433 research outputs found

    Middle Managers Intention To Use Information In A Data-driven Decision Support System: A Case Study In The Aircraft Industry

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    As aircraft organizations, like many organizations, seek out ways to increase efficiencies in order to remain competitive within the market, higher utilization of information and personnel become essential. This increase in efficiency will require additional insight into the behavioral intention predictability of middle managers that are responsible for making the decisions that drive efficiencies. Theoretical models such as the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) have linked behavioral intention to predictable behavior. This research study seeks to provide a deeper understanding into the phenomenon of the behavioral intention predictability of middle managers in the aircraft industry to who use information from a data-driven decision support system. The research intends to use a case study methodology utilizing interviews and observations to collect data about attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls. All of these play a role in the prediction of behavioral intention. The expectation of the study is to provide organizations, within the aerospace industry, with advanced understanding about behavioral intention predictability to maximize information utilization and performance from a data-driven decision support system. This research study focuses on the measurement of behavioral intention to use, not use itself

    Incidence and general hospital costs of self-harm across England: Estimates based on the multicentre study of self-harm

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    AimsThe aim of this study was to estimate incidence of self-harm presentations to hospitals and their associated hospital costs across England.MethodsWe used individual patient data from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England of all self-harm presentations to the emergency departments of five general hospitals in Oxford, Manchester and Derby in 2013. We also obtained cost data for each self-harm presentation from the hospitals in Oxford and Derby, as well as population and geographical estimates from the Office for National Statistics. First, we estimated the rate of self-harm presentations by age and gender in the Multicentre Study and multiplied this with the respective populations to estimate the number of self-harm presentations by age and gender for each local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area in England. Second, we performed a regression analysis on the cost data from Oxford and Derby to predict the hospital costs of self-harm in Manchester by age, gender, receipt of psychosocial assessment, hospital admission and type of self-harm. Third, the mean hospital cost per age year and gender were combined with the respective number of self-harm presentations to estimate the total hospital costs for each CCG in England. Sensitivity analysis was performed to address uncertainty in the results due to the extrapolation of self-harm incidence and cost from the Multicentre Study to England.ResultsThere were 228 075 estimated self-harm presentations (61% were female) by 159 857 patients in 2013 in England. The largest proportions of self-harm presentations were in the age group 40-49 years (30%) for men and 19-29 years (28%) for women. Associated hospital costs were approximately £128.6 (95% CI 117.8-140.9) million in 2013. The estimated incidence of self-harm and associated hospital costs were lower in the majority of English coastal areas compared to inland regions but the highest costs were in Greater London. Costs were also higher in more socio-economically deprived areas of the country compared with areas that are more affluent. The sensitivity analyses provided similar results.ConclusionsThe results of this study highlight the extent, hospital costs and distribution of self-harm presentations to hospitals in England and identify potential sub-populations that might benefit from targeted actions to help prevent self-harm and assist those who have self-harmed. They can support national as well as local health stakeholders in allocating funds and prioritising interventions in areas with the greatest need for preventing and managing self-harm

    Electrified heat and transport: energy demand futures, their impacts on power networks and what it means for system flexibility

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    Demand electrification, system flexibility and energy demand reduction (EDR) are three central tenets of most energy system decarbonisation pathways in the UK and other high-income countries. However, their combined impacts on local energy systems remain understudied. Here, we investigate the impact of different UK energy demand future scenarios on the loading of local electricity networks, and the ability of electrified demand to act flexibly in (i) mitigating the need for network reinforcement and (ii) shifting demand around according to variable tariffs reflecting wider system needs. These scenarios are used to drive spatially- and temporally-explicit technology uptake and energy demand modelling for heating and transport in a localised context, for application to a local electricity network. A particular case study energy network in Scotland, representative of many networks in the UK and Northern Europe, is selected to demonstrate the method. On the basis of the presented case study, which considered a typical winter demand day, energy futures based on EDR policies were found on average to reduce evening transformer loading by up to 16%. Further reductions of up to 43% were achieved with flexible smart charging and up to 69% with the use of vehicle-to-grid. Therefore, we find that policies focused on EDR can mitigate the need for reinforcement of electricity networks against the backdrop of demand electrification. However, flexibility in electricity demand contributes a larger difference to a network’s ability to host electrified heat and transport than relying solely on EDR. When used in tandem, policies that simultaneously pursue EDR and electricity system flexibility are shown to have the greatest benefits. Despite these benefits, peak electricity demand is very likely to increase significantly relative to the current baseline. Therefore, widespread reinforcement is required to local electricity networks in the net-zero transition and, accordingly, urgent investment is required to support the realisation of the UK’s legally-binding climate goals

    Volumetric mammographic density: heritability and association with breast cancer susceptibility loci.

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    BACKGROUND: Mammographic density is a strong heritable trait, but data on its genetic component are limited to area-based and qualitative measures. We studied the heritability of volumetric mammographic density ascertained by a fully-automated method and the association with breast cancer susceptibility loci. METHODS: Heritability of volumetric mammographic density was estimated with a variance component model in a sib-pair sample (N pairs = 955) of a Swedish screening based cohort. Associations with 82 established breast cancer loci were assessed in an independent sample of the same cohort (N = 4025 unrelated women) using linear models, adjusting for age, body mass index, and menopausal status. All tests were two-sided, except for heritability analyses where one-sided tests were used. RESULTS: After multivariable adjustment, heritability estimates (standard error) for percent dense volume, absolute dense volume, and absolute nondense volume were 0.63 (0.06) and 0.43 (0.06) and 0.61 (0.06), respectively (all P < .001). Percent and absolute dense volume were associated with rs10995190 (ZNF365; P = 9.0 × 10(-6) and 8.9 × 10(-7), respectively) and rs9485372 (TAB2; P = 1.8 × 10(-5) and 1.8 × 10(-3), respectively). We also observed associations of rs9383938 (ESR1) and rs2046210 (ESR1) with the absolute dense volume (P = 2.6 × 10(-4) and 4.6 × 10(-4), respectively), and rs6001930 (MLK1) and rs17356907 (NTN4) with the absolute nondense volume (P = 6.7 × 10(-6) and 8.4 × 10(-5), respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the high heritability of mammographic density, though estimates are weaker for absolute than percent dense volume. We also demonstrate that the shared genetic component with breast cancer is not restricted to dense tissues only.This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant no. 521-2011- 3187) and Swedish Cancer Society (grant no. CAN 2013/469). The KARolinska MAmmography project for risk prediction of breast cancer study was supported by Märit and Hans Rausing’s Initiative Against Breast Cancer and the Cancer and Risk Prediction Center CRisP (http://ki.se/en/meb/crisp), a Linneus Centre (Contract ID 70867902) financed by the Swedish Research Council. KH is supported by the Swedish Research Counsil (grant no. 521-2011-3205) and JL is a UNESCO-L’OREAL International Fellow.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from OUP at http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jnci/dju33

    The extra resource burden of in-hospital falls: A cost of falls study

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    Objective: To quantify the additional hospital length of stay (LOS) and costs associated with in-hospital falls and fall injuries in acute hospitals in Australia. Design, setting and participants: A multisite prospective cohort study conducted during 2011–2013 in the control wards of a falls prevention trial (6-PACK). The trial included all admissions to 12 acute medical and surgical wards of six Australian hospitals. In-hospital falls data were collected from medical record reviews, daily verbal reports by ward nurse unit managers, and hospital incident reporting and administrative databases. Clinical costing data were linked for three of the six participating hospitals to calculate patient-level costs. Outcome measures: Hospital LOS and costs associated with in-hospital falls and fall injuries for each patient admission. Results: We found that 966 of a total of 27 026 hospital admissions (3.6%) involved at least one fall, and 313 (1.2%) at least one fall injury, a total of 1330 falls and 418 fall injuries. After adjustment for age, sex, cognitive impairment, admission type, comorbidity and clustering by hospital, patients who had an in-hospital fall had a mean increase in LOS of 8 days (95% CI, 5.8–10.4; P < 0.001) compared with non-fallers, and incurred mean additional hospital costs of 6669(956669 (95% CI, 3888–9450;P<0.001).Patientswithafall−relatedinjuryhadameanincreaseinLOSof4days(959450; P < 0.001). Patients with a fall-related injury had a mean increase in LOS of 4 days (95% CI, 1.8–6.6; P = 0.001) compared with those who fell without injury, and there was also a tendency to additional hospital costs (mean, 4727; 95% CI, −568to568 to 10 022; P = 0.080). Conclusion: Patients who experience an in-hospital fall have significantly longer hospital stays and higher costs. Programs need to target the prevention of all falls, not just the reduction of fall-related injuries

    Mortality in children and adolescents following presentation to hospital after non-fatal self-harm in the Multicentre Study of Self-harm: a prospective observational cohort study

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    © 2020 Elsevier Ltd Background: Self-harm and suicide in children and adolescents are growing problems, and self-harm is associated with a significant risk of subsequent death, particularly suicide. Long-term follow-up studies are necessary to examine the extent and nature of this association. Methods: For this prospective observational cohort study, we used data from the Multicentre Study of Self-harm in England for all individuals aged 10–18 years who presented to the emergency department of five study hospitals in Oxford, Manchester, and Derby after non-fatal self-harm between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2013. Deaths were identified through the Office for National Statistics via linkage with data from NHS Digital up until Dec 31, 2015. The key outcomes were mortality after presentation to hospital for self-harm, categorised into suicide, accidental deaths, and death by other causes. We calculated incidence of suicide since first hospital presentation for self-harm and used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the associations between risk factors (sex, age, previous self-harm) and suicide. Findings: Between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2013, 9303 individuals aged 10–18 years presented to the study hospitals. 130 individuals were excluded because they could not be traced on the national mortality register or had missing data on sex or age, thus the resulting study sample consisted of 9173 individuals who had 13 175 presentations for self-harm. By the end of the follow-up on Dec 31, 2015, 124 (1%) of 9173 individuals had died. 55 (44%) of 124 deaths were suicides, 27 (22%) accidental, and 42 (34%) due to other causes. Of the 9173 individuals who presented for self-harm, 55 (0·6%) died by suicide. Most suicide deaths involved self-injury (45 [82%] of 55 deaths). Switching of method between self-harm and suicide was common, especially from self-poisoning to hanging or asphyxiation. The 12-month incidence of suicide in this cohort was more than 30 times higher than the expected rate in the general population of individuals aged 10–18 years in England (standardised mortality ratio 31·0, 95% CI 15·5–61·9). 42 (76%) of 55 suicides occurred after age 18 years and the annual incidence remained similar during more than 10 years of follow-up. Increased suicide risk was associated with male sex (adjusted hazard ratio 2·50, 95% CI 1·46–4·26), being an older adolescent at presentation to hospital for self-harm (1·82, 0·93–3·54), use of self-injury for self-harm (2·11, 1·17–3·81; especially hanging or asphyxiation [4·90, 1·47–16·39]), and repeated self-harm (1·87, 1·10–3·20). Accidental poisoning deaths were especially frequent among males compared with females (odds ratio 6·81, 95% CI 2·09–22·15). Interpretation: Children and adolescents who self-harm have a considerable risk of future suicide, especially males, older adolescents, and those who repeated self-harm. Risk might persist over several years. Switching of method from self-harm to suicide was common, usually from self-poisoning to self-injury (especially hanging or asphyxiation). Self-harm is also associated with risk of death from accidental poisoning, particularly involving drugs of abuse, especially in young males. Funding: UK Department of Health and Social Care

    Effects of ketamine treatment on suicidal ideation: a qualitative study of patients’ accounts following treatment for depression in a UK ketamine clinic

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    Objective It is recognised that ketamine treatment can reduce suicidal ideation (SI) in people with depression, at least in the short term. However, information is lacking on patients’ perspectives on such effects. Studying these can contribute to greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying impact of ketamine treatment on SI. The aim of this study was to investigate patients’ reports of the impact of treatment on their SI, the duration of effects and possible mechanisms. Design and setting This qualitative study consisted of semi-structured interviews with patients who had received ketamine treatment for depression. Interview data were analysed thematically. Participants Fourteen patients (8 females, 6 males, aged 24–64 years) who had received treatment with ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, and had SI at the initiation of treatment. Two participants also had a diagnosis of bipolar type 1 and two of emotionally unstable personality disorder. Eight had a history of self-harm. Results SI reduced following ketamine treatment in 12 out of 14 participants for periods of a few hours following a single treatment to up to three years with ongoing treatment. Reduction of SI was variable in terms of extent and duration, and re-emergence of suicidal thoughts often occurred when treatment ceased. Participants’ accounts indicated that reduced SI was associated with improved mood and reduced anxiety, as were clarity of thought, focus and concentration, and ability to function. Participants reported experiencing some or all of these effects in various orders of occurrence. Conclusion Generally, ketamine treatment was experienced as effective in reducing SI, although duration of effects varied considerably. Patients’ perspectives indicated similarities in the mechanisms of reduction in SI, but some differences in their manifestation, particularly in relation to chronology. Experiences of this cohort suggest that reduced anxiety and improvement in ability to think and function were important mechanisms alongside, or in some cases independently of, improvement in mood. Further studies of patients’ experiences are required to gain enhanced understanding of the variability of effects of ketamine on SI and functionality

    Ketamine treatment for individuals with treatment-resistant depression: a longitudinal qualitative interview study of patient experiences

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    Background Ketamine has recently received considerable attention regarding its antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects. Trials have generally focused on short-term effects of single intravenous infusions. Research on patient experiences is lacking. Aims To investigate the experiences over time of individuals receiving ketamine treatment in a routine clinic, including impacts on mood and suicidality. Method Twelve fee-paying patients with treatment-resistant depression (6 females, 6 males, age 21-70 years; 11 reporting suicidality and six self-harm) who were assessed as eligible for ketamine treatment participated in up to three semi-structured interviews: before treatment started, a few weeks into treatment and two or more months later. Data were analysed thematically. Results Most participants hoped that ketamine would provide respite from their depression. All experienced improvement in mood following initial treatments, ranging from negligible to dramatic, and eight a reduction in suicidality. Improvements were transitory for most participants, although two experienced sustained consistent benefit and two had sustained but limited improvement. Some participants described hopelessness when treatment stopped working, paralleled by increased suicidal ideation for three. The transient nature and cost of treatment were problematic. Eleven participants experienced side-effects, which in two cases were significant. Suggestions for improving treatment included closer monitoring and adjunctive psychological therapy. Conclusions Ketamine treatment was generally experienced as effective in improving mood and reducing suicidal ideation in the short-term, but the lack of longer-term benefit was challenging for participants, as was treatment cost. Informed consent procedures should refer to the possibilities of relapse and of associated increased hopelessness and suicidality

    The Grizzly, October 31, 1995

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    Drug Raid at Graterford Prison • Inauguration Day • Ruby Update • Better Safe Than Sorry • Ursinus Students, Parents to Co-Sponsor Can-a-Thon for Needy • Trick or Treaters Invade Quad • Debate: Censorship • Dr. Nagy Responds • Homophobia is not Closed-Mindedness • It Wasn\u27t About Farrakhan • March for Family Value Restoration • Truth, Justice, and the American Way • Ignorance Breeds Fear • Homosexuality is a Choice • Ursinus Choir and Meistersingers Perform Works by Purcell • An Evening Perspective • The Parable of the Beach • Spotlight: Beatrice May • B.Y.O.! • Soccer Defeats Cabrini, Falls to Muhlenberg • Field Hockey Drops Decisions to St. Joe\u27s and Rutgers • Harries Compete in CC Championship • Season Ends with Losshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1367/thumbnail.jp
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