A comparison of the expected and actual pain experienced by women during insertion of an intrauterine contraceptive device.

Objective: To compare the expected and actual pain experienced with the insertion of intrauterine contraception in women, and to determine whether either of these are related to their personal circumstances, or affected their satisfaction with the procedure. Design: A convenience sample of 89 women aged 15-50 attending a sexual health clinic for same day intrauterine contraception insertion were given a questionnaire which they completed following the procedure. The women were asked to rate their expectation of pain prior to insertion and to rate the actual pain they experienced immediately after insertion, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being severe pain. Information on the women’s circumstances and their level of satisfaction with the procedure was also obtained. Results: Overall, the median actual pain experienced by women during insertion (4) was significantly lower than the expected pain median (6) (p<0.001). For those women who had not had a previous vaginal delivery, actual pain was significantly higher compared with women who had a previous vaginal delivery (median [IQR] = 6 [3.5-7.5] and 3 [1-5], p<0.001), respectively), but there was no significant difference between expected and actual pain experiences. In women who had a previous vaginal delivery, actual pain was much lower than expected (p<0.001). Neither actual nor expected pain experiences were linked to any other socio-demographic reproductive health or service use factors. Conclusion: All women had a high expectation of pain prior to IUD insertion but, for those who had a previous vaginal delivery, this was significantly greater than that actually experienced. Satisfaction levels overall were high. Counselling of women should take into account their expected pain prior to IUD insertion and consideration should be given to alternative and additional methods of pain relief in women who had not had a previous vaginal delivery

Authentication problems and access optimization to information wifi networks

Ensuring security presents a thorny problem because communication in a wireless network uses a shared medium without the benefit of a physical security perimeter. To address this problem wireless security protocols use cryptographic techniques to protect the network but the results have not always been successful. Serious flaws have been discovered in the design, implementation and operation of widely deployed wireless security protocols and attacks developed to exploit these flaws. Our investigation adopts the viewpoint of a hostile adversary to identify and exploit vulnerabilities that remain in wireless security protocols. Purpose-written software tools have been created to facilitate the investigation, conduct attacks and assist in the identification of the underlying causes of the security flaws. Remedial measures are then proposed, implemented and evaluated for the most serious threats. This method is applied to an investigation of the security problems present in both current Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems and next-generation wireless mesh networks

The Impact of a Diverse Workforce on an Organization: Challenges and Opportunities

There are many factors that impact and influence the wellbeing of an organization. The nature of the workforce is one such factor. This research project focuses on the impact of a diverse workforce on an organization. Diversity in this study embraces all forms of diversity with special attention to cultural diversity in order to best understand the challenges and opportunities of a diverse workforce. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the current practices in organizations related to diversity, and to assess and evaluate current contributions of a diverse workforce to a given organization. The research question is, “What are the challenges and benefits associated with a diverse workforce and how can managers use their leadership to maximize the potential of diversity in the organization?” The research methodology was a qualitative case study, including interviews and observations, using appreciative inquiry to learn more about the positive behaviors of employees in a diverse workforce. The salient themes that emerged from the research included the importance of effective communication, trust in relationship, hiring and retaining employees from different cultural backgrounds and training. One important recommendation of this action research project is that organizations should strive to employ employees of diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences especially because a diverse workforce will lead to higher performance, increased efficiency and improved productivity

Foreign Direct Investment and Poverty in the ECOWAS Region

This study aims to examine the impact of FDI on poverty in the ECOWAS region, covering the period between 1990 and 2018. The research design is a mixed-methods quantitative approach that uses two phases of data collection and analysis. The first phase is the secondary data quantitative study and is followed by the second phase, a primary data quantitative study, the latter of which complements the findings of the former. The data sources were both secondary and primary, collected from renowned websites, questionnaires and documentary reviews. The data were analysed using quantitative estimation techniques, and the study employed the static estimation techniques OLS, FE and RE, and a dynamic estimation technique, namely GMM. Four poverty measures were utilised as dependent variables (infant mortality, the Human Development Index, GDP per capita and household consumption), along with FDI inflow based on United States Dollars at current prices as the main independent variable. The result of the study indicates that the impact of FDI on poverty in the ECOWAS region is mixed, in that it has a positive effect when using HDI and GDP per capita as poverty measures. However, FDI has a negative impact on poverty when using HCON as a measure, and when using MORT as a poverty measure, the result is inconclusive. Therefore, it is concluded that the impact of FDI on poverty in the ECOWAS region is sensitive to the poverty measure used in the study, and it is also dependent on econometric techniques. The study recommends that ECOWAS members and other stakeholders, when examining FDI and poverty relationships, should be critical of the poverty measure adopted, in order to assure the maximum impact of the result. Moreover, ECOWAS member countries should explore new avenues to attract more FDI inflow and diversify it to all sectors of the economy for a more significant effect on poverty reduction and the attainment of SDGs. This study contributes empirically to the extant literature in diverse ways, i.e. its unique findings and its novelty, since it is the first to be undertaken in the ECOWAS region

SUPPLY CHAIN STRUCTURE, PRODUCT RECALLS AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: INVESTIGATING RECALL DRIVERS AND RECALL FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIPS

This dissertation is a two-essay study on globalization, sourcing structure and product quality and firm performance in global supply chain management. In the first essay, using a unique archival dataset on firms and their suppliers, the role of supply chain strategies in contributing to product safety and quality, as assessed through product recalls are investigated. The second essay investigates the relationship between product recalls and firm performance. Moreover, the moderating effects on the recall-profitability relationship of supply chain as well as recall management strategies are investigated . Essay 1 investigates how a number of supply chain strategies contribute to product recalls. In particular, I examine how the make or buy decision (i.e., outsourcing), the decision to concentrate the supply base (i.e., use few vs. several suppliers), the use of foreign suppliers (i.e., offshoring), and the extent of global operations, contribute to product recalls. The subject area of product quality and safety failures leading to product recalls is important because product recalls can have a major, negative impact on firm performance. For example, in the event of a product recall, replacement orders may need to be shipped, new suppliers may need to be found and vetted, and marketing expenditures may need to be made to counter negative publicity from the recall. Applying key theories in operations and supply chain management, I find that firms vary greatly in recall propensity and that these variations are related to heterogeneity in outsourcing, offshoring, and supply base concentration. In the second essay, I revisit the recall-performance relationship. First, I investigate the relationship between product recalls and profitability. Firms may choose to try to avoid product recalls by increasing their expenditures on product quality and inspection services. Or, on the other hand, they may emphasize short term profitability by reducing production and inspection costs, thereby increasing the risk of incurring a product recall. Since firms are expected to balance production and quality inspection costs against the costs associated with product recalls in order to maximize profit performance, the recall-profitability relationship is not clear, a priori. I further investigate the moderating effect of global operations, supply base structure and recall strategies on the relationship between product recalls and profit margins. My theory-based research suggests a curvilinear recall-profit relationship and that this relationship depends on key global supply chain practices and recall management strategies

An Econometric Assessment of Entrepreneurship in the Diamond Mining Sector and Its Impact on Economic Growth in Sierra Leone

This study examines the relationship between entrepreneurship in the diamond mining sector and economic growth in Sierra Leone for the period 1970-2013. The neoclassical production function is employed to explore new firm formation in the mining sector as a separate determinant of economic growth. Using recent econometric technique, the study finds a unique co-integrating relationship among real GDP, entrepreneurship, labour and capital. The results suggest that entrepreneurship exerts a positive and statistically significant effect on economic growth, and investment in the diamond mining sector is an important channel through which entrepreneurs fuel economic growth. Policy recommendation calls for entrepreneurship education, improving on the general labour capacity, facilitating access to finance, improving support services and the employment conditions for entrepreneurship. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, diamond sector, economic growth, co-integration, Sierra Leone DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-7-05 Publication date: April 30th 201

What do Deep Neural Networks Learn in Medical Images?

Deep learning is increasingly gaining rapid adoption in healthcare to help improve patient outcomes. This is more so in medical image analysis which requires extensive training to gain the requisite expertise to become a trusted practitioner. However, while deep learning techniques have continued to provide state-of-the-art predictive performance, one of the primary challenges that stands to hinder this progress in healthcare is the opaque nature of the inference mechanism of these models. So, attribution has a vital role in building confidence in stakeholders for the predictions made by deep learning models to inform clinical decisions. This work seeks to answer the question: what do deep neural network models learn in medical images? In that light, we present a novel attribution framework using adaptive path-based gradient integration techniques. Results show a promising direction of building trust in domain experts to improve healthcare outcomes by allowing them to understand the input-prediction correlative structures, discover new bio-markers, and reveal potential model biases

Monetary Policy Effect on Private Sector Investment: Evidence from Sierra Leone

Private sector investment has become an increasingly significant objective for the government of Sierra Leone in promoting economic growth and enhancing job creation, and monetary policy has always been one of the main economic management tools that governments use to shape economic performance. The study therefore examines the rate at which changes in monetary policy in Sierra Leone has affected the behavior of private sector investments, theories and empirical studies are reviewed in a way to identify a suitable model for private sector investment for the period 1980 to 2014. Using recent econometric techniques, the results suggest that money supply and gross domestic saving exert positive and statistically significant effect on private sector investments whereas Treasury bill rate, inflation and gross domestic debt exert a negative effect. An important policy implication emerging from this study is to facilitate the establishment of financial institutions to increase credit delivery to the private sector so as to enhance private investment. Keywords: Monetary policy, Private sector investment, Sierra Leone. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­JEL Classifications: E52, E58, E22

Ground Forest Inventory and Assessment of Carbon Stocks in Sierra Leone, West Africa

Forest and woodland are renewable natural resources providing basic human necessities. They have the ability to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change. Sustainable forest management is guided by forest mensuration and inventory which include measuring and calculating growth and changes in trees and forests. The objective of the study was to estimate timber resources and carbon stock using simple hand tools in Kasewe and Singamba forests in the southern part of Sierra Leone. All trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 10 cm were measured in every plot for DBH, and three trees were measured for height. The correlation between mean wood volume and carbon stock was highly significant. For Kasewe plantation forest, mean wood volume and carbon stock were 151 m3 ha−1 and 44 t C ha−1, respectively, and for the Singamba natural forest, they were 181 m3 ha−1 and 82 t C ha−1, respectively. The linear correlation between basal area and volume, DBH and volume and basal area and total biomass was significant for the plantation species tested. Realistic national forest inventory and community forestry are inevitable for sustainable forest management in Sierra Leone