Toward a More Efficient Healthcare System Using Modelling Approach

This scientific article aims to identify the most optimal healthcare financing model suitable for a country's unique healthcare context while focusing on overcoming the fragmented and costly way in which healthcare is traditionally delivered. The tasks set for this research include evaluating and benchmarking different countries and environments to identify the most efficient model, reducing transaction costs, and analysing the agents and their motivations and decision situations using agent theory and game theory. To achieve the goal and tasks, the author conducted a comprehensive study based on the transaction cost theory, which explains how inefficient contracts can lead to an inefficient healthcare system. Additionally, the author used agent theory to understand the motivations of various stakeholders involved in healthcare financing and game theory to analyse decision-making processes leading to socially and individually beneficial outcomes. The empirical segment of the research utilised data from the OECD annual healthcare database for 2016-2019. A range of analytical tools, including descriptive analysis, data visualization, correlation analysis, and hypothesis testing were employed to examine the dataset for this study. The analysis results revealed four healthcare financial models with various indicators with different levels of influence. This research provides valuable insights for senior healthcare managers and policymakers to make informed decisions and lead their organisations toward more efficient and effective healthcare financing models.In conclusion, this study fills the research gap and addresses the central research question by comprehensively analysing healthcare financing models. The results emphasize the importance of reducing transaction costs and understanding the motivations of different stakeholders for achieving more efficient and effective healthcare outcomes. Countries can move towards a more integrated and cost-effective healthcare system by implementing the most efficient model identified in this stud

How does “subjective I” influence a qualitative research question, theoretical approach and methodologies?

The “subjective Is” are those values and beliefs that a researcher or a practitioner brings to a research project or practice. The “subjective I” enables the researchers or practitioners to ask three sets of questions (a) “ who am I?”; (b) what factors influenced or informed the beliefs and values; and (c) how these beliefs and values affected my approach to developing a research interest, its research questions, theoretical approach, and methodologies. While these questions may not have an explicit influence on quantitative inquiries, it is the bedrock for a qualitative inquiry. Therefore, it is very important that qualitative researchers should engage in the process of identifying their “Subjective I’s” and reflect on how these could influence their preferred research interest, its research questions, theoretical approach and methodologies. This paper has three sections. First, I provided a description of reflexivity, highlighting its purpose in a qualitative research building on evidence from the literature. Subsequently, I provided the strengths of being reflexive as well as identify the potential limitations of not being reflexive in qualitative inquiry. Second, I identified and described three of my “subjective I” as inspired by Pushkin (1998). Third, I discussed how the identified three “subjective I” would influence some components of a hypothetical research topic including its theoretical approach, the research questions, and methodology approach.Keywords: Reflexivity, Qualitative Injury, Subjective

Culturally Relevant Texts and Reading Assessment for English Language Learners

This article reports on a study that explored the relationship between reading proficiency and cultural relevance of text for third-grade English Language Learners (ELLs). The author presents the Cultural Relevance Rubric that helps define and determine cultural relevance of texts. Participants used the rubric to rate the cultural relevance of two stories from a standardized assessment. While the two stories were identified as being the same reading level, the participants differed in their reading of each story. Reading accuracy scores for both stories suggest that the participants were within their instructional or independent reading levels. However, miscue analysis and retelling data suggest that readers’ comprehension was greater when reading the story they identified as being more culturally relevant. Implications for text selection, especially of texts used for assessment purposes with ELLs, are discussed

Food prices and household conditional food expenditure perspectives of greenhouse gas emission in Edo State, Nigeria

Empirical studies on climate-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from the perspectives of food consumer parameters are sparse in literature, and non-existent in Edo state. The study examined the outcomes of food prices and household conditional food expenditure changes on GHG in Edo State, Nigeria. It estimated a complete conditional GHG emission share system equation, the price and conditional xpenditure elasticites of GHG emission due to food demand. Three-stage sampling procedure was used to select a cross-section of 252 households. The micro-data obtained were analysed using the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS) model. The results show that 87.5% of the conditional GHG emission in the State is caused by protein foods consumption, consisting of meat (73.8%), fish (12.7%) and beans (1.0%). The results of the QUAIDS show that GHG emission in the state has inverse relationship with price. GHG emission is price and expenditure elastic. There is no strong complementarity and substitutability among the GHG emission due to food commodities consumption in the State. GHG emission from fish (1.112) and beans (1.029) consumption increase more than proportionate increase in household conditional food expenditure, but less than proportionate increase with household conditional food expenditure for plantain (0.889), rice (0.939), meat (0.993), potato (0.737) and tomato (0.667) consumption. Though, GHG emission due to beans (1.029) and meat (0.993) consumption will increase with increase in household conditional food expenditure, it decreases in share due to beans and meat consumption. Similarly, GHG emission due to fish consumption decrease with increase in household income, but increases in share due to fish commodities consumption. GHG emissions in the State are food prices and household conditional food expenditure related with conditional food expenditure having greater weight than food prices effects. Keywords: food, greenhouse gas emission, prices, income, elasticit

Useful Petite Dish with Low Carbohydrate and Sufficient Protein for Various Situations

Authors and collaborators have continued research and social movement on the Low Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) through Japan LCD Promotion Association (JLCDPA). Recommended 3 types of LCDs are petite-, standard-, super-LCD with 40%, 26%, 12% of carbohydrate ratio, respectively. Concerning the meal tolerance test (MTT), we have reported glucose and insulin responses to CR breakfast and LCD breakfast with 70g and 6g, respectively. This article described the tips for a useful dish with LCD and sufficient protein. It can be made of eggs, cheese, raw ham, and chicken by microwave cooking for 75 seconds. This petite dish can be applied in various situations

Reforestation in Nigeria: History, current practice and future perspectives

Nigeria, a country in West Africa, sits on the Atlantic coast with a land area of approximately 90 million hectares and a population of more than 140 million people. The southern part of the country falls within the tropical rainforest which has now been largely depleted and is in dire need of reforestation. About 10 percent of the land area was constituted into forest reserves for purposes of conservation but this has suffered perturbations over the years to the extent that what remains of the constituted forest reserves currently is less than 4 percent of the country land area. As at today about 382,000 ha have been reforested with indigenous and exotic species representing about 4 percent of the remaining forest estate. Regrettably, funding of the Forestry sector in Nigeria has been critically low, rendering reforestation programme near impossible, especially in the last two decades. To revive the forestry sector government at all levels must re-strategize and involve the local communities as co-managers of the forest estates in order to create mutual dependence and interaction in resource conservation