Building Bridges and Trust Through Interfaith Relations in Africa: The Role of African Indigenous Religious and Cultural Values

The African continent is not a homogenous entity; it is religiously and culturally diverse. The continent’s religious and cultural varieties have presented both prospects for progress and setbacks. The religious and ethnic differences and certain prevailing socio-economic structures of oppression in most societies as well as the disintegrative impact of globalization, have, sometimes, created pressures and tensions. These conditions tend to transform into situations of mistrust, stereotypes, fear of the other, exclusion, and violence, thereby diminishing Africa’s efforts to make the expected progress. However, this paper argues that the innate religious disposition of African people, and their indigenous cultural values provide a common ground and a rallying point around which trust can be built to promote sustainable living and peaceful co-existence. This work recommends an interfaith approach, which takes into account and makes use of certain African indigenous religious and cultural resources in building bridges and trust for peace and sustainable living. Keywords: Interfaith relations, religious diversities, extremism, pluralistic, bridges, trust, indigenous religious and cultural values, dialogue of life DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/66-06 Publication date:July 31st 202

Informal payments and willingness to pay informally for health care among older adults:equity perspectives for geriatric care in Ghana

BackgroundOut-of-Pocket (OOP) payment is one mechanism for funding health care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The wider implications mean OOP payments have the potential to increase, with catastrophic effects for a vulnerable population group such as older adults. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of informal patient payments (IPPs) and willingness and ability to pay informally, and its associated factors among older adults in Ghana.MethodsWe conducted a community-based cross-sectional study to collect data among 462 older adults (60+ years) across three municipal areas in the Volta Region of Ghana. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with IPP. The significance level was set at P < 0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of IPP was 21.2%. About 64.5% of respondents were willing to make IPP if they had good financial standing. Factors significantly associated with IPP were age (75 years and above) (odds ratios [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37–2.26), being uninsured (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.48–1.91), having a urinary health problem (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 1.56–3.97), and having a stronger preference for private healthcare facilities (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.26–1.44). Not having a chronic condition (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.41–0.83) and unwillingness to make IPP (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.26–0.87) were associated with lower odds of IPP.ConclusionThe existence IPP reflects important inequity gaps within the formal healthcare system and requires urgent sustainable policy actions to protect economically vulnerable older adults from financial catastrophe. We recommend measures of informal payments and “perceived corruption” in the health system be included in the Ghana Living Standard Surveys and Demographic Health Surveys to inform future policy decisions in this area

A Study on Amorphous Silicon Electronic Portal Imaging Device (A-Si EPID) Response to Delivered Radiation Doses

The use of amorphous silicon flat panel-type electronic portal imaging device (a-Si EPID) as dosimeters in radiotherapy has seen gradual increase in recent times. This research study has assessed dosimetric response of a-Si EPID (Elekta iViewGT) with respect to photon beam qualities on Elekta Synergy Platform linac. Images acquired under reference conditions of 10×10 cm² open field with the a-Si EPID at source to EPID distance (SED) of 159 cm and varying dose of 1-3 Gy in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) solid water phantom slabs were used. The experiment was repeated with Farmer-type PTW ionization chamber (IBA 30010) in position and measurement taken at 10 cm in the solid water phantom. Set up conditions for EPID and IC remained same throughout the study. The study observed similar and proportional increases in EPID and IC signals with increasing dose. Maximum deviation of 7.2 % was recorded between EPID and IC measurements. Outcome of the study demonstrates that the a-Si EPID is appropriate for dosimetric verification purposes on the Elekta linac. Comprehensive evaluation of dosimetric properties of EPIDs is thus necessary to ensure reliability in dose measurements on different linac systems

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

The Impact of African Traditional Religious Beliefs and Cultural Values on Christian-Muslim Relations in Ghana from the 1920 to the Present: A Case Study of the Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan traditional area of the Central Region

Studies in the three main religious traditions in Ghana - African Traditional Religion(s), Christianity and IslamTopic: The Impact of African Traditional Religious Beliefs and Cultural Values on Christian-Muslim Relations in Ghana from 1920 through the Present: A Case Study of Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan traditional area of the Central Region. Abstract: The inception, evangelization and missionary activities of Christianity and Islam in Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan traditional area in the Central Region of Ghana resulted in the conversions of the indigenous people, mainly, from African Traditional Religion (ATR) to the two mission religions. The religious beliefs, practices and the provision of social services of these immigrant religions have impacted on the religious and cultural life of the traditional communities. Yet, the indigenous religious beliefs and cultural values have served not only as the mediation of expressions for both indigenous Christians and Muslims in this area; they have, also, shaped, to a great extent, the forms of Christianity and Islam that developed as well as the relationships between members of the diverse religious groups. This thesis is an attempt to examine the impact of the traditional religious beliefs and cultural practices (with their underlying values) on the religious pluralistic context of this Mfantse traditional area in Ghana, particularly, on Christian-Muslim relations. Besides this quest, which has not received a sufficient scholarly attention, the need for this work also became evident in view of the emergence of religious extremism and intolerance by some Christian and Islamic groups in the country, which, at times, has undermined some of the traditional religious and cultural values, which have fostered peaceful co-existence over the years. Through this process, the extent of that changes that have resulted from the interaction of the two main mission religions (Christianity and Islam) with the indigenous context, are, also, assessed. The research tools used, namely interview and observation (of transitional rites and festivals), made it possible to explore both the religious and socio-cultural history of the people, which existed, mostly in oral tradition. In this sense, one of the contributions of this research lies in its role of “rescuing the memory” of the indigenous people. This effort becomes more relevant as the potential for losing this important aspect of the people’s narrative history increases, with the older generation passing on from this life and the reality of the main stream of the historical account coming from European sources. This study contributes to the scanty local scholarly material in this field of study, which, for some time now, has relied on non-indigenous sources, often, with their underlying assumptions and biases. The central argument of this thesis is that although a larger percentage of the indigenous population are converts to Christianity and Islam, it is the indigenous beliefs and values which, mainly, serve as the mediation for their religious and cultural expressions. This indigenous influence has enhanced harmonious relationships among members of Christianity and Islam in the area. The thesis is in two main sections, namely sections A and B. Section A comprises chapter one, which focuses on the introductory and methodological approach of the research and chapters two, three and four, which constitute the historical background of the people and, Christianity and Islam in the area. The chapters five, six and seven, which deal with the data analysis of the research and the conclusion (chapter eight) form the section B.Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, US (Leadership Scholarship

Microscopy studies of nano-to-meso scale order and assembly in designed protein fibre

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The impact of African traditional religious beliefs and cultural values on Christian-Muslim relations in Ghana from the 1920 to the present : a case study of the Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan traditional area of the Central Region

The inception, evangelization and missionary activities of Christianity and Islam in Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan traditional area in the Central Region of Ghana resulted in the conversions of the indigenous people, mainly, from African Traditional Religion (ATR) to the two mission religions. The religious beliefs, practices and the provision of social services of these immigrant religions have impacted on the religious and cultural life of the traditional communities. Yet, the indigenous religious beliefs and cultural values have served not only as the mediation of expressions for both indigenous Christians and Muslims in this area; they have, also, shaped, to a great extent, the forms of Christianity and Islam that developed as well as the relationships between members of the diverse religious groups. This thesis is an attempt to examine the impact of the traditional religious beliefs and cultural practices (with their underlying values) on the religious pluralistic context of this Mfantse traditional area in Ghana, particularly, on Christian-Muslim relations. Besides this quest, which has not received a sufficient scholarly attention, the need for this work also became evident in view of the emergence of religious extremism and intolerance by some Christian and Islamic groups in the country, which, at times, has undermined some of the traditional religious and cultural values, which have fostered peaceful co-existence over the years. Through this process, the extent of that changes that have resulted from the interaction of the two main mission religions (Christianity and Islam) with the indigenous context, are, also, assessed. The research tools used, namely interview and observation (of transitional rites and festivals), made it possible to explore both the religious and socio-cultural history of the people, which existed, mostly in oral tradition. In this sense, one of the contributions of this research lies in its role of “rescuing the memory” of the indigenous people. This effort becomes more relevant as the potential for losing this important aspect of the people’s narrative history increases, with the older generation passing on from this life and the reality of the main stream of the historical account coming from European sources. This study contributes to the scanty local scholarly material in this field of study, which, for some time now, has relied on non-indigenous sources, often, with their underlying assumptions and biases. The central argument of this thesis is that although a larger percentage of the indigenous population are converts to Christianity and Islam, it is the indigenous beliefs and values which, mainly, serve as the mediation for their religious and cultural expressions. This indigenous influence has enhanced harmonious relationships among members of Christianity and Islam in the area. The thesis is in two main sections, namely sections A and B. Section A comprises chapter one, which focuses on the introductory and methodological approach of the research and chapters two, three and four, which constitute the historical background of the people and, Christianity and Islam in the area. The chapters five, six and seven, which deal with the data analysis of the research and the conclusion (chapter eight) form the section B.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGlobal Ministries of the United Methodist Church, USGBUnited Kingdo

Targeting RNA Structure to Inhibit Editing in Trypanosomes

Mitochondrial RNA editing in trypanosomes represents an attractive target for developing safer and more efficient drugs for treating infections with trypanosomes because this RNA editing pathway is not found in humans. Other workers have targeted several enzymes in this editing system, but not the RNA. Here, we target a universal domain of the RNA editing substrate, which is the U-helix formed between the oligo-U tail of the guide RNA and the target mRNA. We selected a part of the U-helix that is rich in G-U wobble base pairs as the target site for the virtual screening of 262,000 compounds. After chemoinformatic filtering of the top 5000 leads, we subjected 50 representative complexes to 50 nanoseconds of molecular dynamics simulations. We identified 15 compounds that retained stable interactions in the deep groove of the U-helix. The microscale thermophoresis binding experiments on these five compounds show low-micromolar to nanomolar binding affinities. The UV melting studies show an increase in the melting temperatures of the U-helix upon binding by each compound. These five compounds can serve as leads for drug development and as research tools to probe the role of the RNA structure in trypanosomal RNA editing

An Explanatory Sequential Approach to Conflicting Views Among Supervisors During Off – Campus Teaching Practice Supervision at The University of Cape Coast

This research investigated the conflicting views amongst supervisors during the teaching practicum supervision on the field experience (Off -Campus) at the University of Cape Coast.  The researchers employed the pragmatist philosophy towards research which employed the sequential explanatory mixed method design. Multi-stage and the proportionate stratified sampling technique were used to select respondents for the study. Questionnaire were the main instrument for gathering quantitative responses. However, focus group discussion guide, interview and content analysis were used to gather both qualitative data for the study. The quantitative results were presented through descriptive and inferential statistics, using tables, percentages, frequencies as well means and standard deviations. The qualitative analysis was in the form of narratives and thematic analysis. The study revealed that the remarks given by supervisors have tremendous impacts on the teaching of student-teachers. The study further established that, the student-teachers careless about the remarks made by supervisors thereby rejecting especially the negative remarks of the supervisors and others also challenged the comments of supervisors when they felt what they have done was right. The result of the hypothesis revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in the reactions of student-teachers towards the remarks of supervisors in terms of gender. Keywords: Teaching Practice, Supervision, conflicts, Teaching Methods, Teaching Goals, On &amp; Off Campus, Field Experience, Student Teaching, Bachelor of Education DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-9-04 Publication date:March 31st 202