High Degree Of Implementation Research Articles

Alternative Working Arrangements And Teachers’ Competence in the New Normal

The objective of this study was to ascertain the significance of the correlation between alternative working arrangements and the competence of elementary school teachers in the context of the "new normal." The research was conducted using a descriptive-correlational method and involved 40 teachers serving as respondents from seven public elementary schools in the Matina District, Davao City Division. Data was collected using a researcher-developed instrument. The findings indicated a high degree of implementation of alternative working arrangements and extensive competence among teachers. Additionally, a notable correlation was established between alternative working arrangements and teachers' competence within the new normal framework. All aspects of alternative working arrangements were found to significantly influence teachers' competence. The study recommends the implementation of pertinent policies, mechanisms, and strategies to support teachers, particularly through coaching and the application of effective strategies and techniques to mitigate potential emotional hindrances. School administrators can utilize these findings to enhance teacher competence and optimize the teaching-learning process, ultimately improving lesson delivery. Furthermore, the study findings can serve as a foundation for evaluating and instituting school improvements aimed at enhancing existing alternative working arrangements and teachers' competence..

АНАЛІЗ РОЗВИТКУ РЕАКЦІЇ ОКИСЛЕННЯ ВУГЛЕЦЮ НИЗЬКОВУГЛЕЦЕВОЇ СТАЛІ В КОВШІ ПІД ВАКУУМОМ

The object of research is the process of vacuuming steel in a ladle. The purpose of the study is to determine the degree of approach of degassing reactions to equilibrium and removal rates by articles. Research methods - theoretical studies are based on the basic provisions of physical chemistry and the theory of metallurgical processes, thermodynamic calculations of the non-equilibrium reactions of degassing. Scientific novelty - in vacuum degassing processes, the approximation of the corresponding reactions to equilibrium plays a significant role, in industrial vacuum installations, the equilibrium between carbon and oxygen dissolved in steel is not achieved due to ex-tremely small concentrations of interacting substances, the speed of the chemical reaction decreases so much that it does not allow for processing time to even approach the state of thermodynamic equilibrium. Practical significance - to ensure a high degree of implementation of the deoxidizing ability of carbon in vacuum conditions, it is neces-sary to: apply the main lining of steel pouring ladles; maintain a high basicity of slag and a minimum content of iron oxides in it; mix the melt in the ladle with an inert gas to facilitate the conditions for the nucleation of carbon oxidation reaction products.

Modeling of vacuuming of low-carbon steel in a ladle taking into account the approach of degasation reactions to equilibrium

The object of research is the process of vacuuming steel in a ladle. The purpose of the study is to determine the degree of approach of degassing reactions to equilibrium and removal rates by articles. Research methods - theoretical studies are based on the basic provisions of physical chemistry and the theory of metallurgical processes, thermodynamic calculations of the non-equilibrium reactions of degassing. Scientific novelty - in vacuum degassing processes, the approximation of the corresponding reactions to equilibrium plays a significant role, in industrial vacuum installations, the equilibrium between carbon and oxygen dissolved in steel is not achieved due to extremely small concentrations of interacting substances, the speed of the chemical reaction decreases so much that it does not allow for processing time to even approach the state of thermodynamic equilibrium. Practical significance - to ensure a high degree of implementation of the deoxidizing ability of carbon in vacuum conditions, it is necessary to: apply the main lining of steel pouring ladles; maintain a high basicity of slag and a minimum content of iron oxides in it; mix the melt in the ladle with an inert gas to facilitate the conditions for the nucleation of carbon oxidation reaction products.

Evaluation and prioritization of food environment policies in Norway using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)

Background: Government policies promoting healthier food environments can contribute to healthier diets and prevent obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases.
 Objective: To assess the level of implementation of internationally recommended food environment policies in Norway and establish prioritised actions to create healthier food environments.
 Design: The Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) was adapted to the Norwegian context. It comprised 45 good practice indicators of government food environment policy and infrastructure support. Systematically compiled evidence of relevant policies was verified by government officials and formed the basis for assessing the level of implementation of these policies compared against international best practice benchmarks. The assessment was done by a national non-government expert panel (n = 35). The experts thereafter proposed and prioritized policy actions for government implementation.
 Results: Most indicators were rated at a medium or high degree of implementation in both the policy action (69%) and the infrastructure support (77%) components. No indicators were rated as having ‘none or very little implementation’. Among the 14 recommended policy actions, active use of price regulation to increase the price of unhealthy foods and decrease the price of healthy foods was the highest priority. Other top priorities were ensuring healthy food environments in public settings and introducing free school meals. Demonstrating knowledge-based and coherent political leadership in public health nutrition policies was the highest priority among the 11 recommended infrastructure support actions.
 Conclusion: The overall policies in Norway to promote a healthy diet show a medium to high level of implementation. This study highlights that there is still room for additional improvements in Norwegian policies and infrastructure support to promote healthy food environments.

Implementation, home mediators and children’s sugary drink consumption - results from DAGIS study

Abstract Background and objectives The effectiveness of a health behavior intervention can depend on the extent to which the intervention is implemented; higher degree of implementation (DOI) might associate with larger intervention effects. This study examined whether the parental DOI of an health behavior intervention had an effect on children's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and was the effect mediated by home factors. Methods the DAGIS preschool intervention was conducted in 2017-2018 in Finland among 3-6-year-olds with valid data from 476 children. At baseline and follow-up parents reported 1) children's SSB consumption in a semi-quantified food frequency questionnaire, 2) availability of SSB at home, parental role modelling of drinking SSB, and norm (parental view on the suitable amount of SSB for children), and 3) DOI: a dichotomized sum variable on several aspects of parental program implementation. In the analyses, high and low DOI were compared to control group. Mediation analysis of the effect of DOI on the change in children's SSB consumption via change in availability, role modelling and norm was conducted with R statistical software. Results High DOI was associated with reduced consumption of SSB (B -27.71, 95% CI -49.05, -4.80). No mediated effects were found. All studied mediators impacted the change in SSB consumption, but the DOI had no effect on the change in mediators. Conclusions Intervention effect on the consumption of SSB was only found in the high DOI group, which supports the importance of assessing intervention implementation. Since the found effect was not mediated by the studied mediators, other possible mediators should be examined, as understanding intervention mediators is crucial in developing successful interventions. Key messages

Environmental sustainability practices in portuguese dental clinics

Objectives: To study the implementation of environmental sustainability practices at Portuguese dental clinics, the importance given by clinical directors to these practices, and the barriers felt in their applicability. Methods: This cross-sectional study’s target population was clinical directors (Dentists or Stomatologists) working in Portugal. Data was collected through an online questionnaire shared in several groups of clinicians on social networks, published in digital journals, and sent by email through medical associations. It was available between February and April 2021. The questionnaire collected information about the implementation of environmental sustainability practices in dental clinics within six categories of management: devices and equipment, dental amalgam, imaging, paper, energy, and water. There were also questions about the importance of these practices and the barriers felt. Descriptive statistics of all variables were performed. Results: The sample included 245 clinical directors, of which 65.5% were female and 43.7% were between 40 and 49 years old. There was a high degree of implementation of environmental sustainability practices related to imaging (82.6%), dental amalgam (80.7%), water (67.5%), energy (67.4%), paper (63.4%), and devices and equipment (62.9%). Almost all respondents (96%) considered that environmental sustainability practices are important or very important, and the more frequently referred barriers to implementation were costs (44.6%) and lack of training/information (16.3%). Conclusions: Clinical directors showed good environmental awareness and satisfactory implementation of environmental sustainability practices in dental clinics. Costs were the most reported barrier to the implementation of further practices.

Comparing standard versus enhanced implementation of an evidence-based HIV prevention program among Bahamian sixth grade students: findings from nationwide implementation trials

BackgroundEffective implementation strategies are needed to address the challenges encountered by teachers in implementation of evidence-based HV prevention programs in schools. The current study: 1) compares implementation fidelity of Focus on Youth in the Caribbean (FOYC) plus Caribbean Informed Parents and Children Together (CImPACT) intervention using enhanced implementation strategies (including biweekly monitoring/feedback and site-based mentoring) to those using more traditional approach (teacher training only); and 2) evaluates the impact of school coordinators’ and mentors’ performance on teachers’ implementation fidelity and student outcomes.MethodsData from an enhanced implementation trial in 2019–2020, involving 24 government primary schools, 79 teachers, and 2252 students, were compared to data from a standard implementation trial in 2011–2012, involving 35 government primary schools, 110 teachers and 2811 students using mixed-effects modeling and structural equation modeling.FindingsTeachers in the 2019–2020 trial taught more core activities (28.3 vs. 16.3, t = 10.80, P < 0.001) and sessions (7.2 vs. 4.4, t = 9.14, P < 0.001) than those participating in the 2011–2012 trial. Teachers taught > 80% of the intervention curriculum in 2019–2020 compared to 50% curriculum delivery in 2011–2012. Teachers who had a “very good” or “excellent” school coordinator in their schools taught more core activities than those who had a “satisfactory” school coordinator (30.4 vs. 29.6 vs. 22.3, F = 18.54, P < 0.001). Teachers who worked in a school which had a “very good” mentor, taught more core activities than those teachers who did not have a mentor or had only a “satisfactory” mentor (30.4 vs. 27.6; t = 2.96; p = 0.004). Teachers’ confidence in implementing core activities, comfort level with the curriculum, attitudes towards sex education in schools, and perceived principal support were significantly related to increased self-efficacy, which in turn was related to teachers’ implementation fidelity. The degree of implementation was significantly associated with improved student outcomes.Implications/conclusionAn evidence-based HIV prevention intervention can achieve a high degree of implementation when delivered with enhanced implementation strategies and implementation monitoring. Future program implementers should consider the purposeful selection and training of school coordinators and mentors to support low-implementing teachers as a potentially important strategy when attempting to achieve high-quality implementation of school-based interventions.

THE IMPACT OF DIGITALIZATION ON EMPLOYMENT TRANSFORMATION IN COUNTRIES WITH DIFFERENT INCOME LEVELS

Abstract. It has been substantiated that digitalization is a driver of the transformation of employment in different countries.The degree of formation of the digitalized labor market by groups of countries with different levels of per capita income has been studied. It is proved that the use of digital technologies by the vast majority of companies and the economically active population simplifies the procedure of job creation, giving the opportunity to work via the Internet within the so-called “on-demand economy”. With the high degree of implementation of digital, information and communication technologies, the share of employees in the service sector is growing in the majority of countries. It is stated that the degree of digitalization of the labor market is uneven in the world. The introduction of modern technologies in high-income countries allows the population to fully realize the intellectual and creative potential, finding a job in the most efficient sector of the economy – the high-tech and knowledge-intensive services. Despite the rapid spread of digital technologies and the rapid growth of employment in the service sector in the upper-middle-income countries, the level of digital transformation of the labor market is much lower than in the high-income countries. Nowadays, there is a digital divide between these groups of countries, although, with the effective policies of governments in the upper-middle-income countries, there is a high probability of achievement of indicators of countries that are digital leaders. The trend of gradual digitalization of the services sector is also observed in the lower-middle-income countries. It is noted that the low prevalence of information and communication technologies in low-income countries makes it impossible for the population of these countries to join the global digitalized labor market. A set of measures has been systematized to harmonize the policies of governments of different countries in the field of labor relations, which are being transformed under the influence of global digitalization. Keywords: digital technologies, digitalization, employment, global digitalized labor market, high-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, low-income countries, upper-middle-income countries. JEL Classification F66, J24, J40, О33 Formulas: 5; fig.: 4, table.: 0; bibl.: 26.

Cooperative Learning for a More Sustainable Education: Gender Equity in the Learning of Maths

Education and gender equity are of high priority in the list of objectives when looking to achieve sustainable development; however, various studies have analysed that these objectives are far from being reached. The goal of this paper was to investigate the influence that cooperative learning has on academic performance and on the gender gap in the subject of Maths. A total of 14,122 students between the ages of 10 and 19 took part in the study. The hypothesis posed was that gender differences observed in Maths would significantly be reduced in those classrooms in which cooperative learning had a higher degree of implementation. In the results, the analysis of the regression of means and gradients showed that gender predicts Maths results in a positive manner (estimated beta = 0.12, p &lt; 0.01) and interacts with cooperative learning by taking a negative value (−0.26) and with an associated critical value less than 0.05. In other words, the relation between cooperative learning and Math grades is significantly higher in males than in females. However, females achieve better marks, which generates a certain relation of equity. These results prove that cooperative learning can reduce gender differences in the learning of Maths.

Evaluating the implementation of national recommendations on multidrug-resistant bacterial microorganisms in end-of-life care

In 2017, a national recommendation on multidrug-resistant bacterial microorganisms (MDRO) in end-of-life care was published. In order to monitor the implementation in a hospital-based palliative care unit, a dedicated multidisciplinary working group on MDRO was established. It developed a standard operating procedure and a documentation template (checklist). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the implementation status after one year. A mixed-methods approach was selected. The status of implementation was identified through a survey among staff members. A retrospective routine data analysis was performed. A focus group discussion with members of the working group focused on previous steps, factors conducive to implementation and on remaining problems. Almost all (18 out of 20) participants (20 out of 29 eligible staff members) knew the national recommendations. Twelve out of 27 recommendations had a high degree of implementation after one year, another 13 recommendations were seen as at least partly integrated into daily routine. For two recommendations the degree of implementation was rated low: (i) "Taking into account any additional time constraint imposed by protection and isolation measures when planning for personnel and bed occupancy", and (ii) "Facilitating the patient's ability to distinguish and recognize team members and family caregivers". Working group members reported improvements since the implementation, whilst reporting some uncertainty prevailing among both staff members and visitors. Inhibitory factors were said to include the complexity of the standard operating procedure, inadequate usage and poor usability of the checklist. Behavioural and cognitive barriers such as anxieties related to transmission and the sense of security caused by the routine use of protective clothing were considered to be strong. Improving the checklist and the standard operating procedure as well as anchoring procedures in daily routine were considered to be the next important steps. The implementation of recommendations is an iterative process and requires the ongoing development of appropriate measures for implementation in the respective institution. A multidisciplinary working group with monitoring tasks is an advantage.

The effect of feedback-informed cognitive behavioral therapy on treatment outcome: A randomized controlled trial.

Previous studies have shown that feedback-informed treatment can improve outcomes of psychological treatments. This randomized controlled effectiveness trial evaluated the effect of progress feedback on treatment duration, symptom reduction, and dropout in individual cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs). A control condition where CBT was combined with low-intensive monitoring of progress was compared to an experimental condition where CBT was combined with a high-intensive form of feedback. Data of 368 outpatients (57.9% female, mean age 41.4 years, SD = 12.2) in secondary care were analyzed using multilevel analyses. Treatment duration was assessed with the number of sessions clients received. Symptom reduction was measured with the Symptom Checklist Revised. Possible moderators of the effect of intensive progress feedback on outcome were explored. Clients achieved the same amount of symptom reduction in significantly fewer sessions in the high-intensive feedback condition. Additionally, dropout was significantly lower in the high-intensive feedback condition. Post hoc analyses assessing clients' diagnoses as a possible moderator showed that clients with personality disorders (mainly Cluster C) achieved more symptom reduction in fewer sessions when high-intensity feedback was provided. Also, a high degree of implementation within the experimental condition was associated with fewer treatment sessions. In sum, the use of high-intensive client feedback reduced treatment duration and reduced dropout of CBT. Thus, feedback-informed CBTs seem to be a promising adaptation of conventional CBT. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

RE‐AIM Framework‐Based Implementation Evaluation of Teledermatology Programs to Serve Rural Veterans

Research ObjectiveIn fiscal year (FY) 2017, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Rural Teledermatology Program was established to enhance access to dermatology services via store‐and‐forward teledermatology, which allows primary care providers to consult with dermatologists to diagnose and manage dermatologic conditions via digital transmission of clinical history and skin images. In addition to specific guidance on expanding teledermatology programs, grantees/teledermatology hub sites were funded to support primary care staff effort and training to manage teledermatology patients and dermatologist effort to review consults.Study DesignMixed‐methods evaluation of the VA Rural Teledermatology Program was based on Glasgow (reach‐effectiveness‐adoption‐implementation‐maintenance) implementation evaluation framework. Data were obtained on the utilization of teledermatology services from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse. 14 grantee facilities completed a site report covering the degree of teledermatology implementation, barriers to and facilitators of teledermatology implementation, and state of program sustainability/maintenance for FY‐2019.Population Studied14 primary hub grantees/facilities supporting 247 additional “spoke” care locations, with 235,544 unique dermatology encounters for Veterans in FY‐2019.Principal FindingsReach: Participating hub and spoke sites had 47 342 teledermatology encounters among 44 774 unique patients in FY‐2019, a 42.4% increase since FY‐2016 (year before program began) (P &lt; 001, chi‐square national level data).Effectiveness: For this program, a measure of effectiveness is the percentage of dermatology encounters occurring through teledermatology. In FY‐2019, 20.1% of dermatology visits at the funded sites were via teledermatology, an increase from 15.1% from FY‐2016. Paired t test showed no significant change (P &lt; .10). Nationally, 10.2% of FY‐2019 dermatology encounters were via teledermatology (8.5% if FY‐2016). Among the patients seen by teledermatology at grantee sites in FY‐2019, 1389 had an associated diagnosis of skin cancer, including 58 melanomas.Adoption: Adoption of teledermatology was assessed utilizing a modification of Stages of Implementation Completion. All 14 grantees report broad implementation of teledermatology within their medical center/health care system, compared to approximate half of grantees at the conclusion of the program’s first year.Implementation: There is generally strong support from key stakeholders. However, the greatest areas of most minor concern related to support form telehealth support staff, clinical application coordinators, and primary care providers. Based on analysis of open‐ended survey questions, sites engaged in a wide variety of strategies to enhance implementation of teledermatology, including outreach to primary care providers, events specifically related to teledermatology, and a variety of training activities. Nevertheless, there is a continuing need at some sites to address staffing issues and collaboration between primary care and dermatology.Maintenance: Based on the Mancini and Marek Program Sustainability Index, there is indication that sites generally report a high degree of potential sustainability for the teledermatology programs. Potential challenges may relate to ensuring stakeholder collaboration, funding, and being prepared to respond to changing program needs.ConclusionsAn overall high degree of implementation and sustainability of teledermatology is reflected in the noted successes of grantees and large number of patients served.Implications for Policy or PracticeAsynchronous tele‐health programs may increase access to specialty care, especially for rural patients. Providing program guidance and initial staffing and training resources can increase the impact of these programs. However, specific efforts aimed at enhancing primary care‐specialty collaboration are needed.Primary Funding SourceDepartment of Veterans Affairs.

Implementing Teledermatology for Rural Veterans: An Evaluation Using the RE-AIM Framework.

Introduction: Few systematic evaluations of implementing teledermatology programs in large health care systems exist. We conducted a longitudinal evaluation of a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiative to expand asynchronous consultative teledermatology services for rural veterans. Methods: The reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance framework guided the evaluation, which included analysis of quantitative VA administrative data as well as an online survey completed by participating facilities. The first 2 years of the program were compared with the year before the start of funding. Results: Sixteen hub facilities expanded teledermatology's reach over the 2-year period, increasing the number of referral spoke sites, unique patients served, and teledermatology encounters. Effectiveness was reflected as teledermatology constituted an increasing fraction of dermatology activity and served more remotely located patients. Adoption through defined stages of implementation progressed as facilities engaged in a variety of strategies to enhance teledermatology implementation, and facilitators and barriers were identified. Program maintenance was assessed by Program Sustainability Index scores, which reflected the importance of executive support, and ongoing concerns about staffing and longitudinal funding. Discussion: Enabling hubs to create solutions that best fit their needs and culture likely increased reach and effectiveness. Important facilitators included organizational leadership and encouraging communication between stakeholders before and during the intervention. Conclusions: A systematic analysis of teledermatology implementation to serve rural sites in VA documented a high degree of implementation and sustainability as well as areas for improvement.

Solution-processed flexible metal-oxide thin-film transistors operating beyond 20 MHz

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor, an elementary building block, allows for a high degree of implementation of logic circuits with relatively low power consumption and low manufacturing cost, which plays a vital role not only in current Si electronics, but also in printed flexible devices. To meet the looming challenges of the Internet of Things, p-channel thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an excellent mobility and processability have been increasingly developed using organic semiconductors. However, owing to the inherent electron-donating nature of organic compounds, the high performance of n-channel organic TFTs has yet to be demonstrated. Here, in this paper, we developed state-of-the-art solution-processed indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) TFTs with high electron mobility, sharp turn-on characteristics at 0 V, and excellent atmospheric stability and compatibility with wet patterning processes. With the damage-free lithography process in conjunction with the ultimate optimization of entire device processes, IZO-based TFT arrays were successfully fabricated via a solution process on flexible polyimide substrates. A cutoff frequency of 23 MHz in air was achieved, which is almost twice as fast as the frequency used in a near-field communication band. Furthermore, the as-fabricated IZO-based TFTs even function well under bending stress. Therefore, the current concept and technique is expected to open up opportunities to develop practical flexible devices with high-speed operation.

Assessment of farmers’ compliance in implementing recommended cow comfort changes and their effects on lying time, stall and cow cleanliness within smallholder dairy farms in Kenya

Our study aimed to evaluate farmers’ compliance in implementing recommendations of farm-specific cow comfort changes, and the effects of these changes on lying time, stall cleanliness and cow cleanliness using a randomized controlled trial carried out on 100 smallholder dairy farms in Kenya, with 62 and 11 farms remaining in the intervention and control groups, respectively.On the first farm visit, data loggers were attached on lactating cows to determine lying time and questionnaires utilized to collect baseline data. Three days later, stall design and management recommendations were given to the intervention group of farmers orally and in written form. After an average of 39 ± 7 days, data loggers were re-attached, compliance was assessed, and a post-intervention questionnaire was administered to the intervention group on the third visit. Three days subsequent to the first and third visits, data loggers were removed from all cows.Data were analysed in Stata 14.2® using proportion tests and Kruskal-Wallis rank tests to compare cleanliness scores and lying time, respectively. Interaction effects between treatment groups and visits were assessed using multivariable mixed linear and logistic regression models. While 46 of the 62 intervention farmers (74%) made at least one recommended change to cow comfort, 63% of the 324 overall recommendations were implemented. The odds of a recommendation being implemented were significantly higher when:1) major recommendations were given relative to minor recommendations (OR = 6.28); 2) recommendations were related to floor characteristics (floor softness and flatness) in comparison to recommendations related to stall design (OR = 3.14). The odds of compliance were lower on: 1) farms where the farm-hands received the recommendations compared to farms that had the female principal farmer receive the recommendations (OR = 0.01); 2) farms that had recommended changes related to roof, alley and sharps fixes relative to stall design fixes (OR = 0.13). Post-intervention, stall, udder and upper hind-leg cleanliness scores improved significantly (p < 0.0001, p = 0.021 and p = 0.017, respectively) in the intervention farms but not in the control farms. There was no significant difference in lying times between intervention and control farms, with 0.6 and 0.2 h/day increases being recorded in the intervention and control groups, from the 10.9 and 10.4 h/day at baseline, respectively.Giving farm-specific cow comfort recommendations to smallholder dairy farmers in Kenya, and providing them with a participatory role in the formulation and implementation of improvement recommendations ensured good acceptance and a high degree of implementation, and led to a subsequent improvement in cow comfort and cleanliness.

Changes on Ward Atmosphere and Job Satisfaction after Implementation of the Safewards Model in Two Locked Acute Psychiatric Wards - A Multi-Perspective Evaluation

Evaluation of the changes of ward atmosphere and job satisfaction after the implementation of the Safewards model in acute psychiatry in Germany. A multi-perspective pre-post study design was conducted in two locked wards among patients (n = 80) and staff (n = 88) before and after the implementation of the Safewards model over a period of 12 months. After the implementation of the Safewards model, ward atmosphere and job satisfaction improved. Both correlated positively amongst staff. Furthermore, job satisfaction correlated positively with a high degree of implementation of two interventions. Fidelity to the Safewards model was high. Implementing the Safewards model in acute psychiatry with high fidelity can have positive effects on positive ward atmosphere and job satisfaction. Thus, patients as well as staff benefit from this model. With regards to high fluctuation in acute psychiatry, the implementation of the Safewards model can additionally facilitate retention management.

Perioperative management of radical cystectomy in the Nordic countries

Objective: Radical cystectomy is performed in all of the Nordic countries, but the current practice patterns remain unclear. This study explored current perioperative care and adherence to the Early Recovery After Cystectomy (ERAC) protocol and EAU guidelines by cystectomy surgeons in the Nordic countries.Materials and methods: The study was performed as a survey including 47 centers performing cystectomies in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark. The survey addressed surgical volume, complications, preoperative imaging, use of chemotherapy, multidisciplinary conferences and current practice for perioperative and postoperative care. The survey was dispersed electronically and data was collected between November 2016 and October 2017.Results: The response rate was 55%, with a 78% completion rate of the 58 main questions. Most centers performed 10–50 cystectomies annually. Of responding centers, 96% had preoperative multidisciplinary conferences. Bowel preparation was avoided in 95% of centers and 92% did not use nasogastric tubes. All centers offered neoadjuvant chemotherapy, prescribed prophylactic antibiotics, used urinary drainage and did in-department follow-up. None of the responders waited for proof of bowel function before restarting oral diet and 96% had a standard plan for early mobilization.Conclusion: This study found a high degree of implementation of ERAC and EAU guidelines and similar practice patterns regarding perioperative management of Radical cystectomy among Nordic countries.

Assessing agile project management practices: the case of Palestinian software development companies

This paper analyses the readiness of agile project management (APM) implementation in software development companies in the context of Palestine; by assessing changes required for transforming projects into agile and challenges and risks involved in the transformation, in addition to exploring APM success factors. A case study methodology using mixed methods technique was adopted. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire data from 67 different companies were used. Although data analysis shows that there is a high degree of implementation of APM practices, the results show that software development companies have a moderate level of ability to deal with challenges and risks of the APM processes. A managerial framework was developed to enhance software development companies' working in the context of a Middle East country to properly adopt the practices of APM. The framework identifies determinants of a successful APM process realisation that will help software development companies maintain a sustainable growth.

Assessing agile project management practices: the case of Palestinian software development companies

This paper analyses the readiness of agile project management (APM) implementation in software development companies in the context of Palestine; by assessing changes required for transforming projects into agile and challenges and risks involved in the transformation, in addition to exploring APM success factors. A case study methodology using mixed methods technique was adopted. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire data from 67 different companies were used. Although data analysis shows that there is a high degree of implementation of APM practices, the results show that software development companies have a moderate level of ability to deal with challenges and risks of the APM processes. A managerial framework was developed to enhance software development companies' working in the context of a Middle East country to properly adopt the practices of APM. The framework identifies determinants of a successful APM process realisation that will help software development companies maintain a sustainable growth.

Adaptive ability of the poultry and its importance in the selection of animals

An important property of living organisms is the ability to adapt to the influence ofthe externalfactors that is constant adaptation to environmental changes, while preserving the constancy of the internal environment. At the present levelof thedevelopment of poultry farming in agro farms of different types, the choice of the most adaptive and competitive breeds and crossbreds of the poultry in the production of eggs and meat is of great importance. Farm animals are affected by various external factors such as technology of keeping, production, veterinary and prophylactic and zootechnical measures. According to various scientific sources, a significant number of poultry crosses are used in Ukraine, mainly for the selection of leading firms in the USA, Canada, and Western Europe (foreign breeds in Ukraine account about 80% of the total poultry population). They provide a high degree of implementation of the genetic productivity potential, butunder rather controlled, almost climatic conditions of keeping and feeding. At the same time, they are very responsive to changing of environment when used in the conditions of the breeding and commodity enterprises of Ukraine. This is due to the fact that the main economic-useful signs of the bird (bearing, weight of eggs, reproductive qualities) have polygenic inheritance and, accordingly, have a small fate of additivity of the operating genes. Therefore, in the new conditions of exploitation of cross-breeds of foreign selection on the indicated signs there is a significant influence of interaction «genotype × environment», which reduces the combinational ability of the family farms and, accordingly, manifestation of the heterosys effect. To preserve the structure of the cross, adaptation of the original family forms to the specific conditions of the poultry holdings is necessary, and then the implementation of supporting selection during mass selection of repair young animals. It should be taken into account that the suitability of imported lines, family forms or final bird hybrids is limited to the limits of their physiological response, since their heredity is formed in the conditions of the country where they are bred. The problem of adaptation of poultry in the conditions of industrial poultry farming is constantly relevant. The intensification of the industry leads to the new adaptation factors, in particular, different technological conditions for repair young animals and adult herds, changes in the recipes of feed and the quality of their components in other regions, the movement of poultry, stresses and so on. At the present, it is important to take into account both adaptive responses, acclimatization capacity of poultry and other animals imported from abroad, and selection according to the indicators of the reaction of the body for different methods of their study. In this regard, it is advisable to use crosses that have high adaptive capabilities.