ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Screening of local cassava germplasm for domestic and industrial purposes

Two experiments were conducted at the University of Ghana Farm. Legon and Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (Bunso). The first experiment was carried out at Legon from March, 2002 to October, 2003 to evaluate 11 cassava accessions. The criteria used for the evaluation were (a) tolerance to whitefly infestation and African Cassava Mosaic Virus (ACMV) disease infection (b) root tuber yield and starch yield characteristics. Based on the performance of accessions in Experiment I, seven superior cassava accessions and one check variety were selected for further evaluation in Experiment II. Experiment II was conducted between October, 2003 and January, 2005 at two agro-ecological zones, that is, the Coastal Savanna (Legon) and Deciduous Forest (Bunso) to identify and select elite accessions with desirable agronomic traits and root tubers with high starch content. Three accessions, namely: 'UG126', 'H0015' and ·H0008' were observed to rank highest with respect to root tuber weight and other desirable production traits. Accessions 'UG126', 'DMA030' and ·H0008' were identified as genotypes with high quality starch suitable for industrial purposes based on low solubility. high swelling volume, swelling power and high peak viscosity.

Source: UCC
Screening soybean genotypes for promiscuous symbiotic association with brady rhizobium strains

The current low soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) yields in Sub-Saharan Africa can be alleviated by developing promiscuous genotypes. The research trend in Africa is towards developing promiscuous varieties for less labor and high yields in soybean production. A greenhouse experiment was conducted at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK) with the aim of screening of soybean germplasm for promiscuous symbiotic association with Brady rhizobium sp. in order to identify genotypes with potential to be used as parents to initiate a breeding programme focusing on promiscuous nodulation. The response of 65 soybean genotypes from different origins to cowpea-type inoculant, Brady rhizobium sp. strain USDA 3456 were evaluated. Soybean seeds inoculated with both Brady rhizobium sp. strain USDA 3456 and Brady rhizobium japonicum strain USDA 110 were planted in buckets filled with steam-sterilized soil. Significant differences in the number of nodules, effective nodules, fresh and dry weight of nodules were observed among genotypes (P<0.001). Twelve of the 65 genotypes were highly responsive to Brady rhizobium sp., with over 10 nodules per plant, over 50 mg dry weight of nodules, and 50% effective nodules. A highly positive correlation was shown between dry weight of nodules and nodule number. This study proposes the soybean genotypes NamII, WonderSoya, Bulindi 48C, NamSoy 4M, MakSoy 3N, NamSoy 3, K-Local, Kabanyolo 1, UG 5, Soprano, MakSoy 2N, and MakSoy 5N as potential parental materials for subsequent breeding work

Source: UCC
Searching and picking the rotten grain from within: Conflicts as barriers of Africa’s development

Language has remained the basic tool for human communication and social interaction expressed through various forms such as music (songs) and drum language. Ethnicity, defined as group identity based on linguistic differential, is a logical product of language, hence the claim that language is the basis for ethnicity. With the multiplicity of languages in Africa, most of which are unintelligible to speakers of other languages, there is the tendency to “distance” and exclude others and regard them as people who do not “belong”. To capture this heterogeneity, we build on the theory of “ethnic distance”. The theory is based on the assumption that for as long as Africa remains ethnically heterogeneous, a poorly managed situation such as bad governance is likely to marginalize others thus resulting in chaos. The purpose of this paper, which is based on a random sampling of conflict zones in Africa, is to examine how language and ethnicity have influenced social, political and economic activities in Africa and how they have affected the overall development of the continent. It also seeks to take the position that African countries, over fifty years after independence, should rather look within the continent and accept the fact, albeit painful, that Africans can largely be held accountable for the economic deprivation and retardation of the continent

Source: UCC
Seasonal and spatial variation in the prevalence of viral diseases and associated aphid-borne viruses in cucurbits in Cote d’Ivoire

Viral diseases are a major constraint to cucurbit production worldwide. In 2014 rainy and dry cropping seasons, cross-sectional surveys were conducted in farmers’ cucurbits ﬁelds in six agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Côte d’Ivoire to assess prevalence and distribution of viral diseases. A total of 757 leaf samples were collected from melon, squash, cucumber, watermelon, gourd calabash, and pumpkin plants showing various virus-like symptoms. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using antisera against cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), papaya ringspot virus (PRSV), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Moroccan watermelon mosaic virus (MWMV) were performed to detect viruses in the samples collected. Results revealed that viral diseases were prevalent in all the agro-ecological zones, with signiﬁcantly higher mean prevalence in the dry season (53.6%) than in the rainy season (29.35%). The overall mean disease severity index was also signiﬁcantly higher in the dry season (47.58%) than in the rainy season (28.17%). CMV, ZYMV and PRSV were found in all AEZs at varying rates between the rainy and dry seasons, whereas WMV and MWMV were not detected. CMV was more prevalent in the dry season (32%) whereas ZYMV was more prevalent in the rainy season (34%). This study has revealed that viruses infecting cucurbits are widespread and occurred in mixed infection which poses a potential threat to cucurbit crops production in Cote d’Ivoire

Source: UCC
Seasonal migration of students abroad: A case study of the University of Cape Coast.

Before the 1990s, seasonal emigration of students from tertiary institutions in Ghana during holidays was an uncommon phenomenon. But in recent times, students in Ghanaian universities migrate abroad during holidays. Using students of the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana as a case study, the objectives of the paper are to assess how the decision to migrate is determined, examine the reasons for migrating and outline the implications of migrating abroad on academic performance of the students. Data for the study were collected using both survey questionnaire and in-depth interview from 336 students who had ever travelled abroad, through the snowball technique. The study indicates that most of the students migrated due to economic reasons and were influenced by their parents/guardians to migrate. Results from a binary logistic regression showed that male students were more likely to migrate abroad than their female counterparts. The effects on some of the students who migrated abroad were poor academic performance, deferment of programme and payment of penalty for late registration of courses. Seasonal migration of students is an initiation process for future brain drain. Policies aimed at addressing brain drain in Ghana should therefore incorporate seasonal migration of students as part of a holistic approach to addressing brain drain in the country.

Source: UCC
Seasonal variation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (pah) contamination in crassostrea tulipa (oysters) and sediments in three Ghanaian Coastal Ecosystems

Background and Objective: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have received considerable attention as environmental organic pollutant in many continents such as Africa, Europe and Asia. Many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds have been identified and quantified in virtually all segment of the environment due to their carcinogenicity, mutagenicity and cytotoxicity at very low concentrations. The objective of study was to look at the seasonal levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments and Crassostrea tulipa (oysters) (bio-indicator) in three water bodies from three coastal ecosystems in Ghana and also assessed the risk involved in their exposure. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and seventy oysters and eighty four sediments samples were taken for the two seasons (dry and wet season) from three coastal water bodies at Narkwa, Ada and Anyanui and extracted simultaneously by solvent-solid and Soxhlet extraction. The extracts were analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using the Agilent 6890N GC-FID/MS. One and 2-way ANOVA and SPSS were employed for the data and statistical analysis. Results: The mean total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels in oysters from these sites ranged from 66.85-168.59 and 226.24-359.97 µg kgG1 in the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Elevated carcinogenic and mutagenic risks (> unit risk of 1×10G5) were associated with the ingestion of oysters from these sites especially for the wet season. The mean total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in sediments from the three sites also ranged from 78.82-108 and 72.35-136.35 µg kgG1 for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. ANOVA conducted at 95% CL showed no statistical significant difference between the sites (p = 0.905) and also between seasons (p = 0.112) for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels in oysters. Also, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments were statistically found to be seasonal dependent (p = 0.007) but not site dependent (p = 0.078). The water bodies from the sites of sampling were polluted since the oysters used as bio-indicators recorded elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons levels. Conclusion: Patrons are advised to minimize their consumptions of oysters and exposure to contaminated sediments from these sites in order to minimize the health effect associated with environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Source: UCC
Seasonal Variations and Immune Responses: Any Succor for COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria Running title: Immunity and COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

There is a global rise in the emergence of infectious diseases and the enigmatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) being the most recent one. It is ravaging the world with little understanding of its etiology and factors affecting its transmission dynamics. Meanwhile, seasonal variations in weather are major factors impacting infectious disease transmission patterns. Developing countries are likely to be most affected by weather changes, largely because of challenges such as inadequate drainage and sewage management systems, healthcare facilities, education, and funding to efficiently mitigate infectious diseases. In Nigeria, weather conditions alternate between rainy and dry seasons. Conditions such as rainfall, flood, and humidity have been reported to influence infectious disease transmission. Thus, understanding the impact of weather changes in transmission dynamics and immune response to COVID 19 will help in preventive measures and policy making to curtail its spread most especially in Nigeria as the rainy season fully sets in.

Source: UCC
Second Language Proficiency Effects on Cross-Language Positive and Negative Priming in Twi-English Bilinguals

This article builds on previous work using a selective attention variant of cross-language priming techniques to examine the mechanisms that regulate the activation and suppression of target and nontarget languages and the words within them. Twi (a native language of Ghana, Africa)-English bilinguals named a target prime word in Twi that was presented with a Twi distractor word and then made a lexical decision to an English target probe item in order to investigate potential cross-language positive and negative priming effects. METHODS: Participants were classified according to their second language (L2) proficiency. Greater L2 proficiency was associated with the absence of attended repetition positive priming, coupled with greater ignored repetition negative priming, compared to those with less L2 proficiency. RESULTS: These outcomes are discussed in terms of differences in the way less and more proficient bilinguals modulate their languages and the words within them. CONCLUSION: The implications from these findings are also discussed with regard to conflicting predictions stemming from episodic retrieval and inhibition-based accounts of positive and negative priming and the potential of uniting language processing, memory, and attention under a common processing mechanism.

Source: UCC
Second Trimester Anaemia in Pregnant Ghanaians

BACKGROUND: Anaemia is considered a severe public health problem by WHO and is seen as such in Ghana. Its prevalence in pregnancy has remained high despite improved antenatal care. The main purpose of this study was to determine the current anaemia prevalence and aetiology other than iron deficiency. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 214 pregnant women were studied. Women were administered a questionnaire related with the subject and blood samples were drawn. Full blood count was performed within four hours and serum iron, folate and vitamin B12 were studied. Other tests done included sickling and Hb electrophoresis , stool routine examination for hookworm infestation, thick and thin film for malaria parasitaemia. Dietary intake was also looked at to determine whether it contributed to anaemia seen in these subjects. RESULTS: Anaemia was detected in 150 (70%) of the 214 pregnant women studied. Using the World Health Organisation criteria for anaemia, 81 subjects had mild, 66 moderate and 3 had severe anaemia. Anaemia was more prevalent in young adults (82%) than in teenagers and subjects above 35years (p=0.018). Primigravidae (21%) and multigravidae (67%) were more likely to be anaemic than grandmultigravidae (12%). Anaemia was more prevalent in the low social class group (94%). Nutritional intake of both anaemic and non-anaemic subjects was found to be adequate and thus iron deficiency anaemia, which was found to be the commonest cause of anaemia, was probably due to intake of diet low in bioavailable iron. There was very little consumption of fruits and vegetables that facilitate iron absorption. Twenty seven anaemic subjects had low serum iron levels. Transferrin saturation was low in 39 subjects; 24 of these also had low serum iron, which was suggestive of iron deficiency. Folate and vitamin B12 deficiency did not play significant role in the aetiology of anaemia. Malaria and hookworm infestation were also not found to be significant in the causation of anaemia. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anaemia (70%) in pregnant Ghanaians in their second trimester is unacceptably high. Twenty seven (18%) of the 70% anaemic subjects had low serum iron and six (4%) had low serum folate levels. None of the subjects had vitamin B 12 deficiency. Generally dietary intake in pregnant women in this study was adequate, but significant proportion of their meals was of the type low in bioavailable iron as more cereals and tubers were consumed. The kind of diet, which most people can afford in Africa is low in proteins and vitamins, but high in carbohydrate with high phytate contents and this reduces iron absorption. Iron and folic acid prophylaxis for all women of child bearing age is recommended and emphasis on a more balanced nutritional intake at antenatal clinics should be encouraged. WAJM 2014; 33(4): 229–233..

Source: UCC
Secondary school students' perceptions of the role of their counsellors in the Kumasi metropolis of the Ashanti region of Ghana

The study was a descriptive survey conducted to investigate the role of the Senior High School (SHS) counsellors as perceived by Senior High School students in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select eight (8) senior high schools from the eighteen (18) senior high schools in the Kumasi Metropolis. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select female and male students for the study. In all, 400 students, made up of 256 males and 144 females were selected from a total of 27113 students for the study. A questionnaire was used to solicit responses from the students. The findings revealed that, generally students had positive perception on the roles of the SHS counsellor. However, they perceived the counsellor’s role of assessment and appraisal as fairly important. This finding probably suggests that, teachers are not carrying out such functions in their schools which might stem from the fact that they do not possess the requisite expertise in this area. The study showed further that although majority of the respondents were aware of the existence of the counsellor in their schools, they hardly consulted him or her. It was suggested that the school counsellors should promote a positive perception of their roles and most importantly work positively with students. Again, it was recommended that heads of institutions and the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) should make sure that counsellors they appoint in the schools have adequate training to handle the guidance and counselling programmes.

Source: UCC
Security of Staff in Academic Libraries: A Study of Sam Jonah Library, University of Cape Coast

This study examines staff security in Sam Jonah Library and investigates the security breach experience of staff as well as identifies the measures put in place to ensure staff security in the library. The research methodology used is the descriptive survey design which used both interview and questionnaires to solicit information from respondents. The census sampling technique was used where all the units in the population formed part of the study. Results indicate that security breach that staff are exposed to include; property theft, verbal abuse from user, encounters with riff raffs and fear during night shift due to the absence of adequate security personnel. Further, findings indicate the absence of a security policy for the library. Again, inadequate measures are put in place to ensure staff security in the library. This study then recommends access control to the library, installation of closed circuit television cameras and promulgation of a security policy by the library that would formalize courses of action

Source: UCC
A security technique for authentication and security of medical images in health information systems

Medical images stored in health information systems, cloud or other systems are of key importance. Privacy and security needs to be guaranteed for such images through encryption and authentication processes. Encrypted and watermarked images in this domain needed to be reversible so that the plain image operated on in the encryption and watermarking process can be fully recoverable due to the sensitivity of the data conveyed in medical images. In this paper, we proposed a fully recoverable encrypted and watermarked image processing technique for the security of medical images in health information systems. The approach is used to authenticate and secure the medical images. Our results showed to be very effective and reliable for fully recoverable images

Source: UCC
A sedimentation method for the determination of the particle size of finely divided materials (such as hydrated lime)

This paper reports a comparison between a sedimentation method of determining particle size distribution and a microscopic method and also some data on hydrated lime. Glass spherules were prepared from pyrex glass and fractionated so that most of the particles had a diameter within 2 microns of the average di-ameter of the fraction. These particles were then dispersed in a liquid and weighed as they settled out of suspension with an automatic-weighing device. From this sedimentation record the particle size distribution was calculated. The same sample was then used to determine the particle size distribution by measuring the diameters of several hundred particles with a microscope. In making the microscopic measurements the glass spherules were mounted in liquids of various refractive indices and it was found that differences in refractive index of the mounting medium produced appreciable changes in the apparent diameter (more than 20 percent in some cases). The microscopic and sedimentation measurements showed similarly shaped distribution curves but there was some variation between them. Particle size distributions of hydrated lime are also reported

Source: UCC
Seed-borne fungi of chilli pepper in the Coastal savannah zone of the central region of Ghana

Many chilli pepper (Capsicum frutescens) growers in the region have moved from chilli cultivation to other crops due to the continuous decline in yields as a result of disease problems, of which fruit rot is paramount. The study was carried out to identify the mycoflora associated with pepper cultivation in the Coastal Savannah Zone of Ghana. The purposive sampling technique was used to select farms from which samples were collected during the major rains (August – September 2012). Fruits at different stages of maturity were collected and the seeds were extracted and plated for seed health testing using the blotter paper method. The experimental design used was the completely randomized design. Data collected were analyzed using GenStat discovery edition 3. In all, a total of 35 species of fungi belonging to 17 genera were isolated from the samples. Chi-square test results of mean percent seed mycoflora infection gave the following test statistic values (χ2 = 7012.17, df = 29, and sig. = 0.00) and (χ2 = 10067.26, df = 33, and sig. = 0.00) for within pretreated and untreated seed samples, respectively. Unripe fruits recorded the highest mean percent infection by each fungus. The three most prevalent fungi were Fusarium species, Alternaria species and Acremonium strictum. These rot-causing fungi may be a contributing factor to the declining yields being recorded by the farmers and hence partly explains their shifting to other crops

Source: UCC
Seismological, meteorological and geochemical investigation for earthquake hazard in the greater Accra metropolitan area

Seismological, Meteorological and Geochemical investigations for earthquake hazard were carried out in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). An earthquake catalogue generated was used to calculate the b-value (seismic stress) by the Linear Least Square (LLS) method and the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method. The Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to generate epicentral intensity and isoseismal maps from the catalogue. The meteorological investigation involved the use of precipitation data from the coastal belt of the synoptic stations of the Ghana Meteorological Agency (plotted with the seismic data to identify possible correlation). The isotopic anomaly analysis to investigate the geochemical effect was done by evaluating radon concentrations in soil gas and water using the Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) and the Electret Passive Environmental Radon Monitor (EPERM®). Detectors were buried at Tema, Ashaiman, Weija, Donkunah and Kwabenya over a one-year period (January 2018 to December 2018). An average b-value of 0.63 was evaluated by the LLS Method and 0.88 for the MLE Method. The epicentral intensity, frequency and isoseismal maps show a detailed distribution of earth tremors of magnitudes less than . The meteorological investigation shows a not very strong Pearson’s correlation coefficient of precipitation with seismicity (r=0.4 and p-value=0.04). Geochemical investigations also show a very weak positive Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient of radon emanation and seismicity (r=0.1 and p-value=0.69).

Source: UCC