Treatment duration of topics in senior secondary school core mathematics in Ghana: a case study of Cape Coast district

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the intended time of 160 minutes per week for 96 weeks was adequate for the treatment of the SSS Core Mathematics. The study used simple random sampling method to select two mixed, two single-sex female and two single-sex male Senior Secondary Schools in the Cape Coast Education District of the Central Region of Ghana. The study involved 790 students. Three achievement tests in mathematics were used to collect data. The data were analyzed by means of student t-test. The results showed that the intended time of 160 minutes per week for 96 weeks for the SSS Core Mathematics Program was inadequate. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Vol. 2(1) 2004: 59-7

A Green Revolution in the West African cocoa belt

STCP tools for the rehabilitation of West African cocoa farms Cacao tree stocks in West Africa are mainly established from seeds procured from farmers’ fields. This planting material lacks the disease tolerance and yield potential of the hybrid seed. Productivity is also affected by the old age of West Africa’s tree stock. Replacing and rehabilitating the tree stocks of West Africa is fundamental to the achievement and long-run sustainability of a cocoa Brown Revolution. The STCP has developed a Planting, Replanting and Diversification (PRD) training package to provide farmers the knowledge and technical skills needed to rehabilitate old cocoa farms or reclaim degraded areas using hybrids. However, a major constraint to hybrid adoption is a lack of access to hybrid seeds. To overcome this constraint, STCP introduced a Seed Brokerage System (SBS) for the collective acquisition of hybrid seeds by farmer field school groups from government production units. An initial evaluation of 375 randomly selected trainees revealed that the mean participant had successfully established 0.4 ha of hybrid cocoa seedling with an 81% seedling survival rate after two dry seasons. Approximately half of the surveyed trainees had replanted old farms while half had established new farms on degraded fallow land. The SBS also brokered timber seedlings for farmers desiring to include high-value timber (Terminalia ivorensis and T. superb) as permanent shade in their production system. The mean participant reported the successful establishment of 12 timber seedlings which is equivalent to 30 trees per hectare. Farmers favored the SBS innovation and are seeking its continuance

Participation in Selected USDA Programs by Socially Disadvantaged Farmers in Selected Black Belt Counties in Georgia

This study examines the characteristics of African American Farmers (AAFs), a significant subgroup of socially disadvantaged farmers (SDFs) in the U.S. South, and their overall awareness of USDA programs. Specifically, these programs include the Farm Ownership Loan (FOL) and Operating Loan (OL) programs, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), and the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. It also investigates the main reasons for participation and non-participation in these programs, assesses the relationship between program application and the rate of approval, and examines the relationship between USDA program outreach to SDFs and program implementation. Using convenience sampling, data collected from respondents in southwest Georgia were analyzed and presented descriptively in tables and graphs. Results indicate that awareness was high with the FOL/OL programs but applications and approvals were low for FOL. Equally, awareness was high for EQIP but not the VAPG program, while participation was low for both. Reasons for non-participation were AAFs thinking they did not qualify for all programs, lack of collateral, complicated reporting requirements, and incomplete applications

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

Rapid Assessment of Anthropogenic Impacts of Exposed Sandy Beaches in Ghana using Ghost Crabs (Ocypode Spp.) as Ecological Indicators

We applied a rapid assessment methodology to estimate the degree of human impact of exposed sandy beaches in Ghana using ghost crabs as ecological indicators. The use of size ranges of ghost crab burrows and their population density as ecological indicators to assess extent of anthropogenic impacts on beaches was explored in this study. For each site, three transects were laid perpendicular to the shoreline over a 100 meter distance at 50 m intervals, i.e., at reference points 0, 50 and 100 meter points. Sampling locations were randomly selected along the three transects using a 1 m x 1 m quadrat. Measurements were done twice weekly for a period of four weeks. The results showed that even though the moderately disturbed beach had higher burrow density than the disturbed beach on the average, the difference is not statistically significant (T-test; p > 0.01). However, mean burrow diameter at the moderately disturbed site was statistically found to be significantly larger than for the disturbed site (T-test; p < 0.01). We conclude that burrow sizes is a good estimator for verification of human impacts of exposed sandy beaches. It confirms that burrow density even though an important factor, may not necessarily be a significant estimator of the impacts of human activity on beaches. On this basis, it appears that the estimations of the diameter of burrows of crabs of the Ocypode genera provides a rapid tool for impact verification of sandy beaches and for use in environmental quality monitoring of beach programs in coastal areas

Influence of improved technology adoption on livelihoods of small ruminant farmers in Ghana

The study was conducted with the objective of finding how the adoption of small ruminant technologies affected the livelihood outcomes of small ruminant farmers in Ghana. Data collected using questionnaires which were triangulated with focus group discussions. A sample size of 180 small ruminant farmers comprising 141 men and 39 women was used. Socio-economic factors such as sex, age and contact with extension agents were observed to have significant effects on adoption. Also, a significant relationship was found between adoption and incomes, ability to afford school fees, payment of utility bills and access to veterinary drugs. There was also a significant relationship between adoption and food security and group membership. Adoption of improved technologies had influenced most of the livelihood outcomes of the farmers. It is recommended that extension officers continue to intensify education on the improved technologies so that more results can be obtained on livelihoods of the farmers

Organic Amendments to Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) Plantation Affect Species Richness and Metal Accumulation of Spontaneously Growing Herbaceous Plants

Excess potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in soils require ad hoc approaches to salvage. Hence, this study explored the shoot accumulation of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) by herbaceous plants growing under previously established Salix and Populus clones Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) with compost and sewage sludge applications in an abandoned metallurgical site, Podlesí, Czech Republic; PTM decontamination of soils. Soils within the SRC experimental site and outside considered as control were analyzed for their chemical properties by multi-analytical techniques. Shoots of spontaneously growing herbaceous plants under trees in the site and without trees in control were determined for pseudo-total Cd, Pb, and Zn contents. Moderately to slightly acid soils, high cation exchange capacity, and C/N ratio supported mineralization and relative mobility of total Cd (7.7–9.76), Pb (1541–1929), and Zn (245–320 mg kg−1) in soils. Although soil amendments improved chemical properties, compost application supported higher species richness than sewage sludge. Over 95% of plants accumulated Cd and Zn above the WHO threshold and green fodder in the Czech Republic, with 36% Pb above the regional limit (40 mg kg−1). Approximately 100, 50, and 6% of herbaceous species had Cd, Pb, and Zn accumulation, respectively, higher than published average upper limits in plants (0.2 Cd, 10 Pb, and 150 Zn mg kg−1). Dicots recorded higher Cd content, Tenacetum vulgare (L.), Hypericum maculatum (Crantz), and Cirsium arvense (L.); Stachys palustris (L.), Lamium perpereum (L.), and Campanula patula (L.) for Pb; Glechoma hederaceae (L.), C. patula, and C. arvense for Zn in all treatments. Appropriate soil amelioration of SRC-supported PTM mobility and excess herbaceous species shoot accumulation, growth, and richness

Identification of optimal investments

Biofortification is regarded as a complement to supplementation, industrial fortification and dietary diversification in the fight against micronutrient deficiencies. It is important therefore to first identify areas where biofortification may have high impact and prioritize these areas for more in-depth analysis. HarvestPlus has developed the Biofortification Prioritization Index (BPI), which ranks countries globally according to their suitability for investment in biofortification interventions. HarvestPlus is also conducting ex ante micronutrient intervention portfolio analyses, designed to simulate the implementation and impact of a biofortification program in countries which have been identified as suitable candidates for investment. Micronutrient intervention portfolio studies offer the ability to distinguish production, consumption and inadequate micronutrient intake at a more disaggregated level and offer a complementary design and planning tool to simulate the implementation of biofortification and examine its potential impact and cost-effectiveness among different approaches. In addition, these studies are designed to examine multiple interventions within a country, to better understand biofortification’s role in reducing micronutrient deficiency when considered among a suite of interventions. This case study of Zambia demonstrates how these tools can be used to assess the potential impact of biofortification, quantify its cost-effectiveness and examine how it interacts with and complements other interventions. Given the long-term nature of biofortification as an intervention investment, future analyses should continue to incorporate various scenarios including continued investment in sustainable development and the effects of climate change which are likely to condition the impact of biofortification and other interventions.Keywords: Biofortification, Biofortification Priority Index (BPI), Cost-effectiveness, Household Consumption and Expenditure Surveys (HCES

Power enhancement via multivariate outlier testing with gene expression arrays

Motivation: As the use of microarrays in human studies continues to increase, stringent quality assurance is necessary to ensure accurate experimental interpretation. We present a formal approach for microarray quality assessment that is based on dimension reduction of established measures of signal and noise components of expression followed by parametric multivariate outlier testing