ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Analysis and detection of traffic from dos attack tools using Data mining

There has been a significant increase in the use of the internet over the past 20 years. As of June 2019, it was estimated that the number of internet users worldwide was over 4.4 billion, corresponding to about 57% of the world’s population. The increase in the use and dependability of the internet has left in its trail a wide variety of vulnerabilities to defend against. One of the key security concepts that helps to guide cybersecurity policies is availability. In a computer network, a denial of service prevents users from having access to resources or services over the network. Denial of service (DoS) attacks are attacks purposely to disrupt availability of a network infrastructure. In past years, a DoS attack required a lot of skill and knowledge in networking for an attack to be launched. However, in recent years, DoS attack tools have been developed by various individuals and groups of people and are readily available on the internet for free or for a little amount of money. Such tools can be used by even the least skilled or knowledgeable attacker. This research therefore sought to develop a defence mechanism against these easy-to-use tools. Attack traffic was captured from some DoS tools and compared with benign traffic. Based on the differences between the attack traffic and benign traffic captured, a signature-based detection algorithm based on support vector machine (SVM) classifier was proposed. The algorithm was tested using the Snort IDS tool and the results were compared with some existing DoS defence schemes. Tests results from the algorithm showed the proposed defence mechanism had a high detection accuracy, low false positive rate and fast detection time.

Source: KNUST
Analysis and interpretation of genotype by environment interaction using cluster analysis

In Agricultural Research, plant breeders conduct multi-environmental testing of genotypes to select the best genotype for farmers to grow on their farms. The genotype with relatively high mean yield across the test environments is usually considered as the best genotype to be selected. The problem with this selection is that some genotypes that might have performed well in some sites may have performed badly in some other sites. This phenomenon often referred to as genotype by environment (GE) interaction complicates the selection process. This thesis is therefore concerned with the analysis and interpretation of genotype by environment (GE) interaction which occurs when a wide range of genotypes are tested over a wide diversity of environmental conditions. Various statistical methods for the analysis of GE interaction have been proposed. One of the methods currently in use, Cluster analysis technique that is efficient at extracting information on genotype by environment (GE) interaction is of interest.

Source: KNUST
Analysis and Modeling of Prevalence of Measles In The Ashanti Region of Ghana

In this thesis, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model is used to predict the prevalence and incidence of measles in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Mean Square Error (MSE) are used to compare the in-sample forecasting performance of four selected candidates‟ models. The working data from the Ashanti Health Services spans from 2001 to 2011. It is evident from the analysis that measles data in the Ashanti Region of Ghana could best be modelled with ARIMA (2, 1, 1) and that measles prevalence in the Ashanti Region is expected to increase if no preventative measures are taken. The forecasting accuracy using MAE for ARIMA (2, 1, 1) is calculated as 28.1141 and the forecasting accuracy using MSE for ARIMA (2, 1, 1) is calculated as 2947.15. The results of the study recommend to the stakeholders of Ashanti Region that a combination of increased vaccination of newborns and immunization of susceptible adults would reduce measles prevalence in the region to the minimum and therefore must be taken into consideration in the region’s vaccination programs.

Source: KNUST
Analysis and interpretation of genotype by environment interaction using additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model

One very important activity in plant breeding is to test a wide range of genotypes in a wide diversity of environments. Environment refers to site, year or a combination of site and year. The objective of the plant breeder is to select superior genotypes. The plant breeder however is usually confronted with the problem of genotype by environment interaction which complicates selection of superior genotypes. Genotype by environment (GE) interaction is a situation in which the performance of genotypes varies across different environments. GE interaction makes it inadequate for the plant breeder to recommend a particular genotype because its mean yield over the environments tested is high; it might have produced outstanding yield in some sites and performed poorly when grown in a particular site. Several statistical methods have been proposed for the analysis of GE interaction. In recent years one of the most popular methodologies is the additive main effect and multiplication interaction (AMMI) model (Gauch, 1988) which was originally proposed by GolIob (1968) and Mandel (1971). This thesis is concerned with the analysis of GE data using the AMMI model. The performance of the AMMI model is investigated by comparing genotypic correlations and their respective sums of squares using real data sets with the objective of highlighting the “optimism” associated with the fitting of the model. Results have shown that the interaction matrix exhibits high correlations between the genotype vectors which when ignored leads to optimism in the fitting sums of squares. This has prompted the development of the complement index vector as an alternative fitting procedure. The performance of the new approach is evaluated using real data sets.

Source: KNUST
Analysis and interpretation of genotype by environment interaction using cluster analysis

Agricultural Research, plant breeders conduct multi-environmental testing of genotypes to select the best genotype for farmers to grow on their farms. The genotype with relatively high mean yield across the test environments is usually considered as the best genotype to be selected. The problem with this selection is that some genotypes that might have performed well in some sites may have performed badly in some other sites. This phenomenon often referred to as genotype by environment (GE) interaction complicates the selection process. This thesis is therefore concerned with the analysis and interpretation of genotype by environment (GE) interaction which occurs when a wide range of genotypes are tested over a wide diversity of environmental conditions. Various statistical methods for the analysis of GE interaction have been proposed. One of the methods currently in use, Cluster analysis technique that is efficient at extracting information on genotype by environment (GE) interaction is of interest. Cluster analysis techniques are appealing ways of explaining GE interaction, but can suffer from lack of clarity on the objectives of the analysis. Building on the work reported by Byth et. al., (1976), cluster analysis is extended with the particular objective of predicting the “best” genotype for each environment. The objective is achieved by attaching to each environment the predicted genotype. This approach is illustrated using Wheat yield data consisting of 40 genotypes in 45 environments from Centre for Maize and Wheat Yield Improvement Trial centre in Mexico (CIMMYT).

Source: KNUST
Analysis and Modelling of Prevalence of Hepatitis B using Differential Equations: A Case Study of the Tano North District

An SIR model for hepatitis B with vaccination is formulated. The main goal is to use existing clinical hepatitis B data from the Biostatistics Department of the Tano North Health District Directorate to develop a mathematical model to understand the transmission dynamics in the Tano North District and assist decision makers to formulate the best ideas to prevent, control and eradicate the disease. Analyses are made of the existence and stability of the disease free and endemic equilibrium. It is proven that the disease free equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable if the basic reproductive ratio, R0 < 1 and when R0 > 1 we have the endemic equilibrium. MATLAB was used for the programming. Appendix contains the Matlab code used in simulating the model.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of barriers to children with mobility impairment in basic education in Accra Metropolis

Despite the provisions made in the 1992 Constitution on the rights of disabled persons and the passage of the Persons with Disability Act 715 by the Parliament of Ghana in 2006, little has been done to enhance access to basic education for people with disabilities. The expectation was that, existing basic educational facilities would be retrofitted and made physically accessible to the disabled in order to create equal opportunities for pupils living with disabilities. This research uses descriptive-exploratory design to investigate the level of accessibility of the educational facilities at the basic schools in Accra. Surveys were conducted with relevant institutions with the use of interview guides. In all thirty -three pupils in twenty-two schools were surveyed and ten disabled drop-out children were surveyed as well. Fifty facilities within ten schools, one from each sub-metro were later audited using international standards, building codes, regulations and guidelines as benchmarks for assessments. The research revealed that despite the progress made with the help of philanthropist organisations and Parent Teacher‟s Association (PTA), most basic schools pupils with mobility impairment still encountered barriers such as discrimination, steps, narrow doorways and desk space, lack of seats for wheelchair users, lack of space for manoeuvring, open gutters and slippery floors. The audit showed that ramps constructed in many schools did not meet the minimum international standards. These findings point to the need for an extensive civic education for the general public on disability issues and funding to retrofit public buildings. Also, it is recommended that at least one entrance per facility should be accessible to PWDs by school authorities in Accra. The Ministry of Education should revise the teacher training materials to reflect inclusive education methods and adequate information on children with disabilities. The government should increase expenditure and budget allocation on inclusive education in Accra.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of blasting techniques at Ghana National Manganese Corporation, Nsuta-Wassa, Ghana

Ghana National Manganese Corporation (GNMC) at Nsuta-Wassa in Ghana produces manganese ores by open—pit technology. The deposits are Pre-Cambrian in age, and are characterised by a series of strong folding and faulting. These rocks are of medium to high strength and have high densities (2.81-3.72 kg/rn3). One of the methods of loosening in situ material for excavation and loading on the mine is by drilling and blasting. Analysis of records from the mine has shown that tonnage produced by blasting constitutes about 38% of total annual production. It has been observed that primary blasts produce coarse fragmentation. The cause of the poor rock fragmentation is improper blasting practice. The poor blast performance explains why unit cost of drilling and blasting constitutes as much as 65% of unit costs of mining. In this research work, the present drilling and blasting practices have been studied. Alternative blast design paramaters have been determined, taking into consideration the geomechanica1 properties of the rocks and the prevailing operational conditions at the mine. These parameters have been field tested. Eventually, an effective blasting technique has been designed to improve the performance of the mine. It has been established that of all the design parameters, including that of the present mine practice, which have been field tested, the technique using a 2.0m by 2.8m drilling pattern produces best results. This technique requires 50-60% less drilling and 30-40% less explosives. When drilling and blasting are considered together as one operation, an overall improvement of 40-50% was achieved over the present mine practice. It is suggested that, to achieve the desired performance from the blasting technique using 2.0m by 2.8m drilling pattern, a stemming length of l.6m is required to provide the necessary explosives confinement. Millisecond delays are also to be used as an integral part of the blasting technique for an improved blast performance.

Source: KNUST
An analysis of customer relationship management practices of some selected hotels in the Kumasi Metropolis

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) practices are a business strategy designed to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer loyalty. It brings together all data about a client in hotels via software to give a holistic view of a customer. With intense competition among hotels in Ghana, this study sought to find out if CRM was practised in the selected hotels. It was to solve the problem of inadequate service delivery quality in hotels which were not helping customers’ expectations to be met. The objectives of the study was to identify hotels that practise CRM, the challenges the hotels face in implementing CRM and also to find out if there is a relationship between CRM practices and customer loyalty. With a sample size of thirty (30) hotels picked at random with their gradings ranging from One-star to Four-star and the people interviewed being management staff, the study used questionnaires for data collection and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis of the data. The study revealed that the hotel industry is saddled with the problem of lack of qualified personnel, lack of management commitment and experienced personnel to manage the hotels effectively whereas Customer Relationship Management is about the improvement of services. It is recommended that even though the hotels have heard of CRM, there should be some intense awareness program on the benefits of CRM. The hotels need to invest in IT infrastructure which is the main tool for successful CRM practice. The Hoteliers Association must ensure that key personnel in the business are trained in hotel management in order to solve the problem of non-qualified personnel.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of chronic diseases in Ghana using logistic regression

The impact of chronic diseases on the development of a nation cannot be overemphasized. The in uences of socio-demographic/socio-economic factors on chronic disease conditions in Ghana are not well comprehended. The main objective of this study is to examine the e ect of socio-demographic/socio-economic factors of Ghanaians on their chronic disease conditions. A longitudinal study with nationally representative samples was undertaken. The data employed in this study were drawn from the World Health Organization Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE), Wave 1, 2008-2009. The study suggested some level of chronic diseases in the Ghanaians populations. Asthma recorded the highest prevalence conditions with 3.4%, while Lung Disease recorded the least, 0.6 %. However, Depression, Oral health, and Injuries fairly recorded 1.4%, 2.5% and 1.8% respectively. In addition, the strength of the age category groups tends heavily towards adults, and particularly older adults respectively. Most of the respondents belong to the Christian faith. There is fairly even distribution among males and females respectively. More than half of respondents were engaged in self-employment. Majority of the respondent belongs to the Akan ethnic group. Also, widowed respondents contracted depression and oral health disease conditions. This paper revealed that, in Ghana, the occurrences of chronic disease conditions are associated with some socio-demographic/socio-economic factors: age, sex, religion, ethnicity, marital status, occupation, level of education, and income levels.

Source: KNUST
Analysis of academic performance of Visual Arts Students in Mathematics: a case of the Adanwomase Senior High School

The persistent mass failure in the Core Mathematics subject among the Visual arts students has attracted the interest of educational stakeholders and researchers to investigate the underlying factors responsible for such a teething challenge. Based on this background, the purpose of this study was to investigate the academic performance of the Visual Arts students in the Core Mathematics subject at the Adanwomase Senior High school in the Ashanti Region. This study emphasized on analyzing the trends in their performance in Mathematics, the major factors that account for their poor performance in Mathematics and the appropriate measures to improve their performance. The descriptive Survey design was employed where a total sample of 183 respondents were randomly selected to participate in the study. The sampled respondents comprised 33 teachers at the Adanwomase SHS, 149 Visual Arts students in SHS 2 and SHS 3 as well as the assistant Headmaster in the school in charge of academics. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and simple statistical analyses such as the t-test, mean, standard deviation and graphs. The main research instrument used was the researcher-designed questionnaires and interviews to collect appropriate data for the analysis. The Findings from the study revealed that, Students’ performance in mathematics was found to be consistently very poor as mass failures have always been recorded in the WASSCE in the school. The results from the t-test indicate that, there is no statistical significant differences between the mean scores from male respondents and female student’s respondents regarding their academic performance. Findings from the study also revealed that, the students have low interest, and negative perception in studying Mathematics in the school. Regarding the study habit of the students, the results show that, majority of the females students prefer engaging in cooperative learning with their colleagues to other individual studies while the male students prefer independent studies. Larger class size, negative attitude of the students towards mathematics, lack of academic competition in class, absenteeism, increased indiscipline account for their poor performance in school. It is recommended that, the school authorities, and the PTA should ensure that, the counseling unit in the school is well resourced and professional counselors are employed to provide counseling services to the students. These counseling services should particularly emphasize on fear and negative perception about learning Mathematics in the students. How the students should manage their time especially spending enough time to complete their assignment and homework are crucial.

Source: KNUST
The analysis of daily rainfall data (a case of Nyankpala)

The Northern Savanna Zone of Ghana is mostly semiarid. The irregular onset and distribution of the rains in this part of Ghana makes interpretation of agronomic experiments difficult. This work seeks to determine the optimum time of planting of maize in relationship with the length of the growing season in the Northern Savanna zone of Ghana. Several statistical methods have been proposed for the analysis of rainfall data. In recent years one of the most popular methodologies are the use of Markov chains and Gamma distribution. Markov chains are fitted to the occurrence of rain, and gamma distribution with parameters which vary with-the time of year, used to fit the rainfall amounts. By relating climatic data analysis which incorporate soil factors for over 51 years (1953- 2003) daily rainfall data to a maize cropping system, the planting time for maize in this area were determined. Results indicated that the growing season varied between 122 to 223 days. The best planting time for maize was found to be during the last two weeks of May in order to meet the moisture requirements during flowering and growing period lengths.

Source: KNUST
An analysis of deforestation under adjustment policies in Ghana

Deforestation is currently a major environmental issue in Ghana. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether structural adjustment programmes (SAP) adopted by the government since 1983 accelerated the rate of forest depletion in the country. The hypothesis tested was; Ho: SAP has not significantly contributed to deforestation in Ghana. The study period (1973 - 1994) was split into two (1) 1973 - 1983, representing the period before SAP and (2) 1984 - 1994, representing the period after SAP. This split was to facilitate the comparison of the impact of the explanatory variables on forest cover (FC) before SAP and after SAP. A microeconomic model was used for the study. Five microeconomic variables were selected. These included the prices of agricultural crops (PA), land (PL), the price index of timber products (PG), the prices of charcoal (PF) and, petroleum products (PK). Historic data were collected on these variables and also on FC. Ordinary least square (OLS) method was applied to the data collected. The regression results were as follows. For the period before SAP (1973 - 1983) the R-Squared (R2) was about 0.98. The value of the F-statistics was 45.98 which exceeded the critical minimum of 5.05 at 5 percent error level. The t-statistics for X2, X3, X4 and X5 were all significant at 5 percent error level. However, the Durbin-Watson test was not significant. Again all the variables had the expected signs, thus suggesting they were consistent with theory. In the case of the period after-SAP (1984 - 1994), the R-squared (R2) was 0.98. The value of the F-statistics was 52.86, also exceeding the critical minimum. The t-statistics for some of the explanatory variables were not significant at 5 percent error level. However, the Durbin-Watson test of 2.46 was significant. Apart from the prices of agricultural crops (PA) and land (PL) all the explanatory variables had the a priori expected signs. In the case of the period after-SAP (1984 - 1994), the R-squared (R2) was 0.98. The value of the F-statistics was 52.86, also exceeding the critical minimum. The t-statistics for some of the explanatory variables were not significant at 5 percent error level. However, the Durbin-Watson test of 2.46 was significant. Apart from the prices of agricultural crops (PA) and land (PL) all the explanatory variables had the a priori expected signs. The deduction made on the basis of the regression results was that before SAP economic crises in Ghana might have had more significant impact on the rate of forest depletion than structural adjustment programme. Hence this thesis was unable to reject the null hypothesis that, SAP has no significantly contributed to deforestation in Ghana. The implications for policy making are that government of Ghana may pursue SAP. However, care should be taken to ensure that environmentally efficient programmes are selected and also effective and sustainable measures put in place to reduce the negative social effects and environmental damages.

Source: KNUST