Growing dynamics of Internet providers

In this paper we present a model for the growth and evolution of Internet providers. The model reproduces the data observed for the Internet connection as probed by tracing routes from different computers. This problem represents a paramount case of study for growth processes in general, but can also help in the understanding the properties of the Internet. Our main result is that this network can be reproduced by a self-organized interaction between users and providers that can rearrange in time. This model can then be considered as a prototype model for the class of phenomena of aggregation processes in social networks

Providers and women's perspectives on person-centered maternity care: a mixed methods study in Kenya.

BackgroundGlobally, there has been increasing attention to women's experiences of care and calls for a person-centered care approach. At the heart of this approach is the patient-provider relationship. It is necessary to examine the extent to which providers and women agree on the care that is provided and received. Studies have found that incongruence between women's and providers' perceptions may negatively impact women's compliance, satisfaction, and future use of health facilities. However, there are no studies that examine patient and provider perspectives on person-centered care.MethodsTo fill this gap in the literature, we use cross-sectional data of 531 women and 33 providers in seven government health facilities in Kenya to assess concordance and discordance in person-centered care measures. Additionally, we analyze 41 in-depth interviews with providers from three of these facilities to examine why differences in reporting may occur. Descriptive statistical methods were used to measure the magnitude of differences between reports of women and reports of providers. Thematic analyses were conducted for provider surveys.ResultsOur findings suggest high discordance between women and providers' perspectives in regard to person-centered care experiences. On average, women reported lower levels of person-centered care compared to providers, including low respectful and dignified care, communication and autonomy, and supportive care. Providers were more likely to report higher rates of poor health facility environment such as having sufficient staff. We summarize the overarching reasons for the divergence in women and provider reports as: 1) different understanding or interpretation of person-centered care behaviors, and 2) different expectations, norms or values of provider behaviors. Providers rationalized abuse towards women, did not allow a companion of choice, and blamed women for poor patient-provider communication. Women lacked assurance in privacy and confidentiality, and faced challenges related to the health facility environment. Providers attributed poor person-centered care to both individual and facility/systemic factors.ConclusionsImplications of this study suggests that providers should be trained on person-centered care approaches and women should be counseled on understanding patient rights and how to communicate with health professionals

A Study of Non-Neutral Networks with Usage-based Prices

Hahn and Wallsten wrote that network neutrality "usually means that broadband service providers charge consumers only once for Internet access, do not favor one content provider over another, and do not charge content providers for sending information over broadband lines to end users." In this paper we study the implications of non-neutral behaviors under a simple model of linear demand-response to usage-based prices. We take into account advertising revenues and consider both cooperative and non-cooperative scenarios. In particular, we model the impact of side-payments between service and content providers. We also consider the effect of service discrimination by access providers, as well as an extension of our model to non-monopolistic content providers

Perceived barriers to pediatrician and family practitioner participation in pediatric clinical trials: Findings from the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative.

Despite legislation to stimulate pediatric drug development through clinical trials, enrolling children in trials continues to be challenging. Non-investigator (those who have never served as a clinical trial investigator) providers are essential to recruitment of pediatric patients, but little is known regarding the specific barriers that limit pediatric providers from participating in and referring their patients to clinical trials. We conducted an online survey of pediatric providers from a wide variety of practice types across the United States to evaluate their attitudes and awareness of pediatric clinical trials. Using a 4-point Likert scale, providers described their perception of potential barriers to their practice serving as a site for pediatric clinical trials. Of the 136 providers surveyed, 52/136 (38%) had previously referred a pediatric patient to a trial, and only 17/136 (12%) had ever been an investigator for a pediatric trial. Lack of awareness of existing pediatric trials was a major barrier to patient referral by providers, in addition to consideration of trial risks, distance to the site, and time needed to discuss trial participation with parents. Overall, providers perceived greater challenges related to parental concerns and parent or child logistical barriers than study implementation and ethics or regulatory barriers as barriers to their practice serving as a trial site. Providers who had previously been an investigator for a pediatric trial were less likely to be concerned with potential barriers than non-investigators. Understanding the barriers that limit pediatric providers from collaboration or inhibit their participation is key to designing effective interventions to optimize pediatric trial participation

Requirements for funding - family programmes 2011/12: family literacy, language and numeracy and wider family learning

Providers delivering Family programmes with Skills Funding Agency funding should adhere to this guidance unless specific changes to a programme are agreed with the Skills Funding Agency Account Manager. Of interest to providers delivering family programmes

A Game-theoretic Framework for Revenue Sharing in Edge-Cloud Computing System

We introduce a game-theoretic framework to ex- plore revenue sharing in an Edge-Cloud computing system, in which computing service providers at the edge of the Internet (edge providers) and computing service providers at the cloud (cloud providers) co-exist and collectively provide computing resources to clients (e.g., end users or applications) at the edge. Different from traditional cloud computing, the providers in an Edge-Cloud system are independent and self-interested. To achieve high system-level efficiency, the manager of the system adopts a task distribution mechanism to maximize the total revenue received from clients and also adopts a revenue sharing mechanism to split the received revenue among computing servers (and hence service providers). Under those system-level mechanisms, service providers attempt to game with the system in order to maximize their own utilities, by strategically allocating their resources (e.g., computing servers). Our framework models the competition among the providers in an Edge-Cloud system as a non-cooperative game. Our simulations and experiments on an emulation system have shown the existence of Nash equilibrium in such a game. We find that revenue sharing mechanisms have a significant impact on the system-level efficiency at Nash equilibria, and surprisingly the revenue sharing mechanism based directly on actual contributions can result in significantly worse system efficiency than Shapley value sharing mechanism and Ortmann proportional sharing mechanism. Our framework provides an effective economics approach to understanding and designing efficient Edge-Cloud computing systems

Effects of customer trust and online experiences in building hospitality brands

Customer trust embodies customer beliefs of actually receiving a promised service and manifestations of consumer’s confidences in an exchange parties reliability and integrity. The study is based on the fact as to how trusts criteria affect online purchase especially in regard to booking and buying the accommodations and also that accommodation providers assume that are very essential for consumers to make the online purchase. In total 150 consumers and 80 hotels owners/operators in India were examined. There are enormous discrepancies between consumers and accommodation providers were searched. Like formal guarantee of providers, security concern, refund of price paid delivery time and information about confirmation and they will switch from one brand to other due to promise breakage, less service quality, high price charged. However, these trust criteria were viewed inconsequential by the accommodation providers. It concluded with vast number of suggestions and recommendations for the accommodation providers need to include in their websites and build reputation and strong brands in the hospitality market

Quality in home care for older people: factors to pay heed to

23 home care providers were interviewed concerning what promotes or impedes quality aspects of service-giving, as defined by older customers – like service from familiar staff or flexible help. The influence of Social Services purchasers and of structures for purchasing care proved notably important. Purchasers affected service quality through the amounts of time which they commissioned and through whether they would purchase help for customers’ quality of life as well as for their physical survival. Quality was affected through whether care was purchased through fixed quantities of time or through the fulfilment of specified tasks. Some purchasers controlled details of everyday care-giving which other purchasers left to providers’ discretion. Also influential was the attitude of providers themselves to giving miscellaneous occasional help like changing light-bulbs, finding reliable private tradesmen or taking customers with them on shopping trips. Some providers readily gave such help and found it unproblematic to do so. Others prohibited it, though this seemed not always implemented earnestly. The most marked differences in willingness to give flexible help occurred between different independent sector providers, rather than between independent and Social Services in-house providers. A third type of influence on quality of home care was ‘economic’ factors like the purchasing power of local home care pay rates within the local labour market, local geography and demography. Some questions are itemised which merit inclusion in any evaluation of the quality of a home care provider