Model farm services centers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Evaluation and the way forward

The sub-national Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan enacted Farm Services Centers Act, 2014, to establish Model Farm Services Centers (MFSCs) and Farm Services Centers as “one stop-shop” based on public-private partnership principle to strengthen extension system. The aim of these Centers is to empower small farmers at a platform to enhance their knowledge and skills and availability of quality agricultural inputs as stipulated in Section 4(g) of the Act, 2014, that each FSC shall “purchase certified seed, fertilizers, animal husbandry services, quality veterinary heath care services and medicines, farm machinery, expertise and technology for provision to the members who are registered with the Centre on affordable rates in comparison to open market rates”. The objective is to improve rural livelihoods, and development of the rural economy

En studie av småhusentreprenader : Varför går det fel?

Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga småhusentreprenader och vilka problem samt konflikter som uppstår mellan entreprenader och beställare. Vidare är det tänkt att denna studie skulle ge allmänheten en bättre uppfattning kring varför konflikter uppstår mellan beställare och entreprenörer samt hur husleverantörer jobbar för att motverka dessa problem. För att uppnå syftet och besvara forskningsfrågorna användes en kvalitativ forskningsmetod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer. Anledningen till att denna intervjuteknik tillämpades var för att ge respondenterna frihet att prata öppet om sina upplevelser och synpunkter. Respondenterna som intervjuades var fyra representanter för husleverantörer, tre beställare, en byggnadsinspektör och en kontrollansvarig. Resultatet av intervjuerna visade att det fanns en gemensam uppfattning bland beställare och husleverantörer kring att det är för mycket pappersarbete och att totalentreprenad är den mest optimala entreprenadformen för den som inte vill ta på sigallt för mycket ansvar. Det fanns dock även åsikter som skiljde sig. Studien visade att beställare upplever uppförandet av småhus som en långsam och energikrävande process. Problemen som är vanligt förekommande inom småhusentreprenader är att det finns en skillnad i språk och kunskap mellan parterna. Detta resulterar i att det blir en bristande kommunikation som i sin tur kan leda till diverse konflikter. Husleverantörerna är medvetna om dessa problem och jobbar kontinuerligt för att ta fram lösningar. En sådan lösning är att lägga stor vikt på dokumentation och kontrakt eftersom det är de som är lagligt bindande. Slutsatsen för denna studie var att en god kommunikation resulterar i färre missförstånd och konflikter. Konflikter går däremot inte att undvika helt, utan kommer alltid kunna uppstå på grund av mänskliga faktorer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the single-family home construction industry and what problems arise. Furthermore, it was intended that this study would give the public a better idea of why conflicts arise between customers and contractors and how home suppliers work to counteract these problems. To achieve the purpose and get answers to the research questions, we used a qualitative research method in the form of semi-structured interviews. The reason why this interview technique was applied was to give respondents the freedom to talk openly about their experiences and views. The respondents interviewed were four representatives of house suppliers, three clients, a building inspector and an inspection manager. The results of the interviews showed that there was a common opinion among clients and house suppliers on certain issues, but then there were also opinions that differed. The study showed that customers experience the construction of detached houses as a slow and energy-intensive process. The problems that are common in detached house contracts are that there is a difference in language and knowledge between the involved parties. This results in a lack of communication which in turn can lead to various conflicts. Home suppliers are aware of the problems that exist in the industry and work continuously to develop solutions. One such solution is to place great emphasis on documentation and contracts because they are the ones that are legally binding. The conclusion of this study was that good communication results in fewer misunderstandings and conflicts. Conflicts, on the other hand, cannot be completely avoided, but will always arise due to human factors.

A Review on Transformation of Monolithic Applications towards Microservices Environment

The traditional monolithic approach is widely employed in centralized software development, deployment, and reusability, as the modules are tightly connected, causing several challenges in programming. The study utilized different techniques for the easy transformation of several running monolithic applications to micro services including, Angular 2, REST API, Web application and several other architectural approaches are discussed. This review paper highlights the significance of microservices and the transformation of monolithic applications towards microservices. As multiple software applications are an integral part of a traditional monolithic application, the modules cannot be extended separately, and different modules cannot use various technology stacks. So, monolithic source code must be migrated to the microservice platform in order to extend `the lifecycle of applications in today's environment. However, due to structural complexity, scattered application logic, and dependency upon external framework libraries, the transformation towards a microservices platform is quite challenging. A Microservice architecture is a container of loosely coupled independent services making a flexible system. In this study, potential areas for the transformation of monolithic application source code are highlighted. Furthermore, key challenges and open research issues in this area are highlighted, requiring the research community's attention. The study concludes that Microservices are not a one-size-fits-all solution for every challenging situation. Monolithic transformation requires significant amount of time and effort on the part of everyone in the business. Full Tex

A Review on Transformation of Monolithic Applications towards Microservices Environment

The traditional monolithic approach is widely employed in centralized software development, deployment, and reusability, as the modules are tightly connected, causing several challenges in programming. The study utilized different techniques for the easy transformation of several running monolithic applications to micro services including, Angular 2, REST API, Web application and several other architectural approaches are discussed. This review paper highlights the significance of microservices and the transformation of monolithic applications towards microservices. As multiple software applications are an integral part of a traditional monolithic application, the modules cannot be extended separately, and different modules cannot use various technology stacks. So, monolithic source code must be migrated to the microservice platform in order to extend `the lifecycle of applications in today's environment. However, due to structural complexity, scattered application logic, and dependency upon external framework libraries, the transformation towards a microservices platform is quite challenging. A Microservice architecture is a container of loosely coupled independent services making a flexible system. In this study, potential areas for the transformation of monolithic application source code are highlighted. Furthermore, key challenges and open research issues in this area are highlighted, requiring the research community's attention. The study concludes that Microservices are not a one-size-fits-all solution for every challenging situation. Monolithic transformation requires significant amount of time and effort on the part of everyone in the business. Full Tex

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Not AvailableOptimization of the extrusion process for apple pomace blended snacks was done using RSM. A blend of apple pomace, maize and soy flour was extruded at five levels of moisture content (12.6–19.4%), barrel temperature (116–184oC) and screw speed (232–568 rpm). The effects of these variables on product responses, viz. bulk density, expansion ration, colour, water absorption index, water solubility index, crispiness, sensory score of overall acceptance, and specific mechanical energy were determined and analyzed. Feed moisture had significant effect on all product responses, whereas screw speed and barrel temperature, both had significant effect on SME, ER and crispiness of the product. The response surface models fitted to all responses were highly significant, and had adequate precision more than 12 (>4 desirable), without having any lack of fit. Optimized extrusion parameters for preparation of quality snacks were 14% moisture, 130oC barrel temperature and 300 rpm screw speed.Not Availabl

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London