Taking forward public procurement reforms in Ghana

The construction industry in Ghana, like many others worldwide, has had its fair share of damning independent reviews. Huge and unsustainable foreign debt, excessive budget deficits, huge contractual payment arrears, poor construction performance, corruption and pressure from international financial institutions, forced the government to commit to a reform of public procurement, which culminated in the passing of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). The paper outlines the events leading to, and features of, the public procurement reform in Ghana and analyses its potential impact and the unique challenges it presents. Comparisons are also drawn from relevant scenarios in other countries. The paper concludes that while the Procurement Act sets out the legal, institutional and regulatory framework to secure fiscal transparency and public accountability, the sole reliance on traditional contracting and price-based selection limits the scope for the value for money achievable. Expanding the reforms to cover procurement and project delivery methods and strategies, with a focus on ‘best value’, will increase the potential and likelihood of achieving value for money in public construction in Ghana

The Effects of Pre-service Training and Experience on Preparation for the Principalship in England.

This paper provides a synopsis of the findings of a national survey of headteachers conducted during 1999 by means of a self-completion postal questionnaire. The survey sought to establish the perceptions of English headteachers with regard to their state of readiness on taking up the role. Where respondents reported themselves as well prepared or extremely well prepared for aspects of their role they were asked to attribute their perceived state of readiness to training, experience, or a combination of the two. In addition respondents were asked to complete open-ended questions which asked them to identify activities and support which would help the induction of newly appointed headteachers working in the special education sector

Field and laboratory evaluation of fungicides for the control of Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya in far north Queensland, Australia

Results from the first of two artificially inoculated field experiments showed foliar applications of copper hydroxide (Blue Shield Copper) at 600 g a.i./100 L−1 (0% infected fruit), copper hydroxide + metalaxyl-M (Ridomil Gold Plus.) at 877.5 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.27%), metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 720 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.51%), chlorothalonil (Bravo WeatherStik) at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.63%) and cuprous oxide (Nordox 750 WG) at 990 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.8%) of water significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to potassium phosphonate (Agri-Fos 600) at 1200 g a.i./100 L−1 (8.22%), dimethomorph (Acrobat) at 108 g a.i./100 L−1 (11.18%) and the untreated control (16%). Results from the second experiment showed fruit sprayed with copper hydroxide (Champ Dry Prill) at 300 (2.0% infected fruit), 375 (0.4%) and 450 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.6%) and metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 360 (2.8%), 480 (0.6%) and 600 g a.i./100 L−1 of water (1.0%) significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to the untreated control (19.4%). Foliar sprays of copper hydroxide at 375 g a.i./100 L−1 in rotation with chlorothalonil at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 every two weeks is now recommended to growers for controlling Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya

Spectral fluctuations of tridiagonal random matrices from the beta-Hermite ensemble

A time series delta(n), the fluctuation of the nth unfolded eigenvalue was recently characterized for the classical Gaussian ensembles of NxN random matrices (GOE, GUE, GSE). It is investigated here for the beta-Hermite ensemble as a function of beta (zero or positive) by Monte Carlo simulations. The fluctuation of delta(n) and the autocorrelation function vary logarithmically with n for any beta>0 (1<<n<<N). The simple logarithmic behavior reported for the higher-order moments of delta(n) for the GOE (beta=1) and the GUE (beta=2) is valid for any positive beta and is accounted for by Gaussian distributions whose variances depend linearly on ln(n). The 1/f noise previously demonstrated for delta(n) series of the three Gaussian ensembles, is characterized by wavelet analysis both as a function of beta and of N. When beta decreases from 1 to 0, for a given and large enough N, the evolution from a 1/f noise at beta=1 to a 1/f^2 noise at beta=0 is heterogeneous with a ~1/f^2 noise at the finest scales and a ~1/f noise at the coarsest ones. The range of scales in which a ~1/f^2 noise predominates grows progressively when beta decreases. Asymptotically, a 1/f^2 noise is found for beta=0 while a 1/f noise is the rule for beta positive.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figures, corresponding author: G. Le Cae

A modified all-in-one DMSO-activating and base releasing reagent for the Parikh-Doering-type benzylic oxidation reaction

The Parikh-Doering reaction, an example of the series of DMSO-mediated selective oxidation named reaction family, finds ongoing use in natural product synthesis when mild oxidative reaction conditions are required. The original conditions require the use of Py-SO3 and NEt3 along with DMSO and DCM. As part of our ongoing interest in sulfating agents, we recently disclosed the novel structure of tributylsulfoammonium betaine (TBSAB) that has a formal N-S bond (not dative) and may indicate that other N(sp3) amine-SO3 complexes have been misassigned. Herein, we explore a commercial sulfating agent, triethylamine-sulfur trioxide complex, as an all-in-one sulfation and base releasing reagent for a modified Parikh-Doering reaction. Single crystal X-ray crystallography further confirms our hypothesis than triethylamine-sulfur trioxide complex exists as triethylsulfoammonium betaine (TESAB). Employing TESAB as an all-in-one reagent, a range of primary and secondary alcohols were screened for competency. Reactivity was observed for the first time with 1) a non Py-SO3 sulfating agent and 2) without the need for additional base. Moderate to good yields of aldehydes and ketones can be prepared in an atom-efficient improvement with concomitant removal of toxic pyridine by-products

Molecular responce of Atlantic cod's (Gadus morhua L.) cypia, prolactin and Zona radiata genes upon exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls

A molecular response study was conducted to determine whether Polychlorinated Biphenyl or PCB (Clophen A40) had an effect on the induction of the zona radiata, prolactin and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) mRNAs in matured Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). A total of 127 fishes were maintained under natural photoperiod in tanks and fed with wet pellets containing Clophen A40. RNA samples were taken from the gonads, pituitary and the liver from day 0, 48 and 105 after sacrificing the fish and stored at -20OC prior to analysis. Analysis of gene induction by Northern hybridization assay showed the induction of prolactin and CYP1A in the pituitary and the liver tissues respectively after PCB treatment. The induction was found to be sex, age and seasonal specific. Males had greater gene expression than the females. There was however, no observed differences between the controlled and exposed fishes in terms of zona radiata gene expression. Although the picture is far from complete, the findings demonstrate the potential of using gene induction as a biomarker of aquatic pollution.Keywords: Cytochrome P4501A, Biomarker, Gene expressio

Field and laboratory evaluation of fungicides for the control of Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya in far north Queensland, Australia

Results from the first of two artificially inoculated field experiments showed foliar applications of copper hydroxide (Blue Shield Copper) at 600 g a.i./100 L−1 (0% infected fruit), copper hydroxide + metalaxyl-M (Ridomil Gold Plus.) at 877.5 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.27%), metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 720 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.51%), chlorothalonil (Bravo WeatherStik) at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.63%) and cuprous oxide (Nordox 750 WG) at 990 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.8%) of water significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to potassium phosphonate (Agri-Fos 600) at 1200 g a.i./100 L−1 (8.22%), dimethomorph (Acrobat) at 108 g a.i./100 L−1 (11.18%) and the untreated control (16%). Results from the second experiment showed fruit sprayed with copper hydroxide (Champ Dry Prill) at 300 (2.0% infected fruit), 375 (0.4%) and 450 g a.i./100 L−1 (0.6%) and metiram + pyraclostrobin (Aero) at 360 (2.8%), 480 (0.6%) and 600 g a.i./100 L−1 of water (1.0%) significantly reduced the percentage of infected fruit compared to the untreated control (19.4%). Foliar sprays of copper hydroxide at 375 g a.i./100 L−1 in rotation with chlorothalonil at 994 g a.i./100 L−1 every two weeks is now recommended to growers for controlling Phytophthora fruit rot of papaya

Pakistan's relations with the Middle East

The origins of Pakistan's relations with the Middle East lie in the history of the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent before 1947 and their contacts with fellow Muslims in the Ottoman Empire, both Arabs and Turks, who had developed quite different traditions. Such interchange as took place involved only slightly those who eventually took leading roles in the government of Pakistan, and little thought was given to the kind of foreign policy Pakistan might follow once it came into existence. Immediately after Partition internal problems engaged the attention of the Government, and hardly more attention was devoted to foreign policy than previously. In the early years, therefore, Pakistan did not have a clearly thought out foreign policy with regard to the Middle East, although relations with the countries of that region soon developed. During the first five years of Pakistan's existence the influence of those who might be termed Pan-Islamists was particularly strong, carried high by the tide of religious fervour surrounding Partition. Three main foreign policy problems concerned Pakistan from the beginning: the Kashmir dispute with India, the quarrel with Afghanistan over Pushtunistan, and the Palestine question. There were some hopes in Pakistan that the formation of a Muslim bloc in international affairs, which would take a neutral position between the Western and Soviet blocs, would assist Pakistan to gain its objectives with respect to these problems more effectively than had the British Commonwealth and the United Nations. Suggestions regarding the formation of a Muslim bloc did not appeal to the countries of the Middle East and were abandoned after 1952, although the ideal of closer collaboration with other Muslim countries was not forgotten in Pakistan. Pakistan's drift towards alignment with America was a gradual movement which gained momentum after 1952. Membership of the Baghdad Pact, which Pakistan joined in 1955, was obviously connected with acceptance of American military aid, but Pakistan had been interested (though not active) in earlier attempts to establish a Middle East defence organisation. Although membership of the Baghdad Pact created difficulties for Pakistan's relations with some of the Arab countries, it meant that for the first time Pakistan was allied to three other Muslim countries - Turkey, Iran and Iraq. The concept of closer collaboration among the countries of the northern tier (Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan) was first manifested in the Saadabad Pact of 1937. Pakistan had come to be considered one of the northern tier countries, and the ideal of closer collaboration within this region developed in Pakistan, along with wider ideas of Muslim solidarity, almost from this time. Some suggestions of confederation appeared from time to time but hostility between Afghanistan and Pakistan precluded any agreement along these lines, and in any case while the idea of Muslim solidarity appealed to most Pakistanis, there was considerable opposition to any proposal which would limit Pakistan's national sovereignty. The Baghdad Pact, renamed Central Treaty Organization in 1959 after Iraq's departure, provided for the first time an institutional framework within which the northern tier countries could operate. It accustomed them to consult regularly with each other on defence and foreign policy matters, although they have not always been in agreement. The formation of Regional Co-operation for Development in 1964 provided an alternative framework for this consultation outside CENTO, and at the same time helped promote economic development on a regional basis. The response of the countries of the Middle East to Pakistan's quarrel with Afghanistan over Pushtunistan and with India over Kashmir places this aspect of Pakistan's foreign relations in the context of its overall foreign policy, as does Pakistan's involvement in the Palestine question which is essentially an Arab problem. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are closely connected to the relations of each with the USA and the USSR, and the influence of such Middle Eastern countries as appear interested is negligible. On the question of Kashmir, with the exception of Egypt which maintained a position of neutrality, Pakistan received the verbal and/or diplomatic support of the other countries of the Middle East. This has been only marginally affected by Pakistan's relations with the USA and the USSR, but in turn the attitude of the Middle Eastern countries has not had any appreciable effect on the course or outcome of the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan has involved itself in the Arab-Israel dispute over Palestine, giving diplomatic support to the Arab countries, but Pakistan's intervention on the Palestine question has had no effect on its outcome. Religious affinity with the countries of the Middle East has caused Pakistan to pay more attention to the affairs of this region, of which it sometimes considers itself a part, than of any other outside the subcontinent. Differences existing among the Middle Eastern countries contribute to the difficulties experienced by Pakistan in the conduct of its policy in this region. This policy has from time to time been modified in order to take into account Pakistan's wider interests and its relations with the big powers