Environmental performance indicators for assessing sustainability of projects in the Ghanaian construction industry

PURPOSE: Recent reports based on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) have revealed that no country is in line with achieving the targets of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, with the slowest progress being witnessed mainly on goals that are focused on the environment. This study examines environmental performance indicators for assessing the sustainability of building projects. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study uses an explanatory sequential design with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. An extensive critical comparative review of the literature resulted in the identification of ten environmental sustainability indicators. One hundred and sixty-seven questionnaire responses based upon these indicators from the Ghanaian construction industry were received. Data were coded with SPSS v22, analysed descriptively, and via inferential analysis. These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with six interviewees who are fellows of their respective professional bodies, a senior academic (professor in construction project delivery) and a government official. Data obtained from the semi-structured validation interviews were analysed through the side-by-side comparison of the qualitative data with the quantitative data. FINDINGS: The findings from the study suggest that all the indicators were important in assessing building projects' environmental sustainability across the entire life cycle. Key among the identified indicators is the effects of the project on “water quality, air quality, energy use and conservation, and environmental compliance and management”. The interviewees further agreed to and confirmed the importance of these identified indicators for assessing the environmental sustainability of building projects in Ghana. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Compared to existing studies, this study adopts the exploratory sequential design to identify and examine the critical indicators in assessing the environmental sustainability across the entire lifecycle of building projects in a typical developing country setting, i.e. Ghana. It reveals areas of prime concern in the drive to place the local construction industry on a trajectory towards achieving environmental sustainability

Comparison of vent sexing and polymerase chain reaction for reliable sex determination in guinea fowls

The guinea fowl is an important poultry species with great economic potential in Africa. It is a monomorphic bird with less conspicuous sexual dimorphism. Inability to sex birds accurately early in their life imposes multiple challenges on breeding, conservation and production of these birds. Several methods have been employed for sexing monomorphic birds each with specific advantages and disadvantages. In the present study, sexes of 215 guinea fowls were determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Vent Sexing and determination of gonads. PCR was used to amplify a sequence homologous to Chicken EcoR1 fragment of 0.6 kb (EE0.6) using Universal Sex Primer (USP) 1 and USP3 and internal control primers. Vent sexing could only diagnose 48.7 % of males accurately while it was able to diagnose females with an accuracy of 81%. Results from PCR was in complete agreement with sex indicated by gonads. Differences in results between PCR and vent sexing were significant (p < 0.05). Vent Sexing alone is not reliable for sexing guinea fowls prior to breeding decisions. Molecular sexing using the method described is recommended for accurate sex determination for breeders and researchers while future research is necessary to develop farmer friendly guidelines for reliable sex determination of guinea fowls

Contribution of advanced fluorescence nano microscopy towards revealing mitotic chromosome structure

The organization of chromatin into higher-order structures and its condensation process represent one of the key challenges in structural biology. This is important for elucidating several disease states. To address this long-standing problem, development of advanced imaging methods has played an essential role in providing understanding into mitotic chromosome structure and compaction. Amongst these are two fast evolving fluorescence imaging technologies, specifically fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and super-resolution microscopy (SRM). FLIM in particular has been lacking in the application of chromosome research while SRM has been successfully applied although not widely. Both these techniques are capable of providing fluorescence imaging with nanometer information. SRM or nanoscopy is capable of generating images of DNA with less than 50 nm resolution while FLIM when coupled with energy transfer may provide less than 20 nm information. Here, we discuss the advantages and limitations of both methods followed by their contribution to mitotic chromosome studies. Furthermore, we highlight the future prospects of how advancements in new technologies can contribute in the field of chromosome science

Evaluating the utilisation of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices among smallholder farmers in The Lawra, Jirapa and Nandom districts of Ghana

Climate change is posing threat to agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa including Ghana. Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is proposed to solve climate change impacts on agriculture. Smallholder farmers are adopting various strategies to be resilient to climate change effects. Empirical research is required to evaluate CSA utilisation in Ghana. Lawra, Jirapa and Nandom districts in the climate-risk areas of Guinea Savannah agro-ecological zone were chosen and Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) tools were used. Farm budget analysis and market price methods were employed; key financial decision-making tools were net returns, profit margins and benefit-cost ratio. Soft systems content analysis, frequencies, means, ranking and data aggregation were employed to generate results. CSA use in the study districts was smallholder driven and male dominated. CSA was mainly used for staples including cereals and legumes and small ruminants under livestock. Crop-livestock integration and crop rotation were the common CSA practices with the highest costs (GH¢6,370.00) and highest revenues (GH¢9,460.00) respectively. Utilisation of CSA in the districts is beneficial and investments are profitable and financially viable. All actors and stakeholders must join forces to promote CSA in the districts. Rigorous promotional campaigns, capacity building and funding at all levels are crucial for CSA adoption in Ghana

Non-invasive sex determination of guinea fowl keets (numida meleagris) by polymerase chain reaction

Early sex determination of birds is crucial for controlled breeding for both production andconservation. Amidst the potential of the guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) industry for theeconomies of African countries and as a rich genetic resource to be conserved, inability toaccurately sex guinea fowl keets is a major constraint for breeding. In the present study sex of dayold guinea keets (n=132) and keets of 4 - 8 weeks (n=72) was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by amplifying a sequence homologous to Chicken EcoR1 fragment of 0.6 kb (EE0.6) using Universal Sex Primer 1(USP 1) and Universal Sex Primer 3 (USP 3) together with internal control primers using DNA extracted from feathers. Out of 72 keets, aged 4 - 8 weeks, 38 were identified as males and 34 were identified as females. Out of the 132, day-olds 69 and 63 were identified as female and male keets, respectively, were results from PCR were confirmed by the presence of respective gonads. The methods described can be used for accurate sex determination of guinea fowl keets from day-old with minimal stress and discomfort to the birds. The method can be used by researchers, breeders, conservationists directly or to develop farmer friendly methods in the future

Reticulomics: Protein-protein interaction studies with two plasmodesmata-localised reticulon family proteins identify binding partners enriched at plasmodesmata, ER and the plasma membrane

The ER is a ubiquitous organelle that plays roles in secretory protein production, folding, quality control, and lipid biosynthesis. The cortical ER in plants is pleomorphic and structured as a tubular network capable of morphing into flat cisternae, mainly at three way junctions, and back to tubules. Plant reticulon (RTNLB) proteins tubulate the ER by dimer- and oligomerization, creating localised ER membrane tensions that result in membrane curvature. Some RTNLB ER-shaping proteins are present in the plasmodesmal (PD) proteome (Fernandez-Calvino et al., 2011) and may contribute to the formation of the desmotubule, the axial ER-derived structure that traverses primary PD (Knox et al., 2015). Here we investigate the binding partners of two PD-resident reticulon proteins, RTNLB3 and RTNLB6, that are located in primary PD at cytokinesis (Knox et al., 2015). Co-immunoprecipitation of GFP-tagged RTNLB3 and RTNLB6 followed by mass spectrometry detected a high percentage of known PD-localised proteins as well as plasma-membrane proteins with putative membrane anchoring roles. FRET-FLIM assays revealed a highly significant interaction of the detected PD proteins with the bait RTNLB proteins. Our data suggest that RTNLB proteins, in addition to a role in ER modelling, may play important roles in linking the cortical ER to the plasma membrane

Induction and processing of the radiation-induced gamma-H2AX signal and Its link to the underlying pattern of DSB: A combined experimental and modelling study

We present here an analysis of DSB induction and processing after irradiation with X-rays in an extended dose range based on the use of the γH2AX assay. The study was performed by quantitative flow cytometry measurements, since the use of foci counting would result in reasonable accuracy only in a limited dose range of a few Gy. The experimental data are complemented by a theoretical analysis based on the GLOBLE model. In fact, original aim of the study was to test GLOBLE predictions against new experimental data, in order to contribute to the validation of the model. Specifically, the γH2AX signal kinetics has been investigated up to 24 h after exposure to increasing photon doses between 2 and 500 Gy. The prolonged persistence of the signal at high doses strongly suggests dose dependence in DSB processing after low LET irradiation. Importantly, in the framework of our modelling analysis, this is related to a gradually increased fraction of DSB clustering at the micrometre scale. The parallel study of γH2AX dose response curves shows the onset of a pronounced saturation in two cell lines at a dose of about 20 Gy. This dose is much lower than expected according to model predictions based on the values usually adopted for the DSB induction yield (≈ 30 DSB/Gy) and for the γH2AX foci extension of approximately 2 Mbp around the DSB. We show and discuss how theoretical predictions and experimental findings can be in principle reconciled by combining an increased DSB induction yield with the assumption of a larger genomic extension for the single phosphorylated regions. As an alternative approach, we also considered in our model the possibility of a 3D spreading-mechanism of the H2AX phosphorylation around the induced DSB, and applied it to the analysis of both the aspects considered. Our results are found to be supportive for the basic assumptions on which GLOBLE is built. Apart from giving new insights into the H2AX phosphorylation process, experiments performed at high doses are of relevance in the context of radiation therapy, where hypo-fractionated schemes become increasingly popular

Drivers for Design for Deconstruction (DfD) Implementation Among Design Professionals

Purpose- The Design for Deconstruction (DfD) technique, a contemporaneous solution to demolition by optimizing disassembly activities to enable reuse, has recently emerged with several promises to promote the circular economy. However, little attention has been given to its implementation among design professionals, especially in the Global South. Therefore, this study explores the drivers for DfD implementation among design professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI). Design/methodology/approach- The study adopted a mixed research approach (explanatory sequential design) with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, One-Sample t-Test, and Normalization Value (NV) test after a review of pertinent literature. These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with ten design professionals with in-depth knowledge of DfD. Findings- The findings revealed that although all eleven drivers are important, the eight key drivers for the DfD implementation were identified as, in order of importance, Availability of computer software applications regarding DfD , Inclusion of DfD in the formal education of design professionals , Increasing public awareness of the concept of DfD , Organizing workshops/seminars for design professionals on the concept of DfD , Availability of DfD training , Regulation regarding DfD , Industry guidance regarding DfD and Establishing a market for salvaged construction components . Originality/value- This study\u27s findings provide insights into an under-investigated topic in Ghana and offer new and additional information and insights into the current state-of-the-art on the factors that drive DfD implementation