Impact of a Web Resources Exposure Lesson (WREL) on Educational Internet Use in a Limited Resource Society

The researcher examined Internet use for educational purposes by undergraduate students in the department of Social Studies of the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. 96 third year undergraduate students were purposively sampled. A demographic survey indicated that students’ use of the internet for educational research was very low. 20% males and 9% females respectively that use the Internet do so mostly to check their e-mails. After exposing students to various search engines on the Internet and guiding them on how to use them efficiently as a learning resource, the post-WREL results showed that Internet use by students for academic purposes increased by 65%. The study revealed the gender differences of Internet use. This paper makes recommendations for orientation programmes, such as the WREL, for students to regularly update their knowledge in technology as a method for improving its use for educational purposes.Keywords: internet, world wide web (www), social studies students, web resource exposure lesson (WREL)African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Vol. 9, 201

Prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Salmonella enterica isolated from cow milk, milk products and hands of sellers in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana

Salmonella enterica are among the foodborne pathogens of importance due to their involvement in a number of foodborne outbreaks, illnesses and occasionally death. This study was carried out in the Tamale metropolis of Ghana to investigate the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella enterica in cow milk, cow milk products and hands of cow milk sellers. The conventional method and the disc diffusion method were used for the isolation and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella enterica, respectively. The overall prevalence of Salmonella enterica was 7.3% (22/300). Salmonella enterica were detected in 24.0% (12/50) of raw ‘wagashie’, 8.0% (4/50) of fried ‘wagashie’, 6.0% (3/50) of cow milk, 4.0% (2/50) of left hand swab of milk sellers, and 2.0% (1/50) of right hand swab of milk sellers. Salmonella enterica was not isolated from ‘brukina’. The prevalence of Salmonella enterica did not differ (P = 0.193) among fried ‘wagashie’, cow milk, hand swab of milk sellers and ‘brukina’ samples. However, the prevalence of Salmonella enterica in raw ‘wagashie’ was significantly higher (P = 0.000) than the other samples examined. Resistant to erythromycin (86.0%) was most frequently detected. The Salmonella enterica isolates were highly susceptible to ciprofloxacin (100.0%), chloramphenicol (91.0%), ceftriaxone (91.0%), sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (91.0%), tetracycline (86.0%) and ampicillin (86.0%). Of the 22 Salmonella enterica isolates, 14 were resistant to only one antibiotic, 4 were resistant to two antibiotics and 2 were resistant to three antibiotics. Two Salmonella enterica isolates were resistant to none of the antibiotics. This study revealed that some milk products and other samples were contaminated with Salmonella enterica. The isolated Salmonella enterica were susceptible to most of the antibiotics examined but were highly resistant to erythromycin.Keywords: Antimicrobials, Foodborne pathogens, Food safety, Milk, Milk product

A dynamic framework for managing the complexities of risks in megaprojects.

The future of mega infrastructure projects is certain - there will be more risks to manage! The challenge is being met through research and innovation combining current approaches with new. This research adopted a dynamic approach through the combination of Analytical Network Process (ANP) and system dynamics (SD) as an innovative methodology known as SDANP to model complexity in megaprojects design and construction. We communicate how the SDANP model could explore problems caused by Social, Technical, Economic, Environmental and Political (STEEP) risks to construction cost, time and performance and provide insights that lead to organizational learning. We proceed to exemplify by means of a real-life case project in the City of Edinburgh and offer suggestions on what front-ended stakeholders could do to improve the management of risks in megaprojects. The results of the application showed that, when compared to traditional risks assessment methods, this SD model with integrated ANP revealed improvements in managing risks according to STEEP risks criteria. The new framework appears to be a superior solution for solving the dynamic complexities of risks during megaproject design and construction. The findings of the study contribute to the project management theoretical development within the field of megaproject management

Development of the 'Water-specific P3 risk model': risks identified.

Risk assessment is one of the key success factors of public-private partnerships (PPP) water projects. Factors such as utility condition problems, unsustained increase in water supply requirements, socio-technical issues and changes in government policies can cause such capital intensive projects to overrun planned budget and schedule allocations. Where the project is a commercial asset, delayed completion time and cost overruns usually have significant impact on the profitability of the project as well as the estimated returns on investment over the operational phase of the project. Understanding the specific risks involved in PPP water projects can be very crucial in designing containment measures to deal with their likely impact on the projects. Through review of literature and non-participant observation, different risk factors in PPP water projects can be identified. The identified factors can then be rated and prioritised through questionnaires using the Analytical Network Process (ANP) to demonstrate the complex interactions among those risks and to establish the most salient Value-for-Money (VFM) variables on PPP water projects. The outcome of the proposed research is an innovative ANP-based model known as 'Water-Specific P3 Risk Model' that offers a platform to incorporate tangible and intangible risk variables into a risk assessment process in water infrastructure projects

Determinants of moonlighting in Ghana: an empirical investigation

The desire of workers to engage in moonlighting, a phenomenon of multiple job-holding is a reflection of some of the changing labour market outcomes. Public sector workers who suffered loss of jobs through public sector retrenchment and privatisation as part of Ghana’s economic reform resorted to holding more than one job to earn enough to avert any substantial drop in their living conditions. Despite the seemingly conspicuous existence of multiple job-holding in Ghana, much remains to be learnt about its determinants and characteristics of the phenomenon. This article employs the probit regression estimation technique based on the two most recent nationwide household surveys conducted in 1998/99 and 2005/06 to investigate the main determinants of moonlighting in Ghana. It provides empirical evidence to suggest that personal and household characteristics as well as location and labour market characteristics such as individual earnings and hours spent in the main job significantly influence an individual’s desire to engage in more than one job. The study concludes that apart from the financial motive that drives an individual’s decision to moonlight, the engagement of moonlighting on account of lower working hours in the individual’s main job could be a symptom of visible or time-related underemployment. Keywords: Moonlighting, Multiple job-holding, Employment, Earnings, Underemployment, Ghan

Evaluation of Groundwater Suitability for Irrigation in the Lambussie-Karni District of Ghana

The populace of the Lambussie-Karni District are mainly farmers who have resorted to the use of groundwater for irrigation during the dry season because of long drought and inadequate surface water bodies. The temporal variation of the groundwater quality for irrigation in the District was assessed using sixteen boreholes. Richard Plot indicates that groundwater in the study area is within the low salinity to low sodium hazard and medium salinity to low sodium hazard class. Wilcox Plot shows groundwater to be within excellent to good class in the catchment. Irrigation water quality index (IWQI) map was also developed to determine precisely the degree and areal extent of groundwater suitability for irrigation. ArcGIS 10.1 was used to generate thematic maps for sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), permeability index (PI), sodium percentage (Na %), HCO3-, pH and electrical conductivity. The results were compared to Food and Agricultural Organisations (FAO) standard guidelines. An IQWI map for the Lambussie- Karni District shows that groundwater is generally suitable for irrigation, about 24.57 % of the district will require crops which can tolerate high amount of salts. A percentage (39.82 %) of the catchment has groundwater, which is highly suitable for crops which are least resistant to salt. Keywords: Groundwater Suitability; Irrigation Water Quality; SAR; IWQI Map; Lambussie-Karni Distric

Pyrolysis of switchgrass (\u3ci\u3ePanicum virgatum\u3c/i\u3e) harvested at several stages of maturity

The pyrolysis of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) of the cultivar, ‘‘Cave-in-Rock’’ harvested at three stages of physiological maturity was studied in a PY–GC/MS system at the 600–1050 °C temperature range. Under these conditions, the decomposition was complete within 20 s yielding char, and two sets of pyrolysis gas, condensable and non-condensable. The former consisted of acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), acetic acid (CH3COOH) and higher molecular weight compounds possibly from the hydroxyl group and from the methoxy groups of the cell wall components. The non-condensable gases were mainly CO, CO2 and C1–C3 hydrocarbons. For these, there was a 900 °C temperature boundary where dramatic change occurred in their evolution rates. Below this temperature, CO2 decreased but CO and the C1–C3 hydrocarbons increased almost linearly with temperature. Above this temperature boundary, the hydrocarbons leveled off but there was a rapid rise in CO and CO2 evolution at a constant CO/CO2 ratio. These suggest the appearance of secondary or tertiary pyrolysis reactions involving rearrangement and release of CO and hydrocarbons prior to this temperature boundary and the release of CO and CO2 from the tightly bond oxygen functionalities including C–C bonds thereafter. At \u3c750 \u3e°C, there were modest increases in condensable gas yield and decrease in non-condensable gas due to differences in plant maturity at harvest. However, the effect of switchgrass physiological maturity on gas yield was statistically insignificant at high temperatures. The energy content of the non-condensable gas measured was about 68% of the gross energy content of the biomass for the early harvest crop and 80% for the mature crop. The activation energy for the decomposition, estimated assuming first order reaction kinetics, showed a linear increasewith plant physiological maturity. The results demonstrate that physiological maturity at harvest of switchgrass biomass can result in different concentrations of pyrolysis products at different temperatures. These results also demonstrate the need for additional research with a broader array of herbaceous biomass materials to develop a better understanding of the synergies of crop cultivation, harvesting and processing of dedicated herbaceous biomass energy crops during their thermochemical conversion

Component reliability test approaches for marine renewable energy

Philipp R Thies University of Exeter Cornwall Campus College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Science Penryn Cornwall TR10 9FE United KingdomArticleThis version is the author’s manuscript of the published article. Please cite the published version as: Thies PR, Johanning L, Karikari-Boateng KA, Ng C, McKeever P. (2015). Component reliability test approaches for marine renewable energy. Proc IMechE Part O: Journal of Risk and Reliability, Spec. Issue, Vol. 229 (5), pp. 403-416, DOI:10.1177/1748006X15580837.An increasing number of marine renewable energy (MRE) systems are reaching the stage where a working prototype must be demonstrated in operation in order to progress to the next stage of commercial projects. This stage is often referred to as ‘valley of death’ where device developers face the challenge of raising capital needed to demonstrate the prototype. The dilemma is that investors understandably demand a proven track record and demonstrated reliability in order to provide capital. One way to resolve this dilemma is specific component reliability testing that not only satisfies investor expectations but holds the potential to improve and de-risk components for MRE. This paper gives an overview to different component reliability test approaches in established industries and for MRE, covering both wave and tidal energy technologies. There has been notable activity in the research community to develop and implement dedicated component reliability test rigs that allow the investigation and demonstration of component reliability under controlled, yet representative conditions. Two case studies of physical test rigs will illustrate the possible test approaches. The Nautilus Powertrain test rig, a facility at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, focuses on the demonstration and testing of drive train components including gearboxes, generators, mechanical couplings and bearings. The Dynamic Marine Component test rig (DMaC) at the University of Exeter aims to replicate the forces and motions for floating offshore applications and their subsystems, including mooring lines and power cables. This paper highlights the relevance of component testing and qualification prior to large-scale commercial deployments and gives an insight to some of the test capabilities available in the sector. Several case studies illustrate the component test approach for tidal energy (Nautilus) and wave energy (DMaC) applications.European Union’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE)Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Energy Technoliogy Istitute (ETI)Research Councils UK (RCUK) Energy programmeIndustrial Doctorate Centre in Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE

Chemopreventive Potential of Synergy1 and Soybean in Reducing Azoxymethane-Induced Aberrant Crypt Foci in Fisher 344 Male Rats

Synergy1, a prebiotic composed of Inulin and Oligofructose (1 : 1). Soybean meal is a natural source of isoflavones. The objective was to investigate the effects of feeding Synergy1 and SM on the incidence of azoxymethane- (AOM-) induced aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in Fisher 344 male rats. Rats (54) were randomly assigned to 9 groups (n = 6). Control group (C) was fed AIN-93G and treatment groups Syn1 and SM at 5% and 10% singly and in combinations. Rats were injected with two s/c injections of AOM at 7 and 8 weeks of age at 16 mg/kg body weight and killed at 17 weeks by CO2 asphyxiation. Colonic ACF enumeration and hepatic enzyme activities were measured. Reductions (%) in total ACF among treatment groups fed combinations were higher (67–77) compared to groups fed singly (52–64). Synergistic mechanisms among phytochemicals may be responsible suggesting protective role in colon carcinogenesis with implications in food product development

Incidence of Blood and Meat Spots in Eggs from a Commercial Poultry Farm

A study was conducted in two phases simultaneously in a commercial poultry farm to ascertain whether egg weight, temperature variation in pens, and proximity of birds to a noise source had an influence on the incidence of blood and meat spots in chicken eggs. Phase one involved the random sampling of 60 eggs per week for 15 weeks, making a total of 900 eggs from the pens of a 50-week-old layer strain. Phase two determined the effect of noise from a 3.3 kW electrical gasoline generator on the incidence of blood and meat spots. It lasted for 14 weeks and involved the random sampling of 10 eggs per week directly from two pens (i.e., A & D). Pen A and D were 4.7 m and 68 m away from the noise source respectively. A Chi-square test was conducted to establish the relationship between the parameters, whilst a Cramer’s V test was used to determine the extent of association where differences were deemed significant (p<0.05). Out of the 1040 eggs collected, 63% of the eggs had spots (32% blood spots and 31% meat spots). No association was observed between the occurrence of spots and egg weight, temperature variation, and proximity of birds to a generator