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MarTech » Performance Marketing » Beyond Search: Bing Native Ads Launch In Beta Across MSN.com
Beyond Search: Bing Native Ads Launch In Beta Across MSN.com
Expanded inventory enables advertisers to pair search intent signals with native advertising formats.
Ginny Marvin on July 20, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Microsoft's search advertising platform Bing Ads is expanding reach with the beta launch of Bing Native Ads. Announced Monday, the test aims to connect search intent signals with native ad experiences on MSN.com.
Search query data, contextual signals and actions taken on advertisers' sites can be used to help target ads on the MSN.com portal. The program, which the company first discussed earlier this year, facilitates the same level of targeting that is available for search ads: location, device type, time of day, day of week and site remarketing. Reporting and conversion tracking are available for native ads through the Bing Ads interface as well.
Microsoft isn't the first to couple search and native on one platform. Yahoo launched Yahoo Gemini in early 2014 to enable mobile search and native ad buying on Yahoo owned and operated properties. (The company has begun serving desktop search ads since renegotiating its search deal with Microsoft this spring.)
The Bing Native Ads beta is launching in the US across the MSN portal, which had an estimated 1.6 billion visits globally in June, according to SimilarWeb. Over a quarter of that traffic (26.7 percent) came from the US. The company says it plans to expand to other markets later this year.
Advertisers have been escalating investment in native ad campaigns. A survey by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) found nearly 60 percent of advertisers polled increased native ad budgets by 55 percent in 2014 over the previous year. For 2014, eMarketer pegged native ad spend at $3.2 billion and forecasts that will increase 34.4 percent in 2015 to $4.3 billion.
The Bing Ads extension to native advertising comes a month after Microsoft closed a deal with AOL to outsource display ad sales and take over search advertising delivery on AOL from Google beginning January 1, 2016.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated Bing Native Ads was first discussed at an industry event last year. The company first shared news of the upcoming beta in February.
Ginny Marvin
Ginny Marvin was formerly Third Door Media's Editor-in-Chief, running the day-to-day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.


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NATO: Blast inside US base in Afghanistan kills 4
By Associated Press Nov 12, 2016, 9:15am MST
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Afghanistan's National Army soldiers guard, blocking the main road to the Bagram Airfield's main gate in Bagram, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. An explosion at the U.S. airfield in Afghanistan early Saturday killed four people, the head of international forces in the country said. Massoud Hossaini, AP Photos
Afghanistan's National Army and police soldiers guard, blocking the main road to the Bagram Airfield's main gate in Bagram, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. An explosion at the U.S. airfield early Saturday killed four people, the head of international forces in the country said. Massoud Hossaini, AP Photos
Afghanistan's National Army soldiers guard, blocking the main road to the Bagram Airfield's main gate in Bagram, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. An explosion at a U.S. airfield in Afghanistan early Saturday killed four people, the head of international forces in the country said. Massoud Hossaini, AP Photos
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An explosion at a U.S. airfield in Afghanistan early Saturday killed four people, the head of international forces in the country said.
U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson said another 14 people were wounded in the attack inside Bagram Air Field. He said the blast was caused by an "explosive device," without providing further details. The incident was being investigated, he said in a statement.
An earlier statement from NATO's Resolute Support mission said the blast happened around 5.30 am (0100 GMT) and that "force protection and medical teams are responding to the situation."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said was carried out by a suicide bomber inside the base. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the insurgent group, said the attack had been planned for four months.
The Taliban regularly fire rockets at Bagram from outside its perimeter.
Abdul Wahid Sediqqi, spokesman for the governor of Parwan province, where the air field is based, told The Associated Press he had reports of four dead and around 18 wounded in the attack. Laborers employed at the base line up at the gates around dawn, he said, adding that an attacker could have been among the men entering the base Saturday.
There was no immediate word on the nationalities of those killed and wounded. It is NATO policy not to release such details until families have been informed.

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Nasal implant or nose sculpting refers to augmentation of the nasal bridge or covering the concave deformities in the injured or asymmetrical nose. Nasal implants are used in nasal surgery to provide a symmetrical shape and other cosmetic requirements.
Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/09/2018 -- Nasal implant or nose sculpting refers to augmentation of the nasal bridge or covering the concave deformities in the injured or asymmetrical nose. Nasal implants are used in nasal surgery to provide a symmetrical shape and other cosmetic requirements. The materials for nasal implants may include metal, ceramics, and polymers such as silicone, polyethylene, PTFE, polyesters and polyamides. Implants used for nasal reconstruction may be difficult to choose but are an important component in patient's care. Due to the central location of nose even small defects in reconstruction can be evident.
The reason behind the rise in the number of nasal reconstruction procedures is directly related to the psychological need of the patient. However, in many cases, there has been significant help for the patients with damaged nose during traumatic injuries. Drug-remitting nasal implants, which are biodegradable in nature are advanced implants with significant benefits. The nature of the implant of degrading naturally has over shadowed the use of metallic and other synthetic implants. Nevertheless, additional research is expected to develop new natural forms of nasal implants, which in turn is expected to favor the market in near future.
Primary revenue drivers for nasal implants are an increase in the number of patients seeking relief from heavy snoring and sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA, is estimated to affect around 4% middle-aged men and women globally. This has been raising the demand for titanium nasal implants. Other revenue drivers include an increase in the incidence of nasal tumors, which requires maxillofacial nasal surgeries and subsequent implants. Nasal skin tumors constituting basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas make up 12% of all skin tumors. Further, increasing demand for maxillofacial and esthetic rehabilitations also frequently require nasal implants, thus increasing the scope of revenue generation. Infections associated with nasal implants constitute the most common deterrent for product uptake. In the case of infections, administrations of antibiotics are said to be of no use. The only way the infection can be cured is taking the implant out, which could lead to another surgery. The rate of infection is much higher in plastic implants.
Advancements in nasal implants have led towards the rise in demand for restricting of the nose. The major part of the demand is expected to be under cosmetic surgeries. Over the year significant number of grafting and implanting material have been introduced in the branch of Rhinoplasty. These are preferably known as biomaterials, which includes graft material such as autograft with source as the same organism, homograft with source as same species, xenograft with source as different species and alloplastic with source as synthetic material. Also, increasing the inclination of companies towards improving the quality of implants and performance coupled with the quality life of patient has led manufacturers in diversities in the type of material for various surgeries such as premaxilla augmentation, columella strut, tip graft, dorsal augmentation, middle third spreader, alar graft and lateral wall graft.
Depending on geographic region, Nasal Implant market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.
North America dominates the global market for Nasal Implant due to high adoption rate and diagnosis rate, followed by Western Europe. The rising cosmetic requirements for individuals is expected to fuel the nasal implant market. Nasal implant market in Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa is expected to register high growth due to developing healthcare infrastructure and rising cosmetic issues in the near future.
Some of the major market players in Nasal Implant market globally include Allergan, Plc, Sientra, Inc, Stryker Corporation, KLS Martin L.P, Medartis AG, Johnson & Johnson, Implantech, TMJ Concepts, Nagor.


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Berita Asia Tenggara Komprehensif, dan Analisis Perniagaan Dalam
Pengarang: lee
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Organisation : There are no client.
When Weatherford UK, a world-leading oil industry training company, installed a £1 million on-shore test rig at their site in Aberdeen, they needed to establish high-quality training facilities that could be positioned beside the rig.
This meant that the building needed to be flexible enough to meet this requirement and cater for future expansion.
As no other building method could match their need for speed and flexibility, Weatherford turned to Portakabin. A modular solution from Portakabin means that additional floors and extensions can be added or buildings reduced and reconfigured quickly and simply with little or no disruption.
Three extensions in seven years!
This flexibility has been crucial for Weatherford, as the company has extended its original training centre three times in the past seven years. The original building was a single Duplex module classroom purchased from Portakabin in 1999. In the same year, three other Duplex modules were added.
In 2001, due to huge expansion, more space was required. Weatherford turned to Portakabin again to increase the building to a two-story facility, consisting of twelve on twelve double storey Duplex modules. This provides a floor area of approximately 900 square meters, including an internal stairpod.
Portakabin also offers a range of solutions for hire. With no minimum hire period, Weatherford could enjoy maintenance-free buildings and the freedom to expand, reduce and relocate as their needs change. In addition, hiring from Portakabin means easy monthly repayments – with no tied-up capital.
Weatherford's third and latest expansion includes the hire of two Portakabin Titan buildings to create a spacious, open-plan office. This means that Weatherford can now accommodate all their students under one roof. The new buildings replace two, separate older cabins that were situated across the road from the training centre.
Chris has been equally impressed with the service he has received from Portakabin. Each stage of development has been supported by the Portakabin Customer Charter, which promises to deliver buildings on time and on budget. If a building is ever delayed, the company offers a week's free hire for every day it is late.


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Republic FC Earn First Win in Dramatic Fashion
By Matt George
Photo via the Sacramento Republic FC
After opening the season with, as head coach Mark Briggs describes them, two disappointing draws, the Sacramento Republic FC finally earned a tally in the win column. Sunday's match needed extra time for the only goal to be scored, but Sacramento prevailed with a 1-0 victory over their rivals Reno 1868 FC.
Last Wednesday, after a focused and intense training session, Briggs spoke with the media and shared his desire for a 1-0 result against Reno. He got his wish after his defense tightened up, improving from three goals allowed against Tacoma last Monday to their first clean sheet Sunday.
Sacramento made a few changes to their lineup, as forward Villyan Bijev and midfielders Sam Werner and Jaime Villarreal replaced Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu, Matt Mahoney and the leading goal scorer in the club's history, Cameron Iwasa, in the starting 11. Briggs' formation switched from a 3-5-2 against Tacoma to a modified 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid.
"When we spoke about what I want from tonight's game earlier in the week, they delivered," Briggs said, "I would have like them to make it a little bit easier and finish a lot of the chances that we do create and finish off the game a little bit earlier but what better a way to score in the 90th minute, to get a 1-0 lead and show the tenacity, the focus, the energy and the fight that I asked for".
The match was chippy, aggressive and entertaining throughout. Although it took over 90 minutes to find the night's only goal, the Republic had more than their fair share of chances. Sacramento totaled 22 shots on the night, including seven on goal, forcing Reno's keeper to make seven tough saves. Defensively, the Republic back line maintained their shape, discipline and communication, allowing just six shots. Keeper Adam Grinwiss was only required to make one big save, which came in the second half.
The breakthrough for Sacramento came from the penalty spot, as a low cross was deflected off a Reno player's hand in the box. Iwasa, who entered the game in the 63rd minute, slotted the penalty home in the bottom corner, earning his club the win in the closing minutes.
"For me, it's always about having composure and not letting the moment get ahead of you," Iwasa said. "I tried to stay in the moment and slow things down as much as I could and I was able to slot it away."
The Republic now sit at the top of the table in the USL Championship Group A with five points. Tacoma is just behind them with four points after a dominant 3-0 win over Portland on Saturday.
Sacramento's next match will be on the road, as the club pauses group play for their only regular season meeting against the LA Galaxy II. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. this Saturday, July 25th.
How The Iman Shumpert Trade Changed The Sacramento Kings
Celebrity Pick 6 - Week 7 with Michelle Dapper


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Riot to change pricing of League of Legends heroes
Blizzard bans thousands of Diablo III players
Releasing The War Z was a mistake, says Valve
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Steam's Big Picture mode goes live
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Stolen back-up file contained information about transactions from 2004 to 2008. More...
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What's at stake in the debate over expanding offshore drilling
Written By Elizabeth Ouzts March 8, 2018
Maersk Drilling / Creative Commons
The risk of oil spills from offshore drilling would threaten roughly 860,000 jobs and $51 billion in gross domestic product from Virginia to Florida, according to a new study by a nonprofit conservation group.
The analysis by Oceana includes economic data for the West Coast and the rest of the East Coast. It comes as the Trump administration takes public input on its plan to open virtually all U.S. waters to oil and gas development beginning next year.
The report draws on government tallies of ocean-dependent jobs, from beachfront hoteliers to tour boat captains to commercial fishers. It also uses government figures to estimate economically-recoverable supplies of oil and natural gas.
The importance of a rig-free coastline to the coastal economy has been a key talking point for drilling opponents, who turned out in force to recent public meetings about the Trump administration's plan.
"I have employees who count on the beaches being clean," said Briggs McEwan, a pizzeria and ice cream shop owner on the Outer Banks, addressing a raucous anti-drilling crowd last week in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Coastal business owners like McEwan are quick to point to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, which cost the Gulf Coast commercial fishing industry alone up to $1.6 billion in its first eight months.
The American Petroleum Institute and other proponents of the drilling proposal contend it will create jobs and economic activity without threatening coastal tourism and fishing.
But Southeastern political leaders don't want to take any chances. Democratic governors in Virginia and North Carolina are opposed; so are Republican ones in South Carolina and Florida. Georgia's Nathan Deal, a Republican, is the region's only governor who hasn't taken a position.
The deadline for submitting public comments on the oil and gas plan ends Friday. Here's what's at stake in each of the Southeast states, according to Oceana.
Florida: Offshore drilling has long been a political non-starter here, where 610,000 jobs and roughly $37.4 billion in GDP depend on the ocean.
Georgia: The state's small coastline features famous tourist destinations like St. Simon's island. The amount of gas and oil thought to be economically recoverable off the state's coast would only meet about a day's worth of domestic demand, and extracting it would put 23,000 jobs and $1.3 billion in GDP at risk.
South Carolina: Millions visit the state's coast each year, from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head. Over 86,000 jobs and $5.1 billion in GDP would be threatened for six days worth of oil and five days of gas supply.
North Carolina: The state is known for the Outer Banks and the rest of its barrier islands. The state's offshore reserves hold an estimated 65-day supply of oil and a 57-day supply of gas, but recovering it would threaten nearly 57,000 jobs and $2.5 billion in GDP.
Virginia: The Chesapeake Bay is a big reason over 86,000 jobs and $4.8 billion in GDP would be put at risk for what likely amounts to 30 days of domestic oil supply and 27 days of gas.
About Elizabeth Ouzts
Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Elizabeth Ouzts has reported on the state's clean energy transition for the Energy News Network since 2016. Her work on the state's hog industry and its pursuit of renewable natural gas has also appeared in Environmental Health News. A former director of communications for the nonprofit Environment America, Elizabeth brings nearly two decades of experience in environmental and energy policy to her reporting.
More by Elizabeth
Virginia Congressman: Don't make states go it alone on clean energy
Rep. Donald McEachin helped pull his home state along on advancing offshore wind. Now he's trying to push the U.S. Congress to keep up with states on the full suite of clean energy.
Report highlights risk of oil spills to national parks and monuments
Drilling foes are pressing the Trump administration to heed its own research and drop plans to open virtually every U.S. water to oil and gas development.
Offshore drilling plan draws emotional public input in N.C.
Meet the people who turned out for a public input event Monday for the Trump administration's offshore oil and gas drilling plan, from a pastor who wants to care for God's garden to a former mine owner seeking penance.
More on offshore drilling
Subscribe to offshore drilling


Walking across Brooklyn Bridge and into Dumbo, you're already inspired. The cavernous warehouses of New York's up and coming arts area seem like they were built for photographs. The Foto8 space at Dumbo Arts Center has been transformed by Home For Good. We've created a lounge area, resplendent with fresh crysanthemums. This domestic setting tends to be the place where we hear the first news of war, as well as where we might create our own personal photo albums. I'm writing this surrounded by Lorraine Grupe's family photographs from 1940s Chicago, which reveal the great respect shown towards US troops, fighting out in the Philippines as well as Europe. It's great to have this work here, working together with Tim Hetherington's Sleeping Soliders (this work and its film installation bringing Tim's work into a whole new arena, a sidestep from documentary into the less certain area of fiction) and Louie Palu's haunting portraits of US marines on tour in Afghanistan.
What's great about curating a group exhibition as opposed to editing a magazine is the way each body of work brings different and sometimes entirely new meanings to the work surrounding it (that might be stating the obvious but I still think it's exciting). For example, Simon Roberts very English landscapes now have the added resonance of showing the home front of a country at war (they were taken in 2008). This was not the artists' intention – Simon works in a very Romantic, painterly tradition – yet this new dimension is essential to our show. Venetia Dearden's work reminds us of the importance of home as an intimate and loving space, and now it speaks of the fragility of our 'safe' places, especially when it is observed alongside Bruno Stevens' reportage from Gaza, taken in January this year. Bruno Stevens is 50 years old today! Happy Birthday Bruno. We've hung Bruno's work on rolls like wallpaper; war imagery has become almost like magnolia. You barely notice it, though it colours all our lives. Bruno revealed his skills at portfolio review yesterday, when we saw two very talented young photographers, Massimiliano, a recent graduate of the Danish school, and Erica, from NY, whose exquisite work I hope you will see on the pages of the new 8 magazine some time in the future.
We're lucky to have several exhibiting photographers out here in NY, including Venetia, David Gray, whose film installation Surge is luring visitors into our venue's darkest corner, and Seba Kurtis, whose energy is palpable in his photographs as in his physical presence. Our back wall is resplendent with Seba's dreamlike images, very sensitively hung by Antonio of PowerHouse. Adam Nadel, whose photographs of steel workers in Geddes facing an uncertain future, were specially commissioned by us and arrived literally hot off the press. Adam and Tim are both here too, though they are both local boys. Chris Killip is arriving today – his stamps from the Isle of Man are in a display case – and don't forget he'll be talking exclusively at HOST Galery in London in June so make sure you book tickets soon.
Mondongo at I don't really know what kind of girl I am, curated by Jody Quon.
Robert Walker at All Over the Place!


A Pasig City Regional Trial Court judge meted out 20 life terms to each of the 14 Abu Sayyaf members convicted of kidnapping 20 persons from Dos Palmas resort in Palawan in 2001. The judge also ordered the convicts to pay damages of between P50,000 and P300,000 to each of the victims or their heirs. This has given the Philippines the distinction, at the time, of having the biggest number of terrorists meted out long-term sentences in the world, according to then Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, who was also the spokesperson for the Anti-Terrorism Council.
The conversion of the agricultural town of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province into a science city was ratified in a plebiscite. With its ratification, the Science City of Muñoz became the fourth component city of Nueva Ecija and the first of its kind in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. About 12,468 voters favored the cityhood bid of Muñoz, while only 602 voters opposed the conversion. Muñoz was formerly declared by the Department of Science and Technology as a science community, the fifth to be classified as such in the country. Muñoz hosts 16 research and development centers and centers of excellence, such as Central Luzon State University, Philippine Rice Research Institute and Philippine Carabao Center.


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Get the Latest News around the world here. Stay updated and informed
by DailyleakBlog.com · Published December 11, 2019
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, has said the social media can't be left to operate without control. A State House statement on Monday said Shehu spoke...
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Lawmakers demand death penalty for rape
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Modele, the wife of the embattled founder of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo, has said whoever does not celebrate her husband cannot be her friend. "I'm not your friend if you don't...
Pastor Adeboye finally breaks silence on recent rape allegations against COZA pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo (Video)
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the senior pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has finally reacted to rape allegations leveled against COZA pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo. Taking to Twitter and speaking in a video...


Wipfli, one of the top 20 CPA and consulting firms, announced today that it has appointed Michael (Mike) Vesel as the leader of the firm's Financial Institutions Industry Practice. In his new role, Vesel will oversee the fast-growing Wipfli Financial Institutions Practice, which currently has 122 dedicated professionals serving over 800 financial institutions across the Midwest and the country. He will also be responsible for the overall financial results, strategic direction, and development of services within the practice, as well as partner and associate development.
A financial institutions partner with Wipfli, Vesel has a 35-year track record in client service with a wide range of financial institutions, and has firm leadership experience as past vice chairman and member of the firm's Board of Directors. He succeeds JoAnn Cotter, who has held the role since 2005 and was recently appointed Industry Leader for the firm, a position that oversees all of the firm's industry practices.
Based in Wausau, Wisconsin, Vesel has extensive knowledge in several financial institution-related industry areas and previously was in charge of the audit and accounting group for the financial institutions practice. Throughout his career, he has devoted significant time helping financial institutions to succeed.
A certified public accountant, Vesel is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In addition, he is the finance committee chairman and executive committee member for Newman Catholic Schools, a trustee of the Newman Catholic Schools Endowment Trust, and past president of Everest Optimists Club.
Vesel holds a bachelor of business administration in comprehensive public accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.


A first home is almost guaranteed to be the most expensive thing you will ever buy. Saving for the deposit can be incredibly tricky, not to mention saving for the legal fees too. So any additional help will certainly be welcomed by many! Short term loan provider, Mr Lender, has put together a list of some of the best schemes to help you get a first time buyer mortgage.
At the end of 2016, the Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantee scheme came to an end, but the Equity Loan scheme is still available for anyone wanting to buy a home. Unlike most mortgage schemes, both first time buyers and existing homeowners can take advantage of the Equity Loan scheme to purchase a property up to the value of £600,000.
The Equity Loan scheme means a buyer living outside of London can borrow up to 20% of the property value from the government, interest free for five years. Buyers living in the capital can borrow up to 40% from the government. The buyer simply needs to provide a 5% deposit, and take out a mortgage to cover the remaining balance.
To give an example – if the buyer wanted to buy a property valued at £200,000, they would need a £10,000 deposit, a mortgage of £150,000, and the government will supply the other £40,000. The catch? If you sell the property, you will need to give the government back 20% of the property value. This means that if your property then sold for £210,000, you would need to give the government £42,000, and you keep £168,000 to pay off your mortgage.
Council house tenants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland can take advantage of the Right to Buy scheme where they can buy their home at a discounted rate. Those who live in Housing Association accommodation may also be able to buy their home through the 'Preserved' Right to Buy scheme. In order to qualify, tenants will usually need to have rented from the council for a minimum of three years. This doesn't need to be three consecutive years, nor does it need to be at the same property – if the tenant rents from the council for a year, before renting privately, then ends up going back to council accommodation for two years, they could apply to buy their home. The Right to Buy scheme applies in England and Wales, though the rules are slightly different for Northern Ireland.
When it comes to buying your first home, another option to consider is Shared Ownership. This is where you part own the property, while paying reduced rent to a landlord. The landlord is often the council or housing association, though this isn't always the case. Shared Ownership homes will usually mean the tenant will own between 25-75% of the property, and they have the option of buying the rest of the home at a later date. There are certain eligibility criteria involved, which includes a salary cap of £80,000 annually for anyone living outside of London, and £90,000 annually for anyone living in the capital.
Saving into a Help to Buy ISA can be a great way to get onto the property ladder, and getting a first time buyer mortgage. With the Help to Buy ISA, the government will boost your savings by 25% – the minimum amount they will pay out is £400, and the maximum is £3,000. This means if you were able to save £12,000 in total you will get an additional £3,000 from the government to go towards the cost of your first home. Help to Buy ISAs are available from a number of banks, building societies and credit unions.
Help to Buy ISAs are also available for each first time buyer, and not each household – this means that if you and your partner were saving for your first home, you could each open a Help to Buy ISA and take advantage of the government bonus. The only catch is that the Help to Buy ISA can only be used towards the total cost of the property, and not any additional fees such as solicitors and estate agents fees, stamp duty, etc.
In addition to the Help to Buy ISA, banks also offer other schemes to help you onto the property ladder, such as first time buyer mortgages. To apply for this type of mortgage, the prospective buyer needs to provide a deposit of just 5%, compared to other types of mortgage where the minimum deposit is usually much higher. Banks may even offer additional perks such as cashback.
The Lifetime ISA, or LISA as it is affectionately known, is another bank scheme available to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. The LISA can be used to save for either, retirement or a first home up to the value of £450,000. Anyone aged 40 or younger can apply for this account, where they can put away up to £4,000 a year. The government will then add an additional 25p for every £1 saved into the ISA.


text:
De Minaur beats Tiafoe to reach second successive final
Associated PressNov 8, 2019, 9:24 PM EST
MILAN — Top-seeded Alex de Minaur beat Frances Tiafoe at the Next Gen Finals on Friday to reach his second successive final in Milan.
The Australian overcame second-seeded Tiafoe 4-2, 4-1, 0-4, 4-2 in the first semifinal of the season-ending tournament for top under-21 players.
The 20-year-old De Minaur dominated the match but had to recover from losing the third set. He sealed the victory on his first match point when Tiafoe hit a forehand into the net.
"It's never easy playing someone like Frances. He has immense firepower and he's never going to give up," said De Minaur, who has lost just one of his nine matches at the Next Gen Finals.
"I didn't have my best third set, but I was able to bounce back and come up clutch in that last game."
De Minaur and Tiafoe are good friends on the circuit and that was shown by the American giving De Minaur a friendly slap on the head as he walked off court after the defeat.
"It's difficult, but easier in some ways," De Minaur said about facing a friend. "It's easy because you know that no matter what happens on the court, you're still going to be the best of friends. In the same manner, you've got to remember that you're opponents."
De Minaur, who is ranked No. 18, will be looking for a fourth ATP Tour title after victories this year in Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai.
Italian wild card Jannik Sinner plays Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in the other semifinal at this year's event, which features a unique format where each set is first to four games.
De Minaur lost the 2018 final in Milan to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas.


text:
Section: Video
Multimedia By: nbot - 17/01/2020
UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal had the most successful year of his career in 2019 but as he tells RT Sport, he has a whole lot more in the tank ahead…
A passenger of an airplane flying en route Baku-Moscow has recorded the ship commander regularly leaving the cockpit to chat with his acquaintance, who was also aboard the plane. Report…
According to the instruction of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense visited…
Minister of Defense Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and the leadership of the ministry, took part in the opening of another new military unit in the frontline area, Report informs citing…
UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed with a video message on the occasion of the New Year. Report informs that the video message reads: Against the backdrop of persistent inequality, rising…
Two more leopard cubs recorded in Azerbaijan's national park – VIDEO
Two more leopard cubs have been recorded in Zangezur National Park named after Hasan Aliyev. Report informs citing the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (MENR) that the cubs were…
Another residential building put into use in military unit of Air Force – VIDEO
Under the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev on the improvement of the social conditions of the…
New service apartments issued to servicemen – VIDEO
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, regarding the improvement of the social conditions of the military personnel…
More than 50 injured in massive pileup in Virginia – VIDEO
As many as 51 people suffered in a massive pileup on a motor road in the US state of Virginia, Report informs, citing foreign media. Local police say 11 out…
Voting in municipal elections in Azerbaijan starts – UPDATED – VIDEO
Video added 08.00 Voting in municipal elections in all polling stations in Azerbaijan has started. Report informs that 15,156 members will be elected to 1,606 municipalities on 118 constituencies. The…
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 74 Next »
WSJ: Human Rights Watch's Sara Leah Whitson has one standard for Israel, another for Armenia
Azerbaijan-Belarus trade exceeded $227 m last year
Azerbaijan's top official to meet with NATO deputy secretary general
Minister: Population's income in Azerbaijan exceeds average annual inflation
President Ilham Aliyev received Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies
Weather forecast for weekend announced
Fashion's bad boy Jean Paul Gaultier bids farewell to the catwalk
Russian parliament approves new prime minister Mikhail Mishustin


text:
<?php

namespace Matudelatower\UbicacionBundle\Controller;

use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;
use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\Controller;

use Matudelatower\UbicacionBundle\Entity\Departamento;

/**
 * Departamento controller.
 *
 */
class DepartamentoController extends Controller
{
    /**
     * Lists all Departamento entities.
     *
     */
    public function indexAction()
    {
        $em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();

        $departamentos = $em->getRepository('UbicacionBundle:Departamento')->findAll();

        return $this->render('UbicacionBundle:departamento:index.html.twig', array(
            'departamentos' => $departamentos,
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Creates a new Departamento entity.
     *
     */
    public function newAction(Request $request)
    {
        $departamento = new Departamento();
        $form = $this->createForm('Matudelatower\UbicacionBundle\Form\Type\DepartamentoType', $departamento);
        $form->handleRequest($request);

        if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
            $em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
            $em->persist($departamento);
            $em->flush();

            return $this->redirectToRoute('departamento_show', array('id' => $departamento->getId()));
        }

        return $this->render('UbicacionBundle:departamento:new.html.twig', array(
            'departamento' => $departamento,
            'form' => $form->createView(),
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Finds and displays a Departamento entity.
     *
     */
    public function showAction(Departamento $departamento)
    {
        $deleteForm = $this->createDeleteForm($departamento);

        return $this->render('UbicacionBundle:departamento:show.html.twig', array(
            'departamento' => $departamento,
            'delete_form' => $deleteForm->createView(),
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Displays a form to edit an existing Departamento entity.
     *
     */
    public function editAction(Request $request, Departamento $departamento)
    {
        $deleteForm = $this->createDeleteForm($departamento);
        $editForm = $this->createForm('Matudelatower\UbicacionBundle\Form\Type\DepartamentoType', $departamento);
        $editForm->handleRequest($request);

        if ($editForm->isSubmitted() && $editForm->isValid()) {
            $em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
            $em->persist($departamento);
            $em->flush();

            return $this->redirectToRoute('departamento_edit', array('id' => $departamento->getId()));
        }

        return $this->render('UbicacionBundle:departamento:edit.html.twig', array(
            'departamento' => $departamento,
            'edit_form' => $editForm->createView(),
            'delete_form' => $deleteForm->createView(),
        ));
    }

    /**
     * Deletes a Departamento entity.
     *
     */
    public function deleteAction(Request $request, Departamento $departamento)
    {
        $form = $this->createDeleteForm($departamento);
        $form->handleRequest($request);

        if ($form->isSubmitted() && $form->isValid()) {
            $em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
            $em->remove($departamento);
            $em->flush();
        }

        return $this->redirectToRoute('departamento_index');
    }

    /**
     * Creates a form to delete a Departamento entity.
     *
     * @param Departamento $departamento The Departamento entity
     *
     * @return \Symfony\Component\Form\Form The form
     */
    private function createDeleteForm(Departamento $departamento)
    {
        return $this->createFormBuilder()
            ->setAction($this->generateUrl('departamento_delete', array('id' => $departamento->getId())))
            ->setMethod('DELETE')
            ->getForm()
        ;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


All parameters of the application are defined at the build time, but can be overridden when running (see below). The default port of the web application is 8080 and it is available at http://host:8080/app. If your project has Polymer UI, by default it will be available at http://host:8080/app-front.
The default port of the web client is 8080 and it will try to connect to the middleware running on localhost:8079. So after running the above commands in two separate terminal windows, you will be able to connect to the web client at http://localhost:8080/app.
You can change the parameters defined at the build time by providing application properties via Java system properties. Besides, ports, context names and paths to Jetty configuration files can be provided as command line arguments.
frontContextName - a web context name for the Polymer UI (makes sense for single, web or portal JARs).
portalContextName - a web context name for the portal module running in the single JAR.
jettyEnvPath - a path to the Jetty environment file which will override build time settings specified in the coreJettyEnvPath parameter. It can be an absolute path or a path relative to the working directory.
jettyConfPath - a path to the Jetty server configuration file which will override build time settings specified in the webJettyConfPath/coreJettyConfPath/portalJettyConfPath parameter. It can be an absolute path or a path relative to the working directory.
Here it is assumed that the logback.xml file is located in the folder where you start the application from.
Pressing Ctrl+C in the terminal window where the application is running.
Executing kill <PID> on Unix-like systems.
stopPort - a port to listen for a stop key or to send the key to.
stopKey - a stop key. If not specified, SHUTDOWN is used.
stop - to stop another process by sending the key.


The ME103 makes high quality packaging available to low volume producers.
The value-priced ME103 uses the same technology as the popular ME104 and ME105. "Cold Seal" technology and film fitting methods from Merello produce some of the most appealing packaging in the mattress industry. This smaller wrapping machine can't keep up with the throughput of the ME105, but it can certainly package beds with great quality seals and cleanly trimmed film.
Unique electrical system reduces downtime due to wear and tear on wiring.


Sonny is a 6 year old male lab collie mix. Sonny is up-to-date on all shots. He's been neutered and he is heart worm free. He's very friendly, and he would prefers family where he is the only pet. He needs lots of love and attention.


text:
Association of Electronic Health Records With Cost Savings in a National Sample
By Abby Swanson Kazley, PhD
Annie N. Simpson, PhD
Kit N. Simpson, DPH
Ron Teufel, MD
The American Journal of Managed CareJune 2014
The authors examine the association between advanced electronic health record (EHR) use and cost in hospitals. Patients treated in hospitals with advanced EHRs cost 9.66% less.
To determine whether advanced electronic health record (EHR) use in hospitals is associated with lower cost of providing inpatient care.
National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Survey are combined in the restrospective, cross-sectional analysis. We study patients who are 18 years or older and discharged from a general acute care hospital.
Using 2009 data and a cross-sectional design with a gamma distributed generalized linear model, a patient-level analysis is conducted with propensity scores to control for selection bias. Patient- and organizational-level variables are included as controls. The main outcome measure is total cost per patient admission and represents the amount that it costs the hospital to provide services based on the adjusted charges for an admission.
We include 5,047,089 individuals treated at 550 hospitals in the United States and represent a population-based sample. There are 104 (18.9%) hospitals included that use advanced EHRs. Patients treated in hospitals with advanced EHRs cost, on average, $731, or 9.66%, less than patients admitted to hospitals without advanced EHRs, after controlling for patient and hospital characteristics.
Hospitals that use advanced EHRs have lower cost per patient admission than comparable hospitals with similar case mix.
Am J Manag Care. 2014;20(6):e183-e190
Advanced EHR use in hospitals has the potential to save money on patient care.
This study supports the case for advanced EHR adoption and use, consistent with meaningful use.
Advanced EHR use requires costly investment for hospitals that can be regained through savings in patient care.
Patients treated in hospitals with advanced EHRs cost 9.66% less than those treated in hospitals without advanced EHRs.
Electronic health records (EHRs) have been suggested as a tool for improving the overall quality and cost of care in the United States.1 Proponents and policy makers have created incentives through the Health Information Technology for Clinical and Economic Health (HITECH) Act to offset the cost of purchase in order to encourage the adoption and use of advanced EHR systems in a "meaningful" way.2 Such criteria for use are based on previous studies that report improvements in quality.3 To qualify as a meaningful user and benefit from the related incentives, EHR systems must include electronic prescribing, health information exchange with other providers, automated reporting of quality data, electronic recording of patients' history (demographics, vital signs, medication and diagnosis lists, and smoking status), created care summary documents, and at least 1 clinical decision support tool.4-6 Such meaningful use requirements are believed to improve the legibility of records, reduce prescription errors, improve adherence to best clinical practice guidelines, improve patient and clinician access to records, and allow exchange of health information.4 In addition to gains in quality, EHRs have been predicted to save $81 billion annually through safety improvement and increased efficiency of care,7 yet little is known about their impact on hospital cost, and no previous studies have examined the relationship between cost per admission and EHR use in a national sample of acute care hospitals for adults.
Cost savings associated with EHRs are expected to come through better coordination of care, reduction of medical errors and adverse drug events (ADEs), and increased efficiency and reduction of duplicate testing; previous studies have demonstrated the potential. Silow-Carroll and colleagues found that at 9 hospitals with comprehensive EHR use, "Faster, more accurate communication and streamlined processes have led to improved patient flow, fewer duplicative tests, faster responses to patient inquiries, redeployment of transcription and claims staff, more complete capture of charges, and federal incentive payments," which lead to cost specific EHR components, including automated notes and records, order entry, and clinical decision support, are associated with fewer complications, lower mortality rates, and lower costs in Texas hospitals.9 In a single hospital, inpatient EHR with computerized provider order entry (CPOE) use was associated with a decrease in laboratory tests, radiology examinations, monthly transcription costs, medication errors, and paper costs.10 On the other hand, a study performed in California revealed that EHR use was associated with an increase in hospital costs, nursing staff levels, and complications, but a decrease in mortality for some conditions.11 This same study did not find any evidence that advanced EHR use reduced length of stay or demand for nurses. Similarly, another study examining EHR use in physician practices found that electronic access to patient lab and imaging results may actually increase the number of overall tests given to individual patients by 40% to 70%, thus increasing costs.12 In a study of Medicare patient—level billing data from 1998 to 2005, Agha reported that EHR adoption was associated with an initial 1.3% increase in billed charges, and saw no evidence of cost savings over the 5 years postadoption.13
In a previous study of a single hospital, physician inpatient order writing on microcomputers was found to be associated with reduced resource utilization.14 These costs of providing care were approximately 12% lower in the area of overall charges, hospital charges, bed charges, diagnostic test charges, and drug charges, although the system required increased physician time. Similarly, the cost savings of advanced EHR use found in this study may be the result of several practices or benefits associated with advanced EHR use. First, the automated nature of advanced EHRs may reduce errors through overall coordination of care, less duplication of tests, and increased efficiency.
Dranove and colleagues examined the implementation of EHR as a business process innovation.15 They used data from Medicare cost reports combined with survey data on EHR adoption to assess the economic implications of EHR adoption on mean cost per admission. They reported that EHR adoption was associated with a rise in cost, but that cost reduction for hospitals in favorable locations—where there was high availability of expertise and complementary services—resulted in cost reductions after 3 years, while hospitals with unfavorable conditions had increased costs, even after 6 years.
The objective of this study was to determine if advanced EHR use is associated with lower cost of care in acute care general hospitals. In an era of increased pressure to adopt EHRs and other health information technology, it is important to understand the benefits and challenges of EHR use. Our study adds to the work by Agha and Dranove by using more recent individual-level patient data that includes all payers.13,15 Our cost measure reflects the variation in cost per admission observed at the level of the individual, as opposed to the mean for the hospital, which allowed us to control for variations in case mix. We limited our analysis to contrasting hospitals with advanced EHRs to all other levels of implementation based on the finding by Dranove and colleagues that cost savings due to EHR implementation are most likely observed for institutions with a critical mass of EHR expertise.
The data for this cross-sectional patient-level analysis were obtained from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2009 and Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2009. The NIS includes discharge data from more than 1000 hospitals in 45 states, which encompasses 96% of the United States population. The HIMSS 2009 data were used to measure hospital EHR use. The HIMSS data "represent a broad canvassing of acute care hospitals, chronic care facilities, ambulatory practices on their adoption and plans to adopt various HIT components" and have been widely used in previous research.16 Patients were included in the analysis if they were 18 years or older. In the NIS, some states do not release the American Hospital Association identifiers, and thus the individual patient cases cannot be included because EHR use cannot be determined. Costs were calculated for each admission using the total charges reported multiplied by the hospital-specific cost-to-charge ratio for 2009. Admissions with zero charges were excluded from the analysis.
The generalized linear model and propensity models controlled for patient age, gender, race, All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (APDRGs) mortality and severity, neonatal or maternal status, private insurance coverage, Medicare or Medicaid coverage, Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) case mix group, and whether the patient arrived as a transfer. Both models also controlled for the following hospital-level variables: teaching status, urban location, bed size, and geographical region. The main outcome measure was total cost of hospital admission per patient-billed hospitalization. Outcomes such as length of stay and the effects of nurse staffing variables on outcomes were explored using similar modeling approaches.
EHR use is measured using stages based on individual applications reported in the hospitals. These include stage 0 (no automation), stage 1 (automation of ancillary services including a clinical data repository, and pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology information systems), stage 2 (stage 1 + automation of nursing work flow with electronic nursing documentation, and medication administration records), and stage 3 (advanced EHR including: stages 1 and 2 + CPOE and clinical decision support). Since meaningful use criteria are consistent with stage 3 adoption of EHR, we chose to compare hospitals that have advanced EHRs with all others, and this staging system has been used in previous research.17
Generalized linear modeling techniques were used to test the hypothesis that the total costs per admission were different between hospitals with and without advanced EHRs. To correct for the non-normal distribution of costs, gamma-distributed generalized linear models using a logarithmic transformation18 were analyzed using the PROC GENMOD module in the SAS statistical software (version 9.2; SAS Institute Inc, Cary, North Carolina). The use of a gamma-distributed generalized linear model with a log-transformed link function has been shown to be an accurate method to estimate healthcare cost distributions that are generally right-skewed, especially when the logtransformed dependent variables do not have heavy tails or excessive heteroscedasticity such as was found to be true in these data.19
We controlled for potential selection bias of advanced EHR use in hospitals and potential differences in patient demographics, severity, and hospital case mix through the use of a propensity score stratification. To calculate the propensity score, a logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the propensity of each patient to be seen in a hospital with advanced EHRs. Use of a propensity score approach can remove upward of 95% of bias from estimates.8 Generalized estimating equation (GEE) methods were used to confirm that results remained the same after accounting for correlated outcomes across patients treated within the same hospital. We examined the potential for selection bias due to case mix, patient characteristics, and hospital characteristics in a sensitivity analysis using a 5% random sample of the data. This sensitivity analysis using a portion of the data in a propensity score—matching methodology allowed us to estimate the potential selection bias of known confounders that might have remained after using propensity score stratification methods. The data were prohibitively large, thus limiting propensity score–matching sensitivity analyses to a 5% sample. An additional sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the potential hidden bias potentiated by unknown confounders.20 This allowed us to examine how much the inferential findings of cost differences could be altered by hidden biases of various magnitudes and how large these differences would have to be to alter the qualitative conclusions of our study.
The analysis included 5,047,089 individual patient cases. Of these, 1,509,610 (29.9%) patients were cared for in hospitals that use advanced EHRs. There were 550 hospitals included in the analysis, and of these, 104 (18.9%) use advanced EHRs. The mean overall total cost per admission was $10,790, with the mean cost for patient admissions at hospitals with advanced EHRs being $10,203 and the mean cost for patient admissions at hospitals without advanced EHRs being $11,010. Other descriptive information about the patients and hospitals are provided in .
When controlling for patient and hospital characteristics in the multivariable model, the mean cost per patient admission for hospitals without advanced EHRs was $7938. The mean cost per patient admission for hospitals with advanced EHRs was $7207. Based on the generalized linear regression model, presence of an advanced EHR was significantly associated with cost of admission, and the beta of —0.0966 indicates that patients treated in hospitals with advanced EHRs have costs that are on average 0.0966%, or $731, lower than those for patients treated in hospitals without an advanced EHR. Other significant predictors of cost include, as expected, patient age, race, gender, severity of illness, risk of death, transfer status, case mix, and insurance type, as well as hospital size, type of hospital, teaching status, rural or urban location, and region of the country. The estimates of the multivariable model are presented in . When the propensity score adjustment was included, the association between advanced EHR use and cost remained statistically significant, with cost estimates remaining the same, indicating that selection bias was likely minimal. The GEE model controlling for potential correlation between patients seen at the same hospital remained significant (P of advanced EHR =.04) and garnered the same results as seen in the generalized linear model.
Sensitivity Analyses
We developed a 5% sample of the data using propensity score matching based on the nearest neighbor-matching greedy algorithm approach. We limited the sample to 72,002 randomly selected observations from each group to keep computational time below 8 hours. Propensity scores in the original sample ranged from 0.012 to 0.921. The heterogeneity between the EHR and non-EHR admissions was well controlled by the matching, as illustrated by the decrease in the absolute standardized difference in the means for all the propensity score model variables before and after the match (). The cost differences between the EHR and non-EHR admissions in the matched groups were slightly larger than the cost difference observed for the total data set (). The use of the GEE approach on the main data analysis did not make a significant difference in the results. We explored whether the observed relationship between advanced EHR and cost of care was also present for other measures of hospital resource use, and found $3305 lower total charges per admission when mean charges were modeled. When we explored length of stay (LOS), adjusting for covariates similar to the cost model, we found a mean LOS of 4.1 days for both groups (P =.84). The resource input data available in the data set were limited. However, hospitals with advanced EHRs appear to have had a slightly higher rate of nursing fulltime— equivalent personnel per 1000 adjusted admissions (RNFTEs). The mean number of RNFTEs was 4.27 for the advanced EHR admissions and 4.15 for the comparison group in the propensity score–matched sample, for a difference of 0.09 (P <.0001) RNFTEs after controlling for covariates in the model.
When assessing hidden bias due to unmeasured variables, we used methods described by Rosenbaum to estimate the sensitivity parameter, Γ, the degree of departure from a study that is free of hidden bias.20 In order to attribute the lower hospital cost in patients in an advanced EHR hospital to an unmeasured factor, a hidden bias or unobserved covariate would need to increase the odds of being in an advanced EHR hospital by more than a factor of gamma >100. The inferential finding of lower admission cost in patients seen in advanced EHR hospitals was, therefore, very insensitive to hidden bias.
Hospitals have struggled to adopt and use EHRs because they are costly to purchase, implement, and maintain, especially in the current environment of cost containment and increased efforts to be "lean."21 Thus, the HITECH incentives were created to help offset the costs by offering hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments for purchase and "meaningful use" of EHRs. This analysis provides evidence that advanced EHR use may result in cost savings for hospitals in addition to meaningful use incentives, and supports the business case for the costly implementation and maintenance of an EHR system. Such implementation should include plans for advanced EHR use.22
During the period of study, only a minority of hospitals were using advanced EHR systems.23 The additional value of this study compared specific EHR components that are associated with stage 3, or meaningful use, and can be related to cost savings, including CPOE, clinical decision support systems, automation of ancillary services including a clinical data repository, pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology information, and automation of nursing work flow with electronic nursing documentation and medication administration records. The staging model that was used demonstrates that cost savings may not be realized until multiple features are included and implemented. Since EHR systems are complex and costly to implement, it is often a multistage process to adopt and use EHRs.24 Thus, hospitals must anticipate that the financial savings may not exist until advanced, "meaningful" use is attained. The majority of hospitals have yet to reach the stage of implementation where cost savings are possible, since they are not using advanced EHRs.
The cost differences observed in this study were measured based on costs estimated from charges using the hospital's reported mean cost-to-charge ratio for the year of the data, and it is possible that this estimate of cost could bias cost estimates for an individual hospital. However, it is unlikely that systematic bias from this approach would have skewed our results. Given the findings of this study, patients and payer groups may consider selecting hospitals for care based on advanced EHR use, especially if they are paying for care based on a formula related to charges. This may be especially true if the efforts to promote consumer-driven healthcare are successful and if these hospitals demonstrate high levels of quality. However, given the current arrangement where hospital prices are not related to what patients have to pay, the cost savings of advanced EHR use may be most valuable to third-party payers. Our business case also does not include the costs of implementation or maintenance of an EHR system, which can be significant: they range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
This study had several limitations. First, EHR use is not randomly assigned, and thus there is the potential for selection bias. To overcome this, we included a propensity score adjustment. Second, the NIS data did not include a fully representative sample, and some of the states included in the sample did not provide hospital identifiers for patient-level data. Those cases were excluded from the study, as they could not be linked to EHR use data. Also, because the data are from 2009, we could not be certain that the systems classified as "advanced" in the adoption model absolutely meet the requirements for meaningful use according to the HITECH Act. However, given the definitions and components included in our definition, they are most consistent with meaningful use. There is a possibility that hospitals with EHRs are better able to capture charges. Better charge capture will result in higher estimated cost per admission in our data. Thus, if EHR use improves charge capture, costs (estimated as charges adjusted by the cost-to-charge ratio) will appear higher, resulting in a higher cost per admission in the advanced EHR group in the current study. Finally, some individual cases were excluded because the NIS data did not provide a hospital identifier to allow EHR use to be determined. While we did not find evidence that the excluded cases were systematically different than the included case, this does present a potential weakness.
Hospitals that use advanced EHRs report lower costs per patient admission than hospitals that do not use advanced EHRs. These cost savings will benefit many thirdparty payers, hospitals, and patients, and incentives such as those provided through the HITECH Act to promote EHR adoption and use will benefit hospitals. Since many previous studies have shown that EHRs can improve the safety and quality of care in hospitals, the projected cost savings in this study provides additional motivation and builds the business case for hospitals to make the large investment in adopting and maintaining an EHR system. This study is a very large multistate study that is likely representative of national trends and builds upon previous work of cost savings associated with EHR use. The results provide support for the continued adoption and use of EHRs to improve healthcare through cost savings and quality improvements.Author Affiliations: Department of Health Care Leadership and Management (ASK, ANS, KNS); Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (RT).
Source of Funding: None reported.
Author Disclosures: The authors report no relationship or financial interest with any entity that would pose a conflict of interest with the subject matter of this article.
Authorship Information: Concept and design (ASK, KNS, RT); acquisition of data (ASK, KNS, RT); analysis and interpretation of data (ASK, ANS, KNS); drafting of the manuscript (ASK, ANS, KNS, RT); critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content (ASK, KNS, RT); statistical analysis (ANS, KNS); administrative, technical, or logistic support (ASK).
Address correspondence to: Abby Swanson Kazley, PhD, Department of Health Care Leadership and Management, Medical University of South Carolina, 151 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC 29425. E-mail: swansoaj@ musc.edu.1. Silow-Carroll S, Edwards JN, Rodin D. Using electronic health records to improve quality and efficiency: the experiences of leading hospitals. Issue Brief (Commonwealth Fund). 2012;17:1-40.
2. Amarasingham R, Plantinga L, Diener-West M, Gaskin DJ, Powe NR. Clinical information technologies and inpatient outcomes: a multiple hospital study. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(2):108-114.
3. Zlabek JA, Wickus JW, Mathiason MA. Early cost and safety benefits of an inpatient electronic health record. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2011;18(2):169-172.
4. Jha AK. Meaningful use of electronic health records: the road ahead. JAMA. 2010;304(15):1709-1710.
5. Blumenthal D, Tavenner M. The "meaningful use" regulation for electronic health records. N Engl J Med. 2010;363(6):501-504.
6. Burke T. Law and the public's health: the health information technology provisions in the American recovery and reinvestment act of 2009: implications for public health policy and practice. Public Health Reports, 2010;125(1):141-145.
7. Hillestad R, Bigelow J, Bower A, et al. Can electronic medical record systems transform health care? potential health benefits, savings, and costs. Health Aff (Millwood). 2005;24:1103-1117.
8. Teufel RJ, Kazley AS, Ebeling MD, Basco WT, Jr. Hospital electronic medical record use and cost of inpatient pediatric care. Acad Pediatr. 2012;12(5):429-35.
9. Furukawa MF, Raghu TS, Shao BB. Electronic medical records, nurse staffing, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes: evidence from California hospitals, 1998-2007. Health Serv Res. 2010;45(4):941-62.
10. McCormick D, Bor D, Woolhandler S, Himmelstein D. Giving office-based physicians electronic access to patients' prior imaging and lab results did not deter ordering of tests. Health Aff (Millwood). 2012;31:488-496.
11. Tierney WM, Miller ME, Overhage JM, et al: Physician inpatient order writing on microcomputer workstations: effects on resource utilization. JAMA. 1993;269:379-383.
12. Poon EG, Blumenthal D, Jaggi T, et al. Overcoming barriers to adopting and implementing computerized physician order entry systems in U.S. hospitals. Health Affairs. 2004;23:184-190.
13. Agha L. The effects of health information technology on the costs and quality of medical care. J Health Econ. 2014;34:19-30.
14. Hudson JS, Neff JA, Padilla MA, Zhang Q, and Mercer LT. Predictors of physician use of inpatient electronic health records. Am J Manag Care. 2012;18(4):201-206.
15. Dranove D, Forman C, Goldfarb A, Greenstein S. The trillion dollar conundrum: complementarities and health information technology. Massachusetts Institute of Technology website. http://economics.mit. edu/files/7583.
16. Jha AK, Burke MF, DesRoches C, Joshi MS, et al. Progress toward meaningful use: hospitals' adoption of electronic health records. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17(12, spec No.):117-124.
17. Monte-Rath M, Christiansen CL, Ettner SL, et al. Performance of statistical models to predict mental health and substance abuse cost. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2006;26(6):53.
18. Manning WG, Basu A, Mullahy J. Generalized modeling approaches to risk adjustment of skewed outcomes data. J Health Econ. 2005;24(3):465-488.
19. Rubin DB. Estimating casual effects from large data sets using propensity scores. Ann Intern Med. 1997;127:757-763.
20. Rosenbaum PR. Observational Studies, 2nd ed. New York, NY: Springer; 2002:Chapter 4.
21. Elnahal SM, Joynt KE, Bristol SJ, Jha AK. Electronic health record functions differ between best and worst hospitals. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17(4):e121-e147.
22. Hudson JS, Neff JA, Padilla MA, Zhang Q, Mercer LT. Predictors of physician use of inpatient electronic health records. Am J Manag Care. 2012;18(4):201-206.
23. Jha, AK, Burke, MF, DesRoches, C, Joshi, MS et al. Progress toward meaningful use: hospitals' adoption of electronic health records. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17(12 spec No.):SP117-SP124.
24. Elnahal SM, Joynt KE, Bristol SJ, and Jha AK. Electronic health record functions differ between best and worst hospitals. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17(4):e121-e147.
Download PDF: Association of Electronic Health Records With Cost Savings in a National Sample
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The report also suggests that ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein inhibition could be a valuable tool to overcome resistance.
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Patients were also more likely to stay in treatment longer when their care was delivered virtually, a new survey has found.
The Patient-Centered Rheumatology Collaborative identified several critical areas for further intervention to improve the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.


North Conway, NH – In the wake of growing interest in backcountry skiing, the new nonprofit Granite Backcountry Alliance has formed to promote the sport in New Hampshire and Western Maine. The group intends to provide low-impact, human-powered backcountry skiing opportunities to the public.
Granite BC will strive to be the unified voice of backcountry skiers to advocate for the expansion, development and maintenance of backcountry skiing, primarily focused on the restoration and revival of former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) ski trails, across the White Mountains.
Granite BC will provide educational opportunities for ecological awareness, avalanche and general winter safety, and help lead conservation efforts and partnerships with landowners, including the United States Forest Service. Granite BC will advocate in regard to legislation, regulations and rules with public policy makers on new forestry management plans and other polices, similar to other recreational lobbying groups representing snowmobilers, alpine and nordic skiing, hiking and mountain biking.
Opportunities to meet with the founders to discuss the organization's plans for Winter 2016-2017 will be available at its Backcountry Film Festival at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 19 at International Mountain Equipment in North Conway.
More information about Granite BC can be found on Facebook under Granite Backcountry Alliance or message directly to @granite_BC or granitebackcountry@gmail.com.


The rotation of the cotton fiber and cordura in the weft thread (on the width of fabric) ensures the maintenance of the jeans' comfort and flexibility. It also increases its durability.
In what size do you need your Bering Motorcycle Trousers?
Rat: Some Bering Motorcycling Trousers have different leg lengths : "AR" short, "RG" normal und "GX" long.


Medical certificates are only valid for a certain period of time. Your pilot licence is not valid if you do not have a valid medical certificate.
If you don't have a medical certificate, you can apply for one.
If your medical certificate has expired, you can renew it. If it will expire in less than 45 days, you can revalidate it.
There are three classes of medical certificate. Class 1 has the most demanding standards, followed by Class 2. The LAPL medical certificate has the least demanding standards.


This Teaching Resource provides lecture notes, slides, and a student assignment for a lecture on strategies for the development of mathematical models. Many biological processes can be represented mathematically as systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Simulations with these mathematical models can provide mechanistic insight into the underlying biology of the system. A prerequisite for running simulations, however, is the identification of kinetic parameters that correspond closely with the biological reality. This lecture presents an overview of the steps required for the development of kinetic ODE models and describes experimental methods that can yield kinetic parameters and concentrations of reactants, which are essential for the development of kinetic models. Strategies are provided to extract necessary parameters from published data. The homework assignment requires students to find parameters appropriate for a well-studied biological regulatory system, convert these parameters into appropriate units, and interpret how different values of these parameters may lead to different biological behaviors.
These lecture materials describe how to create kinetic models based on information in the literature and include a student assignment.


text:
Q: SQL Server- Trouble using less than symbol in CASE statement Select FirstName, LastName, Salary, Salary = (Case Employees.Salary
When salary < 40000 then 'Low Pay'
When salary < 70000 then 'Medium Pay'
Else 'High Pay'
End) as 'PayRange'
From Employees;

I am trying to make this case statement work but keep getting an incorrect syntax error on the < symbol. The data type of salary is numeric. What is my problem?

A: It looks like you're combining syntax.  You can remove Employees.Salary, and it will work.
Example that should work:
Select FirstName, LastName, Salary,  (Case
When salary < 40000 then 'Low Pay'
When salary < 70000 then 'Medium Pay'
Else 'High Pay'
End) as 'PayRange'
From Employees;

Here is a link to see proper syntax for CASE() expressions.

A: Select
    FirstName,
    LastName,
    Salary,
    (Case
        When Salary < 40000 then 'Low Pay'
        When Salary < 70000 then 'Medium Pay'
        Else 'High Pay'
    End) as 'PayRange'
From Employees;

A: You have two columns named Salary.  You need to either put "Salary =" in front of the column expression or use an "AS" at the end (not both, and you have conflicting names here).  Also, I don't think you need the first Employees.Salary after the Case.  Here is my suggestion:
Select FirstName
, LastName
, Salary
, PayRange = (Case
        When Employees.Salary < 40000 then 'Low Pay'
        When Employees.Salary < 70000 then 'Medium Pay'
        Else 'High Pay'
        End)
From Employees;

A: You can do it even easier:
Select FirstName, LastName, Salary,
CASE WHEN salary < 40000 THEN 'Low Pay'
WHEN salary < 70000 THEN 'Medium Pay'
ELSE 'High Pay' END AS PayRange
FROM Employees;

This is MS SQL Server Syntax, might be a little different in other dialects.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Cosmetics are mixtures of chemicals that mostly aren't supposed to react with each other.The purpose of stability testing cosmetic products is to ensure that a new or modified product meets the intended physical, chemical and microbiological quality standards, properties as well as functionality and aesthetics when stored under appropriate conditions.
Each manufacturer should design their own stability testing program such that it is economically reasonable and efficiently addresses the testing required. Thus, specific tests may be developed in order to address new or unusual technologies, or to be adapted to products having extended shelf lives. Stability tests can be conducted in real time or under accelerated conditions and should address the stability of a product under appropriate conditions of storage, transport and use.
There are times when you need to do stability testing. Here is most important times to conduct a stability test.
New prototypes. When you make a new formula and are satisfied with the way it performs, you'll want to do a stability test to ensure that it will stay together.
New raw materials. Eevery time you have to change the fragrance, color, or other raw material in a formula, you'll have to do a stability test to make sure there aren't unacceptable changes (Also for new raw material source/or supplier).
New manufacturing procedure. Every changing in manufacturing process (e.g mixing time, temperature drying), do stability test. It could affect your formula.
New packaging. Cosmetic products change their look almost yearly so packaging is constantly being modified. You'll have to determine if the formula continues to be compatible. Stability testing helps ensure that it is.
This is the basic format you can follow for conducting a cosmetic formula stability test.
Make your batch. Calculate how much to make based on the number of samples you'll be using for the test. Ideally, make 30-40% more than you'll need.
Fill your samples. Ideally, you'll have the correct packaging but don't count on it. When appropriate, fill glass jars with the product along with the finished package. In stability testing, you want to do both glass and packaging if possible. The number of samples depends on how much testing your doing but at minimum you should have 2 samples for each storage condition.
Take initial readings. Once you have a sample filled test it for all the characteristics you're going to evaluate later.
Put samples at different conditions. Stability testing requires different temperature and light conditions.
Evaluate the product. Samples should be evaluated at the following intervals. 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 52 weeks. Only the RT, 37C and 4C samples will be evaluated after one year. The highest temperature samples and the light exposed samples only need to be evaluated for the first three test intervals. The evaluation tests should be the same ones you conducted when taking your initial readings.
Determine stability. After 8 weeks you can confidently decide whether your formula is stable or not.
How to Prevent Contamination in Cosmetic Products? Why cosmetic products need to be preserved?
Cosmetic products become easily contaminated by bacteria, fungi and other microbes. Containing water, oils, peptides, and carbohydrates cosmetics are a very good medium for growth of microbes.
And these tiny organisms bring with them some distasteful product changes or even disease. You typically would adding preservatives to your formulas. You have to know which preservatives are highly regulated and restricted ingredients.
Preservation of cosmetic products is important to ensuring their safety and shelf stability. There are two primary reasons you need preservatives.
2. To stop microbes from causing disease and infection of the skin.
The microbes that can infect your formulas primarily include bacteria, mold, and yeast. In small quantities they don't represent much of a problem but when they multiply, look out. Bacteria like Pseudomonas can cause all kinds of health problems including skin and eye infections, toxic shock, strep throat, and even food poisoning. Yeast like Candida albicans can cause thrush. And many other bacteria can cause your products to smell awful, change color or otherwise break down.
In addition to natural and chemical preservatives, pH adjustment can be used to keep cosmetics germ-free. It is important to note, however, that very high or low pH values that keep microbial growth at bay may prove irritating to the skin or mucous membranes.
Not all materials used in cosmetic products are safe. There are so many harmful ingredients incosmetic and personal care products, even baby product. In fact, not all the materials used are listed in the label. Identify the hazardous materials and where possible, avoid the use of products containing these harmful substances.
Used in makeup, moisturizers, shampoos, deodorants etc. May interfere with hormone function. Associated with breast cancer. Widely used even though they are known to be toxic.
Used as : Parabens are the most widely used preservative in cosmetics. They are also used as fragrance ingredients. Not always labeled. An estimated 75 to 90 per cent of cosmetics contain parabens.
Health Hazard : Parabens are harmful because they easily penetrate the skin and are suspected of interfering with hormone function (endocrine disruption) causing hormone imbalance in female and early puberty. Parabens were detected in human breast cancer tissues, raising questions about a possible association between parabens in cosmetics and cancer. Parabens may also interfere with male reproductive functions. In addition, studies indicate that methylparaben applied on the skin reacts with UVB leading to increased skin aging and DNA damage.
Parabens in foods are metabolized when eaten, making them less strongly estrogenic. In contrast, when applied to the skin and absorbed into the body, parabens in cosmetics bypass the metabolic process and enter the blood stream and body organs intact.
This foam booster found in creamy and foaming products such as moisturizer, shampoo. Can react to form cancer-causing nitrosamines. Harmful to fish and other wildlife.
Used as : DEA and DEA compounds are used to make cosmetics creamy or sudsy. DEA also acts as a pH adjuster, counteracting the acidity of other ingredients. DEA is mainly found in moisturizers and sunscreens, while cocamide and lauramide DEA are found in soaps, cleansers, and shampoos. Industrial applications of DEA include its use in oil refineries to "scrub" hydrogen sulphide from process gas emissions.
Health Hazards: DEA and its compounds is skin/eye irritation. Easily absorbed through skin to accumulate in body organs and brain. Exposure to high doses of these chemicals cause liver cancers and precancerous changes in skin and thyroid.
DEA compounds can also react with nitrites in cosmetics to form nitrosamines as a possible human carcinogen. Nitrites are sometimes added to products as anti-corrosive agents or can be present as contaminants. The degradation of some chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetics can release nitrites when the product is exposed to air.
Widely used in conditioners, moisturizers, deodorants, sunscreen etc even baby care. Dangerous levels of dioxin have been found as a by-product of the ethoxylation process.
Used as : PEGs are widely used in cosmetics as thickeners, solvents, softeners, penetration enhancer and moisture-carriers. PEGs are commonly used as cosmetic cream bases.
Health Hazards: Depending on manufacturing processes, PEGs can be contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. Ethylene oxide known as human carcinogen and 1,4-dioxane as a possible human carcinogen. Ethylene oxide can also harm the nervous system and may interfere human development.
PEG compounds show some evidence of genotoxicity and if used on broken skin can cause irritation and systemic toxicity. Also, PEG functions as a "penetration enhancer," increasing the permeability of the skin to allow greater absorption of the product — including harmful ingredients.