ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Takayasu's arteritis in Kuwait

The present study describes the epidemiological profile and clinical features of Takayasu's arteritis (TA) in Kuwait, as well as its association with other autoimmune diseases and primary hypercoagulable states. Thirteen patients were included from its start on 1 January 1989 till 30 June 1994. Diagnosis of TA was established by angiographic studies. Twelve patients were Arabs and 7 were Kuwaiti nationals. Five patients were males and renal disease secondary to isolated involvement of the abdominal aorta (TA, type II) was the main presentation in 4 patients. Coagulation tests were performed in 7 patients and included antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) assay as well as protein S, protein C and antithrombin III activity. Only one manifested recurrent thrombosis and laboratory tests confirmed the presence of a hypercoagulable state secondary to aPL and protein S deficiency. Serological tests of systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) were positive in this patient. These data indicate that TA is not a rare disease in the Arabic population. In our study, female predominance was not a common feature of TA and renal disease secondary to TA type II disease was commonly encountered. The association of TA with SLE and primary hypercoagulable states was not a consistent finding in our patients with TA, and hence, the proposed role for thrombotic vasculopathy in the pathogenesis and progression of this disease was unfounded.

Source: UG
Taking Account of Past Legacies: Reflections on Military Rule in Ghana

As the experience with military rule in Ghana recedes into the distant past, contemporary analysis has become increasingly revisionist. National shortcomings and failures are squarely blamed on military regimes while successes and achievements are directly or indirectly credited to their civilian counterparts. This impulse to demonize military regimes in a wholesale manner may be understandable as an expression of popular support for multi-party representative democracy and commitment of Ghanaians to put behind them the many years of military rule in a democratic age. The essay reviews the record of Ghana’s military regimes and rulers, highlighting their cumulative positive and negative legacies and analyzes their implications for the current and future progress of the country

Source: UG
Taking forward the Stop TB Partnership and World Health Organization Joint Theme for World TB Day March 24th 2018 — “Wanted: Leaders for a TB-Free World. You can make history. End TB”

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

Source: UG
Taking forward the World TB Day 2016 theme 'Unite to End Tuberculosis' for the WHO Africa Region

The Epidemiology Department contributes to the mission of the institute through basic and applied epidemiological research on, but not limited to, malaria and other diseases of public health importance. It is also home to the Social Science Unit of the Institute, including the Health Support Centre for HIV/AIDS and other communicable and noncommunicable health problems.

Source: UG
Taking stock of gender gaps in crop production technology adoption and technical efficiency in Ghana

There is a strong linkage between agricultural performance and economic growth in developing countries. However, the gain from agriculture disproportionately trickles down to the poor which can be partly reduced by addressing gender differences in production. Historically, the validity of gender statistics has been questioned as the way researchers and policymakers describe gender differences also affects how they perceive and address them. Amid these antecedents, we apply a meta-stochastic frontier to pooled cross-sectional population based surveys that represent three decades (1987–2017) of the production history for twelve crops in Ghana to assess the dynamics of gender gaps in technology gaps and technical efficiency (TE). Results indicate that female farmers exhibit technology gap and TE scores of 25 and 76% while their male counterparts exhibit scores of 20 and 73%. The TE gap of 4% against male farmers has remained relatively steady over the three decades while the technology adoption gap against females has reduced from 18% in 1997/98 to 3% in 2016/17. All farmers operate at 60% of the potential possible given the overall crop production technology in Ghana. Over the three decades, the estimated crop production gap of 5.94% against females shifted to a gap estimated at 9.24% against males.

Source: UG
Talent Management and Employee Outcomes: A Psychological Contract Fulfilment Perspective

This study examines a salient mechanism ─ psychological-contract (PC) fulfilment through which talent management (TM) practices might affect talented employees’ outcomes. Using two samples from parastatal (n = 232) and banking (n = 145) institutions in Ghana, a partial mediation model was outlined and tested using structural equation modelling. In both samples, the findings showed that TM practices had positive relationship with PC fulfilment, affective commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Similarly, the findings showed that TM practices not only had a direct positive effect, but also an indirect effect on talented employee outcomes via PC fulfilment in both parastatal and banking institutions. The findings further suggest that, even though the results are similar, the relationships are stronger in sample two and that banking sector employees perceived more TM practices, PC fulfilment, are more committed and engage in more OCB than parastatal sector employees. The findings have important theoretical, policy and managerial implications. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Source: UG
Talent management and talented employees’ attitudes: mediating role of perceived organisational support

This study responds to calls to examine the mechanism through which talent management affects talented employees’ attitudes. Anchored on exchange theories, this study examines a salient mechanism, perceived organisational support, through which talent management practices might affect talented employees’ attitudes. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 242 talented employees in the Ghanaian banking sector and analysed with the use of the structural equation modelling analytical technique. Our findings show that talent management has not only a direct effect, but also an indirect effect, on talented employees’ attitudes of affective commitment and quit intention through perceived organisational support. The study has implications for the management of talented employees

Source: UG
Talent management research in Africa: towards multilevel model and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to systematically review talent management research in Africa with the aim of developing a multilevel talent management model and defining future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review is performed utilising studies published on the topic from 2008 to 2019 in various research databases. Findings – The findings highlighted various talent management contributions and challenges in the African context. They further revealed major issues with the nature of research method adopted in talent management research in Africa. Moreover, contextually, apart from Southern Africa sub-region, talent management research is highly under-researched in the North African, West African and Eastern African sub-regions of the continent. Therefore, talent management research in Africa can be described as being at an embryonic stage. Practical implications – Effective talent management has significant transformative and growth power through its varied positive contributions. Talent management in Africa is faced with numerous organisational and macro-level challenges and requires attention from relevant stakeholders, if African talents are to be harnessed to facilitate the development of the continent. Originality/value – This systematic review on talent management is the first of its kind focusing solely on Africa. Also, this study contributes further evidence by proposing a multilevel talent management model based on the synthesised evidence since multilevel research in the field of talent management is very limited.

Source: UG
Tales told in Togoland

In the Following Pages I Have Collected Tales Told Me By Peasants and Hunters in Various Parts of Togoland. The Final Chapter Deals With the History of the Dagomba, a History Collected By The Sole Efforts Of Mr. E. F. Tamakloe. I Have Made No Attempt at a Comparative Study of the Folk-Lore Contained In This Volume. Such a Task Is Now Too Great To Undertake, Except After Much Study and Reading, And In The Quietude of Some English Home. Therefore I Have Merely Recorded the Tales and Legends and Myths As They Have Been Related, Contenting Myself with the Interesting Task of Their Co-Ordination.

Source: UG
&quot;Taming the beast”: Theorizing the use of mobile phones amongst traders in Accra

Over the years, the domestication theory has been used to explore the "taming" of the television within the household space of western nations. However, few studies have employed this theory to examine the "taming" of other technologies outside the private space of people. This paper will attempt to show the process involved in the taming of technology outside the private space of people within the Ghanaian context by examining how traders in Accra domesticate the mobile phone considering data from 374 randomly selected traders. The findings showed that the taming of the mobile phone in the public-private space of the traders is largely conditioned by the culture of their public-private space. Additionally, the taming process for the mobile phone follows a parallel- cyclical process and not the inherent unilineal process described by the domestication process.

Source: UG
Targeted Dereplication of Microbial Natural Products by High-Resolution MS and Predicted LC Retention Time

A new strategy for the identification of known compounds in Streptomyces extracts that can be applied in the discovery of natural products is presented. The strategy incorporates screening a database of 5555 natural products including 5098 structures from Streptomyces sp., using a high-throughput LCMS data processing algorithm that utilizes HRMS data and predicted LC retention times (tR) as filters for rapid identification of known compounds in the natural product extract. The database, named StrepDB, contains for each compound the structure, molecular formula, molecular mass, and predicted LC retention time. All identified compounds are annotated and color coded for easier visualization. It is an indirect approach to quickly assess masses (which are not annotated) that may potentially lead to the discovery of new or novel structures. In addition, a spectral database named MbcDB was generated using the ACD/Spectrus DB Platform. MbcDB contains 665 natural products, each with structure, experimental HRESIMS, MS/MS, UV, and NMR spectra. StrepDB was used to screen a mutant Streptomyces albus extract, which led to the identification and isolation of two new compounds, legonmaleimides A and B, the structures of which were elucidated with the aid of MbcDB and spectroscopic techniques. The structures were confirmed by computer-assisted structure elucidation (CASE) methods using ACD/Structure Elucidator Suite. The developed methodology suggests a pipeline approach to the dereplication of extracts and discovery of novel natural products.

Source: UG
Targeted gene panel sequencing of liquid and tissue biopsies reveals actionable genomic alterations in Ghanaian metastatic breast cancer cases

Purpose: Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related mortality among African women. The adoption of molecular genomic technologies in the management of cancer cases is limited in Africa. To provide much-needed insights on the feasibility and utility of such precision medicine paradigms in Africa, we conducted a prospective, non-interventional study involving combined tissue and plasma Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based testing in cancer patients in Ghana. Methods: We recruited 20 newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed, treatment-naïve women with metastatic breast cancer at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Tissue (NGS) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) liquid biopsy analysis were ordered on all 20 patients. Results: All 20/20 (100 %) liquid biopsy samples were acceptable for analysis, whereas only 6/20 (30 %) passed quality control for tissue NGS testing. Liquid biopsy detected 42 cfDNA mutations in 17/20 patients. Of the 17 patients, 3 (17.6 %) had mutations previously associated with African ancestry, including BRCA1 p.K719E, ARAF p.S262I and GATA3 p.G125dup. Eight potentially actionable alterations specific to breast cancer were found in 6/17 (35.3 %) liquid biopsy samples, while potentially actionable mutations non-specific to breast cancer were detected in 12/17 (70.6 %). Tissue biopsy analysis detected mutations in all 6 patients tested, with 3/6 (50 %) patients presenting potentially actionable mutations relevant to breast cancer. Conclusion: Liquid biopsy detected multiple additional actionable variants in Ghanaian women with breast cancer. Plasma cfDNA analysis featured fewer variations in sample preparation which is a key consideration in resource-limited settings. Liquid biopsy presents a great opportunity to improve cancer care in Africa

Source: UG
Targeted Isolation of Indole Alkaloids from Streptomyces sp. CT37

Four compounds (1–4) were isolated from the extracts of Streptomyces sp. CT37 using bioassay in conjunction with mass spectrometric molecular networking (MN) driven isolation. Their complete structures were established by high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS), and 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. Legonimide 1 was identified as a new alkaloid containing a rare linear imide motif in its structure, while compounds 2–4 were already known and their structures were elucidated as 1H-indole-3-carbaldehyde, actinopolymorphol B, (2R,3R)-1-phenylbutane-2,3-diol, respectively. The biosynthetic pathways of 1–4 were proposed based on the reported biogenesis of indole alkaloids in literature. Bioactivity tests for 1 and 2 revealed moderate growth inhibition activity against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 with MIC95 values of 21.54 g/mL and 11.47 g/mL, respectively.

Source: UG
Targeted Next Generation Sequencing for malaria research in Africa: current status and outlook

Targeted Next Generation Sequencing (TNGS) is an efficient and economical Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform and the preferred choice when specific genomic regions are of interest. So far, only institutions located in middle and high-income countries have developed and implemented the technology, however, the efficiency and cost savings, as opposed to more traditional sequencing methodologies (e.g. Sanger sequencing) make the approach potentially well suited for resource-constrained regions as well. In April 2018, scientists from the Plasmodium Diversity Network Africa (PDNA) and collaborators met during the 7th Pan African Multilateral Initiative of Malaria (MIM) conference held in Dakar, Senegal to explore the feasibility of applying TNGS to genetic studies and malaria surveillance in Africa. The group of scientists reviewed the current experience with TNGS platforms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and identified potential roles the technology might play to accelerate malaria research, scientific discoveries and improved public health in SSA. Research funding, infrastructure and human resources were highlighted as challenges that will have to be mitigated to enable African scientists to drive the implementation of TNGS in SSA. Current roles of important stakeholders and strategies to strengthen existing networks to effectively harness this powerful technology for malaria research of public health importance were discussed

Source: UG
Targeting Leishmania donovani sterol methyltransferase for leads using pharmacophore modeling and computational molecular mechanics studies

The mortalities and morbidities of leishmaniasis are high and the disease is under reported globally. The absence of vaccines coupled with chemotherapeutic challenges including chemoresistance, scarcity and toxicity have made the fight against leishmaniasis an arduous one. Furthermore, the treatment options currently available for leishmaniasis are long and sometimes require hospitalization. There is therefore the need to explore novel pathways to identify new compounds with alternative mechanisms of action. A pharmacophore-based screening was employed in identifying new potential inhibitors with unique scaffolds targeting Leishmania donovani sterol methyltransferase (LdSMT), a key enzyme for ergosterol biosynthesis. To accomplish this, 22,26-azasterol, a known inhibitor of this target and five other derivatives with IC50 less than 10 μM were used to generate a robust 3D pharmacophore model via LigandScout with a score of 0.9144. The validated model was used as a query to screen a library of 69034 natural products obtained from the InterBioScreen Limited. Compounds with pharmacophore fit scores above 50 were docked against the modelled structure of LdSMT. Altogether, ten molecules with binding energies between − 7 and − 11 kcal/mol were identified as potential bioactive molecules. The molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics Poisson–Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) calculations reinforced the results from the docking studies suggesting the selected hits bind effectively at the active sites of the target protein. The compounds were observed to bind in the S-adenosine-L-homocysteine binding pocket of the modelled LdSMT with Trp208 and Val330 predicted as key residues critical for ligand binding. Prediction of biological activity with probability of activity (Pa) greater than probability of inactivity (Pi) revealed that seven compounds (STOCKIN-54848, STOCKIN-89115, STOCKIN-68720, STOCKIN-44724, STOCKIN-76694, STOCKIN-47277 and STOCKIN-95708) possessed antileishmanial properties. STOCKIN-89115, STOCKIN-68720, STOCKIN-44724, and STOCKIN-47277 were predicted to be membrane perme ability inhibitors, while all ten hit compounds possessed antineoplastic activity. The compounds have the propensity of disrupting ergosterol biosynthesis leading to the suppression of growth in Leishmania donovani. The compounds were predicted to have good absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity profiles, hence their potential antileishmanial activity can be exploited upon experimental corroboration.

Source: UG
Task-shifting HIV counselling and testing services in Zambia: the role of lay counsellor

Background: The human resource shortage in Zambia is placing a heavy burden on the few health care workers available at health facilities. The Zambia Prevention, Care and Treatment Partnership began training and placing community volunteers as lay counsellors in order to complement the efforts of the health care workers in providing HIV counselling and testing services. These volunteers are trained using the standard national counselling and testing curriculum. This study was conducted to review the effectiveness of lay counsellors in addressing staff shortages and the provision of HIV counselling and testing services. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of semistructured interviews from all active lay counsellors in each of the facilities and a facility manager or counselling supervisor overseeing counseling and testing services and clients. At each of the 10 selected facilities, all counselling and testing record books for the month of May 2007 were examined and any recordkeeping errors were tallied by cadre. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with health care workers at each facility. Results: Lay counsellors provide counselling and testing services of quality and relieve the workload of overstretched health care workers. Facility managers recognize and appreciate the services provided by lay counsellors. Lay counsellors provide up to 70% of counselling and testing services at health facilities. The data review revealed lower error rates for lay counsellors, compared to health care workers, in completing the counselling and testing registers. Conclusion: Community volunteers, with approved training and ongoing supervision, can play a major role at health facilities to provide counselling and testing services of quality, and relieve the burden on already overstretched health care workers.

Source: UG
Tattoo-like skin disease in the endangered subpopulation of the Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, in Oman (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae)

The presence of tattoo-like skin disease is reported in an endangered, non-migratory subpopulation of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Oman. We examined 522 images taken during small-boat surveys in the Gulf of Masirah and in Dhofar in 2000-2006 and in 2010-2011. Tattoo-like lesions were detected in regular, good and outstanding images. They appeared as irregular or rounded, light grey marks often showing a whitish outline, and were located on the flanks, dorsum, dorsal fin and caudal peduncle. They could be relatively small to very large and cover up to an estimated 40% of the visible body surface. Over the whole study period disease prevalence reached 21.7% in 60 whales and 16.7% in 36 adults. In this category, prevalence was higher in males (26.7%, N=15) than in females (9.1%, N=11), but the difference was not significant. Lesions appeared larger in males than in the positive female and progressed in two males. Disease prevalence increased significantly from 2000 through 2011 (r2 =0.998). Advanced tattoo skin disease, with lesions extending over more than 10% of the visible body surface seemed to occur more frequently in 2010-2011 than in 2000-2006, but samples were small. This is the first confirmed report of tattoo-like disease in the Balaenopteridae family and the first time it is documented in the Arabian Sea. The disease high prevalence, its increase over time and its progression in some individuals are of concern. © 2014 Taylor and Francis.

Source: UG
Taxes and corporate borrowing: Empirical evidence from selected african countries.

In this study the authors examine the effect of taxes on corporate borrowing in selected African countries. With use of a panel regression model, their results suggest that taxation is not important in explaining corporate borrowing decisions. However, they found significant relationships between the other firm-level characteristics and debt-equity ratio. Firm age, for instance, shows a negative effect on debt-equity ratio in Ghana and Kenya but registers a positive effect on debt-equity ratio in South Africa. Firm size signals a positive effect on debt-equity ratio in Kenya and South Africa. Also, debt-equity ratio is negatively affected by profitability in Kenya and growth potential in Nigeria.

Source: UG