Enhancing Community Participation in Health Service Delivery: A Case Study of Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Nadowli District in the Upper West Region

One major problem facing health service delivery in Ghana with particular reference to the implementation of the new health policy, the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS), is poor community participation. This is due to the seemingly inadequate understanding of the CHPS concept and participatory methodologies by Community Health Officers (CHOs) who are the frontline staff of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the implementation of the CHPS program. This study examined the knowledge of CHOs in the CHPS concept and the approaches in facilitating community engagement processes as some of the factors influencing the level of community participation in CHPS. The study was conducted in 10 selected CHPS zones in the Nadowli district of the Upper West Region of Ghana. Three set of survey questionnaires were employed bearing in mind the objectives of the study. One set of questionnaire was administered to a sample of 18 Health staff that included CHOs and Sub district In-charges. The other questionnaires were administered to 56 CHVs/CHCs and 28 selected community opinion leaders in sampled CHPS communities. The findings present a situation of mixed understanding of the CHPS concept and methodology by CHOs and their immediate supervisors (SDHTs) who are the vanguard in the implementation of the CHPS program .The study observed a generally low level of community involvement at the various stages of the CHPS implementation processes. This is partly attributable to the inadequate knowledge of CHOs in the CHPS concept and skills in facilitating community engagement processes. The paper further argues that heterogeneity of the CHPS communities does not pose an obstacle to participation with effective community entry and facilitation of working together processes. It concludes that to enhance community participation in CHPS, practical innovative strategies of improving CHOs’ understanding of the CHPS concept, community dynamics and skills in facilitating participatory methodologies must be re-visited. Keywords: Community, empowerment, enhancement, facilitation, heterogeneity, participation

NCBI BLASTN Stage 1 in Reconfigurable Hardware

Recent advances in DNA sequencing have resulted in several terabytes of DNA sequences. These sequences themselves are not informative. Biologists usually perform comparative analysis of DNA queries against these large terabyte databases for the purpose of developing hypotheses pertaining to function and relation. This is typically done using software on a general multiprocessor. However, these data sets far exceed the capabilities of the modern processor and performing sequence similarity analysis is increasingly becoming less efficient. There is an urgent need for more efficient ways of querying large DNA sequences for sequence similarities. Here, we describe an FPGA-based hardware solution that implements Stage 1 of NCBI BLASTN, a commonly used sequence analysis application

Ixodid ticks of traditionally managed cattle in central Nigeria: where Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus does not dare (yet?)

BACKGROUND: Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) undermine cattle fitness and productivity in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. The aim of this study was to document the composition of tick species, assessing the burden of infestation, in traditionally managed cattle in an area of central Nigeria where acaricides have not been used historically. METHODS: The study was carried out in September 2010 in 9 villages belonging to three neighbouring local government areas in Plateau State, Nigeria. In each village all visible adult ticks were collected from at least 15 cattle (mean number = 25). Collected ticks were preserved in 70% ethanol to be counted and morphologically identified to the species level. RESULTS: A total of 5011 ixodid ticks (1935 males and 3076 females) were collected from 228 cattle, comprising 14 calves, 33 juveniles, and 181 adults. Three tick genera (i.e., Amblyomma, Hyalomma, and Rhipicephalus, including the Boophilus sub-genus) and 11 species were identified. The most prevalent species was Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus (41.4%), followed by Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (15.4%), Rhipicephalus guilhoni (12.0%), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) geigyi (7.6%), Hyalomma truncatum (7.4%), Amblyomma variegatum (6.3%), Rhipicephalus simus Group (4.0%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (1.2%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (0.3%), Hyalomma rufipes (0.2%), and Rhipicephalus lunulatus (n = 1). Mean tick loads recorded were relatively high (22 ± 1.4), in spite of the practice of hand removal of ticks traditionally undertaken by the Fulani pastoralists in the area. Calves bore a significantly lower tick burden than adults (p = 0.004). Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus was not found in the area, suggesting that the eastbound expansion of this tick species in West Africa, has not yet reached central Nigeria. CONCLUSIONS: This study ascertained the presence of a broad variety of cattle tick species, most of which are of veterinary importance. The presence of each tick species is correlated with the potential occurrence of tick-borne pathogens and suggestions for tick control in the area are considered. Results should assist the diagnosis of related TBDs in cattle as well as the strategic planning of cost-effective tick control

Funding options in the management of junior secondary schools in Kaduna state, Nigeria

Introduction: Funding education in Nigeria has been challenging. Government has battled synchronous funding shortfalls and has categorically declared that funding education is the responsibility of all. Hence, School leaders are faced with the complex challenges of funding options and managing meagre finances and resources. Purpose: The objectives of the study were to find out the funding options, determine the management skills used for raising fund, ascertain the contributions of community in funding, and to determine the influence of managerial skills of principals on funding options. Design: Research questions and one null hypothesis were answered and tested to achieve the objectives. The cross-sectional survey design was used. The sample of 111 out of a population of 411 principals was used for the study. A 20 item questionnaire tagged: Funding Options Management Questionnaire (FOMQ) was employed for data collection. The statistical techniques used for analysis are mean and standard deviation for answering research questions and t- test of independence for test of hypothesis. Results: Findings revealed funding options to include: raising money through the Parents Teachers Association levies, user charges, school-based management charges, alumni assistance with less search for international grants. The managerial skills used to raise fund include cordial relationships, communication, planning, and coordinating.  In addition, there was a significant difference between funding options and principals’ managerial skills. Recommendations: It was recommended among others that school administrators should be creative in the funding options, search for international grants, advocate for supports, and government to re-engineer public campaign for awareness and participation of stakeholders in funding education

Leadership and Teachers’ Morale in Senior Secondary Schools in Plateau State, Nigeria

The study examined the relationship between principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ morale in senior secondary schools in Plateau State. The correlation research design was used for the study. The population of the study comprised of 39 principals and 229 teachers who have spent at least three years working together in the Senior Secondary Schools of Barkin Ladi and Langtang North Local Government areas in Plateau State. The sample consists of 31 principals and 137 teachers out of the population. The instruments used for data collection were the Principal Leadership Style Questionnaire (PLSQ) and Teachers’ Questionnaire (TQ). Data were analyzed using the frequency count, percentage, and Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient (Pearson r). Findings were; there was positive statistical significant relationship between principals’ democratic leadership style and teachers’ morale; there was negative statistical significant relationship between principals’ autocratic leadership style and teachers’ morale; while there was no statistical significant relationship between the laissez-faire leadership style and teachers’ morale. In addition, principals were found to dominantly practice the democratic leadership style and teachers’ morale was confirmed to be moderate in the Senior Secondary Schools. Base on the findings recommendations were made some of which are; Principals should be sent for in-service-training to study leadership in school; to organize workshops, seminars and conferences for principals of secondary schools on leadership styles; and to create awareness on the importance of teacher morale in school effectiveness

Scottish Mission factor in the development of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana: 1917-1957

Though it was political reasons that caused the First World War its consequences were felt not only in the political realm but in the religious also. The political intrigues and the acrimony that culminated in the war generated intense enmity between Britain and her allies on the one hand and Germany on the other. In the process the Basel Mission was forced out of Ghana by the British on suspicion that the Mission, which had strong German connection, had sympathies for Germany. It was this action taken by the British that necessitated the recruitment of another missionary body to oversee the work that had been done by the Basel Mission and the choice fell on the United Free Church of Scotland which was represented in Ghana by what came to be known as the Scottish Mission. The appearance of the United Free Church of Scotland on the religious scene of Ghana therefore is a classic example of how international politics and war affected and shaped world missionary outreach programme in the early 20th century.The United Free Church accepted the challenge in spite of extreme financial and logistical problems face by the church at this time because it felt that the opportunity to come to Ghana was created by Providence. From 1917 till 1950 when the church became fully autonomous therefore the United Free Church and its subsidiary body the Scottish Mission worked to preserve the gains of the Basel Mission and developed new structures and institutions to extend the influence of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and to make it an indigenous church. Though the Basel Mission was allowed to return to Ghana at the end of 1925, it was the Scottish Mission that continued to set the agenda for the church.Unlike the work of the United Free Church of Scotland in Jamaica, Calabar or Malawi the work in Ghana was not originally planned within the scope of its world evangelistic xi outreach. It was accidental and this had some influence on the Scottish Mission's approach to their work in Ghana.This thesis examines the circumstances surrounding the coming of the United Free Church of Scotland to Ghana in the Scottish Mission and more importantly the role it played in the building and development of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana

Variation of reverberation time with quantity of absorbers in an unfurnished room

An experimental investigation of reverberation of sound at frequencies of 500 and 1000Hz in a room of 35.27m3 has been carried out using B & K Type acoustic instruments. Varied amount of Celotex ceiling board was used as the sound absorber. The result showed that the reverberation time falls progressively with increasing number of the absorbers. This result was found consistent with those of other investigations measured under standardconditions. In this investigation, it was found that in small-sized rooms typical of those used for office accommodation, broadcasting and recording studios, reverberation time can be simply controlled to achieve desired results

Choice of place of antenatal care among women of reproductive age in a semiurban population in northcentral Nigeria

Background: Antenatal care has an important role in identifying high‑risk pregnancies and improving the chances of safe motherhood particularly in developing countries where obstetric indicators are still poor. The objective of this study was to determine the choices women of reproductive age in Vom, a semirural town at the outskirts of Jos the capital of Plateau State Nigeria made to have antenatal care.Materials and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional study carried out between January and March 2015 in Vom, a semirural area about 30 km from Jos the capital of Plateau State among 2,641 (Two thousand six hundred and forty one) women of reproductive age.Results: Fifty‑eight percent of the respondents opted for antenatal care in government‑owned hospitals while 29% chose faith‑based institution which was in their vicinity, 11% favored private hospitals for antenatal care, while 1% chose traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and prayer houses to receive antenatal care. The majority of the respondents (32%) were females between the ages of 40 and 44 years while 22% were aged between 25 and 29 years of age. They were predominantly farmers of the Berom ethnic group and 47% of them had completed primary level of education.Conclusion: Females in the reproductive age in this rural setting in northcentral Nigeria favored government‑owned hospitals as places to receive antenatal care. Their choices were not affected by their educational status varied according to the age ranges of the respondents.Keywords: Antenatal care; reproductive age women; semiurban populatio