Effect of Information Technology Investment on Organisational Productivity and Growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Developing Countries: A Case of Sachet and Table Water Industries in Lagos State, Nigeria

The objective of this paper is to determine the effect of information technological investment on employee’s output performance. Subject for the study consisted of seventy employees of sachet and table water manufacturing industries, Lagos, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected through a well-structured questionnaire delivered to the workers of the sachet and table water companies. We used F test, T test, regression and correlation to test our hypotheses whether information technology usage in production processes , work environment and management style boost up  the output performance  of an employees. The findings of the study showed that there exist strong positive relationship and significant effect between aggregate output, technology usage, work environment, and management style and that the technological usage in production processes has the highest contribution to boost aggregate output performance of an employees in sachet and table water manufacturing companies. Keywords: Information Technology, Output, Performance, Manufacturing Companies, Work Environment, Management Style

Pre and Post Training Knowledge of Cassava Viral Disease among Farmer and Extension Officer in Nigeria

This study presents findings of a train-the trainer cassava stakeholders training workshop conducted in 2017. Farmers and agricultural extension officers from 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria were invited for a 2-day workshop aimed at raising awareness and educating participants on cassava virus disease management. An open-ended questionnaire was used to measure pre and post workshop knowledge alongside practices and needs. A total of 74 persons, 49 farmers and 25 extension officers were included in the study. Participants were mostly males who had been cultivating cassava for 12±9 years or had been providing extension services for 17±9 years. Pre-workshop knowledge on cassava viral diseases among cassava farmers was poor with farmers scoring an average of 2.04±1.1 out of 5 obtainable points on knowledge. Disease management practices were poor among farmers with 40.8% obtaining planting materials from unverified sources. Post-workshop evaluation showed that farmers’ knowledge of cassava viral diseases had increased as adjudged by an average knowledge score of 7.98±1.80 out of 11 obtainable points. This study highlights the effectiveness of training in improving farmers’ knowledge and equipping them to contribute to the management of cassava viral diseases

Critical Node Detection for Voltage Collapse Mitigation in Modern Power Systems: A Network Topological-Based Approach

Quick detection of critical nodes has become a great concern to most investors and utilities recently due to its influence on prevention of the frequent occurrence of voltage collapse within a power network. This paper, therefore presents an option for detecting critical nodes, an approach which is based on the network topological characteristics of power networks. The mathematical formulations of the approach from the basic circuit theory laws were revisited. A Normalized Eigenvalue (NEV) index using eigenvalue and eigenvector analyses was then developed using MATLAB 2019b as the simulation tool. A simple 10-bus network was used to test the effectiveness of the NEV index method suggested in this paper. The NEV for all the network buses was determined and ranked in decreasing value of NEV to measure the criticality and vulnerability of each load node to voltage collapse within the system. Buses 6 had the highest value of NEV index (1.00) while bus 4 had the lowest NEV index (0.00) value. This suggested that there is a possibility of occurrence of over-voltage at bus 6 and undervoltage at bus 4. Therefore, buses 4 and 6 were identified as the critical buses, where placement of the reactive power support will be most beneficial. The results obtained were compared with those obtained using other methods documented in the literature. The comparison showed the effectiveness of the approach in quick identification of critical parts of the network most especially during critical outages

The Clinical Correlates And Self-Management Of Insomnia Among Patients Presenting In A Tertiary Health Institution, South West Nigeria

Background: Sleep has important biological functions that are essential for normal restorative, conservative and adaptive functions. The lack or inadequacy of it will alter these normal biological functions in man which may negatively affect various organs and systems. The knowledge of what people with insomnia are using will assist clinician on modality of approach in proper management Aim: To determine the clinical correlates of insomnia and self management among patients presenting with insomnia. Method: A descriptive cross sectional study of three hundred and seventeen adults selected through systematic random sampling technique. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Result: The following clinical conditions were observed to have positive association with insomnia. This include Hypertension (X2 30.101; P value <0.001), Heart disease (X2 38.040; P value <0.001), Fall/Pains (X2 24.306; P value <0.001), Arthritis/Joint Pains (X2 28.359; P value <0.001), Depression (X2 25.277; P value <0.001), Other Psychiatric diseases (X2 42.639; P value <0.001). Over the counter medication has significant association with presence of insomnia but not with herbal usage (X2 33.399; P value <0.001). a larger proportion of insomniacs who were using over the counter medication have stopped its usage as the time of the study (X2 4.629; P value <0.039) Conclusion: Multiple clinical morbidities are associated with insomnia. The desire to improve the sleep quality and quantity of an insomniac, they tend to embark on self-management. Clinician with this understanding must therefore take proactive approach to find what type of self management the individual is using. This will help to inform, educate and counsel appropriately against dangerous steps and measures that may have been embarked upo

Pattern of Surgical Emergencies in Rural Southwestern Nigeria

Introduction: Considering the magnitude of deaths prevailing in the accident and emergency department (AED) in health facilities of sub-Sahara Africa, there is a need to have information on the burden of admissions and deaths due to surgical emergencies. Few studies in Nigerian hospitals in urban and suburban areas have been documented, but none in the rural setting. The objectives of this study were to ascertain the sociodemographic profile, causes and outcomes of admissions, and the pattern and causes of deaths due to surgical emergencies. Methods: A retrospective survey using a data form and a predetermined questionnaire was used to review the patients admitted for surgical emergencies at the AED of a tertiary hospital in rural southwestern Nigeria from January 2015 to December 2019. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. The results were presented in descriptive and tabular formats. Results: Surgical emergencies constituted 43.9% of all admissions. The mean age of admissions was 42 ± 16.9 years, and majorities were in the young and middle-aged groups. There were more males (66.4%) than females (33.6%). Trauma(60.9%) of which road traffic accident (RTAs)(56.0%), was the leading mechanism of trauma. The mortality rate was 5.4% and was caused majorly by RTAs (33.0%), diabetes mellitus foot ulcers (11.0%), and malignancies (9.8%). Conclusion: In this study, surgical emergencies constituted 43.9%, and a majority of the patients were male. Trauma caused by RTA is the most cause of admission. The mortality rate was 5.4%. This finding may provide an impetus for prospective research on this outcome

Management and Outcomes Following Surgery for Gastrointestinal Typhoid: An International, Prospective, Multicentre Cohort Study

Background: Gastrointestinal perforation is the most serious complication of typhoid fever, with a high disease burden in low-income countries. Reliable, prospective, contemporary surgical outcome data are scarce in these settings. This study aimed to investigate surgical outcomes following surgery for intestinal typhoid. Methods: Two multicentre, international prospective cohort studies of consecutive patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal typhoid perforation were conducted. Outcomes were measured at 30 days and included mortality, surgical site infection, organ space infection and reintervention rate. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to adjust for clinically plausible explanatory variables. Effect estimates are expressed as odds ratios (ORs) alongside their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 88 patients across the GlobalSurg 1 and GlobalSurg 2 studies were included, from 11 countries. Children comprised 38.6% (34/88) of included patients. Most patients (87/88) had intestinal perforation. The 30-day mortality rate was 9.1% (8/88), which was higher in children (14.7 vs. 5.6%). Surgical site infection was common, at 67.0% (59/88). Organ site infection was common, with 10.2% of patients affected. An ASA grade of III and above was a strong predictor of 30-day post-operative mortality, at the univariable level and following adjustment for explanatory variables (OR 15.82, 95% CI 1.53–163.57, p = 0.021). Conclusions: With high mortality and complication rates, outcomes from surgery for intestinal typhoid remain poor. Future studies in this area should focus on sustainable interventions which can reduce perioperative morbidity. At a policy level, improving these outcomes will require both surgical and public health system advances

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways