An iconic language for the graphical representation of medical concepts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many medication errors are encountered in drug prescriptions, which would not occur if practitioners could remember the drug properties. They can refer to drug monographs to find these properties, however drug monographs are long and tedious to read during consultation. We propose a two-step approach for facilitating access to drug monographs. The first step, presented here, is the design of a graphical language, called VCM.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The VCM graphical language was designed using a small number of graphical primitives and combinatory rules. VCM was evaluated over 11 volunteer general practitioners to assess if the language is easy to learn, to understand and to use. Evaluators were asked to register their VCM training time, to indicate the meaning of VCM icons and sentences, and to answer clinical questions related to randomly generated drug monograph-like documents, supplied in text or VCM format.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>VCM can represent the various signs, diseases, physiological states, life habits, drugs and tests described in drug monographs. Grammatical rules make it possible to generate many icons by combining a small number of primitives and reusing simple icons to build more complex ones. Icons can be organized into simple sentences to express drug recommendations. Evaluation showed that VCM was learnt in 2 to 7 hours, that physicians understood 89% of the tested VCM icons, and that they answered correctly to 94% of questions using VCM (versus 88% using text, <it>p </it>= 0.003) and 1.8 times faster (<it>p </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>VCM can be learnt in a few hours and appears to be easy to read. It can now be used in a second step: the design of graphical interfaces facilitating access to drug monographs. It could also be used for broader applications, including the design of interfaces for consulting other types of medical document or medical data, or, very simply, to enrich medical texts.</p

Consensus Paper: Current Perspectives on Abstract Concepts and Future Research Directions

Abstract concepts are relevant to a wide range of disciplines, including cognitive science, linguistics, psychology, cognitive, social, and affective neuroscience, and philosophy. This consensus paper synthesizes the work and views of researchers in the field, discussing current perspectives on theoretical and methodological issues, and recommendations for future research. In this paper, we urge researchers to go beyond the traditional abstract-concrete dichotomy and consider the multiple dimensions that characterize concepts (e.g., sensorimotor experience, social interaction, conceptual metaphor), as well as the mediating influence of linguistic and cultural context on conceptual representations. We also promote the use of interactive methods to investigate both the comprehension and production of abstract concepts, while also focusing on individual differences in conceptual representations. Overall, we argue that abstract concepts should be studied in a more nuanced way that takes into account their complexity and diversity, which should permit us a fuller, more holistic understanding of abstract cognition

Stroke and aphasia quality of Life Scale-39: investigating preliminary content validity of picture representations by people with mild to moderate aphasia

Speech-language pathologists must consider the clients’ quality of life (QoL) to provide effective and meaningful evidence-based treatment (ASHA, 2005). Quality of life assessment goes beyond language impairments and is often a key part of planning intervention. However, few QoL measures exist for people with aphasia (PWA). The Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39 (SAQOL-39; Hilari, 2003) is one of the few valid and reliable measures used to assess QoL in people with mild to moderate aphasia. However, the validity and reliability of the SAQOL-39 has not been established for individuals with severe aphasia who are unable to read and comprehend the written items (Hilari & Byng, 2001). Proxy reports for people with severe aphasia are not reliable and can contribute to misinterpretation of people with severe aphasia and their QoL (Hilari & Byng, 2009). High-context color photographs may access intact linguistic processes in PWA by bypassing their reading deficits (McKelvey, Hux, Dietz, & Beukelman, 2010). Therefore, visual aids may enhance accessibility of written assessments like the SAQOL-39 for people with severe aphasia. Preliminary content validity has been established for high-context color photographs paired with SAQOL-39 items by normal aging adults (Brouwer, 2013). The present study aimed to continue to establish the content validity of the photographs by investigating how 10 adults with mild to moderate aphasia, aged 30-89 years, rated similarities of photographic representations of SAQOL-39 items, rated on a 7-point Likert scale. The present results supported high content validity of photographic representations. The overall mean rating of items was 6.40 and 92% of the photographs were rated a 6 or 7 at least 60% of the time, indicating most people with mild to moderate aphasia rated photographs highly similar to the written questions they were paired with. This study’s results suggest the photographs may make the SAQOL-39 more accessible for people with severe aphasia to self-report on their QoL. Further research is warranted to investigate accessibility of the photographs among the severe aphasia population

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 359)

This bibliography lists 164 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during Jan. 1992. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and physiology, life support systems and man/system technology, protective clothing, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, planetary biology, and flight crew behavior and performance

Less realism : more meaning : evaluating imagery for the graphic designer

Typography\u27 as a defining term has become interchangcable with \u27graphic design\u27. and while font choice and application is seen as of paramount importance. image choice, virtually half , . of the communication design equation, is neglected in the theory and in pratice is left to the instinct of the designer. In this thesis I try to find approaches for graphic designers to understand image to the degree that they understand type. These approaches are tested through assignments for graphic design students and the results recorded and analysed. I seek to address the paradox that we are able to communicate more accurately through less accurately rendered images. I will explain how the human visual system. evolved over time by looking only upon the natural world in all its reality. can look upon a stick-figure and make an emotional and intellectual connection. I examine the design implications of this strange faculty of the visual system. Gombrich. Arnheim and others have explored realism in, and applied psychology to, art in order to become better art historians. I explore the implications in the more pragmatic. economically imperative field of design of moving away from realism in the visual aspects of communication

The fractal heart — embracing mathematics in the cardiology clinic

For clinicians grappling with quantifying the complex spatial and temporal patterns of cardiac structure and function (such as myocardial trabeculae, coronary microvascular anatomy, tissue perfusion, myocyte histology, electrical conduction, heart rate, and blood-pressure variability), fractal analysis is a powerful, but still underused, mathematical tool. In this Perspectives article, we explain some fundamental principles of fractal geometry and place it in a familiar medical setting. We summarize studies in the cardiovascular sciences in which fractal methods have successfully been used to investigate disease mechanisms, and suggest potential future clinical roles in cardiac imaging and time series measurements. We believe that clinical researchers can deploy innovative fractal solutions to common cardiac problems that might ultimately translate into advancements for patient care

Gestures in Machine Interaction

Vnencumbered-gesture-interaction (VGI) describes the use of unrestricted gestures in machine interaction. The development of such technology will enable users to interact with machines and virtual environments by performing actions like grasping, pinching or waving without the need of peripherals. Advances in image-processing and pattern recognition make such interaction viable and in some applications more practical than current modes of keyboard, mouse and touch-screen interaction provide. VGI is emerging as a popular topic amongst Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-vision and gesture research; and is developing into a topic with potential to significantly impact the future of computer-interaction, robot-control and gaming. This thesis investigates whether an ergonomic model of VGI can be developed and implemented on consumer devices by considering some of the barriers currently preventing such a model of VGI from being widely adopted. This research aims to address the development of freehand gesture interfaces and accompanying syntax. Without the detailed consideration of the evolution of this field the development of un-ergonomic, inefficient interfaces capable of placing undue strain on interface users becomes more likely. In the course of this thesis some novel design and methodological assertions are made. The Gesture in Machine Interaction (GiMI) syntax model and the Gesture-Face Layer (GFL), developed in the course of this research, have been designed to facilitate ergonomic gesture interaction. The GiMI is an interface syntax model designed to enable cursor control, browser navigation commands and steering control for remote robots or vehicles. Through applying state-of-the-art image processing that facilitates three-dimensional (3D) recognition of human action, this research investigates how interface syntax can incorporate the broadest range of human actions. By advancing our understanding of ergonomic gesture syntax, this research aims to assist future developers evaluate the efficiency of gesture interfaces, lexicons and syntax

Visual search and VDUS

This wide-ranging study explored various parameters of visual search in relation to computer screen displays. Its ultimate goal was to help identify factors which could result in improvements in commercially available displays within the 'real world’. Those improvements are generally reflected in suggestions for enhancing efficiency of locatabolity of information through an acknowledgement of the visual and cognitive factors involved. The thesis commenced by introducing an ergonomics approach to the presentation of information on VDUs. Memory load and attention were discussed. In the second chapter, literature on general and theoretical aspects of visual search (with particular regard for VDUs) was reviewed. As an experimental starting point, three studies were conducted involving locating a target within arrays of varying configurations. A model concerning visual lobes was proposed. Two text-editing studies were then detailed showing superior user performances where conspicuity and the potential for peripheral vision are enhanced. Relevant eye movement data was combined with a keystroke analysis derived from an automated protocol analyser. Results of a further search task showed icons to be more quickly located within an array than textual material. Precise scan paths were then recorded and analyses suggested greater systematicity of search strategies for complex items. This led on to a relatively 'pure' search study involving materials of varying spatial frequencies. Results were discussed in terms of verbal material generally being of higher spatial frequencies and how the ease of resolution and greater cues available in peripheral vision can result in items being accessed more directly. In the final (relatively applied) study, differences in eye movement indices were found across various fonts used. One main conclusion was that eye movement monitoring was a valuable technique within the visual search/VDU research area in illuminating precise details of performance which otherwise, at best, could only be inferred