The Process of Organizing Personal Information

This paper presents preliminary results from an ongoing research study, which explores the process of organizing personal information from a cognitive sociological perspective. To collect data, a short background questionnaire, a diary study, and two post-diary semi-structured interviews were conducted, for each of the participants. The initial analysis of the results showed that there are five stages in the process of personal information organization. Each stage involved different actions, thoughts, decisions, and factors. The findings from this study will deepen our understanding about information organizing behavior and will contribute to the development and design of various personal information devices and applications that support individuals’ organizing their information

The Process of Organizing Personal Information

This paper presents preliminary results from an ongoing research study, which explores the process of organizing personal information from a cognitive sociological perspective. Participants were asked to keep a diary for a week whenever they save or organize information in digital forms, and two post diary semi-structured interviews were conducted to ask how and why they organized information files. The initial analysis of the results showed that there are five stages in the process of personal information organization. The findings from this study will deepen our understanding about information organizing behavior and contributes to the development and design of various personal information strategies, devices, and interfaces that support individuals’ organizing their information

A Comparative Study of Perceptions and Use of Google Scholar and Academic Library Discovery Systems

Google Scholar and academic library discovery systems are both popular resources among academic users for finding scholarly information. By conducting an online survey with 975 users from more than 20 public research universities across the United States, this study comparatively investigates how and why academic users use these two resources. Results show that the ways participants used both resources were similar, and both were perceived as highly accessible and useful. Academic library discovery systems’ perceived comprehensiveness, subjective norm, loyalty, and intended use were higher than Google Scholar, while Google Scholar’s perceived ease of use, system quality, and satisfaction were higher than that of academic library discovery systems

Personal Information Categorization: The Rigid, Fuzzy, and Flexible Categorizers

This research study investigated and identified different styles of personal information categorization based on three types of mindsets in cognitive sociology. To collect data, a demographic questionnaire, a diary study, and two semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of 18 participants. To analyze data, content analysis of the diary and the interviews were conducted. The results show that there are three different styles of personal information categorization: (1) the rigid categorizer; (2) the fuzzy categorizer; and (3) the flexible categorizer. It is critical to understand different styles of categorization as it is directly related to developing and designing personal information management devices and applications that support personal information organization. The findings from this study also broaden our understanding of categorization, personal information management, and information behavior.ye

Understanding What Personal Information Items Make Categorization Difficult

ABSTRACT This study examined personal information items that are difficult to categorize, and how people deal with these information items. For this research study, 18 participants were asked to keep a diary over a week and record diary entries whenever they decided to save or organize any electronic personal information items. Then, two post-diary semi-structured interviews were conducted to ask questions about how they organized their information items and why they made such decisions based on the diary they kept. Interviews were analyzed by using a grounded theory approach. The results show that the information items that are ambiguous or anomalous are difficult to categorize. Participants dealt with ambiguous or anomalous information items by categorizing them into one of their existing categories, placing them into a miscellaneous category or revising the existing organizational structure. Since personal information items that are difficult to categorize directly influence the time and effort needed to organize personal information, it is important to understand what kind of personal information items makes personal information organization difficult. In particular, the results of this research study have practical implications in developing interfaces and applications that help organizing personal information items effectively. This study also helps us further understand categorization, information organizing behavior, and personal information management

Serum Neopterin Concentration and Impaired Glucose Metabolism: Relationship With β-Cell Function and Insulin Resistance

Aim: The purpose of this study was to measure the serum neopterin according to glucose metabolism and to evaluate neopterin as a predictor of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a hospital-based cohort.Methods: A 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed by people who visited the outpatient clinic in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital for suspected abnormal glucose tolerance or a strong family history of T2D. Neopterin was measured using an enzyme-link immunosorbent assay with baseline samples from the OGTT.Results: Neopterin was measured in 184 participants. Indices related to glucose metabolism, such as the HOMA-IR, disposition index, etc. were calculated based on the results of the OGTT. The classifications for the 184 participants were: 24 (13%) had NGT, 89 (48.4%) prediabetes, and 60 (38.6%) T2D. Neopterin increased with deterioration of glucose metabolism (0.55 ± 0.25 vs. 0.58 ± 0.27 vs. 0.67 ± 0.27 ng/ml, p = 0.041; NGT, prediabetes, and T2D, respectively). Neopterin also correlated with fasting plasma glucose, 30-min and 120-min glucose of OGTT and HbA1c (r = 0.251, 0.259, 0.184, and 0.270, all p < 0.05). The HOMA-IR and disposition index correlated with neopterin (r = 0.291 and −0.170, respectively, both p < 0.05). When combined with C-peptide level, neopterin was as powerful as HOMA-IR in predicting future T2D.Conclusion: Serum neopterin appears to be related to impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance in the development of T2D. Further investigation of the relationship between neopterin and glucose metabolism would be helpful to understand the pathophysiology for the development of T2D

The Role of Sonography in Patients with Breast Cancer Presenting as an Axillary Mass

Objective: To compare sonography and mammography in terms of their diagnostic value in breast cancer cases which initially presented as an axillary mass without a palpable mass or other clinical symptoms. Materials and Methods : Seven patients with enlarged axillary lymph nodes who first presented with no evidence of palpable breast lesions and who underwent both mammography and sonography were enrolled in this study. In six of the seven, the presence of metastatic adenocarcinoma was confirmed preoperatively by axillary needle aspiration biopsy; in four, subsequent sonographically-guided breast core biopsy performed after careful examination of the primary site indicated that primary breast cancer was present. In each case, the radiologic findings were evaluated by both breast sonography and mammography. Results : Breast lesions were detected mammographically in four of seven cases (57%); in three of the four, the lesion presented as a mass, and in one as microcalcification. In three of these four detected cases, fatty or scattered fibroglandular breast parenchyma was present; in one, the parenchyma was dense. In the three cases in which lesions were not detected, mammography revealed the presence of heterogeneously dense parenchyma. Breast sonography showed that lesions were present in six of seven cases (86%); in the remaining patient, malignant microcalcification was detected at mammography. Final pathologic examination indicated that all breast lesions except one, which was a ductal carcinoma in situ, with microinvasion, were infiltrating ductal carcinomas whose size ranged from microscopic to greater than 3 cm. At the time of this study, all seven patients were alive and well, having been disease free for up to 61 months after surgery. Conclusion : In women with a palpable axillary mass confirmed as metastatic adenocarcinoma, breast sonography may be a valuable adjunct to mammography.ope

A framework for nationwide COVID-19 vaccine safety research in the Republic of Korea: the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Committee

With the introduction of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) commissioned the National Academy of Medicine of Korea to gather experts to independently assess post-vaccination adverse events. Accordingly, the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Committee (CoVaSC) was launched in November 2021 to perform safety studies and establish evidence for policy guidance. The CoVaSC established 3 committees for epidemiology, clinical research, and communication. The CoVaSC mainly utilizes pseudonymized data linking KDCA’s COVID-19 vaccination data and the National Health Insurance Service’s claims data. The CoVaSC’s 5-step research process involves defining the target diseases and organizing ad-hoc committees, developing research protocols, performing analyses, assessing causal relationships, and announcing research findings and utilizing them to guide compensation policies. As of 2022, the CoVaSC completed this research process for 15 adverse events. The CoVaSC launched the COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Research Center in September 2022 and has been reorganized into 4 divisions to promote research including international collaborative studies, long-/short-term follow-up studies, and education programs. Through these enhancements, the CoVaSC will continue to swiftly provide scientific evidence for COVID-19 vaccine research and compensation and may serve as a model for preparing for future epidemics of new diseases

The genome sequence of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae KACC10331, the bacterial blight pathogen of rice

The nucleotide sequence was determined for the genome of Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae (Xoo) KACC10331, a bacterium that causes bacterial blight in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The genome is comprised of a single, 4 941 439 bp, circular chromosome that is G + C rich (63.7%). The genome includes 4637 open reading frames (ORFs) of which 3340 (72.0%) could be assigned putative function. Orthologs for 80% of the predicted Xoo genes were found in the previously reported X.axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) and X.campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) genomes, but 245 genes apparently specific to Xoo were identified. Xoo genes likely to be associated with pathogenesis include eight with similarity to Xanthomonas avirulence (avr) genes, a set of hypersensitive reaction and pathogenicity (hrp) genes, genes for exopolysaccharide production, and genes encoding extracellular plant cell wall-degrading enzymes. The presence of these genes provides insights into the interactions of this pathogen with its gramineous host