106 research outputs found
Review of Accounting Developments during 1945-2016 in Kosovo and Challenges for the Future
If we want to go back to history of accounting, we have to consider the socio-economic arrangements that Kosovo has undergone. Without pretending to make subjective conclusions on any socioeconomic system in this paper we have tried to consider the characteristics of accounting through different time periods in Kosovo. By separating the time periods, we pretend to evaluate and analyze the role of accounting. The first period includes the role of accounting up until 1990, the second period includes the role of accounting from 1990 until 1999, and the third period includes the role of accounting from 1999 until 2016. The research paper concludes that the trend of fair presentation of financial statements in a transparent and legal manner is growing even though there is a negative climate in relation to this trend. The main problem is lack of education in the financial sector in terms of reporting income and assets owing to a social economic system that did not promote awareness on good governance in the past. In that regard, the publically owned entities (POEs) demonstrate lack of financial transparency and accountability of not reporting their financial position and performance. Concerning the state of accounting we found a detrimental situation in the sense that the financial reporting was not done in regular basis. This was more emphasized in the transitory time period after the war from 1999 until 2009. The same issues with lack of transparency in POEs were prevalent also in the business or corporate community. POEs, however, were more sensitive for having endured the privatization process
Diagnosis of Viral Diseases in Sudan: Coronaviruses Unveil the Concealed Venues
Establishing the diagnosis of viral diseases often needs sophisticated settings, equipment, expertise, and strict laboratory methods. In Sudan, as in most developing countries, viral diseases are mostly diagnosed by clinical presentation. As most viral infections are self-limiting and there is no specific treatment for most of them, laboratory diagnosis has not been a focus for improvement, particularly in public sector until the current pandemic of COVID-19. During this pandemic, the vital need for well-equipped clinical virology laboratories is urged. The aim of this work is to highlight the various diagnostic methods and to describe the current situation of clinical virology diagnostics in Sudan
Mems integrated reconfigurable antenna for cognitive public safety radios
The frequency reconfigurable volumetric PIFA
presented in this paper is designed to switch between two US
public-safety bands, one operating at 700MHz and the other
having a bandwidth of 17% around 850MHz - in effect covering
a range from 800MHz to 900MHz. The reconfigurability is
limited to only the ground and patch layers as an aim to
minimize the number of MEMS switches used. The radiation
pattern of the antenna maintains its shape and the maximum
gain over this reconfigurable band of operation, 700 – 900 MHPostprint (published version
Posterior lamellar versus bilamellar tarsal rotation surgery for trachomatous trichiasis in Ethiopia: a randomised controlled trial
Background Eyelid surgery is done to correct trachomatous trichiasis to prevent blindness. However, recurrent
trichiasis is frequent. Two procedures are recommended by WHO and are in routine practice: bilamellar tarsal
rotation (BLTR) and posterior lamellar tarsal rotation (PLTR). This study was done to identify which procedure gives
the better results.
Methods A randomised, controlled, single masked clinical trial was done in Ethiopia. Participants had upper lid
trachomatous trichiasis with one or more eyelashes touching the eye or evidence of epilation, in association with
tarsal conjunctival scarring. Exclusion criteria were age less than 18 years, recurrent trichiasis after previous surgery,
hypertension, and pregnancy. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either BLTR or PLTR surgery, stratifi ed by
surgeon. The sequences were computer-generated by an independent statistician. Surgery was done in a community
setting following WHO guidelines. Participants were examined at 6 months and 12 months by assessors masked to
allocation. The primary outcome was the cumulative proportion of individuals who developed recurrent trichiasis by
12 months. Primary analyses were by modifi ed intention to treat. The intervention eff ect was estimated by logistic
regression, controlled for surgeon as a fi xed eff ect in the model. The trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical
Trials Registry (number PACTR201401000743135).
Findings 1000 participants with trichiasis were recruited, randomly assigned, and treated (501 in the BLTR group and
499 in the PLTR group) between Feb 13, 2014, and May 31, 2014. Eight participants were not seen at either 6 month or
12 month follow-up visits and were excluded from the analysis: three from the PLTR group and fi ve from the BLTR
group. The follow-up rate at 12 months was 98%. Cumulative recurrent trichiasis by 12 months was more frequent in
the BLTR group than in the PLTR group (110/496 [22%] vs 63/496 [13%]; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·96 [95% CI
1·40–2·75]; p=0·0001), with a risk diff erence of 9·50% (95% CI 4·79–14·16).
Interpretation PLTR surgery was superior to BLTR surgery for management of trachomatous trichiasis, and could be
the preferred procedure for the programmatic management of trachomatous trichiasis
Oral doxycycline for the prevention of postoperative trachomatous trichiasis in Ethiopia: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
BACKGROUND: Trachomatous trichiasis is treated surgically to prevent sight loss. Unfavourable surgical outcomes remain a major challenge. We investigated the hypothesis that doxycycline might reduce the risk of postoperative trichiasis following surgery in patients with trachomatous trichiasis through anti-matrix metalloproteinase and anti-inflammatory activity. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults (aged >18 years) with upper lid trachomatous trichiasis in association with tarsal conjunctive scarring were recruited through community-based screening and surgical outreach campaigns in Ethiopia. Individuals who had previously had eyelid surgery were excluded. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1), with random block sizes of four or six, to receive oral doxycycline (100 mg once a day) or placebo for 28 days immediately after trichiasis surgery. Randomisation was stratified by surgeon. Patients, investigators, surgeons, and all other study team members were masked to study group allocation and treatment. Participants were examined at 10 days, and 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. The primary outcome was the cumulative proportion of individuals who developed postoperative trichiasis by 12 months. Primary analyses were done in all participants who attended at least one of the four follow-up assessments. Safety analyses were done in all participants who attended either the 10 day or 1 month follow-up assessments. This trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, number PACTR201512001370307. FINDINGS: Between Dec 21, 2015, and April 6, 2016, 1000 patients with trichiasis were enrolled and randomly assigned to treatment (499 patients to doxycycline, 501 patients to placebo). All but one participant attended at least one follow-up assessment. Thus, 999 participants were assessed for the primary outcome: 498 in the doxycycline group and 501 in the placebo group. By month 12, 58 (12%) of 498 patients in the doxycycline group and 62 (12%) of 501 patients in the placebo group had developed postoperative trichiasis (adjusted odds ratio 0·91, 95% CI 0·61 to 1·34, p=0·63), with a risk difference of -0·5% (-4·5% to 3·5%). Significantly more patients in the doxycycline group had an adverse event than in the placebo group (18 [4%] of 498 vs six [1%] of 501; odds ratio 3·09, 95% CI 1·21-7·84; p=0·02). The most frequent adverse events in the doxycycline group were gastritis symptoms (n=9), constipation (n=4), and diarrhoea (n=4). INTERPRETATION: Doxycycline did not reduce the risk of postoperative trichiasis and is therefore not indicated for the improvement of outcomes following trachomatous trichiasis surgery. Surgical programmes should continue to make efforts to strengthen surgical training and supervision to improve outcomes. FUNDING: The Wellcome Trust
Survival of Infants Born to HIV-Positive Mothers, by Feeding Modality, in Rakai, Uganda
Data comparing survival of formula-fed to breast-fed infants in programmatic settings are limited. We compared mortality and HIV-free of breast and formula-fed infants born to HIV-positive mothers in a program in rural, Rakai District Uganda.One hundred eighty two infants born to HIV-positive mothers were followed at one, six and twelve months postpartum. Mothers were given infant-feeding counseling and allowed to make informed choices as to whether to formula-feed or breast-feed. Eligible mothers and infants received antiretroviral therapy (ART) if indicated. Mothers and their newborns received prophylaxis for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (pMTCT) if they were not receiving ART. Infant HIV infection was detected by PCR (Roche Amplicor 1.5) during the follow-up visits. Kaplan Meier time-to-event methods were used to compare mortality and HIV-free survival. The adjusted hazard ratio (Adjusted HR) of infant HIV-free survival was estimated by Cox regression. Seventy-five infants (41%) were formula-fed while 107 (59%) were breast-fed. Exclusive breast-feeding was practiced by only 25% of breast-feeding women at one month postpartum. The cumulative 12-month probability of infant mortality was 18% (95% CI = 11%–29%) among the formula-fed compared to 3% (95% CI = 1%–9%) among the breast-fed infants (unadjusted hazard ratio (HR)  = 6.1(95% CI = 1.7–21.4, P-value<0.01). There were no statistically significant differentials in HIV-free survival by feeding choice (86% in the formula-fed compared to 96% in breast-fed group (Adjusted RH = 2.8[95%CI = 0.67–11.7, P-value = 0.16]Formula-feeding was associated with a higher risk of infant mortality than breastfeeding in this rural population. Our findings suggest that formula-feeding should be discouraged in similar African settings
Application of a risk-management framework for integration of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in clinical trials
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