A Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia és a Salvia officinalis subsp. major vizes kivonatainak gombaellenes aktivitása a Botrytis cinerea fertőzés ellen

The use of pesticides dominates agriculture today, but unfortunately poses several threats to the environment and humans, through bioaccumulation and biomagnification. This research tested the efficacies of Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia and Salvia officinalis subsp. major aqueous extracts against Botrytis cinerea in order to curb chemical control and subsequent reduction in their threats. The leaves of Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia and Salvia officinalis subsp. major were collected in July and September 2019 and shed-dried. Then 90 ml hot distilled water was added to10 g of the crumbled leaves from each sample, left for 24 hours and the filtrate was used to prepare two different media concentrations: CC1 containing 99 ml PDA (i.e. Potato Dextrose Agar) and 11 ml extract (or ion-exchange water as control 1); and CC2 containing 88 ml PDA and 22 ml extract (or ion-exchange water as control 2). The 10 ml from each mixture (CC1, CC2 and the controls) was used as the growth media in 5 replications. Each Petri dish was centrally inoculated with 9 mm2 B. cinerea mycelia, and the area of colony was taken. All the extracts effectively inhibited the growth of Botrytis cinerea, with Som2 showing the highest inhibition. In Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia, Sol1 (July harvested) showed higher inhibition (53.90%) compared to September harvested Sol2 (40.78%) in CC2 at 3 days post inoculation (PI), while in Salvia officinalis subsp. major, Som2 (September harvested) showed higher inhibition (15.01%) compared to July harvested Som1 (0.04%) in CC1 at 7 days PI. Generally, CC2 showed higher inhibition compared to CC1.A mai mezőgazdaságra jellemző a növényvédő szerek használata, de ez a bioakkumuláció és a biomagnifikáció révén sajnos számos veszélyt jelent a környezetre és az emberekre. Kutatásunkban a Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia és a Salvia officinalis subsp. major genotípusok vizes kivonatainak a hatását vizsgáltuk a Botrytis cinerea kórokozó ellen a kémiai védekezés és az esetleges kockázatok csökkentése érdekében. A Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia és a Salvia officinalis subsp. major leveleit 2019 júliusában és szeptemberében gyűjtöttük össze és szárítottuk meg. Az egyes minták 10 g morzsolt leveléhez 90 ml forró desztillált vizet adunk, majd 24 órán át hagyjuk 90 ml forró desztillált vízben, és a szűrletből két különböző fertőzött táptalaj-koncentrációt készítettünk: a CC1 jelű 99 ml PDA-t (burgonya-dextróz-agar) és 11 ml kivonatot tartalmaz (vagy ioncserélt vizet kontrollként); míg a CC2 88 ml PDA-t és 22 ml kivonatot tartalmaz (vagy ioncserélő vizet, mint 2. kontroll). Mindegyik keverékből (CC1, CC2 és a kontrollok) 10-10 ml-t használtunk tenyésztő tápközegként 5 ismétlésben. Minden Petri-csésze közepébe beoltottunk 9 mm2 területű Botrytis cinerea micéliumot és a telep területét vizsgáltuk. Valamennyi kivonat hatásos volt a Botrytis cinerea szaporodása ellen, közülük a Som2 mutatta a legnagyobb gátló hatást. A Salvia officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia Sol1 (júliusban betakarítva) magasabb gátlást mutatot (53,90%), mint a szeptemberi betakarított Sol2 (40,78%) CC2-ben az oltás utáni 3. napon (PI), míg a Salvia officinalis subsp. major, Som2 (szeptemberi betakarítással) nagyobb gátlásó hatású volt (15,01%), mint a júliusban betakarított Som1 (0,04%) CC1-ben a 7. napon a PI-ben. Általában a CC2 esetében nagyobb gátló hatást figyeltünk meg a CC1-hez képest

Team Culture and Team Performance: The Role of Knowledge Sharing

This paper examines the effect of team culture on team performance. Furthermore, the study assesses the effect of knowledge sharing on team performance. The moderating role of knowledge sharing in the nexus amidst team culture and team performance is also assessed. The cross sectional design and survey approach were adopted. Structured questionnaire was used in the collection of data. Employees of a private university in the Ashanti Region of Ghana formed the population and sample of the study. Ordinary Least Square in PROCESS MACRO and SPSS (v.25) was used to analyse the data. The study revealed significant positive effect of team culture on team performance. Also, the effect of knowledge sharing on team performance was found to be significantly positive. Lastly, the nexus amidst team culture and team performance was found not to be moderated by knowledge sharing. It is recommended that private universities should promote team culture and knowledge sharing among employees. The Ghana Education Service and Ministry of Education should encourage team culture and knowledge sharing across all educational institutions in Ghana. Keywords: Team Culture, Knowledge Sharing, Team Performance, University, Ghana. DOI: 10.7176/IKM/13-7-02 Publication date: December 31st 202

Work Environment and Employee Productivity: The Role of Job Satisfaction

This paper examines the effect of work environment on employee productivity. The mediation role of job satisfaction in the nexus amidst work environment and employee productivity is also assessed. The cross sectional design and survey approach was deployed. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Public Second Cycle teachers in the Ashanti Region of Ghana formed the population of the study. The study adopted Ordinary Least Square in SPSS as the data analysis technique. The study found significant positive effect of work environment on employee productivity. Lastly, the nexus amidst work environment and employee productivity was found to be partially mediated by job satisfaction. It is recommended that management should pay much attention to workplace conditions so that employees feel comfortable. Management should ensure serene environment in the workplace to improve employee productivity. Management should implement acceptable job conditions to motivate employees to achieve their targets. This will ensure that employees submit high quality work. It will also encourage employees to demonstrate positive attitude towards work. By so doing, employees will deliver work on time and meet deadlines. Notwithstanding, employees will seek opportunities for growth in order to increase their productivity. Keywords: Work Environment, Job Satisfaction, Employee Productivity, Ghana Education Service DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-19-06 Publication date: December 31st 202

Assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis among basic school children in selected communities along major rivers in the central region of Ghana

Introduction: urogenital schistosomiasis affects school-aged children with impacts on health, growth, and cognitive development. Basic schools along active water bodies have a possibility of a high infection among the children. Methods: we performed a school-based cross-sectional assessment of urogenital schistosomiasis among children in four selected rural communities along major rivers in the central region of Ghana. Three hundred and nine (309) basic school children class 1 to junior high school (JHS) 3 were recruited. Sociodemographic data and information on behavioral influences were collected with a structured written questionnaire. Laboratory examinations were conducted on fresh urine samples. Descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations with measures of association between variables, adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression analysis were performed on measured variables. Results: we recorded a 10.4% prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis. Schools in communities along the Kakum river recorded the highest disease burden (65.6%). The odds of infection among pupils who engage in irrigation activities were 4 folds more than those who do not engage in irrigation activities (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) (95%CI): 4.3 (1.6-12.1), P-value=0.005). Pupils of caregivers who resort to self-medication using local herbal concoctions had 14-fold more odds of infection compared to those who visit the health facility (aOR (95%CI): 14.4 (1.4-143.1), P-value=0.006). Conclusion: poor health-seeking behaviors and lack of access to health facilities influenced the disease proportion among the children in these endemic communities

Psychological impact of COVID-19 on diabetes mellitus patients in Cape Coast, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has had a greater psychological impact on patients with chronic ailments such as diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS compared to those without chronic conditions. We explored the psychological impacts of COVID-19 among people living with diabetes mellitus in Ghana. Methods: this study employed a hospital-based cross-sectional design involving 157 diabetes mellitus patients aged 20 years and above. We assessed diabetes distress by the seventeen-item diabetes stress (DDS17) scale and COVID-19 worries by 3 specific benchmarks: “worry about overly affected due to diabetes if infected with COVID-19”, “worry about people with diabetes characterized as a risk group” and “worry about not able to manage diabetes if infected with COVID-19”. A close-ended questionnaire was used in data collection. Results: of 157 diabetic patients interviewed, the majority had type 2 diabetes mellitus with known complications and only 42.7% were managing COVID-19 symptoms. The participants showed moderate to high level of COVID-19 specific worry, moderate fear of isolation, and low level of diabetes-associated distress. About 33.8% of the study population expressed a sense of worry towards the pandemic. The logistic regression showed that age, employment status, and presence of other chronic diseases were significantly associated with worries about being overly affected if infected with COVID-19 due to their diabetes status. Age and sex were associated with worries about people with diabetes being characterized as a risk group and age, sex and employment status were associated with participants who were worried about not being able to manage diabetes if infected with COVID-19. Conclusion: the general trend indicates a sense of worry among diabetes patients during the COVID-19 pandemic which is associated with poorer psychological health. Clients' education and counseling on COVID-19 are necessary to address some of their concerns to minimize the level of anxiety and emotional stress in these individuals

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Quality Assurance for Hepatitis C Virus Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Sub-Saharan Africa

As part of a multinational study to evaluate the Bioline Hepatitis C virus (HCV) point-of-care (POC) testing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), this narrative review summarises regulatory standards and quality indicators for validating and approving HCV clinical diagnostics. In addition, this review also provides a summary of their diagnostic evaluations using the REASSURED criteria as the benchmark and its implications on the WHO HCV elimination goals 2030

Herbicide Resistance: Managing Weeds in a Changing World

Over the years, several agricultural interventions and technologies have contributed immensely towards intensifying food production globally. The introduction of herbicides provided a revolutionary tool for managing the difficult task of weed control contributing significantly towards global food security and human survival. However, in recent times, the successes achieved with chemical weed control have taken a turn, threatening the very existence we have tried to protect. The side effects of conventional farming, particularly the increasing cases of herbicide resistance agricultural weeds, is quite alarming. Global calls for sustainable weed management approaches to be used in food production is mounting. This paper provides detailed information on the molecular biological background of herbicide resistant weed biotypes and highlights the alternative, non-chemical weed management methods which can be used to prevent the development and spreading of herbicide-resistant weeds