Analysis of Cameroon’s forestry sector: Implication for sustainable management

Cameroon forestry sector has undergone profound institutional and legislative reforms for the past decades. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to examine the activities of Cameroon administration focused on the strategies for sustainable management of the forestry sector. The target population for achieving this objective constituted members of the forest administrative personnel. Primary data resulted from structured questionnaire and interview of key persons, secondary data resulted from consultation of annual reports and adequate literatures. Result revealed a drastic drop in labour force in all the categories; technical incompetence of more than 81% of the personnel notably with respect to the accomplishment of certain tasks; majority of the respondents agreed with the following: decision making process did not give room for everybody’s opinion; decisions taken, did not reach every level; no quality interaction between superior staff and subordinates and hardworking staffs were rarely usually rewarded. Nevertheless, most of the respondents revealed that the impact of decentralization in the forestry sector and the contribution to the national economy are positive. Consequently, decision makers of the forestry sector should consider the development of human capacity as a priority in view of personnel motivation of the sector, to better accomplish assigned tasks.Keywords: Forest administration, motivation, devolution of responsibilities, bureaucrac

Glucose Sensing by Time-Resolved Fluorescence of Sol-Gel Immobilized Glucose Oxidase

A monolithic silica gel matrix with entrapped glucose oxidase (GOD) was constructed as a bioactive element in an optical biosensor for glucose determination. Intrinsic fluorescence of free and immobilised GOD was investigated in the visible range in presence of different glucose concentrations by time-resolved spectroscopy with time-correlated single-photon counting detector. A three-exponential model was used for analysing the fluorescence transients. Fractional intensities and mean lifetime were shown to be sensitive to the enzymatic reaction and were used for obtaining calibration curve for glucose concentration determination. The sensing system proposed achieved high resolution (up to 0.17 mM) glucose determination with a detection range from 0.4 mM to 5 mM

THE ELECTRONIC CLEARING SYSTEM AND SETTLEMENT OF DEBTS

The main aim of this thesis was to find out what the electronic clearing system was all about and how it facilitates the settlements of debt. This thesis was based on an internship which motivated the writer to investigate more about the electronic clearing system and how it functions as compared to the for-mal means of clearing (manual clearing system). The research was based on personal observations and research with the use of questionnaires which were sampled to a randomly selected staff and customers of the case institution. From the responses received from the questionnaires and also from the personal observations and the writing of others about the electronic clearing system, it is assumed that the electronic clearing system has played a great role in settling debts or financial differences between banks on behalf of their customers. Conclusively, the electronic clearing system is one of the greatest inventions in modern day technology as it has superseded the outdated manual clearing system, thereby leading to the growth of the entire economy

Utilizing elderly free time activities : a study of activities that promote health and wellbeing

The aim of this study is to investigate free time activities that can promote health and wellbeing among hospitalized elderly people in order to provide information to caregivers. The research questions are: Which activities at free time promote health and wellbeing among hospitalized elderly people from caregivers’ point of view? How do activities at free time promote health and wellbeing among hospitalized elderly people from caregivers’ point of view? Which type of activities can long term hospitalized elderly engage in, in the future? The theoretical framework of the study is Pender’s theory of health promotion. A qualitative research method is chosen for this study with a designed face-to-face interview as data collection tool. Six informants took part in the study. The data analysis was done by the content analysis method. The main results of this study show that free time activities are essential as they address the physical, psychological and social needs, which helps to promote health and wellbeing of hospitalized elderly. However, inadequate resources, education and motivation limit provision of free time activities

The use of board war games in the military education process on the example of the Military Center for Civic Education

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie motywów wprowadzenia zajęć wykorzystujących planszowe gry wojenne podczas kursów organizowanych przez Wojskowe Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej (WCEO), zapoznanie z możliwościami wykorzystania takich pomocy w edukacji wojskowej oraz ich charakterystyka. W tekście opisano nie tylko motywy wprowadzania gier do oferty edukacyjnej WCEO, ale także sam sposób wykorzystania ich w różnego rodzaju kursach i szkoleniach oraz proces przygotowania zajęć z planszowymi grami wojennymi. Ponadto ogólnie przedstawiono pozytywne skutki wykorzystania gier wojennych w edukacji wojskowej i działalności służbowej żołnierzy.The article is primarily intended to present the reasons for introducing classes using board war games at the Military Center for Civic Education (WCEO), to familiarize with the possibilities of using board war games in military education and their characteristics. It shows not only the reasons for introducing games to WCEO’s educational offer, but also the method of implementing them in various types of courses and training, as well as the general process of preparing classes using board war games. Moreover, the positive effects of using war games in military education and soldiers’ service activities were generally presented

Noise measurements of a phase fluorometric instrument

We present noise measurements of a phase fluorometric oxygen sensor that sets the limits of accuracy for this instrument. We analyze the phase sensitive detection measurement system with the signal ''shot'' noise being the only significant contribution to the system noise. Based on the modulated optical power received by the photomultiplier, the analysis predicts a noise spectral power density that was within 3 dB of the measured power spectral noise density. Our results demonstrate that at a received optical power of 20 fW the noise level was low enough to permit the detection of a change oxygen concentration of 1% at the sensor. We also present noise measurements of a new low-cost version of this instrument that uses a photodiode instead of a photomultiplier. These measurements show that the noise for this instrument was limited by noise generated in the preamplifier following the photodiode. (C) 1996 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

Relationships among Physical Activity, Pain, and Bone Health in Youth and Adults with Thalassemia: An Observational Study

Patients with thalassemia (Thal) engage in less physical activity than non-Thal populations, which may contribute to pain and osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to assess relationships between physical activity, pain, and low bone mass in a contemporary sample of patients with Thal. Seventy-one patients with Thal (50 adults ≥18 years, 61% male, 82% transfusion-dependent) completed the Brief Pain Inventory Short Form and validated physical activity questionnaires for youth and adults. Nearly half of the patients reported daily somatic pain. Using multiple regression, after controlling for age and gender, sedentary behavior was positively associated with pain severity (p = 0.017, r2 = 0.28). Only 37% of adult participants met CDC recommendations for physical activity. Spine BMD Z-score was higher (−2.1 ± 0.7) in those who met activity guidelines compared to those who did not (−2.8 ± 1.2, p = 0.048). A positive relationship was observed between self-reported physical activity (hours/week) and hip BMD Z-score in adults with Thal after controlling for transfusion status and sedentary activity time (p = 0.009, r2 = 0.25). These results suggest that decreased physical activity and increased sedentary behavior contribute to low bone mass, which may be related to pain severity in some patients with Thal. Studies focused on increasing physical activity may contribute to improved bone health and reduced pain in patients with Thal