Arboreal frogs, tank bromeliads and disturbed seasonal tropical forest

We investigated the relationship between arboreal frogs, tank bromeliads and landscape transformation in tropical forests of southeastern Campeche, Mexico. We surveyed frogs in six distinct habitats: slash and burn agriculture, seasonally flooded forest (bajo), aquatic habitats (lagoons and small ponds), second growth upland forest, primary forest and creek habitat using both systematic and non-systematic surveys. The highest species richness of frogs was documented in primary forest and small ponds. In contrast, no frogs were recorded in second growth forest. Similarly, tank bromeliads (Aechmea bracteata) were completely absent from early successional stages and were almost twice as abundant in seasonally flooded forest as in upland forest. The vertical distribution of A. bracteata differed between forest types, and they significantly more abundant in larger diameter trees. We examined 60 tank bromeliads during the peak of the dry season to test their use as refugia by frogs. Approximately 27% of tank bromeliads sampled had arboreal frogs belonging to three species, but 9 species have been recorded as occasional users of bromeliads in the region. There were significantly more frogs on large than on medium-sized bromeliads, and frogs were more abundant on bromeliads higher on host trees, particularly those above 3 m in height. Our results suggest that the loss of tank bromeliads from drier and less structurally complex habitats created by slash and burn agriculture and selective logging results in loss of refugia for arboreal frogs in this seasonal tropical forest. We suggest that Aechmea bracteata be a keystone species in seasonal tropical forest

Determinants of Social Media Marketing Adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises in Dar es Salaam - Tanzania

The general objective of the study was to examine the determinants of social media marketing adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in  Ilala Municipality, Dar es Salaam. The study provides the effects of technological, organizational and environmental factors on adoption of social media  marketing in the SMEs sector. This study used descriptive research design; thus primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire, whereas  multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the collected data from 122 SMEs owners who were selected through simple random sampling. The  SPSS software was used for data analysis. The results from multiple regression analysis showed that technological factors had positive and significant  relationship with the adoption of social media marketing in SMEs (p = 0.001). Moreover, the findings showed that organisational factors and adoption of  social media marketing were positively related (p = 0.000). Furthermore, the findings indicated that there was positive and significant relationship  between environmental factors and adoption of social media marketing in SMEs (p = 0.002). The study concludes that technological, organizational and  environmental factors determine social media marketing adoption for SMEs. However, organizational factors are the major determinants of social media  marketing adoption in SMEs. The study recommends that the management of SMEs should improve organizational environment such as employee skills  by providing training in order to increase the use of social media marketing in SMEs. Government should provide support and comprehensive policy to  foster growth of SMEs in Tanzania through adoption of social media marketing, and the SMEs management should accommodate technology innovation  to support easy adoption of Social media marketing

Use of Social Media to Improve Marketing Performance of Selected Manufacturing Firms in Tanzania: Evidence from Coastal Region

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of social media marketing on marketing performance of the  manufacturing companies in Tanzania. Specifically, the study aimed to examine the effect of social media strategy,  active presence and customer engagement initiatives on the marketing performance of selected  manufacturing companies in Coastal Region. The study used social penetration theory. Quantitative research  approach and cross sectional research design was used. A sample of 138 respondents was selected from 29  manufacturing companies in Coastal Region using simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire  was used for collecting primary data. Data were analysed by using the Statistical Package for Social  Science (SPSS) to compute descriptive statistics and undertake multiple linear regression. The results show that  social media strategy had positive and significant relationship with marketing performance (B = 0.539, p = 0.000).  Moreover, the results show that there was positive and significant relationship between active presence in social  media and the marketing performance of the manufacturing companies (B = 0.620, p=0.001). Furthermore, the  findings show that there was positive and significant relationship between customer engagement initiatives in  social media and marketing performance of the manufacturing companies (B = 0.919, p = 0.000). The study  concludes that social media strategy, active presence and customer engagement initiatives in social media have  positive effect on the marketing performance of the manufacturing companies. The study recommends that  manufacturing companies should make sure social media strategy, active presence and customer engagement  initiatives become part of the marketing strategies in order to increase marketing performance. &nbsp

National Trends in the Adoption of Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment for Student Assessment and Remediation

Objective. To determine and describe the current uses of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) by US schools and colleges of pharmacy. Methods. Assessment professionals from 135 US schools and colleges of pharmacy were invited to complete a 38-item electronic survey. Survey items were designed to investigate common uses of the PCOA, cut points, and “stakes” assigned to the PCOA, identification of at-risk students, and remediation approaches. Results. The school response rate was 68%. The most common uses of the PCOA included curricular assessment (76%), individual student performance assessment (74%), and cohort performance assessment (71%). The PCOA was most frequently administered to third-year pharmacy (P3) students. The approach for assigning “stakes” to PCOA performance varied among programs depending on the student’s professional year in the curriculum. Programs used a variety of approaches to establish the benchmark (or cut point) for PCOA performance. Remediation for at risk students was required by less than 25% of programs. Remediation was most commonly required for P3 students (22%). Conclusion. Survey results indicate wide variability between programs regarding PCOA cut points (benchmarks), stakes, and remediation approaches. In the future, it will be important for pharmacy educators to identify and study best practices for use of PCOA within student assessment and remediation plans

National Trends in the Adoption of PCOA for Student Assessment and Remediation

Objective: Utilize results of a national survey to describe current uses of the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) including: assignment of cut-points and stakes; characterization of how “at-risk” students are identified; and frequency and types of remediation processes. Methods: Assessment professionals from 135 US schools and colleges of pharmacy were invited to complete a 38-item survey. Survey items were designed to investigate common uses of the PCOA, cut-points and “stakes” assigned to the PCOA, identification of at-risk students, and remediation approaches. The survey was administered electronically using SurveyMonkey. Data were analyzed using SPSS v. 21. Results: The school response rate was 68%. The most common uses of the PCOA included curricular assessment (76%), individual student performance assessment (74%), and cohort performance assessment (71%). The PCOA was most frequently administered to third professional year (P3) students. The approach for assigning “stakes” to PCOA performance varied amongst programs depending on the student’s professional year in the curriculum. There were a variety of approaches used to establish the benchmark (or cut-point) for PCOA performance. Remediation for at risk students was required by less than 25% of programs. Remediation was most commonly required for P3 students (22%). Conclusion: Survey results indicate wide variability between programs regarding PCOA cut-points (benchmarks), stakes, and remediation approaches. In the future, it will be important for pharmacy educators to identify and study best practices for use of PCOA within student assessment and remediation plans

Risques climatiques et agriculture en Afrique de l’Ouest

Le futur de l’Afrique de l’Ouest dépend de la capacité du secteur de l’agriculture à s’adapter pour garantir la sécurité alimentaire dans un contexte de changement climatique et de croissance démographique. Pour faciliter cette adaptation, la recherche a déployé d’importants efforts pour améliorer les connaissances sur les mécanismes climatiques et leurs impacts sur les systèmes agropastoraux. Or, ces avancées issues de la recherche ne sont que rarement prises en compte dans la planification et la prise de décision. Partant de ce constat, un projet de recherche « Agriculture et gestion des risques climatiques : outils et recherches en Afrique », soutenu par le ministère français des Affaires étrangères et du Développement international est mené entre 2016 et 2018 dans plusieurs pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Il a pour objectif d’élaborer des outils efficaces de gestion du risque climatique pour les agriculteurs, en co-construisant avec des réseaux de chercheurs et d’acteurs directement impliqués dans l’accompagnement de l’agriculture des stratégies innovantes basées sur les résultats de la recherche. Cet ouvrage restitue les principales avancées de cette recherche-action sur trois thématiques prioritaires : les services climatiques pour l’agriculture, la gestion des ressources en eau et l’intensification écologique. Il permet aux acteurs du secteur agricole (organisations paysannes, filières, secteur privé agricole, banques de développement agricole, fournisseurs d’intrants, services agricoles et de météorologie) de s’approprier de nouvelles connaissances et de nouveaux outils pour une meilleure prise en compte des risques climatiques dans la gestion des systèmes de production

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research