Poor Monitoring Research Articles

Recurrence of cholera epidemics in South Africa: inadequate sanitary facilities, poor environmental monitoring practices, and climate change as possible contributing factors

Cholera is an acute infectious disease caused by two toxin-producing strains, namely Vibrio cholerae O1, and Vibrio cholerae O139. Its recorded history stretches as far back as 1817, in Bengal, India, yet it continues to be a public health threat to this present day. Although cholera epidemics are now a relatively rare phenomenon in developed countries, frequent epidemics continue to be experienced in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa accounted for 63.33% of the 223 370 cases of and 4 159 deaths from cholera that were reported globally in 2020. Furthermore, of the 342 900 cholera cases and 3 304 cholera deaths reported globally in 2022, 40.28% of the cases and 77.85% of the deaths were in Africa. Inadequate sanitation infrastructure as well as inadequate provision of quality, safe drinking water in South Africa still creates conducive conditions for the transmission of cholera. In addition, climate change is increasingly becoming a risk factor towards the spread of V. cholerae pathogens in inland regions. To make recommendations on how South Africa, and potentially the Southern African region as a whole, can minimise the resurgence of cholera, this review addressed the following questions: Does South Africa have adequate sanitation infrastructure to curb the spread of cholera? Is there enough intentional surveillance of environmental water sources for vibrios as a cholera outbreak predictive tool? What is the impact of climate change on the resurgence of cholera in South Africa? And, what needs to be done to curb the resurgence of cholera in South Africa?

Nanoarchitectonics of Copper Sulfide Nanoplating for Improvement of Computed Tomography Efficacy of Bismuth Oxide Constructs towards Drugless Theranostics

Abstract Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has emerged as one of the dreadful metastatic tumors in women due to complexity, specificity, and high recurrence, resulting in poor therapeutic outcomes and requiring real-time monitoring for improved theranostics. Despite the success as efficient radiosensitizers and computed tomography (CT)-based contrast agents, bismuth (Bi)-based composites suffer from poor colloidal stability, dose-dependent toxicity, and pharmacokinetic shortcomings, leading to poor therapeutic monitoring. In addition, several small molecule-based therapeutics, including nanoparticle-based delivery systems, suffer from several limitations of poor therapeutic delivery and acquired multidrug resistance by cancer cells, depriving the therapeutic needs. To overcome this aspect, this study demonstrates the fabrication of drug-like/drugless nanoarchitectures based on copper sulfide-nanoplated bismuth oxide (Bi2O3@CuS, shortly BC) composites for improved theranostic efficacy against TNBC. These systematically characterized BC nanocomposites exhibited pH-/near-infrared (NIR, 808 nm) light-responsive degradability towards dual modal therapies. Due to the band transition of Cu species, the designed BC composites displayed exceptional photothermal (PTT) conversion efficiency towards localized PTT effects. In addition to pH-/NIR-responsiveness, the internally overexpressed glutathione (GSH)-responsiveness facilitated the release of Cu2+ species for chemodynamic therapy (CDT) effects. To this end, the Bi3+ species in the core could be fully hydrated in the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME), resulting in GSH depletion and reducing CDT-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance, thereby ablating tumors. The acid-responsive degradability of CuS resulted in the intratumoral enrichment of BC, demonstrating remarkable CT imaging efficacy in vivo. Together, these pH-/NIR-/GSH-responsive biodegradable BC composites could realize the integrated PTT/CDT/CT theranostics against breast carcinoma.

Translating Parenting Into Affiliative Reward in Early Adolescence: Sex Differences

Early adolescents internalize perceptions of parenting practices to derive affiliative rewards. However, gendered socialization may alter both exposure to different parenting practices and the internalization process itself, leading to differences in experienced affiliative reward. To test this hypothesis, we collected self-reported data from 1132 early adolescents, who completed the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire and the Network of Relationships Inventory. Relative to girls, boys reported: (1) similar levels of positive parenting and involvement, (2) higher levels of poor monitoring, inconsistent discipline and corporal punishment, and (3) lower levels of affiliative reward derived from relationships with mothers, fathers and best friends. The pathways from parenting practices to affiliative reward were similarly strong across groups, except for corporal punishment, which impacted boys more strongly. The findings suggest that the internalization process is similar for boys and girls, but boys’ exposure to more negative parenting impacts their bonds by altering the inputs of this process.

Investing in health workers: a retrospective cost analysis of a cohort of return-of-service bursary recipients in Southern Africa

BackgroundReturn-of-service (RoS) schemes are investment strategies that governments use to increase the pool of health professionals through the issuing of bursaries and scholarships to health sciences students in return for...

Earnings management, key audit matters and audit report readability

PurposeAccording to the management obfuscation hypothesis, managers have incentives to influence the audit reports’ communicative value. This study aims to examine the relationship between corporate earnings management and the readability of Chinese-text audit reports and the impact of key audit matter (KAM) disclosure requirements on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts Taiwanese firms from 2010 to 2019 to investigate the association between earnings management and readability of Chinese-text audit reports within the framework of the KAM disclosure requirements implemented in 2016.FindingsThe findings show that auditors tend to issue less readable audit reports to firms undertaking earnings management, particularly after introducing KAM disclosures. Additional analyses indicate that such adverse impacts of client earnings management on audit report readability have become more pronounced for firms audited by a newly pointed or long-tenure lead audit partner, with high business risk, poor monitoring of governance mechanisms or a large amount of nonaudit services. These results suggest that auditor partners may compromise auditor independence and use flexible narratives in audit reports as a form of moral insurance.Practical implicationsAs auditors may manage audit report readability to reduce audit liability, authorities must formulate policies concerning audit report disclosure to strengthen its communicative value and simplify language usage. Additionally, authorities should strengthen quality control standards concerning auditor independence to reduce auditor pressure from clients’ economic importance.Originality/valueThis study provides valuable insights into auditors' responses to corporate earnings management behavior, particularly regarding the interplay between earnings management, audit report quality and regulatory changes, thus expanding our understanding of the dynamics within the auditing profession.

Migration of an intrauterine contraceptive device into the bladder complicated by stone formation an exceptional complication: case report and literature review

BackgroundWe report a rare and unusual case of intravesical migration of an intrauterine device with stone formation. The intrauterine device (IUD) is the most common method of reversible contraception in women. However, its insertion is not without risk, it can cause early or late complications. IUD can perforate the uterus wall and migrate into adjacent structures.Case presentationA 35 year-old female 5 gravid, 4 para has been benefited from intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) 5 years ago, she was presented to gynecological consultation for chronic pelvic pain with urinary symptoms. There was history of a good IUD insertion 5 years ago, considered expelled after one month of its pose. Physical examination was normal, but a pelvic ultrasound and a plain abdominal radiography allowed the detection of an IUD outside the uterine cavity, but inside bladder. A diagnostic and therapeutic cystoscopy was performed, and the IUD with calculus was successfully removed. There were no postoperative complications.ConclusionThis case is reported to highlight and to reiterate the need to think about one of the rare complication of IUD insertion, which every practitioner must know, it’s the transuterovesical migration, before concluding wrongly to its expulsion. It’s a consequence of, non-compliance with the rules for inserting an IUD and poor monitoring. The evolution towards calcification is a certain consequence; its screening involves rigorous clinical monitoring.

Arterial catheter outcomes in intensive care: An analysis of 1117 patients

BackgroundAccess to arterial circulation through arterial catheters (ACs) is crucial for monitoring and decision-making in intensive care units (ICU) but carries the risk of complications including bloodstream infection (BSI). MethodsWe conducted a secondary analysis of data from four randomised controlled trials in Australian ICUs, investigating the efficacy of different AC interventions. De-identified data were combined into a single dataset, and per-patient outcomes analysed. The primary outcome was AC-BSI, defined as laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (LCBI) type 1 or 2, with a concurrent local infection. All-cause AC failure was defined as any unplanned removal. AC infection and failure were reported as rates per 1000 catheter days and hours. ResultsData from 1117 adult patients were analysed. Mean age was 58.8 years (±16.6); and 41% (n = 462) were male. Median AC dwell time was 110 h (IQR 28.3–168.0). There was one case (<0.1%; 0.18/1000 catheter days [95% CI 0.03–1.29]) of AC-BSI, and 14 cases of LCBI (1%; 13 LCBI-1 and 1 LCBI-2; 2.54/1000 catheter days [95% CI 1.51–4.30]). LCBI were most commonly Enterococcus faecalis; Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. There were four cases of local infection (<1%; 0.73/1000 catheter days [95% CI 0.27–1.94]). Overall AC failure rate was 13% (n = 146) or 26.53/1000 catheter days (95% CI 22.56–31.20). ConclusionThis study identified a relatively low incidence of complications. This is likely reflective of poor monitoring of ACs in intensive care. Better surveillance and a rigorous prospective evaluation of AC outcomes is required to understand the true risk ACs pose to critically ill patients.

Contractual Origins of Anti-Americanism: Pew 2013 Results

Economic Norms Theory (ENT) implies that anti-modernist and anti-market values flourish in countries where the central authority poorly monitors contracts that bind economic transactions. Decades of research show that ENT astutely predicts civil war and interstate war incidents, as well as people’s support for war, and suicide bombing in defense of Islam. This paper investigates the association between contract enforcement and anti-Americanism, which is the ENT’s core, yet is a statistically under-evaluated implication. Accordingly, in countries with poor economic contract monitoring, power-contending elites can attribute the resultant loss of prosperity to the USA and relatedly spread anti- American values among citizens. It is the urban poor who are cognitively most available to adopt such elite-driven anti-Americanism since they tend to be hurt most socially and economically by unfulfilled market contracts. To investigate this argument, I statistically estimate random intercept models on a sample of Pew Global Attitudes Project’s 2013 survey results. I observe that a three-way interaction among individuals’ urbanity, poverty, and their nations’ poor contract enforcement indicators increase anti-Americanism.

The disclosure perspective of firm‐specific political risk measure from conference calls

AbstractHassan et al. (2019) quantified firm‐specific political risk during corporate conference calls. We argue that this metric captures voluntary risk disclosure by firms rather than just their level of political risk. Studying the impact of political risk disclosure (PRD) on stock price crash risk (SPCR) allows us to test how well their score captures firm‐specific risk or disclosure. Consistent with our disclosure perspective, we document that PRD significantly reduces SPCR. Our cross‐sectional analyses further indicate that the negative effect of PRD on SPCR is more pronounced for firms with poor monitoring and governance and those with more opaque information environments.

Federal judge ideology, securities class action litigation, and stock price crash risk

AbstractThis study investigates whether and how federal judge ideology affects firm‐specific stock price crash risk. Using a comprehensive sample of US firms, we find a decline in the likelihood of future stock price crashes for firms headquartered in more liberal circuits. In identifying potential mechanisms, we show that liberal judge ideology reduces information opacity, risk‐taking behaviours and overinvestment, and thus curbs stock price crash risk. Furthermore, the curbing effect is more salient for firms with poor monitoring quality and those in low social capital areas. Overall, this study elucidates how federal judge ideology affects capital markets.

SDG 6 progress analyses in sub-Saharan Africa from 2015–2020: the need for urgent action

This study used data from various international databases to track the progress of SDG 6 target indicators in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region between 2015 and 2020. Findings showed that although minimal positive progress was realized in the evaluation period, more than half of SSA residents had no access to safe drinking water services, improved sanitation facilities, hygiene services and safe wastewater treatment. The computed SDG 6 profile index conformed with the trend of indicators as progress of the region to the goal’s realization was rated as medium–low. The trend was further compounded by limited data, preferential access to water and sanitation services to the urban rich and poor monitoring of progress. The analysis also noted that despite these challenges the region was putting concerted efforts to promote transboundary cooperation in water management and had 6% of water stressed resources. The study recommended on the need to revamp water data collection and monitoring efforts to enable decision-making and planning on management actions, use of technology to treat and reuse wastewater as well as device new sources of water, enhanced participation of communities in water projects and improved water use efficiency to steer progress towards SDG 6 realization in SSA region.

A blockchain‐based resilient and secure framework for events monitoring and control in distributed renewable energy systems

AbstractThe rapid and green energy transition is essential to deal with the fast‐growing energy needs in both public and industrial sectors. This has paved the way to integrate distributed renewable energy resources () such as solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal into the power grid (). Wind and solar are free, zero‐carbon emission, and everlasting power sources that contribute 5% and 7% of global electricity generation, respectively. Therefore, the fast, secure, and reliable integration of these green is critical to achieve the instant energy demands. Smart grid due to inherited characteristics such as intelligent sensing, computing, and communication technologies can effectively integrate the . However, the existing smart grid communication architecture faces various cyberattacks, resulting in poor integration, monitoring, and control of . In this respect, blockchain technology can provide fast, secure, and efficient end‐to‐end communication between in the smart grid. In this study, the authors propose a blockchain‐based resilient and secure scheme called for wireless sensor networks ‐based events monitoring and control in . Experimental studies and performance analyses are carried out to predict the efficiency of the proposed scheme by considering numerous standard metrics. The extensive numerical results demonstrated that the proposed scheme is significant in terms of secure, resilient, and reliable information transmission for in .

Exploring the Unique and Interactive Effects Between Callous-Unemotional and Autistic Traits with Parental Practices, Care, and Distress in a Community Sample.

Parental practices and stress are associated with both CU and autistic traits, with parents of children with these traits facing challenges that other parents do not encounter. However, the majority of available studies focused mainly on the unique effects of CU and autistic traits with parental stress and practices without exploring their interaction. The current study examines the distinct associations and interactions between CU and autistic traits with parental practices (parental involvement, poor monitoring, inconsistent discipline, and corporal punishment), care, and distress after considering the effect of conduct problems (CPs), age and sex in a Greek-Cypriot sample (N = 146, Mage = 7.30, SD = 1.43). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that children with CU traits were more likely to experience negative parenting, while parents showed heightened levels of distress. Notably, the study found no association between CU traits and positive parental practices. Further analysis indicated no significant relation between autistic traits and interactions with the target variables, signifying that these traits are not associated with difficulties in parenting and distress. No sex differences were found in all analyses. Age was negatively significant only in relation to parental distress These findings provide valuable insights into the impact of CU traits and underscore the need for additional studies investigating the impact of autistic traits, possibly within clinical samples.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Municipal Planning and Management: A Pathway to Improve South African Service Delivery

In the years after 1994, the democratic government of South Africa worked to transfer and extend basic service provision to practically all sections of the country. The delivery of public services continues to be an embarrassment to humanity and the developmental state. Without proper basic services such as water, sanitation, power, infrastructure, health facilities, and housing, a large section of South Africa’s people would continue to live and die. As a result, society remains disenfranchized and exposed to socioeconomic shocks, contributing to the economy's decline and destruction. To support successful service delivery, the integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a shift from human-led operations to computerized operations is now recognized and required in municipal planning and management. The central purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of applying GIS as a crucial planning tool infused within integrated development planning in municipal planning and management. The current state of service delivery in existing municipal planning and management procedures, as well as the factors that influence it and the effect it has on society, will be examined. This conceptual study employs secondary data and follows a certain methodology. Using the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) methodology, secondary data were examined. The results demonstrate that political influence and manipulation, a lack of openness and accountability, insufficient citizen participation, a lack of personnel capability, and poor planning, monitoring, and evaluation contribute to poor public service delivery in South Africa. Furthermore, the findings indicate that GIS functions as a tool for visualization and collation of spatial information, map production, and data capturing and storage in local municipalities with the aim of enhancing public service delivery.

Optimizing Greenhouse Design with Miniature Models and IoT (Internet of Things) Technology-A Real-Time Monitoring Approach.

The market for smart greenhouses has been valued at USD 1.77 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to 3.39 billion by 2030. In order to make this more efficient, with the help of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, it is desired to eliminate the problem of traditional agriculture, which has poor monitoring and accuracy control of the parameters of a culture. Climate control decisions in a greenhouse are made based on parameter monitoring systems, which can be remotely controlled. Instead of this adjustment of the measured parameters, it would be preferable from the point of view of energy consumption that they should be calculated at optimal values from the design phase of the greenhouse. For this reason, it would be better to perform an energy simulation of the greenhouse first. For the study carried out in this work, a small greenhouse (mini-greenhouse) was built. It was equipped with an IoT sensor system, which measured indoor climate parameters and could send data to the cloud for future recording and processing. A simplified mathematical model of the heat balance was established, and the measured internal parameters of the mini-greenhouse were compared with those obtained from the simulation. After validating the mathematical model of the mini-greenhouse, this paper aimed to find the optimal position for placing a normal-sized greenhouse. For this, several possible locations and orientations of the greenhouse were compared by running the mathematical model, with which the most unfavorable positions could be eliminated. Then, some considerably cheaper "mini-greenhouses" were made and placed in the locations with the desired orientations. Using sensor systems and technologies similar to those presented in this work, the parameters from all mini-greenhouses can be monitored in real time. This real-time monitoring allows for the simultaneous analysis of all greenhouses, without the disadvantages of data collection directly in the field, with all data being recorded in the cloud and other IoT-specific advantages being made use of. In the end, we can choose the optimal solution for the location of a real-size greenhouse.

Evaluation of the Impact of a Pharmacist-Conducted Hypertension Clinic.

Hypertension can lead to cardiovascular and other health complications. Many hypertensive patients in the community may receive poor care and monitoring due to financial and other concerns. Pharmacists could support patients in improving their health outcomes. This research aims to assess the impact of pharmacist-led hypertensive clinics in a community pharmacy setting. The study was an interventional exploratory design in a community pharmacy in Dubai, UAE. All eligible patients who consented were enrolled in the study, making it a population-based study. Patients' blood pressure (BP) was measured before starting the intervention and measured monthly for a minimum of 6 months of care. Measuring BP, physician referral for management of hypertension, lifestyle, diet, and medication counseling were the interventions provided by the researcher on a case-to-case basis as needed in each patient encounter. Toward the end of the study, a patient satisfaction survey was conducted. The survey form showed internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha = 0.895. About 30 patients were provided pharmacy services by a pharmacist for 613 months. All patients'' BP were monitored monthly. Patients showed reductions in their systolic and diastolic BP levels with the continued care of the pharmacist. (The mean systolic BP significantly decreased from 155 mmHg (standard deviation (SD) = 14.4, median = 151) at baseline to 128 mmHg (SD = 3.1, median = 129) with a P = 0.001. The mean diastolic BP showed a decrease from 95 mmHg (SD = 8.4, Median = 93) at baseline to 82 mmHg (SD = 1.2, Median = 81) with a P = 0.17. The participants showed a high level of patient satisfaction. Some were willing to pay for the pharmacist's professional service. In conclusion, the study has shown the impact of pharmacist-led antihypertensive clinics in systolic BP control and achieving high patient satisfaction. The study generated insights into participant cooperation with pharmacist services and needs. More research on different outcomes is planned for future studies, including systematic pharmacotherapy work-up, patient medication adherence, and other clinical outcomes in the study population.

Groundwater governance and a snapshot of associated issues in selected coastal communities in Ghana

Groundwater is an important freshwater resource worldwide, particularly in coastal communities where it is scarce and often ignored. In Ghana, there is increasing dependence on groundwater, yet assessment of groundwater governance is rare. This study assessed the status of groundwater governance and identified existing gaps in Ghana. Groundwater-associated issues in four coastal communities (Essiama, Winneba, Korle Lagoon catchment area of Accra, and Keta) were assessed. Review of policy documents and expert-based assessment were employed to assess groundwater governance status and gaps while field observations, focus group discussions with community leaders, risk-priority matrix, and Nemerow's pollution index were employed to obtain a snapshot of local conditions that impact groundwater at the community level. Review of policy documents and expert-based assessment of groundwater governance capacity revealed that technical capacity, cross-sector policy coordination, and operational capacity were incipient, while legal and institutional capacity was acceptable. Overall, groundwater governance capacity in Ghana was shown to be incipient. Major gaps identified were (i) inadequate enforcement of groundwater policies, (ii) poor monitoring, (iii) poor technical and operational capacity, (iv) low cooperation within the water sector and across other sectors, and (v) poor public participation in water governance. The study revealed groundwater as an important resource in the studied coastal communities, where accessing potable water comes with some difficulties. Knowledge of groundwater policies was low, while there was no groundwater monitoring network in the communities. Furthermore, poor microbiological and chemical status of groundwater was observed. These findings suggest a need to build capacity in groundwater governance and to ensure robust public education on groundwater governance in Ghana.

Pension Management Challenges and Retirement Life Experiences: A Policy Implication

Remarking on the discourse of pension management in Nigeria, scarce research attention can be traced to the understanding of pension management challenges and life after retirement experience through the prism of policy implication. To address this gap, the study assesses the pattern of pensioners’ life after retirement, the arrays of pension management challenges, and appropriate policy implications for effective pension management. A mixed-method research approach was employed. 345 retirees were randomly recruited and administered a questionnaire, and 18 purposively semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Federal Parastatals and Private Sector Pensioners Association of Nigeria. Quantitative data were analyzed with the frequency distribution and the Q-Q plot to determine the normal probability plot, while the NVivo (12) qualitative software was used for the identification of themes and sub-themes from the transcribed data. Findings revealed prolonged health challenges, poverty, and abrupt pension payment as life after retirement experiences. Verification bottleneck, poor monitoring and evaluation efforts, and administrative incompetency were issues around pension management challenges. The implication includes addressing political interference in pension management and administration, safeguarding retirees’ savings through legal commitment, and a call for employers’ contributions. The study recommends that the National Pension Commission become more responsive in its role of providing quality pension service, especially in terms of quality leadership, monitoring, and evaluation of Pension Fund Administrators.

Nurturing Development Administration in South African Local Government

This paper aims to unpack the relationship between the development administration and local government in fostering socio-economic development. the paper argues that the effective implementation of the development administration sufficiently contributes to local government productivity in delivering government development-oriented services and programs. Development administration includes strengthening administrative capabilities. Development administration covers a wide range of techniques used by large organizations, most notably the government to implement plans and policies that are meant to assist them in achieving their developmental objectives. The main goal of development administration is to create a better social, political, and economic environment. The local government plays a crucial role in Africa's economic development trajectory. the paper is conceptual in nature as relies heavily on secondary data and existing literature to address the answer to the inherent argument. from the literature, authors derived findings such as a lack of adequate political capability and politicization of development, corruption, lack of accountability, low priority of quality assurance, poor monitoring, and evaluation of socioeconomic policies, excessive political control, poor capacity development, nepotism, lack of community participation, resources constraints, inter alia. the study recommends that further research should be conducted in all municipalities within South Africa to detect the problem associated with development administration for effective enhancement of socio-economic development as well as reinforcing and easing the sustainable development in local government. since public administration is regarded as a social science discipline the study contributes to the field of public administration and development as it deals with assessing and resolving the social, political, and economic problems that affect day to day life of communities. Development administration also contributes to the National Development Plan as it enhances the social, political, and economic arena. the study can also influence public officials to be equipped with more skills to meet the socio-economic needs of the communities.

Friendly boards and capital allocation efficiency

AbstractThis study examines the effect of friendly boards on capital allocation efficiency. We provide evidence that firms with friendly boards have a positive and statistically significant effect on capital allocation inefficiency. We find our results robust to different measures of friendly boards and capital allocation inefficiency, alternative model specifications, omitted variable bias, self‐selection bias and other endogeneity concerns. We also show that the positive association between friendly boards and capital allocation inefficiency is lower in firms with high external corporate governance quality but higher in firms with high financial constraints. The findings imply that poor board monitoring and high agency conflicts in firms with friendly boards lead to high capital allocation inefficiency.