Big Data and Democracy

One of the biggest questions in the digital age pertains to the relevance of democracy in the era of big data. Unquestioningly, the digital revolution is growing at a rapid pace and many are being caught unaware by its impact in various avenues. The amount of data available has been doubling year on year, and the conditions of usage have been evolving at a pace faster than the policies are being provided to ensure proper usage. Many have started looking for ways of turning big data into big money, an aspect that is coming at the expense of the democratic values countries have upheld for generations. Instead, it is becoming a huge problem as the history of humankind is becoming more documented now and messages are easier to send compared to a century ago. Understanding the impact of big data on democracy can help accentuate the best way of improving democratic institutions and their ability to overcome the pressure coming from evolving technology

Ileosigmoid fistula and delayed ileal obstruction secondary to blunt abdominal trauma: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Abdominal trauma is a source of significant mortality and morbidity. Bowel injury as a result of blunt abdominal trauma is usually evident within hours or days of the accident.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 38-year-old Caucasian Greek man presented with a subtle and delayed small bowel obstruction caused by a post-traumatic ileosigmoid fistula and ileal stricture four months after a road traffic accident.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Delayed occurrence of post-traumatic small bowel stricture and ileosigmoid fistula is an uncommon surgical emergency. General surgeons as well as emergency physicians should bear this manifestation in mind should a patient return to the hospital several weeks or even years after blunt abdominal trauma with symptoms or signs of bowel obstruction.</p

Developing Marketing Materials for Legends Sports Leagues

We worked with Legends Sports Leagues, a not-for-profit recreational sports league, to help them with the next steps in marketing for a national rollout via the franchising model. We researched successful marketing and franchising practices, evaluated other leagues with established franchises, interviewed league officials, and surveyed people affiliated with the organization. Drawing on this research, we created a set of recommendations to improve the organization and created a set of marketing materials: a logo and promotional video for the newly established pickleball league, and a training manual and marketing brochure to assist potential franchisees in setting up their own leagues

Adiponectin and breast cancer risk.

Adiponectin, an adipocyte-secreted hormone, is closely and inversely associated with insulin resistance and was recently found to be inversely and independently associated with endometrial cancer. Because insulin resistance in the setting of obesity has also been associated with the development of breast cancer, we have hypothesized that decreased adiponectin levels might underlie the association between breast cancer and obesity/insulin resistance. We evaluated the association of adiponectin with the occurrence of breast cancer in a case-control study comprising 174 women with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed breast cancer and 167 controls. We found an inverse, fairly strong, and statistically significant association of serum adiponectin with breast cancer (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.71-0.99). Importantly, despite a fairly robust inverse association of adiponectin with breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-1.00), no such significant association between adiponectin and breast cancer was found among premenopausal women. The observed associations were independent of possible effects of major components of the IGF system, leptin, body mass index, sociodemographic variables, and known risk factors for breast cancer. Future studies are needed to prove causality and provide further insights into both the mechanisms underlying the actions of this hormone and its potential role in breast cancer