Significance of the Costume Used for the Dia War Dance by the Frafra people of the Upper East Region of Ghana.

There are several war dances which are performed to commemorate victories achieved during wars and major fights in history. These dances mimic historical moves and gestures which were used during such trial times. During the performance of such dances, many items of clothing are worn by these war heroes or dancers which are an embodiment of knowledge and the Dia war dance of the Frafra people in the Upper East region of Ghana is no exception. However, when these dances are recorded, little or nothing is said about the costumes and their relevance to the attainment of victory in these wars and hence their inclusion in the dance. The study therefore is aimed at identifying the various roles played by these items used as clothing in the Dia war dance of the Frafra people in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Participant observation was used in this study and the main instrument adopted was the interview in arriving at the responses.  Several key people were interviewed including Tindaanas (earth priests), retired dancers, adult and young dancers. The study saw that the clothing items used have great link with the craft and trade practices of the people. It also identified that some of the items were used to boost about ones bravery or victories over animals considered to be wild and dangerous. Also it was evident that though no formal schools are there to train people In the dance, there is the conscious effort by the people to train the young in the dance so that they can take up the mantle of leadership in the future. The study therefore recommends that the dance be celebrated at the regional level in order to raise the awareness and boost the tourism potentials of the region. Keywords: Dia War dance, costume, culture, festival, traditional apparel, horns, smock, Frafra

Analysis of the art forms used as costume in the Gologo festival of the people of Tongo in the Upper East region of Ghana.

The Talensi people of Tenzug in the Upper east region celebrates on of the rarest festivals in the country of Ghana. It is probably the only festival where participants observe a strict compliance to the wearing of certain kind of costume. Due to the nature of this custom, the researchers sort to find out the art form which make up the costume and their religious or functional significance. The study used participant observation and interviews to document the festivities before, during and after the festival. The prominent features of the costume includes towels of different sizes and colours, knifes of different sizes and the wearing of triangularly shaped aprons. The study concludes that there is the need to advertise the festival in the entire country of Ghana as well as abroad in order to open up the Tengzug area to more tourists and investors. Keywords: Tindaana, Gologo, Tongo Hills, Golib, Tengzug

Assessment of vegetation dynamics using remote sensing and GIS: A case of Bosomtwe Range Forest Reserve, Ghana

Changing conditions owing to increasing forest fragmentation make land cover and change detection analysis an extremely important consideration for sustainable forest management. This study applied supervised classification using maximum-likelihood algorithm in Quantum GIS to detect land use land cover changes in the Bosomtwe Range Forest Reserve, Ghana from 1991, 2002 and 2017 using Landsat 4 - TM, Landsat 7 - ETM and Sentinel-2 satellite imageries respectively. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that land use/cover of Bosomtwe Range Forest Reserve have undergone remarkable changes for over the period of 26 years. The current status of forest cover is estimated to be 2995.45 +/- 401.86 ha and 2090.03 +/- 412.78 ha of closed and opened forest canopy respectively. Conversely, built-up areas (1531.68 +/- 487.13 ha) remains virtually high (20%) though it shows a decrease in comparison to the same area in 2002. The land use land cover change map clearly identified probable areas of forest depletion especially in the north eastern and western portions of the reserve. It is recommended that potential spatial drivers of change should be identified to generate suitable image for change modelling of the reserve, coupled with earmarking of degraded areas for reforestation projects to improve upon the forest cover. (C) 2018 National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V

Potentials of bamboo-based agroforestry for sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa:a review

There is widespread assertion among scientists, government and development experts that bamboo agroforestry could contribute to sustainable rural development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there are limited available data to verify the suitability of the system in the region. In addition, the current state of knowledge and adoption of agroforestry in SSA offers very little guidance as to which type of agroforestry systems bamboo could be integrated. Here, we reviewed the potential socioeconomic and environmental benefits of bamboo agroforestry and accentuate implications on sustainable rural development in SSA. In addition, we analysed potential research areas that could be intensified, so that future developments and scaling-up of bamboo agroforestry can be rooted in robust scientific findings rather than the intuitions of governments and development actors

Determinants of sputum ordering for tuberculosis diagnosis in people living with HIV in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Background: This study assessed factors associated with sputum ordering for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis in people living with HIV (PLHIV) who were screened positive for TB in three hospitals providing HIV care and treatment services in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.Objective: This study assessed the factors associated with sputum ordering in PLHIV with a positive TB symptom screen test.Methods: A mixed-method cross-sectional study was undertaken at three hospitals providing HIV care and treatment services in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. The study involved a review of 400 patients' charts and in-depth interviews with health workers involved in the care and treatment of PLHIV. Bivariate analysis using a Chi-square test and Logistic regression for multivariate analysis were used to establish factors associated with sputum ordering. Factors having a p ≤ 0.05 were considered significantly associated with sputum ordering. Inductive thematic analysis was used to explain the associated factors.Results: Of the 400 charts reviewed, 67.7% were female patients with a median age of 39 (IQR 31 ̶ 49). TB screening was recorded in 78% (n = 312/400, 95% CI: 73.6 ̶ 82.0) of the patients, of whom ninety-two (92) patients had a positive TB screen test. Only 57.6% (n = 53) who had a positive screen test had sputum ordered for further TB testing. In the multivariate analysis, the patient's general appearance was described as abnormal (OR = 3.05, p = 0.036), having more than one TB symptom (OR = 3.42, p = 0.028) and presence of an alternative presumptive diagnosis (OR = 0.34, p = 0.023) were associated with having a sputum test ordered. High patient numbers, the inability to produce sputum, the unwillingness of moderately sick patients to provide sputum and the cost associated with chest X-rays were perceived as the challenges to further testing for TB.Conclusion: Almost half of PLHIV with a positive TB screen test did not have a sputum test documented. This calls for instituting measures to address the barriers to TB screening among people living with HIV/AIDS for effective TB and HIV comorbidity management

Psychometric Properties of a Safety Culture Index among Mental Health Workers in Ghana

Safety culture among mental health workers is essential, especially in developing countries where workplace safety seems neglected. However, few studies have provided detailed psychometric analyses of convenient safety instruments with practical relevance for the healthcare industry in the Sub-Saharan African context. We sampled 574 (54.4 % females, 45.6 % males) mental health workers from three Specialist Psychiatric Teaching Hospitals in Ghana. Initially, we collected data using adapted items from Edkins and Coakes’ 25-item Airline Safety Culture Index (ASCI). Consequently, we conducted a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using the Diagonally Weighted Least Squares estimator. We also used the item reduction analysis (Gradual Response Model) to reduce the adapted 25-item scale to 11 items (Modified Safety Culture Index, MSCI- 11). Finally, we conducted reliability analyses (alpha and omega) for the MSCI-11. We observed that the data in the CFA showed adequate fit indices [χ2 (df = 44, N = 574) = 223.752, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.975; TLI = 0.968; RM- SEA = 0.084 (CI 90 % 0.074- 0.096); SRMR = 0.063]. The MSCI- 11 is parsimonious and has good reliability estimates [α = 0.853 (95 % CI 0.835 – 0.870) and ω = 0.853 (95 % CI 0.837- 0.087)]. Future studies should use additional cross-validation in other high-risk jobs to generalise the new scale

A comparison of multivariate and univariate time series approaches to modelling and forecasting emergency department demand in Western Australia

Objective: To develop multivariate vector-ARMA (VARMA) forecast models for predicting emergency department (ED) demand in Western Australia (WA) and compare them to the benchmark univariate autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and Winters’ models. Methods: Seven-year monthly WA state-wide public hospital ED presentation data from 2006/07 to 2012/13 were modelled. Graphical and VARMA modelling methods were used for descriptive analysis and model fitting. The VARMA models were compared to the benchmark univariate ARMA and Winters’ models to determine their accuracy to predict ED demand. The best models were evaluated by using error correction methods for accuracy. Results: Descriptive analysis of all the dependent variables showed an increasing pattern of ED use with seasonal trends over time. The VARMA models provided a more precise and accurate forecast with smaller confidence intervals and better measures of accuracy in predicting ED demand in WA than the ARMA and Winters’ method. Conclusion: VARMA models are a reliable forecasting method to predict ED demand for strategic planning and resource allocation. While the ARMA models are a closely competing alternative, they under-estimated future ED demand

A multi-center prospective cohort study to evaluate the effect of differential pricing and health systems strengthening on access to medicines and management of hypertension and diabetes in Ghana: A study protocol [version 2; referees: 3 approved]

Background: There is evidence to suggest that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), in particular cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, are being recognized as forming a substantial proportion of the burden of disease among populations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).  Access to treatment is likely a key barrier to the control and prevention of NCD outcomes.  Differential pricing, an approach used to price drugs based on the purchasing power of patients in different socioeconomic segments, has been shown to be beneficial and leads to improved access and affordability. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study, with a pragmatic trial design, to be conducted over the course of three years. A mixed methods design will be used to evaluate the effects of health systems strengthening and differential pricing on the management of diabetes, hypertension and selected cancers in Ghana. A public private partnership was established between all sites that will receive multi-level interventions, including health systems strengthening  and access to medicines interventions. Study populations and sites: Study participants will include individuals with new or previously diagnosed hypertension and diabetes (n=3,300), who present to two major referral hospitals, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital, as well as three district hospitals, namely Kings Medical Centre, Agogo Presbyterian District Hospital, and Atua Government Hospital. Discussion: The objective of this study aims to test approaches intended to improve access to drugs for the treatment of hypertension and diabetes, and improve disease control. Patients with these conditions will benefit from health systems strengthening interventions (education, counseling, improved management of disease), and increased access to innovative medicines via differential pricing. Pilot programs also will facilitate health system strengthening at the participating institutions, which includes training of clinicians and updating of guidelines and production of protocols for the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and cancer

Mycobacterium ulcerans disease: experience with primary oral medical therapy in an Australian cohort

Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU) is responsible for disfiguring skin infections which are challenging to treat. The recommended treatment for MU has continued to evolve from surgery to remove all involved tissue, to the use of effective combination oral antibiotics with surgery as required. Our study describes the oral medical treatment utilised for consecutive cases of MU infection over a 15 month period at our institution, in Victoria, Australia. Managing patients primarily with oral antibiotics results in high cure rates and excellent cosmetic outcomes. The success with medical treatment reported in this study will aid those treating cases of MU infection, and will add to the growing body of knowledge about the relative roles of antibiotics and surgery for treating this infection