Productivity at the Post: its Drivers and its Distribution

We study the economic, financial and distributional performance of the United States Postal Service subsequent to its 1971 reorganization. We investigate the economic drivers of productivity change (technical change, change in cost efficiency, and scale economies), and the distribution of the financial benefits of productivity change (consumers of postal services, postal employees and other resource suppliers, and residual claimants). We find improvements in technology to have been the main driver of, and diseconomies of scale to have been the main drag on, productivity change. We find labor to have been the main beneficiary, and consumers of postal services the main losers, from postal reorganization.

Testing the Product Test

The product test asks the product of a quantity index number and a price index number to equal the corresponding value change. The literature treats the product test as being so important that it is used to identify acceptable index number pairs, and to construct implicit index numbers when an otherwise desirable pair fails the test. We treat the product test as a hypothesis to be tested, and we provide an empirical application.

Equivalent standard DEA models to provide super-efficiency scores

DEA super-efficiency models were introduced originally with the objective of providing a tie-breaking procedure for ranking units rated as efficient in conventional DEA models. This objective has been expanded to include sensitivity analysis, outlier identification and inter-temporal analysis. However, not all units rated as efficient in conventional DEA models have feasible solutions in DEA super-efficiency models. We propose a new super-efficiency model that (a) generates the same super-efficiency scores as conventional super-efficiency models for all units having a feasible solution under the latter, and (b) generates a feasible solution for all units not having a feasible solution under the latter. Empirical examples are provided to compare the two super-efficiency models

Tracking with Multiple Cameras for Video Surveillance

The large shape variability and partial occlusions challenge most object detection and tracking methods for nonrigid targets such as pedestrians. Single camera tracking is limited in the scope of its applications because of the limited field of view (FOV) of a camera. This initiates the need for a multiple-camera system for completely monitoring and tracking a target, especially in the presence of occlusion. When the object is viewed with multiple cameras, there is a fair chance that it is not occluded simultaneously in all the cameras. In this paper, we developed a method for the fusion of tracks obtained from two cameras placed at two different positions. First, the object to be tracked is identified on the basis of shape information measured by MPEG-7 ART shape descriptor. After this, single camera tracking is performed by the unscented Kalman filter approach and finally the tracks from the two cameras are fused. A sensor network model is proposed to deal with the situations in which the target moves out of the field of view of a camera and reenters after sometime. Experimental results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed scheme for tracking objects under occlusion

A Quasi-Malmquist Index

Abstract The Malmquist productivity index is based on distance functions, which are reciprocals of radial Debreu-Farrell efficiency measures, and which have a number of desirable properties. Linear programming techniques are frequently employed to calculate the efficiency measures. However these techniques can leave slacks, which constitute a non-radial form of inefficiency which is not incorporated into the analysis. Thus a radial efficiency measure overstates true efficiency, the reciprocal distance function understates the distance to the relevant efficient subset, and the Malmquist productivity index is adversely affected, although in an analytically indeterminate direction. This has led us to consider a new definition of "one-sided" efficiency, and to develop a new nonradial efficiency measure which incorporates all slacks on the selected side. Replacing conventional radial efficiency measures with our new non-radial efficiency measures generates what we call a quasi-Malmquist productivity index. We illustrate our quasi-Malmquist productivity index with an application to productivity change in Spanish banking

EQUIP training the trainers: an evaluation of a training programme for service users and carers involved in training mental health professionals in user-involved care planning

This is the version of record of the following article: Fraser, C and Grundy, A and Meade, O and Callaghan, P and Lovell, K (2017) EQUIP training the trainers: an evaluation of a training programme for service users and carers involved in training mental health professionals in user-involved care planning. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 24 (6). pp. 367-376. which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpm.12361/full This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving." Introduction:Limited evidence exists on service user and carer perceptions of under-taking a training course for delivering care planning training to qualified mental health professionals. We know little about trainee motivations for engaging with such train the trainers courses, experiences of attending courses and trainees’ subsequent experiences of co delivering training to health professionals, hence the current study.Aim:To obtain participants’ views on the suitability and acceptability of a training programme that aimed to prepare service users and carers to co deliver train-ing to health professionals.Method:Semi-structured interviews with nine service users and carers attending the training programme. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.Results:Participants’ reasons for attending training included skill development and making a difference to mental health practice.Course content was generally rated highly but may benefit from review and/or extension to allow the range of topics and resulting professional training programme to be covered in more depth. Trainees who delivered the care planning training reported a mix of expectations, support experiences, preparedness and personal impacts.Implications for Practice:Mental health nurses are increasingly co producing and delivering training with service users and carers. This study identifies possibilities and pitfalls in this endeavour, highlighting areas where user and carer involvement and support structures might be improved in order to fully realize the potential for involvement in training

Improving trial recruitment through improved communication about patient and public involvement : an embedded cluster randomised recruitment trial

Background: Evidence is emerging that patient and public involvement in research (PPIR) may improve recruitment into randomised controlled trials, but the best methods to achieve improvement are unclear. Although many trials use PPIR to improve design and conduct, many do not communicate their use of PPIR clearly to potential participants. Directly communicating PPIR might encourage participation through increased patient confidence and trust in a trial. We aimed to develop and evaluate the impact on recruitment an intervention communicating PPIR in a trial to potential participants. Methods: This study was embedded in EQUIP, a cluster randomised controlled trial which allocated mental health teams in England to either a training intervention group to improve service user and carer involvement in care planning, or to a control group (no training). We conducted a cluster randomised trial of a recruitment intervention communicating PPIR, embedded within the EQUIP trial. The principles underlying the intervention were informed by a systematic review and a workshop that included mental health service users and trialists. Working with EQUIP PPIR partners (service users and carers) we developed the intervention using a leaflet to advertise the nature and function of the PPIR. Professional graphic design optimised readability and impact. Patients identified as potentially eligible for EQUIP were randomised to receive the leaflet or not, alongside the standard trial information. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants enrolled in EQUIP. The secondary outcome was the proportion expressing interest in taking part. Results: 34 clusters (mental health teams) were recruited, and 8182 potential participants were randomised. Preliminary analyses show that for the primary outcome, 4% of patients receiving the PPIR leaflet were enrolled vs. 5.3% in the control group. For the secondary outcome 7.3% of potential participants receiving the PPIR leaflet responded positively to the invitation to participate, vs. 7.9% in the control group. Future analyses will be by intention-to-treat and use logistic regression to estimate between-group odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. A planned secondary analysis will explore whether the impact of the intervention is moderated by age and gender. Conclusion: In preliminary analysis of this large trial, communicating PPIR demonstrated no benefits for improving the numbers of potential participants expressing interest in the trial, and reduced trial enrolment. Our findings contrast with the literature suggesting PPIR benefits recruitment. We will discuss the potential reasons for this finding, along with implications for future recruitment practice and research