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PubMed1988

Model structure of a fragment of biological knowledge (cell motility).

The aim of the study is to contribute to a better understanding of some aspects of the structure of biological knowledge and to make clearer to what extent the methods of reasoning may be useful in this field when only qualitative information is available. A fragment of biological knowledge (theory of cell motility) is analysed from the logicomethodological point of view as a coherent system and the possibility of its formal representation is investigated. The analysis is based on distinguishing the main objects and their features (attributes) of which a given piece of knowledge is composed and on the values which these features may display. The features are interconnected by relations (in which various number of arguments appear) and these relations constitute the main (general, higher level) laws of a given fragment of knowledge (theory). Values of attributes are also mutually connected and these relations correspond to the detailed (lower level) laws. A computer system (in which Prolog language was used) enables to perform inference operations of progressive as well as regressive type. The main categories of reasoning procedures are described and illustrated by examples, namely a) search for conclusions which may be confronted with the actual knowledge in order to verify the system as a whole, b) formation of working hypotheses in the process of their empirical verification and explanation of facts and laws. The problem of development and modification of the system is also discussed.

Cell Movement↗
PubMed1984

Public knowledge and attitudes about diazepam.

A total of 147 outpatients waiting for a prescription to be filled at a hospital pharmacy were tested on their knowledge about diazepam (Valium). Subjects scored highest on questions about the effects of a small overdose, the drug's interaction with alcohol and hypnotics, and the relative contraindications of pregnancy and breast-feeding. Subjects were least knowledgeable about the drug's generic name, side effects, and interaction with minor stimulants (coffee, tea, cola, and cigarettes). Subjects who had previously used diazepam (N = 97) knew significantly more than subjects who had never taken it, but subjects waiting for a diazepam prescription to be filled (N = 40) were not more knowledgeable than subjects having another type of prescription filled. In contrast to recent findings that increasing patients' drug knowledge via "Patient Package Inserts" (PPIs) may also create an overcautious attitude toward the drug, the present study finds that diazepam knowledge gained experimentally is accompanied by an attitude shift away from such overcautiousness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Hyperactive children and peer interaction: knowledge and performance of social skills.

This study investigated hyperactive children's peer relations using the framework of social skills theory. Subjects' (15 hyperactive and 15 control boys aged 7 through 11) knowledge of socially appropriate behavior was assessed using the Social Knowledge Interview (Geraci & Asher, 1980). Additionally, performance of social skills with peers was rated by independent judges during free play, a cooperative puzzle task, and a persuasion task. Peers also rated subjects' desirability as partners for work, play, and friendship. Analyses showed that hyperactive subjects had deficits in knowledge of how to maintain relationships and handle interpersonal conflict, and demonstrated more negative behavior in the cooperative puzzle task than did controls. Hyperactive subjects also were rated by judges as less likely to achieve academic success than controls and were rated by peers as less desirable potential work partners in school. Significant correlations between social knowledge and performance with peers were found. It was concluded that hyperactive boys exhibit deficits both in their social knowledge and in their performance of socially skilled behavior.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1984

Knowledge of diabetes and glaucoma in a rural North Carolina community.

Effective use of time, money, and personnel in the delivery of health care services to rural areas requires baseline information on the target population with respect to the problem being addressed. Prior to the initiation of an educational program on diabetes and glaucoma, the Public Health Department of Davie County, North Carolina, conducted a survey of county residents to determine knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning these illnesses. The goals of the survey were to determine (1) basic knowledge with respect to the nature of each illness, symptoms, and high-risk groups, (2) the stigma attached to each illness, and (3) health practices in terms of previous tests for diabetes and glaucoma and whether or not the respondents know where to go for such tests. Information was obtained through a telephone survey of randomly sampled households in Davie County. Results of the survey indicated that the level of knowledge for both diabetes and glaucoma is particularly low with respect to identification of high-risk groups and symptoms, and approximately one-quarter of all respondents felt there was some stigma attached to diabetes and glaucoma. The lowest levels of knowledge were observed in the youngest and oldest respondents, males, the unmarried, and those with low levels of educational attainment. The differences in knowledge by age, marital status, and sex were found to be partially a function of differing levels of educational attainment. These data have provided information useful in the selection of content areas for the programs and in the identification of target populations for special emphasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Sex knowledge, attitudes, and experience of Chinese medical students in Hong Kong.

Sex knowledge, attitudes, and experience of 83 Chinese undergraduate medical students were assessed in their responses to the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test. They were found to be relatively less knowledgeable especially in areas of social and cultural data-based knowledge and were less liberal especially in attitudes toward heterosexual relations and abortion. While increased knowledge tended to be associated with the repudiation of sexual myths, a general conservative outlook as assessed by the Wilson-Patterson Conservatism Scale was found to have the greatest influence on attitudes toward heterosexual relations, autoeroticism, and abortion. In contrast to the sexual practice of young Chinese of similar age based on another survey, the present sample of medical students was relatively heterosexually inexperienced. Implications for medical education with value reorientation are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

[Status of drug knowledge in the population].

In the 'Self-Medication' NFP-8 Study (National Research Programme No.8: 'Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Swiss Health Service') an attempt has been made to assess the population's basic knowledge about the proper way of dealing with drugs. The study shows that nearly a third of the adult population has insufficient knowledge. Women and better educated people have above average knowledge whereas old people and, paradoxically, those belonging to specific risk groups (e.g. diabetics, hypertensive persons, regular consumers of alcoholic drinks etc.) tend to underestimate the potential dangers of self medication. The study further suggests that a greater knowledge of drugs promotes a more active attitude to information. On the other hand a comparison with the results of other surveys leads to the conclusion that the existing basic knowledge about the risks of self-medication is often not translated into the appropriate attitude. This is why it is considered all the more important to develop strategies specific to consumer groups which are geared to motivating individual drug consumers to adopt the proper attitude to the problem.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Herbal knowledge on Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast: consensus within diversity.

This article examines knowledge of medicinal plants, both among the people of Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast and among the scientific community. Data collected during an 809-household, five-community survey in 1990 and a ten-community botanical collection in 1991 are used to estimate the distribution of medicinal plant knowledge among the region's six ethnic groups. The list of 162 plants identified during this project is compared with other research results to provide the reader with a framework for understanding the distribution of medicinal plant knowledge. While a few plants are widely thought to have medicinal properties, the majority of identifications come from only one or two informants, demonstrating a pattern of consensus within diversity. Discussion focuses on the impact of methodology on the gathering of data, on the distribution and durability of medicinal plant knowledge, and on the proprietary nature of such knowledge.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed1995

A method for creating an enormous medical knowledge base.

Using a high-density knowledge representation method designed by us, we have developed the Enormous Knowledge Base of Disease Diagnosis Criteria (EKBDDC). It contains diagnostic criteria of 1001 diagnostic entities and describes nearly 4000 items of diagnostic indicators. It is the core of a huge medical project--Electronic Brain Medical Erudite (EBME). This enormous knowledge base was implemented initially on a low-cost popular microcomputer, which can aid in prompting of typical disease and in teaching of diagnosis. This knowledge base will be constantly expanded and adapted to the need of diagnosing of atypical diseases. By means of a software interface it will be connected with the international medical information systems. We have also explored an assembling technique of medical knowledge base. To test the behavior of EBME we performed a series of trials with a total of 815 cases. The diagnostic accordance rates were 89.7, 89.4, and 85%, respectively. It demonstrated that this system should be improved before clinical application.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Students' sexual behavior, knowledge, and attitudes relating to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Five hundred ninety students receiving primary care in a university health service were surveyed anonymously in 1985-86 to study their self-reported sexual behavior and knowledge and attitudes about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Most students (75%) were heterosexual; 3% were homosexual, 3% bisexual, and 15% had never been sexually active. Many students (32%) had greater than or equal to 2 sexual partners in the past year, but only 23% of these had changed their sexual practices because of concern about AIDS. Some students with high-risk sexual behavior were not very knowledgeable: among homosexual or bisexual men, those with greater than or equal to 6 recent sexual partners knew less than others (P less than 0.001). Overall, less knowledgeable students had more personal concerns about AIDS, favored limiting the social activities of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and favored screening for HIV-antibody; these associations between knowledge and attitudes were significant even when controlling for demographic characteristics and sexual behavior with multiple linear regression. The authors conclude that many students receiving primary care reported sexual behavior that could spread HIV, and that less knowledgeable students had particular concerns and attitudes about AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2004

The role of semantic knowledge on the cognitive estimation task--evidence from Alzheimer's disease and healthy adult aging.

The current study investigated the role of semantic knowledge on the Cognitive Estimation Task (CET). In an initial experiment, the CET performance of 21 patients with frontal lobe lesions was compared with 21 healthy controls. The CET was found to be sensitive to the effects of frontal lobe lesions. In Experiment 2, 175 participants aged between 18 and 87 years performed the CET to examine the effects of healthy adult aging on the task. No significant age effects were evident. In Experiment 3, 27 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were compared with 27 healthy controls on the CET. AD patients produced significantly more extreme cognitive estimates than the controls. A significant correlation was found between CET performance and performance on the General Knowledge of the World Task, a task intended to assess semantic knowledge. The hypothesis is put forward that healthy older adults are able to use their intact semantic knowledge to compensate for problem-solving deficits when generating cognitive estimates. In contrast, owing to degradation in semantic abilities, AD patients are unable to benefit from semantic knowledge and instead tend to produce bizarre cognitive estimates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A specialized framework for medical diagnostic knowledge-based systems.

For a knowledge-based system (KBS) to exhibit an intelligent behavior, it must be endowed with knowledge enabling it to represent the expert's strategies. The elicitation task is inherently difficult for strategic knowledge, because strategy is often tacit, and, even when it has been made explicit, it is not an easy task to describe it in a form which may be directly translated and implemented into a program. This paper describes a Specialized Framework for Medical Diagnostic Knowledge-Based Systems that can help an expert in the process of building KBSs in a medical domain. The framework is based on an epistemological model of diagnostic reasoning which has proven to be helpful in describing the diagnostic process in terms of the tasks that it is composed of. It allows a straightforward modeling of diagnostic reasoning at the knowledge level by the domain expert, thus helping to convey domain-dependent strategies into the target KBS.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed1989

Early understanding of perception as a source of knowledge.

Two studies investigated preschool children's ability to infer another person's knowledge or ignorance on the basis of that person's recent perceptual experience. In Experiment 1 children were questioned about their own and a puppet's knowledge of a hidden object's color and about their own and the puppet's ability to see the hidden object. Three- and 4-year-olds attributed knowledge and perceptual experience to the person (either themselves or the puppet) who had viewed the hidden object, but not to the person who did not view it. Experiment 2 further investigated 3-year-olds understanding of perception as a source of knowledge. Children were asked to indicate which of two puppets, one who had viewed a hidden object and one who had not, would be able to tell them the object's color. Children chose the correct puppet more often than would be predicted by chance. The results of these experiments suggest that understanding of perception as a source of knowledge is present by the age of 3 years.

Attention↗
PubMed1990

The emergence of strategic knowledge activation in categorical clustering during retrieval.

Elementary school children's free recall clustering has recently been explained as an automatic by-product of their developing knowledge base. In contrast, it is claimed that as children get older they become aware of the usefulness of category organization as a memory strategy that enables them to strategically activate category knowledge even during retrieval. To test this hypothesis an experimental procedure was developed where Ss first had to learn items in a noncategorical order to the criterion of two perfect serial recall trials. After a 12- to 15-min retention interval Ss unexpectedly received either serial or free recall (or--in Experiment 1--cued recall) instructions. In three experiments with second and fourth graders it was shown that (1) fourth graders' recall exceeded that of second graders only in the free, but not in the serial (or cued), recall condition, (2) higher levels of clustering were observed for fourth graders in the free recall condition, and (3) the grade effect on free recall data was eliminated when the influence of metamemory and categorical clustering statistically was partialled out (Experiments 1 and 3). This pattern of results proved robust against variants in which a metamemory question was asked or omitted prior to recall (Experiment 2) and manipulations in which age differences in categorical knowledge were minimized (Experiment 3). The results were interpreted as demonstrating fourth graders' strategic competence in activating category knowledge during retrieval and second graders' automatic knowledge activation.

Attention↗
PubMed1990

When do children overestimate their knowledge of unfamiliar targets?

We report four investigations in which 5 to 7 year olds judged whether or not they knew familiar- and unfamiliar-named targets. Under some conditions judgments were made in relation to performance on a relevant task, e.g., children judged whether they knew the picture they had picked from a set was the target. Under other conditions, children judged their state of knowledge not in relation to performance, e.g., they answered "Do you know who (target) is?" Under both types of condition, children nearly always made correct "know" judgments when targets were familiar. Correct "don't know" judgments about unfamiliar targets were relatively common when judgments were not made in relation to performance on a task (average scores 80-90% correct), but were less frequent when knowledge was judged in relation to performance on a task (average scores 40-70% correct). Knowledge judged in relation to performance was overestimated even when children did not choose the picture they thought might be the target before making their judgment, when the pictures were face-down, and when children predicted performance on a task not yet present. It seems that although children can make relatively accurate judgments of their own knowledge states, they tend to overestimate their competence when assessing their knowledge in relation to performance on a task. We discuss why this might be.

Attention↗
PubMed1990

Naming and categorical knowledge in Alzheimer's disease: the process of semantic memory deterioration.

Semantic memory deterioration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been theorized to proceed from a loss of object attribute knowledge to a loss of category knowledge. The theory is based on the belief that naming is a computational process requiring object attribute knowledge. It is strengthened by reports that AD patients misname by giving category information and perform poorer on tests of attribute than category knowledge. The purpose of this study was to test the theory's validity by administering naming and category knowledge tasks to AD and normal elderly control subjects. Results revealed a theoretically unexpected outcome, that is, naming became easier relative to the recall and recognition of category information.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

A knowledge-based information system for monitoring drug levels.

The expert system shell SMR has been enhanced to include information system routines for designing data screens and providing facilities for data entry, storage, retrieval, queries and descriptive statistics. The data for inference making is abstracted from the data base record and inserted into a data array to which the knowledge base is applied to derive the appropriate advice and comments. The enhanced system has been used to develop an intelligent information system for monitoring serum drug levels which includes evaluation of temporal changes and production of specialized printed reports. The module for digoxin has been fully developed and validated. To demonstrate the extension to other drugs a module for phenytoin was constructed with only a rudimentary knowledge base. Data from the request forms together with the S-digoxin results are entered into the data base by the department secretary. The day's results are then reviewed by the clinical pharmacologist. For each case, previous results may be displayed and are taken into account by the system in the decision process. The knowledge base is applied to the data to formulate an evaluative comment on the report returned to the requestor. The report includes a semi-graphic presentation of the current and previous results and either the system's interpretation or one entered by the pharmacologist if he does not agree with it. The pharmacologist's comment is also recorded in the data base for future retrieval, analysis and possible updating of the knowledge base. The system is now undergoing testing and evaluation under routine operations in the clinical pharmacology service. It is a prototype for other applications in both laboratory and clinical medicine currently under development at Uppsala University Hospital. This system may thus provide a vehicle for a more intensive penetration of knowledge-based systems in practical medical applications.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

KBSIM: a system for interactive knowledge-based simulation.

The KBSIM system integrates quantitative simulation with symbolic reasoning techniques, under the control of a user interface management system, using a relational database management system for data storage and interprocess communication. The system stores and processes knowledge from three distinct knowledge domains, viz. (i) knowledge about the processes of the system under investigation, expressed in terms of a Continuous System Simulation Language (CSSL); (ii) heuristic knowledge on how to reach the goals of the simulation experiment, expressed in terms of a Rule Description Language (RDL); and (iii) knowledge about the requirements of the intended users, expressed in terms of a User Interface Description Language (UIDL). The user works in an interactive environment controlling the simulation course with use of a mouse and a large screen containing a set of 'live' charts and forms. The user is assisted by an embedded 'expert system' module continuously watching both the system's behavior and the user's action, and producing alerts, alarms, comments and advice. The system was developed on a Hewlett-Packard 9000/350 workstation under the HP-Unix and HP-Windows operating systems, using the MIMER database management system, and Fortran, Prolog/Lisp and C as implementation languages. The KBSIM system has great potentials for supporting problem solving, design of working procedures and teaching related to management of highly dynamic systems.

Artificial Intelligence↗
PubMed1994

Opinions, knowledge, and self-reported practices related to infection control among nursing personnel in long-term care settings.

BACKGROUND: Because educational needs of staff in long-term care facilities regarding infection control have, not been well studied, we conducted this study to measure long-term care staff members' knowledge, self-reported practices, and opinions about infection control and handwashing. METHODS: A pilot study was conducted with 24 staff members of one long-term care facility to examine psychometric properties of study instruments. All nursing staff members (n = 105) from two additional long-term care facilities then completed a 14-item knowledge questionnaire, 22-item opinion survey, and 26-item survey of self-reported handwashing practices. RESULTS: Respondents were predominantly female with mean age of 46 years; most had completed high school. Mean length of employment in the study facility was 12.4 years. Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses scored significantly higher on knowledge (p = 0.0002) but significantly lower on self-reported practices (p = 0.01) than did trained nursing assistants. There was no significant correlation between self-reported practices and opinions regarding handwashing (p = 0.55). Neither level of knowledge nor positive opinion about the value of handwashing was associated with self-reported increases in handwashing practices. CONCLUSION: We conclude that education alone is not likely to be associated with changes in handwashing behavior. Instruments developed and tested in this study can be used in further research to correlate self-reported with observed behavior and to evaluate the effects of interventions on knowledge, opinions, and self-reported handwashing behavior.

Aged↗