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PubMed2004

Contributions of sensation and perception studies to the design of artificial environments.

It is argued that knowledge of cognitive psychology, and hence also of sensation and perception, one of its branches, is indispensable when one aims at improving our artificial environment. Four examples of sensation and perception studies are described. Firstly, an experiment was discussed to design a postal code format that can be used accurately in terms of the capacity of short-term visual memory. The second example describes a perceptual conflict between visual and bodily (kinesthetic/proprioceptive) sensations that arises as a result of wrongly designing buildings. In the third example it is shown that vibrotactual displays should present frequencies that trigger the Pacinian system in the skin if people have to make quick and accurate decisions. Finally, a study of a simple acoustic orientation system that can promote indoor travel and activity by blind people was described.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed1996

Biosafety implications in sample introduction: module design characteristics for discrete-sample systems used in critical whole blood analyte testing environments.

Systems designed for the measurement of pH/blood gases and expanded versions of these systems that include the ability to measure electrolytes or other related quantities, all incorporate one or more sampling modules that are limited in their ability to allow for the safe handling of potentially biohazardous blood samples. Systems that provide for injection of sample from a syringe use more than the required volume for sample testing and have the potential for causing splash-back of the sample if the introduction port is blocked. The probes of aspiration-based systems require manual dexterity by the operator and present the possibility of operator injury with a contaminated probe tip or the possibility of system damage as the probe extends and the operator moves the collection device into place. Some systems have the potential for both types of biohazards. This report describes the implications for system design of the sample collection devices commonly in use, and it offers a design solution that combines the ergonomics of an injection system and the operational advantages of an aspiration system, in combination, addressing the biosafety aspects in a unique fashion.

Blood Gas Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gene-environment interaction: definitions and study designs.

Study of gene-environment interaction is important for improving accuracy and precision in the assessment of both genetic and environmental influences. This overview presents a simple definition of gene-environment interaction and suggests study designs for detecting it. Gene-environment interaction is defined as "a different effect of an environmental exposure on disease risk in persons with different genotypes," or, alternatively, "a different effect of a genotype on disease risk in persons with different environmental exposures." Under this strictly statistical definition, the presence or absence of interaction depends upon the scale of measurement (additive or multiplicative). The decision of which scale is appropriate will be governed by many factors, including the main objective of an investigation (discovery of etiology, public health prediction, etc.) and the hypothesized pathophysiologic model. Five biologically plausible models are described for the relations between genotypes and environmental exposures, in terms of their effects on disease risk. Each of these models leads to a different set of predictions about disease risk in individuals classified by presence or absence of a high-risk genotype and environmental exposure. Classification according to the exposure is relatively easy, using conventional epidemiologic methods. Classification according to the high-risk genotype is more difficult, but several alternative strategies are suggested.

Causality↗
PubMed1989

Environmental designs for reading from imaging work stations: ergonomic and architectural features.

Despite the rapid progress made in the electronic design of imaging work stations for medicine, much less effort has gone into the design of environments in which such systems will be used. Based on studies of radiologist film reading sessions, considerable time will be spent working at such viewing systems. If the rooms in which the work stations are placed are not conducive to comfortable work, it will certainly not favor electronic viewing over film reading. In examining existing reading environments, it is also apparent that they are not optimal, even for film. Since some of the problems for film and electronic viewing overlap, such as heat generation (by the alternators, viewboxes, or work station electronics) and glare from light sources, it should be possible to develop solutions that are applicable to both environments, or to rooms that will feature both viewing systems. This paper will discuss some of the approaches to designing environments in which viewing of images is supported by the room architecture and engineering, rather than being degraded by it. To illustrate these points a design, based on the constraint of a real room size and available architectural materials, will be developed.

Architecture↗
PubMed2003

Proactive approaches for mold-free interior environments.

Interior design education and practice can contribute to the prevention of mold growth in indoor environments. The authors provide an overview of current thinking within the interior design educational and professional communities regarding proactive approaches to achieving mold-free building interiors, including identification of current best practices for the prevention of mold problems in buildings. They also discuss the development of certification programs. A review of recent literature points to the need for interior designers to be educated to specify the use of ecologically sound materials that support the health of building occupants. The authors present trade-offs between best practices for designing mold-free indoor environments (including considerations of cost, maintenance, and operation) and occupant comfort, health, and well-being.

Air Conditioning↗
PubMed1993

Pattern discovery in gene regulation; designing an analysis environment.

Interactions that determine cellular fate are exceedingly complex, can take place at different levels of gene regulation and involve a large number of components (such as genes, proteins). 'Wet lab' biology has an inherent difficulty in considering multiple components within one experimental set-up. Thus, the individual experimental results may reflect the behavior of a sub-system and be missing some important information concerning interactions with other components. Computational tools can help in simultaneously analyzing many different pieces of biological knowledge from different data sources. Such tools will aid in comprehending the whole system (cell, organism) as a function of all of its components; this, in turn, will facilitate discovery of the global patterns in genetic regulation. The Worm Community System (WCS) which contains extensive knowledge from many different sources regarding model organism C. elegans, presents a suitable environment for development of the integrated analysis tools. Here we describe a working version of WCS and the strategies employed for the development of the global analysis tools within the System. The present paper deals with the construction of a highly interconnected information space (in the context of the problem) by introducing more sophisticated data objects representing knowledge about genetic regulation. We describe construction of the in-depth objects, development of the analysis tools and discuss the type of analysis feasible within such interconnected space. The analysis tools will serve as an ideal environment for 'dry biology' experimentation and provide a context for 'wet' experiments.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Healing environment in psychiatric hospital design.

Mental health professionals have long speculated that the physical environment in which treatment occurs has an impact on both the treatment process and its outcome. The few empirical studies that evaluated the effects of psychoenvironmental design have shown encouraging results and demonstrated clinically desirable behavioral changes and even reduced psychopathology. In view of the concept that architecture is a tool in the therapeutic process, the design and execution of the psychiatric hospital in the Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel-Hashomer, Israel, were conducted by a multidisciplinary team of architects, mental health professionals, and administrators. The hospital contains three acute inpatient wards and a day care and large outpatient clinic. Its operation began in 1991. This paper deals with the merging of "user-friendly" architectural and environmental design components that create an integral healing environment. The paper discusses the positive effects of specific components on patients and staff, and suggests that our model of psychoenvironmental approach to psychiatric hospital design can provide an important and effective tool in the pursuit of a humane, efficient containment and reduction of severe psychopathology.

Architecture↗
PubMed2001

Modeling a medical environment: an ontology for integrated medical informatics design.

Modern medical environments have seen an increase in technological complexity and pressures of handling more patients with fewer resources, resulting in higher demands on medical practitioners. Medical informatics designers will have to focus on the problem of organizing medical information more effectively to enable practitioners to cope with these challenges. This article addresses this research problem for the particular area of medical problem solving in patient care. First, we describe a traditional modeling approach for medical reasoning used as a basis for developing some decision support systems. We argue these models may be faithful to what is known about biomedical knowledge, but they have limitations for human problem solving, especially in unanticipated situations. Second, we present an ontological framework, known as the abstraction hierarchy (Rasmussen, IEEE Trans. Man. Cybernetics 15 (1985) 234-243), for integrating patient representations that are faithful to existing biomedical knowledge and that are consistent with what is known about human problem solving. Through an example of a critical event in the operating room, we reveal how this framework can support medical problem solving in unanticipated situations. Third, we show how to use these representations as a frame of reference for mapping medical roles, responsibilities, sensors, and controls in an operating room context. Finally, we provide some insight for medical informatics designers in using this framework to design novel training programs and human-computer displays.

Decision Support Techniques↗
PubMed2000

Where are we in understanding the effects of where we are?

This paper briefly reviews research studies of interest to environmental ergonomists. It includes some recent work on the health effects of office lighting, especially the effects of daylighting, fluorescent lighting and full-spectrum lighting. It also covers studies of indoor air quality in offices, especially investigations of localized air filtration and the sick building syndrome. It argues the value of a systematic, ergonomics approach to designing the built environment.

Environment Design↗
PubMed2006

BusWorld: designing a virtual environment for post-traumatic stress disorder in Israel: a protocol.

A number of carefully controlled studies have documented the effectiveness of traditional imaginal exposure for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy is based on a similar logic but rather than self-generating imagery, patients wear a VR helmet and go into a three-dimensional (3-D) computer generated virtual world to help them gain access to their memory of the traumatic event. Recent preliminary research has shown that some patients who fail to respond to traditional therapy benefit from virtual reality exposure therapy, presumably because VR helps the patient become emotionally engaged while recollecting/recounting/re-interpreting/emotionally processing what happened during the traumatic event. The present paper presents a brief overview of a new VR World we developed to provide virtual reality therapy for terrorist bus bombing victims in Israel, and a brief description of our research protocol and measures (for details, see www.vrpain.com).

Clinical Protocols↗