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PurposeThis paper presents a developed spatial-temporal analysis framework for the case of investigating the business performance of construction consultancy services (CCS) in China.Design/methodology/approachThe spatial-temporal analysis is based on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. The spatial analysis follows the DEA results under a contemporaneous benchmark technology and a virtual decision-making unit, consisting of ranking analysis, cluster analysis and variation analysis. The temporal analysis is reliant on the DEA results under a global benchmark technology and the time value of money, including trend analysis and driving force analysis containing pure technical and scale efficiency factors.FindingsThree CCS types in China are investigated, including engineering survey and design, construction supervision and procurement agency. The performance rank order and cluster classifications are mainly related to economic development levels. Engineering survey and design demonstrates the best performance and higher imbalances; however, construction supervision and procurement agency illustrate lower performance and imbalances. Scale efficiency significantly promotes business performance, whereas pure technical efficiency plays an inconspicuous role.Practical implicationsThe CCS promote technical efficiency by developing their service and innovation levels. The service of engineering survey and design registered in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong is recommended for entering the service market in China.Originality/valueThe spatial-temporal analysis framework was developed, which is generic and provides a pathway to measure, compare and assess performance comprehensively. The CCS business performance is firstly measured.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes severe community and nosocomial outbreaks. Comprehensive data for serial respiratory viral load and serum antibody responses from patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are not yet available. Nasopharyngeal and throat swabs are usually obtained for serial viral load monitoring of respiratory infections but gathering these specimens can cause discomfort for patients and put health-care workers at risk. We aimed to ascertain the serial respiratory viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in posterior oropharyngeal (deep throat) saliva samples from patients with COVID-19, and serum antibody responses. We did a cohort study at two hospitals in Hong Kong. We included patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. We obtained samples of blood, urine, posterior oropharyngeal saliva, and rectal swabs. Serial viral load was ascertained by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Antibody levels against the SARS-CoV-2 internal nucleoprotein (NP) and surface spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) were measured using EIA. Whole-genome sequencing was done to identify possible mutations arising during infection. Between Jan 22, 2020, and Feb 12, 2020, 30 patients were screened for inclusion, of whom 23 were included (median age 62 years [range 37–75]). The median viral load in posterior oropharyngeal saliva or other respiratory specimens at presentation was 5·2 log10 copies per mL (IQR 4·1–7·0). Salivary viral load was highest during the first week after symptom onset and subsequently declined with time (slope −0·15, 95% CI −0·19 to −0·11; R2=0·71). In one patient, viral RNA was detected 25 days after symptom onset. Older age was correlated with higher viral load (Spearman's ρ=0·48, 95% CI 0·074–0·75; p=0·020). For 16 patients with serum samples available 14 days or longer after symptom onset, rates of seropositivity were 94% for anti-NP IgG (n=15), 88% for anti-NP IgM (n=14), 100% for anti-RBD IgG (n=16), and 94% for anti-RBD IgM (n=15). Anti-SARS-CoV-2-NP or anti-SARS-CoV-2-RBD IgG levels correlated with virus neutralisation titre (R2>0·9). No genome mutations were detected on serial samples. Posterior oropharyngeal saliva samples are a non-invasive specimen more acceptable to patients and health-care workers. Unlike severe acute respiratory syndrome, patients with COVID-19 had the highest viral load near presentation, which could account for the fast-spreading nature of this epidemic. This finding emphasises the importance of stringent infection control and early use of potent antiviral agents, alone or in combination, for high-risk individuals. Serological assay can complement RT-qPCR for diagnosis. Richard and Carol Yu, May Tam Mak Mei Yin, The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong, Michael Tong, Marina Lee, Government Consultancy Service, and Sanming Project of Medicine.

Purpose>The purpose of this paper is to identify sensing, seizing and reconfiguring routines of dynamic capabilities that enable digital transformation in firms.Design/methodology/approach>A qualitative approach is used. Representatives from a firm going through digital transformations are interviewed, and focus groups have been carried out with a consultancy firm experienced in giving advice to firms going through digital transformation.Findings>Six routines identified as relevant specifically for digital transformation are identified. These are cross-industrial digital sensing, inside-out digital infrastructure sensing, digital strategy development, determination of enterprise boundaries, decomposition of digital transformation into specified projects and creation of a unified digital infrastructure.Practical implications>The authors provide direction for managers on how to approach digital transformation. In relation to previous research, the authors provide more specific guidance regarding how to reconfigure the organization in digital transformation.Originality/value>The paper uses a novel context for digital transformation and complements the very few studies available using dynamic capabilities to understand digital transformation.

GM-Consultancy, Eco Chem Sales & Services, Surat,(GJ) India

Limited access to testing early in the outbreak, false negative results for nasopharyngeal swabs in early stages of disease, and presentation with gastrointestinal symptoms may have led to some patients with COVID-19 being misclassified and placed in non-COVID-19 areas with different infection prevention control processes.3 Enteric features, and the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to persist on surfaces, raise the possibility of faecal-oral transmission in care settings under severe pressure, although the role of this transmission route is uncertain.5 As SARS-CoV-2 is likely to persist as an endemic or seasonal virus in coming years, it is critical to use the lessons learned so far in the pandemic to minimise the burden of hospital-acquired infections, and to consider new approaches to reduce the burden further. Unlike at the beginning of the pandemic, there are opportunities to pre-empt hospital-acquired infections and break chains of transmission through regular patient, resident, and staff testing including point-of-care diagnostics, as recently introduced for NHS staff, coupled with robust hospital infection prevention and control policies that include staff vaccination, environmental disinfection, and appropriate isolation, all supported by sentinel monitoring systems. PJMO reports personal fees for consultancy from Janssen and from the European Respiratory Society; grants from the MRC and Wellcome; funding from the EU and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations for the respiratory syncytial virus consortium in Europe; and funding from the NIHR, the MRC, and GSK to the EMINENT Network.

20% of COVID-19 patients become critically ill with hypoxia or respiratory failure (figure).1 Critical illness, describing any acute life-threatening condition, is receiving increased attention in global health because of its large disease burden and population impact.2 Before the COVID-19 pandemic, growing evidence suggested that the care of critical illness was overlooked in LRS—hospitals cannot, or do not, prioritise emergency and critical care.3 Most critically ill patients are cared for in emergency units and general wards and do not have access to advanced care in intensive care units (ICUs). [...]provision of essential care could prevent progression to multi-organ failure, reducing the burden on limited ICU capacity. DFM also reports personal fees from consultancy about acute respiratory disease for GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Bayer, unrelated to this Correspondence; in addition, DFM's institution has received funds from grants from the UK NIHR, Wellcome Trust, Innovate UK, and others, he has a patent issued to his institution for a treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome, and he is Director of Research for the Intensive Care Society and NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme Director.

Nowadays, the classic perception of the pharmaceutical profession in community pharmacies is facing worldwide extinction due to many factors. Among the numerous factors, online pharmacies are increasingly gaining ground thanks to their ability to facilitate customer demand. Nevertheless, they are endangering “face-to-face” contact, affecting the building of customer loyalty based on direct “human” interaction, and consequently reducing pharmacists to mere commercial figures. Patient-centered care communication is emphasized as the essential element to build a solid and appropriate interpersonal relationship with the patient, to make the consultancy process effective, and to strengthen the pharmacist’s professionalism in community pharmacy. This paper presents a narrative review of existing literature with the first aim of pinpointing the factors affecting pharmacy professional practice, and secondly, of how to improve patient-centered communication skills. A more widespread introduction of in-depth study and practice of behavioral, communication, educational, and sociological methodologies and techniques would allow for the development of more effective skills used for providing an efficient consultancy service, improving the capacity of future professionals to approach public relations.

Many firms in the VC hub of California's Silicon Valley have already plunged in, and among the rest, \"most are keeping a close eye on quantum\", says Christopher Monroe, a physicist at the University of Maryland in College Park who co-founded the quantum-computing firm IonQ in 2015. To analyse commercial deals in the field, Nature cross-referenced details of quantum start-ups published on market-research websites and in consultancy reports, together with information provided by PitchBook, a market-research firm in Seattle, Washington (see go.nature.com/2nceeyk for full data). Swiss start-up Qnami in Basel, which received $130,000 in 2018 to develop a quantum magnetic microscope using single electrons trapped in synthetic diamond, is one of at least three firms that have raised relatively small amounts of private cash to produce imaging or sensing technologies. Reports in English-language media and by Western analytics firms rarely cover deals in China, which often involve state-backed VC firms, so our analysis is likely to miss a large number of contracts there.

An 8 MW wind turbine is described in terms of mass distribution, dimensions, power curve, thrust curve, maximum design load and tower configuration. This turbine has been described as part of the EU FP7 project LEANWIND in order to facilitate research into logistics and naval architecture efficiencies for future offshore wind installations. The design of this 8 MW reference wind turbine has been checked and validated by the design consultancy DNV-GL. This turbine description is intended to bridge the gap between the NREL 5 MW and DTU 10 reference turbines and thus contribute to the standardisation of research and development activities in the offshore wind energy industry.