Export market participation and environmental actions of enterprises in Vietnam

The outcome of environmental actions from participation in the export market are examined by unpacking some mechanisms that explain the estimated relationship. The empirical strategy utilizes the variation in the distance between the location of the sampled enterprises and the top 25 destinations of Vietnamese exports across sectors, and the weight of each sampled export to total exports in each period, to obtain exogenous variation in the enterprise's export market participation. The result shows a positive relationship between the enterprise's export participation and its overall engagement in environmental actions (such as the sum of its environmental actions, the sum of actions in the investments in equipment towards environmental issues, and total expenditure for the purchase of equipment for environmental actions). Possible mechanisms are international standardization, national certification, and strong enforcement of environmental regulations from export market engagement.

Obstetric Capacity Strengthening in Ghana Results in Wide Geographic Distribution and Retention of Certified Obstetrician-Gynecologists: A Quantitative Analysis

Objectives: Our primary objective to determine the cumulative retention of Ob/Gyns since the inception of the program, to determine the demographic and practice characteristics of all Ob/Gyns who have been trained by the Ghana postgraduate Ob/Gyn programs, and to compare the geographic distribution of Ob/Gyns throughout Ghana between 2010 when a prior study was conducted and the current practice locations of all graduates in 2017. Design: Cross-sectional, Quantitative Investigation Setting: Fieldwork for this study was conducted in Ghana between June 21, 2017, and August 20, 2017. Methods: A roster of certified Ob/Gyns, year certified, and email contact information was obtained from the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, a roster of practice locations was obtained from Ghana Medical Board. Main Outcome Measures: retention of Ob/Gyns, geographic distribution of providers, fand comparisons between 2010 and 2017 Results: Significant geographic spread and increase in in-country medical programs have occurred over the seven-year period. In recent years, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons surpassed that of the West African College of Surgeons. Conclusion: Establishing an Ob/gyn training program with national certification provides a cadre of certified Ob/Gyns that can be trained and retained in low-income settings. Moreover, this allows for long term commitment in multiple relevant sectors that may serve to establish a comprehensive obstetric and gynecology capacity beyond urban centers.

Obstetric Capacity Strengthening in Ghana Results in Wide Geographic Distribution and Retention of Certified Obstetrician-Gynecologists: A Quantitative Analysis

Objectives: Our primary objective to determine the cumulative retention of Ob/Gyns since the inception of the program, to determine the demographic and practice characteristics of all Ob/Gyns who have been trained by the Ghana postgraduate Ob/Gyn programs, and to compare the geographic distribution of Ob/Gyns throughout Ghana between 2010 when a prior study was conducted and the current practice locations of all graduates in 2017. Design: Cross-sectional, Quantitative Investigation Setting: Fieldwork for this study was conducted in Ghana between June 21, 2017, and August 20, 2017. Methods: A roster of certified Ob/Gyns, year certified, and email contact information was obtained from the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, a roster of practice locations was obtained from Ghana Medical Board. Main Outcome Measures: retention of Ob/Gyns, geographic distribution of providers, fand comparisons between 2010 and 2017 Results: Significant geographic spread and increase in in-country medical programs have occurred over the seven-year period. In recent years, the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons surpassed that of the West African College of Surgeons. Conclusion: Establishing an Ob/gyn training program with national certification provides a cadre of certified Ob/Gyns that can be trained and retained in low-income settings. Moreover, this allows for long term commitment in multiple relevant sectors that may serve to establish a comprehensive obstetric and gynecology capacity beyond urban centers.

Current Status of Cardiovascular Imaging in Germany: Structured Data from the National Certification Program, ESCR Registry, and Survey among Radiologists

Purpose In the light of the increasing importance of cardiovascular cross-sectional imaging in current guidelines, the goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of cardiovascular imaging (CVI) offered by radiological institutions across Germany. Materials and Methods Data were extracted from the national certification program database of the German Roentgen Society (DRG) from 2015–2021. A nationwide online survey among radiology institutes (university hospitals, non-university hospitals, and private practices) was conducted for 2019, and data was extracted from the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology (ESCR) registry. The data collection's key points included the number of centers and individuals certified for CVI, the number of cardiac CT and MRI examinations performed, the reporting habits, and the participation in the ESCR registry. Results 71 centers and 1278 persons, both with a substantial increase since 2015, were registered and certified by the DRG to perform CVI. According to the survey, a total of 69,286 CT and 64,281 MRI examinations were performed annually. Data from the survey and the ESCR registry indicated that reporting was mostly done solely by radiologists or, to a lesser degree, in joint consensus meetings with non-radiologists. The overall participation rate in the ESCR registry was 48 % among the surveyʼs participants. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis demonstrates that high-quality CVI by radiologists is available nationwide. The current challenges are to provide the best medical and technical quality of CVI by radiology for patient care and to ensure economic sustainability in the German health care system to accommodate the predicted substantial need for CVI in the future. Key Points Citation Format

Recognising the impact of highly accomplished and lead teachers

The Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) Certification process introduced in Australia in 2012 was designed to recognise expert teachers, to encourage them to continue to influence and impact their students and colleagues through their exemplary classroom practice. Expert teachers prepare evidence of their impactful practices, and have this evidence evaluated through a National Certifying Authority. HALTs are a relatively new role in Australian education, and little is known about their impact in schools, or the potential for their ongoing role as middle leaders in schools. This paper analyses the experiences of HALT teachers who had been certified by Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) in 2018, and what impact they recognised they were having in the schools who supported them through their certification process. Impact is theorised as a temporal, reflexive narrative. Data were gathered in a cascading evaluative process through portfolio analysis, interviews with nationally certified teachers, school-based mentors and school leaders and a survey about their teacher and middle leader efficacy. The process of applying for HALT Certification had significant positive personal impact for the teachers, their students, their colleagues in their school and for some, beyond their school. The recognition of impact as a temporal narrative with distinct genres, and the concept of HALT teachers as middle leaders may point to new avenues of supporting applicants and to potential benefits for schools to encourage teachers to consider national certification.

Transitioning towards Organic Farming: Perspectives for the Future of the Italian Organic Wine Sector

In recent years, after the publication of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production and the labelling of organic products, all stakeholders have been considering threats and opportunities in the development of the organic food and beverage sector. The aim of the study outlined in this paper was to analyse the development prospects of the Italian organic wine sector in light of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) environmental and climate objectives. Specifically, the study focussed on applying a System Dynamics Approach (SDA) and a Network Analysis in order to explain how the most relevant social–economic determinants of the national organic wine sector are in all likelihood influencing the hoped-for shift from conventional to organic production. Such conversion appeared to be worth exploring because, despite the increasing global demand for organic wine, the economic effects on the entire system are still somewhat unclear from a dynamic perspective. The results of the study clearly demonstrated that public policies and regulatory actions at the national and European level will continue to be very influential for the future of the national organic wine system. Different development pathways, such as groups of operators and the adoption of the new national certification system for the sustainability of the entire wine supply chain, should be undertaken by Italian “small wine operators” in order to gain international markets.

Deficiency Citations in Nursing Homes That Predominantly Serve Residents With Serious Mental Illness

Studies suggest that nursing homes (NHs) that predominantly serve residents with serious mental illness (SMI) are of worse quality due to poor resources (i.e., high Medicaid-paying census) and lower staffing. We used national Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) data to examine the deficiencies issued to NHs from 37,800 recertification inspections of 14,582 unique NHs from 2014 to 2017. NHs were categorized into “low-SMI” and “high-SMI” facilities using the lowest and highest quartiles, respectively, of the proportion of residents in the NH with SMI. Bivariate analyses were used to assess for differences between low-SMI and high-SMI NHs in the number of deficiencies, the deficiency score (a point-based metric developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), and the scope and severity of deficiencies. In total, there were 245,178 deficiencies issued. In comparison to low-SMI NHs, high-SMI NHs received a greater deficiency score and more deficiencies per survey (p<.001). Deficiencies given to high-SMI NHs were associated with greater risk of harm (p<.001) and were of wider scope (p<.001). High-SMI NHs were cited 215% more often for resident abuse or neglect and 61% more often for the policies that prohibit and monitor for risk of abuse and neglect in comparison to low-SMI NHs. In conclusion, high-SMI NHs were documented for providing worse care to residents, with one particular area of concern being the heightened risk of resident abuse and neglect. Implications for policy and practice will be discussed.