ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Awareness and Usage of Available Electronic Resources by Students and Faculty of Methodist University College (Mucg)

This research explored the awareness and usage of available electronic resources by students and faculty of Methodist University College (MUCG), Accra, Ghana. The study adopted the exploratory sequential mixed methods design. The study used the proportionate stratified sampling approach to select 347 students from a population of 3000 students at the University. Also, the census technique was used in selecting 50 faculty members. The data from the observation guide was analysed thematically while data from the questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables, means and standard deviations. The findings of the study revealed that students and faculty were aware of some of the electronic resources (Sage Journals, OPAC local, OPAC Public, AGORA, HINARI, Emerald, JSTOR, Taylor & Francis) at MUCG library. Again, majority of students and faculty revealed that they used the electronic resources they were aware of to complete their assignment, write project works, prepare teaching and learning materials, prepare assignments for students and for writing project proposals. However, comparing the electronic resources students and faculty were aware of and the actual electronic resources available at the MUCG library revealed that they were not aware of a greater number of electronic resources, hence it was concluded that students and faculty were not fully aware of available electronic resources and that the use of the electronic resources they were aware of helped them to achieve their core mandate of teaching, learning and research. It was therefore recommended that the MUCG library organises more training programs for both students and faculty to make them fully aware of the available resources in order for them to effectively and efficiently use them to support the teaching and learning process

Source: UCC
The Awareness and Use of Electronic Learning Platforms: A Case of a Developing Country

E-learning is seen as a potent option for mass education globally. Consequently, institutions are hastily adopting it to meet the 21st century education demands, often without recourse to considering the antecedents that promotes the success or otherwise of this mode of instruction. In view of this, the study investigates the awareness and use of e-learning platforms in some selected senior high schools in the Accra metropolitan area of Ghana with emphasis on parameters such as perception, training, accessibility, and infrastructural availability. Questionnaire was used to sample 303 respondents in this descriptive survey. Linear regression analysis and correlation were used on participants’ training, motivation and computer availability in relation to perception, e-learning usage and awareness of e-learning implementation. The findings suggest participants know of e-learning and e-learning platforms but lacked adequate training. The computer literacy was low and most schools lacked adequate ICT laboratories and reliable internet negatively affects e-learning adoption. The major mode of internet access was the mobile phones. Students had a positive perception of e-learning and its adoption. The study recommends among other things that the Ghana Education Service train and educate teachers and students on e-learning to enhance their use and/or development of e-learning platforms. Furthermore, it should provide properly furnished ICT laboratories enhance accessibility and e-learning.

Source: UCC
The Awareness and Use of Electronic Learning Platforms: A Case of a Developing Country

E-learning is seen as a potent option for mass education globally. Consequently, institutions are hastily adopting it to meet the 21st century education demands, often without recourse to considering the antecedents that promotes the success or otherwise of this mode of instruction. In view of this, the study investigates the awareness and use of e-learning platforms in some selected senior high schools in the Accra metropolitan area of Ghana with emphasis on parameters such as perception, training, accessibility, and infrastructural availability. Questionnaire was used to sample 303 respondents in this descriptive survey. Linear regression analysis and correlation were used on participants’ training, motivation and computer availability in relation to perception, e-learning usage and awareness of e-learning implementation. The findings suggest participants know of e-learning and e-learning platforms but lacked adequate training. The computer literacy was low and most schools lacked adequate ICT laboratories and reliable internet negatively affects e-learning adoption. The major mode of internet access was the mobile phones. Students had a positive perception of e-learning and its adoption. The study recommends among other things that the Ghana Education Service train and educate teachers and students on e-learning to enhance their use and/or development of e-learning platforms. Furthermore, it should provide properly furnished ICT laboratories enhance accessibility and e-learning

Source: UCC
Awareness and utilisation of educational management information systems in the Greater Accra Region

The study examined the awareness and utilisation of Educational Management Information Systems (EMIS) by stakeholders, e.g. educators, parents, guardians, students, educational NGOs and consultants and the public in the Greater Accra Region. The descriptive research design was used for the study. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the sample population. The coverage area for the study was the Greater Accra Regional Education Office, two other municipal and one metropolitan Education Office. The study sample was 48 which included the Regional/ Metropolitan/ Municipal Directors of Education with their four Frontline Assistant Directors. Others that were included in the sample were EMIS Co-ordinators, EMIS officers, Circuit supervisors, Heads of Primary, Junior and Senior High Schools and Teachers. The instrument used for data collection was self prepared. In all, there were five research questions which were all captured by the instrument for data collection. The study revealed that: EMIS offices are present in the Regional and District Education Offices included in the sample in the Greater Accra Region; the core objectives of EMIS are being met; Ministry of Education sees the Annual School Census as the most important source of information regarding the situation of every school. It was further found that EMIS has no dedicated website. Also, EMIS users are usually those who know about it, hence awareness of EMIS informs its utilisation. Parents are rare users of EMIS. The study recommended that EMIS have a dedicated and reliable website where users, patrons, researchers and stakeholders could rely on for educational information.

Source: UCC
Awareness of Oral Health among University of Cape Coast Primary School Pupils

In 2017, World Oral Health was commemorated in Ghana with a campaign organized by Unilever Ghana and its global counterparts in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Dental Association and the Ministry of Health. The campaign sought to help pupils build better brushing habits forhealthy teeth throughout adulthood. Statistics provided at the event indicated that 40 percent of children of 12 years suffer from decayed, missing and stained teeth as well as bad breath. The organizers also explained to the pupils that these situations could affect their overall general health as well as academic work. Against this backdrop, this work sought to discuss the oral health situation among the pupils of the University of Cape Coast Primary School by assessing the level of knowledge the pupils have concerning oral health, factors that compel the guardians to utilize oral health services for their wards and to suggest ways to promote the situation. A modified questionnaire based on the Dental Health Survey Mainstage Questionnaire was used for the study. From the findings of the study the level of awareness and/or knowledge concerning oral health was not encouraging. Again, the findings did not support the assertion that unavailability of dental facilities is a prime reason for low patronage of dental services in Ghana. Pain also continues to be the compelling community factor. Oral healthcare providers should be resourced and well-motivated to push oral health campaigns.

Source: UCC
Awareness of solid waste management practices among basic school pupils in Dormaa Municipality

The study sought to find out the awareness level of solid waste management practices among basic school pupils in Dormaa Municipality, Ghana since indiscriminate waste practices could significantly affect human health and the physical environment. This research used descriptive design and collected data from 300 school children and 10 teachers from three selected basic schools within the Dormaa Municipality for analysis. Data was gathered using a self-developed questionnaire which was processed and analysed with IBM SPSS version 20 as well as Microsoft Excel. The results showed that the basic school pupils were aware of waste management practices because of their early exposure and introduction to same via class discussions and lesson. The results revealed that overall awareness level of the basic school pupils was high. This means and indicates that basic school pupils in the Dormaa Municipality were much aware of the solid waste management practices and the health and environmental effects associated with it. It also revealed that the only solid waste collection and storage method in the selected schools was the use of plastic waste bins. The study further revealed that solid waste disposal in the schools was mainly through landfills and burning. Outbreak of diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria, and Cholera were some of the environmental health effects of improper solid waste management practices mentioned. However, in spite of their awareness, school pupils continued to exhibit low levels of proper and best waste management practices. The study concluded that waste management challenges are prevalent in basic schools where formative behaviour can be modelled. Hence, the study recommended that the Dormaa Municipal Assembly should collaborate with the Educational Institutions and their authorities to develop and implement periodical educational programs to inform basic school pupils in the municipality about proper and best waste management practices.

Source: UCC
Awareness, Knowledge and Self-Care Practices toward Glaucoma among Final Year Health Science University Students in Ghana

In the absence of adequate services, patients have to rely on the few health professionals that they do come into contact with to advise them on their treatment options. The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness and knowledge of glaucoma, and the association between these factors and self-care practices among final year health science university students in Ghana. Method: A cross-sectional survey involving the use of a structured questionnaire was conducted among 273 final year students (67 per cent) studying at any one of eight health science programs in three selected public universities in Ghana. Results: All 273 respondents were aware of glaucoma but only 37.7 per cent had knowledge of it. The majority (65.9 per cent) defined glaucoma as raised intraocular pressure, and confused glaucoma with ocular hypertension. Over half (56.8 per cent) had acquired their knowledge of glaucoma during the course of their training. The media also played a major role in glaucoma awareness; however, it played a limited role in impacting on the knowledge of glaucoma. Only 28.6 per cent of respondents had previously undergone glaucoma screening. Conclusion: Although all respondents were aware of glaucoma, their level of knowledge of glaucoma was low. Self-care practices were also generally poor among the respondents. This information may be useful for glaucoma health education in Ghana.

Source: UCC
‘Awusai tso’: community attachment to and use of transatlantic slave trade resources in Danish-Osu, Ghana

Although there is much literature on the Transatlantic Slave Trade (TAST) and those concerning residents’ perceptions of tourism development, it can be suggested that there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding attitudes and perceptions of residents towards the history of the TAST and the possible use of such resources for tourism development. This study attempts to address this gap y investigating residents’ knowledge and attitude of developing tourism based on slave heritage in Danish-Osu, Ghana. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 200 questionnaires were returned by residents in six communities in Danish-Osu. In addition, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with interest groups and opinion leaders. Results of the research suggest that residents have an appreciable level of knowledge on the slave trade and related relics in their community. Most respondents indicated that they are comfortable living in the community which has an image of a former slave site. Majority identified tourism as the referred means of conserving the existing slave sites and relics. Perceptions regarding utilization of slave relics were also found to significantly differ across a variety of socio demographic indices. The study concludes y examining implications for Ghana’s Slave Route Project to carve a niche for itself

Source: UCC
AXaaS: Case for Acceleration as a Service

The ubiquity and the range of utility of ”smart” devices is ever increasing. Device limitations have lead developers to leverage cloud-offloading to gain performance for their applications. As users become aware of the expanding utility of their devices through these powerful applications, they tend to demand more from them. However, developers’ intent on providing state-of-the-art applications will undoubtedly hit performance barriers for emerging products due to the inherently high latency of the prevailing mobile-cloud architecture. This paper proposes a new type of service architecture called AXaaS (Acceleration as a Service) that will empower developers to satisfy user demand for greater application performance and fully realize new computationally-intensive applications that would be otherwise impossible or impractical. While Telecom Service Providers (TSP) already provide data and bandwidth services, we introduce a new paradigm in which the TSP may charge subscribers for computational acceleration of complex applications by outsourcing computational tasks to larger cloud operators. We provide an exposition of the performance potential of such a service by examining its theoretical impact upon an opensource- based Face Recognition application. We also examine a sample instantiation of cloud resources via AmazonWeb Services, and estimate the return on investment for a TSP implementing AXaaS. We find the TSP-side ROI to be quite favorable, which means that AXaaS is a viable new aaS alternative. I

Source: UCC
‘The axial rethink’ – making sense of language: an interview with Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen

Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen is a leading scholar in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). ogether with William C. Mann and Sandra A. hompson, he developed Rhetorical Structure heory, a discourse analytical framework which he has continued to expand and extend using insights from the architecture of SFL. Some of his other contributions are in the area of functional language typology, theoretical modeling of the dimensions of language and comprehensive paradigmatic description of English lexicogrammatical systems. In this interview, he discusses his early experience in linguistics and his motivations for working with Systemic Functional Linguistics. The interview also sheds light on the interaction between SFL and other linguistic schools in the European and American linguistic traditions, and indicates the distinctive contributions of SFL to linguistic science. he discussion contributes to the history of linguistics and the debates on the meta-theory of language

Source: UCC
Aﬀorestation of loess soils: Old and new organic carbon in aggregates and density fractions

Aﬀorestation is an important strategy to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and stabilize soils against degradation and erosion. While the area under aﬀorestation has increased globally during the last 20years, the dynamics of SOC accumulation due to aﬀorestation are still poorly known, as it cannot be directly compared to that in cropland. The goals of this study were: i) to investigate the dynamics of SOC accumulation after aﬀorestation on the Loess Plateau; ii) to determine SOC contents and distribution in density fractions and aggregates most strongly aﬀected by aﬀorestation; and iii) to analyze the relationships between old and new SOC in relation with aﬀorestation periods. A chrono sequence of forest plots aged 1, 5, 12 (with Chinese pine, Pinus tabulae form is Carr.) and 30years (with white poplar, Populus alba L.) were selected within the large scale “Grain for Green” project. A maize ﬁeld nearby was chosen as a control, which represents the land use prior to aﬀorestation. At each location, soilsweresampledatdepthsof0–10and10–30cm,respectivelyandaggregates were fractionated into<250, 250–2000 and>2000μm sizes, which were subsequently separated into light (ρ < 1.85gcm−3) and heavy (ρ > 1.85gcm−3) density fractions. SOC content was generally higher in aﬀorested soils than in cropland and increased with stand age. The mean SOC accumulation rate was 0.11g C kg−1year−1 for the 0–10cm layer of the 30-year-old forests, whereas the maximum rate was found for 5-year-old forest at 0.24g C kg−1year−1. For each period of aﬀorestation, the maximum SOC content was recorded in the macroaggregates. The C turnover of the light fraction (calculated based on δ13C of SOC) peaked in the large macroaggregates and ranged from 21 to 23years). Whereas SOC turnover in the heavy fraction, peaked in the microaggregates at a relatively longer period of 46 to 70years. We conclude that the initial SOC accumulation under aﬀorestation occurs mainly in the macroaggregates, with a faster turnover compared with microaggregates. During the ﬁrst 30yearsofaﬀorestation,theSOCaccumulation andstabilizationisongoingmainlyintheupper10cm,whilethe C sequestration in 10 to 30cm depth needs much longer time

Source: UCC
B-Cell Responses to Pregnancy-Restricted and -Unrestricted Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 Antigens in Ghanaian Women Naturally Exposed to Malaria Parasites

Protective immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria acquired after natural exposure is largely antibody mediated. IgG-spe- cific P. falciparum EMP1 (PfEMP1) proteins on the infected erythrocyte surface are particularly important. The transient anti- body responses and the slowly acquired protective immunity probably reflect the clonal antigenic variation and allelic polymor- phism of PfEMP1. However, it is likely that other immune-evasive mechanisms are also involved, such as interference with formation and maintenance of immunological memory. We measured PfEMP1-specific antibody levels by enzyme-linked immu- nosorbent assay (ELISA) and memory B-cell frequencies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay in a cohort of P. falciparum-exposed nonpregnant Ghanaian women. The antigens used were a VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1 (IT4VAR04) with ex- pression restricted to parasites infecting the placenta, as well as two commonly recognized PfEMP1 proteins (HB3VAR06 and IT4VAR60) implicated in rosetting and not pregnancy restricted. This enabled, for the first time, a direct comparison in the same individuals of immune responses specific for a clinically important parasite antigen expressed only during well-defined periods (pregnancy) to responses specific for comparable antigens expressed independent of pregnancy. Our data indicate that PfEMP1- specific B-cell memory is adequately acquired even when antigen exposure is infrequent (e.g., VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1). Further- more, immunological memory specific for VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1 can be maintained for many years without antigen reexpo- sure and after circulating antigen-specific IgG has disappeared. The study provides evidence that natural exposure to P. falciparum leads to formation of durable B-cell immunity to clinically important PfEMP1 antigens. This has encouraging impli- cations for current efforts to develop PfEMP1-based vaccines.

Source: UCC
B-Cell Responses to Pregnancy-Restricted and -Unrestricted Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 Antigens in Ghanaian Women Naturally Exposed to Malaria Parasites

Protective immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria acquired after natural exposure is largely antibody mediated. IgG-specific P. falciparum EMP1 (PfEMP1) proteins on the infected erythrocyte surface are particularly important. The transient antibody responses and the slowly acquired protective immunity probably reflect the clonal antigenic variation and allelic polymorphism of PfEMP1. However, it is likely that other immune-evasive mechanisms are also involved, such as interference with formation and maintenance of immunological memory. We measured PfEMP1-specific antibody levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and memory B-cell frequencies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) assay in a cohort of P. falciparum-exposed nonpregnant Ghanaian women. The antigens used were a VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1 (IT4VAR04) with expression restricted to parasites infecting the placenta, as well as two commonly recognized PfEMP1 proteins (HB3VAR06 and IT4VAR60) implicated in rosetting and not pregnancy restricted. This enabled, for the first time, a direct comparison in the same individuals of immune responses specific for a clinically important parasite antigen expressed only during well-defined periods (pregnancy) to responses specific for comparable antigens expressed independent of pregnancy. Our data indicate that PfEMP1- specific B-cell memory is adequately acquired even when antigen exposure is infrequent (e.g., VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1). Furthermore, immunological memory specific for VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1 can be maintained for many years without antigen reexposure and after circulating antigen-specific IgG has disappeared. The study provides evidence that natural exposure to P. falciparum leads to formation of durable B-cell immunity to clinically important PfEMP1 antigens. This has encouraging implications for current efforts to develop PfEMP1-based vaccines.

Source: UCC
B2b e-commerce adoption amongst manufacturing smes: evidence from Ghana

Electronic commerce (EC) has considerable potential to nurture the growth of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) in developed and developing nations alike. However, e-commerce growths among SMEs in developing countries are still in entry adoption level and not moving beyond this stage. The aim of this study is to examine the factors affecting B2B e-commerce adoption in SMEs in developing countries. A questionnaire survey technique was used to collect data from a sample of 209 manufacturing SMEs in Ghana. This study uses structural equation modelling to investigate how different factors affect different levels of B2B e-commerce adoption. The key findings revealed that each level of e-commerce adoption was affected by different factors from different level of adoption. Also, relative advantage and intensity of competition have a significant effect on adoption behavior in Ghanaian manufacturing SMEs. Implications of the study, limitations and future research directions are also discussed

Source: UCC