Climate change and agriculture: modelling the impact of carbon dioxide emission on cereal yield in Ghana

The objective of the paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of climate change and agriculture by examining the effect of carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) on cereal yield using autoregressive distributed lag models (ARDL). The research is based on quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research using secondary data obtained from World Bank data base for the period of 1961-2010. The co-integration test indicates the series are co-integrated. The results on the long run and shorts run elastically co-efficient indicate that there is significant negative link between CO2 and cereal yield. There significant positive long run and short run link between cereal yield and income (proxied by real gross domestic product). Policy makers and agriculture scientists and environmental scientists should put in place policies to reduce atmospheric temperature increase and pollution to benefit from CO2 fertilization in order to ensure food security. The findings indicate that income (proxied by real gross domestic product) positively affect cereal yield. The link between CO2 and cereal production should be examine in future studies current study considered cereal yield

Climate change and agriculture: modelling the impact of carbon dioxide emission on cereal yield in Ghana

The objective of the paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of climate change and agriculture by examining the effect of carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) on cereal yield using autoregressive distributed lag models (ARDL). The research is based on quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research using secondary data obtained from World Bank data base for the period of 1961-2010. The co-integration test indicates the series are co-integrated. The results on the long run and shorts run elastically co-efficient indicate that there is significant negative link between CO2 and cereal yield. There significant positive long run and short run link between cereal yield and income (proxied by real gross domestic product). Policy makers and agriculture scientists and environmental scientists should put in place policies to reduce atmospheric temperature increase and pollution to benefit from CO2 fertilization in order to ensure food security. The findings indicate that income (proxied by real gross domestic product) positively affect cereal yield. The link between CO2 and cereal production should be examine in future studies current study considered cereal yield

The complete mitochondrial genome of Epomophorus gambianus (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) and its phylogenetic analysis.

The Gambian epauletted fruit bat, Epomophorus gambianus, is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa. Its assembled and annotated mitochondrial genome (GenBank accession no. KT963027) is 16,702 bases in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and two non-coding regions: the control region (D-loop) and the origin of light-strand replication (OL). The average base composition is 32.2% A; 27.6% C; 14% G; and 26.1% T. The mitogenome presented a structural composition greatly conserved between members of the Pteropodidae family.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Taylor & Francis via https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2016.118199

Clinicopathologic characteristics of early-onset breast cancer: a comparative analysis of cases from across Ghana

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer diagnosed globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women younger than 40 years. This study comparatively reviewed the demographic, pathologic and molecular features of Early-Onset Breast Cancer (EOBC) reported in Ghana in relation to Late Onset Breast Cancer (LOBC). METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used, with purposive sampling of retrospective histopathology data from 2019 to 2021. Reports of core or incision biopsy, Wide Local Excision or Mastectomy with or without axillary lymph node dissection specimen and matched immunohistochemistry reports were merged into a single file and analysed with SPSS v. 20.0. Descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages were used to describe categorical variables. Cross-tabulation and chi-square test was done at a 95% confidence interval with significance established at p \u3c 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 2418 cases were included in the study with 20.2% (488 cases) being EOBCs and 79.8% (1930 cases) being LOBCs. The median age at diagnosis was 34.66 (IQR: 5.55) in the EOBC group (\u3c 40 years) and 54.29 (IQR: 16.86) in the LOBC group (≥ 40 years). Invasive carcinoma-No Special Type was the commonest tumour type with grade III tumours being the commonest in both categories of patients. Perineural invasion was the only statistically significant pathologic parameter with age. EOBC was associated with higher DCIS component (24.8% vs 21.6%), lower hormone-receptor-positive status (52.30% vs 55.70%), higher proliferation index (Ki-67 \u3e 20: 82.40% vs 80.30%) and a higher number of involved lymph nodes (13.80% vs 9.00%). Triple-Negative Breast cancer (26.40% vs 24.30%) was the most predominant molecular subtype of EOBC. CONCLUSION: EOBCs in our setting are generally more aggressive with poorer prognostic histopathological and molecular features when compared with LOBCs. A larger study is recommended to identify the association between relevant pathological features and early onset breast cancer in Ghana. Again, further molecular and genetic studies to understand the molecular genetic drivers of the general poorer pathological features of EOBCs and its relation to patient outcome in our setting is needed

Climate Change and Agriculture: Modeling the Impact of Carbon Dioxide Emission on Cereal Yield in Ghana

The objective of the paper is to contribute to the body of knowledge in the area of climate change and agriculture by examining the effect of carbon dioxide concentration (CO2) on cereal yield using autoregressive distributed lag models (ARDL). The research is based on quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional research using secondary data obtained from World Bank data base for the period of 1961-2010. The co-integration test indicates the series are co-integrated. The results on the long run and shorts run elastically co-efficient indicate that there is significant negative link between CO2 and cereal yield. There significant positive long run and short run link between cereal yield and income (proxied by real gross domestic product). Policy makers and agriculture scientists and environmental scientists should put in place policies to reduce atmospheric temperature increase and pollution to benefit from CO2 fertilization in order to ensure food security. The findings indicate that income (proxied by real gross domestic product) positively affect cereal yield. The link between CO2 and cereal production should be examine in future studies current study considered cereal yield

The Impact of Stress Management on Job Performance: The Mediating Role of Transformational Leadership

This quantitative study examined the connection between stress management (SM), transformational leadership styles (LS), and job performance (JP) of managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The research intends to examine the impact of stress management (SM) on job performance (JP) and the mediating role of transformational leadership style (LS) in this relationship. A survey instrument was designed and administered to a representative sample of SME managers. The data is analysed using appropriate partial least squares (smart pls). The findings of the research demonstrate that stress management has a positive and significant impact on job performance of SME managers. The results indicate that effective stress management practices are associated with improved job performance outcomes. Furthermore, the study reveals that transformational leadership styles mediate the relationship between stress management and job performance of SME managers. This suggests that transformational leaders, who exhibit behaviours such as inspiring and motivating their subordinates, play a crucial role in translating the benefits of stress management into enhanced performance. The study contributes to both theoretical and practical knowledge. The findings highlight the importance of implementing stress management practices in SMEs to support the job performance of managers. Additionally, the study emphasises the significance of transformational leadership in leveraging the positive effects of stress management on job performance. Understanding the mediating role of transformational leadership style provides insights into the mechanisms through which stress management practices influence job performance outcomes. These findings have practical implications for SME owners, managers and practitioners. The results suggest that organisations should invest in stress management programmes and initiatives to support their managers’ job performance. Moreover, organisations should cultivate and promote transformational leadership behaviours among managers to maximise the benefits of stress management practices. By implementing effective stress management strategies and fostering transformational leadership, SMEs can enhance the performance and well-being of their managers, ultimately enhancing the overall success of the organisation. Keywords: Stress Management, transformational leaderships, Job Performance, Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/16-2-04 Publication date: March 31st 202

Production of natural mouthwash: A sustainable processing path

In this study, extracts obtained from ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale) and chewing sponge-''Sawere'' (Acacia kamerunensis) by cold maceration were used in the production of mouthwash solutions at the following concentrations: 10 ​mg/mL, 20 ​mg/mL, 50 ​mg/mL, and 75 ​mg/mL for ginger extract and 10 ​mg/mL only for ''Sawere'' extract. The solutions were tested for antimicrobial activity among seven candidates on three consecutive days. Results indicated that ginger mouthwash solution of 75 ​mg/mL concentration had the highest antimicrobial activity of 83.3 ​± ​2.5%, swiftly followed by ginger mouthwash solution of concentrations 50 ​mg/mL, 20 ​mg/mL and 10 ​mg/mL at 75.0 ​± ​2.5%, 47.9 ​± ​1.7% and 39.2 ​± ​2.0% respectively. This appeared to indicate that concentration and percentage inhibition in the ginger extract has a linear relationship. The 10 ​mg/mL concentration of Sawere extract solution exhibited very minimal antimicrobial activity at 0.2 ​± ​7.5%. GC-MS and FTIR analysis showed the presence of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds such as gingerol, neric acid, and squalene as well as other compounds such as 7- epi-cis-sesquiabinene present in both extracts. Gingerol was observed to demonstrate the highest peak in the ginger extract at a retention time of 17.484 whereas squalene exhibited the highest peak in sawere extract at a retention time of 17.811 in the GC-MS analysis. The FTIR analysis identified some functional groups in both the ginger and the sawere extracts including phenolics, alcohols, carboxylic acids, and alkane functional groups. This research successfully demonstrated the possibility of using ginger extracts and sawere extracts as safer active ingredient alternatives in the making of mouthwash

Determination of methanol and ethanol concentrations in local and foreign alcoholic drinks and food products (Banku, Ga kenkey, Fante kenkey and Hausa koko) in Ghana

Abstract Background It is believed that higher methanol content may be present in some alcoholic drinks produced by traditional distilleries or some alcohol brewing companies. As a result of this, there could be a higher risk of methanol concentration in products. Therefore, this research focused on quantifying the amount of methanol in some fermented foods and alcoholic drinks by Gas Chromatography. The method was validated for limit of detection, limit of quantification, and recovery. Results The results showed some level of methanol in some of the studied local and foreign alcoholic drinks between the ranges of 0.003-0.161% Vol. whereas no methanol was observed in any of the analyzed food products. Conclusions The results showed that the levels of methanol observed in the analyzed drinks do not pose any health threat to the human body when consumed, contrary to the general assumptions that it does. However, the normal alcohol health risk associated with high consumption still remains a problem

Implicit Attitudes Toward Ageing: A Case of Funeral Advertisements in the Ghanaian Print Media

Through the agency of the media, individuals within a community absorb impressions, images, ideas and sounds that mirror society’s attitude towards old age. The study explored implicit attitudes towards old age in the print media as depicted in funeral advertisements in Ghana. Data was gathered from print advertisements (funeral announcements from the Daily Graphic) for two (2) years. The research studied only funeral announcements that displayed the age (60 years upwards) at which a person died and captured the picture of the dead person depicted on the funeral announcement poster (either at a later stage of their lives, younger age or both). A content analysis revealed some major themes; Celebration of life, Celebration of profession, Celebration of achievement, Blessing and other sub-themes. Although these themes suggest a positive attitude towards old age, it was however observed that some of the pictures used in the advertisements were those taken at an earlier stage in the life of the dead person. Results are discussed with reference to relevant theories and related studies