ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Bacterial Isolates from Infected Wounds of Patients Attending Berekum Holy Family Hospital in Ghana

Background: Wound management and care after an infection has been known to present a major concern to healthcare professionals. Its association with increased trauma, discomfort and financial burden to patients bring to bear the need for aggressive intervention. This study sought to investigate the bacterial profile and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of infected wounds in patients who reported to Berekum Holy Family Municipal Hospital in Ghana. Methodology: A total of 150 consenting patients with wound infections of diverse aetiologies were recruited. Wound swabs were aseptically obtained, macroscopically analyzed, gram stained and cultured on differential media. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. Results: The prevalence of wound infection was 84.67% with cellulitis (35.43%) accounting for the most cause. Gram-negative bacilli (84.5%) were the most isolated bacteria with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28%) being the most predominant pathogen isolated. Polymicrobial infections were identified in 33 (19.64%) of the infected wounds with Pseudomonas aeruginosa/Proteus mirabilis being the most common association (36.4%). The isolated gram-negative organisms were absolutely susceptible (97%-100%) to amikacin. Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin exhibited moderate to higher susceptibility. Gentamicin exhibited maximal susceptibility against the gram-positive organisms with tetracycline being the most resistant antibiotic against the isolated organisms. Conclusion: With the increased detection of bacterial pathogens causing wound infections and their susceptibility to the tested antibiotics, we recommend that patients with wound infections should immediately report cases to health facilities for early intervention.

Source: UCC
The Profile of Mood States and Athletic Performance: Two Meta-analyses

The present study comprised two meta-analyses of published studies that used the Profile of Mood States (POMS) to investigate relationships between mood and athletic achievement (n = 13) and between mood and performance outcome (n = 16). Results showed that effect sizes (ESs) for the level of achievement metaanalysis were minimal (Weighted Meun ES = .lo, SD = .07), a finding consistent with a previous meta-analysis by Rowley, Landers, Kyllo, and Etnier (1995). Larger effects were found for the performance outcome meta-analysis (Weighted Mean ES = .31, SD = .12). Effects were moderate for vigor, confusion, and depression, small for anger and tension, and very small for fatigue. All effects were in the direction predicted by Morgan’s (1985) Mental Health Model. Effects were larger in sports of short duration, in sports involving open skills, and where performance was judged using self-referenced criteria. Findings suggest that the POMS has utility in the prediction of performance outcome but not in the prediction of level of achievement.

Source: UCC
Profiles of High School Heads and Readiness to Address Problems of Practice

An ex post facto design using independent samples t-test was conducted to find out if differences exist in the profiles of high school heads in their readiness to address problems of practice. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the study respondents consisting of heads of senior high schools in Ghana who were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed by testing hypotheses that utilized independent samples t test procedure.Major findings reported in the study showed that there was statistically significant difference in respondents’ readiness to address problems of practice. Respondents who had taken graduate level courses in educational administration showed more readiness to address problems of practice than those who have not taken graduate level courses in educational administration. Also, respondents who have served as assistant heads showed more readiness to address problems of practice that those who have not served as assistant heads. A key recommendation was that the Ghana Education Service should consider including in the requirement to become a high school head a graduate level courses in educational administration and experience as assistant head.

Source: UCC
Prognostic Significance Of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (P65) Among Breast Cancer Patients In Cape Coast Teaching Hospital

Breast cancer is known to be aggressive among Africans including Ghanaian women with high mortality. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), a transcription marker has been linked to malignant tumors including breast cancer. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear with no known published data on NF-kB prognostic significance among breast cancer patients in Ghana or any other African country. This study aimed to assess the prognostic significance of NF-kB (p65) expression and its association with various clinicopathological features in breast cancer patients at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). A cross-sectional study design and purposive sampling procedure were used to obtain breast cancer tissues from 90 breast cancer patients and normal breast tissues from 15 individuals without breast cancer for NF-kB (p65) examination by immunohistochemical technique and data was analyzed by SPSS version 25. The study revealed that NF-kB (p65) was expressed in 86.7% of breast cancer tissues with a significant relationship to tumor grade, proliferation index (Ki67) and molecular subtype. In terms of highlevel expression, tumor grade 3 was about 10 times that of grade 1 (54.2% versus 5.1%), and Ki67 > 20 was 79.7% compared to 20.3% for Ki67 ≤ 20. Triplenegative breast cancer patients had 49.1% overexpression of NF-kB (p65) compared to 17% and 25.4% for luminal A and luminal B respectively. Only 8.5% high expression of NF-kB (p65) was seen in HER 2-enriched cases. There was no strong association between NF-kB (p65) expression and other clinicopathological parameters such as age, hormonal receptors, laterality, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, pathological lymph node stage, pathological tumor stage and HER 2. The AUC predictive value of NF-kB (p65) was 0.919 with a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 84% (p <0.0001). This first study in Ghana (Africa) shows that NF-kB (p65) is highly expressed among breast cancer patients in CCTH-Ghana and has a link to tumor grade, Ki67 and molecular subtypes. NF-kB (p65) might affect the prognosis of breast cancer patients. To assess the role and linkage of NF-kB (p65) expression as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target, additional studies with a bigger sample size and in vitro experiments are required.

Source: UCC
Prognostic Worth of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in Patients with Head and Neck Tumors

Introduction. Head and neck tumors (HNT) are tumors that normally occur at the head and neck region of the body. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been found to be highly expressed in breast and other tumors; therefore, there is the need to investigate the level of EGFR expression among patients with head and neck tumors in Ghana. Method. The level of EGFR expression was determined in head and neck tumor and control head and neck tissues with quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis. Results. The level of EGFR expressions was high in tumor tissues than in the control tissues. There was a significant difference of p value 0.025 among the ages >40 and ≤ 40 when the high and low level of EGFR was compared in the head and neck malignant tumor. The area under the curve for the high expression of EGFR among the malignant head and neck tumors was 0.901 with a specificity of 86.4%. Conclusion. EGFR can serve as a prognostic marker in monitoring patients with HNT as well as a molecular therapeutic target.

Source: UCC
Prognostic Worth of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in Patients with Head and Neck Tumors

Head and neck tumors (HNT) are tumors that normally occur at the head and neck region of the body. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been found to be highly expressed in breast and other tumors; therefore, there is the need to investigate the level of EGFR expression among patients with head and neck tumors in Ghana. Method. The level of EGFR expression was determined in head and neck tumor and control head and neck tissues with quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis. Results. The level of EGFR expressions was high in tumor tissues than in the control tissues. There was a significant difference of p value 0.025 among the ages >40 and ≤ 40 when the high and low level of EGFR was compared in the head and neck malignant tumor. The area under the curve for the high expression of EGFR among the malignant head and neck tumors was 0.901 with a specificity of 86.4%. Conclusion. EGFR can serve as a prognostic marker in monitoring patients with HNT as well as a molecular therapeutic target.

Source: UCC
Progressive aspect in Ghanaian and British English

This study gave primary attention to the provision of additional support to Ghanaian English as a legitimate and viable variety of English through the use of progressive aspect, especially in comparison with British English. The study was guided by three objectives which were to explore the use of the progressive aspect in Ghanaian English, ascertain the validity and variability of Ghanaian English through the use of the progressive aspect as well as to determine the similarities and differences that there are between Ghanaian English and British English. The explanatory sequential mixed methodology was adopted for the study with ICE-GH and ICE-BrE being the major sources of data. AntConc v3.4.3 software was used for corpus analysis. In view of the findings, it was seen that GhE is a legitimate and standard variety of English since there are several similarities in the use of progressive aspects in BrE such as the use of explanatory or interpretative progressives and the use of the infinitive and stative verbs and conversational progressives. Also, in view of the several instances of extended usage and shift in the concept of the progressive aspect in GhE and BrE, it stands to reason, therefore, to state that the differences between GhE and BrE in the use of the progressive aspects are not deviations or an error, rather, an innovative and integrative effort to extend the use of the progressive to fulfil certain communicative functions as is attested in other varieties of English including IndE, NigE, AusE and AmE

Source: UCC
Project Execution And Project Success At University Of Cape Coast: The Mediating Role Of Communication And Organisational Structure

For projects to be successful and to be carried out, organizational structure and communication remain crucial. The majority of studies, however, have concentrated on delineating these responsibilities separately from one another rather than offering a comprehensive picture of how they affect the execution and success of projects. This study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of project communication and organizational structure on project execution and success using the University of Cape Coast as a study unit. The study used the quantitative technique and an explanatory research design. The study’s target population comprised employees in the five colleges of the University of Cape Coast who had been involved in projects over the years. In all, data were collected from all the 353 participants involved in one project or the other using census. A structured questionnaire was the primary data collection instrument used for the study. The study found that project execution strongly contributes to improvements in organisational structure and communication. The study also discovered that effective communication and organisational structure are key to successful project execution. The study therefore concludes that effective project execution, organisational structure, and communication are crucial to project success. The study recommends the University pay attention to the various project organisational structures and communication strategies used in managing projects to ensure successful project execution.

Source: UCC
Project Failure in the Road Construction Industry of Ghana

Project failure is of a major concern such that it has been discussed in thirty-two global journals and counting (Habibi & Kermanshachi, 2018). Despite the construction industry being considered as a mature project-based industry, it has been faced with difficulties. The road construction industry provides numerous benefits such as the easy conveyance of goods and people to their destinations, hence, a failure in road construction will go a long way to affect the entire economy. This study measured road project failure in terms of cost, time and scope. Using the social constructivism paradigm through interviews, the study investigated project failure in the road construction industry of Ghana. Various road projects under the jurisdiction of the Ghana Highway Authority were used as the basis of the study. This study revealed that even though there are numerous determinants that account for the occurrence of the failure factors (cost failure, time failure and scope failure) in extant literature, cost failure was caused by lack of resources, inadequate skills and price fluctuations of construction materials, while time failure was caused by financial constraints, unfavourable environmental conditions and bureaucracy with scope failure being caused by unrealistic scope, political interference and poor planning. The research recommended that all road project stakeholders should come on board to ensure that issues are dealt with wholly and completely so that road projects can be constructed within budget, on time and within the stakeholder’s expectations and requirements.

Source: UCC
Project Policy Implementation and Project Outcome in the Cape Coast Metropolis: the Moderating Role of Project Leadership Style

Due to the numerous reports about failed government projects in Ghana, this study sought to assess the influence of project policy implementation and leadership styles on project outcomes within the Cape Cost Metropolitan Assembly (CCMA). The study was guided by three objectives and five hypotheses. The objectives were to (1) examine the effect of project policy implementation on project outcomes, (2) examine the effect of project leadership styles on project outcomes and (3) test the moderating role of project leadership styles in the relationship between project policy implementation and outcomes. The study provided the theoretical justifications by using the Resource Base View (RBV) theory and the situational leadership theory, followed by a review of previous studies to provide a basis for the current study. Using the explanatory design and a quantitative approach, primary data was collected from 97 project leaders who had worked on government projects within the CCMA between 2010-2020. The study employed the Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach to analyse the data collected based on the study’s objectives. The results revealed that project policy implementation and the transformational leadership style positively enhances project outcomes while the transactional leadership style adversely affects project outcomes. The study concluded that leadership style does not moderate the relationship between project policy implementation and project outcomes within the CCMA. It is, therefore, recommended that project organisations formulate and implement clear policies to guide the execution of projects. In addition to that, project leaders should be admonished to employ the transformational leadership style so as to increase the success rate of projects within the metropolis.

Source: UCC
Project Risk Management and Performance in the Ghanaian Construction Industry

The study sought to assess the perception of project risk, project risk management practices in the Ghanaian construction industry and its effect on project performance. It employed a mixed approach using an exploratory sequential design. Contractors, quantity surveyors, and project managers were interviewed and given questionnaires. The responses analysed using descriptive statistics, structural equation modelling and thematic analysis. The study found that the construction industry perceived risk as an event with a negative outcome and risks inherent in the industry included financial risk, safety and human risk, political risk and weather conditions. The study also found that the main response to the various risks is in the industry was risk reduction. Project risk had a 52% significant negative effect on project performance. Measuring risk in the project lifecycle, risks at project initiation, planning and execution had negative effect on project performance. However, risks at project closure phase did not have any significant effect on project performance. The study concluded that firms in the construction industry perceived that risk had damaging effect on their performance. Also, the industry adopted risk reduction strategies and a backup (contingency) to manage risks. The study recommended that though risks are mostly negative outcomes, some event have positive outcomes hence a proper risk assessment can improve project performance in the construction industry. Also, more resources should be allocated to manage risk since it accounts for more than half of project performance. Continuous monitoring of risks should be done in all phases of the project lifecycle to avoid escalation of risk

Source: UCC
Projecting Ghana’s Soft Power Through Gastrodiplomacy

The acquisition and use of power in international relations has evolved since the end of the Second World War. As a result, the use of force or hard power continues to lose its legitimacy and application in some aspects of international politics. In response, many states, particularly, those in Europe, Asia and South America, have shifted their focus towards greater use of soft power resources such as local cuisines, through gastrodiplomacy, as a means of achieving certain foreign policy objectives. From the 1990s, especially in the 2000s, there has been an increase in gastrodiplomacy activities and campaigns across the world. This study, therefore, examines the extent to which the state and non-state actors are playing significant roles in promoting Ghanaian cuisines home and abroad. To achieve this aim, multiple case study design and qualitative data collection methods were employed. In-depth interviews were conducted, relevant literature was explored and content analysis methods were used to analyse the data. It was found out that, while many countries in other continents are promoting their local cuisines through gastrodiplomacy campaigns, their African counterparts are doing very little in this regard. The findings of the study reveal that though there are emerging gastrodiplomacy activities in the country, Ghana is to a very large extent underutilising this aspect of diplomacy. The study recommends a national policy to promote Ghanaian cuisines home and abroad, as well as further studies to explore gastronomic activities in the country.

Source: UCC
Prominence and rhythm of Ghanaian english speech: A case study of paliamentary discourse

The main purpose of the study was to investigate the rhythm and stress used in the educated Ghanaian English speech with focus on parliamentary discourse. Descriptive and qualitative approaches were adopted for the study. The Members of Parliament (MPs) of the 4th Republic of 2006 formed the population of the study. The number of MPs used for the study was sixty. The instrument used for the study was a recording of the parliamentary discourse. Features of the rhythm of Ghanaian English were analysed. The research revealed that there are several ways to achieve prominence by Ghanaians. These include using pitch and intensity and duration and intensity. It also revealed that there is a peculiar rhythm which could be said to be Ghanaian. It also found that the context of situation and the environment within which the MPs spoke also accounted for the rhythm they used. The research had implications for the recognition and acceptance of the Ghanaian variety of English and the variety to teach in a particular environment. It was recommended that further research be done to help in codifying the Ghanaian variety of English as well as a larger population sample be selected and more female speakers be analysed. The researcher hopes this research serves as one of the means of codifying the Ghanaian English variety and also contributes to the debate on whether or not to accept the Ghanaian English as a variety.

Source: UCC
Promote Safety Culture and Enhance Safety Performance through Safety Behavour

Protection of workers against harm and sicknesses is a fundamental human right, irrespective of where the individual works. Most workplace safety and health research concentrate on the industrial and formal or corporate work settings, with very little attention given to the informal sector, especially informal agriculture. The present paper investigated safety behaviour as a mediating variable in the relationship between safety culture and safety performance of rice farm worker. The study was a cross-sectional survey, involving 469 respondents (347 males and 122 females), with an average age of 45.96 years and 13.65 years of rice farming experience. The data was analysed with the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling. The paper found safety culture to be a strong predictor of safety behaviour, and a moderate predictor of safety performance. Also, safety behaviour had a competitive partial mediating effect on the relationship between safety culture and safety performance. Contrary to expectation, safety behaviour had a positive relationship with safety performance, and safety culture was a better predictor of safety performance than safety behaviour. The results were discussed in light of the socio-cultural sub-system model and recommendation for research, practice and policy proffered.

Source: UCC
Promoting access to higher education in Ghana for human resource development through distance learning

The idea of using Distance Education (DE) for human resource development is not new in Ghana. It was more vibrant about three decades ago with several unsuccessful attempts. However, the idea resurfaced strongly between 1991 and 1994 that led to the introduction of a number of DE initiatives in all public universities in Ghana. The government had a strong conviction that despite the earlier difficulties, DE was still a viable complement to conventional tertiary education as universities were not able to admit all qualified applicants due to insufficient facilities. The question now is whether this system of education has been able to adequately meet the challenge of providing quality higher education in Ghana. This paper specifically explores how far the University of Cape Coast distance learning programme also known as centre for continuing education has been able to fulfill its mandate. Data was gathered through the use of questionnaire and results were analyzed using simple frequency distribution. Findings indicated that the introduction of the University of Cape Coast Distance Education has widened access to higher education in Ghana

Source: UCC