ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Culturally prescribed beliefs about mental illness among the Akan of Ghana

Mental illness is a culturally laden phenomenon, and different cultures have unique ways of constructing mental illness. In this study, conceptions of mental illness were explored among 30 participants of Akan descent in Ghana through individual and group interviews. Participants demonstrated a wide range of knowledge on mental illness indicating that poor self-care, deficits in social functioning, and disordered behaviors are the cardinal features of mental illness. The data revealed that Akan cultural beliefs influenced notions of etiology of mental illness and care of the mentally ill. While participants recognized the role of multiple factors such as genetics, substance abuse, daily hassles (for example, concerns about basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter), and trauma in the cause of mental illness, the predominant belief was that mental illness is a retributive and/or a spiritual illness. This belief encourages pluralistic health-seeking behaviors: use of hospitals, prayer camps, herbalists, and traditional healers. The implications of these findings for public health education on mental illness, and clinical training and practice are discussed.

Source: UG
Culture and Change Management: A Case Study of GIMPA

This paper looks at organisational change by examining the restructuring of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), which was formerly a publicly-funded institution. In 1999 GIMPA, the sole public administration training institution in Ghana, was diagnosed as being unsuccessful in carrying out its mandate to build and develop vital human resources for national development and, therefore, faced closure. This paper examines the extent to which the employment of Ghanaian cultural values contributed to the change process. It explores change and leadership issues and indicates that the African believes in change and uses various forms of indigenous knowledge that support the concept of change to bring about change. It argues that the necessity for consideration of traditions of local cultures in change management is crucial, particularly where foreign management approaches are practiced in those places.

Source: UG
Culture and country choice of international students: evidence from Ghana

This study seeks to examine the influence of the cultural elements on international students’ country choice. It also examines whether individual values moderate the influence of cultural elements on the country choice of international students. Drawing upon a sample size of 223, the data was analysed using structural equation modelling technique. Among the five cultural elements, education, language and social institutions were found to have a positive significant influence on the international student’s country choice. When moderated by individual values education was found to be the only key significant value to international students when selecting a country to further their education. The cultural elements should be given much attention by marketers, government and managers of academic institutions. An improvement in the standards of education in developing countries would attract more students from developed countries.

Source: UG
Culture and sensitivity of mycobacterial isolates from cases of pulmonary tuberculosis classified as treatment failures in a teaching hospital

The Bacteriology Department aims to improve the quality of life first for Ghanaians and the world at large by conducting research into bacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana and globally. In addition to working on enteric pathogens and sexually transmitted diseases, the department’s current main focus is on the two most important mycobacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana, namely Buruli ulcer (BU) and tuberculosis (TB).

Source: UG
Culture and Stylistics in Translation: The Case of the Book of Proverbs in the Mfantse Bible

This study investigates how the Mfantse Bible translation communicates the intended message to its users. It examines how the strategies and techniques adopted in an English-Mfantse rendition communicate to achieve naturalness and faithfulness. The book, Early Scriptures of the Gold Coast discusses the inconsistencies in the Mfantse Bible and reports that even though effort was invested into the translation by missionaries and native speakers of Mfantse, the Bible lacked some finesse. This study explores the holistic translation of the Mfantse Bible. It is a qualitative study which contributes to research on Bible Translation and translation pedagogy. Generally, poetry translation is challenging, therefore the Book of Proverbs was selected as a case study. After a careful reading of the Book of Proverbs in both the source and target languages, inventory of all grammatical expressions, figurative expressions and cultural notions were taken. These were coded and analysed and later crosschecked with users in focus group discussions to ascertain their naturalness. At the grammatical level, the study establishes that both English and Akan have particular grammatical structures that express the intended meaning of the scripture without distorting meaning. In the grammatical analysis, some errors exist but their effect on meaning is minimal because morphemes are functional and have no content or conceptual meaning. The strategy most commonly employed is equivalence, in addition to a few instances of deletion. Cultural substitution worked best for the translation of culture specific items. In the Mfantse Bible, most repetition types are lost due to vocabulary and structural changes. Also, wrong cultural substitution led to mistranslations, possibly due to difference in ecology. Some errors emerged due to the fact that the verbs used did not collocate with the appropriate nouns they agree with. In the translation of figurative expressions, cultural substitution was used but the preferred strategy was literal translation. The figurative expressions used most are synonymy and antithetic parallelism. Once more, literalism helped to maintain the expressions so that they are presented to the reader as in the source text. Finally, codemixing has been discovered as one of the strategies employed in the translation. According to most of the language consultants, the translation sounds natural to a high extent and any average speaker should be able to read correctly and understand the Bible at least on a second attempt. Theoretically, the study has advanced Baker’s Levels of Equivalence in terms of contribution and proves that the levels are independent of one another and that at every level a unique outcome can be achieved.

Source: UG
Culture in Embodied Cognition: Metaphorical/Metonymic Conceptualizations of FEAR in Akan and English

This article examines the role of culture in the metaphorical/metonymic conceptualizations of fear, a primary emotion, in two languages—Akan (a West African, Kwa language) and English. The article adopts the general framework of conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) to compare and contrast the differences and/or similarities in the conceptualizations as well as the language-specific construals or elaborations of shared conceptual metaphors of fear in the two languages. The analysis of the language-specific realizations of the shared metaphorical/metonymic conceptualizations of the emotion concept reveals both similarities and differences in the two languages, showing support for the cultural embodied cognition thesis, namely, the similarities in the conceptualization of emotions across cultures may be explained in terms of universal embodied cognition from which general metaphorical principles derive. However, the differences in language-specific elaborations may be explained in terms of cultural filtering of the general universal conceptualizations to reflect human experiences that are more salient to a particular sociocultural group. This analysis also shows a metaphor–metonymy interaction in the conceptualization of emotions across cultures.

Source: UG
Cunningham's skinks show low genetic connectivity and signatures of divergent selection across its distribution

Establishing corridors of connecting habitat has become a mainstay conservation strategy to maintain gene flow and facilitate climate-driven range shifts. Yet, little attention has been given to ascertaining the extent to which corridors will benefit philopatric species, which might exhibit localized adaptation. Measures of genetic connectivity and adaptive genetic variation across species’ ranges can help fill this knowledge gap. Here, we characterized the spatial genetic structure of Cunningham's skink (Egernia cunninghami), a philopatric species distributed along Australia's Great Dividing Range, and assessed evidence of localized adaptation. Analysis of 4,274 SNPs from 94 individuals sampled at four localities spanning 500 km and 4° of latitude revealed strong genetic structuring at neutral loci (mean FST ± SD = 0.603 ± 0.237) among the localities. Putatively neutral SNPs and those under divergent selection yielded contrasting spatial patterns, with the latter identifying two genetically distinct clusters. Given low genetic connectivity of the four localities, we suggest that the natural movement rate of this species is insufficient to keep pace with spatial shifts to its climate envelope, irrespective of habitat availability. In addition, our finding of localized adaptation highlights the risk of outbreeding depression should the translocation of individuals be adopted as a conservation management strategy. © 2016 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Source: UG
Curbing illicit financial out-flow from Africa: the phenomenology of institutions in Ghana

Transactions of illicit financial out flow (IFoF) in Africa and elsewhere are steeped in secrecy and controversy. They are also burdened by normativism in research; consequently, the likely dimensions of their instrumental worth has not received much attention. Using relativism and institutional phenomenology, focusing on Ghana, this paper attempts to tease out the nature of transactions around IFoF regulatory state institutions. Findings from elite elicitation interviews and secondary data show that IFoF in Ghana is high and enabled by a shadowy network of transactions between state agencies and regulated entities with the implication of a blurred and porous boundary between the two sectors. This suggests that the legal system of state regulatory agencies has been short circuited and their mandates tamed as a result. These findings call for further investigation into how, inter alia, the politics of IFoF induced transactions between state agencies and the private sector is maintained.

Source: UG
Curbing Teenage Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in East Mamprusi District: The Community Perspectives

Teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion is a major problem in Ghana, Sub-Saharan Africa and by extension the world at large. The consequences of teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion are inimical to the health and well-being of Ghana’s teenage population. It leads to infant and maternal mortality, obstetric fistulas, severe bleeding, and school dropout among others. The study explored the community perspectives on curbing teenage pregnancy and unsafe abortion in East Mamprusi District. The approach of the study was qualitative research with exploratory descriptive design. Eighteen (18) participants in the district were purposively sampled after they met the inclusion criteria. Data collection was done by face to face interviews using interview guide. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis of the data was done using thematic content analysis. The study found that, polygamous families, parents’ desire for grandchildren, and poverty were reportedly the causes of teenage pregnancy. The bid to establish close family ties also accounted for early marriages. The study found that there is a culture of silence on matters of sexuality in the community. Participants were in support of sex education for teenagers in spite of the cultural taboos on sex education. The study participants were however not in support of safe abortion services for teenagers. Safe abortion was viewed as a sin and murder of a defenceless child. The victims of abortion in the communities are stigmatised (‘second witches’ and devils). Participants had considerable knowledge and awareness about contraception. However, they were not in support of contraceptive use by sexually active teenagers. The study also established that night disco dance popularly called jams and night video shows organised in the community serve as a conduit for sexual misconduct and promiscuity among the teenagers. It was recommended that community durbars with chiefs, opinion leaders and parents should be organised by public health nurses to sensitise them on harmful cultural practices, dispel the myths and misconceptions about contraceptive use and the importance of safe abortion services.

Source: UG
Curcumin loaded Ag–TiO2-halloysite nanotubes platform for combined chemo-photodynamic therapy treatment of cancer cells†

The use of naturally occurring anticancer materials in combination with doped metal oxide has emerged as one of the most promising ways for improving anticancer treatment efficacy. In this study, the anticancer potential of curcumin-loaded Ag–TiO2-halloysite nanotubes (curcumin-loaded Ag–TiO2-HNTs) was examined. Ag–TiO2-HNTs with different wt% of Ag–TiO2 were synthesized and characterized using XRD, TGA, FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX. The XRD results revealed the presence of crystalline TiO2. However, the presence of Ag was detected through the SEM-EDX analysis. Cyclic voltammetry measurements suggested the enhancement of the release of ROS from TiO2 upon deposition with Ag. FT-IR and TGA analysis confirmed the successful loading of curcumin inside the nanotubes of the halloysite. In vitro drug released studies revealed the release of approximately 80–99% curcumin within 48 hours. Kinetic model studies revealed that the release of curcumin from HNT and Ag–TiO2-HNT followed the first-order and Higuchi models, respectively. The light irradiated curcumin-loaded Ag– TiO2-HNTs samples exhibited considerable anticancer potential as compared to the free curcumin, irradiated Ag–TiO2 NPs samples, and unirradiated curcumin loaded Ag–TiO2-HNTs samples. The obtained results revealed that combined chemo- and photodynamic therapy using curcumin-loaded Ag–TiO2-HNTs nanomaterial has the potential as an effective anticancer treatment method

Source: UG
Current and Desired Employee Communication Patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical Evidence on Four Ghanaian Organizations,

In this study, the author explores employees' expectations of organizational communication patterns including internal communication behavior in organizations. In-depth interviews of employees and managers were used as data from four Ghanaian organizations. Results show that employees want a change from the current pattern of overcentralized communication system in organizations to a more horizontal interpersonal communication. Findings also show the importance of effective and interpersonal communication as processes that can affect employees' attitude to work. Additionally, results show that aspects of national culture, structures and systems, and management practices influence the pattern of communication in organizations. The results suggest that work organizations would thrive only if both managers and employees work collectively as a team and understand each other through effective communication media institutionalized in the various organizations.

Source: UG
Current and novel approaches in influenza management

Influenza is a disease that poses a significant health burden worldwide. Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza virus infections. However, conventional vaccines are only effective for a short period of time due to the propensity of influenza viruses to undergo antigenic drift and antigenic shift. The efficacy of these vaccines is uncertain from year-to-year due to potential mismatch between the circulating viruses and vaccine strains, and mutations arising due to egg adaptation. Subsequently, the inability to store these vaccines long-term and vaccine shortages are challenges that need to be overcome. Conventional vaccines also have variable efficacies for certain populations, including the young, old, and immunocompromised. This warrants for diverse efficacious vaccine developmental approaches, involving both active and passive immunization. As opposed to active immunization platforms (requiring the use of whole or portions of pathogens as vaccines), the rapidly developing passive immunization involves administration of either pathogen-specific or broadly acting antibodies against a kind or class of pathogens as a treatment to corresponding acute infection. Several antibodies with broadly acting capacities have been discovered that may serve as means to suppress influenza viral infection and allow the process of natural immunity to engage opsonized pathogens whilst boosting immune system by antibody-dependent mechanisms that bridge the innate and adaptive arms. By that; passive immunotherapeutics approach assumes a robust tool that could aid control of influenza viruses. In this review, we comment on some improvements in influenza management and promising vaccine development platforms with an emphasis on the protective capacity of passive immunotherapeutics especially when coupled with the use of antivirals in the management of influenza infection.

Source: UG
Current Archaeological Research at the Krobo Mountain Site, Ghana

This preliminary archaeological report examines ongoing archaeological research at the Krobo Mountain site. It focuses on the ethnographic and archaeological research methods employed in the investigation of past liferways at the ancestral settlement of the Krobo people of south-eastern Ghana. A highlight of archaeological, ethnographic, and historical data relating to burial practices, consumption, construction technology, indigenous religious activities, exchange and interaction has been presented.

Source: UG
Current perspectives in drug discovery against tuberculosis from natural products

The Clinical Pathology Department conducts research that contributes to intervention strategies and safeguards of public health in Ghana. In view of this the Department carries out research into plant medicine development, drug interactions and regulation, bio-monitoring and prevention of poisoning from environmental toxicants (e.g. mycotoxins specifically aflatoxins and toxic heavy metals). The Department also provides specialized laboratory services in support of public health programmes.

Source: UG
Current practices in community treatment of the mentally ill in Ontario, Canada: learning opportunities for improving Ghana's mental health system

With the enactment of Ghana's Mental Health Act (Act 846) in 2012, the country is poised for implementing the conditions of this law. A careful review of the Act indicates the government's willingness to make outpatient mental health treatment a priority. The focus, it seems, is to ameliorate congestion in the country's mental health institutions and to provide effective treatment for individuals diagnosed with mental illness. This paper gives a historical trajectory of the mental health care system in Ghana and outline the steps being taken to improve the mental health care system. The authors argue that the challenges in implementing the Mental Health Act are enormous and that substantial political will is required to ensure its success. To substantiate this assessment, an effort is made to explore community mental health systems in the Western world, specifically Ontario, Canada, and its impact on the mental health of individuals who have utilized mental health services. Such services include legislative mandated outpatient programs like Community Treatment Orders. The authors conclude that despite the intent and the laudability of the government's proposed implementation of an efficient outpatient mental health care system, much effort will be required to ensure its efficacy. Some of the issues faced by the government in ensuring this effectiveness include the lack of resources, mental health personnel and political will. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.

Source: UG
Current Practices in the Management of Lymphatic Filariasis

Lymphatic Filariasis is a major cause of acute and chronic morbidity in 81 countries. The availability of safe treatment regimes along with rapid diagnostic tools resulted in a global program to eliminate the disease. The two main objectives of the global elimination program are to interrupt transmission of the parasites and to provide care for those with the disease. The strategy for transmission interruption is preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration. This article reviews the current treatment regiments for lymphatic filariasis and discusses the challenges posed by co-endemicity with other diseases. The role of intergrated vector management as a supplementary strategy for mass drug administration and new strategies for treatment morbidity control through antibiotic targeting of the wolbachia endosymbionts are also discussed.

Source: UG
Current practices in the management of lymphatic filariasis ( Review )

Lymphatic filariasis is a major cause of acute and chronic morbidity in 81 countries. The availability of safe treatment regimens along with rapid diagnostic tools resulted in a global program to eliminate the disease. The two main objectives of the global elimination program are to interrupt transmission of the parasites and to provide care for those with the disease. The strategy for transmission interruption is preventive chemotherapy through mass drug administration. This article reviews the current treatment regimens for lymphatic filariasis and discusses the challenges posed by co-endemicity with other diseases. The role of integrated vector management as a supplementary strategy for mass drug administration and new strategies for treatment and morbidity control through antibiotic targeting of the Wolbachia endosymbionts are also discussed.

Source: UG