ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Human Capital Development, Financial Inclusion, and Inclusive Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Inclusiveness of growth of many developing countries has been slow with sub- Saharan Africa at the bottom irrespective of increasing economic growth over the years resulting in the high poverty rate and inequality issues. Human capital development has emerged in several empirical pieces of literature as a key factor that could contribute to inclusive growth in emerging economies. However, evidence in the literature indicates that financial inclusion will be more relevant to spur the inclusive growth of economies that have a strong human capital base. Thus, by using the system General Method of Moment, this study examines how human capital development and financial inclusion affect inclusive growth and growth volatility in Sub-Saharan African economies. The study finds that financial inclusion enhances the effect of human capital development on the inclusive growth of Sub-Saharan African economies. It is therefore recommended that economies in the sub-region should put in measures to strengthen the financial inclusion level so that level of human capital development could spur inclusive growth. This would increase the participation of the minor and also create an opportunity for growth for all.

Source: UCC
Human detection using histogram of oriented gradients and human body ratio estimation

Recent research has been devoted to detecting people in images and videos. In this paper, a human detection method based on Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HoG) features and human body ratio estimation is presented. We utilized the discriminative power of HoG features for human detection, and implemented motion detection and local regions sliding window classifier, to obtain a rich descriptor set. Our human detection system consists of two stages. The initial stage involves image preprocessing and image segmentation, whereas the second stage classifies the integral image as human or non-human using human body ratio estimation, local region sliding window method and HoG Human Descriptor. Subsequently, it increases the detection rate and reduces the false alarm by deducting the overlapping window. In our experiments, DaimlerChrysler pedestrian benchmark data set is used to train a standard descriptor and the results showed an overall detection rate of 80% above

Source: UCC
HUMAN EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR -2 OVEREXPRESSION IN PATIENTS WITH GASTRIC AND OESOPHAGEAL ADENOCARCINOMA- A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON GHANAIAN CANCER PATIENTS WHO ATTENDED KORLE BU TEACHING HOSPITAL

Background: Despite improvement in surgical techniques combined with chemotherapy and /or radiotherapy, the prognosis of gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinoma at the advance stage still remained poor. However, there is mounting evidence of the role of HER-2 expression in patients with these cancers. Aim: To determine the patterns of HER-2 protein expression in patients with gastric or oesophageal adenocarcinoma at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Ghana Method: Retrospectively, records on gastric and oesophageal biopsies received between 2008 and 2012 (KBTH) were reviewed. Ideal tissue blocks were selected for immunohistochemistry analysis. The prevalence of gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and their significant association with HER-2 protein over-expression were evaluated. Result: A prevalence of 18.79% gastric adenocarcinoma was observed among gastric biopsies and majority of this cancers occurred in males. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) was over-expressed in 41.4% of the gastric adenocarcinomas and was significantly more common in patients older than 55 years and with intestinal type of adenocarcinoma. Though, Squamous cell carcinoma still remains the commonest cancer (31%) type of the oesophagus, compared to oesophageal adenocarcinoma (8.79%), HER-2 was over-expressed in 42.9% of oesophageal adenocarcinoma which is similar to that of gastric adenocarcinoma (41.4%). Conclusion: Routine testing for HER-2 in gastric and oesophageal adenocarcinoma patients can have significant implication on the management or treatments options offered such patients, which may potentially affect their prognosis.

Source: UCC
Human health risk assessment of artisanal miners exposed to toxic chemicals in water and sediments in the Prestea Huni Valley District of Ghana

A human health risk assessment of artisanal miners exposed to toxic metals in water bodies and sediments in the Prestea Huni Valley District of Ghana was carried out in this study, in line with US EPA risk assessment guidelines. A total of 70 water and 30 sediment samples were collected from surface water bodies in areas impacted by the operations of artisanal small-scale gold mines in the study area and analyzed for physico-chemical parameters such as pH, TDS, conductivity, turbidity as well as metals and metalloids such as As, Cd, Hg and Pb at CSIR—Water Research Institute using standard methods for the examination of wastewater as outlined by American Water Works Association (AWWA). The mean concentrations of As, Cd, Hg and Pb in water samples ranged from 15 µg/L to 325 µg/L (As), 0.17 µg/L to 340 µg/L (Cd), 0.17 µg/L to 122 µg/L (Pb) and 132 µg/L to 866 µg/L (Hg), respectively. These measured concentrations of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were used as input parameters to calculate the cancer and non-cancer health risks from exposure to these metals in surface water bodies and sediments based on an occupational exposure scenario using central tendency exposure (CTE) and reasonable maximum exposure (RME) parameters. The results of the non-cancer human health risk assessment for small-scale miners working around river Anikoko expressed in terms of hazard quotients based on CTE parameters are as follows: 0.04 (Cd), 1.45 (Pb), 4.60 (Hg) and 1.98 (As); while cancer health risk faced by ASGM miners in Dumase exposed to As in River Mansi via oral ingestion of water is 3.1ˆ10´3. The hazard quotient results obtained from this study in most cases were above the HQ guidance value of 1.0, furthermore the cancer health risk results were found to be higher than the USEPA guidance value of 1ˆ10´4 to 1ˆ10´6. These ﬁndings call for case-control epidemiological studies to establish the relationship between exposure to the aforementioned toxic chemicals and diseases associated with them as identiﬁed in other studies conducted in different countries as basis for developing policy interventions to address the issue of ASGM mine workers safety in Ghana

Source: UCC
A human IgG-like bispecific antibody co-targeting epidermal growth factor receptor and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 for enhanced antitumor activity

Both Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR2) play critical roles in tumorigenesis. We hypothesized co-targeting EGFR and VEGFR2 using a bispeciﬁc antibody might have signiﬁcant therapeutic potential. Here,we designed and produced a human IgG-like bispeciﬁc antibody (Bi-Ab) based on the variable regions of cetuximab (an anti-EGFR antibody) and mAb-04 (an anti-VEGFR2 antibody developed in our lab) . The Bi-Ab was found to inhibit the proliferation, survival and invasion of cancer cells via ablating phosphorylation of receptor and downstream signaling. In vivo efﬁcacy was demonstrated against established HT-29 and SKOV-3 xenografts grown in nude mice. Studies revealed our Bi-Ab was able to restrain xenografted tumor growth and prolong survival of mice through inhibiting cell proliferation,promoting apoptosis and anti- angiogenesis. In contrast to cetuximab or mAb-04 alone, our Bi-Ab exhibits enhanced antitumor activity and has equal or slightly superior activity to their combination (Combi). It shows promise as a therapeutic agent, especially for use against tumors EGFR and/or VEGFR2 over-expressing malignancies.

Source: UCC
Human leukocyte antigen-g level, hematological and biochemical profile among pregnant women with plasmodium falciparum (pf) infection: A case control study at the bibiani anhwiaso bekwai municipality, Ghana

Immune-suppressive ability of HLA-G and its binding to foetal maternal interface predispose pregnant women to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infection and pregnancy loss respectively. However, alterations in hematological parameters accelerate the severity of malaria infection. In addition, the effects of malaria infection on hepatocytes endanger the life of both the mother and the foetus to liver injury. The study assessed HLA-G levels, hematological and liver biochemical profile among Pf infected and uninfected pregnant women in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality, Ghana. The study was a case control one with 92 pregnant women consisting of 46 Pf infected (cases) and 46 Pf uninfected (as control) from the municipality. Convenience sampling and structured questionnaire were employed to collect socio-demographic, antimalarial intermittent preventive treatment (IPT-SP), insecticide treated mosquito net (ITN’s) and miscarriage data. Using a first response Pf HRP2 RDT test kit, whole blood samples were tested for the presence of Pf parasites. Hematological and liver biochemical profile were done using automated hematology and chemistry analyzer respectively. Serological tests: Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus were done using the appropriate test kits/ strips following the manufacturer’s protocol. Plasma HLA-G levels were assayed using sandwich ELISA (Maxisop Elisa plate) and corresponding concentrations were obtained using ADAMSEL Software. Clinical characteristics: IPT-SP (p=0.007) and Temperature (p=0.045) were significantly associated among the cases and the control group. However, there were no significant association between trimester, ITN’s usage, age and educational status (p>0.05). HLA-G levels insignificantly increased among the cases as compared to the control group (p>0.05) and was significantly associated with miscarriage (p=0.001) with no association between the hematological parameters. Also, there were no statistical association between liver biochemistry and miscarriage (p>0.05). Pf infection was positively associated with ALT (p=0.011), ALP (p=0.017, p=0.02) with or without adjustment respectively and a significant association with percent lymphocytes (p=0.04) and percent granulocytes (p=0.03). Pf infection has effect on liver biomarkers (ALT and ALP) with decrease percent lymphocyte and an increase percent granulocyte among pregnant women with malaria infection. Again, higher plasma HLA-G was associated with previous miscarriage status among the pregnant women. However, the study shows increase levels of HLA-G among Pf infected pregnant women.

Source: UCC
Human papillomavirus testing for cervical cancer among women living with Hiv at the cape coast teaching hospital, Ghana

Cervical cancer (CC) is a global health problem, with about 500,000 incident cases and 280,000 mortalities yearly. In Ghana, CC is the second commonest cancer associated with mortality and morbidity. Women living with HIV (WLHIV) are at a higher risk of developing pre-cervical cancer lesions. The world health organization (WHO) recommends Human Papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test for CC screening among women. This study determined the role of HPV DNA testing for CC screening among WLHIV at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH). A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 WLHIV at the gynecology and antiretroviral therapy clinics at CCTH. Cervical samples were self-collected and screened using the Atilla Biosystems Ampfire systems (Atila Biosystems, Mountain View, CA, USA). Socio-demographic, behavioral, and clinical characteristics of participants was obtained using a standardized questionnaire. Stata v.16 was used to analyze the data. The mean age was 47.2 (SD ±10.7). The prevalence of hr-HPV and multiple hr-HPV were 42.7% (95% CI: 37.4-0.48.1) and 60.3% respectively. HPV59 (50.4%), HPV18 (30.5%), HPV35 (26.2%), were the most prevalent genotypes. Educational level (AOR=7.55, 95% CI: 1.34-42.43, p=0.022) was associated with CC knowledge. HIV viral load ≥1000 copies/ml (AOR=5.58, 95% CI: 2.89-10.78, p<0.001) was associated with co-infection. The knowledge level of WLHIV on CC is low and the prevalence of hr-HPV in this study is high. There is the need for intensified surveillance and a comprehensive CC prevention programme for WLHIV in Ghana.

Source: UCC
Human relations and job performance in Ghanaian mining industries: A case study of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi

The study assessed human relations and job performance in Anglo Gold Ashanti Limited at Obuasi . Four research questions were formulated to guide the study. A descriptive survey design was employed. All workers of Anglo Gold Ashanti at Obuasi constituted the population. The population was rendered into stratas which represented the five divisions or departments in the company out of which 3% of the respondents were randomly sampled from each which resulted in the selection of 131 respondents. In order to gather enough data for the study a questionnaire was used. All the items were mainly close-ended items on a likert-type scale and were generated from the research questions. The data gathered with the instrument were analyzed and interpreted to provide answers to the research questions by using frequencies, percentages and means and standard deviation. The direction of responses was determined by computing the mean of means and testing of hypothesis using the independent sample t-test at a p-value of 0.05. The investigation revealed that employees were provided with various channels of communication with the least being the magazines and that communication had a positive influence on their performance. Supervisors were democratic and this largely influenced their performance. The welfare services provided were considered to have improved performance only to some extent. It was recommended that employees should be made part of decisions concerning job schedules and target setting to get them committed to the work.

Source: UCC
Human resource and staff development practices of the Ghana Education Service in the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar district of the Eastern region of Ghana

This study focused attention on how the human resource and staff is developed in theSuhum Kraboa Coaltar District. This is descriptive research of the survey type invo!ving 301 participants, made up of 196 teachers, 67 heads and 38 District Education Officials who were selected for the study. Questionnaire on human resource/staff development was constructed and validated by the researcher and were ,'administered on the 301 participants to answer the research questions raised fot the study. Percentages and mean rating were further used to analyze the data collected. Findings revealed that when enough funds are provided, there is much time and there are personnel to run the programme, there would not be much difficulty in organizing human r~source development programmes. Also, if heads are attached to the schools and are not teaching, they can perform their functions effectively. Methods that were considered appropriate for staff development were workshops, seminars, talks, in-service training among others. Findings also confirmed that staff development was considered important to upgrade the knowledge of staff, equip them with skills, give them orientation to become effective. From the findings, it was recommended that all heads of basic schools be attached for effecti,,:e work and there was the need for the prompt release of funds by the Government of Ghana for staff development programmes.

Source: UCC
Human resource capacity building: Assessing the effect of training of branch managers in Ghana Commercial bank ltd.

Among the management training and development programmes that have been instituted in Ghana Commercial Bank limited is the Modular Management Development Programme (MMDP). This is an integrated training and development programme designed for 134 Branch and Manager and potential Branch Managers to bridge their knowledge and skills gaps to enable the bank meet the challenges posed by intense competition and changing customer needs. This research, (which is in partial fulfilment for a Degree in Master of Arts) assesses the effect of MMDP on Branch Managers of GCB. The impact has been assessed in terms of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired by Branch Managers, in addition to customer service using the Kirkpatrick and Contest Inputs Reactions and Outcomes (CIRO) models. The research findings indicated that, although the MMDP has led to improvement in knowledge, skills and attitudes of Branch Managers who participated in the programme, it did not show any significant improvement in customer service. To make the Modular Management Development Programme more meaningful to the target group, the following recommendations were made: Management should broaden the training programme to cover all groups of the bank and find other ways of improving customer service which should include; Improving marketing research in GCB and be committed to a vision of "total quality service", instituting job rotation within the work place, and streamlining the reward system. The study also identified the need for evaluation of training programmes implemented by the bank.

Source: UCC
Human Resource Development And Employee Performance at Buduburam Fire Service Station, Kasoa

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of human resource development on employee performance at Buduburam Fire Service Station, Kasoa. Specifically, it sought to assess the influence of Training and development on employee performance, examine the effect of organizational development on employee performance and evaluate the effect of career development on employee performance at Buduburam Fire Service Station, Kasoa. The research approach was a quantitative approach and design was explanatory research design. The study adopted a census survey of which all members of the population of fifty-six (56) were included. A structured questionnaire was the main instrument of the study and was administered to the respondents to gather quantitative data. It was also found that these indicators in composite impact on employee performance and that training and development and employee performance are positively correlated. Also, the study found that the organizational structure and culture at Buduburam Fire Service Station, Kasoa were less favourable as respondents indicated. The study concluded that the in order to develop human resource of an organisation, training and development of the staff is key and that training and development enhance employees’ performance. The study further concluded with confirmation to other studies and assertions that organizational development is statistically significant and positively related to employees’ performance. The study recommended that management should enhance their structure such that it would outline how activities are directed in order to achieve the goals of an organization

Source: UCC
Human resource development and its contribution to teaching and learning in the Tamale Polytechnic

Human resource development is a combination of training and education that ensure the continuous improvement and growth of both the individual and the organisation. Human resource development which builds personnel capacities to handle various technical and managerial activities in most institutions in Ghana has been a source of worry. The study examined human resource development and its contribution to teaching and learning in the Tamale Polytechnic. Primary data were collected from 120 respondents using questionnaires while secondary data were sourced from books, journals and official documents. Purposive sampling and a descriptive research design was employed to get target group of 20 management and 100 teaching staff. Data were analysed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS 16.0).The research revealed that, training needs assessment was virtually non-existent in the Polytechnic. The type of training programmes organised for the teaching staff were not targeted at addressing specific skills gap needs of staff in the performance of their duties. Training needs were not organised regularly. HRD unearth individual potentials and capacity for enhanced performance. Human resource development enriches teaching skills and competencies as well as introduces new ideas into teaching and learning. It has been recommended that training needs assessment be conducted by management to inform teaching and learning. Secondly, management should develop coherent HRD policies that define a complete presentation of possible training and development activities for all categories of staff.

Source: UCC
Human resource development and stevedore productivity at the port of Tema

The study sought to establish the assertion that there is a relationship between Human Resource Development and productivity by examining the effect of Human Resource Development on stevedore operation at the Tema Port in terms of ship turn-around time, ship productivity, labour productivity and accident rate. The study investigated the educational background of the stevedore gangs and officers, how training needs analysis was conducted, the effect of training on stevedore productivity and reduction in accident rate. Structured questionnaires, one-on-one interviews with managers and supervisors were used for primary data collection. Secondary data were collected through journals, Ghana Ports Handbook, internet materials and academic publications. Purposive sampling was used to select the sample size of the target population. Socio-demographic background of respondents, Educational background of stevedore gangs and productivity, Training Needs Analysis, Training and Productivity and accident rate were the areas considered in the study. The findings established the fact that the literacy rate of the stevedores had improved significantly by 2006 as compared with that of 1986 and training had contributed largely to improved productivity as a result of transfer of knowledge, skills and attitude unto the job. It is recommended that Ghana Ports Harbours Authority (GPHA), as landlord, initiates formal training programmes for dockworkers and also make the profession attractive to highly educated people.

Source: UCC
Human Resource Development Practices and Employee Performance at Cape Coast Technical University

The study analysed the effect of human resource development practices on employee performance at the Cape Coast Technical University. Other issues including assessment of the various human resource development practices and the challenges associated with employee performance were also addressed. To achieve the research’s goal, this study adopted the quantitative approach, descriptive design and structured questionnaire. A valid data of 113 were retrieved from 121 administrative and teaching staff of the university. The IBM SPSS Statistics software version 26 was employed to process the data and subsequently analysed with descriptive (i.e., mean and standard deviation) and inferential (i.e., linear regression) tools. The study found work family balance as the most important human resource development practice adopted at CCTU. Also, human resource development practices were found to significantly, positively and moderately affect employee performance at the university. It was recommended that management of CCTU should pay immense attention to human resource development practices in order to ensure constant improvement in workers’ performance at CCTU.

Source: UCC