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At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Quality of life: information and learning resources in supporting people with severe life-changing injuries to return to independence.

This paper reports the first stages of the development of an integrated care model for people with massive sudden change in their lives with special reference to spinal cord injuries. The model aims to be holistic by placing the patient at the centre of the service. In addition to providing medical care for physical injuries, the model emphasises at the outset that regaining a good quality of life postinjury is expected. There is quality of life after change if individuals and their support network are provided with access to quality information and evidence for them to make informed choices. In New Zealand, this has been referred to as "life beyond bugger"!

Climacteric↗
PubMed2006

Feature extraction using information-theoretic learning.

A classification system typically consists of both a feature extractor (preprocessor) and a classifier. These two components can be trained either independently or simultaneously. The former option has an implementation advantage since the extractor need only be trained once for use with any classifier, whereas the latter has an advantage since it can be used to minimize classification error directly. Certain criteria, such as Minimum Classification Error, are better suited for simultaneous training, whereas other criteria, such as Mutual Information, are amenable for training the feature extractor either independently or simultaneously. Herein, an information-theoretic criterion is introduced and is evaluated for training the extractor independently of the classifier. The proposed method uses nonparametric estimation of Renyi's entropy to train the extractor by maximizing an approximation of the mutual information between the class labels and the output of the feature extractor. The evaluations show that the proposed method, even though it uses independent training, performs at least as well as three feature extraction methods that train the extractor and classifier simultaneously.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1988

Rodents' (Rattus, Mesocricetus, and Meriones) use of learned caloric information in diet selection.

When given a choice between two mashes of equal caloric density but differing flavors, rats (Rattus norvegicus) show a robust preference for the flavor previously associated with a higher calorie food. This finding suggests that rats may identify food quality by sensory cues such as taste. Our initial attempt to show this effect in the golden Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) failed, apparently because of this species's tendency to store both high- and low-calorie mashes in their cheek pouches during conditioning trials. Initially we attempted to circumvent this seeming morphological constraint on learning by presenting low- and high-calorie mashes on alternate days. This procedure too failed to produce evidence of flavor-caloric learning, although this procedure produced robust learning in another rodent, the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus). Another method of preventing cheek pouching--concurrently presenting low- and high-calorie liquid diets--was more successful; then, hamsters showed clear evidence of flavor-caloric learning. Thus, although flavor-caloric learning is demonstrable in species of rodent besides the rat, the circumstances under which it occurs vary.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Comparison of response prompting procedures in teaching numeral identification to autistic subjects.

This investigation compared the effectiveness and efficiency (sessions, trials, percentage of errors, direct instructional time through criterion, and incidental information learned) of constant time delay and system of least prompts in teaching students with autism to name numerals. Two sessions were provided each day; one with constant time delay and one with system of least prompts. Two students learned 16 numerals, and one student did not learn any numerals with these two procedures. The parallel treatments design was used to assess the effects of the two instructional strategies. The results indicate that both procedures were effective in raising responding to criterion levels for two subjects. The constant time-delay procedure was more efficient than the system of least prompts procedure in terms of sessions, trials, percentage of errors, and direct instructional time through criterion. No differences in efficiency were found for the measure of incidental information learned.

Association Learning↗
PubMed2002

Educationally influential physicians: the need for construct validation.

INTRODUCTION: Educationally influential physicians may be a valuable resource in continuing medical education. Although the idea driving this research--informal learning--converges with research in adult education, organizational learning, marketing, and knowledge diffusion, the results of interventions have proven inconclusive. To actualize the promise of the educationally influential physician (EIP) construct, it is argued that researchers must return to the "classic" studies in this area and resume the process of validating the meaning of the construct. METHODS: A literature review and the occasion of an educationally influential physician identification survey provided an opportunity to contribute to development of this construct. We compared three identification rules used to study 212 physicians. RESULTS: Each rule may identify different people as EIPs. DISCUSSION: To improve the use of educational influentials, research must be completed to validate their role in informal learning.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The concepts of 'sameness' and 'difference' in an insect.

Insects process and learn information flexibly to adapt to their environment. The honeybee Apis mellifera constitutes a traditional model for studying learning and memory at behavioural, cellular and molecular levels. Earlier studies focused on elementary associative and non-associative forms of learning determined by either olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension reflex or the learning of visual stimuli in an operant context. However, research has indicated that bees are capable of cognitive performances that were thought to occur only in some vertebrate species. For example, honeybees can interpolate visual information, exhibit associative recall, categorize visual information and learn contextual information. Here we show that honeybees can form 'sameness' and 'difference' concepts. They learn to solve 'delayed matching-to-sample' tasks, in which they are required to respond to a matching stimulus, and 'delayed non-matching-to-sample' tasks, in which they are required to respond to a different stimulus; they can also transfer the learned rules to new stimuli of the same or a different sensory modality. Thus, not only can bees learn specific objects and their physical parameters, but they can also master abstract inter-relationships, such as sameness and difference.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Distance learning project--information skills training: supporting flexible trainees in psychiatry.

This one-year project was designed to investigate the skills training needs of a group of 12 specialist registrars in psychiatry working as flexible trainees (part time) in the NHS. They had expressed concerns about their lack of information technology skills at training assessment seminars. A part-time project officer, was appointed to support the group giving information skills training to each flexible trainee on an individual basis, through a series of home visits. The project officer worked under the supervision of the London Library & Information Development Unit (LLIDU) from a home base, to identify with the insular feelings expressed by the project group. Project funding purchased a laptop computer with modem and a printer for each participant to use during the project. The training covered: basic search skills and developing search strategy techniques using quality filters particularly in relation to the MEDLINE database; how to search the Cochrane Library and PubMed and exploiting Internet information resources. The group asked for help with word processing and presentation software use. These needs were met in a series of half-day workshops. Experience and insight gained during the project will feed into future planning of information skills training for larger numbers of flexible trainees.

Education, Distance↗
PubMed2005

Evaluation of biomedical text-mining systems: lessons learned from information retrieval.

Biomedical text-mining systems have great promise for improving the efficiency and productivity of biomedical researchers. However, such systems are still not in routine use. One impediment to their development is the lack of systematic and rigorous evaluation, comparable to the approaches developed for information retrieval systems. The developers of text-mining systems need to improve both test collections for system-oriented evaluation and undertake user-oriented evaluations to determine the most effective use of their systems for their intended audience.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2005

Lessons learned: geographic information systems and farmworkers in the Lake States.

Agencies serving the estimated 42,000 to 137,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the Lake States (Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota) face distinct challenges, including inadequate access to farmworker data to address their needs. This project developed and evaluated a geographical information system (GIS) database for compiling and displaying existing farmworker data in the Lake States. A three-step study was conducted in the Lake States: (1) a preliminary resource and needs assessment was conducted among agencies serving farmworkers, (2) a GIS product was created using data available from state agencies, and (3) the GIS product was evaluated by an advisory board of qualified occupational health and safety representatives for appropriateness, applications, and ease of use. Agencies participated by sharing their available farmworker data. The GIS product consisted of a CD-ROM with data displayed in a graphic format and downloadable spreadsheet files consolidated by county demographic, crop, housing, and migrant health clinic information. Evaluators of the GIS product found it to be an accessible, unique clearinghouse for farmworker-related data. The GIS product can become a valuable tool for agencies serving farmworkers and those researching farmworker-related issues. Agencies and health professionals require useful and comprehensive databases to track and serve farmworkers, and a multi-agency partnership using GIS technology could provide this capability. Further research is required with improved definitions and resources to apply the GIS product.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed2002

Clinic closure brings power to a community. Lessons learned to inform health policy.

Development of a community clinic as a campus/community partnership served as a model for community empowerment in a unique demonstration project in a rural state. The purpose was to provide primary health care and illustrate the impact of expert faculty practice with extremely vulnerable populations. Advanced practice students in a variety of disciplines participated with faculty in health care delivery in an underserved area.

Community Health Centers↗