Ewe Proverbs - A Source of Imagery for Textile Designs

There have been several ways of generating ideas for textile designs and these comprise ideas from nature, environment and coined symbols from sayings especially from the “Akan” language where the “adinkra” symbols originated. These “adinkra” motifs or imagery have been excessively used and there is the need for new ones to be generated. It is upon this, that the researcher is exploring selected proverbs of the Ewe people to generate motifs to be used for both batik and textile print designs. The current symbols used by students and professional craftsmen were observed and examined to have first-hand information about their meaning and usage.  The study collected and identified Ewe proverbs through opinion leaders and documented literature, which were developed into symbols or imagery suitable and appropriate for batik and textile design prints. Interview guide was used to collect data from students and stakeholders. The finding indicates that proverbs can be a source of inspiration for designers when generated into symbols.  Secondly, the symbols when converted into product designs such as textiles, leather, ceramics, sculpture and painting works will bring variety to the market. Lastly, the symbols can serve as a document for referencing for students, professionals and craftsmen. The study shows that proverbs can be a source for generating symbols for textile design and other fields of art. Keywords: Adinkra, craftsmen, proverbs, imagery and symbols

Innovation in Weaving Napkin on the Kente Loom

The Kente weaving industry in Ghana is a vibrant one.  It is one of the foreign exchange earners of the country. Although meagre, the revenue generated by the Kente weaving industry in Ghana makes a significant impact on the citizenry. Apart from the economic value of Kente, the fabric plays a great role in the socio-cultural development of Ghana. Kente is worn during festive occasions such as durbars, outdooring of chiefs and newly born babies as well as marriage ceremonies. Kente is worn all-over the world to portray the Ghanaian culture. However, current developments where Kente fabrics are being pirated by the Chinese and other Nationals give a cause for concern. There is the need to move away from the usual blame games towards finding a lasting solution to this canker. One of the ways of addressing this issue is to pay much attention to quality and rebranding of the Kente weaving industry. It is for this and many other reasons that this topic which is aimed at modifying the Kente loom to weave napkin and other fabrics came to mind. Considering the technical nature of the topic, the descriptive (qualitative) method of research was adopted for the study. This made it possible for the adoption of a more practical approach towards realizing the aims and objectives of the study. The main research instruments employed for the study were observation and questionnaires. The accessible population for the study was made up of 90 (ninety) respondents knowledgeable in the field of Textiles. This was categorized into Textile Practitioners, Textile Lecturers and Tutors on one hand and Fashion and Textiles Students on the other hand. A major finding of the study is that, any type of fabric can be woven on the Kente loom provided the necessary changes are made on the loom. It is therefore recommended that the Kente loom should be modernized and if possible mechanized so as to ensure efficiency and quality as well as higher production rate and revenue. Keywords: Weaving, Quality, Kente loom, Textiles and Foreign Exchange

Invention of a Loom with Dual Shedding Systems to Accelerate Cottage Weaving In Ghana

The history of the textile industry has grown tremendously due to the people’s ingenuity, energy, tools, equipment and natural resources. The device used for weaving a fabric is called loom. The loom has undergone series of changes from the vertical to the horizontal after which other accessories were added and that includes heddles, reed, harnesses, levers, cloth roller and the warp beam. In this project research, an additional mechanism of foot pedals has been incorporated onto the table loom for dual shed creation. This was made possible by the attachment of chains and springs to the pedals via the lams and the shafts. In this study, a Population of forty-six (46) respondents was sampled out of the Target Population using the stratified Random Sampling technique. The descriptive research method was used to describe the various stages involved in the construction of the loom. Primary data for the study were collected using interview guides and observation. A major finding of the study is that, good shedding mechanism is a prerequisite for producing quality woven fabrics. Therefore, the decision by the researchers to design and produce a loom with dual shedding systems is in the right direction. Owing to the complex nature of the loom, it is recommended that a regular and rigorous maintenance culture is adopted to prolong its life span. Furthermore, potential users of this loom must be given proper education on how to prepare the loom for weaving. Keywords: Weaving, Textiles, Loom, Treadles, She

Early career job choice in logistics: Comparing shifts in attribute importance between internship and full-time roles

Maximum difference scaling was used to analyze the importance logistics students attach to 17 job attributes for internships as well as for full-time, entry-level positions. Significant differences in importance were found on nine of the 17 attributes tested. Room for advancement was the most important criterion for full-time positions while atmosphere/work environment was most important for internships. Implications for practitioners, academics and students are discussed. It is believed the results of the current study will provide useful insight to logistics employers to assist them in developing more attractive, entry-level job and internship opportunities and help them communicate more effective recruiting messages

Portable T-Shirt Printing Machine

T-shirt printing is one of the occupations of the youth in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Various methods of printing such as dye sublimation, heat transfer and screen printing are employed to print t-shirts in Ghana. However, screen printing is the most popular method in Ghana. It is easy to use and less expensive. Despite the fact that the screen printing method is the most preferred in Ghana, its processes come with challenges. The printing process is slow and the products that are churned out are of low quality. And in order to minimise the problems that local printers encounter during screen printing, the “Portable T-shirt Printing Machine” has been developed. The machine which is manually operated comes with an adjustable squeegee, leather padded table, an adjustable metallic frame which holds the screen during printing and a magnetic holder which holds the frame taut during printing without the help of a second person. The squeegee can be moved manually by the help of a bearing and a hollow pipe. The squeegee blade which is made of rubber can easily be removed and washed after each printing session. The Portable T-shirt Printing Machine which is 75cm long, 45cm wide and 12cm high can be carried easily and printing can be done anywhere whether there is electricity or not. The adjustable metallic frame which holds the frame can be adjusted to suit any screen size; ranging from (40 cm by 40cm) to (15cm by 15m) or even smaller screens. The research design adopted for the study is the qualitative (descriptive) approach. The sample population for the study is 108 representing 30% of the target population. The data collecting instruments used were interview, observation and questionnaire. The main findings of the study were that, the speed of the traditional screen printing process can be increased when a machine is developed. Also, the fastness and efficiency of the t-shirt printing process have a direct relation with the income earned. It is therefore recommended that the “Portable T-shirt Printing Machine” is adopted by the local printers to enhance their occupation.  It is also recommended that the metal parts of the machine are oiled regularly to prevent friction and rusting. Furthermore, a challenge is thrown to prospective researchers to conduct a research into the automation of the “Portable T-shirt Printing Machine” so as to increase its speed. Keywords: Squeegee, Sublimation, T-shirt, Heat Transfer, Screen Printing and Portable

Internationalism as A Current in The Peace Movement: A Symposium

Internationalism as A Current in The Peace Movement: A Symposiu

Spatial distributions of perchloroethylene reactive transport parameters in the Borden Aquifer

We determined the descriptive statistical and spatial geostatistical properties of the perchloroethene ln Kd and the ln k of a 1.5 m thick by 10 m horizontal transect of the Borden aquifer near the location of the Stanford-Waterloo (SW) tracer experiment. The ln Kd distribution is not normal and is right skewed because of a few high values that occur localized in two regions of the transect. In contrast, the ln k data can be characterized by a normal distribution. A linear regression of ln Kd on ln k yields a statistically significant positive correlation, also shown at small lags in the cross correlogram. No significant vertical or horizontal trend in the ln Kd data was detected. The semivariogram ranges of ln k and ln Kd differ from one another in the vertical direction (0.33 ± 0.06 m and 0.20 ± 0.04 m, respectively) and are much less than the horizontal ranges (a few meters). Despite significant effort the horizontal range of ln Kd remains poorly characterized because of limitations of the sample locations. Many of the characteristics described above do not match those assumed in prior theoretical studies that examined the importance of various aquifer characteristics on SW tracer transport. We suggest that there is knowledge to be gained by revisiting the conclusions of these prior studies in light of the new information presented here

Livestock movement informs the risk of disease spread in traditional production systems in East Africa

In Africa, livestock are important to local and national economies, but their productivity is constrained by infectious diseases. Comprehensive information on livestock movements and contacts is required to devise appropriate disease control strategies; yet, understanding contact risk in systems where herds mix extensively, and where different pathogens can be transmitted at different spatial and temporal scales, remains a major challenge. We deployed Global Positioning System collars on cattle in 52 herds in a traditional agropastoral system in western Serengeti, Tanzania, to understand fine-scale movements and between-herd contacts, and to identify locations of greatest interaction between herds. We examined contact across spatiotemporal scales relevant to different disease transmission scenarios. Daily cattle movements increased with herd size and rainfall. Generally, contact between herds was greatest away from households, during periods with low rainfall and in locations close to dipping points. We demonstrate how movements and contacts affect the risk of disease spread. For example, transmission risk is relatively sensitive to the survival time of different pathogens in the environment, and less sensitive to transmission distance, at least over the range of the spatiotemporal definitions of contacts that we explored. We identify times and locations of greatest disease transmission potential and that could be targeted through tailored control strategies

Cumulative effects assessment requirements in selected developed and developing countries

Research in cumulative effects assessment (CEA) is advancing in many ways; however, gaps between normative expectations and regulatory approaches remain in many jurisdictions. This chapter profiles CEA requirements and practice in eight countries – Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria and the United Kingdom – and discusses implications for practice effectiveness internationally. Overall, national governments are largely responsible for setting legal frameworks; however, each country differs in terms of requirements, scope, approach and capacity. Experience in developed countries is more advanced when it comes to sector-based innovations, industry-led guidance, and peer review and evaluation. Though capacity is reportedly limited, there has been a shift toward explicit legal provisions for higher-order environmental assessments such as strategic environmental assessment and regional environmental assessment for better CEA outcomes in some developing countries. A systems perspective to CEA legislation, consistent interpretation of provisions by courts and strong political leadership are required to facilitate better practice

Local and wide-scale livestock movement networks inform disease control strategies in East Africa

Livestock mobility exacerbates infectious disease risks across sub-Saharan Africa, but enables critical access to grazing and water resources, and trade. Identifying locations of high livestock traffic offers opportunities for targeted control. We focus on Tanzanian agropastoral and pastoral communities that account respectively for over 75% and 15% of livestock husbandry in eastern Africa. We construct networks of livestock connectivity based on participatory mapping data on herd movements reported by village livestock keepers as well as data from trading points to understand how seasonal availability of resources, land-use and trade influence the movements of livestock. In communities that practise agropastoralism, inter- and intra-village connectivity through communal livestock resources (e.g. pasture and water) was 1.9 times higher in the dry compared to the wet season suggesting greater livestock traffic and increased contact probability. In contrast, livestock from pastoral communities were 1.6 times more connected at communal locations during the wet season when they also tended to move farther (by 3 km compared to the dry season). Trade-linked movements were twice more likely from rural to urban locations. Urban locations were central to all networks, particularly those with potentially high onward movements, for example to abattoirs, livestock holding grounds, or other markets, including beyond national boundaries. We demonstrate how livestock movement information can be used to devise strategic interventions that target critical livestock aggregation points (i.e. locations of high centrality values) and times (i.e. prior to and after the wet season in pastoral and agropastoral areas, respectively). Such targeted interventions are a cost-effective approach to limit infection without restricting livestock mobility critical to sustainable livelihoods