ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Bounded Entrepreneurial Vitality: The Mixed Embeddedness of Female Entrepreneurship

Despite the recent increased interest in female entrepreneurs, attention has tended to focus on dynamic individuals and generic incentives without considering the roles of gender and place in entrepreneurship. In this article, we draw on the notion of mixed embeddedness to explore how time-and-place-specific institutional contexts influence women's entrepreneurship. Drawing on primary data collected in Ghana, where exceptionally more women engage in entrepreneurial activities than men, we examine the scale and characteristics of female entrepreneurial activity, exploring the factors that account for this strong participation of women, and examine whether this high entrepreneurial rate is also reflected in their performance and growth aspirations. The findings reveal a disjuncture between, on the one hand, the vibrant entrepreneurial endeavors of Ghanaian women and positive societal attitudes toward female entrepreneurship and, on the other hand, female business activities characterized by vulnerability and relatively low achievement. The article shows how regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive institutional forces, which have been transformed over time by local and global processes and their interaction, are concomitantly propelling and impeding women's entrepreneurial activities. We propose that the study of female entrepreneurs within economic geography could be advanced by analyzing the differing effects of the complex, multiple, and shifting layers of institutional contexts in which they are embedded. © 2015 Clark University.

Source: UG
Boundedness of a family of Hilbert-type operators and its Bergman-type analogue

In this paper, we first consider boundedness properties of a family of operators generalizing the Hilbert operator in the upper triangle case. In the diagonal case, we give the exact norm of these operators under some restrictions on the parameters. Second, we consider boundedness properties of a family of positive Bergman-type operators of the upper-half plane. We give necessary and sufficient conditions on the parameters under which these operators are bounded in the upper triangle case.

Source: UG
Bovine Tuberculosis Surveillance System Evaluation, Greater-Accra Region, Ghana, 2006-2011

INTRODUCTION: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic, zoonotic, multi-species disease of cattle caused by Mycobacterium bovis. In developed countries, effective surveillance and enforcement of regulations on bTB control resulted in significant reduction of infections in cattle and hence, humans. However, in developing countries, weak surveillance systems affect accurate and timely reporting of bTB in humans and cattle. In Ghana, transhumance movement of cattle increases the risk of bTB importation and spread, however, the extent to which surveillance detects bTB is unknown. We therefore evaluated the bTB surveillance system in the Greater-Accra Region to determine its performance and assessed its attributes.METHODS: We interviewed stakeholders, and reviewed bTB surveillance data for all ten districts in the region from 2006-2011 using the CDC Guidelines for Evaluation of public health surveillance systems.RESULTS: From 2006-2011, bTB was suspected in 284/244,576 (0.12%) cattle slaughtered, of which 7/284 (2.5%) were submitted for laboratory confirmation and all tested positive. Predictive value positive was 100%. There is no standard case definition which guides bTB detection. Fifty percent of carcasses slip through inspection, and confirmed cases are not traced back. There were 99/284 (34.9%) condemnations from suspected carcasses and 57/97 (58.8%) from positive reactors from screening. Ninety percent (9/10) of districts submitted reports late to the region whereas representativeness was 30%. Regional and district data were manually stored with no electronic backups. The region's cattle population is unknown.CONCLUSION: Although the bTB surveillance system is sensitive, it is under performing, and the possibility of bTB transmission from cattle to humans is high.

Source: UG
Brain regulation of appetite and satiety

Interest in the control of feeding has increased as a result of the obesity epidemic and rising incidence of metabolic diseases. The brain detects alterations in energy stores and triggers metabolic and behavioral responses designed to maintain energy balance. Energy homeostasis is controlled mainly by neuronal circuits in the hypothalamus and brainstem, whereas reward and motivation aspects of eating behavior are controlled by neurons in limbic regions and the cerebral cortex. This article provides an integrated perspective on how metabolic signals emanating from the gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue, and other peripheral organs target the brain to regulate feeding, energy expenditure, and hormones. The pathogenesis and treatment of obesity and abnormalities of glucose and lipid metabolism are discussed.

Source: UG
Brain tumor diagnosis based on artificial neural network and a chaos whale optimization algorithm

Accurate and early detection of the brain tumor region has a great impact on the choice of treatment, its success rate, and the follow-up of the disease process over time. This study presents a new bioinspired technique for the early detection of the brain tumor area to improve the chance of completely healing. The study presents a multistep technique to detect the brain tumor area. Herein, after image preprocessing and image feature extraction, an artificial neural network is used to determine the tumor area in the image. The method is based on using an improved version of the whale optimization algorithm for optimal selection of the features and optimizing the artificial neural networkweights for classification. Simulation results of the proposed method are applied to FLAIR, T1, and T2 datasets and are compared with different algorithms. Three performance indexes including correct detection rate, false acceptance rate, and false rejection rate are selected for the system performance analysis. Final results showed the superiority of the proposed method toward the other similar methods.

Source: UG
Brand avoidance: underlying protocols and a practical scale

Purpose The increased practitioner and academic interest in negative brand phenomena highlight the need for the development of practical scales to be used for empirical investigations. Therefore, this paper aims to draw on existing conceptualisations to provide a theoretically grounded yet practically oriented scale for examining brand avoidance and its protocols. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a sample of 575 consumers from two developing countries to create a parsimonious brand avoidance scale. Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to analyse the data through a systematic formative measurement approach Findings This paper finds brand avoidance to be a multidimensional, second-order construct with five first-order dimensions: moral avoidance, identity avoidance, deficit–value avoidance, experiential avoidance and advertising-related avoidance. The paper further validates this scale by testing with non-purchase intention and identifies its positive relationship with brand avoidance. Originality/value This study fulfils the calls in the literature to provide a measurable scale for studying negative brand phenomena in consumer–brand relationship research.

Source: UG
Brand equity and financial performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between brand equity and financial performance and the moderation role of brand likeability retail banking sector. Design/methodology/approach – The study is quantitative and employed the survey methodology to sample the views of 550 retail bank customers. Data were analyzed though the structuring equation modeling using AMOS. Findings – The study found out that service quality, brand association, brand loyalty, and brand relevance positively and significantly predicted financial performance of the retail banks. In addition, brand likeability also moderates the relationship between brand equity and financial performance. Originality/value – The study contributes to the ongoing research in examining the linkage between brand equity and financial performance. The study has also shown the value of brand likeability as a moderator of the brand equity-financial performance linkage. The strategic implication of the results are discussed in the paper.

Source: UG
Brand equity and financial performance: The moderating role of brand likeability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between brand equity and financial performance and the moderation role of brand likeability retail banking sector. Design/methodology/approach The study is quantitative and employed the survey methodology to sample the views of 550 retail bank customers. Data were analyzed though the structuring equation modeling using AMOS. Findings The study found out that service quality, brand association, brand loyalty, and brand relevance positively and significantly predicted financial performance of the retail banks. In addition, brand likeability also moderates the relationship between brand equity and financial performance. Originality/value The study contributes to the ongoing research in examining the linkage between brand equity and financial performance. The study has also shown the value of brand likeability as a moderator of the brand equity-financial performance linkage. The strategic implication of the results are discussed in the paper.

Source: UG
Brand orientation and brand performance in SMEs: The moderating effects of social media and innovation capabilities

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the moderating effects of innovation capabilities and social media capabilities on the relationship between brand orientation and brand performance among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on the size differential feature from the organizational ecology theory, the paper further tests variations in these conditions across disaggregated SME levels. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical part of the study was carried out with a sample of 484 enterprises in an emerging market context via exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, along with a moderated hierarchical regression. Findings: Results from the moderated hierarchical regression analysis indicate that although the two capabilities generally offered positive moderating effects across all enterprises, these are conditional and not invariant when disaggregated based on enterprise sizes (small vs medium). Originality/value: The study suggests the need for enterprise owners/managers to identify optimal combinations of enterprise capabilities, based on their sizes, for which their complementarities with brand orientation efforts are more potent.

Source: UG
Branding and outcomes in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): a resource–capability approach

The study investigates the relationships of enterprise resources and branding capabilities with branding efforts and branding benefits. It examines the differential effect of physical resources and branding capabilities on enterprises’ branding efforts and outcomes. Empirical data for the study were drawn from 304 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana. The hypothesized relationships were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The study found that resources and capabilities possessions might not be enough to produce the optimum branding benefits for enterprises. A better result, however, emerges when these resources and capabilities are integrated with well-coordinated branding efforts of the enterprises. The study offers several implications for managers of small businesses based on the findings of the study. © 2017, © 2017 Journal of the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship/Conseil de la PME et de l'entrepreneuriat.

Source: UG
Brands and Service-Quality Perception

Purpose – This paper seeks to determine from the standpoint of undergraduate students, service-quality dispositions of bank brands operating in Ghana; in respect of customer service (human interaction), service knowledge and bank infrastructure and technology. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from undergraduate first time bank customers in the University of Ghana Business School via a questionnaire using a convenience sampling method. A structured questionnaire containing 12 service-quality statements was designed and administered to 519 first time undergraduate bank customers to measure their perception of service quality with regard to bank brands in Ghana. The repeated measures of ANOVA were employed. Findings – The respondents perceive the service knowledge dimension of brand service quality as the weakest performance service attribute for banks operating in Ghana. Practical implications – This study offers practical tips for bank managers seeking to manage an increasingly important segment; the undergraduate banking segment. Originality/value – This study contributes to the bank marketing literature by utilizing a new brand service-quality conceptualization to investigate research issues that focused on a banking segment that is under-researched in the context of developing economies and Africa in particular.

Source: UG
Brazil’s Agricultural Politics in Africa: More Food International and the Disputed Meanings of “Family Farming”

Brazil’s influence in agricultural development in Africa has become noticeable in recent years. South–South cooperation is one of the instruments for engagement, and affinities between Brazil and African countries are invoked to justify the transfer of technology and public policies. In this article, we take the case of one of Brazil’s development cooperation programs, More Food International (MFI), to illustrate why policy concepts and ideas that emerge in particular settings, such as family farming in Brazil, do not travel easily across space and socio-political realities. Taking a discourse-analytical perspective, we consider actors’ narratives of family farming and the MFI program, and how these narratives navigate between Brazil and three African countries – Ghana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. We find that in Brazil, family farming has multiple meanings that expose contrasting visions of agricultural development as determined by history, geography and class-based power struggles. These multiple meanings are reflected in the disparate ways MFI is portrayed and practiced by Brazilian actors who emphasize commercial opportunity, political advocacy, or technological modernization. We also find that African countries adopt their own interpretations of family farming and MFI, and that these are more attuned with mercantilist and modernization perspectives, and less mindful of Brazil’s domestic political struggles. This has prompted a reaction from those on the Brazilian side fighting for an alternative agricultural development trajectory. The significance of this reaction is yet to be determined.

Source: UG
BRCA1 gene expression in breast cancer in Kuwait: Correlation with prognostic parameters

Objectives:This study assessed the BRCA1 gene expression in breast cancer in Kuwait, and compared it with other known prognostic factors for the disease. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight random samples of archival paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues were studied for BRCA1 gene expression, Immunohistochemical method utilizing antibodies against different epitopes on the BRCA1 protein was used to study BRCA1 protein expression. In addition, for 29 patients, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect BRCA1 mRNA expression. BRCA1 expression was correlated with age, histological type and grade of breast cancer, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and C-erbB-2 expression. Results: No demonstrable BRCA1 mRNA and protein expression was found in 79 and 83% of the breast cancer tissues, respectively. A positive relationship was demonstrated between lack of BRCA1 (mRNA and protein) expression and high histological grade, negative estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and overexpression of C-erbB-2 in the breast cancer tissues. Conclusions: The study demonstrated lack of BRCA1 gene expression (mRNA and protein) in the majority of breast cancers in Kuwait and confirmed the inverse relationship between BRCA1 expression and parameters that determine poor prognosis in breast cancer.

Source: UG
BRCA1 gene expression in breast cancer: A correlative study between real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry

Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related mortality in women. There are major discrepancies concerning the usefulness of various antibodies in detecting breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) protein and its subcellular localization. The aim of the present study was to determine the specificity and sensitivity of immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a screening method for demonstrating BRCA1 expression. BRCA1 gene expression in archival paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues was studied simultaneously at the protein and mRNA levels, and the two findings were compared. Forty-eight archival paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues were studied for BRCA1 gene expression at protein level by IHC using four different antibodies against different BRCA1 epitopes and at mRNA level using real-time RT-PCR. BRCA1 mRNA expression was reduced or absent in 79% of the samples, and this finding correlated significantly with loss of BRCA1 protein expression in 83% of breast cancer tissues using one BRCA1 antibody studied (AB-1, against N-terminus epitope). The specificity of this antibody was 91.3%, and its sensitivity was 66.6%. There was no significant correlation between BRCA1 mRNA and protein expression as demonstrated by the remaining three antibodies. Antibody 8F7 had the highest sensitivity of 100%, but its specificity was 30.4% if mRNA levels were considered as the reference standard.

Source: UG
Bread for the broken: Pragmatic meaning of Mark 14:22-25

This article interprets Mark 14:22-25, using one of the new approaches in biblical interpretation, namely, pragmatic analysis. In pragmatic analysis, a text is considered a linguistic unit composed of linguistic elements (signs) with the scope of communicating a message. Interpretation involves examining the linguistic elements, the relationship between them (the syntax), their semantic valence in view of their communicative potentiality. Reading Mark 14:22-25 with this approach leads us to the conclusion that the evangelist included the institution account in his Gospel primarily to explain the significance and effect of Jesus' death to the reader. By adequately preparing the reader on the power of the word of Jesus before coming to read the institution account, Mark achieves a rhetorical effect: the conviction of the power of the words of Jesus and an admiration for the generosity of Jesus. This elicits in the reader an attraction to enter into Jesus' covenant. © New Testament Society of South Africa.

Source: UG
Breadth of Functional Antibodies Is Associated With Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Phagocytosis and Protection Against Febrile Malaria

The Department of Immunology conducts research in the field of immunology of infectious and non-infectious diseases. The Department has the overall goal of contributing knowledge to better diagnosis, management, control and prevention of infectious and non-infectious diseases in Ghana and worldwide. This is consistent with the overall strategy of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and in line with the strategy of the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana.

Source: UG
Breakdown of orthopyroxene contributing to melt pockets in mantle peridotite xenoliths from the Western Qinling, central China: Constraints from in situ LA-ICP-MS mineral analyses

Major and trace element compositions of constituent minerals, partly decomposed rims of orthopyroxenes (DRO), 'closed' melt pockets (CMP) and open melt pockets (OMP) in some Western Qinling peridotite xenoliths were obtained by LA-ICP-MS. Systematic core-to-rim compositional variations of garnet, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene demonstrate that these minerals underwent variable degrees of subsolidus breakdown or partial melting. Both DROs and CMPs consist of similar mineral assemblages and are characterized by high TiO 2, CaO + Na 2O and low MgO contents; they are enriched in LREE and LILE compositions, have positive anomalies in Pb, Sr and particularly Ti, negative Th and U, and variable Zr and Hf anomalies. These chemical features are distinct and reflect reactions involving the orthopyroxenes. Compared to the CMPs, the OMPs, which are composed of a complex assemblage of minerals, display lower FeO and MgO contents, larger ranges in SiO 2 and Na 2O, higher TiO 2, Al 2O 3, CaO and trace element concentrations, slightly negative Zr and Hf anomalies, and apparently negative Ti anomalies. Modeling calculations of partial fusion of orthopyroxenes and clinopyroxenes suggest that the CMPs most likely originated from the breakdown of orthopyroxenes with variably minor contribution of external melts from the melting of clinopyroxenes, whereas the OMPs were probably formed from the modification of the CMPs through the interaction with large amount of external melts. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.

Source: UG
Breakfast habits among school children in selected communities in the eastern region of Ghana

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day, yet many people skip breakfast. Studies indicate that school age children who regularly skip breakfast are not likely to concentrate in class, thus affecting school performance. This study determined the breakfast habits and nutrient contributions of the breakfast meal to the days' nutrient intake. A cross sectional study was conducted among school children (n=359) between the ages of 6-19 years in Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Questionnaires were used to collect information on background characteristics and breakfast consumption habits. The 24-hour dietary recall method was used to obtain information on the children's food intake. T-test was used to compare differences between means of variables of breakfast consumers and skippers. About 85.5% of the children had breakfast on the day of interview. More boys (87.8%) consumed breakfast compared to the girls (83.1%). For those who skipped breakfast, lack of food at home or lack of no money (36.5%) was the main reason. Breakfast consumers had significantly higher energy and nutrient intakes than those who skipped breakfast (energy 2259 verses 1360 kcal, p-0.039; vitamin A 1534 verses 662 ug/RE, p=0.001; iron 22.9 verses 13.9 mg, p=0.017, zinc 9.9 verses 5.6 mg, p=0.034). The breakfast meal contributed between 32-41% of the day's energy intake, and between 30-47% of micronutrient intake. Encouraging breakfast consumption among school children is a way to ensure that they meet their daily nutrient and energy intakes.

Source: UG
Breaking the barrier of cultural differences to advance the course of global medical research through the ISP organized by TMDU

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG