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Along with other Web 2.0 market intelligence tools, online idea competitions can provide essential input for decision making in the early phases of product innovation. However, in order to use online competitions effectively, it is essential to know when to use which method, how to use it, and to what extent virtual and conventional research techniques can be used interchangeably or complementarily. A first step toward assessing the power of Web 2.0 techniques is to compare them with traditional ones. We compare the expense and results of online idea competitions with focus groups for idea generation in the market for senior citizen mobile phones and services. We find that idea competitions lead to more and better ideas at a lower cost per idea, while focus groups yield richer interactions with users.

Along with other Web 2.0 market intelligence tools, online idea competitions can provide essential input for decision making in the early phases of product innovation. However, in order to use online competitions effectively, it is essential to know when to use which method, how to use it, and to what extent virtual and conventional research techniques can be used interchangeably or complementarily. A first step toward assessing the power of Web 2.0 techniques is to compare them with traditional ones. We compare the expense and results of online idea competitions with focus groups for idea generation in the market for senior citizen mobile phones and services. We find that idea competitions lead to more and better ideas at a lower cost per idea, while focus groups yield richer interactions with users. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Research indicates that glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), part of the astroglial skeleton, could be a marker of traumatic brain injury (TBI). S100B, an astroglial protein, is an acknowledged marker of TBI. Our goal was to analyze the relationship of GFAP/S100B to brain damage and outcome, and to compare the accuracy of GFAP/S100B for prediction of mortality after TBI. Our prospective study included 92 patients admitted <12 h after TBI (median injury severity score 25, median Glasgow Coma Scale 6). TBI was verfied by computerized tomography. GFAP/S100B were measured immunoluminometrically at admission and daily in the intensive care unit (average 10 days, range 1–21 days). We compared GFAP/S100B in non-survivors versus survivors, accuracy for mortality prediction according to receiver operated characteristic curve analysis, correlation between GFAP and S100B, relationship of GFAP/S100B to computerized tomography, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and 3-month Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS). GFAP (p < 0.005) and S100B (p < 0.0005) were higher in non-survivors than survivors. Both GFAP and S100B were accurate for mortality prediction (area under curve 0.84 versus 0.78 at <12 h after TBI). GFAP and S100B release correlated better later than 36 h after TBI (r = 0.75) than earlier(r = 0.58). GFAP was lower in focal lesions of <25 mL than in shifts of >0.5 cm (p < 0.0005) and non-evacuated mass lesions of >25 mL (p < 0.005). S100B was lower in focal lesions of <25 mL than in non-evacuated mass lesions (p < 0.0005) and lower in swelling than in shifts of >0.5 cm(p < 0.005). GFAP and S100B were lower in ICP < 25 than ICP ≥ 25 (p < 0.0005), in CPP ≥ 60 than CPP < 60 (p < 0.0005), in MAP > 70 than MAP ≤ 70 mm Hg, and in GOS 4–5 than GOS 1(p < 0.0005). Both measurement of GFAP and S100B is a useful non-invasive means of identifying brain damage with some differences based on the pattern of TBI and accompanying multiple trauma and/or shock.

OVERVIEW: Along with other Web 2.0 market intelligence tools, online idea competitions can provide essential input for decision making in the early phases of product innovation. However, in order to use online competitions effectively, it is essential to know when to use which method, how to use it, and to what extent virtual and conventional research techniques can be used interchangeably or complementarily. A first step toward assessing the power of Web 2.0 techniques is to compare them with traditional ones. We compare the expense and results of online idea competitions with focus groups for idea generation in the market for senior citizen mobile phones and services. We find that idea competitions lead to more and better ideas at a lower cost per idea, while focus groups yield richer interactions with users.

IntroductionThe question as to whether the patient consumed drugs prior to the trauma and which drugs were consumed, is of prime importance for the anesthesia required during surgery. However, many patients are unwilling or unable (including those with multiple trauma or impaired consciousness, or unconscious patients) to answer this question. The purpose of our prospective multicenter study was to collect data about drug consumption in Austria to determine whether drugs are identifiable in the urine of recently injured individuals and to establish the types of drugs consumed.Materials and methodsThis prospective study included severely and moderately injured patients admitted to the Lorenz Boehler Trauma Hospital (Vienna, Austria), the Trauma Hospital Linz (Linz, Austria) and the Department of Trauma Surgery of the General Hospital Horn (Horn, Austria) during an 18-month period (October 2003–March 2005). All patients were suffering from injuries urgently requiring surgery.Urine samples were gained from all patients immediately after admission. Urinary samples were tested by Immuno-Assay (Triage™ 8 Immuno-Assay, Biosite®, San Diego, USA). Urine samples were screened simultaneously for opiates, methadone, cocaine, barbiturates, amphetamines, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants.ResultsOur prospective study included a total of 664 patients (320 from Vienna, 193 from the city of Linz, and 151 from Horn). Six hundred and forty-two patients were moderately injured (ISS < 16), suffering mostly from injuries to the extremities (504 patients) and 22 patients were severely injured (ISS > 16).Of the 664 patients, 178 (26.8%) tested positive for one or more drugs. The drugs most commonly detected were benzodiazepines (111 patients, 16.7%), cannabinoides (39 patients, 6%), tricyclic antidepressants (28, 4.2%) and opiates (26, 3.9%).ConclusionDrug use is widespread in patients presenting to urban trauma centers in Austria.Physicians should maintain a high index of suspicion that their patients may be intoxicated and should perform drug testing routinely.

A flexible concept for fully continuous variable cam timing (VCT) is presented. The system has been introduced in volume production for both intake and exhaust phasing applications. This paper describes the concept of VCT, the adaptation to an existing engine design and presents functional performance data. A special look is taken to the VCT function during engine start up. Here the requirements for intake phasing system (IPS) and exhaust phasing system (EPS) are significantly different.