Marine red macroalgae as a biological indicator of pulsed nutrients in oligotrophic waters

Protection of the Marine Environment from Sewage

A composite leading indicator of the inflation cycle for the Euro area

We evaluate the performance of composite leading indicators of turning points of inflation in the Euro area, constructed by combining the techniques of Fourier analysis and Kalman filters with the National Bureau of Economic Research methodology. In addition, the study compares the empirical performance of Euro Simple Sum and Divisia monetary aggregates and provides a tentative answer to the issue of whether or not the UK should join the Euro area. Our findings suggest that, first, the cyclical pattern of the different composite leading indicators very closely reflect that of the inflation cycle for the Euro area; second, the empirical performance of the Euro Divisia is better than its Simple Sum counterpart and third, the UK is better out of the Euro area. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.

Development of a prescribing indicator for objective quantification of antibiotic usage in secondary care

Objectives: To compare the recognized defined daily dose per 100 bed-days (DDD/100 bed-days) measure with the defined daily dose per finished consultant episode (DDD/FCE) in a group of hospitals with a variety of medicines management strategies. To compare antibiotic usage using the above indicators in hospitals with and without electronic prescribing systems. Methods: Twelve hospitals were used in the study. Nine hospitals were selected and split into three cohorts (three high-scoring, three medium-scoring and three low-scoring) by their 2001 medicines management self-assessment scores (MMAS). An additional cohort of three electronic prescribing hospitals was included for comparison. MMAS were compared to antibiotic management scores (AMS) developed from a questionnaire relating specifically to control of antibiotics. FCEs and occupied bed-days were obtained from published statistics and statistical analyses of the DDD/100 bed-days and DDD/FCE were carried out using SPSS. Results: The DDD/100 bed-days varied from 81.33 to 189.37 whilst the DDD/FCE varied from 2.88 to 7.43. The two indicators showed a high degree of correlation with r = 0.74. MMAS were from 9 to 22 (possible range 0-23) and the AMS from 2 to 13 (possible range 0-22). The two scores showed a high degree of correlation with r = 0.74. No correlation was established between either indicator and either score. Conclusions: The WHO indicator for medicines utilization, DDD/100 bed-days, exhibited the same level of conformity as that exhibited from the use of the DDD/FCE indicating that the DDD/FCE is a useful additional indicator for identifying hospitals which require further study. The MMAS can be assumed to be an accurate guide to antibiotic medicines management controls. No relationship has been found between a high degree of medicines management control and the quantity of antibiotic prescribed. © The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy; 2004 all rights reserved.

Development and validaton of an indicator to compare antibiotic usage in secondary care in England

The use of antibiotics was investigated in twelve acute hospitals in England. Data was collected electronically and by questionnaire for the financial years 2001/2, 2002/3 and 2003/4. Hospitals were selected on the basis of their Medicines Management Self-Assessment Scores (MMAS) and included a cohort of three hospitals with integrated electronic prescribing systems. The total sample size was 6.65% of English NHS activity for 2001/2 based on Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) numbers. Data collected included all antibiotics dispensed (ATC category J01), hospital activity FCE's and beddays, Medicines Management Self-assessment scores, Antibiotic Medicines Management scores (AMS), Primary Care Trust (PCT) of origin of referral populations, PCT antibiotic prescribing rates, Index of Multiple Deprivation for each PCT. The DDD/FCE (Defined Daily Dose/FCE) was found to correlate with the DDD 100beddays (r = 0.74 pindicator for identifying hospitals that require further study. Antibiotic use increased from a mean 4.16 DDD/FCE in 2001/2 to 4.35 DDD/FCE in 2003/4. Antibiotic use in the electronic prescribing cohort was found to be lower, than the sample mean at 3.48 DDD/FCE in 2001/2 and 3.34 DDD/FCE in 2003/4. The MMAS and AMS were found to correlate (r = 0.74 pindicators of antibiotic use. A number of indicators are proposed as triggers for further investigation including a proportion of 0.24 for the ratio of third generation to first/second generation cephalosporin use, and five percent as the limit for parenteral quinolone DOD of total quinolone DOD usage. It was possible to demonstrate a correlation between the IMD 2000 and primary care antibiotic prescribing rates but not between primary and secondary care antibiotic prescribing rates for the same referral population or between the weighted mean IMD 2000 for each hospital's referral population and the hospital antibiotic prescribing rate.

Consumer-based brand equity conceptualization and measurement:a literature review

Although there is a large body of research on brand equity, little in terms of a literature review has been published on this since Feldwick’s (1996) paper. To address this gap, this paper brings together the scattered literature on consumer based brand equity’s conceptualisation and measurement. Measures of consumer based brand equity are classified as either direct or indirect. Indirect measures assess consumer-based brand equity through its demonstrable dimensions and are superior from a diagnostic level. The paper concludes with directions for future research and managerial pointers for setting up a brand equity measurement system.

Selection & development of short-term project team members:developmental stability as an indicator of interpersonal skills

Short-term project teams do not have the advantage of prior performance or long-term membership to facilitate development of effective team performance. Research suggests interpersonal skills are crucial to success but this is under researched longitudinally. Evolutionary psychology can provide a lens to explain how people develop differing levels of interpersonal skills via the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and pro-social behaviours. This research aims to investigate the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and interpersonal skills, the impact of training and to further the evolutionary psychology field by embedding research in a real-world context as opposed to solely in laboratory or student settings.

Governance of open content creation:a conceptualization and analysis of control and guiding mechanisms in the open content domain

The open content creation process has proven itself to be a powerful and influential way of developing text-based content, as demonstrated by the success of Wikipedia and related sites. Distributed individuals independently edit, revise, or refine content, thereby creating knowledge artifacts of considerable breadth and quality. Our study explores the mechanisms that control and guide the content creation process and develops an understanding of open content governance. The repertory grid method is employed to systematically capture the experiences of individuals involved in the open content creation process and to determine the relative importance of the diverse control and guiding mechanisms. Our findings illustrate the important control and guiding mechanisms and highlight the multifaceted nature of open content governance. A range of governance mechanisms is discussed with regard to the varied levels of formality, the different loci of authority, and the diverse interaction environments involved. Limitations and opportunities for future research are provided.

Measuring productive efficiency using Nerlovian profit efficiency indicator and metafrontier analysis

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the measurement of productive efficiency using Nerlovian indicator and metafrontier with data envelopment analysis techniques. Further, we illustrate how profit efficiency of firms operating in different regions can be aggregated into one overarching frontier. Sugarcane production in three regions in Kenya has been used to illustrate these concepts. Results show that the sources of inefficiency in all regions are both technical and allocative, but allocative efficiency contributes more to the overall Nerlovian (in)efficiency indicator. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Stereoacuity as an indicator of prism adaptation

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether stereoacuity can be used as an indicator of prism adaptation. In particular, we wanted to know whether the time required for stereoacuity to return to the initial level after viewing through a prism can be used to determine the degree of adaptation. Materials and Methods: Eighteen subjects participated in this study. Stereoacuity and dissociated phoria were determined using the TNO stereotest and the Maddox rod, respectively. Prism vergences were measured using a prism bar. For each participant, prism power equivalent to the blur point of base-in (BI) and base-out (BO) fusional vergence at 40 cm was divided and placed in front of both eyes. At 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 min after prism introduction, the stereoacuity was measured, and at 0 and 12 min, the heterophoria was measured. Results: The repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant difference between the mean stereoacuity for BI and BO prisms at the different measurement times (p < 0.05). For BO prism, the initial value was different between 0 and 3 min after the prism introduction, whereas for BI prism, a difference in stereoacuity was found between the pre-prism value and the value at 0, 3 and 6 min. The size of the heterophoria with BO and BI prisms was different from 0 to 12 min (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The time required for stereoacuity to return to baseline level was more than 3 min for BO, and more than 6 min for BI prism. In addition, the time required to return to baseline values was not similar for the stereoacuity and heterophoria. The recovery of stereoacuity is slower when adapting to divergence, as when looking from near to far. This implies that stereopsis responds faster to near targets than to distant one, and may precede complete phoria adaptation. © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted.