A planning system based on Markov decision processes to guide people with dementia through activities of daily living.

Older adults with dementia often cannot remember how to complete activities of daily living and require a caregiver to aid them through the steps involved. The use of a computerized guidance system could potentially reduce the reliance on a caregiver. This paper examines the design and preliminary evaluation of a planning system that uses Markov decision processes (MDPs) to determine when and how to provide prompts to a user with dementia for guidance through the activity of handwashing. Results from the study suggest that MDPs can be applied effectively to this type of guidance problem. Considerations for the development of future guidance systems are presented.     

Neutral and ion thermochemistry: Its present status and significance

This short account outlines the sources of thermochemical data that are important for gas phase ion chemistry. It describes some of the relationships that have been identified for the empirical estimation of enthalpies among neutral molecules, free radicals, and odd and even electron ions. For neutral species, the additivity principle works well and this has been developed to cover a very wide range of structures and isomers. Ionization energies of homologous species depend inversely on molecular size, allowing estimates to be made for missing members. For ions, the effect of a group substitution (such as replacing a hydrogen atom by, e.g., a methyl or hydroxyl group) can easily be estimated, but such results are strongly dependent upon the position of the charge site, relative to that of the substitution. Special emphasis is given to the reliability of data collections and simple directions are provided as to how critically to assess and identify less‐than‐satisfactory values. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 28:694–700, 2009     

Phase Transformations in the High-Temperature Form of Pure and TiO2-Stabilized Ta2O5

The high-temperature forms of undoped tantalum pentoxide (H-100Ta₂O₅) and TiO₂–modified Ta₂O₅ (H-92Ta₂O₅–8TiO₂) were investigated by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements. Two unquenchable and reversible phase transformations were observed in pure H-Ta₂O₅, while only one was detected for TiO₂-stabilized H-Ta₂O₅. Diffraction studies were consistent with displasive transformations, but hot-stage Raman spectroscopy indicated the existence of transient intermediate forms during the transformations. Use of complementary techniques enabled the reinterpretation of phase transformations in light of a newly proposed crystal structure model for H-Ta₂O₅, ¹ and emphasized the structural contributions of the oxygen sublattice.     

Phase II study of mitoxantrone by 14-day continuous infusion with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) support in patients with metastatic breast cancer and limited prior therapy

The study aim was to compare the ratio of vitamin E to serum cholesterol with the serum vitamin E level alone as a measure of vitamin E status in patients with different degrees of liver dysfunction. Assessment of serum vitamin E and total serum cholesterol was performed in 85 patients with liver cirrhosis at Child's stage A (n = 26), B (n = 26), and C (n = 33) and 50 patients with noncirrhotic liver disease. As surrogate markers of liver function, 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol and prealbumin concentrations and the plasma prothrombin time were determined. Mean serum vitamin E concentrations in Child A, B, and C patients were 27.4%, 36.9%, and 37.3% lower, respectively, than in healthy controls (P<.01). Twelve of 26 Child A, 14 of 26 Child B, and 14 of 33 Child C patients had vitamin E deficiency with respect to the absolute values, i.e., serum levels less than 13.76 micromol/L (5% percentile of healthy controls). In contrast, only two of 26 Child A, five of 26 Child B, and five of 33 Child C patients (P<.01 for Child A/B and P<.05 for Child C) were vitamin E-deficient according to the serum vitamin E to cholesterol ratio, i.e., less than 2.86 micromol/mmol. Serum vitamin E was correlated significantly with prealbumin, 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol, and the plasma prothrombin time, but the vitamin E to cholesterol ratio was not. Correcting serum vitamin E for total serum cholesterol in patients with liver cirrhosis leads to the phenomenon of reduced serum vitamin E levels inadvertently shifted toward normal values. In patients with liver cirrhosis, the absolute vitamin E concentration correlates better with the typical clinical and biochemical findings of the disease than the vitamin E to cholesterol ratio. Therefore, a considerable number of patients with advanced liver cirrhosis might actually be vitamin E-deficient.     

对1950—1999年英国交通政策的重新审视——“单一模式”与“范式改变”

本文基于两个目的：第一，以英国变通规划为例对一个以前人们普遍接受的观点——“1950-1999年发达国家的变通规划通常只有一个范式”提出质疑，同时证明当这一范式在一平列变通规划实践支持之下，会导致道路建设成为解决交通拥挤的唯一途径；第二，由于城市之间和城市内部的交通政策通常是不同的，同时政策执行的效果也受到一系列政策制定制度殪专业政策体系的影响。因此，本文的重点是第二个目的，即探讨现实政幕与概念范式转变的困难。     

An interlaboratory trial of the effects of reducing liquor to cloth ratio in the ISO 105-C08 test on repeatability and reproducibility

An international ring test has been carried out to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of the ISO 105-C08 test, modified to employ a liquor to cloth ratio of 20;1 in place of the current specification of 50;1. The results, from ten laboratories located in six countries, indicate that no adverse consequences are to be expected from reducing the liquor ratio, with the statistical variability obtained being well within the norm for this type of wash fastness test. It is therefore recommended that the standard be modified to allow the test to be conducted at a range of liquor to cloth ratios. The work in this paper was initiated by the TCI/81 committee and is sponsored by the Society's Technical Coordination Committee.     

Tutoring in problem-based learning: perceptions of teachers and students

This study examined teacher and student perceptions during the first 2 years of a complete transition from a conventional to a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at Dalhousie University. Teaching staff who had tutored in the two pre-clinical years (n = 88) completed a questionnaire at the end of the 1993-94 academic year, and student assessments of their tutors were collated for all nine units (n = 597). Seven research questions were addressed in the study which examined the faculty, student and administrative aspects of tutoring. The results showed that faculty tutors rated PBL more highly than traditional medical school methods on eight of the nine items. Teaching staff were very satisfied with their tutoring experience, but expressed a need for further training in group facilitation, questioning, handling 'difficult' situations and evaluating students. They reported that their workload outside tutorials was cut almost in half in their second year of tutoring. Students expected a tutor to be a skilled group facilitator who would guide them in their learning, while helping to maintain a positive group climate. They did not want the tutor to teach the content as they perceived the task of learning to be their responsibility. Several major administrative factors affected tutors' and students' perceptions of tutorials, including: changing tutorial group composition and tutor every 8-10 weeks; team tutoring; end-of-unit exam; conflicting demands of basic science 'vertical' units and ongoing 'horizontal' units; departmental budgetary requirements for basic medical education; recognition of tutoring in promotion and tenure decisions; and recruitment of tutors.