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Purpose: This paper examines what the use of an augmented reality (AR) makeup mirror means to consumers, focusing on experiential consumption and the extended self. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed a multimethod approach involving netnography and semi-structured interviews with participants in India and the UK (n = 30). Findings: Two main themes emerged from the data: (1) the importance of imagination and fantasy and (2) the (in)authenticity of the self and the surrounding "reality." Research limitations/implications: This research focuses on AR magic makeup mirror. The authors call for further research on different AR contexts. Practical implications: The authors provide service managers with insights on addressing gaps between the perceived service (i.e. AR contexts and the makeup consumption journey) and the conceived service (i.e. fantasies and the extended self). Originality/value: The authors examine the lived fantasy experiences of AR experiential consumption. In addition, the authors reveal a novel understanding of the extended self as temporarily re-envisioned through the AR mirror. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the important clinical competencies for medical trainees. Since the introduction of the first guidelines for CPR in 1966, further research has resulted in more recent updates. The latest in the UK was published in 2015 by the resuscitation council. The multidisciplinary nature of the resuscitation team requires a designated leader, capable of directing the team's effort and making decisions. There is evidence that leadership makes a difference in the performance of the resuscitation team and the outcome of patients. Research performed on leadership in emergency medicine highlighted the importance of the nontechnical skills displayed by CPR team leaders. Nontechnical skills refer to cognitive, behavioural and social skills that contribute to efficient team performance, such as task management, assertiveness, situational awareness, communication and decision-making. This review discusses the importance and applicability of nontechnical leadership skills in CPR based on current evidence in the literature and the clinical practice in UK hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) oil and gas (OG) installations have traditionally adopted in situ power generation, which is not only inefficient but also generating about 70% of the offshore CO2 emissions. The offshore wind and energy storage technologies for deep water are developing at a fast pace, enabling great opportunities for the OG installations located in the North Sea. In this paper, a pathway for the UKCS offshore OG installations electrification is introduced. The aim is to provide different power architectures that facilitate the OG installations' electrification, while benefiting from the existing and planned UK offshore wind power. Four hypothetical case studies (based on real data) were created, along the UKCS, where the corresponding power architectures were proposed. The selection of each architecture power component (e.g., transformers, converters and cables), as well as the transmission and distribution technology (e.g., AC or DC), is also provided and justified. Further, an overview cost estimation is carried out to predict the architecture capital cost. It is concluded that the four architectures can be mimicked not only along the UKCS but also worldwide, promoting the UKCS potential for a world-leading offshore energy hub and fostering the UK offshore wind-energy resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for the clinical trial community, both in the rapid establishment of COVID-19 clinical trials and many existing non-COVID-19 studies either being temporarily paused (whether that is a complete pause or pause in some activities) and/or adapting their processes. Trial managers have played a key role in decision-making, undertaking risk assessments and adapting trial processes, working closely with other members of the research team. This article presents some of the ways in which trial management processes have been altered and the key role that trial managers have played. It has been born out of discussions between trial managers in the UK who are members of the UK Trial Managers' Network (UKTMN), a national network of trial management professionals managing non-commercial trials.In these unprecedented times, clinical trials have faced many uncertainties and broad-ranging challenges encompassing a range of activities including prioritising patient safety amidst the pandemic, consenting and recruiting new participants into trials, data collection and management and intervention delivery. In many cases, recruitment has been paused whilst mitigations have been put in place to continue data collection. Innovative solutions have been implemented to ensure we continue, where possible, to deliver high-quality clinical trials. Technology has provided many solutions to these challenges, and trial managers have adapted to new ways of working whilst continuing to deliver their clinical trials. Trial management groups are now faced with new uncertainties around re-starting clinical trials, and it is unclear currently how this will go, though working together with sponsors, funders and site teams is clearly a priority.Clinical trial teams have worked together to ensure their trials have adapted quickly whilst ensuring participant safety is given utmost importance. There are clear examples where the trial community have come together to share experiences and expertise, and this should continue in the future to ensure the innovative practices developed become embedded in the design and conduct of clinical trials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nicotine preloading means using nicotine replacement therapy prior to a quit date while smoking normally. The aim is to reduce the drive to smoke, thereby reducing cravings for smoking after quit day, which are the main cause of early relapse. A prior systematic review showed inconclusive and heterogeneous evidence that preloading was effective and little evidence of the mechanism of action, with no cost-effectiveness data., Objectives: To assess (1) the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of nicotine preloading in a routine NHS setting relative to usual care, (2) the mechanisms of the action of preloading and (3) the cost-effectiveness of preloading., Design: Open-label randomised controlled trial with examination of mediation and a cost-effectiveness analysis., Setting: NHS smoking cessation clinics., Participants: People seeking help to stop smoking., Interventions: Nicotine preloading comprised wearing a 21 mg/24 hour nicotine patch for 4 weeks prior to quit date. In addition, minimal behavioural support was provided to explain the intervention rationale and to support adherence. In the comparator group, participants received equivalent behavioural support. Randomisation was stratified by centre and concealed from investigators., Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was 6-month prolonged abstinence assessed using the Russell Standard. The secondary outcomes were 4-week and 12-month abstinence. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed from baseline to 1 week after quit day. In a planned analysis, we adjusted for the use of varenicline (Champix ® ; Pfizer Inc., New York, NY, USA) as post-cessation medication. Cost-effectiveness analysis took a health-service perspective. The within-trial analysis assessed health-service costs during the 13 months of trial enrolment relative to the previous 6 months comparing trial arms. The base case was based on multiple imputation for missing cost data. We modelled long-term health outcomes of smoking-related diseases using the European-study on Quantifying Utility of Investment in Protection from Tobacco (EQUIPT) model., Results: In total, 1792 people were eligible and were enrolled in the study, with 893 randomised to the control group and 899 randomised to the intervention group. In the intervention group, 49 (5.5%) people discontinued preloading prematurely and most others used it daily. The primary outcome, biochemically validated 6-month abstinence, was achieved by 157 (17.5%) people in the intervention group and 129 (14.4%) people in the control group, a difference of 3.02 percentage points [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.37 to 6.41 percentage points; odds ratio (OR) 1.25, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.62; p  = 0.081]. Adjusted for use of post-quit day varenicline, the OR was 1.34 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.73; p  = 0.028). Secondary abstinence outcomes were similar. The OR for the occurrence of serious AEs was 1.12 (95% CI 0.42 to 3.03). Moderate-severity nausea occurred in an additional 4% of the preloading group compared with the control group. There was evidence that reduced urges to smoke and reduced smoke inhalation mediated the effect of preloading on abstinence. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio at the 6-month follow-up for preloading relative to control was £710 (95% CI -£13,674 to £23,205), but preloading was dominant at 12 months and in the long term, with an 80% probability that it is cost saving., Limitations: The open-label design could partially account for the mediation results. Outcome assessment could not be blinded but was biochemically verified., Conclusions: Use of nicotine-patch preloading for 4 weeks prior to attempting to stop smoking can increase the proportion of people who stop successfully, but its benefit is undermined because it reduces the use of varenicline after preloading. If this latter effect could be overcome, then nicotine preloading appears to improve health and reduce health-service costs in the long term. Future work should determine how to ensure that people using nicotine preloading opt to use varenicline as cessation medication., Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN33031001., Funding: This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment ; Vol. 22, No. 41. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information., Competing Interests: All contributors participated in this trial, to which GlaxoSmithKline plc donated free patches. Paul Aveyard is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and CLAHRC. Peter Hajek and Hayden J McRobbie have provided research and consultancy to several manufacturers of smoking cessation treatments and have been paid for doing so. Tim Coleman is a member of the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Clinical Evaluation and Trials Board. Sarah Lewis is a member of the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research funding board. Peter Hajek reports a research grant to Queen Mary University of London from Pfizer and personal consultancy fees from Pfizer. Andy McEwen reports grants from Pfizer and hospitality from North 51. Hayden J McRobbie reports a grant and honorarium from Pfizer for speaking at education meetings and an honorarium from Johnson & Johnson for speaking at education meetings and an advisory board meeting.