Research contributions to improving managed health care outcomes.

Managed health care programs are beginning to look to findings from psychotherapy outcome research to help set policy, suggesting the need to consider outcomes research from the standpoint of usability or utility. It also provides an opportunity to integrate science and practice. Considering and applying outcomes in this context requires cooperation between scientists and practitioners, the willingness of each group to set aside guild agenda, and giving up favored but insupportable beliefs and practices on the parts of those in both scientist and practitioner camps. This type of cooperation may have mutual payoffs. This article considers some of the obstacles to this type of sacrifice and evaluates some of the potential costs of cooperating. It also provides perspectives on the new roles of psychological assessment and methods of outcome research that would provide a scientific basis for the function of managed health care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thickness of the oxide layers formed during the oxidation of iron

The theory of the growth of two oxide layers by Yurek et al. has been applied to the oxidation of iron at 1100° C. The theoretical parabolic rate constants for the simultaneous growth of the two oxide layers were calculated from radioactive tracer diffusion coefficients for wustite and magnetite. Good agreement was found between the theoretical and experimental values of the ratio of scale thicknesses.     

Physical Versus Digital Sticky Notes in Collaborative Ideation

In this paper, we compare the use of physical and digital sticky notes in collaborative ideation. Inspired by a case study in a design company, we focus on a collaborative ideation task, which is often part of pair-wise brainstorming in design. For comparison and to focus on the different materiality, we developed a digital sticky notes setup designed to be as close to the physical setup as possible, not adding any advanced digital features, even though technology has reached a stage where more sophisticated use of digital sticky notes on digital boards is possible. In this paper, we present a study of ideation among pairs of experienced sticky note users. The ideation sessions were video recorded and analyzed to focus on how collaboration is supported across the two setups. Based on quantitative analyses of the participants’ interactions with the artefacts, talking patterns, position and attention during the sessions, we qualify how the differences and similarities between the 2 setups have an impact on note handling, ideation techniques, group dynamics and socio-spatial configuration, e.g. the use of the room, the boards and tables. We conclude that, while the physical setup seems more appropriate for creating notes and posting notes, the digital setup invites more note interaction. Nevertheless, we did not find significant differences in the ideation outcome (e.g., number of notes created) or how participants collaborated between the 2 setups. Hence, we argue that collaborative ideation can successfully be supported in a digital setup as well. Consequently, we believe that the next step in a technological setup is not an either or, but should bring the best of the two worlds together.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale in an American college sample of light smokers.

The five-factor structure of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS) obtained with samples of mature, heavy smokers has not been replicated in samples of younger, less experienced smokers. Furthermore, the idea that the interrelationships among the NDSS factors are best explained by a single higher-order factor (nicotine dependence) has not been evaluated empirically. This study examined the first- and second-order factor structure of the NDSS in a first-year college sample of light smokers (N = 154). NDSS measures completed at the end of the first semester of college were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The hypothesized five-factor model provided adequate fit to the data. The second-order factor model did not fit the data as well as the correlated first-order factor model, suggesting that an overarching dependence factor may not account for the interrelationships among the five first-order factors. This study provided support for the multidimensional structure of the NDSS among a first-year college sample of light smokers.     

Elevating dairy research and extension through partnership: Outcomes from the United States Department of Agriculture and National Dairy Council collaborative meeting to develop a coordination roadmap

Dairy foods provide a significant portion of the recommended daily nutrition for much of the US population. Improving the availability of safe and nutritious dairy products and decreasing the environmental impact of the dairy community continue to be high priorities for both industry and the public sector. In recognition of these shared priorities, scientists and other specialists from the USDA, National Dairy Council, industry, academia, and nongovernmental organizations participated in the “Elevating Dairy Research and Extension Through Partnership” meeting on June 19, 2018. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen partnerships and identify dairy-related research and extension needs in human nutrition, environmental sustainability, food safety, and product innovation that would benefit from enhanced coordination and collaboration across the dairy community, academia, and government. To catalyze further progress on these topics, the meeting organizers agreed to leverage the content and expertise that emerged from the meeting to develop a dairy research and extension coordination roadmap. The roadmap will establish and articulate a vision for coordinated collaboration between USDA researchers, the National Dairy Council, university researchers, extension specialists, and other dairy community stakeholders in the private and public sectors. This article represents the proceedings of the meeting and is intended to broadly communicate the dairy research and extension discussion and next steps to the dairy research and extension communities and other stakeholders in industry, academic, and government sectors.     

Fast algorithms for designing nearly optimal lookup tables for complexity control of the H.264 encoder

The H.264/AVC standard significantly improves video compression performance over earlier standards at the cost of increased complexity. In this paper, we present two offline algorithms for generating a lookup table of parameter settings that can be used by a complexity control algorithm for controlling the speed of the H.264 encoder. Our algorithms to design the lookup table of parameter settings take fewer than 2% of the number of encodings required by an exhaustive search of all possible parameter settings and find parameter settings that offer high peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) with low encoding time at a given bitrate. Our parameter settings are fairly robust over different videos and bitrates. We focus on low-resolution videos at bitrates less than 300 kb/s. We compare the performance of our algorithms to both exhaustive search and a multiobjective optimization algorithm. Our parameter settings improve the average encoding speed over the default parameter setting of the x264 encoder on both PC and cell phone platforms by up to 37.4 and 94.1%, respectively, with PSNR difference of up to 0.3 dB.     

‘Diffuse skin browning’ in 1‐MCP‐treated apples: etiology and systems of control

BACKGROUND: ‘Diffuse skin browning’ (DSB) is a physiological disorder that affects Golden Delicious apples treated with 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP). Although a very high incidence is found, very little is known about the etiology of this disorder. This study aims to provide an understanding of the causes of this disorder and prevent it. RESULTS: A very high incidence of DSB was found in 1‐MCP‐treated apples independent of the location of the orchard. Similar to superficial scald, harvest maturity determines the DSB incidence, with the more mature fruit being less sensitive. The 1‐MCP dose (156 nL L^?1 or 625 nL L^?1) and the temperature at which the 1‐MCP treatment was applied (0.5 or 20 °C) did not affect the incidence of DSB. Diphenylamine (DPA) treatment did not prevent DSB, contrary to superficial scald. Additionally, controlled atmosphere storage only partially reduced the incidence of DSB, whereas progressive cooling strategies completely inhibited DSB occurrence. A direct correlation was found between the sensitivity of the Golden Delicious clone to russeting and its sensitivity to develop DSB during storage. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that DSB and superficial scald are two different disorders involving different oxidative processes. DSB can be prevented by progressive cooling and selection of russeting‐resistant clones. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Functional food design based on a virtual food component: wheat bran equivalents for faecal bulk

This paper reports the first use of a virtual food component (VFC), which is a value that represents the functional efficacy of a food in the format of a food component, to accurately formulate a functional food and evaluate its efficacy. The effect measured was faecal bulking and the functional food was a cereal bar. The faecal bulking efficacy of ingredients was determined as their content of the VFC, wheat bran equivalents for faecal bulk (WBE_fb), which represents faecal bulking efficacy expressed in terms of the amount of wheat bran that would produce an equivalent effect. Using a validated animal model, we measured the faecal bulking efficacy of cereal bar ingredients individually and after combining them in a cereal bar recipe, before and after the combined ingredients had been baked. The sum of the WBE_fb contents of the ingredients was 29.7 WBE_fb per bar (SEM 2.4). The WBE_fb of the recipe mixture before baking was 33.2 WBE_fb per bar (SEM 2.4) and after baking was 28.5 WBE_fb per bar (SEM 2.9). Faecal bulking efficacy was not related to dietary fibre content. We conclude that the WBE_fb content of ingredients can be used to design cereal bars of specified faecal bulking efficacy and that the functionality is resistant to baking. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry