Self-reported psychosocial health in obese patients before and after weight loss

Psychosocial profiles were examined in 255 morbidly obese patients attending a hospital service offering access to standard weight loss therapies. 129 patients were reassessed after at least 6-month follow-up. At baseline, 51.8% and 32.7% of patients, respectively, had evidence of anxiety and depressive disorders, 24% had severe impairments in self esteem, and 29.7% had an increased risk of eating disorders. At follow-up, weight loss from baseline was significant in all 3 therapies: diet only is 0.74±1.8 kg; pharmacotherapy is 6.7±4.2 kg; and surgery is 20.1±13.6 kg. Anxiety scores improved in all three groups (P<.05). Patients having pharmacotherapy or surgery had significant improvements in physical and work function and public distress compared to those having dietary treatment only (P<.05). Our observational data suggest that weight management services can lead to psychosocial benefit in morbidly obese patients. Well-designed studies are necessary to examine the link between weight loss and emotional health

An overview of malarial Anopheles mosquito survival estimates in relation to methodology

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The datasets analysed during the present study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.BACKGROUND: The transmission of malaria is known to be sensitive to the survival (longevity, mortality) of its mosquito vector, yet there have been few reviews of estimates of this important population parameter in the malaria-carrying genus Anopheles. METHODS: We carried out a systematic search for and meta-analysis of survival estimates, framed around the methods of estimation, under the major groupings of ‛vertical' (based on stable age or stage frequencies), ‛horizontal' (based on recaptures of marked and released cohorts), and ‛parasitological' (proportion of infectious mosquitoes). Because of the intricacies of the estimation process we provide an outline of these methods. RESULTS: By meta-analysis we quantify the average of the distribution of daily survival [Formula: see text] for vertical (0.83, 95% CI: 0.80-0.86), horizontal (0.73, 95% CI: 0.66-0.79) and parasitological (0.92, 95% CI: 0.86-0.95) methods. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis demonstrates the anticipated result that horizontal estimates are lowest because they estimate apparent survival (survival and non-emigration) rather than true survival. On the other hand, vertical methods make strong assumptions about the stability or stationarity of the underlying populations. Further potential sources of methodological bias are mentioned. The substantial differences in estimates between methods indicates that methodological biases need to be considered when making use of available survival estimates.e National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Slope stability analysis of Nkran Pit at Asanko Gold Mine, Ghana

The West Wall of Nkran Pit Mine is vulnerable to slope instability, mostly due to mining activities. Detailed failure analysis of the discontinuity data of the selected slope was performed using the Dips (6.0) software. The study has shown the likelihood of planar failure, wedge failure, flexural toppling failure and direct toppling failure occurring per the slope angle design of 70°. When the slope angle was increased by 5° and 10°, there were percentage increases in planar, wedge, flexural toppling and direct toppling failure of (1.86 and 7.45)%, (1.23 and 2.81)%, (0.62 and 0.62)% and (0.60 and 1.70)% respectively. It has been recommended that flattening or reducing slope angle could be done as it reduces the weight of material which in turn improves the stability of the slope and also controlled blasting should be employed to minimise excessive damage to the walls.Keywords: Slope, Stability, Toppling, Minin

A Scientometric Analysis of Studies on Risk Management in Construction Projects

Risk management is one of the topical areas in construction project management research. However, no attempt has been made in the past decades to explore the emerging themes in this area. This paper reviews the research trends in risk management in construction. The bibliometric data of 1635 publications between 1979 and 2022 were extracted from Scopus using a set of keywords. The study used VOSviewer and Gephi to conduct a scientometric analysis on the extracted publications. The review outcome indicates a significant increase in publications on risk management in construction, with about 205 publications recorded between 2021 and 2022 alone. Based on this analysis, it is projected that the next decade will see significant research on risk management, especially as the construction industry moves towards Industry 5.0 with many uncertainties. Further, the most productive countries of risk management studies in construction include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Hong Kong. Emerging key research areas are discussed using network diagrams and clusters. These areas include the processes in risk management, risk analytical models and techniques, sources of risk and uncertainties, effective knowledge-based systems for improved risk management, risk contingency in construction contracts, risk-integrated project planning and scheduling, and stakeholder management. The findings of this study inform researchers on the current progress of risk management studies in construction and highlight possible research directions that can be considered

The effect of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme on health care utilisation

Objectives: The study investigates the effect of Ghana&#8217;s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on health care utilisation.Methods: We provide a short history of health insurance in Ghana, and briefly discuss general patterns of enrolment in Ghana as well as in Accra in a first step. In a second step, we use data from the Women&#8217;s Health Study of Accra wave II to evaluate the effect of insurance on health seeking behaviour using propensity score matching.Results: We find that on average individuals enrolled in the insurance scheme are significantly more likely to obtain prescriptions, visit clinics and seek formal health care when sick.Conclusion: These results suggest that the government&#8217;s objective to increase access to the formal health care sector through health insurance has at leastpartially been achieved

Assessing U.S. Agricultural Export Growth Under North American Free Trade Agreement: A Shift-Share Analysis

NAFTA is the first free-trade pact that has transformed and driven economic integration among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The three NAFTA countries’ agricultural export performance in four major classified commodities was each analyzed prior to the implementation and active years of NAFTA by applying a dynamic shift share model to data from 1992 through 2018. The overall results show United States was found to be the overall beneficiary NAFTA among the participating countries. The U.S. led in the exports of all the four major classified agricultural commodities followed by Canada, and then, Mexico. The most highly exported commodity among the four by any of the member nations, was consumer-oriented products while agricultural-related, intermediate, and bulk commodities follow in that order

What drives me there? The interplay of socio-psychological gratification and consumer values in social media brand engagement

The social behavioral perspective is under-researched in the extant literature. This hinders the holistic understanding of social media brand engagement. This study examines the interplay of socio-psychological gratification variables (perceived homophily, perceived critical mass, and self-status seeking) and consumer values (personal, interpersonal, and fun) on consumer participation in social media brand engagement. The conceptual model in this study is situated on the principles of Uses and Gratifications, Critical Mass, Homophily, and Values theories. Based on an online survey of 713 Facebook users, we examine the model using structural equation modeling (with Amos 23.0). The analysis disclosed insights on the interplay of motivational factors that underlie social media brand engagement. Our findings suggest that socio-psychological gratification variables (perceived homophily, perceived critical mass, and self-status seeking) drive consumers’ engagement with brand pages and brand communities on social media. This relationship is strengthened by the consumer values. These insights serve as an important basis for researchers and practitioners to understand social media brand engagement and its outcomes

Assessing a Practical Classroom of Takoradi Technical University – An End-User Perspective

This study evaluated the newly refurbished building used as a kitchen for practical lessons at the Hospitality Management Department of Takoradi Technical University, Ghana. It aimed at identifying the challenges faced by users and assessing their satisfsction with the facility. A questionnaire survey approach and covert observations were adopted to gather data. Questionnaires were self-administered to 150 randomly sampled Higher National Diploma students of the department. Data were analysed and presented in tables as frequencies, percentages and mean scores. The study identified lack of changing rooms, lack of storage facilities, congestion and inadequate natural ventilation as some of the challenges faced by users of the kitchen. The overall mean satisfaction score was 2.46 which is an indication that users are dissatisfied with the facility. This study would help inform design decisions to improve upon the performance of future students’ practical rooms to be constructed in the institution. Key words: Challenges, Kitchen, Practical’s, Post Occupancy Evaluation, User Satisfaction