Exact λ-numbers of generalized Petersen graphs of certain higher-orders and on Möbius strips

AbstractAn L(2,1)-labeling of a graph G is an assignment f of nonnegative integers to the vertices of G such that if vertices x and y are adjacent, |f(x)−f(y)|≥2, and if x and y are at distance two, |f(x)−f(y)|≥1. The λ-number of G is the minimum span over all L(2,1)-labelings of G. A generalized Petersen graph (GPG) of order n consists of two disjoint copies of cycles on n vertices together with a perfect matching between the two vertex sets. By presenting and applying a novel algorithm for identifying GPG-specific isomorphisms, this paper provides exact values for the λ-numbers of all GPGs of orders 9, 10, 11, and 12. For all but three GPGs of these orders, the λ-numbers are 5 or 6, improving the recently obtained upper bound of 7 for GPGs of orders 9, 10, 11, and 12. We also provide the λ-numbers of several infinite subclasses of GPGs that have useful representations on Möbius strips

Profiling of Genes Related to Cross Protection and Competition for NbTOM1 by HLSV and TMV

10.1371/journal.pone.0073725PLoS ONE89-POLN

The complex remuneration of human resources for health in low-income settings: policy implications and a research agenda for designing effective financial incentives

Background Human resources for health represent an essential component of health systems and play a key role to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa face challenges regarding the availability, distribution and performance of health workers, which could be in part addressed by providing effective financial incentives. Methods Based on an overview of the existing literature, the paper highlights the gaps in the existing research in low-income countries exploring the different components of health workers' incomes. It then proposes a novel approach to the analysis of financial incentives and delineates a research agenda, which could contribute to shed light on this topic. Findings The article finds that, while there is ample research that investigates separately each of the incomes health workers may earn (for example, salary, fee-for-service payments, informal incomes, top-ups- and per diems, dual practice and non-health activities), there is a dearth of studies which look at the health workers' complex remuneration-, that is, the whole of the financial incentives available. Little research exists which analyses simultaneously all revenues of health workers, quantifies the overall remuneration and explores its complexity, its multiple components and their features, as well as the possible interaction between income components. However, such a comprehensive approach is essential to fully comprehend health workers' incentives, by investigating the causes (at individual and system level) of the fragmentation in the income structure and the variability in income levels, as well as the consequences of the complex remuneration- on motivation and performance. This proposition has important policy implications in terms of devising effective incentive packages as it calls for an active consideration of the role that complex remuneration- plays in determining recruitment, retention and motivation patterns, as well as, more broadly, the performance of health systems. Conclusions This paper argues that research focusing on the health workers' complex remuneration- is critical to address some of the most challenging issues affecting human resources for health. An empirical research agenda is proposed to fill the gap in our understanding.This article is about public relations expertise. It presents the results of an extensive empirical enquiry and is framed by the concept of profession and the sociological debates that surround it.sch_iih13pub3968pub6

Activity Recognition Using Biomechanical Model Based Pose Estimation

In this paper, a novel activity recognition method based on signal-oriented and model-based features is presented. The model-based features are calculated from shoulder and elbow joint angles and torso orientation, provided by upper-body pose estimation based on a biomechanical body model. The recognition performance of signal-oriented and model-based features is compared within this paper, and the potential of improving recognition accuracy by combining the two approaches is proved: the accuracy increased by 4–6% for certain activities when adding model-based features to the signal-oriented classifier. The presented activity recognition techniques are used for recognizing 9 everyday and fitness activities, and thus can be applied for e.g., fitness applications or ‘in vivo’ monitoring of patients

Results from the implementation of aid effectiveness principles in the health sector in Mali

The international community holds high expectations for aid producing demonstrable results in the health sector, at the global and developing country levels. Yet, measuring the effectiveness of aid presents methodological challenges. Existing evaluation frameworks are not sufficiently geared toward learning whether and how practices have changed. We present a framework for measuring the results of implementing aid effectiveness principles at three levels: implementation process, health system strengthening, and outcomes/impact. We developed this framework in the context of monitoring results on the effectiveness of the aid agenda in the health sector in Mali. Despite some changes in behavior that resulted in increased aid effectiveness and improved results at system and outcome levels, overall, the aid effectiveness principles have not been fully implemented. Thus expectations in terms of health outcomes should be realistic.GRAP-PA Sant

Exploring the influence of trust relationships on motivation in the health sector: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Dedicated and motivated health workers (HWs) play a major role in delivering efficient and effective health services that improve patients' experience of health care. Growing interest in HW motivation has led to a global focus on pay for performance strategies, but less attention has been paid to nurturing intrinsic motivation. Workplace trust relationships involve fair treatment and respectful interactions between individuals. Such relationships enable cooperation among HWs and their colleagues, supervisors, managers and patients and may act as a source of intrinsic motivation. This paper presents findings from a qualitative systematic review of empirical studies providing evidence on HW motivation, to consider what these studies suggest about the possible influence of workplace trust relationships over motivation. METHODS: Five electronic databases were searched for articles reporting research findings about HW motivation for various cadres published in the 10-year period 2003 to 2013 and with available full free text in the English language. Data extraction involved consideration of the links between trust relationships and motivation, by identifying how studies directly or indirectly mention and discuss relevant factors. RESULTS: Twenty-three articles from low- and middle-income countries and eight from high-income countries that met predetermined quality and inclusion criteria were appraised and subjected to thematic synthesis. Workplace trust relationships with colleagues, supervisors and managers, employing organisation and patients directly and indirectly influence HW motivation. Motivational factors identified as linked to trust include respect; recognition, appreciation and rewards; supervision; teamwork; management support; autonomy; communication, feedback and openness; and staff shortages and resource inadequacy. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first systematic review on trust and motivation in the health sector. Evidence indicates that workplace trust relationships encourage social interactions and cooperation among HWs, have impact on the intrinsic motivation of HWs and have consequences for retention, performance and quality of care. Human resource management and organisational practices are critical in sustaining workplace trust and HW motivation. Research and assessment of the levels of motivation and factors that encourage workplace trust relationships should include how trust and motivation interact and operate for retention, performance and quality of care

User-Defined Body Gestures for an Interactive Storytelling Scenario

Abstract. For improving full body interaction in an interactive storytelling scenario, we conducted a study to get a user-defined gesture set. 22 users performed 251 gestures while running through the story script with real interaction disabled, but with hints of what set of actions was currently requested by the application. We describe our interaction design process, starting with the conduction of the study, continuing with the analysis of the recorded data including the creation of gesture taxonomy and the selection of gesture candidates, and ending with the integration of the gestures in our application