ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
High risk of coagulopathy among Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus clients at a municipal hospital in Ghana

Background: Persistent hyperglycaemia in diabetes mellitus causes coagulopathies due to glycation of haemoglo- bin, prothrombin, fibrinogen and other proteins involved in the clotting mechanism. Shortened activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) reflect hypercoagulable state, which is associated with an increased thrombotic risk and adverse cardiovascular effects. This study assessed the coagulation profile of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) clients at a municipal hospital in Ghana. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted from January to April 2015 at the Agona Swedru Mu- nicipal Hospital. Sixty (60) persons with T2DM and 40 without were recruited and screened using appropriate pro- tocols. Blood samples were collected for coagulation and biochemical tests. Demographic and clinical information were collected using pre-tested questionnaire. Data was analyzed with GraphPad Prism version 5. Results: APTT and PT were significantly shorter among patients with T2DM compared to those without (20.88 ± 5.19 v 31.23 ± 5.41, P=0.0001; and 11.03 ± 2.06sec v 14.46 ± 1.86, P=0.0001 respectively). INR was decreased among patients with T2DM compared to those without (0.83 ± 0.18 v 1.13 ± 0.17, P=0.0001). No significant differ- ence was found in platelet count between T2DM and non-diabetics (179.85 ± 66.15×103 /mm3 v 168.55 ± 35.77×103 /mm3, P=0.326). Serum magnesium was lower among the T2DM patients compared to the non-diabetics, while se- rum ionized calcium was significantly higher among the T2DM patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: Clients with T2DM may have a high coagulation risk evidenced by shortened APTT, PT and a high ionized calcium compared with controls.

Source: UCC
High risk of coagulopathy among Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus clients at a municipal hospital in Ghana

Background: Persistent hyperglycaemia in diabetes mellitus causes coagulopathies due to glycation of haemoglobin, prothrombin, fibrinogen and other proteins involved in the clotting mechanism. Shortened activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT) reflect hypercoagulable state, which is associated with an increased thrombotic risk and adverse cardiovascular effects. This study assessed the coagulation profile of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) clients at a municipal hospital in Ghana. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted from January to April 2015 at the Agona Swedru Municipal Hospital. Sixty (60) persons with T2DM and 40 without were recruited and screened using appropriate protocols. Blood samples were collected for coagulation and biochemical tests. Demographic and clinical information were collected using pre-tested questionnaire. Data was analyzed with GraphPad Prism version 5. Results: APTT and PT were significantly shorter among patients with T2DM compared to those without (20.88 ± 5.19 v 31.23 ± 5.41, P=0.0001; and 11.03 ± 2.06sec v 14.46 ± 1.86, P=0.0001 respectively). INR was decreased among patients with T2DM compared to those without (0.83 ± 0.18 v 1.13 ± 0.17, P=0.0001). No significant difference was found in platelet count between T2DM and non-diabetics (179.85 ± 66.15×103 /mm3 v 168.55 ± 35.77×103 /mm3, P=0.326). Serum magnesium was lower among the T2DM patients compared to the non-diabetics, while serum ionized calcium was significantly higher among the T2DM patients (P<0.05). Conclusion: Clients with T2DM may have a high coagulation risk evidenced by shortened APTT, PT and a high ionized calcium compared with controls.

Source: UCC
High School Chemistry Students’ Alternative Conceptions of H2O, OH-, and H+ in Balancing Redox Reactions

There are a number of research works into alternative conceptions for the purposes of identifying, categorising, and designing instructional approaches to help address them. The current study sought to find out high school students’ alternative conceptions in the introduction of H2O, H+, and OH- in oxidation-reduction reactions in acidic and basic media when balancing the chemical equations using the ion-electron method. Two of the 20 two-tier diagnostic test items were used to survey the conceptions of 213 students in balancing oxidation-reduction reactions. The 213 students were randomly selected from three of the seven elective science schools in three districts assemblies of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The findings from the descriptive quantitative data analysis show that the students have conceptual difficulties in the concept. Qualitatively, the identified students’ alternative conceptions included introduction of H2O molecules in acidic medium is to dilute the system; H+ ions in a basic medium is to neutralise the OH- ions of the base; and OH- ions is to make the system basic. It is therefore recommended that the chemical instructional designers should design a pedagogical content knowledge for the teaching and learning of balancing oxidation-reduction reactions.

Source: UCC
High School Physics Teachers’ Conceptions about Teaching: The Ideal Versus Enacted

This paper reports on four New Zealand physics teachers’ conceptions about teaching and how these related to their teaching practices. A case study method was employed. Interviews and observations provided data that was analysed using a cross-case thematic approach. The study identified and described each teacher’s conceptions about teaching physics as well as the system enablers or constraints that influenced how these were implemented. We propose that until assessment changes from a heavy emphasis on conceptual understanding to assessing inquiry and problem-solving skills, teachers will continue to be constrained by the assessment system and rightly so, align their teaching approaches to what is valued by the system

Source: UCC
High School Students’ Attitudes Towards the Study of Mathematics and their Perceived Teachers’ Teaching Practices

The study employed a survey to explore 210 high school students’ attitudes towards the study of mathematics and their perceptions on their teachers’ teaching practices. The sample was made up of 102 males and 108 females who were randomly selected from four high schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analyses. The findings showed high perceived attitudes reported in the students’ interest in doing mathematics, usefulness of mathematics, and confidence in doing mathematics; it was unclear whether students perceived mathematics as a male dominated subject or not. With regards to teachers’ teaching practices, all the 3 subscales: use of student- centered approach, classroom management skills and communication skills studied, were reported to be important in influencing students learning of mathematics. However, communication skills adopted by teachers in teaching the subject was perceived as the strongest predictor of high school students’ attitudes followed by teachers’ classroom management skills. The study concludes that to ensure positive attitudes of students towards the study of mathematics, effective communication and classroom management skills should be integral in mathematics teachers’ instructional practices; they should be important goals of any mathematics teacher preparation programs.

Source: UCC
High-Frequency Electric Field Induced Nonlinear Electron Transport in Chiral Carbon Nanotubes

We investigate theoretically the high frequency complex conductivity in carbon nanotubes that are stimulated axially by a strong inhomogeneous electric field of the form Et t ) . Using the kinetic approach based on Boltzmann’s transport equation with constant relaxation time approximation and the energy spectrum of the electron in the tight-binding approximation, together with Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook collision integral, we predict high-frequency nonlinear effects along the axial and the circumferential directions of the carbon nanotubes that may be useful for the generation of high frequency radiation in the carbon nanotubes

Source: UCC
High-performance work systems and job performance in the mining industry: the moderating role of supervisor support and well-being

The purpose of this research was to examine HPWS and job performance, the moderating role of supervisor support and well-being among employees in the Ghanaian mining industry. The study was conceptualised on the premise that mining companies in Ghana continue to face challenges with their employees regarding job performance issues, such as utilising poor work methods which yield errors causing injuries, leading to lost time. These ineffective working practices and errors negatively influenced the performance of employees. The study followed the quantitative approach and explanatory research design. It involved a survey of a stratified random sample of 428 employees from three mining companies in Ghana. The data were analysed using partial least square-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The analysis revealed that HR practices that enhance abilities, motivation, and opportunities boost task and contextual performance. The study demonstrated that supervisor support could provide social support amid the HPWS to act as a buffer and improve contextual performance. Additionally, it was indicated that wellbeing moderated the HPWS and contextual performance. It was recommended that HR professionals ensure that HPWS provide employees with KSA and motivation to complete tasks to eliminate errors. It was also suggested that HR managers implement several initiatives to encourage supervisors' participation in formulating and implementing HR practices. In addition, it is recommended that HR managers ensure that organisations invest significantly in a conducive work environment to improve their employees‘ well-being.

Source: UCC
Higher life: The rhetorical profile of the highlife song text

This study interrogates the highlife song text’s rhetorical profile as a layered proposition. The thesis of this research is that the rhetorical profile of the highlife song text is realizable in a multi- dimensional context which uses both the verbal and the non-verbal as its medium. The focus of the study’s investigation is on how the song text articulates its rhetoric via the musical, the literary and the socio-cultural – the constituents of its envisioned three-dimensional rhetorical profile. Using a combination of semiotic, reader-response, and performance theories as its theoretical framework, the research examines the dynamics that underpin the song text’s rhetorical expressiveness as a synthesis of its verbal, non-verbal and derivative texts. It attempts to establish the gestalt that is the rhetorical profile of the highlife song text. The significance of this research is to expose the unique ways in which the highlife song text articulates its rhetoric, in the hope of opening a new window of interrogation on the highlife song text as a worthy object of literary study. It is also to participate in the scholarly discourse on Ghanaian popular culture with a view to its further enrichment.

Source: UCC
A highly selective and sensitive pyridylazo-2-naphthol-poly(acrylic acid) functionalized electrospun nanofber fuorescence ‘‘turn-off’’ chemosensory system for Ni2+

A fluorescent nanofber probe for the determination of Ni2+ was developed via the electrospinning of a covalently functionalized pyridylazo-2-naphthol-poly(acrylic acid) polymer. Fluorescent nanofbers with diameters in the range 230–800 nm were produced with uniformly dispersed fuorophores. The excitation and emission fluorescence were at wavelengths 479 and 557 nm respectively, thereby exhibiting a good Stokes’ shift. This Ni2+ probe that employs fluorescence quenching in a solid receptor–fluorophore system exhibited a good correlation between the fluorescence intensity and nickel concentration up to 1.0 mg mL 1based on the Stern–Volmer mechanism. The probe achieved a detection limit (3d/S) of 0.07 ng mL 1and a precision, calculated as a relative standard deviation (RSD) of <4% (n ¼ 8). The concentration of Ni2+ in a certified reference material (SEP-3) was found to be 0.8986 mg mL 1, which is significantly comparable with the certified value of 0.898 mg mL 1. The accuracy of the determinations, expressed as a relative error between the certified and the observed values of certified reference groundwater was#0.1%. The versatility of the nanofber probe was demonstrated by affording simple, rapid and selective detection of Ni2+ in the presence of other competing metal ions by direct analysis, without employing any further sample handling steps

Source: UCC
Histoprotective Effect of Essential Oil from Citrus aurantifolia in Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Rat

Background. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disorder reported among ageing men. Objective. The study assessed histoprotective eﬀect of lime essential oil (LEO) in a rat model of testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and evaluated its ability to reverse testosterone-mediated changes in the testis, kidney, and liver. Materials and Methods. Adult Sprague Dawley (aged 12 weeks, 240–390 g) male rats were intramuscularly injected with testosterone enanthate (TE) (10 mg/kg) reconstituted in olive oil for ten days to establish benign prostatic hyperplasia (serum PSA level ≥ 1.24 ng/ml) in. After conﬁrmation of BPH (sustained serum PSA level ≥ 1.24 ng/ml), rats in all groups (LEO: 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, po, n � 6; ﬁnasteride: 15 mg/kg, po, n � 6) except model (BPH without treatment) and sham (no BPH and no treatment) groups were treated for 21 days. At the end of treatment, rats were anesthetised and blood was collected via cardiac puncture to determine serum PSA and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels. The prostate gland, testis, kidney, and liver were harvested, weighed, histologically processed and stained with H&E. Results. LEO- and ﬁnasteride-treated groups recorded lesser mean prostatic weights relative to their model group. Baseline mean serum PSA level of LEO- and ﬁnasteride-treated groups reduced signiﬁcantly (p < 0.05) relative to model group. Serum TAC levels were also higher in LEO- and ﬁnasteride-treated groups relative to model group. LEO-treated groups had less thickened glandular epithelium, smaller acini, fewer prostatic secretions and more ﬁbromuscular stroma relative to model group. LEO and ﬁnasteride treatment produced improved histomorphological characteristics of testis, kidney, and liver compared to model group. Conclusion. By the current results, Citrus aurantifolia LEO may possess active agents that can be explored for translational medicine against BPH.

Source: UCC
Histoprotective Effect of Essential Oil from Citrus Aurantifoliain Testosterone-induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Rat

Background. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disorder reported among ageing men. Objective. The study assessed histoprotective effect of lime essential oil (LEO) in a rat model of testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and evaluated its ability to reverse testosterone-mediated changes in the testis, kidney, and liver. Materials and methods. Adult Sprague Dawley (aged 12 weeks, 240–390 g) male rats were intramuscularly injected with testosterone enanthate (TE) (10 mg/kg) reconstituted in olive oil for ten days to establish benign prostatic hyperplasia (serum PSA level ≥ 1.24 ng/ml) in. After confirmation of BPH (sustained serum PSA level ≥ 1.24 ng/ml), rats in all groups (LEO: 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg,po,n � 6; fnasteride: 15 mg/kg,po,n � 6) except model (BPH without treatment) and sham (no BPH and no treatment) groups were treated for 21 days. At the end of treatment, rats were anesthetised and blood was collected ia cardiac puncture to determine serum PSA and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels. *e prostate gland, testis, kidney, and liver were harvested, weighed, histologically processed and stained with H&E. Results. LEO- and fnasteride-treated groups recorded lesser mean prostatic weights relative to their model group. Baseline mean serum PSA level of LEO- and fnasteride-treated groups reduced significantly (p <0.05) relative to model group. Serum TAC levels were also higher in LEO- and fnasteride-treated groups relative to model group. LEO-treated groups had less thickened glandular epithelium, smaller acini, fewer prostatic secretions and more fibro muscular stroma relative to model group. LEO and fnasteride treatment produced improved histomorphological characteristics of testis, kidney, and liver compared to model group.Conclusion. By the current results, Citrus aurantifolia LEO may possess active agents that can be explored for translational medicine against BPH

Source: UCC
Historical connections: Appreciating the impact of the African Past on its present and future through the ‘3 Cs’ of the First World War

History is principally concerned with the accurate description and explanation of the causes, the courses and the consequences of past events. This view of history shows unequivocally that there are connections between past events (causes), on the one hand, and present (course) and future developments (consequences), which establish a process of change in continuity. These relationships indicate that past events influence present and future developments to a considerable degree. Relying on both primary and secondary data, this study uses the causes, course and consequences of the First World War to illustrate the connections between past (historical) events, present developments and future trends in Africa. It maintains that since all the causes of the war had already happened by July 28, 1914 when Austria declared war on Serbia, the First World War was fought largely on the basis of historical factors. It insists that certain developments that took place in the course of the war were either directly or indirectly related to the causes of the war. The paper further argues that the immediate and major consequences of the war were direct and indirect products of the causes and course of the war, and that certain developments that occurred long after the war were also influenced in one way or the other by the war and so were also either directly or indirectly related to the causes and courses of the war. The paper stresses that the First World War, thus, establishes a chain of connections between the African generations that lived before (past-causes), during (present course) and after (future-consequences) the war, inasmuch as there were connections between the causes (past), the course (present) and the consequences (future) of the conflict. Finally, in the light of these observed connections and their implications, the paper concludes that it is crucial for the contemporary African generation to pay more attention to the systematic study and reconstruction of the past in order to understand the present and the future in their appropriate contexts

Source: UCC
Historical Study of Girl Child Education in Ghana (1828-2014): A Review of Basel Mission Educational Policy

Universal access to quality basic education is a key global developmental issue. However, despite the efforts being made by governments and stakeholders in education to increase girls’ access to basic education, it remains an elusive goal. This paper focuses on girls’ education in Ghana, which was introduced by the Basel Mission, sustained by colonial and post-colonial governments, but continues to face challenges under the current Ghanaian educational system. A qualitative research paradigm was adopted for the study, using a historical research design. Data were collected using observations, interviews and content analysis of educational policy documents. The research findings revealed that girl-child education was introduced by the Basel Mission based on its theology of marriage and family. This educational legacy was sustained and promoted by colonial and post-colonial governments in Ghana. However, girl-child education faces many challenges, which have institutional, cultural and social dimensions. The paper recommends that NGO’s, civil society groups, philanthropic organisations and individuals complement government efforts towards the promotion of girl-child education in fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goal 3 which seeks to promote gender equality.

Source: UCC
Historical Study of Vocational and Technical Education in Ghana (1828-2010): A Review of Basel Mission Educational Policy

This study reviewed the Basel Mission educational policy on technical and vocational education in Ghana. A theoretical framework was provided based on the philosophy and theology of the Basel Mission. This was followed by a review of vocational and technical education in Ghana from the pre-colonial, through the colonial to the post-colonial period. Content analyses of educational policy documents and archival materials were used for the collection of qualitative data. The findings revealed that even though the colonial, nationalist, military and democratic governments of Ghana have all made conscious efforts to promote technical and vocational education in Ghana, much more needs to be done. The study commends the Basel Mission for its initiative and recommends government to formulate a comprehensive national policy on vocational and technical education in Ghana; provide adequate funding, equipment and facilities, in order to promote the socio-economic development of Ghana.

Source: UCC
The History Curriculum and Inculcation of National Consciousness in History Students in Ghana

National consciousness plays an important role in socio-economic and political developments in many nations. Mostly, national consciousness promotes national unity, sustainable development, peace, respect for diversity, patriotism, and others. Undoubtedly, most of the variables mentioned are acquired through the study of national history. This study stems from the motivation to find out whether the Ghanaian senior high school history curriculum addresses the canons identified as variables of national consciousness. The study, therefore, aimed at examining the content of the Ghanaian history syllabus, as a curriculum document, whether it inculcates national consciousness or otherwise. 125 Form Three history students in all the six senior high schools in the Koforidua Metropolis in the Eastern Region of Ghana were used to satisfy the quantitative requirements of the study. Content analysis was done by examining the history syllabus for qualitative requirements too. Both quantitative and qualitative data established that the history curriculum inculcates national consciousness values. However, it was noted from the content analysis that there are not enough topics on the history of Ghana. It is, therefore, recommended that any review of the history curriculum should have enough topics related to the history of Ghana. This would help instill common values and deepen the understanding of national issues in the learners.

Source: UCC