ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Migration Intentions of Nursing Students in Ghana: Implications for Human Resource Development in the Health Sector

This study examined the influence of socio-economic and demographic variables on the migration intentions of nursing students. It was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data was obtained through the administration of structured questionnaire to students in three nursing schools. The study was conducted within the context of the neoclassical economic and network theories of migration. Using logistic regression analysis, the findings of the study indicate that salary differentials remain important determinants of nurse migration. Established networks in destination countries also facilitate nurse migration, even though nurses would still take the risk of migrating in the absence of networks abroad. Career progression for nurses and securing better education for children are also prominent determinants of nurse migration. It was also found that being posted to work in a rural area may even serve as a catalyst to migrate abroad, as this was the strongest predictor of intention to migrate. The findings of this study have important implication for human resource development among nurses in Ghana.

Source: UG
Migration, Cultural Memory and Identity in Benjamin Kwakye’s The Other Crucifix

This paper examines the relationship between cultural memory and belongingness in Benjamin Kwakye’s novel, The Other Crucifix, and the ways in which this relationship shapes the identity of African immigrants in America. We find that Kwakye’s novel fills some thematic gaps in the African migration story. Whereas other African migration novels seem more concerned with the history and identity of groups of immigrants, Kwakye is more interested in the identity of individual characters. In addition, while North African migration narratives (and, interestingly, some of his Ghanaian compatriots) typically present illiterate or lowly educated characters who travel to Europe often via illegal means, and whereas his West African precursors are preoccupied with the return of the sojourner and his reunion with his native society, Kwakye depicts a highly educated legal immigrant, Jojo Badu, who struggles to adapt to life in America but resists acculturation on the host country’s terms. For Jojo ‘home’ and identity are defined by cultural memory which in the narrative takes the form of remnant consciousness: ‘the ontological, physical, and spiritual manifestations of reclaiming an African cultural heritage’ (McKoy 2002, 195). In The Other Crucifix home country and host country are conceived in spatial terms along a polarity in which America signifies displacement and psychic chaos while Africa represents continuity and psychic calm. This polarity reflects the changing psychology of the protagonist as he oscillates between the deep anxiety of forgetting his original culture and identity and his desire to adjust to the host society and to create a new identity.

Source: UG
Migration, housing and attachment in urban gold mining settlements

Mining settlements are typically portrayed as either consisting of purpose-built housing constructed by mining companies to house their workers, or as temporary makeshift shelters built by miners working informally and inhabited by male migrants who live dangerously and develop little attachment to these places. This paper contributes to these debates on the social and material dynamics occurring in mining settlements, focusing on those with urban rather than rural characteristics, by highlighting how misconceived these archetypal portrayals are in the Ghanaian context. Drawing on qualitative data collected in three mining settlements, we explore who is moving to and living in the mining towns, who is building houses, and how attachments to place develop socio-temporally. Through doing so, the paper provides original insights on the heterogeneous nature of mining settlements, which are found to be home to a wide range of people engaged in diverse activities. Mining settlements and their attendant social dynamics are shown to evolve in differing ways, depending on the type of mining taking place and the length of time the mines have been in operation. Significantly, we illustrate how, contrary to popular understandings of incomers to mining settlements as nomadic opportunists, migrants often aspire to build their own houses and establish a family, which promotes their attachment to these settlements and their desire to remain. These insights further scholarship on the social and material configuration of mining settlements and feed into the revival of interest in small and intermediate urban settlements.

Source: UG
Migration, sexual networks, and HIV in Agbogbloshie, Ghana

Background: HIV is spread through structured sexual networks, which are influenced by migration patterns, but network-oriented studies of mobility and HIV risk behavior have been limited. Objective: We present a comprehensive description and initial results from our Migration & HIV in Ghana (MHG) study in Agbogbloshie, an urban slum area within Accra, Ghana. Methods: The MHG study was a population-based cross-sectional study of adults aged 18-49 in Agbogbloshie in 2012. We used a one-year retrospective relationship history calendar to collect egocentric network data on sexual partners as well as migration and shortterm mobility, and tested for prevalent HIV-1/2 infection. Results: HIV prevalence was 5.5%, with prevalence among women (7.2%) over twice that of men (2.8%). Three-quarters of residents were born outside the Greater Accra region, but had lived in Agbogbloshie an average of 10.7 years. Only 7% had moved housing structures within the past year. However, short-term mobility was common. Residents had an average of 7.3 overnight trips in the last year, with women reporting more travel than men. Thirty-seven percent of men and 9% of women reported more than one sexual partner in the last year. Conclusions: Population-based surveys of migration and sexual risk behavior using relationship history calendars in low-resource settings can produce high quality data. Residents in Agbogbloshie are disproportionately affected by HIV, and have high levels of shortterm mobility. HIV prevention interventions targeted to highly mobile populations in high prevalence settings may have far-reaching and long-term implications. © 2014 Cassels, Jenness, Biney, Ampofo & Dodoo.

Source: UG
The migration-sustainability paradox: transformations in mobile worlds

Migration represents a major transformation of the lives of those involved and has been transformative of societies and economies globally. Yet models of sustainability transformations do not effectively incorporate the movement of populations. There is an apparent migration-sustainability paradox: migration plays a role as a driver of unsustainability as part of economic globalisation, yet simultaneously represents a transformative phenomenon and potential force for sustainable development. We propose criteria by which migration represents an opportunity for sustainable development: increasing aggregate well-being; reduced inequality leading to diverse social benefits; and reduced aggregate environmental burden. We detail the dimensions of the transformative potential of migration and develop a generic framework for migration-sustainability linkages based on environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability, highlighting identity and social transformation dimensions of migration. Such a model overcomes the apparent paradox by explaining the role of societal mobility in achieving sustainable outcomes.

Source: UG
Milk Powder Added to a School Meal Increases Cognitive Test Scores in Ghanaian Children

Background The inclusion of milk in school feeding is accepted as good nutritional practice, but specific benefits remain uncertain. Objective The objective was to determine whether consumption of 8.8 g milk protein/d given as milk powder with a multiple micronutrient–enriched porridge resulted in greater increases in linear growth and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) scores in Ghanaian schoolchildren when compared with 1 of 3 control groups. Methods A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in healthy children aged 6–9 y was conducted comparing 8.8 g milk protein/d with 4.4 g milk protein/d or 4.4 g milk protein + 4.4 g rice protein/d (isonitrogenous, half of the protein from milk and half from rice) or a non-nitrogenous placebo. Primary outcomes were changes in length after 9 mo and CANTAB scores after 4.5 mo; secondary outcomes were body-composition measures. Supplements were added to porridge each school day and consumed for 9 mo. Anthropometric and body-composition measures and CANTAB tests were completed upon enrollment and after 4.5 and 9 mo. Group results were compared by using ANCOVA for anthropometric measures and the Kruskal-Wallis test for CANTAB scores. Results Children receiving 8.8 g milk protein/d showed greater increases on percentage correct in Pattern Recognition Memory (mean ± SD: 5.5% ± 16.8%; P < 0.05) and Intra/Extradimensional Set Shift completed stages compared with all other food groups (0.6 ± 2.3; P < 0.05). No differences were seen in linear growth between the groups. The children receiving either 4.4 or 8.8 g milk protein/d had a higher fat-free body mass index than those who received no milk, with an effect size of 0.34 kg/m2. Conclusion Among schoolchildren, the consumption of 8.8 g milk protein/d improved executive cognitive function compared with other supplements and led to the accretion of more lean body mass, but not more linear growth. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov">www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02757508.

Source: UG
Milk production of Tswana goats fed diets containing different levels of energy

The aim of this experiment was to characterize the milk yield of the Tswana goat of Botswana. Twenty-one Tswana goat does were allocated to one of three diets formulated to provide energy for maintenance and a milk yield of either 1.5 kg/d, 1.0 kg/d or 0.5 kg/d. Intake, milk yield and kid growth rate was monitored for 14 weeks. Dry matter intakes of up to 5% of body weight were recorded. Energy intake and milk yield differed between treatments (p < 0.01). Daily ME intake for the low, medium and high-energy diets was 1.01, 1.42 and 1.64 MJ ME/kg metabolic weight; the corresponding milk yields were 0.47, 0.53 and 0.72 kg/day. Kid birth weight ranged from 2.6 to 2.9 kg, and daily gains over the 14-week period were 95, 116 and 128 g/day for the low, medium and high energy diets respectively. Milk output accounted for 62% of the variation in kid growth rate. It was concluded that Tswana goats have the potential to respond to increasing levels of energy intake by increasing milk yield to relatively high levels.

Source: UG
Millet Minor: Overview

Minor millets have been grown and utilized as food and fodder since ancient times. They are adapted to various soils and climates. Owing to their limited requirement for water and early maturity, they are commonly grown as catch crops in some regions. Porridge, gruel, flatbreads, pancakes, and fermented beverages have been the most common forms of millet foods. Among the nutritional benefits, the perceived hypoglycemic property made minor millets particularly popular and hence their use in the management of type II diabetes. Their hypoglycemic response could be attributed to the presence of polyphenols, soluble fiber, and starch-protein-lipid interactions. Decortication results in significant reduction in these components, causing an increase in the expected glycemic index of millets. The wide climatic adaptability and the regional economic importance of the untapped genetic resources of millets give them the potential to be exploited in the resolution of food security issues of poor rural communities of the world.

Source: UG
“Mind the gap”: to succeed in marketing politics, think of social media innovation

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the relationships between political marketing via social media and young voters’ political participation in Ghana. Additionally, this study examines the mediating role political efficacy plays in enhancing the relationship. Design/methodology/approach – With a positivist mindset, and adopting the survey strategy, data gathered from the questionnaire administered from the sampled 320 young voters (18-29 years) in Greater Accra were quantitatively analyzed. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to assess and confirm the proposed scales validity and the relationships of the research model. Findings – The study revealed that a political party or candidate’s ability to achieve political participation from Ghanaian young voters’ is dependent on how effective they build customer relationship or gaining visibility through social media. In addition, the study showed that political efficacy mediates the relationship between customer relationship building or gaining visibility through social media and political participation among Ghana young voters. Thus, young voters in Ghana must see themselves to have a say in the affairs of political parties through the political messages they gather from social media platforms to enhance their political participation activities. Practical implications – The results of this paper will enable political marketers and politicians not only in Ghana but across the globe, to better understand how social media as a communication tool could be used to positively influence users’ political participation. Originality/value – Considering the uniqueness of this study in a Ghanaian context, this paper is the first of its kind to use the social capital theory in examining the mediating role political efficacy plays in enhancing the relationship between political marketing on social media and young voters’ political participation.

Source: UG
Mineral And Phytate Contents Of Some Prepared Popular Ghanaian Foods

Prepared Ghanaian traditional foods, mostly consist of starchy staples such as yams (Dioscorea spp.), cassava (Manihot esculenta), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa) etc. These traditional foods are a main source of energy and macronutrients. Little or no information however exist on the mineral and phytate contents of prepared traditional Ghanaian foods. The mineral and phytate contents of twenty commonly eaten Ghanaian foods, prepared using popular recipes were analysed for their Fe, Cu, Zn, Mg, Mn, Ca, Na and K as well as phytate contents after foods were dried. Sodium was high in most of the foods, ranging from 557 mg/100 g for Akple with okro soup, to 193.7 for Kooko and bread. Boiled cowpeas with fried plantain was found to contain the highest amount of potassium (409.0 mg/100 g) followed by konkonte with groundnut soup (384.7 mg/100 g). Kooko with bread recorded the lowest potassium content of 131.72 mg/100 g. Konkonte with palm-nut soup and also with groundnut soup were among the foods found to contain high amounts of iron (14.1 mg/100 g and 13.2 mg/100 g respectively). All the foods were very good sources of minerals and will significantly contribute to the mineral intakes of consumers; however, their sodium contents were of concern.

Source: UG
Mineral Fertilization Influences the Growth, Cryptolepine Yield, and Bioefficacy of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlt.

Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlt., the main source of cryptolepine alkaloid, is intensively exploited in the wild to treat malaria and Lyme disease. In this study, the influence of four inorganic fertilizers (supplying N, P, K, or NPK) and four growth periods (3, 6, 9, and 12 months after transplanting) on the herb’s root biomass, cryptolepine content and yield, and biological activities were investigated in a pot and field trial. The results showed the application of N (in the form of Urea or NPK) increased root biomass yield, cryptolepine content, and cryptolepine yield compared to unfertilized plants. The 9-month-old plants recorded the maximum cryptolepine content (2.26 mg/100 mg dry root) and cryptolepine yield (304.08 mg/plant), indicating the perfect time to harvest the herb. Plant age at harvest had a more significant influence (50.6–55.7%) on cryptolepine production than fertilizer application (29.2–33.3%). Cryptolepine extracts from 9- to 12-month-old plants had the highest antiplasmodial activity (IC50 = 2.56–4.65 g/mL) and drug selectivity index (2.15–3.91) against Plasmodium falciparum Dd2. These extracts were also cytotoxic to Jurkat leukaemia cell lines (CC50 < 62.56 g/mL), indicating the possible use of cryptolepine for cancer management. Growing the herb in the field increased cryptolepine yield 2.5 times compared to growth in a pot, but this did not influence the antiplasmodial activity of the extract. Commercial cultivation of C. sanguinolenta for 9 months combined with N application could be a promising solution to the sustainable use of this threatened medicinal species.

Source: UG
Mineral Fertilization Influences the Growth, Cryptolepine Yield, and Bioefficacy of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlt.

Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlt., the main source of cryptolepine alkaloid, is intensively exploited in the wild to treat malaria and Lyme disease. In this study, the influence of four inorganic fertilizers (supplying N, P, K, or NPK) and four growth periods (3, 6, 9, and 12 months after transplanting) on the herb’s root biomass, cryptolepine content and yield, and biological activities were investigated in a pot and field trial. The results showed the application of N (in the form of Urea or NPK) increased root biomass yield, cryptolepine content, and cryptolepine yield compared to unfertilized plants. The 9-month-old plants recorded the maximum cryptolepine content (2.26 mg/100 mg dry root) and cryptolepine yield (304.08 mg/plant), indicating the perfect time to harvest the herb. Plant age at harvest had a more significant influence (50.6–55.7%) on cryptolepine production than fertilizer application (29.2–33.3%). Cryptolepine extracts from 9- to 12-month-old plants had the highest antiplasmodial activity (IC50 = 2.56–4.65 µg/mL) and drug selectivity index (2.15–3.91) against Plasmodium falciparum Dd2. These extracts were also cytotoxic to Jurkat leukaemia cell lines (CC50 < 62.56 µg/mL), indicating the possible use of cryptolepine for cancer management. Growing the herb in the field increased cryptolepine yield 2.5 times compared to growth in a pot, but this did not influence the antiplasmodial activity of the extract. Commercial cultivation of C. sanguinolenta for 9 months combined with N application could be a promising solution to the sustainable use of this threatened medicinal species.

Source: UG
Mineral prospectivity mapping over the Gomoa Area of Ghana’s southern Kibi-Winneba belt using support vector machine and naive bayes

Geospatial modeling of mineral prospective regions is essential, owing to its significant contribution towards the development and economic gains of many mineral-endowed countries including, Ghana. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to delineate mineral potential zones in the Gomoa Area of Ghana’s southern Kibi Winneba belt in order to supplement mineral resources in Ghana’s existing mineral prospective zones. To ach ieve the aforementioned objective, researchers generated predictive models characterising gold mineralisation prospects within the study area by employing machine learning techniques comprising support vector machines (SVM) and naive bayes (NB) classifiers on mineral-related conditioning factors. These mineral-related factors (geoscientific thematic layers) were sourced from geophysical, remote sensing, and geological datasets. The resulting mineral prospective models (MPM) produced based on SVM and NB classifiers were exhibited in binary classes (prospective and non-prospective zones). Regions delineated as prospective zones within the study area were, respectively estimated to cover an area extent of 181.62 km2 and 296.02 km2 for the SVM-derived MPM and NB-derived MPM and analogously characterise 22.07% and 35.97% of the study area. The ability of these two models to predict was determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The AUC scores obtained for the SVM-derived MPM and the NB-derived MPM were, respectively, 0.90 and 0.83. Outputs of the AUC scores generally indicate that the two models produced have good accuracy, although the SVM-derived MPM performed better than that of the NB-derived MPM. Thus, the machine learning-based mineral prospectivity models produced in this study are worthy outputs to guide the planning of detailed mineral exploration surveys within the study area.

Source: UG
Mineral Prospectivity Modeling over Julie Tenement of Northwestern Ghana using Geophysical Datasets

This study was set out to delineate prospective zones of gold mineralization occurrence over the Julie tenement of Northwestern Ghana using two spatial statistical techniques, namely information value (IV) and weight of evidence (W of E) models. First, 110 locations, where gold (Au) mineralization has been observed, were identified by field survey results derived from highly anomalous geo-chemical assay datasets. Of these 110 locations, 77 (representing 70% of the known locations, where gold has been observed) were randomly selected for training the aforementioned models, and the remaining 33 (analogous to 30% of the known Au occurrence) were used for validation. Secondly, eleven mineral conditioning factors (evidential layers) comprising analytic signal, reduction-to-equator (RTE), lineament density (LD), porphyry density, potassium concentration, thorium concentration, uranium concentration, potassium-thorium ratio, uranium-thorium ratio, geology, and arsenic concentration layers were sourced from geophysical, geological, and geo-chemical datasets. Subsequently, by synthesizing these eleven evidential layers using the two spatial statistical techniques, two mineral prospectivity models were created in a geographic information system (GIS) environment. Finally, the mineral prospectivity models produced were validated using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). The results obtained showed that the IV model produced had a higher prediction accuracy in comparison with the mineral predictive model produced by the W of E with their AUC scores being 0.751 and 0.743, respectively

Source: UG