To study the association between SCC and bacteria numbers and milk composition in farm bulk milk supplied to Tui Milk Products Company for 1992/3 season : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science at Massey University

The association between bulk milk SCC and bacteria numbers and milk composition were studied using data containing test records of 12OO farms which supplied bulk milk to TUI Milk Company Limited, for 1992/93 season. Three data sets were created, (1) data set A (N = 4623) with all measurements recorded for each herd for the same milk sample; (2) data B (N = 30 120) with all measurements of BMSCC and milk composition recorded for each herd within a 10 day period but not necessarily on the same sample of bulk milk; and (3) data set C (N = 33 800) with all measurements of bulk milk bacteria numbers and milk composition recorded for each herd within a 10 day period but not necessarily on the same sample of bulk milk. Correlation was used to determine the association between bulk milk SCC and bacteria numbers and milk composition. Multiple regression analysis was also carried to determine the association between bacteria numbers (dependent variable) and SCC and milk composition for early lactation and whole lactation. The results showed the overall average of the mean BMSCC of 280 000 cells/ml of all the farms studied. Approximately 85 % of the farms supplied bulk milk with SCC 5OO OO0 cells/ml. Both bulk milk SCC and bacteria numbers were higher in early and late parts of lactation. Highly significant but low positive corretations occurred between the mean bulk milk SCC and bacteria number in early (r = o.24; r2 = 0.06; P<0.001) and whole lactation(r = 0.15; r2 = 0.02; p<0.001). Thus 2 to 6 % of the variation observed in bacteria count was accounted for by variation in bulk milk SCC.The mean fat %, protein % and total solids % increased from mid-lactation to the end of lactation. In contrast, the mean lactose % showed a decrease as the lactation progressed. On the average for the whole lactation, low positive correlations occurred between the mean bulk milk SCC and fat % (r = 0.18), protein % (r = 0.26) and total solids % (r = 0.15). However, a moderate but highly significant negative correlation occurred between bulk milk SCC and lactose %(r= -0.43; P<0.001). In conclusion the overall low average BMSCC suggests that good quality bulk milk was supplied to the company, which also meets the EC standards. Significant low correlation between BMSCC and bacteria numbers suggests that mastitis bacteria were only a small but significant contributor to the high bacteria count in the bulk milk particularly in early lactation, with dirty milking machines or poor cooling being the most likely major contributor. Finally, lactose % was more sensitive to mastitis effective than fat %, protein % and total solids % in the bulk milk

Mitochondrial D-Loop Markers and Size Variation of Sorex Species

Sorex hoyi share similar morphologies with various other shrew species, ranging from nose size to tail length, which makes identification between species difficult. Current species identification relies on specific morphological traits (including dentition), however due to hybridization, these techniques may be inaccurate in certain shrews. Dentition also requires lethal sampling of shrews, which would best be avoided to not impact the populations. To remedy this problem, a procedure for identifying the species using the mitochondrial D-loop sequences of Sorex hoyi, Sorex cinereus, Sorexfumeus, Cryptotis parva. and Blarina brevicauda was designed. This procedure would look for speciesspecific differences in the shrews\u27 mitochondrial D-loop and analyze them to specify the maternal species. As opposed to dentition, the mitochondrial D-loop analysis would be able to identify the maternal parent of a specific shrew despite hybridization and does not require lethal sampling. With the shrew samples provided by Dr. Randall Fitzgerald from the New Jersey School of Conservation, mitochondrial DNA was extracted from pieces of their tails and the mitochondrial D-loop was amplified. The amplified D-loop fragments were sequenced and analyzed for conservation as well as species-specific sequence differences using Clustal Omega

Field Study of Mobile Phone Use by Motorists in Accra: 2010-2014

Mobile phone use by motorist is a known road accident risk factor. However, little known research has been conducted in Ghana to determine the actual rate of mobile phone use by motorists. In this study, we try to estimate the rate of usage by motorists in Accra-Ghana. Drivers on six major roads in the city were observed in regards to their use of mobile phone while driving over four years. Gender of the driver and the type of vehicle used by the driver was also recorded. The results show that among 9,383 drivers that were observed over period, on average 9.4% (almost 1 in 10) motorists used their mobile phones everyday. In addition, mobile phone use increased over the period from 4.4% (1 in 25 drivers) in 2010 to 9.4% (1 in 10 drivers) in 2013. The results also show that there was a significant difference between men (9.0%) and women (12.2%) in the use of mobile phone by motorists in the Accra. In addition, average daily use of mobile phones among drivers of private vehicles (13.2%) was higher than among commercial vehicles (5.6%). Keywords: Mobile Phone, Driver Distraction, Motorist, Private Vehicles, Commercial Vehicle

The Effect of Gender Inequality on Economic Growth in West Africa

Using panel data, this study examined how gender inequality affects economic growth in West Africa. The paper used data from 1997 to 2017 on GDP growth and three gender indicators. Nine countries in West Africa made up the study. The generalized method of moment (GMM) was the estimator used in estimating dependent variable and independent variables of the study. The dependent variable was GDP growth acting as a proxy for economic growth. The independent variables comprised of gender parity of primary school enrollment between female and male, labour participation ratio of female to male and gender inequality index (GII). The result of the study showed that at 1% level of significant, labour participation rate of female to male, gender parity in school enrollment and gender inequality statistically affect economic growth in West Africa. However, the outcome showed that whereas gender inequality adversely affects economic growth, increase in both participation rate of female and gender parity of school enrollment positively influence growth in West African economy. Population growth which was one of the controlled variables also showed a significant effect on economic growth. The study recommends that further studies should be conducted in area of job segregation and labour differences. Keywords: Gender Inequality Index (GII), Labour, femal, male, Economic DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-24-08 Publication date: December 31st 202

Corporate Governance Structure and Insurance Companies’ Performance in Ghana

The study seeks to explore the relationship between internal corporate governance structures and the performance of insurance companies. Adopting a descriptive study approach, a random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 200, comprising 150 customers and 50 staff from the five insurance companies within the Kumasi Metropolis for them to respond to structured questionnaires. The study found out that corporate governance is essential in every corporate body, ensuring smooth operations of the firms and also ensures transparency of the day to day activities of the firms in order to build up confidence in stakeholders of the firms. However, firms tend to be affected mainly by the interference of government decision and the abrupt change in direction of the firms when there is a change in government. It is therefore recommended that, the firms adopt fair practices that would ensure that the corporate governance framework would protect and facilitate the exercise of shareholders' rights. It is also recommended that the BOD should ensure the provision of strategic guidance of the firm, effective monitoring of management, and the board’s accountability to the firm and the shareholders so as to improve its performance. Keywords: Corporate Governance Structure, Corporate Governance, Insurance Companies, Ghana

VARIATIONS IN METADISCOURSE USE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW THESIS CHAPTERS

Studies have established that thesis chapters are both similar and dissimilar with respect to their rhetorical choices. This paper examined metadiscourse use in the Introduction and Literature Review (LR) chapters of English Language theses from a nonnative context. The Introduction and LR chapters of ten theses, resulting in 50, 000 and 100, 500 words respectively, constituted the data sets for this study. Drawing on Hyland’s metadiscourse model, we manually coded all the metadiscursive elements. The study reveals statistically significant differences across all the interactive and interactional subcategories, affirming the stance that the rhetorical function of a thesis chapter influences its metadiscoursal choices. The study also found a new subcategory of meta-discoursal category labeled continuants. The paper has implications for the teaching and supervision of postgraduate theses, and the theory of metadiscourse

Sensory and Physicochemical Properties of Pasteurized Coconut Water from Two Varieties of Coconut

Coconut water is traditionally consumed fresh and is widely patronized by all and sundry. Storage of coconut water has however become a challenge due to it susceptibility to microbial attack coupled with several biochemical changes that takes place to alter it properties. Pasteurization is a mild thermal process used for fruit juice and beverage preservation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of pasteurization on the qualities of coconut water. Coconut water was extracted from two varieties, Malayan Green and Malayan Yellow and each variety was pasteurized at 90oC for 5 minutes, 80oC for 15 minutes and 70oC for 25 minutes. Sensory evaluation was conducted and the most preferred pasteurized sample for each variety was selected. Total soluble sugars (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), total phenols and vitamin C of the most preferred pasteurized sample and the control for each variety were determined. Findings from the study revealed that, panellists mostly preferred the Malayan Green and Malayan Yellow samples pasteurized at 90oC for 5 minutes and 80oC for 15 minutes respectively. A higher TSS of 5.8 oBrix and pH of 4.78 were recorded for unpasteurized Malayan Yellow sample. The Malayan Green recorded higher values in all the other physicochemical properties analyzed. It recorded 0.14% of TA, 95.15 mg/L for total phenols and 30.18 μg/mL for vitamin C content. Reduction in the properties occurred in pasteurized samples of both varieties. This indicates that pasteurization had a reducing effect on microbes, sensory and nutritional value of coconut water. However, the Malayan Green variety was found to be more stable to pasteurization conditions compared to the Malayan Yellow variety. Keywords: Malayan Yellow coconut, Malayan Green coconut, pasteurized coconut water, sensory evaluation, physicochemical propertie

Public Officials\u27 Defense of Bribery as a Culturally Acceptable Behavior in Ghana

The prevalence of bribery in Ghana has increased significantly since the mid-2000s and has received considerable attention in both local and international media, as well as among empirical researchers. Although researchers have examined factors that influence the giving and acceptance of bribes in Ghana, limited theoretical research exists concerning the ways public officials in Ghana defend their corrupt behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine ways bribees in Ghana defend their illegal actions, using Sykes and Matza’s neutralization theory. Data were collected from telephone interviews with 11 Ghanaian public officials who have served sentences for bribery; their statements of defense were analyzed through qualitative content analysis to establish whether they used techniques of neutralization. The findings of this study indicate that public officials accused of accepting bribes apply all 5 techniques in Sykes and Matza’s neutralization theory to neutralize the guilt associated with their actions. The findings also indicate that participants believe that bribery has become part of the Ghanaian culture. Legislators, organizational leaders, and criminal justice administrators could use the findings of this study to enact appropriate laws to manage the issue of bribery in Ghana and to design effective and comprehensive ethics policies and programs to prevent its occurrence. Implications for positive social change include reducing the negative economic implications of bribery and improving trust in public officials