Ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy of the solar corona at the Naval Research Laboratory.

We review the history of ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy with a specific focus on such activities at the Naval Research Laboratory and on studies of the extended solar corona and solar-wind source regions. We describe the problem of forecasting solar energetic particle events and discuss an observational technique designed to solve this problem by detecting supra-thermal seed particles as extended wings on spectral lines. Such seed particles are believed to be a necessary prerequisite for particle acceleration by heliospheric shock waves driven by a coronal mass ejection.

A computerized medical incident reporting system for errors in the intensive care unit: initial evaluation of interrater agreement.

Errors resulting in adverse events in the medical care system are ubiquitous and underreported. Critical incident techniques that have been used to reduce errors in aviation have recently been applied to evaluate adverse events in the critical care arena. We report an evaluation of interrater agreement on responses to questions concerning adverse event reporting using a computer-based medical incident reporting system (MIRS). Thirty-four intensive care unit staff volunteers reviewed five fabricated test cases containing iatrogenic factors, then completed an incident report for each case using the MIRS. Interrater agreement was significant for all five cases (p < 0.01). The time required to complete a report decreased significantly from the first case to the last (p < 0.01). Overall, the MIRS was perceived as a relatively quick (< 6 minutes) and comprehensive reporting tool. The results indicate that health care providers report adverse events similarly, suggesting that the MIRS would be a useful tool in the reduction of errors (as a process improvement program) and to facilitate the continuing process of health care improvement.

Effect of multimodal stimulus presentation on recall.

This study was conducted to investigate how the mode of stimulus presentation affects recall in the classroom environment. 289 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of 7 experimental groups. All subjects were presented the same stimuli in one of 7 possible modes: (1) Printed Word, (2) Spoken Word, (3) Picture, (4) Printed Word + Spoken Word, (5) Picture + Spoken Word, (6) Picture + Printed Word, and (7) Printed Word, Picture + Spoken Word. 30 words, 6 from each of 5 categories, were presented to each group. A new stimulus was presented every 5 sec. Subjects were to recall (in writing) as many stimuli as possible in 5 min. regardless of order. One-way between groups analyses of variance were conducted on recall and cluster index scores. A significant main effect of mode of presentation showed that recall was best for the Picture or multimodal group (Printed Word, Picture + Spoken Word). Groups receiving only the spoken or printed word showed significantly poorer recall than the multimodal groups. No statistically significant differences between groups were found on the cluster index score. It appears that the simultaneous presentation of redundant stimuli in multiple modalities does support the multiple-resource hypothesis by displaying enhanced recall when information is available from multiple attentional resources.

The customer satisfaction factor: the value of conducting employee evaluations of managed care networks.

Gathering customer satisfaction information is an idea whose time has come. Employers conducting employee evaluations of their managed care networks find the data valuable from both a strategic and a tactical standpoint. The thoughtful, intelligent use of such data can lead to more effective health care management.