234 research outputs found
Investigating factors impairing information exchange in a Circular Economy from a stakeholder perspective
Blockchain-based Electronic Patient Records for Regulated Circular Healthcare Jurisdictions
Circular, data-driven healthcare is
increasingly being considered as an effective model to
provide efficient, cost-effective and sustainable
healthcare services in the future. Central to this model
is the service-dominant “building-block”-type provision
of care services to patients, paired with the
collaboration of healthcare providers through a
common infrastructure. This combination enables the
forming of a decentralized, holistic care cycle. Sharing
of patient medical information is pivotal towards
reaching this goal; however, preserving medical record
integrity and privacy, while at the same time allowing
provider interoperability are often conflicting
requirements. Blockchains and Smart Contracts can
provide the underlying technology to support the
decentralized care cycle by addressing patient privacy
and medical record integrity, while simultaneously
offering efficient interoperability between providers. To
demonstrate how this could be achieved, a conceptual
medical record access and sharing mechanism is
presented which is suitable for a system operating
within a regulated healthcare jurisdiction
Blockchains as Enablers for Auditing Cooperative Circular Economy Networks
Implementing a circular economy business
model which is profitable for businesses operating
physical assets, while at the same time does not conflict
with strategic goals of environmental policies can be a
complex and risky undertaking for a single entity,
especially if the asset operator is a small-to-medium
enterprise (SMEs). To mitigate this, a collaborative
circular economy business model is proposed, where the
circular economy cycle is materialized by assets
transitioning between asset operators on a demanddriven
approach. Demand itself is partially based on the
asset's state, which is described by its circular
properties (location, condition, availability). The asset
state and its transition between operators can be
monitored by auditors and governmental regulators to
ensure asset integrity and compliance with
environmental targets. This common view of asset state
between all parties can be enabled by blockchains and
smart contracts, which can provide the underlying
technology to share data with integrity, while
simultaneously offering more efficient interoperability
between participants. To demonstrate how this could be
achieved, a conceptual asset record access and sharing
mechanism is presented which is suitable for regulated
environmental jurisdictions
Human-in-the-circular-loop (HITCL): Towards the systematization of human factors in circular economy ecosystems research
WARDOG: Awareness detection watchbog for Botnet infection on the host device
Botnets constitute nowadays one of the most dangerous security threats worldwide. High volumes of infected
machines are controlled by a malicious entity and perform coordinated cyber-attacks. The problem will become even worse in
the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) as the number of insecure devices is going to be exponentially increased. This paper
presents WARDOG – an awareness and digital forensic system that informs the end-user of the botnet’s infection, exposes the
botnet infrastructure, and captures verifiable data that can be utilized in a court of law. The responsible authority gathers all
information and automatically generates a unitary documentation for the case. The document contains undisputed forensic
information, tracking all involved parties and their role in the attack. The deployed security mechanisms and the overall
administration setting ensures non-repudiation of performed actions and enforces accountability. The provided properties are
verified through theoretic analysis. In simulated environment, the effectiveness of the proposed solution, in mitigating the botnet
operations, is also tested against real attack strategies that have been captured by the FORTHcert honeypots, overcoming
state-of-the-art solutions. Moreover, a preliminary version is implemented in real computers and IoT devices, highlighting the
low computational/communicational overheads of WARDOG in the field
Fragmented in space: the oral history narrative of an Arab Christian from Antioch, Turkey
This study uses the case of Can Kılçıksız, an Arab Christian refugee youth from Antioch, Turkey, to argue that globalization may result in fragmented families and subjectivities and can also accelerate processes initiated by modernity and the construction of national identities. Can Kılçıksız and his siblings now live in Turkey, Germany, France and Finland. His life story suggests that males of Arab Christian origin from Antioch who had access to schooling are more likely to be involved in politics whereas females tend to be drawn to evangelical Christian organizations. The case also suggests that sibling ties might prove more durable in the course of transnational migration than conjugal ties. The case of Can Kılçıksız shows that the time/space linked to childhood through memory can play an important role in identity construction of subjects circulating in transnational space
Uptake and 4-week quit rates from an opt-out co-located smoking cessation service delivered alongside community-based low-dose computed tomography screening within the Yorkshire Lung Screening Trial.
BACKGROUND: Up to 50% of those attending for low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer continue to smoke and co-delivery of smoking cessation services alongside screening may maximise clinical benefit. Here we present data from an opt-out co-located smoking cessation service delivered alongside the Yorkshire Lung Screening Trial (YLST). METHODS: Eligible YLST participants were offered an immediate consultation with a smoking cessation practitioner (SCP) at their screening visit with ongoing smoking cessation support over subsequent weeks. RESULTS: Of 2150 eligible participants, 1905 (89%) accepted the offer of an SCP consultation during their initial visit, with 1609 (75%) receiving ongoing smoking cessation support over subsequent weeks. Uptake of ongoing support was not associated with age, ethnicity, deprivation or educational level in multivariable analyses, although men were less likely to engage (adjusted OR (ORadj) 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.89). Uptake was higher in those with higher nicotine dependency, motivation to stop smoking and self-efficacy for quitting. Overall, 323 participants self-reported quitting at 4 weeks (15.0% of the eligible population); 266 were validated by exhaled carbon monoxide (12.4%). Multivariable analyses of eligible smokers suggested 4-week quitting was more likely in men (ORadj 1.43, 95% CI 1.11-1.84), those with higher motivation to quit and previous quit attempts, while those with a stronger smoking habit in terms of cigarettes per day were less likely to quit. CONCLUSIONS: There was high uptake for co-located opt-out smoking cessation support across a wide range of participant demographics. Protected funding for integrated smoking cessation services should be considered to maximise programme equity and benefit
CONTRIBUTION OF EMPIRICAL METHODS AND SATELLITE DATA USE FOR ESTIMATING DAILY REFERENCE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION
Στην παρούσα εργασία χρησιμοποιούνται επίγεια και δορυφορικά μετεωρολογικά δεδομένα του έτους 2014 από την περιοχή της Βοιωτίας. Τα επίγεια δεδομένα προέρχονται από τον αυτόματο αγρομετεωρολογικό σταθμό (ΑΑΣ) μέτρησης της εξατμισοδιαπνοής αναφοράς (ΕΤο) του Γεωπονικού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών (ΓΠΑ). Τα μετεωρολογικά δορυφορικά δεδομένα (SAT) αντιστοιχούν σε πολύγωνο 0.25οΧ0.25ο εντός του οποίου λειτουργεί και ο ΑΑΣ. Χρησιμοποιώντας τα επίγεια αλλά και τα δορυφορικά δεδομένα, υπολογίσθηκε η ΕΤο με τη μέθοδο FAO-56 PM, αλλά και με τρεις εμπειρικές μεθόδους (Copais, Valiantzas και Hargreaves-Samani) και πραγματοποιήθηκαν συγκρίσεις με σκοπό να αξιολογηθεί η αξιοπιστία των μοντέλων. Ως βάση των συγκρίσεων υιοθετήθηκε η μέθοδος FAO-56 PM με χρήση επίγειων δεδομένων. Από την εργασία προκύπτει ότι τόσο για τα επίγεια όσο και για τα δορυφορικά δεδομένα η μέθοδος Copais δίνει τις καλύτερες εκτιμήσεις ακολουθούμενη από την μέθοδο Valiantzas και με σοβαρή υπερεκτίμηση η Hargreaves-Samani. In the present study we used ground and satellite meteorological data of the year 2014 from the region of Viotia-Greece. The ground data were obtained from the automatic grass reference evapotranspiration station (AAS) of the Agricultural University of Athens. The satellite data (SAT) cover an area of 0,25ο x 0,25ο that includes the AAS. By using the ground and the satellite data we calculated the reference evapotranspiration, ΕΤο, with the method FAO-56 PM and with three empirical methods (Copais, Valiantzas and Hargreaves-Samani). The FAO-56 PM was used as a benchmark method to compare and validate the performances of the others methods. The results show that for both the ground and the satellite data, Copais method is the most accurate followed by Valiantzas and Hargreaves-Samani, indicated by serious overestimation
Feasibility of aspirin and/or vitamin D3 for men with prostate cancer on active surveillance with Prolaris® testing
OBJECTIVES:
To test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of aspirin and/or vitamin D3 in active surveillance (AS) low/favourable intermediate risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients with Prolaris® testing.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Newly-diagnosed low/favourable intermediate risk PCa patients (PSA ≤ 15 ng/ml, International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group ≤2, maximum biopsy core length <10 mm, clinical stage ≤cT2c) were recruited into a multi-centre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (ISRCTN91422391, NCT03103152). Participants were randomised to oral low dose (100 mg), standard dose (300 mg) aspirin or placebo and/or vitamin D3 (4000 IU) versus placebo in a 3 × 2 factorial RCT design with biopsy tissue Prolaris® testing. The primary endpoint was trial acceptance/entry rates. Secondary endpoints included feasibility of Prolaris® testing, 12-month disease re-assessment (imaging/biochemical/histological), and 12-month treatment adherence/safety. Disease progression was defined as any of the following (i) 50% increase in baseline PSA, (ii) new Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 4/5 lesion(s) on multi-parametric MRI where no previous lesion, (iii) 33% volume increase in lesion size, or radiological upstaging to ≥T3, (iv) ISUP Grade Group upgrade or (v) 50% increase in maximum cancer core length.
RESULTS:
Of 130 eligible patients, 104 (80%) accepted recruitment from seven sites over 12 months, of which 94 patients represented the per protocol population receiving treatment. Prolaris® testing was performed on 76/94 (81%) diagnostic biopsies. Twelve-month disease progression rate was 43.3%. Assessable 12-month treatment adherence in non-progressing patients to aspirin and vitamin D across all treatment arms was 91%. Two drug-attributable serious adverse events in 1 patient allocated to aspirin were identified. The study was not designed to determine differences between treatment arms.
CONCLUSION:
Recruitment of AS PCa patients into a multi-centre multi-arm placebo-controlled RCT of minimally-toxic adjunctive oral drug treatments with molecular biomarker profiling is acceptable and safe. A larger phase III study is needed to determine optimal agents, intervention efficacy, and outcome-associated biomarkers
The impact of corporate social responsibility, service quality and customer- company identification on customers
Conference: 9th International Strategic Management Conference -- Location: Riga, LATVIA -- Date: JUN 27-29, 2013Despite the importance of corporate social responsibility (hereafter CSR) as an important construct in academia and a pressing item on corporate agenda, some contradictory results suggesting that CSR is far away from being the most dominant criteria in purchase behavior call for further research on the topic. Research supporting this view suggests that traditional criteria such as price, quality and brand familiarity are still the most important choice criteria. Acknowledging the significant role that quality can play in the context of services, this study incorporates these two separate views and considers the effect that both CSR and service quality have on customer-related outcomes such as customer- company identification, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The study also investigates the mediating role of customer- company identification, pointing to the fact that improving customers' psychological attachment to a company can serve as a strategic tool for enhancing the effect that CSR and service quality have on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. To test the hypothesized relationships, an online questionnaire is conducted to a sample of 242 bank customers.Int Strateg Management & Managers Assoc
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