Influence of fruit maturity on antioxidant potential and chilling injury resistance of peach fruit (Prunus persica) during cold storage

Postharvest handling of peach (Prunus persica) fruits is challenging as they deteriorate quickly under ambient conditions. Cold storage slows detrioration but causes chilling injury (CI), reducing quality of fruits. To overcome this challenge the influence of fruit maturity on antioxidant capacity and CI development in “Ryan sun” peach fruits was investigated. Fruits were harvested from commercial farms in Lleida in Spain. Optimum harvest date (OHD) was determined on-tree visually by ground skin colour when 70% of skin turned reddish using colour discs. Fruits were harvested 7 days before OHD (OHD-7) and seven days after OHD (OHD+7) with OHD fruits serving as control. The fruits were stored at 5 oC for 15, 30 and 45 days. Fruits were evaluated for CI manifestations such as lack of juiciness (wooliness) and flesh bleeding. The lack of free juice released upon crushing fruit flesh through cheese cloth reveals symptoms of wooliness. Percentage CI resistance was calculated (100% - %CI incidence) for each group. Antioxidants were extracted and analysed using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Property (FRAP) method. Fruits harvested earlier (OHD-7) recorded the highest antioxidant capacity of 1.080 mgTE/g followed by control fruits (OHD) with antioxidant capacity of 0.976 mgTE/g. Fruits harvested late (OHD+7) recorded the lowest antioxidant capacity of 0.471 mgTE/g. After 15 days of cold storage, OHD resisted CI by 70% followed by OHD+7 (60%) and OHD-7 fruits (55%). After 30 days of storage, OHD-7 fruits recorded 0 resistance to CI but OHD and OHD+7 fruits resisted by 20% each. Fruits of all harvest dates showed no resistance to CI after 45 days of storage. Fruit maturity and cold storage length were found to significantly (P< 0.05) influence CI resistance. For good keeping quality, “Ryan sun” peach fruits should be harvested mature for long keeping but harvested earlier when intended for best antioxidant property.Key words: chilling injury, antioxidants, fruit maturity

The Transnational Exchange of Law Through Climate Change Litigation

Climate change litigation continues to bash holes in the view of domestic legal systems as hermetically sealed units. Domestic cases are inspired by litigation elsewhere, actively fostered by transnational advocacy communities, and the decisions themselves are indicative of transjudicial influences and sometimes even dialogue on climate change. This chapter, written in 2021 to reflect the transnationalism of early climate change litigation, takes a close look at practices of transjudicialism in climate change litigation. In so doing, it seeks to disrupt some default patterns of studying the spread of law. By problematizing the practices of ‘finding’ influential climate law cases, measuring their citation and impact, and assuming their directions of influence, we set out to remove some of the blinders that prevent us from appreciating the full picture of climate change litigation’s transnationalism including the leadership of the Global South

Typical performance reductions in pv modules subject to soiling in a tropical climate

Soiling severely hinders the ability of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to absorb incident solar radiation, causing significant  deterioration of module performances. In this study, the thermal profiles and the electrical power outputs of PV modules were  evaluated in order to establish the impact of soiling under tropical field conditions. Two case-study PV installations in the Universityof Nigeria were considered. Assessments of the PV systems, undertaken both when soiled and after they had been cleaned, involved the measurement of electrical power outputs and the acquisition of infrared (IR) thermograms. It was found that soiling had noticeable impacts on both module surface temperature distributions and their power outputs. The IR images, which showed spatial distributions of module surface temperatures, revealed the occurrence of hotspots on the modules when soiled. Furthermore, as a result of soiling, up to four-fold declines in module electrical efficiencies were observed. These declines were more significant in theground-mounted PV system at the University Staff Primary School compared to the roofmounted system at the University Energy  Research Centre. Simple cleaning of the modules led to the disappearance of hotspots and significant improvements in output, showing that it is an effective means of maintaining PV modules performance and recovering the performance potentials lost due to soiling. Keywords: solar PV, PV soiling, infrared thermography, module failure, PV performanc

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in HIV patients in the Central Region of Ghana

Background: Literature reveals that there is an association between HIV infection and mental disorders.Objective: The study aimed at examining the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in HIV infected individuals cared for at the Central Regional Hospital, a referral hospital in Cape Coast, Ghana.Method: This was a cross-sectional study. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological and clinical data. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to evaluate psychiatric disturbances. Two hundred and six HIV patients (females, 120 and males, 86) were assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for mental disorders. Socio demographic and clinical information were collected from patient's records with permission from the hospital authority. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used for the analysis.Results: The prevalence of psychiatric disorder was 146 (70.9%). The psychiatric conditions identied were mood disorders (depression and mania) and anxiety disorders (General anxiety, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder).Conclusion: Findings suggest that there is need to consider mental and psychological care of clients with HIV/AIDS to minimise the prevalence of psychiatric disorder among HIV clients.Keywords: Prevalence, Psychiatric disorder, HIV infection, Mental challenge

Effects of Creaming Method and Flour Formulation on Acceptability and Proximate Characteristics of Cake from Corn, Wheat and Soya Bean Composite Flour

The study tested the possibility of incorporating corn and soya bean flours to partially substitute wheat flour in the production of cakes. A 3x2 factorial design was followed using three different composite flour formulations (A, B= 80 soya bean: 15 corn: 5 wheat; C, D= 15 soya bean: 80 corn: 5 wheat; E, F= 50 soya bean: 20 corn: 30 wheat) at two levels of creaming (manual and machine creaming). Samples A, C and E were manually creamed whereas B, D and F were subjected to machine creaming. Composite flours were used to bake cakes, with 100% wheat flour cake serving as control. A total of seven samples were produced, coded and tested for acceptability using a nine-point hedonic scale in affective sensory test. Correlation analysis was performed to ascertain the influence of individual flour components on the performance of cake samples. Proximate analysis was also conducted on best overall scored sample and control sample (G). Results showed that all cake samples compared well sensorially with average score of 7.23 for overall acceptability against G (7.33), inferring they were all liked moderately by the sensory panel. Correlation coefficients showed that sensory scores were lower for increasing amounts of soya bean (-0.4656) and corn (-0.3637) but higher for increasing amounts of wheat (0.8680). For proximate and energy contents, sample F had significantly higher values for moisture (24.71) and protein (18.50) than G (19.01 and 8.19 respectively) (P<0.05). The control sample (G) also recorded higher values for fibre (26.23) and lipids (42.77) than sample F (23.92, 30.41 respectively) (P<0.05). Energy values of samples revealed a higher value for G (520.61 kcal) than F (443.37 kcal). Creaming methods had no significant influence on the sensory performance of cakes. Substituting wheat flour with soya bean and corn flour was recommended but more work needs to be done to improve on associated heaviness and rough texture of cakes produced. Keywords: Cakes, Sensory, Flour, Corn, Soya bean

Agronomic potentials of quality protein maize hybrids developed in Ghana

A quality protein maize (QPM) hybrid programme was started in 1991 to develop and promote high and stableyielding QPM hybrids to increase production of nutritionally superior maize varieties in Ghana. Six 3- way QPM hybrids developed from inbred lines originating from germplasm of the International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT) were evaluated on research stations and in farmers\' fields in Ghana from 1995 to 1996. In the on-station evaluations, grain yields across 10 sites in both years averaged 6.0 ton ha-1 for the three hybrids (GH132-28, GH110-5 and GH2328-88), 5.22 ton ha-1 for Obatanpa, and 3.60 ton ha-1 for the local maize variety. In farmers\' fields, data from over 50 farm sites in 1995 and 1996 showed mean yields of 4.95 ton ha-1 for the three hybrids, and 4.28 ton ha-1 for Obatanpa compared to 3.59 ton ha-1 for farmers\' varieties. On the average, the hybrids were similar to Obatanpa in days to 50 per cent silking, but were shorter in plant height and ear placement. Consumer preference tests showed that the three hybrids were rated similar to the local variety in popular traditional food preparations such as ‘kenkey\' and ‘tuo zafi\'. In 1997, the National Variety Release Committee approved the release of GH132-28, GH110-5, and GH2328-88 under the local names Dadaba, Mamaba, and CIDA-ba, respectively. These hybrids are recommended for planting in all the major agro-ecologies to boost maize production in Ghana.Les variétés de maïs hybride (Zea mays L.) dont les plus sésirées que les variétés de pollinisation libre à cause de leur uniformté et leurs potentiels de rendement plus élevés. Pour augmenter la production de variétés de maïs nutritionnellement supérieures au Ghana, I\'Institut de Recherche de Cultures a mis en place un programme hybrid de maïs protéique de qualité (MPQ) en 1991 pour développer et promouvoir des hybrides de MPQ de rendement élevés et stable. Six hybrids en trois de MPQ développés d\'issu de la même souch provenant de germeplasmes de CIMMYT (Centre International pour I\'amélioration de maïs et de blé) étaient évalués aux stations de recherches et aux champs d\'agriculteurs au Ghana de 1995 à 1996. Dans les évaluations sur place, les rendements de grain à travers 10 sites dans les deux années ont atteint la moyenne de 6.0 ton ha-1 pour les trois hybrids (GH132-28, GH110-5 et GH2328-88), 5.22 ton ha-1 pour \'Obatanpa\' et 3.60 ton ha-1 pour la variétés de maïs local. Sur les champs d\'agriculteurs des données de plus que 50 sites de champs en 1995 et 1996 montraient les rendements moyens de 4.95 ton ha-1 pour les trois hybrids et 4.28 ton ha-1 pour les \'Obatanpa\' comparées à 3.59 ton ha-1 pour les variétés d\'agriculteurs. En moyenne, les hybrides étaient semblables à \'Obatanpa\' en jours jusqu à 50% d\'apparition de soie maïs étaient plus courtes en taille de plante et en placement d\'épi. Les essais de préférence de consommateur montraient que les trios hybrides étaient évalués semblables à la variété locale dans les préparations de nouriture traditionnelle populaire telle que \'kenkey\' et \'tuo zafi\'. En 1997, le comité pour la mise en vente de Variété Nationale a approuvé la mise en vente de GH132-28, GH110-5 et GH2328-88 sous les noms locaux respectifs de Dadaba, Mamaba, et CIDA-ba. Ce hybrides sont recommandés pour la popultion dans toutes les agroéclogies majeures pour stimuler la production de maïs au Ghana. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 40 (1) 2007: pp. 81-8

Effect of Non-Performing Loans on the Profitability of Universal Banks: A Time Series Analysis of the Ghanaian Banking Industry

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the effect of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) on the profitability of universal banks in Ghana. The study is focused on the effect of non-performing loans on return on assets and return on equity of universal banks in Ghana. The study uses quarterly time series data collected by Bank of Ghana on all universal banks operating in the banking sector for the period 2007 - 2018. The multiple regression technique is used to analyse the models developed. The study reveals that non-performing loans have a significant negative effect on return on equity of universal banks in Ghana. The study also reveals a significant negative relationship between non-performing loans ratio and return on asset. The study recommends an improvement in the profitability of universal banks by reducing non-performing loans in individual banks. Universal banks must improve their loan monitoring strategies and manage their loan risk exposure to customers. The study recommends an improvement of the regulatory system of the central bank. Appropriate guidelines must be instituted by the central bank to prevent universal banks from advancing loans to customers with high credit risk. Keywords: non-performing loans, banks profitability, time series, universal banks DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/13-2-03 Publication date: January 31st 202

The Transnational Exchange of Law Through Climate Change Litigation

Climate change litigation continues to bash holes in the view of domestic legal systems as hermetically sealed units. Domestic cases are inspired by litigation elsewhere, actively fostered by transnational advocacy communities, and the decisions themselves are indicative of transjudicial influences and sometimes even dialogue on climate change. This chapter, written in 2021 to reflect the transnationalism of early climate change litigation, takes a close look at practices of transjudicialism in climate change litigation. In so doing, it seeks to disrupt some default patterns of studying the spread of law. By problematizing the practices of ‘finding’ influential climate law cases, measuring their citation and impact, and assuming their directions of influence, we set out to remove some of the blinders that prevent us from appreciating the full picture of climate change litigation’s transnationalism including the leadership of the Global South

Sustainable development : Africa's hidden and not-so-hidden contribution to its law, politics, and history

The full abstract for this thesis is available in the body of the thesis, and will be available when the embargo expires.Law, Peter A. Allard School ofGraduat