ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Nephrogenic systemic ﬁbrosis: A survey of the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents in Ghana

Introduction: The aim of this study is to identify current practice of administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in Ghana. Method: A total of 13 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) facilities were sent a survey questionnaire to request information on their current practice with the use of GBCAs. Results: Gadodiamide, a high risk GBCA accounted for 67% of ﬁrst line agents. 5 (42%) had a departmental protocol on the administration of GBCAs with regards to its association with nephrogenic systemic ﬁbrosis (NSF). Of the 8 that use gadodiamide, 3 check kidney function in all patients, 2 check in selected patients, and 3 do not check at all. All 3 that screen all patients do not use contrast if the patient has an eGFR (estimated glomerular ﬁltration rate) of 30e59 ml/min, 1 considers other modality; and if the patient has an eGFR of <30 ml/min, 2 do not use contrast but consider other modality, however 1 continues with the high risk agent. Conclusion: Gadodiamide is widely used, with varied practice in screening for renal function, and risk factors associated with NSF. Current evidence shows that it is advisable to administer macrocyclic agents in patients with compromised renal function. It is also imperative to establish local guidelines in line with international guidelines in order to minimize the incidence of NSF.

Source: UCC
Nephroprotective and Curative Assessment of an Aqueous Seed Extract of Parkia clappertoniana Keay in Gentamicin-induced Renal Damage in Sprague-dawley Rats

Aim: To assess the nephroprotective and curative effects of an aqueous seed extract of Parkia clappertoniana on gentamicin-induced renal damage (GIRD) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Study Design: Experimental Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medical Laboratory, University of Cape Coast, Ghana between September, 2012 and May 2013. Methodology: In assessing nephro protective effect, rats were pretreated (10 days) with -1 P. clappertoniana aqueous seed extract (1-2 g kg ; p.o) prior to induction of renal -1 damage by treatment with gentamicin (0.08g kg ; p.o, for 8 days. Serum biochemical + + markers (Creatinine, Urea, Na and K ) and urine parameters (leukocyte, protein, specific gravity and pH) of renal damage were determined and compared with baseline values. In -1 a curative study, GIRD in rats was treated with Normal Saline (2 ml kg ; p.o), Losartan (0.05 g kg ; p.o), or extract (1-2 g kg ; p.o) for 14 days and serum and urine parameters determined for all treatments. Histopathology and changes in kidney weights for normal and treated rats in both studies were assessed. The extract was screened for DPPH radical scavenging activity. Results: The extract significantly (P ≤ .001) reduced elevated serum creatinine and urea + secondary to GIRD (P ≤ .05) and significantly (P ≤ .05) reduced elevated serum Na but + had no effect on K . Elevated urine proteins and leucocytes secondary to GIRD was significantly (P ≤ .05) reduced; but had no significant effect on urine pH and specific gravity. Elevated kidney weights associated with GIRD was significantly (P≤ .01) reduced. Histopathological assessment revealed healing effect by extract to GIRD. Effects of the extract were similar to Losartan. Pretreatment with extract however had no significant effect on GIRD as serum and urine parameters, as well as kidney weights were significantly (P≤ .01) elevated on induction of renal damage. Conclusion: The aqueous seed extract of Parkia clappertoniana has curative but no nephroprotective effect on gentamicin-induced renal damage in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Source: UCC
Nesting ecology of stingless bees within three landscapes in the Northern part of the Volta Region of Ghana

This research was carried out to investigate the nesting ecology of stingless bees in three selected landscapes in the northern part of the Volta Region of Ghana, from June 2011 to February 2012. The study focused on three stingless bee species Meliponula bocandei (Spinola), Meliponula ferruginea (Lepeletier) and Dactylurina staudingeri (Gribodo). Using eight transects (500 X 40 m) in each landscape, number of nests, nesting heights, diameter at breast heights (DBH) of nest trees and potential nest trees were sampled at three sites namely Koru, Abotoase and Kyabobo. Out of a total of 93 stingless bee nests found, M. ferruginea recorded the highest (50) compared to M. bocandei (33) and D.staudingeri (10). Nest density for the three sites was estimated to be 1.9 nests/ha (≈ 2 nests/ha). M. ferruginea was the only species that nested in old termite mounds (17 nests) and in the ground (1 nest). The bees did not show preference for particular tree species they nest in. The two Meliponula bee species were found nesting in trees with DBH ≥15 cm. Landscape characteristics appeared to have some effects on the nesting ecology of stingless bees. Koru, which recorded larger trees had the highest nest density. Less suitable nesting trees in Abotoase influenced M. ferruginea to nest more in old termite mounds than trees. Extraction of potential nesting trees due Agricultural activities and wild honey hunting are threats to stingless bee colonies in Koru and Abotoase. Lack of more suitable nesting trees could account for lower stingless bee nests in Kyabobo National Park.

Source: UCC
A neural bag-of-words modelling framework for link prediction in knowledge bases with sparse connectivity

Knowledge graphs such as DBPedia and Freebase contain sparse linkage connectivity, which poses severe challenge to link prediction between entities. In addressing this sparsity problem, our studies indicate that one needs to leverage model with low complexity to avoid over fitting the weak structural information in the graphs, requiring the simple models which can efficiently encode the entities and their description information and then effectively decode their relationships. In this paper, we present a simple and efficient model that can attain these two goals. Specifically, we use a bag-of-words model, where relevant words are aggregated using average pooling or a basic Graph Convolutional Network to encode entities into distributed embedding’s. A factorization machine is then used to score the relationships between those embedding’s to generate linkage predictions. Empirical studies on two real datasets confirms the efficiency of our proposed model and shows superior predictive performance over state-of-the-art approaches

Source: UCC
Neuropharmacological Assessment Of An Aqueous Bark Extract Of Antiaris Toxicaria (Pers.) Lesch. (Moraceae) In Rodents

Antiaris toxicaria is a plant traditionally used in Ghana for the treatment of various neurological conditions such as epilepsy and pain. This present study therefore seeks to screen for the neuropharmacological activities of the aqueous extract of Antiaris toxicaria (AAE) stem bark. The effect of Antiaris extract on pentobarbital-induced sleeping time, tail immersion test, spontaneous locomotor activity, motor coordination, PTZ-induced convulsions as well as the Irwin test was investigated. The extract produced analgesia and Straub tail at (300-3000 mg kg−1) in the Irwin test suggestive of a morphine-like action. These effects were absent after 24 h. No deaths were recorded in the test estimating the LD50 to be above 3000 mg kg−1. Spontaneous locomotor activity of the mice in the activity meter test was decreased significantly (p<0.01, F4, 20 = 26.61) by the extract at 100 mg kg−1 but increased at 300-3000 mg kg−1. It however showed no impairment on motor coordination in the beam traversal test. The extract potentiated duration of sleeping time in the pentobarbitone interaction test and showed susceptibility to metabolism by hepatic enzymes. Analgesic properties were also further confirmed in the tail withdrawal test while it inhibited PTZ-induced convulsions. Thus, Antiaris may be a potential source for novel drug discovery in the field of neuropsychiatric research.

Source: UCC
Neuropharmacological effects of an ethanolic fruit extract of Xylopia aethiopica and xylopic acid, a kaurene diterpene isolate, in mice.

Background: Even though the central analgesic effects of Xylopia aethiopica (XAE) and xylopic acid (XA) have been reported, XAE and XA have however not been evaluated for their effects on other neurological functions. Objectives: To determine the effects of XAE and XA on spontaneous activity, neuromuscular function, convulsive threshold and sedation as well as their interaction with hepatic enzymes Methods: The activity meter, rota rod, PTZ-induced convulsion and pentobarbitone-induced sleep tests were used to evaluate spontaneous activity, neuromuscular function, convulsive threshold and sedation respectively in mice. Effects of hepatic enzyme inhibition and induction were estimated using duration of pentobarbitone induced sleep. Results: XAE and XA showed significant central nervous system depressant effects in pentobarbitone-induced hypnosis and spontaneous activity test. Both XAE and XA showed neuromuscular coordination impairment tendency above 300 mg/kg. Whereas XAE significantly increased seizure threshold at all doses tested, XA had no effect on PTZ-induced convulsion. XAE may induce hepatic enzymes at lower doses whereas XA showed a bidirectional effect by inhibiting hepatic enzymes at lower doses and inducing hepatic enzymes at higher doses. Both XAE and XA may however be metabolized by hepatic enzymes. Conclusion: Xylopic acid and the fruit extract of Xylopia aethiopica have significant central nervous system depressant effects in mice

Source: UCC
Neutron activation analysis as a tool to determine concentration of selected metals in table salt mined from Benya Lagoon, Ghana

Table salt is essential for life and if it contains metal impurities, it can affect the people that consume it. The Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem municipality makes salt by evaporating brine from the Benya Lagoon. Benya lagoon is a lagoon known to be polluted due to various anthropogenic activities within its environs. The concentration of eight metals, Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Manganese (Mn) Lead (Pb), Aluminium (Al), Copper (Cu), Magnesium (Mg), and Vanadium (V) have been determined in salt mined using water from the Benya lagoon. Salt samples were selected from five fixed-sampling stations and the concentrations of the metals determined using Neutron Activation Analysis. The ranges of the measured concentrations in the salts are as follows: 161.04-632.63 mg/kg for Al, 0.001-0.004 mg/kg for As, 1.50-2.70 mg/kg for Mg, 49.14-3883.00 mg/kg for Mg, 17.24-110.96 mg/kg for Mn, and 2.85-7.10 mg/kg for V. An assessment according to the metal concentration marked Mg as the most abundant, whiles Cd and Pb the least being 0.001 mg/kg at all the five stations. Principal Component Analysis also established Mg to be the most abundant metal, and used to identify two major clusters; Group 1 (stations 4 and 5) and Group 2 (stations 1, 2 and 3). Group 2 recorded higher intensities of Mg. Using Pearson's correlation coefficient, significant correlations were drawn between Al and Mg (r = - 0.862), Mg and Mn (r = 0.863) and Mn and V (r = 0.735), indicating the same or similar source inputs for each pair. Comparison with Codex Standard for Food Grade Salt showed that concentration values recorded for Al, Mg and Mn were above recommended limits. The contamination factor (CF) and degree of contamination (CD) confirmed this level of contamination for Al, Mg and Mn for all the five Stations, with Station 2 recording the highest Degree of Contamination. the least and corroborated salt from station 2 as most contaminated considering the combined toxicity at each station. Using an average daily salt intake of 6,000 mg, the mean daily intake of the elements when one consumes salt mined from the Benya lagoon was found to be above each element’s Upper Tolerable Limit of its Recommended Dietary Allowable for the various Life Stage Groups. The associated Hazard Index suggests the probability of adverse effects when consumed. High standard deviation values for Al and Mn indicated the non-uniform spatial distribution of the individual metal contaminates at the various stations

Source: UCC
New Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Health Information Management in Ghana

The introduction of bachelors’ programme in health information management is timely in the quest of the country’s health managers to improve health outcomes of patients. For the successful management of health information to improve clients/patient outcomes, it is evident that a skilled workforce is required. The Department of Health Information Management at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana is a health information teaching and research institution in Ghana. The department teaches health information management at the bachelors’ level and is making preparations to start a programme at the masters’ level. The study analysed the state of health information management education in the country. We considered current institutions running a bachelor degree in health information management. Managing health information is crucial in ensuring quality service provision to clients/patients. Health information management has been at the diploma level for many and graduates are unable to further their education for them to professionally manage the different types of health information. The Department of Health Information Management as a new department is making strides to be a leading department in terms of teaching and research. The department seeks to contribute to and improve management of health information through its undergraduate training as well as short courses for medical records professionals as well as health information managers working in the health-related industry. The department also seeks to champion research in health information in the country and ensure that health information policies are influenced by cutting-edge research.

Source: UCC
New Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Health Information Management in Ghana.

The introduction of bachelors’ programme in health information management is timely in the quest of the country’s health managers to improve health outcomes of patients. For the successful management of health information to improve clients/patient outcomes, it is evident that a skilled workforce is required. The Department of Health Information Management at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana is a health information teaching and research institution in Ghana. The department teaches health information management at the bachelors’ level and is making preparations to start a programme at the masters’ level. The study analysed the state of health information management education in the country. We considered current institutions running a bachelor degree in health information management. Managing health information is crucial in ensuring quality service provision to clients/patients. Health information management has been at the diploma level for many and graduates are unable to further their education for them to professionally manage the different types of health information. The Department of Health Information Management as a new department is making strides to be a leading department in terms of teaching and research. The department seeks to contribute to and improve management of health information through its undergraduate training as well as short courses for medical records professionals as well as health information managers working in the health-related industry. The department also seeks to champion research in health information in the country and ensure that health information policies are influenced by cutting-edge research.

Source: UCC
A new cryptographic encryption algorithm for securing digital images

This paper proposed a new algorithm for digital image encryption. The proposed algorithm encrypts an mxn size image by using the set of array pixel values. At the end, plain images will be encrypted using the algorithm and analysis will be performed on the ciphered images to determine the efficiency of the algorithm in ciphering the image. The algorithm ultimately makes it possible for encryption and decryption of the images to be done based on the RGB pixel. The algorithm was implemented using MATLAB

Source: UCC
New directions for libraries: Lessons for academic libraries in Ghana

The University Library provides services to support the core business of a university namely, teaching, learning, research and public service. The advent of Information Communication Technology has drastically changed information management and delivery of services. This article discusses the role of a University Library and the Librarian in the University System. The revolutionary changes that have occurred in library building, whereby libraries must now focus on the needs of customers (users) rather than on collection development as has traditionally been the case, are extensively discussed. Finally the article also examines the use of technologies.

Source: UCC
New Opportunities to Mitigate the Burden of Disease Caused by Traffic Related Air Pollution: Antioxidant-Rich Diets and Supplements

Air pollution is associated with premature mortality and a wide spectrum of diseases. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is one of the most concerning sources of air pollution for human exposure and health. Until TRAP levels can be significantly reduced on a global scale, there is a need for effective shorter-term strategies to prevent the adverse health effects of TRAP. A growing number of studies suggest that increasing antioxidant intake, through diet or supplementation, may reduce this burden of disease. In this paper, we conducted a non-systematic literature review to assess the available evidence on antioxidant-rich diets and antioxidant supplements as a strategy to mitigate adverse health effects of TRAP in human subjects. We identified 11 studies that fit our inclusion criteria; 3 of which investigated antioxidant-rich diets and 8 of which investigated antioxidant supplements. Overall, we found consistent evidence that dietary intake of antioxidants from adherence to the Mediterranean diet and increased fruit and vegetable consumption is effective in mitigating adverse health effects associated with TRAP. In contrast, antioxidant supplements, including fish oil, olive oil, and vitamin C and E supplements, presented conflicting evidence. Further research is needed to determine why antioxidant supplementation has limited efficacy and whether this relates to effective dose, supplement formulation, timing of administration, or population being studied. There is also a need to better ascertain if susceptible populations, such as children, the elderly, asthmatics and occupational workers consistently exposed to TRAP, should be recommended to increase their antioxidant intake to reduce their burden of disease. Policymakers should consider increasing populations’ antioxidant intake, through antioxidant-rich diets, as a relatively cheap and easy preventive measure to lower the burden of disease associated with TRAP.

Source: UCC
New Opportunities to Mitigate the Burden of Disease Caused by Traffic Related Air Pollution: Antioxidant-Rich Diets and Supplements

Air pollution is associated with premature mortality and a wide spectrum of diseases. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is one of the most concerning sources of air pollution for human exposure and health. Until TRAP levels can be significantly reduced on a global scale, there is a need for e ective shorter-term strategies to prevent the adverse health e ects of TRAP. A growing number of studies suggest that increasing antioxidant intake, through diet or supplementation, may reduce this burden of disease. In this paper, we conducted a non-systematic literature review to assess the available evidence on antioxidant-rich diets and antioxidant supplements as a strategy to mitigate adverse health e ects of TRAP in human subjects. We identified 11 studies that fit our inclusion criteria; 3 of which investigated antioxidant-rich diets and 8 of which investigated antioxidant supplements. Overall, we found consistent evidence that dietary intake of antioxidants from adherence to the Mediterranean diet and increased fruit and vegetable consumption is e ective in mitigating adverse health e ects associated with TRAP. In contrast, antioxidant supplements, including fish oil, olive oil, and vitamin C and E supplements, presented conflicting evidence. Further research is needed to determine why antioxidant supplementation has limited e cacy and whether this relates to e ective dose, supplement formulation, timing of administration, or population being studied. There is also a need to better ascertain if susceptible populations, such as children, the elderly, asthmatics and occupational workers consistently exposed to TRAP, should be recommended to increase their antioxidant intake to reduce their burden of disease. Policymakers should consider increasing populations’ antioxidant intake, through antioxidant-rich diets, as a relatively cheap and easy preventive measure to lower the burden of disease associated with TRAP.

Source: UCC
New principals in Africa: preparation, induction and practice

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the challenges facing new principals in Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Based on recent research and literature, the paper analyses the experience of principals and proposes an induction model for principalship in Africa. Findings – School principals in Africa face a daunting challenge. They often work in poorly equipped buildings with inadequately trained staff. There is rarely any formal leadership training and principals are appointed on the basis of their teaching record rather than their leadership potential. Induction and support are usually limited. Originality/value – The paper provides an overview of the limited literature and research on new principals in Africa and develops a grounded conceptualisation of their role. Keywords Principals, Selection, Induction Paper type Literature review

Source: UCC
A New Relationship with Schools: inspection and self-evaluation

This edition of INform draws on two recent studies of the relationship between inspection and self-evaluation – for the National College of School Leadership (Self-evaluation: background principles and key learning, and Selfevaluation: models, tools and examples of practice), and Inspection and Self-evaluation: a new relationship? for the National Union of Teachers (MacBeath and Oduro, 2005).

Source: UCC