Cross-cultural ties between Ghana and Egypt: the agency of the Egyptian Community in Accra, Ghana

Abstract : Ghana is recognized as an important destination of international migrants. In spite of the socio-economic and political upheavals that the country experienced during the early post-independence era leading to the (forced) return of several of its migrant groups, some have still remained and formed permanent communities and integrated into the Ghanaian society. This paper focuses on the Egyptian diaspora in Ghana. It examines: (1) the type of cross-border and transnational ties that Egyptian migrants in Ghana have established between Ghana and Egypt; (2) how these ties generate cross-cultural relations between Ghana and Egypt; and (3) the extent to which these ties provide a privileged economic and political position to the Egyptian community in Ghana. The work is based on the socio-cultural transnationalism theory. A socio-historical method was adopted for the research and apart from the analysis of historical data, eight key informants were interviewed. The paper shows that due to high-profile intermarriages between Ghanaians and Egyptians, coupled with the ‘Nkrumah factor’, the Egyptian community in Ghana occupies a privileged economic and political position in Ghana

cDNA Microarray Gene Expression Profiling of Hedgehog Signaling Pathway Inhibition in Human Colon Cancer Cells

Hedgehog (HH) signaling plays a critical role in normal cellular processes, in normal mammalian gastrointestinal development and differentiation, and in oncogenesis and maintenance of the malignant phenotype in a variety of human cancers. Increasing evidence further implicates the involvement of HH signaling in oncogenesis and metastatic behavior of colon cancers. However, genomic approaches to elucidate the role of HH signaling in cancers in general are lacking, and data derived on HH signaling in colon cancer is extremely limited.To identify unique downstream targets of the GLI genes, the transcriptional regulators of HH signaling, in the context of colon carcinoma, we employed a small molecule inhibitor of both GLI1 and GLI2, GANT61, in two human colon cancer cell lines, HT29 and GC3/c1. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated accumulation of GANT61-treated cells at the G1/S boundary. cDNA microarray gene expression profiling of 18,401 genes identified Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) both common and unique to HT29 and GC3/c1. Analyses using GenomeStudio (statistics), Matlab (heat map), Ingenuity (canonical pathway analysis), or by qRT-PCR, identified p21(Cip1) (CDKN1A) and p15(Ink4b) (CDKN2B), which play a role in the G1/S checkpoint, as up-regulated genes at the G1/S boundary. Genes that determine further cell cycle progression at G1/S including E2F2, CYCLIN E2 (CCNE2), CDC25A and CDK2, and genes that regulate passage of cells through G2/M (CYCLIN A2 [CCNA2], CDC25C, CYCLIN B2 [CCNB2], CDC20 and CDC2 [CDK1], were down-regulated. In addition, novel genes involved in stress response, DNA damage response, DNA replication and DNA repair were identified following inhibition of HH signaling.This study identifies genes that are involved in HH-dependent cellular proliferation in colon cancer cells, and following its inhibition, genes that regulate cell cycle progression and events downstream of the G1/S boundary

Holding on to European residence rights versus the desire to return to origin country: a estudy of the return to origin and return constraints of ghanaian migrants in Vic

The article analyses the extent to which migrants desire to secure permanent residence rights in Spain is a strain on return migration. Through qualitative research studies among Ghanaian migrants living in Vic in the Barcelona province of Spain, the paper shows that while most migrants interviewed desire to return to settle in Ghana one day, they are not willing to surrender their residence rights in Spain. For that reason prospective returnees desireto first secure the right to leave and re-enter Spain without obstacles, through the acquisition of permanent residence permit and citizenship status. Others prefer that part of the family remains in Spain as a form of insurance for members who return. The paper suggests that return migration policies that require that migrants surrender their residence rights in Spain are less likely to motivate Ghanaian migrants to go back home

Religion, race and migrants' integration in Italy: cthe Case of Ghanaian migrant churches in the province of Vicenza, Veneto

The number of Ghanaian immigrants' Catholic and Pentecostal/Charismatic churches has kept growing since this group began to settle in Italy from the late 19705. This paper examines that role that these religious congregations play to facilitate the migrants' integration in the province of Vicenza. The paper shows that while the churches offer opportunities for the migrants to find their place in Italian society by providing them a place to be at home, a sense of belonging, identity and resources, the type of integration that the migrants foment through the churches appears to be rather segmented along racial and ethnic lines. Therefore, the churches' integration role would be enhanced if they open up their ethnic and racial borders and provide channels for Ghanaian and Italian populations to interact.El número de iglesias carismáticas católicas y pentecostales de los inmigrantes ghaneses ha ido en aumento desde que este grupo comenzó a establecerse en Italia a finales de los setenta. Este artículo examina el papel que desempeñan estas congregaciones religiosas a la hora de facilitar la integración de los inmigrantes en la provincia de Vicenza. El estudio revela que mientras las iglesias ofrecen oportunidades para que los inmigrantes encuentren su lugar en la sociedad italiana, proporcionándoles un lugar para sentirse en casa, un sentido de pertenencia, identidad y recursos, el tipo de integración que los Inmigrantes fomentan a través de las iglesias parece encontrarse más bien segmentada por motivos raciales y étnicos. Por lo tanto, el papel integrador de las iglesias se vería fortalecido si reconciliaran sus diferencias étnicas y raciales y ofrecieran cauces para que la población de Ghana e Italia interactuara

Religion, Race and Migrants’ Integration in Italy: The Case of Ghanaian Migrant Churches in the Province of Vicenza, Veneto

El número de iglesias carismáticas católicas y pentecostales de los inmigrantes ghaneses ha ido en aumento desde que este grupo comenzó a establecerse en Italia a finales de los setenta. Este artículo examina el papel que desempeñan estas congregaciones religiosas a la hora de facilitar la integración de los inmigrantes en la provincia de Vicenza. El estudio revela que mientras las iglesias ofrecen oportunidades para que los inmigrantes encuentren su lugar en la sociedad italiana, proporcionándoles un lugar para sentirse en casa, un sentido de pertenencia, identidad y recursos, el tipo de integración que los inmigrantes fomentan a través de las iglesias parece encontrarse más bien segmentada por motivos raciales y étnicos. Por lo tanto, el papel integrador de las iglesias se vería fortalecido si reconciliaran sus diferencias étnicas y raciales y ofrecieran cauces para que la población de Ghana e Italia interactuara.Publicación en línea: 11 diciembre 2017</p

Influence of Soil Characteristics and Land Use Type on Existing Fractions of Radioactive 137Cs in Fukushima Soils

Radioactive cesium (137Cs) in distinct soil fractions provides key information to its bioavailability, and therefore determining the effect of soil characteristics and land use types on existing fractions of 137Cs in soils is important for predicting future 137Cs mobility in Fukushima. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of soil characteristics and land use types on sequentially extracted fractions of 137Cs in Fukushima. In this study, five coniferous forest soils, eight arable soils, and eight paddy rice soils were sampled in 2012 and 2013. The 137Cs in the soils were separated into four fractions; water-soluble, exchangeable, organic matter-bound and residual fractions. More than 90% of the soil 137Cs fraction for arable and paddy rice soils was found in the residual fraction, implying significantly reduced bioavailable 137Cs with higher fixation. In contrast, forest soils measured higher exchangeable and organic matter-bound fractions of 5%–33% and 9%–44%, respectively, implying future 137Cs mobility in the forest ecosystem. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between the organic matter fraction and residual fraction in both arable and paddy rice soils. There was a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) for both exchangeable and residual fractions with cation exchange capacity (CEC), total carbon (TC) and total nitrogen (TN) values in arable soils. Organic matter content influenced both exchangeable and residual fractions. It was not clear whether organic matter played a direct role in 137Cs fixation or mobility in the agricultural soils. In paddy rice soils, the organic matter fraction showed a significant negative correlation with TC and TN values. Soil pH was significantly negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with both water-soluble and residual fractions in forest soils but positively (p < 0.1) with the organically bound 137Cs fraction.Peer Reviewe