Carbon Footprint of the Large Scale Gold Mining Industry of Ghana

Mining has been an important economic activity accounting for a substantial part of foreign exchange and government revenue. The gold mining sector has undergone considerable expansion due to liberalization with more foreign mining companies investing in the sector in particular large-scale open pit gold mining. Resultant expansion in mining has led to heightened environmental concerns and significant challenges due to key activities used in the mining operations hence contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Investigations were conducted to assess the sources and key activities in large scale gold open pit mining operations in Ghana giving rise to greenhouse gas generation. The study adopted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guideline for estimating greenhouse gas inventory. The operational boundary as against the organizational boundary was considered for the study. The operational boundary was drawn around the physical mining site. Within this boundary, the emissions were quantified and reported under direct emission due to company activities (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from secondary use or activity (Scope 2). The study found that activities due to land use, blasting, fuel use to power mobile equipment and stationary combustion sources, electricity use and waste management were the contributing greenhouse gas emission sources in a large scale gold mining operation with electricity use and fuel used in transportation accounting for 92.46% of the total emissions. Average contribution of the large scale gold mining industry in Ghana to the total national greenhouse gas emission inventory for the country was established to be 11.08%

Mobility, education and livelihood trajectories for young people in rural Ghana: a gender perspective

This paper examines the gendered implications of Africa's transport gap (the lack of cheap, regular and reliable transport) for young people in rural Ghana, with particular reference to the linkages between restricted mobility, household work demands, access to education and livelihood potential. Our aim is to show how mobility constraints, especially as these interact with household labour demands, restrict young people's access to education and livelihood opportunities. Firstly, the paper considers the implications of the direct constraints on young people's mobility potential as they travel to school. Then it examines young people's (mostly unpaid) labour contributions, which are commonly crucial to family household production and reproduction, including those associated with the transport gap. This has especially important implications for girls, on whom the principal onus lies to help adult women carry the heavy burden of water, firewood, and agricultural products required for household use. Such work can impact significantly on their educational attendance and performance in school and thus has potential knock-on impacts for livelihoods. Distance from school, when coupled with a heavy workload at home will affect attendance, punctuality and performance at school: it may ultimately represent the tipping point resulting in a decision to withdraw from formal education. Moreover, the heavy burden of work and restricted mobility contributes to young people's negative attitudes to agriculture and rural life and encourages urban migration. Drawing on research from rural case study sites in two regions of Ghana, we discuss ethnographic material from recent interviews with children and young people, their parents, teachers and other key informants, supported by information from an associated survey with children ca. 9–18 years

Engineering Characterisation of Aggregates from Some Selected Areas in Kumasi, Ghana

The increase in engineering projects translates to an increase in demand for construction materials, for example, aggregates which are a major component in concrete works. There are many quarries in the Kumasi area which produce aggregates for use in construction works. However, there is no readily available information on the geological and geotechnical properties of these aggregates for use by engineers during the planning, design and construction of projects. This project therefore sought to characterise the aggregate from selected areas (close to some major quarries) in Kumasi based on their geological and engineering properties for construction purposes. Results of the study indicate that Aggregates from sampling locations KP and CS passed the FI test with those from CS being the only ones to pass for EI, making them the best aggregates in terms of Flakiness and Elongation Indices. The aggregates from all the sampling locations passed for the Specific Gravity and Water Absorption tests with CS aggregates giving the best results indicating high strength and good rate of water absorption. Aggregate from sampling location NM gave the best result for the Aggregate Impact Value test indicating high resistance to sudden impacts and shocks. With the Ten Percent Fines Value and the Aggregate Crushing Value Tests, CS yet again produced the aggregates with the best results. The aggregate gave a very high result even under the wet/soaked condition when all the others were giving very low results. Aggregates from this sampling locations can withstand loading gradual compression better than the rest. Finally, the KP aggregates gave the best results for the Los Angeles Abrasion Value which suggests such materials to be the hardest and toughest to resist crushing, degradation and disintegration. Aggregates from the CS, however gave the second best results. From the study, it was concluded that the most suitable location to obtain good quality aggregates is around CS as its aggregates gave the best results in almost all the tests

Mining safely: Examining the moderating role of safety climate on mineworkers\u27 mental health and safety behavior nexus

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the impact of anxiety and depression (dimensions of mental health) on mineworkers\u27 safety behaviors (safety compliance and safety participation) while examining the moderating role of safety climate on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach with an explanatory cross-sectional survey research design was adopted. A total of 274 purposively selected mineworkers participated in the study. Responses were obtained from participants through a structured questionnaire which was analyzed using the partial least square structural equation modeling. Findings: Anxiety had a significant negative effect on safety compliance but not participation. However, depression was found to have a significant negative effect on both mineworkers\u27 safety compliance and participation behaviors. The findings of the study also show that safety climate moderates the relationships between the dimensions of mental health and mineworkers\u27 safety behavior except for the relationship between anxiety and mineworkers\u27 safety participation behavior. Originality/value: The study offers an account of the negative effect of mental health on mineworkers\u27 safety behavior whiles highlighting that safety climate is an important construct to mitigate the negative effects of mental illness on the safety behaviors of mineworkers. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

Yam Tuber Dormancy and Sprouting: The Role of Concentration Dynamics of Endogenous Gibberellic Acid

The role of endogenous gibberellic acid (GA ) in the regulation of yam (Dioscorea spp.) tuber 3 dormancy was investigated by determining the changes in the endogenous GA levels during 3 natural dormancy progression. Two Dioscorea rotundata cultivars ('Pona' and 'Labreko') and one Dioscorea alata cultivar ('CRI-Ahoɔdenfoɔ') used in these studies have varying dormancy duration. Endogenous GA levels determined for the yam tubers ranged from 1.53 – 3.05 mg/g dw 3 and 1.23 – 1.58 mg/g dw for 'Pona'; 1.53 – 3.40 mg/g dw and 1.25–1.57 mg/g dw for 'Labreko'; 1.48 – 3.62 mg/g dw and 1.28 – 1.60 mg/g dw for 'CRI-Ahoɔdenfoɔ', respectively, for the outer and inner portions. 'Pona' and 'Labreko' had dormancy break at 60 days after harvest (DAH), but at 90 DAH for 'CRI-Ahoɔdenfoɔ'. Generally, GA levels increased from harvest to the maximum 3 at 30 DAH, then declined to the minimum at 60 DAH before finally increasing again at 90 DAH for the outer portions of the yam tuber. For the inner portions of the tuber, GA levels rather 3 declined significantly to the minimum at 30 DAH, increased at 60 DAH and then decreased again at 90 DAH. GA levels in the outer portions of the tubers increased by 84-122%, 65-77% and 61- 3 65%, respectively, in 'CRI-Ahoɔdenfoɔ', 'Labreko' and 'Pona', but decreased in the inner portions by 19-23%, 24-26% and 26-28%. Essentially, higher amounts of endogenous gibberellins in yam tubers induced longer dormancy duration whereas lower amounts were indicative of dormancy termination and subsequent initiation of sprouting.&nbsp

Variation in Stability of Endogenous Reference Genes in Fallopian Tubes and Endometrium from Healthy and Ectopic Pregnant Women

RT-qPCR is commonly employed in gene expression studies in ectopic pregnancy. Most use RN18S1, β-actin or GAPDH as internal controls without validation of their suitability as reference genes. A systematic study of the suitability of endogenous reference genes for gene expression studies in ectopic pregnancy is lacking. The aims of this study were therefore to evaluate the stability of 12 reference genes and suggest those that are stable for use as internal control genes in fallopian tubes and endometrium from ectopic pregnancy and healthy non-pregnant controls. Analysis of the results showed that the genes consistently ranked in the top six by geNorm and NormFinder algorithms, were UBC, GAPDH, CYC1 and EIF4A2 (fallopian tubes) and UBC and ATP5B (endometrium). mRNA expression of NAPE-PLD as a test gene of interest varied between the groups depending on which of the 12 reference genes was used as internal controls. This study demonstrates that arbitrary selection of reference genes for normalisation in RT-qPCR studies in ectopic pregnancy without validation, risk producing inaccurate data and should therefore be discouraged

Improvement of Rice Production under Drought Conditions in West Africa: Application of QTLs in Breeding for Drought Resistance

Rice plays a paramount role in food and nutrition security in many West African countries. Despite the doubling of production during the last decade, rice consumption has grown faster, creating a deficit between the demand and supply. Although the West African sub-region remains the main rice-producing centre on the continent, production is severely hampered by biotic and abiotic stresses. Drought is one of the factors that most severely reduce grain yields of rice. Systems of production need to be established in order to mitigate yield loss as a result of drought. This review discusses the effects of drought on rice production in West Africa and its mitigation with an emphasis on the improvement of tolerance to drought stress. Yield stability can be achieved by developing drought-tolerant varieties through several processes encompassing profiling of known QTLs and identification of new ones, marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, and extensive multi-locational yield trials. We suggest a comprehensive strategy for breeding drought-tolerant rice varieties in West Africa

Individual Readiness for Change in the Context of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Implementation

The present study takes a bottom-up approach and investigates the organizational implications of ERP systems implementation in organizations. We adopt a likely point of view of employees and study the ERP integration process along 3 dimensions: people, processes, and information. In this manner we discover the ERP-specific sources of resistance that could affect negatively the deployment of the software. Then, we argue that a general set of beliefs shapes employees readiness to change to ERP use and provides the foundation for resistance or for adoptive behavior. We define the concept of readiness for change in the context of ERP and introduce a readiness for change assessment approach. Then, we test empirically the study hypotheses upon which the research model was build. The results obtained offer insights into factors that can improve the effectiveness of ERP implementation strategies and underline the importance of change management for the success of such projects

Evaluating patient factors, operative management and postoperative outcomes in trauma laparotomy patients worldwide: a protocol for a global observational multicentre trauma study.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma contributes to the greatest loss of disability-adjusted life-years for adolescents and young adults worldwide. In the context of global abdominal trauma, the trauma laparotomy is the most commonly performed operation. Variation likely exists in how these patients are managed and their subsequent outcomes, yet very little global data on the topic currently exists. The objective of the GOAL-Trauma study is to evaluate both patient and injury factors for those undergoing trauma laparotomy, their clinical management and postoperative outcomes. METHODS: We describe a planned prospective multicentre observational cohort study of patients undergoing trauma laparotomy. We will include patients of all ages who present to hospital with a blunt or penetrating injury and undergo a trauma laparotomy within 5 days of presentation to the treating centre. The study will collect system, patient, process and outcome data, following patients up until 30 days postoperatively (or until discharge or death, whichever is first). Our sample size calculation suggests we will need to recruit 552 patients from approximately 150 recruiting centres. DISCUSSION: The GOAL-Trauma study will provide a global snapshot of the current management and outcomes for patients undergoing a trauma laparotomy. It will also provide insight into the variation seen in the time delays for receiving care, the disease and patient factors present, and patient outcomes. For current standards of trauma care to be improved worldwide, a greater understanding of the current state of trauma laparotomy care is paramount if appropriate interventions and targets are to be identified and implemented