Examining Consumers’ Selective Information Privacy Disclosure Behaviors in an Organization’s Secure e-Commerce Systems

The study is an examination of the antecedents to the paradoxical changes in the consumers’ intended and actual personal information disclosure behaviors in online transactions or in e-commerce environments. The argument is that a consumer’s information privacy paradox is based on the consumer’s cognitive predisposition. The study adopted the conceptual underpinning inherent in the Privacy Regulation Theory (PRT) and translated them into information privacy context, as the consumer’s desired state of information privacy, information privacy self-interest, information privacy permeability, and information privacy equipoise constructs, to examine the causal relationship among the constructs and between a consumer’s selective personal information disclosure behavior variable. The theoretical model was advanced based on the conceptual framework in PRT and was validated using Structural Equation Modeling. In addition, the study conducted hypothesis testing and factor analysis using Confirmatory Factor Analysis in order to determine the existence of statistical significance and causality. The result indicates that the consumers’ willingness to transact online and disclose their personal information depend largely on the degree of their need signal (self-interest), and to some extent, their awareness and concern of the online merchant’s capacity to collect their personal information, irrespective of their previously declared or undeclared intent to transact and disclose personal information, or despite their desired natural state of information privacy. In other words, the existence of the information privacy paradox stems from the fact that a consumer’s intention to disclose personal information online depends on the person’s natural or desired state of information privacy, whereas the customer’s actual personal information disclosure behavior depends on his or her information privacy equipoise

Evaluation of mentoring strategies among academics: A sure way to quality research reports

Quality of research outputs by young academics in recent times in this country are less than expected. This could be as a result of extent to which young academics are mentored by the more experienced or exposed academics. This study therefore sought to evaluate/ascertain the status and strategies of mentoring young academics for research. This will expose whether there is need for policy decision making toward improvements. This evaluation study is aimed at ascertaining the current status and strategies involved in mentoring amongst academics. A sample of 160 participants (mentors and mentees) were drawn from 372 academics from 6 (six) out of 11 (eleven) faculties of Imo State University, Owerri using proportionate random sampling techniques. They were given a set of strategies to rate under a 4-point scale. The rating scale has 27 items clustered under four subheadings: general mentoring, research teaching, research supervision and research networking. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha and found to be 0.694. The instrument was administered face to face and this enabled the researcher to augment the scale with oral interview in which the respondents were asked to express their personal views about mentoring in the university. Mean and standard deviation scores, z-test and ANOVA F-test were the methods of data analyses. Results show that the mentoring strategies were largely informal where the mentors and mentees are allowed to freely establish relationships which have inherent loopholes. It was recommended that there is need to strengthen mentoring through institutionalization.   &nbsp

Patients’ Assessment of Pharmacists’ Medication Counseling in a Psychiatric Hospital in Nigeria

Purpose: To assess the impact of an educational intervention on pharmacists’ medication counselling practice, and evaluate the reliability of an instrument to assess medication counselling in a psychiatric setting.Methods: The study was undertaken on a sample of 297 psychiatric patients. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted immediately after the patients had been attended to at the hospital’s outpatient pharmacy, using a self-administered questionnaire, comprising 4 components. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was computed using Cronbach’s alpha. Differences between means or proportions of variables were evaluated using Student’s t-test or Chi-square test, as appropriate.Results: The study achieved a response rate of 89 and 92 % for pre– and post–intervention surveys, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha reliability of the instrument was found to be 0.74. The mean values for the different components evaluated during the pre- and post–intervention surveys were: Needs assessment, 1.89± 0.76 and 2.58 ± 0.61; Precaution and warning, 1.50 ± 0.67 and 2.15 ± 0.63; Managing therapy, 1.87 ± 0.89 and 2.46 ± 0.78, and Communication, 2.23 ± 0.77 and 2.69 ± 0.62, respectively. The post–intervention results were significantly higher in all the components (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The educational intervention provided for pharmacists resulted in an improvement in patient counselling. The survey instrument achieved a fairly satisfactory reliability result in a psychiatric setting. Efforts to sustain this intervention are recommended.Keywords: Assessment, Patient counselling, Pharmacists, Psychiatric settin

VARIATIONS IN FOOD CONTENT OF CROPS AS INFLUENCED BY BIO STIMULANTS IN AN OIL CONTAMINATED SOIL

A study was carried out at the University of Port Harcourt botanical garden, to determine the influence of bio stimulants on food content of crops grown at two levels of crude oil contamination. Results showed that bio stimulants (sawdust and chromolaena leaves) enhanced protein and carbohydrate accumulation in the crops. However, chromoleana leaves was more effective than sawdust while the test crops-Z. mays and Vigna unguiculata differed in their accumulation potentials in protein and carbohydrate

VARIATIONS IN FOOD CONTENT OF CROPS AS INFLUENCED BY BIO STIMULANTS IN AN OIL CONTAMINATED SOIL

A study was carried out at the University of Port Harcourt botanical garden, to determine the influence of bio stimulants on food content of crops grown at two levels of crude oil contamination. Results showed that bio stimulants (sawdust and chromolaena leaves) enhanced protein and carbohydrate accumulation in the crops. However, chromoleana leaves was more effective than sawdust while the test crops-Z. mays and Vigna unguiculata differed in their accumulation potentials in protein and carbohydrate

Pilot Study on Laparoscopic Surgery in Port‑Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Video‑laparoscopic surgery has long been practiced in western countries; however documented practice of this minimal access surgical technique are recently emanating from Nigeria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented study on laparoscopic surgery from the Niger Delta region. Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of laparoscopy as a useful tool for management of common surgical abdominal conditions in our environment. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective outcome study of all consecutive surgical patients who had laparoscopic procedures in general and pediatric surgery units of our institution from August 2011 to December 2012. Data on patient’s age, gender, indication for surgery, duration of hospital stay and outcome of surgery were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 15 laparoscopic procedures were performed during this study period with age range of 2‑65 years; mean: 32.27 ± 17.86 years. There were 11 males and four females. Six laparoscopic appendicectomies, one laparoscopy‑assisted orchidopexy, five diagnostic laparoscopy ± biopsy, one laparoscopic trans‑abdominal pre‑peritoneal herniorrhaphy for bilateral indirect inguinal hernia and two laparoscopic adhesiolysis for small bowel obstruction were performed. All were successfully completed except one conversion (6.7%) for uncontrollable bleeding in an intra‑abdominal tumor. Conclusion: The practice of laparoscopic surgery in our environment is feasible and safe despite the numerous, but surmountable challenges. There is the need for adequate training of the support staff and a dedicated theatre suite.Keywords: General, laparoscopy, pediatric surger

The changing clinical pattern of endemic Burkitt lymphoma in Western Africa: Experience from a tertiary center in Ghana

Abstract Background Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is the most common childhood cancer in Ghana, where the endemic variant is the predominant subtype and historically presents as a highly chemo-sensitive jaw tumor. This study aimed to update the current epidemiological characteristics of childhood BL in our institution. Procedure Patient data for all children diagnosed with BL and seen at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital between January 2007 and December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. Results BL was diagnosed in 173 children

Informed Consent among Hansen’s Disease Patients – A Nigerian Perspective

Background: Informed consent entails providing potential participants with adequate information needed to decide whether or not to participate in research. In Nigeria, Hansen's disease has remained a disease of public health importance. The associated stigmatization often renders patients vulnerable and prone to exploitation. The act of obtaining informed consent from these patients remain an issue of ethical importance. The study aimed to determine the willingness of Hansen's disease patients to give consent to use their data in the form of pictures, videos and/or oral interviews by a third party. Materials and Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in three states in Nigeria; Ebonyi, Ogun and Cross River States. Data was collected from consenting participants using researcher-administered semi-structured questionnaires. Results: The study included 93 respondents with a mean (SD) age of 44.9 (20.1) years. The majority 57 (61.29%) of the respondents were farmers while the majority 67 (72.04%) attained primary education. A total of 26 (27.96%) respondents had suffered discrimination in the course of their disease. In their responses, 83 (89.2%) would allow the use of their pictures, 80 (86.0%) their videos and 86 (92.5%) their recorded oral interviews. Among those who would not give consent, the commonest reasons adduced were an intrusion into privacy and lack of trust. Conclusion: Though a majority of the patients would give consent for use of their data intrusion into privacy and lack of trust were major constraints for those not willing to give consent. Caregivers and stakeholders should put more effort into trying to win patients' trust before seeking informed consent

Impaired expression of testicular androgen receptor and collagen fibers in the testis of diabetic rats under HAART: the role of Hypoxis hemerocallidea

Introduction. Wide spectrum of alterations associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been reported. The current study aimed at evaluating the role of Hypoxis hemerocallidea (HH) aqueous extract on the testosterone levels, expression of androgen receptors and collagen fibers in the testes of streptozoto­cin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats under HAART regimen. Material and methods. Sixty two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (189.0 ± 4.5 g) were divided into eight groups (8 animals in each treatment groups and 6 rats in the control group). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperi­toneal injection of nicotinamide (110 mg/kg bw) followed by streptozotocin (45 mg/kg bw) and the animals were then subjected to various treatments with HAART, HH extract or melatonin. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected to measure serum testosterone levels. Testes were fixed in buffered formaldehyde and paraffin processed. The expression of androgen receptor (AR) was assessed by immunohistochemistry and collagen fibers were visualized by Masson trichrome staining. Results. Serum testosterone level was drastically (p &lt; 0.0001) reduced in all rats with induced diabetes. In the testis of diabetic rats increased collagen fibers deposition with varying derangements in germinal epithelium of spermatogenic layers were observed. Intertubular hemorrhages and absence of spermatozoa were also noted in the testes of diabetic rats subjected to HAART. Reduced immunoexpression of ARs was found in the nuclei of Sertoli cells and the cytoplasm of spermatogonia and spermatocytes in III–IV stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle of diabetic animals treated with different dosages of HH alone and those treated with HAART concomitantly with melatonin and HH. The expression of ARs was almost negative in the testes of rats treated with HAART alone. Conclusions. Concomitant treatment of rats with aqueous HH extract during the HAART did not change se­rum testosterone level nor mitigate the altered expression of collagen fibers and androgen receptor resulting from STZ-nicotinamide-induced diabetes. Therefore, anti-diabetic properties of Hypoxis extract require further investigation