ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Utilization of Antenatal Care Services in Atwima Nwabiagya District

Utilization of health services is a complex behavioral phenomenon. Empirical studies of preventive and curative service have found that the use of health services is related to availabiliy, quality and cost of services as well as to social structure, health beliefs and personal characteristics of the users. This study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey on the utilization of Antenatal Care Services in Atwima Nwabiagya District of Ghana which was carried out between January and October 2008. The main objective of the study was to assess the utilization of Antenatal Care services. 222 women aged between 15 and 49 years who were randomly sampled from 12 communities in 3 sub districts and who had delivered between 1st January and 31st August 2008 were interviewed. The major findings of the study indicated that the average age of the majority of the respondents (52.2%) was between the ages 20 – 29 years and 36.5% had trading as their main occupation, 81.5% had had formal education, 68.9% were married, 81.1% had five children or more, 69.8% were Akans and 80.6% were Christians. All respondents had heard about ANC with 41.9% stating health personnel as their source of information. Over fifty one percent (51.4%) of the respondents knew that pregnant women should report for ANC during the first trimester and 84.2% claimed the expected number of visits was 4. The major findings in the study indicated that the average age of respondents was 28.0 years, the majority was engaged in trading, and hence income earned had positive impact on ANC utilization. On the quality of care rendered, 99.0% of the respondents attended ANC with 77.7% using public health facilities. The reason for the choice of place of ANC services included proximity (39.1%), good staff (20.0%), and free services (12.7%). Others were quality services (12.3%), safe delivery (8.6%) and no delays (1.4%). On accessibility of ANC services, 97.7% of the respondents who utilized ANC services anytime they were pregnant thought that the service was accessible. The main means of transport to the service point was by vehicle, and 66.2% spent less than one Ghana cedi which was mainly paid by their partners. However, majority of the respondents were attended to by three to four health personnel. It is therefore recommended that focused antena

Source: KNUST
Utilisation of maize agrowastes for bio-ethanol production using saccharomyces cerevisiae and aspergillus niger in batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation.

Maize or Corn (Zea mays) is the most abundant cereal cultivated in Ghana (Asante, 2004). According to Asante (2004), production between 1995 and 2004 had hovered around a million metric tones per annum. This was accompanied by large quantities of maize agrowastes (husk, cobs and stove). The yields of various components of maize are: grains, 35%; husk and skins, 30%; corncobs, 30%; and skin trimmings, 5% (Rangkuti and Djajanegara, 1983). Maize agrowastes do not pose as hazards to the environment but are underutilized resource. Currently the corncobs are burnt as fuel in the households of peasant rural farmers. The husks are used for wrapping kenkey and the stoves are usually burnt or left in the field. In large commercial farms where harvesting is mechanized, the agrowastes are left on the field and ploughed into the soil. This practice adds little to the soil nutrient status because maize agrowastes have high lignin, low nitrogen and readily available carbon content. Jigisha et al., (2005) put nitrogen content per dry weight of corn cobs at 0.4%. It has been shown that high lignin, high carbon to nitrogen ratio and and low nitrogen contents of maize residues negatively affect their decomposition rate (Safari et al., 2005). Maize agrowastes can be used to produce bioethanol. Production of bio-ethanol from lignocellulose is relatively expensive. Currently, production cost is $2.65/gallon compared to $1.65/gallon for corn ethanol (www.nrel.gov, 2008; Collins, 2007). Cellulase is the costly part in the cellulosic ethanol production, accounting for approximately 40% of the total cost (Howard et al., 2003; Miyamoto, 1997). One way of reducing this cost is isolating a fungus with efficient cellulase system which is more likely to be found in a habitat where the lignocellulosic maize agrowastes are the predominant source of carbon and energy. At Ejura farms where harvesting is mechanized, the agrowastes are left on the field and ploughed into the soil making it a good habitat for cellulolytic fungi (Agana, 2007). Baig et al. (2003) isolated a cellulolytic fungus efficient in degrading banana agrowastes from a field where banana has been grown for 7 years.

Source: KNUST
Utilization of health management information systems in the district: a case study at the Bosomtwi-Atwima-Kwanwoma District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Health Management Information System assemblies, stores, processes and delivers information relevant to an organization, in such a way that the information is accessible and useful to those who wish to use it, including managers, staff, clients and citizens. Management requires information to increase knowledge, reduce uncertainty and aid monitoring and control. An efficient health information system is thus a prerequisite for the delivery of quality health services and therefore crucial for decision making at all levels. The main objective of the research was to assess the utilization of health management information data for decision-making and to make recommendations for improvement in the Bosomtwi-Atwima-Kwanwoma district of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional descriptive study was used that sought to compare government health institutions with Mission institutions as well as describing them. In all, fifty-five managers and data collectors were interviewed, but some of the questionnaires were rejected because of poor quality. However, forty-nine questionnaires were valid for analysis. All the health facilities in the district were visited comprising seven Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) facilities and eight government institutions. The key findings of the study show only 85% of data collectors in the district having been trained specifically in form filling and 59% have had in-service training since the beginning of the year. Fifty-five percent of respondents said the monitoring team came for supervisory visits. Comparatively, data collectors from the CHAG institutions needed more training on form filling. Again, the general performance of managers in Government health facilities was better than those in Mission health facilities. In conclusion, for the system to be efficient and effective there is the need to recruit people with the requisite basic qualifications such as technical officers on health information. There was the need for the continuous upgrading of personnel to enable them to cope effectively with needs of the health sector. The CHAG institutions should foster good collaboration with the Ghana health services so as to improve communication. This will intend improve quality of health care in the district.

Source: KNUST
Utilization of liquified petroleum gas as industrial fuel: barriers and opportunities

Most people know Liquefied Petroleum Gas as the fuel in small-sized portable cylinders used in homes for cooking. The prospects for increased consumption in the other sectors, especially the industrial sector, remain unknown and very limited in some situations. This study addresses a series of fundamental issues related to the task of exploring the underlying factors for its under utilization in the industrial sector and the potential benefits to be derived from its consumption in this sector. It particularly seeks to identify and discuss the critical factors for the low patronage of LPG use by industries, the challenges and constraints of LPG use to the industrial user, the characteristics of LPG that makes it a preferred option for some manufacturers and make recommendations for policy. The study was exploratory, using qualitative and quantitative, case study technique. It was carried out in Tema. A total of 60 manufacturing establishments, 26 oil marketing * companies, 2 regulatory bodies and a refinery were selected for the study. Manufacturing industries were stratified into homogenous subsets using the Standard Industrial Classification and appropriate number of elements drawn from the homogenous subsets of the populations. Oil Marketing companies were selected by simple random sample. The refinery and the regulatory bodies were purposefully selected. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, questionnaire administration, document analysis and direct observation. Data collected was categorized, cross-tabulated and tabulated according to concepts in order to address the purpose of the study. In some cases, chi-square analysis was used to test relationships between some variables. Specific techniques such as pie charts, pictures and bar charts were also used. The study suggests that problems of Liquefied Petroleum Gas utilization are not confined to just one factor. Unavailability of the gas, unsuitable design of furnaces and boilers, comparatively high cost (or price volatility) of the gas and safety concerns were some of the reasons for the under utilization of the gas. There was the absence of policy on LPG utilization in the industrial sector and general lack of awareness of its applications in this sector. Thus, the non utilization of LP Gas as industrial fuel is due to financial, institutional and regulatory barriers other than technical feasibility of the technology. Meanwhile, the utilization of LP Gas would enhance energy security, reduce greenhouse emissions, reduce air pollution and enhance economic growth. The study recommends a revision of policy that would recognize the significant role that LP Gas can and should play in meeting the country's energy need. Also, information on LPG industry applications and benefits communicated to all stakeholders.

Source: KNUST
Utilization of maternal health services in the Bosomtwe Atwima Kwanwoma District, Ashanti Region, Ghana

Pregnancy related complications are the leading cause of death among women in the reproductive ages 15-49 years in developing countries. Despite the interventions instituted globally to reduce this menace, maternal mortality is still high in the developing countries. Research has shown that adequate use of antenatal and delivery services can reduce maternal deaths between 10% to 45%, especially in the developing countries. The objective of this study is to assess factors responsible for the decreasing trend in ANC attendance and delivery services as well as low utilization of family planning services in the Bosomtwe Atwima Kwanwoma (BAK) district in order to come out with recommendations to improve the maternal health services utilization. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 3 out of the 5 sub-districts in BAK namely Kuntanase, Amakom and Trede. They were selected by simple random sampling. A multistage cluster sampling was employed to identify the respondents’ household. In all 18 clusters of communities were selected and a total of 180 women within the age group of 15-45 years who had delivered at least once within the five years preceding the study were interviewed through interview guide and focus group discussions. The modal age class was 30-34 years (26.7%) with 19.4% uneducated. 80.6% of respondents earned monthly income of less than two hundred thousand cedis with unemployed being 6.7%. 53.3% claimed their husbands decided on the place of delivery. 92 (51 .1 %) lived less than 5km away from health facilities and 50% walked to health care facilities. 7.2% preferred to deliver at home and 56.1% preferred to deliver at public health care facilities. 11.7% were using some modern family planning method. 57.2% attended ANC more than 4 times. About 80% of respondents were satisfied with service delivery. The study also revealed other factors which accounted for the downward trend in utilization, such as the influence on women by the family members and delay in reporting to health facility when in labour. It is recommended to the Ministry of Health that, health education on the benefits of ANC and delivery at public health care facilities should be intensified. Also there is a need to disabuse the minds of both men and women about the erroneous impression and the false beliefs on family planning services.

Source: KNUST
Utilization of small diameter logs including branchwood

The effects of log diameter and sawing pattern on lumber yield were studied to find the most efficient technique in processing small diameter logs (Cedrella odorata and Aningeria sp.) A Radomized complete Block Design (RCBD), 2 x 4 factorial with four replications was used for the analysis of branchwood of Aningeria sp. and 2 x 2 factorial with four replications was developed for the study of the stemwood of Cedrella odorata. 32 logs were used for the study of the branchwood and 16 for stemwood. The study has shown that branchwood of Aningeria sp. can be efficiently sawn into lumber thus increasing the total recovery from tree species. Small diameter stemwood logs of Cedrella odorata can be efficiently processed. There is no significant differences between live and cant sawing at a particular diameter class used in the study. Significant differences however exist between lumber yields from log diameter classes 10-13cm, 14-17cm and 18-21cm for branchwood. It also applies to log dameter classes 21-27cm and 28-34cm for stemwood. Log diameters of more than 17cm give mean lumber yield of more than 40% as compared to those below 17cm which gives a maximum recovery of about 34% for branchwood. Log diameters of more than 27cm give mean lumber yield of more than 50% whilst those below 27cm generate about 43% for stemwood The objectives of the study were to investigate an efficient sawing pattern for the processing of small diameter logs, to develop a mathematical model to predict lumber recovery of small diameter logs including branchwood. Branchwood of Aningeria sp as well as small diameter stemwood logs can be I efficiently processed. However the physical and technological properties of branchwood of Aningeria sp. further studied in order for it to be used for downstream processing

Source: KNUST
Vacuum polarization energy of the kinks in the sinh-deformed models

We compute the one-loop quantum corrections to the kink energies of the sinh-deformed 4 and 6 models in one space and one time dimensions. These models are constructed from the well-known polynomial 4 and 6 models by a deformation procedure. We also compute the vacuum polarization energy to the nonpolynomial function = 1 4 (1 − sinh2 .This potential approaches the model in the limit of small values of the scalar function. These energies are extracted from scattering data for fluctuations about the kink solutions. We show that for certain topological sectors with nonequivalent vacua the kink solutions of the sinh-deformed models are destabilized.

Source: KNUST
Validation of NO2 and NO from the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE)

Vertical profiles of NO2 and NO have been obtained from solar occultation measurements by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE), using an infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS) and (for NO2) an ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrometer, MAESTRO (Measurement of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation). In this paper, the quality of the ACE-FTS version 2.2 NO2 and NO and the MAESTRO version 1.2 NO2 data are assessed using other solar occultation measurements (HALOE, SAGE II, SAGE III, POAM III, SCIAMACHY), stellar occultation measurements (GOMOS), limb measurements (MIPAS, OSIRIS), nadir measurements (SCIAMACHY), balloon-borne measurements (SPIRALE, SAOZ) and ground-based measurements (UV-VIS, FTIR). Time differences between the comparison measurements were reduced using either a tight coincidence criterion, or where possible, chemical box models. ACE-FTS NO2 and NO and the MAESTRO NO2 are generally consistent with the correlative data. The ACE-FTS and MAESTRO NO2 volume mixing ratio (VMR) profiles agree with the profiles from other satellite data sets to within about 20% between 25 and 40 km, with the exception of MIPAS ESA (for ACE-FTS) and SAGE II (for ACE-FTS (sunrise) and MAESTRO) and suggest a negative bias between 23 and 40 km of about 10%. MAESTRO reports larger VMR values than the ACE-FTS. In comparisons with HALOE, ACE-FTS NO VMRs typically (on average) agree to ±8% from 22 to 64 km and to +10% from 93 to 105 km, with maxima of 21% and 36%, respectively. Partial column comparisons for NO2 show that there is quite good agreement between the ACE instruments and the FTIRs, with a mean difference of +7.3% for ACEFTS and +12.8% for MAESTRO.

Source: KNUST
Validating the advertising expenditure of Nestle Ghana Limited.

Advertising represents an important means by which companies communicate with their customers, both current and potential. Among the key objectives of advertising is the generally perceived benefit that it persuades customers to purchase the product. Notwithstanding this key role of advertising impacting positively on sales, some school of thought have initiated some debate regarding the justification for companies’ continued emphasis on that aspect of the marketing expenditure. Their contention has been that the returns from advertising expenditure in terms of sales is not significant. They also add that such expenditure rather goes to increase the cost of production thereby pushing up prices of products. The general objective of this study was to validate advertising expenditure of Nestle Ghana Limited. The specific objectives were: to determine the extent to which advertising impact on sales performance and also find out if other intervening marketing variables can be isolated as impacting on sales performance. The scope of the work was limited to the operations of Nestle Ghana Limited and covered the company’s entire operations over a period of five years using the half-yearly data of the period. To realize these objectives, a purposive sampling of sales data and other relevant information covering a period of five years and made up of 10 data points, was used to run a regression to determine the significant or otherwise of each variable. Pre-prepared questions were also used to interview practitioners to provide additional insight for the study. The study revealed that unlike Advertising expenditure, Trade Performance expenditure and Other Promotions expenditure significantly impact on sales performance. The work also established the point that despite the seemingly insignificant role of Advertising expenditure regarding sales performance, it is still very important when all the variables are looked at as a one unified strategy. To better optimize the Trade and Marketing budget, it was recommended that in other to better evaluate the use of the Trade and Marketing expenditure, there is the need for a consistency in any chosen marketing strategy. Among other things, clear-cut objectives of the individual variables need to be stated. The study was organized into five main chapters; with the first chapter dealing with the problem statement, objectives, and methodology. The second chapter dealt with the various concepts and theories which underpin the subject under study. The third chapter provided the profile of the organization which was used for the case study. The chapter four covered the analysis of the data. Recommendations from the data analysis are captured in chapter five

Source: KNUST
Validation of prevalent diabetes risk scores based on non-invasively measured predictors in Ghanaian migrant and non-migrant populations – The RODAM study

Background: Non-invasive diabetes risk models are a cost-effective tool in large-scale population screening to identify those who need confirmation tests, especially in resource-limited settings. Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the ability of six non-invasive risk models (Cambridge, FINDRISC, Kuwaiti, Omani, Rotterdam, and SUNSET model) to identify screen-detected diabetes (defined by HbA1c) among Gha naian migrants and non-migrants. Study design: A multicentered cross-sectional study. Methods: This analysis included 4843 Ghanaian migrants and non-migrants from the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants (RODAM) Study. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics, and calibration plots. Results: All six models had acceptable discrimination (0.70 ≤ AUC <0.80) for screen-detected diabetes in the overall/combined population. Model performance did not significantly differ except for the Cambridge model, which outperformed Rotterdam and Omani models. Calibration was poor, with a consistent trend toward risk overestimation for screen-detected diabetes, but this was substantially attenuated by recalibration through adjustment of the original model intercept. Conclusion: Though acceptable discrimination was observed, the original models were poorly calibrated among populations of African ancestry. Recalibration of these models among populations of African ancestry is needed before use.

Source: KNUST
Validation of antimicrobial activity of two local medicinal plants used in treating some microbial diseases

Two plants, Bixa orellana and Borreria verticillata are used traditionally in treating various diseases including infections. Using the cup-plate method of antimicrobial bioassay, crude methanolic extract of B. orellana and its column chromatographic fractions demonstrated a very good level of broad spectrum antimicrobial activity with zones of inhibition ranging from 14mm to 22mm against the gram positive organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Streptococcus pvogenes; the gram-negative organisms: Escherichia coli, Pseudornonas aeruginosa as well as Salmonella typhi, and the yeast-like fungi Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. The Ethyl acetate extract and their chromatographic fractions, however, exhibited low or no activity, the highest zone of inhibition being 16mm. The bioactivit assay of the column chrornatographic fractions of B. orellana suggests that bioactive components of this plant are polar in nature. Similarly, the Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts of B. verticillata were tested for activity with the petroleum ether fraction and its chromatographic fractions being the most active. Unresolved Stigmasterol and β-sitosterol isolated as a mixture from the Petroleum ether extract gave negligible activity. Other isolated compounds designated CR1 from B. orellana and BV2 from B. verticil/ata were not analysed due to paucity of the isolates. Results of this bioactivity investigation on these two plants provided basis to validate the use of extracts of B. orellana for treating infected wounds and burns, diarrhoea, dysentery and sore throat, and B. verticillata for treating skin infections such as furuncles (boils).

Source: KNUST