33 research outputs found
Stability of treatment with self-ligating brackets and conventional brackets in adolescents: a long-term follow-up retrospective study
Broodiness, egg production, and correlations between broody traits in an indigenous chicken breed
Polysulfone based Non-CA resists for 193nm immersion lithography: Effect of increasing polymer absorbance on sensitivity
The use of norbornene-based polysulfones as non-chemically amplified resists (non-CARs) for 193 nm immersion lithography was explored. Allylbenzene was incorporated into the polymer backbone to increase the absorbance of the polymers. The effect of polymer absorbance on sensitivity to 193 nm radiation was investigated. Polymer films on silicon wafers have been irradiated with 193 nm photons in the absence of a photo-acid generator. Chemical contrast curves (film thickness versus dose plots prior to solvent development) and contrast curves (film thickness versus dose plots after solvent development) were obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results show that E0 values could be reduced significantly by increasing the absorbance of the polymer
Measuring health workers' motivation in rural health facilities: baseline results from three study districts in Zambia.
INTRODUCTION: Health worker motivation can potentially affect the provision of health services. Low morale among the workforce can undermine the quality of service provision and drive workers away from the profession. While the presence of high-quality, motivated staff is a key aspect of health system performance, it is also one of the most difficult factors to measure. METHODS: We assessed health worker motivation as part of the baseline assessment for a health system strengthening intervention in three rural districts in Zambia. The intervention (Better Health Outcomes Through Mentoring and Assessment (BHOMA)) aims to increase health worker motivation through training, mentoring and support. We assessed motivation by examining underlying issues grouped around relevant outcome constructs such as job satisfaction, general motivation, burnout, organization commitment, conscientiousness and timeliness that collectively measure overall levels of motivation. The tools and the concepts have been used in high-income countries and they were recently applied in African settings to measure health worker motivation. RESULTS: Female participants had the highest motivation scores (female: mean 78.5 (SD 7.8) vs male: mean (SD 7.0)). By type of worker, nurses had the highest scores while environmental health technicians had the lowest score (77.4 (SD 7.8 vs 73.2 (SD 9.3)). Health workers who had been in post longer also had higher scores (>7 months). Health workers who had received some form of training in the preceding 12 months were more likely to have a higher score; this was also true for those older than 40 years when compared to those less than 40 years of age. The highest score values were noted in conscientiousness and timeliness, with all districts scoring above 80. CONCLUSIONS: This study evaluated motivation among rural health workers using a simple adapted tool to measure the concept of motivation. Results showed variation in motivation score by sex, type of health worker, training and time in post. Further research is needed to establish why these health worker attributes were associated with motivation and whether health system interventions targeting health workers, such as the current intervention, could influence health worker motivation