Demetrios Perdikis » Demetrios Perdikis

Ideas and Knowledge – Toward a Unified Model

Demetrios Perdikis — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:44 +0000

In his excellent work Knowledge and Decisions, Thomas Sowell develops a model for knowledge based on the relationship of various kinds of ideas to 1) a method for preparing them for validation, followed by 2) the validation process itself. Dr. Sowell describes these relationships as:

Various kinds of ideas can be classified by their [...]

Taming Process Data in Medical Groups

Demetrios Perdikis — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:44:52 +0000

Data access, analysis and warehousing are among the most difficult functions for medical groups to execute. In the course of daily operations medical groups must deal with a wide variety of data categories. The first distinction that medical group managers must make is that between file content data and metadata. It’s important for managers to [...]

Introduction to Business Process Management

Demetrios Perdikis — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:38:59 +0000

The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) has developed a standard Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). The BPMN 1.0 specification was released to the public in May, 2004. This specification represents more than two years of effort by the BPMI Notation Working Group. The primary goal of the BPMN effort was to provide a notation that is readily understandable by all business users, from the business analysts that create the initial drafts of the processes, to the technical developers responsible for implementing the technology that will perform those processes, and finally, to the business people who will manage and monitor those processes. BPMN will also be supported with an internal model that will enable the generation of executable BPEL4WS. Thus, BPMN creates a standardized bridge for the gap between the business process design and process implementation.

Study: Xarelto Cuts Heart Attack Mortality

Demetrios Perdikis — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:53:22 +0000

Adding the oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto) to standard therapy after a myocardial infarction or unstable angina significantly reduced the risk of death, researchers reported here. Patients randomized to 2.5 mg twice daily for 13 to 31 months were 34% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than patients in the placebo group (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.86 ) and 32% less likely to die from any cause (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.87, P =0.002 for both), Jessica L. Mega, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and colleagues, reported in a paper published online today by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Half of U.S. Adult Smokers Tried to Quit Last Year

Cardiology — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The majority of adults who smoke would like to quit, but only about a third of them seek medical help and/or support to do so, according to research published in the Nov. 11 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. Ann Malarcher, Ph.D., of the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from the 2001 to 2010 National Health Interview Surveys to ascertain the status of smoking and smoking cessation in the United States.

Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation

Demetrios Perdikis — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:51:09 +0000

This article is based in part on Edwin A. Locke's G. Stanley Hall lectures at the annual meetings of the American Psychological Association in 1999 and of the Southeastern Psychological Association in 2000. It is also based on Gary P. Latham's presidential address to the Canadian Psychological Association in 2001 and on his invited address to the American Psychological Society in 2001. In the 1950s and 1960s, the study of motivation in North American psychology was not considered a respectable pursuit. The field was dominated by behaviorists, and"motivation" was argued by them to lie outside the person in the form of reinforcers and punishers. When internal mechanisms were acknowledged, as in drive reduction theory, it was said that they were primarily physiological.

Statin Use in BAV Stenosis Tied to Ascending Aortic Size

Cardiology — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Statin treatment in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis is associated with significantly lower ascending aortic size, according to a study published in the Nov. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. Sachin S. Goel, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and colleagues investigated the role of statins in slowing ascending aortic dilation in patients with BAV. Data on statin use were collected from 147 patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography before aortic valve, with or without ascending aorta replacement surgery for bicuspid aortic stenosis (AS) between 2004 and 2007. Of these patients, 76 were taking statins and 71 were not. Ascending aorta size, measured by preoperative transesophageal echocardiogram, was compared between patients taking and not taking statins.

Xarelto Approved to Prevent Stroke in Patients With A-Fib

Cardiology — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The anti-clotting drug Xarelto (rivaroxaban) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent stroke in people with atrial fibrillation, a common form of irregular heartbeat. More than two million Americans have atrial fibrillation, in which the heart's two upper chambers beat irregularly, the FDA said in a news release. The condition can lead to the formation of a blood clot, which can travel to the brain and cause a stroke. The new drug was approved for cases in which the atrial fibrillation is unrelated to the performance of the heart's valves.

Receptionists Contribute to Safety of Repeat Prescriptions