ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Tick communities of cattle in smallholder rural livestock production systems in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract Background The majority of the African population lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture for their liveli‑ hoods. To increase the productivity and sustainability of their farms, they need access to afordable yield-enhancing inputs of which parasite control is of paramount importance. We therefore determined the status of current tick species with the highest economic impact on cattle by sampling representative numbers of animals in each of seven sub-Saharan countries. Methods Data included tick species’ half-body counts from approximately 120 cattle at each of two districts per country, collected four times in approximately 1 year (to include seasonality). Study sites were chosen in each country to include high cattle density and tick burden. Results East Africa (Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania) showed overall a higher diversity and prevalence in tick infesta‑ tions compared to West African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria). In East Africa, Amblyomma variegatum (vector of Ehrlichia ruminantium), Rhipicephalus microplus (Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, Anaplasma marginale), R. evertsi evertsi (A. marginale) and R. appendiculatus (Theileria parva) were the most prevalent tick species of economic importance. While the latter species was absent in West Africa, here both A. variegatum and R. microplus occurred in high numbers. Rhipicephalus microplus had spread to Uganda, infesting half of the cattle sampled. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is known for its invasive behaviour and displacement of other blue tick species, as observed in other East and West African countries. Individual cattle with higher body weights, as well as males, were more likely to be infested. For six tick species, we found reduced infestation levels when hosts were treated with anti-parasiticides. Conclusions These baseline data allow the determination of possible changes in presence and prevalence of ticks in each of the countries targeted, which is of importance in the light of human-caused climate and habitat alterations or anthropogenic activities. As many of the ticks in this study are vectors of important pathogens, but also, as cattle may act as end hosts for ticks of importance to human health, our study will help a wide range of stakeholders to provide recommendations for tick infestation surveillance and prevention.

Source: UG
Tick-borne pathogens and body condition of cattle in smallholder rural livestock production systems in East and West Africa

Background The majority of the African population lives in rural areas where they heavily depend on crop and livestock production for their livelihoods. Given their socio-economic importance, we initiated a standardized multicountry (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia Tanzania and Uganda) surveillance study to assess the current status of important tick-borne haemoparasites (TBHPs) of cattle. Methods We assessed pathogen prevalences (Anaplasma marginale, Anaplasma centrale, Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis, Ehrlichia ruminantium, and Theileria parva) in the blood of 6447 animals spread over fourteen districts (two districts per country). In addition, we screened for intrinsic (sex, weight, body condition) and extrinsic (husbandry, tick exposure) risk factors as predictors of infections with TBHPs. Results There was a large macro-geographic variation observed in A. marginale, B. bigemina, B. bovis and E. ruminan tium prevalences. Most correlated with the co-occurrence of their specifc sets of vector-competent ticks. Highest numbers of infected cattle were found in Ghana and Benin, and lowest in Burkina Faso. While T. parva was seldomly found (Uganda only: 3.0%), A. marginale was found in each country with a prevalence of at least 40%. Babesia bovis infected individuals had lower body condition scores. Age (as estimated via body weight) was higher in A. marginale infected cattle, but was negatively correlated with B. bigemina and E. ruminantium prevalences. Ehrlichia ruminantium infection was more often found in males, and A. marginale more often in transhumance farming. High levels of coinfection, especially the combination A. marginale×B. bigemina, were observed in all countries, except for Uganda and Burkina Faso. Babesia bigemina was more or less often observed than expected by chance, when cattle were also co-infected with E. ruminantium or A. marginale, respectively. Conclusions Tick-borne pathogens of cattle are ubiquitous in African’s smallholder cattle production systems. Our standardized study will help a wide range of stakeholders to provide recommendations for TBHP surveillance and prevention in cattle, especially for B. bovis which heavily impacts production and continues its spread over the African continent via the invasive Rhipicephalus microplus tick.

Source: UG
Tick-borne pathogens of zoonotic and veterinary importance in Nigerian cattle

Vincenzo Lorusso1, Michiel Wijnveld2, Ayodele O. Majekodunmi1, Charles Dongkum3, Akinyemi Fajinmi3, Abraham G. Dogo4, Michael Thrusfield5, Albert Mugenyi1, Elise Vaumourin6, Augustine C. Igweh3, Frans Jongejan2,7, Susan C. Welburn1 and Kim Picozzi1 Background: Ticks and tick-borne diseases undermine cattle fitness and productivity in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. In this West African country, cattle are challenged by numerous tick species, especially during the wet season. Consequently, several TBDs are known to be endemic in Nigerian cattle, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, cowdriosis and theilerioris (by Theileria mutans and Theileria velifera). To date, all investigations on cattle TBDs in Nigeria have been based on cytological examinations and/or on serological methods. This study aimed to ascertain the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens of veterinary and zoonotic importance in cattle in Nigeria using molecular approaches. Methods: In October 2008, 704 whole blood samples were collected from indigenous cattle in the Plateau State, Nigeria. Analysis for tick-borne pathogens was conducted by means of PCR-based reverse line blotting (RLB) and sequencing targeting a panel of five genera of microorganisms (i.e. Babesia, Theileria, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Rickettsia spp.). Results: In total, 561/704 (82.6 %) animals were found infected, with 465 (69.6 %) of them being infected by two or more microorganisms, with up to 77 possible combinations of pathogens detected. Theileria mutans was the most prevalent microorganism (66.3 %), followed by Theileria velifera (52.4 %), Theileria taurotragi (39.5 %), Anaplasma marginale (39.1 %), Anaplasma sp. (Omatjenne) (34.7 %), Babesia bigemina (7.9 %), Anaplasma centrale (6.3 %), Anaplasma platys (3.9 %), Rickettsia massiliae (3.5 %), Babesia bovis (2.0 %) and Ehrlichia ruminantium (1.1 %). Calves were found significantly less infected than juvenile and adult cattle. Conclusions: This study provides updated, molecular-based information on cattle TBDs in Nigeria. The molecular approach employed allowed the diagnosis of numerous positive cases including carrier statuses, multiple infections and novel pathogen detections within the indigenous cattle population. Moreover, the RLB method here described enabled the detection of veterinary agents not only pertaining to bovine health, including also those of zoonotic importance. The high prevalence recorded for T. mutans, T. velifera, A. marginale, T. taurotragi and Anaplasma sp. (Omatjenne), suggests they may be endemically established in Nigeria, whereas the lower prevalence recorded for other microorganisms (i.e. A. centrale and B. bovis) highlights a less stable epidemiological scenario, requiring further investigations. Keywords: Cattle, Nigeria, Africa, Tick-borne diseases, Tick-borne pathogens, Zoonoses, Fulani

Source: UG
Ticks and prevalence of tick‑borne pathogens from domestic animals in Ghana

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

Source: UG
Ticks associated with wild mammals in Ghana

The host ranges of a collection of 21 tick species found on wild mammals in the savanna, forests and coastal zone of Ghana suggested that most species were adapted to feeding mainly on host species within a single mammalian order, i.e. on artiodactyls (bovids/suids), carnivores, rodents or pholidotes (pangolins). Only a few species were dispersed evenly across a range of orders. Seven out of ten of the most common ticks on forest mammals were significantly associated with a particular host species or a group of closely related host species, which could be viewed as their major host or hosts, but they were also recorded much less frequently on a wide range of host species. Two other species were confined to their major hosts. Only one species appeared to be widely dispersed on forest mammals and to lack a particular major host. The majority of tick species therefore occurred on hosts with very distinctive biological, behavioural and ecological characteristics. The study provided no evidence to support the view that host specificity is an artefact of sampling. Finding that the tick species on Ghanaian wild mammals occurred on particular hosts, as well as in distinct habitats, indicated that tick-host associations are important for tick survival and confirmed the importance of climate and vegetation in tick distribution. © CAB International, 2005.

Source: UG
Time management: presenteeism versus management-by-objectives

Purpose This study examined the actual productive hours of employees from the service sector in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted an exploratory cross-sectional survey design. The purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to identify the service organizations and recruited 520 employees in Accra for the study. Specifically, these respondents were workers from banks, insurance companies, auditing firms and oil and gas companies. The data were analyzed using frequencies and other descriptive statistics. Findings Results showed poor time management among the study organizations. It was reported that although most workers report to work as early as 6:30 a.m., they wait until 8:30 a.m. to commence the day’s work schedule. In addition, they start thinking of break at least 15 min before actual break time which decreases productivity. In addition, employees reported spending at least 30 min on break. They also added that, they start clearing the desks about 15 min before actual closing time and leave the office at exactly 5:00 p.m. Practical Implications This study shows that the physical presence of workers does not necessarily mean they are working. The study proposes an alternative way to increase productivity rather than relying on physical presence of the workers. Originality/value This study is among the few that empirically sought to explore the actual time that workers use in a day at work. Thus, it measured actual productive hours at of service employees in Ghana.

Source: UG
Time of planting Mucuna and Canavalia in an intercrop system with maize

Field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of two cover crops, Mucuna pruriens var. cocchinchinensis and Canavalia ensiformis, on weed interference and yield of maize (Zea mays var Okomasa) in an intercropping system at different planting dates. The cover crops were intercropped 0, 2, 4 and 6 Weeks After Planting Maize (WAPM). The intercrop components were sown at 80x40 cm and arranged in a 1:1 spatial arrangement. Non-intercropped maize plots served as sole maize or control. Results showed that Mucuna had better spreading ability than Canavalia. The highest cover spread for Mucuna and Canavalia was observed when they were intercropped at 4 and 2 WAPM, respectively. Results also showed that the two cover crops exhibited (more than 56%) weed suppression when intercropped at 4 WAPM. The highest weed suppression for Mucuna and Canavalia were recorded when they were planted at 4 and 0 WAPM, respectively. The grain yield of maize increased with delay in planting both cover crops (i.e., from 0 to 6 WAPM). The highest grain yield values of 2.95 t ha-1 for Mucuna and 2.56 t ha-1 for Canavalia entries were obtained when the cover crops were planted at 6 WAPM. These values however fell short of the sole maize (3.72 t ha-1) but were higher than the national average yield of 1.58 t ha-1 for the 2004 growing season. The present study therefore recommends that Mucuna pruriens var. cocchinchinensis and Canavalia ensiformis could be intercropped at 4 WAPM in maize-cover crop intercrop system with one early hand weeding for good maize grain yield. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information.

Source: UG
Time series analysis of the relationship between diarrhea in children and Rota 2 vaccine in the Fanteakwa District of the eastern region of Ghana

Background: Rotavirus is considered the main causal factor of severe gastroenteritis among infants and children globally. The association with severe rotavirus infection is mostly worse among the least developed countries, mainly due to inadequate access to medical care and poverty. This study was conducted to determine the seasonal effects in respect of diarrhea cases in children, the association between diarrhea cases and Rota2 vaccine in the Fanteakwa District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods: The study compares monthly diarrhea cases against children vaccinated with Rota2 extracted from DHIM S2 spanning May 2012 to December 2017 in Fanteakwa District. A univariate association between diarrhea cases and children vaccinated with Rota 2 was conducted using the R-software version 3.4.4 with the use of forecast, tseries and TSAPred. Pearson Correlation coefficient was also computed between monthly diarrhea cases and Rota 2 as well as lagged values of Rota 2 and Diarrhea cases. Results: The study shows that February recorded the highest average number of diarrhea cases (172) over the period 2012 to 2017 with a standard deviation of 59. However, a one-way analysis of variance shows a significant difference amongst the monthly averages with an F-statistic of 0.042 and P-value of 0.064. It is observed that the correlations between each of the Rota2 doses and the lagged cases are positive, showing higher Rota2 doses a month ago ((Xt − 1),0.346 to 0.735), two months ago ((Xt − 2),0.383 to 0.746), three months ago ((Xt − 3), 0.330 to 0.737) and four months ago ((Xt − 4), 0.236 to 0.723) are associated with lower diarrhea cases. The results also show that an increase in the previous two month’s Rota2 figures by 100 is associated with a significant decrease in the currently expected diarrhea cases by approximately 36. Conclusion: Seasonal variations exist in the occurrence of diarrhea in children, with January recording the highest number of diarrhea cases (172). There is a relationship between episodes of diarrhea in children and Rota2 (pvalue = 0.064); thus, the more children are vaccinated with Rota2, the less diarrhea cases are recorded. Diarrhea cases in Fanteakwa district are generally low, except 2013 and 2016 where the cases are higher than the rest of the other years.

Source: UG
Time series based road traffic accidents forecasting via SARIMA and Facebook Prophet model with potential changepoints

Road traffic accident (RTA) is a critical global public health concern, particularly in developing countries. Analyzing past fatalities and predicting future trends is vital for the development of road safety policies and regulations. The main objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of univariate Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) and Facebook (FB) Prophet models, with potential change points, in handling time-series road accident data involving seasonal patterns in contrast to other statistical methods employed by key governmental agencies such as Ghana’s Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU). The aforementioned models underwent training with monthly RTA data spanning from 2013 to 2018. Their predictive accuracies were then evaluated using the test set, comprising monthly RTA data from 2019. The study employed the Box-Jenkins method on the training set, yielding the development of various tentative time series models to effectively capture the patterns in the monthly RTA data. 𝑆𝐴𝑅𝐼𝑀𝐴 (0, 1, 1) × (1, 0, 0)12 was found to be the suitable model for forecasting RTAs with a log-likelihood value of −266.28, AIC value of 538.56, AICc value of 538.92, BIC value of 545.35. The findings disclosed that the 𝑆𝐴𝑅𝐼𝑀𝐴 (0, 1, 1) × (1, 0, 0)12 model developed outperforms FB-Prophet with a forecast accuracy of 93.1025% as clearly depicted by the model’s MAPE of 6.8975% and a Theil U1 statistic of 0.0376 compared to the FB-Prophet model’s respective forecasted accuracy and Theil U1 statistic of 84.3569% and 0.1071. A Ljung Box test on the residuals of the estimated 𝑆𝐴𝑅𝐼𝑀𝐴 (0, 1, 1) × (1, 0, 0)12 model revealed that they are independent and free from auto/serial correlation. A Box-Pierce test for larger lags also revealed that the proposed model is adequate for forecasting. Due to the high forecast accuracy of the proposed SARIMA model, the study recommends the use of the proposed SARIMA model in the analysis of road traffic accidents in Ghana

Source: UG
Time Varying Conditional Discrete Jump Dynamics in Emerging African Equity Markets

An ARJI-EGARCH model which is a modified version of the Chan and Maheu (2002) methodology is used to examine the time-varying conditional discrete jump dynamics in thinly-traded adjusted equity returns of Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. The findings suggest that conditional discrete jump is both time-varying and sensitive to past shocks for Egypt and South Africa but not for Nigeria. Conditional discrete jump sensitivity is persistent in all the markets, and only South Africa is more likely to exhibit asymmetric conditional jump volatility. We provide evidence that the presence of thin-trading overstates the economic significance of the conditional discrete jump dynamics.

Source: UG
Time your investment on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE),

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the day of the week effect on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) by using the GSE all-share index from November 1990 to August 2012. The presence of the day of the week effect has been reported on several markets. Design/methodology/approach – The study utilizes one-sample t-test, dummy variable regression, autoregressive and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic models to investigate whether day of the week effect exist on the GSE. Findings – The study reveals the presence of day of the week effect on the GSE, specifically, highest returns on Tuesday and lowest on Thursday. Monday, Wednesday and Friday also record significant positive returns, however, the significance returns is captured by a strong auto-regression in the returns. Therefore, investors may not have the opportunity to increase their returns by timing their investments. Further, the significance of the anomalies is not robust across time since different sub periods with different trading days per week shows different results. Originality/value – The study provides additional evidence on the day of the week effect by using utilizing frontier market data.

Source: UG
Time-Frequency Analysis Of Financial Stress And Global Commodities Prices, Insights From Wavelet-Based Approaches

We examine the time-frequency lead-lag relationships and the degree of integration between the US financial stress index and global commodity prices (i.e., oil, gold, silver, and cocoa) with data covering over 47 decades (January 1975 to December 2021). For this purpose, we resort to the bi- and multiple-wavelet econometric approaches. Findings from the bivariate wavelet analysis evidence the significant influence of US financial stress in driving the price-generating process in commodities markets. Our findings support the hedging abilities of commodities across the time-frequency space. Findings from the multiple correlations explicate that the interrelation between commodities and financial stress is attributable to their interdependence in the long term during financial market meltdowns. The dynamic and nonhomogeneous lead/lag relations underscored by our findings highlight the importance of cross-commodity investments. As such, by acknowledging the response of different commodities to financial stress, asset allocation should factor in commodities that offer opposing responses to financial stress.

Source: UG
Time-frequency dynamics of financial market stress and global economic uncertainties: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

Given the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on world economies, uncertainties are expected to increase during this period. To this end, we examine the time-frequency dynamics of financial market stress and economic uncertainties. We apply in-sample and out-sample namely; bivariate wavelet and quantile causality to accentuate the importance of economic uncertainties and market stress during COVID-19. We find that both in-sample and out-sample for economic uncertainty drive and pose a high risk to the financial market during COVID-19

Source: UG
Time-varying connectedness and contagion between commodity prices and exchange rate in Sub-Saharan Africa

Market participants, policymakers, and practitioners might have ignored the connection between global commodities and the currency markets in sub-Saharan Africa and the potential for contagion at various time scales. We examine the degree of time-varying connectivity and contagion between commodities and the exchange rates of sub-Saharan African countries (SSA). We use the Barunik and Krehlik (BK18) spillover index on monthly data from 1990 to 2019 to illustrate the dynamic connectivity in the time and frequency domains. The BK18 captures the nonlinear, nonstationary, asymmetric, and time-dependent comovements in the relationship. Our analysis indicates that the relationship between commodity returns and exchange rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is both time- and frequency-dependent, but stronger at higher frequencies. We observe that, among Of the three commodities, only crude oil is a dominant spillover propagator. The exchange rates of South Africa dominate spillover transmission among metal-producing countries, and those of Cote d’Ivoire dominate agricultural-producing countries. countries. The dynamic results reveal significant spillovers between commodities and exchange rates during economic turmoil, indicating contagion among the markets. Since uncertainty spillover is more severe amid market upheaval, investors should use their awareness of market dynamics and fluctuations to protect their holdings from lower asset returns. Policymakers should keep a close eye on spillovers because they endanger cross-market connections

Source: UG