Background:Limited mental health literacy(MHL)among university service providers is a significant obstacle to effective psychological support.Developing and systematically assessing evidence-based interventions is an ...Background:Limited mental health literacy(MHL)among university service providers is a significant obstacle to effective psychological support.Developing and systematically assessing evidence-based interventions is an urgent priority,particularly in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs).This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Acceptance&Commitment to Empowerment:Linking Youths AND‘Xin’(Hearts)(ACE-LYNX)intervention in reducing stigma,improving psychological well-being,and enhancing the MHL and empowerment practices of university mental health providers in China.Methods:A total of 124 trained providers participated in this longitudinal study.Quantitative data were collected at baseline,immediately post-intervention,and three-month follow-up using the validated scale(CAMI,DASS-21)and weekly activity logs recording empowerment practices.Generalized estimating equations(GEEs)and qualitative content analysis were used for data analysis.Results:Quantitative analysis showed a significant reduction in stigma immediately postintervention,particularly in the Social Restriction subscale(β=1.35,p<0.001),though this effect diminished by the 3-month follow-up(β=1.80,p=0.001).Notably,a lasting reduction in the providers’stress levels was maintained.Activity logs showed the highest level of engagement at the individual level(51.4%),followed by group level(32.0%),organizational level(10.5%),and community level(6.1%).Qualitative analysis revealed three themes:Skill-based empowerment enhances professional efficacy,embedded interventions expand service boundaries,and organizational empowerment fosters sustainability.Conclusions:This dual-focus ACE-LYNX intervention effectively improved MHL and both attitudinal and functional competencies among providers.It provides a scalable framework for fostering sustainable and inclusive campus mental health ecosystems,with significant implication for enhance psychological services in resource-constrained educational settings.展开更多
Background:Community-based first responders face high levels of workplace stressors that can pro-foundly impact their physical and mental health.Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in decreasing stress ...Background:Community-based first responders face high levels of workplace stressors that can pro-foundly impact their physical and mental health.Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in decreasing stress and increasing psychological resilience;however,implementation is difficult due to unpredictability of the job,department culture,and generational preferences.The objective of this qualitative study was to identify and enhance understanding of the specific needs and potential barriers and facilitators for the implementation of mindfulness-based programming for community-based first responders.Methods:A phenomenological qualitative study design was used to gain insights into the lived experiences of first responders and elicit perceptions regarding barriers and facilitators for engaging in mindfulness activities.During virtual semi-structured interviews,eleven career firefighters and emergency medical service(EMS)providers offered feedback relative to worksite mindfulness practices,and the use of a stress reduction smartphone application.The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to guide the analysis relative to barriers and facilitators of implementation success and sustainability.Results:First responders expressed openness to mindfulness-based interventions and a smartphone app that would provide stress reduction content,however,they were adamant that programming needed to be accessible and easily integrated into their workday.They also reinforced that organizational culture and leadership support for their health and well-being were overarching factors essential for implementation success.Conclusions:First responders were supportive of evidence-based mindfulness practices,optimally developed and/or facilitated by someone with intimate knowledge of their unique work environments and challenges.Organizational culture and leadership support were essential for implementation success and sustainability.展开更多
Through the analysis on the meanings and features as well as the ad- vantages of the third-party logistics for agricultural products, the quantization index system for the selection of third-party logistics providers ...Through the analysis on the meanings and features as well as the ad- vantages of the third-party logistics for agricultural products, the quantization index system for the selection of third-party logistics providers for agricultural products was constructed based on the system comprehensive evaluation theory. Analytic hierar- chy process (AHP) was used to determine the weight of the index system of each level, and AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method were used to determine the selection steps for the third-party logistics providers for agricultural products. The method was proved to be scientific and reasonable through calculation examples.展开更多
Both conflict and asymmetric information exist betweenthe telecom operators and the service provider,and result in illegal behaviors of the service provider.The relationship between the telecom operators andthe servic...Both conflict and asymmetric information exist betweenthe telecom operators and the service provider,and result in illegal behaviors of the service provider.The relationship between the telecom operators andthe service provider is classical multi-task principalagentrelationship. The multi-task incentive for theservice provider is considered in the design of theprincipal-agent incentive contract, and it is necessaryto add the multi-task incentive to the serviceproviders through the analysis of the risk costs andthe agency costs of this problem.展开更多
Understanding the dynamic traffic and usage characteristics of data services in cellular networks is important for optimising network resources and improving user experience.Recent studies have illustrated traffic cha...Understanding the dynamic traffic and usage characteristics of data services in cellular networks is important for optimising network resources and improving user experience.Recent studies have illustrated traffic characteristics from specific perspectives,such as user behaviour,device type,and applications.In this paper,we present the results of our study from a different perspective,namely service providers,to reveal the traffic characteristics of cellular data networks.Our study is based on traffic data collected over a five-day period from a leading mobile operator's core network in China.We propose a Zipf-like model to characterise the distributions of the traffic volume,subscribers,and requests among service providers.Nine distinct diurnal traffic patterns of service providers are identified by formulating and solving a time series clustering problem.Our work differs from previous related works in that we perform measurements on a large quantity of data covering 2.2 billion traffic records,and we first explore the traffic patterns of thousands of service providers.Results of our study present mobile Internet participants with a better understanding of the traffic and usage characteristics of service providers,which play a critical role in the mobile Internet era.展开更多
This paper examines the perception of adolescents on the attitudes of providers on their access and use of reproductive health services (ARHS) in Delta State, Nigeria, with a view of assessing the impact of providers...This paper examines the perception of adolescents on the attitudes of providers on their access and use of reproductive health services (ARHS) in Delta State, Nigeria, with a view of assessing the impact of providers’ attitude on the use of adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State. The study adopted a survey design to collect primary data using questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs) from adolescents in a sample of schools. A sample size of 1500 respondents was taken from 12 schools in six Local Government Areas in three Senatorial Districts in Delta State, Nigeria. The locations of the schools were such that six each were in rural and urban communities respectively. The result from the study was that unfriendly attitudes of providers which keep adolescents waiting, inadequate duration of consultations, judgmental attitudes of some providers, lack of satisfactory services provision and lack of confidentiality will put off adolescents from accessing and using adolescents’ reproductive health services irrespective of their sex, age, class, religion, residence, ethnic group, parents’ education or income levels. The paper concludes that medical personnel take all these issues very seriously when dealing with adolescents to enhance access and use adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State and indeed Nigeria.展开更多
<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Introduction:</strong></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span> <span style="font-family:Verdana;"...<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Introduction:</strong></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of mortalities attributable to an infectious disease. In a private sector-driven health system such as Nigeria, the private health providers are very important stakeholders in tuberculosis diagnosis and management. Unfortunately, there are few data on the level of contribution of these private health providers to the case finding and notification of tuberculosis in Nigeria. Consequently, this study assessed the contribution of the private providers to the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis under the Global Fund Private Public Mix New Funding Model (2<sup></sup></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><sup>nd</sup></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> phase) grant (GF PPM NFM2) in the four implementing states of south west Nigeria. <b></b></span><b><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Materials and Methods:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></b></span><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">This is a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of the NFM2 programme implementation data collected between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Data was extracted from the routine registers such as the presumptive TB registers;treatment register of the private health facilities engaged for PPM activities between 2019 and 2020. The data was entered and analyzed using Microsoft excel package. The variables were summarized using appropriate charts and table. <b></b></span><b><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></b></span><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Concerning the percentage contribution of the Global Fund Private Public Mix (GF PPM) grant to the total state TB case notification, majority of the implementing states show some progressive rise in the contribution of GF PPM to State TB case notification as the grant implementation progressed. Furthermore, at the initial period of the grant implementation, the health facilities seemed to have generate</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">d</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> majority of the cases. However, as the grant implementation progressed, the PPMVs were responsible for the diagnosis of majority of the cases. <b></b></span><b><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></b></span><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">As the grant progressed, there was a progressive increase in the number of presumptive TB cases as well as in the number of notified cases of tuberculosis attributable to private provider engagement.</span></span></span>展开更多
Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UASs) have advanced technologically and surged exponentially over recent years. Currently, due to safety concerns, most civil operations of UAS are conducted in low-level uncontrolled area or...Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UASs) have advanced technologically and surged exponentially over recent years. Currently, due to safety concerns, most civil operations of UAS are conducted in low-level uncontrolled area or in segregated controlled airspace. As the industry progresses, both operational and technological capabilities have matured to the point where UASs are expected to gain greater freedom of access to both controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Extensive technical and regulatory surveys have been conducted to enable the expanded operations. However, most surveys are derived from the perspective of UAS own operating mechanism and barely consider interactions of their non-segregated activities with the Air Traffic Management(ATM) system. Hence, to fill the gap, this paper presents a survey conducted from the perspective of Air Navigation Service Provider(ANSP), which serves to accommodate these new entrants to the overall national airspace while continuing flight safety and efficiency. The primary objectives of this paper are to:(A) describe what typical ANSP-supplied UAS Traffic Management(UTM) architecture is required to facilitate all types of civil UAS operations;(B) identify three major ANSP considerations on how UAS can be accommodated safely in civil airspace;(C) outline future directions and challenges related with UAS operations for the ANSP.展开更多
Background: Healthcare Providers’ knowledge and practice of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) management are essential to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. PPH is a public health problem due to the high maternal mor...Background: Healthcare Providers’ knowledge and practice of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) management are essential to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. PPH is a public health problem due to the high maternal mortality (MM) associated with it worldwide (25%). Improving the quality of PPH management is a major challenge in low-income countries where, despite the progress made in its management, PPH remains a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. Objective: We will evaluate the level of knowledge and practices of providers in the PPH management in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Methods: This study will be descriptive and cross-sectional. The minimum sample size will be 86. Our study population will consist of delivery room care providers. Results will be reported as percentage proportion and mean plus or minus standard deviation. Comparisons of means between groups will be made using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s chi-square test. The test will be statistically significant for a p value 0.05. Data will be collected and processed anonymously and confidentially. Conclusion: Improving quality of care must be a priority in obstetrics. This evaluation requires us to determine the level of knowledge and practices of providers in the PPH management in Kinshasa.展开更多
This paper mainly studies the problem of multi-task assignment of providers in port logistics service supply chain.As a core enterprise,port plays the role of logistics service integrator.With the continuous developme...This paper mainly studies the problem of multi-task assignment of providers in port logistics service supply chain.As a core enterprise,port plays the role of logistics service integrator.With the continuous development of industrial integration,logistics service providers not only provide one kind of logistics service,but also develop into composite suppliers who capable of providing a variety of logistics services.This paper studies the task assignment problem of multi-service capability providers in the port logistics service supply chain.The two-stage logistics service provider task assignment model was built,which is based on the mixed evaluation method(including MOORA and FMEA)and the multi-objective planning method.Eventually,the effectiveness of the model method was verified by combining with an example.展开更多
The catalytic desulfurization of a model organic sulfurous compound n-butyl-sulfide in a fixed bed microreactor is studied in the presence of catalyst and a hydrogen provider. The experimental results show that the ap...The catalytic desulfurization of a model organic sulfurous compound n-butyl-sulfide in a fixed bed microreactor is studied in the presence of catalyst and a hydrogen provider. The experimental results show that the appropriate reaction conditions are: a mixed catalyst of HZSM-5 zeolite and Co-Mo/Al2O3-TiO2, a reaction temperature of 300℃, atmosphere pressure, a feed speed of 50 mL/h and a mass hourly space velocity of 3.0 h^-1 A higher catalytic property and desulfurization efficiency of the mixed catalyst of HZSM-5 zeolite and Co-Mo/Al2O3-TiO2 is achieved. The adsorption and desulfurization efficiency of the FCC gasoline from Shenghua Refinery, which is affiliated to China University of Petroleum (East China), is 53.0 %.展开更多
Studies investigating the relationship between size and performance of water service providers are abundant. Yet, this relationship has not been fully addressed in Palestinian water sector, particularly, after the iss...Studies investigating the relationship between size and performance of water service providers are abundant. Yet, this relationship has not been fully addressed in Palestinian water sector, particularly, after the issuance of water law 2014 which calls for merging water providers into large regional utilities. This research evaluates the significant effect of the size of Palestinian water service providers on non-revenue water, staff productivity, collection efficiency, average consumption, average price, operating and maintenance cost, working ratio, and gross profit. The multivariate analysis shows that there are significant differences in working ratio, non-revenue water, staff productivity, average price, and gross profit based on the size. On the other side, no significant differences have been found in average daily consumption, operating and maintenance cost per unit, and collection efficiency based on those providers’ size. The small service providers perform better in non-revenue water, staff productivity, and collection efficiency;wherein, large service providers are more profitable than small service providers. Implications of these findings by conducting further studies will add the value for better merging of the Palestinian water providers and the reforming process.展开更多
Objective: There is strong evidence supporting the impact of health care provider advice on patients’ smoking behavior. This paper examines adult smoker reports of health care provider smoking cessation interventions...Objective: There is strong evidence supporting the impact of health care provider advice on patients’ smoking behavior. This paper examines adult smoker reports of health care provider smoking cessation interventions. Design: The 2010 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS) is a random digit dial telephone survey with 7057 Minnesota adults. Both landline and mobile telephone samples were included. These samples were combined and weighted to represent the population of adults in Minnesota. Results: Among adult Minnesotans, 16.1% were current smokers, 80.9% reported seeing a health care provider in the past 12 months and 80.2% of those adults were asked if they smoke. Among smokers who saw any provider in the past 12 months, 94.4% reported they were asked about smoking and 71.8% were advised not to smoke. In contrast, 43.9% of smokers received referrals from a health care provider and among those, 37.5% were recommended medications and 24.8% were referred to a quit smoking program. Conclusion: Given the large body of evidence supporting cessation interventions by health care providers, the increase in use of electronic medical records and the availability and success of evidence-based cessation programs, efforts to improve rates of identifying and treating each tobacco user are needed. Further research is needed to explore how cessation intervention responsibilities can be shared among the clinical team and integrated into ongoing clinical care.展开更多
The provision of high-quality medical care has become a key challenge in many countries. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that the early detection of chronic diseases can reduce mortality rates. Therefor...The provision of high-quality medical care has become a key challenge in many countries. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that the early detection of chronic diseases can reduce mortality rates. Therefore, it is important to identify service needs which influence to participate in health screening. To date, little research has been conducted into the perspectives of service providers on this topic. In this preliminary study, we aimed to explore the perspectives of service providers who work in a community-based setting in order to identify perceived barriers to chronic disease screening and incentives which can increase participation rates. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 experienced health service providers from October 2017 to December 2017. Interviewees included physicians and community health representatives who had been working in a community-based health screening service for at least 3 years. The study identified several aspects of health screening services for chronic diseases that are in need of improvement, including a shortage of appropriate health service providers, inadequate attendance promoting measures, a lack of continually accessible and affordable medical services, healthcare professionals who possess inadequate communication skills, and rural-urban health care disparities. Service providers believe that current services do not fulfill community needs. Older adults who live in rural areas experience especially significant screening-related health disparities, which are mainly affected by structural service barriers. To improve the quality of medical services, healthcare screening services should be evaluated according to the perspectives of both participants and service providers.展开更多
Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore rural/urban differences in service providers’ perceptions of challenges and facilitators to services for children with special health care needs (CSHN) an...Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore rural/urban differences in service providers’ perceptions of challenges and facilitators to services for children with special health care needs (CSHN) and their families in southeast Georgia. Methodology: A total of 23 individual interviews were conducted with service providers in one rural county in southeast Georgia (N = 12) and in one urban county in north central Georgia (N = 11). Interviews were based on the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs 2009-2010 survey. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and coded with the intent of identifying themes and illustrative quotes. Findings: Service providers discussed a variety of challenges to accessing services related to socioeconomic status and the transition out of the school system. Urban and rural service providers’ perceptions were similar overall, with the exception of lack of transportation and access to a variety of services in rural area. Service providers overcome challenges through identifying parents’ needs and limitations and adapting service provision. Some of the facilitators mentioned by both urban and rural service providers are availability of transportation and resources. Practical Implications: The results of this study provide public health practice and policy implications that could guide the pathways of targeted interventions to improve the access and availability of variety of services for CSHCN. Originality/value of paper: This paper represents an in-depth exploration of service provider’s perceptions of challenges and facilitators related to service provision for children with special healthcare needs.展开更多
A hybrid intelligent approach is proposed to help the decision maker to select the appropriate third-party reverse logistics provider. The following process is included: firstly,the evaluation team is established to d...A hybrid intelligent approach is proposed to help the decision maker to select the appropriate third-party reverse logistics provider. The following process is included: firstly,the evaluation team is established to determine the selection criteria and evaluate them by triangular fuzzy numbers; secondly,calculate the weight of criteria by the proposed hybrid algorithm integrating particle swarm optimization( PSO) and simulated annealing( SA); then, the performance evaluation for each supplier is predicted by the proposed self-feedback neural network( SFBNN) based on the historical data. A numerical example is also presented to interpret the methodology above.展开更多
Background: Despite restrictive abortion law in Nigeria, women still seek abortion services. Restrictive policies on abortion make it difficult for safe and legal abortion to be obtained. Hence, abortion is provided o...Background: Despite restrictive abortion law in Nigeria, women still seek abortion services. Restrictive policies on abortion make it difficult for safe and legal abortion to be obtained. Hence, abortion is provided on clandestine basis in some private health facilities, and where the cost of such service is prohibitory, women resort to unsafe methods, including visiting quacks and self medication, resulting in severe complications including death. In Nigeria, little is known about the personal and professional attitudes of individuals who are currently providing abortion services. Exploring the factors which determine health care providers’ involvement in or disengagement from abortion services may facilitate improvement in the planning and provision of future services. Methods: Data were collected using qualitative research methods. Thirty-six in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion were conducted between January 2010 and July 2010 with health care providers who were involved in a range of abortion services provision in theWestern Nigeria. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results: Complex patterns of service delivery were prevalent throughout many of the health care facilities. Fragmented levels of service provision operated in order to accommodate health care providers’ willingness to be involved in different aspects of abortion provision. Closely linked with this was the urgent need expressed by many providers for liberalization of abortion laws inNigeriain order to create a supportive environment for both clients and providers. Almost all providers were concerned about the numerous difficulties women faced in seeking an abortion and their general quality of care. An overriding concern was poor pre and post abortion counselling including contraceptive counselling and provision. Conclusion: This is the first known qualitative study undertaken in Nigeria exploring providers’ attitudes towards abortion and it adds to the body of information addressing the barriers to safe abortion services. In order to provide an enabling environment and sustain a pool of abortion service providers, a drastic change in Nigerian abortion laws is mandatory, after which policies that both attract prospective abortion service providers and retain existing ones can be developed.展开更多
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,grant 81761128033)the Canadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR,FRN 154986)through the Collaborative Health Program of the Global Alliance for Chronic Disease(GACD).
文摘Background:Limited mental health literacy(MHL)among university service providers is a significant obstacle to effective psychological support.Developing and systematically assessing evidence-based interventions is an urgent priority,particularly in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs).This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Acceptance&Commitment to Empowerment:Linking Youths AND‘Xin’(Hearts)(ACE-LYNX)intervention in reducing stigma,improving psychological well-being,and enhancing the MHL and empowerment practices of university mental health providers in China.Methods:A total of 124 trained providers participated in this longitudinal study.Quantitative data were collected at baseline,immediately post-intervention,and three-month follow-up using the validated scale(CAMI,DASS-21)and weekly activity logs recording empowerment practices.Generalized estimating equations(GEEs)and qualitative content analysis were used for data analysis.Results:Quantitative analysis showed a significant reduction in stigma immediately postintervention,particularly in the Social Restriction subscale(β=1.35,p<0.001),though this effect diminished by the 3-month follow-up(β=1.80,p=0.001).Notably,a lasting reduction in the providers’stress levels was maintained.Activity logs showed the highest level of engagement at the individual level(51.4%),followed by group level(32.0%),organizational level(10.5%),and community level(6.1%).Qualitative analysis revealed three themes:Skill-based empowerment enhances professional efficacy,embedded interventions expand service boundaries,and organizational empowerment fosters sustainability.Conclusions:This dual-focus ACE-LYNX intervention effectively improved MHL and both attitudinal and functional competencies among providers.It provides a scalable framework for fostering sustainable and inclusive campus mental health ecosystems,with significant implication for enhance psychological services in resource-constrained educational settings.
文摘Background:Community-based first responders face high levels of workplace stressors that can pro-foundly impact their physical and mental health.Mindfulness-based interventions have shown promise in decreasing stress and increasing psychological resilience;however,implementation is difficult due to unpredictability of the job,department culture,and generational preferences.The objective of this qualitative study was to identify and enhance understanding of the specific needs and potential barriers and facilitators for the implementation of mindfulness-based programming for community-based first responders.Methods:A phenomenological qualitative study design was used to gain insights into the lived experiences of first responders and elicit perceptions regarding barriers and facilitators for engaging in mindfulness activities.During virtual semi-structured interviews,eleven career firefighters and emergency medical service(EMS)providers offered feedback relative to worksite mindfulness practices,and the use of a stress reduction smartphone application.The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to guide the analysis relative to barriers and facilitators of implementation success and sustainability.Results:First responders expressed openness to mindfulness-based interventions and a smartphone app that would provide stress reduction content,however,they were adamant that programming needed to be accessible and easily integrated into their workday.They also reinforced that organizational culture and leadership support for their health and well-being were overarching factors essential for implementation success.Conclusions:First responders were supportive of evidence-based mindfulness practices,optimally developed and/or facilitated by someone with intimate knowledge of their unique work environments and challenges.Organizational culture and leadership support were essential for implementation success and sustainability.
基金Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province(2011GXNSFB018061)the High-grade Scientific Research(Cultivation)Program of Qinzhou University(2014PY-SJ03,2014PY-SJ01)~~
文摘Through the analysis on the meanings and features as well as the ad- vantages of the third-party logistics for agricultural products, the quantization index system for the selection of third-party logistics providers for agricultural products was constructed based on the system comprehensive evaluation theory. Analytic hierar- chy process (AHP) was used to determine the weight of the index system of each level, and AHP and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method were used to determine the selection steps for the third-party logistics providers for agricultural products. The method was proved to be scientific and reasonable through calculation examples.
文摘Both conflict and asymmetric information exist betweenthe telecom operators and the service provider,and result in illegal behaviors of the service provider.The relationship between the telecom operators andthe service provider is classical multi-task principalagentrelationship. The multi-task incentive for theservice provider is considered in the design of theprincipal-agent incentive contract, and it is necessaryto add the multi-task incentive to the serviceproviders through the analysis of the risk costs andthe agency costs of this problem.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.61072061the 111 Project of China under Grant No.B08004the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant No.2013RC0114
文摘Understanding the dynamic traffic and usage characteristics of data services in cellular networks is important for optimising network resources and improving user experience.Recent studies have illustrated traffic characteristics from specific perspectives,such as user behaviour,device type,and applications.In this paper,we present the results of our study from a different perspective,namely service providers,to reveal the traffic characteristics of cellular data networks.Our study is based on traffic data collected over a five-day period from a leading mobile operator's core network in China.We propose a Zipf-like model to characterise the distributions of the traffic volume,subscribers,and requests among service providers.Nine distinct diurnal traffic patterns of service providers are identified by formulating and solving a time series clustering problem.Our work differs from previous related works in that we perform measurements on a large quantity of data covering 2.2 billion traffic records,and we first explore the traffic patterns of thousands of service providers.Results of our study present mobile Internet participants with a better understanding of the traffic and usage characteristics of service providers,which play a critical role in the mobile Internet era.
文摘This paper examines the perception of adolescents on the attitudes of providers on their access and use of reproductive health services (ARHS) in Delta State, Nigeria, with a view of assessing the impact of providers’ attitude on the use of adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State. The study adopted a survey design to collect primary data using questionnaires and focus group discussions (FGDs) from adolescents in a sample of schools. A sample size of 1500 respondents was taken from 12 schools in six Local Government Areas in three Senatorial Districts in Delta State, Nigeria. The locations of the schools were such that six each were in rural and urban communities respectively. The result from the study was that unfriendly attitudes of providers which keep adolescents waiting, inadequate duration of consultations, judgmental attitudes of some providers, lack of satisfactory services provision and lack of confidentiality will put off adolescents from accessing and using adolescents’ reproductive health services irrespective of their sex, age, class, religion, residence, ethnic group, parents’ education or income levels. The paper concludes that medical personnel take all these issues very seriously when dealing with adolescents to enhance access and use adolescents’ reproductive health services in Delta State and indeed Nigeria.
文摘<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Introduction:</strong></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">Tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of mortalities attributable to an infectious disease. In a private sector-driven health system such as Nigeria, the private health providers are very important stakeholders in tuberculosis diagnosis and management. Unfortunately, there are few data on the level of contribution of these private health providers to the case finding and notification of tuberculosis in Nigeria. Consequently, this study assessed the contribution of the private providers to the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis under the Global Fund Private Public Mix New Funding Model (2<sup></sup></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><sup>nd</sup></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> phase) grant (GF PPM NFM2) in the four implementing states of south west Nigeria. <b></b></span><b><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Materials and Methods:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></b></span><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">This is a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of the NFM2 programme implementation data collected between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. Data was extracted from the routine registers such as the presumptive TB registers;treatment register of the private health facilities engaged for PPM activities between 2019 and 2020. The data was entered and analyzed using Microsoft excel package. The variables were summarized using appropriate charts and table. <b></b></span><b><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></b></span><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Concerning the percentage contribution of the Global Fund Private Public Mix (GF PPM) grant to the total state TB case notification, majority of the implementing states show some progressive rise in the contribution of GF PPM to State TB case notification as the grant implementation progressed. Furthermore, at the initial period of the grant implementation, the health facilities seemed to have generate</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">d</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> majority of the cases. However, as the grant implementation progressed, the PPMVs were responsible for the diagnosis of majority of the cases. <b></b></span><b><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></b></span><b> </b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">As the grant progressed, there was a progressive increase in the number of presumptive TB cases as well as in the number of notified cases of tuberculosis attributable to private provider engagement.</span></span></span>
基金co-supported by the Outstanding Youth Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61822102)the MIIT Technological Base Program (No. JSZL2016601B003)the National Key Research and Development Program (No. 2018YFB0505105)。
文摘Unmanned Aircraft Systems(UASs) have advanced technologically and surged exponentially over recent years. Currently, due to safety concerns, most civil operations of UAS are conducted in low-level uncontrolled area or in segregated controlled airspace. As the industry progresses, both operational and technological capabilities have matured to the point where UASs are expected to gain greater freedom of access to both controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Extensive technical and regulatory surveys have been conducted to enable the expanded operations. However, most surveys are derived from the perspective of UAS own operating mechanism and barely consider interactions of their non-segregated activities with the Air Traffic Management(ATM) system. Hence, to fill the gap, this paper presents a survey conducted from the perspective of Air Navigation Service Provider(ANSP), which serves to accommodate these new entrants to the overall national airspace while continuing flight safety and efficiency. The primary objectives of this paper are to:(A) describe what typical ANSP-supplied UAS Traffic Management(UTM) architecture is required to facilitate all types of civil UAS operations;(B) identify three major ANSP considerations on how UAS can be accommodated safely in civil airspace;(C) outline future directions and challenges related with UAS operations for the ANSP.
文摘Background: Healthcare Providers’ knowledge and practice of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) management are essential to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. PPH is a public health problem due to the high maternal mortality (MM) associated with it worldwide (25%). Improving the quality of PPH management is a major challenge in low-income countries where, despite the progress made in its management, PPH remains a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. Objective: We will evaluate the level of knowledge and practices of providers in the PPH management in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Methods: This study will be descriptive and cross-sectional. The minimum sample size will be 86. Our study population will consist of delivery room care providers. Results will be reported as percentage proportion and mean plus or minus standard deviation. Comparisons of means between groups will be made using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s chi-square test. The test will be statistically significant for a p value 0.05. Data will be collected and processed anonymously and confidentially. Conclusion: Improving quality of care must be a priority in obstetrics. This evaluation requires us to determine the level of knowledge and practices of providers in the PPH management in Kinshasa.
文摘This paper mainly studies the problem of multi-task assignment of providers in port logistics service supply chain.As a core enterprise,port plays the role of logistics service integrator.With the continuous development of industrial integration,logistics service providers not only provide one kind of logistics service,but also develop into composite suppliers who capable of providing a variety of logistics services.This paper studies the task assignment problem of multi-service capability providers in the port logistics service supply chain.The two-stage logistics service provider task assignment model was built,which is based on the mixed evaluation method(including MOORA and FMEA)and the multi-objective planning method.Eventually,the effectiveness of the model method was verified by combining with an example.
文摘The catalytic desulfurization of a model organic sulfurous compound n-butyl-sulfide in a fixed bed microreactor is studied in the presence of catalyst and a hydrogen provider. The experimental results show that the appropriate reaction conditions are: a mixed catalyst of HZSM-5 zeolite and Co-Mo/Al2O3-TiO2, a reaction temperature of 300℃, atmosphere pressure, a feed speed of 50 mL/h and a mass hourly space velocity of 3.0 h^-1 A higher catalytic property and desulfurization efficiency of the mixed catalyst of HZSM-5 zeolite and Co-Mo/Al2O3-TiO2 is achieved. The adsorption and desulfurization efficiency of the FCC gasoline from Shenghua Refinery, which is affiliated to China University of Petroleum (East China), is 53.0 %.
文摘Studies investigating the relationship between size and performance of water service providers are abundant. Yet, this relationship has not been fully addressed in Palestinian water sector, particularly, after the issuance of water law 2014 which calls for merging water providers into large regional utilities. This research evaluates the significant effect of the size of Palestinian water service providers on non-revenue water, staff productivity, collection efficiency, average consumption, average price, operating and maintenance cost, working ratio, and gross profit. The multivariate analysis shows that there are significant differences in working ratio, non-revenue water, staff productivity, average price, and gross profit based on the size. On the other side, no significant differences have been found in average daily consumption, operating and maintenance cost per unit, and collection efficiency based on those providers’ size. The small service providers perform better in non-revenue water, staff productivity, and collection efficiency;wherein, large service providers are more profitable than small service providers. Implications of these findings by conducting further studies will add the value for better merging of the Palestinian water providers and the reforming process.
文摘Objective: There is strong evidence supporting the impact of health care provider advice on patients’ smoking behavior. This paper examines adult smoker reports of health care provider smoking cessation interventions. Design: The 2010 Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS) is a random digit dial telephone survey with 7057 Minnesota adults. Both landline and mobile telephone samples were included. These samples were combined and weighted to represent the population of adults in Minnesota. Results: Among adult Minnesotans, 16.1% were current smokers, 80.9% reported seeing a health care provider in the past 12 months and 80.2% of those adults were asked if they smoke. Among smokers who saw any provider in the past 12 months, 94.4% reported they were asked about smoking and 71.8% were advised not to smoke. In contrast, 43.9% of smokers received referrals from a health care provider and among those, 37.5% were recommended medications and 24.8% were referred to a quit smoking program. Conclusion: Given the large body of evidence supporting cessation interventions by health care providers, the increase in use of electronic medical records and the availability and success of evidence-based cessation programs, efforts to improve rates of identifying and treating each tobacco user are needed. Further research is needed to explore how cessation intervention responsibilities can be shared among the clinical team and integrated into ongoing clinical care.
文摘The provision of high-quality medical care has become a key challenge in many countries. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that the early detection of chronic diseases can reduce mortality rates. Therefore, it is important to identify service needs which influence to participate in health screening. To date, little research has been conducted into the perspectives of service providers on this topic. In this preliminary study, we aimed to explore the perspectives of service providers who work in a community-based setting in order to identify perceived barriers to chronic disease screening and incentives which can increase participation rates. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 experienced health service providers from October 2017 to December 2017. Interviewees included physicians and community health representatives who had been working in a community-based health screening service for at least 3 years. The study identified several aspects of health screening services for chronic diseases that are in need of improvement, including a shortage of appropriate health service providers, inadequate attendance promoting measures, a lack of continually accessible and affordable medical services, healthcare professionals who possess inadequate communication skills, and rural-urban health care disparities. Service providers believe that current services do not fulfill community needs. Older adults who live in rural areas experience especially significant screening-related health disparities, which are mainly affected by structural service barriers. To improve the quality of medical services, healthcare screening services should be evaluated according to the perspectives of both participants and service providers.
文摘Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore rural/urban differences in service providers’ perceptions of challenges and facilitators to services for children with special health care needs (CSHN) and their families in southeast Georgia. Methodology: A total of 23 individual interviews were conducted with service providers in one rural county in southeast Georgia (N = 12) and in one urban county in north central Georgia (N = 11). Interviews were based on the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs 2009-2010 survey. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and coded with the intent of identifying themes and illustrative quotes. Findings: Service providers discussed a variety of challenges to accessing services related to socioeconomic status and the transition out of the school system. Urban and rural service providers’ perceptions were similar overall, with the exception of lack of transportation and access to a variety of services in rural area. Service providers overcome challenges through identifying parents’ needs and limitations and adapting service provision. Some of the facilitators mentioned by both urban and rural service providers are availability of transportation and resources. Practical Implications: The results of this study provide public health practice and policy implications that could guide the pathways of targeted interventions to improve the access and availability of variety of services for CSHCN. Originality/value of paper: This paper represents an in-depth exploration of service provider’s perceptions of challenges and facilitators related to service provision for children with special healthcare needs.
基金Project of the Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology,China(No.12DZ1510000)
文摘A hybrid intelligent approach is proposed to help the decision maker to select the appropriate third-party reverse logistics provider. The following process is included: firstly,the evaluation team is established to determine the selection criteria and evaluate them by triangular fuzzy numbers; secondly,calculate the weight of criteria by the proposed hybrid algorithm integrating particle swarm optimization( PSO) and simulated annealing( SA); then, the performance evaluation for each supplier is predicted by the proposed self-feedback neural network( SFBNN) based on the historical data. A numerical example is also presented to interpret the methodology above.
文摘Background: Despite restrictive abortion law in Nigeria, women still seek abortion services. Restrictive policies on abortion make it difficult for safe and legal abortion to be obtained. Hence, abortion is provided on clandestine basis in some private health facilities, and where the cost of such service is prohibitory, women resort to unsafe methods, including visiting quacks and self medication, resulting in severe complications including death. In Nigeria, little is known about the personal and professional attitudes of individuals who are currently providing abortion services. Exploring the factors which determine health care providers’ involvement in or disengagement from abortion services may facilitate improvement in the planning and provision of future services. Methods: Data were collected using qualitative research methods. Thirty-six in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion were conducted between January 2010 and July 2010 with health care providers who were involved in a range of abortion services provision in theWestern Nigeria. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results: Complex patterns of service delivery were prevalent throughout many of the health care facilities. Fragmented levels of service provision operated in order to accommodate health care providers’ willingness to be involved in different aspects of abortion provision. Closely linked with this was the urgent need expressed by many providers for liberalization of abortion laws inNigeriain order to create a supportive environment for both clients and providers. Almost all providers were concerned about the numerous difficulties women faced in seeking an abortion and their general quality of care. An overriding concern was poor pre and post abortion counselling including contraceptive counselling and provision. Conclusion: This is the first known qualitative study undertaken in Nigeria exploring providers’ attitudes towards abortion and it adds to the body of information addressing the barriers to safe abortion services. In order to provide an enabling environment and sustain a pool of abortion service providers, a drastic change in Nigerian abortion laws is mandatory, after which policies that both attract prospective abortion service providers and retain existing ones can be developed.