Implementation of the I.S. EN 16001:2009 energy management standard into GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Ltd, Cork

As manufacturers face an increasingly competitive environment, they seek out opportunities to reduce production costs without negatively affecting the yield or the quality of their finished products. The challenge of maintaining high product quality while simultaneously reducing production costs can often be met through investments in energy efficient technologies and energy efficiency practices. Energy management systems can offer both technological and best practice efficiencies in order to achieve substantial savings. A strong energy management system provides a solid foundation for an organisation to reduce production costs and improve site efficiency. The I.S EN16001 energy management standard specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving an energy management system and represents the latest best practice for energy management in Ireland. The objective of the energy management system is to establish a systematic approach for improving energy performance continuously. The I.S EN16001 standard specifies the requirements for continuous improvement through using energy more efficiently. The author analysed how GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Cork implemented the I.S. EN16001 energy management system model, and defined how energy saving opportunities where identified and introduced to improve efficiency performance. The author performed an extensive literature research in order to determine the current status of the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland, the processes involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing, the energy users required for pharmaceutical manufacturing and the efficiency measures that can be applied to these energy users in order to reduce energy consumption. The author then analysed how energy management standards are introduced to industry and critically analysed the driving factors for energy management performance in Ireland through case studies. Following an investigation as to how the I.S. EN16001 energy management standard is operated in GSK, a critical analysis of the performance achieved by the GSK energy management system is undertaken in order to determine if implementing the I.S EN16001 standard accelerates achieving energy savings. Since its introduction, the I.S. EN16001 model for energy management has enabled GSK to monitor, target and identify energy efficiency opportunities throughout the site. The model has put in place an energy management system that is continuously reviewed for improvement and to date has reduced GSK’s site operations cost by over 30% through technical improvements and generating energy awareness for smarter energy consumption within the GSK Cork site. Investment in I.S. EN16001 has proved to be a sound business strategy for GSK especially in today's manufacturing environment.

Quality management for education (second level schools)

Quality Management is a well-developed and widely used approach within industry to gain competitive edge and increased market share. It is a new management approach for schools who are now applying it without having the culture or experience of its evolution. Industrially based Quality management systems and excellence models have been developed. These excellence models and frameworks are based on the principles and concepts of TQM which are recognised as essential elements of high performing organisations. Schools are complex social institutions that provide a service. Like any other service industry, the customers of education are expecting and demanding a better service or else they will go elsewhere. Schools are beginning to reform and change to adapt to such demands. This has been reflected in Ireland in the Education Act, 1998. It is now the right time to develop a quality management system specifically for schools. The existing industrial excellence models have been modified for use in the private and public sector and some have been specifically tailored for education. The problem with such models is that they are still too sophisticated and the language still too industrial for schools. This Thesis develops and Excellence Model for Second Level Schools and provides guidance and school specific tools for its implementation.

Agents mòbils en situacions d'emergència: mobilitat d'etiquetes de triatge

En les actuacions de rescat en emergències amb un gran nombre de víctimes, una de les primeres tasques a realitzar pels serveis sanitaris és la de triar-les en funció del seu estat i la urgència amb que han de ser tractades. En el grup SeNDA es treballa en un sistema d’agents mòbils que automatitza el mecanisme manual de triatge, fent ús de dispositius electrònics i una xarxa MANET com a canal de comunicació. En aquest projecte es proposa un sistema de gestió de mobilitat pels agents que transporten dades de víctimes fins al centre de coordinació, juntament amb un mecanisme de control d’aquests agents totalment transparent a l’usuari.

Household-based malaria control in a highly endemic area of Africa (Tanzania): determinants of transmission and disease and indicators for monitoring - Kilombero Malaria Project

The Kilombero Malaria Project (KMP) attemps to define opperationally useful indicators of levels of transmission and disease and health system relevant monitoring indicators to evaluate the impact of disease control at the community or health facility level. The KMP is longitudinal community based study (N = 1024) in rural Southern Tanzania, investigating risk factors for malarial morbidity and developing household based malaria control strategies. Biweekly morbidity and bimonthly serological, parasitological and drug consumption surveys are carried out in all study households. Mosquito densities are measured biweekly in 50 sentinel houses by timed light traps. Determinants of transmission and indicators of exposure were not strongly aggregated within households. Subjective morbidity (recalled fever), objective morbidity (elevated body temperature and high parasitaemia) and chloroquine consumption were strongly aggregated within a few households. Nested analysis of anti-NANP40 antibody suggest that only approximately 30% of the titer variance can explained by household clustering and that the largest proportion of antibody titer variability must be explained by non-measured behavioral determinants relating to an individual's level of exposure within a household. Indicators for evaluation and monitoring and outcome measures are described within the context of health service management to describe control measure output in terms of community effectiveness.

Performance-Related Awards: Health Boards Scheme

Performance-Related Awards: Health Boards Scheme This progress report to September 2003 on the performance-related awards scheme for senior health board management has been prepared by the Committee for Performance Awards for the Health Board Scheme, in line with the recommendation in Report No. 38 of the Review Body for Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector, to contribute to the Review Bodyâ?Ts consideration at its next general review (para 13.4). Click here to download PDF 93kb

Oral Health of Irish Adults 2000 - 2002

Oral Health of Irish Adults 2000 Р2002 Publication of the strategy document - Shaping a Healthier Future̢?T1 marked a major milestone in the development of the health care delivery system in Ireland. The strategy was underpinned by three key principles: equity, quality of service and accountability. It was emphasised that the benefit to be derived from the health services should be measured in terms of health gain and social gain. Click here to download PDF 5.6mb

Supporting Healthy Lifestyles: The Natioanl Child Measurement Programme - Guidance for 2006 - 07 school year

The Department of Health is providing a central data store for child obesity data collected by PCTs to be available for live implementation by the end of June 2006. The central data store will be accessible by PCTs via Unify, the DH performance management system.

How to manage a virtual library?

Introduction. The Andalusian Public Health System Virtual Library (Biblioteca Virtual del Sistema Sanitario Público de Andalucía, BV-SSPA) was created in June 2006, after being determined by the II Quality Plan in the key process Guarantee the Knowledge Exchange into the Health System which was established by the Strategy IV, Knowledge Management, 2005-2008. It is a government strategy with its own budget and management with the aim of rationalizing the subscriptions into the Andalusian Health System and democratizing the health professional access to qualify scientific information, regardless of the professional workplace. Andalusia is a wide region with more than 8 million inhabitants, more than 90,000 health professionals for 41 hospitals, 1,500 primary healthcare centres, and 12 centres for non-medical attention purposes, and the Virtual Library was created to cover all this Health Services. Before the creation of the BV-SSPA every centre had its own budget and management decisions concerning scientific resources, with the creation of the BV-SSPA both management and budget were centralized. Objectives. With this work we pretend to analyze if the results after these five years have reached the expectations from an economic point of view and determine if really we can offer a benefit to the Andalusian Professional and Society in general. We will demonstrate the following: - The BV-SSPA supposed a cost reduction. It meant cost-effectiveness. - It resulted in Economics of Scale, as we have every year more resources and services investing a minor proportional amount of money. - In terms of Efficiency it implemented more services than the System had before its creation, we a lower budget. Methods. The BV-SSPA was appointed the only intermediary for contracting electronic resources destined to the Andalusian Health System. This had some consequences which should be analyzed: - Hospitals were not allowed to subscribe any resources. - Services offered for the whole System. - A remote access system was created. - Tools to give more visibility to the Public Health System were developed. - Negotiations techniques changed as the BV-SSPA is stronger than individual hospitals. Results. - The amount of 2,431 electronic reviews, 8 data bases and other scientific information resources at the disposal of the Andalusian Health System Professionals and available worldwide requiring only an internet connection. Before the BV-SSPA, 5,267 titles were subscribed by hospital and 2,967 of them were subscribed repeatedly (by two or more hospitals), this represented more than 55%. The rationalization of the subscription investment has been reached. - The establishment of several important scientific services for the whole territory of Andalusia, not only big hospitals. - The use of appropriate tools through a Web 2.0 and Social Media to be acknowledged by most National Health Professionals. Conclusions. It has been demonstrated that the BV-SSPA has become the Central Unit for purchasing, offering librarian services and a reference for users in terms of knowledge management, but from the point of view of business it has also obtained the following results: - Cost-Effectiveness: Its budget for subscriptions is lower than the hospital former one in a 30% and now more electronic resources are available. - Economics of Scale: Near 95,000 health professionals can access this Virtual Library in 2010. Before its creation Professionals for small hospital and Primary Care centres were not able to access to scientific information subscribed by big hospitals. - Efficiency Besides the central electronic purchasing, services were created for the System, without increasing the expenses: - Remote access to all the library resources independent of the user’s location. The BV-SSPA usage increased in a 147% in 2008, when it was installed. - The Document Supply Service implemented in 2009. - The Institutional Repository which contains the whole intellectual, scientific production generated by the Andalusian Public Health Professionals as a result of their healthcare, research or managing activity. - The creation of an application developed by the BV-SSPA to study the Andalusian Health System Scientific Production. - The visibility of the Andalusian Health System reached thanks to the BV-SSPA, through the numerous events in which it participates and organizes such as the 2nd. European National Digital Libraries of Health Conferences and the National Conference of Health Science Information and Documentation held in Cadiz in 2010; and its profile in social media where it can be contacted by citizens and health professionals all over the world. - Negotiation with electronic resource suppliers is much more advantageous as the BV-SSPA is stronger to deal with them thanks to its consolidated budget, its managing independence and its visibility.

Diferencias de género en la percepción del logro profesional en especialistas de medicina familiar y comunitaria

BACKGROUND The concept of achievement is important to study the professional development. In medicine there are gender inequalities in career. The purpose was to know and compare the professional achievement's perceptions and attributions of female and male primary care physicians in Andalusia. METHOD Qualitative study with 12 focus groups (October 2009 to November 2010). POPULATION primary care physicians. SAMPLE intentionally segmented by age, sex and health care management. Were conducted by sex: two groups with young physicians, two groups with middle aged and two with health care management. TOTAL: 32 female physician and 33 male physicians. Qualitative content analysis with Nuddist Vivo. RESULTS Female and male physicians agree to perceive internal achievements and to consider aspects inherent to the profession as external achievements. The most important difference is that female physician related professional achievement with affective bond and male physician with institutional merit. Internal attributions are more important for female physician who also highlight the importance of family, the organization of working time and work-family balance. Patients, continuing education, institutional resources and computer system are the most important attributions for male physician. CONCLUSIONS There are similarities and differences between female and male physicians both in the understanding and the attributions of achievement. The differences are explained by the gender system. The perception of achievement of the female physicians questions the dominant professional culture and incorporates new values in defining achievement. The attributions reflect the unequal impact of family and organizational variables and suggest that the female physicians would be changing gender socialization.

Web-based Implementation of Winter Maintenance Decision Support System Using GIS and Remote Sensing, May 2005

Winter maintenance, particularly snow removal and the stress of snow removal materials on public structures, is an enormous budgetary burden on municipalities and nongovernmental maintenance organizations in cold climates. Lately, geospatial technologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and decision support tools are roviding a valuable tool for planning snow removal operations. A few researchers recently used geospatial technologies to develop winter maintenance tools. However, most of these winter maintenance tools, while having the potential to address some of these information needs, are not typically placed in the hands of planners and other interested stakeholders. Most tools are not constructed with a nontechnical user in mind and lack an easyto-use, easily understood interface. A major goal of this project was to implement a web-based Winter Maintenance Decision Support System (WMDSS) that enhances the capacity of stakeholders (city/county planners, resource managers, transportation personnel, citizens, and policy makers) to evaluate different procedures for managing snow removal assets optimally. This was accomplished by integrating geospatial analytical techniques (GIS and remote sensing), the existing snow removal asset management system, and webbased spatial decision support systems. The web-based system was implemented using the ESRI ArcIMS ActiveX Connector and related web technologies, such as Active Server Pages, JavaScript, HTML, and XML. The expert knowledge on snow removal procedures is gathered and integrated into the system in the form of encoded business rules using Visual Rule Studio. The system developed not only manages the resources but also provides expert advice to assist complex decision making, such as routing, optimal resource allocation, and monitoring live weather information. This system was developed in collaboration with Black Hawk County, IA, the city of Columbia, MO, and the Iowa Department of transportation. This product was also demonstrated for these agencies to improve the usability and applicability of the system.

Free-and open source software for a course on network management: authoring and enactment of scripts based on collaborative learning strategies

This paper describes a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) case study in engineering education carried out within the context of a network management course. The case study shows that the use of two computing tools developed by the authors and based on Free- and Open-Source Software (FOSS) provide significant educational benefits over traditional engineering pedagogical approaches in terms of both concepts and engineering competencies acquisition. First, the Collage authoring tool guides and supports the course teacher in the process of authoring computer-interpretable representations (using the IMS Learning Design standard notation) of effective collaborative pedagogical designs. Besides, the Gridcole system supports the enactment of that design by guiding the students throughout the prescribed sequence of learning activities. The paper introduces the goals and context of the case study, elaborates onhow Collage and Gridcole were employed, describes the applied evaluation methodology, anddiscusses the most significant findings derived from the case study.

Tillage Management and Soil Organic Matter, 2005

Tillage systems play a significant role in agricultural production throughout Iowa and the Midwest. It has been well documented that increased tillage intensities can reduce soil organic matter in the topsoil due to increased microbial activity and carbon (C ) oxidation. The potential loss of soil organic matter due to tillage operations is much higher for high organic matter soils than low organic matter soils. Tillage effects on soil organic matter can be magnified through soil erosion and loss of soil productivity. Soil organic matter is a natural reservoir for nutrients, buffers against soil erosion, and improves the soil environment to sustain soil productivity. Maintaining soil productivity requires an agriculture management system that maintains or improves soil organic matter content. Combining cropping systems and conservation tillage practices, such as no-tillage, strip-tillage, or ridge-tillage, are proven to be very effective in improving soil organic matter and soil quality.