ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Quaternary Ostracoda as Palaeoenvironmental Proxies

Ostracoda are minute crustaceans with a calcified, two-valved carapace. They are a classical group of micropalaeontology because of their long and rich record in earth history going back to Ordovician times. The presentation introduces into morphology, ecology and distribution of this group and demonstrates methods of its use in palaeoenvironmental analysis. Examples of application in coastal geology, palaeoclimatology, environmental micropalaeontology and geoarchaeology are given

Source: UG
Queens as Mothers: The Role of the traditional Safety Net of Care and Support for HIV/AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ghana

The paper examines the significance of the traditional safety net to provide security and help to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). (Abbreviation OVC, as conceptualised by UNICEF (2001)). It questions the scenario of societal breakdown due to HIV/AIDS by asking how the traditional safety net operates, nature of solutions to the OVC problem it provides and its sustainability. No geographical region in Ghana has been so affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic than the Manya Krobo District in Ghana. While analysing the role of the work of the Manya Krobo Queen Mothers’ Association (QMA) and five private caregivers, the perceptions of three OVC are presented: on how it is to be an OVC, what their dreams and hopes are for the future, and their awareness of HIV/AIDS. It is observed that even though the QMA serves as a good role model for how to address the OVC problem, it has its limitations. The traditional extended family system is under pressure, but not about to break down. As the effectiveness of its support will depend on the contribution of the wider Ghanaian society, localized solutions have to be scaled up to make an impact. Thus, the breakdown scenario needs to be nuanced and contextualised. The vulnerability of the local place under study relates to unemployment and migration, economic poverty and social–cultural marginalisation. These factors are intertwined with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Source: UG
Quelques Sources Bibliographiques du Cameroun

Ce document, intitulé « Quelques Sources Bibliographiques du Cameroun », rédigé par Martin Njikam (bibliothécaire à l’IRCAM), dresse un état des lieux des ressources bibliographiques disponibles sur le Cameroun en 1967. Il recense les travaux existants (géologie, ethnographie, linguistique, etc.), critique les projets inaboutis (comme la Bibliographie du Cameroun initiée par R.P. Douohaud) et identifie les lacunes en matière de documentation systématique. L’auteur met en lumière le rôle clé des institutions camerounaises (IRCAM, Archives nationales, universités) et des centres culturels étrangers comme sources de recherche. Enfin, il annonce des initiatives futures, telles que la thèse d’Adalbert Owona sur les sources historiques du Cameroun et l’Exposition du Livre Africain prévue en 1968. Ce texte souligne l’urgence de créer des services bibliographiques nationaux pour structurer la production intellectuelle camerounaise

Source: UG
The quest for democratic stability in two limited access order systems: Ghana and South Korea in perspective

Researchers contemplating the experiences of Ghana and South Korea often emphasize a divergent pattern of economic development. Such endeavors, generally articulated with reference to mid-twentieth century benchmarks, often suggest Ghana had relatively better prospects of economic development. However highlights from these efforts often miss the fact that the ruling elites of both states faced and resolved similar strategic imperatives in the quest for democratic stability. Using North et al.'s notion of limited access orders, I contend that the two elite systems initially confronted pressures of systemic violence and economic stagnation. In the quest for democratic stability, the respective elite constituencies adopted the same tactic of selective inclusion so as to generate rents to secure the credible commitment of potentially disruptive elites. If recent political developments are credible indicators, it may be argued that both states are maturing into stable democracies. This notwithstanding, Ghana's elites seem to lag behind South Korea when it comes to engineering a benign fusion of democratic stability with deep horizontal economic empowerment. Given this, South Korean elites can offer useful insights to their Ghanaian counterparts. © Copyright 2019 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Source: UG
The Question of Immanence in Kwasi Wiredu’s Consensual Democracy

Kwasi Wiredu, arguably the most influential African philosopher, has proposed a democracy by consensus as an alternative to the majoritarian democracy African countries inherited from their colonial masters. His proposal has generated a lot of debates, and these debates have spanned several aspects of his proposal. In this paper, I focus on the debate regarding his attribution of immanence to the practice of consensus in traditional African social relations. Bernard Matolino has recently written an article defending Wiredu?s employment of the word immanence in describing the traditional African attitude to social relations. In this article, I find Matolino?s defense to be unsustainable.

Source: UG
The Question of Religious Authority: Ga Converts and Non-Indigenes in Muslim Identity Politics in Postcolonial Accra

The MIASA Working Paper series serves to disseminate the research results of work in progress prior to publication in order to encourage the exchange of ideas and academic debate. The series aims to publish research findings from the work of the MIASA Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFGs) and other MIASA fellows in an open-access manner. Inclusion of a paper in the MIASA Working Paper Series does not constitute publication and should not limit publication in any other venue. Copyright remains with the authors

Source: UG
Quinine Sulphate Microparticles as Treatment for Leishmaniasis

Background. Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the Leishmania parasite and transmitted by the female phlebotomine sandfly. +e disease can affect the skin (least fatal) or internal organs (most fatal). Current treatment options for leishmaniasis have a number of adverse effects, and there appears to be resistance by the protozoan parasite (Leishmania spp.). Reports suggest that quinine sulphate, not indicated for leishmaniasis, is effective in killing the Leishmania parasite. Indeed, the efficacy of any drug is dependent on the concentration at the target site, which is also almost dependent on drug formulation. +e current study assessed the pharmacokinetic profile of the microparticulate formulation of quinine sulphate and its in vitro and in vivo efficacy against Leishmania donovani. Methods. Quinine sulphate was encapsulated in bovine serum albumin by the spraydrying method. Quinine sulphate microparticles were evaluated for size, zeta potential, drug content, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release properties. Afterwards, the pharmacokinetic characteristics of quinine sulphate microparticles were estimated and in vivo efficacy studies were also conducted. Results. +e size range of the quinine sulphate microparticles was between 2.0 and 5.0 μm. Microparticles had an average zeta potential of −35.2mV and an encapsulation efficiency of 94.5%. Also, Cmax, t1/2, and AUC were all significantly desirable for quinine sulphate microparticles compared to the drug powder. Quinine sulphate microparticles significantly reduced parasite load in rat organs than amphotericin B. Conclusion. Overall, quinine sulphate microparticles had better pharmacokinetic profile and showed higher efficacy against Leishmania donovani parasites in vivo. +us, quinine sulphate microparticles have the potential, especially, in treating visceral leishmaniasis

Source: UG
Quinolone resistance in escherichia coli from Accra, Ghana

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is under-documented and commensal Escherichia coli can be used as indicator organisms to study the resistance in the community. We sought to determine the prevalence of resistance to broad-spectrum antimicrobials with particular focus on the quinolones, which have recently been introduced in parts of Africa, including Ghana. Results: Forty (13.7%) of 293 E. coli isolates evaluated were nalidixic acid-resistant. Thirteen (52%) of 2006 and 2007 isolates and 10 (66.7%) of 2008 isolates were also resistant to ciprofloxacin. All but one of the quinolone-resistant isolates were resistant to three or more other antimicrobial classes. Sequencing the quinolone-resistance determining regions of gyrA and parC, which encode quinolone targets, revealed that 28 quinolone-resistant E. coli harboured a substitution at position 83 of the gyrA gene product and 20 of these isolates had other gyrA and/or parC substitutions. Horizontally-acquired quinolone-resistance genes qnrB1, qnrB2, qnrS1 or qepA were detected in 12 of the isolates. In spite of considerable overall diversity among E. coli from Ghana, as evaluated by multilocus sequence typing, 15 quinolone-resistant E. coli belonged to sequence type complex 10. Five of these isolates carried qnrS1 alleles. Conclusions: Quinolone-resistant E. coli are commonly present in the faecal flora of Accra residents. The isolates have evolved resistance through multiple mechanisms and belong to very few lineages, suggesting clonal expansion. Containment strategies to limit the spread of quinolone-resistant E. coli need to be deployed to conserve quinolone effectiveness and promote alternatives to their use.

Source: UG
Quinolone resistance in Escherichia coli from Accra, Ghana

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance is under-documented and commensal Escherichia coli can be used as indicator organisms to study the resistance in the community. We sought to determine the prevalence of resistance to broad-spectrum antimicrobials with particular focus on the quinolones, which have recently been introduced in parts of Africa, including Ghana. Results Forty (13.7%) of 293 E. coli isolates evaluated were nalidixic acid-resistant. Thirteen (52%) of 2006 and 2007 isolates and 10 (66.7%) of 2008 isolates were also resistant to ciprofloxacin. All but one of the quinolone-resistant isolates were resistant to three or more other antimicrobial classes. Sequencing the quinolone-resistance determining regions of gyrA and parC, which encode quinolone targets, revealed that 28 quinolone-resistant E. coli harboured a substitution at position 83 of the gyrA gene product and 20 of these isolates had other gyrA and/or parC substitutions. Horizontally-acquired quinolone-resistance genes qnrB1, qnrB2, qnrS1 or qepA were detected in 12 of the isolates. In spite of considerable overall diversity among E. coli from Ghana, as evaluated by multilocus sequence typing, 15 quinolone-resistant E. coli belonged to sequence type complex 10. Five of these isolates carried qnrS1 alleles. Conclusions Quinolone-resistant E. coli are commonly present in the faecal flora of Accra residents. The isolates have evolved resistance through multiple mechanisms and belong to very few lineages, suggesting clonal expansion. Containment strategies to limit the spread of quinolone-resistant E. coli need to be deployed to conserve quinolone effectiveness and promote alternatives to their use.

Source: UG
R&amp;D, Human Capital and Export Behavior of Manufacturing and Service Firms in Ghana

The paper carries out a detailed analysis of the effects of R&D and human capital as well as their interactions with innovation on export behavior of manufacturing and service firms in Ghana using a dataset of 720 firms that merges the Enterprise, Innovative Capability and the Innovation Follow-up Surveys respectively for Ghana. Using a bivariate probit regression, the results show that R&D and human capital (employees’ education, slack time and formal training) are positive and significantly related to the propensity for firms to export in Ghana. The cross derivatives (differences) for the interaction terms (R&D and innovation, and education and innovation) also showed that these interaction terms have positive effects on the likelihood for firms to export but are significant only for a negligibly small fraction of the sample. Thus, there is no much statistically significant evidence in support of the mediation role of innovation in the relationship between R&D/education and the export behavior.

Source: UG
Race, Gender and Global Love: Non-Ghanaian Wives, Insiders or Outsiders in Ghana?

Research on inter-racial/inter-ethnic relationships focuses heavily on relationships I the global north with limited references to those in the global south except for relationships that develop in the context of transactional, especially tourist-oriented sex. Drawing on the concept of intersectionality, this article seeks to redress that imbalance. Based on nineteen conversations with non-Ghanaian women married to Ghanaian men and living in Ghana, the article highlights the importance of context specificity in our analyses of the ways in which individuals live their lives as raced and gendered beings. In Ghana, we argue, race is not constructed primarily on the basis of phenotypical difference but, more importantly, on national origin and cultural difference. As such, perceptions of black and white wives do not differ in many ways. However, we also find that the fact of whiteness allows white women far more room to maneuver gender roles in terms of the ways in which they choose to enact their roles as wives.

Source: UG
Racial Misidentification and Psychopathology Among People of African Descent: Is there a relationship?

This study examined racial identity and psychopathology in people of African ancestry. Two hundred and twenty-one (221) participants were recruited comprising Continental Africans, African Americans and African Caribbean people. The results demonstrated a significant correlation between psychopathology and stages of racial identity development. Lower levels of African Self-Consciousness were related to anxiety, hostility and phobic anxiety. African Americans obtained the highest levels of African Self-Consciousness. Further factor analyses of the African Self-Consciousness scale yielded two main factors; Value for Africentric beliefs and Value for Group identification. The findings suggest that racial identity plays an important role in the mental health of people of African ancestry.

Source: UG
Racial/ethnic differences in adolescents’ non-response to suicide attempt: Findings from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2015–2019

Racial/ethnic minority adolescents are at greater risk of attempting suicide compared to their White counter parts. Yet, racial/ethnic minority adolescents are more likely to not respond to questions on suicidal behaviors. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between race/ethnicity and missing response to suicide attempt among adolescents in the United States. Data for this study were obtained the 2015–2019 na tional Youth Risk Behavior Survey (n = 40,360). The outcome variable investigated in this study was missing response to suicide attempt and the main explanatory variable was race/ethnicity. Two hierarchical binary lo gistic regression models were fitted to examine the association between race/ethnicity and missing response to suicide attempt. Of the 40,036 adolescents, 13.4% had missing response to suicide attempt. Controlling for the effects of demographic factors and symptoms of depression, adolescents who self-identified as non-Hispanic Black had more than threefold higher odds of having missing response to suicide attempt when compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts (AOR = 3.62, p < .001, 95% CI = 2.45–5.34). Adolescent males and adolescents questioning their sexual identity had higher odds of having missing response to suicide attempt. Adolescents with depressive symptoms had lower odds of having missing response to suicide attempt. Missing response to suicide attempt among adolescents continues to differ by race/ethnicity and other demographic factors. The use of a single item in assessing suicide attempt history may be inadequate in capturing national estimates of adolescent suicide metrics.

Source: UG
Radiation therapist education and the changing landscape in Africa

In the changing global landscape, education programs for radiation therapists (RTTs), also known as therapeutic radiographers or radiation therapy technologists, at higher education institutions (HEIs) are non-existent in many African countries. In countries with local RTT education programs, there is evidence of a wide variety of qualification types, including in-house training, diploma and degree offerings. However, what is consistent is the integrated curriculum approach to classroom theory and clinical work-based learning that across the continent follows the general structure of a work-integrated learning (WIL) approach, to enhance clinical competence and meet the needs of the health sector. This study used a qualitative approach with thematic analysis of publicly available documents and reflective writings followed by further analysis through application of the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to explore the changing landscape of oncology in Africa and the impact of this on the education of RTTs. The study was guided by the reflective research question: How can the systemic understanding of RTT training in a changing landscape enable competent and caring practice? The study extends prior research on RTT education in Africa and contributes to debates on the changing role of RTTs in a rapidly changing environment.

Source: UG
Radio Audiences in an Emerging Pluralistic Media Environment: A Case for the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Method

The central thesis of this article is that the focus group discussion method of the qualitative research methodology has huge and largely unexploited potentials for use as a tool for audience research in a new democracy with a newly liberated media environment. It argues that the use of the method by Paul Lazarsfeld, Robert Merton and their colleagues at the Bureau of Applied Social Research at Columbia University to gauge audience responses and reactions to propaganda and radio broadcasts set the pace for its use in audience research. Through extensive use in, and adaptations to, different research environments, focus groups have demonstrated an ability to function as fully-fledged methods of data collection. The article examines literature on the history, development, and use of focus groups in many fields of study including media and communication to show that the method has advantages for audience research in a competitive media market. Through this perspective, and with reference to a number of studies carried out by the author in Ghana using this method, it recognises focus group research as an appropriate method for researching media, especially radio, audiences and recommends it to media owners.

Source: UG
Radio Redux: Audience Participation and the Reincarnation of Radio for Development in Africa

Along with the valorization of “beneficiary” participation in development praxis, contemporary communication scholarship has tended toward internet-enabled technologies and applications. This study breaks ranks with the implicit loss of faith in the capacity of the so-called legacy media, and radio in particular. It argues that precisely those advances in new technologies, together with the peculiar media ecol ogy of Ghana and Africa generally, are the bases for prenotions about the enduring relevance of radio. To verify this claim, focus group discussions were conducted among radio audiences in Ghana. The findings suggest three factors for a renaissance of radio as a development communication medium: its contribution to democratic pluralism; the use of local languages that enables social inclusion; its appropriation of new technologies for audience participatory engagement. Radio has thus evolved from the powerful effects notions of a one-way transmitter of information to an increasingly more interactive, audience-centric medium.

Source: UG
Radio Redux: Audience Participation and the Reincarnation of Radio for Development in Africa

Along with the valorization of “beneficiary” participation in development praxis, contemporary communication scholarship has tended toward internet-enabled technologies and applications. This study breaks ranks with the implicit loss of faith in the capacity of the so-called legacy media, and radio in particular. It argues that precisely those advances in new technologies, together with the peculiar media ecology of Ghana and Africa generally, are the bases for prenotions about the enduring relevance of radio. To verify this claim, focus group discussions were conducted among radio audiences in Ghana. The findings suggest three factors for a renaissance of radio as a development communication medium: its contribution to democratic pluralism; the use of local languages that enables social inclusion; its appropriation of new technologies for audience participatory engagement. Radio has thus evolved from the powerful effects notions of a one-way transmitter of information to an increasingly more interactive, audience-centric medium.

Source: UG
Radiological determination of the cranial index of present-day Ghanaians

The cranial index (CI) of Ghanaians is currently unknown. The aim of this study was to measure the CI in a population of Ghanaians in order to classify them against pre-determined CI categories. A systematic random sampling method was used to select 300 normal computed tomography (CT) head scans of adult Ghanaians from the largest hospital in Ghana. All patients were deemed to have a normal cranial image configuration based on the radiological report. The biparietal diameter (BPD, width) and the occipitofrontal diameter (OFD, length) were measured on transaxial CT images using a workstation with a calibrated measurement calliper tool. The CI ratio was calculated as the BPD multiplied by 100 and divided by the OFD. Mean, standard deviation (SD) and range were calculated for BPD, OFD and CI. Differences in measurements between demographic groups were compared using an unpaired t-test, with test α set at 0.05. Of the population of Ghanaians included in this study, 165 (55%) were male and 135 (45%) were females. The mean CI was 77.3±3.6 in males and 79.0±3.3 in females, placing both genders in the mesocephalic category. However, the difference between males and females was found to be statistically significant (P=0.02). The study indicated that most Ghanaian adults belong to the mesocephalic category of CI. Females also had a higher CI, which could be used to differentiate gender groups. This information can be useful for forensic medicine, plastic surgeries for clinical and research purpose.

Source: UG