 software. Results: The most common information source by diabetic patients was practitioners (3.12). The minimum usage among the information sources were from charity organizations and emergency phone lines with a usage of close to zero. The amount of health information gained passively from each source has the lowest average of 4.18 and usage of this information in making health decision has the highest average score of 5.83. Analysis of the data related to active seeking of information showed that knowledge of available medical information from each source has the lowest average score of 3.95 and ability in using the acquired information for making medical decisions has the highest average score of 5.28. The paired t-test showed that differences between passive information receipt (41.68) and active information seeking (39.20) considered as statistically significant (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Because diabetic patients are more passive information receivers than active information seekers, the health information must be distributed by passive means to these patients. In addition, information-seeking behavior during different time periods should be investigated; to identify more effective distribution of health information. PMID:26261828

Leveraging search and content exploration by exploiting context in folksonomy systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abel, Fabian; Baldoni, Matteo; Baroglio, Cristina; Henze, Nicola; Kawase, Ricardo; Krause, Daniel; Patti, Viviana

2010-04-01

With the advent of Web 2.0 tagging became a popular feature in social media systems. People tag diverse kinds of content, e.g. products at Amazon, music at Last.fm, images at Flickr, etc. In the last years several researchers analyzed the impact of tags on information retrieval. Most works focused on tags only and ignored context information. In this article we present context-aware approaches for learning semantics and improve personalized information retrieval in tagging systems. We investigate how explorative search, initialized by clicking on tags, can be enhanced with automatically produced context information so that search results better fit to the actual information needs of the users. We introduce the SocialHITS algorithm and present an experiment where we compare different algorithms for ranking users, tags, and resources in a contextualized way. We showcase our approaches in the domain of images and present the TagMe! system that enables users to explore and tag Flickr pictures. In TagMe! we further demonstrate how advanced context information can easily be generated: TagMe! allows users to attach tag assignments to a specific area within an image and to categorize tag assignments. In our corresponding evaluation we show that those additional facets of tag assignments gain valuable semantics, which can be applied to improve existing search and ranking algorithms significantly.

Identifying Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage Information from Internet Resources. A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Sharma, Vivekanand; Holmes, John H; Sarkar, Indra N

2016-08-05

Identify and highlight research issues and methods used in studying Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) information needs, access, and exchange over the Internet. A literature search was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines from PubMed to identify articles that have studied Internet use in the CAM context. Additional searches were conducted at Nature.com and Google Scholar. The Internet provides a major medium for attaining CAM information and can also serve as an avenue for conducting CAM related surveys. Based on the literature analyzed in this review, there seems to be significant interest in developing methodologies for identifying CAM treatments, including the analysis of search query data and social media platform discussions. Several studies have also underscored the challenges in developing approaches for identifying the reliability of CAM-related information on the Internet, which may not be supported with reliable sources. The overall findings of this review suggest that there are opportunities for developing approaches for making available accurate information and developing ways to restrict the spread and sale of potentially harmful CAM products and information. Advances in Internet research are yet to be used in context of understanding CAM prevalence and perspectives. Such approaches may provide valuable insights into the current trends and needs in context of CAM use and spread.

IDENTIFYING COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE USAGE INFORMATION FROM INTERNET RESOURCES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

PubMed Central

Sharma, V.; Holmes, J.H.; Sarkar, I.N.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Objective Identify and highlight research issues and methods used in studying Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) information needs, access, and exchange over the Internet. Methods A literature search was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines from PubMed to identify articles that have studied Internet use in the CAM context. Additional searches were conducted at Nature.com and Google Scholar. Results The Internet provides a major medium for attaining CAM information and can also serve as an avenue for conducting CAM related surveys. Based on the literature analyzed in this review, there seems to be significant interest in developing methodologies for identifying CAM treatments, including the analysis of search query data and social media platform discussions. Several studies have also underscored the challenges in developing approaches for identifying the reliability of CAM-related information on the Internet, which may not be supported with reliable sources. The overall findings of this review suggest that there are opportunities for developing approaches for making available accurate information and developing ways to restrict the spread and sale of potentially harmful CAM products and information. Conclusions Advances in Internet research are yet to be used in context of understanding CAM prevalence and perspectives. Such approaches may provide valuable insights into the current trends and needs in context of CAM use and spread. PMID:27352304

Towards an Age-Phenome Knowledge-base

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Currently, data about age-phenotype associations are not systematically organized and cannot be studied methodically. Searching for scientific articles describing phenotypic changes reported as occurring at a given age is not possible for most ages. Results Here we present the Age-Phenome Knowledge-base (APK), in which knowledge about age-related phenotypic patterns and events can be modeled and stored for retrieval. The APK contains evidence connecting specific ages or age groups with phenotypes, such as disease and clinical traits. Using a simple text mining tool developed for this purpose, we extracted instances of age-phenotype associations from journal abstracts related to non-insulin-dependent Diabetes Mellitus. In addition, links between age and phenotype were extracted from clinical data obtained from the NHANES III survey. The knowledge stored in the APK is made available for the relevant research community in the form of 'Age-Cards', each card holds the collection of all the information stored in the APK about a particular age. These Age-Cards are presented in a wiki, allowing community review, amendment and contribution of additional information. In addition to the wiki interaction, complex searches can also be conducted which require the user to have some knowledge of database query construction. Conclusions The combination of a knowledge model based repository with community participation in the evolution and refinement of the knowledge-base makes the APK a useful and valuable environment for collecting and curating existing knowledge of the connections between age and phenotypes. PMID:21651792

Leveraging natural dynamical structures to explore multi-body systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosanac, Natasha

Multi-body systems have become the target of an increasing number of mission concepts and observations, supplying further information about the composition, origin and dynamical environment of bodies within the solar system and beyond. In many of these scenarios, identification and characterization of the particular solutions that exist in a circular restricted three-body model is valuable. This insight into the underlying natural dynamical structures is achieved via the application of dynamical systems techniques. One application of such analysis is trajectory design for CubeSats, which are intended to explore cislunar space and other planetary systems. These increasingly complex mission objectives necessitate innovative trajectory design strategies for spacecraft within our solar system, as well as the capability for rapid and well-informed redesign. Accordingly, a trajectory design framework is constructed using dynamical systems techniques and demonstrated for the Lunar IceCube mission. An additional application explored in this investigation involves the motion of an exoplanet near a binary star system. Due to the strong gravitational field near a binary star, physicists have previously leveraged these systems as testbeds for examining the validity of gravitational and relativistic theories. In this investigation, a preliminary analysis into the effect of an additional three-body interaction on the dynamical environment near a large mass ratio binary system is conducted. As demonstrated through both of these sample applications, identification and characterization of the natural particular solutions that exist within a multi-body system supports a well-informed and guided analysis.

Group medical consultations (GMCs) and tablet-based online support group sessions in the follow-up of breast cancer: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Visser, Annemiek; Prins, Judith B; Jansen, Lisette; Radema, Sandra A; Schlooz, Margrethe S; van Dalen, Thijs; van Laarhoven, Hanneke W M

2018-06-12

Group medical consultations (GMCs) provide individual medical visits in the presence of ≤7 peer-patients. In the follow-up of breast cancer, we evaluated the efficacy of a new type of blended care My-GMC, a GMC combined with a tablet-based online app, consisting of three online support group sessions (SGS) and additional information. This randomized controlled trial compared the effect of My-GMC (n = 59) with one individual medical visit (n = 50) (care as usual). Between-group differences on the outcomes distress and empowerment were analyzed 1 week, 3 and 6 months after the visit. No between-group differences were found for the primary outcomes distress and empowerment. More themes were discussed in GMCs compared to individual visits. Significantly more patients experienced peer-support in GMCs (78%) than via the online app (29%). Satisfaction with the online app was low. My-GMC did not result in improvements in distress or empowerment, which might partly be explained by low baseline distress levels. This paper provides valuable information concerning factors on organizational level as well as individual level influencing the evaluation of a blended care intervention. My-GMC provided an innovative alternative, combining professional and peer-support in face-to-face and online SGS, resulting in additional information provision and peer-support. Further improvement of the apps is needed to improve user satisfaction. NTR3771. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of power-line construction on wetland vegetation in Massachusetts, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nickerson, Norton H.; Dobberteen, Ross A.; Jarman, Nancy M.

1989-07-01

Utility rights-of-way corridors through wetland areas generate long-term impacts from construction activities to these valuable ecosystems. Changes to and recovery of the vegetation communities of a cattail marsh, wooded swamp, and shrub/bog wetland were documented through measurements made each growing season for two years prior, five years following, and again on the tenth year after construction of a 345-kV transmission line. While both the cattail marsh and wooded swamp recovered within a few years, measures of plant community composition in the shrub/bog wetland were still lower, compared to controls, after ten years. Long-term investigations such as the one reported here help decrease uncertainty and provide valuable information for future decision making regarding construction of power utility lines through valuable and dwindling wetland resources.

Concept for Future Data Services at the Long-Term Archive of WDCC combining DOIs with common PIDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stockhause, Martina; Weigel, Tobias; Toussaint, Frank; Höck, Heinke; Thiemann, Hannes; Lautenschlager, Michael

2013-04-01

The World Data Center for Climate (WDCC) hosted at the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ) maintains a long-term archive (LTA) of climate model data as well as observational data. WDCC distinguishes between two types of LTA data: Structured data: Data output of an instrument or of a climate model run consists of numerous, highly structured individual datasets in a uniform format. Part of these data is also published on an ESGF (Earth System Grid Federation) data node. Detailed metadata is available allowing for fine-grained user-defined data access. Unstructured data: LTA data of finished scientific projects are in general unstructured and consist of datasets of different formats, different sizes, and different contents. For these data compact metadata is available as content information. The structured data is suitable for WDCC's DataCite DOI process, the project data only in exceptional cases. The DOI process includes a thorough quality control process of technical as well as scientific aspects by the publication agent and the data creator. DOIs are assigned to data collections appropriate to be cited in scientific publications, like a simulation run. The data collection is defined in agreement with the data creator. At the moment there is no possibility to identify and cite individual datasets within this DOI data collection analogous to the citation of chapters in a book. Also missing is a compact citation regulation for a user-specified collection of data. WDCC therefore complements its existing LTA/DOI concept by Persistent Identifier (PID) assignment to datasets using Handles. In addition to data identification for internal and external use, the concept of PIDs allows to define relations among PIDs. Such structural information is stored as key-value pair directly in the handles. Thus, relations provide basic provenance or lineage information, even if part of the data like intermediate results are lost. WDCC intends to use additional PIDs on metadata entities with a relation to the data PID(s). These add background information on the data creation process (e.g. descriptions of experiment, model, model set-up, and platform for the model run etc.) to the data. These pieces of additional information increase the re-usability of the archived model data, significantly. Other valuable additional information for scientific collaboration could be added by the same mechanism, like quality information and annotations. Apart from relations among data and metadata entities, PIDs on collections are advantageous for model data: Collections allow for persistent references to single datasets or subsets of data assigned a DOI, Data objects and additional information objects can be consistently connected via relations (provenance, creation, quality information for data),

Programmable integration of heterogeneous nanomaterial arrays onto arbitrary substrates with applications in gas sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Jenna Olivia

Genetic counselors periodically see incarcerated patients, however, there is virtually no research on genetic counseling in this population. To initiate a conversation on the genetic counseling of incarcerated women, six guest lectures on the science and ethics of human genetics were prepared and delivered to a select group of 19 students in the Bedford Hills College Program at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for women in Bedford Hills, New York. Each lecture was analyzed for its effectiveness and impact. Additionally, 12 participating students were administered a course evaluation wherein they shared their thoughts on the lectures. The student inmates' responses suggested that prenatal genetics issues, such as age-related risks during pregnancy, were most relevant and valuable to them. Results also indicated that those attempting to teach genetics or biology in the women's prison setting should create a flexible course that includes ample handouts, visual aids, and class discussion. Additionally, the information gleaned through a review of the literature, the participants' responses, and the lecture series itself identified key issues to address as genetic counselors attempt to better serve incarcerated patients. The students who participated in this lecture series benefitted from simple explanations and visual aids, as would most genetic counseling patients, incarcerated or not. They also expressed significant distrust of the medical system. Results show that genetic counselors should strive to build rapport with incarcerated patients, and should be prepared to address sensitive subjects such as substance abuse, domestic violence, and mental illness with them. Furthermore, educating more incarcerated women about genetics may help them establish more faith in genetic counseling as a valuable health service.

Use of radio-telemetry to reduce bias in nest searching

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, L.A.; Lang, J.D.; Krementz, D.G.; Conroy, M.J.

2005-01-01

We used traditional searching, as well as radio-telemetry, to find 125 Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) nests during 1994?1996 at the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, USA. We compared daily nest survival rates for 66 nests of radio-marked birds with 59 nests of birds found through systematic searching. By using radio-telemetry, we found Wood Thrush nests in higher elevation pine habitats, in addition to the more usual hardwood forests with moist soils. We found nests of radio-marked birds farther from streams than nests found by systematic searching. Thirty-two percent of radio-marked birds' nests were found at the tops of slopes, compared to 15% of the nests found by traditional searching. In addition, radio-marked birds generally moved up-slope for re-nesting attempts. Although the distribution of nests found with telemetry and searching varied, daily nest survival did not vary between the two groups. Radio-telemetry provided new information about Wood Thrush nesting habitats. We believe radio-telemetry can be a valuable addition to traditional searching techniques; it has the potential to provide a sample of nests free from a priori habitat biases.

Induced cytotoxic damage by exposure to gasoline vapors: a study in Sinaloa, Mexico.

PubMed

Martinez-Valenzuela, Carmen; Soto, Fernanda Balderrama; Waliszewski, Stefan M; Meza, Enrique; Arroyo, Sandra Gómez; Martínez, Luis Daniel Ortega; Meraz, Eliakym Arambula; Caba, Mario

2017-01-01

Gasoline is a blend of organic compounds used in internal combustion engines. Gasoline-station attendants are exposed to gasoline vapors, which pose a potentially mutagenic risk. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, exposure to gasoline and engine exhaust is possibly carcinogenic to humans. We determined the frequency of micronucleus and other nuclear abnormalities, such as pyknotic nuclei, chromatin condensation, cells with nuclear buds, karyolytic cells, karyorrhexis, and binucleated cells in buccal mucosal smears of 60 gasoline-station attendants and 60 unexposed controls. In addition, we explored if factors such as smoking habits, alcohol consumption, and worked years exert an additional synergistic cytotoxic effect. There were statistically significant higher frequencies (p < 0.05) of nuclear abnormalities among exposed attendants compared to the controls. No statistical significant (p > 0.05) additional effect of lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption or worked years on the cytotoxicity was observed. The results showed that from the beginning exposure to gasoline vapors increased the frequency of nuclear abnormalities in buccal epithelial cells. Our results provide valuable information on cytotoxic damage for an early pre-symptomatic diagnosis.

Clinical value of crystalluria and quantitative morphoconstitutional analysis of urinary calculi.

PubMed

Frochot, Vincent; Daudon, Michel

2016-12-01

Crystalluria is a marker of urine supersaturation with substances deriving from metabolic disorders, inherited diseases or drugs. The investigation of crystalluria must be done according to a protocol which includes the delivery to the laboratory of a proper urine sample, the use of a microscope equipped with polarized light, the accurate knowledge of urine pH, and a comprehensive examination of the crystals, which is based on their identification, quantification and size measurement. For unusual crystals, infrared spectroscopy may also be needed. If the formation of stones is always preceded by crystalluria, the reverse is not true. In addition to the crystalline composition, stone morphology provides valuable information on stone activity and, for some crystalline species, major information regarding the underlying pathology. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reliably identify specific forms of nephrolithiasis, as common-type stones made of calcium oxalate (CaOx) and/or calcium phosphate that is combined with morphology classification; using this method, stones may be classified into 6 types subdivided in 22 subtypes. The investigation of crystalluria is an inexpensive and valuable tool for the detection and the monitoring of inherited and acquired diseases associated with urinary stone formation or acute or chronic renal function impairment from intrarenal crystal precipitation. Selective FTIR identification of the composition of core (or the umbilication), middle part, and surface of every stone allows identification of the initiating lithogenic process (in the nucleus or in the Randall's plaque) and the factors which subsequently contributed to stone growth. In conclusion, the proposed morpho-constitutional method of urinary stone analysis, which moreover is rapid and low cost, provides clinically relevant orientations for targeted etiologic evaluation. Copyright © 2016 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-scale linkages of winter drought variability to ENSO and the Arctic Oscillation: A case study in Shaanxi, North China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhiyong; Zhang, Xin; Fang, Ruihong

2018-02-01

Understanding the potential connections between climate indices such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) and drought variability will be beneficial for making reasonable predictions or assumptions about future regional droughts, and provide valuable information to improve water resources planning and design for specific regions of interest. This study is to examine the multi-scale relationships between winter drought variability over Shaanxi (North China) and both ENSO and AO during the period 1960-2009. To accomplish this, we first estimated winter dryness/wetness conditions over Shaanxi based on the self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (PDSI). Then, we identified the spatiotemporal variability of winter dryness/wetness conditions in the study area by using the empirical orthogonal function (EOF). Two primary sub-regions of winter dryness/wetness conditions across Shaanxi were identified. We further examined the periodical oscillations of dryness/wetness conditions and the multi-scale relationships between dryness/wetness conditions and both ENSO and AO in winter using wavelet analysis. The results indicate that there are inverse multi-scale relations between winter dryness/wetness conditions and ENSO (according to the wavelet coherence) for most of the study area. Moreover, positive multi-scale relations between winter dryness/wetness conditions and AO are mainly observed. The results could be beneficial for making reasonable predictions or assumptions about future regional droughts and provide valuable information to improve water resources planning and design within this study area. In addition to the current study area, this study may also offer a useful reference for other regions worldwide with similar climate conditions.

Discovering semantic features in the literature: a foundation for building functional associations

PubMed Central

Chagoyen, Monica; Carmona-Saez, Pedro; Shatkay, Hagit; Carazo, Jose M; Pascual-Montano, Alberto

2006-01-01

Background Experimental techniques such as DNA microarray, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) and mass spectrometry proteomics, among others, are generating large amounts of data related to genes and proteins at different levels. As in any other experimental approach, it is necessary to analyze these data in the context of previously known information about the biological entities under study. The literature is a particularly valuable source of information for experiment validation and interpretation. Therefore, the development of automated text mining tools to assist in such interpretation is one of the main challenges in current bioinformatics research. Results We present a method to create literature profiles for large sets of genes or proteins based on common semantic features extracted from a corpus of relevant documents. These profiles can be used to establish pair-wise similarities among genes, utilized in gene/protein classification or can be even combined with experimental measurements. Semantic features can be used by researchers to facilitate the understanding of the commonalities indicated by experimental results. Our approach is based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), a machine-learning algorithm for data analysis, capable of identifying local patterns that characterize a subset of the data. The literature is thus used to establish putative relationships among subsets of genes or proteins and to provide coherent justification for this clustering into subsets. We demonstrate the utility of the method by applying it to two independent and vastly different sets of genes. Conclusion The presented method can create literature profiles from documents relevant to sets of genes. The representation of genes as additive linear combinations of semantic features allows for the exploration of functional associations as well as for clustering, suggesting a valuable methodology for the validation and interpretation of high-throughput experimental data. PMID:16438716

Examining the cost-effectiveness of cancer screening promotion.

PubMed

Andersen, M Robyn; Urban, Nicole; Ramsey, Scott; Briss, Peter A

2004-09-01

Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) can help to quantify the contribution of the promotion of a screening program to increased participation in screening. The cost-effectiveness (C/E) of screening promotion depends in large part on the endpoints of interest. At the most fundamental level, the C/E of a strategy for promoting screening would focus on the attendance rate, or cost per person screened, and the C/E would be influenced by the costs of promotion, as well as by the size and responsiveness of the target population. In addition, the costs of screening promotion (measured as the cost per additional participant in screening) can be included in a CEA estimate of the screening technology. In this case, depending on the efficacy of the screening test and the costs and influence of the promotion, the C/E of screening may improve or become poorer. In the current study, the authors reviewed the literature on the C/E of cancer screening promotion. The following lessons were learned regarding the C/E of screening and its promotion: 1) high-quality information on the C/E of screening is increasingly available; 2) cost-effective promotion of screening is dependent on cost-effective screening strategies; 3) quality-of-life effects may be important in assessing the overall C/E of screening programs; 4) research efforts aimed at identifying cost-effective approaches to screening promotion are useful but sparse; 5) C/E studies should be better incorporated into well designed effectiveness research efforts; 6) variations in C/E according to intervention characteristics, population characteristics, and context should be evaluated in greater depth; 7) the long-term effects of screening promotion are critical to assessing C/E; 8) the effects of promotion on costs of screening must be better understood; and 9) CEA must be interpreted in light of other information. The authors showed that CEA can be a valuable tool for understanding the merits of health promotion interventions and that CEA is particularly valuable in identifying screening strategies that might be promoted most cost-effectively.

Integrating novel data streams to support biosurveillance in commercial livestock production systems in developed countries: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Gates, M Carolyn; Holmstrom, Lindsey K; Biggers, Keith E; Beckham, Tammy R

2015-01-01

Reducing the burden of emerging and endemic infectious diseases on commercial livestock production systems will require the development of innovative technology platforms that enable information from diverse animal health resources to be collected, analyzed, and communicated in near real-time. In this paper, we review recent initiatives to leverage data routinely observed by farmers, production managers, veterinary practitioners, diagnostic laboratories, regulatory officials, and slaughterhouse inspectors for disease surveillance purposes. The most commonly identified challenges were (1) the lack of standardized systems for recording essential data elements within and between surveillance data streams, (2) the additional time required to collect data elements that are not routinely recorded by participants, (3) the concern over the sharing and use of business sensitive information with regulatory authorities and other data analysts, (4) the difficulty in developing sustainable incentives to maintain long-term program participation, and (5) the limitations in current methods for analyzing and reporting animal health information in a manner that facilitates actionable response. With the significant recent advances in information science, there are many opportunities to develop more sophisticated systems that meet national disease surveillance objectives, while still providing participants with valuable tools and feedback to manage routine animal health concerns.

Identification of Vibrotactile Patterns Encoding Obstacle Distance Information.

PubMed

Kim, Yeongmi; Harders, Matthias; Gassert, Roger

2015-01-01

Delivering distance information of nearby obstacles from sensors embedded in a white cane-in addition to the intrinsic mechanical feedback from the cane-can aid the visually impaired in ambulating independently. Haptics is a common modality for conveying such information to cane users, typically in the form of vibrotactile signals. In this context, we investigated the effect of tactile rendering methods, tactile feedback configurations and directions of tactile flow on the identification of obstacle distance. Three tactile rendering methods with temporal variation only, spatio-temporal variation and spatial/temporal/intensity variation were investigated for two vibration feedback configurations. Results showed a significant interaction between tactile rendering method and feedback configuration. Spatio-temporal variation generally resulted in high correct identification rates for both feedback configurations. In the case of the four-finger vibration, tactile rendering with spatial/temporal/intensity variation also resulted in high distance identification rate. Further, participants expressed their preference for the four-finger vibration over the single-finger vibration in a survey. Both preferred rendering methods with spatio-temporal variation and spatial/temporal/intensity variation for the four-finger vibration could convey obstacle distance information with low workload. Overall, the presented findings provide valuable insights and guidance for the design of haptic displays for electronic travel aids for the visually impaired.

Integrating Novel Data Streams to Support Biosurveillance in Commercial Livestock Production Systems in Developed Countries: Challenges and Opportunities

PubMed Central

Gates, M. Carolyn; Holmstrom, Lindsey K.; Biggers, Keith E.; Beckham, Tammy R.

2015-01-01

Reducing the burden of emerging and endemic infectious diseases on commercial livestock production systems will require the development of innovative technology platforms that enable information from diverse animal health resources to be collected, analyzed, and communicated in near real-time. In this paper, we review recent initiatives to leverage data routinely observed by farmers, production managers, veterinary practitioners, diagnostic laboratories, regulatory officials, and slaughterhouse inspectors for disease surveillance purposes. The most commonly identified challenges were (1) the lack of standardized systems for recording essential data elements within and between surveillance data streams, (2) the additional time required to collect data elements that are not routinely recorded by participants, (3) the concern over the sharing and use of business sensitive information with regulatory authorities and other data analysts, (4) the difficulty in developing sustainable incentives to maintain long-term program participation, and (5) the limitations in current methods for analyzing and reporting animal health information in a manner that facilitates actionable response. With the significant recent advances in information science, there are many opportunities to develop more sophisticated systems that meet national disease surveillance objectives, while still providing participants with valuable tools and feedback to manage routine animal health concerns. PMID:25973416

Case Study: The Transfer of Tacit Knowledge from Community College Full-Time to Adjunct Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzzo, Linda R.

2013-01-01

Knowledge is a valuable resource that fosters innovation and growth in organizations. There are two forms of knowledge: explicit knowledge or documented information and tacit knowledge or undocumented information which resides in individuals' minds. There is heightened interest in knowledge management and specifically the transfer of tacit…

The Mentor inside You

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerlin, Christine

2016-01-01

Mentoring occurs in formal and informal ways. While formal mentoring programs are valuable, the majority of people are likely to have opportunities for informal mentoring in their workplace and in their communities. The author makes the point that mentors are all around us, and each of us may have the capacity to mentor or to be mentored, whether…

The Value of School Librarian Support in the Digital World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballew, Linda M.

2014-01-01

The mission of school librarians in the digital age of information gathering and messaging has not undergone any real change of focus. Even though the tools and methods available for accessing information have significantly altered the way people now use library services, school libraries remain a constant place to make valuable discoveries. The…

76 FR 77236 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-12

... provide valuable information on the effects of these programs on parents and children. This includes... time of the child's first birthday. These data will include a one-hour interview with the parent and 30-minutes of observed interactions between the parent and child. This notice does not seek comment on these...

Surveillance in the Information Age: Text Quantification, Anomaly Detection, and Empirical Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Hsin-Min

2010-01-01

Deep penetration of personal computers, data communication networks, and the Internet has created a massive platform for data collection, dissemination, storage, and retrieval. Large amounts of textual data are now available at a very low cost. Valuable information, such as consumer preferences, new product developments, trends, and opportunities,…

Opt-Outs: What Is Lost When Students Do Not Test. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Croft, Michelle

2015-01-01

Scores on annual statewide achievement tests can provide parents, students, educators, and policymakers with valuable information--but only if students participate. This issue brief provides the background about recent increases in (and efforts to expand) the number of students opting out of statewide assessments, describes the information and…

The Pursuit of Equality: Retaining Women in Information Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehlert, Teresa

2017-01-01

This qualitative study employed a three-iteration classical Delphi design to determine consensus regarding retention strategies of women in the IT industry. There is a call for the information technology (IT) industry to hire and retain more women. Retaining such a valuable educated source would help fill the ever-rising need for skilled workers…

Vermont hospital's web site focuses on valuable healthcare information.

PubMed

Rees, Tom

2005-01-01

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's web site celebrates a century of caring in the region of Brattleboro, Vt. The web site, bmhvt.org, is loaded with information, including a local links page that enables site visitors to hook up with the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce, the Area Health Education Council, Lifeline Personal Response Service, and more.

DNA fingerprinting sets for four southern pines

Treesearch

Craig Echt; Sedley Josserand

2018-01-01

DNA markers can provide valuable genetic information for forest tree research, breeding, conservation, and restoration programs. When properly evaluated, selected sets of DNA markers can be used to efficiently get information about genetic diversity in regions, forests, or stands, or in seed lots and orchards. Selected markers also can be used to determine parentage or...

Level of Agreement between Self and Spouse in the Assessment of Personality Pathology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South, Susan C.; Oltmanns, Thomas F.; Johnson, Jarrod; Turkheimer, Eric

2011-01-01

Informant reports can provide important information regarding the presence of pathological personality traits, and they can serve as useful supplements to self-report instruments. Ratings from a spouse may be a particularly valuable source of personality assessment because spouses are very well acquainted with the target person, have typically…

Communication Processes in the Field Research Interview Setting: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Susan A.

For those involved in research of any type, the gathering of complete, relevant, and untainted information is the ultimate goal. The collection of valuable information is particularly challenging in the social sciences, which often call for qualitative field research. The effective field research interviewer must not only be knowledgeable of the…

The Necessity of Environmental Scanning Prior to Long-Range Planning Activities at Higher Education Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handy, Ty J.

Formal environmental scanning procedures can provide key administrators of higher education institutions with valuable external information regarding both the probability and impact of external trends and forces. Such information may then be used in various strategic planning stages including scenario development, institutional mission and goals…

The Big Read: Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Endowment for the Arts, 2009

2009-01-01

The Big Read evaluation included a series of 35 case studies designed to gather more in-depth information on the program's implementation and impact. The case studies gave readers a valuable first-hand look at The Big Read in context. Both formal and informal interviews, focus groups, attendance at a wide range of events--all showed how…

Microbial profiling, neural network and semantic web: an integrated information system for human pathogen risk management, prevention and surveillance in food safety

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It is estimated that food-borne pathogens cause approximately 76 million cases of gastrointestinal illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States annually. Genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies, particularly, genome sequencing projects are providing valuable inform...

Use of joint two-view information for computerized lesion detection on mammograms: improvement of microcalcification detection accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahiner, Berkman; Gurcan, Metin N.; Chan, Heang-Ping; Hadjiiski, Lubomir M.; Petrick, Nicholas; Helvie, Mark A.

2002-05-01

We are developing new techniques to improve the accuracy of computerized microcalcification detection by using the joint two-view information on craniocaudal (CC) and mediolateral-oblique (MLO) views. After cluster candidates were detected using a single-view detection technique, candidates on CC and MLO views were paired using their radial distances from the nipple. Object pairs were classified with a joint two-view classifier that used the similarity of objects in a pair. Each cluster candidate was also classified as a true microcalcification cluster or a false-positive (FP) using its single-view features. The outputs of these two classifiers were fused. A data set of 38 pairs of mammograms from our database was used to train the new detection technique. The independent test set consisted of 77 pairs of mammograms from the University of South Florida public database. At a per-film sensitivity of 70%, the FP rates were 0.17 and 0.27 with the fusion and single-view detection methods, respectively. Our results indicate that correspondence of cluster candidates on two different views provides valuable additional information for distinguishing false from true microcalcification clusters.

3D TOCSY-HSQC NMR for metabolic flux analysis using non-uniform sampling

DOE PAGES

Reardon, Patrick N.; Marean-Reardon, Carrie L.; Bukovec, Melanie A.; ...

2016-02-05

13C-Metabolic Flux Analysis ( 13C-MFA) is rapidly being recognized as the authoritative method for determining fluxes through metabolic networks. Site-specific 13C enrichment information obtained using NMR spectroscopy is a valuable input for 13C-MFA experiments. Chemical shift overlaps in the 1D or 2D NMR experiments typically used for 13C-MFA frequently hinder assignment and quantitation of site-specific 13C enrichment. Here we propose the use of a 3D TOCSY-HSQC experiment for 13C-MFA. We employ Non-Uniform Sampling (NUS) to reduce the acquisition time of the experiment to a few hours, making it practical for use in 13C-MFA experiments. Our data show that the NUSmore » experiment is linear and quantitative. Identification of metabolites in complex mixtures, such as a biomass hydrolysate, is simplified by virtue of the 13C chemical shift obtained in the experiment. In addition, the experiment reports 13C-labeling information that reveals the position specific labeling of subsets of isotopomers. As a result, the information provided by this technique will enable more accurate estimation of metabolic fluxes in larger metabolic networks.« less

Boron-containing organic pigments from a Jurassic red alga

PubMed Central

Wolkenstein, Klaus; Gross, Jürgen H.; Falk, Heinz

2010-01-01

Organic biomolecules that have retained their basic chemical structures over geological periods (molecular fossils) occur in a wide range of geological samples and provide valuable paleobiological, paleoenvironmental, and geochemical information not attainable from other sources. In rare cases, such compounds are even preserved with their specific functional groups and still occur within the organisms that produced them, providing direct information on the biochemical inventory of extinct organisms and their possible evolutionary relationships. Here we report the discovery of an exceptional group of boron-containing compounds, the borolithochromes, causing the distinct pink coloration of well-preserved specimens of the Jurassic red alga Solenopora jurassica. The borolithochromes are characterized as complicated spiroborates (boric acid esters) with two phenolic moieties as boron ligands, representing a unique class of fossil organic pigments. The chiroptical properties of the pigments unequivocally demonstrate a biogenic origin, at least of their ligands. However, although the borolithochromes originated from a fossil red alga, no analogy with hitherto known present-day red algal pigments was found. The occurrence of the borolithochromes or their possible diagenetic products in the fossil record may provide additional information on the classification and phylogeny of fossil calcareous algae. PMID:20974956

Boron-containing organic pigments from a Jurassic red alga.

PubMed

Wolkenstein, Klaus; Gross, Jürgen H; Falk, Heinz

2010-11-09

Organic biomolecules that have retained their basic chemical structures over geological periods (molecular fossils) occur in a wide range of geological samples and provide valuable paleobiological, paleoenvironmental, and geochemical information not attainable from other sources. In rare cases, such compounds are even preserved with their specific functional groups and still occur within the organisms that produced them, providing direct information on the biochemical inventory of extinct organisms and their possible evolutionary relationships. Here we report the discovery of an exceptional group of boron-containing compounds, the borolithochromes, causing the distinct pink coloration of well-preserved specimens of the Jurassic red alga Solenopora jurassica. The borolithochromes are characterized as complicated spiroborates (boric acid esters) with two phenolic moieties as boron ligands, representing a unique class of fossil organic pigments. The chiroptical properties of the pigments unequivocally demonstrate a biogenic origin, at least of their ligands. However, although the borolithochromes originated from a fossil red alga, no analogy with hitherto known present-day red algal pigments was found. The occurrence of the borolithochromes or their possible diagenetic products in the fossil record may provide additional information on the classification and phylogeny of fossil calcareous algae.

Norms for healthy adults aged 18-87 years for the Cognitive Drug Research System: An automated set of tests of attention, information processing and memory for use in clinical trials.

PubMed

Wesnes, Keith A; McNamara, Cynthia; Annas, Peter

2016-03-01

The Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) System is a set of nine computerized tests of attention, information processing, working memory, executive control and episodic memory which was designed for repeated assessments in research projects. The CDR System has been used extensively in clinical trials involving healthy volunteers for over 30 years, and a database of 7751 individuals aged 18-87 years has been accumulated for pre-treatment data from these studies. This database has been analysed, and the relationships between the various scores with factors, including age, gender and years of full-time education, have been identified. These analyses are reported in this paper, along with tables of norms for the various key measures from the core tasks stratified by age and gender. These norms can be used for a variety of purposes, including the determination of eligibility for participation in clinical trials and the everyday relevance of research findings from the system. In addition, these norms provide valuable information on gender differences and the effects of normal ageing on major aspects of human cognitive function. © The Author(s) 2016.

Fractal Folding and Medium Viscoelasticity Contribute Jointly to Chromosome Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polovnikov, K. E.; Gherardi, M.; Cosentino-Lagomarsino, M.; Tamm, M. V.

2018-02-01

Chromosomes are key players of cell physiology, their dynamics provides valuable information about its physical organization. In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, the short-time motion of chromosomal loci has been described with a Rouse model in a simple or viscoelastic medium. However, little emphasis has been put on the influence of the folded organization of chromosomes on the local dynamics. Clearly, stress propagation, and thus dynamics, must be affected by such organization, but a theory allowing us to extract such information from data, e.g., on two-point correlations, is lacking. Here, we describe a theoretical framework able to answer this general polymer dynamics question. We provide a scaling analysis of the stress-propagation time between two loci at a given arclength distance along the chromosomal coordinate. The results suggest a precise way to assess folding information from the dynamical coupling of chromosome segments. Additionally, we realize this framework in a specific model of a polymer whose long-range interactions are designed to make it fold in a fractal way and immersed in a medium characterized by subdiffusive fractional Langevin motion with a tunable scaling exponent. This allows us to derive explicit analytical expressions for the correlation functions.

Paediatric team handover: a time to learn?

PubMed

Bradley, Stephen; Egan, John P; Henning, Marcus

2018-06-08

Paediatric team handovers provide medical professionals and students with the opportunity to exchange clinically relevant information about patients. This study explored the extent to which learning opportunities existed and were utilised within paediatric team handovers in New Zealand secondary hospitals. We undertook a qualitative, two-site case study within two paediatric departments in 2014 and 2015, and interviewed 29 participants, including medical students, junior doctors and consultants. We conducted a thematic analysis using a general inductive approach. Participants' narratives revealed that safe transfer of pertinent patient information between clinicians was the primary function of team handover. They described learning as an additional key component. Most learning opportunities were reported to be informal and opportunistic, related to the specific patients whose care was discussed within each handover. Handover team members indicated that implicit learning occurred as a feature of their handover experience. Learning opportunities exist within team handovers and the associated learning frequently occurs either opportunistically or implicitly. Adoption of a reflective approach to learning opportunities is likely to result in improved educational experiences for handover participants, particularly medical students and junior doctors. Handover represents a clinical event within which valuable workplace learning occurs.

Input integration around the dendritic branches in hippocampal dentate granule cells.

PubMed

Kamijo, Tadanobu Chuyo; Hayakawa, Hirofumi; Fukushima, Yasuhiro; Kubota, Yoshiyuki; Isomura, Yoshikazu; Tsukada, Minoru; Aihara, Takeshi

2014-08-01

Recent studies have shown that the dendrites of several neurons are not simple translators but are crucial facilitators of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) propagation and summation of synaptic inputs to compensate for inherent voltage attenuation. Granule cells (GCs)are located at the gateway for valuable information arriving at the hippocampus from the entorhinal cortex. However, the underlying mechanisms of information integration along the dendrites of GCs in the hippocampus are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the input integration around dendritic branches of GCs in the rat hippocampus. We applied differential spatiotemporal stimulations to the dendrites using a high-speed glutamate-uncaging laser. Our results showed that when two sites close to and equidistant from a branching point were simultaneously stimulated, a nonlinear summation of EPSPs was observed at the soma. In addition, nonlinear summation (facilitation) depended on the stimulus location and was significantly blocked by the application of a voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel antagonist. These findings suggest that the nonlinear summation of EPSPs around the dendritic branches of hippocampal GCs is a result of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel activation and may play a crucial role in the integration of input information.

Business Intelligence Applied to the ALMA Software Integration Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zambrano, M.; Recabarren, C.; González, V.; Hoffstadt, A.; Soto, R.; Shen, T.-C.

2012-09-01

Software quality assurance and planning of an astronomy project is a complex task, specially if it is a distributed collaborative project such as ALMA, where the development centers are spread across the globe. When you execute a software project there is much valuable information about this process itself that you might be able to collect. One of the ways you can receive this input is via an issue tracking system that will gather the problem reports relative to software bugs captured during the testing of the software, during the integration of the different components or even worst, problems occurred during production time. Usually, there is little time spent on analyzing them but with some multidimensional processing you can extract valuable information from them and it might help you on the long term planning and resources allocation. We present an analysis of the information collected at ALMA from a collection of key unbiased indicators. We describe here the extraction, transformation and load process and how the data was processed. The main goal is to assess a software process and get insights from this information.

Real-Time X-ray Imaging Reveals Interfacial Growth, Suppression, and Dissolution of Zinc Dendrites Dependent on Anions of Ionic Liquid Additives for Rechargeable Battery Applications.

PubMed

Song, Yuexian; Hu, Jiugang; Tang, Jia; Gu, Wanmiao; He, Lili; Ji, Xiaobo

2016-11-23

The dynamic interfacial growth, suppression, and dissolution of zinc dendrites have been studied with the imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) as additives on the basis of in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray imaging. The phase contrast difference of real-time images indicates that zinc dendrites are preferentially developed on the substrate surface in the ammoniacal electrolytes. After adding imidazolium ILs, both nucleation overpotential and polarization extent increase in the order of additive-free < EMI-Cl < EMI-PF 6 < EMI-TFSA < EMI-DCA. The real-time X-ray images show that the EMI-Cl can suppress zinc dendrites, but result in the formation of the loose deposits. The EMI-PF 6 and EMI-TFSA additives can smooth the deposit morphology through suppressing the initiation and growth of dendritic zinc. The addition of EMI-DCA increases the number of dendrite initiation sites, whereas it decreases the growth rate of dendrites. Furthermore, the dissolution behaviors of zinc deposits are compared. The zinc dendrites show a slow dissolution process in the additive-free electrolyte, whereas zinc deposits are easily detached from the substrate in the presence of EMI-Cl, EMI-PF 6 , or EMI-TFSA due to the formation of the loose structure. Hence, the dependence of zinc dendrites on anions of imidazolium IL additives during both electrodeposition and dissolution processes has been elucidated. These results could provide the valuable information in perfecting the performance of zinc-based rechargeable batteries.

Technologies That Assess the Location of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Loveday, Adam; Sherar, Lauren B; Sanders, James P; Sanderson, Paul W; Esliger, Dale W

2015-08-05

The location in which physical activity and sedentary behavior are performed can provide valuable behavioral information, both in isolation and synergistically with other areas of physical activity and sedentary behavior research. Global positioning systems (GPS) have been used in physical activity research to identify outdoor location; however, while GPS can receive signals in certain indoor environments, it is not able to provide room- or subroom-level location. On average, adults spend a high proportion of their time indoors. A measure of indoor location would, therefore, provide valuable behavioral information. This systematic review sought to identify and critique technology which has been or could be used to assess the location of physical activity and sedentary behavior. To identify published research papers, four electronic databases were searched using key terms built around behavior, technology, and location. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be published in English and describe a wearable or portable technology or device capable of measuring location. Searches were performed up to February 4, 2015. This was supplemented by backward and forward reference searching. In an attempt to include novel devices which may not yet have made their way into the published research, searches were also performed using three Internet search engines. Specialized software was used to download search results and thus mitigate the potential pitfalls of changing search algorithms. A total of 188 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Global positioning systems were the most widely used location technology in the published research, followed by wearable cameras, and radio-frequency identification. Internet search engines identified 81 global positioning systems, 35 real-time locating systems, and 21 wearable cameras. Real-time locating systems determine the indoor location of a wearable tag via the known location of reference nodes. Although the type of reference node and location determination method varies between manufacturers, Wi-Fi appears to be the most popular method. The addition of location information to existing measures of physical activity and sedentary behavior will provide important behavioral information.

Technologies That Assess the Location of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Sherar, Lauren B; Sanders, James P; Sanderson, Paul W; Esliger, Dale W

2015-01-01

Background The location in which physical activity and sedentary behavior are performed can provide valuable behavioral information, both in isolation and synergistically with other areas of physical activity and sedentary behavior research. Global positioning systems (GPS) have been used in physical activity research to identify outdoor location; however, while GPS can receive signals in certain indoor environments, it is not able to provide room- or subroom-level location. On average, adults spend a high proportion of their time indoors. A measure of indoor location would, therefore, provide valuable behavioral information. Objective This systematic review sought to identify and critique technology which has been or could be used to assess the location of physical activity and sedentary behavior. Methods To identify published research papers, four electronic databases were searched using key terms built around behavior, technology, and location. To be eligible for inclusion, papers were required to be published in English and describe a wearable or portable technology or device capable of measuring location. Searches were performed up to February 4, 2015. This was supplemented by backward and forward reference searching. In an attempt to include novel devices which may not yet have made their way into the published research, searches were also performed using three Internet search engines. Specialized software was used to download search results and thus mitigate the potential pitfalls of changing search algorithms. Results A total of 188 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Global positioning systems were the most widely used location technology in the published research, followed by wearable cameras, and radio-frequency identification. Internet search engines identified 81 global positioning systems, 35 real-time locating systems, and 21 wearable cameras. Real-time locating systems determine the indoor location of a wearable tag via the known location of reference nodes. Although the type of reference node and location determination method varies between manufacturers, Wi-Fi appears to be the most popular method. Conclusions The addition of location information to existing measures of physical activity and sedentary behavior will provide important behavioral information. PMID:26245157

Intelligent Melting Probes - How to Make the Most out of our Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, J.; Clemens, J.; Chen, S.; Schüller, K.

2016-12-01

Direct exploration of glaciers, ice sheets, or subglacial environments poses a big challenge. Different technological solutions have been proposed and deployed in the last decades, examples being hot-water drills or different melting probe designs. Most of the recent engineering concepts integrate a variety of different on-board sensors, e.g. temperature sensors, pressure sensors, or an inertial measurement unit. Not only do individual sensors provide valuable insight into the current state of the probe, yet often they also contain a wealth of additional information when analyzed collectively. This quite naturally raises the question: How can we make most out of our data? We find that it is necessary to implement intelligent data integration and sensor fusion strategies to retrieve a maximum amount of information from the observations. In this contribution, we are inspired by the engineering design of the IceMole, a minimally invasive, steerable melting probe. We will talk about two sensor integration strategies relevant to IceMole melting scenarios. At first, we will present a multi-sensor fusion approach to accurately retrieve subsurface position and attitude information. It uses an extended Kalman filter to integrate data from an on-board IMU, a differential magnetometer system, the screw feed, as well as the travel time of acoustic signals originating from emitters at the ice surface. Furthermore, an evidential mapping algorithm estimates a map of the environment from data of ultrasound phased arrays in the probe's head. Various results from tests in a swimming pool and in glacier ice will be shown during the presentation. A second block considers the fluid-dynamical state in the melting channel, as well as the ambient cryo-environment. It is devoted to retrieving information from on-board temperature and pressure sensors. Here, we will report on preliminary results from re-analysing past field test data. Knowledge from integrated sensor data likewise provides valuable input for the parameter identification and verification of data based models. Due to the concept of not focusing on the physical laws, this approach can still be used, if modifications are done. It is highly transferable and hasn't been exploited rigorously so far. This could be a potential future direction.

OPPENHEIMER FORMULA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Technical product bulletin: this biological additive is a bioremediation agent in oil spill cleanups. Especially valuable in grass flats, marshes, and the open sea. Also effective in fresh water, municipal waste treatment, septic tanks and grease traps.

Nattokinase: production and application.

PubMed

Dabbagh, Fatemeh; Negahdaripour, Manica; Berenjian, Aydin; Behfar, Abdolazim; Mohammadi, Fatemeh; Zamani, Mozhdeh; Irajie, Cambyz; Ghasemi, Younes

2014-11-01

Nattokinase (NK, also known as subtilisin NAT) (EC 3.4.21.62) is one of the most considerable extracellular enzymes produced by Bacillus subtilis natto. The main interest about this enzyme is due to its direct fibrinolytic activity. Being stable enough in the gastrointestinal tract makes this enzyme a useful agent for the oral thrombolytic therapy. Thus, NK is regarded as a valuable dietary supplement or nutraceutical. Proven safety and ease of mass production are other advantages of this enzyme. In addition to these valuable advantages, there are other applications attributed to NK including treatment of hypertension, Alzheimer's disease, and vitreoretinal disorders. This review tends to bring a brief description about this valuable enzyme and summarizes the various biotechnological approaches used in its production, recovery, and purification. Some of the most important applications of NK, as well as its future prospects, are also discussed.

A UK medical devices regulator's perspective on registries.

PubMed

Wilkinson, John; Crosbie, Andy

2016-04-01

Registries are powerful tools to support manufacturers in the fulfilment of their obligations to perform post-market surveillance and post-market clinical follow-up of implantable medical devices. They are also a valuable resource for regulators in support of regulatory action as well as in providing information around the safety of new and innovative technologies. Registries can provide valuable information on the relative performance of both generic types and manufacturer's individual products and they complement other sources of information about device performance such as post-market clinical studies and adverse incident reporting. This paper describes the experience of the UK medical device regulator - the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - of working with registries to monitor the safety and performance of medical devices. Based upon this experience, the authors identify a number of attributes for a registry which they consider to be key if the registry is to contribute effectively to the work of regulators on patient safety monitoring and medical device regulation.

Information based universal feature extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amiri, Mohammad; Brause, Rüdiger

2015-02-01

In many real world image based pattern recognition tasks, the extraction and usage of task-relevant features are the most crucial part of the diagnosis. In the standard approach, they mostly remain task-specific, although humans who perform such a task always use the same image features, trained in early childhood. It seems that universal feature sets exist, but they are not yet systematically found. In our contribution, we tried to find those universal image feature sets that are valuable for most image related tasks. In our approach, we trained a neural network by natural and non-natural images of objects and background, using a Shannon information-based algorithm and learning constraints. The goal was to extract those features that give the most valuable information for classification of visual objects hand-written digits. This will give a good start and performance increase for all other image learning tasks, implementing a transfer learning approach. As result, in our case we found that we could indeed extract features which are valid in all three kinds of tasks.

Side Streams of Plant Food Processing As a Source of Valuable Compounds: Selected Examples.

PubMed

Schieber, Andreas

2017-02-28

Industrial processing of plant-derived raw materials generates enormous amounts of by-products. On one hand, these by-products constitute a serious disposal issue because they often emerge seasonally and are prone to microbial decay. On the other hand, they are an abundant source of valuable compounds, in particular secondary plant metabolites and cell wall materials, which may be recovered and used to functionalize foods and replace synthetic additives with ingredients of natural origin. This review covers 150 references and presents select studies performed between 2001 and 2016 on the recovery, characterization, and application of valuable constituents from grape pomace, apple pomace, potato peels, tomato pomace, carrot pomace, onion peels, by-products of citrus, mango, banana, and pineapple processing, side streams of olive oil production, and cereal by-products. The criteria used were economic importance, amounts generated, relevance of side streams as a source of valuable compounds, and reviews already published. Despite a plethora of studies carried out on the utilization of side streams, relatively few processes have yet found industrial application.

77 FR 46789 - Agency Request for Renewal of a Previously Approved Collection: Disclosure of Change-of-Gauge...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

... change planes at an intermediate stop. In addition to one-flight-to-one-flight change-of-gauge services... changes planes, but in addition, the single flight to or from the exchange point itself has multiple... valuable consumer benefits, they can be confusing and misleading unless consumers are given reasonable and...

Metal-containing residues from industry and in the environment: geobiotechnological urban mining.

PubMed

Glombitza, Franz; Reichel, Susan

2014-01-01

This chapter explains the manifold geobiotechnological possibilities to separate industrial valuable metals from various industrial residues and stored waste products of the past. In addition to an overview of the different microbially catalyzed chemical reactions applicable for a separation of metals and details of published studies, results of many individual investigations from various research projects are described. These concern the separation of rare earth elements from phosphorous production slags, the attempts of tin leaching from mining flotation residues, the separation of metals from spent catalysts, or the treatment of ashes as valuable metal-containing material. The residues of environmental technologies are integrated into this overview as well. The description of the different known microbial processes offers starting points for suitable and new technologies. In addition to the application of chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms the use of heterotrophic microorganisms is explained.

TubercuList--10 years after.

PubMed

Lew, Jocelyne M; Kapopoulou, Adamandia; Jones, Louis M; Cole, Stewart T

2011-01-01

TubercuList (http://tuberculist.epfl.ch/), the relational database that presents genome-derived information about H37Rv, the paradigm strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been active for ten years and now presents its twentieth release. Here, we describe some of the recent changes that have resulted from manual annotation with information from the scientific literature. Through manual curation, TubercuList strives to provide current gene-based information and is thus distinguished from other online sources of genome sequence data for M. tuberculosis. New, mostly small, genes have been discovered and the coordinates of some existing coding sequences have been changed when bioinformatics or experimental data suggest that this is required. Nucleotides that are polymorphic between different sources of H37Rv are annotated and gene essentiality data have been updated. A host of functional information has been gleaned from the literature and many new activities of proteins and RNAs have been included. To facilitate basic and translational research, TubercuList also provides links to other specialized databases that present diverse datasets such as 3D-structures, expression profiles, drug development criteria and drug resistance information, in addition to direct access to PubMed articles pertinent to particular genes. TubercuList has been and remains a highly valuable tool for the tuberculosis research community with >75,000 visitors per month. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rethinking Intelligence to Integrate Counterterrorism into the Local Law Enforcement Mission

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

a needle in the haystack problem. Also referred to as the wheat versus the chaff problem, valuable information must be separated from unimportant...information and processed before analysts can yield any useful intelligence.25 3. Processing and Exploitation To address the wheat -versus-chaff...93 Despite the perception that Chicago is an aging Rust Belt city, some experts report that it has the largest high technology and information

Does a Formal Wiki Event Contribute to the Formation of a Network of Practice? A Social Capital Perspective on the Potential for Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rehm, Martin; Littlejohn, Allison; Rienties, Bart

2018-01-01

Informal learning in blended and online settings plays an increasingly important role in the continuous professional development of individuals. Yet, how do individuals engage into these types of activities? We argue that social capital theory can provide valuable insights into how people behave and decide to take part in (in)formal learning.…

Project X: competitive intelligence data mining and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilmore, John F.; Pagels, Michael A.; Palk, Justin

2001-03-01

Competitive Intelligence (CI) is a systematic and ethical program for gathering and analyzing information about your competitors' activities and general business trends to further your own company's goals. CI allows companies to gather extensive information on their competitors and to analyze what the competition is doing in order to maintain or gain a competitive edge. In commercial business this potentially translates into millions of dollars in annual savings or losses. The Internet provides an overwhelming portal of information for CI analysis. The problem is how a company can automate the translation of voluminous information into valuable and actionable knowledge. This paper describes Project X, an agent-based data mining system specifically developed for extracting and analyzing competitive information from the Internet. Project X gathers CI information from a variety of sources including online newspapers, corporate websites, industry sector reporting sites, speech archiving sites, video news casts, stock news sites, weather sites, and rumor sites. It uses individual industry specific (e.g., pharmaceutical, financial, aerospace, etc.) commercial sector ontologies to form the knowledge filtering and discovery structures/content required to filter and identify valuable competitive knowledge. Project X is described in detail and an example competitive intelligence case is shown demonstrating the system's performance and utility for business intelligence.

The evolution of teaching.

PubMed

Fogarty, L; Strimling, P; Laland, K N

2011-10-01

Teaching, alongside imitation, is widely thought to underlie the success of humanity by allowing high-fidelity transmission of information, skills, and technology between individuals, facilitating both cumulative knowledge gain and normative culture. Yet, it remains a mystery why teaching should be widespread in human societies but extremely rare in other animals. We explore the evolution of teaching using simple genetic models in which a single tutor transmits adaptive information to a related pupil at a cost. Teaching is expected to evolve where its costs are outweighed by the inclusive fitness benefits that result from the tutor's relatives being more likely to acquire the valuable information. We find that teaching is not favored where the pupil can easily acquire the information on its own, or through copying others, or for difficult to learn traits, where teachers typically do not possess the information to pass on to relatives. This leads to a narrow range of traits for which teaching would be efficacious, which helps to explain the rarity of teaching in nature, its unusual distribution, and its highly specific nature. Further models that allow for cumulative cultural knowledge gain suggest that teaching evolved in humans because cumulative culture renders otherwise difficult-to-acquire valuable information available to teach. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

How Elsevier's Article of the Future supports researchers in the digital era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keall, B.

2012-04-01

The first phase of Elsevier's Article of the Future article format was released on SciVerse ScienceDirect in January 2012. While this new format for online scholarly articles brings a significantly improved online presentation, it also enables further enhancements in terms of domain-specific content and contextualization of research results. Of particular interest to the Earth Sciences research community are the seamless integration of an interactive map viewer that displays author-submitted KML files inside the article, and real-time links to leading research data portals like Pangaea and Earthchem. These enhancements allow for a richer form of communication between authors and readers, and present researchers with valuable additional information in the context of the article. In this presentaion I will review these ongoing efforts to enhance online articles in the digital era.

1 H-NMR with Multivariate Analysis for Automobile Lubricant Comparison.

PubMed

Kim, Siwon; Yoon, Dahye; Lee, Dong-Kye; Yoon, Changshin; Kim, Suhkmann

2017-07-01

Identification of suspected automobile-related lubricants could provide valuable information in forensic cases. We examined that automobile lubricants might exhibit the chemometric characteristics to their individual usages. To compare the degree of clustering in the plots, we co-plotted general industrial oils that were highly dissimilar with automobile lubricants in additive compositions. 1 H-NMR spectroscopy was used with multivariate statistics as a tool for grouping, clustering, and identification of automobile lubricants in laboratory conditions. We analyzed automobile lubricants including automobile engine oils, automobile transmission oils, automobile gear oils, and motorcycle oils. In contrast to the general industrial oils, automobile lubricants showed relatively high tendencies of clustering to their usages. Our pilot study demonstrated that the comparison of known and questioned samples to their usages might be possible in forensic fields. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

A Monte Carlo Study of Lambda Hyperon Polarization at BM@N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvarieva, D.; Gudima, K.; Zinchenko, A.

2018-03-01

Heavy strange objects (hyperons) can provide essential signatures of the excited and compressed baryonic matter. At NICA, it is planned to study hyperons both in the collider mode (MPD detector) and the fixed-target one (BM@N setup). Measurements of strange hyperon polarization can give additional information on the strong interaction mechanisms. In heavy-ion collisions, such measurements are even more valuable since the polarization is expected to be sensitive to characteristics of the QCD medium (vorticity, hydrodynamic helicity) and to QCD anomalous transport. In this analysis, the possibility to measure at BM@N the polarization of the lightest strange hyperon Λ is studied in Monte Carlo event samples of Au + Au collisions produced with the DCM-QGSM generator. It is shown that the detector will allow to measure polarization with a precision required to check the model predictions.

Use of on-site high performance liquid chromatography to evaluate the magnitude and extent of organic contaminants in aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Goerlitz, D.F.; Franks, B.J.

1989-01-01

Appraisal of ground water contaminated by organic substances raises problems of difficult sample collection and timely chemical analysis. High-performance liquid chromatography was evaluated for on-site determination of specific organic contaminants in ground water samples and was used at three study sites. Organic solutes were determined directly in water samples, with little or no preparation, and usually in less than an hour after collection. This information improved sampling efficiency and was useful in screening for subsequent laboratory analysis. On two occasions, on-site analysis revealed that samples were undergoing rapid change, with major solutes being upgraded and alteration products being formed. In addition to sample stability, this technique proved valuable for monitoring other sampling factors such as compositional changes with respect to pumping, filtration, and cross contamination. -Authors

Postantibiotic effects and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus suis.

PubMed

Wang, Liping; Zhang, Yuanshu

2009-10-01

The postantibiotic effects (PAEs) and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects (PA SMEs) of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains of Streptococcus suis (M phenotype) were investigated in vitro. Tilmicosin and tiamulin induced significantly longer PAE and PA SME against both erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains than did erythromycin. The durations of PAE and PA SMEs were proportional to the concentrations of drugs used for exposure. The PA SMEs were substantially longer than PAEs on S. suis (P<0.05) regardless of the antimicrobial used for exposure. The results indicated that the PAE and PA SME could help in the design of efficient control strategies for infection especially caused by erythromycin-resistant S. suis and that they may provide additional valuable information for the rational drug use in clinical practice.

What motivates health professionals? Opportunities to gain greater insight from theory.

PubMed

Buetow, Stephen

2007-07-01

Health care policy-makers and researchers need to pay more attention to understanding the influence of motivation on professional behaviour. Goal setting theory, including two hypotheses - the business case and the pride case - dominates current attempts to motivate professionals. However, the predominance of goal setting theory stifles other approaches to conceptualizing professional motivation. These approaches include other cognitive theories of motivation, such as self-determination theory (concerned with how to use extrinsic rewards that enhance intrinsic motivation), as well as content, psychoanalytic and environmental theories. A valuable opportunity exists to develop and test such theories in addition to possible hybrids, for example, by elaborating goal setting theory in health care. The results can be expected to inform health policy and motivate individual professionals, groups, organizations and workforces to improve and deliver high quality care.

Translating novel findings of perceptual-motor codes into the neuro-rehabilitation of movement disorders.

PubMed

Pazzaglia, Mariella; Galli, Giulia

2015-01-01

The bidirectional flow of perceptual and motor information has recently proven useful as rehabilitative tool for re-building motor memories. We analyzed how the visual-motor approach has been successfully applied in neurorehabilitation, leading to surprisingly rapid and effective improvements in action execution. We proposed that the contribution of multiple sensory channels during treatment enables individuals to predict and optimize motor behavior, having a greater effect than visual input alone. We explored how the state-of-the-art neuroscience techniques show direct evidence that employment of visual-motor approach leads to increased motor cortex excitability and synaptic and cortical map plasticity. This super-additive response to multimodal stimulation may maximize neural plasticity, potentiating the effect of conventional treatment, and will be a valuable approach when it comes to advances in innovative methodologies.

Morphologic features of basal cell carcinoma using the en-face mode in frequency domain optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

von Braunmühl, T; Hartmann, D; Tietze, J K; Cekovic, D; Kunte, C; Ruzicka, T; Berking, C; Sattler, E C

2016-11-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a valuable non-invasive tool in the in vivo diagnosis of non-melanoma skin cancer, especially of basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Due to an updated software-supported algorithm, a new en-face mode - similar to the horizontal en-face mode in high-definition OCT and reflectance confocal microscopy - surface-parallel imaging is possible which, in combination with the established slice mode of frequency domain (FD-)OCT, may offer additional information in the diagnosis of BCC. To define characteristic morphologic features of BCC using the new en-face mode in addition to the conventional cross-sectional imaging mode for three-dimensional imaging of BCC in FD-OCT. A total of 33 BCC were examined preoperatively by imaging in en-face mode as well as cross-sectional mode in FD-OCT. Characteristic features were evaluated and correlated with histopathology findings. Features established in the cross-sectional imaging mode as well as additional features were present in the en-face mode of FD-OCT: lobulated structures (100%), dark peritumoral rim (75%), bright peritumoral stroma (96%), branching vessels (90%), compressed fibrous bundles between lobulated nests ('star shaped') (78%), and intranodular small bright dots (51%). These features were also evaluated according to the histopathological subtype. In the en-face mode, the lobulated structures with compressed fibrous bundles of the BCC were more distinct than in the slice mode. FD-OCT with a new depiction for horizontal and vertical imaging modes offers additional information in the diagnosis of BCC, especially in nodular BCC, and enhances the possibility of the evaluation of morphologic tumour features. © 2016 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Diagnostic value of perinatal autopsies: analysis of 486 cases.

PubMed

Neşe, Nalan; Bülbül, Yeşim

2018-02-23

Autopsy is a beneficial procedure to determine the cause of death and the frequency of anomalies in perinatal losses. Even in the event of an autopsy not providing any additional information, completion of the procedure confirming the clinical diagnoses gives reassurance to both clinicians and parents. Here we present a 15-year archival study based on findings of perinatal autopsies. Four hundred and eighty-six cases from our archive were reviewed and according to the findings they were divided into three subcategories; (1) miscarriages (MCF); (2) fetuses terminated (FTA) for vital anomalies detected by prenatal ultrasonography; (3) premature or term newborns died within first month of life (neonates: NN). Autopsies were documented and classified according to week/age of cases, anomalies and causes of abortion or death. Two hundred and twenty-six of 486 cases (46.5%) were in MCF group while 227 (46.7%) and 33 (6.8%) were of them in FTA and NN groups, respectively. In FTA group, the most frequent anomaly detected was neural tube defects. In NN group, prematurity related complications were the most common cause of death. The autopsy process was found valuable in 39.7% of all cases. We suggest that autopsy procedure is diagnostically valuable even in situations when there is USG findings that are confirming FTAs or there is no important major fetal or placental anomaly detected in MCFs.

Serum free light chains in myeloma patients with an intact M-protein by immunofixation: potential roles for response assessment and prognosis during induction therapy with novel agents

PubMed Central

Mori, Sherry; Crawford, Brooke S; Roddy, Julianna VF; Phillips, Gary; Elder, Pat; Hofmeister, Craig C; Efebera, Yvonne; Benson, Don M

2013-01-01

The ascertainment of serum free light chain levels (sFLC) has been shown to be valuable in screening for the presence of plasma cell dyscrasia as well as for baseline prognosis in newly diagnosed patients. For patients with amyloidosis and those with oligo- or non-secretory multiple myeloma (MM), serial measurement of sFLC has also been shown to be valuable in monitoring disease status. However, in patients with a measureable, intact monoclonal protein by immunofixation (M protein), the serial measurement of sFLC remains undefined and is currently not recommended in professional guidelines. Herein, we provide data comparing sFLC to M protein as biomarkers of response in newly-diagnosed patients with MM undergoing induction therapy with the novel agents thalidomide, lenalidomide and/or bortezomib. We show that while M protein appears to outperform sFLC comparatively over the course of induction therapy, the addition of FLC to M-protein further informs the characterization of residual disease status post-induction. Moreover, sFLC at the time of stem cell mobilization appears to hold prognostic power for survival endpoints following HDC/SCT. These findings suggest potentially novel roles for sFLC in patients with MM with an intact M-protein receiving novel agent-based induction strategies followed by HDC/SCT. PMID:22028144

Genetics of Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency: Roadmap into the Genome Era

PubMed Central

Fang, Qing; George, Akima S.; Brinkmeier, Michelle L.; Mortensen, Amanda H.; Gergics, Peter; Cheung, Leonard Y. M.; Daly, Alexandre Z.; Ajmal, Adnan; Pérez Millán, María Ines; Ozel, A. Bilge; Kitzman, Jacob O.; Mills, Ryan E.; Li, Jun Z.

2016-01-01

The genetic basis for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) is complex, involving 30 genes in a variety of syndromic and nonsyndromic presentations. Molecular diagnosis of this disorder is valuable for predicting disease progression, avoiding unnecessary surgery, and family planning. We expect that the application of high throughput sequencing will uncover additional contributing genes and eventually become a valuable tool for molecular diagnosis. For example, in the last 3 years, six new genes have been implicated in CPHD using whole-exome sequencing. In this review, we present a historical perspective on gene discovery for CPHD and predict approaches that may facilitate future gene identification projects conducted by clinicians and basic scientists. Guidelines for systematic reporting of genetic variants and assigning causality are emerging. We apply these guidelines retrospectively to reports of the genetic basis of CPHD and summarize modes of inheritance and penetrance for each of the known genes. In recent years, there have been great improvements in databases of genetic information for diverse populations. Some issues remain that make molecular diagnosis challenging in some cases. These include the inherent genetic complexity of this disorder, technical challenges like uneven coverage, differing results from variant calling and interpretation pipelines, the number of tolerated genetic alterations, and imperfect methods for predicting pathogenicity. We discuss approaches for future research in the genetics of CPHD. PMID:27828722

Quantifying the visual-sensory landscape qualities that contribute to cultural ecosystem services using social media and LiDAR

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Berkel, Derek B.; Tabrizian, Payam; Dorning, Monica; Smart, Lindsey S.; Newcomb, Doug; Mehaffey, Megan; Neale, Anne; Meentemeyer, Ross K.

2018-01-01

Landscapes are increasingly recognized for providing valuable cultural ecosystem services with numer- ous non-material benefits by serving as places of rest, relaxation, and inspiration that ultimately improve overall mental health and physical well-being. Maintaining and enhancing these valuable benefits through targeted management and conservation measures requires understanding the spatial and tem- poral determinants of perceived landscape values. Content contributed through mobile technologies and the web are emerging globally, providing a promising data source for localizing and assessing these land- scape benefits. These georeferenced data offer rich in situ qualitative information through photos and comments that capture valued and special locations across large geographic areas. We present a novel method for mapping and modeling landscape values and perceptions that leverages viewshed analysis of georeferenced social media data. Using a high resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) derived digital surface model, we are able to evaluate landscape characteristics associated with the visual- sensory qualities of outdoor recreationalists. Our results show the importance of historical monuments and attractions in addition to specific environmental features which are appreciated by the public. Evaluation of photo-image content highlights the opportunity of including temporally and spatially vari- able visual-sensory qualities in cultural ecosystem services (CES) evaluation like the sights, sounds and smells of wildlife and weather phenomena.

E-learning and education in radiology.

PubMed

Pinto, Antonio; Brunese, Luca; Pinto, Fabio; Acampora, Ciro; Romano, Luigia

2011-06-01

To evaluate current applications of e-learning in radiology. A Medline search was performed using PubMed (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD) for publications discussing the applications of e-learning in radiology. The search strategy employed a single combination of the following terms: (1) e-learning, and (2) education and (3) radiology. This review was limited to human studies and to English-language literature. We reviewed all the titles and subsequent the abstract of 29 articles that appeared pertinent. Additional articles were identified by reviewing the reference lists of relevant papers. Finally, the full text of 38 selected articles was reviewed. Literature data shows that with the constant development of technology and global spread of computer networks, in particular of the Internet, the integration of multimedia and interactivity introduced into electronic publishing has allowed the creation of multimedia applications that provide valuable support for medical teaching and continuing medical education, specifically for radiology. Such technologies are valuable tools for collaboration, interactivity, simulation, and self-testing. However, not everything on the World Wide Web is useful, accurate, or beneficial: the quality and veracity of medical information on the World Wide Web is variable and much time can be wasted as many websites do not meet basic publication standards. E-learning will become an important source of education in radiology. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fine resolution probabilistic land cover classification of landscapes in the southeastern United States

Treesearch

Joseph St. Peter; John Hogland; Nathaniel Anderson; Jason Drake; Paul Medley

2018-01-01

Land cover classification provides valuable information for prioritizing management and conservation operations across large landscapes. Current regional scale land cover geospatial products within the United States have a spatial resolution that is too coarse to provide the necessary information for operations at the local and project scales. This paper describes a...

Tapping into Alumni as a Source of Authentic Information and Advice on Careers in Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Timothy J.

2018-01-01

This article describes how my psychology department utilizes our alumni to educate current and prospective students about careers in psychology. I explain how we developed an alumni careers website and on-campus alumni careers sessions for students. High school students and our psychology majors reported that they found this information valuable,…

An Individual Subjectivist Critique of the Use of Corpus Linguistics to Inform Pedagogical Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Kendall; Pilcher, Nick

2016-01-01

Corpus linguistics, or the gathering together of language into a body for analysis and development of materials, is claimed to be an assured, established method (or field) that valuably informs pedagogical materials and knowledge of language (e.g. Ädel 2010; Gardner & Nesi, 2013). The fundamental validity of corpus linguistics is rarely, if…

ISAAC: An Introduction to IBM's Information System for Advanced Academic Computing at the University of Washington-Seattle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Nicolas, Jr.

1988-01-01

Traces the origin of ISAAC (Information System for Advanced Academic Computing) and the development of a languages and linguistics "room" at the University of Washington-Seattle. ISAAC, a free, valuable resource, consists of two databases and an electronic bulletin board spanning broad areas of pedagogical and research fields. (Author/CB)

Success Rates by Software Development Methodology in Information Technology Project Management: A Quantitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Gerald P.

2013-01-01

Despite over half a century of Project Management research, project success rates are still too low. Organizations spend a tremendous amount of valuable resources on Information Technology projects and seek to maximize the utility gained from their efforts. The author investigated the impact of software development methodology choice on ten…

College-Bound Digest. Valuable Information from Prominent Educators for All College-Bound Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Who's Who among American High School Students, Northbrook, IL.

Information for students, counselors, and parents to help in the evaluation of options and opportunities available for most college-bound students is presented in 17 articles. Titles and authors include the following: "Getting the Most from Your High School Counselor" (James Warfield); "The Use of the SAT at Selective Colleges"…

Building the vision, a series of AZTech ITS model deployment success stories for the Phoenix metropolitan area : number eleven : information connection, creating a state-of-the-art privatized traveler information system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

As an international showcase for intelligent transportation, AZTech has a mission of creating a regional intermodal transportation system through public and private partnerships. In working toward this lofty goal, AZTech's most valuable commodity has...

Participation in Informal Science Learning Experiences: The Rich Get Richer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeWitt, Jennifer; Archer, Louise

2017-01-01

Informal science learning (ISL) experiences have been found to provide valuable opportunities to engage with and learn about science and, as such, form a key part of the STEM learning ecosystem. However, concerns remain around issues of equity and access. The Enterprising Science study builds upon previous research in this area and uses the…

Primer for Teachers: Quick and Easy Liver Wellness, Hepatitis B and Substance Abuse Prevention Messages.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiel, Thelma King

This guide provides information for teachers to use in teaching about liver wellness, hepatitis B, and substance abuse. The guide includes effective motivational techniques to help students understand how valuable their liver is to their health and well being. It also provides basic information to help students avoid liver damaging behaviors, such…

You've Been Evaluated. Now What?: Use Results to Pump up Professional Learning's Potential

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirsh, Stephanie

2013-01-01

This school year, countless teachers are participating in new evaluation systems. Individual teachers working on their own examining evaluation feedback will have valuable information to inform individual improvement. However, teacher evaluations have the potential to achieve more, and to do it more quickly, when they are part of a comprehensive…

The annotation-enriched non-redundant patent sequence databases.

PubMed

Li, Weizhong; Kondratowicz, Bartosz; McWilliam, Hamish; Nauche, Stephane; Lopez, Rodrigo

2013-01-01

The EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) offers public access to patent sequence data, providing a valuable service to the intellectual property and scientific communities. The non-redundant (NR) patent sequence databases comprise two-level nucleotide and protein sequence clusters (NRNL1, NRNL2, NRPL1 and NRPL2) based on sequence identity (level-1) and patent family (level-2). Annotation from the source entries in these databases is merged and enhanced with additional information from the patent literature and biological context. Corrections in patent publication numbers, kind-codes and patent equivalents significantly improve the data quality. Data are available through various user interfaces including web browser, downloads via FTP, SRS, Dbfetch and EBI-Search. Sequence similarity/homology searches against the databases are available using BLAST, FASTA and PSI-Search. In this article, we describe the data collection and annotation and also outline major changes and improvements introduced since 2009. Apart from data growth, these changes include additional annotation for singleton clusters, the identifier versioning for tracking entry change and the entry mappings between the two-level databases. Database URL: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/patentdata/nr/

The Annotation-enriched non-redundant patent sequence databases

PubMed Central

Li, Weizhong; Kondratowicz, Bartosz; McWilliam, Hamish; Nauche, Stephane; Lopez, Rodrigo

2013-01-01

The EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) offers public access to patent sequence data, providing a valuable service to the intellectual property and scientific communities. The non-redundant (NR) patent sequence databases comprise two-level nucleotide and protein sequence clusters (NRNL1, NRNL2, NRPL1 and NRPL2) based on sequence identity (level-1) and patent family (level-2). Annotation from the source entries in these databases is merged and enhanced with additional information from the patent literature and biological context. Corrections in patent publication numbers, kind-codes and patent equivalents significantly improve the data quality. Data are available through various user interfaces including web browser, downloads via FTP, SRS, Dbfetch and EBI-Search. Sequence similarity/homology searches against the databases are available using BLAST, FASTA and PSI-Search. In this article, we describe the data collection and annotation and also outline major changes and improvements introduced since 2009. Apart from data growth, these changes include additional annotation for singleton clusters, the identifier versioning for tracking entry change and the entry mappings between the two-level databases. Database URL: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/patentdata/nr/ PMID:23396323

Modification of D-A-π-A configuration toward a high-performance triphenylamine-based sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells: a theoretical investigation.

PubMed

Tarsang, Ruangchai; Promarak, Vinich; Sudyoadsuk, Taweesak; Namuangruk, Supawadee; Kungwan, Nawee; Jungsuttiwong, Siriporn

2014-12-01

In an attempt to shed light on how the addition of a benzothiadiazole (BTD) moiety influences the properties of dyes, a series of newly designed triphenylamine-based sensitizers incorporating a BTD unit as an additional electron-withdrawing group in a specific donor-acceptor-π-acceptor architecture has been investigated. We found that different positions of the BTD unit provided significantly different responses for light absorption. Among these, it was established that the further the BTD unit is away from the donor part, the broader the absorption spectra, which is an observation that can be applied to improve light-harvesting ability. However, when the BTD unit is connected to the anchoring group a faster, unfavorable charge recombination takes place; therefore, a thiophene unit was inserted between these two acceptors, providing redshifted absorption spectra as well as blocking unfavorable charge recombination. The results of our calculations provide valuable information and illustrate the potential benefits of using computation-aided sensitizer design prior to further experimental synthesis. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

High-resolution mapping, characterization, and optimization of autonomously replicating sequences in yeast

PubMed Central

Liachko, Ivan; Youngblood, Rachel A.; Keich, Uri; Dunham, Maitreya J.

2013-01-01

DNA replication origins are necessary for the duplication of genomes. In addition, plasmid-based expression systems require DNA replication origins to maintain plasmids efficiently. The yeast autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) assay has been a valuable tool in dissecting replication origin structure and function. However, the dearth of information on origins in diverse yeasts limits the availability of efficient replication origin modules to only a handful of species and restricts our understanding of origin function and evolution. To enable rapid study of origins, we have developed a sequencing-based suite of methods for comprehensively mapping and characterizing ARSs within a yeast genome. Our approach finely maps genomic inserts capable of supporting plasmid replication and uses massively parallel deep mutational scanning to define molecular determinants of ARS function with single-nucleotide resolution. In addition to providing unprecedented detail into origin structure, our data have allowed us to design short, synthetic DNA sequences that retain maximal ARS function. These methods can be readily applied to understand and modulate ARS function in diverse systems. PMID:23241746

An examination of undergraduate engineering students' stereotype of scientists and their career intentions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stara, Michelle M.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) (2013) has acknowledged that additional graduates are needed in engineering and related STEM fields. However, the GAO has also noted that it is difficult to determine if the additional graduates will align with employer demand at the time of entry into the workforce. This research study attempts to examine undergraduate engineering students' perceptions of scientists and if they were related to students' intentions to pursue science by examining the constructs of Stereotypes of Scientists (SOS) and Career Intentions in Science (CIS). While results of data analysis were not significant, patterns were seen that provided valuable information with regard to the variability of undergraduate engineering students and the complexity of what goes into stereotype formation and career choice. As a practitioner, there were pertinent applications that could be implemented from the results of this and related studies. From the perspective of practitioners, the findings may be used to target recruitment, retention, and specific teaching strategies to increase enrollment and graduate numbers in the lesser known engineering and STEM fields.

Assessment of market potential of compressed air energy storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, D. W.; Buckley, O. E.; Clark, C. E., Jr.

1983-12-01

This report describes an assessment of potential roles that EPRI might take to facilitate the commercial acceptance of compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems. The assessment is based on (1) detailed analyses of the market potential of utility storage technologies, (2) interviews with representatives of key participants in the CAES market, and (3) a decision analysis synthesizing much of the information about market and technology status. The results indicate a large potential market for CAES systems if the overall business environment for utilities improves. In addition, it appears that EPRI can have a valuable incremental impact in ensuring that utilities realize the potential of CAES by (1) continuing an aggressive information dissemination and technology transfer program, (2) working to ensure the success of the first United States CAES installation at Soyland Power Cooperative, (3) developing planning methods to allow utilities to evaluate CAES and other storage options more effectively and more realistically, and (4) supporting R and D to resolve residual uncertainties in first-generation CAES cost and performance characteristics. Previously announced in STAR as N83-25121

Proteomic Data Resources for EDRN Ovary Cancer Researchers within the EDRN — EDRN Public Portal

Cancer.gov

This project will generate a highly valuable data resource and make it available to all EDRN ovarian cancer researchers. The resource will include comprehensive proteomic (tandem mass spectrometry, MS/MS) data generated from plasma samples that have been collected between four months and four years prior to clinical detection of ovarian cancer. These pre-clinical samples, provided from the Beta Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) prospective study, will be interrogated using IPAS, the proteomic profiling method developed by the Hanash Laboratory and with the quantitative methods developed by the McIntosh laboratory. In addition, we will combine these pre-clinical data with already completed IPAS interrogations of plasma collected at the time of ovarian cancer diagnosis. Thus together we will provide information on both pre-clinical and clinical behavior of a large number of proteins. Based on our preliminary work we are able to quantify over 500 plasma proteins in each of these experiments, many of which are putative ovarian cancer biomarkers, showing the platform is capable of providing useful information regarding biomarker candidates.

Ancient genomics

PubMed Central

Der Sarkissian, Clio; Allentoft, Morten E.; Ávila-Arcos, María C.; Barnett, Ross; Campos, Paula F.; Cappellini, Enrico; Ermini, Luca; Fernández, Ruth; da Fonseca, Rute; Ginolhac, Aurélien; Hansen, Anders J.; Jónsson, Hákon; Korneliussen, Thorfinn; Margaryan, Ashot; Martin, Michael D.; Moreno-Mayar, J. Víctor; Raghavan, Maanasa; Rasmussen, Morten; Velasco, Marcela Sandoval; Schroeder, Hannes; Schubert, Mikkel; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Wales, Nathan; Gilbert, M. Thomas P.; Willerslev, Eske; Orlando, Ludovic

2015-01-01

The past decade has witnessed a revolution in ancient DNA (aDNA) research. Although the field's focus was previously limited to mitochondrial DNA and a few nuclear markers, whole genome sequences from the deep past can now be retrieved. This breakthrough is tightly connected to the massive sequence throughput of next generation sequencing platforms and the ability to target short and degraded DNA molecules. Many ancient specimens previously unsuitable for DNA analyses because of extensive degradation can now successfully be used as source materials. Additionally, the analytical power obtained by increasing the number of sequence reads to billions effectively means that contamination issues that have haunted aDNA research for decades, particularly in human studies, can now be efficiently and confidently quantified. At present, whole genomes have been sequenced from ancient anatomically modern humans, archaic hominins, ancient pathogens and megafaunal species. Those have revealed important functional and phenotypic information, as well as unexpected adaptation, migration and admixture patterns. As such, the field of aDNA has entered the new era of genomics and has provided valuable information when testing specific hypotheses related to the past. PMID:25487338

Source modeling and inversion with near real-time GPS: a GITEWS perspective for Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babeyko, A. Y.; Hoechner, A.; Sobolev, S. V.

2010-07-01

We present the GITEWS approach to source modeling for the tsunami early warning in Indonesia. Near-field tsunami implies special requirements to both warning time and details of source characterization. To meet these requirements, we employ geophysical and geological information to predefine a maximum number of rupture parameters. We discretize the tsunamigenic Sunda plate interface into an ordered grid of patches (150×25) and employ the concept of Green's functions for forward and inverse rupture modeling. Rupture Generator, a forward modeling tool, additionally employs different scaling laws and slip shape functions to construct physically reasonable source models using basic seismic information only (magnitude and epicenter location). GITEWS runs a library of semi- and fully-synthetic scenarios to be extensively employed by system testing as well as by warning center personnel teaching and training. Near real-time GPS observations are a very valuable complement to the local tsunami warning system. Their inversion provides quick (within a few minutes on an event) estimation of the earthquake magnitude, rupture position and, in case of sufficient station coverage, details of slip distribution.

Estimating for building and civil engineering works. Eighth edition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geddes, S.; Chrystal-Smith, G.; Jolly, P.

1986-01-01

This new edition of Spence Geddes classic work has been revised and updated to take into account changes since the seventh edition of 1981. It remains a standard reference work which combines a step-by-step guide to the preparation of estimates from tendering stage with a fully representative selection of labour and material constants and worked examples of actual calculations. The estimating information is tabulated as hour constants which are unaffected by fluctuations of labour and plant hire costs. Two new sections have been included. In previous editions dayworks received a few brief notes only, but as so much daywork ismore » carried out on both large and small contracts, and as it can frequently give rise to misunderstanding, a fuller explanation was thought helpful. Landscaping, once the province of the gardener is now very often an integral part of building and civil engineering contracts and a new chapter has therefore been added. With these additions and the careful updating, the book is an indispensable source of reference for the estimator and a valuable source of information for architects, engineers and surveyors.« less

Mass media in Peru promotes "responsible parenthood".

PubMed

Brace, J; Pareja, R

1985-01-01

This article describes a media campaign being carried out in Peru under the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The overall theme of the campaign is Responsible Parenthood, specifically in the areas of family planing, oral rehydration, and immunization. The mass media campaign was based on the results of extensive audience research data that identified knowledge and beliefs in these areas. The research identified 2 target audiences for family planning messages: those who want no more children and those who are using traditional contraceptive methods. In addition to quantitative audience surveys, focus group discussions were held. These groups revealed important information about contraceptive habits, male attitudes toward family planning, and the folk vocabulary used for family planning activities. They further suggested that the quality of services given in health centers affects future use of that service and that the most credible source of information about family planning is considered to be a mature female doctor, herself a mother. Pretesting of television spots for the campaign was valuable for identifying unacceptable or ineffective images. It was also learned that radio and telvision spots cannot be the same; rather, they require unique content.

Policymaking to preserve privacy in disclosure of public health data: a suggested framework.

PubMed

Mizani, Mehrdad A; Baykal, Nazife

2015-03-01

Health organisations in Turkey gather a vast amount of valuable individual data that can be used for public health purposes. The organisations use rigid methods to remove some useful details from the data while publishing the rest of the data in a highly aggregated form, mostly because of privacy concerns and lack of standardised policies. This action leads to information loss and bias affecting public health research. Hence, organisations need dynamic policies and well-defined procedures rather than a specific algorithm to protect the privacy of individual data. To address this need, we developed a framework for the systematic application of anonymity methods while reducing and objectively reporting the information loss without leaking confidentiality. This framework acts as a roadmap for policymaking by providing high-level pseudo-policies with semitechnical guidelines in addition to some sample scenarios suitable for policymakers, public health programme managers and legislators. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Spatial analysis for the epidemiological study of cardiovascular diseases: A systematic literature search.

PubMed

Mena, Carlos; Sepúlveda, Cesar; Fuentes, Eduardo; Ormazábal, Yony; Palomo, Iván

2018-05-07

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the primary cause of death and disability in de world, and the detection of populations at risk as well as localization of vulnerable areas is essential for adequate epidemiological management. Techniques developed for spatial analysis, among them geographical information systems and spatial statistics, such as cluster detection and spatial correlation, are useful for the study of the distribution of the CVDs. These techniques, enabling recognition of events at different geographical levels of study (e.g., rural, deprived neighbourhoods, etc.), make it possible to relate CVDs to factors present in the immediate environment. The systemic literature presented here shows that this group of diseases is clustered with regard to incidence, mortality and hospitalization as well as obesity, smoking, increased glycated haemoglobin levels, hypertension physical activity and age. In addition, acquired variables such as income, residency (rural or urban) and education, contribute to CVD clustering. Both local cluster detection and spatial regression techniques give statistical weight to the findings providing valuable information that can influence response mechanisms in the health services by indicating locations in need of intervention and assignment of available resources.

Making the most of data: An information selection and assessment framework to improve water systems operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuliani, M.; Pianosi, F.; Castelletti, A.

2015-11-01

Advances in Environmental monitoring systems are making a wide range of data available at increasingly higher temporal and spatial resolution. This creates an opportunity to enhance real-time understanding of water systems conditions and to improve prediction of their future evolution, ultimately increasing our ability to make better decisions. Yet, many water systems are still operated using very simple information systems, typically based on simple statistical analysis and the operator's experience. In this work, we propose a framework to automatically select the most valuable information to inform water systems operations supported by quantitative metrics to operationally and economically assess the value of this information. The Hoa Binh reservoir in Vietnam is used to demonstrate the proposed framework in a multiobjective context, accounting for hydropower production and flood control. First, we quantify the expected value of perfect information, meaning the potential space for improvement under the assumption of exact knowledge of the future system conditions. Second, we automatically select the most valuable information that could be actually used to improve the Hoa Binh operations. Finally, we assess the economic value of sample information on the basis of the resulting policy performance. Results show that our framework successfully select information to enhance the performance of the operating policies with respect to both the competing objectives, attaining a 40% improvement close to the target trade-off selected as potentially good compromise between hydropower production and flood control.

Have You Ever Googled a Patient or Been Friended by a Patient? Social Media Intersects the Practice of Genetic Counseling.

PubMed

Omaggio, NinaMarie F; Baker, Maria J; Conway, Laura J

2018-04-01

Patients and healthcare providers are becoming increasingly connected via social media, bringing new opportunities and challenges. Direct connection can occur between patients and providers using online tools such as Facebook and LinkedIn. In addition, providers can gather information about patients using a search engine such as Google, referred to as patient-targeted Googling (PTG). An online 54-item survey was used to gain information on (1) how and to what extent genetic counseling students and genetic counselors connect directly with patients via social media sites, and (2) gather information on providers using PTG. Four hundred genetic counseling students and genetic counselors participated in the survey. The majority of respondents (88.9%; n = 344/387) find it is never or rarely acceptable to interact with current patients via social media sites; however, 27.7% (n = 110/397) have visited a patient's social media site. Gathering information for patient care was the most commonly reported reason (76.8%; n = 43/56). Thirty-three percent (n = 130/394) have considered searching online or actually searched online for information about a patient. Curiosity was the most common reason (92.7%; n = 114/123); although, respondents also used PTG to obtain contact information and to prepare for patient sessions. Our study supports the need for development and dissemination of professional guidelines to serve as a valuable resource for practicing genetic counselors and genetic counseling training programs.

Medication Safety During Pregnancy: Improving Evidence-Based Practice.

PubMed

Sinclair, Susan M; Miller, Richard K; Chambers, Christina; Cooper, Elizabeth M

2016-01-01

Nearly 90% of women in the United States have taken medications during pregnancy. Medication exposures during pregnancy can result in adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes including birth defects, fetal loss, intrauterine growth restriction, prematurity, and longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Advising pregnant women about the safety of medication use during pregnancy is complicated by a lack of data necessary to engage the woman in an informed discussion. Routinely, health care providers turn to the package insert, yet this information can be incomplete and can be based entirely on animal studies. Often, adequate safety data are not available. In a busy clinical setting, health care providers need to be able to quickly locate the most up-to-date information in order to counsel pregnant women concerned about medication exposure. Deciding where to locate the best available information is difficult, particularly when the needed information does not exist. Pregnancy registries are initiated to obtain more data about the safety of specific medication exposures during pregnancy; however, these studies are slow to produce meaningful information, and when they do, the information may not be readily available in a published form. Health care providers have valuable data in their everyday practice that can expand the knowledge base about medication safety during pregnancy. This review aims to discuss the limitations of the package insert regarding medication safety during pregnancy, highlight additional resources available to health care providers to inform practice, and communicate the importance of pregnancy registries for expanding knowledge about medication safety during pregnancy. © 2016 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Managing Asthma in the School Environment

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This guide offers valuable information for all school staff, especially school nurses, teachers and maintenance staff, on how to identify and control common environmental factors in schools that trigger asthma episodes. [EPA 402-K-10-004].

Groundwater Contamination

MedlinePlus

... products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. The lists ...

76 FR 12219 - Information Collection Available for Public Comments and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-04

... reserve officers except for Naval R.O.T.C. In their civilian capacities, they are required first to sail... role makes the graduates especially valuable because national defense planning initiatives and the...

Internet Technology in Electronic Commerce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhanys, A. B.; Tursinbaeva, A. F.

2018-05-01

Informatization is an active process of acquiring information as a valuable resource for development using Informatics tools in order to dramatically increase the intellectual level of civilization on this basis – humanistic reconstruction of the whole human life.

Data Entities and Information System Matrix for Integrated Agriculture Information System (IAIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budi Santoso, Halim; Delima, Rosa

2018-03-01

Integrated Agriculture Information System is a system that is developed to process data, information, and knowledge in Agriculture sector. Integrated Agriculture Information System brings valuable information for farmers: (1) Fertilizer price; (2) Agriculture technique and practise; (3) Pest management; (4) Cultivation; (5) Irrigation; (6) Post harvest processing; (7) Innovation in agriculture processing. Integrated Agriculture Information System contains 9 subsystems. To bring an integrated information to the user and stakeholder, it needs an integrated database approach. Thus, researchers describes data entity and its matrix relate to subsystem in Integrated Agriculture Information System (IAIS). As a result, there are 47 data entities as entities in single and integrated database.

Adding value to clinical trial registries: insights from Australian Cancer Trials Online, a website for consumers.

PubMed

Dear, Rachel; Barratt, Alexandra; Askie, Lisa; McGeechan, Kevin; Arora, Sheena; Crossing, Sally; Currow, David; Tattersall, Martin

2011-02-01

Clinical trials registries are now operating in the USA, Europe, Australia, China, and India and more are planned. Trial registries could be an excellent source of information about clinical trials for patients and others affected by cancer as well as health care professionals, but may be difficult for patients to navigate and use. An opportunity arose in Australia to develop a consumer friendly cancer clinical trials website (Australian Cancer Trials Online (ACTO), www.australiancancertrials.gov.au) using an automated data feed from two large clinical trial registries. In this article, we describe aspects of this new website, and explore ways in which such a website may add value to clinical trial data which are already collected and held by trial registries. The development of ACTO was completed by a Web company working in close association with staff at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), and with consumer representatives. Data for the website were sourced directly and only from clinical trial registries, thus avoiding the creation of an additional trials database. It receives an automated, daily data feed of newly registered cancer clinical trials from both the ANZCTR and Clinical Trials.gov. The development of ACTO exemplifies the advantage of a local clinical trial registry working with consumers to provide accessible information about cancer clinical trials to meet consumers' information needs. We found that the inclusion of a lay summary added substantial value for consumers, and recommend that consideration be given to adding a lay summary to the mandatory data items collected by all trial registries. Furthermore, improved navigation, decision support tools, and consistency in data collection between clinical trial registries will also enable consumer websites to provide additional value for users. Clinical trial registration is not compulsory in Australia. If the additional cancer items (including a lay summary) are not provided by registrants of cancer trials on ANZCTR, this can compromise the quality and usefulness of the data for the end-user, in this case consumers, as they may encounter gaps in the data. Expanding the World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set to include this additional information, particularly the lay summary, would be valuable. A well-coordinated system of clinical trial registration is critical to the success of efforts to provide better access for all to inform about clinical trials.

Is there more valuable information in PWI datasets for a voxel-wise acute ischemic stroke tissue outcome prediction than what is represented by typical perfusion maps?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forkert, Nils Daniel; Siemonsen, Susanne; Dalski, Michael; Verleger, Tobias; Kemmling, Andre; Fiehler, Jens

2014-03-01

The acute ischemic stroke is a leading cause for death and disability in the industry nations. In case of a present acute ischemic stroke, the prediction of the future tissue outcome is of high interest for the clinicians as it can be used to support therapy decision making. Within this context, it has already been shown that the voxel-wise multi-parametric tissue outcome prediction leads to more promising results compared to single channel perfusion map thresholding. Most previously published multi-parametric predictions employ information from perfusion maps derived from perfusion-weighted MRI together with other image sequences such as diffusion-weighted MRI. However, it remains unclear if the typically calculated perfusion maps used for this purpose really include all valuable information from the PWI dataset for an optimal tissue outcome prediction. To investigate this problem in more detail, two different methods to predict tissue outcome using a k-nearest-neighbor approach were developed in this work and evaluated based on 18 datasets of acute stroke patients with known tissue outcome. The first method integrates apparent diffusion coefficient and perfusion parameter (Tmax, MTT, CBV, CBF) information for the voxel-wise prediction, while the second method employs also apparent diffusion coefficient information but the complete perfusion information in terms of the voxel-wise residue functions instead of the perfusion parameter maps for the voxel-wise prediction. Overall, the comparison of the results of the two prediction methods for the 18 patients using a leave-one-out cross validation revealed no considerable differences. Quantitatively, the parameter-based prediction of tissue outcome led to a mean Dice coefficient of 0.474, while the prediction using the residue functions led to a mean Dice coefficient of 0.461. Thus, it may be concluded from the results of this study that the perfusion parameter maps typically derived from PWI datasets include all valuable perfusion information required for a voxel-based tissue outcome prediction, while the complete analysis of the residue functions does not add further benefits for the voxel-wise tissue outcome prediction and is also computationally more expensive.

3D voxel modelling of the marine subsurface: the Belgian Continental Shelf case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hademenos, Vasileios; Kint, Lars; Missiaen, Tine; Stafleu, Jan; Van Lancker, Vera

2017-04-01

The need for marine space grows bigger by the year. Dredging, wind farms, aggregate extraction and many other activities take up more space than ever before. As a result, the need for an accurate model that describes the properties of the areas in use is a priority. To address this need a 3D voxel model of the subsurface of the Belgian part of the North Sea has been created in the scope of the Belgian Science Policy project TILES ('Transnational and Integrated Long-term Marine Exploitation Strategies'). Since borehole data in the marine environment are a costly endeavour and therefore relatively scarce, seismic data have been incorporated in order to improve the data coverage. Lithostratigraphic units have been defined and lithoclasses are attributed to the voxels using a stochastic interpolation. As a result each voxel contains a unique value of one of 7 lithological classes (spanning in grain size from clay to gravel) in association with the geological layer it belongs to. In addition other forms of interpolation like sequential indicator simulation have allowed us to calculate the probability occurrence of each lithoclass, thus providing additional info from which the uncertainty of the model can be derived. The resulting 3D voxel model gives a detailed image of the distribution of different sediment types and provides valuable insight on the different geological settings. The voxel model also allows to estimate resource volumes (e.g. the availability of particular sand classes), enabling a more targeted exploitation. The primary information of the model is related to geology, but the model can additionally host any type of information.

Flexible patient information search and retrieval framework: pilot implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdal, Selnur; Catalyurek, Umit V.; Saltz, Joel; Kamal, Jyoti; Gurcan, Metin N.

2007-03-01

Medical centers collect and store significant amount of valuable data pertaining to patients' visit in the form of medical free-text. In addition, standardized diagnosis codes (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification: ICD9-CM) related to those dictated reports are usually available. In this work, we have created a framework where image searches could be initiated through a combination of free-text reports as well as ICD9 codes. This framework enables more comprehensive search on existing large sets of patient data in a systematic way. The free text search is enriched by computer-aided inclusion of additional search terms enhanced by a thesaurus. This combination of enriched search allows users to access to a larger set of relevant results from a patient-centric PACS in a simpler way. Therefore, such framework is of particular use in tasks such as gathering images for desired patient populations, building disease models, and so on. As the motivating application of our framework, we implemented a search engine. This search engine processed two years of patient data from the OSU Medical Center's Information Warehouse and identified lung nodule location information using a combination of UMLS Meta-Thesaurus enhanced text report searches along with ICD9 code searches on patients that have been discharged. Five different queries with various ICD9 codes involving lung cancer were carried out on 172552 cases. Each search was completed under a minute on average per ICD9 code and the inclusion of UMLS thesaurus increased the number of relevant cases by 45% on average.

The Cosmic Connection

Science.gov Websites

Macy High School We have a simple cosmic ray detector that can be built by high school teachers. This cosmic rays vary with elevation. In addition, it is a valuable tool to teach elementary measurement

Report and recommendations on multimedia materials for teaching and learning electricity and magnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dȩbowska, E.; Girwidz, R.; Greczyło, T.; Kohnle, A.; Mason, B.; Mathelitsch, L.; Melder, T.; Michelini, M.; Ruddock, I.; Silva, J.

2013-05-01

This paper presents the results of a peer review of multimedia materials for teaching and learning electricity and magnetism prepared as a part of the annual activities undertaken by an international group of scientists associated with Multimedia Physics in Teaching and Learning. The work promotes the use of valuable and freely accessible information technology materials for different levels of teaching, mostly higher education. The authors discuss the process of selecting resources and the rubrics used in the rating process. The reviews of high-quality learning resources are presented along with descriptions of valuable didactical features.

Assessment of Matrix Metalloproteinases by Gelatin Zymography.

PubMed

Cathcart, Jillian

2016-01-01

Matrix metalloproteinases are endopeptidases responsible for remodeling of the extracellular matrix and have been identified as critical contributors to breast cancer progression. Gelatin zymography is a valuable tool which allows the analysis of MMP expression. In this approach, enzymes are resolved electrophoretically on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel copolymerized with the substrate for the MMP of interest. Post electrophoresis, the enzymes are refolded in order for proteolysis of the incorporated substrate to occur. This assay yields valuable information about MMP isoforms or changes in activation and can be used to analyze the role of MMPs in normal versus pathological conditions.

Land Classification of South-central Iowa from Computer Enhanced Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucas, J. R. (Principal Investigator); Taranik, J. V.; Billingsley, F. C.

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Two enhanced false color negatives from multispectral scanner scenes, dated 15 April 1974 and 29 August 1972, were printed at a scale of 1:125,000 to form the basis for land use interpretations in the Wapello County, Iowa test site. The use of geomorphic principles proved valuable in the interpretation of the April scene to form valuable generalizations for planning purposes on soil associations, topography, alluvial valleys, and agricultural land use. The August scene was superior in providing information on urban extent, transportation networks, forest cover, and water bodies.

In the trenches: lessons for scientists from California's Proposition 71 campaign

PubMed Central

Goldstein, Lawrence S. B.

2011-01-01

I describe a number of valuable lessons I learned from participating in California's Proposition 71 effort about the role that scientists and rigorous scientific advice can play in a public political process. I describe how scientists can provide valuable information and advice and how they can also gain a great deal from the experience that is valuable to a practicing research scientist. Finally, I argue that in the future, building similar broad coalitions to support biomedical and other areas of scientific research will be essential to protect publicly funded science. Thus, a key lesson from the Proposition 71 experience is that engagement of scientists with diverse nonscientific groups can make a big difference and that scientists must actively engage with the public in the future if we are to contribute robustly to the medical and economic health of our communities. PMID:22039069

What Does Age Have to Do with Skills Proficiency? Adult Skills in Focus #3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2016

2016-01-01

Adults tend to lose their information-processing skills as they age, especially if they do not use them. While older adults may compensate for this loss by developing other valuable skills, the importance of being proficient in information-processing skills in determining wages and employment does not diminish as workers age. Probably the most…

Combining ground-based measurements and MODIS-based spectral vegetation indices to track biomass accumulation in post-fire chaparral

Treesearch

Kellie A. Uyeda; Douglas A. Stow; Dar A. Roberts; Philip J. Riggan

2017-01-01

Multi-temporal satellite imagery can provide valuable information on the patterns of vegetation growth over large spatial extents and long time periods, but corresponding ground-referenced biomass information is often difficult to acquire, especially at an annual scale. In this study, we test the relationship between annual biomass estimated using shrub growth rings...

Exploring Information Generation and Propagation from the Point of Installation on Construction Jobsites: An SNA/ABM Hybrid Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Heather

2013-01-01

Construction requires the knowledge and experience of craftsmen. The knowledge and experience is gained through local coordination and local adaption at points of installation, which classifies the work as complex production. Information generated at these points of installation can be valuable in understanding how and why workers make decisions,…

Searching for Twitter Posts by Location

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-27

Searching for Twitter Posts by Location Ariana Minot Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Cambridge, MA, USA minot...fas.harvard.edu Andrew Heier, Davis King, Olga Simek MIT Lincoln Laboratory Lexington, MA, USA ABSTRACT The microblogging service Twitter is an increasingly...popular platform for sharing information worldwide. This motivates the potential to mine information from Twitter , which can serve as a valuable

Parental Influences on the Diets of 2- to 5-Year-Old Children: Systematic Review of Qualitative Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peters, Jacqueline; Parletta, Natalie; Campbell, Karen; Lynch, John

2014-01-01

Parents have a major influence on young children's diets, food choices and habit formation. However, research concerning parental influence on children's diets is limited. Qualitative research informs quantitative research with a narrative of "what works" and is a valuable tool to inform intervention design and practice. This…

College-Bound Digest. Valuable Information from Prominent Educators for all College-Bound Students. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Who's Who among American High School Students, Northbrook, IL.

Information for students, counselors, and parents to help in the evaluation of options and opportunities available for most college-bound students is presented in 20 articles. Titles and authors are as follows: "Getting the Most from Your High School Counselor" (James Warfield); "The Use of the SAT at Selective Colleges" (Judith Gatlin); "Tips on…

Google It!: Urban Community College Students' Use of the Internet to Obtain Self-Care and Personal Health Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rennis, Lesley; McNamara, Gloria; Seidel, Erica; Shneyderman, Yuliya

2015-01-01

Background: As electronic resources increasingly play a major role in consumer health, eHealth literacy has emerged as a valuable tool to improve and enhance health knowledge and behavior. Yet for some populations, access to health information alone does not lead to better health practices or outcomes. Low income populations increasingly rely on…

Implementing Service-Learning to the Information Systems and Technology Management Program: A Study of an Undergraduate Capstone Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Kangning; Siow, Jane; Burley, Diana L.

2007-01-01

Service-learning has been identified as an extremely valuable educational tool and applied to different disciplines and areas, but literature review on service learning has indicated that service-learning is little used in Information Systems education. This paper presents our design and development of a service-learning capstone course for…

Computationally-Predicted AOPs and Systems Toxicology

EPA Science Inventory

The Adverse Outcome Pathway has emerged as an internationally harmonized mechanism for organizing biological information in a chemical agnostic manner. This construct is valuable for interpreting the results from high-throughput toxicity (HTT) assessment by providing a mechanisti...

76 FR 58767 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-22

... Finder in Fiscal Year 2005. The purpose of the Recipe Finder database is to provide our target audience... Connection to this information would inhibit the ability of the target audience to participate in a valuable...

Overview of Barth Syndrome

MedlinePlus

... products and services to our customers and prospective customers. Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our website, new services and special offers we think you will find valuable. The lists ...

Gerena School Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Final Report

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This is the final report of the EPA-led Gerena Community School HIA, which aims to provide valuable health-focused information to help the City of Springfield narrow down and prioritize renovation actions at the school.

ARB 48-inch LIDAR Data and Information

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2015-11-19

... vertical measurements have resulted in a valuable long-term record of the mid-latitude upper tropospheric and stratospheric aerosol. These data have been used in scientific studies such as in studies of volcanic eruptions and in comparisons ...

MAPPING SPATIAL THEMATIC ACCURACY WITH FUZZY SETS

EPA Science Inventory

Thematic map accuracy is not spatially homogenous but variable across a landscape. Properly analyzing and representing spatial pattern and degree of thematic map accuracy would provide valuable information for using thematic maps. However, current thematic map accuracy measures (...

REMOTE SENSING AND GIS FOR WETLANDS

EPA Science Inventory

In identifying and characterizing wetland and adjacent features, the use of remote sensor and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies has been valuable. Remote sensors such as photographs and computer-sensor generated images can illustrate conditions of hydrology, exten...

A Scientific Excursion: Volcanoes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olds, Henry, Jr.

1983-01-01

Reviews an educationally valuable and reasonably well-designed simulation of volcanic activity in an imaginary land. VOLCANOES creates an excellent context for learning information about volcanoes and for developing skills and practicing methods needed to study behavior of volcanoes. (Author/JN)

The feasibility of miniaturizing the versatile portable speech prosthesis: A market survey of commercial products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walklet, T.

1981-01-01

The feasibility of a miniature versatile portable speech prosthesis (VPSP) was analyzed and information on its potential users and on other similar devices was collected. The VPSP is a device that incorporates speech synthesis technology. The objective is to provide sufficient information to decide whether there is valuable technology to contribute to the miniaturization of the VPSP. The needs of potential users are identified, the development status of technologies similar or related to those used in the VPSP are evaluated. The VPSP, a computer based speech synthesis system fits on a wheelchair. The purpose was to produce a device that provides communication assistance in educational, vocational, and social situations to speech impaired individuals. It is expected that the VPSP can be a valuable aid for persons who are also motor impaired, which explains the placement of the system on a wheelchair.

Why do consumers respond to eco-labels? The case of Korea.

PubMed

Hwang, Jung-Ah; Park, Youkyoung; Kim, Yeonbae

2016-01-01

Although eco-labels were introduced with the intention of encouraging eco-friendly purchasing behavior by consumers, they have had little effect on consumers' purchasing decisions, and therefore a significant gap exists between eco-label awareness and actual purchasing behavior. The aim of this study was to analyze consumer preference, in terms of public and private values, for two types of Korean eco-label that have been administered by the Korean government since 1992. Analyses were based on a structural equation model, employing the theory of reasoned action. Data were collected by survey. The results indicate that although general consumers are highly aware of the publicly valuable information that eco-labels provide, privately valuable information exerts far greater power over their purchasing intentions. Therefore, a supplementary policy that converts public value to private value could promote the purchase of eco-labeled products.

How useful are Swiss flood insurance data for flood vulnerability assessments?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Röthlisberger, Veronika; Bernet, Daniel; Zischg, Andreas; Keiler, Margreth

2015-04-01

The databases of Swiss flood insurance companies build a valuable but to date rarely used source of information on physical flood vulnerability. Detailed insights into the Swiss flood insurance system are crucial for using the full potential of the different databases for research on flood vulnerability. Insurance against floods in Switzerland is a federal system, the modalities are manly regulated on cantonal level. However there are some common principles that apply throughout Switzerland. First of all coverage against floods (and other particular natural hazards) is an integral part of every fire insurance policy for buildings or contents. This coupling of insurance as well as the statutory obligation to insure buildings in most of the cantons and movables in some of the cantons lead to a very high penetration. Second, in case of damage, the reinstatement costs (value as new) are compensated and third there are no (or little) deductible and co-pay. High penetration and the fact that the compensations represent a large share of the direct, tangible losses of the individual policy holders make the databases of the flood insurance companies a comprehensive and therefore valuable data source for flood vulnerability research. Insurance companies not only store electronically data about losses (typically date, amount of claims payment, cause of damage, identity of the insured object or policyholder) but also about insured objects. For insured objects the (insured) value and the details on the policy and its holder are the main feature to record. On buildings the insurance companies usually computerize additional information such as location, volume, year of construction or purpose of use. For the 19 (of total 26) cantons with a cantonal monopoly insurer the data of these insurance establishments have the additional value to represent (almost) the entire building stock of the respective canton. Spatial referenced insurance data can be used for many aspects of vulnerability and resilience assessments. For instance, the collation of insurance loss data with event documentations containing information on flood intensity allows to develop damage curves. Flood damage curves are fundamental for many risk analysis methodologies but to date only few are published and the spatial and temporal scope of their applicability is subject of discussion. Another possibility of using insurance data lies in the field of assessment exposure, where the analysis of comprehensive insurance portfolio data can improve the understanding of the physical but also the socio-economical vulnerability of a society. The poster spotlights key opportunities and challenges scientists are facing when using insurance data for flood vulnerability assessments.

Comprehensive characterization of ethoxyquin transformation products in fish feed by traveling-wave ion mobility spectrometry coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Negreira, Noelia; Regueiro, Jorge; Valdersnes, Stig; Berntssen, Marc H G; Ørnsrud, Robin

2017-05-01

Feed additives are typically used in intensive farming production over long periods, and hence, they can accumulate in farmed animal tissues. Concerns regarding the use of ethoxyquin as an antioxidant feed additive, have recently arisen due to its potential conversion into a series of transformation products (TPs). The aim of this work was to characterize the TPs of ethoxyquin in fish feed by a novel approach based on the use of traveling-wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS) coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS). First, ethoxyquin was oxidized under controlled conditions and the generated TPs were added to a comprehensive database. Atlantic salmon feeds were then screened for ethoxyquin TPs using both targeted and untargeted approaches. Twenty-seven TPs were tentatively identified during the oxidation experiments, fifteen of them also being present in the feed samples. In addition, ten other potential TPs were detected in fish feed following the untargeted approach. Thirty-one of these TPs have been reported for the first time in this work through the oxidation experiments and the feed samples. Therefore, this study provides valuable information on the oxidative fate of ethoxyquin in feed, which can be used for future evaluations of potential risk related to this additive. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Starting the data conversation: informing data services at an academic health sciences library.

PubMed

Read, Kevin B; Surkis, Alisa; Larson, Catherine; McCrillis, Aileen; Graff, Alice; Nicholson, Joey; Xu, Juanchan

2015-07-01

The research obtained information to plan data-related products and services. Biomedical researchers in an academic medical center were selected using purposive sampling and interviewed using open-ended questions based on a literature review. Interviews were conducted until saturation was achieved. Interview responses informed library planners about researchers' key data issues. This approach proved valuable for planning data management products and services and raising library visibility among clients in the research data realm.

PLANT INVASIONS IN RHODE ISLAND RIPARIAN ZONES

EPA Science Inventory

The vegetation in riparian zones provides valuable wildlife habitat while enhancing instream habitat and water quality. Forest fragmentation, sunlit edges, and nutrient additions from adjacent development may be sources of stress on riparian zones. Landscape plants may include no...

Assessment of Homomorphic Analysis for Human Activity Recognition from Acceleration Signals.

PubMed

Vanrell, Sebastian Rodrigo; Milone, Diego Humberto; Rufiner, Hugo Leonardo

2017-07-03

Unobtrusive activity monitoring can provide valuable information for medical and sports applications. In recent years, human activity recognition has moved to wearable sensors to deal with unconstrained scenarios. Accelerometers are the preferred sensors due to their simplicity and availability. Previous studies have examined several \\azul{classic} techniques for extracting features from acceleration signals, including time-domain, time-frequency, frequency-domain, and other heuristic features. Spectral and temporal features are the preferred ones and they are generally computed from acceleration components, leaving the acceleration magnitude potential unexplored. In this study, based on homomorphic analysis, a new type of feature extraction stage is proposed in order to exploit discriminative activity information present in acceleration signals. Homomorphic analysis can isolate the information about whole body dynamics and translate it into a compact representation, called cepstral coefficients. Experiments have explored several configurations of the proposed features, including size of representation, signals to be used, and fusion with other features. Cepstral features computed from acceleration magnitude obtained one of the highest recognition rates. In addition, a beneficial contribution was found when time-domain and moving pace information was included in the feature vector. Overall, the proposed system achieved a recognition rate of 91.21% on the publicly available SCUT-NAA dataset. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest recognition rate on this dataset.

Reconciling catch differences from multiple fishery independent gill net surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kraus, Richard T.; Vandergoot, Christopher; Kocovsky, Patrick M.; Rogers, Mark W.; Cook, H. Andrew; Brenden, Travis O.

2017-01-01

Fishery independent gill net surveys provide valuable demographic information for population assessment and resource management, but relative to net construction, the effects of ancillary species, and environmental variables on focal species catch rates are poorly understood. In response, we conducted comparative deployments with three unique, inter-agency, survey gill nets used to assess walleye Sander vitreus in Lake Erie. We used an information-theoretic approach with Akaike’s second-order information criterion (AICc) to evaluate linear mixed models of walleye catch as a function of net type (multifilament and two types of monofilament netting), mesh size (categorical), Secchi depth, temperature, water depth, catch of ancillary species, and interactions among selected variables. The model with the greatest weight of evidence showed that walleye catches were positively associated with potential prey and intra-guild predators and negatively associated with water depth and temperature. In addition, the multifilament net had higher average walleye catches than either of the two monofilament nets. Results from this study both help inform decisions about proposed gear changes to stock assessment surveys in Lake Erie, and advance our understanding of how multispecies associations explain variation in gill net catches. Of broader interest to fishery-independent gill net studies, effects of abiotic variables and ancillary species on focal specie’s catch rates were small in comparison with net characteristics of mesh size or twine type.

Tuberculosis diagnosis support analysis for precarious health information systems.

PubMed

Orjuela-Cañón, Alvaro David; Camargo Mendoza, Jorge Eliécer; Awad García, Carlos Enrique; Vergara Vela, Erika Paola

2018-04-01

Pulmonary tuberculosis is a world emergency for the World Health Organization. Techniques and new diagnosis tools are important to battle this bacterial infection. There have been many advances in all those fields, but in developing countries such as Colombia, where the resources and infrastructure are limited, new fast and less expensive strategies are increasingly needed. Artificial neural networks are computational intelligence techniques that can be used in this kind of problems and offer additional support in the tuberculosis diagnosis process, providing a tool to medical staff to make decisions about management of subjects under suspicious of tuberculosis. A database extracted from 105 subjects with precarious information of people under suspect of pulmonary tuberculosis was used in this study. Data extracted from sex, age, diabetes, homeless, AIDS status and a variable with clinical knowledge from the medical personnel were used. Models based on artificial neural networks were used, exploring supervised learning to detect the disease. Unsupervised learning was used to create three risk groups based on available information. Obtained results are comparable with traditional techniques for detection of tuberculosis, showing advantages such as fast and low implementation costs. Sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 71% where achieved. Used techniques allowed to obtain valuable information that can be useful for physicians who treat the disease in decision making processes, especially under limited infrastructure and data. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimized hyperspectral band selection using hybrid genetic algorithm and gravitational search algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Aizhu; Sun, Genyun; Wang, Zhenjie

2015-12-01

The serious information redundancy in hyperspectral images (HIs) cannot contribute to the data analysis accuracy, instead it require expensive computational resources. Consequently, to identify the most useful and valuable information from the HIs, thereby improve the accuracy of data analysis, this paper proposed a novel hyperspectral band selection method using the hybrid genetic algorithm and gravitational search algorithm (GA-GSA). In the proposed method, the GA-GSA is mapped to the binary space at first. Then, the accuracy of the support vector machine (SVM) classifier and the number of selected spectral bands are utilized to measure the discriminative capability of the band subset. Finally, the band subset with the smallest number of spectral bands as well as covers the most useful and valuable information is obtained. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, studies conducted on an AVIRIS image against two recently proposed state-of-the-art GSA variants are presented. The experimental results revealed the superiority of the proposed method and indicated that the method can indeed considerably reduce data storage costs and efficiently identify the band subset with stable and high classification precision.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chironis, N.P.

This book contains a wealth of valuable information carefully selected and compiled from recent issues of Coal Age magazine. Much of the source material has been gathered by Coal Age Editors during their visits to coal mines, research establishments, universities and technical symposiums. Equally important are the articles and data contributed by over 50 top experts, many of whom are well known to the mining industry. Specifically, this easy-to-use handbook is divided into eleven key areas of underground mining. Here you will find the latest information on continuous mining techniques, longwall and shortwall methods and equipment, specialized mining and boringmore » systems, continuous haulage techniques, improved roof control and ventilation methods, mine communications and instrumentation, power systems, fire control methods, and new mining regulations. There is also a section on engineering and management considerations, including the modern use of computer terminals, practical techniques for picking leaders and for encouraging more safety consciousness in employees, factors affecting absenteeism, and some highly important financial considerations. All of this valuable information has been thoroughly indexed to provide immediate access to the specific data needed by the reader.« less

Smart Health - Potential and Pathways: A Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arulananthan, C.; Hanifa, Sabibullah Mohamed

2017-08-01

Healthcare is an imperative key field of research, where individuals or groups can be engaged in the self-tracking of any kind of biological, physical, behavioral, or environmental information. In a massive health care data, the valuable information is hidden. The quantity of the available unstructured data has been expanding on an exponential scale. The newly developing Disruptive Technologies can handle many challenges that face data analysis and ability to extract valuable information via data analytics. Connected Wellness in Healthcare would retrieve patient’s physiological, pathological and behavioral parameters through sensors to perform inner workings of human body analysis. Disruptive technologies can take us from a reactive illness-driven to a proactive wellness-driven system in health care. It is need to be strive and create a smart health system towards wellness-driven instead of being illness-driven, today’s biggest problem in health care. Wellness-driven-analytics application help to promote healthiest living environment called “Smart Health”, deliver empower based quality of living. The contributions of this survey reveals and opens (touches uncovered areas) the possible doors in the line of research on smart health and its computing technologies.

The Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science (VALUABLES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwayama, Y.; Mabee, B.; Wulf Tregar, S.

2017-12-01

National and international organizations are placing greater emphasis on the societal and economic benefits that can be derived from applications of Earth observations, yet improvements are needed to connect to the decision processes that produce actions with direct societal benefits. There is a need to substantiate the benefits of Earth science applications in socially and economically meaningful terms in order to demonstrate return on investment and to prioritize investments across data products, modeling capabilities, and information systems. However, methods and techniques for quantifying the value proposition of Earth observations are currently not fully established. Furthermore, it has been challenging to communicate the value of these investments to audiences beyond the Earth science community. The Consortium for the Valuation of Applications Benefits Linked with Earth Science (VALUABLES), a cooperative agreement between Resources for the Future (RFF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has the goal of advancing methods for the valuation and communication of the applied benefits linked with Earth observations. The VALUABLES Consortium will focus on three pillars: (a) a research pillar that will apply existing and innovative methods to quantify the socioeconomic benefits of information from Earth observations; (b) a capacity building pillar to catalyze interdisciplinary linkages between Earth scientists and social scientists; and (c) a communications pillar that will convey the value of Earth observations to stakeholders in government, universities, the NGO community, and the interested public. In this presentation, we will describe ongoing and future activities of the VALUABLES Consortium, provide a brief overview of frameworks to quantify the socioeconomic value of Earth observations, and describe how Earth scientists and social scientist can get involved in the Consortium's activities.

High-throughput Titration of Luciferase-expressing Recombinant Viruses

PubMed Central

Garcia, Vanessa; Krishnan, Ramya; Davis, Colin; Batenchuk, Cory; Le Boeuf, Fabrice; Abdelbary, Hesham; Diallo, Jean-Simon

2014-01-01

Standard plaque assays to determine infectious viral titers can be time consuming, are not amenable to a high volume of samples, and cannot be done with viruses that do not form plaques. As an alternative to plaque assays, we have developed a high-throughput titration method that allows for the simultaneous titration of a high volume of samples in a single day. This approach involves infection of the samples with a Firefly luciferase tagged virus, transfer of the infected samples onto an appropriate permissive cell line, subsequent addition of luciferin, reading of plates in order to obtain luminescence readings, and finally the conversion from luminescence to viral titers. The assessment of cytotoxicity using a metabolic viability dye can be easily incorporated in the workflow in parallel and provide valuable information in the context of a drug screen. This technique provides a reliable, high-throughput method to determine viral titers as an alternative to a standard plaque assay. PMID:25285536

Studies of Neutron-Induced Fission of 235U, 238U, and 239Pu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duke, Dana; TKE Team

2014-09-01

A Frisch-gridded ionization chamber and the double energy (2E) analysis method were used to study mass yield distributions and average total kinetic energy (TKE) release from neutron-induced fission of 235U, 238U, and 239Pu. Despite decades of fission research, little or no TKE data exist for high incident neutron energies. Additional average TKE information at incident neutron energies relevant to defense- and energy-related applications will provide a valuable observable for benchmarking simulations. The data can also be used as inputs in theoretical fission models. The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center-Weapons Neutron Research (LANSCE - WNR) provides a neutron beam from thermal to hundreds of MeV, well-suited for filling in the gaps in existing data and exploring fission behavior in the fast neutron region. The results of the studies on 238U, 235U, and 239Pu will be presented. LA-UR-14-24921.

Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in the mistletoe Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae)1

PubMed Central

González, Clementina; Harvey, Nick; Ornelas, Juan Francisco

2015-01-01

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed for the parasitic Psittacanthus schiedeanus, a common mistletoe species on cloud forest–adapted tree hosts in Mesoamerica, to investigate intraspecific genetic patterns of diversity and genetic structure. • Methods and Results: Using an enriched library, 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed in P. schiedeanus. All loci consisted of dinucleotide repeats. Average alleles per locus were 12 (4–17), and a total of 120 alleles were recorded across 39 individuals from four populations in Mexico. Primers were tested in 11 additional species, but only amplified successfully in P. calyculatus and P. angustifolius. • Conclusions: The polymorphic loci described will be useful in studies of genetic diversity and genetic population differentiation in natural populations of these parasitic plants, and will provide valuable information to understand the importance of host distribution. PMID:25606357

Extracting lunar dust parameters from image charge signals produced by the Lunar Dust Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, J.; Kempf, S.; Horanyi, M.; Szalay, J.

2015-12-01

The Lunar Dust Experiment (LDEX) onboard the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is an impact ionization dust detector used to characterize the lunar dust exosphere generated by the impacts of large interplanetary particles and meteor streams (Horanyi et al., 2015). In addition to the mass and speed of these lofted particles, LDEX is sensitive to their charge. The resulting signatures of impact events therefore provide valuable information about not only the ambient plasma environment, but also the speed vectors of these dust grains. Here, impact events produced from LDEX's calibration at the Dust Accelerator Laboratory are analyzed using an image charge model derived from the electrostatic simulation program, Coulomb. We show that parameters such as dust grain speed, size, charge, and position of entry into LDEX can be recovered and applied to data collected during LADEE's seven-month mission.

Standardized data sharing in a paediatric oncology research network--a proof-of-concept study.

PubMed

Hochedlinger, Nina; Nitzlnader, Michael; Falgenhauer, Markus; Welte, Stefan; Hayn, Dieter; Koumakis, Lefteris; Potamias, George; Tsiknakis, Manolis; Saraceno, Davide; Rinaldi, Eugenia; Ladenstein, Ruth; Schreier, Günter

2015-01-01

Data that has been collected in the course of clinical trials are potentially valuable for additional scientific research questions in so called secondary use scenarios. This is of particular importance in rare disease areas like paediatric oncology. If data from several research projects need to be connected, so called Core Datasets can be used to define which information needs to be extracted from every involved source system. In this work, the utility of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Operational Data Model (ODM) as a format for Core Datasets was evaluated and a web tool was developed which received Source ODM XML files and--via Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT)--generated standardized Core Dataset ODM XML files. Using this tool, data from different source systems were extracted and pooled for joined analysis in a proof-of-concept study, facilitating both, basic syntactic and semantic interoperability.

Clinical effectiveness of some fluoride-containing toothpastes*

PubMed Central

1982-01-01

Comparisons were made of the clinical effectiveness of two small groups of fluoride-containing toothpastes on the basis of published and unpublished information available to the group. One comparison showed that particular sodium fluoride/silica and stannous fluoride/calcium pyrophosphate formulations were effective in reducing the incidence of dental caries in schoolchildren and that the former toothpaste was more effective than the latter. A separate comparison showed that certain toothpastes containing sodium monofluorophosphate formulated with either an alumina or an insoluble metaphosphate abrasive were also effective in reducing and controlling caries. The group recommended that there was a need for additional field trials in which direct comparisons could be made between a wide variety of formulations, and that further research should be carried out to develop improved formulations. Extension of the use of adequately formulated fluoride-containing toothpastes is recommended as a valuable public health measure to reduce the incidence of dental caries. PMID:6291796

Treacher Collins syndrome: New insights from animal models.

PubMed

Tse, William Ka Fai

2016-12-01

Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS, OMIM: 154500), an autosomal-dominant craniofacial developmental syndrome that occurs in 1 out of every 50,000 live births, is characterized by craniofacial malformation. Mutations in TCOF1, POLR1C, or POLR1D have been identified in affected individuals. In addition to established mouse models, zebrafish models have recently emerged as an valuable method to study facial disease. In this report, we summarized the two updated articles working on the pathogenesis of the newly identified polr1c and polr1d TCS mutations (Lau et al., 2016; Noack Watt et al., 2016) and discussed the possibility of using the anti-oxidants to prevent or rescue the TCS facial phenotype (Sakai et al., 2016). Taken together, this article provides an update on the disease from basic information to pathogenesis, and further summarizes the suggested therapies from recent laboratory research. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parasite Zoonoses and Wildlife: Emerging Issues

PubMed Central

Thompson, R.C. Andrew; Kutz, Susan J.; Smith, Andrew

2009-01-01

The role of wildlife as important sources, reservoirs and amplifiers of emerging human and domestic livestock pathogens, in addition to well recognized zoonoses of public health significance, has gained considerable attention in recent years. However, there has been little attention given to the transmission and impacts of pathogens of human origin, particularly protozoan, helminth and arthropod parasites, on wildlife. Substantial advances in molecular technologies are greatly improving our ability to follow parasite flow among host species and populations and revealing valuable insights about the interactions between cycles of transmission. Here we present several case studies of parasite emergence, or risk of emergence, in wildlife, as a result of contact with humans or anthropogenic activities. For some of these parasites, there is growing evidence of the serious consequences of infection on wildlife survival, whereas for others, there is a paucity of information about their impact. PMID:19440409

From Awareness to Action: Determining the climate sensitivities that influence decision makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C.

2017-12-01

Through the growth of computing power and analytical methods, a range of valuable and innovative tools allow the exhaustive exploration of a water system's response to a limitless set of scenarios. Similarly, possible adaptive actions can be evaluated across this broad set of possible futures. Finally, an ever increasing set of performance indicators is available to judge the relative value of a particular action over others. However, it's unclear whether this is improving the flow of actionable information or further cluttering it. This presentation will share lessons learned and other intuitions from a set of experiences engaging with public and private water managers and investors in the use of robustness-based climate vulnerability and adaptation analysis. Based on this background, a case for reductionism and focus on financial vulnerability will be forwarded. In addition, considerations for simpler, practical approaches for smaller water utilities will be discussed.

Synthesis of Ag and Au nanoparticles embedded in carbon film: Optical, crystalline and topography analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholamali, Hediyeh; Shafiekhani, Azizollah; Darabi, Elham; Elahi, Seyed Mohammad

2018-03-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images give valuable information about surface roughness of thin films based on the results of power spectral density (PSD) through the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms. In the present work, AFM data are studied for silver and gold nanoparticles (Ag NPs a-C: H and Au NPs a-C: H) embedded in amorphous hydrogenated carbon films and co-deposited on glass substrate via of RF-Sputtering and RF-Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition methods. Here, the working gas is acetylene and the targets are Ag and Au. While time and power are constant, the only variable parameter in this study is initial pressure. In addition, the crystalline structure of Ag NPs a-C: H and Au NPs a-C: H are studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). UV-visible spectrophotometry will also investigate optical properties and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of samples.

EnviroAtlas - Austin, TX - Estimated Percent Green Space Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates green space along walkable roads. Green space within 25 meters of the road centerline is included and the percentage is based on the total area between street intersections. Green space provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

ParaBTM: A Parallel Processing Framework for Biomedical Text Mining on Supercomputers.

PubMed

Xing, Yuting; Wu, Chengkun; Yang, Xi; Wang, Wei; Zhu, En; Yin, Jianping

2018-04-27

A prevailing way of extracting valuable information from biomedical literature is to apply text mining methods on unstructured texts. However, the massive amount of literature that needs to be analyzed poses a big data challenge to the processing efficiency of text mining. In this paper, we address this challenge by introducing parallel processing on a supercomputer. We developed paraBTM, a runnable framework that enables parallel text mining on the Tianhe-2 supercomputer. It employs a low-cost yet effective load balancing strategy to maximize the efficiency of parallel processing. We evaluated the performance of paraBTM on several datasets, utilizing three types of named entity recognition tasks as demonstration. Results show that, in most cases, the processing efficiency can be greatly improved with parallel processing, and the proposed load balancing strategy is simple and effective. In addition, our framework can be readily applied to other tasks of biomedical text mining besides NER.

An automatic approach to exclude interlopers from asteroid families

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radović, Viktor; Novaković, Bojan; Carruba, Valerio; Marčeta, Dušan

2017-09-01

Asteroid families are a valuable source of information to many asteroid-related researches, assuming a reliable list of their members could be obtained. However, as the number of known asteroids increases fast it becomes more and more difficult to obtain a robust list of members of an asteroid family. Here, we are proposing a new approach to deal with the problem, based on the well-known hierarchical clustering method. An additional step in the whole procedure is introduced in order to reduce a so-called chaining effect. The main idea is to prevent chaining through an already identified interloper. We show that in this way a number of potential interlopers among family members is significantly reduced. Moreover, we developed an automatic online-based portal to apply this procedure, I.e. to generate a list of family members as well as a list of potential interlopers. The Asteroid Families Portal is freely available to all interested researchers.

Postantibiotic effects and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus suis

PubMed Central

Wang, Liping; Zhang, Yuanshu

2009-01-01

The postantibiotic effects (PAEs) and postantibiotic sub-MIC effects (PA SMEs) of tilmicosin, erythromycin and tiamulin on erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains of Streptococcus suis (M phenotype) were investigated in vitro. Tilmicosin and tiamulin induced significantly longer PAE and PA SME against both erythromycin-susceptible and erythromycin-resistant strains than did erythromycin. The durations of PAE and PA SMEs were proportional to the concentrations of drugs used for exposure. The PA SMEs were substantially longer than PAEs on S. suis (P<0.05) regardless of the antimicrobial used for exposure. The results indicated that the PAE and PA SME could help in the design of efficient control strategies for infection especially caused by erythromycin-resistant S. suis and that they may provide additional valuable information for the rational drug use in clinical practice. PMID:24031450

Blurry-frame detection and shot segmentation in colonoscopy videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, JungHwan; Hwang, Sae; Tavanapong, Wallapak; de Groen, Piet C.; Wong, Johnny

2003-12-01

Colonoscopy is an important screening procedure for colorectal cancer. During this procedure, the endoscopist visually inspects the colon. Human inspection, however, is not without error. We hypothesize that colonoscopy videos may contain additional valuable information missed by the endoscopist. Video segmentation is the first necessary step for the content-based video analysis and retrieval to provide efficient access to the important images and video segments from a large colonoscopy video database. Based on the unique characteristics of colonoscopy videos, we introduce a new scheme to detect and remove blurry frames, and segment the videos into shots based on the contents. Our experimental results show that the average precision and recall of the proposed scheme are over 90% for the detection of non-blurry images. The proposed method of blurry frame detection and shot segmentation is extensible to the videos captured from other endoscopic procedures such as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, enteroscopy, cystoscopy, and laparoscopy.

Guiding Ebola patients to suitable health facilities: an SMS-based approach

PubMed Central

Trad, Mohamad-Ali; Jurdak, Raja; Rana, Rajib

2015-01-01

Access to appropriate health services is a fundamental problem in developing countries, where patients do not have access to information and to the nearest health service facility. We propose building a recommendation system based on simple SMS text messaging to help Ebola patients readily find the closest health service with available and appropriate resources. The system will map people’s reported symptoms to likely Ebola case definitions and suitable health service locations. In addition to providing a valuable individual service to people with curable diseases, the proposed system will also predict population-level disease spread risk for infectious diseases using crowd-sourced symptoms from the population. Health workers will be able to better plan and anticipate responses to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Patients will have improved access to appropriate health care. This system could also be applied in other resource poor or rich settings. PMID:25789162

Thermally Conductive-Silicone Composites with Thermally Reversible Cross-links.

PubMed

Wertz, J T; Kuczynski, J P; Boday, D J

2016-06-08

Thermally conductive-silicone composites that contain thermally reversible cross-links were prepared by blending diene- and dienophile-functionalized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with an aluminum oxide conductive filler. This class of thermally conductive-silicones are useful as thermal interface materials (TIMs) within Information Technology (IT) hardware applications to allow rework of valuable components. The composites were rendered reworkable via retro Diels-Alder cross-links when temperatures were elevated above 130 °C and required little mechanical force to remove, making them advantageous over other TIM materials. Results show high thermal conductivity (0.4 W/m·K) at low filler loadings (45 wt %) compared to other TIM solutions (>45 wt %). Additionally, the adhesion of the material was found to be ∼7 times greater at lower temperatures (25 °C) and ∼2 times greater at higher temperatures (120 °C) than commercially available TIMs.

On the search for design principles in biological systems.

PubMed

Poyatos, Juan F

2012-01-01

The search for basic concepts and underlying principles was at the core of the systems approach to science and technology. This approach was somehow abandoned in mainstream biology after its initial proposal, due to the rise and success of molecular biology. This situation has changed. The accumulated knowledge of decades of molecular studies in combination with new technological advances, while further highlighting the intricacies of natural systems, is also bringing back the quest-for-principles research program. Here, I present two lessons that I derived from my own quest: the importance of studying biological information processing to identify common principles in seemingly unrelated contexts and the adequacy of using known design principles at one level of biological organization as a valuable tool to help recognizing principles at an alternative one. These and additional lessons should contribute to the ultimate goal of establishing principles able to integrate the many scales of biological complexity.

Process analytical technology in the pharmaceutical industry: a toolkit for continuous improvement.

PubMed

Scott, Bradley; Wilcock, Anne

2006-01-01

Process analytical technology (PAT) refers to a series of tools used to ensure that quality is built into products while at the same time improving the understanding of processes, increasing efficiency, and decreasing costs. It has not been widely adopted by the pharmaceutical industry. As the setting for this paper, the current pharmaceutical manufacturing paradigm and PAT guidance to date are discussed prior to the review of PAT principles and tools, benefits, and challenges. The PAT toolkit contains process analyzers, multivariate analysis tools, process control tools, and continuous improvement/knowledge management/information technology systems. The integration and implementation of these tools is complex, and has resulted in uncertainty with respect to both regulation and validation. The paucity of staff knowledgeable in this area may complicate adoption. Studies to quantitate the benefits resulting from the adoption of PAT within the pharmaceutical industry would be a valuable addition to the qualitative studies that are currently available.

Use of Web-based library resources by medical students in community and ambulatory settings.

PubMed

Tannery, Nancy Hrinya; Foust, Jill E; Gregg, Amy L; Hartman, Linda M; Kuller, Alice B; Worona, Paul; Tulsky, Asher A

2002-07-01

The purpose was to evaluate the use of Web-based library resources by third-year medical students. Third-year medical students (147) in a twelve-week multidisciplinary primary care rotation in community and ambulatory settings. Individual user surveys and log file analysis of Website were used. Twenty resource topics were compiled into a Website to provide students with access to electronic library resources from any community-based clerkship location. These resource topics, covering subjects such as hypertension and back pain, linked to curriculum training problems, full-text journal articles, MEDLINE searches, electronic book chapters, and relevant Websites. More than half of the students (69%) accessed the Website on a daily or weekly basis. Over 80% thought the Website was a valuable addition to their clerkship. Web-based information resources can provide curriculum support to students for whom access to the library is difficult and time consuming.

The Influence of Statistical versus Exemplar Appeals on Indian Adults' Health Intentions: An Investigation of Direct Effects and Intervening Persuasion Processes.

PubMed

McKinley, Christopher J; Limbu, Yam; Jayachandran, C N

2017-04-01

In two separate investigations, we examined the persuasive effectiveness of statistical versus exemplar appeals on Indian adults' smoking cessation and mammography screening intentions. To more comprehensively address persuasion processes, we explored whether message response and perceived message effectiveness functioned as antecedents to persuasive effects. Results showed that statistical appeals led to higher levels of health intentions than exemplar appeals. In addition, findings from both studies indicated that statistical appeals stimulated more attention and were perceived as more effective than anecdotal accounts. Among male smokers, statistical appeals also generated greater cognitive processing than exemplar appeals. Subsequent mediation analyses revealed that message response and perceived message effectiveness fully carried the influence of appeal format on health intentions. Given these findings, future public health initiatives conducted among similar populations should design messages that include substantive factual information while ensuring that this content is perceived as credible and valuable.

Behaviour of a solvent trapped in a physical molecular gel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morfin, I.; Spagnoli, S.; Rambaud, C.; Longeville, S.; Plazanet, M.

2016-03-01

Physical gels formed by amphiphilic molecules, namely in this study Methyl-4,6-O-benzylidene-? -D-mannopyranoside, can be form either in polar and protic liquid-like water or in organic apolar solvent such as toluene. The solvent, that influences the supramolecular organization of the gelators, plays an important role in the stability and formation of the gel phase. Gelator-solvent interactions govern not only the assembly but also the solvent diffusion in the material. We present here measurements of neutron scattering (Time of Flight and Neutron Spin Echo) characterizing this microscopic behaviour. In addition, we show that transient grating spectroscopy provides valuable information through the characterization of the longitudinal acoustic wave propagating in the system. Opposite effects on the speed of sound in the gels are observed for the two solvents investigated, being relevant of the interactions between the gelators and the surrounding liquid.

Phase space dynamics and control of the quantum particles associated to hypergraph states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berec, Vesna

2015-05-01

As today's nanotechnology focus becomes primarily oriented toward production and manipulation of materials at the subatomic level, allowing the performance and complexity of interconnects where the device density accepts more than hundreds devices on a single chip, the manipulation of semiconductor nanostructures at the subatomic level sets its prime tasks on preserving and adequate transmission of information encoded in specified (quantum) states. The presented study employs the quantum communication protocol based on the hypergraph network model where the numerical solutions of equations of motion of quantum particles are associated to vertices (assembled with device chip), which follow specific controllable paths in the phase space. We address these findings towards ultimate quest for prediction and selective control of quantum particle trajectories. In addition, presented protocols could represent valuable tool for reducing background noise and uncertainty in low-dimensional and operationally meaningful, scalable complex systems.

Fish Lipids as a Valuable Source of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merdzhanova, Albena; Ivanov, Ivaylo; Dobreva, Diana A.; Makedonski, Lyubomir

2017-03-01

This article presents information about omega-3 (h-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents in a broad range of commercially important fish species available on Bulgarian fish markets. The aim is to raise consumers' awareness and encourage them to eat fish. Fish species from the Black Sea coast have relatively high proportion of n-3 PUFAs, of which more than 80% is by EPf (eicosapentaenoic acid, C 20:5 n-3) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, C 22:6 n-3). Extensive epidemiological studies show that fish consumption is inversely associated with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), stroke and the functioning of the brain. About 0.5 g of omega-3 (EPA+DHA) a day or two savings of oily fish a week are required to reduce the risk of death from CVD. PUFAs needs should be satisfied not only with food additives but with fish lipids containing food.

Mapping bundles of ecosystem services reveals distinct types of multifunctionality within a Swedish landscape.

PubMed

Queiroz, Cibele; Meacham, Megan; Richter, Kristina; Norström, Albert V; Andersson, Erik; Norberg, Jon; Peterson, Garry

2015-01-01

Ecosystem services (ES) is a valuable concept to be used in the planning and management of social-ecological landscapes. However, the understanding of the determinant factors affecting the interaction between services in the form of synergies or trade-offs is still limited. We assessed the production of 16 ES across 62 municipalities in the Norrström drainage basin in Sweden. We combined GIS data with publically available information for quantifying and mapping the distribution of services. Additionally, we calculated the diversity of ES for each municipality and used correlations and k-means clustering analyses to assess the existence of ES bundles. We found five distinct types of bundles of ES spatially agglomerated in the landscape that could be explained by regional social and ecological gradients. Human-dominated landscapes were highly multifunctional in our study area and urban densely populated areas were hotspots of cultural services.

Internalizing Antecedents and Consequences of Binge-Eating Behaviors in a Community-Based, Urban Sample of African American Females

PubMed Central

Musci, Rashelle J.; Hart, Shelley R.; Ialongo, Nicholas

2015-01-01

The etiology of problem-eating behaviors is often overlooked in research as it typically shares many symptoms with other more common psychiatric illnesses. Binge-eating problems are at the forefront of the popular media because of the connection to obesity; therefore, increased knowledge of binge eating problems, particularly the internalizing antecedents and consequences will have implications in a multitude of domains, including prevention programs aimed at physical and mental health. The current study examines the antecedents of binge-eating behaviors by exploring how the growth of internalizing symptoms influences the proximal outcome of a binge-eating inventory in a longitudinal sample of African American girls. Additional consequences of binge-eating problems are also explored. This study focuses on binge-eating problems in order to present valuable information for prevention scientists who wish to develop target individuals at high risk for internalizing problems such as suicide. PMID:23873475

Urban soil exploration through multi-receiver electromagnetic induction and stepped-frequency ground penetrating radar.

PubMed

Van De Vijver, Ellen; Van Meirvenne, Marc; Vandenhaute, Laura; Delefortrie, Samuël; De Smedt, Philippe; Saey, Timothy; Seuntjens, Piet

2015-07-01

In environmental assessments, the characterization of urban soils relies heavily on invasive investigation, which is often insufficient to capture their full spatial heterogeneity. Non-invasive geophysical techniques enable rapid collection of high-resolution data and provide a cost-effective alternative to investigate soil in a spatially comprehensive way. This paper presents the results of combining multi-receiver electromagnetic induction and stepped-frequency ground penetrating radar to characterize a former garage site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The sensor combination showed the ability to identify and accurately locate building remains and a high-density soil layer, thus demonstrating the high potential to investigate anthropogenic disturbances of physical nature. In addition, a correspondence was found between an area of lower electrical conductivity and elevated concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons, suggesting the potential to detect specific chemical disturbances. We conclude that the sensor combination provides valuable information for preliminary assessment of urban soils.

Environmental surveillance during an outbreak of tularaemia in hares, the Netherlands, 2015

PubMed Central

Janse, Ingmar; Maas, Miriam; Rijks, Jolianne M; Koene, Miriam; van der Plaats, Rozemarijn QJ; Engelsma, Marc; van der Tas, Peter; Braks, Marieta; Stroo, Arjan; Notermans, Daan W; de Vries, Maaike C; Reubsaet, Frans; Fanoy, Ewout; Swaan, Corien; Kik, Marja JL; IJzer, Jooske; Jaarsma, Ryanne I; van Wieren, Sip; de Roda-Husman, Ana Maria; van Passel, Mark; Roest, Hendrik-Jan; van der Giessen, Joke

2017-01-01

Tularaemia, a disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, is a re-emerging zoonosis in the Netherlands. After sporadic human and hare cases occurred in the period 2011 to 2014, a cluster of F. tularensis-infected hares was recognised in a region in the north of the Netherlands from February to May 2015. No human cases were identified, including after active case finding. Presence of F. tularensis was investigated in potential reservoirs and transmission routes, including common voles, arthropod vectors and surface waters. F. tularensis was not detected in common voles, mosquito larvae or adults, tabanids or ticks. However, the bacterium was detected in water and sediment samples collected in a limited geographical area where infected hares had also been found. These results demonstrate that water monitoring could provide valuable information regarding F. tularensis spread and persistence, and should be used in addition to disease surveillance in wildlife. PMID:28877846

Design-based stereology: Planning, volumetry and sampling are crucial steps for a successful study.

PubMed

Tschanz, Stefan; Schneider, Jan Philipp; Knudsen, Lars

2014-01-01

Quantitative data obtained by means of design-based stereology can add valuable information to studies performed on a diversity of organs, in particular when correlated to functional/physiological and biochemical data. Design-based stereology is based on a sound statistical background and can be used to generate accurate data which are in line with principles of good laboratory practice. In addition, by adjusting the study design an appropriate precision can be achieved to find relevant differences between groups. For the success of the stereological assessment detailed planning is necessary. In this review we focus on common pitfalls encountered during stereological assessment. An exemplary workflow is included, and based on authentic examples, we illustrate a number of sampling principles which can be implemented to obtain properly sampled tissue blocks for various purposes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Magnetic resonance imaging using chemical exchange saturation transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jaeseok

2012-10-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used as a valuable diagnostic imaging modality that exploits water content and water relaxation properties to provide both structural and functional information with high resolution. Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) in MRI has been recently introduced as a new mechanism of image contrast, wherein exchangeable protons from mobile proteins and peptides are indirectly detected through saturation transfer and are not observable using conventional MRI. It has been demonstrated that CEST MRI can detect important tissue metabolites and byproducts such as glucose, glycogen, and lactate. Additionally, CEST MRI is sensitive to pH or temperature and can calibrate microenvironment dependent on pH or temperature. In this work, we provide an overview on recent trends in CEST MRI, introducing general principles of CEST mechanism, quantitative description of proton transfer process between water pool and exchangeable solute pool in the presence or absence of conventional magnetization transfer effect, and its applications

An Evidence-Based Review on Wound Healing Herbal Remedies From Reports of Traditional Persian Medicine

PubMed Central

Hosseinkhani, Ayda; Falahatzadeh, Maryam; Raoofi, Elahe; Zarshenas, Mohammad M.

2016-01-01

Research on wound healing agents is a developing area in biomedical sciences. Traditional Persian medicine is one of holistic systems of medicine providing valuable information on natural remedies. To collect the evidences for wound-healing medicaments from traditional Persian medicine sources, 5 main pharmaceutical manuscripts in addition to related contemporary reports from Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect were studied. The underlying mechanisms were also saved and discussed. Totally, 65 herbs used in traditional Persian medicine for their wound healing properties was identified. Related anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound-healing activities of those remedies were studied. Forty remedies had at least one of those properties and 10 of the filtered plants possessed all effects. The medicinal plants used in wound healing treatment in traditional Persian medicine could be a good topic for further in vivo and clinical research. This might lead to development of effective products for wound treatment. PMID:27330012

Lessons Learned and Technical Standards: A Logical Marriage for Future Space Systems Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, Paul S.; Garcia, Danny; Vaughan, William W.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A comprehensive database of engineering lessons learned that corresponds with relevant technical standards will be a valuable asset to those engaged in studies on future space vehicle developments, especially for structures, materials, propulsion, control, operations and associated elements. In addition, this will enable the capturing of technology developments applicable to the design, development, and operation of future space vehicles as planned in the Space Launch Initiative. Using the time-honored tradition of passing on lessons learned while utilizing the newest information technology, NASA has launched an intensive effort to link lessons learned acquired through various Internet databases with applicable technical standards. This paper will discuss the importance of lessons learned, the difficulty in finding relevant lessons learned while engaged in a space vehicle development, and the new NASA effort to relate them to technical standards that can help alleviate this difficulty.

Generalised power graph compression reveals dominant relationship patterns in complex networks

PubMed Central

Ahnert, Sebastian E.

2014-01-01

We introduce a framework for the discovery of dominant relationship patterns in complex networks, by compressing the networks into power graphs with overlapping power nodes. When paired with enrichment analysis of node classification terms, the most compressible sets of edges provide a highly informative sketch of the dominant relationship patterns that define the network. In addition, this procedure also gives rise to a novel, link-based definition of overlapping node communities in which nodes are defined by their relationships with sets of other nodes, rather than through connections within the community. We show that this completely general approach can be applied to undirected, directed, and bipartite networks, yielding valuable insights into the large-scale structure of real-world networks, including social networks and food webs. Our approach therefore provides a novel way in which network architecture can be studied, defined and classified. PMID:24663099

Transcriptome profile of Trichoderma harzianum IOC-3844 induced by sugarcane bagasse.

PubMed

Horta, Maria Augusta Crivelente; Vicentini, Renato; Delabona, Priscila da Silva; Laborda, Prianda; Crucello, Aline; Freitas, Sindélia; Kuroshu, Reginaldo Massanobu; Polikarpov, Igor; Pradella, José Geraldo da Cruz; Souza, Anete Pereira

2014-01-01

Profiling the transcriptome that underlies biomass degradation by the fungus Trichoderma harzianum allows the identification of gene sequences with potential application in enzymatic hydrolysis processing. In the present study, the transcriptome of T. harzianum IOC-3844 was analyzed using RNA-seq technology. The sequencing generated 14.7 Gbp for downstream analyses. De novo assembly resulted in 32,396 contigs, which were submitted for identification and classified according to their identities. This analysis allowed us to define a principal set of T. harzianum genes that are involved in the degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose and the accessory genes that are involved in the depolymerization of biomass. An additional analysis of expression levels identified a set of carbohydrate-active enzymes that are upregulated under different conditions. The present study provides valuable information for future studies on biomass degradation and contributes to a better understanding of the role of the genes that are involved in this process.

Inquiries into Malaysia's socio-technical disasters: recommendations and lessons learnt.

PubMed

Said, Aini Mat; Ahmadun, Fakhru'l-Razi; Abdul Kadir, Razali; Daud, Mohamed

2009-04-01

Most democratic countries hold inquiries into disasters. One of their key functions is to establish the cause of an event and to learn lessons in order to prevent a recurrence. In addition, they offer an opportunity for communal catharsis, permitting the public to vent anger, distress and frustration and to exert pressure for policy changes. Malaysia has experienced six landmark socio-technical disasters since 1968, which resulted in the proposal or amendment of various safety/emergency acts and regulations. The authors used a grounded theory approach utilising a constant comparative method to analyse the recommendations made by the inquiries into these events. Data indicate that social and technical recommendations comprise 85 and 15 per cent, respectively, of the total recommendations made by the inquiry committees. This paper offers suggestions for improving the management of inquiry tribunals, as they will remain a valuable source of information for society and corporations to learn from past incidents.

Three-dimensional adult echocardiography: where the hidden dimension helps.

PubMed

Mor-Avi, Victor; Sugeng, Lissa; Lang, Roberto M

2008-05-01

The introduction of three-dimensional (3D) imaging and its evolution from slow and labor-intense off-line reconstruction to real-time volumetric imaging is one of the most significant developments in ultrasound imaging of the heart of the past decade. This imaging modality currently provides valuable clinical information that empowers echocardiography with new levels of confidence in diagnosing heart disease. One major advantage of seeing the additional dimension is the improvement in the accuracy of the evaluation of cardiac chamber volumes by eliminating geometric modeling and the errors caused by foreshortened views. Another benefit of 3D imaging is the realistic views of cardiac valves capable of demonstrating numerous pathologies in a unique, noninvasive manner. This article reviews the major technological developments in 3D echocardiography and some of the recent literature that has provided the scientific basis for its clinical use.

Project SEARCH UK - Evaluating Its Employment Outcomes.

PubMed

Kaehne, Axel

2016-11-01

The study reports the findings of an evaluation of Project SEARCH UK. The programme develops internships for young people with intellectual disabilities who are about to leave school or college. The aim of the evaluation was to investigate at what rate Project SEARCH provided employment opportunities to participants. The evaluation obtained data from all sites operational in the UK at the time of evaluation (n = 17) and analysed employment outcomes. Data were available for 315 young people (n = 315) in the programme and pay and other employment related data were available for a subsample. The results of the analysis suggest that Project SEARCH achieves on average employment rates of around 50 per cent. Project SEARCH UK represents a valuable addition to the supported employment provision in the UK. Its unique model should inform discussions around best practice in supported employment. Implications for other supported employment programmes are discussed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Seeing is believing: on the use of image databases for visually exploring plant organelle dynamics.

PubMed

Mano, Shoji; Miwa, Tomoki; Nishikawa, Shuh-ichi; Mimura, Tetsuro; Nishimura, Mikio

2009-12-01

Organelle dynamics vary dramatically depending on cell type, developmental stage and environmental stimuli, so that various parameters, such as size, number and behavior, are required for the description of the dynamics of each organelle. Imaging techniques are superior to other techniques for describing organelle dynamics because these parameters are visually exhibited. Therefore, as the results can be seen immediately, investigators can more easily grasp organelle dynamics. At present, imaging techniques are emerging as fundamental tools in plant organelle research, and the development of new methodologies to visualize organelles and the improvement of analytical tools and equipment have allowed the large-scale generation of image and movie data. Accordingly, image databases that accumulate information on organelle dynamics are an increasingly indispensable part of modern plant organelle research. In addition, image databases are potentially rich data sources for computational analyses, as image and movie data reposited in the databases contain valuable and significant information, such as size, number, length and velocity. Computational analytical tools support image-based data mining, such as segmentation, quantification and statistical analyses, to extract biologically meaningful information from each database and combine them to construct models. In this review, we outline the image databases that are dedicated to plant organelle research and present their potential as resources for image-based computational analyses.

KARL: A Knowledge-Assisted Retrieval Language. M.S. Thesis Final Report, 1 Jul. 1985 - 31 Dec. 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Triantafyllopoulos, Spiros

1985-01-01

Data classification and storage are tasks typically performed by application specialists. In contrast, information users are primarily non-computer specialists who use information in their decision-making and other activities. Interaction efficiency between such users and the computer is often reduced by machine requirements and resulting user reluctance to use the system. This thesis examines the problems associated with information retrieval for non-computer specialist users, and proposes a method for communicating in restricted English that uses knowledge of the entities involved, relationships between entities, and basic English language syntax and semantics to translate the user requests into formal queries. The proposed method includes an intelligent dictionary, syntax and semantic verifiers, and a formal query generator. In addition, the proposed system has a learning capability that can improve portability and performance. With the increasing demand for efficient human-machine communication, the significance of this thesis becomes apparent. As human resources become more valuable, software systems that will assist in improving the human-machine interface will be needed and research addressing new solutions will be of utmost importance. This thesis presents an initial design and implementation as a foundation for further research and development into the emerging field of natural language database query systems.

Index for Predicting Insurance Claims from Wind Storms with an Application in France.

PubMed

Mornet, Alexandre; Opitz, Thomas; Luzi, Michel; Loisel, Stéphane

2015-11-01

For insurance companies, wind storms represent a main source of volatility, leading to potentially huge aggregated claim amounts. In this article, we compare different constructions of a storm index allowing us to assess the economic impact of storms on an insurance portfolio by exploiting information from historical wind speed data. Contrary to historical insurance portfolio data, meteorological variables show fewer nonstationarities between years and are easily available with long observation records; hence, they represent a valuable source of additional information for insurers if the relation between observations of claims and wind speeds can be revealed. Since standard correlation measures between raw wind speeds and insurance claims are weak, a storm index focusing on high wind speeds can afford better information. A storm index approach has been applied to yearly aggregated claim amounts in Germany with promising results. Using historical meteorological and insurance data, we assess the consistency of the proposed index constructions with respect to various parameters and weights. Moreover, we are able to place the major insurance events since 1998 on a broader horizon beyond 40 years. Our approach provides a meteorological justification for calculating the return periods of extreme-storm-related insurance events whose magnitude has rarely been reached. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

Strategies to Build Readiness in Community Mobilization Efforts for Implementation in a Multi-Year Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative.

PubMed

Bhuiya, Nazmim; House, L Duane; Desmarais, Jeffrey; Fletcher, Erica; Conlin, Maeve; Perez-McAdoo, Sarah; Waggett, Jessica; Tendulkar, Shalini A

2017-03-01

This paper describes an assessment of community readiness to implement a community-wide teen pregnancy prevention initiative, Youth First, and presents strategies used to enhance this readiness as informed by the assessment. Twenty-five community stakeholder interviews were conducted to assess four domains of readiness: (1) attitudes, perception, and knowledge of teen pregnancy; (2) perceived level of readiness; (3) resources, existing and current efforts; and (4) leadership. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed to identify key themes. Stakeholders acknowledged teen pregnancy as an issue but lacked contextual information. They also perceived the community as ready to address the issue and recognized some organizations already championing efforts. However, many key players were not involved, and ongoing data collection to assess teen pregnancy and prevention efforts was limited. Though many stakeholders were ready to engage in teen pregnancy prevention efforts, they required additional information and training to appropriately address the issue. In response to the assessment findings, several strategies were applied to address readiness and build Youth First partners' capacity to implement the community-wide initiative. Thus, to successfully implement community-wide prevention efforts, it is valuable to assess the level of community readiness to address health issues. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surface-Induced Dissociation of Protein Complexes in a Hybrid Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometer.

PubMed

Yan, Jing; Zhou, Mowei; Gilbert, Joshua D; Wolff, Jeremy J; Somogyi, Árpád; Pedder, Randall E; Quintyn, Royston S; Morrison, Lindsay J; Easterling, Michael L; Paša-Tolić, Ljiljana; Wysocki, Vicki H

2017-01-03

Mass spectrometry continues to develop as a valuable tool in the analysis of proteins and protein complexes. In protein complex mass spectrometry studies, surface-induced dissociation (SID) has been successfully applied in quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) instruments. SID provides structural information on noncovalent protein complexes that is complementary to other techniques. However, the mass resolution of Q-TOF instruments can limit the information that can be obtained for protein complexes by SID. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) provides ultrahigh resolution and ultrahigh mass accuracy measurements. In this study, an SID device was designed and successfully installed in a hybrid FT-ICR instrument in place of the standard gas collision cell. The SID-FT-ICR platform has been tested with several protein complex systems (homooligomers, a heterooligomer, and a protein-ligand complex, ranging from 53 to 85 kDa), and the results are consistent with data previously acquired on Q-TOF platforms, matching predictions from known protein interface information. SID fragments with the same m/z but different charge states are well-resolved based on distinct spacing between adjacent isotope peaks, and the addition of metal cations and ligands can also be isotopically resolved with the ultrahigh mass resolution available in FT-ICR.

Assessment of regional climate change and development of climate adaptation decision aids in the Southwestern US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darmenova, K.; Higgins, G.; Kiley, H.; Apling, D.

2010-12-01

Current General Circulation Models (GCMs) provide a valuable estimate of both natural and anthropogenic climate changes and variability on global scales. At the same time, future climate projections calculated with GCMs are not of sufficient spatial resolution to address regional needs. Many climate impact models require information at scales of 50 km or less, so dynamical downscaling is often used to estimate the smaller-scale information based on larger scale GCM output. To address current deficiencies in local planning and decision making with respect to regional climate change, our research is focused on performing a dynamical downscaling with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and developing decision aids that translate the regional climate data into actionable information for users. Our methodology involves development of climatological indices of extreme weather and heating/cooling degree days based on WRF ensemble runs initialized with the NCEP-NCAR reanalysis and the European Center/Hamburg Model (ECHAM5). Results indicate that the downscale simulations provide the necessary detailed output required by state and local governments and the private sector to develop climate adaptation plans. In addition we evaluated the WRF performance in long-term climate simulations over the Southwestern US and validated against observational datasets.

Meta-Analyses of QTLs Associated with Protein and Oil Contents and Compositions in Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Seed.

PubMed

Van, Kyujung; McHale, Leah K

2017-06-01

Soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a valuable and nutritious crop in part due to the high protein meal and vegetable oil produced from its seed. Soybean producers desire cultivars with both elevated seed protein and oil concentrations as well as specific amino acid and fatty acid profiles. Numerous studies have identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with seed composition traits, but validation of these QTLs has rarely been carried out. In this study, we have collected information, including genetic location and additive effects, on each QTL for seed contents of protein and oil, as well as amino acid and fatty acid compositions from over 80 studies. Using BioMercator V. 4.2, a meta-QTL analysis was performed with genetic information comprised of 175 QTLs for protein, 205 QTLs for oil, 156 QTLs for amino acids, and 113 QTLs for fatty acids. A total of 55 meta-QTL for seed composition were detected on 6 out of 20 chromosomes. Meta-QTL possessed narrower confidence intervals than the original QTL and candidate genes were identified within each meta-QTL. These candidate genes elucidate potential natural genetic variation in genes contributing to protein and oil biosynthesis and accumulation, providing meaningful information to further soybean breeding programs.

Meta-Analyses of QTLs Associated with Protein and Oil Contents and Compositions in Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] Seed

PubMed Central

Van, Kyujung; McHale, Leah K.

2017-01-01

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a valuable and nutritious crop in part due to the high protein meal and vegetable oil produced from its seed. Soybean producers desire cultivars with both elevated seed protein and oil concentrations as well as specific amino acid and fatty acid profiles. Numerous studies have identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with seed composition traits, but validation of these QTLs has rarely been carried out. In this study, we have collected information, including genetic location and additive effects, on each QTL for seed contents of protein and oil, as well as amino acid and fatty acid compositions from over 80 studies. Using BioMercator V. 4.2, a meta-QTL analysis was performed with genetic information comprised of 175 QTLs for protein, 205 QTLs for oil, 156 QTLs for amino acids, and 113 QTLs for fatty acids. A total of 55 meta-QTL for seed composition were detected on 6 out of 20 chromosomes. Meta-QTL possessed narrower confidence intervals than the original QTL and candidate genes were identified within each meta-QTL. These candidate genes elucidate potential natural genetic variation in genes contributing to protein and oil biosynthesis and accumulation, providing meaningful information to further soybean breeding programs. PMID:28587169

Knowledge-driven lead discovery.

PubMed

Pirard, Bernard

2005-11-01

Virtual screening encompasses several computational approaches which have proven valuable for identifying novel leads. These approaches rely on available information. Herein, we review recent successful applications of virtual screening. The extension of virtual screening methodologies to target families is also briefly discussed.

I Can Help.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuevas, Roger

2000-01-01

An innovative intergenerational program in Miami-Dade County (Florida) Public Schools trains adolescents to teach senior citizens about fire safety at an adult education center. Kids enjoy their relationships with "second grandparents" while imparting valuable information and translating safety checklists into Spanish. (MLH)

Accelerating Adverse Outcome Pathway Development via Systems Approaches

EPA Science Inventory

The Adverse Outcome Pathway has emerged as an internationally harmonized mechanism for organizing biological information in a chemical agnostic manner. This construct is valuable for interpreting the results from high-throughput toxicity (HTT) assessment by providing a mechanisti...