Measuring readiness-to-hand through differences in attention to the task vs. attention to the tool

New interaction techniques, like multi-touch, tangible inter-action, and mid-air gestures often promise to be more intuitive and natural; however, there is little work on how to measure these constructs. One way is to leverage the phenomenon of tool embodiment—when a tool becomes an extension of one’s body, attention shifts to the task at hand, rather than the tool itself. In this work, we constructed a framework to measure tool embodiment by incorporating philosophical and psychological concepts. We applied this framework to design and conduct a study that uses attention to measure readiness-to-hand with both a physical tool and a virtual tool. We introduce a novel task where participants use a tool to rotate an object, while simultaneously responding to visual stimuli both near their hand and near the task. Our results showed that participants paid more attention to the task than to both kinds of tool. We also discuss how this evaluation framework can be used to investigate whether novel interaction techniques allow for this kind of tool embodiment.Postprin

The influence of different culture microenvironments on the generation of dendritic cells from non-small-cell lung cancer patients

This study extends the model developed in Williams and Seaman’s [Williams, J. J. and Seaman, A. E. (2010). Corporate Governance and Mindfulness: The Impact of Management Accounting Systems Change, The Journal of Applied Business Research, Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 1-17] exploratory paper examining the moderating effects of management accounting systems (MAS) change on the corporate governance/mindfulness relationship for a Canadian sample of 124 top-level accounting professionals. Canonical correlation analysis was applied to the linkage of multiple cognitive processes of mindfulness (Weick and Sutcliffe, 2001; 2007) and the governance dimensions of performance and conformance specified by the International Federation of Accountants (2009), underpinned by the moderating effects of five different components of MAS change, which yielded 13 significant relationships. The latter were subsequently analyzed for important gestalts (i.e., patterns) in the overall relationship, and assessed within the context of aligning professional accounting practices involving systems changes to the IFAC (2009) governance framework. These findings appear to have implications for improved governance structures in practice as well as offering a rich foundation for future research

A miniature world in decline: European Red List of Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts

AimThis Red List is a summary of the conservation status of the European species of mosses, liverworts and hornworts, collectively known as bryophytes, evaluated according to IUCN’s Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional Level. It provides the first comprehensive, region-wide assessment of bryophytes and it identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at a European level, so that appropriate policy measures and conservation actions, based on the best available evidence, can be taken to improve their status.ScopeAll bryophytes native to or naturalised in Europe (a total of 1,817 species), have been included in this Red List. In Europe, 1,796 species were assessed, with the remaining 21 species considered Not Applicable (NA). For the EU 28, 1,728 species were assessed, with a remaining 20 species considered NA and 69 species considered Not Evaluated (NE). The geographical scope is continentwide, extending from Iceland in the west to the Urals in the east, and from Franz Josef Land in the north to theCanary Islands in the south. The Caucasus region is not included. Red List assessments were made at two regional levels: for geographical Europe and for the 28 Member States of the European Union.ResultsOverall, 22.5% of European bryophyte species assessed in this study are considered threatened in Europe, with two species classified as Extinct and six assessed as Regionally Extinct (RE). A further 9.6% (173 species) are considered Near Threatened and 63.5% (1,140 species) are assessed as Least Concern. For 93 species (5.3%), there was insufficient information available to be able to evaluate their risk of extinction and thus they were classified as Data Deficient (DD). The main threats identified were natural system modifications (i.e., dam construction, increases in fire frequency/intensity, and water management/use), climate change (mainly increasing frequency of droughts and temperature extremes), agriculture (including pollution from agricultural effluents) and aquaculture.RecommendationsPolicy measures• Use the European Red List as the scientific basis to inform regional/national lists of rare and threatened species and to identify priorities for conservation action in addition to the requirements of the Habitats Directive, thereby highlighting the conservation status of bryophytes at the regional/local level.• Use the European Red List to support the integration of conservation policy with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other national and international policies. For example, CAP Strategic Plans should include biodiversity recovery commitments that could anticipate, among others, the creation of Important Bryophyte Areas. An increased involvement of national environmental agencies in the preparation of these strategic plans, and more broadly in ongoing discussions on the Future CAP Green Architecture, would likely also ensure the design of conservation measures better tailored to conserve bryophytes in agricultural landscapes.• Update the European Red List every decade to ensure that the data remains current and relevant.• Develop Key Biodiversity Areas for bryophytes in Europe with a view to ensuring adequate site-based protection for bryophytes.Research and monitoring• Use the European Red List as a basis for future targeted fieldwork on possibly extinct and understudied species.• Establish a monitoring programme for targeted species (for example, threatened species and/or arable bryophytes).• Use the European Red List to obtain funding for research into the biology and ecology of key targeted species.Action on the ground• Use the European Red List as evidence to support multi-scale conservation initiatives, including designation of protected areas, reform of agricultural practices and land management, habitat restoration and rewilding, and pollution reduction measures.• Use the European Red List as a tool to target species that would benefit the most from the widespread implementation of the solutions offered by the 1991 Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC), including the application of correct amounts of nutrients for each crop, only in periods of crop growth under suitable climatic conditions and never during periods of heavy rainfall or on frozen ground, and the creation of buffer zones to protect waters from run-off from the application of fertilizers.Ex situ conservation• Undertake ex situ conservation of species of conservation concern in botanic gardens and spore and gene banks, with a view to reintroduction where appropriate.</p

PET/TC no estadiamento do carcinoma pulmonar de não pequenas células â concordância entre o estadiamento clínico e o patológico

Resumo: Introdução: A PET/TC integrada tornou-se num instrumento fundamental na avaliação pré-operatória do cancro do pulmão de não pequenas células (CPNPC), fornecendo informação anatómica e metabólica com utilidade na caracterização das lesões tumorais e na deteção da doença metastática. Objetivo: Comparar a concordância entre o estadiamento clínico e o patológico antes e depois da utilização da PET/TC. Material e métodos: Estudo retrospetivo envolvendo doentes com CPNPC submetidos a cirurgia potencialmente curativa num período de 10,5 anos. O coeficiente de kappa de Cohen foi utilizado para avaliar a concordância entre os resultados. Resultados: Foram incluídos 150 doentes, 78% do sexo masculino, com uma idade média de 65 (± 9,6) anos. Treze por cento foram submetidos a quimioterapia neoadjuvante. A PET/TC foi efetuada em 41%. A concordância global entre o estadiamento clínico e o patológico foi de 51% (kappa = 0,3639). Verificou-se uma diferença estatisticamente significativa quanto aos resultados do estadiamento nos doentes que efetuaram PET/TC em comparação com o subgrupo que não efetuou o exame (p = 0,003). Nos doentes com PET/TC os falsos negativos ocorreram menos 39%, os falsos positivos em mais 12% e o estadiamento clínico e patológico foi coincidente em mais 27% dos casos. Estes resultados refletiram uma melhoria da concordância entre o estadiamento clínico e o patológico no subgrupo com PET/TC (67%, kappa = 0,5737 vs 40%, kappa = 0,2292). A acuidade da PET/TC foi aumentada quando os doentes submetidos a terapêutica neoadjuvante foram excluídos, obtendo-se uma concordância substancial naqueles que efetuaram o exame apenas com o objetivo de estadiamento (73%, kappa = 0,6323). Conclusão: A inclusão da PET/TC na avaliação pré-operatória do CPNPC melhorou a acuidade do estadiamento clínico, permitindo uma boa concordância com o estadiamento patológico. Abstract: Introduction: Integrated PET/CT has become a fundamental tool in the preoperative assessment of non small lung cancer (NSCLC) providing useful anatomical and metabolic information to characterize tumoral lesions and to detect unsuspected metastatic disease. Aim: To compare the agreement between clinical and pathological staging before and after the use of PET/CT. Material and methods: Retrospective study of patients with NSCLC who underwent potentially curative surgery throughout 10.5 years. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to evaluate staging agreement. Results: One hundred and fifty patients were evaluated, 78% males, with a mean age of 65 (±9.6) years. Thirteen percent were submitted to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. PET/CT was performed in 41%. Global agreement between clinical and pathological staging was 51% (kappa=0.3639). There was a statistically significant difference between the staging results in patients who underwent PET/CT, when compared to the subgroup who did not (p=0.003). For those with PET/CT false negatives occurred in less 39%, false positives in more 12% and clinical and pathological staging coincided in more 27%. The overall results reflected an improvement in the agreement between clinical and pathological staging in the PET/CT subgroup (67%, kappa=0.5737 vs 40%, kappa=0.2292). PET/CT accuracy was enhanced when patients re-staged after neoadjuvant therapy were excluded and a substantial staging agreement was obtained for those who had the exam only for staging purposes (73%, kappa=0.6323). Conclusion: Inclusion of PET/CT in NSCLC preoperative assessment improved the accuracy of the clinical staging, with a good level of agreement with pathological staging. Palavras-chave: Cancro do pulmão de não pequenas células, PET/TC, Estadiamento, Keywords: Non small cell lung cancer, PET/CT, Stagin