"Accountability Criteria and Remedies under Tort Law for Victims of Human Rights Abuses".

The primary aim of this thesis is to identify a coherent legal principle to establish a novel duty of care for corporate human rights violations and environmental damages. This research will examine whether tort and civil law offer better accountability and remedies for victims of corporate human rights abuses. Over the course of the doctoral studies, this study has attempted to carry out an in-depth and critical analysis of the concept of corporate accountability. Moreover, a fundamental part of this research is devoted to examining the extent to which international criminal law influences international human rights law in its use of tort law and civil law remedies. Finally, this study attempts to set out a theoretical mechanism for duty of care as well as a proposal for the establishment of a Hybrid International Transnational Corporation Court that would have the potential to effectively interpret the concept of the corporate duty of care under tort law

Rice Fields Chemical and Physical Properties and the Implications on Breeding Strategie

Soil related constraints are major limiting factors in crop production in the Sahel. The objective of this study was to assess the properties of farmer's fields soil and irrigation water in Niger and the implications in rice improvement. Composite soil samples were collected from irrigated and non-irrigated fields. Sample of irrigation water was also collected. Physical and chemical analyses were performed in the laboratory. The results showed that most of rice fields were clayey and the non irrigated ones were mostly sandy. The soils were acidic and saline, the electrical conductivity ranged from 2.2 to 16.5 decisiemens per meter. The T-test showed that total dissolved salt, sodium adsorption ratio, cation exchange capacity, and organic matter percentage were significantly higher in irrigated fields than non-irrigated fields. The irrigated soils pH varied from 3.2 to 6.8, the electrical conductivity was greater than 4, and the sodium adsorption ratio was below 13 while the exchangeable sodium percentage was below 15. The irrigation water samples varied in term of ion content from site to site. The total sodium quantity estimated to be deposited varied from 87 kg/ha/year to 218 kg/ha/year. Rice fields' soils are saline and are getting worsened by irrigation water that contains salt. Therefore, the development of rice varieties that could withstand osmotic and ionic salt stress is necessary for sustainable production in the Sahel ecozone

The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): Trapping and culturing of wild colonies in Ghana

The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), are promising candidates to be utilized in alternative organic waste management and for fish and livestock feed production. The scalability of this technology in Ghana will depend on a steady source of large numbers of BSF larvae. The objectives of this study were to identify the most attractive organic manure dumps or heaps in the study area for trapping wild BSF egg clutches and assess the effect of local environmental conditions on the trapping and laboratory rearing of BSF. The study compared the number of egg clutch trapped at different microhabitats including piggery, chicken and sheep waste dumps and on a compost heap. The piggery dump waste was the most suitable site for trapping BSF egg clutches. No egg clutch was deposited nearby poultry and sheep waste microhabitats. Results showed no differences in temperature between microhabitats during egg trapping but relative humidity differed between poultry, sheep and compost, however this did not have any effect on egg clutch trapping. No significant differences in temperature and humidity were observed during larval rearing. Significant differences in weight and length of larvae from both piggery and compost sites were observed on days 5 and 10 after egg hatch. A small scale laboratory colony rearing has been successfully established in Ghana. The design of the larval breeding system appears to be suitable for respective up-scaling that could provide sufficient larval quantities for composting organic waste and producing feed components for livestock and fish

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

Influence of Method of Residue Application and Moisture Content on Water Soluble Nitrogen in a RhodicKandiustalf Amended with Different Fallow Plant Materials

Use of plant residues as nutrient sources presents a viable option to resource poor farmers who sparsely use mineral fertilizer in crop production. A study was conducted to gain an insight into how different application methods of residues from different fallow management systems under two moisture regimes would affect soluble N release in a Rhodic Kandiustalf. Three residue types viz, elephant grass from a natural fallow (T1) and another as a fallow following a previously fertilized maize (T2) and a fallow legume (T3) were surface applied and incorporated in a Rhodic Kandiustalf at both field capacity (FC) and 60% field capacity over a sixteen-week period. Incorporation of mucuna residues and elephant grass from previously fertilized maize fallow released similar soluble N levels which were higher than levels from the natural elephant grass amendments. At 60% FC, both mucuna and elephant grass from the fertilized maize fields that were surface applied had slower N releases than the grass from the natural fallow, suggesting the elephant grass from the natural fallow field could be used as an N source amidst light watering to avoid leaching in the dry season

Changes in bulk and surface properties of two biochar types during 12 months of field ageing in two West-African soils

The study investigated the changes in properties of rice husk and corn cob biochars applied in urban agricultural field soils in Tamale (northern Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), respectively. The biochars were both pyrolyzed at 500 °C with a batch reactor. Fine polyethylene mesh (litter bags) filled with 10 g of each type of biochar were buried at 20 cm depth in urban fields trials with a 3 x 2 factorial layout replicated 4 times. Factor 1 involved soil management practices at 3 levels: (1) farmers’ practice (FP), (2) 20 t biochar ha-1 and (3) control (no biochar). The second factor was time (duration) at two levels (6 and 12 months). Aged and fresh biochars were analyzed for volatile matter (VM), ash and fixed carbon (FC) contents, pH, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC), and total surface acidity (Sa) and basicity (Sb). Dissolved organic carbon contents were determined sequentially by cold (cDOC) and hot water extractions (hDOC), respectively and aromaticities of cold water DOC (cSUVA) and hot water DOC (hSUVA) were determined. There was no significant interaction effect of soil management practices and time on measured ageing biochar properties. Time significantly affected most biochar ageing properties except Sa and Sb in rice husk biochar and ECEC in corn cob biochars at 6 months of exposure. In both biochars, Ash content, Fixed carbon (FC), cDOC, hDOC, cSUVA and hSUVA increased whilst pH and volatile matter contents decreased significantly. The hDOC was 2-3 times higher than cDOC contents for both biochars. Aromaticity of DOC contents of aged rice husk biochar exposed to soil management practices and time in the experimental site in Tamale showed persistence with time compared to corn cob biochar exposed in Ouagadougou experimental site. The results imply that rainfall, soil organic matter contents with interplay of soil minerals are key drivers to ageing and sequestration of these biochars and that these forces act at different scales but driven by time

Characterization of the Geophagic Materials and Their Associated Rocks and Soils from Anfoega, Ghana

This study was conducted to examine the physico-chemical and mineralogical properties of geophagic materials and their associated rocks and soils from Anfoega, Ghana. The geophagic materials were sampled from pits >10 m deep overlain by massive sandstones and shallow soils which were also sampled. The pH of the geophagic materials was strongly acid. The pH of the soils from the three sites was slightly to moderately acid, that of the fourth site was moderately acid in the surface but strongly acid in the lower layers. While the geophagic materials were enriched with clay, the soil samples contained high amounts of sand. The CEC of the geophagic materials (18.0 to 23.2 cmolc kg-1) was higher than that of the soils (5.3 to 22.6 cmolc kg-1). Thin sections of the rocks showed high amounts of quartz and accessory feldspars and sericite. The geophagic materials contained high amounts of clay (with >79% SiO2), quartz, feldspars and sericite. X-ray diffractograms of the geophagic materials, rocks and soils were dominated by quartz, kaolinite, muscovite and feldspars. The sialic minerals in the geophagic materials (shales) were probably leached from the overlying sandstones. The mineralogy of the soils indicated that they were formed in-situ from the underlying sandstones

Wooden toothpick partially embedded in the gastric antrum: a case report of an unusual finding in open access gastrointestinal endoscopy

Ingested toothpick is an unusual occurrence in clinical practice. This is a medical emergency and all effort should be made to localize the toothpick and appropriate intervention instituted. We report a case of accidentally ingested toothpick with successful endoscopic removal in a case of a 24year old male who presented for open access endoscopy with complaint of abdominal pain. During endoscopy a foreign body (sharp object) was seen partially embedded at the gastric antrum which was later identified as a wooden toothpick. Endoscopic removal was done using a Caesar grasping forceps (CGF-1-240). No complication was reported during and after the procedure. Ingested toothpickshould be managed as an emergency in all cases and should be considered an important differential diagnosis in clients with complaint of abdominal pain especially in open access endoscopy.Funding: NoneKeywords: Ingested Toothpick, Open access endoscopy, abdominal pai

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