780 research outputs found
Semantic framework for regulatory compliance support
Regulatory Compliance Management (RCM) is a management process, which an organization
implements to conform to regulatory guidelines. Some processes that contribute towards
automating RCM are: (i) extraction of meaningful entities from the regulatory text and (ii)
mapping regulatory guidelines with organisational processes. These processes help in updating
the RCM with changes in regulatory guidelines. The update process is still manual since there
are comparatively less research in this direction. The Semantic Web technologies are potential
candidates in order to make the update process automatic. There are stand-alone frameworks
that use Semantic Web technologies such as Information Extraction, Ontology Population,
Similarities and Ontology Mapping. However, integration of these innovative approaches in
the semantic compliance management has not been explored yet. Considering these two
processes as crucial constituents, the aim of this thesis is to automate the processes of RCM. It
proposes a framework called, RegCMantic.
The proposed framework is designed and developed in two main phases. The first part of the
framework extracts the regulatory entities from regulatory guidelines. The extraction of
meaningful entities from the regulatory guidelines helps in relating the regulatory guidelines
with organisational processes. The proposed framework identifies the document-components
and extracts the entities from the document-components. The framework extracts important
regulatory entities using four components: (i) parser, (ii) definition terms, (iii) ontological
concepts and (iv) rules. The parsers break down a sentence into useful segments. The
extraction is carried out by using the definition terms, ontological concepts and the rules in the
segments. The entities extracted are the core-entities such as subject, action and obligation, and
the aux-entities such as time, place, purpose, procedure and condition.
The second part of the framework relates the regulatory guidelines with organisational
processes. The proposed framework uses a mapping algorithm, which considers three types of
Abstract
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entities in the regulatory-domain and two types of entities in the process-domains. In the
regulatory-domain, the considered entities are regulation-topic, core-entities and aux-entities.
Whereas, in the process-domain, the considered entities are subject and action. Using these
entities, it computes aggregation of three types of similarity scores: topic-score, core-score and
aux-score. The aggregate similarity score determines whether a regulatory guideline is related
to an organisational process.
The RegCMantic framework is validated through the development of a prototype system. The
prototype system implements a case study, which involves regulatory guidelines governing the
Pharmaceutical industries in the UK. The evaluation of the results from the case-study has
shown improved accuracy in extraction of the regulatory entities and relating regulatory
guidelines with organisational processes. This research has contributed in extracting
meaningful entities from regulatory guidelines, which are provided in unstructured text and
mapping the regulatory guidelines with organisational processes semantically
Interventions for reducing and/or controlling domestic violence among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Domestic violence (DV) during pregnancy is recognized as a global health problem associated with serious health consequences for both the mother and her baby. Several interventions aimed at addressing DV around the time of pregnancy have been developed in the last decade, but they are primarily from developed countries. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are facing both a mounting burden of DV as well as severe resource constraints that keep them from emulating some of the effective interventions implemented in developed settings. A systematic review was conducted to examine the approaches and effects of interventions designed for reducing or controlling DV among pregnant women in LMICs. Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched, and the search was augmented by bibliographic reviews and expert consultations. Two reviewers assessed eligibility and quality of the studies and extracted data independently. The third reviewer was involved to resolve any discrepancies between the reviewers. Due to the limited number of studies and varied outcomes, a meta-analysis was not possible. Primary outcomes of this review included frequency and/or severity of DV and secondary outcomes included mental health, safety behaviours, and use of community resources. In addition, findings from the critical appraisal of studies were utilised to inform the initial draft of Theory of Change (ToC). Results: Only five studies (two randomized trials and three non-randomized trials) met the eligibility criteria. The interventions consisting of supportive counselling demonstrated a reduction in DV and an improvement in use of safety behaviours. One study has embedded the DV intervention into an existing program on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Limited evidence could be drawn for outcomes such as quality of life and the use of community resources. Discussion: This review attempted to address the knowledge gap by collating evidence on interventions aimed at addressing DV among pregnant women in LMICs. The development of a ToC was critical in understanding how certain activities led to the desired outcomes. This ToC can guide the design of future research and development of practice guidelines. The participatory involvement of the stakeholders is recommended to refine the current ToC to support its further development for practice. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, CRD4201707393
Animal Welfare Assessment: Can We Develop a Practical, Time-Limited Assessment Protocol for Pasture-Based Dairy Cows in New Zealand?
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Domestic and Family Violence and its Association with Mental Health Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in a Tertiary Hospital of Eastern Nepal.
Background: Pregnancy has been identified as a vulnerable period for both the initiation and escalation in severity of domestic and family violence. There is a significant dearth of scholarly literature documenting the relationship of domestic and family violence with the mental health and quality of life among pregnant women of Nepal.
Methods: Baseline data of 140 women enrolled in a trial of a psychosocial intervention for abused pregnant women were analysed. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using standardised scales. Prevalence of domestic and family violence and mental health conditions were estimated and inferential statistics were used to assess the association of domestic and family violence with mental health, quality of life, social support, and use of safety behaviours.
Results: The lifetime prevalence of domestic and family violence was found to be 27.7% (n = 173), followed by 17.1% of women (n = 107) fearing someone in their family. Domestic and family violence in the last 12 months was significantly associated with anxiety (p = 0.001), depression (p = 0.005), quality of life (p < 0.05), and perceived social support (p = 0.001). Use of safety behaviours (p = 0.037) was significantly low among women reporting domestic and family violence in the past year as well as during the current pregnancy (p = 0.017).
Conclusions: There exists a high psychological morbidity among pregnant women exposed to domestic and family violence. The findings support the need of implementing a screening and support intervention for abused women seeking antenatal services
Factors Affecting the Productivity of Coffee in Gulmi and Arghakhanchi Districts of Nepal
Coffee is one of the major potential cash crops with lucrative export value grown in mid-hills of Nepal. Nepalese coffee production has suffered long by low productivity. Research was conducted from February to May, 2019 to analyze the factors affecting the productivity of coffee in Arghakhanchi and Gulmi districts of Nepal. These two districts were, purposively selected for this study taking account of comparative advantage and past studies recommendations for coffee sector. Altogether, 100 coffee growing households 50 from each, Arghakhanchi and Gulmi, were sampled by using multistage sampling technique. A pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the primary information while secondary information was collected reviewing the relevant publications. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model was used to determine the factors affecting the productivity of coffee. The study revealed that the number of active family members involved in coffee production (0.000), adoption of income diversification through intercropping (0.005), training (0.072) and technical assistance (0.021) had positive and significant effect on coffee productivity. Encouraging the household to have coffee production as their primary occupation, providing technical assistance on rational land utilization and intercropping and strengthening the skill and knowledge of farmers through trainings could significantly support in increasing the productivity of coffee
Establishing Bedding Requirements during Transport and Monitoring Skin Temperature during Cold and Mild Seasons after Transport for Finishing Pigs
The broad aim of this study was to determine whether bedding level in the transport trailer influenced pig performance and welfare. Specifically, the objective was to define the bedding requirements of pigs during transportation in commercial settings during cold and mild weather. Animals (n = 112,078 pigs on 572 trailers) used were raised in commercial finishing sites and transported in trailers to commercial processing plants. Dead on arrival (DOA), non-ambulatory (NA), and total dead and down (D&D) data were collected and skin surface temperatures of the pigs were measured by infrared thermography. Data were collected during winter (Experiment 1) and fall/spring (Experiment 2). Total D&D percent showed no interaction between bedding level and outside air temperature in any experiments. Average skin surface temperature during unloading increased with outside air temperature linearly in both experiments (P \u3c 0.01). In conclusion, over-use of bedding may be economically inefficient. Pig skin surface temperature could be a useful measure of pig welfare during or after transport
Gouty tophi
Gouty tophi presenting as multiple large periarticular masses could be mistaken for rheumatoid nodules, neoplasm, neurofibroma, or infection. Aspiration of synovial fluid from inflamed joints or examination of whitish material expressed though breaks in skin usually assists with the diagnosis of gout
Antenatal-Based Pilot Psychosocial Intervention to Enhance Mental Health of Pregnant Women Experiencing Domestic and Family Violence in Nepal.
Survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) report poorer quality of life and worsening mental health. This study evaluated the effect of a counseling and education intervention on the mental health and help-seeking behaviors among pregnant women living with DFV. A parallel pilot randomized controlled trial was performed among 140 pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic of a tertiary hospital of Nepal. Using computer-generated random numbers, participants were randomized to the intervention group (a counseling session, an information booklet about DFV, and contact details of the counselor) or a control group (usual care plus a booklet containing contact details of local DFV support services). Outcome measures included mental health, quality of life (QOL), self-efficacy, social support, and safety planning behaviors. Analyses followed intention-to-treat, using the generalized estimating equation model. Intervention participants showed significant improvements in anxiety (β = -3.24, p < .001) and depression (β = -3.16, p < .001) at postintervention. Such improvements were also sustained at follow-up assessment (p < .001). Significant group and time interaction for QOL, social support, use of safety behaviors, and self-efficacy (p < .05) revealed a greater increase in these outcome measures among intervention participants at both follow-up assessments compared with the control group. This pilot integrated intervention showed promising outcomes in improving the mental health, social support, and the use of safety behaviors among women with DFV. This intervention could be incorporated into regular antenatal care as a strategy to identify and support victims of DFV. Larger controlled trials with longer follow-up are needed to support and expand on the current findings regarding the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention targeting victims of DFV in resource-constrained settings
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