Potential groundwater pollution from improper oil and metal waste disposal in Suame, Ghana

Suame is an industrialized hub in Kumasi, Ghana, that is noted for vehicle repairs and servicing, sale of automobile spare parts, and metal fabrication. Some of these activities generate huge volumes of waste oil and metals that are often disposed off indiscriminately into the environment. These could pose a threat to the quality of groundwater in the area, especially if they continuously accumulate in the environment. This study, therefore, investigated the potential impact of the waste disposal on groundwater quality in the area. The methods employed involved mapping all the potential waste oil spillage sources and sampling the soils in such areas (at 0 – 30 and 30 – 60 cm depths) and groundwater supply points for laboratory analyses to determine the presence of the waste. In all, 36 samples (comprising 12 soil and 24 groundwater) were analysedfor the presence of heavy metals including Cd, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cr, which were used as traceelements for the presence of the waste in the samples. Computedgeo-accumulation indices from the results show the soils are moderately to heavily polluted with Cd and Pb whilst the groundwater, when compared to the WHO drinking water guidelines, is polluted with Pb and Ni. Althoughthe source of the high Pb content observed could be attributed to its transport directly from the activities in the area, the presence of high Ni makes it inconclusive since the Ni in the soil was within the concentration expected of the parent rock geochemistry. This notwithstanding, the study has indicated that groundwater in the area is not safe for human consumption unless the lead and nickel concentrations are reduced to acceptable standard for drinking.Keywords: Groundwater quality, pollution, waste disposal, Suame, Ghan

Nitrogen Fixation and Yield Potential of Some Early-Maturing Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata (L) Walp) Lines

Field experiment was conducted at Mampong Campus of the University of Education to determine the yield and nitrogen fixation potential of some cowpea lines. Nine lines plus Asontem variety were studied in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. The results showed that all the lines nodulated freely with the natural rhizobia in the soil. There was significant differences (P<0.05) in the nodulation abilities of the lines. Number of nodules negatively correlated with nodule dry weight (r= -0.38) whiles the amount of nitrogen fixed positively correlated with total seed yield (r= 0.94). Line IT97K-506-1 produced the highest number of nodules per plant but did not fix the highest amount of nitrogen. Lines IT97K-566-18 and IT97K-570-18 which contained the highest amount of nitrogen (4.43 and 4.70kgN/ha) respectively in their residue also produced the highest seed yield (3.58 and 3.61t/ha) respectively. The results showed that lines IT97K-570-18 and IT97K-566-18 have high yielding potentials and N-fixing abilities and should be tested on farmers’ fields. Key words: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp), Nitrogen Fixition, Anova, Soil Fertility.

Service quality practices and students satisfaction towards the Department of Communication Design

The increase in the number of tertiary institutions in Ghana offering Communication Design calls for a review of activities in the premium Department of Communication Design in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Grounded in service qualitytheory, the study examined students' perceptions and satisfaction relationships among five key variables related to satisfaction with service quality: assurance, tangibles, reliability, empathy and responsibility. The design employed for the study was survey. A total of 400 questionnaire were randomly distributed, out of which 260 were returned during the end of the second semester of the 2014/2015 academic year. The instrument used for the study was adapted from Cronin and Taylor's Service Quality Questionnaire.The instrument consisted of two parts; Part A consisted of items o respondent's biodata while Part B comprised of 22 items which elicited responses from student's perceived satisfaction. The results of the study using the factorial analysis technique indicated that students had negative perceptions and satisfaction about service delivery in the department. The findings suggest that there is a missing link between the deapartment and students. Baesd on these findings, the researchers recommend that there should be an avenue where students can address their concerns without malice, and also ensure that these concerns are given the maximum consideration

Growth and Yield Response of Carrot (Daucus Carota L) to Different Green Manures and Plant Spacing

A field experiment was carried out to study the growth and yield response of carrot to different green manures and plant spacing at the College of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneba-Mampong Campus in 2015 and 2016. Four different soil amendments (10 t/ha Mucuna pruriens, Chromolaena odorata, Gliricidia sepium, 300Kg/ha NPK (15, 15, 15) and control) along with three spacing regimes (25 x 10cm, 25 x 15cm and 25 x 20cm) were employed in the investigation in Randomized Complete Block Design. The result revealed that the application of 10 t/ha Mucuna pruriens, Chromolaena odorata, Gliricidia sepium and 300Kg/ha NPK (15, 15, 15) improved the vegetative growth of carrot and translocated the assimilates into the final gross and marketable yield of the root compared to the control. Among the spacing regimes, 25 x 20cm produced the best vegetative growth. Application of 300kg/ha NPK was found suitable for maximum gross and marketable yields (28.73 t/ha and 27.23 t/ha, respectively) in 2015. In 2016, Mucuna pruriens, Chromolaena odorata, and Gliricidia sepium treatments produced gross and marketable yields similar to 300kg/ha NPK. With the spacing regime, 25 x 10cm produced maximum gross and marketable yield in both years. The combined treatment effect of 300kg /ha NPK and 10 t /ha of Mucuna pruriens at 25 x 10cm spacing resulted in the best performance in terms of gross and marketable yields. From the production as well as economic points of view a combination 10t/ha Mucuna pruriens at 25 x 10cm spacing may be suggested for maximizing carrot production in the study area. Keywords: Mucuna pruriens, Chromolaena odorata, Gliricidia sepium, green manure, plant spacing, vegetative growth, gross and marketable yields

Influence of Cowpea Lines As Green Manure on Growth and Yield of Carrots in Root-Knot Nematode Infested Soil

An experiment was conducted at the University of Education, Winneba, Mampong-Ashanti campus to determine the effect of some cowpea lines as green manure on the growth and yield of carrot in root-knot nematode infested soil.  Randomized complete block design with five treatments and four replications was used. The treatments were cowpea lines IT97K-570-18; IT97K-566-18; and IT00K-1150 as green manure, N.P.K (15, 15, 15) and control.  The results showed negative correlation between root-knot nematode infestation and growth and yield parameters of carrot. The various cowpea green manure treatments and NPK (15, 15, 15) fertilizer significantly (p<0.05) improved the vegetative growth of carrot plants. Carrots from plots incorporated with cowpea line IT97K-570-18 produced significantly higher root yield than the control. Root-knot nematode infestation on carrot was lowest from plots incorporated with line IT97K-570-18. For all the parameters studied, carrot plants produced from plots incorporated with line IT97K-570-18 green manure gave the best results with respect to growth and yield. It also reduced the severity of galling. The results suggest that line IT97K-570-18 can be a better alternative to NPK (15, 15, 15) for increased carrot yield and root-knot nematode control on the Bediese Soil Series of Ghana. Key Words: Cowpea, Green manure, Carrot, Root Knot Nematodes and UEW

Repellency Potential, Chemical Constituents of Ocimum Plant Essential Oils, and Their Headspace Volatiles against Anopheles gambiae s. s., Malaria Vector

African malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto) transmit a malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) to humans. The current control strategies for the vector have mainly focussed on synthetic products, which negatively impact the environment and human health. Given the potential use of environmentally friendly plant-derived volatiles as a control, this work aims to examine and compare the repellency potential of essential oils and headspace volatiles from Ocimum gratissimum, Ocimum tenuiflorum, and Ocimum basilicum and their chemical compositions. The repellency potential and chemical composition of the plants were achieved by using the protected arm-in-cage method and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Among the three Ocimum species, both the essential oils and the headspace volatiles from O. tenuiflorum achieved the longest repellency time lengths of 90–120 minutes. One hundred and one (101) chemical constituents were identified in the headspace volatiles of the three Ocimum spp. Nonetheless, (−)-camphor, (E)-γ-bisabolene, terpinolene, β-chamigrene, cubedol, (E)-farnesol, germacrene D-4-ol, viridiflorol, γ-eudesmol, tetracyclo [6.3.2.0 (2,5).0(1,8)] tridecan-9-ol, 4,4-dimethyl, α-eudesmol, isolongifolol, and endo-borneol were unique only to O. tenuiflorum headspace volatiles. Either essential oils or headspace volatiles from O. tenuiflorum could offer longer protection time length to humans against An. gambiae. Though field studies are needed to assess the complementarity between the chemical constituents in the headspace volatiles of O. tenuiflorum, our observations provide a foundation for developing effective repellents against An. gambiae

Is diversity good?

Prominent ethical and policy issues such as affirmative action and female enrollment in science and engineering revolve around the idea that diversity is good. However, even though diversity is an ambiguous concept, a precise definition is seldom provided. We show that diversity may be construed as a factual description, a craving for symmetry, an intrinsic good, an instrumental good, a symptom, or a side effect. These acceptions differ vastly in their nature and properties. The first one cannot lead to any action and the second one is mistaken. Diversity as intrinsic good is a mere opinion, which cannot be concretely applied; moreover, the most commonly invoked forms of diversity (sexual and racial) are not intrinsically good. On the other hand, diversity as instrumental good can be evaluated empirically and can give rise to policies, but these may be very weak. Finally, symptoms and side effects are not actually about diversity. We consider the example of female enrollment in science and engineering, interpreting the various arguments found in the literature in light of this polysemy. Keywords: ethics, policy, higher education, female students, minority students, affirmative actionComment: 7 page

Embedded Vision Systems: A Review of the Literature

Over the past two decades, the use of low power Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) for the acceleration of various vision systems mainly on embedded devices have become widespread. The reconfigurable and parallel nature of the FPGA opens up new opportunities to speed-up computationally intensive vision and neural algorithms on embedded and portable devices. This paper presents a comprehensive review of embedded vision algorithms and applications over the past decade. The review will discuss vision based systems and approaches, and how they have been implemented on embedded devices. Topics covered include image acquisition, preprocessing, object detection and tracking, recognition as well as high-level classification. This is followed by an outline of the advantages and disadvantages of the various embedded implementations. Finally, an overview of the challenges in the field and future research trends are presented. This review is expected to serve as a tutorial and reference source for embedded computer vision systems

Installing oncofertility programs for breast cancer in limited versus optimum resource settings: Empirical data from 39 surveyed centers in Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II

Purpose: As a further step to elucidate the actual diverse spectrum of oncofertility practices for breast cancer around the globe, we present and discuss the comparisons of oncofertility practices for breast cancer in limited versus optimum resource settings based on data collected in the Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II. Methods: We surveyed 39 oncofertility centers including 14 in limited resource settings from Africa, Asia & Latin America (Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I), and 25 in optimum resource settings from the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan (Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part II). Survey questions covered the availability of fertility preservation and restoration options offered to young female patients with breast cancer as well as the degree of utilization. Results: In the Repro-Can-OPEN Study Part I & II, responses for breast cancer and calculated oncofertility scores showed the following characteristics: (1) higher oncofertility scores in optimum resource settings than in limited resource settings especially for established options, (2) frequent utilization of egg freezing, embryo freezing, ovarian tissue freezing, GnRH analogs, and fractionation of chemo- and radiotherapy, (3) promising utilization of oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM), (4) rare utilization of neoadjuvant cytoprotective pharmacotherapy, artificial ovary, and stem cells reproductive technology as they are still in preclinical or early clinical research settings, (5) recognition that technical and ethical concerns should be considered when offering advanced and innovative oncofertility options. Conclusions: We presented a plausible oncofertility best practice model to guide oncofertility teams in optimizing care for breast cancer patients in various resource settings

Facing the stranger in the mirror: Staged complicities in recent South African performances

The staging of complicity has developed into one of the most prevalent trends in recent South Africa theatre. The audience may become aware of their own complicity in injustice, or complicity may feature as a subject to be explored in the play. I will argue that one can identify three broadly defined performance modalities which shape current engagements with complicity. These modalities are identified by the adjectives, 'thick' (as in densely layered, complex, deep), 'reflective' (as in reflecting upon as well as revealing), and 'hard' (in the sense of direct, uncompromising, difficult to penetrate). Rather than signifying distinct categories, these terms are attributed to a cluster of performance dynamics.DHE