Proportion Of Information Research Articles

The relationship between healthcare satisfaction after miscarriage and perinatal grief symptoms: A cross-sectional study on Portugal residents

Objective15–20% of identified pregnancies result in miscarriage, which may lead to persistent symptoms of psychological morbidities in some women. Healthcare satisfaction is among the factors believed to influence such negative psychological responses. Here, we present the results of a study conducted in Portugal that analyzes the relationship between healthcare satisfaction, information and support provision and perinatal grief symptoms. MethodsIn a cross-sectional study, symptoms of perinatal grief, degree of satisfaction with healthcare received, and information and support provision data were collected through an online survey aimed at women in Portugal who suffered a miscarriage. 873 were considered eligible. Correlations were performed between perinatal grief scores and healthcare satisfaction rates. Finally, the proportions of information and support received were compared after distributing the sample in groups according to their perinatal grief levels. ResultsHealthcare satisfaction correlated significantly with perinatal grief scores, the latter increasing as satisfaction levels decreased. 61.1% of our sample received information about the physical consequences of miscarriage and showed a significantly lower rate of above-threshold perinatal grief symptoms in this group. 18.2% received information about its mental health consequences, with no significant differences in above-threshold symptom rates. 11.7% were offered or recommended mental health support, but no significant differences in above-threshold symptom rates were found. ConclusionHealthcare satisfaction and information on after-miscarriage physical changes correlated significantly with reduced perinatal grief rates after miscarriage. However, any effects of mental health information and psychological support provision need further studies. Training for healthcare providers dealing with pregnancy loss, implementing national guidelines that include follow-up on the parents' physical and psychological health, and including a specialized area in medical structures are advised.

Government social media and corporate tax avoidance

With the advent of the new media era, government social media have become an important paradigm for social governance. We perform a large-sample regression and reveal that the higher the quality of taxation bureaus’ operation of government social media, the lower the degree of local enterprises’ tax avoidance, which works through reducing tax avoidance incentives and increasing the difficulty of committing tax avoidance. Moreover, government social media play a substitution effect on tax enforcement and administration. We also find that government social media should focus on strengthening its official, formal and professional characteristics. Given the significant recent changes in how enterprises handle taxation, the proportion of information that taxation bureaus post on system operation should be appropriately increased.

2184. Predictors of Pneumococcal Urinary Antigen Test Positivity in Patients with Community-acquired Pneumonia: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review

Abstract Background The 2019 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America (ATS/IDSA) guidelines argue against routine pneumococcal urinary antigen testing (pUAT), except in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Recent studies, however, have suggested that these recommendations identify a low-risk population, resulting in missed opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship. The optimal patient population for pUAT thus remains unknown. Our objective was to summarize predictors of pUAT positivity among patients hospitalized with CAP as determined by previous observational studies. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus for articles related to urinary antigen tests and community-acquired pneumonia. Studies published until August 26, 2021, were included if risk factors for pUAT positivity in adult patients with CAP were evaluated with multivariable analyses. No language filters or limits were applied in order to capture all potentially relevant material. Two investigators independently screened studies, extracted, and compiled data. Results Of the 1,144 studies that were screened, 9 met the inclusion criteria, representing 8,536 patients who underwent pUAT. The most frequent independent risk factors associated with a positive pUAT were intensive care unit (ICU) admission (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.27 – 2.48, I2 = 21%) (Figure 1) and female sex (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.19 – 1.97, I2 = 36%) (Figure 2). Laboratory parameters such as C-reactive protein (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.02 – 4.49, I2 = 93%) and BUN (OR 1.36, 95% CI 0.84 – 2.19, I2 = 93%) were not significantly associated with pUAT positivity. Many variables were inconsistently reported and thus could not be combined for analysis, including age > 65, current smoking, history of emphysema, hyponatremia, certain markers of severity, and antibiotic history. Figure 1:Forest plot of the association between ICU admission and positive pneumococcal UAT. The vertical line corresponds to the no difference point between the two groups. Squares, the size of which indicates the proportion of information given by each study, correspond to ORs. Horizontal lines represent the 95% CIs. The diamond indicates the pooled odds ratios. df = degrees of freedom; IV = inverse variance Figure 2:Forest plot of the association between female sex and positive pneumococcal UAT. The vertical line corresponds to the no difference point between the two groups. Squares, the size of which indicates the proportion of information given by each study, correspond to ORs. Horizontal lines represent the 95% CIs. The diamond indicates the pooled odds ratios. df = degrees of freedom; IV = inverse variance Conclusion Consistent with current guidelines, ICU admission, an indication of severe CAP, appears to be an important predictor of pUAT positivity. Additionally, however, female sex was significantly associated with pUAT positivity. Recognition of these risk factors can assist in identifying patient populations most likely to benefit from pUAT and may be considered in future CAP guidelines. Disclosures Abhishek Deshpande, MD, PhD, Clorox: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Advisor/Consultant|Seres Therapeutics: Grant/Research Support.

Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the Australian context.

Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the Australian context.

Integrating and Evaluating the Data Quality and Utility of Smart Pump Information in Detecting Medication Administration Errors: Evaluation Study.

BackgroundAt present, electronic health records (EHRs) are the central focus of clinical informatics given their role as the primary source of clinical data. Despite their granularity, the EHR data heavily rely on manual input and are prone to human errors. Many other sources of data exist in the clinical setting, including digital medical devices such as smart infusion pumps. When incorporated with prescribing data from EHRs, smart pump records (SPRs) are capable of shedding light on actions that take place during the medication use process. However, harmoniz-ing the 2 sources is hindered by multiple technical challenges, and the data quality and utility of SPRs have not been fully realized.ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the quality and utility of SPRs incorporated with EHR data in detecting medication administration errors. Our overarching hypothesis is that SPRs would contribute unique information in the med-ication use process, enabling more comprehensive detection of discrepancies and potential errors in medication administration.MethodsWe evaluated the medication use process of 9 high-risk medications for patients admitted to the neonatal inten-sive care unit during a 1-year period. An automated algorithm was developed to align SPRs with their medica-tion orders in the EHRs using patient ID, medication name, and timestamp. The aligned data were manually re-viewed by a clinical research coordinator and 2 pediatric physicians to identify discrepancies in medication ad-ministration. The data quality of SPRs was assessed with the proportion of information that was linked to valid EHR orders. To evaluate their utility, we compared the frequency and severity of discrepancies captured by the SPR and EHR data, respectively. A novel concordance assessment was also developed to understand the detec-tion power and capabilities of SPR and EHR data.ResultsApproximately 70% of the SPRs contained valid patient IDs and medication names, making them feasible for data integration. After combining the 2 sources, the investigative team reviewed 2307 medication orders with 10,575 medication administration records (MARs) and 23,397 SPRs. A total of 321 MAR and 682 SPR dis-crepancies were identified, with vasopressors showing the highest discrepancy rates, followed by narcotics and total parenteral nutrition. Compared with EHR MARs, substantial dosing discrepancies were more commonly detectable using the SPRs. The concordance analysis showed little overlap between MAR and SPR discrepan-cies, with most discrepancies captured by the SPR data.ConclusionsWe integrated smart infusion pump information with EHR data to analyze the most error-prone phases of the medication lifecycle. The findings suggested that SPRs could be a more reliable data source for medication error detection. Ultimately, it is imperative to integrate SPR information with EHR data to fully detect and mitigate medication administration errors in the clinical setting.

Abstract P2-13-16: A multidisciplinary approach to implement personalized multifaceted care plans in standard breast cancer care: A quality improvement project

Abstract Background: IOM, ASCO and Commission on Cancer have emphasized the provision of survivorship care plans (SCPs) to cancer patients. Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) aims to ensure that SCPs are developed and shared with healthcare providers (HCPs) to facilitate integrated cancer care. In 2016, a randomized mixed-methods study at St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH) provided a paper based Personalized Multifaceted Care Plan (PMCPs) to breast cancer (BC) patients, which included an upfront treatment plan. The PMCP was generated by entering non-repetitive patient data into a care plan database software developed by the team. The study results showed that patients and primary care providers (PCPs) found PMCP to be useful. Despite the benefits, implementation of SCPs as standard of care remained a challenge due to lack of designated personnel for developing SCP and limited resources causing poor provider buy-in. In 2017, we initiated a quality improvement (QI) project to implement the PMCP by integrating it into existing workflow by involving the care team. Methods: This REB approved QI project was done in two phases. Phase 1 was to identify key members to create the PMCP and to secure the software to the SMH IT server. In phase 2, the PMCPs were delivered to newly diagnosed invasive BC patients, receiving chemotherapy. The PMCPs were also shared with respective PCPs. At SMH, new patients diagnosed with BC are seen initially at the Multidisciplinary Clinic (MDC) by a medical and radiation oncologist, and a patient navigator (PN) to plan treatment. In phase 1, the PN who coordinated the MDC was identified as the most appropriate care team member to initiate the PMCP. To incorporate the PMCP into the PN’s existing workflow, a Transfer of Accountability (TOA) document was designed using the care plan software to replace a patient summary that was created in silos. The TOA was electronically shared with the team and had most of the information provided in the PMCP. The primary outcome measures were proportion of information completed to generate the PMCP and care plans delivered by patients’ care team. Secondary Outcome measures were patient and provider satisfaction with PMCP assessed using surveys at three time points and single time point respectively. Data were summarized using median and IQR as well as frequency and percentages. Data was also shared at QI team meetings, practice patterns were observed for changes and incorporated into subsequent PDSA cycles. Results: From 2017 to 2019, 90% (120/134) of eligible BC patients were provided with the PMCP. At the first 2 PDSA cycles 100% PMCP preparation and delivery was done by research staff. We have achieved 80% compliance in Phase 1 by involving the PN in data entry for PMCP while preparing the TOA document. TOA had been incorporated into standard of care at MDC and a recent nursing project found that HCPs surveyed perceived TOA to be a useful tool in information exchange and care coordination. Patient satisfaction surveys for PMCP found their responses were consistent over all time points with high levels of agreement. Surveys also showed that 73% (86/117) patients agreed that the PMCP helped with communication with their PCPs and 81% (95/117) agreed it helped with communication with the team. Of the 25 PCPs and 5 oncology HCPs surveyed, 91% (22/25) PCPs and 100% (5/5) oncology HCPs agreed that the PMCP should be incorporated into BC care. Conclusions: Implementation of SCPs with a multidisciplinary approach is feasible in BC care. Integration of SCPs within the existing work flow and involvement of members of the care team can lead to increased SCP uptake, better care coordination, sustainability and provider buy-in. With the high patient and provider satisfaction with PMCP, and recommendation by CCO, we are in the process of integrating PMCPs for BC patients as standard of care in the oncology clinic. Citation Format: Rashida Haq, Amy Kong, Ronita Lee, Geetha Mukherji, Christine Brezden-Maesley, Pauline Gulasingam. A multidisciplinary approach to implement personalized multifaceted care plans in standard breast cancer care: A quality improvement project [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-13-16.

Absorption rate as a system risk measurement tool: evidence from the Viet Nam stock market

System risk is one of the problems concerned by many stock market researchers. Many different indicators have been used: the average price index Passcher, Laspeyres or Fisher. These indicators reflect the average price of stocks or a basket of representative stocks in the m arket. The models predicting the prices of these indexes are the measure of market risk. Recently, especially after the major financial crises, the plunge of the stock market indexes has been s een. There are two issues here: Firstly, whether a market index fully reflects systemic r isk. Secondly, any state of market risk implicit breakdowns. Mark Kritzman et al., 2010 proposed index of Absorption Rate as a system risk measurement tool. Research results of the authors and some other studies show that: 1. The sharp decline of the US stock market against the soaring rate of absorption; 2. Stocks devalued significantly after the rate of absorption increased and then p lummeted; 3 . Absorption rate is a leading indicator of the US housing market bubble; 4. Increased absorption rate has a system of market turmoil; 5. The time of major financial crisis coincided with a large change of this rate; 6. Absorption rate contains a large proportion of information about structural models and complex calculations of financial s pread. This article introduces and tests the use of absorption rate to analyze the volatility of the Vietnam stock market. The analysis will focus on a number of periods with different market fluctuations. Experiment uses absorption rate index for a pricing model.

Information-anchored sensitivity analysis: theory and application.

SummaryAnalysis of longitudinal randomized clinical trials is frequently complicated because patients deviate from the protocol. Where such deviations are relevant for the estimand, we are typically required to make an untestable assumption about post‐deviation behaviour to perform our primary analysis and to estimate the treatment effect. In such settings, it is now widely recognized that we should follow this with sensitivity analyses to explore the robustness of our inferences to alternative assumptions about post‐deviation behaviour. Although there has been much work on how to conduct such sensitivity analyses, little attention has been given to the appropriate loss of information due to missing data within sensitivity analysis. We argue that more attention needs to be given to this issue, showing that it is quite possible for sensitivity analysis to decrease and increase the information about the treatment effect. To address this critical issue, we introduce the concept of information‐anchored sensitivity analysis. By this we mean sensitivity analyses in which the proportion of information about the treatment estimate lost because of missing data is the same as the proportion of information about the treatment estimate lost because of missing data in the primary analysis. We argue that this forms a transparent, practical starting point for interpretation of sensitivity analysis. We then derive results showing that, for longitudinal continuous data, a broad class of controlled and reference‐based sensitivity analyses performed by multiple imputation are information anchored. We illustrate the theory with simulations and an analysis of a peer review trial and then discuss our work in the context of other recent work in this area. Our results give a theoretical basis for the use of controlled multiple‐imputation procedures for sensitivity analysis.

Predicting the Seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV Based on National Blood of Addis Ababa Ethiopia Using Data Mining Technology

Recent advancements in communication technologies, on the one hand, and computer hardware and database technologies, on the other hand, have made it easy for organizations to collect, store and manipulate massive amounts of data. As the volume of data increases, the proportion of information in which people could understand decreases substantially. The applications of learning algorithms in knowledge discovery are promising and they are relevant area of research offering new possibilities and benefits in real-world applications such as blood bank data warehouse. The availability of optimal blood in blood banks is a critical and important aspect in a Blood transfusion service. Blood banks are typically based on a healthy person voluntarily donating blood used for transfusions. The ability to identify regular blood donors enables blood bank and voluntary organizations to plan systematically for organizing blood donation camps in an efficient manner. The objective of this study was to explore the immense applicability of data mining technology in the Ethiopian national blood bank service by developing a predictive model that could help in the donor recruitment strategies by identifying donors that are at risk of TTIs which can help in the collection of safe blood group which in turn assists in maintaining optimal blood. The analysis has been carried out on 14575 blood donor’s dataset that has at least one pathogen using the J48 decision tree and Naive bayes algorithm implemented in Weka. J48 decision tree algorithm with the overall model accuracy of 94% has offered interesting rules. From the total of 156729 consecutive blood donors, 14757 (9.41%) had serological evidence of infection with at least one pathogen and 29 (0.19%) had multiple infections. The overall seroprevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV was 2.29%, 5.23%, and 2.30% respectively. The seropositivity of TTIs was significant in business owners, students, civil servants, unemployed individuals, drivers and age groups 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 years.

A DIVERSIFIED DEEP BELIEF NETWORK FOR HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGE CLASSIFICATION

In recent years, researches in remote sensing demonstrated that deep architectures with multiple layers can potentially extract abstract and invariant features for better hyperspectral image classification. Since the usual real-world hyperspectral image classification task cannot provide enough training samples for a supervised deep model, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), this work turns to investigate the deep belief networks (DBNs), which allow unsupervised training. The DBN trained over limited training samples usually has many “dead” (never responding) or “potential over-tolerant” (always responding) latent factors (neurons), which decrease the DBN’s description ability and thus finally decrease the hyperspectral image classification performance. This work proposes a new diversified DBN through introducing a diversity promoting prior over the latent factors during the DBN pre-training and fine-tuning procedures. The diversity promoting prior in the training procedures will encourage the latent factors to be uncorrelated, such that each latent factor focuses on modelling unique information, and all factors will be summed up to capture a large proportion of information and thus increase description ability and classification performance of the diversified DBNs. The proposed method was evaluated over the well-known real-world hyperspectral image dataset. The experiments demonstrate that the diversified DBNs can obtain much better results than original DBNs and comparable or even better performances compared with other recent hyperspectral image classification methods.

Navigating longitudinal clinical notes with an automated method for detecting new information.

Automated methods to detect new information in clinical notes may be valuable for navigating and using information in these documents for patient care. Statistical language models were evaluated as a means to quantify new information over longitudinal clinical notes for a given patient. The new information proportion (NIP) in target notes decreased logarithmically with increasing numbers of previous notes to create the language model. For a given patient, the amount of new information had cyclic patterns. Higher NIP scores correlated with notes having more new information often with clinically significant events, and lower NIP scores indicated notes with less new information. Our analysis also revealed "copying and pasting" to be widely used in generating clinical notes by copying information from the most recent historical clinical notes forward. These methods can potentially aid clinicians in finding notes with more clinically relevant new information and in reviewing notes more purposefully which may increase the efficiency of clinicians in delivering patient care.

First step in the development of an ultrasound joint inflammation score for rheumatoid arthritis using a data-driven approach

ObjectivesTo develop and validate candidate sets of joints and tendons for assessment of ultrasound (US) joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsPatients were included in one of two cohorts from 2010...

Evaluation of a website that promotes social connectedness: lessons for equitable e-health promotion

The online provision of health information and services has been viewed as having the potential to inform and empower health consumers and, ultimately, to promote better health. The Internet can be an innovative tool to deliver services to 'hard-to-reach' population groups, including geographically isolated populations. However, the online platform raises questions regarding the equitable distribution of health services. In this paper we examine a case study of a website that aims to promote health by fostering social connectedness. The website provides information to connect people to locally based community events across Australia. We draw on evaluation findings to examine the socioeconomic and geographical distribution of website usage. A descriptive analysis of web usage statistics revealed a gradient whereby more information is listed and viewed about events in affluent socioeconomic areas. Furthermore, the analysis showed that a greater proportion of information listed and viewed related to urban areas. These results are consistent with broader gradients of Internet access and usage. Drawing on these findings, we identify implications for online health promotion across different population groups, particularly for interventions that do not incorporate an explicit equity focus.

Asymptotic Distribution of the Contribution Ratio in High-Dimensional Principal Component Analysis

In principal component analysis we use the sample cumulative contribution ratio as an estimate of the population cumulative contribution ratio which is a proportion of information condensed into the first several principal components. The main purpose of this paper is to derive an asymptotic distribution of the cumulative contribution ratio in a high-dimensional situation where both the dimension and the sample size are large. Its asymptotic distribution is derived under a spiked model in which the variances of the remainder population principal components are assumed to be equal and small. We consider its logit transformation which is useful in a situation where the population cumulative contribution ratio is high or low. The corresponding large sample results are also summarized with a generalization. Numerical simulation revealed that our new approximation is more accurate than the classical large sample approximation as the dimension increases.

A Question of Timing

Information acquisition and its use frequently are considered critical to the decision-making process, yet related research, especially about the timing of information acquisition, is limited. Our research explores the impact of information acquisition on perceived decision quality and on the time required to reach a decision on a fuzzy task. We found that more information was accessed from a Web-based system in the first part of the group decision-making process, when the decision environment was searched and possible courses of action were analyzed. We also found that the proportion of information accessed in the first part of the meeting was related significantly to the time required to make the decision. More specifically, when most information was accessed in the first part of the decision-making session, the relationship between decision time and amount of information accessed in the early part of the meeting was positive and linear. However, a curvilinear relationship was found between decision time and amount of information accessed in the latter part of the decision-making session. Unlike the findings of a previous study, this earlier access of information is not associated with improved perceived decision quality.

Roshchina, V.V. Neurotransmitters in plant life

The prevailing common knowledge says that animals, and especially mammals, use hormones to coordinate biochemical activities of different types of cells, while neuromediators serve as signalling molecules for communication within the animal’s body and with the outside world. On the other hand, higher plants utilize hormone‐like substances to coordinate their growth and development, but they lack the sophisticated systems for integrative processing and exchange of information. Is it true or false? This book by Victoria V. Roshchina is probably one of the first attempts to change this predominant view. The title grabs the reader’s imagination and, right from the start, the book demonstrates that not only are animal neurotransmitting molecules (acetylcholine, serotonin, histamine and catecholamines, e.g. dopamine, adrenaline or noradrenaline) present in higher and lower plants, as well as in fungi, but their anabolic and catabolic enzymes are also present. It is worth mentioning here that acetylcholine and histamine were in fact first identified in fungal cells, and it was not until much later that they were discovered in animal cells. In the second chapter, Roshchina describes plant responses to neuromediators and their agonists and antagonists, ranging from changes in growth and developmental patterns through membrane processes, to energetic and metabolic reactions. In the third chapter, an attempt is made to relate data, from animals, on regulatory systems that involve neuromediators to observations coming from plants. The final chapters present a more general overview of the possible functions of neurotransmitters in plants, with some additional remarks on putative evolutionary events and on the prospective practical use of plant neuromediators. Neurotransmitters in plant life could be an excellent starting point for anyone looking for a detailed and in‐depth review of all available data on the occurrence, distribution and general physiological activity of several so‐called neuromediators, recognized a long time ago by pharmacognosy, but not enjoying wider attention in mainstream plant biochemistry and physiology. The usefulness of the book is increased further because a significant proportion of information is taken from papers published in less well known and less easily accessible journals, and the references cited span a period of more than 50 years. The original version of this book, in Russian, was published in 1991, while the English translation came 10 years later. It is a pity that during translation no attempt was made to update the contents or to include at least some molecular data derived from recent genomic and proteomic approaches. In effect, many of interpretations contained in this book, e.g. on microtubules in chloroplasts (p. 180), seem too far‐reaching as they are not grounded in solid molecular and biochemical evidence and do not take into account issues related to compartmentation and localization of bioactive molecules. Such an update could also provide a much broader view of the general role of low molecular weight compounds in plants, because, reading this book, one has to constantly remind oneself that the book is devoted to a tiny proportion of plant compounds with biological activities. Having read this book I was slightly disappointed that the data presented and resulting conclusions did not match the promise of the title. The brunt of the criticism should be directed at the publishers. First, the quality of translation is rather poor, with some unusual wordings, making it difficult to understand some sentences. From a biochemical point of view, no attempt has been made to quote quantitative data using identical units, and in one or two cases concentrations were even cited incorrectly as amounts (see, for example, p. 70). There are problems with chemical nomenclature, e.g. serotonin is identified as 5‐oxytryptamine (p. 34) or 5‐hydroxytryptamine (p. 39), while its antagonist is described as trifluoperazine (p. 65) or trifluoroperazine (p. 66). Careful reading also reveals some fundamental mistakes, e.g. on p. 151 one reads: ‘Antagonists are represented by complex phenolic compounds, in particular alkaloid yohimbine (Fig. 48) ’. This single sentence violates the generally accepted definitions of both phenolics (compounds based on 6‐carbon rings) and alkaloids (molecules containing nitrogen). Despite its shortcomings, this book deserves to be recommended. It serves as a timely reminder that simple molecules, such as biogenic amines and many others, were not ‘invented’ by animals, but that their origin dates back long before the diversification of plant and animal evolutionary lineages (Kushiro et al., 2003). It also reminds us that playing with words and general terms, in this case ‘neuromediators’, might be a dangerous game of asking the wrong questions and losing the right answers.

Photograph reminders and young children's event reports: The influence of timing

Purpose. We compared the influence on preschoolers' event recall of photograph reminders presented at different points between the event and the interview.Methods. Seventy‐seven children aged 3.5‐4.5 years participated in a quasimedical event and were interviewed 10 weeks later. The children were allocated to one of three reminder conditions: early reminder (3 or 4 days after the event); late reminder (24 hours before the interview); and reminder‐at‐interview (at the beginning of the interview). There were two control groups: no reminder and reminder only (children who did not take part in the event but received the reminder at the beginning of the interview).Results. The photograph reminder did not facilitate recall relative to no reminder. Nonetheless, the event reports of children in the late reminder condition contained a greater proportion of information consistent with the event than of those in the no‐reminder and reminder‐at‐interview conditions, and a strong trend toward reporting more event‐consistent information than of those in the early‐reminder condition. Notably, children in the reminder‐only condition reported moderate amounts of information consistent with the event, including event‐consistent information that was not present in the reminder photographs.Conclusions. A photograph reminder presented 24 hours before the interview enhances children's recall to a greater extent than reminders presented at other points. Photographs may not be optimal reminders for preschoolers, however. The impact of reminders may be masked when children have scripted knowledge relevant to the event.

Characteristics of Meta-Analyses Reported in Mental Retardation, Learning Disabilities, and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Face validity of meta-analyses is important given the summative nature of the technique and special education's increasing reliance on their apparently definitive results. However, reported meta-analytic information is often incomplete, thereby significantly influencing judgment of meta-analytic face validity and any subsequent conclusions for theory and practice. Twenty-four meta-analyses in mental retardation, learning disabilities, and emotional behavior disorders were reviewed and analyzed across 6 domains of information necessary for securing face validity of published meta-analyses. Results indicate a wide variation in the amount of reported data similar to Mostert (1996), which could influence the summative results of meta-analyses. In addition, temporal analysis of 44 meta-analyses in special education indicates increasingly higher proportions of information appearing in later than earlier meta-analyses.

Efficient coding of eyewitness narratives: a comparison of syntactic unit and word count procedures.

Researchers rely on two types of coding systems to evaluate eyewitness narratives. Features-of-events checklists offer coding simplicity but are impractical when target events are complex. Units-of-information (UOI) systems score all information reported, regardless of event complexity, but are difficult to implement. To test whether simpler systems would alter conclusions about memory performance, transcripts from children (3-8 years of age) who participated in an eyewitness study, originally coded using a UOI system called syntactic units (SU), were recorded using two word count procedures. Correlations between SU, modified word count, and raw word count values were high, and the proportion of information that was inaccurate was comparable across systems. Considering their high interrater reliability, procedural simplicity, and convergence with SU coding, word count procedures are efficient alternatives to UOI coding.

How Many Participants: A Simple Means for Concurrent Monitoring

User trialling, particularly in a design context with tight time and budget constraints, begs the question what makes up a sufficient number of participants for observing proportionally enough of the phenomena at issue; e.g. usability problems. Statistical approaches such as estimating the number of species do not seem to be applicable since the required, mathematically ‘neat’ sampling conditions do not match the gathering of observations with consecutively involved participants in a user trial. Therefore, we resorted to the well-known binomial model, precipitating (without sampling restrictions) an anticipated increase in overlap, i.e., a rising proportion of shared observations between participants in an ongoing trial, or, in other words, diminishing returns in terms of unique observations. In Ergonomics/Human Factors (E/HF) literature, the application of the binomial model has given rise to retrospective assessments involving the number of participants that would have been enough, by hindsight, to discover e.g. 80% of all usability problems, which, by reference to case studies, eventually gave rise to the rule of thumb that about five participants are sufficient. The present paper summarises and extends two earlier papers in providing a simple statistic in order to monitor concurrently the proportion of information gained so far in a trial. Careful scrutiny is given to the origin of estimates being biased downward, that is: the underestimation of the asymptotic number of usability problems to be discovered given the observations after a number of participants. On the basis of both hypothetical examples and empirical studies it is shown that the ‘five-is-enough’ rule of thumb may hold, but may equally well be much too optimistic. With the proposed statistic for concurrent monitoring, it can arguably be decided on whether or not to continue a trial.