STUDENTS’ AWARENESS OF AND ADHERENCE TO ENERGY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN SELECTED STUDENTS' HALLS OF RESIDENCE AT KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, GHANA

Energy management is one of the current policy directions of the Ghana government given the increasing challenges associated with energy generation to cope with the growing demand. A conscious attempt at adopting practices aimed at conserving energy is considered a sinequanonto coping with the current energy challenges in Ghana. However, an assessment of the awareness level of energy management practices is yet to be rigorously pursued as an agenda towards energy conservation in institutions and agencies perceived to be high energy consumers. Currently,the increasing growth in student numbers in the universities in Ghana and the high energy demands against the low level of energy generation to cope with these demands needs urgent attention. Consequently, adherence to effective energy management practices among students in these universities is considered a prima-facie in coping with the energy challenges in the country. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness and adherence levels of energy management practices of students in tertiary institutions in Ghana. Using KNUST as a case study, a questionnaire survey was carried out amongst students in residential accommodation on thecampus. Subsequently, mean score and one sample t-test analyses were employed to analyze the empirical data elicited. The findings revealed a generally low awareness and adherence level to the critical energy management practices amongst students. These findings have implications for energy policy formulation and innovations towards conservation and management.Keywords: Energy management; Ghana; Hostels; Student

Product Marking and Conformity Assessment of Portland Cements on the Ghanaian Market

Cement bound concrete materials and complementary fittings are requisite ingredients for all civil engineering works. In all these, Portland cement, a basic binding ingredient for the concrete work is the dominant binder. In Ghana, there are various brands of cement on the market. Five major brand products currently in circulation include the Ghana Cement (GHACEM), Western DIAMOND Cement (DIAMOND), CIMAF Cement, DANGOTE Cement and SUPACEM Cement. Increased infrastructural development has placed high demand on cement consumption. Consequently, new products keep emerging in the market. Indeed, a standard measure to provide product marking and evaluations of conformity to standard Class thresholds are required for the desired specification, properties and the performance quality of the cement products. This research therefore sets to ascertain the strength quality of the five cement brands on the Ghanaian market by checking their conformity to C-30 and C-40 standard compressive tests, using their 32.5-R and 42.5-R flagship brands. To achieve this, concrete cubes were moulded with fixed mix ratio of 1:1⅟2:3 and 1:1:2 for C-30 and C-40 respectively. To achieve the desired strength conformity, the slump as well as the coarse and fine aggregate constituents were standardised. The results indicated that the cement brands despite parading same strength thresholds in the market, do not exhibit same strength build-up. There are significant variations in growth of compressive strength over time. It was observed also that conformance threshold within 28 days was not attained for a number of the brands. Indeed, not until 56 days or more some of the brands could not achieve their desired compressive strength thresholds

The Use of Bauxite as an Arsenic Filter

AbstractArsenic (As) has the potential to negatively affect soils and groundwater quality, and cause several public health challenges. It is usually concentrated and released during metal mining of ores that contains arsenic-bearing minerals. Remediation strategies are in place to avoid pollution. In this study, bauxite from Awaso, Ghana, was characterised, and its ability to sequester As was tested under varying conditions of temperature, Eh and pH. The study showed that the best particle size in the range utilised was 80% passing 2 mm as it allowed easy percolation, and As removal was about 95%. The reaction is a favourable pseudo-second order reaction that is spontaneous and thermodynamically stable and compares well with the Langmuir Sorption Isotherm. About 80% sorption was achieved within 20 minutes of contact with low desorption rate of less than 1.8%. The study thus concludes that bauxite is a good filter for arsenic. Keywords: Arsenic, Bauxite, Filter, Sorption, Isother

Resilience to climate shocks in the tropics

This focus collection on resilience to climate shocks in the tropics draws together 16 papers that predominantly examine the impacts of, and responses to, the 2015/2016 El Niño-Southern Oscillation event, in a range of contexts. This introductory synthesis contextualises the collection of papers by reviewing important concepts and highlighting some important insights that emerge from the collection. The papers in this collection collectively highlight: the value of longitudinal and interdisciplinary research in understanding both the roots of, and responses to, resilience challenges; the critical interaction between climatic and land-use changes; and the ways in which governance arrangements underpin societal decision-making across a range of scales and contexts to shape resilience

Physicochemical and biological properties of different Cocoa Pod Husk-based composts

The objective was to evaluate the properties of cocoa pod husk-based composts for potential application as soil amendments for crop production. The physicochemical and biological properties of the compost types were analysed. Four compost types were prepared by mixing cocoa pod husk, poultry manure and Panicum maximum in different proportions. A phytotoxicity test was carried out using maize (Zea mays L.) to test whether the compost types contain substances that inhibit seed germination or growth of the radicle. Bulk densities of the compost types were higher than 0.160 Mg m-3, an indication that the compost types as soil amendment will restrict root growth thereby inhibiting plant growth. The average pH of the compost types falls within the optimum range of 6.5 to 8.5 and thus, the composts are stabilized. The compost types had high nitrogen content, so when utilized as a soil amendment would improve the nitrogen content of soils. Copper concentrations in the compost types were far below the WHO/FAO permissible limit of 100 mg kg-1, therefore can be applied at high rates without any problem of copper accumulation in soil. Phytophthora palmivora and Phytophthora megakarya were not detected from the compost types, therefore the compost types could be used without Phytophthora disease infection. Germination percentage and germination index showed that the analyzed compost types achieved high percentages of the germinating capacity of maize seeds and had no phytotoxic substances. The cocoa pod husk-based composts showed substantially varied physicochemical and biological properties suitable to support plant growth. The results clearly showed that, CPHcomp3 made from CPH residues, poultry manure and Panicum maximum at the ratio 6: 1: 2 mixture is recommended for use as a soil amendment for crop production

Effect of mosaic virus diseases on dry matter content and starch yield of five cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) accessions in Ghana

The effect of mosaic virus diseases on dry matter content and starch yield of five local accessions of cassava, “Ankrah”, “AW/17, “Tomfa”, “Dagarti” and “Tuaka” was evaluated. Tomfa showed the highest (95%) incidence of the disease, index of severity of symptoms for all plants (ISSAP) of 3.70, as well as, for diseased plants (ISSDP) (3.84) while Dagarti did not show any phenotypic expression of the disease throughout the study period. Most of the accessions displayed mosaic disease symptoms two months after planting but by the fifth month had fully recovered. However, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based testing at 12 months after planting revealed the presence of ACMV in all the accessions while EACMV was observed in Ankrah, Dagarti and AW/17. Mean tuber (fresh root weight) and starch yield at 12 months after planting (MAP) was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) high in Ankrah while percentage dry matter was significantly higher in Dagarti than the other accessions. A negative correlation between starch yield and cassava mosaic disease incidence implies that a high mosaic incidence particularly in the first three months results in lower tuber and starch yields.Keywords: Mosaic virus diseases, dry matter, starch yield, PCR, disease incidenceAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(27), pp. 4310-431

Exploring the knowledge and awareness of diabetes mellitus among inhabitants of Ho municipality in Ghana: A cross-sectional study

One of the fast-growing major non-communicable diseases (NCD) that poses a danger to global public health is Diabetes mellitus (DM). Trends in  the incidence of DM indicate a disproportionate increase in developing countries due to current rapid demographic transitions from traditional to  more westernized and urbanized lifestyles. Knowledge of DM is vital for curbing or control. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the level of  knowledge and awareness of DM among the Ho municipality general population, identify areas of deficiency for targeted health education efforts,  and identify respondent characteristics that may be associated with knowledge of diabetes. A survey involving 132 respondents (age over 18 years)  was conducted in the Ho municipality of the Volta region of Ghana. A 42-item pre-tested questionnaire was administered to participants to evaluate  general and specific knowledge and awareness of DM. The Pairwise Multiple Comparison and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to test the hypotheses  and associations between the respondents’ knowledge level and groups respectively. Of the 132 respondents, 22% were in the age range of 40-46  years; 72.7% were female. Mean over all diabetes knowledge composite score was poor: 32.99% (CI; 27.5, 38.5). Respondents performed best in the  symptoms section: mean score was 36.247% (CI; 29.0, 43.4); and worst in the section on complications: mean score was 30.909% (CI; 23.6, 38.2). In  multiple linear regression analyses, education level, older age, own self having diabetes, and having a family member/relative/friend with diabetes  were significantly associated with knowledge of diabetes. Knowledge of diabetes among the inhabitants of Ho municipality respondents was  interpreted as being inadequate 32.99% (CI; 27.5, 38.5). Some deficient portions and factors associated with knowledge of diabetes were identified.  Relevant information for targeted health education programs in Ghana and beyond may be considered as one of such benefits of these findings.  &nbsp

Mechanical sequential counting with liquid marbles

© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature. Here we demonstrate the first working example of a liquid marble-operated sequential binary counting device. We have designed a lightweight gate that can be actuated by the low mass and momentum of a liquid marble. By linking a number of these gates in series, we are able to digitally count up to binary 1111 (upper limit only by our requirements). Using liquid marbles in such a system opens up new avenues of research and design, by way of modifying the coating and/or core of the liquid marbles, and thereby giving extra dimensions for calculation (e.g. a calculation that takes into consideration the progress of a chemical reaction inside a liquid marble). In addition, the new gate design has multiple uses in liquid marble rerouting

The Curative and Prophylactic Effects of Xylopic Acid on Plasmodium berghei

Efforts have been intensified to search for more effective antimalarial agents because of the observed failure of some artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatments of malaria in Ghana. Xylopic acid, a pure compound isolated from the fruits of the Xylopia aethiopica, was investigated to establish its attributable prophylactic, curative antimalarial, and antipyretic properties. The antimalarial properties were determined by employing xylopic acid (10–100 mg/kg) in ICR mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Xylopic acid exerted significant (P<0.05) effects on P. berghei infection similar to artemether/lumefantrine, the standard drug. Furthermore, it significantly (P<0.05) reduced the lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced fever in Sprague-Dawley rats similar to prednisolone. Xylopic acid therefore possesses prophylactic and curative antimalarial as well as antipyretic properties which makes it an ideal antimalarial agent