ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Changes in perceptions and motivation of archives and library students during training at the University of Ghana

Changes in the entry-level perceptions and motivations of sub-degree diploma and postgraduate degree students after one-year training at the Department of Library and Archival Studies (DLAS), University of Ghana were analyzed. Students' responses to items in a structured questionnaire at the start of their programmes were compared to their responses to the items a year after using paired t-test methods. Among the key findings was that both archives and library students improved their perceptions of the library profession and careers significantly. Library students improved from an initially much lower perception of their profession and careers compared to what archives students had of theirs. Archives students improved their perceptions of the library profession and careers most probably because the joint courses of the parallel archives and library programmes of the DLAS enabled them to increase their awareness of the essence and importance of the library profession and careers relative to theirs. In view of the increasing convergence of the information professions, and the many joint courses of the DLAS programmes, it is recommended that the DLAS might consider introducing some flexibility into the curricula of its two-year diploma programmes in archives and library studies to enable students who so desire to switch from archives to library specialization or vice versa after the first year.

Source: UG
Changes in physico-chemical characteristics and volatile flavour components of different yoghurt products made from soy, peanuts and cow milk

Milk blends from legumes are potential nutritional substitutes in cultures where cow milk is used for yoghurt production. Peanut and soy based products have been considered to have poor sensory characteristics due to the beany and off-flavours they generate in food products that contain them. The high polyunsaturated fatty acid content of legumes makes these products susceptible to lipid oxidation leading to rancidity and development of off-flavours. Acceptability ratings of these products have been significantly lower than the traditional dairy products. Nonetheless, food scientists are still faced with the challenge of formulating foods that are appealing and acceptable to consumers, but still contain significant amounts of these oilseed proteins for their health benefits. The development of a storage stable yoghurt product from these vegetable seeds has the potential to increase utilization and market for peanut and soy beans. The study investigated the keeping quality of Soy-peanut-cow milk yoghurt (SPCY), Defatted peanut-soy milk yoghurt (DPSY) and Cow milk yoghurt (CMY) refrigerated at 5°C over a period of 21 days during storage. Volatile flavor compounds in the different yoghurt samples were determined by static head space technique using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). Titratable acidity increased in all samples after one week of storage but was highest in CMY (1.2% - 2.60%) followed by DPSY (0.57% - 0.89%). SPCY had the least titratable acidity value (0.23% - 0.44%). CMY and DPSY were more susceptible to syneresis. Free fatty acid (FFA) and peroxide value (PV) were high in the full fat product compared to defatted product and cow milk yoghurt. Flavour analysis using GC-MS identified aldehydes, alcohols, organic acids and furans as the volatile flavour components in the yoghurts studied. The defatted vegetable milk yoghurt (DPSY) had better storage keeping qualities than the whole fat vegetable milk yoghurt (SPCY) and the control (CMY). Defatting of oilseeds prior to use in food formulations can enhance the storage stability of the products. Utilization of less expensive and available indigenous crops such as soy beans and peanut in yoghurt production will help reduce the cost of the product in some developing countries.

Source: UG
Changes in population dynamics during long term evolution of Sabin type 1 poliovirus in an immunodeficient patient

Most research activities involve the use of molecular methods such as regular PCR (PCR), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), genomic sequence and analysis using different software, genetic engineering, probe hybridization techniques, biological and molecular cloning, evaluation of immune markers for laboratory diagnosis of infections, serological assays involving the use of rapid tests, ELISA-based evaluations and immunofluorescent assay techniques.

Source: UG
Changes In Population Literacy And Numeracy In Ghana After Three Decades Of Free Basic Education

Abstract Motivation: Despite increases in school enrolment, the world is facing a global learning crisis that suggests a trade-off between the quantity and quality of education. Purpose: This case study from Ghana examines whether there has been a long-term change in educational outcomes, measured by population literacy and numeracy rates, in the decades following the implementation of a national free compulsory basic education policy. It further determines whether there are variations by level of education in the changes over time. Approach and methods: This study used nationally representative repeated cross-sectional data from two Ghana Living Standards Surveys (2006 and 2017) to estimate basic literacy and numeracy. Findings: At the same level of education for the primary and lower secondary school levels, literacy and numeracy were lower in the latter period than a decade previously. These findings suggest that the expansion in gross enrolment at the primary and lower secondary school levels has been associated with a long-term decline in the quality of education. Policy implications: Considering these findings, it is crucial to consider the long-term implications of expanding access to education on the quality of the education provided. These findings highlight the need for increased investment in quality education to complement the increase in access. This would ensure that children acquire foundational skills at the basic education level. Failure to maintain quality alongside expanded access could negatively impact workforce productivity, economic growth, and social equality.

Source: UG
Changes in presenting tumour site of Burkitt's lymphoma in Ghana, West Africa, 1965-1978.

Most research activities involve the use of molecular methods such as regular PCR (PCR), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), genomic sequence and analysis using different software, genetic engineering, probe hybridization techniques, biological and molecular cloning, evaluation of immune markers for laboratory diagnosis of infections, serological assays involving the use of rapid tests, ELISA-based evaluations and immunofluorescent assay techniques.

Source: UG
Changes in Rainfall Characteristics in Wenchi and Saltpond Farming Areas of Ghana.

Ghana’s economy heavily relies on agriculture, which is predominantly rainfed across its agro-ecological zones. As a result of this, it is vulnerable to rainfall variability, which tends to have a major impact on the industrial and agricultural production sectors of the country. This study investigates the variations occurring across two major farming areas (Wenchi and Saltpond) within the Transition and Coastal Savannah agro-ecological zones of Ghana respectively. Rainfall variations are studied with rainfall data from 1968-2011 from Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet). The rainfall analysis is done over two Climatological Periods (CP), 1968-1989 as CP1 and 1990-2011 as CP2. This study uses two climatic extreme indices as well as rainfall amounts and onset over these two agro-ecological zones to investigate the changes that have occurred in rainfall. The study found that in the Coastal agro-ecological zone, CP1 had a decreasing rainfall trend as compared to CP2 with higher variations in Saltpond. In the Transition agro-ecological zone, Wenchi, CP1 also exhibited a decreasing trend as compared to CP2. In addition, onset of rains in Saltpond mostly occurred in May for CP1 but for CP2, it oscillated between April and May. For Wenchi, onset of rains was in March for CP1 and predominantly April for CP2. In going forward, farmers in these agro-ecological zones should be supported to practice effective adaptation and mitigation measures so as to improve their yields in this challenging climate.

Source: UG
Changes In Rectal Temperature As A Means Of Assessing Heat Tolerance And Sensitivity In Chickens.

High ambient temperature and relative humidity significantly affect growth and production performance in poultry. Ability of poultry to regulate their core body temperature relative to the ambient temperature depends on the relative nutrient/energy expenditure in maintenance and performance requirements. We hypothesised that changes in rectal temperature corrected for surface area can be used as a measure of heat tolerance/sensitivity. Rectal temperatures of one hundred mixed sex Ross 308 broiler chickens were measured hourly from 6 AM to 6 PM at 24 days of age. The ambient temperature and relative humidity were also measured hourly for the same 12-h period. Body weights were measured at day 24 and 38 days of age. The temperature-humidity index (THI) increased from 77.5 at 6.00 AM and peaked at 83.5 at 3.00 PM. The average rectal temperature increased from 39.900 C at 6.00 AM to about 41.300 C at 9.00 AM. Thereafter, the average rectal temperature remained constant until 3.00 PM when it began to decline. At 6.00 PM, the rectal temperature had declined to about 40.70 °C. Evaporative heat loss is affected by surface areas and as a result, rectal temperature was corrected for surface area. The change in rectal temperature corrected for surface area was negatively correlated with body weight gain, indicating variability in the response of individual chickens exposed to similar THI. This variability was attributed to heat tolerance. It was hypothesized that a mismatch between nutrient and energy supply and the partition of nutrient/energy between maintenance of core body temperature and protein synthesis could be reflected on the differences in heat-tolerance and body weight gain in the chicken population. The genetic basis of differences in rectal temperature changes corrected for surface area could be elucidated as a means of developing thermo-tolerant chickens.

Source: UG
Changes in rheological properties and amylase activities of trifoliate yam, Dioscorea dumetorum, starch after harvest

Changes in rheological properties and amylase activities occurring in trifoliate yam, Dioscorea dumetorum, starch after harvest were investigated. Trifoliate yam tubers were harvested and stored under tropical ambient (28°C) and cold room conditions (4°C) for 12, 24 and 36 h. The D. dumetorum starches were extracted from the tubers under study and samples were evaluated for changes in their rheological properties (paste characteristics) during storage and to study the action of amylases on D. dumetorum starch after harvesting. The post-harvest activities of α and β-amylases were also studied to evaluate their rate of action on D. dumetorum starch. Storage caused decreases in the rheological properties (paste characteristics) of the tubers within 36 h of harvest. Similarly, α and β-amylase activities in the tubers more than doubled within 24 h after harvesting. Blanching, however, effectively decreased the action of amylases on D. dumetorum starch during storage, with subsequential increase in the paste viscosities of the stored tubers. Low temperature storage of the tubers also slowed down the rates of decrease in both the rheological properties and amylase activities during the 36-h storage period. © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Source: UG
Changes in sexual risk behavior among participants in a prep hiv prevention trial

BACKGROUND: One of the concerns raised regarding the introduction of any new HIV-prevention measure, such as PrEP, is the potential for risk disinhibition or sexual risk compensation. The oral tenofovir HIV prevention trial has been the subject of international discussion in this regard. METHODS: This article maps the changes in sexual risk behavior among women participating in the oral tenofovir HIV prevention trial in Ghana. Content-driven, thematic analysis was carried out on qualitative data obtained from in-depth interviews with study participants. Growth curve analysis was the primary method used to document trends over time in self-reported sexual behavior collected monthly. RESULTS: Overall, the study found that sexual risk behavior did not increase during the trial. Number of sexual partners and rate of unprotected sex acts decreased across the 12-month period of study enrollment. Certain subgroups of women, however, exhibited different growth curves. Data indicate that the HIV prevention counseling associated with the trial was effective. CONCLUSIONS: Counseling during the trial was effective. Different types of counseling and messaging may be needed for different subgroups within a population. These findings also have implications for required sample sizes for future HIV prevention trials where seroconversion is the main outcome. © 2008, American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.

Source: UG
Changes in souring development, nutritional and functional properties during fermentation of cowpea-fortified nixtamalized maize

Spontaneous fermentation of maize produces lactic acids resulting in souring or acidification with associated improvement in taste, flavour and texture of the derived products. When combined with nixtamalization and cowpea fortification, it is expected to improve the nutritional quality and product functionality of maize based foods and as well introduce variety to maize processing. This study was carried out to investigate the changes in souring development, nutritional quality and functional properties during spontaneous fermentation of cowpea-fortified nixtamalized maize. A 2 x 3 x 3 factorial experimental design, with fermentation medium (water, coconut water), fermentation time (0, 24, 48 hours) and cowpea level (0, 15, 30 %) was performed. Nixtamalized maize was prepared by boiling whole maize in 1 % lime solution for 30 minutes, steeped in excess lime, milled into meal and kneaded into a dough using water or coconut water. The blends were fermented for the specific times and analysed for pH, titratable acidity, water absorption capacity, colour, protein and ash. The presence of lime and cowpea influenced the pH, titratable acidity, water absorption, colour, protein and ash content of the fermented cowpea-fortified maize. Addition of cowpea increased most of the studied indices whiles pH of all the blends decreased (6.15-4.45) with a corresponding increase in titratable acidity (0.008-0.045 g/100g lactic acid) with increase in fermentation time. There was however no significant (p<0.05) difference in the effect of fermentation medium on these indices suggesting that coconut water could be used as an alternative fermentation medium for maize dough fermentation without any effect in souring development. Fermentation and cowpea fortification can therefore be used to increase the nutritive value of nixtamalized maize with acceptable souring and product quality characteristics. Copyright ©2006 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Changes in the biodiversity of microbial populations in tropical soils under different fallow treatments

Favorable cropping systems that promote residue retention would normally lead to increased soil carbon storage. Experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that soil carbon of different fallow management practices influences more the microbial biomass carbon and activity than the microbial community structure. Also, the distribution of the major microbial grouping in soil is influenced by how much carbon is sequestered in soil. Soils were sampled from the Kpeve Agricultural Experimental Station (KAES) in the Volta Region in Ghana. The treatments involved T1 - maize followed by fallow elephant grass that is burnt before planting, T3 - maize followed by pigeon pea fallow, T4 - maize followed by bare fallow, T7 - fertilized maize followed by elephant grass fallow, FR - forest reserve (unmanaged native vegetation). As the soil sequestered carbon, there was a corresponding increase in the microbial biomass carbon. The treatment effects were significantly different (p < 0.007). Correlation between biomass carbon and soil organic carbon was significant (r = 0.63*). Treatments with the least amount of carbon sequestered showed the least microbial activity. Significant relationship existed between dehydrogenase activity and the soil organic carbon (r = 0.683*). The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was used to assess the effect of different soil management practices on biodiversity of soil organisms. Differences in carbon sequestered in the treatments affected the percentage PLFA compositions of the various treatments, thus affecting the distribution. The amount of carbon sequestered in soil significantly influenced the proteobacteria (p < 0.001) and actinomycetes populations (p < 0.028). Thus, soils with high carbon storage showed high proteobacteria population and vice versa but the actinomycete population showed no particular trend with soil carbon. Diversity of the microbial community as assessed by the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index showed no significant differences in treatments even though T4 had the highest diversity and FR the least diversity. The terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism on the soil DNA samples showed that the bacterial species' richness was greatest in T1 and T4. The most dominant bacterial groups were found in T1 and FR. Evenness was greatest in T7. We conclude from this study that the different fallow management practices influence the microbial biomass carbon and microbial activity. Secondly, the distribution of the major microbial grouping in soil is influenced by carbon stored in soil. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd.

Source: UG
Changes in the fish community of the Kpong Headpond, lower Volta River, Ghana after 25 years of impoundment

The Kpong Headpond was the second created on the Volta River after Akosombo Dam, primarily as a source of hydroelectric power generation and potable water supply, and additionally, it has supported some fish production in Ghana since impoundment. The changes in fish community of the Kpong Headpond were studied to provide baseline information for strategies formulation to support the socio-economic development of the reservoir. The study identified changes in the fish community of the reservoir by comparing occurrence, composition, relative abundance and relative importance estimates of fish species, families and trophic groups, from available previous studies in the reservoir. From the collated information all fishes identified in the reservoir were categorised based on occurrence and importance as disappeared, appeared, permanent, declined or important, to show current status. The results indicated that the fish community has experienced a shift in the composition and relative abundance of important species, families and trophic groups in terms of number and weight, while remaining ecologically balanced. Representatives of the families Osteoglossidae, Centropomidae and Characidae have declined while representatives of the families Claroteidae, Cyprinidae and Cichlidae have increased. The aufwuch-detritus and herbivores declined while semi-pelagic omnivores increased resulting in a shift in dominance to benthic and semi pelagic omnivores. The appearance of five species and the disappearance of 25 others indicated a dynamic restructuring of the fish community in the reservoir, as expected. Enforcement of fishing regulations including the use of appropriate gear and fishing methods, fishery access control, promotion of culture-based fisheries and improvement in fisher education are recommended topics for sustainable fisheries in the reservoir.

Source: UG
Changes in the presentation of Burkitt's lymphoma in Ghana over a 15-year period (1969-1982).

Most research activities involve the use of molecular methods such as regular PCR (PCR), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), genomic sequence and analysis using different software, genetic engineering, probe hybridization techniques, biological and molecular cloning, evaluation of immune markers for laboratory diagnosis of infections, serological assays involving the use of rapid tests, ELISA-based evaluations and immunofluorescent assay techniques.

Source: UG
Changes in total polyphenols, o-diphenols and anthocyanin concentrations during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans

Investigations were conducted to elucidate changes in total polyphenols, o-diphenols and anthocyanin concentrations during fermentation of pulp preconditioned Ghanaian cocoa beans. A 4x4 factorial experiment was conducted with the principal factors as pod storage and fermentation time, and samples were analyzed using standard analytical methods. Results showed that total polyphenol, o-diphenols and anthocyanin content of beans from the unstored pods were 180.87 mg/g, 24.17 mg/g, and 15.68 mg/kg respectively. Reductions in the concentrations of total polyphenols, o-diphenol and anthocyanin composition of the cocoa beans occurred with increasing pod storage and fermentation time. However, the rates of decreases were more dependent of fermentation time than on pod storage. Both total polyphenol and o-diphenol content reduced only slightly (<10%) in the beans fermented for 6 days after 7 days pod storage. Storage of cocoa pods for up to 7 days after harvesting retained about 88% and 90% of total polyphenols and o-diphenol content respectively after 6 days of fermentation. Further increase in pod storage above 7 days leads to drastic reductions in the polyphenolic content of the fermented beans. The observed changes would result in significant reduction in astringency and bitterness in their derived chocolates products during subsequent industrial manufacture.

Source: UG
Changing Attitudes toward Homosexuality in Ghana: The Power of Attributional Discourse

It is overwhelmingly documented that attitudes toward homosexuals in Africa are largely negative, yet there is little exploration on interventional measures for change. This study therefore examined the effectiveness of using attributional discourse to change attitudes toward homosexuals in Ghana. In a pretest–posttest between-group design, 143 university students were randomly assigned into four experimental conditions (i.e., biological, choice, biological transgender, and choice transgender) with informative vignettes serving as the intervention. Posttest evaluation results showed a significant reduction in participants’ negative attitudes toward homosexuals across all four treatment conditions. There were no significant between-group differences and no significant gender differences in attitudinal change after controlling for pretest evaluation. The findings suggest the need to encourage healthy attributional discourse over the rationality in homosexual decisions and behaviors. Particularly, educating the public on the probable reasons behind homosexuality can potentially reduce negative attitudes toward homosexuals and impact legislative policies in Ghana.

Source: UG