Selective digestive or oropharyngeal decontamination and topical oropharyngeal chlorhexidine for prevention of death in general intensive care : systematic review and network meta-analysis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Impact of Data Quality Tags on Decision-Making Outcomes and Process

It has been proposed that metadata describing data quality (DQ), termed DQ tags, be made available in situations where decision makers are unfamiliar with the data context, for example, in data warehouses. However, there have been conflicting reports as to the impact of such DQ tags on decision-making outcomes. Early studies did not explicitly consider the usability and semantics of the DQ tag designs used experimentally or the impact of such tags on decision process, except in suggestions for future research. This study addresses these issues, focusing on the design of usable DQ tags whose semantics are explicitly specified and exploring the impact of such DQ tags on decision outcomes and process. We use the information quality framework InfoQual, the interaction design technique of contextual inquiry, and cognitive process tracing to address DQ tag semantics, usability, and impact on decision process, respectively. In distinct contrast to earlier laboratory experiments, there was no evidence that the preferred decision choice changed with DQ tags, but decision time was significantly increased and there were indications of reduced consensus. These results can be explained by understanding the impact of DQ tags on decision process using concurrent protocol analysis, which involves participants verbalizing thoughts while making a decision. The protocol analysis study shows that DQ tags are associated with increased cognitive processing in the earlier phases of decision making, which delays generation of decision alternatives

Developing a Measurement Instrument for Subjective Aspects of Information Quality

Having quality information is crucial for effective operations and decision making within organisations. The InfoQual framework provides a sound theoretical basis for defining information quality at three levels: syntactic (form), semantic (content), and pragmatic (usage). Objective measures can be defined for the syntactic and semantic levels. In this paper, we focus on the pragmatic level by developing and empirically testing an instrument that aims to measure subjective aspects of information quality based on the perceptions of information consumers. In combination, such a framework and instrument have the potential to aid organizations in identifying problems and planning improvement strategies for information qualit

Current advances in ligand design for inorganic positron emission tomography tracers ⁶⁸Ga, ⁶⁴Cu, ⁸⁹Zr and ⁴⁴Sc

A key part of the development of metal based Positron Emission Tomography probes is the chelation of the radiometal. In this review the recent developments in the chelation of four positron emitting radiometals, 68Ga, 64Cu, 89Zr and 44Sc, are explored. The factors that effect the chelation of each radio metal and the ideal ligand system will be discussed with regards to high in vivo stability, complexation conditions, conjugation to targeting motifs and complexation kinetics. A series of cyclic, cross-bridged and acyclic ligands will be discussed, such as CP256 which forms stable complexes with 68Ga under mild conditions and PCB-TE2A which has been shown to form a highly stable complex with 64Cu. 89Zr and 44Sc have seen significant development in recent years with a number of chelates being applied to each metal – eight coordinate di-macrocyclic terephthalamide ligands were found to rapidly produce more stable complexes with 89Zr than the widely used DFO

Transcriptional Regulation of the CO 2 - Concentrating Mechanism in a Euryhaline, Coastal Marine Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 7002: Role of NdhR/CcmR

Cyanobacterial photosynthesis occurs in radically diverse habitats and utilizes various forms of a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) featuring multiple inorganic carbon (Ci) transporters. Cyanobacteria from dynamic environments can transform CCM activit

Reflecting on the Covid-19 Pandemic, Impact On and Implications for Marketing Pedagogic Practice

The challenges of Covid-19 and the impact on students and staff and wider cannot be understated. This paper provides reflections on the experiences of a UG Business and Marketing programme from 2 differing perspectives: the Academic and the Student. This is a working paper, based on initial analysis of qualitative data. The full results of the semi-structured interviews will be presented at the Conference. At the start of the pandemic the focus was student and staff welfare, followed by student experience and attainment. Suddenly everything moved to remote learning. There were many positives, e.g., technological advancements and digital upskilling, but also issues for student engagement and attainment. This research provides reflections on this

An Investigation into the Key Influencers and Drivers on Student's Expectations of Their Higher Education Institution

Background Higher educational institutions are now, more than ever, operating in a significantly competitive marketplace partly due to increased tuition fees, greater choice for students and increased student demands that are being placed upon the institutions. As a consequence of the changing dynamics within the sector, the effective marketing of the university can be the difference between success and failure. To compliment this marketing perspective, it has been identified that HEI’s also need to actively explore the factors that influence student expectations of students within their institution. The rationale for this is that a satisfactory student experience can lead to many benefits for the university, including positive feedback survey scores or increased word of mouth reviews. These can then be used by the institution in their marketing efforts towards attracting prospective new students to the university. However, if the institution does not meet the needs of their students there is an indication in the literature that shows a poor service delivery by the HEI can lead to negative student perceptions of the university experience. This can lead to student dissatisfaction which will be reflected in negative reviews and unhappiness with the institution. Thus, in order for universities to successfully manage their students’ expectations they must understand the drivers upon satisfaction of the university experience. The current context Therefore, based upon this context the thesis has explored the influences on undergraduate student expectations within the higher education sector and identifies the key drivers upon a satisfactory student experience. These influencers and drivers are further explored through the study which has taken place over a three-year period where it was determined that student perceptions and expectations of their university experience changes as they move through their programme of study. A conceptual framework has been developed to further explore these factors. The framework uses key dimensions from ‘Plato’s allegory of the cave philosophy’ as a metaphor to explore the student journey holistically from beginning to end, i.e. pre-enrollment to Graduation. The research will show that by understanding the key influencers on the student experience, HEI’s can effectively manage the expectations of their students and ensure a satisfactory student experience is given. Methodology The research adopts a pragmatist philosophy and uses a mixed-methods approach comprising of quantitative questionnaire surveys and qualitative semi-structured focus groups of undergraduate students at a UK institution. The data was collected using a longitudinal data collection approach over a three-year period. The research results are analysed using appropriate methods including thematic coding and regression analysis. Analysis The results recognised that there is a correlation between student expectations and their satisfaction with the student experience. It was identified that the key factors that impacted upon satisfaction were staff engagement, career opportunities, social interaction and support from lecturers, including feedback received. The findings also identified how student expectations changed over the period of university study. It was found that year 2 was a particularly important year in relation to student satisfaction, whereas in year 3 students placed a greater demand on the ‘service received’ from the institution, especially in relation to staff engagement. Contribution to knowledge Therefore, this research has provided an original contribution to both theory and practice through the development of a conceptual framework into the student experience. The framework developed will be used to bring a unique theoretical contribution of knowledge to the sector. The practical contribution is that the research findings will allow HEI’s to manage the student experience and make decisions to efficiently market the institution to prospective students

Functions, Compositions, and Evolution of the Two Types of Carboxysomes: Polyhedral Microcompartments That Facilitate CO 2 Fixation in Cyanobacteria and Some Proteobacteria

Cyanobacteria are the globally dominant photoautotrophic lineage. Their success is dependent on a set of adaptations collectively termed the CO 2-concentrating mechanism (CCM). The purpose of the CCM is to support effective COCO2 fixation by enhancing th