Reactive control and reasoning assistance for scientific laboratory instruments

Scientific laboratory instruments that are involved in chemical or physical sample identification frequently require substantial human preparation, attention, and interactive control during their operation. Successful real-time analysis of incoming data that supports such interactive control requires: (1) a clear recognition of variance of the data from expected results; and (2) rapid diagnosis of possible alternative hypotheses which might explain the variance. Such analysis then aids in decisions about modifying the experiment protocol, as well as being a goal itself. This paper reports on a collaborative project at the NASA Ames Research Center between artificial intelligence researchers and planetary microbial ecologists. Our team is currently engaged in developing software that autonomously controls science laboratory instruments and that provides data analysis of the real-time data in support of dynamic refinement of the experiment control. the first two instruments to which this technology has been applied are a differential thermal analyzer (DTA) and a gas chromatograph (GC). coupled together, they form a new geochemicstry and microbial analysis tool that is capable of rapid identification of the organiz and mineralogical constituents in soils. The thermal decomposition of the minerals and organics, and the attendance release of evolved gases, provides data about the structural and molecular chemistry of the soil samples

Geographic variation in statin use for complex acute myocardial infarction patients: evidence of effective care?

Reprinted with permission of publisher.BACKGROUND: Despite strong evidence to designate statin use for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as "effective care," observational studies show that many patients with CVD do not receive statins. This suggests that statin prescribing decisions for complex CVD patients are preference sensitive. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate local area variation in statin prescribing for subsets of complex patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to assess whether current statin prescribing patterns fit profiles of either "effective care" or "preference-sensitive care." RESEARCH DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 124,618 Medicare patients with fee-for-service parts A, B, and D benefits who were hospitalized with AMI in 2008 or 2009 with no evidence of AMI in the past 12 months. MEASURES:Patient complexity was defined by the presence of diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease in the year before AMI admission. Local area practice styles for "no statin," "lower-intensity statins," and "high-intensity statins" were measured using the driving area for clinical care method. Statin prescribing rates for complex patient subsets were contrasted across patients grouped by local areas practice styles. RESULTS: Lower statin treatment rates were observed for patients with complex conditions, especially among those with heart failure. However, substantial local area variation in statin prescribing is observed across all complex patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite guidelines promoting the use of statins for secondary prevention for CVD patients, substantial local area variation suggests that patient and provider beliefs and preferences weigh heavily in statin prescribing decisions.This project was supported by an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant (1R21HS019574-01) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Happiness and age in European adults: The moderating role of gross domestic product per capita.

Studies of happiness levels across the life span have found support for two rival hypotheses. The positivity effect states that as people get older, they increasingly attend to positive information, which implies that happiness remains stable or increases with age, whereas the U-shaped hypothesis posits a curvilinear shape resulting from a dip during midlife. Both have been presented as potentially universal hypotheses that relate to cognitive and/or biological causes. The current study examined the happiness-age relationship across 29 European nations (N = 46,301) to explore whether it is moderated by national wealth, as indexed by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. It was found that eudaimonic and hedonic happiness remained relatively stable across the life span only in the most affluent nations; in poorer nations, there was either a fluctuating or steady age-associated decline. These findings challenge the cultural universality of the happiness-age relationship and suggest that models of how age relates to happiness should include the socioeconomic level of analysis

Prognostic significance of short-term blood pressure variability in acute stroke

Background and Purpose— Blood pressure variability (BPV) may be an important prognostic factor acutely after stroke. This review investigated the existing evidence for the effect of BPV on outcome after stroke, also considering BPV measurement techniques and definitions. Methods— A literature search was performed according to a prespecified study protocol. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility and quality. Where appropriate, meta-analyses were performed to assess the effect of BPV on poor functional outcome. Results— Eighteen studies from 1359 identified citations were included. Seven studies were included in a meta-analysis for the effect of BPV on functional outcome (death or disability). Systolic BPV was significantly associated with poor functional outcome: pooled odds ratio per 10-mm Hg increment, 1.2; confidence interval (1.1–1.3). A descriptive review of included studies also supports these findings, and in addition, it suggests that systolic BPV may be associated with increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage in those treated with thrombolytic therapy. Conclusions— This systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that greater systolic BPV, measured early from ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage onset, is associated with poor longer-term functional outcome. Future prospective studies should investigate how best to measure and define BPV in acute stroke, as well as to determine its prognostic significance. </jats:sec