Democracy Takes Another Step Forward in #GhanaDecides 2016

Kafui Tsekpo and Alexander Afram analyse the implications behind the 2016 general elections in Ghana

Effects of mining activities on access to potable water: households’ perception and practices at Konongo and Odumasi communities in Ghana.

This research work adds to the knowledge the academic community and policy makers have about mining activities as not only contributing to socioeconomic development but also capable of causing problems. Specifically, it looks at how mining activities affect water resources and hence water access in the mining communities of Konongo and Odumasi based on the perception, opinions and practices of selected households. Through the use of the fish bowl probability sampling, a total of 107 households were selected from the mining communities of Konongo and Odumasi to respond to interviews. Institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Owere Mines Limited (OML) and Asante Akyem North Municipal Assembly (AANMA) were purposively sampled for relevant information for the study. The study revealed that people’s perception and opinion about the state of the Owere and Agogowa streams as being made dirty by mining activities has caused less utilisation of such streams. Households have coped with mining related problems by resorting to the use of pipe borne and hand dug well waters. With these mechanisms households have coped well with mining activities and mining related problems. It is recommended that the OML and AANMA provide alternative sources of drinking water in the form of bore holes and pipe borne water in abundance. These sources should be made accessible and affordable especially to the poor who cannot afford to dig their own wells and also buy pipe borne water. Keywords: Mining activities, households’ perceptions, practices, water access, and coping strategies

Värme- och ventilationssystem : Den historiska utvecklingen och det arkitektoniska samspelet

This thesis involves heating and ventilation systems in architecture. The thesis will show how the heating and ventilation systems have looked like and developed overtime. With the help of information developed, three concepts will be created as a result of having combined different concept development methods. The goal is to reach a conclusion on how the optimum house should look like enabling heating and ventilation systems to be easy to maintain and use, and be so energy efficient as possible while fulfilling its purpose. To get a good result all possible factors that in a major or minor scale have impact on the system will be attended. This is for a holistic approach to demonstrate which aspects should get the right measure of perception in the context of building construction projects. Both architecture and internal technology has changed much in recent decades. Within the architecture the rooftops has only decreased, thicker windows and doors are sealed more than ever, the use of mechanized ventilation system is increasingly being introduced and applied, and for the investment costs for a new building to be minimized quick solutions have been figured out. The big picture has unfortunately, because of lack of knowledge, not always been taken into account. The new architecture has caused more problems than good. The low ceiling height impedes the natural air circulation in the room, which contributes to poorer air quality and thickening of the windows and doors makes the inhabitants inherently completely dependent on the capability of the mechanized ventilation to fulfill its purpose. Through three examples of how houses can be built, the report shall give an understanding of the connection between the heating, ventilation and architectural interaction.Validerat; 20111209 (anonymous

Modeling and validation of an active chilled beam terminal unit

In this paper, a simplified hybrid model is proposed for an active chilled beam (ACB) terminal unit. Based on the conservation equations of mass and energy, the model demonstrates the air entrainment characteristics in the air chamber and the heat transfer process in cooling coil. Compared with the existing ACB model, the proposed model not only can capture the effects of the air buoyancy but also can reduce the complexity of the cooling coil model. This model requires only two equations with nine unknown coefficients that can be identified by the Levenberg-Marquardt method. Experimental validation in the thermal room proves that the proposed model is effective to predict the flow rate of supply air and heat transfer process in a wide range of operating conditions. Moreover, the proposed model can be further examined in optimization and performance evaluation applications for the ACB system.National Research Foundation (NRF)The work is supported by the research project New Generation ACMV Systems – Total Energy Efficiency Solutions. The project is funded by National Research Foundation of Singapore, Singapore (NRF2011 NRF-CRP001-090