ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Dietary Risk Assessment of Bisphenol A Migration in Soft Drinks

In Ghana, there has been a steady increase in plastic products used in the food industry for packaging. This research investigated the effects of storage temperature, pH and storage time on migration of BPA from five brands of soft drinks packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in Ghana. BPA extraction and clean-up was done on a total of 60 samples of soft drinks using a modified QuEChERS method. Palisade @Risk software was used to determine the hazard quotient (HQ), of consumption of the soft drinks to characterize the risk. BPA was detected in all the samples at all three temperature conditions. BPA concentrations ranged from 0.23 to 0.39 ng/mL, 0.23 to 1.3 ng/mL and 0.23 to 5.17 ng/mL for samples stored at refrigerated, room and elevated temperature respectively. pH remained relatively constant in the acidic range of 2.72 to 3.58 over the four-week period. Hazard quotients (HQ<1) of BPA at refrigerated and room temperature meant the study population were at no significant health risk. At elevated temperature, the 95th percentile value of 1.11 implied that more than 5% of the study population were at a significant health risk (HQ>1), and therefore should not be neglected.

Source: KNUST
Dietary Risk Assessment due to Bisphenol A (BPA) in Fante Kenkey

The relative inexpensiveness of plastics has contributed to its ubiquity. Plastics are used as packaging materials for several food products. Inherent in these plastics is Bisphenol A, a chemical with estrogen-mimicking properties. The continuous use of plastic films as a primary packaging material for Fante kenkey is a worry, as Bisphenol A may leach from the plastic films into the Fante kenkey. This study set out to determine the risks associated within the consumption of Fante kenkey wrapped in plastic films. A dietary questionnaire was used to collect information on the consumption of Fante kenkey in the study area. Fante kenkey samples were homogenised and Bisphenol A extracted using acetonitrile as part of a QuEChERS method. Extracts were then analyzed using a Cecil-Adept Binary Pump HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) coupled with a Shimadzu fluorescence detector. Bisphenol A was detected in 54% of the samples analyzed, with a range from 5.5×10-8 mg/g to 3.155×10-6 mg/g. The Palisade @Risk software was used to run a Monte Carlo simulation at 1000,000 iterations to obtain the risks. Chronic daily intake of Bisphenol A among consumers had a mean, median and mode of 6.278×10-7, 2.453×10-7 and 1.022×10-7 respectively. The Hazard quotients presented in the study were all below 1, indicating no significant risk associated with the consumption of Fante kenkey containing Bisphenol A. Margin of exposure values were also above 10,000 indicating a low public health concern. Though the population under study is at no significant risks, producers of Fante kenkey must be encouraged to desist from the use of plastic films as a packaging material.

Source: KNUST
Dietary Risk Assessment Due to the Consumption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon in Two Commonly Consumed Street Vended Foods

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are present and pervasive in the environment. Handling of the foods by the vendors is therefore likely to introduce PAHs into the meals. Quantification of PAH was made usingvHPLC-FID and consumption data by face–face interviews with 188 regular consumers for the vendors. Data obtained were iterated 10,000 times using palisade @risk software and results presented at 95th percentile level of consumption showing the worst case scenario. Dietary risk assessment of 12-priority PAHs was carried out on the components of two staple foods in Ghana. Naphthalene was detected in all food samples at concentrations ranging from 1.7 to 6.5 mg kg21 at 95th percentile consumption level. Benzo(a)pyrene and dibenz-a,h-anthracene were detected in fried chicken samples with the stochastic concentrations of 1.2E–02 mg kg21 and 3.2E–03 mg kg21, respectively, at the 95th percentile level of consumption. Incremental life cancer risk values fell within the deminis value of 1026 to 1024 except at the 95th percentile level of consumption of chicken, hot pepper sauce, and soup components of the meals which were higher(1023). The 95th percentile level of consumption of fried rice meal as well as the 50th and 95th percentile level of consumption of the fufu meal had a hazard index above 1, indicating consumers may be suffering the non carcinogenic effects due to PAH in the respective meals. The study, there fore, showed that high consumption levels of the street vended foods are likely to cause dietary risk to the health of its consumers

Source: KNUST
Dietary risk assessment of acrylamide in food commonly consumed among children

The journey to greatness in life begins with a step ordered by the Almighty God. I therefore give Him all the glory for the strength, knowledge and ideas He gives me at every moment of my life. This work is the product of the impartation by my lecturers at the Department of Food Science and Technology in general and the lecturers for the Food Quality Management programme in particular, who sacrificed their time to make me who I am now. I salute them all. Special thanks go to the office of the Ashanti Regional Metro Director of Education and his Assistant, the Heads of the selected schools in the Oforikrom Sub-Metro and all those who willingly participated in the survey. Without you this work would not have been possible. To Mr. Isaac W. Ofosu, my supervisor, I extend my warm thanks for always being concerned and caring and particularly, for all the valuable tips you gave me and the support that strengthened me to move on when the going got tough. To your charming and warm hearted wife and daughter, I say God richly bless you for welcoming me into your home and dropping me off at home at inconvenient hours. I am highly appreciative to Mr. Emmanuel De-Graft, my Statistic lecturer who assisted me with the risk analysis. I pour out my heart to my dearest friends Kojo Anobel and Mr. Baisie who spent sleepless nights to proof read and edit as well as print my work. To William Appau, and his ever ready laboratory assistants, thanks a lot for your concern and all your kind help with the acrylamide analyses. You made things so neat and easy. Words are not enough to show my appreciation to my dear Mawusi who showed great passion during the data collection as if it was her own work. Wow! You are amazing. May the blessings of God never pass by my entire family especially Mary Donkor, my dearest mum who sacrificed a lot to get me this far in life, James Obeng my ever loving and helpful step dad as well as my lovely soul siblings; Derrick and Constance. May the Lord bless you beyond measure for helping me to believe in myself and work towards my goals. May the Almighty God Bless You Al!!!

Source: KNUST
Diferential associations between psychosocial stress and obesity among Ghanaians in Europe and in Ghana: fndings from the RODAM study

Purpose Psychosocial stress is associated with obesity in some populations, but it is unclear whether the association is related to migration. This study explored associations between psychosocial stress and obesity among Ghanaian migrants in Europe and non-migrant Ghanaians in Ghana. Methods Cross-sectional data from the RODAM study were used, including 5898 Ghanaians residing in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, rural Ghana, and urban Ghana. Perceived discrimination, negative life events and stress at work or at home were examined in relation to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Linear regression analyses were performed separately for migrants and non-migrants stratifed by sex. Results Perceived discrimination was not associated with BMI and WC in both migrants and non-migrants. However, nega tive life events were positively associated with BMI (β=0.78, 95% CI 0.34–1.22) and WC (β=1.96, 95% CI 0.79–3.12) among male Ghanaian migrants. Similarly, stress at work or at home was positively associated with BMI (β=0.28, 95% CI 0.00–0.56) and WC (β=0.84, 95% CI 0.05–1.63) among male Ghanaian migrants. Among non-migrant Ghanaians, in contrast, stress at work or at home was inversely associated with BMI and WC in both males (β = −0.66, 95% CI −1.03 to −0.28; β = −1.71 95% CI −2.69 to −0.73, respectively) and females (β = −0.81, 95% CI −1.20 to −0.42; β = −1.46, 95% CI −2.30 to −0.61, respectively) Conclusions Negative life events and stress at work or at home are associated with increased body weight among male Ghanaians in European settings, whereas stress at work or at home is associated with reduced body weight among Ghana ians in Ghana. More work is needed to understand the underlying factors driving these diferential associations to assist prevention eforts.

Source: KNUST
Diferential expression pattern of co-inhibitory molecules on CD4+ T cells in uncomplicated versus complicated malaria

The immune response of malaria patients is a main factor influencing the clinical severity of malaria. A tight regulation of the CD4+ T cell response or the induction of tolerance have been proposed to contribute to protection from severe or clinical disease. We therefore compared the CD4+ T cell phenotypes of Ghanaian children with complicated malaria, uncomplicated malaria, asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infection or no infection. Using flow cytometric analysis and automated multivariate clustering, we characterized the expression of the co-inhibitory molecules CTLA-4, PD-1, Tim-3, and LAG-3 and other molecules implicated in regulatory function on CD4+ T cells. Children with complicated malaria had higher frequencies of CTLA-4+ or PD-1+ CD4+ T cells than children with uncomplicated malaria. Conversely, children with uncomplicated malaria showed a higher proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing CD39 and Granzyme B, compared to children with complicated malaria. In contrast, asymptomatically infected children expressed only low levels of co-inhibitory molecules. Thus, different CD4+ T cell phenotypes are associated with complicated versus uncomplicated malaria, suggesting a two-sided role of CD4+ T cells in malaria pathogenesis and protection. Deciphering the signals that shape the CD4+ T cell phenotype in malaria will be important for new treatment and immunization strategies.

Source: KNUST
Dietary Risk Assessment of Green Leafy Vegetables (GLV) Due to Heavy Metals from Selected Mining Areas

Illicit surface mining activities pollutes agricultural lands and water bodies and results in accumulation of heavy metals in vegetables cultivated in such areas. Heavy metal (HM) accumulation in vegetables is a serious food safety issues due to the adverse effects of metal toxicities, hence the need to investigate the levels of these metals in cultivated vegetables in eastern region. Cocoyam leaves, cabbage and cucumber were sampled from selected farms in mining areas (Atiwa District) and non -mining areas (Yilo Krobo and East Akim District) of the region for the study. Levels of Cadmium, Lead, Mercury and Arsenic were investigated in the vegetables with Atomic Absorption Spectrometer and the results statistically analyzed with Microsoft Office Excel (2013) Spread Sheet and ANOVA. Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) were the highest and least concentrated HM in the vegetables sampled respectively. The mean concentrations of Cd and Pb in cabbage (0.564 mg/kg, 0.470 mg/kg), cucumber (0.389 mg/kg, 0.190 mg/kg), cocoyam leaves (0.410 mg/kg, 0.256 mg/kg) respectively from the mining areas exceeded the permissible limits set by Joint FAO/WHO. The mean concentrations of the metals in vegetables from the mining and non-mining areas varied significantly (P<0.05). The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) was used to assess the health risk posed to the human population via vegetable consumption.The THQ values of cadmium, mercury and lead in adults and children through vegetable consumption in the mining areas were greater than 1 (THQ >1). This indicates the potential health risk that the children and adults may be facing. The THQ values of adults and children in the non-mining areas were less than the safe limit of 1 (THQ<1), hence no significant health risk posed to the population from such areas.

Source: KNUST
Digestibility and growth performance of female rabbit fed tithonia diversifolia leaf meal

A ten–week feeding trials was conducted to investigate the effect of wild sunflower leaf meal (WSLM) on the digestibility and growth performance of cross–bred female rabbits aged between 6–8 weeks. Twelve rabbits were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments of three rabbits per treatment in a Completely Randomised Design experiment. The WSLM was included at 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% levels in diets 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The performance of the rabbit showed that, the digestibility of crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract were significantly (p>0.05) different among the 4 dietary treatments. Feed intake and life body weight gain were also statistically different. The study showed that WSLM can be included in the diet of rabbit at 5% inclusion.

Source: KNUST
Differences in alcohol consumption and drinking patterns in Ghanaians in Europe and Africa: The RODAM Study

Background Little is known about alcohol consumption among Africans living in rural and urban Africa compared to African migrants in Europe. We compared the patterns of alcohol consumption in a group of Ghanaians living in different locations in Ghana and in Europe and examined the factors associated with drinking alcohol. Methods Data were from a cross-sectional study (RODAM) of Ghanaians aged 25–70 years living in rural and urban Ghana and in Amsterdam, Berlin and London. Information on how often par ticipants consumed at least one standard alcoholic drink in the preceding 12 months, the type of alcoholic beverage and the average serving size was obtained using a food propen sity questionnaire. The associations between drinking alcohol and socio-demographic vari ables, and frequency of attending religious services were investigated using logistic regression models stratified by site and sex. For Ghanaians living in Europe, the number of years since migration and acculturation were also included in the model as covariates.

Source: KNUST
Digital art for tourism promotion in the Dangme East District

This thesis, Digital Art For Tourism Promotion In The Dangme East District, is to expose, inform and vigorously promote tourism in the Dangme East District through the creation of a web site of the district to the host-stage level covering, particularly, the indigenous visual arts of the district, located in the Greater Accra Region of the Republic of Ghana. Apart from very few scattered articles in some daily newspapers and a few lines of mention in occasional tourist magazines, there is, practically, no specific web site with the relevant information about tourism in the Dangme East District, both at the national and international levels. This thesis discusses the role and importance of the various visual art forms of the district with the view to exposing and making them attractive to tourists. It shows by its analysis, presentation, arguments and suggestions that the visual art forms of the district could be employed to promote tourism in the district. It also explains how the various visual art forms are important for the socioeconomic growth of the district and the country as a whole. Furthermore, this thesis promotes tourism by including a digital pictorial overview of the Dangmes in the district and the various tourist sites accompanied with brief concise texts in the web site design. This web site is envisaged to serve as a valuable source of information for tourists, researchers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, entrepreneurs, government agencies and policy makers, both local and foreign, to access at their convenience. These were achieved by an extensive fieldwork coupled with library research and interviews. Studio work and subsequent computer graphics were done to produce highly evolved digital promotional materials for the creation of the Web site. Actual Web design was executed, primarily, with the Macromedia Dreamweaver software and pre-testing was done among some lecturers and students at the College of Art, K.N.U.S.T., members of the Dangme East District Assembly, chiefs of the Ada Traditional Area, Centre for National Culture (Dangme East District) and with the management of Manet Paradise Hotel, Ada Foah. It is the fervent hope of this author that the recommendations offered would be adopted and implemented quickly enough to give the fledgling tourist industry in the District all the needed impetus and vigorous promotion that it deserves for it to be a major factor in the tourism index mover in our national socio-economic vision of being a middle-income country by the year 2020.

Source: KNUST
Digital catalogue and description of traditional kente designs of the Asantes of Ghana

It goes without saying that, Africa and for that matter the developing world will have to embark on quantum leaps to catch up with the developed world. When the world has warmly accepted science and technology to change the course of doing things, most African countries are unperturbed and look on unconcerned. To mention a few, Africa continues to lose several of her heritages to the world outside Africa at this age - the intellectuals, cultural, mineral and human resources. The primary concern of this project is to explore the possibilities of applying science and technology to the study of African art. This concern was expressed in the exploration of multimedia presentation as a viable alternative to the teaching and studying of African art. Also included in the study was the relative importance of the new technology in the preservation and promoting of the art of Africa. The research revealed the indispensable contributions the new technology is offering to education in this modern age such as enhanced learning environment, digital imaging and data processing among others. Chapter one outlined the objectives, scope, significance of this project among other parameters. In chapter two, a review of related literature was carried out to assess the need of the new technology in education and African art. The script for the presentation was considered under chapter three, with chapter four describing the details of the components and procedure. Chapter five discussed the results of the pre-testing, suggestions, contributions and conclusion.

Source: KNUST
Digital orientation, market capability, firm size and sme marketing orientation.

This study examined the relationship between digital orientation, market capability, sme marketing orientation, and the role of firm size in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (smes). The research aimed to explore how digital orientation influenced market capability and sme marketing orientation, taking into account the moderating role of firm size. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected from a sample of smes across various industries. Statistical techniques, including regression analysis, were employed to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The findings of this study provided insights into the relationship between digital orientation, market capability, and sme marketing orientation. The results indicated that digital orientation positively influenced market capability v and sme marketing orientation. Additionally, firm size was found to moderate the relationship between digital orientation and sme marketing orientation, highlighting the importance of considering firm size when implementing digital strategies. The research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the impact of digital orientation on market capability and sme marketing orientation. The findings offer practical implications for sme owners, managers, and policymakers, helping them make informed decisions regarding their digital strategies and marketing approaches. By understanding the interplay between digital orientation, market capability, sme marketing orientation, and firm size, this study provides valuable knowledge for smes seeking to optimize their marketing efforts in the digital era and achieve sustainable growth. Keywords: digital orientation, market capability, sme marketing orientation, firm size, small and medium-sized enterprises, digital strategies, marketing strategies, competitive advantage

Source: KNUST
Differential Impact of Risk Factors on Stroke Occurrence Among Men Versus Women in West Africa The SIREN Study

Background and Purpose—The interplay between sex and the dominant risk factors for stroke occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa has not been clearly delineated. We compared the effect sizes of risk factors of stroke by sex among West Africans. Methods—SIREN study (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Networks) is a case-control study conducted at 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases were adults aged >18 years with computerized tomography/magnetic resonance imaging confirmed stroke, and controls were age- and sex-matched stroke-free adults. Comprehensive evaluation for vascular, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors was performed using validated tools. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and reported risk factor specific and composite population attributable risks with 95% CIs. Results—Of the 2118 stroke cases, 1193 (56.3%) were males. The mean±SD age of males was 58.1±13.2 versus 60.15±14.53 years among females. Shared modifiable risk factors for stroke with adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) among females versus males, respectively, were hypertension [29.95 (12.49–71.77) versus 16.1 0(9.19–28.19)], dyslipidemia [2.08 (1.42–3.06) versus 1.83 (1.29–2.59)], diabetes mellitus [3.18 (2.11–4.78) versus 2.19 (1.53–3.15)], stress [2.34 (1.48–3.67) versus 1.61 (1.07–2.43)], and low consumption of green leafy vegetables [2.92 (1.89–4.50) versus 2.00 (1.33–3.00)]. However, salt intake and income were significantly different between males and females. Six modifiable factors had a combined population attributable risk of 99.1% (98.3%–99.6%) among females with 9 factors accounting for 97.2% (94.9%–98.7%) among males. Hemorrhagic stroke was more common among males (36.0%) than among females (27.6%), but stroke was less severe among males than females. Conclusions—Overall, risk factors for stroke occurrence are commonly shared by both sexes in West Africa favoring concerted interventions for stroke prevention in the region.

Source: KNUST
Digital Image Processing Via Singular Value Decomposition

In this thesis, well studied linear algebra theory \singular value decomposition" (SVD) and its applications is presented. Singular Value Decomposition is extraor- dinarily useful and has many applications such as data analysis, signal processing, pattern recognition, objects detection and weather prediction. SVD method can transform matrix A into product USV T . Some of these application areas dis- cussed include the Moore-Penrose psuedoinverse, the low rank approximation of matrices, the least square solution to linear systems and image face recognition. To perform face recognition with SVD, the set of known faces were treated as vec- tors in a subspace, called \face space", spanned by a small group of \basefaces". The projection of a new image onto the baseface was then compared to the set of known faces to identify the face. The study also investigated the characteristics of singular values and singular vectors in image processing. SVD was found to be a stable and e ective method to decompose a system into a set of linearly independent components. The approach is robust, simple, easy and fast to im- plement and provides a practical solution to image recognition problem. It was also found that, though the singular values are unique, the singular vectors are more important in image processing. MATLAB R2012a with image processing toolbox was used as the development tool for implementing the algorithm.

Source: KNUST