ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A contribution to common Carius tube distillation techniques

In this paper, we introduce an economic electrothermal timing steamer for common Carius tube Os in situ distillation. It is suitable for analysing several batches of samples. Its configuration allows the Carius tubes to be properly fixed and bathed in steam into which the tubes are immersed. The top of each Carius tube is sealed with a stretchy rubber head through which a pair of teflon tubes pierce, serving as inlet and outlet for clean air and OsO4 respectively. At steam temperatures of 99-100 °C, OsO4 in the sample solutions inside the Carius tubes is evaporated out and subsequently carried by clean air to the trapping water in an ampoule bottle, immersed in a box filled with ice. In the present study the steamer allowed for the convenient, efficient and simultaneous distillation of Os from seven samples with near ninety percent recovery. The blank values were 0.42 ± 0.15 pg and 0.26 ± 0.05 for 187Os and 187Os/ 188Os (n = 4). The dating results of reference materials (RMs) namely Henderson, HLP and JDC were in accordance with reference and certified values within the range of uncertainties. The special steamer has successfully been used in the analysis of pyrite samples for the distillation of Os. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Source: UG
Contributions of Dietary Protein and Zinc Deficiencies to Protein Energy Malnutrition

Some degree of zinc deficiency seems present in all cases of Protein-Energy malnutrition. Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) was induced in male Wister rats fed either adequate (30ppm) or moderately deficient levels of zinc (6ppm) in diets containing either 0.4 01' 20% spray-dried egg white. The protein-deficient rats developed PEM with oedema in 4 - 5 weeks regardless of their dietary zinc level. Except for disorders of the brain, protein deficiency was the major cause of most PEM signs - loss of appetite, growth failure, oedema, water accumulation in the liver, hypalbuminaemia and mortality. Dietary zinc deficiency aggravated some of these to a small extent. Dietary zinc alone accounted for elevations of brain iron and sodium in both PEM and non PEM rats. This suggests that zinc deficiency may significantly contribute to some of the symptoms of PEM.

Source: UG
Contributions of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement in Ensuring Food Security in West and Central Africa.

Every individual has the right to be food secure yet there is a constant increase in global hunger and malnutrition. Food insecurity leads to economic underdevelopment and poverty. Agricultural research has over the years played a substantive role in increasing food production and driving food security. However, in Africa, agricultural research, and its institutions, particularly those that are not state-owned and funded have not been given enough attention. The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) is an example of such an institution. Despite its activities towards achieving food security, information on the Centre is limited. This study highlighted the contributions of WACCI in ensuring food security in West and Central Africa. This was a qualitative study and involved in-person and online interviews with purposively selected persons from WACCI, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) which are the National Agricultural Research Institutions (NARIs) of Ghana and Cameroon respectively. The study also used additional information from secondary data sources in the analyses. The study showed that WACCI’s contributions do not only include training research scientists but also organising workshops for farmers and extension officers as well as providing the platform for training the youth in agribusiness. In addition, the study discovered that funding towards agricultural research is averagely low on the continent which accounts for the slow progress made towards achieving zero hunger as captured under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2. Most African countries are unable to contribute 10% of their budgets towards agriculture as stipulated in the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). It was also revealed a lack of resources and political responsibilities or a combination of both accounted for reasons why the CAADP has so far failed. The study recommended that a decrease in the percentage of contribution under the CAADP will go a long way to ensure a stable annual investment towards the agricultural sector and by extension agricultural research institutions. Additionally, centres like WACCI should be set up in the various sub-regions and in different agricultural research fields, to facilitate the work of the Centre and the NARIs.

Source: UG
Control and broadband monitoring of transparent multilayer thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

A multilayer thin film deposition system has been developed that implements broadband process control and monitoring. Running on a simple algorithm, the system stringently controls the thickness of each of the multilayers thereby avoiding thickness error build up throughout the deposition process. The system which also has process monitoring capability can be implemented on any platform. Antireflection coatings deposited by the new system yielded spectral characteristics of commercial standards. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Source: UG
). Control by circulating factors of mitochondrial function and transcription cascade in heart failure. Circulation

BACKGROUND: Evidence is emerging to support the concept that the failing heart is "energy depleted" and that defects in energy metabolism are important determinants in the development and the progression of the disease. We have shown previously that depressed mitochondrial function in cardiac and skeletal muscles in chronic heart failure is linked to decreased expression of the gene encoding transcriptional proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha, the inducible regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and its transcription cascade, leading to altered expression of mitochondrial proteins. However, oxidative capacity of the myocardium of patients treated for chronic heart failure and pathophysiological mechanisms of mitochondrial dysfunction are still largely unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: In patients with chronic heart failure treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, cardiac oxidative capacity, measured in saponin-permeabilized fibers, was 25% lower, and proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha protein content was 34% lower compared with nonfailing controls. In a rat model of myocardial infarction, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition therapy was only partially able to protect cardiac mitochondrial function and transcription cascade. Expression of proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha and its transcription cascade were evaluated after a 48-hour exposure of cultured adult rat ventricular myocytes to endothelin-1, angiotensin II, aldosterone, phenylephrine, or isoprenaline. Endothelin-1 (-30%) and, to a lesser degree, angiotensin II (-20%) decreased proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha mRNA content, whereas other hormones had no effect (phenylephrine) or even increased it (aldosterone, isoprenaline). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results show that, despite angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition treatment, oxidative capacity is reduced in human and experimental heart failure and that endothelin-1 and angiotensin II could be involved in the downregulation of the mitochondrial transcription cascade.

Source: UG
Control charting methods for autocorrelated cyber vulnerability data

Control charting cyber vulnerabilities is challenging because the same vulnerabilities can remain from period to period. Also, hosts (personal computers, servers, printers, etc.) are often scanned infrequently and can be unavailable during scanning. To address these challenges, control charting of the period-to-period demerits per host using a hybrid moving centerline residual-based and adjusted demerit (MCRAD) chart is proposed. The intent is to direct limited administrator resources to unusual cases when automatic patching is insufficient. The proposed chart is shown to offer superior average run length performance compared with three alternative methods from the literature. The methods are illustrated using three datasets.

Source: UG
Control of fraud on mobile money services in Ghana: an exploratory study

Purpose – Fraud is a global economic menace which threatens the survival of individuals, firms, industries and economies, and the mobile money service is no exception. This paper aims to explore the main causes of fraud in the mobile money services in Ghana and the measures to combat the menace by the key stakeholders connected to the mobile money services. The paper is motivated by recent reports of numerous fraudulent transactions on the mobile money platform, and the need to clamp down these nefarious transactions with effective and practicalmeasures to sustain the service. Design/methodology/approach – A thorough review of existing studies on fraud risk relating to mobile money services was done revealing a paucity of literature on the subject. Primary data were gathered using an interview guide to explore the magnitude of the problem based on the views of employees of mobile money operators, mobile money agents, banking supervisors from Bank of Ghana, employees of partnering banks, employees of National Communications Authority and mobile money subscribers. Findings – The study revealed that fraud in mobile money services is caused by weak internal controls and systems, lack of sophisticated information technology tools to detect the menace, inadequate education and training and the poor remuneration of employees. These factors disrupt the growth, and the smooth-running of the services. To curb this menace, a detailed legal code and internal fraud policy should be developed and used by mobile money operators and partner banks. Adequate training for mobile money agents should be encouraged coupled with public awareness campaigns to educate stakeholders especially the mobile money subscribers on the tricks of the fraudsters. Research limitations/implications – With the chosen research methodology and limited sample size, the findings may not reflect the views of all the stakeholders connected to the mobile money services. Therefore, future studies on this subject are entreated to use research methods which embrace larger samples to get more details about this menace. Practical implications – The study will assist in tackling the mobile money fraud to sustain the service in the foreseeable future. Originality/value – This paper contributes to scanty literature on fraud relating to the mobile money services by drawing lessons from a middle-income country.

Source: UG
Control of Parasitic Diseases through School-based Health Education and Deworming: A five years activities in Ada-Foah, Ghana. X European Multicolloquium of Parasitology – EMOP 10 Paris

The Department of Parasitology conducts research into parasitic diseases of public health importance with the overall goal of reducing their transmission and the heavy disease burden that they impose on affected populations. The Department maintains focus on parasitic diseases in general. These include major diseases such as malaria, and others listed under the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) control initiative such as, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis.

Source: UG
Control of Streptococcal Infections: Is a Common Vaccine Target Achievable Against Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus pneumoniae

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
Controlling deviant wives: Marriage and justice in the early Ghanaian novel

This article looks at two early Ghanaian novels, A. Native’s Marita: Or the Folly of Love (serialised in 1886-1887) and R.E. Obeng’s Eighteenpence (1943), which portray conjugal life in colonial Ghana during a time of legislative and judicial transition. They deal with ways in which both the colonial administration and traditional authorities attempted to regulate the contested arena of marriage. The novels create the impression that such external controls freed married women from traditional restraints and turned them into deviant wives who asserted their own interests, overturned gender norms and undermined their husbands’ authority in private and in public. We argue that far from liberating women, the external control of marital affairs left women bereft of traditional support systems and therefore dependent on, and submissive to, men. We conclude that an underlying male angst is responsible for the representation of wives in both novels, as well as for the texts’ silencing of resistant women.

Source: UG
Controlling the electronic and optical properties of HfS2 mono-layers via lanthanide substitutional doping: a DFT+U study

Two dimensional HfS2 is a material with potential applications in the field of photo-catalysis and advanced solid state devices. Density functional theory with the Hubbard U parameter (DFT+U) calculations were carried out to investigate the structural, electronic and optical properties of lanthanide dopant atoms (LN = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu) in the HfS2 mono-layer. The calculated electronic band gap for a pristine HfS2 mono-layer is 1.30 eV with a non-magnetic ground state. The dopant substitutional energies under both Hf-rich and S-rich conditions were evaluated, with the S-rich condition for the dopant atoms being negative. This implies that the incorporation of these LN dopant atoms in the HfS2 is feasible and experimental realization possible. The introduction of LN dopant atoms in the HfS2 mono-layer resulted in a significant change of the material properties. We found that the presence of LN dopant atoms in the HfS2 mono-layer significantly alters its electronic ground states by introducing defect states as well as changes in the overall density of states profile resulting in a metallic ground state for the doped mono-layers. The doped mono-layers are all magnetic with the exception of La and Lu dopant atoms. We found that LN dopant atoms in the HfS2 mono-layer influence the absorption and reflectivity spectra with the introduction of states in the lower frequency range (<1.30 eV). Furthermore, we showed that the applicability of doped HfS2 mono-layers as photo-catalysts is very different compared with the pristine HfS2 mono-layer.

Source: UG
The conundrum of absenteeism in the Canadian public service: A wicked problem perspective

Absenteeism has received increasing attention in public sectors across the world. In Canada's federal public service, absenteeism cost the government approximately $871 million in lost wages in 2013 alone (Barkel 2014a). Current and previous Canadian governments have attempted to reform sick-leave policy to reduce absenteeism, but simple solutions to a complex problem will likely result in negative and unforeseen consequences. This article conceptualizes absenteeism as a “wicked problem” to explore its complexity. Addressing absenteeism requires a deeper understanding of issues and factors by government representatives, unions, NGOs, and policy experts, which can lead to multifaceted solutions. © The Institute of Public Administration of Canada/L'Institut d'administration publique du Canada 2017

Source: UG
Convention between Her Majesty and the King of Denmark, for the Cession of the Danish Possessions on the Coast of Africa to Great Britain

His Majesty the King of Denmark having offered to cede to Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, all the forts and possessions belonging to the Crown of Denmark, situated on that part of the coast of Africa which is called the Gold Coast or the Coast of Guinea; and Her Britannic Majesty having resolved to accept that offer; their said Majesties have named as their Plenipotentiaries to conclude a Convention for carrying such cession into effect

Source: UG
Convergence in carbon dioxide emissions and the role of growth and institutions: A parametric and nonparametric analysis.

This paper examines convergence of per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emission for a panel of 124 countries taking into account the impact of economic growth and the quality of government institutions. The analysis builds on both parametric and non-parametric panel data techniques, and we examine the β-convergence hypothesis in a neoclassical growth model setting with institutional quality as one of the independent variables influencing both emissions and output growth. The results reveal evidence in support of β-convergence of per capita CO2 emissions for the global sample, and for the sub-samples comprising OECD versus non-OECD countries and high- versus low-income countries, respectively. There is, however, heterogeneity in β-convergence and it tends to vary with the level of the initial per capita CO2 emissions. We also report evidence of a negative direct effect of institutional quality on growth in per capita CO2 emissions, especially for the global and high-income samples. However, institutional quality also promotes economic growth, thus generating a positive indirect effect on emissions growth. Overall the empirical results suggest a positive net effect of institutional quality on growth in per capita CO2 emissions in the global sample. Finally, the non-parametric approach reveals some evidence of bias in the parametric approach, in particular in the case of the estimates for the convergence parameter at either end of the distribution.

Source: UG
Convergence in global environmental performance: assessing heterogeneity

This paper examines convergence in environmental/carbon performance by constructing a measure based on production theory, where production processes explicitly result in the production of two outputs; a good output (GDP) and a bad output (CO2). We use the derived measure to test the β-convergence hypothesis for a panel of 94 countries. The results reveal evidence in support of β-convergence in environmental, or carbon performance for the entire (global) sample and each of the sub-samples. The evidence points to a slower convergence rate for the high-income countries relative to low-income countries. Moreover, the rate of convergence does not vary with capital in the global sample, but does vary in the high-income sample, possibly reflecting differences in abatement cost induced by differences in the stringency of environmental regulation and enforcement. Additionally, we find evidence of a negative relation between environmental performance and fossil fuel share, both at the global level as well as at the middle and high sub-samples, which tend to vary with capital intensity. As such, the results conform to the results from studies on the dynamics of per capita emissions. © 2017, The Author(s).

Source: UG
Convergence of sciences: the management of agricultural research for small-scale farmers in Benin and Ghana

The Convergence of Sciences programme (CoS) addresses the sub-optimal impact of science on the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers in West Africa, particularly in Benin and Ghana where it operates. CoS aims to develop insights into the pathways through which investment in science and technology can improve rural lives. To this end, CoS features participatory experimental and action research by eight PhD students, who each develop technologies and institutional arrangements with groups of farmers. The ninth PhD student carries out comparative 'research on agricultural research'. The current article deals with a higher aggregation level than the individual project: the management of the programme as a whole. How did CoS try to zero in on the small windows of opportunity West African farmers face? How did it manage the ensuing issues of trans-disciplinarity, and of interaction among students, (social and natural science) supervisors, and other key stakeholders? How does it face up to the issues that arise with respect to scaling up? One of the most interesting aspects of CoS is that it not only deals with technical innovation within the constraining institutional and policy framework conditions, but also experiments with incipient ideas about how to stretch them.

Source: UG
Convergent Synthesis, Kinetics And Computational Attributions Of Indole-N-Phenyltriazole Hybrids Bearing N-(Aryl)Butanamides As Alkaline Phosphatase Inhibitors.

In the research delineate herein, an innovative sequence of new series of multi-functional target molecules (9a-i) having indole-N-phenyltriazole bi-heterocyclic hybrids unified with N-arylated butanamides was synthesized as alkaline phosphatase inhibitor. The structural validation of all the formulated compounds was accomplished through IR, EI-MS, 1 H NMR, 13C NMR and CHN analysis data. The in vitro enzyme inhibitory investigation revealed the efficacy of these bi-heterocyclic derivatives, 9a–i, as potent inhibitors of alkaline phosphatase relative to the standard used. The compound 9h was found to be the most active compound (IC50 = 0.062 ± 0.017 μM), and its inhibitory activity is about 10 times higher than potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) (IC50 = 5.251 ± 0.468 μM). The kinetics mechanism was attributed by evaluating the Lineweaver–Burk plots, which revealed that compound 9h inhibited the alkaline phosphatase non-competitively to form an enzyme –inhibitor complex. The inhibition constant Ki determined from Dixon plots for this compound was 0.045 μM. The computational study was in full agreement with the experimental records and these ligands exhibited good interactions and binding energy values. These molecules also demonstrated mild cytotoxicity toward red blood cell membranes when analyzed through hemolysis. So, based on the presented results, these molecules, being the promising inhibitors of alkaline phosphatase, might be deliberated as suitable medicinal scaffolds to render normal calcification of bones and teeth.

Source: UG