Determinants for a generic mobile commerce transformation framework

Current technological advancement has given the necessary impetus for businesses to transform from traditional ways into to mobile business or m-businesses. This transformation has begun from the Internet era, where traditional businesses transformed to e-businesses by taking advantages of the facilities offered by the Internet. Recent development in wireless technology facilitated businesses to move further to m-businesses. Despite the development in the technical domain, it appears that businesses still struggle to comprehend the processes involved in the transformation because a proper framework is yet to evolve. This work-in-progress paper provides a background to such transformation with a method to achieve this transformation

The enablers and implementation model for mobile KMS in Australian healthcare

In this research project, the enablers in implementing mobile KMS in Australian regional healthcare will be investigated, and a validated framework and guidelines to assist healthcare in implementing mobile KMS will also be proposed with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The outcomes for this study are expected to improve the understanding the enabling factors in implementing mobile KMS in Australian healthcare, as well as provide better guidelines for this process

Coexisting Innominate Vein Compression Syndrome and May-Thurner Syndrome

AbstractInnominate vein compression syndrome and May-Thurner syndrome (also called iliac vein compression syndrome) are venous compression syndromes caused by normal anatomic structures. Here, we present a case in which these two conditions were found in the same patient using multidetector row computed tomography. This case is significant for two reasons: (1) it is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case study in the literature to report coexisting innominate vein compression syndrome and May-Thurner syndrome; and (2) it shows that multidetector row computed tomography has powerful diagnostic ability for venous diseases

Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptor γ Level Contributes to Structural Integrity and Component Production of Elastic Fibers in the AortaNovelty and Significance

Loss of integrity and massive disruption of elastic fibers are key features of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) has been shown to attenuate AAA through inhibition of inflammation and proteolytic degradation. However, its involvement in elastogenesis during AAA remains unclear. PPARγ was highly expressed in human AAA within all vascular cells, including inflammatory cells and fibroblasts. In the aortas of transgenic mice expressing PPARγ at 25% normal levels (PpargC/− mice), we observed the fragmentation of elastic fibers and reduced expression of vital elastic fiber components of elastin and fibulin-5. These were not observed in mice with 50% normal PPARγ expression (Pparg+/− mice). Infusion of a moderate dose of angiotensin II (AngII) (500 ng/kg/min) did not induce AAA but Pparg+/− aorta developed flattened elastic lamellae, while PpargC/− aorta showed severe destruction of elastic fibers. After infusion of AngII at 1000 ng/kg/min, 73% of PpargC/− mice developed atypical suprarenal aortic aneurysms: superior mesenteric arteries were dilated with extensive collagen deposition in adventitia and infiltrations of inflammatory cells. Although matrix metalloproteinase inhibition by doxycycline somewhat attenuated the dilation of aneurysm, it did not reduce the incidence nor elastic lamella deterioration in AngII-infused PpargC/− mice. Furthermore, PPARγ antagonism down-regulated elastin and fibulin-5 in fibroblasts, but not in vascular smooth muscle cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated PPARγ binding in the genomic sequence of fibulin-5 in fibroblasts. Our results underscore the importance of PPARγ in AAA development though orchestrating proper elastogenesis and preserving elastic fiber integrity

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Mobile business: an exploratory study to define a framework for the transformation process

The advent of frontier technologies such as wireless technology has given the necessary impetus for businesses to transform from traditional ways into digital ways. While the Internet transformed traditional businesses to e-businesses, wireless technology enabled to move further to mobile business or m-business. Despite the development in the technical domain, businesses still struggle to comprehend the processes involved in the transformation and a proper framework is yet to evolve. This work-in-progress paper provides a background to such transformation with a method to achieve this transformation

Using digital stethoscopes in remote patient assessment via wireless networks: the user’s perspective

Digital stethoscopes assume an important role in telehealth and mobile (m-) health for capturing sounds over a communication infrastructure. However, few studies have explored the users’ experiences and views on using the current models of digital stethoscopes on a telehealth network. The authors were provided with an Australian Research Council grant to explore the possibilities of developing a suitable digital stethoscope that would function at acceptable levels with Queensland State-wide Telehealth Services. A major Indian university is collaborating in this research. As an initial step, users’ views and feedback were sought for using a digital stethoscope on a telehealth platform and these were reported in this paper in a consolidated manner. The issues identified in the multiple-case study cover the aspects of sound quality, signal transmission, hardware/software design, functionality, and cost considerations. The finding of this study can assist researchers and practitioners in making informed decisions for procuring digital stethoscopes, as well as providing useful information to the manufacturers in designing future digital stethoscopes

Views and constructs for knowledge management in India: a confirmatory factor analysis

Knowledge management in the digital economy is playing a critical role in the strategic direction of any organization. Factors that determine the key characteristics of any knowledge management systems are critical for understanding the phenomena of knowledge management. For this reason that sharing and managing knowledge involves a series of activities that are related to culture, the findings in a geographic area or a certain industry may not necessarily be applicable to other areas or industries with different cultural backgrounds. This research builds on the qualitative data to develop a survey instrument to understand the views of Indian region towards the knowledge management in an Indian organization. Four major cities were selected, with 100 participants in each city to build on the findings of the qualitative study. Finding of this research shows that most of the participants views the nine constructs identify in this research are relevant to knowledge management systems in an organization