Impact of Placement Type on the Development of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheepway, Lyndal; Lincoln, Michelle; McAllister, Sue

2014-01-01

Background: Speech-language pathology students gain experience and clinical competency through clinical education placements. However, currently little empirical information exists regarding how competency develops. Existing research about the effectiveness of placement types and models in developing competency is generally descriptive and based…

Quantifying Information Gain from Dynamic Downscaling Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Y.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.

2015-12-01

Dynamic climate downscaling experiments are designed to produce information at higher spatial and temporal resolutions. Such additional information is generated from the low-resolution initial and boundary conditions via the predictive power of the physical laws. However, errors and uncertainties in the initial and boundary conditions can be propagated and even amplified to the downscaled simulations. Additionally, the limit of predictability in nonlinear dynamical systems will also damper the information gain, even if the initial and boundary conditions were error-free. Thus it is critical to quantitatively define and measure the amount of information increase from dynamic downscaling experiments, to better understand and appreciate their potentials and limitations. We present a scheme to objectively measure the information gain from such experiments. The scheme is based on information theory, and we argue that if a downscaling experiment is to exhibit value, it has to produce more information than what can be simply inferred from information sources already available. These information sources include the initial and boundary conditions, the coarse resolution model in which the higher-resolution models are embedded, and the same set of physical laws. These existing information sources define an "information threshold" as a function of the spatial and temporal resolution, and this threshold serves as a benchmark to quantify the information gain from the downscaling experiments, or any other approaches. For a downscaling experiment to shown any value, the information has to be above this threshold. A recent NASA-supported downscaling experiment is used as an example to illustrate the application of this scheme.

Motivational Differences in Seeking Out Evaluative Categorization Information.

PubMed

Smallman, Rachel; Becker, Brittney

2017-07-01

Previous research shows that people draw finer evaluative distinctions when rating liked versus disliked objects (e.g., wanting a 5-point scale to evaluate liked cuisines and a 3-point scale to rate disliked cuisines). Known as the preference-categorization effect, this pattern may exist not only in how individuals form evaluative distinctions but also in how individuals seek out evaluative information. The current research presents three experiments that examine motivational differences in evaluative information seeking (rating scales and attributes). Experiment 1 found that freedom of choice (the ability to avoid undesirable stimuli) and sensitivity to punishment (as measured by the Behavior Inhibition System/Behavioral Approach System [BIS/BAS] scale) influenced preferences for desirable and undesirable evaluative information in a health-related decision. Experiment 2 examined choice optimization, finding that maximizers prefer finer evaluative information for both liked and disliked options in a consumer task. Experiment 3 found that this pattern generalizes to another type of evaluative categorization, attributes.

Stress Assignment in Reading Italian Polysyllabic Pseudowords

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sulpizio, Simone; Arduino, Lisa S.; Paizi, Despina; Burani, Cristina

2013-01-01

In 4 naming experiments we investigated how Italian readers assign stress to pseudowords. We assessed whether participants assign stress following distributional information such as stress neighborhood (the proportion and number of existent words sharing orthographic ending and stress pattern) and whether such distributional information affects…

Do Native American Culture, Life Experiences, Physics and the Bible Provide Supportive Evidence For Julian Barbour's Thesis About Anachronisms Relating to The End of Time?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mears, Paul C.; Mc Leod, Roger D.

2002-10-01

Historic, and current Native American attitude considers that time can be considered in a cyclic sense that contrasts against a majority view of physicists that time varies in a linear algebraic sense. Precognition experiences offer evidence that time has a more subtle substance. The Bible clearly delineates "prophetic awareness of the future." Embedded "Bible codes" are touted as mathematical evidence for the existence of God. His existence is better served if "past-tense" information of events can propagate backward relative to our "present-tense" time. Barbour, p39: [some] " physicists entertain the idea time truly does not exist applies to motion .suggestion; it too is pure illusion." The concept of prophecy has been interpreted as evidence or "proof" of the existence of "Manitou" or God. Our interpretation is that, according to Native American legends, or the Bible, for as yet unspecified reasons, time behaves as though it can convey information in a backward, or forward, sense. It is like an f (t ± ti).

Trait Distinctiveness and Age Specificity in Self-Referent Information Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, John H.; Johnson, W. Calvin

Research has indicated that certain orienting activities help integrate new experiences with pre-existing cognitive structures. The content specificity hypothesis proposes that if the self-concept is distorted so that certain information is missing, then self-referencing that type of material will be ineffective. This notion of content specificity…

Encoding Ability in Teacher-Student Communication Games.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crossan, Donna; Olson, David R.

A two-part experiment was conducted to determine if consistent, predictable differences exist in teacher encoding ability (composed of the ability to formulate messages containing the essential information, to anticipate information needs of the listener, and to modify or recode the message from listener feedback). Twenty-eight teacher-encoders…

The experience of hepatitis C treatment for people with a history of mental health problems: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

PubMed

Ware, K; Davies, J; Rowse, G; Whittaker, S

2015-07-01

This qualitative study explores the experience of hepatitis C virus treatment for people with pre-existing mental health problems within a large city hospital. Four men and four women with pre-existing mental health problems who had received hepatitis C virus treatment took part in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. A central theme of 'Self, stigma and change' was identified which interlinked with three other main themes of 'Coping and responding to treatment', 'Connectedness to others' and 'The impact of information'. These themes and their sub-themes are discussed in relation to existing literature and clinical practice guidelines. © The Author(s) 2013.

Educational Information: Problems and Issues, and Strategies for Resolving Them. Report of a Regional Workshop (Tokyo, Japan, February 1-23, 1983).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. for Educational Research, Tokyo (Japan).

Proceedings of a Pacific regional workshop to identify developments and problems in educational information services are presented in four chapters. In chapter 1, seminar objectives and participants are listed. Objectives were to review and exchange experiences on the existing information systems and services; to identify crucial issues related to…

Association of eHealth literacy with cancer information seeking and prior experience with cancer screening.

PubMed

Park, Hyejin; Moon, Mikyung; Baeg, Jung Hoon

2014-09-01

Cancer is a critical disease with a high mortality rate in the US. Although useful information exists on the Internet, many people experience difficulty finding information about cancer prevention because they have limited eHealth literacy. This study aimed to identify relationships between the level of eHealth literacy and cancer information seeking experience or prior experience with cancer screening tests. A total of 108 adults participated in this study through questionnaires. Data covering demographics, eHealth literacy, cancer information seeking experience, educational needs for cancer information searching, and previous cancer screening tests were obtained. Study findings show that the level of eHealth literacy influences cancer information seeking. Individuals with low eHealth literacy are likely to be less confident about finding cancer information. In addition, people who have a low level of eHealth literacy need more education about seeking information than do those with a higher level of eHealth literacy. However, there is no significant relationship between eHealth literacy and cancer screening tests. More people today are using the Internet for access to information to maintain good health. It is therefore critical to educate those with low eHealth literacy so they can better self-manage their health.

The digital pen and paper technology: implementation and use in an existing clinical information system.

PubMed

Despont-Gros, Christelle; Bœuf, Christophe; Geissbuhler, Antoine; Lovis, Christian

2005-01-01

Evaluation of the technical feasibility of tight integration of the digital pen and paper technology in an existing computerized patient record.Technology: The digital pen is a normal pen able to record all actions of the user and to analyze a micro pattern printed on the paper. The digital paper is a normal paper printed with an almost invisible micro pattern of small dots encoding information such as position and identifiers. We report our experience in the implementation and the use of this technology in an existing large clinical information system for acquiring clinical information. It is possible to print uniquely identified forms using the digital paper technology. These forms can be pre-filled with clinical readable information about the patient. When care providers complete these forms using the digital pen, it is possible to acquire the data in a structured computerized patient record. The technology is easy to integrate in a component-based architecture based on Web Services. The digital pen and paper is a cost-effective technology that can be integrated in an existing clinical information system and allows fast and easy bedside clinical information acquisition without the need for an expensive infrastructure based on traditional portable devices or wireless devices.

An Extraction Method of an Informative DOM Node from a Web Page by Using Layout Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuruta, Masanobu; Masuyama, Shigeru

We propose an informative DOM node extraction method from a Web page for preprocessing of Web content mining. Our proposed method LM uses layout data of DOM nodes generated by a generic Web browser, and the learning set consists of hundreds of Web pages and the annotations of informative DOM nodes of those Web pages. Our method does not require large scale crawling of the whole Web site to which the target Web page belongs. We design LM so that it uses the information of the learning set more efficiently in comparison to the existing method that uses the same learning set. By experiments, we evaluate the methods obtained by combining one that consists of the method for extracting the informative DOM node both the proposed method and the existing methods, and the existing noise elimination methods: Heur removes advertisements and link-lists by some heuristics and CE removes the DOM nodes existing in the Web pages in the same Web site to which the target Web page belongs. Experimental results show that 1) LM outperforms other methods for extracting the informative DOM node, 2) the combination method (LM, {CE(10), Heur}) based on LM (precision: 0.755, recall: 0.826, F-measure: 0.746) outperforms other combination methods.

The challenges and related strategies of planning for wilderness experiences

Treesearch

Kerri Cahill

2012-01-01

Planning is where science, public interests and management of wilderness areas come together. Unfortunately, science and information specifically supporting wilderness experiences, if any exists, is often perceived by managers as subjective, value laden, and hard to defend. This can sometimes lead to the tough decisions about providing high quality wilderness...

Reflecting on the Challenges of Informal Contexts: Early Field Experiences with Technology in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lux, Nick; Obery, Amanda; Cornish, Jamie; Grimberg, Bruna Irene; Hartshorn, Anthony

2017-01-01

Early field experiences, or those that come early in a teacher's preparation before more formalized opportunities like practicum and student teaching, can provide a venue for pre service teachers to practice technology-specific instructional decision-making and reflective practice. Although research exists on the potential roles of field…

Filtrates and Residues: Optical Projection Experiments to Demonstrate New Curricula Contents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perina, Ivo

1986-01-01

Presents background information and procedures for 12 experiments dealing with such areas as: reactivity of a homologous series of saturated monovalent alcohols; enzymatic degradation of hydrogen peroxide by catalase; effect of an activator and inhibitor on amylase activity; proving the existence of phenol in waste water; detecting common air…

The usability axiom of medical information systems.

PubMed

Pantazi, Stefan V; Kushniruk, Andre; Moehr, Jochen R

2006-12-01

In this article we begin by connecting the concept of simplicity of user interfaces of information systems with that of usability, and the concept of complexity of the problem-solving in information systems with the concept of usefulness. We continue by stating "the usability axiom" of medical information technology: information systems must be, at the same time, usable and useful. We then try to show why, given existing technology, the axiom is a paradox and we continue with analysing and reformulating it several times, from more fundamental information processing perspectives. We underline the importance of the concept of representation and demonstrate the need for context-dependent representations. By means of thought experiments and examples, we advocate the need for context-dependent information processing and argue for the relevance of algorithmic information theory and case-based reasoning in this context. Further, we introduce the notion of concept spaces and offer a pragmatic perspective on context-dependent representations. We conclude that the efficient management of concept spaces may help with the solution to the medical information technology paradox. Finally, we propose a view of informatics centred on the concepts of context-dependent information processing and management of concept spaces that aligns well with existing knowledge centric definitions of informatics in general and medical informatics in particular. In effect, our view extends M. Musen's proposal and proposes a definition of Medical Informatics as context-dependent medical information processing. The axiom that medical information systems must be, at the same time, useful and usable, is a paradox and its investigation by means of examples and thought experiments leads to the recognition of the crucial importance of context-dependent information processing. On the premise that context-dependent information processing equates to knowledge processing, this view defines Medical Informatics as a context-dependent medical information processing which aligns well with existing knowledge centric definitions of our field.

Attention and Facilitation: Converging Information versus Inadvertent Reading in Stroop Task Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roelofs, Ardi

2010-01-01

Disagreement exists about whether color-word Stroop facilitation is caused by converging information (e.g., Cohen et al., 1990; Roelofs, 2003) or inadvertent reading (MacLeod & MacDonald, 2000). Four experiments tested between these hypotheses by examining Stroop effects on response time (RT) both within and between languages. Words cannot be…

Communicating the Value of an Institutional Repository: Experiences at Ghana's University for Development Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Edwin S.; Akeriwe, Miriam Linda; Aikins, Angela Achia

2016-01-01

The quality of research depends greatly on access to existing information. Institutional repositories (IRs) have the potential to enhance and promote the dissemination of knowledge and research. This may lead to discoveries and innovation alongside maximizing return on investment in research and development. Following some background information,…

Women Entrepreneurs Reflect on Informal/Self-Directed Learning in Business and Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Yvonne Biedron

2010-01-01

Research studies about women business owners or women entrepreneurs are few, and previous research has focused on gender differences of business owners, traits of entrepreneurs, and reasons for and success of entrepreneurship. Very little research exists on female business owners/entrepreneurs discussing their informal learning and experiences'…

78 FR 72152 - Proposed Collection: Comment Request for Regulation Project

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-02

... experience available. Current Actions: There is no change to this existing regulation. Type of Review... costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Approved...

You don't have to believe everything you read: background knowledge permits fast and efficient validation of information.

PubMed

Richter, Tobias; Schroeder, Sascha; Wöhrmann, Britta

2009-03-01

In social cognition, knowledge-based validation of information is usually regarded as relying on strategic and resource-demanding processes. Research on language comprehension, in contrast, suggests that validation processes are involved in the construction of a referential representation of the communicated information. This view implies that individuals can use their knowledge to validate incoming information in a routine and efficient manner. Consistent with this idea, Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that individuals are able to reject false assertions efficiently when they have validity-relevant beliefs. Validation processes were carried out routinely even when individuals were put under additional cognitive load during comprehension. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the rejection of false information occurs automatically and interferes with affirmative responses in a nonsemantic task (epistemic Stroop effect). Experiment 4 also revealed complementary interference effects of true information with negative responses in a nonsemantic task. These results suggest the existence of fast and efficient validation processes that protect mental representations from being contaminated by false and inaccurate information.

An Expertise Recommender using Web Mining

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joshi, Anupam; Chandrasekaran, Purnima; ShuYang, Michelle; Ramakrishnan, Ramya

2001-01-01

This report explored techniques to mine web pages of scientists to extract information regarding their expertise, build expertise chains and referral webs, and semi automatically combine this information with directory information services to create a recommender system that permits query by expertise. The approach included experimenting with existing techniques that have been reported in research literature in recent past , and adapted them as needed. In addition, software tools were developed to capture and use this information.

Digital pathology: DICOM-conform draft, testbed, and first results.

PubMed

Zwönitzer, Ralf; Kalinski, Thomas; Hofmann, Harald; Roessner, Albert; Bernarding, Johannes

2007-09-01

Hospital information systems are state of the art nowadays. Therefore, Digital Pathology, also labelled as Virtual Microscopy, has gained increased attention. Triggered by radiology, standardized information models and workflows were world-wide defined based on DICOM. However, DICOM-conform integration of Digital Pathology into existing clinical information systems imposes new problems requiring specific solutions concerning the huge amount of data as well as the special structure of the data to be managed, transferred, and stored. We implemented a testbed to realize and evaluate the workflow of digitized slides from acquisition to archiving. The experiences led to the draft of a DICOM-conform information model that accounted for extensions, definitions, and technical requirements necessary to integrate digital pathology in a hospital-wide DICOM environment. Slides were digitized, compressed, and could be viewed remotely. Real-time transfer of the huge amount of data was optimized using streaming techniques. Compared to a recent discussion in the DICOM Working Group for Digital Pathology (WG26) our experiences led to a preference of a JPEG2000/JPIP-based streaming of the whole slide image. The results showed that digital pathology is feasible but strong efforts by users and vendors are still necessary to integrate Digital Pathology into existing information systems.

Usability of a Web-Based School Experience System: Opinions of IT Teachers and Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genç, Zülfü

2015-01-01

With advances in information and communication technologies, the classical nature of educational institutions has changed. One innovative effort within teacher training is the Web-Based School Experience System (WBSES) developed by the researcher. In this study, the usability of an existing WBSES is evaluated from both teachers' (n = 13) and…

Mixed Traffic Information Collection System based on Pressure Sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Wenzhe; Liu, Mingsheng; Meng, Qingli

The traffic information collection is the base of Intelligent Traffic.At present, there exist mixed traffic situation in urban road in China. This paper researched and implemented a system through collecting the vehicle and bicycle mixed traffic flow parameters based on pressure sensor. According to information collection requirements, we selected pressure sensor, designed the data collection, storage and other hardware circuitries and information processing software. The experiment shows that the system can meet the demand of traffic information collection in the actual.

An integrative approach for measuring semantic similarities using gene ontology.

PubMed

Peng, Jiajie; Li, Hongxiang; Jiang, Qinghua; Wang, Yadong; Chen, Jin

2014-01-01

Gene Ontology (GO) provides rich information and a convenient way to study gene functional similarity, which has been successfully used in various applications. However, the existing GO based similarity measurements have limited functions for only a subset of GO information is considered in each measure. An appropriate integration of the existing measures to take into account more information in GO is demanding. We propose a novel integrative measure called InteGO2 to automatically select appropriate seed measures and then to integrate them using a metaheuristic search method. The experiment results show that InteGO2 significantly improves the performance of gene similarity in human, Arabidopsis and yeast on both molecular function and biological process GO categories. InteGO2 computes gene-to-gene similarities more accurately than tested existing measures and has high robustness. The supplementary document and software are available at http://mlg.hit.edu.cn:8082/.

POS-Tagging for informal language (study in Indonesian tweets)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryawati, Endang; Munandar, Devi; Riswantini, Dianadewi; Fatchuttamam Abka, Achmad; Arisal, Andria

2018-03-01

This paper evaluates Part-of-Speech Tagging for the formal Indonesian language can be used for the tagging process of Indonesian tweets. In this study, we add five additional tags which reflect to social media attributes to the existing original tagset. Automatic POS tagging process is done by stratified training process with 1000, 1600, and 1800 of annotated tweets. It shows that the process can achieve up to 66.36% accuracy. The experiment with original tagset gives slightly better accuracy (67.39%) than the experiment with five additional tags, but will lose important informations which given by the five additional tagset.POS-Tagging for Informal Language (Study in Indonesian Tweets).

Using existing thinning studies to investigate the carbon consequences of thinning: learning from the past to craft the future

Treesearch

Coeli M. Hoover

2010-01-01

Although long-term research is a critical tool for answering forest management questions, managers must often make decisions before results from such experiments are available. One way to meet those information needs is to reanalyze existing long-term data sets to address current research questions; the Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges (EFRs) network...

The world of geography: Visualizing a knowledge domain with cartographic means

PubMed Central

Skupin, André

2004-01-01

From an informed critique of existing methods to the development of original tools, cartographic engagement can provide a unique perspective on knowledge domain visualization. Along with a discussion of some principles underlying a cartographically informed visualization methodology, results of experiments involving several thousand conference abstracts will be sketched and their plausibility reflected on. PMID:14764896

Health Issues and Service Utilization of University Students: Experiences, Practices & Perceptions of Students, Staff and Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Paula C.; Bryden, Pamela J.; Schneider, Margaret A.; Dawson, Kimberly A.; Vandermeer, Adrianne

2007-01-01

Limited evidence exists concerning the health of young adults, most likely attributable to the fact that young adults perceive themselves to be insusceptible to infirmity. This lack of information extends into higher education sectors, places that have venues for dispensing health information/education to many young adults. What is important to…

Systematically Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Information Systems Capstone Course: Implications for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gill, T. Grandon; Ritzhaupt, Albert D.

2013-01-01

The information systems capstone experience for undergraduate majors is a topic frequently discussed in academic circles within the field. Though very little consensus exists on this topic, there are core themes that emerge in the design, development, and delivery of the undergraduate capstone courses. Our analysis of prior literature reveals four…

Definition of smolder experiments for Spacelab

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Summerfield, M.; Messina, N. A.; Ingram, L. S.

1979-01-01

The feasibility of conducting experiments in space on smoldering combustion was studied to conceptually design specific smoldering experiments to be conducted in the Shuttle/Spacelab System. Design information for identified experiment critical components is provided. The analytical and experimental basis for conducting research on smoldering phenomena in space was established. Physical descriptions of the various competing processes pertaining to smoldering combustion were identified. The need for space research was defined based on limitations of existing knowledge and limitations of ground-based reduced-gravity experimental facilities.

Grammatical Gender and Mental Representation of Object: The Case of Musical Instruments.

PubMed

Vuksanović, Jasmina; Bjekić, Jovana; Radivojević, Natalija

2015-08-01

A body of research shows that grammatical gender, although an arbitrary category, is viewed as the system with its own meaning. However, the question remains to what extent does grammatical gender influence shaping our notions about objects when both verbal and visual information are available. Two experiments were conducted. The results obtained in Experiment 1 have shown that grammatical gender as a linguistic property of the pseudo-nouns used as names for musical instruments significantly affects people's representations about these instruments. The purpose of Experiment 2 was to examine how the representation of musical instruments will be shaped in the presence of both language and visual information. The results indicate that the co-existence of linguistic and visual information results in formation of concepts about selected instruments by all available information from both sources, thus suggesting that grammatical gender influences nonverbal concepts' forming, but has no privileged status in the matter.

Interactive transportation information stations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-12-01

Dade County (Florida) experiences severe congestion on its roadways, and has been classified as the fourth most congested urban area in the United States. Due to scarcity of funding to build new highways and widen the existing roadways to meet demand...

14 CFR 21.477 - Data review and service experience.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... that an unsafe feature or characteristic caused by a defect in design or manufacture exists, the DAS... in paragraph (a) of this section, the DAS shall submit the information necessary for the issue of an...

Normal-Phase Open Column versus Reversed-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography: Separation of Chlorophyll a and Chlorophyll b from their Diastereomers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaber, Peter M.

1985-01-01

Background information, procedures used, and typical results obtained are provided for an experiment involving the separation of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b from their diastereomers. Reasons why the experiment can be easily integrated into most laboratory curricula where high-performance liquid chromatography capabilities exist are given. (JN)

A qualitative study exploring the value of a catheter passport.

PubMed

Jaeger, Melanie De; Fox, Fiona; Cooney, Geraldine; Robinson, Jacqueline

2017-08-10

Many patients leaving hospital with a catheter do not have sufficient information to self-care and can experience physical and psychological difficulties. This study aimed to explore how a patient-held catheter passport affects the experiences of patients leaving hospital with a urethral catheter, the hospital nurses who discharge them and the community nurses who provide ongoing care for them. Qualitative methods used included interviews, focus groups and questionnaires, and thematic analysis. Three major themes were reported-informing patients, informing nurses; improving catheter care, promoting self-management; and supporting transition. The catheter passport can bridge the existing information gap, improve care, promote self-care and help patients adjust to their catheter, especially if complemented by ongoing input from a nurse or other health professional.

User perception and experience of the introduction of a novel critical care patient viewer in the ICU setting.

PubMed

Dziadzko, Mikhail A; Herasevich, Vitaly; Sen, Ayan; Pickering, Brian W; Knight, Ann-Marie A; Moreno Franco, Pablo

2016-04-01

Failure to rapidly identify high-value information due to inappropriate output may alter user acceptance and satisfaction. The information needs for different intensive care unit (ICU) providers are not the same. This can obstruct successful implementation of electronic medical record (EMR) systems. We evaluated the implementation experience and satisfaction of providers using a novel EMR interface-based on the information needs of ICU providers-in the context of an existing EMR system. This before-after study was performed in the ICU setting at two tertiary care hospitals from October 2013 through November 2014. Surveys were delivered to ICU providers before and after implementation of the novel EMR interface. Overall satisfaction and acceptance was reported for both interfaces. A total of 246 before (existing EMR) and 115 after (existing EMR+novel EMR interface) surveys were analyzed. 14% of respondents were prescribers and 86% were non-prescribers. Non-prescribers were more satisfied with the existing EMR, whereas prescribers were more satisfied with the novel EMR interface. Both groups reported easier data gathering, routine tasks & rounding, and fostering of team work with the novel EMR interface. This interface was the primary tool for 18% of respondents after implementation and 73% of respondents intended to use it further. Non-prescribers reported an intention to use this novel interface as their primary tool for information gathering. Compliance and acceptance of new system is not related to previous duration of work in ICU, but ameliorates with the length of EMR interface usage. Task-specific and role-specific considerations are necessary for design and successful implementation of a EMR interface. The difference in user workflows causes disparity of the way of EMR data usage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health information exchange: persistent challenges and new strategies

PubMed Central

Gamm, Larry D

2010-01-01

Recent federal policies and actions support the adoption of health information exchange (HIE) in order to improve healthcare by addressing fragmented personal health information. However, concerted efforts at facilitating HIE have existed for over two decades in this country. The lessons of these experiences include a recurrence of barriers and challenges beyond those associated with technology. Without new strategies, the current support and methods of facilitating HIE may not address these barriers. PMID:20442146

Using others' experiences. Cancer patients' expectations and navigation of a website providing narratives on prostate, breast and colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Engler, Jennifer; Adami, Sandra; Adam, Yvonne; Keller, Bettina; Repke, Tim; Fügemann, Hella; Lucius-Hoene, Gabriele; Müller-Nordhorn, Jacqueline; Holmberg, Christine

2016-08-01

To understand what cancer patients expect and may learn from other patients' experiences, as analyzed and sorted for presentation on a website called krankheitserfahrungen.de (meaning "illness experiences"). Mixed methods approach including log file analyses, survey data analyses and thematic analysis of focus group discussions. Users highly valued the wide range of patient experiences presented. The academic leadership of krankheitserfahrungen.de made them trust the information quality. Reading, watching and listening to other cancer patients' experiences gave users a feeling of hope and confidence. Searching for persons with similar experiences was a major way of navigating the website. Patient narratives as presented on krankheitserfahrungen.de provide a helpful resource, supporting cancer patients' engagement with their disease. Having access to such research-informed accounts of everyday cancer experiences was seen as a great contribution to existing available patient information. When health information websites include experiences, they should adhere to quality standards of qualitative research and encompass a wide range, so that users are able to find patients similar to themselves. Filter options are a helpful tool. A mix of written text and videos is beneficial, as users have different preferences. The inclusion of patient photographs and video interviews facilitates authenticity and closeness. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of Spatial Ability in Girls in a Single-Sex Environment through Spatial Experience and the Impact on Information Seeking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swarlis, Linda L.

2008-01-01

The test scores of spatial ability for women lag behind those of men in many spatial tests. On the Mental Rotations Test (MRT), a significant gender gap has existed for over 20 years and continues to exist. High spatial ability has been linked to efficiencies in typical computing tasks including Web and database searching, text editing, and…

Microcomputer and Bibliographic Information Systems in Latin America: Problems, Experiences and Projections. Proceedings of a Meeting (Santiago, Chile, April 24-27, 1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago (Chile).

In areas such as Latin America and the Caribbean, many institutions are setting up databases using existing computerized information and documentation networks, and relying on new microcomputer equipment for their implementation. Increasing awareness of the implications of this practice prompted this conference, which provided the first step of a…

How Can the University Library Better Meet the Information Needs of Research Students? Experiences from Ulster University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Geraldine; Bates, Jessica

2018-01-01

This article investigates academic library needs of doctoral students. The study identifies PhD students' information literacy training needs and explores current levels of library engagement, barriers to use, and gaps in existing services. First-year PhD students at Ulster University (UU) were surveyed and interviews were undertaken with three…

Microgravity Experiments Safety and Integration Requirements Document Tree

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Jean M.

1995-01-01

This report is a document tree of the safety and integration documents required to develop a space experiment. Pertinent document information for each of the top level (tier one) safety and integration documents, and their applicable and reference (tier two) documents has been identified. This information includes: document title, revision level, configuration management, electronic availability, listed applicable and reference documents, source for obtaining the document, and document owner. One of the main conclusions of this report is that no single document tree exists for all safety and integration documents, regardless of the Shuttle carrier. This document also identifies the need for a single point of contact for customers wishing to access documents. The data in this report serves as a valuable information source for the NASA Lewis Research Center Project Documentation Center, as well as for all developers of space experiments.

Modeling Enclosure Design in Above-Grade Walls

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

Lstiburek, J.; Ueno, K.; Musunuru, S.

2016-03-01

Building Science Corporation modeled typically well-performing wall assemblies using Wärme und Feuchte instationär (WUFI) Version 5.3 software and demonstrated that these models agree with historic experience when calibrated and modeled correctly. This technical report provides a library of WUFI modeling input data and results. Within the limits of existing experience, this information can be generalized for applications to a broad population of houses.

Observing a quantum Maxwell demon at work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottet, Nathanaël; Jezouin, Sébastien; Bretheau, Landry; Campagne-Ibarcq, Philippe; Ficheux, Quentin; Anders, Janet; Auffèves, Alexia; Azouit, Rémi; Rouchon, Pierre; Huard, Benjamin

2017-07-01

In apparent contradiction to the laws of thermodynamics, Maxwell’s demon is able to cyclically extract work from a system in contact with a thermal bath, exploiting the information about its microstate. The resolution of this paradox required the insight that an intimate relationship exists between information and thermodynamics. Here, we realize a Maxwell demon experiment that tracks the state of each constituent in both the classical and quantum regimes. The demon is a microwave cavity that encodes quantum information about a superconducting qubit and converts information into work by powering up a propagating microwave pulse by stimulated emission. Thanks to the high level of control of superconducting circuits, we directly measure the extracted work and quantify the entropy remaining in the demon’s memory. This experiment provides an enlightening illustration of the interplay of thermodynamics with quantum information.

Using category theory to assess the relationship between consciousness and integrated information theory.

PubMed

Tsuchiya, Naotsugu; Taguchi, Shigeru; Saigo, Hayato

2016-06-01

One of the most mysterious phenomena in science is the nature of conscious experience. Due to its subjective nature, a reductionist approach is having a hard time in addressing some fundamental questions about consciousness. These questions are squarely and quantitatively tackled by a recently developed theoretical framework, called integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness. In particular, IIT proposes that a maximally irreducible conceptual structure (MICS) is identical to conscious experience. However, there has been no principled way to assess the claimed identity. Here, we propose to apply a mathematical formalism, category theory, to assess the proposed identity and suggest that it is important to consider if there exists a proper translation between the domain of conscious experience and that of the MICS. If such translation exists, we postulate that questions in one domain can be answered in the other domain; very difficult questions in the domain of consciousness can be resolved in the domain of mathematics. We claim that it is possible to empirically test if such a functor exists, by using a combination of neuroscientific and computational approaches. Our general, principled and empirical framework allows us to assess the relationship between the domain of consciousness and the domain of mathematical structures, including those suggested by IIT. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Influence of the Pulse Duration in the Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD) Lower-Leg Loading Mechanics

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data ...sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection information. Send comments regarding this burden...its specialists for supporting the numerical analysis, experiment, data processing, and various discussions that gave me valuable ideas. 1 1

Entropy Based Feature Selection for Fuzzy Set-Valued Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Waseem; Sufyan Beg, M. M.; Ahmad, Tanvir

2018-06-01

In Set-valued Information Systems (SIS), several objects contain more than one value for some attributes. Tolerance relation used for handling SIS sometimes leads to loss of certain information. To surmount this problem, fuzzy rough model was introduced. However, in some cases, SIS may contain some real or continuous set-values. Therefore, the existing fuzzy rough model for handling Information system with fuzzy set-values needs some changes. In this paper, Fuzzy Set-valued Information System (FSIS) is proposed and fuzzy similarity relation for FSIS is defined. Yager's relative conditional entropy was studied to find the significance measure of a candidate attribute of FSIS. Later, using these significance values, three greedy forward algorithms are discussed for finding the reduct and relative reduct for the proposed FSIS. An experiment was conducted on a sample population of the real dataset and a comparison of classification accuracies of the proposed FSIS with the existing SIS and single-valued Fuzzy Information Systems was made, which demonstrated the effectiveness of proposed FSIS.

Use of information-retrieval languages in automated retrieval of experimental data from long-term storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khovanskiy, Y. D.; Kremneva, N. I.

1975-01-01

Problems and methods are discussed of automating information retrieval operations in a data bank used for long term storage and retrieval of data from scientific experiments. Existing information retrieval languages are analyzed along with those being developed. The results of studies discussing the application of the descriptive 'Kristall' language used in the 'ASIOR' automated information retrieval system are presented. The development and use of a specialized language of the classification-descriptive type, using universal decimal classification indices as the main descriptors, is described.

The contextual issues associated with sexual harassment experiences reported by registered nurses.

PubMed

Madison, Jeanne; Minichiello, Victor

The study aimed to explore contextual conditions in Australian health care workplaces that make sex-based and sexual harassment (SB&SH) a relatively common experience for registered nurses (RNs). Unstructured, in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Australian RNs. The informants were 16 RNs (15 female and one male), working in health care, who were students enrolled in advanced tertiary preparation in nursing, counselling, and health care management at an Australian university. Experiences described by the interview informants identified four conditions present in their workplace when they experienced SB&SH. Informants noted: 1) the silence that surrounds harassment; 2) that they could not expect support from their peers and professional colleagues; 3) that education did not exist in their workplaces regarding (SB&SH) and, 4) that traditional stereotypes associated with RNs were closely linked to the experience of harassment in the workplace. Inadequate coverage of workplace issues related to (SB&SH) in undergraduate or postgraduate educational programs were identified.

Trusting Social Media as a Source of Health Information: Online Surveys Comparing the United States, Korea, and Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Song, Hayeon; Omori, Kikuko; Kim, Jihyun; Tenzek, Kelly E; Hawkins, Jennifer Morey; Lin, Wan-Ying; Jung, Joo-Young

2016-01-01

Background The Internet has increasingly become a popular source of health information by connecting individuals with health content, experts, and support. More and more, individuals turn to social media and Internet sites to share health information and experiences. Although online health information seeking occurs worldwide, limited empirical studies exist examining cross-cultural differences in perceptions about user-generated, experience-based information compared to expertise-based information sources. Objective To investigate if cultural variations exist in patterns of online health information seeking, specifically in perceptions of online health information sources. It was hypothesized that Koreans and Hongkongers, compared to Americans, would be more likely to trust and use experience-based knowledge shared in social Internet sites, such as social media and online support groups. Conversely, Americans, compared to Koreans and Hongkongers, would value expertise-based knowledge prepared and approved by doctors or professional health providers more. Methods Survey questionnaires were developed in English first and then translated into Korean and Chinese. The back-translation method ensured the standardization of questions. Surveys were administered using a standardized recruitment strategy and data collection methods. Results A total of 826 participants living in metropolitan areas from the United States (n=301), Korea (n=179), and Hong Kong (n=337) participated in the study. We found significant cultural differences in information processing preferences for online health information. A planned contrast test revealed that Koreans and Hongkongers showed more trust in experience-based health information sources (blogs: t 451.50=11.21, P<.001; online support group: t 455.71=9.30, P<.001; social networking sites [SNS]: t 466.75=11.36, P<.001) and also reported using blogs (t 515.31=6.67, P<.001) and SNS (t 529.22=4.51, P<.001) more frequently than Americans. Americans showed a stronger preference for using expertise-based information sources (eg, WebMD and CDC) compared to Koreans and Hongkongers (t 360.02=3.01, P=.003). Trust in expertise-based information sources was universal, demonstrating no cultural differences (Brown-Forsythe F 2,654=1.82, P=.16). Culture also contributed significantly to differences in searching information on behalf of family members (t 480.38=5.99, P<.001) as well as to the goals of information searching. Conclusions This research found significant cultural differences in information processing preferences for online health information. Further discussion is included regarding effective communication strategies in providing quality health information. PMID:26976273

Trusting Social Media as a Source of Health Information: Online Surveys Comparing the United States, Korea, and Hong Kong.

PubMed

Song, Hayeon; Omori, Kikuko; Kim, Jihyun; Tenzek, Kelly E; Morey Hawkins, Jennifer; Lin, Wan-Ying; Kim, Yong-Chan; Jung, Joo-Young

2016-03-14

The Internet has increasingly become a popular source of health information by connecting individuals with health content, experts, and support. More and more, individuals turn to social media and Internet sites to share health information and experiences. Although online health information seeking occurs worldwide, limited empirical studies exist examining cross-cultural differences in perceptions about user-generated, experience-based information compared to expertise-based information sources. To investigate if cultural variations exist in patterns of online health information seeking, specifically in perceptions of online health information sources. It was hypothesized that Koreans and Hongkongers, compared to Americans, would be more likely to trust and use experience-based knowledge shared in social Internet sites, such as social media and online support groups. Conversely, Americans, compared to Koreans and Hongkongers, would value expertise-based knowledge prepared and approved by doctors or professional health providers more. Survey questionnaires were developed in English first and then translated into Korean and Chinese. The back-translation method ensured the standardization of questions. Surveys were administered using a standardized recruitment strategy and data collection methods. A total of 826 participants living in metropolitan areas from the United States (n=301), Korea (n=179), and Hong Kong (n=337) participated in the study. We found significant cultural differences in information processing preferences for online health information. A planned contrast test revealed that Koreans and Hongkongers showed more trust in experience-based health information sources (blogs: t451.50=11.21, P<.001; online support group: t455.71=9.30, P<.001; social networking sites [SNS]: t466.75=11.36, P<.001) and also reported using blogs (t515.31=6.67, P<.001) and SNS (t529.22=4.51, P<.001) more frequently than Americans. Americans showed a stronger preference for using expertise-based information sources (eg, WebMD and CDC) compared to Koreans and Hongkongers (t360.02=3.01, P=.003). Trust in expertise-based information sources was universal, demonstrating no cultural differences (Brown-Forsythe F2,654=1.82, P=.16). Culture also contributed significantly to differences in searching information on behalf of family members (t480.38=5.99, P<.001) as well as to the goals of information searching. This research found significant cultural differences in information processing preferences for online health information. Further discussion is included regarding effective communication strategies in providing quality health information.

Parent experiences and information needs relating to procedural pain in children: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Gates, Allison; Shave, Kassi; Featherstone, Robin; Buckreus, Kelli; Ali, Samina; Scott, Shannon; Hartling, Lisa

2017-06-06

There exist many evidence-based interventions available to manage procedural pain in children and neonates, yet they are severely underutilized. Parents play an important role in the management of their child's pain; however, many do not possess adequate knowledge of how to effectively do so. The purpose of the planned study is to systematically review and synthesize current knowledge of the experiences and information needs of parents with regard to the management of their child's pain and distress related to medical procedures in the emergency department. We will conduct a systematic review using rigorous methods and reporting based on the PRISMA statement. We will conduct a comprehensive search of literature published between 2000 and 2016 reporting on parents' experiences and information needs with regard to helping their child manage procedural pain and distress. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid PsycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed will be searched. We will also search reference lists of key studies and gray literature sources. Two reviewers will screen the articles following inclusion criteria defined a priori. One reviewer will then extract the data from each article following a data extraction form developed by the study team. The second reviewer will check the data extraction for accuracy and completeness. Any disagreements with regard to study inclusion or data extraction will be resolved via discussion. Data from qualitative studies will be summarized thematically, while those from quantitative studies will be summarized narratively. The second reviewer will confirm the overarching themes resulting from the qualitative and quantitative data syntheses. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Research Checklist and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies will be used to assess the quality of the evidence from each included study. To our knowledge, no published review exists that comprehensively reports on the experiences and information needs of parents related to the management of their child's procedural pain and distress. A systematic review of parents' experiences and information needs will help to inform strategies to empower them with the knowledge necessary to ensure their child's comfort during a painful procedure. PROSPERO CRD42016043698.

Converting Existing Copper Wire Firing System to a Fiber Optically Controlled Firing System for Electromagnetic Pulsed Power Experiments

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-19

Firing System for Electromagnetic Pulsed Power Experiments by Robert Borys Jr and Colby Adams Approved for public release...Belcamp, MD Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. ii REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188... Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions

Secondary analysis of data can inform care delivery for Indigenous women in an acute mental health inpatient unit.

PubMed

Bradley, Pat; Cunningham, Teresa; Lowell, Anne; Nagel, Tricia; Dunn, Sandra

2017-02-01

There is a paucity of research exploring Indigenous women's experiences in acute mental health inpatient services in Australia. Even less is known of Indigenous women's experience of seclusion events, as published data are rarely disaggregated by both indigeneity and gender. This research used secondary analysis of pre-existing datasets to identify any quantifiable difference in recorded experience between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women, and between Indigenous women and Indigenous men in an acute mental health inpatient unit. Standard separation data of age, length of stay, legal status, and discharge diagnosis were analysed, as were seclusion register data of age, seclusion grounds, and number of seclusion events. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and where warranted, inferential statistical methods used SPSS software to apply analysis of variance/multivariate analysis of variance testing. The results showed evidence that secondary analysis of existing datasets can provide a rich source of information to describe the experience of target groups, and to guide service planning and delivery of individualized, culturally-secure mental health care at a local level. The results are discussed, service and policy development implications are explored, and suggestions for further research are offered. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

A haptic pedal for surgery assistance.

PubMed

Díaz, Iñaki; Gil, Jorge Juan; Louredo, Marcos

2014-09-01

The research and development of mechatronic aids for surgery is a persistent challenge in the field of robotic surgery. This paper presents a new haptic pedal conceived to assist surgeons in the operating room by transmitting real-time surgical information through the foot. An effective human-robot interaction system for medical practice must exchange appropriate information with the operator as quickly and accurately as possible. Moreover, information must flow through the appropriate sensory modalities for a natural and simple interaction. However, users of current robotic systems might experience cognitive overload and be increasingly overwhelmed by data streams from multiple modalities. A new haptic channel is thus explored to complement and improve existing systems. A preliminary set of experiments has been carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed system in a virtual surgical drilling task. The results of the experiments show the effectiveness of the haptic pedal in providing surgical information through the foot. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Provider-sponsored HMOs: make, buy, or joint venture?

PubMed

Clay, S B

1997-03-01

Providers can sponsor their own HMOs in one of three ways: by creating their own HMO, by joint venturing with an existing HMO, or by purchasing an existing HMO. When selecting the best option, providers must consider various market conditions. Managed care penetration in the area, potential competitive responses of existing HMOs, market demand, provider reputation, and provider marketing ability will all influence the feasibility of each option. Providers also must examine their own organizational identity, their ability to raise the necessary capital to start an HMO, their managed care expertise and risk contracting experience, and their information systems capabilities.

Measures for interoperability of phenotypic data: minimum information requirements and formatting.

PubMed

Ćwiek-Kupczyńska, Hanna; Altmann, Thomas; Arend, Daniel; Arnaud, Elizabeth; Chen, Dijun; Cornut, Guillaume; Fiorani, Fabio; Frohmberg, Wojciech; Junker, Astrid; Klukas, Christian; Lange, Matthias; Mazurek, Cezary; Nafissi, Anahita; Neveu, Pascal; van Oeveren, Jan; Pommier, Cyril; Poorter, Hendrik; Rocca-Serra, Philippe; Sansone, Susanna-Assunta; Scholz, Uwe; van Schriek, Marco; Seren, Ümit; Usadel, Björn; Weise, Stephan; Kersey, Paul; Krajewski, Paweł

2016-01-01

Plant phenotypic data shrouds a wealth of information which, when accurately analysed and linked to other data types, brings to light the knowledge about the mechanisms of life. As phenotyping is a field of research comprising manifold, diverse and time-consuming experiments, the findings can be fostered by reusing and combining existing datasets. Their correct interpretation, and thus replicability, comparability and interoperability, is possible provided that the collected observations are equipped with an adequate set of metadata. So far there have been no common standards governing phenotypic data description, which hampered data exchange and reuse. In this paper we propose the guidelines for proper handling of the information about plant phenotyping experiments, in terms of both the recommended content of the description and its formatting. We provide a document called "Minimum Information About a Plant Phenotyping Experiment", which specifies what information about each experiment should be given, and a Phenotyping Configuration for the ISA-Tab format, which allows to practically organise this information within a dataset. We provide examples of ISA-Tab-formatted phenotypic data, and a general description of a few systems where the recommendations have been implemented. Acceptance of the rules described in this paper by the plant phenotyping community will help to achieve findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable data.

Improving User Experience by Taking Advance of Semantic Information of Microformats on Municipal Websites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, Rocío; Vera, Pablo; Estevez, Elsa; Giulianelli, Daniel; Welicki, León; Trigueros, Artemisa

This research regards about the use of microformats as a tool to add semantic information to government web sites. The use of microformats allows the developer to add different resources such as maps, calendars, etc, in an easy way. The paper also shows a survey of the already existing microformats and which of them are useful to be applied to government web sites.

Integrating a project monitoring system into a public health network: experiences from Alive & Thrive Vietnam.

PubMed

Tuan, Nguyen Thanh; Alayon, Silvia; Do, Tran Thanh; Ngan, Tran Thi; Hajeebhoy, Nemat

2015-01-01

Little information is available about how to build a monitoring system to measure the output of preventive nutrition interventions, such as counselling on infant and young child feeding. This paper describes the Alive & Thrive Vietnam (A&T) project experience in nesting a large-scale project monitoring system into the existing public health information system (e.g. using the system and resources), and in using monitoring data to strengthen service delivery in 15 provinces with A&T franchises. From January 2012 to April 2014, the 780 A&T franchises provided 1,700,000 counselling contacts (~3/4 by commune franchises). In commune franchises in April 2014, 80% of mothers who were pregnant or with children under two years old had been to the counselling service at least one time, and 87% of clients had been to the service earlier. Monitoring data are used to track the progress of the project, make decisions, provide background for a costing study and advocate for the integration of nutrition counselling indicators into the health information system nationwide. With careful attention to the needs of stakeholders at multiple levels, clear data quality assurance measures and strategic feedback mechanisms, it is feasible to monitor the scale-up of nutrition programmes through the existing routine health information system.

Nursing Faculty and Academic Integrity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Cecilia E.

2013-01-01

Insufficient information exists regarding the process influencing faculty decisions, specifically in the area of maintaining academic integrity in an online environment. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences and decision-making process of nursing faculty related to maintaining academic integrity in an online environment. The…

OAI and NASA's Scientific and Technical Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Michael L.; Rocker, JoAnne; Harrison, Terry L.

2003-01-01

Details NASA's (National Aeronautics & Space Administration (USA)) involvement in defining and testing the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) and experience with adapting existing NASA distributed searching DLs (digital libraries) to use the OAI-PMH and metadata harvesting. Discusses some new digital…

The Experience of Near Death

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabom, M. B.; Kreutziger, S.

1977-01-01

Reported phenomena occurring in people encountering near-death situations have recently stimulated considerable public interest. In an informal survey, few professionals who care for critically ill patients were aware of these occurrences. Approximately 50 patients with documented near-fatal encounters were interviewed to confirm the existence and…

Water use, waste generation, and traffic counts at interstate rest areas in Louisiana.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-30

Surprisingly, little current information for design purposes exists regarding water use and waste generation at interstate rest areas. The Waterways Experiment Station of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers carried out the last major study in 1974. This...

76 FR 12714 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Marianas Trench Marine National Monument...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-08

... Collection; Comment Request; Marianas Trench Marine National Monument Knowledge and Attitudes Survey AGENCY... questions on awareness, knowledge, and attitudes regarding the Monument, preferences for management and... activities. Additional questions include experiences with and attitudes toward existing uses of coastal and...

Health Informatics in Developing Countries: A Review of Unintended Consequences of IT Implementations, as They Affect Patient Safety and Recommendations on How to Address Them.

PubMed

Park, Hyeoun-Ae

2016-11-10

Patient safety concerns every healthcare organization. Adoption of Health information technology (HIT) appears to have the potential to address this issue, however unanticipated and undesirable consequences from implementing HIT could lead to new and more complex hazards. This could be particularly problematic in developing countries, where regulations, policies and implementations are few, less standandarized and in some cases almost non-existing. Based on the available information and our own experience, we conducted a review of unintended consequences of HIT implementations, as they affect patient safety in developing countries. We found that user dependency on the system, alert fatigue, less communications among healthcare actors and workarounds topics should be prioritize. Institution should consider existing knowledge, learn from other experiences and model their implementations to avoid known consequences. We also recommend that they monitor and communicate their own efforts to expand knowledge in the region.

Information Dynamics and Aspects of Musical Perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubnov, Shlomo

Musical experience has been often suggested to be related to forming of expectations, their fulfillment or denial. In terms of information theory, expectancies and predictions serve to reduce uncertainty about the future and might be used to efficiently represent and "compress" data. In this chapter we present an information theoretic model of musical listening based on the idea that expectations that arise from past musical material are framing our appraisal of what comes next, and that this process eventually results in creation of emotions or feelings. Using a notion of "information rate" we can measure the amount of information between past and present in the musical signal on different time scales using statistics of sound spectral features. Several musical pieces are analyzed in terms of short and long term information rate dynamics and are compared to analysis of musical form and its structural functions. The findings suggest that a relation exists between information dynamics and musical structure that eventually leads to creation of human listening experience and feelings such as "wow" and "aha".

Using Discrete Choice Experiments to Inform the Benefit-Risk Assessment of Medicines: Are We Ready Yet?

PubMed

Vass, Caroline M; Payne, Katherine

2017-09-01

There is emerging interest in the use of discrete choice experiments as a means of quantifying the perceived balance between benefits and risks (quantitative benefit-risk assessment) of new healthcare interventions, such as medicines, under assessment by regulatory agencies. For stated preference data on benefit-risk assessment to be used in regulatory decision making, the methods to generate these data must be valid, reliable and capable of producing meaningful estimates understood by decision makers. Some reporting guidelines exist for discrete choice experiments, and for related methods such as conjoint analysis. However, existing guidelines focus on reporting standards, are general in focus and do not consider the requirements for using discrete choice experiments specifically for quantifying benefit-risk assessments in the context of regulatory decision making. This opinion piece outlines the current state of play in using discrete choice experiments for benefit-risk assessment and proposes key areas needing to be addressed to demonstrate that discrete choice experiments are an appropriate and valid stated preference elicitation method in this context. Methodological research is required to establish: how robust the results of discrete choice experiments are to formats and methods of risk communication; how information in the discrete choice experiment can be presented effectually to respondents; whose preferences should be elicited; the correct underlying utility function and analytical model; the impact of heterogeneity in preferences; and the generalisability of the results. We believe these methodological issues should be addressed, alongside developing a 'reference case', before agencies can safely and confidently use discrete choice experiments for quantitative benefit-risk assessment in the context of regulatory decision making for new medicines and healthcare products.

Discovering mutated driver genes through a robust and sparse co-regularized matrix factorization framework with prior information from mRNA expression patterns and interaction network.

PubMed

Xi, Jianing; Wang, Minghui; Li, Ao

2018-06-05

Discovery of mutated driver genes is one of the primary objective for studying tumorigenesis. To discover some relatively low frequently mutated driver genes from somatic mutation data, many existing methods incorporate interaction network as prior information. However, the prior information of mRNA expression patterns are not exploited by these existing network-based methods, which is also proven to be highly informative of cancer progressions. To incorporate prior information from both interaction network and mRNA expressions, we propose a robust and sparse co-regularized nonnegative matrix factorization to discover driver genes from mutation data. Furthermore, our framework also conducts Frobenius norm regularization to overcome overfitting issue. Sparsity-inducing penalty is employed to obtain sparse scores in gene representations, of which the top scored genes are selected as driver candidates. Evaluation experiments by known benchmarking genes indicate that the performance of our method benefits from the two type of prior information. Our method also outperforms the existing network-based methods, and detect some driver genes that are not predicted by the competing methods. In summary, our proposed method can improve the performance of driver gene discovery by effectively incorporating prior information from interaction network and mRNA expression patterns into a robust and sparse co-regularized matrix factorization framework.

Design of high entropy alloys based on the experience from commercial superalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Huang, Y.; Wang, J.; Liu, C. T.

2015-01-01

High entropy alloys (HEAs) have been drawing increasing attention recently and gratifying results have been obtained. However, the existing metallurgic rules of HEAs could not provide specific information of selecting candidate alloys for structural applications. Our brief survey reveals that many commercial superalloys have medium and even to high configurational entropies. The experience of commercial superalloys provides a clue for helping us in the development of HEAs for structural applications.

Paediatric team handover: a time to learn?

PubMed

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

2018-06-08

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

Interpretive focus groups: a participatory method for interpreting and extending secondary analysis of qualitative data.

PubMed

Redman-MacLaren, Michelle; Mills, Jane; Tommbe, Rachael

2014-01-01

Participatory approaches to qualitative research practice constantly change in response to evolving research environments. Researchers are increasingly encouraged to undertake secondary analysis of qualitative data, despite epistemological and ethical challenges. Interpretive focus groups can be described as a more participative method for groups to analyse qualitative data. To facilitate interpretive focus groups with women in Papua New Guinea to extend analysis of existing qualitative data and co-create new primary data. The purpose of this was to inform a transformational grounded theory and subsequent health promoting action. A two-step approach was used in a grounded theory study about how women experience male circumcision in Papua New Guinea. Participants analysed portions or 'chunks' of existing qualitative data in story circles and built upon this analysis by using the visual research method of storyboarding. New understandings of the data were evoked when women in interpretive focus groups analysed the data 'chunks'. Interpretive focus groups encouraged women to share their personal experiences about male circumcision. The visual method of storyboarding enabled women to draw pictures to represent their experiences. This provided an additional focus for whole-of-group discussions about the research topic. Interpretive focus groups offer opportunity to enhance trustworthiness of findings when researchers undertake secondary analysis of qualitative data. The co-analysis of existing data and co-generation of new data between research participants and researchers informed an emergent transformational grounded theory and subsequent health promoting action.

Interpretive focus groups: a participatory method for interpreting and extending secondary analysis of qualitative data

PubMed Central

Redman-MacLaren, Michelle; Mills, Jane; Tommbe, Rachael

2014-01-01

Background Participatory approaches to qualitative research practice constantly change in response to evolving research environments. Researchers are increasingly encouraged to undertake secondary analysis of qualitative data, despite epistemological and ethical challenges. Interpretive focus groups can be described as a more participative method for groups to analyse qualitative data. Objective To facilitate interpretive focus groups with women in Papua New Guinea to extend analysis of existing qualitative data and co-create new primary data. The purpose of this was to inform a transformational grounded theory and subsequent health promoting action. Design A two-step approach was used in a grounded theory study about how women experience male circumcision in Papua New Guinea. Participants analysed portions or ‘chunks’ of existing qualitative data in story circles and built upon this analysis by using the visual research method of storyboarding. Results New understandings of the data were evoked when women in interpretive focus groups analysed the data ‘chunks’. Interpretive focus groups encouraged women to share their personal experiences about male circumcision. The visual method of storyboarding enabled women to draw pictures to represent their experiences. This provided an additional focus for whole-of-group discussions about the research topic. Conclusions Interpretive focus groups offer opportunity to enhance trustworthiness of findings when researchers undertake secondary analysis of qualitative data. The co-analysis of existing data and co-generation of new data between research participants and researchers informed an emergent transformational grounded theory and subsequent health promoting action. PMID:25138532

Feminist Therapy: A Comparative Study of Therapists and Clients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtin, Catherine A.

Little research in the existing literature attempts to define feminist therapy by incorporating the specific experiences and philosophies of those who describe themselves as feminist therapists. Even less information is available about the perceptions of their clients. Therapists and their clients answered questions about the theoretical…

Connecting Students and Microbiology through the Lived Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onorato, Thomas M.

2014-01-01

A disconnect exists between students and biology that is often propagated by information-dense lectures that provide little opportunity for integrative learning and reflection. The author's professional development activities have allowed him to build upon his pedagogical creativity and develop a structured reflective ePortfolio-based microbiology…

A bayesian translational framework for knowledge propagation, discovery, and integration under specific contexts.

PubMed

Deng, Michelle; Zollanvari, Amin; Alterovitz, Gil

2012-01-01

The immense corpus of biomedical literature existing today poses challenges in information search and integration. Many links between pieces of knowledge occur or are significant only under certain contexts-rather than under the entire corpus. This study proposes using networks of ontology concepts, linked based on their co-occurrences in annotations of abstracts of biomedical literature and descriptions of experiments, to draw conclusions based on context-specific queries and to better integrate existing knowledge. In particular, a Bayesian network framework is constructed to allow for the linking of related terms from two biomedical ontologies under the queried context concept. Edges in such a Bayesian network allow associations between biomedical concepts to be quantified and inference to be made about the existence of some concepts given prior information about others. This approach could potentially be a powerful inferential tool for context-specific queries, applicable to ontologies in other fields as well.

A Bayesian Translational Framework for Knowledge Propagation, Discovery, and Integration Under Specific Contexts

PubMed Central

Deng, Michelle; Zollanvari, Amin; Alterovitz, Gil

2012-01-01

The immense corpus of biomedical literature existing today poses challenges in information search and integration. Many links between pieces of knowledge occur or are significant only under certain contexts—rather than under the entire corpus. This study proposes using networks of ontology concepts, linked based on their co-occurrences in annotations of abstracts of biomedical literature and descriptions of experiments, to draw conclusions based on context-specific queries and to better integrate existing knowledge. In particular, a Bayesian network framework is constructed to allow for the linking of related terms from two biomedical ontologies under the queried context concept. Edges in such a Bayesian network allow associations between biomedical concepts to be quantified and inference to be made about the existence of some concepts given prior information about others. This approach could potentially be a powerful inferential tool for context-specific queries, applicable to ontologies in other fields as well. PMID:22779044

Possible experiment with two counter-orbiting drag-free satellites to obtain a new test of Einstein's general theory of relativity and improved measurements in geodesy

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

Van Patten, R.A.; Everitt, C.W.F.

1976-03-22

In 1918, Lense and Thirring calculated that a moon orbiting a rotating planet would experience a nodal dragging effect due to general relativity. We describe an experiment to measure this effect to 1% with two counter-orbiting drag-free satellites in polar earth orbit. In addition to tracking data from existing ground stations, satellite-to-satellite Doppler ranging data are taken near the poles. New geophysical information is inherent in the polar data. (AIP)

The semantic category-based grouping in the Multiple Identity Tracking task.

PubMed

Wei, Liuqing; Zhang, Xuemin; Li, Zhen; Liu, Jingyao

2018-01-01

In the Multiple Identity Tracking (MIT) task, categorical distinctions between targets and distractors have been found to facilitate tracking (Wei, Zhang, Lyu, & Li in Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 589, 2016). The purpose of this study was to further investigate the reasons for the facilitation effect, through six experiments. The results of Experiments 1-3 excluded the potential explanations of visual distinctiveness, attentional distribution strategy, and a working memory mechanism, respectively. When objects' visual information was preserved and categorical information was removed, the facilitation effect disappeared, suggesting that the visual distinctiveness between targets and distractors was not the main reason for the facilitation effect. Moreover, the facilitation effect was not the result of strategically shifting the attentional distribution, because the targets received more attention than the distractors in all conditions. Additionally, the facilitation effect did not come about because the identities of targets were encoded and stored in visual working memory to assist in the recovery from tracking errors; when working memory was disturbed by the object identities changing during tracking, the facilitation effect still existed. Experiments 4 and 5 showed that observers grouped targets together and segregated them from distractors on the basis of their categorical information. By doing this, observers could largely avoid distractor interference with tracking and improve tracking performance. Finally, Experiment 6 indicated that category-based grouping is not an automatic, but a goal-directed and effortful, strategy. In summary, the present findings show that a semantic category-based target-grouping mechanism exists in the MIT task, which is likely to be the major reason for the tracking facilitation effect.

The closed-mindedness that wasn't: need for structure and expectancy-inconsistent information.

PubMed

Kemmelmeier, Markus

2015-01-01

Social-cognitive researchers have typically assumed that individuals high in need for structure or need for closure tend to be closed-minded: they are motivated to resist or ignore information that is inconsistent with existing beliefs but instead they rely on category-based expectancies. The present paper argues that this conclusion is not necessarily warranted because previous studies did not allow individual differences in categorical processing to emerge and did not consider different distributions of category-relevant information. Using a person memory paradigm, Experiments 1 and 2 shows that, when categorical processing is optional, high need-for-structure individuals are especially likely to use this type processing to reduce uncertainty, which results in superior recall for expectancy-inconsistent information. Experiment 2 demonstrates that such information is also more likely to be used in judgment making, leading to judgmental moderation among high need-for-structure individuals. Experiments 3 and 4 used a person memory paradigm which requires categorical processing regardless of levels of need for structure. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrate that, whether expectancy-consistent or -inconsistent information is recalled better is a function of whether the majority of available information is compatible or incompatible with an initial category-based expectancy. Experiment 4 confirmed that the extent to which high need-for-structure individuals attend to different types of information varies with their distribution. The discussion highlights that task affordances have a critical influence on the consequences of categorical processing for memory and social judgment. Thus, high need for structure does not necessarily equate closed-mindedness.

The closed-mindedness that wasn’t: need for structure and expectancy-inconsistent information

PubMed Central

Kemmelmeier, Markus

2015-01-01

Social-cognitive researchers have typically assumed that individuals high in need for structure or need for closure tend to be closed-minded: they are motivated to resist or ignore information that is inconsistent with existing beliefs but instead they rely on category-based expectancies. The present paper argues that this conclusion is not necessarily warranted because previous studies did not allow individual differences in categorical processing to emerge and did not consider different distributions of category-relevant information. Using a person memory paradigm, Experiments 1 and 2 shows that, when categorical processing is optional, high need-for-structure individuals are especially likely to use this type processing to reduce uncertainty, which results in superior recall for expectancy-inconsistent information. Experiment 2 demonstrates that such information is also more likely to be used in judgment making, leading to judgmental moderation among high need-for-structure individuals. Experiments 3 and 4 used a person memory paradigm which requires categorical processing regardless of levels of need for structure. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrate that, whether expectancy-consistent or -inconsistent information is recalled better is a function of whether the majority of available information is compatible or incompatible with an initial category-based expectancy. Experiment 4 confirmed that the extent to which high need-for-structure individuals attend to different types of information varies with their distribution. The discussion highlights that task affordances have a critical influence on the consequences of categorical processing for memory and social judgment. Thus, high need for structure does not necessarily equate closed-mindedness. PMID:26191017

Why not? - Communicating stochastic information by use of unsorted frequency pictograms - a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Kasper, Jürgen; Heesen, Christoph; Köpke, Sascha; Mühlhauser, Ingrid; Lenz, Matthias

2011-01-01

Statistical health risk information has been proven confusing and difficult to understand. While existing research indicates that presenting risk information in frequency formats is superior to relative risk and probability formats, the optimal design of frequency formats is still unclear. The aim of this study was to compare presentation of multi-figure pictographs in consecutive and random arrangements regarding accuracy in perception and vulnerability for cognitive bias. A total of 111 patients with multiple sclerosis were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions: patient information using 100 figure pictographs in 1) unsorted (UP group) or 2) consecutive arrangement (CP group).The study experiment was framed as patient information on how risks and benefit could be explained. The information comprised two scenarios of a treatment decision with varying levels of emotional relevance. Primary outcome measure was accuracy of information recall (errors made when recalling previously presented frequencies of benefits and side effects). Cognitive bias was measured as additional error appearing with higher emotional involvement. The uncertainty tolerance scale and a set of items to assess risk attribution were surveyed. The study groups did not differ in their accuracy of recalling benefits, but recall of side effects was more accurate in the CP-group. Cognitive bias when recalling benefits was higher in the UP-group than in the CP-group and equal for side effects in both groups. RESULTS were similar in subgroup analyses of patients 1) with highly irrational risk attribution 2) with experience regarding the hypothetical contents or 3) with experience regarding pictograph presentation of frequencies. Overall, benefit was overestimated by more than 100% and variance of recall was extremely high. Consecutive arrangement as commonly used seems not clearly superior to unsorted arrangement which is more close to reality. General poor performance and the corresponding high variance of recall might have clouded existing effects of the arrangement types. More research is needed with varying proportions and other samples.

A multilevel ant colony optimization algorithm for classical and isothermic DNA sequencing by hybridization with multiplicity information available.

PubMed

Kwarciak, Kamil; Radom, Marcin; Formanowicz, Piotr

2016-04-01

The classical sequencing by hybridization takes into account a binary information about sequence composition. A given element from an oligonucleotide library is or is not a part of the target sequence. However, the DNA chip technology has been developed and it enables to receive a partial information about multiplicity of each oligonucleotide the analyzed sequence consist of. Currently, it is not possible to assess the exact data of such type but even partial information should be very useful. Two realistic multiplicity information models are taken into consideration in this paper. The first one, called "one and many" assumes that it is possible to obtain information if a given oligonucleotide occurs in a reconstructed sequence once or more than once. According to the second model, called "one, two and many", one is able to receive from biochemical experiment information if a given oligonucleotide is present in an analyzed sequence once, twice or at least three times. An ant colony optimization algorithm has been implemented to verify the above models and to compare with existing algorithms for sequencing by hybridization which utilize the additional information. The proposed algorithm solves the problem with any kind of hybridization errors. Computational experiment results confirm that using even the partial information about multiplicity leads to increased quality of reconstructed sequences. Moreover, they also show that the more precise model enables to obtain better solutions and the ant colony optimization algorithm outperforms the existing ones. Test data sets and the proposed ant colony optimization algorithm are available on: http://bioserver.cs.put.poznan.pl/download/ACO4mSBH.zip. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Living with dementia yields a heteronomous and lost existence.

PubMed

Svanström, Rune; Dahlberg, Karin

2004-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experience of dementia for spouses where one of them is diagnosed as having dementia. The study has been conducted using a phenomenological approach. Unstructured interviews were chosen in order to investigate the informants' lived experiences of dementia, both for the person with dementia and for his or her spouse. The essence of the phenomenon, the lived experience of dementia, is that the persons with dementia and their spouses live in a heteronomous existence in which they are lost and are strangers in their own world. The result of this is a life without coherence and a new but unknown meaning that can make them feel uncertain and puts them in a quandary. Whatever those with dementia and their spouses do, they have no real influence over their situation, which leads to feelings of awkwardness, perplexity, and futility.

Influence of cue word perceptual information on metamemory accuracy in judgement of learning.

PubMed

Hu, Xiao; Liu, Zhaomin; Li, Tongtong; Luo, Liang

2016-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that perceptual information regarding to-be-remembered words in the study phase affects the accuracy of judgement of learning (JOL). However, few have investigated whether the perceptual information in the JOL phase influences JOL accuracy. This study examined the influence of cue word perceptual information in the JOL phase on immediate and delayed JOL accuracy through changes in cue word font size. In Experiment 1, large-cue word pairs had significantly higher mean JOL magnitude than small-cue word pairs in immediate JOLs and higher relative accuracy than small-cue pairs in delayed JOLs, but font size had no influence on recall performance. Experiment 2 increased the JOL time, and mean JOL magnitude did not reliably differ for large-cue compared with small-cue pairs in immediate JOLs. However, the influence on relative accuracy still existed in delayed JOLs. Experiment 3 increased the familiarity of small-cue words in the delayed JOL phase by adding a lexical decision task. The results indicated that cue word font size no longer affected relative accuracy in delayed JOLs. The three experiments in our study indicated that the perceptual information regarding cue words in the JOL phase affects immediate and delayed JOLs in different ways.

Preservice Teacher Training: A Piece Is Missing!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangrum, Debra; And Others

According to the literature and historical experience, differences of opinion exist among teachers about the role and functions of counseling professionals in schools, and little information is available about preservice instruction on the work of school counselors. A study was conducted, therefore, for the following purposes: (1) to determine how…

Experimental Studies of Incubation: Searching for the Elusive.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olton, Robert M.

1979-01-01

The author discusses the phenomenon of incubation in creative problem solving, distinguishes it from "creative worrying" and "tip of the tongue" experiences, and reviews research to indicate a lack of evidence of incubation's existence in well-controlled studies. Note: For related information, see EC 120 232-238. (CL)

77 FR 13529 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request-SuperTracker...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-07

... tip messages to Facebook or Twitter using their personal social media account. Through leveraging the user's existing social network, the user is more likely to experience positive feedback and encouragement in achieving their dietary and/or physical activity goals. Social media functionality is provided...

Using Qualitative Methods for Revising Items in the Hispanic Stress Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cervantes, Richard C.; Goldbach, Jeremy T.; Padilla, Amado M.

2012-01-01

Despite progress in the development of measures to assess psychosocial stress experiences in the general population, a lack of culturally informed assessment instruments exist to enable clinicians and researchers to detect and accurately diagnosis mental health concerns among Hispanics. The Hispanic Stress Inventory (HSI) was developed…

Professional Discussion Groups: Informal Learning in a Third Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, Robert A.

2013-01-01

In this ethnographic study, I explored two discussion groups and discovered Third Space elements such as cultural hybridity, counterscript, and sharing of experiences and resources contributed to a safe learning environment existing at the boundaries between participant personal and professional spaces. The groups operated under the auspices of a…

Transporting Radioactive Waste: An Engineering Activity. Grades 5-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HAZWRAP, The Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program.

This brochure contains an engineering activity for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students that examines the transportation of radioactive waste. The activity is designed to inform students about the existence of radioactive waste and its transportation to disposal sites. Students experiment with methods to contain the waste and…

The Integrated Library System of the 1990s: The OhioLINK Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawks, Carol Pitts

1992-01-01

Discussion of integrated library systems focuses on the development of the Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK). Capabilities of eight existing systems are described, including catalog creation and maintenance; the online public access catalog (OPAC); circulation, interlibrary loan, and document delivery; acquisitions and serials…

Utilizing Action Research to Improve Counseling Education Course Work for Culturally Diverse Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Vries, Sabina; McDonald, Deirdre; Mayorga, Mary G.

2017-01-01

This article informs counselor educators and psychologists on how to utilize action research to evaluate diverse students, course work, and to improve classroom instruction. A paucity exists in research investigating educational needs of diverse counseling students. The present action research study examined educational experiences of diverse…

Making Sense of Sound

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menon, Deepika; Lankford, Deanna

2016-01-01

From the earliest days of their lives, children are exposed to all kinds of sound, from soft, comforting voices to the frightening rumble of thunder. Consequently, children develop their own naïve explanations largely based upon their experiences with phenomena encountered every day. When new information does not support existing conceptions,…

Exploring Staff Facilitation that Supports Family Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pattison, Scott A.; Dierking, Lynn D.

2012-01-01

Front-line educators are arguably critical to the visitor experience at museums and science centers across the country. However, little research exists to inform staff facilitation strategies or professional development efforts. In this article, we describe the results of a qualitative study of 63 staff-family interactions in a science center,…

Brokering the Research-Practice Gap: A typology.

PubMed

Neal, Jennifer Watling; Neal, Zachary P; Kornbluh, Mariah; Mills, Kristen J; Lawlor, Jennifer A

2015-12-01

Despite widespread recognition of a research-practice gap in multiple service sectors, less is known about how pre-existing communication channels facilitate the flow of information between researchers and practitioners. In the current study, we applied an existing typology of brokerage developed by Gould and Fernandez (Sociol Methodol 19:89-126, 1989) to examine what types of brokerage facilitate information spread between researchers and educational practitioners. Specifically, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 school administrators and staff in two public school districts regarding their experiences searching for information about instructional, health, and social skills programs. Using deductive content analysis, we found evidence of all five types of brokerage identified by Gould and Fernandez (1989). However, only three types of brokerage-gatekeepers, representatives, and liaisons-were involved in the flow of information between school administrators and researchers. Moreover, information transfer often occurred in longer chains that involved multiple, distinct types of brokerage. We conclude with the broad implications of our findings for narrowing the research-practice gap by improving researchers' dissemination efforts and practitioners' search for information.

Insights on the poster preparation and presentation process.

PubMed

Moore, L W; Augspurger, P; King, M O; Proffitt, C

2001-05-01

Dissemination of research findings and effective clinical innovations is key to the growth and development of the nursing profession. Several avenues exist for the dissemination of information. One forum for communication that has gained increased recognition over the past decade is the poster presentation. Poster presentations are often a significant part of regional, national, and international nursing conferences. Although posters are frequently used to disseminate information to the nursing community, little is reported about actual poster presenters' experiences with preparation and presentation of their posters. The purpose of this article is to present insights derived from information shared by poster presenters regarding the poster preparation and presentation process. Such insights derived from the personal experiences of poster presenters may assist others to efficiently and effectively prepare and present scholarly posters that disseminate information to the nursing community. Copyright 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company

Sex differences in physician salary in U.S. public medical schools

PubMed Central

Jena, Anupam B.; Olenski, Andrew R.; Blumenthal, Daniel M.

2017-01-01

Importance Limited evidence exists on salary differences between male and female academic physicians, largely due to difficulty obtaining data on salary and factors influencing salary. Existing studies have been limited by reliance on survey-based approaches to measuring sex differences in earnings, lack of contemporary data, small sample sizes, or limited geographic representation. Objective To analyze sex differences in earnings among U.S. academic physicians. Design, setting, and participants Freedom of Information laws mandate release of salary information of public university employees in several states. In 12 states with salary information published online, we extracted salary data on 10,241 academic physicians at 24 public medical schools. We linked this data to a unique physician database with detailed information on sex, age, years of experience, faculty rank, specialty, scientific authorship, NIH funding, clinical trial participation, and Medicare reimbursements (proxy for clinical revenue). We estimated sex differences in salary adjusting for these factors. Exposure Physician sex Main outcome measures Annual salary Results Female physicians had lower unadjusted salaries than male physicians ($206,641 vs. $257,957; difference $51,315; 95% CI $46,330–$56,301). Sex differences persisted after multivariable adjustment ($227,782 vs. $247,661; difference $19,878; 95% CI $15,261–$24,495). Sex differences in salary varied across specialties, institutions, and faculty ranks. Female full and associate professors had comparable adjusted salaries to those of male associate and assistant professors, respectively. Conclusions and relevance Among physicians with faculty appointments at 24 U.S. public medical schools, significant sex differences in salary exist even after accounting for age, experience, specialty, faculty rank, and measures of research productivity and clinical revenue. PMID:27400435

Active link selection for efficient semi-supervised community detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Liang; Jin, Di; Wang, Xiao; Cao, Xiaochun

2015-03-01

Several semi-supervised community detection algorithms have been proposed recently to improve the performance of traditional topology-based methods. However, most of them focus on how to integrate supervised information with topology information; few of them pay attention to which information is critical for performance improvement. This leads to large amounts of demand for supervised information, which is expensive or difficult to obtain in most fields. For this problem we propose an active link selection framework, that is we actively select the most uncertain and informative links for human labeling for the efficient utilization of the supervised information. We also disconnect the most likely inter-community edges to further improve the efficiency. Our main idea is that, by connecting uncertain nodes to their community hubs and disconnecting the inter-community edges, one can sharpen the block structure of adjacency matrix more efficiently than randomly labeling links as the existing methods did. Experiments on both synthetic and real networks demonstrate that our new approach significantly outperforms the existing methods in terms of the efficiency of using supervised information. It needs ~13% of the supervised information to achieve a performance similar to that of the original semi-supervised approaches.

Active link selection for efficient semi-supervised community detection

PubMed Central

Yang, Liang; Jin, Di; Wang, Xiao; Cao, Xiaochun

2015-01-01

Several semi-supervised community detection algorithms have been proposed recently to improve the performance of traditional topology-based methods. However, most of them focus on how to integrate supervised information with topology information; few of them pay attention to which information is critical for performance improvement. This leads to large amounts of demand for supervised information, which is expensive or difficult to obtain in most fields. For this problem we propose an active link selection framework, that is we actively select the most uncertain and informative links for human labeling for the efficient utilization of the supervised information. We also disconnect the most likely inter-community edges to further improve the efficiency. Our main idea is that, by connecting uncertain nodes to their community hubs and disconnecting the inter-community edges, one can sharpen the block structure of adjacency matrix more efficiently than randomly labeling links as the existing methods did. Experiments on both synthetic and real networks demonstrate that our new approach significantly outperforms the existing methods in terms of the efficiency of using supervised information. It needs ~13% of the supervised information to achieve a performance similar to that of the original semi-supervised approaches. PMID:25761385

Embodied information behavior, mixed reality and big data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

West, Ruth; Parola, Max J.; Jaycen, Amelia R.; Lueg, Christopher P.

2015-03-01

A renaissance in the development of virtual (VR), augmented (AR), and mixed reality (MR) technologies with a focus on consumer and industrial applications is underway. As data becomes ubiquitous in our lives, a need arises to revisit the role of our bodies, explicitly in relation to data or information. Our observation is that VR/AR/MR technology development is a vision of the future framed in terms of promissory narratives. These narratives develop alongside the underlying enabling technologies and create new use contexts for virtual experiences. It is a vision rooted in the combination of responsive, interactive, dynamic, sharable data streams, and augmentation of the physical senses for capabilities beyond those normally humanly possible. In parallel to the varied definitions of information and approaches to elucidating information behavior, a myriad of definitions and methods of measuring and understanding presence in virtual experiences exist. These and other ideas will be tested by designers, developers and technology adopters as the broader ecology of head-worn devices for virtual experiences evolves in order to reap the full potential and benefits of these emerging technologies.

Promoting patient engagement with self-management support information: a qualitative meta-synthesis of processes influencing uptake.

PubMed

Protheroe, Joanne; Rogers, Anne; Kennedy, Anne P; Macdonald, Wendy; Lee, Victoria

2008-10-13

Patient information has been viewed as a key component of self-management. However, little attention has been given to methods of dissemination or implementation of effective information strategies. Previous problems identified with the use and implementation of patient information point to the need to explore the way in which patients engage with and use information to support self-management for chronic conditions. Four published qualitative studies from a programme of research about self-management were analysed as a group; these included studies of the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); self-help in anxiety and depression (SHADE); menorrhagia, treatment, information, and preference (MENTIP) study; and self-help for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). For the analysis, we used an adapted meta-ethnographic approach to the synthesis of qualitative data in order to develop an evidence base. The ontological status and experience of the condition in everyday life was the most dominant theme to emerge from this synthesis. This, coupled with access to and experience of traditional health services responses, shaped the engagement with and use of information to support self-management. Five key elements were found which were likely to influence this: the perception and awareness of alternative self-management possibilities; the prior extent and nature of engagement with information; the extent of and ability to self-manage; opportunities for use of the information and the stage of the illness career; and congruence and synergy with the professional role. People with chronic conditions need support from providers in both supply and engagement with information, in a way which gives legitimacy to the person's own self-management strategies and possible alternatives. Thus, a link could usefully be made between information offered, as well as patients' past experiences of self-management and engagement with services for their condition. The timeliness of the information should be considered, both in terms of the illness career and the type of condition (i.e., before depression gets too bad or time to reflect on existing knowledge about a condition and how it is to be managed) and in terms of the pre-existing relationship with services (i.e., options explored and tried). More considered use of information (how it is provided, by whom, and at what point it should be introduced) is key to facilitating patients' engagement with and therefore use of information to support self-management.

Schizotypy—Do Not Worry, It Is Not All Worrisome

PubMed Central

Mohr, Christine; Claridge, Gordon

2015-01-01

A long-standing tradition in personality research in psychology, and nowadays increasingly in psychiatry, is that psychotic and psychotic-like thoughts are considered common experiences in the general population. Given their widespread occurrence, such experiences cannot merely reflect pathological functioning. Moreover, reflecting the multi-dimensionality of schizotypy, some dimensions might be informative for healthy functioning while others less so. Here, we explored these possibilities by reviewing research that links schizotypy to favorable functioning such as subjective wellbeing, cognitive functioning (major focus on creativity), and personality correlates. This research highlights the existence of healthy people with psychotic-like traits who mainly experience positive schizotypy (but also affective features mapping onto bipolar disorder). These individuals seem to benefit from a healthy way to organize their thoughts and experiences, that is, they employ an adaptive cognitive framework to explain and integrate their unusual experiences. We conclude that, instead of focusing only on the pathological, future studies should explore the behavioral, genetic, imaging, and psychopharmacological correlates that define the healthy expression of psychotic-like traits. Such studies would inform on protective or compensatory mechanisms of psychosis-risk and could usefully inform us on the evolutionary advantages of the psychosis dimension. PMID:25810058

Infusing gerontology into grades 7-12 social studies curricula.

PubMed

Krout, John A; Wasyliw, Zenon

2002-06-01

This paper describes a model process to increase the exposure of middle and high school students to information on aging so they better understand the implications of an aging population and the stereotypes of older adults. A college Gerontology Institute, a social studies teacher education faculty member, and middle/high school social studies teachers collaborated on a program to develop and implement lesson plans that incorporate information on aging into existing courses. Institute staff provided expertise on gerontology and student teachers assisted in writing lesson plan objectives. Teachers developed about a dozen lessons covering from one class to two weeks in subjects such as global history, participation in government, Western civilizations, economics, and government. This experience suggests a number of issues that should be addressed when developing a gerontology infusion initiative with school teachers. Information on aging can be successfully incorporated into existing school curricula within the constraints of mandated learning objectives.

Online purchasing creates opportunities to lower the life cycle carbon footprints of consumer products

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

Isley, Steven C.; Stern, Paul C.; Carmichael, Scott P.

A major barrier to transitions to environmental sustainability is that consumers lack information about the full environmental footprints of their purchases. Sellers' incentives do not support reducing the footprints unless customers have such information and are willing to act on it. We explore the potential of modern information technology to lower this barrier by enabling firms to inform customers of products' environmental footprints at the point of purchase and easily offset consumers' contributions through bundled purchases of carbon offsets. Using online stated choice experiments, we evaluated the effectiveness of several inexpensive features that firms in four industries could implement withmore » existing online user interfaces for consumers. These examples illustrate the potential for firms to lower their overall carbon footprints while improving customer satisfaction by lowering the 'soft costs' to consumers of pro-environmental choices. Lastly, opportunities such as these likely exist wherever firms possess environmentally relevant data not accessible to consumers or when transaction costs make pro-environmental action difficult.« less

Online purchasing creates opportunities to lower the life cycle carbon footprints of consumer products

DOE PAGES

Isley, Steven C.; Stern, Paul C.; Carmichael, Scott P.; ...

2016-08-30

A major barrier to transitions to environmental sustainability is that consumers lack information about the full environmental footprints of their purchases. Sellers' incentives do not support reducing the footprints unless customers have such information and are willing to act on it. We explore the potential of modern information technology to lower this barrier by enabling firms to inform customers of products' environmental footprints at the point of purchase and easily offset consumers' contributions through bundled purchases of carbon offsets. Using online stated choice experiments, we evaluated the effectiveness of several inexpensive features that firms in four industries could implement withmore » existing online user interfaces for consumers. These examples illustrate the potential for firms to lower their overall carbon footprints while improving customer satisfaction by lowering the 'soft costs' to consumers of pro-environmental choices. Lastly, opportunities such as these likely exist wherever firms possess environmentally relevant data not accessible to consumers or when transaction costs make pro-environmental action difficult.« less

Online purchasing creates opportunities to lower the life cycle carbon footprints of consumer products

PubMed Central

Isley, Steven C.; Stern, Paul C.; Carmichael, Scott P.; Joseph, Karun M.; Arent, Douglas J.

2016-01-01

A major barrier to transitions to environmental sustainability is that consumers lack information about the full environmental footprints of their purchases. Sellers’ incentives do not support reducing the footprints unless customers have such information and are willing to act on it. We explore the potential of modern information technology to lower this barrier by enabling firms to inform customers of products’ environmental footprints at the point of purchase and easily offset consumers’ contributions through bundled purchases of carbon offsets. Using online stated choice experiments, we evaluated the effectiveness of several inexpensive features that firms in four industries could implement with existing online user interfaces for consumers. These examples illustrate the potential for firms to lower their overall carbon footprints while improving customer satisfaction by lowering the “soft costs” to consumers of proenvironmental choices. Opportunities such as these likely exist wherever firms possess environmentally relevant data not accessible to consumers or when transaction costs make proenvironmental action difficult. PMID:27528670

Online purchasing creates opportunities to lower the life cycle carbon footprints of consumer products.

PubMed

Isley, Steven C; Stern, Paul C; Carmichael, Scott P; Joseph, Karun M; Arent, Douglas J

2016-08-30

A major barrier to transitions to environmental sustainability is that consumers lack information about the full environmental footprints of their purchases. Sellers' incentives do not support reducing the footprints unless customers have such information and are willing to act on it. We explore the potential of modern information technology to lower this barrier by enabling firms to inform customers of products' environmental footprints at the point of purchase and easily offset consumers' contributions through bundled purchases of carbon offsets. Using online stated choice experiments, we evaluated the effectiveness of several inexpensive features that firms in four industries could implement with existing online user interfaces for consumers. These examples illustrate the potential for firms to lower their overall carbon footprints while improving customer satisfaction by lowering the "soft costs" to consumers of proenvironmental choices. Opportunities such as these likely exist wherever firms possess environmentally relevant data not accessible to consumers or when transaction costs make proenvironmental action difficult.

Implementing shared governance in a patient care support industry: information technology leading the way.

PubMed

Hartley, Lou Ann

2014-06-01

Implementing technology in the clinical setting is not a project but rather a journey in transforming care delivery. As nursing leaders in healthcare and patient care support organizations embrace technology to drive reforms in quality and efficiency, growing opportunities exist to share experiences between these industries. This department submission describes the journey to nursing shared governance from the perspective of an information technology-based company realizing the goal of supporting patient care.

Consolidation and reconsolidation: Two lives of memories?

PubMed Central

McKenzie, Sam; Eichenbaum, Howard

2011-01-01

Most studies on memory consolidation consider the new information as if it were imposed on a tabula rasa, but considerable evidence indicates that new memories must be interleaved within a large network of relevant pre-existing knowledge. Early studies on reconsolidation highlighted that a newly consolidated memory could be erased after reactivation, but new evidence has shown that an effective reactivation experience must also involve memory re-organization to incorporate new learning. The combination of these observations on consolidation and reconsolidation highlight the fundamental similarities of both phenomena as integration of new information on old, and suggest that reconsolidation = consolidation as a never-ending process of schema modification. Memories evolve over time, and many have come to consider that memories have two extended “lives” following the initial encoding of new information. The first, called consolidation, involves a prolonged period after learning when new information becomes fixed at a cellular level and interleaved among already existing memories to enrich our body of personal and factual knowledge. The second, called reconsolidation, turns the tables on a memory and involves the converse process in which a newly consolidated memory is now subject to modification though subsequent reminders and interference. Here we propose that the time has come to join the literatures on these two lives of memories, towards the goal of understanding memory as an ever-evolving organization of the record of experience. PMID:21791282

Believe it or not: on the possibility of suspending belief.

PubMed

Hasson, Uri; Simmons, Joseph P; Todorov, Alexander

2005-07-01

We present two experiments that cast doubt on existing evidence suggesting that it is impossible to suspend belief in a comprehended proposition. In Experiment 1, we found that interrupting the encoding of a statement's veracity decreased memory for the statement's falsity when the false version of the statement was uninformative, but not when the false version was informative. This suggests that statements that are informative when false are not represented as if they were true. In Experiment 2, participants made faster lexical decisions to words implied by preceding statements when they were told that the statements were true than when the veracity of the statements was unknown or when the statements were false. The findings suggest that comprehending a statement may not require believing it, and that it may be possible to suspend belief in comprehended propositions.

Pre-departure preparation for international clinical work: a handbook.

PubMed

Edwardson, Jill; Owens, Lauren; Moran, Dane; Aluri, James; Kironji, Antony; Chen, Chi Chiung Grace

2015-08-01

International clinical experiences are increasingly popular among medical students, residents, fellows, and practitioners. Adequate pre-departure training is an integral part of a meaningful, productive, and safe international experience. At Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, we have developed a pre-departure handbook to assist practitioners in preparing for global health work. The handbook draws from current global health education literature, existing handbooks, and expert experiences, and includes information about logistical and cultural preparations. While a pre-departure handbook cannot serve as a substitute for a comprehensive pre-departure training program, it can be a useful introduction to the pre-departure process.

Southern Rural Development Center Annual Progress Report, FY 1981.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Rural Development Center, Mississippi State, MS.

Since 1974 the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) has provided support staff for capacity building and innovative programming for the experiment stations and extension services of 28 land-grant universities in 13 southern states and Puerto Rico. The Center exists to provide the best possible information and assistance to extension and…

Pedagogical Strategies Used by Selected Leading Mixed Methodologists in Mixed Research Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frels, Rebecca K.; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Leech, Nancy L.; Collins, Kathleen M. T.

2014-01-01

The teaching of research methods is common across multiple fields in the social and educational sciences for establishing evidence-based practices and furthering the knowledge base through scholarship. Yet, specific to mixed methods, scant information exists as to how to approach teaching complex concepts for meaningful learning experiences. Thus,…

30 CFR 285.107 - How do I show that I am qualified to be a lessee or grant holder?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATE USES OF EXISTING FACILITIES ON THE OUTER... include: (1) Descriptions of international or domestic experience with renewable energy projects or other types of electric-energy-related projects; and (2) Information establishing access to sufficient capital...

Creating Significant Learning Experiences: A Case Study in the College Religion Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Jennifer L.; St. Hilaire, Robert

2012-01-01

In a domain historically dominated by student passivity, instruction that entices students to integrate and assimilate new content into their pre-existing cognitive schema is a new but necessary shift from the traditional teaching paradigm. No longer is college teaching primarily focused on quantity of information, but rather the quality of…

African American College Students at Predominantly White and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Nicole L.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to more fully understand the socialization experiences of African American college students, and to investigate and/or uncover new information that can offer meaningful insight for transforming institutional barriers that interfere with the success of African American college students. The existing literature…

Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Their Aspirations & Accomplishments. Policy Information Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenglinsky, Harold

Few studies have compared the educational experiences and outcomes of students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) to those of students attending traditionally white institutions. This study consists of three analyses that contain some justification for the continued existence of HBCUs, threatened by court decisions that…

Using Participatory Design to Improve Web Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikolova-Houston, Tatiana

2005-01-01

In this article, the author, a doctoral candidate from the School of Information at the University of Texas-Austin, describes the experience gathered from her attempt to redesign her existing Web sites in order to supply online resources for Slavic and Byzantine studies. The use of participatory design, which involves the users in creating the…

Development of an Integrated GIS and Land Use Planning Course: Impacts of Hybrid Instructional Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamruzzaman, M.

2014-01-01

This study reports an action research undertaken at Queensland University of Technology. It evaluates the effectiveness of the integration of geographic information systems (GIS) within the substantive domains of an existing land use planning course in 2011. Using student performance, learning experience survey, and questionnaire survey data, it…

A Qualitative Study of the "Doctor as Teacher" Principle in Naturopathic Medicine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Matthew R.

2017-01-01

There is a field of complementary and alternative medicine known as naturopathic medicine. There are five naturopathic schools in the United States of America and two in Canada. Information regarding the practices and experiences of naturopathic physicians, especially relating to the principle of "doctor as teacher" is non-existent. The…

The Effect of Spoilers on the Enjoyment of Short Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, William H.; Betzner, Michelle; Autry, Kevin S.

2016-01-01

Recent research has provided evidence that the information provided before a story--a spoiler--may increase the enjoyment of that story, perhaps by increasing the processing fluency experienced during reading. In one experiment, we tested the reliability of these findings by closely replicating existing methods and the generality of these findings…

Towards a robust HDR imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Xin; Zeng, Xiangrong; Huangpeng, Qizi; Zhou, Jinglun; Feng, Jing

2016-07-01

High dynamic range (HDR) images can show more details and luminance information in general display device than low dynamic image (LDR) images. We present a robust HDR imaging system which can deal with blurry LDR images, overcoming the limitations of most existing HDR methods. Experiments on real images show the effectiveness and competitiveness of the proposed method.

Schools and Informal Science Settings: Collaborate, Co-Exist, or Assimilate?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Jennifer D.; Gupta, Preeti; DeFelice, Amy

2012-01-01

In this metalogue we build on the arguments presented by Puvirajah, Verma and Webb to discuss the nature of authentic science learning experiences in context of collaborations between schools and out-of-school time settings. We discuss the role of stakeholders in creating collaborative science learning practices and affordances of out of school…

African-American Women and Dissertation Chairs: Portraits of Successful Advising Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohlman, Antoinette

2013-01-01

By focusing on the problem of graduate student persistence, researchers have tended to either discount or ignore the impact and value of advising relationships as a context for the successful completion of a doctoral program. Little information exists regarding the advising experiences and relationships between African-American female doctoral…

Navigating Deep Time: Landmarks for Time from the Big Bang to the Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgado, Cesar

2013-01-01

People make sense of the world by comparing and relating new information to their existing landmarks. Each individual may have different landmarks, developed through idiosyncratic experiences. Identifying specific events that constitute landmarks for a group of learners may help instructors in gauging students' prior knowledge and in planning…

Distance Learning and Non-Formal Education: Existing Trends and New Possibilities of Distance Learning Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romi, Shlomo

2000-01-01

Reviews the characteristics of non-formal education as expressed in various academic-theoretical definitions, presents the links in this field to distance learning, and recommends future directions for exploring distance learning in non-formal education. Discusses the use of information and communication technology and considers problems with…

Enhancing Privacy Education with a Technical Emphasis in IT Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peltsverger, Svetlana; Zheng, Guangzhi

2016-01-01

The paper describes the development of four learning modules that focus on technical details of how a person's privacy might be compromised in real-world scenarios. The paper shows how students benefited from the addition of hands-on learning experiences of privacy and data protection to the existing information technology courses. These learning…

Transition Toolkit 3.0: Meeting the Educational Needs of Youth Exposed to the Juvenile Justice System. Third Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Heather Griller; Mathur, Sarup; Brock, Leslie; O'Cummings, Mindee; Milligan, DeAngela

2016-01-01

The third edition of the National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth's (NDTAC's) "Transition Toolkit" provides updated information on existing policies, practices, strategies, and resources for transition that build on field experience and research. The "Toolkit" offers…

Consider the source: Children link the accuracy of text-based sources to the accuracy of the author.

PubMed

Vanderbilt, Kimberly E; Ochoa, Karlena D; Heilbrun, Jayd

2018-05-06

The present research investigated whether young children link the accuracy of text-based information to the accuracy of its author. Across three experiments, three- and four-year-olds (N = 231) received information about object labels from accurate and inaccurate sources who provided information both in text and verbally. Of primary interest was whether young children would selectively rely on information provided by more accurate sources, regardless of the form in which the information was communicated. Experiment 1 tested children's trust in text-based information (e.g., books) written by an author with a history of either accurate or inaccurate verbal testimony and found that children showed greater trust in books written by accurate authors. Experiment 2 replicated the findings of Experiment 1 and extended them by showing that children's selective trust in more accurate text-based sources was not dependent on experience trusting or distrusting the author's verbal testimony. Experiment 3 investigated this understanding in reverse by testing children's trust in verbal testimony communicated by an individual who had authored either accurate or inaccurate text-based information. Experiment 3 revealed that children showed greater trust in individuals who had authored accurate rather than inaccurate books. Experiment 3 also demonstrated that children used the accuracy of text-based sources to make inferences about the mental states of the authors. Taken together, these results suggest children do indeed link the reliability of text-based sources to the reliability of the author. Statement of Contribution Existing knowledge Children use sources' prior accuracy to predict future accuracy in face-to-face verbal interactions. Children who are just learning to read show increased trust in text bases (vs. verbal) information. It is unknown whether children consider authors' prior accuracy when judging the accuracy of text-based information. New knowledge added by this article Preschool children track sources' accuracy across communication mediums - from verbal to text-based modalities and vice versa. Children link the reliability of text-based sources to the reliability of the author. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Pilot Performance With Predictive System Status Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trujillo, Anna C.

1997-01-01

Research has shown a strong pilot preference for predictive information of aircraft system status in the flight deck. However, the benefits of predictive information have not been quantitatively demonstrated. The study described here attempted to identify and quantify these benefits if they existed. In this simulator experiment, three types of predictive information (none, whether a parameter was changing abnormally, and the time for a parameter to reach an alert range) and four initial times to an alert (1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, and ETA+ 45 minutes) were found to affect when subjects accomplished certain actions, such as accessing pertinent checklists, declaring emergencies, diverting, and calling the flight attendant and dispatch.

Evaluation of Head Mounted and Head Down Information Displays During Simulated Mine-Countermeasures Dives to 42 msw

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

visualisation tête basse (VTB) ou d’un visiocasque pour l’exécution de leurs tâches courantes sous l’eau. Neuf plongeurs de lutte contre les mines ont...existe peu d’information empirique sur l’aptitude des plongeurs à utiliser un dispositif multifonction de visualisation tête basse (VTB) ou d’un...experiment, the diver was also linked to the researchers and operations crew via audio communications. 11 Display Screen Chamber Laptop Diver

Privacy-preserving periodical publishing for medical information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Hua; Ju, Shi-guang; Liu, Shan-cheng

2013-07-01

Existing privacy-preserving publishing models can not meet the requirement of periodical publishing for medical information whether these models are static or dynamic. This paper presents a (k,l)-anonymity model with keeping individual association and a principle based on (Epsilon)-invariance group for subsequent periodical publishing, and then, the PKIA and PSIGI algorithms are designed for them. The proposed methods can reserve more individual association with privacy-preserving and have better publishing quality. Experiments confirm our theoretical results and its practicability.

Publicity, Privacy, and Permanence of Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bennett, Charles H.

2006-11-01

The quantum principles of superposition and entanglement have led to a recasting of the foundations of information and computation theory, and are especially helpful in understanding the nature of privacy. The most private information, exemplified by a quantum eraser experiment, is best regarded as existing only conditionally and temporarily-after the experiment is over no trace remains. Less private is classically-secret information-quantum information that has decohered, and thus become recoverable in principle, though not in practice, from portions of the environment. Finally there is public information, which has been replicated so thoroughly throughout the environment as to be infeasible to conceal. The Internet has caused an explosion of public information, with the beneficial side effect of making it harder for despots to rewrite the history of their misdeeds, and it is tempting to hope that all macroscopic information is permanent, making such cover-ups impossible in principle if not in practice. However, by comparing entropy flows into and out of the Earth with estimates of the planet's storage capacity, we conclude that most macroscopic information-for example the pattern of sand grains on an ancient beach-is impermanent, in the sense of becoming irrecoverable in principle from the Earth though still recorded in the Universe.

Paper trails, trailing behind: improving informed consent to IVF through multimedia applications

PubMed Central

Madeira, Jody Lyneé; Andraka-Christou, Barbara

2016-01-01

Though intended to educate patients on the risks, benefits, side effects and alternatives within medical treatment, informed consent documents may have unanticipated consequences for patients. Patients may regard these forms as little more than a ritual to access treatment. Or patients may perceive that these forms exist to protect doctors rather than to contribute to a meaningful, patient-protective educational interaction. To rehabilitate the informed consent project, this essay considers the baggage that informed consent documents have acquired through practical use, explores patients' and providers' lived experience of informed consent, and considers whether a multimedia consent application would be a viable solution to the various difficulties that currently erode perceptions of and confidence in the informed consent process. PMID:27774231

Information Management for Unmanned Systems: Combining DL-Reasoning with Publish/Subscribe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, Herwig; Reichelt, Toni; Oswald, Norbert; Förster, Stefan

Sharing capabilities and information between collaborating entities by using modem information- and communication-technology is a core principle in complex distributed civil or military mission scenarios. Previous work proved the suitability of Service-oriented Architectures for modelling and sharing the participating entities' capabilities. Albeit providing a satisfactory model for capabilities sharing, pure service-orientation curtails expressiveness for information exchange as opposed to dedicated data-centric communication principles. In this paper we introduce an Information Management System which combines OWL-Ontologies and automated reasoning with Publish/Subscribe-Systems, providing for a shared but decoupled data model. While confirming existing related research results, we emphasise the novel application and lack of practical experience of using Semantic Web technologies in areas other than originally intended. That is, aiding decision support and software design in the context of a mission scenario for an unmanned system. Experiments within a complex simulation environment show the immediate benefits of a semantic information-management and -dissemination platform: Clear separation of concerns in code and data model, increased service re-usability and extensibility as well as regulation of data flow and respective system behaviour through declarative rules.

The process of co-creating the interface for VENSTER, an interactive artwork for nursing home residents with dementia.

PubMed

Jamin, Gaston; Luyten, Tom; Delsing, Rob; Braun, Susy

2017-10-17

Interactive art installations might engage nursing home residents with dementia. The main aim of this article was to describe the challenging design process of an interactive artwork for nursing home residents, in co-creation with all stakeholders and to share the used methods and lessons learned. This process is illustrated by the design of the interface of VENSTER as a case. Nursing home residents from the psychogeriatric ward, informal caregivers, client representatives, health care professionals and members of the management team were involved in the design process, which consisted of three phases: (1) identify requirements, (2) develop a prototype and (3) conduct usability tests. Several methods were used (e.g. guided co-creation sessions, "Wizard of Oz"). Each phase generated "lessons learned", which were used as the departure point of the next phase. Participants hardly paid attention to the installation and interface. There, however, seemed to be an untapped potential for creating an immersive experience by focussing more on the content itself as an interface (e.g. creating specific scenes with cues for interaction, scenes based on existing knowledge or prior experiences). "Fifteen lessons learned" which can potentially assist the design of an interactive artwork for nursing home residents suffering from dementia were derived from the design process. This description provides tools and best practices for stakeholders to make (better) informed choices during the creation of interactive artworks. It also illustrates how co-design can make the difference between designing a pleasurable experience and a meaningful one. Implications for rehabilitation Co-design with all stakeholders can make the difference between designing a pleasurable experience and a meaningful one. There seems to be an untapped potential for creating an immersive experience by focussing more on the content itself as an interface (e.g. creating specific scenes with cues for interaction, scenes based on existing knowledge or prior experiences). Content as an interface proved to be a crucial part of the overall user experience. The case-study provides tools and best practices (15 "lessons learned") for stakeholders to make (better) informed choices during the creation of interactive artworks.

Development and testing of a text-mining approach to analyse patients' comments on their experiences of colorectal cancer care.

PubMed

Wagland, Richard; Recio-Saucedo, Alejandra; Simon, Michael; Bracher, Michael; Hunt, Katherine; Foster, Claire; Downing, Amy; Glaser, Adam; Corner, Jessica

2016-08-01

Quality of cancer care may greatly impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Free-text responses to patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide rich data but analysis is time and resource-intensive. This study developed and tested a learning-based text-mining approach to facilitate analysis of patients' experiences of care and develop an explanatory model illustrating impact on HRQoL. Respondents to a population-based survey of colorectal cancer survivors provided free-text comments regarding their experience of living with and beyond cancer. An existing coding framework was tested and adapted, which informed learning-based text mining of the data. Machine-learning algorithms were trained to identify comments relating to patients' specific experiences of service quality, which were verified by manual qualitative analysis. Comparisons between coded retrieved comments and a HRQoL measure (EQ5D) were explored. The survey response rate was 63.3% (21 802/34 467), of which 25.8% (n=5634) participants provided free-text comments. Of retrieved comments on experiences of care (n=1688), over half (n=1045, 62%) described positive care experiences. Most negative experiences concerned a lack of post-treatment care (n=191, 11% of retrieved comments) and insufficient information concerning self-management strategies (n=135, 8%) or treatment side effects (n=160, 9%). Associations existed between HRQoL scores and coded algorithm-retrieved comments. Analysis indicated that the mechanism by which service quality impacted on HRQoL was the extent to which services prevented or alleviated challenges associated with disease and treatment burdens. Learning-based text mining techniques were found useful and practical tools to identify specific free-text comments within a large dataset, facilitating resource-efficient qualitative analysis. This method should be considered for future PROM analysis to inform policy and practice. Study findings indicated that perceived care quality directly impacts on HRQoL. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Anonymity Versus Privacy: Selective Information Sharing in Online Cancer Communities

PubMed Central

Vermeulen, Ivar E; Beekers, Nienke

2014-01-01

Background Active sharing in online cancer communities benefits patients. However, many patients refrain from sharing health information online due to privacy concerns. Existing research on privacy emphasizes data security and confidentiality, largely focusing on electronic medical records. Patient preferences around information sharing in online communities remain poorly understood. Consistent with the privacy calculus perspective adopted from e-commerce research, we suggest that patients approach online information sharing instrumentally, weighing privacy costs against participation benefits when deciding whether to share certain information. Consequently, we argue that patients prefer sharing clinical information over daily life and identity information that potentially compromises anonymity. Furthermore, we explore whether patients’ prior experiences, age, health, and gender affect perceived privacy costs and thus willingness to share information. Objective The goal of the present study is to document patient preferences for sharing information within online health platforms. Methods A total of 115 cancer patients reported sharing intentions for 15 different types of information, demographics, health status, prior privacy experiences, expected community utility, and privacy concerns. Results Factor analysis on the 15 information types revealed 3 factors coinciding with 3 proposed information categories: clinical, daily life, and identity information. A within-subject ANOVA showed a strong preference for sharing clinical information compared to daily life and identity information (F 1,114=135.59, P=.001, η2=.93). Also, adverse online privacy experiences, age, and health status negatively affected information-sharing intentions. Female patients shared information less willingly. Conclusions Respondents’ information-sharing intentions depend on dispositional and situational factors. Patients share medical details more willingly than daily life or identity information. The results suggest the need to focus on anonymity rather than privacy in online communities. PMID:24828114

Anonymity versus privacy: selective information sharing in online cancer communities.

PubMed

Frost, Jeana; Vermeulen, Ivar E; Beekers, Nienke

2014-05-14

Active sharing in online cancer communities benefits patients. However, many patients refrain from sharing health information online due to privacy concerns. Existing research on privacy emphasizes data security and confidentiality, largely focusing on electronic medical records. Patient preferences around information sharing in online communities remain poorly understood. Consistent with the privacy calculus perspective adopted from e-commerce research, we suggest that patients approach online information sharing instrumentally, weighing privacy costs against participation benefits when deciding whether to share certain information. Consequently, we argue that patients prefer sharing clinical information over daily life and identity information that potentially compromises anonymity. Furthermore, we explore whether patients' prior experiences, age, health, and gender affect perceived privacy costs and thus willingness to share information. The goal of the present study is to document patient preferences for sharing information within online health platforms. A total of 115 cancer patients reported sharing intentions for 15 different types of information, demographics, health status, prior privacy experiences, expected community utility, and privacy concerns. Factor analysis on the 15 information types revealed 3 factors coinciding with 3 proposed information categories: clinical, daily life, and identity information. A within-subject ANOVA showed a strong preference for sharing clinical information compared to daily life and identity information (F1,114=135.59, P=.001, η(2)=.93). Also, adverse online privacy experiences, age, and health status negatively affected information-sharing intentions. Female patients shared information less willingly. Respondents' information-sharing intentions depend on dispositional and situational factors. Patients share medical details more willingly than daily life or identity information. The results suggest the need to focus on anonymity rather than privacy in online communities.

Ethnic minority, young onset, rare dementia type, depression: A case study of a Muslim male accessing UK dementia health and social care services.

PubMed

Regan, Jemma L

2016-07-01

A case study comprised of formal interviews, formal observations and informal discussions investigated the motivations and experiences accessing dementia care health and social care services for a Muslim, Pakistani male with dementia. Motivations derived from 'desperation' and an inability to access support from family or religious community. Experiences of accessing services were mostly negative. Dementia services were ill-informed about how to support persons with young onset dementia, with pre-existing mental health conditions, from an ethnic minority. Education and training to remove barriers to all dementia care services is required for persons with dementia, their families and within dementia services and religious communities. © The Author(s) 2014.

The state and the development of an information society: Greek policy and experience.

PubMed

Boucas, Dimitris

2017-09-01

The paper looks into the dynamics of information society policy and its implementation in the Greek context. It argues that information society development is a contested process, influenced by pre-existing state, economy and society relations. Based on this, it looks into the different aspects of the idiosyncratic path which the evolution of the Greek information society has followed, particularly after 2000. Using Bob Jessop's strategic-relational approach (SRA) to the state as an analytical framework and drawing on a number of in-depth interviews with relevant political actors, it provides insights into policy implementation by examining: the public management of information technology projects, how such projects were received in bureaucratic structures and practices, as well as the relationship between the state and the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in public procurement processes. The emphasis is on the period 2000-2008, during which a major operational programme on the information society in Greece was put into effect. The paper also touches upon the post-2008 experience, suggesting that information society developments might include dynamics operating independently and even in contradiction to the state agenda. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Correlations and Fluctuations: Status and Perspectives

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

Koch, Volker; Koch, Volker

2008-04-15

We will provide an overview of the physics which can be addressed by studying fluctuations and correlations in heavy ion collisions. Observables, which have been discussed in the literature will be briefly reviewed and put in context with experiment and information from Lattice QCD. Special attention will be given to the QCD critical point and the first order co-existence region.

Investigation of Formative Assessment of Learning (INFORMAL): The Performance Indicator Tool (PIT)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dutton, Philip J.; Bickerstaff, Helen E.; Rymer, Janice M.; Webb, Mary E.; Ballinger-Mills, Deborah; Greenough, Anne; Reynolds, Patricia A.

2017-01-01

This pilot study evaluated the student user experience of a performance indicator tool (PIT) for formative assessment of a cohort of fourth year medical undergraduates undertaking a 12 week rotation. Scoping and elaboration for the standalone web-based tool was based on the existing paper-based formative assessment system for which training and…

Framing, Ideology and Evidence: Uganda's HIV Success and the Development of PEPFAR's "ABC" Policy for HIV Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkhurst, Justin O.

2012-01-01

Cognitive framing theories explain how individuals understand and apply information in relation to existing experiences and beliefs. Yet these theories have rarely been applied to explore the interpretation and application of evidence in policy development. This paper undertakes a critical discourse analysis of interviews and texts surrounding a…

Some Aspects of the Implementation of the Principle of Transparency in Russian Universities: Research, Experience, Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egorov, Evgeny Evgenievich; Lebedev?, Tatiana Evgenievna; Bulganina, Svetlana Viktorovna; Vasilyeva, Lyudmila Ivanovna

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify achieved successes, existing gaps and possible prospects of implementing the principle of transparency by Russian universities. It was focused upon the information transparency of educational activities from the perspective of legal requirements and interests of applicants and university students. The analysis…

Developmental and Implementation Challenges of E-Learning Management Systems in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidovitch, Nitza; Belichenko, Margaryta

2016-01-01

The competition that exists today in the labour market has significantly raised the value of knowledge, skills and experience of staff. This particular importance for the modern professional acquire fluency in its modern information technology and the ability to continuously improve the skills. The actual trend is also for university teachers.…

Contemporary Spheres for the Teaching Education: Freire's Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Margarita Victoria

2006-01-01

Freire's cogitation on Information Technology (IT), resources for education have been known since the decade of the 50s. And now, within the current context, this analysis outlines the literacy problem as an issue of gnosis and anthropology while existing in a virtual dimension. Based on research/experiences that also were carried out in Brazil,…

Gender Differences in Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Adult Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boeren, Ellen

2011-01-01

At first sight, participation rates in adult learning do not differ strongly between men and women. Further exploration, however, makes clear that differences exist at the level of the type of learning. Men participate more in work-related learning and experience more job-related motives to participate. Women take on the main responsibilities in…

Survey of Biology Capstone Courses in American and Canadian Higher Education: Requirement, Content, and Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haave, Neil C.

2015-01-01

Capstone experiences have high educational impact with various approaches available for biology. However, no information exists regarding the pervasiveness of capstone courses in Canadian and American biology programs. This study surveyed the prevalence and character of biology capstone courses in the USA and Canada. The survey included a majority…

A Science-Based Framework for Early Childhood Policy: Using Evidence to Improve Outcomes in Learning, Behavior, and Health for Vulnerable Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2007

2007-01-01

This report combines neuroscience, child development research, and program evaluation data to better inform policymakers' decisions about investing in and supporting existing early childhood programs. Core child development concepts highlight the importance of early experiences on the development of brain architecture and, in turn, future…

Midwives' and women's views on accessing dental care during pregnancy: an Australian qualitative study.

PubMed

Lim, M; Riggs, E; Shankumar, R; Marwaha, P; Kilpatrick, N

2018-04-16

Maternal behaviours during pregnancy are likely to play a significant role in the development of dental caries in children. Although midwives are well placed to discuss oral health and provide information to women, dental attendance by women during pregnancy is minimal. This study aimed to explore midwives' experience of facilitating pregnant women's access to dental care and to document women's experience of receiving dental information and care during pregnancy. Focus groups with midwives and telephone interviews with women who were referred to Monash Health Dental Services were conducted to explore their perspectives and experiences. The qualitative data was thematically analysed. Three focus groups with 13 midwives and telephone interviews with eight women who recently gave birth were conducted. Three key themes were identified: maternal oral health knowledge; barriers to accessing dental information and care during pregnancy; and suggested recommendations. This study highlighted the barriers that exist for midwives to discuss oral health with women and refer women to dental care, and women's experiences of accessing dental care during pregnancy. Ongoing collaboration between the maternity and dental services is required to strengthen midwives' knowledge, confidence and practise in supporting women to access dental care during pregnancy. © 2018 Australian Dental Association.

Informal Caregivers' Experiences and Needs When Caring for a Relative With Heart Failure: An Interview Study.

PubMed

Gusdal, Annelie K; Josefsson, Karin; Adolfsson, Eva Thors; Martin, Lene

2016-01-01

Informal caregivers play an important role for persons with heart failure in strengthening medication adherence, encouraging self-care, and identifying deterioration in health status. Caring for a relative with heart failure can affect informal caregivers' well-being and cause caregiver burden. The objective of this study was to explore informal caregivers' experiences and needs when caring for a relative with heart failure living in their own home. The study has a qualitative design with an inductive approach. Interviews were conducted with 14 informal caregivers. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Two themes emerged: "living in a changed existence" and "struggling and sharing with healthcare." The first theme describes informal caregivers' experiences, needs, and ways of moving forward when living in a changed existence with their relative. Informal caregivers were responsible for the functioning of everyday life, which challenged earlier established roles and lifestyle. They experienced an ever-present uncertainty related to the relative's impending sudden deterioration and to lack of knowledge about the condition. Incongruence was expressed between their own and their relative's understanding and acceptance of the heart failure condition. They also expressed being at peace with their relative and managed to restore new strength and motivation to care. The second theme describes informal caregivers' experiences, needs, and ways in which they handled the healthcare. They felt counted upon but not accounted for, as their care was taken for granted while their need to be seen and acknowledged by healthcare professionals was not met. Informal caregivers experienced an ever-present uncertainty regarding their lack of involvement with healthcare. The lack of involvement with healthcare had a negative impact on the relationship between informal caregivers and their relative due to the mutual loss of important information about changes in medication regimens and the relative's symptoms and well-being. Another cause of negative impact was the lack of opportunity to talk with healthcare professionals about the emotional and relational consequences of heart failure. Healthcare professionals had provided them neither with knowledge on heart failure nor with information on support groups in the municipality. Informal caregivers captured their own mandate through acting as deputies for their relative and claiming their rights of involvement in their relative's healthcare. They also felt confident despite difficult circumstances. The direct access to the medical clinic was a source of relief and they appreciated the contacts with the registered nurses specialized in heart failure. Informal caregivers' own initiatives to participate in meetings were positively received by healthcare professionals. Informal caregivers' daily life involves decisive changes that are experienced as burdensome. They handled their new situations using different strategies to preserve a sense of "self" and of "us." Informal caregivers express a need for more involvement with healthcare professionals, which may facilitate informal caregivers' situation and improve the dyadic congruence in the relation with their relative.

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

PubMed

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

2015-06-01

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

Geometric distortions affect face recognition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

PubMed

Taubert, Jessica; Parr, Lisa A

2011-01-01

All primates can recognize faces and do so by analyzing the subtle variation that exists between faces. Through a series of three experiments, we attempted to clarify the nature of second-order information processing in nonhuman primates. Experiment one showed that both chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) tolerate geometric distortions along the vertical axis, suggesting that information about absolute position of features does not contribute to accurate face recognition. Chimpanzees differed from monkeys, however, in that they were more sensitive to distortions along the horizontal axis, suggesting that when building a global representation of facial identity, horizontal relations between features are more diagnostic of identity than vertical relations. Two further experiments were performed to determine whether the monkeys were simply less sensitive to horizontal relations compared to chimpanzees or were instead relying on local features. The results of these experiments confirm that monkeys can utilize a holistic strategy when discriminating between faces regardless of familiarity. In contrast, our data show that chimpanzees, like humans, use a combination of holistic and local features when the faces are unfamiliar, but primarily holistic information when the faces become familiar. We argue that our comparative approach to the study of face recognition reveals the impact that individual experience and social organization has on visual cognition.

The faces of breastfeeding support: Experiences of mothers seeking breastfeeding support online.

PubMed

Bridges, Nicole

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to advance understanding of the experiences of mothers using closed Facebook groups attached to the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and how these mothers find and share breastfeeding support and information using this forum. The study involved members of three closed Facebook groups that were chosen as interesting cases for study, based on the volume and nature of their posts. Members of these three groups then participated in online depth interviews and online semi-structured focus groups. The overarching theme identified was support, with four sub-themes that describe the nature of online breastfeeding support within the Facebook environment. These sub-themes are: community, complementary, immediate and information. It was found that social networking sites (SNSs) provide support from the trusted community. It is immediate, it complements existing support or services that ABA provides and also provides practical and valuable information for its users.

Looking inward and back: Real-time monitoring of visual working memories.

PubMed

Suchow, Jordan W; Fougnie, Daryl; Alvarez, George A

2017-04-01

Confidence in our memories is influenced by many factors, including beliefs about the perceptibility or memorability of certain kinds of objects and events, as well as knowledge about our skill sets, habits, and experiences. Notoriously, our knowledge and beliefs about memory can lead us astray, causing us to be overly confident in eyewitness testimony or to overestimate the frequency of recent experiences. Here, using visual working memory as a case study, we stripped away all these potentially misleading cues, requiring observers to make confidence judgments by directly assessing the quality of their memory representations. We show that individuals can monitor the status of information in working memory as it degrades over time. Our findings suggest that people have access to information reflecting the existence and quality of their working memories, and furthermore, that they can use this information to guide their behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Concurrent Mass Measurement and Laser Spectroscopy for Unambiguous Isomeric State Assignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lascar, Daniel; Babcock, Carla; Henderson, Jack; Pearson, Matt

2017-09-01

Recent work by the TITAN group at TRIUMF on isomeric state mass measurements of odd-A, neutron-rich cadmium nuclei has shown a disconnect between experiment and theory in 127 g , mCd. The spin and parity assignments of the ground and isomeric states are assigned as 3/2+ and 11/2-, respectively, primarily via systematic arguments. Conversely, state of the art shell model and ab initio calculations show a reversal of the states, predicting a ground state of 11/2- and a 3/2+ isomer. Penning Trap Mass Spectrometry (PTMS) can measure the energy separation between the ground state and the isomer without ambiguity but cannot, on its own, comment on the spin and parity. Collinear Laser Spectroscopy (CLS) experiments have been performed on 127Cd and have elegantly demonstrated the existence of both 3/2+ and 11/2- states. What CLS cannot do, on its own, is assign an ordering to those states. If, however, a PTMS and CLS experiment could be performed concurrently using identical beams from the same facility then there exists sufficient information shared between both experiments that a definitive assignment can be made. We present a concept for a new slate of measurements using existing experimental facilities simultaneously, with shared resources, to definitively assign spin and parity for ground and isomeric states in short-lived nuclei.

Spatial information is processed even when it is task-irrelevant: implications for neuroimaging task design.

PubMed

Meegan, Daniel V; Honsberger, Michael J M

2005-05-01

Many neuroimaging studies have been designed to differentiate domain-specific processes in the brain. A common design constraint is to use identical stimuli for different domain-specific tasks. For example, an experiment investigating spatial versus identity processing would present compound spatial-identity stimuli in both spatial and identity tasks, and participants would be instructed to attend to, encode, maintain, or retrieve spatial information in the spatial task, and identity information in the identity task. An assumption in such studies is that spatial information will not be processed in the identity task, as it is irrelevant for that task. We report three experiments demonstrating violations of this assumption. Our results suggest that comparisons of spatial and identity tasks in existing neuroimaging studies have underestimated the amount of brain activation that is spatial-specific. For future neuroimaging studies, we recommend unique stimulus displays for each domain-specific task, and event-related measurement of post-stimulus processing.

Relativity mission with two counter-orbiting polar satellites. [nodal dragging effect on earth orbiting satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Patten, R. A.; Everitt, C. W. F.

1975-01-01

In 1918, J. Lense and H. Thirring calculated that a moon in orbit around a massive rotating planet would experience a nodal dragging effect due to general relativity. We describe an experiment to measure this effect with two counter-orbiting drag-free satellites in polar earth orbit. For a 2 1/2 year experiment, the measurement accuracy should approach 1%. In addition to precision tracking data from existing ground stations, satellite-to-satellite Doppler ranging data are taken at points of passing near the poles. New geophysical information on both earth harmonics and tidal effects is inherent in the polar ranging data.

Auxiliary feedwater system risk-based inspection guide for the Salem Nuclear Power Plant

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

Pugh, R.; Gore, B.F. Vo, T.V.

In a study by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Pacific Northwest Laboratory has developed and applied a methodology for deriving plant-specific risk-based inspection guidance for the auxiliary feedwater (AFW) system at pressurized water reactors that have not undergone probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). This methodology uses existing PRA results and plant operating experience information. Existing PRA-based inspection guidance information recently developed for the NRC for various plants was used to identify generic component failure modes. This information was then combined with plant-specific and industry-wide component information and failure data to identify failure modes and failure mechanisms for the AFW systemmore » at the selected plants. Salem was selected as the fifth plant for study. The product of this effort is a prioritized listing of AFW failures which have occurred at the plant and at other PWRs. This listing is intended for use by NRC inspectors in the preparation of inspection plans addressing AFW risk-important components at the Salem plant. 23 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.« less

On the Discovery of Evolving Truth

PubMed Central

Li, Yaliang; Li, Qi; Gao, Jing; Su, Lu; Zhao, Bo; Fan, Wei; Han, Jiawei

2015-01-01

In the era of big data, information regarding the same objects can be collected from increasingly more sources. Unfortunately, there usually exist conflicts among the information coming from different sources. To tackle this challenge, truth discovery, i.e., to integrate multi-source noisy information by estimating the reliability of each source, has emerged as a hot topic. In many real world applications, however, the information may come sequentially, and as a consequence, the truth of objects as well as the reliability of sources may be dynamically evolving. Existing truth discovery methods, unfortunately, cannot handle such scenarios. To address this problem, we investigate the temporal relations among both object truths and source reliability, and propose an incremental truth discovery framework that can dynamically update object truths and source weights upon the arrival of new data. Theoretical analysis is provided to show that the proposed method is guaranteed to converge at a fast rate. The experiments on three real world applications and a set of synthetic data demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method over state-of-the-art truth discovery methods. PMID:26705502

Automated Data Tagging in the HLA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaffney, N. I.; Miller, W. W.

2008-08-01

One of the more powerful and popular forms of data organization implemented in most popular information sharing web applications is data tagging. With a rich user base from which to gather and digest tags, many interesting and often unanticipated yet very useful associations are revealed. With regard to an existing information, the astronomical community has a rich pool of existing digitally stored and searchable data than any of the currently popular web community, such as You Tube or My Space, had when they started. In initial experiments with the search engine for the Hubble Legacy Archive, we have created a simple yet powerful scheme by which the information from a footprint service, the NED and SIMBAD catalog services, and the ADS abstracts and keywords can be used to initially tag data with standard keywords. By then ingesting this into a public ally available information search engine, such as Apache Lucene, one can create a simple and powerful data tag search engine and association system. By then augmenting this with user provided keys and usage pattern analysis, one can produce a powerful modern data mining system for any astronomical data warehouse.

Exploring Health Information Exchange Implementation Using Qualitative Assessments of Nursing Home Leaders

PubMed Central

Alexander, Gregory L.; Popejoy, Lori; Lyons, Vanessa; Shumate, Sue; Mueller, Jessica; Galambos, Colleen; Vogelsmeier, Amy; Rantz, Marilyn; Flesner, Marcia

2016-01-01

Objectives Limited research exists on nursing home information technologies, such as health information exchange (HIE) systems. Capturing the experiences of early HIE adopters provides vital information about how these systems are used. In this study, we conduct a secondary analysis of qualitative data captured during interviews with 15 nursing home leaders representing 14 nursing homes in the midwestern United States that are part of the Missouri Quality Improvement Initiative (MOQI) national demonstration project. Methods The interviews were conducted as part of an external evaluation of the HIE vendor contracting with the MOQI initiative with the purpose of understanding the challenges and successes of HIE implementation, with a particular focus on Direct HIE services. Results Emerging themes included (1) incorporating HIE into existing work processes, (2) participation inside and outside the facility, (3) appropriate training and retraining, (4) getting others to use the HIE, (5) getting the HIE operational, and 6) putting policies for technology into place. Discussion Three essential areas should be considered for nursing homes considering HIE adoption: readiness to adopt technology, availability of technology resources, and matching of new clinical workflows. PMID:27843423

Integrating EarthScope Research and Education on a National Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall-Wallace, M. K.; Boyd, T.; Richard, G.; Ellins, K.; Meertens, C.; Semken, S.; Taber, J.; Benthien, M.; Wald, L.; Marvinney, R.

2002-12-01

EarthScope's education and outreach mission is to ensure the EarthScope experiment creates as its legacy a public more knowledgeable and understanding of the scientific and societal contributions made by the EarthScope experiment and Earth science. It will fulfill this commitment by developing and disseminating products that utilize the data, models, technology and discoveries of EarthScope and that support existing education and outreach programs. EarthScope EON will carry out educational activities ranging from research experiences for students in grades K-16 to professional development for technical professionals and educators in both formal (e.g. K-20 classrooms) and informal (e.g. museums and parks) venues. It will also provide a wide range of outreach activities from organizing town halls or other local meetings in advance of an instrument deployment, to developing radio, print and video materials that inform the public about the EarthScope experiment and discoveries. The EarthScope Education and Outreach Network (EON) will be facilitated and coordinated through a national center; however, the bulk of the effort will be distributed among local EON alliances of various sizes designed to respond quickly and to meet the specific needs in a region. This allows EarthScope EON to provide customized services that engage culturally, economically and geographically diverse audiences at the national and local scales. The network will be built through national and local partnerships with existing science education and outreach programs at colleges, universities, research facilities and professional societies within the EarthScope community as well as relevant programs at museums and parks, state geologic surveys and emergency management agencies, and K-12 schools. These partnerships will allow EON to use existing resources, networks and expertise to gear up quickly and efficiently. As EON develops, it will reciprocate by contributing new resources and expertise to the partnerships that help improve public understanding of Earth systems overall and promote effective application of EarthScope discoveries.

Inventory of Safety-related Codes and Standards for Energy Storage Systems with some Experiences related to Approval and Acceptance

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

Conover, David R.

The purpose of this document is to identify laws, rules, model codes, codes, standards, regulations, specifications (CSR) related to safety that could apply to stationary energy storage systems (ESS) and experiences to date securing approval of ESS in relation to CSR. This information is intended to assist in securing approval of ESS under current CSR and to identification of new CRS or revisions to existing CRS and necessary supporting research and documentation that can foster the deployment of safe ESS.

The foundations of object permanence: does perceived cohesion determine infants' appreciation of the continuous existence of material objects?

PubMed

Cacchione, Trix

2013-09-01

One of the most fundamental achievements in infants' cognitive development is their appreciation that material objects exist permanently in space and time. Recent findings suggest that infants fail to identify fragmented material objects as continuously existing items. Four experiments assessed 8-12-month-old infants' ability to further represent an object that was fragmented into two or more parts. Results suggest that infants successfully trace the spatiotemporal displacement of fragmented objects, but that their processing of size/quantity-related property information may be affected. This suggests that, contrary to recent claims, 8- to 12-month-old infants can and do appreciate the continuity of fragmented objects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temporal grouping effects in musical short-term memory.

PubMed

Gorin, Simon; Mengal, Pierre; Majerus, Steve

2018-07-01

Recent theoretical accounts of verbal and visuo-spatial short-term memory (STM) have proposed the existence of domain-general mechanisms for the maintenance of serial order information. These accounts are based on the observation of similar behavioural effects across several modalities, such as temporal grouping effects. Across two experiments, the present study aimed at extending these findings, by exploring a STM modality that has received little interest so far, STM for musical information. Given its inherent rhythmic, temporal and serial organisation, the musical domain is of interest for investigating serial order STM processes such as temporal grouping. In Experiment 1, the data did not allow to determine the presence or the absence of temporal grouping effects. In Experiment 2, we observed that temporal grouping of tone sequences during encoding improves short-term recognition for serially presented probe tones. Furthermore, the serial position curves included micro-primacy and micro-recency effects, which are the hallmark characteristic of temporal grouping. Our results suggest that the encoding of serial order information in musical STM may be supported by temporal positional coding mechanisms similar to those reported in the verbal domain.

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega.

PubMed

Danly, C R; Day, T H; Fittinghoff, D N; Herrmann, H; Izumi, N; Kim, Y H; Martinez, J I; Merrill, F E; Schmidt, D W; Simpson, R A; Volegov, P L; Wilde, C H

2015-04-01

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstrated on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. The technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

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

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Fittinghoff, D. N.

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstratedmore » on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. Thus, the technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.« less

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

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

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Herrmann, H.

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstratedmore » on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. The technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.« less

Simultaneous neutron and x-ray imaging of inertial confinement fusion experiments along a single line of sight at Omega

DOE PAGES

Danly, C. R.; Day, T. H.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; ...

2015-04-16

Neutron and x-ray imaging provide critical information about the geometry and hydrodynamics of inertial confinement fusion implosions. However, existing diagnostics at Omega and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) cannot produce images in both neutrons and x-rays along the same line of sight. This leads to difficulty comparing these images, which capture different parts of the plasma geometry, for the asymmetric implosions seen in present experiments. Further, even when opposing port neutron and x-ray images are available, they use different detectors and cannot provide positive information about the relative positions of the neutron and x-ray sources. A technique has been demonstratedmore » on implosions at Omega that can capture x-ray images along the same line of sight as the neutron images. Thus, the technique is described, and data from a set of experiments are presented, along with a discussion of techniques for coregistration of the various images. It is concluded that the technique is viable and could provide valuable information if implemented on NIF in the near future.« less

A ROle-Oriented Filtering (ROOF) approach for collaborative recommendation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghani, Imran; Jeong, Seung Ryul

2016-09-01

In collaborative filtering (CF) recommender systems, existing techniques frequently focus on determining similarities among users' historical interests. This generally refers to situations in which each user normally plays a single role and his/her taste remains consistent over the long term. However, we note that existing techniques have not been significantly employed in a role-oriented context. This is especially so in situations where users may change their roles over time or play multiple roles simultaneously, while still expecting to access relevant information resources accordingly. Such systems include enterprise architecture management systems, e-commerce sites or journal management systems. In scenarios involving existing techniques, each user needs to build up very different profiles (preferences and interests) based on multiple roles which change over time. Should this not occur to a satisfactory degree, their previous information will either be lost or not utilised at all. To limit the occurrence of such issues, we propose a ROle-Oriented Filtering (ROOF) approach focusing on the manner in which multiple user profiles are obtained and maintained over time. We conducted a number of experiments using an enterprise architecture management scenario. In so doing, we observed that the ROOF approach performs better in comparison with other existing collaborative filtering-based techniques.

Automatically identifying health- and clinical-related content in wikipedia.

PubMed

Liu, Feifan; Moosavinasab, Soheil; Agarwal, Shashank; Bennett, Andrew S; Yu, Hong

2013-01-01

Physicians are increasingly using the Internet for finding medical information related to patient care. Wikipedia is a valuable online medical resource to be integrated into existing clinical question answering (QA) systems. On the other hand, Wikipedia contains a full spectrum of world's knowledge and therefore comprises a large partition of non-health-related content, which makes disambiguation more challenging and consequently leads to large overhead for existing systems to effectively filter irrelevant information. To overcome this, we have developed both unsupervised and supervised approaches to identify health-related articles as well as clinically relevant articles. Furthermore, we explored novel features by extracting health related hierarchy from the Wikipedia category network, from which a variety of features were derived and evaluated. Our experiments show promising results and also demonstrate that employing the category hierarchy can effectively improve the system performance.

A method of non-contact reading code based on computer vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chunsen; Zong, Xiaoyu; Guo, Bingxuan

2018-03-01

With the purpose of guarantee the computer information exchange security between internal and external network (trusted network and un-trusted network), A non-contact Reading code method based on machine vision has been proposed. Which is different from the existing network physical isolation method. By using the computer monitors, camera and other equipment. Deal with the information which will be on exchanged, Include image coding ,Generate the standard image , Display and get the actual image , Calculate homography matrix, Image distort correction and decoding in calibration, To achieve the computer information security, Non-contact, One-way transmission between the internal and external network , The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by experiments on real computer text data, The speed of data transfer can be achieved 24kb/s. The experiment shows that this algorithm has the characteristics of high security, fast velocity and less loss of information. Which can meet the daily needs of the confidentiality department to update the data effectively and reliably, Solved the difficulty of computer information exchange between Secret network and non-secret network, With distinctive originality, practicability, and practical research value.

Probabilistic neural networks modeling of the 48-h LC50 acute toxicity endpoint to Daphnia magna.

PubMed

Niculescu, S P; Lewis, M A; Tigner, J

2008-01-01

Two modeling experiments based on the maximum likelihood estimation paradigm and targeting prediction of the Daphnia magna 48-h LC50 acute toxicity endpoint for both organic and inorganic compounds are reported. The resulting models computational algorithms are implemented as basic probabilistic neural networks with Gaussian kernel (statistical corrections included). The first experiment uses strictly D. magna information for 971 structures as training/learning data and the resulting model targets practical applications. The second experiment uses the same training/learning information plus additional data on another 29 compounds whose endpoint information is originating from D. pulex and Ceriodaphnia dubia. It only targets investigation of the effect of mixing strictly D. magna 48-h LC50 modeling information with small amounts of similar information estimated from related species, and this is done as part of the validation process. A complementary 81 compounds dataset (involving only strictly D. magna information) is used to perform external testing. On this external test set, the Gaussian character of the distribution of the residuals is confirmed for both models. This allows the use of traditional statistical methodology to implement computation of confidence intervals for the unknown measured values based on the models predictions. Examples are provided for the model targeting practical applications. For the same model, a comparison with other existing models targeting the same endpoint is performed.

Seeking mental health information and support online: experiences and perspectives of young people receiving treatment for first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Lal, Shalini; Nguyen, Valentin; Theriault, Joanie

2018-06-01

Limited knowledge exists on youth mental health service users' experiences and perspectives of seeking mental health information, services and support online. Such information is important for developing online resources that are tailored to the needs of youth with different types of mental health concerns. The purpose of this study was to better understand the experiences and perspectives of young people receiving treatment for first-episode psychosis (FEP) on using web-based and mobile technologies for accessing mental health information, services and support. A qualitative approach using focus group methods was used. Seventeen participants between the ages of 21 and 35 were recruited from a specialized early intervention program for psychosis. A thematic analysis was conducted. The results are organized under three related themes: striving towards a better understanding of the illness and treatment; encountering multiple issues with accessing information online; and valuing online mental health information and support. The majority of participants described online activities related to information and support, rather than specific types of mental health services or interventions. Youth receiving treatment for FEP value accessing mental health information and support online; however, they encounter several challenges in this regard. The findings can inform the development of online resources and strategies that meet the needs of service users. This study also highlights the importance for mental healthcare professionals to address the topic of online mental health information and support seeking within the context of providing services to young people. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Egocentric Direction and Position Perceptions are Dissociable Based on Only Static Lane Edge Information

PubMed Central

Nakashima, Ryoichi; Iwai, Ritsuko; Ueda, Sayako; Kumada, Takatsune

2015-01-01

When observers perceive several objects in a space, at the same time, they should effectively perceive their own position as a viewpoint. However, little is known about observers’ percepts of their own spatial location based on the visual scene information viewed from them. Previous studies indicate that two distinct visual spatial processes exist in the locomotion situation: the egocentric position perception and egocentric direction perception. Those studies examined such perceptions in information rich visual environments where much dynamic and static visual information was available. This study examined these two perceptions in information of impoverished environments, including only static lane edge information (i.e., limited information). We investigated the visual factors associated with static lane edge information that may affect these perceptions. Especially, we examined the effects of the two factors on egocentric direction and position perceptions. One is the “uprightness factor” that “far” visual information is seen at upper location than “near” visual information. The other is the “central vision factor” that observers usually look at “far” visual information using central vision (i.e., foveal vision) whereas ‘near’ visual information using peripheral vision. Experiment 1 examined the effect of the “uprightness factor” using normal and inverted road images. Experiment 2 examined the effect of the “central vision factor” using normal and transposed road images where the upper half of the normal image was presented under the lower half. Experiment 3 aimed to replicate the results of Experiments 1 and 2. Results showed that egocentric direction perception is interfered with image inversion or image transposition, whereas egocentric position perception is robust against these image transformations. That is, both “uprightness” and “central vision” factors are important for egocentric direction perception, but not for egocentric position perception. Therefore, the two visual spatial perceptions about observers’ own viewpoints are fundamentally dissociable. PMID:26648895

A Comparative Study of Border Crossers and Borderland Students of Mexican Heritage: Their Educational Experiences and Mediating Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sayasenh, Samone

2012-01-01

There is a plethora of studies on Latino academic underachievement, but very little information about Latino students who are successful at community colleges, yet the majority of Latino undergraduates in the U.S. attend these two-year schools. Furthermore, studies disaggregating Latino sub-groups have been limited or non-existent; therefore, this…

Control Coordination of Multiple Agents Through Decision Theoretic and Economic Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-02-01

instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information...investigated the design of test data for benchmarking such optimization algorithms. Our other research on combinatorial auctions included I...average combination rule. We exemplified these theoretical results with experiments on stock market data , demonstrating how ensembles of classifiers can

Passport to Teaching: Career Choices and Experiences of American Board Certified Teachers. Final Report. MPR Reference No. 6215-030

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazerman, Steven; Seif, Elizabeth; Baxter, Gail

2008-01-01

This report examines the career trajectories of those who have successfully completed the Passport to Teaching certification offered by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) during its first years of existence. To elicit information on the career choices of Passport alumni, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR)…

The Journey from Diagnosis to Services for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alnemary, Fahad

2017-01-01

Awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is relatively new in Saudi Arabia and systematic information about existing services is lacking. A convenience sample of 293 parents of children with ASD completed an online survey about their experiences and opinions attaining the ASD diagnosis for their children as well as the use of early intervention…

Analysis and critical assessment of the current and near future plans of the Brazilian satellite applications program and its role in the global space program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parada, N. D. J. (Principal Investigator)

1983-01-01

Brazilian programs using satellites for remote sensing, meteorology and communications are analyzed including their current status and near future plans. The experience gained and available information are used to critically discuss some aspects of great importance for the existing and prospective user countries.

Financial dashboard reporting for the hospital industry.

PubMed

Cleverley, W O

2001-01-01

Most senior executives and board members experience information overload in their decision making roles. They simply receive an excessive amount of unrelated data that is not benchmarked to standards that enable them to make effective decisions. This is an unfortunate situation given the information technology and the availability of public data that exists today. Many firms in a variety of industry sectors have combined the concept of "balanced scorecards" with "dashboard" reporting to revamp their senior level executive reporting systems. A sample dashboard reporting system for a hospital is outlined in this paper.

Enhancing to method for extracting Social network by the relation existence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elfida, Maria; Matyuso Nasution, M. K.; Sitompul, O. S.

2018-01-01

To get the trusty information about the social network extracted from the Web requires a reliable method, but for optimal resultant required the method that can overcome the complexity of information resources. This paper intends to reveal ways to overcome the constraints of social network extraction leading to high complexity by identifying relationships among social actors. By changing the treatment of the procedure used, we obtain the complexity is smaller than the previous procedure. This has also been demonstrated in an experiment by using the denial sample.

Automating concept identification in the electronic medical record: an experiment in extracting dosage information.

PubMed Central

Evans, D. A.; Brownlow, N. D.; Hersh, W. R.; Campbell, E. M.

1996-01-01

We discuss the development and evaluation of an automated procedure for extracting drug-dosage information from clinical narratives. The process was developed rapidly using existing technology and resources, including categories of terms from UMLS96. Evaluations over a large training and smaller test set of medical records demonstrate an approximately 80% rate of exact and partial matches' on target phrases, with few false positives and a modest rate of false negatives. The results suggest a strategy for automating general concept identification in electronic medical records. PMID:8947694

Apparatus and methodology for fire gas characterization by means of animal exposure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcussen, W. H.; Hilado, C. J.; Furst, A.; Leon, H. A.; Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.; Butte, J. C.; Cummins, J. M.

1976-01-01

While there is a great deal of information available from small-scale laboratory experiments and for relatively simple mixtures of gases, considerable uncertainty exists regarding appropriate bioassay techniques for the complex mixture of gases generated in full-scale fires. Apparatus and methodology have been developed based on current state of the art for determining the effects of fire gases in the critical first 10 minutes of a full-scale fire on laboratory animals. This information is presented for its potential value and use while further improvements are being made.

The information needs of adult cancer survivors across the cancer continuum: A scoping review.

PubMed

Fletcher, Chloe; Flight, Ingrid; Chapman, Janine; Fennell, Kate; Wilson, Carlene

2017-03-01

To provide an updated synthesis of the literature that investigates the self-reported information needs of people diagnosed with cancer across the cancer continuum. We conducted a scoping review of the literature published from August 2003 to June 2015 and expanded an existing typology summarizing the information needs of people diagnosed with cancer. The majority of the included studies (n=104) focused on questions relevant to the diagnosis/active treatment phase of the cancer continuum (52.9%) and thus the most frequently identified information needs related to this phase (33.4%). Information needs varied across the continuum and the results highlight the importance of recognising this fact. People diagnosed with cancer experience discrete information needs at different points from diagnosis to survival. Much of the research conducted in this area has focused on their information needs during the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and literature relating to information needs following completion of treatment is sparse. Further research is needed to discern the specific nature of the treatment concerns and identify the information needs that survivors experience during recurrence of cancer, metastasis or changes in diagnosis, and the end of life phase of the cancer continuum. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A complexity basis for phenomenology: How information states at criticality offer a new approach to understanding experience of self, being and time.

PubMed

Hankey, Alex

2015-12-01

In the late 19th century Husserl studied our internal sense of time passing, maintaining that its deep connections into experience represent prima facie evidence for it as the basis for all investigations in the sciences: Phenomenology was born. Merleau-Ponty focused on perception pointing out that any theory of experience must accord with established aspects of biology i.e. be embodied. Recent analyses suggest that theories of experience require non-reductive, integrative information, together with a specific property connecting them to experience. Here we elucidate a new class of information states with just such properties found at the loci of control of complex biological systems, including nervous systems. Complexity biology concerns states satisfying self-organized criticality. Such states are located at critical instabilities, commonly observed in biological systems, and thought to maximize information diversity and processing, and hence to optimize regulation. Major results for biology follow: why organisms have unusually low entropies; and why they are not merely mechanical. Criticality states form singular self-observing systems, which reduce wave packets by processes of perfect self-observation associated with feedback gain g = 1. Analysis of their information properties leads to identification of a new kind of information state with high levels of internal coherence, and feedback loops integrated into their structure. The major idea presented here is that the integrated feedback loops are responsible for our 'sense of self', and also the feeling of continuity in our sense of time passing. Long-range internal correlations guarantee a unique kind of non-reductive, integrative information structure enabling such states to naturally support phenomenal experience. Being founded in complexity biology, they are 'embodied'; they also fulfill the statement that 'The self is a process', a singular process. High internal correlations and René Thom-style catastrophes support non-digital forms of information, gestalt cognition, and information transfer via quantum teleportation. Criticality in complexity biology can 'embody' cognitive states supporting gestalts, and phenomenology's senses of 'self,' time passing, existence and being. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Intelligent personal health record: experience and open issues.

PubMed

Luo, Gang; Tang, Chunqiang; Thomas, Selena B

2012-08-01

Web-based personal health records (PHRs) are under massive deployment. To improve PHR's capability and usability, we previously proposed the concept of intelligent PHR (iPHR). By introducing and extending expert system technology and Web search technology into the PHR domain, iPHR can automatically provide users with personalized healthcare information to facilitate their daily activities of living. Our iPHR system currently provides three functions: guided search for disease information, recommendation of home nursing activities, and recommendation of home medical products. This paper discusses our experience with iPHR as well as the open issues, including both enhancements to the existing functions and potential new functions. We outline some preliminary solutions, whereas a main purpose of this paper is to stimulate future research work in the area of consumer health informatics.

Utility-preserving anonymization for health data publishing.

PubMed

Lee, Hyukki; Kim, Soohyung; Kim, Jong Wook; Chung, Yon Dohn

2017-07-11

Publishing raw electronic health records (EHRs) may be considered as a breach of the privacy of individuals because they usually contain sensitive information. A common practice for the privacy-preserving data publishing is to anonymize the data before publishing, and thus satisfy privacy models such as k-anonymity. Among various anonymization techniques, generalization is the most commonly used in medical/health data processing. Generalization inevitably causes information loss, and thus, various methods have been proposed to reduce information loss. However, existing generalization-based data anonymization methods cannot avoid excessive information loss and preserve data utility. We propose a utility-preserving anonymization for privacy preserving data publishing (PPDP). To preserve data utility, the proposed method comprises three parts: (1) utility-preserving model, (2) counterfeit record insertion, (3) catalog of the counterfeit records. We also propose an anonymization algorithm using the proposed method. Our anonymization algorithm applies full-domain generalization algorithm. We evaluate our method in comparison with existence method on two aspects, information loss measured through various quality metrics and error rate of analysis result. With all different types of quality metrics, our proposed method show the lower information loss than the existing method. In the real-world EHRs analysis, analysis results show small portion of error between the anonymized data through the proposed method and original data. We propose a new utility-preserving anonymization method and an anonymization algorithm using the proposed method. Through experiments on various datasets, we show that the utility of EHRs anonymized by the proposed method is significantly better than those anonymized by previous approaches.

“I Didn’t Know It Existed Before You Called”: Protestant Clergy Experience, Education and Perceptions Regarding Genetics

PubMed Central

Ragsdale, Judy; Vaughn, Lisa; Grossoehme, Daniel

2015-01-01

Despite the intrinsic role religious/spiritual (hereafter, R/S) beliefs have in patient clinical decision-making and crisis coping, there is little research exploring the relationship that exists between clergy (professionals who provide R/S counsel and guidance) and genetic counseling patients. This qualitative, exploratory study was designed to explore Protestant clergy (N=8) perceptions of and experience with genetics-related issues. Data analysis revealed that a wide range of R/S perceptions regarding genetics-related issues exist within Protestantism, Protestant clergy have a basic understanding of genetic testing and conditions, and while directive counseling is inherent to Protestant clergy counseling, there appears to exist two opposing styles: unbiased and biased. Based on this information, there are two main implications for genetic counseling clinical practice. First, R/S assessments need to be increasingly implemented into genetic counseling sessions, so that the psychosocial needs of patients with specific R/S beliefs can be identified and addressed. An increase in R/S assessments may be accomplished by increased exposure in genetic counselor training, continuing education opportunities, and by establishing relationships with board-certified, professional chaplains. Second, genetic counselors can influence the genetic education and experience of clergy by raising awareness within their own R/S assemblies. Doing so can also serve to further educate genetic counselors in the R/S beliefs of their own traditions, thus increasing sensitivity, empathy and the quality of care provided. PMID:23054334

The Pain Experience of Hispanic Americans: A Critical Literature Review and Conceptual Model.

PubMed

Hollingshead, Nicole A; Ashburn-Nardo, Leslie; Stewart, Jesse C; Hirsh, Adam T

2016-05-01

Although the Hispanic population is a burgeoning ethnic group in the United States, little is known about their pain-related experience. To address this gap, we critically reviewed the existing literature on pain experience and management among Hispanic Americans (HAs). We focused our review on the literature on nonmalignant pain, pain behaviors, and pain treatment seeking among HAs. Pain management experiences were examined from HA patients' and health care providers' perspectives. Our literature search included variations of the term "Hispanic" with "AND pain" in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PsycINFO databases. A total of 117 studies met our inclusion criteria. We organized the results into a conceptual model with separate categories for biological and/or psychological and sociocultural and/or systems-level influences on HAs' pain experience, response to pain, and seeking and receiving pain care. We also included information on health care providers' experience of treating HA patients with pain. For each category, we identified future areas of research. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and clinical implications. In this critical review of the literature we examined the pain and management experiences of the HA population. We propose a conceptual model, which highlights findings from the existing literature and future areas of research. Copyright © 2016 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How do informal information sources influence women's decision-making for birth? A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

PubMed

Sanders, Ruth A; Crozier, Kenda

2018-01-10

Women approach birth using various methods of preparation drawing from conventional healthcare providers alongside informal information sources (IIS) outside the professional healthcare context. An investigation of the forms in which these informal information sources are accessed and negotiated by women, and how these disconnected and often conflicting elements influence women's decision-making process for birth have yet to be evaluated. The level of antenatal preparedness women feel can have significant and long lasting implications on their birth experience and transition into motherhood and beyond. The aim of this study was to provide a deeper understanding of how informal information sources influence women's preparation for birth. Seven electronic databases were searched with predetermined search terms. No limitations were imposed for year of publication. English language studies using qualitative methods exploring women's experiences of informal information sources and their impact upon women's birth preparation were included, subject to a quality appraisal framework. Searches were initiated in February 2016 and completed by March 2016. Studies were synthesised using an interpretive meta-ethnographic approach. Fourteen studies were included for the final synthesis from Great Britain, Australia, Canada and the United States. Four main themes were identified: Menu Birth; Information Heaven/Hell; Spheres of Support; and Trust. It is evident that women do not enter pregnancy as empty vessels devoid of a conceptual framework, but rather have a pre-constructed embodied knowledge base upon which other information is superimposed. Allied to this, it is clear that informal information was sought to mitigate against the widespread experience of discordant information provided by maternity professionals. Women's access to the deluge of informal information sources in mainstream media during pregnancy have significant impact on decision making for birth. These informal sources redefine the power dynamic between women and maternal healthcare providers, simultaneously increasing levels of anxiety and challenging women's pre-existing ideations and aspirations of personal birth processes. A lack of awareness by some professionals of women's information seeking behaviours generates barriers to women-centred support, leaving an experience expectation mismatch unchecked. CRD42016041491 17/06/16.

Innovative approaches to promoting cervical health and raising cervical cancer awareness by use of existing cultural structures in resource-limited countries: experiences with traditional marriage counseling in Zambia.

PubMed

Kapambwe, Sharon; Parham, Groesbeck; Mwanahamuntu, Mulindi; Chirwa, Susan; Mwanza, Jacob; Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, Mary

2013-12-01

The Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia (CCPPZ) has increasingly used community-level structures to increase the uptake and ensure the sustainability of the program. Traditional marriage counselors, the alangizi, who have existed in the Zambian society for many years, are one of the structures used by the program to impart cervical cancer knowledge and increase access to screening and care using an existing community structure. Several steps were followed in developing this intervention: (a) ensuring the alangizi understood the process of screening by encouraging them to go through the screening process; (b) workshops were arranged for the alangizi to meet and share experiences during which lessons were given on cervical cancer by health workers as well; and (c) eight alangizi were chosen to help document the lessons as part of ensuring that cervical cancer information is accurate and passed in a consistent manner. Over 70 alangizi, who had undergone cervical cancer screening, were trained by CCPPZ. A 'Cervical Cancer Training Manual for Marriage Counsellors' was developed to help the alangizi integrate cervical cancer lessons in their routine teachings. An evaluation was conducted during the training of the alangizi that forms the basis for this paper. The results show that although the alangizi face key challenges in their work (e.g. changing social contexts), they are still considered relevant by most communities in Zambia and are potentially an important avenue for cervical cancer and other health information. This paper shows that it is possible to integrate sexual and reproductive health messages into existing structures in the community. However, it is important to design culturally specific and sensitive healthcare strategies that embrace locally accepted good practices.

How learning might strengthen existing visual object representations in human object-selective cortex.

PubMed

Brants, Marijke; Bulthé, Jessica; Daniels, Nicky; Wagemans, Johan; Op de Beeck, Hans P

2016-02-15

Visual object perception is an important function in primates which can be fine-tuned by experience, even in adults. Which factors determine the regions and the neurons that are modified by learning is still unclear. Recently, it was proposed that the exact cortical focus and distribution of learning effects might depend upon the pre-learning mapping of relevant functional properties and how this mapping determines the informativeness of neural units for the stimuli and the task to be learned. From this hypothesis we would expect that visual experience would strengthen the pre-learning distributed functional map of the relevant distinctive object properties. Here we present a first test of this prediction in twelve human subjects who were trained in object categorization and differentiation, preceded and followed by a functional magnetic resonance imaging session. Specifically, training increased the distributed multi-voxel pattern information for trained object distinctions in object-selective cortex, resulting in a generalization from pre-training multi-voxel activity patterns to after-training activity patterns. Simulations show that the increased selectivity combined with the inter-session generalization is consistent with a training-induced strengthening of a pre-existing selectivity map. No training-related neural changes were detected in other regions. In sum, training to categorize or individuate objects strengthened pre-existing representations in human object-selective cortex, providing a first indication that the neuroanatomical distribution of learning effects depends upon the pre-learning mapping of visual object properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Protecting Adolescents' Right to Seek Treatment for Sexually Transmitted Diseases without Parental Consent: The Arizona Experience with Senate Bill 1309

PubMed Central

Goodwin, Kimberly D.; Taylor, Melanie M.; Brown, Erin C. Fuse; Winscott, Michelle; Scanlon, Megan; Hodge, James G.; Mickey, Tom; England, Bob

2012-01-01

In 2010, Senate Bill 1309 included language to repeal an existing Arizona law that enables minors younger than 18 years of age to seek diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) without parental consent. Numerous implications were identified that would have stemmed from parental consent provisions originally proffered in Senate Bill 1309. These implications included diminished access to essential health services among minors, exacerbated existing health disparities, increased health-care spending costs, and thwarted efforts to curb the spread of STDs. Lastly, minors would have been deprived of existing privacy protections concerning their STD-related medical information. This case study describes how collaborative advocacy efforts resulted in the successful amendment of Senate Bill 1309 to avert the negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents stemming from the potential repeal of their existing legal right to seek STD treatment without parental consent. PMID:22547855

Protecting adolescents' right to seek treatment for sexually transmitted diseases without parental consent: the Arizona experience with Senate Bill 1309.

PubMed

Goodwin, Kimberly D; Taylor, Melanie M; Brown, Erin C Fuse; Winscott, Michelle; Scanlon, Megan; Hodge, James G; Mickey, Tom; England, Bob

2012-01-01

In 2010, Senate Bill 1309 included language to repeal an existing Arizona law that enables minors younger than 18 years of age to seek diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) without parental consent. Numerous implications were identified that would have stemmed from parental consent provisions originally proffered in Senate Bill 1309. These implications included diminished access to essential health services among minors, exacerbated existing health disparities, increased health-care spending costs, and thwarted efforts to curb the spread of STDs. Lastly, minors would have been deprived of existing privacy protections concerning their STD-related medical information. This case study describes how collaborative advocacy efforts resulted in the successful amendment of Senate Bill 1309 to avert the negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents stemming from the potential repeal of their existing legal right to seek STD treatment without parental consent.

Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 2.

PubMed

Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; Le Novère, Nicolas; Nickerson, David; Waltemath, Dagmar

2015-09-04

The number, size and complexity of computational models of biological systems are growing at an ever increasing pace. It is imperative to build on existing studies by reusing and adapting existing models and parts thereof. The description of the structure of models is not sufficient to enable the reproduction of simulation results. One also needs to describe the procedures the models are subjected to, as recommended by the Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) guidelines. This document presents Level 1 Version 2 of the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML), a computer-readable format for encoding simulation and analysis experiments to apply to computational models. SED-ML files are encoded in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and can be used in conjunction with any XML-based model encoding format, such as CellML or SBML. A SED-ML file includes details of which models to use, how to modify them prior to executing a simulation, which simulation and analysis procedures to apply, which results to extract and how to present them. Level 1 Version 2 extends the format by allowing the encoding of repeated and chained procedures.

Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML) Level 1 Version 2.

PubMed

Bergmann, Frank T; Cooper, Jonathan; Le Novère, Nicolas; Nickerson, David; Waltemath, Dagmar

2015-06-01

The number, size and complexity of computational models of biological systems are growing at an ever increasing pace. It is imperative to build on existing studies by reusing and adapting existing models and parts thereof. The description of the structure of models is not sufficient to enable the reproduction of simulation results. One also needs to describe the procedures the models are subjected to, as recommended by the Minimum Information About a Simulation Experiment (MIASE) guidelines. This document presents Level 1 Version 2 of the Simulation Experiment Description Markup Language (SED-ML), a computer-readable format for encoding simulation and analysis experiments to apply to computational models. SED-ML files are encoded in the Extensible Markup Language (XML) and can be used in conjunction with any XML-based model encoding format, such as CellML or SBML. A SED-ML file includes details of which models to use, how to modify them prior to executing a simulation, which simulation and analysis procedures to apply, which results to extract and how to present them. Level 1 Version 2 extends the format by allowing the encoding of repeated and chained procedures.

The evolution of stories: from mimesis to language, from fact to fiction.

PubMed

Boyd, Brian

2018-01-01

Why a species as successful as Homo sapiens should spend so much time in fiction, in telling one another stories that neither side believes, at first seems an evolutionary riddle. Because of the advantages of tracking and recombining true information, capacities for event comprehension, memory, imagination, and communication evolved in a range of animal species-yet even chimpanzees cannot communicate beyond the here and now. By Homo erectus, our forebears had reached an increasing dependence on one another, not least in sharing information in mimetic, prelinguistic ways. As Daniel Dor shows, the pressure to pool ever more information, even beyond currently shared experience, led to the invention of language. Language in turn swiftly unlocked efficient forms of narrative, allowing early humans to learn much more about their kind than they could experience at first hand, so that they could cooperate and compete better through understanding one another more fully. This changed the payoff of sociality for individuals and groups. But true narrative was still limited to what had already happened. Once the strong existing predisposition to play combined with existing capacities for event comprehension, memory, imagination, language, and narrative, we could begin to invent fiction, and to explore the full range of human possibilities in concentrated, engaging, memorable forms. First language, then narrative, then fiction, created niches that altered selection pressures, and made us ever more deeply dependent on knowing more about our kind and our risks and opportunities than we could discover through direct experience. WIREs Cogn Sci 2018, 9:e1444. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1444 This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Linguistics > Evolution of Language Neuroscience > Cognition. © 2017 The Author. WIREs Cognitive Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessing the value of real-time snow and avalanche information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeidler, Antonia; Adams, Marc; Schuster, Martin; Berner, Martin; Nagy, Wilhelm

2017-04-01

This poster presentation shows first results from a pilot study on exploring the possibilities of using existing and new information and communication technologies (ICT) for snow and avalanche assessments. Today, ICT solutions allow the utilisation of information at a high spatiotemporal resolution, due to the widespread availability of internet access, high computing power and affordable mobile devices. Therefore, there is an increasing request for up to date information on snow and avalanche decision-making. However, there are challenges that need to be addressed from different view points. These include topics in the field of technological feasibility of providing a stable network, exchanging trustworthy information and motivation of experts to participate. This contribution discusses the lessons-learnt, from the establishment of a platform to the user-experience.

Integrated information theory of consciousness: an updated account.

PubMed

Tononi, G

2012-12-01

This article presents an updated account of integrated information theory of consciousness (liT) and some of its implications. /IT stems from thought experiments that lead to phenomenological axioms (existence, compositionality, information, integration, exclusion) and corresponding ontological postulates. The information axiom asserts that every experience is spec~fic - it is what it is by differing in its particular way from a large repertoire of alternatives. The integration axiom asserts that each experience is unified- it cannot be reduced to independent components. The exclusion axiom asserts that every experience is definite - it is limited to particular things and not others and flows at a particular speed and resolution. /IT formalizes these intuitions with postulates. The information postulate states that only "differences that make a difference" from the intrinsic perpective of a system matter: a mechanism generates cause-effect information if its present state has selective past causes and selective future effects within a system. The integration postulate states that only information that is irreducible matters: mechanisms generate integrated information only to the extent that the information they generate cannot be partitioned into that generated within independent components. The exclusion postulate states that only maxima of integrated information matter: a mechanism specifies only one maximally irreducible set of past causes and future effects - a concept. A complex is a set of elements specifying a maximally irreducible constellation of concepts, where the maximum is evaluated over elements and at the optimal spatiatemporal scale. Its concepts specify a maximally integrated conceptual information structure or quale, which is identical with an experience. Finally, changes in information integration upon exposure to the environment reflect a system's ability to match the causal structure of the world. After introducing an updated definition of information integration and related quantities, the article presents some theoretical considerations about the relationship between information and causation and about the relational structure of concepts within a qua/e. It also explores the relationship between the temporal grain size of information integration and the dynamic of metastable states in the corticothalamic complex. Finally, it summarizes how liT accounts for empirical findings about the neural substrate of consciousness, and how various aspects of phenomenology may in principle be addressed in terms of the geometry of information integration.

Experiences and perceptions of culturally and linguistically diverse family carers of people with dementia.

PubMed

Boughtwood, Desiree Leone; Adams, Jon; Shanley, Chris; Santalucia, Yvonne; Kyriazopoulos, Helena

2011-06-01

Dementia incidence rates are rapidly increasing among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians, and there is very little local research to inform practice. In response, a qualitative study employing focus group methods was undertaken with carers from 4 CALD communities-Arabic-speaking, Chinese-speaking, Italian-speaking and, Spanish-speaking. The study examined the experiences and perceptions of these family carers with regard to their caregiving for a person living with dementia (PLWD). Analysis revealed that while considerable similarities exist across the experiences and perceptions of carers from all 4 CALD communities, there were nevertheless some important distinctions across the different groups. These study findings have significant implications for those working with CALD communities.

Archetype modeling methodology.

PubMed

Moner, David; Maldonado, José Alberto; Robles, Montserrat

2018-03-01

Clinical Information Models (CIMs) expressed as archetypes play an essential role in the design and development of current Electronic Health Record (EHR) information structures. Although there exist many experiences about using archetypes in the literature, a comprehensive and formal methodology for archetype modeling does not exist. Having a modeling methodology is essential to develop quality archetypes, in order to guide the development of EHR systems and to allow the semantic interoperability of health data. In this work, an archetype modeling methodology is proposed. This paper describes its phases, the inputs and outputs of each phase, and the involved participants and tools. It also includes the description of the possible strategies to organize the modeling process. The proposed methodology is inspired by existing best practices of CIMs, software and ontology development. The methodology has been applied and evaluated in regional and national EHR projects. The application of the methodology provided useful feedback and improvements, and confirmed its advantages. The conclusion of this work is that having a formal methodology for archetype development facilitates the definition and adoption of interoperable archetypes, improves their quality, and facilitates their reuse among different information systems and EHR projects. Moreover, the proposed methodology can be also a reference for CIMs development using any other formalism. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The experience of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay: A systematic review of qualitative literature.

PubMed

Oyesanya, Tolu

2017-01-01

Patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their families have unique experiences and needs during the hospital stay; yet, limited literature exists on this topic. The purpose of this systematic review was to compile and synthesize literature on the experience of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay. A systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted by searching for studies from seven databases. Content analysis was used to analyse and synthesize studies' findings separately for the patient and family experience. The initial search provided 2871 records. Ultimately, 11 studies relevant to the research question were included in this review. No studies were excluded based on critical quality appraisal. Findings on the patient experience showed patients had negative perceptions of the rehabilitation environment and a perceived need for information. Findings on the family experience included difficulty adjusting after the patient's injury, a desire to be involved in the patient's care, mixed feelings about staff support and a high perceived need for information. Findings provide awareness for healthcare providers on the multifaceted experiences of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay, strategies to make care more patient- and family-centred and directions for future research.

The experience of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay: A systematic review of qualitative literature

PubMed Central

Oyesanya, Tolu

2017-01-01

Background Patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their families have unique experiences and needs during the hospital stay; yet, limited literature exists on this topic. The purpose of this systematic review was to compile and synthesize literature on the experience of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay. Methods A systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted by searching for studies from seven databases. Content analysis was used to analyze and synthesize studies’ findings separately for the patient and family experience. Results The initial search provided 2,871 records. Ultimately, eleven studies relevant to the research question were included in this review. No studies were excluded based on critical quality appraisal. Findings on the patient experience showed patients had negative perceptions of the rehabilitation environment and a perceived need for information. Findings on the family experience included difficulty adjusting after the patient’s injury, desire to be involved in the patient’s care, mixed feelings about staff support, and high perceived need for information. Conclusions Findings provide awareness for healthcare providers on the multifaceted experiences of patients with ABI and their families during the hospital stay, strategies to make care more patient- and family-centered, and directions for future research. PMID:28055226

Information technology as a tool to improve the quality of American Indian health care.

PubMed

Sequist, Thomas D; Cullen, Theresa; Ayanian, John Z

2005-12-01

The American Indian/Alaska Native population experiences a disproportionate burden of disease across a spectrum of conditions. While the recent National Healthcare Disparities Report highlighted differences in quality of care among racial and ethnic groups, there was only very limited information available for American Indians. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is currently enhancing its information systems to improve the measurement of health care quality as well as to support quality improvement initiatives. We summarize current knowledge regarding health care quality for American Indians, highlighting the variation in reported measures in the existing literature. We then discuss how the IHS is using information systems to produce standardized performance measures and present future directions for improving American Indian health care quality.

The Electronic Logbook for the Information Storage of ATLAS Experiment at LHC (ELisA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corso Radu, A.; Lehmann Miotto, G.; Magnoni, L.

2012-12-01

A large experiment like ATLAS at LHC (CERN), with over three thousand members and a shift crew of 15 people running the experiment 24/7, needs an easy and reliable tool to gather all the information concerning the experiment development, installation, deployment and exploitation over its lifetime. With the increasing number of users and the accumulation of stored information since the experiment start-up, the electronic logbook actually in use, ATLOG, started to show its limitations in terms of speed and usability. Its monolithic architecture makes the maintenance and implementation of new functionality a hard-to-almost-impossible process. A new tool ELisA has been developed to replace the existing ATLOG. It is based on modern web technologies: the Spring framework using a Model-View-Controller architecture was chosen, thus helping building flexible and easy to maintain applications. The new tool implements all features of the old electronic logbook with increased performance and better graphics: it uses the same database back-end for portability reasons. In addition, several new requirements have been accommodated which could not be implemented in ATLOG. This paper describes the architecture, implementation and performance of ELisA, with particular emphasis on the choices that allowed having a scalable and very fast system and on the aspects that could be re-used in different contexts to build a similar application.

Referral Finder: Saving Time and Improving The Quality of In-hospital Referrals.

PubMed

Cathcart, Jennifer; Cowan, Neil; Tully, Vicki

2016-01-01

Making referrals to other hospital specialties is one of the key duties of the foundation doctor, which can be difficult and time consuming. In Ninewells hospital, Scotland, in our experience the effectiveness of referrals is limited by contact details not being readily accessible and foundation doctors not knowing what information is relevant to each specialty. We surveyed foundation doctors on their experience of the existing referral process to identify where we needed to focus to improve the process. The doctors reported significant delays in obtaining contact details from the operator, and found they did not know the specific information needed in each referral. To increase the information available to foundation doctors, we set up a page on the staff intranet called 'Referral Finder'. This page includes contact details, guidelines for referral, and links to relevant protocols for each specialty. By making this information readily accessible our objective was to increase the speed and quality of referrals. When surveyed two months after the web page was established, foundation doctors reported a reduction in calls to operator from baseline and reported achieving more effective referrals. When asked to comment, many doctors asked if the page could include details for other hospitals in our health board and provide more specialty specific information. This feedback prompted us to extend the scope of the page to include the district general hospital in our region, and update many of the existing details. Doctors were then surveyed after the updates, 100% agreed that the website saved time and there was a 49.3% reduction in doctors who reported not knowing the specific information needed for a referral. Having adequate information improved referrals and resulted in time saved. This would allow more time for patient care. The quality improvement project was praised among doctors as a useful, innovative and replicable project.

Referral Finder: Saving Time and Improving The Quality of In-hospital Referrals

PubMed Central

Cathcart, Jennifer; Cowan, Neil; Tully, Vicki

2016-01-01

Making referrals to other hospital specialties is one of the key duties of the foundation doctor, which can be difficult and time consuming. In Ninewells hospital, Scotland, in our experience the effectiveness of referrals is limited by contact details not being readily accessible and foundation doctors not knowing what information is relevant to each specialty. We surveyed foundation doctors on their experience of the existing referral process to identify where we needed to focus to improve the process. The doctors reported significant delays in obtaining contact details from the operator, and found they did not know the specific information needed in each referral. To increase the information available to foundation doctors, we set up a page on the staff intranet called ‘Referral Finder’. This page includes contact details, guidelines for referral, and links to relevant protocols for each specialty. By making this information readily accessible our objective was to increase the speed and quality of referrals. When surveyed two months after the web page was established, foundation doctors reported a reduction in calls to operator from baseline and reported achieving more effective referrals. When asked to comment, many doctors asked if the page could include details for other hospitals in our health board and provide more specialty specific information. This feedback prompted us to extend the scope of the page to include the district general hospital in our region, and update many of the existing details. Doctors were then surveyed after the updates, 100% agreed that the website saved time and there was a 49.3% reduction in doctors who reported not knowing the specific information needed for a referral. Having adequate information improved referrals and resulted in time saved. This would allow more time for patient care. The quality improvement project was praised among doctors as a useful, innovative and replicable project. PMID:27158494

Non-Native Japanese Learners' Perception of Consonant Length in Japanese and Italian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsukada, Kimiko; Cox, Felicity; Hajek, John; Hirata, Yukari

2018-01-01

Learners of a foreign language (FL) typically have to learn to process sounds that do not exist in their first language (L1). As this is known to be difficult for adults, in particular, it is important for FL pedagogy to be informed by phonetic research. This study examined the role of FL learners' previous linguistic experience in the processing…

Realidades Suburbanas: Latinos en el Condado de Dakota. Una Investigacion Dirigida por HACER = Suburban Realities: Latinos in Dakota County. A Study Conducted by HACER.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HACER: Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research, Minneapolis, MN.

A research project was conducted between April and December of 1998 to learn about the experiences of the sizable numbers of Latinos who live in Dakota County (Minnesota). This diverse group was studied through examining existing demographic information, conducting interviews with 45 Latino and Anglo individuals, and conducting several focus…

Age-related differences in the use of spatial and categorical relationships in a visuo-spatial working memory task.

PubMed

Dai, Ruizhi; Thomas, Ayanna K; Taylor, Holly A

2018-01-30

Research examining object identity and location processing in visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) has yielded inconsistent results on whether age differences exist in VSWM. The present study investigated whether these inconsistencies may stem from age-related differences in VSWM sub-processes, and whether processing of component VSWM information can be facilitated. In two experiments, younger and older adults studied 5 × 5 grids containing five objects in separate locations. In a continuous recognition paradigm, participants were tested on memory for object identity, location, or identity and location information combined. Spatial and categorical relationships were manipulated within grids to provide trial-level facilitation. In Experiment 1, randomizing trial types (location, identity, combination) assured that participants could not predict the information that would be queried. In Experiment 2, blocking trials by type encouraged strategic processing. Thus, we manipulated the nature of the task through object categorical relationship and spatial organization, and trial blocking. Our findings support age-related declines in VSWM. Additionally, grid organizations (categorical and spatial relationships), and trial blocking differentially affected younger and older adults. Younger adults used spatial organizations more effectively whereas older adults demonstrated an association bias. Our finding also suggests that older adults may be less efficient than younger adults in strategically engaging information processing.

Mechanical equilibrium of forces and moments applied on orthodontic brackets of a dental arch: Correlation with literature data on two and three adjacent teeth.

PubMed

Wagner, Delphine; Bolender, Yves; Rémond, Yves; George, Daniel

2017-01-01

Although orthodontics have greatly improved over the years, understanding of its associated biomechanics remains incomplete and is mainly based on two dimensional (2D) mechanical equilibrium and long-time clinical experience. Little experimental information exists in three dimensions (3D) about the forces and moments developed on orthodontic brackets over more than two or three adjacent teeth. We define here a simplified methodology to quantify 3D forces and moments applied on orthodontic brackets fixed on a dental arch and validate our methodology using existing results from the literature by means of simplified hypotheses.

How do adults and teens with self-declared Autism Spectrum Disorder experience eye contact? A qualitative analysis of first-hand accounts

PubMed Central

Roberts, Nicole; Lin, Cathy; Birmingham, Elina

2017-01-01

A tendency to avoid eye contact is an early indicator of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and difficulties with eye contact often persist throughout the lifespan. Eye contact difficulties may underlie social cognitive deficits in ASD, and can create significant social and occupational barriers. Thus, this topic has received substantial research and clinical attention. In this study, we used qualitative methods to analyze self-reported experiences with eye contact as described by teens and adults with self-declared ASD. Results suggest people with a self- declared ASD diagnosis experience adverse emotional and physiological reactions, feelings of being invaded, and sensory overload while making eye contact, in addition to difficulties understanding social nuances, and difficulties receiving and sending nonverbal information. Some data support existing mindblindness frameworks, and hyperarousal or hypoarousal theories of eye contact, but we also present novel findings unaccounted for by existing frameworks. Additionally, we highlight innovative strategies people with self-declared ASD have devised to overcome or cope with their eye contact difficulties. PMID:29182643

Solar Variability and the Near-Earth Environment: Mining Enhanced Low Dose Rate Sensitivity Data From the Microelectronics and Photonics Test Bed Space Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turflinger, T.; Schmeichel, W.; Krieg, J.; Titus, J.; Campbell, A.; Reeves, M.; Marshall (P.); Hardage, Donna (Technical Monitor)

2004-01-01

This effort is a detailed analysis of existing microelectronics and photonics test bed satellite data from one experiment, the bipolar test board, looking to improve our understanding of the enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS) phenomenon. Over the past several years, extensive total dose irradiations of bipolar devices have demonstrated that many of these devices exhibited ELDRS. In sensitive bipolar transistors, ELDRS produced enhanced degradation of base current, resulting in enhanced gain degradation at dose rates <0.1 rd(Si)/s compared to similar transistors irradiated at dose rates >1 rd(Si)/s. This Technical Publication provides updated information about the test devices, the in-flight experiment, and both flight-and ground-based observations. Flight data are presented for the past 5 yr of the mission. These data are compared to ground-based data taken on devices from the same date code lots. Information about temperature fluctuations, power shutdowns, and other variables encountered during the space flight are documented.

Remote Sensing in Polarized Light

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitehead, Victor S.; Coulson, Kinsell L.

1988-01-01

Preliminary analysis of polarized images of earth collected by hand-held cameras on Shuttle Missions 51A, 51G, 51I, and 61A indicate that information of the earth's surface and atmosphere exists in those data. To ensure that follow-on research in polarization is focused upon and that the experiments are properly designed to address specific questions, 26 scientists with past experience and interest in polarization observations met at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center on November 3 to 5, 1987. This conference report summarizes the discussions and provides the recommendations of the group for follow-on research.

The role of spatial frequency information in the decoding of facial expressions of pain: a novel hybrid task.

PubMed

Wang, Shan; Eccleston, Christopher; Keogh, Edmund

2017-11-01

Spatial frequency (SF) information contributes to the recognition of facial expressions, including pain. Low-SF encodes facial configuration and structure and often dominates over high-SF information, which encodes fine details in facial features. This low-SF preference has not been investigated within the context of pain. In this study, we investigated whether perpetual preference differences exist for low-SF and high-SF pain information. A novel hybrid expression paradigm was used in which 2 different expressions, one containing low-SF information and the other high-SF information, were combined in a facial hybrid. Participants are instructed to identify the core expression contained within the hybrid, allowing for the measurement of SF information preference. Three experiments were conducted (46 participants in each) that varied the expressions within the hybrid faces: respectively pain-neutral, pain-fear, and pain-happiness. In order to measure the temporal aspects of image processing, each hybrid image was presented for 33, 67, 150, and 300 ms. As expected, identification of pain and other expressions was dominated by low-SF information across the 3 experiments. The low-SF preference was largest when the presentation of hybrid faces was brief and reduced as the presentation duration increased. A sex difference was also found in experiment 1. For women, the low-SF preference was dampened by high-SF pain information, when viewing low-SF neutral expressions. These results not only confirm the role that SF information has in the recognition of pain in facial expressions but suggests that in some situations, there may be sex differences in how pain is communicated.

Exploring perceptions and experiences of Bolivian health researchers with research ethics.

PubMed

Sullivan, Sarah; Aalborg, Annette; Basagoitia, Armando; Cortes, Jacqueline; Lanza, Oscar; Schwind, Jessica S

2015-04-01

In Bolivia, there is increasing interest in incorporating research ethics into study procedures, but there have been inconsistent application of research ethics practices. Minimal data exist regarding the experiences of researchers concerning the ethical conduct of research. A cross-sectional study was administered to Bolivian health leaders with research experience (n = 82) to document their knowledge, perceptions, and experiences of research ethics committees and infrastructure support for research ethics. Results showed that 16% of respondents reported not using ethical guidelines to conduct their research and 66% indicated their institutions did not consistently require ethics approval for research. Barriers and facilitators to incorporate research ethics into practice were outlined. These findings will help inform a comprehensive rights-based research ethics education program in Bolivia. © The Author(s) 2015.

Disclosure of personal medical information: differences among parents and affected adults for genetic and nongenetic conditions.

PubMed

Johnson, Summer; Kass, Nancy E; Natowicz, Marvin

2005-01-01

Protecting the confidentiality of medical information has been an issue of great interest in the fields of bioethics, public policy, and law. Few empirical studies have addressed patient experiences and attitudes toward disclosure of private medical information in multiple contexts such as health insurance, employment, and the family. Furthermore, it is unclear whether differences exist in experiences and attitudes about privacy between those living with a serious medical condition versus those who have a child with a medical condition. The study sought to determine whether attitudes and experiences related to medical privacy and confidentiality differ between affected adults and parents of affected children. Interviews were conducted with 296 adults and parents of children with sickle cell disease (SCD), cystic fibrosis (CF), or diabetes mellitus (DM). This cross-sectional study collected data regarding their experiences, attitudes, and beliefs concerning medical privacy and confidentiality. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted on quantitative data. Qualitative analysis was conducted on data from open-ended response items. Parents disclose their child's diagnosis to others more often than affected adults disclose their own disease status. Parents are less likely than affected adults to regret their disclosure, to hope others do not find out, to have been pressured to share information, and to be asked about their disease by employers. Affected adults express greater concern about disclosure, a greater prevalence and greater fear of discrimination, and experience greater pressure from family members to disclose. Clinicians and researchers working with these populations should consider these differences in privacy and disclosure. Further study is necessary to examine the implications of these differences in attitudes and experiences concerning insurance, employment, and social interactions among persons with these conditions.

Arm injury produces long-term behavioral and neural hypersensitivity in octopus.

PubMed

Alupay, Jean S; Hadjisolomou, Stavros P; Crook, Robyn J

2014-01-13

Cephalopod molluscs are the most neurally and behaviorally complex invertebrates, with brains rivaling those of some vertebrates in size and complexity. This has fostered the opinion that cephalopods, particularly octopuses, may experience vertebrate-like pain when injured. However, it is not known whether octopuses possess nociceptors or if their somatic sensory neurons exhibit sensitization after injury. Here we show that the octopus Abdopus aculeatus expresses nocifensive behaviors including arm autotomy, and displays marked neural hyperexcitability both in injured and uninjured arms for at least 24h after injury. These findings do not demonstrate that octopuses experience pain-like states; instead they add to the minimal existing literature on how cephalopods receive, process, and integrate noxious sensory information, potentially informing and refining regulations governing use of cephalopods in scientific research. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Introducing the Qplex: a novel arena for quantum theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Appleby, Marcus; Fuchs, Christopher A.; Stacey, Blake C.; Zhu, Huangjun

2017-07-01

We reconstruct quantum theory starting from the premise that, as Asher Peres remarked, "Unperformed experiments have no results." The tools of quantum information theory, and in particular the symmetric informationally complete (SIC) measurements, provide a concise expression of how exactly Peres's dictum holds true. That expression is a constraint on how the probability distributions for outcomes of different, hypothetical and mutually exclusive experiments ought to mesh together, a type of constraint not foreseen in classical thinking. Taking this as our foundational principle, we show how to reconstruct the formalism of quantum theory in finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The central variety of mathematical entity in our reconstruction is the qplex, a very particular type of subset of a probability simplex. Along the way, by closely studying the symmetry properties of qplexes, we derive a condition for the existence of a d-dimensional SIC.

Visitor survey results for the Souris River Loop National Wildlife Refuges: Completion report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sexton, Natalie R.; Koontz, Lynne; Stewart, Susan C.

2005-01-01

In support of the CCP planning effort for the Souris River Loop Refuges, the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch/Fort Collins Science Center (PASA) of the U.S. Geological Survey conducted visitor surveys at three refuges in North Dakota: Des Lacs, J. Clark Salyer, and Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuges. This research was conducted in order to assess visitor experience, perceptions, and preferences and visitor spending related to recreation on these public lands. This baseline information and input is needed by the refuges to inform their CCP process. Specifically, this survey research assesses the characteristics of visitors and their trips, the activities in which visitors engage while on the refuge, details regarding their trip experience, as well as their preferences and attitudes about various management features, including existing and future conditions. 

Exploring expectation effects in EMDR: does prior treatment knowledge affect the degrading effects of eye movements on memories?

PubMed Central

Littel, Marianne; van Schie, Kevin; van den Hout, Marcel A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an effective psychological treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Recalling a memory while simultaneously making eye movements (EM) decreases a memory’s vividness and/or emotionality. It has been argued that non-specific factors, such as treatment expectancy and experimental demand, may contribute to the EMDR’s effectiveness. Objective: The present study was designed to test whether expectations about the working mechanism of EMDR would alter the memory attenuating effects of EM. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, we examined the effects of pre-existing (non-manipulated) knowledge of EMDR in participants with and without prior knowledge. In Experiment 2, we experimentally manipulated prior knowledge by providing participants without prior knowledge with correct or incorrect information about EMDR’s working mechanism. Method: Participants in both experiments recalled two aversive, autobiographical memories during brief sets of EM (Recall+EM) or keeping eyes stationary (Recall Only). Before and after the intervention, participants scored their memories on vividness and emotionality. A Bayesian approach was used to compare two competing hypotheses on the effects of (existing/given) prior knowledge: (1) Prior (correct) knowledge increases the effects of Recall+EM vs. Recall Only, vs. (2) prior knowledge does not affect the effects of Recall+EM. Results: Recall+EM caused greater reductions in memory vividness and emotionality than Recall Only in all groups, including the incorrect information group. In Experiment 1, both hypotheses were supported by the data: prior knowledge boosted the effects of EM, but only modestly. In Experiment 2, the second hypothesis was clearly supported over the first: providing knowledge of the underlying mechanism of EMDR did not alter the effects of EM. Conclusions: Recall+EM appears to be quite robust against the effects of prior expectations. As Recall+EM is the core component of EMDR, expectancy effects probably contribute little to the effectiveness of EMDR treatment. PMID:29038685

Bayesian inference with historical data-based informative priors improves detection of differentially expressed genes

PubMed Central

Li, Ben; Sun, Zhaonan; He, Qing; Zhu, Yu; Qin, Zhaohui S.

2016-01-01

Motivation: Modern high-throughput biotechnologies such as microarray are capable of producing a massive amount of information for each sample. However, in a typical high-throughput experiment, only limited number of samples were assayed, thus the classical ‘large p, small n’ problem. On the other hand, rapid propagation of these high-throughput technologies has resulted in a substantial collection of data, often carried out on the same platform and using the same protocol. It is highly desirable to utilize the existing data when performing analysis and inference on a new dataset. Results: Utilizing existing data can be carried out in a straightforward fashion under the Bayesian framework in which the repository of historical data can be exploited to build informative priors and used in new data analysis. In this work, using microarray data, we investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of deriving informative priors from historical data and using them in the problem of detecting differentially expressed genes. Through simulation and real data analysis, we show that the proposed strategy significantly outperforms existing methods including the popular and state-of-the-art Bayesian hierarchical model-based approaches. Our work illustrates the feasibility and benefits of exploiting the increasingly available genomics big data in statistical inference and presents a promising practical strategy for dealing with the ‘large p, small n’ problem. Availability and implementation: Our method is implemented in R package IPBT, which is freely available from https://github.com/benliemory/IPBT. Contact: yuzhu@purdue.edu; zhaohui.qin@emory.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:26519502

Design and implementation of a prototype data system for earth radiation budget, cloud, aerosol, and chemistry data

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

Baum, B.A.; Barkstrom, B.R.

1993-04-01

The Earth Observing System (EOS) will collect data from a large number of satellite-borne instruments, beginning later in this decade, to make data accessible to the scientific community, NASA will build an EOS Data and Information System (EOSDIS). As an initial effort to accelerate the development of EOSDIS and to gain experience with such an information system, NASA and other agencies are working on a prototype system called Version O (VO). This effort will provide improved access to pre-EOS earth science data throughout the early EOSDIS period. Based on recommendations from the EOSDIS Science Advisory Panel, EOSDIS will have severalmore » distributed active archive centers (DAACs). Each DAAC will specialize in particular data sets. This paper describes work at the NASA Langley Research Center's (LaRC) DAAC. The Version 0 Langley DAAC began archiving and distributing existing data sets pertaining to the earth's radiation budget, clouds, aerosols, and tropospheric chemistry in late 1992. The primary goals of the LaRC VO effort are the following: (1) Enhance scientific use of existing data; (2) Develop institutional expertise in maintaining and distributing data; (3) Use institutional capability for processing data from previous missions such as the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment and the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment to prepare for processing future EOS satellite data; (4) Encourage cooperative interagency and international involvement with data sets and research; and (5) Incorporate technological hardware and software advances quickly.« less

Using experience with bidirectional HL7-ACR-NEMA interfaces between the federal government HIS/RIS and commercial PACS to plan for DICOM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmak, Peter M.; Norton, Gary S.; Dayhoff, Ruth E.

1995-05-01

The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a bidirectional HL7 - ACR-NEMA V 2.0 interface for connecting existing federal government hospital/radiology information systems (HIS/RIS) to commercial picture archive and communication systems (PACS). The interface has been in use since October 1993 at the Baltimore VAMC between the VA's HIS/RIS (DHCP) and a commercial PACS, and handles both text and image transfer. The text-only portion of the interface has been ported to work with a second vendor's PACS, and to work with the Department of Defense HIS/RIS (CHCS). Currently the interface is in production at two VA and three DoD sites. The common benefit experienced at all these sites is that passing patient, order, and report information directly from the HIS/RIS to the PACS greatly improves the flow of work in the Radiology Department. Image transfer to the DHCP Imaging System at the Baltimore VAMC demonstrated the advantage of providing `reference quality' (1K X 1K X 8-bit) radiology images to treating clinicians throughout the hospital. Experience has shown that the gateway must handle transactions between the HIS/RIS and the PACS quickly in order to keep up with the volume, and must provide an audit trail for system diagnostic purposes. Work is underway to construct a HL7 - DICOM gateway built upon the operational experience gathered from the existing interface.

Improving cancer patient care: development of a generic cancer consumer quality index questionnaire for cancer patients.

PubMed

Booij, Judith C; Zegers, Marieke; Evers, Pauline M P J; Hendriks, Michelle; Delnoij, Diana M J; Rademakers, Jany J D J M

2013-04-23

To develop a Consumer Quality Index (CQI) Cancer Care questionnaire for measuring experiences with hospital care of patients with different types of cancer. We derived quality aspects from focus group discussions, existing questionnaires and literature. We developed an experience questionnaire and sent it to 1,498 Dutch cancer patients. Another questionnaire measuring the importance of the quality aspects was sent to 600 cancer patients. Data were psychometrically analysed. The response to the experience questionnaire was 50 percent. Psychometric analysis revealed 12 reliable scales. Patients rated rapid and adequate referral, rapid start of the treatment after diagnosis, enough information and confidence in the healthcare professionals as most important themes. Hospitals received high scores for skills and cooperation of healthcare professionals and a patient-centered approach by doctors; and low scores for psychosocial guidance and information at completion of the treatment. The CQI Cancer Care questionnaire is a valuable tool for the evaluation of the quality of cancer care from the patient's perspective. Large scale implementation is necessary to determine the discriminatory powers of the questionnaire and may enable healthcare providers to improve the quality of cancer care. Preliminary results indicate that hospitals could improve their psychosocial guidance and information provision.

Simultaneity in Emotional Moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clore, Gerald L.

Emotions are described as emergent states, which exist only to the extent that multiple affective reactions to the same object occur at the same time. Emotions are thus the confluence of thoughts, feelings, expressions, desires, and so on. They emerge as meta-cognitive representations of embodied affective reactions. Emotions may be initiated by low-level, automatic, unconscious affective reactions, which are then iteratively re-processed with ever greater cognitive involvement until they become elaborated into emotional states. Affective and emotional reactions act as information about the value of objects of judgment and of accessible cognitions and inclinations during tasks. They influence judgment and thought when they are experienced simultaneously with sensory data about the world. Affective influences thus depend on our inability to disentangle affective from descriptive perceptions. To the extent that affective reactions reflect different, incommensurate sources of value (e.g., utilitarian, moral, aesthetic), perceived persons or objects may be experienced as being transcendently good or evil. Experiments varying people's attributions for their affective experiences allow the separate roles of affective and descriptive information to be examined. However, it is the inability to parse everyday experience into its separate sources of evaluative and descriptive information that gives rise to a colourful and transcendent reality.

Information at the edge of chaos in fluid neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solé, Ricard V.; Miramontes, Octavio

1995-01-01

Fluid neural networks, defined as neural nets of mobile elements with random activation, are studied by means of several approaches. They are proposed as a theoretical framework for a wide class of systems as insect societies, collectives of robots or the immune system. The critical properties of this model are also analysed, showing the existence of a critical boundary in parameter space where maximum information transfer occurs. In this sense, this boundary is in fact an example of the “edge of chaos” in systems like those described in our approach. Recent experiments with ant colonies seem to confirm our result.

Productive Information Foraging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furlong, P. Michael; Dille, Michael

2016-01-01

This paper presents a new algorithm for autonomous on-line exploration in unknown environments. The objective of the algorithm is to free robot scientists from extensive preliminary site investigation while still being able to collect meaningful data. We simulate a common form of exploration task for an autonomous robot involving sampling the environment at various locations and compare performance with a simpler existing algorithm that is also denied global information. The result of the experiment shows that the new algorithm has a statistically significant improvement in performance with a significant effect size for a range of costs for taking sampling actions.

Perception and Assessment of Verbal and Written Information on Sex and Relationships after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

PubMed

Wendt, Christel

2017-12-01

This study aimed to investigate experiences of verbal and written information about sex and relationships among men and women treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The study also aimed to investigate the demand for information and assessment of the quality of written patient information material entitled "Sex and relationships in the treatment of blood diseases." Few studies exist that shed any light on the demand for information about sex and relationships on the part of patients with hematological diseases before, during, and after their treatment. A total of 216 patients undergoing treatment for malignant blood diseases between 2000 and 2010 participated in this study. Patients' experiences of information about sex and relationships, and their opinions about the written patient information, were assessed using a questionnaire created specifically for this study. Most patients (81 %) had not received information about sex and relationships from a healthcare professional. Almost 90 % of men felt that verbal information was important, compared with 82 % of women. The majority also held that written information was important. These results indicate that patients, regardless of gender, age, and treatment, consider oral and written information about sex and relationships to be important and that the healthcare system should provide the information. The written patient information was considered to play an important role in creating an opening for a conversation about a sensitive topic such as sexuality, and also as a source of reference and support for the patient and his/her partner.

Supporting tactical intelligence using collaborative environments and social networking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wollocko, Arthur B.; Farry, Michael P.; Stark, Robert F.

2013-05-01

Modern military environments place an increased emphasis on the collection and analysis of intelligence at the tactical level. The deployment of analytical tools at the tactical level helps support the Warfighter's need for rapid collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence. However, given the lack of experience and staffing at the tactical level, most of the available intelligence is not exploited. Tactical environments are staffed by a new generation of intelligence analysts who are well-versed in modern collaboration environments and social networking. An opportunity exists to enhance tactical intelligence analysis by exploiting these personnel strengths, but is dependent on appropriately designed information sharing technologies. Existing social information sharing technologies enable users to publish information quickly, but do not unite or organize information in a manner that effectively supports intelligence analysis. In this paper, we present an alternative approach to structuring and supporting tactical intelligence analysis that combines the benefits of existing concepts, and provide detail on a prototype system embodying that approach. Since this approach employs familiar collaboration support concepts from social media, it enables new-generation analysts to identify the decision-relevant data scattered among databases and the mental models of other personnel, increasing the timeliness of collaborative analysis. Also, the approach enables analysts to collaborate visually to associate heterogeneous and uncertain data within the intelligence analysis process, increasing the robustness of collaborative analyses. Utilizing this familiar dynamic collaboration environment, we hope to achieve a significant reduction of time and skill required to glean actionable intelligence in these challenging operational environments.

Acquiring synaesthesia: insights from training studies

PubMed Central

Rothen, Nicolas; Meier, Beat

2014-01-01

Synaesthesia denotes a condition of remarkable individual differences in experience characterized by specific additional experiences in response to normal sensory input. Synaesthesia seems to (i) run in families which suggests a genetic component, (ii) is associated with marked structural and functional neural differences, and (iii) is usually reported to exist from early childhood. Hence, synaesthesia is generally regarded as a congenital phenomenon. However, most synaesthetic experiences are triggered by cultural artifacts (e.g., letters, musical sounds). Evidence exists to suggest that synaesthetic experiences are triggered by the conceptual representation of their inducer stimuli. Cases were identified for which the specific synaesthetic associations are related to prior experiences and large scale studies show that grapheme-color associations in synaesthesia are not completely random. Hence, a learning component is inherently involved in the development of specific synaesthetic associations. Researchers have hypothesized that associative learning is the critical mechanism. Recently, it has become of scientific and public interest if synaesthetic experiences may be acquired by means of associative training procedures and whether the gains of these trainings are associated with similar cognitive benefits as genuine synaesthetic experiences. In order to shed light on these issues and inform synaesthesia researchers and the general interested public alike, we provide a comprehensive literature review on developmental aspects of synaesthesia and specific training procedures in non-synaesthetes. Under the light of a clear working definition of synaesthesia, we come to the conclusion that synaesthesia can potentially be learned by the appropriate training. PMID:24624072

Consumers’ experiences of back pain in rural Western Australia: access to information and services, and self-management behaviours

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Coordinated, interdisciplinary services, supported by self-management underpin effective management for chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, a combination of system, provider and consumer-based barriers exist which limit the implementation of such models into practice, particularly in rural areas where unique access issues exist. In order to improve health service delivery for consumers with CLBP, policymakers and service providers require a more in depth understanding of these issues. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore barriers experienced by consumers in rural settings in Western Australia (WA) to accessing information and services and implementing effective self-management behaviours for CLBP. Methods Fourteen consumers with a history of CLBP from three rural sites in WA participated. Maximum variation sampling was employed to ensure a range of experiences were captured. An interviewer, blinded to quantitative pain history data, conducted semi-structured telephone interviews using a standardised schedule to explore individuals’ access to information and services for CLBP, and self-management behaviours. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive analysis techniques were used to derive and refine key themes. Results Five key themes were identified that affected individuals’ experiences of managing CLBP in a rural setting, including: 1) poor access to information and services in rural settings; 2) inadequate knowledge and skills among local practitioners; 3) feelings of isolation and frustration; 4) psychological burden associated with CLBP; and 5) competing lifestyle demands hindering effective self-management for CLBP. Conclusions Consumers in rural WA experienced difficulties in knowing where to access relevant information for CLBP and expressed frustration with the lack of service delivery options to access interdisciplinary and specialist services for CLBP. Competing lifestyle demands such as work and family commitments were cited as key barriers to adopting regular self-management practices. Consumer expectations for improved health service coordination and a workforce skilled in pain management are relevant to future service planning, particularly in the contexts of workforce capacity, community health services, and enablers to effective service delivery in primary care. PMID:23057669

Relationships and Betrayal among Young Women: Theoretical Perspectives on Adolescent Dating Abuse

PubMed Central

Burton, Candace W.; Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie; Rankin, Sally H.; Rehm, Roberta S.; Humphreys, Janice C.

2010-01-01

AIMS Adolescent dating abuse is not specifically described by any current nursing theory, and this paper presents discussion of some existing theories that could inform a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse. To account for the effects of gender, this discussion is limited to young women. BACKGROUND Adolescent dating abuse is an important and understudied international issue for nursing. Theoretical frameworks can support development of nursing scholarship for such issues. No single theory yet exists within nursing to explain the experiences and health ramifications of dating abuse among young women. DATA SOURCES A summary table of theories is provided. Literature was gathered via database search and bibliographic snowballing from reference lists of relevant articles. Included literature dates from 1982 through 2010. DISCUSSION Theories of relationship formation and function are discussed, including attachment, investment, feminist and gender role conflict theories. Betrayal trauma theory is considered as a mechanism of injury following an abusive dating experience. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Gender, relationship, and adolescence combine in a complex developmental moment for young women. To improve nursing care for those at risk for or in the throes of abusive relationships, it is critical to develop specific nursing approaches to understanding these relationships. CONCLUSION Existing theories related to relationship and traumatic experiences can be combined in the development of a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse among young women. PMID:21261691

Relationships and betrayal among young women: theoretical perspectives on adolescent dating abuse.

PubMed

Burton, Candace W; Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie; Rankin, Sally H; Rehm, Roberta S; Humphreys, Janice C

2011-06-01

Adolescent dating abuse is not specifically described by any current nursing theory, and this article presents discussion of some existing theories that could inform a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse. To account for the effects of gender, this discussion is limited to young women. Adolescent dating abuse is an important and understudied international issue for nursing. Theoretical frameworks can support development of nursing scholarship for such issues. No single theory yet exists in nursing to explain the experiences and health ramifications of dating abuse among young women. A summary table of theories is provided. Literature was gathered via database search and bibliographic snowballing from reference lists of relevant articles. Included literature dates from 1982 through 2010. Theories of relationship formation and function are discussed, including attachment, investment, feminist and gender role conflict theories. Betrayal trauma theory is considered as a mechanism of injury following an abusive dating experience. Gender, relationship and adolescence combine in a complex developmental moment for young women. To improve nursing care for those at risk for or in the throes of abusive relationships, it is critical to develop specific nursing approaches to understanding these relationships. Existing theories related to relationship and traumatic experiences can be combined in the development of a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse among young women. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

ASRDI oxygen technology survey. Volume 3: Heat transfer and fluid dynamics. Abstracts of selected technical reports and publications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, A. F. (Editor)

1972-01-01

Selected information is presented from an assemblage of reports and publications on heat transfer and fluid dynamics with direct applicability to oxygen systems. For each document cited, an abstract has been prepared together with key words and a listing of most important references found in the document. Additionally, an author index, a subject index, and a key word index have been provided to simplify the retrieval of specific information from this work. In each subject area - e.g., boiling heat transfer - the individual citations are listed alphabetically by first author, with review papers dually noted under the appropriate subject category and under review papers. Of the documents reviewed and evaluated for inclusion in this publication, coverage of existing information directly concerned with oxygen was given primary emphasis. However, work not specifically oxygen-designated but considered applicable to oxygen by the reviewer e.g., a two-phase friction factor correlation derived from nitrogen experiments is occasionally given where no actual oxygen data exist, as an aid to the reader. Approximately 130 abstracts are listed.

The role of working memory in inferential sentence comprehension.

PubMed

Pérez, Ana Isabel; Paolieri, Daniela; Macizo, Pedro; Bajo, Teresa

2014-08-01

Existing literature on inference making is large and varied. Trabasso and Magliano (Discourse Process 21(3):255-287, 1996) proposed the existence of three types of inferences: explicative, associative and predictive. In addition, the authors suggested that these inferences were related to working memory (WM). In the present experiment, we investigated whether WM capacity plays a role in our ability to answer comprehension sentences that require text information based on these types of inferences. Participants with high and low WM span read two narratives with four paragraphs each. After each paragraph was read, they were presented with four true/false comprehension sentences. One required verbatim information and the other three implied explicative, associative and predictive inferential information. Results demonstrated that only the explicative and predictive comprehension sentences required WM: participants with high verbal WM were more accurate in giving explanations and also faster at making predictions relative to participants with low verbal WM span; in contrast, no WM differences were found in the associative comprehension sentences. These results are interpreted in terms of the causal nature underlying these types of inferences.

The Long Road to Semantic Interoperability in Support of Public Health: Experiences from Two States

PubMed Central

Vreeman, Daniel J.; Grannis, Shaun J.

2014-01-01

Proliferation of health information technologies creates opportunities to improve clinical and public health, including high quality, safer care and lower costs. To maximize such potential benefits, health information technologies must readily and reliably exchange information with other systems. However, evidence from public health surveillance programs in two states suggests that operational clinical information systems often fail to use available standards, a barrier to semantic interoperability. Furthermore, analysis of existing policies incentivizing semantic interoperability suggests they have limited impact and are fragmented. In this essay, we discuss three approaches for increasing semantic interoperability to support national goals for using health information technologies. A clear, comprehensive strategy requiring collaborative efforts by clinical and public health stakeholders is suggested as a guide for the long road towards better population health data and outcomes. PMID:24680985

The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments.

PubMed

Coppens, Leonora C; Verkoeijen, Peter P J L; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Rikers, Remy M J P

2016-05-31

The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target pairs (mother-child) activates semantically related mediators (father) more than restudying. Hence, the mediator-target (father-child) association should be stronger for retrieved than restudied pairs. Indeed, Carpenter (2011) found a larger testing effect when participants received mediators (father) than when they received target-related words (birth) as final test cues. The present study started as an attempt to test an alternative account of Carpenter's results. However, it turned into a series of conceptual (Experiment 1) and direct (Experiment 2 and 3) replications conducted with online samples. The results of these online replications were compared with those of similar existing laboratory experiments through small-scale meta-analyses. The results showed that (1) the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is comparable for online and laboratory experiments, (2) in both online and laboratory experiments the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment, and (3) the testing effect for related cues varies considerably between online experiments. The variability in the testing effect for related cues in online experiments could point toward moderators of the related cue short-term testing effect. The raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment.

Naval Postgraduate School Research. Volume 9, Number 1, February 1999

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-02-01

before the digitization, since these add noise and nonlinear distortion to the signal. After digitization by the digital antenna, the data stream can be...instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information...like pulse compression. (Gener- ally, few experiments have measured the jitter of the lasers.) From the data , we note that the pulse width require

Strategy Guideline: Modeling Enclosure Design in Above-Grade Walls

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

Lstiburek, J.; Ueno, K.; Musunuru, S.

2016-02-24

The Strategy Guideline describes how to model and interpret results of models for above grade walls. The Measure Guideline analyzes the failure thresholds and criteria for above grade walls. A library of above-grade walls with historically successful performance was used to calibrate WUFI (Warme Und Feuchte Instationar) software models. The information is generalized for application to a broad population of houses within the limits of existing experience.

Understanding newsworthiness of an emerging pandemic: international newspaper coverage of the H1N1 outbreak.

PubMed

Smith, Katherine C; Rimal, Rajiv N; Sandberg, Helena; Storey, John D; Lagasse, Lisa; Maulsby, Catherine; Rhoades, Elizabeth; Barnett, Daniel J; Omer, Saad B; Links, Jonathan M

2013-09-01

During an evolving public health crisis, news organizations disseminate information rapidly, much of which is uncertain, dynamic, and difficult to verify. We examine factors related to international news coverage of H1N1 during the first month after the outbreak in late April 2009 and consider the news media's role as an information source during an emerging pandemic. Data on H1N1 news were compiled in real time from newspaper websites across twelve countries between April 29, 2009 and May 28, 2009. A news sample was purposively constructed to capture variation in countries' prior experience with avian influenza outbreaks and pandemic preparation efforts. We analyzed the association between H1N1 news volume and four predictor variables: geographic region, prior experience of a novel flu strain (H5N1), existence of a national pandemic plan, and existence of a localized H1N1 outbreak. H1N1 news was initially extensive but declined rapidly (OR = 0.85, P < .001). Pandemic planning did not predict newsworthiness. However, countries with prior avian flu experience had higher news volume (OR = 1.411, P < .05), suggesting that H1N1 newsworthiness was bolstered by past experiences. The proportion of H1N1 news was significantly lower in Europe than elsewhere (OR = 0.388, P < 0.05). Finally, coverage of H1N1 increased after a first in-country case (OR = 1.415, P < .01), interrupting the pattern of coverage decline. Findings demonstrate the enhanced newsworthiness of localized threats, even during an emerging pandemic. We discuss implications for news media's role in effective public health communication throughout an epidemic given the demonstrated precipitous decline in news interest. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Optimal Information Extraction of Laser Scanning Dataset by Scale-Adaptive Reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zang, Y.; Yang, B.

2018-04-01

3D laser technology is widely used to collocate the surface information of object. For various applications, we need to extract a good perceptual quality point cloud from the scanned points. To solve the problem, most of existing methods extract important points based on a fixed scale. However, geometric features of 3D object come from various geometric scales. We propose a multi-scale construction method based on radial basis function. For each scale, important points are extracted from the point cloud based on their importance. We apply a perception metric Just-Noticeable-Difference to measure degradation of each geometric scale. Finally, scale-adaptive optimal information extraction is realized. Experiments are undertaken to evaluate the effective of the proposed method, suggesting a reliable solution for optimal information extraction of object.

[Indicators, variables and obstacles to the life cycle of scientific and technical information in health. Experiences of the Centro Nacional de Información y Documentación en Salud in Mexico].

PubMed

Macías-Chapula, C A

1987-01-01

Indicators, variables and barriers to scientific and technical health information have been detected and described by CENIDS in Mexico within the life cycle of the information production model, covering the phases of: a) generation; b) institutionalization; c) maintenance/development; and d) distribution/dissemination. Emphasis is placed on the important role that play social, economic, demographic, and political factors of each developing country to conform their ideal information life cycle. After an analysis of the existing Mexican situation, and a short description of CENIDS' structure, organization, functions and services, CENIDS' short-term and mid-term projects, and suggestions for further research lines to improve the current situation in Mexico are also given.

Emerging computer technologies and the news media of the future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vrabel, Debra A.

1993-01-01

The media environment of the future may be dramatically different from what exists today. As new computing and communications technologies evolve and synthesize to form a global, integrated communications system of networks, public domain hardware and software, and consumer products, it will be possible for citizens to fulfill most information needs at any time and from any place, to obtain desired information easily and quickly, to obtain information in a variety of forms, and to experience and interact with information in a variety of ways. This system will transform almost every institution, every profession, and every aspect of human life--including the creation, packaging, and distribution of news and information by media organizations. This paper presents one vision of a 21st century global information system and how it might be used by citizens. It surveys some of the technologies now on the market that are paving the way for new media environment.

Experimental demonstration on the deterministic quantum key distribution based on entangled photons.

PubMed

Chen, Hua; Zhou, Zhi-Yuan; Zangana, Alaa Jabbar Jumaah; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Wu, Juan; Han, Yun-Guang; Wang, Shuang; Li, Hong-Wei; He, De-Yong; Tawfeeq, Shelan Khasro; Shi, Bao-Sen; Guo, Guang-Can; Chen, Wei; Han, Zheng-Fu

2016-02-10

As an important resource, entanglement light source has been used in developing quantum information technologies, such as quantum key distribution(QKD). There are few experiments implementing entanglement-based deterministic QKD protocols since the security of existing protocols may be compromised in lossy channels. In this work, we report on a loss-tolerant deterministic QKD experiment which follows a modified "Ping-Pong"(PP) protocol. The experiment results demonstrate for the first time that a secure deterministic QKD session can be fulfilled in a channel with an optical loss of 9 dB, based on a telecom-band entangled photon source. This exhibits a conceivable prospect of ultilizing entanglement light source in real-life fiber-based quantum communications.

Experimental demonstration on the deterministic quantum key distribution based on entangled photons

PubMed Central

Chen, Hua; Zhou, Zhi-Yuan; Zangana, Alaa Jabbar Jumaah; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Wu, Juan; Han, Yun-Guang; Wang, Shuang; Li, Hong-Wei; He, De-Yong; Tawfeeq, Shelan Khasro; Shi, Bao-Sen; Guo, Guang-Can; Chen, Wei; Han, Zheng-Fu

2016-01-01

As an important resource, entanglement light source has been used in developing quantum information technologies, such as quantum key distribution(QKD). There are few experiments implementing entanglement-based deterministic QKD protocols since the security of existing protocols may be compromised in lossy channels. In this work, we report on a loss-tolerant deterministic QKD experiment which follows a modified “Ping-Pong”(PP) protocol. The experiment results demonstrate for the first time that a secure deterministic QKD session can be fulfilled in a channel with an optical loss of 9 dB, based on a telecom-band entangled photon source. This exhibits a conceivable prospect of ultilizing entanglement light source in real-life fiber-based quantum communications. PMID:26860582

A qualitative exploration of how Canadian informal caregivers in medical tourism use experiential resources to cope with providing transnational care.

PubMed

Whitmore, Rebecca; Crooks, Valorie A; Snyder, Jeremy

2017-01-01

Canadians travelling abroad for privately arranged surgeries paid for out-of-pocket are engaging in what has come to be known as medical tourism. They are often accompanied by friends or family members, who we call caregiver-companions. Caregiver-companions provide care in and across a variety of formal and informal settings, such as in hotels, airplanes and at home. This qualitative study examines the experiences of informal caregivers in medical tourism to learn more about the lived experiences or 'experiential resources' they draw upon to cope with providing care and avoiding caregiver burden. The care-giving literature has demonstrated that such burden can negatively impact caregivers' well-being. The unique, transnational context of care-giving in medical tourism and recent growth in popularity of this practice means that there are few supports or resources currently in place to assist informal caregivers. In this article, we report on an analysis that sought to detail how caregiver-companions draw upon their previous lived experiences to cope with providing transnational care and to minimise or avoid the onset of caregiver burden. We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 20 Canadians who had accompanied their friends or family members abroad for surgery between September 2013 and January 2014. Thematic analysis revealed the ways that participants had developed practical strategies to deal with the challenges they faced in medical tourism. The interviews revealed three important experiential resources drawn upon by participants: (i) previous experiences of international travel; (ii) previous experiences of informal care-giving; and (iii) dimensions of the existing relationship with the care recipient. Differences in access to and use of these experiential resources related to participants' perspectives on medical tourism and the outcomes of the trip. By identifying the experiential resources drawn upon by informal caregivers in medical tourism, we can more effectively identify supportive interventions. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Your Understanding Is My Understanding: Evidence for a Community of Knowledge.

PubMed

Sloman, Steven A; Rabb, Nathaniel

2016-11-01

In four experiments, we tested the community-of-knowledge hypothesis, that people fail to distinguish their own knowledge from other people's knowledge. In all the experiments, despite the absence of any actual explanatory information, people rated their own understanding of novel natural phenomena as higher when they were told that scientists understood the phenomena than when they were told that scientists did not yet understand them. In Experiment 2, we found that this occurs only when people have ostensible access to the scientists' explanations; the effect does not occur when the explanations exist but are held in secret. In Experiment 3, we further ruled out two classes of alternative explanations (one appealing to task demands and the other proposing that judgments were mediated by inferences about a phenomenon's understandability). In Experiment 4, we ruled out the possibility that the effect could be attributed to a pragmatic inference. © The Author(s) 2016.

Existence of Corotating and Counter-Rotating Vortex Pairs for Active Scalar Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hmidi, Taoufik; Mateu, Joan

2017-03-01

In this paper, we study the existence of corotating and counter-rotating pairs of simply connected patches for Euler equations and the {(SQG)_{α}} equations with {α in (0,1)}. From the numerical experiments implemented for Euler equations in Deem and Zabusky (Phys Rev Lett 40(13):859-862, 1978), Pierrehumbert (J Fluid Mech 99:129-144, 1980), Saffman and Szeto (Phys Fluids 23(12):2339-2342, 1980) it is conjectured the existence of a curve of steady vortex pairs passing through the point vortex pairs. There are some analytical proofs based on variational principle (Keady in J Aust Math Soc Ser B 26:487-502, 1985; Turkington in Nonlinear Anal Theory Methods Appl 9(4):351-369, 1985); however, they do not give enough information about the pairs, such as the uniqueness or the topological structure of each single vortex. We intend in this paper to give direct proofs confirming the numerical experiments and extend these results for the {(SQG)_{α}} equation when {α in (0,1)}. The proofs rely on the contour dynamics equations combined with a desingularization of the point vortex pairs and the application of the implicit function theorem.

Retrieval activates related words more than presentation.

PubMed

Hausman, Hannah; Rhodes, Matthew G

2018-03-23

Retrieving information enhances learning more than restudying. One explanation of this effect is based on the role of mediators (e.g., sand-castle can be mediated by beach). Retrieval is hypothesised to activate mediators more than restudying, but existing tests of this hypothesis have had mixed results [Carpenter, S. K. (2011). Semantic information activated during retrieval contributes to later retention: Support for the mediator effectiveness hypothesis of the testing effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 37(6), 1547-1552. doi: 10.1037/a0024140 ; Lehman, M., & Karpicke, J. D. (2016). Elaborative retrieval: Do semantic mediators improve memory? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 42(10), 1573-1591. doi: 10.1037/xlm0000267 ]. The present experiments explored an explanation of the conflicting results, testing whether mediator activation during a retrieval attempt depends on the accessibility of the target information. A target was considered less versus more accessible when fewer versus more cues were given during retrieval practice (Experiments 1 and 2), when the target had been studied once versus three times initially (Experiment 3), or when the target could not be recalled versus could be recalled during retrieval practice (Experiments 1-3). A mini meta-analysis of all three experiments revealed a small effect such that retrieval activated mediators more than presentation, but mediator activation was not reliably related to target accessibility. Thus, retrieval may enhance learning by activating mediators, in part, but these results suggest the role of other processes, too.

'Stress, anger, fear and injustice': An international qualitative survey of women's experiences planning a vaginal breech birth.

PubMed

Petrovska, Karolina; Watts, Nicole P; Catling, Christine; Bisits, Andrew; Homer, Caroline Se

2017-01-01

the outcomes of the Term Breech Trial had a profound impact on women's options for breech birth, with caesarean section now seen as the default method for managing breech birth by many clinicians. Despite this, the demand for planned vaginal breech birth from women does exist. This study aimed to examine the experiences of women who sought a vaginal breech birth to increase understanding as to how to care for women seeking this birth option. an electronic survey was distributed to women online via social media. The survey consisted of qualitative and quantitative questions, with the qualitative data being the focus of this paper. Open ended questions sought information on the ways in which woman sourced a clinician skilled in vaginal breech birth and the level of support and quality of information provided from clinicians regarding vaginal breech birth. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and code the qualitative data into major themes. in total, 204 women from over seven countries responded to the survey. Written responses to the open ended questions were categorised into seven themes: Seeking the chance to try for a VBB; Encountering coercion and fear; Putting the birth before the baby?; Dealing with emotional wounds; Searching for information and support; Traveling across boundaries; Overcoming obstacles in the system. for women seeking vaginal breech birth, limited system and clinical support can impede access to balanced information and options for care. Recognition of existing evidence on the safety of vaginal breech birth, as well as the presence of clinical guidelines that support it, may assist in promoting vaginal breech birth as a legitimate option that should be available to women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PIMMS tools for capturing metadata about simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascoe, Charlotte; Devine, Gerard; Tourte, Gregory; Pascoe, Stephen; Lawrence, Bryan; Barjat, Hannah

2013-04-01

PIMMS (Portable Infrastructure for the Metafor Metadata System) provides a method for consistent and comprehensive documentation of modelling activities that enables the sharing of simulation data and model configuration information. The aim of PIMMS is to package the metadata infrastructure developed by Metafor for CMIP5 so that it can be used by climate modelling groups in UK Universities. PIMMS tools capture information about simulations from the design of experiments to the implementation of experiments via simulations that run models. PIMMS uses the Metafor methodology which consists of a Common Information Model (CIM), Controlled Vocabularies (CV) and software tools. PIMMS software tools provide for the creation and consumption of CIM content via a web services infrastructure and portal developed by the ES-DOC community. PIMMS metadata integrates with the ESGF data infrastructure via the mapping of vocabularies onto ESGF facets. There are three paradigms of PIMMS metadata collection: Model Intercomparision Projects (MIPs) where a standard set of questions is asked of all models which perform standard sets of experiments. Disciplinary level metadata collection where a standard set of questions is asked of all models but experiments are specified by users. Bespoke metadata creation where the users define questions about both models and experiments. Examples will be shown of how PIMMS has been configured to suit each of these three paradigms. In each case PIMMS allows users to provide additional metadata beyond that which is asked for in an initial deployment. The primary target for PIMMS is the UK climate modelling community where it is common practice to reuse model configurations from other researchers. This culture of collaboration exists in part because climate models are very complex with many variables that can be modified. Therefore it has become common practice to begin a series of experiments by using another climate model configuration as a starting point. Usually this other configuration is provided by a researcher in the same research group or by a previous collaborator with whom there is an existing scientific relationship. Some efforts have been made at the university department level to create documentation but there is a wide diversity in the scope and purpose of this information. The consistent and comprehensive documentation enabled by PIMMS will enable the wider sharing of climate model data and configuration information. The PIMMS methodology assumes an initial effort to document standard model configurations. Once these descriptions have been created users need only describe the specific way in which their model configuration is different from the standard. Thus the documentation burden on the user is specific to the experiment they are performing and fits easily into the workflow of doing their science. PIMMS metadata is independent of data and as such is ideally suited for documenting model development. PIMMS provides a framework for sharing information about failed model configurations for which data are not kept, the negative results that don't appear in scientific literature. PIMMS is a UK project funded by JISC, The University of Reading, The University of Bristol and STFC.

The Phantom Vanish Magic Trick: Investigating the Disappearance of a Non-existent Object in a Dynamic Scene

PubMed Central

Tompkins, Matthew L.; Woods, Andy T.; Aimola Davies, Anne M.

2016-01-01

Drawing inspiration from sleight-of-hand magic tricks, we developed an experimental paradigm to investigate whether magicians’ misdirection techniques could be used to induce the misperception of “phantom” objects. While previous experiments investigating sleight-of-hand magic tricks have focused on creating false assumptions about the movement of an object in a scene, our experiment investigated creating false assumptions about the presence of an object in a scene. Participants watched a sequence of silent videos depicting a magician performing with a single object. Following each video, participants were asked to write a description of the events in the video. In the final video, participants watched the Phantom Vanish Magic Trick, a novel magic trick developed for this experiment, in which the magician pantomimed the actions of presenting an object and then making it magically disappear. No object was presented during the final video. The silent videos precluded the use of false verbal suggestions, and participants were not asked leading questions about the objects. Nevertheless, 32% of participants reported having visual impressions of non-existent objects. These findings support an inferential model of perception, wherein top-down expectations can be manipulated by the magician to generate vivid illusory experiences, even in the absence of corresponding bottom-up information. PMID:27493635

Solar Physics - Plasma Physics Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baum, P. J.; Beckers, J. M.; Newman, C. E.; Priest, E. R.; Rosenberg, H.; Smith, D. F.; Sturrock, P. A.; Wentzel, D. G.

1974-01-01

A summary of the proceedings of a conference whose purpose was to explore plasma physics problems which arise in the study of solar physics is provided. Sessions were concerned with specific questions including the following: (1) whether the solar plasma is thermal or non-themal; (2) what spectroscopic data is required; (3) what types of magnetic field structures exist; (4) whether magnetohydrodynamic instabilities occur; (5) whether resistive or non-magnetohydrodynamic instabilities occur; (6) what mechanisms of particle acceleration have been proposed; and (7) what information is available concerning shock waves. Very few questions were answered categorically but, for each question, there was discussion concerning the observational evidence, theoretical analyses, and existing or potential laboratory and numerical experiments.

The Perception and Representation of Segmental and Prosodic Mandarin Contrasts in Native Speakers of Cantonese

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xujin; Samuel, Arthur G.; Liu, Siyun

2011-01-01

Previous research has found that a speaker’s native phonological system has a great influence on perception of another language. In three experiments, we tested the perception and representation of Mandarin phonological contrasts by Guangzhou Cantonese speakers, and compared their performance to that of native Mandarin speakers. Despite their rich experience using Mandarin Chinese, the Cantonese speakers had problems distinguishing specific Mandarin segmental and tonal contrasts that do not exist in Guangzhou Cantonese. However, we found evidence that the subtle differences between two members of a contrast were nonetheless represented in the lexicon. We also found different processing patterns for non-native segmental versus non-native tonal contrasts. The results provide substantial new information about the representation and processing of segmental and prosodic information by individuals listening to a closely-related, very well-learned, but still non-native language. PMID:22707849

OAI and NASA's Scientific and Technical Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Michael L.; Rocker, JoAnne; Harrison, Terry L.

2002-01-01

The Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) is an evolving protocol and philosophy regarding interoperability for digital libraries (DLs). Previously, "distributed searching" models were popular for DL interoperability. However, experience has shown distributed searching systems across large numbers of DLs to be difficult to maintain in an Internet environment. The OAI-PMH is a move away from distributed searching, focusing on the arguably simpler model of "metadata harvesting". We detail NASA s involvement in defining and testing the OAI-PMH and experience to date with adapting existing NASA distributed searching DLs (such as the NASA Technical Report Server) to use the OAI-PMH and metadata harvesting. We discuss some of the entirely new DL projects that the OAI-PMH has made possible, such as the Technical Report Interchange project. We explain the strategic importance of the OAI-PMH to the mission of NASA s Scientific and Technical Information Program.

Experiences of older people following the introduction of consumer-directed care to home care packages: A qualitative descriptive study.

PubMed

Day, Jenny; Thorington Taylor, Ann C; Hunter, Sharyn; Summons, Peter; van der Riet, Pamela; Harris, Margaret; Maguire, Jane; Dilworth, Sophie; Jeong, Sarah; Bellchambers, Helen; Haydon, Gunilla; Higgins, Isabel

2018-06-12

To explore the experiences of older people receiving home care package (HCP) support following the introduction of consumer-directed care (CDC) by the Australian government on 1 July 2015. Thirty-one older people with existing HCP support from two service providers in regional New South Wales, Australia, participated in a face-to-face interview and/or a qualitative survey. Analysis revealed the theme of Choices: Preferences, constraints, balancing and choosing. Participants described choosing to live at home with HCP support; however, they were constrained by poor communication and information about service changes and options, personal budgets and access to future care. HCP services remained largely unchanged during transition to CDC. Many aspects of the initial implementation of CDC were challenging for older people. Clear, relevant and timely communication and information about CDC and its consequences for consumers appear to be needed to enhance CDC. © 2018 AJA Inc.

Wind tunnel measurements for dispersion modelling of vehicle wakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpentieri, Matteo; Kumar, Prashant; Robins, Alan

2012-12-01

Wind tunnel measurements downwind of reduced scale car models have been made to study the wake regions in detail, test the usefulness of existing vehicle wake models, and draw key information needed for dispersion modelling in vehicle wakes. The experiments simulated a car moving in still air. This is achieved by (i) the experimental characterisation of the flow, turbulence and concentration fields in both the near and far wake regions, (ii) the preliminary assessment of existing wake models using the experimental database, and (iii) the comparison of previous field measurements in the wake of a real diesel car with the wind tunnel measurements. The experiments highlighted very large gradients of velocities and concentrations existing, in particular, in the near-wake. Of course, the measured fields are strongly dependent on the geometry of the modelled vehicle and a generalisation for other vehicles may prove to be difficult. The methodology applied in the present study, although improvable, could constitute a first step towards the development of mathematical parameterisations. Experimental results were also compared with the estimates from two wake models. It was found that they can adequately describe the far-wake of a vehicle in terms of velocities, but a better characterisation in terms of turbulence and pollutant dispersion is needed. Parameterised models able to predict velocity and concentrations with fine enough details at the near-wake scale do not exist.

The Patient Experience With Shared Decision Making: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

PubMed

Truglio-Londrigan, Marie

2015-01-01

Shared decision making is a process characterized by a partnership between a nurse and a patient. The existence of a relationship does not ensure shared decision making. Little is known about what nurses need to know and do for this experience to take place. A qualitative descriptive study was implemented using Coalizzi's method. Semistructured interviews were held with patients, and 3 themes were uncovered. The findings suggest that a nurse's conduct aimed at drawing patients in and inviting them to participate in a conversation leads toward shared decisions. Infusion nurses may find this information useful as they engage their patients in shared decisions.

Study of inelastic e-Cd and e-Zn collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piwinski, Mariusz; Klosowski, Lukasz; Dziczek, Darek; Chwirot, Stanislaw

2016-09-01

Electron-photon coincidence experiments are well known for providing more detailed information about electron-atom collision than any other technique. The Electron Impact Coherence Parameters (EICP) values obtained in such studies deliver the most complete characterization of the inelastic collision and allow for a verification of proposed theoretical models. We present the results of Stokes and EICP parameters characterising electronic excitation of the lowest singlet P-state of cadmium and zinc atoms for various collision energies. The experiments were performed using electron-photon coincidence technique in the coherence analysis version. The obtained data are presented and compared with existing CCC and RDWA theoretical predictions.

Evaluation of force-torque displays for use with space station telerobotic activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendrich, Robert C.; Bierschwale, John M.; Manahan, Meera K.; Stuart, Mark A.; Legendre, A. Jay

1992-01-01

Recent experiments which addressed Space Station remote manipulation tasks found that tactile force feedback (reflecting forces and torques encountered at the end-effector through the manipulator hand controller) does not improve performance significantly. Subjective response from astronaut and non-astronaut test subjects indicated that force information, provided visually, could be useful. No research exists which specifically investigates methods of presenting force-torque information visually. This experiment was designed to evaluate seven different visual force-torque displays which were found in an informal telephone survey. The displays were prototyped in the HyperCard programming environment. In a within-subjects experiment, 14 subjects nullified forces and torques presented statically, using response buttons located at the bottom of the screen. Dependent measures included questionnaire data, errors, and response time. Subjective data generally demonstrate that subjects rated variations of pseudo-perspective displays consistently better than bar graph and digital displays. Subjects commented that the bar graph and digital displays could be used, but were not compatible with using hand controllers. Quantitative data show similar trends to the subjective data, except that the bar graph and digital displays both provided good performance, perhaps do to the mapping of response buttons to display elements. Results indicate that for this set of displays, the pseudo-perspective displays generally represent a more intuitive format for presenting force-torque information.

Understanding women's experiences of distress during pregnancy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

PubMed

Kaaya, S F; Mbwambo, J K; Fawzi, M C Smith; Van Den Borne, H; Schaalma, H; Leshabari, M T

2010-01-01

Several studies show depression is common during pregnancy. However, there is limited information in Tanzania on the magnitude of perceived distress during pregnancy and meanings ascribed to such distress. A descriptive survey collected data using unstructured interviews from 12 traditional practitioners and 10 peri-urban women with previous pregnancy related mental health concerns identified using a depression vignette. The objectives were to describe the sources and characteristics of distress during pregnancy, and idioms of distress that could inform cultural adaptation of depression screening tools. Narrative analysis showed an emergent category of "problematic pregnancies" framed women's recollections of prolonged periods of sadness. This experience was qualified using various idioms of distress that were differentially emphasized depending on informant's perceived causes of health concern. The idiom kusononeka was consistently used to describe extreme sadness across causal categories and clustered with at least two typical features of major depression. This suggested existence of a construct with similarities to biomedical criteria for depression. "Thinking too much" emerged as a distinctive expression associated with prolonged sadness. Distinctive expressions of social functioning impairments were identified that can inform depression severity assessments. In conclusion, contextual inquiry into experiences of psychological distress showed distinct local idioms that clustered in patterns similar to symptoms of biomedical depressive episodes. Further studies to assess the utility of local idioms of distress and distress related functional impairment in depression assessment tools are warranted.

Understanding informal carers' experiences of caring for older people with a hip fracture: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

PubMed

Saletti-Cuesta, Lorena; Tutton, Elizabeth; Langstaff, Debbie; Willett, Keith

2018-04-01

This systematic review aimed to reconceptualize experiences from a variety of papers to provide direction for research, policy and practice. Meta-ethnography was used to inform the review, and 21 studies were included. The analysis identified a core theme of "engaging in care: struggling through", as carers, who wanted to be involved in caring, learnt to live with the intense and stressful impact of caring and changes to their life. The core theme is represented through three themes (1) Helping another to live, (2) Adapting ways of living and (3) Negotiating the unknown. The discussion identified a focus on carers of people suffering from a hip fracture, the willingness of informal carers to engage in caring and the intense experience of adapting to changes in relationships and dependency alongside a steep experiential learning curve. Tensions exist in negotiations with complex health care systems as carers do not feel their expertise is valued and struggle to find and understand information. Implications for Rehabilitation Including relatives/carers in the umbrella of care within a family-centred approach. Involving relatives/carers within shared decision-making about care requirements and rehabilitation goals. Utilizing forms of experiential learning to help the development of relatives/carers skills in relation to their role as carer. Providing opportunities for carers to explore ways of sustaining their own health through self-compassion.

‘Nothing fit me’: nationwide consultations with young women with breast cancer

PubMed Central

Gould, Judy; Grassau, Pamela; Manthorne, Jackie; Gray, Ross E.; Fitch, Margaret I.

2006-01-01

Abstract Objective  There exists little research about the experience of breast cancer for young women in Canada. To address this gap, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) and the Ontario Breast Cancer Community Research Initiative undertook a research project to explore the information and support experiences, needs and recommendations of geographically diverse Canadian young women with breast cancer. Setting and participants  We consulted with 65 young women in 10 focus groups held across Canada. All women had been diagnosed with breast cancer at, or before, 45 years of age. During the consultations the women were asked to discuss their information and support experiences and needs, as well as resource recommendations related to their diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Main results  The overarching theme, ‘Nothing Fit Me’, revealed that accessed information, support and programmes/services did not ‘fit’ or match the women's age or life stage. When we asked for their recommendations the young women suggested that information and support match their age and life stage and that health‐care providers create and implement several topical workshops concerning, for example, sexuality, lymphedema and reconstruction. Conclusion  The findings will be used by the CBCN as a general platform from which to conduct further research and/or action strategies. The CBCN will also implement the recommendations from this groundbreaking work as this network formulates a national strategy for young women with breast cancer. PMID:16677195

New opportunities of real-world data from clinical routine settings in life-cycle management of drugs: example of an integrative approach in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Rothenbacher, Dietrich; Capkun, Gorana; Uenal, Hatice; Tumani, Hayrettin; Geissbühler, Yvonne; Tilson, Hugh

2015-05-01

The assessment and demonstration of a positive benefit-risk balance of a drug is a life-long process and includes specific data from preclinical, clinical development and post-launch experience. However, new integrative approaches are needed to enrich evidence from clinical trials and sponsor-initiated observational studies with information from multiple additional sources, including registry information and other existing observational data and, more recently, health-related administrative claims and medical records databases. To illustrate the value of this approach, this paper exemplifies such a cross-package approach to the area of multiple sclerosis, exploring also possible analytic strategies when using these multiple sources of information.

Guidelines for information about therapy experiments: a proposal on best practice for recording experimental data on cancer therapy.

PubMed

González-Beltrán, Alejandra N; Yong, May Y; Dancey, Gairin; Begent, Richard

2012-01-06

Biology, biomedicine and healthcare have become data-driven enterprises, where scientists and clinicians need to generate, access, validate, interpret and integrate different kinds of experimental and patient-related data. Thus, recording and reporting of data in a systematic and unambiguous fashion is crucial to allow aggregation and re-use of data. This paper reviews the benefits of existing biomedical data standards and focuses on key elements to record experiments for therapy development. Specifically, we describe the experiments performed in molecular, cellular, animal and clinical models. We also provide an example set of elements for a therapy tested in a phase I clinical trial. We introduce the Guidelines for Information About Therapy Experiments (GIATE), a minimum information checklist creating a consistent framework to transparently report the purpose, methods and results of the therapeutic experiments. A discussion on the scope, design and structure of the guidelines is presented, together with a description of the intended audience. We also present complementary resources such as a classification scheme, and two alternative ways of creating GIATE information: an electronic lab notebook and a simple spreadsheet-based format. Finally, we use GIATE to record the details of the phase I clinical trial of CHT-25 for patients with refractory lymphomas. The benefits of using GIATE for this experiment are discussed. While data standards are being developed to facilitate data sharing and integration in various aspects of experimental medicine, such as genomics and clinical data, no previous work focused on therapy development. We propose a checklist for therapy experiments and demonstrate its use in the 131Iodine labeled CHT-25 chimeric antibody cancer therapy. As future work, we will expand the set of GIATE tools to continue to encourage its use by cancer researchers, and we will engineer an ontology to annotate GIATE elements and facilitate unambiguous interpretation and data integration.

Guidelines for information about therapy experiments: a proposal on best practice for recording experimental data on cancer therapy

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Biology, biomedicine and healthcare have become data-driven enterprises, where scientists and clinicians need to generate, access, validate, interpret and integrate different kinds of experimental and patient-related data. Thus, recording and reporting of data in a systematic and unambiguous fashion is crucial to allow aggregation and re-use of data. This paper reviews the benefits of existing biomedical data standards and focuses on key elements to record experiments for therapy development. Specifically, we describe the experiments performed in molecular, cellular, animal and clinical models. We also provide an example set of elements for a therapy tested in a phase I clinical trial. Findings We introduce the Guidelines for Information About Therapy Experiments (GIATE), a minimum information checklist creating a consistent framework to transparently report the purpose, methods and results of the therapeutic experiments. A discussion on the scope, design and structure of the guidelines is presented, together with a description of the intended audience. We also present complementary resources such as a classification scheme, and two alternative ways of creating GIATE information: an electronic lab notebook and a simple spreadsheet-based format. Finally, we use GIATE to record the details of the phase I clinical trial of CHT-25 for patients with refractory lymphomas. The benefits of using GIATE for this experiment are discussed. Conclusions While data standards are being developed to facilitate data sharing and integration in various aspects of experimental medicine, such as genomics and clinical data, no previous work focused on therapy development. We propose a checklist for therapy experiments and demonstrate its use in the 131Iodine labeled CHT-25 chimeric antibody cancer therapy. As future work, we will expand the set of GIATE tools to continue to encourage its use by cancer researchers, and we will engineer an ontology to annotate GIATE elements and facilitate unambiguous interpretation and data integration. PMID:22226027

Biases in the Experimental Annotations of Protein Function and Their Effect on Our Understanding of Protein Function Space

PubMed Central

Schnoes, Alexandra M.; Ream, David C.; Thorman, Alexander W.; Babbitt, Patricia C.; Friedberg, Iddo

2013-01-01

The ongoing functional annotation of proteins relies upon the work of curators to capture experimental findings from scientific literature and apply them to protein sequence and structure data. However, with the increasing use of high-throughput experimental assays, a small number of experimental studies dominate the functional protein annotations collected in databases. Here, we investigate just how prevalent is the “few articles - many proteins” phenomenon. We examine the experimentally validated annotation of proteins provided by several groups in the GO Consortium, and show that the distribution of proteins per published study is exponential, with 0.14% of articles providing the source of annotations for 25% of the proteins in the UniProt-GOA compilation. Since each of the dominant articles describes the use of an assay that can find only one function or a small group of functions, this leads to substantial biases in what we know about the function of many proteins. Mass-spectrometry, microscopy and RNAi experiments dominate high throughput experiments. Consequently, the functional information derived from these experiments is mostly of the subcellular location of proteins, and of the participation of proteins in embryonic developmental pathways. For some organisms, the information provided by different studies overlap by a large amount. We also show that the information provided by high throughput experiments is less specific than those provided by low throughput experiments. Given the experimental techniques available, certain biases in protein function annotation due to high-throughput experiments are unavoidable. Knowing that these biases exist and understanding their characteristics and extent is important for database curators, developers of function annotation programs, and anyone who uses protein function annotation data to plan experiments. PMID:23737737

The earliest sense of self and others: Merleau-Ponty and recent developmental studies

PubMed Central

Gallagher, Shaun; Meltzoff, Andrew N.

2013-01-01

Recent studies in developmental psychology have found evidence to suggest that there exists an innate system that accounts for the possibilities of early infant imitation and the existence of phantom limbs in cases of congenital absence of limbs. These results challenge traditional assumptions about the status and development of the body schema and body image, and about the nature of the translation process between perceptual experience and motor ability. Merleau-Ponty, who was greatly influenced by his study of developmental psychology, and whose phenomenology of perception was closely tied to the concept of the body schema, accepted these traditional assumptions. They also informed his philosophical conclusions concerning the experience of self and others. We re-examine issues involved in understanding self and others in light of the more recent research in developmental psychology. More specifically our re-examination challenges a number of Merleau-Ponty’s conclusions and suggests, in contrast, that the newborn infant is capable of a rudimentary differentiation between self and non-self. PMID:24307757

Emotional experiences of preservice science teachers in online learning: the formation, disruption and maintenance of social bonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellocchi, Alberto; Mills, Kathy A.; Ritchie, Stephen M.

2016-09-01

The enactment of learning to become a science teacher in online mode is an emotionally charged experience. We attend to the formation, maintenance and disruption of social bonds experienced by online preservice science teachers as they shared their emotional online learning experiences through blogs, or e-motion diaries, in reaction to videos of face-to-face lessons. A multi-theoretic framework drawing on microsociological perspectives of emotion informed our hermeneutic interpretations of students' first-person accounts reported through an e-motion diary. These accounts were analyzed through our own database of emotion labels constructed from the synthesis of existing literature on emotion across a range of fields of inquiry. Preservice science teachers felt included in the face-to-face group as they watched videos of classroom transactions. The strength of these feelings of social solidarity were dependent on the quality of the video recording. E-motion diaries provided a resource for interactions focused on shared emotional experiences leading to formation of social bonds and the alleviation of feelings of fear, trepidation and anxiety about becoming science teachers. We offer implications to inform practitioners who wish to improve feelings of inclusion amongst their online learners in science education.

Relative saliency in change signals affects perceptual comparison and decision processes in change detection.

PubMed

Yang, Cheng-Ta

2011-12-01

Change detection requires perceptual comparison and decision processes on different features of multiattribute objects. How relative salience between two feature-changes influences the processes has not been addressed. This study used the systems factorial technology to investigate the processes when detecting changes in a Gabor patch with visual inputs from orientation and spatial frequency channels. Two feature-changes were equally salient in Experiment 1, but a frequency-change was more salient than an orientation-change in Experiment 2. Results showed that all four observers adopted parallel self-terminating processing with limited- to unlimited-capacity processing in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, one observer used parallel self-terminating processing with unlimited-capacity processing, and the others adopted serial self-terminating processing with limited- to unlimited-capacity processing to detect changes. Postexperimental interview revealed that subjective utility of feature information underlay the adoption of a decision strategy. These results highlight that observers alter decision strategies in change detection depending on the relative saliency in change signals, with relative saliency being determined by both physical salience and subjective weight of feature information. When relative salience exists, individual differences in the process characteristics emerge.

Citizen Science: Broadening Access and Engagement Through Community Partnerships, Aerospace Education and Water Quality Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, M. A.

2016-12-01

We applied a new approach to the design and development of citizen science learning opportunities to enhance outreach to diverse student populations, while advancing water quality research and aerospace education. This collaborative approach to informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and aerospace education required innovative partnerships between private general aviation pilots, researchers, teachers, and students. This research explored the development of active partnerships required to facilitate community engaged science, with an emphasis on increased participation of women and girls and people of color, while creating new exploratory pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences. We developed an outreach program through collaborative planning with local schools to create new STEM learning experiences based upon basic aerospace education concepts and an existing water quality research project designed to track harmful algal blooms (HAB) that can produce toxins called cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, which can impact drinking, fishing, and recreational waters. General aviation pilots functioning as citizen scientists obtained high-resolution aerial images while flying over potentially impacted waters. Aerial data was made available to teachers and students, as well as researchers participating in the existing water quality program lead by NASA Glenn Research Center. Teachers used the images and results to educate in climate change and the dangers of HAB. Students were able to compare aerial data with their own observations, and also gained experience in aeronautical science through field trips to local airports, hands-on experience with private research aircraft, specialized equipment used for data collection, and advanced ground instruction from research pilots. As a result of reaching out to local educators serving diverse student populations and facilitating collaborative planning, we successfully created new educational opportunities with active partnerships between formal educational institutions and informal citizen science research programs, which broadened access to and engagement in aerospace education and STEM learning experiences in our local community.

Visual Information-Processing in the Perception of Features and Objects

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-05

or nodes in a semantic memory network, whereas recall and recognition depend on separate episodic memory traces. In our experiment, we used the same...problem for the account in terms of the separation of episodic from semantic memory , since no pre- existing representations of our line patterns were... semantic memory : amnesic patients were thought to have lost the ability to lay down (or retrieve) episodic traces of autobiographical events, but had

An innovative Near-Peer Mentoring Model for Undergraduate and Secondary Students: STEM Focus

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-14

searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments...568 Doughten Drive,Fort Detrick,MD,21702-5010 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER N /A 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...applications, research background, experience with youth, and interviews. They ranged in age from 18 to 25 (M = 21) and were either undergraduate ( n = 7

Multinational Experiment 7: Access to the Global Commons. Objective 3.3 Lexicon and Abbreviations. Version 1.1

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-28

operation in Europe OSINT Open Source Intelligence PDA Personal Digital Assistant SME Subject Matter Expert SWGCA Special Working Group on the...Form Approved Report Documentation Page OMB No. 0704-0/88 · 1 d’ the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources , gathering and...illegal and covert activity of exploiting vulnerabilities and collecting protected information or intelligence in cyberspace (MNE 7 Outcome 3 Working

Combat Stories Map: A Historical Repository and After Action Tool for Capturing, Storing, and Analyzing Georeferenced Individual Combat Narratives

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

of technology and near-global Internet accessibility, a web -based program incorporating interactive maps to record personal combat experiences does...not exist. The Combat Stories Map addresses this deficiency. The Combat Stories Map is a web -based Geographic Information System specifically designed...iv THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK v ABSTRACT Despite the proliferation of technology and near-global Internet accessibility, a web

Perspectives of hospital emergency department staff on trauma-informed care for injured children: An Australian and New Zealand analysis.

PubMed

Hoysted, Claire; Babl, Franz E; Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Landolt, Markus A; Jobson, Laura; Curtis, Sarah; Kharbanda, Anupam B; Lyttle, Mark D; Parri, Niccolò; Stanley, Rachel; Alisic, Eva

2017-09-01

To examine Australian and New Zealand emergency department (ED) staff's training, knowledge and confidence regarding trauma-informed care for children after trauma, and barriers to implementation. ED staff's perspectives on trauma-informed care were assessed using a web-based self-report questionnaire. Participants included 468 ED staff (375 nursing and 111 medical staff) from hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, χ 2 tests and multiple regressions. Over 90% of respondents had not received training in trauma-informed care and almost all respondents (94%) wanted training in this area. While knowledge was associated with a respondent's previous training and profession, confidence was associated with the respondent's previous training, experience level and workplace. Dominant barriers to the implementation of trauma-informed care were lack of time and lack of training. There is a need and desire for training and education of Australian and New Zealand ED staff in trauma-informed care. This study demonstrates that experience alone is not sufficient for the development of knowledge of paediatric traumatic stress reactions and trauma-informed care practices. Existing education materials could be adapted for use in the ED and to accommodate the training preferences of Australian and New Zealand ED staff. © 2017 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Intelligent agents for adaptive security market surveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kun; Li, Xin; Xu, Baoxun; Yan, Jiaqi; Wang, Huaiqing

2017-05-01

Market surveillance systems have increasingly gained in usage for monitoring trading activities in stock markets to maintain market integrity. Existing systems primarily focus on the numerical analysis of market activity data and generally ignore textual information. To fulfil the requirements of information-based surveillance, a multi-agent-based architecture that uses agent intercommunication and incremental learning mechanisms is proposed to provide a flexible and adaptive inspection process. A prototype system is implemented using the techniques of text mining and rule-based reasoning, among others. Based on experiments in the scalping surveillance scenario, the system can identify target information evidence up to 87.50% of the time and automatically identify 70.59% of cases depending on the constraints on the available information sources. The results of this study indicate that the proposed information surveillance system is effective. This study thus contributes to the market surveillance literature and has significant practical implications.

A case-based reasoning tool for breast cancer knowledge management with data mining concepts and techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demigha, Souâd.

2016-03-01

The paper presents a Case-Based Reasoning Tool for Breast Cancer Knowledge Management to improve breast cancer screening. To develop this tool, we combine both concepts and techniques of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) and Data Mining (DM). Physicians and radiologists ground their diagnosis on their expertise (past experience) based on clinical cases. Case-Based Reasoning is the process of solving new problems based on the solutions of similar past problems and structured as cases. CBR is suitable for medical use. On the other hand, existing traditional hospital information systems (HIS), Radiological Information Systems (RIS) and Picture Archiving Information Systems (PACS) don't allow managing efficiently medical information because of its complexity and heterogeneity. Data Mining is the process of mining information from a data set and transform it into an understandable structure for further use. Combining CBR to Data Mining techniques will facilitate diagnosis and decision-making of medical experts.

Informing the market: the strengths and weaknesses of information in the British National Health Service.

PubMed

McKee, M; Chenet, L

1997-06-01

Many countries are experimenting with planned (or quasi-) markets to discover if they can efficiently deliver health care in keeping with societal objectives. This paper examines the information requirements of this approach. Information is necessary in order to compare the performance of providers, to support billing, and to monitor access to care. It should be accurate, unambiguous, and resistant to manipulation. We draw on a project to find out how information on hospitalisation could be used in contracting in the British National Health Service. We conclude that the existing British system fails to provide robust measures of how many patients are treated, for what conditions, and with what treatments. We identify some promising remedies, others that are more difficult, and some which may be impossible to implement in any planned market, given the uncertainty of clinical practice.

Agile Data Management with the Global Change Information System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duggan, B.; Aulenbach, S.; Tilmes, C.; Goldstein, J.

2013-12-01

We describe experiences applying agile software development techniques to the realm of data management during the development of the Global Change Information System (GCIS), a web service and API for authoritative global change information under development by the US Global Change Research Program. Some of the challenges during system design and implementation have been : (1) balancing the need for a rigorous mechanism for ensuring information quality with the realities of large data sets whose contents are often in flux, (2) utilizing existing data to inform decisions about the scope and nature of new data, and (3) continuously incorporating new knowledge and concepts into a relational data model. The workflow for managing the content of the system has much in common with the development of the system itself. We examine various aspects of agile software development and discuss whether or how we have been able to use them for data curation as well as software development.

Sex Differences in Physician Salary in US Public Medical Schools.

PubMed

Jena, Anupam B; Olenski, Andrew R; Blumenthal, Daniel M

2016-09-01

Limited evidence exists on salary differences between male and female academic physicians, largely owing to difficulty obtaining data on salary and factors influencing salary. Existing studies have been limited by reliance on survey-based approaches to measuring sex differences in earnings, lack of contemporary data, small sample sizes, or limited geographic representation. To analyze sex differences in earnings among US academic physicians. Freedom of Information laws mandate release of salary information of public university employees in several states. In 12 states with salary information published online, salary data were extracted on 10 241 academic physicians at 24 public medical schools. These data were linked to a unique physician database with detailed information on sex, age, years of experience, faculty rank, specialty, scientific authorship, National Institutes of Health funding, clinical trial participation, and Medicare reimbursements (proxy for clinical revenue). Sex differences in salary were estimated after adjusting for these factors. Physician sex. Annual salary. Among 10 241 physicians, female physicians (n = 3549) had lower mean (SD) unadjusted salaries than male physicians ($206 641 [$88 238] vs $257 957 [$137 202]; absolute difference, $51 315 [95% CI, $46 330-$56 301]). Sex differences persisted after multivariable adjustment ($227 783 [95% CI, $224 117-$231 448] vs $247 661 [95% CI, $245 065-$250 258] with an absolute difference of $19 878 [95% CI, $15 261-$24 495]). Sex differences in salary varied across specialties, institutions, and faculty ranks. For example, adjusted salaries of female full professors ($250 971 [95% CI, $242 307-$259 635]) were comparable to those of male associate professors ($247 212 [95% CI, $241 850-$252 575]). Among specialties, adjusted salaries were highest in orthopedic surgery ($358 093 [95% CI, $344 354-$371 831]), surgical subspecialties ($318 760 [95% CI, $311 030-$326 491]), and general surgery ($302 666 [95% CI, $294 060-$311 272]) and lowest in infectious disease, family medicine, and neurology (mean income, <$200 000). Years of experience, total publications, clinical trial participation, and Medicare payments were positively associated with salary. Among physicians with faculty appointments at 24 US public medical schools, significant sex differences in salary exist even after accounting for age, experience, specialty, faculty rank, and measures of research productivity and clinical revenue.

Community-based approaches to strengthen cultural competency in nursing education and practice.

PubMed

Anderson, Nancy Lois Ruth; Calvillo, Evelyn Ruiz; Fongwa, Marie Ngetiko

2007-01-01

This article explores existing informal as well as formal approaches that address health disparities in the communities where they occur, enhancing the opportunity to strengthen the cultural competency of providers, students, and faculty. A particular focus centers on the community-based participatory research approaches that involve community members, providing opportunities to develop mutually respectful, trusting relationships through co-teaching and co-learning experiences. With community-based participatory research approaches to community involvement in place, the stage is set for partnerships between communities and schools of nursing to collaboratively design, implement, and integrate informal and formal cultural competence components in nursing curricula.

Experimental economics' inconsistent ban on deception.

PubMed

Hersch, Gil

2015-08-01

According to what I call the 'argument from public bads', if a researcher deceived subjects in the past, there is a chance that subjects will discount the information that a subsequent researcher provides, thus compromising the validity of the subsequent researcher's experiment. While this argument is taken to justify an existing informal ban on explicit deception in experimental economics, it can also apply to implicit deception, yet implicit deception is not banned and is sometimes used in experimental economics. Thus, experimental economists are being inconsistent when they appeal to the argument from public bads to justify banning explicit deception but not implicit deception. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dual-learning systems during speech category learning

PubMed Central

Chandrasekaran, Bharath; Yi, Han-Gyol; Maddox, W. Todd

2013-01-01

Dual-systems models of visual category learning posit the existence of an explicit, hypothesis-testing ‘reflective’ system, as well as an implicit, procedural-based ‘reflexive’ system. The reflective and reflexive learning systems are competitive and neurally dissociable. Relatively little is known about the role of these domain-general learning systems in speech category learning. Given the multidimensional, redundant, and variable nature of acoustic cues in speech categories, our working hypothesis is that speech categories are learned reflexively. To this end, we examined the relative contribution of these learning systems to speech learning in adults. Native English speakers learned to categorize Mandarin tone categories over 480 trials. The training protocol involved trial-by-trial feedback and multiple talkers. Experiment 1 and 2 examined the effect of manipulating the timing (immediate vs. delayed) and information content (full vs. minimal) of feedback. Dual-systems models of visual category learning predict that delayed feedback and providing rich, informational feedback enhance reflective learning, while immediate and minimally informative feedback enhance reflexive learning. Across the two experiments, our results show feedback manipulations that targeted reflexive learning enhanced category learning success. In Experiment 3, we examined the role of trial-to-trial talker information (mixed vs. blocked presentation) on speech category learning success. We hypothesized that the mixed condition would enhance reflexive learning by not allowing an association between talker-related acoustic cues and speech categories. Our results show that the mixed talker condition led to relatively greater accuracies. Our experiments demonstrate that speech categories are optimally learned by training methods that target the reflexive learning system. PMID:24002965

Asthma patient education opportunities in predominantly minority urban communities.

PubMed

Zayas, Luis E; McLean, Don

2007-12-01

Disenfranchised ethnic minority communities in the urban United States experience a high burden of asthma. Conventional office-based patient education often is insufficient to promote proper asthma management and coping practices responsive to minority patients' environments. This paper explores existing and alternative asthma information and education sources in three urban minority communities in western New York State to help design other practical educational interventions. Four focus groups (n = 59) and four town hall meetings (n = 109) were conducted in one Hispanic and two black communities. Focus groups included adult asthmatics or caretakers of asthmatics, and town meetings were open to all residents. A critical theory perspective informed the study. Asthma information and education sources, perceptions of asthma and ways of coping were elicited through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis followed a theory-driven immersion-crystallization approach. Several asthma education and information resources from the health care system, media, public institutions and communities were identified. Intervention recommendations highlighted asthma workshops that recognize participants as teachers and learners, offer social support, promote advocacy, are culturally appropriate and community-based and include health care professionals. Community-based, group health education couched on people's experiences and societal conditions offers unique opportunities for patient asthma care empowerment in minority urban communities.

Visualizing Cloud Properties and Satellite Imagery: A Tool for Visualization and Information Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chee, T.; Nguyen, L.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Spangenberg, D.; Palikonda, R.; Bedka, K. M.; Minnis, P.; Thieman, M. M.; Nordeen, M.

2017-12-01

Providing public access to research products including cloud macro and microphysical properties and satellite imagery are a key concern for the NASA Langley Research Center Cloud and Radiation Group. This work describes a web based visualization tool and API that allows end users to easily create customized cloud product and satellite imagery, ground site data and satellite ground track information that is generated dynamically. The tool has two uses, one to visualize the dynamically created imagery and the other to provide access to the dynamically generated imagery directly at a later time. Internally, we leverage our practical experience with large, scalable application practices to develop a system that has the largest potential for scalability as well as the ability to be deployed on the cloud to accommodate scalability issues. We build upon NASA Langley Cloud and Radiation Group's experience with making real-time and historical satellite cloud product information, satellite imagery, ground site data and satellite track information accessible and easily searchable. This tool is the culmination of our prior experience with dynamic imagery generation and provides a way to build a "mash-up" of dynamically generated imagery and related kinds of information that are visualized together to add value to disparate but related information. In support of NASA strategic goals, our group aims to make as much scientific knowledge, observations and products available to the citizen science, research and interested communities as well as for automated systems to acquire the same information for data mining or other analytic purposes. This tool and the underlying API's provide a valuable research tool to a wide audience both as a standalone research tool and also as an easily accessed data source that can easily be mined or used with existing tools.

Efficient Regressions via Optimally Combining Quantile Information*

PubMed Central

Zhao, Zhibiao; Xiao, Zhijie

2014-01-01

We develop a generally applicable framework for constructing efficient estimators of regression models via quantile regressions. The proposed method is based on optimally combining information over multiple quantiles and can be applied to a broad range of parametric and nonparametric settings. When combining information over a fixed number of quantiles, we derive an upper bound on the distance between the efficiency of the proposed estimator and the Fisher information. As the number of quantiles increases, this upper bound decreases and the asymptotic variance of the proposed estimator approaches the Cramér-Rao lower bound under appropriate conditions. In the case of non-regular statistical estimation, the proposed estimator leads to super-efficient estimation. We illustrate the proposed method for several widely used regression models. Both asymptotic theory and Monte Carlo experiments show the superior performance over existing methods. PMID:25484481

Observing the operational significance of discord consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Mile; Chrzanowski, Helen M.; Assad, Syed M.; Symul, Thomas; Modi, Kavan; Ralph, Timothy C.; Vedral, Vlatko; Lam, Ping Koy

2012-09-01

Coherent interactions that generate negligible entanglement can still exhibit unique quantum behaviour. This observation has motivated a search beyond entanglement for a complete description of all quantum correlations. Quantum discord is a promising candidate. Here, we demonstrate that under certain measurement constraints, discord between bipartite systems can be consumed to encode information that can only be accessed by coherent quantum interactions. The inability to access this information by any other means allows us to use discord to directly quantify this `quantum advantage'. We experimentally encode information within the discordant correlations of two separable Gaussian states. The amount of extra information recovered by coherent interaction is quantified and directly linked with the discord consumed during encoding. No entanglement exists at any point of this experiment. Thus we introduce and demonstrate an operational method to use discord as a physical resource.

Analytical Method to Evaluate Failure Potential During High-Risk Component Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem Y.; Stone, Robert B.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Communicating failure mode information during design and manufacturing is a crucial task for failure prevention. Most processes use Failure Modes and Effects types of analyses, as well as prior knowledge and experience, to determine the potential modes of failures a product might encounter during its lifetime. When new products are being considered and designed, this knowledge and information is expanded upon to help designers extrapolate based on their similarity with existing products and the potential design tradeoffs. This paper makes use of similarities and tradeoffs that exist between different failure modes based on the functionality of each component/product. In this light, a function-failure method is developed to help the design of new products with solutions for functions that eliminate or reduce the potential of a failure mode. The method is applied to a simplified rotating machinery example in this paper, and is proposed as a means to account for helicopter failure modes during design and production, addressing stringent safety and performance requirements for NASA applications.

Synesthetic grapheme-color percepts exist for newly encountered Hebrew, Devanagari, Armenian and Cyrillic graphemes

PubMed Central

Blair, Christopher David; Berryhill, Marian E.

2013-01-01

Grapheme-color synesthetes experience color, not physically present, when viewing symbols. Synesthetes cannot remember learning these associations. Must synesthetic percepts be formed during a sensitive period? Can they form later and be consistent? What determines their nature? We tested grapheme-color synesthete, MC2, before, during and after she studied Hindi abroad. We investigated whether novel graphemes elicited synesthetic percepts, changed with familiarity, and/or benefited from phonemic information. MC2 reported color percepts to novel Devanagari and Hebrew graphemes. MC2 monitored these percepts over 6 months in a Hindi-speaking environment. MC2 and synesthete DN, reported synesthetic percepts for Armenian graphemes, or Cyrillic graphemes + phonemes over time. Synesthetes, not controls, reported color percepts for novel graphemes that gained consistency over time. Phonemic information did not enhance consistency. Thus, synesthetes can form and consolidate percepts to novel graphemes as adults. These percepts may depend on pre-existing grapheme-color relationships but they can flexibly shift with familiarity. PMID:23860303

Scholarly Information Extraction Is Going to Make a Quantum Leap with PubMed Central (PMC).

PubMed

Matthies, Franz; Hahn, Udo

2017-01-01

With the increasing availability of complete full texts (journal articles), rather than their surrogates (titles, abstracts), as resources for text analytics, entirely new opportunities arise for information extraction and text mining from scholarly publications. Yet, we gathered evidence that a range of problems are encountered for full-text processing when biomedical text analytics simply reuse existing NLP pipelines which were developed on the basis of abstracts (rather than full texts). We conducted experiments with four different relation extraction engines all of which were top performers in previous BioNLP Event Extraction Challenges. We found that abstract-trained engines loose up to 6.6% F-score points when run on full-text data. Hence, the reuse of existing abstract-based NLP software in a full-text scenario is considered harmful because of heavy performance losses. Given the current lack of annotated full-text resources to train on, our study quantifies the price paid for this short cut.

The HEP Software and Computing Knowledge Base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenaus, T.

2017-10-01

HEP software today is a rich and diverse domain in itself and exists within the mushrooming world of open source software. As HEP software developers and users we can be more productive and effective if our work and our choices are informed by a good knowledge of what others in our community have created or found useful. The HEP Software and Computing Knowledge Base, hepsoftware.org, was created to facilitate this by serving as a collection point and information exchange on software projects and products, services, training, computing facilities, and relating them to the projects, experiments, organizations and science domains that offer them or use them. It was created as a contribution to the HEP Software Foundation, for which a HEP S&C knowledge base was a much requested early deliverable. This contribution will motivate and describe the system, what it offers, its content and contributions both existing and needed, and its implementation (node.js based web service and javascript client app) which has emphasized ease of use for both users and contributors.

Geo-information processing service composition for concurrent tasks: A QoS-aware game theory approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haifeng; Zhu, Qing; Yang, Xiaoxia; Xu, Linrong

2012-10-01

Typical characteristics of remote sensing applications are concurrent tasks, such as those found in disaster rapid response. The existing composition approach to geographical information processing service chain, searches for an optimisation solution and is what can be deemed a "selfish" way. This way leads to problems of conflict amongst concurrent tasks and decreases the performance of all service chains. In this study, a non-cooperative game-based mathematical model to analyse the competitive relationships between tasks, is proposed. A best response function is used, to assure each task maintains utility optimisation by considering composition strategies of other tasks and quantifying conflicts between tasks. Based on this, an iterative algorithm that converges to Nash equilibrium is presented, the aim being to provide good convergence and maximise the utilisation of all tasks under concurrent task conditions. Theoretical analyses and experiments showed that the newly proposed method, when compared to existing service composition methods, has better practical utility in all tasks.

Splitting attention across the two visual fields in visual short-term memory.

PubMed

Delvenne, Jean-Francois; Holt, Jessica L

2012-02-01

Humans have the ability to attentionally select the most relevant visual information from their extrapersonal world and to retain it in a temporary buffer, known as visual short-term memory (VSTM). Research suggests that at least two non-contiguous items can be selected simultaneously when they are distributed across the two visual hemifields. In two experiments, we show that attention can also be split between the left and right sides of internal representations held in VSTM. Participants were asked to remember several colors, while cues presented during the delay instructed them to orient their attention to a subset of memorized colors. Experiment 1 revealed that orienting attention to one or two colors strengthened equally participants' memory for those colors, but only when they were from separate hemifields. Experiment 2 showed that in the absence of attentional cues the distribution of the items in the visual field per se had no effect on memory. These findings strongly suggest the existence of independent attentional resources in the two hemifields for selecting and/or consolidating information in VSTM. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving Predictions and Management of Hydrological Extremes through Climate Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Hurk, Bart; Wijngaard, Janet; Pappenberger, Florian; Bouwer, Laurens; Weerts, Albrecht; Buontempo, Carlo; Doescher, Ralf; Manez, Maria; Ramos, Maria-Helena; Hananel, Cedric; Ercin, Ertug; Hunink, Johannes; Klein, Bastian; Pouget, Laurent; Ward, Philip

2016-04-01

The EU Roadmap on Climate Services can be seen as a result of convergence between the society's call for "actionable research", and the climate research community providing tailored data, information and knowledge. However, although weather and climate have clearly distinct definitions, a strong link between weather and climate services exists that is not explored extensively. Stakeholders being interviewed in the context of the Roadmap consider climate as a far distant long term feature that is difficult to consider in present-day decision taking, which is dominated by daily experience with handling extreme events. It is argued that this experience is a rich source of inspiration to increase society's resilience to an unknown future. A newly started European research project, IMPREX, is built on the notion that "experience in managing current day weather extremes is the best learning school to anticipate consequences of future climate". This paper illustrates possible ways to increase the link between information and services addressing weather and climate time scales by discussing the underlying concepts of IMPREX and its expected outcome.

Validating Bayesian truth serum in large-scale online human experiments.

PubMed

Frank, Morgan R; Cebrian, Manuel; Pickard, Galen; Rahwan, Iyad

2017-01-01

Bayesian truth serum (BTS) is an exciting new method for improving honesty and information quality in multiple-choice survey, but, despite the method's mathematical reliance on large sample sizes, existing literature about BTS only focuses on small experiments. Combined with the prevalence of online survey platforms, such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk, which facilitate surveys with hundreds or thousands of participants, BTS must be effective in large-scale experiments for BTS to become a readily accepted tool in real-world applications. We demonstrate that BTS quantifiably improves honesty in large-scale online surveys where the "honest" distribution of answers is known in expectation on aggregate. Furthermore, we explore a marketing application where "honest" answers cannot be known, but find that BTS treatment impacts the resulting distributions of answers.

Validating Bayesian truth serum in large-scale online human experiments

PubMed Central

Frank, Morgan R.; Cebrian, Manuel; Pickard, Galen; Rahwan, Iyad

2017-01-01

Bayesian truth serum (BTS) is an exciting new method for improving honesty and information quality in multiple-choice survey, but, despite the method’s mathematical reliance on large sample sizes, existing literature about BTS only focuses on small experiments. Combined with the prevalence of online survey platforms, such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, which facilitate surveys with hundreds or thousands of participants, BTS must be effective in large-scale experiments for BTS to become a readily accepted tool in real-world applications. We demonstrate that BTS quantifiably improves honesty in large-scale online surveys where the “honest” distribution of answers is known in expectation on aggregate. Furthermore, we explore a marketing application where “honest” answers cannot be known, but find that BTS treatment impacts the resulting distributions of answers. PMID:28494000

Improving cancer patient care: development of a generic cancer consumer quality index questionnaire for cancer patients

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background To develop a Consumer Quality Index (CQI) Cancer Care questionnaire for measuring experiences with hospital care of patients with different types of cancer. Methods We derived quality aspects from focus group discussions, existing questionnaires and literature. We developed an experience questionnaire and sent it to 1,498 Dutch cancer patients. Another questionnaire measuring the importance of the quality aspects was sent to 600 cancer patients. Data were psychometrically analysed. Results The response to the experience questionnaire was 50 percent. Psychometric analysis revealed 12 reliable scales. Patients rated rapid and adequate referral, rapid start of the treatment after diagnosis, enough information and confidence in the healthcare professionals as most important themes. Hospitals received high scores for skills and cooperation of healthcare professionals and a patient-centered approach by doctors; and low scores for psychosocial guidance and information at completion of the treatment. Conclusions The CQI Cancer Care questionnaire is a valuable tool for the evaluation of the quality of cancer care from the patient’s perspective. Large scale implementation is necessary to determine the discriminatory powers of the questionnaire and may enable healthcare providers to improve the quality of cancer care. Preliminary results indicate that hospitals could improve their psychosocial guidance and information provision. PMID:23617741

Dark matter vs. neutrinos: the effect of astrophysical uncertainties and timing information on the neutrino floor

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

Davis, Jonathan H., E-mail: jonathan.h.m.davis@gmail.com

2015-03-01

Future multi-tonne Direct Detection experiments will be sensitive to solar neutrino induced nuclear recoils which form an irreducible background to light Dark Matter searches. Indeed for masses around 6 GeV the spectra of neutrinos and Dark Matter are so similar that experiments are said to run into a neutrino floor, for which sensitivity increases only marginally with exposure past a certain cross section. In this work we show that this floor can be overcome using the different annual modulation expected from solar neutrinos and Dark Matter. Specifically for cross sections below the neutrino floor the DM signal is observable throughmore » a phase shift and a smaller amplitude for the time-dependent event rate. This allows the exclusion power to be improved by up to an order of magnitude for large exposures. In addition we demonstrate that, using only spectral information, the neutrino floor exists over a wider mass range than has been previously shown, since the large uncertainties in the Dark Matter velocity distribution make the signal spectrum harder to distinguish from the neutrino background. However for most velocity distributions it can still be surpassed using timing information, and so the neutrino floor is not an absolute limit on the sensitivity of Direct Detection experiments.« less

Dark matter vs. neutrinos: the effect of astrophysical uncertainties and timing information on the neutrino floor

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

Davis, Jonathan H.

2015-03-09

Future multi-tonne Direct Detection experiments will be sensitive to solar neutrino induced nuclear recoils which form an irreducible background to light Dark Matter searches. Indeed for masses around 6 GeV the spectra of neutrinos and Dark Matter are so similar that experiments are said to run into a neutrino floor, for which sensitivity increases only marginally with exposure past a certain cross section. In this work we show that this floor can be overcome using the different annual modulation expected from solar neutrinos and Dark Matter. Specifically for cross sections below the neutrino floor the DM signal is observable throughmore » a phase shift and a smaller amplitude for the time-dependent event rate. This allows the exclusion power to be improved by up to an order of magnitude for large exposures. In addition we demonstrate that, using only spectral information, the neutrino floor exists over a wider mass range than has been previously shown, since the large uncertainties in the Dark Matter velocity distribution make the signal spectrum harder to distinguish from the neutrino background. However for most velocity distributions it can still be surpassed using timing information, and so the neutrino floor is not an absolute limit on the sensitivity of Direct Detection experiments.« less

Volunteers' Experiences Delivering a Community-University Chronic Disease Health Awareness Program for South Asian Older Adults.

PubMed

Ford-Jones, Polly; Daly, Tamara

2017-12-01

Volunteers and voluntary organizations can connect preventative health care programs to communities and may play an important role in addressing the health needs of older adults. Despite this, tensions may exist in the structures that drive volunteers and voluntary organizations representing immigrant communities to provide unpaid labour to augment and supplement health care services. Furthermore, organizational challenges may exist for community agencies relying on volunteers to sustain a health screening and education program. The intervention program was led by one voluntary agency specifically for South Asian communities in partnership with the university and five local organizations. This paper draws on volunteer surveys (n = 22) and key informant interviews (n = 12) to detail volunteer experiences providing this intervention. Volunteers were university students and other community volunteers. A total of 810 adults participated in the intervention within the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada between October 2014 and June 2016. We found that volunteers often used their experience as a 'stepping stone' position to other education or work. They also gained from the knowledge and used it to educate themselves and their family members and friends. This paper provides a critical reflection on the role of volunteers in a preventative and educational healthcare intervention program for older adults from the South Asian community. Tensions exist when relying on volunteer labour for the implementation of preventative community health care programming and must be explored to ensure program sustainability as well as equity within the health care system.

Data governance and data sharing agreements for community-wide health information exchange: lessons from the beacon communities.

PubMed

Allen, Claudia; Des Jardins, Terrisca R; Heider, Arvela; Lyman, Kristin A; McWilliams, Lee; Rein, Alison L; Schachter, Abigail A; Singh, Ranjit; Sorondo, Barbara; Topper, Joan; Turske, Scott A

2014-01-01

Unprecedented efforts are underway across the United States to electronically capture and exchange health information to improve health care and population health, and reduce costs. This increased collection and sharing of electronic patient data raises several governance issues, including privacy, security, liability, and market competition. Those engaged in such efforts have had to develop data sharing agreements (DSAs) among entities involved in information exchange, many of whom are "nontraditional" health care entities and/or new partners. This paper shares lessons learned based on the experiences of six federally funded communities participating in the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program, and offers guidance for navigating data governance issues and developing DSAs to facilitate community-wide health information exchange. While all entities involved in electronic data sharing must address governance issues and create DSAs accordingly, until recently little formal guidance existed for doing so - particularly for community-based initiatives. Despite this lack of guidance, together the Beacon Communities' experiences highlight promising strategies for navigating complex governance issues, which may be useful to other entities or communities initiating information exchange efforts to support delivery system transformation. For the past three years, AcademyHealth has provided technical assistance to most of the 17 Beacon Communities, 6 of whom contributed to this collaborative writing effort. Though these communities varied widely in terms of their demographics, resources, and Beacon-driven priorities, common themes emerged as they described their approaches to data governance and DSA development. The 6 Beacon Communities confirmed that DSAs are necessary to satisfy legal and market-based concerns, and they identified several specific issues, many of which have been noted by others involved in network data sharing initiatives. More importantly, these communities identified several promising approaches to timely and effective DSA development, including: stakeholder engagement; identification and effective communication of value; adoption of a parsimonious approach; attention to market-based concerns; flexibility in adapting and expanding existing agreements and partnerships; and anticipation of required time and investment.

A qualitative exploration of malaria operational research situation in Nigeria.

PubMed

Ajayi, IkeOluwapo O; Ughasoro, Maduka D; Ogunwale, Akintayo; Odeyinka, Oluwaseun; Babalola, Obafemi; Sharafadeen, Salami; Adamu, Al-Mukhtar Y; Ajumobi, Olufemi; Orimogunje, Taiwo; Nguku, Patrick

2017-01-01

Malaria, remains one of the leading causes of high morbidity and mortality in Nigeria despite implementation of several public health interventions for its control. Operational limitations and methodological gaps have been associated with malaria control interventions and research, and these have necessitated the need for a well-tailored Malaria Operational Research (MOR) agenda. However, there is paucity of evidence-based information on relevant stakeholders' experience, awareness, perceptions and use of MOR and suggestions on setting MOR agenda. As part of a larger study to provide data for national MOR agenda setting, we assessed the MOR research situation from the perspectives of key stakeholders in Nigeria and contribution of MOR to the malaria elimination agenda. We conducted key informant interviews among 40 purposively selected stakeholders from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. Data was collected using a pre-tested key informant interview guide which comprised issues related to experience, awareness, use of MOR and MOR needs, and suggestions for MOR. We conducted a detailed content analysis. Half of the participants had participated in MOR. Participants perceived MOR as important. Only few were aware of existing framework for MOR in Nigeria while above half expressed that MOR is yet to be used to inform policy in Nigeria. Participants identified several MOR needs such as development of improved diagnostic techniques, and interventions for promoting early diagnosis, prompt treatment and quality programmatic data. Participants opined the need for country-specific prioritised MOR agenda that cut across malaria thematic areas including malaria prevention and case management. Participants suggested the involvement of various stakeholders and multi-disciplinary approach in setting MOR. Although some stakeholders have been involved in MOR, it is still rarely used to inform policy and several needs exist across thematic areas. A broad-based stakeholder involvement, multi-disciplinary approach to agenda setting and its wide dissemination have been suggested.

Bayes factor design analysis: Planning for compelling evidence.

PubMed

Schönbrodt, Felix D; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan

2018-02-01

A sizeable literature exists on the use of frequentist power analysis in the null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) paradigm to facilitate the design of informative experiments. In contrast, there is almost no literature that discusses the design of experiments when Bayes factors (BFs) are used as a measure of evidence. Here we explore Bayes Factor Design Analysis (BFDA) as a useful tool to design studies for maximum efficiency and informativeness. We elaborate on three possible BF designs, (a) a fixed-n design, (b) an open-ended Sequential Bayes Factor (SBF) design, where researchers can test after each participant and can stop data collection whenever there is strong evidence for either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], and (c) a modified SBF design that defines a maximal sample size where data collection is stopped regardless of the current state of evidence. We demonstrate how the properties of each design (i.e., expected strength of evidence, expected sample size, expected probability of misleading evidence, expected probability of weak evidence) can be evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations and equip researchers with the necessary information to compute their own Bayesian design analyses.

Feature precedence in processing multifeature visual information in the human brain: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Liu, B; Meng, X; Wu, G; Huang, Y

2012-05-17

In this article, we aimed to study whether feature precedence existed in the cognitive processing of multifeature visual information in the human brain. In our experiment, we paid attention to two important visual features as follows: color and shape. In order to avoid the presence of semantic constraints between them and the resulting impact, pure color and simple geometric shape were chosen as the color feature and shape feature of visual stimulus, respectively. We adopted an "old/new" paradigm to study the cognitive processing of color feature, shape feature and the combination of color feature and shape feature, respectively. The experiment consisted of three tasks as follows: Color task, Shape task and Color-Shape task. The results showed that the feature-based pattern would be activated in the human brain in processing multifeature visual information without semantic association between features. Furthermore, shape feature was processed earlier than color feature, and the cognitive processing of color feature was more difficult than that of shape feature. Copyright © 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of schemas revealed by prior experience and NMDA receptor knock-out

PubMed Central

Dragoi, George; Tonegawa, Susumu

2013-01-01

Prior experience accelerates acquisition of novel, related information through processes like assimilation into mental schemas, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms are poorly understood. We investigated the roles that prior experience and hippocampal CA3 N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent synaptic plasticity play in CA1 place cell sequence encoding and learning during novel spatial experiences. We found that specific representations of de novo experiences on linear environments were formed on a framework of pre configured network activity expressed in the preceding sleep and were rapidly, flexibly adjusted via NMDAR-dependent activity. This prior experience accelerated encoding of subsequent experiences on contiguous or isolated novel tracks, significantly decreasing their NMDAR-dependence. Similarly, de novo learning of an alternation task was facilitated by CA3 NMDARs; this experience accelerated subsequent learning of related tasks, independent of CA3 NMDARs, consistent with a schema-based learning. These results reveal the existence of distinct neuronal encoding schemes which could explain why hippocampal dysfunction results in anterograde amnesia while sparing recollection of old, schema-based memories. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01326.001 PMID:24327561

Model-based design of experiments for cellular processes.

PubMed

Chakrabarty, Ankush; Buzzard, Gregery T; Rundell, Ann E

2013-01-01

Model-based design of experiments (MBDOE) assists in the planning of highly effective and efficient experiments. Although the foundations of this field are well-established, the application of these techniques to understand cellular processes is a fertile and rapidly advancing area as the community seeks to understand ever more complex cellular processes and systems. This review discusses the MBDOE paradigm along with applications and challenges within the context of cellular processes and systems. It also provides a brief tutorial on Fisher information matrix (FIM)-based and Bayesian experiment design methods along with an overview of existing software packages and computational advances that support MBDOE application and adoption within the Systems Biology community. As cell-based products and biologics progress into the commercial sector, it is anticipated that MBDOE will become an essential practice for design, quality control, and production. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Reproductive health experiences of women with cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Chor, Julie; Oswald, Lora; Briller, Joan; Cowett, Allison; Peacock, Nadine; Harwood, Bryna

2012-11-01

Limited research exists exploring contraceptive and pregnancy experiences of women with cardiovascular diseases. We conducted semistructured interviews with reproductive-age women with chronic hypertension or peripartum cardiomyopathy exploring thoughts and behaviors regarding future fertility. Transcribed interviews were coded and analyzed identifying salient themes. We interviewed 20 women with chronic hypertension and 10 women with peripartum cardiomyopathy. Women described a spectrum of perspectives regarding the relationship between disease and fertility: from complete disconnect to full integration of diagnosis and future fertility plans. Integration of reproductive and cardiovascular health was influenced by and reflected in circumstances of diagnosis, pregnancy-related experiences, contraception-related experiences and conceptualization of disease risk related to reproductive health. Providers must better understand how women perceive and consider their reproductive and cardiovascular health in order to optimize contraceptive care of women with cardiovascular disease and help them make safe, informed decisions about future fertility. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Normal body scheme and absent phantom limb experience in amputees while dreaming.

PubMed

Alessandria, Maria; Vetrugno, Roberto; Cortelli, Pietro; Montagna, Pasquale

2011-12-01

While dreaming amputees often experience a normal body image and the phantom limb may not be present. However, dreaming experiences in amputees have mainly been collected by questionnaires. We analysed the dream reports of amputated patients with phantom limb collected after awakening from REM sleep during overnight videopolysomnography (VPSG). Six amputated patients underwent overnight VPSG study. Patients were awakened during REM sleep and asked to report their dreams. Three patients were able to deliver an account of a dream. In all dreaming recalls, patients reported that the amputated limbs were intact and completely functional and they no longer experienced phantom limb sensations. Phantom limb experiences, that during wake result from a conflict between a pre-existing body scheme and the sensory information on the missing limb, were suppressed during sleep in our patients in favour of the image of an intact body accessed during dream. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experience with low-cost telemedicine in three different settings. Recommendations based on a proposed framework for network performance evaluation.

PubMed

Wootton, Richard; Vladzymyrskyy, Anton; Zolfo, Maria; Bonnardot, Laurent

2011-01-01

Telemedicine has been used for many years to support doctors in the developing world. Several networks provide services in different settings and in different ways. However, to draw conclusions about which telemedicine networks are successful requires a method of evaluating them. No general consensus or validated framework exists for this purpose. To define a basic method of performance measurement that can be used to improve and compare teleconsultation networks; to employ the proposed framework in an evaluation of three existing networks; to make recommendations about the future implementation and follow-up of such networks. Analysis based on the experience of three telemedicine networks (in operation for 7-10 years) that provide services to doctors in low-resource settings and which employ the same basic design. Although there are many possible indicators and metrics that might be relevant, five measures for each of the three user groups appear to be sufficient for the proposed framework. In addition, from the societal perspective, information about clinical- and cost-effectiveness is also required. The proposed performance measurement framework was applied to three mature telemedicine networks. Despite their differences in terms of activity, size and objectives, their performance in certain respects is very similar. For example, the time to first reply from an expert is about 24 hours for each network. Although all three networks had systems in place to collect data from the user perspective, none of them collected information about the coordinator's time required or about ease of system usage. They had only limited information about quality and cost. Measuring the performance of a telemedicine network is essential in understanding whether the network is working as intended and what effect it is having. Based on long-term field experience, the suggested framework is a practical tool that will permit organisations to assess the performance of their own networks and to improve them by comparison with others. All telemedicine systems should provide information about setup and running costs because cost-effectiveness is crucial for sustainability.

Experience with low-cost telemedicine in three different settings. Recommendations based on a proposed framework for network performance evaluation

PubMed Central

Wootton, Richard; Vladzymyrskyy, Anton; Zolfo, Maria; Bonnardot, Laurent

2011-01-01

Background Telemedicine has been used for many years to support doctors in the developing world. Several networks provide services in different settings and in different ways. However, to draw conclusions about which telemedicine networks are successful requires a method of evaluating them. No general consensus or validated framework exists for this purpose. Objective To define a basic method of performance measurement that can be used to improve and compare teleconsultation networks; to employ the proposed framework in an evaluation of three existing networks; to make recommendations about the future implementation and follow-up of such networks. Methods Analysis based on the experience of three telemedicine networks (in operation for 7–10 years) that provide services to doctors in low-resource settings and which employ the same basic design. Findings Although there are many possible indicators and metrics that might be relevant, five measures for each of the three user groups appear to be sufficient for the proposed framework. In addition, from the societal perspective, information about clinical- and cost-effectiveness is also required. The proposed performance measurement framework was applied to three mature telemedicine networks. Despite their differences in terms of activity, size and objectives, their performance in certain respects is very similar. For example, the time to first reply from an expert is about 24 hours for each network. Although all three networks had systems in place to collect data from the user perspective, none of them collected information about the coordinator's time required or about ease of system usage. They had only limited information about quality and cost. Conclusion Measuring the performance of a telemedicine network is essential in understanding whether the network is working as intended and what effect it is having. Based on long-term field experience, the suggested framework is a practical tool that will permit organisations to assess the performance of their own networks and to improve them by comparison with others. All telemedicine systems should provide information about setup and running costs because cost-effectiveness is crucial for sustainability. PMID:22162965

Cancer-related information needs and treatment decision-making experiences of people with dementia in England: a multiple perspective qualitative study

PubMed Central

Farrell, Carole; Keady, John; Swarbrick, Caroline; Burgess, Lorraine; Grande, Gunn; Bellhouse, Sarah; Yorke, Janelle

2018-01-01

Objectives Little is known about the cancer experience and support needs of people with dementia. In particular, no evidence currently exists to demonstrate the likely complex decision-making processes for this patient group and the oncology healthcare professionals (HCP) involved in their care. The aim of this study was to explore the cancer-related information needs and decision-making experiences of patients with cancer and comorbid dementia, their informal caregivers and oncology HCPs. Design Cross-sectional qualitative study. Semistructured interviews were conducted face to face with participants. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed prior to thematic analysis. Setting Patients with a diagnosis of cancer and dementia, their informal caregivers and oncology HCPs involved in their care, all recruited from a regional treatment cancer centre. Participants Purposeful sample of 10 patients with a diagnosis of cancer–dementia, informal caregivers (n=9) and oncology HCPs (n=12). Results Four themes were identified: (1) leading to the initial consultation—HCPs require more detailed information on the functional impact of dementia and how it may influence cancer treatment options prior to meeting the patient; (2) communicating clinically relevant information—informal caregivers are relied on to provide patient information, advocate for the patient and support decision-making; (3) adjustments to cancer care—patients with dementia get through treatment with the help of their family and (4) following completion of cancer treatment—there are continuing information needs. Oncology HCPs discussed their need to consult specialists in dementia care to support treatment decision-making. Conclusions Although patients with cancer–dementia are involved in their treatment decision-making, informal caregivers are generally crucial in supporting this process. Individual patient needs and circumstances related to their cancer must be considered in the context of dementia prognosis highlighting complexities of decision-making in this population. Oncology teams should strive to involve healthcare staff with dementia expertise as early as possible in the cancer pathway. PMID:29654025

Understanding modern energy policy: An evaluation of RPS mandates and behavioral nudges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brannan, Deborah Lynn Baker

Climate change has emerged as one of the leading policy issues of the early 21st century. In response, a variety of policies and programs have been adopted encouraging renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation. My dissertation consists of three research papers which evaluate two classes of modern energy policy in the United States: renewable energy mandates and behavioral nudges. The Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is the most prominent state-level renewable energy policy in the United States and has been debated several times at the federal level. Using a fixed-effects panel data model I study the existing experience of the RPS to help inform the policy debate. In contrast with the previous literature that has predominantly studied the average effect of the RPS on renewable capacity investments I explore factors resulting in the heterogeneous effect of the RPS policy. Relying on a basic understanding the electric utility industry and the electricity dispatch process I provide insight into existing experience with the RPS. Spurred by political and economic barriers to adopting renewable energy policy, interest has increased in using motivational techniques informed by behavioral science to encourage reductions in energy consumption. Existing research has predominantly addressed residential energy consumption. The remainder of my dissertation applies well-established motivational techniques to the transportation sector. Using an experimental design, I test whether real-time feedback and social norms can encourage fuel efficient driving behavior. I find that real-time feedback has a large impact on fuel economy, particularly when aggregated across the entire vehicle fleet. I also find some evidence suggesting that social norms can encourage eco-driving, but perhaps more importantly, identify key challenges associated with using social norms in a transportation setting.

Connected Component Model for Multi-Object Tracking.

PubMed

He, Zhenyu; Li, Xin; You, Xinge; Tao, Dacheng; Tang, Yuan Yan

2016-08-01

In multi-object tracking, it is critical to explore the data associations by exploiting the temporal information from a sequence of frames rather than the information from the adjacent two frames. Since straightforwardly obtaining data associations from multi-frames is an NP-hard multi-dimensional assignment (MDA) problem, most existing methods solve this MDA problem by either developing complicated approximate algorithms, or simplifying MDA as a 2D assignment problem based upon the information extracted only from adjacent frames. In this paper, we show that the relation between associations of two observations is the equivalence relation in the data association problem, based on the spatial-temporal constraint that the trajectories of different objects must be disjoint. Therefore, the MDA problem can be equivalently divided into independent subproblems by equivalence partitioning. In contrast to existing works for solving the MDA problem, we develop a connected component model (CCM) by exploiting the constraints of the data association and the equivalence relation on the constraints. Based upon CCM, we can efficiently obtain the global solution of the MDA problem for multi-object tracking by optimizing a sequence of independent data association subproblems. Experiments on challenging public data sets demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches.

TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSENSUS MATERIALS DATABASE FOR PRESSURE TECHNOLGY APPLICATIONS

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

Swindeman, Robert W; Ren, Weiju

The ASME construction code books specify materials and fabrication procedures that are acceptable for pressure technology applications. However, with few exceptions, the materials properties provided in the ASME code books provide no statistics or other information pertaining to material variability. Such information is central to the prediction and prevention of failure events. Many sources of materials data exist that provide variability information but such sources do not necessarily represent a consensus of experts with respect to the reported trends that are represented. Such a need has been identified by the ASME Standards Technology, LLC and initial steps have been takenmore » to address these needs: however, these steps are limited to project-specific applications only, such as the joint DOE-ASME project on materials for Generation IV nuclear reactors. In contrast to light-water reactor technology, the experience base for the Generation IV nuclear reactors is somewhat lacking and heavy reliance must be placed on model development and predictive capability. The database for model development is being assembled and includes existing code alloys such as alloy 800H and 9Cr-1Mo-V steel. Ownership and use rights are potential barriers that must be addressed.« less

Predicting protein complexes using a supervised learning method combined with local structural information.

PubMed

Dong, Yadong; Sun, Yongqi; Qin, Chao

2018-01-01

The existing protein complex detection methods can be broadly divided into two categories: unsupervised and supervised learning methods. Most of the unsupervised learning methods assume that protein complexes are in dense regions of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks even though many true complexes are not dense subgraphs. Supervised learning methods utilize the informative properties of known complexes; they often extract features from existing complexes and then use the features to train a classification model. The trained model is used to guide the search process for new complexes. However, insufficient extracted features, noise in the PPI data and the incompleteness of complex data make the classification model imprecise. Consequently, the classification model is not sufficient for guiding the detection of complexes. Therefore, we propose a new robust score function that combines the classification model with local structural information. Based on the score function, we provide a search method that works both forwards and backwards. The results from experiments on six benchmark PPI datasets and three protein complex datasets show that our approach can achieve better performance compared with the state-of-the-art supervised, semi-supervised and unsupervised methods for protein complex detection, occasionally significantly outperforming such methods.

Several foundational and information theoretic implications of Bell’s theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kar, Guruprasad; Banik, Manik

2016-08-01

In 1935, Albert Einstein and two colleagues, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen (EPR) developed a thought experiment to demonstrate what they felt was a lack of completeness in quantum mechanics (QM). EPR also postulated the existence of more fundamental theory where physical reality of any system would be completely described by the variables/states of that fundamental theory. This variable is commonly called hidden variable and the theory is called hidden variable theory (HVT). In 1964, John Bell proposed an empirically verifiable criterion to test for the existence of these HVTs. He derived an inequality, which must be satisfied by any theory that fulfill the conditions of locality and reality. He also showed that QM, as it violates this inequality, is incompatible with any local-realistic theory. Later it has been shown that Bell’s inequality (BI) can be derived from different set of assumptions and it also find applications in useful information theoretic protocols. In this review, we will discuss various foundational as well as information theoretic implications of BI. We will also discuss about some restricted nonlocal feature of quantum nonlocality and elaborate the role of Uncertainty principle and Complementarity principle in explaining this feature.

The interplay of bottom-up and top-down mechanisms in visual guidance during object naming.

PubMed

Coco, Moreno I; Malcolm, George L; Keller, Frank

2014-01-01

An ongoing issue in visual cognition concerns the roles played by low- and high-level information in guiding visual attention, with current research remaining inconclusive about the interaction between the two. In this study, we bring fresh evidence into this long-standing debate by investigating visual saliency and contextual congruency during object naming (Experiment 1), a task in which visual processing interacts with language processing. We then compare the results of this experiment to data of a memorization task using the same stimuli (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, we find that both saliency and congruency influence visual and naming responses and interact with linguistic factors. In particular, incongruent objects are fixated later and less often than congruent ones. However, saliency is a significant predictor of object naming, with salient objects being named earlier in a trial. Furthermore, the saliency and congruency of a named object interact with the lexical frequency of the associated word and mediate the time-course of fixations at naming. In Experiment 2, we find a similar overall pattern in the eye-movement responses, but only the congruency of the target is a significant predictor, with incongruent targets fixated less often than congruent targets. Crucially, this finding contrasts with claims in the literature that incongruent objects are more informative than congruent objects by deviating from scene context and hence need a longer processing. Overall, this study suggests that different sources of information are interactively used to guide visual attention on the targets to be named and raises new questions for existing theories of visual attention.

A global parallel model based design of experiments method to minimize model output uncertainty.

PubMed

Bazil, Jason N; Buzzard, Gregory T; Rundell, Ann E

2012-03-01

Model-based experiment design specifies the data to be collected that will most effectively characterize the biological system under study. Existing model-based design of experiment algorithms have primarily relied on Fisher Information Matrix-based methods to choose the best experiment in a sequential manner. However, these are largely local methods that require an initial estimate of the parameter values, which are often highly uncertain, particularly when data is limited. In this paper, we provide an approach to specify an informative sequence of multiple design points (parallel design) that will constrain the dynamical uncertainty of the biological system responses to within experimentally detectable limits as specified by the estimated experimental noise. The method is based upon computationally efficient sparse grids and requires only a bounded uncertain parameter space; it does not rely upon initial parameter estimates. The design sequence emerges through the use of scenario trees with experimental design points chosen to minimize the uncertainty in the predicted dynamics of the measurable responses of the system. The algorithm was illustrated herein using a T cell activation model for three problems that ranged in dimension from 2D to 19D. The results demonstrate that it is possible to extract useful information from a mathematical model where traditional model-based design of experiments approaches most certainly fail. The experiments designed via this method fully constrain the model output dynamics to within experimentally resolvable limits. The method is effective for highly uncertain biological systems characterized by deterministic mathematical models with limited data sets. Also, it is highly modular and can be modified to include a variety of methodologies such as input design and model discrimination.

Social support among releasing men prisoners with lifetime trauma experiences.

PubMed

Pettus-Davis, Carrie

2014-01-01

High rates of lifetime trauma experiences exist among men incarcerated in US state and federal prisons. Because lifetime trauma experiences have been linked to problematic behavioral and psychiatric outcomes for incarcerated populations, trauma-informed interventions could improve post-release well-being of releasing men prisoners with trauma histories. Social support has consistently been found to have a positive impact on trauma-related outcomes in non-incarcerated populations. Therefore, it is reasonable to hypothesize that social support may be an important intervention component for releasing men prisoners with trauma experiences; yet, the relationship between trauma experiences, psychiatric and behavioral factors, and social support has received almost no attention in research with men prisoners. Using a probability sample of 165 soon-to-be-released men, the present study examined differences in certain demographic, criminal justice history, mental health, substance abuse, and social support (type, quality, amount, and source) variables between releasing men prisoners with and without lifetime trauma experiences. Results indicate that men with trauma histories had more negative social support experiences and fewer positive social support resources before prison than their counterparts. Men with trauma histories also had more lifetime experiences with mental health and substance use problems. On further investigation of the subsample of men with trauma histories, those who were older, had substance use disorders, and histories of mental health problems anticipated fewer post-release social support resources. Study findings underscore the nuances of social support for men prisoners with trauma experiences and point to implications for future directions in targeted trauma-informed intervention development for releasing men prisoners. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Apocalypse soon? Dire messages reduce belief in global warming by contradicting just-world beliefs.

PubMed

Feinberg, Matthew; Willer, Robb

2011-01-01

Though scientific evidence for the existence of global warming continues to mount, in the United States and other countries belief in global warming has stagnated or even decreased in recent years. One possible explanation for this pattern is that information about the potentially dire consequences of global warming threatens deeply held beliefs that the world is just, orderly, and stable. Individuals overcome this threat by denying or discounting the existence of global warming, and this process ultimately results in decreased willingness to counteract climate change. Two experiments provide support for this explanation of the dynamics of belief in global warming, suggesting that less dire messaging could be more effective for promoting public understanding of climate-change research.

Integrating Ubunifu, informal science, and community innovations in science classrooms in East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semali, Ladislaus M.; Hristova, Adelina; Owiny, Sylvia A.

2015-12-01

This study examines the relationship between informal science and indigenous innovations in local communities in which students matured. The discussion considers methods for bridging the gap that exists between parents' understanding of informal science ( Ubunifu) and what students learn in secondary schools in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In an effort to reconcile the difference between students' lived experiences and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) taught in classrooms, this study presents an experiential iSPACES instructional model as an example of curriculum integration in science classrooms. The culmination is presentation of lessons learned from history, including Africa's unique contributions to science, theory, and indigenous innovations, in the hope that these lessons can spur the development of new instructional practices, standards, curriculum materials, professional and community development, and dialogue among nations.

Demonstration of SLUMIS: a clinical database and management information system for a multi organ transplant program.

PubMed Central

Kurtz, M.; Bennett, T.; Garvin, P.; Manuel, F.; Williams, M.; Langreder, S.

1991-01-01

Because of the rapid evolution of the heart, heart/lung, liver, kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant programs at our institution, and because of a lack of an existing comprehensive database, we were required to develop a computerized management information system capable of supporting both clinical and research requirements of a multifaceted transplant program. SLUMIS (ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY MULTI-ORGAN INFORMATION SYSTEM) was developed for the following reasons: 1) to comply with the reporting requirements of various transplant registries, 2) for reporting to an increasing number of government agencies and insurance carriers, 3) to obtain updates of our operative experience at regular intervals, 4) to integrate the Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory (HLA) for online test result reporting, and 5) to facilitate clinical investigation. PMID:1807741

A systematic community-based participatory approach to refining an evidence-based community-level intervention: The HOLA intervention for Latino men who have sex with men

PubMed Central

Rhodes, Scott D.; Daniel, Jason; Alonzo, Jorge; Duck, Stacy; Garcia, Manuel; Downs, Mario; Hergenrather, Kenneth C.; Alegria-Ortega, Jose; Miller, AAS, Cindy; Boeving Allen, Alex; Gilbert, Paul A.; Marsiglia, Flavio F.

2014-01-01

Our community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership engaged in a multi-step process to refine a culturally congruent intervention that builds on existing community strengths to promote sexual health among immigrant Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). The steps were: (1) increase Latino MSM participation in the existing partnership; (2) establish an Intervention Team; (3) review the existing sexual health literature; (4) explore needs and priorities of Latino MSM; (5) narrow priorities based on what is important and changeable; (6) blend health behavior theory with Latino MSM’s lived experiences; (7) design an intervention conceptual model; (8) develop training modules and (9) resource materials; and (10) pretest and (11) revise the intervention. The developed intervention contains four modules to train Latino MSM to serve as lay health advisors (LHAs) known as “Navegantes”. These modules synthesize locally collected data with other local and national data; blend health behavior theory, the lived experiences, and cultural values of immigrant Latino MSM; and harness the informal social support Latino MSM provide one another. This community-level intervention is designed to meet the expressed sexual health priorities of Latino MSM. It frames disease prevention within sexual health promotion. PMID:23075504

A systematic community-based participatory approach to refining an evidence-based community-level intervention: the HOLA intervention for Latino men who have sex with men.

PubMed

Rhodes, Scott D; Daniel, Jason; Alonzo, Jorge; Duck, Stacy; García, Manuel; Downs, Mario; Hergenrather, Kenneth C; Alegría-Ortega, José; Miller, Cindy; Boeving Allen, Alex; Gilbert, Paul A; Marsiglia, Flavio F

2013-07-01

Our community-based participatory research partnership engaged in a multistep process to refine a culturally congruent intervention that builds on existing community strengths to promote sexual health among immigrant Latino men who have sex with men (MSM). The steps were the following: (1) increase Latino MSM participation in the existing partnership, (2) establish an Intervention Team, (3) review the existing sexual health literature, (4) explore needs and priorities of Latino MSM, (5) narrow priorities based on what is important and changeable, (6) blend health behavior theory with Latino MSM's lived experiences, (7) design an intervention conceptual model, (8) develop training modules and (9) resource materials, and (10) pretest and (11) revise the intervention. The developed intervention contains four modules to train Latino MSM to serve as lay health advisors known as Navegantes. These modules synthesize locally collected data with other local and national data; blend health behavior theory, the lived experiences, and cultural values of immigrant Latino MSM; and harness the informal social support Latino MSM provide one another. This community-level intervention is designed to meet the expressed sexual health priorities of Latino MSM. It frames disease prevention within sexual health promotion.

Knowledgeable Lemurs Become More Central in Social Networks.

PubMed

Kulahci, Ipek G; Ghazanfar, Asif A; Rubenstein, Daniel I

2018-04-23

Strong relationships exist between social connections and information transmission [1-9], where individuals' network position plays a key role in whether or not they acquire novel information [2, 3, 5, 6]. The relationships between social connections and information acquisition may be bidirectional if learning novel information, in addition to being influenced by it, influences network position. Individuals who acquire information quickly and use it frequently may receive more affiliative behaviors [10, 11] and may thus have a central network position. However, the potential influence of learning on network centrality has not been theoretically or empirically addressed. To bridge this epistemic gap, we investigated whether ring-tailed lemurs' (Lemur catta) centrality in affiliation networks changed after they learned how to solve a novel foraging task. Lemurs who had frequently initiated interactions and approached conspecifics before the learning experiment were more likely to observe and learn the task solution. Comparing social networks before and after the learning experiment revealed that the frequently observed lemurs received more affiliative behaviors than they did before-they became more central after the experiment. This change persisted even after the task was removed and was not caused by the observed lemurs initiating more affiliative behaviors. Consequently, quantifying received and initiated interactions separately provides unique insights into the relationships between learning and centrality. While the factors that influence network position are not fully understood, our results suggest that individual differences in learning and becoming successful can play a major role in social centrality, especially when learning from others is advantageous. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing quality of maternity care in Hungary: expert validation and testing of the mother-centered prenatal care (MCPC) survey instrument.

PubMed

Rubashkin, Nicholas; Szebik, Imre; Baji, Petra; Szántó, Zsuzsa; Susánszky, Éva; Vedam, Saraswathi

2017-11-16

Instruments to assess quality of maternity care in Central and Eastern European (CEE) region are scarce, despite reports of poor doctor-patient communication, non-evidence-based care, and informal cash payments. We validated and tested an online questionnaire to study maternity care experiences among Hungarian women. Following literature review, we collated validated items and scales from two previous English-language surveys and adapted them to the Hungarian context. An expert panel assessed items for clarity and relevance on a 4-point ordinal scale. We calculated item-level Content Validation Index (CVI) scores. We designed 9 new items concerning informal cash payments, as well as 7 new "model of care" categories based on mode of payment. The final questionnaire (N = 111 items) was tested in two samples of Hungarian women, representative (N = 600) and convenience (N = 657). We conducted bivariate analysis and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Experts rated pre-existing English-language items as clear and relevant to Hungarian women's maternity care experiences with an average CVI for included questions of 0.97. Significant differences emerged across the model of care categories in terms of informal payments, informed consent practices, and women's perceptions of autonomy. Thematic analysis (N = 1015) of women's responses identified 13 priority areas of the maternity care experience, 9 of which were addressed by the questionnaire. We developed and validated a comprehensive questionnaire that can be used to evaluate respectful maternity care, evidence-based practice, and informal cash payments in CEE region and beyond.

Information Dissemination of Public Health Emergency on Social Networks and Intelligent Computation

PubMed Central

Hu, Hongzhi; Mao, Huajuan; Hu, Xiaohua; Hu, Feng; Sun, Xuemin; Jing, Zaiping; Duan, Yunsuo

2015-01-01

Due to the extensive social influence, public health emergency has attracted great attention in today's society. The booming social network is becoming a main information dissemination platform of those events and caused high concerns in emergency management, among which a good prediction of information dissemination in social networks is necessary for estimating the event's social impacts and making a proper strategy. However, information dissemination is largely affected by complex interactive activities and group behaviors in social network; the existing methods and models are limited to achieve a satisfactory prediction result due to the open changeable social connections and uncertain information processing behaviors. ACP (artificial societies, computational experiments, and parallel execution) provides an effective way to simulate the real situation. In order to obtain better information dissemination prediction in social networks, this paper proposes an intelligent computation method under the framework of TDF (Theory-Data-Feedback) based on ACP simulation system which was successfully applied to the analysis of A (H1N1) Flu emergency. PMID:26609303

Information Dissemination of Public Health Emergency on Social Networks and Intelligent Computation.

PubMed

Hu, Hongzhi; Mao, Huajuan; Hu, Xiaohua; Hu, Feng; Sun, Xuemin; Jing, Zaiping; Duan, Yunsuo

2015-01-01

Due to the extensive social influence, public health emergency has attracted great attention in today's society. The booming social network is becoming a main information dissemination platform of those events and caused high concerns in emergency management, among which a good prediction of information dissemination in social networks is necessary for estimating the event's social impacts and making a proper strategy. However, information dissemination is largely affected by complex interactive activities and group behaviors in social network; the existing methods and models are limited to achieve a satisfactory prediction result due to the open changeable social connections and uncertain information processing behaviors. ACP (artificial societies, computational experiments, and parallel execution) provides an effective way to simulate the real situation. In order to obtain better information dissemination prediction in social networks, this paper proposes an intelligent computation method under the framework of TDF (Theory-Data-Feedback) based on ACP simulation system which was successfully applied to the analysis of A (H1N1) Flu emergency.

Experiment Design for Nonparametric Models Based On Minimizing Bayes Risk: Application to Voriconazole1

PubMed Central

Bayard, David S.; Neely, Michael

2016-01-01

An experimental design approach is presented for individualized therapy in the special case where the prior information is specified by a nonparametric (NP) population model. Here, a nonparametric model refers to a discrete probability model characterized by a finite set of support points and their associated weights. An important question arises as to how to best design experiments for this type of model. Many experimental design methods are based on Fisher Information or other approaches originally developed for parametric models. While such approaches have been used with some success across various applications, it is interesting to note that they largely fail to address the fundamentally discrete nature of the nonparametric model. Specifically, the problem of identifying an individual from a nonparametric prior is more naturally treated as a problem of classification, i.e., to find a support point that best matches the patient’s behavior. This paper studies the discrete nature of the NP experiment design problem from a classification point of view. Several new insights are provided including the use of Bayes Risk as an information measure, and new alternative methods for experiment design. One particular method, denoted as MMopt (Multiple-Model Optimal), will be examined in detail and shown to require minimal computation while having distinct advantages compared to existing approaches. Several simulated examples, including a case study involving oral voriconazole in children, are given to demonstrate the usefulness of MMopt in pharmacokinetics applications. PMID:27909942

Experiment design for nonparametric models based on minimizing Bayes Risk: application to voriconazole¹.

PubMed

Bayard, David S; Neely, Michael

2017-04-01

An experimental design approach is presented for individualized therapy in the special case where the prior information is specified by a nonparametric (NP) population model. Here, a NP model refers to a discrete probability model characterized by a finite set of support points and their associated weights. An important question arises as to how to best design experiments for this type of model. Many experimental design methods are based on Fisher information or other approaches originally developed for parametric models. While such approaches have been used with some success across various applications, it is interesting to note that they largely fail to address the fundamentally discrete nature of the NP model. Specifically, the problem of identifying an individual from a NP prior is more naturally treated as a problem of classification, i.e., to find a support point that best matches the patient's behavior. This paper studies the discrete nature of the NP experiment design problem from a classification point of view. Several new insights are provided including the use of Bayes Risk as an information measure, and new alternative methods for experiment design. One particular method, denoted as MMopt (multiple-model optimal), will be examined in detail and shown to require minimal computation while having distinct advantages compared to existing approaches. Several simulated examples, including a case study involving oral voriconazole in children, are given to demonstrate the usefulness of MMopt in pharmacokinetics applications.

Automatic natural acquisition of a semantic network for information retrieval systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enguehard, Chantal; Malvache, Pierre; Trigano, Philippe

1992-03-01

The amount of information is becoming greater and greater, in industries where complex processes are performed it is becoming increasingly difficult to profit from all the documents produced when fresh knowledge becomes available (reports, experiments, findings). This situation causes a considerable and expensive waste of precious time lost searching for documents or, quite simply, results in outright repeating what has been done. One solution is to transform all paper information into computerized information. We might imagine that we are in a science-fiction world and that we have the perfect computer. We tell it everything we know, we make it read all the books, and if we ask it any question, it will find the response if that response exists. But unfortunately, we are in the real world and the last four decades have taught us to minimize our expectations of computers. During the 1960s, the information retrieval systems appeared. Their purpose is to provide access to any desired documents, in response to a question about a subject, even if it is not known to exist. Here we focus on the problem of selecting items to index the documents. In 1966, Salton identified this problem as crucial when he saw that his system, Medlars, did not find a relevant text because of the wrong indexation. Faced with this problem, he imagined a guide to help authors choose the correct indexation, but he anticipated the automation of this operation with the SMART system. It was stated previously that a manual language analysis for information items by subjects experts is likely to prove impractical in the long run. After a brief survey of the existing responses to the index choice problem, we shall present the system automatic natural acquisition (ANA) which chooses items to index texts by using as little knowledge as possible- -just by learning the language. This system does not use any grammar or lexicon, so the selected indexes will be very close to the field concerned in the texts.

Development of display design and command usage guidelines for Spacelab experiment computer applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dodson, D. W.; Shields, N. L., Jr.

1979-01-01

Individual Spacelab experiments are responsible for developing their CRT display formats and interactive command scenarios for payload crew monitoring and control of experiment operations via the Spacelab Data Display System (DDS). In order to enhance crew training and flight operations, it was important to establish some standardization of the crew/experiment interface among different experiments by providing standard methods and techniques for data presentation and experiment commanding via the DDS. In order to establish optimum usage guidelines for the Spacelab DDS, the capabilities and limitations of the hardware and Experiment Computer Operating System design had to be considered. Since the operating system software and hardware design had already been established, the Display and Command Usage Guidelines were constrained to the capabilities of the existing system design. Empirical evaluations were conducted on a DDS simulator to determine optimum operator/system interface utilization of the system capabilities. Display parameters such as information location, display density, data organization, status presentation and dynamic update effects were evaluated in terms of response times and error rates.

Factors shaping effective utilization of health information technology in urban safety-net clinics.

PubMed

George, Sheba; Garth, Belinda; Fish, Allison; Baker, Richard

2013-09-01

Urban safety-net clinics are considered prime targets for the adoption of health information technology innovations; however, little is known about their utilization in such safety-net settings. Current scholarship provides limited guidance on the implementation of health information technology into safety-net settings as it typically assumes that adopting institutions have sufficient basic resources. This study addresses this gap by exploring the unique challenges urban resource-poor safety-net clinics must consider when adopting and utilizing health information technology. In-depth interviews (N = 15) were used with key stakeholders (clinic chief executive officers, medical directors, nursing directors, chief financial officers, and information technology directors) from staff at four clinics to explore (a) nonhealth information technology-related clinic needs, (b) how health information technology may provide solutions, and (c) perceptions of and experiences with health information technology. Participants identified several challenges, some of which appear amenable to health information technology solutions. Also identified were requirements for effective utilization of health information technology including physical infrastructural improvements, funding for equipment/training, creation of user groups to share health information technology knowledge/experiences, and specially tailored electronic billing guidelines. We found that despite the potential benefit that can be derived from health information technologies, the unplanned and uninformed introduction of these tools into these settings might actually create more problems than are solved. From these data, we were able to identify a set of factors that should be considered when integrating health information technology into the existing workflows of low-resourced urban safety-net clinics in order to maximize their utilization and enhance the quality of health care in such settings.

Do informal caregivers for elderly in the community use support measures? A qualitative study in five European countries.

PubMed

Willemse, Evi; Anthierens, Sibyl; Farfan-Portet, Maria Isabel; Schmitz, Olivier; Macq, Jean; Bastiaens, Hilde; Dilles, Tinne; Remmen, Roy

2016-07-16

Informal caregivers are essential figures for maintaining frail elderly at home. Providing informal care can affect the informal caregivers' physical and psychological health and labour market participation capabilities. They need support to prevent caregiver burden. A variety of existing support measures can help the caregiver care for the elderly at home, but with some limitations. The objective of this review was to explore the experiences of informal caregivers caring for elderly in the community with the use of supportive policy measures in Belgium and compare these to the experiences in other European countries. An empirical qualitative case study research was conducted in five European countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Germany). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with informal caregivers and their dependent elderly. Interview data from the different cases were analysed. In particular data from Belgium was compared to data from the cases abroad. Formal services (e.g. home care) were reported to have the largest impact on allowing the caregiver to care for the dependent elderly at home. One of the key issues in Belgium is the lack of timely access to reliable information about formal and informal services in order to proactively support the informal caregiver. Compared to the other countries, informal caregivers in Belgium expressed more difficulties in accessing support measures and navigating through the health system. In the other countries information seemed to be given more timely when home care was provided via care packages. To support the informal caregiver, who is the key person to support the frail elderly, fragmentation of information regarding supportive policy measures is an important issue of concern.

ARIANE: integration of information databases within a hospital intranet.

PubMed

Joubert, M; Aymard, S; Fieschi, D; Volot, F; Staccini, P; Robert, J J; Fieschi, M

1998-05-01

Large information systems handle massive volume of data stored in heterogeneous sources. Each server has its own model of representation of concepts with regard to its aims. One of the main problems end-users encounter when accessing different servers is to match their own viewpoint on biomedical concepts with the various representations that are made in the databases servers. The aim of the project ARIANE is to provide end-users with easy-to-use and natural means to access and query heterogeneous information databases. The objectives of this research work consist in building a conceptual interface by means of the Internet technology inside an enterprise Intranet and to propose a method to realize it. This method is based on the knowledge sources provided by the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) project of the US National Library of Medicine. Experiments concern queries to three different information servers: PubMed, a Medline server of the NLM; Thériaque, a French database on drugs implemented in the Hospital Intranet; and a Web site dedicated to Internet resources in gastroenterology and nutrition, located at the Faculty of Medicine of Nice (France). Accessing to each of these servers is different according to the kind of information delivered and according to the technology used to query it. Dealing with health care professional workstation, the authors introduced in the ARIANE project quality criteria in order to attempt a homogeneous and efficient way to build a query system able to be integrated in existing information systems and to integrate existing and new information sources.

Information and professional support: key factors in the provision of family-centred early childhood intervention services.

PubMed

Fordham, L; Gibson, F; Bowes, J

2012-09-01

Much has been written on the principles of family-centred practice and on the service delivery methods and skills required of its practitioners. Far less has been written from the perspective of families whose children have a disability. The aims of this study were twofold: firstly to understand families' experiences of family-centred early childhood intervention services and secondly to explore other factors that might impact on these experiences. One hundred and thirty families attending two established early childhood intervention services in New South Wales, Australia completed a survey incorporating the Measure of Processes of Care-56, the Family Empowerment Scale, the Family Support Scale and the Parenting Daily Hassles Scale. Consistent with previous research using the Measure of Processes of Care-56, 'respectful and supportive care' was the domain of care families rated to occur most and 'provision of general information' was the domain they rated to occur least. Significant positive relationships existed between families' ratings of family-centred care and feelings of empowerment. Being provided with general information was strongly correlated with family empowerment. Families' social support networks played an important role but support from professionals was most strongly correlated with families' experiences of family-centred care. Finally, families whose children's early intervention services were co-ordinated by a professional experienced significantly better care. The provision of general information and professional support are key components of family-centred early childhood intervention services. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Optimizing fixed observational assets in a coastal observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frolov, Sergey; Baptista, António; Wilkin, Michael

2008-11-01

Proliferation of coastal observatories necessitates an objective approach to managing of observational assets. In this article, we used our experience in the coastal observatory for the Columbia River estuary and plume to identify and address common problems in managing of fixed observational assets, such as salinity, temperature, and water level sensors attached to pilings and moorings. Specifically, we addressed the following problems: assessing the quality of an existing array, adding stations to an existing array, removing stations from an existing array, validating an array design, and targeting of an array toward data assimilation or monitoring. Our analysis was based on a combination of methods from oceanographic and statistical literature, mainly on the statistical machinery of the best linear unbiased estimator. The key information required for our analysis was the covariance structure for a field of interest, which was computed from the output of assimilated and non-assimilated models of the Columbia River estuary and plume. The network optimization experiments in the Columbia River estuary and plume proved to be successful, largely withstanding the scrutiny of sensitivity and validation studies, and hence providing valuable insight into optimization and operation of the existing observational network. Our success in the Columbia River estuary and plume suggest that algorithms for optimal placement of sensors are reaching maturity and are likely to play a significant role in the design of emerging ocean observatories, such as the United State's ocean observation initiative (OOI) and integrated ocean observing system (IOOS) observatories, and smaller regional observatories.

Toward Studying Music Cognition with Information Retrieval Techniques: Lessons Learned from the OpenMIIR Initiative.

PubMed

Stober, Sebastian

2017-01-01

As an emerging sub-field of music information retrieval (MIR), music imagery information retrieval (MIIR) aims to retrieve information from brain activity recorded during music cognition-such as listening to or imagining music pieces. This is a highly inter-disciplinary endeavor that requires expertise in MIR as well as cognitive neuroscience and psychology. The OpenMIIR initiative strives to foster collaborations between these fields to advance the state of the art in MIIR. As a first step, electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of music perception and imagination have been made publicly available, enabling MIR researchers to easily test and adapt their existing approaches for music analysis like fingerprinting, beat tracking or tempo estimation on this new kind of data. This paper reports on first results of MIIR experiments using these OpenMIIR datasets and points out how these findings could drive new research in cognitive neuroscience.

The Cortex project A quasi-real-time information system to build control systems for high energy physics experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barillere, R.; Cabel, H.; Chan, B.; Goulas, I.; Le Goff, J. M.; Vinot, L.; Willmott, C.; Milcent, H.; Huuskonen, P.

1994-12-01

The Cortex control information system framework is being developed at CERN. It offers basic functions to allow the sharing of information, control and analysis functions; it presents a uniform human interface for such information and functions; it permits upgrades and additions without code modification and it is sufficiently generic to allow its use by most of the existing or future control systems at CERN. Services will include standard interfaces to user-supplied functions, analysis, archive and event management. Cortex does not attempt to carry out the direct data acquisition or control of the devices; these are activities which are highly specific to the application and are best done by commercial systems or user-written programs. Instead, Cortex integrates these application-specific pieces and supports them by supplying other commonly needed facilities such as collaboration, analysis, diagnosis and user assistance.

Enhancing End-to-End Performance of Information Services Over Ka-Band Global Satellite Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhasin, Kul B.; Glover, Daniel R.; Ivancic, William D.; vonDeak, Thomas C.

1997-01-01

The Internet has been growing at a rapid rate as the key medium to provide information services such as e-mail, WWW and multimedia etc., however its global reach is limited. Ka-band communication satellite networks are being developed to increase the accessibility of information services via the Internet at global scale. There is need to assess satellite networks in their ability to provide these services and interconnect seamlessly with existing and proposed terrestrial telecommunication networks. In this paper the significant issues and requirements in providing end-to-end high performance for the delivery of information services over satellite networks based on various layers in the OSI reference model are identified. Key experiments have been performed to evaluate the performance of digital video and Internet over satellite-like testbeds. The results of the early developments in ATM and TCP protocols over satellite networks are summarized.

"I think about Oprah": social class differences in sources of health information.

PubMed

Bell, Ann V

2014-04-01

Health information influences an individual's health outcomes. Indeed, researchers have found that communication inequalities contribute to health inequalities. We do not have a clear understanding of why and how the communication disparities exist, however, particularly the social forces behind such differences. The qualitative nature of this article reveals the nuances of health information seeking using the case of infertility. Through 58 in-depth interviews, I demonstrate how differences in social and cultural capital between women of low and high socioeconomic status (SES) result in different ways of learning about health. Women of high SES have access to support groups, physicians, and the Internet, whereas women of low SES do not discuss their health problems with their peers, and lack access to and distrust physicians. I explore how these differences in health information shape the illness experience. I conclude with policy implications.

Toward Studying Music Cognition with Information Retrieval Techniques: Lessons Learned from the OpenMIIR Initiative

PubMed Central

Stober, Sebastian

2017-01-01

As an emerging sub-field of music information retrieval (MIR), music imagery information retrieval (MIIR) aims to retrieve information from brain activity recorded during music cognition–such as listening to or imagining music pieces. This is a highly inter-disciplinary endeavor that requires expertise in MIR as well as cognitive neuroscience and psychology. The OpenMIIR initiative strives to foster collaborations between these fields to advance the state of the art in MIIR. As a first step, electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of music perception and imagination have been made publicly available, enabling MIR researchers to easily test and adapt their existing approaches for music analysis like fingerprinting, beat tracking or tempo estimation on this new kind of data. This paper reports on first results of MIIR experiments using these OpenMIIR datasets and points out how these findings could drive new research in cognitive neuroscience. PMID:28824478

Exploiting salient semantic analysis for information retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jing; Meng, Bo; Quan, Changqin; Tu, Xinhui

2016-11-01

Recently, many Wikipedia-based methods have been proposed to improve the performance of different natural language processing (NLP) tasks, such as semantic relatedness computation, text classification and information retrieval. Among these methods, salient semantic analysis (SSA) has been proven to be an effective way to generate conceptual representation for words or documents. However, its feasibility and effectiveness in information retrieval is mostly unknown. In this paper, we study how to efficiently use SSA to improve the information retrieval performance, and propose a SSA-based retrieval method under the language model framework. First, SSA model is adopted to build conceptual representations for documents and queries. Then, these conceptual representations and the bag-of-words (BOW) representations can be used in combination to estimate the language models of queries and documents. The proposed method is evaluated on several standard text retrieval conference (TREC) collections. Experiment results on standard TREC collections show the proposed models consistently outperform the existing Wikipedia-based retrieval methods.

Unlocking the Value of Literature in Health Co-Design: Transforming Patient Experience Publications into a Creative and Accessible Card Tool.

PubMed

Villalba, Clare; Jaiprakash, Anjali; Donovan, Jared; Roberts, Jonathan; Crawford, Ross

2018-05-26

A wealth of peer-reviewed data exists regarding people's health experience, yet practical ways of using the data to understand patients' experiences and to inform health co-design are needed. This study aims to develop an applied and pragmatic method for using patient experience literature in co-design by transforming it into an accessible and creative co-design tool. A scoping literature review of the CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and PubMed electronic databases was conducted from January 2011 through August 2016. Qualitative publications regarding the experience of living with diabetes in Australia were selected. The Results section of each paper was extracted and affinity analysis was applied to identify insights into the health experience. These insights were developed into a card tool for use in health co-design activities. Thirteen relevant papers were identified from the review, and affinity analysis of the Results sections of these papers lead to the identification of 85 insights, from 'Shock of diagnosis' (Insight 1), to 'Delay seeking care' (Insight 9), to 'Assess the quality of care' (Insight 28), to 'Avoid or adapt habits' (Insight 78). Each insight was developed into an individual card, which included a high-level theme, insight, quote and a link back to the literature, together making up the Health Experience Insight Cards, Living with Diabetes Edition. This was the first study to develop a method for transforming existing patient experience literature into a creative tool for health improvement. The Health Experience Insight Cards collate the diverse experiences of over 300 people living with diabetes in Australia, from 13 studies. Health improvement teams can use the 'Living with Diabetes Edition' cards or they can follow this pragmatic method to create their own cards focused on other health experiences to facilitate person-focused health improvements.

Psychoeducation to address stigma in black adults referred for mental health treatment: a randomized pilot study.

PubMed

Alvidrez, Jennifer; Snowden, Lonnie R; Rao, Stephen M; Boccellari, Alicia

2009-04-01

Forty-two Black clients referred for outpatient treatment were randomly assigned to receive existing brochures about services or a psychoeducational booklet about stigma based on experiences of Black mental health consumers. At 3-month follow-up, clients reported that both types of information were helpful; there were no significant differences between the types of information on treatment attendance. However, individuals who reported higher perceived treatment need or greater uncertainty about treatment showed greater stigma reduction from the psychoeducation. Findings indicate the need to move beyond "customer satisfaction" to evaluate educational interventions, as well as for greater understanding of differential impact of stigma reduction interventions.

Anatomical information in radiation treatment planning.

PubMed

Kalet, I J; Wu, J; Lease, M; Austin-Seymour, M M; Brinkley, J F; Rosse, C

1999-01-01

We report on experience and insights gained from prototyping, for clinical radiation oncologists, a new access tool for the University of Washington Digital Anatomist information resources. This access tool is designed to integrate with a radiation therapy planning (RTP) system in use in a clinical setting. We hypothesize that the needs of practitioners in a clinical setting are different from the needs of students, the original targeted users of the Digital Anatomist system, but that a common knowledge resource can serve both. Our prototype was designed to help define those differences and study the feasibility of a full anatomic reference system that will support both clinical radiation therapy and all the existing educational applications.

Continental Scientific Drilling Program Data Base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawloski, Gayle

The Continental Scientific Drilling Program (CSDP) data base at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a central repository, cataloguing information from United States drill holes. Most holes have been drilled or proposed by various federal agencies. Some holes have been commercially funded. This data base is funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of t he Department of Energy (OBES/DOE) to serve the entire scientific community. Through the unrestricted use of the database, it is possible to reduce drilling costs and maximize the scientific value of current and planned efforts of federal agencies and industry by offering the opportunity for add-on experiments and supplementing knowledge with additional information from existing drill holes.

Quantum delayed-choice experiment with a single neutral atom.

PubMed

Li, Gang; Zhang, Pengfei; Zhang, Tiancai

2017-10-01

We present a proposal to implement a quantum delayed-choice (QDC) experiment with a single neutral atom, such as a rubidium or cesium atom. In our proposal, a Ramsey interferometer is adopted to observe the wave-like or particle-like behaviors of a single atom depending on the existence or absence of the second π/2-rotation. A quantum-controlled π/2-rotation on target atom is realized through a Rydberg-Rydberg interaction by another ancilla atom. It shows that a heavy neutral atom can also have a morphing behavior between the particle and the wave. The realization of the QDC experiment with such heavy neutral atoms not only is significant to understand the Bohr's complementarity principle in matter-wave and matter-particle domains but also has great potential on the quantum information process with neutral atoms.

Discovering collectively informative descriptors from high-throughput experiments

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Improvements in high-throughput technology and its increasing use have led to the generation of many highly complex datasets that often address similar biological questions. Combining information from these studies can increase the reliability and generalizability of results and also yield new insights that guide future research. Results This paper describes a novel algorithm called BLANKET for symmetric analysis of two experiments that assess informativeness of descriptors. The experiments are required to be related only in that their descriptor sets intersect substantially and their definitions of case and control are consistent. From resulting lists of n descriptors ranked by informativeness, BLANKET determines shortlists of descriptors from each experiment, generally of different lengths p and q. For any pair of shortlists, four numbers are evident: the number of descriptors appearing in both shortlists, in exactly one shortlist, or in neither shortlist. From the associated contingency table, BLANKET computes Right Fisher Exact Test (RFET) values used as scores over a plane of possible pairs of shortlist lengths [1,2]. BLANKET then chooses a pair or pairs with RFET score less than a threshold; the threshold depends upon n and shortlist length limits and represents a quality of intersection achieved by less than 5% of random lists. Conclusions Researchers seek within a universe of descriptors some minimal subset that collectively and efficiently predicts experimental outcomes. Ideally, any smaller subset should be insufficient for reliable prediction and any larger subset should have little additional accuracy. As a method, BLANKET is easy to conceptualize and presents only moderate computational complexity. Many existing databases could be mined using BLANKET to suggest optimal sets of predictive descriptors. PMID:20021653

Social networks and secondary health conditions: The critical secondary team for individuals with spinal cord injury

PubMed Central

Guilcher, Sara J. T.; Casciaro, Tiziana; Lemieux-Charles, Louise; Craven, Catharine; McColl, Mary Ann; Jaglal, Susan B.

2012-01-01

Objectives To describe the structure of informal networks for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community, to understand the quality of relationship of informal networks, and to understand the role of informal networks in the prevention and management of secondary health conditions (SHCs). Design Mixed-method descriptive study. Setting Ontario, Canada Participants Community-dwelling adults with an SCI living in Ontario Interventions/methods The Arizona Social Support Interview Survey was used to measure social networks. Participants were asked the following open-ended questions: (1) What have been your experiences with your health care in the community? (2) What have been your experiences with care related to prevention and/or management of SHCs?, (3)What has been the role of your informal social networks (friends/family) related to SHCs? Results Fourteen key informant interviews were conducted (6 men, 8 women). The overall median for available informal networks was 11.0 persons (range 3–19). The informal network engaged in the following roles: (1) advice/validating concerns; (2) knowledge brokers; (3) advocacy; (4) preventing SHCs; (5) assisting with finances; and (6) managing SHCs. Participants described their informal networks as a “secondary team”; a critical and essential force in dealing with SHCs. Conclusions While networks are smaller for persons with SCI compared with the general population, these ties seems to be strong, which is essential when the roles involve a level of trust, certainty, tacit knowledge, and flexibility. These informal networks serve as essential key players in filling the gaps that exist within the formal health care system. PMID:23031170

Bayesian inference with historical data-based informative priors improves detection of differentially expressed genes.

PubMed

Li, Ben; Sun, Zhaonan; He, Qing; Zhu, Yu; Qin, Zhaohui S

2016-03-01

Modern high-throughput biotechnologies such as microarray are capable of producing a massive amount of information for each sample. However, in a typical high-throughput experiment, only limited number of samples were assayed, thus the classical 'large p, small n' problem. On the other hand, rapid propagation of these high-throughput technologies has resulted in a substantial collection of data, often carried out on the same platform and using the same protocol. It is highly desirable to utilize the existing data when performing analysis and inference on a new dataset. Utilizing existing data can be carried out in a straightforward fashion under the Bayesian framework in which the repository of historical data can be exploited to build informative priors and used in new data analysis. In this work, using microarray data, we investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of deriving informative priors from historical data and using them in the problem of detecting differentially expressed genes. Through simulation and real data analysis, we show that the proposed strategy significantly outperforms existing methods including the popular and state-of-the-art Bayesian hierarchical model-based approaches. Our work illustrates the feasibility and benefits of exploiting the increasingly available genomics big data in statistical inference and presents a promising practical strategy for dealing with the 'large p, small n' problem. Our method is implemented in R package IPBT, which is freely available from https://github.com/benliemory/IPBT CONTACT: yuzhu@purdue.edu; zhaohui.qin@emory.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reputation Effects in Social Networks Do Not Promote Cooperation: An Experimental Test of the Raub & Weesie Model.

PubMed

Corten, Rense; Rosenkranz, Stephanie; Buskens, Vincent; Cook, Karen S

2016-01-01

Despite the popularity of the notion that social cohesion in the form of dense social networks promotes cooperation in Prisoner's Dilemmas through reputation, very little experimental evidence for this claim exists. We address this issue by testing hypotheses from one of the few rigorous game-theoretic models on this topic, the Raub & Weesie model, in two incentivized lab experiments. In the experiments, 156 subjects played repeated two-person PDs in groups of six. In the "atomized interactions" condition, subjects were only informed about the outcomes of their own interactions, while in the "embedded" condition, subjects were informed about the outcomes of all interactions in their group, allowing for reputation effects. The design of the experiments followed the specification of the RW model as closely as possible. For those aspects of the model that had to be modified to allow practical implementation in an experiment, we present additional analyses that show that these modifications do not affect the predictions. Contrary to expectations, we do not find that cooperation is higher in the embedded condition than in the atomized interaction. Instead, our results are consistent with an interpretation of the RW model that includes random noise, or with learning models of cooperation in networks.

Parenting a child with a traumatic brain injury: experiences of parents and health professionals.

PubMed

Brown, Felicity L; Whittingham, Koa; Sofronoff, Kate; Boyd, Roslyn N

2013-01-01

To qualitatively explore the experiences, challenges and needs of parents of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in order to inform future intervention research through incorporation of participant knowledge and experience. Parents of children with TBI (n = 10) and experienced health professionals in paediatric rehabilitation (n = 5) took part in focus groups or individual interviews. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and an inductive thematic analysis performed. Participants reported that, beyond the impact of the injury on the child, TBI affects the entire family. Parents need to adjust to and manage their child's difficulties and can also experience significant emotional distress, relationship discord and burden of care, further adding to the challenges of the parenting role. Parents can feel isolated and the importance of empowerment, support and information was emphasized. Coping styles of disengagement and avoidance were often reported, despite acknowledgement that these were not beneficial. Parenting interventions may provide essential support for parents in adjusting to and managing their child's difficulties and the efficacy of existing programmes needs evaluation. Addressing parent emotional adjustment and coping strategies is vital following paediatric TBI, given the impact on parent well-being and the potential negative effects on child outcomes through reduced parenting effectiveness. Group programmes may enable connection and support.

Reputation Effects in Social Networks Do Not Promote Cooperation: An Experimental Test of the Raub & Weesie Model

PubMed Central

Corten, Rense; Rosenkranz, Stephanie; Buskens, Vincent; Cook, Karen S.

2016-01-01

Despite the popularity of the notion that social cohesion in the form of dense social networks promotes cooperation in Prisoner’s Dilemmas through reputation, very little experimental evidence for this claim exists. We address this issue by testing hypotheses from one of the few rigorous game-theoretic models on this topic, the Raub & Weesie model, in two incentivized lab experiments. In the experiments, 156 subjects played repeated two-person PDs in groups of six. In the “atomized interactions” condition, subjects were only informed about the outcomes of their own interactions, while in the “embedded” condition, subjects were informed about the outcomes of all interactions in their group, allowing for reputation effects. The design of the experiments followed the specification of the RW model as closely as possible. For those aspects of the model that had to be modified to allow practical implementation in an experiment, we present additional analyses that show that these modifications do not affect the predictions. Contrary to expectations, we do not find that cooperation is higher in the embedded condition than in the atomized interaction. Instead, our results are consistent with an interpretation of the RW model that includes random noise, or with learning models of cooperation in networks. PMID:27366907

Assessing implicit odor localization in humans using a cross-modal spatial cueing paradigm.

PubMed

Moessnang, Carolin; Finkelmeyer, Andreas; Vossen, Alexandra; Schneider, Frank; Habel, Ute

2011-01-01

Navigation based on chemosensory information is one of the most important skills in the animal kingdom. Studies on odor localization suggest that humans have lost this ability. However, the experimental approaches used so far were limited to explicit judgements, which might ignore a residual ability for directional smelling on an implicit level without conscious appraisal. A novel cueing paradigm was developed in order to determine whether an implicit ability for directional smelling exists. Participants performed a visual two-alternative forced choice task in which the target was preceded either by a side-congruent or a side-incongruent olfactory spatial cue. An explicit odor localization task was implemented in a second experiment. No effect of cue congruency on mean reaction times could be found. However, a time by condition interaction emerged, with significantly slower responses to congruently compared to incongruently cued targets at the beginning of the experiment. This cueing effect gradually disappeared throughout the course of the experiment. In addition, participants performed at chance level in the explicit odor localization task, thus confirming the results of previous research. The implicit cueing task suggests the existence of spatial information processing in the olfactory system. Response slowing after a side-congruent olfactory cue is interpreted as a cross-modal attentional interference effect. In addition, habituation might have led to a gradual disappearance of the cueing effect. It is concluded that under immobile conditions with passive monorhinal stimulation, humans are unable to explicitly determine the location of a pure odorant. Implicitly, however, odor localization seems to exert an influence on human behaviour. To our knowledge, these data are the first to show implicit effects of odor localization on overt human behaviour and thus support the hypothesis of residual directional smelling in humans. © 2011 Moessnang et al.

Medical informatics education: an alternative pathway for training informationists

PubMed Central

Hersh, William

2002-01-01

Recognition of the growing complexity of health information needs has led to a call for the creation of a new health care professional, the informationist. Controversy exists as to the role of such individuals and what their training should be. A library science degree, augmented with clinical background or experience, is one pathway. Another to consider is training in medical informatics. With the right coursework, individuals trained in medical informatics should be equally well qualified to assume the role of informationists. PMID:11838463

CLASP2: High-Precision Spectro-Polarimetery in Mg II h & k

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ishikawa, R.; McKenzie, D.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Auchere, F.; Rachmeler, L.; Okamoto, T. J.; Kano, R.; Song, D.; Kubo, M.; Narukage, N.;

Strategy Guideline. Modeling Enclosure Design in Above-Grade Walls

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

J. Lstiburek; Ueno, K.; Musunuru, S.

2016-02-01

The Strategy Guideline, written by the U.S. Department of Energy's research team Building Science Corporation, 1) describes how to model and interpret results of models for above-grade walls, and 2) analyzes the failure thresholds and criteria for above-grade walls. A library of above-grade walls with historically successful performance was used to calibrate WUFI (Wärme und Feuchte instationär) software models. The information is generalized for application to a broad population of houses within the limits of existing experience.

Joint Information Theoretic and Differential Geometrical Approach for Robust Automated Target Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-29

surface and Swiss roll) and real-world data sets (UCI Machine Learning Repository [12] and USPS digit handwriting data). In our experiments, we use...less than µn ( say µ = 0.8), we can first use screening technique to select µn candidate nodes, and then apply BIPS on them for further selection and...identified from node j to node i. So we can say the probability for the existence of this connection is approximately 82%. Given the probability matrix

Apollo experience report: Guidance and control systems - Digital autopilot design development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, W. H.; Cox, K. J.

1973-01-01

The development of the Apollo digital autopilots (the primary attitude control systems that were used for all phases of the lunar landing mission) is summarized. This report includes design requirements, design constraints, and design philosophy. The development-process functions and the essential information flow paths are identified. Specific problem areas that existed during the development are included. A discussion is also presented on the benefits inherent in mechanizing attitude-controller logic and dynamic compensation in a digital computer.

Framework Requirements for MDO Application Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salas, A. O.; Townsend, J. C.

1999-01-01

Frameworks or problem solving environments that support application development form an active area of research. The Multidisciplinary Optimization Branch at NASA Langley Research Center is investigating frameworks for supporting multidisciplinary analysis and optimization research. The Branch has generated a list of framework requirements, based on the experience gained from the Framework for Interdisciplinary Design Optimization project and the information acquired during a framework evaluation process. In this study, four existing frameworks are examined against these requirements. The results of this examination suggest several topics for further framework research.

[90 years on the guard of health (to the 90 anniversary of the first publication of magazine "Vrachebnoe Delo")].

PubMed

Pavlovskiĭ, L N

2008-01-01

The article presents data on creation of one of the most popular and widespread medical magazines--"Vrachebnoe Delo", its hard way which it has taken for 90-years of its existence. The author has shown the role of the magazine in informing about achievements of the native medical theory and practice, education of medical staff, struggle for introduction in clinical practice of new achievements of science and valuable experience.

A visualization framework for design and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blundell, Benjamin J.; Ng, Gary; Pettifer, Steve

2006-01-01

The creation of compelling visualisation paradigms is a craft often dominated by intuition and issues of aesthetics, with relatively few models to support good design. The majority of problem cases are approached by simply applying a previously evaluated visualisation technique. A large body of work exists covering the individual aspects of visualisation design such as the human cognition aspects visualisation methods for specific problem areas, psychology studies and so forth, yet most frameworks regarding visualisation are applied after-the-fact as an evaluation measure. We present an extensible framework for visualisation aimed at structuring the design process, increasing decision traceability and delineating the notions of function, aesthetics and usability. The framework can be used to derive a set of requirements for good visualisation design and evaluating existing visualisations, presenting possible improvements. Our framework achieves this by being both broad and general, built on top of existing works, with hooks for extensions and customizations. This paper shows how existing theories of information visualisation fit into the scheme, presents our experience in the application of this framework on several designs, and offers our evaluation of the framework and the designs studied.

Does Informal Employment Exist in the United States and Other Developed Countries?

PubMed

Siqueira, Carlos E

2016-08-01

This editorial argues that informal employment does exist in developed countries and needs to be studied as such to complement the existing literature mostly published on informal work in developing countries. © The Author(s) 2016.

Black-box Brain Experiments, Causal Mathematical Logic, and the Thermodynamics of Intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pissanetzky, Sergio; Lanzalaco, Felix

2013-12-01

Awareness of the possible existence of a yet-unknown principle of Physics that explains cognition and intelligence does exist in several projects of emulation, simulation, and replication of the human brain currently under way. Brain simulation projects define their success partly in terms of the emergence of non-explicitly programmed biophysical signals such as self-oscillation and spreading cortical waves. We propose that a recently discovered theory of Physics known as Causal Mathematical Logic (CML) that links intelligence with causality and entropy and explains intelligent behavior from first principles, is the missing link. We further propose the theory as a roadway to understanding more complex biophysical signals, and to explain the set of intelligence principles. The new theory applies to information considered as an entity by itself. The theory proposes that any device that processes information and exhibits intelligence must satisfy certain theoretical conditions irrespective of the substrate where it is being processed. The substrate can be the human brain, a part of it, a worm's brain, a motor protein that self-locomotes in response to its environment, a computer. Here, we propose to extend the causal theory to systems in Neuroscience, because of its ability to model complex systems without heuristic approximations, and to predict emerging signals of intelligence directly from the models. The theory predicts the existence of a large number of observables (or "signals"), all of which emerge and can be directly and mathematically calculated from non-explicitly programmed detailed causal models. This approach is aiming for a universal and predictive language for Neuroscience and AGI based on causality and entropy, detailed enough to describe the finest structures and signals of the brain, yet general enough to accommodate the versatility and wholeness of intelligence. Experiments are focused on a black-box as one of the devices described above of which both the input and the output are precisely known, but not the internal implementation. The same input is separately supplied to a causal virtual machine, and the calculated output is compared with the measured output. The virtual machine, described in a previous paper, is a computer implementation of CML, fixed for all experiments and unrelated to the device in the black box. If the two outputs are equivalent, then the experiment has quantitatively succeeded and conclusions can be drawn regarding details of the internal implementation of the device. Several small black-box experiments were successfully performed and demonstrated the emergence of non-explicitly programmed cognitive function in each case

Online Sexual Activity Experiences Among College Students: A Four-Country Comparison.

PubMed

Döring, Nicola; Daneback, Kristian; Shaughnessy, Krystelle; Grov, Christian; Byers, E Sandra

2017-08-01

The purpose of this study was to compare male and female college students in four countries (Canada, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.) on their lifetime experiences (prevalence) and frequency of recent experiences with six types of online sexual activities (OSA): sexual information, sexual entertainment, sexual contacts, sexual minority communities, sexual products, and sex work. Participants (N = 2690; M age, 24.65 years; 53.4 % women, 46.6 % men) were recruited from a university in each of the countries to complete an online survey that included background and demographic questions, and questions about OSA. Most participants reported experience with accessing sexual information (89.8 %) and sexual entertainment (76.5 %) online. Almost half (48.5 %) reported browsing for sexual products, and a substantial minority reported having engaged in cybersex (30.8 %). Very few participants (1.1 %) paid for online sexual services or received payment (0.5 %). In general, participants showed relatively infrequent experience with all types of OSA within the last 3 months. Men showed both higher prevalence and frequency of use of sexually stimulating material online than did women. However, this gender gap was smaller than in previous studies. Country and gender by country effects were (with one exception) either very small or non-existent, suggesting that, overall, students in the four countries were similar in their OSA experiences. Results are discussed in light of an emerging global net generation and globalized sexual culture.

Failure Mode Identification Through Clustering Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arunajadai, Srikesh G.; Stone, Robert B.; Tumer, Irem Y.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Research has shown that nearly 80% of the costs and problems are created in product development and that cost and quality are essentially designed into products in the conceptual stage. Currently, failure identification procedures (such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), FMECA (Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis) and FTA (Fault Tree Analysis)) and design of experiments are being used for quality control and for the detection of potential failure modes during the detail design stage or post-product launch. Though all of these methods have their own advantages, they do not give information as to what are the predominant failures that a designer should focus on while designing a product. This work uses a functional approach to identify failure modes, which hypothesizes that similarities exist between different failure modes based on the functionality of the product/component. In this paper, a statistical clustering procedure is proposed to retrieve information on the set of predominant failures that a function experiences. The various stages of the methodology are illustrated using a hypothetical design example.

Application of L1/2 regularization logistic method in heart disease diagnosis.

PubMed

Zhang, Bowen; Chai, Hua; Yang, Ziyi; Liang, Yong; Chu, Gejin; Liu, Xiaoying

2014-01-01

Heart disease has become the number one killer of human health, and its diagnosis depends on many features, such as age, blood pressure, heart rate and other dozens of physiological indicators. Although there are so many risk factors, doctors usually diagnose the disease depending on their intuition and experience, which requires a lot of knowledge and experience for correct determination. To find the hidden medical information in the existing clinical data is a noticeable and powerful approach in the study of heart disease diagnosis. In this paper, sparse logistic regression method is introduced to detect the key risk factors using L(1/2) regularization on the real heart disease data. Experimental results show that the sparse logistic L(1/2) regularization method achieves fewer but informative key features than Lasso, SCAD, MCP and Elastic net regularization approaches. Simultaneously, the proposed method can cut down the computational complexity, save cost and time to undergo medical tests and checkups, reduce the number of attributes needed to be taken from patients.

Examining Menstrual Tracking to Inform the Design of Personal Informatics Tools

PubMed Central

Epstein, Daniel A.; Lee, Nicole B.; Kang, Jennifer H.; Agapie, Elena; Schroeder, Jessica; Pina, Laura R.; Fogarty, James; Kientz, Julie A.; Munson, Sean A.

2017-01-01

We consider why and how women track their menstrual cycles, examining their experiences to uncover design opportunities and extend the field's understanding of personal informatics tools. To understand menstrual cycle tracking practices, we collected and analyzed data from three sources: 2,000 reviews of popular menstrual tracking apps, a survey of 687 people, and follow-up interviews with 12 survey respondents. We find that women track their menstrual cycle for varied reasons that include remembering and predicting their period as well as informing conversations with healthcare providers. Participants described six methods of tracking their menstrual cycles, including use of technology, awareness of their premenstrual physiological states, and simply remembering. Although women find apps and calendars helpful, these methods are ineffective when predictions of future menstrual cycles are inaccurate. Designs can create feelings of exclusion for gender and sexual minorities. Existing apps also generally fail to consider life stages that women experience, including young adulthood, pregnancy, and menopause. Our findings encourage expanding the field's conceptions of personal informatics. PMID:28516176

Latino immigrant day laborer perceptions of occupational safety and health information preferences.

PubMed

Díaz Fuentes, Claudia M; Martinez Pantoja, Leonardo; Tarver, Meshawn; Geschwind, Sandy A; Lara, Marielena

2016-06-01

We address immigrant day laborers' experiences with occupational safety in the construction industry in New Orleans, and opinions about content and method of communication for educational interventions to reduce occupational risks. In 2011, we conducted seven focus groups with 48 Spanish-speaking day laborers (8 women, 40 men, 35 years on average). Focus group results are based on thematic analysis. Most employers did not provide safety equipment, threatened to dismiss workers who asked for it, and did not provide health insurance. Attitudes toward accepting unsafe work conditions varied. Women faced lower pay and hiring difficulties than men. Day laborers preferred audio format over written, and content about consequences from and equipment for different jobs/exposures. Day laborers have common occupational experiences, but differences existed by gender, literacy and sense of control over safety. Day laborer information preferences and use of media needs further studying. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:476-485, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Biosecurity and the review and publication of dual-use research of concern.

PubMed

Patrone, Daniel; Resnik, David; Chin, Lisa

2012-09-01

Dual-use research of concern (DURC) is scientific research with significant potential for generating information that could be used to harm national security, the public health, or the environment. Editors responsible for journal policies and publication decisions play a vital role in ensuring that effective safeguards exist to cope with the risks of publishing scientific research with dual-use implications. We conducted an online survey of 127 chief editors of life science journals in 27 countries to examine their attitudes toward and experience with the review and publication of dual-use research of concern. Very few editors (11) had experience with biosecurity review, and no editor in our study reported having ever refused a submission on biosecurity grounds. Most respondents (74.8%) agreed that editors have a responsibility to consider biosecurity risks during the review process, but little consensus existed among editors on how to handle specific issues in the review and publication of research with potential dual-use implications. More work is needed to establish consensus on standards for the review and publication of dual-use research of concern in life science journals.

A Novel Physical Layer Assisted Authentication Scheme for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiuhua

2017-01-01

Physical-layer authentication can address physical layer vulnerabilities and security threats in wireless sensor networks, and has been considered as an effective complementary enhancement to existing upper-layer authentication mechanisms. In this paper, to advance the existing research and improve the authentication performance, we propose a novel physical layer assisted authentication scheme for mobile wireless sensor networks. In our proposed scheme, we explore the reciprocity and spatial uncorrelation of the wireless channel to verify the identities of involved transmitting users and decide whether all data frames are from the same sender. In our proposed scheme, a new method is developed for the legitimate users to compare their received signal strength (RSS) records, which avoids the information from being disclosed to the adversary. Our proposed scheme can detect the spoofing attack even in a high dynamic environment. We evaluate our scheme through experiments under indoor and outdoor environments. Experiment results show that our proposed scheme is more efficient and achieves a higher detection rate as well as keeping a lower false alarm rate. PMID:28165423

Pathways of Barotrauma in Juvenile Salmonids Exposed to Simulated Hydroturbine Passage: Boyle’s Law vs. Henry’s Law

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

Brown, Richard S.; Pflugrath, Brett D.; Colotelo, Alison HA

2012-06-01

On their seaward migration, juvenile salmonids commonly pass hydroelectric dams. Fish passing by the turbine blade may experience rapid decompression, the severity of which can be highly variable and may result in a number of barotraumas. The mechanisms of these injuries can be due to expansion of existing bubbles or gases coming out of solution; governed by Boyle’s Law and Henry’s Law, respectively. This paper combines re-analysis of published data with new experiments to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of injury and mortality for fish experiencing rapid decompression associated with hydroturbine passage. From these data it appears thatmore » the majority of decompression related injuries are due to the expansion of existing bubbles in the fish, particularly the expansion and rupture of the swim bladder. This information is particularly useful for fisheries managers and turbine manufacturers, demonstrating that reducing the rate of swim bladder ruptures by reducing the frequency of occurrence and severity of rapid decompression during hydroturbine passage could reduce the rates of injury and mortality for hydroturbine passed juvenile salmonids.« less

Phenomena Simulation for Heavy Doping and Surface Recombination Velocity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindholm, F. A.

1985-01-01

The theoretical models now available that characterize heavily doped (highly conducting) regions in silicon are survyed. Analytical and numerical approaches that determine the influence of such regions on the conversion efficiency of solar cells are examined. Although dilutely doped silicon is well characterized except for some disagreement about optical absorption coefficients, what exists now for heavily doped silicon and its interplay with adjoining regions is an incomplete theory in which not all contributers to transport, recombination, generation, and trapping are defined. Further, the parameters relating to these mechanisms and their values as determined by experiment are subject to various interpretations. The characterization of heavily doped silicon is treated not as a theory but rather as an imperfectly articulated and incompletely formalized body of experience. This view is intended to help point the way toward the attainment of a more complete of heavily doped silicon and thereby toward more informed designs of solar cells. Because computer programs constitute tools both for design and for estimating performance limits, the review includes some remarks pertinent to existing and developing programs.

Biosecurity and the Review and Publication of Dual-Use Research of Concern

PubMed Central

Resnik, David; Chin, Lisa

2012-01-01

Dual-use research of concern (DURC) is scientific research with significant potential for generating information that could be used to harm national security, the public health, or the environment. Editors responsible for journal policies and publication decisions play a vital role in ensuring that effective safeguards exist to cope with the risks of publishing scientific research with dual-use implications. We conducted an online survey of 127 chief editors of life science journals in 27 countries to examine their attitudes toward and experience with the review and publication of dual-use research of concern. Very few editors (11) had experience with biosecurity review, and no editor in our study reported having ever refused a submission on biosecurity grounds. Most respondents (74.8%) agreed that editors have a responsibility to consider biosecurity risks during the review process, but little consensus existed among editors on how to handle specific issues in the review and publication of research with potential dual-use implications. More work is needed to establish consensus on standards for the review and publication of dual-use research of concern in life science journals. PMID:22871221

Impact of floating windows on the accuracy of depth perception in games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanfield, Brodie; Zerebecki, Christopher; Hogue, Andrew; Kapralos, Bill; Collins, Karen

2013-03-01

The floating window technique is commonly employed by stereoscopic 3D filmmakers to reduce the effects of window violations by masking out portions of the screen that contain visual information that doesn't exist in one of the views. Although widely adopted in the film industry, and despite its potential benefits, the technique has not been adopted by video game developers to the same extent possibly because of the lack of understanding of how the floating window can be utilized in such an interactive medium. Here, we describe a quantitative study that investigates how the floating window technique affects users' depth perception in a simple game-like environment. Our goal is to determine how various stereoscopic 3D parameters such as the existence, shape, and size of the floating window affect the user experience and to devise a set of guidelines for game developers wishing to develop stereoscopic 3D content. Providing game designers with quantitative knowledge of how these parameters can affect user experience is invaluable when choosing to design interactive stereoscopic 3D content.

A Novel Physical Layer Assisted Authentication Scheme for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Wang, Qiuhua

2017-02-04

Physical-layer authentication can address physical layer vulnerabilities and security threats in wireless sensor networks, and has been considered as an effective complementary enhancement to existing upper-layer authentication mechanisms. In this paper, to advance the existing research and improve the authentication performance, we propose a novel physical layer assisted authentication scheme for mobile wireless sensor networks. In our proposed scheme, we explore the reciprocity and spatial uncorrelation of the wireless channel to verify the identities of involved transmitting users and decide whether all data frames are from the same sender. In our proposed scheme, a new method is developed for the legitimate users to compare their received signal strength (RSS) records, which avoids the information from being disclosed to the adversary. Our proposed scheme can detect the spoofing attack even in a high dynamic environment. We evaluate our scheme through experiments under indoor and outdoor environments. Experiment results show that our proposed scheme is more efficient and achieves a higher detection rate as well as keeping a lower false alarm rate.

Correlation studies of Pioneer Venus imagery obtained from PV experiments with near IR imagery obtained from ground-based observations during Venus inferior conjunction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ragent, Boris

1993-01-01

The purpose of this study is to attempt to find correlations between data taken by experiments aboard the Pioneer-Venus Orbiter (PVO) and those obtained from Earth-based near-infrared (NIR) measurements of Venus during periods near inferior conjunction. Since the NIR measurements have been found to provide data on the middle atmosphere cloud morphology and motion, it is assumed that any correlations will also indicate that the PVO experiments are also documenting cloud behavior. If such correlations are found, then a further task is to attempt to study the long term behavior of the cloud features implied by the correlations. Many PVO data have been obtained over an extended period extending from 1978 until the PV demise in 1992. There exists a long, somewhat ill-conditioned time series of data that may contain valuable information on the long time, as well as short term behavior of the clouds, and, derivatively from cloud motion, atmospheric dynamics and wave activity in the Venus atmosphere. For example, determination of the zonal velocities of any OCPP (Cloud Photopolarimeter) 0.935 micron features could then be used for comparisons with data from other sources to attempt to fix the altitude region in which such features existed. A further task of this study is to attempt to correlate any features found in simultaneously obtained data, for example, the OCPP 0.365 and 0.935 micron data. The existence of such correlations may imply that data was obtained in overlapping altitude regions of the atmosphere.

Not STRAIGHT forward for gays: A look at the lived experiences of gay men, living in Cape Town, with regard to their worker roles.

PubMed

Soeker, Shaheed; Bonn, Gerri-Lee; de Vos, Zahraa; Gobhozi, Thobile; Pape, Candice; Ribaudo, Shelly

2015-06-05

The South African constitution protects the rights of gays; however in the workplace gays experience discrimination and marginalization. As a result of marginalization they struggle to reach their potential regarding career development and the fulfilment of their worker role. The study explored the experiences and perceptions of gay males with regard to acquiring and maintaining their worker roles. The study is phenomenological and qualitative in design. Eleven of these men participated in two focus groups. One male participated in two in-depth interviews and one interview was conducted with a key informant. Three themes emerged: 1) Being boxed in, 2) The glass ceiling, 3) This is where I can wear my feather boa. The study findings clearly depicted the many barriers experienced by homosexual men and how this negatively impacts on their worker role. Minimal facilitatory factors exist, to assist gay males %in with regard to their worker role. It was found that homo-prejudice still exists in South Africa and its workplaces and has a negative impact not only on gay men's worker role but also their well-being. This significantly highlights the great need for occupational therapy intervention in the lives of these gay men, and their workplaces.

The hippocampus and inferential reasoning: building memories to navigate future decisions

PubMed Central

Zeithamova, Dagmar; Schlichting, Margaret L.; Preston, Alison R.

2012-01-01

A critical aspect of inferential reasoning is the ability to form relationships between items or events that were not experienced together. This review considers different perspectives on the role of the hippocampus in successful inferential reasoning during both memory encoding and retrieval. Intuitively, inference can be thought of as a logical process by which elements of individual existing memories are retrieved and recombined to answer novel questions. Such flexible retrieval is sub-served by the hippocampus and is thought to require specialized hippocampal encoding mechanisms that discretely code events such that event elements are individually accessible from memory. In addition to retrieval-based inference, recent research has also focused on hippocampal processes that support the combination of information acquired across multiple experiences during encoding. This mechanism suggests that by recalling past events during new experiences, connections can be created between newly formed and existing memories. Such hippocampally mediated memory integration would thus underlie the formation of networks of related memories that extend beyond direct experience to anticipate future judgments about the relationships between items and events. We also discuss integrative encoding in the context of emerging evidence linking the hippocampus to the formation of schemas as well as prospective theories of hippocampal function that suggest memories are actively constructed to anticipate future decisions and actions. PMID:22470333

Evidence-informed massage therapy - an Australian practitioner perspective.

PubMed

Ooi, Soo Liang; Smith, Lauren; Pak, Sok Cheon

2018-05-01

Massage therapy (MT) is the most popular complementary and alternative medicine therapy used by the Australian public. With the growing emphasis by the Australian health authority on evidence-informed healthcare decision-making, there is an increasing demand for massage therapists to move towards the evidence-informed practice (EIP). With MT research gaining significant attention over the last 30 years, clinical evidence exists to support the efficacies of MT on many health conditions, including chronic low back pain. This growing body of research supports MT to become an evidence-informed therapeutic modality. The evidence utilization process of asking clinical questions, searching for available research evidence, and appraising the evidence critically can be incorporated into the clinical practice of MT. Moreover, integrating practitioners' skills and experience with research evidence enables the best treatment plan to address the clients' needs and stated goals. No dichotomy exists between scientific research and the humanistic client care of MT. A massage therapist can gain greater confidence in practice, improve critical thinking and decision-making skills, and increase career satisfaction through EIP. Despite its high public utilization, massage therapists in Australia remain a low-paying profession dominated by part-time workers who rarely utilize research evidence in practice. Professional associations of massage therapists in Australia need to play a key role in promoting EIP through continuing professional education, providing the access to research information and resources, as well as fostering a culture of EIP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selecting the Best Mobile Information Service with Natural Language User Input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Qiangze; Qi, Hongwei; Fukushima, Toshikazu

Information services accessed via mobile phones provide information directly relevant to subscribers’ daily lives and are an area of dynamic market growth worldwide. Although many information services are currently offered by mobile operators, many of the existing solutions require a unique gateway for each service, and it is inconvenient for users to have to remember a large number of such gateways. Furthermore, the Short Message Service (SMS) is very popular in China and Chinese users would prefer to access these services in natural language via SMS. This chapter describes a Natural Language Based Service Selection System (NL3S) for use with a large number of mobile information services. The system can accept user queries in natural language and navigate it to the required service. Since it is difficult for existing methods to achieve high accuracy and high coverage and anticipate which other services a user might want to query, the NL3S is developed based on a Multi-service Ontology (MO) and Multi-service Query Language (MQL). The MO and MQL provide semantic and linguistic knowledge, respectively, to facilitate service selection for a user query and to provide adaptive service recommendations. Experiments show that the NL3S can achieve 75-95% accuracies and 85-95% satisfactions for processing various styles of natural language queries. A trial involving navigation of 30 different mobile services shows that the NL3S can provide a viable commercial solution for mobile operators.

Emergency Medical Service Information System:the ARES 118 experience.

PubMed

Ientile, D A; Cardinale, M A; Cataldi, S; Parafati, M; Pasquarella, A; Trani, N; Corradi, M P

2017-01-01

In this paper we describe ARES 118, the prehospital Emergency Medical Service of the Region Lazio, Italy, focusing on its data system used to populate a data warehouse and to create ad hoc reports. ARES 118 is a regional public mono-specialized health company, established in 2004, that manages the emergency care throughout the Region Lazio. Being a peculiar company in its kind, and being the first experience of this kind in Italy, ARES 118 has begun to equip itself, in an autonomous way, with a corporate information system, starting from what already existed as data collection from the individual provincial operating Centers and then by activating a unique information system at a regional and company level by deploying a data warehouse. All operations were carried out using open source software. Currently, ARES 118 is equipped with a business information system that enables data collection with its storage, management and processing of the same in fairly and easy way. The system allows the production of specific reports and measures modulated on the user requests in order to highlight the different aspects of the activity. The production of ad hoc reports, with the possibility of developing specific indicators, allows the identification and analysis of critical areas/processes in order to implement any corrective actions and monitor the effectiveness of the sam.

76 FR 3178 - Proposed Extension of Existing Information Collection; Rock Burst Control Plan, Metal and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-19

... Extension of Existing Information Collection; Rock Burst Control Plan, Metal and Nonmetal Mines AGENCY: Mine... extension of the information collection for 30 CFR 57.3461 Rock Bursts. DATES: All comments must be received... contains the request for an extension of the existing collection of information in 30 CFR 57.3461 Rock...

Improving Predictions and Management of Hydrological Extremes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijngaard, Janet; Liggins, Felicity; Hurk, Bart vd; Lavers, David; Magnusson, Linus; Bouwer, Laurens; Weerts, Albrecht; Kjellström, Erik; Mañez, Maria; Ramos, Maria-Helena; Hananel, Cedric; Ercin, Ertug; Hunink, Johannes; Klein, Bastian; Pouget, Laurent; de Moel, Hans

2017-04-01

The EU Roadmap on Climate Services can be seen as a result of convergence between society's call for "actionable research" and the climate research community's provision of tailored data, information and knowledge. Although weather and climate have distinct definitions, a strong link between weather and climate services does exist but, to date, this link has not been explored extensively. Stakeholders being interviewed in the context of the Roadmap consider changes in our climate as distant, long-term impacts that are difficult to consider in present-day decision making, a process usually dominated by their daily experience with handling adverse weather and extreme events. However, it could be argued that this experience is a rich source of inspiration to increase society's resilience to an unknown future. The European research project, IMPREX, is built on the notion that "experience in managing present day weather extremes can help us anticipate the consequences of future climate variability and change". This presentation illustrates how IMPREX is building the link between the providers and users of information and services addressing both the weather and climate timescales. For different stakeholders in key economic sectors the needs and vulnerabilities in their daily practice are discussed, followed by an analysis of how weather and climate (W&C) services could contribute to the demands that arise from this. Examples of case studies showing the relevance of the tailored W&C information in users' operations will be included.

Bridge over troubled proline: assignment of intrinsically disordered proteins using (HCA)CON(CAN)H and (HCA)N(CA)CO(N)H experiments concomitantly with HNCO and i(HCA)CO(CA)NH.

PubMed

Hellman, Maarit; Piirainen, Henni; Jaakola, Veli-Pekka; Permi, Perttu

2014-01-01

NMR spectroscopy is by far the most versatile and information rich technique to study intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). While NMR is able to offer residue level information on structure and dynamics, assignment of chemical shift resonances in IDPs is not a straightforward process. Consequently, numerous pulse sequences and assignment protocols have been developed during past several years, targeted especially for the assignment of IDPs, including experiments that employ H(N), H(α) or (13)C detection combined with two to six indirectly detected dimensions. Here we propose two new HN-detection based pulse sequences, (HCA)CON(CAN)H and (HCA)N(CA)CO(N)H, that provide correlations with (1)H(N)(i - 1), (13)C'(i - 1) and (15)N(i), and (1)H(N)(i + 1), (13)C'(i) and (15)N(i) frequencies, respectively. Most importantly, they offer sequential links across the proline bridges and enable filling the single proline gaps during the assignment. We show that the novel experiments can efficiently complement the information available from existing HNCO and intraresidual i(HCA)CO(CA)NH pulse sequences and their concomitant usage enabled >95 % assignment of backbone resonances in cytoplasmic tail of adenosine receptor A2A in comparison to 73 % complete assignment using the HNCO/i(HCA)CO(CA)NH data alone.

The large enriched germanium experiment for neutrinoless double beta decay (LEGEND)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abgrall, N.; Abramov, A.; Abrosimov, N.; Abt, I.; Agostini, M.; Agartioglu, M.; Ajjaq, A.; Alvis, S. I.; Avignone, F. T.; Bai, X.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Barabash, A. S.; Barton, P. J.; Baudis, L.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Bolozdynya, A.; Borowicz, D.; Boston, A.; Boston, H.; Boyd, S. T. P.; Breier, R.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Busch, M.; Buuck, M.; Caldwell, A.; Caldwell, T. S.; Camellato, T.; Carpenter, M.; Cattadori, C.; Cederkäll, J.; Chan, Y.-D.; Chen, S.; Chernogorov, A.; Christofferson, C. D.; Chu, P.-H.; Cooper, R. J.; Cuesta, C.; Demidova, E. V.; Deng, Z.; Deniz, M.; Detwiler, J. A.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Du, Q.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Elliott, S. R.; Fields, D.; Fischer, F.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gilliss, T.; Giordano, M.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Gold, M.; Golubev, P.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guinn, I. S.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gurentsov, V.; Gurov, Y.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüeller, J.; Harkness-Brennan, L.; Harvey, Z. R.; Haufe, C. R.; Hauertmann, L.; Heglund, D.; Hehn, L.; Heinz, A.; Hiller, R.; Hinton, J.; Hodak, R.; Hofmann, W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Csáthy, J. Janicskó; Janssens, R.; Ješkovský, M.; Jochum, J.; Johansson, H. T.; Judson, D.; Junker, M.; Kaizer, J.; Kang, K.; Kazalov, V.; Kermadic, Y.; Kiessling, F.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kontul, I.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kraetzschmar, T.; Kröninger, K.; Kumar, A.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Lang, K.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Li, Y. L.; Li, Y.-Y.; Li, H. B.; Lin, S. T.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Liu, S. K.; Liu, X.; Liu, J.; Loomba, D.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Ma, H.; Majorovits, B.; Mamedov, F.; Martin, R. D.; Massarczyk, R.; Matthews, J. A. J.; McFadden, N.; Mei, D.-M.; Mei, H.; Meijer, S. J.; Mengoni, D.; Mertens, S.; Miller, W.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Myslik, J.; Nemchenok, I.; Nilsson, T.; Nolan, P.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Othman, G.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Papp, L.; Pelczar, K.; Peterson, D.; Pettus, W.; Poon, A. W. P.; Povinec, P. P.; Pullia, A.; Quintana, X. C.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Ransom, C.; Recchia, F.; Reine, A. L.; Riboldi, S.; Rielage, K.; Rozov, S.; Rouf, N. W.; Rukhadze, E.; Rumyantseva, N.; Saakyan, R.; Sala, E.; Salamida, F.; Sandukovsky, V.; Savard, G.; Schönert, S.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schulz, O.; Schuster, M.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Sevda, B.; Shanks, B.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simkovic, F.; Singh, L.; Singh, V.; Skorokhvatov, M.; Smolek, K.; Smolnikov, A.; Sonay, A.; Spavorova, M.; Stekl, I.; Stukov, D.; Tedeschi, D.; Thompson, J.; Van Wechel, T.; Varner, R. L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Vasilyev, S.; Veresnikova, A.; Vetter, K.; von Sturm, K.; Vorren, K.; Wagner, M.; Wang, G.-J.; Waters, D.; Wei, W.-Z.; Wester, T.; White, B. R.; Wiesinger, C.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Willers, M.; Wiseman, C.; Wojcik, M.; Wong, H. T.; Wyenberg, J.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Yang, G.; Yu, C.-H.; Yue, Q.; Yumatov, V.; Zeman, J.; Zeng, Z.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhu, B.; Zinatulina, D.; Zschocke, A.; Zsigmond, A. J.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2017-10-01

The observation of neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) would show that lepton number is violated, reveal that neu-trinos are Majorana particles, and provide information on neutrino mass. A discovery-capable experiment covering the inverted ordering region, with effective Majorana neutrino masses of 15 - 50 meV, will require a tonne-scale experiment with excellent energy resolution and extremely low backgrounds, at the level of ˜0.1 count /(FWHM.t.yr) in the region of the signal. The current generation 76Ge experiments GERDA and the Majorana Demonstrator, utilizing high purity Germanium detectors with an intrinsic energy resolution of 0.12%, have achieved the lowest backgrounds by over an order of magnitude in the 0νββ signal region of all 0νββ experiments. Building on this success, the LEGEND collaboration has been formed to pursue a tonne-scale 76Ge experiment. The collaboration aims to develop a phased 0νββ experimental program with discovery potential at a half-life approaching or at 1028 years, using existing resources as appropriate to expedite physics results.

The pain experience of Hispanic Americans: A critical literature review and conceptual model

PubMed Central

Hollingshead, Nicole A.; Ashburn-Nardo, Leslie; Stewart, Jesse C.; Hirsh, Adam T.

2015-01-01

Although Hispanics are a burgeoning ethnic group in the United States, little is known about their pain-related experience. In order to address this gap, we critically reviewed the existing literature on the pain experience and management among Hispanic Americans (HAs). We focused our review to the literature on non-malignant pain, pain behaviors, and pain treatment seeking among HAs. Pain management experiences were examined from HA patients’ and healthcare providers’ perspectives. Our literature search included variations of the term “Hispanic” with “AND pain” in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PsycINFO databases. A total of 117 studies met our inclusion criteria. We organized the results into a conceptual model with separate categories for biological/psychological and sociocultural/systems-level influences on HAs’ pain experience, response to pain, and seeking and receiving pain care. We also included information on healthcare providers’ experience of treating HA patients with pain. For each category, we identified future areas of research. We conclude with a discussion of limitations and clinical implications. PMID:26831836

CROSSFLOW FILTRATON: LITERATURE REVIEW

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

Duignan, M.

2011-01-01

As part of the Filtration task EM-31, WP-2.3.6, which is a joint effort between Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), tests were planned to evaluate crossflow filtration in order to the improve the use of existing hardware in the waste treatment plants at both the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) and Hanford Site. These tests included experiments to try different operating conditions and additives, such as filter aids, in order to create a more permeable filter cake and improve the permeate flux. To plan the SRNL tests a literature review wasmore » performed to provide information on previous experiments performed by DOE laboratories, and by academia. This report compliments PNNL report (Daniel, et al 2010), and is an attempt to try and capture crossflow filtration work performed in the past that provide a basis for future testing. However, not all sources on crossflow filtration could be reviewed due to the shear volume of information available. In this report various references were examined and a representative group was chosen to present the major factors that affect crossflow filtration. The information summarized in this review contains previous operating conditions studied and their influence on the rate of filtration. Besides operating conditions, other attempted improvements include the use of filter aids, a pre-filtration leaching process, the backpulse system, and various types of filter tubes and filter coatings. The results from past research can be used as a starting point for further experimentation that can result in the improvement in the performance of the crossflow filtration. The literature reviewed in this report indicates how complex the crossflow issues are with the results of some studies appearing to conflict results from other studies. This complexity implies that filtration of mobilized stored waste cannot be explained in a simple generic sense; meaning an empirical model develop from one waste-filter combination will more than likely not be applicable to another combination. It appears that filtration performance varies as wide as the range of the types of slurry wastes that exist. However, conclusions can be elicited from existing information so that filter performance can be better understood, and hopefully improved. Those conclusions and recommendations for the planned tests are listed.« less

Toward a Better Understanding of Patient Health Literacy: A Focus on the Skills Patients Need to Find Health Information.

PubMed

Champlin, Sara; Mackert, Michael; Glowacki, Elizabeth M; Donovan, Erin E

2017-07-01

While many health literacy assessments exist, this area of research lacks an instrument that isolates and reflects the four components driving this concept (abilities to find, understand, use, and communicate about health information). The purpose of this study was to determine what abilities comprise the first component, how a patient finds health information. Low ( n = 13) and adequate ( n = 14) health literacy patients, and health professionals ( n = 10) described their experiences when looking for health information and the skills they employed to complete these tasks. Major skills/themes elicited included knowing when to search, credibility assessments, finding text and numerical information, interpersonal seeking, technology and online search, and spatial navigation. Findings from this study suggest that each of the dimensions included in the definition of health literacy warrants specific attention and assessment. Given identification of the skills comprising each dimension, interventions targeting deficits across health literacy dimensions could be developed to improve patient health.

Experiments in automatic word class and word sense identification for information retrieval

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

Gauch, S.; Futrelle, R.P.

Automatic identification of related words and automatic detection of word senses are two long-standing goals of researchers in natural language processing. Word class information and word sense identification may enhance the performance of information retrieval system4ms. Large online corpora and increased computational capabilities make new techniques based on corpus linguisitics feasible. Corpus-based analysis is especially needed for corpora from specialized fields for which no electronic dictionaries or thesauri exist. The methods described here use a combination of mutual information and word context to establish word similarities. Then, unsupervised classification is done using clustering in the word space, identifying word classesmore » without pretagging. We also describe an extension of the method to handle the difficult problems of disambiguation and of determining part-of-speech and semantic information for low-frequency words. The method is powerful enough to produce high-quality results on a small corpus of 200,000 words from abstracts in a field of molecular biology.« less

76 FR 79204 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension, Without Change, of an Existing Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-21

... information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. Overview of This Information... Information Collection Activities: Extension, Without Change, of an Existing Information Collection; Comment Request. ACTION: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection; No form; Emergency Federal Law Enforcement...

Goal-Directed Visual Processing Differentially Impacts Human Ventral and Dorsal Visual Representations

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Recent studies have challenged the ventral/“what” and dorsal/“where” two-visual-processing-pathway view by showing the existence of “what” and “where” information in both pathways. Is the two-pathway distinction still valid? Here, we examined how goal-directed visual information processing may differentially impact visual representations in these two pathways. Using fMRI and multivariate pattern analysis, in three experiments on human participants (57% females), by manipulating whether color or shape was task-relevant and how they were conjoined, we examined shape-based object category decoding in occipitotemporal and parietal regions. We found that object category representations in all the regions examined were influenced by whether or not object shape was task-relevant. This task effect, however, tended to decrease as task-relevant and irrelevant features were more integrated, reflecting the well-known object-based feature encoding. Interestingly, task relevance played a relatively minor role in driving the representational structures of early visual and ventral object regions. They were driven predominantly by variations in object shapes. In contrast, the effect of task was much greater in dorsal than ventral regions, with object category and task relevance both contributing significantly to the representational structures of the dorsal regions. These results showed that, whereas visual representations in the ventral pathway are more invariant and reflect “what an object is,” those in the dorsal pathway are more adaptive and reflect “what we do with it.” Thus, despite the existence of “what” and “where” information in both visual processing pathways, the two pathways may still differ fundamentally in their roles in visual information representation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visual information is thought to be processed in two distinctive pathways: the ventral pathway that processes “what” an object is and the dorsal pathway that processes “where” it is located. This view has been challenged by recent studies revealing the existence of “what” and “where” information in both pathways. Here, we found that goal-directed visual information processing differentially modulates shape-based object category representations in the two pathways. Whereas ventral representations are more invariant to the demand of the task, reflecting what an object is, dorsal representations are more adaptive, reflecting what we do with the object. Thus, despite the existence of “what” and “where” information in both pathways, visual representations may still differ fundamentally in the two pathways. PMID:28821655

Using constrained information entropy to detect rare adverse drug reactions from medical forums.

PubMed

Yi Zheng; Chaowang Lan; Hui Peng; Jinyan Li

2016-08-01

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) detection is critical to avoid malpractices yet challenging due to its uncertainty in pre-marketing review and the underreporting in post-marketing surveillance. To conquer this predicament, social media based ADRs detection methods have been proposed recently. However, existing researches are mostly co-occurrence based methods and face several issues, in particularly, leaving out the rare ADRs and unable to distinguish irrelevant ADRs. In this work, we introduce a constrained information entropy (CIE) method to solve these problems. CIE first recognizes the drug-related adverse reactions using a predefined keyword dictionary and then captures high- and low-frequency (rare) ADRs by information entropy. Extensive experiments on medical forums dataset demonstrate that CIE outperforms the state-of-the-art co-occurrence based methods, especially in rare ADRs detection.

The MPO system for automatic workflow documentation

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

Abla, G.; Coviello, E. N.; Flanagan, S. M.

Data from large-scale experiments and extreme-scale computing is expensive to produce and may be used for critical applications. However, it is not the mere existence of data that is important, but our ability to make use of it. Experience has shown that when metadata is better organized and more complete, the underlying data becomes more useful. Traditionally, capturing the steps of scientific workflows and metadata was the role of the lab notebook, but the digital era has resulted instead in the fragmentation of data, processing, and annotation. Here, this article presents the Metadata, Provenance, and Ontology (MPO) System, the softwaremore » that can automate the documentation of scientific workflows and associated information. Based on recorded metadata, it provides explicit information about the relationships among the elements of workflows in notebook form augmented with directed acyclic graphs. A set of web-based graphical navigation tools and Application Programming Interface (API) have been created for searching and browsing, as well as programmatically accessing the workflows and data. We describe the MPO concepts and its software architecture. We also report the current status of the software as well as the initial deployment experience.« less

The MPO system for automatic workflow documentation

DOE PAGES

Abla, G.; Coviello, E. N.; Flanagan, S. M.; ...

2016-04-18

Data from large-scale experiments and extreme-scale computing is expensive to produce and may be used for critical applications. However, it is not the mere existence of data that is important, but our ability to make use of it. Experience has shown that when metadata is better organized and more complete, the underlying data becomes more useful. Traditionally, capturing the steps of scientific workflows and metadata was the role of the lab notebook, but the digital era has resulted instead in the fragmentation of data, processing, and annotation. Here, this article presents the Metadata, Provenance, and Ontology (MPO) System, the softwaremore » that can automate the documentation of scientific workflows and associated information. Based on recorded metadata, it provides explicit information about the relationships among the elements of workflows in notebook form augmented with directed acyclic graphs. A set of web-based graphical navigation tools and Application Programming Interface (API) have been created for searching and browsing, as well as programmatically accessing the workflows and data. We describe the MPO concepts and its software architecture. We also report the current status of the software as well as the initial deployment experience.« less

Modeling Enclosure Design in Above-Grade Walls

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

Lstiburek, J.; Ueno, K.; Musunuru, S.

2016-03-01

This report describes the modeling of typical wall assemblies that have performed well historically in various climate zones. The WUFI (Warme und Feuchte instationar) software (Version 5.3) model was used. A library of input data and results are provided. The provided information can be generalized for application to a broad population of houses, within the limits of existing experience. The WUFI software model was calibrated or tuned using wall assemblies with historically successful performance. The primary performance criteria or failure criteria establishing historic performance was moisture content of the exterior sheathing. The primary tuning parameters (simulation inputs) were airflow andmore » specifying appropriate material properties. Rational hygric loads were established based on experience - specifically rain wetting and interior moisture (RH levels). The tuning parameters were limited or bounded by published data or experience. The WUFI templates provided with this report supply useful information resources to new or less-experienced users. The files present various custom settings that will help avoid results that will require overly conservative enclosure assemblies. Overall, better material data, consistent initial assumptions, and consistent inputs among practitioners will improve the quality of WUFI modeling, and improve the level of sophistication in the field.« less

Auditory perception of temporal order in centenarians in comparison with young and elderly subjects.

PubMed

Kołodziejczyk, Iwona; Szelsg, Elzbieta

2008-01-01

Temporal information processing controls many aspects of human mental activity and may be assessed by examining perception of temporal order in the tens of milliseconds time range. Although existing studies suggest an age-related decline in mental abilities, the data on the deterioration of temporal order perception seems inconsistent. Moreover, any evidence on subjects aged over 70 years is lacking. The present experiment aimed to extend the existing data to extremely old people. Temporal order judgment (TOJ) for auditory stimuli was tested across the life span of approx. 80 years, i.e. in young (mean age 22 years) elderly (66 years) and very old (101 years) subjects. Age-related deterioration of performance was observed, with slight changes in elderly subjects and significant deterioration in centenarians which was more distinct in women than in men. The results confirm age-related decrease in temporal resolution which may be explained by slowing of information processing or of a hypothetical internal-timing mechanism. These effects may be influenced by different strategies used in particular age groups.

CCTOP: a Consensus Constrained TOPology prediction web server.

PubMed

Dobson, László; Reményi, István; Tusnády, Gábor E

2015-07-01

The Consensus Constrained TOPology prediction (CCTOP; http://cctop.enzim.ttk.mta.hu) server is a web-based application providing transmembrane topology prediction. In addition to utilizing 10 different state-of-the-art topology prediction methods, the CCTOP server incorporates topology information from existing experimental and computational sources available in the PDBTM, TOPDB and TOPDOM databases using the probabilistic framework of hidden Markov model. The server provides the option to precede the topology prediction with signal peptide prediction and transmembrane-globular protein discrimination. The initial result can be recalculated by (de)selecting any of the prediction methods or mapped experiments or by adding user specified constraints. CCTOP showed superior performance to existing approaches. The reliability of each prediction is also calculated, which correlates with the accuracy of the per protein topology prediction. The prediction results and the collected experimental information are visualized on the CCTOP home page and can be downloaded in XML format. Programmable access of the CCTOP server is also available, and an example of client-side script is provided. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Cancer-related information needs and treatment decision-making experiences of people with dementia in England: a multiple perspective qualitative study.

PubMed

McWilliams, Lorna; Farrell, Carole; Keady, John; Swarbrick, Caroline; Burgess, Lorraine; Grande, Gunn; Bellhouse, Sarah; Yorke, Janelle

2018-04-12

Little is known about the cancer experience and support needs of people with dementia. In particular, no evidence currently exists to demonstrate the likely complex decision-making processes for this patient group and the oncology healthcare professionals (HCP) involved in their care. The aim of this study was to explore the cancer-related information needs and decision-making experiences of patients with cancer and comorbid dementia, their informal caregivers and oncology HCPs. Cross-sectional qualitative study. Semistructured interviews were conducted face to face with participants. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed prior to thematic analysis. Patients with a diagnosis of cancer and dementia, their informal caregivers and oncology HCPs involved in their care, all recruited from a regional treatment cancer centre. Purposeful sample of 10 patients with a diagnosis of cancer-dementia, informal caregivers (n=9) and oncology HCPs (n=12). Four themes were identified: (1) leading to the initial consultation-HCPs require more detailed information on the functional impact of dementia and how it may influence cancer treatment options prior to meeting the patient; (2) communicating clinically relevant information-informal caregivers are relied on to provide patient information, advocate for the patient and support decision-making; (3) adjustments to cancer care-patients with dementia get through treatment with the help of their family and (4) following completion of cancer treatment-there are continuing information needs. Oncology HCPs discussed their need to consult specialists in dementia care to support treatment decision-making. Although patients with cancer-dementia are involved in their treatment decision-making, informal caregivers are generally crucial in supporting this process. Individual patient needs and circumstances related to their cancer must be considered in the context of dementia prognosis highlighting complexities of decision-making in this population. Oncology teams should strive to involve healthcare staff with dementia expertise as early as possible in the cancer pathway. © 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.

Explaining Mendelian inheritance in genetic consultations: an IPR study of counselor and counselee experiences.

PubMed

Gale, Theodora; Pasalodos-Sanchez, Sara; Kerzin-Storrar, Lauren; Hall, Georgina; MacLeod, Rhona

2010-02-01

The explanation of Mendelian inheritance is a key component of most genetic counselling consultations, yet no evidence base exists for this area of practice. This qualitative study used Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) to explore how information about X-linked inheritance is provided and received in genetic counseling. Twelve consultations involving two senior genetic counselors and 21 counselees were videotaped. Section(s) of videotape featuring the explanation were subsequently played back separately to both counselees and counselors and their responses and reflections recorded. All interviews were fully transcribed and analysed using the constant comparison method. A personalized diagram, drawn "live" by the counselor during the consultation was recalled by counselees as being central to their understanding of the "bottom line". This helped bridge the gap between scientific information and their family experience and did not appear to require a baseline understanding of genetic concepts such as genes or chromosomes. Counselors reflected on the diagram's positive impact on the way they sequenced, paced and tailored the explanation. A positive counselor-counselee relationship was vital even during this educative exchange: for counselees to feel at ease discussing complex genetic information and to help gauge counselee understanding.

When hope and fear collide: Expectations and experiences of first-year doctoral students in the natural sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, C. Sean

Although there is a significant body of research on the process of undergraduate education and retention, much less research exists as it relates to the doctoral experience, which is intended to be transformational in nature. At each stage of the process students are presented with a unique set of challenges and experiences that must be negotiated and mastered. However, we know very little about entering students' expectations, beliefs, goals, and identities, and how these may or may not change over time within a doctoral program. Utilizing a framework built upon socialization theory and cognitive-ecological theory, this dissertation examines the expectations that incoming doctoral students have about their programs as well as the actual experiences that these students have during their first year. Interviews were conducted with twelve students from the departments of Botany, Chemistry, and Physics prior to matriculation into their respective doctoral programs. These initial interviews provided information about students' expectations. Interviews were then conducted approximately every six to eight weeks to assess students' perceptions about their actual experiences throughout their first year. The findings of this study showed that new doctoral students tend to have uninformed and naive expectations about their programs. In addition, many of the specific policies or procedures necessary for navigation through a doctoral program were unknown to the students. While few differences existed in terms of students' expectations based on gender or discipline, there were significant differences in how international students described their expectations compared to American students. The two primary differences between American and international students revolved around the role of faculty members and the language barrier. It is clear that the first year of doctoral study is indeed a year of transition. The nature and clarity of the expectations associated with the role of 'graduate student' can have demonstrable effects on the lives of students. In addition, the behavior of graduate students is related to how they define or interpret their roles as students. There are numerous implications for both policy & practice to assist doctoral students in developing clear and informed expectations, and to help them navigate through their first year.

Selective handling of information in patients suffering from restrictive anorexia in an emotional Stroop test and a word recognition test.

PubMed

Mendlewicz, L; Nef, F; Simon, Y

2001-01-01

Several studies have been carried out using the Stroop test in eating disorders. Some of these studies have brought to light the existence of cognitive and attention deficits linked principally to weight and to food in anorexic and bulimic patients. The aim of the current study is to replicate and to clarify the existence of cognitive and attention deficits in anorexic patients using the Stroop test and a word recognition test. The recognition test is made up of 160 words; 80 words from the previous Stroop experiment mixed at random and matched from a semantic point of view to 80 distractions. The recognition word test is carried out 2 or 3 days after the Stroop test. Thirty-two subjects took part in the study: 16 female patients hospitalised for anorexia nervosa and 16 normal females as controls. Our results do not enable us to confirm the existence of specific cognitive deficits in anorexic patients. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel

"What about FH of my child?" parents' opinion on family history collection in preventive primary pediatric care.

PubMed

Syurina, Elena V; Gerritsen, Anne-Marie Jm; Hens, Kristien; Feron, Frans Jm

2015-08-01

Family history (FH) in Preventive Primary Pediatric Care is to identify children at risk for complex diseases and provide personal preventive strategies. This study was to assess parents' opinion on FH collection. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Among issues addressed were: former experiences with FH, knowledge about FH, family definition and sharing information about FH. The importance of FH for participants depended on their knowledge, perceived family health status and former experiences. After insight into FH, parents shift to believing it to be important, but certain barriers exist in reporting FH. Parents suggest that the importance of FH should be more emphasized and more trusting relationship with Preventive Primary Pediatric Care should be invested in.

Spectroscopic database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Husson, N.; Barbe, A.; Brown, L. R.; Carli, B.; Goldman, A.; Pickett, H. M.; Roche, A. E.; Rothman, L. S.; Smith, M. A. H.

1985-01-01

Several aspects of quantitative atmospheric spectroscopy are considered, using a classification of the molecules according to the gas amounts in the stratosphere and upper troposphere, and reviews of quantitative atmospheric high-resolution spectroscopic measurements and field measurements systems are given. Laboratory spectroscopy and spectral analysis and prediction are presented with a summary of current laboratory spectroscopy capabilities. Spectroscopic data requirements for accurate derivation of atmospheric composition are discussed, where examples are given for space-based remote sensing experiments of the atmosphere: the ATMOS (Atmospheric Trace Molecule) and UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) experiment. A review of the basic parameters involved in the data compilations; a summary of information on line parameter compilations already in existence; and a summary of current laboratory spectroscopy studies are used to assess the data base.

Universe creation on a computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCabe, Gordon

The purpose of this paper is to provide an account of the epistemology and metaphysics of universe creation on a computer. The paper begins with F.J. Tipler's argument that our experience is indistinguishable from the experience of someone embedded in a perfect computer simulation of our own universe, hence we cannot know whether or not we are part of such a computer program ourselves. Tipler's argument is treated as a special case of epistemological scepticism, in a similar vein to 'brain-in-a-vat' arguments. It is argued that Tipler's hypothesis that our universe is a program running on a digital computer in another universe, generates empirical predictions, and is therefore a falsifiable hypothesis. The computer program hypothesis is also treated as a hypothesis about what exists beyond the physical world, and is compared with Kant's metaphysics of noumena. It is argued that if our universe is a program running on a digital computer, then our universe must have compact spatial topology, and the possibilities of observationally testing this prediction are considered. The possibility of testing the computer program hypothesis with the value of the density parameter Ω0 is also analysed. The informational requirements for a computer to represent a universe exactly and completely are considered. Consequent doubt is thrown upon Tipler's claim that if a hierarchy of computer universes exists, we would not be able to know which 'level of implementation' our universe exists at. It is then argued that a digital computer simulation of a universe, or any other physical system, does not provide a realisation of that universe or system. It is argued that a digital computer simulation of a physical system is not objectively related to that physical system, and therefore cannot exist as anything else other than a physical process occurring upon the components of the computer. It is concluded that Tipler's sceptical hypothesis, and a related hypothesis from Bostrom, cannot be true: it is impossible that our own experience is indistinguishable from the experience of somebody embedded in a digital computer simulation because it is impossible for anybody to be embedded in a digital computer simulation.

Arctic Forecasts Available from Polar Bear Exhibit as an Example of Formal/Informal Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landis, C. E.; Cervenec, J.

2012-12-01

A subset of the general population enjoys and frequents informal education venues, offering an opportunity for lifelong learning that also enhances and supports formal education efforts. The Byrd Polar Research Center (BPRC) at The Ohio State University collaborated with the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium (CZA) in the development of their Polar Frontier exhibit, from its initial planning to the Grand Opening of the exhibit, through the present. Of course, the addition to the Zoo of polar bears and Arctic fox in the Polar Frontier has been very popular, with almost a 7% increase in visitors in 2010 when the exhibit opened. The CZA and BPRC are now investigating ways to increase the climate literacy impact of the exhibit, and to increase engagement with the topics through follow-on activities. For example, individuals or classes anywhere in the world can check forecasts from the Polar Weather and Research Forecasting model and compare them to observed conditions-- allowing deep investigation into changes in the Arctic. In addition, opportunities exist to adapt the Zoo School experience (affecting several Central Ohio school districts) and/or to enable regular participation through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of digital communication. BPRC's sustained engagement with the CZA is an example of a trusted and meaningful partnership where open dialogue exists about providing the best learning experience for visitors. This presentation will share some of the lessons learned from this unique partnership, and strategies that are adopted to move it forward.

Do you see what I hear: experiments in multi-channel sound and 3D visualization for network monitoring?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballora, Mark; Hall, David L.

2010-04-01

Detection of intrusions is a continuing problem in network security. Due to the large volumes of data recorded in Web server logs, analysis is typically forensic, taking place only after a problem has occurred. This paper describes a novel method of representing Web log information through multi-channel sound, while simultaneously visualizing network activity using a 3-D immersive environment. We are exploring the detection of intrusion signatures and patterns, utilizing human aural and visual pattern recognition ability to detect intrusions as they occur. IP addresses and return codes are mapped to an informative and unobtrusive listening environment to act as a situational sound track of Web traffic. Web log data is parsed and formatted using Python, then read as a data array by the synthesis language SuperCollider [1], which renders it as a sonification. This can be done either for the study of pre-existing data sets or in monitoring Web traffic in real time. Components rendered aurally include IP address, geographical information, and server Return Codes. Users can interact with the data, speeding or slowing the speed of representation (for pre-existing data sets) or "mixing" sound components to optimize intelligibility for tracking suspicious activity.

5-(2-aminopropyl)indole: a new player in the drama of 'legal highs' alerts the community.

PubMed

Katselou, Maria; Papoutsis, Ioannis; Nikolaou, Panagiota; Spiliopoulou, Chara; Athanaselis, Sotiris

2015-01-01

5-(2-aminopropyl)indole (5-IT) is a new psychoactive substance, a 'legal high', that recently invaded the drug arena in Europe and has already led to numerous intoxications and fatalities. Knowledge upon its pharmacology and toxicity is non-existent or restricted; the only available information involves very few published scientific articles, official reports from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and drug abusers' experiences expressed in online drug forums. A review of the existing knowledge on 5-IT is reported, concerning its chemistry and synthesis, its pharmacological and toxicological aspects, as well as information concerning the fatal and toxic consequences of its use. The existing methodologies for the determination of 5-IT in biological and seized samples as well as its legal status are also presented. All the relative data were gathered through a detailed search of PubMed and the Internet. No original studies have investigated and/or confirmed its pharmacological properties, acute and chronic toxicity, physiological and behavioural effects or the dependence potential of the drug. Thus, it is difficult to specify the physical effects of 5-IT in humans. This drug is a phenomenon with global significance for public health as its use can lead to intoxication and fatalities. Significant information on 5-IT is provided for pharmacologists, toxicologists, forensic pathologists and regulatory authorities. 5-IT is a current public health challenge. Better international collaboration, effective legislation and continuous community alertness are needed to tackle this current growing phenomenon. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Right supramarginal gyrus is crucial to overcome emotional egocentricity bias in social judgments.

PubMed

Silani, Giorgia; Lamm, Claus; Ruff, Christian C; Singer, Tania

2013-09-25

Humans tend to use the self as a reference point to perceive the world and gain information about other people's mental states. However, applying such a self-referential projection mechanism in situations where it is inappropriate can result in egocentrically biased judgments. To assess egocentricity bias in the emotional domain (EEB), we developed a novel visuo-tactile paradigm assessing the degree to which empathic judgments are biased by one's own emotions if they are incongruent to those of the person we empathize with. A first behavioral experiment confirmed the existence of such EEB, and two independent fMRI experiments revealed that overcoming biased empathic judgments is associated with increased activation in the right supramarginal gyrus (rSMG), in a location distinct from activations in right temporoparietal junction reported in previous social cognition studies. Using temporary disruption of rSMG with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation resulted in a substantial increase of EEB, and so did reducing visuo-tactile stimulation time as shown in an additional behavioral experiment. Our findings provide converging evidence from multiple methods and experiments that rSMG is crucial for overcoming emotional egocentricity. Effective connectivity analyses suggest that this may be achieved by early perceptual regulation processes disambiguating proprioceptive first-person information (touch) from exteroceptive third-person information (vision) during incongruency between self- and other-related affective states. Our study extends previous models of social cognition. It shows that although shared neural networks may underlie emotional understanding in some situations, an additional mechanism subserved by rSMG is needed to avoid biased social judgments in other situations.

Real-time 3D video compression for tele-immersive environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhenyu; Cui, Yi; Anwar, Zahid; Bocchino, Robert; Kiyanclar, Nadir; Nahrstedt, Klara; Campbell, Roy H.; Yurcik, William

2006-01-01

Tele-immersive systems can improve productivity and aid communication by allowing distributed parties to exchange information via a shared immersive experience. The TEEVE research project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California at Berkeley seeks to foster the development and use of tele-immersive environments by a holistic integration of existing components that capture, transmit, and render three-dimensional (3D) scenes in real time to convey a sense of immersive space. However, the transmission of 3D video poses significant challenges. First, it is bandwidth-intensive, as it requires the transmission of multiple large-volume 3D video streams. Second, existing schemes for 2D color video compression such as MPEG, JPEG, and H.263 cannot be applied directly because the 3D video data contains depth as well as color information. Our goal is to explore from a different angle of the 3D compression space with factors including complexity, compression ratio, quality, and real-time performance. To investigate these trade-offs, we present and evaluate two simple 3D compression schemes. For the first scheme, we use color reduction to compress the color information, which we then compress along with the depth information using zlib. For the second scheme, we use motion JPEG to compress the color information and run-length encoding followed by Huffman coding to compress the depth information. We apply both schemes to 3D videos captured from a real tele-immersive environment. Our experimental results show that: (1) the compressed data preserves enough information to communicate the 3D images effectively (min. PSNR > 40) and (2) even without inter-frame motion estimation, very high compression ratios (avg. > 15) are achievable at speeds sufficient to allow real-time communication (avg. ~ 13 ms per 3D video frame).

Appalachian residents’ experiences with and management of multiple morbidity

PubMed Central

Schoenberg, Nancy E.; Bardach, Shoshana H.; Manchikanti, Kavita N.; Goodenow, Anne C.

2011-01-01

Approximately three quarters of middle aged and older adults have at least two simultaneously occurring chronic conditions (“multiple morbidity” or MM), a trend expected to increase dramatically throughout the world. Rural residents, who tend to have fewer personal and health resources, are more likely to experience MM. To improve our understanding of the ways in which vulnerable, rural residents in the U.S. experience and manage MM, we interviewed twenty rural Appalachian residents with MM. We identified the following themes; (a) MM has multifaceted challenges and is viewed as more than the sum of its parts; (b) numerous challenges exist to optimal MM self-management, particularly in a rural, under-resourced context; however, (c) participants described strategic methods of managing multiple chronic conditions, including prioritizing certain conditions and management strategies and drawing heavily on assistance from informal and formal sources. PMID:21263063

Leadership Development Through Peer-Facilitated Simulation in Nursing Education.

PubMed

Brown, Karen M; Rode, Jennifer L

2018-01-01

Baccalaureate nursing graduates must possess leadership skills, yet few opportunities exist to cultivate leadership abilities in a clinical environment. Peer-facilitated learning may increase the leadership skills of competence, self-confidence, self-reflection, and role modeling. Facilitating human patient simulation provides opportunities to develop leadership skills. With faculty supervision, senior baccalaureate students led small-group simulation experiences with sophomore and junior peers and then conducted subsequent debriefings. Quantitative and qualitative descriptive data allowed evaluation of students' satisfaction with this teaching innovation and whether the experience affected students' desire to take on leadership roles. Students expressed satisfaction with the peer-facilitated simulation experience and confidence in mastering the content while developing necessary skills for practice. Peer-facilitated simulation provides an opportunity for leadership development and learning. Study results can inform the development of nursing curricula to best develop the leadership skills of nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(1):53-57.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Multiple angles on the sterile neutrino - a combined view of cosmological and oscillation limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzowski, Pawel

2017-09-01

The possible existence of sterile neutrinos is an important unresolved question for both particle physics and cosmology. Data sensitive to a sterile neutrino is coming from both particle physics experiments and from astrophysical measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background. In this study, we address the question whether these two contrasting data sets provide complementary information about sterile neutrinos. We focus on the muon disappearance oscillation channel, taking data from the MINOS, ICECUBE and Planck experiments, converting the limits into particle physics and cosmological parameter spaces, to illustrate the different regions of parameter space where the data sets have the best sensitivity. For the first time, we combine the data sets into a single analysis to illustrate how the limits on the parameters of the sterile-neutrino model are strengthened. We investigate how data from a future accelerator neutrino experiment (SBN) will be able to further constrain this picture.

Construction of suicidal ideation in medical records.

PubMed

Galasiński, Dariusz; Ziółkowska, Justyna

2017-09-01

In this article, the authors are interested in exploring discursive transformation of patients' stories of suicidal ideation into medical discourses. In other words, they focus on how the narrated experience of suicidal thoughts made during the psychiatric assessment interview is recorded in the patients' medical record. The authors' data come from recordings of psychiatric interviews, as well as the doctors' notes in the medical records made after the interviews, collected in psychiatric hospitals in Poland. Assuming a constructionist view of discourse, they demonstrate that lived experience of suicide ideation resulting in stories of a complex and homogeneous group of "thoughts" is reduced to brief statements of fact of presence/existence. Exploration of the relationship between the interviews and the notes suggest a stark imposition of the medical gaze upon them. The authors end with arguments that discursive practices relegating lived experience from the focus of clinical practice deprives it of information which is meaningful and clinically significant.

A possible experiment with two counter-orbiting drag-free satellites to obtain a new test of Einstein's general theory of relativity and improved measurements in geodesy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Patten, R. A.; Everitt, C. W. F.

1976-01-01

In 1918, Lense and Thirring calculated that a moon in orbit around a massive rotating planet would experience a nodal dragging effect due to general relativity. We describe an experiment to measure this effect by means of two counter-orbiting drag-free satellites in polar orbit about the earth. For a 2-1/2 year experiment, the measurement should approach an accuracy of 1%. An independent measurement of the geodetic precession of the orbit plane due to the motion about the sun may also be possible to about 10% accuracy. In addition to precision tracking data from existing ground stations, satellite-to-satellite Doppler data are taken at points of passing near the poles to yield an accurate measurement of the separation distance between the two satellites. New geophysical information on both earth harmonics and tidal effects is inherent in this polar ranging data.

Focus groups to explore healthcare professionals' experiences of care coordination: towards a theoretical framework for the study of care coordination.

PubMed

Van Houdt, Sabine; Sermeus, Walter; Vanhaecht, Kris; De Lepeleire, Jan

2014-12-24

Strategies to improve care coordination between primary and hospital care do not always have the desired results. This is partly due to incomplete understanding of the key concepts of care coordination. An in-depth analysis of existing theoretical frameworks for the study of care coordination identified 14 interrelated key concepts. In another study, these 14 key concepts were further explored in patients' experiences. Additionally, "patient characteristics" was identified as a new key concept in patients' experiences and the previously identified key concept "quality of relationship" between healthcare professionals was extended to "quality of relationship" with the patient. Together, these 15 interrelated key concepts resulted in a new theoretical framework. The present study aimed at improving our understanding of the 15 previously identified key concepts and to explore potentially previous unidentified key concepts and the links between these by exploring how healthcare professionals experience care coordination. A qualitative design was used. Six focus groups were conducted including primary healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients who had breast cancer surgery at three hospitals in Belgium. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis. All 15 previously identified key concepts of care coordination were further explored in healthcare professionals' experiences. Links between these 15 concepts were identified, including 9 newly identified links. The concept "external factors" was linked with all 6 concepts relating to (inter)organizational mechanisms; "task characteristics", "structure", "knowledge and information technology", "administrative operational processes", "cultural factors" and "need for coordination". Five of these concepts related to 3 concepts of relational coordination; "roles", "quality of relationship" and "exchange of information". The concept of "task characteristics" was only linked with "roles" and "exchange of information". The concept "patient characteristics" related with the concepts "need for coordination" and "patient outcome". Outcome was influenced by "roles", "quality of relationship" and "exchange of information". External factors and the (inter)organizational mechanism should enhance "roles" and "quality of relationship" between healthcare professionals and with the patient as well as "exchange of information", and setting and sharing of common "goals" to improve care coordination and quality of care.

Opportunity to learn: Investigating possible predictors for pre-course Test Of Astronomy STandards TOAST scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berryhill, Katie J.

As astronomy education researchers become more interested in experimentally testing innovative teaching strategies to enhance learning in introductory astronomy survey courses ("ASTRO 101"), scholars are placing increased attention toward better understanding factors impacting student gain scores on the widely used Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST). Usually used in a pre-test and post-test research design, one might naturally assume that the pre-course differences observed between high- and low-scoring college students might be due in large part to their pre-existing motivation, interest, experience in science, and attitudes about astronomy. To explore this notion, 11 non-science majoring undergraduates taking ASTRO 101 at west coast community colleges were interviewed in the first few weeks of the course to better understand students' pre-existing affect toward learning astronomy with an eye toward predicting student success. In answering this question, we hope to contribute to our understanding of the incoming knowledge of students taking undergraduate introductory astronomy classes, but also gain insight into how faculty can best meet those students' needs and assist them in achieving success. Perhaps surprisingly, there was only weak correlation between students' motivation toward learning astronomy and their pre-test scores. Instead, the most fruitful predictor of TOAST pre-test scores was the quantity of pre-existing, informal, self-directed astronomy learning experiences.

So you want to share your science…. Connecting to the world of informal science learning.

PubMed

Alpert, Carol Lynn

2018-04-25

Scientists can reap personal rewards through collaborations with science and natural history museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquaria, parks, and nature preserves, and, while doing so, help to advance science literacy and broaden participation in the natural sciences. Beyond volunteer opportunities, which allow scientists to contribute their knowledge and passion within the context of existing programs and activities, there are also opportunities for scientists to bring their knowledge and resources to the design and implementation of new learning experiences for visitors to these informal science learning organizations (ISLOs). Well-designed education outreach plans that leverage the expertise and broad audiences of ISLOs can also enhance the prospects of research grant proposals made to agencies such as National Science Foundation, which encourage researchers to pay careful attention to the broader impacts of their research as well as its intellectual merit. Few scientists, however, have had the opportunity to become familiar with the pedagogy and design of informal or 'free-choice' science learning, and fewer still know how to go about the process of collaborating with ISLO's in developing and implementing effective programs, exhibits, and other learning experiences. This article, written by an experienced science museum professional, provides guidance for individual scientists and research groups interested in pursuing effective education outreach collaborations with science museums and other ISLOs. When prospective partners begin discussions early in the proposal development process, they increase the likelihood of successful outcomes in funding, implementation, and impact. A strategic planning worksheet is provided, along with a carefully-selected set of further resources to guide the design and planning of informal science learning experiences.

Using Facebook and participant information clips to recruit emergency nurses for research.

PubMed

Child, Rebekah Jay Howerton; Mentes, Janet C; Pavlish, Carol; Phillips, Linda R

2014-07-01

To examine the use of social networking sites in recruiting research participants. Workplace violence is an important issue for staff and patients. One workplace that reports the highest levels of violence is the emergency department. The ability to research issues such as workplace violence in real time is important in addressing them expeditiously, and social media can be used to advertise and recruit research subjects, implement studies and disseminate information. The experience of recruiting subjects through social networks, specifically Facebook, and the use of participant information clips (PICs) for advertising. A brief discussion of the history of advertising and communication using the internet is presented to provide an understanding of the trajectory of social media and implications for recruitment in general. The paper then focuses on the lead author's experience of recruiting subjects using Facebook, including its limitations and advantages, and her experience of using participant information clips. The low cost of advertising and recruiting participants this way, as well as the convenience provided to participants, resulted in almost half the study's total participants being obtained within 72 hours. Using Facebook to target a younger age range of nurses to participate in a study was successful and yielded a large number of completed responses in a short time period at little cost to the researcher. Recording the PIC was cheap, and posting it and a link to the site on pre-existing group pages was free, providing valuable viral marketing and snowball recruiting. Future researchers should not overlook using social network sites for recruitment if the demographics of the desired study population and subject matter permit it.

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2012-10-31

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77 FR 15115 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension, without Change, of an Existing Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-14

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Experiments and modeling of variably permeable carbonate reservoir samples in contact with CO₂-acidified brines

DOE PAGES

Smith, Megan M.; Hao, Yue; Mason, Harris E.; ...

2014-12-31

Reactive experiments were performed to expose sample cores from the Arbuckle carbonate reservoir to CO₂-acidified brine under reservoir temperature and pressure conditions. The samples consisted of dolomite with varying quantities of calcite and silica/chert. The timescales of monitored pressure decline across each sample in response to CO₂ exposure, as well as the amount of and nature of dissolution features, varied widely among these three experiments. For all samples cores, the experimentally measured initial permeability was at least one order of magnitude or more lower than the values estimated from downhole methods. Nondestructive X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) imaging revealed dissolution featuresmore » including “wormholes,” removal of fracture-filling crystals, and widening of pre-existing pore spaces. In the injection zone sample, multiple fractures may have contributed to the high initial permeability of this core and restricted the distribution of CO₂-induced mineral dissolution. In contrast, the pre-existing porosity of the baffle zone sample was much lower and less connected, leading to a lower initial permeability and contributing to the development of a single dissolution channel. While calcite may make up only a small percentage of the overall sample composition, its location and the effects of its dissolution have an outsized effect on permeability responses to CO₂ exposure. The XRCT data presented here are informative for building the model domain for numerical simulations of these experiments but require calibration by higher resolution means to confidently evaluate different porosity-permeability relationships.« less

Spatial and Temporal Variations in Slip Partitioning During Oblique Convergence Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beyer, J. L.; Cooke, M. L.; Toeneboehn, K.

2017-12-01

Physical experiments of oblique convergence in wet kaolin demonstrate the development of slip partitioning, where two faults accommodate strain via different slip vectors. In these experiments, the second fault forms after the development of the first fault. As one strain component is relieved by one fault, the local stress field then favors the development of a second fault with different slip sense. A suite of physical experiments reveals three styles of slip partitioning development controlled by the convergence angle and presence of a pre-existing fault. In experiments with low convergence angles, strike-slip faults grow prior to reverse faults (Type 1) regardless of whether the fault is precut or not. In experiments with moderate convergence angles, slip partitioning is dominantly controlled by the presence of a pre-existing fault. In all experiments, the primarily reverse fault forms first. Slip partitioning then develops with the initiation of strike-slip along the precut fault (Type 2) or growth of a secondary reverse fault where the first fault is steepest. Subsequently, the slip on the first fault transitions to primarily strike-slip (Type 3). Slip rates and rakes along the slip partitioned faults for both precut and uncut experiments vary temporally, suggesting that faults in these slip-partitioned systems are constantly adapting to the conditions produced by slip along nearby faults in the system. While physical experiments show the evolution of slip partitioning, numerical simulations of the experiments provide information about both the stress and strain fields, which can be used to compute the full work budget, providing insight into the mechanisms that drive slip partitioning. Preliminary simulations of precut experiments show that strain energy density (internal work) can be used to predict fault growth, highlighting where fault growth can reduce off-fault deformation in the physical experiments. In numerical simulations of uncut experiments with a first non-planar oblique slip fault, strain energy density is greatest where the first fault is steepest, as less convergence is accommodated along this portion of the fault. The addition of a second slip-partitioning fault to the system decreases external work indicating that these faults increase the mechanical efficiency of the system.

Quantum Foundations of Quantum Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffiths, Robert

2009-03-01

The main foundational issue for quantum information is: What is quantum information about? What does it refer to? Classical information typically refers to physical properties, and since classical is a subset of quantum information (assuming the world is quantum mechanical), quantum information should--and, it will be argued, does--refer to quantum physical properties represented by projectors on appropriate subspaces of a quantum Hilbert space. All sorts of microscopic and macroscopic properties, not just measurement outcomes, can be represented in this way, and are thus a proper subject of quantum information. The Stern-Gerlach experiment illustrates this. When properties are compatible, which is to say their projectors commute, Shannon's classical information theory based on statistical correlations extends without difficulty or change to the quantum case. When projectors do not commute, giving rise to characteristic quantum effects, a foundation for the subject can still be constructed by replacing the ``measurement and wave-function collapse'' found in textbooks--an efficient calculational tool, but one giving rise to numerous conceptual difficulties--with a fully consistent and paradox free stochastic formulation of standard quantum mechanics. This formulation is particularly helpful in that it contains no nonlocal superluminal influences; the reason the latter carry no information is that they do not exist.

Culture: copying, compression, and conventionality.

PubMed

Tamariz, Mónica; Kirby, Simon

2015-01-01

Through cultural transmission, repeated learning by new individuals transforms cultural information, which tends to become increasingly compressible (Kirby, Cornish, & Smith, ; Smith, Tamariz, & Kirby, ). Existing diffusion chain studies include in their design two processes that could be responsible for this tendency: learning (storing patterns in memory) and reproducing (producing the patterns again). This paper manipulates the presence of learning in a simple iterated drawing design experiment. We find that learning seems to be the causal factor behind the increase in compressibility observed in the transmitted information, while reproducing is a source of random heritable innovations. Only a theory invoking these two aspects of cultural learning will be able to explain human culture's fundamental balance between stability and innovation. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Declarative Consciousness for Reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seymour, Leslie G.

2013-12-01

Existing information technology tools are harnessed and integrated to provide digital specification of human consciousness of individual persons. An incremental compilation technology is proposed as a transformation of LifeLog derived persona specifications into a Canonical representation of the neocortex architecture of the human brain. The primary purpose is to gain an understanding of the semantical allocation of the neocortex capacity. Novel neocortex content allocation simulators with browsers are proposed to experiment with various approaches of relieving the brain from overload conditions. An IT model of the neocortex is maintained, which is then updated each time new stimuli are received from the LifeLog data stream; new information is gained from brain signal measurements; and new functional dependencies are discovered between live persona consumed/produced signals

You plan, you test and then it happens: Lessons learned from the Schneider warehouse tornado recovery.

PubMed

Marotz, William T

2017-12-01

This paper is about the experience gained and lessons learned while dealing with the long-term recovery of Schneider's Port Logistics Division following extensive damage to three warehouse/ office facilities in Savannah, GA on 25th April, 2015. This paper will provide insight into how the initial assessments were handled, how the skill sets needed by the response teams were determined, and what further actions were triggered as more detailed information was received and assessed by the leadership team. This paper will also provide information as to how closely the company followed its existing contingency and disaster recovery plans, as well as where those plans fell short and where it was necessary to make adjustments as the recovery progressed.

MMM: A toolbox for integrative structure modeling.

PubMed

Jeschke, Gunnar

2018-01-01

Structural characterization of proteins and their complexes may require integration of restraints from various experimental techniques. MMM (Multiscale Modeling of Macromolecules) is a Matlab-based open-source modeling toolbox for this purpose with a particular emphasis on distance distribution restraints obtained from electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on spin-labelled proteins and nucleic acids and their combination with atomistic structures of domains or whole protomers, small-angle scattering data, secondary structure information, homology information, and elastic network models. MMM does not only integrate various types of restraints, but also various existing modeling tools by providing a common graphical user interface to them. The types of restraints that can support such modeling and the available model types are illustrated by recent application examples. © 2017 The Protein Society.

Analysis of user activities on popular medical forums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamalov, M. V.; Dobrynin, V. Y.; Balykina, Y. E.; Martynov, R. S.

2017-10-01

The paper is devoted to detailed investigation of users’ behavior and level of expertise on online medical forums. Two popular forums were analyzed in terms of presence of experts who answer health related questions and participate in discussions. This study provides insight into the quality of medical information that one can get from the web resources, and also illustrates relationship between approved medical experts and popular authors of the considered forums. During experiments several machine learning and natural language processing methods were evaluated against to available web content to get further understanding of structure and distribution of information about medicine available online nowadays. As a result of this study the hypothesis of existing correlation between approved medical experts and popular authors has been rejected.

Guidelines for ethical and professional use of social media in a hand surgery practice.

PubMed

Lifchez, Scott D; McKee, Desirae M; Raven, Raymond B; Shafritz, Adam B; Tueting, Jonathan L

2012-12-01

In growing numbers, patients are using social media platforms as resources to obtain health information and report their experiences in the health care setting. More physicians are making use of these platforms as a means to reach prospective and existing patients, to share information with each other, and to educate the public. In this ever-expanding online dialogue, questions have arisen regarding appropriate conduct of the physician during these interactions. The purpose of this article is to review the laws that govern online communication as they pertain to physician presence in this forum and to discuss appropriate ethical and professional behavior in this setting. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Empirical mode decomposition-based facial pose estimation inside video sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qing, Chunmei; Jiang, Jianmin; Yang, Zhijing

2010-03-01

We describe a new pose-estimation algorithm via integration of the strength in both empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and mutual information. While mutual information is exploited to measure the similarity between facial images to estimate poses, EMD is exploited to decompose input facial images into a number of intrinsic mode function (IMF) components, which redistribute the effect of noise, expression changes, and illumination variations as such that, when the input facial image is described by the selected IMF components, all the negative effects can be minimized. Extensive experiments were carried out in comparisons to existing representative techniques, and the results show that the proposed algorithm achieves better pose-estimation performances with robustness to noise corruption, illumination variation, and facial expressions.

Sub-pattern based multi-manifold discriminant analysis for face recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Jiangyan; Guo, Changlu; Zhou, Wei; Shi, Yanjiao; Cong, Lin; Yi, Yugen

2018-04-01

In this paper, we present a Sub-pattern based Multi-manifold Discriminant Analysis (SpMMDA) algorithm for face recognition. Unlike existing Multi-manifold Discriminant Analysis (MMDA) approach which is based on holistic information of face image for recognition, SpMMDA operates on sub-images partitioned from the original face image and then extracts the discriminative local feature from the sub-images separately. Moreover, the structure information of different sub-images from the same face image is considered in the proposed method with the aim of further improve the recognition performance. Extensive experiments on three standard face databases (Extended YaleB, CMU PIE and AR) demonstrate that the proposed method is effective and outperforms some other sub-pattern based face recognition methods.

Does informed consent given by healthy individuals when enrolling in clinical research feel less voluntary than for ill individuals?

PubMed

Roberts, Laura; Kim, Jane Paik

2018-04-30

Clinical research is predicated ethically on the authentic voluntarism of individuals who choose to enroll in human studies. Existing literature has focused on aspects of informed consent for clinical research other than voluntarism. The objective of this study was to compare the perspectives of clinical research participants who are in good health and who are ill regarding voluntarism-related aspects of informed consent and to assess situational influences that enable voluntarism in the process of obtaining clinical research consent. A 23-item written survey, the Informed Consent Questionnaire (ICQ), was administered in a "piggyback" semi-structured interview study of ill and healthy volunteers enrolled in IRB-approved clinical research studies. A total of 150 (60 mentally ill, 43 physically ill, and 47 healthy) clinical research participants participated. Respondents expressed positive views of their experiences with the informed consent processes for their respective clinical research protocols and respondents strongly endorsed items related to voluntarism irrespective of their illness type (range of means = [3.9, 4.8]). Ill participants more highly endorsed items relating to informed consent conditions (mentally ill vs healthy: 0.54 on a 5-point scale, P value = 0.01) (physically ill vs. healthy: 0.47 on a 5-point scale, P value = 0.01). The favorable views of clinical research participants regarding their experience of giving informed consent to enroll in a study were not surprising. Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, healthy individuals did not feel as positively as their ill counterparts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 11192 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-730, Revision of an Existing Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-10

...-0037] Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-730, Revision of an Existing Information Collection Request; Comment Request ACTION: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection under Review: Form I- 730..., mechanical, or other technological collection techniques, or other forms of information technology, e.g...

Data Governance and Data Sharing Agreements for Community-Wide Health Information Exchange: Lessons from the Beacon Communities

PubMed Central

Allen, Claudia; Des Jardins, Terrisca R.; Heider, Arvela; Lyman, Kristin A.; McWilliams, Lee; Rein, Alison L.; Schachter, Abigail A.; Singh, Ranjit; Sorondo, Barbara; Topper, Joan; Turske, Scott A.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Unprecedented efforts are underway across the United States to electronically capture and exchange health information to improve health care and population health, and reduce costs. This increased collection and sharing of electronic patient data raises several governance issues, including privacy, security, liability, and market competition. Those engaged in such efforts have had to develop data sharing agreements (DSAs) among entities involved in information exchange, many of whom are “nontraditional” health care entities and/or new partners. This paper shares lessons learned based on the experiences of six federally funded communities participating in the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program, and offers guidance for navigating data governance issues and developing DSAs to facilitate community-wide health information exchange. Innovation: While all entities involved in electronic data sharing must address governance issues and create DSAs accordingly, until recently little formal guidance existed for doing so – particularly for community-based initiatives. Despite this lack of guidance, together the Beacon Communities’ experiences highlight promising strategies for navigating complex governance issues, which may be useful to other entities or communities initiating information exchange efforts to support delivery system transformation. Credibility: For the past three years, AcademyHealth has provided technical assistance to most of the 17 Beacon Communities, 6 of whom contributed to this collaborative writing effort. Though these communities varied widely in terms of their demographics, resources, and Beacon-driven priorities, common themes emerged as they described their approaches to data governance and DSA development. Conclusions: The 6 Beacon Communities confirmed that DSAs are necessary to satisfy legal and market-based concerns, and they identified several specific issues, many of which have been noted by others involved in network data sharing initiatives. More importantly, these communities identified several promising approaches to timely and effective DSA development, including: stakeholder engagement; identification and effective communication of value; adoption of a parsimonious approach; attention to market-based concerns; flexibility in adapting and expanding existing agreements and partnerships; and anticipation of required time and investment. PMID:25848589

Effects of clutter on information processing deficits in individuals with hoarding disorder.

PubMed

Raines, Amanda M; Timpano, Kiara R; Schmidt, Norman B

2014-09-01

Current cognitive behavioral models of hoarding view hoarding as a multifaceted problem stemming from various information processing deficits. However, there is also reason to suspect that the consequences of hoarding may in turn impact or modulate deficits in information processing. The current study sought to expand upon the existing literature by manipulating clutter to examine whether the presence of a cluttered environment affects information processing. Participants included 34 individuals with hoarding disorder. Participants were randomized into a clutter or non-clutter condition and asked to complete various neuropsychological tasks of memory and attention. Results revealed that hoarding severity was associated with difficulties in sustained attention. However, individuals in the clutter condition relative to the non-clutter condition did not experience greater deficits in information processing. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and small sample size. The current findings add considerably to a growing body of literature on the relationships between information processing deficits and hoarding behaviors. Research of this type is integral to understanding the etiology and maintenance of hoarding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving technical information use: what can be learnt from a manager's perspective?

PubMed

Jacobson, C; Lisle, A; Carter, R W; Hockings, M T

2013-07-01

Conservation practice reportedly suffers from low use of technical information. Understanding of factors that affect the influence of technical information on management decision-making is limited. We sought to identify leverage points for improved technical information dissemination in the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service, Australia, given the significant recent investments in monitoring and evaluation that had been made. We did so by exploring the inter-relationships between factors affecting the influence of different information types on management decisions. Results indicate that managers have a high inclination toward adaptive behavior, given they operate in an information poor environment. The most influential types of information were those that enabled interaction between information provider and recipient (e.g., staff experience and expertise). An analysis of the concordance in individuals' responses for different information types showed that neither accessibility nor organizational expectation of use was aligned with influence on decision-making. Alignment of responses also varied by work area. Raising expectations of information use or increasing access to particular types of information is therefore unlikely to result in an increase in influence on management decision-making. Rather than focussing on matching accessibility and expected use of particular information types, our results indicate that technical information uptake is best supported through existing peer networks tailored to specific work areas.

Toward the Standardization of Bioreactors for Space Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Michel; Nebuloni, Stefano; Dainesi, Paolo; Gass, Samuel

Growing interest in long-term human space missions and exploration as well as future plans for extra-terrestrial human settlements, places increasing importance on understanding biological and chemical processes in space at cellular and molecular level. RUAG Space has been involved in the development of bioreactors for life-science experiments in space for the past 20 years. Throughout these developments, RUAG has acted as the link between scientists and the space industry, translating high-level scientific requirements into technical requirements, verifying their feasibility within the space context, and developing state-of-the-art experiment hardware which can interface with dedicated micro-gravity platform. Although this approach has brought forth promising developments in the field, it is associated to very long development phases as well as correspondingly high costs. Each new scientific experiment is often associated to an entirely new hardware development. This is, in large, due to the limited information available on the possibilities and constraints imposed by the particular context of space. Therefore, a considerable amount of time and development costs are invested in order to accommodate stringent scientific requirements and/or specific experiment design in space hardware. This does not only have an impact on funding opportunities for micro-gravity experiments in space, it also curbs the pace of scientific discoveries and limits the number of research opportunities. Therefore, in the following, we present an overview of already established possibilities for cellular research in space, with special emphasis on hardware developed by RUAG Space. This is intended to provide scientists with key technical information on already existing bioreactors, subsystems, and components, which may be used as a basis when designing scientific studies. By considering this information from the onset of the establishment of scientific requirements, technical solutions can be implemented which do not require major new and lengthy developments. RUAG believes this is pivotal in facilitating access to life-science research in space and thereby increasing scientific output in this research area. The overview includes a description of technical features such as feasible cultivation volumes in highly biocompatible and transparent culture chambers, cultivation method options (batch vs. continuous), associated feed rates, and chemical fixation methods. Feasible regulation and sensing possibilities (i.e. O2, CO2, temperature, pH, cell concentration), based on technologies already used in laboratory application, are also discussed. Important aspects related to flow homogeneity, mass/gas transfer and mixing methods in micro-gravity are also presented. Lastly, the environmental performance of existing bioreactors is also shown and a particular emphasis is placed on safety design aspects for space hardware.

Exploring patient experiences and perspectives of a heart failure telerehabilitation program: A mixed methods approach.

PubMed

Hwang, Rita; Mandrusiak, Allison; Morris, Norman R; Peters, Robyn; Korczyk, Dariusz; Bruning, Jared; Russell, Trevor

To describe patient experiences and perspectives of a group-based heart failure (HF) telerehabilitation program delivered to the homes via online video-conferencing. Limited information currently exists on patient experiences of telerehabilitation for HF. Patient feedback and end-user perspectives provide important information regarding the acceptability of this new delivery model which may have a substantial impact on future uptake. We used mixed-methods design with purposive sampling of patients with HF. We used self-report surveys and semi-structured interviews to measure patient experiences and perspectives following a 12-week telerehabilitation program. The telerehabilitation program encompassed group-based exercise and education, and were delivered in real-time via videoconferencing. Interviews were transcribed and coded, with thematic analysis undertaken. Seventeen participants with HF (mean age [SD] of 69 [12] years and 88% males) were recruited. Participants reported high visual clarity and ease of use for the monitoring equipment. Major themes included motivating and inhibiting influences related to telerehabilitation and improvement suggestions. Participants liked the health benefits, access to care and social support. Participants highlighted a need for improved audio clarity and connectivity as well computer training for those with limited computer experience. The majority of participants preferred a combined face-to-face and online delivery model. Participants in this study reported high visual clarity and ease-of-use, but provided suggestions for further improvements in group-based video telerehabilitation for HF. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patients' Perspectives of Oral Healthcare Providers' Communication: Considering the Impact of Message Source and Content.

PubMed

Fico, Ashley E; Lagoe, Carolyn

2018-08-01

This study explores patients' perceptions of positive and negative communication experiences with dentists and dental hygienists using a sample of 267 individuals who reported having a general dental provider. Patients' oral health literacy, dental mistrust, use of dental health services, anxiety, and provider satisfaction are examined on the basis of reported communication experiences in the dental context. When comparing participants who had or had not experienced positive communication with a dentist, individuals with positive experiences demonstrated significantly higher levels of oral health literacy and provider satisfaction, as well as lower levels of dental mistrust. Participants who had experienced negative communication with a dentist reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and dental mistrust, as well as greater likelihood of ever leaving a dental practice, as compared to those without negative communication experiences. By contrast, positive and negative communication experiences with hygienists had limited impact on patient outcomes. Information derived from this investigation can be used by dental providers to guide communicative actions with patients, as well as by scholars to enhance existing theoretical explanations of the function of communication in dentistry.

Constituent order and semantic parallelism in online comprehension: eye-tracking evidence from German.

PubMed

Knoeferle, Pia; Crocker, Matthew W

2009-12-01

Reading times for the second conjunct of and-coordinated clauses are faster when the second conjunct parallels the first conjunct in its syntactic or semantic (animacy) structure than when its structure differs (Frazier, Munn, & Clifton, 2000; Frazier, Taft, Roeper, & Clifton, 1984). What remains unclear, however, is the time course of parallelism effects, their scope, and the kinds of linguistic information to which they are sensitive. Findings from the first two eye-tracking experiments revealed incremental constituent order parallelism across the board-both during structural disambiguation (Experiment 1) and in sentences with unambiguously case-marked constituent order (Experiment 2), as well as for both marked and unmarked constituent orders (Experiments 1 and 2). Findings from Experiment 3 revealed effects of both constituent order and subtle semantic (noun phrase similarity) parallelism. Together our findings provide evidence for an across-the-board account of parallelism for processing and-coordinated clauses, in which both constituent order and semantic aspects of representations contribute towards incremental parallelism effects. We discuss our findings in the context of existing findings on parallelism and priming, as well as mechanisms of sentence processing.

Participatory health system priority setting: Evidence from a budget experiment.

PubMed

Costa-Font, Joan; Forns, Joan Rovira; Sato, Azusa

2015-12-01

Budget experiments can provide additional guidance to health system reform requiring the identification of a subset of programs and services that accrue the highest social value to 'communities'. Such experiments simulate a realistic budget resource allocation assessment among competitive programs, and position citizens as decision makers responsible for making 'collective sacrifices'. This paper explores the use of a participatory budget experiment (with 88 participants clustered in social groups) to model public health care reform, drawing from a set of realistic scenarios for potential health care users. We measure preferences by employing a contingent ranking alongside a budget allocation exercise (termed 'willingness to assign') before and after program cost information is revealed. Evidence suggests that the budget experiment method tested is cognitively feasible and incentive compatible. The main downside is the existence of ex-ante "cost estimation" bias. Additionally, we find that participants appeared to underestimate the net social gain of redistributive programs. Relative social value estimates can serve as a guide to aid priority setting at a health system level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A National Multiethnic Online Forum Study on Menopausal Symptom Experience

PubMed Central

Im, Eun-Ok; Lee, Bok Im; Chee, Wonshik; Dormire, Sharon; Brown, Adama

2010-01-01

Background Little is known about how culture influences menopausal symptom experience, and few comparative qualitative studies have been conducted among multiethnic groups of midlife women in the United States. Objectives To explore commonalities and differences in menopausal symptom experience among four major ethnic groups in the US (Whites, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians). Methods This was a secondary analysis of qualitative data from a larger national Internet-based study. The qualitative data from 90 middle-aged women in the US who attended four ethnic-specific online forums of the larger study were examined using thematic analysis. Results The themes reflecting commonalities across the ethnic groups were: just a part of life, trying to be optimistic, getting support, and more information needed. The themes reflecting the differences among the ethnic groups were: open and closed, universal and unique, and controlling and minimizing. Overall, the findings indicated positive changes in women’s menopausal symptom experience, and supported the existence of cultural influences on women’s menopausal symptom experience across the ethnic groups. Discussion Systematic efforts need to be made to empower midlife women in their management of menopausal symptoms. PMID:20010042

14 CFR § 1203.604 - Mandatory review for declassification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

...) Presidential papers. Information originated by the President or Vice President; the President's White House... confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of requested information whenever the fact of its existence...

Balancing the Roles of a Family Medicine Residency Faculty: A Grounded Theory Study.

PubMed

Reitz, Randall; Sudano, Laura; Siler, Anne; Trimble, Kristopher

2016-05-01

Great variety exists in the roles that family medicine residency faculty fill in the lives of their residents. A family medicine-specific model has never been created to describe and promote effective training relationships. This research aims to create a consensus model for faculty development, ethics education, and policy creation. Using a modified grounded theory methods, researchers conducted phone interviews with 22 key informants from US family medicine residencies. Data were analyzed to delineate faculty roles, common role conflicts, and ethical principles for avoiding and managing role conflicts. Key informants were asked to apply their experience and preferences to adapt an existing model to fit with family medicine residency settings. The primary result of this research is the creation of a family medicine-specific model that describes faculty roles and provides insight into how to manage role conflicts with residents. Primary faculty roles include Role Model, Advisor, Teacher, Supervisor, and Evaluator. Secondary faculty roles include Friendly Colleague, Wellness Supporter, and Helping Hand. The secondary roles exist on a continuum from disengaged to enmeshed. When not balanced, the secondary roles can detract from the primary roles. Differences were found between role expectations of physician versus behavioral science faculty and larger/university/urban residencies versus smaller/community/rural residencies. Diversity of opinion exists related to the types of roles that are appropriate for family medicine faculty to maintain with residents. This new model is a first attempt to build consensus in the field and has application to faculty development, ethics education, and policy creation.

Human Factors Guidelines for UAS in the National Airspace System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hobbs, Alan; Shively, R. Jay

2013-01-01

The ground control stations (GCS) of some UAS have been characterized by less-than-adequate human-system interfaces. In some cases this may reflect a failure to apply an existing regulation or human factors standard. In other cases, the problem may indicate a lack of suitable guidance material. NASA is leading a community effort to develop recommendations for human factors guidelines for GCS to support routine beyond-line-of-sight UAS operations in the national airspace system (NAS). In contrast to regulations, guidelines are not mandatory requirements. However, by encapsulating solutions to identified problems or areas of risk, guidelines can provide assistance to system developers, users and regulatory agencies. To be effective, guidelines must be relevant to a wide range of systems, must not be overly prescriptive, and must not impose premature standardization on evolving technologies. By assuming that a pilot will be responsible for each UAS operating in the NAS, and that the aircraft will be required to operate in a manner comparable to conventionally piloted aircraft, it is possible to identify a generic set of pilot tasks and the information, control and communication requirements needed to support these tasks. Areas where guidelines will be useful can then be identified, utilizing information from simulations, operational experience and the human factors literature. In developing guidelines, we recognize that existing regulatory and guidance material will, at times, provide adequate coverage of an area. In other cases suitable guidelines may be found in existing military or industry human factors standards. In cases where appropriate existing standards cannot be identified, original guidelines will be proposed.

Caregivers’ Attitudes towards HIV Testing and Disclosure of HIV Status to At-Risk Children in Rural Uganda

PubMed Central

Lorenz, Rick; Grant, Eisha; Muyindike, Winnie; Maling, Samuel; Card, Claire; Henry, Carol; Nazarali, Adil J.

2016-01-01

Caregivers of HIV-positive children were interviewed in the Mbarara and Isingiro districts of Uganda to identify current trends in practices related to HIV testing and the disclosure of HIV status to the child. A total of 28 caregivers of at least one HIV-positive child participated in semi-structured interviews exploring when and why they tested the child for HIV, when the child was informed of their positive status, and what the caregiver did to prepare themselves and the child for status disclosure. For a majority (96%) of respondents, the decision to test the child for HIV was due to existing illness in either the child or a relative. Other common themes identified included the existence of stigma in the caregivers’ communities and doubt that the children truly understood what was being explained to them when their status was disclosed. Most (65%) children were informed of their HIV status between the ages of 5 and 9, with the mean age of disclosure occurring at the age of 7. General provision of HIV information typically began at the same age as disclosure, and as many as two thirds (64%) of the caregivers sought advice from an HIV counsellor prior to disclosure. How a caregiver chose to prepare themselves and the child did not affect the caregiver’s perception of whether the disclosure experience was beneficial or not. These findings suggest that the HIV disclosure experience in Mbarara and Isingiro districts differs from current guidelines, especially with respect to age of disclosure, how caregivers prepare themselves and the child, and approaching disclosure as an ongoing process. The doubts expressed by caregivers regarding the child’s level of HIV understanding following the disclosure experience suggest the children may be insufficiently prepared at the time of the initial disclosure event. The findings also suggest that examining the content of pre-disclosure counselling and HIV education, and how health care professionals are trained to facilitate the disclosure process as important avenues for further research. PMID:26881773

Harnessing the Collective Power of Eyewitnesses for Improved Earthquake Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bossu, R.; Lefebvre, S.; Mazet-Roux, G.; Steed, R.

2013-12-01

The Euro-Med Seismological Centre (EMSC) operates the second global earthquake information website (www.emsc-csem.org) which attracts 2 million visits a month from about 200 different countries. We collect information about earthquakes' effects from eyewitnesses such as online questionnaires, geolocated pics to rapidly constrain impact scenario. At the beginning, the collection was purely intended to address a scientific issue: the rapid evaluation of earthquake's impact. However, it rapidly appears that the understanding of eyewitnesses' expectations and motivations in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake was essential to optimise this data collection. Crowdsourcing information on earthquake's effects does not apply to a pre-existing community. By definition, eyewitnesses only exist once the earthquake has struck. We developed a strategy on social networks (Facebook, Google+, Twitter...) to interface with spontaneously emerging online communities of eyewitnesses. The basic idea is to create a positive feedback loop: attract eyewitnesses and engage with them by providing expected earthquake information and services, collect their observations, collate them for improved earthquake information services to attract more witnesses. We will present recent examples to illustrate how important the use of social networks is to engage with eyewitnesses especially in regions of low seismic activity where people are unaware of existing Internet resources dealing with earthquakes. A second type of information collated in our information services is derived from the real time analysis of the traffic on our website in the first minutes following an earthquake occurrence, an approach named flashsourcing. We show, using the example of the Mineral, Virginia earthquake that the arrival times of eyewitnesses of our website follows the propagation of the generated seismic waves and then, that eyewitnesses can be considered as ground motion sensors. Flashsourcing discriminates felt earthquakes within, as an average 90s of their occurrence, and can map, in certain cases, the damaged areas. Thanks to the flashsourced and crowdsourced information, we developed an innovative Twitter earthquake information service (currently under test and to be open by November) which intends to offer notifications for earthquakes that matter for the public only. It provides timely information for felt and damaging earthquakes regardless their magnitude and heads-up for seismologists. In conclusion, the experience developed at the EMSC demonstrates the benefit of involving eyewitnesses in earthquake surveillance. The data collected directly and indirectly from eyewitnesses complement information derived from monitoring networks and contribute to improved services. By increasing interaction between science and society, it opens new opportunities for raising awareness on seismic hazard.

Efficient Coding and Energy Efficiency Are Promoted by Balanced Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Currents in Neuronal Network

PubMed Central

Yu, Lianchun; Shen, Zhou; Wang, Chen; Yu, Yuguo

2018-01-01

Selective pressure may drive neural systems to process as much information as possible with the lowest energy cost. Recent experiment evidence revealed that the ratio between synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) in local cortex is generally maintained at a certain value which may influence the efficiency of energy consumption and information transmission of neural networks. To understand this issue deeply, we constructed a typical recurrent Hodgkin-Huxley network model and studied the general principles that governs the relationship among the E/I synaptic current ratio, the energy cost and total amount of information transmission. We observed in such a network that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic current ratio in the network by which the information transmission achieves the maximum with relatively low energy cost. The coding energy efficiency which is defined as the mutual information divided by the energy cost, achieved the maximum with the balanced synaptic current. Although background noise degrades information transmission and imposes an additional energy cost, we find an optimal noise intensity that yields the largest information transmission and energy efficiency at this optimal E/I synaptic transmission ratio. The maximization of energy efficiency also requires a certain part of energy cost associated with spontaneous spiking and synaptic activities. We further proved this finding with analytical solution based on the response function of bistable neurons, and demonstrated that optimal net synaptic currents are capable of maximizing both the mutual information and energy efficiency. These results revealed that the development of E/I synaptic current balance could lead a cortical network to operate at a highly efficient information transmission rate at a relatively low energy cost. The generality of neuronal models and the recurrent network configuration used here suggest that the existence of an optimal E/I cell ratio for highly efficient energy costs and information maximization is a potential principle for cortical circuit networks. Summary We conducted numerical simulations and mathematical analysis to examine the energy efficiency of neural information transmission in a recurrent network as a function of the ratio of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. We obtained a general solution showing that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic ratio in a recurrent network at which the information transmission as well as the energy efficiency of this network achieves a global maximum. These results reflect general mechanisms for sensory coding processes, which may give insight into the energy efficiency of neural communication and coding. PMID:29773979

Efficient Coding and Energy Efficiency Are Promoted by Balanced Excitatory and Inhibitory Synaptic Currents in Neuronal Network.

PubMed

Yu, Lianchun; Shen, Zhou; Wang, Chen; Yu, Yuguo

2018-01-01

Selective pressure may drive neural systems to process as much information as possible with the lowest energy cost. Recent experiment evidence revealed that the ratio between synaptic excitation and inhibition (E/I) in local cortex is generally maintained at a certain value which may influence the efficiency of energy consumption and information transmission of neural networks. To understand this issue deeply, we constructed a typical recurrent Hodgkin-Huxley network model and studied the general principles that governs the relationship among the E/I synaptic current ratio, the energy cost and total amount of information transmission. We observed in such a network that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic current ratio in the network by which the information transmission achieves the maximum with relatively low energy cost. The coding energy efficiency which is defined as the mutual information divided by the energy cost, achieved the maximum with the balanced synaptic current. Although background noise degrades information transmission and imposes an additional energy cost, we find an optimal noise intensity that yields the largest information transmission and energy efficiency at this optimal E/I synaptic transmission ratio. The maximization of energy efficiency also requires a certain part of energy cost associated with spontaneous spiking and synaptic activities. We further proved this finding with analytical solution based on the response function of bistable neurons, and demonstrated that optimal net synaptic currents are capable of maximizing both the mutual information and energy efficiency. These results revealed that the development of E/I synaptic current balance could lead a cortical network to operate at a highly efficient information transmission rate at a relatively low energy cost. The generality of neuronal models and the recurrent network configuration used here suggest that the existence of an optimal E/I cell ratio for highly efficient energy costs and information maximization is a potential principle for cortical circuit networks. We conducted numerical simulations and mathematical analysis to examine the energy efficiency of neural information transmission in a recurrent network as a function of the ratio of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. We obtained a general solution showing that there exists an optimal E/I synaptic ratio in a recurrent network at which the information transmission as well as the energy efficiency of this network achieves a global maximum. These results reflect general mechanisms for sensory coding processes, which may give insight into the energy efficiency of neural communication and coding.

Psychological responses, coping and supporting needs of healthcare professionals as second victims.

PubMed

Chan, S T; Khong, P C B; Wang, W

2017-06-01

To provide an overview of healthcare professionals' psychological responses, coping strategies and supporting needs in the aftermath of an adverse event, thus informing health policy implications and future research in this aspect. Trauma experienced by healthcare professionals as second victims potentially provokes intense emotional distress, detrimental professional outcomes and imposes harsh long-term effects. A systematic literature review was performed to synthesize the experiences and needs of second victims who are healthcare professionals being traumatized by an unanticipated adverse event, medical error or patient-related injury. CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched for relevant articles published in English from January 2000 to October 2015. Data extraction was performed for the 30 studies selected. Second victims experienced enduring intense negative psychological responses. They adopted multiple coping mechanisms and desired emotional and informational support. Second victims experience substantial psychological impact which can be mitigated with supportive environments. It is imperative that subsequent research consider the potential factors affecting second victims' emotional experience, efficacy of coping strategies in facilitating recovery and obtain a comprehensive understanding of second victims' experience. Nursing and health management's role in establishing organizational support structures is necessary to meet second victims' needs. This existing knowledge is significant to guide policy makers in developing a holistic and effective second victim support programme. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

An integrative review of fathers' experiences during pregnancy and childbirth.

PubMed

Poh, H L; Koh, S S L; He, H-G

2014-12-01

While fathers are increasingly expected to participate during their partners' pregnancies and childbirth and many studies have reported their experiences during these periods, no review studies have examined fathers' experiences and needs during pregnancy and childbirth together. To provide an overview of evidence on fathers' experiences and needs during their partners' pregnancies and childbirth to identify any gaps in the existing literature and practice. An integrative literature review was performed to analyse and synthesize fathers' experiences and/or needs during pregnancy and/or childbirth based on articles published in CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases between the years 2002 and 2012. Only articles found in the National University of Singapore's online library collection were retrieved. Altogether, 25 studies (six quantitative and 19 qualitative studies) that reported fathers' experiences during pregnancy (n = 8), childbirth (n = 13) or during both periods (n = 4) were reviewed. Fathers experienced mixed feelings both during pregnancy and childbirth. They required support from their partners and healthcare professionals and wanted to be informed, involved and respected. However, more studies are needed to explore this phenomenon in different cultural contexts or care models. This review provides evidence for healthcare professionals to pay more attention to fathers when delivering perinatal care. Sociocultural-sensitive interventions should be developed to facilitate a smoother transition to fatherhood. Father-specific information should be given to prepare fathers for pregnancy and childbirth. Healthcare professionals and policymakers should take fathers' feelings and concerns into consideration and provide family-centred care to the couple during the antenatal and intrapartum periods. © 2014 International Council of Nurses.

Radiation reaction studies in an all-optical set-up: experimental limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samarin, G. M.; Zepf, M.; Sarri, G.

2018-06-01

The recent development of ultra-high intensity laser facilities is finally opening up the possibility of studying high-field quantum electrodynamics in the laboratory. Arguably, one of the central phenomena in this area is that of quantum radiation reaction experienced by an ultra-relativistic electron beam as it propagates through the tight focus of a laser beam. In this paper, we discuss the major experimental challenges that are to be faced in order to extract meaningful and quantitative information from this class of experiments using existing and near-term laser facilities.

X-ray absorption and reflection as probes of the GaN conduction bands: Theory and experiments

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

Lambrecht, W.R.L.; Rashkeev, S.N.; Segall, B.

1997-04-01

X-ray absorption measurements are a well-known probe of the unoccupied states in a material. The same information can be obtained by using glancing angle X-ray reflectivity. In spite of several existing band structure calculations of the group III nitrides and previous optical studies in UV range, a direct probe of their conduction band densities of states is of interest. The authors performed a joint experimental and theoretical investigation using both of these experimental techniques for wurtzite GaN.

Popular cinema and lesbian interpretive strategies.

PubMed

Dobinson, C; Young, K

2000-01-01

In its examination of the relationship between popular film and lesbian viewing practices, this study attempts to more fully elucidate current ideas around audience engagement and forms of cultural reception. Drawing on 15 in-depth interviews conducted in Western Canada in 1996, the results clearly demonstrate the existence of active lesbian viewers, whose interpretations of popular film are intimately informed by lesbian-specific life experiences and cultural competencies. Although the social conditions which create the need for resistant viewing are themselves oppressive, subversion of mainstream film holds out some possibility of empowerment for lesbian viewers.

Structure of turbulence in three-dimensional boundary layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramanian, Chelakara S.

1993-01-01

This report provides an overview of the three dimensional turbulent boundary layer concepts and of the currently available experimental information for their turbulence modeling. It is found that more reliable turbulence data, especially of the Reynolds stress transport terms, is needed to improve the existing modeling capabilities. An experiment is proposed to study the three dimensional boundary layer formed by a 'sink flow' in a fully developed two dimensional turbulent boundary layer. Also, the mean and turbulence field measurement procedure using a three component laser Doppler velocimeter is described.

The spiritual care meanings of adults residing in the midwest.

PubMed

Sellers, S C

2001-07-01

Only limited nursing knowledge exists as theoretical guidance for nurses in providing spiritual care. Using Leininger's theory of culture care diversity and universality, the purpose of this ethnonursing research study was to discover the embedded spiritual care meanings, expressions, lived experiences, and practices of adults residing in the Midwest and their perceptions of spiritual nursing care. Data were collected through interviews of 6 key and 12 general informants. Five universal spiritual themes were supported by the findings. Culture care modes were used to explicate spiritual knowledge that can be integrated into nursing practice.

76 FR 51997 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form I-602; Extension of an Existing Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-19

...: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form I- 602, Application by Refugee for Waiver...: Extension of an existing information collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Application by Refugee...

The WISECARE Project and the impact of information technology on nursing knowledge.

PubMed

Sermeus, W; Hoy, D; Jodrell, N; Hyslop, A; Gypen, T; Kinnunen, J; Mantas, J; Delesie, L; Tansley, J; Hofdijk, J

1997-01-01

The European Union retained the WISECARE project "Work flow Information Systems for European nursing CARE" for funding. The project focuses on the use of telematics technology for clinical and resource management in oncology care in hospitals. This paper outlines the impact of introducing this kind of advanced nursing informatics application on the management of nursing knowledge. Three shift in knowledge management that will get high attention in WISECARE, are identified. The first is the shift from knowledge dissemination to knowledge sharing. The second is the shift from individual knowledge to organisational knowledge. The third is the shift from deductive, prescriptive knowledge as seen in guidelines, protocols to more inductive, experience based knowledge. The paper emphasizes that the real impact of information technology is not in the automation of existing processes but on the discovery of new ways of organisation and living.

A novel sensor-assisted RFID-based indoor tracking system for the elderly living alone.

PubMed

Hsu, Chien-Chang; Chen, Jun-Hao

2011-01-01

The population of elderly people is increasing rapidly in many developed nations. Providing safe and comfortable care to aging people is an important social goal. Moreover, obtaining correct activity and location information for an elderly person is an important research goal. This work proposes a novel intelligent RFID-based indoor tracking system for elderly people living alone. The proposed system uses environment information for inhabitants and received signal strength of an RFID reader to estimate the probable location of an inhabitant. The proposed system then coordinates with the wireless sensor node of a three-axis accelerometer and uses a genetic algorithm to compute the location of the inhabitant. The proposed system also uses context and gait information to improve inhabitant-tracking accuracy. Experiment results show that the accuracy of the proposed system is better than that of existing RFID-based systems.

Active Learning with Irrelevant Examples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazzoni, Dominic; Wagstaff, Kiri L.; Burl, Michael

2006-01-01

Active learning algorithms attempt to accelerate the learning process by requesting labels for the most informative items first. In real-world problems, however, there may exist unlabeled items that are irrelevant to the user's classification goals. Queries about these points slow down learning because they provide no information about the problem of interest. We have observed that when irrelevant items are present, active learning can perform worse than random selection, requiring more time (queries) to achieve the same level of accuracy. Therefore, we propose a novel approach, Relevance Bias, in which the active learner combines its default selection heuristic with the output of a simultaneously trained relevance classifier to favor items that are likely to be both informative and relevant. In our experiments on a real-world problem and two benchmark datasets, the Relevance Bias approach significantly improved the learning rate of three different active learning approaches.

Constructing Topic Models of Internet of Things for Information Processing

PubMed Central

Xin, Jie; Cui, Zhiming; Zhang, Shukui; He, Tianxu; Li, Chunhua; Huang, Haojing

2014-01-01

Internet of Things (IoT) is regarded as a remarkable development of the modern information technology. There is abundant digital products data on the IoT, linking with multiple types of objects/entities. Those associated entities carry rich information and usually in the form of query records. Therefore, constructing high quality topic hierarchies that can capture the term distribution of each product record enables us to better understand users' search intent and benefits tasks such as taxonomy construction, recommendation systems, and other communications solutions for the future IoT. In this paper, we propose a novel record entity topic model (RETM) for IoT environment that is associated with a set of entities and records and a Gibbs sampling-based algorithm is proposed to learn the model. We conduct extensive experiments on real-world datasets and compare our approach with existing methods to demonstrate the advantage of our approach. PMID:25110737

The design and implementation of a ubiquitous personal health record system for South Africa.

PubMed

Kyazze, Michael; Wesson, Janet; Naude, Kevin

2014-01-01

Doctors can experience difficulty in accessing medical information of new patients. One reason for this is that, the management of medical records is mostly institution-centred. The lack of access to medical information may affect patients in several ways, such as: new medical tests may be carried out at a cost to the patient, and doctors may prescribe drugs to which the patient is allergic. This paper presents the design and implementation of a ubiquitous Personal Health Record system for South Africa. The design was informed by a literature review of existing personal health record standards, applications and the need to ensure patient privacy. Three medical practices in Port Elizabeth were interviewed with the aim of contextualizing the personal health record standards from the literature study. The findings of this research provide an insight as to how patients can bridge the gap created by institution-centred management of medical records.

Regression analysis of informative current status data with the additive hazards model.

PubMed

Zhao, Shishun; Hu, Tao; Ma, Ling; Wang, Peijie; Sun, Jianguo

2015-04-01

This paper discusses regression analysis of current status failure time data arising from the additive hazards model in the presence of informative censoring. Many methods have been developed for regression analysis of current status data under various regression models if the censoring is noninformative, and also there exists a large literature on parametric analysis of informative current status data in the context of tumorgenicity experiments. In this paper, a semiparametric maximum likelihood estimation procedure is presented and in the method, the copula model is employed to describe the relationship between the failure time of interest and the censoring time. Furthermore, I-splines are used to approximate the nonparametric functions involved and the asymptotic consistency and normality of the proposed estimators are established. A simulation study is conducted and indicates that the proposed approach works well for practical situations. An illustrative example is also provided.

Constructing topic models of Internet of Things for information processing.

PubMed

Xin, Jie; Cui, Zhiming; Zhang, Shukui; He, Tianxu; Li, Chunhua; Huang, Haojing

2014-01-01

Internet of Things (IoT) is regarded as a remarkable development of the modern information technology. There is abundant digital products data on the IoT, linking with multiple types of objects/entities. Those associated entities carry rich information and usually in the form of query records. Therefore, constructing high quality topic hierarchies that can capture the term distribution of each product record enables us to better understand users' search intent and benefits tasks such as taxonomy construction, recommendation systems, and other communications solutions for the future IoT. In this paper, we propose a novel record entity topic model (RETM) for IoT environment that is associated with a set of entities and records and a Gibbs sampling-based algorithm is proposed to learn the model. We conduct extensive experiments on real-world datasets and compare our approach with existing methods to demonstrate the advantage of our approach.

Retrieval of biophysical parameters with AVIRIS and ISM: The Landes Forest, south west France

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zagolski, F.; Gastellu-Etchegorry, J. P.; Mougin, E.; Giordano, G.; Marty, G.; Letoan, T.; Beaudoin, A.

1992-01-01

The first steps of an experiment for investigating the capability of airborne spectrometer data for retrieval of biophysical parameters of vegetation, especially water conditions are presented. Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and ISM data were acquired in the frame of the 1991 NASA/JPL and CNES campaigns on the Landes, South west France, a large and flat forest area with mainly maritime pines. In-situ measurements were completed at that time; i.e. reflectance spectra, atmospheric profiles, sampling for further laboratory analyses of elements concentrations (lignin, water, cellulose, nitrogen,...). All information was integrated in an already existing data base (age, LAI, DBH, understory cover,...). A methodology was designed for (1) obtaining geometrically and atmospherically corrected reflectance data, (2) registering all available information, and (3) analyzing these multi-source informations. Our objective is to conduct comparative studies with simulation reflectance models, and to improve these models, especially in the MIR.

76 FR 48874 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Form G-884, Extension of an Existing Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-09

... Activities: Form G-884, Extension of an Existing Information Collection; Comment Request ACTION: 30-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Form G- 884, Request for the Return of Original Document(s... information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. Overview of This Information...

Health care consumers' experiences of information communication technology--a summary of literature.

PubMed

Akesson, Kerstin M; Saveman, Britt-Inger; Nilsson, Gunilla

2007-09-01

There is an increasing interest in reaching consumers directly through the Internet and different telecommunication systems. The most important contacts in health care will always be the face-to-face meetings, but the tools of health informatics can be seen as a means to an end, which is to provide the best possible health care. A variety of applications have been described in different references. To our knowledge there has been no review of a research-based state of the art in the field of consumers' experiences in using different applications in health informatics. According to the benefits in using information communication technology (ICT) as being cost-effective and timesaving it is of great importance to focus on and examine consumers' experiences. It is important that it is user friendly and regarded as valuable and useful. The aim of this study was to describe consumers' subjective experiences of using electronic resources with reference to health and illness. DESIGN AND/OR METHOD: A systematic literature search was performed in databases CINAHL, Medline and Cochrane, as well as a manual search. Retrieved references (n=14) were appraised according to their scientific structure and quality. A broad search was performed in order to find as many different applications as possible. Our primary intention was to identify existing references describing consumers' experiences with ICT. In spite of this broad search few references were found. Twelve references remained and three themes were identified: support and help, education and information, and telecommunication instead of on-site visiting. Consumers felt more confident and empowered, their knowledge increased and their health status improved due to the ICT resources. Lack of face-to-face meetings or privacy did not appear to be a problem. ICT can improve the nurse-patient relationship and augment well-being for consumers. More research is needed to measure consumers' experiences and factors that influence it. 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd

New developments in transit noise and vibration criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanson, Carl E.

2004-05-01

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) noise and vibration impact criteria were developed in the early 1990's. Noise criteria are ambient-based, developed from the Schultz curve and fundamental research performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 1970's. Vibration criteria are single-value rms vibration velocity levels. After 10 years of experience applying the criteria in assessments of new transit projects throughout the United States, FTA is updating its methods. Approach to assessment of new projects in existing high-noise environments will be clarified. Method for assessing noise impacts due to horn blowing at grade crossings will be provided. Vibration criteria will be expanded to include spectral information. This paper summarizes the background of the current criteria, discusses examples where existing methods are lacking, and describes the planned remedies to improve criteria and methods.

Public health advocacy in action: the case of unproven breast cancer screening in Australia.

PubMed

Johnson, Rebecca S; Croager, Emma J; Kameron, Caitlin B; Pratt, Iain S; Vreugdenburg, Thomas D; Slevin, Terry

2016-09-30

In recent years, nonmammographic breast imaging devices, such as thermography, electrical impedance scanning and elastography, have been promoted directly to consumers, which has captured the attention of governments, researchers and health organisations. These devices are not supported by evidence and risk undermining existing mammographic breast cancer screening services. During a 5-year period, Cancer Council Western Australia (CCWA) used strategic research combined with legal, policy and media advocacy to contest claims that these devices were proven alternatives to mammography for breast cancer screening. The campaign was successful because it had input from people with public health, academic, clinical and legal backgrounds, and took advantage of existing legal and regulatory avenues. CCWA's experience provides a useful advocacy model for public health practitioners who are concerned about unsafe consumer products, unproven medical devices, and misleading health information and advertising.

High-performance metadata indexing and search in petascale data storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, A. W.; Shao, M.; Bisson, T.; Pasupathy, S.; Miller, E. L.

2008-07-01

Large-scale storage systems used for scientific applications can store petabytes of data and billions of files, making the organization and management of data in these systems a difficult, time-consuming task. The ability to search file metadata in a storage system can address this problem by allowing scientists to quickly navigate experiment data and code while allowing storage administrators to gather the information they need to properly manage the system. In this paper, we present Spyglass, a file metadata search system that achieves scalability by exploiting storage system properties, providing the scalability that existing file metadata search tools lack. In doing so, Spyglass can achieve search performance up to several thousand times faster than existing database solutions. We show that Spyglass enables important functionality that can aid data management for scientists and storage administrators.

'Your experiences were your tools'. How personal experience of mental health problems informs mental health nursing practice.

PubMed

Oates, J; Drey, N; Jones, J

2017-09-01

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: 'Expertise by experience' has become an increasingly valued element of service design and delivery by mental health service providers. The extent and influence of mental health professionals' personal experience of mental ill health on clinical practice has seldom been interrogated in depth. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: We investigate how mental health nurses' own personal experience of mental ill health informs their mental health nursing practice with particular reference to direct work with service users. Participants said that personal experience could impact on work in three positive ways: to develop their relationship with service users, to enhance their understanding of service users and as a motivation for potential mental health nurses to join the profession. This study moves the discussion of the state of mental health nurses' mental health further towards the recovery and well-being focus of contemporary mental health care, where 'expertise by experience' is highly valued. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: We must address the taboo of disclosure within clinical nursing practice and debate the extent to which personal and professional boundaries are negotiated during clinical encounters. Introduction 'Expertise by experience' is a highly valued element of service delivery in recovery-oriented mental health care, but is unacknowledged within the mental health nursing literature. Aim To explore the extent and influence of mental health professionals' personal experience of mental ill health on clinical practice. Method Twenty-seven mental health nurses with their own personal experience of mental ill health were interviewed about how their personal experience informed their mental health nursing practice, as part of a sequential mixed methods study. Results The influence of personal experience in nursing work was threefold: first, through overt disclosure; second, through the 'use of the self as a tool'; and third, through the formation of professional nursing identity. Discussion Mental health nurses' experience of mental illness was contextualized by other life experiences and by particular therapeutic relationships and clinical settings. In previous empirical studies, nurses have cited personal experience of mental illness as a motivator and an aspect of their identity. In this study, there was also an association between personal experience and enhanced nursing expertise. Implications for practice If drawing on personal experience is commonplace, then we must address the taboo of disclosure and debate the extent to which personal and professional boundaries are negotiated during clinical encounters. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.