Examining Women’s Perceptions of Maternity Care in Public and Private Sectors of National Guard Hospitals in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Study

Every second, a baby is born. The process of birth is a complex one – biologically, medically, and emotionally. In particular, women in labor need both physical and emotional care. They need to be heard, to be comforted, and to be safe. Women’s satisfaction can be used as a legitimate way to measure the quality of maternity care. Moreover, when health systems practice patient-centered care and listen to women’s concerns and what they want out of their care, it can lead to improvements in their satisfaction. Hospitals in Saudi Arabia are considered to be among the best and most technologically advanced in the world. However, the quality of care in terms of how women are cared for is an issue, especially in the public sector. Therefore, to improve the quality of care, Saudi Arabia is planning to privatize the public sector, which comprises 60% of the services. This study was designed to provide baseline information regarding how satisfied women are with their maternity care and garner their perspectives on how patient-centered care should be practiced. Specifically, it compares women’s satisfaction in the public and the private sectors in two of the National Guards hospitals in two cities (Jeddah and Riyadh) in Saudi Arabia. These hospitals are considered to be among the best in the kingdom. The quality of care in these governmental hospitals is high compared to other public hospitals. This dissertation also examined and compared women’s knowledge and willingness to contribute to patient-centered care during labor and delivery. This study shows that private patients tend to be more satisfied with their care compared to public patients, especially regarding privacy and dealing with nurses. Moreover, private patients tend to know more about their health rights and contributed more into their care process with their health providers. These findings serve as a baseline for health administrators, managers, and policymakers to consider as the transition to privatization begins. Stakeholders should focus on Key aspects to improve patients satisfaction. They should focus on improving patients’ privacy, health providers’ bedside manners, and women’s health rights education within the public and the private sector. These improvements should take place while maintaining the doctors\u27 and the hospitals’ reputations for the high quality of services

Quintessence like behavior of symmetric teleparallel dark energy: Linear and nonlinear model

In Einstein's General Relativity (GR), the gravitational interactions are described by the spacetime curvature. Recently, other alternative geometric formulations and representations of GR have emerged in which the gravitational interactions are described by the so-called torsion or non-metricity. Here, we consider the recently proposed modified symmetric teleparallel theory of gravity or $f\left( Q\right)$ gravity, where $Q$ represents the non-metricity scalar. In this paper, motivated by several papers in the literature, we assume the power-law form of the function $$ as $f\left( Q\right) =\alpha Q^{n+1}+\beta$ (where $$, $\beta$, and $n$ are free model parameters) that contains two models: Linear ($n=0$) and nonlinear ($n\neq 0$). Further, to add constraints to the field equations we assume the deceleration parameter form as a divergence-free parametrization. Then, we discuss the behavior of various cosmographic and cosmological parameters such as the jerk, snap, lerk, $Om$ diagnostic, cosmic energy density, isotropic pressure, and equation of state (EoS) parameter with a check of the violation of the strong energy condition (SEC) to obtain the acceleration phase of the Universe. Hence, we conclude that our cosmological $f(Q)$ models behave like quintessence dark energy (DE).Comment: Submitted to IJGMM

Evaluate the Program in Strengthening Group Business’s Capital Effectiveness of Beef Cattle Farm to Increasing Farmers Income in Kupang Regency

Research has been conducted, and this study aims to know the effectiveness and income of the program in Strengthening Group Business’s Capital (SGBC) by performance, the assistance of government institutions, and local institutions, then point to income. The data collecting method used multi random sampling such-stage as the first seven district samples are selected based on purposive random sampling, and the second 200 respondents are chosen. Data, then, are analyzed by applying analysis of descriptive and inferential use of SPSS and SMART PLS software. The result shows that performance, assistance, and local institutions significantly affect program effectiveness by direct effect and income by indirect effect with the role of mediating factors, While point significantly affects farmers' income. 

Polyvinylbenzyl Tris-Aminodicarboxylate Microspheres for the Optical Sensing of Cu2+ Ions

In this work, a tris(2-aminoethyl)aminodicaboxylate functionality was substituted for the chloride of polyvinyl- benzyl chloride (PVBC) which was lightly cross-linked (2%) with divinyl benzene. The resulting derivatized po- lymer microspheres were embedded in a hydrogel matrix of poly vinyl alcohol cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to produce a sensing membrane. The latter responded selectively to Cu2+ solutions of different concentration ranges (1 × 10−4 M to 1 × 10−6 M). The response is based on the interaction between the metal cations and the negatively charged deprotonated dicarboxylate functional group, which led to neutralization of the charges. As a result, an increase in the turbidity of the sensing membrane occurred which is attributed to a change in the re- fractive index of the derivatized polymer microspheres relative to that of the hydrogel. The change in the turbid- ity of the sensing membrane was measured as absorbance using a conventional spectrophotometer. It was found that Cu2+ ions bind to the aminodicarboxylated-polymer with a formation constant, Kf, of 1 × 105 M−1. SEM, Eds and IR analyses were performed on the aminodicarboxylated microspheres and their Cu2+ complex.We are grateful to Professor W. R. Seitz and his research group, at the University of New Hampshire (USA) for their fruitful comments and for supplying us with the polyvinylbenzyl chloride microspheres. We are also grateful to the staff at the department of chemistry of An-Najah National University (PA), for their technical assistance

Dr. Andrei Yakovlev: Visionary, Leader, Iconoclast

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112886/1/13062_2008_Article_88.pd

Reading Literacy Movement in Elementary School / Gerakan Literasi Membaca di Sekolah Dasar

The purpose of this study is identifying the problematics the implementation of the Reading Literacy Movement in Primary Schools. The approach in this research is qualitative with descriptive type. Data collection techniques in this study used observation, interviews, and documentation. This research was conducted at SDN X in Malang City. The results showed that the problem of the Reading Literacy Movement at SDN X in Malang was divided into 3 categories, namely the 15 minute reading habit, with the problem of reading and writing skills and the ability to understand student reading, limited reading time, low motivation and interest in reading. At the facility and facility enrichment stage category, with the problem of the availability various books in the library, limited reading areas, reading angles, and literacy posters. The category of supporting resources, with the problem of reading literacy climate, teachers and literacy reading teams, parental and community support

Fast Optimal Transport Averaging of Neuroimaging Data

Knowing how the Human brain is anatomically and functionally organized at the level of a group of healthy individuals or patients is the primary goal of neuroimaging research. Yet computing an average of brain imaging data defined over a voxel grid or a triangulation remains a challenge. Data are large, the geometry of the brain is complex and the between subjects variability leads to spatially or temporally non-overlapping effects of interest. To address the problem of variability, data are commonly smoothed before group linear averaging. In this work we build on ideas originally introduced by Kantorovich to propose a new algorithm that can average efficiently non-normalized data defined over arbitrary discrete domains using transportation metrics. We show how Kantorovich means can be linked to Wasserstein barycenters in order to take advantage of an entropic smoothing approach. It leads to a smooth convex optimization problem and an algorithm with strong convergence guarantees. We illustrate the versatility of this tool and its empirical behavior on functional neuroimaging data, functional MRI and magnetoencephalography (MEG) source estimates, defined on voxel grids and triangulations of the folded cortical surface.Comment: Information Processing in Medical Imaging (IPMI), Jun 2015, Isle of Skye, United Kingdom. Springer, 201

Considering the role of cognitive control in expert performance

© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ (1986) influential phenomenological analysis of skill acquisition proposes that expert performance is guided by non-cognitive responses which are fast, effortless and apparently intuitive in nature. Although this model has been criticised (e.g., by Breivik Journal of Philosophy of Sport, 34, 116–134 2007, Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 40, 85–106 2013; Eriksen 2010; Montero Inquiry:An interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 53, 105–122 2010; Montero and Evans 2011) for over-emphasising the role that intuition plays in facilitating skilled performance, it does recognise that on occasions (e.g., when performance goes awry for some reason) a form of ‘detached deliberative rationality’ may be used by experts to improve their performance. However, Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1986) see no role for calculative problem solving or deliberation (i.e., drawing on rules or mental representations) when performance is going well. In the current paper, we draw on empirical evidence, insights from athletes, and phenomenological description to argue that ‘continuous improvement’ (i.e., the phenomenon whereby certain skilled performers appear to be capable of increasing their proficiency even though they are already experts; Toner and Moran 2014) among experts is mediated by cognitive (or executive) control in three distinct sporting situations (i.e., in training, during pre-performance routines, and while engaged in on-line skill execution). We conclude by arguing that Sutton et al. Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology, 42, 78–103 (2011) ‘applying intelligence to the reflexes’ (AIR) approach may help to elucidate the process by which expert performers achieve continuous improvement through analytical/mindful behaviour during training and competition