Early in the history of secondary education, the school were considered as institutions devoted to the education of a selected few. As late as 1892 a national committee on education took the position that the main function of the high school in the United States "... is to prepare for the duties of life that small proportion of all the children of the country .... who show themselves able to profit by an education prolonged to the eighteenth year and whose parents are able to support them while they remain so long in school." / Typescript. / "August, 1953." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 63).

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / In the mining industry of Peru, as a consequence of large scale mineral extraction and a dynamic process of ore dressing, the different activities of the operation are neglected. This neglect, in some cases, generates collateral damages that affect the structures, generate extra costs, and result in constant accidents due to rock-fall and delays in the activities of the mining cycle and the ones following it, which seriously harms the Mining Unit and directly affects the workers. In addition, this is directly related to the progress of the daily work and, in turn, it is related to the design of the mine mesh that is prepared to extract the largest possible mineral amounts per shift. This means that, by modifying the design of the mine mesh, the blasting method, and the type of explosive used, the current scenario and the results could be modified. In this respect, a research was conducted, exclusively based on simulations using the JK Simblast software, applying the pre-splitting blast method in the underground mine of the Minera Aurífera Retamas SA company, resulting in a reduction of over break in more than 60% as compared to the mesh used initially. This has an impact on the level of support to be used, and therefore, on the maintenance costs, which were reduced by 18%. Therefore, this article presents the possibility of reducing maintenance costs in underground mining using pre-splitting blasting. Copyright 2019.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine. Johannesburg, 2017. / Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes along with infection and prevention control measures have been shown to reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in hospitals. There is a global campaign by infectious diseases physicians and other stakeholders for hospitals to implement AMS programmes. In Africa, there have been a limited number of AMS studies conducted although South African private hospitals have published some outcomes on initiation of these programmes in the continent, with the aim of improving patients’ clinical outcomes and reducing the development of resistance to prescribed antibiotics. A formal AMS programme is yet to be implemented in the surgery departments of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. This study was conducted in two surgical wards of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH). It was a quantitative study combining a prevalence cross-sectional observational stage, and an intervention study. It involved a retrospective review of patient records in the baseline stage followed by an intervention which took the form of a weekly antibiotic round led by an infectious diseases specialist. The appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions was assessed using the criteria developed by Gyssens and colleagues, while the appropriateness of surgical prophylaxis was determined based on the recommendations of the South African Antibiotic Stewardship Programme (SAASP) and current Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines Lists for South Africa. The prices of the antibiotics used were obtained from the central pharmacy of the CMJAH and Masters Price Catalogue list of the National Department of Health, while the prices of laboratory tests were obtained from the Tariff database. The volume of antibiotics consumed was determined by Defined Daily Doses (DDDs)/1000 patient days. In both stages of the study amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was the most frequently used agent. The intravenous route was the most commonly used route of drug administration in both stages of the study. There was a reduction in the proportion of patients who were treated with antibiotics for more than seven days in the intervention stage, from 6.19% in the baseline stage to 2.07% in the intervention stage. A significant reduction in the duration of antibiotic therapy for two days and more was observed from 4.74 ± 4.58 days in the baseline stage compared to 3.96 ± 2.04 days in the intervention stage (p = 0.01). A shift from empiric to culture directed therapy was also observed in the intervention stage compared to the baseline stage. There was a significant reduction in the volume of antibiotic consumption from a total of 739.30 DDDs/1000 patient days in the baseline stage to 564.93 DDDs/1000 patient days in the intervention stage (p = 0.038). Overall, there was a significant reduction of inappropriate antibiotic utilisation from 35% in the baseline stage to 26% in the intervention stage (p = 0.006). A high percentage of inappropriate surgical prophylaxis was found which was mostly due to the incorrect choice of agent with 64.75% and 61.54% in the baseline and intervention stages, respectively. The average antibiotic cost per patient was reduced from R 268.23 ± 389.32 to R 228.03 ± 326.88 in the Vascular Surgery Ward compared to the General Surgery Ward where there was an increase in average cost per patient from R 219.80 ± 400.75 in the baseline stage to R 284.06 ± 461.28 in the intervention stage. Gram-negative bacteria were the most prevalent pathogens in both stages of the study at 53% in the baseline and 54% during the intervention stage. The findings of this study show an improvement in the appropriateness of antibiotic utilisation, reduction in antibiotic consumption and cost reduction in one of the study wards, following implementation of an AMS programme. Also, there was an improvement in culture directed therapy, requests for an appropriate biological specimen for culture, with a consequent increase in the cost of laboratory investigations per patient during the intervention stage, which was due to increases in culture request. Rational antimicrobial prescribing habits, strong AMS interventions along with infection and prevention control measures, sound government policies and surveillance of resistant organisms in Africa will go a long way in preserving our antibiotics and preventing the spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens. / LG2018

The cornerstones of Oregon's 1973 Senate Bill 100 are the preservation of farm, forest, and other resource lands and the containment of urban development within urban growth boundaries (UCB). The UCB is a boundary around each incorporated city containing enough land to meet projected needs until the year 2000. The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), charged with adopting and implementing state planning policy, sought to keep UGBs small enough to contain urban sprawl. To avoid the potential effects of land price inflation, LCDC allowed UGBs to include more land supply than the forecasted demand. The Portland-Metropolitan region was allowed to have a 15.3-percent surplus. Policy makers are unsure what effect UGBs have on housing costs. The common belief is that by restricting the amount of land available for residential construction the market drives prices up. Contrasting opinions suggest that by substituting low-density with high-density development, per-unit construction costs are lower, thus reducing the costs of owning a home. Efforts to dispel some of the mystery about the relationship between UGBs and housing prices are needed. The objective of this research is to provide empirical evidence of the relationship between the Portland-Metropolitan area's UGB and housing prices. The study uses a hedonic model to conduct a time-series analysis for the years 1978 to 1990 for Washington County. This study found no relationship between housing price and the imposition of the UGB. In fact, the rate of increase in price for single-family housing after UGB implementation was found to be much less than before. Proximity as measured by distance of sale to the UGB was the only variable that was associated with a higher rate of increase in housing prices. All of these results, with the exception of those related to proximity, were unexpected but may be explained by several factors: imposition of the Metropolitan Housing Rule in 1981, a severe recession during the 1980s, and excess land supply. These influences do not support a conclusion that UGBs lead to an increase in housing prices, at least prior to 1990, when the UGB did not constrain the supply of land.

No description available.

Shortfalls in quality of care and rising costs have resulted in a widespread interest in developing strategies that enhance the efficiency of health care delivery. The implementation of multidisciplinary integrative teams of providers is a popular quality improvement intervention designed to manage patients with chronic conditions. However, little attention has been paid to the work environment, which may facilitate organizational change success. Relational climate is a measure of the work environment that captures shared employee perceptions of interpersonal relationships including teamwork, conflict resolution and diversity acceptance. A strong relational climate may improve treatment design, care delivery and process evaluation, leading to better quality and lower costs. This dissertation contains three chapters that seek to understand the influence of relational climate in primary care on quality and costs of diabetes care. Study 1, Relational Climate and Quality of Diabetes Care, measured quality of diabetes care using process-based and intermediate outcome indicators. It assessed whether relational climate was associated with quality of diabetes care. We used longitudinal data (2008– 2012) from the Veterans Health Administration. Multivariate regression analyses accounting for patient, clinic and parent facility characteristics suggested a positive association between relational climate and process-based indicators of diabetes quality of care. Study 2. Relational Climate and Costs of Diabetes Care, evaluated the association between relational climate and costs incurred by diabetic patients differentiating among outpatient, inpatient and total costs. It compared a Generalized Linear Model with the gamma distribution and the log link and a logged model with the Duan’s smearing adjustor. Cost models accounted for quality of diabetes care, besides other patient and clinic characteristics. Results indicated that relational climate contributes to lower outpatient and total costs. Study 3. The Indirect Association of Relational Climate and Costs through Quality, refines the cost-saving estimates of relational climate by accounting for the indirect influence of relational climate on costs through quality. The quality and the cost equations were estimated simultaneously within a treatment-effects model to account for selection bias in treatment compliance. We concluded that a stronger relational climate contributes to lower total costs. The results of this dissertation suggest that improving relational climate is a cost-effective intervention.

<p> The great controversy surrounding the use of nuclear power as an electrical source has been further augmented by the problems associated with nuclear waste disposal and nuclear plant decommissioning. This paper focuses on the aspects and estimated costs of waste disposal and decommissioning. Comparison of cost estimates done by independent studies with those done by Ontario Hydro indicate that Hydro is grossly underestimating the costs of waste disposal and decommissioning. This result leads to the conclusion that Ontario Hydro is undervaluing the costs of nuclear waste disposal and decommissioning to justify its use of nuclear power in Ontario. Wide variations in cost estimates for decommissioning, and a lack of cost estimates for nuclear waste disposal, indicate that extensive research is needed in the discipline of cost estimation for waste disposal and decommissioning.</p> / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

Since the enactment in 1975 of the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142), now renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), the cost of special education services has grown substantially in both absolute and relative terms (Duenas 1993). As a result, the issues such as the actual cost of special education services and the relationship of special education financing to regular education funding have become increasingly important to local, state and federal policymakers. The need for cost analysis in special education has become more important as the competition with other governmental agencies for available funds becomes more acute. As a social service, education in general and special education in particular must compete for dollars with highways, sanitation, and other services (Ysseldyke 1992). This study contributes to the need for in depth analysis of special education costs. The cost analysis method replicated in this study, called the Moche Cost Analysis of Public Education or CAPE Model, provided greater accuracy and flexibility than prior methods. The CAPE Model was used to examine and compare costs of regular elementary education, regular secondary education, elementary special education, and secondary special education. Special education costs also were compared across disability categories and service delivery environments. CAPE can be adapted easily to identify expenditures by building level and programs other than special education. CAPE calculations were completed using the LOTUS spreadsheet program. / Ed. D.

No description available.

No description available.