Delayed discharges and unplanned admissions from the Day Care Unit at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta

Day care units are playing an increasingly important role in healthcare provision, however they require the development of specialised resources to fulfil their role. The rate of unplanned admissions following day-case procedures is considered as one of several indicators of the quality of day-case services available.1 The aim of this study is to identify how often there are delayed discharged or unplanned admissions following day-cases at the Day Care Unit at Mater Dei Hospital (MDH), Malta. A list of patients whose discharge did not go as planned was forwarded daily to the authors by the Bed Management Unit at MDH. The medical files of these patients were then reviewed and data collected. This included demographics, type of procedure carried out and reasons for delayed discharge or unplanned admission. The study was carried out over 45 days.peer-reviewe

Energy Information Systems: From the Basement to the Boardroom

A significant buildings energy reduction opportunity exists in the office sector, given that this market segment typically is an early adopter of new technology. There is a rising trend towards smart and connected offices through the internet of things (IoT) that provides new opportunities for operational efficiency and environmental sustainability practices. Leading commercial real estate companies have begun to shift from individual building automation systems (BAS) to partially integrated and automated systems such as energy information systems (EIS). In both the United States and India, organizations are seeking operational excellence, enhanced tenant relationships, and topline growth. Hence it is imperative to engage the executives with decision-making power, by tapping into their interest in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and innovation. This expansion of interest can enable data-driven decisions, strong energy investments, and deeper energy benefits, and would drive innovation in this field. However, none of this would be possible without robust, consistent building energy information to provide visibility across all the levels of decision making, i.e. from the basement where the facilities staff take operational action to the boardroom where the executives make investment decisions. Price, security, and ease of use remain barriers to the adoption and pervasive use of promising EIS technologies in commercial office buildings. We believe that these barriers can be addressed through the development of ready, simplified, consistent, commercially available, low-cost EIS-in-a-box packages, that have a pre-defined set of hardware components and software features and functionality that are pertinent to a particular building sector. These simplified, sector-specific EIS packages can help to obviate the need for customization, and enhance ease of use, thereby enabling scale-up, in order to facilitate building energy savings. The EIS-in-a-box are adaptable in both U.S. and Indian office buildings, and potentially beyond these two countries

Seed Corn Tournament Contracts and Excess Nitrogen Application

Crop Production/Industries,

Does Relationship Lending Still Matter in the Consumer Banking Sector? Evidence from Two Financial Service Organizations in Vermont

We use actual loan applications submitted to a community development credit union (CDCU) and a traditional community bank to examine the role of relationship lending in the automobile loan market. We first show that the community bank relies upon credit scoring, not relationship lending; low-income households with poor credit histories are very unlikely to receive car loans from this traditional bank. We then show that relationship lending is a critical factor in the loan decision at the CDCU; low-income households with strong ties to the institution are likely to receive loans, despite poor credit histories. We conclude that as consolidation, deregulation and technology move mainstream financial institutions away from relationship lending and toward credit scoring, CDCUs will occupy an increasingly critical niche for low-income households.

EVALUATION OF THE NATIONAL YOUTHREACH PROGRAMME. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 82 MAY 2019

This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of the National Youthreach Programme. Commissioned by SOLAS, the study is part of an agreed schedule of independent evaluations of key Further Education and Training (FET) provision under the Department of Education and Skills-led FET Strategy 2014-2019 Implementation Plan. Established in 1989, the Youthreach programme continues to be the government’s primary response to early school leaving by providing second-chance education for young people who leave mainstream second-level school before Leaving Certificate level. Youthreach is provided in 112 Youthreach centres and 35 Community Training Centres (CTCs) nationally, with 11,104 learners taking part in the programme in 2017 and with a total cost of €98.7 million (SOLAS, 2018). Reflecting the multiple challenges (including socio-economic disadvantage and special educational needs) faced by many Youthreach learners and the necessity to capture a broader range of outcomes in assessing programme effectiveness, this study adopts a mixed methods approach combining survey data on centres as well as in-depth interviews with staff and learners. This report therefore draws on a range of data sources, including a survey of senior managers at Education and Training Board (ETB) level, a survey of Youthreach co-ordinators and CTC managers, in-depth qualitative data collected as part of case studies in ten centres and two consultative workshops with key national stakeholders in the areas of education and social inclusion. The case studies are a significant feature of the report in that they utilise the multiple perspectives of learners, staff and coordinators/ managers. The report emphasises the voice of young people who have disengaged from school by capturing their views about the Youthreach programme. Using this broad range of data, this report examines all aspects of Youthreach provision including: the profile of learners; referral to the programme; governance and reporting structures; programme funding; curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning; and the learner experience and outcomes

National Autism Indicators Report: Vocational Rehabilitation 2016

Employment is about more than simply earning a paycheck - it influences quality of life, independence, and wellness. Historically, employment outcomes for adults with autism are poor. The U.S. Vocational Rehabilitation system (VR) is designed to provide support to states for implementation of services to assist people with disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep employment. VR data allow us to examine some outcomes for those with autism compared to their peers.To make a difference, research must reach those who need it. The National Autism Indicators Report series presents our research findings in a clearly communicated, open-access, online format to speed the delivery of information to decision-makers while maintaining very high standards of scientific credibility

Measuring the difference we make: the state-of-play of outcomes measurement in the community sector in Western Australia

The term ‘outcomes measurement’ refers to the measurement of the difference that an initiative, program or organisation makes to the lives of people they engage with. Outcomes measurement provides evidence on whether initiatives, programs and organisations are making a difference to the lives of people they serve. It is an important basis of learning within organisations of what works and what doesn’t work. Outcomes measurement also provides the foundation stone for evaluation, strategic planning and good governance, and is critical to good decision-making in respect of the appropriate allocation of resources by funders.  This report extends our previous Bankwest Foundation research and investigates the experiences of on-the-ground community organisations, government and philanthropic funders of community service organisations, and community sector peak bodies with outcomes measurement in Western Australia. This is particularly important in Western Australia as recent regulatory reform has placed outcomes measurement firmly on the agenda for all Western Australia departments, agencies and the organisations they work with.  This study finds outcomes measurement at a tipping point in Western Australia. Our mapping of outcomes measurement in Western Australia and consultations with community sector stakeholders in Western Australia suggest not simply a growing interest in outcomes measurement and a broad appetite for progress and change, but that community sector organisations, big and small, as well as funders, are implementing or seeking to implement a systematic, well-grounded outcomes measurement framework in their organisations and through their funding programs. Community organisations and the funders of programs are also moving towards more strategic use of the outputs of outcomes measurement and connecting measurement with strategy and performance improvement.&nbsp

The Status of a PA Endangered Bird- the Upland Sandpiper

The upland sandpiper (Bartramia Longuardia) has experienced a steep population decline in the northeastern U.S. since the mid-20th Century. In Pennsylvania it was found in less than 0.5% of atlas blocks during the Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Pennsylvania project (2nd PBBA; 2004-09) and breeding was confirmed at only two locations. Due to continued declines and a small population size, the upland sandpiper was listed as PA endangered in 2012. During May 2012 the areas around 15 2nd PBBA upland sandpiper sightings were resurveyed by Gettysburg College students and volunteer birdwatchers. The aim was to establish whether the atlas records related to persisting populations. We used five-minute audio playback at up to 10 locations within 4km of the atlas sightings. A maximum of 19 pairs/calling male upland sandpipers were found across the state in 2012, most of them on or close to reclaimed surface mines. However, locating such a scarce species can be problematic, and it is still not known to what extent the species is under-reported. To help direct future surveys we analyzed data from the 2nd PBBA and the 2012 survey to produce a habitat suitability model for the upland sandpiper in Pennsylvania. We used a GIS framework to determine areas of suitable habitat and then stratified these by proximity to recent (2004-2012) upland sandpiper sightings. We recommend that our suitability model be used to establish a sampling protocol for more thorough statewide upland sandpiper survey every five years, in order that the species’ precarious status can be closely monitored

Virtual Academic Coaching (vAC): A Practical Technology for Student Engagement

Virtual academic coaching (vAC), distinct from the roles and responsibilities of post-secondary educators or counselors, is a novel method of higher education student development and retention, and is quickly becoming established at both public and private universities throughout the United States and abroad. Although relatively new to the canon of student success in higher education, virtual coaching is foundationally based in longstanding tenets of adult education and relies on principles which educators and counselors have recognized since the formalization of the post secondary classroom. Positive research into efficacy of the virtual academic coaching profession lends credibility to its potential for success with wide implementation, and its forward-facing and high level of engagement with adult students certainly suggests that the role of academic coach will continue to grow in the post-secondary setting, and therefore will continue to be a fruitful area of research and student success programming at the university level