Home advantage in Turkish professional soccer

Home advantage is known to play an important role in the outcome of professional soccer games, and to vary considerably worldwide. In the Turkish Super League over the last 12 years, 61.5% of the total points gained have been won by the home team, a figure similar to the worldwide average and to the Premier League in England. It is lower (57.7%) for games played between teams from Istanbul and especially high for games involving teams from cities in the more remote and ethically distinct parts of Turkey (Van and Diyarbakir). Match performance data show that although home teams in Turkey take 26% more shots at goal than away teams, the success rates for shots do not differ. For fouls and disciplinary cards, home and away teams do not differ significantly in Turkey, a finding that that differs from games in England, perhaps due to less referee bias.Home advantage,professional soccer

The impact of regulation, ownership and business culture on managing corporate risk within the water industry

Although the specifics of water utility ownership, regulation and management culture have been explored in terms of their impact on economic and customer value, there has been little meaningful engagement with their influence on the risk environment and risk management. Using a literature review as the primary source of information, this paper maps the existing knowledge base onto two critical questions: what are the particular features of regulation, ownership and management culture which influence the risk dynamic, and what are the implications of these relationships in the context of ambitions for resilient organizations? In addressing these queries, the paper considers the mindful choices and adjustments a utility must make to its risk management strategy to manage strategic tensions between efficiency, risk and resilience. The conclusions note a gap in understanding of the drivers required for a paradigm shift within the water sector from a re-active to a pro-active risk management culture. A proposed model of the tensions between reactive risk management and pro-active, adaptive risk management provides a compelling case for measured risk management approaches which are informed by an appreciation of regulation, ownership and business culture. Such approaches will support water authorities in meeting corporate aspirations to become "high reliability" services while retaining the capacity to out-perform financial and service level targets

Evaluating and developing GP appraisal processes

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Introduction: This report details findings from a study undertaken by the School of Primary Care, Severn Deanery and the School of Health and Social Care, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) between November 2008 and November 2009 to evaluate and develop GP appraisal processes in an area in the South West of England.A process of licensing for all doctors practising medicine in the UK is currently being implemented by the General Medical Council (GMC). All licensed doctors will need to demonstrate at regular intervals that their practice meets the generic standards set by the GMC, as described in Good Medical Practice (GMC 2006). Licensing will involve a process of revalidation for individual practitioners. It is planned to incorporate revalidation into the current appraisal processes for all medical professionals (GMC 2008).Although a statutory requirement, GP appraisal has until recently had primarily a formative, developmental purpose (DH 2002). Despite being obligatory, the uptake of GP appraisal has been problematic and inconsistent (Martin et al 2003). To date, only a limited amount of research or evaluation about GP appraisal has been published. However, there is recognised tension between the concept of appraisal as both a supportive developmental process and as a measure for judging fitness to practise.STUDY AIMA: This study set out to evaluate existing evidence submitted by GPs for the purposes of appraisal, and to explore how a model for appraisal could be developed that meets the needs of revalidation but also acts as a developmental process for individual GPs.METHODS: Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for this study, in order to provide both breadth and depth to the evaluation. Quantitative data sources comprised all the appraisal evidence checklists used by appraisers in one Primary Care Trust (PCT) over the financial year April 2008 to May 2009 (n=123). The evidence checklist provides a basic template for recording the types of evidence a GP appraisee submits for appraisal purposes, and whether the evidence submitted relates to an individual’s personal practice, or to organisational practice within the GP practice as a whole. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Comparative analysis of types of evidence was conducted for appraiser, appraisee age and appraisee status.Qualitative data were collected through 5 focus groups held with 23 attendees at a GP appraisal stakeholder event hosted by the Deanery, and through interviews with all the appraisal leads for PCTs within the Deanery’s geographical area (n=7). Data were analysed thematically.The study was approved by a University research ethics sub-committee.MAIN FINDINGS AND POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION: Findings from this study raise particular points for consideration in relation to the appraiser role; the nature of evidence required for appraisal; the situation of sessional doctors; appraisee age; sharing expertise and experience; and the role of the Deanery in appraisal.Appraiser role: Most focus group and interview participants were adamant that appraisal should retain a strong developmental element. Clear definition of the role and appropriate national training were seen as essential factors contributing to the success of the process.Evidence required for appraisal: A notable feature of the focus group data was the confusion expressed by many participants about the nature and amount of evidence required for appraisal. Given the perception that appraisal for revalidation is extremely time-consuming for individual GPs, it was felt that having a clear brief about the evidence required is essential. The revised RCGP guidelines published after these data were collected (RCGP 2009, 2010) may go some way to ameliorating this problem, particularly with respect to the description of what constitutes audit for appraisal purposes.Sessional doctors: Many focus group participants and at least one appraisal lead were concerned that sessional doctors would have problems collecting the required evidence for appraisal. However, the data from this study also suggest that these problems can be addressed. The checklist data revealed very few substantive differences between principal and sessional doctors with regard to evidence submitted for appraisal. In particular, there was no statistically significant difference between the proportions of principal and sessional doctors who provided supporting information concerning their personal practice in relation to significant events, data or audit collection, multi-source feedback and complaints; this was notable, as these four areas have been identified as potentially problematic for sessional doctors (RCGP 2009, 2010). A number of the study participants were able to provide anecdotal evidence concerning innovative practice among sessional doctors with respect to the collection of evidence for appraisal, both at personal and collective levels. All these data, taken together, suggest that sessional doctors’ problems in this regard may be overstated, as long as appropriate support is provided by employing practices and PCTs.Appraisee age: The stereotype of the older GP, near retirement and not computer-literate, and not wishing to engage with appraisal, was present in the data. However, this was counterbalanced by examples of exceptions, and concern expressed about some younger, part-time GPs, whose personal circumstances do not support their involvement in appraisal. No differences were found in the checklist data between younger and older GPs with regard to the evidence they provided for appraisal. This applied to all GPs, and also only to locum GPs. It appears that difficulties encountered arise due to individuals’ particular circumstances or personalities, rather than because they belong to a defined category of appraisee.Sharing expertise and experience: A very strong feature of the qualitative data was the extent to which participants enthused about the benefits they experience when presented with opportunities for sharing expertise and experience. A number of suggestions concerning format were made, including both face to face and on-line media.The role of the Deanery in appraisal: There was no consistency with regard to participants’ opinions about the degree to which the Deanery should be involved in the co-ordination of the appraisal process. However, all the participants, both from the focus groups and the appraisal leads, were clear that the Deanery has a valuable role to play in training and preparation for appraisal for both appraisers and appraisees. They welcomed the idea that the Deanery could provide fora for sharing expertise and experience, as well as providing structured, dedicated preparation for appraisees. The Deanery was also thought to be well placed to help address any lack of consistency among appraisers through appropriate training.RECOMMENDATIONS:1. Change the organisational culture of practices and trusts to encourage access for sessional and locum doctors to Clinical Governance, Significant Event, Audit and Data Collection, through meetings and improved communication. This could be accelerated by including locum access as a quality criterion to be reviewed at practice inspections by PCTs or by the Care Quality Commission.2. Encourage, establish and facilitate fora and self directed groups for isolated locums and sessional GPs.3. Provide examples of innovative ways of collecting evidence for this group.4. Establish new tools designed specifically for this group, such as patient and colleague feedback

The people's choice: community management of RWS

The people's choice: community management of RW

Burp Charging Nickel Metal Hydride Cells

The SKYNET 4 constellation consists of three spacecraft which were launched between December 1988 and August 1990. The spacecraft are three-axis stabilized geostationary earth-orbiting military communications satellites with a design life of seven years on station. With the mission objective achieved all the batteries continue to give excellent performance. This paper presents a review of the history of the six batteries from cell procurement to the end of their design life and beyond. Differences in operational strategies are discussed and the lifetime trends in performance are analyzed. The combination of procurement acceptance criteria and the on-station battery management strategy utilized are presented as the prime factors in achieving completely successful battery performance throughout the mission

Variations in home advantage in the national basketball leagues of europe

Home advantage is a well established phenomenon in basketball, but little is known about its variability among different countries. The purpose of the study was to compare the magnitude of the home advantage in the national basketball leagues of Europe. Thirty-five countries were included and the final standings of league tables for the three seasons 2009-10 to 2011-12 analyzed, a total of 17,099 games. The advantage was highest in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, where over 70% of games were won by the home team, well above the mean for all countries (60.7%). After controlling for variations in the competitive balance of each league, as well as for proxy variables representing crowd size and travel distance, home advantage in the 10 Balkan countries was found to be significantly higher than elsewhere (p < 0.001). This Balkan effect added an estimated 5.1 percentage points to the home advantage. The pattern of results was very similar to a prior comparable study for football in Europe (overall average 61%), with a correlation between the football and basketball home advantage values of r = +.516. The explanation suggested for football is likely to apply also to basketball. That is, the effect on players, crowds and referees of an increased sense of territorial protection in Balkan countries due to the long history of conflict in the region, deep ethnic and religious rivalries and mistrust of outsiders, all heightened by the mountainous terrain and the isolation of many locations

Labor Allocation and Productivity of Men and Women on Thai Farms

This paper examines the efficiency at labor allocation and the productivity of labor by gender between and within farm and non-farm enterprises on Thai farms. A Cobb-Douglas production function is estimated for both types of enterprises using disaggregated data. The estimated parameters of these functions are utilized to analyze efficiency and productivity issues. The results showed that inter-enterprise efficiency can be enhanced by allocating more labor of men to non-farm enterprises and mare labor of women to farm enterprises, but cultural constraints may impede such substitution. Policy makers need to improve incentives for non-farm enterprises

Recent developments in the application of risk analysis to waste technologies.

The European waste sector is undergoing a period of unprecedented change driven by business consolidation, new legislation and heightened public and government scrutiny. One feature is the transition of the sector towards a process industry with increased pre-treatment of wastes prior to the disposal of residues and the co-location of technologies at single sites, often also for resource recovery and residuals management. Waste technologies such as in-vessel composting, the thermal treatment of clinical waste, the stabilisation of hazardous wastes, biomass gasification, sludge combustion and the use of wastes as fuel, present operators and regulators with new challenges as to their safe and environmentally responsible operation. A second feature of recent change is an increased regulatory emphasis on public and ecosystem health and the need for assessments of risk to and from waste installations. Public confidence in waste management, secured in part through enforcement of the planning and permitting regimes and sound operational performance, is central to establishing the infrastructure of new waste technologies. Well-informed risk management plays a critical role. We discuss recent developments in risk analysis within the sector and the future needs of risk analysis that are required to respond to the new waste and resource management agenda

A hybrid biogas system for Kolkata

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a global problem. Four processes for treatment include landfilling, incineration, recycling and composting the organic fraction. Landfilling can cause the release of the potent greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. In many parts of the world, including the European Union, legislation to limit the amount of generated Organic Fraction Municipal Solid Wastes (OFMSW) going to landfill has been introduced. An alternative to landfilling is to anaerobically digest the OFMSW. This paper investigates the concept of a Hybrid Biomass System (HBS) consisting of solar thermal Flat Plat Collector (FPC) providing heat energy to the thermophilic (55oC) anaerobic digestion process, and the potential energy yield of hotel OFMSW in Kolkata. The methodology comprises development and assessment of a theoretical model representing the anaerobic digestion process for optimum biogas yield and TRNSYS simulation of a 5m2 and 10m2 FPC. Theoretical biogas production rates derived are 0.44m3/kgVS or 0.21m3 biogas/guest/day with a C/N ratio of 35:1. 5m2 and 10m2 FPC simulations maintained the thermophilic temperature of 55oC within -1.9 and +2.1. 10m2 FPC provides largest energy contribution at 11% of the annual energy requirement. In is concluded that FPCs can support thermophilic digester heating requirements with heat store or direct integration. In order to meet optimum biogas yield, legislation and policy is required to evolve the current waste management processes with emphasis on infrastructure development and source segregation