ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Highly multiplexed molecular inversion probe panel in Plasmodium falciparum targeting common SNPs approximates whole-genome sequencing assessments for selection and relatedness

The Epidemiology Department contributes to the mission of the institute through basic and applied epidemiological research on, but not limited to, malaria and other diseases of public health importance. It is also home to the Social Science Unit of the Institute, including the Health Support Centre for HIV/AIDS and other communicable and noncommunicable health problems.

Source: UG
Highly Prevalent Hyperuricaemia Is Associated With Adverse Clinical Outcomes Among Ghanaian Stroke Patients: an Observational Prospective Study

Background: Although a direct causal relationship between hyperuricaemia and stroke continues to be debated, strong associations between serum uric acid (SUA) and cerebrovascular disease exist. Very few studies have been conducted to evaluate the frequency and association between this potentially modifiable biomarker of vascular risk and stroke in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore the aim of this study was to examine the association between hyperuricaemia and the traditional risk factors and the outcomes of stroke in Ghanaian patients. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 147 patients presenting with stroke at a tertiary referral centre in Ghana were consecutively recruited. Patients were screened for vascular risk factors and SUA concentrations measured after an overnight fast. Associations between hyperuricaemia and stroke outcomes were analysed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: The frequency of hyperuricaemia among Ghanaian stroke patients was 46.3%. Non-significant associations were observed between hyperuricaemia and the traditional risk factors of stroke. SUA concentration was positively correlated with stroke severity and associated with early mortality after an acute stroke with unadjusted hazards ratio of 2.3 (1.4 - 4.2, p=0.001). A potent and independent dose-response association between increasing SUA concentration and hazard of mortality was found on Cox proportional hazards regression, aHR (95% CI) of 1.65 (1.14-2.39), p=0.009 for each 100μmol/l increase in SUA. Conclusions: Hyperuricaemia is highly frequent and associated with adverse functional outcomes among Ghanaian stroke patients. Further studies are warranted to determine whether reducing SUA levels after a stroke would be beneficial within our setting.

Source: UG
Highly siderophile elements and Os isotope constraints on the genesis of peridotites from the Kızıldağ ophiolite, southern Turkey

In this contribution, we present whole-rock major and trace element chemistry, including rare earth elements (REE), highly siderophile elements (HSE), and Re-Os isotope data, together with mineral chemistry for the harzburgites and dunites from the Kızıldağ ophiolite of SE Turkey, in an attempt to better constrain its petrogenesis. Both the harzburgites and dunites have refractory compositions with CaO contents <0.90 wt%, Al2O3 contents <0.90 wt% and TiO2 contents <0.01 wt%, indicating that they experienced high degrees of partial melting in the supra-subduction zone (SSZ) setting. Besides, the concave-shaped REE patterns and positive anomalies in some incompatible elements (e.g., Cs, Rb and Pb) suggest that the harzburgites and dunites have also experienced interactions with percolating melts after partial melting. Based on the quantitative melt-rock interaction model, the addition of sulfides derived from the percolating magmas could be responsible for the variable HSE contents and suprachondritic Pd/Ir and Pt/Ir ratios observed in some of the harzburgite samples. The extremely low HSE contents in the dunites can be explained by interaction with S-undersaturated melts. Enrichments of Os and Ru in two dunites could be attributed to the precipitation of a higher amount of spinel grains along with the possible Os-Ru microparticles. The significantly wide range of Os isotopic ratios in the harzburgites (187Os/188Os(90 Ma) = 0.12152–0.13584; γOs(90 Ma) = −4.31 to 6.96) and dunites (187Os/188Os(90 Ma) = 0.12690–0.13267; γOs(90 Ma)=−0.08 to 4.47) seems to be consistentwith themulti-stage evolution of the oceanic upper mantle. The low Os isotopic ratios (sub-primitive mantle) in some harzburgite samples suggest the lithospheric mantle has experienced ancient melting processes (>1.0 Ga).

Source: UG
Highly symptom-aware children were heavily infected with urinary schistosomiasis in southern 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
Histoire Du KATANGA Ouvrage Honore D' Une Souscription De M. Ie Ministre. Des Colonies

La publication de calle HISTOIRE DU KATANGA est-elle nrfcessaire ? -Non. Est-elle super flue ? - Nonl. Elle n'est pas ndcassaire, c'est vrai, car bon nomb"e de Belgas se sont devoues, a acqlllirir d'abord, a faire connaitre et apprecier enquite, celie contree autrefoise si meconnue et pourtant si prospere, si riche. Des soldats intrepide de voyageurs audacieux toute une pleiade de millants, don’t les noms resteront Ii tout jamais graves dans l'Histoire duCongo, ont vaillamment porte par dela les mers, la bon renom des" petits Belges", bravant les Iropiques, La fatigue et la mort. Beaucoup ant publie des ouvrages remarquables, donnant des renseigne ments tres utiless sur leurs travaux cette region

Source: UG
Histopathological lesions and exposure to Plasmodium falciparum infections in the placenta increases the risk of preeclampsia among pregnant women

Preeclampsia (PE) is a placental disorder with different phenotypic presentations. In malaria-endemic regions, high incidence of PE is reported, with debilitating foeto-maternal effects, particularly among primigravid women. However, the relationship between placental pathology and Plasmodium falciparum infection in the placenta with PE is underexplored. Placentas from 134 pregnant women were examined after delivery for pathological lesions and placental malaria (PM). They comprised of 69 women without PE (non-PE group) and 65 women diagnosed with PE (PE group). The presence of placental pathology increased the risk of PE, with particular reference to syncytial knots. Placental malaria was 64 (48.1%) and 21 (15.8%) respectively for active and past infections and these proportions were significantly higher in the PE group compared to the non-PE group. Further multivariate analyses showed placental pathology (adjusted (aOR) 3.0, 95% CI = 1.2–7.5), active PM (aOR 6.7, 95% CI = 2.3–19.1), past PM (aOR 12.4, 95% CI = 3.0–51.0) and primigravidity (aOR 6.6, 95% CI 2.4–18.2) to be associated with PE. Our findings suggest that placental histological changes and PM are independent risk factors for PE particularly in primigravida. These findings might improve the management of PE in malaria-endemic regions.

Source: UG
Historical and Cultural Context of Folk Opera Development in Ghana: Saka Acquaye’s “the lost Fishermen”in Perspective

The article examines the historical and cultural contexts of folk opera development in Ghana. It argues that Saka Acquaye created folk opera in response to Ghana’s post-colonial policy initiatives to redress negative colonial mindsets among the citizenry, and also to foster national identity and unity through the arts. The paper analyzes Saka Acquaye’s ‘The Lost Fishermen,’-the most popular folk opera in Ghana, to illustrate the genre’s form as well as the depth of appropriations from indigenous theatre resources for the above stated purposes. The paper establishes that despite the obvious Western influences in folk opera, it is essentially the unscripted indigenous theatre resources that served as its biggest thematic and performance resource base; and that it was such deliberate appropriations from diverse ethnic and regional settings of the country repackaged for a national audience that were intended to address the political and cultural challenges mentioned. The paper concludes by attributing the current low patronage of folk opera in Ghana to the near irrelevance of the cultural and political challenges that influenced its birth and popularity.

Source: UG
Historical and future land-cover change in a municipality of Ghana

Urban land-cover change is increasing dramatically in most developing nations. In Africa and in the New Juaben municipality of Ghana in particular, political stability and active socioeconomic progress has pushed the urban frontier into the countryside at the expense of the natural ecosystems at ever-increasing rates. Using Landsat satellite imagery from 1985 to 2003, the study found that the urban core expanded by 10% and the peri-urban areas expanded by 25% over the period. Projecting forward to 2015, it is expected that urban infrastructure will constitute 70% of the total land area in the municipality. Giving way to urban expansion were losses in open woodlands (19%), tree fallow (9%), croplands (4%), and grass fallow (3%), with further declines expected for 2015. Major drivers of land-cover changes are attributed to demographic changes and past microeconomic policies, particularly the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP); the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP); and, more recently, the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS). Pluralistic land administration, complications in theland tenure systems, institutional inefficiencies, and lack of capacity in land administration were also key drivers of land-cover changesin the New Juaben municipality. Policy recommendations are presented to address the associated challenges. © 2011.

Source: UG
Historical and Modern Artisanal Small-Scale Mining in Akyem Abuakwa, Ghana

This article reviews continuities and transformations within indigenous mining technology, shareholding patterns, and environmental impacts and provides the basis for analyzing the dynamics of small-scale gold mining. This research, which suggests that modern artisanal mining is infringing on the fundamental human rights of the people of Abuakwa and has undermined traditional authority in the state, provides a basis for understanding the microprocesses associated with mining and the importance of mining in the economic history of Akyem Abuakwa and adds to the depth of literature on the economic history of West Africa.

Source: UG
Historical Archaeology of the Dente Shrine at Peki, Ghana: Landscapes of Power and Memories of Atlantic Slavery in West Africa

Peki is an Ewe-speaking community in present-day southeastern Ghana. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this community became a hub for the trade in enslaved people. To take charge of the Atlantic economy, the Peki invited the North German Missionary Society to their community in 1847, intending to use them to gain direct access to European merchants on the coast. They also established a franchise of the influential Dente deity of Krachi at Dzake, one of eight Peki settlements. This paper explores the archaeology of the Dente shrine and its role in the historical memory of the Peki community’s entanglements in the Atlantic trade. We employ archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence to show how the Peki elites leveraged African indigenous spiritualism to control the post-abolition trade in people. We highlight how contemporary memories of the Atlantic trade in Peki have been constructed through selective processes of remembering and silencing in the face of burgeoning roots and heritage tourism in Ghana. The paper underscores the contradictory roles of an African indigenous religious institution in the complex and syncretic responses to the Atlantic trade in people. It helps us to understand the distinctive power-building strategies that a local community of the West African hinterland adapted to survive in the shadows of expansionist states during the Atlantic trade.

Source: UG
Historical context of agricultural commercialization in Ghana: Changes in land and labor relations.

This paper provides a broad review of agrarian change in Ghana by highlighting the major developments in the agrarian political economy and their implications for agricultural commercialisation and its modifying influence on land tenure systems, livelihoods, production systems, social relations, and labour relations. While current land tenure arrangements and labour relations in Africa are often explained in terms of globalisation, we argue that the historical context of agricultural commercialisation in Ghana shows continuities and discontinuities in agrarian relations from the colonial period to the present. We also argue that changes over the years have blended with globalisation to produce the distinct forms of labour relations that we see today. The commercialisation of agriculture in Ghana has evolved progressively from the colonial era aided by policies of coercion, persuasion and incentives to its current globalised form. The expansion in the range of commodities over time necessarily increased the demand for more land and labour. The article contributes to the literature by providing great insights into changes in land and labour relations due to increasing commercialisation, and how these enhanced wealth accumulation for the richer segments of society and global capital to the detriment of the poor throughout Ghana’s agrarian history.

Source: UG
Historical epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in select countries—volume 4

Most research activities involve the use of molecular methods such as regular PCR (PCR), quantitative PCR (Q-PCR), genomic sequence and analysis using different software, genetic engineering, probe hybridization techniques, biological and molecular cloning, evaluation of immune markers for laboratory diagnosis of infections, serological assays involving the use of rapid tests, ELISA-based evaluations and immunofluorescent assay techniques.

Source: UG
“The historical foundations of education and sign language for the deaf in Ghana”

Dr. Andrew Jackson Foster, a Deaf African American, is known as the “the father of Deaf education in Africa” because he founded amongst the first 32 schools for the deaf across the African continent. He arrived in Ghana in 1957, at a time when education, sign language and services for the deaf were almost non-existent. Within a matter of months, Foster partnered with Government of Ghana to establish a school for the deaf in Osu (later moved to Mampong) and introduced American Sign Language, thus innovating a deaf education model that he would go on to replicate across 13 African nations and Ministry of Education would expand from into all regions. Explore further into the historical foundations of education for the deaf and sign language in Ghana.

Source: UG
Historical overview of traditional and modern gold mining in Ghana

The advent of colonialism and the introduction of modern scientific mining in Ghana during the last decade of the nineteenth century enabled European mining companies to gain control over the mining industry. This effectively excluded Africans from participating in the gold mining industry except as labourers and artisans. This article compares and contrasts the pre-colonial methods of mining with modern artisanal or small-scale mining popularly known in Ghana as galamsey and also provide reasons to explain why traditional or pre-colonial mining is still vibrant in the gold-rich Akanland in modern-day Ghana.

Source: UG
Historical perspective and risk of multiple neglected tropical diseases in coastal Tanzania: Compositional and contextual determinants of disease risk

Background: In the past decade, research on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has intensified in response to the need to enhance community participation in health delivery, establish monitoring and surveillance systems, and integrate existing disease-specific treatment programs to control overlapping NTD burdens and detrimental effects. In this paper, we evaluated the geographical distribution of NTDs in coastal Tanzania. Methods and Findings: We also assessed the collective (compositional and contextual) factors that currently determine risks to multiple NTDs using a cross sectional survey of 1253 individuals in coastal Tanzania. The results show that the effect size in decreasing order of magnitude for non-binary predictors of NTD risks is as follows: NTD comorbidities > poverty > educational attainment > self-reported household quality of life > ethnicity. The multivariate analysis explained 95% of the variance in the relationship between NTD risks and the theoreticallyrelevant covariates. Compositional (biosocial and sociocultural) factors explained more variance at the neighbourhood level than at the regional level, whereas contextual factors, such as access to health services and household quality, in districts explained a large proportion of variance at the regional level but individually had modest statistical significance, demonstrating the complex interactions between compositional and contextual factors in generating NTD risks. Conclusions: NTD risks were inequitably distributed over geographic space, which has several important policy implications. First, it suggests that localities of high burden of NTDs are likely to diminish within statistical averages at higher (regional or national) levels. Second, it indicates that curative or preventive interventions will become more efficient provided they can be focused on the localities, particularly as populations in these localities are likely to be burdened by several NTDs simultaneously, further increasing the imperative of multi-disease interventions. © 2015 Armah et al.

Source: UG
Historical trends of degradation, loss, and recovery in the tropical forest reserves of Ghana

The Upper Guinean Forest region of West Africa, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot, is among the driest and most human-impacted tropical ecosystems. We used Landsat to study forest degradation, loss, and recovery in the forest reserves of Ghana from 2003 to 2019. Annual canopy cover maps were generated using random forests and results were temporally segmented using the LandTrendr algorithm. Canopy cover was predicted with a predicted-observed r2 of 0.76, mean absolute error of 12.8%, and mean error of 1.3%. Forest degradation, loss, and recovery were identified as transitions between closed (>60% cover), open (15–60% cover) and low tree cover (< 15% cover) classes. Change was relatively slow from 2003 to 2015, but there was more disturbance than recovery resulting in a gradual decline in closed canopy forests. In 2016, widespread fires associated with El Niño drought caused forest loss and degradation across more than 12% of the moist semi-deciduous and upland evergreen forest types. The workflow was implemented in Google Earth Engine, allowing stakeholders to visualize the results and download summaries. Information about historical disturbances will help to prioritize locations for future studies and target forest protection and restoration activities aimed at increasing resilience.

Source: UG
Historical versus contemporary medicinal plant uses in Ghana

Ethnopharmacological relevance Three extraordinary, historical documents stemming from observations made in 1697, 1803 and 1817 quote medicinal plant uses among the Fante, Ga and Ashanti people of present-day Ghana, and can be linked to original botanical specimens in European herbaria. This provides a unique opportunity to gain insight to the historical materia medica of Ghana and compare this to contemporary medicinal plant uses. By critical literary and taxonomic review, the present study (re-)establishes the earliest known history of many important Ghanaian medicinal plants, and assesses the scale of change and loss of medicinal plant knowledge in Ghana over time. The study provides the foundation to reconstruct lost or discontinued Ghanaian plant uses in local or ethnopharmacological contexts. 2014 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.Materials and methods Historical botanical specimens were located in the herbaria of University of Copenhagen Herbarium (C) and British Museum of Natural History (BM). The classification and synonymy of the specimens were updated for the study, and the historical vernacular names and medicinal uses of the plants compared with 20th/21st century literature. The plants of the historical Ga materia medica were (re-)collected to aid in semi-structured interviews. The interviews aimed to document the contemporary uses and names of the plants among the Ga, and to determine to what extent the historical medicinal uses and names are extant.Results and discussion The study identified 100 species in historical medicinal use in Ghana, which could be linked to 134 unique uses and 105 vernacular names in Twi (Ashanti/Fante) and Ga. Most of the plants are common in Ghana. At least 52% of the historical vernacular names appear to still be in use today. Of the specific historical uses, 41 (31%) were traced among contemporary medicinal plant uses in Ghana and represent some of the most important Ghanaian medicinal plant species. However, 93 (69%) of the historical uses could not be traced and appears to be discontinued or forgotten. Among the Ga, two medicinal plants species have become rare or locally extinct, and thus the vast majority of the loss of knowledge appears to be due to cultural extinction.Conclusions The scientifically strong voucher material allowed for identification of a high number of historical medicinal plants and their roots in traditional Ghanaian medicine systems 2-300 years ago. The materia medica of the Fante, Ga and Ashanti of Ghana has changed considerably over time. The "forgotten" historical uses warrant further studies to determine the pharmacological activity of these plants. This could provide the foundation for reconstruction of historical medicinal plant uses in evidence-based modern contexts.

Source: UG
History of community psychology in Ghana

This chapter traces the emergence and practice of community psychology in Ghana. We begin with a discussion of the early stages of the development of community psychology in the country. Having been foreshadowed by the activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community psychologists mainly use the classroom as a catalyst for promoting the values and principles of the field. The classroom is also used for sensitizing individuals about this field of psychology. The chapter also highlights the fertile psycho-social background that makes the acceptance of community psychology a natural fit in Ghana.We also discuss the challenges in the development and practice of community psychology as a formal discipline in one of the country's universities and conclude with optimism that the field has a promising future in Ghana. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Source: UG
The History of Nsawam Road Primary Boys' School

To tell the history of Nsawam Road Primary Boys’ School , it is most appropriate to start with a brief history of Adabraka, the area in which the school is situated. Round about 1912, Accra was mainly the James Town area stretching towards Christianborg (Osu) and westwards towards Korle Lagoon. The northern- most points looking from the Post Office were just a little north of the Railway Station and the Police Barracks Which was built in 1916

Source: UG