ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
The Biology and Potential for Culture of Grey Mullets (Pisces: Mugilidae) in Ghana

Aspects of the biology of grey mullets were studied between February 1997 and July 1998 in the Volta and Pra River estuaries in Ghana and their potential for culture in brackish and freshwater ponds was evaluated. Six species of grey mullets were identified during the study. These were: sickle fin mullet, Liza falcipinnis (Valenciennes, 1836), large-scaled mullet, Liza grandisquamis (Valenciennes, 1836), grooved mullet, Lizu dumerilii (Steindachner, 1870) white mullet, Mugil curema Valenciennes (1836), banana mullet, Mugil bananensis (Pellegrin, 1928), and striped mullet, Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (1758). With the exception of L. grandisquamis, which was found only in the Pra estuary, all the other species were common to both estuaries. M. curema and L. falcipinnis were the most abundant species in the Volta and Pra estuaries respectively, while M cephalus was the least abundant species in both places. Specimens of all the species from the Volta estuary were relatively larger than their counterparts in the Pra estuary. With the exception of L. grandisquamis, whose growth was isometric, the other species from both estuaries exhibited allometric growth. Monthly changes in gonadosomatic index, occurrence of mature and spent fish in samples as well as oocyte size distribution, suggest that the populations in both estuaries were multiple spawners; those from the Volta estuary spawned between February and August while those from the Pra estuary spawned between March and November. Males of all the species matured at a smaller size than the females in both estuaries but species in the Pra estuary matured at much smaller size than their counterparts in the Volta estuary. Stomach contents of grey mullets in the two estuaries were quite similar consisting mainly of diatoms, detrital material and sand particles. Their diet did not show any substantial seasonality neither did it change with the size of fish. All the species showed a strong diurnal feeding habit, with the main feeding period occurring between 08.00 h and 12.00 h. Growth performance of fish that were given supplementary feed was better than those cultured under natural pond conditions; that of fish fed on wheat bran was also better than those fed on rice bran. The differences in growth of fish in both treatments were, however, not statistically significant. Food conversion ratios between 3.6 and 7.7 and survival rates ranging from 43.4 to 68.8 % were recorded during the culture trial. Within a 270-day culture period, fish production of 336.5 kg ha-1 and 287.0 kg ha-1 were achieved in ponds with and without feed respectively. The mean final weight of M curema was the highest among the species during the 270-day culture period. Results obtained in this study compare favourably with other published works and indicate a good potential for the culture of grey mullets in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Biology and susceptibility of spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) to selected insecticides

Environmental factors and the use of insecticides form a major component in the management of insects of agricultural importance. The development of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, an invasive insect pest in Ghana was studied. The efficacy of six selected insecticides against them was also determined. Larvae of fall armyworm were collected from the field at three locations in the Central Region of Ghana and reared at the Entomology laboratory of the University of Cape Coast. The duration of events during the life cycle, including egg hatching, larval moulting, pupation and adult lifespan were studied at two periods at different temperatures and humidity regimes. Five insecticides recommended by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture for the control of fall armyworm in Ghana were assayed for their efficacy against the eggs and second instar larvae of the fall armyworm in a completely randomized design. Aqueous neem extract was also assessed for its potency against the second instar larvae. Study results indicated that, rate of development was faster from February to March when higher range of temperatures were recorded and there were significant differences between the average duration of all the events of the life cycle studied. None of the commercial insecticides assessed prevented treated eggs from hatching. In the larval bioassay, Emamectin benzoate and Bacillus thuringiensis caused 100% mortality 24 hours after larvae fed on treated leaves. Indoxacarb+Acetamiprid caused 100% mortality 48 hours after application while Acetamiprid+Lambda cyhalothrin and Imidacloprid could not cause more than 85% mortality even at twice the recommended doses. Three concentrations of the aqueous neem extract caused 100% mortality by the 8th day after larvae were fed on leaves treated with these concentrations.

Source: UCC
Biopsychosocial Experiences of Men Living With Prostate Cancer

The attention men‘s health is receiving recently, specifically, prostate cancer, can be largely attributed to the World Health Organisation‘s efforts to create awareness and invest in research on prostate diseases. Of all the prostate diseases, prostate cancer seemed to have the highest incidence rate and these patients are plagued with several issues from the moment of diagnosis. Meanwhile, a myriad of studies on prostate cancer have largely focused on experiences of the spouses of the men with prostate cancer and creating awareness of the disease, with little or no attention on the experiences of men living with prostate cancer in Ghana. This research therefore explored the biopsychosocial experiences of men living with prostate cancer using the phenomenological research design. Nine men were conveniently sampled and interviewed face to face and on phone at the 37 Military Hospital. The researcher used a semi-structured interview guide for data collection and the data were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The results of this study showed that men living with prostate cancer are bedevilled with biological and social problems which affects their psychological wellbeing. It was found that pain and erectile dysfunction were biological problems patients contend with and lack of professional psychotherapy was a social problem and they also experienced psychological reactions such as fear, worry, anxiety, shock and depression. Additionally, it was found that despite all these experiences, the respondents seemed to have good social support from their nuclear family which aid their management of the disease. It was recommended that professional psychotherapy be made available to mitigate the psychological problems they encounter

Source: UCC
Biostatistical assessment of mutagenicity studies: A stepwise confidence procedure

The paper addresses the issue of identifying the maximum safe dose in the context of non-inferiority trials where several doses of toxicological compounds exist. Statistical methodology for identifying the maximum safe dose is available for three-arm non inferiority designs with only one experimental drug treatment. Extension of this methodology for several experimental groups exists but with multiplicity adjustment. However, if the experimental or the treatment groups can be ordered a priori according to their treatment effect, then multiplicity adjustment is unneeded. Assuming homogeneity of variances across dose group in normality settings, we employed the generalized Fieller’s confdence interval method in a multiple comparison stepwise procedure by incorporating the partitioning principle in order to control the family wise error rate (FWER). Simulation results revealed that the procedure properly controlled the FWER in strong sense. Also, the power of our procedure increases with increasing sample size and the ratio of mean differences. We illustrate our procedure with mutagenicity dataset from a clinical study

Source: UCC
Biotechnological Approaches to Improve Nutritional Quality and Shelf Life of Fruits and Vegetables

The objective of this review was to provide comprehensive overview of the application of biotechnological approaches to improve the nutritional quality and shelf life of fruits and vegetables. In doing so, the following issues were critically assessed: the origin and definitions of plant biotechnology; successful application of biotechnology in fruit and vegetables production; the dynamics of ripening and perishability in fruits and vegetables; the understanding of the fundamental processes that influence fruit set, maturation, and ripening; the effect of the biotechnological application on the nutritional quality and shelf life of fruit and vegetables; the challenges associated with the commercialization of biotech fruits and vegetables; the need for biotechnology in the production of fruits and vegetables in the 21st century, and the new paradigm shift necessary to improve nutrient quality and shelf life of biotech fruits and vegetables. The available scientific literature shows that the developed biotechnological approaches have the potential to enhance the yield, quality, and shelf-life of fruits and vegetables in the mist of the global climate change, water scarcity, population increase, and ever-increasing demand for food. To make sure that the current debates and complexities surrounding the registration, commercialization, human safety, environmental considerations such as non-target safety, gene flow, biodiversity and associated risks of biotech fruits and vegetables are adequately addressed, various stakeholders in the industry-policy makers, private sectors, agriculturalists, biotechnologists, scientists, extension agents, farmers, and the general public must be engaged in policy formulations, seed-embodiments, and products developments

Source: UCC
Bird Assemblages and Vegetation Structre along Urbanization Gradient in Central Region, Ghana

Ghana forest cover has decreased to less than 20% of the original continuous forest due to deforestation through urbanisation, agricultural intensification and infrastructure development. What are left are modified fragmented patches to serve as home for wild animals. This work focused on avian assemblages along an urban to forest gradient in southern Ghana to document how different species, species groups and feeding guilds respond to urbanization using point count method. Mean avian diversity and abundance increased with urbanization. There was variation in the vegetation structure along the gradient of urbanisation although theoretically vegetation structure tends to decrease with urbanisation as some vegetation parameters like flowering and fruiting plants were high in urban habitat. This resulted in nectarivore being the most abundant in the urban habitat while insectivore being the most abundant in the suburban habitat. The total abundance of species that make up the various feeding guild differed across the habitat types. Regarding the relationship between bird diversity, abundance and vegetation parameters; bird diversity and abundance were positively correlated to percentage ground cover and average tree height whiles they were negatively correlated to number of shrubs, number of small trees and number of flowering plants. There was no single species utilising a single habitat because different species utilised one or more component of the vegetation structure differently as seen from the (Canonical Correspondence Analysis) CCA plot. In conclusion, avian assemblages, the number of species that make up the various feeding guild and feeding guild density are not limited by urbanisation but are represented spatially and temporary across the habitat gradient.

Source: UCC
Birth preparedness among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Tamale Teaching Hospital

Evidence indicates that promoting birth preparedness and pregnancy complications readiness have important roles in combating maternal mortality. The purpose of the study was to assess birth preparedness and determinants influencing facility-based deliveries among expectant mothers in the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana. The systematic random sampling technique was then used to select pregnant women for the study using structured questionnaires. Data quality was ensured via crosschecks and double entry of information into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.01 for analysis. At the 95% confidence interval, a p-value less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Out of the 345 respondents, 150 respondents were well prepared for birth representing 43.7%. The χ2 analysis revealed that age (p<0.05), religion (p<0.05), educational status (p<0.01), level of knowledge on obstetric risks (p<0.01), number of antenatal visits (p<0.01), marital status (p<0.05), income level of participants (p<0.01) and cost of services (p<0.01) determined birth preparedness and the choice of facility delivery among the study women. Strong determinants of women’s choice of facility for delivery included: higher education (AOR=1.9, 95% C.I. 1.16-3.04, p=0.01), women with four plus (4+) ANC visits (AOR=5.4, 95% C.I. 2.54-11.29, p<0.01), women who disagreed to ‘home birthing tradition’ (AOR=2.4, 95% C.I. 1.18-4.85, p=0.02). Proportion of women who were well prepared for birth and ready for complications was still found to be low. Education of expectant mothers on issues of antenatal care on birth preparedness must be stepped up

Source: UCC
Birth Preparedness Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics at Tamale Teaching Hospital

Evidence indicates that promoting birth preparedness and pregnancy complications readiness have important roles in combating maternal mortality. The purpose of the study was to assess birth preparedness and determinants influencing facility-based deliveries among expectant mothers in the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana. The systematic random sampling technique was then used to select pregnant women for the study using structured questionnaires. Data quality was ensured via crosschecks and double entry of information into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.01 for analysis. At the 95% confidence interval, a p-value less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Out of the 345 respondents, 150 respondents were well prepared for birth representing 43.7%. The χ2 analysis revealed that age (p<0.05), religion (p<0.05), educational status (p<0.01), level of knowledge on obstetric risks (p<0.01), number of antenatal visits (p<0.01), marital status (p<0.05), income level of participants (p<0.01) and cost of services (p<0.01) determined birth preparedness and the choice of facility delivery among the study women. Strong determinants of women’s choice of facility for delivery included: higher education (AOR=1.9, 95% C.I. 1.16-3.04, p=0.01), women with four plus (4+) ANC visits (AOR=5.4, 95% C.I. 2.54-11.29, p<0.01), women who disagreed to ‘home birthing tradition’ (AOR=2.4, 95% C.I. 1.18-4.85, p=0.02). Proportion of women who were well prepared for birth and ready for complications was still found to be low. Education of expectant mothers on issues of antenatal care on birth preparedness must be stepped up.

Source: UCC
Bispecific Antibodies (bsAbs): Promising Immunotherapeutic Agents for Cancer Therapy

Abstract: Antibodies have become the preferred therapeutic treatment option for cancers. Antibody therapy is associated with low toxic profile and specific in its activity, unlike chemotherapy and ra- diotherapy. Types of tumor are known to express multiple receptors that cross-talk to activate per- petual growth, proliferation and metastasis, and inhibit apoptosis in such tumors. Bispecific antibod- ies (BsAbs) are therefore the preferred agent for the treatment of such cancers due to its unique char- acteristics. This review discusses up to date therapeutic potentials of BsAbs.

Source: UCC
Black citric acid polymer (pn) pozzolana activated - na-pn-pozzolana-ce material synthesis tested as cationic exchanger

It was showed that black citric acid polymer (PN) have capacities to be a potential raw materials for realizing a cationic exchanger seeing that the treated water solution through PN kept a brown color of brown citric acid polymers from PN during its activations with NaOH. So, the objective of this publication was to realize not only materials and process which could clarify the brown color of the PN treated water but also to realize immediately a cationic exchanger materials with at the end a clarified transparent water. Consequently, two raw materials have been selected to do these realizations: pozzolana and black citric acid polymer (PN). The first step was to elaborate a procedure for synthesizing PN-pozzolana material founded upon water as PN’s liquid vector, pozzolana/PN weigh relationship, used pozzolana’s oxygen total atoms contents, water/pn molar relationship and water/pozzolana molar relationship. Then, PN-pozzolana was characterized by NaOH-0.05N titration enabled to value the on surface PN, the total PN dispersed, the on vacuole PN with maybe pozzolana vacuole porosity recovery rate. Also, the PN-pozzolana material was used to clarify by PN a treated water cationic exchanger according to a procedure using a PN-tubular filter with well-defined experimental conditions leading to good results. The second step was to elaborate a procedure for synthesizing Na-PN-pozzolana-CE cationic exchanger founded upon PN-pozzolana activation with NaOH as described on bibliography followed by thermic treatment. Then, Na-PN-pozzolana-CE cationic exchanger was characterized by HCl-0.049N enabled to value the total Na + dispersed on PN-pozzolana and Na + the thermic treatment were done seeing that there were all the time weight diminution of activated Na-PN-pozzolana thermic treated. Finally, exchange cationic tests with CaCO3 solution were carried-out with different contact time on these Na-PN-pozzolana-CE cationic exchanger and the Ca 2+ contents of treated water solution was followed by EDTA-complexometric titration. Results showed clearly that not only PN-pozzolana material could clarify the brown treated water but also Na-PN-pozzolana-CE is a good cationic exchanger with a maximal Ca 2+ retained rate capacity around 93.27 [%]

Source: UCC
Blended learning or face-to-face? Does Tutor anxiety prevent the adoption of Learning Management Systems for distance education in Ghana?

Learning Management System (LMS)-enabled blended learning has been adopted by higher educational institutions for promoting accessible and effective pedagogy and andragogical practices. The introduction of this mode of learning has altered the traditional faceto- face interaction. However, the lack of actual usage and online presence by instructors in an LMS-enabled blended learning environment seems to be a major setback for its success. Consequently, LMS-related anxiety has been cited as one of the behavioural challenges hindering its usage in Africa. Hence, this paper is focused on unravelling the antecedents of tutors’ anxiety towards actual LMS usage based on a Technology Related Stimulus-Response Theoretical Framework (TR-SR-TF). In view of this, the study employed a survey design, adopting a questionnaire as data collection instrument from 267 distance education tutors across study centres within Ghana. The results fromPartial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) technique revealed three underlying factors determining LMS anxiety, namely; colleague influence, outcome expectation and use support. However, the result of the Importance Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) showed that colleague influencewas themost important indicator while outcome expectation was the highest performance indicator of tutors’ LMS related anxiety. The study recommended that such factors like colleague influence, outcome expectation and use support should be consciously addressed in order to reduce (if not totally eliminate) anxiety towards LMS use for blended learning.

Source: UCC
Blockade of TLR4 Within the Paraventricular Nucleus Attenuates Blood Pressure by Regulating ROS and Inflammatory Cytokines in Prehypertensive Rats

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been implicated in the progression of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. However, the role of TLR4 in the development of prehypertension is uncertain.

Source: UCC
Blockade of TLR4 Within the Paraventricular Nucleus Attenuates Blood Pressure by Regulating ROS and Inflammatory Cytokines in Prehypertensive Rats

BACKGROUND Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been implicated in the progression of cardiovascular disease, including hypertension. However, the role of TLR4 in the development of prehypertension is uncertain. METHODS Prehypertensive rats were treated with 8% salt for 12 weeks to induce prehypertension. These rats were then given either TAK- 242 selective TLR4 blocker, or vehicle by bilateral micro-injection to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Blood pressure (BP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity were recorded. PVN expression of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65, proinflammation cytokines (PICs), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 2 (NOX2), NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) level, tyrosine hydroxylase, and 67 kDa isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD67) were tested to determine the influence of TLR4 blockade. RESULTS TLR4 expression increased significantly in the PVN of high-salt groups with a corresponding increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and PICs. TLR4 blockade significantly reduced the signaling molecules downstream TLR4 and the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, decreased ROS, NOX2, NOX4 level, increased Cu/Zn-SOD, re-balanced neurotransmitters, and regulated sympathetic nerve activity in the PVN of prehypertensive rats. CONCLUSIONS Salt-induced prehypertension is partly due to the upregulation of TLR4 in PVN. Blockade of TLR4 in the brain reduced salt-induced prehypertension response, possibly through downregulation of ROS and PICs expression, and the restorage of neurotransmitter balance in the PVN.

Source: UCC