Benchmarking Aided Decision Making in a Signal Detection Task

Copyright © 2017 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.Objective: A series of experiments examined human operators’ strategies for interacting with highly (93%) reliable automated decision aids in a binary signal detection task. Background: Operators often interact with automated decision aids in a suboptimal way, achieving performance levels lower than predicted by a statistically ideal model of information integration. To better understand operators’ inefficient use of decision aids, we compared participants’ automation-aided performance levels with the predictions of seven statistical models of collaborative decision making. Method: Participants performed a binary signal detection task that asked them to classify random dot images as either blue or orange dominant. They made their judgments either unaided or with assistance from a 93% reliable automated decision aid that provided either graded (Experiments 1 and 3) or binary (Experiment 2) cues. We compared automation-aided performance with the predictions of seven statistical models of collaborative decision making, including a statistically optimal model and Robinson and Sorkin’s contingent criterion model. Results and Conclusion: Automation-aided sensitivity hewed closest to the predictions of the two least efficient collaborative models, well short of statistically ideal levels. Performance was similar whether the aid provided graded or binary judgments. Model comparisons identified potential strategies by which participants integrated their judgments with the aid’s. Application: Results lend insight into participants’ automation-aided decision strategies and provide benchmarks for predicting automation-aided performance levels

Informativeness Ratings of Messages Created on an AAC Processing Prosthesis

The SentenceShaperTM is an AAC processing prosthesis that supports spoken language production in aphasia. Prior research comparing narratives produced on and off the system (aided vs. unaided) found that the aided utterances were longer and showed more grammatical structure. Here we show that the “aided effect” also manifests in greater informativeness of messages with functional content. Thirteen unfamiliar listeners used direct magnitude estimation to rate the informativeness of functional narratives produced by five chronic aphasic participants on and off the SentenceShaper. In support of an aided effect, the narratives of four participants were judged more informative in the aided condition

Meeting report: a hard look at the state of enamel research.

The Encouraging Novel Amelogenesis Models and Ex vivo cell Lines (ENAMEL) Development workshop was held on 23 June 2017 at the Bethesda headquarters of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Discussion topics included model organisms, stem cells/cell lines, and tissues/3D cell culture/organoids. Scientists from a number of disciplines, representing institutions from across the United States, gathered to discuss advances in our understanding of enamel, as well as future directions for the field

“The Words Get Stuck in My Brain. It Helps Me Get Them Out:” Perspectives on an AAC Aid from Persons with Aphasia

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices carry risk of avoidance or abandonment by persons with aphasia (PWA). Practice in a controlled setting can offset such risks and establish the context for attitudes assessment as a prelude to real-world deployment. This paper reports on an attitudes assessment carried out with seven PWA following extended practice with SentenceShaper To Go, a high flexibility AAC aid now featuring portability. Aphasia-tailored individual interviews were conducted and analyzed by qualitative methods. Results elucidate attitudes towards this AAC aid and, by extension, others with similar properties

Forest fluxes and mortality response to drought: model description (ORCHIDEE-CAN-NHA r7236) and evaluation at the Caxiuanã drought experiment

Extreme drought events in Amazon forests are expected to become more frequent and more intense with climate change, threatening ecosystem function and carbon balance. Yet large uncertainties exist on the resilience of this ecosystem to drought. A better quantification of tree hydraulics and mortality processes is needed to anticipate future drought effects on Amazon forests. Most state-of-the-art dynamic global vegetation models are relatively poor in their mechanistic description of these complex processes. Here, we implement a mechanistic plant hydraulic module within the ORCHIDEE-CAN-NHA r7236 land surface model to simulate the percentage loss of conductance (PLC) and changes in water storage among organs via a representation of the water potentials and vertical water flows along the continuum from soil to roots, stems and leaves. The model was evaluated against observed seasonal variability in stand-scale sap flow, soil moisture and productivity under both control and drought setups at the Caxiuanã throughfall exclusion field experiment in eastern Amazonia between 2001 and 2008. A relationship between PLC and tree mortality is built in the model from two empirical parameters, the cumulated duration of drought exposure that triggers mortality, and the mortality fraction in each day exceeding the exposure. Our model captures the large biomass drop in the year 2005 observed 4 years after throughfall reduction, and produces comparable annual tree mortality rates with observation over the study period. Our hydraulic architecture module provides promising avenues for future research in assimilating experimental data to parameterize mortality due to drought-induced xylem dysfunction. We also highlight that species-based (isohydric or anisohydric) hydraulic traits should be further tested to generalize the model performance in predicting the drought risks.</p

CD28 Ligation Increases Macrophage Suppression of T Cell Proliferation

When compared to spleen or lymph node cells, resident peritoneal cavity cells respond poorly to T cell activation in vitro. The greater proportional representation of macrophages in this cell source has been shown to actively suppress the T cell response. Peritoneal macrophages exhibit an immature phenotype $(MHC Class II^{lo}, B7^{lo})$ that reduces their efficacy as antigen presenting cells. Furthermore, these cells readily express inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), an enzyme that promotes T cell tolerance by catabolism of the limiting amino acid arginine. Here, we investigate the ability of exogenous T cell costimulation to recover the peritoneal T cell response. We show that CD28 ligation failed to recover the peritoneal T cell response and actually suppressed responses that had been recovered by inhibiting iNOS. As indicated by cytokine ELISpot and neutralizing mAb treatment, this “co-suppression” response was due to CD28 ligation increasing the number of IFNγ-secreting cells. Our results illustrate that cellular composition and cytokine milieu influence T cell costimulation biology

Bridging the evidence gap: A review and research protocol for outdoor mental health therapies for young Australians

Internationally, over 60% of all lifetime cases of mental health disorders are identified as emerging by 25 years of age. In Australia, young people (aged 16–24 years) report the highest prevalence of mental health problems. Acceptability of mainstream services for young people is a concern, particularly for clients 18–25 years, heterosexual males and certain marginalised communities. With unaddressed distress in young people a precursor to poor, potentially lifelong mental ill-health trajectories, the provision of acceptable, and accessible mental health services remains a critical system imperative. Outdoor therapies, such as outdoor talking therapies, present an option for increasing the breadth of mental health interventions available to young people. Reported benefits of outdoor therapies include improved self-esteem and confidence, positive and negative affect, stress reduction and restoration, social benefits, and resilience. As outdoor therapies draw on multidisciplinary skillsets, this modality has the potential to expand services beyond existing workforce capacities. However, there are evidence gaps that must be addressed before mainstreaming of this treatment modality can occur. Here we overview the existing evidence base for outdoor talking therapies, as a form of outdoor mental healthcare, to determine their appropriateness as an effective and efficient treatment modality for young people with psychological distress in Australia and elsewhere. We then propose a research protocol designed to determine the acceptability, efficacy and efficiency of ‘outdoor talking therapies’. Our aim is to help address identified youth mental healthcare service shortages in Australia, and potentially support the health of our mental healthcare workforce

Uncoupling protein-2 is an antioxidant that is up-regulated in the enamel organ of fluoride-treated rats

Dental fluorosis is characterized by subsurface hypomineralization and retention of enamel matrix proteins. Fluoride (F−) exposure generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can cause ER-stress. We therefore screened oxidative stress arrays to identify genes regulated by F− exposure. Vitamin E is an antioxidant so we asked if a diet high in vitamin E would attenuate dental fluorosis. Maturation stage incisor enamel organs (EO) were harvested from F− treated rats and mice were assessed to determine if vitamin E ameliorates dental fluorosis. Uncoupling protein-2 (Ucp2) was significantly up-regulated by F− (~1.5 & 2.0 fold for the 50 or 100 ppm F− treatment groups respectively). Immunohistochemical results on maturation stage rat incisors demonstrated that UCP2 protein levels increased with F− treatment. UCP2 down-regulates mitochondrial production of ROS, which decreases ATP production. Thus, in addition to reduced protein translation caused by ER-stress, a reduction in ATP production by UCP2 may contribute to the inability of ameloblasts to remove protein from the hardening enamel. Fluoride treated mouse enamel had significantly higher quantitative fluorescence (QF) than the untreated controls. No significant QF difference was observed between control and vitamin E enriched diets within a given F− treatment group. Therefore, a diet rich in vitamin E did not attenuate dental fluorosis. We have identified a novel oxidative stress response gene that is up-regulated in vivo by F− and activation of this gene may adversely affect ameloblast function

Intensive Care to Intermediate Care Bridge Program

To deliver the highest quality of care across the continuum, a large academic tertiary medical center envisioned a project that would provide an internal source of cross trained nurses for their medical intensive care unit (SCU2) and their medical intermediate care unit (R4/IMC/AVU). The hope for this program was to improve communication and collaboration between nurses and enhance the care that they provide to patients and their families. A highly qualified team of nurses was established to create a performance improvement project. The overall goal of this endeavor was to build a more collaborative relationship between the units and ultimately improve patient outcomes and experiences. Since this was a new program, there were expectations of challenges with the start-up. In addition, misunderstanding and misconceptions of each other’s workflows and systems would need to be identified and addressed. Several countermeasures were established to address the concerns and challenges. Development of an action plan, role expectations, competency based orientation tool and recruitment of dynamic tenured nurses proved to be critical key to success. Feedback about the bridge program from patients, families, involved nurses, and administrative leaders has been positive. Next steps include refining staff orientation, identifying potential program members with strong clinical attributes and ongoing evaluation of program outcomes