ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Real Time Communication In Collaborative Telemedicine For Community-Based Mental Healthcare In Ghana

Telemedicine is an approach to healthcare delivery which leverages on advances in telecommunications technology. Its benefits are immense in that it helps to circumvent major physical barriers to healthcare delivery such as distance, response time and availability. This means medical services that are not available in certain places, especially rural communities, can become accessible through Telemedcine. Unfortunately, most of the available real-time communication technologies that would have facilitated the spread and adoption of Telemedicine are commercialised or require specialised equipment and attendant training cost of personnel to operate them. The cost of deployment therefore becomes a disincentive to many managers of health. This study, therefore, attempts a solution to the problem by considering the needs of low level practitioners in one of the most neglected areas of healthcare – community mental health service. The solution is modelled on the Stepped Care Approach using WebRTC, an open source real-time communication standard. The study culminates in the prototyping of a collaborative tool that enables low-level mental health professionals located in rural areas to leverage on the expertise of the few specialised mental health professionals located at the higher levels of the mental healthcare delivery system. Using the Object-Process Methodology (OPM), the study assess the needs of community-based mental health professionals and elicits the expertise of WebRTC experts to produces an alternatively cheap and secure single page application (SPA) that is accessible via the internet using compliant webbrowsers on any internet enabled device as a means of fostering collaboration among mental health professionals

Source: KNUST
Recent advances: role of mycolactone in the pathogenesis and monitoring of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection/Buruli ulcer disease

Infection of subcutaneous tissue with Mycobacterium ulcerans can lead to chronic skin ulceration known as Buruli ulcer. The pathogenesis of this neglected tropical disease is dependent on a lipidlike toxin, mycolactone, which diffuses through tissue away from the infecting organisms. Since its identification in 1999, this molecule has been intensely studied to elucidate its cytotoxic and immunosuppressive properties. Two recent major advances identifying the underlying molecular targets for mycolactone have been described. First, it can target scaffolding proteins (such as Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome Protein), which control actin dynamics in adherent cells and therefore lead to detachment and cell death by anoikis. Second, it prevents the co-translational translocation (and therefore production) of many proteins that pass through the endoplasmic reticulum for secretion or placement in cell membranes. These pleiotropic effects underpin the range of cell-specific functional defects in immune and other cells that contact mycolactone during infection. The dose and duration of mycolactone exposure for these different cells explains tissue necrosis and the paucity of immune cells in the ulcers. This review discusses recent advances in the field, revisits older findings

Source: KNUST
Recapitalization and banks’ financial performance: evidence from the ghanaian banking industry

Prior to recapitalization, commercial banks in Ghana were in a bad position to finance large projects because they lacked the financial muscle to compete in industries that required more capital to invest in. While recapitalization may address this concern, the effect of the exercise on banks’ financial performance after the 2017 recapitalization exercise remains a subject of empirical investigation. Thus, the principal aim of this research was to examine the role of recapitalization on financial performance of selected commercial banks in Ghana. The study relied on panel data from sixteen (16) commercial banks in Ghana from 2014 to 2021. The researcher employed Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) to remove the effect of the cross-sectional dependence in the panel fixed effects model. The main dependent variable was financial performance of the commercial banks represented by profitability, liquidity, and asset quality of the commercial banks. Based on the empirical findings, recapitalization had a significant impact on the financial performance of the selected commercial banks in Ghana. Specifically, recapitalization had negative and significant effects on all the profitability measures; net interest margin (NIM), return on asset (ROA), and return on equity (ROE). Similarly, recapitalization had a significant negative impact on asset quality of the commercial banks. However, the study found a negative relationship between recapitalization and liquidity of the commercial banks. The adverse impact on the profitability of commercial banks suggest that Ghana's regulatory increase in bank capital has not improved the profitability condition for the country's banking sector. It is therefore recommended that banks should increase their total asset base and diversify in order to generate more income from their assets.

Source: KNUST
Recent trends in the promotion of handicrafts for export

The thesis is a study of the recent trends in the promotion of Ghanaian handicrafts for export. It is a report and evaluation of the promotional strategies being employed in the handicrafts sub—sector. The aim of the study is based on how best the industry’s export potentials can be utilized. The research examined the traditional craftsman-artist arid his products. In addition the sprouting of contemporary handicrafts and the craftsman-artist since independence is discussed. Promotional aspects currently employed in export trade are evaluated. The study focused on the role of policy makers, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) development agencies; producing, and intermediary enterprises; international assistance agencies; and product associations. Research methods included a review of related literature, personal interviews, discussions, observation, assessment and analysis of data. It was found that handicrafts production for export in Ghana is at a primary stage despite over ten years of the Ghana Government’s efforts and determination to promote it. Handicrafts have not been seriously launched into the export trade. Taboos, unnecessary traditional customary practices and illiteracy hinder the development of the handicrafts trade. It was recommended among other things that Handicraft Promotion and Development Board (HPDB) be established to formulate policies or guidelines for handicrafts industry. The government should take the leadership in market research and creation and a concerted effort should be made to encourage the private sector. It was concluded that the potentials of handicrafts sub- sector could be realised if greater attention is concentrated on dynamic, comprehensive, integrated export marketing principles and strategies.

Source: KNUST
Reclamation and planting of spoiled lands

Recently, awareness has developed that the world’s resources are not infinite. In many countries there is now a concern to protect the raw materials on which life depends. Perhaps the most basic resource of all is the land. So laws and regulations are being passed to prevent further destruction of land. For the last two to three decades the rate of exploitation and destruction of the land has increased to alarming proportions. But land is not a simple commodity that can be stored or replaced, destroyed and remade, or even recycled in exactly the same way as manufactured goods. It is a complex biological system built up over long periods of time. If it has to be reclaimed then one need to understand how it functions and also the problems associated with the different wastes which are dumped on it; and the extent to which it has been exploited; so that reclamation can be done effectively to enable the land to be used afterwards. Land has to be seen as a resource which can be used for one purpose and then subsequently for another; that is, a resource which can be recycled. This report analyses some of these wastes and their associated problems on the land and the possible ways to reclaim such land so that it can be re-used. To avoid any future dereliction, it has been recommended that mining companies engage the services of environmental and landscape consultants as professional advisers to take care of such problems very early so that their operations do not leave the land derelict. It has also been recommended that policies be instituted by government to ensure that before any planning permission is granted, all industries should draw up a reclamation and utilization programme. The above recommendations and others listed in this write up, when pursued, will do away with future dereliction and thereby enable land to be wisely used or held in trust for future generation.

Source: KNUST
Reconfigurable virtual instrumentation middleware

Instruments are integral in our daily lives. From the trader to the engineer, everyone uses instruments to quantify objects or events. Engineering instruments have seen rapid improvement from cathode ray tubes and mechanical inventions to state-of-the-art electronic gizmos. Now there is a new instrument on the block – the Reconfigurable Virtual Instrument (RVI). RVIs make it possible for traditional instruments to be emulated. One moment it can be configured to read voltage and then, within a matter of minutes, it can be reconfigured to read current or even temperature. However, RVIs, in the market so far, are expensive to acquire and maintain especially with the licenses that have to be paid for them periodically. Already, an existing research on creating RVIs using an FPGA has already been achieved. This goes a long way to help developing countries like Ghana with regards to operational expenses on instruments particularly in secondary and tertiary institutions. The aim of this research is to build upon what has already been done by letting RVIs be accessible by the use of a simple web browser on a PC without the need of special installation. Not only accessible by one PC at a time but by multiple PCs at a go via a distributed system. With the emergence of smart phones that have advanced browsing capabilities, RVIs can also be accessed provided they are connected via a wireless network. This is achieved by using free open-source tools. This research uses an existing RVI research with emphasis on the instruments that were configured on the RVI – the digital frequency meter and the function generator. Tests show promising results with a considerable error margin with regards to the function generator which requires real-time display. , application

Source: KNUST
Recruitment and selection on employees’ performance (a case of Electricity Company of Ghana, Bekwai).

The Electricity Company of Ghana plays an important role in the democracy of Ghana. They ensure that there is efficiency and effective delivery of power supply for the citizens. This implies that whenever Electricity Company Ghana make conscious effort to recruit and select more staffs for job posts, it serves as a litmus in increasing existing employees’ job performance. Thus, employees tend to be committed and satisfied with their job whenever recruitment and selection process are conducted fairly. Staffs tend to have the urgency and enthusiasm to give off their all since they perceive they would be rewarded whenever they perform well in their jobs. These reward systems employees seek for in the course of working are job promotions and job bidding. It was also observed that the Electricity Company of Ghana practice both internal and external applicant recruitment. Most of the employees were found to obtain their jobs through promotions, employee referral, advertisement agencies and media advertisements. Hence, opportunities are given to every qualified applicant to apply for these positions are advertised in the local newspapers and radio stations. It was further noted that most of the employees responded that they obtained their jobs through promotions. Internal recruitment was particularly known to be quite predominant and several factors could therefore contribute to this finding. Some factors which probably affected recruitment and selection in the Electricity Company of Ghana are qualification, work experience, projects handled, interference from top managers, communication skills, team work and personality. Employees in the government institutions have a flexible means of upgrading their knowledge and skills in diverse educational fields. Hence, most of the employees in the Electricity Company of Ghana probably take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade themselves in professional courses whiles working at the same time.

Source: KNUST
Reconnoitering Security Algorithms Performance in the Cloud: Systematic Literature Review based on the Prisma Archetype

Industries and academia have embraced cloud computing for their day-to-day activities. A lot of studies have been done to unpin variants of cryptographic algorithms used to secure the cloud. This survey aims to unravel recent studies of the most employed cryptographic scheme used to secure the cloud, the type of cryptographic algorithms used, the execution time trend of the cryptographic algorithms (Linear time / Non-Linear time), the aims of these cryptographic algorithms, and identify some of the security concerns in cloud computing. The study considered published studies from 2015 to 2022 from well-known databases such as Taylor and Francis, Scopus, Research Gate, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, Science Direct, Hindawi, Google Scholar, and ACM. A total of 72 published articles were considered to respond to the various specific objectives using the Prisma framework. The systematic literature review has revealed the usage of encryption schemes as the most employed cryptographic approach and data security and cloud security as the most researched security challenge. The security challenges that were identified are data integrity and preservation, intrusion detection, and privacy and confidentiality. It has been revealed that from 2015 to 2022, 90% of encryption algorithms depict linear time complexity. The systematic literature review has proven little usage of symmetric stream cipher algorithms to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of cloud data.

Source: KNUST
Recruitment and Selection Practices in Latex Foam Rubber Product Ltd

Recruitment and selection aims at matching the capabilities and inclinations of prospective applicants against the demand and rewards inherent in a given job. Due to the high rate of unemployment in the country, recruitment and selection has not been well handled in LFRP Ltd., little attention has been given to effective recruitment and selection procedures. The fact that the owners are expatriates creates the likely problem of political influence and unfairness in their recruitment and selection practice. Management may not see the needs of investing needed resources to ensure that applicant with the requisite skills are employed into the company. The study investigated the recruitment and selection practices in LFRP Ltd, the problems, and the factors that influence recruitment and selection practices of the company. Analysis of the data revealed that the company has no structured recruitment and selection procedure. The major problems identified were unemployment situation in the economy, the structure of the company, and inability of the owners of the company to perceive the importance of recruitment and selection to the continuous growth of the company. The study recommended among other recommendations that the company should have a laid down policy to guide its recruitment and selection, management should place importance on its recruitment and selection practices. Information concerning jobs to be filled should be systematically gathered and that other effective recruitment and selection device should be used.

Source: KNUST
Recruitment and Selection Practices of Organisations: A Case Study of HFC Bank (Gh) Ltd.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection practices and procedures of HFC Bank, Accra. It was to find out the recruitment and selection practices of HFC Bank, the effectiveness of the recruitment and selection practices of HFC Bank, the challenges associated with the recruitment and selection practices of HFC Bank and ways to help improve human resource planning and development. The study obtained information from one hundred (100) respondents from staff of HFC Bank in the Greater Accra Region through the use of questionnaires. The results indicated that, advertising of job vacancies and employee referrals are mostly the mode for recruiting potential employees, it was also realized that the method used in the recruiting and selection process was very effective and moreover helped improve employee performance, the study revealed that the selecting and recruitment process are also characterized with lots of challenges. Among the recommendations made were that potential employees should all be treated fairly in the recruitment and selection process, more so employees must be appraised constantly to ensure that they improve upon their performance.

Source: KNUST
Recruitment, selection and deployment of Ghana Police Personnel into peacekeeping under the United Nations from 1995-2004

In an "Agenda for Peace' 1992 report, a former UN Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, suggested: "Peacemaking and peacekeeping operations, to be truly successful, must come to ; include comprehensive efforts to identify and support structures which will tend to consolidate pV peace and advance a sense of confidence and well-being among people". It is against this background that, the overall success of peacekeeping missions is invariably linked to the effectiveness of CIVPOL operations. GPS. just like other member states, have been confronted with numerous difficulties in preparing its personnel for deployment into the UN peacekeeping mission. Inadequate knowledge has led to Itie personnel often performing poorly during the selection test by the UN Selection Assistance iiTeam. Lack of adequate information on the mandate of the prospective mission and also the | information flow to the personnel hinders the preparations of the Ghana Police personnel who | want to be recruited and participate in the deployment processes. The objective of the study I therefore was to access the recruitment, selection and deployment of personnel from GPS into I peace keeping under the United Nations ^ Sampling was done using stratified random sampling based on superior and subordinate staff. | Officers of each of the ranks were randomly sampled to offer responses to the questionnaires and ^interviews. Both primary and secondary data sources were used, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analysis the data. In all there were 45 commissioned officers and 130 non commissioned officers. The study revealed that officers were not satisfied with the selection process. Inability to drive 4X4 \TehicIes properly, not being able to shoot with pistol, failing the various English language stages in the selection exercise, and lack of preparation on the part of the personnel were some of the causes of dropouts. Adequate time for preparation and fairness in selection criteria are included in the curriculum and others were suggested measures that respondents said would enhance performance in the selection process. The study indicated that recruitment, selection and deployment exercise has no effect on human resource base. It is therefore recommended that primary decision makers of the recruitment, selection and deployment should try and revise criteria for the recruitment, selection and deployment exercise. There is also the need for authorities to introduce pre-selection training for personnel.

Source: KNUST
Recurrent Expenditure of Urban Water Supply Systems – Case Study of ATMA and Kumasi Water Supply Systems

Over the past decade, the urban population of Ghana has been increasing and provision of potable water to urban dwellers has become a huge burden on the urban water utility provider because water demand exceeds the supply. In order to bridge the gap, there is the need to invest within the sector to sustain service delivery and expand service coverage. Meanwhile, it is not clear how much is needed to ensure continuous service delivery. This research established the recurrent costs of large water systems using the two largest urban water systems in Ghana; the Kumasi Water Supply System (WSS) and Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area (ATMA) WSS. The recurrent expenditure used for study included expenditure on operation and minor maintenance (OpEx), capital maintenance (CapManEx) and capital enhancement (CapEx Enhancement).The study was based on a 5 year analysis period (2007-2011) using cost data from reports and documents of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL). Key personnel of GWCL such as Managers and Technical Operators of the water supply systems were interviewed to establish the maintenance practices and financing mechanisms within the urban water sector. The total annual recurrent cost obtained for ATMA WSS was GH¢77,261,008 (i.e. GH¢0.55 per m3) and GH¢28,412,007 for Kumasi WSS (i.e. GH¢1.03 per m3). OpEx ranged from 43%-57% (GH¢0.31-0.45 per m3), CapEx Enhancement ranged from 38%-50% (GH¢0.21-GH¢0.51 per m3) and CapManEx ranged from 5%-7% (GH¢0.03- GH¢0.07 per m3) of the total recurrent cost for the systems. The highest contribution to the recurrent costs along the supply chain was from production and the least contribution was expenditure on transmission. The development of asset management within the urban water utility will help GWCL manage its assets and enable better planning for recurrent expenditure.

Source: KNUST