Herpetofaunal communities at Muni Lagoon in Ghana

A herpetofaunal survey of Muni-Pomadze Lagoon, during the main rainy season (May–June), recorded a total of 32 species (13 amphibians and 19 reptiles). Three species are the first records for coastal habitats in Ghana: Kinixys homeana, Calabaria reinhardti, and Bothrophthalmus lineatus. None of the surveyed species are restricted to Ghana. The most diverse herpetofaunal community occurs in grassland thicket, with 26 species (81% of the sampled herpetofauna). Freshwater ponds include 12 species, while only three species (all amphibians) occur in brackish lagoons. Herpetofaunal conservation efforts at these sites should focus on protecting and monitoring grassland coastal thicket and freshwater ponds. Currently, freshwater pond habitats appear to be stable, but coastal thicket is being lost to provide new agricultural land at Muni. Hyperolius reedfrogs, pythons (Python regius) and monitor lizards (Varanus exanthematicus and V. niloticus) appear to offer the greatest potential for undertaking long-term monitoring of the coastal lagoon herpetofauna, because they can be more readily surveyed, and are likely to be sensitive to a broad range of environmental stressors.     

Distinct molecular features of colorectal cancer in Ghana

Objectives: While colorectal cancer (CRC) is common, its incidence significantly varies around the globe. The incidence of CRC in West Africa is relatively low, but it has a distinctive clinical pattern and its molecular characteristics have not been studied. This study is one of the first attempts to analyze molecular, genetic, and pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer in Ghana. Methods: DNA was extracted from microdissected tumor and adjacent normal tissue of 90 paraffin blocks of CRC cases (1997–2007) collected at the University of Ghana. Microsatellite instability (MSI) was determined using fragment analysis of ten microsatellite markers. We analyzed expression of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins by immunohistochemistry and sequenced exons 2 and 3 of KRAS and exon 15 of BRAF. Results: MSI analysis showed 41% (29/70) MSI-High, 20% (14/70) MSI-Low, and 39% (27/70) microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors. Sequencing of KRAS exons 2 and 3 identified activating mutations in 32% (24/75) of tumors, and sequencing of BRAF exon 15, the location of the common activating mutation (V600), did not show mutations at codons 599 and 600 in 88 tumors. Conclusions: Our study found a high frequency of MSI-High colorectal tumors (41%) in Ghana. While the frequency of KRAS mutations is comparable with other populations, absence of BRAF mutations is intriguing and would require further analysis of the molecular epidemiology of CRC in West Africa.     

A forest beyond the trees: Tree cutting in rural Ghana

In this paper I examine the complexity of human forces involved in tree cutting in a Ghanaian forest region. I provide evidence to link the indiscriminate tree-cutting activities of some local communities to the gradual loss of communal control over land and the replacement of kin group control with state property regimes. I point to the interrelated factors of the state's promotion of an exportled development strategy, the intensification of agricultural commercialization, and household and group variations in access to land as all having deleterious impacts on local traditions of sustainable forestry.     

The pollination of Ficus vogelii in Ghana

Ficus vogelii is a primitive monoecious species, in which staminate and pistillate flowers are distributed throughout the syconium without localization. There is no bimodal structural distinction between seed flowers and gall flowers, and any pistillate flower is capable of seed production. Each syconium follows a development cycle lasting approximately 45 days. The chief pollen vector is the agaonid wasp Allotriozoon heterandromorphum , which is an obligate symbiont. Adult females of this species have mesothoracic pockets in which pollen is carried. Adult males do not display the anther-cutting activity reported in other species. The life cycle of the pollinator is described in relation to the developmental cycle of the syconium.     

Heavy Metals in Sediments of the Gold Mining Impacted Pra River Basin,Ghana, West Africa

Total concentrations of Hg, Al, Fe, As, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, Mn, Co, V, and Zn were determined in surface sediments collected from 21 locations within the gold mining impacted Pra River basin in southwestern Ghana. Samples were collected during both the rainy and dry seasons. We hypothesized that in the rural southwestern portion of Ghana, the lack of industrial activities makes artisanal gold mining (AGM) by Hg amalgamation the main source of water resource contamination with heavy metals. Therefore, metals showing concentration trends similar to that of Hg in the studied system are likely impacted by AGM. We found that total-Hg (THg) concentrations in riverine sediments are rather low as compared to other aquatic systems that are impacted by similar mining activities. Measured THg concentrations ranged from 0.018 to 2.917 mg/kg in samples collected in the rainy season and from about 0.01 to 0.043 mg/kg in those collected during the dry season. However, the determination of the enrichment factor (EF) calculated using shale data as reference background values showed signs of severe contamination in most of the sampled sites. In the dry season, THg concentrations correlated positively and significantly to the concentrations of As (r = 0.864, p < 0.01), Cu (r = 0.691, p < 0.05), and Ni (r = 0.579, p < 0.05). Based on our previously stated hypothesis, this could then be an indication of the impact of AGM on ambient levels of these 3 elements. However, the determined concentrations of Cu, and Ni co-varied significantly with Al, suggesting that natural sources do account for the observed levels. Accordingly, both AGM and metal inputs from weathered natural deposits are likely co-responsible for the observed levels of Cu and Ni. In contrast, the lack of correlation between As and Al tends to suggest an impact of AGM on As levels. Overall, our data suggest that besides Hg and to some extent As, the impact of AGM on ambient levels of investigated metals in the gold mining impacted Pra River remains negligible. Finally, the increase in metal concentrations from the dry to the rainy season underlines the impact of changes in hydrologic conditions on levels and fate of metals in this tropical aquatic system.     

Colonial Constructions and African Initiatives: The History of Ethnicity in Northwestern Ghana

The article discusses the colonial construction of ethnic categories, their linkage with precolonial models of identity and the multiple meanings which ethnicity has assumed for different groups over the past decades, using the example of northwestern Ghana – a region which, in the precolonial period, was neither politically centralized nor knew distinct ‘tribes’. The article analyses how ethnic categories, boundaries and institutions were created and continually redefined by colonial officials, anthropologists, chiefs, labour migrants and educated elites, and how the different ethnic discourses fed into each other. It also draws on some of the older literature on ethnicity in Africa because it can still contribute to our understanding of the making of ethnic identities when framed in a deeply historical approach.     

3. THE GOLDEN ORIOLE (Oriolus oriolus) IN HOLLAND

Even though Sfax salina in Tunisia hosts a significant part of the Mediterranean population of Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, data on the breeding ecology of this species in this area are lacking. Such data are nonetheless necessary, not only for the understanding of the ecology and dynamics of this species in general, but also for conservation purposes. In this paper we use the results of a one-year monitoring of nests in Sfax salina to provide information on its nesting parameters, in particular nesting phenology, colony size and hatching success. Our results show that Pied Avocets formed dense colonies at the beginning of the nesting season, but colony size decreased as the nesting season advanced. Clutch size varied between 1 and 7 eggs, similar to other Mediterranean and European populations. Hatching success, estimated by the Mayfield method, was relatively low, mainly due to predation by stray dogs. Overall, our work shows that relatively high nest losses occur here. It also highlights the need for management efforts aiming to enhance the reproductive success in this artificial habitat. Creation of suitable and safe nesting sites is proposed.     

Accusations of Genital Theft: A Case from Northern Ghana

Occurrences of panic attacks associated with belief in genital retraction have been described in the anthropological and psychological literature in terms of culture bound reactive syndromes. Similar phenomena occur widely in West Africa, where they are reported as cases of penis snatching. Explanations for these phenomena range from the biomedical emphasis on pathology to the social psychological emphasis on altered perceptual sets. This paper provides a narrative of an accusation of genital theft in a rural West African settlement. Drawing from ethnographic information, it will be argued that the case is best explained in light of social relations, definitions for in-groups and out-groups, and local knowledge concerning witchcraft and divination. Local explanations for the case conform to both biomedical and social psychological models.     

Limnological studies of two contrasting but closely linked springs in Nigeria,West Africa

ABSTRACT

An account is presented of the chemistry and algal flora of two streams in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The two streams, one of which is much warmer than the other, are separate upstream but subsequently merge. A comparison of the springs revealed that while they differed markedly in temperature, colour, turbidity, conductivity, solids, total alkalinity, total hardness, Ca, SiO₃, SO₄, Mg, Cl^- and dissolved oxygen, they showed some similarities in pH, Fe, Na, K, PO₄ and NO₃. In the cold spring, while total alkalinity, conductivity and silicate increased in the wet season, total hardness decreased slightly and other variables exhibited fluctuations with season. For the warm spring, except for increased total alkalinity and total hardness, dissolved oxygen and pH decreased in the wet season. However, most parameters of the warm spring were unaffected by season. Floristically, the springs were rich in species with a total of 84 taxa: 56 in the warm spring, 33 in the cold spring, 44 at the confluence and 40 beyond the confluence. The warm spring was dominated mainly by blue-green algae such as Lyngbya birgei, Synechococcus aequalis and Oscillatoria spp.; the cold spring was dominated by Rhizoclonium hieroglyphicum and Navicula spp. The confluence was dominated by Terpsinoe musica, R. hieroglyphicum and Lyngbya birgei, while the site downstream of the confluence was dominated entirely by R. hieroglyphicum. In most cases, the confluence and downstream area beyond the confluence of the springs exhibited intermediate characteristics between the two springs. This study is a contribution to the dearth of information on streams in West Africa.     

Seasonal changes in chemistry,algal populations,chlorophyll a and photosynthetic activity in the R. Delimi,Jos Plateau,Nigeria

Seasonal studies were undertaken (August 1983–July 1984) toevaluate the algal distribution and ecology of the RiverDelimi, Jos Plateau, Nigeria at three stations: upstream, withlittle allochthonous input; midstream, receiving heavy domesticaffluents; downstream. A wide amplitude of variability wasdiscernible in physicochemical factors, and photosyntheticactivity and abundance of suspended algae in relation to thedegree of pollution along the first 7-km stretch of the river.Conductivity (µS cm^-1) showed a 9-fold increase fromupstream (x = 35) to downstream. The standing crop(Chl a) fluctuated markedly, with 6-times higher valuesfor a polluted midstream site (x = 18.2 mg m^-3). Production rate measurements (mg C m^-3 d^-1) showed significant variability with relatively lowvalues (x = 610) recorded for the upstream andhighest (x = 1050) at the midstream site. Apositive correlation was obtained between production rates andChl a for the polluted midstream zone.     

Yeasts in the traditional brewing of pito in Ghana

Yeasts from pito, a cereal-based traditional alcoholic beverage were isolated and characterized using biochemical and physiological tests. A total of 21 strains belonging to 8 genera were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (8), Candida tropicalis (4), Kloeckera apiculata (2), Hansenula anomala (2), Torulaspora delbrueckii (3), Schizosaccharomyces pombe (1) and Kluvyeromyces africanus (1). Various diluents used for a 2 h holding period shows that 0.1% malt extract and peptone gave 20% decrease in cell viability for all the isolates, while phosphate buffer least supported the survival of the yeast cells with about 90% decrease in cell viability obtained for S. pombe at the end of the 2 h holding period. The effect of pH and temperature on the growth of the isolates revealed that at relatively low temperatures, growth increased with increasing pH, but a decrease was observed with increasing pH at high temperatures for S. cerevisiae and Candida tropicalis. All the isolates demonstrated good growth (10² to 10⁶ c.f.u./ml) at 10% ethanol concentration over a period of 8 days incubation. However, growth of K. africanus was completely inhibited after 4 days incubation period. The quality indices of the beverage produced using S. cerevisiae as a single-starter organism compared favourably with the traditional brew. The paper suggests ways of scientifically regulating the production of fermented foods in sub-Saharan Africa.     

Establishment of a General Medicine Residency Training Program in Rural West Africa

Ghana, a developing country in West Africa, has major medical burdens in taking care of a large population with limited resources. Its three medical schools produce more than 200 graduates per year, but most emigrate to developed lands after training. Ghana is working to educate and retain locally trained physicians, but it is difficult to get them to work in rural settings where the need is greatest. This article details the establishment of a General Medicine residency at a 150-bed hospital in rural Ghana. Early training comprises 6 months each in Medicine, Surgery, OB/GYN, and Pediatrics; the hospital in Techiman also has a Surgery residency. House officers choose the program for more hands-on experience than they can get in larger centers. They perform many tasks, including surgery, sooner and more independently than do residents in developed countries. The training program includes a morning report, clinical teaching rounds, and rotations on in-patient wards and in the Emergency Department and clinics. Teaching focuses on history, physical examination, good communication, and proper follow-up, with rigorous training in the OR and some clinical research projects pertinent to Ghana. Trainees work hard and learn from one another, from a dedicated faculty, and by evaluating and treating very sick patients. Ghana’s rural residencies offer rigorous and attractive training, but it is too soon to tell whether this will help stem the “brain drain” of young physicians out of West Africa.     

Science in the Service of Patients: Lessons from the Past in the Moral Battle for the Future of Medical Education

Medical schools instill a classic moral standoff in which the responsibility for the betterment of the patient stands at odds with the responsibility for the betterment of society. In critical ways, the latter, in the form of a robust research and technology-driven enterprise, has taken precedence over the former, resulting in harm to patients and individual dignity. This tradeoff can be traced to Abraham Flexner, the father of American medical education. In the wake of the Flexner report, American medicine set out on a course of exponential scientific advancement, but the mistreatment of research subjects and the erosion of the doctor-patient relationship in a health care system that is increasingly unaffordable, complex, and impersonal suggest that such progress has come at a price. Recent efforts by medical schools to emphasize humanism in their curricula and admissions processes have shown promise in orienting the values of academic medicine toward the individual patient’s well-being.     

Ecosystem Approach to Community Health Planning in Ghana

An ecosystem approach to community health seeks to investigate human health concerns from an ecological perspective. The goal is to improve the health of community members by instituting sustainable ecosystem management strategies that will preserve the health of both the ecosystem and its inhabitants. This article reports on a study in a rural community in Ghana that employed an ecosystem approach to community health planning. Adopting a participatory action research approach, a research team comprised of representatives from various local government departments collaborated with local residents to identify major community health problems, their underlying causes, and possible intervention strategies. The findings illustrate the usefulness of the ecosystem approach to mobilizing community-based interventions to addressing environmental determinants of human health.     

Biodiversity and ecology of epilithic diatoms in the Agnéby River,Ivory Coast

The ecology and taxonomy of the epilithic diatom flora of the Agnéby River, Ivory Coast were studied in 2012. Ten sites were investigated and diatoms were sampled on glass slides immersed for a period of 30 days during the wet and dry seasons. Physico-chemical parameters were measured at each site while sampling diatoms. Five taxa were largely dominant: Planothidium comperei CE Wetzel, N’Guessan and Tison-Rosebery, Eolimna minima (Grunow) Lange-Bertalot, Planothidium piaficum (JR Carter and Denny) CE Wetzel and Ector, Cocconeis schroederi Foged and Cocconeis scutellum var. parva (Grunow in Van Heurck) Cleve. Electrical conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrite and phosphorus were found to influence the distribution of taxa.     

Conservation, Small Mammals, and the Future of Sacred Groves in West Africa

This article considers the conservation of relict natural habitat in West Africa, especially habitat preserved in traditional sacred groves. Government-sanctioned conservation is contrasted with local grassroots efforts of conservation. Evidence for the ecological value of sacred groves is based on results of a field study of small mammal communities conducted on the Accra Plains of Ghana and on published sources on the conservation and use of sacred groves from various countries. The study employed standard mark-and-recapture techniques for the sampling for terrestrial small mammals, and mist netting for the sampling of bat communities. Pragmatic approaches combining conservation and sustainable use are considered, as are traditional values that have preserved the sacred groves in the past for up to several hundred years in some cases. In part because these groves shelter unique small mammal and plant communities, traditional values and protection mechanisms should be integrated into the newly emerging cultural and religious contexts. The issues encountered during this study reveal that effective conservation involving local peoples requires a concerted interdisciplinary effort. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

浅析PLM系统在医疗器械行业的实施应用

阐述了PLM的基本概念、原理、行业研究和应用现状基础。针对医疗器械行业产品研发和产品监管的特点,结合企业的实际现状,详细分析了该医疗器械企业的PLM应用需求。该文还结合企业PLM系统项目开展的实际过程给出了设计、实施方案,并对实施效果进行了评估。