Development Committee Research Articles

Influential Factors to Financial Management in Chegutu District Secondary Schools of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe

The study explored factors that influence financial management in Chegutu District Secondary Schools of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe. The study was stimulated by the serious financial challenges in secondary schools as characterised by failure to follow laid down procedures, disagreements, inadequate training and lack of knowledge by both school heads and SDC members in managing finances. The interpretive paradigm and qualitative approach guided the study. A case study design was adopted and purposively sampled participants constituted five school heads, five School Development Committee chairpersons, five School Development Committee treasurers and five school bursars. Thematically analysed data was collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The findings revealed that manuals and policy circulars influence the way schools formulate their budgets as they give clear steps that should be followed. It also emerged from the study that the school finance committee is responsible for drawing the school budget after consultation with other stakeholders. It was found that training of school heads, School Development Committee members and bursars influence financial management to a larger extent and there is a very strong relationship between financial management training and effectiveness of financial management in secondary schools. The study concluded that good working relationship among stakeholders and lack of knowledge by both school heads and School Development Committee members in managing school finances greatly influence the way they execute their duty of managing school finances. The study recommends further research that explores strategies that can be established for improving the way schools manage finances.

An Evolution of the Standards to Enhance Gerontological and Geriatric Education

This presentation will focus on AGHE’s evolving discussions on gerontological and geriatric programming. The earliest discussion resulted in development of the first edition of the standards and guidelines for programs in 1989. In 2014, the AGHE Academic Program Development Committee (APDC) created new core competencies for gerontological education. Currently, members from both the AGHE APDC and Advancement Subcommittees are collaborating on revising the AGHE Standards and Guidelines (6th edition, 2015) to align with competencies. This presentation will discuss the new and improved version (draft available in November 2020). First, presenters will review points regarding how this update will aid in Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council and Program of Merit self-study program reviews. Secondly, the presenters will explain how the revision will increase gerontological education program integrity. Lastly, the presenters will explain how this update will be consistent with the trend across institutions utilizing these competencies in gerontological and geriatric education. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Geriatric Education Interest Group.

By-Laws of the Bibliographical Society of America

By-Laws of the Bibliographical Society of America

Minutes of the Annual Meeting: Friday, 24 January 2020,Convene, 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY

Minutes of the Annual Meeting: Friday, 24 January 2020,Convene, 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY

Governance and Nominating Committee

The fulfilment of the legal duties and responsibilities of the board of directors with respect to compliance with corporate governance regulations and principles is typically led by a board-level governance and nominating committee. This chapter covers regulatory requirements relating qualifications of directors, including “independence” and financial expertise; the scope of duties and responsibilities of the committee, including identification and selection of qualified directors, development and implementation of governance codes and policy statements and oversight of directors’ education and performance assessment; and processes for evaluation of the performance of the committee and the entire board (including individual members of the board).

Compensation and Organizational Development Committee

As a general matter, compensation and organizational development committees are charged with reviewing and recommending the compensation philosophy and policies of the company, reviewing employment arrangements with the CEO and other senior executives, overseeing the company’s overall compensation structure and bonus policies and approving and monitoring organizational development efforts. This chapter discusses the basic legal duties and responsibilities assigned to compensation committees by securities regulators and how the emergence of CSR and sustainability has impacted each of the areas traditionally covered by this committee such as tying executive compensation to achievement of sustainability goals and allocating resources to sustainability management systems.

Bariatric Surgery in Medicare Patients: Examining Safety and Healthcare Utilization in the Disabled and Elderly.

To compare safety and healthcare utilization after sleeve gastrectomy versus Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in a national Medicare cohort. Though bariatric surgery is increasing among Medicare beneficiaries, no long-term, national studies examining comparative effectiveness between procedures exist. Bariatric outcomes are needed for shared decision-making and coverage policy concerns identified by the cMS Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee. Retrospective instrumental variable analysis of Medicare claims (2012-2017) for 30,105 bariatric surgery patients entitled due to disability or age. We examined clinical safety outcomes (mortality, complications, and reinterventions), healthcare utilization [Emergency Department (ED) visits, rehospitalizations, and expenditures], and heterogeneity of treatment effect. We compared all outcomes between sleeve and bypass for each entitlement group at 30 days, 1 year, and 3 years. Among the disabled (n = 21,595), sleeve was associated with lower 3-year mortality [2.1% vs 3.2%, absolute risk reduction (ARR) 95% confidence interval (CI): -2.2% to -0.03%], complications (22.2% vs 27.7%, ARR 95%CI: -8.5% to -2.6%), reinterventions (20.1% vs 27.7%, ARR 95%CI: -10.7% to -4.6%), ED utilization (71.6% vs 77.1%, ARR 95%CI: -8.5% to -2.4%), and rehospitalizations (47.4% vs 52.3%, ARR 95%Ci: -8.0% to -1.7%). Cumulative expenditures were $46,277 after sleeve and $48,211 after bypass (P = 0.22). Among the elderly (n = 8510), sleeve was associated with lower 3-year complications (20.1% vs 24.7%, ARR 95%CI: -7.6% to -1.7%), reinterventions (14.0% vs 21.9%, ARR 95%CI: -10.7% to -5.2%), ED utilization (51.7% vs 57.2%, ARR 95%CI: -9.1% to -1.9%), and rehospitalizations (41.8% vs 45.8%, ARR 95%Ci: -7.5% to -0.5%). Expenditures were $38,632 after sleeve and $39,270 after bypass (P = 0.60). Procedure treatment effect significantly differed by entitlement for mortality, revision, and paraesophageal hernia repair. Bariatric surgery is safe, and healthcare utilization benefits of sleeve over bypass are preserved across both Medicare elderly and disabled subpopulations.

Farmers’ Perception about Major Insect Pests of Cucurbits and Their Management

A survey was undertaken in five Village Development Committees (VDCs) of Lamjung District, Nepal from June to August 2018 to investigate major insect pests and their management practices in cucurbits. A total of ninety-five cucurbit growers were selected and interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. The study revealed that the major insect pests attacking cucurbits were fruit fly, red pumpkin beetle, aphid, whitefly, epilachna beetle, cucurbit sting bug, cutworm, and blister beetle. The majority of farmers responded that fruit fly was the most prevalent insect pest, followed by aphid and red pumpkin beetle. Most of the farmers used chemical methods, that includes biological, mechanical, and cultural techniques to control the insects. For the mechanical method, they used sex-pheromone traps i.e. cue-lure. Among botanical pesticides, Neem (Azadirachta indica), Malabar Nut (Justicia adhatoda), Chinaberry (Melia azedarch), Mugwort (Artemisia spp.) were used. Commonly used insecticides by farmers were Cypermethrin, Dimethoate, Malathion, and Endosulfan. The indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides resulted in pest resistance, resurgence, and sometimes outbreak of insect pests. Majority of farmers were using chemical methods to control pests. Apart from this, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was also adopted for good agricultural practices (GAP) to prevent chemical hazards on human health and the environment. To control insect pests, trained farmers should be encouraged to follow the sanitation of fields and protection of natural enemies by avoiding the use of pesticides a long as possible.

The value relevance of reported carbon emissions

In 2004, Canada’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Program made carbon emissions disclosure mandatory for Canadian facilities emitting 100 kilotonnes or more. Three industrial sectors are responsible for most of Canada’s GHG emissions: oil and gas, transportation and electricity. This study sheds light on the role of industrial sector polluting levels and the influence of firms’ environment or sustainable development committee on the market valuation of their reported carbon emissions. We used a modified version of Ohlson’s model to examine the value relevance of carbon emissions disclosure for the program’s entire reporting period, running from 2004 to 2017, the last available year. Our results show a negative association between GHG emissions and firm value. Investors use the total level of GHG emissions to assess future environmental liabilities, and industrial sector polluting level moderates the negative association between these emissions and firm value. For every additional tonne of GHG emissions, low-polluting firms saw their market value drop by $548 and high-GHG emitting firms by $35. Our results provide evidence of a more prominent negative relationship between GHG emissions and firm value for firms operating in low-GHG emitting industrial sectors, indicating higher penalties from stock market participants for these firms. Our findings suggest that stock market participants draw on distinct institutional logics: the dominant economic logic, favoured by investors interested in high-GHG emitting firms, versus an alternative social and environmental logic, used by those interested in low-GHG emitting firms. Moreover, companies with an environment or sustainable development committee have, on average, higher levels of GHG emissions than companies with no similar committee. The market value of companies with such committee decreases by $518 for every additional tonne of GHG emissions. Companies with no such committee record no effect of GHG emissions on their market values.

Clinical Guidelines for Drug-Related Peptic Ulcer, 2020 Revised Edition.

Korean guidelines for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced peptic ulcer were previously developed in 2009 with the collaboration of the Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research and Korean Society of Gastroenterology. However, the previous guidelines were based mainly upon a review of the relevant literature and expert opinion. Therefore, the guidelines need to be revised. We organized a guideline Development Committee for drug-related peptic ulcer under the auspices of the Korean College of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research in 2017 and developed nine statements, including four for NSAIDs, three for aspirin and other antiplatelet agents, and two for anticoagulants through a de novo process founded on evidence-based medicine that included a literature search and a meta-analysis, A consensus was reached through the application of the modified Delphi method. The primary target of these guidelines is adult patients undergoing long-term treatment with NSAIDs, aspirin or other antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants. The revised guidelines reflect the expert consensus and is intended to assist clinicians in the management and prevention of drug-induced peptic ulcer and associated conditions.

Towards a Capabilities Taxonomy for Prognostics and Health Management

This communication proposes the development by the PHM Society of a classification or taxonomy for the skills needed for the prognostics and health management (PHM) field. This taxonomy is a set of descriptors for each skill for a chosen range of competency levels: entry, working and mastery. This communication defines a structure and process to ensure application to real needs by employers, practitioners and training developers. Preliminary results of the development of Analytics, Test and Experiment Design and Cost Benefit Studies sub-domains within the PHM field are reported based on workshops at the PHM 2012 and 2013 Annual Conferences. Steps for a way forward are proposed and mechanisms for interested parties to participate are suggested. The PHM Society’s Education and Professional Development Committee would lead these efforts.

Determinants of Households’ Adaptation Practices against Climate Change Impact on Off-farm Activities in Western Hill of Nepal

Climate change is one of the serious concerns which have a substantial impact in all areas of human civilization. Among these areas, agriculture is the worst hit sector. This study aims to analyze the determinants of households’ adaptation practices against climate change impact on off-farm activities in western hill of Nepal. It utilizes the data collected from six village development committees from three districts (Lamjung, Tanahu and Kaski) of western hill of Nepal. Out of 245793 Households 556 households were chosen for the survey. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Data was collected using pre-tested structured questionnaire through face to face interview with household head or a household member having age 45 years and above with residing in that locality since last 15 years. Binary logistic regression analysis has been carried out. Household size is only the matter for determining the households' adaptation practices for shifting to non-agricultural activities which is also the matter for temporary migration to another places. Education is the determining factor for changing the food consumption habit and temporary migration. Agriculture skill is the common determining factor for change in food consumption habit and shifting to non-agricultural activities. Sex and marital status are the major determining factors only for shifting to non-agricultural employment. Age is the significant predictor of temporary migration. Caste is also the major determining factor for changing the food consumption habit and temporary migration respectively.

Hypertension Care Coordination and Feasibility of Involving Female Community Health Volunteers in Hypertension Management in Kavre District, Nepal: A Qualitative Study.

Background:Hypertension and related complications are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in Nepal. Community health workers have been proposed as promising health cadres to meet the growing healthcare demand for non-communicable disease management in other developing countries.Objective:We aimed to explore existing workflows, needs and challenges for hypertension care coordination and to assess the feasibility of establishing a Female Community Health Volunteer (FCHV)-based hypertension management program in Kavre, Nepal.Design:We conducted one focus group discussion with eight FCHVs and twenty-three in-depth interviews with four FCHVs not attending FGD, nine individuals with hypertension, six health workers, and four health officials in two village development committees of Kavre District, Nepal. Applied thematic analysis was performed using NVivo 12.Results:Health literacy related to hypertension was low among both community members and FCHVs. Delay in treatment initiation and loss to follow-up were common patterns despite anti-hypertensive medication compliance. Major health system-related barriers included underutilization of primary healthcare institutions, communication gaps and lack of grass-roots level educational campaigns. Community pharmacies, monthly health camps and increasing governmental attention to NCDs were favorable for improving hypertension management. This study also supports that FCHVs should be provided with adequate training and financial incentives to promote hypertension education, screening and referral in their catchments.Conclusions:Barriers and facilitators identified in this study provide important implications for future hypertension management in Nepal. We recommend hypertension education and screening across Nepal at a grass-root level through FCHVs. Providing professional training and proper financial incentives for FCHVs are warranted.Highlights:Health literacy related to hypertension was low among both community members and Female Community Health Volunteers in Nepal.Delay in treatment initiation and loss to follow-up were common despite relatively high anti-hypertensive medication compliance.Health system-related barriers in research sites included underutilization of primary healthcare institutions, communication gaps, and lack of grass-roots level educational campaigns.Female Community Health Volunteers should be provided with adequate training and financial incentives to promote hypertension management.

School Management’s Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): An Exploratory Study

Background: In recent years, the importance of school as a stake-holder in CSR activities is gaining recognition. Companies channel financial and human resources into developing schools. School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) plays an important part in the management of Primary schools in Karnataka and as such should have a role in CSR activities. Purpose: This exploratory study attempted to answer the following questions- (1) How aware are SDMC members of CSR and its role in schools (2) what is their perception of CSR in their schools? (3) Do rural and urban SDMC members differ in their perception of CSR Methods: Sample consisted of SDMC members from 50 rural and 50 urban Government run primary schools in Bangalore Educational districts. 100 SDMC members, one from each school, were interviewed using a semi structured information schedule developed for this study. Results: Management is not very clear about the nature of CSR support . However, 75% of them perceive CSR as beneficial to their schools. Rural subjects have a more favourable perception of CSR impact and they differ significantly from urban counterparts in rating ‘ how CSR has benefited students’ (t = 2.052).Conclusions: SDMC members do not clearly distinguish between support provided under CSR and support received from other sources. Overall, CSR is seen as beneficial to school by supplementing government support and helping the management. Rural schools seem to benefit more from CSR support. Though SDMC is supposed to monitor the developmental activities of the school, they are not often consulted by companies about the requirements for the school. Involving SDMC in planning, executing and monitoring would enhance the efficacy of CSR programmes.

Development Committee

The global economy is embarking on a lengthy path to recovery with modest growth expected for 2021, after a severe contraction this year. The global forecast is subject to unusually large risks. Emerging markets and developing economies face an uphill battle. Low-income developing countries are in an especially vulnerable position and risk a persistent and significant deterioration in development prospects. Controlling the pandemic and cushioning the impact on the economy are key. LIDCs should adopt targeted containment measures and strictly prioritize spending and refrain from policies that could create long term damage. Multilateral cooperation and extensive support from the international community are indispensable. The IMF has helped EMDEs through emergency lending and debt service relief. Targeted surveillance and capacity development will tackle new policy challenges and react nimbly to the needs of the membership including fragile and small states.

Groundwater potential as an indicator of water poverty index in drought-prone mid-hill region of Nepal Himalaya

Springs are the primary sources of drinking water for the people living in the mountainous region of Nepal Himalaya, but emerging drought condition exacerbated by climate change has dried up springs thus sparking water crisis in the region. The present study attempts to correlate the groundwater potential (GWP) zones and water poverty index (WPI) in the mid-hill region of Nepal Himalaya. The study was conducted in four drought-prone Village Development Committees (VDCs), namely Bhatauli, Chisapani, Kathjor and Manthali lying at the lower reaches of Tamakoshi Sub-basin in Ramechhap district of Province number 3, Nepal. The in-situ test of spring water revealed that pH, EC, TDS and DO values lie within the concentration limits of Nepal Drinking Water Quality Standards and suitable for drinking or other uses. Groundwater potential zoning was carried out using the eight thematic layers, namely elevation, slope, land use, drainage density, geomorphology, lineament density, rock and soil distribution and precipitation. High groundwater potential has been delineated along the Tamakoshi River while low potential areas lie in the western part of the study area. The model is verified with the field observation as the most springs concentrated in the high and medium groundwater potential zones. The study area has WPI values lower than the national WPI score, suggesting the low availability of water in the area. GWP correlates directly with WPI in the study area suggesting that GWP mapping alone can represent the water availability in the mid-hill region of Nepal Himalaya.

Differences in COVID-19 Related Testing and Healthcare Utilization by Race and Ethnicity in the Veterans Health Administration

Importance: Recent reports indicate differences in COVID-19 related care and outcomes between Black and White Americans.Objective: We examine the COVID-19 related healthcare utilization and mortality by race and ethnicity of patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).Design: A retrospective cohort study.Setting: We used the VHA COVID-19 shared data resources between February 1 and June 30, 2020.Participants: Veterans tested for SARS-CoV-2 virus by VHA.Exposure(s): Three racial-ethnicity groups of Black, Hispanic, and White (as reference).Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Main outcomes are testing rate, positivity rate, hospitalization rate, ICU admission rate, and in-hospital mortality. Controlling for sex, age and Elixhauser comorbidity index, we report adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) from logistic regression models.Results: Of 8,667,996 active veteran enrollees, 252,702 were tested by VHA from February to June, 2020, with 20,500 positive results and 4,790 hospitalizations. The testing rate was 4.4% among Black and 4.7% among Hispanic veterans compared to White veterans, 2.8%. The testing positivity rate was similarly elevated among Black and Hispanic veterans compared to White veterans. The aORs of hospitalization in Black veterans (1.88; 95% CI 1.74, 2.03) and Hispanic veterans (1.41; 95% CI 1.25, 1.60) were higher compared to White veterans. No significant differences by race and ethnicity were observed in OR or aOR of ICU admission and in-hospital death among hospitalized patients.Conclusions and Relevance: On a national level, the VHA was more likely to test and hospitalize Black and Hispanic veterans compared to White veterans, but there were no significant differences in ICU admission or in-hospital mortality among those hospitalized. This pattern of differences may relate to social determinants of health, implicit biases, or preferences for VHA care affecting initial care seeking, but not in-hospital outcomes.Funding Statement: The study is funded by seed funding from Baylor College of Medicine,Houston, Texas, United States, and the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (VA HSRD CIN 13-413), Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, Texas, United States. Declaration of Interests: None to declareEthics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) of Baylor College of Medicine and the Research and Development Committee of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

Semantic Analysis to Identify Students’ Feedback

Abstract In this research, an automated analysis is performed on students’ chat and text data generated by social media platforms over the course of one semester and thoroughly analyzed for potential feedback about teaching, exams, and course contents. A data crawler is developed that performs horizontal and vertical samplings of the data. After data crawling, a few preprocessing steps are performed including text extraction, noise removal, stop-word removal, word stemming, text classification, and feature extraction. The intensity of a review is determined using four measures containing knowledge and understanding, course contents, teaching style, and assessment procedures for a specific course. The proposed system contains features from text mining and web mining to automatically identify a review whenever a user writes comments on their studies. This system aims to provide curriculum development committees with valuable online student feedback and assist in curriculum improvements. By comparing these automated reviews to results obtained from manual student survey forms, we found that the automated system yields the same output but at a fraction of the cost and time typically spent on collecting and analyzing manual student surveys.

Climate change vulnerability and resilience of urban poor in Khulna, Bangladesh: the role of asset-based community development approach

ABSTRACT This article explores how the asset-based community development approach has improved the living conditions of the urban slum communities and have also addressed the house level poverty through direct asset transfer that can have positive co-benefits for community resilience to climate change. A broader and less restrictive design, which is qualitative in nature, has been adopted to produce arguments using the experiences of the members of Community Development Committees (CDCs) of slums of Khulna city. Considering the great flexibility nature of open-ended interview data, thematic analysis has been applied to identify and interpret the patterns (themes) related to the activities of CDCs. The findings of the aggregated thematic data show that while community-driven actions might not be taken with climate change adaptation specifically in mind, local community-based actions initiated by the CDCs of slums such as community-driven slum upgrading and collective savings schemes to reduce asset erosion directly contribute to broader resilience to climate change, by reducing exposure to climatic risk and also addressing internal drivers of vulnerability. The findings of capacity-decision-making matrix show that the CDC members do not possess equal capacity while managing the vulnerability through transferring the asset both at household and community level.

Research on the current status and transformation strategy of digitalization at the State Grid Jibei Electric Power Company

Developing the digital economy and promoting the digital transformation of enterprises has been an important direction for the development of enterprises in various countries. This article systematically analyzes the information organization, communication network, digital platform, business application system, information security and information operation and maintenance status of the company in Jibei Electric Power Company. Based on the analysis of the development environment and advantages and disadvantages of digital transformation in Jibei Electric Power Company, the development strategy of establishing unified digital development committee, improving the digitalization ability of power transmission and distribution business, improving the digitalization capability of internal operation and building the toB terminal service platform of integrated energy services are put forward.