ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of TiO2–Ag3PO4 photocatalyst material with high adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity: application in the removal of dyes and pesticides

The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 can be enhanced by coupling it with other semiconductors and the semiconductor composites may find useful application in water treatment technologies. TiO2–Ag3PO4 composites were synthesized and characterized with XRD, SEM-EDX and DRS. The synthesized TiO2– Ag3PO4 showed high photocatalytic activity in the presence UV-vis light on rhodamine B, methylene blue and the pesticides imidacloprid, atrazine and pyrimethanil. LC-MS analysis of the photodegraded pyrimethanil led to the identification of hydroxylated and aliphatic derivatives of pyrimethanil. The photocatalytic activity of the coupled semiconductor was higher than that of the bare TiO2 and Ag3PO4 and this was attributed to the unique band matching between TiO2 and Ag3PO4 which resulted in efficient charge separation and subsequent reduction in the electron–hole recombination. In addition, the synthesized TiO2–Ag3PO4 showed strong adsorption for water soluble dyes implying that TiO2– Ag3PO4 can remove pollutants through photocatalysis and adsorption. The results from the study showed the potential application of TiO2–Ag3PO4 composite in water treatment technologies.

Source: UG
Synthesis, Characterisation and Stability of Cu2O nanoparticles produced via microemulsion

Cuprite (Cu2O) nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature via reduction of CuCl2•2H2O by NaBH4 in water/n-heptane microemulsion stabilised by the non-ionic Brij30 surfactant. Whole Powder Pattern Modelling of the X-ray diffraction patterns shows the presence of a bimodal size distribution in the nanopowders, with a fraction of domains in the 10–40nm range and a smaller one below 10 nm. Linear and planar defects are absent. A relationship between the average size of the larger particles and the quantity of water in the system was obtained. The stability of cuprite under visible light irradiation both during the synthesis and after the preparation was investigated, showing that a self-catalytic conversion of Cu2O into CuO takes place in water.

Source: UG
Synthesis, characterization and stability of Cu2O nanoparticles produced via reverse micelles microemulsion

Cuprite (Cu2O) nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature via reduction of CuCl2•2H2O by NaBH4 in water/n-heptane microemulsion stabilised by the non-ionic Brij30 surfactant. Whole Powder Pattern Modelling of the X-ray diffraction patterns shows the presence of a bimodal size distribution in the nanopowders, with a fraction of domains in the 10–40nm range and a smaller one below 10 nm. Linear and planar defects are absent. A relationship between the average size of the larger particles and the quantity of water in the system was obtained. The stability of cuprite under visible light irradiation both during the synthesis and after the preparation was investigated, showing that a self-catalytic conversion of Cu2O into CuO takes place in water.

Source: UG
Synthesizing the links between secure housing tenure and health for more equitable cities [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]

Millions of households in rich and poor countries alike are at risk of being unwilfully displaced from their homes or the land on which they live (i.e., lack secure tenure), and the urban poor are most vulnerable. Improving housing tenure security may be an intervention to improve housing and environmental conditions and reduce urban health inequalities. Building on stakeholder workshops and a narrative review of the literature, we developed a conceptual model that infers the mechanisms through which more secure housing tenure can improve housing, environmental quality, and health. Empirical studies show that more secure urban housing tenure can boost economic mobility, improve housing and environmental conditions including reduced exposure to pollution, create safer and more resourced communities, and improve physical and mental health. These links are shared across tenure renters and owners and different economic settings. Broader support is needed for context-appropriate policies and actions to improve tenure security as a catalyst for cultivating healthier homes and neighbourhoods and reducing urban health inequalities in cities.

Source: UG
Synthetic and Naturally Occurring Heterocyclic Anticancer Compounds with Multiple Biological Targets

Abstract: Cancer is a complex group of diseases initiated by abnormal cell division with the potential of spreading to other parts of the body. The advancement in the discoveries of omics and bio- and cheminformatics has led to the identification of drugs inhibiting putative targets including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family receptors, fibroblast growth factors (FGF), platelet derived growth factors (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), thymidine phosphorylase (TP), and neuropeptide Y4 (NY4), amongst others. Drug resistance, systemic toxicity, and drug ineffectiveness for various cancer chemo-treatments are widespread. Due to this, efficient therapeutic agents targeting two or more of the putative targets in different cancer cells are proposed as cutting edge treatments. Heterocyclic compounds, both synthetic and natural products, have, however, contributed immensely to chemotherapeutics for treatments of various diseases, but little is known about such compounds and their multimodal anticancer properties. A compendium of heterocyclic synthetic and natural product multitarget anticancer compounds, their IC50, and biological targets of inhibition are therefore presented in this review.

Source: UG
Synthetic peptides from P.falciparum sexual stage 25-kDa protein induce antibodies that react with the native protein: The role of IL-2 and conformational structure on immunogenicity of Pfs25

To identify B-cell epitopes of the Plasmodium falciparum 25-kDa ookinete protein, Pfs25, 41 overlapping synthetic peptides spanning the entire length of the protein were used individually to immunize CAF1 (F1 hybrid of BALB/c female and A/J male) mice. Antipeptide sera were tested for reactivity to live intact zygote/early ookinete (post-fertilization stage) by immunofluorescence, and by Western blot analysis under nonreducing and reducing conditions, immunoprecipitation of 35S-cysteine-labeled antigen, and ELISA using a vaccinia recombinant Pfs25 antigen. Fourteen B-cell epitopes were identified. These peptides were immunogenic only when administered with high-dose recombinant interleukin-2. Antibodies to 11 peptides recognized only the native conformational structure, one peptide induced antibodies that recognized both reduced and native protein, and two other peptides, after primary immunization, made antibodies to denatured Pfs25, but after boosting the antibodies reacted to both denatured and native Pfs25. Anti-sera to peptides in the first (peptide 7) and fourth (peptide 34) epidermal growth factor-like domains of Pfs25 reacted most strongly with zygotes/ookinetes by immunofluorescence assay. The antibodies elicited by immunization with peptide 34 suppressed infectivity of the parasite to mosquitoes. We further observed that the secondary structure of Pfs25 may be important for immunogenicity because monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 1C7 and 1D2, both transmission-blocking MAbs, protected enzyme cleavage sites in Pfs25 from proteolysis, suggesting that discontinuous segments of Pfs25 may come together to form immunogenic epitopic sites. Thus, definition of B- and T-cell epitopes may be required to construct a Pfs25 vaccine for optimum immunogenicity.

Source: UG
Syria, USA and Russia: How the Concept of the Responsibility to Protect Has Unfolded In the Syrian Conflict

The research discusses the Syrian conflict which has been ongoing since early 2011 with no end in sight and the role of countries in the war with the concept of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as its running theme. This study’s major objective was to investigate the systematic actions and inactions of particularly the USA and Russia that has contributed to the Syrian crisis and also critically analyse the effect of the UN Security Council’s (UNSC) approach on the current state of the Syrian conflict. It also sought to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken by the Government of Syria in fulfilling its primary responsibility to protect its citizenry. The study used exploratory research approach where data used were secondary materials and this approach served as a tool to help the researcher understand the issues more thoroughly. Through the research, it was revealed that the USA and Russia have remained rival power houses even in the Syrian war. For instance, Russia vehemently opposed any form of foreign military intervention in the Syrian conflict where they claimed that any intervention by the US could result in the repeat of the 2011 operation against Gadhafi in Libya where a supposed humanitarian intervention act ended in a regime change. It is noted that both Russia and China have some respective influence on Syria politically and economically. With several sanctions on Syria, the USA together with the EU wanted a ceasefire after there were reports of the use of chemical weapons by Syria. The actions of the USA centred on brokering peace through unifying the opposition by taking actions such as the deployment of Patriotic Missile Batteries to the U.S. Military personnel to support the defence of border states such as Turkey and Jordan. The study further revealed that there have not been any franticly efforts by the Assad regime to effectively protect its citizenry thus neglecting the first pillar of the R2P which charges the state, as its primary responsibility to protect its citizenry. It has been established that the UNSC failed to effectively broker peace and negotiate an end to the conflict. This is basically due to lack of a unified consensus among member states especially on the UNSC. The study recommends among other things that the UNSC must put pressure on the Assad regime and its allies like Russia, Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah mercenaries to stop equipping it with arms and military supplies after its confirmed involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes. Among the key recommendations made was for the UN to provide safe zones for the Syrian refugees and those internally displaced, for the UNSC to press upon the “friends” of the Assad regime to cease all support financially and militarily and for the UNSC to step up in ensuring peace was brokered in Syria to help end the atrocities being committed.

Source: UG
A systematic approach to organizing data generated during monitoring sessions in student teaching

This article describes a systematic approach (an Effective Supervision Guide) for organizing data generated during student teaching. The Effective Supervision Guide (ESG) allows supervisors and student teachers to identify and/or trace changes in teaching performance. The ESG involves (a) establishing a baseline of teaching performance, (b) selecting behaviors that need remediation or maintenance, (c) specifying strategies for remediation and maintenance of targeted behaviors, (d) establishing performance criteria for targeted behaviors, and (e) indicating beginning and ending dates for targeted behaviors

Source: UG
A Systematic Review Investigating Measurement Properties of Physiological Tests in Rugby

Background: Despite debate regarding their effectiveness, many different post-exercise recovery strategies are used by athletes. This study compared five post-exercise recovery strategies (cold water immersion, contrast water immersion, active recovery, a combined cold water immersion and active recovery and a control condition) to determine which is most effective for subsequent short-term performance and perceived recovery. Methods: Thirty-four recreationally active males undertook a simulated team-game fatiguing circuit followed by the above recovery strategies (randomized, 1 per week). Prior to the fatiguing exercise, and at 1, 24 and 48 h post-exercise, perceptual, flexibility and performance measures were assessed. Results: Contrast water immersion significantly enhanced perceptual recovery 1 h after fatiguing exercise in comparison to active and control recovery strategies. Cold water immersion and the combined recovery produced detrimental jump power performance at 1 h compared to the control and active recovery strategies. No recovery strategy was different to the control at 24 and 48 h for either perceptual or performance variables. Conclusion: For short term perceptual recovery, contrast water therapy should be implemented and for short-term countermovement power performance an active or control recovery is desirable. At 24 and 48 h, no superior recovery strategy was detected..

Source: UG
A systematic review of academic performance of Children with Disabilities (CWDs) in inclusive education schools in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)

Globally it is estimated that about 150 million children are living with disabilities. Inclusive education inspires the participation of all students in the learning process in the same classroom. However, it is really difficult to find thorough, credible accounts of disabled children’s access to education, enrolment, attendance, and results. This review evaluated academic performance, including access to school, enrolment, attendance, and results of Children with disabilities (CWD) in LMICs. In reporting this systematic review, the researchers followed the recommended Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) reporting standards. The authors conducted searches using Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar electronic databases. The study’s major findings indicate that CWDs in inclusive schools perform poorly academically compared to their non-disabled peers. Consequently, the researchers recommend more primary research to evaluate the academic performance of CWDs and the progress of in clusive education in LMICs.

Source: UG
A Systematic Review of Drivers and Constraints on Agricultural Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa

Understanding the dynamics of agricultural expansion, their drivers, and interactions is critical for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem-services provision, and the future sustainability of agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there is limited understanding of the drivers of agricultural expansion. A systematic review of the drivers of agricultural expansion was conducted from 1970 to 2020 using Web of Science, Elsevier Scopus and Google Scholar. Two researchers reviewed the papers separately based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fifteen papers were included in the final systematic review. The paper proposed expansion pathways in a conceptual framework and identified proximate and underlying drivers. Population dynamics and government policies were found to be key underlying drivers of agricultural expansion. The proximate drivers include economic opportunities such as agriculture mechanisation and cash crops production, and more troubling trends such as soil fertility decline and climate change and variability. This paper further explores the constraints that have been found to slow down agricultural expansion, including strong land institutions and good governance.

Source: UG
A systematic review of how vulnerability of smallholder agricultural systems to changing climate is assessed in Africa

The impacts of changing climate on agriculture have consequences on livelihoods and food security. Smallholder farmers, who have heterogeneous farming systems and limited resources, compounded with multiple risks, are greatly affected. There has been limited research showing how vulnerability assessments have evolved in the smallholder agricultural sector of Africa overtime. This study systematically reviewed recent publications on vulnerability studies, especially among smallholder agricultural systems, to provide an overview of current developments in theory and practice of vulnerability in Africa over the last decade. The findings indicate an increase in vulnerability assessments undertaken across Sub Saharan Africa. Despite progress made in the application of enhanced conceptual frameworks and methods, at least four important gaps exist in the assessment process namely, inadequate engagement of local perspectives and knowledge, lack of clarity in the operationalisation of vulnerability, lack of comprehensiveness of measurement criteria employed and relevance of assessment in decision support. Notwithstanding these challenges, there exist opportunities to geographically improve assessments across Africa. In order to produce knowledge to traverse projected changes in climate systems for agricultural economies and to ensure sustainable smallholder livelihoods, we suggest that future research efforts should be oriented towards providing more information to enlighten science, policy and practice for informed decision-making and evidenced based policies. This requires evaluation of adaptation capacity as a critical aspect of vulnerability assessment to provide guidance and inform effective decision-making on allocation of scarce resources (prioritization); understand trade-offs management and implementation to build understanding among stakeholders that guide possible pathways to reduce vulnerability.

Source: UG
A Systematic Review of Linear Programming Techniques as Applied to Diet Optimisation and Opportunities for Improvement

Food provides the required nutrients for adequate growth and development. However, meeting the recommended nutrients while considering environmental sustainability can be complicated and challenging. Previously, trial-and-error methods were used for product development, but these are tedious and time-consuming. Mathematical techniques such as linear programming offer an alternative and rapid approach to developing products with nutritional and/or sustainability considerations. Tis method has been extensively used in diet optimisation but does not satisfactorily address dietary problems with more than one objective function. Aim. The review aimed to explore the extent of mathematical approaches to addressing dietary problems. Methodology. A systematic review approach was adopted for the research. The major search engines used were Scopus, PubMed, and and Science Direct, based on selected keywords. A stepwise structural method was used to obtain articles. Articles that contained The search keywords that were applied in nonhuman cases were excluded. Duplicated articles were also excluded and accounted for as one. All articles were subjected to further review based on their abstract and complete titles before passing them for data analysis. Results. The total number of articles obtained from the search activity was 280. Fifty-six were retained after the criteria for inclusion were applied to them. Out of the 56 articles retained, only two studies used goal programming and nonlinear generalised mathematical approaches to address dietary problems. All other studies used the linear programming approach, focusing mainly on one or two constraints (nutrients and/or acceptability), highlighting the limitations of linear programming in addressing the multiple factors of a sustainable diet. Several researchers have proposed using multiobjective optimisation, an extension of linear programming to address challenges with sustainable diets. These approaches can be further explored to address sustainable dietary problems.

Source: UG
Systematic review of the effects of agricultural interventions on food security in northern Ghana

Background Food insecurity and poverty rates in Ghana are highest in the districts from latitude 8° N upwards. These have motivated several interventions aimed at addressing the food insecurity via promoting agricultural growth. An assessment of the overall impact of these interventions on food security is necessary to guide policy design and future interventions. Methods and findings A systematic review was used to assess the cumulative evidence of the effect of development interventions, implemented from 2006 to 2016 on food security, especially in Northern Ghana. Information were retrieved from over 20 Government and non-Governmental organisations through online search and actual visits. The number of studies included in systematic review was 22. The study showed that a large number of interventions have been implemented in Northern Ghana over the study period. Access to quality extension services, training and capacity building was a major intervention strategy. About 82% of studies considered increasing production but only 14% of the studies reported on changes in yield. About 42% of the included studies used market access as a strategy but about 44% reported increase in incomes of beneficiaries (with only seven studies providing numerical evidence for this claim). The ranking of frequency of intervention strategies was in the order extension and capacity building > production > postharvest value addition > water and irrigation facilities > storage facilities > input supply. A substantial number of the studies had no counterfactuals, weakening confidence in attributing impacts on food security for even the beneficiaries. Conclusions It is concluded that evidence for impacts of the interventions on food security was weak, or largely assumed. A logical recommendation is the need for development partners to synchronise their measurement and indicators of food security outcomes. It is also recommended that some food security indicators are explicitly incorporated into intervention design while bearing in mind the potential need for counterfactuals.

Source: UG
A Systematic Review of the Effects of Temperature on Anopheles Mosquito Development and Survival: Implications for Malaria Control in a Future Warmer Climate

The rearing temperature of the immature stages can have a significant impact on the life-history traits and the ability of adult mosquitoes to transmit diseases. This review assessed published evidence of the effects of temperature on the immature stages, life-history traits, insecticide susceptibility, and expression of enzymes in the adult Anopheles mosquito. Original articles published through 31 March 2021 were systematically retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases. After applying eligibility criteria, 29 studies were included. The review revealed that immature stages of An. arabiensis were more tolerant (in terms of survival) to a higher temperature than An. funestus and An. quadriannulatus. Higher temperatures resulted in smaller larval sizes and decreased hatching and pupation time. The development rate and survival of An. stephensi was significantly reduced at a higher temperature than a lower temperature. Increasing temperatures decreased the longevity, body size, length of the gonotrophic cycle, and fecundity of Anopheles mosquitoes. Higher rearing temperatures increased pyrethroid resistance in adults of the An. arabiensis SENN DDT strain, and increased pyrethroid tolerance in the An. arabiensis SENN strain. Increasing temperature also significantly increased Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) expression and decreased insecticide toxicity. Both extreme low and high temperatures affect Anopheles mosquito development and survival. Climate change could have diverse effects on Anopheles mosquitoes. The sensitivities of Anopeheles mosquitoes to temperature differ from species to species, even among the same complex. Notwithstanding, there seem to be limited studies on the effects of temperature on adult life-history traits of Anopheles mosquitoes, and more studies are needed to clarify this relationship.

Source: UG