Accounting and Ms Excel: Which Features for Accounting Students?

Rapid development in information technology (IT) has brought about significant changes in every field. In the accounting field, computer technology has become a major aspect of effective and efficient accounting. Today’s professional accountants need to have IT knowledge and skills that are relevant to their roles so as to provide competent and professional services. For new graduates entering the accounting profession, the ability to use various software and tools has increasing become very vital. This study assesses features of Ms Excel (Excel) that are used by professional accountants and the features of Excel that accounting graduates entering profession should be able to use.&nbsp

Accounting and Ms Excel: Which Features for Accounting Students?

Rapid development in information technology (IT) has brought about significant changes in every field. In the accounting field, computer technology has become a major aspect of effective and efficient accounting. Today’s professional accountants need to have IT knowledge and skills that are relevant to their roles so as to provide competent and professional services. For new graduates entering the accounting profession, the ability to use various software and tools has increasing become very vital. This study assesses features of Ms Excel (Excel) that are used by professional accountants and the features of Excel that accounting graduates entering profession should be able to use.&nbsp

Value Relevance of Corporate Governance Disclosure in Annual Reports: Evidence from Listed Banks in Kenya

This study investigates the value-relevance corporate governance disclosures published in the narrative part of annual reports of ten banks listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) over the entire period from year 2010 to year 2015. This work extends the line of research on value relevance by quantifying narrative accounting, in this case corporate governance disclosures using content analysis. In addition, in line with prior studies, this study employs the Ohlson´s (1995) value-relevance model and finds that corporate governance disclosure is significantly positively related to market value, measured by the average market price per share. The findings reveal that corporate governance disclosures influence investors’ perceptions and are therefore, vital to be included in annual reports, which are a major communication tool

Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and the Value Relevance of Annual Reports for Listed Banks in Kenya

This study investigated the relationship between corporate social responsibility disclosure and value relevance of annual reports for listed banks in Kenya. To do so, the study used content analysis and financial analysts’ perception to quantify corporate social responsibility disclosure, included by banks in their annual reports. The sample comprised of the annual reports of ten banks listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) over the entire period from year 2010 to year 2015. The study focused on banks due to additional regulation by the Central Bank of Kenya, (CBK). A survey research design was adopted. The study used both primary data and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through survey questionnaires administered on respondents who were financial analysts at a total of sixty one Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) licensed firms (investment banks, stock brokers, fund managers and investment advisers) as at 30 April 2016. Secondary data was obtained from the corporate action register and handbook by the Nairobi Securities Exchange, the daily market statistics from the NSE data and annual reports released by the banks. Content analysis program ATLAS.ti 8, OneLook dictionary and Ms Excel 2007 were used for content analysis. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20 and Stata 13. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used for analysis. The results revealed that corporate social responsibility disclosure had a positive and significant relationship with value relevance of annual reports which was measured by the average market price per share, (MPS). This study therefore concluded that corporate social responsibility disclosure in annual reports of listed banks in Kenya affect the value relevance of the annual reports. The study recommends an expanded role of the auditor in reviewing the corporate social responsibility disclosure and other accounting narratives. Currently in accounting reporting, the auditor is not obligated to formally audit accounting narratives. Instead, an auditor reviews the accounting narratives to ascertain if the narratives are consistent with the financial statements. The study also recommends more guidelines and regulations in relation to non-financial disclosures to ensure that firms put clearer information in the hand of investors

ANTIINFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES OF DICHLOROMETHANE: METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACTS OF CAESALPINIA VOLKENSII AND MAYTENUS OBSCURA IN ANIMAL MODELS

Objective: Inflammation is the reaction to injury of the living tissues. Conventional medication of inflammation is expensive and arguably associated with various severe adverse effects hence the need to develop herbal agents that are effective as alternative. Caesalpinia volkensii and Maytenus obscura are plants that grow in Mbeere County of Eastern region of Kenya. This study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of C. volkensii and M. obscura plants. Methods: Experimental animals were divided in to four groups; normal group, diseased negative control group, diseased reference group and diseased experimental groups. Inflammation was inducted into the mice using carrageenan. The experimental groups were treated with leaf extracts of the plants at concentration of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg. Anti-inflammatory activities in rats were compared with diclofenac (15 mg/kg) as the standard conventional drug. Results: The leaf extracts of C. volkensii reduced the paw edema by between 6.50%-13.42% while the extracts of M. obscura reduced it by between 4.94%-22.36%. Diclofenac reduced the paw edema by between 4.11%-10.47%. Conclusion: The phytochemical screening results showed that the extracts of C. volkensii had flavonoids, steroids and phenolics while the leaf extracts M. obscura had phenolics, terpenoids and saponins. Flavonoids, saponins and phenolics have been associated with anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, the study has established that the DCM: methanolic leaf extracts of Caesalpinia volkensii and Maytenus obscura are effective in management of inflammation

Genomic epidemiology of Escherichia coli:Antimicrobial resistance through a One Health lens in sympatric humans, livestock and peri-domestic wildlife in Nairobi, Kenya

BackgroundLivestock systems have been proposed as a reservoir for antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria and AMR genetic determinants that may infect or colonise humans, yet quantitative evidence regarding their epidemiological role remains lacking. Here, we used a combination of genomics, epidemiology and ecology to investigate patterns of AMR gene carriage in Escherichia coli, regarded as a sentinel organism.MethodsWe conducted a structured epidemiological survey of 99 households across Nairobi, Kenya, and whole genome sequenced E. coli isolates from 311 human, 606 livestock and 399 wildlife faecal samples. We used statistical models to investigate the prevalence of AMR carriage and characterise AMR gene diversity and structure of AMR genes in different host populations across the city. We also investigated household-level risk factors for the exchange of AMR genes between sympatric humans and livestock.ResultsWe detected 56 unique acquired genes along with 13 point mutations present in variable proportions in human and animal isolates, known to confer resistance to nine antibiotic classes. We find that AMR gene community composition is not associated with host species, but AMR genes were frequently co-located, potentially enabling the acquisition and dispersal of multi-drug resistance in a single step. We find that whilst keeping livestock had no influence on human AMR gene carriage, the potential for AMR transmission across human-livestock interfaces is greatest when manure is poorly disposed of and in larger households.ConclusionsFindings of widespread carriage of AMR bacteria in human and animal populations, including in long-distance wildlife species, in community settings highlight the value of evidence-based surveillance to address antimicrobial resistance on a global scale. Our genomic analysis provided an in-depth understanding of AMR determinants at the interfaces of One Health sectors that will inform AMR prevention and control

Standardization of Laboratory Methods for the PERCH Study.

The Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health study was conducted across 7 diverse research sites and relied on standardized clinical and laboratory methods for the accurate and meaningful interpretation of pneumonia etiology data. Blood, respiratory specimens, and urine were collected from children aged 1-59 months hospitalized with severe or very severe pneumonia and community controls of the same age without severe pneumonia and were tested with an extensive array of laboratory diagnostic tests. A standardized testing algorithm and standard operating procedures were applied across all study sites. Site laboratories received uniform training, equipment, and reagents for core testing methods. Standardization was further assured by routine teleconferences, in-person meetings, site monitoring visits, and internal and external quality assurance testing. Targeted confirmatory testing and testing by specialized assays were done at a central reference laboratory

The Effect of Antibiotic Exposure and Specimen Volume on the Detection of Bacterial Pathogens in Children With Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND.: Antibiotic exposure and specimen volume are known to affect pathogen detection by culture. Here we assess their effects on bacterial pathogen detection by both culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in children. METHODS.: PERCH (Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health) is a case-control study of pneumonia in children aged 1-59 months investigating pathogens in blood, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swabs, and induced sputum by culture and PCR. Antibiotic exposure was ascertained by serum bioassay, and for cases, by a record of antibiotic treatment prior to specimen collection. Inoculated blood culture bottles were weighed to estimate volume. RESULTS.: Antibiotic exposure ranged by specimen type from 43.5% to 81.7% in 4223 cases and was detected in 2.3% of 4863 controls. Antibiotics were associated with a 45% reduction in blood culture yield and approximately 20% reduction in yield from induced sputum culture. Reduction in yield of Streptococcus pneumoniae from NP culture was approximately 30% in cases and approximately 32% in controls. Several bacteria had significant but marginal reductions (by 5%-7%) in detection by PCR in NP/OP swabs from both cases and controls, with the exception of S. pneumoniae in exposed controls, which was detected 25% less frequently compared to nonexposed controls. Bacterial detection in induced sputum by PCR decreased 7% for exposed compared to nonexposed cases. For every additional 1 mL of blood culture specimen collected, microbial yield increased 0.51% (95% confidence interval, 0.47%-0.54%), from 2% when volume was ≤1 mL to approximately 6% for ≥3 mL. CONCLUSIONS.: Antibiotic exposure and blood culture volume affect detection of bacterial pathogens in children with pneumonia and should be accounted for in studies of etiology and in clinical management

Colonization Density of the Upper Respiratory Tract as a Predictor of Pneumonia-Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pneumocystis jirovecii.

BACKGROUND.: There is limited information on the association between colonization density of upper respiratory tract colonizers and pathogen-specific pneumonia. We assessed this association for Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pneumocystis jirovecii. METHODS.: In 7 low- and middle-income countries, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs from children with severe pneumonia and age-frequency matched community controls were tested using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Differences in median colonization density were evaluated using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Density cutoffs were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Cases with a pathogen identified from lung aspirate culture or PCR, pleural fluid culture or PCR, blood culture, and immunofluorescence for P. jirovecii defined microbiologically confirmed cases for the given pathogens. RESULTS.: Higher densities of H. influenzae were observed in both microbiologically confirmed cases and chest radiograph (CXR)-positive cases compared to controls. Staphylococcus aureus and P. jirovecii had higher densities in CXR-positive cases vs controls. A 5.9 log10 copies/mL density cutoff for H. influenzae yielded 86% sensitivity and 77% specificity for detecting microbiologically confirmed cases; however, densities overlapped between cases and controls and positive predictive values were poor (<3%). Informative density cutoffs were not found for S. aureus and M. catarrhalis, and a lack of confirmed case data limited the cutoff identification for P. jirovecii. CONCLUSIONS.: There is evidence for an association between H. influenzae colonization density and H. influenzae-confirmed pneumonia in children; the association may be particularly informative in epidemiologic studies. Colonization densities of M. catarrhalis, S. aureus, and P. jirovecii are unlikely to be of diagnostic value in clinical settings