18 research outputs found
The Effects of ‘Non-Handing Over’ Governance in a Democratic Nigeria
No full textRecent political and legal developments on Nigeria’s former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s inability to formally handover governance to the Vice President (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan), have attracted scholarly attention, public opinion and a historic consolidation of democracy in Nigeria. The author examined Sections 143, 144, 145 and 146 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to cement her analysis that the effect of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua non-handing over governance to the Vice President was amicably resolved by the National Assembly and the Judiciary, without resort to military intervention, so as to avert any likelihood of threat to democracy, disintegration and instability of governance. The findings are sufficiently strong to warrant a rethinking of some critical challenges of governance, political leadership and that democracy can be sustained in Nigeria through the application of the formal aspects of politics: rules, organization, procedures and constitution. The author concludes that the combination of the above factors and the likely negative consequences by the international community against Nigeria, occasioned the swearing of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria’s President.LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research,, 8(4), 283-301, 201
An Investigation into the Factors Leading to the Decline in Distribution of Cash Dividends in Quoted Manufacturing Firms in Kenya.
No full textThe author has divided the project into five chapters. Chapter One consisted of the statement of
the problem as revealed by Fama and French (2001) who recorded a sharp decline in the
distribution of cash dividends in firms in the United States. For example from 1973 to 1978 the
proportion of firms that paid cash dividends rose by 13.7%, however, from 1978 to 2004 there
was a sharp decline of 45.7% and the trend has persisted. In Kenya most of the manufacturing
firms have recorded a downward trend in their payments of cash dividends examples include
Mumias sugar, Sameer Africa, Crown Berger others such as Eveready East Africa had not paid
cash dividends between 1994 to 2005, Investors were investing more on firms that paid stock
dividends than cash dividends. The concern was therefore the reason for mass movement of the
shareholders and fall in the prices of the shares. The general objective of the study was to
investigate the factors leading to the decline in the distribution of cash dividends in quoted
manufacturing firms in Kenya. The specific objectives included; evaluation of factors that lead to
the decline in the distribution of cash dividends in sampled quoted manufacturing firms in
Kenya, assessment of how these factors lead to the decline in the distribution of cash dividends
and suggest ways and means of overcoming the decline the trend.
Chapter Two stated theories of dividend policies. The author had concentrated on the bird in
hand theory which stated that a bird in hand was worth two in the bush; which considered
dividend decisions to be irrelevant
Chapter Three consisted of the location of the study which was conducted in the capital city of
Nairobi and its environs because the selected firms recorded a decline in the distribution of cash
dividends and also because all the head offices of quoted companies are situated in Nairobi.
Secondary data was utilized for the purpose of the study. All pertinent data was obtained from the secretariat of Nairobi Stock Exchange. The research design applied was descriptive presented
by the use of statistical tools such as frequencies, tables and pie charts. Required calculations
was made from the available data. Stock prices of the shares were obtained from the financial
statements of quoted firms at the N. S.E, primary data was collected through the issue of
Questionnaires to respective respondents which included both closed and open ended questions.
A total of 100 questionnaires were issued and the response rate was 71. Statistical tool of
Spearman's correlation coefficient was used which represented an achievement of+ 0.71 which
indicated a perfectly positively coefficient of correlation and was relied upon. The researcher
used Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling. A sample total of 100 were selected comprising
of: 60 shareholders, 20 employees, 10 financial and Accounts managers and 10 Investment
consultants. The technique provided an equal chance of selection for each element of the
population (Orodho, 2004).
Chapter Four and Five discussed the findings, analysis, recommendations and areas of further
research. The author established that quoted manufacturing firms in Kenya should maintain a
stable dividend distribution policy on which there will be unanimity on preference, appreciate
that a dividend announcement has a definite effect on share prices, convince the shareholders to
accept the fact that a firm must grow even as it pays them cash dividends and advice management to be prudent in their management of dividend distribution policy as it has
information content which is decoded by varying stakeholders to give differing meaning
“Se fede merta nostra maggior musa” : Virgilio e la mitologia virgiliana nella Commedia allo specchio del cristianesimo dantesco
No full textThe Aeneid is the most important intertext for the opus magnum of Dante; and Virgil, sometimes metonymically identified with his work, plays a relevant, or indeed crucial part as one of the characters in it. The main purpose of this article is, on the one hand, an analysis and interpretation of certain, only rarely investigated aspects of the relation between Virgil and Dante the pilgrim, in particular those which deal with the defeat of the former as an authority and guide for Dante on the road to spiritual perfection. They result mainly from Virgil’s excessive rationalism. In the critical moments of their journey through the otherworld Dante the author shows the frailty of Virgil’s Christian faith, attained only after his death and not illuminated by divine Grace; he also discloses the deficiencies in Virgil’s understanding of good and evil. On the other hand the author of the article analyses the intertextual “dialogue” that the Comedy conducts with the Aeneid on the basis of the Dantean conception of art in general, and of poetry in particular, taking selected examples into consideration. An essential component of this dialogue is Dante’s reinterpretation of Virgil’s masterpiece, which assumes the form of an aemulatio and tends to reveal the Christian potentiality in the Aeneid, of which Virgil the poet was, of course, utterly unaware
“Se fede merta nostra maggior musa” : Virgilio e la mitologia virgiliana nella Commedia allo specchio del cristianesimo dantesco
No full textThe Aeneid is the most important intertext for the opus magnum of Dante; and Virgil, sometimes metonymically identified with his work, plays a relevant, or indeed crucial part as one of the characters in it. The main purpose of this article is, on the one hand, an analysis and interpretation of certain, only rarely investigated aspects of the relation between Virgil and Dante the pilgrim, in particular those which deal with the defeat of the former as an authority and guide for Dante on the road to spiritual perfection. They result mainly from Virgil’s excessive rationalism. In the critical moments of their journey through the otherworld Dante the author shows the frailty of Virgil’s Christian faith, attained only after his death and not illuminated by divine Grace; he also discloses the deficiencies in Virgil’s understanding of good and evil. On the other hand the author of the article analyses the intertextual “dialogue” that the Comedy conducts with the Aeneid on the basis of the Dantean conception of art in general, and of poetry in particular, taking selected examples into consideration. An essential component of this dialogue is Dante’s reinterpretation of Virgil’s masterpiece, which assumes the form of an aemulatio and tends to reveal the Christian potentiality in the Aeneid, of which Virgil the poet was, of course, utterly unaware
Affordability of anti-hypertensive and anti-hypertensive co-morbid with diabetes in Jos and environs, Central Nigeria
No full textBackground: Although research has been undertaken on medicine prices, there has so far been insufficient progress in improving medicine affordability and availability for individual patients in many countries. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, heart failure and death. WHO has estimated that hypertension alone accounts for 4.4% of all disability adjusted life years that are ranged from NGN1200 to NGN4250. The aim of this study is to do a pharmacoeconomic evaluation of hypertension and hypertension comorbid with diabetes medications in selected health facilities in Jos and environs, Central Nigeria.
Patients’ income per month was assessed ranging from <20,000.00 to ≥ NGN181, 000.00. The medications presented to the patients first were rotated for different patients to eliminate bias.
There was a relatively higher cost of treatment in Nasarawa compared to Plateau state. The cost of treatment was highest in private facilities, higher in Faith-based institutions than the public facilities. It cost an unskilled labourer between 27 to 45 days wages to treat hypertension (catastrophic). The monthly cost of medication ranges from NGN1000 to NGN3725 cost.
Results show that the monthly cost of treating hypertension ranged from NGN1000 to NGN3000 and NGN1200 to NGN4250 for comorbid cases.
Prices of essential medicines used in the management of hypertension and hypertension comorbid with diabetes is quite high compared with the international reference prices. The treatment in both cases were mostly unaffordable for the threshold of an unskilled labourer and majority of the patients. Policy options towards ameliorating these catastrophic effects as the main focus of government and relevant stakeholders is hereby recommended
Effect of Acute and Chronic Administration of Hot Water Extracts of V. Amygdalina on Some Metabolic Parameters in STZ-induced Hyperglycemic Rats
No full textMedicinal plants are globally used in the management of diabetes mellitus, with some meeting up with scientific preconditional assessments by way of ascertaining the actual hypoglycemic effects of such plants. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, often leading to severe complications if left unmanaged. The present study evaluates the effects of acute and chronic administration of hot water extract of Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) (HWE-VA) on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemic rats. A total of 20 healthy male Wistar rats (205-251 g) were divided into two equal groups, viz control – administered with equi-volume of distilled water and Experimental – made severely hyperglycemic with streptozotocin (STZ) via the intraperitoneal route and administered with crude hot water extract of V. amygdalina (750 mg/kg). Experimental groups received either the extract or remained as hyperglycemic controls, with parameters including body weight, food intake, faecal output, water intake, and urine output monitored over time. Results demonstrated a significant increase in body weight, reduced food intake, and moderated water consumption in the extract-treated groups compared to hyperglycemic controls (P<0.05). These findings suggest that Vernonia amygdalina may possess antihyperglycemic properties, potentially improving metabolic parameters in diabetic conditions. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects and assess their therapeutic potential for diabetes management.
Shakespeare and the idea of the book
No full textShakespeare and the Idea of the Book is about the book in Shakespeare's plays; the book as an object, wherein the article may disclose narratives, corroborate stories, expose versions of reality and perspectives of presence; and the semiotic of the book, wherein the language of the book, of holding, touching, turning leaves, opening pages, reading, revealing and closing may simulate an idea of the body or mind in motion. This thesis is about how the metaphorical and material book appears on Shakespeare's stage, and how the physical and figurative presence of the book challenges the imaginative and representational conditions of theatre. Having chosen seven plays for their particularly significant relationship to the book, I explore each play and its books for the demands they make of each other and what such demands reveal. The Introduction outlines the argument of the project and, drawing on a broad range of Shakespeare's plays, sets out the prevalence of the 'book' and an awareness of the potential discourses through which the object is beginning to move in the Elizabethan period. The thesis is then split into five chapters, the first two dealing with two plays each, Titus Andronicus and Cymbeline, and The Taming of The Shrew and Love's Labour's Lost. The following three chapters deal with individual plays, Richard II, Hamlet, and The Tempest. Although the thesis follows, with the exception of Cymbeline, a chronology of the drama, I make no attempt to suggest that Shakespeare forged a linear narrative in his evolving relationship with the book. Rather, my conclusion demonstrates how the book's extraordinary semantics cope resists a continuum or progressive evolution. The ever-changing capacity of the book, its materiality and language, supports the stage in a quest to define and expand the representational relationship between seeing and thinking, moving and being. Shakespeare's books are, I will argue, like Hamlet's players, 'the abstracts and brief chronicles of the time', and, to that end, 'let them be well used)
Factors impacting genomic testing rates among epithelial ovarian cancer patients across a large community-based healthcare system
No full textBackground: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) accounts for the highest mortality of all gynecological cancers. NCCN guidelines recommend germline and somatic testing for all women with invasive EOC. Despite this recommendation, there is a large diversity in the types of testing patients receive even within a single healthcare system. Reported data of genetic testing for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients is largely based on patients treated at academic medical centers or patients who participate in clinical trials.
Purpose: This study sought to determine the rates of germline and somatic testing for epithelial ovarian cancer patients and identify factors that impact testing rates across a large community-based healthcare system over 5 states: WA, OR, CA, AK, and MT. The system is comprised of over 100,000 caregivers, 51 hospitals and 829 physician clinics. The aim was to identify barriers to testing such as region, hospital type, insurance status, racial/ethnic disparities, and stage of diagnosis.
Methods: Clinical, pathologic, demographic and genomic testing information was obtained from the diverse dataset within the Providence St. Joseph Health Electronic Medical Records and the system-wide cancer registry for all patients with an EOC diagnosis (ICD C56.x) between January 2015 and January 2020. Structured genomic data was sourced from laboratory information systems and manual abstraction of molecular sequencing reports. This dataset encompasses patient population data among diverse hospital settings and urban/rural environments. Institution types were broken down into academic setting which contain a residency program (Academic), Commission on Cancer (CoC) accredited programs, or smaller community sites (Community) without CoC accreditation. Descriptive statistics and logical regression are utilized to summarize key findings.
Results: Within this EOC cohort (3,007 patients), 34% (n=1,027 patients) completed some type of genomic testing (GT). The percentage of patients tested increased from 31% in 2015 to 46% in 2019, reflecting uptake of testing guidelines. The increase in GT rates was largely attributable to an increase in somatic tumor testing (14-39%); while germline testing rates were stable across the interval (25-33%). Patients were more likely to receive testing if they received care at an academic or CoC institution vs community institution (p=0.0001). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated the following factors impacted tested rates: institution type, insurance, and stage at diagnosis (p=0.001, p= 0.0019 and p \u3c 0.0001, respectively). Race/ethnicity did not contribute significantly to the model but did have a significant effect when analyzed independently.
Conclusion: This study is the first to analyze practice patterns in GT for EOC across a broad community-based healthcare system servicing 5 states. The data highlight discrepancies in GT heavily influenced by practice setting, insurance status, and stage of diagnosis (likely reflecting payer coverage/ increased need for information in advanced stage disease).
Significance: There is a need for a universally defined approach to testing to provide equitable access to evidence based cancer care.
Presenting Author: Nicole Kretzer, MD, PhD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Hill Campus, [email protected]
Frequency of homologous recombination deficiency in a large community-based cohort of epithelial ovarian cancer cases
No full textPurpose/Background: Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a useful predictor of treatment response in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Reported data on the frequency of HRD in EOC is largely based on analysis of patients treated at academic medical centers or who participated in clinical trials. We sought to characterize the frequency of HRD based on mutations in homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes, genomic instability (GI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) scores in a large community-based cohort of EOC patients who received genomic testing in the context of routine clinical care.
Methods: Information including patient demographic, tumor stage and histology data, and results from ovarian cancer tumor tissue sequencing tests was obtained from the diverse dataset within the Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH) Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and the system-wide cancer registry data. Patients with an EOC diagnosis (ICD C56.x) during the time interval between January 2015 and January 2020 were included. Structured genomic data was sourced from laboratory information systems and manual abstraction of molecular sequencing reports. Alterations in the following HRR genes were analyzed, along with LOH and GI scores: ATM, BARD1, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDK12, CHEK1, CHEK2, FANCL, PALB2, PPP2R2A, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD54L.
Results: Within this EOC cohort of 3007 patients, 510 (17%) had tumor tissue sequencing (TTS) ordered in the context of clinical care. TTS increased over time (p\u3c0.0001) and was more frequent in patients with advanced stage disease (33/392 vs 149/659 for Stage I-II vs Stage III-IV, X2=34.6, p \u3c 0.00001) or who had a tissue biopsy at a PSJH facility (214/1,151 vs 139/998 for biopsy vs no biopsy, X2=8.5, p=0.004). Eight patients (1.5%) had an insufficient tissue sample despite multiple attempts. Pathogenic mutations in HRR genes were identified in 97 (19%) patients including BRCA1 (n=54), BRCA 2 (n=25), ATM (n=9), CHEK2 (n=6), PALB2 (n=2) and BRIP1 (n=1). LOH and GI scores reflective of HRD were noted in 34/115 (30%) and 9/40 (23%) of patients tested, respectively. HRR gene mutations and/or GI/LOH were identified in tumors of all stages. Treatment data was available for a subset of patients. Patients with mutations or GI/LOH were far more likely to receive PARPi maintenance therapy than patients without these findings.
Conclusion: In this large, community based cohort of EOC cases, commercial TTS identified evidence of HRD in 151 of 510 (27%) patients tested. Molecular alterations were identified in tumors of all stages, suggesting that broad based TTS may be of value.
Significance: A large fraction of patients with HRD may not be receiving indicated PARPi therapy. This data suggests there is a need to establish a systemized approach to genetic testing for EOC within the PSJH system.
Presenting Author: Nicole Kretzer, MD, PhD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Hill Campus, [email protected]
Plants and wound healing in Uganda: A mixed methods study
No full textIn Uganda, many people rely on traditional healers and medicinal plants for their health needs including managing wounds. To date no studies have been published regarding the local Ugandan practice of the use of medicinal plants for wound healing. This study was undertaken to document Ugandan local knowledge of wound healing, the preparation, administration and identification of local medicinal plants.
The mixed methods study comprised three phases:
1. A literature review of the existing literature on plants and wound healing employing systematic techniques.
2. Fieldwork where forty consenting traditional practitioners and local knowledge experts in South Western Uganda were interviewed about their knowledge of wound healing and participated in quantitative surveys regarding medicinal plant use.
3. The interviews and surveys yielded knowledge of wound healing and a list of plants used from which three were selected for relevant phytochemical assays in the laboratory work phase.
The literature review found nine studies that reported on the use of medicinal plants for wound healing in Uganda. The interviews provided data which demonstrated that respondents possessed knowledge of the definition, classification, and diagnosis of wounds. The ethnobotanical survey revealed 38 plants as being important for treatment of wounds. The most represented families were Asteraceae (26.3%) and Solanaceae (15.8%); Bidens pilosa L, Musa paradisiaca L., solenostemon latifolius, Ageratum conyzoides L., Hoslundia opposita Vahl. and Microglossa pyrifolia (Lam.) Kuntze were the most widely used. Preliminary phytochemical screening confirmed the extraction efficiency through presence of polyphenol and flavonoid compounds and demonstrated antioxidant activity of the plant extract.
Ultimately, this thesis uses the mixed methods approach to gain a fuller and more complete understanding of the research questions. It also demonstrates evidence for the use of selected medicinal plants for wound healing in South Western Uganda and gives a description of the category of professionals involved in traditional medicine using medicinal plants
