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The selection and implementation of good operations practice cannot be undertaken in isolation; it must consider the enterprise context. The aim of this paper is to describe a robust process for the development of specific environment good operations practice role profiles for supervisors, and illustrate this through a case study within a complex cell-centric manufacturing environment. The approach identifies the activities undertaken by a cell leader and team leader in a given manufacturing organization, and also by a good operations practice cell leader and team leader in a relevant external organization. Then via a survey of operations managers and functional managers, those activities that a cell leader and team leader should do within the given manufacturing organization are identified. The approach enables the contextual adoption of good operations practice, develops supervisor role profiles which allows them to be proficient within their task domains, contributes to attaining agreement amongst operational and functional management, and has applications across cell-centric manufacturing. The potentially significant impacts available across cell-centric manufacturing are illustrated by the finding that following this examination of operations practice in the case study company two-thirds were classified as requiring change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation has been present in the Serbian legal framework in the domain of urban planning since the 1950s. Its scope and legal definition have evolved with the transition to democracy, markets and decentralised governance. In line with EU standards, Serbia introduced an additional level of participation in the form of early public inquiry in 2014. Still, participatory planning practice is often seen as a formality which lacks sufficient effect on the planning solution, and requires qualitative improvements in citizen and stakeholder involvement. The main aim of this paper is to suggest that the use of alternative methods of participation in the domains of informing, consultation and active participation may increase the effectiveness of participatory planning practice. Thus, this paper points out some examples of good practice, and argues for the importance of recognising the existing base of knowledge and expertise in order to respond to contemporary requirements in the field of urban planning. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 47014: The role and implementation of the National Spatial Plan and Regional Development Documents in Renewal of Strategic Research, Thinking and Governance in Serbia]

Abstract Background The goal of medical research is to develop interventions that are in some sense superior, with respect to patient outcome, to interventions currently in use. Similarly, the goal of research in methodological computational statistics is to develop data analysis tools that are themselves superior to the existing tools. The methodology of the evaluation of medical interventions continues to be discussed extensively in the literature and it is now well accepted that medicine should be at least partly “evidence-based”. Although we statisticians are convinced of the importance of unbiased, well-thought-out study designs and evidence-based approaches in the context of clinical research, we tend to ignore these principles when designing our own studies for evaluating statistical methods in the context of our methodological research. Main message In this paper, we draw an analogy between clinical trials and real-data-based benchmarking experiments in methodological statistical science, with datasets playing the role of patients and methods playing the role of medical interventions. Through this analogy, we suggest directions for improvement in the design and interpretation of studies which use real data to evaluate statistical methods, in particular with respect to dataset inclusion criteria and the reduction of various forms of bias. More generally, we discuss the concept of “evidence-based” statistical research, its limitations and its impact on the design and interpretation of real-data-based benchmark experiments. Conclusion We suggest that benchmark studies—a method of assessment of statistical methods using real-world datasets—might benefit from adopting (some) concepts from evidence-based medicine towards the goal of more evidence-based statistical research.

This review provides an overview of the importance of good manufacturing practices in the elaboration of artisanal products, aiming to generate a discussion about this subject. The elaboration of artisanal food has been gaining prominence in several countries of the world since these products carry the identity and culture of a place. The traditional and artisanal way of manufacturing provides the food with a variation in its characteristics, which makes it peculiar in comparison to its similar, pleasing the most diverse demands of consumers. In addition, they are considered healthier and natural foods. In the Northeast of Brazil, these products are highlighted by the significant commercialization, being sources of income generation for the region. Among the most prominent products are the coalho and butter types cheeses, bottled butter and carne de sol. Despite the economic and cultural importance of these products, the traditional way of manufacturing, without proper hygiene care, can be a limiting factor for the formal commercialization of these products. Therefore, adopting good manufacturing practices at artisanal food processing places may be the first step towards the production of higher quality products that meet the requirements of the legislation but retain their artisanal manufacturing characteristics.

Health reporting provides descriptions of the health of a population, analyses problems and demonstrates areas in which action needs to be taken in health care, health promotion and disease prevention. As such, it provides a rational basis for participatory processes and a foundation for health policy decision-making. Good Practice in Health Reporting was developed by a working group that includes representatives from all levels of health reporting with the aim of strengthening the field at the local, federal-state and national level. The document sets out guidelines and recommendations that are intended to provide professional guidance for the creation of health reports. It makes 11 recommendations that address the ethical principles behind health reporting, the necessary framework, the selection of topics (the report’s focus), the foundation of the work undertaken (data quality), data preparation, analysis, interpretation and protection, as well as communications and quality assurance. The pilot version of the document was presented at the conferences of the German Society for Epidemiology (DGEpi), the German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP) and the Federal Association of Physicians of German Public Health Departments (BVÖGD) where it was discussed and subsequently revised. After further review, the guidelines were adopted by all of these institutions. Finally, Good Practice in Health Reporting is to be strengthened and developed further as part of a comprehensive review.

Background: Crisis resolution teams (CRTs) seek to avert hospital admissions by providing intensive home treatment for people experiencing a mental health crisis. The CRT model has not been highly specified. CRT care is often experienced as ending abruptly and relapse rates following CRT discharge are high. Aims: The aims of CORE (Crisis resolution team Optimisation and RElapse prevention) workstream 1 were to specify a model of best practice for CRTs, develop a measure to assess adherence to this model and evaluate service improvement resources to help CRTs implement the model with high fidelity. The aim of CORE workstream 2 was to evaluate a peer-provided self-management programme aimed at reducing relapse following CRT support. Methods: Workstream 1 was based on a systematic review, national CRT manager survey and stakeholder qualitative interviews to develop a CRT fidelity scale through a concept mapping process with stakeholders (n = 68). This was piloted in CRTs nationwide (n = 75). A CRT service improvement programme (SIP) was then developed and evaluated in a cluster randomised trial: 15 CRTs received the SIP over 1 year; 10 teams acted as controls. The primary outcome was service user satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included CRT model fidelity, catchment area inpatient admission rates and staff well-being. Workstream 2 was a peer-provided self-management programme that was developed through an iterative process of systematic literature reviewing, stakeholder consultation and preliminary testing. This intervention was evaluated in a randomised controlled trial: 221 participants recruited from CRTs received the intervention and 220 did not. The primary outcome was re-admission to acute care at 1 year of follow-up. Secondary outcomes included time to re-admission and number of days in acute care over 1 year of follow-up and symptoms and personal recovery measured at 4 and 18 months’ follow-up. Results: Workstream 1 – a 39-item CRT fidelity scale demonstrated acceptability, face validity and promising inter-rater reliability. CRT implementation in England was highly variable. The SIP trial did not produce a positive result for patient satisfaction [median Client Satisfaction Questionnaire score of 28 in both groups at follow-up; coefficient 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) –1.02 to 2.97]. The programme achieved modest increases in model fidelity. Intervention teams achieved lower inpatient admission rates and less inpatient bed use. Qualitative evaluation suggested that the programme was generally well received. Workstream 2 – the trial yielded a statistically significant result for the primary outcome, in which rates of re-admission to acute care over 1 year of follow-up were lower in the intervention group than in the control group (odds ratio 0.66, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.99; p = 0.044). Time to re-admission was lower and satisfaction with care was greater in the intervention group at 4 months’ follow-up. There were no other significant differences between groups in the secondary outcomes. Limitations: Limitations in workstream 1 included uncertainty regarding the representativeness of the sample for the primary outcome and lack of blinding for assessment. In workstream 2, the limitations included the complexity of the intervention, preventing clarity about which were effective elements. Conclusions: The CRT SIP did not achieve all its aims but showed potential promise as a means to increase CRT model fidelity and reduce inpatient service use. The peer-provided self-management intervention is an effective means to reduce relapse rates for people leaving CRT care. Study registration: The randomised controlled trials were registered as Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN47185233 and ISRCTN01027104. The systematic reviews were registered as PROSPERO CRD42013006415 and CRD42017043048. Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

Brainstorm is a free, open-source Matlab and Java application for multimodal electrophysiology data analytics and source imaging [primarily MEG, EEG and depth recordings, and integration with MRI and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)]. We also provide a free, platform-independent executable version to users without a commercial Matlab license. Brainstorm has a rich and intuitive graphical user interface, which facilitates learning and augments productivity for a wider range of neuroscience users with little or no knowledge of scientific coding and scripting. Yet, it can also be used as a powerful scripting tool for reproducible and shareable batch processing of (large) data volumes. This article describes these Brainstorm interactive and scripted features via illustration through the complete analysis of group data from 16 participants in a MEG vision study.

In many countries, public organisations are among the largest creators and gatherers of data. To increase economic growth, governments have therefore begun to liberate access to large parts of government data by developing open government data (OGD) initiatives. Since the emergence of OGD initiatives, many OGD portals have been launched. There is a common belief that sharing OGD throughout platforms would be sufficient to motivate companies to re-use data and improve economic growth. However, there is very little evidence about the quality of shared OGD. For companies to be able to re-use, share and create value from OGD, data publishers must meet certain good practice standards. Following a pragmatic research approach, in this paper we present an index that can be applied for the quality assessment of the published OGD on portals. On the basis of 17,777 published data resources gathered from the Swiss OGD portal (opendata.swiss), we demonstrate the logic of the index and discuss the key learnings we obtained from applying the index to this concrete case. We conclude that, in Switzerland, the adherence to good practice standards for publishing OGD is fairly low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The true student and the true teacher share the challenge of growing to achieve an authentically human life. In this sense, the representation of the teacher in the Nahuatl conception is remarkable, summarised in the representation of the wise man, ultimate aspiration and always developing of whoever wishes to teach to configure, within the person, a face and a heart. The well being and well-doing are the result of the persevering and firm exercise of the will and the intelligence, translated in the living of good practice that demand, of course --more than anti-plagiarism measures--, to develop intellectual honesty. The essential labor of an educator is to guide the student in the work of discovering and keeping a face and a heart: the building of personal integrity to perform a dignified life, exemplary work, and a positive influence. In the quest to create better ways of learning that are deep and creative within the educational ecosystem that is the classroom, an element that can seem surprising but in no way excessive: the joy, indispensable note of the teacher that loves what they do and transmits it, placing the student on the path to professional prestige and personal happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de Evaluación Educativa is the property of Red Iberoamericana de Investigacion sobre Cambio y Eficacia Escolar and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

INTRODUCTION: This research sought to understand social workers' perspectives on good practice in specialist sexual violence social work practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: In 2018, five registered social workers engaged in semi-structured interviews focused on good practice social work in the field of sexual violence. FINDINGS: The use of therapeutic social work, along with an extensive skill set and knowledge base were identified as fundamental for sexual violence social work. Boundaries and the development of broad self-care practices were recognised as crucial components of good practice. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study offers links between the field of sexual violence and social work practice, while also indicating the need for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries with expanding healthcare coverage (CEHCs) increasingly use external reference pricing (ERP) for pharmaceuticals. The ERP policies must aim to optimize efficiency, minimize disturbances, and maximize access to effective therapies for all patients. This research aims to deduce best practices for prudent ERP regulations from past experiences and currently applied policies and to guide policymakers in CEHCs in implementing robust ERP policies. The literature was reviewed for methods and effects of ERP for pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical pricing experts from Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and South Africa were surveyed for current approaches to ERP in their respective countries. Key determinants of ERP relate to scope, number, and choice of reference countries; price definitions; computation rules; frequency; and stringency of applying ERP. The scarce evidence shows that ERP seems to lead to narrower price windows with the risk of reducing prices in high-price countries and raising prices in low-price countries. Moreover, launch delays and indirect price effects are often observed. The ERP policies in CEHCs are often applied in isolation, not always in a consistent and transparent manner, neglecting its indirect effects. Policymakers should consider a set of requirements when introducing ERP, including clear definitions and decision criteria in full transparency. External reference pricing should inform and serve as a benchmark for pricing decisions, rather than being used as the sole pricing mechanism. External reference pricing is primarily a tool to support decisions regarding on-patent pharmaceuticals, and for off-patent products, competition may prove more effective in reducing prices than ERP. • Experience from countries with mature healthcare coverage systems using external reference pricing (ERP) indicates that prudent methods and regulations help to minimize potential negative impacts on availability of and access to pharmaceuticals. • The ERP regulations were surveyed and reported from 17 countries with expanding healthcare systems in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. • Based on published reports, a set of parameters was identified, which should be considered by countries that are planning to introduce ERP or to revise the regulations for ERP in their environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) are central to the alternative food movement discourse. SFSCs are based upon the interrelations among actors who are directly involved in the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food products. They depend upon actors mobilising resources of various kinds: skills; knowledge; labour; capital; buildings etc. External factors such as policies and regulations can also encourage the creation of these shorter chains. The development of SFSCs can still be hindered by a range of other factors. Nevertheless, bottlenecks can be overcome via the sharing of information on successful SFSCs through the dissemination of Good Practices between various actors and territories. The Short Supply Chain Knowledge and Innovation (SKIN) project uses the term 'good' rather than 'best' practice to draw attention to the subjective lens through which a practice is ultimately evaluated by an end-user. This paper first outlines the many issues that confront SFSC actors which represent bottlenecks to the adoption of 'Good Practices'. It then documents the Good Practices collected as part of the SKIN project as tangible examples of how SFSCs overcome such challenges. Lessons learnt from project highlights are subsequently assessed in an effort to mitigate and offer solutions to the challenges associated with SFSCs. The paper demonstrates the considerable latent potential inherent to SFSCs. However, in order for the agricultural sector to realise the full promise of short supply chains it must first be conscious of the issues pertinent to their prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of neuroimaging tools, especially functional magnetic resonance imaging, in nutritional research has increased substantially over the past 2 decades. Neuroimaging is a research tool with great potential impact on the field of nutrition, but to achieve that potential, appropriate use of techniques and interpretation of neuroimaging results is necessary. In this article, we present guidelines for good methodological practice in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies and flag specific limitations in the hope of helping researchers to make the most of neuroimaging tools and avoid potential pitfalls. We highlight specific considerations for food-related studies, such as how to adjust statistically for common confounders, like, for example, hunger state, menstrual phase, and BMI, as well as how to optimally match different types of food stimuli. Finally, we summarize current research needs and future directions, such as the use of prospective designs and more realistic paradigms for studying eating behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the participation of local communities in the arts, Community‐Based Arts Education (CBAE) raises awareness of ecology and the environment, and also facilitates the search for and establishment of a socio‐cultural identity. It provides students with specific forms of experiential learning involving out‐of‐classroom experiences. Since 2003 the Education Bureau in Hong Kong has promoted learning arts in the community in an informal arts educational context. To suit the needs of CBAE, since 2011 the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has offered four successful community‐based arts educational schemes to local primary and secondary students. The aim of the schemes is to enrich students' knowledge of arts and culture and strengthen their capacities to learn arts appreciation and criticism. Between 2011 and 2013, over 30,000 primary and secondary students participated in the schemes. This article reports on a study of the schemes which aimed to identify key elements of good practice in CBAE from students' and teachers' perspectives. In this larges‐cale study, a total of 15,430 students between Primary 1 and Secondary 6 (age 6 to 17) and 1,306 teachers who participated in the schemes were invited to take part in surveys and focus group interviews. The results show that the three central tenets of self‐determination theory, namely, competence, autonomy and relatedness, are the key elements of good practice in CBAE. It is hoped that the research findings will enrich existing knowledge of and provide a new research direction for CBAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open peer review (OPR), as with other elements of open science and open research, is on the rise. It aims to bring greater transparency and participation to formal and informal peer review processes. But what is meant by `open peer review', and what advantages and disadvantages does it have over standard forms of review? How do authors or reviewers approach OPR? And what pitfalls and opportunities should you look out for? Here, we propose ten considerations for OPR, drawing on discussions with authors, reviewers, editors, publishers and librarians, and provide a pragmatic, hands-on introduction to these issues. We cover basic principles and summarise best practices, indicating how to use OPR to achieve best value and mutual benefits for all stakeholders and the wider research community.

Professional development of teachers is recognized worldwide as an important condition for high quality education. According to experimental data, pre-service and in-service training programs of preschool teachers are not always efficient, their interrelation with provisions for quality development in kindergartens is inconsistent. Developing potential of internship as a form of professional growth reduces deficiencies of programs focused on achievements of the kindergarten, on teaching technics without discussion of their worthiness and preschool values, perfunctory discussion, rigidity, organizational disadvantage. The authors discuss the criteria of effective internship. Programs work both to give specific knowledge and master pedagogical techniques, and, at the same time, to develop reflection. Programs support participants to adopt the cycle of pedagogical action. This research is aimed at selection of best practices of preschool education and analysis of their potential in internship. The research participants are Moscow teachers of 50 preschool groups. The groups, ready for internships, demonstrate significantly higher quality of education than the joint sample; however, they experience the lack of competences in work with adults and in development of their reflection. The internship programs elaborated by teachers from high quality groups show some deficiencies, namely, different topics interfere in one short-term program, the main focus is on object-spatial environment but not on interaction, participants’ outcomes are not embodied in any product. Best practices are interested in their own development as well as new sources of motivation. The authors have proposed internship to become a resource of development both for organizers and participants. Each position solves its own problems.

Honors education offers students challenging experiences and teachers a laboratory for educational innovation. Successful innovations can stimulate other teachers to experiment and improve their educational practice. This requires that innovations become known to other teachers. For this reason, a project on good practices in honors education has been started in The Netherlands, where good practices in honors education of universities were described and published on a website of the Dutch Honors Network. Until now, 19 good practices are described, 17 from The Netherlands and two from the United States. Nine are selected for this issue. In this introductory paper, the good practice project and research about good practices are described. Different views and principles about honors education are discussed. A series of keywords to bridge the different views and the principles with the nine good practices published in this issue are presented. An analysis of the collected data of the good practices is carried out, followed by conclusions, discussions, and reflections. It appears that six good practices already led to innovations elsewhere in curricula.

The implementation of inclusion policy for learners with special education needs has been a matter of interest for South African schools. This study sought to explore pockets of good practice found in the experiences of teachers in implementing inclusion of learners with special education needs (SEN). A qualitative research approach was employed and a case study design used. The study purposively sampled eight teachers and eight principals from eight selected primary schools, as well as one provincial and three district officials. Semi-structured interviews were employed as instruments of data collection, and the data were analysed thematically. The findings revealed that teachers accommodate learners with SEN despite the fact that some of them do not have qualifications/training in SEN. The study also established that teachers experienced varied challenges in implementing the inclusion of learners with SEN. These challenges included lack of parental participation, heavy workload, inadequate training for teachers, multi-grade challenges, and lack of resources. Although challenges were encountered, this study concluded that there were pockets of good practice in the experiences of teachers in implementing inclusion of learners with SEN. Good practices identified by the current study included giving remedial work, the use of teaching aids, giving individual work, and informing parents of children’s challenges. The paper recommends collaborative effort among stakeholders and adequate training of teachers to ensure effective support for learners with SEN.

We are delighted to present the 2018 Special Issue – Student Engagement and Retention in Higher Education. Practitioners, researchers and scholars know that student retention arises from a complex combination of student, institutional and external factors that manifest differently for individual students. Simple performance metrics focused on student characteristics, cohorts or institutional initiatives delivered as ranking or rating systems, are unlikely to deliver improvements in performance, unless the complex contextual factors underlying the reasons students stay or leave are more widely considered.

The main aim of this article is to identify and judge realisation of coporate social responsible actions which take place in hotel industry. The system of the work has been subordinated to the aim realisation in which the CSR conception has been shown (also in hotel industry). The actions corporate social responsible in hotel industry has been shown as well in this work.

Since Hippocrates, the cornerstone of medical practice has been the doctor-patient relationship. The question here is whether these basic principles are still compatible with this unusual COVID-period. This pandemic represents a serious threat to human health, leading to profound changes in behavior in daily life but also in health care. Because of limited resources, health-managers must choose well-balanced solutions able to protect patients and citizens on the one hand and to provide maximal benefit for the society on the other hand. We are going through a moment of rupture that we must acknowledge. Here, we discussed how the doctor-patient relationship could be compromised. Doctors are focused on cares whereas patients are focused on scare. Profound changes occur presently, from the way we present ourselves to each other (including the masks), the poor conditions for physical examination, the mental suffering of both patient and caregiver until sometimes terrible end-of-life conditions. The historical point-of-view helps us to keep in mind previous experiences, and the philosophical perspective helps to contextualize this unedited situation. We should stop briefly our daily rush to put these considerations into perspective to overcome these challenges. Nothing is as effective as trust: let's rebuild it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]