ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Fetal hemoglobin during infancy and in sickle cell adults

Background: Fetal hemoglobin has been implicated in the modulation of sickle cell crisis though it is functional during infancy. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the warning time of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and its persistence in later life. Method: Ninety infants aged 0-12 months, admitted at hospital, were tested for their HbF levels. Adult patients numbering 690 were also examined for their sickle cell status and a sickle positive patient of SS type with HbF had her family members recruited and their sickle cell types determined. Results: The results revealed that HbF was highest (98%) at birth, decreasing at 5% per week till 6 months when it wane off. Ten infants aged 6-12 months had HbF persisting at a level of 10% or more. Adult patients examined showed proportions of their sickle cell types as AS forming 51%, AC 20%, SS 19%, and SC 10%. An SS adult patient with mild sickle cell crisis had an ASF father who had no crisis and a mother and brother with AS each who had severe crisis. Conclusion: These findings suggest that HbF wanes off during infancy but persist in some adults and may modulate crisis in these adults. This has implications in sickle cell management.

Source: UG
Fetomaternal hemorrhage among pregnant women in Accra, Ghana

Objective: To determine the occurrence of and risk factors for fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) among pregnant women at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. Methods: A prospective study of FMH among pregnant women without hemoglobinopathies in the second trimester attending prenatal care between October 2015 and May 2016 performed using the Kleihauer-Betke test. Volume of FMH was estimated; ABO and Rh blood groups of participants were determined. A data extraction form and structured questionnaire were used to collect demographic and clinical information, and data on risk factors. Results: Of 151 participants, 32 (21.2%) had FMH. Almost 18% (n=27) had FMH at baseline (16–24 weeks), 10% (10/100) at 28–32 weeks, and 11.1% (11/99) at 34–37 weeks of pregnancy. Volume of FMH was less than 30 mL in 30 (19.9%) women, whereas it was greater than 30 mL in 2 (1.3%) women. No identifiable patient-specific factors were associated with occurrence of FMH. Conclusion: FMH is common among pregnant women in Ghana and can occur as early as 16 weeks, without identifiable risk factors. RhD negative women who may be pregnant with RhD positive fetuses should be screened early in pregnancy, not only at delivery, for occurrence of FMH.

Source: UG
Fever in Africa and WHO recommendation.

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
Feynman-α technique for measurement of detector dead time using a 30 kW tank-in-pool research reactor.

Reactor noise analysis was carried out for Ghana Research Reactor-1 GHARR-1, a tank-in-pool type reactor using the Feynman-? technique (variance-to-mean method). Measurements made at different detector positions and under subcritical conditions showed that the technique could not be used to determine the prompt decay constant for the reactor which is Be reflected with photo-neutron background. However, for very low dwell times the technique was used to measure the dead time of the detector which compares favourably with the value obtained using the ?-conventional method. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Fibreoptic Gastro-Intestinal Endoscopy at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana: A Historical Perspective

Fibreoptic (or Flexible) endoscopy has revolutionized and completely transformed practice of gastroenterology, and many other medical specialties, over the past half century or so. At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra the development of this facility has evolved gradually, especially involving specialists from the Departments of Medicine and Surgery since the 1970s. This article is an attempt to trace and record this journey and to highlight some of the problems and challenges yet to be overcome. It is an anecdotal account based on the authors' recollection with attempts at verification of important dates.

Source: UG
Field and laboratory studies on water conditions affecting the potency of VectoBac® (Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H-14) against larvae of the blackfly, Simulium damnosum

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
Field performance evaluation of dual rapid HIV and syphilis tests in three antenatal care clinics in Zambia

This cross-sectional study of 3212 pregnant women assessed the field performance, acceptability, and feasibility of two dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests, the Chembio DPP HIV-syphilis Assay and the SD Bioline HIV/syphilis Duo in antenatal clinics. Sensitivity and specificity for HIV and syphilis were calculated compared to the rapid Determine HIV-1/2 with Uni-Gold to confirm positive results for HIV and the Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay for syphilis. RPR titers ≥1:4 were used to define active syphilis detection. Acceptability and feasibility were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. For Chembio, the HIV sensitivity was 90.6% (95%CI = 87.4, 93.0) and specificity was 97.2% (95%CI = 96.2, 97.8); syphilis sensitivity was 68.6% (95%CI = 61.9, 74.6) and specificity was 98.5% (95%CI = 97.8, 98.9). For SD Bioline, HIV sensitivity was 89.4% (95%CI = 86.1, 92.0) and specificity was 96.3% (95%CI = 95.3, 97.1); syphilis sensitivity was 66.2% (95%CI = 59.4, 72.4) and specificity was 97.2% (95%CI = 96.4, 97.9). Using the reference for active syphilis, syphilis sensitivity was 84.7% (95%CI = 76.1, 90.6) for Chembio and 81.6% (95%CI = 72.7, 88.1) for SD Bioline. Both rapid diagnostic tests were assessed as highly acceptable and feasible. In a field setting, the performance of both rapid diagnostic tests was comparable to other published field evaluations and each was rated highly acceptable and feasible. These findings can be used to guide further research and proposed scale up in antenatal clinic settings.

Source: UG
Field studies on the susceptibility of six plantain cultivars to infestation by the banana weevil, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Ghana

Field studies were used to identify plantain cultivars that were less susceptible to infestation by the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Six plantain cultivars, Osoboaso, Borodewuio, Apantu-pa, Asamienu, Agbagba and Obino L'Ewai, were evaluated between October 1997 and September 1998. The results indicated that all the cultivars were susceptible to weevil damage in weevil oviposition, egg hatchability, and larval growth and development. Weevil population was not significantly different among the cultivars, but differences in the corm damage were significant. Agbagba and Borodewuio were significantly more susceptible to borer attack than Obino L'Ewai and Osoboaso, Asamienu and Apantu-pa were intermediate in their susceptibility to borer attack. Cultivating Obino L'Ewai, Osoboaso, Asamienu and Apantu-pa, using good management practices, may increase plantain yields and enhance the sustainability of plantain production in Ghana.

Source: UG
Fifteen years of programme implementation for the elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in Ghana: Impact of MDA on immunoparasitological indicators

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
Fifty years of library literature on Ghana: A bibliometric study

This paper presents an analysis of the structure and bibliographic control of the Literature on librarianship in Ghana during the period 1950-2000. Areas covered include number of publications by decade; format of publications; the major subjects covered; the most popular journals of publication; and the extent of usage of non-library science journals. The findings indicate among others, that the Ghana Library Journal has contributed immensely to library literature on Ghana. Implications of the study are also discussed.

Source: UG
Fifty Years of the Media’s Struggle for Democracy in Ghana: Legacies and Encumbrances

Ghana's media history has been chequered and marred by decades of political as well as economic instability. Just as in other sub-Saharan African countries, the Ghanaian press was at the forefront of political struggles for liberation from colonial rule and, later, in the vanguard of opposition to dictatorial rule. But for long periods postindependence, the media were also ineffectual watchdogs, often functioning as tools of the succession of military regimes which ruled the country from the mid-1960s through the 1970s and 1980s. The lifting of restrictions on the media was a prerequisite for Ghana's transition back to democracy in 1993 as well as a dividend of economic and political liberalization. The manner in which the media were appropriated in the long process of nationbuilding has had a bearing on how they function in today's democratic environment. This paper examines Ghana's media history, dividing it into five phases, and also paying attention to future prospects.

Source: UG
Fighting gender-based violence: The women's movement and the enforcement of rape law in Liberia

Many African states have adopted laws that criminalize rape and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV), but the enforcement of such laws is often weak. Many rape cases are never brought to court and victims are frequently encouraged to accept reconciliation instead of prosecution of offenders. Drawing on research from post-conflict Liberia, this article investigates the ability of women's movements to influence the state's implementation of rape law, and seeks to theorize the relationship between women's activism and the enforcement of rape law. It documents the range of strategies adopted by the Liberian women's movement, and argues that these tactics have contributed to an increased referral of rape cases to court. This was made possible by two conditions: a relatively open political environment and political and material support from international organizations, which in turn enabled women's NGOs to gain access to and make an impression on the implementation process. This demonstrates the capacity of civil society organizations in Africa's more open and internationally connected states to influence policy at the implementation stage–even in particularly challenging areas such as women's rights.

Source: UG
Fighting gender-based violence: The women’s movement and the enforcement of rape law in Liberia.

Many African states have adopted laws that criminalize rape and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV), but the enforcement of such laws is often weak. Many rape cases are never brought to court and victims are frequently encouraged to accept reconciliation instead of prosecution of offenders. Drawing on research from post-conflict Liberia, this article investigates the ability of women’s movements to influence the state’s implementation of rape law, and seeks to theorize the relationship between women’s activism and the enforcement of rape law. It documents the range of strategies adopted by the Liberian women’s movement, and argues that these tactics have contributed to an increased referral of rape cases to court. This was made possible by two conditions: a relatively open political environment and political and material support from international organizations, which in turn enabled women’s NGOs to gain access to and make an impression on the implementation process. This demonstrates the capacity of civil society organizations in Africa’s more open and internationally connected states to influence policy at the implementation stage – even in particularly challenging areas such as women’s rights.

Source: UG
Fighting Organized Crime in West Africa: The Case of Community Policing in Ghana

This study utilized a mixed descriptive design approach, incorporating both sequential transformative and concurrent transformative approaches, to examine the impact of community policing on crime prevention and management in various communities in Ghana. Adopting a positivistic paradigm, the study collected data through observations and surveys in the Upper East, Western, Eastern, Volta, and Greater Accra Regions. The sample frame for the study consisted of communities in these regions that have implemented community policing initiatives. The study found that there is a significant level of crime reduction in the target communities, with 31.4% of respondents strongly agreeing and 57.3% agreeing with this statement. The majority of respondents also had confidence in the police (35.1% strongly agreeing and 57.6% agreeing) and believed that the police are friendly and can be relied on for assistance (33.8% strongly agreeing and 59.4% agreeing). In terms of community policing strategies, the study found that visibility strategies, such as decentralizing police posts to communities, and door-to-door visit strategies were particularly effective in improving safety and reducing crime. Overall, the study highlights the importance of community participation and effective community policing strategies in promoting crime prevention and management in target communities.

Source: UG
Fighting with proverbs; Kasena women’s (Re) Definition of female personhood through proverbial jesting

I explore the way Kesena women from Northern Ghana exploit the joking relationship between a woman and her husband’s kin to subvert, contradict and deconstruct the sexist ideology in Kasem proverbs. I the process, they create “counter-proverbs” through which they establish their own signifying terms. I use the conception of the proverb as strategy, as well as the theoretical concepts of positionality, identification and performance to analyse their proverbs.

Source: UG
Filariasis in northern Ghana: Some cultural beliefs and practices and their implications for disease control

This article reports on how some endemic rural communities in northern Ghana perceive and manage lymphatic filariasis. The disease was mainly attributed to supernatural and spiritual factors. Except for a few instances of neglect, the community was generally caring towards people with the disease. Issues related to marriage, stigma, concealment and leadership are discussed. On the whole, the importance of social and cultural perceptions of a disease and its relevance to control cannot be over emphasized.

Source: UG
Filling the Gap 115 Years after Ronald Ross: The Distribution of the Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae s.s from Freetown and Monrovia, West Africa

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
Filovirus Disease Outbreaks: A Chronological Overview

Filoviruses cause outbreaks which lead to high fatality in humans and non-human primates, thus tagging them as major threats to public health and species conservation. In this review, we give account of index cases responsible for filovirus disease outbreaks that have occurred over the past 52 years in a chronological fashion, by describing the circumstances that led to the outbreaks, and how each of the outbreaks broke out. Since the discovery of Marburg virus and Ebola virus in 1967 and 1976, respectively, more than 40 filovirus disease outbreaks have been reported; majority of which have occurred in Africa. The chronological presentation of this review is to provide a concise overview of filovirus disease outbreaks since the discovery of the viruses, and highlight the patterns in the occurrence of the outbreaks. This review will help researchers to better appreciate the need for surveillance, especially in areas where there have been no filovirus disease outbreaks. We conclude by summarizing some recommendations that have been proposed by health and policy decision makers over the years.

Source: UG
A filtration-based protocol to isolate human plasma membrane-derived vesicles and exosomes from blood plasma.

The methods of Plasma Membrane-derived Vesicle (PMV) isolation and quantification vary considerably in the literature and a new standard needs to be defined. This study describes a novel filtration method to isolate PMVs in plasma, which avoids high speed centrifugation, and to quantify them using a Becton Dickinson (BD) FACS Calibur™ flow cytometer, as annexin V-positive vesicles, larger than 0.2 μm in diameter. Essentially microvesicles (which comprise a mixture of PMVs and exosomes) from citrate plasma were sonicated to break up clumped exosomes, and filtered using Millipore 0.1 μm pore size Hydrophilic Durapore membranes in Swinnex 13 mm filter holders. Phosphatidylserine-positive PMVs detected with annexin V-PE were quantified using combined labelling and gating strategies in conjunction with Polysciences Polybead Microspheres (0.2 μm) and BDTrucount tubes. The PMV absolute count was calculated on the analysis template using the Trucount tube lot number information and expressed in PMV count/ml. Having estimated a normal reference range (0.51×10(5)-2.82×10(5) PMVs/ml) from a small sample of human donors, using the developed method, the effect of certain variables was investigated. Variations such as freezing of samples and gender status did not significantly alter the PMV absolute count, and with age plasma PMV levels were only marginally reduced. Smokers appeared to have reduced PMV levels. Nicotine, as for calpeptin was shown to dose-dependently (from 10 up to 50 μM) reduce levels of early apoptosis in THP-1 monocytes and to decrease the level of PMV release. Fasting individuals had 2-3 fold higher PMV absolute counts compared to non-fasting subjects.

Source: UG
Financial access and economic development: the moderating role of financial consumer protection

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of financial consumer protection (FCP) in the access–development nexus. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on cross-country data on 102 countries surveyed in the World Bank Global Survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013). The White heteroscedasticity adjusted regressions and Two-stage least squares regressions (2SLS) are used for the estimation. Findings Interactions between FCP regulations that foster fair treatment, disclosure, dispute resolution and recourse and financial access have positive net effects on economic development. However, there is no sufficient evidence to suggest that interactions between financial access and enforcement and compliance monitoring regulations have a significant effect on economic development. Practical implications First, policy makers should continue with efforts aimed at instituting FCP regimes as part of strategies aimed at broadening access to financial services for enhanced economic development. Second, instituting FCP regimes per se may not be enough. Policy makers need to consider possible intervening factors such as the provision of adequate resources and supervisory authority, for compliance monitoring and enforcement to achieve the expected positive effect on economic development. Originality/value This study extends evidence in the law–finance–growth literature by providing empirical evidence on the effect of legal institution specific to the protection of retail financial consumers on the access–development nexus using a nouvel data set, the World Bank Global survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013).

Source: UG
Financial Access and Firm Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa

The paper investigates the effect of access to finance on the productivity of manufacturing firms in Sub-Saharan Africa. With the aid of the Semi-parametric approach by Levinsohn and Petrin, findings reveal that access to a cost-effective line of credit/loan or an overdraft facility has a positive effect on firm productivity. The study, therefore, concludes that it is of outmost benefit for firms to acquire credit facilities for more productive projects and that the credit constraints firms in Africa face should be significantly relaxed.

Source: UG
Financial and monetary policies in Ghana: a review of recent trends

This study has reviewed recent monetary and financial policies pursued in Ghana. The paper concludes that generally, while there have been remarkable improvements in the key monetary indicators which suggest relatively effective monetary policies during the period under review, the fiscal imbalance in the country has limited these outcomes. There is clearly the need for greater fiscal discipline given that monetary policies cannot achieve their intended purposes in the presence of fiscal imbalances. Moreover, although the policy rates have signalled a downward trend in lending rates, this has not reflected in the lending rates charged by deposit money banks (DMBs). This suggests that there are other factors driving interest rates in the country and therefore the need for policy intervention to make the cost of doing business favourable to the private sector

Source: UG
Financial consumer protection and economic growth

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between financial consumer protection (FCP) and economic growth. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use cross-country data on 114 countries surveyed in the World Bank Global Survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013) and endogenous treatment regressions for the estimation. Findings – The results indicate that FCP enhances economic growth through fair treatment, responsible lending, enforcement and dispute resolution and recourse regulations. The authors find no evidence to suggest that disclosure and compliance monitoring regulations have an effect on economic growth. Practical implications – This study provides rich insight into the important question faced by policy makers, as to which FCP regulatory mechanisms to put in place to enhance economic growth. Originality/value – This study provides current, cross-country empirical evidence on the debate as to whether FCP enhances economic growth

Source: UG