ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The role of institutions on the effectiveness of malaria treatment in the Ghanaian health sector

Background The Ghanaian health sector has undertaken several policies to help improve the quality of care received by patients. This includes the construction of several health facilities, the increase in the training of health workers, especially nurses, and the introduction of incentive packages (such as salary increase) to motivate health workers. The important question is to what extent does the institutional arrangement between the health facilities and the government as well as between health workers and public health facility administration affect the quality of care? The objective of this study is to find the effect of institutional factors on the quality of care. The institutional factors examined were mainly the extent of decentralization between government and health facilities, as well as between health workers and facility administration, the hiring procedure, and job satisfaction. Methods The study used primary data on former patients from sixty six health facilities in three administrative regions of Ghana: the Northern, the Ashanti and the Greater Accra regions. The quality indicator used was effectiveness of treatment as determined by the patient. Ordered logit regression was run for the indicator with patient and health facility characteristics as well as institutional factors as independent variables. The sample size was 2248. Results The results showed that the patient’s level of formal education had a strong influence on the effectiveness of treatment. In addition, effectiveness of treatment differed according to the administrative region in which the facility was located, and according to the extent of decentralization between health facility and government. The quality of instruments used for treatment, the working conditions for health workers, and job satisfaction had no effect on the effectiveness of treatment. Conclusion Decentralization, the flow of information from government to health facilities and from health facility administrators to health workers are important in ensuring effectiveness. The study recommends further decentralization between health facilities as well as between health workers and administrators. In addition, the study recommends the involvement of health facilities in malaria programs to ensure the flow of information needed for effectiveness of treatment.

Source: UG
The Role of Insurance in Managing Defiant Behaviour in Society.

Defiant behavior is a behavior that is not accepted by society. It ranges from society to society and has no boundary for the rich or the poor. Some of these behavior patterns include extreme alcoholism, smoking, substance abuse, pilfering, rape, robbery, burglary, murder, prostitution, fighting and fraud. These behaviors may be caused by lack of parental control, freedom to children or wards without control, limits of wards without freedom, lack of good comments from parents, peer pressure, tendency of trying a scene in a movie, among others. A child who lack good education or drop out of school has the tendency to exhibit these characters compared with their peers with good and solid education. It is a worry to all and sundry and there are unending efforts to find solutions to curb this menace.

Source: UG
The Role of Intellectual Property Rights Protection in Stimulating Creativity and Innovation: The Case of Ghana

Exploring Intellectual Property (IP) system to facilitate research activities and transfer of advanced technology to harness creativity and innovation has become an issue of global debate. Using Ghana as a case study for the period 2003-2013, the study examined the role, prospects and challenges for exploring IP systems to stimulate Ghana’s domestic creativity and innovation. The study employed qualitative research approach, utilizing a purposive sampling method to obtain primary data from officials of Registrar Generals Department (RGD), Copyright Office, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and a Lecturer with the University of Ghana Law Faculty, among others. The study revealed that Ghana’s domestic creativity and innovation have been stifled due to weak IP system and enforcement mechanism, resulting in poor research culture and reliant on low level technology. It further emerged that challenges inherent in the country’s IP system, such as limited human and institutional capacities have hindered the country’s domestic creativity and innovation. Nonetheless, there are still prospects for the nation to explore its existing legal and structural IP frameworks to stimulate its creativity and innovation. The study finally recommended that policy interventions would be required to, among others, generate IP awareness among the general population, review the existing IP legislations to correspond to modern trends and strengthen institutional and human capacities to absorb technological knowledge in order to enhance the country’s creativity and innovation.

Source: UG
The role of intergenerational transfers, land, and education in fertility transition in rural Kenya: The case of Nyeri district

This qualitative study reveals how population pressures, land availability, inheritance norms, and educational opportunities intertwine to influence fertility decline in rural Kenya. Focus group discussions with men and women whose childbearing occurred both before and after the onset of rapid, unexpected fertility transition in Nyeri, Kenya allowed individuals who actually participated in, or witnessed, the fertility transition to "voice" their perceptions as to the mechanisms underlying the transition. Findings suggest that, since land inheritance is a cultural norm, land scarcity and diminishing farm size often influence fertility decision-making and behavior via preferences for fewer children. Further, education does not appear to be the driving cause of fertility behavior change, but rather is adopted as a substitute for land inheritance when land resources are scarce. These findings have implications for our understanding of fertility behavior as well as for improving predictions of fertility transition in other rural sub-Saharan African contexts. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.

Source: UG
The Role of International Development Agencies in the Empowerment of Women: A Case Study of JICA in the Northern Region of Ghana

There is a growing effort in the field of international development to address poverty in developing countries through women’s empowerment. However, development agencies often implement only a set of standard repertoire of interventions aimed at expanding the scope of women’s choices as the outcome of their empowerment. As a result, development interventions have failed to alleviate poverty among rural women as inequalities in the capabilities of and opportunities for both women and men persist. Nonetheless, in furtherance to the increasing acceptance of the central role of women in socio-economic development, International Development Agencies (IDAs) continue to undertake development projects with the rationale to promote women’s empowerment, reduce poverty and generate employment for sustainable livelihoods in rural communities in Ghana. In view of this, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has also adopted various strategies for addressing gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment across its global operations, including Ghana. This study seeks to answer the central question of whether JICA’s development interventions have positively transformed and empowered rural women engaged in the shea butter sector in Northern Ghana. Its study adopted the qualitative research approach to collect and analyze data from interviews with 25 beneficiaries of the Sagnarigu Shea Butter and Soap Processing Center. The results show that, overall, the project beneficiaries received adequate training and technical support from JICA to improve the quality of shea butter produced and also to effectively manage their lives and work processes. Moreover, the women were involved from the beginning of the project in identifying their aim, objectives and monitoring roles. Leadership positions were also chosen by the women themselves and they reviewed their shea butter making processes from time to time. The findings also reveal that empowering women through micro enterprise increases their involvement in household decision-making in respect to credit, control of household assets, children’s education, nutrition and the health needs of their children which together lead to better living standards for the family. Overall, there has been significant improvement in local shea nuts/butter processing in terms of quality, production capacity, cost and delivery which has ensured sustainability of the industry. The study finds that to ensure women’s empowerment in development projects, beneficiaries should be regarded as agents of their own change but not passive beneficiaries of development aid. This study recommends that the center be expanded and equipped with modern technology to improve production processes and ultimately production capacity and also attract the youth to join the shea butter processing industry.

Source: UG
The role of IT on counterfeiting and piracy in the fashion and beauty industry: The case of a developing country (Ghana)

This study explores the role of information technology (IT) in the fashion and beauty industry. The study draws on the case study of two firms from the subsector of the fashion and beauty industry. The lemon market and stakeholder theories were drawn as an inference to position the role of IT in counterfeiting and piracy. The findings suggest that IT, especially the Internet, social media and other social networks, facilitates the activities of the fashion and beauty industry by increasing consumer reach and access to faster payment methods. Alternatively, IT has exposed the industry to the dangers of counterfeiting and piracy as product designs and information become readily accessible. The lack of policies to address counterfeiting and piracy makes the challenge more pronounced. Though IT plays both enabling and inhibiting roles in the industry, the nature usage of IT is what defines the outcome experienced by the users. IT should, therefore, be leveraged to bridge information asymmetry among market participants. More theorization is also needed to enhance understanding of these interrelationships between IT and counterfeiting and piracy.

Source: UG
The role of language in ethnic identity: The case of Akwamu in Ghana

Researchers in several disciplines within the social sciences, for example anthropology, sociology, history, linguistics and the humanities in general have explored the relationship among language, culture and identity from different perspectives. The general picture in the literature is the recognition that these three phenomena are connected to and affect each other in intricate ways. In this paper, we focus on a specific aspect of this relationship (the relationship between linguistic identity and ethnic/cultural identity). The paper provides a historical account of the rise and fall of the Akwamu Empire (a socio-politically powerful sub-Akan ethnic group in pre-colonial Ghana) and explore the role language may have played in the loss of the ethnic identity of the Akwamu after the fall of the Empire. We argue that the apparent loss of the Akwamu ethnic identity among several people of Akwamu origin is attributable to the loss of their linguistic identity resulting from extensive language contact situations. The paper is broadly situated within sociolinguistics, but specifically within contact linguistics.

Source: UG
The role of leaders in building research cultures in sub-Saharan African universities: A six-nation study

Existing research attributes the problem of weak research productivity of academics in African universities primarily to institutional resource poverty and inadequate research skills. However, there has been little attention to research cultures and the role of leaders in fostering productive ones. Drawing from the literature on organizational culture, this study examines the role of university leaders in developing research cultures. The study explores how institution leaders do this within the higher education contexts in their countries. The empirical work is based on qualitative interviews with senior and mid-level university leaders in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa. While all of the leaders espoused clear views about the elements of a productive research culture, results indicate a significant gap remains between espoused values for research and the actual research culture. Theoretically, the research extends the concept of research cultures by demonstrating the complex dynamics between research cultures, culture embedding mechanisms, and leader behavior within contextual constraints.

Source: UG
The role of libraries in the use of African-published journals in African universities

Although journal collections in African universities have deteriorated over the last 15 years, many libraries have more recently bene¢ted from schemes donating journal titles or money to purchase journals from the West. Since 1994, a number of university libraries in Anglophone Africa have had access to titles published in the rest of Africa through the African Journals Distribution Programme (AJDP). This paper reports on the study carried out the use of the journals in two of the universities ˆ University of Ghana, Legon and University of Zambia, Lusaka.

Source: UG
The Role of Lifestyle Factors in Controlling Blood Pressure among Hypertensive Patients in Two Health Facilities in Urban Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. Despite efforts to combat hypertension by pharmacotherapy, hypertension control rates remain low. Lifestyle modifications of individuals diagnosed with hypertension have prospects for the prevention and control of hypertension. )is study assessed the effect of modifiable lifestyle factors on blood pressure control among adults in urban Accra. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, 360 diagnosed hypertensive patients who were ≥18 years old, selected from two secondary-level referral hospitals in the Greater Accra Region, were interviewed. Demographic information, diet components, and exercise assessments as well as blood pressure measurements were taken. Chi-squared tests and binomial logistic regression were used to determine the association between demographic and lifestyle factors with blood pressure control. Area under the receiver-operator curves (AUROC) was used to identify lifestyle factors predicting optimal blood pressure control among patients diagnosed with hy pertension. Results. Approximately 54.2% of participants had no knowledge of either causes or complications of hypertension. Similarly, 52.5% of patients that had not achieved blood pressure control lacked knowledge of causes or complications of hypertension. Longer time since diagnosis of 2–5 years (AOR 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.47)) and 6–10 years (AOR 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.50)) and diets, mainly composed of meat (AOR 0.13 (95% CI: 0.02–0.70)) and starch (AOR 0.14 (95% CI: 0.03–0.79)), predicted poor blood pressure control compared to patients diagnosed within a year and diets without meat and starch as main components, respectively. Additionally, engaging in some physical activity of 30 minutes to one hour (AOR 5.64 (95% CI: 2.08–15.32)) and more than an hour (AOR 11.38, 95% CI: 2.01–64.47)) predicted blood pressure control. Conclusion. )e study concludes that increased physical activity, abstaining from alcohol and smoking, increased intake of fruits and vegetables, and reduced intake of carbohydrates, meat, and fat have a positive influence on blood pressure control. Lifestyle modifying factors have a key role in complementing pharmacotherapy in hypertension control.

Source: UG
The Role of Lifestyle Factors in Controlling Blood Pressure among Hypertensive Patients in Two Health Facilities in Urban Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction. Despite efforts to combat hypertension by pharmacotherapy, hypertension control rates remain low. Lifestyle modifications of individuals diagnosed with hypertension have prospects for the prevention and control of hypertension. )is study assessed the effect of modifiable lifestyle factors on blood pressure control among adults in urban Accra. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, 360 diagnosed hypertensive patients who were ≥18 years old, selected from two secondary-level referral hospitals in the Greater Accra Region, were interviewed. Demographic information, diet components, and exercise assessments as well as blood pressure measurements were taken. Chi-squared tests and binomial logistic regression were used to determine the association between demographic and lifestyle factors with blood pressure control. Area under the receiver-operator curves (AUROC) was used to identify lifestyle factors predicting optimal blood pressure control among patients diagnosed with hy pertension. Results. Approximately 54.2% of participants had no knowledge of either causes or complications of hypertension. Similarly, 52.5% of patients that had not achieved blood pressure control lacked knowledge of causes or complications of hypertension. Longer time since diagnosis of 2–5 years (AOR � 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.47)) and 6–10 years (AOR � 0.08 (95% CI: 0.01–0.50)) and diets, mainly composed of meat (AOR � 0.13 (95% CI: 0.02–0.70)) and starch (AOR � 0.14 (95% CI: 0.03–0.79)), predicted poor blood pressure control compared to patients diagnosed within a year and diets without meat and starch as main components, respectively. Additionally, engaging in some physical activity of 30 minutes to one hour (AOR � 5.64 (95% CI: 2.08–15.32)) and more than an hour (AOR � 11.38, 95% CI: 2.01–64.47)) predicted blood pressure control. Conclusion. )e study concludes that increased physical activity, abstaining from alcohol and smoking, increased intake of fruits and vegetables, and reduced intake of carbohydrates, meat, and fat have a positive influence on blood pressure control. Lifestyle modifying factors have a key role in complementing pharmacotherapy in hypertension control.

Source: UG
The role of magnetite (Fe3O4) particles for enhancing the performance and granulation of anammox

In this study, two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors each with an effective volume of 2.3 L were operated as C-AMX (no carrier addition) and M-AMX (magnetite carrier added) for 147 days with synthetic wastewater at an NLR range of 0.19–0.47 kgN/m3 /d. The long-term effect of magnetite on the granulation and performance of anammox bacteria in terms of nitrogen removal and other essential parameters were confirmed. In phase I (1–24 days), M-AMX took approx imately 12 days to obtain a nitrogen removal rate (NRR) above 80 % of the initial input nitrogen. Although free nitrous acid inhibited the reactor at a high concentration at the onset of phase III, the NRR of M-AMX recovered about 3.7 times faster than that of C-AMX. In addition, it was confirmed that the M-AMX granules had a dense and compact struc ture compared to C-AMX, and the presence of the carrier promoted the development of these resilient granules. While the measured microbial stress gradually increased in C-AMX reactor, a vice versa was observed in the M-AMX reactor as granulation proceeded. Compared to other alternative iron-based carrier particles, the stable crystal structure of magnetite as a carrier created a mechanism where filamentous bacteria groups were repelled from the granulation hence the microbial stress in the M-AMX in the final phase was 61.54 % lower than that in the C-AMX. The iron rich environment created by the magnetite addition led to Ignavibacteria,(a Feammox bacteria) increasing significantly in the M-AMX bioreactor.

Source: UG
The role of metaphor in the stylistics rendition of Gogols “Dead Souls”

Metaphor is probably the most useful linguistics tool in creative and imaginative literature. This is especially so with Gogol’s Dead Souls. From micro images depicted in the submerged metaphor, compound metaphor, implicit metaphor and allusions, metaphorical images in the novel extend to straddle entire supra phrasal units. This paper argues that a deeper understanding of the metaphor is necessary for a better appreciation of Dead Souls which is one extended metaphor of the road. Gogol himself describes it as a noэma (poem) because of its complex and elevated thoughts encapsulated mostly in the use of the metaphor.

Source: UG
The role of microbe/metal interactions in the degradation of emulsion paintings of buildings in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

In Nigeria, it is common to notice "infected patches" on emulsion paintings, mostly on the walls of buildings and fences. These emulsion paintings contain a wide range of constituents and therefore provide ecological niches that may be exploited by a large variety of microbial species. Samples of these paintings were collected from three different locations in the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. In order to determine the microbes in both degraded and undegraded walls, some of the samples were cultured and incubated for 24hours at 37°C. The colonies that developed were subjected to different tests: motility, methyl-red, voges proskauer, oxidase, indole, citrate utilization and catalase tests.Algae, bacteria and fungi were present in this environment but no algae was found in the undegraded wall The pH range of the degraded wall was also determined and found to be 6.59-7.04. While that of the undegraded wall was found to be 6.78-7.79. The heavy metal content of these samples was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. It was found that Fe, Na+, Cr, Ni, and Zn dorminated these areas followed by Ca+, Ti, and Cd. © Research India Publications.

Source: UG
The Role of Migrant Associations in Adjustment, Integration and Social Development: The Case of Nigerian Migrant Associations in Accra, Ghana

Different migration scholars have acknowledged the recent growth of migrant associations in different parts of the world. Though these associations are a worldwide phenomenon, existing literature draws mostly on those in the USA avis, Latino migrants from Central and Latin America. In Ghana and Africa generally, literature on migrant associations is paltry. Those that exist only explore their development impacts on the migration sending areas. This paper discusses evidence from three Nigerian migrant associations regarding how they help members adjust and integrate in Ghana and their developmental impacts. The paper postulates that social networks bind Nigerian migrants together in their new destinations and serve as substitutes for family relationship bonds lost as a result of migration. The associations play expert surrogate roles to ensure member adjustment and integration into Ghana. Though the associations are not direct vectors of economic development, their social activities make them useful social development agents in Ghana. Based on these, a policy case is made for integration of migrant associations into Ghanaian migration policies.

Source: UG