A comparative epidemiological analysis of clinical strains of Staphylococcus aureus in Nigeria and South Africa.

Ph. D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2005.Abstract available in PDF file

Implications of Earnings Management on the FirmValue of ListedNon-Financial Firms in Nigeria

This study examined the implications of earnings management on the value ofsampled Nigerian non-financial firms. While earnings management was measuredthrough accrual earnings management (ACEM) and real earnings management (REM)from production, the firm value was measured with Tobin Q. Data used weregenerated from a sample of sixty-nine (69) non-financial firms in Nigeria. In line withthe outcomes of specification tests, fixed ef ect panel regression was employedintesting the hypotheses. The results of the panel regression technique indicate thatwhile accrual earnings management recorded insignificant negative influence onTobin Q (t=-0.75; p>0.05), real earnings management was found to exerts significantnegative influence on Tobin Q (t=-2.56; p<0.05). The study thus concludes thatearnings management through real activities is detrimental to the market value ofNigerian listed non-financial firms. Hence, the recommendation that emanates fromthis study is that EM practice among Nigeria non-financial firms shouldbediscouraged as it discourages investors and thus hinders the firm value and longrungrowth of the firm by extension

Performance and productivity changes of microfinance banks in south-west, Nigeria.

The Nigerian Microfinance sub-sector is yet to attain the desired level of global best practice. This paper thus investigates the performance and productivity changes of MFBs in South-West Nigeria, from 2006 to 2010, having had the Microfinance Policy launched in 2005. The study revealed that only 16.28% of the sampled MFBs met the recommended maximum PAR value of 5% in 2006 and that was the highest throughout the sample period. It was also revealed that 31.14% of the sampled MFBs reported a debt/equity ratio of above the recommended value of 2 in 2006, while 32.56% had gearing of over 2 in 2010. The MFBs experienced fluctuating performances in their productivity changes, with pure technical efficiency improvements in 2007 and 2009. However, the MFBs suffered technological decline throughout the study period. Overall, the MFBs experienced Total Factor Productivity improvement in 2007, while there were productivity deteriorations in 2008, 2009 and 2010

Daycase urology at Ibadan, Nigeria: A ten year review

Introduction: The objective of the study was to report the extent of urological surgeries performed as day cases in a major tertiary hospital in Ibadan and document the outcome. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of all urologic patients treated at the day- case theatre between January 2000 and December 2009. The parameters evaluated were: age, diagnosis, type of surgery/ procedure, anaesthesia administered and the rank of the surgeon. Day case endoscopic procedures as well as prostate biopsies were excluded from the study. Results: In total, 1292 patients were managed, 290 (22.4%) were children aged between 5 days and 15 years while 1002 (77.6%) adults aged between 17 years and 91 years. The majority of the procedures were carried out by the senior registrars (1169 cases, 90.5%) and consultants were involved in 123 cases (9.5%). General anaesthesia was primarily used in children (158 children vs. 4 adults), while local anaesthesia was used only in adults. 131 (45.2%) children had no anaesthesia for circumcision. The most common procedures performed in adults were varicocelectomy (426 cases, 42.5 %), orchidectomy (332 cases, 33.1%), testicular biopsy (120 cases, 12.0%). While in children male circumcision (231cases, 79.7%) was the main procedure performed. Conclusion: The day-case theatre is still suitable for day case urologic procedure in our setting. The common procedures are varicocelectomy, orchidectomy, and open testicular biopsy in the adults. While in children, male circumcision is commonly carried out

Analysis of the Effect of Distributed Generation on Loss Reduction in Electrical Distribution Network

Distribution network is said to be the most visual part of the electric production and the most observed by the utilities for investment, maintenance and operation. The system have been operated under stressed conditions due to limited structure and increasing day to day requirement of power consumption, which have a significant economic and social impact on the system. Due to the system high resistance to impendence ratio, large amount of power loss occur in the network. This loss is the most severity factors affecting the power quality delivered to the end users and depend on power network expansion and load complexity. Among the support methods available for power loss minimization in distribution network, strategic allocation of Distributed Generation (DG) in distribution system is widely considered a viable option. DGs are electrical sources connected to the power network located to consumer’s side but very small when compared with the centralized power plant. They can be in form of wind, mini-hydro, photovoltaic and fuel-based system such as fuel cells and micro-turbines. Therefore, in this study, different approaches for power loss minimization in electrical distribution system with the incorporation of DG by various researchers were reviewed. These approaches have become powerful tools to overcome the problem of power loss minimization in distribution system. Keywords: Distribution System, Power Loss. Distributed Generation, Power Consumption, Photovoltaic System, Centralized Power Plant. DOI: 10.7176/JETP/11-6-02 Publication date: November 30th 202

The effects of cassava variety, fertilizer type and dosage on physical and sensory characteristics of cassava-wheat composite bread

Substitution of wheat flour with high quality cassava flour (HQCF) in bread making is economically important in Nigeria as wheat is mainly imported. Different treatments are applied to cassava used for HQCF production and the effects of such a treatment on cassava-wheat bread quality is scarce in literature. This study was conducted to study the effects of cassava varieties (TME 419, TMS 30572), fertilizer type ((NPK 15-15-15, 20-10-10, 12-12-17) and dosage (150, 300 kg/ha) on physical and sensory characteristics of cassava-wheat composite bread according to General Linear Model (GLM) analysis. According to the results, the independent variables had varying effects on the composite bread quality. While the main effect of fertilizer type was significant for oven spring and crumb moisture content, the interactive effects of fertilizer type and dosage significantly influenced crumb texture and taste. In spite of the significant differences in certain physical and sensory attributes, the overall acceptability of bread samples did not differ significantly. HQCF from cassava variety TMS 30572 showed the best performance in making composite cassava-wheat bread in terms of physical and sensory properties

Daycase urology at Ibadan, Nigeria: a ten year review

INTRODUCTION: The objective of the study was to report the extent of urological surgeries performed as day cases in a major tertiary hospital in Ibadan and document the outcome

Performance and productivity changes in microfinance banks in South-West Nigeria

The Nigerian Microfinance sub-sector is yet to attain the desired level of global best practice. This paper thus investigated the performance and productivity changes of MFBs in South-West Nigeria, from 2006 to 2010, having had the Microfinance Policy launched in 200. From the use of relevant accounting ratios, the study revealed that only 16% of the sampled MFBs met the recommended maximum PAR value of 5% in 200. It was also revealed that 31% of the sampled MFBs reported a debt/equity ratio above the recommended value of 2 in 2006, while 32% had gearing of over 2 in 2010. The Malmquist productivity index revealed that the MFBs experienced fluctuating performances in their productivity changes, with pure technical efficiency improvements in 2007 and 2009. Overall, the performance and productivity changes experienced by the MFBs depicted a sub-sector with huge potentials and hence require nurturing to achieve its goals

Antibiotic resistance and molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>is an important pathogen causing a wide range of infections in the hospital and community setting. In order to have adequate information for treatment of <it>S. aureus </it>infections, it is crucial to understand the trends in the antibiotic-resistance patterns. In addition, the occurrence and changes in types of <it>S. aureus</it>, clonal identities, and their geographic spread is essential for the establishment of adequate infection control programmes. In this study, 68 <it>S. aureus </it>isolates obtained from clinical and non-clinical sources in Nigeria between January and April 2009 were characterized using phenotypic and molecular methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All the <it>S. aureus </it>isolates were susceptible to teicoplanin, vancomycin, phosphomycin, fusidic acid, rifampicin, daptomycin, mupirocin, linezolid and tigecycline. Sixteen percent of the isolates were resistant to oxacillin, while 55% and 72% of isolates were resistant to tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole), respectively (Table <tblr tid="T1">1</tblr>). There was excellent correlation between the broth microdilution assay and detection of antibiotic resistance genes by the multiplex PCR, in the determination of <it>S. aureus </it>resistance to erythromycin, gentamicin, methicillin and tetracycline. A total of 28 <it>spa </it>types were identified in the study, and the predominant <it>spa </it>type among the methicillin-susceptible <it>S. aureus </it>(MSSA) isolates was t084 (13 isolates). The t037-ST241-SCC<it>mec</it>III type was the only clone identified in Maiduguri (North-East Nigeria) while in South-West Nigeria, diversity among the MRSA isolates (t451-ST8-SCC<it>mec</it>V; t008-ST94-SCC<it>mec</it>IV; t002-ST5-SCC<it>mec</it>V; t064-ST8-SCC<it>mec</it>V) was observed. The toxin genes <it>seh </it>and <it>etd </it>were detected in isolates affiliated with clonal complexes CC1, CC80 and sequence type ST25, respectively. The proportion of PVL-positive isolates among MSSA was high (40%). Most of the PVL-positive MSSA isolates were obtained from wound infections and associated with clonal complexes CC1, CC30, CC121 and with sequence type ST152.</p> <tbl id="T1"> <title> <p>Table 1</p> </title> <caption> <p>Antibiotic resistance profile of <it>S. aureu</it><it>s </it>(MSSA and MRSA) from Nigeria</p> </caption> <tblbdy cols="4"> <r> <c> <p/> </c> <c cspan="3" ca="left"> <p><b>Number (%) of resistant isolates among</b>:</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p><b>Antibiotic</b></p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p><b>MSSA</b></p> <p><b>(n = 57)</b></p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p><b>MRSA</b></p> <p><b>(n = 11)</b></p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p><b>Total</b></p> <p><b>(n = 68)</b></p> </c> </r> <r> <c cspan="4"> <hr/> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Penicillin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>49 (86)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>11 (100)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>60 (88.2)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Oxacillin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>11 (100)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>11 (16.2)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Teicoplanin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Vancomycin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Gentamicin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>1 (1.8)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>9 (81.8)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>10 (14.7)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Tetracycline</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>27 (47.4)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>11 (100)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>38 (55.9)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Ciprofloxacin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>12 (21.1)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>8 (72.7)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>20 (29.4)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Moxifloxacin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>7 (63.6)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>7 (10.3)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>39 (68.4)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>10 (90.9)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>49 (72.1)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Phosphomycin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Fusidic acid</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Erythromycin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>2 (3.5)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>6 (54.5)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>8 (11.8)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Clindamycin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>6 (54.5)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>6 (8.8)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Rifampicin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Daptomycin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Mupirocin</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Linezolid</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> <r> <c ca="left"> <p>Tigecycline</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> <c ca="left"> <p>0 (0)</p> </c> </r> </tblbdy> </tbl> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The use of phenotypic and molecular methods provided useful information on antibiotic resistance and molecular diversity of <it>S. aureus </it>in Nigeria. The high proportion of PVL-positive MSSA isolates affiliated to various clonal complexes and detected in all the health institutions is a major concern, both as a source of severe infections and as a potential reservoir that could lead to the emergence of PVL-positive MRSA. This study presents the first baseline information on the nature of the antibiotic resistance genes from <it>S. aureus </it>isolates in Nigeria. There is the need to curtail the spread and establishment of MRSA and PVL-positive MSSA clones in Nigerian health care institutions.</p