ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Effect of the composting process on physicochemical properties and concentration of heavy metals in market waste with additive materials in the Ga West Municipality, Ghana

Purpose The main objective of this study was to assess the physiochemical properties and phytotoxicity of compost made from different organic waste materials sourced from local markets. Methods The Stack pile composting was carried out with market waste, sawdust, rice straw, and swine manure in four different combinations. Parameters such as temperature, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and heavy metal concentrations were monitored. Germination test with water extracts of the composts was done to assess phytotoxicity of the composts. Results All compost piles recorded temperatures of 38 °C slightly above the recorded ambient temperature of 34 °C at the start of composting. The pH value ranged from 7.12 to 8.2 for the different compost types. The total organic carbon and total nitrogen values ranged from 27.05–31.06 to 0.77–0.97%, respectively. The total phosphorus and total potassium values ranged from 0.2–1.87 to 0.39–2.3%, respectively, for different compost types. The C/N ratio values ranged from 29.09:1 to 36.22:1. All the composts had heavy metal concentrations below the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment standards. Germination indices, a measure of plant vs supporting potential, ranged from 80 to 99% for Solanum lycopersicum, 170 to 198% for Cucumis sativus, and 114 to 166% for Brassica oleracea. Conclusion The study confirms the notion that composting municipal solid waste is a viable organic waste management strategy, and with the potential to enhance waste management system, while promoting cultivation of vegetables for food security.

Source: UG
The Effect of the Price of Time on Healthcare Provider Choice In Ghana

The existing literature confirms that the cost of treatment affects the choice of a particular healthcare provider. The Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme was established in 2003 to reduce the cost of healthcare provision and increase access to healthcare. However, we find that that even when the price is assumed to be “zero”, there remain some economic costs for choosing a particular healthcare provider over another. This is called the price of time or opportunity cost. The study uses data from the seventh round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 7) conducted in 2016–2017 and employed multinomial probit regression as the technique for the analysis. The study finds that travel time and waiting time have significant effects on the choice of healthcare provider. If travel time and waiting time increase by 1 hour, it will decrease the probability of seeking healthcare by 12% and 17%, respectively. Travel cost were not found to have a significant effect. The recommendations are: that policymakers should make the effort to decrease travel time and waiting time at the health facilities in the country to improve healthcare delivery

Source: UG
Effect of thermal and non-thermal processing on Technofunctional, nutritional, safety and sensorial attributes of potato powder

Potato is a highly nutritious staple food however, it also contains some antinutrients like alkaloids, phytates, tannins, oxalates as well as pesticide residues. Therefore, this study was conducted to reduce the loads of antinutrients and pesticides in potato powder (PP) using thermal and non-thermal processing techniques. Nutritional analysis revealed that the raw PP contained significantly (p < 0.05) higher magnitudes of dietary proteins (10.2 %), fibers (6.3 %), Na (50 mg/100 g), Ca (62 mg/100 g) and K (988 mg/100 g) when compared with the processed PP. The results demonstrated that all thermal and non-thermal processing techniques significantly reduced the antinutrients and pesticide residues. However, microwave heat treatment anticipated the highest reduction in alkaloids, oxalates, tannins and phytates contents from 60 to 14 mg/100 g (76 % reduction), 31–6 mg/100 g (80 % reduction), 91–15 mg/100 g (84 % reduction) and 45–8 mg/100 g (82 % reduction), respectively. Additionally, microwave heat processing also exhibited the highest decline in imidacloprid, cypermethrin, bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos and deltamethrin contents by 87 %, 76 %, 63 %, 79 % and 81 %, respectively. Later, microwave-treated PP (the most effective treatment) was used to develop unleavened flatbreads (i.e., chapatis) @ 2–10 %. Organoleptic evaluation of supplemented flatbreads suggested that 5 % sup plementation with microwave treated PP has the highest overall acceptability. Therefore, it is concluded that thermal and non-thermal processing techniques are effective tools to reduce loads of antinutrients and pesticide burden in potatoes. Moreover, the study also suggests, PP can be efficiently used as natural food supplement for development of value-added foods.

Source: UG
The Effect of Thermal and Ultrasonic Treatment on Amino Acid Composition, Radical Scavenging and Reducing Potential of Hydrolysates Obtained from Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion of Cowpea Proteins

The effect of thermal and ultrasonic treatment of cowpea proteins (CP) on amino acid composition, radical scavenging and reducing potential of hydrolysates (CPH) obtained from in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion of CP was evaluated. Hydrolysis of native and treated CP with gastrointestinal pepsin and pancreatin yielded CPH that displayed antioxidant activities based on oxygen radical scavenging capacity (ORAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and superoxide radical scavenging activity (SRSA). CPH derived from the treated CP yielded higher ORAC values than CPH from untreated proteins. However, lower significant FRAP and SRSA values were observed for these samples compared to untreated CPH (p < 0. 05). Amino acid analysis indicated that CP processing decreased total sulphur-containing amino acids in the hydrolysates, particularly cysteine. The amount of cysteine appeared to be positively related to FRAP and SRSA values of CPH samples, but not ORAC. The results indicated that thermal and ultrasonic processing of CP can reduce the radical scavenging and reducing potential of the enzymatic hydrolysates possibly due to the decreased amounts of cysteine. Since the hydrolysates were generated with gastrointestinal enzymes, it is possible that the resulting compounds are produced to exert some health functions during normal consumption of cowpea. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Source: UG
The effect of titanium dioxide synthesis technique and its photocatalytic degradation of organic dye pollutants

Nanostructured mesoporous titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles with high specific surface area and average crystallite domain sizes within 2 nm and 30 nm have been prepared via the sol-gel and hydrothermal procedures. The characteristics of produced nanoparticles have been tested using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR), and Raman Spectroscopy as a function of temperature for their microstructural, porosity, morphological, structural and absorption properties. The as-synthesized TiO2 nanostructures were attempted as catalysts in Rhodamine B and Sudan III dyes' photocatalytic decomposition in a batch reactor with the assistance of Ultra Violet (UV) light. The results show that for catalysts calcined at 300 °C, ∼100 % decomposition of Sudan III dye was observed when Hydrothermal based catalyst was used whiles ∼94 % decomposition of Rhodamine B dye was observed using the sol-gel based catalysts. These synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles have promising potential applications in the light aided decomposition of a wide range of dye pollutants.

Source: UG
The Effect of Trust, Commitment, and Conflict Handling on Customer Retention: The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction

Previous studies have investigated drivers of customer retention in the mobile telecommunications industry worldwide. These studies call on scholars pay to attention to these factors in the scholarly marketing literature, since customer retention is the basic tenet of relationship marketing. Drawing on relationship marketing theory, this study analyzes the direct and indirect relationships amongst trust, commitment, and conflict handling on customer retention. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was employed to gather data from customers of mobile telecommunication operators. The findings revealed that only conflict handling had a direct significant effect on customer retention. Also, trust and conflict handling had a direct and significant effect on customer satisfaction. However, trust and conflict handling were seen to have an indirect significant effect on customer retention via customer satisfaction. The study recommends that managers should effectively resolve customer complaints as well as build their trustworthiness in order to satisfy and retain their customers. © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Source: UG
The Effect of Trust, Commitment, and Conflict Handling on Customer Retention: The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction

Previous studies have investigated drivers of customer retention in the mobile telecommunications industry worldwide. These studies call on scholars pay to attention to these factors in the scholarly marketing literature, since customer retention is the basic tenet of relationship marketing. Drawing on relationship marketing theory, this study analyzes the direct and indirect rela tionships amongst trust, commitment, and conflict handling on customer retention. A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was employed to gather data from customers of mobile telecommunication operators. The findings revealed that only conflict handling had a direct significant effect on customer retention. Also, trust and conflict handling had a direct and significant effect on customer satisfaction. However, trust and conflict handling were seen to have an indirect significant effect on customer retention via customer satisfaction. The study recommends that managers should effectively resolve customer complaints as well as build their trustworthiness in order to satisfy and retain their customers.

Source: UG
Effect of variation in frequencies on the viscoelastic properties of coir and coconut husk powder reinforced polymer composites

This study describes an investigation into the physical, mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of coir (coconut fiber) and coconut husk particulates reinforced polymer composites which were prepared by the hot press method. The impact of coir loading on the physical and mechanical properties of the composites was examined in more detail. It was observed that the values of rigidity, flexural strength and hardness were raised up to 7.1 MN/m2, 17.0 MPa and 92.5 MN/m2, with increase in coir length. Impact energy reduced proportionately with increment in fiber length (from 0.78 J at no fiber inclusions to 0.42 J at 30 mm fiber length). With the increment of fiber length from zero to 10 mm, a reduction in density and increment in water absorption properties was observed. These properties (density and water absorption) remained with increase in fiber length for a given structure of matrix/filler. The surface morphology of composite with longest fiber length (30 mm) was investigated. Fiber pullout and little voids on composite surfaces were seen. Fundamentally, these regions can encourage the matrix impregnation onto the fiber. At the highest fiber loading and at highest frequency (10 Hz) used during the dynamic mechanical examination, the tan δ peak gets widened, underlining the enhanced fiber/matrix grip. Also, extra and noticeable peaks were seen at higher frequency conditions in the tan δ curves, because of the interlayer phenomenon.

Source: UG
Effect of varying parboiling conditions on the cooking and eating/sensory characteristics of Jasmine 85 and Nerica 14 rice varieties

Apart from the physical qualities such as hardness and "good head rice yield" usually associated with parboiling, the improvement or otherwise of cooking and eating/sensory characteristics of parboiled rice cannot be discounted. The extent to which these attributes are affected is paramount for consumers' acceptability. The effect of varied parboiling conditions on the cooking and eating/sensory characteristics of Nerica 14 and Jasmine 85 rice varieties was assessed. The two varieties were parboiled at three levels as mild parboiling condition (6 h soaking; 40 min steaming), moderate parboiling condition (20 or 24 h soaking; 60 min steaming) and severe parboiling condition (36 h soaking; 90 min steaming). Milled rice from each parboiling condition was cooked and the attributes determined. After which the cooked rice was served to a trained panel of 9 who ate and sensory evaluated the rice. The functional differences in parboiled rice due to varied parboiling conditions were evident. Parboiling significantly affects (p<0.05) the cooking and eating/sensory characteristics of jasmine 85 and nerica 24. Medium parboiling condition (20 h soaking, 60 min steaming) gave the most acceptable cooking and eating/sensory characteristics as it gave good parametric values like water uptake rate of 2.5-2.8 mL g-1, volum expansion rate of 6.5-6.6 cm-3 g-1 and taste score of 85.5-94.0%. At the same time it gave the least in negative parameter such as leached materials (4.0-4.3%) and stickiness level of 1.6-1.8%. Mediujm parboiling condition i.e., 20 h soaking, 60 min steaming is therefore rocommended for practitioners in the parboiling industry. © 2014 Academic Journals Inc.

Source: UG
Effect of vitamin A supplementation on the growth of young children in northern Ghana.

The effect of prophylactic vitamin A supplementation on child growth was studied in two randomized, placebo-controlled trials carried out in adjacent areas of northern Ghana between 1989 and 1991. In the Health Study, the midupper arm circumference (MUAC) and weight of the ≃ 1500 children (aged 6- 59 mo) in the trial were measured every 4 wk for up to 52 wk. In addition, MUAC, weight, and height were measured at each of the four potential vitamin A or placebo dosing times, which were at 4-mo intervals. In the Survival Study, MUAC and weight were measured at 4-mo intervals at each of seven dosing rounds in the ≃15 000 children currently in the trial. Overall, there were > 90 000 observations of weight and MUAC in > 25 000 children, and 3347 observations of length/height in 1546 children. Within each study, the mean monthly weight, MUAC, and gains in length/height in each treatment group were compared by using multilevel modeling. There were no significant differences in either MUAC or gains in length/height. The only significant difference in weight gain was in the Survival Study: children in the vitamin A supplemented group who were ≥ 36 mo of age had a mean weight gain that was 3 g lower per month (95% CI: 0.4, 5.0, P = 0.02) than that in the placebo group; a difference that was unlikely to be functionally important in this age group. Vitamin A supplementation did not lead to any increased growth in this population of young children, in whom supplementation reduced mortality and severe morbidity substantially.

Source: UG
Effect of waste matrix for the optimization of moisture content and calorific value of biodried material using Taguchi DOE

In this study, Taguchi approach was used to determine the influence of waste composition for the optimization of moisture content (MC) and calorific value (CV) of food waste via bio-drying process. The objective was to reduce MC and increase CV of the bio-dried material. The effect of three different levels of four factors including food (FW), paper (Pa), plastic (Pl) waste, and bulking agent (BA) were studied and optimized. The moisture content of the bio-dried material varied between 8.59 and 50.93%, whereas that of the calorific value was 11–25 MJ/kg. The results revealed optimum configurations for MC and CV as FW1Pa3Pl3BA3 and FW1Pa1Pl3BA1, respectively. Regression analysis revealed MC as a positive function of FW and BA with plastic positively correlated with calorific value. ANOVA analysis indicated that FW had more prominent effect on both MC and CV. The predicted and measured values were very close to each other. Additionally, the results realized in the confirmatory experiments at optimized conditions of CV was found to be higher than the test runs of Taguchi design, suggesting that Taguchi method was very successful in the optimization of bio-drying factors for MC and CV.

Source: UG
The Effect of Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture on Household Nutrition and Food Poverty in Northern Ghana

The study examines the effect of women’s empowerment in agriculture on household nutrition—i.e. the availability of carbohydrates, protein, and fat—and household food poverty measured by monetary food shortfall. The analysis is done by applying instrumental variable estimation to a sample of 2642 households from a 2012 population-based survey conducted in northern Ghana. Overall, the results indicate that women’s empowerment positively influences nutrient availability and negatively influences monetary food shortfall. By decomposing women’s empowerment into its component domains, this study identified that the domains of Income, Production, and Leadership are areas for intervention to influence households’ nutrient availability and monetary food shortfall outcomes. The effect of the Time and Resources domains reveal that some intra-household trade-offs may exist. Thus, policies aimed at empowering women to ultimately improve household nutrition and food poverty need to be based on the understanding of these specific interactions. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Source: UG
Effect of Workload on Job Stress of Ghanaian OPD Nurses: The Role of Coworker Support

Background Although the concept of workload is important to nursing practice, only a few nursing researchers have focused on the issue of workload within the nursing context. Knowledge of how the dynamics of workload affects the job stress of nurses working in a specific unit or department in a hospital setting, and the influence of coworker support on this relationship, still remains limited. This study, therefore examined the effect of workload on job stress of Ghanaian outpatient department nurses and the moderating effect of coworker support on this relationship. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used, and questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 216 outpatient department nurses from four major hospitals in Ghana. The data collected measured workload, job stress, and coworker support using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Task Load Index, job stress scale, and coworker support scale, respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and hierarchical regression. Results High levels of workload were associated with high levels of job stress of the nurses. Also, higher levels of workload were related to higher levels of job stress for nurses who received high levels of coworker support, but this was not the case for those who received low levels of coworker support (reserve buffering effect). Conclusion The finding reiterates the adverse effect of workloads on employees' health, and the reverse buffering effect implies that supporting a colleague at work should be conveyed in a positive manner devoid of negative appraisal.

Source: UG
Effect of Workload on Job Stress of Ghanaian OPD Nurses: The Role of Coworker Support

Background: Although the concept of workload is important to nursing practice, only a few nursing researchers have focused on the issue of workload within the nursing context. Knowledge of how the dynamics of workload affects the job stress of nurses working in a specific unit or department in a hospital setting, and the influence of coworker support on this relationship, still remains limited. This study, therefore examined the effect of workload on job stress of Ghanaian outpatient department nurses and the moderating effect of coworker support on this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used, and questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 216 outpatient department nurses from four major hospitals in Ghana. The data collected measured workload, job stress, and coworker support using National Aeronautics and Space Adminis tration (NASA) Task Load Index, job stress scale, and coworker support scale, respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and hierarchical regression. Results: High levels of workload were associated with high levels of job stress of the nurses. Also, higher levels of workload were related to higher levels of job stress for nurses who received high levels of coworker support, but this was not the case for those who received low levels of coworker support (reserve buffering effect). Conclusion: The finding reiterates the adverse effect of workloads on employees’ health, and the reverse buffering effect implies that supporting a colleague at work should be conveyed in a positive manner devoid of negative appraisal.

Source: UG
Effective Detection, Isolation and Characterization of Dakaramine from Ghanaian Axinella sp and Bioactivity

The Ghanaian sponge Axinella sp collected for the first time from the Gulf of Guinea yielded similar amounts of dakaramine (1), acetamide and a new hydroxylated acetate metabolite (2). The structures of these metabolites were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR data interpretation. The halogens in dakaramine were detected by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICPMS/ESMS), a technique that allows for heteroatoms and metals in organic compounds to be detected specifically and with very high sensitivity. Cytotoxicity of dakaramine was assessed in vitro using two human cancer cell lines, human lymphocytic cell (Jurkat) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (HL60). This compound was found to be acutely toxic to these cell lines with IC50 values of 35.0 and 26.5 μg/ml respectively.

Source: UG
Effective environmental governance and outcomes for gold mining in Obuasi and Birim North Districts of Ghana.

Environmental governance of mining has been central in contemporary discourse of the development of mining projects in Africa and parts of the developing world. This paper assesses the effectiveness of environmental governance of gold mining in Obuasi and Birim North Districts of Ghana and the nature of outcomes that effective governance produces for communities and the environment. A survey of four communities and interviews of 384 respondents were conducted using questionnaires, focus group discussion and field observations. An index of the value of responses was created to measure the effectiveness of environmental governance using five variables (participation, accountability, fairness, partnership and institutional quality). A logit regression model was also used to determine the nature of outcomes produced by effective environmental governance for communities and the environment. The results showed that environmental governance was on the average effective and produced outcomes which were beneficial for communities and the environment. The study recommended an expansion of the scope and an increase in the standards of environmental governance to guarantee uninterrupted access of communities to environmental resources.

Source: UG