Search results

Measuring healthcare service quality provides an objective guide for managers and policy makers to improve their services and patient satisfaction. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to measure service quality provided to surgical and medical inpatients at Kerman Medical Sciences University (KUMS) in 2015.

A descriptive-analytic study, using a cross-sectional method in the KUMS training hospitals, was implemented between October 2 and March 15, 2015. Using stratified random sampling, 268 patients were selected. Data were collected using an importance-performance analysis (IPA) questionnaire, which measures current performance and determines each item’s importance from the patients’ perspectives. These data indicate overall satisfaction and appropriate practical strategies for managers to plan accordingly.

Findings revealed a significant gap between service importance and performance. From the patients’ viewpoint, tangibility was the highest priority (mean=3.54), while reliability was given the highest performance (mean=3.02). The least important and lowest performance level was social accountability (mean=1.91 and 1.98, respectively).

Healthcare managers should focus on patient viewpoints and apply patient comments to solve problems, improve service quality and patient satisfaction.

The authors applied an IPA questionnaire to measure service quality provided to surgical and medical ward patients. This method identifies and corrects service quality shortcomings and improving service recipient perceptions.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of terrorist attacks on the volatility and returns of the stock market in Tunisia.

The employed sample comprises 1250 trading day from the Tunisian stock index (Tunindex) and stock closing prices of 64 firms listed on the Tunisian stock market (TSM) from January 2011 to October 2015. The research opts for the general autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) and exponential generalized conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) models framework in addition to the event study method to further assess the effect of terrorism on the Tunisian equity market.

The baseline results document a substantive impact of terrorism on the returns and volatility of the TSM index. In more details, the findings of the event study method show negative significant effects on mean abnormal returns with different magnitudes over the events dates. The outcomes propose that terrorism profoundly altered the behavior of the stock market and must receive sufficient attention in order to protect the financial market in Tunisia.

Very few evidence is found on the financial effects of terrorism over transition to democracy cases. This paper determines the salient reaction of the stock market to terrorism during democratic transition. The findings of this study shall have relevant implications for stock market participants and policymakers.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the generation efficiency of singlet oxygen of methylene blue molecules through finely controlling their aggregation states in drug carriers.

As a photosensitiser in photodynamic therapy, methylene blue (MB) was loaded on citrate-modified hydroxyapatite (HAp) through an electrostatic interaction and followed by encapsulation of coordination complexes of tannic acid (TA) and Fe(III) ions. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum of the supernatant after incubation of samples was recorded at certain time interval to investigate the release behaviour of MB. Photodynamic activity of MB was determined by the oxidation reaction of uric acid by singlet oxygen generated by MB under illumination.

Almost all MB molecules were immediately released from HAp-MB, whilst an initial burst release of MB from HAp-MB@TA was followed by a sustainable and pH-sensitised release. In comparison with HAp-MB, photocatalystic reduction of HAp-MB@TA by titanium dioxide hardly occurred under illumination, indicating the stability against reduction to leukomethylene blue in vitro. Generation efficiency of singlet oxygen by MB released from HAp-MB@TA was significantly higher than that from HAp-MB because of the control of TA and Fe(III) ions complexes on molecular structures of released MB.

A facile method was herein demonstrated to optimise the generation efficiency of singlet oxygen by controlling aggregation states of PS molecules and improve PDT efficiency to damage tumour tissues.

Motivated by the huge potential of biosimilars in the near future and rapid growth of Iranian biosimilar producing firms in recent two decades, this paper aims to explore the positioning of these firms in biopharmaceutical value chain and their path of technological capability building to extract policy-relevant advice.

As part of a two-year research project, an online questionnaire was designed and sent to biopharmaceutical experts in Iran between May and October 2016. Respondents came from biopharmaceutical firms. Also, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyze the path of capability building in Iranian biosimilar-producing firms.

The findings show that Iranian biopharmaceutical firms (BPFs) are mostly concentrated on “pharmaceutical development,”, “drug manufacturing” and “ after-sales services’ activities.” The study also demonstrates that most BPFs in Iran are at the “assimilative” level of capability and a few of them have recently moved toward the “adaptive” level.

The findings show that Iranian BPFs are mostly concentrated on “pharmaceutical development,” “drug manufacturing” and “after-sales services” activities. The study also demonstrates that most BPFs in Iran are at the “assimilative” level of capability and a few of them have recently moved toward the “adaptive” level.

This paper aims to present a novel numerical technique for solving the incompressible multiphase mixture model.

The multiphase mixture model contains a set of momentum and continuity equations for the mixture phase, a second phase continuity equation and the algebraic equation for the relative velocity. For solving continuity equation for the second phase and advection term of momentum, an improved approach fine grid advection-multiphase mixture flow (FGA-MMF) is developed. In the FGA-MMF method, the continuity equation for the second phase is solved with higher-order schemes in a two times finer grid. To solve the advection term of the momentum equation, the advection fluxes of the volume fraction in the continuity equation for the second phase are used.

This approach has been used in various tests to simulate unsteady flow problems. Comparison between numerical results and experimental data demonstrates a satisfactory performance. Numerical examples show that this approach increases the accuracy and stability of the solution and decreases non-monotonic results.

The solver for the multi-phase mixture model can only be adopted to solve the incompressible fluid flow.

The paper developed an innovative solution (FGA-MMF) to find multi-phase flow field value in the multi-phase mixture model. Advantages of the FGA-MMF technique are the ability to accurately determine the phases interpenetrating, decreasing the numerical diffusion of the interface and preventing instability and non-monotonicity in solution of large density variation problems.

This paper aims to evaluate the financial performance of companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange by using negative data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach.

First, the financial metrics for performance evaluation were extracted and then filtered based on the experts’ opinions. Upon choosing the appropriate financial measures, the financial information of 72 companies selected from four automotive, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and cement industries were collected, and the criteria values were also measured. The financial performance of selected companies was assessed using negative data bounded adjusted measure in the DEA, and efficient and inefficient companies were identified. Finally, the efficient companies were ranked using Andersen and Petersen model.

The required analysis was conducted, and the financial performance of selected companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange was evaluated. There were 58 efficient companies with a performance value of 1; 14 companies became inefficient because the efficiency size was less than 1; therefore, reference units were also introduced to the managers for efficiency of inefficient companies.

The aim of this study was to identify the required financial criteria and to determine an appropriate model for performance evaluation based on negative DEA. The findings can help shareholders to identify efficient companies and make the optimal portfolio accordingly; the managers of inefficient companies can also take the proper reforming actions to improve efficiency.

This study aimed to provide a model for evaluating organizational agility in the banking industry in Isfahan using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach.

This research’s population consists of selected first-class branches of Saderat, Melli, Shahr, Maskan, Keshavarzi, Refah and Tejarat banks. Five branches of each bank and Bank Shahr as a newly established bank with two branches were included in the study. First, a suitable DEA model was selected and then agility inputs and outputs for designing the model were extracted from the literature. The selected model is an output-oriented returns to scale model. Inputs were agility enablers extracted from the A.T. Kearney model, whereas agility results were considered as the output.

The results showed that of the 32 selected branches, 4 were efficient and 28 were inefficient. In the end, the efficient branches were ranked using the Anderson–Peterson ranking model.

This study tries to provide a model for evaluating the efficiency of bank branches in terms of agility (relative agility) through the DEA technique, considering inputs and outputs of the organizational agility system. Accordingly, the managers can identify the efficiency of bank branches and also they can improve the inefficiency of bank branches.

This paper aims to study the impacts of viscous dissipation, thermal radiation and Joule heating on squeezing flow current and the heat transfer mechanism for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nanofluid flow in parallel disks during a suction/blowing process.

First, the governing momentum/energy equations are transformed into a non-dimensional form and then the obtained equations are solved by modified Adomian decomposition method (ADM), known as Duan–Rach approach (DRA).

The effect of the radiation parameter, suction/blowing parameter, magnetic parameter, squeezing number and nanoparticles concentration on the heat transfer and flow field are investigated in the results. The results show that the fluid velocity increases with increasing suction parameter, while the temperature profile decreases with increasing suction parameter.

A complete analysis of the MHD fluid squeezed between two parallel disks by considering Joule heating, thermal radiation and adding different nanoparticles using the novel method called DRA is addressed.

Natural convection heat transfer analysis can be completed using entropy generation analysis. This study aims to accomplish both the natural convection heat transfer and entropy generation analyses for a hexagonal cavity loaded with Cu-H2O nanoliquid subjected to an oriented magnetic field.

Control volume-based finite element method is applied to solve the non-dimensional forms of governing equations and then, the entropy generation number is computed.

The results portray that both the average Nusselt and entropy generation numbers boost with increasing aspect ratio for each value of the undulation number, while both of them decrease with increasing the undulation number for each amplitude parameter. There is a maximum value for the entropy generation number at a specified value of Hartmann number. Also, there is a minimum value for the entropy generation number at a specified value of angle of the magnetic field. When the volume fraction of nanoparticles grows, the average Nusselt number increases and the entropy generation number declines. The entropy generation number attains to a maximum value at Ha = 14 for each value of aspect ratio. The average Nusselt number ascends 2.9 per cent and entropy generation number decreases 1.3 per cent for Ha = 0 when ϕ increases from 0 to 4 per cent.

A hexagonal enclosure (complex geometry), which has many industrial applications, is chosen in this study. Not only the characteristics of heat transfer are investigated but also entropy generation analysis is performed in this study. The ecological coefficient of performance for enclosures is calculated, too.