Using LiDAR and quickbird data to model plant production and quantify uncertainties associated with wetland detection and land cover generalizations

Spatiotemporal data from satellite remote sensing and surface meteorology networks have made it possible to continuously monitor global plant production, and to identify global trends associated with land cover/use and climate change. Gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP) are routinely derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard satellites Terra and Aqua, and estimates generally agree with independent measurements at validation sites across the globe. However, the accuracy of GPP and NPP estimates in some regions may be limited by the quality of model input variables and heterogeneity at fine spatial scales. We developed new methods for deriving model inputs (i.e., land cover, leaf area, and photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by plant canopies) from airborne laser altimetry (LiDAR) and Quickbird multispectral data at resolutions ranging from about 30 m to 1 km. In addition, LiDAR-derived biomass was used as a means for computing carbon-use efficiency. Spatial variables were used with temporal data from ground-based monitoring stations to compute a six-year GPP and NPP time series for a 3600 ha study site in the Great Lakes region of North America. Model results compared favorably with independent observations from a 400 m flux tower and a process-based ecosystem model (BIOME-BGC), but only after removing vapor pressure deficit as a constraint on photosynthesis from the MODIS global algorithm. Fine-resolution inputs captured more of the spatial variability, but estimates were similar to coarse-resolution data when integrated across the entire landscape. Failure to account for wetlands had little impact on landscape-scale estimates, because vegetation structure, composition, and conversion efficiencies were similar to upland plant communities. Plant productivity estimates were noticeably improved using LiDAR-derived variables, while uncertainties associated with land cover generalizations and wetlands in this largely forested landscape were considered less important.     

Using cognitive artifacts to understand distributed cognition

Studies of patient safety have identified gaps in current work including the need for research about communication and information sharing among healthcare providers. They have also encouraged the use of decision support tools to improve human performance. Distributed cognition is the shared awareness of goals, plans, and details that no single individual grasps. Cognitive artifacts are objects such as: schedules, display boards, lists, and worksheets that form part of a distributed cognition. Cognitive artifacts that are related to operating room (OR) scheduling include: the availabilities sheet, master schedule, OR graph, and OR board. All provide a "way in" to understand how teams in the acute care setting dynamically plan and manage the balance between demand for care and the resources available to provide it. This work has import for the way that information technology supports the organization, management, and use of healthcare resources. Better computer-supported cognitive artifacts will benefit patient safety by making teamwork processes, planning, communications, and resource management more resilient.     

How do clinicians reconcile conditions and medications? The cognitive context of medication reconciliation

Medication omissions and dosing failures are frequent during transitions in patient care. Medication reconciliation (MR) requires bridging discrepancies in a patient’s medical history as a setting for care changes. MR has been identified as vulnerable to failure, and a clinician’s cognition during MR remains poorly described in the literature. We sought to explore cognition in MR tasks. Specifically, we sought to explore how clinicians make sense of conditions and medications. We observed 24 anesthesia providers performing a card-sorting task to sort conditions and medications for a fictional patient. We analyzed the spatial properties of the data using statistical methods. Most of the participants (58%) arranged the medications along a straight line (p < 0.001). They sorted medications by organ systems (Friedman’s χ ²(54) = 325.7, p < 0.001). These arrangements described the clinical correspondence between each two medications (Wilcoxon W = 192.0, p < 0.001). A cluster analysis showed that the subjects matched conditions and medications related to the same organ system together (Wilcoxon W = 1917.0, p < 0.001). We conclude that the clinicians commonly arranged the information into two groups (conditions and medications) and assigned an internal order within these groups, according to organ systems. They also matched between conditions and medications according to similar criteria. These findings were also supported by verbal protocol analysis. The findings strengthen the argument that organ-based information is pivotal to a clinician’s cognition during MR. Understanding the strategies and heuristics, clinicians employ through the MR process may help to develop practices to promote patient safety.     

The effect of forearm support on musculoskeletal discomfort during call centre work

Using a computer keyboard with the forearms unsupported has been proposed as a causal factor for neck/shoulder and arm/hand diagnoses. Recent laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that forearm support might be preferable to working in the traditional "floating" posture. The aim of this study was to determine whether providing forearm support when using a normal computer workstation would decrease musculoskeletal discomfort in intensive computer users in a call centre. A randomised controlled study (n = 59), of 6 weeks duration was conducted. Thirty participants (Group 1) were allocated to forearm support using the desk surface with the remainder (Group 2) acting as a control group. At 6 weeks, the control group was also set up with forearm support. Both groups were then monitored for another 6 weeks. Questionnaires were used at 1, 6 and 12 weeks to obtain information about discomfort, workstation setup, working posture and comfort. Nine participants (Group 1 n = 6, Group 2 n = 3) withdrew within a week of commencing forearm support either due to discomfort or difficulty in maintaining the posture. At 6 weeks, the group using forearm support generated significantly fewer reports of discomfort in the neck and back, although the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. At 12 weeks, there were fewer reports of neck, back and wrist discomfort when preintervention discomfort was compared with post intervention discomfort. These findings indicate that for the majority of users, forearm support may be preferable to the "floating" posture implicit in current guidelines for computer workstation setup.     

Making sense of diseases in medication reconciliation

Patients are most at risk during transitions in care across settings and providers. The communication and reconciliation of an accurate medication list throughout the care continuum are essential in the reduction in transition-related adverse drug events. Most current research focuses on the outcomes of reconciliation interventions, yet not on the clinician’s perspective. We aimed to explore clinicians’ cognitive processes and heuristics of making sense of patients’ disease histories. We used the affinity diagram method to simulate real-life medication reconciliation with 24 clinicians. The participants were given paper cards with diseases and medications representing a real case from an anesthesiology department. The task was to sort the cards in a set that made sense to the clinician. The experiment was video-recorded, and the data were analyzed using a quantitative spatial analysis technique. Levene’s test for equality of variance showed that 79% of the 24 participants arranged the diseases along a straight line (p < 0.001). With only few exceptions, the diseases were arranged along the line in a fixed order, from cardiac conditions to depression (Friedman’s χ²(44) = 291.9, p < 0.001). We learn from this study that although clinicians employ a variety of coping strategies while reconciling patients’ medical histories, there are common reconciliation strategies. Understanding heuristics and the mental models clinicians have for the reconciliation process may help to develop and implement methods and tools to promote safety research and practice.     

Application of countercurrent chromatography/thermospray mass spectrometry for the identification of bioactive lignans from plant natural products

The versatility and resolving power of countercurrent chromatography (CCC) has been demonstrated with a newly developed analytical high-speed planet centrifuge system. Interfacing countercurrent chromatography with mass spectrometry (MS) provides a new analytical methodology that integrates the advantages of countercurrent chromatography with the low detection limit and identification capability of mass spectrometry. In this paper the capability of thermospray CCC/MS is demonstrated in identifying and validating the bioactive and structurally known lignans from a crude extract of Schisandra rubriflora Rhed et Wils, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treatment of hepatitis.     

Observation and analysis of current carrying plasmas in a railgun

Observation of current-carrying plasma arcs driving solid projectiles in round-bore and square-bore railguns have been made with magnetic induction coils. Both free-running precursor arcs as well as projectile armature arcs are observed. Qualitative behavior of the plasmas is inferred from data and compared to basic physical models. The non-uniform nature of the force on the armature is investigated. Experimental details as well as difficulties in calibration and in quantitative analysis of magnetic probe signals are discussed. Evidence suggesting evolution in the structure of free-running arcs is presented.     

Influence of cortisol and dexamethasone on estrous behavior of estradiol-treated ovariectomized cows and heifers

Two experiments were conducted with estradiol-treated ovariectomized cows and heifers to determine if cortisol and dexamethasone inhibit estrous behavior. In Experiment 1, eight ovariectomized Holstein cows were subjected to weekly hormonal treatments in a replicated 4 X 4 Latin square. Treatments consisted of 500 micrograms estradiol benzoate and either 0, 40, 80, or 160 mg cortisol. During the 48 h after hormonal injection, 2-h periods of observation were alternated with 2-h periods of no observation. During each observation period, cows were observed continuously for 14 behavioral interactions that increase in frequency at estrus. Percentage of cows exhibiting estrus, interval from injection of hormones to the onset of estrus, duration of estrus, and total numbers of each behavioral interaction were similar for all treatments. In Experiment 2, 10 ovariectomized Holstein heifers were subjected to weekly hormonal treatments in a replicated 5 X 5 Latin square. Treatments consisted of 500 micrograms estradiol benzoate and either 4 mg dexamethasone, 0, 50, 100, or 200 mg cortisol. The estradiol benzoate plus dexamethasone treatment tended to lower the percentage of cattle exhibiting estrus. Interval from injection to onset of estrus, duration of estrus, and total numbers of each behavioral interaction were similar for all treatments. These data indicate that cortisol given with estradiol did not inhibit estrus in ovariectomized cows and heifers, whereas dexamethasone tended to inhibit induced estrus.     

Search advertising placement strategy: Exploring the efficacy of the conventional wisdom

Search advertising is one of the most important forms of electronic commerce. While click-through rates are considered a key measure of search advertising effectiveness by search providers, brand attention can also be a valuable objective. Our paper reports on an experiment that investigated how search advertisement placement affected search users’ brand recall and recognition. The results showed that semantically associated search ads generated significantly higher levels of brand attention than contextually associated ones. Significant interaction effects were found among search ad position, keyword association, and search result quality. Implications for decision makers are discussed.     

Sensor Selection to Support Practical Use of Health-Monitoring Smart Environments

The data mining and pervasive sensing technologies found in smart homes offer unprecedented opportunities for providing health monitoring and assistance to individuals experiencing difficulties living independently at home. In order to monitor the functional health of smart home residents, we need to design technologies that recognize and track activities that people normally perform as part of their daily routines. One question that frequently arises, however, is how many smart home sensors are needed and where should they be placed in order to accurately recognize activities? We employ data mining techniques to look at the problem of sensor selection for activity recognition in smart homes. We analyze the results based on six data sets collected in five distinct smart home environments.