ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
A comparative study of labour intensive and capital intensive road works in the Bekwai Road District

Rural access roads have received more attention in Ghana in recent years; due to its multiplier effect on the economy. As a result, budgetary allocations have been made towards the improvement of rural roads. Despite these efforts, most of the rural access roads are in deplorable state. About 63 per cent of Ghana’s feeder roads are in deplorable state due to inadequate maintenance. The major problem hindering feeder road improvement is the inadequacy of funds allocated for improvement activities. In view of this, it is deemed essential for minimum cost approach to be adopted towards the improvement of feeder roads. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) did a study in Ghana and recommended Labour Intensive technique as the appropriate technique for feeder road improvement. This technique was then adopted to supplement the operations of the Capital Intensive technique in terms of feeder road improvement. The labour Intensive technique is currently in operation in the Easter, Western, Asha.nti and Brong Ahafo Regions, hence the co-existence of the two techniques in these areas. One of the techniques is deemed to be relatively more cost effective than the other. But no formal and structured study had been undertaken to ascertain thesis. A comparative was therefore undertaken on two projects, one representing the Labour Intensive and the other Capital Intensive technique in the Bekwai Road District t ascertain the relative cost effectivness. Field surveys were conducted on the Afoako - Bekwai Road and the Esuowim - Antoakrom Road improvement projects, each project representing a technique, for comparison. The study revealed the Labour Intensive technique to be 17% cheaper than the Capital Intensive in terms feeder road improvement. In order to accurately assess the cost effectiveness of each technique, the Goal Achievement Assessment was employed. Out of this Labour Intensive technique was found to be relatively more cost effective and efficient technique with a score of 70% as against 45% for the Capital Intensive technique. Since the two techniques are to supplement each other recommendations were made for the improvement of their respective efficiencies and also to reduce cost. Some of the recommendations included the regular payment of Interim contract certificates to help hasten improvement activities on road projects. Also, to check the rampant breakdown of equipment, it was recommended that local equipment dealers should ensure that they have enough spare parts in stock and also go round the project to service the broken down equipment. To reduce improvement cost it was recommended that the formation width of feeder roads should have bearing on the volume of traffic and not to be determined arbitrarily. To ensure effective maintenance of the road it was recommended that the communities being served by the feeder roads be mobilised to undertake rountine maintenance activities on the road. Should the recommendations be been, it is hoped that conditions of feeder roads would be improved tremendously.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of local and foreign packages on the Ghanaian market

The high standard of product quality in many local products cannot be disputed. The present drive in the export of local products, both agricultural and industrial, is a positive pointer to this assertion. Some local products have even gone to the extent of winning international awards and recognition. However, many an enthusiastic exporter or manufacturer has had his expectations of a foreign market turned into a dream. His products are either not accepted for export or are rejected on the foreign market. Reasons for this state of affairs may be numerous. Though one cannot completely rule out ethnic undertones in some cases, packaging has been the accused and in most cases, has been found guilty. Instances abound where manufacturers had to export their products in bulk packages, to be repacked into consumer units in the target country. This study has been undertaken to investigate what deficiencies there are in the local consumer unit packages, that make them unacceptable on the international market. These will stream-line the necessary corrective measures. It will assist the packaging industry to tackle the packaging problem in the right direction. The study made a random sampling of two hundred (200) packages. These were critically analysed and the interpretation of the results clearly indicated that the local packages do not compare favourably with the foreign packages. The deficiencies were identified as well as the causative factors. Practical improvements were presented. However these should by no means be taken as the ultimate improvement that can be effected on the selected weak package. They should rather be viewed as suggested practical approaches towards improving the qualities of the visual designs of the packages. This research has been made possible through personal observations, interviews with various resource personnel, studio and library studies.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of local and standard strains of Bacillus Sphaericus

It is now seldom feasible to achieve satisfactory suppression of disease through vector control programmes, relying solely on the use of chemicals, and the use of biological control agents provides a viable option in vector control strategies, because of the relative safety of most biological control agents to mammals and non-target biota. Out of the many different types of organisms being evaluated for vector control potential, bacteria of the genus Bacillus have proved most promising. Two insecticidal species - Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (H - 14) and Bacillus sphaericus - possess considerable larvicidal activity on blackflies and Culex mosquitoes respectively (TDR/BCV/SWG-7/84). Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by the filarioid nematode called Wuchereria bancrofti. In urban areas, the mosquito - Culex guinquefasciatus - is known to be the main vector of this disease (Ukoli, 1984). Culex mosquitoes are known to breed in polluted environments resulting from growth in the size of towns and poor sanitation (Nicolas et al, 1987). Kumasi, a city in the Ashanti Region of Ghana abounds in Culex breeding sites. Two local strains of Bacillus sphaericus codenãmed OSS and AL proved ineffective in killing laboratory - bred larvae of two species of Culex mosquitoes collected from three slum suburbs of Kumasi. Two well-known strains of B. sphaericus - 2362 (SPU 88) and 1593 (RB 80) - imported from the Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, proved very effective in killing larvae of the t species of Culex. Crosses of the local and imported bacteria strains codenamed 0/s. O/R, A/S and A/R proved effective in killing larvae of one species of Culex mosquito.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of mineral resource estimation of Gold Deposit at F-Prospect Pit, Sansu Mine, A.G.C. Ltd.

This thesis work deals with the application of the various methods of resource estimation to a gold deposit located at F-prospect pit, Sansu mine, Ashanti Goldfields Company Ltd. (A.G.C.), Ghana. The drill hole data from a section of F-prospect gold deposit are analysed and comparisons made among the various estimation procedures. The comparisons are made possible by the computations of the quantity (tonnage) and quality (grade) of the deposit. The application of geostatistics and inverse distance cubed methods of resource estimation have proven to be successful. It is therefore recommended that A.G.C. Ltd. may apply geostatistics in addition to inverse distance cubed method as a way of comparison.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of modern and traditional health services in the Bolgatanga Municipal Area

Accessibility to health services is a major global problem and its greatest manifestation is found within sub Saharan Africa. There is a dichotomy in the spatial distribution of health services in the Bolgatanga municipality as it is a common feature in most developing countries like Ghana. Majority of the health facilities are skewed towards the urban centre to the neglect of rural settings. Dimensions of distance to health services namely travel time, waiting time, appointment with a doctor; nature of roads, means of transport and cost all have a telling effect on utilization. Also poverty and illiteracy are important variables that influence the use of health services. Given the above situation, traditional medicine is been perceived to have gained popularity among the people in the Bolgatanga municipality. Various traditional health practitioners are found in most of the areas in the municipality. This provides an alternative health care system to users. It is within this context that the study assessed the level of patronage of modern and traditional health facilities in the Bolgatanga Municipality and analysed the factors responsible for the decision to use traditional medicine rather than modern medicine. It also examined the perceptions on the efficacy of Modern and Traditional Medicine. The cross-sectional research approach was employed to elicit answers or responses from the research questions. Structured questionnaires were used to interview 156 household heads, 22 modern and 22 traditional medical practitioners. The analysis of the data revealed that the patronage of modern medicine in the municipality is high (72.2 percent) as compared to traditional medicine (15.6 percent) and both 12.2 percent. The survey also showed that factors such as convenience, taste and preference, accessibility/affordability, effectiveness and attitude of staff all play a role in the choice of a particular health care system. The results further revealed that modern medicine is considered effective in the treatment of diseases than traditional medicine because it offers complete healing (tried and tested). The integration process of both medical systems stands the chance of ensuring universal health coverage in the municipality. Nonetheless, the issues of unequal recognition of knowledge by practitioners and differences in the practices of both systems have to be battled with. The study recommends that stakeholders particularly government should establish more modern health facilities as efforts are made to make traditional medicine more acceptable to the people.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of oxidative stress and type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural and urban communities in the Ashanti Region, Ghana

BACKGROUND/AIM: A growing area of research is the relationship between oxidative stress and diabetes. Accumulating evidence indicates that oxidative stress, a condition of excessive reactive oxygen species, may play a role in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus by inducing insulin resistance in the peripheral tissues and impairing insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. However, the link between oxidative stress and the development and progression of diabetes and its complications is still not fully understood. The fast progressive westernization of the Ghanaian society is predisposing increasing numbers of the population to higher rates of oxidative stress and may be the results of the increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and other dysmetabolic conditions. The development of a simple screening tool may help to identify individuals at high risk of development of such dysmetabolic states in the society. METHODOLOGY: 210 adults were recruited from urban Kumasi and 180 adults were recruited from 3 rural villages in the Ashanti region. Sociodemographic data was collected from the subjects. Anthropometric measurements including blood pressure, weight, and height and waist circumference were determined by qualified nurses. Blood samples were collected after 12 hours of overnight fast for the analysis of glucose, lipids, oxidative stress indices and other biochemical parameters. RESULTS: In this study, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and IFG were considerably higher among the urban subjects (10.5% and 28.0% respectively for urban subjects and 3.8% and 22.1% respectively for rural subjects). Dyslipidaemia and hypertension were also found to be more prevalent in the urban subjects than the rural population. Plasma antioxidant levels were also higher in the rural population than the urban population whiles malondialdehyde levels were found to be higher in the urban population as compared to the rural population. CONCLUSION: Type 2 diabetes and other dysmetabolic conditions are on the increase in the urban population of the Ashanti. In conclusion, the study hypothesizes that the fast progressive westernization of the Ghanaian culture predisposes individuals to higher rates of systemic oxidative stress as a result of increased exposure to reactive oxidants and this is accelerating the ageing process in the society as evident in the increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and other dysmetabolic conditions. Additionally, a simple risk tool like the Ghana Diabetes Risk Score can be used to identify individuals at high risk of development of these dysmetabolic conditions.

Source: KNUST
Comparative Study of Parboiling Effects on the Physico-Chemical Properties of Two Varieties of Nerica Rice (Oryza sativa)

The parboiling effect on physicochemical properties of two local varieties of rice (Nerica 1 and Nerica 2) grown in Ghana was studied by physical and physicochemical analyses during steaming at three different temperature periods of 100 o C at 10mins, 110 o C at 15mins and 120 o C at 25mins. The results showed that the effect of parboiling process on the quality indicators through the kinetic parameters followed the first order kinetic model of initial steps of steaming and final reaction rate constant values were dependent on steaming temperature and period. Both Nerica 1 and Nerica 2 showed similar behaviour during steaming process. The Arrhenius-type of equation described the strong temperature effect on the physical and physicochemical properties with k-values ranging from 0.188 to 0.530 for lightness; 0.272 to 0.327 for hardness; 0.133 to 0.336 for maximum viscosity; and 0.211 to 0.856 for breakdown value.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of pre-school art in selected school in Kumasi Metropolis

For many years modern educators, psychologists and writers have brought to light the immeasurable contribution of art in pre-school education. It has been observed that art is one of the important basic means of attaining total development of the individual. However, educational administrators, policy makers, teachers and parents in the country pay little or no attention to this area of study in our pre-schools. The little effort made is directed to only nursery schools in the urban settlements to the detriment of the rural schools. This has brought about a situation where children in the rural nursery schools do not enjoy the benefits that art education provides. The author is much concerned about the role art plays in the teaching of pre-school children. This project therefore has attempted to study the crayon drawings of some selected nursery schools in Kumasi Metropolis to find out if there are similarities or differences; and to find out the causes of such differences. The author has outlined suggested solutions to problems that were identified so that much effort could be made to improve the role of art in the teaching of children in the nursery schools studied as well as others.

Source: KNUST
Comparative Study of Predictive Mobility Models for Manets by Simulation

Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) are dynamic networks populated by mobile stations or mobile nodes (MNs). Specifically, MANETs consist of a collection of nodes randomly placed in a line (not necessarily straight). MANETs do appear in many real-world network applications such as a vehicular MANETs built along a highway in a city environment or people in a particular location. MNs in MANETs are usually laptops, PDAs or mobile phones. These devices may use Bluetooth and/or IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) network interfaces and communicate in a decentralized manner. Mobility is a key feature of MANETs. Each node may work as a router and the network can dynamically change with time; when new nodes can join, and other nodes can leave the network. In this thesis, comparative results of the Queueing Mobility Model and mobility models such as random walk/Brownian model have been carried out via Matlab software simulation. The study investigates the impact of mobility prediction models on mobile nodes‟ parameters such as the speed, the arrival rate and the size of mobile nodes in a given area. The results have indicated that mobile nodes‟ arrival rates may have influence on MNs population (as a larger number) in a location. An initial position of nodes has appeared to have a significant effect on their movement pattern (trajectory). The Pareto distribution is more reflective of the modeling mobility for MANETs than the Poisson distribution. Keywords: Mobility Models, MANETs, Pareto, Simulation, Poisson Distribution, Arrival Patterns.

Source: KNUST
Comparative Study of Predominantly Daytime and Nighttime Lightning Occurrences and Their Impact on Ionospheric Disturbances

Space weather events adversely impact the operations of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Understanding space weather mechanisms, interactions in the atmosphere, and the extent of their impact are useful in developing prediction and mitigation models. In this study, the hourly lightning occurrence and its impact on ionospheric disturbances, quantified using the Rate of Total electron content Index (ROTI), were assessed. The linear correlation between diurnal lightning activity and ROTI in the coastal region of southern China where lightning predominates in the daytime was initially negative contrary to a positive correlation in southern Africa where lighting predominates in the evening. After appreciating and applying the physical processes of gravity waves, electromagnetic waves and the Trimpi effect arising from lightning activity, and the time delay impact they have on the ionosphere, the negative correlation was overturned to a positive one using cross-correlation. GNSS has demonstrated its capability of revealing the impact lightning has on the ionosphere at various times of the day.

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of project management practices in local and foreign construction companies in Ghana

The effective practice of project management leads to a successful project closure. The management processes involves initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling of the project. However, most organizations undertake projects without necessarily adhering to these standard project management practices leading to the failure of most projects. The local construction companies face many challenges than the foreign construction companies in teams of project failure in Ghana. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level at which project management practices are adopter in the implementation of projects in Kumasi Municipality, Ashanti Region. It is also to investigate the success rate of projects undertaken by the local and foreign construction companies and find out the causes of project failure. The method used to carry out this research is solicitation of information from the Engineers and Managers who supervise construction projects. Data gathered was analyzed using descriptive approach including; mean and standard deviation by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and was ranked according to it level of importance. The major findings of this research indicate that Project Management process group were adopted in implementation of construction projects however, the local construction companies lack project management department but have a personal in charge as a Project Manager who oversee all aspect in managing a project and this affect implementation of project management practices. On the other hand, foreign construction companies have project management department with various section that help in implementing project management practices. It was highly recommended that local construction companies should have project management department and this would ensure good standard practices are follow to the letter for a high success rate of projects

Source: KNUST
A comparative study of protein energy malnutrition of children and the elderly in Ghana using biochemical and anthropometrical indices

A comparative, cross-sectional study was carried out on 305 children and 307 adults from both the Northern and Ashanti regions to investigate their nutritional status and the usefulness of some relatively new nutritional indexes for nutritional assessment. The children were of age one to twelve years, whereas the adults were fifty years and older. Nutritional status was assessed by biochemical and anthropometric parameters. The biochemical assessment was performed using haemoglobin (Hb), serum albumin and serum potassium levels in children and adults. Serum calcium was studied in children only. The prevalence rate of anaemia in the children was 41.0% (based on Hb cut off point of 11 g/dl). Of all the children, the subgroup of 6-to-9 year’s school children was at the highest risk of anaemia, having a prevalence rate of 49.6%. The mean Hb level of the North child was 10.2 g/dl (±1.4) whilst that of the Ashanti child was slightly higher at a value of 10.6 g/dl (±1.8). In the adult group investigated, the prevalence rate of anaemia was 47.9% (at Hb cut off point of 12.0 g/dl. Women were at a higher risk of anaemia than men at prevalence rates of 52.8% and 42.8% respectively. Those in the highest risk zone of anaemia were the elderly adults greater than 70 years old, at a rate of 52.2% The mean adult Hb level was 11.7 g/dl (± 2.3), slightly lower than the cut off point Hypoalbuminaemia (serum albumin level set at a cut off point of 35.0 g/dl) prevalence rate for the child sample investigated was 18.4% while that of the adult was 26.7%. The prevalence rate of hypoalbuminaemia was less than that of anaemia in both children and adults. Our study showed a good correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and a modified Nutritional Risk Index (NRI’) with an r-value of 0.57 in the child group studied. Furthermore, using NRI’ to perform PEM sensitivity test in the study population, we observed a stronger sensitivity of NRI’ in ident5iing children at nutritional risk compared to using weight-for-age Z scores (WAZ). NRI’ gave a sensitivity of 43.5% compared to that of WAZ of 22.8% among children of moderate malnutrition. NRI’ offers a promising parameter for assessing malnutrition risk status among children in developing countries where standard references of the WHO are often employed.

Source: KNUST