Enhanced TV as Brand Extension: The Economics and Pragmatics of Enhanced TV to Cable TV Network Viewership [Slides]

A series of 12 slides from a presentation given at the National Cable Television Association Academic Seminar, Chicago, June 8, 2003

Consumption of Over-the-Counter Drugs and Attitudes Towards Over-the-Counter Drug Advertising: A Comparison Between The United States and Hong Kong

A survey of 547 adults from the United States and Hong Kong was conducted to compare their perceptions about functions and consequences of OTC drug advertising and medical decisions when encountering health problems. Results indicate that American and Hong Kong consumers were very similar in their overall perception of functions and consequences of OTC drugs. A large majority of American consumers relied heavily on OTC drugs for all five types of selected health problems in this study. In contrast, Hong Kong consumers took OTC drugs only for specific illness

The AI Revolution in Education: Will AI Replace or Assist Teachers in Higher Education?

This paper explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, specifically its capacity to replace or assist human teachers. By reviewing relevant literature and analysing survey data from students and teachers, the study provides a comprehensive perspective on the future role of educators in the face of advancing AI technologies. Findings suggest that although some believe AI may eventually replace teachers, the majority of participants argue that human teachers possess unique qualities, such as critical thinking, creativity, and emotions, which make them irreplaceable. The study also emphasizes the importance of social-emotional competencies developed through human interactions, which AI technologies cannot currently replicate. The research proposes that teachers can effectively integrate AI to enhance teaching and learning without viewing it as a replacement. To do so, teachers need to understand how AI can work well with teachers and students while avoiding potential pitfalls, develop AI literacy, and address practical issues such as data protection, ethics, and privacy. The study reveals that students value and respect human teachers, even as AI becomes more prevalent in education. The study also introduces a roadmap for students, teachers, and universities. This roadmap serves as a valuable guide for refining teaching skills, fostering personal connections, and designing curriculums that effectively balance the strengths of human educators with AI technologies. The future of education lies in the synergy between human teachers and AI. By understanding and refining their unique qualities, teachers, students, and universities can effectively navigate the integration of AI, ensuring a well-rounded and impactful learning experience

從324個服務使用者剖析香港寧養社會工作

第一節﹕承載多元寧養旅程postprin

Guide to antimicrobial therapy in the adult ICU 2012

Sepsis still remains one of the commonest cause of ntensive care admission here in Malaysia. In the last six years following the first edition, there has been burgeoning increase in knowledge and usage of antimicrobials. However the pressing issues of growing antimicrobial resistance, inappropriate therapy and escalating cost compel for a more responsible prescriber. In order to keep pace with important advances, most chapters have been revised and others eliminated. The objective of this book has not strayed from its original purpose that is to provide a quick and comprehensive guide for the Malaysian doctors caring for the critically ill. The structure has been kept to facilitate easy bedside referencing. The notations have expanded to explain the rationale behind antibiotic choices. Hence we hope this handbook will add to the armamentarium of those who work in intensive care units. The first revision of the ‘The MSA Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy in the Adult ICU’ has been assumed by the Malaysian Society of Intensive Care. This guide has been a culmination of many hours of evidence review and exchange of opinions. Putting it together to cater to our local needs have been a challenge for us. We would like to thank our external reviewers for their invaluable input and also acknowledge the contribution of the working committee of the first edition: it is on the foundation of their work that the present,Second edition has been developed

Linguistic complexity in second language development: variability and variation at advanced stages

De plus en plus de recherches montrent que le langage est un système dynamique et que le développement langagier est un processus dynamique qui se caractérise par de la variabilité (changements intra-individuels) et de la variation (différences inter-individuelles). Le développement de la complexité linguistique serait donc un processus individuel et il conviendrait de ne pas tenir pour acquis qu’une généralisation, au-delà de l’individu, est possible. Cependant, si nous voulons explorer des schémas communs chez les apprenants, il serait plus pertinent de retracer l’évolution du développement dans des études de cas. Cet article explore les mesures de la complexité qui semblent caractériser le mieux le développement à des niveaux avancés en L2. L’étude 1 est une étude de cas unique qui questionne ces mesures de la complexité afin de déterminer lesquelles peuvent capturer le mieux un développement général pour ce cas précis. La longueur moyenne des mots et le ratio de verbes personnels ont montré une forte corrélation avec à la fois le développement dans le temps et l’évaluation des productions écrites. L’étude 2 reprend ces deux mesures avec en plus celle des propositions subordonnées dans les productions de deux autres apprenants. Une analyse basée sur les modèles de Markov cachés a également montré que les apprenants étaient à des stades très différents et cela confirme l’hypothèse dynamique des trajectoires particulières individuelles.As shown by a growing body of research, language is a dynamic system and language development is a dynamic process characterized by variability (intra-individual changes) and variation (inter-individual differences). This implies that the development of linguistic complexity is an individually owned process and we should not assume a priori that generalization beyond the individual is possible. Therefore, if we want to explore common patterns in learners, it is best to trace development in individual cases. This paper explores which linguistic complexity measures most convincingly characterize development at advanced L2 stages. Study 1 is a single case study that explores which linguistic complexity measures capture overall development best for this individual and average word length and finite verb ratio are found to correlate strongly with both development over time and text ratings. Study 2 traces these two measures and dependent clauses in two other, similar learners. The three learners were indeed somewhat similar in the development of the two general measures, but not in the development of dependent clauses. A Hidden Markov Modeling analysis also showed that the learners developed in different stages, confirming the dynamic hypothesis of individually owned trajectories

Guide to antimicrobial therapy 2017

Sepsis still remains the leading cause of admissions and deaths in the ICU. The administration of antibiotics is imperative in its treatment. Like many areas of medicine the knowledge of sepsis and antibiotic use has markedly increased especially the later in areas of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. It becomes urgent to continually evaluate and apply this knowledge, hence the need to revise this antimicrobial guide after 5 years. The threat that one day antibiotics may be obsolete is not a fallacy. Often we are oblivious to the fact that we, the prescribers play a significant role in the propagation of resistant organisms through poor prescribing habits. Antibiotic stewardship calls for a multidisciplinary approach to the handling of antibiotics. A chapter has been dedicated to this. The book remains true to its aims as a convenient up-to-date pocket guide for local doctors caring for the critically ill septic patient. However it must be emphasised that the recommendations do not over ride sound clinical judgement and local antibiotic-susceptibility data. We would like to thank our reviewers for their expertise and invaluable recommendations. This book has been a culmination of many hours of evidence review and exchange of opinions. We hope it will be a useful compendium for daily practice

Tropism of and Innate Immune Responses to the Novel Human Betacoronavirus Lineage C Virus in Human Ex Vivo Respiratory Organ Cultures

Since April 2012, there have been 17 laboratory-confirmed human cases of respiratory disease associated with newly recognized human betacoronavirus lineage C virus EMC (HCoV-EMC), and 7 of them were fatal. The transmissibility and pathogenesis of HCoV-EMC remain poorly understood, and elucidating its cellular tropism in human respiratory tissues will provide mechanistic insights into the key cellular targets for virus propagation and spread. We utilized ex vivo cultures of human bronchial and lung tissue specimens to investigate the tissue tropism and virus replication kinetics following experimental infection with HCoV-EMC compared with those following infection with human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The innate immune responses elicited by HCoV-EMC were also investigated. HCoV-EMC productively replicated in human bronchial and lung ex vivo organ cultures. While SARS-CoV productively replicated in lung tissue, replication in human bronchial tissue was limited. Immunohistochemistry revealed that HCoV-EMC infected nonciliated bronchial epithelium, bronchiolar epithelial cells, alveolar epithelial cells, and endothelial cells. Transmission electron microscopy showed virions within the cytoplasm of bronchial epithelial cells and budding virions from alveolar epithelial cells (type II). In contrast, there was minimal HCoV-229E infection in these tissues. HCoV-EMC failed to elicit strong type I or III interferon (IFN) or proinflammatory innate immune responses in ex vivo respiratory tissue cultures. Treatment of human lung tissue ex vivo organ cultures with type I IFNs (alpha and beta IFNs) at 1 h postinfection reduced the replication of HCoV-EMC, suggesting a potential therapeutic use of IFNs for treatment of human infection

Vector control for malaria prevention during humanitarian emergencies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Humanitarian emergencies can lead to population displacement, food insecurity, severe health system disruptions, and malaria epidemics among individuals who are immunologically naive. We aimed to assess the impact of different vector control interventions on malaria disease burden during humanitarian emergencies. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched ten electronic databases and two clinical trial registries from database inception to Oct 19, 2020, with no restrictions on language or study design. We also searched grey literature from 59 stakeholders. Studies were eligible if the population was affected by a humanitarian emergency in a malaria endemic region. We included studies assessing any vector control intervention and in which the primary outcome of interest was malaria infection risk. Reviewers (LAM, JF-A, KC, BP, and LP) independently extracted information from eligible studies, without masking of author or publication, into a database. We did random-effects meta-analyses to calculate pooled risk ratios (RRs) for randomised controlled trials, odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes, and incidence rate ratios (IRR) for clinical malaria in non-randomised studies. Certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020214961. FINDINGS: Of 12 475 studies screened, 22 studies were eligible for inclusion in our meta-analysis. All studies were conducted between Sept 1, 1989, and Dec 31, 2018, in chronic emergencies, with 616 611 participants from nine countries, evaluating seven different vector control interventions. Insecticide-treated nets significantly decreased Plasmodium falciparum incidence (RR 0·55 [95% CI 0·37-0·79]; high certainty) and Plasmodium vivax incidence (RR 0·69 [0·51-0·94]; high certainty). Evidence for an effect of indoor residual spraying on P falciparum (IRR 0·57 [95% CI 0·53-0·61]) and P vivax (IRR 0·51 [0·49-0·52]) incidence was of very low certainty. Topical repellents were associated with reductions in malaria infection (RR 0·58 [0·35-0·97]; moderate certainty). Moderate-to-high certainty evidence for an effect of insecticide-treated chaddars (equivalent to shawls or blankets) and insecticide-treated cattle on malaria outcomes was evident in some emergency settings. There was very low certainty evidence for the effect of insecticide-treated clothing. INTERPRETATION: Study findings strengthen and support WHO policy recommendations to deploy insecticide-treated nets during chronic humanitarian emergencies. There is an urgent need to evaluate and adopt novel interventions for malaria control in the acute phase of humanitarian emergencies. FUNDING: WHO Global Malaria Programme

The ENHANCES study--Enhancing Head and Neck Cancer patients' Experiences of Survivorship: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background Few cancers pose greater challenges than head and neck (H&N) cancer. Residual effects following treatment include body image changes, pain, fatigue and difficulties with appetite, swallowing and speech. Depression is a common comorbidity. There is limited evidence about ways to assist patients to achieve optimal adjustment after completion of treatment. In this study, we aim to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of a model of survivorship care to improve the quality of life of patients who have completed treatment for H&N cancer. Methods This is a preliminary study in which 120 patients will be recruited. A prospective randomised controlled trial of the H&N Cancer Survivor Self-management Care Plan (HNCP) involving pre- and post-intervention assessments will be used. Consecutive patients who have completed a defined treatment protocol for H&N cancer will be recruited from two large cancer services and randomly allocated to one of three study arms: (1) usual care, (2) information in the form of a written resource or (3) the HNCP delivered by an oncology nurse who has participated in manual-based training and skill development in patient self-management support. The trained nurses will meet patients in a face-to-face interview lasting up to 60 minutes to develop an individualised HNCP, based on principles of chronic disease self-management. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The primary outcome measure is quality of life. The secondary outcome measures include mood, self-efficacy and health-care utilisation. The feasibility of implementing this intervention in routine clinical care will be assessed through semistructured interviews with participating nurses, managers and administrators. Interviews with patients who received the HNCP will explore their perceptions of the HNCP, including factors that assisted them in achieving behavioural change. Discussion In this study, we aim to improve the quality of life of a patient population with unique needs by means of a tailored self-management care plan developed upon completion of treatment. Delivery of the intervention by trained oncology nurses is likely to be acceptable to patients and, if successful, will be a model of care that can be implemented for diverse patient populations