ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Analyses of the return on investment of public health interventions: a scoping review and recommendations for future studies

Return on investment (ROI) analysis is increasingly being used for evaluating the value for money of public health interventions. Given its potential role for informing health policies, it is important that there is a more comprehensive understanding of ROI analysis within the global health field. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a scoping review of recent research articles reporting an ROI metric for a health intervention within the public sector in any country setting. The database search was limited to literature published in English and studies published between 1 January 2018 and 14 June 2021. Uses and settings where the ROI metric is being applied, key methodological features of the calculations and the types of economic benefits included were extracted. 118 relevant studies were included within this scoping review. We found that ROI analyses of health interventions differed between those that only included fiscal savings (such as prevented medical expenses) and those which incorporated a wider range of benefits (such as monetised health benefits). This highlights the variation in the definition of ROI analyses and supports the finding that ROI analyses are used for a range of different research questions/purposes within the healthcare sector. We also found that the methodologies used in ROI calculations were inconsistent and often poorly reported. This review demonstrates that there is notable variation in the methodology surrounding recent ROI calculations of healthcare interventions, as well as the definition of ROI analysis. We recommend that ROI metrics should be carefully interpreted before they are used to inform policy decisions regarding the allocation of healthcare resources. To improve the consistency of future studies, we also set out recommended use cases for ROI analysis and a reporting checklist.

Source: UG
Analysing forest resource governance in Africa: Proposition for an integrated policy network model

The aim of this paper is to present an integrated policy network model for analysing forest policy formulation and implementation in Africa. The model, which is based on a relational conceptualisation of power, addresses some of the main weaknesses of the existing policy network theory. To test the robustness of the model, it was applied to examine forest governance in Ghana. Based on the empirical findings, it was concluded that the integrated policy network model provides a useful framework for understanding the fluidity of power and informal exchanges that characterises forest policy formulation and implementation in Africa. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Source: UG
Analysis and Implementation of Optimization Techniques for Facial Recognition

Amidst the wide spectrum of recognition methods proposed, there is still the challenge of these algorithms not yielding optimal accuracy against illumination, pose, and facial expression. In recent years, considerable attention has been on the use of swarm intelligence methods to help resolve some of these persistent issues. In this study, the principal component analysis (PCA) method with the inherent property of dimensionality reduction was adopted for feature selection. +e resultant features were optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. For the purpose of performance comparison, the resultant features were also optimized with the genetic algorithm (GA) and the artificial bee colony (ABC). +e optimized features were used for the recognition using Euclidean distance (EUD), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), and the support vector machine (SVM) as classifiers. Experimental results of these hybrid models on the ORL dataset reveal an accuracy of 99.25% for PSO and KNN, followed by ABC with 93.72% and GA with 87.50%. On the central, an experimentation of the PSO, GA, and ABC on the YaleB dataset results in 100% accuracy demonstrating their efficiencies over the state-of-the art methods.

Source: UG
An analysis of allocative efficiency of shea butter processing methods in the northern region of Ghana

This study estimated and compared the allocative efficiencies of the traditional, improved shea butter processing technology (ISBPT) and the bridge press (BP) methods of shea butter processing. Data were collected from 110 shea butter processors. Allocative efficiency estimates were obtained using the marginal product approach. The allocative efficiency indices for labour indicate that while labour input is over utilised in the traditional method, it is under utilised in the ISBPT and BP methods. The allocative efficiency indices for capital, show that capital input is over utilised in the traditional and ISBPT methods though the extent of over utilization is greater for the ISBPT method. Processors require training to build their entrepreneurship capacities to ensure their resource use efficiency.

Source: UG
An Analysis of Anti- Human Trafficking Approaches towards Curbing Child Trafficking in Ghana (2005-2019)

In 2005, Ghana domesticated the provisions of the United Nation’s “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children” also known as the Palermo Protocol through the enactment of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694). Consequently, other laws were enacted to further align the provisions of Act 694 to the Palermo Protocol. Despite the efforts of the state to enforce these laws, trafficking in persons persists. The study therefore sought to examine the anti-child trafficking measures between 2005 and 2019 to explore in detail the reasons why child trafficking in Ghana remains undefeated. The theoretical framework on which the theory was premised was the compliance theory. The study which depended on both primary and secondary sources of data is purely qualitative. From the findings, the study concluded that the measures instituted to enforce the laws on preventing child trafficking have been efficient. The general challenge however, was highlighted as the inadequacy of funds. Specifically, the hindrances to the efficient implementation of strategies to prevent trafficking include deep-seated cultural practices and the lack of capacity of law enforcement officers. The impediments to adequately enforcing the provisions of the laws on protection include the lack of logistics to aid the process of reintegrating rescued victims while the delay in the court system which constrains victims to give up the hope of prosecution are other the identified hindrances to curbing the menace. The study, therefore, recommends the institution of effective monitoring and evaluation procedures to track all funds dispensed by the state. The proper structuring of sensitisation programmes on preventing child trafficking, the establishment of more state shelters and the establishment of courts solely for trying human trafficking cases are recommended to effectively tackle the menace in Ghana.

Source: UG
An analysis of climate change and health hazards: results from an international study

Purpose: The interconnections between climate change and health are well studied. However, there is a perceived need for studies that examine how responses to health hazards (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, ozone) layer effects, allergens, mental health and vector-borne diseases) may assist in reducing their impacts. The purpose of this paper is to review the evidence on health responses to climate hazards and list some measures to address them. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed literature review, bibliometric analysis and an original online survey were undertaken on 140 participants from 55 countries spread across all geographical regions. Findings – The bibliometric analysis identified that most climate-related health hazards are associated with extreme weather events. However, only one-third of the investigated papers specifically analysed the connections between climate change and health hazards, revealing a thematic gap. Also, although Africa is highly affected by climate change, only 5% of the assessed studies focused on this continent. Many respondents to the survey indicated “heat distress” as a significant vulnerability. The survey also identified social determinants relevant to climate-induced health vulnerabilities, such as socioeconomic and environmental factors, infrastructure and pre-existing health conditions. Most respondents agree that policies and regulations are the most effective adaptation tools to address the public health hazards triggered by climate change. This paper presents some suggestions for optimising public health responses to health hazards associated with climate change, such as the inclusion of climate-related components in public health policies, setting up monitoring systems to assess the extent to which specific climate events may pose a health threat, establishing plans to cope with the health implications of heatwaves, increased measures to protect vulnerable groups and education and awareness-raising initiatives to reduce the overall vulnerability of the population to climate-related health hazards. These measures may assist the ongoing global efforts to understand and cope with the impacts of climate change. change on health. Originality/value: the combination of a literature review, bibliometric analysis and an original world survey identified and presented a wide range of responses.

Source: UG
Analysis of content, services, and resources available and accessible on websites of academic libraries

Purpose – This study aims to review the content of academic libraries’ websites with specific reference to the general information, services, information resources, features and functionalities, instructional tools to support teaching, learning and research for the patrons and users, and the visibility or activeness of the navigational tools on the websites. Design/methodology/approach – The study focused on six categories of tertiary institutions: public universities, technical universities, chartered private universities, university colleges, colleges of education and nursing and midwifery schools. From each category, the researchers purposively selected five different institutions with library websites. Thus, 30 library websites were reviewed and analyzed for this study. Findings – The review disclosed a generally low content and information on the websites in terms of the availability of information resources and collections; the types of services available at the libraries via the websites; the features and functionalities of the websites; the instructional tools to support teaching, learning and research for the patrons and users; and the visibility or activeness of the navigational tools on the websites. Despite this, the public universities displayed more and above average information, services, information resources, instructional tools and navigational tools on their library websites, followed by the technical universities, chartered private universities and university colleges. Conversely, the colleges of education and nursing and midwifery schools were to a large extent unable to provide information relating to electronic resources, instructional tools and navigational tools. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to 30 library websites from all six categories of tertiary institutions in Ghana. From the study, the management of the universities and the libraries must appreciate the significant role of websites in providing information and resources in support of teaching, research and learning at the institutions. In this regard, they need to provide the necessary support and resources for the effective deployment and operationalization of websites. Originality/value – To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first of its kind as no study seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of the content of academic libraries’ websites with specific reference to the general information, services, information resources, features, functionalities, instructional tools to support teaching, learning and research for the patrons and users, and the visibility or activeness of the navigational tools on the websites.

Source: UG
Analysis of Doctoral Thesis Citation Patterns: A Case Study of the Sam Jonah Library, Ghana

The use of bibliometrics as an essential tool for collection development is well acknowledged by many researchers because it employs quantitative methods when seeking to measure and assess the output of scientific publications. A quantitative evaluation of publications and citations can be beneficial for effective collection development. The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the citation patterns in the PhD dissertations submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cape Coast between 2005 and 2016. A total of 35 PhD theses were submitted within this time period and were obtained from the Africana section of the Sam Jonah Library. The reference section from each thesis was photocopied and manually examined. Overall, 6,458 citations were analysed. Journal articles were the most cited publications, followed by books, reports and web resources. The findings also showed that a majority (73.3%) of the journals cited by PhD students could be accessed through Sam Jonah Library’s subscribed online databases. The study concludes that although the use of these databases is high among PhD students, there is a need for greater awareness and training in the use of these databases.

Source: UG
Analysis of erythrocyte invasion mechanisms of plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates across 3 malaria-endemic areas in Ghana

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
Analysis of Exchange Rates as Time-Inhomogeneous Markov Chain with Finite States

Irrespective of whether the test for homogeneity is significant or not, most researchers assume time-homogeneity in analysing Markov chains due to scanty literature on the analysis of time-inhomogeneous Markov chains. Based on the assumption that, for each point in time in the future, a stochastic process will be subjected to a randomly selected transition matrix from an ergodic set of transition matrices the process was subjected to in the recent past, a methodology was proposed for analysing the long-run behaviours of time-inhomogeneous Markov chains. The proposed model was implemented to historical data consisting of the exchange rate of cedi-dollar, cedi-pound, and cedi-euro spanning over 6 years (January 2012 to December 2017). The results show that under certain “closeness” conditions, the long-run behaviours of the time-inhomogeneous case are almost identical to those of the time-homogeneous case. The paper asserted that even if the Markov chain exhibit time-inhomogeneity, analysing the Markov chain under the assumption of time-homogeneity is a step in the right direction under certain “closeness” conditions; otherwise, the proposed method is recommended. It was also found that investing in dollars yields better returns than the other currencies in Ghana.

Source: UG
Analysis of factors influencing caterers of the Ghana school feeding programme to purchase rice from local farmers in the Tamale metropolis, tolon-kumbungu and karaga districts

The Ghana School Feeding Programme is the local version of the Home Grown School Feeding. Launched in 2005, the programme has three basic objectives; Poverty Reduction and Food Security, Reducing Hunger and Malnutrition and Boosting Domestic Food production in Ghana. Studies have shown that the programme have had tremendous impact on school enrolment, retention and malnutrition but the same cannot be said about its agricultural portfolio. Indications are that the programme has not succeeded in boosting domestic food production. Over the years no clear procurement procedures relating to the purchase of foodstuff have been followed. Linkage between the Ghana School Feeding Programme and local farmers is a subject matter that is under-researched. This study therefore seeks to assess the factors that influence Ghana School Feeding Programme caterers to buy rice from local farmers in the Tamale metropolis, Tolon-Kumbungu and Karaga districts of the northern of Ghana. The findings will be useful to policy makers and rice farmers in generally especially with regard to agricultural marketing opportunities created by the School Feeding Programme. Analysis of the Ghana School Feeding Programme’s procurement of rice from local farmers was conducted using a probit regression model. The willingness of caterers to buy rice from the local farmer which is a binary choice is the dependent variable and the factors which are hypothesized to influence the decision of the caterer are the independent variables. The results show that majority of caterers buy rice from local millers and the market and very little from local farmers. The factors which had significant influence on the caterers to buy from the local rice farmer include, availability of storage facility, other jobs done by caterers, price of milled rice, easy location of rice farmers and delays in the payment of feeding bursaries. The Ghana School Feeding Programme Secretariat should employ caterers who are unemployed and do not have any other jobs doing. Also the provision of adequate storage facilities in schools and the early disbursement of feeding bursaries to caterers are essential in solving the problem of buying foodstuffs directly from farmers.

Source: UG
Analysis of fatty acids in Ghee and olive oil and their probable causal effect in lipoid pneumonia

Aim: To analyze and identify the fatty acids found in homemade ghee and in olive oil and compare those to fatty acids found in bronchoalevolar lavage of children with lipoid pneumonia. Methods: The fatty acids found in homemade fat ”Ghee” and olive oil were analyzed by gas chromatography. Methyl ester derivatives suitable for GC analysis were prepared directly from olive oil or from Ghee using anhydrous methanolic-HCl. Bronchoscopy and bronchoalevolar lavage was performed in eight children aged between 2 and 4 years, all with history of using homemade ghee and/or olive oil in the recumbent position. Results: The analysis of fatty acids in Ghee and olive oil show similar gas chromatographic pattern as those of bronchoalevolar lavage. Conclusion: The three fatty acids responsible for the deleterious effects of lipoid pneumonia were identified. Lipoid pneumonia should be one of the differentials diagnosis in children presenting with respiratory distress. © 2010, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
An analysis of financial and monetary cooperation in Africa

There is no doubt that there is still a long way to go before financial and monetary cooperation can be firmly established in Africa. Since the introduction of the euro, the perceived pressure on African governments to set up similar arrangements has increased, despite the fact that institutional and other structural conditions are quite different. In parts of Africa, there is certainly a tendency to view financial and monetary integration as the best possibility for bringing about faster political integration The current struggles of the West African Monetary Zone to achieve convergence give ample indication of the difficulties facing the region as it seeks to achieve financial and monetary cooperation. On the other hand, the fact that the CFA franc appears to have achieved some stability since the implementation of reforms and pegging to the euro suggests that having an external anchor might help. In any case, this experience raises question as to the prospects for using an externally based peg to achieve financial cooperation among any group of African countries. © 2006 United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Source: UG
Analysis of fishers’ wellbeing in the western region of Ghana

Small-scale fisheries in Ghana are declining in response to the global fisheries crisis. The policies to curb this situation are dependent on the wellbeing of fishers in terms of material condition, quality of life, and transformative strategies for sustainable livelihoods. This paper employs survey data to investigate the wellbeing of fishers, using descriptives, principal-component analysis, and structural equation modelling. The results revealed that the summative effect of material condition and quality of life, and sustainability on fishers’ wellbeing is low. Despite the low ranking of income (lower among men fishers than women fishers) processors), basic necessities, and government support, fishers are still motivated to work but claim that their children may one day be locked out of the industry. This paper addresses the gap in the literature by establishing the need to enhance educational facilities for the children of fishers, while complementing with investments that create job opportunities in the fishing communities. This may eventually reduce dependence on the sea for sustainable fisheries.

Source: UG
Analysis of Fluid-Solid Interaction Contributing to Thermal Fatigue in T-Junction Pipes of Nuclear Power Reactors using STAR-CCM+

The focus of this project is on the investigation of phenomena causing degradation of specific zones of piping considering high temperature single-phase mixing in the location of T-Junction in Nuclear power plants. At these locations, thermal stratification and/or turbulent mixing are capable of generating damage-inducing thermal fluctuations of appropriate frequency and amplitude. Fluctuating stresses imposed on this section of the piping system are possible grounds of thermal fatigue failures in piping systems of nuclear power plants resulting into leakages of coolant. These stresses are produced mainly because of the temperature fluctuations that exist in regions where cold and hot streams are vigorously mixed together. A classic scenario for such mixing appears in turbulent flow via a T-junction. In this study, the purpose will be to perform a 3-D Simulation of fluid-Solid Interaction at a mixing Joint. Two different simulations of thermal mixing in T-junction of a nuclear power plant will be considered and perform thermal analyses of parameters leading to structure degradation. Pipe dimensions and flow parameters such as wall thickness and high operating temperatures difference are modeled and corresponding fluid-solid interaction‘s effect on wall thickness is investigated by using STAR-CCM+ Code for the simulations, where which fluid-flow calculations will be carried out. Thereafter, the flows inlet temperature will be interchange and another simulation conducted with same parameters so as to determine the effect in a different possible scenario. The flow characteristics and the temperatures in the pipe wall downstream are obtained using this Computational Fluid Dynamics. Simulations result and validation outputs with T-Junction experiment carried out at the FSI Test Facility, University of Stuttgart and contributions of the various investigated parameters contributing to thermal fatigue were presented.

Source: UG