RFID and Evidence Based Stock Management

We use Evidence Based Stock Management software, a system called SmartSM from the company BridgeAll. There is an automated monthly data extract from Symphony to a separate database system. This is scheduled at 9.15am on the 1st of every month and takes just under half an hour. The extracted file is automatically sent by ftp to BridgeAll, where it is automatically loaded into SmartSM and made available. The result is presented in a web interface with pre-designed tailored reports. We made decisions centrally about the parameters used in these reports and they can be changed for specific reasons, or for specific sites where different parameters would better suit the library. The system is easy for staff to use with minimal training and there is no impact on the live Symphony system. Lists of stock can be printed off and staff search manually for the items – that is how we started. Now there is also an option to download the reports to a hand-held scanner – such as to this example from 3M. Again there is a parameter to specify which company’s scanner is in use in the authority. We’ve concentrated on two areas of SmartSM using Stock Management software – there are other facilities within it

Asynchronous decentralized accelerated stochastic gradient descent

In this work, we introduce an asynchronous decentralized accelerated stochastic gradient descent type of method for decentralized stochastic optimization, considering communication and synchronization are the major bottlenecks. We establish $\mathcal{O}(1/\epsilon)$ (resp., $\mathcal{O}(1/\sqrt{\epsilon})$) communication complexity and $\mathcal{O}(1/\epsilon^2)$ (resp., $\mathcal{O}(1/\epsilon)$) sampling complexity for solving general convex (resp., strongly convex) problems

Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 40 mg/day of atorvastatin in reducing the severity of sepsis in ward patients (ASEPSIS Trial)

Introduction: Several observational studies suggest that statins modulate the pathophysiology of sepsis and may prevent its progression. The aim of this study was to determine if the acute administration of atorvastatin reduces sepsis progression in statin naïve patients hospitalized with sepsis. Methods: A single centre phase II randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Patients with sepsis were randomized to atorvastatin 40 mg daily or placebo for the duration of their hospital stay up to a maximum of 28-days. The primary end-point was the rate of sepsis progressing to severe sepsis during hospitalization. Results: 100 patients were randomized, 49 to the treatment with atorvastatin and 51 to placebo. Patients in the atorvastatin group had a significantly lower conversion rate to severe sepsis compared to placebo (4% vs. 24% p = 0.007.), with a number needed to treat of 5. No significant difference in length of hospital stay, critical care unit admissions, 28-day and 12-month readmissions or mortality was observed. Plasma cholesterol and albumin creatinine ratios were significantly lower at day 4 in the atorvastatin group (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.049 respectively). No difference in adverse events between the two groups was observed (p = 0.238). Conclusions: Acute administration of atorvastatin in patients with sepsis may prevent sepsis progression. Further multi-centre trials are required to verify these findings. Trial Registration: International Standard Randomized Control Trial Registry ISRCTN64637517

Developing Data Literacy for Data Enabled Student Success

Tapping in to the potential benefits of learning analytics requires staff and students in higher education to be proficient in data literacy. This poster reports on a project to review and identify professional development needs for learning analytics, with an emphasis on the effective use of learning data to promote student success. We report on the development of an evidence based strategy and implementation plan that addresses the skills gaps and professional development requirements of students and higher education staff who teach or lead teaching and learning enhancement. The outputs will enable upskilling of staff and also facilitate students to be more aware, and make greater use of, their own data ‘footprint’. This facilitates the development of important life skills such as self-regulation and self actualisation. In the broader institutional context, this should have the resulting impact of more widespread adoption of evidence based decisions that support student success initiatives

The tuberculosis challenge in a rural South African HIV programme.

BACKGROUND: South Africa remains the country with the greatest burden of HIV-infected individuals and the second highest estimated TB incidence per capita worldwide. Within South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal has one of the highest rates of TB incidence and an emerging epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis. METHODS: Review of records of consecutive HIV-infected people initiated onto ART between 1st January 2005 and 31st March 2006. Patients were screened for TB at initiation and incident episodes recorded. CD4 counts, viral loads and follow-up status were recorded; data was censored on 5th August 2008. Geographic cluster analysis was performed using spatial scanning. RESULTS: 801 patients were initiated. TB prevalence was 25.3%, associated with lower CD4 (AHR 2.61 p = 0.01 for CD4 25 copies/ml (OR 1.75 p = 0.11). A low-risk cluster for incident TB was identified for patients living near the local hospital in the geospatial analysis. CONCLUSION: There is a large burden of TB in this population. Rate of incident TB stabilises at a rate higher than that of the overall population. These data highlight the need for greater research on strategies for active case finding in rural settings and the need to focus on strengthening primary health care

Appropriate design and reporting of superiority, equivalence and non-inferiority clinical trials incorporating a benefit risk assessment: the BRAINS study including expert workshop

Background Randomised controlled trials are designed to assess the superiority, equivalence or non-inferiority of a new health technology, but which trial design should be used is not always obvious in practice. In particular, when using equivalence or non-inferiority designs, multiple outcomes of interest may be important for the success of a trial, despite the fact that usually only a single primary outcome is used to design the trial. Benefit–risk methods are used in the regulatory clinical trial setting to assess multiple outcomes and consider the trade-off of the benefits against the risks, but are not regularly implemented in publicly funded trials. Objectives The aim of the project is to aid the design of clinical trials with multiple outcomes of interest by defining when each trial design is appropriate to use and identifying when to use benefit–risk methods to assess outcome trade-offs (qualitatively or quantitatively) in a publicly funded trial setting. Methods A range of methods was used to elicit expert opinion to answer the project objectives, including a web-based survey of relevant researchers, a rapid review of current literature and a 2-day consensus workshop of experts (in 2019). Results We created a list of 19 factors to aid researchers in selecting the most appropriate trial design, containing the following overarching sections: population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, feasibility and perspectives. Six key reasons that indicate a benefit–risk method should be considered within a trial were identified: (1) when the success of the trial depends on more than one outcome; (2) when important outcomes within the trial are in competing directions (i.e. a health technology is better for one outcome, but worse for another); (3) to allow patient preferences to be included and directly influence trial results; (4) to provide transparency on subjective recommendations from a trial; (5) to provide consistency in the approach to presenting results from a trial; and (6) to synthesise multiple outcomes into a single metric. Further information was provided to support the use of benefit–risk methods in appropriate circumstances, including the following: methods identified from the review were collated into different groupings and described to aid the selection of a method; potential implementation of methods throughout the trial process were provided and discussed (with examples); and general considerations were described for those using benefit–risk methods. Finally, a checklist of five pieces of information that should be present when reporting benefit–risk methods was defined, with two additional items specifically for reporting the results. Conclusions These recommendations will assist research teams in selecting which trial design to use and deciding whether or not a benefit–risk method could be included to ensure research questions are answered appropriately. Additional information is provided to support consistent use and clear reporting of benefit–risk methods in the future. The recommendations can also be used by funding committees to confirm that appropriate considerations of the trial design have been made. Limitations This research was limited in scope and should be considered in conjunction with other trial design methodologies to assess appropriateness. In addition, further research is needed to provide concrete information about which benefit–risk methods are best to use in publicly funded trials, along with recommendations that are specific to each method

Reply to comment on "Suburban watershed nitrogen retention: Estimating the effectiveness of stormwater management structures" by Koch et al. (Elem Sci Anth 3:000063, July 2015)

We reply to a comment on our recent structured expert judgment analysis of stormwater nitrogen retention in suburban watersheds. Low relief, permeable soils, a dynamic stream channel, and subsurface flows characterize many lowland Coastal Plain watersheds. These features result in unique catchment hydrology, limit the precision of streamflow measurements, and challenge the assumptions for calculating runoff from rainfall and catchment area. We reiterate that the paucity of high-resolution nitrogen loading data for Chesapeake Bay watersheds warrants greater investment in long-term empirical studies of suburban watershed nutrient budgets for this region

Pieces of string too short to save : discovering ourselves through our stories

vi, 52 leaves ; 28 cm. --This writing is about the impacts of widely divergent worlds on the cultural and emotional development of a girl born in a rural, Southern Alberta setting. Its purpose is to identify and sort out the effects imposed by the conflicting values of Russian-born maternal forces and American-born paternal forces on a post-World War Two child. The author's thesis is that an individual's voice, or capacity for independence, can be greatly influenced by the people and places of his or her formative years. The scope of this paper extends from an eighteenth century Russian village to twentieth century Southern Alberta, with the major emphasis on the time-frame 1949 to 1977. Most of the writing is based on the recollections and observations of the author. The quoted published source is from writings by Sam Keene and Anne V alley-F ox concerning creating our own mythic journey. This writing concludes that it is useful for individuals to examine closely the influences that formed them, with special implications for the conflicting forces experienced by many first-generations Canadians