GeoNotes: A Location-based Information System for Public Spaces

The basic idea behind location-based information systems is to connect information pieces to positions in outdoor or indoor space. Through position technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GSM positioning, Wireless LAN positioning o

Consensus and opinions; quality and churn

The role of the web user is under transformation from merely being an information consumer to also being a content provider, ``from information age to participation age'', in the words of Sun CEO Scott McNealy. This increase in participation is most obviously manifested by the growth of online communities, weblogs (blogs), and various forms of cooperative and participatory publication of information. One main factor in the shift towards participation is the advent of authoring tools for wikipedias and blogs. Such tools have decreased the threshold for publishing material online considerably --- it is no longer necessary to have knowledge about the technical workings of the web to be able to use it for making information available to a massive number of potential readers. (Although the lion's share of information produced will probably remain in text form in the foreseeable future, it should be noted that other modalities, such as podcasts, screencasts, films and images, are increasingly attracting interest.) The dynamic nature of blogs and wikipedias poses new challenges to the field of information access and refinement; new theories, methods, and tools for alleviating the burden of digesting information on behalf of the readers are clearly needed. This paper presents some issues on readership and participation we are currently considering

Hallux rigidus – Osteoarthritis of the first MTP-joint. Surgical and patient-reported results from Swefoot

Background: Swefoot is a Swedish national registry, that covers surgery in the foot and ankle. Surgical treatment of hallux rigidus (HR) vary within and between countries. The aim of this study was to report baseline variables for patients with HR. Methods: We extracted baseline characteristics, surgical procedures and patient-reported data for patients with HR entered in the registry during the period January 2014 to August 2019. Results: By August 2019, 1818 patients were reported in the registry. 68.9% of the patients were women, the average age was 58 years, the mean BMI was 26.4 kg/m2. 41.9% of the patients underwent a cheilectomy,19.8% a metatarsal osteotomy, 34.3% a fusion, 0.2% an arthroplasty, 0.3% Keller's procedure and 3.5% other methods. The preoperative summary score for SEFAS (Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score) was 26 and for EQ-5D (Euroqol-5 Dimension) 0.60. Conclusion: This study is the first report from Swefoot regarding HR

Swefoot : The Swedish national quality register for foot and ankle surgery

Background Population-based register data could be used to improve our knowledge of patients surgically treated for foot and ankle disorders. The quality register Swefoot was recently created to collect surgical and patient-reported data of foot and ankle surgery. This manuscript aims to describe the development and current use of the register. Methods The development of Swefoot started in 2014 and currently, data on 16 different diagnoses are collected in 49 units performing foot and ankle surgery. Registrations are performed by the surgeon and the patient. Results Between 2014 and 2020 approximately 20,000 surgical procedures have been registered. 75.1% of the registered patients were women, 9.3% were smokers, 9.3% had a concomitant rheumatoid disease, and 18.4% a BMI larger than 30 kg/m2. Conclusions The Swefoot is a unique national register for foot and ankle surgery. It is by now possible to present demographic, surgical, and outcome parameters based on Swefoot

Swefoot – The Swedish national quality register for foot and ankle surgery

Background: Population-based register data could be used to improve our knowledge of patients surgically treated for foot and ankle disorders. The quality register Swefoot was recently created to collect surgical and patient-reported data of foot and ankle surgery. This manuscript aims to describe the development and current use of the register. Methods: The development of Swefoot started in 2014 and currently, data on 16 different diagnoses are collected in 49 units performing foot and ankle surgery. Registrations are performed by the surgeon and the patient. Results: Between 2014 and 2020 approximately 20,000 surgical procedures have been registered. 75.1% of the registered patients were women, 9.3% were smokers, 9.3% had a concomitant rheumatoid disease, and 18.4% a BMI larger than 30 kg/m2. Conclusions: The Swefoot is a unique national register for foot and ankle surgery. It is by now possible to present demographic, surgical, and outcome parameters based on Swefoot

Patient-reported outcomes of joint-preserving surgery for moderate hallux rigidus : a 1-year follow-up of 296 patients from Swefoot

Background and purpose — Hallux rigidus (HR) may cause decreased range of motion, joint pain, and gait disturbances. There is a lack of evidence regarding the outcome of different surgical procedures for moderate HR. We report patient-reported outcomes after joint-preserving surgical procedures for moderate HR. Patients and methods — We included 296 patients registered in Swefoot (Swedish national registry of foot and ankle surgery) who underwent primary surgery for moderate HR 2014 through 2018. We extracted information on anthropometrics, grading of HR, chosen surgical procedure, and patient-reported data including the PROMs SEFAS (summary score 0–48) and EQ-5D-3L (index 0–1) preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Results — 115 patients underwent metatarsal decompression (i.e., Youngswick) osteotomy (YOT) and 181 underwent cheilectomy. The mean improvement in SEFAS score 1 year after surgery was 12 points (95% CI 10 − 13) for YOT and 10 points (CI 9 − 12) for cheilectomy. Also, EQ-5D improved in both groups. Patients who underwent YOT were more satisfied with the procedure (84% vs. 70% for cheilectomy, p = 0.02). Interpretation — Surgically treated patients with moderate HR improved after both YOT and cheilectomy, according to patient-reported data from Swefoot. Patients who underwent a YOT were more satisfied with their procedure. One possible explanation may be that more patients in the YOT group had a concomitant hallux valgus; however, we have no information on this

Baseline and 1-Year Follow-Up Data of Patients with End-Stage Hallux Rigidus Treated with an Arthrodesis Reported to Swefoot

Background: Hallux rigidus (HR) affects the first metatarsophalangeal joint and is the most common osteoarthritic condition in the foot. The most used surgical treatment for severe cases of HR is an arthrodesis. The aim of this study is to describe patient characteristics, surgical treatment and the patient-reported outcomes for patients treated with arthrodesis for HR using data from Swefoot, the Swedish quality register for foot and ankle surgery.Methods: From Swefoot we extracted data on patients who underwent surgery for HR between January 2014 and December 2019. We included 419 patients with end-stage HR, who had not previously been treated surgically for HR on the same side.The outcome was measured with the Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score (SEFAS) (summary score 0-48) and EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ5D) (index 0-1) together with questions regarding appearance, shoe wear and satisfaction. We extracted surgical and patient-reported data preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively.Results: Our patient-population is predominantly female, around 61 years old, and slightly overweight. The arthrodeses are most often fixated with screws and most of the patients are allowed to bear weight immediately after surgery. The mean SEFAS score is 22 preoperatively and 38 postoperatively, the corresponding values for EQ5D index are 0.56 and 0.81 which means that the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) improves significantly after surgery.Conclusion: Patients with severe HR treated with an arthrodesis have reduced pain, improved function and HrQoL according to the patient-reported outcome measures SEFAS and EQ5D. The mean postoperative SEFAS value was close to the mean SEFAS value of the Swedish general population in the same age category. Fixation techniques and postoperative regimen differ among surgeons in the country. This is the first report from Swefoot regarding this patient population

Critical success factors : An evaluation to identify strategic capabilities

Background: Strategic capabilities are vital components for organisations to include in their business. Another essential elements in a strategy that can affect the performance of an organisation in both a negative and positive direction are critical success factors. This research will study if it possible to evaluate organisations CSFs in order to see whether a well performed CSF also can be identified as a strategic capability. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate organisations CSF in order to identify strategic capabilities Research question: What CSFs can be identified? Which CSFs are identified as strategic capabilities? Methodology: This thesis involved a qualitative pre-study consistent of a content analysis and semi-structured interview that were used to provide measurements to the quantitative survey. Conclusion: The findings indicate that it is possible to identify strategic capabilities by evaluating CSFs. In this study transportation, number of stores and the atmosphere were considered as strategic capabilities

Country of origin : Does it really matter in the current globalization?

COO is a construct that refers to the country which a consumer associates a certain product or brand as being its source, regardless of where the product is actually produced. Scholars like Magnusson et al. (2011) argue that COO is a salient cue in consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intention. In contrast, Usunier (2006; 2011) and Samiee (2010) criticize the COO effect, by explaining that due to multinational production, integrated worldwide supply chains and global branding there are other cues that have become more salient in consumers’ decision- making process. The purpose of this thesis is to extend the understanding about the relationship of COO in consumers buying process. The research questions followed: To what extent does country of origin influence consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention? To what extent does the level of involvement affect the relationship between country of origin and consumers’ product evaluation? To what extent does the level of involvement affect the relationship between country of origin and consumers’ purchase intentions. Applying a deductive approach, a quantitative research has been chosen for this thesis involving survey as the source for data collection in order to test this research four main concepts: COO, product evaluation, purchase intention and product involvement. The findings indicated that COO has a significant direct effect in consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention. The results also indicated on that when consumers’ perceive products to be low involvement, the COO effect is greater in consumers’ decision-making process