The Emergence of WealthTech: An Opportunity for Islamic Banking?

The paper explores disruptive innovation in the wealth and asset management arena where a new intelligent digital ecosystem is reinventing the rules. The manuscript sheds light on the evolution of the financial sector and expounds on the development of financial technologies, with special attention paid to the various conceptual models related to wealth and asset management. The models describe the Fintech and WealthTech arenas as complex adaptive systems. Authors also investigate the mindset by which WealthTech ventures create, deliver, and capture value—whether such value is economic, social, cultural, or of any other form. Online wealth management was studied via case studies. The conclusion explores the researcher’s agenda on WealthTech.

The laval questionnaire: a new instrument to measure quality of life in morbid obesity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our recent review of the literature uncovered eleven obesity-specific quality of life questionnaires, all with incomplete demonstration of their measurement properties. Our objective was to validate a new self-administered questionnaire specific to morbid obesity to be used in clinical trials. The study was carried out at the bariatric surgery clinic of Laval Hospital, Quebec City, Canada.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study followed our description of health-related quality of life in morbid obesity from which we constructed the Laval Questionnaire. Its construct validity and responsiveness were tested by comparing the baseline and changes at 1-year follow-up in 6 domain scores (symptoms, activity/mobility, personal hygiene/clothing, emotions, social interactions, sexual life) with those of questionnaires measuring related constructs (SF-36, Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Beck Depression Inventory-II).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>112 patients (67 who got bariatric surgery, 45 who remained on the waiting list during the study period) participated in this study. The analysis of the discriminative function of the questionnaire showed moderate-to-high correlations between the scores in each domain of our instrument and the corresponding questionnaires. The analysis of its evaluative function showed (1) significant differences in score changes between patients with bariatric surgery and those without, and (2) moderate-to-high correlations between the changes in scores in the new instrument and the changes in the corresponding questionnaires. Most of these correlations met the <it>a priori </it>predictions we had made regarding their direction and magnitude.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Laval Questionnaire is a valid measure of health-related quality of life in patients with morbid obesity and is responsive to treatment-induced changes.</p

UAV Catapult

This document outlines the Senior Design Project proposed by Dr. Aaron Drake that was assigned to a team of Mechanical Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The purpose of this project was to design, build, test, and finalize a launching system for two small, fixed wing, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) owned by Dr. Drake and Cal Poly. The goal was to create a system that was both portable and reliable to use, only requiring a two-person team to use effectively in the field. The most important design requirements were determined to be the launch speed, assembly time, and storage size. Multiple propulsion methods were explored, with a pneumatic piston cylinder chosen for the preliminary design. A side clamping carriage design was selected due to the shape of the UAVs being launched. A structural prototype of the UAV carriage was constructed, and the final design was developed as a result of data obtained from the prototype. Following the creation of our final design, a manufacturing plan and design verification plan were produced to bring the concept to fruition. With these plans in place, parts were ordered, and construction began. This document will describe the background research done, the objectives of the project, the preliminary and final design, the manufacturing and testing process, difficulties and obstacles faced, our final results, and what can be improved upon in the future

Blockchain Technology - Arsenal for a Shariah-Compliant Financial Ecosystem

The authors’ first challenge is to decipher the complexity of Islamic Finance despite the opacity of the sector. A second focal point is the agent’s agenda; in the Islamic Finance industry, contributors mandate intermediaries (agents) to transfer their contributions to social causes according to the Shariah; in principle, Islamic financial institutions must create value for their stakeholders by offering Shariah-compliant products and services. An underlying assumption of agency theory is that agents attempt to maximize their personal welfare and compensation, but such behaviour may not always be in the best interests of other stakeholders, and an analysis of the agent’s agenda can help explain how agents can fall off the pedestal of altruism. Relationships between Islamic banks and three key stakeholders (contributors, beneficiaries and regulators) are also explored via a complexity-aware monitoring process. Contributors provide funds to an Islamic bank (agent), and in return, the agent should be accountable to the contributors, but the form and degree of accountability can vary depending on the organization’s mission. There are many unanswered questions regarding the monitoring process. One objective of the article is to consider whether agents act in the best interests of the stakeholders. Finally, the authors explore the following question: Can blockchain technology and smart contracts support and enhance the transparency feature, which is the core underlying principle of all transactions in the Islamic Finance industry? A qualitative research framework was adopted because of the constraints of the enigmatic, secretive Islamic Finance culture

Identification of gender differences in ultrasound milestone assessments during emergency medicine residency training: a pilot study

Objectives: Prior literature suggests that incongruities between male and female resident's procedural competency may be explained by gender bias during the evaluation process. There are no known studies investigating gender differences in the assessment of ultrasound-based procedural skills among emergency medicine (EM) residents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for gender differences in ultrasound milestone assessments among EM residents. Methods: This is a retrospective study including EM residents. Milestone assessment data were collected from a total of 3 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) EM residency programs representing a 3-year period The outcome measures included mean milestone levels, milestone levels at baseline and graduation and differences in milestone achievement between female and male EM residents. An unpaired Student's t-test was used to compare milestone scores between female and male residents. Results: A total of 456 ultrasound milestone evaluations were collected from 91 EM residents (34 females [37%] and 57 males [63%]). No significant differences were noted in the overall mean milestone level between females (2.3 +/- 0.6) and males (2.2 +/- 0.6) (P=0.387). There were no significant differences noted in the ultrasound milestone level between females (0.8 +/- 0.6) and males (0.7 +/- 0.7) at baseline (P=0.754). Although it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.197), the increase in the mean ultrasound milestone level from baseline to graduation was greater in males (3.4 +/- 0.7) compared to females (3.1 +/- 0.7). Conclusion: Overall, there were no statistically significant differences in the mean ultrasound milestone levels between females and males. The rate of ultrasound milestone level achievement during EM residency training at our institution had a slight tendency to be higher for males than females in the observed residency programs; however, this also did not reach statistical significance. Possible gender bias while evaluating ultrasound milestone levels needs to be further studied on a larger scale.Open access journal.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Performance of Ultrasound-guided Peripheral Nerve Blocks by Medical Students After One-day Training Session

Introduction Ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks (USGPNB) are performed by various specialists and are excellent, non-addicting pain control techniques. Alternative pain management approaches are needed to combat opiate abuse. Medical students should be aware of alternative pain management therapies before they begin clinical practice. Objective Our objective was to determine if medical students can identify peripheral nerves under ultrasound and perform a USGPNB after a one-day hands-on training session. Methods This was a cross-sectional study at an academic medical center. The study participants were third-year medical students with minimal prior ultrasound experience. Students were given an introductory lecture highlighting the opiate epidemic and benefits of USGPNB prior to the workshop. The one-day hands-on educational workshop consisted of learning basic sonographic anatomy, indications for USGPNB, and practicing needle guidance under ultrasound guidance. After the educational workshop, students' procedural competency was assessed by ultrasound-trained emergency medicine clinicians. Results A total of 94 participants were included in this study. The average pre-test score was 68.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]; 65.4% to 71.4%). After the one-day educational workshop, the post-test score was 92.8% (95% CI; 90.8% to 94.8%). The average hands-on evaluation score was 84.4% (95% CI; 81.6% to 87.3%). All students agreed that this educational session is a good start to learning about USGPNB, and they felt comfortable identifying the peripheral nerves using ultrasound. On a confidence scale of one (low) through 10 (high), 83% (95% CI; 75.9% to 90.15%) rated their confidence as >= 6. All except one student either agreed that this educational session helped them understand how USGPNB could be integrated into acute pain management. The majority (84% [95% CI; 77% to 91%]) agreed that the session will change how they manage patients' acute pain in their future medical practice. Conclusion Medical students can learn the sonographic anatomy of peripheral nerves and techniques of USGPNB after a one-day educational session.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]