A New Variant of the Generalized JSM-Method for Automatic Support of Scientific Research

This article reviews a new variant of the generalized JSM-method for automatic support of scientific research (ASRS). This version of the JSM-method applied for ASRS contains ternary predicates of similarity (cause, brake, effect) which contain binary “cause–effect” predicates and explicit brake definitions. The article considers a possibility for the basis of fact partition for the cases of the truth of the generalized method and an inductive method of similarity with a ban on counter-example predicates.     

Health discussions on the Internet: A study of knowledge communication through citations

The Internet is a convenient but complex source for health information used by an increasing number of health consumers. Especially for people suffering from a chronic illness (e.g., diabetes), information seeking forms a part of the daily management of the disease, a “project of life.” This study of Web texts examines the citation patterns for a specific and controversial health issue: the beneficial or hazardous use of dietary chromium supplementation in diabetes self-management. Texts from different categories of Web sources (scientific, professional, educational, and commercial sources, as well as diabetes discussion groups) were analyzed in order to study how knowledge is transferred between sources, and how diabetics participating in discussion groups refer to and make sense of the information from different sources on the Internet. The citation patterns suggest that deviations from the traditional models of scientific knowledge dissemination can occur in the Internet environment.     

Defining diabetes and assigning responsibility: how print media frame diabetes in New Zealand

Research has analyzed media framing of cause and solution responsibility attribution in diabetes discourse. Studies have not similarly engaged with how media frame diabetes ‘effects’, an integral framing component because it comprises the ‘problem definition’ of diabetes. Moreover, the combination of causal attribution and effects provides a ‘moral evaluation’ on who carries the burden of the disease. This paper asks ‘how does the New Zealand print media frame diabetes definition and responsibility attribution?’ We identify key frames used to discursively construct Gestational, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes discourse. Content and thematic analysis reveal that media predominantly discuss diabetes without type-specification and with a high reference to obesity and behavioral choices as causal factors. Diabetes is defined as an individual’s medical concern, which when mismanaged results in amputation, blindness, kidney disease and coronary disease. We consider the implications of media coverage on public response to diabetes as a societal concern.     

Human information behaviour and physiological measurements as a basis to tailor health information. An explorative study in a physical activity intervention among prediabetic individuals in Northern Finland

Objective: To explore through an interdisciplinary approach the potential to tailor health information on the basis of human information behaviour (HIB) on par with the results of basic physiological measurements of individuals’ health. Methods: The data were collected at the baseline of a physical activity and diabetes prevention intervention with 72 prediabetic participants, conducted in Oulu, Finland, by the University of Oulu and Oulu Deaconess Institute in 2010. Body mass index (BMI), fitness classifications and glucose values were obtained from all prediabetic participants. The interest in, the search for and the use of information on nutrition, physical activity and diabetes were examined through a self‐report questionnaire with a response rate of 95.8%. The data were analysed with the SPSS statistics 18 software. Results and conclusions: The study shows that information behaviour of prediabetic individuals differs according to their BMI and fitness level. Poor physical fitness classifications and high BMI values were associated with an increased desire to receive tailored information on nutrition and physical activity frequently. These results add knowledge on the types and preferred frequencies of tailored information. Because of the small sample size, the results should be validated further.     

在线医疗社区用户画像构建与应用

[目的/意义] 在线医疗社区用户画像能够精练化提取患者需求、可视化描述患者特征,有助于平台管理者制定更精准的信息服务策略。[方法/过程] 在梳理在线医疗社区用户画像研究成果的基础上,提出一种在线医疗社区用户画像构建框架,并爬取百度贴吧中糖尿病社区用户数据,综合采用档案清单、复合图形、语言描述和词云方法,实现了具有4个维度和12项标签的在线医疗社区用户画像构建。[结果/结论] 该理论框架及实现方法有助于信息精准推荐、改善患者体验、提升决策质量,为在线医疗社区用户画像构建与应用提供了理论与实践指导。     

A study of the nature of information needed by women with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease with an unpredictable course and no known cause or cure. Coping strategies of people with MS may yield insights into their information needs and information-seeking behaviors. This study of information needs was based on Miller's theory of information seeking, which states that some people (monitors) cope by actively seeking information, while others (blunters) reject information. Ninety-three women were classified through the Miller Behavioral Style Scale as either monitors or blunters and also by the length of time since diagnosis. They were asked to assess a general or a specific pamphlet on one of two topics (fatigue or treatment for acute attacks). More monitors than blunters rated the pamphlet they had received as relevant, regardless of the nature of the information. This study contributes to the development of a methodology for studying information needs and information-seeking behaviors and suggests a new area of research for those in library and information science.     

The Wisdom Project: virtual education in primary care

This article examines the development of the Wisdom Project, a pilot for the teaching of informatics to primary health care professionals, using an original educational model based on e-mail and Web pages. The article begins by placing the development of the Wisdom Project in the context of changes in medical education and training. The aims and objectives of Wisdom are outlined, and the methodologies for setting up and evaluating the project are described. The article then presents the results of the evaluation, including the identification of significant improvements in knowledge of CD ROMs (P = 0.01), e-mail (P = 0.03), Medline (P = 0.02), operating systems (P = 0.02), Web browsers (P = 0.003) and word processing (P = 0.03). Improvements in evidence-based practice (EBP) did not reach significance. Finally, a number of conclusions are presented, considering the lessons learnt for the future development of such projects.     

College students and patient work: Health information management by emerging young adults

College students with a life experience of chronic illness and impairments grow into young adulthood as health information monitors as well as communicators with healthcare professionals. This interview study focused on the health information management practices of college and graduate students living with disabilities and chronic illness. SEIPS (Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety), a work system model drawn from human factors engineering, was used as a conceptual framework for qualitative analysis. This revealed the importance of other people, particularly parents, in patients' information worlds. Digital technologies were ubiquitous; analog tools from business cards to binders were also key components of students' information systems. Using the SEIPS structure to interrogate the data allowed an understanding of how health experiences are integrated into everyday life. The findings of this research may provide health information technology designers and information science researchers insight into how to meet the needs of this population.     

Motivations to Disclose Chronic Illness in the Workplace

Managing chronic illness is not just a healthcare issue but is also relevant to workplace communication and relationships. Workers with chronic conditions are faced with the decision of if and how they should disclose the chronic condition to their supervisors and co-workers. These decisions are laden with fears of stigma or other forms of discrimination that are commonly associated with invisible identities. This study used a qualitative questionnaire and thematic analysis techniques to reveal three reasons why workers chose to (or not to) reveal their chronic condition in the work environment: facilitate continued employment, enacting values, and explaining absence or condition. Viewing the results through social exchange theory showed that employees exchange (or do not exchange) personal information for workplace accommodations.     

Monitoring Acoustic Emission in an Epidemiological Pilot Study of a Collection of Wooden Objects

ABSTRACT

This experimental program, implemented by the Managing Collection Environment Initiative at the Getty Conservation Institute, has provided data about the response of historic objects to changes in relative humidity (RH). Alongside other less sensitive documentation techniques (visual observation, physical measurements, photography, and 3D scanning), acoustic emission (AE) was monitored for six historic, museum-like wooden objects exposed to gradually increasing RH variations. Quantitative calibration of AE sensors and an anti-correlation measuring scheme to reduce environmental noise allowed the AE system to effectively trace micro-damage development caused by environmentally induced stress. Using an epidemiological approach, with respect to sample selection and experimental protocol, the obtained results can be used to explore the acceptable range of climate fluctuations for museum collections. The study’s well-controlled environmental protocol also allowed for the examination of the concept of ‘proofed fluctuation’ by the analysis of object response to reoccurring conditions.     

The relationship between term specificity in MeSH and online postings in MEDLINE

Hierarchically structured thesauri--including MeSH--were studied to test the assumption of an inverse relationship between term specificity and the number of postings in online databases. It was suggested that this assumption holds only for peripheral terms and that the opposite is true for the central terms of a discipline. The Environment tree structure of MeSH was used to test the "peripheral" hypothesis, which was supported at a .05 level of significance, but the scattergram on the Endocrine Diseases tree, which was run to test the "central" hypothesis, had an even better level, .02. The commonly held belief that specific terms are added to a thesaurus when more general ones get too many postings was also tested. The relationship between specificity and dates was supported in MeSH (.015). The corollary--that terms with later dates have fewer postings--was supported at a .001 level of significance. The results for MeSH were much more significant than for other hierarchically structured thesauri, which indicates that thesaurus development at NLM involves interaction with MEDLINE to preclude an excessive number of postings to any one term.     

Evidence-based librarianship (EBL) in e-resources acquisition: How concerned are librarians?

E-resources acquisition is a prevalent topic in the global economic crisis. To ensure the continuity of e-resources, librarians venture into various approaches, including evidence-based librarianship (EBL). This study reports librarians' concerns about EBL implementation during the acquisition process. The Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) tools, including the modified Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) and the Quick Scoring Device, were used to measure the individual librarian stages of concern. The results indicate that the scores for librarians' concerns are at the peak in stage 2 (Self), followed by stage 5 (Collaboration), stage 3 (Management), stage 1 (Informational), and stage 6 (Refocusing), with the lowest score at stage 0 (Unconcern). The findings demonstrate that librarians are more concerned about how EBL implementation could affect themselves (as in Stage 2 (Self)) in performing their tasks as librarians. The results are significant in providing perspectives on individual librarians' sensitivity to EBL implementation as an innovation in their work processes.     

Quality Audits as a Tool for Quality Improvement in Selected European Higher Education Libraries

From the beginning of the 1990s, different types of quality management and evaluation systems have become integrated into higher education institutes throughout Europe due to the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This has meant that the university libraries have had to learn how to evaluate their services and improve their quality. Quality audits are one tool that can be used in quality management approaches to assess how well an organization is being managed. This paper describes and benchmarks the use of external and internal auditing in three European academic libraries, i.e. the Medical Library of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany), the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Library (Spain) and the University of Eastern Finland Library (Finland). The results reveal the best practices of auditing in these institutions; and recommendations are provided for the further development of library auditing and ways to improve co-operation between libraries.     

A Method for Developing Library Collections Based on Intensity Indicators

This article reports on a multi-dimensional model to collection development and licensing applied in our library following a major separation from a joint-licensing venture with another institution. Our model includes the use of several core metrics, including usage and the context in which usage is measured. The model includes three metrics; Research Intensity (RI), Educational Intensity (EI) and Clinical Intensity (CI). These metrics take into account the differences between research and non-research departments, and their disciplinary foci. This model can be used in its entirety or can be customized by selecting the metrics that fits the needs of the library.     

基于多层次概念语义网络结构的中文医学信息语义标引体系和语义检索模型研究

为了提高中文医学信息检索效率,本文应用语义学研究成果,深入剖析统一医学语言系统(UMLS),从理论上对多层次概念语义网络结构进行了探讨,以此设计了适用于中文医学信息特点的三层概念语义网络结构,并分别确定了各个概念语义网络层次的语义类型和语义关系,进一步完善了医学信息语义网络.以信息检索的认知理论为依据,建立了基于三层概念语义网络结构的中文医学信息语义标引体系和语义检索模型.对扩展检索和语义检索进行统计学Kappa检验,认为两种检索方法的一致性非常显著(p<0.01);与扩展检索中的任何一种方法相比,语义检索方法具有更高的检索效率.     

都市圈研究基础信息平台及其关键问题

都市圈研究是目前区域经济领域研究的一个热点。为了有效支持都市圈研究,提出建设都市圈研究基础信息平台的方案。平台综合利用元数据、XML、定制模板和.NET与MATLAB混合编程等技术实现从数据源抽取数据、表达与存取多维统计数据、动态增添统计指标项、支持在线计算研究成果等功能模块。通过初步试运行,表明该平台能有效地支持都市圈领域的研究和决策。     

Ways of Seeing Matter: The Impact of a Naturally Mapped Perceptual System on the Persuasive Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Advertising

This study examines whether the naturalness of a device’s perceptual system, which defines the way users look around in the virtual environment, influences the persuasive effects of immersive virtual reality (IVR) advertising. In a between-subject experiment (N = 115), participants watched a 360-degree advertisement using one of three devices with different perceptual systems (a head-mounted display [HMD], a tablet, or a desktop computer, representing high, medium, and low naturalness respectively). The results revealed that participants who watched IVR advertising using a more naturally mapped perceptual interface (i.e., an HMD) reported higher levels of perceived naturalness than did those who used devices lower in naturalness (i.e., a tablet or a desktop computer). The use of a perceptual system with a higher level of natural mapping positively affected the sense of presence, which in turn enhanced advertising enjoyment and further improved the effects of IVR advertising, thereby yielding a three-step serial mediation model.     

Health information seeking among people with multiple chronic conditions: Contextual factors and their associations mined from questions in social media

The health-information-seeking behaviors of people affected by multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) who use social media to obtain information was explored. The contextual factors and latent relationships that shape the unique information-seeking behaviors of this population, focusing on commonly co-occurring chronic conditions: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity were investigated. Using a similarity matrix and co-occurrence network techniques 9,980 Yahoo!Answers questions posted by individuals concerned about MCCs were analyzed. Findings demonstrate the interactive nature of health-information-seeking among people with MCCs. Various interwoven personal and environmental factors reflect efforts of people with MCCs to obtain more personalized information, conveying the specific queries and needs of this population. Findings may help facilitate interactions between people living with MCCs and health care providers, as well as aid providers and health-information resource designers in providing more tailored and accessible resources, expanding upon user-centered approaches to health information service.