Partnership, ownership and control: the impact of corporate governance on employment relations

Prevailing patterns of dispersed share ownership and rules of corporate governance for UK listed companies appear to constrain the ability of managers to make credible, long-term commitments to employees of the kind needed to foster effective labour-management partnerships. We present case study evidence which suggests that such partnerships can nevertheless emerge where product market conditions and the regulatory environment favour a stakeholder orientation. Proactive and mature partnerships may also be sustained where the board takes a strategic approach to mediating between the claims of different stakeholder groups, institutional investors are prepared to take a long-term view of their holdings, and strong and independent trade unions are in a position to facilitate organisational change

Design, construction and evaluation of a meteorological mobile mast

A 30 metre meteorological mobile mast has been designed and constructed for upper air profile measurements. The parameters to be measured are wind speed, wind direction, temperature and relative humidity. The sensors for each parameter to be measured are constructed with locally available materials. The mechanical mast is designed in such a way that it can be collapsed like the electronic - controlled car radio antenna. It is made up of steel pipes of different diameters driven manually or by an electric motor via a pulley system. The sensors were calibrated with standard instruments and attached to different height of the mast for sample data acquisition. Data obtained from the sensors are stored in a data logger at the base of the mast. The data obtained were analyzed and there are appreciable correlations between the standard and the constructed instruments.Keywords: Instrumented, Meteorological, Mast, Profile, Measurement

A Review of Posttraumatic Bowel Injuries in Ibadan

Background. Bowel injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality following trauma. Evaluating patients who sustained abdominal trauma with bowel injury may pose a significant diagnostic challenge to the surgeon. Prompt recognition and timely intervention is necessary to improve outcome. Aim. This study was undertaken to evaluate treatment and outcome of patients with bowel trauma. Methods. A 5-year retrospective study of all patients presenting with abdominal trauma requiring surgical intervention seen in the UCH Ibadan, Nigeria was undertaken. Results. There were 71 patients (59 males and 12 females). The majority of cases (70%) occurred between the 3rd and 5th decades of life. Some 37 patients (52%) sustained blunt abdominal injury, while 34 patients (48%) sustained penetrating abdominal injury. There were 27 patients with bowel injuries (38%). Isolated bowel injuries occurred in 19 patients (27%). The most common surgical operation performed was simple closure. There were 3 deaths in patients with bowel injuries. Conclusion. Most cases of bowel injury can be managed by simple closure, a technique that is not so technically demanding for surgeons in less-developed countries. This study has also incidentally identified a “rule of six” for patients with bowel injuries and abdominal trauma

Relationship between care-givers' misconceptions and non-use of ITNs by under-five Nigerian children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria has been a major public health problem in Nigeria and many other sub-Saharan African countries. Insecticide-treated nets have shown to be cost-effective in the prevention of malaria, but the number of people that actually use these nets has remained generally low. Studies that explore the determinants of use of ITN are desirable.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Structured questionnaires based on thematic areas were administered by trained interviewers to 7,223 care-givers of under-five children selected from all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria. Bivariate analysis and multinomial logit model were used to identify possible determinants of use of ITN.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Bivariate analysis showed that under-five children whose care-givers had some misconceptions about causes and prevention of malaria were significantly less likely to use ITN even though the household may own a net (p < 0.0001). Education and correct knowledge about modes of prevention of malaria, knowing that malaria is dangerous and malaria can kill were also significantly associated with use of ITN (p < 0.0001). Knowledge of symptoms of malaria did not influence use of ITN. Association of non-use of ITN with misconceptions about prevention of malaria persisted with logistic regression (Odds ratio 0.847; 95% CI 0.747 to 0.960).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Misconceptions about causes and prevention of malaria by caregivers adversely influence the use ITN by under-five children. Appropriate communication strategies should correct these misconceptions.</p

Cumulative production forecast of an oil will using simplified “Hyperbolic-Exponential” decline models

Decline Curves are important tools employed in the petroleum production industry to establish a good production performance forecast of production wells. Studies have shown that neither hyperbolic nor exponential decline could accurately produce dependable forecast results, which in turn affects the various economic decisions being made on both investment and future production processes. New simplified models for decline curve analysis are developed. The models are applicable to naturally producing wells that have not been secondarily enhanced. These models use exponential decline to extrapolate hyperbolic decline behaviour in making future production performance forecasts. Estimating different needed parameters and engaging some assumptions, the forecasted cumulative production increment using the model is Qel=20,705bbls. This compares favourably with the existing models

Gallotannin and Annonamuricata extract inhibit polyphenol oxidase activity and mitigate browning in Malusdomestica

Background: The prevention of browning in fruits remains a great concern in the food industry.Objective: In the present study, we evaluated the anti-browning potentials of gallotannin and Annona muricata extract in red apple (Malus domestica).Materials and Methods: Apple slices were made and dipped in the different solutions; distilled water (control), 1 % gallotannin, 1 % Annona muricataextract or 1 % ascorbic acid. The treated apple slices were stored at 4 oC for 0, 7 and 14 days and used for the determination of the browning index, polyphenolic content, total protein, polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities. Results: The treatment with gallotannin, A. muricata and ascorbic acid reduced browning of apple for storage days 7 and 14. However, only gallotannin treatment preserved the polyphenolic content of the apple slices when compared to the control as well as the other treatment groups. Furthermore, all treatments reduced the activity of the polyphenol oxidase for days 0 and 7 storage, relative to the control. In contrast, the treatments had no effect on the peroxidase activity when compared to the control.Conclusion: Data support the anti-browning potential of gallotannin, A. muricata and ascorbic acid. Further, anti-browning potential of these naturally derived materials may be linked with their inhibitory actions against polyphenol oxidase

Africa on the British stage, 1955-1966

Covering the period between Reginald Craddock’s Night Returns to Africa (1955) and the staging of Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel (1966), this chapter will examine key images of and from Africa as they were offered to British theatregoers. It will refer to dance, revues, and musicals as well as plays, and to the work of British dramatists as well as to that of African playwrights including Wole Soyinka, John Pepper Clark, and Guillaume Oyono-Mbia. Crucially, the chapter will focus on how such work was framed and received by theatre critics and within the press, suggesting some of the ways in which performances rooted in elements of ‘African’ culture may have exerted wider influences on and within the British theatrical establishment

Sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in three states in North Eastern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Interest in the reproductive health of adolescents continues to grow throughout the world. Few studies had explored the reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in North Eastern states of Nigeria. The objectives of this descriptive survey were to collect data to plan appropriate interventions that meet the reproductive health knowledge, service and skills needs of students in Bauchi, Borno and Gombe states. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted for 624 consenting students who were randomly selected from eighteen secondary schools using an 83-item structured questionnaire. Data were collected on demographic profile, reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 16.5 years. There were slightly more males (52%) than females (48%). Students' knowledge about reproductive health was generally low even though girls had better knowledge than boys. Thirteen percent of the entire students had had sexual experience; significantly more males (19%) than females (6%) had done so (p < 0.001). Among boys the age at sexual debut ranged from 10–26 with a mean of 15.7 and median of 16. By contrast, the age at first sex among girls ranged from 10 to 18 years with a mean and median of 16.1 and 17 years respectively. Only 24% of those who were sexually active used a condom during their last sexual encounter. Overall 11% of the students reported that they had been tricked into having sex, 9% had experienced unwanted touch of breast and backside, and 5% reported rape. CONCLUSION: Students low reproductive health knowledge and involvement in risky sexual activities predispose them to undesirable reproductive health outcomes