Service room design for improving service quality of Utsman bin Affan library Universitas Muslim Indonesia with Kansei Engineering approach

A student can study well if there is a good place to study as well. Likewise with reading, a person needs concentration to read. Service room design is necessitated in the reading room because it affects one’s reading comfort. Utsman bin Affan library UMI Makassar is a place for students to study. Students’ complaints and problems that are experienced when using the library service room are in the form of uncomfortable facilities, no closed rooms, and other complaints. In reference to these problems, a study was carried out in accordance with the students’ complaints by employing Kansei Engineering approach. Kansei Engineering is a consumer-oriented ergonomic technology which enables the consumer’s image or feeling to unite with the service design process of a product. By utilizing this method, product strategy and concept creation in the design of a product or service can be determined. The final results of Utsman bin Affan UMI Makassar library service room which was obtained based on the Kansei Engineering method are an open service room, large display, reading room, multimedia room, collection room, green and white colors, 3D motif and glossy texture. In addition to the main specifications of the library, there is also an additional item supporting the service room, which is a partition made of glass that gives the impression of being open to the room although it is still divided into different spaces.

Investor Taxes and Option Prices

We examine whether tax-sensitive investors play a significant role in options markets by examining whether option prices reflect investor taxes. Existing empirical option pricing literature ignores taxes. We exploit a unique setting where “index” options on the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and nearly identical “non-index” options on the exchange traded fund (ETF) tracking the S&P 500 Index (SPY) face different tax treatments. We find that higher investor taxes reduce option prices, indicating tax capitalization in options. We find consistent results when analyzing options around the investor tax changes enacted by the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) of 2012, and for options on stock indices other than the S&P 500 (e.g., Russell 2000). Altogether, our findings provide new evidence of an additional item – investor taxes – influencing option prices, suggesting that tax-sensitive investors play a non-trivial role in options markets and that taxes warrant consideration in broader options research.

Cross-Sectional Study of Mental Health Related Knowledge and Attitudes Among Care Assistant Workers in Guangzhou, China

Background: Care assistant workers (CAWs) are a part of a new pattern of mental health care providers in China and play a significant role in bridging the human resource shortage. CAWs in China mainly include community cadres, community mental health staff and community policemen. The mental health related knowledge and attitudes of CAWs could influence their mental health care delivery. This study aimed to assess the mental health related knowledge and attitudes of CAWs in Guangzhou, China. Methods: In November 2017, a study was conducted among 381 CAWs from four districts of Guangzhou, China. Participants were assessed using the Perceived Devaluation and Discrimination Scale (PDD), the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), and the Mental illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes (MICA). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Bonferroni corrections and multivariable linear regression. Results: The mean scores (standard deviation) of PDD, MAKS and MICA were 36.45 (6.54), 22.72 (2.56), 51.67 (7.88), respectively. Univariate analyses showed that the older CAWs, community policemen and those who were less willing to deliver care had significant higher MICA scores when compared with other staff (P < 0.001). However, participants who disagreed additional item 1（views towards inpatients) and additional item 2 (affiliate stigma) had a significant lower MICA scores when compared with those who agreed (P < 0.001). Multivariable linear regression showed that after controlling some variables, care willingness and PDD total score were significantly positively associated with the MICA total score (all P < 0.05), while attitudes on additional items were significantly negatively associated with the MICA total score (all P < 0.01).Conclusion: These findings suggest negative attitudes towards people with mental disorders among CAWs are common, especially among older staff. Community policemen suggest that they applied stereotypes of ‘violent mentally ill’ people to all people they deal with who have mental disorders. The results also indicate human rights are being paid attention to now, but need to be improved in the future. Strategies to improve attitudes and to reduce stigma and discrimination should be conducted with particular staff groups.

Accrued Gains are not Income: An Administratively Simple Rollover Treatment for Capital Gains Taxation

This paper presents a definition of income that rejects both the BEA and Haig-Simons definitions concerning capital gains. Specifically, capital gains represent future income unless brought to the present by consumption of the gain. We demonstrate that the rollover treatment implied by this definition ends double-taxation, under-taxation, lock-in of capital, excessive incentives to consume capital, and other economic distortions. Finally, we detail an administratively-simple deferred gain account rule for the rollover treatment which would require that taxpayers only track one additional item of information &ndash; the total deferred gain that would be rolled over into the next tax year.

Notes on Penthesilea: The marks of a past of female heroism

The goal of this paper is to construct an image map that will allow us to understand archetypes characteristics that accompany heroic representations of women in cinema. We will begin with the myth of Penthesilea, an Amazon queen whose tragic loss of feminine power will then guide us in the search for new archetypal deflections. We believe the archetype of Penthesilea signifies new leak points in representation of power as connected to the feminine. To prove that will be one of the main goals of this paper. We insist on highlighting that the images associated with the description of this character are allied to a structure linked with a kind of force and power commonly related to the male. Penthesilea bears the mark of an essentially solar/diurnal heroism, in which love will configure as an additional item that makes the characters confront each other violently. The result of this analysis will be a visual trajectory from a moment in the past that connects to contemporary representations of feminine heroism.

Refinement and further application of the Qualities of Sore Throat Index (QuaSTI)

Aim: The Qualities of Sore Throat Index (QuaSTI) assesses the status of patient-reported pharyngeal pain. One study used QuaSTI in isolation; a separate study used QuaSTI plus the Sore Throat Scale (STS). Both studies also used a Sore Throat Pain Intensity Scale (STPIS). This study evaluates STS and STPIS as instruments to refine the QuaSTI. Materials & methods: Correlational analysis determined the degree of association between STPIS and STS. Confirmatory factor analyses evaluated the proposed factor structure of QuaSTI. Results: A strong correlation between STS and STPIS (r = 0.91; p < 0.01), supports the use of STS in QuaSTI. Analyses confirm a three-factor structure for the 10-item QuaSTI and validate inclusion of an additional item to create an 11-item tool for measuring pharyngeal pain. Conclusion: The QuaSTI represents a robust and validated tool for measuring therapeutic effects in patients with pharyngitis.

Towards more credible shams for physical interventions: A Delphi survey

Background/Aims: In clinical trials of physical interventions, participant blinding is often poorly addressed and therapist blinding routinely omitted. This situation presents a substantial barrier to moving the field forward. Improving the success of blinding will be a vital step towards determining the true mechanisms of physical interventions. We used a Delphi approach to identify important elements of shams for physical interventions to maximise the likelihood of participant and therapist blinding in clinical trials. Methods: Two expert groups were recruited: (1) experts in research methodology and (2) experts in deceptive and/or hypnotic techniques including magic. Magicians were included because they were considered a potentially rich source of innovation for developing credible shams due to their unique skills in altering perceptions and beliefs. Three rounds of survey were conducted, commencing with an open-ended question. Responses were converted to single ‘items’, which participants rated in the following two rounds using a 9-point Likert scale, categorised as ‘Not important’ (0–3), ‘Depends’ (4–6) and ‘Essential’ (7–9). Consensus was pre-defined as ≥80% agreement within a 3-point category. Results: Thirty-eight experts agreed to participate (research methodology: n = 22; deceptive and/or hypnotic techniques: n = 16), and 30 experts responded to at least one round (research methodology: n = 19; deceptive and/or hypnotic techniques: n = 11). Of 79 items, five reached consensus in the ‘Essential’ category in both groups, which related to beliefs of participants ( n = 3 items), interactions with researchers ( n = 1 item) and standardisation of clinical assessments ( n = 1 item). Thirteen additional items reached consensus in the ‘Essential’ category in one group. Experts in research methodology had one additional item reach consensus, related to authentic delivery of study information. The remaining 12 additional items that reached consensus in the deceptive and/or hypnotic techniques group related mainly to therapist attitude and behaviour and the clinical interaction. Conclusion: Experts agreed that, for shams to be believable, consideration of cognitive influences is essential. Contrary to the focus of previous shams for physical interventions, replicating the tactile sensation of the active treatment was not considered an essential part of sham development. Therefore, when designing sham-controlled clinical trials, researchers should carefully consider the cognitive credibility of the entire intervention experience, and not just the indistinguishability of the sham intervention itself. The findings provide new guidance to researchers on important contributors to blinding in physical intervention trials.

Abstract NS9: Screening for Spatial Neglect in a Ward-based Environment Within Two Weeks From Stroke Onset: Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study

Background and purpose: Spatial neglect (SN) occurs frequently in patients with stroke, resulting in worse recovery. Without screening, the presence of SN may remain undetected and prevent initiation of alleviating strategies. There is limited evidence available to suggest bedside identification of SN in the subacute phase following stroke. Thus we set out to identify effective screening tests for SN. Method: The following index tests were used; (a) six conventional subtests of The Behavioural Inattention test (BIT), (b) an additional figure copying test, (c) a newly developed neglect experience questionnaire, and (d) an additional component added to the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) functioned as a reference frame to ascertain the presence of SN. Results: Consecutive stroke patients (N=125) were included from the Neurological Department of Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland, within two weeks following stroke. Of those 30 patients had SN. If all subtests of the BIT were administered, approximately 35% of stroke patients without SN would be incorrectly identified with the disorder. Statistically more patients without SN were identified as having SN if ≥ three tests of the BIT was administered (p=0.002). If patients did not, at stroke onset, comprehend why they had to go to the hospital, this was correlated to the presence of SN. The star cancellation and figure copying were the most sensitive paper-and pen tests to identify SN. Inclusion of an additional item to NIHSS correctly identified SN in 86% instances. Conclusion: Results contests the common belief that use of more tests increase identification of SN. Rather we found that the use a large test battery decreases sensitivity in the subacute phase following stroke. A short question about patients’ experiences of stroke onset and adding a novel item to the NIHSS provided new pragmatic ways of identifying SN. Results have been used to inform a larger cross-country study between Iceland and Lithuania, where psychometric properties of screening strategies are being further validated.

The African Tradition and the Nexus Between Public Sector Ethics and Culture: A Critical Analysis

Globalisation of public service delivery practices must overcome cultural and ethical barriers in their diversity. The pervasive Christian gospel and Islamic religion are believed to be concerned more in spirituality and less concerned with governance and political systems. The objective of this study is to expound the dilemma facing an ethical public service delivery system and to suggest possible solutions. The research methodology is a qualitative approach employed through content analysis. Findings indicate that for African states, alternative public service delivery is a question of choice by those wielding power, authority and political will. The study provides ethical initiatives to accommodate such diversity in building public sector ethics and culture. Simply relaying public service delivery strategies deemed successful in other states may not necessarily translate into success due to some ethical and cultural variations. What obtains is that, states that claim to be faith based or to carry religious ethical practices sometimes lead way ahead of others in unethical administrative practices. The contribution of the study is an additional item to the list of factors militating against effective service delivery and lack of public sector cultural ethics. This phenomenon should be tackled head-on so that service delivery is not compromised.

A Factorial Survey Investigating the Effect of Disclosing Parental Intellectual Disability on Risk Assessments by Children’s Social Workers in Child Safeguarding Scenarios

Literature suggests that, as parents, people with intellectual disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of child removal compared to other groups. A factorial survey of 191 children’s social workers investigated the effect of disclosing parental intellectual disability (ID) upon risk assessments in a range of hypothetical child safeguarding scenarios. The case scenarios depicted a range of child safeguarding situations and parents’ ID status was randomly included as an additional item of information. The data were fitted into a generalised ordinal logistic regression model. Findings indicate that when presented with scenarios considered to be less risky, the parental ID disclosure contributed significantly to a higher risk assessment score. However, when presented with scenarios that were considered more risky, the additional parental ID disclosure did not significantly contribute to a higher score. These findings indicate that the risk associated with parental ID is not fixed but relative to the situation in which it is encountered. The research concludes that in cases of low risk, the effect of parental ID is identified as a support need, whereas the lesser contribution of the disclosure to assessments of higher risk cases may indicate that parental ID is overlooked.