ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Feedback Trading and Autocorrelation Pattern of Sub-Saharan African Equity Markets

Speculators constantly search for mispriced securities, with many studying past prices to identify patterns, known as feedback trading. Positive feedback trading perpetuates a trend and is thus destabilising, as it drives prices away from their fundamental value and contributes to volatility. In contrast, negative feedback trading, trading in the opposite direction of the trend, is stabilising, as it drives prices back to their fundamental value. This study examined whether individual shares on the South African market are prone to feedback trading strategies; the results of which have importance for regulators and policymakers, arbitrageurs and portfolio managers. On average, 23% of the shares showed evidence of feedback trading, with approximately 9% of this being positive feedback trading and 14% negative feedback trading. The implications of these findings for various market participants are discussed.

Source: UG
Feeding the future in Ghana: Gender inequality, poverty, and food insecurity

Abstract As women's empowerment is critical for the adoption of agricultural technologies by farmers, some govern ments have over the last three decades adopted a gender equality approach to food security. In Ghana, women play a vital role as farmers and food proces sors, which means they impact household nutrition in important ways. In this article, we explore women's empowerment in maize‐producing sites in Ghana by drawing on original data collected from over 400 farmers and service providers as part of a United States Agency for International Development‐funded Feed the Future project. We employ a quasi‐“women's empowerment in agriculture index” to measure the extent to which men and women maize producers are either empowered or disempowered in the domains of production, access to resources, control over income, leadership, and time allocation. Our study reveals that cost and time poverty are the main factors that influence the adoption of technologies to reduce postharvest losses. We also find that women are disproportionately disempowered in the areas of control over the use of income and time poverty. Importantly, we further find that researchers need to account for perceived versus actual empowerment when examin ing gender inequality in agriculture. Our study findings and policy recommendations will be of interest to policymakers, scholars, and development practitioners.

Source: UG
Fela: Kalakuta notes, second edition

Fela: Kalakuta Notes is an evocative account of Fela Kuti-the Afrobeat superstar who took African music into the arena of direct action. With his antiestablishment songs, he dedicated himself to Pan-Africanism and the down-trodden Nigerian masses, or “sufferheads.” In the 1970s, the British/Ghanaian musician and author John Collins met and worked with Fela in Ghana and Nigeria. Kalakuta Notes includes a diary that Collins kept in 1977 when he acted in Fela’s autobiographical film, Black President. The book offers revealing interviews with Fela by the author, as well as with band members, friends, and colleagues. For the second edition, Collins has expanded the original introduction by providing needed context for popular music in Africa in the 1960s and the influences on the artist’s music and politics. In a new concluding chapter, Collins reflects on the legacy of Fela: the spread of Afrobeat, Fela’s musical children, Fela’s Shrine and Kalakuta House, and the annual Felabration. As the dust settles over Fela’s fiery, creative, and controversial career, his Afrobeat groove and political message live on in Kalakuta Notes. Features a new foreword by Banning Eyre, an up-to-date discography by Ronnie Graham, a timeline, historical photographs, and snapshots by the author. © 2015 John Collins. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
Felbamate efficacy and tolerability in patients with refractory epilepsy: An open add-on multicentric study.

A multicenter study that evaluated felbamate efficacy and tolerability in 19 patients with refractory epilepsy was performed. One patient (5,3%) became seizure-free during felbamate treatment, 11 patients (57,9%) achieved a seizure reduction of 50% or more, 6 patients (31,6%) evidenced an unchanged seizure frequency and 1 patient (5,3%) had increase in seizure frequency. Of the 7 patients (36,8%) who had a diagnosis of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, 5 (71,4%) had >50% reduction in seizure frequency, 1 (14,2%) had unchanged seizure frequency and 1 (14,2%) had an increase in seizure frequency.

Source: UG
Female adolescent sexual reproductive health service utilization concerns: A qualitative enquiry in the Tema metropolis of Ghana

Background Evidence globally indicates that female adolescents face numerous sexual and reproductive health (SRH) risks. Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among adolescents is of global health importance and plays a crucial role in adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes and their quality of life. Aim The current study explored sexual reproductive health service utilization concerns among female adolescents in the Tema Metropolis in Southern Ghana using the Anderson and Newman Behavioral model of Health Service Utilization as a guiding framework. Methods The study utilized a qualitative exploratory-descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit female adolescents. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. In all, 12 interviews were conducted. Each interview lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Thematic analysis was guided by the constructs of Anderson and Newman Behavioral model of health service utilization. Results Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents is low in the Tema metropolis. Factors such as unprotected non-consensual sexual activity or an unwanted pregnancy sometimes triggered the use of these services. Barriers to utilization identified include lack of awareness on sexual reproductive health services, unreliable sources of SRH information, underestimation of the severity of sexual reproductive health problems faced, unmet expectations and poor experiences with service providers.Conclusion The current study identified poor utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents within the Tema metropolis of Ghana. There is a need to increase the number of adolescent health corners, increase awareness about SRH services among adolescents, improve parent-child SRH communication and provide adequate training for healthcare providers to improve provider attitude towards adolescent SRH service delivery in order to increase utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents in the Metropolis.

Source: UG
Female autonomy and reported abortion-seeking in Ghana, West Africa

Objective To investigate factors associated with self-reported pregnancy termination in Ghana and thereby appreciate the correlates of abortion-seeking in order to understand safe abortion care provision. Methods In a retrospective study, data from the Ghana 2008 Demographic and Health Survey were used to investigate factors associated with self-reported pregnancy termination. Variables on an individual and household level were examined by both bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression. A five-point autonomy scale was created to explore the role of female autonomy in reported abortion-seeking behavior. Results Among 4916 women included in the survey, 791 (16.1%) reported having an abortion. Factors associated with abortion-seeking included being older, having attended school, and living in an urban versus a rural area. When entered into a logistic regression model with demographic control variables, every step up the autonomy scale (i.e. increasing autonomy) was associated with a 14.0% increased likelihood of reporting the termination of a pregnancy (P < 0.05). Conclusion Although health system barriers might play a role in preventing women from seeking safe abortion services, autonomy on an individual level is also important and needs to be addressed if women are to be empowered to seek safe abortion services. © 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Source: UG
Female Clergy And The Administration Of The Eucharist In the Presbyterian Church Of Ghana: Attitudes And Perceptions

Religious teachings and communities playa role in the context of attitudes and perceptions towards women administering the Eucharist. Religious beliefs, texts and teachings serve as both roadblocks and as resources against female ministers administering the Eucharist. Christian scriptures contain texts of psychological perceptions towards women. Christian texts condone male attitudes against women and the domination of women. For example, in performing their roles the female clergy are faced with some challenges which are based on socio-cultural, theological and psychological factors. This article sets out to investigate the attitudes and perceptions towards women ministers in administering the Eucharist during the post ordination period of women as clergy in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PC G). This study examines the theory of gender equity using historical analysis. The existing structures within both the church and society are patriarchal and the structures turn to focus more on men than on women in the various sectors of life. The researcher came to the conclusion that though the women ministers are effectively performing the sacraments some of the negative perceptions that were used earlier to keep them from the ordained ministry basing on some Scriptural! sacred texts and cultural issues still persist. It is therefore concluded that the ordained women ministers in the PCG will continue to face challenges in administering the Eucharist so long as the socio-cultural, religious/ scriptural texts and psychological perceptions persist about female ministers.

Source: UG
Female farmers’ struggles and responses to COVID-19 in Ghana

The COVID-19 lockdown measures exacerbated the struggles of societies with existing inequalities. Given that women are generally the most vulnerable in times of pandemics and associated economic downturns, the study seeks to understand the struggles that female farmers experienced during the COVID-19 crisis and their survival responses and livelihood enhancement. To do this, we organized six women’s focus group discussions and interviewed 145 women farmers in communities within Builsa South and Ada (in Ghana) where farming is one of the major occupations for women. The findings reveal that the pandemic severely disrupted women’s access to farm inputs, markets, and farming activities amidst the absence of COVID-19 relief funds. Consequently, female farmers had to adopt multiple alternative livelihood strategies to meet their basic needs. But, the nature of the adaptation strategy adopted depended on the intersections of gender, household characteristics and remittance flows. Female farmers from migrant households with larger household sizes temporarily migrated as an alternative livelihood strategy compared to those from non-migrant households and with smaller family sizes. This distributional consequence of COVID-19 is important for government agencies to carefully consider when forming future response policies to pandemics in general and the rural agricultural sector specifically since it has implications for food security

Source: UG
Female Labor Force Participation, Infrastructure, and Sectoral Value Additions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.

Source: UG
Female-to-male transsexualism, heterosexual type: Two cases

Two cases of gender-dysphoric genetic females who describe a sexual attraction to phenotypic males are reported. After outlining their individual histories, the authors note common clinical features of this subtype of transsexualism. Similar characteristics have also been found in the few cases of heterosexual transsexualism in genetic females reported by others. Familiarity with the distinguishing features of this subgroup could assist clinicians in diagnosing and treating such patients.

Source: UG
Femininity, Sexual Positions and Choice.

While women present themselves and their sexuality through dress and their deportment, there are areas of their sexual lives that are not so public and are less easy to research, such as intimate sexual relations. In this study, the authors report findings from interviews with men and women about a topic not often reported on – choice of sexual positions. The focus on sexual positions raises questions about sexual agency – who chooses, what do they choose, and why? It also raises issues of gender power and inequality between consenting (heterosexual) adults. In this study from urban Ghana, the authors show that women exercise sexual agency in the ‘bedroom’ but do so in ways that reflect emotional and relational security and, in turn, reflect men’s power. However, the article’s argument is not just about the power of men to seek and obtain pleasure. Women seek and obtain pleasure too.

Source: UG
Feminisms and Acculturation around the Globe

Feminist theorizing and praxis has had a bumpy, yet ultimately successful voyage over several 'waves.' These waves have sought to respond to women's experiences and needs in changing social and political circumstances, eventually recognizing that context matters. Feminism has not only struggled to dismantle patriarchy and transform societies, but it has also responded to the unique cultural contexts in which people live. Today, some argue that we live in a postfeminist age in which feminism is no longer relevant. Others argue that this is a short-sighted view born out of a limited appreciation of the unique cultural contexts on which women's experiences are based, and feminist consciousness is born. This article discusses the multicultural and global trajectories and dimensions of feminisms, paying particular attention to non-Western forms that have received less attention. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source: UG
The fermentation characteristics of single and mixed yeast cultures during Pito wort fermentation

Pito is an alcoholic beverage obtained through yeast fermentation of the wort extracted from sorghum malt. The production methods are largely artisanal and the product quality varies from batch to batch even for the same brewer. The use of starter culture is a plausible approach to minimizing the variability in product quality. This work compared the fermentation profile of single yeast and mixed yeast cultures in sorghum wort fermentation during pito production. A 2×3 factorial design was used to study the quality characteristics of wort pitched with single and mixed Culture yeast strains during 24, 48 and 72 hours alcoholic fermentation. The physicochemical properties, microbial load and sensory characteristics of samples were determined. Fermentation time had significant effects (p<0.05) on the pito characteristics. Pito color (of 12.5 and 16.5 EBC units) was different for single and mixed cultures respectively. Panelists perceived the colours of pito obtained from single yeast culture fermentation to be different from that obtained from mixed culture fermentation. Volatile aroma compounds identified during the fermentation period included esters (4), aldehydes (3), organic acids (2), alcohols (3) and a diacetyl. Both single and mixed cultures showed similar characteristics during wort fermentation.

Source: UG
Fermentation in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) pulp juice improves nutritive value of cassava peel

A major challenge in using cassava peels as a source of feed for animals is the presence of cyanogenic glycosides and the low concentration of protein. Cassava pulp juice was squeezed out of grated cassava pulp and fermented for 3 days at ambient temperature. The microorganisms in the fermented pulp juice were identified as Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Lactobacillus spp. Non-sterile cassava peels were sun-dried, milled, and inoculated with fermented cassava pulp juice over a 7-day period. Controls were treated with either sterile distilled water, autoclaved inoculum or phosphate buffer (pH 5) over the same period. After 7 days, the cyanogenic glycoside content of the peels, determined by the silver nitrate titration method, had decreased to 12.3% (p<0.05) of the value for untreated peels while the cyanogenic glycoside content of the controls 38.8 - 42.9%. Proximate analysis of 7-day inoculum-treated and untreated cassava peels showed that the protein content of the treated peels had increased 10-fold, and significant decreases in starch and fat content were recorded. The fibre content remained unchanged. The present findings show that microorganisms present in fermented cassava pulp juice are capable of enhancing the nutritional value of cassava peels by increasing the protein content and reducing the cyanogenic glycoside content to levels safe for consumption by livestock.

Source: UG
Fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a one liter flask coupled with an external circulation ultrasonic irradiation slot: Influence of ultrasonic mode and frequency on the bacterial growth and metabolism yield

In this study, the influences of ultrasonic treatments with different working modes (fixed frequency and sweeping frequency) and various frequencies on the bacterial growth and metabolism yield of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) were investigated by employing an in situ ultrasonic irradiation slot coupled with a flask fermentation equipment. The results revealed that the in situ ultrasonic treatment could promote the bacterial growth and metabolism yield, and the effect of fixed frequency ultrasound (FF) was higher than sweeping frequency ultrasound (SF). The content of metabolite in the fermentation broth increased with FF and decreased after SF treatments. On the other hand, when the frequency of FF was more than 33 kHz, the growth of S. cerevisiae became weaken, and the mortality rate of S. cerevisiae increased in fermentation broth. At FF of 23 kHz and 48 h fermentation-time, ethanol content increased by 19.33%, and the content of β-phenylethanol and other volatile metabolites such as esters also increased. In conclusion, FF could significantly improve the growth of S. cerevisiae, and the FF of 23 kHz showed the optimum impact on fermentation process of S. cerevisiae.

Source: UG
Fertility decline in Ghana: Implications for public policy

Review books or articles provide a critical and constructive analysis of existing published literature in a field, through summary, analysis, and comparison, often identifying specific gaps or problems and providing recommendations for future research. These are considered as secondary literature since they generally do not present new data from the author's experimental work. Review articles can be of three types, broadly speaking: literature reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. It also the researcher to stay abreast of new literature in the field.

Source: UG
Fertility transition in Ghana: Looking back and looking forward

It is widely accepted that while the fertility transition is underway in sub-Saharan Africa, the pattern of change differs widely in both time and space. This paper examines the case of Ghana, regarded as the vanguard in the West African fertility transition. Based largely on analyses of Demographic and Health Survey data as well as localised studies, significant patterns emerge. One puzzling finding is that the increase in modern contraception usage has not kept pace with the declines in fertility. The paper suggests that this mismatch can be explained either by an increase in induced abortions, reduced exposure to sexual relations (perhaps due to HIV), or misreporting of contraceptive use. The paper also highlights the considerable geographical diversity in the ongoing fertility transition. The Northern region is still in the pre-transition stage, with little decline in fertility to date. In contrast, the pace of decline has been very rapid in the Greater Accra region. The factors underlying these patterns and the future trajectory of the fertility transition are discussed. It is argued that the fertility transition may be more leisurely in the near future than in the recent past. Among the factors working against future fertility decline are the stability in the infant mortality rate, the stall in fertility desires, and the low patronage of modern contraceptives especially in rural areas. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Source: UG
Fertilizer-bioinsecticide synergy improves maize resilience to Spodoptera frugiperda infestation

Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), invasion in Africa has threatened food security. Optimization of plant tolerance and post-infestation recovery are among the management tactics that are being promoted for the integrated management of this pest, but these techniques are poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study examined the efficacy of enriched compost, split-NPK fertilization, conventional fertilization, and bioinsecticides on FAW infestation rates, maize plant resilience, natural enemy presence, and grain yield. We found that split-NPK fertilization significantly improved maize plant robustness and reduced FAW incidence and leaf damage in a phenology-dependent manner, leading to higher grain yields. A synergistic effect was observed when split-NPK was coupled with bioinsecticides, resulting in increased populations of natural predators, and specifically the egg endoparasitoid, Telenomus remus (Nixon) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). Multivariate analyses confirmed that factors like split-NPK fertilization, bioinsecticide usage, stem circumfer ence, and overall plant robustness are major determinants of maize grain yield. Our results endorse soil fertility management via split-NPK fertilization as an effective cultural control measure against FAW, providing an alternative to synthetic insecticides. These insights set the stage for future research focused on assessing the economic viability of this integrated approach, exploring the integration of split-NPK with alternative in secticides, evaluating environmental impacts, and examining the underlying resilience mechanisms to FAW, among other avenues.

Source: UG