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Item 10,000 miners, 10,000 votes: Politics and mining in Ghana(Africa, 2018-11) Ntewusu, S.A.In their article‘Governing access to gold in Ghana: in-depth geopolitics onmining concessions’, Luning and Pijpers (2017) discuss important politicalissues around mining in Ghana. Using the companies Keegan and Newmont asunits of analysis, and drawing on insights from geography and anthropology,the authors call for an alternative approach to geopolitical issues in mining.They point out that mining concessions are sites of governance that involve eco-nomic players–that is, mining companies and artisanal miners/galamsey–andpolitical authorities positioned at national as well as local scales (ibid.: 761). Ofgreater interest, the authors argue, is the kind of relationship that has developedbetween established exploration or mining companies andgalamseyoperators.The authors point out that the maintenance of such a relationship, thoughuneasy, is necessary in ensuring continuous mining in the areas where thesemining companies are located.This commentary focuses on an aspect of the article that deals with the issue ofgalamsey. Drawing on historical events, I discuss some key characteristics of arti-sanal mining and miners and the issue of hybrid governance, involving traditionaland modern authorities in mining in Ghana.Item 10,000 year history of plant use at Bosumpra Cave, Ghana(Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2015-01) Oas, S.E.; D’Andrea, A.C.; Watson, D.J.Investigations of hunter-gatherer subsistence, early food production, and the development of agroforestry systems during the Later Stone Age (LSA) of West Africa have proven challenging because of limited recovery and analysis of archaeological evidence relating directly to subsistence. This paper examines changes in the use of plant resources over a 10,000 year period at Bosumpra Cave, southern Ghana. Large quantities of recovered Canarium schweinfurthii (incense tree) and Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) endocarp preserved at the site allow for the assessment of previous observations about changes in the relative importance of tree fruit resources over time. Results point to the possibility that C. schweinfurthii was a managed resource and may be useful as a marker of forager subsistence in tropical forest regions. The exploitation of C. schweinfurthii persisted in the early and middle Holocene, but was eventually overshadowed in the late Holocene by Kintampo food-producing economies based on Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet), Vigna unguiculata (cowpea) and E. guineensis. The Bosumpra deposits also yielded domesticated pearl millet and cowpea, allowing for the comparison of LSA hunter-gatherer and early food producer subsistence practices and cultural interactions in southern Ghana.Item 10-year longitudinal study of malaria in children: Insights into acquisition and maintenance of naturally acquired immunity(Wellcome Open Research, 2022) Addy, J.W.G.; Bediako, Y.; Ndungu, F.M.; Valetta, J.J.; Reid, A.J.; Mwacharo, J.; Ngoi, J.M.; Wambua, J.; Otieno, E.; Musyoki, J.; Mohammed, K.S.; Berriman, M.; Marsh, K.; Bejon, P.; Recker, M.; Langhorne, J.Studies of long-term malaria cohorts have provided essential insights into how Plasmodium falciparum interacts with humans, and influences the development of antimalarial immunity. Immunity to malaria is acquired gradually after multiple infections, some of which present with clinical symptoms. However, there is considerable variation in the number of clinical episodes experienced by children of the same age within the same cohort. Understanding this variation in clinical symptoms and how it relates to the development of naturally acquired immunity is crucial in identifying how and when some children stop experiencing further malaria episodes. Where variability in clinical episodes may result from different rates of acquisition of immunity, or from variable exposure to the parasite. Methods: Using data from a longitudinal cohort of children residing in an area of moderate P. falciparum transmission in Kilifi district, Kenya, we fitted cumulative episode curves as monotonic-increasing splines, to 56 children under surveillance for malaria from the age of 5 to 15. Results: There was large variability in the accumulation of numbers of clinical malaria episodes experienced by the children, despite being of similar age and living in the same general location. One group of children from a particular sub-region of the cohort stopped accumulating clinical malaria episodes earlier than other children in the study. Despite lack of further clinical episodes of malaria, these children had higher asymptomatic parasite densities and higher antibody titres to a panel of P. falciparum blood-stage antigens. Conclusions: This suggests development of clinical immunity rather than lack of exposure to the parasite, and supports the view that this immunity to malaria disease is maintained by a greater exposure to P. falciparum, and thus higher parasite burdens. Our study illustrates the complexity of anti-malaria immunity and underscores the need for analyses which can sufficiently reflect the heterogeneity within endemic populations.Item The 130-Year War Between Man And Pneumococcus: Who Is Winning?(University of Ghana, 2022-02-10) Sampane-Donkor, E.Abstract Streptococcus pneumoniae, also referred to as pneumococcus, was first isolated in 1881. Over the ensuing 130-year period, the organism has been recognized as one of the most virulent microbial pathogens, recording case fatality rates of up to 66%. An important characteristic of S. pneumoniae is the presence of a polysaccharide capsule, which is the main virulence determinant of the organism and the basis of about 95 pneumococcal capsular types, as well as current pneumococcal vaccines. Clinically, pneumococcus causes several invasive and non-invasive diseases including pneumonia, meningitis, septicaemia, sinusitis and acute otitis media. Globally, there are about 14.5 million episodes of serious pneumococcal disease among children less than 5 years of age each year, resulting in approximately 500,000 deaths, the majority of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. S. pneumoniae is noted for causing outbreaks in some sub-Saharan African countries and particularly, serotype 1 of the organism has been implicated in outbreaks in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali and The Gambia. The public health burden related to S. pneumoniae is further heightened by the increasing resistance of the organism to essential antimicrobial agents particularly penicillin, cephalosporins and macrolides. The high occurrence of pneumococcal antibiotic-resistant genes coupled with the ease with which such genes can spread horizontally, have enhanced global dissemination of successful multi-drug resistant pneumococcal clones such as Spain23F-1, South Africa19A-13 and Greece 6B-22. It is estimated that up to 40% of S. pneumoniae display multi-drug resistant phenotypes, which is highly variable among countries. Paradoxically, S. pneumoniae is carried as part of the normal bacterial flora of the upper respiratory tract of humans, and carriage is the precursor for development of pneumococcal disease, and is also responsible for transmission of the organism from person-to-person. Carriage of pneumococcus is particularly high among children younger than five years; the colonization rate rises from birth and peaks around the age of 1–2 years, and thereafter experiences an age-related decline. The enormous public health burden associated with S. pneumoniae underscores the importance of its control through vaccination. At present, two types of pneumococcal vaccines are available: conjugate vaccines and the pure polysaccharide vaccine (unconjugated). The pure polysaccharide vaccine has 23 serotypes, and has a good efficacy of 60%–70% in protecting against these serotypes. However, its usefulness is limited as it induces no herd effect, its duration of protection is short, and infants respond poorly to it. Most of these limitations have been overcome by the relatively new conjugate vaccines, in which purified capsular polysaccharides are conjugated to a nontoxic variant of the diphtheria toxin. Current pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) consist of 10 or 13 capsular types and have been introduced into the immunisation programme of about 146 countries. Following the introduction of PCVs, there has been a dramatic decline in pneumococcal infections in vaccinated children and a herd immunity effect in other age groups. However, this success has been tempered by serotype replacement for ongoing invasive pneumococcal disease. The trend of escalating pneumococcal antibiotic resistance coupled with the failure of discovering new antibiotics in recent times to “attack” the pneumococcus, and the limitations of current pneumococcal vaccines, seem to be tilting the “pneumococcal war” in favour of the organism. A pneumococcal vaccine based on a highly conserved surface protein among all pneumococcal serotypes and strains is required to eventually defeat S. pneumoniae. However, such a vaccine has eluded the scientific community for many years now. In this lecture, Professor Eric Sampane-Donkor will provide an in-depth review of pneumococcus, delivering insights into the biology and pathogenicity of the organism. He will discuss pneumococcal interventions and evolutionary responses of the organism to these interventions. In particular, the lecture will highlight important contributions that his research group at the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, has made to this exciting and important field of infectious disease research in the past two decades. Profile Professor Eric Sampane-Donkor is a Professor of Bacteriology and Global Health in the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, College of Health Sciences. He holds a PhD in Medical Microbiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and a PhD in Public Health from the University of Iceland, Reykjavik. He undertook postdoctoral studies in Microbial Genomics at University of Cambridge, UK. His other academic qualifications include MSc Structural Molecular Biology from Birkbeck College, University of London, UK, MPhil Animal Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Ghana, Legon, MBA Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Postgraduate Diploma in Infectious and Tropical Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, and a BSc (Hons) degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ghana, Legon. With a broad academic background, Professor Sampane-Donkor applies concepts from several fields to help address the global infectious disease challenge through research. His current research interests focus on understanding the dynamics of infectious pathogens in at-risk populations, such as patients with stroke, sickle cell disease and diabetes. He has authored 112 journal articles, mainly in international journals, of which he is first and/or senior author of 62. Many of Professor Sampane-Donkor’s publications appear in reputable journals, such as MBio, BMC Genomics, Lancet Infectious Diseases, Lancet EClinical Medicine, Frontiers in Infection and Cellular Microbiology, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, and Genes. Additionally, he has 15 publications in the form of book chapters (5), books (2) and technical reports (8). Professor Sampane-Donkor is a high-level expert on the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae), a highly virulent microbial pathogen that causes severe invasive and non-invasive diseases, such as pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia. His work on this pathogen contributed to the introduction of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Ghana in 2012, and also earned him the first African Prize of the Robert Austrian Award in Pneumococcal Vaccinology from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, USA. He has also researched extensively on the evolution of antibiotic resistance in Ghana, providing timely data for empirical treatment of bacterial infections in the country. For instance, a paper he published on antibiotic resistance of uropathogens in 2016 was the basis for discontinuation of ciprofloxacin in the treatment of urinary tract infections among bladder outlet obstruction patients at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Researching in the area of global health, Professor Sampane-Donkor has been involved in extensive collaborations across the globe, working with institutions such as the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK, Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, Sackler School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University in Israel, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, USA, and the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Taif University in Saudi Arabia. Professor Sampane-Donkor provides consultancy services to several local and international institutions, such as the National Accreditation Board of Ghana, Clinton Health Access Initiative and the World Health Organization. In a recent assignment, he undertook and led a nationwide study for the Ghanaian Ministry of Health towards a public-private partnership in diagnostics as part of the African Health Diagnostics Platform. This study formed the basis for assessing Ghana’s share of a € 76-million loan from the European Investment Bank to four African countries, namely Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana, to improve diagnostics in the sub-region. Overall, Professor Sampane-Donkor has undertaken 15 funded research projects, with funding support from several institutions, such as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations, World Health Organization, Wyeth Vaccines and Eimksip Fund. Currently, he is the Principal Investigator of a US$ 622,000 project funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA, to unravel the impact of vaccination on the population biology of Streptococcus pneumoniae with regard to children with sickle cell disease; he is also the site (Ghana) Principal Investigator of an ongoing £ 3.1 million Fleming Fund regional grant project aimed at addressing the problem of antimicrobial resistance in developing countries through surveillance; moreover he is the Principal Investigator of an ongoing US$ 100,000 project funded by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, USA on surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease in Ghana. In the last five years, Prof Sampane-Donkor has received research funds to the tune of US$ 6.5 million as either Principal Investigator or Coinvestigator. He serves as Academic Editor for several journals, including Frontiers in Tropical Medicine (USA), Pathogens Journal (Switzerland), and the Journal of Ghana Science Association. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for many local and international journals. Prof Sampane-Donkor had been a visiting faculty/scientist to several international institutions, such as the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, University of Sussex in the UK and University of Minnesota in the United States. Currently, he is a Visiting Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Sackler School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Israel and a Life Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK. He is part of several international initiatives, including the Global Pneumococcal Sequencing Consortium, Fleming Fund Convening of Antimicrobial Resistance Experts, Partnerships for International Medical Education, and the Global Bacterial Vaccinology Network (BactiVac). At the University of Ghana, Professor Sampane-Donkor has served on several committees, including the Graduate School Board, Ethical and Protocol Review Committee of the College of Health Sciences, Scientific and Technical Committee of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Editorial Board of the UG Readers Project, College of Health Sciences Research Board (Chairman), Board of the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID), UG Academic Board, and Academic Board of the College of Health Sciences. Currently, he is the ViceChancellor’s representative on the Management Committee of the School of Biological Sciences and the head of the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School. Professor Sampane-Donkor has mentored 8 junior faculty members and supervised 3 postdoctoral fellows, 10 PhD students and 31 MPhil/MSc students in Ghana and abroad. He has contributed to the training of about 3000 undergraduate medical students in Ghana, across the University of Ghana Medical School, Accra College of Medicine and Family Health Medical School, in the subject area of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. He has served as external examiner for several institutions such as the University of London’s MSc programme in Communicable Diseases. In recognition of his high achievements, contribution to science in Ghana, and excellent academic scholarship, Professor Sampane-Donkor was elected to fellowship of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science in the UK. Professor Eric Sampane-Donkor fellowships with the Deeper Life Campus Fellowship. He is married to Gloria Sampane-Donkor and they have four daughters: Richelle, Micheline, Shirley and Johanna. Link to full CV: https://dmm.ug.edu.gh/people/faculty/eric-sampane-donkorItem 18S and ITS1 genomic sequence variations in Rotylenchulus reniformis isolates from Alabama(Journal of Cotton Science, 2013-01) Nyaku, S.T.; Kantety, R.V.; Tilahun, Y.; Lawrence, K.S.; Soliman, K.M.; Cebert, E.; Sharma, G.C.Upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., is highly susceptible to infection by reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis), which can cause over 10% reduction of cotton yields in Alabama. Detection of reniform nematode (RN) and analysis for molecular variation within its population is important for understanding its interactions with cotton and other host plant species. Restriction analysis of PCR products of ITS1 regions was achieved using four restriction enzymes, HaeIII, HhaI, MspI, and RsaI. These showed similar banding patterns for both male and female populations. However, MspI digestion of ITS1 amplification products showed variants within the combined sex and location effects primarily attributed to a 500 bp fragment that was absent in other restriction digestions. Intra-nematodal variations in 18S and ITS1 rDNA were studied in detail by sequencing a minimum of ten clones in each individual male and female RN isolates in both directions. Multiple sequence alignment of the 18S rDNA sequences showed two major types of sequences within this gene for both male and female RN clones, which could be distinguished at 27 specific sites. Two distinct ITS1 fragments of lengths (550 bp and 720 bp) were observed; referred to as ITS1S and ITS1L respectively. Neighbor-joining analysis was used in revealing the relationships and grouping characteristics between male and female RN clones, with clones grouping together irrespective of sex and isolate. Sequencing of one-third of the 18S and ITS1 rDNA regions provided clear evidence of intra-and inter-nematode variability, in addition to gene conversion events in the 18S rDNA of individual male and female RN clones. © The Cotton Foundation 2013.Item An 18S ribosomal DNA barcode for the study of Isomermis lairdi, a parasite of the blackfly Simulium damnosum s.l.(Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 2009) Crainey, J.L.; Wilson, M.D.; Post, R.J.The mermithid parasite, Isomermis lairdi Mondet, Poinar & Bernadou (Nematoda: Mermithidae), is known to have a major impact on populations of Simulium damnosum s.l. Theobald (Diptera: Simuliidae) and on their efficiency as vectors of Onchocerca volvulus (Leuckart) (Nematoda: Filarioidea). However, the value of I. lairdi and other mermithid parasites as potential means of integrated vector control has not been fully realized. This is partly because traditional taxonomic approaches have been insufficient for describing and analysing important aspects of their biology and host range. In total, rDNA barcode sequences have been obtained from over 70 I. lairdi mermithids found parasitizing S. damnosum s.l. larvae in three different rivers. No two sequences were found to vary by more than 0.5%, and cytospecies identification of mermithid hosts revealed that I. lairdi with identical rDNA barcodes can parasitize multiple cytoforms of the S. damnosum complex, including S. squamosum (Enderlein). Phylogenetic analysis using a partial sequence from the 18S ribosomal DNA barcode, grouped I. lairdi in a monophyletic group with Gastromermis viridis Welch (Nematoda: Mermithidae) and Isomermis wisconsinensis Welch (Nematoda: Mermithidae).Item 1977 July(ECOWAS, 1977-07) ECOWASItem 1977 November(ECOWAS, 1977-11) ECOWASItem 1979, May(ECOWAS, 1979-05-02) ECOWASEconomic Comunity of west African States, Report of the Fifth meeting of the council of ministers,Dakar,may 2-4,1979.Item 1979,November(ECOWAS, 1979-11-26) ECOWASEconomic Comunity of west African States,Sixth meeting of the council of ministers,Dakar,November,26-28,1979. Final Report.Item 1980 May(ECOWAS, 1980-05-22) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 7th Session of the Council of Ministers, Lome, 22 - 25 May, 1980Item 1980 November(ECOWAS, 1980-11-17) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States, Council of Ministers Meeting, Lome 17 - 19 November, 1980Item 1981 May(ECOWAS, 1981-05-24) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States Ninth Session of the Council of Ministers, Freetown, 24 - 27 May 1981Item 1981 November(ECOWAS, 1981-11-23) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 10th Session of the Council of Ministers, Freetown 23 - 25 November 1981Item 1982 May(ECOWAS, 1982-05-21) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 11th Session of the Council of Ministers, Cotonou, 21 - 26 May 1982Item 1982 November(ECOWAS, 1982-11-15) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 12th Session of the Council of Ministers, Cotonou, 15 -17 November 1982Item 1983 May(ECOWAS, 1983-05-25) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States Extraordinary Session of the Council of Ministers, Conakry 25 -26 May 1983Item 1983 May(ECOWAS, 1983-05-05) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 13th Session of the Council of Ministers, Conakry, 5 -7 May, 1983Item 1983 November(ECOWAS, 1983-11-24) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 14th Session of the Council of Ministers, Conakry, 24 - 26 November 1983Item 1984 July(ECOWS, 1984-07-20) ECOWASEconomic Community of West African States 15th Session of the Council of Ministers, Lagos 20 -21 July 1984