ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Design of an Efficient Sterilisation System

Sterilisation, a key method for reducing the transfer of communicable diseases, is an extermination method for microorganisms from the surface of devices, culture media, fluids and reagents. In a developing country such as Ghana, electricity is often unavailable and supply when available is frequently unreliable. High cost of existing sterilization systems, inefficient microbe elimination by improvised methods and material degradation were identified as major inadequacies associated with sterilisation systems, currently being employed. Using a formal engineering design process, a sterilisation system satisfying objectives of user safety, high operational efficiency, competitive cost, and an aesthetically pleasing appearance was developed for hospitals, clinics, traditional birth attendants and beauty parlours. The affordable steriliser resolves the aforementioned limitations by operating without the use of electricity and attains sterility without material degradation. The design may be modified to obtain sterilisers of varying capacity to satisfy different categories of users, both small and large scale. The mediation of designing a non-electrical steriliser, with an operational efficiency of 83%, is meant to promote the practice of sterilisation among healthcare providers and beauticians, so as to reduce disease transfer resulting from the use of contaminated equipment.

Source: UG
Design of Inhibitors That Target the Menin–Mixed-Lineage Leukemia Interaction

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
Design of Portable and Attachable Baby Cot

To solve congestion problems facing many hospitals in developing countries, baby cots are being eliminated and mothers are made to sleep on the same bed with their new-born babies; a practice known as co-sleeping. The work presented here seeks to reduce risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation associated with co-sleeping by employing the formal engineering design process to develop a portable, safe and cost effective baby cot. The cot is attachable to the mother’s bed, has four movement restrictors to regulate the movement of the baby within a given range and a hard surface mattress to ensure the safety of the baby. There are ventilation ports provided to keep the temperature with in the cot comfortable. The design can be modified to be used by older babies and may be mounted on a collapsible stand where space limitations are not critical.

Source: UG
Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Biological Activity of Ferrocene-Ispinesib Hybrids: Impact of a Ferrocenyl Group on the Antiproliferative and Kinesin Spindle Protein Inhibitory Activity

With the aim to combine more than one biologically-active component in a single molecule, derivatives of ispinesib and its (S) analogue were prepared that featured ferrocenyl moieties or bulky organic substituents. Inspired by the strong kinesin spindle protein (KSP) inhibitory activity of ispinesib, the compounds were investigated for their antiproliferative activity. Among these compounds, several derivatives demonstrated significantly higher antiproliferative activity than ispinesib with nanomolar IC50 values against cell lines. Further evaluation indicated that the antiproliferative activity is not directly correlated with their KSP inhibitory activity while docking suggested that several of the derivatives may bind in a manner similar to ispinesib. In order to investigate the mode of action further, cell cycle analysis and reactive oxygen species formation were investigated. The improved antiproliferative activity of the most active compounds may be assigned to synergic effects of various factors such as KSP inhibitory activity due to the ispinesib core and ability to generate ROS and induce mitotic arrest.

Source: UG
Designing an effective instruction for Distance Education students: an andragogical approach

The design of instructions in distance education differs significantly from that of on-campus study. This is because many factors had to be considered for its development. This paper tries to establish the theoretical formulations underpinning the design of instructional materials for distance education. It basically underscores the fact the student ought to be the centre of the design with the tutor understanding the student to the full – especially their learning orientations. The distance learner needs to be motivated to learn by the preparation of materials that are understandable, easy to assimilate and with clear and comprehensive guidelines. Instructional design is a process and a product. These ensure that the instruction is carefully designed, tested and developed according to specified procedures and practices that will help the student to learn. The objectivities argue that the environment is important in the design of the instruction while the constructionists acknowledge the methods through which the instructional design will be utilized. It is therefore important that in designing instruction, issues pertaining to self-directed learning and independent study are acknowledged as they relate to information processing and assimilation of facts.

Source: UG
Despatch From the Secretary of State Relating to the Proposal to Establish A Medical College in the Gold Coast, Together With Regulations and Conditions for the Award of Government Scholarships to African Students for the Purpose of Studying Medicine in the United Kingdom.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 7th of November, regarding the proposal that a Medical College should be established in the Gold Coast, and to thank you for the full expression of your views which you have given me. I have now been able to consider the question in all its aspects, and am in a position to come to a final decision.

Source: UG
Despatches relating to Colonial Veterinary Services.

With reference to my Circular despatch of the 26th January, 1929, I have the honour to inform you that I have now considered the recommendations of the Committee which I appointed to enquire into the question of the organisation and efficiency of the Colonial Veterinary Services. The Committee preface their Report (Cmd. 3261) with an introduction in which they urge the importance of veterinary activities in the Colonial Empire and the need for strengthening the Colonial Veterinary Services and improving the standard of recruitment for them. They state their conviction that the Services should be made more attractive, particularly by the provision of higher salaries in .the senior grades and by an improvement in the status and prestige of Veterinary Departments, but they recognise that almost equally important is the provision of better training facilities in this country, and they refer especially to the condition of the Royal Veterinary College at Camden Town.

Source: UG
Destructive leadership behaviors among heads of departments in higher education: perceptions of subordinates in Ghana.

Although the phenomenon of destructive leadership is ubiquitous and its negative impact on the higher education (HE) sector is global, it is still an area underexplored, and the few studies on it focus attention predominantly on the HE context of the developed world. This study used the HE context of Ghana as an example of a developing country to determine, from subordinate perceptions, the prevalence of destructive leadership behaviors among heads of departments (HoDs). Five hundred and forty-six respondents from 180 higher education institutions across the country were involved in a cross-sectional survey based on a modified version of the Destructive Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ). The research found that although subordinates generally thought the behaviors of HoDs in Ghanaian HE were destructive, the perceptions varied significantly according to the type of institution. Also, subordinates’ statuses and demographics influenced how they perceived the destructive leadership behaviors of HoDs. Furthermore, gender, age, and years of employment significantly varied with the per ceived prevalence of destructive leadership behaviors of HoDs in Ghanaian HEIs. The research mainly recommended a more nuanced approach to dealing with the phenomenon of destructive leader ship so that the public and private dichotomy in the prevalence of destructive leadership behaviors in global HE may be addressed.

Source: UG
Detecting asymptomatic carriage of Plasmodium falciparum in southern Ghana: utility of molecular and serological diagnostic tools

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
Detecting Change in the Indonesian Seas

The Indonesian seas play a fundamental role in the coupled ocean and climate system with the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) providing the only tropical pathway connecting the global oceans. Pacific warm pool waters passing through the Indonesian seas are cooled and freshened by strong air-sea fluxes and mixing from internal tides to form a unique water mass that can be tracked across the Indian Ocean basin and beyond. The Indonesian seas lie at the climatological center of the atmospheric deep convection associated with the ascending branch of the Walker Circulation. Regional SST variations cause changes in the surface winds that can shift the center of atmospheric deep convection, subsequently altering the precipitation and ocean circulation patterns within the entire Indo-Pacific region. Recent multi-decadal changes in the wind and buoyancy forcing over the tropical Indo-Pacific have directly affected the vertical profile, strength, and the heat and freshwater transports of the ITF. These changes influence the largescale sea level, SST, precipitation and wind patterns. Observing long-term changes in mass, heat and freshwater within the Indonesian seas is central to understanding the variability and predictability of the global coupled climate system. Although substantial progress has been made over the past decade in measuring and modeling the physical and biogeochemical variability within the Indonesian seas, large uncertainties remain. A comprehensive strategy is needed for measuring the temporal and spatial scales of variability that govern the various water mass transport streams of the ITF, its connectionwith the circulation and heat and freshwater inventories and associated air-sea fluxes of the regional and global oceans. This white paper puts forward the design of an observational array using multi-platforms combined with high-resolution models aimed at increasing our quantitative understanding of water mass transformation rates and advection within the Indonesian seas and their impacts on the air-sea climate system.

Source: UG
Detecting sulfamethazine residues in chicken tissues using the delvotest SP system.

Abstract: Sulfamethazine-spiked chicken liver and kidney were tested for residues using the Delvotest SP. The results were compared to a standard plate assay using Bacillus subtilis as the test organism. The Delvotest SP gave positive responses to all homogenized liver replicates spiked with sulfamethazine at or above 1.0 μg/g of liver. Mixed responses were obtained at 0.5 μg/g and negative responses at ≤0.25 μg/g. The plate assay had a minimum sulfamethazine detection limit of 1 μg/g and 0.5 μg/g of liver and kidney, respectively. Chickens were dosed with sulfamethazine (100 mg/kg of body weight) daily for 5 days, and tissues were tested for residues after treatment stopped. The Delvotest SP was positive for all serum and kidney samples from the end of treatment to 24 h, and for muscle and liver samples up to 8 h. The plate assay detected the drug up to 24 h in serum and kidney samples and up to 8 h in liver and muscle samples. Kidney and serum samples both appeared to be good tissues for testing sulfamethazine residues in chickens. Serum could be used for antemortem screening, whereas kidney samples would appear to be the best for postmortem screening of residues in chickens.

Source: UG
Detecting Ureaplasma urealyticum among HIV-infected women with or without human papillomavirus using real-time PCR with the ANYPLEX™ II STI-7 assay system

Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections increase the chances of women contracting human papillomavirus (HPV), the prime causative agent of cervical cancer. Additionally, Ureaplasma urealyticum is the most frequent pathogen prevailing in sexually transmitted diseases in HIV-infected women. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of U. urealyticum among HIV-infected women with or without HPV in Ghana. Methods: DNA samples were extracted from cervicovaginal swabs obtained from 96 HIV-infected women attending the Kumasi South Hospital. U. urealyticum in the DNA samples was detected by real-time PCR with the Anyplex II STI-7 detection assay. Microsoft Excel was used to analyze the data, and the Chi-square test was used to determine associations and dependence among the variables.Results: Among the study population, 93.75% (90/96) were positive for at least one pathogen.In total, 36.5% (35/96) of the women were infected by U. urealyticum, with 30.21% (29/96) being co-infected with HPV. There was no significant association (95% CI, p > 0.05) between U. urealyticum and HPV status among the HIVinfected women. Conclusion: U. urealyticum and HPV are highly pathogenic, and their prevalence in this study reiterates the need for their routine screening in HIV-infected patients.

Source: UG
Detection and characterization of drug-resistant conferring genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains: A prospective study in two distant regions of Ghana

The Bacteriology Department aims to improve the quality of life first for Ghanaians and the world at large by conducting research into bacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana and globally. In addition to working on enteric pathogens and sexually transmitted diseases, the department’s current main focus is on the two most important mycobacterial diseases of public health importance to Ghana, namely Buruli ulcer (BU) and tuberculosis (TB).

Source: UG
Detection and characterization of human rotavirus in tap water by multiplex RT-PCR

The main research focus of the Electron Microscopy and Histopathology Department in the past 20 years has been in the areas of enteric diarrhoeas with special emphasis on rotavirus. Through its diarrhoea surveillance studies, the Department has helped to firmly establish rotaviruses as a major cause of diarrhoea in children, and document the circulation of unusual rotavirus genotypes in Ghana. The Department has also recently expanded its diagnostic repertoire to include the identification and characterization of noroviruses, astroviruses, and other enteric viruses.

Source: UG
Detection and management of zoonotic diseases at the Kumasi slaughterhouse 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
Detection and partial characterization of norovirus among children with acute gastroenteritis in Lagos, Nigeria

The main research focus of the Electron Microscopy and Histopathology Department in the past 20 years has been in the areas of enteric diarrhoeas with special emphasis on rotavirus. Through its diarrhoea surveillance studies, the Department has helped to firmly establish rotaviruses as a major cause of diarrhoea in children, and document the circulation of unusual rotavirus genotypes in Ghana. The Department has also recently expanded its diagnostic repertoire to include the identification and characterization of noroviruses, astroviruses, and other enteric viruses.

Source: UG
Detection and prevention of highly pathogenic avian influenza in communities with high poultry disease burdens

The implementation of strategies to detect, prevent, and control highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in developing countries presents several challenges, one of which is the presence of other diseases in poultry populations. Training workshops in developing countries using the Avian Flu School have revealed that in areas with heavy Newcastle disease burdens, smallholder poultry keepers do not recognize HPAI as an immediate threat. We have developed a strategy to address the more proximal needs and priorities of communities with free-ranging poultry flocks as a means to create value in poultry, and thus to improve disease detection and prevention overall. To this end, we have created the Poultry Health and Well-Being for Development project, which trains graduate veterinarians and paraprofessionals in poultry disease diagnosis, control, and treatment. These trainees then serve their local communities to improve poultry health and to implement disease detection and management programs. © 2010 American Association of Avian Pathologists.

Source: UG
Detection and Prevention of Man-in-the-Middle Spoofing Attacks in MANETs Using Predictive Techniques in Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)

A Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) is a convenient wireless infrastructure which presents many advantages in network settings. With Mobile Ad-Hoc Network, there are many challenges. These networks are more susceptible to attacks such as black hole and man-in-the-middle (MITM) than their corresponding wired networks. This is due to the decentralized nature of their overall architecture. In this paper, ANN classification methods in intrusion detection for MANETs were developed and used with NS2 simulation platform for attack detection, identification, blacklisting, and node reconfiguration for control of nodes attacked. The ANN classification algorithm for intrusion detection was evaluated using several metrics. The performance of the ANN as a predictive technique for attack detection, isolation, and reconfiguration was measured on a dataset with network-varied traffic conditions and mobility patterns for multiple attacks. With a final detection rate of 88.235%, this work not only offered a productive and less expensive way to perform MITM attacks on simulation platforms but also identified time as a crucial factor in determining such attacks as well as isolating nodes and reconfiguring the network under attack. This work is intended to be an opening for future malicious software time signature creation, identification, isolation, and reconfiguration to supplement existing Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs).

Source: UG
Detection of a novel putative phlebovirus and first isolation of Dugbe virus from ticks in Accra, Ghana

Most research activities involve the use of molecular methods such as regular PCR (PCR), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), genomic sequence and analysis using different software, genetic engineering, probe hybridization techniques, biological and molecular cloning, evaluation of immune markers for laboratory diagnosis of infections, serological assays involving the use of rapid tests, ELISA-based evaluations and immunofluorescent assay techniques.

Source: UG
Detection of an Unusual Human Rotavirus Strain with G5P[8] Specificity in a Cameroonian Child with Diarrhea

The main research focus of the Electron Microscopy and Histopathology Department in the past 20 years has been in the areas of enteric diarrhoeas with special emphasis on rotavirus. Through its diarrhoea surveillance studies, the Department has helped to firmly establish rotaviruses as a major cause of diarrhoea in children, and document the circulation of unusual rotavirus genotypes in Ghana. The Department has also recently expanded its diagnostic repertoire to include the identification and characterization of noroviruses, astroviruses, and other enteric viruses.

Source: UG
Detection of antigens and antibodies in the urine of humans with plasmodium falciparum malaria.

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
Detection of benzimidazole resistance-associated mutations in the filarial nematode Wuchereria bancrofti and evidence for selection by albendazole and ivermectin combination treatment

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
Detection of cutaneous leishmaniasis in three communities of Oti Region, Ghana

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
Detection of Dengue Virus among Children with Suspected Malaria, Accra, Ghana

We report new molecular evidence of locally acquired dengue virus infections in Ghana. We detected dengue viral RNA among children with suspected malaria by using a multipathogen real-time PCR. Subsequent sequence analysis revealed a close relationship with dengue virus serotype 2, which was implicated in a 2016 outbreak in Burkina Faso.

Source: UG