CiteULike: craigwilson06's library [25 articles]

The Digital Library Integrated Task Environment (DLITE)

Steve Cousins — 2006-07-01T21:02:31-00:00

We describe a case study in the design of a user interface to a digital library. Our design stems from a vision of a library as a channel to the vast array of digital information and document services that are becoming available. Based on published studies of library use and on scenarios, we developed a metaphor called workcenters, which are customized for users' tasks. Due to our scenarios and to prior work in the CHI community, we chose a direct-manipulation realization of the metaphor. Our...

A taxonomy of shared care for chronic disease

Matthew Hickman — 2008-05-21T02:22:08-00:00

J Public Health, Vol. 16, No. 4. (1 December 1994), pp. 447-454.

Background Shared care is promoted as a way of integrating primary and secondary services and achieving one of the targets set for the NHS in the 1990s. We aimed to compose a taxonomy of shared care schemes for chronic disease in order to inform the development of develop shared care. Methods A two-phase postal questionnaire survey of Scotland and North West Thames Region, England. In the first phase we identified the number of shared care schemes for chronic disease, which were followed up in the second phase. Results Shared care schemes were classified into six groups, or models, according to their method of data transfer. These are: (I) community clinics, where the specialist undertakes a clinic in general practice; (II) basic, where communication comprises the regular exchange of letters or standardized record sheets; (III) liaison, where the hospital team and general practitioner (GP) meet to discuss and agree the management of patients under shared care; (IV) shared care record cards, where the exchange of information is made through a booklet or cooperation card', commonly carried by the patient; (V) computer-assisted shared care, where a circuit of information is established between GP and hospital specialist based on data collected at each patient visit and mediated through computer-generated summaries; (VI) electronic mail, where hospital specialist and GP both have access to the same data on patients shared between them. Conclusion Despite substantial variation in the operation of shared care, schemes can be broadly classified and constructed in six different ways. In establishing this taxonomy, a choice is offered to health care workers wishing to develop shared care.

A taxonomy of general practice

Treasure — 2006-05-28T09:34:25-00:00

British Journal of General Practice, Vol. 56, No. 527. (June 2006), pp. 462-462.

Networks, Dynamics, and the Small-World Phenomenon

Duncan Watts — 2005-09-02T20:32:17-00:00

The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 105, No. 2. (1999), pp. 493-527.

The small-world phenomenon formalized in this article as the coincidence of high local clustering and short global separation, is shown to be a general feature of sparse, decentralized networks that are neither completely ordered nor completely random. Networks of this kind have received little attention, yet they appear to be widespread in the social and natural sciences, as is indicated here by three distinct examples. Furthermore, small admixtures of randomness to an otherwise ordered network can have a dramatic impact on its dynamical, as well as structural, properties-a feature illustrated by a simple model of disease transmission.

An Experimental Study of the Small World Problem

Jeffrey Travers — 2005-09-02T20:33:54-00:00

Sociometry, Vol. 32, No. 4. (1969), pp. 425-443.

Arbitrarily selected individuals (N = 296) in Nebraska and Boston are asked to generate acquaintance chains to a target person in Massachusetts, employing "the small world method" (Milgram, 1967). Sixty-four chains reach the target person. Within this group the mean number of intermediaries between starters and targets is 5.2. Boston starting chains reach the target person with fewer intermediaries than those starting in Nebraska; subpopulations in the Nebraska group do not differ among themselves. The funneling of chains through sociometric ßtars" is noted, with 48 per cent of the chains passing through three persons before reaching the target. Applications of the method to studies of large scale social structure are discussed.

Toward a Sociology of the Network Society

Manuel Castells — 2005-12-05T07:31:50-00:00

Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 29, No. 5. (2000), pp. 693-699.

The Extended Case Method

Michael Burawoy — 2006-03-10T00:15:39-00:00

Sociological Theory, Vol. 16, No. 1. (1998), pp. 4-33.

In this article I elaborate and codify the extended case method, which deploys participant observation to locate everyday life in its extralocal and historical context. The extended case method emulates a reflexive model of science that takes as its premise the intersubjectivity of scientist and subject of study. Reflexive science valorizes intervention, process, structuration, and theory reconstruction. It is the Siamese twin of positive science that proscribes reactivity, but upholds reliability, replicability, and representativeness. Positive science, exemplified by survey research, works on the principle of the separation between scientists and the subjects they examine. Positive science is limited by "context effects" (interview, respondent, field, and situational effects) while reflexive science is limited by "power effects" (domination, silencing, objectification, and normalization). The article concludes by considering the implications of having two models of science rather than one, both of which are necessarily flawed. Throughout I use a study of postcolonialism to illustrate both the virtues and the shortcomings of the extended case method.

On Bayesian principal component analysis

Vaclav Smidl — 2007-09-06T14:16:12-00:00

Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Vol. 51, No. 9. (15 May 2007), pp. 4101-4123.

A complete Bayesian framework for principal component analysis (PCA) is proposed. Previous model-based approaches to PCA were often based upon a factor analysis model with isotropic Gaussian noise. In contrast to PCA, these approaches do not impose orthogonality constraints. A new model with orthogonality restrictions is proposed. Its approximate Bayesian solution using the variational approximation and results from directional statistics is developed. The Bayesian solution provides two notable results in relation to PCA. The first is uncertainty bounds on principal components (PCs), and the second is an explicit distribution on the number of relevant PCs. The posterior distribution of the PCs is found to be of the von-Mises-Fisher type. This distribution and its associated hypergeometric function, , are studied. Numerical reductions are revealed, leading to a stable and efficient orthogonal variational PCA (OVPCA) algorithm. OVPCA provides the required inferences. Its performance is illustrated in simulation, and for a sequence of medical scintigraphic images.

Bayesian models based on test statistics for multiple hypothesis testing problems.

Yuan Ji — 2008-02-06T07:59:03-00:00

Bioinformatics (1 February 2008)

MOTIVATION: We propose a Bayesian method for the problem of multiple hypothesis testing that is routinely encountered in bioinformatics research, such as the differential gene expression analysis. Our algorithm is based on modeling the distributions of test statistics under both null and alternative hypotheses. We substantially reduce the complexity of the process of defining posterior model probabilities by modeling the test statistics directly instead of modeling the full data. Computationally, we apply a Bayesian FDR approach to control the number of rejections of null hypotheses. To check if our model assumptions for the test statistics are valid for various bioinformatics experiments, we also propose a simple graphical model-assessment tool. RESULTS: Using extensive simulations, we demonstrate the performance of our models and the utility of the model-assessment tool. In the end, we apply the proposed methodology to an siRNA screening and a gene expression experiment. CONTACT: yuanji@mdanderson.org.

Alternative Medicine or "Alternative" Patients: A Qualitative Study of Patient-Oriented Decision-Making Processes with Respect to Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Opher Caspi — 2008-05-08T22:45:52-00:00

Med Decis Making, Vol. 24, No. 1. (1 January 2004), pp. 64-79.

Background.Theory and clinical practice suggest that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) decisionmaking processesmaydiffer from those used in conventional medicine. If so, understanding the differences could improve patient-provider communication around treatment options. Objectives.To examine patient-oriented decision-making processes relative to CAM use.Population.Adults with chronic rheumatological disorders who utilize allopathic medicine only, CAM only, or both.Method.An exploratory, cross-sectional naturalistic design with thematic and content analyses.Results.Three distinct decision paths were developed, differing substantially on the importance of provider trust, disease severity/prognosis, willingness to experiment, intuitive/spiritual factors, and outcomes evidence. Conclusions.These divergent decision paths indicate the possibility of "alternative patients," not just "alternative therapies." Since informed decisions, tailored to the patient, would likely lead to sustainable improvements in health care outcomes, the findings may facilitate providers' capacity to effectively advise patients about treatment alternatives and CAM use. 10.1177/0272989X03261567

Determinants of the Use of Four Categories of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Darren Hendrickson — 2008-05-08T22:39:31-00:00

Complementary Health Practice Review, Vol. 11, No. 1. (1 January 2006), pp. 3-26.

The purpose of this research is to assess the social and health determinants of the use of four separate and distinct categories of complementary and alternative medical therapies: biologically based, mind-body, manipulative, and whole CAM medical systems. The behavioral model of health services use, which holds that health service use is a function of predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics, is used as the theoretical framework for linking specific determinants with the four categories of CAM use. Data are taken from a statewide interview survey of Kansas adults (N = 2,166) conducted in 2001. Results from multivariate analyses demonstrate that there is variation in the determinants of the use of different categories of CAM therapies. Overall, the results indicate that future research on the determinants of CAM must delineate between various CAM therapies to gain an accurate portrayal of the factors contributing to CAM use. 10.1177/1533210106288080

Recognition and the Creation of Wellbeing

Eeva Sointu — 2008-05-08T22:29:36-00:00

Sociology, Vol. 40, No. 3. (1 June 2006), pp. 493-510.

Whilst much research into alternative and complementary medicine use indicates that these practices enable experiences of control, agency and empowerment, few theoretically informed answers have been given to why and how consultations with alternative and complementary health practitioners facilitate experiences that are felt to be healing'.This article utilizes theories of recognition in order to reflect on the healing experiences of women seeking health and wellbeing through varied forms of alternative and complementary medicine. I analyse the empowering and agency-giving aspects of alternative and complementary medicines, in particular in relation to wider societal conceptualizations of the self. This article is based on qualitative interviews with both practitioners and clients of varying alternative and complementary medicines. 10.1177/0038038506063671

Prospective investigation of complementary and alternative medicine use and subsequent hospitalizations

Tyler Smith — 2008-05-08T12:54:08-00:00

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 8 (08 May 2008), 19.

User modeling with personas

Plinio — 2007-04-04T09:00:30-00:00

(2005), pp. 277-282.

Mastering the Requirements Process

Suzanne Robertson — 2008-02-05T13:06:19-00:00

(12 August 1999)

Written by two internationally acclaimed experts on requirements, Mastering the Requirements Process provides software engineers with the practical insights, techniques and templates to discover exactly what their customers desire for their systems. It also explains how to implement an easily learned, ongoing forma requirements process which allows the requirements to evolve over the life time of the project. Using this book you will learn how to ask the right questions, how to determine whether or not the final solution will satisfy the requirements, how to fit the solution to the requirements to provide high quality products and even how to reuse requirements. The result is, systems that the user loves to use! Written in an engaging style and relevant for any software analyst or designer, Mastering the Requirements Process provides a powerful and useful guide to defining more complete software requirements that lead to better software overall. It's also filled with innovative advice. The heart of this book is the authors' Volere Requirements Process Model, a step-by-step guide to gathering your requisites. Throughout this book, the authors use this process to explicate a single case study--a system for a municipality that will optimize the de-icing of roadways during snowy weather. Along the way, the book provides a solid guide to identifying and refining requirements, both functional and nonfunctional (such as performance and ease of use). There are many excellent ideas in the book, including the notion of fitness for your requirements, which can be later used to track whether the software is successful. The book also wisely separates technology from requirements so that analysts can concentrate on understanding and modeling business problems instead of moving right away to the nuts and bolts of implementation. Even if you don't adopt the Volere model in toto, you can benefit from the concepts of "trawling" (a metaphor for the requirements-gathering process), quality gateways (in which tentative requirements are evaluated for inclusion in a project), and the wise use of patterns to help simplify the process. Anchored by numerous examples (including many samples of successful requirements), the book provides an appealing mix of new ideas along with a remarkably clear presentation. In short, Mastering the Requirements Process provides useful advice that can make the project specification building phase of the software process easier and more robust. It provides the first steps for improving overall software quality for your organization. --Richard Dragan Topics covered: Volere Requirements Process Model; project blastoff; determining requirements; user and stakeholders; project constraints; requirements constraints; use cases; business events; adjacent systems; innovation; trawling for requirements: apprenticing, interviews, and videotape; functional and nonfunctional requirements; fit criteria; quality gateways; traceability; prototyping and scenarios; low and high fidelity prototypes; patterns and requirements reuse; improving the requirements gathering process.

Multiple Analyses in Clinical Trials: Fundamentals for Investigators. Lemuel A. Moye

Alex Dmitrienko — 2005-11-08T07:21:50-00:00

Journal of the American Statistical Association, Vol. 100, No. 472. (December 2005), pp. 1463-1463.

Tutorial in biostatistics: the self-controlled case series method.

Heather J Whitaker — 2005-11-19T17:04:43-00:00

Stat Med (11 October 2005)

The self-controlled case series method was developed to investigate associations between acute outcomes and transient exposures, using only data on cases, that is, on individuals who have experienced the outcome of interest. Inference is within individuals, and hence fixed covariates effects are implicitly controlled for within a proportional incidence framework. We describe the origins, assumptions, limitations, and uses of the method. The rationale for the model and the derivation of the likelihood are explained in detail using a worked example on vaccine safety. Code for fitting the model in the statistical package STATA is described. Two further vaccine safety data sets are used to illustrate a range of modelling issues and extensions of the basic model. Some brief pointers on the design of case series studies are provided. The data sets, STATA code, and further implementation details in SAS, GENSTAT and GLIM are available from an associated website. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Case-based medical informatics.

SV Pantazi — 2005-03-23T11:38:58-00:00

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak, Vol. 4, No. 1. (8 November 2004)

BACKGROUND: The "applied" nature distinguishes applied sciences from theoretical sciences. To emphasize this distinction, we begin with a general, meta-level overview of the scientific endeavor. We introduce the knowledge spectrum and four interconnected modalities of knowledge. In addition to the traditional differentiation between implicit and explicit knowledge we outline the concepts of general and individual knowledge. We connect general knowledge with the "frame problem," a fundamental issue of artificial intelligence, and individual knowledge with another important paradigm of artificial intelligence, case-based reasoning, a method of individual knowledge processing that aims at solving new problems based on the solutions to similar past problems.We outline the fundamental differences between Medical Informatics and theoretical sciences and propose that Medical Informatics research should advance individual knowledge processing (case-based reasoning) and that natural language processing research is an important step towards this goal that may have ethical implications for patient-centered health medicine. DISCUSSION: We focus on fundamental aspects of decision-making, which connect human expertise with individual knowledge processing. We continue with a knowledge spectrum perspective on biomedical knowledge and conclude that case-based reasoning is the paradigm that can advance towards personalized healthcare and that can enable the education of patients and providers.We center the discussion on formal methods of knowledge representation around the frame problem. We propose a context-dependent view on the notion of "meaning" and advocate the need for case-based reasoning research and natural language processing. In the context of memory based knowledge processing, pattern recognition, comparison and analogy-making, we conclude that while humans seem to naturally support the case-based reasoning paradigm (memory of past experiences of problem-solving and powerful case matching mechanisms), technical solutions are challenging.Finally, we discuss the major challenges for a technical solution: case record comprehensiveness, organization of information on similarity principles, development of pattern recognition and solving ethical issues. SUMMARY: Medical Informatics is an applied science that should be committed to advancing patient-centered medicine through individual knowledge processing. Case-based reasoning is the technical solution that enables a continuous individual knowledge processing and could be applied providing that challenges and ethical issues arising are addressed appropriately.

The value of RCT evidence depends on the quality of statistical analysis

Cathy Faulkner — 2008-02-29T13:16:31-00:00

Behaviour Research and Therapy, Vol. 46, No. 2. (February 2008), pp. 270-281.

The authors examined statistical practices in 193 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychological therapies published in prominent psychology and psychiatry journals during 1999-2003. Statistical significance tests were used in 99% of RCTs, 84% discussed clinical significance, but only 46% considered--even minimally--statistical power, 31% interpreted effect size and only 2% interpreted confidence intervals. In a second study, 42 respondents to an email survey of the authors of RCTs analyzed in the first study indicated they consider it very important to know the magnitude and clinical importance of the effect, in addition to whether a treatment effect exists. The present authors conclude that published RCTs focus on statistical significance tests ("Is there an effect or difference"), and neglect other important questions: "How large is the effect" and "Is the effect clinically important" They advocate improved statistical reporting of RCTs especially by reporting and interpreting clinical significance, effect sizes and confidence intervals.

Respiratory muscle strength training: treatment and response duration in a patient with early idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

AF Saleem — 2008-05-04T15:00:47-00:00

NeuroRehabilitation, Vol. 20, No. 4. (2005), pp. 323-333.

The outcome of a 20 week expiratory muscle strength training program (EMST) is documented in a patient with early idiopathic Parkinson's disease. A pressure threshold device was utilized and training occurred in the home setting. The training was intensive with a physiologically challenging load specific to the expiratory muscles, adjusted weekly based on the participant's performance. Results indicated that strength, as indexed by the generation of maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), increased by 50% in the first 4 weeks of training, consistent with the average strength increase obtained in previous research. Strength increases continued beyond the traditional 4 weeks of training with a final improvement in MEP of 158% from baseline over the 20 weeks. When the EMST was discontinued for a period of 4 weeks, the participant's MEP decreased by 16% from the 20 week endpoint measurement. The strength training pattern of the expiratory muscles observed in this study was similar to the pattern previously reported for limb muscles.

Influence of controlled breathing patterns on cerebrovascular autoregulation and cardiac baroreceptor sensitivity.

PJ Eames — 2005-08-26T12:02:13-00:00

Clin Sci (Lond), Vol. 106, No. 2. (February 2004), pp. 155-162.

Transfer function analysis has become one of the main techniques to study the dynamic relationship between cerebral blood flow and arterial blood pressure, but the influence of different respiratory rates on cerebral blood flow has not been fully investigated. In 14 healthy volunteers, middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity, recorded using transcranial Doppler ultrasound, non-invasive beat-to-beat Finapres blood pressure, ECG and end-tidal CO(2) ( P ECTO(2)) levels were recorded with subjects resting supine and breathing spontaneously or at controlled rates of 6, 10 and 15 breaths/min. Transfer function analysis and impulse and step responses were computed at each respiratory rate. P ECTO(2) levels tended to fall slightly during paced respiration, especially at 15 breaths/min. Controlled breathing rates did not alter transfer function analysis in the frequency range below 0.08 Hz but, above this frequency, the coherence function contained significant peaks corresponding to the respiratory frequencies. The impulse response was similar at all breathing rates, but the step response was characteristic of more efficient autoregulation with reduced P ECTO(2) levels associated with increasing respiratory rate. The effects of breathing rate and rhythmicity and P ECTO(2) must be considered in studies of cerebral autoregulation.

Learning from Evidence in a Complex World

John Sterman — 2006-09-05T06:06:51-00:00

Am J Public Health, Vol. 96, No. 3. (1 March 2006), pp. 505-514.

Policies to promote public health and welfare often fail or worsen the problems they are intended to solve. Evidence-based learning should prevent such policy resistance, but learning in complex systems is often weak and slow. Complexity hinders our ability to discover the delayed and distal impacts of interventions, generating unintended "side effects." Yet learning often fails even when strong evidence is available: common mental models lead to erroneous but self-confirming inferences, allowing harmful beliefs and behaviors to persist and undermining implementation of beneficial policies. Here I show how systems thinking and simulation modeling can help expand the boundaries of our mental models, enhance our ability to generate and learn from evidence, and catalyze effective change in public health and beyond. 10.2105/AJPH.2005.066043

What is principal component analysis?

Markus Ringnér — 2008-03-09T04:13:08-00:00

Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 26, No. 3., pp. 303-304.

Hierarchical structure and the prediction of missing links in networks

Aaron Clauset — 2008-04-30T19:31:59-00:00

Nature, Vol. 453, No. 7191., pp. 98-101.

Meditation practices for health: state of the research.

MB Ospina — 2008-05-06T16:19:04-00:00

Evidence report/technology assessment, No. 155. (June 2007), pp. 1-263.

OBJECTIVES: To review and synthesize the state of research on a variety of meditation practices, including: the specific meditation practices examined; the research designs employed and the conditions and outcomes examined; the efficacy and effectiveness of different meditation practices for the three most studied conditions; the role of effect modifiers on outcomes; and the effects of meditation on physiological and neuropsychological outcomes. DATA SOURCES: Comprehensive searches were conducted in 17 electronic databases of medical and psychological literature up to September 2005. Other sources of potentially relevant studies included hand searches, reference tracking, contact with experts, and gray literature searches. REVIEW METHODS: A Delphi method was used to develop a set of parameters to describe meditation practices. Included studies were comparative, on any meditation practice, had more than 10 adult participants, provided quantitative data on health-related outcomes, and published in English. Two independent reviewers assessed study relevance, extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: Five broad categories of meditation practices were identified (Mantra meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong). Characterization of the universal or supplemental components of meditation practices was precluded by the theoretical and terminological heterogeneity among practices. Evidence on the state of research in meditation practices was provided in 813 predominantly poor-quality studies. The three most studied conditions were hypertension, other cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse. Sixty-five intervention studies examined the therapeutic effect of meditation practices for these conditions. Meta-analyses based on low-quality studies and small numbers of hypertensive participants showed that TM(R), Qi Gong and Zen Buddhist meditation significantly reduced blood pressure. Yoga helped reduce stress. Yoga was no better than Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction at reducing anxiety in patients with cardiovascular diseases. No results from substance abuse studies could be combined. The role of effect modifiers in meditation practices has been neglected in the scientific literature. The physiological and neuropsychological effects of meditation practices have been evaluated in 312 poor-quality studies. Meta-analyses of results from 55 studies indicated that some meditation practices produced significant changes in healthy participants. CONCLUSIONS: Many uncertainties surround the practice of meditation. Scientific research on meditation practices does not appear to have a common theoretical perspective and is characterized by poor methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence. Future research on meditation practices must be more rigorous in the design and execution of studies and in the analysis and reporting of results.