ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Speciation of Arsenic and Determination of Heavy Metal Levels in Drinking Water at Amansie West District

A study of arsenic speciation and heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg and Fe) content in drinking water of Amansie West District was conducted. Drinking water samples from boreholes, hand dug wells and streams were taken from 23 communities in the district. Amansie West is a gold mining community with surface mining being the main method used. Anthropogenic activities such as mining, agricultural and urbanization have led to the contamination by arsenic in streams and rivers. As (III) and As (V) in the water samples were separated using hydride generation and detected by flame AAS. Determination of Hg was also made by HG-AAS. Analysis of the other heavy metals were done using flame AAS. The results obtained showed that the concentration of arsenic in streams, boreholes and hand dug wells fell between 0.24-37.22 μg/L, 13.49-26.41 μg/L, and 24.11-39.43 μg/L respectively. Test of correlation between arsenic concentration and some physical parameters (pH, DO, conductivity and redox potential was done to ascertain any relationship. For speciation study, results showed that arsenic (III) is the dominant inorganic arsenic species. On average, 64% of all inorganic arsenic species was in the more toxic (+3) oxidation state, the rest is in the (+5) oxidation state. There was a strong negative correlation between arsenic speciation and the redox potential. 91 % concentration of Zn, Pb, Cd, and Hg measured was below detection limits. The 9 % that was measured were below WHO acceptable limit for drinking water. However, the concentrations of Fe (0.141 – 1.082 μg/L) in the water samples were high

Source: KNUST
Speciation of arsenic in some biological samples from Obuasi and its surrounding villages

Arsenic speciation was done in Pteris vitstae (ferm), Musa sapientum ( plantain), colocasia esculenta (cocoyam), leaves of colocasia esculenta, Manihot ecsulentum (cassava) ,leaves of Manihot esculentum, Capsicum frutescens (pepper) and Elaeis guinensis (palm fruits). The methods used in the speciation were the colorimetric molybdenum blue and ion-exchange. AAS was used to determine total arsenic in the samples and total arsenic determined by the molybdenum blue method were found to correlate with those obtained by AAS. Also, arsenic (V) and arsenic (III) values obtained by ton exchange were found to correlate with those obtained by the molybdenum blue method. All the plant contained higher concentrations of arsenic (V) than arsenic (III). The molybdenum blue and ion-exchange methods, gave maximum mean arsenic (V) concentrations as 32.28 Std.± 5.44mg/kg and 31.29 Std.± 5.44mg/kg dry weight respectively. These values of arsenic (V) were recorded in fern at Kwabrafoso. The minimum mean arsenic (V) concentrations, however, was 0.07 Std.±0 06mg/kg dry weight in each of the two methods. This value of arsenic (V) concentration was recorded in palm fruits at Ampunyase. The maximum mean arsenic (III) values by both molybdenum and ion- exchange methods were 7.26 Std. ± 1.68mg/kg and 8.24 Std ±1.74mg/kg dry weight respective]y. These values were recorded in fern at Kwabrafoso. The minimum arsenic (III) concentration by both methods however, was 0.00mg/kg dry weight and was recorded in palm fruits at Ampunyase. Arsenic (V) and arsenic (III) levels in the samples increased during the rainy season. Mean arsenic (V) concentrations determined by both methods wan higher than the W.H.O. recommended value of 1.0mg/kg dry weight n fern for all the fourteen sampling sites. For those sates which were within 3.75km from the treatment plant, mean arsenic (V) concentrations determined by both the molybdenum blue and ion- exchange methods were higher than the W.H.O recommended value in all the samples except palm fruits. From 5.0km and beyond, mean arsenic (V) concentrations by both methods were below the W.H.O.recommended value in plantain, cocoyam, cocoyam leaves, cassava, cassava leaves, pepper and palm fruits. Apart from fern, mean arsenic (III) concentrations in the samples at alt the sites were below 1.0mg/kg dry weight by both methods. From 8.50km and beyond, mean arsenic (III) concentrations in palm fruits were drastically low. Mean arsenic (III) concentrations determined by ion-exchange were quite higher than those obtained by the molybdenum blue method

Source: KNUST
Spectrum of antibiotic resistant bacteria and fungi isolated from chronically infected wounds in a rural district hospital in Ghana

Background Chronic infected wounds are generally difficult to manage and treatment can be particularly challenging in resource-limited settings where diagnostic testing is not readily available. In this study, the epidemiology of microbial pathogens in chronically infected wounds in rural Ghana was assessed to support therapeutic choices for physicians. Methods Culture-based bacterial diagnostics including antimicrobial resistance testing were per formed on samples collected from patients with chronic wounds at a hospital in Asante Akim North Municipality, Ghana. Fungal detection was performed by broad-range fungal PCR and sequencing of amplicons. Results In total, 105 patients were enrolled in the study, from which 207 potential bacterial patho gens were isolated. Enterobacteriaceae (n = 84, 41%) constituted the most frequently iso lated group of pathogens. On species level, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 50, 24%) and Staphylococcus aureus (n = 28, 14%) were predominant. High resistance rates were docu mented, comprising 29% methicillin resistance in S. aureus as well as resistance to 3rd gen eration cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones in 33% and 58% of Enterobacteriaceae, respectively. One P. aeruginosa strain with carbapenem resistance was identified. The most frequently detected fungi were Candida tropicalis.

Source: KNUST
Stability of aspirin in aspirin-containing formulations

Ten brands of aspirin-Containing formulations were analyzed for the stability of aspirin in the formulations. Two (2) brands were Aspirin-only formulations, six (6) were aspirin- caffeine, and the last two (2) were aspirin, paracetamol arid caffeine. The aspirin content of the aspirin-only formulations complied with BP requirements. Percentage contents of aspirin in the aspirin-caffeine combinations using the BP method were all below the acceptable range. Modifying the refluxing time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes phenomenally changed the results, making all of them pass the test. The variation in the results from the BP method (30 minutes reflux) and the modified BP method (60 minutes reflux) was found to be statistically significant. However, the results obtained after refluxing for 60 minutes were statistically proven not to differ significantly from an extractive method for analyzing aspirin in combination products. The aspirin content of the aspirin-paracetamol-caffeine formulations also complied with BP requirements. Since aspirin breaks down readily to form salicylic acid and acetic acid in moist air, salicylic acid was used as the basis of determining instability of the aspirin. A quantitative method of analyzing the levels of free salicylic acid in these formulations was developed using a spectrophotometric approach. A complex formed between ferric ions (from ferric ammonium sulphate) and salicylic acid has an absorbance at 540nm. The absorbance was directly proportional to the concentration of the salicylic acid present. This method was used to determine the levels of salicylic acid in the ten (10) brands being investigated. Both aspirin-only formulations failed the test by having 1 .45% and 1.86% of salicylic acid instead of the allowable limit of 0.6%. For the other brands containing caffeine and/or paracetamol, the allowable limit of free salicylic acid is 3%. Two of the brands failed the test with levels of 3.25% and 3.02%. The others passed the test. Considering the fact that most of the products were freshly manufactured, it was clear that aspirin needs to be handled and stored well in order to safeguard it from instability problems. The presence of paracetamol and caffeine appear not to augment the instability problem of aspirin.

Source: KNUST
Stability Studies on Flucloxacillin in Capsule Dosage Forms and the Design of an HPLC Method for the Assay of Flucloxacillin in Capsule Dosage Forms

Stability studies on flucloxacillin sodium for capsule formulations were done. Fixed amounts of flucloxacillin sodium were mixed with varying amounts of dried starch, undried starch and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (Sodium cmc)...

Source: KNUST
Stability Studies on Flucloxacillin Sodium

Concerns about the stability of some dosage forms of Flucloxacillin Sodium on the Ghanaian market prompted a scientific study into the stability characteristics of the drug. Blister pack quality, disintegration, iodine-absorbing substances and percentage content of active ingredient were determined for eight (8) different batches of the 10 x 250 mg capsules, and then repeated after six (6) months. Both Iodometric and UV-Spectrophotometric methods of assay were employed. The Percentage content and Iodine-absorbing substances of nine (9) different batches of the oral suspension were monitored at 0, 2, 5 and 7 day intervals uader real-time conditions. The effects of pH of buffer, buffer capacity and sugar (sucrose) on the kinetics of the decomposition of the drug product were also observed using reconstituted Flucloxacillin Sodium BPCRS suspension. A high level of instability was observed in the various batches studied, especially in the capsules, which showed significantly low content of active ingredients and high levels of impurities as iodine-absorbing substances. pH of buffer and buffer capacity were observed to influence the kinetics of the decomposition of the drug product significantly, with pH 5.5 - 6.0 and buffer capacity of 0-0601 observed to be optimum for high stability. Addition of sugar (sucrose) to the formulation caused a decrease in the stability of the reconstituted drug product. Using the Paired t-test, no significant difference was observed between the results obtained from the Iodometric and UV- Spectrophotometric methods.

Source: KNUST
Stability Studies On Reconstituted Amoxycillin-Clavulanic Acid Oral Suspension by HPLC Development and Quantification

Amoxycillin has a broad spectrum of activity against a wide number of organisms. However its usage as mono-therapy for certain infections such as respiratory tract infections became ineffective due to the emergence of beta lactamase producing bacteria. Clavulanic acid was thus introduced as a protective agent for amoxycillin against such organisms. The two also have a synergistic effect although clavulanic acid on its own has no significant antibacterial action. The formulation of amoxycillin and clavulanic acid (Co – amoxiclav) for paediatric use comes in the form of an oral powder, which has to be reconstituted before administration. Concerns have been raised with regards to the appropriateness of the use of certain kinds of water such as treated tap water or any portable drinking water for that matter, in the reconstitution of oral powders such as that of co – amoxiclav into suspensions. Thus, a stability study was carried out on co – amoxiclav oral powder reconstituted with distilled water (the recommended choice), treated tap water and a commercial mineral water, under the standard storage condition of 2 - 8ºC. From the study, it was found that the three kinds of water, irrespective of their mineral or ionic content, did not have any significant detrimental effect on the stability of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid, as long as the oral suspension was stored in a refrigerator (2 - 8 ºC) throughout the duration of therapy (7 days). Thus, the above mentioned types of water can be conveniently used for the reconstitution of co – amoxiclav in our part of the world. Further analysis was carried out to ascertain the stability of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in their oral suspension (reconstituted with distilled water) when stored in the refrigerator (2 - 8ºC) only on alternate days during the duration of therapy. It was found that both amoxicillin and clavulanic acid remained stable in spite of the inconsistency in their storage conditions. However, the standard storage temperature should be adhered to stringently to guarantee maximum therapeutic benefit. A simulation was carried out where co – amoxiclav oral suspension was kept in a bowl of water under normal room temperature and analysed. This also revealed that amoxicillin remained stable throughout the duration of therapy but clavulanic acid did not. To aid in the stability studies, a simple and cost effective High Performance Liquid Chromatographic method of assay was developed. The method made use of a reverse phase column of Phenomenex, Kromasil 5 (C8), 250 X 4.60mm 5 micron column with size 305334. The flow rate was 1ml/min and a UV detector was used to detect at a wavelength of 220nm.The mobile phase system comprised of Water, methanol and sodium acetate buffer pH 4.4 in the ratio of 60:15:20. The LOD and LOQ for amoxicillin were 0.00614%w/v and 0.0186%w/v respectively and the LOD and LOQ for clavulanic acid were 0.00126%w/v and 0.003818%w/v for respectively. In all three brands of co-amoxiclav were assayed including the innovator brand.

Source: KNUST
Staff motivation and customer satisfaction - a case of Ghana Commercial Bank Limited, Ho

Many banks attribute their growth to the successful transformation to a sales culture. Banks now have retailer mentality, and strongly emphasis on sales at all levels of the organization, all the way down to the branch level. The study seeks to identify the motivational packages available to employees of Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd Ho, and to ascertain whether the motivational packages are achieving the purpose-for which they were set. Secondly, to assess how customers perceive the service rendered to them by the branch and identify how those services can be improved to strengthen customer trust and loyalty. The general objective of the research was to assess the impact of staff motivation on customer satisfaction at the Ho Branch of Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd and the specific objectives were to identify packages for motivating staffs, to examine » the various forms of staff motivational packages, to assess the effects of such motivational packages on customer satisfaction, to identify how customers are satisfied with products & services of the bank, to identify how customers want to be served in order to be satisfied and to suggest ways in which the Branch can improve customer satisfaction. Judgemental sampling method was used to sample staff of the branch and customers. The researcher purposely chose respondents who in his opinion are relevant to the research topic. Primary data collection techniques used in data collection were questionnaires and personal interviews. Questionnaires were administered to customers of the bank and staffs were interviewed to extract the needed information. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the data analysis. For the quantitative aspect, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used. Frequency distributions, percentages, mean and descriptive analysis of assessing staff motivation and its impact on customer satisfaction in Ghana Commercial Bank. Data collected were collated and presented in the form of tables, bar graphs and pie chart. It was found out that not all staffs were entitled to the various motivation packages that the bank has for staffs. The ICT infrastructure's frequent going off has been a problem to both staff and customers. The long queues in the branch everyday are very dissatisfactory to the customers. The ATM's frequent breakdown has made the whole ATM system very unreliable. The motivational packages available to staff of the branch have not been good enough, and this had a direct impact on how they handled customers in the course of service delivery.

Source: KNUST
Staff performance appraisals as a tool for motivation and productivity in the health sector in Ghana: the case of Ridge and Police Hospital

The study explored staff appraisal as a tool for motivation and productivity in the health sector. The aim was to determine whether performance appraisal motivates health workers. Forty two (42) health managers and 63 subordinates health workers were presented with questionnaires to complete for the study. Key informants were also interviewed for further explanations on the research topic. Findings of the study indicate that different factors are used by health institutions as performance and productivity indicators. These include staff attitude, punctuality, regularity and staff- patients’ relationship. It was also found that the use of performance appraisal in the health institution was not intensive, however perception, attitude and opinion of performance appraisal was positive and favourable. Satisfaction and motivation from the performance appraisal was high whilst opinion on feedback concerning performance appraisal was also favourable. Health managers faced certain challenges in using performance appraisal such as absenteeism, disagreement with performance appraisal results, non- implementation of performance appraisal policy and inability to understand objectives set in the performance appraisal. These findings, which were consistent with earlier findings, imply that health workers could put in their best if performance appraisal is used to evaluate them regularly and effectively.

Source: KNUST
Staff assignment Problem: (case Study at Mampong-Akuapem Presby Senior High School)

Matching highly skilled people to available positions is a high-stakes task that requires careful consideration by experienced resource managers. A wrong decision may result in significant loss of value due to understaffing, under-qualification or over-qualification of assigned personnel, and high turnover of poorly matched workers. While the importance of quality matching is clear, dealing with pools of hundreds of jobs and resources in a dynamic market generates a significant amount of pressure to make decisions rapidly. We present a novel solution designed to bridge the gap between the need for high-quality matches and the need for timeliness. By applying mathematical programming, we are able to deal successfully with the complex constraints encountered in the field and reach near-optimal assignments that take into account all resources and positions in the pool. The considerations include constraints on job role, skill level, geographical location, language, potential retraining, and many more. Constraints are applied at both the individual and team levels. This thesis models staff subject assignment problem as an assignment problem. The model developed could be adopted for any problem that can be modelled as an assignment problem

Source: KNUST
Staff training and development in corporate strategic planning - a case study of A-Life Company

One of the problems of personnel confronting A-life Company Limited is that some of the workers travel overseas to seek greener pastures after working with the organisation and having benefited from staff development programmes. The organisation spends time and money with the aim to train and develop workers but at times experience the situation whereby workers leave the organisation in the middle or at the end of training. Some however, leave before being trained or at the initial stages of training. This unfortunate situation most often creates problems for the management of the company. Especially, the problem of getting the right persons to replace the lost ones At times, employees with some educational background prefer to further their education at a higher level to working for the company. The skilled and semi-skilled workers are eager to further their education or undergo further training to acquire more knowledge in their profession. Strategically, management has been able to develop other areas to be in line with the company’s expansion. However, it seems to have done very little to the development of the human resources in the organisation. The areas that have been developed include modem equipment, new technologies, vehicles, buildings and the like. However, it is very unfortunate that the human resources operating these equipment, new technologies, vehicles, buildings and other material resources have not been developed that much. Therefore, operations cannot be considerably improved.

Source: KNUST
Stakeholder engagement in procuring public projects in Ghana: a case study of Ashiaman Municipal Assembly (AMA)

An increasing demand for public infrastructural provision called for the districts and municipal Assemblies to under adequate stakeholder engagement in the procurement decisions. Also increasing demand within public procurement environments with consistent coalitions of stakeholders that have differing interests, objectives and socio-cultural backgrounds. As results, procurement projects are subject to the demands and pressures presented by external stakeholders such as community groups, local residents, landowners, environmentalists, regulatory agencies, and local and central governments. Despite the acknowledged importance of stakeholder management, project research still lacks both theoretical knowledge and empirical evidence concerning various project stakeholder related phenomena (stakeholder engagement). The objective of this thesis is to contribute to project research by increasing the understanding of stakeholder engagement in public procurement management. Ashiaman Municipality was chosen for this study due to frequent agitations from project beneficiaries as stakeholders in procurement provisions. From the sample size of sixty, (60) from the sample frame was used for which questionnaires as research instrument were used to collect data for analysis. The data were analyzed using and descriptive statistics in which the mean values and standard deviation were determined and ranked accordingly. The findings of this thesis highlight the importance of stakeholder engagement in public procurement. Through the application of the ideas of stakeholder theory, the results of this thesis provide theoretical and empirical understanding of how poor stakeholders’ engagement may influence the procurement decisions. Challenges of identifying and assessing end –user needs prior to procurement decision and project prioritization, the difficulties of balancing various interest groups, inability to manage inter-relationship among different stakes during project implementation among others have been identified. The results of this thesis demonstrate how appropriate stakeholder engagement in public procurement environment and respond to external stakeholder pressures and unexpected events in the context of Public Procurements Authority objectives of creating transparency, fairness and competiveness among tenders as well as beneficiaries of procurement projects whiles achieving value for money. Finally, the knowledge of stakeholders’ engagement influences strategies and better understanding of how a public procurement can deal with stakeholder influences as well as supports entity procurement managers in the development of effective project stakeholder management approaches.

Source: KNUST
Stage designing for puppetry

This project is about stage designing and construction for puppetry and how a very simple collapsible puppet stage is constructed to aid in puppet shows and pedagogical programmes It describes the four main types of puppets: shadow glove, rod and marionette and how these puppets can be constructed from simile materials I: also discusses the historical development and uses of puppetry in countries like India, China, Japan, Britain and Italy in relation to development of puppetry in Ghana A multi-purpose collapsible stage, suitable for all the four main types of puppets, has been constructed to aid children, teachers and professional puppeteers to construct their own.

Source: KNUST