Service quality practices and students satisfaction towards the Department of Communication Design

The increase in the number of tertiary institutions in Ghana offering Communication Design calls for a review of activities in the premium Department of Communication Design in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Grounded in service qualitytheory, the study examined students' perceptions and satisfaction relationships among five key variables related to satisfaction with service quality: assurance, tangibles, reliability, empathy and responsibility. The design employed for the study was survey. A total of 400 questionnaire were randomly distributed, out of which 260 were returned during the end of the second semester of the 2014/2015 academic year. The instrument used for the study was adapted from Cronin and Taylor's Service Quality Questionnaire.The instrument consisted of two parts; Part A consisted of items o respondent's biodata while Part B comprised of 22 items which elicited responses from student's perceived satisfaction. The results of the study using the factorial analysis technique indicated that students had negative perceptions and satisfaction about service delivery in the department. The findings suggest that there is a missing link between the deapartment and students. Baesd on these findings, the researchers recommend that there should be an avenue where students can address their concerns without malice, and also ensure that these concerns are given the maximum consideration

Evaluation of Stakeholders’ Roles in the Management of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Anka, Zamfara State, Nigeria

This paper evaluates the roles of stakeholders in the management of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Anka, a typical ASGM town in Zamfara State, North-western Nigeria, dominated by sporadic and mostly unlicenced ASGM activities. Conceptual, SWOT, PESTLE, MOTAP and SELOP analyses were used to evaluate stakeholders’ roles in the management of ASGM in the area. From the evaluation, weak legislation, poor policy implementation, stringent licencing procedures, centralised government functions and poor government attention were identified to be the major factors militating against the effective functioning of ASGM regulators. Lack of management skills by the ASGM operators in the area was identified as a major barrier to their economic prosperity. Child labour, poor environmental management and cultural practices contribute to the environmental, health and safety hazards ravaging the sporadic ASGM activities by the local miners. Community leaders are thus left to grapple with the control of ASGM activities in their domain. Relief agencies and international organisations were identified as the main anchors of intervention programmes, the success of which is linked to the support and cooperation of the community leaders. Decentralisation of government functions on ASGM and organisation of miners into cooperative groups and their full integration into the formal licenced mining sector are recommended for sustainable, effective and efficient ASGM in Anka. Keywords: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining, Management functions, Environmental degradation, Rural development, Regulators, Stakeholders, Community leaders

The Effect of Clay Pozzolana-Cement-Composite on the Strength Development of a Hydraulic Backfill

The study sought to investigate the potential application of clay pozzolana as a supplement for cement in hydraulic backfill, using classified tailings from AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine. The percentage of the Portland cement that could be substituted with the clay pozzolana to produce backfill with best strength was determined. 10%, 25%, 30%, 35% and 40% of the ordinary Portland cement were replaced with clay pozzolana and then mixed with tailings and water. The slurry produced was cast into cylindrical specimen of 50mm diameter by 120mm high and tested for compressive strength after curing for 7, 14, 21, 28 and 56 days. The results indicate that, clay pozzolana-cement composite has potential for application in hydraulic back fill production without increased risk to safety and dilution. It was noted that hydraulic backfill with 10%, 25%, 30% and 35% of the ordinary portland cement replaced with clay pozzolana had strengths greater than those obtained for ordinary portland cement alone. Ten percent (10%) pozzolana content gave the maximum strength followed by 25% pozzolana. It is recommended that for safety and economic considerations, the cement content should be replaced by 25% pozzolana in the production of backfills. Keywords: Hydraulic Backfill, Portland Cement, Clay Pozzolana, Unconfined Compressive Strengt

Prevalence and trends of advanced HIV disease among antiretroviral therapy-naïve and antiretroviral therapy-experienced patients in South Africa between 2010-2021: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Despite the significant progress made in South Africa in getting millions of individuals living with HIV into care, many patients still present or re-enter care with Advanced HIV Disease (AHD). We aimed to estimate the prevalence of AHD among ART-naive and ART-experienced patients in South Africa using studies published between January 2010 and May 2022. METHODS: We searched for relevant data on PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and other sources, with a geographical filters limited to South Africa, up to May 31, 2022. Two reviewers conducted all screening, eligibility assessment, data extraction, and critical appraisal. We synthesized the data using the inverse-variance heterogeneity model and Freeman-Tukey transformation. We assessed heterogeneity using the I RESULTS: We identified 2,496 records, of which 53 met the eligibility criteria, involving 11,545,460 individuals. The pooled prevalence of AHD among ART-naive and ART-experienced patients was 43.45% (95% CI 40.1-46.8%, n = 53 studies) and 58.6% (95% CI 55.7 to 61.5%, n = 2) respectively. The time trend analysis showed a decline of 2% in the prevalence of AHD among ART-naive patients per year. However, given the high heterogeneity between studies, the pooled prevalence should be interpreted with caution. CONCLUSION: Despite HIV\u27s evolution to a chronic disease, our findings show that the burden of AHD remains high among both ART-naive and ART-experienced patients in South Africa. This emphasizes the importance of regular measurement of CD4 cell count as an essential component of HIV care. In addition, providing innovative adherence support and interventions to retain ART patients in effective care is a crucial priority for those on ART

Environmental system analysis of tomato production in Ghana

Tomato ( Lycoperscicum lycopersicum ) production in Ghana is characterised by low yields and high fertiliser input. This is compounded in the long run by production shocks due to environmental pressures such as drought, pests and diseases. Tomatoes among other vegetables are more susceptible to these biotic constraints than other crops. Chemical pesticides and, to a limited extent, integrated pest management practices have been applied to control the pests and diseases but with limited success. Pesticides use has been ineffective, leading farmers to apply high dosages. The aim of this study was to identify the most important sources of greenhouse gases, acidifying and eutrophying compounds associated with tomato production in Ghana and identify options to reduce the environmental impacts. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology was used in the analysis (Cradle to gate approach). The inventory analysis involved collection of data on raw material, energy consumption and emissions. From the results, it was revealed that approximately 8,544 kg CO2-equivalents of greenhouse gas was emitted per hectare of tomato production in Ghana. Among the three main components of greenhouse gases, CO2, CH4 and N2O, N2O accounted for the highest value followed by CO2. When we considered the activities that generated greenhouse gases, fertiliser application ranks the first with a share of 97%. The total hectare acidifying emissions from SO2 and NOX were calculated to be 19.50 kg SO2 \u2013equivalent. When we considered the result in terms of actual and SO2 equivalent, emission of NOX was larger than that of SO2. About 211.50 kg PO4 equivalent of eutrophying compounds was found to be discharged per hectares. With regards to options to reduce environmental impact of tomato production in Ghana, practices that recover investment cost and generate a profit in the short term are preferred over practices that require a long term to recover investment costs: practices that have a high probability associated with expected profits are desired over practices that have less certainty about their returns.La production de la tomate ( Lycoperscicum lycopersicum ) au Ghana est caract\ue9ris\ue9e par de bas rendements et une utilisation \ue9lev\ue9e de fertilisants. Ceci r\ue9sulte \ue0 la longue en une perte de productions, par suite des pressions environnementales \ue0 savoir la s\ue9cheresse, les pestes et maladies. Parmi d\u2019autres l\ue9gumes, les tomates sont plus susceptibles \ue0 ces contraintes biotiques que d\u2019autres cultures. Les pesticides chimiques, et, dans certaines limites, la gestion des pratiques int\ue9gr\ue9es de la peste a \ue9t\ue9 appliqu\ue9 pour contr\uf4ler les pestes et maladies mais avec un success limit\ue9. L\u2019utilisation des pesticides a \ue9t\ue9 inefficace, poussant les fermiers \ue0 appliquer de fortes doses. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019identifier les sources les plus importantes de gaz \ue0 effets de serre,des compos\ue9s acidifiants et eutrophiants associ\ue9s \ue0 la production de la tomate au Ghana et identifier les options pour r\ue9duire les impacts environnementaux. La m\ue9thode d\u2019analyse du cycle de vie (LCA) \ue9tait utilis\ue9e dans l\u2019analyse (Cradle to gate approach). L\u2019analyse de l\u2019 inventaire concernait la collecte des donn\ue9es sur le mat\ue9riel brut, la consummation et l\u2019\ue9mission de l\u2019 \ue9nergie. De ces r\ue9sultats, il \ue9tait r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 qu\u2019approximativement 8,544 kg CO2-equivalents de gaz \ue0 effets de serre \ue9tait \ue9mis par hectare de production de tomate au Ghana. Parmi les trois principaux composants de gaz \ue0 effet de serre, CO, CH et NO, le gaz NO pr\ue9sentait de valeurs les plus \ue9lev\ue9es suivi par le CO. En consid\ue9rant les activit\ue9s g\ue9n\ue9r\ue9es par les gaz \ue0 effet de serre, l\u2019application des fertilisants se range le premier avec une part de 97%. Le total des \ue9missions acidifiantes par hectare issue de SO2 et NOX \ue9taient \ue9valu\ue9 \ue0 19.50 kg SO2 \u2013equivalent. En consid\ue9rant le r\ue9sultat en terme d\u2019actuel et equivalent SO2, l\u2019\ue9mission de NOX \ue9tait plus large que celle de SO2. Environ 211.50 kg PO4 equivalent de compos\ue9s eutrophiants \ue9taient \ue9mis par hectare. Pour ce qui est des options visant \ue0 r\ue9duire l\u2019impact environnemental de la production de tomate au Ghana, les pratiques recouvrant le co\ufbt d\u2019investissement et g\ue9n\ue9rant un profit \ue0 court terme sont plus pr\ue9f\ue9r\ue9es que les pratiques o\uf9 le recouvrement co\ufbt d\u2019investissement est \ue0 long terme: les pratiques \ue0 profitabilit\ue9 \ue9lev\ue9e, associ\ue9es aux profits attendus sont les mieux d\ue9sir\ue9s que les pratiques avec b\ue9n\ue9fice incertain

Profiles of HIV care disruptions among adult patients lost to follow-up in Zambia: A latent class analysis

BACKGROUND: Patients report varied barriers to HIV care across multiple domains, but specific barrier patterns may be driven by underlying, but unobserved, behavioral profiles. METHODS: We traced a probability sample of patients lost to follow-up (\u3e90 days late) as of July 31, 2015 from 64 clinics in Zambia. Among those found alive, we ascertained patient-reported reasons for care disruptions. We performed latent class analysis to identify patient subgroups with similar patterns of reasons reported and assessed the association between class membership and care status (ie, disengaged versus silently transferred to a new site). RESULTS: Among 547 patients, we identified 5 profiles of care disruptions: (1) Livelihood and Mobility (30.6% of the population) reported work/school obligations and mobility/travel as reasons for care disruptions; (2) Clinic Accessibility (28.9%) reported challenges with attending clinic; (3) Mobility and Family (21.9%) reported family obligations, mobility/travel, and transport-related reasons; (4) Doubting Need for HIV care (10.2%) reported uncertainty around HIV status or need for clinical care, and (5) Multidimensional Barriers to Care (8.3%) reported numerous (mean 5.6) reasons across multiple domains. Patient profiles were significantly associated with care status. The Doubting Need for HIV Care class were mostly disengaged (97.9%), followed by the Multidimensional Barriers to Care (62.8%), Clinic Accessibility (62.4%), Livelihood and Mobility (43.6%), and Mobility and Family (23.5%) classes. CONCLUSION: There are distinct HIV care disruption profiles that are strongly associated with patients\u27 current engagement status. Interventions targeting these unique profiles may enable more effective and tailored strategies for improving HIV treatment outcomes

Longitudinal care cascade outcomes among people eligible for antiretroviral therapy who are newly linking to care in Zambia: A multistate analysis

BACKGROUND: Retention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care is dynamic, with patients frequently transitioning in and out of care. Analytical approaches (eg, survival analyses) commonly used to assess HIV care cascade outcomes fail to capture such transitions and therefore incompletely represent care outcomes over time. METHODS: We analyzed antiretroviral therapy (ART)-eligible adults newly linking to care at 64 clinics in Zambia between 1 April 2014 and 31 July 2015. We used electronic medical record data and supplemented these with updated care outcomes ascertained by tracing a multistage random sample of patients lost to follow-up (LTFU, \u3e90 days late for last appointment). We performed multistate analyses, incorporating weights from sampling, to estimate the prevalence of 9 care states over time since linkage with respect to ART initiation, retention in care, transfers, and mortality. RESULTS: In sum, 23 227 patients (58% female; median age 34 years [interquartile range 28-41]) were ART-eligible at enrollment. At 1 year, 75.2% had initiated ART and were in care: 61.8% were continuously retained, 6.1% had reengaged after LTFU, and 7.3% had transferred. Also, 10.1% were LTFU within 7 days of enrollment, and 15.2% were LTFU at 1 year (6.7% prior to ART). One year after LTFU, 51.6% of those LTFU prior to ART remained out of care compared to 30.2% of those LTFU after initiating ART. Overall, 6.9% of patients had died by 1 year with 3.0% dying prior to ART. CONCLUSION: Multistate analyses provide more complete assessments of longitudinal HIV cascade outcomes and reveal treatment gaps at distinct timepoints in care that will still need to be addressed even with universal treatment

Patient-reported reasons for stopping care or switching clinics in Zambia: A multisite, regionally representative estimate using a multistage sampling-based approach in Zambia

BACKGROUND: Understanding patient-reported reasons for lapses of retention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment can drive improvements in the care cascade. A systematic assessment of outcomes among a random sample of patients lost to follow-up (LTFU) from 32 clinics in Zambia to understand the reasons for silent transfers and disengagement from care was undertaken. METHODS: We traced a simple random sample of LTFU patients (\u3e90 days from last scheduled visit) as determined from clinic-based electronic medical records from a probability sample of facilities. Among patients found in person, we solicited reasons for either stopping or switching care and predictors for re-engagement. We coded reasons into structural, psychosocial, and clinic-based barriers. RESULTS: Among 1751 LTFU patients traced and found alive, 31% of patients starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 1 July 2013 and 31 July 2015 silently transferred or were disengaged (40% male; median age, 35 years; median CD4 level, 239 cells/μL); median time on ART at LTFU was 480 days (interquartile range, 110-1295). Among the 544 patients not in care, median prevalences for patient-reported structural, psychosocial, and clinic-level barriers were 27.3%, 13.9%, and 13.4%, respectively, and were highly variable across facilities. Structural reasons, including, relocated to a new place were mostly cited among 289 patients who silently transferred (35.5%). We found that men were less likely to re-engage in care than women (odds ratio, .39; 95% confidence interval, .22-.67; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to improve retention of patients on ART may need to be tailored at the facility level to address patient-reported barriers