Gender Differences in Entrepreneurial Orientation: Evidence from Ghana

This study explores the differences in the entrepreneurial orientation between men and women using data from a survey of 300 small and medium-scale (SMEs) enterprises from Accra, Ghana, using the Covin and Slevin entrepreneurial orientation scale. The findings of the study indicate that there are significant differences between the levels of entrepreneurial orientation among the two genders. These differences are in risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness. Men are found to be more entrepreneurial oriented than women. This is mainly attributable to the different socio-economic conditions that men and women are exposed to. The study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial and gender theory. The findings imply that policies aimed at developing entrepreneurs should be gender sensitive. Keywords: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Gender, Small Business, Enterprise, Ghana

岡山県に分布する白亜紀前期羽山層砕屑物質の供給源：砕屑粒の鉱物化学組成とモード組成から導かれる制約

Petrographic and phase chemistry studies of detrital grains were carried out on sandstones from the Lower Cretaceous Hayama Formation, Inner Zone of Southwest Japan, to determine their provenance and the tectonic setting during the early Cretaceous. The results of the modal mineralogy suggest that the Hayama Formation has magmatic arc provenance and that deposition of the sediments took place in the back-arc areas with detritus mostly derived from the magmatic arc and rifted continental margins. The chemical compositions of chromian spinel, chlorite and sphene indicate that significant proportions of the detrital grains were derived from mafic and/or ultramafic sources. The source areas are the mafic and ophiolitic rocks in the Sangun-Renge and Akiyoshi terranes and the felsic volcanic rocks probably from either the Akiyoshi terrane or a source not presently exposed in southwest Japan. However, minor amounts of the detritus were derived from the basement rocks; i.e., carbonates and siliciclastic rocks of the Akiyoshi terrane and the metamorphosed mafic rocks of the Chizu terrane

Provenance of Lower Cretaceous sediments in the Nariwa and Hokubo areas, Okayama Prefecture, deduced from detrital modes and geochemistry of sandstones

Petrographic and geochemical study of sandstones from the Kenseki Formation have shown that the sandstones are compositionally immature. The immaturity is reflected geochemically by their low SiO2 contents (52-66 wt%) and petrographically by low modal percents of quartz and K-feldspar, and high modal percents of plagioclase and volcanic lithic fragmants. The Kensaki sandstones are, however, poor in Na2O (up to 2.1 wt%). Both petrography and geochemistry suggest a heterogeneous source lithologies of acidic and basic volcanics, sedimentary, and ultramafic rocks. Petrographic evidence is supplied by quartz and plagioclase of volcanic origin, acidic volcanic fragments, basic volcanic fragments, volcanic glass, serpentinite fragments and detrital spinel grains. Geochemical evidence is provided by high FeO* (total iron as FeO), MgO, TiO2, CaO and K2O contents. Petrographic and geochemical study of the Kenseki sandstones indicate calc-alkaline oceanic island are provenance. The sediments were locally derived, with Alpine-type ultramafic rocks exposed in the north and volcanic materials of the Akiyoshi Belt supplying the bulk of the detritus

ガーナ,南部アシャンティ帯の原生代プリンスタウン・グラニトイド岩体に関する主成分地球化学

The Pateoproterozoic metavolcanic rocks of the southern Ashanti greenstone belt of Ghana are intruded by three major suites of granitoids, locally called Prince's Town, Dixcove and Ketan plutons. The Prince's Town pluton is the largest intrusive body in the Axim area, and tends to separate the Axim volcanic branch from the Cape Three Points branch. The Pluton consists of granitic to dioritic rocks, which are generally massive but occasionally display alignment of ferromagnesian minerals. The rocks contain mainly plagioclase, K-feldspar, quartz, amphibole, biotite and opaques. The feldspars are mostly sericitized and saussuritized, and alteration of amphibole and biotite to epidote and chlorite is common. Accessory minerals include apatite, sphene and zircon. The geochemical data indicate that the rocks are tonalitic to granodioritic in composoition, metaluminous (ASI<1) and have I-type characteristics. The granitoids have the SiO2 content of 63-70% ; total iron, as Fe2 O3 of 3.10-5.80% ; (Na2O+K2O) content of 5.01-6.96% and Na2O/K2O ratios from 1.34 to 2.70 ; and are characterized by Mg# ranging from 53 to 48. The Fe*(=FeOtot/FeOtot+MgO) and modified alkali-lime index (MALI) of the rocks indicate that the Prince's Town pluton is dominantly magnesian and calcic in nature. Higher values in molar CaO/(MgO+FeOtot) coupled with low molar AI2O3/(MgO+FeOtot) may suggest their derivation from partial melting of metabasaltic to metatonalitic sourcc, with a possible contribution from metagreywacke, but preclude any contribution from metapelitic sources. The Birimaian metavolcanic rocks are the likely source material candidate for the rocks. CIPW norm calculations yielded a crystallization temperature of～650-685℃ and a pressure of 4-7kb for the rocks, suggesting a lower crustal souree. The Prince's Town plutonic rocks also show characteristice of plutons emplaced in a volcanic are tectonic setting environment. This observation is largely consistent with previous studies conducted on granitoids from other parts of the southern Ashanti greenstone belt c and the belt-type granitoids of Ghana as a whole

ガーナ, ビルム・ダイヤモンド産地のアクァティア地域に分布する沖積層の重鉱物分析

Heavy mineral analysis was carried out on Pliocene to Recent alluvial sediments from the Birim diamondiferous field od Ghana. The main objective of the study was to examine the mineral composition of heavy fractions in order to identify : (1) the heavy mineral assenblage that occur in the sediments, (2) particular diamond indicator minerals associated with the diamonds, and (3) the provenance of the alluvial sediments. The heavy minerals are essentially composed of staurolite, ilmenite and magnetite in varying proportions, with trace amounts of leucoxene, rutile, garnet and zircon. The heavy mineral assenblage and chemical composition of ilmenite and gamet suggest their derivation from phyllites and schists which reflect directly the composition of the basement rocks developed in the study area. The absence of diamond indicatior minerals such as apatite, pyrope garmet, chromian spinel, and picroilmenite in the heavy fraction is unlikely to be due to their destruction during intense weathering and/or diagenesis but rarher their non-occurrence in the area

ガーナ，アシャンティ火山帯南部に分布する古原生代変火山岩類のSr-Nd 同位体組成

Neodymium (Nd) and strontium (Sr) isotopic data are presented for Paleoproterozoic metavolcanic rocks in the southern part of the Ashanti volcanic belt of Ghana. The metavolcanic rocks are predominantly basalts/basaltic andesites and andesites with minor dacites. Two types of basalts/basaltic andesites (B/A), Type I and Type II, have been identified. The Type I B/A are stratigraphically overlain by the Type II B/A, followed by the andesites and the dacites. The analyzed volcanic rocks commonly have low initial (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios consistent with previous studies on Paleoproterozoic rocks from the West African craton. The LREE-depleted, tholeiitic Type I B/A exhibit back-arc basin geochemical signatures and show high positive epsilon Nd (i.e., ε(Nd) (2.1 Ga) = +3.89 to +7.21), which suggest a long term depleted source and also indicate that they were produced in an entirely oceanic environment devoid of influence of continental crust. The isotope signatures are thus consistent with the previously published trace element data of the Type I basalts/basaltic andesites in suggesting that their parent magma was generated from a depleted mantle. The Type I B/A have Nd model ages (T(DM2)) of 1.83–2.09 Ga similar to their formation ages, suggesting that they were juvenile at their time of formation. The andesites and the Type II B/A andesites show LREE-enriched patterns and exhibit characteristics of subduction zone-related magmas, and show initial ε(Nd) (2.1Ga) values of –1.15 to + 1.35 and Nd model ages (T(DM2)) of 2.32–2.58 Ga. The LREE-enriched dacitic porphyry also exhibits characteristics of subduction zone-related magmas, and have initial ε(Nd) (2.1Ga) value of –2.24 and Nd model ages (T(DM2)) of 2.64 Ga. The Nd isotopic data confirms the juvenile character of the Birimian crust, but also suggests some contributions of a pre-Birimian crustal material (or Archean?) in the genesis of some of the metavolcanic rocks. Our isotopic result is consistent with the island arc complex model which views Paleoproteozoic terranes of West Africa in the context of subduction–accretion processes

Antimalarial stocking decisions among medicine retailers in Ghana: implications for quality management and control of malaria

Global health efforts such as malarial control require efficient pharmaceutical supply chains to ensure effective delivery of quality-assured medicines to those who need them. However, very little is currently known about decision-making processes within antimalarial supply chains and potential vulnerabilities to substandard and falsified medicines. Addressing this gap, we report on a study that investigated decision-making around the stocking of antimalarial products among private-sector medicine retailers in Ghana. Licensed retail pharmacies and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine retail outlets were sampled across six regions of Ghana using a two-stage stratified sampling procedure, with antimalarial medicines categorised as ‘expensive,’ ‘mid-range,’ and ‘cheaper,’ relative to other products in the shop. Retailers were asked about their motivations for choosing to stock particular products over others. The reasons were grouped into three categories: financial, reputation/experience and professional recommendation. Reputation/experience (76%, 95% CI 72.0% to 80.7%) were the drivers of antimalarial stocking decisions, followed by financial reasons (53.2%, 95% CI 48.1% to 58.3%) and recommendation by certified health professionals (24.7%, 95% CI 20.3% to 29.1%). Financial considerations were particularly influential in stocking decisions of cheaper medicines. Moreover, pharmacies and OTCs without a qualified pharmacist were significantly more likely to indicate financial reasons as a motivation for stocking decisions. No significant differences in stocking decisions were found by geographical location (zone and urban/rural) or outlet (pharmacy/OTC). These findings have implications for the management of antimalarial quality across supply chains in Ghana, with potentially important consequences for malaria control, particularly in lower-income areas where people rely on low-cost medication

Dynamic interaction in tropical Africa: IGCP-616Y and IGCP 646 projects and events

The scientific objectives and research program of the IGCP-646 project (2015–2018) cuts across many disciplines and includes various aspects of continental basement geology, resource exploration (mineral, water and hydrocarbons), geohazard mitigation, and climate change, all of which are of critical importance to developing countries, particularly in parts of West Africa where population pressures are on the rise. Considerable emphasis was placed on capacity building, creation of opportunities for young scientists to undertake higher degrees programs, knowledge transfer and training. The SIDA-funded “pilot project” IGCP-616Y (started in 2012), focused on three objects (i) crustal architecture, tectonic evolution and regional geology of Central Africa and the connection with NE Brazil; (ii) the Mesozoic continental rifting and breakup leading to a better integration of the onshore and offshore geology; (iii) clarification and quantification of the links between basement structures, neotectonics, climate change and landscape evolution. The IGCP-616Y and IGCP-646 projects consisted of over 250 researchers, from different countries. In the course of the projects, six annual meetings, four field trips/workshops, as well as several training sessions were organized. Here we provide a summary of the scientific targets of the projects and a summary of the organized activities

Diagnostics to support the control of scabies-Development of two target product profiles.

BACKGROUND: Scabies was added to the WHO NTD portfolio in 2017 and targets for the control of scabies were included in the 2021-2030 WHO NTD roadmap. A major component of scabies control efforts a strategy based on mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin. Currently diagnosis of scabies relies on clinical examination with a limited role for diagnostic testing. Under the recommendation of the WHO Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group (DTAG) for Neglected Tropical Diseases, a working group was assembled and tasked with agreeing on priority use cases for and developing target product profiles (TPPs) for new diagnostics tools for scabies. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The working group convened three times and established two use cases: establishing if the 10% threshold for mass drug administration had been reached and if the 2% threshold for stopping mass drug administration has been achieved. One subgroup assessed the current diagnostic landscape for scabies and a second subgroup determined the test requirements for both use cases. Draft TPPs were sent out for input from stakeholders and experts. Both TPPs considered the following parameters: product use, design, performance, configuration, cost, access and equity. The group considered the use of the tests as a single step process or as part of a two step process following initial clinical examination. When used a single step test (the ideal scenario) for starting MDA a new diagnostic required a sensitivity of ≥92% and a specificity of ≥98%. When used a single step test (the ideal scenario) for stopping MDA a new diagnostic required a sensitivity of ≥80% and a specificity of ≥99%. CONCLUSIONS: The TPPs developed will provide test developers with guidance to ensure that novel diagnostic tests meet identified public health needs