The smooth (tractor) operator: insights of knowledge engineering

The design of and training for complex systems requires in-depth understanding of task demands imposed on users. In this project, we used the knowledge engineering approach (Bowles et al., 2004) to assess the task of mowing in a citrus grove. Knowledge engineering is divided into four phases: (1) Establish goals. We defined specific goals based on the stakeholders involved. The main goal was to identify operator demands to support improvement of the system. (2) Create a working model of the system. We reviewed product literature, analyzed the system, and conducted expert interviews. (3) Extract knowledge. We interviewed tractor operators to understand their knowledge base. (4) Structure knowledge. We analyzed and organized operator knowledge to inform project goals. We categorized the information and developed diagrams to display the knowledge effectively. This project illustrates the benefits of knowledge engineering as a qualitative research method to inform technology design and training.     

Development of a shortened center for epidemiological studies depression scale for assessment of depression in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: The purpose was to develop a short-form version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for the identification of persons with major depressive disorder (MDD) within a population with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study Design: Data were analyzed from 337 persons with RA. Forty-six participants met the diagnostic criteria for MDD; 291 participants were classified in the non-MDD category (including 21 participants with dysthymia and 18 participants with minor depressive disorder). A short-form version of the CES-D was developed, and multiple cutoff scores were examined. Results: A cutoff score of ≥5 from a 9-item, short-form CES-D was found to be generally as efficient as the more commonly used full-scale cutoff score of ≥16 for classifying participants with MDD within an RA population. Although the shortened CES-D scale (cutoff score ≥5) was slightly more sensitive, it also exhibited slightly less specificity than the full-scale cutoff score of ≥16. Conclusion: The results suggest that a short-form CES-D can be used to screen for MDD within an RA sample with a degree of efficiency that is generally comparable to that of the full-scale instrument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internet Predictions

More than a dozen leading experts give their opinions on where the Internet is headed and where it will be in the next decade in terms of technology, policy, and applications. They cover topics ranging from the Internet of Things to climate change to the digital storage of the future.     

Predictors of subjective fatigue among individuals with rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE: To examine a range of variables potentially associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related fatigue and to determine which variables best predict subjective fatigue. METHODS: Measures of fatigue, disease activity, pain, and various psychosocial factors were gathered from 73 individuals with RA. Correlations between fatigue and other variables were examined, and the "best" predictors of fatigue were determined with multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Many of the variables that were significantly correlated with fatigue had a psychosocial character. Moreover, the "best" predictors of increased fatigue were higher levels of pain, more depressive symptoms, and female sex. Longer symptom duration, less perceived adequacy of social support, and less disease activity were significant predictors of fatigue, over and above the "best" model. CONCLUSION: RA-related fatigue appears to be strongly associated with psychosocial variables, apart from disease activity per se. Correspondingly, treatment of fatigue may be enhanced by interventions that address relevant cognitive and behavioral dimensions.     

The OptIPuter: high-performance, QoS-guaranteed network service for emerging E-science applications

Emerging large-scale scientific applications have a critical need for high bandwidth and predictable-performance network service. The OptlPuter project is pioneering a radical new type of distributed application paradigm that exploits dedicated optical circuits to tightly couple geographically dispersed resources. These private optical paths are set up on demand and combined with end resources to form a distributed virtual computer (DVC). The DVC provides high-quality dedicated network service to applications. In this article we compare the OptIPuter's approach (DVC), which exploits network resources to deliver higher-quality network services, to several alternative service models (intelligent network and asynchronous file transfer). Our simulations show that there are significant differences among the models in their utilization of resources and delivered application services. Key takeaways include that the OptlPuter approach provides applications with superior network service (as needed by emerging e-science applications and performance-critical distributed applications), at an expense in network resource consumption. The other approaches use fewer network resources, but provide lower-quality application service.     

Project GreenLight: Optimizing Cyber-infrastructure for a Carbon-Constrained World

Even with a variety of aggressive energy efficiency measures, the ICT sector's carbon emissions will nearly triple from 2002 to 2020. We must accelerate ICT energy efficiency so that we can increase the use of ICT in smart infrastructure capable of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.     

Neuropsychological parameters of carotid endarterectomy: A two-year prospective analysis.

To investigate the long-term effects of carotid endarterectomy (CE), 3 groups were studied: (a) 36 patients (mean age 61.1 yrs) receiving CE, (b) 17 patients (mean age 57.9 yrs) with carotid artery disease receiving medical management, and (c) general surgical controls (mean age 55.3 yrs). The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery were administered prior to surgery and at 6 mo and 2 yrs after surgery. Two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant main effect for trials on a majority of the neuropsychological measures, including the Average Impairment Rating. However, on baseline and on both follow-up evaluations, the CE Ss did not differ significantly from the carotid disease patients who received medical management. Findings fail to support the usefulness of CE in improving mentation or the quality of life in carotid disease patients. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infrastructure for science portals

A major driver of Internet growth has been the USA's decades-long national policy of funding basic research and infrastructure prototyping in its universities. This unique national system has enabled universities to experiment with capabilities years ahead of their mass commercial distribution. From Arpanet to NSFnet, this far-reaching partnership between government, universities and industry planted the seeds that grew into the modern cyberworld. More recently, NCSA Mosaic and NCSA's Web server software catalyzed the development of the World Wide Web. This “explore the future” methodology has been institutionalized in the National Science Foundation's Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI) program. Each PACI partnership brings together dozens of leading researchers at some 75 institutions to create the services necessary to prototype a seamless, integrated computational and collaborative environment known as the Grid     

Effects of stress management on clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis

An intriguing feature of early zygote development in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is the active elimination of chloroplast DNA from the mating-type minus parent due presumably to the action of a zygote-specific nuclease. Meiotic progeny thus inherit chloroplast DNA almost exclusively from the mating-type plus parent. The plus-linked nuclear mutation mat3 prevents this selective destruction of minus chloroplast DNA and generates progeny that display a biparental inheritance pattern. Here we show that the mat3 mutation creates additional phenotypes not previously described: the cells are much smaller than wild type and they possess substantially reduced amounts of both mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA. We propose that the primary defect of the mat3 mutation is a disruption of cell-size control and that the inhibition of the uniparental transmission of chloroplast genomes is a secondary consequence of the reduced amount of chloroplast DNA in the mat3 parent.