Search R&P Entries
Mensah, E.E., Owusu - Mensah, I., Oppong, E., & Saka, O.M. (2015). Allelopathic Effect of Topsoil Extract From Tectona grandis L. Plantation on the Germination of Lycopersicum esculentum. Journal of Biology, Agriculcure and Healthcare, 5,
Abstract
Abstract The use of topsoil extracts transferred from Tectona grandis L. plantation to explore similar effects and use of the leaf, bark and root extracts on germination and growth of Lycopersicum esculentum is presented. The study was designed to determine the effect of variation of masses of topsoil extracts from teak plantation on the germination and growth response of tomato seeds planted on another soil whose physico - chemical analysis indicate that it can support plant growth. The topsoil extracts were collected in 5kg, 5.5kg, 6kg and 6.5kg packs and respectively spread on 4 mini - plots each with 3 replications and containing 50 planted tomato seeds. The control was the mini - plot without any topsoil extracts. The results showed that the topsoil extracts were able to suppress the germination of the tomato seeds and the effect increased with the mass used. There was a significantly progressive decrease in the mean tall lengths of the seedlings with mass of topsoil indicating a growth inhibition. However, the effect was not very much pronounced in the comparison of the mean values of the short lengths of the seedlings. Key words: Allelopathy, topsoil extracts, germination
Abstract The use of topsoil extracts transferred from Tectona grandis L. plantation to explore similar effects and use of the leaf, bark and root extracts on germination and growth of Lycopersicum esculentum is presented. The study was designed to determine the effect of variation of masses of topsoil extracts from teak plantation on the germination and growth response of tomato seeds planted on another soil whose physico - chemical analysis indicate that it can support plant growth. The topsoil extracts were collected in 5kg, 5.5kg, 6kg and 6.5kg packs and respectively spread on 4 mini - plots each with 3 replications and containing 50 planted tomato seeds. The control was the mini - plot without any topsoil extracts. The results showed that the topsoil extracts were able to suppress the germination of the tomato seeds and the effect increased with the mass used. There was a significantly progressive decrease in the mean tall lengths of the seedlings with mass of topsoil indicating a growth inhibition. However, the effect was not very much pronounced in the comparison of the mean values of the short lengths of the seedlings. Key words: Allelopathy, topsoil extracts, germination
Faculty of Science and Environment EducationJul 12, 2015
Mensah, E.E., & Nyabu, I.T. (2015). A Study of the Prospective Effect of Circularly Polarized Light on the Electrical Conductivity of Aqueous Solutions of Soil Nutrients. International Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Biosciences, 2,
Abstract
Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a circularly polarized light from an 85W incoherent source on the electrical conductivity of aqueous solutions of NPK grade inorganic fertilizer. It was aimed at exploring the prospects of using the circularly polarized light to manipulate the ion availability in 0.3g/50cm3, 0.5g/50cm3, 1.0g/50cm3, 1.5g/50cm3, 2.0g/50cm3, 3.0g/50cm3 and 4.0g/50cm3 aqueous solutions of the inorganic fertilizer after 6 hours of exposure to regulate the electrical conductivities of the solutions. The results showed that the circularly polarized light significantly lowered the electrical conductivity values of all the aqueous solutions. The process was found to be exothermic as the temperatures of the exposed samples were found to be significantly higher than the unexposed. Keywords: Circularly polarized light, Electrical conductivity, Inorganic fertilizer, Ionic polarization.
Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a circularly polarized light from an 85W incoherent source on the electrical conductivity of aqueous solutions of NPK grade inorganic fertilizer. It was aimed at exploring the prospects of using the circularly polarized light to manipulate the ion availability in 0.3g/50cm3, 0.5g/50cm3, 1.0g/50cm3, 1.5g/50cm3, 2.0g/50cm3, 3.0g/50cm3 and 4.0g/50cm3 aqueous solutions of the inorganic fertilizer after 6 hours of exposure to regulate the electrical conductivities of the solutions. The results showed that the circularly polarized light significantly lowered the electrical conductivity values of all the aqueous solutions. The process was found to be exothermic as the temperatures of the exposed samples were found to be significantly higher than the unexposed. Keywords: Circularly polarized light, Electrical conductivity, Inorganic fertilizer, Ionic polarization.
Faculty of Science and Environment EducationJul 12, 2015
Mensah, E.E., Ofori, L., & Mills, T.E. (2014). Small - Scale Surface Mining in Tarkwa - Nsuaem Municipality in Western Ghana and its Effect on Soil Physical Properties. Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 4,
Abstract
Abstract Small - scale surface mining in Tarkwa - Nsuaem municipality in western Ghana and its effect on soil physical properties is presented in this study. The rising rate of land degradation by the small - scale surface miners in the study area has created a situation in which farmlands are becoming scarce and farmers are left with no choice than to use mined - out lands. The study set out to measure the physical properties of soil from mined - out lands to determine their suitability for use for agricultural purposes. One set of samples comprising soil from mined and unmined sites were randomly collected using a cylindrical metal core of known volume. After recording their wet weights, the samples were then oven dried at 105°C for 24 hours after which their dry weights were also recorded. The bulk density, porosity, solid space, mass wetness and void ratio were then calculated. The procedure was repeated for three other sites in the study area. The results showed that the mined soil, in its current state, was unsuitable for use by farmers for agricultural purposes because it was compacted, less porous, susceptible to erosion, dry and could barely support plant life. It was recommended that practices that maintain or increase soil organic matter which leads to high pore space and low bulk density be adopted to restore the mined - out lands to their natural state. Keywords: Bulk density, Porosity, Pore space, Mass wetness, Void ratio
Abstract Small - scale surface mining in Tarkwa - Nsuaem municipality in western Ghana and its effect on soil physical properties is presented in this study. The rising rate of land degradation by the small - scale surface miners in the study area has created a situation in which farmlands are becoming scarce and farmers are left with no choice than to use mined - out lands. The study set out to measure the physical properties of soil from mined - out lands to determine their suitability for use for agricultural purposes. One set of samples comprising soil from mined and unmined sites were randomly collected using a cylindrical metal core of known volume. After recording their wet weights, the samples were then oven dried at 105°C for 24 hours after which their dry weights were also recorded. The bulk density, porosity, solid space, mass wetness and void ratio were then calculated. The procedure was repeated for three other sites in the study area. The results showed that the mined soil, in its current state, was unsuitable for use by farmers for agricultural purposes because it was compacted, less porous, susceptible to erosion, dry and could barely support plant life. It was recommended that practices that maintain or increase soil organic matter which leads to high pore space and low bulk density be adopted to restore the mined - out lands to their natural state. Keywords: Bulk density, Porosity, Pore space, Mass wetness, Void ratio
Faculty of Science and Environment EducationJul 12, 2015
KYIILEYANG, M. & DEBRAH, M.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LANGUAGE LITERATURE AND COMMUNICATION IN UEW. Aryeetey Auditorium and Media and Communication’s Conference Room, UEW, Winneba, Ghana. 3rd -5th FEB. 2015
Paper presented:
LITERARY AESTHETICS IN THE NARRATION OF DAGARA FOLKTALES
Abstract
Dagara folktales, like other African folktales, are embedded with various literary aesthetic features related to structure, language and performance. This paper examines major literary aesthetics found in Dagara folktales. The methodology used is based on the collection, analysis and interpretation of selected Dagara folktales. The focus of the paper is on the structure and the language of Dagara folktales. The argument of this paper is grounded on the Structuralist Theory as seen in Gerard Genette’s Narrative Discourse which offers the basic constituents and techniques of narrative. Genette proposes various categories of narrative which cover Time, Mood and Voice. Genette’s narrative structure suggests that the various categories and subcategories emphasise that the narrative is a complex structure in which the narratee is largely present in the various strata of the structure. Genette is concerned with the macro-text of the recit, that is, the ordering of events in the narrative. The study revealed that there are similarities and differences in the structure and the language of Dagara folktales in relation to other African folktales.
Dagara folktales, like other African folktales, are embedded with various literary aesthetic features related to structure, language and performance. This paper examines major literary aesthetics found in Dagara folktales. The methodology used is based on the collection, analysis and interpretation of selected Dagara folktales. The focus of the paper is on the structure and the language of Dagara folktales. The argument of this paper is grounded on the Structuralist Theory as seen in Gerard Genette’s Narrative Discourse which offers the basic constituents and techniques of narrative. Genette proposes various categories of narrative which cover Time, Mood and Voice. Genette’s narrative structure suggests that the various categories and subcategories emphasise that the narrative is a complex structure in which the narratee is largely present in the various strata of the structure. Genette is concerned with the macro-text of the recit, that is, the ordering of events in the narrative. The study revealed that there are similarities and differences in the structure and the language of Dagara folktales in relation to other African folktales.
Faculty of Ghanaian Languages EducationJul 12, 2015
Ofosu-Kusi, Y. (2014). Dreams, expectations and troubled existence: Childhood in the terrains of informality in Accra, Ghana. In B. Lundt & U. Marzolp (Eds) Narrating (Hi)stories in West Africa. Berlin: Lit Verlag.
Abstract
The astounding level of disorganization in Accra is demonstrated by the myriad of makeshift structures and the palpable lack of attention to laws and regulations. The ability to live and indulge in street-level commerce without recourse to relevant laws has over the years been a major attraction for children and young people. However, the lives of these children are marked by drama, from the initial thought of migration to the real-life experiences in the city, especially within the context of the implausible assumption of ready employment, a steady stream of income and a good city life. Following a programme of qualitative research, 31 children were variously engaged in collaborative dialogues through planned and unplanned encounters, and supplemented by photographic data from photo-elicitation. The interactively generated accounts arising from the study are deployed to show that a sea of difference exists between children’s dreams and expectations of Accra - often appropriated from hearsay and stories - and their experiential realities.
Faculty of Social Sciences EducationJul 10, 2015
Ofosu-Kusi, Y. & Danso-Wiredu, E. Y. (2014). Neoliberalism and housing provision in Accra, Ghana: The illogic of an over-liberalised housing market. In L. Asuelime, J. Yaro, & S. Francis (Eds) Selected Themes in African Development Studies: Economic Growth, Governance and Environment. New York: Springer.
Abstract
The economic hardships of the late1970s forced many African countries to rely on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank for financial relief. The two institutions’ reaction in almost all cases was to impose structural adjustment programmes (SAP) on those countries in an attempt to stabilize and grow their economies. Ghana became an unwilling apostle in the 1980s when it implemented various rounds and was portrayed as an extraordinary example of the efficacy of neo-liberal policies in restructuring broken economies. Primary among the benefits was increase in domestic and foreign private investments, especially in the housing industry. Since then, Accra has faced an overproduction of housing for high-income earners thus leading to a dramatic rise of gated communities. On the other hand, there has been virtually no production of housing for low-income earners, thereby deepening their dependence on the informal sector for housing. With this stark difference, the paper argues that those neoliberal policies have rendered government virtually irrelevant in the housing market, especially in the provision of housing for low income earners, and for that reason accelerated the development of poor housing and slums in the city.
Faculty of Social Sciences EducationJul 10, 2015
Ofosu-Kusi, Y.
Nordic Seminar on African Childhoods. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway 8-9 June 2015
Paper presented:
Informality as Space: Children’s Visualizations and Experiences of an Informal Settlement in Accra, Ghana.
Abstract
Evidently, streets, markets and urban spaces of Accra represent more than territories defined by boundaries. Many social, economic and cultural activities emanate from the way that environment is (dis)organized and culminate in an informality that shapes the behaviour of people inhabiting that space. With thousands of children and young people adopting streets and markets as a permanent or transient space for their alternative lives, a legitimate question to contemplate is what that space, its embedded opportunities and challenges, mean to their lives. This is a significant question to raise because children’s involvement in the urban economy has become an important narrative in the discourse on Africa’s rapid urbanization. With this in mind, this paper discusses children’s visualization and utilization of space within the context of rampant structural and socio-economic informality. Basing the discussion on narratives from a series of research with street children in 2012 at Old Fadama, a quintessential informal settlement, the article shows that children contemplate, visualise and utilize space in both its structural and constitutive sense. But in doing so, they reinterpret normative obligations to suit their aspirations.
Evidently, streets, markets and urban spaces of Accra represent more than territories defined by boundaries. Many social, economic and cultural activities emanate from the way that environment is (dis)organized and culminate in an informality that shapes the behaviour of people inhabiting that space. With thousands of children and young people adopting streets and markets as a permanent or transient space for their alternative lives, a legitimate question to contemplate is what that space, its embedded opportunities and challenges, mean to their lives. This is a significant question to raise because children’s involvement in the urban economy has become an important narrative in the discourse on Africa’s rapid urbanization. With this in mind, this paper discusses children’s visualization and utilization of space within the context of rampant structural and socio-economic informality. Basing the discussion on narratives from a series of research with street children in 2012 at Old Fadama, a quintessential informal settlement, the article shows that children contemplate, visualise and utilize space in both its structural and constitutive sense. But in doing so, they reinterpret normative obligations to suit their aspirations.
Faculty of Social Sciences EducationJul 09, 2015
Asiedu-Addo, S. K., Armah, G. & Boakye-Mensah, E. (2014). Head Teachers Supervisory Strategies in Junior High Schools in the Mfantseman West Municipality. International Journal of Educational Research and Development, 3,
Abstract
The study was designed to investigate the supervisory roles of head teachers in public and private Junior High Schools in the Mfantseman West Municipality. Primary data were collected using self-developed questionnaire and a semi-structured interview schedule. The qualitative research paradigm was employed for the study using the descriptive survey design. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used in selecting forty-five head teachers from public schools and fifteen head teachers from private schools drawn from eight Junior High Schools. The analysis of the results revealed that both public and private head teachers need professional trainig in monitoring and supervision to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently. Again, while the public school head teachers were using directing and controlling as their supervisory strategy, private school head teachers employed stimulating and initiating strategies.
The study was designed to investigate the supervisory roles of head teachers in public and private Junior High Schools in the Mfantseman West Municipality. Primary data were collected using self-developed questionnaire and a semi-structured interview schedule. The qualitative research paradigm was employed for the study using the descriptive survey design. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used in selecting forty-five head teachers from public schools and fifteen head teachers from private schools drawn from eight Junior High Schools. The analysis of the results revealed that both public and private head teachers need professional trainig in monitoring and supervision to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently. Again, while the public school head teachers were using directing and controlling as their supervisory strategy, private school head teachers employed stimulating and initiating strategies.
Faculty of Science EducationJul 09, 2015
Armah, G. & Asiedu-Addo, S. K. (2014). Ghanaian Students' Knowledge of The Averages after Senior High Education. Researchjournali's Journal of Mathematics, 1,
Abstract
In this study, students’ knowledge of the average supposed to have been learnt from primary to Senior High School (SHS) level on the Ghanaian educational ladder is investigated among first year mathematics education students of the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. The simple random sampling technique was used to select 140 first year students from each of two year groups: 2012/13 and 2013/14 academic years. Data collecting instrument was questionnaire and class discussion. Simple frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the results which showed that students lack the understanding of the average: mean, median and mode, even though they find it easy to compute these statistical measures.
In this study, students’ knowledge of the average supposed to have been learnt from primary to Senior High School (SHS) level on the Ghanaian educational ladder is investigated among first year mathematics education students of the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. The simple random sampling technique was used to select 140 first year students from each of two year groups: 2012/13 and 2013/14 academic years. Data collecting instrument was questionnaire and class discussion. Simple frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the results which showed that students lack the understanding of the average: mean, median and mode, even though they find it easy to compute these statistical measures.
Faculty of Science EducationJul 09, 2015
Amoako, S. (2012). Cogs in the Wheel: Teacher Unions and Public Sector Strikes in Post Apartheid South Africa, 1999-2010. Labour, Capital and Society, 45,
Abstract
This article examines the participation of the two largest teacher unions in South Africa, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) and the National Professional Teachers’ Association of South Africa (NAPTOSA), in public sector strikes from 1999 to 2010. The main contention is that the involvement of teachers’ unions in these public sector strikes has been influenced, largely, by the pressures brought on teachers’ salaries and related working conditions due to the government’s neoliberal economic policies. The teachers’ unions’ frustrations with the employer’s attitude towards negotiations for improved salaries and related working conditions within this neoliberal economic framework has caused them to resort to strikes. Thus, teachers, and their unions, in order to defend their material and working conditions, have maintained high levels of militancy, and have teamed up with other public sector workers to demand better wages and improved conditions of service for their members. However, the strikes are also linked to broader social and political discontent, including poor service delivery, growing inequality, and periodic ruptures in the ruling ANC alliance.
This article examines the participation of the two largest teacher unions in South Africa, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) and the National Professional Teachers’ Association of South Africa (NAPTOSA), in public sector strikes from 1999 to 2010. The main contention is that the involvement of teachers’ unions in these public sector strikes has been influenced, largely, by the pressures brought on teachers’ salaries and related working conditions due to the government’s neoliberal economic policies. The teachers’ unions’ frustrations with the employer’s attitude towards negotiations for improved salaries and related working conditions within this neoliberal economic framework has caused them to resort to strikes. Thus, teachers, and their unions, in order to defend their material and working conditions, have maintained high levels of militancy, and have teamed up with other public sector workers to demand better wages and improved conditions of service for their members. However, the strikes are also linked to broader social and political discontent, including poor service delivery, growing inequality, and periodic ruptures in the ruling ANC alliance.
Faculty of Social Sciences EducationJul 08, 2015
