Improved adherence to anti-retroviral therapy among traditionalists: reflections from rural South Africa

Background: Medical pluralism is common place in sub-Saharan Africa. The South African pluralistic health care environment is varied and includes traditionalist beliefs relating to the efficacy of African traditional medicine. Prior research indicates that traditionalism is associated with delays in testing for HIV and treatment interruption. Despite numerous reports about this in South Africa, there is a paucity of documented strategies to counter this trend.Objectives: To develop a strategy to reduce the impact of non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy among traditionalists in Wa- terberg district, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods:  Qualitative information was elicited from five face-to-face, dual moderated, semi-structured homogenous group dis- cussions. The groups comprised of 50 purposively selected, rurally based, mixed gender traditionalists living with HIV. Ground- ed theory was applied to analyse qualitative findings that emerged from the group discussions.Findings:  Self-reported increases in adherence to anti-retroviral therapy and a reduction in internalised stigma by the respon- dents. Both are attributed by the respondents to disease causation differentiation from a traditional explanation to an allopathic explanation.Conclusion: A nascent strategy has been developed which is contributing to improved adherence and a reduction in internalised stigma among traditionalists living with HIV in Waterberg district, South Africa.Keywords: HIV and AIDS; internalised stigma; makgoma; medical pluralism; ‘origins of HIV’

QUO VADIS VILLAGE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: TRANSPARENCY VS ACCOUNTABILITY (CASE STUDY IN BOGOR DISTRICT)

Villages obtain their sources of income from original village income, transfers, and other income. Considerable income makes the village government demand to increase transparency and accountability along with the development of public sector accounting. However, transparency and accountability are still a problem for some villages. This study aimed to determine the effect of transparency and accountability on the financial management in 13 villages in Sukaraja District, Bogor Regency. The data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 83 respondents, selected using the purposive sampling method. The data analysis methods included a validity test, reliability test, t-test, f-test, coefficient of determination test, multiple linear regression, normality test, heteroscedasticity test, and descriptive statistics. Partial testing with t-test showed that transparency had no significant effect on village financial management because some respondents answered that they disagreed. Therefore, it can be concluded that transparency had been implemented but not yet maximized. While accountability partially had a significant effect on village financial management, accountability had run well. Based on the simultaneous testing results with the f-test, transparency and accountability simultaneously positively affected village financial management. Keywords: village financial management, village government, transparency, accountability, multiple linear regressio

GREEN CONCEPTS AND MATERIAL FLOW COST ACCOUNTING APPLICATION FOR COMPANY SUSTAINABILITY

Health equipment and furniture become a complementary factor for good health services to the communities. Management of health equipment and furniture is started by manufacturers within the industry scope and sustainable business processes. This study aimed to apply green concepts and MFCA at PT XYZ, and to analyze their effects on the dimensions of the company sustainability. To measure the effects of green concepts and MFCA on the dimensions of corporate sustainability, a multiple regression analysis was used. The analysis showed that they gave significant effects from the results of the F test, t test and probability test. From these results, a number of suggestions for improvement of production process performance as managerial implications for maintaining the stability of the company sustainability index were formulated.Keywords: efficiency and effectiveness of production cost, green concepts, the company sustainability, material flow cost accountin

Academic interaction with social partners in the case from the University of Limpopo

The purpose of this article is to describe the different dimensions of the community- universityinteractions that emanated from a Community Engagement Audit which was undertaken at theUniversity of Limpopo (UL) in 2014. The Audit methodology followed a quantitative surveyresearch approach. A sample of 278, out of a population of 559 academic staff at UL that included196 with PhDs and 363 without PhDs, participated in the study. SPSS was used to compute factoranalysis. The results indicated the dominant partners that faculties interact with across the spheresof engaged scholarship were multi-national companies, small, medium and micro-enterprises,national regulatory and advisory and sectorial organisations. The types of relationship with externalsocial actors were contract research, continuing education and collaborative research anddevelopment projects. Channels of information were popular publications, public conferences,seminars or workshops, oral or written testimony or advice prominent. The outputs were new orimproved products/processes, scientific discoveries and community infrastructure and facilities.The outcomes and benefits were regional development, improved quality of life for individuals andcommunities and research focus and research projects, theoretical and methodological developmentin an academic field, academic and institutional reputation. The main constrains experienced duringengagement are lack of academic resources and institutional support and relationships with externalsocial partners. The results provide guiding parameters to improve the scale and reach of CE at theUL and a snapshot of the architecture and terrain of engaged scholarship at a rural-based HEI inSouth Africa

Craniofacial superimposition studies on a set of cosimo i de’ medici’s (1519-1574) and eleonora di toledo’s (1522-1562) portraits

A set of portraits of the Florentine grand duke Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519-1574) and of his wife Eleonora di Toledo (1522–1562) painted by two major representatives of Florentine Mannerism (Italian Late Renaissance), Pontormo and Bronzino was compared with the skulls of the two subjects utilizing the forensic technique of craniofacial superimposition. The results show that, in the case of Cosimo I, both a painting (Pontormo, workshop of, Cosimo I de’ Medici, 1537) and a drawing (Pontormo, Cosimo I de’ Medici in Profile, 1537) show lack of fit with the skull in four points (the glabellar outline, the depth of the nasal bridge, the bony lateral wall of the orbit, and the outline of the frontal process of the zygomatic bone). The drawing, therefore, seems to contradict the well established idea that Renaissance painters prepared lifelike sketches of their sitters which were then modified when transferred to the painting. In the case of Eleonora di Toledo, on the other hand, craniofacial superimposition analysis reveals that Bronzino, possibly as the result of a desperate search for the “best angle” of the sitter, adopted an unusual perspective to portray the duchess (Bronzino, Eleonora di Toledo, c. 1539) possibly looking down the sitter, by standing, while the sitter was seated in front of him. The face of the sitter was subsequently, in another painting (Bronzino, Eleonora di Toledo and Her Son Giovanni, c. 1544-45) “transplanted” onto the rest of the body given the impression that the duchess “looks” at the viewer from above. © 2016 Romanian Society of Legal Medicine

THE EFFECT OF INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE ON CORPORATE VALUE IN SUB-SECTOR PLANTATION COMPANIES LISTED IN INDONESIAN STOCK EXCHANGE PERIOD 2014-2018

High corporate value will make the market believe not only in the corporate’s current performance but also in the corporate’s future prospects. The purpose of this research is to analyze how the influence of Institutional Ownership (IO) and financial performance which is proxied by Return on Equity (ROE) and Debt to Equity Ratio (DER) on the corporate value in the plantation sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange period 2014-2018. This research is about IO and financial performance which is proxied using ROE and DER as well as the corporate value which is carried out in the plantation sub-sector listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange using secondary data. The sample used in this study are 6 company with sampling method using purposive sampling. The analytical method used is quantitative that using the classic assumption test, multiple linear regression test, and hypothesis test by using tools SPSS 25. The results revealed that IO didn’t have a significant positive effect on corporate value. Financial performance which is proxied by ROE has a significant positive effect on corporate value. Financial performance which is proxied by DER has no significant negative effect on corporate value. IO and financial performance which is proxied by ROE and DER simultaneously affect the corporate value. Keywords : Institusional Ownership, Financial Performance, Return on Equity, Debt to Equity Ratio, Corporate Valu

Improved adherence to anti-retroviral therapy among traditionalists: reflections from rural South Africa

Background: Medical pluralism is common place in sub-Saharan Africa. The South African pluralistic health care environment is varied and includes traditionalist beliefs relating to the efficacy of African traditional medicine. Prior research indicates that traditionalism is associated with delays in testing for HIV and treatment interruption. Despite numerous reports about this in South Africa, there is a paucity of documented strategies to counter this trend. Objectives: To develop a strategy to reduce the impact of non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy among traditionalists in Waterberg district, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods: Qualitative information was elicited from five face-to-face, dual moderated, semi-structured homogenous group discussions. The groups comprised of 50 purposively selected, rurally based, mixed gender traditionalists living with HIV. Grounded theory was applied to analyse qualitative findings that emerged from the group discussions. Findings: Self-reported increases in adherence to anti-retroviral therapy and a reduction in internalised stigma by the respondents. Both are attributed by the respondents to disease causation differentiation from a traditional explanation to an allopathic explanation. Conclusion: A nascent strategy has been developed which is contributing to improved adherence and a reduction in internalised stigma among traditionalists living with HIV in Waterberg district, South Africa. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.15 Cite as: Burman C, M A. Improved adherence to anti-retroviral therapy among traditionalists: reflections from rural South Africa. Afri Health Sci.2019;19(1). 1422-1432. https://dx.doi. org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.1