What drives me there? The interplay of socio-psychological gratification and consumer values in social media brand engagement

The social behavioral perspective is under-researched in the extant literature. This hinders the holistic understanding of social media brand engagement. This study examines the interplay of socio-psychological gratification variables (perceived homophily, perceived critical mass, and self-status seeking) and consumer values (personal, interpersonal, and fun) on consumer participation in social media brand engagement. The conceptual model in this study is situated on the principles of Uses and Gratifications, Critical Mass, Homophily, and Values theories. Based on an online survey of 713 Facebook users, we examine the model using structural equation modeling (with Amos 23.0). The analysis disclosed insights on the interplay of motivational factors that underlie social media brand engagement. Our findings suggest that socio-psychological gratification variables (perceived homophily, perceived critical mass, and self-status seeking) drive consumers’ engagement with brand pages and brand communities on social media. This relationship is strengthened by the consumer values. These insights serve as an important basis for researchers and practitioners to understand social media brand engagement and its outcomes

Irrigation and Bradyrhizobium Japonicum Inoculation Effects on Performance of Soybean Production in Tropical Guinea Savanna Zone of Ghana

A field experiment was conducted to assess the effect of irrigation regimes and Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains on the performance of soybean cultivar TGX1440-IE. The study was carried out for two consecutive years during the dry season (February-May) at Tono Irrigation Project site in a Guinea Savannah zone of Ghana. Three irrigation regimes based on soybean crop water requirements (full or normal (W0), half (W1) and one and a half (W2) crop water requirements) and two strains of B. japonicum (LS-50 and TAL-120) along with one uninoculated treatments with three replications were laid out in a split-plot randomized complete block design. The LS-50 strain inoculated soybean (I2) had the highest value in the number of nodulation, growth, yield and WUE, followed by the uninoculated (I0) and the TAL-120 (I1) had the least. The LS-50 strain significantly (P<0.01) increased the number of nodulation, growth, yield and WUE by 15 %, 14 %, 10 % and 12 % respectively over the uninoculated soybean. The one and a half irrigation regime (W2) also had the highest values for all crop parameters determined except WUE followed by the full irrigation regime (W0) and the half irrigation (W1) had the least. W1 however, had the highest WUE, followed by W0 and then W2. The one and a half irrigation regime significantly (P<0.01) increased the number of nodulation, growth and yield by 23%,  28% and 10 % respectively but decreased WUE by 65%, over the full irrigation regime.  However, the half irrigation increased the WUE by 36 % over the full irrigation regime. The interaction of LS 50 strain and the one and a half irrigation regime (W2I2) had significant (P<0.05) increase in the growth by 45 % , decrease in WUE by 27 % and insignificant increase in  yield over the interaction of uninoculated and full irrigation regime (W0I0). However the interaction of LS 50 strain and half irrigation regime (W1I2) increased the WUE by 95 % over the interaction of uninoculated and full irrigation regime (W0I0). Keywords: Soybean cultivar, Tono Irrigation Project, Crop water, LS-50 strain, TAL-120 strain

Efficacy of extractives from parts of Ghanaian pawpaw, avocado and neem on the durability of alstonia

Conventional preservatives are not only toxic to wood bio-deteriorators, but also to humans and animals. In an effort to find preservatives that are non-toxic to humans and animals, efficacy of water extracts of heartwood of Azadirachta indica (Neem) and leaves of Persea americana (avocado) and Carica papaya (pawpaw) at 0.24%, was tested on the durability of wood of Alstonia boonei by pressure impregnation and buried in a termite-prone field for 5 weeks following a modified EN 252 and Gay et al. (1957). Efficacy was tested on the basis of visual durability ratings, percentage hardness and mass losses of impregnated alstonia wood after burial. Though alstonia wood retained pawpaw extract least, pawpaw extract improved the durability of alstonia wood most. Pawpaw extract could be used to improve the durability of alstonia wood better at 0.72% (3x0.24%) and on triple treatment. 83% of Anloga furniture makers who saw the efficacy of pawpaw extract at 0.72% and on triple treatment, showed a high sense of interest in preservative botanical extracts.Key words: Eco-friendly, termite, efficacy, standardization, percentage hardness loss, percentage mass loss, visual durability rating

Efficacy of Corncob and Rice Husk Biochar as Liming Agent and Phosphorus Source for Growth of Soybean in Two Acid Soils

Soil acidity, unavailability and high cost of conventional liming materials are major constraints to soybean production in the Western Region of Ghana. Research has shown that biochar produced from agricultural waste has high concentration of basic cations and available P that could be exploited for use as liming material and/or P source. However, the biochar type that will provide an ideal soil pH and P availability for soybean production in acid soils has received little attention. Therefore, for this study, two acid soils namely; Ankasa Series (Typic Hapludox) and Tikobo Series (Typic Hapludult) were amended with corncob and rice husk biochar types charred at 500 and 700 oC at a rate of 80 tons/ha in a pot experiment in a screen house to ascertain the efficacy of the biochar types as agricultural lime and P sources for soybean growth. The Ca equivalent of the biochar types from CaCO3 was amended to the soils to serve as realistic control. The soils were arranged in a completely randomized design in a screen house to allow for pH equilibration. After pH equilibration, inoculated soybean seeds were sown at stake. Nitrogen was applied at rates of 0 kg/ha and 10 kg/ha. Phosphorus from TSP was applied at 0 and biochar P equivalent to the non-biochar-amended soils. Extra 30 kg P/ha from TSP was applied to some of the biochar amended soils to ascertain if any, the combined effect of synthetic and biochar P on soybean growth. At flower initiation, the crops were harvested, root volume and P uptake determined. Amended with rice husk biochar charred at 700 oC, the shoot P uptake was 1.3 times more in both the Typic Hapludox and the Typic Hapludult than the same soils amended with conventional lime with equivalent biochar P from the synthetic source

Information gaps in surveillance data and effects on the Ghanaian response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa

Background: Complete and accurate information on disease occurrence is crucial for effective public health response to disease outbreaks. In response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, Ghana intensified surveillance for the disease across the country. However, the case definition provided by the Ministry of Health was not uniformly applied at all reporting health facilities.Objective: This paper analyses the accompanying Case Record Forms (CRFs) submitted to Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research to determine its completeness and appropriateness for instituting an effective response to the epidemic.Methods: We determined the proportions of completeness in reporting for all criteria provided by the MOH for the clinical diagnosis of Ebola. New indicators were generated to measure the completeness of each variable. Tables and graphs of completeness of indicators were produced and presented.Results: Of the 156 samples, 69% were from males. Approximately 4.5% had no record for age. The date of specimen collection was filled for 96%; 34.6% (54) did not have date of onset of symptoms. In 37.8% (59) of cases, location was blank. In 12% of cases, no symptoms were recorded and about 30% had no record of fever. Travel history, especially to affected areas, was missing for 40.4%.Conclusions: Gaps on CRFs can significantly reduce the utility of results of laboratory analysis for outbreak control. Although all the samples analysed were negative for Ebola Virus, the high proportion of missing data on the forms should be a source of concern. We recommend that frontline health staff be trained on the importance of capturing all information required on the form.Source of funding: The funding for the analysis of suspected samples were provided partially by Ghana Health Servce and research funding from Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical ResearchKeywords: Ebola Virus Disease, Data Gaps, Ghana, Ministry of Health, Symptom

Use of Corn Cob and Rice Husk Biochar as Liming Materials in Acid Soils

Most soils in Ghana are acid with those of the Evergreen Rain Forest belt having Al toxicities. Unavailability, high cost and poor grade of conventional liming materials have led to poor yields of food crops grown on these acid soils. Preliminary works on biochar produced from agricultural waste in Ghana have shown that some types have high concentration of basic cations and contain CaCO3, an active ingredient in conventional lime. Biochar could, therefore, be exploited for use as liming material.  However, the biochar type that would be ideal for use as liming material in acid soils of Ghana has received little attention. Two typical acid soils viz., Typic Hapludox and Typic Hapludult were thus amended with corn cob and rice husk charred at 500 and 700 oC at a rate of 80 Mg/ha in a screen house experiment to evaluate their respective efficacies as substitutes for conventional agricultural lime. The Ca equivalent of the biochar types from CaCO3, the conventional lime, was amended to the soils to serve as realistic controls. The amended soils, in addition to their un-amended counterparts, were all kept at 80% field capacity in a completely randomized design in the screen house to allow for pH equilibration amidst weekly pH and bi-weekly exchangeable Al, Ca and Mg monitoring. Results showed that corn cob charred at 500 oC was able to raise pH from 4.2 to 5.2 in Hapludox and from 4.9 to 6.2 (an optimum pH for most food crops) in Hapludult within a six-week incubation period. All the biochar types reduced Al concentration from 0.4 cmolc /kg to undetectable levels in the Hapludult. The element was reduced from 1.3 cmolc /kg to 0.45 cmolc /kg in the rice husk and corn cob charred at 700 oC amended Hapludox

Integration of multiple geospatial applications and intelligence for responding to COVID-19 in Ghana

Objective: We describe the use of integrated geospatial applications for the provision of access to timely and accurate data on samples, visualisation of Spatio-temporal patterns of cases and effective communication between field sample collectors, testing laboratories, Regional Health directors and Government Decision Makers.Design: This study describes how an integrated geospatial platform based on case location and intelligence was developed and used for effective COVID-19 response during the initial stages of COVID-19 in Ghana.Data Source: Collector for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Survey123Main outcome measure: successful development and deployment of integrated geospatial applications and analytics.                                                              Results: The Collector for ArcGIS app was customised to collect COVID-19 positive cases location information. Survey 123 was introduced as a COVID-19 contact tracing application to digitise the case-based forms and provide real-time results from the laboratories to GHS and other stakeholders. The laboratory backend allowed the testing laboratories access to specific information about each patient (sample) collected by the fieldworkers. The regional supervisors’ backend web application provided accessing test results for confidentiality and timely communication of results.Conclusion: Geospatial platforms were successfully established in Ghana to provide timely results to Regional Health Directors and Government decision-makers. This helped to improve the timeliness of response and contact tracing at the district level