Unperceived, the impact of information gap design plateware on food waste.

Curiosity is a powerful motivator of behaviour. Although there have been some studies pertaining to the application of curiosity in the realm of food, research examining the potential to influence consumer food waste behaviour through the induction of curiosity is lacking. This study conducted two onsite dining experiments to explore the role and mechanism of curiosity in reducing food waste in a real dining environment by utilising an information gap design in tableware to induce participants' curiosity. Experiment 1 investigated the differences in food waste between participants using bowls with an information gap design and those using bowls with no information gap (blank bowls). Experiment 2 further controlled for other variables that could potentially influence the outcomes between bowls with and without information gaps; the latter displayed complete text externally. The results of both experiments consistently demonstrated a significant reduction in participants' food waste when utilising utensils with an information gap design. Moreover, we conducted an exploratory analysis combining these two experiments to examine the mediating mechanisms involved. Furthermore, the exploratory analysis suggested the mediating mechanism of curiosity elicited by the information gap design, ultimately leading to a decrease in food waste. This study presents a potential avenue for a simple and innovative approach for mitigating food waste.

Identifying Information Gaps in Electronic Health Records by Using Natural Language Processing: Gynecologic Surgery History Identification.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) are a rich source of longitudinal patient data. However, missing information due to clinical care that predated the implementation of EHR system(s) or care that occurred at different medical institutions impedes complete ascertainment of a patient's medical history. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate information discrepancies and to quantify information gaps by comparing the gynecological surgical history extracted from an EHR of a single institution by using natural language processing (NLP) techniques with the manually curated surgical history information through chart review of records from multiple independent regional health care institutions. METHODS: To facilitate high-throughput evaluation, we developed a rule-based NLP algorithm to detect gynecological surgery history from the unstructured narrative of the Mayo Clinic EHR. These results were compared to a gold standard cohort of 3870 women with gynecological surgery status adjudicated using the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records-linkage system. We quantified and characterized the information gaps observed that led to misclassification of the surgical status. RESULTS: The NLP algorithm achieved precision of 0.85, recall of 0.82, and F1-score of 0.83 in the test set (n=265) relative to outcomes abstracted from the Mayo EHR. This performance attenuated when directly compared to the gold standard (precision 0.79, recall 0.76, and F1-score 0.76), with the majority of misclassifications being false negatives in nature. We then applied the algorithm to the remaining patients (n=3340) and identified 2 types of information gaps through error analysis. First, 6% (199/3340) of women in this study had no recorded surgery information or partial information in the EHR. Second, 4.3% (144/3340) of women had inconsistent or inaccurate information within the clinical narrative owing to misinterpreted information, erroneous "copy and paste," or incorrect information provided by patients. Additionally, the NLP algorithm misclassified the surgery status of 3.6% (121/3340) of women. CONCLUSIONS: Although NLP techniques were able to adequately recreate the gynecologic surgical status from the clinical narrative, missing or inaccurately reported and recorded information resulted in much of the misclassification observed. Therefore, alternative approaches to collect or curate surgical history are needed.

Factors associated with the desire to undergo post-mastectomy breast reconstruction in a Mexican breast cancer center.

PURPOSE: To assess the proportion of breast cancer patients treated with total mastectomy who are interested in undergoing breast reconstruction, the factors associated with their desire to undergo this procedure, and the motives stated for their decision. METHODS: Women with stage I-III breast cancer, public health insurance, and history of total mastectomy treated at a center in Monterrey, Mexico, were invited to answer a series of questionnaires regarding their clinical and demographic characteristics, information received about breast reconstruction, body image, and relationship satisfaction. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients were interviewed, of which 68% desired to undergo breast reconstruction. Only 35% recalled talking about this procedure with a physician and 85% claimed not to have enough information to make an informed decision. Those who desired breast reconstruction were younger (p < 0.001), more likely to be in a relationship (p = 0.025), and had a higher probability of having talked to a physician about the procedure (p = 0.019). Furthermore, they felt less sexually attractive (p < 0.001), more deformed (p = 0.006), and less feminine (p = 0.005) since the mastectomy. The main motives to undergo this procedure were to have breast symmetry and greater freedom on which clothes to wear, while the main deterrent was the high economical cost. CONCLUSIONS: Insufficient information about the procedure and high economical cost were identified as potential barriers to undergo breast reconstruction. The findings of this study emphasize the pressing need to optimize patient care by providing information in a standardized manner and improving access to breast reconstruction within the Mexican public healthcare system.

Curiosity and time: from not knowing to almost knowing.

How does it feel to be curious? We reasoned that there are two sides to curiosity: not knowing something (i.e. information-gap) and almost knowing something (i.e. anticipation of resolution). In three experiments, we showed that time affects the relative impact of these two components: When people did not expect to close their information-gap soon (long time-to-resolution) not knowing affected the subjective experience of curiosity more strongly than when they expected to close their information-gap quickly (short time-to-resolution). As such, people experienced less positive affect, more discomfort, and more annoyance with lack of information in a long than a short time-to-resolution situation. Moreover, when time in the long time-to-resolution setting passed, the anticipation of the resolution became stronger, positive affect increased, and discomfort and annoyance with lack of information decreased. Time is thus a key factor in the experience of curiosity.

The Pandora Effect: The Power and Peril of Curiosity.

Curiosity-the desire for information-underlies many human activities, from reading celebrity gossip to developing nuclear science. Curiosity is well recognized as a human blessing. Is it also a human curse? Tales about such things as Pandora's box suggest that it is, but scientific evidence is lacking. In four controlled experiments, we demonstrated that curiosity could lead humans to expose themselves to aversive stimuli (even electric shocks) for no apparent benefits. The research suggests that humans possess an inherent desire, independent of consequentialist considerations, to resolve uncertainty; when facing something uncertain and feeling curious, they will act to resolve the uncertainty even if they expect negative consequences. This research reveals the potential perverse side of curiosity, and is particularly relevant to the current epoch, the epoch of information, and to the scientific community, a community with high curiosity.

Data-driven analyses to quantify information seeking behaviour for women with uterine fibroids.

Uterine fibroids (UF) are noncancerous growths of the uterus and impact the livelihood of over 26 million women in the United States. Although UF may not have accompanying symptoms, for some women their presence leads to surgical treatment, which can be a difficult decision-making process. Web-scraping of online media is used to identify information-seeking behavior of women searching for UF treatment options. We synthesize the data to describe trends in UF treatment, including the identification of gaps between the information individuals are seeking (demand) and information that is publicly available as a resource (supply), which contributes to this study's creation of the term "information desert." We perform statistical analysis to understand information-seeking behavior, determine the gap between information supply and information demand, and determine the correlation between a doctor's treatment recommendation and a patient's treatment decision as a function of age, symptoms, and knowledge obtained about specific types of treatment.

"What Other Information Is There?": Identifying Information Gaps, Perceptions and Misconceptions on COVID-19 Among Minority Ethnic Groups in the Netherlands.

Background: Multiple media platforms and various resources are available for information on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Identifying people's preferences is key to building public confidence and planning for successful national or regional health intervention strategies. Methods: Using exploratory mixed-methods including a short survey, interviews and participant observation, this cross-sectional study of 160 respondents from the Ghanaian-Dutch, Afro and Hindustani Surinamese-Dutch communities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands was conducted. Data collected between February to April 2021, included demographics characteristics, knowledge, opinions, preferred source of information, behavioral factors, and information gaps on COVID-19 prevention measures, responses and decision-making of respondents. Descriptive statistics and follow-up in-depth interviews were conducted to determine the relationship between respondents' demographics, information sources, and attitudes/behaviors toward COVID-19. Results: The findings of this study indicated that although many of the respondents from these communities had good knowledge on COVID-19, its modes of transmission and prevention measures, their willingness to take up initiatives and prioritize self responsibility toward their health are tied to their communal life. The respondents in this study demonstrated high value for social lives and relied on their connections with friends and families in shaping, obtaining, processing and utilizing COVID-19 information to build a sense of responsibility toward the uptake of COVID-19 prevention measures despite recent decline in number of cases. Conclusion: This sense of responsibility means their active participation and ownership of interventions to address the specific personal concerns and that of their community. However, different factors play influential roles toward the behavior choices of our respondents regarding the COVID-19 prevention.

Implementation science for the adductor canal block: A new and adaptable methodology process.

BACKGROUND: Following the successful Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) practice for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at our institution, the need for continuous improvement was realized, including the deimplementation of antiquated PSH elements and introduction of new practices. AIM: To investigate the transition from femoral nerve blocks (FNB) to adductor canal nerve blocks (ACB) during TKA. METHODS: Our 13-month study from June 2016 to 2017 was divided into four periods: a three-month baseline (103 patients), a one-month pilot (47 patients), a three-month implementation and hardwiring period (100 patients), and a six-month evaluation period (185 patients). In total, 435 subjects were reviewed. Data within 30 postoperative days were extracted from electronic medical records, such as physical therapy results and administration of oral morphine equivalents (OME). RESULTS: Our institution reduced FNB application (64% to 3%) and increased ACB utilization (36% to 97%) at 10 mo. Patients in the ACB group were found to have increased ambulation on the day of surgery (4.1 vs 2.0 m) and lower incidence of falls (0 vs 1%) and buckling (5% vs 27%) compared with FNB patients (P < 0.05). While ACB patients (13.9) reported lower OME than FNB patients (15.9), the difference (P = 0.087) did not fall below our designated statistical threshold of P value < 0.05. CONCLUSION: By demonstrating closure of the "knowledge to action gap" within 6 mo, our institution's findings demonstrate evidence in the value of implementation science. Physician education, technical support, and performance monitoring were deemed key facilitators of our program's success. Expanded patient populations and additional orthopedic procedures are recommended for future study.

Contribution of Vocabulary Knowledge to Reading Comprehension Among Chinese Students: A Meta-Analysis.

This study investigated the correlation between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. To address the correlation picture under Chinese logographical scripts, the researchers investigated the potential explanation for the correlation via Reading Stage, Information Gap, Content-based Approach, and Cognition and Creativity Theory approaches. This study undertook a meta-analysis to synthesize 89 independent samples from primary school stage to Master's degree stage. Results showed the correlation picture as an inverted U-shape, supporting the idea that vocabulary knowledge contributed a large proportion of variance on text comprehension and might also support the independent hypothesis of the impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading comprehension. In each education stage, the correlation between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension was independent in that it did not interact with any significant moderators. This study informed that the vocabulary knowledge not only determined text comprehension progress through facial semantic meaning identification but also suggested that the coordinate development of vocabulary knowledge, grammatical knowledge, and inference would be better in complexity comprehension task performance.

The Policy Information Gap and Resettlers' Well-Being: Evidence from the Anti-Poverty Relocation and Resettlement Program in China.

The widespread dissemination of policy information is necessary for the success of the public policy, but the distribution of information among vulnerable groups has received little attention. We examined a public policy that focuses on the poorest people in China, the anti-poverty relocation and settlement program (ARSP). The infrastructure in the region where the policy is implemented is weak, and the information literacy of resettlers is low. This study analyses the impact of the policy information gap on the subjective well-being of resettlers. We found that the distribution of policy information among the poor is uneven, and the resettlers compare the policy information they obtain with a reference group (working-age people and less-educated people in the same village/community) to generate a policy information gap. The policy information gap indirectly affects subjective well-being by affecting the probability that people will be exposed to risks due to policy. As the policy information gap increases, the subjective well-being of resettlers changes in an inverted U-shape. This impact varies significantly among different groups, policy implementation stages, and resettlement methods. Attention should be paid to the information acquisition ability of the vulnerable groups and the welfare effects of social comparison, and to improve the method of publicizing policy information, which helps to improve the well-being of resettlers.

Setting the most robust effluent level under severe uncertainty: application of information-gap decision theory to chemical management.

Decisions in ecological risk management for chemical substances must be made based on incomplete information due to uncertainties. To protect the ecosystems from the adverse effect of chemicals, a precautionary approach is often taken. The precautionary approach, which is based on conservative assumptions about the risks of chemical substances, can be applied selecting management models and data. This approach can lead to an adequate margin of safety for ecosystems by reducing exposure to harmful substances, either by reducing the use of target chemicals or putting in place strict water quality criteria. However, the reduction of chemical use or effluent concentrations typically entails a financial burden. The cost effectiveness of the precautionary approach may be small. Hence, we need to develop a formulaic methodology in chemical risk management that can sufficiently protect ecosystems in a cost-effective way, even when we do not have sufficient information for chemical management. Information-gap decision theory can provide the formulaic methodology. Information-gap decision theory determines which action is the most robust to uncertainty by guaranteeing an acceptable outcome under the largest degree of uncertainty without requiring information about the extent of parameter uncertainty at the outset. In this paper, we illustrate the application of information-gap decision theory to derive a framework for setting effluent limits of pollutants for point sources under uncertainty. Our application incorporates a cost for reduction in pollutant emission and a cost to wildlife species affected by the pollutant. Our framework enables us to settle upon actions to deal with severe uncertainty in ecological risk management of chemicals.