ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Clinical Spectrum of congenital heart defects (CHD) detected at the child health Clinic in a Tertiary Health Facility in Ghana: a retrospective analysis

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the singular most common congenital anomalies and account for a significant fraction of childhood mortality and morbidity. CHD occurs in ~ 1% of livebirths globally and often requires surgical interventions to improve quality of life and survival of patients. The prevalence and clinical presentations of CHD within specific populations provide a clearer overview of the burden of CHD and informs appropriate interventions. However, there is limited data on clinical presentation and occurrence of CHD in African countries such as Ghana where most cases are either diagnosed late or missed entirely resulting in increased mortality. In this retrospective study, we assessed the clinical presentations, associated comorbidities, and prescription patterns of diagnosed CHD in a tertiary facility in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Clinico-Histocytopathological Profile of Paediatric Head and Neck Malignant Neoplasms: A Mini-Review

Head and neck malignant neoplasms are reported to be the tenth most common cancer globally. They are associated with potential morbidity and mortality because of their tendency to interfere with vital functions of life such as breathing, swallowing, speech, hearing, vision, taste and smelling. Contrary to what was seen in the past where infectious diseases were the leading causes of paediatric morbidity and mortality, non-infectious diseases for example head and neck cancers are now spearheading the morbidity and mortality observed in paediatric population in Africa. This review aims at discussing the clinico-histocytopathological profile of various paediatric head and neck malignant neoplasms in different countries across the World

Source: UCC
Clothing care and management practices of senior members in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Clothing care and management practices increase clothing life time, which indirectly reduces the expenses of consumers in these times of economic hardship, and in turn, slow down the circulation pace. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the clothing care and management practices of senior members in the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. A simple random sampling method was utilized to select 176 senior members to participate in the study. Clothing care and management practices of senior members were sought by structured questionnaire. Statistical procedures used in data analysis were mainly means and standard deviations, independent-samples t test, and frequency and percentages. Findings from the study showed that in terms of clothing selection, laundering and repair practices, senior members engage in practices that prolong the lifespan of clothes. Nonetheless, it was also revealed that senior members have poor level of knowledge of care label symbols and do not engage in appropriate storage practices as well. Based on the findings of the study, I recommend that there should be adequate education on the clothing care and management practices among senior members through seminars.

Source: UCC
Clothing Challenges of People With Mobility Impairment in Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality- Central Region, Ghana

The purpose of this study was to examine the design details of general garments in order to assess how People with Mobility Impairment (PWMIs) in Komenda Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipality are satisfied with these garments in the Ghanaian market. The study adopted the mixed method survey design and collected data from 201 respondents from Enyindakrom, Kissi, Elmina, Besease, and Komenda located in the KEEA municipality. Questionnaire and interview guide were used as the main instruments for the data collection. Using Statistical Package for Service Solution (SPSS) version 26.0, data was analyzed quantitatively using mean, frequency counts and percentages, and correlation analysis at 5% level of significance while the interview guide questions were analyzed qualitatively to support the findings. Findings revealed that PWMIs in general, are dissatisfied with their ready-made garment attributes. PWMIs are satisfied with the construction quality of the altered ready-made garment. Findings further revealed that in selecting garment, attributes such as option to customize, fits, short sleeves, among others are considered important. Although, there was a positively weak significant relationship, between the quality of life of PWMIs and the Functional, Expressive and Aesthetic (FEA) element of clothing, it indicated that a well thought clothing design that blends functionality, expressive and aesthetic elements of clothing, would have the ability to improve, to a certain degree, the quality of life of PWMIs and vice versa. It was therefore recommended that, when PWMIs take their garments to designers, they should be able to tell them the problems that they have and to point out the design features that they want in their customized garments to increase satisfaction level in their garments.

Source: UCC
Clothing Choice and its Influence on Social Interaction among Workers in the University of Cape Coast

The main purpose of the study was to find out about the kind of clothes the workers in the university choose to wear and how what they wear make them relate to others at the work place. The study used descriptive survey as the main research design. Stratified sampling technique was used to select 306 senior staff and 291 junior staff for the study. Questionnaire was the main instrument employed for the study. Data was analysed using frequencies, mean and standard deviation. It was revealed from the study that psychological factors such as; self-esteem, body image, personal character, position in the university, need for self enhancement, sense of acceptability, self-consciousness and personal respect influenced choice of clothing among senior and junior staff in the University of Cape Coast. Secondly, it was found out that social status in the university, desire to appear attractive, desire to express cultural identity, desire to show new styles on the market, association in the work place, socio-economic status, feeling of belongingness and desire to appear decent were the social factors contributing to the choice of clothing among workers. In addition, it was revealed that economic factors such as; family’s need for food, shelter and health, level of income, cost of the clothe, amount of money available and the nature of their respective occupations influenced the choice of clothing among senior and junior staff. Finally, the study discovered that clothing choices have strong influence on the levels of interaction among senior staff of the University of Cape Coast. Based on the findings and conclusions, it was recommended that clothing manufacturers should address themselves to psychological, social and economic factors influencing workers’ clothing choices

Source: UCC
Cloud and in-house datacenters: determinants of security innovations at the colleges of education, Ghana

The study sought to investigate the determinants of security innovation for cloud and in-house datacenters for the Colleges of Education in Ghana. The study attempted to establish how cloud datacenters differ from in-house implementation in terms of security issues. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. In all, 300 respondents were purposively selected from 3 colleges of education to participate in the study. Questionnaire was the main data collection instrument. The study found out that both datacenter implementation types were vulnerable to attacks. The study revealed that both datacenters types for Colleges of Education were vulnerable to an attack even though in-house datacenters had better control measures. Again, the study found out that among the determinants examined, top management support and complexity was found to have a significant influence on whether Colleges of Education adopted security innovation technology. It was recommended that information security awareness, education and training be given to stakeholders as a means of improving security at the Colleges of Education.

Source: UCC
Cloud Computing Adoption in Higher Education: A Comparative Study Between Public and Private Universities in Sub Saharan Africa

Cloud computing is fast gaining a significant ground as a solution to offer institutions with competitive advantage compared to the old traditional Technology. Despite the potential benefits that is associated with cloud computing which includes reduction of total costs of acquisition or ownership (TCO) of hardware, software and skilled resources, the adoption level of cloud services is still very low in higher institutions of learning due to security issues, especially trust issues which remain a major concern over cloud solutions. The study was carried out in some selected public and private universities in sub Saharan Africa to determine the reason for the low cloud adoption by key stakeholders in higher institutions of learning. An adoption strategy was recommended with reference to the resources available, confidentiality, integrity and availability. The study recommended that cloud service providers should be transparent with their privacy policies with institutions of higher learning as this can influence cloud purchasing decisions. Secondly, there is the need for training IT personnel and to create awareness of the benefits of cloud computing to enable institutions of higher learning to adopt them to enhance their productivity.

Source: UCC
Cluster randomised trial of Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infants in area of high, seasonal transmission in Ghana

Objective To evaluate the effects of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infants (IPTi) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in an area of intense, seasonal transmission. Design Cluster randomised placebo controlled trial, with 96 clusters allocated randomly to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine or placebo in blocks of eight. Interventions Children received sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine or placebo and one month of iron supplementation when they received DPT-2, DPT-3, or measles vaccinations and at 12 months of age. Main outcome measures Incidence of malaria and of anaemia determined through passive case detection. Results 89% (1103/1242) of children in the placebo group and 88% (1088/1243) in the IPTi group completed follow-up to 24 months of age. The protective efficacy of IPTi against all episodes of malaria was 24.8% (95% confidence interval 14.3% to 34.0%) up to 15 months of age. IPTi had no protective effect against malaria between 16 and 24 months of age (protective efficacy –4.9%, − 21.3% to 9.3%). The incidence of high parasite density malaria ( ≥ 5000 parasites/ l) was higher in the IPTi group than in the placebo group between 16 and 24 months of age (protective efficacy − 19.5%, − 39.8% to − 2.2%). IPTi reduced hospital admissions with anaemia by 35.1% (10.5% to 52.9%) up to 15 months of age. IPTi had no significant effect on anaemia between 16 and 24 months of age (protective efficacy − 6.4%, − 76.8% to 35.9%). The relative risk of death up to 15 months of age in the IPTi group was 1.26 (95% confidence interval 0.81 to 1.96; P = 0.31), and from 16 to 24 months it was 1.28 (0.77 to 2.14; P = 0.35). Conclusions Intermittent preventive treatment for malaria with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine can reduce malaria and anaemia in infants even in seasonal, high transmission areas, but concern exists about possible

Source: UCC
Co-application of biochar and cattle manure counteract positive priming of carbon mineralization in a sandy soil

Background: Application of biochar has been suggested as a carbon (C) management strategy to sequester C and enhance soil quality. An incubation study was carried out to investigate the interactive effect of biochar and cattle manure application on mineralization of carbon (C) in a tropical coastal savanna sandy soil. Methods: The soils were amended with three sole levels of cattle manure (0, 13 and 26 tons ha-1) or biochar (0, 20 and 40 tons ha-1) and four combined manure–biochar levels (20 or 40 tons ha-1 biochar plus 13 or 26 tons ha-1 manure) and CO2 evolution was measured over 56 days incubation period. The soils were analyzed for mineral N (NH4+-N and NO3--N) and water extractable organic C, and net N mineralization, and priming effect (PE) values calculated. Results: The cumulative C mineralized increased in the sole manure and biochar amended soils, resulting in 45–125% positive PE. However, co-application of biochar and manure decelerated decomposition of C, probably through adsorption of labile C and net N immobilization, subsequently leading up to negative 35% PE. Conclusions: The results suggest that co-application of biochar and cattle manure can potentially stabilize C in manure amended sandy soils, albeit with a temporary mineral N limitation to plants

Source: UCC
Co-existence of malaria and urinary tract infection among children under five: A cross-sectional study of the Assin-South Municipality, Ghana

Across tropical Africa, febrile children are treated for malaria either with or without confirmation thus resulting in failure to diagnose and treat other co-morbidities like urinary tract infections (UTI) and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) that may coexist with malaria. This cross- sectional study examined coexisting malaria with UTI and further assessed the antimicrobial sus- ceptibility pattern of the isolated organisms among children aged <5 years presenting with fever. Between December 2012 and May 2013, 284 children were recruited from the Saint Francis Xavier Hospital, in the Central Region of Ghana through purposive sampling. Thick and thin blood films were used for the diagnosis of malaria and urine samples were collected in sterile, wide-mouthed, leak proof containers for culture and sensitivity. Organisms isolated were identified and tested for their antimicrobial sensitivity patterns using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Prevalence of malaria with coexisting UTI was 15.8% with majority (58.0%) of the participants being female. Age was significantly (p=0.025) associated with malaria and UTI co-infection with the highest preva- lence of co-infection (35.6%) recorded amongst the 13-24 months age group; gender was not asso- ciated with co-infection (p>0.05). Malaria parasitaemia (1+ to 3+) was significantly (p=0.001) asso- ciated with bacteriuria. Staphylococcus aureus (30.3%), Escherichia coli (20.4%) and Proteus spe- cies (5.3%) were isolated and these isolates were highly susceptible to Gentamicin (GEN), Ciprof- loxacin (CIP) and Nitrofurantoin (NIT) but were resistant to ampicillin (AMP). Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant cause of the UTI and the isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin but susceptible to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and nitrofurantoin.

Source: UCC
Co-Movement Between Crude Oil Returns and African Stock Market Returns: The Role of Investors‘ Sentiment

Financial markets are integrated and are continually experiencing asymmetry. With market integrations, investors have capitalised on commodities to diversify against risks. There are extensive findings showing the connectedness of financial assets and commodities. This relationship however has also been proven to be asymmetric probably based on investors‘ sentiments. As such, this study sought to explore the role of investor sentiment (VIX and OVX) on the relationship between crude oil returns and 15 African stock market returns using daily data from January 12, 2012 to August 3, 2023. To answer the research objectives, a post-positivist philosophy, quantitative approach and explanatory design were adopted consequently. Because of the asymmetric nature of investors, the bi-wavelet and partial wavelet analyses were adopted to explore the time-frequency nature of such a relationship. The study revealed a strong integration between crude oil prices and African stock markets, where changes in oil returns significantly impacted market performance. Investor sentiment played a key role, with positive sentiment amplifying gains during rising oil prices and negative sentiment intensifying losses during declines. The relationship was found to be varying and asymmetric over time, affecting countries differently based on their oil dependency. Oil-exporting nations experienced more direct benefits, while oil-importing countries faced negative impacts, especially in energy-reliant sectors. Given the multifaceted interactions between investor sentiment, crude oil returns, and stock returns in African markets, it is essential for investors, policymakers, and market participants to take a comprehensive approach that combines both financial and behavioural perspectives.

Source: UCC
Co-movement of real exchange rates in the West African Monetary Zone

In three different ways of lead–lag causal relationship, covariance/ correlation and coherence, we apply the wavelets analysis via the Continuous Morlet Wavelet Transform to delineate the significant frequency–time domain lead–lag relationships for the West African Monetary Zone member countries for real US dollar exchange rates and their absolute log returns from January 2001 to April 2015. The results indicate that lead–lag associations at different periodicities vary across the countries. No one country comes off as leading conveniently for both real and absolute returns of the exchange rates. Our results corroborate other evidences of non-convergence of exchange rates in the monetary zone, which hinders the eventual implementation of the single currency in the ECOWAS region.

Source: UCC
Co-Operative Credit Unions and Development of their Members in Bolgatanga Municipality

This study examined the contributions of cooperative credit unions to their members in Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region. A sample of 150 credit union members and 20 management committee members were used for data collection. With the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences Software, the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results of the study indicated that credit union members have cultivated the habit of saving regularly which enhanced their savings culture. Also, through the credit unions, members are able to establish and expand businesses. This is as a result of easy access to credit and lower interest of loans from the credit unions. The results further revealed that credit unions have contributed greatly to the education of members and their relatives. It is recommended that, there should be capacity building for the management committees to enable them manage the affairs of the credit unions under their care. It is again recommended that there should be a strong collaboration between the government of Ghana and the credit unions to reduce poverty especially in the rural areas.

Source: UCC
Coastal erosion dynamics and landmass change along Cape Coast - Sekondi coastline in Ghana

The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which coastal erosion, accretion and other processes, including human activities, have influenced changes in the coastline between Cape Coast and Sekondi in Ghana. The study sites were Cape Coast, Ekon, Komenda and Sekondi. Fifty pebbles each from the study sites were picked for the study. Sand particles were also sampled from the three study sites. In addition, satellite images, aerial photos as well as topographical maps and Global Positioning System (GPS) Survey were used for shoreline analysis and land cover/use change. Measurements ot abrasion platforms, raised beaches, high and low water marks were also manually taken. Forty-five respondents were also purposively selected for in-depth interviews and community interactions. The analyses were done on the basis of Caillieaux indices for pebble analysis, Wentworth Scheme of Grain Analysis for sand, Digital Shoreline Analysis System for shoreline change and digitization of aerial photographs and topographical maps for land cover change. Photographs were also taken and used as part of the analysis. It came out that erosion was more intense between Ekon through Cape Coast and Komenda than Sekondi. Generally, the current shorelines were found to be accreting and retreating. The dominant land cover is built up. The impact of sea erosion was both physical and human. It was therefore recommended that any preventive measures against dynamics of the sea such as erosion should consider both the natural and human dimensions. It is therefore imperative for continuous monitoring of the coast to keep abreast of the changes that will occur as a result of either erosion or accretion.

Source: UCC
Coastal erosion in Ghana: causes, policies, and management

Coastal erosion is a serious problem that affects the safety and livelihoods of many coastal dwellers along Ghana’s coast. Despite the fact that coastal erosion is a natural phenomenon, erosion trends have been largely aggravated by human-induced factors. This study analyzed shoreline change rates for three neighbouring coastal communities in the Central region of Ghana; Elmina, Cape Coast and Moree. Two epochs were analyzed, 1974–2012 (medium-term) and 2005–2012 (short-term), using ArcGIS and Digital Shoreline Analysis System. Overall, the entire study area recorded average shoreline change rates of ¡1.24 myear¡1 and ¡0.85 myear¡1 in the medium term and short-term period respectively. Less consolidated shoreline segments recorded higher erosion rates in both periods while cliffs and rocky segments experienced very little erosion or high stability. Because shorelines undergoing chronic erosion do not fully recover after short-term erosion events such as storms, facilities located close to such shorelines are threatened. Taking a proactive approach to coastal erosion management, such as coastal sand mining prevention, inter-sectoral land use management and adopting a construction setback approach may be prudent for the long-term management of the coast since this recognizes future shoreline changes and safeguards coastal landscape for other uses

Source: UCC
Coated-wire Lithium lon-selective Electrodes Based on Polyal koxylate Complexes

Barium and lithium adducts of polyalkoxylates have been investigated as sensors in lithium ion-selective electrodes using a microconduit flow injection analysis system. Dioctyl phenylphosphonate (DOPP) and dioctyl 3-nitrophenylphosphonate (N-DOPP) were employed as solvent mediators. Selectivity coefficients, kf?'~, r the Ba(PPG 1025)0.s9. PB)2 DOPP-based lithium electrode in 0.14 M sodium chloride solution are as follows: Na+ 3.7 x 10-2, K+ 4.4 x 10-3, Ca2+ 4.1 x 10-1 and Mg2+ 8.0 x 10-2. The selectivity coefficients are compared with those for two other previously reported lithium electrodes. The barium polyalkoxylate adduct is a better sensor for lithium than its lithium analogue

Source: UCC