ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Generation and characterization of a novel human IgG1 antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2

VEGF and its receptors, especially VEGFR2 (KDR), are known to play a critical role in angiogen- esis under both physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer and angiogenic retinopathies. This study was aimed at developing a fully human IgG1 antibody (mAb-04) constructed from a phage-derived scFv, target- ing the VEGF/VEGFR2 pathway. Firstly, an innovative transfection system, containing two recombinant expres- sion vectors (pMH3 and pCApuro), were introduced into CHO-s cells and clones with higher yield selected accord- ingly. After an optimal fermentation condition was deter- mined, fed-batch fermentation was performed in 5-L bioreactor with a final yield up to 60 mg/L. Further, cell proliferation, wound healing, transwell invasion, tube for- mation and chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assays showed significant anti-angiogenic activity of mAb-04 in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the results of Western blot- ting indicated the ability of mAb-04 to inhibit VEGF- induced VEGFR2 signaling pathway. Finally, ADCC assay demonstrated that mAb-04 is capable of mediating tumor cell killing in presence of effector cells. This study has therefore proved that the full-length antibody targeting human VEGFR2 has potential clinical applications in the treatment of cancer and other diseases where pathological angiogenesis is involved.

Source: UCC
Generation and Characterization of a Novel Human IgG1 Antibody against Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2

VEGF and its receptors, especially VEGFR2 (KDR), are known to play a critical role in angiogenesis under both physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer and angiogenic retinopathies. This study was aimed at developing a fully human IgG1 antibody (mAb-04) constructed from a phage-derived scFv, targeting the VEGF/VEGFR2 pathway. Firstly, an innovative transfection system, containing two recombinant expression vectors (pMH3 and pCApuro), were introduced into CHO-s cells and clones with higher yield selected accordingly. After an optimal fermentation condition was determined, fed-batch fermentation was performed in 5-L bioreactor with a final yield up to 60 mg/L. Further, cell proliferation, wound healing, transwell invasion, tube formation and chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane assays showed significant anti-angiogenic activity of mAb-04 in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the results of Western blotting indicated the ability of mAb-04 to inhibit VEGFinduced VEGFR2 signaling pathway. Finally, ADCC assay demonstrated that mAb-04 is capable of mediating tumor cell killing in presence of effector cells. This study has therefore proved that the full-length antibody targeting human VEGFR2 has potential clinical applications in the treatment of cancer and other diseases where pathological angiogenesis is involved.

Source: UCC
Generation and propagation of ultrasonic waves in piezoelectric graphene nanoribbon

Generation and propagation of ultrasonic waves in single layer Graphene Nanoribbon is studied using semi-classical approach. When piezoelectric Graphene Nanoribbon (GNR) is exposed to time varying light beam, ultrasonic waves are produced which propagate in the medium. At low frequencies, we observed oscillations of the ultrasonic observables, velocity change and attenuation which are characteristics of massless Dirac fermions in graphene. Exploiting this oscillatory behavior, we estimate graphene’s electronic mobility to be around 5 2V s. Propagating ultrasonic waves can be amplified, depending on the electric field amplitude. Specifically, amplification occurs when drift velocity exceeds sound velocity. This scheme can be employed for efficient ultrasonic amplifier device operation

Source: UCC
Generation of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes as a cellular model of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

Aims; Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a primary heart muscle disorder associated with sudden cardiac death. Its pathophysiology is still poorly understood. We aimed to produce an in vitro cellular model of ARVC using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and determine whether the model could recapitulate key features of the disease phenotype. Methods and results Dermal fibroblasts were obtained from a 30-year-old man with a clinical diagnosis of ARVC, harbouring a plakophilin 2 (PKP2) gene mutation. Four stable iPSC lines were generated using retroviral reprogramming, and functional cardiomyocytes were derived. Gene expression levels of desmosomal proteins (PKP2 and plakoglobin) in cardiomyocytes from ARVC–iPSCs were significantly lower compared with cardiomyocytes from control iPSCs (P , 0.01); there were no significant differences in the expression of desmoplakin, N-cadherin, and connexin 43 between the two groups. Cardiomyocytes derived from ARVC–iPSCs exhibited markedly reduced immunofluorescence signals when stained for PKP2 and plakoglobin, but similar levels of staining for desmoplakin, N-cadherin, and connexin 43 compared with control cardiomyocytes. Transmission electron microscopy showed that ARVC–iPSC cardiomyocytes were larger and contained darker lipid droplets compared with control cardiomyocytes. After 2 weeks of cell exposure to adiopgenic differentiation medium, ARVC–iPSC cardiomyocytes were found to contain a significantly greater amount of lipid, calculated using Oil Red O staining, compared with controls (734+35.6 vs. 8.1+0.49 a.u., respectively; n ¼ 7, P ¼ 0.001). Conclusion: Patient-specific iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes display key features of ARVC, including reduced cell surface localization of desmosomal proteins and a more adipogenic phenotype.

Source: UCC
Generation of terahertz radiation by wave mixing in armchair carbon nanotubes

Using semiclassical Boltzmann equation we have studied theoretically an effect of a direct current (DC) generation in undoped armchair carbon nanotube (CN) by mixing two coherent electromagnetic waves with commensurate frequencies i.e and . We compared the results of the armchair with that of the zigzag carbon nanotubes for the same conditions ( i.e. when the normalized current is plotted against the amplitude).Quantitatively they agree with each other except that the absolute value of the peaks of the current for zigzag is about 1.1 times that of the armchair. We noticed that the current is negative similar to that observed in zigzag CNs describing the same effect. However it is interesting to note that graph of normalized current against omega tau showed that the armchair is greater than that of the zigzag for about 1.1 times which is opposite. We also observed that when the phase shift θ lies between and there is an inversion and the current becomes positive. We suggest the use of this approach for the generation of terahertz radiation and also for the determination of the relaxation time of electrons in carbon nanotubes

Source: UCC
Generic Structure and Modal Verbs in Managerial Position Job Advertisements of Tertiary Institutions in Ghana

In recent times, job advertisements have become one of the effective platforms through which many institutions market themselves to the outside world. Although there have been some studies on such advertisements, much attention has not been given to the rhetoric of managerial position job advertisements of tertiary educational institutions in Ghana, where these institutions have increased in number at an exponential rate. The present study, therefore, explores the generic structure and modal verbs in tertiary institutions’ managerial position job advertisements (MPJAs). Focusing on the qualitative method approach, 30 texts were studied. The study, first, revealed that MPJAs of tertiary institutions placed in the newspaper Daily Graphic adopted a five-move pattern (institution identification, vacancy declaration, job details, application details, and authority signing); a linear move pattern from the first move to the last; and the largest textual space given to Move 3 (Job Details). The study further showed that the most frequent use of ‘must’, which enabled advertisers of MPJAs to place obligation on the potential applicants, revealed the authority of the advertisers over the potential applicants. Again, the use of the strong modal ‘must’ was very excessive and so it can be concluded that MPJAs resonate the authority or power of the advertisers over the potential applicants. These findings suggest that tertiary educational institutions in Ghana construct their MPJAs in a similar fashion. The study, therefore, has implications for similar MPJA texts construction pedagogy and further research

Source: UCC
Genesis 1:26-28: a License for Christians’ Exploitation of The Environment?

ABSTRACT The global ecological crisis is posited to be, perhaps, the number one problem facing the world-wide community in recent times (Breuilly & Palmer, 1992). The effect of this global crisis is known and felt everywhere. Scholars, by way of studying the causes of this contemporary global ecological crisis, have blamed the Judaeo-Christian tradition for being responsible. They claim that certain narrative features in the book of Genesis, particularly Genesis 1: 26-28, warrant human beings to exploit nature for their benefit. This research, therefore, explores Genesis 1:26-28 in order to establish what the text in its historical context means other than its license to Christians for exploitation of the environment as claimed by some scholars. The study is a description-based research which seeks to employ secondary sources of data. The researcher arrives at the conclusion through a textual interpretation and analysis guided by a historical-critical method of research. The analysis of the text is guided by Narrative Criticism proposed by Mark Allan Powell (1990). On the whole, the findings of the study show that the idea that human beings were created “in the image” and “likeness of Elohim” and hence perceive themselves as creatures above and beyond nature; and the view that the words “dominion” and “subdue” used in the text connote ‘domination’ and ‘exploitation’, are untenable. The historical interpretation of the text suggests ‘stewardship’ rather than ‘exploitation’ of nature. The study recommends that researchers should use a different approach or methodology for a comparison study to increase our understanding of the relationship between Christian Scripture and the environment

Source: UCC
Genetic and non-genetic factors influencing the performance of the West African Dwarf (WAD) goat kept at the Kintampo Goat breeding station of Ghana

A study was conducted to analyse the effect of genetic and non-genetic factors influencing the growth performance of the West African Dwarf goat. Breed records of 836 kids born by 259 does, and 8 bucks from 2011 to 2017 at the station were used. Growth performance traits studied were birth weight, weaning weight, 6-month body weight, 9-month body weight, yearling weight, and pre-weaning and post-weaning growth rates. The fixed effects of sex of kid (male or female), season of kidding (major, minor, and dry), year of kidding (2011–2017), and type of birth (single, twins, or triplets) on growth performance were determined. Genetic parameters such as heritability and correlations among the traits were also estimated. The non-genetic data (fixed factors) obtained were analysed using the general linear model procedures of GenStat (Discovery Edition 12). Heritability estimates obtained for the growth traits were 0.45 ± 0.15, 0.57 ± 0.29, 0.04 ± 0.05, 0.74 ± 0.59, 0.49 ± 0.35, 0.55 ± 0.39, and 0.54 ± 0.36, respectively, an indication of high genetic variation existing among the traits (with the exception of 6-month body weight). This could be harnessed and utilized for genetic improvement within the flock. The phenotypic correlation coefficients among the traits ranged from low to high (0.04–0.95), indicating that there is a linear relationship among body traits of the goats which may be caused by either genetic or environmental factors of correlation. The genetic correlations were also medium to high (0.30– 0.96). The general implications are that selection for any of these growth traits in a breed improvement programme would have a considerable simultaneous positive impact on each other. The overall birth weight, weaning weight, 6-month body weight, 9- month body weight, yearling weight, and pre- and post-weaning growth rates obtained were 1.48 kg, 5.35 kg, 6.56 kg, 8.30 kg, 10.00 kg, 32.26 g/day, and 19.39 g/day, respectively. These growth performances were found to be significantly influenced by the non-genetic factors studied. There is therefore the need to factor these in future breed improvement programmes to ensure their success

Source: UCC
Genetic association between hla-g 14bp polymorphism and malaria disease severity and Anaemia among iron and non-iron fortified Ghanaian Children

Malaria cases were reported in 241,000,000 people worldwide in 2020, with 96% occurring in Africa. Out of this number, 80% of the total deaths were children. Due to host and plasmodium interactions, clinical features might vary greatly. HLA-G is important for the outcome of plasmodium infection because it may induce a tolerogenic environment that allows parasites to evade an anti-malarial response. One of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies is anaemia. According to certain research's findings, having anaemia caused by a lack of iron may be protective against contracting malaria, whereas having availability of iron can increase the risk of malaria-related illness and death. This is a cross sectional study and archival samples from a study done by Zlotkin et al, 2013 in the Tain and Wenchi Municipalities in the Bono region were used. Children between 6 and 36 months who can tolerate semi-solid foods and living in Tain and Wenchi were involved in the study while children who tested positive for malaria but have started antimalaria treatment or have other known medical conditions were excluded. A total of 432 samples were used and categorized into negative control, uncomplicated and complicated malaria. Genomic DNA was amplified with PCR, and 14bp+/- alleles counted. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, chi-square test, univariate, and multivariate regression models were used to analyse data acquired. The study revealed that the presence of HLA-G 14bp+/- and 14bp-/- variants were associated with malaria disease severity among the iron fortified children but not in the non-iron supplemented children. Also, HLA-G 14bp+/- was associated with the development of anaemia among iron supplemented children.

Source: UCC
Genetic basis of maize resistance to multiple insect pests: integrated genome-wide comparative mapping and candidate gene prioritization

Several species of herbivores feed on maize in field and storage setups, making the development of multiple insect resistance a critical breeding target. In this study, an association mapping panel of 341 tropical maize lines was evaluated in three field environments for resistance to fall armyworm (FAW), whilst bulked grains were subjected to a maize weevil (MW) bioassay and genotyped with Diversity Array Technology’s single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers. A multi-locus genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed 62 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with FAW and MW resistance traits on all 10 maize chromosomes, of which, 47 and 31 were discovered at stringent Bonferroni genome-wide significance levels of 0.05 and 0.01, respectively, and located within or close to multiple insect resistance genomic regions (MIRGRs) concerning FAW, SB, and MW. Sixteen QTNs influenced multiple traits, of which, six were associated with resistance to both FAW and MW, suggesting a pleiotropic genetic control. Functional prioritization of candidate genes (CGs) located within 10–30 kb of the QTNs revealed 64 putative GWAS-based CGs (GbCGs) showing evidence of involvement in plant defense mechanisms. Only one GbCG was associated with each of the five of the six combined resistance QTNs, thus reinforcing the pleiotropy hypothesis. In addition, through in silico co-functional network inferences, an additional 107 network-based CGs (NbCGs), biologically connected to the 64 GbCGs, and differentially expressed under biotic or abiotic stress, were revealed within MIRGRs. The provided multiple insect resistance physical map should contribute to the development of combined insect resistance in maize

Source: UCC
Genetic Characterization of Atlantic Chub Mackerel (Scomber Colias) in Ghana

ABSTRACT The Atlantic chub mackerel Scomber colias is a small pelagic coastal migratory species belonging to the family Scombridae. Available scientific data reveals a gradual decline of S. colias species within Ghana’s fisheries waters as a result of growing fishing efforts. Despite their economic value and wide distribution in Ghana, there is lack of information on their genetic diversity. This study aims to genetically characterize S. colias along the coast of Ghana using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b markers to ascertain their genetic diversity. S. colias specimens were characterized using 8 microsatellite loci and 1 mtDNA cytochrome b gene. All 8 microsatellite loci were polymorphic with 3 to 22 alleles per locus however, the effective number of alleles (Ne) per locus and the mean number of different alleles (Na) were 1.466 and 2.054 respectively. Appreciable genetic diversity exists in the population of S. colias. The mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) within the population was 0.152 whilst the mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.244, which means the S. colias population has decreased in size. The mean gene diversity and PIC were 0.58 and 0.54 respectively. Growth in all the samples exhibited isometric. The nucleotide sequences of cyt-b gene for samples demonstrated the existence of divergence within and among the nucleotide sequence of the S. colias population. There was high genetic divergence (FST = 0.240) within the S. colias population. However, 14% of the variance existed in the population. Nei’s distance between the samples ranged between 0.0614 and 0.4695, with an overall gene flow (Nm) of 1.706 and Shannon Information Index 0.406. A tanglegram generated similarities and divergences between the genotypic and phenotypic dendrograms.

Source: UCC
Genetic characterization of Plasmodium SPP and putative antimalarial drug resistant markers in the Central Region of Ghana

BACKGROUND: Malaria eradication is hampered by the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum, antimalarial resistance, and eco-geographical distinctions. The Central Region of Ghana harbours different ecological zones which may drive genetic diversity and influence resistance patterns in malaria infections. AIM: To investigate the genetic characteristics of Plasmodium species and putative Antimalarial drug resistant markers in the Central region. METHOD: This was a cross sectional study involving 3993 samples collected during the dry and wet seasons from selected health facilities within the Forest and Coastal zones of the Central region. Bivariate analysis determined the association of malaria with independent variables. Selective whole genome amplicon sequencing (sWGA) assay was used to characterise 522 malariapositive samples. RESULTS: Malaria prevalence was 61.8% by rapid diagnostic test and 61.1% by microscopy. Infection were associated with ecological zones (p<0.001) and seasons (p<0.001). Genomic analysis showed evidence of mixed P. falciparum, P. vivax, and P. malariae -(0.4%) amidst a high P. falciparum (98.9%) prevalence. Infections were mostly polyclonal (55.5%), ranging from one to six clones. Resistant haplotypes recorded were Pfcrt CVIET (0.5%), Pfmdr1 NFD (44%), Pfdhfr triple mutation (N51I, C59R, S108N)-76.6%, Pfdhps SGKAA (32.8%), and Pfdhps SGEAA (0.3%), and Pfkelch13 gene (48%). CONCLUSION: Malaria was prevalent in all districts and influenced by ecogeographic factors among others. Resistance was observed in all antimalarials studied. Multifaceted yet targeted interventions are required all year round for effective malaria control.

Source: UCC
Genetic diversity and breeding value of okra (abelmoschus esculentus (l.) Germplasm for tolerance to two okra viral diseases under low and high nitrogen conditions

Okra is a significant multipurpose vegetable crop cultivated extensively across the world. However, the productivity of the crop is constrained by abiotic (low N) and biotic (okra mosaic and leaf curl diseases) stresses. The excessive dependence on inorganic chemicals to combat viral diseases and low-N is harmful to the environment and unsustainable. Breeding for varieties tolerant to okra mosaic diseases (OMD) and leaf curl diseases (OLCD) with high N-use efficiency is the most practical and long-term strategy for reducing the losses caused by viruses and low-N. An assessment of genetic diversity and breeding value of okra germplasm for tolerance to okra mosaic and leaf curl virus diseases under low and high-N was carried out to identify hybrids and genotypes tolerant to low-N and the two viral diseases. Hundred okra germplasm were sourced, characterized and screened from Ghana's diverse agro-climatic and production regions. Twelve superior genotypes were selected based on tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and yield performance. Thirty-six (36) hybrids were generated from the twelve (12) germplasms using the North Carolina Design II mating scheme (NCD II). The 36 single cross hybrids together with four checks and the 12 parental genotypes were evaluated under low nitrogen (30 kg/ha) and high nitrogen (100 kg/ha) at two different locations, viz., Jacobu and Akumadan, during the major and minor growing seasons of 2021. The results of the diversity studies indicated wide genetic variability among the 100 okra germplasm studied, and 27 out of the 100 collected germplasms were duplicates. The parental genotype (Tamale 2E) was identified as the best low-N tolerant genotype with immunity against OLCD, OMD, and Podagrica spp. infestation under low-N environments. Similarly, Hilhaho × Paapa and Tamale 2E × G1 hybrids were identified as high-yielding, low-N tolerant hybrids and best-specific combiners. Also, single cross hybrid Paapa × Mampong had immunity against OMD, while hybrid cross Asontemtiatia × Paapa was the most resistant hybrid against OLCD under low-N conditions. Moreover, the study concluded that the additive gene effect was more significant than non-additive gene effects for the studied traits. Furthermore, maternal (cytoplasmic) effects influenced the inheritance of fruit yield and most yield components.

Source: UCC