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The introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed the mode of delivery in many higher institutions and enhance student participation. In most developing countries however, ICT has not pervaded. This study is descriptive, which adopts a case study approach to investigate the challenges and opportunities in the implementation of Social Network Technologies (SNTs) in four private universities in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Eighty (80) lecturers in private universities were used as the sample for the study. A well-developed tool on the implementation challenges and opportunities of SNTs was used for data collection. The instrument contained twenty three (23) listings/items. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution and mean. From the research the findings reached with regard to the challenges which are higher cost of licensing the SNTs and purchase of sophisticated devices, incompetence in the use of multimedia tools, safety and privacy issues, and change in teaching methodology brings about dissatisfaction and the notion of uncertainty due to lack of exposure to technological devices. The opportunities available with SNTs for teaching are that SNTs support different teaching methods due to their flexibility, creation of effective teaching and learning environment and making teachers location independent. The following recommendations are made management needs to train its faculty on how to use cutting edge technologies such as SNTs to be implemented in teaching. University management should consider how to make laptops available for all of their lecturers so that they will be encouraged to have a strong affiliation with the technology and they will overcome the lack of exposure and change their teaching methods and move away from the traditional methods of the teaching. It will also boost their frequency of usage.

The fourth republican constitution came into force in 1993. Ghana statistical Service also re-based Ghanas GDP in the same year. From 1993 to 2005, the average GDP growth rate was about 4.3%. Within the period of 1993 and 2005, Ghana was still below the lower middle income level. Another re-basing took place in 2006. It is now believed that we are in the lower middle income level. The study was conducted to develop mathematical models to predict the trend of Ghanas GDP before re-basing and after re-basing in 2006, use the models before and after re-basing to predict the future trend in Ghanas GDP growth, compare our GDP growth before re-basing and after re-basing, to determine whether or not, there are fluctuations in our GDP growth and predict Ghanas per capita income status in 2015. Data on Ghanas GDP were collected from the Statistical Service Department. The GDP figures from 1993-1995 and from 1996-2010 were plotted separately on graphs. A function whose graph best fits each trend was found using regression analysis. It was observed that Ghanas GDP trends before and after re-basing was exponential. There were also no fluctuations in the growth of the economy. Ghana may still be in the lower middle income status by 2015.

Accessing, collecting, and accurately assessing student data is the life blood for increasing student achievement in the 21st Century. Despite controversies over privacy and security (Brown, 2020; Gorman, 2015), data usage is here to stay. Many policymakers argued that data use increases efficiency of operations and reduces overall costs (Anderson, 2013; Baepler & Murdoch, 2010). Though sometimes viewed as an enemy, decision-makers have a powerful ally on their side-data. Increasingly, administrators are using data to make smarter decisions, and they are getting desired results. Studies conducted in the United Sates have shown how data have been used to improve graduation rates (Heppen & Therriault, 2008; Jerald, 2006; Legters, & Balfanz, 2010; Pinkus, 2008; Soland, 2013). Might data also play an important role in the educational system of developed countries? Educational systems in Ghana underwent a series of reforms after gaining independence in 1957 (Foster, 1965a). This presentation traced the history on where Ghana stands on data usage for decision making between 1957 and the present. We investigated key moments when Ghana made education policy decisions, and then traced what factors and strategies led to those decisions. What was the process for policy development and change? We looked not only at decision-making, but also the types of education decisions school leaders have made in Ghana. Were these decisions assisted by any data strategy? If not, could they have been? Our review ended with recommendations for transforming Ghana's education system with data.

The integration of Internet of Things devices onto the Blockchain implies an increase in the transactions that occur on the Blockchain, thus increasing the storage requirements. A solution approach is to leverage cloud resources for storing blocks within the chain. The paper, therefore, proposes two solutions to this problem. The first being an improved hybrid architecture design which uses containerization to create a side chain on a fog node for the devices connected to it and an Advanced Time-variant Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm (AT-MOPSO) for determining the optimal number of blocks that should be transferred to the cloud for storage. This algorithm uses time-variant weights for the velocity of the particle swarm optimization and the non-dominated sorting and mutation schemes from NSGA-III. The proposed algorithm was compared with results from the original MOPSO algorithm, the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA-II), and the Pareto Envelope-based Selection Algorithm with region-based selection (PESA-II), and NSGA-III. The proposed AT-MOPSO showed better results than the aforementioned MOPSO algorithms in cloud storage cost and query probability optimization. Importantly, AT-MOPSO achieved 52% energy efficiency compared to NSGA-III. To show how this algorithm can be applied to a real-world Blockchain system, the BISS industrial Blockchain architecture was adapted and modified to show how the AT-MOPSO can be used with existing Blockchain systems and the benefits it provides.

This study assesses the spatiotemporal development of land use systems and climate variability in Southwestern Ghana over the past five decades using integrated remote sensing techniques and existing literature. We demonstrated the relationship between Normalized Difference Vegetative Index, Normalized Difference Water Index, Normalized Difference Built-up Index, surface temperature and precipitation using geoinformatics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient ( r ). We found change in land use systems in Southwestern Ghana to be immensely driven by economic and socio-political factors. Interestingly, some biophysical factors have somewhat contributed to this change. Findings revealed a drastic decline in forested areas (−334.8 km 2  yr −1 ) and waterbodies (−4.79 km 2  yr −1 ), along with a dramatic increase in built-up (+137.93 km 2  yr −1 ) and farmlands/shrubs (+131.97 km 2  yr −1 ). Change in prevailing microclimatic conditions can be associated with land cover change, considering the impact of major drivers observed over the given period. Results showed a very weak positive correlation between vegetation and temperature ( r  =  0.214 ). Similarly, built-up correlated positively with vegetation ( r  =  0.165 ), water-index ( r  =  0.818; strong correlation or evidence of association ) and temperature ( r  =  0.266 ). In contrast, other used variables correlated negatively with precipitation. The study serves a seminal guide to land use developers and institutors for effective and sustainable use of natural resources.

Combretum nioroense is widely used in the folkloric treatment of a variety of bacterial and helminthic infections. The decoction of its leaves is traditionally fed to newborn babies in some rural parts of Ghana. The study focused on identifying the prime components of petroleum ether and ethanolic extracts of the stem bark using standard phytochemical screening protocols and chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The activities (cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anthelmintic, and anti-inflammatory) of the extracts of C. nioroense were also investigated. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of glycosides, saponins, phenols, coumarins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, steroids, phytosterols, flavanols, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides. The action of the extracts of C. nioroense on Milsonia ghanensis worms was concentration-dependent, with the least concentration (0.75 mg/mL) paralyzing and killing M. ghanensis after the maximal exposure time. The IC50 values for petroleum ether and ethanol extracts in the DPPH assay were >100.0 and 27.940 ± 1.005 μg/mL and those of the H2O2 assay were 400.900 ± 3.400 and 322.500 ± 1.005 μg/mL, respectively. The total antioxidant capacities (TACs) for petroleum ether and ethanol extracts were 47.197 ± 0.533 and 57.968 ± 0.560 gAAE/100 g, respectively. The IC50 value for ethanol extract in the cytotoxicity studies was 115.4 ± 1.332 μg/mL. The MICs of the extracts against the test organisms were within the range of 0.0122–25.0 mg/mL. The extracts (petroleum ether and ethanol) showed a concentration-dependent increase in anti-inflammatory activity with IC50 values of 31.254 ± 0.359 and 24.402 ± 0.569 μg/mL, respectively. Chromatographic separations of the ethanol extract gave three fractions. FTIR analysis of the extracts and purified fractions revealed the presence of functional groups, confirming the presence of the phytochemicals identified in the screening test. The results indicate that both extracts of C. nioroense exhibit cytotoxicity, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anthelmintic, and anti-inflammatory activities, thereby proving the folkloric use to treat ailments caused by worms and microorganisms.

Industrial hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) is a multipurpose crop primarily grown for fiber, grain, and cannabinoids. Due to its high-quality protein and oil composition, industrial hemp grain is increasingly an important crop for a nutritional source. Although the global demand for hemp grain is increasing, research exploring the genetic and climatic effects on agronomic and seed composition traits is limited. Furthermore, there has been very little research conducted on seed development and shattering. Therefore, to study this biological phenomenon and for optimal hemp grain production in Missouri, suitable cultivars for this production region were compared to identify the best-suited ones. Key physiological and seed compositional traits were studied. We found significant variation in plant height, diameter, biomass, grain yield, crude protein, and crude fat among the evaluated varieties. The dual type variety, Futura 83, showed superior performance and yield and has many suitable traits for the Missouri production region, with the grain yield ranging from 2434–2793 kg/ha. In addition, we studied the expression of two candidate genes associated with seed shattering resistance and flowering. Both genes were expressed differentially among various hemp tissues. The expression of the GmPdh1 homolog gene was higher in mature seeds, and the GmDt1 homolog was higher in flower tissues, suggesting their potential role in seed dispersal and flowering. However, further research is required for functional validation and increasing the crop yield and seed composition.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) caused by Mycobacterium bovis is a re-emerging problem in both livestock and humans. The association of some M. bovis strains with hyper-virulence, MDR-TB and disseminated disease makes it imperative to understand the biology of the pathogen. Mycobacterium bovis (15) among 1755 M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolated between 2012 and 2014 were characterized and analyzed for associated patient demography and other risk factors. Five of the M. bovis isolates were whole-genome sequenced and comparatively analyzed against a global collection of published M. bovis genomes. Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from 3/560(0.5%) females and 12/1195(1.0%) males with pulmonary TB. The average age of M. bovis infected cases was 46.8 years (7-72years). TB patients from the Northern region of Ghana (1.9%;4/212) had a higher rate of infection with M. bovis (OR = 2.7,p = 0.0968) compared to those from the Greater Accra region (0.7%;11/1543). Among TB patients with available HIV status, the odds of isolating M. bovis from HIV patients (2/119) was 3.3 higher relative to non-HIV patients (4/774). Direct contact with livestock or their unpasteurized products was significantly associated with bTB (p<0.0001, OR = 124.4,95% CI = 30.1-508.3). Two (13.3%) of the M. bovis isolates were INH resistant due to the S315T mutation in katG whereas one (6.7%) was RIF resistant with Q432P and I1491S mutations in rpoB. M. bovis from Ghana resolved as mono-phyletic branch among mostly M. bovis from Africa irrespective of the host and were closest to the root of the global M. bovis phylogeny. M. bovis-specific amino acid mutations were detected among MTBC core genes such as mce1A, mmpL1, pks6, phoT, pstB, glgP and Rv2955c. Additional mutations P6T in chaA, G187E in mgtC, T35A in Rv1979c, S387A in narK1, L400F in fas and A563T in eccA1 were restricted to the 5 clinical M. bovis from Ghana. Our data indicate potential zoonotic transmission of bTB in Ghana and hence calls for intensified public education on bTB, especially among risk groups.