138 research outputs found
Adverse birth outcome: a comparative analysis between cesarean section and vaginal delivery at Felegehiwot Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a retrospective record review [Corrigendum]
No full textAbebe Eyowas F, Negasi AK, Aynalem GE, Worku AG. Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics. 2016;7:65–70On page 65 Abel Fekadu Dadi should have been listed as an author. The incorrect author list was:Fantu Abebe Eyowas1Ashebir Kidane Negasi1Gizachew Eyassu Aynalem1Abebaw Gebeyehu Worku2The correct author list should have been:Fantu Abebe Eyowas1Ashebir Kidane Negasi1Gizachew Eyassu Aynalem1Abebaw Gebeyehu Worku2Abel Fekadu Dadi2Read the original articl
Flexible two-piece distributions for right censored survival data
No full textAn important complexity in censored data is that only partial information on the variables of interest is observed. In recent years, a large family of asymmetric distributions and maximum likelihood estimation for the parameters in that family has been studied, in the complete data case. In this paper, we exploit the appealing family of quantile-based asymmetric distributions to obtain flexible distributions for modelling right censored survival data. The flexible distributions can be generated using a variety of symmetric distributions and monotonic link functions. The interesting feature of this family is that the location parameter coincides with an index-parameter quantile of the distribution. This family is also suitable to characterize different shapes of the hazard function (constant, increasing, decreasing, bathtub and upside-down bathtub or unimodal shapes). Statistical inference is done for the whole family of distributions. The parameter estimation is carried out by optimizing a non-differentiable likelihood function. The asymptotic properties of the estimators are established. The finite-sample performance of the proposed method and the impact of censorship are investigated via simulations. Finally, the methodology is illustrated on two real data examples (times to weaning in breast-fed data and German Breast Cancer data).sponsorship: The authors are grateful to the editor, and associate editor and reviewers for their valuable comments that led to an improvement of the manuscript. The second author gratefully acknowledge support from Research Grant FWO G0D6619N of the Flemish Science Foundation, and from the C16/20/002 project of the Research Fund KU Leuven. (Flemish Science Foundation|FWO G0D6619N, Research Fund KU Leuven|C16/20/002)status: Published onlin
A hybrid hazard-based model using two-piece distributions
No full textCox proportional hazards model is widely used to study the relationship between the survival time of an event and covariates. Its primary objective is parameter estimation assuming a constant relative hazard throughout the entire follow-up time. The baseline hazard is thus treated as a nuisance parameter. However, if the interest is to predict possible outcomes like specific quantiles of the distribution (e.g. median survival time), survival and hazard functions, it may be more convenient to use a parametric baseline distribution. Such a parametric model should however be flexible enough to allow for various shapes of e.g. the hazard function. In this paper we propose flexible hazard-based models for right censored data using a large class of two-piece asymmetric baseline distributions. The effect of covariates is characterized through timescale changes on hazard progression and on the relative hazard ratio; and can take three possible functional forms: parametric, semi-parametric (partly linear) and non-parametric. In the first case, the usual full likelihood estimation method is applied. In the semi-parametric and non-parametric settings a general profile (local) likelihood estimation approach is proposed. An extensive simulation study investigates the finite-sample performances of the proposed method. Its use in data analysis is illustrated in real data examples.The authors thank the reviewers for their valuable comments that led to an improvement
of the manuscript. The second author gratefully acknowledges support from Research Grant C16/20/002
project of the Research Fund KU Leuven
Two-piece distribution based semi-parametric quantile regression for right censored data
No full textWidely used methods such as Cox proportional hazards, accelerated failure time, and Bennet proportional odds models do not model the quantiles directly, but rather allow to assess the influence of the covariates only on the location of the distribution. Quantile regression allows to assess the effects of covariates, not only on a location parameter (such as a mean or median) but also on specific percentiles of the conditional distribution. In recent years, a large family of flexible two-piece asymmetric distributions where the location parameter coincides with a specific quantile of the distribution has been studied. In a conditional (regression) setting the use of such a family of two-piece asymmetric distributions has only been investigated in the complete data case in the literature. In this paper, we propose a semi-parametric procedure to estimate the conditional quantile curves of two-piece asymmetric distributions based on right censored survival data. We use a local likelihood estimation technique in a multi-parameter functional form, via which the effect of a covariate on the location, scale, and index of the conditional survival distribution can be assessed. The finite sample performance of the estimators is investigated via simulations, and the methodology is illustrated on real data examples.The authors are grateful to an Associate Editor and two reviewers for their comments which led to an improvement of the manuscript. We thank the authors of Christou and Akritas (2019) to provide us with the R code to calculate their estimator in the SIQR model. The second author gratefully acknowledges support from Research Grant FWO G0D6619N of the Flemish Science Foundation, and from the C16/20/002 project of the Research Fund KU Leuven. The resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) and the Flemish Government
Developing an Enterprise Risk Management maturity model applicable for construction companies
No full textRisk, a common phenomenon in the construction industry, remains a major challenge for construction companies in developing countries. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) has been commended as an essential tool for managing a company’s risks in a holistic and an integrated approach. Companies’ ERM competence is measured using an ERM maturity model (ERM3); however, there exists no generic model that can be successfully applied in all companies. The aim of this study was, therefore, to develop an ERM maturity model that will be used to evaluate the risk management (RM) competence of construction companies.
Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were employed in this research. A detailed review of the literature has showed major shortcomings in the existing ERM maturity models, mainly in the consistency in the content of the models and in following proper procedures while the models were developed. Accordingly, a new ERM maturity model (ERM3-CON) has been developed through a well-established procedural framework. This model contains six different attributes: (i) policy and strategy; (ii) structure and governance; (iii) culture; (iv) process; (v) competence; and (vi) implementation. The first two of these are new attributes introduced in this model, which were rarely considered in the existing models. Four levels of maturity, namely, naive, novice, managed and optimised were found suitable for gauging companies’ ERM maturity.
The suitability of the proposed model was tested by a case study carried out with Ethiopian domestic contractors (EDCs) engaged in major federal road construction projects. Twenty-six (74.3%) out of the total of the thirty-five contractors that were operating in the road sector in 2020 were involved in the study; which also accounted for about 18% of the total of 145 Grade-1 contractors that were registered in Ethiopia in the same year. Thirty-six indicators were utilised for measuring the maturity. The interview survey data, analysed using a fuzzy analysis technique, revealed that contractors’ ERM maturity scores ranged from 1.42 to 2.97 with a weighted average of 2.04 from 4.00 points, which can be generally categorised as a low level of ERM practice. In terms of the maturity levels, 21 (80.8%) of the 26 companies were found to be at a novice level with 4 (15.4%) at managed and 1 (3.8%) at naive levels. These results were found to be consistent with the practices of construction companies in other developing countries.
Several factors can be listed that make this study unique. Unlike many other models, this was developed using a well-defined procedural framework. It also attempts to define the contents of the attributes of the model through a combination of existing ERM maturity models, ERM standards and guidelines, organisational design models and business excellence models. Further, this thesis has managed to reach about three-quarters of the target companies by enabling experts in 26 companies to self-assess the ERM competence of their respective companies through well-established interview questionnaires. Although it was time consuming and demanded a great deal of effort and patience, the achievement of self-assessing 26 companies by a detailed interview was a great success. However, this study clearly has some limitations. The first limitation lies in the lack of validation of the contents of the model involving a large group of experts due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s gathering restrictions. In fact, it was attempted to test the model through three small-scale group discussions. The other potential limitation is that the survey covers only contractors that were engaged in the MFRCPs. Hence, it might require future studies to further verify its application in the other sectors of the industry too. Lastly, appropriate debiasing strategies were also developed that to help overcome the potential limitations that would arise in association with subjectivity and cognitive biases.
This research contributes to foster the RM endeavors in the road construction companies. Most importantly, unlike the traditional RM approach, ERM enhances company performance and the value of a company by enabling companies’ effectively handle their risks in a comprehensive and integrated manner. In addition, as ERM has been proven to improve project performance in the construction industry, practicing ERM is particularly pertinent for companies in the Ethiopian road sector, where successful project completion remains the issue of concern. This suggests that construction companies should start practicing ERM in order to effectively deal with their risks. Further, the proposed ERM3 will helps companies in implementing ERM through an established set of improvement targets
National prevalence and associated factors of khat chewing among students in Ethiopia: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textThe existing prevalence of khat chewing among university students ranges from 23.1% to 74.1%. Its impact affected students mentally, physically, economically and their social interaction. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis will be to determine the prevalence of khat chewing and associated factors among students in Ethiopia and to help guide policy makers in the decision-making process. A complete systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies on the prevalence of khat chewing and associated factors in Ethiopia will be conducted. A computerized internet search using Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar and EMBASE databases and reference lists of previous prevalence studies and full search strategy and cross-checking of reference lists of published peerreviewed articles will be conducted to identify all cross-sectional and cohort studies published in English. We will use the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement for reporting. Pooled estimated effect of prevalence of khat chewing and associated factors will be analyzed using the random effects meta-analysis (random effects model) and (with 95% CI) will be measured. The underlying work is based on systematic reviews of published data and thus do not require ethical review approval. The results of the systematic review will be disseminated in different conferences, seminars and published in a reputable international reviewed journal. A complete systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies on the prevalence of khat chewing and associated factors in Ethiopia will be conducted. All observational studies of (cross-sectional, cohort, case control) and randomized controlled trials will be included. A widespread range of studies and settings will be included
Risks affecting the performance of Ethiopian domestic road construction contractors
No full textThe government of Ethiopia has been attempting to enhance the capacity of domestic contractors engaged in the road sector. However, their performance is still a matter of concern. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to identify and quantify the risk events that have potential impact on the performance of Ethiopian domestic contractors (EDCs) working in federal road construction projects. Forty-seven events were identified through an in-depth literature review and were categorized under three main groups: (i) business environment, (ii) construction and (iii) site related events. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst contractors, consultants and the client (Ethiopian Roads Authority) to rank the considered risk events in terms of the probability of occurrence of each event and severity of their impact. The study results outlined the ten most significant risks affecting the performance of EDCs namely., shortage of finance, inadequate planning, lack of access to foreign currency, delay in possession of site (ROW), frequent breakdown of equipment, delay in delivery of material and equipment, poor cash/ financial failure, inflation, delay in payments and poor commitment and coordination within contractors’ team. The findings will be helpful to domestic construction firms and the government of Ethiopian in devising suitable risk treatment strategies
Effect of Different Levels of Dried Sugar Cane Tops Inclusion on the Performance of Washera Sheep Fed Basal Diet of Grass Hay, Ethiopia
No full textCopyright: © 2015 Worku A, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Ruminants feed largely on crop resides as their basal diet. Despite their vast use as a livestock feed, crop residues are naturally of low quality and do not fulfill the nutrient requirement of animals. Thus, the deficit in the basal feed of quantity can be covered with sugar cane tops that are potential feed for better performance of animals. This study aimed with to evaluate the effect of different level of Dried Sugar Can tops inclusion on carcass characteristics and Economic Feasibility of Washera sheep fed a basal diet of grass hay. Methodology: A study was conducted at Bure Agricultural Technical Vocational Educational Training (ATVET) College using twenty yearling Washera sheep with initial body weight (BW) of 18.15 ± 1.85 (mean ± SD). The experimental design was randomized complete block design, and sheep were blocked into five blocks of four animals based on their initial BW and randomly assigned to one of the treatments within a block. Treatments were hay ad libitum+100 g/head/d CM for T1 and an additional 120 g, 240 g and 360 g SCT per head/day on dry matter basis for T2, T3 and T4, respectively. The experiment consisted 90 days of Growth trials followed by evaluation of carcass components at the end
Effect of play-based family-centered psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation on the development of severely acutely malnourished children under six in a low-income setting: a randomized controlled trial
No full textBackground: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends incorporating psychosocial stimulation into the
management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). However, there is little evidence about the effectiveness of these
interventions for SAM children, particularly when serious food shortages and lack of a balanced diet prevail. The
objective of this study was to examine whether family-based psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation in a lowincome setting improves the development, linear growth, and nutritional outcomes in children with SAM.
Method: Children with SAM (N = 339) admitted for treatment to the Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia,
were randomized to a control (n = 170) or intervention (n = 169) group. Both groups received routine medical care
and nutritional treatment at the hospital. The intervention group additionally received play-based psychomotor/
psychosocial stimulation during their hospital stay, and at home for 6 months after being discharged from hospital.
The fine motor (FM) and gross motor (GM) functions, language (LA) and personal-social (PS) skills of the children
were assessed using adapted Denver II, the social-emotional (SE) behavior was assessed using adapted Ages and
Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, and the linear growth and nutritional status were determined through
anthropometric assessments. All outcomes were assessed before the intervention, upon discharge from hospital,
and 6 months after discharge (as end-line). The overtime changes of these outcomes measured in both groups
were compared using Generalized Estimating Equations.
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© The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to
the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver
(http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
* Correspondence: [email protected] †
Teklu Gemechu Abessa and Marita Granitzer contributed equally to this
work.
1
Department of Special Needs and Inclusive Education, College of Behavioral
Sciences and Education, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
2
REVAL Rehabilitation Research Center, Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty
of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Hasselt University, Hasselt,
Belgium
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Abessa et al. BMC Pediatrics (2019) 19:336
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-019-1696-z
(Continued from previous page)
Results: The intervention group improved significantly on GM during hospital follow-up by 0.88 points (p < 0.001,
effect size = 0.26 SD), and on FM functions during the home follow-up by 1.09 points (p = 0.001, effect size = 0.22
SD). Both young and older children benefited similarly from the treatment. The intervention did not contribute
significantly to linear growth and nutritional outcomes.
Conclusion: Psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation of SAM children enhances improvement in gross motor
functions when combined with standard nutrient-rich diets, but it can enhance the fine motor functions even
when such standard dietary care is not available.
Trial registration: The trial was retrospectively registered on 30 January 2017 at the US National Institute of Health
(ClinicalTrials.gov) # NCT03036176.This study is part of the Jimma University-Interuniversity Collaboration partnership program funded by Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad - Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (VLIR-UOS). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to prepare or publish the manuscript
Językowy portret złodzieja w „Worku Judaszow” Sebastiana Fabiana Klonowica
No full textThe author presents a picture of a thief in Worek Judaszow by S.F. Klonowic.
Analysing a linguistic creation of the appearance, character and behaviour of
the characters, she underlines that the descriptive language interprets the reality
to shape the reader’s behaviour towards it. The author indicates that the
convention of ugliness served Klonowic to create the character being a personal
antimodel
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