ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
CHANGING EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ANTIFUNGAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERNS OF CANDIDA SPECIES ISOLATED FROM GHANAIAN HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS

The most common type of fungaemia, candidaemia is caused by Candida spp. There is an alarming emergence of resistant strains of Candida spp. to antifungal treatment patterns. In this study, candidaemia among Ghanaian HIV/AIDS patients was compared to a similar study in 2008 to ascertain the changing prevalence of different Candida spp. and novel susceptibility patterns to the common antifungal drugs; amphotericin B, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole itraconazole and nystatin. From 2010 – 2014, a total of 176 Candida spp. (including 15 non-speciated isolates) were obtained from HIV positive individuals. The species were isolated and identified by culture on Sabouraud agar, sugar fermentation, assimilation, urease production tests and confirmed by mini API bioMerieux analyzer. Comparing the two studies over the nine-year period, though not statistically significant (p=0.362), we observed that the incidence of Candida albicans reduced by 9.1%, whereas Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata and the non-speciated increased in incidence by 3.6%, 1.7%, 3.3% and 3.1%, respectively. Similarly, amphotericin B (p=0.071) and clotrimazole (p=0.261) despite observable declines in susceptibility of isolates showed no significant decline in drug potency. There was significant increase in resistance of isolates to commonly prescribed antifungal agents; itraconazole (p=0.003), fluconazole (p=0.000), ketoconazole (p=0.008) and nystatin (p=0.049). Most probably, treatment failure of candidaemia among HIV positive individuals on antiretroviral therapy is increasing.

Source: UCC
Changing land use/cover of Ghana’s oil city (Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis): implications for sustainable urban development

Sekondi-Takoradi has been a preferred city in Ghana for many individuals after the discovery of oil in the area in 2007. This paper sought to analyze the land-use/cover change of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis between 1991 and 2016, and its implications on the sustainability of the city. A combination of GIS and remote sensing techniques were employed in the study. The findings of the study revealed a substantial land use/cover change over the period under investigation. Farmlands, open forests, and closed forests were converted into built-up areas. Furthermore, areas covered by water were also encroached by the built-up environment. These show evidence of unguided expansion of the physical growth of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis. To address the situation, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in collaboration with public land and environmental agencies should undertake sustainable urban development initiatives such as urban growth boundary strategies and also encourage vertical physical land development to protect the city’s nature reserves

Source: UCC
Changing livelihoods in response to mining: evidence from the Asutifi district of Ghana

Radical reforms and liberalisation in Ghana’s mining sector have stimulated increased investment with new multi-national mining companies coming on board as well as the rehabilitation of old mines. The cumulative effects are the intensification of mining activities and the expansion in operations across the mining zones in the country. With most rural livelihoods being heavily dependent on natural capital, expansions in mining operations means rural livelihoods would be substantially challenged. This study assesses peoples’ response to the changes in their major livelihoods as a result of loss of land to mining in the Asutifi District, and the role of stakeholders in ensuring livelihood security for the people. Using interview schedules, in-depth interview guides and observation, data for the study were gathered from 217 randomly selected household respondents and 10 purposively selected key stakeholders drawn from five settlements that are mostly affected by mining activities in the district. The study found that there have been significant changes in the livelihoods of the people since the introduction of mining in the district. Prominent among these changes in the livelihoods is the shift from agriculture to trading due to loss of agricultural land to mining. The relevant stakeholders have not been able to collaborate effectively to ensure livelihood security. The study recommends the adoption of a comprehensive national policy that promotes the interest of residents of mining-fringe communities and a revision of the country’s mineral and mining laws as a means to secure and sustain the livelihoods of residents living in mining-fringe communities

Source: UCC
Changing Roles of Women: Examining the Reciprocal Effects of Female Academics’ Job and Family Roles in Public Universities in Ghana

The role of women in society seems to be predefined in terms of cultural and physiological lines. Some people think the woman is not capable of taking up some executive positions, because they are weak and too feeble to handle certain kinds of work. However, the last decade has seen huge progress in the employment of women in the formal sector. This study therefore explores the factors that affect the work and family life of female lecturers. Data was generated from the administration of questionnaires on 105 women lecturers, who were conveniently selected from two public universities in the central region of Ghana. Our findings from the study indicated that factors such as teaching large classes, lack of teaching/learning materials, family responsibilities and pressure and demanding Deans and Heads of Departments, affected female lecturers’ job performance. The results also suggest that females academics involved in the study were least bothered about issues on their promotion and personal goals. We recommended that University management would have to come to terms with the requirements of managing tension among women to make the environment potentiating and favourable so as to keep adroit women in higher education.

Source: UCC
The Changing Trends Of Marriage And Fertility Among The People Of Larteh In The Eastern Region Of Ghana

Marriage and fertility in the African setting has assumed changes over the years. These changes have the ability to affect the African society. This study therefore aimed at exploring the changing trends in marriage and fertility in Larteh in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study was guided by the following research objectives: examine the relationship between marriage-fertility dyad among the people of Larteh; explore the fertility trends among households in Larteh in the last decade; and examine the effects of changing trend on marital fertility among the people of Larteh. Using qualitative research method, the study used the interview guide to collect data from participants who were selected through the purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The study found that marriage has a significant impact on fertility, with married couples having higher fertility rates compared to unmarried individuals. The study revealed that socio-cultural, and economic factors reinforce the importance of marriage in the reproductive behaviour of Larteh’s population. The study also showed trends of changes in the number of children per household, shifts in the age at which people have children and changes in birth rates. The study further found that delayed marriages, use of contraception and changes in economic conditions have led to a decline in fertility rates within marriages. These changes are leading to smaller family sizes, later childbearing ages, or other demographic shifts within married couples. The study concludes that marriage remains a significant determinant of fertility among the people of Larteh, but that fertility patterns have evolved over the past decade due to various social, economic and health-related factors. These changes have influenced marital fertility, potentially leading to new behaviours regarding family size and reproductive timing within marriages.

Source: UCC
Chaos Theory: A New Science for Sport Behavior?

Current theoretical approaches to research have contributed to our understanding of the effect of selected variables on other variables, yet have not sufficiently moved the sport psychology field closer to the goal of understanding, explaining, and predicting complex sport behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of a more macroscopic approach for studying the complex, nonlinear system of sport behavior, namely chaos theory. Chaos based research may yield patterns of behavior which may provide a more functional understanding of sport behavior.

Source: UCC
Characterisation and Widening of the Genetic Base of Tiger Nut (Cyperus Esculentus L.) by Chemical Mutagenesis

Limited information exists regarding the diversity of tiger nuts (Cyperus esculentus L.) in Ghana, hindering potential improvements. To address this gap, an assessment of genetic diversity was conducted using 11 morpho-descriptors and nine simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to explore variability among and within the accessions to provide valuable insights for further breeding through mutagenesis. A total of 42 accessions were collected from major tiger nut growing areas in Ghana and these were planted in the field using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications. The results from the field characterization showed significant differences among the accessions for some traits studied. The use of SSR markers demonstrated high mean polymorphism of 0.78. UPGMA cluster analyses of both morphological and molecular data indicated low genetic variability within the accessions. Four high-yielding accessions were identified for potential improvement through mutagenesis. Subsequently, 400 tubers of the four genotypes (two brown and two black tuber-producing) underwent treatment with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and colchicine at various concentrations. Analysis of quantitative data revealed LD50 and RD50 values for mass treatmeant of tiger nut tubers with the mutagens. Subsequently, 600 tubers of the four selected genotypes were mass-treated with EMS and colchicine mutagens following the LD50 and RD50 values determined, and were field-planted for M1V1 to M1V4 generations. Twenty-one mutants have beeen identified for breeding enhancement and possible varietal release.

Source: UCC
Characterisation of Morphological Traits of Indigenous Duck Populations in Three Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana

The study characterised the indigenous duck populations in three agro- ecological zones of Ghana using a primary characterisation approach involving observation and direct body measurement. Qualitative and quantitative trait data were randomly collected on 414 mature ducks, whereas data on demographic information of duck keepers were taken using a semi- structured questionnaire. The results indicated a variation in qualitative traits with plumage colour recording variants of Black and white (41.30%), Black (31.90%) and white (26.80%). The bill, bean, caruncle, shank, web, skin and eye also saw colour variations. It was observed that ducks across all agro- ecological zones laid eggs with cream shell colour. All morphometric traits were significantly influenced (P<0.05) by sex. Drakes were significantly superior (P<0.05) to ducks in the measured morphometric traits. A medium to high (0.593-0.945) positive correlation was observed among morphometric traits, with body length (0.894) as the best predictor of body weight. The discriminant analysis accurately classified 61.40% of ducks into their respective populations with cross-validation. The Mahalanobis distance was longer (2.266) between the semi-deciduous and the rainforest duck population. The PCA had higher loadings on body weight (0.965), suggesting body weight as the trait with the highest discriminatory power among the morphometric traits. The lower rate of inbreeding (0.002) implies that the indigenous duck populations run less risk of inbreeding depression. However, the lower effective population size of 782.83 affirms that indigenous ducks are endangered. Survivability should be a trait of high priority in future breeding programmes since farmers extremely prefer it.

Source: UCC
Characterisation Of Volatility Of Returns In Equity Markets Of Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa equity markets have been characterised in various practitioner literature as risky. Unfortunately, not much has been done in extant academic works to properly provide evidence and support to guide investor decision-making in the sub-region. Based on this argument, specifications of various regime switching GARCH models were made with various tail innovations to study the volatility of the returns of the Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Botswana exchanges using the daily broad market closing indices. These regime switching models were compared with the single nonswitching GARCH models using the Deviance Information Criteria (DIC) for model fit. The study established the dominance of the low volatility regime for Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria with the high volalitility periods interspersed for brief times during the sample period. The opposite was found for the Botswana exchange. The study also established the most and least volatile months of the exchanges by a process of resampling the daily into monthly data and finding the average monthly volatility ranking for the various exchanges. Findings of this study will inform investors in the sub-region equity markets on the behaviour of risk and how they can strategise their trading activities to either take advantage of the volatility or avoid losses. For policymakers, it alerts them of the presence of regimes in the markets and a reminder of when regulation and/or policy promote equity market activity in their respective countries.

Source: UCC
Characterising shoot and root System trait variability and Contribution to genotypic Variability in juvenile cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Plants

The development of cassava genotypes with root system traits that increase soil resource acquisition could increase yields on infertile soils but there are relatively few work that has quantified cassava root system architecture (RSA). We used an easily adaptable and inexpensive protocol to: (i) measure genotypic variation for RSA and shoot traits of a range of cassava genotypes; and (ii) identify candidate variables that contribute the largest share of variance. Cassava genotypes were grown in soil-filled pots, maintained at 70% field capacity. Shoot and RSA traits were measured on plants grown up to 30, 45 and 60 days. Multivariate analysis was used to determine major traits contributing to variation.The study showed that cassava roots are adventitious in origin consisting of a main root axis and orders of lateral roots, and therefore the historically used term “fibrous roots” are redundant currently not contributing to clarity. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) for traits evaluated. The highest relative root growth rate occurred over the first 30 days and ranged from 0.39 to 0.48 cm day 1. Root fresh weight was significantly correlated with other traits, including root length (r ¼ 0.79), leaf area (r ¼ 0.72), number of lower nodal roots (r ¼ 0.60), indicating that direct selection based on these traits might be sufficient to improve root biomass. Up to the first six principal components explained over 80% of the total variation among the genotypes for the traits measured at 30, 45 and 60 days. Leaf area, root diameter and branching density-related traits were the most important traits contributing to variation. Selection of cassava genotypes based on shoot and root biomass, root diameter and branching density at juvenile growth stage could be successful predictors of nutrient and water-use efficiency in the field. Further studies are required to relate studied juvenile cassava root traits with the performance of field-grown-mature plant with regard to drought, nutrient-use efficiency and yield.

Source: UCC
Characteristics and motivations of domestic tourists to Nzulezo, Ghana

Literature has proved that the sustainability of a country‘s tourism industry is based on domestic tourism as against international tourism which is sensitive to political instability, natural disasters and diseases. The objective of the study was to examine the characteristics and the motivations of domestic tourists to Nzulezo. The methodology employed for the study includes the quantitative method of data collection which is based on the positivist research paradigm. Questionnaires were used to elicit data from 169 respondents on tourists‘ socio-demographics, travel characteristics and motivations for undertaking the travel. SPSS vrs 21 was used to analyses the data, where independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, chi-square and factor analysis was used to extract the results. The study found out that domestic tourists to Nzulezo were mainly young adults with male dominance and unmarried. Majority of them were employed or students who used word of mouth and recommendations from family and friends for information about the destination. They mostly used commercial vehicles with few personal cars. On what motivated them to travel to the destination, five main push-pull factors were identified. These were culture, adventure-novelty, ego, enhancement and relaxation. It was concluded that novelty and culture of the destination draw domestic tourists to visit; it is therefore suggested that the Destination Management Organization (Ghana Tourism Authority and Ghana Wildlife Society) ensures the maintenance these factors of the destination for continuous patronage by tourists.

Source: UCC
Characteristics of Selected Lining Fabrics on the Ghanaian Market Used for Garment Construction

Linings used in garment construction provide comfort for the wearer, preserve the shape of a garment and conceal constructional details thus improving both the garment’s appearance and performance. The aim of this research was to assess the performance of three most patronized lining fabrics on the Ghanaian market. Three different brands of lining fabrics commonly used for garment construction were selected and labelled A, B and C. A total number of 63 specimens were used for the study. The parameters tested included weave type, thread count, weight, tensile strength, dimensional change to washing and colourfastness. The average values of the parameters tested were recorded. The results of the study showed that the performance properties of the selected lining fabrics varied. The fabric brand C performed best in terms of colourfastness to crocking, change in colour to washing and dimensional stability. All the evaluated lining fabric samples met standard specifications for fibre content, weave type and strength, but not weight, while some performed better in some parameters tested than others. The thread count reflected the weight and strength of the investigated samples, but not the dimensional stability. As thread count increased the weight and strength also increased. It is therefore, recommended that consumers of lining fabrics pay much attention to their selection as their performance properties vary and can affect the fashion fabrics. Further research works can be conducted where the number of lining fabric brands will be increased to help determine the compliance of manufacturers to specifications for such products.

Source: UCC
Characteristics of solid waste generated in Techiman, Ghana

Waste collection and disposal has been a challenge for many metropolitan and municipal assemblies in Ghana including the Techiman Municipal Assembly. The study focused on the characteristics (the physical composition and the per capita waste generated per each household) of solid waste within the Techiman Municipal were studied over a four-week period. Questionnaire survey and interviews with key stakeholders were also carried out. The results show a solid waste composition of 69.34% organic, 18.50% plastic, 5.48% paper and cardboard, 1.78% metals, 3.45% glass, 1.45% leather and Textiles. The average per capita waste generated was 0.71 kg/ca/day. The data generated on the quantity and composition of the waste stream in the municipality would play a positive role in solid waste management and help solid waste managers make informed decisions on waste management option. Household waste within Techiman were mainly food, yard waste, wood, paper and plastics, glass, textiles and Leather, rubber and metals. The majority of the waste generated by the households were the organic waste (69%) followed by plastic (19%). Efforts should be devoted to obtain better estimates of the generation rates and composition of non-household waste. In this study, an adequate and statistically valid characterization of household waste was made.

Source: UCC
Characteristics of Tetrazolium Violet for Radiation Processing Dosimetry

The dosimetry characteristics of 2, 5-dipheny-3-(1-naphthyl)-2H-tetrazolinum Chloride (TV) for radiation processing has been investigated for gamma and electron beam irradiation processing. The steady state investigations of the TV solutions were undertaken using the panoramic facilities of the Institute of Isotopes (Budapest, Hungary) and the Radiation Technology Centre of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission in Ghana. The dynamic studies were carried out using the 4 Me V LPR - type linear Accelerator of the Institute of Isotopes (Budapest, Hungary). In all cases U-V spectrophotometers were used to establish the absorbed dose by measuring the absorbance of the film or solution with the peaks occurring in the 500-600 nm range. The investigations included the effect of solute concentration and solvents used on the performance of both the solution and films systems, the effect of pH, irradiation temperature, humidity and the stability of the dosimeter system both as solutions and is in radiochromic dye films. The observations made indicate that the TV undergoes a-two electron reduction process as in other reported cases to form the violet coloured formazan, the extent of colour change being dependent on the dose, the concentration and the pH among others. The ImM-TV solutions for instance may measure doses up to 50 kGy and a radio chromic dye ·film prepared from it may go up to 60 kGy. If N2 saturated, the solutions may be used for low dose irradiation below 1kGy and the addition of alcohol also improvise the low absorbed dose measurements. The prepared solutions and films are generally stable if stored in the dark but temperature during and after irradiation affects the readout. The temperature effect therefore requires that in all cases in-plant calibration of the system be carried out. Again, it has been established that increased relative humidity increases the absorbance of the film for the same given dose, which also requires that the films must be conditioned at all times to ensure reproducible results. Finally preliminary tests carried out both in industrial gamma- and electron beam facilities have shown promise for the routine use of this dosimeter system both as a solution and as a film.

Source: UCC
Characteristics of tiger nut milk: effects of milling

A standard method for the extraction of tiger nut milk has been introduced. It has been shown that, although milling duration improves the yield of tiger nut milk solids and its nutrient composition, there is a quantiﬁable loss of nutrient in the pressing residue during milk extraction. Milling duration improved the colloidal stability of the milk against creaming during 16 h of storage. A higher milling intensity resulted in the aggregation of biological polymers which resulted in colloidal destabilization. Milling improved the lightness and stability and reduced browning rate of the tiger nut milk during storage. This report is important for the production of tiger nut milk of consistent and comparable characteristics. Milling has been introduced as a processing method for the qualitative and quantitative modulation of the properties of tiger nut milk. It is recommended to develop further strategies to improve the colloidal stability of tiger nut milk as a beverage

Source: UCC