ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Mapping the spatial distribution of small reservoirs in the White Volta Sub-basin of Ghana

Small reservoirs provide vital ecosystem services in the semi-arid part of Ghana. Their main role is the provisioning of water for irrigation in this water-scare part of the country. They also serve as source of water for fishing, recreation, drinking, and other domestic uses and play crucial roles in evaporation, water productivity, water scarcity mitigation and climate modulation in this area. As such, their accessibility by the populace is vital to their well-being. Also, their locations, surface area and capacity (volume) are required for water resources assessments and hydrological modelling. This work was done to map the distribution of the small reservoirs in the White Volta sub-basin in Ghana. The work assessed the accessibility of artificially built small reservoirs in the relevant communities using satellite images and ground information. The study used six Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager images covering the study area. Histogram thresholding technique was used to delineate the waterbodies from their adjacent uplands. Accuracy assessments were done through field observed data and Google Earth images. The method used produced a positional accuracy of 94%. The study estimated that there are approximately 254 small reservoirs of surface areas between 1 and 53 ha in the sub-basin. The combined surface area and volume of the small reservoirs were estimated to be 1585.265 ha and 21.154×106 m3 respectively. The study estimated only 35% of communities within the sub-basin have access to small reservoirs. The study concluded that cluster of communities and population density are the general determinants of the distribution of small reservoirs in the sub-basin. However, rainfall distribution and suitability of soil for large-scale crop production may also be some important factors dictating the distribution of small reservoirs in the White Volta sub-basin in Ghana.

Source: UG
Mapping the stacking interaction of triphenyl vinylene oligomers with graphene and carbon nanotubes

Using density functional calculations, we explore π-π and π-H stacking interactions in conjugated polymer – carbon nanomaterial composites, through a detailed surface energy mapping procedure. Taking the triphenyl vinylene oligomer as a structural model for poly para-phenylene vinylene (PPV), we map intermolecular stacking configurations between PPV pairs. We then map PPV translation over the surface of graphene, and explore orientation dependence in PPV-nanotube interaction with tubes of different chirality and diameter. Preferential stacking orientations are shown, and commensurability between the polymer and carbon substrate is demonstrated. Conjugated polymers such as PPV lie at the crossroads between small organic molecules such as benzene and extended conjugated carbon systems such as graphene. With the current calculations we are able to reconcile the range of stacking behaviours seen in these diverse materials, with literature experimental polarized Raman spectroscopy results.

Source: UG
Mapping under-five child malaria risk that accounts for environmental and climatic factors to aid malaria preventive and control efforts in Ghana: Bayesian geospatial and interactive web-based mapping methods

Background: Under-five child malaria is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally, especially among sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana. In Ghana, malaria is responsible for about 20,000 deaths in children's annually of which 25% are those aged<5 years. To provide opportunities for efficient malaria surveillance and targeted control eforts amidst limited public health resources, the study produced high resolution interac tive web-based spatial maps that characterized geographical differences in malaria risk and identified high burden communities. Methods: This modelling and web-based mapping study utilized data from the 2019 Malaria Indicators Survey (MIS) of the Demographic and Health Survey Program. A novel and advanced Bayesian geospatial modelling and mapping approaches were utilized to examine predictors and geographical differences in under-five malaria. The model was validated via a cross-validation approach. The study produced an interactive web-based visualization map of the malaria risk by mapping the predicted malaria prevalence at both sampled and unsampled locations. Results: In 2019, 718 (25%) of 2867 under-fve children surveyed had malaria. Substantial geographical diferences in under-fve malaria risk were observed. ITN coverage (log-odds 4.5643, 95% credible interval=2.4086–6.8874), travel time (log-odds 0.0057, 95% credible interval=0.0017–0.0099) and aridity (log-odds=0.0600, credible inter val=0.0079–0.1167) were predictive of under-fve malaria in the spatial model. The overall predicted national malaria prevalence was 16.3% (standard error (SE) 8.9%) with a range of 0.7% to 51.4% in the spatial model with covariates and prevalence of 28.0% (SE 13.9%) with a range of 2.4 to 67.2% in the spatial model without covariates. Residing in parts of Central and Bono East regions was associated with the highest risk of under-fve malaria after adjusting for the selected covariates. Conclusion: The high-resolution interactive web-based predictive maps can be used as an effective tool in the identification of communities that require urgent and targeted interventions by programme managers and implementers. This is key as part of an overall strategy in reducing the under-fve malaria burden and its associated morbidity and mortality in a country with limited public health resources where universal intervention is practically impossible.

Source: UG
Mapping urban malaria and diarrhea mortality in Accra, Ghana: Evidence of vulnerabilities and implications for urban health policy.

Historic increase in urban population numbers in the face of shrinking urban economies and declining social services has meant that a large proportion of the urban population lives in precarious urban conditions, which provide the grounds for high urban health risks in low income countries. This study aims to identify, investigate, and contrast the spatial patterns of vulnerability and risk of two major causes of mortality, viz malaria and diarrhea mortalities, in order to optimize resource allocation for effective urban environmental management and improvement in urban health. A spatial cluster analysis of the observed urban malaria and diarrhea mortalities for the whole city of Accra was conducted. We obtained routinely reported mortality data for the period 1998-2002 from the Ghana Vital Registration System (VRS), computed the fraction of deaths due to malaria and diarrhea at the census cluster level, and analyzed and visualized the data with Geographic Information System (GIS, ArcMap 9.3.1). Regions of identified hotspots, cold spots, and excess mortalities were observed to be associated with some socioeconomic and neighborhood urban environmental conditions, suggesting uneven distribution of risk factors for both urban malaria and diarrhea in areas of rapid urban transformation. Case-control and/or longitudinal studies seeking to understand the individual level factors which mediate socioenvironmental conditions in explaining the observed excess urban mortalities and to establish the full range of risk factors might benefit from initial vulnerability mapping and excess risk analysis using geostatistical approaches. This is key to evidence-based urban health policy reforms in rapidly urbanizing areas in low income economies.

Source: UG
Mapping vulnerability to multiple hazards in the savannah Ecosystem in Ghana

The interior savannah ecosystem in Ghana is subjected to a number of hazards, including droughts, windstorms, high temperatures and heavy rainfall, the frequency and intensity of which are projected to increase during the 21st century as a result of climate variability and change. Vulnerabilities to these hazards vary, both spatially and temporally, due to differences in susceptibilities and adaptive capacities. Many mapping exercises in Ghana have considered the impacts of single hazards on single sectors, particularly agriculture. But the hazards often occur concurrently or alternately, and have varying degrees of impacts on different sectors. The impacts also interact. These interactions make mapping of the vulnerabilities of multiple sectors to multiple hazards imperative. This paper presents an analysis of the spatial dimension of vulnerabilities by mapping vulnerability of sectors that support livelihood activities at a single point in time, using the Upper East Region of Ghana as a case study. Data colected to develop the maps were largely quantitative and from secondary sources. Other data drew on fieldwork undertaken in the region from July - September 2013. Quantitative values were assigned to qualitative categorical data as the mapping process is necessarily quantitative. Data were divided into susceptibility and adaptive capacity indicators and mapped in ArcGIS 10.2 using weighted linear sum aggregation. Agriculture was found to be the most vulnerable sector in all districts of the Upper East Region and experienced the greatest shocks from all hazards. Although all districts were vulnerable, the Talensi, Nabdam, Garu-Temapane and Kassena-Nankana West Districts were most vulnerable. Findings highlight the need for more targeted interventions to build adaptive capacity in light of the spatial distributions of vulnerabilities to hazards across sectors.

Source: UG
Mapping vulnerability to multiple hazards in the savannah Ecosystem in Ghana

The interior savannah ecosystem in Ghana is subjected to a number of hazards, including droughts, windstorms, high temperatures and heavy rainfall. The frequency and intensity of these hazards are projected to increase during the twenty-first century as a result of climate variability and change. Vulnerabilities to these hazards vary, both spatially and temporally, due to differences in susceptibilities and adaptive capacities. Many mapping exercises in Ghana have considered the impacts of single hazards on single sectors, particularly agriculture. But the hazards often occur concurrently or alternately and have varying degrees of impacts on different sectors. The impacts also interact. These interactions make mapping of the vulnerabilities of multiple sectors to multiple hazards imperative. This paper presents an analysis of the spatial dimension of vulnerabilities by mapping vulnerability of sectors that support livelihood activities at a single point in time, using the Upper East Region of Ghana as a case study. Data collected to develop the maps were largely quantitative and from secondary sources. Other data drew on fieldwork undertaken in the region from July to September 2013. Quantitative values were assigned to qualitative categorical data as the mapping process is necessarily quantitative. Data were divided into susceptibility and adaptive capacity indicators and mapped in ArcGIS 10.2 using weighted linear sum aggregation. Agriculture was found to be the most vulnerable sector in all districts of the Upper East Region and experienced the greatest shocks from all hazards. Although all districts were vulnerable, the Talensi, Nabdam, Garu-Temapane and Kassena-Nankana West Districts were most vulnerable. Findings highlight the need for more targeted interventions to build adaptive capacity in light of the spatial distributions of vulnerabilities to hazards across sectors.

Source: UG
Marching across and beyond West Africa: First record of the stem-galling fly Cecidochares connexa (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Central Africa and the implications for biological control of Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae)

The Neotropical invasive plant Chromolaena odorata R.M. King and H. Robinson (Astera ceae) is a serious weed in West and Central Africa and two biological control agents that have been introduced into West Africa to help reduce its impacts on agriculture and biodiver sity, have established. The stem-galling fly, Cecidochares connexa (Macquart) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has spread widely across West Africa since its release in only Coˆte d’Ivoire, occurring in six countries. This study aimed to investigate whether the gall fly had spread fur ther across West Africa and into Central Africa. Here, we surveyed C. odorata for C. con nexa galls in Cameroon between October 2018 and October 2020, along roadsides, on farms, residential areas, and abandoned plots, encompassing various vegetation types. Additional surveys were conducted across four countries (Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria) in West Africa that we considered the probable pathway for the spread of the gall fly into Central Africa. Cecidochares connexa was present at five of the six locations sur veyed in Cameroon, albeit in varying abundance. In Africa, these findings represent the first ever report of C. connexa outside of West Africa. In West Africa, we recorded significant expansion in the geographic range of C. connexa, as reflected in the absent-present record of C. connexa in two locations in Nigeria and one in Ghana, as well as its occurrence in all locations surveyed in Benin Republic and Togo. Clearly, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria served as the dispersal pathway of C. connexa from the release sites in Coˆte d’Ivoire into Cameroon, covering over 2,300 km. Following the spread and establishment of C. con nexa into Cameroon, we anticipate that it will continue to spread further into other parts of Central Africa which are climatically suitable. Cecidochares connexa is currently the only biological control agent for C. odorata in Central Africa. Given that it has significantly reduced populations of C. odorata in other countries where it has established, it is expected to have a similar impact in Central Africa.

Source: UG
Marginalisation of Older Adults in the Digitalisation Drive in Ghana: Exploring the Potential of Adult Learning and Education

The past decade has witnessed an overwhelming digital wave, with the Internet and associated information communication technologies (ICT) permeating every facet of life. This has had governments implement digitalisation agendas to provide their services online. However, although globally, the number of Internet and ICT users have increased tremendously, there continues to persist a digital divide in access and use of these ICT and related technologies. One such divide is generational, prevailing among younger and older adults. This chapter examines such a divide within the Ghanaian context. The chapter analyses Ghana's digitalising attempts and the positioning of adult learning and education in bridging the digital inequalities affecting older adults in Ghana. The chapter argues that the continual marginalisation of adults in the digitalised space could create a new form of social exclusion. However, adult learning and education can be harnessed as a nexus in bridging such a generational gap and must be considered within Ghana's broader digitalisation policy frameworks.

Source: UG
A marginalized combined gamma frailty and normal random-effects model for repeated, overdispersed, time-to-event outcomes

This article proposes a marginalized model for repeated or otherwise hierarchical, overdispersed time-to-event outcomes, adapting the so-called combined model for time-to-event outcomes of Molenberghs et al. (in press), who combined gamma and normal random effects. The two sets of random effects are used to accommodate simultaneously correlation between repeated measures and overdispersion. The proposed version allows for a direct marginal interpretation of all model parameters. The outcomes are allowed to be censored. Two estimation methods are proposed: full likelihood and pairwise likelihood. The proposed model is applied to data from a so-called comet assay and to data from recurrent asthma attacks in children. Both estimation methods perform very well. From simulation results, it follows that the marginalized combined model behaves similarly to the ordinary combined model in terms of point estimation and precision. It is also observed that the pairwise likelihood required more computation time on the one hand but is less sensitive to starting values and stabler in terms of bias with increasing sample size and censoring percentage than full likelihood, on the other, leaving room for both in practice. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Source: UG
Marijuana use and suicidal behaviours among school-going adolescents in Africa: assessments of prevalence and risk factors from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey

Background Marijuana use among adolescents, including high school students, has been consistently reported to be associated with a high incidence of suicidal behaviours. Little empirical research has been conducted on the propensity impact of marijuana use on suicidal behaviours in Africa. Aims To assess factors associated with marijuana use and further quantify marijuana use as an associated factor of suicidal behaviours, including repeated attempted suicide, suicidal ideation and suicide planning, among high school students in Africa. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 32 802 school-going adolescents using the Global School-Based Student Health Survey data from 10 African countries grouped into West Africa, North Africa, South-East Africa, South Africa and East Africa subregions. Marijuana use and repeated attempted suicide were the main outcome variables. We employed double selection least absolute shrinkage and selection operator poisson regression model to assess risk factors associated with marijuana use and dominance analysis to establish ranked important and common risk factors. Inverse probability weighting poisson regression adjustment was applied to assess impact. Results The prevalence of marijuana use and repeated attempted suicide were 3.7% (95% CI: 3.1 to 4.3) and 6.6% (95% CI: 5.9 to 7.4), respectively. The most important risk factor for marijuana use generally across the countries and specifically in three subregions was alcohol consumption, which constituted approximately 40% of the impact. The average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) indicated that marijuana use significantly increased the risk of suicidal ideation, suicide planning and repeated attempted suicide by 12% (ATT=0.12 (95% CI: 0.02 to 0.22)), 18% (ATT=0.18 (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.22)) and 31% (ATT=0.31 (95% CI: 0.20 to 0.41)), respectively. Conclusions Marijuana use was significantly associated with suicidal behaviours (suicidal ideation, planning and repeated attempted suicide) among the students. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.5 (to strengthen prevention and treatment of substance abuse), school-based psychosocial interventions should be streamlined to adequately assess and manage marijuana use. Targeting the most dominant risk factors in this population could translate into the reduction of suicidal behaviours in countries within Africa.

Source: UG
Marine fisheries catches in Ghana: Historic reconstruction for 1950 to 2010 and current economic impacts

Ghana has a long fishing tradition, including industrial fishing. After many of the countries where Ghanaian fleets were actively fishing declared an Exclusive Economic Zone in the 1980s, the distant-water fleet of Ghana returned to its home waters, precipitating a collapse of some local stocks. While official catches reported to the FAO document this decline, the catches of other sectors (artisanal, subsistence, and recreational fishing) were not reported, their contribution to the livelihoods of Ghanaians was simply not documented, and their impact on fish stocks overlooked. Herein, total catches were estimated at 20.8 million tonnes between 1950 and 2010 compared to 11.8 million tonnes reported to the FAO. Subsistence catches, notably from coastal lagoons represented the bulk of unreported catches and seemed to have increased overall during this period, while the artisanal and large-scale sector catches decreased. Furthermore, the economic contribution of artisanal fisheries to Ghana is declining mainly due to use of non-sophisticated technology and activities of industrial fisheries making already poor communities poorer while industrial (particularly tuna) fisheries are increasing their profitability margin due to high technology being adopted and operating in less exploited parts of the continental shelf of Ghana. Accurate catch statistics and a better understanding of the contribution of the marine fisheries sector are needed for sustainable management of the fishing industry in Ghana and its contribution to the Ghanaian economy. © 2014 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Source: UG
Marine fisheries management in the Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean

Marine fishing is crucial to the socio-economy of West Africa fishery. However, the sector has many challenges, which have increased the call for an integrated approach that provides links among human needs, activities, changes in the state of the environment, and the resultant effect on ecosystem services for sustainable man agement in fulfilment of the Conservation on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals. This study uses a socio-ecological framework (Drivers (D), Activities (A), Pressure (P), State (S), Impact (I) on welfare (W), and Response (R) as a Measure (M); DAPSI(W)R(M)) to assess the marine fishery sector of Ghana. Data were systematically sampled and analysed from vessel logbooks, fish manifests, observer reports, and relevant publications. Results show that Drivers, including livelihoods and revenue, food, and social status, contribute to industrial tuna and trawl fishing, and marine artisanal fishing activities. Where illegal fishing methods such as small mesh size nets (less than 25 mm), lights, poisonous substances, among others, are used. These activities have contributed to the pressures of selective fishing of juvenile and adult pelagic and demersal fish species. This has contributed to (changes in the State) the decline and vulnerability of Sardinella spp., and Engraulis encrasicolus, among others. The Impact on welfare includes Ghana becoming a net importer of marine species with increasing idleness of fishers due to reduced catch. Several management measures, including the Fisheries Act 625 of 2002 and Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations L.I. 2217 of 2015, and quotas in the tuna sector, among others, have been instituted to curb the effect of anthropogenic activities. Management measures, including influencing consumer behaviour for a sustainable fishery, enforcement, and data-driven management, have been recom mended, in response to the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Decade of Ocean and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Source: UG