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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A Bland–Altman Comparison Of The Lead Care® System And Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry For Detecting Low-Level Lead In Child Whole Blood Samples, Christina Sobin, Tanner Schaub, Natali Parisi, Eva De La Riva Jan 2010

A Bland–Altman Comparison Of The Lead Care® System And Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry For Detecting Low-Level Lead In Child Whole Blood Samples, Christina Sobin, Tanner Schaub, Natali Parisi, Eva De La Riva

Christina Sobin, Ph.D.

Chronic childhood lead exposure, yielding blood lead levels consistently below 10 μg/dL, remains a major public health concern. Low neurotoxic effect thresholds have not yet been established. Progress requires accurate, efficient, and cost-effective methods for testing large numbers of children. The LeadCare® System (LCS) may provide one ready option. The comparability of this system to the “gold standard” method of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the purpose of detecting blood lead levels below 10 μg/dL has not yet been examined. Paired blood samples from 177 children ages 5.2–12.8 years were tested with LCS and ICP-MS. Triplicate repeat tests …


Usability Inspection Methods After 15 Years Of Research And Practice, Tasha Hollingsed, David G. Novick Oct 2007

Usability Inspection Methods After 15 Years Of Research And Practice, Tasha Hollingsed, David G. Novick

David G. Novick

Usability inspection methods, such as heuristic evaluation, the cognitive walkthrough, formal usability inspections, and the pluralistic usability walkthrough, were introduced fifteen years ago. Since then, these methods, analyses of their comparative effectiveness, and their use have evolved in different ways. In this paper, we track the fortunes of the methods and analyses, looking at which led to use and to further research, and which led to relative methodological dead ends. Heuristic evaluation and the cognitive walkthrough appear to be the most actively used and researched techniques. The pluralistic walkthrough remains a recognized technique, although not the subject of significant further …


Toward A More Accurate View Of When And How People Seek Help With Computer Applications, David G. Novick, Edith Elizalde, Nathaniel Bean Oct 2007

Toward A More Accurate View Of When And How People Seek Help With Computer Applications, David G. Novick, Edith Elizalde, Nathaniel Bean

David G. Novick

Based on 40 interviews and 11 on-site workplace observations of people using computer applications at work, we confirm that use of printed and on-line help is very low and find that providing greater detail of categories solution methods can present a more realistic picture of users’ behaviors. Observed study participants encountered a usability problem on average about once every 75 minutes and typically spent about a minute looking for a solution. Participants consumed much more time when they were unaware of a direct way of doing something and instead used less effective methods. Comparison of results from different data-collection methods …


A Computational Model Of Culture-Specific Conversational Behavior, Dusan Jan, David Herrera, Bilyana Martinovski, David G. Novick, David Traum Sep 2007

A Computational Model Of Culture-Specific Conversational Behavior, Dusan Jan, David Herrera, Bilyana Martinovski, David G. Novick, David Traum

David G. Novick

This paper presents a model for simulating cultural differences in the conversational behavior of virtual agents. The model provides parameters for differences in proxemics, gaze and overlap in turn taking.We present a review of literature on these factors and show results of a study where native speakers of Nrth American English, Mexican Spanish and Arabic were asked to rate the realism of the simulations generated based on different cultural parameters with respect to their culture.


A Novel Class Of Metal-Directed Supramolecular Dna-Delivery Systems, Juan C. Noveron Jan 2007

A Novel Class Of Metal-Directed Supramolecular Dna-Delivery Systems, Juan C. Noveron

Juan C N

No abstract provided.


Single-Crystal To Single-Crystal Phase Transitions Of Bis(N-Phenylisonicotinamide)Silver(I) Nitrate Reveal Cooperativity Properties In Porous Molecular Materials, Juan C. Noveron Jan 2007

Single-Crystal To Single-Crystal Phase Transitions Of Bis(N-Phenylisonicotinamide)Silver(I) Nitrate Reveal Cooperativity Properties In Porous Molecular Materials, Juan C. Noveron

Juan C N

No abstract provided.


Why Don't People Read The Manual?, David G. Novick, Karen Ward Oct 2006

Why Don't People Read The Manual?, David G. Novick, Karen Ward

David G. Novick

Few users of computer applications seek help from the documentation. This paper reports the results of an empirical study of why this is so and examines how, in real work, users solve their usability problems. Based on in-depth interviews with 25 subjects representing a varied cross-section of users, we find that users do avoid using both paper and online help systems. Few users have paper manuals for the most heavily used applications, but none complained about their lack. Online help is more likely to be consulted than paper manuals, but users are equally likely to report that they solve their …


Usability Over Time, Valerie Mendoza, David G. Novick Sep 2005

Usability Over Time, Valerie Mendoza, David G. Novick

David G. Novick

Testing of usability could perhaps be more accurately described as testing of learnability. We know more about the problems of novice users than we know of the problems of experienced users. To understand how these problems differ, and to understand how usability problems change as users change from novice to experienced, we conducted a longitudinal study of usability among middle-school teachers creating Web sites. The study looked at the use both the use of documentation and the underlying software, tracking the causes and extent of user frustration over eight weeks. We validated a categorization scheme for frustration episodes. We found …


Weighing Evidence In Sexual Abuse Evaluations: An Introduction To Bayes's Theorem, James M. Wood Feb 1996

Weighing Evidence In Sexual Abuse Evaluations: An Introduction To Bayes's Theorem, James M. Wood

James M. Wood

This article introduces readers to Bayes' theorem, a simple mathematical formula that can illuminate general issues and assist evaluators in the field of child sexual abuse. The theorem is applied to a case study of sexual abuse allegations that arose during a custody dispute.