Monitoring Service Delivery for Universal Health Coverage:\ud the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment

To describe the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) and the results of its implementation in six countries across three continents. The SARA is a comprehensive approach for assessing and monitoring health service availability and the readiness of facilities to deliver healthcare interventions, with a standardized set of indicators that cover all main programmes. Standardized data-collection instruments are used to gather information on a defined set of selected tracer items from public and private health facilities through a facility sample survey or census. Results from assessments in six countries are shown. The results highlight important gaps in service delivery that are obstacles to universal access to health services. Considerable variation was found within and across countries in the distribution of health facility infrastructure and workforce and in the types of services offered. Weaknesses in laboratory diagnostic capacities and gaps in essential medicines and commodities were common across all countries.The SARA fills an important information gap in monitoring health system performance and universal health coverage by providing objective and regular information on all major health programmes that feeds into country planning cycles\u

The effect of television viewing on college students : an EEG analysis of cerebral asymmetry : a thesis ...

The controversy over the effects of television viewing on human behavior has drawn a great deal of attention over the last decade. This study sought to investigate this area by looking at cortical response to television viewing. The subjects in the study consisted of 24 men and 24 women (m=l9 .6 years) who were monitored for bilateral EEG alpha (8-13 Hz) brain wave production while viewing a television commercial (verbal and nonverbal/ spatial) and were then tested for recall at the end of the session. The analysis of variance for a split-plot factorial design (S.P.F. 222.43; Kirk, 1968) revealed that while there were no differences between cerebral hemispheres, there were significant increases in the amount of alpha brain .wave production (p \u3c. 01) during the trials. The results of this study support the first hypothesis that EEG alpha levels will increase with repeated exposure to televised commercials. The significance of this finding is that it contrasts sharply with earlier research and indicates that repeated viewing of the same commercial results in an erosion of the viewer\u27s interest

Metal-organic framework based mixed matrix membranes: a solution for highly efficient CO2 capture?

The field of metal-organic framework based mixed matrix membranes (M(4)s) is critically reviewed, with special emphasis on their application in CO2 capture during energy generation. After introducing the most relevant parameters affecting membrane performance, we define targets in terms of selectivity and productivity based on existing literature on process design for pre- and post-combustion CO2 capture. Subsequently, the state of the art in M(4)s is reviewed against these targets. Because final application of these membranes will only be possible if thin separation layers can be produced, the latest advances in the manufacture of M-4 hollow fibers are discussed. Finally, the recent efforts in understanding the separation performance of these complex composite materials and future research directions are outlined.European Commission FP7 608490 ERC 33574

Explaining differences in one teacher’s instruction across multiple tracked fifth-grade classes

In this article, we describe the case of “Keri,” a fifth-grade teacher who had completed an Elementary Mathematics Specialist (EMS) certification program. Drawn from a larger study investigating the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of EMSs, Keri\u27s case was unique in that she was teaching mathematics to four classes in a departmentalized structure, where students were placed into different classes according to perceived mathematics ability. Observations from the larger study revealed that Keri\u27s instructional practices did not align with her reported beliefs and knowledge. To explore this deviation, we conducted a case study where we observed Keri\u27s instruction across multiple classes and used interviews to explore reasons for Keri\u27s instructional decisions in terms of her perceived professional obligations. We found that Keri did employ practices that were aligned with her reported beliefs and knowledge such as pressing students for mathematical justifications, but only in her “higher ability” classes. Interview data suggested that Keri\u27s decisions were driven by a strong obligation to individual students, overriding other obligations. We describe implications of these findings, including the limitations of teacher assessments and surveys as proxies for teaching quality, and discuss recommendations for approaches to teacher development that account for teachers’ perceived obligations

Recommendations for Using Health Service Coverage Cascades to Measure Effective Coverage for Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Services or Interventions.

Using health service coverage cascades to measure effective coverage for maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services on a global scale is premature and requires further research and validation to reach consensus

Recommendations for Using Health Service Coverage Cascades to Measure Effective Coverage for Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Services or Interventions

Using health service coverage cascades to measure effective coverage for maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services on a global scale is premature and requires further research and validation to reach consensus

Extruded-expelled cottonseed meal (express) as a source of protein and fat for lactating dairy cows

Twenty-four Holstein cows were used in six 4×4 Latin squares to evaluate the effects of substituting extruded-expelled cottonseed meal (Express™) for whole cottonseed and solvent soybean meal in diets for lactating cows. No differences were observed in milk and milk component yield among treatments. Percentages of fat, protein, solids-not-fat, and lactose in milk were similar among treatments. Replacing whole cottonseed with Express™ tended to reduce milk urea nitrogen but had no effect on milk protein percentage or yield. Cow acceptability of Express™ was excellent throughout the 84-day study conducted between late June and September when ambient temperature exceeded 100EF for 35 days. Long-term storage of Express™ in a commodity barn was not a problem. In vitro analysis of Express™ revealed that it contains approximately 75% rumen undegradable protein (RUP) with an intestinally absorbable dietary protein value of 53.4%. Express™ is an excellent source of RUP, and the protein fraction is highly digestible in the small intestine