Growth and yield response of carrot (Daucus carota l.) to different rates of soil amendments and spacing

A 5 x 2 factorial field experiment in a randomised complete block design with four replications was conducted at the College of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneba, Mampong Campus to investigate the growth and yield responses of carrot to different rates of soil amendments and spacing. The five rates of soil amendments were: (i) 10 t/ha chicken manure (ii) 15 t/ha chicken manure (iii) 20 t/ha chicken manure (iv) 300 kg/ha NPK (15-15-15) and (v) Control (no soil amendment). The two spacings were: (i) 30 cm x 5 cm and (ii) 20 cm x 5 cm. The application of 15 t/ha and 20 t/ha decomposed chicken manure improved vegetative growth, increased root yield and gave more income. More plants were however, infected by Sclerotium rolfsii by the application of the 20t/ha chicken manure. Soil amendment rates did not suppress nematode populations but the highest root galling index was recorded on the control plants. The wider spacing of 30cm x 5cm promoted vegetative growth and increased root length of carrot but planting at closer spacing of 20cm x 5cm resulted in higher total and marketable yields and also increased income and profit

Preliminary study on the effect of NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer and plastic mulch on growth and yield of three chili cultivars grown in field and pot conditions

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of Black Plastic Mulch (BPM) and different rates of NPK (15:15:15) fertilizer on the growth and yield of three chili cultivars under field and protected cultivation. Two levels of mulch (BPM and no mulch), three levels of NPK (0, 200 and 300 kg/ha), and three cultivars “Demond F1” (DF1), “Legon 18” (L18), and “Shito Adope”, (SA) were used. Split application of half of each of the 200 and 300 kg/ha rates were applied two and four weeks after transplanting. Vegetative growth indices, soil moisture, and soil temperature were measured at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after transplanting. The yield was calculated using AVRDC (1990) formula for chili pepper. The study revealed an increase in soil temperature and moisture under BPM for both studies. Also, 200 kg/ha NPK and BPM led to an increase in vegetative growth and yield for DF1 and SA. However, 300 kg/ha NPK decreased vegetative growth. In addition, there was no significant influence of BPM on the number of fruits harvested. However, for the pot study, BPM led to an increase in the number of fruits for “Legon 18” as compared to the other cultivars. The study, therefore, concludes that 200 kg/ha NPK was the best when cultivating DF1 and SA, for chili growth and development in the savannah ecological zone

Generating temperature cycle profile from in-situ climatic condition for accurate prediction of thermo-mechanical degradation of c-Si photovoltaic module

The use of climate specific temperature-cycling profile is critical to precisely quantifying the degradation rate and accurately determining the service fatigue life of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (c-Si PV) module operating in various climates. A reliable in-situ outdoor weathering database is pivotal to generating the required climate specific temperature cycle profile. This research utilizes high-resolution data obtained at five minutes interval from installed c-Si PV modules to generate a temperature cycle profile that is representative of a test site in sub-Saharan Africa climate. The study collected a three-year data from 2012 to 2014 on weathering of c-Si PV module located at College of Engineering, KNUST Ghana. The data site is on latitude 6° 40″ N and longitude 1° 37″ W at an elevation of 250 m above sea level. Analysis of the data on temperature variation and thermally induced stresses demonstrates that the region has a profile with a ramp rate of 8.996 °C/h, a hot dwell time of 228 min, cold dwell time of 369 min. Maximum and minimum module temperatures of 58.9 °C and 23.7 °C, respectively; and a cycle time of 86400 s. Comparison with the IEC 61215 standards for terrestrial PV modules qualification reveals percentage changes of – 91%, 2180%, 3590%, 747% for the ramp rate, dwell (hot and cold) and cycle times, respectively. The generated in-situ temperature cycle profile predicts to qualify accurately, c-Si PV modules operating in the sub-Saharan African test site. The systematic technique employed in this study to generate the in-situ temperature cycle profile would be useful to the thermo-mechanical reliability research community. In addition, photovoltaic design and manufacturing engineers may harness the information to create climate specific robust c-Si PV module. Keywords: Temperature cycling, Ramp rates, Temperature gradient, Accelerated Thermal Cycling (ATC), Co-efficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE), Rainflow counting, In-situ data generatio

Leaf and fruit characteristics of Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) in Northern Ghana

Leaf and fruit parameters of Vitellaria paradoxa populations in north-south gradientof the shea belt in the transitional and Guinea Savanna zones of Ghana were comparedduring the fruiting season between April to July, 2011. Leafmorphological traits studied include laminar width, petiole and laminar lengths. Fruitparameters measured include fruit and kernel widths, lengths, weights and pulp weight.Results showed variability for most of the characters determined. The leaves in Paga hadshorter petioles as compared to those of Nyankpala and Kawampe. The Nyankpala V. paradoxa has the smallest laminar width whilst Kawampe has longest leaf laminar ascompared to the rest. Values for fruit and kernel parameters were highest for samples fromPaga, followed by Kawampe and were significantly higher than those from Nyankpala.There were significant positive relationships between fresh fruit weight and both freshkernel weight (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.6925) and dry kernel weight (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.6532) for datapooled from all the three locations, however, the slopes and intercepts varied betweenlocations (P < 0.001). The result from the study provides opportunities and prospects forselection and breeding for V. paradoxa tree improvement in Ghana

Comparative Judgement Modeling to Map Forced Marriage at Local Levels

Forcing someone into marriage against their will is a violation of their human rights. In 2021, the county of Nottinghamshire, UK, launched a strategy to tackle forced marriage and violence against women and girls. However, accessing information about where victims are located in the county could compromise their safety, so it is not possible to develop interventions for different areas of the county. Comparative judgement studies offer a way to map the risk of human rights abuses without collecting data that could compromise victim safety. Current methods require studies to have a large number of participants, so we develop a comparative judgement model that provides a more flexible spatial modelling structure and a mechanism to schedule comparisons more effectively. The methods reduce the data collection burden on participants and make a comparative judgement study feasible with a small number of participants. Underpinning these methods is a latent variable representation that improves on the scalability of previous comparative judgement models. We use these methods to map the risk of forced marriage across Nottinghamshire thereby supporting the county's strategy for tackling violence against women and girls.Comment: Submitted. 31 pages, 8 figure

Early diagnosis of prostate cancer in the Western Cape

Background. Early stage prostate cancer does not cause symptoms, and even metastatic disease may exist for years without causing symptoms or signs. Whereas early stage prostate cancer can be cured with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy, the prognosis of patients with locally advanced or metastatic cancer is significantly poorer.Objectives. ln view of the high incidence of advanced and therefore incurable prostate cancer seen at the oncology clinic of the Department of Urology, Tygerberg Hospital, we started a prostate clinic with the aim of detecting early stage prostate cancer which is potentially curable. A secondary objective was to investigate the question whether there is a higher incidence of prostate cancer among black African men.Patients and methods. Men aged 50 - 70 years were invited by means of media communications (newspaper and radio) to attend our prostate clinic for a free physical examination, including a digital rectal examination (DRE) and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) assay. If the DRE was clinically suspicious of malignancy and/ or the serum PSA was > 4 ng/ ml, the patient was appropriately counselled and referred for transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided sextant prostate biopsy.Results. In the period June 1997- September 1999 a total of 1056 men attended the prostate clinic. Biopsies were indicated in 160 cases, and were obtained in 114 (71.3%, i.e. 10.8% of the entire cohort). Prostate cancer was detected on first biopsy in 3.5% of the entire group of men (in 35.9% of those with a clinically abnormal DRE, in 41.3% of those with a serum PSA > 4 ng/ ml and in 88.6% of those with an abnormal DRE and serum PSA > 4 ng/ ml. In the 37 men with prostate cancer, the clinical tumour stage was T1 - 2 in 83.8% and T3- 4 in 16.2%. ln the group of patients with clinical stage T1 - 2 tumours, the treatment was watchful waiting in 62.5% of cases, radiotherapy in 20.8% and radical prostatectomy in 16.7%. Analysis of the data according to race showed that in the group of 47 black men there was a higher percentage of clinically abnormal DRE, PSA > 4 .0 ng/ ml and biopsies showing malignancy, and a higher overall prostate cancer detection rate (8.5%).Conclusions. Our prostate cancer detection rate of 3.5% is slightly lower than that reported in larger studies (4.7%), which may be due to the fact that prostate biopsy was performed in only 71% of those who had an indication for biopsy. ln the men diagnosed with clinically localised prostate cancer, potentially curative treatment was given in only 37.5% of cases. This compares unfavourably with the historical cohort of men seen at our oncology clinic, where 53% received potentially curative treatment, and a large European study where potentially curative treatment was given in 89% of cases. Our finding that black men had a higher percentage of clinically abnormal DRE, PSA > 4.0 ng/ ml and biopsies showing malignancy and a higher overall detection rate of prostate cancer should be interpreted with caution, since black men comprised only 4.5% of our overall study cohort.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Distribution in Surface Soils and Plants along the West Coast of Ghana

Onshore oil drilling activity is ongoing at Jubilee oil fields, Ghana. This activity could lead to heavy metal exposure with consequential adverse effects on public health in nearby coastal communities. Therefore, we assessed heavy metal levels and spatial distribution in soils and plants from the west coast of Ghana to obtain baseline values for monitoring heavy metal exposure. Surface soils were collected from six coastal communities, and analyzed for arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, selenium and zinc using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean heavy metal concentrations in soil samples were 2.06, 6.55, 0.016, 21.59, 0.18 and 39.49mg/kg for arsenic, copper, mercury, lead, selenium and zinc, respectively. Mean heavy metal concentrations in plants were 2.70, 17.47, 3.17, 91.74, 1.51 and 9.88mg/kg for arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, selenium and zinc, respectively. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium and lead in plants exceeded WHO/FAO permissible limits. Enrichment factor for arsenic was significant and extremely high for selenium, while geoaccumulation index showed moderate pollution for selenium. Soil contamination factors for arsenic, lead, and selenium indicated considerable contamination. In view of these findings remediation methods must be adopted to safeguard the communities. The data will be useful for future monitoring of heavy metal exposure in the communities and to assess the impact of the ongoing crude oil drilling activity on the environment

Molecular Characterization and Immuno-Reactivity Patterns of a Novel Plasmodium falciparum Armadillo-Type Repeat Protein, PfATRP.

Nearly half of the genes in the Plasmodium falciparum genome have not yet been functionally investigated. We used homology-based structural modeling to identify multiple copies of Armadillo repeats within one uncharacterized gene expressed during the intraerythrocytic stages, PF3D7_0410600, subsequently referred to as P. falciparum Armadillo-Type Repeat Protein (PfATRP). Soluble recombinant PfATRP was expressed in a bacterial expression system, purified to apparent homogeneity and the identity of the recombinant PfATRP was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Affinity-purified α-PfATRP rabbit antibodies specifically recognized the recombinant protein. Immunofluorescence assays revealed that α-PfATRP rabbit antibodies reacted with P. falciparum schizonts. Anti-PfATRP antibody exhibited peripheral staining patterns around the merozoites. Given the localization of PfATRP in merozoites, we tested for an egress phenotype during schizont arrest assays and demonstrated that native PfATRP is inaccessible on the surface of merozoites in intact schizonts. Dual immunofluorescence assays with markers for the inner membrane complex (IMC) and microtubules suggest partial colocalization in both asexual and sexual stage parasites. Using the soluble recombinant PfATRP in a screen of plasma samples revealed that malaria-infected children have naturally acquired PfATRP-specific antibodies

Analysis of thermal-hydraulic transients for the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) in Ghana

Abstract: A mathematical model is presented that permits to simulate the effect of the cooling coils of the pool upper section on the reactor thermal-hydraulic behaviour of Ghana research reactor-1. The model is based on a lumped parameter description solved numerically using Matlab/Simulink tool which is a commercial software package with the capability of modelling dynamical and control systems. The model incorporates fuel grids and cooling coil models as well as radiating energy from the clad. In this model, the reactor tank and the pool is divided into three sections. The model predictions are qualified by comparing the results with experimental data. The effect of cooling the upper section of the pool on reactor thermal-hydraulic parameters using the cooling coil is presented and discussed. It was observed that all maximum values of the reactor thermalhydraulic parameters decrease when the cooling coil power is increased. Good agreement is found between the model predictions and the experimental results