The effectiveness of proactive telephone support provided to breastfeeding mothers of preterm infants : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Although breast milk has numerous benefits for infants' development, with greater effects in those born preterm (at < 37 gestational weeks), mothers of preterm infants have shorter breastfeeding duration than mothers of term infants. One of the explanations proposed is the difficulties in the transition from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to the home environment. A person-centred proactive telephone support intervention after discharge from NICU is expected to promote mothers' sense of trust in their own capacity and thereby facilitate breastfeeding. Methods/design: A multicentre randomized controlled trial has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of person-centred proactive telephone support on breastfeeding outcomes for mothers of preterm infants. Participating mothers will be randomized to either an intervention group or control group. In the intervention group person-centred proactive telephone support will be provided, in which the support team phones the mother daily for up to 14 days after hospital discharge. In the control group, mothers are offered a person-centred reactive support where mothers can phone the breastfeeding support team up to day 14 after hospital discharge. The intervention group will also be offered the same reactive telephone support as the control group. A stratified block randomization will be used; group allocation will be by high or low socioeconomic status and by NICU. Recruitment will be performed continuously until 1116 mothers (I: 558 C: 558) have been included. Primary outcome: proportion of mothers exclusively breastfeeding at eight weeks after discharge. Secondary outcomes: proportion of breastfeeding (exclusive, partial, none and method of feeding), mothers satisfaction with breastfeeding, attachment, stress and quality of life in mothers/partners at eight weeks after hospital discharge and at six months postnatal age. Data will be collected by researchers blind to group allocation for the primary outcome. A qualitative evaluation of experiences of receiving/providing the intervention will also be undertaken with mothers and staff. Discussion: This paper presents the rationale, study design and protocol for a RCT providing person-centred proactive telephone support to mothers of preterm infants. Furthermore, with a health economic evaluation, the cost-effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed. Trial registration: NCT01806480

Materialundersökning

This report emphasizes the importance of seeing a university as a company that offers a service. It isimportant to see the different quality dimensions that distinguish a service. The customer-focused planninghas also set the structure of this degree project.The marketing investigation is based on recruit questionnaires and interviews with secondary schoolstudents. The questionnaires show that the catalogue still reaches out with most information despiteconstant increase of information search at the Internet. The students seem to prefer University ofKristianstad´s catalogue front.The competition analysis is based on telephone interviews and information material sent from theother universities. Structure, usage of the graphic profile amongst more is reviewed for every university.The answers have varied a lot but there are few that have a good structure. University of Dalarna´sinformation material has neither structure nor a homogenous look.The employees at University of Dalarna are not using the universities graphic profile. They are alsodissatisfied regarding the absence of pre-produced, general overhead film series. The internal analysisalso shows that the employees don’t know which material is accessible or where to find it.

The Impact of Transnational Conflicts on Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria (2001-2006)

This Master’s Thesis examines transnational conflicts and Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria between the years 2001 and 2006. It focuses on two major transnational conflicts: The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the Danish cartoon controversy of 2005/2006. It discusses the impact of these transnational conflicts on Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria in the light of the implementation of the Sharia Law in some northern Nigerian states and the improved access to the broadcast media and mobile telephone communication in Nigeria. By underscoring the relationship between transnational conflicts and the local context, this study provides a new perspective for understanding Christian-Muslim relations in Nigeria

Optimal Path Searching through Specified Routes using different Algorithms

To connect different electrical, network and data devices with the minimum cost and shortest path, is a complex job. In huge buildings, where the devices are placed at different locations on different floors and only some specific routes are available to pass the cables and buses, the shortest path search becomes more complex. The aim of this thesis project is, to develop an application which indentifies the best path to connect all objects or devices by following the specific routes.To address the above issue we adopted three algorithms Greedy Algorithm, Simulated Annealing and Exhaustive search and analyzed their results. The given problem is similar to Travelling Salesman Problem. Exhaustive search is a best algorithm to solve this problem as it checks each and every possibility and give the accurate result but it is an impractical solution because of huge time consumption. If no. of objects increased from 12 it takes hours to search the shortest path. Simulated annealing is emerged with some promising results with lower time cost. As of probabilistic nature, Simulated annealing could be non optimal but it gives a near optimal solution in a reasonable duration. Greedy algorithm is not a good choice for this problem. So, simulated annealing is proved best algorithm for this problem. The project has been implemented in C-language which takes input and store output in an Excel Workbook

An Analysis of the Telecommunications Business in China by Linear Regression

In this paper, we study the influence of the National Telecom Business Volume by the data in 2008 that have been published in China Statistical Yearbook of Statistics. We illustrate the procedure of modeling “National Telecom Business Volume” on the following eight variables, GDP, Consumption Levels, Retail Sales of Social Consumer Goods Total Renovation Investment, the Local Telephone Exchange Capacity, Mobile Telephone Exchange Capacity, Mobile Phone End Users, and the Local Telephone End Users. The testing of heteroscedasticity and multicollinearity for model evaluation is included. We also consider AIC and BIC criterion to select independent variables, and conclude the result of the factors which are the optimal regression model for the amount of telecommunications business and the relation between independent variables and dependent variable. Based on the final results, we propose several recommendations about how to improve telecommunication services and promote the economic development.

Perceptions of climate change at ski resorts in midsouth of Sweden

Climate change as a phenomenon will imply new risks for the ski industry. Intergovernmental Panal on Climate Change presents three future scenarios, during the periods between 1990-2100, in forms of increased temperatures, a rise in the sea level and seasonal variations, variables out of which two have direct impacts on the ski industry. The aim for this study was to explore and compare attitudes towards climate change between five ski resorts located in mid-south of Sweden. This was done through in depth interviews in both face to face and by telephone. The result of the study was that all the chosen ski resorts were aware of climate change as a phenomenon but have not yet recognized its consequences. All ski resorts use methods to maintain skiing i.e. artificial snow production though not because of climate change.

Utbildningens påverkan på människors acceptans för ett kommunikationssystem

I denna studie, som bedrivits på Landstinget Dalarna, har kommunikationssystemet Microsoft Lync studerats. Lync består av kommunikationsmodulerna chatt, video- och telefonkonferens samt dela dokument. Syftet med denna rapport är att förklara hur utbildning kan påverka människors acceptans för ett kommunikationssystem samt vilka orsaker som kan finnas för att det inte används. För att kunna besvara studiens syfte användes ett kvasiexperiment som genomfördes genom två intervjuomgångar och en utbildning mellan dessa intervjuomgångar. Utifrån intervjuomgångarna kunde slutsatser dras om hur utbildningen hade påverkat acceptansen för kommunikationssystemet Lync. Modellen Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) användes för att studera de olika faktorer som påverkar acceptansen för teknik. Slutsatsen ska besvara frågorna, om utbildning påverkar människors acceptans och vad som kan vara orsaker till att ett kommunikationssystem som Lync inte används. Efter utbildningen hade en viss påverkan skett för kommunikationsmodulen chatt, inställningen hade ändrats och respondenterna såg en ökad nytta efter utbildningen. Utbildningen hade ingen påverkan när respondenterna inte såg nytta.

Charterturisme som en produkt : en sociologisk analyse af agens i oplevelsesøkonomien

Charter tourism as a product: a sociological analysis of agency in the experience economy In recent years charter tourism as a convenient and cost-effective mode of travelling has been declining. This may be related to dominating societal ideals promoting self-actualization, individual exploration and spontaneity. However, not much is known about the development of ideals and practices among charter tourists. By use of ethnographic fieldwork methodology, including pre-departure and post-travel telephone interviews, this exploratory study investigated a group of Danish charter tourists travelling to Gran Canaria. Results show that the charter tourists were active in navigating between a series of central dilemmas posed by the consumption of a mass product in an individualized societal context, thereby shaping their experiences to form a desirable tourist product.

Sponsring av Skid-VM i Falun : En studie av regionala sponsorers vilja att delta isponsornätverket Beyond Skiing

Stora idrottsevenemang är till stor del beroende av de intäkter som kommer från sponsrandeföretag. Inför skid-VM i Falun 2015 startade organisationen Beyond Skiing Foundation ABett projekt i form av ett sponsornätverk. Projektet kom att kallas Beyond Skiing och syftet varatt försöka locka regionala- företag, kommuner och organisationer att sponsra skid-VM.Tanken med sponsornätverket var att ge ett värde till projektets medlemmar som ville varamed och sponsra skid-VM, men som inte ville betala den summa pengar som krävdes för attbli huvudsponsorer till evenemanget.Syftet med denna undersökning är att förklara varför en heterogen grupp sponsorer utspriddaöver en stor region ingick i ett regionalt sponsornätverk. Urvalet bestod av medlemmarna iBeyond Skiing. Vidare gjordes ett urval att medlemmarna skulle vara lokaliserade i Dalarna,men utanför Falun. Anledningen till varför regionala sponsorer utan direkt geografiskkoppling till Falun valdes, var att kopplingen mellan deras sponsring av skid-VM kan påförhand ses som mer komplex och onaturlig jämfört med sponsorer från Falun, eftersomsponsring i mindre skala tenderar att röra samarbeten med sponsrade enheter inom samma ort.Data till studien samlades in genom fem kvalitativa telefonintervjuer. Resultatet indikerar påatt medlemmarna i Beyond Skiing hade tydliga kommersiella mål med sin sponsring av skid-VM och att sponsra endast genom goodwill var i detta fall mindre förekommande. Studien harvisat att sponsringssamarbetes specifika erbjudanden och regionala motiv har varit tvåbidragande orsaker till varför sponsorerna ville sponsra skid-VM. Särskilt nöjda varsponsorerna med nätverksträffarna som Beyond Skiing Foundation anordnade förmedlemmarna inom Beyond Skiing.

Student Thesis Level: Master’s Thesis in Business Administration Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) networking : A case study on why members join CSR network and why are they sharing their knowledge

Purpose – This research focuses on finding the reasons, why members from different sectors join a cross-sector/multi-stakeholder CSR network and what motivates them to share (or not to share) their knowledge of CSR and their best practices. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of the largest cross-sector CSR network in Sweden. The sample base of 15 people was chosen to be able to represent a wider variety of members from each participating sectors. As well as the CEO of the intermediary organization was interviewed. The interviews were conducted via email and telephone. Findings – The findings include several reasons linked to the business case of CSR such as stakeholder pressure, competitive advantage, legitimacy and reputation as well as new reasons like the importance of CSR, and the access of further knowledge in the field. Further reasons are in line with members wanting to join a network, such as access to contact or having personal contacts. As to why members are sharing their CSR knowledge, the findings indicate to inspire others, to show CSR commitment, to be visible, it leads to business opportunity and the access of others knowledge, and because it was requested. Reasons for not sharing their knowledge would be the lack of opportunity, lack of time and the lack of experience to do so. Originality/value – The research contributes to existing studies, which focused on Corporate Social Responsibility and cross-sector networking as well as to inter-organizational knowledge sharing in the field of CSR.

Hotellens marknadsföring : En fråga om olika förhållningssätt

Tidigare forskning kring de två aktörerna hotell och onlineresebyråer har koncentrerats runt intäktsoptimering samt konsumentbeteende gällande omdömen relaterat till onlineresebyråer. Det råder däremot en avsaknad gällande tidigare forskning runt hotellens strategiska marknadsföringsbeslut i och med att de ansluter sig till olika onlineresebyråer. Syftet med studien är att få en insikt i hur hotellen arbetar med sin marknadsföring gentemot onlineresebyråerna. Vidare besvaras frågeställningen om vad effekten blir när hotellen lämnar över delar av sin marknadsföring till onlineresebyråerna. I studien tillämpades ett kvalitativt förhållningssätt där fem telefonintervjuer genomfördes. Resultaten indikerar på att hotellen i studien inkluderar onlineresebyråerna i delar av sina marknadsföringsstrategier och att det i viss bemärkelse kan vara positivt men å andra sidan kan medföra vissa risker för de olika hotellen.

The effects of Ikea and external shopping centers on regional trade and retail growth : A comparative analysis of Ikea’s establishment in Kalmar and Karlstad

This paper examines the effects of Ikea store establishment in Kalmar and Karlstad on the trade and retail inside the two cities, and as well on the trade and retail in the close neighboring municipalities and in further peripheral municipalities in both regions. After the establishment of Ikea store, Kalmar and Karlstad have experienced significant growth in trade and retail. The question, however, is how big this growth is in both cities? And how different locations on different distances from Ikea have been affected? What impact there was on different segments of the retail? How different business branches have been affected? How large the catchment area for the emerging new large-scale retail locations is? These questions, in addition to few others, are investigated in this paper. The thesis starts with an introduction chapter containing a background of the topic, problem description, the investigated questions, the purpose, and the outline of the paper. The next chapter includes the frame of reference which consists of literature review and theoretical framework about the external shopping centers and their impact on retail and regional trade development. It includes also information gathered from previous studies technical reports and other available sources about the subject. The third chapter includes description for the methods used to collect the primary and secondary data needed for the purpose of this study. Then the empirical framework which demonstrates the results of the conducted research followed by analysis and concluded in discussion and conclusion. Mixed methods are used as research strategy in this thesis, and the method to conduct the research is based on telephone interviews for the primary (qualitative) data, and documents and desk research for the secondary (quantitative) data. The gathered data is analyzed and designed in a way that allows the usage of comparative analysis technique to present the findings and draw conclusions. The results showed that new established Ikea retail store outside the city boundaries results with many effects on the city center and on the neighboring municipalities as well. The city center seems not to be affected negatively, but on the contrary positive effects were witnessed in both regions, these positive effects are linked to the increase inflow of customers from the external retail area which is known as spillover effect. III On the other hand, the neighboring towns and municipalities are more negatively affected especially with the trade of con-convenience goods as the consumers in these towns and municipalities start to go to the area of Ikea and the large external retail center to do their purchasing, the substitution effect is then said to be occurred. Moreover, the further far municipalities do not seem to be significantly affected by the establishment of Ikea. These effects whether positive or negative could be monitored by looking to few trade parameters such as the turnover, the sales index, and the consumers’ expenditure, these parameters can be very useful to measure the developments and changes in the trade and retail in a given place. 

Facilitators and barriers to applying a national quality registry for quality improvement in stroke care

BACKGROUND: National quality registries (NQRs) purportedly facilitate quality improvement, while neither the extent nor the mechanisms of such a relationship are fully known. The aim of this case study is to describe the experiences of local stakeholders to determine those elements that facilitate and hinder clinical quality improvement in relation to participation in a well-known and established NQR on stroke in Sweden. METHODS: A strategic sample was drawn of 8 hospitals in 4 county councils, representing a variety of settings and outcomes according to the NQR's criteria. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 25 managers, physicians in charge of the Riks-Stroke, and registered nurses registering local data at the hospitals. Interviews, including aspects of barriers and facilitators within the NQR and the local context, were analysed with content analysis. RESULTS: An NQR can provide vital aspects for facilitating evidence-based practice, for example, local data drawn from national guidelines which can be used for comparisons over time within the organisation or with other hospitals. Major effort is required to ensure that data entries are accurate and valid, and thus the trustworthiness of local data output competes with resources needed for everyday clinical stroke care and quality improvement initiatives. Local stakeholders with knowledge of and interest in both the medical area (in this case stroke) and quality improvement can apply the NQR data to effectively initiate, carry out, and evaluate quality improvement, if supported by managers and co-workers, a common stroke care process and an operational management system that embraces and engages with the NQR data. CONCLUSION: While quality registries are assumed to support adherence to evidence-based guidelines around the world, this study proposes that a NQR can facilitate improvement of care but neither the registry itself nor the reporting of data initiates quality improvement. Rather, the local and general evidence provided by the NQR must be considered relevant and must be applied in the local context. Further, the quality improvement process needs to be facilitated by stakeholders collaborating within and outside the context, who know how to initiate, perform, and evaluate quality improvement, and who have the resources to do so.

Self-assessment of the outcome of early medical abortion versus clinic follow-up in India : a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial

Background: The need for multiple clinical visits remains a barrier to women accessing safe legal medical abortion services. Alternatives to routine clinic follow-up visits have not been assessed in rural low-resource settings. We compared the effectiveness of standard clinic follow-up versus home assessment of outcome of medical abortion in a low-resource setting. Methods: This randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial was done in six health centres (three rural, three urban) in Rajasthan, India. Women seeking early medical abortion up to 9 weeks of gestation were randomly assigned (1:1) to either routine clinic follow-up or self-assessment at home. Randomisation was done with a computer-generated randomisation sequence, with a block size of six. The study was not blinded. Women in the home-assessment group were advised to use a pictorial instruction sheet and take a low-sensitivity urine pregnancy test at home, 10-14 days after intake of mifepristone, and were contacted by a home visit or telephone call to record the outcome of the abortion. The primary (non-inferiority) outcome was complete abortion without continuing pregnancy or need for surgical evacuation or additional mifepristone and misoprostol. The non-inferiority margin for the risk difference was 5%. All participants with a reported primary outcome and who followed the clinical protocol were included in the analysis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01827995. Findings: Between April 23, 2013, and May 15, 2014, 731 women were recruited and assigned to clinic follow-up (n=366) or home assessment (n=365), of whom 700 were analysed for the main outcomes (n=336 and n=364, respectively). Complete abortion without continuing pregnancy, surgical intervention, or additional mifepristone and misoprostol was reported in 313 (93%) of 336 women in the clinic follow-up group and 347 (95%) of 364 women in the home-assessment group (difference -2.2%, 95% CI -5.9 to 1.6). One case of haemorrhage occurred in each group (rate of adverse events 0.3% in each group); no other adverse events were noted. Interpretation Home assessment of medical abortion outcome with a low-sensitivity urine pregnancy test is non-inferior to clinic follow-up, and could be introduced instead of a clinic follow-up visit in a low-resource setting.