Non-Revenue Water Management in Ghana: The Opportunities and Challenges

Management of water resources has become a major challenge in Ghana. Efforts to address the situation through serious water sector reforms have provided some improvements, with some serious challenges still persisting globally. This paper takes a view of water management systems in Ghana by focusing on some specific issues such as water production, water sales, total cost and their relationship with the non-revenue water (NRW). The paper adopts “correlation theory” of observations from 2003 to 2009 using Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing, Ghana data. The findings reveal that, one major problem confronting water resources management in Ghana among others is lack of proper institutional structures and enforcement agencies. The study also revealed that total revenue and total cost of water provision have negative but moderate correlation with NRW but does not give any indication of how good this relationship might be. Again, it was found that where there are aspects of institutional structures, there are limited enforcement agencies for monitoring to ensure compliance. Keywords: Non- revenue water, water management, opportunities, challenges, Ghan

Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emission and Global Warming Prevention: Countermeasures for Sub-Saharan African

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation of China under grants 71471076, 71704066 and 71671080 and 71701090 and 71501084. This work was also supported by the Special Funds of the National Social Science Fund of China [18VSJ038] and by Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. BK20170542). Abstract Carbon dioxide emission (CO2) is the principal element of greenhouse gases (GHG), contributing a greater portion of 50% equivalent to global warming. The effort to control the increase of atmospheric CO2 emission awareness is an essential elucidation to curtail global warming challenge. Through the protection of existing forests and increasing the preservation of the woodland storage, carbon sequestration by forest areas can be efficiently elevated. CO2 emissions from forests to the atmosphere to the large extent may be prevented by promoting the long-time period use of woods and reprocessing without burning. When effective land use plans are formulated, the use of agricultural land which forms part of sub-Saharan arable land deforestation will reduce.  Holistically, moderating the exerting of carbon sequestration characteristic of vegetation by protecting the original forest areas, wetland and marsh vegetation as far as possible can effectively control CO2 emissions and improve environmental quality. In the long-term, the technological innovation, development, and utilization of alternative energy sources like fossil energy will mitigate CO2 emissions. Household emission form contributes a significant amount CO2 emission hence, the adaptation to new energy-saving ecological lifestyle will be an important part of controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Keywords: Greenhouse Gas; Global Warming; Carbon dioxide emission; deforestation; ecosyste

The Role of Marketing Capabilities as a Resource-Based View on Organizational Performance

This study seeks to review existing literature on the significance of Marketing Capabilities as Resource Based View and its relationship on organizational performances that is explaining the logical step from marketing capabilities to a positive Organizational Performance. Further exploration is studied to understand the Marketing Capabilities as a Resource based view and innovation capabilities deeper. Recommendation have been presented on the implications of marketing capabilities application of business operating in domestic and international markets

Species diversity patterns of marine plankton and benthos in Chinese bays: Baseline prior to large-scale development

More than 28,000 marine species have been recorded in China, which accounts for approximately 10% of all marine organisms in the world and plays a potentially important role in protecting global marine biodiversity. However, knowledge of marine biodiversity patterns in China is limited, and in particular, no comparative diversity analysis has been carried out for Chinese bays. In this study, national-scale species diversity patterns of coastal bays were examined on the basis of investigations for approximately 81 bays throughout the entire Chinese coastline in the 1980s and the early 1990s, revealing the baseline of diversity patterns prior to large-scale development. Diversity patterns found for coastal bays in China in this study include the following: (1) species richness of benthic macrofauna was larger than that of phytoplankton or zooplankton; (2) spatially, species richness in the subtropical zone was significantly greater than that in the temperate zone; (3) species richness and bay area were significantly correlated and followed power law relationships; and (4) there were significantly positive correlations of species richness among phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic macrofauna. The species diversity patterns of marine benthos and plankton for coastal bays in China, in some ways, coincided with general terrestrial patterns. This is the first study to examine national-scale species diversity patterns of coastal bays in China. The findings provide new insights to conservation biology in the marine environment and also are fundamental for future studies of biodiversity and the impact of development on biodiversity

Morphological and molecular evidence for functional organization along the rostrocaudal axis of the adult zebrafish intestine

Background The zebrafish intestine is a simple tapered tube that is folded into three sections. However, whether the intestine is functionally similar along its length remains unknown. Thus, a systematic structural and functional characterization of the zebrafish intestine is desirable for future studies of the digestive tract and the intestinal biology and development. Results To characterize the structure and function of the adult zebrafish intestine, we divided the intestine into seven roughly equal-length segments, S1-S7, and systematically examined the morphology of the mucosal lining, histology of the epithelium, and molecular signatures from transcriptome analysis. Prominent morphological features are circumferentially-oriented villar ridges in segments S1-S6 and the absence of crypts. Molecular characterization of the transcriptome from each segment shows that segments S1-S5 are very similar while S6 and S7 unique. Gene ontology analyses reveal that S1-S5 express genes whose functions involve metabolism of carbohydrates, transport of lipids and energy generation, while the last two segments display relatively limited function. Based on comparative Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, the first five segments share strong similarity with human and mouse small intestine while S6 shows similarity with human cecum and rectum, and S7 with human rectum. The intestinal tract does not display the anatomical, morphological, and molecular signatures of a stomach and thus we conclude that this organ is absent from the zebrafish digestive system. Conclusions Our genome-wide gene expression data indicate that, despite the lack of crypts, the rostral, mid, and caudal portions of the zebrafish intestine have distinct functions analogous to the mammalian small and large intestine, respectively. Organization of ridge structures represents a unique feature of zebrafish intestine, though they produce similar cross sections to mammalian intestines. Evolutionary lack of stomach, crypts, Paneth cells and submucosal glands has shaped the zebrafish intestine into a simpler but unique organ in vertebrate intestinal biology.Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and TechnologySingapore. Biomedical Research CouncilNational University of Singapor

Computational Experiment Study on Selection Mechanism of Project Delivery Method Based on Complex Factors

Project delivery planning is a key stage used by the project owner (or project investor) for organizing design, construction, and other operations in a construction project. The main task in this stage is to select an appropriate project delivery method. In order to analyze different factors affecting the PDM selection, this paper establishes a multiagent model mainly to show how project complexity, governance strength, and market environment affect the project owner’s decision on PDM. Experiment results show that project owner usually choose Design-Build method when the project is very complex within a certain range. Besides, this paper points out that Design-Build method will be the prior choice when the potential contractors develop quickly. This paper provides the owners with methods and suggestions in terms of showing how the factors affect PDM selection, and it may improve the project performance

New Analyses of Duopoly Game with Output Lower Limiters

In the real business world, player sometimes would offer a limiter to their output due to capacity constraints, financial constraints, or cautious response to uncertainty in the world. In this paper, we modify a duopoly game with bounded rationality by imposing lower limiters on output. Within our model, we analyze how lower limiters have an effect on dynamics of output and give proof in theory why adding lower limiters can suppress chaos. We also explore the numbers of the equilibrium points and the distribution of conditioned equilibrium points. Stable region of the conditioned equilibrium is discussed. Numerical experiments show that the output evolution system having lower limiters becomes more robust than without them, and chaos disappears if the lower limiters are big enough. The local or global stability of the conditional equilibrium points provides a theoretical basis for the limiter control method of chaos in economic systems

Expression and biological significance of c-FLIP in human hepatocellular carcinomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>c-FLIP can be considered as a tumor-progression factor in regard to its anti-apoptotic functions. In the present study, we intended to investigate the expression of c-FLIP in human HCC tissues, and its relation with drug-induced cell apoptosis through the specific inhibition of c-FLIP expression by siRNA in 7721 cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>c-FLIP expression was quantified immunohistochemically in HCC tissues(eighty-six cases), and corresponding noncancerous tissues (fifty-seven cases). Patients with HCC were followed up for cancer recurrence. Then, the c-FLIP gene was silenced with specific siRNA in 7721 HCC cells. c-FLIP expression was detected by RT-PCR, Western Blot and immunocytochemical staining. The cellular viability and cell apoptosis were assayed <it>in vitro </it>with cells treated with doxorubicin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Positive immunostaining was detected for c-FLIP in 83.72% (72/86) human HCC tissues, 14.81% (4/27) hepatic cirrhosis, 11.11% (2/18) hepatic hemangioma tissues, and absent in normal hepatic tissues. The overexpression(more than 50%) of c-FLIP in HCC adversely affected the recurrence-free survival. Through c-FLIP gene silencing with siRNA, the expressions of c-FLIP mRNA and protein were remarkably down-regulated in 7721 HCC cells. And doxorubicin showed apparent inhibition on cell proliferations, and induced more apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that c-FLIP is frequently expressed in human HCCs, and its overexpression implied a lesser probability of recurrence-free survival. The specific silencing of c-FLIP gene can apparently up-regulate drug-induced HCC cell apoptosis, and may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of human HCC.</p

Transcriptional Repressor NIR Functions in the Ribosome RNA Processing of Both 40S and 60S Subunits

BACKGROUND: NIR was identified as an inhibitor of histone acetyltransferase and it represses transcriptional activation of p53. NIR is predominantly localized in the nucleolus and known as Noc2p, which is involved in the maturation of the 60S ribosomal subunit. However, how NIR functions in the nucleolus remains undetermined. In the nucleolus, a 47S ribosomal RNA precursor (pre-rRNA) is transcribed and processed to produce 18S, 5.8S and 28S rRNAs. The 18S rRNA is incorporated into the 40S ribosomal subunit, whereas the 28S and 5.8S rRNAs are incorporated into the 60S subunit. U3 small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) directs 18S rRNA processing and U8 snoRNA mediates processing of 28S and 5.8 S rRNAs. Functional disruption of nucleolus often causes p53 activation to inhibit cell proliferation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Western blotting showed that NIR is ubiquitously expressed in different human cell lines. Knock-down of NIR by siRNA led to inhibition of the 18S, 28S and 5.8S rRNAs evaluated by pulse-chase experiment. Pre-rRNA particles (pre-rRNPs) were fractionated from the nucleus by sucrose gradient centrifugation and analysis of the pre-RNPs components showed that NIR existed in the pre-RNPs of both the 60S and 40S subunits and co-fractionated with 32S and 12S pre-rRNAs in the 60S pre-rRNP. Protein-RNA binding experiments demonstrated that NIR is associated with the 32S pre-rRNA and U8 snoRNA. In addition, NIR bound U3 snoRNA. It is a novel finding that depletion of NIR did not affect p53 protein level but de-repressed acetylation of p53 and activated p21. CONCLUSIONS: We provide the first evidence for a transcriptional repressor to function in the rRNA biogenesis of both the 40S and 60S subunits. Our findings also suggested that a nucleolar protein may alternatively signal to p53 by affecting the p53 modification rather than affecting p53 protein level

Characterization of the Rate of Injection of Diesel Solenoid Injectors Operated in the Multiple Injection Strategy: A Comparison of the Spray Momentum and Bosch Tube Methods

Multiple injection strategies can be used for controlling the heat release rate in an engine, particularly in compression ignition engines. This can mitigate the heat transfer losses and overcome the limitation related to the maximum pressure allowed for a particular engine. Controlling heat release with repetitive injections requires precise characterization of the fuel injection rates. In such a configuration, the injector used should be characterized for its hydraulic delay, rate of injection, and the effect of dwell timing with multiple injections. This study investigates the fuel injection behavior of a high-flow-rate solenoid injector operated with single and double injections. Two characterization methods, the momentum flux, and the Bosch tube are used and compared to investigate their suitability with the multiple injection strategies. Experiments with single injection are conducted by varying the Energizing Timing (ET) from 0.5 up to 2 ms. The tests with multiple injections (i.e., double injections) are conducted with a fixed ET of 0.5 ms, while the dwell times (δt) are varied from 0.1 up to 1 ms. All tests are performed at 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 bar rail pressures. Depending on the injection pressure, the injector’s needle could not fully close with short dwell times and the injections are merged. The momentum flux method has faster ramp-up and decaying and more oscillations in the quasi-steady-state phase compared to the Bosch tube method. The effective duration of injection is overpredicted with the Bosch tube method. The momentum flux method is demonstrated to be more suitable for measuring the ROI of multiple injection strategies