Ectozoochory by hares (Lepus Crawshayi) in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Volume: 7

Socioeconomic determinants of geographic disparities in campylobacteriosis risk: a comparison of global and local modeling approaches

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic factors play a complex role in determining the risk of campylobacteriosis. Understanding the spatial interplay between these factors and disease risk can guide disease control programs. Historically, Poisson and negative binomial models have been used to investigate determinants of geographic disparities in risk. Spatial regression models, which allow modeling of spatial effects, have been used to improve these modeling efforts. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) takes this a step further by estimating local regression coefficients, thereby allowing estimations of associations that vary in space. These recent approaches increase our understanding of how geography influences the associations between determinants and disease. Therefore the objectives of this study were to: (i) identify socioeconomic determinants of the geographic disparities of campylobacteriosis risk (ii) investigate if regression coefficients for the associations between socioeconomic factors and campylobacteriosis risk demonstrate spatial variability and (iii) compare the performance of four modeling approaches: negative binomial, spatial lag, global and local Poisson GWR. METHODS: Negative binomial, spatial lag, global and local Poisson GWR modeling techniques were used to investigate associations between socioeconomic factors and geographic disparities in campylobacteriosis risk. The best fitting models were identified and compared. RESULTS: Two competing four variable models (Models 1 & 2) were identified. Significant variables included race, unemployment rate, education attainment, urbanicity, and divorce rate. Local Poisson GWR had the best fit and showed evidence of spatially varying regression coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: The international significance of this work is that it highlights the inadequacy of global regression strategies that estimate one parameter per independent variable, and therefore mask the true relationships between dependent and independent variables. Since local GWR estimate a regression coefficient for each location, it reveals the geographic differences in the associations. This implies that a factor may be an important determinant in some locations and not others. Incorporating this into health planning ensures that a needs-based, rather than a “one-size-fits-all”, approach is used. Thus, adding local GWR to the epidemiologists’ toolbox would allow them to assess how the impacts of different determinants vary by geography. This knowledge is critical for resource allocation in disease control programs

SHIELDING DIRECTING MINDS OF COMPANIES AGAINST LIABILITY: : THE BUSINESS JUDGMENT RULE AND THE DUTY OF CARE IN GHANA

Corporate Governance involves how companies are controlled and the role directors play in running the affairs of companies. Directors owe a fiduciary duty to the companies they administer and are required to observe the utmost good faith in their dealings. Where a director breaches the duties imposed by law or exceeds the powers so conferred, the director is to be personally liable for the damages caused actionable through fiduciary-duty litigation. This paper argues that though directors owe a duty of care, the “business judgment rule” or “business judgment presumption” should serve as a basis to shield directors from liability in cases where the directors are reasonably informed and not self-interested in the making of the business decision. The paper discovers that, unlike other jurisdictions, the Companies Act of Ghana does not codify the business judgment rule. This paper contends that codifying the business judgment rule in Ghana would strike a workable balance between the role of a director in exercising independent and unrestrained judgment on one hand, whilst also exacting accountability on the other hand, to safeguard the interests of the stakeholders of the company. As a way of developing a thesis upon which director conduct and compliance could be measured, this paper recommends that practical guidelines of best practice for directors should be formulated by the courts using the National Corporate Governance Code (National Code) developed by the Institute of Directors of Ghana as a guide. This is significant because, in order to achieve economic efficiency of companies, it is imperative to not hold directors liable for every business decision they mak

Spatiotemporal Patterns and Burden of Myocardial Infarction in Florida

Knowledge of spatiotemporal disparities in myocardial infarction (MI) risk and the determinants of those disparities is critical for guiding health planning and resource allocation. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: (i) investigate the spatial distribution and clusters of MI hospitalization (MIHosp) and MI mortality (MIMort) risks in Florida over time to identify communities with consistently high MI burdens, (ii) assess temporal trends in geographic disparities in MIHosp and MIMort risks (iii) identify predictors of MIHosp risks.Retrospective MIhosp and MImort data for Florida for 2005-2014 and 2000-2014 periods, respectively, were used. Kulldorff’s circular and Tango’s flexible spatial scan statistics were used to identify spatial clusters, and counties with persistently high or low MIHosp and MIMort risks were identified. Global and local negative binomial models were used to identify predictors of MIHosp risks.MIHosp and MIMort risks declined by 15%-20% and 48% respectively, but there were substantial disparities in space and over time. Persistent clustering of high MIHosp risks occurred in the Big Bend area, South Central and Southeast Florida. Persistent clustering of low risks occurred in southeast and southwest Florida. Clustering of high or low MIMort risks occurred in the same areas as MIHosp risks, but there was no clustering of high MIMort risks in South Central Florida. The risks declined on the overall in all clusters over the study period. However, they decreased more rapidly in high-risk clusters during the first 4-8 years of study, leading to reduced disparities in the short term. Nevertheless, MI risks for high-risk clusters lagged behind those for low-risk clusters by at least a decade. Significant predictors of MIHosp risks included race, marital status, education level, rural residence and lack of health insurance. The impacts of education level and lack of health insurance varied geographically, with strongest associations in southern Florida. In conclusion, MI interventions need to target high-risk clusters to reduce the MI burden and improve population health in Florida. Moreover, the interventions need to consider social contexts, allocating resources based on empirical evidence from global and local models to maximize their efficiency and effectivenes

Actors, roles, and institutional work in the zero-waste consumer movement : how individual and collective actors collaboratively advance change towards a sustainable society

This thesis explores consumer-driven market change by investigating the roles of both individual and collective actors within consumer movements, along with their modes and styles of institutional work. It contributes to the theoretical tradition of Consumer Culture Theory (Arnould & Thompson, 2005; Arnould et al., 2023), mobilises New Social Movement theory (e.g. Castells, 2012; Habermas, 1979; Melucci et al., 1989; Touraine, 1977, 1981), and applies the theoretical lens of institutional theory. The thesis addresses three key research questions. Firstly, it examines the roles individual actors play within collective action and whether individual consumers can act as institutional entrepreneurs. Secondly, it investigates the types of institutional work these actors engage in and the target groups they aim to reach. Thirdly, it explores how consumer movements and consumer activism can be differentiated. The research context is the zero-waste consumer movement. The multi-source qualitative study includes two years of netnographic immersion, multi-site participatory ethnographic fieldwork, and thirty-three depth interviews with a range of actors within the zero-waste consumer movement. These actors include founders and participants in thirteen different zero-waste associations across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, operating at local, national, and European levels, as well as social entrepreneurs, individuals within global corporations, local politicians, and municipal waste authorities. The findings contribute to consumer research by introducing of a multi-faceted perspective on resources to the literature on consumer movements. This includes employing a contemporary approach that interprets resources through Bourdieu’s (1986) forms of capital. The thesis also introduces the concept of ‘eco-cultural capital’, which is particularly relevant to the literature on sustainable consumer behaviour, as it is identified as crucial in addressing the attitude behaviour gap. Building on the differentiated perspective on resources adopted in this thesis, this research offers a typology of the roles individual actors assume in consumer movements. Additionally, this study conceptualises consumer-driven change as a process of transferring consumption practices and resources across various institutional orders. The thesis presents a model of the evolution of a consumer movement, conceptualising change through the transfer of practices and resources across different institutional orders and societal levels. This conceptualisation of change as interinstitutional contributes to the literature on consumer driven change. Furthermore, the thesis proposes a typology of consumer movements to resolve the conceptual ambiguity surrounding the terms ‘consumer movements’ and ‘consumer activism’. It introduces three distinct categories of consumer movements: ‘activist consumer movements’, ‘prosumerist consumer movements’ and ‘actionist consumer movements’.This thesis explores consumer-driven market change by investigating the roles of both individual and collective actors within consumer movements, along with their modes and styles of institutional work. It contributes to the theoretical tradition of Consumer Culture Theory (Arnould & Thompson, 2005; Arnould et al., 2023), mobilises New Social Movement theory (e.g. Castells, 2012; Habermas, 1979; Melucci et al., 1989; Touraine, 1977, 1981), and applies the theoretical lens of institutional theory. The thesis addresses three key research questions. Firstly, it examines the roles individual actors play within collective action and whether individual consumers can act as institutional entrepreneurs. Secondly, it investigates the types of institutional work these actors engage in and the target groups they aim to reach. Thirdly, it explores how consumer movements and consumer activism can be differentiated. The research context is the zero-waste consumer movement. The multi-source qualitative study includes two years of netnographic immersion, multi-site participatory ethnographic fieldwork, and thirty-three depth interviews with a range of actors within the zero-waste consumer movement. These actors include founders and participants in thirteen different zero-waste associations across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, operating at local, national, and European levels, as well as social entrepreneurs, individuals within global corporations, local politicians, and municipal waste authorities. The findings contribute to consumer research by introducing of a multi-faceted perspective on resources to the literature on consumer movements. This includes employing a contemporary approach that interprets resources through Bourdieu’s (1986) forms of capital. The thesis also introduces the concept of ‘eco-cultural capital’, which is particularly relevant to the literature on sustainable consumer behaviour, as it is identified as crucial in addressing the attitude behaviour gap. Building on the differentiated perspective on resources adopted in this thesis, this research offers a typology of the roles individual actors assume in consumer movements. Additionally, this study conceptualises consumer-driven change as a process of transferring consumption practices and resources across various institutional orders. The thesis presents a model of the evolution of a consumer movement, conceptualising change through the transfer of practices and resources across different institutional orders and societal levels. This conceptualisation of change as interinstitutional contributes to the literature on consumer driven change. Furthermore, the thesis proposes a typology of consumer movements to resolve the conceptual ambiguity surrounding the terms ‘consumer movements’ and ‘consumer activism’. It introduces three distinct categories of consumer movements: ‘activist consumer movements’, ‘prosumerist consumer movements’ and ‘actionist consumer movements’

Exploratory investigation of region level risk factors of Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa

Background. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a highly infectious disease that has produced over 25,000 cases in the past 50 years. While many past outbreaks resulted in relatively few cases, the 2014 outbreak in West Africa was the most deadly occurrence of EVD to date, producing over 15,000 confirmed cases. Objective. In this study, we investigated population level predictors of EVD risk at the regional level in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Methods. Spatial and descriptive analyses were conducted to assess distribution of EVD cases. Choropleth maps showing the spatial distribution of EVD risk across the study area were generated in ArcGIS. Poisson and negative binomial models were then used to investigate population and regional predictors of EVD risk. Results. Results indicated that the risk of EVD was significantly lower in areas with higher proportions of: (a) the population living in urban areas, (b) households with a low quality or no toilets, and (c) married men working in blue collar jobs. However, risk of EVD was significantly higher in areas with high mean years of education. Conclusions. The identified significant predictors of high risk were associated with ar- eas with higher levels of urbanization. This may be due to higher population densities in the more urban centers and hence higher potential of infectious contact. However, there is need to better understand the role of urbanization and individual contact structure in an Ebola outbreak. We discuss shortcomings in available data and emphasize the need to consider spatial scale in future data collection and epidemiological studies

Emergency medical services transport delays for suspected stroke and myocardial infarction patients

Background Prehospital delays in receiving emergency care for suspected stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) patients have significant impacts on health outcomes. Use of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has been shown to reduce these delays. However, disparities in EMS transport delays are thought to exist. Therefore the objective of this study was to investigate and identify disparities in EMS transport times for suspected stroke and MI patients. Methods Over 3,900 records of suspected stroke and MI patients, reported during 2006–2009, were obtained from two EMS agencies (EMS 1 & EMS 2) in Tennessee. Summary statistics of transport time intervals were computed. Multivariable logistic models were used to identify predictors of time intervals exceeding EMS guidelines. Results Only 66 and 10 % of suspected stroke patients were taken to stroke centers by EMS 1 and 2, respectively. Most (80–83 %) emergency calls had response times within the recommended 10 min. However, over 1/3 of the calls had on-scene times exceeding the recommended 15 min. Predictors of time intervals exceeding EMS guidelines were EMS agency, patient age, season and whether or not patients were taken to a specialty center. The odds of total transport time exceeding EMS guidelines were significantly lower for patients not taken to specialty centers. Noteworthy was the 72 % lower odds of total time exceeding guidelines for stroke patients served by EMS 1 compared to those served by EMS 2. Additionally, for every decade increase in age of the patient, the odds of on-scene time exceeding guidelines increased by 15 and 19 % for stroke and MI patients, respectively. Conclusion In this study, prehospital delays, as measured by total transport time exceeding guideline was influenced by season, EMS agency responsible, patient age and whether or not the patient is transported to a specialty center. The magnitude of the delays associated with some of the factors are large enough to be clinically important although others, though statistically significant, may not be large enough to be clinically important. These findings should be useful for guiding future studies and local health initiatives that seek to reduce disparities in prehospital delays so as to improve health services and outcomes for stroke and MI patients

Memory and food intake in sheep: Effects of previous exposure to straw on intake and behaviour later in life

The ban on open-air burning of agricultural by-products by the European Union created disposal problems on many farms. Success was limited in attempts at feeding agricultural by-products like cereal straws to previously grazed livestock. This initial reluctance to accept unfamiliar feeds was also reported when livestock were fed whole-grain cereals in drought, or when grazed on new pastures and shrubs. It is suggested that previous exposure to feed might speed up the rate at which it is accepted, particularly if such experiences take place at pre-weaning. This study aimed at establishing the veracity of this assertion, and whether an early learning experience is carried over into adulthood. Two feeding trails were carried out with lambs not exposed (NE) to straw and those given access to straw at 12 weeks of age for either 10 (E-10) or 28 (E-28) days. At 24 weeks (Experiment 1), 10 lambs from each of the three treatment groups were tested, over 21 days, on their readiness to accept straw as feed. At 36 weeks (Experiment 2), another batch of lambs (from the E-28 and NE groups only) were similarly tested. For each, the lambs were penned individually (in view of lambs from their own treatment group) and also offered a concentrate supplement to meet daily nutrient requirements. In both experiments, intake of straw OM, N and DOM, as well as leaf to stem ratio in reject straw, were assessed for each penned lamb. Animal behaviour pattern was monitored once every 5 min, over an 8-h period, immediately after first confinement. Frequency of eating, idling, ruminating, or drinking were all found to be significantly greater (

Effect of different salinity levels in drinking water on growth of broiler chickens

During breaks in supply of treated water, farmers turn to surface and underground sources, such as wells and boreholes. Though seemingly wholesome, such water usually contains dissolved salts of various kinds that may affect productivity in poultry and other farm livestock. Fifteen 2-week-old, imported broiler hybrid chicks were fed a common ration, but offered drinking water from one of three sources, for 21 days, to investigate any effects of water quality on productivity. Three treatments (water source), each with five replicates (individually penned birds) were tested, in a completely randomised designed experiment. The treatments were (i) water from the tap (TAP), (ii) water from a borehole (BH1), and (iii) water from a second borehole (BH2). Birds were raised in battery cages, given water and fed ad libitum and weighed weekly. Water samples from the three sources were analyzed weekly for quality (i.e. conductivity, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and total dissolved solids). Mean water salinity level were 0.00, 0.07 and 3.80 per cent for TAP, BH1, and BH2, respectively. Water treatment had no significant effects (P>0.05) on feed intake (110.8, 95.3 and 106.1 g per bird per day), weight gain (45.0, 43.6 and 43.0 g per bird per day), feed conversion ratio (46.8, 50.0 and 47.2%), and final weight of birds after 21 days (1.33, 1.30 and 1.32 kg), for TAP, BH1, and BH2, respectively. However, water intake by birds was significantly (

At the Interstices of the (Post)-Colonial: Mapping Tradition and Transformation in Ghanaian Maritality from Marita to Changes

The idea of modern postcolonial Ghana as a complex polity forged at the interstices of colonial Encounter, and also one that has a tangible basis in millennia-old traditional African cultural values embedded in institutions that are subject to transformations over time has been argued or suggested by many scholars, prominent amongst whom are Angmor (1996), Anyidoho (2000), Larbi Korang (2009), and Konadu and Campbell (2016). On no other cultural institution have those critical lenses been more focused than the institution of marriage which, for obvious reasons, has tended to be seen as a critical cultural barometer that measures both societal health and the gendered power relations which delicately scaffold it. Not surprisingly, in the field of creative arts, successive generations of Ghanaian writers have attempted to investigate and represent the conjugal union as both the micro-site of the communal essence that ultimately enlarges itself into the nation-state, and also one whose gender-based relational compromises are constantly complicated by the interpellating external ideological forces of colonization, modernization, trans-nationalization and their suffocating necropolitical logic. Our article proposes to investigate the changing representations of marriage in Ghanaian prose fiction with emphasis on transformations in gender relations, and how these are in turn informed by transnationally motivated forces such as colonization, modernization and globalization. More specifically, we shall attempt to map paradigmatic shifts in gender relations within the institution of marriage as represented in two canonical and epoch-defining Ghanaian novels; namely, Marita and Changes while at the same time isolating what, if any, Ghanaian values have survived and can teased out as the enduring markers of gender relations in the institution of marriage, and therefore be counted as part of a blueprint for a future prolegomena of Ghanaian values