Changes in Beliefs and Perceptions about the Natural Environment in the Forest-Savanna Transitional Zone of Ghana: The Influence of Religion

The potential of traditional natural resources management for biodiversity conservation and the improvement of sustainable rural livelihoods is no longer in doubt. In sub-Saharan Africa, extensive habitat destruction, degradation, and severe depletion of wildlife, which have seriously reduced biodiversity and undermined the livelihoods of many people in rural communities, have been attributed mainly to the erosion of traditional strategies for natural resources management. In Ghana, recent studies point to an increasing disregard for traditional rules and regulations, beliefs and practices that are associated with natural resources management. Traditional natural resources management in many typically indigenous communities in Ghana derives from changes in the perceptions and attitudes of local people towards tumi, the traditional belief in super natural power suffused in nature by Onyame, the Supreme Creator Deity. However, this is closely entwined with ecological, demographic and economic factors. Whilst these factors have driven the need to over-exploit natural resources, a situation which threatens the sustainability of community forests including sacred groves, religion has been used to justify such actions. This paper explores changes in tumi and the sustainability of sacred groves in the forest-savanna transitional zone in Ghana. It would confirm that changes in traditional animist beliefs, such as tumi, which informs the worldview of local people and underlies traditional natural resources management, is mainly due to the advances made by Christianity and Islam.Tumi, Sacred Groves, Forest-Savanna Transition, Sustainability, Traditional, Christianity, Islam

Drug-drug interactions: A machine learning approach

Automatic detection of drug-drug interaction (DDI) is a difficult problem in pharmaco-surveillance. Recent practice for in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction studies have been based on carefully selected drug characteristics such as their pharmacological effects, and on drug-target networks, in order to identify and comprehend anomalies in a drug\u27s biochemical function upon co-administration.;In this work, we present a novel DDI prediction framework that combines several drug-attribute similarity measures to construct a feature space from which we train three machine learning algorithms: Support Vector Machine (SVM), J48 Decision Tree and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) using a partially supervised classification algorithm called Positive Unlabeled Learning (PU-Learning) tailored specifically to suit our framework.;In summary, we extracted 1,300 U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmaceutical drugs and paired them to create 1,688,700 feature vectors. Out of 397 drug-pairs known to interact prior to our experiments, our system was able to correctly identify 80% of them and from the remaining 1,688,303 pairs for which no interaction had been determined, we were able to predict 181 potential DDIs with confidence levels greater than 97%. The latter is a set of DDIs unrecognized by our source of ground truth at the time of study.;Evaluation of the effectiveness of our system involved querying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u27s Adverse Effect Reporting System (AERS) database for cases involving drug-pairs used in this study. The results returned from the query listed incidents reported for a number of patients, some of whom had experienced severe adverse reactions leading to outcomes such as prolonged hospitalization, diminished medicinal effect of one or more drugs, and in some cases, death

Green Drivers and Green Manufacturing Practices Integration in Agro Processing Industry: Moderating Effect of Sustainability Orientation

Developing a balance between manufacturing and ecological preservation is considered a major issue in every society and so attention must be paid to this relationship to protect plant, animal and human lives. Pressure for manufacturing firms to become green has risen greatly. Green manufacturing has been encouraged, practiced and researched for years but mostly in developed nations, but low in developing countries. This is a follow up study on a previous one conducted by the authors on the direct effects of green drivers on green practices, and this current one aims at the moderating role of sustainability orientation on the effects of driving factors on green practices in Ghana. Analysis was done using structural equation modeling (SEM). Evidently, sustainability orientation (SUO) moderated significantly between driving factors and green design practices, green purchasing practices and green promotion/selling. Green design practices adoption was facilitated most by SUO. Green management practices and green logistics practices were not moderated by SUO. Outcomes of this work could serve as a guide towards decision making by industry actors and government of Ghana on policy formulation and better processes for integrating green practices, not just in the agro processing industry but all others with activities of possible damage to the environment. Keywords: Green drivers, green practices, agro processing, sustainability orientation DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-12-03 Publication date:June 30th 202

Oesophageal Atresia: Drowning a Child in His/Her Own Saliva

Oesophageal atresia (OA) is a congenital anomaly characterised by absence or loss of a segment of the oesophagus. This commonly affects the thoracic portion of the oesophagus, leaving upper and lower oesophageal segments. Loss of the oesophageal luminal continuity leads to impaired in utero swallowing of amniotic fluid as well as postnatal swallowing of saliva and food. Besides the loss of oesophageal continuity, most of the patients tend to have a connection between the trachea and the lower oesophageal segment and a few between the trachea and the upper oesophageal segment, a condition called tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TOF). In view of these, the main principles guiding the definitive surgical management of OA are (1) to disconnect any TOF and (2) to establish a conduit for swallowing, preferably using the native oesophageal segments. This chapter seeks to discuss OA by focusing on the embryology, anatomy and physiology of the oesophagus, stressing on the embryological basis of OA. Other areas to cover include aetiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, pathologic classification, associated anomalies, pathophysiology, clinical presentation and diagnosis. Further discussion will focus on prognostic classification of patients, management and post-operative complications

Design and Production of Textile Mural: Combination of Computer Aided Programmes and Conventional Methods, An Alternative Innovative Approach

This novel textile mural production technique involves combination of digital printed fabric on flex sheet in conjunction with conventional appliqué and embroidery techniques. It was art-based studio research design that made use of exploration and experimental methods in the execution of four murals with different scenery. The works depict various activities within the Textiles section programme, Faculty of Art, College of Art and Built Environment, KNUST as a case study with the intent to promote and educate the populace. The activities were arranged into different scenery out of which four were selected for production. Step-by-step universal design methodology was carefully followed to ensure precision and easy reproduction of the murals. Flex sheet was used as substrate for the print out of the final works on which dyed, printed and woven fabrics were fixed to complete the sceneries. Wooden frames and transparent polyethylene rubber were used for the finishing of the works for them to be able to withstand harsh weather condition in order for them to be suitable for both out-door and in-door purposes. Background lighting system was installed within the frame to enhance their aesthetic appeal. This work was set to address the cumbersome, tedious, time consuming processes involve in conventional production of textile mural; cutting of pieces of textile materials and fixing them onto a substrate by applique and embroidery techniques. The importance of this alternative method is that it takes care of all the setbacks in the convention method as well as ensures precise and accurate reproduction of the work if need be. These were successful test projects that have set a new pace in design and production of textile mural. Combination of computer-aided design programmes like Adobe Photoshop CC and CorelDraw applications enable easy reproduction of textile murals in relatively shorter time with much precision and good finishing. Textile artists and interested researchers can now explore this new area of research for national development. Keywords: textile, mural, Adobe Photoshop CC, CorelDraw, flex sheet, appliqué, embroidery

On the Regularization-Homotopy Analysis Method for Linear and Nonlinear Fredholm Integral Equations of the First Kind

Fredholm integral equations of the first kind are considered by applying regularization method and the homotopy analysis method. This kind of integral equations are considered as an ill-posed problem and for this reason needs an effective method in solving them. This method first transforms a given Fredholm integral equation of the first kind to the second kind by the regularization method and then solves the transformed equation using homotopy analysis method. Approximation of the solution will be of much concern since it is not always the case to get the solution to converge and the existence of the solution is not always guaranteed as this kind of Fredholm integral equation is not well-posed

MAKING INCLUSIVE EDUCATION A REALITY: THE ROLE OF TEACHERS, PARENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS

The study used basically a survey design which employed the quantitative approach to investigate how children with special learning needs (SENs) are supported to learn together in the inclusive classroom with the focus on finding the level of support for children in five (5) inclusive schools in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The sample size involved 86 teachers, 6 administrators (Head teachers) and 40 parents. In all, a total of 132 participants were involved in the study. Questionnaire was designed in close-ended format for the teachers, administrators and parents. The basic structure of the instrument was based on four Point Likert-type scales. The Likert-scale items questionnaire was analysed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. A tally sheet was used to generate frequency counts out of which percentages were calculated based on the scores assigned to each rating. These data were then analysed using the SPSS computer system. It was found from the study that, there are low levels of material or human support for pupils with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms. On material support, the parents indicated that their children do not receive any material support from Ghana Education Service to support their children and they do not get any financial support from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s). It is recommended that teachers, parents and administrators should come together to provide the needed support for pupils with special education needs to ensure the success of the inclusive agenda.  Article visualizations

Effects of Large-Scale Land Acquisition on Livelihood Assets in the Pru East District of Ghana

The activities of multi-national companies have affected the livelihood of smallholder farmer in the Pru East, though a lot of research work has been done on large scale land acquisition but this study focus on how it affects livelihood asset of smallholder farmers in the Pru East District. Over the past ten years, the Government of Ghana have leased out large tracts of land for investors, mainly foreign investors. Survey research approach was used for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed and a sample size of 332 households was used for the study. The study used five indicators of the Livelihood Effect Index (LEI) espoused by Downing et al., (2001) to determine the effects of large-scale land acquisition on the livelihood of smallholder farming households. Large scale land acquisition has a significant positive moderate effect on the employment, healthcare and food security but, has a significant negative high effect on income levels of smallholder farming households. However, large scale land acquisition has no significant effect on the nutritional status of farming households in the Pru East district of the Bono East region. Kobre and Kadue communities with an LEI of 0.53 suggests that livelihoods of farming households in these two communities are the most effected with large scale land acquisition. The study also recommends that MMDAs must formulate by-laws to ensure that large scale land investors employ people from the host communities of the projects. Keywords: livelihood asset, large scale land acquisition, smallholder farmer, human capital asset, natural capital asset, financial capital asset, social capital asset. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-2-08 Publication date: February 29th 202

Impact of Aboriginal Belief Systems on Natural Resources Management: Mount Cameroon National Park (MCNP)

Limited research exist on the effect of beliefs systems on management of the natural resources especially in Africa. Past decades has experienced efforts made by NGOs, IGOs, Aboriginal people and government to facilitate an effective mechanism to collaboratively manage the forest resources. Nonetheless, a biodiversity hotspot is still being threatened and the collaborative management is ‘pretentious’ in MCNP. This research argues that, unless the complexities and dynamics of the belief and indigenous knowledge are understood and the incorporated into management of natural resources management, collaborative and sustainable management is impractical on MCNP. Sample selection was done using EpiInfo 6.04d (CDC, 2001). We use survey of 238 household randomly selected from 14 of the 41 villages in MCNP (487 questionnaires), focused group discussions, key informant interviews and participant observations were used to collect data. Secondary data was obtained from the Ministry of forestry and Wildlife and also from park management. We find significant evidence (67%) that native beliefs which affect resource management exist in all the four clusters in MCNP. The rural area of Bomboko cluster are more prominent in practicing beliefs 78.3% followed by the Buea cluster with 62.5%. Only 18.5% confirmed that management observed beliefs. A majority of the people (89.5%) perceived that degradation of natural resources is as a result of disregard of native beliefs. Traditional forest conservation was practiced in areas that have traditional beliefs associated with forest resources P<0.001. Spearman’s Rho showed significant relationship between perceived traditional importance of forest and perceived importance of collaborative forest management. Focused group discussions disclosed dissatisfaction in management especially from the hunters and also exposed a momentous decline in the use of the bakweri language which has caused the erosion of culture and indigenous knowledge. We recommend empowerment of local people and integration of cultural beliefs and indigenous knowledge as well as active involvement of the aboriginal people in management and decision making of natural resources in MCNP. Keywords: Cultural beliefs, collaborative management, national parks, indigenous knowledge, natural resources management

Periodic Point as a Recurrent Formation Using the Logistic Function: A Survey

In topological dynamical systems (TDS), recurrence (periodic–like recurrence) is one of the important concepts in its studies but one major problem is the inability to demonstrate and/or illustrate its formation in the orbit structure of system from a topological point of view. In this paper, the logistic function was applied to demonstrate the periodic point as a recurrent formation (periodic–like recurrence) in the topological dynamical system and dynamical system. The Wolfram Alpha computational knowledge engine was used in obtaining the tables and the figures for the study through various examples of the logistic function. The study shows that period – 2 recurrence is formed when the trajectory of the function is made up of two different values that keep repeating after successive iterations as a result of the period – 2 orbits when the parameter of the function is between 3 and 3.45. The study again shows that when the parameter of the function is greater than 3.83 there is a period – 3 point hence the formation of other periodic points. Convincingly, beyond this period – 3 is another subsequent period called the period-doubling cascade leading into chaos. This period-doubling asserts that other periodic–like recurrences are also present, hence period –n  recurrent exists. &nbsp