Prospects and pitfalls in combining eye tracking data and verbal reports

It is intuitively appealing to try to combine eye-tracking data and verbal reports when investigating medical image interpretation. However, before collecting such data, important decisions have to be made including exactly when and how to collect the verbal reports. The purpose of this methodological article is to reflect upon the pros and cons of different solutions and to offer some guidelines to investigators. We start by exploring the ontology of vision and speech production and the epistemology of eye movements to grasp what fixations and verbal reports actually reflect. We are also interested in the major constraints of the two systems. Second, we elaborate on two dominant investigational approaches to verbal accounts, namely concurrent think-aloud and Chi’s explanations, and move on to other approaches. Third, we present and critically evaluate studies from the literature on medical image interpretation that have sought to contrast or integrate eye movement data and verbal reports. Fourth, we conclude with some practical guidelines and suggestions for further research.              

Hybrid beasts of the Nordic Bronze Age

During the Nordic Bronze Age (NBA), hybrid beasts contributed to cosmological and mythical narratives on the main media of metal and rock. These hybrids are composed of body parts from particular animals – including bull, bird, snake, horse and human – which entangle with particular objects or images. On metalwork, they appear especially on bronze razors but also on shields, bowls, combs, helmets and in the shape of figurines. Their main occurrence clusters in the later part of the NBA that is characterised by social change. Especially cremation as the total metamorphosis of the human body aligns with a nexus of analogues firmly linking interspecies composites with ideas of bodily fluidity and transformation. Overall, this may be understood as a way of perceiving, and potentially controlling, the world. NBA hybridising art does not indicate that the religion of the era is reducible to mere animism throughout, but society certainly retained and put to use properties of an animistic tradition. Supported by contextual data, the article proposes that the hybrids related to shared NBA myths and religious practices while also legitimising the privilege and leadership of the upper echelons of NBA societies

Prospects and pitfalls in combining eye tracking data and verbal reports

It is intuitively appealing to try to combine eye-tracking data and verbal reports when investigating medical image interpretation. However, before collecting such data, important decisions have to be made including exactly when and how to collect the verbal reports. The purpose of this methodological article is to reflect upon the pros and cons of different solutions and to offer some guidelines to investigators. We start by exploring the ontology of vision and speech production and the epistemology of eye movements to grasp what fixations and verbal reports actually reflect. We are also interested in the major constraints of the two systems. Second, we elaborate on two dominant investigational approaches to verbal accounts, namely concurrent think-aloud and Chi’s explanations, and move on to other approaches. Third, we present and critically evaluate studies from the literature on medical image interpretation that have sought to contrast or integrate eye movement data and verbal reports. Fourth, we conclude with some practical guidelines and suggestions for further research</p

An overview of methods to evaluate uncertainty of deterministic models in decision support

There is an increasing need for environmental management advice that is wide-scoped, covering various interlinked policies, and realistic about the uncertainties related to the possible management actions. To achieve this, efficient decision support integrates the results of pre-existing models. Many environmental models are deterministic, but the uncertainty of their outcomes needs to be estimated when they are utilized for decision support. We review various methods that have been or could be applied to evaluate the uncertainty related to deterministic models' outputs. We cover expert judgement, model emulation, sensitivity analysis, temporal and spatial variability in the model outputs, the use of multiple models, and statistical approaches, and evaluate when these methods are appropriate and what must be taken into account when utilizing them. The best way to evaluate the uncertainty depends on the definitions of the source models and the amount and quality of information available to the modeller.Peer reviewe

Educating IT Project Managers through Project-Based Learning: A Working-Life Perspective

This study discusses project-based learning and describes a course that is designed around these principles. The study also examines the working-life requirements of today’s IT project managers and assesses the potential of project-based learning in promoting the development of the necessary skills and knowledge for successful project management. The data were collected and combined from three different sources: Recent graduates (questionnaires, n=185) were asked to identify the most important skills they needed in their work; project managers (interviews, n=15) were asked their opinions of the contents and methods used when educating IT project managers; and students (interviews, n=58) were asked what they had learned during the project-based course. According to a comparative analysis of the three sets of data, the respondent groups were unanimous regarding two aspects of working-life requirements and learning outcomes: domain-specific knowledge and social skills. The graduates and the project managers saw these as vital in the work of IT professionals, and the students mentioned them as the most important learning outcomes. The findings suggest that project-based learning may provide students with a learning environment that prepares them well for their future working lives

How do technologies meet the needs of the writer with dyslexia? An examination of functions scaffolding the transcription and proofreading in text production aimed towards researchers and practitioners in education

Technological reading and writing tools can help students with dyslexia improve their writing, but students do not use reading and writing functions as much as expected. However, research addressing relevant technological functions is scarce. This study explored the needs of writers with dyslexia and how technological writing tools developed for three Nordic languages meet these needs. Snowball sampling was used to identify different technological features, spellchecker, word prediction, auto-correction, text-to-speech and speech-to-text functions available in nine widely used programmes were investigated. The results indicated that students with moderate spelling difficulties can now achieve accurate spellings using the most sophisticated spelling aids; however, most of these features require time and attention, and this can disturb writing fluency and hamper text production. The implication of this study is that the underlying conflict between spelling accuracy and writing fluency must be actively managed, which necessitates competence in the use of technological tools for both students and teachers in school. Also, further development of tools for scaffolding transcription must consider the dilemma of achieving both writing fluency and spelling accuracy. Further, the accuracy of the aid for students with severe spelling difficulties remains unclear and must be investigated.publishedVersio

Medically induced labor:Epidural analgesia and women’s perceptions of pain in early labor

Introduction Approximately 25% of all deliveries in Denmark are medically induced, typically characterized by more intense uterine contractions. The aim of this paper is to investigate the differences in the administration of epidural analgesia and pain experience between spontaneous and medically induced labor in nulliparous and multiparous women. Methods This is a prospective case-controlled study of 100 participating women in labor. The primary outcome was the timing of administration of epidural analgesia, by delivery progression and frequency. Pain scores were indicated by the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the duration of pain was also notified. Results In nulliparous and multiparous women, medically induced labor was associated with earlier administration of epidural analgesia in relation to the onset of labor pain, compared to women with a spontaneous onset of labor (10.4 vs 26.10 hours, p=0.0). There was a trend, however not statistical, in the use of epidural analgesia in relation to delivery progression, assessed as dilation of the cervix (3 cm vs 4.5 cm, p=0.07) and towards higher frequency for medically induced labor (51.5% vs 32.8%, p=0.07). In nulliparous women, a reduced period of labor pain was shown in medically induced deliveries compared to spontaneous deliveries (9.30 vs 19.00 hours, p=0.03). However, no significant differences in experienced pain were shown (Score: 28.70 vs 29.60, p=0.194). Conclusions Epidural analgesia was administered earlier, and duration of experienced pain was shorter in medically induced labor, in comparison to spontaneous deliveries. However, the experienced pain was not different, possibly explained by a more intense labor process

Causal Approach to Determining the Environmental Risks of Seabed Mining

Mineral deposits containing commercially exploitable metals are of interest for seabed mineral extraction in both the deep sea and shallow sea areas. However, the development of seafloor mining is underpinned by high uncertainties on the implementation of the activities and their consequences for the environment. To avoid unbridled expansion of maritime activities, the environmental risks of new types of activities should be carefully evaluated prior to permitting them, yet observational data on the impacts is mostly missing. Here, we examine the environmental risks of seabed mining using a causal, probabilistic network approach. Drawing on a series of expert interviews, we outline the cause-effect pathways related to seabed mining activities to inform quantitative risk assessments. The approach consists of (1) iterative model building with experts to identify the causal connections between seabed mining activities and the affected ecosystem components and (2) quantitative probabilistic modeling. We demonstrate the approach in the Baltic Sea, where seabed mining been has tested and the ecosystem is well studied. The model is used to provide estimates of mortality of benthic fauna under alternative mining scenarios, offering a quantitative means to highlight the uncertainties around the impacts of mining. We further outline requirements for operationalizing quantitative risk assessments in data-poor cases, highlighting the importance of a predictive approach to risk identification. The model can be used to support permitting processes by providing a more comprehensive description of the potential environmental impacts of seabed resource use, allowing iterative updating of the model as new information becomes available.Peer reviewe

Dysregulation of FOXG1 by ring chromosome 14

In this study we performed molecular characterization of a patient with an extra ring chromosome derived from chromosome 14, with severe intellectual disability, epilepsy, cerebral paresis, tetraplegia, osteoporosis and severe thoraco-lumbal scoliosis. Array CGH analysis did not show any genomic imbalance but conventional karyotyping and FISH analysis revealed the presence of an interstitial 14q12q24.3 deletion and an extra ring chromosome derived from the deleted material. The deletion and ring chromosome breakpoints were identified at base-pair level by mate-pair and Sanger sequencing. Both breakpoints disrupted putative long non-coding RNA genes (TCONS00022561;RP11-148E17.1) of unknown function. However, the proximal breakpoint was 225 kb downstream of the forkhead box G1 gene (FOXG1), within the known regulatory landscape of FOXG1. The patient represents the first case of a r(14) arising from an interstitial excision where the phenotype is compatible with dysregulation of FOXG1. In turn, the phenotypic overlap between the present case, the FOXG1 syndrome and the r(14) syndrome supports that dysregulation of FOXG1 may contribute to the classical r(14)-syndrome, likely mediated by dynamic mosaicism