How Continuous Monitoring Changes the Interaction of Patients with a Mobile Telemedicine System

The use of continuous glucose monitor changes the way patients manage their diabetes, as observed in the increased number of daily insulin bolus, the increased number of daily BG measurements, and the differences in the distribution of BG measurements throughout the day. Continuous monitoring also increases the interaction of patients with the information system and modifies their patterns of use

Electronic administration in Spain: from its beginnings to the present

This study presents the basic lines of electronic administration in Spain. The complexity of the Spanish political-administrative system makes such a study challenging, in view of the considerable degree of autonomy and competences of the regional administrative bodies and local agencies with respect to the central government, the former being more visible in the 17 regions of Spain. Nonetheless, the central government maintains a series of legal instruments that allow a certain common framework of action to be imposed, aside from what is put into effect through diverse programs aimed precisely to develop common tools for the regions and municipalities of Spain. After an introduction that provides some necessary background, this study describes the legislative framework in which Spain's electronic administrative system has developed. The data included in the study refer to investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) and the services offered by the different Administrations on the internet; internet access by citizens, homes, businesses, and employees, as well as the interactivity existing with administrations by means of the internet; the origins and rise of various political initiatives of the Central Government involving electronic administration; and finally, the situation of civil service personnel, as catalysts of the success of Information Society in the Public Administration within Spain

Econometric modeling of business Telecommunications demand using Retina and Finite Mixtues

In this paper we estimate the business telecommunications demands for local, intra-LATA and inter-LATA services, using US data from a Bill Harvesting R survey carried out during 1997. We model heterogeneity, which is present among firms due to a variety of different business telecommunication needs, by estimating normal heteroskedastic mixture regressions. The results show that a three-component mixture model fits the demand for local services well, while a two-component structure is used to model intra-LATA and inter-LATA demand. We characterize the groups in terms of their differences among the coefficients, and then use Retina to perform automatic model selection over an expanded candidate regressor set which includes heterogeneity parameters as well as transformations of the original variables.Telecommunication Demand Models, Local calls, Inter-LATA calls, intra-LATA calls, Retina, Flexible Functional Forms, Heterogeneity, Finite Mixtures.

Econometric Modeling of Business Telecommunications Demand using RETINA and Finite Mixtures.

In this paper we estimate the business telecommunications demands for local,intra-LATA and inter-LATA services, using US data from a Bill Harvesting (R) survey carried out during 1997. We model heterogeneity, which is present among firms due to a variety of different business telecommunication needs, by estimating normal heteroskedastic mixture regressions. The results show that a three-component mixture model fits the demand for local services well, while a two-component structure is used to model intra-LATA and inter-LATA demand. We characterize the groups in terms of their differences among the coefficients, and then use RETINA to perform automatic model selection over an expanded candidate regressor set which includes heterogeneity parameters as well as transformations of the original variables. Our models improve substantially the in-sample fit as well the out-of-sample predictive ability over alternative candidate models. RETINA suggests that the final demand specification should include telephone equipment variables as relevant regressors. On the other hand, the output of the firm, as well as its physical extension, have second order, yet significant effects on the demand for telecommunication services. Estimated elasticities are different for the three demands but always positive for access form (single-line or private network).Telecommunication Demand Models, Local calls, inter-LATA calls, intra-LATA calls, RETINA, Flexible Functional Forms, Heterogeneity, Finite Mixtures.

Painting the ideal home: using art to express visions of technologically supported independent living for older people in North East England

This paper describes the investigation of the development of future technological products to support older people in everyday living through the agency of a community art group. Recent research has identified a number of challenges facing designers seeking to use traditional participatory design approaches to gather technology requirements data from older people. Here, a project is described that sought to get a group of older people to think creatively about their needs and desires for technological support through the medium of paint. The artistic expression technique described in this article allowed the identification of issues that had also been found by previous research that used a range of different techniques. This indicates that the approach shows promise, as it allows information to be gathered in an environment that is comfortable and familiar using methods already known by the participants and which they find enjoyable. It provides a complement (or possible alternative) to standard protocols and has the potential benefit of extracting even richer information as the primary task for participants is enjoyable in its own right and is not associated with an interrogative process. Furthermore, it is argued that some of the key risks of traditional approaches are lessened or removed by the naturalistic setting of this approach

How Can Geography and Mobile Phones Contribute to Psychotherapy?

Interdisciplinary relationships between Geography and Psychotherapy are an opportunity for innovation. Indeed, scientific works found on bibliographic databases and concerning this theme are scarce. Geographical sub-fields, such as the Geography of Emotions or Psychoanalytical Geography have started to emerge, theorizing about and interpreting feelings, emotions, moods, sufferings, of the chronically ill or diversified social groups and sites. But a less theoretical and more practical approach, in the sense of proposing, predicting and intervening, is lacking; as well as research into the possibilities offered by communication technologies and mobile phones. In the present work, we present the results of a review of the most relevant scientific works published internationally; we reflect on the contributions of Geography and mobile phones to psychosocial therapies and define the orientation and questions that should be posed in future research, from the point of view of geography and regarding psychotherapy. We conclude that the production of georeferenced data via mobile phones concerning the daily lives of people opens great possibilities for cognitive behavioural therapy and mental health. They allow for the development of personalized mood maps that locate the places where a person experiences greater or lesser stress on a daily basis; they allow for a cartography of emotions, a cognitive cartography of the places we access physically or through the Internet, of our feelings and psychosocial experiences. They open the door to the possibility of offering personalized psychotherapy treatments focusing on the ecological-environmental analysis of the places frequented by the person on a daily basis

Application of Price Bundling Strategies in Retail Banking in Europe

Application of price bundling strategies in retail banking in Europe is a report based on an empirical study of price bundling practices in Southern, Central and Northern Europe. The current report defines three core price bundling models that are in one form or another applied by the interviewed banks. The models are cost efficiency bundling, cross-selling bundling and loyalty bundling. Price bundling has been started to apply in retail banking in Europe in the 1980’s. Price bundling is regarded as an important strategy in the intensified competitive market and it is also supposed to satisfy increasingly sophisticated customers in the future. The price bundles that the interviewed banks apply can be explained by the competitive conditions in the retail banking markets concerning both what the banks aim at, their competitive advantages, and the market factors. Banks in different parts of Europe have different competitive advantages that they find important when pursuing their price bundling strategies. Common to all the markets is the threat of customers to switch banks, which was identified as the main driving force in competition.Price bundling; strategy; competition; competitive advantage; retail banking