Browsing by Author "Abukari, Z."
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Item Awareness and Incidence of Plagiarism among Students of Higher Education: A Case Study of Narh-Bita College(University of Ghana, 2016-07) Abukari, Z.; Dadzie, P.S.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Information studiesA series of ethical issues are on the rise in academia, especially plagiarism. In this age of information overload, more and more students and researchers are turning to the Internet for already made solutions and short-cuts for writing assignments, research papers and thesis. This culture certainly does not promote academic excellence and critical thinkers. The study examined students’ awareness and incidence of plagiarism at the Narh-Bita College. It further looked at motivations behind plagiarism and students’ knowledge of the institution’s policy on plagiarism. The study employed the survey research methodology. A total of 143 nursing and physician assistant students participated in this study. A self-reported questionnaire survey was used for collection of data. The findings of the study revealed that there was high level of awareness about plagiarism amongst the students. Findings also revealed that there was high incidence and practices of plagiarism in the academic life of the students. Poor understanding of the concept of plagiarism was ranked as the highest motivator behind plagiarism. The findings of the study further revealed that students’ knowledge on the institution’s plagiarism policy was low. The study again revealed faculty’s laxity in the enforcement of plagiarism policies. Based on the findings of the study, the study recommends among others the teaching of the concept plagiarism to promote the ethical use of information among students and the pro-active enforcement of policies on plagiarism by faculty to effectively stem the incidence of plagiarism in the college.Item Detecting asymptomatic carriage of Plasmodium falciparum in southern Ghana: utility of molecular and serological diagnostic tools(Malaria Journal, 2022) Agbana, H.B.; Rogier, R.; Lo, A.; Abukari, Z.; Jones, S.; Gyan, B.; Aidoo, M.; Amoah, L.E.Background: Asymptomatic malaria infections can serve as potential reservoirs for malaria transmission. The density of parasites contained in these infections range from microscopic to submicroscopic densities, making the accurate detection of asymptomatic parasite carriage highly dependent on the sensitivity of the tools used for the diagnosis. This study sought to evaluate the sensitivities of a variety of molecular and serological diagnostic tools at determining the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum parasite infections in two communities with varying malaria parasite prevalence. Methods: Whole blood was collected from 194 afebrile participants aged between 6 and 70 years old living in a high (Obom) and a low (Asutsuare) malaria transmission setting of Ghana. Thick and thin blood smears, HRP2 based malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and flter paper dried blood spots (DBS) were prepared from each blood sample. Genomic DNA was extracted from the remaining blood and used in Plasmodium specifc photo-induced electron transfer poly merase chain reaction (PET-PCR) and Nested PCR, whilst the HRP2 antigen content of the DBS was estimated using a bead immunoassay. A comparison of malaria parasite prevalence as determined by each method was performed. Results: Parasite prevalence in the high transmission site of Obom was estimated at 71.4%, 61.9%, 60%, 37.8% and 19.1% by Nested PCR, the HRP2 bead assay, PET-PCR, HRP2-RDT and microscopy respectively. Parasite prevalence in the low transmission site of Asutsuare was estimated at 50.1%, 11.2%, 5.6%, 0% and 2.2% by Nested PCR, the HRP2 bead assay, PET-PCR, RDT and microscopy, respectively. The diagnostic performance of Nested PCR, PET-PCR and the HRP2 bead assay was similar in Obom but in Asutsuare, Nested PCR had a signifcantly higher sensitivity than PET-PCR and the HRP2 bead assay, which had similar sensitivity. Conclusions: Nested PCR exhibited the highest sensitivity by identifying the highest prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum in both the high and low parasite prevalence settings. However, parasite prevalence estimated by the HRP2 bead assay and PET-PCR had the highest level of inter-rater agreement relative to all the other tools tested and have the advantage of requiring fewer processing steps relative to Nested PCR and producing quantitative results.Item The Diversity, Multiplicity of Infection and Population Structure of P. falciparum Parasites Circulating in Asymptomatic Carriers Living in High and Low Malaria Transmission Settings of Ghana(Genes, 2019-01-03) Gyan, B.A.; Abukari, Z.; Okonu, R.; Nyarko, S.B.; Lo, A.C.; Dieng, C.C.; Salifu, S.P.; Lo, E.; Amoah, L.E.Background: Diversity in Plasmodium falciparum poses a major threat to malaria control and elimination interventions. This study utilized 12 polymorphic microsatellite (MS) markers and the Msp2 marker to examine diversity, multiplicity of infection (MOI) as well as the population structure of parasites circulating in two sites separated by about 92 km and with varying malaria transmission intensities within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Methods: The diversity and MOI of P. falciparum parasites in 160 non-symptomatic volunteers living in Obom (high malaria transmission intensity) and Asutsuare (low malaria transmission intensity) aged between 8 and 60 years was determined using Msp2 genotyping and microsatellite analysis. Results: The prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum carriers as well as the parasite density of infections was significantly higher in Obom than in Asutsuare. Samples from Asutsuare and Obom were 100% and 65% clonal, respectively, by Msp2 genotyping but decreased to 50% and 5%, respectively, when determined by MS analysis. The genetic composition of parasites from Obom and Asutsuare were highly distinct, with parasites from Obom being more diverse than those from Asutsuare. Conclusion: Plasmodium falciparum parasites circulating in Obom are genetically more diverse and distinct from those circulating in Asutsuare. The MOI in samples from both Obom and Asutsuare increased when assessed by MS analysis relative to MSP2 genotyping. The TA40 and TA87 loci are useful markers for estimating MOI in high and low parasite prevalence settings.Item Education and health care policies in ghana: Examining the prospects and challenges of recent provisions(SAGE Publications Inc., 2015) Abukari, Z.; Kuyini, A.B.; Mohammed, A.K.Education and health care policies in Ghana since independence have been universalist in approach providing free universal health care and free basic and tertiary education until the early 1980s. Precipitated primarily by a severe drought, stagnant economic growth, mismanagement, and political instability, Ghana undertook major economic reforms with prodding from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in a bid to salvage the economy. These economic measures included cost recovery and cutback spending in education and health sectors. However, in recent years, purposive targeted interventions have been pursued to address inequalities in education and health care. These new programs include the Education Capitation Grant, school feeding program, and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which are propelling Ghana toward the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The prospects of these programs in addressing disparities in access to education and health care in the country and recommendations for improved delivery are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.Item Population structure and diversity of Plasmodium falciparum in children with asymptomatic malaria living in different ecological zones of Ghana(BMC Infectious Diseases, 2021) Amoah, L.E.; Abukari, Z.; Dawson-Amoah, M.E.; Dieng, C.C.; Lo, E.; Afrane, Y.A.Background: Genetic diversity in Plasmodium falciparum populations can be used to describe the resilience and spatial distribution of the parasite in the midst of intensified intervention efforts. This study used microsatellite analysis to evaluate the genetic diversity and population dynamics of P. falciparum parasites circulating in three ecological zones of Ghana. Methods: A total of 1168 afebrile children aged between 3 to 13 years were recruited from five (5) Primary schools in 3 different ecological zones (Sahel (Tamale and Kumbungu), Forest (Konongo) and Coastal (Ada and Dodowa)) of Ghana. Asymptomatic malaria parasite carriage was determined using microscopy and PCR, whilst fragment analysis of 6 microsatellite loci was used to determine the diversity and population structure of P. falciparum parasites. Results: Out of the 1168 samples examined, 16.1 and 39.5% tested positive for P. falciparum by microscopy and nested PCR respectively. The genetic diversity of parasites in the 3 ecological zones was generally high, with an average heterozygosity (He) of 0.804, 0.787 and 0.608 the rainy (peak) season for the Sahel, Forest and Coastal zones respectively. The mean He for the dry (off-peak) season were 0.562, 0.693 and 0.610 for the Sahel, Forest and Coastal zones respectively. Parasites from the Forest zone were more closely related to those from the Sahel than from the Coastal zone, despite the Coastal zone being closer in physical distance to the Forest zone. The fixation indexes among study sites ranged from 0.049 to 0.112 during the rainy season and 0.112 to 0.348 during the dry season. Conclusion: A large asymptomatic parasite reservoir was found in the school children during both rainy and dry seasons, especially those in the Forest and Sahel savannah zones where parasites were also found to be related compared to those from the Coastal zone. Further studies are recommended to understand why despite the roll out of several malaria interventions in Ghana, high transmission still persist.