Periodic elements of the free idempotent generated semigroup on a biordered set

We show that every periodic element of the free idempotent generated semigroup on an arbitrary biordered set belongs to a subgroup of the semigroup

Export Potential of Russian Pharmaceutical Companies in the Emerging Regional Clusters

The article provides an analysis of comparative importance of the company export potential growth factors in the emerging pharmaceutical clusters of the European part of Russia. The classification and assessment of export potential factors in terms of the elements of such potential (production, financial, labor, marketing potential) allowed identifying a strong link between cluster and regional factor groups and results of export activities. The goal of this paper is to propose to pharmaceutical companies involved in foreign trade activities a set of measures based on the test of a scientific hypothesis to improve their export potential. The authors have proposed and tested the hypothesis that the cumulative effect of these factors leads to increased export opportunities for the pharmaceutical cluster and promotes the effective integration of the region into the global economy. The methodological base of the research was provided by the method of geoeconomic analysis of the regional economy combined with the method of econometric modeling involving the use of mathematical statistics. After studying five Russian pharmaceutical clusters, including Belgorod, Kaluga, Moscow, Oryol, Yaroslavl clusters, the authors identified a causal link between the company export potential growth and the factors of competitiveness and cluster origin (interacting business chains, relationship and interoperability of functions, compact location in the region). The authors elaborated a set of measures to maximize the competitive advantages of cluster organization for export activities of pharmaceutical companies. The conclusions and recommendations of the study are intended for pharmaceutical companies and the authorities of regions that implement the concept of cluster development. To achieve sustainable growth of export potential and development objectives, Russian export-oriented companies should pay more attention to implementing the marketing and organizational innovations, competent optimization of commercial expenses within the cluster, and development of logistics chains for drug deliveries from the laboratory to the final consumers.The article has been prepared with the support of the Grant of Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation, Project № 15–32–01043 The Model for Integration of the Russian Region into the Global Economic Sphere through the Development and Adaptation of New Organizational. Structures

Periodic Elements of the Free Idempotent Generated Semigroup on a Biordered Set

We show that every periodic element of the free idempotent generated semigroup on an arbitrary biordered set belongs to a subgroup of the semigroup. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.The second author was supported in part by the NSF grant DMS-0700811 and by a BSF (USA-Israeli) grant. The third author acknowledges support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant 09-01-12142, and from the Federal Education Agency of Russia, grant 2.1.1/3537

A Patient-Centered Primary Care Practice Approach Using Evidence-Based Quality Improvement: Rationale, Methods, and Early Assessment of Implementation

BACKGROUND: Healthcare systems and their primary care practices are redesigning to achieve goals identified in Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) models such as Veterans Affairs (VA)’s Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT). Implementation of these models, however, requires major transformation. Evidence-Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) is a multi-level approach for supporting organizational change and innovation spread. OBJECTIVE: To describe EBQI as an approach for promoting VA’s PACT and to assess initial implementation of planned EBQI elements. DESIGN: Descriptive. PARTICIPANTS: Regional and local interdisciplinary clinical leaders, patient representatives, Quality Council Coordinators, practicing primary care clinicians and staff, and researchers from six demonstration site practices in three local healthcare systems in one VA region. INTERVENTION: EBQI promotes bottom-up local innovation and spread within top-down organizational priorities. EBQI innovations are supported by a research-clinical partnership, use continuous quality improvement methods, and are developed in regional demonstration sites. APPROACH: We developed a logic model for EBQI for PACT (EBQI-PACT) with inputs, outputs, and expected outcomes. We describe implementation of logic model outputs over 18 months, using qualitative data from 84 key stakeholders (104 interviews from two waves) and review of study documents. RESULTS: Nearly all implementation elements of the EBQI-PACT logic model were fully or partially implemented. Elements not fully achieved included patient engagement in Quality Councils (4/6) and consistent local primary care practice interdisciplinary leadership (4/6). Fourteen of 15 regionally approved innovation projects have been completed, three have undergone initial spread, five are prepared to spread, and two have completed toolkits that have been pretested in two to three sites and are now ready for external spread. DISCUSSION: EBQI-PACT has been feasible to implement in three participating healthcare systems in one VA region. Further development of methods for engaging patients in care design and for promoting interdisciplinary leadership is needed. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11606-013-2703-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users