Journal of Science and Technology (Ghana)

Psychological Wellbeing and Coping Strategies of University Students with Physical Disability

2024-12-18T11:50:42+00:00

Objective: University education can be challenging and students with disabilities (SWDs) have the added disadvantage of disability as a potential source of distress. This study examined the psychological well-being of students with physical disabilities at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and how they cope.
Method: This was a cross-sectional study using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Brief COPE assessment tools to assess psychological distress and coping mechanisms among KNUST students with physical disabilities. Descriptive analyses, including correlations, were performed to examine the associations between well-being indices and coping variables.
Results: Forty-five (45) students participated in the study. The mean age was 23 years (SD±2.96) and 77.8% of them were male students. Approximately 31.1% of the students experiencedm moderate to severe stress, 42.2% experienced moderate to extremely severe depression, and 46.7% experienced moderate to extremely severe anxiety. Emotion focused coping style was the most highly used among the students followed by problem-focused, then avoidant coping. This is suggestive of poor adaptation.
Conclusion: University SWD experience varied levels of depression, anxiety and stress with majority of them adopting an emotion focused coping style. Continuous efforts should be made to identify psychological distress among SWDs and provide the necessary intervention to ameliorate and prevent the worsening of their challenges.

Multiple Trichofolliculomas in An Adolescent Female: A Case Report

2024-12-18T12:00:08+00:00

Trichofolliculoma is a rare benign tumour of hair follicle tissue that is often found on the face and neck. It is usually a dome-shaped papule or nodule with a central pore and a tuft of immature hairs growing through it. It typically presents as a solitary lesion, with onset in adulthood. We report a rare case of multiple facial trichofolliculomas in an adolescent female, with onset in childhood. The patient was a 12-year-old who presented with non-pruritic facial lesions of seven years duration that were occasionally painful. On examination, multiple skin-coloured nodules and papules with central pores confined to the face were noted. The lesions were numerous, hence presenting a challenge in individually counting them. Nevertheless, we estimated the number of lesions to exceed 120. There was no hair, nails, mucosae, or systemic involvement. The clinical diagnosis of trichofolliculoma was confirmed with an excision biopsy of a single lesion for histopathology. Treatment was with curettage under local anaesthesia for cosmetic reasons. Healing was rapid (within four to five days) with no significant scarring or recurrence after six months of follow-up. Multiple trichofolliculomas, though uncommon, can manifest in young patients. Histological diagnosis is critical in treatment because it helps to rule out similar conditions.

Development of Breast Phantom for Clinical Simulation and Educational Purposes

2024-12-18T12:09:25+00:00

The development of a breast phantom for clinical and educational purposes is critical to providing a realistic and standardized model for training healthcare personnel in breast examination procedures, image interpretation, quality control, and procedure skills. Many current phantoms tend to fall short in providing realistic stiffness and acoustic attenuation. A gelatin-water mixture was used to make a tissue-like breast phantom. Gelatin was chosen for its biocompatibility, non- toxicity, and ability to replicate the mechanical and radiological properties of human soft tissue. Following the phantom’s fabrication, Computed Tomography (CT) imaging was used to calculate its Hounsfield units (HU), a measure of tissue density in comparison to water. The resulting HU value was then utilized to determine the phantom’s Relative Electron Density (RED), which is an important metric in determining if the phantom is suitable as a proxy for human tissue. The phantom’s computed RED value of 1.012 ± 0.036 is within the tolerance range of the typical RED of human breast tissue (0.976), with a 3.6% margin of error. This error percentage is due to the difficulties in correctly reproducing the varied makeup of human breast tissue, which includes a complex blend of glandular, fatty, and connective components. Despite this, the breast phantom has potential as a replacement for real human breast tissue, making it useful in research, clinical practice, education, and quality assurance. This study contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being by developing technology and strategies for early detection and treatment of breast cancer. By improving the accuracy of breast imaging technology, this work adds to the larger goal of guaranteeing healthy lives and fostering well-being of people.

Assessment of Photon Beam Parameters of the Varian Clinac IX Linear Accelerator

2024-12-18T12:26:48+00:00

Radiation therapy accuracy and consistency are crucial in cancer treatment. However, technical issues such as machine breakdowns, can compromise radiation delivery, leading to non-uniform dose distribution, hot or cold spots, and, suboptimal treatment outcomes including local tumor recurrence. This study assesses the photon beam parameters of the Varian Clinac iX Linear Accelerator at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to ensure the machine’s clinical reliability. Beam profiles were analyzed for 6 MV and 16 MV photon energies, using a 30 x 30 x 30 cm3 water phantom, electrometer, and ionization chamber. Measurements were taken at different depths for 10 × 10 cm2 and 15 × 15 cm2 field sizes. The beam flatness and symmetry of the 6 MV photon energy ranged from 0.88 % to 2.22 % and 0.25 % to 0.78 %, respectively, for the 10 × 10 cm2 field size, and from 1.39 % to 2.34 % and 0.57 % to 0.96 %, respectively, for the 15 × 15 cm2 field size. Flatness and symmetry for the 16 MV photon energy ranged from 1.98 % to 2.42 % and 0.36% to 1.04 % for the 10 × 10 cm2 field size, and from 1.25 % to 2.55 % and 0.25 % to 0.67 % for the 15 × 15 cm2 field size. The measured charge for 6 MV photon was 16.59 nC while the 16 MV photon energy measured 19.28 nC. The findings indicate that the Linear Accelerator is in good condition for clinical use. However, regular quality control checks are recommended to maintain its performance and ensure the consistent and accurate cancer treatment.

Evaluation of the Quality of Canned Snail (Achinatta Achinatta) Meats Based on Biochemical and Microbial Parameters.

2024-12-19T09:30:55+00:00

In this research work, snail meat was canned. Microbial and proximate analyses of fresh and canned snail meat were carried out. The purpose was to investigate the effects of brine, vinegar, and combinations of different concentrations of brine and vinegar on the microbial counts and proximate composition, aimed at establishing the appropriate method of blanching during canning. The snail meat was blanched with different concentrations of brine of 1%, 3% and 5%; vinegar concentrations of 50%, 75% and 100%; and a mixture of 3% brine + 50% vinegar, 3% brine + 75% vinegar, 5% brine + 75% vinegar and 5% brine + 100% vinegar. The initial number of microorganisms in the treated samples after blanching determines the efficiency of the chemical preservative based on their viable count. The result showed both 1% brine and 3% brine concentrations had 20% and 28% percentage reductions in microbes of the snail meat respectively by the end of the first day. However, there was a progressive increase in the total viable count after the first day until the projected 7th day. 5% brine recorded a 51.57% reduction and was more effective in reducing viable organisms of the sample for the first two days but also increased progressively until the seventh day. The 50% vinegar concentration showed a higher viable count at the end of the seven days of test with a 57.89% reduction in the viable count. The 75% vinegar was also effective, with a 60.53% reduction in the viable count, and 100% vinegar, with a 68.4% reduction, as the best. It was evident from this study that the optimum brine concentration of 5% can be established as brine media concentration according to its high microbial reduction ability and lowest pH of 5.9.

Prevalence And Risk Fctors Of Anaemia Among Women Of Reproductive Age In A Ghanaian University

2024-12-19T09:42:59+00:00

Background: Anaemia is a clinical condition that results in the reduction of haemoglobin levels in the body and affects 33% of women of reproductive age worldwide (about 613 million women between 15 and 49 years of age). In Ghana, the occurrence of anaemia is reported to be 66% in children between the ages of 6 and 59 months, and 42% among women of reproductive age. This study determined the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia among women of reproductive age at a Ghanaian University.
Method: Two hundred and six non-pregnant women aged 15–40 years, randomly selected from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, participated in this cross-sectional study. Data on socio-demographics, anthropometrics, dietary diversity scores and information on monthly blood flow (menstruation) and anaemia awareness were collected. Haemoglobin (Hb) levels, oxygen saturation levels and malaria infection status were also determined. The relationships between the independent variables and anaemic status of the study participants were assessed using bi-variate analysis.
Results: The overall anaemia prevalence was 67.5%, and the prevalence of mild, moderate and severe anaemia were 35.4%, 26.7% and 5.3%, respectively. About 56.8% of the participants had a high dietary diversity score, and more than half (57.8%) had a normal body mass index (18- 24.9kg/m2). There was no significant association between body mass index (p=0.430), dietary diversity score (p=0.711), oxygen saturation level (p=0.761) and anaemia. However, monthly blood loss significantly contributed to anaemia (p=0.047).
Conclusion: This study has highlighted the high prevalence of anaemia among reproductive-age women. Body mass index, dietary diversity score and oxygen saturation level were not potential risk factors associated with anaemia. However, monthly blood loss was associated with anaemia. Due to the adverse consequences of anaemia on the health of reproductive women, proper interventions such as regular supplementation of the diet with iron and folate can be included to replenish blood loss.

Some Insights into Communication Design Students’ E-Learning Experiences During the Covid-19 Pandemic in a University Setting

2024-12-19T10:14:19+00:00

During the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions were forced to shut down and adopt online tools for teaching and learning. In the context of design faculties, the quest to equip students with practical skills demanded an e-learning experience that was robust and similar to in-person lectures. Though studies have been done on different aspects of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, the online learning experiences of design students have not been explored extensively. This study, therefore, aimed at exploring design students’ experiences with e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic using Activity theory as a lens. The study used a focus group discussion with twenty-five students who were grouped into six. The data gathered were thematically analysed. The findings show that the students were mentally prepared for online learning due to their exposure before the pandemic and thus students could use the online tools very well with little assistance from lecturers and their colleagues. Thus, students’ preparation, innovative thinking for solutions, lecturers’ guidance, the use of social media tools along mainstream e-learning tools and colleagues’ support were successful factors for the communication design students’ positive practical experience of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding the positive experiences, some challenges were encountered by the students, which included high data cost, high data consumption by some of the e-learning tools, screen fatigue as well as poor connectivity disrupted the flow of some of the virtual lessons.