Information Seeking from Web-Based Resources: Sensemaking Strategies and Implications for Interaction Design

The internet has made an enormous volume of information available, and there has been substantial research into how users look for information. However, there has been much less research about how they make sense of what they find, and how sensemaking is shaped by the tasks they are trying to achieve. This research addresses that gap, with empirical studies of sensemaking during web-based information tasks. Two main studies are presented, which aimed to expose the relationship between information seeking and information comprehension and use. The first study explored the actions of experienced information processors (in this case, doctoral students) as they undertook research-related web-based tasks related to their own work. The second study observed experienced users as they undertook an unfamiliar topic comprehension task. In both studies participants were encouraged to ‘think-aloud’ as they completed web-based tasks. Audio-recording was used in Study-1 with video-recording in Study-2. In addition to the task session, background questionnaires and sample interviews were applied. A detailed, iterative inductive analysis was undertaken for each study. The analysis produced a framework that models the users’ process in terms of five categories of information interactions: seeking, evaluating for selection, evaluating for use, compilation, and planning. A range of visual representations were developed to capture the user sessions, expressing facets such as how resources were used over time and in combination, and the sequences of user behaviours. Attention was given to the use of representation throughout this process. Sensemaking goals and strategies were inferred from users’ behaviours and utterances, and were related to their activity and output. The intertwined nature of information seeking and sensemaking activity was revealed, and planning (not addressed in previous literature) was identified as a significant behaviour that drives strategy and binds the other behaviours to the task-in-hand. These findings have implications for interaction design and for tools to support sensemaking

Crossroads: A Novella

Crossroads is the herstory of Tahaj Marie, a woman-child who comes of age in Brooklyn, New York. The single daughter of a single mother, she rejects the pressures put forth by her strict, cold mother and defies her with a sexual relationship at 16 that leaves her pregnant and alone. Spending years raising her son Amir, and rekindling an unsuccessful relationship with his father leads her to the crossroads of her life. Despite the road blocks, she rebuilds herself to strive towards the woman she seeks to become. As a single mother who is Black, female, and disadvantaged, Tahaj Marie is the Sister Outsider, who finds her voice

Treatment-Emergent Hypomania Possibly Associated with Over-the-Counter Supplements

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is gaining popularity in the Western world. Among the general public, CAM is often perceived to be associated with less stigma, fewer adverse effects, and may be more affordable. A number of patients utilize CAM for the treatment of depression; however, as there is limited scientific evidence, the safety profile of these supplements are largely unknown. In this case, a 42-year-old man developed hypomania approximately 1 week after S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) therapy was initiated for depression. The combination of SAMe and 5-HTP can potentially induce hypomanic episodes

The need for eye protection during general anaesthesia and the efficacy of various eye protection methods

Background: Patients undergoing prolonged non-ocular surgery with general anaesthesia may develop ocular complications. Previous studies suggested that prophylactic ocular care should include prevention of mechanical exposure of cornea and replacement of deficient tears.Methods: To assess the basal tear volume with various eye protection methods during general anaesthesia so as to find the need of eye protection and also to compare and assess the efficacy of lid taping with hypo allergenic adhesive surgical paper tape, paraffin based lubricant eye ointment, 2% hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose tear substitute ointment and combinations of these ointments with lid taping as eye protection methods during general anaesthesia, the study was conducted in a tertiary care centre during the period of 1 year among 200 patients (400 eyes) undergoing general anaesthesia. After obtaining written informed consent they were subdivided into four groups of fifty patients each by randomization. A multiple cross over design with four groups each divided into two sub groups for eye protection methods was done. Corneal staining by fluorescein and basal tear volume assessment by Schirmer’s test were done pre-and postoperatively. Significance is assessed at 5 % level of significance. Student t test (two tailed, dependent) has been used to find the significance of study parameters (schirmer’s test score) on continuous scale within each group.Results: The percentage of difference of schirmer’s test score pre-and post-operatively were almost the same in all methods.Conclusions: Eye protection is mandatory in all cases under general anaesthesia. There was almost equal effectiveness for all eye protection methods analysed

Factors affecting success of intrauterine insemination: a 3 year prospective study

Background: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is the therapeutic process of placing washed spermatozoa transcervically into the uterine cavity for the treatment of infertility. The aim of this study is to analyze the variables that contribute to the success of stimulated IUI cycles. A prospective study was done to identify the most important parameters with regard to IUI success that would provide important data for predicting the success of therapy and further help in planning sub fertility treatment for couples.Methods: This prospective analytical study was done at KJK Fertility Research and Gynaec Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala over a period of 3 years from June 2012 to June 2015 in 3851 stimulated IUI cycles.Results: The overall pregnancy rate was 15.2%. Among the predictive factors evaluated, the infertility diagnosis (PCO and male factor, p value <0.001), the post wash semen count (5-10 million, p value <0.001), type of IUI (double IUI over single IUI, p value <0.001) and the endometrial thickness on the day of trigger (9-10mm, χ2 =551.59 df =5 p<0.001) significantly influenced the pregnancy rate.Conclusions: IUI is a successful contemporary treatment for appropriately selected cases of PCO and male factor infertility, especially when female age is <35 years

Bioremediation of marine oil spill using beeswax

1227-1231Oil spills can have devastating environmental, economical, and social impacts. The use of bioremediation is a preferred technique for cleaning up oil spills because it facilitates the process of naturally converting oil into non-toxic byproducts without any further local environmental disruption. An experimental study was conducted to degrade marine oil spill using beeswax as a biostimulant for bioremediation and also to study the chemical variation. Beeswax, a nutrient source for proliferation of olephic (oil eating) bacteria, was added in intervals of five days and the corresponding dissolved oxygen (DO) was measured using Azide Winkler’s method. The recuperation of the DO concentration from 3.1 mg/l to 7.4 mg/l is an indication of the reduction in oil content. An oxygen sag curve and a graph showing temporal variation of chemical parameters such as nitrite, nitrate, and ammonium were plotted. During the period of study, the oil content reduced from 10 ml to 5 ml. As the addition of biostimulant resulted in an increase in the rate of bioremediation, the use of beeswax as a biostimulant appears to be an effective tool for the clean-up of oil-contaminated marine waters without adverse environmental impact

Model selection methods in the linear mixed model for longitudinal data

The increased use of repeated measures for longitudinal studies has resulted in the necessity for more research in the modeling of this type of data. In this dissertation, we extend three candidate model selection methods from the univariate linear model to the linear mixed model, and investigate their behavior. Mallows' Cp statistic was developed for the univariate linear model in 1964. Here we propose a Cp statistic for the linear mixed model and show that it can be a promising method for fixed effects selection. Of all the methods investigated in this dissertation, the Cp statistic gave the most favorable results in terms of fixed effects selection and is the least computationally demanding of all the candidate methods. The KIC statistic, a symmetric divergence information criteria, explored here appears to be promising as a model selection method for both fixed effects and covariance structure. In the selection of the correct covariance structure, the KIC tended to hold middle ground between the AIC and the BIC. In terms of fixed effects, the KIC appears to perform significantly better than either the AIC or BIC in the selection of fixed effects when there is no interaction effect present. The predicted sum of squares (PRESS) statistic has been developed for the linear mixed model and is available in the SAS statistical software, but its abilities as a model selection method lacked sufficient evaluation. From our study, it appears that the PRESS statistic does not add much as a fixed effect selection method compared to the Cp or the KIC while being more computationally intensive. All three criteria are investigated using simulation studies and a large example dataset evaluating health outcomes in the elderly to determine their reliability. As a by-product of this research, the reliability of standard selection criteria in the linear mixed model, namely the AIC and BIC, are also evaluated. Numerous areas of future research within the context of model selection methods in the linear mixed model, are identified

The Galaxy Populations of X-Ray Detected, Poor Groups

(Abridged) We determine the quantitative morphology and star formation properties of galaxies in six nearby X-ray detected, poor groups using multi-object spectroscopy and wide-field R imaging. We measure structural parameters for each galaxy by fitting a PSF-convolved, two component model to their surface brightness profiles. To compare directly the samples, we fade, smooth, and rebin each galaxy image so that we effectively observe each galaxy at the same redshift (9000 km/s) and physical resolution (0.87h^(-1) kpc). We compare results for the groups to a sample of field galaxies. We find that: 1) Galaxies spanning a wide range in morphological type and luminosity are well-fit by a de Vaucouleurs bulge with exponential disk profile. 2) Morphologically classifying these nearby group galaxies by their bulge fraction (B/T) is fairly robust on average, even when their redshift has increased by up to a factor of four and the effective resolution of the images is degraded by up to a factor of five. 3) The fraction of bulge-dominated systems in these groups is higher than in the field (~50% vs. ~20%). 4) The fraction of bulge-dominated systems in groups decreases with increasing radius, similar to the morphology-radius (~density) relation observed in galaxy clusters. 5) Current star formation in group galaxies is correlated with significant morphological asymmetry for disk-dominated systems (B/T<0.4). 6) The group galaxies that are most disk-dominated (B/T<0.2) are less star forming and asymmetric on average than their counterparts in the field.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (26 pages + 12 figures); Figs 1 & 2 also available at http://www.ucolick.org/~vy/astronomy/groups_figs.tar.g

A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION ON THE EFFECT OF ZINC-PROBIOTIC AND PROBIOTIC THERAPY IN PAEDIATRIC ACUTE DIARRHOEA AND THE IMPACT OF COUNSELLING OF MOTHERS

Objective: To compare the efficacy of zinc-probiotic combination therapy and probiotic therapy alone in the treatment of acute paediatric diarrhoea and to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the mothers of affected children and the impact of counselling on diarrhoea management.Methods: A prospective observational comparative study was conducted from October 2014 to March 2015 in the paediatric department of Cosmopolitan Hospitals Pvt. Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, South India. The study was carried out on 150 patients between the ages of 3 mo to 12 y. The selected patients were divided into 2 groups of 75 members each. Initially, demographic data, details of socioeconomic status, severity, duration and frequency of diarrhoea and the presence of other associated symptoms and KAP of mothers before and after counselling was collected by using specially designed proforma. Group 1 patients received zinc and probiotic and Group 2 received probiotic only by oral administration. All children in both groups received sufficient quantity of oral rehydration solution (ORS). The requirement of other medications and adverse effects were also monitored.Results: The study revealed that, in group 1, 54.6% of patients were males and in group 2, 58.6% were females. The mean age of affected children was 5.14±3.53. In both groups, the majority of patients were from outpatient (OP) departments. In group 1, majority of patients, 49.3% were resting in upper lower economic class followed by 30.7% were lower middle class. In the case of group 2, 34.6% patients were from lower middle and 28% were from upper middle class. Other medications such as antiemetic and antipyretic were administered to 127and 110 patients respectively. Antisecretory and antibiotic were administered to 31 and 26 patients respectively. Totally 8 patients were affected with adverse drug reactions such as rashes and swelling of lips. In both groups severity of diarrhoea was high before treatment and it was changed after effective treatment with drugs. Comparing with group 2, the duration and severity of diarrhoea and other associated symptoms in group 1 patients were significantly reduced after treatment. Before counseling, the majority of mothers had very poor knowledge about the diarrhoeal disease and its management. Evaluation after counselling showed a significant improvement.Conclusion: Low socioeconomic life is a risk factor for diarrhoea. A combination of zinc and probiotic therapy is more effective than probiotic therapy alone in the treatment of acute diarrhoea and vomiting in children. The emergence and severity of the diarrhoeal disease can be reduced by effective clinical pharmacist interventions, and a great emphasis is needed in the counselling and education of mothers about this disease and its management.Keywords: Paediatric diarrhoea, Zinc, Probiotic, KAP, Counselling and educatio

Splenic Infarction: An Under-recognized Complication of Infectious Mononucleosis?

Splenic infarction is a rare complication of infectious mononucleosis. We describe 3 cases of splenic infarction attributed to infectious mononucleosis that we encountered within a 2-month period. We underscore the awareness of this potential complication of infectious mononucleosis and discuss the differential diagnosis of splenic infarction, including infectious etiologies. While symptomatic management is usually sufficient for infectious mononucleosis-associated splenic infarction, close monitoring for other complications, including splenic rupture, is mandated