ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Nature and patterns of lagoon fisheries resource utilisation and its implications to waterbird management in coastal Ghana

Seasonal patterns in human fisheries resource utilisation and the capture characteristics of fish, swimming crabs and land crabs harvested from four coastal lagoons in Ghana between September 2005 and August 2007 are described. These are discussed in relation to sustainable management of the lagoons’ fisheries for both human and waterbird use. With the exception of small pelagic foraging fish-eating birds, human fishing practices in the lagoons were in direct competition with crab- and fish-eating birds, because of the overlap of same-sized fish and crabs, and also in indirect competition because many of the exploited fish and crabs were immature. Fishing practices were also in direct competition with food foraging by invertebrate-eating birds. Intense exploitation of swimming crabs was linked to the use of drag nets, in comparison to the exclusive use of cast nets in some lagoons. In order to reduce the incidence of waterbird-human interactions and conflict during the energy-demanding phase of the birds’ non-breeding season, it is recommended that the practice of closed seasons be extended to include crab fisheries and be strictly enforced at all Ramsar sites on the Ghanaian coast.

Source: UG
The nature and prevalence of disability in a ghanaian community as measured by the language independent functional evaluation

Introduction: The current study uses the Language Independent Functional Evaluation (L.I.F.E.) to evaluate disability in a smaller Ghanaian coastal town to characterize the extent and nature of disability. The L.I.F.E. is a video animated, language free equivalent of the standard 10-item verbal/written Barthel Index functional assessment. Methods: Over a four-month period, the L.I.F.E. survey was given to members of the village of Anomabo in a preliminary survey which consisted of recruitment in an un-controlled manner, followed by a systematic, comprehensive survey of three neighborhood clusters. Basic demographics were also collected, along with the observer's assessment of disability. Results: 541 inhabitants (264 in the preliminary survey and 277 in systematic survey) completed the L.I.F.E. Participants ranged from 7-100 years old (mean age 32.88, s.d. 20.64) and were 55.9% female. In the systematic study, 16.6% of participants had a less than perfect score on the L.I.F.E., indicating some degree of impairment. Significant differences were found between age groups, but not between sexes, the preliminary and systematic survey, and study location (α=.05). Conclusion: The L.I.F.E. and this study methodology can be used to measure the prevalence of disability in African communities. Disability in this community was higher than the frequently cited estimate of 10%. African policymakers can use the L.I.F.E. to measure disability and thus more rationally allocate resources for medical rehabilitation. © Benjamin William Kelemen et al.

Source: UG
The nature of adrenergic mechanisms involved in anaphylatoxin activity in the guinea-pig

1. Evidence is presented to elucidate the nature of the adrenergic mechanisms involved in responses of the guinea-pig to anaphylatoxin (AT). 2. Investigation by means of adrenalectomy, adrenergic neurone blockade, α- and β- adrenoceptor blockade and exclusion of autonomic reflexes, revealed that the adrenergic mechanisms provoked included catecholamine release from the adrenal medulla, sympathetic reflex activity, stimulation of adrenergic neurones and α- and β-adrenoceptor activity. 3. The cardiovascular effects of AT, mediated by histamine release, were largely attributable to adrenal medullary and adrenergic neuronal mechanisms. These mechanisms also exerted a restraint on the predominantly histamine mediated bronchoconstrictor effect of AT. 4. The cardiovascular effects of AT activity, not attributable to histamine release, were also probably associated with catecholamine release. However, the bronchoconstrictor component of this AT activity was not significantly affected by guanethidine, and it would, therefore, appear that neuronal bronchodilator mechanisms did not exert a restraint upon this aspect of AT activity. 5. These findings are generally compatible with previous work showing that adrenergic mechanisms operate during AT-induced responses. In contrast to previous reports, however, the adrenergic activity was predominantly associated with the effects of released histamine.

Source: UG
Nature of climate change-induced risks in semi-arid northwestern Ghana: Gauged observations, perceptions of smallholder farmers, and perspectives for livelihood adaptation

Climate variability and impact have been an endemic challenge to smallholder farmers who largely depend on rainy weather for livelihoods in semi-arid north-western Ghana. Many households in semi arid regions exhibit low levels of adaptive capacity due to ineffective adaptation strategies and poor cop ing strategies. This study examined (1) trends in gauged rainfall and temperature data spanning the per iod from 1984 to 2014 and (2) smallholder farmers’ perceptions about yearly cyclical weather, and difficulties associated with climate change adaptations. The study adopted the participatory rural appraisal design using questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussions for collection of data for analysis. Estimated parameters partially supported that yearly temperatures are increasing, whereas annual rainfall is declining, although the latter is not significantly related to the former. Smallholder farm ers’ perceptions about changing weather conditions did not corroborate the observed declining annual rainfall trend. These farmers are faced with livelihood-affecting risks during either ‘prolonged dry per iods from October to May’ or ‘short annual rainy season from mid-May to September. Therefore, access to climate information and available climate adaptation strategies could improve farming activities and livelihoods of farmers in response to climate change.

Source: UG
The nature of entrepreneurship in bottom of the pyramid markets

This study explored entrepreneurship in BOP markets in Ghana. The study used a quantitative approach with data collected using returned questionnaires from micro entrepreneurs in BOP markets in Ghana. The data was analysed using inferential statistics (mainly exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis). The study found a significant relationship between the antecedents of entrepreneurship and the market characteristics while a significant relationship exists between the BOP market characteristics and the entrepreneurial benefits was observed. Again, a significant relationship was found between the antecedent factors and the entrepreneurial benefits. The study concludes that BOP market psychodynamic factors are more critical than trait factors. Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Source: UG
Nature, Nurture and the Mathematics of Culture in the Light of Selected Works of Voltaire and Rousseau

The noun “culture” and the verb “cultivate” were frequently used in 18th century French literature in a very special way. Drawing inspiration from this special usage, this paper examines culture as the art or science of shaping, polishing, sifting and enhancing raw nature by borrowing and using the most basic mathematical principles as the tools of the formation process of Man. However, the noble enterprise of nurturing Man and cultivating in him the best values is often compromised and subjected to so many hazards as in the case of the broadcast seed in the biblical parable of the sower.

Source: UG
Nature, Nurture and the Mathematics of Culture in the light of Selected Works of Voltaire and Rousseau.

The noun “culture” and the verb “cultivate” were frequently used in 18th century French literature in a very special way. Drawing inspiration from this special usage, this paper examines culture as the art or science of shaping, polishing, sifting and enhancing raw nature by borrowing and using the most basic mathematical principles as the tools of the formation process of Man. However, the noble enterprise of nurturing Man and cultivating in him the best values is often compromised and subjected to so many hazards as in the case of the broadcast seed in the biblical parable of the sower.

Source: UG
Navigating livelihoods in the midst of COVID-19: experiences of women in informal cross-border trading in Accra, Ghana

Studies have indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on businesses, and that female-led businesses have been more negatively affected than male-led ones because of their fragility, unpredictability, and lack of state support. One such group that has suffered because of the official closing of borders during the pandemic is informal cross-border traders. Using the empowerment framework and semi-structured interview guide, this study highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the livelihoods of Ghanaian women in informal cross-border trading. The findings show that the pandemic affected participants' livelihoods as well as their sociocultural and psychological lives creating a sense of dis-empowerment. Women in informal cross-border trading had however, used a variety of strategies to get themselves through those difficult times, including switching suppliers, using illegal routes to get their products into the country, and utilizing various social networks created to facilitate their businesses. The authors recommend that women in informal cross-border trading are provided with financial and institutional support as well as bettering their access to communication tools to streamline their commercial dealings

Source: UG
Navigating sexual and reproductive health issues: Voices of deaf adolescents in a residential school in Ghana

Globally, the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescents continue to receive a lot of attention; yet little focus has been placed on the SRH needs of adolescents with disabilities, particularly in developing countries. While adolescents with disabilities experience the same feelings, needs, and desires as those without disabilities, society tends to underestimate their SRH concerns. Furthermore, adolescents with disabilities may have limited access to SRH information in comparison with their peers without disabilities and may also encounter challenges with communicating their SRH concerns. Guided by the Social Cognitive theory (SCT), this study focuses on the knowledge and experiences of selected deaf adolescents in a residential school in Ghana regarding SRH. Using Ghanaian Sign Language, twenty-five (25) participants (13 females and 12 males) aged 15–19 years were en gaged in qualitative in-depth interviews. While some of the participants reported abstaining from sex despite pressure from peers, others disclosed that they had sexual experiences, both consensual and non-consensual. In most cases, these SRH behaviors were found to be influenced by participants’ personal and environmental factors. Participants mentioned talking to teachers, peers, health professionals, parents and siblings about their SRH issues, but findings revealed challenges and reservations about communication with these groups of people in their social environment., It is recommended that SRH intervention strategies for deaf adolescents should focus on enhancing communication opportunities (especially with Sign Language) with parents and health professionals as they are critical elements in their environment for promoting healthy SRH behaviors.

Source: UG
Navigating the Unknown Treasures of Guangzhou, China: Ghanaian Traders’ Networks and Strategies

Using multiple ethnographic methodologies spanning 13 months and collecting data across borders, this paper suggests that African importers’ participation in the burgeoning economy of China is more nuanced than previously reported. It argues that approaches, motives, and strategies employed by these importers are subject to their trading capacities such as the size of capital, trading experiences, and locations of their imports. For instance, whereas experienced large-scale traders procure the services of ‘visa agents’ for convenient purposes, the small-scale traders need the ‘visa agents’ to be able to undertake their business in China.

Source: UG
Navigating Traditional and Modern Institutions in City Governance: The Role of Chieftaincy in Spatial Planning in Tamale, Ghana

At a time of intensifying urbanisation in Ghana, ineffective spatial planning is one of the symptomatic challenges of urban growth in the country. In the Ghanaian context, traditional authorities (chiefs) play a disproportionate role in urban land management due to the fact that a vast proportion of the country’s land is held in customary tenurial arrangements. The role of the traditional authorities in (urban) land management is given legal status by national constitutional provisions that recognise chiefs as fiduciaries of the land held under customary tenure. The state supported customary land secretariats (CLSs) perform these responsibilities in conjunction with the local government structures. They are largely being operationalised through urban land-use planning. However, the complex factors and processes of rapid urban growth have had unintended consequences. These include increased urban land values, speculative and informal land markets, and overlapping governance/power structures. The outcome has been the reported commodification and administration of urban land by chiefs for personal gain. These complex processes evolve at the intersection of traditional and modern governance structures which are opportunistically interpreted and applied to achieve certain ends. This article demonstrates how these changes in customary land administration are evolving in Tamale, Ghana. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with participants from relevant statutory land sector institutions, local government officials and traditional authorities. Using the lens of urban governance and planning practices, the article explores the outcomes of chief-led spatial planning and customary land administration practices and associated land markets in Tamale. These are social, economic and spatial inequalities, as well as urban governance challenges.

Source: UG
Navigating transnational childcare relationships: migrant parents and their children's caregivers in the origin country

In this article, we investigate the daily work entailed in maintaining informal transnational childcare relationships between migrant parents and the children’s kin or non-kin caregivers in the country of origin. By applying the concept of ‘kin work’, we seek to understand how work is performed within transnational care relationships. Using a simultaneous matched sample methodology that gives equal weight to data on both sides of the transnational relationship, a team of researchers collected ethnographic data from Ghanaian migrant parents in the Netherlands and from their children’s caregivers in Ghana. This approach allowed us to investigate the day-to-day care work from two perspectives – namely the visible and the invisible actions of the people involved in creating the kinship relationships of care work. Discrepancies in perceptions were uncovered because we compared data obtained on both sides of the relationship. These findings contribute to our understanding of the ways in which long-distance practices facilitate the maintenance of kin relationships and how the inability to perform these can lead to tensions

Source: UG
Navigating with logics: Care for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in a tertiary hospital in Ghana

This paper explores how care for women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is practiced in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Partly in response to the persistently high maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Low- and Middle-income countries, efforts to improve quality of maternity care have increased. Quality improvement initiatives are shaped by the underlying conceptualisation of quality of care, often driven by global (WHO) standards and protocols. However, there are tensions between global standards of care and local clients’ and providers’ understandings of care practices and quality of care. Implementation of standards is further complicated by structural and organisational restrictions that influence providers’ possibilities and priorities. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, we explore how clinical guidelines and professionals’ and patients’ perspectives converge and, more importantly, diverge. We illuminate local, situated care practices and show how professionals creatively deal with tensions that arise on the ground. In this middle-income setting, caring for women with HDP involves tinkering and navigating in contexts of uncertainty, scarcity, varying responsibilities and conflicting interests. We unravelled a complex web of, at times, contradictory logics, from which various forms of care arise and in which different notions of good care co-exist. While practitioners navigated through and with these varying logics of care, the logic of survival permeated all practices. This study provides important initial insights into how professionals might implement and innovatively adapt the latest quality of maternity care guidelines which seek to marry clinical standards and patients’ needs, preferences and experiences.

Source: UG
Neck, wrist and back pain among solid waste collectors: Case study of a Ghanaian waste management company

Prevalence of Neck Wrist and Back pain (NWBP) among solid waste collectors (SWCs) of Zoom Lion Company (ZL) is 44.7%, 48.2% and 73.5% respectively, irrespective of pre-existing periodic pains. It was established that 42/340 (12.4%) SWCs of ZL had neck pain before joining ZL, whilst 298/340 (87.6%) developed neck pain after joining ZL (P-value = 0.001). Again, 32/340 (9.4%) had wrist pain before joining ZL, whilst 308/340 (90.6%) developed wrist pain after joining ZL (P-value = 0.000). Finally, SWCs who had back pain before joining ZL were 71/340 (20.9%) whilst 269/340 (79.1%) developed back pain after joining ZL (P-value = 0.000). These outcomes indicate that SWCs are predisposed to such NWBPs. Zoom Lion, needs to conduct periodic health checks of their staff to determine the degree of NWBPs experienced by their workers and help to relieve the workers of the economic burden of managing the pain. © Norman et al.

Source: UG
Necrotising Fasciitis of the Submandibular Region

Two cases of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) complicat-ing different conditions of the maxillofacial re-gion, treated at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital are reported. These were managed by an early diagno-sis, aggressive surgical exploration, fasciotomies and debridement of necrotic tissue. In addition, frequent irrigation within the fascial planes with eusol and saline solutions plus the administration of broad spectrum antibiotics ensured early con-tainment of the spread of the infection. Our early recognition of the signs and symptoms of NF led to an early intervention resulting in minimal resid-ual skin defects which even though were not skin-grafted healed satisfactorily.

Source: UG
The Need for Clearance in Relaxation Therapy: Development of the Relaxation Clearance Tool for Practitioners

Relaxation therapy is one of the widely used therapies conducted in clinical psychology practice. The purpose of relaxation is to reduce tension in the various muscles in the body system. Relaxation therapy is considered a non invasive intervention and is effective in treating a number of stress-related conditions. Both young people and adults benefit from relaxation therapies. Though this intervention is non-invasive, there is a need for proper screening of patients especially elderly clients and people with special conditions before relaxation therapies are conducted. Failure to screen individuals may result in some complications for the client in treatment. A clinical tool has therefore been developed to guide and help practitioners adequately screen their clients for relaxation therapy. At the end of the tool is an agreement section to be signed by the client and therapist before the relaxation therapy procedure.

Source: UG
The need for marketing and total quality management strategies in libraries in Ghana

The importance of Marketing and Total Quality Management in libraries in stressed in this paper. The writer is of the view that the conditions which challenged libraries in developed countries to adopt Marketing and Total Quality Management strategies are very much prevalent in Ghana at present. It is not, however, clear if library managers are effecting the necessary changes to satisfy their clients. There is therefore the need for libraries in Ghana to adopt these initiatives in order to ensure their continued use and importance. Failing this, the writer concludes that the continued survival and sustenance of libra ries in Ghana is in jeopardy.

Source: UG
The need for the collection and bibliographic control of grey literature in Ghana

This paper stresses the importance of grey literature to a developing country like Ghana. Present attempts at grey literature acquisition, storage and organisation are discussed. The writer is of the view that these attempts have failed due to reasons such as funding and staffing. A Centralised Documentation Centre such as a National Library is recommended for the country. Failing this, then, selected libraries should be properly organised to play this role.

Source: UG
The Need to Address Fragmentation and Silos in Mortality Information Systems: The Case of Ghana and Peru

Objectives: We aimed to understand the information architecture and degree of integration of mortality surveillance systems in Ghana and Peru. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a combination of document review and unstructured interviews to describe and analyse the sub-systems collecting mortality data. Results: We identified 18 and 16 information subsystems with independent databases capturing death events in Peru and Ghana respectively. The mortality information architecture was highly fragmented with a multiplicity of unconnected data silos and with formal and informal data collection systems. Conclusion: Reliable and timely information about who dies where and from what underlying cause is essential to reporting progress on Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring policies are responding to population health dynamics, and understanding the impact of threats and events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrating systems hosted in different parts of government remains a challenge for countries and limits the ability of statistics systems to produce accurate and timely information. Our study exposes multiple opportunities to improve the design of mortality surveillance systems by integrating existing subsystems currently operating in silos.

Source: UG