Cognitive Principles of Schematisation for Wayfinding Assistance

People often need assistance to successfully perform wayfinding tasks in unfamiliar environments. Nowadays, a huge variety of wayfinding assistance systems exists. All these systems intend to present the needed information for a certain wayfinding situation in an adequate presentation. Some wayfinding assistance systems utilize findings for the field of cognitive sciences to develop and design cognitive ergonomic approaches. These approaches aim to be systems with which the users can effortless interact with and which present needed information in a way the user can acquire the information naturally. Therefore it is necessary to determinate the information needs of the user in a certain wayfinding task and to investigate how this information is processed and conceptualised by the wayfinder to be able to present it adequately. Cognitive motivated schematic maps are an example which employ this knowledge and emphasise relevant information and present it in an easily readable way. In my thesis I present a transfer approach to reuse the knowledge of well-grounded knowledge of schematisation techniques from one externalisation such as maps to another externalization such as virtual environments. A analysis of the informational need of the specific wayfinding task route following is done one the hand of a functional decomposition as well as a deep analysis of representation-theoretic consideration of the external representations maps and virtual environments. Concluding from these results, guidelines for transferring schematisation principles between different representation types are proposed. Specifically, this thesis chose the exemplary transfer of the schematisation technique wayfinding choremes from a map presentation into a virtual environment to present the theoretic requirements for a successful transfer. Wayfinding choremes are abstract mental concepts of turning action which are accessible as graphical externalisation integrated into route maps. These wayfinding choremes maps emphasis the turning action along the route by displaying the angular information as prototypes of 45° or 90°. This schematisation technique enhances wayfinding performance by supporting the matching processes between the map representation and the internal mental representation of the user. I embed the concept of wayfinding choremes into a virtual environment and present a study to test if the transferred schematisation technique also enhance the wayfinding performance. The empirical investigations present a successful transfer of the concept of the wayfinding choremes. Depending on the complexity of the route the embedded schematization enhance the wayfinding performance of participants who try to follow a route from memory. Participants who trained and recall the route in a schematised virtual environment make fewer errors than the participants of the unmodified virtual world. This thesis sets an example of the close research circle of cognitive behavioural studies to representation-theoretical considerations to applications of wayfinding assistance and their evaluations back to new conclusions in cognitive science. It contributes an interdisciplinary comprehensive inspection of the interplay of environmental factors and mental processes on the example of angular information and mental distortion of this information

Model All-Payer Claims Database Legislation

With support from the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center, the APCD Council has developed model legislation guidance for states to develop all-payer claims database legislation

All-Payer Claims Database Development Manual: Establishing a Foundation for Health Care Transparency and Informed Decision Making

With support from the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center, the APCD Council has developed a manual for states to develop all-payer claims databases. Titled All-Payer Claims Database Development Manual: Establishing a Foundation for Health Care Transparency and Informed Decision Making, the manual is a first-of its-kind resource that provides states with detailed guidance on common data standards, collection, aggregation and analysis involved with establishing these databases

Moss by Bike - with the Netherlands as a Source of Inspiration

I Norge har tilretteleggingen for syklister i mange år blitt nedprioritert. Norge har ikke hatt noen god eller systematisk form for sykkelplanlegging, og syklistene har blitt vant til å bruke fortauet som sykkelfelt. Tilrettelegging for syklister skjer på bilistenes premisser og dette har ført til en lav andel syklende i Norge. Norge ligger veldig langt etter i sykkel-planleggingen i forhold til typiske sykkelland som Nederland. Nederland har gått fra å være et bilbasert samfunn til å bli en av verdens beste land å sykle i. Dette har i hovedsak skjedd ved en nedprioritering av biltrafikken. På grunn av de miljø- og samfunnsmessige problemene som oppstår i samfunnet i dag, er Norge nødt til å jobbe mot mer miljøvennlige transportmidler. Sykling er miljøvennlig, bra for helsen og lønnsomt for samfunnsøkonomien. Sykling er derfor en god hverdagsaktivitet som det bør tilrettelegges for. I tillegg til dårlig sykkelinfrastruktur, kan forhold knyttet til klima, topografi og bosettingsmønster delvis forklare den lave sykkelandelen i Norge. I tillegg finnes det mange andre grunner for hvorfor nordmenn sykler lite. Blant annet påvirker et bilavhengig samfunn og en dårlig sykkelkultur i Norge folks valg av transportmiddel. En sykkelvennlig infrastruktur som driftes godt er avgjørende for en høy sykkelandel. Sykkelinfrastrukturen skal bestå av et sammen-hengende nett av sykkelveier som ivaretar syklistenes behov. Sykkelanlegget skal være trafikk-sikkert, attraktivt og det skal sikre den mest direkte ruten. Å planlegge godt for syklister er ikke en enkel oppgave. Særlig i byer hvor én skal forholde seg til eksisterende bebyggelse og trange gater, kan det være utfordrende å få plass til syklister i et allerede godt etablert trafikkbilde. Dette må gjøres ved en nedprioritering av biltrafikken og Nederland kan brukes som inspirasjon. Et casestudie av Moss viser hvordan sykkelløsninger fra Nederland kan brukes til å skape bedre sykkelbyer i Norge. Moss er Norges nest dårligste sykkelby og er nesten ikke tilrettelagt for syklister i dag. Mulighetsstudien viser hvordan man gjennom en overordnet sykkelplan kan skape et sammenhengende sykkelveinett som dekker hele byen. Deler av sykkelplanen utarbeides i detalj ved en aktiv bruk av konkrete sykkelløsninger fra Nederland. Detaljområdene viser at syklister kan prioriteres bedre enn i dag, selv i byer som i utgangspunktet er svært dårlige for syklister.For many years, cycling facilities and - infrastructure in Norway has been given less priority. Norway has never had any good or systematic form of bicycle planning, and cyclists are accustomed to use the sidewalk as a bicycle lane. Bicycle facilities are based on motorist terms which have led to a low percentage of cyclists in Norway. Bicycle planning in Norway is running far behind compared to typical bicycle countries like the Netherlands. The Netherlands have evolved from being a car-based society to one of the world’s best bicycle countries. This mainly occurred by given the cars less priority. Due to environmental and social problems arising in societies today, Norway has to work on a more environmental friendly way of transport. Cycling is environmental friendly, good for people’s health and profitable for the society. Partly because of this, cycling is a good everyday’s activity which should be arranged for. In addition to a bad cycling infrastructure, other factors related to climate, topography and settlement patterns, could partly explain the low percentage of cyclists in Norway. In addition, there are many other reasons for Norwegians using bikes this little. Norway’s car-dependent society and bad bicycle culture will also influence people’s choice of transport. A bicycle friendly and well-maintained infrastructure is essential for a high percentage of cyclists. A bicycle infrastructure should contain a well-connected network of bicycle lanes, maintaining the needs of cyclists. Bicycle facilities should be safe, attractive and ensure the most direct route. Good planning for cyclist is not an easy task. Especially in cities, with an already well-established traffic situation and where you have to take into account the existing buildings and narrow streets, it can be challenging to implement cycling facilities. This should be established by giving car traffic less priority. The Netherlands can be used as a source of inspiration. Moss as a case study shows how cycling facility solutions from the Netherlands can be used to create better bicycle cities in Norway. Moss is the second worst bicycle city in Norway and hardly facilitated for cyclists today. This feasibility study shows, by means of a comprehensive bicycle plan, how to create a well-connected cycle network which covers the entire city. Parts of the bicycle plan are drawn up in detail inspired by specific bicycle facilities solutions from the Netherlands. These details shows that cyclists can be prioritized better than today, even in cities which have from origin extremely poor cycling facilities.M-L

Taking off to the Third Dimension, Schematization of Virtual Environments

Virtual environments are increasingly popular in different areas in both research and industry. However, interaction with these environments is challenging, posing a variety of difficulties to human users. In this paper, we explore how well known principles of abstraction and information reduction for 2D spatial representations, which we term schematization, can be transferred to the 3D representations of virtual environments in order to ease interaction and to increase their utility

The Cardiac Care Bridge randomized trial in high‐risk older cardiac patients: A mixed‐methods process evaluation

Aim: To evaluate healthcare professionals' performance and treatment fidelity in the Cardiac Care Bridge (CCB) nurse-coordinated transitional care intervention in older cardiac patients to understand and interpret the study results. Design: A mixed-methods process evaluation based on the Medical Research Council Process Evaluation framework. Methods: Quantitative data on intervention key elements were collected from 153 logbooks of all intervention patients. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 19 CCB professionals (cardiac nurses, community nurses and primary care physical therapists), from June 2017 until October 2018. Qualitative data-analysis is based on thematic analysis and integrated with quantitative key element outcomes. The analysis was blinded to trial outcomes. Fidelity was defined as the level of intervention adherence. Results: The overall intervention fidelity was 67%, ranging from severely low fidelity in the consultation of in-hospital geriatric teams (17%) to maximum fidelity in the comprehensive geriatric assessment (100%). Main themes of influence in the intervention performance that emerged from the interviews are interdisciplinary collaboration, organizational preconditions, confidence in the programme, time management and patient characteristics. In addition to practical issues, the patient's frailty status and limited motivation were barriers to the intervention. Conclusion: Although involved healthcare professionals expressed their confidence in the intervention, the fidelity rate was suboptimal. This could have influenced the non-significant effect of the CCB intervention on the primary composite outcome of readmission and mortality 6 months after randomization. Feasibility of intervention key elements should be reconsidered in relation to experienced barriers and the population. Impact: In addition to insight in effectiveness, insight in intervention fidelity and performance is necessary to understand the mechanism of impact. This study demonstrates that the suboptimal fidelity was subject to a complex interplay of organizational, professionals' and patients' issues. The results support intervention redesign and inform future development of transitional care interventions in older cardiac patients

The Vehicle, Spring 1989

Table of Contents Home MoviesBob Zordanipage 4 Mummy BreathMichael Salempage 5 Pop ArtMonica Grothpage 6 Grey Haze and MoonAllison Stroudpage 7 The State of Being at a Soap & SudsDenise Santorpage 9 Letter HomeJim Reedpage 10 Thursday Afternoon in the StacksRebecca Dickenspage 11 Sizing DownMichael Salempage 12 Intellectual AnatomyMonica Grothpage 13 Grandmother PoemAmy Sparkspage 14 Blues of the BrothermanAlma Watsonpage 15 MigrationPatrick Peterspage 17 RidingBob Zordanipage 18 All Hallow\u27s EveErik Hansonpage 19 Waiting RoomAmy Sparkspage 20 Father, Forgive HerMonica Grothpage 21 Silent ReplyTom Caldwellpage 22 PhotographRobb Montgomerypage 24 WashdayAnn Moutraypage 25 PhotographDiane Atkinspage 26 Uptown FogRobb Montgomerypage 27 Shinbones and SkullsJennifer Berkshirepage 29 Sudden Small PhrasesPatrick Peterspage 31https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1053/thumbnail.jp

A Systematic Mapping Approach of 16q12.2/FTO and BMI in More Than 20,000 African Americans Narrows in on the Underlying Functional Variation: Results from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study

Genetic variants in intron 1 of the fat mass- and obesity-associated (FTO) gene have been consistently associated with body mass index (BMI) in Europeans. However, follow-up studies in African Americans (AA) have shown no support for some of the most consistently BMI-associated FTO index single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This is most likely explained by different race-specific linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns and lower correlation overall in AA, which provides the opportunity to fine-map this region and narrow in on the functional variant. To comprehensively explore the 16q12.2/FTO locus and to search for second independent signals in the broader region, we fine-mapped a 646-kb region, encompassing the large FTO gene and the flanking gene RPGRIP1L by investigating a total of 3,756 variants (1,529 genotyped and 2,227 imputed variants) in 20,488 AAs across five studies. We observed associations between BMI and variants in the known FTO intron 1 locus: the SNP with the most significant p-value, rs56137030 (8.3×10-6) had not been highlighted in previous studies. While rs56137030was correlated at r2>0.5 with 103 SNPs in Europeans (including the GWAS index SNPs), this number was reduced to 28 SNPs in AA. Among rs56137030 and the 28 correlated SNPs, six were located within candidate intronic regulatory elements, including rs1421085, for which we predicted allele-specific binding affinity for the transcription factor CUX1, which has recently been implicated in the regulation of FTO. We did not find strong evidence for a second independent signal in the broader region. In summary, this large fine-mapping study in AA has substantially reduced the number of common alleles that are likely to be functional candidates of the known FTO locus. Importantly our study demonstrated that comprehensive fine-mapping in AA provides a powerful approach to narrow in on the functional candidate(s) underlying the initial GWAS findings in European populations