Smoked marine fish from Western Region, Ghana: a value chain assessment

The value chain analysis of ths report focused on smoked marine fish- overwhelmingly the most important fish product originating in Western Region, Ghana. Smoked fish from Western Region is mainly destined for the domestic market where demand is very strong. Small quantities of smoked fish are destined for markets in Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The underlying objective of the fisheries value chain analysis is to identify opportunities for growth in the fisheries value chain, with an emphasis on those opportunities that have the potential to generate significant additional livelihoods, particularly at the level of the fishing communities and for low-income groups. The results from the value chain analysis will be used to identify pilot interventions to promote those livelihood outcomes. The main focus for the study is smoked fish (major species/product forms) destined for domestic markets. However, work will also be undertaken on the fresh fish trade and frozen fish to find out more about the significance of these value chains

Breast cancer in Kumasi, Ghana

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Ghanaian women.Objective: To describes the characteristics of breast cancer patients attending the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana.Method: The study was conducted at the KomfoAnokye Teaching Hospital. Between July 1st 2004 and June 30th 2009 patients presenting with breast lumps were assessed by clinical examination, imaging studies and pathological examination. Relevant clinical and pathological were recorded prospectively data on allpatients with microscopically proven breast cancer. The cancers were graded according to the modified Bloom-Richardson system. Tissue immunoperoxidase stains for oestrogen, progesterone receptors and c-erb2 oncogene were performed with commercially preparedantigens and reagents.Results: Nineteen thousand four hundred and twenty –three (19,423) patients were seen during the study period. There were 330 (1.7%) patients with histologically proven breast cancer. The mean age was 49.1 years. A palpable breast lump was detected in 248 patients (75.2%). Two hundred and eighty –one patients (85.2%) presented with Stages III and IV , 271 (82.1 %) invasive and 230 ( 85.2%) high grade carcinomas.Oestrogen and progesterone receptors were positive in 32 and 9 cases respectively. Her2 protein was positive in 11 cases.Conclusion: In Kumasi, as in other parts of Ghana, breast cancer affects mostly young pre-menopausal who present with advanced disease. The cancers have unfavourable prognostic features and are unlikely torespond to hormonal therapy

Smoked marine fish from Western Region, Ghana: a value chain assessment

The value chain analysis of ths report focused on smoked marine fish- overwhelmingly the most important fish product originating in Western Region, Ghana. Smoked fish from Western Region is mainly destined for the domestic market where demand is very strong. Small quantities of smoked fish are destined for markets in Togo, Benin and Nigeria. The underlying objective of the fisheries value chain analysis is to identify opportunities for growth in the fisheries value chain, with an emphasis on those opportunities that have the potential to generate significant additional livelihoods, particularly at the level of the fishing communities and for low-income groups. The results from the value chain analysis will be used to identify pilot interventions to promote those livelihood outcomes. The main focus for the study is smoked fish (major species/product forms) destined for domestic markets. However, work will also be undertaken on the fresh fish trade and frozen fish to find out more about the significance of these value chains.Cured products, Food fish, Marketing, Processing fishery products, Ghana,

Potential groundwater pollution from improper oil and metal waste disposal in Suame, Ghana

Suame is an industrialized hub in Kumasi, Ghana, that is noted for vehicle repairs and servicing, sale of automobile spare parts, and metal fabrication. Some of these activities generate huge volumes of waste oil and metals that are often disposed off indiscriminately into the environment. These could pose a threat to the quality of groundwater in the area, especially if they continuously accumulate in the environment. This study, therefore, investigated the potential impact of the waste disposal on groundwater quality in the area. The methods employed involved mapping all the potential waste oil spillage sources and sampling the soils in such areas (at 0 – 30 and 30 – 60 cm depths) and groundwater supply points for laboratory analyses to determine the presence of the waste. In all, 36 samples (comprising 12 soil and 24 groundwater) were analysedfor the presence of heavy metals including Cd, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr, which were used as traceelements for the presence of the waste in the samples. Computedgeo-accumulation indices from the results show the soils are moderately to heavily polluted with Cd and Pb whilst the groundwater, when compared to the WHO drinking water guidelines, is polluted with Pb and Ni. Althoughthe source of the high Pb content observed could be attributed to its transport directly from the activities in the area, the presence of high Ni makes it inconclusive since the Ni in the soil was within the concentration expected of the parent rock geochemistry. This notwithstanding, the study has indicated that groundwater in the area is not safe for human consumption unless the lead and nickel concentrations are reduced to acceptable standard for drinking.Keywords: Groundwater quality, pollution, waste disposal, Suame, Ghan

Tropical Legumes to Augment Forage Yield in the Eastern Caribbean

Little information is available on the contribution of tropical legumes to forage yield in the eastern Caribbean. This study assessed the effects of three grazing cycles (GC; 5, 10 and 15-wk) on seasonal dry matter (DM) yield of binary mixtures of the tropical legumes glycine (Neonotonia wightii) and desmanthus (Desmanthus virgatus) with “Bambatsi” (Panicum coloratum) and “Mottgrass” (Pennisetum purpureum Shum.). Plant responses were assessed by mob-grazing with sheep (12-24 hrs; to average stubble height of 15-cm) for each GC. Grazing cycles affected yield of both the legume and grass component (P\u3c 0.05). At GC of 5-weeks, forage DM ranged from 1.5-2.0 Mg ha-1 in both years. Forage yield increases at10 and 15-wk for both grass and legume were two-fold. Legume yield contribution ranged from 12-32 percentage by weight in 1997 and 33 to 58% in 1999. Desmanthus dominated bambatsi swards. Glycine associated well with both bambatsi and Mottgrass. Because of its aggressive shrub-growth habit, Desmanthus is better suited for use as hedgerows in native pastures. Glycine is more compatible to use as binary mixtures with grasses to increase yield and nutritive value in the eastern Caribbean

Sewage Sludge as an Alternative Fertilizer for Tropical Pasture Grasses

This study was conducted to determine the effects of source (Liquid sludge at pH 7 (LS7) or pH 11 (LS11), cake biosolid (CB) or ammonium nitrate (AM)) by rate (0, 80 or 160 kg ha-1) of N application on bahiagrass forage yield, quality and tissue composition. Same plots were fertilized in March 1998 and 1999. Forage yield was measured at 30 d intervals from May through November and subsamples were dried and ground for quality analyses. The 2-year mean forage yield was similar for AM, LS7 and LS 11 fertilizer applications. Forage yield from CB application was 30% lower than yield from other N sources at comparable N rates. Forage crude protein content was highest for the AM treatment only during the initial harvest. Tissue concentrations of plant nutrients were increased by organic sources of fertilizer. These results, in conjunction with data from soil and groundwater analyses, suggest that processed domestic septage could be a safe and inexpensive substitute to inorganic fertilizer for tropical pasture grasses

A Comparative Analysis of Social Media Usage and Academic Performance in Public and Private Senior High Schools

The study comparatively analyzed social media usage and academic performance in public and private senior high schools. The issue of social media and academic performance has been a very debatable topic with regard to its effect. This study further explores the relation between private and public schools in relation to social media use and academic performance. The objectives of the study was to find out activities performed by students on social media, its effect on spelling during examination, and to find out if participation affected students grades before and after using social media. The study used the survey method to solicit responses from two public senior schools and two private senior high schools. The study revealed that majority of respondents from the private schools used Whatsapp and Facebook more often. Also, respondents from the private schools spent more hours online as compared to counterparts in the public schools. In addition, a higher proportion of respondents from the private schools experienced drop in grades as compared to their counterparts in the public schools. The study therefore recommends a strict enforcement of rules in private schools, counselling for addicted students etc. Keywords: Social Media, Grades, Public Schools, Private Schools, Addictio

Hydrogeological evaluation of geological formations in Ashanti Region, Ghana

The success of groundwater exploitation in an area largely depends on prior knowledge of existing hydrogeological parameters such as borehole yield, overburden thickness, depth of boreholes, static water level, specific capacity and the quality of water. This study, therefore, employed Geographical Information System to assess some of these hydrogeological parameters in the Ashanti Region using the ordinary kriging interpolation method. Data on 2,788 drilled boreholes in the region were used and the assessment focused on the various geological formations in the region that comprised the Birimian, Granitoids, Tarkwaian and Voltaian formations. The study results indicate that the Birimian formation is generally within medium to high yielding potential zones (30 – 60 l/min or higher) with a high drilling success rate of 91% and average borehole depth of 53 m. The Granitoids are, mostly, within the low yielding zone (< 30 l/min) with isolated high yielding boreholes and have average borehole depth and drilling success rate of 50 m and 72 % respectively. The Tarkwaian formation, on other hand, is within the medium yield zone with a drilling success rate of 80 % whilst the Voltaian formation is mainly classified to fall within low yield zone with about 60% success rate although significant high yield zones occur within the sandstone formation underlying its westernmost part in the region. Groundwater in the region is generally potable except in a few locations within the Birimian and ranitoids,where there are problems with levels of iron, nitrate, manganese and pH. Keywords: Groundwater; Hydrogeological parameters; Geological formations; Geographical Information System; Ashanti Regio

The Prospects and Challenges of Information Retrieval by University Students: A case study of Post Graduate Students of the University of Ghana, Legon

The poor performance of students in the various universities has been attributed to the inability of students to effectively retrieve information for academic work. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prospects and challenges of information retrieval among university students. The survey research method was used to investigate the awareness and use of information retrieval systems, document retrieved and its relevance to student’s information need, challenges of information retrieval among students and future expectation of information retrieving skills by students. Three student faculties in the University of Ghana, Legon participated in the study. A questionnaire consisting of 29 items was used as an instrument for collecting data. The findings reveal that students from all the faculties considered are highly aware of the information retrieval systems. However, there was no relationship between awareness of information retrieval systems and faculties. The study also shows that the use of information retrieval tools to retrieve relevant information depends on the information needs of the student. The study recommends that information retrieval skills training programme should be embedded in the curriculum and undertaken at an appropriate time and supported by academic staff of the University. In addition, the University administrators should ensure students studying subjects without an emphasis upon technology receive sufficient information retrieval skills training so that they are not prejudiced against due to subject chosen. Also, ensure that information retrieval skills training are pitched at a level which is appropriate to the individual needs of the student.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,