Descriptive Table Research Articles

Exploring the Use of White Lies in Patient Care Process by Triangulation Method

Introduction: Being in a situation to use white lie is a challenging experience for healthcare providers. Recognizing the situations that facilitate white lies and providing solutions to them are effective in providing patients with the truth about their treatment and reducing white lies. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of patients’ families, nurses, and physicians in using white lies during care process. Methods: This study, with a triangulation approach, was conducted in 2018 at the hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected in two qualitative and quantitative phases from three sources including patients’ families, nurses, and physicians. In the quantitative phase, 300 samples were selected by random sampling to complete a researcher-made questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and frequency tables were used to analyze the quantitative data. In the qualitative phase, 30 individuals from above-mentioned sources were selected by purposive sampling to participate in the face-to-face and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis in qualitative phase was done by Graneheim and Lundman’s conventional content analysis. In the final step, quantitative and qualitative data were compared and interpreted. Results: The findings of qualitative phase were summarized in four categories (inappropriate situation, patient expediency, surrounding frameworks, and communication bridges) and eight subcategories. In the quantitative phase, the highest score was related to the category of patient expediency. It was also found that the findings of qualitative and quantitative phases were consistent and complementary to each other. Conclusion: According to the findings, the use of white lies was for patient’s benefit and to create an appropriate situation for telling the truth. In this regard, providing appropriate guidelines in accordance with the culture, therapeutic goal, and understanding of patients can enhance caregivers’ skills in rendering information to patient. The findings of this study can be used as a guide in other qualitative and quantitative researches regarding the use of white lie in patient care and its consequences.

Impact of Land Administration on Private Housing Delivery in Lagos, Nigeria

Previous studies on impact of land administration on housing delivery had only examined impact of some of the functions of land administration on housing delivery and not impact of the four functions of land administration on housing delivery. This study filed this gap by examining the impact of the four functions of land administration on private housing delivery in Lagos, Nigeria. The study population is members of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN). The population size is 1400 and systematic random sampling technique was employed to have a sample size of 140. 120 questionnaires were retrieved and reliable for analysis. Data gathered were analyzed through descriptive statistics, tables, mean and multiple regressions. Findings from the study revealed that reduction in quantity produced is the most prominent impact of land tenure, delay in time of housing delivery is the impact of land use and land development and change in location of property is the most prominent impact of land taxation. Also, the most prominent problem of land administration is lack of computerized land administration system. The study established that land administration has significant impact on private housing delivery. It was recommended that bureaucracy that surrounds land administration should be reduced in order to reduce associated time and cost. Also, the land administration system should be computerized for easy land administration services.Keywords: Land, Land administration, Housing, Housing Delivery, Lagos

Accuracy assessment of dynamic computer-aided implant placement: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To assess the accuracy of dynamic computer-aided implant surgery (dCAIS) systems when used to place dental implants and to compare its accuracy with static computer-aided implant surgery (sCAIS) systems and freehand implant placement. An electronic search was made to identify all relevant studies reporting on the accuracy of dCAIS systems for dental implant placement. The following PICO question was developed: "In patients or artificial models, is dental implant placement accuracy higher when dCAIS systems are used in comparison with sCAIS systems or with freehand placement? The main outcome variable was angular deviation between the central axes of the planned and final position of the implant. The data were extracted in descriptive tables, and a meta-analysis of single means was performed in order to estimate the deviations for each variable using a random-effects model. Out of 904 potential articles, the 24 selected assessed 9 different dynamic navigation systems. The mean angular and entry 3D global deviations for clinical studies were 3.68° (95% CI: 3.61 to 3.74; I2 = 99.4%) and 1.03 mm (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.04; I2 = 82.4%), respectively. Lower deviation values were reported in in vitro studies (mean angular deviation of 2.01° (95% CI: 1.95 to 2.07; I2 = 99.1%) and mean entry 3D global deviation of 0.46 mm (95% CI: 0.44 to 0.48 ; I2 = 98.5%). No significant differences were found between the different dCAIS systems. These systems were significantly more accurate than sCAIS systems (mean difference (MD): -0.86°; 95% CI: -1.35 to -0.36) and freehand implant placement (MD: -4.33°; 95% CI: -5.40 to -3.25). dCAIS systems allow highly accurate implant placement with a mean angular of less than 4°. However, a 2-mm safety margin should be applied, since deviations of more than 1 mm were observed. dCAIS systems increase the implant placement accuracy when compared with freehand implant placement and also seem to slightly decrease the angular deviation in comparison with sCAIS systems. The use of dCAIS could reduce the rate of complications since it allows a highly accurate implant placement.

Liver resection profile in Prof. dr. R.D. Kandou General Hospital: 1-year experience

Background: The role of liver surgery is increasing for primary and secondary liver tumors. One of the most feared complications of liver surgery is Post-Hepatectomy Liver Failure (PHLF). The authors would like to present their experience in a year for liver surgery with morbidity and mortality, including PHLF as evaluation parameters.Methods: This is a prospective study from July 2019-2020 in a single-center, in which patients with pre-existing liver pathology were assigned to receive liver resection. Types and duration of liver resection, duration of Pringle maneuver, and blood loss were measured. PHLF was evaluated using the ISGLS classification, and morbidity was evaluated using Clavien-Dindo and FABIB classification. The energy device used varies from the harmonic scalpel, ligature, and Thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL). Data were processed descriptively with IBM SPSS 25 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). Data are presented in descriptive frequency tables as medians and means.Results: A total of 17 procedures were performed, including minor hepatectomies (58.82 %) and major hepatectomies (41.18%). The mean duration of operation 5.3 hours, the duration of parenchymal transection 91.5 minutes, and the estimated blood loss 1638.2 cc. Vascular occlusion method using Pringle maneuver with mean duration of 31.67 minutes. PHLF incidence found were grade B (5.88 %) and grade C (11.7%), while morbidities by Clavien-Dindo mostly are grade 2 (38.2%) and FABIB classification mostly are Bleeding (45%). The mean postoperative ICU is 3.06days, and the mortality rate is as high as 23.52%.Conclusion: Liver resection in our center is quite fair judging from the low incidence of PHLF, although the mortality rate is at 23.52%. Due to that, surgical technique and teamwork between units involved need to be improved even further.

Epilepsy treatment outcomes in the referral hospitals of northeast Ethiopia

BackgroundGlobally, more than half of the epileptic patients have uncontrolled seizures despite treatment with the appropriate antiepileptic drugs. However, the problem has been remained under-reported especially in developing countries. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the treatment outcomes of epileptic patients in the referral hospitals of the Amhara region. MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 epileptic patients in the referral hospitals of Amhara region. The study participants were selected by a systematic random sampling method using the patient registration logbook as a sampling frame. An interviewer-administered questionnaire and abstraction checklist were used to collect data. The data was entered into Epi-Data software version 3.1 and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science) version 24.0. The Descriptive statistics were done and presented using the descriptive summaries and frequency tables. Bivariate and Multivariate Binary Logistic Regression Models with a Backward Elimination Method were done to identify the factors associated with the treatment outcome of epilepsy. The odds ratio with a 95 % confidence interval was used to determine the significance level of association. ResultIn this study, the magnitude of uncontrolled seizure was 44 % (95 % CI: 39%–48.6%). Being male [AOR = 0.39: 95 % CI 0.25,0.62], high medication necessity beliefs [AOR = 0.34: 95 %CI 0.2,0.57], positive medication beliefs [AOR = 0.23: 95 % CI: 0.13−0.4], and good medication adherence [AOR = 0.21: 95 % CI: 0.1−0.46] were the preventive factors of uncontrolled seizure. In contrast, the presence of co-morbidities [AOR = 2.22, 95 %CI:1.38−3.57] and poor social support [AOR = 1.7: 95 %CI:1.07−2.69] were a risk factors of uncontrolled seizures. ConclusionUncontrolled seizure was found to be higher than the expected seizure frequency, which is preferably zero after one year of treatment. The clinical and treatment related factors were the factors associated with uncontrolled seizure. Emphasis should be given to the treatment strategies of epileptic patients. The health extension packages should integrate community-based counseling to enhance social support and early detection of comorbidities, increase medication adherence, and medication belief among epileptic patients.

Were springline carbonates in the Kurkur–Dungul area (southern Egypt) deposited during glacial periods?

The tufa deposits in the Kurkur–Dungul area, southern Egypt, date from marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 to MIS 1. Springs across the region were active during glacial periods (with sea-level below –50 m), reflecting changed atmospheric circulation over the Indian Ocean, as well as peak interglacial periods. During times of low sea-level, reduced Indonesian throughflow promoted formation of an Indian Ocean Warm Pool, and anomalous rainfall on its western margin. We suggest that Egypt lies at the intersection of westerly (‘maghrebian’) and easterly (‘mashriqian’) rainfall provinces, which show different timing with relation to orbital forcing and different source water regions. Tufa-growth periods are therefore not mechanistically linked to ‘humid periods’ or ‘sapropel events’ identified elsewhere. Stable isotope and T (Δ 47 ) data are also inconsistent with these spring systems being part of a larger system spanning northern Africa, and lack a clear interaction between northern hemisphere heating and mid-latitude rainfall. We also follow previous researchers in concluding that formation of springline deposit formation was probably delayed compared with rainfall, owing to aquifer flow distances. This delay is unlikely to be sufficient to explain why rainfall is out of phase with movements of the monsoon belts, but may complicate interpretation of these records. Supplementary material: A lithofacies description and supplementary figures and tables are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5246661

Analysisian Analysis of the Impact of SME Financing on Economic Growth in Zimbabwe (2015-2019)

Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) are important for successful economic growth and social development. There is a global increasing recognition of the importance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in terms of supporting overall economic growth and development. The primary purpose of the study was to assess the contribution of SMEs financing towards economic growth for Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study investigated the impact of SMEs financing on GDP growth, Job Creation, Poverty Datum Line, and Revenue Generation. The study focused on the classical and the modern theories mainly the Neoclassical Growth Theory, Finance-Growth Theory, Lending theory, Signaling theory, the pecking order theory and the Access to finance Theory of Change. This study adopted the positivism research paradigm and an explanatory correlational study design since it helped the researcher to comprehend and describe how SME Financing drives economic growth. In this study all registered SMEs who received loans from all commercial banks in Zimbabwe since 2015 represented the entire target population. The SMEs sector was selected due to its importance in Zimbabwe achieving the economic pillar of Vision 2030. The data gathered was presented and analyzed in a way that enabled statistical inferences to be made. Statistical methods of presentation such as time series plots, descriptive statistic tables, Correlograms and Multiple Linear regression model were used to aid comparability and ensure meaningful interpretation. Tests were performed on sample data to ensure that required conditions were met before regression modelling. The model was fitted using Eviews 10 statistical data analysis package. In a correlational study, the researcher examined whether and to what degree a statistical relationship exists between SMEs financing and Economic Growth. This study employed Classical Linear Regression Model (CLRM) to ascertain the statistical relationship between SMEs financing and Economic Growth. To evaluate the appropriateness and validity of the model the study analyzed the properties of the statistical distribution of the residuals generated by the fitted model to check for autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity and normality. The overall significance of the model was also evaluated by inspecting the model’s coefficient of determination (R-squared) and the probability value for the F-statistic. The estimated models found SMEs financing to have a significant positive effect on Economic Growth with respect to GDP Growth and Revenue generation through Tax Formation. However, it was revealed that SMEs Financing has no significant effect on changes in the movement of the Poverty Datum Line. It was also revealed that SMEs financing has failed to stimulate job creation in Zimbabwe due to continued rise in unemployment levels coupled by closure of large corporates. Greater efforts should be made to make available, short, medium and long term loans to productive investments like SMEs as they constitute an integral part of the growth and transformation process of an agro-based economy like that of Zimbabwe. The central Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) should ensure that all the SMEs keeps appropriate records of what is required by banks for extension of their credits to individuals. More so, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe should strengthen its monetary policy tools in order to stabilize costs of doing business and lending cost. Future studies should therefore consider also investigating the impact of both private equity and public sector investment on economic growth in order to get an exhaustive picture on the implications of financing SMEs, Private Equity firms and publicly listed firms on economic development.

CardioNet: a manually curated database for artificial intelligence-based research on cardiovascular diseases

BackgroundCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are difficult to diagnose early and have risk factors that are easy to overlook. Early prediction and personalization of treatment through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) may help clinicians and patients manage CVDs more effectively. However, to apply AI approaches to CVDs data, it is necessary to establish and curate a specialized database based on electronic health records (EHRs) and include pre-processed unstructured data.MethodsTo build a suitable database (CardioNet) for CVDs that can utilize AI technology, contributing to the overall care of patients with CVDs. First, we collected the anonymized records of 748,474 patients who had visited the Asan Medical Center (AMC) or Ulsan University Hospital (UUH) because of CVDs. Second, we set clinically plausible criteria to remove errors and duplication. Third, we integrated unstructured data such as readings of medical examinations with structured data sourced from EHRs to create the CardioNet. We subsequently performed natural language processing to structuralize the significant variables associated with CVDs because most results of the principal CVD-related medical examinations are free-text readings. Additionally, to ensure interoperability for convergent multi-center research, we standardized the data using several codes that correspond to the common data model. Finally, we created the descriptive table (i.e., dictionary of the CardioNet) to simplify access and utilization of data for clinicians and engineers and continuously validated the data to ensure reliability.ResultsCardioNet is a comprehensive database that can serve as a training set for AI models and assist in all aspects of clinical management of CVDs. It comprises information extracted from EHRs and results of readings of CVD-related digital tests. It consists of 27 tables, a code-master table, and a descriptive table.ConclusionsCardioNet database specialized in CVDs was established, with continuing data collection. We are actively supporting multi-center research, which may require further data processing, depending on the subject of the study. CardioNet will serve as the fundamental database for future CVD-related research projects.

Restorative and Transformative Justice Responses to Sexual Violence

Background: #MeToo movement raised the profiles of restorative justice (RJ) and transformative justice (TJ) in the United States (US) as approaches to repairing harm resulting from sexual violence that center survivors’ needs and emphasize meaningful accountability for persons responsible for harm. This focus on RJ and TJ as viable approaches to sexual violence represents a departure from carceral interventions, which has dominated the US public discourse for decades. Given the shift, mapping the current state of knowledge is critical for practice, policy and research. This scoping review aims to map the available literature to provide an overview of RJ and TJ as responses to sexual violence.
 Methods/Design: The proposed scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joana Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews (Peters, Godfrey-Smith, & Mcinerney, 2017). The concept of interest is the use of RJ and TJ as responses to sexual violence. This scoping review will include both peer-reviewed and grey literature. We will employ a standardized extraction form and represent the data using a descriptive summary, charts and tables that align with the stated objectives.
 Discussion: Since the #MeToo movement emerged in 2017, public interest in RJ and TJ as meaningful responses to sexual violence has grown. This comprehensive scoping review will systematically organize the literature in order to understand the current landscape of evidence related to these approaches. Given the transformative potential of these interventions, past controversies, and current public interest in the approaches, understanding the current state of knowledge is critical for practice, policy and research.

Evaluation of Medical Advertising Provided by Pharmaceutical Companies in Printed Drug Advertising Material in Peru

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) published the Ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion in order to ensure marketing activities to be compatible with the truth search and the integrity that drug marketing and advertising must keep. Objective: To assess the medical advertising provided by the pharmaceutical companies in printed drug advertising material delivered to physicians working in Peruvian health establishments during 2014 and 2015. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study. Drug general data, bibliographical references and registered premises were evaluated, and graphics and descriptive tables were obtained. Results: 90 printed advertising materials were collected, of which 72 presented bibliographical references. The least registered item was ‘contraindications and dose’ (55.6%) and in the quality of the references, 21.3% of the premises had no research as basis, being 30.9% of level of evidence 4 and 5, and 33.2% were poorly referenced or did not exist. Of the 566 registered premises, 14.7% were not supported by any bibliography, and of the remaining premises, we found that 35.9% were controversial and / or deceptive and 51.4% were inaccurate. Conclusion: The printed drug advertising material delivered to physicians has inaccurate content, use low levels of evidence and grades of recommendation, with poor referencing quality. Furthermore, there are registered premises that are supported by non-existent references or with controversial or deceptive agreements. Keywords: Propaganda, Marketing of Health Services, Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (MeSH-NLM).

Классификация горных геосистем Приморского хребта (Приольхонье) и их картографирование

The western border of the Central Ecological Zone of Baikal runs along the watershed of the Primorskii range in physical and geographical terms, this ridge borders the west of the Baikal mountain-mountain taiga and basin province of the Baikal-Dzhugdzhur physical-geographical region. On the southeastern macroslope of the Primorskii ridge and the Priolkhon plateau, the effects of “rain shadow” and arid-hollow, contrasts of high-mountain and foothill effects are strongly pronounced. Since 2015 to 2016, the influence of the pyrogenic factor has significantly increased. More than 20 fires were recorded in the central part of the ridge alone. On the Priolkhon plateau, this is supplemented by an increasing anthropogenic influence every year. The classification of the geosystems of the Primorskii range and their mapping based on the regional typological approach is the main goal of this study. The main tasks were: analysis of the regional background, identification of the main factors of differentiation, classification of facies and their groups of the study area, mapping of geosystems at the topological level (scales 1:50,000 and 1:100,000). To accomplish the tasks, integrated field research has been carried out since 2012, a database has been formed, including the initial basic cartographic data, remote sensing data, bases of descriptions and observations. The results of the research are: determination of criteria and data source for contours at different levels of cartographic representation, the sizes of areal sections are specified. Also compiled: basic landscape-typological maps and derived estimates. geosystems of the local level. A detailed assessment legend was formed (based on the georelational table of field descriptions and spatial data) with various characteristics of local topogeosystems, including seriality, geochemical type and subtype of facies, deviation from the background norm (factor-dynamic series). A variant of the estimated large-scale mapping is presented on a polygon with an area of 50 km2, where 95 areal contours related to 54 types of facies are identified, with an average area of 3.7 hectares.The complexity and diversity of local situations is analyzed, the affiliation of local geosystems with structures of regional dimension is established.

The impact of COVID-19 on the consumers’ behaviour: The case of Republic of Kosovo economy

The main aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal consumption expenditures (PCE) in the case of Kosovo. Labor factor has been considered as the holder of the economic activity, however, manpower, namely its broader term population is at the same time the user of the product and the services, i.e., the result of the economic activity (Škuflić & Šokčević, 2010) Taking into consideration that COVID-19 is harming the labor market and in economic activity in general, we also consider that this situation is affecting the personal consumption expenditures in case of Kosovo, domestic demand, supported by low-interest rates and strong employment growth, will remain the main driver of growth (OECD, 2018). To analyze the importance of personal consumption expenditure in the case of Kosovo during the COVID-19 pandemic we used secondary data from World Bank documents and primary data collected via an online questionnaire that was randomly distributed using social media with a sample of 233 respondents. The data analysis concludes descriptive statistics, frequency tables and charts, Pearson correlation, Cronbach’s alpha, and Chi-square test. To conduct the results, the SPSS program is used. The study concludes that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted personal consumption expenditures and shifted the consumption from luxury to essential products. The study also concludes that citizens will realize the pre-planned expenditures as soon as the anti-COVID-19 measures will be released.

What are the main factors associated with root caries?

Data sources Medline, EMBASE, PubMed and Scopus databases were used as the data sources for the systematic review. Articles published between 1 January 1990 to 31 October 2018 were included with no language restrictions. A manual search of the references lists of the selected studies and review articles was conducted.Study selection Two independent researchers identified observational studies that investigated at least one risk factor of root caries in the study population. Studies were only included if they demonstrated statistical analysis of data on root caries, had a sample size of >100 and were in vivo. A third researcher was consulted to achieve consensus if there was disagreement. Methodological quality was evaluated via the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional studies.Data extraction and synthesis Data was extracted and pooled into descriptive summary tables with study characteristics and results. Data on the presence and extent of root caries was recorded in addition to information on the relationship between the studied factors and root caries found in the unadjusted and adjusted data. Due to heterogeneity of key aspects among the included studies, meta-analysis was not conducted. Data were grouped under six categories - sociodemographic, general health behaviour, general health condition, fluoride exposure, oral health behaviour and oral health condition - and qualitatively analysed.Results Following screening of 984 articles, 62 were included in methodological quality assessment. Twenty-five were classified as moderate quality, 37 as low quality and 18 excluded. Of the 44 included articles which were qualitatively analysed, a higher association of dental caries was found in tobacco users and those with low socioeconomic status, gingival recession, poor oral hygiene and in older age groups.Conclusions Based on the present evidence, there are a number of factors associated with root caries. More high-quality observational analytical studies are needed in this field in future studies.

Age Related Changes in Physical Activity and Incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases in a Sample of Kuwaiti Adults

The incidence of major chronic Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) medically diagnosed or treated, was studies in a cross section of Kuwait adult population as well as their daily levels of physical activity (PA) as recalled by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ. A group of 1957 subjects 17 - 65 years of age, representative of the Kuwait population was selected using last year high school students and their relatives as well as government workers in each Kuwait governorate. Descriptive statistics, frequency tables, chi square and Fisher tests were used. ANOVA or Mann Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons. The percentage of subjects in the low categorical PA level (from IPAQ) is high (29.4%) even at a young age (17 - 24), similar in prevalence to overweight/obesity (30%). At age 45, obesity increases to 40% with little change in % subjects of low PA. Weighted average categorical PA was 1280 MET.min/week reflecting that the majority (40%) of subjects belonged to the moderate PA category. A high proportion (38%) of subjects in the 17 - 24 age category contributed to the observed level of PA activity. Incidence of overweight and obesity increased from 30 to more than 55% from the second to the sixth decade of life. Hyperlipidemias increased in incidence from 8% to 45% of the sample from the third to the sixth decades of age. Hypertension and diabetes increased from the 4th to the 6th decades of life to affect from 14% to 40% and from 10% to 36% of the studied population, respectively. Incidence of Heart Disease increased from 9% to 15% of the sample population, between the 5th and 6th decades of life. The data indicate a sequence of events, initiated by overweight and obesity as early as in the 2d decade of life, followed by hyperlipidemia in the 3d decade, diabetes and hypertension in the 4th, and heart disease in the 5th decade of life. Changes in incidence of low energy expenditure (low PA) were not associated with the observed changes in prevalence of obesity/overweight with age which are likely due to increments in energy intake in groups with insufficient PA. Changes in low PA incidence with age did not correlate with those in NCD. Interventions to minimize overweight and hyperlipidemia should be started in the second and third decades of life respectively. Increases in PA may potentiate the responses to these treatments.

Credit Risk Management Practices in Dashen Bank of Mettu Branch in Ethiopia

Credit Risk management becomes major discussion issues in the financial institutions because of uncertainty related to borrower’s business. The aim of this study is to assess credit risk management tools and technique that are being used in the bank and to what extent the current performance of the bank is supported by proper credit risk management policy, procedure and strategy. The study design is descriptive. The research applies for both qualitative and quantitative research method and both primary data (questionnaire) and secondary data were collected to meet the objective of the study. 15 out of 20 total population Purposive samples were involved at Branch office using census sampling method who works on credit to get reliable and valid information about the study subject. The data was analyzed using qualitative and descriptive statistics technique and frequency table. From the findings the study concludes that the bank has well organized credit policy that counter to credit risk they are exposed to and it also conclude that the bank has good credit granting practice and uses suitable credit risk assessment tools and techniques including loan follow-up, risk identification, measuring, evaluating, monitoring and controlling mechanism. However, the study also concluded that the bank has pitfalls such as absence of training for customers which results to loan diversion, absence of credit risk model that predict the risk level of the business and the priority sectors of the bank in terms of credit facility are highly exposed to credit risk which directly contribute to the increment of NPL. Thus, it is recommended that Dashen Bank S.C should develop independent risk management policy and procedure from credit policy and procedure to overcome those problems and to take measure on the spot.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Rural Population of Developing Country-A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is characterised by the clustering of central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia that predisposes patients to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). It is a representative group of conditions with systemic inflammation, which is a potential mechanism responsible for both Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and MetS. Aim: To detect incidence of MetS in COPD patients and its correlation with severity of COPD. Materials and Methods: The present study was an observational cross-sectional study which was conducted on 62 COPD patients in SS Hospital, BHU, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, from June 2015 to June 2017, diagnosed on basis of Global initiative for Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines. 62 age and sex matched control having no cardio-respiratory history were included. All relevant investigations were done for all selected subjects and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnoea grading was done in all the subjects. Standardised treatment modules were followed and spirometry and post-bronchodialater spirometry was performed 15-30 mins after inhalation of 400 mcg Salbutamol. Patients obstruction was classified according to the severity of airflow limitation based on post-bronchodilator Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) as follows: mild (≥80% predicted); moderate (80>FEV1 ≥50% predicted); severe (50%> FEV1 ≥30% predicted); very severe (<30% predicted). Complete work-up and data collection were analysed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 software, descriptive cross tables, univariate and multivariate analysis. Independent Student’s t-test was used to compare the means of cases and controls. The p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Total 62 patients along with age and sex matched 62 healthy control in 1:1 ratio have been taken in the study, majority were in age group of 50-70 years. On comparing the mean values of different parametres of MetS in COPD cases and controls, significantly raised triglyceride level and fasting blood sugar in COPD cases (p-value <0.001 and 0.005 respectively) were observed. MetS was present in 29 cases (46.8%) of COPD whereas in healthy control population only 19 people (30.6%) were positive for MetS. Total of 55.2% cases of COPD with MetS was in group D whereas 84.8% cases of COPD without MetS were in group B of GOLD staging. Statistically significant (p<0.001) higher incidence of acute exacerbation was observed in cases of COPD with MetS. Conclusion: MetS was more prevalent among the COPD patient in 50-70 years age group with mild to moderate airflow limitation. More waist circumference i.e., central obesity, impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidemia, increases the risk of cardiovascular complication in these patients. MetS is an important co-morbidity in patients of COPD which fasten the natural course of disease by increasing the frequency of acute exacerbation.

Structural and Legal Frameworks Guiding Multi-Agency Operations and Countering Terrorism in Kenya

Kenya has in the last decade been faced by a constant terror threat from al-Shabaab, ISIS and al Qaeda. This study sets out to assess the effects of structural and legal frameworks guiding multi-agency operations on countering terrorism in Kenya. The study questions were as follows: Are there existing or lack thereof of multi-agency strategic policies on coordination in response to international terrorism in Kenya? The study adopted mixed methods and exploratory research designs. The target population was all the members of the Kenya Defense Forces Special Operations Forces (KDF SoFs), the National Police Service (NPS) Recce squad, and ATPU Officers as well as policy level Military, Intelligence and Police Officers. The target population is estimated at 3400 personnel from which a sample of 97 was obtained. The used primary data collected from the respondents using mainly questionnaires and interviews as well as secondary data that was obtained from library-based research via books, e-books, journals, government publications, and published thesis, among other reputable academic publications. The data collected from questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. The findings were presented in descriptive statistics, tables, graphs, charts and inferential statistics. On its part, data from interviews were analyzed thematically based on the objectives so as to establish the key themes and trends from which findings, conclusions, and recommendations were drawn. The study findings make it manifest that the existence of structural and legal frameworks guiding multi-agency operations on countering terrorism in Kenya had led to effective response through standardizations of operation guidelines, better sharing of information, joint training and exchange of best practices among the various responders. This was evidenced in the Dusit D2 Attack in which synchronization of operations showed better response to the attack by the various operational and tactical teams as compared to the Westgate Attack. The study recommends that there is need for multinational frameworks for undertaking financing and creation of joint information infrastructure for security agencies so as to reign in on international terrorism in the East African Region.

An institutional approach to governance and corruption in Kosovo

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the activity of various state bodies which by implementing the law and bylaws protect the rule of law, democracy and human rights, honesty and social justice, and how these bodies are influenced by factors of various aspects of corruption, such as incompatibility between holding public office and carrying out profitable activities for officials, restrictions on the acceptance of gifts related to the performance of official duties, supervision of their assets and persons in close contact with them. Although corruption is widely and publicly discussed, the clearest definition is that corruption constitutes an abuse of office for private gain (The World Bank Group, 1997). To analyze this phenomenon, we will analyze the data published by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), the data published by the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office, the data published by the EU progress report on Kosovo, as well as the published data by the Courts. Data analysis concludes on descriptive statistics, tables, and graphs of criminal reports, processed cases, and court decisions. Given that, corruption is severely damaging the country, we believe that corruption is the main obstacle for Kosovo to move forward in the dialogue on visa liberalization and get a positive response regarding the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) (Transparency International, n.d.). The study concludes that corruption is widespread in the main institutions of the country and its high presence in the judiciary is a very worrying issue. This paper is of great importance for policymakers, officials, scholars as to the processing, publication, and sanctioning will enable this phenomenon that has become a new way of governing to be stopped and the state to be built for society and to belong to society (Bekim, 2017).

Descriptive Table of Contents

Functional Plant Biology is an international journal of plant function publishing high quality research papers in all areas of plant physiology, applied agricultural research and pure molecular biology

ANALISIS KELAYAKAN FINANSIAL INDUSTRI RUMAHTANGGA PANGAN (STUDI KASUS USAHA TAHU ALFARIA, KOTA KEFAMENANU)

This study aims to determine the financial feasibility analysis of the Alfaria Food home industry. This research was conducted in August - September 2020 at the Home Industry of Tofu Alfaria Jln. El-Tari km 7 Kefamenanu. This research uses qualitative data methods and quantitative data. Qualitative data is in the form of non-financial aspects in the form of descriptive descriptions, tables, charts, and pictures while quantitative data is used to determine the state of the tofu industry financially such as Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate Of Return (IRR), Payback Period (PP), B. / C Ratio, Break Event Point (BEP) and Return Of Investment (ROI). The results of this study indicate that Alfaria Tofu Business is a kind of home industry. The results of the financial feasibility analysis show that the NPV value is Rp. 1.462.032.734.59, which means the NPV value> 1, therefore this company deserves to be continued, the IRR value is 53.8% which means the interest rate obtained from the tofu business is> compared to the KUR interest rate of 6.0% so that this company deserves to be continued and the B / C Ratio value is 8.8 which means that every 1 rupiah of costs incurred can provide a profit of 8.0 rupiah and the Payback Period is 11.41 which means that within 11 months 12 days of initial capital used to invest has been returned. Meanwhile, the analysis of Return of Investment (ROI) is 79.52, which means that the ability to measure the company's overall activities in the company, the higher this ratio, the better the company. Thus the Alfaria tofu business industry can be developed because it provides potential benefits.