scholarly journals Uncertainty Reduction Through Data Management in the Development, Validation, Calibration, and Operation of a Hurricane Vulnerability Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 790-806
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Pinelli ◽  
Josemar Da Cruz ◽  
Kurtis Gurley ◽  
Andres Santiago Paleo-Torres ◽  
Mohammad Baradaranshoraka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Epistemic Uncertainty ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Hazard Exposure ◽  
Hurricane Vulnerability ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Catastrophe Models

AbstractCatastrophe models estimate risk at the intersection of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Each of these areas requires diverse sources of data, which are very often incomplete, inconsistent, or missing altogether. The poor quality of the data is a source of epistemic uncertainty, which affects the vulnerability models as well as the output of the catastrophe models. This article identifies the different sources of epistemic uncertainty in the data, and elaborates on strategies to reduce this uncertainty, in particular through identification, augmentation, and integration of the different types of data. The challenges are illustrated through the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model (FPHLM), which estimates insured losses on residential buildings caused by hurricane events in Florida. To define the input exposure, and for model development, calibration, and validation purposes, the FPHLM teams accessed three main sources of data: county tax appraiser databases, National Flood Insurance Protection (NFIP) portfolios, and wind insurance portfolios. The data from these different sources were reformatted and processed, and the insurance databases were separately cross-referenced at the county level with tax appraiser databases. The FPHLM hazard teams assigned estimates of natural hazard intensity measure to each insurance claim. These efforts produced an integrated and more complete set of building descriptors for each policy in the NFIP and wind portfolios. The article describes the impact of these uncertainty reductions on the development and validation of the vulnerability models, and suggests avenues for data improvement. Lessons learned should be of interest to professionals involved in disaster risk assessment and management.

scholarly journals Improving Janitorial Contract Performance with Facility Management Performance Scorecards

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhaval Gajjar ◽  
Jake Smithwick ◽  
Kenneth Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Facility Manager ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Performance

ABSTRACT Facility Manager (FM) role requires expertise in various aspects of facility maintenance. Due to the diverse job functions as an FM, outsourcing and hiring external vendors is a common practice in the industry to gain additional expertise. Since a facility manager oversees the external vendor's contract and the performance of the external vendor directly affects the quality of a facility, the FM's performance is ultimately related to the performance of the outsourcing company. Hence, it is critical to measure performance and the quality of the services provided by the outsourcing company. One of the FM's at a corporation (XYZ Corporation) was faced with a challenge of low performance and poor quality on their outsourced janitorial contract. The literature review revealed that there has been very little research done with regard to outsourcing of the janitorial contract. In order to address the challenge of XYZ Corporation a performance measurement model was implemented using performance Scorecards at XYZ Corporation for janitorial contracts. The Scorecard was developed based on the previous experience of the FM group, the researchers and the specific areas targeted by XYZ Corporation that were part of janitorial vendors responsibility. This paper presents the impact of the performance measurement model on the quality and performance of the janitorial vendor and its expansion to other outsourcing contractors based on the lessons learned from the janitorial contracts. The study revealed that the implementation of a performance measurement model resulted in an overall improvement of the performance of janitorial vendor and the contractors.

scholarly journals Health hazards as a consequence of the poor technical condition of vehicles in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 47-50
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Wojtysiak ◽  
Ewa Zieliński ◽  
Tomasz Wojsz
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Technical Condition ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: This is a review to assess the health hazards resulted from the poor technical condition of vehicles in Ghana. In developing countries, the number of vehicles involved in road traffic is systematically increasing. The health consequences of road accidents are a crucial public concern. Methodology: The PubMed and Google scholar search were used to find literature for this analysis. The following keywords were taken into consideration in this paper: health hazards, technical conditions, vehicles, accidents, developing countries, Ghana. The analysis has been done by the systematic review analysis method. The articles were selected in terms of the health hazards resulting from the poor technical condition of vehicles in Ghana and its effects on road safety. Twenty papers were being reviewed. Main findings: The quality of vehicles on Ghanaian roads is low. Most of the cars are old. For economic reasons, users often use substandard products to repair cars. Poor-quality, non-original, mismatched parts can lead to an accident. The technical condition of vehicles affects the safety of road users. The security of citizens should be an essential goal of the state. Inspections of the technical condition of cars, especially in public transport, should be strengthened and the frequency increased. Implications: Based on the analysis of the publications, it was assessed that there is no current literature on technical problems of vehicles in Ghana, with particular emphasis on public transport. This is an essential topic for the security of citizens and should be investigated, analyzed, and lessons learned without delay. Novelty in this study: There is a lack of systematic reviews of the impact of health hazards resulted from the poor condition of vehicles in Ghana. The paper is an attempt to assess the impact of the problem.

TYUMEN “STALINKAS” AND THEIR INHABITANTS IN SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET EVERYDAY LIFE

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 181-197
Author(s):  
Irina V. SKIPINA ◽  
Andrey N. Nemkov
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
Cult Of Personality ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

This article studies a topical problem: the history of Tyumen “Stalinkas” in the 1930s-1950s and the everyday urban life of their inhabitants. The authors aim to show the process of pre- and post-war construction of residential buildings to provide apartments for Tyumen residents. Housing is considered as a necessary component of human activity. The object of the study is an architectural ensemble of pre- and post-war Tyumen, which reflected the realities of the 1930-1950s. It was a time when slogans of equality were proclaimed, the authorities said that they would provide the same opportunities for life and self-realization for all Soviet citizens. However, the houses in the center of the city with spacious apartments were built for the Soviet elite, and small apartments of poor quality on the outskirts of the city — for workers. Housing for workers was located far from educational, leisure, and retail outlets. Using the new documentary data, introduced for the first time into academic circulation, and taking into account a comprehensive approach to the study of the topic, the authors show the impact of housing development on urban daily life. “Stalinkas” are considered a legacy of the era of the cult of personality, which allows studying people’s everyday life, taking into account their social stratification based on their life, housing, everyday practices, and opportunities to participate in urban life. The results show that “Stalinkas” are not only our past, but also our present, they are a clear proof of the construction of a bright future, which has proven to be unattainable, and their construction stopped shortly after Stalin’s death. Further study of urban ordinariness and everyday practices of citizens will bring us closer to understanding the phenomenon of the “Soviet” as an essential part of Russian identity.

scholarly journals Roof Planting as a Tool for Sustainable Development in Residential Buildings in Egypt

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 544
Author(s):  
Vitta Abdel Rehim Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Heat Effect ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Energy Utilization ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Impact

Roof has direct influence on thermal ease and energy preservation in and around buildings. Roof Planting is a strategy that can be a beneficial solution in diverse climates to decrease energy utilization in buildings, proposes enriching the aesthetic potentials and architecture presentation of buildings and for enhancing the built environment and increasing investment opportunity. It helps to tackle the shortage of green space in numerous areas and delivers the city with open spaces that aids ease heat effect and offers human population with a correlation to the outside. The research problem presented in the demonstrations of the confronts presented by quick urbanization and expansion, many environmental problems as pollution, dense urbanization and heat effect that creates a negative impact on the environment. The fast growing population in Cities undergo from vanishing of green areas which lead to dispossession of open space. The paper assumes that by applying roof planting to the case studies in Residential buildings in Egypt can improve quality of life, as an effective tool for sustainable development goals represented in social, economic and environmental factors. The paper methodology focuses on the analysis of some international examples and the lessons learned and applicability in Residential buildings in Egypt. The research aims to present the potentials of roof planting in abiding electricity utilization and decreasing CO2 releases in hot environments. The paper studies the impact of roof planting on the performance of buildings. The results demonstrate the sustainable development goals of using roof planting under diverse design conditions and postulate assistance for design of roof planting in alike climates.

Using IT solutions to empower your patients and improve quality and satisfaction scores.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 249-249
Author(s):  
Gerard Colman ◽  
Todd L Foster
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Patient Anxiety ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
System Utilization ◽  
Phone Calls ◽  
Md Anderson ◽  
The Impact

249 Background: Provider organizations are being bombarded from every direction with demands to better patient experience, engage patients, manage populations, implement or enhance implementations of EHRs…the list goes on. Dr. Charles Safran testified to Congress in 2004 that “patients are the most underutilized resource in the U.S. health system.” Taking this to heart, MD Anderson’s recognized their complex registration process was perceived as overwhelming and new patients were experiencing feelings of uncertainty and a lack of control. Patients translated this into poor quality of care. Patients and their caregivers needed to be engaged during this emotionally trying time. Methods: PreCare was born from the desire to use technology to place the first appointment process into the patients’ hands. PreCare is a web site that allows patients to drive the process to expedite their first appointment and track progress transparently. It gives the patients the appropriate information at the appropriate time during their first appointment process. No longer are they bombarded with all information all at once. They could not possibly process it all so vital information was missed, resulting in poor quality of care. Results: Obtaining medical records faster has increased the quality of patient care. Approximately 24% of previously diagnosed patient diseases are changed or refined from their original diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis is critical as cancer treatments become more targeted. MD Anderson has noted improvements in clinical operations, increases in patient retention, reducing dependence on staff, manual processes, print materials and phone calls. Presenters will demonstrate the self-driven tools, lessons learned and the impact of using IT such as: a 4% increase in new referrals, reduction in costs, improvements in efficiency and increased satisfaction for staff, patients and their families. A 47% reduction in patient anxiety has been demonstrated. Conclusions: The overall system utilization is well above national averages, with as high as 74% utilization in key areas. All cancer patients have very high expectations. Our patients using PreCare find their quality of care far exceeds their expectations.

The Impact of Missing and Error-Prone Auxiliary Information on Sparse-Matrix Sub-Population Parameter Estimates

Methodology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Rutkowski ◽  
Yan Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Sparse Matrix ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Auxiliary Information ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Population Parameter ◽  
Conditioning Model ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Given a consistent interest in comparing achievement across sub-populations in international assessments such as TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA, it is critical that sub-population achievement is estimated reliably and with sufficient precision. As such, we systematically examine the limitations to current estimation methods used by these programs. Using a simulation study along with empirical results from the 2007 cycle of TIMSS, we show that a combination of missing and misclassified data in the conditioning model induces biases in sub-population achievement estimates, the magnitude and degree to which can be readily explained by data quality. Importantly, estimated biases in sub-population achievement are limited to the conditioning variable with poor-quality data while other sub-population achievement estimates are unaffected. Findings are generally in line with theory on missing and error-prone covariates. The current research adds to a small body of literature that has noted some of the limitations to sub-population estimation.

Role of chromium (III) in the nutrition of pigs and cattle

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-62
Author(s):  
R. Iskra ◽  
V. Vlizlo ◽  
R. Fedoruk
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Development ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Metabolic Effect ◽  
Considerable Part ◽  
Cultural Medium ◽  
Milk Performance ◽  
Chromium Compounds ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Sources

The results of our studies and the data of modern literature regarding the biological role of Cr(III) compounds in conditions of their application in the nutrition for pigs and cattle are discussed. The metabolic impact of Cr(III), coming from different sources – mineral and organic compounds, obtained by chemical synthesis or a nanotechnological method (chromium citrate), as well as in the form of biocomplexes from the cultural medium of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts was analyzed. The metabolic connection between the impact of Cr(III) and the biosynthesis of some hormones – insulin, cortisol – as well as the sensitivity of some tissues and organs to the effect of chromium compounds was studied. A considerable part of the review material was dedicated to the metabolic effect of Cr(III) compounds on the reproductive function of pigs and cattle and their impact on the viability of the offspring and gametes of animals. The data about the stimulating effect of Cr(III) on the growth and development of the organism of piglets and calves, meat and milk performance of these species of animals are discussed. The relevance of dosing Cr(III) in the nutrition of pigs and cattle is highlighted.

Characteristics of Physician Relocation Following Hurricane Katrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Kusuma Madamala ◽  
Claudia R. Campbell ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Yu-Hsiang Hsieh ◽  
James James
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Introduction: On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States, resulting in the evacuation of more than 1.5 million people, including nearly 6000 physicians. This article examines the relocation patterns of physicians following the storm, determines the impact that the disaster had on their lives and practices, and identifies lessons learned. Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted among licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Mississippi. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe respondent characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with physician nonreturn to original practice. For those remaining relocated out of state, bivariate analysis with x2 or Fisher exact test was used to determine factors associated with plans to return to original practice. Results: A total of 312 eligible responses were collected. Among disaster zone respondents, 85.6 percent lived in Louisiana and 14.4 percent resided in Mississippi before the hurricane struck. By spring 2006, 75.6 percent (n = 236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4 percent (n = 76) remained displaced. Factors associated with nonreturn to original employment included family or general medicine practice (OR 0.42, 95 percent CI 0.17–1.04; P = .059) and severe or complete damage to the workplace (OR 0.24, 95 percent CI 0.13–0.42; P < .001). Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of physicians remain displaced after Hurricane Katrina, along with a lasting decrease in the number of physicians serving in the areas affected by the disaster. Programs designed to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return.

Impact of an Amaranth-Sorghum Grains Product on Nutrient Intake of Children Aged 6-23 Months in Kiandutu Slums, Thika, Kenya

10.37512/700 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Composite Flour ◽  
Monthly Basis ◽  
Sorghum Flour ◽  
Baseline Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

Poor quality complementary foods contribute to undernutrition in children aged 6-23 months. Therefore, there is need to explore foods that will provide adequate nutrients for this age group. This study aimed at determining the impact of a sorghum-amaranth composite flour porridge on nutrient intake of children aged 6-23 months. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Kiandutu slum, Thika, Kenya. Children in the control group (CG), received a maize-sorghum flour while those in the treatment group (TG) received an amaranth-sorghum flour. The sample size per study group was 73 mother-child pairs. The children in the TG received Kcal 1000 worth of porridge/day while those in the CG received Kcal 266.8/day. Mothers of children in both groups were given nutrition education at baseline, and monthly, for six months. Food intake data was taken at baseline, then monthly for six months. Descriptive statistics were used to describe nutrient intake. Chi square and Mann Whitney U test were was used to compare the baseline characteristics of the two groups and their nutrient intake, respectively. At baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar. On a monthly basis, nutrient intake in the TG was significantly higher for a majority of the nutrients than in the CG. The product can contribute to preventing under-nutrition in children aged 6-23 months.

Optimizing electronic capture of patient-reported outcome measures in oncology clinical trials: lessons learned from a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 1195-1204
Author(s):  
Florence D Mowlem ◽  
Brad Sanderson ◽  
Jill V Platko ◽  
Bill Byrom
Keyword(s):  
Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Oncology Clinical Trials ◽  
Anticancer Treatment ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Electronic Implementation

Aim: To understand the impact of anticancer treatment on oncology patients’ ability to use electronic solutions for completing patient-reported outcomes (ePRO). Materials & methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven individuals who had experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Results: Participants reported that the following would impact the ability to interact with an ePRO solution: peripheral neuropathy of the hands (4/7), fatigue and/or concentration and memory issues (6/7), where they are in a treatment cycle (5/7). Approaches to improve usability included: larger, well-spaced buttons to deal with finger numbness, the ability to pause a survey and complete at a later point and presenting the recall period with every question to reduce reliance on memory. Conclusion: Symptoms associated with cancers and anticancer treatments can impact the use of technologies. The recommendations for optimizing the electronic implementation of patient-reported outcome instruments in this population provides the potential to improve data quality in oncology trials and places patient needs at the forefront to ensure ‘fit-for-purpose’ solutions.

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