Strategic Decision Making At Enterprise Resource Planning: Chief Financial Officer At The Crossroads

Following delays in the production of the company’s annual accounts, the Chief Executive Officer is livid. He summons the Chief Financial Officer to explain circumstances surrounding the delay. The Chief Financial Officer, after consultation with the Directors of the Materials Management System and Power Sales departments, reckons that the acquisition of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system will permanently address the issue. This case provides students with an opportunity to apply knowledge in accounting, accounting information system, and project management to analyze business issues

Maternal Mortality, Proteinuria and Pregnancy Induced Hypertension: Case Study of a Regional Hospital in Brong Ahafo Region, Ghana

Globally, one of the public health problems confronting the medical community is maternal mortality. This study seeks to investigate the relationship between maternal mortality, proteinuria and pregnancy induced   hypertension among some pregnant mothers in Ghana. In this study, protein in the urine and blood pressure of some 450 pregnant women who visited the Hospital between January to December, 2015 were monitored. Retrospective data based on maternal death from January 2010 and December 2015 were also retrieved and analysed. This was augmented by interviewing 150 respondents (75 each from antenatal and postnatal section of the hospital) based on maternal health history, knowledge on PIH etc. The results of the study with respect to proteinuria and the blood pressure (BP) monitoring showed that, 36% of these mothers had traces of protein in their urine whiles 32 mothers out of 450 had elevated systolic and diastolic BP. The study also revealed, when data on maternal mortality and PIH of pregnant mothers were retrieved that, a total of 75, 439 (N=75,439) mothers attended the antennal section of the Hospital. Out of this, 139 of them (0.18%) died due to PIH. Maternal child bearing behaviour, nulliparity when analysed showed that, greater proportions of antennal (AN) mothers (32.00%) were nulliparous compared to their PN counterpart (0%) (p<0.0001).  Results of our study has shown that, maternal mortality due to PIH were high due to elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as high doses of trace amount of protein in pregnant mothers’ urine. Keywords: Nulliparity, Eclampsia, Maternal, Mortality, Antenatal, Postnatal

Effect of extraction variables on the proximate composition of coconut milk: a response surface approach

To our knowledge, there seem to be no report on the effect of extraction variables on the proximate composition of coconut milk. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD), consisting three factors (extraction time, extraction temperature and coconut meat particle size) was used to study the effect of process conditions on the proximate compositions of coconut milk. Results revealed that process variables significantly (p<0.05) affected the proximate compositions of coconut milk. The R2 values of ash, fibre and carbohydrate were 0.9244, 0.8822 and 0.8876 respectively, while that of fat and protein where 0.6048 and 0.6866, respectively. Results also indicated that moisture, ash, fat, protein, fibre and carbohydrate contents of coconut milk ranged from 75.40 to 81.97%, 1.03 to 4.3 %, 62.70 to 78.39%, 6.33 to 32.16%, 0.05 to 0.15% and 2.25 to 60.0%, respectively. The optimum conditions obtained for extraction of coconut milk with a desirability index of 75.30% were 16.27 min extraction time, 40 °C extraction temperature and < 1617 μm particle size of coconut meat. The estimated amount of moisture, ash, fat, protein, fibre and carbohydrate were; 79.03, 3.48, 73.82, 25.45, 0.16 and 29.34% respectively

Use of mobile learning technology among final year medical students in Kenya

Introduction: Mobile phone penetration has increased exponentially over the last decade as has its application in nearly all spheres of life including health and medical education. This study aimed at assessing the use of mobile learning technology and its challenges among final year undergraduate students in the College of Health sciences, University of Nairobi. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among final year undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi, College of Health Sciences. Self-administered, anonymous questionnaires were issued to all final year students in their lecture rooms after obtaining informed consent. Data on demographics, mobile device ownership and mobile learning technology use and its challenges was collected. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS®. Chi-square and t-test were used for bivariate analysis. Results: We had 292 respondents; 62% were medical students, 16% were nursing students, 13% were pharmacy students and 9% were dental surgery students. The majority were female (59%) and the average age was 24 years. Eighty eight percent (88%) of the respondents owned a smart device and nearly all of them used it for learning. 64% of the respondents used medical mobile applications. The main challenges were lack of a smart device, lack of technical know-how in accessing or using apps, sub-optimal internet access, cost of acquiring apps and limited device memory. Conclusion: Mobile learning is increasingly popular among medical students and should be leveraged in promoting access and quality of medical education.Pan African Medical Journal 2015; 2

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infections among pregnant women in the Asante Akim North Municipality of the Ashanti region, Ghana; a cross sectional study.

Background: Viral hepatitis is a serious public health problem affecting billions of people globally with maternal-fetal transmission on the rise. Objectives: This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among pregnant women in the Asante Akim North Municipality, in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 168 pregnant women were recruited from the Agogo Presbyterian hospital. Blood samples were collected for the detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies. A pretested questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data and identify the risk factors associated with the two infections. Results: Of the 168 participants studied, 16 (9.5%) tested positive for HBV and 13 (7.7%) tested positive for HCV representing 9.5% and 7.7% respectively. A participant tested positive for both HBV and HCV co-infection representing 0.6%. Undertaking blood transfusion, tattooing and sharing of needles were associated with hepatitis C infection (P=0.001). HBV was not associated with any of the risk factors (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: Our findings suggest a high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among pregnant women; blood transfusion, tattooing and sharing of hypodermic needles were associated with hepatitis C nfection. Measures to reduce the disease and transmission burden must be introduced

Phenotype based clustering, and diversity of common bean genotypes in seed iron concentration and cooking time

Common bean is the world’s most important directly consumed legume food crop that is popular for calories, protein and micronutrients. It is a staple food in sub-Saharan Africa, and a significant source of iron for anemic people. However, several pests, soil and weather challenges still impede its production. Long cooking time, and high phytic acid and polyphenols that influence bioavailable iron also limit the health benefits. To inform population improvement strategies and selection decisions for resilient fast cooking and iron biofortified beans, the study determined diversity and population structure within 427 breeding lines, varieties, or landraces mostly from Alliance Uganda and Columbia. The genotypes were evaluated for days to flowering and physiological maturity, yield, seed iron (FESEED) and zinc (ZNSEED) and cooking time (COOKT). Data for all traits showed significant (P≤0.001) differences among the genotypes. Repeatability was moderate to high for most traits. Performance ranged from 52 to 87 ppm (FESEED), 23–38 ppm (ZNSEED), 36–361 minutes (COOKT), and 397–1299 kg/ha (yield). Minimal differences existed between the gene pools in the mean performance except in yield, where Mesoamerican beans were better by 117 kg/ha. The genotypes exhibited high genetic diversity and thus have a high potential for use in plant breeding. Improvement of FESEED and ZNSEED, COOKT and yield performance within some markets such as red and small white beans is possible. Hybridization across market classes especially for yellow beans is essential but this could be avoided by adding other elite lines to the population. Superior yielding and fast cooking, yellow and large white beans were specifically lacking. Adding Fe dense elite lines to the population is also recommended. The population was clustered into three groups that could be considered for specific breeding targets based on trait correlations

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Transport poverty and obesity: The mediating roles of social capital and physical activity

We draw on 16 waves of longitudinal data to examine the relationship between transport poverty and obesity in Australia. We focus on transport poverty relating to public and private transport use, and measure obesity based on body mass index. We find that transport poverty is associated with a decline in obesity. We examine social capital and physical activity as potential mechanisms through which transport poverty transmits to obesity. Our results suggest that transport poverty is associated with higher social capital and an increase in the frequency of engagement in physical activity – both of which have obesity reducing effects. Our findings highlight the need for policies that promote social capital and physical activity as a viable way to address growing concerns around obesity