Health economic analysis of pharmaceutical inventory levels

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 603-628
Author(s):  
Peter Benjamin Ellison ◽  
Robert A. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Health Economics ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Inventory Theory ◽  
Health Economic Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain ◽  
Demand Coverage ◽  
The Impact

PurposeHumanitarian crises increase vulnerability of children to pneumonia, so aid agencies store pharmaceuticals in advance of this demand. Decisions on how much to store are plagued by many diverse challenges as is common in humanitarian contexts, so this study considers storing more medications to improve the relatively poor (∼80) demand coverage at a representative aid agency.Design/methodology/approachThe paper combines inventory theory with health economics to calculate the impact inventory increases would have on the final cost of pneumonia treatment. It can then assess to what extent inventory can be increased while pneumonia treatment remains cost effective.FindingsThe study finds that more drug investment has only a small effect on the final treatment cost. Substantial drug inventory increases remain well within established guidelines for highly cost-effective treatments, so the agency should consider large increases as an efficient use of funding.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses on pneumonia treatment only to allow sufficient depth of analysis. Further research could look at many other treatments using the same approach, although some problem scenarios will include complicating parameters like drug perishability.Practical implicationsThe level of pharmaceutical inventory at humanitarian warehouses is a high-value decision for the aid sector. The method shows the potential for health economics to provide practical decision support for a wide range of humanitarian and ministry of health warehouse operations. While large increases in inventory investment are within guidelines, there is an asymptotically increasing cost as demand coverage approaches 100%. As a result, decision makers may want to set a target demand coverage (e.g. 99%) and allocate remaining aid funding to other projects.Originality/valueMany humanitarian supply chain decisions lack analytical support due to issues with complexity, scale or a lack of reliable input data, and this study is the first to provide analytical insights which can greatly improve the current approach to inventory control policies for pneumonia medications and beyond.

scholarly journals Evaluating undergraduate research conferences as vehicles for novice researcher development

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Kneale ◽  
Andrew Edwards-Jones ◽  
Helen Walkington ◽  
Jennifer Hill
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Conference ◽  
Researcher Development ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the undergraduate research conference as its sphere of study and investigate the impact of significance of participation and socialisation in such activities on student attitudes and professional development. Using situated learning to theoretically position the undergraduate research conference as an authentic learning context, connection is also made with the concept of graduate attributes. Design/methodology/approach The Vitae (2014) Researcher Development Framework (RDF) is used to provide a template for charting the experiences and development of undergraduate students as researchers. This can be applied to short-term activities and programmes and to long-term career plans. The insights from 90 undergraduate students participating in three national undergraduate research conferences were obtained through interviews, and thematically analysed to map the students’ skills development against the RDF criteria. Findings Three main aspects of undergraduate research conference participation were considered particularly important by the students: the value of paper presentations, the value of poster presentations and the value of the overall conference experience. Within these themes, participants identified a wide range of skills and attributes they felt they had developed as a result of either preparing for or participating in the conferences. The majority of these skills and attributes could be mapped against the different domains of the RDF, using a public engagement lens for comparing actual with expected developmental areas. Research limitations/implications This research helps undergraduate research conference organisers construct programme content and form it in such a way that students’ skill development can be maximised prior to, and during, the course of an event. Learning developers can also use these findings to help understand the support needs of students preparing to deliver papers at such conferences. So far, little empirical research has examined students’ skills development within the undergraduate research conference arena. Originality/value The outcomes of this study show the diversity of the skills that students developed and the value of the conference format for offering networking practice and enhancing the communication skills which employers value.

scholarly journals In VivoEfficacy of Anuran Trypsin Inhibitory Peptides against Staphylococcal Skin Infection and the Impact of Peptide Cyclization

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 2113-2121 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Malik ◽  
O. N. Silva ◽  
I. C. M. Fensterseifer ◽  
L. Y. Chan ◽  
R. J. Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Agents ◽  
Cyclic Peptide ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Inhibitory Activities ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureusis a virulent pathogen that is responsible for a wide range of superficial and invasive infections. Its resistance to existing antimicrobial drugs is a global problem, and the development of novel antimicrobial agents is crucial. Antimicrobial peptides from natural resources offer potential as new treatments against staphylococcal infections. In the current study, we have examined the antimicrobial properties of peptides isolated from anuran skin secretions and cyclized synthetic analogues of these peptides. The structures of the peptides were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, revealing high structural and sequence similarity with each other and with sunflower trypsin inhibitor 1 (SFTI-1). SFTI-1 is an ultrastable cyclic peptide isolated from sunflower seeds that has subnanomolar trypsin inhibitory activity, and this scaffold offers pharmaceutically relevant characteristics. The five anuran peptides were nonhemolytic and noncytotoxic and had trypsin inhibitory activities similar to that of SFTI-1. They demonstrated weakin vitroinhibitory activities againstS. aureus, but several had strong antibacterial activities againstS. aureusin anin vivomurine wound infection model. pYR, an immunomodulatory peptide fromRana sevosa, was the most potent, with complete bacterial clearance at 3 mg · kg−1. Cyclization of the peptides improved their stability but was associated with a concomitant decrease in antimicrobial activity. In summary, these anuran peptides are promising as novel therapeutic agents for treating infections from a clinically resistant pathogen.

scholarly journals An Adaptive Bitrate Switching Algorithm for Speech Applications in Context of WebRTC

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Mohannad Alahmadi ◽  
Peter Pocta ◽  
Hugh Melvin
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Quality Of Experience ◽  
End User ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Switching Algorithm ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC) combines a set of standards and technologies to enable high-quality audio, video, and auxiliary data exchange in web browsers and mobile applications. It enables peer-to-peer multimedia sessions over IP networks without the need for additional plugins. The Opus codec, which is deployed as the default audio codec for speech and music streaming in WebRTC, supports a wide range of bitrates. This range of bitrates covers narrowband, wideband, and super-wideband up to fullband bandwidths. Users of IP-based telephony always demand high-quality audio. In addition to users’ expectation, their emotional state, content type, and many other psychological factors; network quality of service; and distortions introduced at the end terminals could determine their quality of experience. To measure the quality experienced by the end user for voice transmission service, the E-model standardized in the ITU-T Rec. G.107 (a narrowband version), ITU-T Rec. G.107.1 (a wideband version), and the most recent ITU-T Rec. G.107.2 extension for the super-wideband E-model can be used. In this work, we present a quality of experience model built on the E-model to measure the impact of coding and packet loss to assess the quality perceived by the end user in WebRTC speech applications. Based on the computed Mean Opinion Score, a real-time adaptive codec parameter switching mechanism is used to switch to the most optimum codec bitrate under the present network conditions. We present the evaluation results to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach when compared with the default codec configuration in WebRTC.

scholarly journals Dynamics in Copy Numbers of Five Plasmids of a DairyLactococcus lactisStrain under Dairy-Related Conditions Including Near-Zero Growth Rates

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar van Mastrigt ◽  
Marcel M. A. N. Lommers ◽  
Yorick C. de Vries ◽  
Tjakko Abee ◽  
Eddy J. Smid
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Limitation ◽  
Lactococcus Lactis ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Copy Number ◽  
Plasmid Copy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Copy Numbers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Zero Growth ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTLactic acid bacteria can carry multiple plasmids affecting their performance in dairy fermentations. The expression of plasmid-borne genes and the activity of the corresponding proteins are severely affected by changes in the numbers of plasmid copies. We studied the impact of growth rate on the dynamics of plasmid copy numbers at high growth rates in chemostat cultures and down to near-zero growth rates in retentostat cultures. Five plasmids of the dairy strainLactococcus lactisFM03-V1 were selected, and these varied in size (3 to 39 kb), in replication mechanism (theta or rolling circle), and in putative (dairy-associated) functions. The copy numbers ranged from 1.5 to 40.5, and the copy number of theta-type replicating plasmids was negatively correlated to the plasmid size. Despite the extremely wide range of growth rates (0.0003 h−1to 0.6 h−1), the copy numbers of the five plasmids were stable and only slightly increased at near-zero growth rates, showing that the plasmid replication rate was strictly controlled. One low-copy-number plasmid, carrying a large exopolysaccharide gene cluster, was segregationally unstable during retentostat cultivations, reflected in a complete loss of the plasmid in one of the retentostat cultures. The copy number of the five plasmids was also hardly affected by varying the pH value, nutrient limitation, or the presence of citrate (maximum 2.2-fold), signifying the stability in copy number of the plasmids.IMPORTANCELactococcus lactisis extensively used in starter cultures for dairy fermentations. Important traits for the growth and survival ofL. lactisin dairy fermentations are encoded by genes located on plasmids, such as genes involved in lactose and citrate metabolism, protein degradation, oligopeptide uptake, and bacteriophage resistance. Because the number of plasmid copies could affect the expression of plasmid-borne genes, it is important to know the factors that influence the plasmid copy numbers. We monitored the plasmid copy numbers ofL. lactisat near-zero growth rates, characteristic for cheese ripening. Moreover, we analyzed the effects of pH, nutrient limitation, and the presence of citrate. This showed that the plasmid copy numbers were stable, giving insight into plasmid copy number dynamics in dairy fermentations.

Natural resource governance, accountability and legitimising propensity: insights from Ghana's oil and gas sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Asare ◽  
Bruce Burton ◽  
Theresa Dunne
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Governance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study explores Ghanaian views about accountability discharge by firms and government in the context of the nation's newly discovered oil and gas resources. The research focusses on a range of issues relating to stakeholder interaction, communication flows and the impact of decision-making on Ghanaian lives, as perceived by individuals on the ground.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adapts elements of legitimacy theory to interpret the outcome of a series of semi-structured interviews with members of key accountee and accountor groups including citizens and representatives of the state and private firms in the oil and gas industry in Ghana.FindingsThe results indicate that rather than attempting to effect substantive accountability discharge, Ghana's government and oil and gas firms employ a wide range of legitimation strategies despite the apparently complete absence of the accountee power normally seen as driving the need for social contract repair.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that accountability discharge in Ghana is cursory at best, with several legitimising strategies in evidence. The representatives from state institutions appear to share some of the concerns, suggesting that the problems are entrenched and will require robust enforcement of a strengthened regulatory approach to effect meaningful change.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on the discharge of institutional accountability by building on earlier conceptualisations of legitimacy theory to explore perceptions around a recent natural resource discovery. The analysis highlights grave concerns regarding the behaviour of state and corporate actors, one that runs counter to sub-Saharan African tradition.

Sensitivity of automatic control of emergency manoeuvre to parametric uncertainty of the airplane model

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-419
Author(s):  
Jerzy Graffstein ◽  
Piotr Maslowski
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Automatic Control ◽  
Flight Control ◽  
Parametric Uncertainty ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Flight Control System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The main purpose of this work was elaboration and verification of a method of assessing the sensitivity of automatic control laws to parametric uncertainty of an airplane’s mathematical model. The linear quadratic regulator (LQR) methodology was used as an example design procedure for the automatic control of an emergency manoeuvre. Such a manoeuvre is assumed to be pre-designed for the selected airplane. Design/methodology/approach The presented method of investigating the control systems’ sensitivity comprises two main phases. The first one consists in computation of the largest variations of gain factors, defined as differences between their nominal values (defined for the assumed model) and the values obtained for the assumed range of parametric uncertainty. The second phase focuses on investigating the impact of the variations of these factors on the behaviour of automatic control in the manoeuvre considered. Findings The results obtained allow for a robustness assessment of automatic control based on an LQR design. Similar procedures can be used to assess in automatic control arrived at through varying design methods (including methods other than LQR) used to control various manoeuvres in a wide range of flight conditions. Practical implications It is expected that the presented methodology will contribute to improvement of automatic flight control quality. Moreover, such methods should reduce the costs of the mathematical nonlinear model of an airplane through determining the necessary accuracy of the model identification process, needed for assuring the assumed control quality. Originality/value The presented method allows for the investigation of the impact of the parametric uncertainty of the airplane’s model on the variations of the gain-factors of an automatic flight control system. This also allows for the observation of the effects of such variations on the course of the selected manoeuvre or phase of flight. This might be a useful tool for the design of crucial elements of an automatic flight control system.

Interactions between human behaviour and the built environment in terms of facility management

Facilities ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 2-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darja Kobal Grum
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Behaviour ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In comparison with the relations between the human and natural environments that have been the central focus of environmental psychology for many years, the interactions between the psychological processes underlying human behaviour and the built environment have only recently regained the interest of researchers. In this paper, the author first discusses the reasons for the slower development of human – built environment relations. Afterwards, the author systematically examines the impact that the research of environmental stress, namely, poor housing and poor neighbourhood quality, had on the contemporary understanding of human – built environment relations. Design/methodology/approach The author focuses on social, biophilic and evidence-based design. The author proposes deeper psychological engagement in correlation with human behaviour, psychological well-being and society. The author highlights the inclusion of psychologists in interdisciplinary research teams addressing the development of sustainable solutions to the issues of residential environments. Findings It has been shown that substandard house quality, high noise, lack of natural light in houses, poorer physical quality of urban neighbourhoods, living in a low-income neighbourhood, etc. are linked to elevated physiological and psychological stress. Despite this evidence, there is still a gap between building designers and building users in modern industrialised societies, which could deepen tenants’ dissatisfaction due to specific behavioural needs and consequently lower their psychological well-being and health risk behaviour. Research limitations/implications These are potential risks of error arising from the use of assumptions, limited samples size and data from the secondary resources. Originality/value The major contributions of this paper are as follows. If the environment is understood as a dynamic, constantly changing and complex system of a wide range of players, the author can discern in this environment a dynamic that is otherwise characteristic of emotional dynamics. Expressed participants’ high satisfaction with residential status does not necessarily generate high expectations regarding real estate factors.

Bridge and redundant ties in networks: the impact on innovation in food SMEs

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghasem Shiri ◽  
Loïc Sauvée ◽  
Zam-Zam Abdirahman
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Innovation Activity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Product And Process Innovation ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of networks diversity on innovation activity of firms. It aims to review the structural issue in innovation networks and to distinguish different structures of networks for product and process innovation through an empirical research. Design/methodology/approach – Using a data set of 348 European agri-food firms, the authors study the impact of bridge and redundant ties on product and process innovation of firms. This is an empirical research based on an online survey in five European countries. Findings – The finding shows that bridge ties (measured by the number of heterogeneous networks in which firm participate) always facilitate product innovation in firms. The authors found also that a high number of heterogeneous ties in term of partners (simultaneous presence of redundant and non-redundant ties) motivate both product and process innovation in firms. Furthermore, the authors found a positive impact of network competence on process innovation. Research limitations/implications – The measures of bridge ties and redundant ties are indirect measures. This choice is a willing choice. Direct measurement of bridge and redundant ties always requires in-depth interviews with firms managers and thereby are limited by the number of observations. Originality/value – Research on innovations networks are dominated by case studies and researches with limited number of observations. Studying the networking behaviour, particularly the tie selection, of a wide range of firms brings additional knowledge in this field of research.

A qualitative study of students' perspective on e-learning adoption in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Phutela ◽  
Sunita Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Further Education ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper will try to uncover how e-learning is giving a new shape to the education industry. Also, it will encompass the students' perspective and experience of e-learning.Design/methodology/approachThe present study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to intensely scrutinize the lived-in experiences of the participants. In the present study, the respondents were selected from Delhi NCR of India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the primary data to understand the student's perspectives on the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) in education industry.FindingsThe findings have been grouped under two sections referred to as “themes,” which include “drivers for e-learning adoption” and “inhibitors which restrict the adoption of e-learning.”Practical implicationsAt present, India does not have a big market for e-learning, but there is huge potential in the country. The present study may be helpful for the educational institutions in India and in similar developing countries in understanding the students' perspectives on e-learning adoption. The educational institutions may improve their systems accordingly so that they can not only retain the students of their own countries but also attract students from other countries for further education.Social implicationsE-learning can be employed to give users quick access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities, and the cultures to increase the tangibility.Originality/valueThe study will be useful to the policymakers in the higher education sector of developing nations like India, in understanding the students' mindsets. This study makes a contribution to the growing literature on e-learning, where the researchers have determined the relative importance of various motivating and inhibiting factors which influence the adoption of e-learning. Additionally, the study has used IPA as the methodology to determine the factors, which is a novel contribution.

Framework to manage humanitarian logistics in disaster relief supply chain management in India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saurav Negi ◽  
Gaurav Negi
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Disaster Relief ◽  
Humanitarian Logistics ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Relief Supply Chain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the issues and challenges in humanitarian logistics and to develop a framework for effectively managing the humanitarian logistics in disaster relief supply chain operations in India.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a framework to manage humanitarian logistics effectively in disaster management through qualitative analysis. First, the author examines the challenges facing the humanitarian logistics and supply chain through the reviews of the literature on various disasters. Then, the author presented a framework based on the best practices and initiatives taken worldwide in the preparedness and response stage of the humanitarian supply chain to manage and reduce the aftermath of any disaster in context to India.FindingsA framework has been developed to manage humanitarian logistics in the disaster relief operation, which would improve the humanitarian supply chain in India and help to effectively manage natural disasters in the preparedness and response stage at the state and district levels.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper mainly emphasises on the preparedness and response stage of disaster supply chain management in Indian context.Practical implicationsNone of the disaster incidents can be stopped from taking place, but the impact can be minimised by proper preparedness and effective response during the operations of humanitarian logistics. With this hope, the framework has been developed, which if implemented would help to plan and manage any disaster incident in an effective manner, which ultimately would save millions of lives and cost in terms of infrastructure, property, assets etc.Originality/valueAs natural disaster incidents are occurring frequently in Indian states, there is an urgent need for a framework to manage the logistics operations effectively and efficiently during any disaster relief operations. Limited literature is found on developing and presenting a framework focusing on the preparedness and response phase of disaster supply chain management in context to India. Hence, this paper is believed to be the first to fulfil this gap with main emphasis on the preparedness and response stage of disaster supply chain management in Indian scenario.

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