Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can ECOWAS Regional Reserve Project improve the management of food crises in West Africa

The Regional Reserve Project (now RR Project) is a project developed by the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) with the aim of improving the management of food crises in the region. The RR project encompasses three components: building a Regional Food Security Reserve (now RR), increasing the level of national PS and improving of the cooperation between national PS. The RR will be made of grains (millets-sorghum, maize, rice, enriched cereals) and “gari” (milled cassava) and used to back national tools of ECOWAS Member States when they are facing a food crisis. The RR project is not implemented yet but the framework is ready and the institutions are in place. The first purchases of grain are currently on-going.
How Service Quality Variability Hurts Revenue When Customers Learn: Implications for Dynamic Personalized Pricing

Most service settings involve some degree of variability in the quality of customers’ experiences. An understudied mechanism is analyzed by which this variability can reduce firm revenues when customers do not know true service quality but rather learn about that quality over time based on their experiences. Essentially, customers get stuck with low-quality opinions and low purchase likelihoods after unusually bad experiences. However, high-quality opinions after unusually good experiences are quickly corrected. The authors show that dynamic pricing can help mitigate this effect. Specifically, if the firm can set individual prices so that each customer perceives the same surplus, then the variability impact is entirely eliminated. They also demonstrate that simpler heuristics similar to those observed in practice (requiring less information and pricing flexibility) can partially mitigate the revenue loss.
Orthognathic and secondary cleft reconstruction of adolescent patients with cleft palate.

: Midfacial reconstruction in adolescent patients with cleft palates is becoming increasingly practiced through a multidisciplinary approach that includes surgical, orthodontic, and prosthetic treatment. Four general types of cleft palate deformities in adolescents are discussed in terms of treatment. These include bilateral midfacial hypoplasia, unilateral midfacial hypoplasia, alveolar incompetence, and soft tissue incompetencies. The surgical treatment and associated considerations are presented.
Effects of scaling high frequency transformer parameters

A new thermal reference model provides the foundation for a more flexible approach to design and optimization, forcing uninterrupted coherence between electromagnetic behavior and predefined thermal conditions. Design and optimization of HF magnetic components usually involves a number of trade-offs between performance functions. This investigates the relationships between some of these factors by direct implementation of the thermal reference model and practical reference data. Performance, in terms of maximum power rating, power density, total losses, efficiency and leakage impedance, are determined as a function of scaling transformer parameters, while controlling the temperature rise simultaneously.
Prophylaxis with fondaparinux versus enoxaparin against venous thromboembolism after major orthopaedic surgery

Objective: Patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery face considerable risk of venous thromboembolic complications (VTE). Fondaparinux (Arixtra®) is a new antithrombotic agent, which is indicated for VTE prophylaxis. This report presents cost-effectiveness analysis of fondaparinux compared with enoxaparin, the most common prophylaxis of VTE. The cost-effectiveness of short-term duration (one week) prophylaxis as well as prolonged prophylaxis (four weeks) with fondaparinux versus enoxaparin are examined here. Methods: The models used in the analyses are developed to simulate the impact of prophylaxis with fondaparinux compared with enoxaparin after major orthopaedic surgery. The short-term model examines the cost-effectiveness of fondaparinux in patients undergoing total knee replacement, total hip replacement and hip fracture surgery. The second model examines the impact of extended prophylaxis following hip fracture surgery, and extrapolates the results in patients undergoing total hip replacement. Data: The analysis is based on Norwegian data, which include about 55.000 patients who underwent major orthopaedic surgery in the period from 1999 to 2001. All cost estimates in the models are based on the Norwegian unit costs. Results: The results from clinical outcomes show that in general, fondaparinux compared with enoxaparin is the more effective drug in terms of preventing VTE-events (deep vein thrombosis, fatal and not fatal pulmonary embolism). By day 90 after surgery, fondaparinux is expected to avoid additional 194 VTE-events after total knee replacement, 146 events after total hip replacement and 249 events after hip fracture surgery per 10.000 patients compared to enoxaparin. Extended prophylaxis with fondaparinux prevents 217 and 273 VTE-events per 10.000 patients following total hip replacement and hip fracture surgery respectively compared to enoxaparin at 90 days follow-up time. Short-term prophylaxis with fondaparinux is also more cost-effective than enoxaparin. From day 30 onward, fondaparinux is cost saving after major orthopaedic surgeries. Fondaparinux is also highly cost saving with respect to incremental costs per VTE avoided, VTE-related deaths avoided and costs per life-year gained. However, in the case of extended prophylaxis, fondaparinux is the higher cost alternative relative to enoxaparin, but the cost difference decreases over time. The sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the main results.
Caracterización clínica de los pacientes con síndrome mielodisplásico Clinical characterization of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

Objective: to describe the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics and quality of life of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Design: a descriptive cross-sectional study. Framework: Hospital San Jose de Bogota (fourth level institution). Population: thirty-nine patients diagnosed with MDS, older than 18 years, obtained in the statistics department. Main measurements: frequency of clinical and sociodemographic variables and quality of life measured by FACT-G scale. Results: the mean age was 74 years, with male predominance. The most frequent diagnosis was type mutilineage MDS dysplasia, and the most prevalent cytopenia was anemia. Most patients were classified as very low risk or low risk by IPSS-R and WPSS scale and low-risk and intermediate risk -1by IPSS and MDACC scale. Progression to acute myeloid leukemia occurred in 7.69%, while mortality occurred in 15.38%. There was a higher incidence of death and transformation to leukemia in patients classified as high risk. The quality of life was lower in patients with anemia and was higher in the MDS-(del5q).
The Pricing Performance of Market Advisory Services in Corn and Soybeans Over 1995-2003

The purpose of this research report is to evaluate the pricing performance of market advisory services for the 1995-2003 corn and soybean crops. Market and farmer benchmarks are developed for the performance evaluations. Two market benchmarks are specified in order to test the fragility of performance results to changing benchmark assumptions. The 24-month market benchmark averages market prices for the entire 24-month marketing window. The 20-month market benchmark is computed in a similar fashion, except the first four months of the marketing window are omitted. The farmer benchmark is based upon the USDA average price received series for corn and soybeans in Illinois. The same assumptions applied to advisory program track records are used when computing the market and farmer benchmarks. Four basic indicators of performance are applied to advisory program prices and revenues over 1995-2003. Test results provide little evidence that advisory programs as a group outperform market benchmarks, particularly after considering risk. The evidence is somewhat more positive with respect to the farmer benchmark, even after taking risk into account. For example, the average advisory return relative to the farmer benchmark is $7 per acre with only a negligible increase in risk. While this return is small it nonetheless represents a non-trivial increase in net farm income per acre for grain farms in Illinois. Test results also suggest that it is difficult to usefully predict the year-to-year pricing performance of advisory programs based on past pricing performance. However, there is some evidence that performance is more predictable over longer time horizons, particularly at the extremes of performance rankings.
Staff planning optimisation : Company X

Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu Tampere University of Applied Sciences International Business SANTERI SORASAHI: Staff Planning Optimisation Bachelor's thesis 37 pages, appendices 1 page January 2018 The purpose of this research was to find out how the staff planning at Company X is perceived and how it could be further improved in the sales function. The objective was to find new staff planning strategies and to do a case study on one of the store's departments. With the case study department, a new rota was planned together with the department and a follow-up planned. Parts of this thesis are bound to secrecy and are not published. The data for this thesis was collected using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Surveys and open discussion were used with the case study department of 10 people. A total of 11 people were interviewed for the general part of this research. The interviews were semi-structured interviews. There was no ready-made set of questions, but rather a framework of themes discussed with the interviewees. The major findings of this research were that the duty rosters should be available in an electronic format as well as the forms related to it, such as day off wishes and shift switches. It was also found out that the competence of the co-workers should be developed in order to being able to back up sick leaves and help with sudden queues. All managers should also go through their department's rota with the co-workers for hour allocation optimisation. This thesis provides the starting point for staff planning optimisation at Company X. The results will be discussed and analyzed together with the store's management group and all the managers in sales, and an action plan will be made. It would be interesting and recommended to conduct a similar research for other functions, too. This thesis can be used as a basis for similar researches at different companies in the future. hrm, staff planning, hour allocation, competence development
Ethnobotany and ethnoconservation of Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa

The paper highlights the ethnobotany and ethnoconservation of Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa, generally known as Bael. Of 66 ethnobotanical uses of bael documented, 48 were found to be medicinal and 18 were of other ethnobotanical purposes. The importance of bael in ethnomedicine and for religious purposes is of utmost significance. Almost all parts of bael tree are used in preparing herbal medicine. The most common use of bael is to cure the gastrointestinal disorders. Historically, certain ethnoconservation norms have been set-aside with a view to conserve such an important tree species for its long-term sustainability.
The role of the therapeutic alliance and its relationship to treatment outcome and client motivation in an adolescent substance abuse treatment setting.

DARCHUK, ANDREW J., Ph.D., June 2007, Clinical Psychology THE ROLE OF THE THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO TREATMENT OUTCOME AND CLIENT MOTIVATION IN AN ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT SETTING (195 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Timothy M. Anderson While motivation and therapeutic alliance have been found to be influential factors in the outcome of substance abuse treatment for adult populations, comparatively little is known about the potential impact of these variables on outcomes in adolescent substance abuse treatment. The present study examined the relationships between motivation and readiness for treatment, therapeutic alliance, treatment compliance, and outcome variables in a sample of adolescents in residential substance abuse treatment. Eighty-one adolescents participated in the study, in which they completed self-report measures of motivation and readiness prior to treatment, therapeutic alliance measures during treatment, and ratings of psychiatric problem severity and depressive symptomatology before and after their treatment episodes. Results indicated that initial alliance, as rated by clients or counselors on an adapted form of the Working Alliance Inventory (Horvath, 1981), was not associated with measures of treatment outcome, including discharge status, change in psychiatric symptoms, and clinician ratings of progress at discharge. Higher initial client-rated alliances were associated with fewer instances of severely inappropriate behavior over the course of treatment. However, positive counselor-rated alliance ratings obtained after session six of individual therapy significantly predicted greater progress in the treatment program and reductions in psychiatric problem severity as measured by the Ohio Youth Problem, Functioning, and Satisfaction Scale (Ogles, et al., 2000). Client-reported pre-treatment levels of problem recognition were negatively associated with client-rated alliance after session six of individual therapy, while high levels of treatment readiness predicted client ratings of the alliance at the same time point. In addition, high levels of problem recognition were associated with clients’ poor compliance with program rules over the course of treatment. Despite mixed findings, these results provide preliminary evidence that high levels of treatment readiness and positively-rated alliances are likely important factors in the successful treatment of adolescent substance abusers. The implications of the present findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. Approved: Timothy M. Anderson Associate Professor of Psychology
Soft Motivators for Organizations

Abstract Motivation is directly linked to satisfaction and performance and higher the motivation higher the outcomes. The traditional theory of motivation categorizes a group of motivators which can be called the hard motivators because of their random, indirect and impersonal effects. The soft motivators identified in the motivational processes of organization are so-called because of their individualized, subtle and customized use. Soft motivators target the individual’s interpersonal, intellectual, emotional, personal growth and transpersonal needs. No doubt hard motivators have its place in the organization as they are concerned with the basic physiological and related needs and the significance of soft motivators stem from the functioning of higher order needs.
A study on IT employees responses to motivational practices in IT companies

Information Technology (IT) industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India as elsewhere in the world. It has made its mark in the international markets. IT employees have contributed a great deal to this success story. Motivation is the driving force behind the quality output. The present study attempts to understand the motivational practices of IT industry in the city of Bangalore which is the hub in supply of IT products all over the globe. 510 software employees from 36 companies are surveyed. The data was analyzed using SPSS 17.0 statistical software. Statistical techniques adopted are descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, multivariate analysis and others. Among other things the study finds that the software engineers agree / strongly agree that Clean Work Place, Autonomy and Promotion, Safety & Grievance Handling, Reputation for Job, Making & Training, Manager–Subordinate Relationship, Fringe Job Employee-employee relationship & friends/relatives view, Work Life Balance & Intrinsic motivation, and Pay & Income as the motivational factors that motivates them.
Health Informatics in Developing Countries: A Review of Unintended Consequences of IT Implementations, as They Affect Patient Safety and Recommendations on How to Address Them

Summary Background: Patient safety concerns every healthcare organization. Adoption of Health information technology (HIT) appears to have the potential to address this issue, however unanticipated and undesirable consequences from implementing HIT could lead to new and more complex hazards. This could be particularly problematic in developing countries, where regulations, policies and implementations are few, less standandarized and in some cases almost non-existing. Methods: Based on the available information and our own experience, we conducted a review of unintended consequences of HIT implementations, as they affect patient safety in developing countries. Results: We found that user dependency on the system, alert fatigue, less communications among healthcare actors and workarounds topics should be prioritize. Institution should consider existing knowledge, learn from other experiences and model their implementations to avoid known consequences. We also recommend that they monitor and communicate their own efforts to expand knowledge in the region.
Federal Contracting Strategies for Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Businesses

Federal Contracting Strategies for Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Businesses by Ryan Letts MS, American Intercontinental University, 2009 BS, American Intercontinental University, 2007 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University June 2018 Abstract Access to federal contracts is often a challenge for service-disabled, veteran-owned business (SDVOB) leaders because of business size and competition in the environment. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore the strategies that 5 SDVOB leaders from 5 different businesses in the Northeastern United States used to win federal contracts. Porter’s generic strategies for competitive advantage was theAccess to federal contracts is often a challenge for service-disabled, veteran-owned business (SDVOB) leaders because of business size and competition in the environment. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to explore the strategies that 5 SDVOB leaders from 5 different businesses in the Northeastern United States used to win federal contracts. Porter’s generic strategies for competitive advantage was the conceptual framework for the study. Five company leaders who won $1 million or more in federal contracts were contacted from the Vendor Information Pages database of the Department of Veterans Affairs to participate in the study. Data were collected via semistructured interviews and archival documents. Data analysis consisted of compiling the data, coding for emergent and a priori codes, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting the meaning, and reporting the themes (strategies). Eight themes regarding winning federal contracts emerged. The eight themes were process improvement/optimization, understanding requirements, preventing trial and error, personalizing services, understanding the client, access to external capital/resources, understanding the procurement process, and forward-planning. SDVOB leaders may use the results of this study to secure larger contracts in less time by adopting successful strategies that have won federal contracts. Positive social change implications include the potential for further empowerment, success, and profitability of SDVOBs, as well as other minority-owned firms. Further success of SDVOBs may provide long-term employment and increased tax revenue for communities. Federal Contracting Strategies for Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Businesses
Identifying stable coronary plaques with OCT technology

This article discusses the current value of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for the assessment of stable coronary lesions. OCT generates intracoronary images with unprecedented image resolution, namely a 10‐fold higher image resolution compared to conventional intravascular ultrasound. OCT is able to visualize a variety of atherosclerotic plaques features that have been associated with rapid lesion progression and clinical events. There is broad agreement that the detailed, easy accessible, and interpretable information of OCT on the presence of atherosclerosis, its extent, lumen narrowing, as well as on the result of any interventional measure can be of clinical value, at least in individual patients and in specific clinical scenarios. Preliminary data indicate that OCT can change the operator's intention‐to‐treat and modify the overall revascularization strategy, potentially avoiding unnecessary interventional procedures. OCT might be efficient in complex interventions including treatment of long lesions, diffuse disease, bifurcations, as well as in all cases of angiographically ambiguous lesions. As such, OCT might emerge, next to its undisputed position in research, as tool of choice in all clinical scenarios where angiography is limited by its nature as two‐dimensional luminogram.
The effect of protection upon the behaviour and performance of firms

This thesis examines the idea that removing protection can improve the performance of the formerly protected industry. Using a principal-agent framework it is shown that a reduction in protection can, under certain circumstances, cause managerial effort to be increased and that this increase in effort can be seen as a welfare improvement. A simple decision-theoretic model is used to show that it is possible for an investment in a cost-reducing technology to be rejected while the protection is in place but then accepted once the protection is removed. The issue of whether a reduction in protection on intermediate goods can affect product quality is analysed using a Nash bargaining model. Plausible cases are shown where a protection reduction results in improved product quality. A Nash bargaining model is also used to analyse the relationship between the protected firm and its unionized workforce. It is shown that the easing of an import quota can result in the union agreeing to the elimination of some restrictive work practices. Both Spence-Dixit and Milgrom and Roberts type models are used to show that changes in protection can affect a domestic incumbent’s choice as to whether to deter or accommodate entry.
Folk remedies against rheumatic disorders in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra

The paper deals with 26 species of angiosperms belonging to 20 families employed against rheumatic disorders by aboriginal and rural folks of Jalgaon district. The folkloric information about their vernacular names, plant product or parts used, form of application and method of administration, etc. are gathered. The data accrued is compared with the available literature. Eight plants species are new reports to treat rheumatism. Three other plant species are described in other parts of India but different plant parts are used. Further research on modern scientific line is necessary to improvise their efficacy, safety and validation of the traditional knowledge.