Theoretical and practical implications of user interface patterns applied for the development of graphical user interfaces

We address current research concerning patterns dedicated to enable higher reusability during the automated development of GUI systems. User interface patterns are promising artifacts for improvements in this regard. Both general models for abstractions of graphical user interfaces and user interface pattern based concepts such as potential notations and model-based processes are considered. On that basis, the present limitations and potentials surrounding user interface patterns are to be investigated. We elaborate what theoretical implications emerge from user interface patterns applied for reuse and automation within user interface transformation steps. For this purpose, formal descriptions of user interface patterns are necessary. We analyze the capabilities of the mature XML-based user interface description languages UIML and UsiXML to express user interface patterns. Additionally, we experimentally investigate and analyze strengths and weaknesses of two general transformation approaches to derive practical implications of user interface patterns. As a result, we develop suggestions on how to apply positive effects of user interface patterns for the development of pattern-based graphical user interfaces

Optimized identification of advanced chronic kidney disease and absence of kidney disease by combining different electronic health data resources and by applying machine learning strategies

Automated identification of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD ≥ III) and of no known kidney disease (NKD) can support both clinicians and researchers. We hypothesized that identification of CKD and NKD can be improved, by combining information from different electronic health record (EHR) resources, comprising laboratory values, discharge summaries and ICD-10 billing codes, compared to using each component alone. We included EHRs from 785 elderly multimorbid patients, hospitalized between 2010 and 2015, that were divided into a training and a test (n = 156) dataset. We used both the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) and under the precision-recall curve (AUCPR) with a 95% confidence interval for evaluation of different classification models. In the test dataset, the combination of EHR components as a simple classifier identified CKD ≥ III (AUROC 0.96[0.93–0.98]) and NKD (AUROC 0.94[0.91–0.97]) better than laboratory values (AUROC CKD 0.85[0.79–0.90], NKD 0.91[0.87–0.94]), discharge summaries (AUROC CKD 0.87[0.82–0.92], NKD 0.84[0.79–0.89]) or ICD-10 billing codes (AUROC CKD 0.85[0.80–0.91], NKD 0.77[0.72–0.83]) alone. Logistic regression and machine learning models improved recognition of CKD ≥ III compared to the simple classifier if only laboratory values were used (AUROC 0.96[0.92–0.99] vs. 0.86[0.81–0.91], p < 0.05) and improved recognition of NKD if information from previous hospital stays was used (AUROC 0.99[0.98–1.00] vs. 0.95[0.92–0.97]], p < 0.05). Depending on the availability of data, correct automated identification of CKD ≥ III and NKD from EHRs can be improved by generating classification models based on the combination of different EHR components

Identification of quality parameters for an E-Health platform in the federal state of Thuringia in Germany

Many developed countries experience an acute shortage of medical specialists beyond urbanized areas. Specialists and services that are available are usually concentrated in cities apart from the growing number elderly people, who represent the main part of the population in rural areas. These people underlie a growing risk of dementia and live in marginalized isolation apart from specialist support. With the recent development in information and communication technologies, new options for telemedicine and for general knowledge sharing at a distance are becoming increasingly accessible to medical specialists as well as geographically and demographically disadvantaged populations. This paper provides a selected insight into the current state of the art of an E-Health based platform on federal state levels in order to assist medical doctors, nursing services or family members, to communicate with each other. We conclude that such an interconnected platform is highly suitable for the federal state Thuringia in Germany, which is bearing a positive influence on the future of regional health care

An IHE-conform telecooperation platform supporting the treatment of dementia patients

Ensuring medical support of patients of advanced age in rural areas is a major challenge. Moreover, the number of registered doctors—medical specialists in particular—will decrease in such areas over the next years. These unmet medical needs in combination with communication deficiencies among different types of health-care professionals pose threats to the quality of patient treatment. This work presents a novel solution combining telemedicine, telecooperation, and IHE profiles to tackle these challenges. We present a telecooperation platform that supports longitudinal electronic patient records and allows for intersectoral cooperation based on shared electronic medication charts and other documents. Furthermore, the conceived platform allows for an integration into the planned German telematics infrastructure

Partial rupture of a locked patch of the Sumatra megathrust during the 2007 earthquake sequence

The great Sumatra–Andaman earthquake and tsunami of 2004 was a dramatic reminder of the importance of understanding the seismic and tsunami hazards of subduction zones [1,2,3,4]. In March 2005, the Sunda megathrust ruptured again, producing an event [5] of moment magnitude (Mw) 8.6 south of the 2004 rupture area, which was the site of a similar event in 1861 (ref. 6). Concern was then focused on the Mentawai area, where large earthquakes had occurred in 1797 (Mw = 8.8) and 1833 (Mw = 9.0) [6,7]. Two earthquakes, one of Mw = 8.4 and, twelve hours later, one of Mw = 7.9, indeed occurred there on 12 September 2007. Here we show that these earthquakes ruptured only a fraction of the area ruptured in 1833 and consist of distinct asperities within a patch of the megathrust that had remained locked in the interseismic period. This indicates that the same portion of a megathrust can rupture in different patterns depending on whether asperities break as isolated seismic events or cooperate to produce a larger rupture. This variability probably arises from the influence of non-permanent barriers, zones with locally lower pre-stress due to the past earthquakes. The stress state of the portion of the Sunda megathrust that had ruptured in 1833 and 1797 was probably not adequate for the development of a single large rupture in 2007. The moment released in 2007 amounts to only a fraction both of that released in 1833 and of the deficit of moment that had accumulated as a result of interseismic strain since 1833. The potential for a large megathrust event in the Mentawai area thus remains large

Highly Contiguous Assemblies of 101 Drosophilid Genomes

Over 100 years of studies in Drosophila melanogaster and related species in the genus Drosophila have facilitated key discoveries in genetics, genomics, and evolution. While high-quality genome assemblies exist for several species in this group, they only encompass a small fraction of the genus. Recent advances in long-read sequencing allow high-quality genome assemblies for tens or even hundreds of species to be efficiently generated. Here, we utilize Oxford Nanopore sequencing to build an open community resource of genome assemblies for 101 lines of 93 drosophilid species encompassing 14 species groups and 35 sub-groups. The genomes are highly contiguous and complete, with an average contig N50 of 10.5 Mb and greater than 97% BUSCO completeness in 97/101 assemblies. We show that Nanopore-based assemblies are highly accurate in coding regions, particularly with respect to coding insertions and deletions. These assemblies, along with a detailed laboratory protocol and assembly pipelines, are released as a public resource and will serve as a starting point for addressing broad questions of genetics, ecology, and evolution at the scale of hundreds of species