Climate-Induced Relocation and Social Change in Keta, Ghana

In this article, I analyze the resettlement of three communities in the Keta municipality of Ghana as a result of rising sea levels that threatened life and property. Although a few studies have documented the effects of relocation because of slow-onset climate-induced environmental change, little is known about how such resettlements have contributed to positive social change in the affected communities. I used critical theory to determine whether Keta’s relocation process contributed to positive social change. Transcriptions of interviews with a purposeful sample of 35 household members were coded and categorized into themes for essence description. Improved educational infrastructure for personal development, improved housing facilities, saved lives and protected culture, and improved healthcare facilities and general well-being were among the positive outcomes. Hence, through this study, I provide evidence to consider the need to prioritize the positive social change such resettlements will make in the lives of the affected populations in climate-induced resettlement and adaptation in Ghana and other parts of the world. Keywords: Climate change, relocation, resettlement, social change, sea level rise, improved livelihood

Economic Analysis of Strategies to Combat HLB in Florida Citrus

citrus greening, huanglongbing, asian citrus psyllid, Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Mobile nudges and financial incentives to improve coverage of timely neonatal vaccination in rural areas (GEVaP trial): a 3-armed cluster randomized controlled trial in Northern Ghana

BACKGROUND: Despite progress in vaccination coverage, timeliness of childhood vaccination remains a challenge in many settings. We aimed to assess if mobile phone-based reminders and incentives to health workers and caregivers could increase timely neonatal vaccination in a rural, low-resource setting. METHODS: We conducted an open-label cluster randomized controlled 1:1:1 trial with three arms in 15 communities in Northern Ghana. Communities were randomized to 1) a voice call reminder intervention; 2) a community health volunteer (CHV) intervention with incentivized rewards; 3) control. In the voice call reminder arm, a study staff member made voice calls to mothers shortly after birth to encourage vaccination and provide personalized information about available vaccination services. In the incentive arm, CHVs promoted infant vaccination and informed women with recent births about available vaccination opportunities. Both CHVs and women were provided small monetary incentives for on-time early infant vaccination in this arm, delivered using mobile phone-based banking applications. No study activities were conducted in control communities. A population-based survey compared vaccination coverage across arms in the pre-intervention and intervention periods. The primary endpoint was completion of at least one dose of Polio vaccine within 14 days of life and BCG vaccination within 28 days of life. RESULTS: Six-hundred ninety births were identified; 106, 88, and 88 from pre-intervention and 150, 135, and 123 in the intervention period, in the control, voice call reminder and CHV incentive arms, respectively. In adjusted intent-to-treat analysis, voice call reminders were associated with 10.5 percentage point (95% CI: 4.0, 17.1) higher coverage of on-time vaccination, while mobile phone-based incentives were associated with 49.5 percentage point (95% CI: 26.4, 72.5) higher coverage. CONCLUSION: Community-based interventions using mobile phone technologies can improve timely early vaccination coverage. A CHV approach with incentives to community workers and caregivers was a more effective strategy than voice call reminders. The impact of vaccination "nudges" via voice calls may be constrained in settings where network coverage and phone ownership are limited. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03797950

Means of transportation affects the physical qualities of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb]) fruit within the Tamale Metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana

The high perishable nature of fruits and vegetables in the agricultural sector is a major concern to scientists and the various stakeholders along the value chain. Postharvest handling practices and transportation systems are some of the factors responsible for some postharvest losses. This study therefore sought to identify the various means of transport used by traders and also to assess the kinds of mechanical damage that confront watermelon fruits during transportation within the Metropolis. Field survey collected information on handling practices and the means of transportation. It revealed that the means of transport used by watermelon traders included Kia mini truck (0.80 t), Motor King (Tricycle) (0.45 t) Kia mini truck (1.5 t) and Mini Pickup truck (1.00 t). It was also observed that majority (35%) of watermelon traders used Kia mini truck while Mini Pickup truck was the least used (15%). It further revealed that Motor King (0.45 t) recorded the highest percentage of cracks (0.08%) while Kia mini truck (1.5 t) had the least (0.03%).  Additionally, Kia mini truck (0.80 t) had the highest percentage of bruises (0.14%) while Kia mini truck (1.5 t) had the least (0.53%). Keywords: mechanical injury, hinterlands, transport, cracks and bruise

Factors affecting the adoption of botanical extracts as pesticides in cowpea production in northern Ghana

Cowpea is an important crop among the farm households of northern Ghana. It provides a cheap source of plant protein and bridges a hunger gap that is known to exist between the time when most crops are planted and the time when major crops are harvested. However, the cultivation of cowpea is constrained by several factors, with pests and diseases being the most serious constraints. Some technologies have been transferred to farmers over the years to enable them cope with these production constraints. The use of synthetic pesticides in pest control raises concern for human health and environment safety. However, a long history of use of botanical extracts and herbs in African cultures is available for protecting crops and stored products, as well as for medicinal and veterinary purposes. In recent decades, the use of botanical extracts in pest control has received a lot of emphasis in research and development. This paper examined the factors influencing the adoption of botanical extracts as pesticides in cowpea production. Analysis of farm data showed that the socio-economic characteristics provided a more satisfactory explanation of the adoption pattern. Three principal but interrelated factors were of particular importance: the level of education of the household head and the size of one’s farm and access to labour were relatively important in influencing decision to adopt; besides, high labour requirement by farmers for preparing and applying the botanical extracts make the technology less attractive to farmers with larger farm sizes. Therefore, the results suggest that increased adoption of the technology can be fostered by targeting education toward farmers who have had some formal education, and with smaller farm sizes. Industrial production of botanical extracts, to reduce the drudgery of its production and use by individual farmers, could speed up adoption

Improving small ruminant productivity and livelihood through feed and health interventions in northern Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Nutritional status at diagnosis of childhood cancer in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana

Background: Although most childhood cancers are curable, comorbid malnutrition can result in delayed initiation of treatment, increased treatment toxicity, and reduced overall survival. At cancer diagnosis, appropriate classification of nutritional status enhances nutritional surveillance to improve supportive care and cancer treatment outcomes.Objective: The study objective was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition at the diagnosis of childhood cancer, compare weight-based measurements with arm anthropometry in the assessment of acute malnutrition (wasting) and determine the association between malnutrition and selected cancer characteristics.Methods: The study was conducted at the Paediatric Oncology Unit (POU) at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Using consecutive recruitment, 133 participants of age ≤ 12 years with a new diagnosis of cancer were enrolled from January to December 2019. Stunting was assessed using a height-for-age z-score (HAZ). Wasting was assessed using a weight-for-height z-score (WHZ), body mass index-for-age z-score (BAZ), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and upper arm muscle area (UAMA) percentile. Pearson's Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to determine the association between nutritional status, cancer type and risk group.Results: The median age of participants was 4.5 years, and 64.7% ( n = 86/133) were male. Of the 133 participants, 60.9% ( n = 81) were diagnosed with solid tumours, 23.3% (n = 31) with leukaemia, and 15.8% (n = 21) with lymphoma. At cancer diagnosis, the prevalence of stunting was 16.8% (n = 22/131) while the prevalence of wasting was 21.8% (n = 29/133 ) and 40.5% (n = 53/131 ) using weight-based measurements (WHZ or BAZ) and arm anthropometry (MUAC or UAMA), respectively. No participant was obese. Lymphomas were significantly associated with wasting (p = 0.022). Participants with high-risk cancers were more likely to be stunted and wasted.Conclusion: Mid-upper arm circumference and UAMA detected more children with wasting than WHZ and BAZ at cancer diagnosis. Advanced-stage disease and lymphoma were associated with wasting. Establishing a nutritional rehabilitation programme at the POU, KBTH would ensure early and appropriate nutritional interventions to correct or prevent further nutritional deficits

Prediction and comparison of creep behavior of X20 steam plant piping network with different phenomenological creep models

In service, steam pipes are subjected to high temperature close to 0.4 Tm (melting temperature) or higher and pressure; thus, making them prone to failure due to creep. Often, the design methods for these steam pipes usually do not provide their specific in-service life; hence, some type of service fitness tests are performed, and data obtained from the tests are used to inform the routine inspections. Choosing a creep model that favorably describe the creep behavior of components in service is paramount to engineers as well as the plant operators. Reports have shown that there are several creep models available and they all behave differently with different materials, and operating conditions. In this study, the creep behavior of X20 (12Cr-1MoVNi) steam piping network subjected to three phenomenological creep models (conventional hyperbolic sine creep, modified hyperbolic sine creep and constitutive creep model) was investigated. Fortran user subroutine scripts were developed for the three models and implemented in finite element (FE) code, Abaqus to determine the creep stress and strain rate, while the useful creep life and creep damage was determined using fe-safe/TURBOlife software. The results show that the modified hyperbolic sine creep model is more suitable for estimating the creep behavior of X20 steam piping under the specified operating conditions because of its more conservative prediction.Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Pretoria, South Africa and Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (Republic of South Africa).http://link.springer.com/journal/116652021-10-28hj2021Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineerin

Comparative evaluation of creep response of X20 and P91 steam piping networks in operation

The geometrical increase in the demand for electrical energy has posed serious pressure on the power generation components such as the steam pipes due to the consequential increase in the operating parameters such as temperature and pressure. This increment in operating parameters tends to limit the useful life of these pipes. Thus, high creep resistant materials such as X20 CrMoV12-1 and P91 (9Cr-1Mo) are used to manufacture steam pipes. In this paper, the creep behaviour of X20 CrMoV12-1 and P91 (9Cr-1Mo) steam piping network subjected to typical operating condition was determined via a finite element analysis code, Abaqus CAE/2017 alongside fe-safe/Turbolife software, and their results were compared. The maximum creep stress, strain rate, creep damage and worst creep life in both piping materials were developed on the intrados of the elbow, with P91 steam pipe having higher useful creep life. Furthermore, a good correlation was achieved between the result of the analytically calculated and numerically simulated creep rate at the straight section of the piping networks.Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Pretoria, South Africa and Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (Republic of South Africa).http://link.springer.com/journal/1702021-07-24hj2020Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineerin