Global e-Readiness - For What? Readiness for e-Banking (JITD)

With the rapid diffusion of the Internet worldwide, there has been considerable interest in the e-potentials of developing countries giving rise to a 1st generation of e-Readiness studies. Moreover, e-Readiness means different things to different people, in different contexts, and for different purposes. Despite strong merits, this first generation of e-Readiness studies assumed a fixed, one-size-fits-all set of requirements, regardless of the characteristics of individual countries, the investment context, or the demands of specific applications. This feature obscures critical information for investors or policy analysts seeking to reduce uncertainties and/or make more educated decisions. But there is very little known about e-Readiness for e-Banking. In particular, based on lessons learnt to date and their implications for emerging realities of the 21st century, we designed and executed a research project with theoretical as well as practical dimensions to answer the question of e-Readiness for What, focusing specifically on e-Banking, based on the very assumption that one size can seldom, if ever, fit all. We propose and develop a conceptual framework for the "next generation" ereadiness - focusing on different e-Business applications in different economic contexts with potentially different pathways - as well as a data model - to explore e-Readiness for e-Banking in ten countries

Clinical application of autologous technetium-99m-labelled eosinophils to detect focal eosinophilic inflammation in the lung.

This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from the BMJ Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-207156The detection of focal eosinophilic inflammation by non-invasive means may aid the diagnosis and follow-up of a variety of pulmonary pathologies. All current methods of detection involve invasive sampling, which may be contraindicated or too high-risk to be performed safely. The use of injected autologous technetium-99m (Tc-99m)-labelled eosinophils coupled to single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has been demonstrated to localise eosinophilic inflammation in the lungs of a patient with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive vasculitis. Here, we report on the utility of this technique to detect active eosinophilic inflammation in a patient with focal lung inflammation where a biopsy was contraindicated.The authors thank all the staff at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Cambridge; Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Core Biochemistry Assay Laboratory; and the National Institute for Health Research, through the Comprehensive Clinical Research Network. This work was supported by Asthma-UK [08/11], the Medical Research Council [grant number MR/J00345X/1], the Wellcome Trust [grant number 098351/Z/12/Z], and Cambridge NIHR Biomedical Research Centre. Written informed consent was obtained in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by Cambridgeshire Research Ethics Committee (09/H0308/119) and the Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee of the United Kingdom (83/3130/25000)

Evidence for Dirac nodes from quantum oscillations in SrFe2As2

We present a detailed study of quantum oscillations in the antiferromagnetically ordered pnictide compound SrFe2As2 as the angle between the applied magnetic field and crystalline axes is varied. Our measurements were performed on high-quality single crystals in a superconducting magnet, and in pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T, allowing us to observe orbits from several small Fermi-surface pockets. We extract the cyclotron effective mass m☆ and frequency F for these orbits and track their values as the field is rotated away from the c axis. While a constant ratio of m☆/F is expected for a parabolic band, we observe deviations from this behavior. We conclude that this observation points to orbits derived from a band with Dirac dispersion near the Fermi level

Specialist Respiratory Outreach : a case-finding initiative for identifying undiagnosed COPD in primary care

Acknowledgments This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research Wessex ARC. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care. We are very grateful to Optimum Patient care and their team for their help and support with the data extraction and application of the case-finding risk score. We would also like to thank: The participants, Mark Stafford-Watson (PPI) in memorial, Colin Newell, Dr Fiona McKenna, Dr Andy Powell, Dr Helen Myers, Dr Stuart McKinnes, Dr Mark Williams, Dr Louisa Egbe, Dr Richard Baxter, Dr Sarah A’Court, Dr Elisabeth Willows, Dr Gareth Morris, Dr Ford, Dr Kate Lippiett, Wessex Clinical Research Network, West Hampshire CCG and Southampton City CCGPeer reviewedPublisher PD

PRomotion Of Physical activity through structured Education with differing Levels of ongoing Support for people at high risk of type 2 diabetes (PROPELS): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The prevention of type 2 diabetes is recognised as a health care priority. Lifestyle change has proven effective at reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, but limitations in the current evidence have been identified in: the promotion of physical activity; availability of interventions that are suitable for commissioning and implementation; availability of evidence-based interventions using new technologies; and physical activity promotion among ethnic minorities. We aim to investigate whether a structured education programme with differing levels of ongoing support, including text-messaging, can increase physical activity over a 4 year period in a multi-ethnic population at high risk of diabetes. METHODS/DESIGN: A multi-centre randomised controlled trial, with follow-up at 12 and 48 months. The primary outcome is change in ambulatory activity at 48 months. Secondary outcomes include changes to markers of metabolic, cardiovascular, anthropometric and psychological health along with cost-effectiveness. Participants aged 40-74 years for White European, or 25-74 years for South Asians, with an HbA1c value of between 6.0 and < 6.4% (42 and 47 mmol/mol) or with a previously recorded plasma glucose level or HbA1c value within the high risk (prediabetes) range within the last five years, are invited to take part in the trial. Participants are identified through primary care, using an automated diabetes risk score within their practice database, or from a database of previous research participants. Participants are randomly assigned to either: 1) the control group who receive a detailed advice leaflet; 2) the Walking Away group, who receive the same leaflet and attend a 3 hour structured education programme with annual maintenance sessions delivered in groups; or 3) the Walking Away Plus group, who receive the leaflet, attend the structured education programme with annual maintenance sessions, plus receive follow-on support through highly-tailored text-messaging and telephone calls to help to aid pedometer use and behaviour change. DISCUSSION: This study will provide new evidence for the long-term effectiveness of a structured education programme focused on physical activity, conducted within routine care in a multi-ethnic population in the UK. It will also investigate the impact of different levels of ongoing support and the cost-effectiveness of each intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN83465245 Trial registration date: 14/06/2012.The trial is funded by the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme, National Institute for Health research. TY, MJD and KK are also supported by the NIHR Lifestyle and Physical Activity Biomedical Research Unit which is a partnership between University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University and the University of Leicester and the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care – East Midlands (NIHR CLAHRC – EM).This is the final version. It was first published by BioMed Central at http://www.trialsjournal.com/content/16/1/289

Clinical characteristics, multiorgan dysfunction and outcomes of patients with COVID-19: a prospective case series

BACKGROUND: Characterizing the multiorgan manifestations and outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will inform resource requirements to address the long-term burden of this disease. We conducted a descriptive analysis using prospectively collected data to describe the clinical characteristics and spectrum of organ dysfunction, and in-hospital and longer-term clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic at a Canadian centre. METHODS: We conducted a prospective case series involving adult patients (aged ≥ 18 yr) with COVID-19 admitted to 1 of 2 hospitals in London, Ontario, from Mar. 17 to June 18, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic. We recorded patients\u27 baseline characteristics, physiologic parameters, measures of organ function and therapies administered during hospitalization among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in non-ICU settings, and compared the characteristics of hospital survivors and nonsurvivors. Finally, we recorded follow-up thoracic computed tomography (CT) and echocardiographic findings after hospital discharge. RESULTS: We enrolled 100 consecutive patients (47 women) hospitalized with COVID-19, including 32 patients who received ICU care and 68 who received treatment in non-ICU settings. Respiratory sequelae were common: 23.0% received high-flow oxygen by nasal cannula, 9.0% received noninvasive ventilation, 24.0% received invasive mechanical ventilation and 2.0% received venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Overall, 9.0% of patients had cerebrovascular events (3.0% ischemic stroke, 6.0% intracranial hemorrhage), and 6.0% had pulmonary embolism. After discharge, 11 of 19 patients had persistent abnormalities on CT thorax, and 6 of 15 had persistent cardiac dysfunction on echocardiography. INTERPRETATION: This study provides further evidence that COVID-19 is a multisystem disease involving neurologic, cardiac and thrombotic dysfunction, without evidence of hepatic dysfunction. Patients have persistent organ dysfunction after hospital discharge, underscoring the need for research on long-term outcomes of COVID-19 survivors

Australia\u27s health 1994 : the fourth biennial report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Australia\u27s Health is the most comprehensive and authoritative source of national information on health in Australia. Australia\u27s Health is published mid-year in even-numbered years and provides national statistics and related information that form a record of health status, service provision and expenditure in Australia

The Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model

The Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Policy Model is a patient-level simulation model of type 1 diabetes and its associated complications, which was developed as part of the National Institute for Health Research Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) research programme. The aim of this paper is to describe the conceptual modelling, model implementation, and model validation phases of the Sheffield Type 1 Diabetes Model development process. The model is highly flexible and has broad potential application to evaluate DAFNE, other diabetes structured education programmes, and other interventions for type 1 diabetes