Purchase Of New Equipment Research Articles

Exploring the Cross-Sectional Relationship Between Implementation Supports for Adopting Nutrition Standards and the Nutritional Quality of School Lunches Served

BackgroundThe evidence-based nutrition standards of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 significantly improved school meal nutrition, yet little is known about how school food authorities (SFAs) were supported to translate the standards into practice in schools. ObjectiveThis study tested whether or not 2 implementation supports, SFA receipt of training/technical assistance (TA) and purchase of new equipment, for implementing the nutrition standards were associated with the nutritional quality of school lunches. DesignThis study used a cross-sectional design. Participants/settingThe study sample included 365 SFAs derived from the US Department of Agriculture’s School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study (2014 to 2015 school year), the only national data of school nutrition environments since the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Main outcome measuresImplementation supports included reported participation in training/TA and the purchase of new equipment between the 2012 to 2013 (year of policy adoption) and 2014 to 2015 school years. The primary outcome, nutritional quality of school lunches served, was defined as low/high Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores during the 2014 to 2015 school year. Secondary implementation supports included the number of areas covered by training/TA, the adequacy of training/TA, and the degree of implementation challenges. Statistical analysesMultivariable-adjusted logistic regression models assessed if receipt of implementation supports was associated with lunch Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores. ResultsThe median lunch Healthy Eating Index 2010 score was 81.7 (95% CI 80.4 to 82.9). Most SFAs (78.4%, 95% CI 72.0% to 85.0%) reported having participated in training/TA and one-third (33.8%, 95% CI 24.4% to 43.2%) reported having purchased new equipment—neither were associated with the odds of having higher Healthy Eating Index 2010 scores for lunches served at the time of data collection. ConclusionsMany SFAs accessed implementation supports to adopt the nutrition standards. Information on dose, quality, and nutrition-related impact of implementation supports using measures of change are needed to determine how best to support SFAs with implementation of new nutrition standards.

The negative impacts of the restructuring of the abattoir industry in Great Britain on small abattoirs

This study examines the reasons why between 1979 and 2020 the number of abattoirs licenced to slaughter red blood livestock species in Great Britain fell from 1146 to 200, average throughput per abattoir increased, larger abattoirs specialised in the species slaughtered, and family owned abattoirs have been replaced by international companies owning multiple slaughterhouses and food processing factories. The study combines abattoir sector survey data with findings from a national survey of small abattoirs. Larger abattoirs have exploited economies of size and location to achieve the throughput necessary to supply multiple retailers and/or wholesale markets. Smaller abattoirs have exploited economies of scope to develop the bespoke butchering services needed to supply private kill customers. The high rate of closure of smaller abattoirs suggests the future of small-scale, locally based supply chains in which private kill services supply is threatened. The recently introduced Small Abattoir Fund offers grants towards the purchase of new equipment which will offer some relief. But smaller abattoirs must support their private kill customers by organising collection points for onward transport of livestock to the abattoir and local redistribution centres for meat and carcases.

New aspects regarding the modernisation of High Power Laboratory of ICMET-Craiova to attain the technical and qualitative level corresponding to European Union requirements

High Power Laboratory is designed for high currents tests and it found within a modernisation process through: purchasing of new equipment, electrical apparatus and electromechanical equipment in order to realise a new installation endowed with equipment having superior characteristics and by rehabilitation of the existent buildings according to European Union norms.

Effect of Bank Credit on the Business Performance of Unorganised Event Management Firms in Salem District

The unorganised event management sector comprises a significant portion of the overall event industry in India. These are small businesses that provide event planning and management services. These firms operate without proper structure or organisation, making it difficult for them to compete with larger organised firms. However, unorganised event management firms have strengths that allow them to provide services to clients that organised firms may not be able to provide. Though, due to the lack of proper infrastructure, stiff competition and financial support, many event organisers operating in the unorganised sector face various challenges. The banks can play a vital role in supporting these event organisers by providing them with financial assistance and other services. This study investigates the effect of bank credit on the business performance of unorganised event management firms. The study covers 230 unorganised event organisers from the Salem district. The qualitative data were collected by using a well-crafted questionnaire. The study result proved that bank credit has significantly influenced the business performance of event management firms. Event organisers are satisfied with their business performance. Moreover, bank credit has substantially influenced business performance in developing a capacity to conduct multiple events simultaneously, business growth, return on investment, profitability, competitive advantage, purchase of new equipment and adoption of recent technology. The study recommended that banks should frame adequate policies to support small business firms to access bank credit without any hindrance. Hence, to face challenges, event management firms should invest in proper organisational structure, recruit experienced professionals, and implement efficient planning and execution processes. This will help them to deliver successful events and build a positive reputation in the industry.

THE IMPACT OF INNOVATION ON THE COSTS INCURRED BY TRANSPORT COMPANIES

This article analyses the impact of innovation on the costs of transport companies. In order to carry out the research, the types of innovation in the transport industry and the innovation strategies of transport companies are considered. The case method has been identified as the research method. The analysis concludes that innovation has an impact on both operational performance and shareholder value. Firstly, the value of companies is influenced by innovations related to the purchase of new equipment, the improvement of production indicators and the increase in the quality of services/goods offered.The main objectives of digital technologies are to improve the control of operational processes, to enhance customer interaction and to reduce costs. Together with the purchase of new equipment, this can be seen as one of the ways of increasing the value of the company.

Socio-environmental sustainability and Upcycling of health service waste towards sustainability: Reuse of Spundbond Meltblown Spundbond (SMS)

This work aimed to define the steps for the Safe Capture of postconsumer Spundbond Meltblow Spundbond (SMS) non-woven fabric, and to estimate the generation of this material providing conditions for new uses through upcycling in a Surgical Center of a public hospital for means of application in socio-environmental projects. This is a descriptive, exploratory longitudinal study with a quantitative approach. As a result, a proposition was obtained for a new separation system for specific medical waste that is difficult to recycle, called Safe Capture in the Operating Room, as well as the implementation of SMS reuse in new products developed through upcycling, such as ecobags for make available to patients at the University Hospital of Londrina- HU. With the estimated generation of 140.89 grams per surgery or 18 SMS blankets of different sizes, the possibility of planning a storage infrastructure for this material for use in socio-environmental projects was envisaged through the development of products based on upcycling with focus on the circular economy, in this case reported and already implemented, the creative sewing workshop in partnership with the State Penitentiary of Londrina-PEL 02 where 3000 ecobags are made per month to store the belongings of patients, which caused a reduction of a portion of waste that would go to the infectious waste collector and, at the same time, replaced the use of plastic bags with ecobags, reducing costs. Currently, the possibility of using SMS has been expanded to other application niches such as interior design and the pet market, in partnership with the Veterinary Hospital of the State University of Londrina, which will revert part of the income from sales of pet products so that the Muda Project have a self-management for the purchase of new equipment and trimmings for the manufacture of products.

Effect of Cost Efficiency Restructuring Strategy on Financial Performance of Coffee Cooperative Societies in Meru County

This study sought to assess the effect of cost efficiency restructuring strategy on organizational performance of coffee cooperative societies in Meru County. The study was guided by the resource based theory. The research targeted top management team in the 42 coffee cooperative societies in Meru County, the study adopted a descriptive research design with a sample size of 121 participants who were the managers of the cooperatives, the study utilized census to get information from the respondents. The data gathering tools were structured questionnaire including both open-ended and closed-ended questions, as well as a quantitative part using a 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative methods which included measures of central tendency and dispersion such as Mean and standard deviation, as well as inferential statistics were used for data analysis and interpretation. The data collected was presented through; Textual method a narrative description of data gathered and Tabular Method a systematic arrangement of information into columns and rows. Finally, SPSS Version 27 was used to process and analyze the collected data, and its results informed the report's discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. The study established that cost efficiency restructuring had a positive significant relationship with the financial performance of coffee cooperative societies in Meru County. The study concluded that elimination of non-profitable products/services and reduction of inventory, improvement of business strategy through innovation management enhances financial performance. The study recommended that the organization should consider purchase of new equipment to cater for most profitable market niche. The current study suggests that further studies should be done that focus on different turnaround strategies on organizational performance

TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMBATING MECHANICAL IMPURITIES IN A THREE-PHASE SEPARATOR

One of the important activities of oil and gas producing enterprises is to increase production efficiency, reduce specific energy and resource costs in oil production and reduce hydrocarbon losses. Reduction of the repair period of fixed assets, repair or purchase of new equipment contribute to an increase in the cost of oil produced and a decrease in the profitability of production. Therefore, oil companies are forced to look for and take effective measures to reduce sand occurrences and combat its negative impact on the process of oil and gas production.

Participation of parents in the remote teaching process – revealed problems and valuable innovation in the opinion of school principals in the Wielkopolska region (Poland)

The findings presented in this paper are part of the comprehensive research carried out within the “Diversification of Social Attitudes in the Sphere of Educational Services during a Pandemic” project. This study examines the challenges that emerged during remote learning, focusing on parents’ involvement in their children’s learning process, as perceived by school principals. The conclusions are based on questionnaire interviews with principals of 36 randomly selected schools throughout the Wielkopolska region (Poland). The study spanned the second semester of the 2019/2020 school year and the first semester of 2020/2021. Several issues were identified in the interviews, including communication difficulties with students, lack of skills of teachers and students to work remotely, insufficient IT infrastructure at school and home, financial deficits impeding the purchase of new equipment, and a decline in students’ mental health. These problems were primarily related to the family (home) situation of students and the participation of parents in solving these problems. No significant spatial differences were identified with respect to the opinions of school principals from different poviats of the Wielkopolska region. However, differences in opinions were observed depending on the level of the school. A distinctive issue raised mainly by primary school principals was the participation of parents in lessons and their tendency to complete tasks or even write tests for children, as well as the frequent baseless excuses for absences and unfinished tasks. In contrast, principals from both general and vocational secondary schools generally agreed that parental assistance was marginal.

Vertical Line Requirements and North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglement Risk Reduction for the Gulf of Maine American Lobster Fishery

AbstractIn the U.S. western Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis are subject to gear entanglement in fixed‐gear vertical line fisheries, with mortality risk increasing with line strength and spatial density. U.S. federal management agencies have mandated vertical line strength limits (235.033‐kg‐m [1,700‐ft‐lb] breaking strength) to curtail the injury and mortality risk that entanglement poses to right whales. Limiting the strength of vertical lines used in the trap fishery for American lobster Homarus americanus, however, could negatively impact the economic resilience of New England fishing communities if it forces the purchase of new equipment or increases the incidence of break‐offs and lost gear. We provide a novel look at the spatially distinct vertical line strength requirements for the Maine American lobster trap fishery. The hauling load requirements of the fishery were modeled using measurements of strain put on vertical lines used in typical lobster trap operations to determine the minimum strength necessary to fish safely and avoid dangerous line breaks. New regulations on minimum trawl lengths (number of traps fished per vertical line) taking effect in 2022 will cause increases in lobster fishery vertical line loads across all fishing grounds, considerably increasing with depth and distance from shore. Our models indicated that inshore areas can be safely fished with vertical lines within the recommended whale‐safe 235.033‐kg‐m (1,700‐ft‐lb) breaking strength specification, whereas the offshore lobster fishery will need a suite of measures beyond line strength reductions to reduce entanglement risk and mortality of right whales. We provide guidelines for the minimum line strength necessary for fishery operations, which can be used to inform management goals that balance the need for a sustainable lobster fishery and the conservation of right whales.

МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНІ АСПЕКТИ ОБЛІКУ І АУДИТУ ГОТОВОЇ ПРОДУКЦІЇ ТА ЇЇ ЗБУТУ НА ПРОМИСЛОВОМУ ПІДПРИЄМСТВІ

The article analyzes the current state of the Ukrainian and world oil markets. The set of theoretical, organizational and methodological principles of accounting and auditing is clarified to clarify the methodological aspects of accounting and auditing of finished products and their sales. The organization of accounting and auditing of finished products is studied, the directions of improvement of accounting and auditing of finished products and the process of its sale at JSC “Ukrtransnafta” is determined. The analysis of financial and economic indicators of the enterprise showed that almost all indicators of the asset balance of JSC “Ukrtransnafta” during 2019–2020 have positive dynamics. Only the depreciation of fixed assets decreased by 9.8% (due to the purchase of new equipment), other current assets – by 24.5%, long-term receivables – by 19.67% and prepaid expenses – by 61.6 %%. During 2020 other non-current assets increased the most – by 422%, other current receivables increased by 300%, Cash and cash equivalents increased by 234%. Analysis of the structure of the balance sheet asset showed that non-current assets in 2019 amounted to 74.5%, and in 2020 – 81.6%, so non-current assets are the main assets of JSC “Ukrtransnafta”, among which fixed assets are 78.7% in 2019 and 81% in 2020, unfinished capital investments 19.9% in 2019 and 17.8% in 2020. During 2020 other long-term liabilities have undergone the greatest changes. They increased by 400%. Current accounts payable on advances increased by 204%, current income tax liabilities increased by 148%, current liabilities for goods, works and services increased by 110%. Negative dynamics was present in the following indicators: current liabilities in: insurance settlements – decreased by 17.9%, other current liabilities decreased by 16%. A study of the structure of liabilities of the balance sheet showed that the main share of liabilities is equity, in addition, its volume continues to grow: in 2019 equity is 83.2% of the balance sheet currency in 2020 – was already 85.9%. Long-term and current liabilities in 2018 was a little more than 8%, but in 2020. Great Danes increased to 9.5% and short-term decreased to 4.5%. Among equity, the main share in the structure is occupied by Capital in revaluations – 66.3% in 2019 and 62.8% in 2020, on the second position is additional capital – 21.3% in 2019 and 19% in 2020, on the third – retained earnings: 7% in 2019 and 13.4% in 2020. Indicators of net income and cost of goods in general increased during the study period from 2016 to 2020. Among the revenues of JSC “Ukrtransnafta” the main share falls on the income from the sale of goods and services, which averages 78% in recent years. Also quite a significant share of income of JSC “Ukrtransnafta” falls on other operating income, which on average for the period 2016–2019 is 14%, and 2020 – 21%. Analysis of the dynamics of other operating income showed that they grew the most in 2017 (almost 40 times), significantly increased in 2014 (138%) and in 2016 (90%). For internal use, “Ukrtransnafta” JSC proposed to improve analytical accounting for accounts 26 “Finished goods” and 70 “Sales income”, it is recommended to open third and fourth order accounts to these accounts to display information on the type of finished product and its sales. The main transformational adjustments that may occur depending on the characteristics of individual characteristics of finished products and their sales at JSC “Ukrtransnafta” are summarized. Improvement of accounting and audit of finished products and their sales of JSC “Ukrtransnafta” was carried out on the basis of network modeling of finished products and their sales at JSC “Ukrtransnafta”, as a result of which it was found that the duration of audit of finished products and its sales JSC “Ukrtransnafta” is 21 days, it requires 2 auditors. The efficiency ratio of auditors’ working time will be 50%. After the optimization of the location in time of the audit, it amounted to 58.93%, i.e. increased by 8.93% compared to the original version.

Implementation of a Machine Tool Retrofit System

Small and medium-sized companies increasingly turning their attention towards the fourth industrial revolution. In order to increase their own long-term competitiveness, there is a growing desire to make production smarter, more efficient, safer and more sustainable through new technologies. Often, however, existing plants cannot be easily replaced by modern equipment. The reasons for this can be high investment costs, excessive downtimes or the unavailability of an equivalent machine. An alternative solution to the purchase of new equipment is the modernisation or expansion of existing systems, also called retrofitting. Thus, this paper deals with the retrofit process of a machine tool, whereby the software architecture of the control unit is the primary concern of this work.

Kinematics of the disk working body for ground development

High rates of growth in the volume of earthworks in winter, with a lack of funds for the purchase of new equipment, determine the relevance of work to improve the existing and create new working bodies for the development of frozen grounds and snow-ice formations to increase the efficiency of their destruction without increasing the power of the base machine. This can be done by installing a fundamentally new cutting tool in the form of elliptical circular knives on the working bodies. The article deals with the kinematics of an ellipsoidal disk working body. Expressions for determining the displacement, velocity and acceleration of the point of the cutting edge of the disk are obtained analytically. It was found that the points of the cutting edge of the disk move in space along a complex trajectory, and the absolute values of velocity and acceleration are variable parameters. The regularity of the change in the angle of entry of the disk into the ground at different values of the angle of its attachment to the shaft of the working battery was revealed, and the main design and technological parameters were determined and substantiated.

ТЕНДЕНЦИИ ИННОВАЦИОННОГО РАЗВИТИЯОБРАБАТЫВАЮЩИХ ОТРАСЛЕЙ ПРОМЫШЛЕННОСТИ

The emergence of innovative technologies in industry has made a revolution that has contributed to a change in the production and logistics infrastructure, the structure of auxiliary and service subsystems. At the same time, innovative and technological development takes place within the framework of modern trends and concepts, such as Industry 4.0 and digitalization. The important thing here is the creation of smart industries that form their own innovation infrastructure, research program and technology development. Smart factories will integrate the entire supply chain into a single information system, which will be managed using intelligent information technologies. In this connection, it is necessary to assess the level of innovative development of industries within the framework of the Industry 4.0 concept, which includes indicators of innovative activity of enterprises, development and implementation of production technologies, investments in modernization and the purchase of new equipment. The purpose of the article is to identify trends and predict the innovative and technological development of manufacturing enterprises. Achievement of this goal presupposes the solution of the following tasks: study of modern domestic and foreign experience in the innovative development of industrial enterprises; diagnostics of indicators of innovative and technological development by industry; grouping industries by level of development using cluster analysis methods; forecasting trends in the development of manufacturing industries for the future. The article uses methods of descriptive statistics, applied methods of cluster analysis and forecasting methods. The infrastructure for innovative, smart factories and industries is yet to be created. The potential and opportunities for their creation are currently different for each type of production activity. Assessment of the level of innovative development for various types of manufacturing industry can become an effective tool for making management decisions at the state level.

Identificação dos fatores que dificultam a interrupção do coronavírus (COVID-19) no Brasil

A COVID-19 se propaga de forma exponencial, cujas taxas de transmissibilidade apresentam uma ascendência vertical que preocupa o mundo da saúde. O objetivo desse estudo foi o de identificar os fatores que dificultam a interrupção do coronavírus (COVID-19) no Brasil. Revisão integrativa da literatura nas bases de dados PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS e Cochrane. Esta revisão baseou-se nos critérios do cheklist PRISMA. Vinte nove (29) estudos estavam dentro dos critérios estabelecidos. Os temas avaliados foram: taxas de letalidade e parâmetros de transmissibilidade, resposta da vigilância nacional efetiva da doença, propagação dos patógenos humanos do Sars-CoV-2 no cenário mundial e no Brasil e os recursos para interromper a transmissibilidade da patologia. A COVID-19 apresenta uma rápida ascensão e a missão que se atribui aos nossos governantes parece ser a reavaliação para converter a ascensão vertical. Profissionais capacitados à exposição de agentes patogênicos, estratégias de aconselhamento psicológico aos familiares e equipes multidisciplinares com maior preparo dificultam a desaceleração do coronavírus no Brasil. É necessário preconizar o destino das verbas para a capacitação de profissionais e compra de novos equipamentos que permitam o acompanhamento dos resultados no período do dia e/ou no tempo real, uma vez que no atual cenário as taxas de letalidade são ascendentes. Portanto, é de fundamental importância a ação de resguardo à segurança dos profissionais e agilizar a identificação dos pacientes sintomáticos à COVID-19 e dos indivíduos envolvidos, posto que a sua disseminação e/ou celeridade epidemiológica deve ser contida com a mesma força que ela é produzida.

The Hip Arthroscopy Post-less Procedure Impingement (HAPPI) Technique: Achieving Distraction With Standard Hip Tables at Zero Additional Cost

Hip arthroscopy is becoming a more common treatment for femoroacetabular impingement, labral tears, and a variety of other hip pathologies. Unlike arthroscopy of the shoulder and knee, hip arthroscopy requires a significant amount of traction to gain access into the joint. Historically, traction has been achieved with the use of a perineal post. The use of a perineal post in hip arthroscopy can cause several avoidable complications such as neuropraxias (i.e., the pudendal nerve), vaginal or scrotal injuries, and perineal skin injuries. Several articles have been proposed using post-less techniques to obtain hip traction, but many of these techniques are expensive and require the purchase of new equipment. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe a post-less technique for hip arthroscopy, the HAPPI technique (hip arthroscopy post-less procedure impingement), which is more affordable and does not require the addition of any special equipment. In addition, we will review some pearls and pitfalls, as well as advantages and disadvantages of the proposed technique.

Anesthesia departments\u2019 readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic; a nationwide cross-sectional study in Israel

BackgroundThe Coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) brings anesthesiologists and intensive care physicians to the mainstay of clinical workload and healthcare managements’ focus. There are approximately 900 anesthesiologists in Israel, working in non-private hospitals. This nationwide cross-sectional study evaluated the readiness and involvement of anesthesia departments in Israel in management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact on anesthesiologists’ health, workload, and clinical practices were also evaluated.MethodsAn online questionnaire was distributed to all of anesthesia department chairs in Israel on April 14th. Each response was identifiable on the hospital level only. Informed consent was waived since no patient data were collected.ResultsResponse rate was 100%. A decrease of at least 40% in operating-room activity was reported by two-thirds of the departments. Anesthesiologists are leading the treatment of COVID-19 patients in 19/28 (68%) Israeli hospitals. Israel Society of Anesthesiologists’ recommendations regarding intubation of COVID-19 patients were strictly followed (intubations performed by the most experienced available physician, by rapid-sequence induction utilizing video-laryngoscopy, while minimizing the number of people in the room - about 90% compliance for each). Anesthesiologists in most departments use standard personal protective equipment when caring for COVID-19 patients, including N95 masks, face shields, and water-proof gowns. Only one anesthesiologist across Israel was diagnosed with COVID-19 (unknown source of transmission). All department chairs reported emerging opportunities that advance the anesthesia profession: implementation of new technologies and improvement in caregivers’ clinical capabilities (68% each), purchase of new equipment (96%), and increase in research activity (36%).ConclusionsThis nationwide cross-sectional study had a complete response rate and therefore well-represents the anesthesia practice in Israel. We found that Israeli anesthesia departments are generally highly involved in the health system efforts to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Anesthesia and airway management are performed in a remarkably comparable manner and with proper protection of caregivers. Ambulatory anesthesia activity has dramatically decreased, but many departments find opportunities for improvement even in these challenging times.

Quantifying the Acoustic Startle Response in Mice Using Standard Digital Video.

The startle response is an unconditional reflex, characterized by the rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles, to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. It is an especially useful tool in translational research for its consistency across species, simple neural circuitry, and sensitivity to a variety of experimental manipulations. The rodent acoustic startle response is commonly used to study fundamental properties of the central nervous system, including habituation, sensitization, classical conditioning, fear and anxiety, sensorimotor gating, and drug effects. The rodent startle response is typically assessed in stabilimeter chambers, and while these systems are excellent at measuring startle, they are designed only for this sole purpose. In the present study, we used the VideoFreeze system—a widely used tool for studying Pavlovian fear conditioning—to assess the acoustic startle response in freely moving mice. We validated the use of this system to quantify startle response amplitude and prepulse inhibition of startle. This is the first demonstration to date of using standard video in the automated assessment of the acoustic startle response in rodents. We believe that researchers already using the VideoFreeze system will benefit from the additional ability to assess startle without the purchase of new equipment.

Improving Efficiency of Mineral Terminal Performance using Lean Railroading

The purpose of this study is to investigate and identify the waste from the unloading station of mineral cars using the lean thinking approach. In this paper, one of the largest steel producers is investigated as a case study. The time information was collected from the database system of the factory and railway company from April to July 2017. The wastes were identified by using the value stream map, and to reduce the waste, ten solutions have been proposed based on the changes in: (a) operation management; (b) purchase of new equipment; and (c) infrastructure development. Implementation of solutions using the Planimate simulator software shows that the best strategy consists of a combination of three operational management solutions without having to purchase new equipment and without any infrastructure development, which can improve station performance by up to 52% with regards to the total time for the unloading process. In addition, the valuable time of the whole process has been increased from 9 to 19%. This improvement will result in an increase of 21% in the annual turnover of cars to the station destination. As a result, each car annually carries on average 450 tons more freight, in which case the railway’s revenues from carrying iron ore would be increased by 24% for this destination.

Performance based financing and job satisfaction in a semiurban health district in Cameroon.

The performance based financing approach is being tested in four regions of Cameroon, including the Littoral region. Our study aimed to study the effects associated with the implementation of the performance based financing approach within the health facilities based in the health district of Edea in the Littoral region in Cameroon. We’ve carried out a crosssectional analytical study among 178 health personnel from 21 health facilities under PBF-contract within the health district of Edea. We have studied their sociodemographic characteristics, the individual and collective effects resulting from the performance based financing subsidies and the level of job satisfaction. Participants’ job satisfaction was measured with the French version of the Minnesota satisfaction scale. The results were presented in a descriptive and analytical form at the alpha = 5% and the P-value 5%. We recruited 113 women and 65 men. The mean age was 39.19 ± 8.95 years. The individual results of the performance based financing were the regular collection of subsidies between F CFA 20-40.000 (42.1%), the improvement of working conditions (74.2%) and living conditions (67.4%) and the acquisition of new skills (69.7%). Collectively, participants confirmed the increase of the users attendance (65.7%), the improvement of the internal organization (79.8%), the purchase of new equipment (84.3%) and the improved quality of health care (86%). Satisfaction is influenced by age (P=0.016), gender (P=0.01), occupational category (P=0.04), type of health facility (P=0.02) and the amount of subsidies (P=0.03). The healthcare personnel’s were satisfied with the improvement of their social conditions (66.67%), working conditions (62.88%), the transparency in health centers management (69%) and their involvement in the health centers’ functioning (76.6%). Participants were dissatisfied with their salaries (70.2%) and the lack of opportunities for advancement (47.8%). The positive effects of the performance based financing approach contributed to the job satisfaction of the healthcare workers in the Edea health district. These results should prompt the government to extend the performance based financing approach to communities and other health districts in Cameroon.