Competition in a Household Energy Conservation Game

This paper presents the results of a game study, comparing Powersaver Game including a competition feature versus the same game excluding a competition feature with respect to energy conservation in the household. In a pretest–posttest design, we tested whether change in attitude, knowledge and behavior with respect to energy conservation in the household was different for participants playing Powersaver Game with or without competition. All energy conservation activities that the application provides (e.g., washing clothes at low temperatures) take place in the real world and feedback is based on real-time energy consumption. This so-called reality-enhanced game approach aims to optimize the transfer between the game world and the real world. Household energy consumption changed significantly and positively in the long term due to competition. A significant difference of 8% in energy consumption between both conditions after the intervention was detected. Besides energy conservation, no further differences were detected between conditions. The chain of events, that an increase in knowledge leads to attitude change, which in turn results in behavior change in the long term is confirmed by means of a path analysis. We conclude that Powersaver Game is effective in the transfer of energy conservation knowledge, which leads to energy saving behavior in the long term while competition additionally contributes to more change in behavior.

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Household Energy Conservation Intervention: a Game versus Dashboard Comparison

International Journal of Serious Games ◽

10.17083/ijsg.v6i3.300 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 23-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jan Dirk Lou Fijnheer ◽

Herre Van Oostendorp ◽

Remco Veltkamp

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Energy Conservation ◽

Real World ◽

Game Design ◽

Real Data ◽

Household Energy ◽

The Real ◽

Energy Dashboard ◽

Game Condition

This paper presents the results of a study, comparing a game versus a dashboard with respect to energy conservation in the household. In a pretest-posttest design, an empirical study tested whether change in attitude, knowledge, engagement and behaviour with respect to energy conservation in the household was different for participants playing Powersaver Game compared to a control condition where participants used an energy dashboard with the same content, but excluding game features. The aim of this game (developed using an iterative user-centered game design methodology) is to influence household energy consumption by means of electricity and gas usage in the long-term. The intervention time was at least 5 weeks and pre and post measures were based on 21 days intervals. All energy conservation activities that the application provides (e.g. washing clothes on low temperatures) take place in the real world and feedback is based on real time energy consumption. This real data into the game approach aims to optimize the transfer between the game world and the real world. Energy consumption significantly changed in the game condition compared to the control condition, and the difference between both conditions is more than 33% after the intervention. In the game condition, knowledge about energy conservation was significantly increased, although no significant differences in increase of attitude and engagement were found. We conclude that Powersaver Game is effective in transfer of energy conservation knowledge, which leads to energy saving behaviour on the long term. However, it cannot be concluded that playing the game leads to a greater change in attitude, probably because attitude scores of the participants were high from the start.

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Einsatz von Secukinumab bei Patienten mit Psoriasis und Psoriasis-Arthritis – Ergebnisse einer nichtinterventionellen Studie unter Praxisbedingungen (SERENA-Studie)

Karger Kompass Autoimmun ◽

10.1159/000518345 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

Michael Sticherling

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Real World ◽

Human Monoclonal Antibody ◽

Rapid Onset ◽

Onset Of Action ◽

The Real ◽

Interleukin 17A ◽

Favourable Safety ◽

Favourable Safety Profile

Introduction: Secukinumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that directly inhibits interleukin-17A, has demonstrated robust efficacy in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), with a rapid onset of action, sustained long-term clinical responses and a consistently favourable safety profile across phase 3 trials. Here, we report the clinical data at enrolment from SERENA, designed to investigate the real-world use of secukinumab across all three indications. Methods: SERENA is an ongoing, longitudinal, observational study conducted at 438 sites across Europe in patients with moderate to severe plaque PsO, active PsA or active AS. Patients should have received at least 16 weeks of secukinumab treatment before enrolment in the study. Results: Overall 2800 patients were included in the safety set; patients with PsA (N = 541) were older than patients with PsO (N = 1799) and patients with AS (N = 460); patients with PsO had a higher mean body weight than patients with PsA and patients with AS; and patients with PsO and patients with AS were predominantly male. Time since diagnosis was longer in patients with PsO compared with patients with PsA and patients with AS, and about 40% of patients were either current or former smokers. The proportion of obese patients (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) was similar across indications. Patients were treated with secukinumab for a mean duration of 1 year prior to enrolment (range 0.89–1.04). The percentages of patients with prior biologics exposure were 31.5% PsO, 59.7% PsA and 55% AS. The percentages of patients prescribed secukinumab monotherapy were 75% (n = 1349) in PsO, 48.2% (n = 261) in PsA and 48.9% (n = 225) in AS groups. Conclusion: Baseline demographics of the study population are consistent with existing literature. This large observational study across all secukinumab indications will provide valuable information on the long-term effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in the real-world setting.

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Alemtuzumab in the long-term treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: an update on the clinical trial evidence and data from the real world

Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders ◽

10.1177/1756285617722706 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 343-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Tjalf Ziemssen ◽

Katja Thomas

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Mechanism Of Action ◽

Real World ◽

Continuous Treatment ◽

The Real ◽

Relapsing Remitting ◽

Remitting Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Alemtuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), given as two annual courses on five consecutive days at baseline and on three consecutive days 12 months later. Here we provide an update on the long-term efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab in RRMS, including real-world experience, and advances in our understanding of its mechanism of action. Recent data from the phase II/III extension study have demonstrated that alemtuzumab reduces relapse rates, disability worsening, and the rate of brain volume loss over the long term, with many patients achieving no evidence of disease activity. In high proportions of patients, preexisting disability remained stable or improved. Alemtuzumab is associated with a consistent safety profile over the long term, with no new safety signals emerging and the overall annual incidence of reported adverse events decreasing after the first year on treatment. Acyclovir prophylaxis reduces herpetic infections, and monitoring has been shown to mitigate the risk of autoimmune adverse events, allowing early detection and overall effective management. Data from clinical practice and ongoing observational studies are providing additional information on the real-world use of alemtuzumab. Recent evidence on the mechanism of action of alemtuzumab indicates that in addition to its previously known effects of inducing depletion and repopulation of T and B lymphocytes, it also results in a relative increase of cells with memory and regulatory phenotypes and a decrease in cells with a proinflammatory signature, and may further promote an immunoregulatory environment through an impact on other innate immune cells (e.g. dendritic cells) that play a role in MS. These effects may allow preservation of innate immunity and immunosurveillance. Together, these lines of evidence help explain the durable clinical efficacy of alemtuzumab, in the absence of continuous treatment, in patients with RRMS.

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Real-world long-term outcomes based on three therapeutic strategies in very old patients with three-vessel disease

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12872-021-02067-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Deshan Yuan ◽

Sida Jia ◽

Ce Zhang ◽

Lin Jiang ◽

Lianjun Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real World ◽

Cardiac Death ◽

Artery Bypass ◽

Therapeutic Strategies ◽

Old Patients ◽

Very Old ◽

Vessel Disease ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Very Old Patients

Abstract Background There are relatively limited data regarding real-world outcomes in very old patients with three-vessel disease (3VD) receiving different therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to perform analysis of long-term clinical outcomes of medical therapy (MT), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in this population. Methods We included 711 patients aged ≥ 75 years from a prospective cohort of patients with 3VD. Consecutive enrollment of these patients began from April 2004 to February 2011 at Fu Wai Hospital. Patients were categorized into three groups (MT, n = 296; CABG, n = 129; PCI, n = 286) on the basis of different treatment strategies. Results During a median follow-up of 7.25 years, 262 deaths and 354 major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) occurred. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the risk of cardiac death was significantly lower for CABG compared with PCI (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 0.475, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.232–0.974, P = 0.042). Additionally, MACCE appeared to show a trend towards a better outcome for CABG (adjusted HR = 0.759, 95% CI 0.536–1.074, P = 0.119). Furthermore, CABG was significantly superior in terms of unplanned revascularization (adjusted HR = 0.279, 95% CI 0.079–0.982, P = 0.047) and myocardial infarction (adjusted HR = 0.196, 95% CI 0.043–0.892, P = 0.035). No significant difference in all-cause death between CABG and PCI was observed. MT had a higher risk of cardiac death than PCI (adjusted HR = 1.636, 95% CI 1.092–2.449, P = 0.017). Subgroup analysis showed that there was a significant interaction between treatment strategy (PCI vs. CABG) and sex for MACCE (P = 0.026), with a lower risk in men for CABG compared with that of PCI, but not in women. Conclusions CABG can be performed with reasonable results in very old patients with 3VD. Sex should be taken into consideration in therapeutic decision-making in this population.

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Does Baseline On-treatment Platelet Reactivity Impact Long-term Prognosis in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Thrombocytopenia Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?

10.21203/rs.3.rs-236763/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ru Liu ◽

Tianyu Li ◽

Deshan Yuan ◽

Yan Chen ◽

Xiaofang Tang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ◽

Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽

Real World ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Platelet Reactivity ◽

Coronary Intervention ◽

The Real ◽

Coronary Syndrome ◽

Percutaneous Coronary

Abstract Objectives: This study analyzed the association between on-treatment platelet reactivity and long-term outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and thrombocytopenia (TP) in the real world. Methods: A total of 10724 consecutive cases with coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were collected from January to December 2013. Cases with ACS and TP under dual anti-platelet therapy were enrolled from the total cohort. 5-year clinical outcomes were evaluated among cases with high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR), low on-treatment platelet reactivity (LTPR) and normal on-treatment platelet reactivity (NTPR), tested by thromboelastogram (TEG) at baseline. Results: Cases with HTPR, LTPR and NTPR accounted for 26.2%, 34.4% and 39.5%, respectively. Cases with HTPR were presented with the most male sex, lowest hemoglobin level, highest erythrocyte sedimentation rate and most LM or three-vessel disease, compared with the other two groups. The rates of 5-year all-cause death, major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), revascularization, stroke and bleeding were all not significantly different among three groups. Multivariable Cox regression indicated that, compared with cases with NTPR, cases with HTPR were not independently associated with all endpoints, as well as cases with LTPR (all P>0.05). Conclusions: In patients with ACS and TP undergoing PCI, 5-year all-cause death, MACCE, MI, revascularization, stroke and bleeding risk were all similar between cases with HTPR and cases with NTPR, tested by TEG at baseline, in the real world. The comparison result was the same between cases with LTPR and NTPR.

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AS-263: Fractional Flow Reserve and Long-Term Outcomes in the Real World

The American Journal of Cardiology ◽

10.1016/j.amjcard.2010.01.317 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 105 (9) ◽

pp. 112A

Author(s):

Aniket Puri ◽

Michael Liang ◽

Suresh Perera ◽

Kirsty Abercrombie ◽

Gerard Devlin

Keyword(s):

Fractional Flow Reserve ◽

Real World ◽

Fractional Flow ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

The Real ◽

Flow Reserve

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Comparison of long-term efficacy, tolerability, and safety of oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, and levetiracetam in patients with newly diagnosed focal epilepsy: An observational study in the real world

Epilepsy Research ◽

10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2020.106408 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 166 ◽

pp. 106408

Author(s):

Rong Li ◽

Qin Zhou ◽

Shuchun Ou ◽

Yuxuan Wang ◽

Yudan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Observational Study ◽

Real World ◽

Focal Epilepsy ◽

Newly Diagnosed ◽

The Real ◽

Term Efficacy

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Taking a Breath of the Wild: Are geoscientists more effective than non-geoscientists in determining whether game-world landscapes are realistic?

10.5194/gc-2019-4 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Rolf Hut ◽

Casper Albers ◽

Sam Illingworth ◽

Chris Skinner

Keyword(s):

Real World ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Van Gogh ◽

Landscape Features ◽

The Real ◽

Game World ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Missed Opportunity

Abstract. From the wilderness of Hyrule, the entire continent of Tamriel, to Middle Earth, players of videogames are exposed to wonderous, fantastic, but ultimately fake, landscapes. Given the time people may spend in these worlds, compared to the time they spend being trained in geoscience, we wondered if expert geoscientists would differ from non-geoscientists in whether they judge the landscapes in these games to be realistic. Since games have a great opportunity for tangential learning it would be a missed opportunity if it turns out that features obviously fake to geoscientists are perceived as plausible by non-geoscientists. To satisfy our curiosity and answer this question we conducted a survey where we asked people to judge both photos from real landscapes as well as screenshots from the recent The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild videogame on how likely they thought the features in the picture were to exist in the real world. Since game-world screenshots are easily identified based on their rendered, pixaleted nature, we pre-processed all pictures with an artistic Van Gogh filter that removed the rendered nature, but retained the dominant landscape features. We found that there is a small but significant difference between geoscientists and non-geoscientists with geoscientists being slightly better at judging which pictures are from the real world versus from the game world. While significant the effect is small enough to conclude that fantastical worlds in games can be used for tangential learning on geoscientific subjects.

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