Knowledge transfer: Benefits of playing MMORPGS towards enhancing IT managerial skills

This study is concerned with the positive effects, learnability and real-life skill knowledge transfer of commercial off-the-shelf video games.While extensive studies being carried out in exploring skill transfer from virtual world to real world in domains such as education and healthcare, it is felt that further study is needed to explore if these skills can be applied towards enhancing IT managerial skills.The focus of this study is on Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).MMORPGs are 3D online virtual worlds that allow players to interact with millions of other players through avatars.On the other hand, IT managerial skills definitions are determined by referencing the Skills Framework for Information Age (SFIA), a comprehensive ICT competency framework of nearly 100 IT professional skills.Thus this study is framed around answering the following question: What are the perceptions on the benefits of playing MMORPGs towards enhancing IT managerial skills

A Model of Housing Quality Determinants (HQD) for Affordable Housing

This research identifies the design quality determinants and parameters for affordable housing in a developing metropolis, Karachi, Pakistan. The absence of quality housing in Karachi has resulted in a variety of factors including policy failure, violation of bylaws, housing scarcity and more low quality housing. The combination of these factors has resulted in poor housing design and construction and has lowered the overall quality of housing. Homeowners (end-users) experience unplanned maintenance and repairs. This study provides a design quality model for use as a survey tool among professionals and end-users. This study resulted in a table of 24 quality determinants marked as Housing Quality Determinants (HQD) grouped into eight sections. This research concludes that the existing design quality of affordable housing in Karachi could be enhanced by resolving problems related to design, construction, services, site development, neighbourhood and sustainability. The HQD model provides a platform for developing quality indicators of housing design and an opportunity for local and international design and construction professionals to rethink design in the context of housing quality. This article provides the development of the HQD framework (model)

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Effects of fluoxetine on functional outcomes after acute stroke (FOCUS): a pragmatic, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial

Background Results of small trials indicate that fluoxetine might improve functional outcomes after stroke. The FOCUS trial aimed to provide a precise estimate of these effects. Methods FOCUS was a pragmatic, multicentre, parallel group, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial done at 103 hospitals in the UK. Patients were eligible if they were aged 18 years or older, had a clinical stroke diagnosis, were enrolled and randomly assigned between 2 days and 15 days after onset, and had focal neurological deficits. Patients were randomly allocated fluoxetine 20 mg or matching placebo orally once daily for 6 months via a web-based system by use of a minimisation algorithm. The primary outcome was functional status, measured with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), at 6 months. Patients, carers, health-care staff, and the trial team were masked to treatment allocation. Functional status was assessed at 6 months and 12 months after randomisation. Patients were analysed according to their treatment allocation. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN83290762. Findings Between Sept 10, 2012, and March 31, 2017, 3127 patients were recruited. 1564 patients were allocated fluoxetine and 1563 allocated placebo. mRS data at 6 months were available for 1553 (99·3%) patients in each treatment group. The distribution across mRS categories at 6 months was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (common odds ratio adjusted for minimisation variables 0·951 [95% CI 0·839–1·079]; p=0·439). Patients allocated fluoxetine were less likely than those allocated placebo to develop new depression by 6 months (210 [13·43%] patients vs 269 [17·21%]; difference 3·78% [95% CI 1·26–6·30]; p=0·0033), but they had more bone fractures (45 [2·88%] vs 23 [1·47%]; difference 1·41% [95% CI 0·38–2·43]; p=0·0070). There were no significant differences in any other event at 6 or 12 months. Interpretation Fluoxetine 20 mg given daily for 6 months after acute stroke does not seem to improve functional outcomes. Although the treatment reduced the occurrence of depression, it increased the frequency of bone fractures. These results do not support the routine use of fluoxetine either for the prevention of post-stroke depression or to promote recovery of function. Funding UK Stroke Association and NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme

A Methodology to Develop a Mobile Application Model to Appraise Housing Design Quality

The variety of planning and design solutions occasionally turns into an underpinning factor for the defects and maintenance issues in built forms. Defects and maintenance that emerges from deficient design indicate that the design has not been conceded in the perception of quality. Reviewing the nature of deficient designs and resulting maintenance problems in various types of built forms revealed that housing sector is most effective of this phenomenon. The reason could be set as; housing planning, design, and construction are a most practiced activity to address the living needs of the ever-growing world population. This research considered that design quality of housing is severely affected in developing countries. In this regard housing standards and bylaws plays a minor role to ensure the housing quality in developing regions. However, it is notable that, in developing regions, the majority of populations have easy access to mobile communication technology. Therefore, it is possible to use mobile technology to educate the people about quality issues of housing and to help them to evaluate the quality of proposed or existing housing. �  At present, the use of mobile technology has not only heightened the need for IT knowledge but also extend the capabilities of many designers/architects and builders. Hence, there is a niche to develop an integrated hub that could appraise the function of each professional involved in housing processes. This research has established a criterion that, the mobile technology can help common people to understand the quality of house/housing and to ascertain it. The results of the research have surfaced a model of mobile application that could be used later to prepare the real-time mobile application to work as a “design quality assessment tool.

Housing and analysis of design defects : A post occupational evaluation of private housing in Malaysia

Housing provision and quality housing are two issues, which remained the subject of research and interest to researchers’ and designers’. Whenever a designer completes the project, they are not fully aware of consequences of their design. Only through post occupational survey, the designer usually realizes the shortfall they have made during the design process. Unfortunately, such unforeseen conditions are the part of daily life for the end user of residential buildings in developing regions. The main purpose of this research is to understand and identify the causes of design tribulations and their effects on residential buildings at post occupational stage. This research circumscribes the issues and problems faced by the users of private housing at post occupational stage, which results in because of deficient design. These problems affect the users through unplanned maintenance to major repairs leading to danger of collapse. In order to evaluate these effects on buildings, case studies were conducted in housing stock of metropolitan areas of the Klang Valley in Malaysia. The finding reveals that the housing is experiencing common building defects for housing such as dampness, facade deterioration and sanitation problem