Resources Items Research Articles

Implementing Industry-Inspired Quality Practices in Healthcare: A Study From the Pathology Department of the University Hospital Center of Tangier.

In Morocco's public health sector, scientific research has produced only theoretical models of quality, with empirical studies sometimes producing practical recommendations. In contrast, benchmarks from the industrial sector demonstrate a much smoother and more effective implementation of a quality culture. This article considers practices inspired by the quality culture in the industrial sector, applying them in the Department ofPathological Anatomy and Cytology (ACP) of the University Hospital Center of Tangier (CHUT). The ACP department has demonstrated a strong commitment to fostering a dynamic quality culture in its professional activities, focusing on the advancement and regulation of pathology techniques to enhance procedures and deliver accurate diagnoses to patients. This approach could facilitate the implementation of quality systems management that would earn certification and/or accreditation. Our methodology applied the "Plan-Do-Check-Act" and "Standardize-Do-Check-Act" models to analyzethe initial quality and compare this with the Join Commission International standards chosen by CHUT. We then planned the implementation of corrective actions for each deviation and verified the efficiency of the action plan, and finally maintained a dynamic cycle.There was an implementation score of 60% in two years, mainly starting with the development and implementation of risk analysis for all activities of laboratory development and the implementation of specific Key Performance IndicatorsKPI and specific methods to manage all human resources items.

Anarchy and Higher Trade Equilibrium: A Study of the Russian Old Believer Monasteries

This paper argues that anarchic communities may breach the dichotomy of anarchy and low level of trade versus the state and a high level of trade. In particular, some anarchic groups may favourably leverage the very fact of their statelessness and turn it into a competitive advantage, enabling a shift to a higher level of trade. In this vein, integration into the state is undesirable as it deprives the community of this competitive advantage and may move it to a lower trade equilibrium. To prove my hypothesis, I provide an account of the contemporary Russian old believer monasteries, located deep in the Siberian taiga. These monasteries continue to remain anarchic well into the 21st century, as their stateless existence gives them a claim to spiritual purity. This enables these monasteries to provide spiritual services to the old believers who are considered religiously impure after integrating into the state. Joining the Russian state would thus deprive the old believer monasteries of their claim to spiritual purity and, by extension, their ability to trade, rendering such action undesirable. As a result, the old believer monasteries remain stateless, while securing a high level of trade with the state-integrated old believers. This is evidenced by the presence of modern equipment, high tech goods, and significant financial resources—items that would be impossible to obtain in the taiga without extensive economic exchange.

Mitigating primary care provider burnout with interdisciplinary dyads and shared care delivery.

Increased incidence of chronic illnesses coupled with physician shortages have yielded strain on primary care provider (PCP) to meet care demands. Interdisciplinary providers have increasingly been embedded into primary care teams to alleviate some workload demand. Little evidence exists about the impact of interdisciplinary PCP care delivery models on provider strain in primary care. To determine the impact of interdisciplinary PCP care delivery on burnout, job satisfaction and intention to leave current position. We conducted a cross-sectional mail survey using Dillman methodology of primary care practices (e.g., internal medicine) across New York State. A random sample of interdisciplinary PCPs (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) (n = 333) responded. The Provider Comanagement Index (α = 0.85) was used to measure how well interdisciplinary dyads comanagement care delivery attributes (effective communication; mutual respect and trust; shared philosophy of care). Provider outcomes were measured with validated Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Health Resources and Services Administration items for burnout, job satisfaction and intention to leave position. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression models, crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated, controlling for participant and practice characteristics. Almost 30% of participants reported burnout with three times the odds of intending to leave their current position within 1 year. With each unit increase in effective comanagement between interdisciplinary dyads there was 15% less burnout and 10% less odds of intention to leave position. Incorporating interdisciplinary specialties in primary care appears promising to alleviate some adverse provider outcomes. Organizations contemplating delivery models to promote well-being and retention may consider comanagement. Cost effectiveness research is needed to determine financial sustainability of interdisciplinary care delivery.

The Degree of Academic Leaders’ Practice of Excellence Management in Jordanian Public and Private Universities from the Faculty Members' Viewpoint

This study aimed to identify the degree of academic leaders’ practice of excellence management in public and private Jordanian universities (Yarmouk University, University of Science and Technology, Al Al-Bayt University, Irbid National University, Jadara University, and Jerash University) from the faculty members’ viewpoint. The descriptive survey method was adopted and to achieve the objectives of the study, a questionnaire was built to measure the degree of practicing excellence management consisting of (32) items distributed into (4) areas: leadership (10) items, policies, and strategies (5) items, human resources (5) items, and partnerships and resources (12) items. The study population consisted of all the (2077) faculty members in the Jordanian public and private universities in the first semester of the academic year 2020/2021. Where the study sample consisted of (405) academics who constitute (19%) of the study population. and were selected by a random stratified method. The results showed that the overall degree of academic leaders' practicing of excellence management in the public and private Jordanian universities was moderate, and the order of the areas on the scale was respectively as follows; Partnerships and Resources, leadership, Policies and strategies, and human resources, and that all of these areas came at a moderate degree. The results also showed that there were statistically significant differences at the level of statistical significance (α = 0.05) between the estimates of respondents in all areas (leadership, policies and strategies, human resources, partnerships, and resources) attributable to the difference in; the gender variable in favor of males, academic rank in favor of the professor, and the type of university in favor of public universities. Regarding these results, the researcher recommends giving more attention to the Department of Excellence, especially in the field of leadership, as well as the inclusion of Excellence Management as a basic criterion of performance quality standards in Jordanian public and private universities.

Modelling the disorder in workplace based on a multi-agent simulation and a game theory

Abstract There are many different meanings related to the problem of mess (disorder). Although most of them relate to philosophical or social areas, this article presents an engineering view of the concept of mess. The multi-agent modeling was used to describe the real situation in an office (or more generally - workplace). In a real situation, collaborators use shared resources (items in the room, such as office supplies). If colleagues constantly change the location of individual items, they create a mess in which not everyone can find themselves. To present such situation, a computer simulation was used. There are several independent agents with decision-making ability. They carry out their move dependent on used tactic. Tactics are considered according to, widely known, a game theory. The degree of disorder of the system is inspected by the value of entropy. Moreover, the number of attempts to access objects and the time needed to locate them are considered. Many numerical experiments were performed to check the stability of the prepared model. The engineering aspect of mess analysis, through computer simulation, allows you to observe the phenomenon and draw conclusions for the future.

Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) prefers postharvest reed beds during winter period in Yancheng National Nature Reserve.

Reed beds represent an important habitat for the survival of birds by providing favorable foraging and reproduction conditions. Reed management, as a traditional agricultural activity, primarily includes water level control and vegetation removal by cutting. Red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) is one of the most endangered cranes, and their population continues to decline due to habitat loss caused by artificial activities. A lack of research relating to how reed management affects crane habitat distribution patterns throughout the wintering period hinders our ability to offer conservation recommendations. In the present study, we explored the effect of reed management on the habitat distribution patterns and analyzed the food resources of red-crowned crane in the Yancheng National Nature Reserve (YNNR). According to the reed management activities in December, we divided the wintering period into two phases: the preharvest period and the postharvest period. Throughout the wintering period, the number of cranes recorded in the common seepweed (Suaeda glauca) tidal flats remained stable, but cranes were rarely recorded in the smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) tidal flats and aquaculture fish ponds. The number of cranes, however, showed a noticeable fluctuation in the reed beds during the two periods. Before the reed harvest, only a small proportion of cranes were recorded in the reed beds (relative abundance = 2.9%). However, more cranes (relative abundance = 61.0%) were recorded after the reed harvest. Water was introduced from adjacent rivers and fish ponds to submerge the cut reed beds. Changes in potential animal food resources (items and biomass) might be one of the vital reasons for the preference of cranes to the postharvest reed beds. Our results suggest that traditional reed management in the YNNR could benefit this flagship crane species that winters in the wetland system. However, as reed harvest has been forbidden in the core zone for conservation purposes since 2016, further research is needed to verify whether forbidding the harvest of reeds is reasonable.

Applying modern measurement approaches to constructs relevant to evidence-based practice among Canadian physical and occupational therapists

BackgroundEvidence-based practice (EBP) is a complex process. To quantify it, one has to also consider individual and contextual factors using multiple measures. Modern measurement approaches are available to optimize the measurement of complex constructs. This study aimed to develop a robust measurement approach for constructs around EBP including practice, individual (e.g. knowledge, attitudes, confidence, behaviours), and contextual factors (e.g. resources).MethodsOne hundred eighty-one items arising from 5 validated EBP measures were subjected to an item analysis. Nominal group technique was used to arrive at a consensus about the content relevance of each item. Baseline questionnaire responses from a longitudinal study of the evolution of EBP in 128 new graduates of Canadian physical and occupational therapy programmes were analysed. Principles of Rasch Measurement Theory were applied to identify challenges with threshold ordering, item and person fit to the Rasch model, unidimensionality, local independence, and differential item functioning (DIF).ResultsThe nominal group technique identified 70/181 items, and modified Delphi approach identified 68 items that fit a formative model (2 related EBP domains: self-use of EBP (9 items) and EBP activities (7 items)) or a reflective model (4 related EBP domains: attitudes towards EBP (17 items), self-efficacy (9 items), knowledge (11 items) and resources (15 items)). Rasch analysis provided a single score for reflective construct. Among attitudes items, 65% (11/17) fit the Rasch model, item difficulties ranged from − 7.51 to logits (least difficult) to + 5.04 logits (most difficult), and person separation index (PSI) = 0.63. Among self-efficacy items, 89% (8/9) fit the Rasch model, item difficulties ranged from − 3.70 to + 4.91, and PSI = 0.80. Among knowledge items, 82% (9/11) fit the Rasch model, item difficulties ranged from − 7.85 to 4.50, and PSI = 0.81. Among resources items, 87% (13/15) fit the Rasch model, item difficulties ranged from − 3.38 to 2.86, and PSI = 0.86. DIF occurred in 2 constructs: attitudes (1 by profession and 2 by language) and knowledge (1 by language and 2 by profession) arising from poor wording in the original version leading to poor translation.ConclusionsRasch Measurement Theory was applied to develop a valid and reliable measure of EBP. Further modifications to the items can be done for subsequent waves of the survey.

Developing a Psychometric Instrument to Measure Physical Education Teachers’ Job Demands and Resources

ABSTRACTBased on the job demands–resources model, the study developed and validated an instrument that measures physical education teachers’ job demands–resources perception. Expert review established content validity with the average item rating of 3.6/5.0. Construct validity and reliability were determined with a teacher sample (n = 397). Exploratory factor analysis established a five-dimension construct structure matching the theoretical construct deliberated in the literature. The composite reliability scores for the five dimensions range from .68 to .83. Validity coefficients (intraclass correlational coefficients) are .69 for job resources items and .82 for job demands items. Inter-scale correlational coefficients range from –.32 to .47. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity with high dimensional factor loadings (ranging from .47 to .84 for job resources scale and from .50 to .85 for job demands scale) and adequate model fit indexes (root mean square error of approximation = .06). The instrument provides a tool to measure physical education teachers’ perception of their working environment.

Investigating the impact of resources items of Pasargad Bank on its liquidity

Investigating the impact of resources items of Pasargad Bank on its liquidity

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Data Warehouse (DW) is one of the solutions for decision-making process in a business organization. But it only stores data for managerial purpose and it has no intelligent mechanism for decision making. For improving the process of decision making and searching Data Warehouse (DW) of the medical resources (items), where this study includes an application on a Data Warehouse (DW) of medical resources (items).In this paper, we merged the fuzzy rule with cluster index technique. where The proposed technique is named Fuzzy Cluster Index technique (FCI) to improve and speed up Queries fuzzy rule and process of decision making and management medical (items), The performance evaluation of three data warehouse queries is focused in this paper by comparing with Fuzzy cluster index technique (FCI), Fuzzy Rule and Index-based Apriori Algorithm to observe the results of variable size dataset with respect to time. Eventually, the designed system was constructed and executed by using (C# version 2010) which is a visual and object oriented programming language. This proves the efficiency of the proposed system for improving searching in Data Warehouse (DW) and the decision support system for the medical items in a perfect way.

Material Resources and Children’s Subjective Well-Being in Eight Countries

The objective of this research is to examine the relationship between children’s perception of their available material resources and their subjective well-being. Participants (n = 13,953) resided in eight countries and were largely female (57 %), between the ages of 10–14 (M = 12.05; SD = 0.59). Each child completed a culturally appropriate country-survey that included demographic information and validated measures from the International Survey of Children’s Well-Being project (ISCIWeB), which included the Student’s Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) and material resources items. We tested a relational model for predicting subjective well-being and applied structural equation modelling (SEM) to the data. Results indicated that children in Uganda had limited access to material resources and the lowest average of well-being. Together with Algeria and South Africa, Uganda also had the strongest associations between the access to material resources and the SLSS. Even with access to all material resources evaluated, well-being scores are also lower in the case of South Korea, probably due to the so-called “Asian bias”. Children from Israel, Brazil, Spain, and England were similar in their levels of satisfaction and well-being. Our model fit the data well and revealed significant relationships between material resources and child subjective well-being in each country. Preliminary results underscore the importance of assessing material well-being in children and highlight the role material resources have in influencing children’s subjective well-being, especially in cases of children experiencing severe resource deprivation. Our model warrants further testing to replicate and extend our findings. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Materials and Resources Items in Green Building Certification in Korea: Critiques and Suggestions

In this study, critiques and suggestions on the materials and resources items in the current green building certification system in Korea. The green building certification system in Korea for promoting the construction of high-energy-efficiency buildings use. Korean green building certification system are based on the marks obtained from the Energy Efficiency Index Report.

Index to Volumes 11–20

Entries are arranged in a single alphabetical list, with items indexed by volume and inclusive page numbers (11:35–67). Names of Authors are in capital and small capital letters. Titles of articles are reproduced as they appeared, followed by the last name of the author in parentheses. Alphabetization ignores initial articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. Each article is listed by title, last name of (fi rst) author, approximately fi ve subject categories, and appropriate place-names. Where articles had more than one author, secondary authors are listed by last name only, with cross-references to the primary author. Dialogue and Resources items are indexed as articles. Political Reviews are listed under the name of the political entity and the last name of the author. Titles of books are in italics. Place-names (mostly of political units or regions) are in boldface type. Books reviewed are listed only by last name of (fi rst) author, fi lms by the name of the producer, and exhibits by the name of the museum or gallery, with the last name of the reviewer in parentheses following the book, fi lm, or exhibit title, and cross-references from the reviewer.

Solution techniques for a crane sequencing problem

In the areas of power plant maintenance, shipyard and warehouse management, resources (items) assigned to locations need to be relocated. It is essential to develop efficient techniques for relocating items to new locations using a crane such that the sum of the cost of moving the items and the cost of loading/unloading the items is minimised. This problem is defined as the crane sequencing problem (CSP). Since the CSP determines the routes for a crane to relocate items, it is closely related to some variants of the travelling salesman problem. However, the CSP considers the capacities of locations and intermediate drops (i.e. preemptions) during a multiple period planning horizon. In this article, a mathematical model and hybrid ant systems are developed for the CSP. Computational experiments were conducted to evaluate the performances of the proposed techniques, and results show that the proposed heuristics are effective.