Statistical Package For Social Studies Research Articles

The association of embryo quality with the number of days of ovarian stimulation in women undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET cycle- a prospective observational study

Objective: An attempt was made to evaluate the impact of the length of ovarian stimulation on the embryo quality, with recommended strength of gonadotropin doses in women who underwent IVF/ICSI-ET cycles. Setting: Women, who underwent oocyte retrieval and fresh embryo transfer between August 2019 and November 2019, were evaluated. Design: Prospective observational study. Method: Women with primary and secondary infertility were recruited from the OPD. Ovarian stimulation was started with gonadotropins according to our center’s protocol (Antagonist protocol). Oocyte retrieval was performed approximately 36 hours after the hCG administration (trigger) followed by IVF/ICSI. Fertilization analysis was performed approximately 16 to 18 hours postinsemination. After fertilization, embryo scoring was carried out on the day of embryo transfer procedure. The primary outcome was the development of good quality embryos in relation to the days of ovarian stimulation. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) 21.0 software package (IBM Corporation, USA): Chi-square test for categorical variables, nonparametric Kruskal Wallis test, ANOVA test, and Pearson correlation for continuous variables were applied. These tests were applied as appropriate and statistically significant level calculated at P < 0.05. Results: The length of ovarian stimulation has little impact on the quality of embryo and pregnancy outcome. Conclusion: The length of ovarian stimulation has little impact on the quality of embryo and pregnancy outcome. Future studies on large number with proper randomization are invited to be conducted to confirm the finding of present study.

Preference of Fixed partial denture in aesthetic anterior vs functional posterior regions of patients

The fixed partial denture has been regarded as the standard of replacement of single or multiple missing teeth over the years. Esthetic and functional replacement of the missing anterior teeth plays a major role and is quite challenging. Most common cause of missing anterior teeth is due trauma. Failure to replace a missing posterior tooth may result in disruption of the occlusion and making it difficult to replace in the future as the adjacent tooth might tilt or extrusion of the opposing teeth may occur. This was a retrospective study which was performed in a university setting where the required data of patients treated for fixed partial denture patients in the department of prosthodontics at a private teaching hospital, Chennai from June 2019 to March 2020, was collected by reviewing patients records and the analysis of data of 86000 patients. The collected data was cross verified using photographs, reviewed by a reviewing expert and tabulated in Microsoft excel . The Sample size of the study included n=809 fixed partial dentures fabricated for 632 patients which included 343 male patients and 289 female patients with a mean age of 38.41土12.5. The number of fixed partial dentures fabricated in the anterior region n=391, posterior region n=418.The tabulated data was imported to SPSS software ( statistical package for social studies ) version 22.0 ( IBM corporation ) for statistical analysis . To minimize sampling bias, collection of data was done by simple random sampling methods within the university. There is high internal validity and low external validity. Incomplete , censored and repeated data were excluded from the study. Total number of patients involved in this study included 632 patients of which 343 male patients and 289 female patients with a mean age of 38.41土12.5. The total number of fixed partial dentures fabricated for 632 patients were n=809 of which 48.3% of the fixed partial dentures were fabricated for the anterior region while 51.7% were fabricated for the posterior region. Association between gender and age with site of fixed partial denture showed statistical significance with males commonly treated for anterior fixed partial denture and females mostly for posterior region, while with regard to age the fixed partial denture was mostly fabricated among the age group of 31 to 50 years old patients. From this study it can be observed that most of the patients were treated for fixed partial denture in the posterior region (n=418) than anterior region.

Lens induced glaucoma in a tertiary eye care centre in Western Nepal.

Lens induced glaucoma due to hypermature cataracts is an important cause of secondary glaucoma in the developing world. The most common etiology of lens induced glaucoma is phacomorphic glaucoma from untreated senile cataract. To study the demographics, clinical presentations and surgical outcome of lens induced glaucoma (LIG). It is the prospective case series of fifty three patients eyes with LIG over a 6 months period from June 2015 to November 2015. All cases of lens induced glaucoma underwent cataract surgery. Data including demographics, clinical presentations, surgical outcome were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Studies 20.0. The mean age was 61.5 years (Standard deviation 8.9) with predominantly women (30, 56.6%) were affected. Phacomorphic glaucoma (38, 71.7%) was the main cause of lens induced glaucoma, followed by phacolytic glaucoma (15, 28.3%). The main clinical symptoms were reduced vision (100%), eye pain (96.2%) and redness of eyes (62.3%). All patients (100%) presented with visual acuity of <3/60 or worse and intraocular pressure (IOP) more than 40 mm Hg (34, 64.2%). All 53(100%) patients underwent cataract surgery and all of them had tremendously reduced intraocular pressure with a mean 13.9 mmHg and vision had improved from >6/18 as noted in 16(30.2%) cases. The main clinical presentations of LIG are triad of acute reduced vision, eye pain and redness. The better final BCVA is found when there is an early presentation and less IOP at the time of presentation Public awareness, early detection and early intervention aids in good visual recovery and control of intraocular pressure in LIG.

HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS’ KNOWLEDGE TOWARDS MEDICATION USE IN BREASTFEEDING: AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY

Purpose: Most of postpartum women have to take at least one medication; so safety of medication needs to be considered when prescribing and dispensing the medication to them. In 2017, 11% of 815 questions received by Pharmacy Drug Information Services at seven clinics in Dungun were related to medication use in breastfeeding. Thus, this study was carried out to evaluate attitude of healthcare providers (HCPs) and to investigate the effect of knowledge about medication use in breastfeeding among HCPs; pre and post educational intervention. &nbsp;Method: An interventional study was conducted among medical officers, assistant medical officers, pharmacists and pharmacist assistants from seven clinics in district of Dungun, Malaysia. The questionnaires were distributed during pre and post-intervention period. The interventions in this study were continuous medical education (CME) and booklet regarding medication use for breastfeeding women. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Studies, (SPSS) and presented as frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Result: A total of 50 HCPs were enrolled in this study and over 20% of them advised mother to discontinue breastfeeding whenever she had to take any medication. The knowledge of HCPs about medication use in breastfeeding women was significantly improved (Z= -5.917, p&lt;0.001) after the educational intervention.&nbsp; Conclusion: CME and simplified booklet tend to have positive impact on the knowledge of HCPs regarding medication use in breastfeeding.

People Analytics and Performance of Deposit-Taking Micro Finance Institutions in Nyeri County, Kenya

People analytics is a data-driven approach to improving people-related decisions for advancing both individual and organizational success. While people have always been critical to the success of organizations, many business leaders still make key decisions about their workforce based on intuition, experience, advice, and guesswork. However, today leaders can improve their people decision-making based on the collection and systematic analysis of data. A closer look at the operations of many deposit taking micro-finance institutions reveals that they all face challenges related to human resources management. These firms invest in human development, only for the human capital to leave for greener pastures within a short period, impacting negatively and heavily on performance, survival and growth. It is therefore imperative that they undertake serious human resource evaluation, and people analytics can be a crucial tool for the success of this process. The aim of the study was thus to evaluate the effect of people analytics on the performance of Deposit Taking Micro Finance Institutions in Nyeri County, Kenya. The specific objectives guiding the study were: to determine the influence of technology adoption on the performance of deposit taking micro-finance institutions, effect of human resource data access on the performance of deposit taking micro-finance institutions, effect of data management capacity on the performance of deposit taking micro-finance institutions, and the effect of stewardship for people analytics on the performance of deposit taking micro-finance institutions in Nyeri County, Kenya. The study adopted the descriptive research design while targeting173 respondents comprising 8 human resource managers and 165 staff in the human resource department of 8 registered deposit taking micro-finance institutions in Nyeri County. Through stratified sampling method, all managers (8) and 30% (50) of the 165 staff comprised the sample size of 58 respondents. The selected respondents were considered key informants in the study area. Data was collected from primary sources using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Studies and excel computer software through descriptive (percentages, means, standard deviation), as well as inferential statistical methods (correlation and regression techniques). Tables and graphs were used for data presentation. Results showed that the micro finance institutions had established infrastructure for the application of technology. Descriptive and inferential analysis results indicated that technology adoption, human resource data access, data management and stewardship had a positive relationship with the performance of MFIs. Findings further indicated that out of the four independent variables, only three were significant: human resource data access, data management and stewardship. The study thus concluded that HR data access, data management and stewardship aspects of people analytics had significant effect on the performance of Microfinance Institutions. Technology adoption lowly affected people analytics and performance of micro finance institutions. To enhance data access and management, the study recommended that managers need to invest in new apps that are platforms for people analytics including cloud computing and artificial intelligence. They must also re-evaluate the techniques for human resource anaytics as well as capacity development in people analytics for managers and staff.

The influence of age and gender on mandibular indices in sample of Libyan population

Radiographic Mandibular Indices serve as easy and relatively cheap tools for evaluating bone mineralization.Objectives: To examine the effect of age and gender on three mandibular indices: the panoramic mandibular index (PMI), the mandibular ratio (MR) and the mandibular cortical index (MCI), among Libyan population.Methods: the three indices were measured on 317 digital (OPGs) of adult humans (155 males, 162 females). The sample was divided into six age groups (from 18-25 years. through 56-65 years). The measurements were analyzed for interactions with age and sex, using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Studies) software version no. 22. The tests employed were two way ANOVA, the unpaired T-test and chi-square test. Results: The mean PMI fluctuated between 0.37 s.d. 0.012 and 0.38 s.d. 0.012.among the sixth age groups. One-way ANOVA statistical test revealed no significant of age on PMI. On the other hand gender variation has effect on PMI, since independent sample t-test disclosed that the difference between the male and female PMI means statistically significant. ANOVA test showed that the means of MR among age groups showed a negative correlation i.e. MR mean declined from 3.01 in 18-25 age group to 2.7 in 55-65 age group. In contrary, the gender showed no effect on MR according two sample t-test at p&gt; 0.05. In regards with MCI, statistical analysis showed that it affected by age that is C1 was decreasing by age while C2 and C3 were increased by age. Using chi square test the result indicated that there is a significant difference among the different age group and the two genders in MCI readings. Conclusion: PMI was influenced significantly by age but minimally by the gender. MR is not affected by gender but has a negative correlation with age. MCI is affected by both age and gender.

Principal Component Analysis in Biometric, Pulp Quality and Anatomical Properties of Thronless Bamboo (Bambusa balcooa)

Aims: To estimate the impact, connection and association among the biometric attributes, pulping qualities and anatomical characters in Bambusa balcooa.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted across the agro climatic regions viz., North Eastern Zone, Northern Zone, Western Zone, Cauvery Delta Zone and Southern Zone of Tamil Nadu, India during 2017-2018.&#x0D; Methodology: The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was examined to establish the numbers of clusters using Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) version 16.0.1 software in order to identify the patterns of variation (PCA). The principal component analysis was computed using the equation PCA = Σa jXj.&#x0D; Results: The PCA separated into three cluster principal components among the nineteen parameters studied. Out of nineteen principal components generated, twelve principal components had contributed positively on pulp yield. Among these twelve traits, maximum contribution to the pulp yield was observed by the traits viz., numbers of culms, hollocellulose, kappa number, tear index, burst index, fibre wall thickness and vessel diameter with respect to Bambusa balcooa.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results showed some relationships between the biometric attributes, pulping qualities and anatomical characters in Bambusa balcooa. PCA was shown to be a useful tool for assessing the impact and connection for further research.

The Influence of Age and Gender on Mandibular Indices among the Libyan Population

Radiographic Mandibular Indices serve as easy and relatively cheap tools for evaluating bone mineralization. Objectives: To examine the effect of age and gender on three mandibular indices: the panoramic mandibular index (PMI), the mandibular ratio (MR) and the mandibular cortical index (MCI), among Libyan population. Methods: The three indices were measured on 317 digital (OPGs) of adult humans (155 males, 162 females). The sample was divided into six age groups (from 18-25 years through 56-65 years). The measurements were analyzed for interactions with age and sex, using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Studies) software version no. 22. The tests employed were two way ANOVA, the unpaired T-test and chi-square test. Results: The mean PMI fluctuated between 0.37 s.d. 0.012 and 0.38 s.d. 0.012. among the sixth age groups. One-way ANOVA statistical test revealed no significant of age on PMI. On the other hand gender variation has effect on PMI, since independent sample t-test disclosed that the difference between the male and female PMI means statistically significant. ANOVA test showed that the means of MR among age groups showed a negative correlation i.e. MR mean declined from 3.01 in 18-25 age groups to 2.7 in 55-65 age groups. In contrary, the gender showed no effect on MR according two sample t-test at p&gt; 0.05. In regards with MCI, statistical analysis showed that it affected by age that is C1 was decreasing by age while C2 and C3 were increased by age. Using chi square test the result indicated that there is a significant difference among the different age group and the two genders in MCI readings. Conclusion: PMI was influenced significantly by age but minimally by the gender. MR is not affected by gender but has a negative correlation with age. MCI is affected by both age and gender

Impact of E-Government in Reducing Administrative and Financial Corruption in Jordan - Ministry of Finance (Study Case)

The aim of the study is to identify the impact of e-government in reducing administrative and financial corruption in Jordan. The Ministry of Finance was chosen as one of the first ministries to implement e-government procedures. The researcher will address the role of e-government in reducing the manifestations of administrative and financial corruption and highlighting the concept of administrative and financial corruption and the impact on the spread of these diseases from the low efficiency of public investment and weaken the quality of work and infrastructure as well as to identify the views of the study sample regarding the role of e-government in combating this case. The researcher adopted the descriptive analytical method (a case study) to conduct a survey by analyzing the results of a questionnaire to survey the reality of e-government in combating financial and administrative corruption. The information was collected from theoretical sources and electronic sites as well as previous studies interested in this regard. 176) employees and (27) question. The responses of the sample of the study were analyzed by using the statistical package for social studies. The study concluded that the hypotheses proved that there were no statistically significant differences between the sex variables. The intention of the study recommended to take advantage of technology and technical information and devote its use as an integral part of the daily dealings of citizens, institutions and government bodies. The results of the study showed that the lack of citizen's conviction of the application of e-government and its procedures is the most important reasons that prevented its application. Moreover, the most important causes of administrative and financial corruption in the Jordanian society is due to first economic reasons, social in the second place and legally as the third place. The study presented a number of recommendations and proposals.

The quality of life and satisfaction rate of patients with upper limb hyperhidrosis before and after bilateral endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy.

Background:Hyperhidrosis is a functional disorder identified by excessive sweating. Its incidence is approximately 1% in any population. Bilateral endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (BETS) intervention is the definitive treatment of choice for palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis.Aims and Objectives:The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the quality of life (QOL) and satisfaction rate of patients with upper limb hyperhidrosis before and after BETS surgery and the influence of compensatory hyperhidrosis (CH) on patients’ QOL after surgery.Settings and Design:This study is a cross-sectional study designed to generate longitudinal data.Subjects and Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study designed to generate longitudinal data pre- and postbilateral BETS prospectively. This study was conducted in the surgery department of University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hundred patients with upper limb hyperhidrosis who underwent BETS from 2014 to 2017 were included. A modified and validated QOL questionnaire for hyperhidrosis was completed by the patients themselves in order to compare the QOL for patients both before and after BETS. Patients’ satisfaction and the occurrence of CH were obtained postoperatively.Statistical Analysis Used:Data were analyzed using the SPSS® statistical package for social studies, version 22.0 (SPSS 22; IBM Corp., New York, NY, USA) for Windows®.Results:A total of 100 patients completed the questionnaire; 94% of patients had a positive QOL outcome after the surgery. The mean decrease in QOL scores was −42.0 points toward better QOL. The site of sweating had a significant effect on the patients’ QOL before and after the surgery (P value < 0.001). Moreover, 76% of patients reported a high satisfaction rate.Conclusion:Primary hyperhidrosis can negatively impair patients’ QOL in different domains. BETS showed to be an effective option for improving the QOL of patients and it provided both short- and long-term effectiveness in treating upper limb hyperhidrosis. CH did not interfere with the rate of patient satisfaction or their QOL postoperatively.

Prevalence and causes of blood donor deferrals among clients presenting for blood donation in northern Tanzania.

IntroductionBlood is an important requirement in different medical and surgical conditions with half of all donations are from developing countries. Lack of eligibility among blood donors who present for blood transfusion, called blood donor deferral is associated with the unsustainable and inadequate amount of blood collected by blood banks worldwide. However, the prevalence and causes of blood donor deferrals are not well known in Tanzania where less than one-third of actual needs of blood is collected, leading to unmet demand of blood for transfusion, and causing unwanted morbidity and mortality.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective analysis of blood donors at northern zone blood transfusion center, Tanzania from January to December. 2016. Donor’s data were transferred to Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) program version 20.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize data and comparisons made by type of donor and deferrals using Chi-square test.ResultsA total of 14377 participants were studied whereby 12775 (88.9%) were voluntary non-remunerated blood donors. The blood donor deferral rate was 12.7% and deferral was significantly more likely in females, with increasing age above 31 years, who came from nearby regions from where the blood bank is located and/or a family replacement donor (P value <0.01). Overall, infections contributed to 62% of all deferrals and low hemoglobin was the leading cause of temporary deferrals while Hepatitis B lead the permanent deferral causes.ConclusionsBlood donor deferral is a significant problem in northern Tanzania and accounts for more than one-tenth of all prospective blood donors. Latent and active infections are the leading cause of blood donor deferrals, a picture that mirrors other low income countries especially those located in sub-Saharan Africa. Results of this study calls for appropriate preventive interventions to address prevalent causes of deferrals such as infections with HIV and HBV to tackle low hemoglobin.

Knowledge and awareness about herpes labialis among dental clinical students: a survey

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Herpes virus (HSV) is a worldwide healthcare problem. Dental health care professionals are at a high risk of infection by HSV. The present study investigated the knowledge and awareness of HSV infection among dental Interns in dental colleges.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of questions on students’ knowledge and awareness regarding HSV was used. Data of 126 participants were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Studies) version 22.0. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; Overall, the participants showed only a fair level of knowledge about HSV. As the respondents of the study were clinical dental students, it was expected to have a high level of awareness.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/strong&gt; These unsatisfactory findings emphasize the necessity of continued education about HSV in order to improve knowledge and awareness of dental students regarding HSV.&lt;/p&gt;

Perception, barriers, and practice of research among teaching staff at five Sudanese medical faculties

Background: Research is one of the best measures of scientific progress at both individual and institutional levels. The objective of this study was to assess perception, barriers, and practice of research among teaching staff at five Sudanese medical faculties. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study included 153 faculty members in three public and two private medical faculties. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to them. Data obtained had been analyzed using statistical package for social studies (SPSS) version 24. Results: One hundred (65.4%) of respondents were males, and the mean age of them was 41.25 (±9.92) years, almost half of them were assistant professors (49%) and 90 (59%) of them work for public medical schools. Staff at medical faculties conducted more cross-sectional studies (30.6% of total research output), while literature review was the least type of research output (7.9%). Importantly, more research publication was associated with male participation (P=0.039) and research training (P=0.016). The perception of Sudanese doctors for research was strongly favorable (98.6%). Factors that significantly influence this positive perception for research were male gender (P=0.043), working for universities in Khartoum state (P=0.042), receiving undergraduate research education (P=0.010), research training after graduation (P=0.016) and years of research experience (P=0.042). The most important research barriers were lack of funding (79.6%), lack of financial incentives (66.4%), and work-related stress (57.2%). Conclusions: Despite the high perceptions of Sudanese doctors for research, funding remained the most important barrier to research.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Dental Students and Interns in Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) is a worldwide healthcare problem. Dental health care professionals are at a high risk of infection by HBV. The present study investigated the knowledge, attitude and practice of HBV infection among Saudi dental students and Interns in Saudi Arabia.Material and MethodsThis was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of questions on students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HBV was used. Data of 420 participants were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Studies) version 22.0.ResultsThe response rate was 84%. Overall, the participants showed fair level of knowledge about HBV, with significant differences between final year students and the interns. Also, the subjects showed negative attitude toward HBV patients. The vast majority reported always wearing gloves (97.9%), gowns (92.1%), face masks (89.2%), disposable caps (87.1%) and protective eye wear (80.9%). The majority of participants (91.4%) had been vaccinated against HBV. However, only 41% completed the recommended 3 doses of the vaccine.ConclusionsThese unsatisfactory findings emphasize the necessity of continued education about HBV in order to improve knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dental students and Interns regarding HBV. Key words:HBV, Knowledge, Practice, Dental students, Interns.

Effect of Transdermal Nitroglycerine on Doppler Velocity Waveforms of the Uterine, Umbilical and Fetal Middle Cerebral Arteries in Patients with Chronic Placental Insufficiency: A Prospective RCT.

Increase in Nitric Oxide (NO) may be important in vascular adaptation needed to accommodate increased uteroplacental blood flow as pregnancy advances. Hence, in certain conditions like Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) and Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR), NO donors may play an effective role in increasing uteroplacental perfusion. Transdermal route appears to be a safe and effective route. To evaluate the effect of nitroglycerine patch on Doppler velocity waveforms of the uterine, umbilical and fetal middle cerebral arteries in patients with chronic placental insufficiency. A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on eighty consecutive pregnant women with FGR with or without PIH and having evidence of altered waveform velocimetry in uterine, umbilical and fetal middle cerebral artery. They were divided into two groups- study and control group. Transdermal nitroglycerine patch (10 mg per 24 hours) was applied in study group for three consecutive days. Changes in various Doppler indices were noted after three days of patch application and compared between the two groups. Analysis was carried out using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Studies) for Windows version 20.0 and online GraphPad software (Prism 5 for Windows) version 5.01. A significant fall in the systolic and diastolic ratio (S/D), Pulsatility Index (PI) and Resistivity Index (RI) of the uterine (3.07±0.52, 1.04±0.14 and 0.54±0.10 respectively, p<0.001) and umbilical artery (3.73±3.30, 1.18±0.21and 0.64±0.07 respectively, p<0.001) was noted after three days of patch application. No such significant change was observed in the middle cerebral artery indices. The therapeutic approach of NO donor administration via transdermal route in pregnant patients with chronic placental insufficiency, apparently improved both maternal and fetoplacental haemodynamics, thus may help in improving perinatal outcome.

Time-series modelling and forecasting: modelling of rainfall prediction using ARIMA model

This work presents a Time Series Modeler (TSM) for forecasting the rainfall of a coastal region in India. In developing this model, a five-year dataset (2009-2013) consisting of temperature, dew point, wind speed, max. temperature, min. temperature, visibility and rainfall are considered as prime attributes. As a novel attempt, TSM of Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) has been applied for training and testing this dataset. The performance criteria for the evaluation of this model are evaluated based on the significant values of the statistical performance measures namely mean absolute deviation (MAD), mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute percent error (MAPE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) and therefore a reliable model for rainfall prediction is possible. The results obtained through this model are well acceptable with the prediction accuracy range of 80%. This model is built on auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model of TSM in SPSS 20.0.

Participatory Planning and Quality Service Delivery in Local Authorities in Kenya

The preparation of Local Authority Service Delivery Action Plans (LASDAP) through a participatory process is one of the conditions for local authorities to access Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) money. The process provides opportunities for promoting community involvement in the planning and budgeting process. Many development agencies such as governments, international development organizations, donors and many others have over time realized the importance of involving the communities in the development processes. The objectives of this study were to establish how community participation in planning process has affected the provision of quality water; improved healthcare facilities; education facilities; and improved infrastructure in Webuye Municipality in Kenya. The study adopted a case study research design targeting a population of 926. A sample size of 238 was used through three sampling techniques namely: stratified, simple random and purposive. Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Statistical package for social studies (SPSS) helped to produce frequency tables, testing of significance and the simple regression. The data was presented in form tables, charts, graphs and figures. Overall the study findings revealed that participatory planning plays a crucial role in service delivery in local authority projects. The statistical test carried out revealed that for every unit increase in participation in project planning explain 2.3% improvement in service delivery in the projects. The t-test statistic indicated that the regression coefficients were significant at α = 0.05 level of significance.

Concatenating Effects Due to Transformation of Morogoro Road to BRT Corridor: A Case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

This study was set to elucidate the concatenating effects caused by the transformation of Morogoro Road to accommodate Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system. The study was conducted from 2013 to 2014 covering demolition, excavation and construction process of the new BRT system. Both field survey and literature reviews were applied, where the real case was taken at a strip between Manzese and Magomeni. Data collected in a form of in-depth interview, observations and questionnaires were analyzed by the use of Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS Version 16). About 200 respondents whose physical structures were affected by the demolition process were involved in the data collection. The study revealed that physical demolition directly affected about 70% of the respondents. The effects extended into financial implications, which, then trickled down into social, psychological and spatialaspects. According to the findings from the respondents, a number of various socioeconomic activities such as groceries, clothing shops, saw mill and building material shops were affected and as a result, the effect led into retrenchment of the supporting staff. One of the major findings in this study is that the government and consultants need to consider a wide scenario of what might be the effects of physical demolition at the social and family level so that they may prepare a program to take care of those who are affected when paving way for development, and that the compensation should be extended to the tertiary level to take care of social and psychological effects.

“A prospective clinical study of 0.5% levobupivacaine with 0.5% bupivacaine in spinal anaesthesia”

Background: Spinal anaesthesia is a popular technique for lower abdominal surgeries for more than a century. Choice of local anaesthetics depends mainly onset, duration, intensity of sensory and motor block and side effects. With time newer local anaesthetics were invented and used to get better analgesia and less side effects. Aim: To study and compare the effects of 0.5% Levobupivacaine with 0.5% Bupivacaine in spinal anaesthesia. Design: Randomised Controlled study. Material & Method: The study includes 100 patients randomly divided into 2 groups of 50 each. Group L patients received 3ml of 0.5% Levobupivacaine (15mg) 5mg/ml.Group B patients received 3ml of 0.5% Bupivacaine (15mg) 5mg/ml. Statistical Analysis: by using SPSS version 20 (Statistical Package for Social Studies), Chi square test, F table, Mean and standard deviation were used. Results & Conclusion: Duration of sensory block and time for first requirement of post-operative analgesia was longer in patients who received 0.5% Levobupivacaine intrathecally when compared to 0.5% Bupivacaine intrathecally. Though there was no statistical significance in terms of onset of sensory and motor block, duration of motor block was less in Levobupivacaine group. Stable haemodynamics and less side effects were observed with Levobupicaine. Hence, Levobupivacaine is a better alternative to Bupivacaine for spinal anaesthesia

An in-vitro study to evaluate the accuracy of dies obtained from dual arch impression trays using addition silicone impression material and tray combinations

Background: Dual-arch impression technique allows the simultaneous recording of tooth preparation, opposing anatomic tooth and maxillomandibular relationship. The accuracy of reproduction of this easy and quick technique, however, has not been studied in detail in past. Objective: To compare the accuracy of the impressions made by using the same impression material in dual arch plastic trays, dual-arch metal trays and acrylic resin custom trays. Methods: The dies obtained from the addition silicone impressions made in dual-arch plastic trays, dual-arch metal trays and full arch acrylic resin custom trays were compared for the dimensional accuracy with the prepared typodont tooth as a control. Student’s paired t-test and unpaired t-test were used for the data analyses using the Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) version 11.5. Results: The dies obtained from all the impression combinations showed increased dimension (acrylic resin custom trays 9.4 mm±0.048, dual-arch plastic trays 9.5 mm±0.035, dual-arch metal trays 9.41 mm±0.017) as compared to the dimension of control (9.39 mm±0.007). Conclusion: All the tray-impression material combinations showed variable accuracies. Full arch acrylic resin trays resulted in greatest accuracy whereas dual-arch plastic trays the least accuracy.Health Renaissance 2014;12(2): pp: 111-117