ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Challenging the orthodoxy of literacy: realities of moving from personal to community empowerment through reflect in Ghana

In the last decade, the Reflect approach – an alternative to the ‘great divide’ theory of literacy – has gained wider currently in developing countries because of its ability to deal with social, cultural and political issues by placing the identification and solution of local problems in the hands of local people. In Ghana, ActionAid International Ghana (AAIG) has supported Reflect in the Upper East, Northern, Upper West, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra Regions. An evaluation of the literacy circles showed that whilst women’s self-efficacy had increased since joining the literacy circles, the progression from personal to community empowerment has been very slow as communities still perceive AAIG as the ‘donor’ and the communities as ‘recipients’ of funds, rather than become empowered to demand accountability from district assemblies for development projects. Fewer opportunities have been created by communities to facilitate wider socio-economic change where they could use the PRA as a tool to assert their right to development.

Source: UG
Change and continuity in Kassena Men’s perceptions of family planning in northern Ghana

Studies suggest that men’s perceptions of family planning in sub-Saharan Africa would be improved if they were included more extensively in family planning programs. However, few studies capture how men’s views change over time and what processes are responsible for these shifts. Examining the processes that underpin men’s shifting family formation strategies is essential in order to understand the impact of family planning programs. This research, framed by a political economy of fertility approach that draws on life history data, highlights intergenerational change and continuity in men’s perceptions of family planning in Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region of Ghana, where a family planning program involving men was implemented in the 1990s. Eight months of ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in rural village and clinic settings in 2013 and 2014. We find that men’s sense of responsibility for the cost of schooling, against a changing economic backdrop, as well as shifts toward “companionate marriage” are among the most salient factors contributing to their growing approval of family planning. This study highlights the importance of paying attention to changes in the larger socioeconomic context that encourage men’s acceptance of family planning. We argue that programs incorporating men should move beyond health education to consider broader social and economic drivers of attitudinal change. Copyright © 2018 by the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Source: UG
Change and continuity in the practice and development of geography in Ghana

Societal change and the conceptualization of knowledge production are key instruments in defining the trajectory of academic disciplines. This chapter discusses the evolution of the discipline of geography and its contribution to knowledge and public policy and practice in Ghana. It examines the writings and portfolios held by key geographers and the content of academic courses in the country. Geography in Ghana reflects both the modernization of Ghanaian society and the philosophical evolution of global knowledge production. These are reflected in the content, nature, and contributions of the discipline from the colonial era to the contemporary society. The thematic orientation of the subject reflects societal dynamics and thereby needs to be accredited for the proliferation of areas of specialization. These specializations and the redefinition of content and focus of thematic areas are responses to both societal needs and wider epistemological changes. Ghanaian geographers have contributed immensely to the generation of knowledge and the dissemination of geographic research for national development. However, physical geography has lagged behind human geography over the years due primarily to the lack of adequate infrastructure and funding. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
A change comparison of heat wave aspects in climatic zones of Nigeria.

Studies have shown an increase in the frequency and severity of heat waves during the last decades under climate change. This study employs four temperature-based definitions, the percentile based TN90th—the 90th percentile of minimum temperature, and TX90th—the 90th percentile of maximum temperature, the Excess Heat Factor (EHF) and the Heat Wave Magnitude Index daily (HWMId), to investigate the present occurrence of heat waves (1981–2016) in five climatic zones of Nigeria. ERA-INTERIM reanalysis daily minimum and maximum temperature data were retrieved from ECMWF database for the purpose. Five characteristics were studied, the heat wave number, duration, frequency, amplitude and the magnitude. The study of heat wave characteristics in different climatic zones revealed that, from 1981 to 2016, heat waves occurred and covered more zones in the last decades. The first heat wave definitions (TN90, TX90 and EHF) revealed almost the same pattern of heat wave number (HWN) in Nigeria from 1981 to 2016 showing that of 1983, 1987, 1997, 2006 and 2007 where the latter had the highest number of events. The general coverage of the number of events increased from 1999. The Sahel was seriously affected by the highest number of events and the highest number of days for the duration and the frequency. The HWMId was used to quantify and compare the intensity of heat waves in the present time and revealed super extreme heat waves (HWMId>32) in the Sahel and extreme heat waves in the south

Source: UG
Change Management in Libraries: The Case of the University of Ghana Library System (UGLS)

In 2018, the University of Ghana Library System (UGLS) experienced an unprecedented rotation of staff within its main library and satellite libraries. The changes were long overdue, as the regular rotation of staff by the Human Resource and Organizational Development Directorate somehow, never affected library personnel. Fifty (50) Junior and senior library staff who had been in one position for more than a decade, were rotated within the UGLS. This paper reflects on how the change was achieved, the pre- and post-interviews of staff involved, and lessons learned one year later. Findings emphasize the value of communication and the structured process and transparency to make the change easier and implementation smoother. The paper concludes that regular rotation of staff and the management of such change are significant for the development of the UGLS and for the university as a whole. Recommendations for libraries in Ghana and in Africa embarking on similar staff rotation are captured in the paper.

Source: UG
Change management in library environments: A comparative study of private and public university libraries in GHANA

The purpose of the study was to examine change management in public and private university libraries in Ghana, identify possible problems in order to make recommendations to enhance future change assignments. The study adopted the survey approach as the research design. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data obtained from the questionnaires to obtain frequencies and percentages. Data obtained from the interviews of the heads of the various university libraries were analyzed using content analysis. The study revealed that majority of the respondents from the public and private university libraries were aware of ongoing changes in the libraries. Changes in technology were the most prevalent type of change initiative embarked upon by academic libraries. Also, the library staff did not show any serious sign of resistance to change projects embarked upon in the library. In view of these findings, it was recommended that academic libraries should have change management policies and staff should be involved in the discussions and decision making processes in relation to change management. The comparative nature of the study provided insights into the similarities and differences that exist in change management in public and private Universities in Ghana. It is evident from the literature that very few studies have been conducted comparing the change management procedures applied in public and private academic libraries in Ghana.

Source: UG
Changes in acidification, sugars and mineral composition of cocoa pulp during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans

Changes in acidification, sugars and mineral composition of cocoa pulp during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans were investigated using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with pod storage and fermentation time as principal factors. pH, non-volatile (titratable) acidity, reducing sugars, total solids and mineral composition of cocoa pulp were studied using standard analytical methods. pH of the pulp increased with increasing pod storage and fermentation with consequential decrease in non-volatile acidity. Contrary, both pod storage and fermentation decreased the reducing sugars and total solids of the pulp. The most abundant mineral in unfermented cocoa pulp was calcium, followed by potassium and sodium with values of 316.92 mg/100 g, 255.12 mg/100 g and 103.26 mg/100 g respectively. Zinc was the mineral with the least concentration of 1.04 mg/100 g, whilst iron and magnesium had appreciable values of 4.26 mg/100 g and 32.52 mg/100 g respectively. Pod storage and fermentation however showed variable effects on the studied minerals. Pod storage caused reductions in acidity, fermentable sugars and some minerals in cocoa pulp during fermentation. © 2008 IFRJ.

Source: UG
Changes in blood constituents and their relationships with other nutritional parameters during recovery from protein-energy malnutrition

The overall goal of the department is to conduct research and provide solutions to nutritional problems in Ghana. In pursuance of this goal, the Nutrition Department since its inception has focused its research in the areas of maternal, infant and young child nutrition, food consumption and food security and micronutrient deficiency and interventions. These are priority food and nutrition problems in Ghana.

Source: UG
Changes in chemical quality of cocoa butter during roasting of pulp pre-conditioned and fermented cocoa (Theobroma cacao) beans

Investigations were conducted to ascertain changes in chemical quality of cocoa butter during roasting of pulp pre-conditioned and fermented cocoa beans. A 4×4 full factorial design was used with pod storage (0, 3, 7, 10 days) and roasting time (0, 15, 30 and 45 minutes) as the principal factors. Samples were evaluated for free fatty acids (FFA), saponification value, iodine value, peroxide value and extinction value using standard analytical methods. Pod storage as a means of pulp pre-conditioning caused increases in the FFA, peroxide value, iodine value and extinction value of the cocoa butter. Similarly, increasing roasting time led to consistent increases in the peroxide value and extinction value of the cocoa butter but had only marginal and insignificant effect on the FFA, iodine value and saponification value. The varied increases in the chemical quality characteristics of the cocoa butter as a result of 10 days pod storage and roasting time did not have any remarkable negative effect on the chemical quality of the resultant cocoa butter. However, the observed changes were more dependent of pod storage than or roasting time. © All Rights Reserved.

Source: UG
Changes in cytokine production associated with acquired immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria

The Department of Immunology conducts research in the field of immunology of infectious and non-infectious diseases. The Department has the overall goal of contributing knowledge to better diagnosis, management, control and prevention of infectious and non-infectious diseases in Ghana and worldwide. This is consistent with the overall strategy of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and in line with the strategy of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana.

Source: UG
Changes in expectations and extremes in the rainfall climatology of Accra, Ghana, 1895-2005

This paper re-examines one of the longest continuous monthly rainfall records in West Africa (1895-2005) for evidence of longer-term periodic behavior of annual and seasonal rainfall totals through the use of a sliding, rather than discrete, thirty year window. The approach provides greater flexibility in defining periods of shifting behavior. The temporally changing probabilities of experiencing rains considered "normal", "above normal" and "below normal", as defined by terciles of the entire 111 year record, are investigated. Simple time series plots of 30 year running means and standard deviations indicate non-stationarity, particularly in the mean. Based on these observations and wavelet analysis, three major eras are defined and properties within each considered. Within each era, lag cross correlations with global sea surface temperatures, shed light on the changing dominance of major causes of interannual variability of seasonal rains, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SST). Effects of ENSO are most pronounced at the height of the major rains (MayJune), which are twice as large on average in cold phases of ENSO than warm phases during 1895-1920, and about 30% higher in the most recent period. Rains during the short dry spell (July August) and minor rainy (September October) seasons appear to be controlled by SSTs in the Gulf of Guinea and to a lesser extent the equatorial Atlantic. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Source: UG
Changes in functionalities, conformational characteristics and antioxidative capacities of sunflower protein by controlled enzymolysis and ultrasonication action

Functionalities, conformational characteristics and antioxidative capacities of sunflower meal protein isolate (SMPI) and its hydrolysates (SMPIH) at various degree of hydrolysis (DH) (6, 12, 18, 24%) were investigated following sonication. Enzymolysis notably enhanced the solubility, foaming properties and emulsion stability index (ESI) of untreated and sonicated SMPI at most examined pH. Nonetheless, emulsion activity index (EAI) of SMPI were more than SMPIH at all pH values, especially at pH 4.0–10.0 (P < 0.05). Compared with control, sonication improved solubility, foaming capacity and emulsification properties, but decreased foaming stability and had significant influence on the SMPI and SMPIH structure. Furthermore, sonication efficaciously enhanced reducing power and superoxide, and ABTS radical scavenging capacity of all preparations (P < 0.05) over control, confirmed by the analyses of hydrophobicities and content of amino acid compositions. Finally, our investigation suggests that sonicated SMPIH can create new opportunities for developing natural additives for different cosmetic, food and pharmacological preparations. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Source: UG
Changes in heterosis of Maize (Zea mays L.) varietal cross hybrids after four cycles of reciprocal recurrent selection

Two improved tropical maize composites, TZL COMP3 and TZL COMP4; representing complementary heterotic pools have been subjected to four cycles of reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS) for two decades to enhance varietal cross performance. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of selection on genetic gain in heterosis for grain yield and other agronomic traits of these composites. Ten parental populations representing the C 0 to C 4 of each composite and their crosses plus a varietal check were evaluated in a trial at eight environments in Nigeria. Grain yield of the varietal crosses increased with selection by 3.1% cycle –1 . Mean grain yields of the C 4 ×C 4 varietal cross exceeded that of a popular improved reference variety by 23%. Selection also reduced anthesis-silking interval, improved ear characteristics, phenotypic appeal and resistance to foliar diseases. Mid-parent heterosis (MPH) increased from 4% at C 0 ×C 0 to 24% at C 4 ×C 4 . The average rate of genetic gain in heterosis for grain yield in population crosses was 3.1% possibly because of presence of non-additive gene effects. The results of our study present the potential usefulness of the advanced selection cycle as sources of diverse inbred lines with improved combining ability as well as improved varietal crosses that can be multiplied and deployed in areas with limited market access.

Source: UG
Changes in life expectancy and house prices in London from 2002 to 2019: hyper-resolution spatiotemporal analysis of death registration and real estate data

Background London has outperformed smaller towns and rural areas in terms of life expectancy increase. Our aim was to investigate life expectancy change at very-small-area level, and its relationship with house prices and their change. Methods We performed a hyper-resolution spatiotemporal analysis from 2002 to 2019 for 4835 London Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs). We used population and death counts in a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate age and sex-specific death rates for each LSOA, converted to life expectancy at birth using life table methods. We used data from the Land Registry via the real estate website Rightmove (www.rightmove.co.uk), with information on property size, type and land tenure in a hierarchical model to estimate house prices at LSOA level. We used linear regressions to summarise how much life expectancy changed in relation to the combination of house prices in 2002 and their change from 2002 to 2019. We calculated the correlation between change in price and change in sociodemographic characteristics of the resident population of LSOAs and population turnover. Findings In 134 (2.8%) of London’s LSOAs for women and 32 (0.7%) for men, life expectancy may have declined from 2002 to 2019, with a posterior probability of a decline >80% in 41 (0.8%, women) and 14 (0.3%, men) LSOAs. The life expectancy increase in other LSOAs ranged from <2 years in 537 (11.1%) LSOAs for women and 214 (4.4%) for men to >10 years in 220 (4.6%) for women and 211 (4.4%) for men. The 2.5th-97.5th-percentile life expectancy difference across LSOAs increased from 11.1 (10.7–11.5) years in 2002 to 19.1 (18.4–19.7) years for women in 2019, and from 11.6 (11.3–12.0) years to 17.2 (16.7–17.8) years for men. In the 20% (men) and 30% (women) of LSOAs where house prices had been lowest in 2002, mainly in east and outer west London, life expectancy increased only in proportion to the rise in house prices. In contrast, in the 30% (men) and 60% (women) most expensive LSOAs in 2002, life expectancy increased solely independently of price change. Except for the 20% of LSOAs that had been most expensive in 2002, LSOAs with larger house price increases experienced larger growth in their population, especially among people of working ages (30–69 years), had a larger share of households who had not lived there in 2002, and improved their rankings in education, poverty and employment. Interpretation Large gains in area life expectancy in London occurred either where house prices were already high, or in areas where house prices grew the most. In the latter group, the increases in life expectancy may be driven, in part, by changing population demographics

Source: UG
Changes in malaria indices between 1999 and 2007 in The Gambia: a retrospective analysis

Background: Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. International effort and funding for control has been stepped up, with substantial increases from 2003 in the delivery of malaria interventions to pregnant women and children younger than 5 years in The Gambia. We investigated the changes in malaria indices in this country, and the causes and public-health significance of these changes. Methods: We undertook a retrospective analysis of original records to establish numbers and proportions of malaria inpatients, deaths, and blood-slide examinations at one hospital over 9 years (January,1999-December, 2007), and at four health facilities in three different administrative regions over 7 years (January, 2001-December, 2007). We obtained additional data from single sites for haemoglobin concentrations in paediatric admissions and for age distribution of malaria admissions. Findings: From 2003 to 2007, at four sites with complete slide examination records, the proportions of malaria-positive slides decreased by 82% (3397/10861 in 2003 to 337/6142 in 2007), 85% (137/1259 to 6/368), 73% (3664/16932 to 666/11333), and 50% (1206/3304 to 336/1853). At three sites with complete admission records, the proportions of malaria admissions fell by 74% (435/2530 to 69/1531), 69% (797/2824 to 89/1032), and 27% (2204/4056 to 496/1251). Proportions of deaths attributed to malaria in two hospitals decreased by 100% (seven of 115 in 2003 to none of 117 in 2007) and 90% (22/122 in 2003 to one of 58 in 2007). Since 2004, mean haemoglobin concentrations for all-cause admissions increased by 12 g/L (85 g/L in 2000-04 to 97 g/L in 2005-07), and mean age of paediatric malaria admissions increased from 3.9 years (95% CI 3.7-4.0) to 5.6 years (5.0-6.2). Interpretation: A large proportion of the malaria burden has been alleviated in The Gambia. Our results encourage consideration of a policy to eliminate malaria as a public-health problem, while emphasising the importance of accurate and continuous surveillance.

Source: UG
Changes in nib acidification and biochemical composition during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa (theobroma cacao) beans

Studies were conducted to establish changes in nib acidification and biochemical composition (sugars concentration, proteins and free fatty acids) during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 days) and fermentation time (0, 3 and 6 days) as the principal factors. Non-volatile (titratable) acidity, pH, sugars (reducing, non-reducing and total sugars), proteins and free fatty acids of the beans were studied using standard analytical methods. Pod storage caused consistent increases in pH of the nibs at all fermentation times with consequential decrease in non-volatile (titratable) acidity. Bean fermentation from pods stored between 3-7 days resulted in cocoa nibs with pH between 5.10-5.36 with only minimal changes in FFA. However, fermentation significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the non-reducing sugars, total sugars and protein content of the beans whilst reducing sugars increased. Similarly, pod storage caused marginal reductions in total and non-reducing sugars with consequential increase in reducing sugars whiles protein content was reduced significantly. Storage of cocoa pod between 3-7 days with 6 days of fermentation led to considerable reductions in nib acidification, sugars (non-reducing and total sugars) and proteins with concomitant increases in reducing sugars and acceptable FFA levels. © All Rights Reserved.

Source: UG