The Impact of ICT on Teaching and Learning in Tertiary Institutions: A Case Study of Wisconsin International University College, Ghana

The frightening effect of the increasing spate of poor teaching and learning in recent times underscores management of tertiary institutions, lecturers and students concern for the integration of ICT into tertiary institutions. The study specifically aimed at evaluating the benefit of various ICT tools used by tertiary institutions and examines the challenges tertiary institutions face in terms of implementing ICT in teaching and learning. Another objective is to determine the role of lectures, administrators and students in integrating ICT into tertiary institutions. The research was conducted on lecturer’s administrators and students of Wisconsin International university College, Ghana and information was gathered through administration of structured questionnaires. Three null hypotheses were postulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Results from the study indicated that there is a positively high impact of ICT on teaching and learning in tertiary institutions in the sense that, broadband is a major factor in increasing collaboration between teachers; Interactive whiteboards make a difference to aspects of classroom interaction. motivate both lecturer students to use ICT.The findings also presented challenges, where students need to access computers in an easy way; recurrent technical problems; and the use of software applications require skills that have to be gotten. It was then recommended based on the findings of the study that, policy makers should include new competencies in the curricula and in assessment schemes, implement new forms of continuous professional development in a workplace environment and also Keywords: Information system in education, Teaching and Learning, Important of ICT

Phenotypic Determination and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamases in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Accra, Ghana

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are plasmid-mediated beta lactamases commonly found in the Enterobacteriaceae that are capable of hydrolysing ?-lactams except carbapenems and cephamycins. ESBLs confer resistance to several non-ß-lactam antibiotics. ESBL-producing organisms appear susceptible to cephalosporins in vitro using conventional breakpoints but ineffective in vivo. This work sought to determine the occurrence of ESBL in E. coli and K. pneumoniae and their antibiotic resistance profile. Four hundred K. pneumoniae and E. coli non-duplicate isolates were collected at the Central Laboratory of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Advent Clinical Laboratories. They were definitively identified and their minimum inhibition concentration and antibiotic sensitivity testing for 17 antibiotics were determined using Vitek 2 Compact System (bioMérieux, Marcy I’Etoile, France).  The isolates were confirmed as ESBL-producing strains using the Combination Disk Synergy Method. The results indicated that 202 (50.5%) of the bacterial isolates were ESBL-producing phenotypes with high resistant to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole indicating 82.2%, 79.7%, 70.8% and 97% resistant rates respectively. imipenem and amikacin were the antibiotics of choice with 99% and 94.1% susceptibility rates (MIC90 of ?1µg/ml and 4µg/ml respectively). It is imperative to routinely detect ESBL-phenotypes in health facilities, implement appropriate antibiotic administration policy and infection control measures in the hospitals.   Keywords: Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase, Antimicrobial Resistance, ?-lactams, K. pneumoniae, E. col

Low-frequency variation in TP53 has large effects on head circumference and intracranial volume.

Cranial growth and development is a complex process which affects the closely related traits of head circumference (HC) and intracranial volume (ICV). The underlying genetic influences shaping these traits during the transition from childhood to adulthood are little understood, but might include both age-specific genetic factors and low-frequency genetic variation. Here, we model the developmental genetic architecture of HC, showing this is genetically stable and correlated with genetic determinants of ICV. Investigating up to 46,000 children and adults of European descent, we identify association with final HC and/or final ICV + HC at 9 novel common and low-frequency loci, illustrating that genetic variation from a wide allele frequency spectrum contributes to cranial growth. The largest effects are reported for low-frequency variants within TP53, with 0.5 cm wider heads in increaser-allele carriers versus non-carriers during mid-childhood, suggesting a previously unrecognized role of TP53 transcripts in human cranial development

Risk of Heavy Metal Poisoning From Consuming Grasscutter Digesta in Ghana

Grasscutter (cane rat/ Thryonomys swinderianus ) digesta is used as a spice in Ghana. Research shows that heavy metals from the environment may accumulate in the internal organs of grasscutters, which raises concerns about the possible contamination of grasscutter digesta, too, with heavy metals. Although grasscutter meat in Ghana has been described as safe for consumption, information is lacking on the health risks associated with ingesting the digesta. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the knowledge and perceptions of a merchant and a consumer about the safety of ingesting grasscutter digesta and to evaluate potential health risks from exposure to heavy metals from the spice. A total of 12 digesta samples were analyzed to evaluate potential health risks from exposure to Cd, Fe, Hg, and Mn using a Varian AA240FS Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The levels of Cd, Hg, and Mn were below the detection limit of 0.01 mg/kg digesta. Also, the estimated daily intake of Fe (0.02 mg/kg) was less than the maximum allowable dose recommended by the US EPA (0.7 mg/kg). The hazard indices of Fe for daily and weekly consumption were <1, suggesting that the consumers may be safe from iron poisoning. Because grasscutter digesta is a relatively expensive spice, it is unlikely to be consumed daily by the average Ghanaian. Moreover, if 10 g of digesta is consumed daily, it can be safely ingested about 971 times in a month. Domestication of grasscutters may be a useful approach to monitor their diet and consequently the quality of their digesta

Aquatic Invertebrates as Unlikely Vectors of Buruli Ulcer Disease

Buruli ulcer is a necrotizing skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans and associated with exposure to aquatic habitats. To assess possible transmission of M. ulcerans by aquatic biting insects, we conducted a field examination of biting water bugs (Hemiptera: Naucoridae, Belostomatidae, Nepidae) in 15 disease-endemic and 12 non–disease-endemic areas of Ghana, Africa. From collections of 22,832 invertebrates, we compared composition, abundance, and associated M. ulcerans positivity among sites. Biting hemipterans were rare and represented a small percentage (usually <2%) of invertebrate communities. No significant differences were found in hemipteran abundance or pathogen positivity between disease-endemic and non–disease-endemic sites, and between abundance of biting hemipterans and M. ulcerans positivity. Therefore, although infection through insect bites is possible, little field evidence supports the assumption that biting hemipterans are primary vectors of M. ulcerans

Gene discovery and polygenic prediction from a genome-wide association study of educational attainment in 1.1 million individuals.

Here we conducted a large-scale genetic association analysis of educational attainment in a sample of approximately 1.1 million individuals and identify 1,271 independent genome-wide-significant SNPs. For the SNPs taken together, we found evidence of heterogeneous effects across environments. The SNPs implicate genes involved in brain-development processes and neuron-to-neuron communication. In a separate analysis of the X chromosome, we identify 10 independent genome-wide-significant SNPs and estimate a SNP heritability of around 0.3% in both men and women, consistent with partial dosage compensation. A joint (multi-phenotype) analysis of educational attainment and three related cognitive phenotypes generates polygenic scores that explain 11-13% of the variance in educational attainment and 7-10% of the variance in cognitive performance. This prediction accuracy substantially increases the utility of polygenic scores as tools in research.Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12015/1), Department of Health (via National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)) (NF-SI-0512-10135), MRC (MC_PC_13048), Department of Health (via National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)) (NF-SI-0617-10149