Probing the Intergalactic Medium with Lyα\mathrm{\alpha} and 21 cm Fluctuations

We study 21cm and Ly$\mathrm{\alpha}$ fluctuations, as well as H$\mathrm{\alpha}$, while distinguishing between Ly$\mathrm{\alpha}$ emission of galactic, diffuse, and scattered intergalactic medium (IGM) origin. Cross-correlation information about the state of the IGM is obtained, testing neutral versus ionized medium cases with different tracers in a seminumerical simulation setup. In order to pave the way toward constraints on reionization history and modeling beyond power spectrum information, we explore parameter dependencies of the cross-power signal between 21$\,$cm and Ly$\mathrm{\alpha}$, which displays a characteristic morphology and a turnover from negative to positive correlation at scales of a couple Mpc$^{-1}$. In a proof of concept for the extraction of further information on the state of the IGM using different tracers, we demonstrate the use of the 21$\,$cm and H$\mathrm{\alpha}$ cross-correlation signal to determine the relative strength of galactic and IGM emission in Ly$\mathrm{\alpha}$. We conclude by showing the detectability of the 21$\,$cm and Ly$\mathrm{\alpha}$ cross-correlation signal over more than one decade in scale at high signal-to-noise ratio for upcoming probes like SKA and the proposed all-sky intensity mapping satellites SPHEREx and CDIM, while also including the Ly$\mathrm{\alpha}$ damping tail and 21cm foreground avoidance in the modeling.Comment: 26 pages, 18 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap

Complementary medicine use and health literacy in older Australians

Objectives: To investigate whether complementary medicine (CAM) use is associated with health literacy levels and decision self-efficacy. Design: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to men and women aged 65 years and older who participated in a randomised control trial (N = 153) in Sydney, Australia. Results: One hundred and fifty-three people completed the survey of those 66% were females and the mean age was 76 years. Most participants used or were currently using CAM in the past 12 months (75%). The most common source of CAM information were GPs. Participants with higher levels of social support were found more likely to use CAM accessed over the counter (OTC). Participants reporting lower health literacy skills with appraising health information were more likely to use CAM delivered by CAM practitioners. Participants with higher levels of health literacy relating to the domain - “ability to actively engage with health care providers” - were found to use OTC CAM. No relationship was found between participants’ decision-making self-efficacy and use of CAM accessed from a CAM practitioner or OTC. Conclusions: CAM is used by older Australians to maintain their health. Use of CAM was not associated with decision self-efficacy and health literacy. However, CAM users who have less skills with appraising information are possibly more likely to access their CAM from trusted sources such as a CAM practitioners

Manipulating and Controlling for Personality Effects on Visualization Tasks

Researchers in human–computer interaction and visualization have recently been challenged to develop a better understanding of users’ underlying cognitive processes in order to improve system design and evaluation. While existing studies lay a critical foundation for understanding the role of cognitive processes and individual differences in visualization, concretizing the intuition that each user experiences a visual interface through an individual cognitive lens is only half the battle. In this article, we investigate the impact of manipulating users’ personality on observed behavior when using a visualization. In a targeted study, we demonstrate that personality priming can result in changes in behavior when interacting with visualizations. We then discuss how this and similar techniques could be used to control for personality effects when designing and evaluating visualizations systems

Blood Pressure Measurement Device for Low Resource Settings

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Fall 2015The design team spent eight weeks in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at a tertiary referral hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), in Kumasi, Ghana. During the team’s immersion experience at the hospital, the team observed healthcare providers experiencing difficulty following obstetrics patients’ blood pressure management plans. This occurred largely because of the high volume of patients and the busyness of the wards. The patient's blood pressure measurement strongly influences the treatment especially if she has hypertensive disorders. Hypertensive disorders, mainly preeclampsia and eclampsia, are the second leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and the leading cause of maternal mortality at KATH. The team identified an opportunity for the development of a blood pressure measurement device to aid the healthcare providers in measuring the patients’ blood pressures every 30 minutes or four hours according to their management plans. This project is in collaboration with clinical mentors and advisors at University of Michigan Hospital and KATH. The final design is an auscultatory device with a microphone stethoscope and headphones to listen to the Korotkoff sounds, a hand pump for manual inflation, an automatic constant rate deflation facilitated by a solenoid valve, a LCD screen to display the current pressure, a slip-on cuff, an aneroid pressure gauge for calibration, a handle, a storage area, and a rechargeable battery. The current prototype follows the design fairly closely however the device is not powered by a rechargeable battery and the electrical components are all on a breadboard which prevents its portability. All validation testing completed so far on the current prototype has been promising including testing the accuracy and ease-of-use of the device when used by three nursing student. This device will be continued to be improved next semester so that it can be taken to KATH for further validation and feedback.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117349/1/ME450-F15-Project07-FinalReport.pd

Priming Locus of Control to Affect Performance

Recent research suggests that the personality trait Locus of Control (LOC) can be a reliable predictor of performance when learn- ing a new visualization tool. While these results are compelling and have direct implications to visualization design, the relation- ship between a user’s LOC measure and their performance is not well understood. We hypothesize that there is a dependent relation- ship between LOC and performance; specifically, a person’s orientation on the LOC scale directly influences their performance when learning new visualizations. To test this hypothesis, we conduct an experiment with 300 subjects using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. We adapt techniques from personality psychology to manipulate a user’s LOC so that users are either primed to be more internally or externally oriented on the LOC scale. Replicating previous studies investigating the effect of LOC on performance, we measure users’ speed and accuracy as they use visualizations with varying visual metaphors. Our findings demonstrate that changing a user’s LOC impacts their performance. We find that a change in users’ LOC results in performance changes

Attitudes and factors involved in decision-making around complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) by older Australians: A qualitative study

Introduction: Recent evidence has indicated that older Australians are increasingly turning to complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) to address a variety of health issues. This qualitative study aimed to explore the attitudes and factors involved in decision-making around CAMs by older Australians upon the completion of a CAM educational intervention. Methods: Men and women aged over 65 years living in New South Wales, Australia were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews after taking part in a randomised control trial. Interviews were analysed using the framework approach. Results: A total of 20 participants aged over 65 years were interviewed. Themes captured the participants heightened awareness on their decision-making processes when choosing CAM, their increased sense of ability to make empowered and informed decisions regarding CAM, and pre-existing knowledge, or lack of, that impacted their ability to make decisions. Conclusions: The nature of health-related decision-making for older Australians around CAM is multifaceted and involves a consideration of their personal beliefs and experiences, social networks, education levels, healthcare professionals amongst other factors

Metformin Decreases the Incidence of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Promoted by Diet-induced Obesity in the Conditional KrasG12D Mouse Model.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a particularly deadly disease. Chronic conditions, including obesity and type-2 diabetes are risk factors, thus making PDAC amenable to preventive strategies. We aimed to characterize the chemo-preventive effects of metformin, a widely used anti-diabetic drug, on PDAC development using the KrasG12D mouse model subjected to a diet high in fats and calories (HFCD). LSL-KrasG12D/+;p48-Cre (KC) mice were given control diet (CD), HFCD, or HFCD with 5 mg/ml metformin in drinking water for 3 or 9 months. After 3 months, metformin prevented HFCD-induced weight gain, hepatic steatosis, depletion of intact acini, formation of advanced PanIN lesions, and stimulation of ERK and mTORC1 in pancreas. In addition to reversing hepatic and pancreatic histopathology, metformin normalized HFCD-induced hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia among the 9-month cohort. Importantly, the HFCD-increased PDAC incidence was completely abrogated by metformin (p < 0.01). The obesogenic diet also induced a marked increase in the expression of TAZ in pancreas, an effect abrogated by metformin. In conclusion, administration of metformin improved the metabolic profile and eliminated the promoting effects of diet-induced obesity on PDAC formation in KC mice. Given the established safety profile of metformin, our findings have a strong translational potential for novel chemo-preventive strategies for PDAC