A study of diverse clinical decision support rule authoring environments and requirements for integration

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Efficient rule authoring tools are critical to allow clinical Knowledge Engineers (KEs), Software Engineers (SEs), and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to convert medical knowledge into machine executable clinical decision support rules. The goal of this analysis was to identify the critical success factors and challenges of a fully functioning Rule Authoring Environment (RAE) in order to define requirements for a scalable, comprehensive tool to manage enterprise level rules. Methods The authors evaluated RAEs in active use across Partners Healthcare, including enterprise wide, ambulatory only, and system specific tools, with a focus on rule editors for reminder and medication rules. We conducted meetings with users of these RAEs to discuss their general experience and perceived advantages and limitations of these tools. Results While the overall rule authoring process is similar across the 10 separate RAEs, the system capabilities and architecture vary widely. Most current RAEs limit the ability of the clinical decision support (CDS) interventions to be standardized, sharable, interoperable, and extensible. No existing system meets all requirements defined by knowledge management users. Conclusions A successful, scalable, integrated rule authoring environment will need to support a number of key requirements and functions in the areas of knowledge representation, metadata, terminology, authoring collaboration, user interface, integration with electronic health record (EHR) systems, testing, and reporting. PMID:23145874

Cyclical Behavior of Productivity in the Machine Tool Industry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, John; Brand, Horst

1981-01-01

Productivity growth was slow during 1958-80, partly because of the industry's tendency to retain skilled workers during cyclical downturns; computers and other electronic equipment aided production, but diffusion of such innovations has been slow. (Author)

The Pocket Psychiatrist: Tools to enhance psychiatry education in family medicine.

PubMed

Bass, Deanna; Brandenburg, Dana; Danner, Christine

2015-01-01

Primary care is the setting where the majority of patients seek assistance for their mental health problems. To assist family medicine residents in providing effective care to patients for mental health problems during residency and after graduation, it is essential they receive training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of common mental health conditions. While there is some limited education time with a psychiatrist in our department, residents need tools and resources that provide education during their continuity clinics even when the psychiatrist is not available. Information on two tools that were developed is provided. These tools include teaching residents a brief method for conducting a psychiatric interview as well as a means to access evidence-based information on diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions through templates available within our electronic medical record. © The Author(s) 2015.

Index to NASA Tech Briefs, 1974

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The following information was given for 1974: (1) abstracts of reports dealing with new technology derived from the research and development activities of NASA or the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, arranged by subjects: electronics/electrical, electronics/electrical systems, physical sciences, materials/chemistry, life sciences, mechanics, machines, equipment and tools, fabrication technology, and computer programs, (2) indexes for the above documents: subject, personal author, originating center.

Web-based visualisation and analysis of 3D electron-microscopy data from EMDB and PDB.

PubMed

Lagerstedt, Ingvar; Moore, William J; Patwardhan, Ardan; Sanz-García, Eduardo; Best, Christoph; Swedlow, Jason R; Kleywegt, Gerard J

2013-11-01

The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) has developed web-based tools for the visualisation and analysis of 3D electron microscopy (3DEM) structures in the Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) and Protein Data Bank (PDB). The tools include: (1) a volume viewer for 3D visualisation of maps, tomograms and models, (2) a slice viewer for inspecting 2D slices of tomographic reconstructions, and (3) visual analysis pages to facilitate analysis and validation of maps, tomograms and models. These tools were designed to help non-experts and experts alike to get some insight into the content and assess the quality of 3DEM structures in EMDB and PDB without the need to install specialised software or to download large amounts of data from these archives. The technical challenges encountered in developing these tools, as well as the more general considerations when making archived data available to the user community through a web interface, are discussed. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electronic processing of informed consents in a global pharmaceutical company environment.

PubMed

Vishnyakova, Dina; Gobeill, Julien; Oezdemir-Zaech, Fatma; Kreim, Olivier; Vachon, Therese; Clade, Thierry; Haenning, Xavier; Mikhailov, Dmitri; Ruch, Patrick

2014-01-01

We present an electronic capture tool to process informed consents, which are mandatory recorded when running a clinical trial. This tool aims at the extraction of information expressing the duration of the consent given by the patient to authorize the exploitation of biomarker-related information collected during clinical trials. The system integrates a language detection module (LDM) to route a document into the appropriate information extraction module (IEM). The IEM is based on language-specific sets of linguistic rules for the identification of relevant textual facts. The achieved accuracy of both the LDM and IEM is 99%. The architecture of the system is described in detail.

Cost-effectiveness of electronic training in domestic violence risk assessment: ODARA 101.

PubMed

Hilton, N Zoe; Ham, Elke

2015-03-01

The need for domestic violence training has increased with the development of evidence-based risk assessment tools, which must be scored correctly for valid application. Emerging research indicates that training in domestic violence risk assessment can increase scoring accuracy, but despite the increasing popularity of electronic training, it is not yet known whether it can be an effective method of risk assessment training. In the present study, 87 assessors from various professions had training in the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment either face-to-face or using an electronic training program. The two conditions were equally effective, as measured by performance on a post-training skill acquisition test. Completion rates were 100% for face-to-face and 86% for electronic training, an improvement over a previously evaluated manual-only condition. The estimated per-trainee cost of electronic training was one third that of face-to-face training and expected to decrease. More rigorous evaluations of electronic training for risk assessment are recommended. © The Author(s) 2014.

Speaking Math: Using Chat in the Multicultural Math Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Janet; Hodgson, Ted

2008-01-01

Electronic communication is a powerful tool teachers can leverage to improve learning. In this article, the authors explain how they used chat and discussion forums to improve their mathematics classes, and how others can adapt their strategies across the curriculum.

Labour-Saving versus Work-Amplifying Effects of Micro-Electronics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watanabe, Susumu

1986-01-01

This article argues that the labor-displacement effect of microelectronic machinery, especially numerically controlled machine tools and robots, has been exaggerated and that people tend to confuse the impact of intensified international competition with that of the new technology. (Author/CT)

Author fees for online publication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Like the journals themselves, AGU publication fees have been restructured to accommodate the new online, publish-as-ready approach. The new fee structure is based on authors' providing electronic files of their text and art in acceptable formats (Word, WordPerfect, and LaTeX for text, and .eps or .tif for digital art). However, if you are unable to supply electronic files, you can opt for a higher-charge, full-service route in which AGU will create electronic files from hard copy. All authors for AGU journals are expected to support the journal archive through fees based on number as well as size of article files. The revenue from these fees is set aside for the "Perpetual Care Trust Fund," which will support the migration of the journal archive to new formats or media as technology changes. For several journals, excess length fees remain in place to encourage submission of concisely written articles. During this first transition year, most author fees are based on the number of print page equivalents (pdf) in an article; in the future, however, charges are expected to be associated with file size. The specific fees for each journal are posted on AGU's Web site under Publications-Tools for Authors.

The Tools of Quality in Electronic Engineering Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medrano, C. T.; Ube, M.; Plaza, I.; Blesa, A.

2002-01-01

Explores the integration of three factors in the lecture room that influence the function between students and society. Describes the innovation of quality in education that provides students with a work methodology in agreement with the professional world and allows continuous improvement in educational methodology. (Author/KHR)

75 FR 51437 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-20

... Control Number: 0596-NEW. Summary of Collection: The authorization to survey vendors for customer service... contracts for equipment and services at the Forest Service (FS). Using an online electronic survey the FS... system, customer service support, and other supporting tools. The information will be collected and...

Cathodoluminescence Petrography: A Valuable Tool for Teaching and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopp, Otto C.

1981-01-01

Cathodoluminescence is visible light emitted from a specimen when it is bombarded with electrons. A technique known as cathodoluminescence petrography can provide information especially useful in studies or courses related to mineralogy and petrology. The technique is briefly presented, along with examples to illustrate typical results. (Author/WB)

Classroom Innovation: Engaging Students in Interactive Multimedia Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neo, Tse-Kian; Neo, Mai

2004-01-01

With the infusion of the multimedia technology into the education arena, traditional educational materials can be translated into interactive electronic form through the use of multimedia authoring tools. This has allowed teachers to design and incorporate multimedia elements into the content to convey the message in a multi-sensory learning…

Using Electronic Portfolios for Second Language Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cummins, Patricia W.; Davesne, Celine

2009-01-01

Portfolio assessment as developed in Europe presents a learner-empowering alternative to computer-based testing. The authors present the European Language Portfolio (ELP) and its American adaptations, LinguaFolio and the Global Language Portfolio, as tools to be used with the Common European Framework of Reference for languages and the American…

Reviewing Student Papers Electronically

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunford, Spencer

2011-01-01

In order to consistently give quality feedback to students, the author introduces the revision and automation tools in Microsoft Word 2007. These features, Comments, Tracking, and Changes, are part of the Review group in MS Word 2007. Additionally, the AutoCorrect feature can be used to enhance and support editing endeavors. This article offers a…

Developing the E-Delphi System: A Web-Based Forecasting Tool for Educational Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chou, Chien

2002-01-01

Discusses use of the Delphi technique and describes the development of an electronic version, called e-Delphi, in which questionnaire construction and communication with panel members was accomplished using the Web. Explains system function and interface and discusses evaluation of the e-Delphi system. (Author/LRW)

Absolute Calibration of Image Plate for electrons at energy between 100 keV and 4 MeV

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

Chen, H; Back, N L; Eder, D C

2007-12-10

The authors measured the absolute response of image plate (Fuji BAS SR2040) for electrons at energies between 100 keV to 4 MeV using an electron spectrometer. The electron source was produced from a short pulse laser irradiated on the solid density targets. This paper presents the calibration results of image plate Photon Stimulated Luminescence PSL per electrons at this energy range. The Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX results are also presented for three representative incident angles onto the image plates and corresponding electron energies depositions at these angles. These provide a complete set of tools that allows extraction ofmore » the absolute calibration to other spectrometer setting at this electron energy range.« less

A software platform to analyse the ethical issues of electronic patient privacy policy: the S3P example.

PubMed

Mizani, M A; Baykal, N

2007-12-01

Paper-based privacy policies fail to resolve the new changes posed by electronic healthcare. Protecting patient privacy through electronic systems has become a serious concern and is the subject of several recent studies. The shift towards an electronic privacy policy introduces new ethical challenges that cannot be solved merely by technical measures. Structured Patient Privacy Policy (S3P) is a software tool assuming an automated electronic privacy policy in an electronic healthcare setting. It is designed to simulate different access levels and rights of various professionals involved in healthcare in order to assess the emerging ethical problems. The authors discuss ethical issues concerning electronic patient privacy policies that have become apparent during the development and application of S3P.

Tools in a clinical information system supporting clinical trials at a Swiss University Hospital.

PubMed

Weisskopf, Michael; Bucklar, Guido; Blaser, Jürg

2014-12-01

Issues concerning inadequate source data of clinical trials rank second in the most common findings by regulatory authorities. The increasing use of electronic clinical information systems by healthcare providers offers an opportunity to facilitate and improve the conduct of clinical trials and the source documentation. We report on a number of tools implemented into the clinical information system of a university hospital to support clinical research. In 2011/2012, a set of tools was developed in the clinical information system of the University Hospital Zurich to support clinical research, including (1) a trial registry for documenting metadata on the clinical trials conducted at the hospital, (2) a patient-trial-assignment-tool to tag patients in the electronic medical charts as participants of specific trials, (3) medical record templates for the documentation of study visits and trial-related procedures, (4) online queries on trials and trial participants, (5) access to the electronic medical records for clinical monitors, (6) an alerting tool to notify of hospital admissions of trial participants, (7) queries to identify potentially eligible patients in the planning phase as trial feasibility checks and during the trial as recruitment support, and (8) order sets to facilitate the complete and accurate performance of study visit procedures. The number of approximately 100 new registrations per year in the voluntary trial registry in the clinical information system now matches the numbers of the existing mandatory trial registry of the hospital. Likewise, the yearly numbers of patients tagged as trial participants as well as the use of the standardized trial record templates increased to 2408 documented trial enrolments and 190 reports generated/month in the year 2013. Accounts for 32 clinical monitors have been established in the first 2 years monitoring a total of 49 trials in 16 clinical departments. A total of 15 months after adding the optional feature of hospital admission alerts of trial participants, 107 running trials have activated this option, including 48 out of 97 studies (49.5%) registered in the year 2013, generating approximately 85 alerts per month. The popularity of the presented tools in the clinical information system illustrates their potential to facilitate the conduct of clinical trials. The tools also allow for enhanced transparency on trials conducted at the hospital. Future studies on monitoring and inspection findings will have to evaluate their impact on quality and safety. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Diesel Combustion Collaboratory: Combustion Researchers Collaborating over the Internet

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

C. M. Pancerella; L. A. Rahn; C. Yang

2000-02-01

The Diesel Combustion Collaborator (DCC) is a pilot project to develop and deploy collaborative technologies to combustion researchers distributed throughout the DOE national laboratories, academia, and industry. The result is a problem-solving environment for combustion research. Researchers collaborate over the Internet using DCC tools, which include: a distributed execution management system for running combustion models on widely distributed computers, including supercomputers; web-accessible data archiving capabilities for sharing graphical experimental or modeling data; electronic notebooks and shared workspaces for facilitating collaboration; visualization of combustion data; and video-conferencing and data-conferencing among researchers at remote sites. Security is a key aspect of themore » collaborative tools. In many cases, the authors have integrated these tools to allow data, including large combustion data sets, to flow seamlessly, for example, from modeling tools to data archives. In this paper the authors describe the work of a larger collaborative effort to design, implement and deploy the DCC.« less

Different Strokes for Different Folks: Visual Presentation Design between Disciplines

PubMed Central

Gomez, Steven R.; Jianu, Radu; Ziemkiewicz, Caroline; Guo, Hua; Laidlaw, David H.

2015-01-01

We present an ethnographic study of design differences in visual presentations between academic disciplines. Characterizing design conventions between users and data domains is an important step in developing hypotheses, tools, and design guidelines for information visualization. In this paper, disciplines are compared at a coarse scale between four groups of fields: social, natural, and formal sciences; and the humanities. Two commonplace presentation types were analyzed: electronic slideshows and whiteboard “chalk talks”. We found design differences in slideshows using two methods – coding and comparing manually-selected features, like charts and diagrams, and an image-based analysis using PCA called eigenslides. In whiteboard talks with controlled topics, we observed design behaviors, including using representations and formalisms from a participant’s own discipline, that suggest authors might benefit from novel assistive tools for designing presentations. Based on these findings, we discuss opportunities for visualization ethnography and human-centered authoring tools for visual information. PMID:26357149

Different Strokes for Different Folks: Visual Presentation Design between Disciplines.

PubMed

Gomez, S R; Jianu, R; Ziemkiewicz, C; Guo, Hua; Laidlaw, D H

2012-12-01

We present an ethnographic study of design differences in visual presentations between academic disciplines. Characterizing design conventions between users and data domains is an important step in developing hypotheses, tools, and design guidelines for information visualization. In this paper, disciplines are compared at a coarse scale between four groups of fields: social, natural, and formal sciences; and the humanities. Two commonplace presentation types were analyzed: electronic slideshows and whiteboard "chalk talks". We found design differences in slideshows using two methods - coding and comparing manually-selected features, like charts and diagrams, and an image-based analysis using PCA called eigenslides. In whiteboard talks with controlled topics, we observed design behaviors, including using representations and formalisms from a participant's own discipline, that suggest authors might benefit from novel assistive tools for designing presentations. Based on these findings, we discuss opportunities for visualization ethnography and human-centered authoring tools for visual information.

Overcoming barriers to implementing patient-reported outcomes in an electronic health record: a case report.

PubMed

Harle, Christopher A; Listhaus, Alyson; Covarrubias, Constanza M; Schmidt, Siegfried Of; Mackey, Sean; Carek, Peter J; Fillingim, Roger B; Hurley, Robert W

2016-01-01

In this case report, the authors describe the implementation of a system for collecting patient-reported outcomes and integrating results in an electronic health record. The objective was to identify lessons learned in overcoming barriers to collecting and integrating patient-reported outcomes in an electronic health record. The authors analyzed qualitative data in 42 documents collected from system development meetings, written feedback from users, and clinical observations with practice staff, providers, and patients. Guided by the Unified Theory on the Adoption and Use of Information Technology, 5 emergent themes were identified. Two barriers emerged: (i) uncertain clinical benefit and (ii) time, work flow, and effort constraints. Three facilitators emerged: (iii) process automation, (iv) usable system interfaces, and (v) collecting patient-reported outcomes for the right patient at the right time. For electronic health record-integrated patient-reported outcomes to succeed as useful clinical tools, system designers must ensure the clinical relevance of the information being collected while minimizing provider, staff, and patient burden. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A digital library for medical imaging activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dos Santos, Marcelo; Furuie, Sérgio S.

2007-03-01

This work presents the development of an electronic infrastructure to make available a free, online, multipurpose and multimodality medical image database. The proposed infrastructure implements a distributed architecture for medical image database, authoring tools, and a repository for multimedia documents. Also it includes a peer-reviewed model that assures quality of dataset. This public repository provides a single point of access for medical images and related information to facilitate retrieval tasks. The proposed approach has been used as an electronic teaching system in Radiology as well.

Teaching residents screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) skills for alcohol use: Using chart-stimulated recall to assess curricular impact.

PubMed

Wamsley, Maria A; Steiger, Scott; Julian, Katherine A; Gleason, Nathaniel; O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Guy, Michelle; Satterfield, Jason M

2016-01-01

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) improves identification and intervention for patients at risk for developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Residency curriculum is designed to teach SBIRT skills, but resources are needed to promote skill implementation. The electronic health record (EHR) can facilitate implementation through integration of decision-support tools. The authors developed electronic tools to facilitate documentation of alcohol assessment and brief intervention and to reinforce skills from an SBIRT curriculum. This prospective cohort study assessed primary care internal medicine residents' use of SBIRT skills and EHR tools in practice using chart-stimulated recall (CSR). Postgraduate year 2 and 3 residents received a 5-hour SBIRT curriculum with skills practice and instruction on SBIRT electronic tools. Participants were then given a list of their patients seen in a 1-year period who were drinking at/above the recommended limit. Trainees selected 3 patients to review with a faculty member in a CSR. Faculty used a 24-item chart checklist to assess application of SBIRT skills and electronic tool use and met with residents to complete a CSR interview. CSR interview notes were analyzed qualitatively to understand application of SBIRT skills and EHR tool use. Eighteen of 20 residents participated in the CSR, and 5 faculty reviewed 46 patient charts. Residents documented alcohol use (84.2% of charts) and assessment of quantity/frequency of use (71.0%) but were less likely to document assessment for an AUD (34%), an appropriate plan (50.0%), or follow-up (55%). Few residents used EHR tools. Residents reported barriers in addressing alcohol use, including lack of knowledge, patient barriers, and time constraints. More intensive training in SBIRT with opportunities for practice and feedback may be necessary for residents to consistently apply SBIRT skills in practice. EHR tools need to be better integrated into the clinic workflow in order to be useful.

Electronic Ramp to Success: Designing Campus Web Pages for Users with Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coombs, Norman

2002-01-01

Discusses key issues in addressing the challenge of Web accessibility for people with disabilities, including tools for Web authoring, repairing, and accessibility validation, and relevant legal issues. Presents standards for Web accessibility, including the Section 508 Standards from the Federal Access Board, and the World Wide Web Consortium's…

Integrating Multimedia into the Malaysian Classroom: Engaging Students in Interactive Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neo, Tse-Kian; Neo, Mai

2004-01-01

In recent years, with the infusion of the multimedia technology into the education arena, traditional educational materials can be translated into interactive electronic form through the use of multimedia authoring tools. This has allowed teachers to design and incorporate multimedia elements and choreograph them in an orderly sequence to convey…

Design of a cluster-randomized trial of electronic health record-based tools to address overweight and obesity in primary care.

PubMed

Baer, Heather J; Wee, Christina C; DeVito, Katerina; Orav, E John; Frolkis, Joseph P; Williams, Deborah H; Wright, Adam; Bates, David W

2015-08-01

Primary care providers often fail to identify patients who are overweight or obese or discuss weight management with them. Electronic health record-based tools may help providers with the assessment and management of overweight and obesity. We describe the design of a trial to examine the effectiveness of electronic health record-based tools for the assessment and management of overweight and obesity among adult primary care patients, as well as the challenges we encountered. We developed several new features within the electronic health record used by primary care practices affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. These features included (1) reminders to measure height and weight, (2) an alert asking providers to add overweight or obesity to the problem list, (3) reminders with tailored management recommendations, and (4) a Weight Management screen. We then conducted a pragmatic, cluster-randomized controlled trial in 12 primary care practices. We randomized 23 clinical teams ("clinics") within the practices to the intervention group (n = 11) or the control group (n = 12). The new features were activated only for clinics in the intervention group. The intervention was implemented in two phases: the height and weight reminders went live on 15 December 2011 (Phase 1), and all of the other features went live on 11 June 2012 (Phase 2). Study enrollment went from December 2011 through December 2012, and follow-up ended in December 2013. The primary outcomes were 6-month and 12-month weight change among adult patients with body mass index ≥25 who had a visit at one of the primary care clinics during Phase 2. Secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with a recorded body mass index in the electronic health record, the proportion of patients with body mass index ≥25 who had a diagnosis of overweight or obesity on the electronic health record problem list, and the proportion of patients with body mass index ≥25 who had a follow-up appointment about their weight or were prescribed weight loss medication. We encountered challenges in our development of an intervention within the existing structure of an electronic health record. For example, although we decided to randomize clinics within primary care practices, this decision may have introduced contamination and led to some imbalance of patient characteristics between the intervention and control practices. Using the electronic health record as the primary data source reduced the cost of the study, but not all desired data were recorded for every participant. Despite the challenges, this study should provide valuable information about the effectiveness of electronic health record-based tools for addressing overweight and obesity in primary care. © The Author(s) 2015.

A systematic review of the cost and cost-effectiveness of electronic discharge communications.

PubMed

Sevick, Laura K; Esmail, Rosmin; Tang, Karen; Lorenzetti, Diane L; Ronksley, Paul; James, Matthew; Santana, Maria; Ghali, William A; Clement, Fiona

2017-07-02

The transition between acute care and community care can be a vulnerable period in a patients' treatment due to the potential for postdischarge adverse events. The vulnerability of this period has been attributed to factors related to the miscommunication between hospital-based and community-based physicians. Electronic discharge communication has been proposed as one solution to bridge this communication gap. Prior to widespread implementation of these tools, the costs and benefits should be considered. To establish the cost and cost-effectiveness of electronic discharge communications compared with traditional discharge systems for individuals who have completed care with one provider and are transitioning care to a new provider. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature, using best practices, to identify economic evaluations/cost analyses of electronic discharge communication tools. Inclusion criteria were: (1) economic analysis and (2) electronic discharge communication tool as the intervention. Quality of each article was assessed, and data were summarised using a component-based analysis. One thousand unique abstracts were identified, and 57 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Four studies met final inclusion criteria. These studies varied in their primary objectives, methodology, costs reported and outcomes. All of the studies were of low to good quality. Three of the studies reported a cost-effectiveness measure ranging from an incremental daily cost of decreasing average discharge note completion by 1 day of $0.331 (2003 Canadian), a cost per page per discharge letter of €9.51 and a dynamic net present value of €31.1 million for a 5-year implementation of the intervention. None of the identified studies considered clinically meaningful patient or quality outcomes. Economic analyses of electronic discharge communications are scarcely reported, and with inconsistent methodology and outcomes. Further studies are needed to understand the cost-effectiveness and value for patient care. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Multicenter Validation of a Customizable Scoring Tool for Selection of Trainees for a Residency or Fellowship Program. The EAST-IST Study.

PubMed

Bosslet, Gabriel T; Carlos, W Graham; Tybor, David J; McCallister, Jennifer; Huebert, Candace; Henderson, Ashley; Miles, Matthew C; Twigg, Homer; Sears, Catherine R; Brown, Cynthia; Farber, Mark O; Lahm, Tim; Buckley, John D

2017-04-01

Few data have been published regarding scoring tools for selection of postgraduate medical trainee candidates that have wide applicability. The authors present a novel scoring tool developed to assist postgraduate programs in generating an institution-specific rank list derived from selected elements of the U.S. Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS) application. The authors developed and validated an ERAS and interview day scoring tool at five pulmonary and critical care fellowship programs: the ERAS Application Scoring Tool-Interview Scoring Tool. This scoring tool was then tested for intrarater correlation versus subjective rankings of ERAS applications. The process for development of the tool was performed at four other institutions, and it was performed alongside and compared with the "traditional" ranking methods at the five programs and compared with the submitted National Residency Match Program rank list. The ERAS Application Scoring Tool correlated highly with subjective faculty rankings at the primary institution (average Spearman's r = 0.77). The ERAS Application Scoring Tool-Interview Scoring Tool method correlated well with traditional ranking methodology at all five institutions (Spearman's r = 0.54, 0.65, 0.72, 0.77, and 0.84). This study validates a process for selecting and weighting components of the ERAS application and interview day to create a customizable, institution-specific tool for ranking candidates to postgraduate medical education programs. This scoring system can be used in future studies to compare the outcomes of fellowship training.

Architectural and Functional Design and Evaluation of E-Learning VUIS Based on the Proposed IEEE LTSA Reference Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Droma, Mairtin S.; Ganchev, Ivan; McDonnell, Fergal

2003-01-01

Presents a comparative analysis from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Learning Technology Standards Committee's (LTSC) of the architectural and functional design of e-learning delivery platforms and applications, e-learning course authoring tools, and learning management systems (LMSs), with a view of assessing how…

eLASTIC: Pulling and Stretching What It Means to Learn, Know, and Assess Art and Educational Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Pamela G.

2014-01-01

The problematic issues related to standardized assessment of the nonstandard and to multiple ways of knowing in the visual arts motivated the research and first phase development of eLASTIC: electronic learning and assessment tool for interdisciplinary connections. In this article, the author describes the evolution and implications associated…

My eSorts and Digital Extensions of Word Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zucker, Tricia A.; Invernizzi, Marcia

2008-01-01

"My eSorts" is a strategy for helping children learn to read and spell in a socially motivated context. It is based on developmental spelling research and the word study approach to teaching phonics and spelling. "eSorting" employs digital desktop publishing tools that allow children to author their own electronic word sorts and then share these…

Evaluating Instructional Apps Using the App Checklist for Educators (ACE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lubniewski, Kathryn L.; McArthur, Carol L.; Harriott, Wendy

2018-01-01

The use of iPads and apps has become common in K-12 inclusive classrooms. Special education teachers frequently use this tool to support instruction. Data from electronic surveys were used to determine criteria that teachers identified as important for choosing apps for classroom use. Using this information, the authors developed an App Checklist…

Effects of an evidence-based computerized virtual clinician on low-density lipoprotein and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults without cardiovascular disease: The Interactive Cholesterol Advisory Tool.

PubMed

Block, Robert C; Abdolahi, Amir; Niemiec, Christopher P; Rigby, C Scott; Williams, Geoffrey C

2016-12-01

There is a lack of research on the use of electronic tools that guide patients toward reducing their cardiovascular disease risk. We conducted a 9-month clinical trial in which participants who were at low (n = 100) and moderate (n = 23) cardiovascular disease risk-based on the National Cholesterol Education Program III's 10-year risk estimator-were randomized to usual care or to usual care plus use of an Interactive Cholesterol Advisory Tool during the first 8 weeks of the study. In the moderate-risk category, an interaction between treatment condition and Framingham risk estimate on low-density lipoprotein and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was observed, such that participants in the virtual clinician treatment condition had a larger reduction in low-density lipoprotein and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol as their Framingham risk estimate increased. Perceptions of the Interactive Cholesterol Advisory Tool were positive. Evidence-based information about cardiovascular disease risk and its management was accessible to participants without major technical challenges. © The Author(s) 2015.

Collaborating with human factors when designing an electronic textbook

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

Ratner, J.A.; Zadoks, R.I.; Attaway, S.W.

The development of on-line engineering textbooks presents new challenges to authors to effectively integrate text and tools in an electronic environment. By incorporating human factors principles of interface design and cognitive psychology early in the design process, a team at Sandia National Laboratories was able to make the end product more usable and shorten the prototyping and editing phases. A critical issue was simultaneous development of paper and on-line versions of the textbook. In addition, interface consistency presented difficulties with distinct goals and limitations for each media. Many of these problems were resolved swiftly with human factors input using templates,more » style guides and iterative usability testing of both paper and on-line versions. Writing style continuity was also problematic with numerous authors contributing to the text.« less

New tools for an old trade: a socio-technical appraisal of how electronic decision support is used by primary care practitioners.

PubMed

Peiris, David; Usherwood, Tim; Weeramanthri, Tarun; Cass, Alan; Patel, Anushka

2011-11-01

This article explores Australian general practitioners' (GPs) views on a novel electronic decision support (EDS) tool being developed for cardiovascular disease management. We use Timmermans and Berg's technology-in-practice approach to examine how technologies influence and are influenced by the social networks in which they are placed. In all, 21 general practitioners who piloted the tool were interviewed. The tool occupied an ill-defined middle ground in a dialectical relationship between GPs' routine care and factors promoting best practice. Drawing on Lipsky's concept of 'street-level bureaucrats', the tool's ability to process workloads expeditiously was of greatest appeal to GPs. This feature of the tool gave it the potential to alter the structure, process and content of healthcare encounters. The credibility of EDS tools appears to be mediated by fluid notions of best practice, based on an expert scrutiny of the evidence, synthesis via authoritative guidelines and dissemination through trusted and often informal networks. Balanced against this is the importance of 'soft' forms of knowledge such as intuition and timing in everyday decision-making. This resonates with Aristotle's theory of phronesis (practical wisdom) and may render EDS tools inconsequential if they merely process biomedical data. While EDS tools show promise in improving health practitioner performance, the socio-technical dimensions of their implementation warrant careful consideration. © 2011 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2011 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The APA Style Converter: a Web-based interface for converting articles to APA style for publication.

PubMed

Li, Ping; Cunningham, Krystal

2005-05-01

The APA Style Converter is a Web-based tool with which authors may prepare their articles in APA style according to the APA Publication Manual (5th ed.). The Converter provides a user-friendly interface that allows authors to copy and paste text and upload figures through the Web, and it automatically converts all texts, references, and figures to a structured article in APA style. The output is saved in PDF or RTF format, ready for either electronic submission or hardcopy printing.

Evaluating the Impact of Information Technology Tools to Support the Asthma Medical Home.

PubMed

Matiz, L Adriana; Robbins-Milne, Laura; Krause, M Christine; Peretz, Patricia J; Rausch, John C

2016-02-01

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of information technology tools on the outcomes of children with asthma in the medical home. A registry was established for children aged 4 to 18 years with an ICD-9 code for asthma. Changes to the electronic health record included modifications to notes, care plans, and orders. A retrospective analysis of emergency department and in-patient utilization for a cohort of patients was conducted from July 2009 through June 2013. Of the study population (n = 1217), 65% had a classification of asthma severity and 63% were risk-stratified. Seventy percent had a control assessment at least once. Care plan use increased from 5% to 22% and enrollment in care coordination increased from 0.1% to 4%. After 3 years, there was a reduction of emergency department and inpatient admissions for asthma (P < .05 and P < .005, respectively). The implementation of information technology tools was associated with improved asthma outcomes. © The Author(s) 2015.

Dynamics of the line-start reluctance motor with rotor made of SMC material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smółka, Krzysztof; Gmyrek, Zbigniew

2017-12-01

Design and control of electric motors in such a way as to ensure the expected motor dynamics, are the problems studied for many years. Many researchers tried to solve this problem, for example by the design optimization or by the use of special control algorithms in electronic systems. In the case of low-power and fractional power motors, the manufacture cost of the final product is many times less than cost of electronic system powering them. The authors of this paper attempt to improve the dynamic of 120 W line-start synchronous reluctance motor, energized by 50 Hz mains (without any electronic systems). The authors seek a road enabling improvement of dynamics of the analyzed motor, by changing the shape and material of the rotor, in such a way to minimize the modification cost of the tools necessary for the motor production. After the initial selection, the analysis of four rotors having different tooth shapes, was conducted.

Online communication and adolescent relationships.

PubMed

Subrahmanyam, Kaveri; Greenfield, Patricia

2008-01-01

Over the past decade, technology has become increasingly important in the lives of adolescents. As a group, adolescents are heavy users of newer electronic communication forms such as instant messaging, e-mail, and text messaging, as well as communication-oriented Internet sites such as blogs, social networking, and sites for sharing photos and videos. Kaveri Subrahmanyam and Patricia Greenfield examine adolescents' relationships with friends, romantic partners, strangers, and their families in the context of their online communication activities. The authors show that adolescents are using these communication tools primarily to reinforce existing relationships, both with friends and romantic partners. More and more they are integrating these tools into their "offline" worlds, using, for example, social networking sites to get more information about new entrants into their offline world. Subrahmanyam and Greenfield note that adolescents' online interactions with strangers, while not as common now as during the early years of the Internet, may have benefits, such as relieving social anxiety, as well as costs, such as sexual predation. Likewise, the authors demonstrate that online content itself can be both positive and negative. Although teens find valuable support and information on websites, they can also encounter racism and hate messages. Electronic communication may also be reinforcing peer communication at the expense of communication with parents, who may not be knowledgeable enough about their children's online activities on sites such as the enormously popular MySpace. Although the Internet was once hailed as the savior of education, the authors say that schools today are trying to control the harmful and distracting uses of electronic media while children are at school. The challenge for schools is to eliminate the negative uses of the Internet and cell phones in educational settings while preserving their significant contributions to education and social connection.

IT-CARES: an interactive tool for case-crossover analyses of electronic medical records for patient safety.

PubMed

Caron, Alexandre; Chazard, Emmanuel; Muller, Joris; Perichon, Renaud; Ferret, Laurie; Koutkias, Vassilis; Beuscart, Régis; Beuscart, Jean-Baptiste; Ficheur, Grégoire

2017-03-01

The significant risk of adverse events following medical procedures supports a clinical epidemiological approach based on the analyses of collections of electronic medical records. Data analytical tools might help clinical epidemiologists develop more appropriate case-crossover designs for monitoring patient safety. To develop and assess the methodological quality of an interactive tool for use by clinical epidemiologists to systematically design case-crossover analyses of large electronic medical records databases. We developed IT-CARES, an analytical tool implementing case-crossover design, to explore the association between exposures and outcomes. The exposures and outcomes are defined by clinical epidemiologists via lists of codes entered via a user interface screen. We tested IT-CARES on data from the French national inpatient stay database, which documents diagnoses and medical procedures for 170 million inpatient stays between 2007 and 2013. We compared the results of our analysis with reference data from the literature on thromboembolic risk after delivery and bleeding risk after total hip replacement. IT-CARES provides a user interface with 3 columns: (i) the outcome criteria in the left-hand column, (ii) the exposure criteria in the right-hand column, and (iii) the estimated risk (odds ratios, presented in both graphical and tabular formats) in the middle column. The estimated odds ratios were consistent with the reference literature data. IT-CARES may enhance patient safety by facilitating clinical epidemiological studies of adverse events following medical procedures. The tool's usability must be evaluated and improved in further research. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Use of electronic medical record data for quality improvement in schizophrenia treatment.

PubMed

Owen, Richard R; Thrush, Carol R; Cannon, Dale; Sloan, Kevin L; Curran, Geoff; Hudson, Teresa; Austen, Mark; Ritchie, Mona

2004-01-01

An understanding of the strengths and limitations of automated data is valuable when using administrative or clinical databases to monitor and improve the quality of health care. This study discusses the feasibility and validity of using data electronically extracted from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) computer database (VistA) to monitor guideline performance for inpatient and outpatient treatment of schizophrenia. The authors also discuss preliminary results and their experience in applying these methods to monitor antipsychotic prescribing using the South Central VA Healthcare Network (SCVAHCN) Data Warehouse as a tool for quality improvement.

Structure and navigation for electronic publishing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tillinghast, John; Beretta, Giordano B.

1998-01-01

The sudden explosion of the World Wide Web as a new publication medium has given a dramatic boost to the electronic publishing industry, which previously was a limited market centered around CD-ROMs and on-line databases. While the phenomenon has parallels to the advent of the tabloid press in the middle of last century, the electronic nature of the medium brings with it the typical characteristic of 4th wave media, namely the acceleration in its propagation speed and the volume of information. Consequently, e-publications are even flatter than print media; Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet share the same computer screen with a home-made plagiarized copy of Deep Throat. The most touted tool for locating useful information on the World Wide Web is the search engine. However, due to the medium's flatness, sought information is drowned in a sea of useless information. A better solution is to build tools that allow authors to structure information so that it can easily be navigated. We experimented with the use of ontologies as a tool to formulate structures for information about a specific topic, so that related concepts are placed in adjacent locations and can easily be navigated using simple and ergonomic user models. We describe our effort in building a World Wide Web based photo album that is shared among a small network of people.

Ethical considerations in the conduct of electronic surveillance research.

PubMed

Bharucha, Ashok J; London, Alex John; Barnard, David; Wactlar, Howard; Dew, Mary Amanda; Reynolds, Charles F

2006-01-01

The extant clinical literature indicates profound problems in the assessment, monitoring, and documentation of care in long-term care facilities. The lack of adequate resources to accommodate higher staff-to-resident ratios adds additional urgency to the goal of identifying more cost-effective mechanisms to provide care oversight. The ever expanding array of electronic monitoring technologies in the clinical research arena demands a conceptual and pragmatic framework for the resolution of ethical tensions inherent in the use of such innovative tools. CareMedia is a project that explores the utility of video, audio and sensor technologies as a continuous real-time assessment and outcomes measurement tool. In this paper, the authors describe the seminal ethical challenges encountered during the implementation phase of this project, namely privacy and confidentiality protection, and the strategies employed to resolve the ethical tensions by applying principles of the interest theory of rights.

Modeling Constellation Virtual Missions Using the Vdot(Trademark) Process Management Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardy, Roger; ONeil, Daniel; Sturken, Ian; Nix, Michael; Yanez, Damian

2011-01-01

The authors have identified a software tool suite that will support NASA's Virtual Mission (VM) effort. This is accomplished by transforming a spreadsheet database of mission events, task inputs and outputs, timelines, and organizations into process visualization tools and a Vdot process management model that includes embedded analysis software as well as requirements and information related to data manipulation and transfer. This paper describes the progress to date, and the application of the Virtual Mission to not only Constellation but to other architectures, and the pertinence to other aerospace applications. Vdot s intuitive visual interface brings VMs to life by turning static, paper-based processes into active, electronic processes that can be deployed, executed, managed, verified, and continuously improved. A VM can be executed using a computer-based, human-in-the-loop, real-time format, under the direction and control of the NASA VM Manager. Engineers in the various disciplines will not have to be Vdot-proficient but rather can fill out on-line, Excel-type databases with the mission information discussed above. The author s tool suite converts this database into several process visualization tools for review and into Microsoft Project, which can be imported directly into Vdot. Many tools can be embedded directly into Vdot, and when the necessary data/information is received from a preceding task, the analysis can be initiated automatically. Other NASA analysis tools are too complex for this process but Vdot automatically notifies the tool user that the data has been received and analysis can begin. The VM can be simulated from end-to-end using the author s tool suite. The planned approach for the Vdot-based process simulation is to generate the process model from a database; other advantages of this semi-automated approach are the participants can be geographically remote and after refining the process models via the human-in-the-loop simulation, the system can evolve into a process management server for the actual process.

Analysis of FIB-induced damage by electron channelling contrast imaging in the SEM.

PubMed

Gutierrez-Urrutia, Ivan

2017-01-01

We have investigated the Ga + ion-damage effect induced by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in a [001] single crystal of a 316 L stainless steel by the electron channelling contrast imaging (ECCI) technique. The influence of FIB milling on the characteristic electron channelling contrast of surface dislocations was analysed. The ECCI approach provides sound estimation of the damage depth produced by FIB milling. For comparison purposes, we have also studied the same milled surface by a conventional electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) approach. We observe that the ECCI approach provides further insight into the Ga + ion-damage phenomenon than the EBSD technique by direct imaging of FIB artefacts in the scanning electron microscope. We envisage that the ECCI technique may be a convenient tool to optimize the FIB milling settings in applications where the surface crystal defect content is relevant. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

Structured clinical documentation in the electronic medical record to improve quality and to support practice-based research in epilepsy.

PubMed

Narayanan, Jaishree; Dobrin, Sofia; Choi, Janet; Rubin, Susan; Pham, Anna; Patel, Vimal; Frigerio, Roberta; Maurer, Darryck; Gupta, Payal; Link, Lourdes; Walters, Shaun; Wang, Chi; Ji, Yuan; Maraganore, Demetrius M

2017-01-01

Using the electronic medical record (EMR) to capture structured clinical data at the point of care would be a practical way to support quality improvement and practice-based research in epilepsy. We describe our stepwise process for building structured clinical documentation support tools in the EMR that define best practices in epilepsy, and we describe how we incorporated these toolkits into our clinical workflow. These tools write notes and capture hundreds of fields of data including several score tests: Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items, Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Quality of Life in Epilepsy-10 items, Montreal Cognitive Assessment/Short Test of Mental Status, and Medical Research Council Prognostic Index. The tools summarize brain imaging, blood laboratory, and electroencephalography results, and document neuromodulation treatments. The tools provide Best Practices Advisories and other clinical decision support when appropriate. The tools prompt enrollment in a DNA biobanking study. We have thus far enrolled 231 patients for initial visits and are starting our first annual follow-up visits and provide a brief description of our cohort. We are sharing these EMR tools and captured data with other epilepsy clinics as part of a Neurology Practice Based Research Network, and are using the tools to conduct pragmatic trials using subgroup-based adaptive designs. © 2016 The Authors. Epilepsia published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International League Against Epilepsy.

An overview of state-of-the-art image restoration in electron microscopy.

PubMed

Roels, J; Aelterman, J; Luong, H Q; Lippens, S; Pižurica, A; Saeys, Y; Philips, W

2018-06-08

In Life Science research, electron microscopy (EM) is an essential tool for morphological analysis at the subcellular level as it allows for visualization at nanometer resolution. However, electron micrographs contain image degradations such as noise and blur caused by electromagnetic interference, electron counting errors, magnetic lens imperfections, electron diffraction, etc. These imperfections in raw image quality are inevitable and hamper subsequent image analysis and visualization. In an effort to mitigate these artefacts, many electron microscopy image restoration algorithms have been proposed in the last years. Most of these methods rely on generic assumptions on the image or degradations and are therefore outperformed by advanced methods that are based on more accurate models. Ideally, a method will accurately model the specific degradations that fit the physical acquisition settings. In this overview paper, we discuss different electron microscopy image degradation solutions and demonstrate that dedicated artefact regularisation results in higher quality restoration and is applicable through recently developed probabilistic methods. © 2018 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2018 Royal Microscopical Society.

Development of a user-centered radiology teaching file system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dos Santos, Marcelo; Fujino, Asa

2011-03-01

Learning radiology requires systematic and comprehensive study of a large knowledge base of medical images. In this work is presented the development of a digital radiology teaching file system. The proposed system has been created in order to offer a set of customized services regarding to users' contexts and their informational needs. This has been done by means of an electronic infrastructure that provides easy and integrated access to all relevant patient data at the time of image interpretation, so that radiologists and researchers can examine all available data to reach well-informed conclusions, while protecting patient data privacy and security. The system is presented such as an environment which implements a distributed clinical database, including medical images, authoring tools, repository for multimedia documents, and also a peer-reviewed model which assures dataset quality. The current implementation has shown that creating clinical data repositories on networked computer environments points to be a good solution in terms of providing means to review information management practices in electronic environments and to create customized and contextbased tools for users connected to the system throughout electronic interfaces.

Application of process mining to assess the data quality of routinely collected time-based performance data sourced from electronic health records by validating process conformance.

PubMed

Perimal-Lewis, Lua; Teubner, David; Hakendorf, Paul; Horwood, Chris

2016-12-01

Effective and accurate use of routinely collected health data to produce Key Performance Indicator reporting is dependent on the underlying data quality. In this research, Process Mining methodology and tools were leveraged to assess the data quality of time-based Emergency Department data sourced from electronic health records. This research was done working closely with the domain experts to validate the process models. The hospital patient journey model was used to assess flow abnormalities which resulted from incorrect timestamp data used in time-based performance metrics. The research demonstrated process mining as a feasible methodology to assess data quality of time-based hospital performance metrics. The insight gained from this research enabled appropriate corrective actions to be put in place to address the data quality issues. © The Author(s) 2015.

Assessing the effects of automatically delivered stimulation on the use of simple exercise tools by students with multiple disabilities.

PubMed

Lancioni, Giulio E; Singh, Nirbhay N; O'Reilly, Mark F; Oliva, Doretta; Campodonico, Francesca; Groeneweg, Jop

2003-01-01

We assessed the effects of automatically delivered stimulation on the activity level and mood (indices of happiness) of three students with multiple disabilities during their use of a stepper and a stationary bicycle. The stimulation involved a pool of favorite stimulus events that were delivered automatically, through an electronic control system, while the students were active in using the aforementioned exercise tools. Data showed that stimulation had an overall positive impact, but this was not evident on both measures (i.e., level of activity and indices of happiness) or with both exercise tools across students. These findings are discussed in relation to the outcome of an earlier study in the area by the same authors and in terms of practical implications for daily contexts.

Book4All: A Tool to Make an e-Book More Accessible to Students with Vision/Visual-Impairments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calabrò, Antonello; Contini, Elia; Leporini, Barbara

Empowering people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired includes ensuring that products and electronic materials incorporate a broad range of accessibility features and work well with screen readers and other assistive technology devices. This is particularly important for students with vision impairments. Unfortunately, authors and publishers often do not include specific criteria when preparing the contents. Consequently, e-books can be inadequate for blind and low vision users, especially for students. In this paper we describe a semi-automatic tool developed to support operators who adapt e-documents for visually impaired students. The proposed tool can be used to convert a PDF e-book into a more suitable accessible and usable format readable on desktop computer or on mobile devices.

A simple tool for stereological assessment of digital images: the STEPanizer.

PubMed

Tschanz, S A; Burri, P H; Weibel, E R

2011-07-01

STEPanizer is an easy-to-use computer-based software tool for the stereological assessment of digitally captured images from all kinds of microscopical (LM, TEM, LSM) and macroscopical (radiology, tomography) imaging modalities. The program design focuses on providing the user a defined workflow adapted to most basic stereological tasks. The software is compact, that is user friendly without being bulky. STEPanizer comprises the creation of test systems, the appropriate display of digital images with superimposed test systems, a scaling facility, a counting module and an export function for the transfer of results to spreadsheet programs. Here we describe the major workflow of the tool illustrating the application on two examples from transmission electron microscopy and light microscopy, respectively. © 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.

Medical students' online learning technology needs.

PubMed

Han, Heeyoung; Nelson, Erica; Wetter, Nathan

2014-02-01

This study investigated medical students' online learning technology needs at a medical school. The study aimed to provide evidence-based guidance for technology selection and online learning design in medical education. The authors developed a 120-item survey in collaboration with the New Technology in Medical Education (NTIME) committee at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIUSOM). Overall, 123 of 290 medical students (42%) at the medical school participated in the survey. The survey focused on five major areas: students' hardware and software use; perception of educational technology (ET) in general; online behaviours; perception of ET use at the school; and demographic information. Students perceived multimedia tools, scheduling tools, communication tools, collaborative authoring tools, learning management systems and electronic health records useful educational technologies for their learning. They did not consider social networking tools useful for their learning, despite their frequent use. Third-year students were less satisfied with current technology integration in the curriculum, information sharing and collaborative learning than other years. Students in clerkships perceived mobile devices as useful for their learning. Students using a mobile device (i.e. a smartphone) go online, text message, visit social networking sites and are online during classes more frequently than non-users. Medical students' ET needs differ between preclinical and clinical years. Technology supporting ubiquitous mobile learning and health information technology (HIT) systems at hospitals and out-patient clinics can be integrated into clerkship curricula. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An electronic registry for physiotherapists in Belgium.

PubMed

Buyl, Ronald; Nyssen, Marc

2008-01-01

This paper describes the results of the KINELECTRICS project. Since more and more clinical documents are stored and transmitted in an electronic way, the aim of this project was to design an electronic version of the registry that contains all acts of physiotherapists. The solution we present here, not only meets all legal constraints, but also enables to verify the traceability and inalterability of the generated documents, by means of SHA-256 codes. The proposed structure, using XML technology can also form a basis for the development of tools that can be used by the controlling authorities. By means of a certification procedure for software systems, we succeeded in developing a user friendly system that enables end-users that use a quality labeled software package, to automatically produce all the legally necessary documents concerning the registry. Moreover, we hope that this development will be an incentive for non-users to start working in an electronic way.

The Power of Influence: School Nurse Stories.

PubMed

Mazyck, Donna; Cellucci, Margaret; Largent, Piper

2015-07-01

School nurses have influence, and this influence is ignited with school nurse stories. School nurses must tell school staff, leaders, families, and students what they do to help students access their education. School boards, city councils, and legislators need to know the knowledge, skills, and judgment school nurses use daily. NASN understands that school nurses benefit from a "how to" kit and has developed tools to empower school nurses in advocating for their important role in supporting the health and learning of students. This article provides an overview this newly developed electronic toolkit while at the same time reinforcing the power of influence when sharing your stories. © 2015 The Author(s).

Adaptive Computerized Training System (ACTS): A Knowledge Base System for Electronic Troubleshooting

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-12-01

Design Z.3.1 Field System Z.3.e Research System Z.4 Information Flow and Management 2.4.1 Student Performance Recording .4.? Student Operational...could more easily relate to. In addition, many automated management tools were created to assist instructors with courseware authoring, student...ACTS was installed and demonstrated at Ft. Gordon. The training managers , instructors, and SMt’s who participated in those demonstrations provided

Electronic Health Record Tools to Care for At-Risk Older Drivers: A Quality Improvement Project.

PubMed

Casey, Colleen M; Salinas, Katherine; Eckstrom, Elizabeth

2015-06-01

Evaluating driving safety of older adults is an important health topic, but primary care providers (PCP) face multiple barriers in addressing this issue. The study's objectives were to develop an electronic health record (EHR)-based Driving Clinical Support Tool, train PCPs to perform driving assessments utilizing the tool, and systematize documentation of assessment and management of driving safety issues via the tool. The intervention included development of an evidence-based Driving Clinical Support Tool within the EHR, followed by training of internal medicine providers in the tool's content and use. Pre- and postintervention provider surveys and chart review of driving-related patient visits were conducted. Surveys included self-report of preparedness and knowledge to evaluate at-risk older drivers and were analyzed using paired t-test. A chart review of driving-related office visits compared documentation pre- and postintervention including: completeness of appropriate focused history and exam, identification of deficits, patient education, and reporting to appropriate authorities when indicated. Data from 86 providers were analyzed. Pre- and postintervention surveys showed significantly increased self-assessed preparedness (p < .001) and increased driving-related knowledge (p < .001). Postintervention charts showed improved documentation of correct cognitive testing, more referrals/consults, increased patient education about community resources, and appropriate regulatory reporting when deficits were identified. Focused training and an EHR-based clinical support tool improved provider self-reported preparedness and knowledge of how to evaluate at-risk older drivers. The tool improved documentation of driving-related issues and led to improved access to interdisciplinary care coordination. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Gerontological Society of America 2015.

Use of Electronic Resources for Psychiatry Clerkship Learning: A Medical Student Survey.

PubMed

Snow, Caitlin E; Torous, John; Gordon-Elliott, Janna S; Penzner, Julie B; Meyer, Fermonta; Boland, Robert

2017-10-01

The primary aim of this study is to examine medical students' use patterns, preferences, and perceptions of electronic educational resources available for psychiatry clerkship learning. Eligible participants included medical students who had completed the psychiatry clerkship during a 24-month period. An internet-based questionnaire was used to collect information regarding the outcomes described above. A total of 68 medical students responded to the survey. Most respondents reported high utilization of electronic resources on an array of devices for psychiatry clerkship learning and indicated a preference for electronic over print resources. The most commonly endorsed barriers to the use of electronic resources were that the source contained irrelevant and non-specific content, access was associated with a financial cost, and faculty guidance on recommended resources was insufficient. Respondents indicated a wish for more psychiatry-specific electronic learning resources. The authors' results suggest that a demand exists for high-quality electronic and portable learning tools that are relevant to medical student education in psychiatry. Psychiatry educators are usefully positioned to be involved in the development of such resources.

CONSORT-EHEALTH: Improving and Standardizing Evaluation Reports of Web-based and Mobile Health Interventions

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Web-based and mobile health interventions (also called “Internet interventions” or "eHealth/mHealth interventions") are tools or treatments, typically behaviorally based, that are operationalized and transformed for delivery via the Internet or mobile platforms. These include electronic tools for patients, informal caregivers, healthy consumers, and health care providers. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement was developed to improve the suboptimal reporting of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). While the CONSORT statement can be applied to provide broad guidance on how eHealth and mHealth trials should be reported, RCTs of web-based interventions pose very specific issues and challenges, in particular related to reporting sufficient details of the intervention to allow replication and theory-building. Objective To develop a checklist, dubbed CONSORT-EHEALTH (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials of Electronic and Mobile HEalth Applications and onLine TeleHealth), as an extension of the CONSORT statement that provides guidance for authors of eHealth and mHealth interventions. Methods A literature review was conducted, followed by a survey among eHealth experts and a workshop. Results A checklist instrument was constructed as an extension of the CONSORT statement. The instrument has been adopted by the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) and authors of eHealth RCTs are required to submit an electronic checklist explaining how they addressed each subitem. Conclusions CONSORT-EHEALTH has the potential to improve reporting and provides a basis for evaluating the validity and applicability of eHealth trials. Subitems describing how the intervention should be reported can also be used for non-RCT evaluation reports. As part of the development process, an evaluation component is essential; therefore, feedback from authors will be solicited, and a before-after study will evaluate whether reporting has been improved. PMID:22209829

Open-source point-of-care electronic medical records for use in resource-limited settings: systematic review and questionnaire surveys

PubMed Central

Bru, Juan; Berger, Christopher A

2012-01-01

Background Point-of-care electronic medical records (EMRs) are a key tool to manage chronic illness. Several EMRs have been developed for use in treating HIV and tuberculosis, but their applicability to primary care, technical requirements and clinical functionalities are largely unknown. Objectives This study aimed to address the needs of clinicians from resource-limited settings without reliable internet access who are considering adopting an open-source EMR. Study eligibility criteria Open-source point-of-care EMRs suitable for use in areas without reliable internet access. Study appraisal and synthesis methods The authors conducted a comprehensive search of all open-source EMRs suitable for sites without reliable internet access. The authors surveyed clinician users and technical implementers from a single site and technical developers of each software product. The authors evaluated availability, cost and technical requirements. Results The hardware and software for all six systems is easily available, but they vary considerably in proprietary components, installation requirements and customisability. Limitations This study relied solely on self-report from informants who developed and who actively use the included products. Conclusions and implications of key findings Clinical functionalities vary greatly among the systems, and none of the systems yet meet minimum requirements for effective implementation in a primary care resource-limited setting. The safe prescribing of medications is a particular concern with current tools. The dearth of fully functional EMR systems indicates a need for a greater emphasis by global funding agencies to move beyond disease-specific EMR systems and develop a universal open-source health informatics platform. PMID:22763661

E-KIT: An Electronic-Knowledge Information Tool for Organizing Site Information and Improving Technical Communication with Stakeholders - 13082

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

Kautsky, Mark; Findlay, Richard C.; Hodges, Rex A.

2013-07-01

Managing technical references for projects that have long histories is hampered by the large collection of documents, each of which might contain discrete pieces of information relevant to the site conceptual model. A database application has been designed to improve the efficiency of retrieving technical information for a project. Although many databases are currently used for accessing analytical and geo-referenced data, applications designed specifically to manage technical reference material for projects are scarce. Retrieving site data from the array of available references becomes an increasingly inefficient use of labor. The electronic-Knowledge Information Tool (e-KIT) is designed as a project-level resourcemore » to access and communicate technical information. The e-KIT is a living tool that grows as new information becomes available, and its value to the project increases as the volume of site information increases. Having all references assembled in one location with complete reference citations and links to elements of the site conceptual model offers a way to enhance communication with outside groups. The published and unpublished references are incorporated into the e-KIT, while the compendium of references serves as a complete bibliography for the project. (authors)« less

Electronic Noses for Composites Surface Contamination Detection in Aerospace Industry

PubMed Central

De Vito, Saverio; Miglietta, Maria Lucia; Massera, Ettore; Fattoruso, Grazia; Formisano, Fabrizio; Polichetti, Tiziana; Salvato, Maria; Alfano, Brigida; Esposito, Elena; Di Francia, Girolamo

2017-01-01

The full exploitation of Composite Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) in so-called green aircrafts design is still limited by the lack of adequate quality assurance procedures for checking the adhesive bonding assembly, especially in load-critical primary structures. In this respect, contamination of the CFRP panel surface is of significant concern since it may severely affect the bonding and the mechanical properties of the joint. During the last years, the authors have developed and tested an electronic nose as a non-destructive tool for pre-bonding surface inspection for contaminants detection, identification and quantification. Several sensors and sampling architectures have been screened in view of the high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scenarios requirements. Ad-hoc pattern recognition systems have also been devised to ensure a fast and reliable assessment of the contamination status, by combining real time classifiers and the implementation of a suitable rejection option. Results show that e-noses could be used as first line low cost Non Destructive Test (NDT) tool in aerospace CFRP assembly and maintenance scenarios. PMID:28368338

Electronic Noses for Composites Surface Contamination Detection in Aerospace Industry.

PubMed

Vito, Saverio De; Miglietta, Maria Lucia; Massera, Ettore; Fattoruso, Grazia; Formisano, Fabrizio; Polichetti, Tiziana; Salvato, Maria; Alfano, Brigida; Esposito, Elena; Francia, Girolamo Di

2017-04-02

The full exploitation of Composite Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) in so-called green aircrafts design is still limited by the lack of adequate quality assurance procedures for checking the adhesive bonding assembly, especially in load-critical primary structures. In this respect, contamination of the CFRP panel surface is of significant concern since it may severely affect the bonding and the mechanical properties of the joint. During the last years, the authors have developed and tested an electronic nose as a non-destructive tool for pre-bonding surface inspection for contaminants detection, identification and quantification. Several sensors and sampling architectures have been screened in view of the high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scenarios requirements. Ad-hoc pattern recognition systems have also been devised to ensure a fast and reliable assessment of the contamination status, by combining real time classifiers and the implementation of a suitable rejection option. Results show that e-noses could be used as first line low cost Non Destructive Test (NDT) tool in aerospace CFRP assembly and maintenance scenarios.

ResearchEHR: use of semantic web technologies and archetypes for the description of EHRs.

PubMed

Robles, Montserrat; Fernández-Breis, Jesualdo Tomás; Maldonado, Jose A; Moner, David; Martínez-Costa, Catalina; Bosca, Diego; Menárguez-Tortosa, Marcos

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present the ResearchEHR project. It focuses on the usability of Electronic Health Record (EHR) sources and EHR standards for building advanced clinical systems. The aim is to support healthcare professional, institutions and authorities by providing a set of generic methods and tools for the capture, standardization, integration, description and dissemination of health related information. ResearchEHR combines several tools to manage EHR at two different levels. The internal level that deals with the normalization and semantic upgrading of exiting EHR by using archetypes and the external level that uses Semantic Web technologies to specify clinical archetypes for advanced EHR architectures and systems.

CWA 15793 2011 Planning and Implementation Tool

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

Gross, Alan; Nail, George

This software, built on an open source platform called Electron (runs on Chromium and Node.js), is designed to assist organizations in the implementation of a biorisk management system consistent with the requirements of the international, publicly available guidance document CEN Workshop Agreement 15793:2011 (CWA 15793). The software includes tools for conducting organizational gap analysis against CWA 15793 requirements, planning tools to support the implementation of CWA 15793 requirements, and performance monitoring support. The gap analysis questions are based on the text of CWA 15793, and its associated guidance document, CEN Workshop Agreement 16393:2012. The authors have secured permission from themore » publisher of CWA 15793, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), to use language from the document in the software, with the understanding that the software will be made available freely, without charge.« less

Pathway Tools version 19.0 update: software for pathway/genome informatics and systems biology.

PubMed

Karp, Peter D; Latendresse, Mario; Paley, Suzanne M; Krummenacker, Markus; Ong, Quang D; Billington, Richard; Kothari, Anamika; Weaver, Daniel; Lee, Thomas; Subhraveti, Pallavi; Spaulding, Aaron; Fulcher, Carol; Keseler, Ingrid M; Caspi, Ron

2016-09-01

Pathway Tools is a bioinformatics software environment with a broad set of capabilities. The software provides genome-informatics tools such as a genome browser, sequence alignments, a genome-variant analyzer and comparative-genomics operations. It offers metabolic-informatics tools, such as metabolic reconstruction, quantitative metabolic modeling, prediction of reaction atom mappings and metabolic route search. Pathway Tools also provides regulatory-informatics tools, such as the ability to represent and visualize a wide range of regulatory interactions. This article outlines the advances in Pathway Tools in the past 5 years. Major additions include components for metabolic modeling, metabolic route search, computation of atom mappings and estimation of compound Gibbs free energies of formation; addition of editors for signaling pathways, for genome sequences and for cellular architecture; storage of gene essentiality data and phenotype data; display of multiple alignments, and of signaling and electron-transport pathways; and development of Python and web-services application programming interfaces. Scientists around the world have created more than 9800 Pathway/Genome Databases by using Pathway Tools, many of which are curated databases for important model organisms. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Emergency medicine clerkship encounter and procedure logging using handheld computers.

PubMed

Penciner, Rick; Siddiqui, Sanam; Lee, Shirley

2007-08-01

Tracking medical student clinical encounters is now an accreditation requirement of medical schools. The use of handheld computers for electronic logging is emerging as a strategy to achieve this. To evaluate the technical feasibility and student satisfaction of a novel electronic logging and feedback program using handheld computers in the emergency department. This was a survey study of fourth-year medical student satisfaction with the use of their handheld computers for electronic logging of patient encounters and procedures. The authors also included an analysis of this technology. Forty-six students participated in this pilot project, logging a total of 2,930 encounters. Students used the logs an average of 7.6 shifts per rotation, logging an average of 8.3 patients per shift. Twenty-nine students (63%) responded to the survey. Students generally found it easy to complete each encounter (69%) and easy to synchronize their handheld computer with the central server (83%). However, half the students (49%) never viewed the feedback Web site and most (79%) never reviewed their logs with their preceptors. Overall, only 17% found the logging program beneficial as a learning tool. Electronic logging by medical students during their emergency medicine clerkship has many potential benefits as a method to document clinical encounters and procedures performed. However, this study demonstrated poor compliance and dissatisfaction with the process. In order for electronic logging using handheld computers to be a beneficial educational tool for both learners and educators, obstacles to effective implementation need to be addressed.

Students' Use of Electronic Support Tools in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Lindy; Higgins, Kristina N.; Huscroft-D'Angelo, Jacqueline N.; Hall, Lindsay

2016-01-01

This study investigated students' use of electronic support tools within a computer-based mathematics program. Electronic support tools are tools, such as hyperlinks or calculators, available within many computer-based instructional programs. A convenience sample of 73 students in grades 4-6 was selected to participate in the study. Students…

Casimage project: a digital teaching files authoring environment.

PubMed

Rosset, Antoine; Muller, Henning; Martins, Martina; Dfouni, Natalia; Vallée, Jean-Paul; Ratib, Osman

2004-04-01

The goal of the Casimage project is to offer an authoring and editing environment integrated with the Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) for creating image-based electronic teaching files. This software is based on a client/server architecture allowing remote access of users to a central database. This authoring environment allows radiologists to create reference databases and collection of digital images for teaching and research directly from clinical cases being reviewed on PACS diagnostic workstations. The environment includes all tools to create teaching files, including textual description, annotations, and image manipulation. The software also allows users to generate stand-alone CD-ROMs and web-based teaching files to easily share their collections. The system includes a web server compatible with the Medical Imaging Resource Center standard (MIRC, http://mirc.rsna.org) to easily integrate collections in the RSNA web network dedicated to teaching files. This software could be installed on any PACS workstation to allow users to add new cases at any time and anywhere during clinical operations. Several images collections were created with this tool, including thoracic imaging that was subsequently made available on a CD-Rom and on our web site and through the MIRC network for public access.

Patient care transitions from the emergency department to the medicine ward: evaluation of a standardized electronic signout tool.

PubMed

Gonzalo, Jed D; Yang, Julius J; Stuckey, Heather L; Fischer, Christopher M; Sanchez, Leon D; Herzig, Shoshana J

2014-08-01

To evaluate the impact of a new electronic handoff tool for emergency department to medicine ward patient transfers over a 1-year period. Prospective mixed-methods analysis of data submitted by medicine residents following admitting shifts before and after eSignout implementation. University-based, tertiary-care hospital. Internal medicine resident physicians admitting patients from the emergency department. An electronic handoff tool (eSignout) utilizing automated paging communication and responsibility acceptance without mandatory verbal communication between emergency department and medicine ward providers. (i) Incidence of reported near misses/adverse events, (ii) communication of key clinical information and quality of verbal communication and (iii) characterization of near misses/adverse events. Seventy-eight of 80 surveys (98%) and 1058 of 1388 surveys (76%) were completed before and after eSignout implementation. Compared with pre-intervention, residents in the post-intervention period reported similar number of shifts with a near miss/adverse event (10.3 vs. 7.8%; P = 0.27), similar communication of key clinical information, and improved verbal signout quality, when it occurred. Compared with the former process requiring mandatory verbal communication, 93% believed the eSignout was more efficient and 61% preferred the eSignout. Patient safety issues related to perceived sufficiency/accuracy of diagnosis, treatment or disposition, and information quality. The eSignout was perceived as more efficient and preferred over the mandatory verbal signout process. Rates of reported adverse events were similar before and after the intervention. Our experience suggests electronic platforms with optional verbal communication can be used to standardize and improve the perceived efficiency of patient handoffs. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Artificial Intelligence and Information Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukumura, Teruo

After reviewing the recent popularization of the information transmission and processing technologies, which are supported by the progress of electronics, the authors describe that by the introduction of the opto-electronics into the information technology, the possibility of applying the artificial intelligence (AI) technique to the mechanization of the information management has emerged. It is pointed out that althuogh AI deals with problems in the mental world, its basic methodology relies upon the verification by evidence, so the experiment on computers become indispensable for the study of AI. The authors also describe that as computers operate by the program, the basic intelligence which is concerned in AI is that expressed by languages. This results in the fact that the main tool of AI is the logical proof and it involves an intrinsic limitation. To answer a question “Why do you employ AI in your problem solving”, one must have ill-structured problems and intend to conduct deep studies on the thinking and the inference, and the memory and the knowledge-representation. Finally the authors discuss the application of AI technique to the information management. The possibility of the expert-system, processing of the query, and the necessity of document knowledge-base are stated.

PIM-Check: development of an international prescription-screening checklist designed by a Delphi method for internal medicine patients.

PubMed

Desnoyer, Aude; Blanc, Anne-Laure; Pourcher, Valérie; Besson, Marie; Fonzo-Christe, Caroline; Desmeules, Jules; Perrier, Arnaud; Bonnabry, Pascal; Samer, Caroline; Guignard, Bertrand

2017-07-31

Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) occurs frequently and is a well-known risk factor for adverse drug events, but its incidence is underestimated in internal medicine. The objective of this study was to develop an electronic prescription-screening checklist to assist residents and young healthcare professionals in PIM detection. Five-step study involving selection of medical domains, literature review and 17 semistructured interviews, a two-round Delphi survey, a forward/back-translation process and an electronic tool development. 22 University and general hospitals from Canada, Belgium, France and Switzerland. 40 physicians and 25 clinical pharmacists were involved in the study.Agreement with the checklist statements and their usefulness for healthcare professional training were evaluated using two 6-point Likert scales (ranging from 0 to 5). Agreement and usefulness ratings were defined as: >65% of the experts giving the statement a rating of 4 or 5, during the first Delphi-round and >75% during the second. 166 statements were generated during the first two steps. Mean agreement and usefulness ratings were 4.32/5 (95% CI 4.28 to 4.36) and 4.11/5 (4.07 to 4.15), respectively, during the first Delphi-round and 4.53/5 (4.51 to 4.56) and 4.36/5 (4.33 to 4.39) during the second (p<0.001). The final checklist includes 160 statements in 17 medical domains and 56 pathologies. An algorithm of approximately 31 000 lines was developed including comorbidities and medications variables to create the electronic tool. PIM-Check is the first electronic prescription-screening checklist designed to detect PIM in internal medicine. It is intended to help young healthcare professionals in their clinical practice to detect PIM, to reduce medication errors and to improve patient safety. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Transforming narratives into educational tools: the collaborative development of a transformative learning tool based on Nicaraguan adolescents' creative writing about intimate partner violence.

PubMed

Singleton, Robyn; Picado Araúz, María de la Paz; Trocin, Kathleen; Winskell, Kate

2017-01-01

The use of narrative has become increasingly popular in the public health, community development, and education fields. Via emotionally engaging plotlines with authentic, captivating characters, stories provide an opportunity for participants to be carried away imaginatively into the characters' world while connecting the story with their own lived experiences. Stories have been highlighted as valuable tools in transformative learning. However, little published literature exists demonstrating applications of stories in group-based transformative learning curricula. This paper describes the creation of a narrative-based transformative learning tool based on an analysis of Nicaraguan adolescents' meaning-making around intimate partner violence (IPV) in their creative narratives. In collaboration with a Nicaraguan organization, US researchers analyzed a sample of narratives ( n = 55; 16 male-authored, 39 female-authored) on IPV submitted to a 2014 scriptwriting competition by adolescents aged 15-19. The data were particularly timely in that they responded to a new law protecting victims of gender-based violence, Law 779, and contradicted social-conservative claims that the Law 779 destroys family unity. We incorporated results from this analysis into the creation of the transformative learning tool, separated into thematic sections. The tool's sections (which comprise one story and three corresponding activities) aim to facilitate critical reflection, interpersonal dialogue, and self- and collective efficacy for social action around the following themes derived from the analysis: IPV and social support; IPV and romantic love; masculinity; warning signs of IPV; and sexual abuse. As a collaboration between a public health research team based at a US university and a Nicaraguan community-based organization, it demonstrates the potential in the age of increasingly smooth electronic communication for novel community-university partnerships to facilitate the development of narrative-based tools to support transformative learning.

Review and Comparison of Electronic Patient-Facing Family Health History Tools.

PubMed

Welch, Brandon M; Wiley, Kevin; Pflieger, Lance; Achiangia, Rosaline; Baker, Karen; Hughes-Halbert, Chanita; Morrison, Heath; Schiffman, Joshua; Doerr, Megan

2018-04-01

Family health history (FHx) is one of the most important pieces of information available to help genetic counselors and other clinicians identify risk and prevent disease. Unfortunately, the collection of FHx from patients is often too time consuming to be done during a clinical visit. Fortunately, there are many electronic FHx tools designed to help patients gather and organize their own FHx information prior to a clinic visit. We conducted a review and analysis of electronic FHx tools to better understand what tools are available, to compare and contrast to each other, to highlight features of various tools, and to provide a foundation for future evaluation and comparisons across FHx tools. Through our analysis, we included and abstracted 17 patient-facing electronic FHx tools and explored these tools around four axes: organization information, family history collection and display, clinical data collected, and clinical workflow integration. We found a large number of differences among FHx tools, with no two the same. This paper provides a useful review for health care providers, researchers, and patient advocates interested in understanding the differences among the available patient-facing electronic FHx tools.

Innovating to enhance clinical data management using non-commercial and open source solutions across a multi-center network supporting inpatient pediatric care and research in Kenya.

PubMed

Tuti, Timothy; Bitok, Michael; Paton, Chris; Makone, Boniface; Malla, Lucas; Muinga, Naomi; Gathara, David; English, Mike

2016-01-01

To share approaches and innovations adopted to deliver a relatively inexpensive clinical data management (CDM) framework within a low-income setting that aims to deliver quality pediatric data useful for supporting research, strengthening the information culture and informing improvement efforts in local clinical practice. The authors implemented a CDM framework to support a Clinical Information Network (CIN) using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a noncommercial software solution designed for rapid development and deployment of electronic data capture tools. It was used for collection of standardized data from case records of multiple hospitals' pediatric wards. R, an open-source statistical language, was used for data quality enhancement, analysis, and report generation for the hospitals. In the first year of CIN, the authors have developed innovative solutions to support the implementation of a secure, rapid pediatric data collection system spanning 14 hospital sites with stringent data quality checks. Data have been collated on over 37 000 admission episodes, with considerable improvement in clinical documentation of admissions observed. Using meta-programming techniques in R, coupled with branching logic, randomization, data lookup, and Application Programming Interface (API) features offered by REDCap, CDM tasks were configured and automated to ensure quality data was delivered for clinical improvement and research use. A low-cost clinically focused but geographically dispersed quality CDM (Clinical Data Management) in a long-term, multi-site, and real world context can be achieved and sustained and challenges can be overcome through thoughtful design and implementation of open-source tools for handling data and supporting research. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Design and implementation of a privacy preserving electronic health record linkage tool in Chicago.

PubMed

Kho, Abel N; Cashy, John P; Jackson, Kathryn L; Pah, Adam R; Goel, Satyender; Boehnke, Jörn; Humphries, John Eric; Kominers, Scott Duke; Hota, Bala N; Sims, Shannon A; Malin, Bradley A; French, Dustin D; Walunas, Theresa L; Meltzer, David O; Kaleba, Erin O; Jones, Roderick C; Galanter, William L

2015-09-01

To design and implement a tool that creates a secure, privacy preserving linkage of electronic health record (EHR) data across multiple sites in a large metropolitan area in the United States (Chicago, IL), for use in clinical research. The authors developed and distributed a software application that performs standardized data cleaning, preprocessing, and hashing of patient identifiers to remove all protected health information. The application creates seeded hash code combinations of patient identifiers using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant SHA-512 algorithm that minimizes re-identification risk. The authors subsequently linked individual records using a central honest broker with an algorithm that assigns weights to hash combinations in order to generate high specificity matches. The software application successfully linked and de-duplicated 7 million records across 6 institutions, resulting in a cohort of 5 million unique records. Using a manually reconciled set of 11 292 patients as a gold standard, the software achieved a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100%, with a majority of the missed matches accounted for by patients with both a missing social security number and last name change. Using 3 disease examples, it is demonstrated that the software can reduce duplication of patient records across sites by as much as 28%. Software that standardizes the assignment of a unique seeded hash identifier merged through an agreed upon third-party honest broker can enable large-scale secure linkage of EHR data for epidemiologic and public health research. The software algorithm can improve future epidemiologic research by providing more comprehensive data given that patients may make use of multiple healthcare systems. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Guidelines on What Constitutes Plagiarism and Electronic Tools to Detect it.

PubMed

Luksanapruksa, Panya; Millhouse, Paul W

2016-04-01

Plagiarism is a serious ethical problem among scientific publications. There are various definitions of plagiarism, and the major categories include unintentional (unsuitable paraphrasing or improper citations) and intentional. Intentional plagiarism includes mosaic plagiarism, plagiarism of ideas, plagiarism of text, and self-plagiarism. There are many Web sites and software packages that claim to detect plagiarism effectively. A violation of plagiarism laws can lead to serious consequences including author banning, loss of professional reputation, termination of a position, and even legal action.

[Clinical practice guidelines and knowledge management in healthcare].

PubMed

Ollenschläger, Günter

2013-10-01

Clinical practice guidelines are key tools for the translation of scientific evidence into everyday patient care. Therefore guidelines can act as cornerstones of evidence based knowledge management in healthcare, if they are trustworthy, and its recommendations are not biased by authors' conflict of interests. Good medical guidelines should be disseminated by means of virtual (digital/electronic) health libraries - together with implementation tools in context, such as guideline based algorithms, check lists, patient information, a.s.f. The article presents evidence based medical knowledge management using the German experiences as an example. It discusses future steps establishing evidence based health care by means of combining patient data, evidence from medical science and patient care routine, together with feedback systems for healthcare providers.

Effectively incorporating selected multimedia content into medical publications

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Until fairly recently, medical publications have been handicapped by being restricted to non-electronic formats, effectively preventing the dissemination of complex audiovisual and three-dimensional data. However, authors and readers could significantly profit from advances in electronic publishing that permit the inclusion of multimedia content directly into an article. For the first time, the de facto gold standard for scientific publishing, the portable document format (PDF), is used here as a platform to embed a video and an audio sequence of patient data into a publication. Fully interactive three-dimensional models of a face and a schematic representation of a human brain are also part of this publication. We discuss the potential of this approach and its impact on the communication of scientific medical data, particularly with regard to electronic and open access publications. Finally, we emphasise how medical teaching can benefit from this new tool and comment on the future of medical publishing. PMID:21329532

Effectively incorporating selected multimedia content into medical publications.

PubMed

Ziegler, Alexander; Mietchen, Daniel; Faber, Cornelius; von Hausen, Wolfram; Schöbel, Christoph; Sellerer, Markus; Ziegler, Andreas

2011-02-17

Until fairly recently, medical publications have been handicapped by being restricted to non-electronic formats, effectively preventing the dissemination of complex audiovisual and three-dimensional data. However, authors and readers could significantly profit from advances in electronic publishing that permit the inclusion of multimedia content directly into an article. For the first time, the de facto gold standard for scientific publishing, the portable document format (PDF), is used here as a platform to embed a video and an audio sequence of patient data into a publication. Fully interactive three-dimensional models of a face and a schematic representation of a human brain are also part of this publication. We discuss the potential of this approach and its impact on the communication of scientific medical data, particularly with regard to electronic and open access publications. Finally, we emphasise how medical teaching can benefit from this new tool and comment on the future of medical publishing.

Formation of readiness for future physics teachers by using interactive learning tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulikova, N. U.; Danilchuk, E. V.; Zhidkova, A. V.

2017-01-01

In this article we give the reviewing of approaches to the preparedness of future physics teachers for the usage of interactive means of education as an important part of their professional activity. We discuss the key concepts such as interactivity, an interactive dialogue, and interactive means of education. The conception of interactive means of education as a tool of teachers' professional activity, which provides a way for the students to intensify their learning in class by using interactive tools and electronic educational resources, is validated. Furthermore, it is proved that interactive means of education allow the students to intensify their learning in the course of an interactive dialogue by means of organization different types of feedback in electronic educational resources (the program behavior depending on a user actions in the form of comments, prompts, elements of arrangement of objects, etc, the control and correction of students' actions by the program, providing with recommendations for further learning, carrying out constant access to reference information, etc), involving in different types of educational activity (modeling, investigation, etc), self-selection of time, speed, content of learning, complexity and priority of the usage of educational information on the screen, etc. By training students - future teachers of physics authors consider technological aspects, methodical features and examples of creation of these resources for physics lesson.

FT3D: three-dimensional Fourier analysis on small Unix workstations for electron microscopy and tomographic studies.

PubMed

Lanzavecchia, S; Bellon, P L; Tosoni, L

1993-12-01

FT3D is a self-contained package of tools for three-dimensional Fourier analysis, written in the C language for Unix workstations. It can evaluate direct transforms of three-dimensional real functions, inverse transforms, auto- and cross-correlations and spectra. The library has been developed to support three-dimensional reconstructions of biological structures from projections obtained in the electron microscope. This paper discusses some features of the library, which has been implemented in such a way as to profit from the resources of modern workstations. A table of elapsed times for jobs of different dimensions with different RAM buffers is reported for the particular hardware used in the authors' laboratory.

A Systematic Literature Review on Evaluation of Digital Tools for Authoring Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines.

PubMed

Khodambashi, Soudabeh; Nytrø, Øystein

2017-01-01

To facilitate the clinical guideline (GL) development process, different groups of researchers have proposed tools that enable computer-supported tools for authoring and publishing GLs. In a previous study we interviewed GL authors in different Norwegian institutions and identified tool shortcomings. In this follow-up study our goal is to explore to what extent GL authoring tools have been evaluated by researchers, guideline organisations, or GL authors. This article presents results from a systematic literature review of evaluation (including usability) of GL authoring tools. A controlled database search and backward snow-balling were used to identify relevant articles. From the 12692 abstracts found, 188 papers were fully reviewed and 26 papers were identified as relevant. The GRADEPro tool has attracted some evaluation, however popular tools and platforms such as DECIDE, Doctor Evidence, JBI-SUMARI, G-I-N library have not been subject to specific evaluation from an authoring perspective. Therefore, we found that little attention was paid to the evaluation of the tools in general. We could not find any evaluation relevant to how tools integrate and support the complex GL development workflow. The results of this paper are highly relevant to GL authors, tool developers and GL publishing organisations in order to improve and control the GL development and maintenance process.

PREVAIL-EPL alpha tool electron optics subsystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfeiffer, Hans C.; Dhaliwal, Rajinder S.; Golladay, Steven D.; Doran, Samuel K.; Gordon, Michael S.; Kendall, Rodney A.; Lieberman, Jon E.; Pinckney, David J.; Quickle, Robert J.; Robinson, Christopher F.; Rockrohr, James D.; Stickel, Werner; Tressler, Eileen V.

2001-08-01

The IBM/Nikon alliance is continuing pursuit of an EPL stepper alpha tool based on the PREVAIL technology. This paper provides a status report of the alliance activity with particular focus on the Electron Optical Subsystem developed at IBM. We have previously reported on design features of the PREVAIL alpha system. The new state-of-the-art e-beam lithography concepts have since been reduced to practice and turned into functional building blocks of a production level lithography tool. The electron optical alpha tool subsystem has been designed, build, assembled and tested at IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center (SRDC) in East Fishkill, New York. After demonstrating subsystem functionality, the electron optical column and all associated control electronics hardware and software have been shipped during January 2001 to Nikon's facility in Kumagaya, Japan, for integration into the Nikon commercial e-beam stepper alpha tool. Early pre-shipment results obtained with this electron optical subsystem are presented.

[SCREENING OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE AT FAMILY MEDICINE].

PubMed

Račić, M; Ivković, N; Kusmuk, S

2015-11-01

The prevalence of malnutrition in elderly is high. Malnutrition or risk of malnutrition can be detected by use of nutritional screening or assessment tools. This systematic review aimed to identify tools that would be reliable, valid, sensitive and specific for nutritional status screening in patients older than 65 at family medicine. The review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Studies were retrieved using MEDLINE (via Ovid), PubMed and Cochrane Library electronic databases and by manual searching of relevant articles listed in reference list of key publications. The electronic databases were searched using defined key words adapted to each database and using MESH terms. Manual revision of reviews and original articles was performed using Electronic Journals Library. Included studies involved development and validation of screening tools in the community-dwelling elderly population. The tools, subjected to validity and reliability testing for use in the community-dwelling elderly population were Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI), which includes DETERMINE list, Level I and II Screen, Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating, and Nutrition (SCREEN I and SCREEN II), Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), and Malaysian and South African tool. MNA and MNA-SF appear to have highest reliability and validity for screening of community-dwelling elderly, while the reliability and validity of SCREEN II are good. The authors conclude that whilst several tools have been developed, most have not undergone extensive testing to demonstrate their ability to identify nutritional risk. MNA and MNA-SF have the highest reliability and validity for screening of nutritional status in the community-dwelling elderly, and the reliability and validity of SCREEN II are satisfactory. These instruments also contain all three nutritional status indicators and are practical for use in family medicine. However, the gold standard for screening cannot be set because testing of reliability and continuous validation in the study with a higher level of evidence need to be conducted in family medicine.

47 CFR 73.9007 - Robustness requirements for covered demodulator products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... RADIO SERVICES RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES Digital Broadcast Television Redistribution Control § 73.9007...-available tools or equipment also means specialized electronic tools or software tools that are widely... requirements set forth in this subpart. Such specialized electronic tools or software tools includes, but is...

A Structured Approach Using the Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR): Building the Evidence for Oral Health Interventions in the Population With Intellectual and Developmental Disability.

PubMed

Bonardi, Alexandra; Clifford, Christine J; Hadar, Nira

2016-08-19

This review describes the methods used for a systematic review of oral health intervention literature in a target population (people with intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD)), which spans a broad range of interventions and study types, conducted with specialized software. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the review strategy, using the free, online systematic review data repository (SRDR) tool, for oral health interventions aimed at reducing disparities between people with I/DD and the general population. Researchers used online title/abstract review (Abstrackr) and data extraction (SRDR) tools to structure the literature review and data extraction. A practicing clinician and an expert methodologist completed the quality review for each study. The data extraction team reported on the experience of using and customizing the SRDR. Using the SRDR, the team developed four extraction templates for eight key questions and completed extraction on 125 articles. This report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using an electronic tool, such as the SRDR, in completing a systematic review in an area of growing research. This review provides valuable insight for researchers who are considering the use of the SRDR. © The Author(s) 2016.

Environmental scanning electron microscopy gold immunolabeling in cell biology.

PubMed

Rosso, Francesco; Papale, Ferdinando; Barbarisi, Alfonso

2013-01-01

Immunogold labeling (IGL) technique has been utilized by many authors in combination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to obtain the identification/localization of receptors and antigens, both in cells and tissues. Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) represents an important tool in biomedical research, since it does not require any severe processing of the sample, lowering the risk of generating artifacts and interfere with the IGL procedure. The absence of metal coating could yield further advantages for our purpose as the labeling detection is based on the atomic number difference between nanogold spheres and the biological material. Using the gaseous secondary electron detector, compositional contrast is easily revealed by the backscattered electron component of the signal. In spite of this fact, only few published papers present a combination of ESEM and IGL. Hereby we present our method, optimized to improve the intensity and the specificity of the labeling signal, in order to obtain a semiquantitative evaluation of the labeling signal.In particular, we used a combination of IGL and ESEM to detect the presence of a protein on the cell surface. To achieve this purpose, we chose as an experimental system 3T3 Swiss albino mouse fibroblasts and galectin-3.

Neurology didactic curricula for psychiatry residents: a review of the literature and a survey of program directors.

PubMed

Reardon, Claudia L; Walaszek, Art

2012-03-01

Minimal literature exists on neurology didactic instruction offered to psychiatry residents, and there is no model neurology didactic curriculum offered for psychiatry residency programs. The authors sought to describe the current state of neurology didactic training in psychiatry residencies. The authors electronically surveyed 172 directors of U.S. psychiatric residency training programs to examine the types and extent of neurology didactic instruction offered to their residents. Fifty-seven program directors (33%) responded. The majority of these psychiatry residency programs offer neurology didactic instruction to their residents, as provided by both neurology and psychiatry faculty, in a number of different settings and covering many topics. However, room for improvement likely remains. The authors hope this report will guide psychiatry residencies in optimizing their neurology didactic curricula. Further research should explore tools for assessing resident knowledge in neurology and measure the effectiveness of neurology curricula in increasing knowledge and improving clinical outcomes.

Electronic tools for infectious diseases and microbiology

PubMed Central

Burdette, Steven D

2007-01-01

Electronic tools for infectious diseases and medical microbiology have the ability to change the way the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases are approached. Medical information today has the ability to be dynamic, keeping up with the latest research or clinical issues, instead of being static and years behind, as many textbooks are. The ability to rapidly disseminate information around the world opens up the possibility of communicating with people thousands of miles away to quickly and efficiently learn about emerging infections. Electronic tools have expanded beyond the desktop computer and the Internet, and now include personal digital assistants and other portable devices such as cellular phones. These pocket-sized devices have the ability to provide access to clinical information at the point of care. New electronic tools include e-mail listservs, electronic drug databases and search engines that allow focused clinical questions. The goal of the present article is to provide an overview of how electronic tools can impact infectious diseases and microbiology, while providing links and resources to allow users to maximize their efficiency in accessing this information. Links to the mentioned Web sites and programs are provided along with other useful electronic tools. PMID:18978984

Electronic Systems for Spacecraft Vehicles: Required EDA Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachnak, Rafic

1999-01-01

The continuous increase in complexity of electronic systems is making the design and manufacturing of such systems more challenging than ever before. As a result, designers are finding it impossible to design efficient systems without the use of sophisticated Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools offer integrated simulation of the electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing functions and lead to a correct by design methodology. This report identifies the EDA tools that would be needed to design, analyze, simulate, and evaluate electronic systems for spacecraft vehicles. In addition, the report presents recommendations to enhance the current JSC electronic design capabilities. This includes cost information and a discussion as to the impact, both positive and negative, of implementing the recommendations.

Coordinating the Complexity of Tools, Tasks, and Users: On Theory-Based Approaches to Authoring Tool Usability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Tom

2016-01-01

Intelligent Tutoring Systems authoring tools are highly complex educational software applications used to produce highly complex software applications (i.e. ITSs). How should our assumptions about the target users (authors) impact the design of authoring tools? In this article I first reflect on the factors leading to my original 1999 article on…

IMGui-A Desktop GUI Application for Isolation with Migration Analyses.

PubMed

Knoblauch, Jared; Sethuraman, Arun; Hey, Jody

2017-02-01

The Isolation with Migration (IM) programs (e.g., IMa2) have been utilized extensively by evolutionary biologists for model-based inference of demographic parameters including effective population sizes, migration rates, and divergence times. Here, we describe a graphical user interface for the latest IM program. IMGui provides a comprehensive set of tools for performing demographic analyses, tracking progress of runs, and visualizing results. Developed using node. js and the Electron framework, IMGui is an application that runs on any desktop operating system, and is available for download at https://github.com/jaredgk/IMgui-electron-packages. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

U.S. national report to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorney, D. J.

1987-01-01

This paper highlights progress by U.S. authors during 1983-1986 in the broad area of auroral research. Atmospheric emissions and their use as a tool for remote-sensing the dynamics, energetics, and effects of auroral activity is a subject which is emphasized here because of the vast progress made in this area on both observational and theoretical fronts. The evolution of primary auroral electrons, the acceleration of auroral ions, small-scale electric fields, auroral kilometric radiation, auroral empirical models and activity indices are also reviewed. An extensive bibliography is supplied.

US national report to the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics

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

Gorney, D.J.

1987-04-01

This paper highlights progress by U.S. authors during 1983-1986 in the broad area of auroral research. Atmospheric emissions and their use as a tool for remote-sensing the dynamics, energetics, and effects of auroral activity is a subject which is emphasized here because of the vast progress made in this area on both observational and theoretical fronts. The evolution of primary auroral electrons, the acceleration of auroral ions, small-scale electric fields, auroral kilometric radiation, auroral empirical models and activity indices are also reviewed. An extensive bibliography is supplied.

The G3 Experience with Electronic Publishing: An Editor's Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, W. M.

2003-12-01

G3 (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems) is an all-electronic journal published jointly by the AGU, the Geochemical Society, and the European Association of Geochemistry. G3 publishes original scientific contributions pertaining to understanding the Earth as a system, including relevant observational, experimental, and theoretical investigations of the solid Earth, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The journal was initiated as a result of a grass roots effort with the following goals in mind: a copyright policy designed to enhance, rather than inhibit, the dissemination of scientific information (for example, allowing authors to post electronic reprints on their web sites), provide a means of publishing, in immediately useable formats, large data sets, provide a means for ready dissemination of computer modeling and analysis tools, and provide a forum where authors could use novel ways of illustrating both data and models (e.g., formats such as movies, virtual reality images, sound, mathematical models, etc.), and finally to reduce costs and speed publication. In most respects, G3 has been enormously successful and has met most of its goals. G3 began publishing in December of 1999; in the subsequent 3 1/2 years 625 papers have been submitted to it and 325 have been published. It currently has over 600 institutional and personal subscribers. Papers are submitted through the web (a variety of formats are accepted, however, Microsoft Word is most common) and are converted to Adobe pdf format for peer review. Except that it is fully electronic using the web and e-mail, the peer review process is traditional, which insures the quality of the papers published. Accepted papers are copyedited and converted to SGML for archival purposes. HTML and Acrobat pdf versions are then generated from the SGML and published as they are ready on the G3 web site (www.g-cubed.org). Large data sets are routinely published in digital formats that can be readily downloaded by readers and immediately imported into programs such as Excel. Numerous animations and movies have been published in animated GIF, Apple Quicktime, Macromedia Flash, and Wolfram Research Mathreader formats. Computer models and tools have been published as Excel Macros and MATLAB Scripts. Full color, high resolution images allow superior publication of detailed maps and photographs. While G3 is a success by most measures, the process of pioneering electronic publication has at times been painful and frustrating. Early on, there were problems and delays in converting files, particularly graphics, to pdf format for both review and final publication. Costs have been higher than anticipated - primarily due to the cost of file conversion and formatting. The time from acceptance to publication (currently 10 weeks), although improving, it still longer than the goal, again because of the time required for copy-editing and formatting. Automation of this process in the future is the primary opportunity to both reduce cost and further speed publication. Authors have been slow to take advantage of the new illustration formats, with most relying on tradition figures instead. This will likely change slowly in the future, as these new formats, and the software tools to create them, become more familiar.

75 FR 53638 - Approval for Manufacturing Authority; Foreign-Trade Zone 22; LG Electronics Mobilecomm USA, Inc...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-01

... Authority; Foreign-Trade Zone 22; LG Electronics Mobilecomm USA, Inc. (Cell Phone Kitting and Distribution... authority on behalf of LG Electronics Mobilecomm USA, Inc. (LGEMU), within FTZ 22 in Bolingbrook, Illinois... application for manufacturing authority under zone procedures within FTZ 22 on behalf of LG Electronics...

Authoring Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treviranus, Jutta

Authoring tools that are accessible and that enable authors to produce accessible Web content play a critical role in web accessibility. Widespread use of authoring tools that comply to the W3C Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) would ensure that even authors who are neither knowledgeable about nor particularly motivated to produce accessible content do so by default. The principles and techniques of ATAG are discussed. Some examples of accessible authoring tools are described including authoring tool content management components such as TinyMCE. Considerations for creating an accessible collaborative environment are also covered. As part of providing accessible content, the debate between system-based personal optimization and one universally accessible site configuration is presented. The issues and potential solutions to address the accessibility crisis presented by the advent of rich internet applications are outlined. This challenge must be met to ensure that a large segment of the population is able to participate in the move toward the web as a two-way communication mechanism.

Usability Testing of a National Substance Use Screening Tool Embedded in Electronic Health Records.

PubMed

Press, Anne; DeStio, Catherine; McCullagh, Lauren; Kapoor, Sandeep; Morley, Jeanne; Conigliaro, Joseph

2016-07-08

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is currently being implemented into health systems nationally via paper and electronic methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the integration of an electronic SBIRT tool into an existing paper-based SBIRT clinical workflow in a patient-centered medical home. Usability testing was conducted in an academic ambulatory clinic. Two rounds of usability testing were done with medical office assistants (MOAs) using a paper and electronic version of the SBIRT tool, with two and four participants, respectively. Qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed to determine the impact of both tools on clinical workflow. A second round of usability testing was done with the revised electronic version and compared with the first version. Personal workflow barriers cited in the first round of testing were that the electronic health record (EHR) tool was disruptive to patient's visits. In Round 2 of testing, MOAs reported favoring the electronic version due to improved layout and the inclusion of an alert system embedded in the EHR. For example, using the system usability scale (SUS), MOAs reported a grade "1" for the statement, "I would like to use this system frequently" during the first round of testing but a "5" during the second round of analysis. The importance of testing usability of various mediums of tools used in health care screening is highlighted by the findings of this study. In the first round of testing, the electronic tool was reported as less user friendly, being difficult to navigate, and time consuming. Many issues faced in the first generation of the tool were improved in the second generation after usability was evaluated. This study demonstrates how usability testing of an electronic SBRIT tool can help to identify challenges that can impact clinical workflow. However, a limitation of this study was the small sample size of MOAs that participated. The results may have been biased to Northwell Health workers' perceptions of the SBIRT tool and their specific clinical workflow.

Three dimensional electron microscopy and in silico tools for macromolecular structure determination

PubMed Central

Borkotoky, Subhomoi; Meena, Chetan Kumar; Khan, Mohammad Wahab; Murali, Ayaluru

2013-01-01

Recently, structural biology witnessed a major tool - electron microscopy - in solving the structures of macromolecules in addition to the conventional techniques, X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Three dimensional transmission electron microscopy (3DTEM) is one of the most sophisticated techniques for structure determination of molecular machines. Known to give the 3-dimensional structures in its native form with literally no upper limit on size of the macromolecule, this tool does not need the crystallization of the protein. Combining the 3DTEM data with in silico tools, one can have better refined structure of a desired complex. In this review we are discussing about the recent advancements in three dimensional electron microscopy and tools associated with it. PMID:27092033

Explore a Career in Health Sciences Information

MedlinePlus

... tools that range from traditional print journals to electronic databases and the latest mobile devices, health sciences ... an expert search of the literature. connecting licensed electronic resources and decision tools into a patient's electronic ...

TK3 eBook software to author, distribute, and use electronic course content for medical education.

PubMed

Morton, David A; Foreman, K Bo; Goede, Patricia A; Bezzant, John L; Albertine, Kurt H

2007-03-01

The methods for authoring and distributing course content are undergoing substantial changes due to advancement in computer technology. Paper has been the traditional method to author and distribute course content. Paper enables students to personalize content through highlighting and note taking but does not enable the incorporation of multimedia elements. Computers enable multimedia content but lack the capability of the user to personalize the content. Therefore, we investigated TK3 eBooks as a potential solution to incorporate the benefits of both paper and computer technology. The objective of our study was to assess the utility of TK3 eBooks in the context of authoring and distributing dermatology course content for use by second-year medical students at the University of Utah School of Medicine during the spring of 2004. We incorporated all dermatology course content into TK3 eBook format. TK3 eBooks enable students to personalize information through tools such as "notebook," "hiliter," "stickies," mark pages, and keyword search. Students were given the course content in both paper and eBook formats. At the conclusion of the dermatology course, students completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the eBooks compared with paper. Students perceived eBooks as an effective way to distribute course content and as a study tool. However, students preferred paper over eBooks to take notes during lecture. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that eBooks provide a convenient method for authoring, distributing, and using course content but that students preferred paper to take notes during lecture.

Supporting information retrieval from electronic health records: A report of University of Michigan's nine-year experience in developing and using the Electronic Medical Record Search Engine (EMERSE).

PubMed

Hanauer, David A; Mei, Qiaozhu; Law, James; Khanna, Ritu; Zheng, Kai

2015-06-01

This paper describes the University of Michigan's nine-year experience in developing and using a full-text search engine designed to facilitate information retrieval (IR) from narrative documents stored in electronic health records (EHRs). The system, called the Electronic Medical Record Search Engine (EMERSE), functions similar to Google but is equipped with special functionalities for handling challenges unique to retrieving information from medical text. Key features that distinguish EMERSE from general-purpose search engines are discussed, with an emphasis on functions crucial to (1) improving medical IR performance and (2) assuring search quality and results consistency regardless of users' medical background, stage of training, or level of technical expertise. Since its initial deployment, EMERSE has been enthusiastically embraced by clinicians, administrators, and clinical and translational researchers. To date, the system has been used in supporting more than 750 research projects yielding 80 peer-reviewed publications. In several evaluation studies, EMERSE demonstrated very high levels of sensitivity and specificity in addition to greatly improved chart review efficiency. Increased availability of electronic data in healthcare does not automatically warrant increased availability of information. The success of EMERSE at our institution illustrates that free-text EHR search engines can be a valuable tool to help practitioners and researchers retrieve information from EHRs more effectively and efficiently, enabling critical tasks such as patient case synthesis and research data abstraction. EMERSE, available free of charge for academic use, represents a state-of-the-art medical IR tool with proven effectiveness and user acceptance. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Cooke, Steven J.; Nguyen, Vivian M.; Murchie, Karen J.

The advent and widespread adoption of electronic tags (including biotelemetry and biologging devices) for tracking animals has provided unprecedented information on the biology, management, and conservation of fish in the world’s oceans and inland waters. However, use of these tools is not without controversy. Even when scientific and management objectives may best be achieved using electronic tags, it is increasingly important to further consider other factors such as the welfare of tagged animals (i.e., the role of training and science-based surgical guidelines, anesthetic use, inability to maintain sterile conditions in field environments), the ethics of tagging threatened species vs. usingmore » surrogates, stakeholder perspectives on tagging (including aboriginals), as well as use of data emanating from such studies (e.g., by fishers to facilitate exploitation). Failure to do so will have the potential to create conflict and undermine scientific, management and public confidence in the use of this powerful tool. Indeed, there are already a number of examples of where tracking studies using electronic tags have been halted based on concerns raised by researchers, authorities, or stakeholders. Here we present a candid evaluation of several factors that should be considered when determining when to tag or not to tag fish with electronic devices. It is not our objective to judge the merit of previous studies. Rather, we hope to stimulate debate and discussion regarding the use of electronic tags to study fish. Relatedly, there is a need for more research to address these questions (e.g., what level of cleanliness is needed when conducting surgeries, what type of training should be required for fish surgery) including human dimensions studies to understand perspectives of different actors including society as a whole with respect to tagging and tracking studies.« less

Electron energy loss spectroscopy on semiconductor heterostructures for optoelectronics and photonics applications.

PubMed

Eljarrat, A; López-Conesa, L; Estradé, S; Peiró, F

2016-05-01

In this work, we present characterization methods for the analysis of nanometer-sized devices, based on silicon and III-V nitride semiconductor materials. These methods are devised in order to take advantage of the aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscope, equipped with a monochromator. This set-up ensures the necessary high spatial and energy resolution for the characterization of the smallest structures. As with these experiments, we aim to obtain chemical and structural information, we use electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The low-loss region of EELS is exploited, which features fundamental electronic properties of semiconductor materials and facilitates a high data throughput. We show how the detailed analysis of these spectra, using theoretical models and computational tools, can enhance the analytical power of EELS. In this sense, initially, results from the model-based fit of the plasmon peak are presented. Moreover, the application of multivariate analysis algorithms to low-loss EELS is explored. Finally, some physical limitations of the technique, such as spatial delocalization, are mentioned. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Evaluation of environmental scanning electron microscopy for analysis of Proteus mirabilis crystalline biofilms in situ on urinary catheters.

PubMed

Holling, Nina; Dedi, Cinzia; Jones, Caroline E; Hawthorne, Joseph A; Hanlon, Geoffrey W; Salvage, Jonathan P; Patel, Bhavik A; Barnes, Lara M; Jones, Brian V

2014-06-01

Proteus mirabilis is a common cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and frequently leads to blockage of catheters due to crystalline biofilm formation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has proven to be a valuable tool in the study of these unusual biofilms, but entails laborious sample preparation that can introduce artefacts, undermining the investigation of biofilm development. In contrast, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) permits imaging of unprocessed, fully hydrated samples, which may provide much insight into the development of P. mirabilis biofilms. Here, we evaluate the utility of ESEM for the study of P. mirabilis crystalline biofilms in situ, on urinary catheters. In doing so, we compare this to commonly used conventional SEM approaches for sample preparation and imaging. Overall, ESEM provided excellent resolution of biofilms formed on urinary catheters and revealed structures not observed in standard SEM imaging or previously described in other studies of these biofilms. In addition, we show that energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) may be employed in conjunction with ESEM to provide information regarding the elemental composition of crystalline structures and demonstrate the potential for ESEM in combination with EDS to constitute a useful tool in exploring the mechanisms underpinning crystalline biofilm formation. © 2014 The Authors. FEMS Microbiology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

Integration of tools for binding archetypes to SNOMED CT.

PubMed

Sundvall, Erik; Qamar, Rahil; Nyström, Mikael; Forss, Mattias; Petersson, Håkan; Karlsson, Daniel; Ahlfeldt, Hans; Rector, Alan

2008-10-27

The Archetype formalism and the associated Archetype Definition Language have been proposed as an ISO standard for specifying models of components of electronic healthcare records as a means of achieving interoperability between clinical systems. This paper presents an archetype editor with support for manual or semi-automatic creation of bindings between archetypes and terminology systems. Lexical and semantic methods are applied in order to obtain automatic mapping suggestions. Information visualisation methods are also used to assist the user in exploration and selection of mappings. An integrated tool for archetype authoring, semi-automatic SNOMED CT terminology binding assistance and terminology visualization was created and released as open source. Finding the right terms to bind is a difficult task but the effort to achieve terminology bindings may be reduced with the help of the described approach. The methods and tools presented are general, but here only bindings between SNOMED CT and archetypes based on the openEHR reference model are presented in detail.

Integration of tools for binding archetypes to SNOMED CT

PubMed Central

Sundvall, Erik; Qamar, Rahil; Nyström, Mikael; Forss, Mattias; Petersson, Håkan; Karlsson, Daniel; Åhlfeldt, Hans; Rector, Alan

2008-01-01

Background The Archetype formalism and the associated Archetype Definition Language have been proposed as an ISO standard for specifying models of components of electronic healthcare records as a means of achieving interoperability between clinical systems. This paper presents an archetype editor with support for manual or semi-automatic creation of bindings between archetypes and terminology systems. Methods Lexical and semantic methods are applied in order to obtain automatic mapping suggestions. Information visualisation methods are also used to assist the user in exploration and selection of mappings. Results An integrated tool for archetype authoring, semi-automatic SNOMED CT terminology binding assistance and terminology visualization was created and released as open source. Conclusion Finding the right terms to bind is a difficult task but the effort to achieve terminology bindings may be reduced with the help of the described approach. The methods and tools presented are general, but here only bindings between SNOMED CT and archetypes based on the openEHR reference model are presented in detail. PMID:19007444

Transparent ICD and DRG coding using information technology: linking and associating information sources with the eXtensible Markup Language.

PubMed

Hoelzer, Simon; Schweiger, Ralf K; Dudeck, Joachim

2003-01-01

With the introduction of ICD-10 as the standard for diagnostics, it becomes necessary to develop an electronic representation of its complete content, inherent semantics, and coding rules. The authors' design relates to the current efforts by the CEN/TC 251 to establish a European standard for hierarchical classification systems in health care. The authors have developed an electronic representation of ICD-10 with the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) that facilitates integration into current information systems and coding software, taking different languages and versions into account. In this context, XML provides a complete processing framework of related technologies and standard tools that helps develop interoperable applications. XML provides semantic markup. It allows domain-specific definition of tags and hierarchical document structure. The idea of linking and thus combining information from different sources is a valuable feature of XML. In addition, XML topic maps are used to describe relationships between different sources, or "semantically associated" parts of these sources. The issue of achieving a standardized medical vocabulary becomes more and more important with the stepwise implementation of diagnostically related groups, for example. The aim of the authors' work is to provide a transparent and open infrastructure that can be used to support clinical coding and to develop further software applications. The authors are assuming that a comprehensive representation of the content, structure, inherent semantics, and layout of medical classification systems can be achieved through a document-oriented approach.

Transparent ICD and DRG Coding Using Information Technology: Linking and Associating Information Sources with the eXtensible Markup Language

PubMed Central

Hoelzer, Simon; Schweiger, Ralf K.; Dudeck, Joachim

2003-01-01

With the introduction of ICD-10 as the standard for diagnostics, it becomes necessary to develop an electronic representation of its complete content, inherent semantics, and coding rules. The authors' design relates to the current efforts by the CEN/TC 251 to establish a European standard for hierarchical classification systems in health care. The authors have developed an electronic representation of ICD-10 with the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) that facilitates integration into current information systems and coding software, taking different languages and versions into account. In this context, XML provides a complete processing framework of related technologies and standard tools that helps develop interoperable applications. XML provides semantic markup. It allows domain-specific definition of tags and hierarchical document structure. The idea of linking and thus combining information from different sources is a valuable feature of XML. In addition, XML topic maps are used to describe relationships between different sources, or “semantically associated” parts of these sources. The issue of achieving a standardized medical vocabulary becomes more and more important with the stepwise implementation of diagnostically related groups, for example. The aim of the authors' work is to provide a transparent and open infrastructure that can be used to support clinical coding and to develop further software applications. The authors are assuming that a comprehensive representation of the content, structure, inherent semantics, and layout of medical classification systems can be achieved through a document-oriented approach. PMID:12807813

Nutritional screening in hospitalized pediatric patients: a systematic review.

PubMed

Teixeira, Adriana Fonseca; Viana, Kátia Danielle Araújo Lourenço

2016-01-01

This systematic review aimed to verify the available scientific evidence on the clinical performance and diagnostic accuracy of nutritional screening tools in hospitalized pediatric patients. A search was performed in the Medline (National Library of Medicine United States), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences), PubMed (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health), in the SCIELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), through CAPES portal (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior), bases Scopus e Web of Science. The descriptors used in accordance with the Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS)/Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list were "malnutrition", "screening", and "pediatrics", as well as the equivalent words in Portuguese. The authors identified 270 articles published between 2004 and 2014. After applying the selection criteria, 35 were analyzed in full and eight articles were included in the systematic review. We evaluated the methodological quality of the studies using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS). Five nutritional screening tools in pediatrics were identified. Among these, the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP) showed high sensitivity, almost perfect inter-rater agreement and between the screening and the reference standard; the Screening Tool Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids) showed high sensitivity, lower percentage of specificity, substantial intra-rater agreement, and ease of use in clinical practice. The studies included in this systematic review showed good performance of the nutritional screening tools in pediatrics, especially STRONGkids and STAMP. The authors emphasize the need to perform for more studies in this area. Only one tool was translated and adapted to the Brazilian pediatric population, and it is essential to carry out studies of tool adaptation and validation for this population. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Managing complex research datasets using electronic tools: A meta-analysis exemplar

PubMed Central

Brown, Sharon A.; Martin, Ellen E.; Garcia, Theresa J.; Winter, Mary A.; García, Alexandra A.; Brown, Adama; Cuevas, Heather E.; Sumlin, Lisa L.

2013-01-01

Meta-analyses of broad scope and complexity require investigators to organize many study documents and manage communication among several research staff. Commercially available electronic tools, e.g., EndNote, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Blackboard, Excel, and IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS), are useful for organizing and tracking the meta-analytic process, as well as enhancing communication among research team members. The purpose of this paper is to describe the electronic processes we designed, using commercially available software, for an extensive quantitative model-testing meta-analysis we are conducting. Specific electronic tools improved the efficiency of (a) locating and screening studies, (b) screening and organizing studies and other project documents, (c) extracting data from primary studies, (d) checking data accuracy and analyses, and (e) communication among team members. The major limitation in designing and implementing a fully electronic system for meta-analysis was the requisite upfront time to: decide on which electronic tools to use, determine how these tools would be employed, develop clear guidelines for their use, and train members of the research team. The electronic process described here has been useful in streamlining the process of conducting this complex meta-analysis and enhancing communication and sharing documents among research team members. PMID:23681256

Managing complex research datasets using electronic tools: a meta-analysis exemplar.

PubMed

Brown, Sharon A; Martin, Ellen E; Garcia, Theresa J; Winter, Mary A; García, Alexandra A; Brown, Adama; Cuevas, Heather E; Sumlin, Lisa L

2013-06-01

Meta-analyses of broad scope and complexity require investigators to organize many study documents and manage communication among several research staff. Commercially available electronic tools, for example, EndNote, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Blackboard, Excel, and IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS), are useful for organizing and tracking the meta-analytic process as well as enhancing communication among research team members. The purpose of this article is to describe the electronic processes designed, using commercially available software, for an extensive, quantitative model-testing meta-analysis. Specific electronic tools improved the efficiency of (a) locating and screening studies, (b) screening and organizing studies and other project documents, (c) extracting data from primary studies, (d) checking data accuracy and analyses, and (e) communication among team members. The major limitation in designing and implementing a fully electronic system for meta-analysis was the requisite upfront time to decide on which electronic tools to use, determine how these tools would be used, develop clear guidelines for their use, and train members of the research team. The electronic process described here has been useful in streamlining the process of conducting this complex meta-analysis and enhancing communication and sharing documents among research team members.

Collaborative search in electronic health records.

PubMed

Zheng, Kai; Mei, Qiaozhu; Hanauer, David A

2011-05-01

A full-text search engine can be a useful tool for augmenting the reuse value of unstructured narrative data stored in electronic health records (EHR). A prominent barrier to the effective utilization of such tools originates from users' lack of search expertise and/or medical-domain knowledge. To mitigate the issue, the authors experimented with a 'collaborative search' feature through a homegrown EHR search engine that allows users to preserve their search knowledge and share it with others. This feature was inspired by the success of many social information-foraging techniques used on the web that leverage users' collective wisdom to improve the quality and efficiency of information retrieval. The authors conducted an empirical evaluation study over a 4-year period. The user sample consisted of 451 academic researchers, medical practitioners, and hospital administrators. The data were analyzed using a social-network analysis to delineate the structure of the user collaboration networks that mediated the diffusion of knowledge of search. The users embraced the concept with considerable enthusiasm. About half of the EHR searches processed by the system (0.44 million) were based on stored search knowledge; 0.16 million utilized shared knowledge made available by other users. The social-network analysis results also suggest that the user-collaboration networks engendered by the collaborative search feature played an instrumental role in enabling the transfer of search knowledge across people and domains. Applying collaborative search, a social information-foraging technique popularly used on the web, may provide the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of information retrieval in healthcare.

Collaborative search in electronic health records

PubMed Central

Mei, Qiaozhu; Hanauer, David A

2011-01-01

Objective A full-text search engine can be a useful tool for augmenting the reuse value of unstructured narrative data stored in electronic health records (EHR). A prominent barrier to the effective utilization of such tools originates from users' lack of search expertise and/or medical-domain knowledge. To mitigate the issue, the authors experimented with a ‘collaborative search’ feature through a homegrown EHR search engine that allows users to preserve their search knowledge and share it with others. This feature was inspired by the success of many social information-foraging techniques used on the web that leverage users' collective wisdom to improve the quality and efficiency of information retrieval. Design The authors conducted an empirical evaluation study over a 4-year period. The user sample consisted of 451 academic researchers, medical practitioners, and hospital administrators. The data were analyzed using a social-network analysis to delineate the structure of the user collaboration networks that mediated the diffusion of knowledge of search. Results The users embraced the concept with considerable enthusiasm. About half of the EHR searches processed by the system (0.44 million) were based on stored search knowledge; 0.16 million utilized shared knowledge made available by other users. The social-network analysis results also suggest that the user-collaboration networks engendered by the collaborative search feature played an instrumental role in enabling the transfer of search knowledge across people and domains. Conclusion Applying collaborative search, a social information-foraging technique popularly used on the web, may provide the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of information retrieval in healthcare. PMID:21486887

The Pocketable Electronic Devices in Radiation Oncology (PEDRO) Project: How the Use of Tools in Medical Decision Making is Changing?

PubMed

De Bari, Berardino; Franco, Pierfrancesco; Niyazi, Maximilian; Cornetto, Andrea Peruzzo; Qvortrup, Camilla; Martin, Arturo Navarro; Cacicedo, Jon; Fernandez, Gonçalo; Louro, Luís Vasco; Lestrade, Laëtitia; Ciammella, Patrizia; Greto, Daniela; Checkrine, Tarik; Youssef, Elkholti; Filippi, Andrea Riccardo; Poulsen, Laurids Østergaard; Alongi, Filippo

2016-04-01

To analyze the impact of mobile electronic devices (MEDs) and apps in the daily clinical activity of young radiation or clinical oncologists in 5 Western European countries (Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Denmark). A web-based questionnaire was sent to 462 young (≤40 years) members of the national radiation or clinical oncology associations of the countries involved in the study. The 15 items investigated diffusion of MEDs (smartphones and/or tablets), their impact on daily clinical activity, and the differences perceived by participants along time. A total of 386 (83.5%) of the 462 correctly filled questionnaires were statistically evaluated. Up to 65% of respondents declared to use an electronic device during their clinical activity. Conversely, 72% considered low to moderate impact of smartphones/tables on their daily practice. The daily use significantly increased from 2009 to 2012: users reporting a use ≥6 times/d raised from 5% to 39.9%. Professional needs fulfillment was declared by less than 68% of respondents and compliance to apps indications by 66%. Significant differences were seen among the countries, in particular concerning the feeling of usefulness of MEDs in the daily clinical life. The perception of the need of a comprehensive Web site containing a variety of applications (apps) for clinical use significantly differed among countries in 2009, while it was comparable in 2012. This survey showed a large diffusion of MEDs in young professionals working in radiation oncology. Looking at these data, it is important to verify the consistency of information found within apps, in order to avoid potential errors eventually detrimental for patients. "Quality assurance" criteria should be specifically developed for medical apps and a comprehensive Web site gathering all reliable applications and tools might be useful for daily clinical practice. © The Author(s) 2015.

Smart dual-mode fluorescent gold nanoparticle agents.

PubMed

Kang, Kyung A; Wang, Jianting

2014-01-01

Fluorophore-mediated, molecular sensing is one of the most popular and important technique in biomedical studies. As in any sensing technique, the two most important factors in this sensing are the sensitivity and specificity. Since the fluorescence of a fluorophore is emitted in the process of fluorophore electrons returning from their excited to ground state, a tool that can locally manipulate the electron state can be useful to maximize the sensitivity and specificity. A good tool candidate for this purpose is nanosized metal particles that can form an electromagnetic (EM) field at a sufficiently strong level, upon receiving a particular wavelength that fits the excitation wavelength of the fluorophore to be used. There are several metal nanoparticle types that can generate a sufficiently strong EM field for this purpose. Nevertheless, for the biomedical studies, which require minimal toxicity, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are known to be the most suitable. In this article, various methods for fluorescence alteration using GNPs, which can be beneficially utilized for biomarker-specific, highly sensitive molecular sensing and imaging, are discussed. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A first evaluation of a pedagogical network for medical students at the University Hospital of Rennes.

PubMed

Fresnel, A; Jarno, P; Burgun, A; Delamarre, D; Denier, P; Cleret, M; Courtin, C; Seka, L P; Pouliquen, B; Cléran, L; Riou, C; Leduff, F; Lesaux, H; Duvauferrier, R; Le Beux, P

1998-01-01

A pedagogical network has been developed at University Hospital of Rennes from 1996. The challenge is to give medical information and informatics tools to all medical students in the clinical wards of the University Hospital. At first, nine wards were connected to the medical school server which is linked to the Internet. Client software electronic mail and WWW Netscape on Macintosh computers. Sever software is set up on Unix SUN providing a local homepage with selected pedagogical resources. These documents are stored in a DBMS database ORACLE and queries can be provided by specialty, authors or disease. The students can access a set of interactive teaching programs or electronic textbooks and can explore the Internet through the library information system and search engines. The teachers can send URL and indexation of pedagogical documents and can produce clinical cases: the database updating will be done by the users. This experience of using Web tools generated enthusiasm when we first introduced it to students. The evaluation shows that if the students can use this training early on, they will adapt the resources of the Internet to their own needs.

Evaluation of the Iconic Pain Assessment Tool by a heterogeneous group of people in pain

PubMed Central

Lalloo, Chitra; Henry, James L

2011-01-01

The Iconic Pain Assessment Tool (IPAT) is a novel web-based instrument for the self-report of pain quality, intensity and location in the form of a permanent diary. Originally designed for people with central poststroke pain, the tool is being adapted for a larger, more diverse patient population. The present study aimed to collect evaluative feedback on the IPAT from a heterogeneous sample of individuals with chronic pain. The specific study aims were to evaluate participant comfort with the tool including enjoyment, ease of use and comfort with the electronic medium; to assess perceived value of the tool for communicating pain quality, intensity and location; to gauge participant intent to share their pain diaries with others and use the tool on a regular basis to track their pain over time; to assess the perceived descriptiveness of current IPAT icons and the numerical rating scale; and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the tool to refine the existing prototype. Written and verbal feedback from individuals with a variety of chronic pain conditions (n=23) were collected in the context of these objectives. Overall, the IPAT was positively endorsed by this heterogeneous sample of people in pain. The authors concluded that the IPAT is a user-friendly instrument that has the potential to help people express, document and share their personal experience with chronic pain. PMID:21369536

A plug-in to Eclipse for VHDL source codes: functionalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niton, B.; Poźniak, K. T.; Romaniuk, R. S.

The paper presents an original application, written by authors, which supports writing and edition of source codes in VHDL language. It is a step towards fully automatic, augmented code writing for photonic and electronic systems, also systems based on FPGA and/or DSP processors. An implementation is described, based on VEditor. VEditor is a free license program. Thus, the work presented in this paper supplements and extends this free license. The introduction characterizes shortly available tools on the market which serve for aiding the design processes of electronic systems in VHDL. Particular attention was put on plug-ins to the Eclipse environment and Emacs program. There are presented detailed properties of the written plug-in such as: programming extension conception, and the results of the activities of formatter, re-factorizer, code hider, and other new additions to the VEditor program.

Making Sense of Rocket Science - Building NASA's Knowledge Management Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holm, Jeanne

2002-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched a range of KM activities-from deploying intelligent "know-bots" across millions of electronic sources to ensuring tacit knowledge is transferred across generations. The strategy and implementation focuses on managing NASA's wealth of explicit knowledge, enabling remote collaboration for international teams, and enhancing capture of the key knowledge of the workforce. An in-depth view of the work being done at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) shows the integration of academic studies and practical applications to architect, develop, and deploy KM systems in the areas of document management, electronic archives, information lifecycles, authoring environments, enterprise information portals, search engines, experts directories, collaborative tools, and in-process decision capture. These systems, together, comprise JPL's architecture to capture, organize, store, and distribute key learnings for the U.S. exploration of space.

Children and Young People-Mental Health Safety Assessment Tool (CYP-MH SAT) study: Protocol for the development and psychometric evaluation of an assessment tool to identify immediate risk of self-harm and suicide in children and young people (10-19 years) in acute paediatric hospital settings.

PubMed

Manning, Joseph C; Walker, Gemma M; Carter, Tim; Aubeeluck, Aimee; Witchell, Miranda; Coad, Jane

2018-04-12

Currently, no standardised, evidence-based assessment tool for assessing immediate self-harm and suicide in acute paediatric inpatient settings exists. The aim of this study is to develop and test the psychometric properties of an assessment tool that identifies immediate risk of self-harm and suicide in children and young people (10-19 years) in acute paediatric hospital settings. Development phase: This phase involved a scoping review of the literature to identify and extract items from previously published suicide and self-harm risk assessment scales. Using a modified electronic Delphi approach, these items will then be rated according to their relevance for assessment of immediate suicide or self-harm risk by expert professionals. Inclusion of items will be determined by 65%-70% consensus between raters. Subsequently, a panel of expert members will convene to determine the face validity, appropriate phrasing, item order and response format for the finalised items.Psychometric testing phase: The finalised items will be tested for validity and reliability through a multicentre, psychometric evaluation. Psychometric testing will be undertaken to determine the following: internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, convergent, divergent validity and concurrent validity. Ethical approval was provided by the National Health Service East Midlands-Derby Research Ethics Committee (17/EM/0347) and full governance clearance received by the Health Research Authority and local participating sites. Findings from this study will be disseminated to professionals and the public via peer-reviewed journal publications, popular social media and conference presentations. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

A tool kit for evaluating electronic flight bags

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-01

Over the past few years, the Volpe Center has developed a set of five tools that can be used to evaluate Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) from a human factors perspective. The goal of these tools is to help streamline and standardize EFB human factors a...

"They'll Always Find a Way to Get to You": Technology Use in Adolescent Romantic Relationships and Its Role in Dating Violence and Abuse.

PubMed

Stonard, Karlie E; Bowen, Erica; Walker, Kate; Price, Shelley A

2015-06-11

Electronic communication technology (ECT), such as mobile phones and online communication tools, is widely used by adolescents; however, the availability of such tools may have both positive and negative impacts within the context of romantic relationships. While an established literature has documented the nature, prevalence, and impact of traditional forms of adolescent dating violence and abuse (ADVA), limited empirical investigation has focused on the role of ECT in ADVA or what shall be termed technology-assisted adolescent dating violence and abuse (TAADVA) and how adolescents perceive the impact of TAADVA relative to ADVA. In this article, the authors explore the role ECT plays in adolescent romantic relationships and psychologically abusive and controlling ADVA behaviors and its perceived impact. An opportunity sample of 52 adolescents (22 males and 30 females) between the ages of 12 and 18 years participated in the study. One all-female and seven mixed-gendered semi-structured focus groups were conducted. Thematic analysis was used to identify three superordinate themes, including (a) perceived healthy versus unhealthy communication, (b) perceived monitoring and controlling communication, and (c) perceived impact of technology-assisted abuse compared with that in person. While ECTs had a positive impact on the development and maintenance of adolescent romantic relationships, such tools also provided a new avenue for unhealthy, harassment, monitoring, and controlling behaviors within these relationships. ECT was also perceived to provide unique impacts in terms of making TAADVA seem both less harmful and more harmful than ADVA experienced in person. Adolescents' perceptions and experiences of ECT in romantic relationships and TAADVA may also vary be gender. Implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research. © The Author(s) 2015.

The application of quantum mechanics in structure-based drug design.

PubMed

Mucs, Daniel; Bryce, Richard A

2013-03-01

Computational chemistry has become an established and valuable component in structure-based drug design. However the chemical complexity of many ligands and active sites challenges the accuracy of the empirical potentials commonly used to describe these systems. Consequently, there is a growing interest in utilizing electronic structure methods for addressing problems in protein-ligand recognition. In this review, the authors discuss recent progress in the development and application of quantum chemical approaches to modeling protein-ligand interactions. The authors specifically consider the development of quantum mechanics (QM) approaches for studying large molecular systems pertinent to biology, focusing on protein-ligand docking, protein-ligand binding affinities and ligand strain on binding. Although computation of binding energies remains a challenging and evolving area, current QM methods can underpin improved docking approaches and offer detailed insights into ligand strain and into the nature and relative strengths of complex active site interactions. The authors envisage that QM will become an increasingly routine and valued tool of the computational medicinal chemist.

Utilizing Lean Six Sigma Methodology to Improve the Authored Works Command Approval Process at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

PubMed

Valdez, Michelle M; Liwanag, Maureen; Mount, Charles; Rodriguez, Rechell; Avalos-Reyes, Elisea; Smith, Andrew; Collette, David; Starsiak, Michael; Green, Richard

2018-03-14

Inefficiencies in the command approval process for publications and/or presentations negatively impact DoD Graduate Medical Education (GME) residency programs' ability to meet ACGME scholarly activity requirements. A preliminary review of the authored works approval process at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) disclosed significant inefficiency, variation in process, and a low level of customer satisfaction. In order to facilitate and encourage scholarly activity at NMCSD, and meet ACGME requirements, the Executive Steering Council (ESC) chartered an interprofessional team to lead a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) project. Two major outcome metrics were identified: (1) the number of authored works submissions containing all required signatures and (2) customer satisfaction with the authored works process. Primary metric baseline data were gathered utilizing a Clinical Investigations database tracking publications and presentations. Secondary metric baseline data were collected via a customer satisfaction survey to GME faculty and residents. The project team analyzed pre-survey data and utilized LSS tools and methodology including a "gemba" (environment) walk, cause and effect diagram, critical to quality tree, voice of the customer, "muda" (waste) chart, and a pre- and post-event value stream map. The team selected an electronic submission system as the intervention most likely to positively impact the RIE project outcome measures. The number of authored works compliant with all required signatures improved from 52% to 100%. Customer satisfaction rated as "completely or mostly satisfied" improved from 24% to 97%. For both outcomes, signature compliance and customer satisfaction, statistical significance was achieved with a p < 0.0001. This RIE project utilized LSS methodology and tools to improve signature compliance and increase customer satisfaction with the authored works approval process, leading to 100% signature compliance, a comprehensive longitudinal repository of all authored work requests, and a 97% "completely or mostly satisfied" customer rating of the process.

EAST: Developing an Electronic Assessment and Storage Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Katherine I.; Fernandez, Eugenia; Milionis, Tracey M.; Williamson, David M.

2002-01-01

Describes the purpose, development, analysis, prototyping, and features of the Electronic Assessment and Storage Tool (EAST). The Web-based system aids curriculum assessment at Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis through the ability to easily store artifacts in electronic form, support…

Electronic Conferencing Tools for Student Apprenticeship and Perspective Taking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonk, Curtis Jay; And Others

1996-01-01

Discusses three electronic conferencing tools that apprentice novice learners and encourage them to interact and grapple with alternative perspectives. Technical details of each tool are described, along with 1 instance where all 3 technologies were united, resulting in a highly interactive conversation shared by over 30 people at 4 different…

Simulation Tools for Power Electronics Courses Based on Java Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canesin, Carlos A.; Goncalves, Flavio A. S.; Sampaio, Leonardo P.

2010-01-01

This paper presents interactive power electronics educational tools. These interactive tools make use of the benefits of Java language to provide a dynamic and interactive approach to simulating steady-state ideal rectifiers (uncontrolled and controlled; single-phase and three-phase). Additionally, this paper discusses the development and use of…

Report Central: quality reporting tool in an electronic health record.

PubMed

Jung, Eunice; Li, Qi; Mangalampalli, Anil; Greim, Julie; Eskin, Michael S; Housman, Dan; Isikoff, Jeremy; Abend, Aaron H; Middleton, Blackford; Einbinder, Jonathan S

2006-01-01

Quality reporting tools, integrated with ambulatory electronic health records, can help clinicians and administrators understand performance, manage populations, and improve quality. Report Central is a secure web report delivery tool built on Crystal Reports XItrade mark and ASP.NET technologies. Pilot evaluation of Report Central indicates that clinicians prefer a quality reporting tool that is integrated with our home-grown EHR to support clinical workflow.

Electronic self-monitoring of mood using IT platforms in adult patients with bipolar disorder: A systematic review of the validity and evidence.

PubMed

Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria; Munkholm, Klaus; Frost, Mads; Bardram, Jakob E; Kessing, Lars Vedel

2016-01-15

Various paper-based mood charting instruments are used in the monitoring of symptoms in bipolar disorder. During recent years an increasing number of electronic self-monitoring tools have been developed. The objectives of this systematic review were 1) to evaluate the validity of electronic self-monitoring tools as a method of evaluating mood compared to clinical rating scales for depression and mania and 2) to investigate the effect of electronic self-monitoring tools on clinically relevant outcomes in bipolar disorder. A systematic review of the scientific literature, reported according to the Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and The Cochrane Library were searched and supplemented by hand search of reference lists. Databases were searched for 1) studies on electronic self-monitoring tools in patients with bipolar disorder reporting on validity of electronically self-reported mood ratings compared to clinical rating scales for depression and mania and 2) randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating electronic mood self-monitoring tools in patients with bipolar disorder. A total of 13 published articles were included. Seven articles were RCTs and six were longitudinal studies. Electronic self-monitoring of mood was considered valid compared to clinical rating scales for depression in six out of six studies, and in two out of seven studies compared to clinical rating scales for mania. The included RCTs primarily investigated the effect of heterogeneous electronically delivered interventions; none of the RCTs investigated the sole effect of electronic mood self-monitoring tools. Methodological issues with risk of bias at different levels limited the evidence in the majority of studies. Electronic self-monitoring of mood in depression appears to be a valid measure of mood in contrast to self-monitoring of mood in mania. There are yet few studies on the effect of electronic self-monitoring of mood in bipolar disorder. The evidence of electronic self-monitoring is limited by methodological issues and by a lack of RCTs. Although the idea of electronic self-monitoring of mood seems appealing, studies using rigorous methodology investigating the beneficial as well as possible harmful effects of electronic self-monitoring are needed.

ePORT, NASA's Computer Database Program for System Safety Risk Management Oversight (Electronic Project Online Risk Tool)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Paul W.

2008-01-01

ePORT (electronic Project Online Risk Tool) provides a systematic approach to using an electronic database program to manage a program/project risk management processes. This presentation will briefly cover the standard risk management procedures, then thoroughly cover NASA's Risk Management tool called ePORT. This electronic Project Online Risk Tool (ePORT) is a web-based risk management program that provides a common framework to capture and manage risks, independent of a programs/projects size and budget. It is used to thoroughly cover the risk management paradigm providing standardized evaluation criterion for common management reporting, ePORT improves Product Line, Center and Corporate Management insight, simplifies program/project manager reporting, and maintains an archive of data for historical reference.

National trends in safety performance of electronic health record systems in children's hospitals.

PubMed

Chaparro, Juan D; Classen, David C; Danforth, Melissa; Stockwell, David C; Longhurst, Christopher A

2017-03-01

To evaluate the safety of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and associated clinical decision support (CDS) systems in electronic health record (EHR) systems at pediatric inpatient facilities in the US using the Leapfrog Group's pediatric CPOE evaluation tool. The Leapfrog pediatric CPOE evaluation tool, a previously validated tool to assess the ability of a CPOE system to identify orders that could potentially lead to patient harm, was used to evaluate 41 pediatric hospitals over a 2-year period. Evaluation of the last available test for each institution was performed, assessing performance overall as well as by decision support category (eg, drug-drug, dosing limits). Longitudinal analysis of test performance was also carried out to assess the impact of testing and the overall trend of CPOE performance in pediatric hospitals. Pediatric CPOE systems were able to identify 62% of potential medication errors in the test scenarios, but ranged widely from 23-91% in the institutions tested. The highest scoring categories included drug-allergy interactions, dosing limits (both daily and cumulative), and inappropriate routes of administration. We found that hospitals with longer periods since their CPOE implementation did not have better scores upon initial testing, but after initial testing there was a consistent improvement in testing scores of 4 percentage points per year. Pediatric computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems on average are able to intercept a majority of potential medication errors, but vary widely among implementations. Prospective and repeated testing using the Leapfrog Group's evaluation tool is associated with improved ability to intercept potential medication errors. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Factors affecting children's adherence to regular dental attendance: a systematic review.

PubMed

Badri, Parvaneh; Saltaji, Humam; Flores-Mir, Carlos; Amin, Maryam

2014-08-01

Parents' adherence to regular dental attendance for their young children plays an important role in improving and maintaining children's oral health. The authors conducted a systematic review to determine the factors that influence parental adherence to regular dental attendance for their children. The authors searched nine electronic databases to May 2013. They included quantitative and qualitative studies in which researchers examined factors influencing dental attendance in children 12 years or younger. The authors considered all emergency and nonemergency visits. They appraised methodological quality through the Health Evidence Bulletins Wales methodological quality assessment tool. The authors selected 14 studies for the systematic review. Researchers in these studies reported a variety of factors at the patient, provider and system levels that influenced dental attendance. Factors identified at the patient level included parents' education, socioeconomic status, behavioral beliefs, perceived power and subjective norms. At the provider level, the authors identified communication and professional skills. At the system level, the authors identified collaborations between communities and health care professionals, as well as a formal policy of referring patients from family physicians and pediatricians to dentists. Barriers to and facilitators of parents' adherence to regular dental attendance for their children should be identified and considered when formulating health promotion policies. Further research is needed to investigate psychosocial determinants of children's adherence to regular dental visits.

Authoring Tools for Collaborative Intelligent Tutoring System Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Jennifer K.; Belenky, Daniel M.; Aleven, Vincent; Rummel, Nikol; Sewall, Jonathan; Ringenberg, Michael

2014-01-01

Authoring tools have been shown to decrease the amount of time and resources needed for the development of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs). Although collaborative learning has been shown to be beneficial to learning, most of the current authoring tools do not support the development of collaborative ITSs. In this paper, we discuss an extension…

AAS Publishing News: Preparing Your Manuscript Just Got Easier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-03-01

Watermarking using the command watermark{DRAFT, v2}.Are you an astronomer considering submitting a paper to an AAS journal (i.e., AJ, ApJ, ApJ Letters, or ApJ Supplements)? If so, this post is for you! Read on to find out about the exciting new things you can do with the AASs newest LaTeX class file, available for download now.Why the Update?AAS publishing has maintained a consistent class file for LaTeX manuscript preparation for the past decade. But academic publishing is changing rapidly in todays era of electronic journals! Since its journals went fully electronic, the AAS has been continuously adding new publishing capabilities based on the recommendations of the Journals Task Force and the needs and requests of AAS authors. The AASs manuscript preparation tools are now being updated accordingly.Whats New in AASTex 6.0?There are many exciting new features and capabilities in AASTex 6.0. Here are just a few:Tracking options for author revisions include added{text}, deleted{text}, replaced{old}{new}, and explain{text}.Based on emulateapjDo you use the popular class file emulateapj to prepare your manuscripts? AASTex 6.0 is based on emulateapj, rather than on the older AASTex 5.2 (though 5.2 is still supported). This means that it is easy to produce a double-columned, single-spaced, and astro-ph-ready manuscript. Since two thirds of the AAS journals authors use emulateapj, this transition was designed to make manuscript preparation and sharing an easier and more seamless process.Tools for collaborationsDo you work in a large collaboration? AASTex now includes new tools to make preparing a manuscript within a collaboration easier. Drafts can now be watermarked to differentiate between versions. New markup for large author lists streamlines the display so that readers can access article information immediately, yet they can still access the full author list and affiliations at the end of the paper. And author revision markup allows members of a collaboration to track their edits within a manuscript, for clearer organization of versions and edits.An example figure set, which the reader can download as a .tar.gz high-resolution set or as PowerPoint slides.Additional figure supportDo you have a lot of similar figures that youd like associated with the electronic journal article but dont all need to be included in the article pdf? New support is now available for figure sets, which allow readers efficient access to the full set of images without slowing down their ability to read your article. In addition, AASTex 6.0 now offers new markup for displaying figures in a grid, providing authors with more control over figure placement.New features for tablesDo you frequently work with large data tables? You might be especially happy with the changes in table-handling in AASTex 6.0. Now you can automatically number columns, hide columns with a single command, specify math mode automatically for a designated column, control decimal alignment, and even split wide tables into multiple parts.Example use of the new software command.Software citation supportDo you want to cite software and third-party repositories within your articles? With AASTex 6.0, theres now a software command that can be used to highlight and link to software that you used in your work. In addition, the ApJ BibTeX style file has been updated to support software citation.Where Can You Get More Information?Learn more about AASTex 6.0Watch a video presentation about AASTex 6.0 by AAS Data Scientist Greg SchwarzDownload AASTex 6.0Wishing for still more improvements?The AAS publishing team would love your input! You can contact them at aastex-help@aas.org with additional suggestions or ideas for the next iteration of AASTex.

Innovating to enhance clinical data management using non-commercial and open source solutions across a multi-center network supporting inpatient pediatric care and research in Kenya

PubMed Central

Tuti, Timothy; Bitok, Michael; Paton, Chris; Makone, Boniface; Malla, Lucas; Muinga, Naomi; Gathara, David; English, Mike

2016-01-01

Objective To share approaches and innovations adopted to deliver a relatively inexpensive clinical data management (CDM) framework within a low-income setting that aims to deliver quality pediatric data useful for supporting research, strengthening the information culture and informing improvement efforts in local clinical practice. Materials and methods The authors implemented a CDM framework to support a Clinical Information Network (CIN) using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a noncommercial software solution designed for rapid development and deployment of electronic data capture tools. It was used for collection of standardized data from case records of multiple hospitals’ pediatric wards. R, an open-source statistical language, was used for data quality enhancement, analysis, and report generation for the hospitals. Results In the first year of CIN, the authors have developed innovative solutions to support the implementation of a secure, rapid pediatric data collection system spanning 14 hospital sites with stringent data quality checks. Data have been collated on over 37 000 admission episodes, with considerable improvement in clinical documentation of admissions observed. Using meta-programming techniques in R, coupled with branching logic, randomization, data lookup, and Application Programming Interface (API) features offered by REDCap, CDM tasks were configured and automated to ensure quality data was delivered for clinical improvement and research use. Conclusion A low-cost clinically focused but geographically dispersed quality CDM (Clinical Data Management) in a long-term, multi-site, and real world context can be achieved and sustained and challenges can be overcome through thoughtful design and implementation of open-source tools for handling data and supporting research. PMID:26063746

Design and implementation of a privacy preserving electronic health record linkage tool in Chicago

PubMed Central

Cashy, John P; Jackson, Kathryn L; Pah, Adam R; Goel, Satyender; Boehnke, Jörn; Humphries, John Eric; Kominers, Scott Duke; Hota, Bala N; Sims, Shannon A; Malin, Bradley A; French, Dustin D; Walunas, Theresa L; Meltzer, David O; Kaleba, Erin O; Jones, Roderick C; Galanter, William L

2015-01-01

Objective To design and implement a tool that creates a secure, privacy preserving linkage of electronic health record (EHR) data across multiple sites in a large metropolitan area in the United States (Chicago, IL), for use in clinical research. Methods The authors developed and distributed a software application that performs standardized data cleaning, preprocessing, and hashing of patient identifiers to remove all protected health information. The application creates seeded hash code combinations of patient identifiers using a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant SHA-512 algorithm that minimizes re-identification risk. The authors subsequently linked individual records using a central honest broker with an algorithm that assigns weights to hash combinations in order to generate high specificity matches. Results The software application successfully linked and de-duplicated 7 million records across 6 institutions, resulting in a cohort of 5 million unique records. Using a manually reconciled set of 11 292 patients as a gold standard, the software achieved a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100%, with a majority of the missed matches accounted for by patients with both a missing social security number and last name change. Using 3 disease examples, it is demonstrated that the software can reduce duplication of patient records across sites by as much as 28%. Conclusions Software that standardizes the assignment of a unique seeded hash identifier merged through an agreed upon third-party honest broker can enable large-scale secure linkage of EHR data for epidemiologic and public health research. The software algorithm can improve future epidemiologic research by providing more comprehensive data given that patients may make use of multiple healthcare systems. PMID:26104741

Light and colour as analytical detection tools: a journey into the periodic table using polyamines to bio-inspired systems as chemosensors.

PubMed

Lodeiro, Carlos; Capelo, José Luis; Mejuto, Juan Carlos; Oliveira, Elisabete; Santos, Hugo M; Pedras, Bruno; Nuñez, Cristina

2010-08-01

This critical review describes some developments on the chemistry of fluorescent and colorimetric molecular probes or chemosensors, based on polyamines and associated compounds having oxygen and/or sulfur as donor atoms. The reported systems are essentially based on some selected published work in this field in the last five years, and in the work developed by the authors from 2000 onwards. Some interesting properties beyond sensing molecules, ions or/and cations by fluorescence, colorimetry as well as by MALDI-TOF MS spectrometry can arise from these systems. A short brief on different examples activated by PET (photoinduced electron transfer), ICT (internal charge transfer) and EET (electronic energy transfer) phenomena will be provided. Finally the introduction of bio-inspired compounds derived from emissive amino acid or short peptide systems and nanoparticle devices to detect metal ions will be reviewed (202 references).

Internal structure of copper(II)-phthalocyanine thin films on SiO2/Si substrates investigated by grazing incidence x-ray reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brieva, A. C.; Jenkins, T. E.; Jones, D. G.; Strössner, F.; Evans, D. A.; Clark, G. F.

2006-04-01

The internal structure of copper(II)-phthalocyanine (CuPc) thin films grown on SiO2/Si by organic molecular beam deposition has been studied by grazing incidence x-ray reflectometry (GIXR) and atomic force microscopy. The electronic density profile is consistent with a structure formed by successive monolayers of molecules in the α form with the b axis lying in the substrate surface plane. The authors present an electronic density profile model of CuPc films grown on SiO2/Si. The excellent agreement between the model and experimental data allows postdeposition monitoring of the internal structure of the CuPc films with the nondestructive GIXR technique, providing a tool for accurate control of CuPc growth on silicon-based substrates. In addition, since the experiments have been carried out ex situ, they show that these structures can endure ambient conditions.

Developing a 300C Analog Tool for EGS

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

Normann, Randy

2015-03-23

This paper covers the development of a 300°C geothermal well monitoring tool for supporting future EGS (enhanced geothermal systems) power production. This is the first of 3 tools planed. This is an analog tool designed for monitoring well pressure and temperature. There is discussion on 3 different circuit topologies and the development of the supporting surface electronics and software. There is information on testing electronic circuits and component. One of the major components is the cable used to connect the analog tool to the surface.

The Comprehensive Evaluation of Electronic Learning Tools and Educational Software (CEELTES)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karolcík, Štefan; Cipková, Elena; Hrušecký, Roman; Veselský, Milan

2015-01-01

Despite the fact that digital technologies are more and more used in the learning and education process, there is still lack of professional evaluation tools capable of assessing the quality of used digital teaching aids in a comprehensive and objective manner. Construction of the Comprehensive Evaluation of Electronic Learning Tools and…

Report Central: Quality Reporting Tool in an Electronic Health Record

PubMed Central

Jung, Eunice; Li, Qi; Mangalampalli, Anil; Greim, Julie; Eskin, Michael S.; Housman, Dan; Isikoff, Jeremy; Abend, Aaron H.; Middleton, Blackford; Einbinder, Jonathan S.

2006-01-01

Quality reporting tools, integrated with ambulatory electronic health records, can help clinicians and administrators understand performance, manage populations, and improve quality. Report Central is a secure web report delivery tool built on Crystal Reports XI™ and ASP.NET technologies. Pilot evaluation of Report Central indicates that clinicians prefer a quality reporting tool that is integrated with our home-grown EHR to support clinical workflow. PMID:17238590

Building an Electronic Handover Tool for Physicians Using a Collaborative Approach between Clinicians and the Development Team.

PubMed

Guilbeault, Peggy; Momtahan, Kathryn; Hudson, Jordan

2015-01-01

In an effort by The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) to become one of the top 10% performers in patient safety and quality of care, the hospital embarked on improving the communication process during handover between physicians by building an electronic handover tool. It is expected that this tool will decrease information loss during handover. The Information Systems (IS) department engaged a workgroup of physicians to become involved in defining requirements to build an electronic handover tool that suited their clinical handover needs. This group became ultimately responsible for defining the graphical user interface (GUI) and all functionality related to the tool. Prior to the pilot, the Information Systems team will run a usability testing session to ensure the application is user friendly and has met the goals and objectives of the workgroup. As a result, The Ottawa Hospital has developed a fully integrated electronic handover tool built on the Clinical Mobile Application (CMA) which allows clinicians to enter patient problems, notes and tasks available to all physicians to facilitate the handover process.

Electronic Design Automation: Integrating the Design and Manufacturing Functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachnak, Rafic; Salkowski, Charles

1997-01-01

As the complexity of electronic systems grows, the traditional design practice, a sequential process, is replaced by concurrent design methodologies. A major advantage of concurrent design is that the feedback from software and manufacturing engineers can be easily incorporated into the design. The implementation of concurrent engineering methodologies is greatly facilitated by employing the latest Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools. These tools offer integrated simulation of the electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing functions and support virtual prototyping, rapid prototyping, and hardware-software co-design. This report presents recommendations for enhancing the electronic design and manufacturing capabilities and procedures at JSC based on a concurrent design methodology that employs EDA tools.

The use of analytical surface tools in the fundamental study of wear. [atomic nature of wear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buckley, D. H.

1977-01-01

Various techniques and surface tools available for the study of the atomic nature of the wear of materials are reviewed These include chemical etching, x-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, Auger emission spectroscopy analysis, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, field ion microscopy, and the atom probe. Properties of the surface and wear surface regions which affect wear, such as surface energy, crystal structure, crystallographic orientation, mode of dislocation behavior, and cohesive binding, are discussed. A number of mechanisms involved in the generation of wear particles are identified with the aid of the aforementioned tools.

Managing and Communicating Operational Workflow: Designing and Implementing an Electronic Outpatient Whiteboard.

PubMed

Steitz, Bryan D; Weinberg, Stuart T; Danciu, Ioana; Unertl, Kim M

2016-01-01

Healthcare team members in emergency department contexts have used electronic whiteboard solutions to help manage operational workflow for many years. Ambulatory clinic settings have highly complex operational workflow, but are still limited in electronic assistance to communicate and coordinate work activities. To describe and discuss the design, implementation, use, and ongoing evolution of a coordination and collaboration tool supporting ambulatory clinic operational workflow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). The outpatient whiteboard tool was initially designed to support healthcare work related to an electronic chemotherapy order-entry application. After a highly successful initial implementation in an oncology context, a high demand emerged across the organization for the outpatient whiteboard implementation. Over the past 10 years, developers have followed an iterative user-centered design process to evolve the tool. The electronic outpatient whiteboard system supports 194 separate whiteboards and is accessed by over 2800 distinct users on a typical day. Clinics can configure their whiteboards to support unique workflow elements. Since initial release, features such as immunization clinical decision support have been integrated into the system, based on requests from end users. The success of the electronic outpatient whiteboard demonstrates the usefulness of an operational workflow tool within the ambulatory clinic setting. Operational workflow tools can play a significant role in supporting coordination, collaboration, and teamwork in ambulatory healthcare settings.

40 CFR 60.2235 - In what form can I submit my reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... opacity data, electronically to EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) by using the Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) (see http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ert/ert tool.html/) or other compatible electronic spreadsheet... Recordkeeping and Reporting § 60.2235 In what form can I submit my reports? Submit initial, annual, and...

40 CFR 60.2235 - In what form can I submit my reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... opacity data, electronically to EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) by using the Electronic Reporting Tool (ERT) (see http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ert/ert tool.html/) or other compatible electronic spreadsheet... Recordkeeping and Reporting § 60.2235 In what form can I submit my reports? Submit initial, annual, and...

Electronic Resources Evaluation Central: Using Off-the-Shelf Software, Web 2.0 Tools, and LibGuides to Manage an Electronic Resources Evaluation Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

England, Lenore; Fu, Li

2011-01-01

A critical part of electronic resources management, the electronic resources evaluation process is multi-faceted and includes a seemingly endless range of resources and tools involving numerous library staff. A solution is to build a Web site to bring all of the components together that can be implemented quickly and result in an organizational…

Qualitative and quantitative interpretation of SEM image using digital image processing.

PubMed

Saladra, Dawid; Kopernik, Magdalena

2016-10-01

The aim of the this study is improvement of qualitative and quantitative analysis of scanning electron microscope micrographs by development of computer program, which enables automatic crack analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs. Micromechanical tests of pneumatic ventricular assist devices result in a large number of micrographs. Therefore, the analysis must be automatic. Tests for athrombogenic titanium nitride/gold coatings deposited on polymeric substrates (Bionate II) are performed. These tests include microshear, microtension and fatigue analysis. Anisotropic surface defects observed in the SEM micrographs require support for qualitative and quantitative interpretation. Improvement of qualitative analysis of scanning electron microscope images was achieved by a set of computational tools that includes binarization, simplified expanding, expanding, simple image statistic thresholding, the filters Laplacian 1, and Laplacian 2, Otsu and reverse binarization. Several modifications of the known image processing techniques and combinations of the selected image processing techniques were applied. The introduced quantitative analysis of digital scanning electron microscope images enables computation of stereological parameters such as area, crack angle, crack length, and total crack length per unit area. This study also compares the functionality of the developed computer program of digital image processing with existing applications. The described pre- and postprocessing may be helpful in scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy surface investigations. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

Electronic health record tools' support of nurses' clinical judgment and team communication.

PubMed

Kossman, Susan P; Bonney, Leigh Ann; Kim, Myoung Jin

2013-11-01

Nurses need to quickly process information to form clinical judgments, communicate with the healthcare team, and guide optimal patient care. Electronic health records not only offer potential for enhanced care but also introduce unintended consequences through changes in workflow, clinical judgment, and communication. We investigated nurses' use of improvised (self-made) and electronic health record-generated cognitive artifacts on clinical judgment and team communication. Tanner's Clinical Judgment Model provided a framework and basis for questions in an online survey and focus group interviews. Findings indicated that (1) nurses rated self-made work lists and medication administration records highest for both clinical judgment and communication, (2) tools aided different dimensions of clinical judgment, and (3) interdisciplinary tools enhance team communication. Implications are that electronic health record tool redesign could better support nursing work.

75 FR 15413 - Approval for Processing Authority, Foreign-Trade Zone 196, ATC Logistics & Electronics (Personal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-29

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1671] Approval for Processing Authority, Foreign-Trade Zone 196, ATC Logistics & Electronics (Personal Navigation Devices), Fort Worth... & Electronics, an operator of Foreign-Trade Zone 196, has requested processing authority within FTZ 196 in Fort...

75 FR 13484 - Foreign-Trade Zone 22; Temporary/Interim Manufacturing Authority; LG Electronics Mobilecomm USA...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-22

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [Docket T-1-2010] Foreign-Trade Zones Board Foreign-Trade Zone 22; Temporary/Interim Manufacturing Authority; LG Electronics Mobilecomm USA, Inc. (Cell Phones); Notice of.../ interim manufacturing (T/IM) authority, on behalf of LG Electronics Mobilecomm USA, Inc. (LGEMU), to...

Automated Text Markup for Information Retrieval from an Electronic Textbook of Infectious Disease

PubMed Central

Berrios, Daniel C.; Kehler, Andrew; Kim, David K.; Yu, Victor L.; Fagan, Lawrence M.

1998-01-01

The information needs of practicing clinicians frequently require textbook or journal searches. Making these sources available in electronic form improves the speed of these searches, but precision (i.e., the fraction of relevant to total documents retrieved) remains low. Improving the traditional keyword search by transforming search terms into canonical concepts does not improve search precision greatly. Kim et al. have designed and built a prototype system (MYCIN II) for computer-based information retrieval from a forthcoming electronic textbook of infectious disease. The system requires manual indexing by experts in the form of complex text markup. However, this mark-up process is time consuming (about 3 person-hours to generate, review, and transcribe the index for each of 218 chapters). We have designed and implemented a system to semiautomate the markup process. The system, information extraction for semiautomated indexing of documents (ISAID), uses query models and existing information-extraction tools to provide support for any user, including the author of the source material, to mark up tertiary information sources quickly and accurately.

The Scoring of Matching Questions Tests: A Closer Look

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jancarík, Antonín; Kostelecká, Yvona

2015-01-01

Electronic testing has become a regular part of online courses. Most learning management systems offer a wide range of tools that can be used in electronic tests. With respect to time demands, the most efficient tools are those that allow automatic assessment. The presented paper focuses on one of these tools: matching questions in which one…

A Training Tool and Methodology to Allow Concurrent Multidisciplinary Experimental Projects in Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maseda, F. J.; Martija, I.; Martija, I.

2012-01-01

This paper describes a novel Electrical Machine and Power Electronic Training Tool (EM&PE[subscript TT]), a methodology for using it, and associated experimental educational activities. The training tool is implemented by recreating a whole power electronics system, divided into modular blocks. This process is similar to that applied when…

Research of Adhesion Bonds Between Gas-Thermal Coating and Pre-Modified Base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalevskaya, Z.; Zaitsev, K.; Klimenov, V.

2016-08-01

Nature of adhesive bonds between gas-thermal nickel alloy coating and carbon steel base was examined using laser profilometry, optical metallography, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The steel surface was plastically pre-deformed by an ultrasonic tool. Proved that ultrasound pre-treatment modifies the steel surface. Increase of dislocation density and formation of sub micro-structure are base elements of surface modification. While using high-speed gas-flame, plasma and detonation modes of coatings, surface activation occurs and durable adhesion is formed. Ultrasonic pre-treatment of base material is effective when sprayed particles and base material interact through physical-chemical bond formation. Before applying high-speed gas flame and plasma sprayed coatings, authors recommend ultrasonic pretreatment, which creates periodic wavy topography with a stroke of 250 microns on the steel surface. Before applying detonation sprayed coatings, authors recommend ultrasound pretreatment that create modified surface with a uniform micro-topography.

Reliability-Based Electronics Shielding Design Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J. W.; O'Neill, P. J.; Zang, T. A.; Pandolf, J. E.; Tripathi, R. K.; Koontz, Steven L.; Boeder, P.; Reddell, B.; Pankop, C.

2007-01-01

Shielding design on large human-rated systems allows minimization of radiation impact on electronic systems. Shielding design tools require adequate methods for evaluation of design layouts, guiding qualification testing, and adequate follow-up on final design evaluation.

Challenge of Engaging All Students via Self-Paced Interactive Electronic Learning Tutorials for Introductory Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVore, Seth; Marshman, Emily; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-01-01

As research-based, self-paced electronic learning tools become increasingly available, a critical issue educators encounter is implementing strategies to ensure that all students engage with them as intended. Here, we first discuss the effectiveness of electronic learning tutorials as self-paced learning tools in large enrollment brick and mortar…

The Role of Electronic Pocket Dictionaries as an English Learning Tool among Chinese Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jian, Hua-Li; Sandnes, Frode Eika; Law, Kris M. Y.; Huang, Yo-Ping; Huang, Yueh-Min

2009-01-01

This study addressed the role of electronic pocket dictionaries as a language learning tool among university students in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The target groups included engineering and humanities students at both undergraduate and graduate level. Speed of reference was found to be the main motivator for using an electronic pocket dictionary.…

Tools used to assess medical students competence in procedural skills at the end of a primary medical degree: a systematic review.

PubMed

Morris, Marie C; Gallagher, Tom K; Ridgway, Paul F

2012-01-01

The objective was to systematically review the literature to identify and grade tools used for the end point assessment of procedural skills (e.g., phlebotomy, IV cannulation, suturing) competence in medical students prior to certification. The authors searched eight bibliographic databases electronically - ERIC, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Psychinfo, PsychLIT, EBM Reviews and the Cochrane databases. Two reviewers independently reviewed the literature to identify procedural assessment tools used specifically for assessing medical students within the PRISMA framework, the inclusion/exclusion criteria and search period. Papers on OSATS and DOPS were excluded as they focused on post-registration assessment and clinical rather than simulated competence. Of 659 abstracted articles 56 identified procedural assessment tools. Only 11 specifically assessed medical students. The final 11 studies consisted of 1 randomised controlled trial, 4 comparative and 6 descriptive studies yielding 12 heterogeneous procedural assessment tools for analysis. Seven tools addressed four discrete pre-certification skills, basic suture (3), airway management (2), nasogastric tube insertion (1) and intravenous cannulation (1). One tool used a generic assessment of procedural skills. Two tools focused on postgraduate laparoscopic skills and one on osteopathic students and thus were not included in this review. The levels of evidence are low with regard to reliability - κ = 0.65-0.71 and minimum validity is achieved - face and content. In conclusion, there are no tools designed specifically to assess competence of procedural skills in a final certification examination. There is a need to develop standardised tools with proven reliability and validity for assessment of procedural skills competence at the end of medical training. Medicine graduates must have comparable levels of procedural skills acquisition entering the clinical workforce irrespective of the country of training.

Chrysophyte cysts as potential environmental indicators.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adam, D.P.; Mahood, A.D.

1981-01-01

Many chrysophyte algae produce morphologically distinctive, siliceous, microscopic cysts during a resting stage of their life cycles; these cysts are often preserved in sediments. Scanning electron microscopy and Nomarski optics permit much more detailed observation of these cysts than was heretofore possible. Many cyst types are found only in specific habitats, such as montane lakes, wet meadows, ephemeral ponds, and Sphagnum bogs. In the samples studied, cysts seem to be most common in fluctuating fresh-water habitats of low to moderate pH and some winter freezing. Chrysophyte cysts have the potential to be a useful tool for modern environmental assessments and paleoecological studies of Cenozoic fresh-water lacustrine deposits. -from Authors

Microengineering of Metals and Ceramics: Part I: Design, Tooling and Injection Molding; Volume 3: Advanced Micro & Nanosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baltes, Henry; Brand, Oliver; Fedder, Gary K.; Hierold, Christofer; Korvink, Jan G.; Tabata, Osamu; Löhe, Detlef; Haußelt, Jürgen

2005-09-01

Microstructures, electronics, nanotechnology - these vast fields of research are growing together as the size gap narrows and many different materials are combined. Current research, engineering sucesses and newly commercialized products hint at the immense innovative potentials and future applications that open up once mankind controls shape and function from the atomic level right up to the visible world without any gaps. In this volume, authors from three major competence centres for microengineering illustrate step by step the process from designing and simulating microcomponents of metallic and ceramic materials to replicating micro-scale components by injection molding.

75 FR 4343 - Foreign-Trade Zone 22-Chicago, IL; Application for Manufacturing Authority; LG Electronics...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-27

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Docket 3-2010] Foreign-Trade Zone 22--Chicago, IL; Application for Manufacturing Authority; LG Electronics MobileComm USA, Inc. (Cell Phone Kitting... authority on behalf of LG Electronics MobileComm USA, Inc. (LGEMU), located in Bolingbrook, Illinois. The...

12 CFR 7.5003 - Composite authority to engage in electronic activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Composite authority to engage in electronic activities. 7.5003 Section 7.5003 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BANK ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS Electronic Activities § 7.5003 Composite authority to engage in...

12 CFR 7.5003 - Composite authority to engage in electronic activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Composite authority to engage in electronic activities. 7.5003 Section 7.5003 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BANK ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS Electronic Activities § 7.5003 Composite authority to engage in...

Using tools and technology to promote education and adherence to oral agents for cancer.

PubMed

Burhenn, Peggy S; Smudde, Josephine

2015-06-01

The use of oral agents for cancer (OACs) is increasing, and oncology nurses are in an ideal position to educate patients about them and suggest methods to improve adherence. Once an OAC is ordered, the administration is the responsibility of the patient. Oncology nurses can use tools and technology to assist with education, which may promote adherence, and suggest reminder tools that can be used. Many electronic tools have been developed, such as smartphone applications, text messaging, electronic alarms, and glowing pill bottles. The researchers reviewed electronic devices, as well as traditional methods such as calendars and pillboxes, that can assist patients in remembering to take the medication they are administering at home. A literature search was compiled and websites were searched for patient education tools, reminder tools (electronic and manual), and smartphone applications. The project was part of the Oncology Nursing Society Putting Evidence Into Practice effort on oral adherence. Education alone is insufficient to promote adherence to oral medication regimens. Multicomponent interventions have demonstrated improved adherence, and tools and technology directed at improving adherence to oral agents can be used. The researchers found multiple reminder aids to assist patients in adhering to an oral regimen. They are highlighted in this article.

Abstracting ICU Nursing Care Quality Data From the Electronic Health Record.

PubMed

Seaman, Jennifer B; Evans, Anna C; Sciulli, Andrea M; Barnato, Amber E; Sereika, Susan M; Happ, Mary Beth

2017-09-01

The electronic health record is a potentially rich source of data for clinical research in the intensive care unit setting. We describe the iterative, multi-step process used to develop and test a data abstraction tool, used for collection of nursing care quality indicators from the electronic health record, for a pragmatic trial. We computed Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ) to assess interrater agreement or reliability of data abstracted using preliminary and finalized tools. In assessing the reliability of study data ( n = 1,440 cases) using the finalized tool, 108 randomly selected cases (10% of first half sample; 5% of last half sample) were independently abstracted by a second rater. We demonstrated mean κ values ranging from 0.61 to 0.99 for all indicators. Nursing care quality data can be accurately and reliably abstracted from the electronic health records of intensive care unit patients using a well-developed data collection tool and detailed training.

NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kayali, Sammy

2000-01-01

NEPP program objectives are to: (1) Access the reliability of newly available electronic parts and packaging technologies for usage on NASA projects through validations, assessments, and characterizations, and the development of test methods/tools; (2)Expedite infusion paths for advanced (emerging) electronic parts and packaging technologies by evaluations of readiness for manufacturability and project usage consideration; (3) Provide NASA projects with technology selection, application, and validation guidelines for electronic parts and packaging hardware and processes; nd (4) Retain and disseminate electronic parts and packaging quality assurance, reliability validations, tools, and availability information to the NASA community.

Authoring Issues beyond Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spierling, Ulrike; Szilas, Nicolas

Authoring is still considered a bottleneck in successful Interactive Storytelling and Drama. The claim for intuitive authoring tools is high, especially for tools that allow storytellers and artists to define dynamic content that can be run with an AI-based story engine. We explored two concrete authoring processes in depth, using various Interactive Storytelling prototypes, and have provided feedback from the practical steps. The result is a presentation of general issues in authoring Interactive Storytelling, rather than of particular problems with a specific system that could be overcome by 'simply' designing the right interface. Priorities for future developments are also outlined.

CoCoFolio: A Web-Based Electronic Portfolio for Enriching Students' Learning by Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugiyama, Takeshi; Kakehi, Naoyuki; Kura, Tsuneko; Takahashi Tokiichiro

A Web-based electronic portfolio, CoCoFolio, was developed for enriching students' learning by collaboration. CoCoFolio consists of two collaboration tools: a multi-layer drawing tool, CoCoBoard, and a small bulletin board, Discussion Board, for each student's submission. These tools support a series of expression activities: expression, sharing,…

Electronic Assessment and Feedback Tool in Supervision of Nursing Students during Clinical Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mettiäinen, Sari

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine nursing teachers' and students' attitudes to and experiences of using an electronic assessment and feedback tool in supervision of clinical training. The tool was called eTaitava, and it was developed in Finland. During the pilot project, the software was used by 12 nursing teachers and 430 nursing students.…

Number crunching vs. number theory: computers and FLT, from Kummer to SWAC (1850-1960), and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corry, Leo

2008-07-01

The article discusses the computational tools (both conceptual and material) used in various attempts to deal with individual cases of FLT [Fermat's Last Theorem], as well as the changing historical contexts in which these tools were developed and used, and affected research. It also explores the changing conceptions about the role of computations within the overall disciplinary picture of number theory, how they influenced research on the theorem, and the kinds of general insights thus achieved. After an overview of Kummer's contributions and its immediate influence, the author presents work that favored intensive computations of particular cases of FLT as a legitimate, fruitful, and worth-pursuing number-theoretical endeavor, and that were part of a coherent and active, but essentially low-profile tradition within nineteenth century number theory. This work was related to table making activity that was encouraged by institutions and individuals whose motivations came mainly from applied mathematics, astronomy, and engineering, and seldom from number theory proper. A main section of the article is devoted to the fruitful collaboration between Harry S. Vandiver and Emma and Dick Lehmer. The author shows how their early work led to the hesitant introduction of electronic computers for research related with FLT. Their joint work became a milestone for computer-assisted activity in number theory at large.

Precession technique and electron diffractometry as new tools for crystal structure analysis and chemical bonding determination.

PubMed

Avilov, A; Kuligin, K; Nicolopoulos, S; Nickolskiy, M; Boulahya, K; Portillo, J; Lepeshov, G; Sobolev, B; Collette, J P; Martin, N; Robins, A C; Fischione, P

2007-01-01

We have developed a new fast electron diffractometer working with high dynamic range and linearity for crystal structure determinations. Electron diffraction (ED) patterns can be scanned serially in front of a Faraday cage detector; the total measurement time for several hundred ED reflections can be tens of seconds having high statistical accuracy for all measured intensities (1-2%). This new tool can be installed to any type of TEM without any column modification and is linked to a specially developed electron beam precession "Spinning Star" system. Precession of the electron beam (Vincent-Midgley technique) reduces dynamical effects allowing also use of accurate intensities for crystal structure analysis. We describe the technical characteristics of this new tool together with the first experimental results. Accurate measurement of electron diffraction intensities by electron diffractometer opens new possibilities not only for revealing unknown structures, but also for electrostatic potential determination and chemical bonding investigation. As an example, we present detailed atomic bonding information of CaF(2) as revealed for the first time by precise electron diffractometry.

Conducting Creativity Brainstorming Sessions in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Using Computer-Mediated Communication Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murthy, Uday S.

A variety of Web-based low cost computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools are now available for use by small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). These tools invariably incorporate chat systems that facilitate simultaneous input in synchronous electronic meeting environments, allowing what is referred to as “electronic brainstorming.” Although prior research in information systems (IS) has established that electronic brainstorming can be superior to face-to-face brainstorming, there is a lack of detailed guidance regarding how CMC tools should be optimally configured to foster creativity in SMEs. This paper discusses factors to be considered in using CMC tools for creativity brainstorming and proposes recommendations for optimally configuring CMC tools to enhance creativity in SMEs. The recommendations are based on lessons learned from several recent experimental studies on the use of CMC tools for rich brainstorming tasks that require participants to invoke domain-specific knowledge. Based on a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the various configuration options, the recommendations provided can form the basis for selecting a CMC tool for creativity brainstorming or for creating an in-house CMC tool for the purpose.

Evaluation of a new photomask CD metrology tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubuque, Leonard F.; Doe, Nicholas G.; St. Cin, Patrick

1996-12-01

In the integrated circuit (IC) photomask industry today, dense IC patterns, sub-micron critical dimensions (CD), and narrow tolerances for 64 M technologies and beyond are driving increased demands to minimize and characterize all components of photomask CD variation. This places strict requirements on photomask CD metrology in order to accurately characterize the mask CD error distribution. According to the gauge-maker's rule, measurement error must not exceed 30% of the tolerance on the product dimension measured or the gauge is not considered capable. The traditional single point repeatability tests are a poor measure of overall measurement system error in a dynamic, leading-edge technology environment. In such an environment, measurements may be taken at different points in the field- of-view due to stage in-accuracy, pattern recognition requirements, and throughput considerations. With this in mind, a set of experiments were designed to characterize thoroughly the metrology tool's repeatability and systematic error. Original experiments provided inconclusive results and had to be extended to obtain a full characterization of the system. Tests demonstrated a performance of better than 15 nm total CD error. Using this test as a tool for further development, the authors were able to determine the effects of various system components and measure the improvement with changes in optics, electronics, and software. Optimization of the optical path, electronics, and system software has yielded a new instrument with a total system error of better than 8 nm. Good collaboration between the photomask manufacturer and the equipment supplier has led to a realistic test of system performance and an improved CD measurement instrument.

Model-driven approach to data collection and reporting for quality improvement.

PubMed

Curcin, Vasa; Woodcock, Thomas; Poots, Alan J; Majeed, Azeem; Bell, Derek

2014-12-01

Continuous data collection and analysis have been shown essential to achieving improvement in healthcare. However, the data required for local improvement initiatives are often not readily available from hospital Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems or not routinely collected. Furthermore, improvement teams are often restricted in time and funding thus requiring inexpensive and rapid tools to support their work. Hence, the informatics challenge in healthcare local improvement initiatives consists of providing a mechanism for rapid modelling of the local domain by non-informatics experts, including performance metric definitions, and grounded in established improvement techniques. We investigate the feasibility of a model-driven software approach to address this challenge, whereby an improvement model designed by a team is used to automatically generate required electronic data collection instruments and reporting tools. To that goal, we have designed a generic Improvement Data Model (IDM) to capture the data items and quality measures relevant to the project, and constructed Web Improvement Support in Healthcare (WISH), a prototype tool that takes user-generated IDM models and creates a data schema, data collection web interfaces, and a set of live reports, based on Statistical Process Control (SPC) for use by improvement teams. The software has been successfully used in over 50 improvement projects, with more than 700 users. We present in detail the experiences of one of those initiatives, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease project in Northwest London hospitals. The specific challenges of improvement in healthcare are analysed and the benefits and limitations of the approach are discussed. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Biologically sensitive field-effect transistors: from ISFETs to NanoFETs.

PubMed

Pachauri, Vivek; Ingebrandt, Sven

2016-06-30

Biologically sensitive field-effect transistors (BioFETs) are one of the most abundant classes of electronic sensors for biomolecular detection. Most of the time these sensors are realized as classical ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) having non-metallized gate dielectrics facing an electrolyte solution. In ISFETs, a semiconductor material is used as the active transducer element covered by a gate dielectric layer which is electronically sensitive to the (bio-)chemical changes that occur on its surface. This review will provide a brief overview of the history of ISFET biosensors with general operation concepts and sensing mechanisms. We also discuss silicon nanowire-based ISFETs (SiNW FETs) as the modern nanoscale version of classical ISFETs, as well as strategies to functionalize them with biologically sensitive layers. We include in our discussion other ISFET types based on nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, metal oxides and so on. The latest examples of highly sensitive label-free detection of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules using SiNW FETs and single-cell recordings for drug screening and other applications of ISFETs will be highlighted. Finally, we suggest new device platforms and newly developed, miniaturized read-out tools with multichannel potentiometric and impedimetric measurement capabilities for future biomedical applications. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Measuring activities and participation in persons with haemophilia: A systematic review of commonly used instruments.

PubMed

Timmer, M A; Gouw, S C; Feldman, B M; Zwagemaker, A; de Kleijn, P; Pisters, M F; Schutgens, R E G; Blanchette, V; Srivastava, A; David, J A; Fischer, K; van der Net, J

2018-03-01

Monitoring clinical outcome in persons with haemophilia (PWH) is essential in order to provide optimal treatment for individual patients and compare effectiveness of treatment strategies. Experience with measurement of activities and participation in haemophilia is limited and consensus on preferred tools is lacking. The aim of this study was to give a comprehensive overview of the measurement properties of a selection of commonly used tools developed to assess activities and participation in PWH. Electronic databases were searched for articles that reported on reliability, validity or responsiveness of predetermined measurement tools (5 self-reported and 4 performance based measurement tools). Methodological quality of the studies was assessed according to the COSMIN checklist. Best evidence synthesis was used to summarize evidence on the measurement properties. The search resulted in 3453 unique hits. Forty-two articles were included. The self-reported Haemophilia Acitivity List (HAL), Pediatric HAL (PedHAL) and the performance based Functional Independence Score in Haemophilia (FISH) were studied most extensively. Methodological quality of the studies was limited. Measurement error, cross-cultural validity and responsiveness have been insufficiently evaluated. Albeit based on limited evidence, the measurement properties of the PedHAL, HAL and FISH are currently considered most satisfactory. Further research needs to focus on measurement error, responsiveness, interpretability and cross-cultural validity of the self-reported tools and validity of performance based tools which are able to assess limitations in sports and leisure activities. © 2018 The Authors. Haemophilia Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Matching spatial with ontological brain regions using Java tools for visualization, database access, and integrated data analysis.

PubMed

Bezgin, Gleb; Reid, Andrew T; Schubert, Dirk; Kötter, Rolf

2009-01-01

Brain atlases are widely used in experimental neuroscience as tools for locating and targeting specific brain structures. Delineated structures in a given atlas, however, are often difficult to interpret and to interface with database systems that supply additional information using hierarchically organized vocabularies (ontologies). Here we discuss the concept of volume-to-ontology mapping in the context of macroscopical brain structures. We present Java tools with which we have implemented this concept for retrieval of mapping and connectivity data on the macaque brain from the CoCoMac database in connection with an electronic version of "The Rhesus Monkey Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates" authored by George Paxinos and colleagues. The software, including our manually drawn monkey brain template, can be downloaded freely under the GNU General Public License. It adds value to the printed atlas and has a wider (neuro-)informatics application since it can read appropriately annotated data from delineated sections of other species and organs, and turn them into 3D registered stacks. The tools provide additional features, including visualization and analysis of connectivity data, volume and centre-of-mass estimates, and graphical manipulation of entire structures, which are potentially useful for a range of research and teaching applications.

Modeling of power electronic systems with EMTP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tam, Kwa-Sur; Dravid, Narayan V.

1989-01-01

In view of the potential impact of power electronics on power systems, there is need for a computer modeling/analysis tool to perform simulation studies on power systems with power electronic components as well as to educate engineering students about such systems. The modeling of the major power electronic components of the NASA Space Station Freedom Electric Power System is described along with ElectroMagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) and it is demonstrated that EMTP can serve as a very useful tool for teaching, design, analysis, and research in the area of power systems with power electronic components. EMTP modeling of power electronic circuits is described and simulation results are presented.

Collection and Retention Procedures for Electronically Stored Information (ESI) Collected Using E-Discovery Tools

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This procedure is designed to support the collection of potentially responsive information using automated E-Discovery tools that rely on keywords, key phrases, index queries, or other technological assistance to retrieve Electronically Stored Information

Evaluating Electronic Flight Bags in the Real World

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-20

Over the past few years, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) has developed several tools that can be used to evaluate Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) from a human factors perspective. The tools are needed because EFBs are so...

Disruption or innovation? A qualitative descriptive study on the use of electronic patient-physician communication in patients with advanced cancer.

PubMed

Voruganti, Teja; Husain, Amna; Grunfeld, Eva; Webster, Fiona

2018-03-04

In the advanced cancer context, care coordination is often inadequate, leading to suboptimal continuity of care. We evaluated an electronic web-based tool which assembles the patient, their caregivers, and their healthcare providers in a virtual space for team-based communication. We sought to understand participant perceptions on electronic communication in general and the added value of the new tool in particular. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study with participants (patients, caregivers, cancer physicians) who participated in a 3-month pilot trial evaluating the tool. Interviews were thematically analyzed and the perspectives from patients, caregivers, and cancer physicians were triangulated. Interviews from six patients, five of their caregivers, and seven cancer physicians conducted alongside monthly outcome assessments were analyzed. We identified five themes relating participants' perspectives on electronic communication to their experience of care: (1) apparent gaps in care, (2) uncertainty in defining the circle of care, (3) relational aspects of communication, (4) incongruence between technology and social norms of patient-physician communication, and (5) appreciation but apprehension about the team-based communication tool for improving the experience of care. The potential of tools for electronic communication to bring together a team of healthcare providers with the patient and caregivers is significant but may pose new challenges to existing team structure and interpersonal dynamics. Patients and physicians were worried about the impact that electronic communication may have on the patient-physician relationship. Implementation approaches, which build on the relationship and integrate the team as a whole, could positively position electronic communication to enhance the team-based care.

75 FR 64248 - Approval for Manufacturing Authority Foreign-Trade Zone 196 ATC Logistics & Electronics (Cell...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-19

... Authority Foreign-Trade Zone 196 ATC Logistics & Electronics (Cell Phone Kitting) Fort Worth, TX Pursuant to... Foreign-Trade Zones Board (the Board) adopts the following Order: Whereas, ATC Logistics & Electronics... Logistics & Electronics, as described in the application and Federal Register notice, is approved, subject...

75 FR 63810 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status; SICK, Inc. (Photo-Electronic Industrial Sensors...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-18

... Status; SICK, Inc. (Photo- Electronic Industrial Sensors); Bloomington, MN Pursuant to its authority... to establish a special- purpose subzone at the photo-electronic industrial sensor manufacturing and... manufacturing and distribution of photo-electronic industrial sensors at the SICK, Inc., facility located in...

Evaluation of Fostering Students' Creativity in Preparing Aided Recalls for Revision Courses Using Electronic Revision and Recapitulation Tools 2.0

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christ, Oliver; Weber, Christoph; Sato, Toshihiko

2012-01-01

In this study, the electronic revision and recapitulation tools 2.0 (EREP 2.0) were used to foster creative moments while creating aided recalls (ARs) (pictures electronic notes etc.). Creative and critical thinking is associated with vital skills which enable students to deal with often complex knowledge domains through an informal way of…

Genome-Enabled Molecular Tools for Reductive Dehalogenation

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

Genome-Enabled Molecular Tools for Reductive Dehalogenation - A Shift in Paradigm for Bioremediation - Alfred M. Spormann Departments of Chemical...Genome-Enabled Molecular Tools for Reductive Dehalogenation 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d...Applications Technical Session No. 3D C-77 GENOME-ENABLED MOLECULAR TOOLS FOR REDUCTIVE DEHALOGENATION PROFESSOR ALFRED SPORMANN Stanford

The Surgical Learning and Instructional Portfolio (SLIP) as a self-assessment educational tool demonstrating practice-based learning.

PubMed

Webb, Travis P; Aprahamian, Charles; Weigelt, John A; Brasel, Karen J

2006-01-01

Time constraints on the teaching and evaluation of residents continue to alter the way in which medical knowledge must be imparted and assessed. Lifelong learning is a component of the practice-based learning competency. A portfolio is one way to assess practice-based learning, but its use is unfamiliar to most surgical programs. The authors describe the evolution of the Surgical Learning and Instructional Portfolio (SLIP) into a worthwhile educational tool. In March 2001, the authors began a program to encourage residents to develop a case-based portfolio to document their experience and demonstrate acquisition of knowledge in caring for a variety of surgical diseases. The monthly case topic was chosen by the resident and reported using a template: case history, supporting diagnostic studies, differential diagnosis, final diagnosis with ICD-9 coding, management options, treatment used, 3 lessons learned, embellishment of 1 lesson, and 2 articles supporting the experience. Initially, cases were submitted to the program coordinator and reviewed every 6 months with a faculty advisor to provide feedback. After the first 18 months of this program, resident compliance was less than 50%, satisfaction was low, and formal review did not occur. In July 2004, a single faculty member became responsible for evaluating and providing feedback on the monthly SLIPs. The assignments were handled electronically with feedback delivered within the month via e-mail. SLIP quality as measured by resident compliance and satisfaction improved. These SLIPs have matured into a valuable educational tool satisfying multiple ACGME competencies. This portfolio system required direct faculty feedback to become successful.

The accuracy and efficiency of electronic screening for recruitment into a clinical trial on COPD.

PubMed

Schmickl, Christopher N; Li, Man; Li, Guangxi; Wetzstein, Marnie M; Herasevich, Vitaly; Gajic, Ognjen; Benzo, Roberto P

2011-10-01

Participant recruitment is an important process in successful conduct of randomized controlled trials. To facilitate enrollment into a National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial involving patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we developed and prospectively validated an automated electronic screening tool based on boolean free-text search of admission notes in electronic medical records. During a 2-week validation period, all patients admitted to prespecified general medical services were screened for eligibility by both the electronic screening tool and a COPD nurse. Group discussion was the gold standard for confirmation of true-positive results. Compared with the gold standard, electronic screening yielded 100% sensitivity, 92% specificity, 100% negative predictive value, and 72% positive predictive value. Compared with traditional manual screening, electronic screening demonstrated time-saving potential of 76%. Thus, the electronic screening tool accurately identifies potential study subjects and improves efficiency of patient accrual for a clinical trial on COPD. This method may be expanded into other institutional and clinical settings. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From a paper-based to an electronic registry in physiotherapy.

PubMed

Buyl, Ronald; Nyssen, Marc

2008-01-01

During the past decade the healthcare industry has evolved from paper-based storage of clinical data into the digital era. Electronic healthcare records play a crucial role to meet the growing need for integrated data-storage and data communication. In this context a new law was issued in Belgium on December 7th, 2005, which requires physiotherapists (but also nurses and speech therapists) to keep an electronic version of the registry. This (electronic) registry contains all physiotherapeutic acts, starting from January 1, 2007. Up until that day, a paper version of the registry had to be created every month.This article describes the development of an electronic version of the registry that not only meets all legal constraints, but also enables to verify the traceability and inalterability of the generated documents, by means of SHA-256 codes. One of the major concerns of the process was that the rationale behind the electronic registry would conform well to the common practice of the physiotherapist. Therefore we opted for a periodic recording of a standardized "image" of the controllable data, in the patient database of the software-system, into the XML registry messages. The proposed XSLT schema can also form a basis for the development of tools that can be used by the controlling authorities. Hopefully the electronic registry for physiotherapists will be a first step towards the future development of a fully integrated electronic physiotherapy record.By means of a certification procedure for the software systems, we succeeded in developing a user friendly system that enables end-users that use a quality labeled software package, to automatically produce all the legally necessary documents concerning the registry. Moreover, we hope that this development will be an incentive for non-users to start working in an electronic way.

The Journal of Earth System Science Education: Peer Review for Digital Earth and Digital Library Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, D.; Ruzek, M.; Weatherley, J.

2001-05-01

The Journal of Earth System Science Education is a new interdisciplinary electronic journal aiming to foster the study of the Earth as a system and promote the development and exchange of interdisciplinary learning resources for formal and informal education. JESSE will serve educators and students by publishing and providing ready electronic access to Earth system and global change science learning resources for the classroom and will provide authors and creators with professional recognition through publication in a peer reviewed journal. JESSE resources foster a world perspective by emphasizing interdisciplinary studies and bridging disciplines in the context of the Earth system. The Journal will publish a wide ranging variety of electronic content, with minimal constraints on format, targeting undergraduate educators and students as the principal readership, expanding to a middle and high school audience as the journal matures. JESSE aims for rapid review and turn-around of resources to be published, with a goal of 12 weeks from submission to publication for resources requiring few changes. Initial publication will be on a quarterly basis until a flow of resource submissions is established to warrant continuous electronic publication. JESSE employs an open peer review process in which authors and reviewers discuss directly the acceptability of a resource for publication using a software tool called the Digital Document Discourse Environment. Reviewer comments and attribution will be available with the resource upon acceptance for publication. JESSE will also implement a moderated peer commentary capability where readers can comment on the use of a resource or make suggestions. In the development phase, JESSE will also conduct a parallel anonymous review of content to validate and ensure credibility of the open review approach. Copyright of materials submitted remains with the author, granting JESSE the non-exclusive right to maintain a copy of the resource published on the JESSE web server, ensuring long term access to the resource as reviewed. JESSE is collaborating with the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) as a federated partner. Initial release is planned for Summer, 2001.

Open source cardiology electronic health record development for DIGICARDIAC implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugarte, Nelson; Medina, Rubén.; Huiracocha, Lourdes; Rojas, Rubén.

2015-12-01

This article presents the development of a Cardiology Electronic Health Record (CEHR) system. Software consists of a structured algorithm designed under Health Level-7 (HL7) international standards. Novelty of the system is the integration of high resolution ECG (HRECG) signal acquisition and processing tools, patient information management tools and telecardiology tools. Acquisition tools are for management and control of the DIGICARDIAC electrocardiograph functions. Processing tools allow management of HRECG signal analysis searching for indicative patterns of cardiovascular pathologies. Telecardiology tools incorporation allows system communication with other health care centers decreasing access time to the patient information. CEHR system was completely developed using open source software. Preliminary results of process validation showed the system efficiency.

Modeling and Simulation for Particle Radiation Damage to Electronic and Opto-Electronic Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-25

AFRL-RV-PS- AFRL-RV-PS- TR-2018-0001 TR-2018-0001 MODELING & SIMULATION FOR PARTICLE RADIATION DAMAGE TO ELECTRONIC AND OPTO- ELECTRONIC DEVICES... Electronic and Opto- Electronic Devices 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA9453-14-1-0248 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 62601F 6. AUTHOR(S) Sanjay...nBp Diode Assuming the light is incident on the n-side of the photodiode, the drift-diffusion equation for the minority electron of the p-type

Utilizing Technology to Enhance Learning Environments: The Net Gen Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muhammad, Amanda J.; Mitova, Mariana A.; Wooldridge, Deborah G.

2016-01-01

It is essential for instructors to understand the importance of classroom technology so they can prepare to use it to personalize students' learning. Strategies for choosing effective electronic tools are presented, followed by specific suggestions for designing enhanced personalized learning using electronic tools.

Handheld tools assess medical necessity at the point of care.

PubMed

Pollard, Dan

2002-01-01

An emerging strategy to manage financial risk in clinical practice is to involve the physician at the point of care. Using handheld technology, encounter-specific information along with medical necessity policy can be presented to physicians allowing them to integrate it into their medical decision-making process. Three different strategies are discussed: reference books or paper encounter forms, electronic reference tools, and integrated process tools. The electronic reference tool strategy was evaluated and showed a return on investment exceeding 1200% due to reduced overhead costs associated with rework of claim errors.

Teaching the Teacher: Tutoring SimStudent Leads to More Effective Cognitive Tutor Authoring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsuda, Noboru; Cohen, William W.; Koedinger, Kenneth R.

2015-01-01

SimStudent is a machine-learning agent initially developed to help novice authors to create cognitive tutors without heavy programming. Integrated into an existing suite of software tools called Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT), SimStudent helps authors to create an expert model for a cognitive tutor by tutoring SimStudent on how to solve…

Evaluating Digital Authoring Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilde, Russ

2004-01-01

As the quality of authoring software increases, online course developers become less reliant on proprietary learning management systems, and develop skills in the design of original, in-house materials and the delivery platforms for them. This report examines the capabilities of digital authoring software tools for the development of learning…

The Electronic View Box: a software tool for radiation therapy treatment verification.

PubMed

Bosch, W R; Low, D A; Gerber, R L; Michalski, J M; Graham, M V; Perez, C A; Harms, W B; Purdy, J A

1995-01-01

We have developed a software tool for interactively verifying treatment plan implementation. The Electronic View Box (EVB) tool copies the paradigm of current practice but does so electronically. A portal image (online portal image or digitized port film) is displayed side by side with a prescription image (digitized simulator film or digitally reconstructed radiograph). The user can measure distances between features in prescription and portal images and "write" on the display, either to approve the image or to indicate required corrective actions. The EVB tool also provides several features not available in conventional verification practice using a light box. The EVB tool has been written in ANSI C using the X window system. The tool makes use of the Virtual Machine Platform and Foundation Library specifications of the NCI-sponsored Radiation Therapy Planning Tools Collaborative Working Group for portability into an arbitrary treatment planning system that conforms to these specifications. The present EVB tool is based on an earlier Verification Image Review tool, but with a substantial redesign of the user interface. A graphical user interface prototyping system was used in iteratively refining the tool layout to allow rapid modifications of the interface in response to user comments. Features of the EVB tool include 1) hierarchical selection of digital portal images based on physician name, patient name, and field identifier; 2) side-by-side presentation of prescription and portal images at equal magnification and orientation, and with independent grayscale controls; 3) "trace" facility for outlining anatomical structures; 4) "ruler" facility for measuring distances; 5) zoomed display of corresponding regions in both images; 6) image contrast enhancement; and 7) communication of portal image evaluation results (approval, block modification, repeat image acquisition, etc.). The EVB tool facilitates the rapid comparison of prescription and portal images and permits electronic communication of corrections in port shape and positioning.

Mediated learning in the workplace: student perspectives on knowledge resources.

PubMed

Shanahan, Madeleine

2015-01-01

In contemporary clinical practice, student radiographers can use many types of knowledge resources to support their learning. These include workplace experts, digital and nondigital information sources (eg, journals, textbooks, and the Internet), and electronic communication tools such as e-mail and social media. Despite the range of knowledge tools available, there is little available data about radiography students' use of these resources during clinical placement. A 68-item questionnaire was distributed to 62 students enrolled in an Australian university undergraduate radiography program after they completed a clinical placement. Researchers used descriptive statistics to analyze student access to workplace experts and their use of digital and nondigital information sources and electronic communication tools. A 5-point Likert scale (1 = very important; 5 = not important) was used to assess the present importance and perceived future value of knowledge tools for workplace learning. Of the 53 students who completed and returned the questionnaire anonymously, most rely on the knowledge of practicing technologists and on print and electronic information sources to support their learning; some students also use electronic communication tools. Students perceive that these knowledge resources also will be important tools for their future learning as qualified health professionals. The findings from this study present baseline data regarding the value students attribute to multiple knowledge tools and regarding student access to and use of these tools during clinical placement. In addition, most students have access to multiple knowledge tools in the workplace and incorporate these tools simultaneously into their overall learning practice during clinical placement. Although a range of knowledge tools is used in the workplace to support learning among student radiographers, the quality of each tool should be critically analyzed before it is adopted in practice. Integrating practice-based learning with learning mediated by information sources provides a more complete paradigm of learning during clinical placement.

8 CFR 217.5 - Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Waiver Program (VWP) must, within the time specified in paragraph (b) of this section, receive a travel... period of time the travel authorization is valid. An authorization under ESTA is not a determination that... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Electronic System for Travel Authorization...

8 CFR 217.5 - Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Waiver Program (VWP) must, within the time specified in paragraph (b) of this section, receive a travel... period of time the travel authorization is valid. An authorization under ESTA is not a determination that... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Electronic System for Travel Authorization...

8 CFR 217.5 - Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Waiver Program (VWP) must, within the time specified in paragraph (b) of this section, receive a travel... admission under the VWP during the period of time the travel authorization is valid. An authorization under... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Electronic System for Travel Authorization...

8 CFR 217.5 - Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Waiver Program (VWP) must, within the time specified in paragraph (b) of this section, receive a travel... period of time the travel authorization is valid. An authorization under ESTA is not a determination that... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Electronic System for Travel Authorization...

8 CFR 217.5 - Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Waiver Program (VWP) must, within the time specified in paragraph (b) of this section, receive a travel... period of time the travel authorization is valid. An authorization under ESTA is not a determination that... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Electronic System for Travel Authorization...

Contemporary roles of registries in clinical cardiology: when do we need randomized trials?

PubMed

Ieva, Francesca; Gale, Chris P; Sharples, Linda D

2014-12-01

Clinical registries are established as tools for auditing clinical standards and benchmarking quality improvement initiatives. They also have an emerging role (as electronic health records) in cardiovascular research and, in particular, the conduct of RCTs. While the RCT is accepted as the most robust experimental design, observational data from clinical registries has become increasingly valuable for RCTs. Data from clinical registries may be used to augment results from RCTs, identify patients for recruitment and as an alternative when randomization is not practically possible or ethically desirable. Here the authors appraise the advantages and disadvantages of both methodologies, with the aim of clarifying when their joint use may be successful.

Building the atomic model of a boreal lake virus of unknown fold in a 3.9 Å cryo-EM map.

PubMed

De Colibus, Luigi; Stuart, David I

2018-04-01

We report here the protocol adopted to build the atomic model of the newly discovered virus FLiP (Flavobacterium infecting, lipid-containing phage) into 3.9 Å cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps. In particular, this report discusses the combination of density modification procedures, automatic model building and bioinformatics tools applied to guide the tracing of the major capsid protein (MCP) of this virus. The protocol outlined here may serve as a reference for future structural determination by cryo-EM of viruses lacking detectable structural homologues. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

15 CFR 711.8 - How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports. 711.8 Section 711.8 Commerce and Foreign..., REPORTING, AND ADVANCE NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, AND THE ELECTRONIC FILING OF DECLARATIONS AND REPORTS § 711.8 How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports...

15 CFR 711.8 - How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports. 711.8 Section 711.8 Commerce and Foreign..., REPORTING, AND ADVANCE NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, AND THE ELECTRONIC FILING OF DECLARATIONS AND REPORTS § 711.8 How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports...

15 CFR 711.8 - How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports. 711.8 Section 711.8 Commerce and Foreign..., REPORTING, AND ADVANCE NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, AND THE ELECTRONIC FILING OF DECLARATIONS AND REPORTS § 711.8 How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports...

15 CFR 711.8 - How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports. 711.8 Section 711.8 Commerce and Foreign..., REPORTING, AND ADVANCE NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS, AND THE ELECTRONIC FILING OF DECLARATIONS AND REPORTS § 711.8 How to request authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations or reports...

Managing and Communicating Operational Workflow

PubMed Central

Weinberg, Stuart T.; Danciu, Ioana; Unertl, Kim M.

2016-01-01

Summary Background Healthcare team members in emergency department contexts have used electronic whiteboard solutions to help manage operational workflow for many years. Ambulatory clinic settings have highly complex operational workflow, but are still limited in electronic assistance to communicate and coordinate work activities. Objective To describe and discuss the design, implementation, use, and ongoing evolution of a coordination and collaboration tool supporting ambulatory clinic operational workflow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Methods The outpatient whiteboard tool was initially designed to support healthcare work related to an electronic chemotherapy order-entry application. After a highly successful initial implementation in an oncology context, a high demand emerged across the organization for the outpatient whiteboard implementation. Over the past 10 years, developers have followed an iterative user-centered design process to evolve the tool. Results The electronic outpatient whiteboard system supports 194 separate whiteboards and is accessed by over 2800 distinct users on a typical day. Clinics can configure their whiteboards to support unique workflow elements. Since initial release, features such as immunization clinical decision support have been integrated into the system, based on requests from end users. Conclusions The success of the electronic outpatient whiteboard demonstrates the usefulness of an operational workflow tool within the ambulatory clinic setting. Operational workflow tools can play a significant role in supporting coordination, collaboration, and teamwork in ambulatory healthcare settings. PMID:27081407

Effect of process parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanare, S. P.; Kalyankar, V. D.

2018-04-01

Friction stir welding is emerging as a promising technique for joining of lighter metal alloys due to its several advantages over conventional fusion welding processes such as low thermal distortion, good mechanical properties, fine weld joint microstructure, etc. This review article mainly focuses on analysis of microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints. Various microstructure characterization techniques used by previous researchers such as optical microscopes, x-ray diffraction, electron probe microscope, transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscopes with electron back scattered diffraction, electron dispersive microscopy, etc. are thoroughly overviewed and their results are discussed. The effects of friction stir welding process parameters such as tool rotational speed, welding speed, tool plunge depth, axial force, tool shoulder diameter to tool pin diameter ratio, tool geometry etc. on microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints are studied and critical observations are noted down. The microstructure examination carried out by previous researchers on various zones of welded joints such as weld zone, heat affected zone and base metal are studied and critical remarks have been presented. Mechanical performances of friction stir welded joints based on tensile test, micro-hardness test, etc. are discussed. This article includes exhaustive literature review of standard research articles which may become ready information for subsequent researchers to establish their line of action.

DensToolKit: A comprehensive open-source package for analyzing the electron density and its derivative scalar and vector fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solano-Altamirano, J. M.; Hernández-Pérez, Julio M.

2015-11-01

DensToolKit is a suite of cross-platform, optionally parallelized, programs for analyzing the molecular electron density (ρ) and several fields derived from it. Scalar and vector fields, such as the gradient of the electron density (∇ρ), electron localization function (ELF) and its gradient, localized orbital locator (LOL), region of slow electrons (RoSE), reduced density gradient, localized electrons detector (LED), information entropy, molecular electrostatic potential, kinetic energy densities K and G, among others, can be evaluated on zero, one, two, and three dimensional grids. The suite includes a program for searching critical points and bond paths of the electron density, under the framework of Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules. DensToolKit also evaluates the momentum space electron density on spatial grids, and the reduced density matrix of order one along lines joining two arbitrary atoms of a molecule. The source code is distributed under the GNU-GPLv3 license, and we release the code with the intent of establishing an open-source collaborative project. The style of DensToolKit's code follows some of the guidelines of an object-oriented program. This allows us to supply the user with a simple manner for easily implement new scalar or vector fields, provided they are derived from any of the fields already implemented in the code. In this paper, we present some of the most salient features of the programs contained in the suite, some examples of how to run them, and the mathematical definitions of the implemented fields along with hints of how we optimized their evaluation. We benchmarked our suite against both a freely-available program and a commercial package. Speed-ups of ˜2×, and up to 12× were obtained using a non-parallel compilation of DensToolKit for the evaluation of fields. DensToolKit takes similar times for finding critical points, compared to a commercial package. Finally, we present some perspectives for the future development and growth of the suite.

Ontology-Based Multimedia Authoring Tool for Adaptive E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deng, Lawrence Y.; Keh, Huan-Chao; Liu, Yi-Jen

2010-01-01

More video streaming technologies supporting distance learning systems are becoming popular among distributed network environments. In this paper, the authors develop a multimedia authoring tool for adaptive e-learning by using characterization of extended media streaming technologies. The distributed approach is based on an ontology-based model.…

Workaround identification as an instrument for work analysis and design: a case study on ePrescription.

PubMed

Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni; Tsagkas, Vassilis; Marmaras, Nicolas

2012-01-01

This paper investigates workarounds occurring while pharmacists use an electronic prescription (ePrescription) application. ePrescription enables physicians to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies and was recently introduced in Greece as a solution for controlling the ever-increasing medication costs and improving patient safety. The research was carried out in two phases: (i) review of the relevant documentation, (ii) fieldwork (field observations and semi-structured interviews with the pharmacists) in three pharmacies. The workarounds identified fall into five categories and namely: (a) bypass of ePrescription application (i.e. ePrescription application is not used at all), (b) temporal nonconformity in the use of ePrescription application (i.e. usage of the application, but not at the formally specified time), (c) catachresis of ePrescription application (i.e. usage of the application, but not according to the intended way), (d) ePrescription application substitution by another electronic application, and (e) delegation of ePrescription application usage to non-authorized users. The outcome of the research can be used for the improvement of multiple work system elements such as the tools, the procedures, the organisational arrangements and the policies.

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REVITALIZATION TOOLS-ELECTRONIC (SMARTE): OVERVIEW AND DEMONSTRATION FOR FINAL PHASE 3 CONFERENCE

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. contingent of the U.S.-German Bilateral Working Group is developing Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic (SMARTe). SMARTe is a web-based, decision support system designed to assist stakeholders in developing and evaluating alternative reu...

Reviewing Institutional Policies for Electronic Management of Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voce, Julie

2015-01-01

Electronic assignment submission (e-submission) tools, such as those within course management systems (e.g. Blackboard), or systems such as Turnitin, which enable students to submit coursework online are now one of the main centrally supported institutional tools in Higher Education (HE) in the United Kingdom (UK), however the development of…

The University of Minnesota's Internet Gopher System: A Tool for Accessing Network-Based Electronic Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiggins, Rich

1993-01-01

Describes the Gopher system developed at the University of Minnesota for accessing information on the Internet. Highlights include the need for navigation tools; Gopher clients; FTP (File Transfer Protocol); campuswide information systems; navigational enhancements; privacy and security issues; electronic publishing; multimedia; and future…

Efficacy of Handheld Electronic Visual Supports to Enhance Vocabulary in Children with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganz, Jennifer B.; Boles, Margot B.; Goodwyn, Fara D.; Flores, Margaret M.

2014-01-01

Although electronic tools such as handheld computers have become increasingly common throughout society, implementation of such tools to improve skills in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities has lagged in the professional literature. However, the use of visual scripts for individuals with disabilities, particularly those…

Enterprise Reference Library

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bickham, Grandin; Saile, Lynn; Havelka, Jacque; Fitts, Mary

2011-01-01

Introduction: Johnson Space Center (JSC) offers two extensive libraries that contain journals, research literature and electronic resources. Searching capabilities are available to those individuals residing onsite or through a librarian s search. Many individuals have rich collections of references, but no mechanisms to share reference libraries across researchers, projects, or directorates exist. Likewise, information regarding which references are provided to which individuals is not available, resulting in duplicate requests, redundant labor costs and associated copying fees. In addition, this tends to limit collaboration between colleagues and promotes the establishment of individual, unshared silos of information The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) team has utilized a centralized reference management tool during the development, test, and operational phases of this project. The Enterprise Reference Library project expands the capabilities developed for IMM to address the above issues and enhance collaboration across JSC. Method: After significant market analysis for a multi-user reference management tool, no available commercial tool was found to meet this need, so a software program was built around a commercial tool, Reference Manager 12 by The Thomson Corporation. A use case approach guided the requirements development phase. The premise of the design is that individuals use their own reference management software and export to SharePoint when their library is incorporated into the Enterprise Reference Library. This results in a searchable user-specific library application. An accompanying share folder will warehouse the electronic full-text articles, which allows the global user community to access full -text articles. Discussion: An enterprise reference library solution can provide a multidisciplinary collection of full text articles. This approach improves efficiency in obtaining and storing reference material while greatly reducing labor, purchasing and duplication costs. Most importantly, increasing collaboration across research groups provides unprecedented access to information relevant to NASA s mission. Conclusion: This project is an expansion and cost-effective leveraging of the existing JSC centralized library. Adding key word and author search capabilities and an alert function for notifications about new articles, based on users profiles, represent examples of future enhancements.

Implementation of a patient-facing genomic test report in the electronic health record using a web-application interface.

PubMed

Williams, Marc S; Kern, Melissa S; Lerch, Virginia R; Billet, Jonathan; Williams, Janet L; Moore, Gregory J

2018-05-30

Genomic medicine is emerging into clinical care. Communication of genetic laboratory results to patients and providers is hampered by the complex technical nature of the laboratory reports. This can lead to confusion and misinterpretation of the results resulting in inappropriate care. Patients usually do not receive a copy of the report leading to further opportunities for miscommunication. To address these problems, interpretive reports were created using input from the intended end users, patients and providers. This paper describes the technical development and deployment of the first patient-facing genomic test report (PGR) within an electronic health record (EHR) ecosystem using a locally developed standards-based web-application interface. A patient-facing genomic test report with a companion provider report was configured for implementation within the EHR using a locally developed software platform, COMPASS™. COMPASS™ is designed to manage secure data exchange, as well as patient and provider access to patient reported data capture and clinical display tools. COMPASS™ is built using a Software as a Service (SaaS) approach which exposes an API that apps can interact with. An authoring tool was developed that allowed creation of patient-specific PGRs and the accompanying provider reports. These were converted to a format that allowed them to be presented in the patient portal and EHR respectively using the existing COMPASS™ interface thus allowing patients, caregivers and providers access to individual reports designed for the intended end user. The PGR as developed was shown to enhance patient and provider communication around genomic results. It is built on current standards but is designed to support integration with other tools and be compatible with emerging opportunities such as SMART on FHIR. This approach could be used to support genomic return of results as the tool is scalable and generalizable.

The Three C's for Urban Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emdin, Chris

2008-01-01

In this article, the author outlines briefly what he calls the three C's--a set of tools that can be used to improve urban science education. The author then describes ways that these tools can support students who have traditionally been marginalized. These three aligned and closely connected tools provide practical ways to engage students in…

EBOOK.EXE: A Desktop Authoring Tool for HURAA.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Xiangen; Mathews, Eric; Graesser, Arthur C.; Susarla, Suresh

The development of authoring tools for intelligent systems is an important step for creating, maintaining, and structuring content in a quick and easy manner. It has the benefit of allowing for a rapid change to new domains or topics for tutoring. The development of such tools requires functional control, access protection, ease of learning, and…

77 FR 58131 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Mississippi

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-19

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9730-1] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Mississippi AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice...-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal Register (70 FR 59848) and...

76 FR 25334 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Maryland

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-04

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9301-4] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Maryland AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY..., [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic...

77 FR 25474 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Florida

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-30

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9665-2] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Florida AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting...

77 FR 65379 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Wyoming

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-26

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9744-2] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Wyoming AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting...

76 FR 76971 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Arkansas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9504-4] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Arkansas AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY..., [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic...

77 FR 37039 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Delaware

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-20

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9690-6] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Delaware AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Regulation (CROMERR) was...

76 FR 76970 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Montana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9504-3] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Montana AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY..., [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic...

76 FR 76971 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Indiana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9504-5] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Indiana AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY..., [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic...

78 FR 32386 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Arkansas

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-30

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9818-3] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Arkansas AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting...

78 FR 35030 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Nevada

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-11

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9823-4] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Nevada AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY..., [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic...

[Subatomic biology: electronic biology, biosemiconductivity].

PubMed

Ernst, E

1975-01-01

The author gives a critical and hystorical review of the existing in biology theories which on the molecular and electronic levels explain a number of mechanisms of vital phenomena such as excitation, muscle contraction etc. The author discusses in the hystorical aspect the problem of formation of electronic and biological semi-conductivity (as the author names it) called to explain the vital mechanisms. He shows is which way this theory can explain the process of excitation.

SAGES: A Suite of Freely-Available Software Tools for Electronic Disease Surveillance in Resource-Limited Settings

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-10

concert with existing surveillance applications or the SAGES tools may be used en masse for an end-to-end biosurveillance capability. This flexibility...existing surveillance applications or the SAGES tools may be used en masse for an end–to-end biosurveillance capability. doi:10.1371/journal.pone...health resources, and the costs of proprietary software. The Suite for Automated Global Electronic bioSurveillance (SAGES) is a collection of modular

Applying a Participatory Design Approach to Define Objectives and Properties of a “Data Profiling” Tool for Electronic Health Data

PubMed Central

Estiri, Hossein; Lovins, Terri; Afzalan, Nader; Stephens, Kari A.

2016-01-01

We applied a participatory design approach to define the objectives, characteristics, and features of a “data profiling” tool for primary care Electronic Health Data (EHD). Through three participatory design workshops, we collected input from potential tool users who had experience working with EHD. We present 15 recommended features and characteristics for the data profiling tool. From these recommendations we derived three overarching objectives and five properties for the tool. A data profiling tool, in Biomedical Informatics, is a visual, clear, usable, interactive, and smart tool that is designed to inform clinical and biomedical researchers of data utility and let them explore the data, while conveniently orienting the users to the tool’s functionalities. We suggest that developing scalable data profiling tools will provide new capacities to disseminate knowledge about clinical data that will foster translational research and accelerate new discoveries. PMID:27570651

77 FR 68770 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Vermont

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-16

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL9752-3] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Vermont AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal...

76 FR 25333 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision/Modification Approvals, State of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-04

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9301-5] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision/ Modification Approvals, State of South Dakota AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA...: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the...

76 FR 30342 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Ohio

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-25

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9311-3] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Ohio AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal...

77 FR 13123 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Ohio

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-05

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9642-8] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Ohio AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was...

76 FR 46798 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approvals, Commonwealth of Kentucky

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-03

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9447-2] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approvals, Commonwealth of Kentucky AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice... October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal...

77 FR 71792 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Georgia

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-04

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9757-6] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Georgia AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY...-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal Register (70 FR 59848) and...

77 FR 37038 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Illinois

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-20

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9690-5] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Illinois AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was...

76 FR 24020 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Illinois

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-29

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9293-7] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Illinois AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal Register (70 FR 59848...

78 FR 49510 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Montana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9900-04-OEI] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of Montana AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice...-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in the Federal Register (70 FR 59848) and...

A quality-based cost model for new electronic systems and products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shina, Sammy G.; Saigal, Anil

1998-04-01

This article outlines a method for developing a quality-based cost model for the design of new electronic systems and products. The model incorporates a methodology for determining a cost-effective design margin allocation for electronic products and systems and its impact on manufacturing quality and cost. A spreadsheet-based cost estimating tool was developed to help implement this methodology in order for the system design engineers to quickly estimate the effect of design decisions and tradeoffs on the quality and cost of new products. The tool was developed with automatic spreadsheet connectivity to current process capability and with provisions to consider the impact of capital equipment and tooling purchases to reduce the product cost.

Tool for use in lifting pin supported objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marzek, R. A.; Read, W. S. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A tool for use in lifting a pin-supported, electronic package mounted in juxtaposition with the surface of an electronic circuit board is described. The tool is configured to be received beneath a pin-supported package and is characterized by a manually operable linkage, including an elongated, rigid link is supported for axial reciprocation and a pivotal link pinned to the body and supported for oscillation induced in response to axial motion imparted to the rigid link. A lifting plate is pivotally coupled to the distal end of the pivotal link so that oscillatory motion imparted to the pivotal link serves to move the plate vertically for elevating the plate into lifting engagement with the electronic package positioned thereabove.

Logistics of Behavior Screenings: How and Why Do We Conduct Behavior Screenings at Our School?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakes, Wendy Peia; Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Cox, Meredith Lucille; Messenger, Mallory

2014-01-01

In this article, the authors provide an overview of behavior screening tools available, including free and commercially available options. Next, the authors offer step-by-step procedures for (a) selecting, (b) scheduling, (c) preparing, (d) administering, and (e) scoring and interpreting behaviors screening tools. The authors conclude with…

RegulonDB version 9.0: high-level integration of gene regulation, coexpression, motif clustering and beyond.

PubMed

Gama-Castro, Socorro; Salgado, Heladia; Santos-Zavaleta, Alberto; Ledezma-Tejeida, Daniela; Muñiz-Rascado, Luis; García-Sotelo, Jair Santiago; Alquicira-Hernández, Kevin; Martínez-Flores, Irma; Pannier, Lucia; Castro-Mondragón, Jaime Abraham; Medina-Rivera, Alejandra; Solano-Lira, Hilda; Bonavides-Martínez, César; Pérez-Rueda, Ernesto; Alquicira-Hernández, Shirley; Porrón-Sotelo, Liliana; López-Fuentes, Alejandra; Hernández-Koutoucheva, Anastasia; Del Moral-Chávez, Víctor; Rinaldi, Fabio; Collado-Vides, Julio

2016-01-04

RegulonDB (http://regulondb.ccg.unam.mx) is one of the most useful and important resources on bacterial gene regulation,as it integrates the scattered scientific knowledge of the best-characterized organism, Escherichia coli K-12, in a database that organizes large amounts of data. Its electronic format enables researchers to compare their results with the legacy of previous knowledge and supports bioinformatics tools and model building. Here, we summarize our progress with RegulonDB since our last Nucleic Acids Research publication describing RegulonDB, in 2013. In addition to maintaining curation up-to-date, we report a collection of 232 interactions with small RNAs affecting 192 genes, and the complete repertoire of 189 Elementary Genetic Sensory-Response units (GENSOR units), integrating the signal, regulatory interactions, and metabolic pathways they govern. These additions represent major progress to a higher level of understanding of regulated processes. We have updated the computationally predicted transcription factors, which total 304 (184 with experimental evidence and 120 from computational predictions); we updated our position-weight matrices and have included tools for clustering them in evolutionary families. We describe our semiautomatic strategy to accelerate curation, including datasets from high-throughput experiments, a novel coexpression distance to search for 'neighborhood' genes to known operons and regulons, and computational developments. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Holograms as Teaching Agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Robin A.

2013-02-01

Hungarian physicist Dennis Gabor won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1947 introduction of basic holographic principles, but it was not until the invention of the laser in 1960 that research scientists, physicians, technologists and the general public began to seriously consider the interdisciplinary potentiality of holography. Questions around whether and when Three-Dimensional (3-D) images and systems would impact American entertainment and the arts would be answered before educators, instructional designers and students would discover how much Three-Dimensional Hologram Technology (3DHT) would affect teaching practices and learning environments. In the following International Symposium on Display Holograms (ISDH) poster presentation, the author features a traditional board game as well as a reflection hologram to illustrate conventional and evolving Three-Dimensional representations and technology for education. Using elements from the American children's toy Operation® (Hasbro, 2005) as well as a reflection hologram of a human brain (Ko, 1998), this poster design highlights the pedagogical effects of 3-D images, games and systems on learning science. As teaching agents, holograms can be considered substitutes for real objects, (human beings, organs, and animated characters) as well as agents (pedagogical, avatars, reflective) in various learning environments using many systems (direct, emergent, augmented reality) and electronic tools (cellphones, computers, tablets, television). In order to understand the particular importance of utilizing holography in school, clinical and public settings, the author identifies advantages and benefits of using 3-D images and technology as instructional tools.

Implementation of integrated heterogeneous electronic electrocardiography data into Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital Information System.

PubMed

Khumrin, Piyapong; Chumpoo, Pitupoom

2016-03-01

Electrocardiography is one of the most important non-invasive diagnostic tools for diagnosing coronary heart disease. The electrocardiography information system in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital required a massive manual labor effort. In this article, we propose an approach toward the integration of heterogeneous electrocardiography data and the implementation of an integrated electrocardiography information system into the existing Hospital Information System. The system integrates different electrocardiography formats into a consistent electrocardiography rendering by using Java software. The interface acts as middleware to seamlessly integrate different electrocardiography formats. Instead of using a common electrocardiography protocol, we applied a central format based on Java classes for mapping different electrocardiography formats which contains a specific parser for each electrocardiography format to acquire the same information. Our observations showed that the new system improved the effectiveness of data management, work flow, and data quality; increased the availability of information; and finally improved quality of care. © The Author(s) 2014.

Influence of friction stir welding parameters on titanium-aluminum heterogeneous lap joining configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picot, Florent; Gueydan, Antoine; Hug, Éric

2017-10-01

Lap joining configuration for Friction Stir Welding process is a methodology mostly dedicated to heterogeneous bonding. This welding technology was applied to join pure titanium with pure aluminum by varying the rotation speed and the movement speed of the tool. Regardless of the process parameters, it was found that the maximum strength of the junction remains almost constant. Microstructural observations by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectrometry analysis enable to describe the interfacial join and reveal asymmetric Cold Lap Defects on the sides of the junction. Chemical analysis shows the presence of one exclusive intermetallic compound through the interface identified as TiAl3. This compound is responsible of the crack spreading of the junction during the mechanical loading. The original version of this article supplied to AIP Publishing contained an accidental inversion of the authors, names. An updated version of this article, with the authors names formatted correctly was published on 20 October 2017.

Investigating the key indicators for evaluating post-disaster shelter.

PubMed

Nath, Ronita; Shannon, Harry; Kabali, Conrad; Oremus, Mark

2017-07-01

This study sought to identify the primary indicators for evaluating shelter assistance following natural disasters and then to develop a shelter evaluation instrument based on these indicators. Electronic databases and the 'grey' literature were scoured for publications with a relation to post-disaster shelter assistance. Indicators for evaluating such assistance were extracted from these publications. In total, 1,525 indicators were extracted from 181 publications. A preliminary evaluation instrument was designed from these 1,525 indicators. Shelter experts checked the instrument for face and content validity, and it was revised subsequently based on their input. The revised instrument comprises a version for use by shelter agencies (48 questions that assess 23 indicators) and a version for use by beneficiaries (52 questions that assess 22 indicators). The instrument can serve as a standardised tool to enable groups to gauge whether or not the shelter assistance that they supply meets the needs of disaster-affected populations. © 2017 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2017.

Pediatricians Transitioning Practices, Youth With Special Health Care Needs in New York State.

PubMed

Davidson, Lynn F; Chhabra, Rosy; Cohen, Hillel W; Lechuga, Claudia; Diaz, Patricia; Racine, Andrew

2015-10-01

To assess current practices of New York State pediatricians as they transition youth with special health care needs to adult-oriented medical care. A survey of New York State pediatricians included 6 critical steps from 2002 consensus statement, 11 essential steps adapted from recent literature, and questions targeting age of starting transition and availability of transition policy. Of 181 respondents, only 11% have a transition policy. Most assist patients in transition process; identify an adult provider (92%); and create portable medical summary (57%). Only 3% start planning process at recommended age. No respondents are compliant with all 6 critical steps; subspecialists were more likely to report compliance to more than 4 steps. Participating pediatricians are making gains, yet effort is needed, to incorporate the essential steps into practice for transitioning youth with special health care needs. Recognition of barriers, use of electronic tools, and clarifying subspecialist's approach, may improve compliance with transition recommendations. © The Author(s) 2015.

Understanding the implementation and adoption of an information technology intervention to support medicine optimisation in primary care: qualitative study using strong structuration theory.

PubMed

Jeffries, Mark; Phipps, Denham; Howard, Rachel L; Avery, Anthony; Rodgers, Sarah; Ashcroft, Darren

2017-05-10

Using strong structuration theory, we aimed to understand the adoption and implementation of an electronic clinical audit and feedback tool to support medicine optimisation for patients in primary care. This is a qualitative study informed by strong structuration theory. The analysis was thematic, using a template approach. An a priori set of thematic codes, based on strong structuration theory, was developed from the literature and applied to the transcripts. The coding template was then modified through successive readings of the data. Clinical commissioning group in the south of England. Four focus groups and five semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants purposively sampled from a range of stakeholder groups (general practitioners, pharmacists, patients and commissioners). Using the system could lead to improved medication safety, but use was determined by broad institutional contexts; by the perceptions, dispositions and skills of users; and by the structures embedded within the technology. These included perceptions of the system as new and requiring technical competence and skill; the adoption of the system for information gathering; and interactions and relationships that involved individual, shared or collective use. The dynamics between these external, internal and technological structures affected the adoption and implementation of the system. Successful implementation of information technology interventions for medicine optimisation will depend on a combination of the infrastructure within primary care, social structures embedded in the technology and the conventions, norms and dispositions of those utilising it. Future interventions, using electronic audit and feedback tools to improve medication safety, should consider the complexity of the social and organisational contexts and how internal and external structures can affect the use of the technology in order to support effective implementation. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Interactive tools for inpatient medication tracking: a multi-phase study with cardiothoracic surgery patients.

PubMed

Wilcox, Lauren; Woollen, Janet; Prey, Jennifer; Restaino, Susan; Bakken, Suzanne; Feiner, Steven; Sackeim, Alexander; Vawdrey, David K

2016-01-01

Prior studies of computing applications that support patients' medication knowledge and self-management offer valuable insights into effective application design, but do not address inpatient settings. This study is the first to explore the design and usefulness of patient-facing tools supporting inpatient medication management and tracking. We designed myNYP Inpatient, a custom personal health record application, through an iterative, user-centered approach. Medication-tracking tools in myNYP Inpatient include interactive views of home and hospital medication data and features for commenting on these data. In a two-phase pilot study, patients used the tools during cardiothoracic postoperative care at Columbia University Medical Center. In Phase One, we provided 20 patients with the application for 24-48 h and conducted a closing interview after this period. In Phase Two, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 patients and 5 clinical pharmacists who evaluated refinements to the tools based on the feedback received during Phase One. Patients reported that the medication-tracking tools were useful. During Phase One, 14 of the 20 participants used the tools actively, to review medication lists and log comments and questions about their medications. Patients' interview responses and audit logs revealed that they made frequent use of the hospital medications feature and found electronic reporting of questions and comments useful. We also uncovered important considerations for subsequent design of such tools. In Phase Two, the patients and pharmacists participating in the study confirmed the usability and usefulness of the refined tools. Inpatient medication-tracking tools, when designed to meet patients' needs, can play an important role in fostering patient participation in their own care and patient-provider communication during a hospital stay. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

75 FR 30372 - Foreign-Trade Zone 196 Temporary/Interim Manufacturing Authority ATC Logistics & Electronics...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Docket T-2-2010] Foreign-Trade Zone 196 Temporary/Interim Manufacturing Authority ATC Logistics & Electronics (Cell Phone Kitting and Distribution... filed an application submitted by the ATC Logistics & Electronics, operator of Site 2, FTZ 196...

78 FR 77121 - Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of New York

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-20

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9904-29-OEI] Cross-Media Electronic Reporting: Authorized Program Revision Approval, State of New York AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice... INFORMATION: On October 13, 2005, the final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) was published in...

12 CFR 1005.3 - Coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...-time electronic fund transfer from a consumer's account. The consumer must authorize the transfer. (ii... one-time electronic fund transfer (in providing a check to a merchant or other payee for the MICR... transfer. A consumer authorizes a one-time electronic fund transfer from his or her account to pay the fee...

Ant colony algorithm implementation in electron and photon Monte Carlo transport: application to the commissioning of radiosurgery photon beams.

PubMed

García-Pareja, S; Galán, P; Manzano, F; Brualla, L; Lallena, A M

2010-07-01

In this work, the authors describe an approach which has been developed to drive the application of different variance-reduction techniques to the Monte Carlo simulation of photon and electron transport in clinical accelerators. The new approach considers the following techniques: Russian roulette, splitting, a modified version of the directional bremsstrahlung splitting, and the azimuthal particle redistribution. Their application is controlled by an ant colony algorithm based on an importance map. The procedure has been applied to radiosurgery beams. Specifically, the authors have calculated depth-dose profiles, off-axis ratios, and output factors, quantities usually considered in the commissioning of these beams. The agreement between Monte Carlo results and the corresponding measurements is within approximately 3%/0.3 mm for the central axis percentage depth dose and the dose profiles. The importance map generated in the calculation can be used to discuss simulation details in the different parts of the geometry in a simple way. The simulation CPU times are comparable to those needed within other approaches common in this field. The new approach is competitive with those previously used in this kind of problems (PSF generation or source models) and has some practical advantages that make it to be a good tool to simulate the radiation transport in problems where the quantities of interest are difficult to obtain because of low statistics.

Open Access Publishing in the Electronic Age.

PubMed

Kovács, Gábor L

2014-10-01

The principle of open-access (OA) publishing is more and more prevalent also on the field of laboratory medicine. Open-access journals (OAJs) are available online to the reader usually without financial, legal, or technical barriers. Some are subsidized, and some require payment on behalf of the author. OAJs are one of the two general methods for providing OA. The other one is self-archiving in a repository. The electronic journal of the IFCC (eJIFCC) is a platinum OAJ- i.e. there is no charge to read, or to submit to this journal. Traditionally, the author was required to transfer the copyright to the journal publisher. Publishers claimed this was necessary in order to protect author's rights. However, many authors found this unsatisfactory, and have used their influence to affect a gradual move towards a license to publish instead. Under such a system, the publisher has permission to edit, print, and distribute the article commercially, but the author(s) retain the other rights themselves. An OA mandate is a policy adopted by a research institution, research funder, or government which requires researchers to make their published, peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers OA by self-archiving their peer-reviewed drafts in a repository ("green OA") or by publishing them in an OAJ ("gold OA"). Creative Commons (CC) is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. The free, easy-to-use copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use creative work. CC licenses let you easily change your copyright terms from the default of "all rights reserved" to "some rights reserved." OA publishing also raises a number of new ethical problems (e.g. predatory publishers, fake papers). Laboratory scientists are encouraged to publish their scientific results OA (especially in eJIFCC). They should, however, be aware of their rights, institutional mandate, the procedures of publishing and post-printing, and the potential risks of OAP. Recent research shows that OA articles are wider seen, and are just starting to be better cited than equivalent papers published in traditional subscription journals.

Mobile technology in radiology resident education.

PubMed

Korbage, Aiham C; Bedi, Harprit S

2012-06-01

The authors hypothesized that ownership of a mobile electronic device would result in more time spent learning radiology. Current trends in radiology residents' studying habits, their use of electronic and printed radiology learning resources, and how much of the funds allotted to them are being used toward printed vs electronic education tools were assessed in this study. A survey study was conducted among radiology residents across the United States from June 13 to July 5, 2011. Program directors listed in the Association of Program Directors in Radiology e-mail list server received an e-mail asking for residents to participate in an online survey. The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions and assessed the type of institution, the levels of training of the respondents, and book funds allocated to residents. It also assessed the residents' study habits, access to portable devices, and use of printed and electronic radiology resources. Radiology residents are adopters of new technologies, with 74% owning smart phones and 37% owning tablet devices. Respondents spend nearly an equal amount of time learning radiology from printed textbooks as they do from electronic resources. Eighty-one percent of respondents believe that they would spend more time learning radiology if provided with tablet devices. There is considerable use of online and electronic resources and mobile devices among the current generation of radiology residents. Benefits, such as more study time, may be obtained by radiology programs that incorporate tablet devices into the education of their residents. Copyright © 2012 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical code set engineering for reusing EHR data for research: A review.

PubMed

Williams, Richard; Kontopantelis, Evangelos; Buchan, Iain; Peek, Niels

2017-06-01

The construction of reliable, reusable clinical code sets is essential when re-using Electronic Health Record (EHR) data for research. Yet code set definitions are rarely transparent and their sharing is almost non-existent. There is a lack of methodological standards for the management (construction, sharing, revision and reuse) of clinical code sets which needs to be addressed to ensure the reliability and credibility of studies which use code sets. To review methodological literature on the management of sets of clinical codes used in research on clinical databases and to provide a list of best practice recommendations for future studies and software tools. We performed an exhaustive search for methodological papers about clinical code set engineering for re-using EHR data in research. This was supplemented with papers identified by snowball sampling. In addition, a list of e-phenotyping systems was constructed by merging references from several systematic reviews on this topic, and the processes adopted by those systems for code set management was reviewed. Thirty methodological papers were reviewed. Common approaches included: creating an initial list of synonyms for the condition of interest (n=20); making use of the hierarchical nature of coding terminologies during searching (n=23); reviewing sets with clinician input (n=20); and reusing and updating an existing code set (n=20). Several open source software tools (n=3) were discovered. There is a need for software tools that enable users to easily and quickly create, revise, extend, review and share code sets and we provide a list of recommendations for their design and implementation. Research re-using EHR data could be improved through the further development, more widespread use and routine reporting of the methods by which clinical codes were selected. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Access, interest, and attitudes toward electronic communication for health care among patients in the medical safety net.

PubMed

Schickedanz, Adam; Huang, David; Lopez, Andrea; Cheung, Edna; Lyles, C R; Bodenheimer, Tom; Sarkar, Urmimala

2013-07-01

Electronic and internet-based tools for patient-provider communication are becoming the standard of care, but disparities exist in their adoption among patients. The reasons for these disparities are unclear, and few studies have looked at the potential communication technologies have to benefit vulnerable patient populations. To characterize access to, interest in, and attitudes toward internet-based communication in an ethnically, economically, and linguistically diverse group of patients from a large urban safety net clinic network. Observational, cross-sectional study Adult patients (≥ 18 years) in six resource-limited community clinics in the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) MAIN MEASURES: Current email use, interest in communicating electronically with health care professionals, barriers to and facilitators of electronic health-related communication, and demographic data-all self-reported via survey. Sixty percent of patients used email, 71 % were interested in using electronic communication with health care providers, and 19 % reported currently using email informally with these providers for health care. Those already using any email were more likely to express interest in using it for health matters. Most patients agreed electronic communication would improve clinic efficiency and overall communication with clinicians. A significant majority of safety net patients currently use email, text messaging, and the internet, and they expressed an interest in using these tools for electronic communication with their medical providers. This interest is currently unmet within safety net clinics that do not offer a patient portal or secure messaging. Tools such as email encounters and electronic patient portals should be implemented and supported to a greater extent in resource-poor settings, but this will require tailoring these tools to patients' language, literacy level, and experience with communication technology.

Computer-Based Instruction Authoring Tools System (CATS): Lesson Maintenance

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-01

Tols-System ( CATS ): Lesson Maintenance Vol N. Hutton Michael R. Flaningam Barbara Tarker Ann Rybowlak Susan Sulzbach Mark Lyon Brian Thomason DTC"",~1...Authoring Tools &ystem ( CATS ): Lesson Maintenance Vel N. Hulton Michael R. Flaningam Barbara Tarker Ann Rybowiak Navy Personnel Research and...lools •ystem ( CATS ): Program Element 0604722A Lesson Maintenance 6. AUTHOR(S) V. N. Huhoa, N. R. Fl1ingam. B. Tarktr, A. Rybowiak. S. Sulzbach. M

International trends in electronic media communication among 11- to 15-year-olds in 30 countries from 2002 to 2010: association with ease of communication with friends of the opposite sex.

PubMed

Boniel-Nissim, Meyran; Lenzi, Michela; Zsiros, Emese; de Matos, Margarida Gaspar; Gommans, Rob; Harel-Fisch, Yossi; Djalovski, Amir; van der Sluijs, Winfried

2015-04-01

Electronic media has become a central part of the lives of adolescents. Therefore, this study examines trends in adolescent electronic media communication (EMC) and its relationship with ease of communication with friends of the opposite sex, from 2002 to 10 in 30 European and North American regions. Data from the HBSC study were collected using self-report questionnaires from 11-, 13- and 15-year-old participants (N = 404 523). EMC use has grown over the years in most of these regions and increases with age. Even though Internet usage is often blamed for its negative effects on teenagers' social interactions in the physical world, in this study EMC was found to predict ease of communication with friends. Especially, the more they use EMC, the easier they find it to talk with friends of the opposite sex. Although these findings suggest that EMC reinforces communication, the interaction between year (2002-2006-2010) and EMC usage was not significant. This finding contradicts research that suggests that EMC contributes to loneliness and isolation, and supports other studies that present electronic media as a powerful tool for helping to connect people. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Mapping, Awareness, And Virtualization Network Administrator Training Tool Virtualization Module

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

AND VIRTUALIZATION NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING TOOL VIRTUALIZATION MODULE by Erik W. Berndt March 2016 Thesis Advisor: John Gibson...REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE MAPPING, AWARENESS, AND VIRTUALIZATION NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING TOOL... VIRTUALIZATION MODULE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Erik W. Berndt 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Naval Postgraduate School

Evaluation of Electronic Registering Fareboxes

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-01-01

This report presents the findings of an evaluation of electronic registering fareboxes in use at four transit systems: Dallas Transit, Phoenix Transit, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, and the Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority of...

Using Turnitin to Provide Feedback on L2 Writers' Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kostka, Ilka; Maliborska, Veronika

2016-01-01

Second language (L2) writing instructors have varying tools at their disposal for providing feedback on students' writing, including ones that enable them to provide written and audio feedback in electronic form. One tool that has been underexplored is Turnitin, a widely used software program that matches electronic text to a wide range of…

An E-Portfolio for Leisure Sciences Students: A Case Study at Edith Cowan University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colyer, Sue; Howell, Julie

2004-01-01

The benefits of an electronic portfolio as an educational tool, as well as a career tool, for leisure sciences students are discussed, and concerns with electronic portfolio implementation are raised. This paper also outlines briefly the prototype of the e-Portfolio developed for leisure sciences students. Responses from student evaluations…

Validity of electronic diet recording nutrient estimates compared to dietitian analysis of diet records: A randomized controlled trial

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Dietary intake assessment with diet records (DR) is a standard research and practice tool in nutrition. Manual entry and analysis of DR is time-consuming and expensive. New electronic tools for diet entry by clients and research participants may reduce the cost and effort of nutrient int...

Using Laboratory Experiments and Circuit Simulation IT Tools in an Undergraduate Course in Analog Electronics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baltzis, Konstantinos B.; Koukias, Konstantinos D.

2009-01-01

Laboratory-based courses play a significant role in engineering education. Given the role of electronics in engineering and technology, laboratory experiments and circuit simulation IT tools are used in their teaching in several academic institutions. This paper discusses the characteristics and benefits of both methods. The content and structure…

simuwatt - A Tablet Based Electronic Auditing Tool

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

Macumber, Daniel; Parker, Andrew; Lisell, Lars

2014-05-08

'simuwatt Energy Auditor' (TM) is a new tablet-based electronic auditing tool that is designed to dramatically reduce the time and cost to perform investment-grade audits and improve quality and consistency. The tool uses the U.S. Department of Energy's OpenStudio modeling platform and integrated Building Component Library to automate modeling and analysis. simuwatt's software-guided workflow helps users gather required data, and provides the data in a standard electronic format that is automatically converted to a baseline OpenStudio model for energy analysis. The baseline energy model is calibrated against actual monthly energy use to ASHRAE Standard 14 guidelines. Energy conservation measures frommore » the Building Component Library are then evaluated using OpenStudio's parametric analysis capability. Automated reporting creates audit documents that describe recommended packages of energy conservation measures. The development of this tool was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. As part of this program, the tool is being tested at 13 buildings on 5 Department of Defense sites across the United States. Results of the first simuwatt audit tool demonstration are presented in this paper.« less

Evaluation of Radiation Belt Space Weather Forecasts for Internal Charging Analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minow, Joseph I.; Coffey, Victoria N.; Jun, Insoo; Garrett, Henry B.

2007-01-01

A variety of static electron radiation belt models, space weather prediction tools, and energetic electron datasets are used by spacecraft designers and operations support personnel as internal charging code inputs to evaluate electrostatic discharge risks in space systems due to exposure to relativistic electron environments. Evaluating the environment inputs is often accomplished by comparing whether the data set or forecast tool reliability predicts measured electron flux (or fluence over a given period) for some chosen period. While this technique is useful as a model metric, it does not provide the information necessary to evaluate whether short term deviances of the predicted flux is important in the charging evaluations. In this paper, we use a 1-D internal charging model to compute electric fields generated in insulating materials as a function of time when exposed to relativistic electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere. The resulting fields are assumed to represent the "true" electric fields and are compared with electric field values computed from relativistic electron environments derived from a variety of space environment and forecast tools. Deviances in predicted fields compared to the "true" fields which depend on insulator charging time constants will be evaluated as a potential metric for determining the importance of predicted and measured relativistic electron flux deviations over a range of time scales.

Reminiscence work with older people: the development of a historical reminiscence tool.

PubMed

Thorgrimsdottir, Sigrun Huld; Bjornsdottir, Kristin

2016-03-01

(i) To explore how reminiscence workers in older people's care define their work and (ii) to describe the development of a historical reminiscence tool containing historical developments from the older person's passage through life, intended to support reminiscence work. Reminiscence work refers to the recall of past occurrences in a client's life with the intention of enhancing well-being, social skills and self-image. The design of the historical reminiscence tool was informed by the model of intervention design developed by van Meijel et al. starting with problem definition followed by the accumulation of building blocks for the intervention, the design of the intervention and, lastly, a validation of the intervention. Two studies were designed to develop the historical reminiscence tool. Study 1 was a focus group interview, conducted in 2008, aimed at generating knowledge about current practice and to develop the historical reminiscence tool. Eighteen women who identified themselves as reminiscence workers participated in three focus groups. Study 2 was a telephone survey, conducted in 2012 by the first author, serving the purpose of validation. The results provided information about the use of such a historical reminiscence tool. Participants understood reminiscence work primarily as meaningful activity, working with personal experience and honouring the individual's memories and life story. The historical reminiscence tool containing information about important historical events and everyday life in the period 1925-1955 was welcomed by the participants. They provided numerous suggestions for improvement of the draft. Reminiscence work in Iceland is of the social or meaningful activity type rather than a therapy. A historical reminiscence tool containing pertinent historical information was considered helpful in strengthening reminiscence workers' knowledge of the social and historical background of their clients and person-centred care. Reminiscence tools, such as books or electronic sources containing historical information pertaining to aging individuals, can enhance the care of older people. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

76 FR 22672 - Grant of Authority for Subzone Status, Allegro Mfg. Inc. (Distribution of Cosmetic, Organizer and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Order No. 1754] Grant of Authority for Subzone Status, Allegro Mfg. Inc. (Distribution of Cosmetic, Organizer and Electronic Bags and Accessories... grants authority for subzone status for activity related to cosmetic, organizer and electronic bags and...

Ultrafast electron transport across nano gaps in nanowire circuits

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

Potma, Eric O.

In this Program we aim for a closer look at electron transfer through single molecules. To achieve this, we use ultrafast laser pulses to time stamp an electron tunneling event in a molecule that is connected between two metallic electrodes, while reading out the electron current. A key aspect of this project is the use of metallic substrates with plasmonic activity to efficiently manipulate the tunneling probability. The first Phase of this program is concerned with developing highly sensitive tools for the ultrafast optical manipulation of tethered molecules through the evanescent surface field of plasmonic substrates. The second Phase ofmore » the program aims to use these tools for exercising control over the electron tunneling probability.« less

2016 eCDRweb User Guide–Primary Authorized Official

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document presents the user guide for the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics’ (OPPT) 2016 e-CDRweb tool. This document is the user guide for the Primary Authorized Official (AO) user of the 2016 e-CDR web tool.

40 CFR 272.951 - Louisiana state-administered program: Final authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... changes conforming to the addition of Consumer Electronics as a state universal waste. These changes were... Electronics as part of the State's approved program. (iii) The following authorized provisions of the...

40 CFR 272.951 - Louisiana state-administered program: Final authorization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... changes conforming to the addition of Consumer Electronics as a state universal waste. These changes were... Electronics as part of the State's approved program. (iii) The following authorized provisions of the...

Measurement of Minority Charge Carrier Diffusion Length in Gallium Nitride Nanowires Using Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

MINORITY CHARGE CARRIER DIFFUSION LENGTH IN GALLIUM NITRIDE NANOWIRES USING ELECTRON BEAM INDUCED CURRENT (EBIC) by Chiou Perng Ong December... Gallium Nitride Nanowires Using Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) 6. AUTHOR(S) Ong, Chiou Perng 5. FUNDING NUMBERS DMR 0804527 7. PERFORMING...CARRIER DIFFUSION LENGTH IN GALLIUM NITRIDE NANOWIRES USING ELECTRON BEAM INDUCED CURRENT (EBIC) Chiou Perng Ong Major, Singapore Armed Forces B

In Interactive, Web-Based Approach to Metadata Authoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, Janine; Wharton, Stephen W. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) serves a growing number of users by assisting the scientific community in the discovery of and linkage to Earth science data sets and related services. The GCMD holds over 8000 data set descriptions in Directory Interchange Format (DIF) and 200 data service descriptions in Service Entry Resource Format (SERF), encompassing the disciplines of geology, hydrology, oceanography, meteorology, and ecology. Data descriptions also contain geographic coverage information, thus allowing researchers to discover data pertaining to a particular geographic location, as well as subject of interest. The GCMD strives to be the preeminent data locator for world-wide directory level metadata. In this vein, scientists and data providers must have access to intuitive and efficient metadata authoring tools. Existing GCMD tools are not currently attracting. widespread usage. With usage being the prime indicator of utility, it has become apparent that current tools must be improved. As a result, the GCMD has released a new suite of web-based authoring tools that enable a user to create new data and service entries, as well as modify existing data entries. With these tools, a more interactive approach to metadata authoring is taken, as they feature a visual "checklist" of data/service fields that automatically update when a field is completed. In this way, the user can quickly gauge which of the required and optional fields have not been populated. With the release of these tools, the Earth science community will be further assisted in efficiently creating quality data and services metadata. Keywords: metadata, Earth science, metadata authoring tools

Digital Video Interactive (DVI) Based Authoring Tools for Unit Level Training. Final Technical Report for Period 27 September 1991 - 27 May 1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyltin, John P.; And Others

This report describes DVI (Digital Video Interactive) technology, current authoring languages and tools, and the reasons for developing new tools and applications. The work described was performed by Betac Corporation as part of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research project. Section I provides background information on DVI. DVI technology…

The Blackbird Whistling or Just After? Vygotsky's Tool and Sign as an Analytic for Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imbrenda, Jon-Philip

2016-01-01

Based on Vygotsky's theory of the interplay of the tool and sign functions of language, this study presents a textual analysis of a corpus of student-authored texts to illuminate aspects of development evidenced through the dialectical tension of tool and sign. Data were drawn from a series of reflective memos I authored during a seminar for new…

A Systematic Review of Family Meeting Tools in Palliative and Intensive Care Settings.

PubMed

Singer, Adam E; Ash, Tayla; Ochotorena, Claudia; Lorenz, Karl A; Chong, Kelly; Shreve, Scott T; Ahluwalia, Sangeeta C

2016-09-01

Family meetings can be challenging, requiring a range of skills and participation. We sought to identify tools available to aid the conduct of family meetings in palliative, hospice, and intensive care unit settings. We systematically reviewed PubMed for articles describing family meeting tools and abstracted information on tool type, usage, and content. We identified 16 articles containing 23 tools in 7 categories: meeting guide (n = 8), meeting planner (n = 5), documentation template (n = 4), meeting strategies (n = 2), decision aid/screener (n = 2), family checklist (n = 1), and training module (n = 1). We found considerable variation across tools in usage and content and a lack of tools supporting family engagement. There is need to standardize family meeting tools and develop tools to help family members effectively engage in the process. © The Author(s) 2015.

A qualitative study on personal information management (PIM) in clinical and basic sciences faculty members of a medical university in Iran

PubMed Central

Sedghi, Shahram; Abdolahi, Nida; Azimi, Ali; Tahamtan, Iman; Abdollahi, Leila

2015-01-01

Background: Personal Information Management (PIM) refers to the tools and activities to save and retrieve personal information for future uses. This study examined the PIM activities of faculty members of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS) regarding their preferred PIM tools and four aspects of acquiring, organizing, storing and retrieving personal information. Methods: The qualitative design was based on phenomenology approach and we carried out 37 interviews with clinical and basic sciences faculty members of IUMS in 2014. The participants were selected using a random sampling method. All interviews were recorded by a digital voice recorder, and then transcribed, codified and finally analyzed using NVivo 8 software. Results: The use of PIM electronic tools (e-tools) was below expectation among the studied sample and just 37% had reasonable knowledge of PIM e-tools such as, external hard drivers, flash memories etc. However, all participants used both paper and electronic devices to store and access information. Internal mass memories (in Laptops) and flash memories were the most used e-tools to save information. Most participants used "subject" (41.00%) and "file name" (33.7 %) to save, organize and retrieve their stored information. Most users preferred paper-based rather than electronic tools to keep their personal information. Conclusion: Faculty members had little knowledge about PIM techniques and tools. Those who organized personal information could easier retrieve the stored information for future uses. Enhancing familiarity with PIM tools and training courses of PIM tools and techniques are suggested. PMID:26793648

2016 e-CDRweb User Guide – Secondary Authorized Official

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This document presents the user guide for the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics’ (OPPT) 2016 e-CDRweb tool. This document is the user guide for the Secondary Authorized Official (AO) user of the 2016 e-CDR web tool.

Prediction and Measurement of X-Ray Spectral and Intensity Distributions from Low Energy Electron Impact Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, David L.

1999-01-01

In-vacuum electron beam welding is a technology that NASA considered as a joining technique for manufacture of space structures. The interaction of energetic electrons with metal produces x-rays. The radiation exposure to astronauts performing the in-vacuum electron beam welding must be characterized and minimized to insure safe operating conditions. This investigation characterized the x-ray environment due to operation of an in-vacuum electron beam welding tool. NASA, in a joint venture with the Russian Space Agency, was scheduled to perform a series of welding in space experiments on board the United States Space Shuttle. This series of experiments was named the International Space Welding Experiment (ISWE). The hardware associated with the ISWE was leased to NASA, by the Paton Welding Institute (PWI) in Ukraine, for ground based welding experiments in preparation for flight. Two tests were scheduled, using the ISWE electron beam welding tool, to characterize the radiation exposure to an astronaut during the operation of the ISWE. These radiation exposure tests consisted of Thermoluminescence Dosimeters (TLD's) shielded with material currently used by astronauts during Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA) and exposed to x-ray radiation generated by operation of an in-vacuum electron beam welding tool. This investigation was the first known application of TLD's to measure absorbed dose from x-rays of energy less than 10 KeV. The ISWE hardware was returned to Ukraine before the issue of adequate shielding for the astronauts was verified. Therefore, alternate experimental and analytical methods were developed to measure and predict the x-ray spectral and intensity distribution generated by electron impact with metal. These x-ray spectra were used to calculate the absorbed radiation dose to astronauts. These absorbed dose values were compared to TLD measurements obtained during actual operation of the in-vacuum electron beam welding tool. The calculated absorbed dose values were found to be in good agreement with the TLD values.

Modeling Electrostatic Fields Generated by Internal Charging of Materials in Space Radiation Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minow, Joseph I.

2011-01-01

Internal charging is a risk to spacecraft in energetic electron environments. DICTAT, NU MIT computational codes are the most widely used engineering tools for evaluating internal charging of insulator materials exposed to these environments. Engineering tools are designed for rapid evaluation of ESD threats, but there is a need for more physics based models for investigating the science of materials interactions with energetic electron environments. Current tools are limited by the physics included in the models and ease of user implementation .... additional development work is needed to improve models.

Operational guidance for radiation emergency response organisations in Europe for using biodosimetric tools developed in EU MULTIBIODOSE project.

PubMed

Jaworska, Alicja; Ainsbury, Elizabeth A; Fattibene, Paola; Lindholm, Carita; Oestreicher, Ursula; Rothkamm, Kai; Romm, Horst; Thierens, Hubert; Trompier, Francois; Voisin, Philippe; Vral, Anne; Woda, Clemens; Wojcik, Andrzej

2015-04-01

In the event of a large-scale radiological emergency, the triage of individuals according to their degree of exposure forms an important initial step of the accident management. Although clinical signs and symptoms of a serious exposure may be used for radiological triage, they are not necessarily radiation specific and can lead to a false diagnosis. Biodosimetry is a method based on the analysis of radiation-induced changes in cells of the human body or in portable electronic devices and enables the unequivocal identification of exposed people who should receive medical treatment. The MULTIBIODOSE (MBD) consortium developed and validated several biodosimetric assays and adapted and tested them as tools for biological dose assessment in a mass-casualty event. Different biodosimetric assays were validated against the 'gold standard' of biological dosimetry-the dicentric assay. The assays were harmonised in such a way that, in an emergency situation, they can be run in parallel in a network of European laboratories. The aim of this guidance is to give a concise overview of the developed biodosimetric tools as well as how and when they can be used in an emergency situation. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Microstructure characterization of advanced protective Cr/CrN+a-C:H/a-C:H:Cr multilayer coatings on carbon fibre composite (CFC).

PubMed

Major, L; Janusz, M; Lackner, J M; Kot, M; Major, B

2016-06-01

Studies of advanced protective chromium-based coatings on the carbon fibre composite (CFC) were performed. Multidisciplinary examinations were carried out comprising: microstructure transmission electron microscopy (TEM, HREM) studies, micromechanical analysis and wear resistance. Coatings were prepared using a magnetron sputtering technique with application of high-purity chromium and carbon (graphite) targets deposited on the CFC substrate. Selection of the CFC for surface modification in respect to irregularities on the surface making the CFC surface more smooth was performed. Deposited coatings consisted of two parts. The inner part was responsible for the residual stress compensation and cracking initiation as well as resistance at elevated temperatures occurring namely during surgical tools sterilization process. The outer part was responsible for wear resistance properties and biocompatibility. Experimental studies revealed that irregularities on the substrate surface had a negative influence on the crystallites growth direction. Chromium implanted into the a-C:H structure reacted with carbon forming the cubic nanocrystal chromium carbides of the Cr23 C6 type. The cracking was initiated at the coating/substrate interface and the energy of brittle cracking was reduced because of the plastic deformation at each Cr interlayer interface. The wear mechanism and cracking process was described in micro- and nanoscale by means of transmission electron microscope studies. Examined materials of coated CFC type would find applications in advanced surgical tools. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

Advancement in carbon nanotubes: basics, biomedical applications and toxicity.

PubMed

Beg, Sarwar; Rizwan, Mohammad; Sheikh, Asif M; Hasnain, M Saquib; Anwer, Khalid; Kohli, Kanchan

2011-02-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted much attention by researchers worldwide in recent years for their small dimensions and unique architecture, and for having immense potential in nanomedicine as biocompatible and supportive substrates, as a novel tool for the delivery of therapeutic molecules including peptides, RNA and DNA, and also as sensors, actuators and composites. CNTs have been employed in the development of molecular electronic, composite materials and others due to their unique atomic structure, high surface area-to-volume ratio and excellent electronic, mechanical and thermal properties. Recently they have been exploited as novel nanocarriers in drug delivery systems and biomedical applications. Their larger inner volume as compared with the dimensions of the tube and easy immobilization of their outer surface with biocompatible materials make CNTs a superior nanomaterial for drug delivery. Literature reveals that CNTs are versatile carriers for controlled and targeted drug delivery, especially for cancer cells, because of their cell membrane penetrability. This review enlightens the biomedical application of CNTs with special emphasis on utilization in controlled and targeted drug delivery, as a diagnostics tool and other possible uses in therapeutic systems. The review also focuses on the toxicity aspects of CNTs, and revealed that genotoxic potential, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of different types of CNTs must be explored and overcome by formulating safe biomaterial for drug delivery. The review also describes the regulatory aspects and clinical and market status of CNTs. © 2010 The Authors. JPP © 2010 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Evaluating the Utility of Web-Based Consumer Support Tools Using Rough Sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maciag, Timothy; Hepting, Daryl H.; Slezak, Dominik; Hilderman, Robert J.

On the Web, many popular e-commerce sites provide consumers with decision support tools to assist them in their commerce-related decision-making. Many consumers will rank the utility of these tools quite highly. Data obtained from web usage mining analyses, which may provide knowledge about a user's online experiences, could help indicate the utility of these tools. This type of analysis could provide insight into whether provided tools are adequately assisting consumers in conducting their online shopping activities or if new or additional enhancements need consideration. Although some research in this regard has been described in previous literature, there is still much that can be done. The authors of this paper hypothesize that a measurement of consumer decision accuracy, i.e. a measurement preferences, could help indicate the utility of these tools. This paper describes a procedure developed towards this goal using elements of rough set theory. The authors evaluated the procedure using two support tools, one based on a tool developed by the US-EPA and the other developed by one of the authors called cogito. Results from the evaluation did provide interesting insights on the utility of both support tools. Although it was shown that the cogito tool obtained slightly higher decision accuracy, both tools could be improved from additional enhancements. Details of the procedure developed and results obtained from the evaluation will be provided. Opportunities for future work are also discussed.

Classroom Practice: From Worn-Out to Web-Based--Better Student Portfolios

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diehm, Celleste

2004-01-01

In this article, the author suggests solutions to unleash student creativity. The article focuses on the author's idea for electronic portfolios, Web-based collections of a student's work. To put her idea into practice, the author created an electronic portfolio project that spanned five 90-minute class sessions (about one session every week or…

SMARTE: SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REVITALIZATION TOOLS-ELECTRONIC (BELFAST, IRELAND)

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S.-German Bilateral Working Group is developing Site-specific Management Approaches and Redevelopment Tools (SMART). In the U.S., the SMART compilation is housed in a web-based, decision support tool called SMARTe. All tools within SMARTe that are developed specifically for...

Implementation of a standardized electronic tool improves compliance, accuracy, and efficiency of trainee-to-trainee patient care handoffs after complex general surgical oncology procedures.

PubMed

Clarke, Callisia N; Patel, Sameer H; Day, Ryan W; George, Sobha; Sweeney, Colin; Monetes De Oca, Georgina Avaloa; Aiss, Mohamed Ait; Grubbs, Elizabeth G; Bednarski, Brian K; Lee, Jeffery E; Bodurka, Diane C; Skibber, John M; Aloia, Thomas A

2017-03-01

Duty-hour regulations have increased the frequency of trainee-trainee patient handoffs. Each handoff creates a potential source for communication errors that can lead to near-miss and patient-harm events. We investigated the utility, efficacy, and trainee experience associated with implementation of a novel, standardized, electronic handoff system. We conducted a prospective intervention study of trainee-trainee handoffs of inpatients undergoing complex general surgical oncology procedures at a large tertiary institution. Preimplementation data were measured using trainee surveys and direct observation and by tracking delinquencies in charting. A standardized electronic handoff tool was created in a research electronic data capture (REDCap) database using the previously validated I-PASS methodology (illness severity, patient summary, action list, situational awareness and contingency planning, and synthesis). Electronic handoff was augmented by direct communication via phone or face-to-face interaction for inpatients deemed "watcher" or "unstable." Postimplementation handoff compliance, communication errors, and trainee work flow were measured and compared to preimplementation values using standard statistical analysis. A total of 474 handoffs (203 preintervention and 271 postintervention) were observed over the study period; 86 handoffs involved patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit, 344 patients admitted to the surgical stepdown unit, and 44 patients on the surgery ward. Implementation of the structured electronic tool resulted in an increase in trainee handoff compliance from 73% to 96% (P < .001) and decreased errors in communication by 50% (P = .044) while improving trainee efficiency and workflow. A standardized electronic tool augmented by direct communication for higher acuity patients can improve compliance, accuracy, and efficiency of handoff communication between surgery trainees. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GET SMARTE: DECISION TOOLS TO REVITALIZE BROWNFIELDS

EPA Science Inventory

SMARTe (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic) is an open-source, web-based, decision-support system for developing and evaluating future use scenarios for potentially contaminated sites (i.e., brownfields). It contains resources and analysis tools...

47 CFR 1.20002 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... authorizing or approving interception of wire or electronic communications; or (2) Other authorization... or entity that the Commission has found is engaged in providing wire or electronic communication... Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE Communications Assistance for Law...

SAGES: A Suite of Freely-Available Software Tools for Electronic Disease Surveillance in Resource-Limited Settings

PubMed Central

Lewis, Sheri L.; Feighner, Brian H.; Loschen, Wayne A.; Wojcik, Richard A.; Skora, Joseph F.; Coberly, Jacqueline S.; Blazes, David L.

2011-01-01

Public health surveillance is undergoing a revolution driven by advances in the field of information technology. Many countries have experienced vast improvements in the collection, ingestion, analysis, visualization, and dissemination of public health data. Resource-limited countries have lagged behind due to challenges in information technology infrastructure, public health resources, and the costs of proprietary software. The Suite for Automated Global Electronic bioSurveillance (SAGES) is a collection of modular, flexible, freely-available software tools for electronic disease surveillance in resource-limited settings. One or more SAGES tools may be used in concert with existing surveillance applications or the SAGES tools may be used en masse for an end-to-end biosurveillance capability. This flexibility allows for the development of an inexpensive, customized, and sustainable disease surveillance system. The ability to rapidly assess anomalous disease activity may lead to more efficient use of limited resources and better compliance with World Health Organization International Health Regulations. PMID:21572957

Development of a Mobile Tool That Semiautomatically Screens Patients for Stroke Clinical Trials.

PubMed

Spokoyny, Ilana; Lansberg, Maarten; Thiessen, Rosita; Kemp, Stephanie M; Aksoy, Didem; Lee, YongJae; Mlynash, Michael; Hirsch, Karen G

2016-10-01

Despite several national coordinated research networks, enrollment in many cerebrovascular trials remains challenging. An electronic tool was needed that would improve the efficiency and efficacy of screening for multiple simultaneous acute clinical stroke trials by automating the evaluation of inclusion and exclusion criteria, improving screening procedures and streamlining the communication process between the stroke research coordinators and the stroke clinicians. A multidisciplinary group consisting of physicians, study coordinators, and biostatisticians designed and developed an electronic clinical trial screening tool on a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant platform. A web-based tool was developed that uses branch logic to determine eligibility for simultaneously enrolling clinical trials and automatically notifies the study coordinator teams about eligible patients. After 12 weeks of use, 225 surveys were completed, and 51 patients were enrolled in acute stroke clinical trials. Compared with the 12 weeks before implementation of the tool, there was an increase in enrollment from 16.5% of patients screened to 23.4% of patients screened (P<0.05). Clinicians and coordinators reported increased satisfaction with the process and improved ease of screening. We created a semiautomated electronic screening tool that uses branch logic to screen patients for stroke clinical trials. The tool has improved efficiency and efficacy of screening, and it could be adapted for use at other sites and in other medical fields. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Researchermap: a tool for visualizing author locations using Google maps.

PubMed

Rastegar-Mojarad, Majid; Bales, Michael E; Yu, Hong

2013-01-01

We hereby present ResearcherMap, a tool to visualize locations of authors of scholarly papers. In response to a query, the system returns a map of author locations. To develop the system we first populated a database of author locations, geocoding institution locations for all available institutional affiliation data in our database. The database includes all authors of Medline papers from 1990 to 2012. We conducted a formative heuristic usability evaluation of the system and measured the system's accuracy and performance. The accuracy of finding the accurate address is 97.5% in our system.

Automating linear accelerator quality assurance.

PubMed

Eckhause, Tobias; Al-Hallaq, Hania; Ritter, Timothy; DeMarco, John; Farrey, Karl; Pawlicki, Todd; Kim, Gwe-Ya; Popple, Richard; Sharma, Vijeshwar; Perez, Mario; Park, SungYong; Booth, Jeremy T; Thorwarth, Ryan; Moran, Jean M

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was 2-fold. One purpose was to develop an automated, streamlined quality assurance (QA) program for use by multiple centers. The second purpose was to evaluate machine performance over time for multiple centers using linear accelerator (Linac) log files and electronic portal images. The authors sought to evaluate variations in Linac performance to establish as a reference for other centers. The authors developed analytical software tools for a QA program using both log files and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) measurements. The first tool is a general analysis tool which can read and visually represent data in the log file. This tool, which can be used to automatically analyze patient treatment or QA log files, examines the files for Linac deviations which exceed thresholds. The second set of tools consists of a test suite of QA fields, a standard phantom, and software to collect information from the log files on deviations from the expected values. The test suite was designed to focus on the mechanical tests of the Linac to include jaw, MLC, and collimator positions during static, IMRT, and volumetric modulated arc therapy delivery. A consortium of eight institutions delivered the test suite at monthly or weekly intervals on each Linac using a standard phantom. The behavior of various components was analyzed for eight TrueBeam Linacs. For the EPID and trajectory log file analysis, all observed deviations which exceeded established thresholds for Linac behavior resulted in a beam hold off. In the absence of an interlock-triggering event, the maximum observed log file deviations between the expected and actual component positions (such as MLC leaves) varied from less than 1% to 26% of published tolerance thresholds. The maximum and standard deviations of the variations due to gantry sag, collimator angle, jaw position, and MLC positions are presented. Gantry sag among Linacs was 0.336 ± 0.072 mm. The standard deviation in MLC position, as determined by EPID measurements, across the consortium was 0.33 mm for IMRT fields. With respect to the log files, the deviations between expected and actual positions for parameters were small (<0.12 mm) for all Linacs. Considering both log files and EPID measurements, all parameters were well within published tolerance values. Variations in collimator angle, MLC position, and gantry sag were also evaluated for all Linacs. The performance of the TrueBeam Linac model was shown to be consistent based on automated analysis of trajectory log files and EPID images acquired during delivery of a standardized test suite. The results can be compared directly to tolerance thresholds. In addition, sharing of results from standard tests across institutions can facilitate the identification of QA process and Linac changes. These reference values are presented along with the standard deviation for common tests so that the test suite can be used by other centers to evaluate their Linac performance against those in this consortium.

On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space - Deep Space Mission Enhancements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandridge, Chris a.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Norman, Ryan B.; Slaba, Tony C.; Walker, Steve A.; Spangler, Jan L.

2011-01-01

The On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space (OLTARIS, https://oltaris.nasa.gov) is a web-based set of tools and models that allows engineers and scientists to assess the effects of space radiation on spacecraft, habitats, rovers, and spacesuits. The site is intended to be a design tool for those studying the effects of space radiation for current and future missions as well as a research tool for those developing advanced material and shielding concepts. The tools and models are built around the HZETRN radiation transport code and are primarily focused on human- and electronic-related responses. The focus of this paper is to highlight new capabilities that have been added to support deep space (outside Low Earth Orbit) missions. Specifically, the electron, proton, and heavy ion design environments for the Europa mission have been incorporated along with an efficient coupled electron-photon transport capability to enable the analysis of complicated geometries and slabs exposed to these environments. In addition, a neutron albedo lunar surface environment was also added, that will be of value for the analysis of surface habitats. These updates will be discussed in terms of their implementation and on how OLTARIS can be used by instrument vendors, mission designers, and researchers to analyze their specific requirements.12

Electronic Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Philip; Giller, Susan

1992-01-01

Classifies types of electronic books: archival, informational, instructional, and interrogational; evaluates five commercially, available examples and two in-house examples; and describes software tools for creating and delivering electronic books. Identifies crucial design considerations: interactive end-user interfaces; use of hypermedia;…

SEM-microphotogrammetry, a new take on an old method for generating high-resolution 3D models from SEM images.

PubMed

Ball, A D; Job, P A; Walker, A E L

2017-08-01

The method we present here uses a scanning electron microscope programmed via macros to automatically capture dozens of images at suitable angles to generate accurate, detailed three-dimensional (3D) surface models with micron-scale resolution. We demonstrate that it is possible to use these Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images in conjunction with commercially available software originally developed for photogrammetry reconstructions from Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras and to reconstruct 3D models of the specimen. These 3D models can then be exported as polygon meshes and eventually 3D printed. This technique offers the potential to obtain data suitable to reconstruct very tiny features (e.g. diatoms, butterfly scales and mineral fabrics) at nanometre resolution. Ultimately, we foresee this as being a useful tool for better understanding spatial relationships at very high resolution. However, our motivation is also to use it to produce 3D models to be used in public outreach events and exhibitions, especially for the blind or partially sighted. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Aromatherapy for managing menopausal symptoms: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Choi, Jiae; Lee, Hye Won; Lee, Ju Ah; Lim, Hyun-Ja; Lee, Myeong Soo

2018-02-01

Aromatherapy is often used as a complementary therapy for women's health. This systematic review aims to evaluate the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy as a management for menopausal symptoms. Eleven electronic databases will be searched from inception to February 2018. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated any type of aromatherapy against any type of control in individuals with menopausal symptoms will be eligible. The methodological quality will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Two authors will independently assess each study for eligibility and risk of bias and to extract data. This study will provide a high quality synthesis of current evidence of aromatherapy for menopausal symptoms measured with Menopause Rating Scale, the Kupperman Index, the Greene Climacteric Scale, or other validated questionnaires. The conclusion of our systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether aromatherapy is an effective intervention for patient with menopausal women. Ethical approval will not be required, given that this protocol is for a systematic review. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The review will also be disseminated electronically and in print. PROSPERO CRD42017079191.

Barriers to comparing the usability of electronic health records.

PubMed

Ratwani, Raj M; Hettinger, A Zachary; Fairbanks, Rollin J

2017-04-01

Despite the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), usability of many EHRs continues to be suboptimal, with some vendors failing to meet usability standards, resulting in clinician frustration and patient safety hazards. In an effort to increase EHR vendor competition on usability, recommendations have been made and legislation drafted to develop comparison tools that would allow purchasers to better understand the usability of EHR products prior to purchase. Usability comparison can be based on EHR vendor design and development processes, vendor usability testing as part of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology certification program, and usability of implemented products. Barriers exist within the current certified health technology program that prevent effective comparison of usability during each of these stages. We describe the importance of providing purchasers with improved information about EHR usability, barriers to making usability comparisons, and solutions to overcome these barriers. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A semantic-web oriented representation of the clinical element model for secondary use of electronic health records data.

PubMed

Tao, Cui; Jiang, Guoqian; Oniki, Thomas A; Freimuth, Robert R; Zhu, Qian; Sharma, Deepak; Pathak, Jyotishman; Huff, Stanley M; Chute, Christopher G

2013-05-01

The clinical element model (CEM) is an information model designed for representing clinical information in electronic health records (EHR) systems across organizations. The current representation of CEMs does not support formal semantic definitions and therefore it is not possible to perform reasoning and consistency checking on derived models. This paper introduces our efforts to represent the CEM specification using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The CEM-OWL representation connects the CEM content with the Semantic Web environment, which provides authoring, reasoning, and querying tools. This work may also facilitate the harmonization of the CEMs with domain knowledge represented in terminology models as well as other clinical information models such as the openEHR archetype model. We have created the CEM-OWL meta ontology based on the CEM specification. A convertor has been implemented in Java to automatically translate detailed CEMs from XML to OWL. A panel evaluation has been conducted, and the results show that the OWL modeling can faithfully represent the CEM specification and represent patient data.

A semantic-web oriented representation of the clinical element model for secondary use of electronic health records data

PubMed Central

Tao, Cui; Jiang, Guoqian; Oniki, Thomas A; Freimuth, Robert R; Zhu, Qian; Sharma, Deepak; Pathak, Jyotishman; Huff, Stanley M; Chute, Christopher G

2013-01-01

The clinical element model (CEM) is an information model designed for representing clinical information in electronic health records (EHR) systems across organizations. The current representation of CEMs does not support formal semantic definitions and therefore it is not possible to perform reasoning and consistency checking on derived models. This paper introduces our efforts to represent the CEM specification using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The CEM-OWL representation connects the CEM content with the Semantic Web environment, which provides authoring, reasoning, and querying tools. This work may also facilitate the harmonization of the CEMs with domain knowledge represented in terminology models as well as other clinical information models such as the openEHR archetype model. We have created the CEM-OWL meta ontology based on the CEM specification. A convertor has been implemented in Java to automatically translate detailed CEMs from XML to OWL. A panel evaluation has been conducted, and the results show that the OWL modeling can faithfully represent the CEM specification and represent patient data. PMID:23268487

Comparing the Efficacy of an Engineered-Based System (College Livetext) with an Off-the-Shelf General Tool (Hyperstudio) for Developing Electronic Portfolios in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson-Leslie, Natalie A.

2009-01-01

In teacher education, electronic portfolios provide an authentic form of assessment documenting students' personal and professional growth. Using the engineered-based system, College LiveText, and an off-the-shelf general tool, HyperStudio, pre-service teachers constructed e-portfolios as part of their teacher preparation requirements. This case…

Electronic Collection Management and Electronic Information Services

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

federated search tools are still being perfected with much debate surrounding their use. Encouragingly, as the federated search tools have evolved...institutional repositories to be included in a federated search process, libraries would have to harvest the metadata from the repositories and then make...providers in Library High Tech News. At this time, federated search engines serve some user groups better than others. Undergraduate students are well

A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent and respond to violence against persons with disabilities.

PubMed

Mikton, Christopher; Maguire, Holly; Shakespeare, Tom

2014-11-01

Persons with disabilities make up some 15% of the world's population and are at higher risk of violence. Yet there is currently no systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions to prevent violence against them. Thus the aim of this review was to systematically search for, appraise the quality of, and synthesize the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to prevent and mitigate the consequences of all the main forms of interpersonal violence against people with all types of disabilities. The method used consisted of searches of eleven electronic databases, hand searches of three journals, scanning of reference lists of review articles, contact with experts, appraisal of risk of bias using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies, and narrative synthesis of results. This resulted in 736 titles being identified, 10 of which met the inclusion criteria and 6 and 2 addressed people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities, respectively. Only one was from a low- and middle-income country. All studies received a weak rating on the quality assessment tool and none could be considered effective after taking risk of bias into account. In sum, the current evidence base offers little guidance to policy makers, program commissioners, and persons with disabilities for selecting interventions. More and higher quality research is required, particularly from low- and middle-income countries and on other forms of disability such as physical impairments, sensory impairments, and mental health conditions. © The Author(s) 2014.

Health and social media: perfect storm of information.

PubMed

Fernández-Luque, Luis; Bau, Teresa

2015-04-01

The use of Internet in the health domain is becoming a major worldwide trend. Millions of citizens are searching online health information and also publishing content about their health. Patients are engaging with other patients in online communities using different types of social media. The boundaries between mobile health, social media, wearable, games, and big data are becoming blurrier due the integration of all those technologies. In this paper we provide an overview of the major research challenges with the area of health social media. We use several study cases to exemplify the current trends and highlight future research challenges. Internet is exploding and is being used for health purposes by a great deal of the population. Social networks have a powerful influence in health decisions. Given the lack of knowledge on the use of health social media, there is a need for complex multidisciplinary research to help us understand how to use social networks in favour of public health. A bigger understanding of social media will give health authorities new tools to help decision-making at global, national, local, and corporate level. There is an unprecedented amount of data that can be used in public health due the potential combination of data acquired from mobile phones, Electronic Health Records, social media, and other sources. To identify meaningful information from those data sources it is not trial. Moreover, new analytics tools will need to be developed to analyse those sources of data in a way that it can benefit healthcare professionals and authorities.

GET SMARTE: DECISION TOOLS TO REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES (MAY 2006)

EPA Science Inventory

SMARTe (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic) is an open-source, web-based, decision-support system for developing and evaluating future use scenarios for potentially contaminated sites (i.e., brownfields). It contains resources and analysis tools...

Challenge of engaging all students via self-paced interactive electronic learning tutorials for introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVore, Seth; Marshman, Emily; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-06-01

As research-based, self-paced electronic learning tools become increasingly available, a critical issue educators encounter is implementing strategies to ensure that all students engage with them as intended. Here, we first discuss the effectiveness of electronic learning tutorials as self-paced learning tools in large enrollment brick and mortar introductory physics courses and then propose a framework for helping students engage effectively with the learning tools. The tutorials were developed via research in physics education and were found to be effective for a diverse group of introductory physics students in one-on-one implementation. Instructors encouraged the use of these tools in a self-paced learning environment by telling students that they would be helpful for solving the assigned homework problems and that the underlying physics principles in the tutorial problems would be similar to those in the in-class quizzes (which we call paired problems). We find that many students in the courses in which these interactive electronic learning tutorials were assigned as a self-study tool performed poorly on the paired problems. In contrast, a majority of student volunteers in one-on-one implementation greatly benefited from the tutorials and performed well on the paired problems. The significantly lower overall performance on paired problems administered as an in-class quiz compared to the performance of student volunteers who used the research-based tutorials in one-on-one implementation suggests that many students enrolled in introductory physics courses did not effectively engage with the tutorials outside of class and may have only used them superficially. The findings suggest that many students in need of out-of-class remediation via self-paced learning tools may have difficulty motivating themselves and may lack the self-regulation and time-management skills to engage effectively with tools specially designed to help them learn at their own pace. We conclude by proposing a theoretical framework to help students with diverse prior preparations engage effectively with self-paced learning tools.

Environmental Information Resources and Electronic Research Systems (ERSs): Eco-Link as an Example of Future Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiskel, Timothy C.

1991-01-01

An online system designed to help global environmental research, the electronic research system called Eco-Link draws data from various electronic sources including online catalogs and databases, CD-ROMs, electronic news sources, and electronic data subscription services to produce briefing booklets on environmental issues. It can be accessed by…

Implementation of Electronic Commerce in the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-12-01

President Clinton’s Executive Memorandum of 26 October 1993 mandated that all Federal Government agencies implement Electronic Commerce (EC) in order... Electronic Commerce /Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) architecture. The NASA employed an Internet based tool, the NASA Acquisition Internet Service

Tool Time: Gender and Students' Use of Tools, Control, and Authority.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, M. Gail; Brader-Araje, Laura; Carboni, Lisa Wilson; Carter, Glenda; Rua, Melissa J.; Banilower, Eric; Hatch, Holly

2000-01-01

Observes 16 students from five elementary science classes to examine how students use tools when constructing new knowledge during science instruction, how control of tools is actualized from pedagogical perspectives, how language and tool accessibility intersect, how gender intersects with tool use, and how competition for resources impacts…

Using Online Compound Interest Tools to Improve Financial Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard, Edward; Matthews, Percival; Samek, Anya

2016-01-01

The widespread use of personal computing presents the opportunity to design educational materials that can be delivered online, potentially addressing low financial literacy. The authors developed and evaluated three different educational tools focusing on interest compounding. In the authors' laboratory experiment, individuals were randomized to…

AMELIE: Authoring Multimedia-Enhanced Learning Interactive Environment for medical contents.

PubMed

Sánchez-González, P; Oropesa, I; García-Novoa, J; Gómez, E J

2013-01-01

This paper presents the AMELIE Authoring Tool for medical e-learning applications. The tool allows for the creation of enhanced-video based didactic contents, and can be adjusted to any number of platforms and applications. Validation provides preliminary good results on its acceptance and usefulness.

Use of electronic fare transaction data for corridor planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-01

This report documents the initial phase of a project that developed, tested, and used a methodology and tool set for converting electronic transit agency fare card transaction data, the Puget Sound regions ORCA electronic fare card, into informati...

The Use of Electronic Mail in Biomedical Communication

PubMed Central

Costello, Richard; Shaw, Anthony; Cheetham, Roz; Moots, Robert J.

2000-01-01

Objectives: To determine whether there are statistically significant differences in the content of electronic mail (e-mail) and conventional mail sent to authors of papers published in medical journals. Design: Prospective study by postal questionnaire. Over two one-month periods, corresponding authors of papers published in medical journals were asked to record details of the correspondence prompted by their publications. Measurements: Conventional and e-mail correspondence received. Reprint requests. Content of correspondence. Quality of correspondence. Results: Eighty-two of 96 authors replied. Fifty received e-mail (mean, 5.7 ± 8.8 e-mails per author) and 72 received conventional mail (15.5 ± 32.8 letters per author) (p ≪ 0.05). Seventy percent of e-mails and only 53% of correspondence sent by conventional mail (p ≪ 0.05) referred to the content of the paper. Conclusions: Publication in general medical journals stimulates more conventional than electronic mail. However, the content of e-mail may be of greater scientific relevance. Electronic mail can be encouraged without fear of diminishing the quality of the communications received. PMID:10641967

Radiology education 2.0--on the cusp of change: part 2. eBooks; file sharing and synchronization tools; websites/teaching files; reference management tools and note taking applications.

PubMed

Bhargava, Puneet; Dhand, Sabeen; Lackey, Amanda E; Pandey, Tarun; Moshiri, Mariam; Jambhekar, Kedar

2013-03-01

Increasing use of smartphones and handheld computers is accompanied by a rapid growth in the other related industries. Electronic books have revolutionized the centuries-old conventional books and magazines markets and have simplified publishing by reducing the cost and processing time required to create and distribute any given book. We are now able to read, review, store, and share various types of documents via several electronic tools, many of which are available free of charge. Additionally, this electronic revolution has resulted in an explosion of readily available Internet-based educational resources for the residents and has paved the path for educators to reach out to a larger and more diverse student population. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Metadata Authoring with Versatility and Extensibility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pollack, Janine; Olsen, Lola

2004-01-01

NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) assists the scientific community in the discovery of and linkage to Earth science data sets and related services. The GCMD holds over 13,800 data set descriptions in Directory Interchange Format (DIF) and 700 data service descriptions in Service Entry Resource Format (SERF), encompassing the disciplines of geology, hydrology, oceanography, meteorology, and ecology. Data descriptions also contain geographic coverage information and direct links to the data, thus allowing researchers to discover data pertaining to a geographic location of interest, then quickly acquire those data. The GCMD strives to be the preferred data locator for world-wide directory-level metadata. In this vein, scientists and data providers must have access to intuitive and efficient metadata authoring tools. Existing GCMD tools are attracting widespread usage; however, a need for tools that are portable, customizable and versatile still exists. With tool usage directly influencing metadata population, it has become apparent that new tools are needed to fill these voids. As a result, the GCMD has released a new authoring tool allowing for both web-based and stand-alone authoring of descriptions. Furthermore, this tool incorporates the ability to plug-and-play the metadata format of choice, offering users options of DIF, SERF, FGDC, ISO or any other defined standard. Allowing data holders to work with their preferred format, as well as an option of a stand-alone application or web-based environment, docBUlLDER will assist the scientific community in efficiently creating quality data and services metadata.

Management Matters: The Library Media Specialist's Management Toolbox

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pappas, Marjorie L.

2004-01-01

Library media specialists need tools to help them manage the school library media program. The Internet includes a vast array of tools that a library media specialist might find useful. The websites and electronic resources included in this article are only a representative sample and future columns may explore additional tools. All the tools are…

A novel form of spontaneous tool use displayed by several captive greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa).

PubMed

Lambert, Megan L; Seed, Amanda M; Slocombe, Katie E

2015-12-01

Parrots are frequently cited for their sophisticated problem-solving abilities, but cases of habitual tool use among psittacines are scarce. We report the first evidence, to our knowledge, of tool use by greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa). Several members of a captive population spontaneously adopted a novel tool-using technique by using pebbles and date pits either (i) to scrape on the inner surface of seashells, subsequently licking the resulting calcium powder from the tool, or (ii) as a wedge to break off smaller pieces of the shell for ingestion. Tool use occurred most frequently just prior to the breeding season, during which time numerous instances of tool transfer were also documented. These observations provide new insights into the tool-using capabilities of parrots and highlight the greater vasa parrot as a species of interest for studies of physical cognition. © 2015 The Author(s).

Spectrum simulation in DTSA-II.

PubMed

Ritchie, Nicholas W M

2009-10-01

Spectrum simulation is a useful practical and pedagogical tool. Particularly with complex samples or trace constituents, a simulation can help to understand the limits of the technique and the instrument parameters for the optimal measurement. DTSA-II, software for electron probe microanalysis, provides both easy to use and flexible tools for simulating common and less common sample geometries and materials. Analytical models based on (rhoz) curves provide quick simulations of simple samples. Monte Carlo models based on electron and X-ray transport provide more sophisticated models of arbitrarily complex samples. DTSA-II provides a broad range of simulation tools in a framework with many different interchangeable physical models. In addition, DTSA-II provides tools for visualizing, comparing, manipulating, and quantifying simulated and measured spectra.

Ecoupling server: A tool to compute and analyze electronic couplings.

PubMed

Cabeza de Vaca, Israel; Acebes, Sandra; Guallar, Victor

2016-07-05

Electron transfer processes are often studied through the evaluation and analysis of the electronic coupling (EC). Since most standard QM codes do not provide readily such a measure, additional, and user-friendly tools to compute and analyze electronic coupling from external wave functions will be of high value. The first server to provide a friendly interface for evaluation and analysis of electronic couplings under two different approximations (FDC and GMH) is presented in this communication. Ecoupling server accepts inputs from common QM and QM/MM software and provides useful plots to understand and analyze the results easily. The web server has been implemented in CGI-python using Apache and it is accessible at http://ecouplingserver.bsc.es. Ecoupling server is free and open to all users without login. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electron imaging with an EBSD detector.

PubMed

Wright, Stuart I; Nowell, Matthew M; de Kloe, René; Camus, Patrick; Rampton, Travis

2015-01-01

Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) has proven to be a useful tool for characterizing the crystallographic orientation aspects of microstructures at length scales ranging from tens of nanometers to millimeters in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). With the advent of high-speed digital cameras for EBSD use, it has become practical to use the EBSD detector as an imaging device similar to a backscatter (or forward-scatter) detector. Using the EBSD detector in this manner enables images exhibiting topographic, atomic density and orientation contrast to be obtained at rates similar to slow scanning in the conventional SEM manner. The high-speed acquisition is achieved through extreme binning of the camera-enough to result in a 5 × 5 pixel pattern. At such high binning, the captured patterns are not suitable for indexing. However, no indexing is required for using the detector as an imaging device. Rather, a 5 × 5 array of images is formed by essentially using each pixel in the 5 × 5 pixel pattern as an individual scattered electron detector. The images can also be formed at traditional EBSD scanning rates by recording the image data during a scan or can also be formed through post-processing of patterns recorded at each point in the scan. Such images lend themselves to correlative analysis of image data with the usual orientation data provided by and with chemical data obtained simultaneously via X-Ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (XEDS). Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rubric Authoring Tool Supporting Cognitive Skills Assessment across an Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simper, Natalie

2018-01-01

This paper explores a method to support instructors in assessing cognitive skills in their course, designed to enable aggregation of data across an institution. A rubric authoring tool, "BASICS" (Building Assessment Scaffolds for Intellectual Cognitive Skills) was built as part of the Queen's University Learning Outcomes Assessment (LOA)…

The power and limits of a rule-based morpho-semantic parser.

PubMed Central

Baud, R. H.; Rassinoux, A. M.; Ruch, P.; Lovis, C.; Scherrer, J. R.

1999-01-01

The venue of Electronic Patient Record (EPR) implies an increasing amount of medical texts readily available for processing, as soon as convenient tools are made available. The chief application is text analysis, from which one can drive other disciplines like indexing for retrieval, knowledge representation, translation and inferencing for medical intelligent systems. Prerequisites for a convenient analyzer of medical texts are: building the lexicon, developing semantic representation of the domain, having a large corpus of texts available for statistical analysis, and finally mastering robust and powerful parsing techniques in order to satisfy the constraints of the medical domain. This article aims at presenting an easy-to-use parser ready to be adapted in different settings. It describes its power together with its practical limitations as experienced by the authors. PMID:10566313

The power and limits of a rule-based morpho-semantic parser.

PubMed

Baud, R H; Rassinoux, A M; Ruch, P; Lovis, C; Scherrer, J R

1999-01-01

The venue of Electronic Patient Record (EPR) implies an increasing amount of medical texts readily available for processing, as soon as convenient tools are made available. The chief application is text analysis, from which one can drive other disciplines like indexing for retrieval, knowledge representation, translation and inferencing for medical intelligent systems. Prerequisites for a convenient analyzer of medical texts are: building the lexicon, developing semantic representation of the domain, having a large corpus of texts available for statistical analysis, and finally mastering robust and powerful parsing techniques in order to satisfy the constraints of the medical domain. This article aims at presenting an easy-to-use parser ready to be adapted in different settings. It describes its power together with its practical limitations as experienced by the authors.

Practical choices for infobutton customization: experience from four sites.

PubMed

Cimino, James J; Overby, Casey L; Devine, Emily B; Hulse, Nathan C; Jing, Xia; Maviglia, Saverio M; Del Fiol, Guilherme

2013-01-01

Context-aware links between electronic health records (EHRs) and online knowledge resources, commonly called "infobuttons" are being used increasingly as part of EHR "meaningful use" requirements. While an HL7 standard exists for specifying how the links should be constructed, there is no guidance on what links to construct. Collectively, the authors manage four infobutton systems that serve 16 institutions. The purpose of this paper is to publish our experience with linking various resources and specifying particular criteria that can be used by infobutton managers to select resources that are most relevant for a given situation. This experience can be used directly by those wishing to customize their own EHRs, for example by using the OpenInfobutton infobutton manager and its configuration tool, the Librarian Infobutton Tailoring Environment.

Detecting Submicron Pattern Defects On Optical Photomasks Using An Enhanced El-3 Electron-Beam Lithography Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, R. A.; Davis, D. E.

1982-09-01

This paper describes techniques to detect submicron pattern defects on optical photomasks with an enhanced direct-write, electron-beam lithographic tool. EL-3 is a third generation, shaped spot, electron-beam lithography tool developed by IBM to fabricate semiconductor devices and masks. This tool is being upgraded to provide 100% inspection of optical photomasks for submicron pattern defects, which are subsequently repaired. Fixed-size overlapped spots are stepped over the mask patterns while a signal derived from the back-scattered electrons is monitored to detect pattern defects. Inspection does not require pattern recognition because the inspection scan patterns are derived from the original design data. The inspection spot is square and larger than the minimum defect to be detected, to improve throughput. A new registration technique provides the beam-to-pattern overlay required to locate submicron defects. The 'guard banding" of inspection shapes prevents mask and system tolerances from producing false alarms that would occur should the spots be mispositioned such that they only partially covered a shape being inspected. A rescanning technique eliminates noise-related false alarms and significantly improves throughput. Data is accumulated during inspection and processed offline, as required for defect repair. EL-3 will detect 0.5 um pattern defects at throughputs compatible with mask manufacturing.

Comparative Analysis of NOAA REFM and SNB3GEO Tools for the Forecast of the Fluxes of High-Energy Electrons at GEO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balikhin, M. A.; Rodriguez, J. V.; Boynton, R. J.; Walker, S. N.; Aryan, Homayon; Sibeck, D. G.; Billings, S. A.

2016-01-01

Reliable forecasts of relativistic electrons at geostationary orbit (GEO) are important for the mitigation of their hazardous effects on spacecraft at GEO. For a number of years the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA has provided advanced online forecasts of the fluence of electrons with energy >2 MeV at GEO using the Relativistic Electron Forecast Model (REFM). The REFM forecasts are based on real-time solar wind speed observations at L1. The high reliability of this forecasting tool serves as a benchmark for the assessment of other forecasting tools. Since 2012 the Sheffield SNB3GEO model has been operating online, providing a 24 h ahead forecast of the same fluxes. In addition to solar wind speed, the SNB3GEO forecasts use solar wind density and interplanetary magnetic field B(sub z) observations at L1. The period of joint operation of both of these forecasts has been used to compare their accuracy. Daily averaged measurements of electron fluxes by GOES 13 have been used to estimate the prediction efficiency of both forecasting tools. To assess the reliability of both models to forecast infrequent events of very high fluxes, the Heidke skill score was employed. The results obtained indicate that SNB3GEO provides a more accurate 1 day ahead forecast when compared to REFM. It is shown that the correction methodology utilized by REFM potentially can improve the SNB3GEO forecast.

Comparative analysis of NOAA REFM and SNB3GEO tools for the forecast of the fluxes of high-energy electrons at GEO.

PubMed

Balikhin, M A; Rodriguez, J V; Boynton, R J; Walker, S N; Aryan, H; Sibeck, D G; Billings, S A

2016-01-01

Reliable forecasts of relativistic electrons at geostationary orbit (GEO) are important for the mitigation of their hazardous effects on spacecraft at GEO. For a number of years the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA has provided advanced online forecasts of the fluence of electrons with energy >2 MeV at GEO using the Relativistic Electron Forecast Model (REFM). The REFM forecasts are based on real-time solar wind speed observations at L1. The high reliability of this forecasting tool serves as a benchmark for the assessment of other forecasting tools. Since 2012 the Sheffield SNB 3 GEO model has been operating online, providing a 24 h ahead forecast of the same fluxes. In addition to solar wind speed, the SNB 3 GEO forecasts use solar wind density and interplanetary magnetic field B z observations at L1.The period of joint operation of both of these forecasts has been used to compare their accuracy. Daily averaged measurements of electron fluxes by GOES 13 have been used to estimate the prediction efficiency of both forecasting tools. To assess the reliability of both models to forecast infrequent events of very high fluxes, the Heidke skill score was employed. The results obtained indicate that SNB 3 GEO provides a more accurate 1 day ahead forecast when compared to REFM. It is shown that the correction methodology utilized by REFM potentially can improve the SNB 3 GEO forecast.

Validation of columnar CsI x-ray detector responses obtained with hybridMANTIS, a CPU-GPU Monte Carlo code for coupled x-ray, electron, and optical transport.

PubMed

Sharma, Diksha; Badano, Aldo

2013-03-01

hybridMANTIS is a Monte Carlo package for modeling indirect x-ray imagers using columnar geometry based on a hybrid concept that maximizes the utilization of available CPU and graphics processing unit processors in a workstation. The authors compare hybridMANTIS x-ray response simulations to previously published MANTIS and experimental data for four cesium iodide scintillator screens. These screens have a variety of reflective and absorptive surfaces with different thicknesses. The authors analyze hybridMANTIS results in terms of modulation transfer function and calculate the root mean square difference and Swank factors from simulated and experimental results. The comparison suggests that hybridMANTIS better matches the experimental data as compared to MANTIS, especially at high spatial frequencies and for the thicker screens. hybridMANTIS simulations are much faster than MANTIS with speed-ups up to 5260. hybridMANTIS is a useful tool for improved description and optimization of image acquisition stages in medical imaging systems and for modeling the forward problem in iterative reconstruction algorithms.

Launching a palliative care homepage: the Edmonton experience.

PubMed

Pereira, J; Macmillan, A; Bruera, E

1997-11-01

The Internet, with its graphical subdivision, the World Wide Web (WWW). has become a powerful tool for the dissemination of information and for communication. This paper discusses the authors' experiences with creating, launching and maintaining an official publication on the Internet by the Edmonton Regional Palliative Care Program and the Division of Palliative Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada. It describes the content and format of the homepage and the process of publication. Over a six-month period there were 892 visits to the site and 84 separate items of correspondence to the site's editors. Of these correspondence items, 36 were requesting further information regarding clinical and other programme information. Sixty-nine of the 84 communications came from North America and Europe. The pattern of readership is briefly discussed as are some of the potential advantages and challenges when utilizing this electronic medium. To promote the dissemination of reliable information on the Internet, the authors encourage other palliative care groups and organizations to publish on the WWW. The URL is http:/(/)www.palliative.org (previously http:/(/)www.caritas.ab.ca/approximately palliate).

Risk assessment tools in criminal justice and forensic psychiatry: The need for better data.

PubMed

Douglas, T; Pugh, J; Singh, I; Savulescu, J; Fazel, S

2017-05-01

Violence risk assessment tools are increasingly used within criminal justice and forensic psychiatry, however there is little relevant, reliable and unbiased data regarding their predictive accuracy. We argue that such data are needed to (i) prevent excessive reliance on risk assessment scores, (ii) allow matching of different risk assessment tools to different contexts of application, (iii) protect against problematic forms of discrimination and stigmatisation, and (iv) ensure that contentious demographic variables are not prematurely removed from risk assessment tools. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

Rapid SAW Sensor Development Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, William C.; Atkinson, Gary M.

2007-01-01

The lack of integrated design tools for Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices has led us to develop tools for the design, modeling, analysis, and automatic layout generation of SAW devices. These tools enable rapid development of wireless SAW sensors. The tools developed have been designed to integrate into existing Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to take advantage of existing 3D modeling, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). This paper presents the SAW design, modeling, analysis, and automated layout generation tools.

VEST: An Aspect-Based Composition Tool for Real-Time Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

VEST: An Aspect-Based Composition Tool for Real - Time Systems * John A. Stankovic Ruiqing Zhu Ram Poornalingam Chenyang Lu Zhendong Yu Marty Humphrey...Composition Tool for Real - Time Systems 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK...it is obvious that designers of embedded real - time systems face many difficult problems. By working through various product scenarios with avionics

RFID as a Tool in Cyber Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

RTO-MP-IST-091 P4 - 1 RFID as a Tool in Cyber Warfare Mikko Kiviharju P.O.Box 10 FIN-11311 Riihimaki FINLAND mikko.kiviharju@mil.fi...auditing existing systems and planning new establishments. 1 INTRODUCTION Cyber warfare , especially computer network operations (CNO) have a deep...SUBTITLE RFID as a Tool in Cyber Warfare 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK

An Electronic Competency-Based Evaluation Tool for Assessing Humanitarian Competencies in a Simulated Exercise.

PubMed

Evans, Andrea B; Hulme, Jennifer M; Nugus, Peter; Cranmer, Hilarie H; Coutu, Melanie; Johnson, Kirsten

2017-06-01

The evaluation tool was first derived from the formerly Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies' (CBHA; United Kingdom), now "Start Network's," Core Humanitarian Competency Framework and formatted in an electronic data capture tool that allowed for offline evaluation. During a 3-day humanitarian simulation event, participants in teams of eight to 10 were evaluated individually at multiple injects by trained evaluators. Participants were assessed on five competencies and a global rating scale. Participants evaluated both themselves and their team members using the same tool at the end of the simulation exercise (SimEx). All participants (63) were evaluated. A total of 1,008 individual evaluations were completed. There were 90 (9.0%) missing evaluations. All 63 participants also evaluated themselves and each of their teammates using the same tool. Self-evaluation scores were significantly lower than peer-evaluations, which were significantly lower than evaluators' assessments. Participants with a medical degree, and those with humanitarian work experience of one month or more, scored significantly higher on all competencies assessed by evaluators compared to other participants. Participants with prior humanitarian experience scored higher on competencies regarding operating safely and working effectively as a team member. This study presents a novel electronic evaluation tool to assess individual performance in five of six globally recognized humanitarian competency domains in a 3-day humanitarian SimEx. The evaluation tool provides a standardized approach to the assessment of humanitarian competencies that cannot be evaluated through knowledge-based testing in a classroom setting. When combined with testing knowledge-based competencies, this presents an approach to a comprehensive competency-based assessment that provides an objective measurement of competency with respect to the competencies listed in the Framework. There is an opportunity to advance the use of this tool in future humanitarian training exercises and potentially in real time, in the field. This could impact the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian operations. Evans AB , Hulme JM , Nugus P , Cranmer HH , Coutu M , Johnson K . An electronic competency-based evaluation tool for assessing humanitarian competencies in a simulated exercise. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(3):253-260.

Early Readers and Electronic Texts: CD-ROM Storybook Features That Influence Reading Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefever-Davis, Shirley; Pearman, Cathy

2005-01-01

This research explores the impact of CD-ROM storybook features on the reading behaviors of 6- and 7-year-old students with limited exposure to CD-ROM storybooks. Six categories of behaviors were identified: tracking, electronic feature dependency, distractibility, spectator stance, electronic feature limitations, and electronic features as tools.…

7 CFR 735.401 - Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic... UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT Electronic Providers § 735.401 Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized system to issue and transfer EWR's and USWA...

7 CFR 735.401 - Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic... UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT Electronic Providers § 735.401 Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized system to issue and transfer EWR's and USWA...

7 CFR 735.401 - Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic... UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT Electronic Providers § 735.401 Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized system to issue and transfer EWR's and USWA...

7 CFR 735.401 - Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic... UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT Electronic Providers § 735.401 Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized system to issue and transfer EWR's and USWA...

7 CFR 735.401 - Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic... UNITED STATES WAREHOUSE ACT Electronic Providers § 735.401 Electronic warehouse receipt and USWA electronic document providers. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized system to issue and transfer EWR's and USWA...

Electroluminescence and other diagnostic techniques for the study of hot-electron effects in compound semiconductor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanoni, Enrico; Meneghesso, Gaudenzio; Menozzi, Roberto

2000-03-01

Hot electron in III-V FETs can be indirectly monitored by measuring the current coming out from the gate when the device is biased at high electric fields. This negative current is due to the collection of holes generated by impact ionization in the gate-to drain region. Electroluminescence represents a powerful tool in order to characterize not only hot electrons but also material properties. By using spatially resolved emission microscopy it is possible to show that the light due to cold electron/hole recombination is emitted between the gate and the source (low electric field region), while the contribution due to hot electrons is emitted between the gate and the drain (high electric field region). Deep-traps created in the device by hot carriers can be analysed by means of drain current deep level transient spectroscopy and by transconductance frequency dispersion. Cathodoluminescence, optical beam induced current, X-ray spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy in combination with a transmission electron microscopy are powerful tools in order to identify and localize surface modification following hot-electron stress tests.

Lesson 5: Defining Valid Electronic Signatures

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A valid electronic signature on an electronic document is one that is created with an electronic signature device that is uniquely entitled to a signatory, not compromised, and used by a signatory who is authorized to sign the electronic document.

A new set-up for in-situ probing of radiation effects in materials and electronic devices

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

Peres, M.; Felizardo, M.; Catarino, N.

2015-07-01

The micro-probe facility installed at the Van de Graff accelerator at CTN/IST permits simultaneous measurements of Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Iono-Luminescence (IL). Here we present a recent up-grade of the measurement chamber allowing improved optical sensitivity in IL measurements and opening the possibility to perform simultaneously electrical measurements. Combinations of all these characterization techniques make this setup a powerful tool to characterize and modify different materials with spatial resolution. In particular, it can be used to study radiation effects in different materials and electronic devices in-situ. IL is a luminescence technique that uses themore » ion beam as the excitation source. Compared with other luminescence techniques with spatial resolution like Cathodoluminescence, this technique has the advantage to probe deeper regions of the sample, several microns below the surface. The same ion beam used to produce luminescence, can create a high density of defects, in a controllable way and the new set-up allows monitoring optical and electrical properties in realtime. In this work we combine IL with I-V curve measurements to assess the response of Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and GaN to proton irradiation. Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and GaN are emerging materials for applications in high power electronics and are considered for radiation resistant electronics. We will present a systematic study of the changes in IL and conductivity in Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} and GaN samples with the energy of the ion beam and with the time of exposure. In particular, it was observed that during the irradiation some luminescence bands related with intrinsic point defects decrease while other new bands appear. Simulations using the SRIM code were used to determine the depth profiles of ionization and displacement events, helping to correlate the optical and electrical response of the materials with certain radiation effects. These studies show the potentialities of measuring simultaneously IL and electrical conductivity and how these two characterization techniques can work as a sensitive tool to detect and quantify radiation effects. (authors)« less

An Electronic Commerce Strategy for MTMC’s Guaranteed Traffic Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-10-01

AD-A264 299 SELECTE October 1992 S MAY1 4 1993U C An Electronic Commerce Strategy for MTMC’s Guaranteed Traffic Program MT901R I N1. Augustine...NUMBERS An Electronic Commerce Strategy for MTMC’s Guaranteed Traffic Program C MDA903-85-C -0139 M DA903-90-C-0006 PE 0902198D 6. AUTHOR(S) M...239-1L 299-01 LMI Executive Summary AN ELECTRONIC COMMERCE STRATEGY FOR MTMC’S GUARANTEED TRAFFIC PROGRAM In 1979, the Military Traffic Management

19 CFR 122.50 - General order merchandise.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. Failure to provide such notification may...-authorized electronic data interchange system. If the party fails to notify Customs of the unentered... merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port director as qualified to receive general...

19 CFR 4.37 - General order.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... writing or by any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. Failure to provide... appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. If the party fails to notify Customs of the... and unentered merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port director as qualified...

19 CFR 122.50 - General order merchandise.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. Failure to provide such notification may...-authorized electronic data interchange system. If the party fails to notify Customs of the unentered... merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port director as qualified to receive general...

19 CFR 4.37 - General order.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... writing or by any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. Failure to provide... appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. If the party fails to notify Customs of the... and unentered merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port director as qualified...

19 CFR 123.10 - General order merchandise.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... shall be provided in writing or by any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system... any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. If the party fails to notify... unreleased and unentered merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port director as...

19 CFR 123.10 - General order merchandise.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... shall be provided in writing or by any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system... any appropriate Customs-authorized electronic data interchange system. If the party fails to notify... unreleased and unentered merchandise or baggage to a bonded warehouse certified by the port director as...

Performance Support Tools: Delivering Value when and where It Is Needed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManus, Paul; Rossett, Allison

2006-01-01

Some call them Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSSs). Others prefer Performance Support Tools (PSTs) or decision support tools. One might call EPSSs or PSTs job aids on steroids, technological tools that provide critical information or advice needed to move forward at a particular moment in time. Characteristic advantages of an EPSS or a…

The ADE scorecards: a tool for adverse drug event detection in electronic health records.

PubMed

Chazard, Emmanuel; Băceanu, Adrian; Ferret, Laurie; Ficheur, Grégoire

2011-01-01

Although several methods exist for Adverse Drug events (ADE) detection due to past hospitalizations, a tool that could display those ADEs to the physicians does not exist yet. This article presents the ADE Scorecards, a Web tool that enables to screen past hospitalizations extracted from Electronic Health Records (EHR), using a set of ADE detection rules, presently rules discovered by data mining. The tool enables the physicians to (1) get contextualized statistics about the ADEs that happen in their medical department, (2) see the rules that are useful in their department, i.e. the rules that could have enabled to prevent those ADEs and (3) review in detail the ADE cases, through a comprehensive interface displaying the diagnoses, procedures, lab results, administered drugs and anonymized records. The article shows a demonstration of the tool through a use case.

THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REVITALIZATION TOOLS-ELECTRONIC (SMARTE): 2006-2010

EPA Science Inventory

SMARTe is being developed to give stakeholders information resources, analytical tools, communication strategies, and a decision analysis approach to be able to make better decisions regarding future uses of property. The development of the communication tools and decision analys...

Capturing district nursing through a knowledge-based electronic caseload analysis tool (eCAT).

PubMed

Kane, Kay

2014-03-01

The Electronic Caseload Analysis Tool (eCAT) is a knowledge-based software tool to assist the caseload analysis process. The tool provides a wide range of graphical reports, along with an integrated clinical advisor, to assist district nurses, team leaders, operational and strategic managers with caseload analysis by describing, comparing and benchmarking district nursing practice in the context of population need, staff resources, and service structure. District nurses and clinical lead nurses in Northern Ireland developed the tool, along with academic colleagues from the University of Ulster, working in partnership with a leading software company. The aim was to use the eCAT tool to identify the nursing need of local populations, along with the variances in district nursing practice, and match the workforce accordingly. This article reviews the literature, describes the eCAT solution and discusses the impact of eCAT on nursing practice, staff allocation, service delivery and workforce planning, using fictitious exemplars and a post-implementation evaluation from the trusts.

Intimate Technology: A Tool for Teaching Anti-Racism in Social Work Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deepak, Anne C.; Biggs, Mary Jo Garcia

2011-01-01

In this article, the authors introduce a new conceptual tool, intimate technology, to mobilize social work students' commitment to anti-racism. Intimate technology is marked by its emotional intensity and accessibility, and its effect of de-centering knowledge and authority. This teaching strategy integrates the modality of intimate technology via…

Driving Improvement with a Balanced Scorecard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowart, Scott K.

2010-01-01

This article describes how a school district's use of a transparent tool coalesced support for systemic improvement. The author was looking for a way to push improvement in his 4,000-student school system when he discovered the balanced scorecard, a strategic tool for performance management. The author details how the balanced scorecard helped him…

Redesigning Instruction through Web-based Course Authoring Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dabbagh, Nada H.; Schmitt, Jeff

1998-01-01

Examines the pedagogical implications of redesigning instruction for Web-based delivery through a case study of an undergraduate computer science course. Initially designed for a traditional learning environment, this course transformed to a Web-based course using WebCT, a Web-based course authoring tool. Discusses the specific features of WebCT.…

MEAT: An Authoring Tool for Generating Adaptable Learning Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yen-Hung; Huang, Yueh-Min

2009-01-01

Mobile learning (m-learning) is a new trend in the e-learning field. The learning services in m-learning environments are supported by fundamental functions, especially the content and assessment services, which need an authoring tool to rapidly generate adaptable learning resources. To fulfill the imperious demand, this study proposes an…

Program Evaluation: The Board Game--An Interactive Learning Tool for Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Febey, Karen; Coyne, Molly

2007-01-01

The field of program evaluation lacks interactive teaching tools. To address this pedagogical issue, the authors developed a collaborative learning technique called Program Evaluation: The Board Game. The authors present the game and its development in this practitioner-oriented article. The evaluation board game is an adaptable teaching tool…

Student Perception of Content Master and Engagement in Using an E-Authoring Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carver, Lin; Todd, Carol

2013-01-01

Examination of student comments and end of course surveys from previous courses revealed two content design themes: request for additional graphics and visuals to support content and improved quality and opportunities to master content. Researchers wanted to investigate if incorporating SoftChalk, an e-authoring tool, would effectively address…

Developing Technology Teachers: Questioning the Industrial Tool Use Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, John W.; Lovedahl, Gerald G.

2004-01-01

In this article, the author questions the role of technology teacher preparation programs that are based on an "industrial tool use" model to develop technology education teachers. It is the position of the authors that the manner by which technology education teachers are prepared may need revision and that technology teacher educators…

Tool for Crimping Flexible Circuit Leads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hulse, Aaron; Diftler, Myron A.

2009-01-01

A hand tool has been developed for crimping leads in flexible tails that are parts of some electronic circuits -- especially some sensor circuits. The tool is used to cut the tails to desired lengths and attach solder tabs to the leads. For tailoring small numbers of circuits for special applications, this hand tool is a less expensive alternative to a commercially available automated crimping tool. The crimping tool consists of an off-the-shelf hand crimping tool plus a specialized crimping insert designed specifically for the intended application.

An overview of suite for automated global electronic biosurveillance (SAGES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Sheri L.; Feighner, Brian H.; Loschen, Wayne A.; Wojcik, Richard A.; Skora, Joseph F.; Coberly, Jacqueline S.; Blazes, David L.

2012-06-01

Public health surveillance is undergoing a revolution driven by advances in the field of information technology. Many countries have experienced vast improvements in the collection, ingestion, analysis, visualization, and dissemination of public health data. Resource-limited countries have lagged behind due to challenges in information technology infrastructure, public health resources, and the costs of proprietary software. The Suite for Automated Global Electronic bioSurveillance (SAGES) is a collection of modular, flexible, freely-available software tools for electronic disease surveillance in resource-limited settings. One or more SAGES tools may be used in concert with existing surveillance applications or the SAGES tools may be used en masse for an end-to-end biosurveillance capability. This flexibility allows for the development of an inexpensive, customized, and sustainable disease surveillance system. The ability to rapidly assess anomalous disease activity may lead to more efficient use of limited resources and better compliance with World Health Organization International Health Regulations.

Learning science with ICT - Developing a pedagogy of successful practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Laurence Trevelyan

The oeuvre which I present spans a period of time during which the use of ICT in science education has been transformed from a technical teaching aid into a major genre of activity on a national and international scale. My contribution to this change has been as a researcher, teacher trainer, software author and electronics designer. Such a combination of roles has made my approach multidisciplinary, creating a unique partnership between research, pedagogy and technical development. The fruits of my work have influenced practice directly in science departments in secondary schools through the publication of articles, chapters and a book, and especially through the dissemination of original curriculum materials, hardware tools and the Insight suite of software. Embedded in these tools are my understandings of the new context for learning science, rooted in constructivism and derived from professional experience, classroom research studies and research literature. My aim throughout has been to promote ideas which will help the science education community gain a vision of the full potential of ICT. It will be shown that my activities in each of three strands, research, literature study and curriculum development, have been interconnected at many stages such that advances in one strand have prompted progress in another in a stepwise fashion. Thus, my curriculum developments have provided the tools for study, my evaluative field research has provided insights for refining the tools and of new opportunities for their use, research literature has deepened my understanding of the issues and has identified criteria for the design of the curriculum tools and for research methodology. In total, this process itself has exemplified a constructivist development and is reflected in the portfolio items which begin with practitioner articles and graduate to papers linking research findings to theoretical arguments.

Standards opportunities around data-bearing Web pages.

PubMed

Karger, David

2013-03-28

The evolving Web has seen ever-growing use of structured data, thanks to the way it enhances information authoring, querying, visualization and sharing. To date, however, most structured data authoring and management tools have been oriented towards programmers and Web developers. End users have been left behind, unable to leverage structured data for information management and communication as well as professionals. In this paper, I will argue that many of the benefits of structured data management can be provided to end users as well. I will describe an approach and tools that allow end users to define their own schemas (without knowing what a schema is), manage data and author (not program) interactive Web visualizations of that data using the Web tools with which they are already familiar, such as plain Web pages, blogs, wikis and WYSIWYG document editors. I will describe our experience deploying these tools and some lessons relevant to their future evolution.

MCM generator: a Java-based tool for generating medical metadata.

PubMed

Munoz, F; Hersh, W

1998-01-01

In a previous paper we introduced the need to implement a mechanism to facilitate the discovery of relevant Web medical documents. We maintained that the use of META tags, specifically ones that define the medical subject and resource type of a document, help towards this goal. We have now developed a tool to facilitate the generation of these tags for the authors of medical documents. Written entirely in Java, this tool makes use of the SAPHIRE server, and helps the author identify the Medical Subject Heading terms that most appropriately describe the subject of the document. Furthermore, it allows the author to generate metadata tags for the 15 elements that the Dublin Core considers as core elements in the description of a document. This paper describes the use of this tool in the cataloguing of Web and non-Web medical documents, such as images, movie, and sound files.

Participative Knowledge Production of Learning Objects for E-Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dodero, Juan Manuel; Aedo, Ignacio; Diaz, Paloma

2002-01-01

Defines a learning object as any digital resource that can be reused to support learning and thus considers electronic books as learning objects. Highlights include knowledge management; participative knowledge production, i.e. authoring electronic books by a distributed group of authors; participative knowledge production architecture; and…

Comparison of flight results with digital simulation for a digital electronic engine control in an F-15 airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, L. P.; Burcham, F. W., Jr.

1983-01-01

Substantial benefits of a full authority digital electronic engine control on an air breathing engine were demonstrated repeatedly in simulation studies, ground engine tests, and engine altitude test facilities. A digital engine electronic control system showed improvements in efficiency, performance, and operation. An additional benefit of full authority digital controls is the capability of detecting and correcting failures and providing engine health diagnostics.

Statistical Fine Structure in the Inhomogeneously Broadened Electronic Origin of Pentacene in p-Terphenyl.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-29

Electronic Origin of Pentacene in p-Terphenyl by T. P. Carter, M. Manavi, and W. E. Moerner Prepared for Publication inDTIC Journal of Chemical Physics...Classification) Statistical Fine Structure in the Inhomogeneously Broadened Electronic Origin of Pentacene in p-Terphenyl 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) T. P...of pentacene in p-terphenyl using laser FM spectroscopy. Statistical fine structure is time-independent structure on the inhomogeneous line caused by

Robust validation of approximate 1-matrix functionals with few-electron harmonium atoms

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

Cioslowski, Jerzy, E-mail: jerzy@wmf.univ.szczecin.pl; Piris, Mario; Matito, Eduard

2015-12-07

A simple comparison between the exact and approximate correlation components U of the electron-electron repulsion energy of several states of few-electron harmonium atoms with varying confinement strengths provides a stringent validation tool for 1-matrix functionals. The robustness of this tool is clearly demonstrated in a survey of 14 known functionals, which reveals their substandard performance within different electron correlation regimes. Unlike spot-testing that employs dissociation curves of diatomic molecules or more extensive benchmarking against experimental atomization energies of molecules comprising some standard set, the present approach not only uncovers the flaws and patent failures of the functionals but, even moremore » importantly, also allows for pinpointing their root causes. Since the approximate values of U are computed at exact 1-densities, the testing requires minimal programming and thus is particularly suitable for rapid screening of new functionals.« less

Electronics Shielding and Reliability Design Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; ONeill, P. M.; Zang, Thomas A., Jr.; Pandolf, John E.; Koontz, Steven L.; Boeder, P.; Reddell, B.; Pankop, C.

2006-01-01

It is well known that electronics placement in large-scale human-rated systems provides opportunity to optimize electronics shielding through materials choice and geometric arrangement. For example, several hundred single event upsets (SEUs) occur within the Shuttle avionic computers during a typical mission. An order of magnitude larger SEU rate would occur without careful placement in the Shuttle design. These results used basic physics models (linear energy transfer (LET), track structure, Auger recombination) combined with limited SEU cross section measurements allowing accurate evaluation of target fragment contributions to Shuttle avionics memory upsets. Electronics shielding design on human-rated systems provides opportunity to minimize radiation impact on critical and non-critical electronic systems. Implementation of shielding design tools requires adequate methods for evaluation of design layouts, guiding qualification testing, and an adequate follow-up on final design evaluation including results from a systems/device testing program tailored to meet design requirements.

The coronary artery disease quality dashboard: a chronic care disease management tool in an electronic health record.

PubMed

Jung, Eunice; Schnipper, Jeffrey L; Li, Qi; Linder, Jeffrey A; Rose, Alan F; Li, Ruzhuo; Eskin, Michael S; Housman, Dan; Middleton, Blackford; Einbinder, Jonathan S

2007-10-11

Quality reporting tools, integrated with ambulatory electronic health records (EHRs), may help clinicians understand performance, manage populations, and improve quality. The Coronary Artery Disease Quality Dash board (CAD QD) is a secure web report for performance measurement of a chronic care condition delivered through a central data warehouse and custom-built reporting tool. Pilot evaluation of the CAD Quality Dash board indicates that clinicians prefer a quality report that combines not only structured data from EHRs but one that facilitates actions to be taken on individual patients or on a population, i.e., for case management.

Insights into the post-transcriptional regulation of the mitochondrial electron transport chain.

PubMed

Sirey, Tamara M; Ponting, Chris P

2016-10-15

The regulation of the mitochondrial electron transport chain is central to the control of cellular homeostasis. There are significant gaps in our understanding of how the expression of the mitochondrial and nuclear genome-encoded components of the electron transport chain are co-ordinated, and how the assembly of the protein complexes that constitute the electron transport chain are regulated. Furthermore, the role post-transcriptional gene regulation may play in modulating these processes needs to be clarified. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the post-transcriptional gene regulation of the electron transport chain and highlights how noncoding RNAs may contribute significantly both to complex electron transport chain regulatory networks and to mitochondrial dysfunction. © 2016 The Author(s).

Electron beam throughput from raster to imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zywno, Marek

2016-12-01

Two architectures of electron beam tools are presented: single beam MEBES Exara designed and built by Etec Systems for mask writing, and the Reflected E-Beam Lithography tool (REBL), designed and built by KLA-Tencor under a DARPA Agreement No. HR0011-07-9-0007. Both tools have implemented technologies not used before to achieve their goals. The MEBES X, renamed Exara for marketing purposes, used an air bearing stage running in vacuum to achieve smooth continuous scanning. The REBL used 2 dimensional imaging to distribute charge to a 4k pixel swath to achieve writing times on the order of 1 wafer per hour, scalable to throughput approaching optical projection tools. Three stage architectures were designed for continuous scanning of wafers: linear maglev, rotary maglev, and dual linear maglev.

Improving oversight of the graduate medical education enterprise: one institution's strategies and tools.

PubMed

Afrin, Lawrence B; Arana, George W; Medio, Franklin J; Ybarra, Angela F N; Clarke, Harry S

2006-05-01

Accreditation organizations, financial stakeholders, legal systems, and regulatory agencies have increased the need for accountability in educational processes and curricular outcomes of graduate medical education. This demand for greater programmatic monitoring has placed pressure on institutions with graduate medical education (GME) programs to develop greater oversight of these programs. Meeting these challenges requires development of new GME management strategies and tools for institutional GME administrators to scrutinize programs, while still allowing these programs the autonomy to develop and implement educational methods to meet their unique training needs. At the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), senior administrators in the college of medicine felt electronic information management was a critical strategy for success and thus proceeded to carefully select an electronic residency management system (ERMS) to provide functionality for both individual programs and the GME enterprise as a whole. Initial plans in 2002 for a phased deployment had to be changed to a much more rapid deployment due to regulatory issues. Extensive communication and cooperation among MUSC's GME leaders resulted in a successful deployment in 2003. Evaluation completion rates have substantially improved, duty hours are carefully monitored, patient safety has improved through more careful oversight of residents' procedural privileges, regulators have been pleased, and central GME administrative visibility of program performance has dramatically improved. The system is now being expanded to MUSC's medical school and other health professions colleges. The authors discuss lessons learned and opportunities and challenges ahead, which include improving tracking of development of procedural competency, establishing and monitoring program performance standards, and integrating the ERMS with GME reimbursement systems.

ultraLM and miniLM: Locator tools for smart tracking of fluorescent cells in correlative light and electron microscopy.

PubMed

Brama, Elisabeth; Peddie, Christopher J; Wilkes, Gary; Gu, Yan; Collinson, Lucy M; Jones, Martin L

2016-12-13

In-resin fluorescence (IRF) protocols preserve fluorescent proteins in resin-embedded cells and tissues for correlative light and electron microscopy, aiding interpretation of macromolecular function within the complex cellular landscape. Dual-contrast IRF samples can be imaged in separate fluorescence and electron microscopes, or in dual-modality integrated microscopes for high resolution correlation of fluorophore to organelle. IRF samples also offer a unique opportunity to automate correlative imaging workflows. Here we present two new locator tools for finding and following fluorescent cells in IRF blocks, enabling future automation of correlative imaging. The ultraLM is a fluorescence microscope that integrates with an ultramicrotome, which enables 'smart collection' of ultrathin sections containing fluorescent cells or tissues for subsequent transmission electron microscopy or array tomography. The miniLM is a fluorescence microscope that integrates with serial block face scanning electron microscopes, which enables 'smart tracking' of fluorescent structures during automated serial electron image acquisition from large cell and tissue volumes.

Accelerator shield design of KIPT neutron source facility

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

Zhong, Z.; Gohar, Y.

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) of the United States and Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) of Ukraine have been collaborating on the design development of a neutron source facility at KIPT utilizing an electron-accelerator-driven subcritical assembly. Electron beam power is 100 kW, using 100 MeV electrons. The facility is designed to perform basic and applied nuclear research, produce medical isotopes, and train young nuclear specialists. The biological shield of the accelerator building is designed to reduce the biological dose to less than 0.5-mrem/hr during operation. The main source of the biological dose is the photons and the neutrons generatedmore » by interactions of leaked electrons from the electron gun and accelerator sections with the surrounding concrete and accelerator materials. The Monte Carlo code MCNPX serves as the calculation tool for the shield design, due to its capability to transport electrons, photons, and neutrons coupled problems. The direct photon dose can be tallied by MCNPX calculation, starting with the leaked electrons. However, it is difficult to accurately tally the neutron dose directly from the leaked electrons. The neutron yield per electron from the interactions with the surrounding components is less than 0.01 neutron per electron. This causes difficulties for Monte Carlo analyses and consumes tremendous computation time for tallying with acceptable statistics the neutron dose outside the shield boundary. To avoid these difficulties, the SOURCE and TALLYX user subroutines of MCNPX were developed for the study. The generated neutrons are banked, together with all related parameters, for a subsequent MCNPX calculation to obtain the neutron and secondary photon doses. The weight windows variance reduction technique is utilized for both neutron and photon dose calculations. Two shielding materials, i.e., heavy concrete and ordinary concrete, were considered for the shield design. The main goal is to maintain the total dose outside the shield boundary at less than 0.5-mrem/hr. The shield configuration and parameters of the accelerator building have been determined and are presented in this paper. (authors)« less

A Validity and Reliability Study of the Basic Electronics Skills Self-Efficacy Scale (BESS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korkmaz, Ö.; Korkmaz, M. K.

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to improve a measurement tool to evaluate the self-efficacy of Electrical-Electronics Engineering students through their basic electronics skills. The sample group is composed of 124 Electrical-Electronics engineering students. The validity of the scale is analyzed with two different methods through factor analysis and…

Absorbed Dose Determination Using Experimental and Analytical Predictions of X-Ray Spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, D. L.; Carruth, Ralph (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Electron beam welding in a vacuum is a technology that NASA is investigating as a joining technique for manufacture of space structures. This investigation characterizes the x-ray environment due to operation of an in-vacuum electron beam welding tool and provides recommendations for adequate shielding for astronauts performing the in-vacuum electron beam welding. NASA, in a joint venture with the Russian Space Agency, was scheduled to perform a series of welding in space experiments on board the U.S. Space Shuttle. This series of experiments was named the international space welding experiment (ISWE). The hardware associated with the ISWE was leased to NASA by the Paton Welding Institute (PWI) in Ukraine for ground-based welding experiments in preparation for flight. Two ground tests were scheduled, using the ISWE electron beam welding tool, to characterize the radiation exposure to an astronaut during the operation of the ISWE. These radiation exposure tests used thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD's) shielded with material currently used by astronauts during extravehicular activities to measure the radiation dose. The TLD's were exposed to x-ray radiation generated by operation of the ISWE in-vacuum electron beam welding tool. This investigation was the first known application of TLD's to measure absorbed dose from x rays of energy less than 10 keV. The ISWE hardware was returned to Ukraine before the issue of adequate shielding for the astronauts was completely verified. Therefore, alternate experimental and analytical methods were developed to measure and predict the x-ray spectral and intensity distribution generated by ISWE electron beam impact with metal. These x-ray spectra were normalized to an equivalent ISWE exposure, then used to calculate the absorbed radiation dose to astronauts. These absorbed dose values were compared to TLD measurements obtained during actual operation of the ISWE in-vacuum electron beam welding tool. The calculated absorbed dose values were found to be in agreement with the measured TLD values.

The Locus of Tool-Transformation Costs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunde, Wilfried; Pfister, Roland; Janczyk, Markus

2012-01-01

Transformations of hand movements by tools such as levers or electronic input devices can invoke performance costs compared to untransformed movements. This study investigated by means of the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) paradigm at which stage of information processing such tool-transformation costs arise. We used an inversion…

Cerebral palsy litigation: change course or abandon ship.

PubMed

Sartwelle, Thomas P; Johnston, James C

2015-06-01

The cardinal driver of cerebral palsy litigation is electronic fetal monitoring, which has continued unabated for 40 years. Electronic fetal monitoring, however, is based on 19th-century childbirth myths, a virtually nonexistent scientific foundation, and has a false positive rate exceeding 99%. It has not affected the incidence of cerebral palsy. Electronic fetal monitoring has, however, increased the cesarian section rate, with the expected increase in mortality and morbidity risks to mothers and babies alike. This article explains why electronic fetal monitoring remains endorsed as efficacious in the worlds' labor rooms and courtrooms despite being such a feeble medical modality. It also reviews the reasons professional organizations have failed to condemn the use of electronic fetal monitoring in courtrooms. The failures of tort reform, special cerebral palsy courts, and damage limits to stem the escalating litigation are discussed. Finally, the authors propose using a currently available evidence rule-the Daubert doctrine that excludes "junk science" from the courtroom-as the beginning of the end to cerebral palsy litigation and electronic fetal monitoring's 40-year masquerade as science. © The Author(s) 2014.

Use of methodological tools for assessing the quality of studies in periodontology and implant dentistry: a systematic review.

PubMed

Faggion, Clovis M; Huda, Fahd; Wasiak, Jason

2014-06-01

To evaluate the methodological approaches used to assess the quality of studies included in systematic reviews (SRs) in periodontology and implant dentistry. Two electronic databases (PubMed and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) were searched independently to identify SRs examining interventions published through 2 September 2013. The reference lists of included SRs and records of 10 specialty dental journals were searched manually. Methodological approaches were assessed using seven criteria based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Temporal trends in methodological quality were also explored. Of the 159 SRs with meta-analyses included in the analysis, 44 (28%) reported the use of domain-based tools, 15 (9%) reported the use of checklists and 7 (4%) reported the use of scales. Forty-two (26%) SRs reported use of more than one tool. Criteria were met heterogeneously; authors of 15 (9%) publications incorporated the quality of evidence of primary studies into SRs, whereas 69% of SRs reported methodological approaches in the Materials/Methods section. Reporting of four criteria was significantly better in recent (2010-2013) than in previous publications. The analysis identified several methodological limitations of approaches used to assess evidence in studies included in SRs in periodontology and implant dentistry. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Do surveys with paper and electronic devices differ in quality and cost? Experience from the Rufiji Health and demographic surveillance system in Tanzania.

PubMed

Mukasa, Oscar; Mushi, Hildegalda P; Maire, Nicolas; Ross, Amanda; de Savigny, Don

2017-01-01

Data entry at the point of collection using mobile electronic devices may make data-handling processes more efficient and cost-effective, but there is little literature to document and quantify gains, especially for longitudinal surveillance systems. To examine the potential of mobile electronic devices compared with paper-based tools in health data collection. Using data from 961 households from the Rufiji Household and Demographic Survey in Tanzania, the quality and costs of data collected on paper forms and electronic devices were compared. We also documented, using qualitative approaches, field workers, whom we called 'enumerators', and households' members on the use of both methods. Existing administrative records were combined with logistics expenditure measured directly from comparison households to approximate annual costs per 1,000 households surveyed. Errors were detected in 17% (166) of households for the paper records and 2% (15) for the electronic records (p < 0.001). There were differences in the types of errors (p = 0.03). Of the errors occurring, a higher proportion were due to accuracy in paper surveys (79%, 95% CI: 72%, 86%) compared with electronic surveys (58%, 95% CI: 29%, 87%). Errors in electronic surveys were more likely to be related to completeness (32%, 95% CI 12%, 56%) than in paper surveys (11%, 95% CI: 7%, 17%).The median duration of the interviews ('enumeration'), per household was 9.4 minutes (90% central range 6.4, 12.2) for paper and 8.3 (6.1, 12.0) for electronic surveys (p = 0.001). Surveys using electronic tools, compared with paper-based tools, were less costly by 28% for recurrent and 19% for total costs. Although there were technical problems with electronic devices, there was good acceptance of both methods by enumerators and members of the community. Our findings support the use of mobile electronic devices for large-scale longitudinal surveys in resource-limited settings.

Managing the incidence of selective reporting bias: a survey of Cochrane review groups.

PubMed

Reid, Emma K; Tejani, Aaron M; Huan, Lawrence N; Egan, Gregory; O'Sullivan, Cait; Mayhew, Alain D; Kabir, Monisha

2015-06-13

Selective reporting bias (SRB), the incomplete publication of outcomes measured or of analyses performed in a study, may lead to the over- or underestimation of treatment effects or harms. Cochrane systematic reviews of interventions are required to assess the risk of SRB, achieved in part by applying the Cochrane risk of bias tool to each included randomised trial. The Cochrane Handbook outlines strategies for a comprehensive risk of bias assessment, but the extent to which these are followed by Cochrane review groups (CRGs) has not been assessed to date. The objective of this study was to determine the methods which CRGs require of their authors to address SRB within systematic reviews, and how SRB risk assessments are verified. A cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed electronically to the 52 CRGs involved in intervention reviews. Responses from 42 CRGs show that the majority refer their authors to the Cochrane Handbook for specific instruction regarding assessments of SRB. The handbook strategies remain variably enforced, with 57 % (24/42) of CRGs not requiring review authors to search for included trial protocols and 31 % (13/42) not requiring that contact with individual study authors be attempted. Only half (48 %, 20/42) of the groups consistently verify review authors' assessments of the risk of SRB to ensure completeness. A range of practices are used by CRGs for addressing SRB, with many steps outlined in the Cochrane Handbook being encouraged but not required. The majority of CRGs do not consider their review authors to be sufficiently competent to assess for SRB, yet risk of bias assessments are not always verified by editors before publication. The implications of SRB may not be fully appreciated by all CRGs, and resolving the identified issues may require an approach targeting several steps in the systematic review process.

Nuclear Tools For Oilfield Logging-While-Drilling Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reijonen, Jani

2011-06-01

Schlumberger is an international oilfield service company with nearly 80,000 employees of 140 nationalities, operating globally in 80 countries. As a market leader in oilfield services, Schlumberger has developed a suite of technologies to assess the downhole environment, including, among others, electromagnetic, seismic, chemical, and nuclear measurements. In the past 10 years there has been a radical shift in the oilfield service industry from traditional wireline measurements to logging-while-drilling (LWD) analysis. For LWD measurements, the analysis is performed and the instruments are operated while the borehole is being drilled. The high temperature, high shock, and extreme vibration environment of LWD imposes stringent requirements for the devices used in these applications. This has a significant impact on the design of the components and subcomponents of a downhole tool. Another significant change in the past few years for nuclear-based oilwell logging tools is the desire to replace the sealed radioisotope sources with active, electronic ones. These active radiation sources provide great benefits compared to the isotopic sources, ranging from handling and safety to nonproliferation and well contamination issues. The challenge is to develop electronic generators that have a high degree of reliability for the entire lifetime of a downhole tool. LWD tool testing and operations are highlighted with particular emphasis on electronic radiation sources and nuclear detectors for the downhole environment.

A patient-centered electronic tool for weight loss outcomes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

PubMed

Wood, G Craig; Benotti, Peter; Gerhard, Glenn S; Miller, Elaina K; Zhang, Yushan; Zaccone, Richard J; Argyropoulos, George A; Petrick, Anthony T; Still, Christopher D

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND. Current patient education and informed consent regarding weight loss expectations for bariatric surgery candidates are largely based on averages from large patient cohorts. The variation in weight loss outcomes illustrates the need for establishing more realistic weight loss goals for individual patients. This study was designed to develop a simple web-based tool which provides patient-specific weight loss expectations. METHODS. Postoperative weight measurements after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) were collected and analyzed with patient characteristics known to influence weight loss outcomes. Quantile regression was used to create expected weight loss curves (25th, 50th, and 75th %tile) for the 24 months after RYGB. The resulting equations were validated and used to develop web-based tool for predicting weight loss outcomes. RESULTS. Weight loss data from 2986 patients (2608 in the primary cohort and 378 in the validation cohort) were included. Preoperative body mass index (BMI) and age were found to have a high correlation with weight loss accomplishment (P < 0.0001 for each). An electronic tool was created that provides easy access to patient-specific, 24-month weight loss trajectories based on initial BMI and age. CONCLUSIONS. This validated, patient-centered electronic tool will assist patients and providers in patient teaching, informed consent, and postoperative weight loss management.

75 FR 17691 - Foreign-Trade Zone 196 - Fort Worth, Texas, Application for Manufacturing Authority, ATC...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-07

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Docket 19-2010] Foreign-Trade Zone 196 - Fort Worth, Texas, Application for Manufacturing Authority, ATC Logistics & Electronics (Cell Phone Kitting... Board (the Board) by ATC Logistics & Electronics (ATCLE), operator of Site 2, FTZ 196, Fort Worth, Texas...

12 CFR 205.1 - Authority and purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Authority and purpose. 205.1 Section 205.1 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM ELECTRONIC... Electronic Fund Transfer Act (15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq.). The information-collection requirements have been...

12 CFR 205.1 - Authority and purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Authority and purpose. 205.1 Section 205.1 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM ELECTRONIC... Electronic Fund Transfer Act (15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq.). The information-collection requirements have been...

27 CFR 41.81 - Taxpayment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... tax must be paid on the basis of a return on the customs form or by authorized electronic transmission... customs form or authorized electronic transmission the following internal revenue tax information. (1) For... rate of tax, and the tax due. (4) For cigars. The importer will show: (i) The number imported under...

Managing the Art Room/Tools and Equipment Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qualley, Charles A.

1979-01-01

The author looks at the different tools and processes used in the art classroom, pointing out areas of safety concern, and suggests tool maintenance and use standards which can prevent classroom accidents. (SJL)

Insights into early lithic technologies from ethnography.

PubMed

Hayden, Brian

2015-11-19

Oldowan lithic assemblages are often portrayed as a product of the need to obtain sharp flakes for cutting into animal carcases. However, ethnographic and experimental research indicates that the optimal way to produce flakes for such butchering purposes is via bipolar reduction of small cryptocrystalline pebbles rather than from larger crystalline cores resembling choppers. Ethnographic observations of stone tool-using hunter-gatherers in environments comparable with early hominins indicate that most stone tools (particularly chopper forms and flake tools) were used for making simple shaft tools including spears, digging sticks and throwing sticks. These tools bear strong resemblances to Oldowan stone tools. Bipolar reduction for butchering probably preceded chopper-like core reduction and provides a key link between primate nut-cracking technologies and the emergence of more sophisticated lithic technologies leading to the Oldowan. © 2015 The Author(s).

Electronic Procedures for Medical Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2015-01-01

Electronic procedures are replacing text-based documents for recording the steps in performing medical operations aboard the International Space Station. S&K Aerospace, LLC, has developed a content-based electronic system-based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML) standard-that separates text from formatting standards and tags items contained in procedures so they can be recognized by other electronic systems. For example, to change a standard format, electronic procedures are changed in a single batch process, and the entire body of procedures will have the new format. Procedures can be quickly searched to determine which are affected by software and hardware changes. Similarly, procedures are easily shared with other electronic systems. The system also enables real-time data capture and automatic bookmarking of current procedure steps. In Phase II of the project, S&K Aerospace developed a Procedure Representation Language (PRL) and tools to support the creation and maintenance of electronic procedures for medical operations. The goal is to develop these tools in such a way that new advances can be inserted easily, leading to an eventual medical decision support system.

Staying connected: online education engagement and retention using educational technology tools.

PubMed

Salazar, Jose

2010-01-01

The objective of this article is to inform educators about the use of currently available educational technology tools to promote student retention, engagement and interaction in online courses. Educational technology tools include content management systems, podcasts, video lecture capture technology and electronic discussion boards. Successful use of educational technology tools requires planning, organization and use of effective learning strategies.

78 FR 48912 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, With, of a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-12

... for analysis in the NCUA Low-Income Designation (LID) Tool. The LID Tool is a geocoding software... the member address data are obtained through the examination process and the results of the LID Tool... may send an electronic member address data file for analysis in the LID Tool. If a credit union does...

78 FR 59377 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, With Change, of a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-26

... analysis in the NCUA Low-Income Designation (LID) Tool. The LID Tool is a geocoding software program which... data are obtained through the examination process and the results of the LID Tool indicate the credit... electronic member address data file for analysis in the LID Tool. If a credit union does not qualify for a...

Graphical Representations of Electronic Search Patterns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Xia; And Others

1991-01-01

Discussion of search behavior in electronic environments focuses on the development of GRIP (Graphic Representor of Interaction Patterns), a graphing tool based on HyperCard that produces graphic representations of search patterns. Search state spaces are explained, and forms of data available from electronic searches are described. (34…

Assessing Ongoing Electronic Resource Purchases: Linking Tools to Synchronize Staff Workflows

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Jeffrey D.; Major, Colleen; O'Neal, Nada; Tofanelli, John

2012-01-01

Ongoing electronic resource purchases represent a substantial proportion of collections budgets. Recognizing the necessity of systematic ongoing assessment with full selector engagement, Columbia University Libraries appointed an Electronic Resources Assessment Working Group to promote the inclusion of such resources within our current culture of…

Study of runaway electrons with Hard X-ray spectrometry of tokamak plasmas

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

Shevelev, A.; Chugunov, I.; Khilkevitch, E.

2014-08-21

Hard-X-ray spectrometry is a tool widely used for diagnostic of runaway electrons in existing tokamaks. In future machines, ITER and DEMO, HXR spectrometry will be useful providing information on runaway electron energy, runaway beam current and its profile during disruption.

NanoElectronics and BioElectronics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Deepak

2001-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the use of Carbon Nanotube electronics in the bioelectronics. Included is a brief review of the carbon nanotube manufacturing, the use of carbon nanotubes in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Computational Nanotechnology, that allows designers to understand nanotube characteristics and serves as a design tool.

EDITORIAL: New developments for Nanotechnology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welland, Mark

2007-01-01

In this first issue of Nanotechnology for 2007 the journal has taken another step forward in its extraordinary growth and development of the past 5 years. The reader will notice two important changes that have been introduced primarily in response to the exponential rise in submissions to the journal: the contents have been restructured into sections and publication will now be weekly. These latest changes, however, are not the only ones that have been made to the journal and its service to authors and readers. A modern journal has many tools at its disposal that journals of even 10 years ago simply did not. Electronic submission and refereeing, web-based publication, author services such as free electronic reprints and an email alerting service, to name but a few. Published by a learned society, Nanotechnology has constantly responded to the needs of authors and readers alike drawing upon the extensive experience and tools of IOP Publishing. Nanotechnology is of course an exploding field and it is therefore perhaps unsurprising to see a growth in the number of submissions to the journal. However, an inspection of the data surrounding submissions over the past 4 years reveals a disproportionate growth in the success of the journal itself. In 2002 there were 419 submitted papers of which 208 were accepted and published in 6 issues. In 2005 we received 75% more submissions over 2002, had a reduced acceptance rate of 44% and published 12 issues. 2006 showed, in just one year, a growth over 2005 of greater than 50% in the number of submissions. This growth of course does present challenges. The paper issues of the journal have been increasing in mass, hence a move to weekly publishing, and the sheer number of papers means that finding an article on a specific topic can be difficult for readers and authors, hence the move to sections. Sections will also help the Editorial Board in ensuring that the journal has a balanced portfolio of papers reflecting the broad relevance and impact of nanotechnology in general. With all this growth and change there are always some constant factors that specifically concern authors. Prominent amongst these is the speed of publication. Remarkably, our current publication times are among the most competitive internationally with current receipt to publication times of less than three months. Although this time will be shortened by weekly publication, it will be further reduced by the introduction of an article numbering system as opposed to page numbering. Here, an accepted article is assigned a number and published immediately; there is no need to wait for other articles to form a complete issue. Articles will be published on the web as soon as they are available. The number of nano-related journals continues to grow, making for a highly congested and competitive market. The fact that Nanotechnology, the longest established journal in the field, continues to grow in size, is able to dynamically change in response to authors and readers alike, and can draw on the renowned academic publishing capabilities of IOP Publishing, means that we look forward to an exciting and productive future. As we strive to deliver the best possible service to our authors and readers we aim to attract the very best of international nanoscience and nanotechnology so that Nanotechnology becomes the pre-eminent journal for reporting research in the field.

Predicting neutropenia risk in patients with cancer using electronic data.

PubMed

Pawloski, Pamala A; Thomas, Avis J; Kane, Sheryl; Vazquez-Benitez, Gabriela; Shapiro, Gary R; Lyman, Gary H

2017-04-01

Clinical guidelines recommending the use of myeloid growth factors are largely based on the prescribed chemotherapy regimen. The guidelines suggest that oncologists consider patient-specific characteristics when prescribing granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis; however, a mechanism to quantify individual patient risk is lacking. Readily available electronic health record (EHR) data can provide patient-specific information needed for individualized neutropenia risk estimation. An evidence-based, individualized neutropenia risk estimation algorithm has been developed. This study evaluated the automated extraction of EHR chemotherapy treatment data and externally validated the neutropenia risk prediction model. A retrospective cohort of adult patients with newly diagnosed breast, colorectal, lung, lymphoid, or ovarian cancer who received the first cycle of a cytotoxic chemotherapy regimen from 2008 to 2013 were recruited from a single cancer clinic. Electronically extracted EHR chemotherapy treatment data were validated by chart review. Neutropenia risk stratification was conducted and risk model performance was assessed using calibration and discrimination. Chemotherapy treatment data electronically extracted from the EHR were verified by chart review. The neutropenia risk prediction tool classified 126 patients (57%) as being low risk for febrile neutropenia, 44 (20%) as intermediate risk, and 51 (23%) as high risk. The model was well calibrated (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test = 0.24). Discrimination was adequate and slightly less than in the original internal validation (c-statistic 0.75 vs 0.81). Chemotherapy treatment data were electronically extracted from the EHR successfully. The individualized neutropenia risk prediction model performed well in our retrospective external cohort. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Management of Electronic Test Equipment. Volume 3. Organizations, Policies, and Procedures.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

is not guaranteed. The best example, probably, is the UH - 60 Black Hawk program, where the specific tools used by organizational maintainers were nailed...tools. This innovative and highly effective approach was large!i, Successful. even though it became obvious once the UH - 60 was fielded, that a special...test set was necessary to cope with the electronic control unit assembly of the turbine engine. The UH - 60 example, however, does illustrate that support

Today's Authoring Tools for Tomorrow's Semantic Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dingley, Andy; Shabajee, Paul

This paper reports on the development of a prototype authoring tool developed as part of on-going research around the needs of the ARKive project. The project holds text, rich-media and descriptions of factual statements about bio-diversity and conservation information. A key user community is that of school age children, requiring the mark-up of…

Large area fabrication of plasmonic nanoparticle grating structure by conventional scanning electron microscope

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

Sudheer,, E-mail: sudheer@rrcat.gov.in; Tiwari, P.; Rai, V. N.

Plasmonic nanoparticle grating (PNG) structure of different periods has been fabricated by electron beam lithography using silver halide based transmission electron microscope film as a substrate. Conventional scanning electron microscope is used as a fabrication tool for electron beam lithography. Optical microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) have been used for its morphological and elemental characterization. Optical characterization is performed by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopic technique.

Computational Model Tracking Primary Electrons, Secondary Electrons, and Ions in the Discharge Chamber of an Ion Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahalingam, Sudhakar; Menart, James A.

2005-01-01

Computational modeling of the plasma located in the discharge chamber of an ion engine is an important activity so that the development and design of the next generation of ion engines may be enhanced. In this work a computational tool called XOOPIC is used to model the primary electrons, secondary electrons, and ions inside the discharge chamber. The details of this computational tool are discussed in this paper. Preliminary results from XOOPIC are presented. The results presented include particle number density distributions for the primary electrons, the secondary electrons, and the ions. In addition the total number of a particular particle in the discharge chamber as a function of time, electric potential maps and magnetic field maps are presented. A primary electron number density plot from PRIMA is given in this paper so that the results of XOOPIC can be compared to it. PRIMA is a computer code that the present investigators have used in much of their previous work that provides results that compare well to experimental results. PRIMA only models the primary electrons in the discharge chamber. Modeling ions and secondary electrons, as well as the primary electrons, will greatly increase our ability to predict different characteristics of the plasma discharge used in an ion engine.

Russian-American health care: bridging the communication gap between physicians and patients.

PubMed

Shpilko, Inna

2006-12-01

The objectives of this article are two-fold: (1) to gather in one place reliable information about Russian-Americans' past medical practices and their current outlook on health care and to provide health care professionals with an overview of the major afflictions suffered by this ethnic group; and (2) to educate Russian-speaking patients about the American heath care system and social services geared towards immigrants by locating and evaluating free, culturally appropriate patient education Web sites available in Russian. In order to draw data on specific diseases and conditions affecting the Russian-speaking population, the author searched various scholarly health-related electronic databases. A number of well-established U.S. government consumer-health Web sites were searched to locate patient education resources that can be utilized by recent Russian immigrants. The author provides an overview of the major health problems encountered by the Russian-speaking population before emigration and potential health concerns for Russian immigrant communities. In addition, the author provides a scholarly exploration of patient education materials available in Russian. In this increasingly diverse society, physicians are faced with the challenge of providing culturally sensitive health care. Multicultural Web-based health resources can serve as a valuable tool for reducing communication barriers between patients and health care providers, thus improving the delivery of quality health care services. Recommendations for further research are indicated. The author offers recommendations for practitioners serving Russian-speaking immigrants. Suggestions on utilization of Web resources are also provided.

Developing Your Own Microcomputer Courseware with Authoring Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodges, James O.

1985-01-01

For social studies teachers who want to create their own software, authoring systems and authoring languages offer an interesting avenue to be explored. An authoring system available from Courseware, Inc., (California) and the authoring language PILOT available from Apple Computer (California) are described. (RM)

Use of Electronic Health Record Tools to Facilitate and Audit Infliximab Prescribing.

PubMed

Sharpless, Bethany R; Del Rosario, Fernando; Molle-Rios, Zarela; Hilmas, Elora

2018-01-01

The objective of this project was to assess a pediatric institution's use of infliximab and develop and evaluate electronic health record tools to improve safety and efficiency of infliximab ordering through auditing and improved communication. Best use of infliximab was defined through a literature review, analysis of baseline use of infliximab at our institution, and distribution and analysis of a national survey. Auditing and order communication were optimized through implementation of mandatory indications in the infliximab orderable and creation of an interactive flowsheet that collects discrete and free-text data. The value of the implemented electronic health record tools was assessed at the conclusion of the project. Baseline analysis determined that 93.8% of orders were dosed appropriately according to the findings of a literature review. After implementation of the flowsheet and indications, the time to perform an audit of use was reduced from 60 minutes to 5 minutes per month. Four months post implementation, data were entered by 60% of the pediatric gastroenterologists at our institution on 15.3% of all encounters for infliximab. Users were surveyed on the value of the tools, with 100% planning to continue using the workflow, and 82% stating the tools frequently improve the efficiency and safety of infliximab prescribing. Creation of a standard workflow by using an interactive flowsheet has improved auditing ability and facilitated the communication of important order information surrounding infliximab. Providers and pharmacists feel these tools improve the safety and efficiency of infliximab ordering, and auditing data reveal that the tools are being used.

Clinical decision support tool for Co-management signalling.

PubMed

Horta, Alexandra Bayão; Salgado, Cátia; Fernandes, Marta; Vieira, Susana; Sousa, João M; Papoila, Ana Luísa; Xavier, Miguel

2018-05-01

Co-management between internists and surgeons of selected patients is becoming one of the pillars of modern clinical management in large hospitals. Defining the patients to be co-managed is essential. The aim of this study is to create a decision tool using real-world patient data collected in the preoperative period, to support the decision on which patients should have the co-management service offered. Data was collected from the electronic clinical health records of patients who had an International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD-9) code of colorectal surgery during the period between January 2012 and October 2014 in a 200 bed private teaching hospital in Lisbon. ICD-9 codes of colorectal surgery [48.5 and 48.6 (anterior rectal resection and abdominoperineal resection), 45.7 (partial colectomy), 45.8 (Total Colectomy), and 45.9 (Bowel Anastomosis)] were used. Only patients above 18 years old were considered. Patients with more than one procedure were excluded from the study. From these data the authors investigated the construction of predictive models using logistic regression and Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy modelling. Data contains information obtained from the clinical records of a cohort of 344 adult patients. Data from 398 emergent and elective surgeries were collected, from which 54 were excluded because they were second procedures for the same patients. Four preoperative variables were identified as being the most predictive of co-management, in multivariable regression analysis. The final model performed well after being internally validated (0.81 AUC, 77% accuracy, 74% sensitivity, 78% specificity, 93% negative predictive value). The results indicate that the decision process can be more objective and potentially automated. The authors developed a prediction model based on preoperative characteristics, in order to support the decision for the co-management of surgical patients in the postoperative ward setting. The model is a simple bedside decision tool that uses only four numerical variables. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Department of Defense Travel Reengineering Pilot Report to Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

Electronic Commerce /Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) capabilities to integrate functions. automate edit checks for internal controls, and create user-friendly management tools at all levels of the process.

Absorbed dose determination using experimental and analytical predictions of x-ray spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, David Lee

1999-10-01

Electron beam welding in a vacuum is a technology that NASA is investigating as a joining technique for manufacture of space structures. The interaction of energetic electrons with metal produces x-rays. This investigation characterizes the x-ray environment due to operation of an in-vacuum electron beam welding tool and provides recommendations for adequate radiation shielding for astronauts performing the in-vacuum electron beam welding. NASA, in a joint venture with the Russian Space Agency, was scheduled to perform a series of welding in space experiments on board the United States Space Shuttle. This series of experiments was named the International Space Welding Experiment (ISWE). The hardware associated with the ISWE was leased to NASA, by the Paton Welding Institute (PWI) in Ukraine, for ground based welding experiments in preparation for flight. Two ground tests were scheduled, using the ISWE electron beam welding tool, to characterize the radiation exposure to an astronaut during the operation of the ISWE. These radiation exposure tests used Thermoluminescence Dosimeters (TLD's) shielded with material currently used by astronauts during Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA) to measure the radiation dose. The TLD's were exposed to x- ray radiation generated by operation of the ISWE in- vacuum electron beam welding tool. This investigation was the first known application of TLD's to measure absorbed dose from x-rays of energy less than 10 keV. The ISWE hardware was returned to Ukraine before the issue of adequate shielding for the astronauts was completely verified. Therefore alternate experimental and analytical methods were developed to measure and predict the x-ray spectral and intensity distribution generated by ISWE electron beam impact with metal. These x-ray spectra were normalized to an equivalent ISWE exposure then used to calculate the absorbed radiation dose to astronauts. These absorbed dose values were compared to TLD measurements obtained during actual operation of the ISWE in-vacuum electron beam welding tool. The calculated absorbed dose values were found to be in good agreement with the measured TLD values.

Evaluating a computer aid for assessing stomach symptoms (ECASS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Moore, Helen J; Nixon, Catherine; Tariq, Anisah; Emery, Jon; Hamilton, Willie; Hoare, Zoë; Kershenbaum, Anne; Neal, Richard D; Ukoumunne, Obioha C; Usher-Smith, Juliet; Walter, Fiona M; Whyte, Sophie; Rubin, Greg

2016-04-04

For most cancers, only a minority of patients have symptoms meeting the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance for urgent referral. For gastro-oesophageal cancers, the 'alarm' symptoms of dysphagia and weight loss are reported by only 32 and 8 % of patients, respectively, and their presence correlates with advanced-stage disease. Electronic clinical decision-support tools that integrate with clinical computer systems have been developed for general practice, although uncertainty remains concerning their effectiveness. The objectives of this trial are to optimise the intervention and establish the acceptability of both the intervention and randomisation, confirm the suitability and selection of outcome measures, finalise the design for the phase III definitive trial, and obtain preliminary estimates of the intervention effect. This is a two-arm, multi-centre, cluster-randomised, controlled phase II trial design, which will extend over a 16-month period, across 60 general practices within the North East and North Cumbria and the Eastern Local Clinical Research Network areas. Practices will be randomised to receive either the intervention (the electronic clinical decision-support tool) or to act as a control (usual care). From these practices, we will recruit 3000 adults who meet the trial eligibility criteria and present to their GP with symptoms suggestive of gastro-oesophageal cancer. The main measures are the process data, which include the practitioner outcomes, service outcomes, diagnostic intervals, health economic outcomes, and patient outcomes. One-on-one interviews in a sub-sample of 30 patient-GP dyads will be undertaken to understand the impact of the use or non-use of the electronic clinical decision-support tool in the consultation. A further 10-15 GPs will be interviewed to identify and gain an understanding of the facilitators and constraints influencing implementation of the electronic clinical decision-support tool in practice. We aim to generate new knowledge on the process measures regarding the use of electronic clinical decision-support tools in primary care in general and to inform a subsequent definitive phase III trial. Preliminary data on the impact of the support tool on resource utilisation and health care costs will also be collected. ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN12595588 .

Improving the quality of EHR recording in primary care: a data quality feedback tool.

PubMed

van der Bij, Sjoukje; Khan, Nasra; Ten Veen, Petra; de Bakker, Dinny H; Verheij, Robert A

2017-01-01

Electronic health record (EHR) data are used to exchange information among health care providers. For this purpose, the quality of the data is essential. We developed a data quality feedback tool that evaluates differences in EHR data quality among practices and software packages as part of a larger intervention. The tool was applied in 92 practices in the Netherlands using different software packages. Practices received data quality feedback in 2010 and 2012. We observed large differences in the quality of recording. For example, the percentage of episodes of care that had a meaningful diagnostic code ranged from 30% to 100%. Differences were highly related to the software package. A year after the first measurement, the quality of recording had improved significantly and differences decreased, with 67% of the physicians indicating that they had actively changed their recording habits based on the results of the first measurement. About 80% found the feedback helpful in pinpointing recording problems. One of the software vendors made changes in functionality as a result of the feedback. Our EHR data quality feedback tool is capable of highlighting differences among practices and software packages. As such, it also stimulates improvements. As substantial variability in recording is related to the software package, our study strengthens the evidence that data quality can be improved substantially by standardizing the functionalities of EHR software packages. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

SMARTe 2008

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains resources and analysis tools for all asp...

SMARTe 2011

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decisions support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains resources and analysis tools for all a...

SMARTE 2007

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains guidance and analysis tools for all aspect...

7 CFR 735.402 - Providers of other electronic documents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Providers of other electronic documents. 735.402... Electronic Providers § 735.402 Providers of other electronic documents. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized...) Records; (6) Conflict of interest requirements; (7) USDA common electronic information requirements; (8...

7 CFR 735.402 - Providers of other electronic documents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Providers of other electronic documents. 735.402... Electronic Providers § 735.402 Providers of other electronic documents. (a) To establish a USWA-authorized...) Records; (6) Conflict of interest requirements; (7) USDA common electronic information requirements; (8...

Molecular electron recollision dynamics in intense circularly polarized laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandrauk, André D.; Yuan, Kai-Jun

2018-04-01

Extreme UV and x-ray table top light sources based on high-order harmonic generation (HHG) are focused now on circular polarization for the generation of circularly polarized attosecond pulses as new tools for controlling electron dynamics, such as charge transfer and migration and the generation of attosecond quantum electron currents for ultrafast magneto-optics. A fundamental electron dynamical process in HHG is laser induced electron recollision with the parent ion, well established theoretically and experimentally for linear polarization. We discuss molecular electron recollision dynamics in circular polarization by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The control of the polarization of HHG with circularly polarized ionizing pulses is examined and it is shown that bichromatic circularly polarized pulses enhance recollision dynamics, rendering HHG more efficient, especially in molecules because of their nonspherical symmetry. The polarization of the harmonics is found to be dependent on the compatibility of the rotational symmetry of the net electric field created by combinations of bichromatic circularly polarized pulses with the dynamical symmetry of molecules. We show how the field and molecule symmetry influences the electron recollision trajectories by a time-frequency analysis of harmonics. The results, in principle, offer new unique controllable tools in the study of attosecond molecular electron dynamics.

Interactive algorithms for teaching and learning acute medicine in the network of medical faculties MEFANET.

PubMed

Schwarz, Daniel; Štourač, Petr; Komenda, Martin; Harazim, Hana; Kosinová, Martina; Gregor, Jakub; Hůlek, Richard; Smékalová, Olga; Křikava, Ivo; Štoudek, Roman; Dušek, Ladislav

2013-07-08

Medical Faculties Network (MEFANET) has established itself as the authority for setting standards for medical educators in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 2 independent countries with similar languages that once comprised a federation and that still retain the same curricular structure for medical education. One of the basic goals of the network is to advance medical teaching and learning with the use of modern information and communication technologies. We present the education portal AKUTNE.CZ as an important part of the MEFANET's content. Our focus is primarily on simulation-based tools for teaching and learning acute medicine issues. Three fundamental elements of the MEFANET e-publishing system are described: (1) medical disciplines linker, (2) authentication/authorization framework, and (3) multidimensional quality assessment. A new set of tools for technology-enhanced learning have been introduced recently: Sandbox (works in progress), WikiLectures (collaborative content authoring), Moodle-MEFANET (central learning management system), and Serious Games (virtual casuistics and interactive algorithms). The latest development in MEFANET is designed for indexing metadata about simulation-based learning objects, also known as electronic virtual patients or virtual clinical cases. The simulations assume the form of interactive algorithms for teaching and learning acute medicine. An anonymous questionnaire of 10 items was used to explore students' attitudes and interests in using the interactive algorithms as part of their medical or health care studies. Data collection was conducted over 10 days in February 2013. In total, 25 interactive algorithms in the Czech and English languages have been developed and published on the AKUTNE.CZ education portal to allow the users to test and improve their knowledge and skills in the field of acute medicine. In the feedback survey, 62 participants completed the online questionnaire (13.5%) from the total 460 addressed. Positive attitudes toward the interactive algorithms outnumbered negative trends. The peer-reviewed algorithms were used for conducting problem-based learning sessions in general medicine (first aid, anesthesiology and pain management, emergency medicine) and in nursing (emergency medicine for midwives, obstetric analgesia, and anesthesia for midwifes). The feedback from the survey suggests that the students found the interactive algorithms as effective learning tools, facilitating enhanced knowledge in the field of acute medicine. The interactive algorithms, as a software platform, are open to academic use worldwide. The existing algorithms, in the form of simulation-based learning objects, can be incorporated into any educational website (subject to the approval of the authors).

Interactive Algorithms for Teaching and Learning Acute Medicine in the Network of Medical Faculties MEFANET

PubMed Central

Štourač, Petr; Komenda, Martin; Harazim, Hana; Kosinová, Martina; Gregor, Jakub; Hůlek, Richard; Smékalová, Olga; Křikava, Ivo; Štoudek, Roman; Dušek, Ladislav

2013-01-01

Background Medical Faculties Network (MEFANET) has established itself as the authority for setting standards for medical educators in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 2 independent countries with similar languages that once comprised a federation and that still retain the same curricular structure for medical education. One of the basic goals of the network is to advance medical teaching and learning with the use of modern information and communication technologies. Objective We present the education portal AKUTNE.CZ as an important part of the MEFANET’s content. Our focus is primarily on simulation-based tools for teaching and learning acute medicine issues. Methods Three fundamental elements of the MEFANET e-publishing system are described: (1) medical disciplines linker, (2) authentication/authorization framework, and (3) multidimensional quality assessment. A new set of tools for technology-enhanced learning have been introduced recently: Sandbox (works in progress), WikiLectures (collaborative content authoring), Moodle-MEFANET (central learning management system), and Serious Games (virtual casuistics and interactive algorithms). The latest development in MEFANET is designed for indexing metadata about simulation-based learning objects, also known as electronic virtual patients or virtual clinical cases. The simulations assume the form of interactive algorithms for teaching and learning acute medicine. An anonymous questionnaire of 10 items was used to explore students’ attitudes and interests in using the interactive algorithms as part of their medical or health care studies. Data collection was conducted over 10 days in February 2013. Results In total, 25 interactive algorithms in the Czech and English languages have been developed and published on the AKUTNE.CZ education portal to allow the users to test and improve their knowledge and skills in the field of acute medicine. In the feedback survey, 62 participants completed the online questionnaire (13.5%) from the total 460 addressed. Positive attitudes toward the interactive algorithms outnumbered negative trends. Conclusions The peer-reviewed algorithms were used for conducting problem-based learning sessions in general medicine (first aid, anesthesiology and pain management, emergency medicine) and in nursing (emergency medicine for midwives, obstetric analgesia, and anesthesia for midwifes). The feedback from the survey suggests that the students found the interactive algorithms as effective learning tools, facilitating enhanced knowledge in the field of acute medicine. The interactive algorithms, as a software platform, are open to academic use worldwide. The existing algorithms, in the form of simulation-based learning objects, can be incorporated into any educational website (subject to the approval of the authors). PMID:23835586

Flexible omnidirectional carbon dioxide laser as an effective tool for resection of brainstem, supratentorial, and intramedullary cavernous malformations.

PubMed

Choudhri, Omar; Karamchandani, Jason; Gooderham, Peter; Steinberg, Gary K

2014-03-01

Lasers have a long history in neurosurgery, yet bulky designs and difficult ergonomics limit their use. With its ease of manipulation and multiple applications, the OmniGuide CO2 laser has reintroduced laser technology to the microsurgical resection of brain and spine lesions. This laser, delivered through a hollow-core fiber lined with a unidirectional mirror, minimizes energy loss and allows precise targeting. To analyze resections performed by the senior author from April 2009 to March 2013 of 58 cavernous malformations (CMs) in the brain and spine with the use of the OmniGuide CO2 laser, to reflect on lessons learned from laser use in eloquent areas, and to share data on comparisons of laser power calibration and histopathology. Data were collected from electronic medical records, radiology reports, operative room records, OmniGuide CO2 laser case logs, and pathology records. Of 58 CMs, approximately 50% were in the brainstem (30) and the rest were in supratentorial (26) and intramedullary spinal locations (2). Fifty-seven, ranging from 5 to 45 mm, were resected, with a subtotal resection in 1. Laser power ranged from 2 to 10 W. Pathology specimens showed minimal thermal damage compared with traditionally resected specimens with bipolar coagulation. The OmniGuide CO2 laser is safe and has excellent precision for the resection of supratentorial, brainstem, and spinal intramedullary CMs. No laser-associated complications occurred, and very low energy was used to dissect malformations from their surrounding hemosiderin-stained parenchymas. The authors recommend its use for deep-seated and critically located CMs, along with traditional tools.

Health and Social Media: Perfect Storm of Information

PubMed Central

Bau, Teresa

2015-01-01

Objectives The use of Internet in the health domain is becoming a major worldwide trend. Millions of citizens are searching online health information and also publishing content about their health. Patients are engaging with other patients in online communities using different types of social media. The boundaries between mobile health, social media, wearable, games, and big data are becoming blurrier due the integration of all those technologies. In this paper we provide an overview of the major research challenges with the area of health social media. Methods We use several study cases to exemplify the current trends and highlight future research challenges. Results Internet is exploding and is being used for health purposes by a great deal of the population. Social networks have a powerful influence in health decisions. Given the lack of knowledge on the use of health social media, there is a need for complex multidisciplinary research to help us understand how to use social networks in favour of public health. A bigger understanding of social media will give health authorities new tools to help decision-making at global, national, local, and corporate level. Conclusions There is an unprecedented amount of data that can be used in public health due the potential combination of data acquired from mobile phones, Electronic Health Records, social media, and other sources. To identify meaningful information from those data sources it is not trial. Moreover, new analytics tools will need to be developed to analyse those sources of data in a way that it can benefit healthcare professionals and authorities. PMID:25995958

Electrical and Electronic Drafting, Drafting 3: 9257.01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

The course covers the standards used in the electronic field, electrical drawings, electronic drafting, and parts of functional drafting. The student will become familiar with symbols used in these fields and become proficient with tools and reference material used in drawing schematics and mechanical details and in electrical and electronic…

Information and Communicative Technology--Computers as Research Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarsani, Mahender Reddy

2007-01-01

The emergence of "the electronic age,/electronic cottages/the electronic world" has affected the whole world; particularly the emergence of computers has penetrated everyone's life to a remarkable degree. They are being used in various fields including education. Recent advances, especially in the area of computer technology have…

78 FR 2953 - National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) Secure Exchange of Electronic Health...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-15

...-01] National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) Secure Exchange of Electronic Health... the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) in the Secure Exchange of Electronic Health... accelerating the widespread adoption of integrated cybersecurity tools and technologies. The NCCoE will bring...

Public Participation Guide: Electronic Democracy

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Electronic democracy describes a wide range of interactive tools that embrace existing and emergent media sources as a forum for allowing members of the public to express opinions and seek to influence decision-making.

75 FR 4344 - Foreign-Trade Zone 22-Chicago, IL Application for Temporary/Interim Manufacturing Authority LG...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-27

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [Docket T-1-2010] Foreign-Trade Zone 22--Chicago, IL Application for Temporary/ Interim Manufacturing Authority LG Electronics MobileComm USA, Inc... Electronics MobileComm USA, Inc. (LGEMU) facility, located in Bolingbrook, Illinois. The application was filed...

Prevalence, Formation, Maintenance, and Evaluation of Interdisciplinary Student Aging Interest Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Katherine J.; Vandenberg, Edward V.; Bottsford, Lisa

2011-01-01

The authors describe the prevalence, formation, maintenance, and evaluation of student aging interest groups. They conducted a cross-sectional electronic survey of the 46 academic medical centers funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. To evaluate their group of approximately 50 students, the authors conducted an electronic pretest and…

The use of quality benchmarking in assessing web resources for the dermatology virtual branch library of the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH).

PubMed

Kamel Boulos, M N; Roudsari, A V; Gordon, C; Muir Gray, J A

2001-01-01

In 1998, the U.K. National Health Service Information for Health Strategy proposed the implementation of a National electronic Library for Health to provide clinicians, healthcare managers and planners, patients and the public with easy, round the clock access to high quality, up-to-date electronic information on health and healthcare. The Virtual Branch Libraries are among the most important components of the National electronic Library for Health. They aim at creating online knowledge based communities, each concerned with some specific clinical and other health-related topics. This study is about the envisaged Dermatology Virtual Branch Libraries of the National electronic Library for Health. It aims at selecting suitable dermatology Web resources for inclusion in the forthcoming Virtual Branch Libraries after establishing preliminary quality benchmarking rules for this task. Psoriasis, being a common dermatological condition, has been chosen as a starting point. Because quality is a principal concern of the National electronic Library for Health, the study includes a review of the major quality benchmarking systems available today for assessing health-related Web sites. The methodology of developing a quality benchmarking system has been also reviewed. Aided by metasearch Web tools, candidate resources were hand-selected in light of the reviewed benchmarking systems and specific criteria set by the authors. Over 90 professional and patient-oriented Web resources on psoriasis and dermatology in general are suggested for inclusion in the forthcoming Dermatology Virtual Branch Libraries. The idea of an all-in knowledge-hallmarking instrument for the National electronic Library for Health is also proposed based on the reviewed quality benchmarking systems. Skilled, methodical, organized human reviewing, selection and filtering based on well-defined quality appraisal criteria seems likely to be the key ingredient in the envisaged National electronic Library for Health service. Furthermore, by promoting the application of agreed quality guidelines and codes of ethics by all health information providers and not just within the National electronic Library for Health, the overall quality of the Web will improve with time and the Web will ultimately become a reliable and integral part of the care space.

Wear mechanisms of the biotribological nanocomposite a-C : H coatings implanted by metallic nanoparticles.

PubMed

Major, L; Janusz, M; Lackner, J M; Kot, M; Dyner, M; Major, B

2017-10-01

Recently, to reduce the residual stress and increase the mechanical properties of a-C:H coatings, metallic nanoparticles have been implanted into their structure. In the present work, to improve the properties of the coating, metallic nanoparticles, including Cu, Nb, Ta, Zr, AgPt and Ag, were inserted into the a-C:H structure. The applied biological and mechanical analysis allowed the optimal biotribological parameters to be indicated for the potential application as protective coatings for metallic medical tools. Wear mechanisms operating at the small length of the designed biotribological coating, such as a-C:H implanted by Zr nanoparticles, were studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM analysis confirmed very good coating adhesion to the metallic substrate. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2017 Royal Microscopical Society.

Online Metadata Directories: A way of preserving, sharing and discovering scientific information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meaux, M.

2005-01-01

The Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) assists the scientific community in the discovery of and linkage to Earth Science data and provides data holders a means to advertise their data to the community through its portals, i.e. online customized subset metadata directories. These directories are effectively serving communities like the Joint Committee on Antarctic Data Management (JCADM), the Global Observing System Information Center (GOSIC), and the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamic Program (GLOBEC) by increasing the visibility of their data holding. The purpose of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) is to "promote and coordinate the sharing, linking, electronic dissemination, and use of data on the Gulf of Maine region". The participants have decided that a "coordinated effort is needed to enable users throughout the Gulf of Maine region and beyond to discover and put to use the vast and growing quantities of data in their respective databases". GoMODP members have invited the GCMD to discuss potential collaborations associated with this effort. The presentation will focus on the use of the GCMD s metadata directory as a powerful tool for data discovery and sharing. An overview of the directory and its metadata authoring tools will be given.

Influence of kinetic effects on the resonance behavior of the Multipole Resonance Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oberrath, Jens; Mussenbrock, Thomas; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter

2012-10-01

Active plasma resonance spectroscopy is a well known diagnostic method. Many concepts of this method are theoretically investigated and realized as a diagnostic tool. One of these tools is the multipole resonance probe (MRP) [1]. The application of such a probe in plasmas with pressures of only a few Pa raises the question whether kinetic effects have to be taken into account or not. To address this question a kinetic model is necessary. A general kinetic model for an electrostatic concept of active plasma resonance spectroscopy has already been presented by the authors [2]. This model can be used to describe the dynamical behavior of the MRP, which is interpretable as a special case of the general model. Neglecting electron-neutral collisions, this model can be solved analytically. Based on this solution we derive an approximated expression for the admittance of the system to investigate the influence of kinetic effects on the resonance behavior of the MRP. [4pt] [1] M. Lapke et al., Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 20, 2011, 042001[0pt] [2] J. Oberrath et al., Proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases, 28th August - 2nd September, 2011

Infrastructure of electronic information management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twitchell, G.D.

2004-01-01

The information technology infrastructure of an organization, whether it is a private, non-profit, federal, or academic institution, is key to delivering timely and high-quality products and services to its customers and stakeholders. With the evolution of the Internet and the World Wide Web, resources that were once "centralized" in nature are now distributed across the organization in various locations and often remote regions of the country. This presents tremendous challenges to the information technology managers, users, and CEOs of large world-wide corporations who wish to exchange information or get access to resources in today's global marketplace. Several tools and technologies have been developed over recent years that play critical roles in ensuring that the proper information infrastructure exists within the organization to facilitate this global information marketplace Such tools and technologies as JAVA, Proxy Servers, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), multi-platform database management solutions, high-speed telecommunication technologies (ATM, ISDN, etc.), mass storage devices, and firewall technologies most often determine the organization's success through effective and efficient information infrastructure practices. This session will address several of these technologies and provide options related to those that may exist and can be readily applied within Eastern Europe. ?? 2004 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

Defining Action Levels for In Vivo Dosimetry in Intraoperative Electron Radiotherapy.

PubMed

López-Tarjuelo, Juan; Morillo-Macías, Virginia; Bouché-Babiloni, Ana; Ferrer-Albiach, Carlos; Santos-Serra, Agustín

2016-06-01

In vivo dosimetry is recommended in intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). To perform real-time treatment monitoring, action levels (ALs) have to be calculated. Empirical approaches based on observation of samples have been reported previously, however, our aim is to present a predictive model for calculating ALs and to verify their validity with our experimental data. We considered the range of absorbed doses delivered to our detector by means of the percentage depth dose for the electron beams used. Then, we calculated the absorbed dose histograms and convoluted them with detector responses to obtain probability density functions in order to find ALs as certain probability levels. Our in vivo dosimeters were reinforced TN-502RDM-H mobile metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Our experimental data came from 30 measurements carried out in patients undergoing IOERT for rectal, breast, sarcoma, and pancreas cancers, among others. The prescribed dose to the tumor bed was 90%, and the maximum absorbed dose was 100%. The theoretical mean absorbed dose was 90.3% and the measured mean was 93.9%. Associated confidence intervals at P = .05 were 89.2% and 91.4% and 91.6% and 96.4%, respectively. With regard to individual comparisons between the model and the experiment, 37% of MOSFET measurements lay outside particular ranges defined by the derived ALs. Calculated confidence intervals at P = .05 ranged from 8.6% to 14.7%. The model can describe global results successfully but cannot match all the experimental data reported. In terms of accuracy, this suggests an eventual underestimation of tumor bed bleeding or detector alignment. In terms of precision, it will be necessary to reduce positioning uncertainties for a wide set of location and treatment postures, and more precise detectors will be required. Planning and imaging tools currently under development will play a fundamental role. © The Author(s) 2015.

Web-Based Architecture to Enable Compute-Intensive CAD Tools and Multi-user Synchronization in Teleradiology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, Neville; Kompalli, Suryaprakash; Chaudhary, Vipin

Teleradiology is the electronic transmission of radiological patient images, such as x-rays, CT, or MR across multiple locations. The goal could be interpretation, consultation, or medical records keeping. Information technology solutions have enabled electronic records and their associated benefits are evident in health care today. However, salient aspects of collaborative interfaces, and computer assisted diagnostic (CAD) tools are yet to be integrated into workflow designs. The Computer Assisted Diagnostics and Interventions (CADI) group at the University at Buffalo has developed an architecture that facilitates web-enabled use of CAD tools, along with the novel concept of synchronized collaboration. The architecture can support multiple teleradiology applications and case studies are presented here.

Study of corrosion in archaeological gilded irons by Raman imaging and a coupled scanning electron microscope-Raman system.

PubMed

Veneranda, Marco; Costantini, Ilaria; de Vallejuelo, Silvia Fdez-Ortiz; Garcia, Laura; García, Iñaki; Castro, Kepa; Azkarate, Agustín; Madariaga, Juan Manuel

2016-12-13

In this work, analytical and chemical imaging tools have been applied to the study of a gilded spur found in the medieval necropolis of Erenozar (Bizkaia, Spain). As a first step, a lot of portable equipment has been used to study the object in a non-invasive way. The hand-held energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence equipment allowed us to characterize the artefact as a rare example of an iron matrix item decorated by means of a fire gilding technique. On the other hand, the use of a portable Raman system helped us to detect the main degradation compounds affecting the spur. Afterwards, further information was acquired in the laboratory by analysing detached fragments. The molecular images obtained using confocal Raman microscopy permitted us to characterize the stratigraphic succession of iron corrosions. Furthermore, the combined use of this technique with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was achieved owing to the use of a structural and chemical analyser interface. In this way, the molecular characterization, enhanced by the magnification feature of the SEM, allowed us to identify several micrometric degradation compounds. Finally, the effectiveness of one of the most used desalination baths (NaOH) was evaluated by comparing its effects with those provided by a reference bath (MilliQ). The comparison proved that basic treatment avoided any side effects on the spur decorated by fire gilding, compensating for the lack of bibliographic documentation in this field.This article is part of the themed issue 'Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Design and implementation of a web-based patient portal linked to an ambulatory care electronic health record: patient gateway for diabetes collaborative care.

PubMed

Grant, Richard W; Wald, Jonathan S; Poon, Eric G; Schnipper, Jeffrey L; Gandhi, Tejal K; Volk, Lynn A; Middleton, Blackford

2006-10-01

Despite the availability of expert guidelines and widespread diabetes quality improvement efforts, care of patients with diabetes remains suboptimal. Two key barriers to care that may be amenable to informatics-based interventions include (1) lack of patient engagement with therapeutic care plans and (2) lack of medication adjustment by physicians ("clinical inertia") during clinical encounters. The authors describe the conceptual framework, design, implementation, and analysis plan for a diabetes patient web-portal linked directly to the electronic health record (EHR) of a large academic medical center via secure Internet access designed to overcome barriers to effective diabetes care. Partners HealthCare System (Boston, MA), a multi-hospital health care network comprising several thousand physicians caring for over 1 million individual patients, has developed a comprehensive patient web-portal called Patient Gateway that allows patients to interact directly with their EHR via secure Internet access. Using this portal, a specific diabetes interface was designed to maximize patient engagement by importing the patient's current clinical data in an educational format, providing patient-tailored decision support, and enabling the patient to author a "Diabetes Care Plan." The physician view of the patient's Diabetes Care Plan was designed to be concise and to fit into typical EHR clinical workflow. We successfully designed and implemented a Diabetes Patient portal that allows direct interaction with our system's EHR. We are assessing the impact of this advanced informatics tool for collaborative diabetes care in a clinic-randomized controlled trial among 14 primary care practices within our integrated health care system.

CRRES Medium Electron Sensor A (MEA) and High Energy Electron Fluxmeter (HEEF): Cross-Calibrated Data Set Description

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-18

5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 63401F 6. AUTHOR(S) Wm. Robert Johnston, Chadwick D. Lindstrom , and Gregory P. Ginet 5d. PROJECT...Dosimeter and AFGL- 701-4/Fluxmeter, PL-TR-95-2103, Phillips Laboratory, AFMC, Hanscom AFB, MA. Johnston, W. R., C. D. Lindstrom , and G. P. Ginet...virbo.org/johnston/crres/ MEAHEEFCC.pdf]. Johnston, W. R., C. D. Lindstrom , and G. P. Ginet (2013), Characterization of radiation belt electron energy

Individuals with Access and Functional Needs

MedlinePlus

... online tool helps people locate and access their electronic health records from a variety of sources. Plan ... Social Security or other regular benefits, switching to electronic payments is a simple, significant way to protect ...

The Electron Microscopy Outreach Program: A Web-based resource for research and education.

PubMed

Sosinsky, G E; Baker, T S; Hand, G; Ellisman, M H

1999-01-01

We have developed a centralized World Wide Web (WWW)-based environment that serves as a resource of software tools and expertise for biological electron microscopy. A major focus is molecular electron microscopy, but the site also includes information and links on structural biology at all levels of resolution. This site serves to help integrate or link structural biology techniques in accordance with user needs. The WWW site, called the Electron Microscopy (EM) Outreach Program (URL: http://emoutreach.sdsc.edu), provides scientists with computational and educational tools for their research and edification. In particular, we have set up a centralized resource containing course notes, references, and links to image analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction software for investigators wanting to learn about EM techniques either within or outside of their fields of expertise. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Swivel assembly

DOEpatents

Hall, David R.; Pixton, David S.; Briscoe, Michael; Bradford, Kline; Rawle, Michael; Bartholomew, David B.; McPherson, James

2007-03-20

A swivel assembly for a downhole tool string comprises a first and second coaxial housing cooperatively arranged. The first housing comprises a first transmission element in communication with surface equipment. The second housing comprises a second transmission element in communication with the first transmission element. The second housing further comprises a third transmission element adapted for communication with a network integrated into the downhole tool string. The second housing may be rotational and adapted to transmit a signal between the downhole network and the first housing. Electronic circuitry is in communication with at least one of the transmission elements. The electronic circuitry may be externally mounted to the first or second housing. Further, the electronic circuitry may be internally mounted in the second housing. The electronic circuitry may be disposed in a recess in either first or second housing of the swivel.

A Probabilistic Approach for Reliability and Life Prediction of Electronics in Drilling and Evaluation Tools

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-23

A Probabilistic Approach for Reliability and Life Prediction of Electronics in Drilling and Evaluation Tools Amit A. Kale 1 , Katrina Carter...dielectric breakdown has been Amit Kale et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0...160.doi 10.1016/S0167- 4730(00)00005-9. BIOGRAPHIES Amit A. Kale was born in Bhopal, India on October 25 1978. He earned PhD in 2005 and MS in

Positioning Tool Validation Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-11-01

U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center 1082 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340-6096 Report No. CG-D-06-00 Positioning Tool...standard, specification, or regulation. Marc B. Mandler, Ph.D. Technical Director United States Coast Guard Research & Development Center 1082 ...Validation Report 7. Author(s) Jay Spalding i. Performing Organization Name and Address U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center 1082

Virtual Social Environments as a Tool for Psychological Assessment: Dynamics of Interaction with a Virtual Spouse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schonbrodt, Felix D.; Asendorpf, Jens B.

2011-01-01

Computer games are advocated as a promising tool bridging the gap between the controllability of a lab experiment and the mundane realism of a field experiment. At the same time, many authors stress the importance of observing real behavior instead of asking participants about possible or intended behaviors. In this article, the authors introduce…

Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Regulation (CROMERR) sets performance-based, technology-neutral standards for systems that states, tribes, and local governments use to receive electronic reports from facilities they regulate under EPA-authorized programs.

[Electronic fetal monitoring and management of adverse outcomes: how to perform and improve a training program for clinicians?].

PubMed

Secourgeon, J-F

2012-10-01

Electronic fetal monitoring during labor is the most commonly used method to evaluate the fetal status, but it remains exposed to some criticism. By comparison with intermittent auscultation and in the light of the results of the great studies in the last 30 years, it may be accused its failure to improve the neonatal outcome and its responsibility in the increase on operative deliveries. Actually, the electronic fetal monitoring is a tool whose effectiveness is linked to the accuracy of the analysis developed by the clinician. Studies on assessment of the tracing interpretation indicate that there is always a lack of quality, which may be improved through training programs. It also reveals the benefit of the fetal blood sampling to reduce operative deliveries and the generalization of this method, in addition to electronic fetal monitoring, is recommended by referral agencies. More generally, the continuous monitoring is only a part of the patient safety strategy in the labour ward and we are currently observing, in some European countries and in the United States, the development of training programs concerning the management of the adverse outcomes in obstetrics. The good performances related to the quality of care are demonstrated by the findings of the studies performed in the centers that have implemented an active training policy. In France, the professionals directly involved in the field of the perinatology should benefit from such educational programs that could be organized within the care networks under the authority of referral agencies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Electron Beam-Cure Polymer Matrix Composites: Processing and Properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wrenn, G.; Frame, B.; Jensen, B.; Nettles, A.

2001-01-01

Researchers from NASA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are evaluating a series of electron beam curable composites for application in reusable launch vehicle airframe and propulsion systems. Objectives are to develop electron beam curable composites that are useful at cryogenic to elevated temperatures (-217 C to 200 C), validate key mechanical properties of these composites, and demonstrate cost-saving fabrication methods at the subcomponent level. Electron beam curing of polymer matrix composites is an enabling capability for production of aerospace structures in a non-autoclave process. Payoffs of this technology will be fabrication of composite structures at room temperature, reduced tooling cost and cure time, and improvements in component durability. This presentation covers the results of material property evaluations for electron beam-cured composites made with either unidirectional tape or woven fabric architectures. Resin systems have been evaluated for performance in ambient, cryogenic, and elevated temperature conditions. Results for electron beam composites and similar composites cured in conventional processes are reviewed for comparison. Fabrication demonstrations were also performed for electron beam-cured composite airframe and propulsion piping subcomponents. These parts have been built to validate manufacturing methods with electron beam composite materials, to evaluate electron beam curing processing parameters, and to demonstrate lightweight, low-cost tooling options.

Developing a denoising filter for electron microscopy and tomography data in the cloud.

PubMed

Starosolski, Zbigniew; Szczepanski, Marek; Wahle, Manuel; Rusu, Mirabela; Wriggers, Willy

2012-09-01

The low radiation conditions and the predominantly phase-object image formation of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) result in extremely high noise levels and low contrast in the recorded micrographs. The process of single particle or tomographic 3D reconstruction does not completely eliminate this noise and is even capable of introducing new sources of noise during alignment or when correcting for instrument parameters. The recently developed Digital Paths Supervised Variance (DPSV) denoising filter uses local variance information to control regional noise in a robust and adaptive manner. The performance of the DPSV filter was evaluated in this review qualitatively and quantitatively using simulated and experimental data from cryo-EM and tomography in two and three dimensions. We also assessed the benefit of filtering experimental reconstructions for visualization purposes and for enhancing the accuracy of feature detection. The DPSV filter eliminates high-frequency noise artifacts (density gaps), which would normally preclude the accurate segmentation of tomography reconstructions or the detection of alpha-helices in single-particle reconstructions. This collaborative software development project was carried out entirely by virtual interactions among the authors using publicly available development and file sharing tools.

Making business sense of the Internet.

PubMed

Ghosh, S

1998-01-01

For managers in large, well-established businesses, the Internet is a tough nut to crack. It is very simple to set up a Web presence and very difficult to create a Web-based business model. Established businesses that over decades have carefully built brands and physical distribution relationships risk damaging all they have created when they pursue commerce through the Net. Still, managers can't avoid the impact of electronic commerce on their businesses. They need to understand the opportunities available to them and recognize how their companies may be vulnerable if rivals seize those opportunities first. Broadly speaking, the Internet presents four distinct types of opportunities. First, it links companies directly to customers, suppliers, and other interested parties. Second, it lets companies bypass other players in an industry's value chain. Third, it is a tool for developing and delivering new products and services to new customers. Fourth, it will enable certain companies to dominate the electronic channel of an entire industry or segment, control access to customers, and set business rules. As he elaborates on these four points, the author gives established companies a systematic way to sort through the risks and rewards of doing business in cyberspace.

Management of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome: a review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are at risk of developing of intra abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Aim: This review seeks to define IAH and ACS, identify the aetiology and presentation of IAH and ACS, identify IAP measurement techniques, identify current management and discuss the implications of IAH and ACS for nursing practice. A search of the electronic databases was supervised by a health librarian. The electronic data bases Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL); Medline, EMBASE, and the World Wide Web was undertaken from 1996- January 2011 using MeSH and key words which included but not limited to: abdominal compartment syndrome, intra -abdominal hypertension, intra-abdominal pressure in adult populations met the search criteria and were reviewed by three authors using a critical appraisal tool. Data derived from the retrieved material are discussed under the following themes: (1) etiology of intra-abdominal hypertension; (2) strategies for measuring intra-abdominal pressure (3) the manifestation of abdominal compartment syndrome; and (4) the importance of nursing assessment, observation and interventions. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) have the potential to alter organ perfusion and compromise organ function. PMID:24499574

Aromatherapy for managing menopausal symptoms

PubMed Central

Choi, Jiae; Lee, Hye Won; Lee, Ju Ah; Lim, Hyun-Ja; Lee, Myeong Soo

2018-01-01

Abstract Background: Aromatherapy is often used as a complementary therapy for women's health. This systematic review aims to evaluate the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy as a management for menopausal symptoms. Methods: Eleven electronic databases will be searched from inception to February 2018. Randomized controlled trials that evaluated any type of aromatherapy against any type of control in individuals with menopausal symptoms will be eligible. The methodological quality will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Two authors will independently assess each study for eligibility and risk of bias and to extract data. Results: This study will provide a high quality synthesis of current evidence of aromatherapy for menopausal symptoms measured with Menopause Rating Scale, the Kupperman Index, the Greene Climacteric Scale, or other validated questionnaires. Conclusions: The conclusion of our systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether aromatherapy is an effective intervention for patient with menopausal women. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval will not be required, given that this protocol is for a systematic review. The systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The review will also be disseminated electronically and in print. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42017079191. PMID:29419673

Data-driven human rights: using the electronic health record to promote human rights in jail.

PubMed

Glowa-Kollisch, Sarah; Andrade, Kelly; Stazesky, Richard; Teixeira, Paul; Kaba, Fatos; Macdonald, Ross; Rosner, Zachary; Selling, Daniel; Parsons, Amanda; Venters, Homer

2014-06-14

The electronic health record (EHR) is a commonplace innovation designed to promote efficiency, quality, and continuity of health services. In the New York City jail system, we implemented an EHR across 12 jails between 2008 and 2011. During the same time, our work increasingly focused on the importance of human rights as an essential element to the provision of medical and mental health care for our patients. Consequently, we made major modifications to the EHR to allow for better surveillance of vulnerable populations and enable reporting and analysis of patterns of abuse, neglect, and other patient concerns related to human rights. These modifications have improved our ability to find and care for patients injured in jail and those with mental health exacerbations. More work is needed, however, to optimize the potential of the EHR as a tool to promote human rights among patients in jail. Copyright © 2014 Sheffield, Durante, Rahona, and Zarcadoolas. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

A web-based and mobile patient-centered ''microblog'' messaging platform to improve care team communication in acute care.

PubMed

Dalal, Anuj K; Schnipper, Jeffrey; Massaro, Anthony; Hanna, John; Mlaver, Eli; McNally, Kelly; Stade, Diana; Morrison, Constance; Bates, David W

2017-04-01

Communication in acute care settings is fragmented and occurs asynchronously via a variety of electronic modalities. Providers are often not on the same page with regard to the plan of care. We designed and developed a secure, patient-centered "microblog" messaging platform that identifies care team members by synchronizing with the electronic health record, and directs providers to a single forum where they can communicate about the plan of care. The system was used for 35% of patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit over a 6-month period. Major themes in messages included care coordination (49%), clinical summarization (29%), and care team collaboration (27%). Message transparency and persistence were seen as useful features by 83% and 62% of respondents, respectively. Availability of alternative messaging tools and variable use by non-unit providers were seen as main barriers to adoption by 83% and 62% of respondents, respectively. This approach has much potential to improve communication across settings once barriers are addressed. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Web Usage Mining Analysis of Federated Search Tools for Egyptian Scholars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohamed, Khaled A.; Hassan, Ahmed

2008-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the behaviour of the Egyptian scholars while accessing electronic resources through two federated search tools. The main purpose of this article is to provide guidance for federated search tool technicians and support teams about user issues, including the need for training. Design/methodology/approach: Log…

Kinematics of mechanical and adhesional micromanipulation under a scanning electron microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Shigeki; Miyazaki, Hideki T.; Sato, Tomomasa; Takahashi, Kunio

2002-11-01

In this paper, the kinematics of mechanical and adhesional micromanipulation using a needle-shaped tool under a scanning electron microscope is analyzed. A mode diagram is derived to indicate the possible micro-object behavior for the specified operational conditions. Based on the diagram, a reasonable method for pick and place operation is proposed. The keys to successful analysis are to introduce adhesional and rolling-resistance factors into the kinematic system consisting of a sphere, a needle-shaped tool, and a substrate, and to consider the time dependence of these factors due to the electron-beam (EB) irradiation. Adhesional force and the lower limit of maximum rolling resistance are evaluated quantitatively in theoretical and experimental ways. This analysis shows that it is possible to control the fracture of either the tool-sphere or substrate-sphere interface of the system selectively by the tool-loading angle and that such a selective fracture of the interfaces enables reliable pick or place operation even under EB irradiation. Although the conventional micromanipulation was not repeatable because the technique was based on an empirically effective method, this analysis should provide us with a guideline to reliable micromanipulation.

MITHRA 1.0: A full-wave simulation tool for free electron lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallahi, Arya; Yahaghi, Alireza; Kärtner, Franz X.

2018-07-01

Free Electron Lasers (FELs) are a solution for providing intense, coherent and bright radiation in the hard X-ray regime. Due to the low wall-plug efficiency of FEL facilities, it is crucial and additionally very useful to develop complete and accurate simulation tools for better optimizing a FEL interaction. The highly sophisticated dynamics involved in a FEL process was the main obstacle hindering the development of general simulation tools for this problem. We present a numerical algorithm based on finite difference time domain/Particle in cell (FDTD/PIC) in a Lorentz boosted coordinate system which is able to fulfill a full-wave simulation of a FEL process. The developed software offers a suitable tool for the analysis of FEL interactions without considering any of the usual approximations. A coordinate transformation to bunch rest frame makes the very different length scales of bunch size, optical wavelengths and the undulator period transform to values with the same order. Consequently, FDTD/PIC simulations in conjunction with efficient parallelization techniques make the full-wave simulation feasible using the available computational resources. Several examples of free electron lasers are analyzed using the developed software, the results are benchmarked based on standard FEL codes and discussed in detail.

Development and Early Usage Patterns of a Consumer-Facing Family Health History Tool

PubMed Central

Hulse, Nathan C.; Ranade-Kharkar, Pallavi; Post, Herman; Wood, Grant M.; Williams, Marc S.; Haug, Peter J.

2011-01-01

Personalized medicine will require detailed clinical patient profiles, and a particular focus on capturing data that is useful in forecasting risk. A detailed family health history is considered a critical component of these profiles, insomuch that it has been coined as ‘the best genetic test available’. Despite this, tools aimed at capturing this information for use in electronic health records have been characterized as inadequate. In this manuscript we detail the creation of a patient-facing family health history tool known as OurFamilyHealth, whose long-term emphasis is to facilitate risk assessment and clinical decision support. We present the rationale for such a tool, describe its development and release as a component of Intermountain Healthcare’s patient portal, and detail early usage statistics surrounding the application. Data derived from the tool since its release are also compared against family history charting patterns in Intermountain’s electronic health records, revealing differences in data availability. PMID:22195113

A randomized controlled trial of an electronic informed consent process.

PubMed

Rothwell, Erin; Wong, Bob; Rose, Nancy C; Anderson, Rebecca; Fedor, Beth; Stark, Louisa A; Botkin, Jeffrey R

2014-12-01

A pilot study assessed an electronic informed consent model within a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Participants who were recruited for the parent RCT project were randomly selected and randomized to either an electronic consent group (n = 32) or a simplified paper-based consent group (n = 30). Results from the electronic consent group reported significantly higher understanding of the purpose of the study, alternatives to participation, and who to contact if they had questions or concerns about the study. However, participants in the paper-based control group reported higher mean scores on some survey items. This research suggests that an electronic informed consent presentation may improve participant understanding for some aspects of a research study. © The Author(s) 2014.

Propulsion controls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harkney, R. D.

1980-01-01

Increased system requirements and functional integration with the aircraft have placed an increased demand on control system capability and reliability. To provide these at an affordable cost and weight and because of the rapid advances in electronic technology, hydromechanical systems are being phased out in favor of digital electronic systems. The transition is expected to be orderly from electronic trimming of hydromechanical controls to full authority digital electronic control. Future propulsion system controls will be highly reliable full authority digital electronic with selected component and circuit redundancy to provide the required safety and reliability. Redundancy may include a complete backup control of a different technology for single engine applications. The propulsion control will be required to communicate rapidly with the various flight and fire control avionics as part of an integrated control concept.

Review of current progress in nanometrology with the helium ion microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Postek, Michael T.; Vladár, András; Archie, Charles; Ming, Bin

2011-02-01

Scanning electron microscopy has been employed as an imaging and measurement tool for more than 50 years and it continues as a primary tool in many research and manufacturing facilities across the world. A new challenger to this work is the helium ion microscope (HIM). The HIM is a new imaging and metrology technology. Essentially, substitution of the electron source with a helium ion source yields a tool visually similar in function to the scanning electron microscope, but very different in the fundamental imaging and measurement process. The imaged and measured signal originates differently than in the scanning electron microscope and that fact and its single atom source diameter may be able to push the obtainable resolution lower, provide greater depth-of-field and ultimately improve the metrology. Successful imaging and metrology with this instrument entails understanding and modeling of new ion beam/specimen interaction physics. As a new methodology, HIM is beginning to show promise and the abundance of potentially advantageous applications for nanometrology has yet to be fully exploited. This paper discusses some of the progress made at NIST in collaboration with IBM to understand the science behind this new technology.

Adoption of online health management tools among healthy older adults: An exploratory study.

PubMed

Zettel-Watson, Laura; Tsukerman, Dmitry

2016-06-01

As the population ages and chronic diseases abound, overburdened healthcare systems will increasingly require individuals to manage their own health. Online health management tools, quickly increasing in popularity, have the potential to diminish or even replace in-person contact with health professionals, but overall efficacy and usage trends are unknown. The current study explored perceptions and usage patterns among users of online health management tools, and identified barriers and barrier-breakers among non-users. An online survey was completed by 169 computer users (aged 50+). Analyses revealed that a sizable minority (37%) of participants use online health management tools and most users (89%) are satisfied with these tools, but a limited range of tools are being used and usage occurs in relatively limited domains. Improved awareness and education for online health management tools could enhance people's abilities to remain at home as they age, reducing the financial burden on formal assistance programs. © The Author(s) 2014.

Influence of photon beam energy on the dose enhancement factor caused by gold and silver nanoparticles: An experimental approach

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

Guidelli, Eder José, E-mail: ederguidelli@pg.ffclrp.usp.br; Baffa, Oswaldo

Purpose: Noble metal nanoparticles have found several medical applications in the areas of radiation detection; x-ray contrast agents and cancer radiation therapy. Based on computational methods, many papers have reported the nanoparticle effect on the dose deposition in the surrounding medium. Here the authors report experimental results on how silver and gold nanoparticles affect the dose deposition in alanine dosimeters containing several concentrations of silver and gold nanoparticles, for five different beam energies, using electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). Methods: The authors produced alanine dosimeters containing several mass percentage of silver and gold nanoparticles. Nanoparticle sizes were measured by dynamicmore » light scattering and by transmission electron microscopy. The authors determined the dose enhancement factor (DEF) theoretically, using a widely accepted method, and experimentally, using ESR spectroscopy. Results: The DEF is governed by nanoparticle concentration, size, and position in the alanine matrix. Samples containing gold nanoparticles afford a DEF higher than 1.0, because gold nanoparticle size is homogeneous for all gold concentrations utilized. For samples containing silver particles, the silver mass percentage governs the nanoparticles size, which, in turns, modifies nanoparticle position in the alanine dosimeters. In this sense, DEF decreases for dosimeters containing large and segregated particles. The influence of nanoparticle size-position is more noticeable for dosimeters irradiated with higher beam energies, and dosimeters containing large and segregated particles become less sensitive than pure alanine (DEF < 1). Conclusions: ESR dosimetry gives the DEF in a medium containing metal nanoparticles, although particle concentration, size, and position are closely related in the system. Because this is also the case as in many real systems of materials containing inorganic nanoparticles, ESR is a valuable tool for investigating DEF. Moreover, these results alert to the importance of controlling the size-position of nanoparticles to enhance DEF.« less

Estimating Computer-Based Training Development Times

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-14

beginners , must be sure they interpret terms correctly. As a result of this informal validation, the authors suggest refinements in the tool which...Productivity tools available: automated design tools, text processor interfaces, flowcharting software, software interfaces a Multimedia interfaces e

Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Romania: A mini-review.

PubMed

Ciocoiu, Carmen Nadia; Colesca, Sofia Elena; Rudăreanu, Costin; Popescu, Maria-Loredana

2016-02-01

Around the world there are growing concerns for waste electrical and electronic equipment. This is motivated by the harmful effects of waste electrical and electronic equipment on the environment, but also by the perspectives of materials recovery. Differences between countries regarding waste electrical and electronic equipment management are notable in the European Union. Romania is among the countries that have made significant efforts to comply with European Union regulations, but failed reaching the collection target. The article presents a mini review of the waste electrical and electronic equipment management system in Romania, based on legislation and policy documents, statistical data, research studies and reports published by national and international organisations. The article debates subjects like legislative framework, the electrical and electronic equipment Romanian market, the waste electrical and electronic equipment collection system, waste electrical and electronic equipment processing and waste electrical and electronic equipment behaviour. The recast of the European directive brings new challenges to national authorities and to other stakeholders involved in the waste electrical and electronic equipment management. Considering the fact that Romania has managed a collection rate of roughly 1 kg capita(-1) in the last years, the new higher collection targets established by the waste electrical and electronic equipment Directive offer a serious challenge for the management system. Therefore, another aim of the article is to highlight the positive and negative aspects in the Romanian waste electrical and electronic equipment field, in order to identify the flows that should be corrected and the opportunities that could help improve this system to the point of meeting the European standards imposed by the European Directive. © The Author(s) 2015.