Does it work?:Applying formative evaluation methods to test the usability of the PAT Workbench

How do different usability evaluation methods, focussed on experts and users, contribute to the evaluation of a system during an iterative design process? The PAT Workbench was used as a case to test usability methods. This is a tool that was developed at the department of Communication and Information Sciences of the University of Groningen, to store, annotate, retrieve and view multimodal instructions (MIs). MIs are instructions that consists of text and pictures. The goal of the PAT Workbench is to create a corpus of annotated MIs for further research. The framework used for this process was the design re-search cylce (Hevner, 2007

Construct validity of the post-COVID-19 functional status scale in adult subjects with COVID-19

Background An increasing number of subjects are recovering from COVID-19, raising the need for tools to adequately assess the course of the disease and its impact on functional status. We aimed to assess the construct validity of the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale among adult subjects with confirmed and presumed COVID-19. Methods Adult subjects with confirmed and presumed COVID-19, who were members of an online panel and two Facebook groups for subjects with COVID-19 with persistent symptoms, completed an online survey after the onset of infection-related symptoms. The number and intensity of symptoms were evaluated with the Utrecht Symptom Diary, health-related quality of life (HrQoL) with the 5-level EQ-5D questionnaire, impairment in work and activities with the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire and functional status with the PCFS Scale. Results 1939 subjects were included in the analyses (85% women, 95% non-hospitalized during infection) about 3 months after the onset of infection-related symptoms. Subjects classified as experiencing 'slight', 'moderate' and 'severe' functional limitations presented a gradual increase in the number/intensity of symptoms, reduction of HrQoL and impairment in work and usual activities. No differences were found regarding the number and intensity of symptoms, HrQoL and impairment in work and usual activities between subjects classified as experiencing 'negligible' and 'no' functional limitations. We found weak-to-strong statistical associations between functional status and all domains of HrQoL (r: 0.233-0.661). Notably, the strongest association found was with the 'usual activities' domain of the 5-level EQ-5D questionnaire. Conclusion We demonstrated the construct validity of the PCFS Scale in highly-symptomatic adult subjects with confirmed and presumed COVID-19, 3 months after the onset of symptoms.Clinical epidemiolog

Muscle fatigue resistance during stimulated contractions is reduced in young male smokers.

Aim: To determine whether muscle function is compromised in healthy smokers in comparison with activity-matched non-smokers. Methods: Nine male smokers (aged 22.2 ± 2.5 years: mean ± SD) with a smoking history of 2.5 ± 3.1 pack years, and ten male control participants (25.4 ± 2.9 years) matched for physical activity level participated in this study. Knee extensor strength was measured using isometric maximal voluntary contractions. Voluntary activation of the quadriceps and co-activation of the biceps femoris were determined using interpolated twitches and surface electromyography respectively. The frequency-torque relationship and fatigue resistance were assessed with electrically evoked contractions. A fatigue index was determined as the ratio of final torque to initial torque during a series of isometric contractions (2 min; 30 Hz; 1 s contraction/1 s rest). Quadriceps anatomical cross sectional area was measured with MRI at 50% of femur length. Results: Maximal voluntary contraction torque, quadriceps anatomical cross sectional area, knee extensor torque/quadriceps cross sectional area, activation, co-activation and force-frequency relationship were similar, whereas the fatigue index was 17% lower in smokers than non-smokers. Conclusion: In young men smoking does not significantly affect quadriceps muscle mass and contractile properties, but does reduce fatigue resistance of the quadriceps muscle, which was not attributable to differences in physical activity. © 2007 The Authors

Impacts of prescribed burning on migratory and breeding birds on a costal barrier island

Prescribed burning has been used to modify and diversify habitat in both grassland and forest ecosystems. However, use of prescribed burning as a tool en coastal barrier islands characterized by a Spartina/Paspalum grassland has received httle attention. Coastal barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico provide important step-ever habitat for many migratory bkd species. The alteration or disturbance of this habitat may aflfect how these species meet the cost of migration. I assessed the inq)act of prescribed binning en the local abundance and breeding habitat of resident and migratory bkd species at Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refiige and State Natural Area, Texas, 1993 and 1994. I located 12, 122 ha plots en the mid-island portion of Matagorda Island in the barrier flats and estabUshed 12-16 fixed-radius point count stations on each plot. Two plots were bumed in late August 1992 and 1993 (summer bums), two in early January 1993 and 1994 (winter bmns), and four plots served as controls. I used point count stations to measure vegetation variables and to conduct bkd surveys. I located and monitored nests to evaluate nest success en control and treatment areas. I also examined micrehabitat selection of breeding bkds at nest sites

The Idaho Forester - 1971 (Vol. 52)

Club Report 3 Faculty 4 Forestry Building 5 The Air Pollution Problem in Lewiston - Three Views Our Continuing Commitment To Pollution Control, Potlatch Forest, Inc. 7 The State of Idaho's Position on Air Pollution in the Lewiston-Clarkston Area, Arthur W. Van't Hul 8 The Smell of Money?, Jack O'Connor 9 Fire for Elk in Northern Idaho, Thomas A. Leege 12 1970 Summer Employment Survey, William L. Scrivner 14 Forestry in Chile, Charles G. Johnson 15 Bobcats, Theodore N. Bailey 17 Western Red Cedar Bark - A Pollutant or a Product?, Roy Adams 18 Water Quality and Steelhead Migration Studies on the Lower Snake River, C. M. Falter 21 Range Sheep Production and Nutrition, Wally Butler 23 Alumni Directory 2

Natural roughness in artificial channels

CER53AV8.Report on research completed under J. Waldo Smith Hydraulic Fellowship.Includes bibliographical references (pages 12-13)

The acute effects of noninvasive ventilatory support during exercise on exercise endurance and dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to review studies systematically, in which the acute effects of noninvasive ventilatory support (NIVS) during exercise were evaluated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, a quantitative analysis was performed on the effects of NIVS on exertional dyspnea and exercise endurance. METHODS: Literature was searched in electronic databases, and by scanning lists of references of studies and abstract books of annual congresses of the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society. Preliminary data of a study by our own group into the effects of NIVS on exercise endurance in patients with COPD were added. The systematic review was carried out on the basis of a validated methodological screening list. For the quantitative analysis, Glass δ of individual studies were pooled to aggregate a summary effect size. RESULTS: Fifteen studies were identified. Seven of these studies met the inclusion criteria, including a total of 65 patients with COPD. The methodological quality of the included studies varied from 31% to 54% of the maximum score of 13 points. Statistically significant summary effect sizes were found in the analysis of exertional dyspnea (P < .05) as well as in the analysis of exercise endurance (P < .001), indicating improvements in these outcomes in favor of NIVS. CONCLUSIONS: The present systematic review suggests that NIVS during exercise may acutely reduce exertional dyspnea and improve exercise endurance, in patients with COPD

Impact of prescribed burning on vegetation and bird abundance at Matagorda Island, Texas.

We measured the impact of prescribed summer and winter burns on vegetation characteristics and spring abundance of birds in a Spartina/Paspalum grassland at Matagorda Island National Wildlife Refuge and State Natural Area, Texas, 1993-94. We burned 8 (4 summer burn, 4 winter burn), 122-ha plots. We estimated bird abundance by surveying once a week from March through May at 12-16 fixed-radius point count stations in each plot. We measured forb and grass foliar cover, litter depth, visual obstruction, and woody and residual stem density at each point count station 6-10 months after burning and 18-22 months after burning and found few differences in vegetation between summer and winter burns. Litter depth, visual obstruction, and woody stem density values were greater on control plots 6 to 10 months post-burn. By 18 to 22 months post-burn, only litter depth and visual obstruction remained higher on control plots than on either burn treatment. At 6 to 10 months after burning, wrens were more abundant on control plots and sparrows were more abundant on the burned plots. By 18 to 22 months post-burn, wren abundance had increased on the burned plots, but was still highest on control plots. Sparrow abundance remained highest on burned plots 18-22 months after burning. Precipitation was higher in 1993 than 1994; we believe blackbirds responded more to annual precipitation differences than to burning treatment. In this coastal island grassland, wren abundance was highest on unburned plots and sparrow abundance was highest on burned plots. We suggest that land managers could burn at > 2 year intervals in this grassland without negatively impacting most resident bird species