THE VIRUS-P EXPLORATION OF NEARBY GALAXIES (VENGA): SURVEY DESIGN, DATA PROCESSING, AND SPECTRAL ANALYSIS METHODS

Prevention strategies and protocols for the management of percutaneous injuries are developed for the purpose of preventing transmission of HIV and other infections. However, implementation thereof requires health professionals to be conversant with the content of protocols and ways to prevent percutaneous injuries. The purpose of the study was to determine health professionals’ knowledge of prevention strategies and protocols following percutaneous injury. The purpose was addressed within a quantitative survey design. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. The study was conducted at a public-sector tertiary academic hospital in Gauteng. Seven units within the hospital were randomly selected for investigation. These included, trauma, intensive care, medical, surgical, maternity, theatre and paediatrics. A population of 800 health professionals worked within the sampled units. Health professionals were stratified according to the following three categories, doctors, registered and enrolled nurses and medical and nursing students. A sample size of 200 health professionals was purposively selected of which a response rate of 79.5% (n= 159) was achieved. The sample consisted of 76.7 % (n=122) registered and enrolled nurses, 13.2% (n=21) doctors and 8.8% (n=14) medical and nursing students; 1.3% (n=2) did not specify their health professional category.

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qEEG Analysis in the Diagnosis of Alzheimers Disease; a Comparison of Functional Connectivity and Spectral Analysis

10.1101/2022.01.10.475756 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Semeli Frangopoulou ◽

Maryam Alimardani

Keyword(s):

Spectral Analysis ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Data Science ◽

Phase Synchronization ◽

Connectivity Analysis ◽

Alzheimers Disease ◽

Brain Disorder ◽

Alternative Analysis ◽

Functional Connectivity Analysis ◽

Analysis Methods

Alzheimers disease (AD) is a brain disorder that is mainly characterized by a progressive degeneration of neurons in the brain, causing a decline in cognitive abilities and difficulties in engaging in day-to-day activities. This study compares an FFT-based spectral analysis against a functional connectivity analysis based on phase synchronization, for finding known differences between AD patients and Healthy Control (HC) subjects. Both of these quantitative analysis methods were applied on a dataset comprising bipolar EEG montages values from 20 diagnosed AD patients and 20 age-matched HC subjects. Additionally, an attempt was made to localize the identified AD-induced brain activity effects in AD patients. The obtained results showed the advantage of the functional connectivity analysis method compared to a simple spectral analysis. Specifically, while spectral analysis could not find any significant differences between the AD and HC groups, the functional connectivity analysis showed statistically higher synchronization levels in the AD group in the lower frequency bands (delta and theta), suggesting that the AD patients brains are in a phase-locked state. Further comparison of functional connectivity between the homotopic regions confirmed that the traits of AD were localized in the centro-parietal and centro-temporal areas in the theta frequency band (4-8 Hz). The contribution of this study is that it applies a neural metric for Alzheimers detection from a data science perspective rather than from a neuroscience one. The study shows that the combination of bipolar derivations with phase synchronization yields similar results to comparable studies employing alternative analysis methods.

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Mobile Loans as Financing Options in Kenya and the Financial Performance of SMEs in Low Income Areas in Nairobi County

African Journal of Empirical Research ◽

10.51867/ajer.v2i2.31 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 97-105

Author(s):

Margaret Murage

Keyword(s):

Financial Performance ◽

Low Income ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Survey Design ◽

Informal Settlements ◽

Civil Society Organizations ◽

Living Standards ◽

Design Data ◽

Urban Informal Settlements ◽

Descriptive Survey

This study sets out to examine the effect of loan accessibility on the financial performance of SMEs in urban informal settlements in Kenya. Based on the descriptive survey design, data were collected from 120 SMEs in the 6 wards of Mathare Sub-County using semi-structured questionnaires. It was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings show that all the loan accessibility had a significant and positive relationship with the financial performance of SMEs. In this regard, enhancing loan accessibility contributed to the financial performance of SMEs in urban areas. Financial inclusion among SMEs in urban areas was also enhanced through mobile loans. This could go on to enhance living standards among the inhabitants of urban informal settlements as envisaged by world bank. In this regard, several recommendations were made. Mobile loan providers should market their mobile loan products to make them visible since only 4, Safaricom-Fuliza, M-Shwari, Tala, and KCB-Mpesa were the most used. Civil society organizations in collaboration with mobile loan providers should also carry out capacity building campaigns among SMEs in informal settlements. This would lead to enhanced visibility and accessibility of these mobile loans among the inhabitants of urban informal settlements.

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Mobile Loan Frequency of Repayment as a Predictor of the Financial Performance of SMEs in Urban Informal Settlements in Kenya

African Journal of Empirical Research ◽

10.51867/ajer.v2i2.33 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 97-113

Author(s):

Margaret Murage

Keyword(s):

Civil Society ◽

Financial Performance ◽

Survey Design ◽

Informal Settlements ◽

Civil Society Organizations ◽

Design Data ◽

Study Objective ◽

Urban Informal Settlements ◽

Descriptive Survey ◽

Intended Use

This study explored the effect of repayment timelines on the financial performance of SMEs in urban informal settlements in Kenya. This study adopts the descriptive survey design. Data were collected from 120 SMEs in the 6 wards of Mathare Sub-County. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. It was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. From the study findings, it is evident that repayment timelines influenced the application for mobile loans. The ability to pay mobile loans without problems due to flexible repayment times also enhanced the performance of the respondents’ businesses. While loans with short repayment periods discouraged the businesses from borrowing due to immense pressure, long repayment periods were preferable since it meant that the stock purchased could be converted to cash. Budgeting could also be made easy due to the certainty of cash flow in long and flexible repayment periods. Lastly, a long repayment period meant that the intended use of the money borrowed could be realized. The study made the following recommendation based on the study objective. In this regard, most of the various mobile loan providers should put in place flexible repayment plans to make their loans appealing. They should also market their mobile loan products to make them visible since only 4, Safaricom-Fuliza, M-Shwari, Tala, and KCB-Mpesa were the most used. Civil society organizations in collaboration with mobile loan providers should also carry out capacity building campaigns among SMEs in informal settlements.

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