ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Investigation of trace elements in ancient pottery from Jenini, Brong Ahafo region, Ghana by INAA and Compton suppression spectrometry

Concentrations of trace elements in ancient pottery excavated from Jenini in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in conjunction with both conventional and Compton suppression counting. Jenini was a slave Camp of Samory Toure during the indigenous slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Pottery fragments found during the excavation of the grave tombs of the slaves who died in the slave camps were analysed. In all, 26 trace elements were determined in 40 pottery fragments. These elemental concentrations were processed using multivariate statistical methods, cluster, factor and discriminant analyses in order to determine similarities and correlation between the various samples. The suitability of the two counting systems for determination of trace elements in pottery objects has been evaluated. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Investigation of Wall Thickness, Corrosion, and Deposits in Industrial Pipelines Using Radiographic Technique

In this study, radiographic techniques were used to inspect large-diameter pipes that are used for transporting fluids in some industries in Ghana. Radiographic approaches such as the double wall technique (DWT) and tangential radiographic technique (TRT) were used to evaluate the remaining wall thickness, deposits, and corrosion in the pipes. Two steel pipes with known varying wall thicknesses ranging from 4.00 mm to 13.00 mm with a diameter of 150.00 mm were examined to authenticate the accuracy and reliability of the tangential method that was used to measure the remaining wall thickness. The tangential configuration resulted in a higher material thickness, which therefore required more time of exposure compared to the DWT method. The exposure angle of the source to the tangential part of the specimen was approximately 87° . The film generated was compared with a normal pipe piece that was not machined to serve as a control. From the radiograph obtained, an average of 6 and 7 rounded indications depicting pitting corrosion were revealed on the radiograph of the internally and externally fabricated pipe, respectively. Radiographs after the TRT revealed that the recorded wall thickness obtained from the film is about twice the value of the calculated true wall thickness.

Source: UG
Investigation on children with acute non-communicable diseases and their caregivers in developing countries

Objective To investigate children with acute non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their caregivers in developing countries. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in three out of the ten regions of Ghana. A total of 1 540 caregivers/parents of children with NCDs were interviewed. Data was analysed with the aid of IBM SPSS version 20. Statistical techniques used in the analysis included frequencies, means, SD and factor analysis. Findings were analysed according to the major themes of the study. Results Caregivers indicated that the incidence of NCDs among children is on the increase. They also believed that enemies can cause diseases in children. Caregivers tend to seek treatment in hospitals/clinics rather than from traditional or herbal medicine. However, they complement biomedical treatment with prayers for healing/deliverance. It was also found that NCDs have a negative effect on the physical and mental development of children as well as their school performance; and caring for children with NCDs also poses material, emotional and financial burden to caregivers. Conclusions Serious attention needs to be given to the development and implementation of policies to better the lot of children with NCDs. Conscious efforts need to be made to encourage and assist the caregivers with necessary resources to cater for their children's educational and health needs in particular.

Source: UG
Investigative studies on effect of reflector thickness on the performance of low enriched uranium-fueled miniature neutron source reactors.

Neutronics analyses were performed on the 30 kW(th) GHARR-1 facility to investigate the effects on increased beryllium annular reflector thickness on nuclear criticality safety and on the neutron flux levels in the experimental channels. The investigative study was carried out using the Monte Carlo code MCNP on a hypothetical LEU UO 2 core theoretically enriched to 12.6% and having the same core configuration as the present 90.2% enriched HEU U-Al core. The analyses were performed on four models consisting of a reference model with 10.2 cm annular reflector thickness and three new design modification models with increased reflector thickness of 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5 cm respectively. The simulations indicated average thermal neutron fluxes of (9.80 ± 0.0017)E+11 n/cm 2 s in the inner irradiation channels for the reference model, indicating a 2% decrease with respect to the nominal flux of 1.00E+12 n/cm 2 s. Relatively lower neutron fluxes were obtained for the modification models with an average of (9.79 ± 0.0017)E+11 n/cm 2 s, representing losses of 2.01% and 0.01% with respect to the HEU core and reference LEU model. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Investment climate constraints, network isomorphism and survival among small commercial poultry farms in Ghana

The study seeks to the role SME network isomorphism to survival using data from a two-year network survey of poultry enterprises in Ghana. The data was collected between January 2014 and March 2015. The study seeks to understand the usefulness of network isomorphism as structural conformance in a network in aiding the survival of SMEs. Isomorphism was measured as structural equivalence between actors in the collaborative network we developed from the data. First, it is found that there is a high failure rate among the SMEs of about 40%. Secondly, isomorphic SMEs have a better survival probability and such isomorphism was very useful in overcoming investment climate constraints. However, the isomorphism reaches an optimum and returns negative effects. The findings imply that while technical efficiency is important to the survival of enterprises, business managers must also be attuned to the influencing role of structural conformance in an industry.

Source: UG
Investment Readiness and Access to External Finance among Ghanaian Small and Medium-Size Enterprises

Physicochemical quality parameters and volatile fermentation by‐products were determined in West African sour sorghum beer (pito) fermented with pure cultures of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae compared with pito prepared by traditional spontaneous fermentation. Levels of by‐products were also compared with those found in similar beer types. Similar levels of apparent extract, alcohol, pH, lactic acid and bitterness were obtained for pure culture and traditional fermentations, although differences were observed in colour and turbidity. Significant statistical differences were obtained for all of the volatile aroma compounds analysed. The pure culture approach resulted in a higher level of total volatile compounds (353 mg/L) of which higher alcohols accounted for 88%, predominately n‐propanol. The traditional approach had total volatiles of 229 mg/L with 86% higher alcohols but with iso‐amyl alcohol predominating. Ester levels were low in the pure culture beer but with a relatively high level of acetaldehyde. Fermenting pito with pure cultures yielded a product with similar physicochemical quality as traditional pito but with a suggestion of a more pronounced aroma whose impact on the overall product quality will require consumer acceptance and sensory evaluation. © 2019 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

Source: UG
Invoking “re” Towards Potentialities for African Agency in (Re)search

This essay is a provocation that seeks to contribute to the (re)naissance of African-centered scholarship through a critical interrogation and engagement of words or concepts that exude criticality yet are frequently used superficially. For Africans (globally), conceived by unfavorable imaginations, critical reflection is vital to enable them to engage in deep, reflective analysis of their thoughts, actions, and experiences. Having been dislocated in many ways, (re)examining assumptions, biases, and beliefs and (re)considering alternative perspectives and ideas must preoccupy African researchers. Through an onto-epistemic prism that centers on both Afrocentric assumptions and decolonial thought, the paper interrogates how the prefix “re” extends beyond simplistic meanings like “again” or “repeat” to offer potentialities for African agency. The paper seeks to contribute toward critical African thought and education as well as supporting the pathways for the African Renaissance. The aim is to explore how the prefix “re” can help to empower Africans to shape their own futures.

Source: UG
Involvement of Carnosic Acid in the Phytotoxicity of Rosmarinus officinalis Leaves

Weeds are rapidly developing resistance to synthetic herbicides, and this can pose a threat to the ecosystem. Exploring allelopathic species as an alternative weed control measure can help minimize the ecological threat posed by herbicide-resistant weeds. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the contribution of some polyphenols to the allelopathy of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). The phytotoxic effects of rosemary (leaves, roots, inflorescences, and stems) crude extracts were tested on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Soils incorporated with dried rosemary leaves were also tested on test plants. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was used to determine the content of some polyphenols (caffeic, ferulic, gallic, rosmarinic, carnosic, and chlorogenic acids) in rosemary. The specific activity and total activity of crude extracts and individual compounds were evaluated using lettuce. The crude extract of rosemary leaves showed the highest growth inhibitory effect among the rosemary organs tested. Soil amended with rosemary leaf debris reduced the dry matter and seed emergence of lettuce. Carnosic acid was the main compound detected in rosemary leaves and had a high specific activity when tested on lettuce. During the seed germination period, there was observed filter paper coloration among the test plants treated with carnosic acid (250 µg/mL). The high concentration and strong inhibitory effect of carnosic acid could explain the inhibitory activity of the rosemary leaf extract. Hence, we conclude based on the total activity estimation that carnosic acid among the other tested compounds is the major allelochemical in rosemary leaves. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Source: UG
Involvement of private actors in the provision of urban sanitation services; potential challenges and precautions a conceptual paper

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use relevant models and theories to conceptualize theprospects and challenges associated with private sector involvement in the provision of sanitation and environmental services in urban settlements of developing African economies. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts the public choice theory and principal-agent model in its conceptualization and analysis. Retrospective literature analysis within the qualitative research approach has been employed for the study. It draws extensively on existing classical theoretical and current empirical literature on privatization of urban sanitation services in developing countries. Findings – The study observes that privatization is a necessary tool for enhancing quality and responsive sanitation service delivery but there must be some mechanisms to prevent any latent challenges. The study also observes that the same problems associated with the public sector could transcend into the private sector if key measures are not taken into consideration. Practical implications – The process of privatizing or contracting out must ensure competition, enough communication to all stakeholders as well as involving expertise in the bidding process. The process also requires strict monitoring and supervision; these call for an appropriate legal framework to regulate privatization. The paper reminds urban administrators and policy makers to be circumspect in the privatization process. If the process of privatization is carried out effectively, urban sanitation services will be provided effectively and efficiently. Originality/value – The paper adapts the public choice and principal-agent model to assess privatization processes in developing African countries. This study will be of importance to urban administrators, public officials and policy makers in general. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Source: UG
IoT-Enabled Framework for Early Detection and Prediction of COVID-19 Suspects by Leveraging Machine Learning in Cloud

COVID-19 is the repugnant but the most searched word since its outbreak in November 2019 across the globe. The world has to battle with it until an effective solution is developed. Due to the advancement in mobile and sensor technology, it is possible to come up with Internet of things-based healthcare systems. These novel healthcare systems can be proactive and preventive rather than traditional reactive healthcare systems. This article proposes a real-time IoT-enabled framework for the detection and prediction of COVID-19 suspects in early stages, by collecting symptomatic data and analyzing the nature of the virus in a better manner. The framework computes the presence of COVID-19 virus by mining the health parameters collected in real time from sensors and other IoT devices. The framework is comprised of four main components: user system or data collection center, data analytic center, diagnostic system, and cloud system. To point out and detect the COVID-19 suspected in real time, this work proposes the five machine learning techniques, namely support vector machine (SVM), decision tree, na¨ıve Bayes, logistic regression, and neural network. In our proposed framework, the real and primary dataset collected from SKIMS, Srinagar, is used to validate our work. The experiment on the primary dataset was conducted using different machine learning techniques on selected symptoms. The efficiency of algorithms is calculated by computing the results of performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, root-mean-square error, and area under the curve score. The employed machine learning techniques have shown the accuracy of above 95% on the primary symptomatic data. Based on the experiment conducted, the proposed framework would be effective in the early identification and prediction of COVID-19 suspect realizing the nature of the disease in better way.

Source: UG
The IPBES Conceptual Framework - connecting nature and people

The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework. This conceptual and analytical tool, presented here in detail, will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that IPBES will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions. Salient innovative aspects of the IPBES Conceptual Framework are its transparent and participatory construction process and its explicit consideration of diverse scientific disciplines, stakeholders, and knowledge systems, including indigenous and local knowledge. Because the focus on co-construction of integrative knowledge is shared by an increasing number of initiatives worldwide, this framework should be useful beyond IPBES, for the wider research and knowledge-policy communities working on the links between nature and people, such as natural, social and engineering scientists, policy-makers at different levels, and decision-makers in different sectors of society. © 2014 The Authors.

Source: UG
The Iron Age Ceramics from the Tong Hills, Northern Ghana. Sequence anf Comparative Perspective

The archaeology of Ghana north of 10 degrees remains little known, thus between 2004 and 2009 archaeological research was completed in the Tong Hills, the home of the Talensi ethno-linguistic group. An overview of the research is presented here with special emphaisis placed on the ceramic traditions and chronology. These are contextualised within the archaeology of the wider region of northern Ghana.

Source: UG
Iron and silver nanostructures: Biosynthesis, characterization and their catalytic properties

Finding suitable plant extracts that exert precise control over both the shape and size of nanoparticles remains a challenge in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. In this study, iron (Fe) nanoparticles with uniform sizes and shapes, and silver (Ag) nanoparticles with unique morphology and phases were synthesized from aqueous plantain peel extracts. The effect of temperature and concentration of the starting metal salts on the size and shape of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated. The catalytic effectiveness of the metal nanoparticles was also assessed based on their ability to mediate the degradation of methylene blue dye in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the reducing agent. Phytochemical analysis of the plantain peel extract revealed the presence of polyhydroxy compounds: tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, and terpenoids. The presence of these compounds in the extract was confirmed by Fourier transform infra-red analysis. Microstructural analysis showed that the Fe nanoparticles had uniform cylindrical shapes with 70.0 ± 0.4 nm diameters, whereas the Ag nanoparticles exhibited multi-shaped, single and polycrystalline phases with a varying size range. UV–Vis spectroscopic analysis indicated that Ag nanoparticles exhibited maximum plasmon absorbance at 440 nm typical of nanoscale silver while X-ray diffraction studies showed that the Fe and Ag nanoparticles were highly crystalline. The study indicated that Ag can be synthesized at all temperatures, whereas the Fe nanoparticles formed only above room temperature with plantain peel extract. Both Fe and Ag nanoparticles exhibited dose-dependent degradation of methylene blue dye, suggesting their potential use as bio-catalysts, although the Fe nanoparticles showed a better catalytic efficiency. This study demonstrates an eco-friendly approach to synthesizing uniformly shaped and sized Fe and Ag bio-catalysts for potential use in effluent waste treatment in cosmetics, food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper industries, and in general environmental remediation.

Source: UG
Iron deficiency in rural Ghanaian children.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence of iron deficiency among Ghanaian children in different residential settings and to see whether 200mg ferrous fumerate B.P. could correct iron deficiency anaemia in observed cases of iron deficiency. DESIGN: Prospective case-finding study using an iron-deficiency society questionnaire, laboratory data and general practice records. Crude prevalence was calculated using the hospital's mid-year estimates. SETTING: Nkoranza in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana SUBJECTS: Rural-dwelling children entering as out-patients, urban-dwelling children entering as controls and newly diagnosed iron-deficient children entering as in-patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Crude prevalence rates (per quinquennia) for three groups of children. Corrected deficiencies expressed as percentage after management. Age, haemoglobin, iron status, residential status, symptoms at entry and after therapy. RESULTS: Following a 30-day administration of ferrous fumarate, the mean serum iron for the rural children increased significantly by 3.3 micromol/l representing an improved iron status of 20.0%(P<0.0001). Iron deficiency anaemia defined by serum Hb<12.0 g/dl and Fe<12.5 mmol/l decreased by 10% in the rural subjects. Comparatively, iron deficiency among the newly diagnosed anaemia group, fell by 17.6% whilst their ambulant urban counterparts employed as the control group had an iron deficiency anaemia of 0.0%. CONCLUSION: The study clearly indicates that the-prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia among children in rural Ghana is about ten times that of the urban-dwelling children and that iron-deficiency anaemia accounts for a greater percentage of all anaemic cases among children in our hospitals. It was also shown that taking appropriate iron supplements like 200 mg of ferrous fumerate for thirty days can substantially improve the iron status of iron-deficient children.

Source: UG
Iron, folate and vitamin B12 in severe protein-energy malnutrition.

The overall goal of the department is to conduct research and provide solutions to nutritional problems in Ghana. In pursuance of this goal, the Nutrition Department since its inception has focused its research in the areas of maternal, infant and young child nutrition, food consumption and food security and micronutrient deficiency and interventions. These are priority food and nutrition problems in Ghana.

Source: UG
Iron- and protein rich diets may boost hemoglobin levels among informal electronic waste recyclers exposed to metals at Agbogbloshie, Ghana

While human exposure to metals may play a role in the pathogenesis of anemia, consumption of balanced diets may boost blood hemoglobin (Hb) levels in humans. Although informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling processes have recently drawn attention as an important source of pollution, there is almost no empirical evi dence on the relationship between diet, metals exposure and anemia among e-waste recyclers. Therefore, we evaluated possible ameliorating effects of diet on metal exposure related anemia, as measured by Hb levels of e waste recyclers and a reference population in Ghana. This repeated measure study used data collected from e-waste recyclers (n=142) and a reference population (n=65) between March 2017 and October 2018. Stored whole blood samples were analyzed for the following metals; Cd, Pb, Rb, Tb, Tl, and Eu. Next, Hb levels were analysed using the URIT-810® semiautomatic biochemistry analyzer. Furthermore, a 48-hour dietary recall questionnaire was administered to assess dietary intake parameters such as protein, folate, carbohydrates, Fe, Ca, Mg, Se, Zn, and Cu. Ordinary regression models were used to estimate joint effects of metals and nutrients on Hb levels. At baseline, the mean Hb was lower among recyclers (12.99 ± 3.17 g/dL) than the reference group (13.02 ±2.37 g/dL). Blood Pb, Cd, Rb, Eu and Tb were associated with significant decreases in Hb levels of e-waste recyclers. Dietary intake of proteins and Fe was associated with concomitant increase in Hb levels of both groups as well as when analysis was restricted to recyclers. Despite the high exposure of e-waste recyclers to a myriad of metals, consumption of Fe-rich diets appears to ameliorate anemia and improved Hb levels (β=0.229; 95% CI: 0.013, 0.445; p=0.04). Therefore, the consumption of Fe and protein-rich foods may boost blood Hb levels in e waste recyclers, even though exposure to high levels of metals is a predictor of anemia among this worker-group.

Source: UG