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Factoren die de keuze van patiënten voor zorgaanbieders in europese en noord-amerikaanse landen bepalen
Get PDFIntroduction: Since the introduction of a market oriented structure in public health care patients are expected to make informed choices between health care providers. However, it is still unclear what patients base their decisions on. The objective of this literature study is to identify the personal, healthcare provider-related, logistic and financial factors which determine the patients’ choice for certain healthcare providers. More specifically, only determinants of choice for surgical hospital care in European and North-American countries are studied. Method: Articles were mainly derived from the Pubmed, Medline and Google Scholar databases. Search terms used were patient choice, provider, physician and hospital. Furthermore, 3 additional articles were provided by the supervisors and 8 articles were included by backwards referencing. After inclusion, the articles were analyzed by the simple approach. Results: 27 articles were taken into account for analyses. Personal factors that influence the patient´s choice for a certain provider are age, race, medical condition, educational level, earlier experiences and the advice of people in the social network of patients. Furthermore, provider related factors which often came forward were the expertise of staff, the number of services offered, reputation and the quality of care provided. Moreover, the type of organization and the size of hospitals have an impact on the choice. Important logistic aspects are the distance to the hospital, the waiting time before treatment and the travel options. Financial aspects which are considered in advance of choosing are the costs of treatment, the costs of travelling and the personal expenses. Conclusion: It can be concluded that many factors determine the patient’s choice. However, it is difficult to indicate the importance of all the factors found because often combinations of factors or interactions between factors determine the patient’s choice
The effect of the epigenome on the Vitamin D Receptor target genes
Get PDFBackground. Humans produce vitamin D3 by exposure to sunlight that includes ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, but also via the intake of nutrients. In the body, the Vitamin D3 is converted to its active form, which is called 1, 25(OH)2D3. This can bind to the Vitamin D Receptor (VDR), which is located on several genes which are called the VDR target genes. Objective. The present study investigated which genes are regulated by the 1, 25(OH)2D3 and checked whether the epigenetic modifications are measured in two cell lines within the ENCODE project. The data of the epigenetic modifications will be linked to the promoter regions of the VDR target genes. In this way the epigenetic control of the VDR target genes could be investigated in more detail. Methods. The human VDR target genes were identified with an extensive literature search. The promoter regions of the VDR target genes were found with Genomatix. Two types of epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation and histone modification, which were determined in two cell lines, IMR90 and H1ESC, in the ENCODE project were linked to the promoter regions of the VDR target genes. In the network analysis program Cytoscape the VDR target genes and the measured epigenetic modifications were integrated and visualized in an epigenetics-VDR target genes network. Results. In total 185 VDR target genes were found in 25 literature papers. There were 528 promoter regions in the 185 VDR target genes identified. In the H1ESC were 445 histone modifications linked to the VDR target gene promoters and in the IMR90 were 259 histone modifications linked to the VDR target gene promoters. In the IMR90 were 158 promoter regions with a DNA methylation region and in the H1ESC were this 177 promoter regions with a DNA methylation region. In the combined network of DNA methylation and histone modifications were in the IMR90 99 genes and in the H1ESC 111 genes selected. Conclusion. The epigenetics-VDR target genes network can be used in further research to understand the role of the epigenetic control of the VDR target genes
Management Control System Design: Conditional Interdependencies between Behavioral Constraints, Incentives and Employee Selection
Get PDFMy research contributes to the understanding of management control system design. Despite ongoing relevance and over 30 years of research there is still a limited understanding about the interdependence of management control. In this paper I analyze the interdependencies of behavioral constraints, incentives and employee selection under differing degrees of task uncertainty and output immeasurability. I find that in situations characterized by low task uncertainty and low output immeasurability employee selection and behavioral constraints act as substitutes. In a low task uncertainty/high output immeasurability context behavioral constraints and employee selection appear to act as substitutes. In a high task uncertainty/low output immeasurability setting there appear to be no significant interdependence effects between behavioral constraints, incentives and employee selection. Lastly, given a high task uncertainty/high output immeasurability background I find that incentives and employee selection act as complements and employee selection and behavioral constraints are substitutes. In addition to contextual factors managers have to take these interdependencies into account when designing optimal management control systems in order to achieve both external fit and internal consistency
Are you sure you are using the correct model? Model Selection and Averaging of Impulse Responses
Get PDFImpulse responses can be estimated to analyze the effects of a shock to a variable over time. Typically, (vector) autoregressive models are estimated and the impulse responses implied by the coefficients calculated. In general, however, there is no knowledge of the correct autoregressive order. In fact, when models are seen as approximations to the data generating process (DGP), all models are imperfect and there is no a priori difference in their validity. Hence, a lag length should be chosen by a sensible method, for instance an information criterion. In Monte Carlo simulations, this paper studies what characteristics influence the optimal autoregressive order when all models are only approximations to the DGP. It finds that the precise coefficients in the DGP, the sample size, and the impulse response horizon to be estimated all influence the mean squared error-minimizing lag length. Furthermore, it evaluates the performance of model selection and averaging methods for estimating impulse responses. Across the characteristics found to be relevant, averaging outperforms model selection, and in particular Mallows\u27 Model Averaging and a smoothed Hannan-Quinn Information Criterion perform best. Finally, the study is extended to vector autoregressive models. In addition to the characteristics relevant in the univariate case, the optimal lag length also depends on which (cross) impulse response is to be estimated. Many issues remain for vector autoregressive models, however, and more work is necessary
Preface and acknowledgements
Get PDFThis collection is the outcome of a Maastricht Research Based Learning Project (MARBLE) that took place at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Maastricht University in spring 2011. Under the guidance of Jens Lachmund (who is a lecturer at that faculty) a group of nine students worked on eight distinct case-studies on the culture and politics of product labelling
Polarisation Measurement on Three Alternatives
Get PDFThis bachelor thesis adresses the principle of polarisation on three different alternatives. It finds three different functions that find a measure for polarisation, that satisfy certain constraints. Then it argues about the usefulness of these function
Validation and Propagation – Mutio Vitelleschi’s Letters from Surviving Japan Mission Jesuits (1625 – 1627)
Get PDFAt the heart of this chapter is Superior General Mutio Vitelleschi, a man of the upmost authoritative power within the Jesuit Order when it came to promulgating the letters written to him. His skillful influence perpetuated the glorification and ultimately the spiritual success of the Jesuit mission to Japan despite the their banishment from Japan. The information that Vitelleschi had in his grasp is paramount to our understanding of the earliest order of the Jesuits as well as what had happened to their Order in Japan. This chapter discusses the 1632 Dutch publication of Mutio Vitelleschi’s Iaerliicksche Brieven van Iaponien der Jaren 1625, 1626, 1627 in a way that observes the Jesuit perception of the Japanese. It is noted that these letters also exemplify an early form of travel writing despite the publication’s lackluster and crude format. In essence, this chapter aims to bolster the idea that the Jesuit understanding of the Japanese is intimately connected with the nature of the early Jesuit missions - the propagation of the faith as well as the urgent need of validation
The Effect of Making a Derived Food Choice for a Relevant Other on the Pre-Fulfillment of One’s own Health Goal
Get PDFThe aim of this study is to clarify the question of how making a derived food choice for ones’ child influences a mothers own consumption behavior of sweet snacks. The focus of this study is set upon the difference of the consumption behavior of mothers as a consequence of their selection amongst a healthy and unhealthy food alternative aimed for their child. Finding a result in line with the expectations, the study reveals that mothers who perform a derived choice of a healthy food item for their children, feel free to eat more of unhealthy products as a consequence of their family benefitting behavior. Interestingly, the mothers’ consumption behavior seems to be strongly and negatively moderated by their perceived happiness in the relationship with the father and the compatibility of both partners’ educational techniques
Mortality Modelling and Forecasting using Cross-Validation Techniques
Get PDFThis paper investigates how accurately several predictive models perform in the field of mortallity modelling and forecasting, using cross-validation techniques. The main models used in this paper are the well-known Lee-Carter model and the Heligman-Pollard model. Furthermore, some extensions will be investigated: a distinction between the male and female population, extension to a few other countries, the effects of increasing the size of the \u27\u27training set\u27\u27 and forecasting without re-estimating k_t for the Lee-Carter model and a weighted estimation for the Heligman-Pollard model
Preface
Get PDFThe Marble (Maastricht Researched Based Learning for Excellence) programme at SBE facilitates the development of research projects for highly motivated and excellent undergraduate students. Students attending the bachelor programme of Econometrics and Operations Research join the Marble programme in the third year of their study. At the end of their bachelor they perform a short study which covers different applications of econometrical, mathematical and operations research techniques. The findings are presented at a mini symposium in June and documented in a research paper. This series is the second publication in the field of Econometrics and Operations Research and contains the best research papers in the academic year 2012/13