ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Guideline for building the capacity of contractors for adoption and implementation of building information modeling (BIM) in Ghana

Presently BIM adoption by Construction firms has received widespread attention. The importance of BIM remains very eminent particularly at the construction stage. It provides higher efficiency and reduces variation in design. It is best cordial for off-site pre-fabrication of structural elements, ease project documentation with better precision, provides quality management of work during the entire project life, saves a lot of time and identifies clashes in programming before construction begins. The system estimates quantities of materials and provides financial benefits. In this paper the nature and constrains facing Ghanaian Contractors and possible guidelines to support capacity building of contractors to adopt BIM in Ghana have been highlighted. Among these guidelines are inclusive of leadership and management, vision and mission, assessment and collaboration, funding of project, legislation, execution plan of BIM, collaboration of data, monitor matrix and finalization of execution plan. Capacity building in these areas will go a long way to help in the adoption of this new technology- BIM. The research adopted quantitative approach in its data collection. Non-probability sampling technique namely purposive and snowball were adopted which gave a sample size of 35 respondents. In generating and gathering data, structured questionnaires based on the literature review were used. SPSS version 20, programme was used to accumulate data and later conveyed into the Microsoft Excel 2010 for comprehensive analysis using descriptive statistical tool made up of tables; mean and standard deviation; Relative Importance Index (RII); factor analysis and standard deviation for the degree of reliability of responses from respondents. It was found out that the fundamental requirements for BIM adoption and implementation include trained or qualified experts in BIM, working space, hard and software applications, repository library and screens. Also, it was realised that the level of adoption of BIM by Ghanaian contractors was low. .Some of the benefits of BIM adoption by Ghanaian contractors include elimination of variation in design, it saves a lot of time, and it controls quality. Sadly, these benefits are not fully achieved due to the following found challenges: high set up cost of BIM such as hardware, software and personnel training. Finally on the findings, it was realised that for full BIM implementation in Ghana the following capacity building factors should be considered such as management decision, technology and training , planning and execution, quality assurance and control, regulation and legislation and lastly data collaboration. Though BIM adoption level is very low, it can be implemented to achieve high level. To do this, it is recommended that the guideline factors for full BIM adoption should be implemented by Ghanaian contractors backed by government regulations.

Source: KNUST
Guidelines for managing the construction stage of a green building

Green building projects are inherently different from their conventional counterparts from a technical perspective. They require the use of special materials and building practices to achieve sustainability hence the demand for green buildings has changed the role of the contractor. This study sought to develop guidelines for managing the construction stage of green buildings by sampling the contractors who have experience in green building construction. The study adopted a qualitative method of enquiry with semi-structured interviews to gather data from construction managers who has experience in the construction of green buildings. Findings from the study revealed that challenges that are faced during the construction of green buildings are Rigid Project Requirements, Inadequate Technical Capacity, Strict Requirements from Certifying Body, Non Availability of Green Materials, High Cost and Lack of Interest from real estate developers. Also some of the skills needed in the construction of green buildings were Knowledge in sustainability and sustainable construction, knowledge in value engineering and training in the systems of green technologies. To ensure that green buildings are constructed in the required and acceptable way, some strategies were suggested and these are; Maximum usage of solar energy even during the construction, Rainwater and Grey water usage, Recycled water for landscaping. Use land which does not contain old-growth forest, providing adequate spaces and ventilation, Design for Disassembly are among many other strategies that were identified as important in the construction of green buildings. It is therefore recommended that skills in Maximum usage of solar energy even during the construction, Rainwater and Grey water usage, Recycled water for landscaping. Use land which does not contain old-growth forest, providing adequate spaces and ventilation, Design for Disassembly are among many others are deemed to be necessary so as to equip the construction managers in the construction of green buildings.

Source: KNUST
Gut Microbiome-Targeted Nutrition Interventions and Growth among Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Childhood malnutrition is a public health challenge of much interest and concern globally. However, a perturbed gut microbiome (GM) may limit some nutrition interventions’ effects among healthy children with undernutrition. Objectives: This review aimed to evaluate the effects of GM-targeted nutrition interventions on growth outcomes among children (0–59 mo) using published studies in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: The methods were guided by the Cochrane methodology. The literature search was conducted to include articles published from inception to July 2023 in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Databases. We identified and included 35 studies among 11,047 children. The analysis was conducted considering various growth parameters in the qualitative synthesis and weight gain (kg) in the meta-analysis. Results: In the qualitative synthesis, 55.6% of prebiotics, 66.7% of probiotics, 71.4% of synbiotics, and 28.6% of “microbiome complementary feed” studies had significant effects on growth outcomes. Also, prebiotics had more studies with significant effects among healthy children, whereas probiotics, synbiotics, and “microbiome complementary feeds” had more studies with significant effects among children with undernutrition. Nineteen studies were included in the meta-analyses, of which 7 (36.8%) measured GM outcomes. The meta-analysis showed that prebiotics exhibited heterogeneity but had significant effects on weight in the intervention as compared with the control (mean difference [MD]: 0.14 kg; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.25; I2 ¼ 63%, P ¼ 0.02; 4 studies, n ¼ 932). Probiotics had significant effects on weight in the intervention (MD: 0.15 kg; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.25; I2 ¼ 42%, P ¼ 0.05; 8 studies, n ¼ 2437) as compared to the control. However, synbiotics (MD: 0.26 kg; 95% CI: –0.04, 0.56; I2 ¼ 41%, P ¼ 0.17; 4 studies, n ¼ 1896] and “microbiome complementary feed” (MD: –0.03 kg; 95% CI: –0.18, 0.11; I2 ¼ 0%, P ¼ 0.60; 3 studies, n ¼ 733] had no significant effects on weight in the intervention as compared with control. Conclusions: Although probiotics and synbiotics may be effective at enhancing growth among children, the selection of interventions should be contingent upon health status

Source: KNUST
The H]M]W] festival in Accra: its artistic and other cultural aspects

The prime motivation of this research stems from the fact that the artistic and other cultural aspects of the H]m]w] festival are almost completely overlooked when it comes to the analysis and appreciation of the festival. This situation therefore creates a fertile ground for the study of the celebration and the artistic and other cultural aspects of the festival to be brought to light. Furthermore, the festival is annually celebrated in pomp and pageantry as it embodies various forms of art, it has shown a remarkable capacity for survival in spite of socio-cultural influences. During its celebration the arts of the people are displayed, however, the youth or most people who participate, observe and read about the festival may not know the philosophies of the various rites and also the significance of the arts and other cultural values involved in the celebration of the festival. Since the origin of the H]m]w] festival is actually based on oral tradition, it paves way for critical interviews and in-depth observation of the celebration. This resulted in the use of the descriptive methods of research for the thesis. Data was collected through observation and from respondents through the distribution of questionnaire. Eighty respondents were interviewed. The celebration of the H]m]w] festival involves the entire Ga ethnic group in Accra and involves a great deal of arts. The arts are actively and inseparably interwoven in the festival. Environmental Arts, Performing Arts, Body Arts and Verbal Arts play a predominant role in the celebration of the H]m]w] festival. In this light, the celebration of the H]m]w] festival can be regarded as a means of unifying the arts of the Ga people, because it is the occasion whereby the citizens have the opportunity to display their art in all forms and shades. Although the celebration of the festival is of religious significance, there are other cultural components that are established during and after the celebration. There are the social aspects of the celebration, the political aspects, the economic aspects and finally the festival serving as a medicine to the celebrants. The researcher recommends that future researchers of the H]m]w] festival should direct their research to the artistic and other cultural aspects of the festival. Nevertheless, with regards to the celebration and the philosophies behind the celebrations, there are some other aspects of information to be unearthed. In conclusion, the celebration is an enjoyable one and involves a great deal of art which is enveloped with other cultural aspects of the festival. That is, though the festival is a conglomeration of numerous aspects of the culture of the Ga people, it is preponderantly artistic.

Source: KNUST
Guidelines for environmentally sustainable building practices at the design stage for office buildings

The aim of the study was to provide empirical evidence on what defines environmental sustainability at the design stage for the built environment as a basis for developing guidelines for Environmentally Sustainable Building Design Practices (ESBDP) for office buildings. The specific objectives were: to assess the awareness of Ghanaian building consultants on environmentally sustainable building design practices; to identify the critical components of environmentally sustainable building design practices; to identify the need for the adoption of environmentally sustainable building practices at the design stage; and to propose guidelines for the implementation and attainment of environmentally sustainable building designs practices. It employed the mixed research method including literature review, interview and questionnaire survey. Data collected were analyzed using Content Analysis, Mean Score Ranking, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)and Relative Importance Index (RII). The results of the study revealed that there is awareness among the construction professionals on the concept of environmentally sustainable building practices at the design stage. It further revealed that environmentally sustainable building practices at the design stage have five major components namely: energy efficiency and conservation, water efficiency and conservation, materials conservation, waste reduction, reuse and recycling and humane adaptation. Moreover, it was discovered that the implementation of environmentally sustainable design practices in the construction industry commencing at the design stage is driven mainly by the need to preserve the environment and its resources, ensure the safety and well-being of occupants and the need for value for money. In addition, it proposed the following guidelines for the implementation of environmentally sustainable iv building design in the construction industry. These include building regulations should be updated to include standards of environmentally sustainable building design practices; environmentally sustainable building design practices should be inculcated into the tertiary education curriculum for the building sector; the principles for ESBDP should be passed into law and made a statutory requirement; professional bodies must have environmentally sustainable design policies to be adopted by their members on all their building projects; and consultants should continue to educate their clients on the need for environmentally sustainable building design practices. Hence, the study recommends that, clients should be briefed on the benefits of ESBDP to help them understand and make informed decisions during the design stage of the building. It is further recommended that future research should focus on environmentally sustainable building practices at the construction stage thereby examining the implementation of the design components whether sustainable practices integrated at the design stage are fully operational and functional.

Source: KNUST
Haemato-Biochemical Parameters of Women Presenting With Primary Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

Introduction: Among the various causes of maternal mortality, Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) has historically been and remains the single most important factor. The current study sought to identify certain antepartum parameters which may be associated with primary PPH and may have utility for screening and clinical management among women. It also sought to evaluate visual estimation as a method of diagnosis of primary PPH. Methods: This nested case-­‐‑control study consisted of 345 women at term, recruited at random from the KATH, O & G department, Kumasi from April to October 2012. 55 women developed primary PPH after vaginal delivery (cases), 216 women, after vaginal delivery did not develop primary PPH (controls) and 74 went through cesarean section (excluded). A questionnaire was administered to gather information on demography, anthropometry, clinical and obstetric history. Blood samples were taken for haematological and biochemical studies. Results: Prevalence of primary PPH was 15.8%. Visual estimation (250mls), upon comparison with direct measurement (306mls) underestimated blood loss by about 56mls and thus primary PPH by about 3.5%. Univariate analysis showed AST (P=0.043), ALB (P=0.001), URE (P<0.001), CRE (P=0.002), URE/CRE ratio (P=0.014), HGB/anaemia (P<0.001), ABO blood type (P=0.002), HCT (P<0.001), WBC (P=0.023), ESR (P=0.018) and Blood film picture (P<0.001) to be associated with primary PPH. After adjustment by multivariate analysis five factors remained significant. Increasing CRE, incresing URE/CRE ratio and decreasing HGB (<10g/dL) were associated with a higher likelihood of dveloping primaryPPH. Non-­‐‑O blood groups (A nd B positive) were associated with a less likelihood of developing primary PPH. iii Conclusion: Many antepartum and laboratory parameters are associated with primary PPH but only a few have screening utility. We however conclude that a total clinical work-­‐‑up, including a laboratory evaluation of the independent variables identified in this study could help a great deal in identifying individuals at high risk. Visual estimation of blood loss after vaginal delivery is unreliable and has a huge tendency to underestimate primary PPH and its consequences.

Source: KNUST
Haematological Profile and ACE2 Levels of COVID-19 Patients in a Metropolis in Ghana

Background: Several studies have linked coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk to age and ABO blood groups. Variations in plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) levels and blood counts have been reported, suggesting an association between disease severity and low lymphocyte levels. Aim: this study aimed to understand how these factors relate to COVID-19 in Ghanaian patients, considering geographical and demographic differences. Methods: Participants were recruited from six hospitals in Kumasi, Ghana, between June 2020 and July 2021. Nasopharyn geal swabs were taken to test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and blood samples were collected for complete blood count testing, ABO/Rhesus typing, and assessment of plasma ACE2 levels. Demographic and COVID-19 severity data were gathered, and IBM SPSS version 25.0 was used for analysis. Results: Overall, 515 patients were enrolled, out of which 55.9% (n = 288/515) were males and 50.3% (n = 259/515) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The median age was 37 years (IQR = 26–53). Age was significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.002). The severe COVID-19 group was the oldest (70 years, IQR = 35–80) and presented with anaemia (haemoglobin, g/dL: 9.55, IQR = 7.85–11.93), leukocytosis (WBC × 103/µL: 15.87, IQR = 6.68–19.80), neutrophilia (NEUT × 106/µL: 14.69, IQR = 5.70–18.96) and lymphocytopenia (LYMPH × 106/µL: 0.47, IQR = 0.22–0.66). No association was found between SARS-CoV-2 positivity and ABO (p = 0.711) or Rh (p = 0.805) blood groups; no association was also found between plasma ACE2 levels and SARS-CoV-2 status (p = 0.079). However, among COVID-19 participants, plasma ACE2 levels were significantly reduced in the moderate illness group (40.68 ng/mL, IQR = 34.09–48.10) compared with the asymptomatic group (50.61 ng/mL, IQR = 43.90–58.61, p = 0.015). Conclusions: While there may be no real association between the ABO blood group, as well as plasma ACE2 levels, and SARS-CoV-2 infection in Ghanaian patients, older individuals are at a higher risk of severe disease. Anaemia, and leukocytosis with lymphocytopenia may be indicators of poor disease progression.

Source: KNUST
Haemato-biochemical profile of diabetes mellitus patients in the Dunkwa Metropolis

Background: Anaemia is a known factor of complication in diabetes. Diabetic patients, compared to non-diabetics have been shown to be susceptible to a severe form of anaemia as Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) decreases. In spite of these, anaemia is unrecognized and often untreated in Diabetic patients in Ghana. Prevalence of anaemia; the haematobiochemical profile of diabetics and the association between anthropometric and renal function of diabetics under clinical management were studied at the Dunkwa Municipal Hospital, Dunkwa-On-Offin, Upper Denkyira East, Central Region, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional base line study for diabetics was conducted from January 2015 to March 2015 on diabetes mellitus (DM) patients attending the Dunkwa Municipal Hospital. A systematic random sampling technique was used to recruit the 103 participants who had an age range between 20 and 80 years. Out of 6ml of venous blood collected from the participants; 4ml was dispensed into yellow capped gel separator test tubes for onward separation into Eppendoff tube for the biochemical assays and 2ml was dispensed into EDTA anticoagulant test tubes for haematological assays. The data were double entered and analysis performed using Microsoft excel and Graph Pad Prism version 5.0 with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Tests of normality for all groups were done using the D`Agostino and Pearson omnibus normality test. Additionally all graphs shown in this thesis were drawn using this software. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of two groups while the Kruskal Wallis test was used when comparing more than two groups. Test correlations were performed using the Spearman correlation test. v Results: A total of 103 DM patients were recruited for the study with 73(70.9%) being anaemic. 5.5% had renal insufficiency (<60 GFR ml/min/1.73m2) while 94.5% had GFR >60 ml/min/1.73m2 using the CKD-EPI criteria. Using the MDRD criteria, 4.1% of the patients had renal insufficiency (<60 GFR ml/min/1.73m2) while 95.9% had GFR >60 ml/min/1.73m2. There was a significant correlation between serum ferritin and anaemia and serum iron and anaemia (r=0.565; p<0.0001) and (r=0.333; p=0.0038) respectively. Conclusion: Anaemia is a common complication of diabetes in the Dunkwa metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana, and it occurs early even in the absence of renal impairment which therefore necessitates early screening for anaemia and further studies to elucidate the possible aetiology.

Source: KNUST
Haemato-biochemical indices and their correlation with obstetrics profile and complications among pregnant women in the Northern Region of Ghana

Pregnancy is a physiological condition in which the body undergoes extensive systemic alterations and modifications to compensate for the demands of the growing fe|tus. Howe|ve|r, obste|trics practice| in Africa of which Ghana is not an e|xception; is marred by a lot of challenges and complications. Anaemia and spontaneous abortion are among the leading frontiers of pregnancy related complications. In a cross-se|ctional study to assess the| Haemato-Biochemical indices and its correlate with obstetrics profile and complications among pregnant women in Ghana, a total of 248 pre|gnant wome|n atte|nding ante|natal clinic at the| Tamale| Te|aching Hospital (T.T.H) we|re| assesed for this study. Comple|te| haemogram, immunological analysis, biochemical analysis, estimation of gestation age| using symphysiofundal height measurement,last normal menstrual period (LNMP) , re|sults from the| first trime|ste|r ultrasound scan, parasitology analysis, serological analysis and obstetrics history such as level of parity, gravidae, history of abortion (spontaneous or induce|d) we|re| re|trie|ve|d from the|ir ante|natal bookle|t. Pre|vale|nce| of spontane|ous abortion among pregnant women in Ghana as shown in this study was 65.72%. High serum folic acid levels were found to be associated with spontaneous abortion. G6PD partial de|fe|ct (OR= 0.447; 95%CI=0.208-0.961; p=0.039), Multi-parity (OR= 2.724; 95%CI=1.277-5.809; p=0.01) and irregular antenatal attendance (OR= 2.036; 95%CI=1.093-3.793; p=0.025) were risk factors for the occurrence of spontaneous abortion. The| pre|vale|nce| of anae|mia among the| pre|gnant wome|n we|re| 33.87% using (Hb<11g/dl) and 43.55% using (hematocrit<33%) as criteria. Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) were the most prevalent type| of anae|mia. The| pre|vale|nce| of iron de|ficie|ncy (ID) and iron de|ficie|ncy anae|mia (IDA) in this current study were 16.94% and 4.44% re|spectively using the conventional markers of assessing iron status. With the introduction of the modern indicators of ID and IDA, pre|vale|nce| of iron de|ficie|ncy and iron iv deficiency anaemia were 50% and 16.13% respe|tively using transferrin:log ferritin as a marker. When transferrin re|ce|ptor was use|d as an inde|x for the| asse|ssme|nt of iron status, 77.42% and 27.8% pre|vale|nce| was obtaine|d for ID and IDA re|spectively. Low ferritin concentration, advanced gestational age(2nd and 3rd trimesters), non-intake of haematinics and poor appetite for food (anorexia) were the predisposing factors for the development of anaemia in pre|gnancy. The|re| is the| need for the introduction of the| mode|rn marke|rs of assessing iron status which are not influenced by inflammation or diurnal variabilities to augment the conventional markers in our clinical practice| since| ID and IDA are| be|ing unde|rdiagnose|d. Policy on folic acid and hematinic supplementation should be urgently and critically reviewe|d in obstetrics practice|.

Source: KNUST