Images in Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS): An Eye Tracking Study

Current forms of online help are increasingly making use of images (graphical illustrations or photographs), along with textual instructions to effectively assist users in performing a specific task. Users typically want to accomplish tasks quickly and devote limited attention to help systems. Hence, it is essential that these images facilitate efficient understanding of the task at hand and complement the instructions well. The first goal of the project was to create quick and inexpensive images that work better than or as well as existing graphical illustrations. The second goal was to conduct a usability test with eye tracking to compare guidance of visual attention by three types of images: graphic illustrations, digital photographs and modified digital photographs. During the test, other key measures like success rates and time on task were also measured. Subjective preferences for the three types of images were also evaluated. Results indicated that the modified photographs performed better in guiding the visual attention of users to the relevant areas of the image than the other two image types. Though not statistically significant, the trend showed that task completion times for tasks with the modified photographs were shorter than those with the other image types (i.e., tasks with modified photographs were quicker than those with other image types). Subjective ratings indicated that participants preferred photographs and modified photographs to the existing graphical illustrations

Prevalence Estimation and Optimal Classification Methods to Account for Time Dependence in Antibody Levels

Serology testing can identify past infection by quantifying the immune response of an infected individual providing important public health guidance. Individual immune responses are time-dependent, which is reflected in antibody measurements. Moreover, the probability of obtaining a particular measurement changes due to prevalence as the disease progresses. Taking into account these personal and population-level effects, we develop a mathematical model that suggests a natural adaptive scheme for estimating prevalence as a function of time. We then combine the estimated prevalence with optimal decision theory to develop a time-dependent probabilistic classification scheme that minimizes error. We validate this analysis by using a combination of real-world and synthetic SARS-CoV-2 data and discuss the type of longitudinal studies needed to execute this scheme in real-world settings.Comment: 29 pages, 11 figure

Efficiency Theory: a Unifying Theory for Information, Computation and Intelligence

The paper serves as the first contribution towards the development of the theory of efficiency: a unifying framework for the currently disjoint theories of information, complexity, communication and computation. Realizing the defining nature of the brute force approach in the fundamental concepts in all of the above mentioned fields, the paper suggests using efficiency or improvement over the brute force algorithm as a common unifying factor necessary for the creation of a unified theory of information manipulation. By defining such diverse terms as randomness, knowledge, intelligence and computability in terms of a common denominator we are able to bring together contributions from Shannon, Levin, Kolmogorov, Solomonoff, Chaitin, Yao and many others under a common umbrella of the efficiency theory

An unexpected reaction of camphor with sodium metal

1327-1331Reaction of camphor with sodium metal at elevated temperature in refluxing THF or toluene, furnishes an unexpected product. The product has been identified by spectral analysis and its structure confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction study. A preliminary mechanistic explanation has been suggested to explain this reaction

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Not AvailableEmbryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells, capableof differentiating into various cell types. In thepresent study, feeder cell-free culture of mid-blastula embryos of the Goldfish (Carassius auratus)was carried out. Embryonic stem cells were derivedfrom mid-blastula stage embryos using pronase torelease the inner cell mass (ICM). The cells werecultured in Leibovitz-15 medium on gelatin-coatedcell culture well plates supplemented with 15% fetalbovine serum, 1% goldfish serum, basic fibroblastgrowth factor and leukaemia inhibitory factors (LIF)and were incubated at 28°C. The ES-like cells werecharacterized by their unique round and polygonalmorphology, elevated activity of alkaline phos-phatase, spherical three-dimensional embryoid bodyformation, chromosomal diploid number (2n=50).The expression of Oct4, a member Oct family ofPOU transcription factors, which play a key role inregulating stem cell pluripotency and differentia-tion, was used for characterization of undifferenti-ated pluripotent ES cells. The expression of Oct4 inembryonic stem-like cell (2nd passage) and gonadsof goldfish was studied by RT- PCR. Embryonicstem-like cells culture from the mid blastula embryoof C. auratus would be a useful tool for cellulardevelopment and differentiation studies.Not Availabl

Synthesis and study of spectroscopic behaviour of cyclohexanone based bis-chalcones

106-111Seven cyclohexanone based bis-chalcones have been prepared and their photophysical properties investigated. Derivatives 2,6-bis-(4-methoxybenzylidene)cyclohexanone 3 and 2,6-bis-(4-N,N-dimethylaminobenzylidene)cyclohexanone 4 show optical response to the change in pH. The results indicate the interaction of –OCH3 and –N(CH3)2 substituted bischalcone with proton. Compound 3 shows reversible internal charge transfer (ICT) as monitored by UV-Visible spectroscopy