Asset/Liability Management in Kansas Banks

Financial Economics,

Developing sustainable household waste management - a Local Authority approach to zero waste

This project was a case study with a Local Authority (Charnwood Borough Council, Leicestershire) to research the options in response to the challenges of managing household waste. This research focused on establishing and analysing methods of improving the sustainability of household waste management operation within a Waste Collection Authority, where the interaction with a variety of external and internal stakeholders meant a holistic approach was needed. Waste management practices and performances in Charnwood were evaluated and benchmarked against national standards and the demography of a semi-rural Borough. Waste management practices nationally were also reviewed. The performance of the LA was quantitatively compared with other UK LAs where higher recycling performances are achieved. Differences were separate food waste collection and treatment; a larger proportion of urban housing and the university with a transient population. Other differences included strategy and operational practices for garden waste, the storage, collection, transportation and treatment of waste. A time series statistical model was modified and applied to investigate long term waste generation trends from the Boroughs official waste data returns to Defra. These were used to assess the success of interventions undertaken. This statistical model was able to differentiate interventions that were able to achieve lasting improvements in either waste minimisation or recycling. The declaration of a Zero Waste Strategy was to capture the public imagination. A series of focus groups and public consultations were held to judge public reaction and develop and refine the strategy. These were used to adapt the Zero Waste idea to suit the local conditions. A major conclusion was that householder involvement would be crucial for successful implementation of the further separation of waste that would be required

Recycling: why you can't just throw anything in the collection bin

Recycling: why you can't just throw anything in the collection bi

China bans foreign waste – but what will happen to the world’s recycling?

China bans foreign waste – but what will happen to the world’s recycling

”THE CASE OF THE BEAU-VALLON”: MENTAL ILLNESSES OF DEAF PEOPLE TO THE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

Objective: This article aims to examine data on Psychiatric diagnoses among deaf people in comparison with hearing people in the psychiatric hospital in Beau-Vallon. Method: This work proposes to study the diagnostic data from the Summary Psychiatric Minimum (Résumé psychiatrique minimum: RPM) from the years 2000 until 2009 from the psychiatric hospital Beau Vallon and for which a hearing problem has been highlighted on Axis III. The sample data of the deaf population will be compared with the sample of the total population represented by all patients for the year 2008. Both samples were found to be equivalent after a Mann-Whitney test to study the relationship between two independent samples with quantitative data. Results: The results show an overrepresentation of the diagnosis of psychotic disorders (40.7% against 29.3%), an equivalence of depressive disorders (18.5% against 18 %) but bipolar disorders were absent in the deaf while they were found in 5.7% of patients with normal hearing, an overrepresentation in the deaf population of anxiety disorders (11.1% against 3.4%), intellectual disabilities (37% against 13.4% in the hearing population) and an under-representation of personality disorders (25.9% against 61.2% in the hearing population) Conclusion: In this example, several concepts can be put forward to demonstrate bias and prejudice in the specific diagnostic support for deaf people with psychiatric teams who are not specialized in the treatment of deafnes

An evaluation of rational prescribing in hospital outpatient practice in Sierra Leone and assessment of affordability of a prescription as an outcome

Introduction: medicines are the most frequently used intervention in healthcare. Rational and cost-effective prescribing is especially important in countries where access to effective medicines may be challenged by affordability issues. This study describes the prescribing patterns of doctors in government hospitals in Freetown, Sierra Leone, considering the scope for rationalising prescribing and reducing cost to the patient. Methods: a descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at four hospitals, using selected World Health Organisation (WHO) indicators applied to 600 prescriptions, after systematic random sampling. The data was analysed using SPSS.16 and the Index of Rational Drug Prescrib-ing (IRDP) calculated. The Spearman's rank coefficient was used to examine possible associations between the number of medicines prescribed as generics and from the National Essential Medicines List (NEML) and cost of the prescription respectively. Affordability was determined from the average number of days of work required to purchase a prescription, based on the minimum wage of the lowest paid government worker in Sierra Leone. Results: the mean number of medicines per prescription from the four hospitals was 4.37(range 4.18-4.56) with 57% prescribed generically and 64% from the NEML. An antibiotic and injection were found on 72% and 26% of prescriptions respectively. The overall IRDP was 2.65/5. The aver-age cost per prescription was Le. 29,376.30 ($6.78), equivalent to 43 days of work of the lowest paid government worker. Conclusion: in this study, opportunities were identified for significant rationalisation and improvement in cost-effective prescribing

Habilitation Training Curriculum: Is It Useful?

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting approximately five million Americans. Paul Raia, PhD, Vice President, Clinical Services at the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapters, developed a training curriculum called Caring for People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Habilitation Training Curriculum. The Alzheimer’s Association’s Maine Chapter has been implementing this training in care facilities across Maine. The purpose of this project was to evaluate if this training is perceived as useful in direct care settings.A secondary goal of the project was to determine if this training should be adapted for use in other settings in which professionals of varying titles interact with elder populations

Closing the loop: insights into the role of partnerships in facilitating reuse in the UK

Product longevity and extending product lifetimes through repair and reuse are recognised as having an important place in waste reduction strategies (Cooper, 2005; Curran & Williams, 2010). These activities, discourage the “churn” of purchasing new items (Cox et al., 2013) and also have a part to play in addressing global concerns regarding resource efficiency, contributing to slowing material flows, conserving resources, reducing energy use and decreasing environmental pollution (WRAP, 2009; ERM, 2011). As such, they have been prioritised in European Union (EU) legislation, being placed above recycling and other waste management treatments in the waste hierarchy introduced in the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EC), and more recently in the Circular Economy Action Plan (European Commission, 2015). In order to identify key areas for improvement in maintaining products in their most useful state for an optimum time, it is pertinent to understand product flows in a post-consumer context. This paper explores a partnership between a major retailer and the reuse sector that seeks to support reuse of products discarded by consumers who have recently purchased replacement goods. It traces the movement of discarded products, outlining the roles of the different stakeholders and sets out the product pathways to reuse enabled by this partnership. It makes recommendations for policy makers to encourage the growth of such partnerships to facilitate reuse which have economic and social benefits in addition to environmental benefits that align with circular economy concepts

Community repair: a pop-up alternative to the throwaway society

Community repair: a pop-up alternative to the throwaway societ