ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Regional variations in potential ground water recharge from spring barley crop fields in the UK under projected climate change

This study assessed the variations in the impacts of climate change on potential groundwater recharge from barley crop fields in fourteen UK administrative regions. Future climate data, based on the high, medium and low emissions scenarios (or HES, MES, and LES, respectively), were obtained from the UK Climate Projections 2009(UKCP09) using the weather generator embedded therein. These were used, together with soil field and calibrated data of the barley genotype West minster, to simulate potential ground water recharge in barley crop fields for the 2030s, 2040s, and 2050s. The results show significant variations in potential ground water recharge for the regions and the emissions scenarios but not the time slices. There was no interaction effect between time and emissions scenarios. For all emissions scenarios, time slices and regions, the largest reduction and increase in potential ground water recharge over base line values were38% and41%, respectively. East Midlands had the largest reductions for all time slices and emissions scenarios while Southwest Scotland, Northwest Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales had the largest increase in potential recharge over base line values. Generally, reductions were prevalent in the south and the eastern regions of England. Reductions were also highest under HES and lowest under the LES. In the 2030, the largest reductions were 37mm (HES), 29mm (MES), and 16mm (LES). In the2050 the largest reductions were 31mm (HES),27mm (MES), and19 mm (LES). It is concluded that the regional variations in potential recharge in arable crop fields during the spring-summer season can be a useful input in adaptation planning that integrates agriculture and water resources management in response to flood and drought risks, and water-food security needs

Source: UCC
Regional variations in potential groundwater recharge from spring barley crop fields in the UK under projected climate change

This study assessed the variations in the impacts of climate change on potential groundwater recharge from barley crop fields in fourteen UK administrative regions. Future climate data, based on the high, medium and low emissions scenarios (or HES, MES, and LES, respectively), were obtained from the UK Climate Projections 2009 (UKCP09) using the weather generator embedded therein. These were used, together with soil, field and calibrated data of the barley genotype Westminster, to simulate potential groundwater recharge in barley crop fields for the 2030s, 2040s, and 2050s. The results show significant variations in potential groundwater recharge for the regions and the emissions scenarios but not the time slices. There was no interaction effect between time and emissions scenarios. For all emissions scenarios, time slices and regions, the largest reduction and increase in potential groundwater recharge over baseline values were 38% and 41%, respectively. East Midlands had the largest reductions for all time slices and emissions scenarios while Southwest Scotland, Northwest Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales had the largest increase in potential recharge over baseline values. Generally, reductions were prevalent in the south and the eastern regions of England. Reductions were also highest under HES and lowest under the LES. In the 2030, the largest reductions were 37 mm (HES), 29 mm (MES), and 16 mm (LES). In the 2050 the largest reductions were 31 mm (HES), 27 mm (MES), and 19 mm (LES). It is concluded that the regional variations in potential recharge in arable crop fields during the spring-summer season can be a useful input in adaptation planning that integrates agriculture and water resources management in response to flood and drought risks, and water-food security needs

Source: UCC
Regionalism, Food Security And Economic Development

It is remarkable that Africa, with enormous resource endowments and with more than 70 percent of the population engaged in agriculture, cannot feed itself. This background paper ofers a critical assessment of the potential of regional trade and integration in addressing the enduring challenge of food insecurity in Africa. Drawing on the literature, the paper argues that regionalism ofers enormous opportunities and synergies for enhancing economic growth, food supply, and stability of food prices that cannot be easily addressed by individual countries when they operate in isolation from each other. To demonstrate the potential of regional integration for achieving food security in Africa, this paper starts by providing a conceptual framework that outlines the dimensions that link regional cooperation and food security. An overview of the key policy initiatives that are currently underway at enhancing integration at the continental level and in various regional blocs follows this introduction. The paper then progresses to a review of the extent of economic integration among African countries, with particular focus on the agriculture and food trade. It then presents a discussion on potential areas of integration followed by an examination of capacity issues that need policy attention in order to improve the potential of continental and regional integration in improving national and household food security among African countries

Source: UCC
Register Variation and Linguistic Complexity Across Reading Comprehension Passages in the SHS English Language Textbooks of Ghana

This study investigated text complexity and register variations across the reading comprehension passages in the three English Language textbooks for Senior High Schools in Ghana. It examines the texts on the basis of the socio-semiotic processes represented in the passages, the clause complex relations, and lexical density. The study was guided by three research objectives. This study adopted qualitative research design and employed discourse analysis to examine the data. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 55 comprehension passages for the study. Results revealed that there were six socio-semiotic processes or registers in the three textbooks namely: exploring, expounding, recreating, recommending, reporting and sharing. Exploring was most frequently used while both sharing and recommending were used sparingly. Recreating register had the highest level of paratactic and hypotactic relation in comparison to the remaining three dominant registers. The three textbooks possess extremely high level of lexical densities. Exploring had 13 and Expounding had 9.3 mean lexical density as the highest and the least lexical density respectively. The remaining two, Reporting had 11 and Recreating had 10 mean lexical density. The study, therefore, recommends that authors adopt appropriate registers to reflect the rich cultural resource of every subsystem. Teachers of English should make a concerted effort at enhancing students’ registerial repertoire by providing multiple choice questions on comprehension tests and adopting appropriate teaching strategies to aid students’ understanding.

Source: UCC
The regress challenge, infinitism and rational dialectics

I argue in this paper that infinitism is the best answer to the dialectical regress challenge. Infinitism, as a theory of rational dialectics, has not received enough attention from scholars because major proponents of the theory have focused mainly on using infinitism to answer an epistemic regress problem. Rather than construing infinitism as an answer to the epistemic regress question, I take the theory to be addressing a dialectical regress challenge and subsequently pitch it against its dialectical rivals. It emerges that dialectical infinitism addresses the regress challenge far better than its competitors if it is couched as a social contextualist thesis

Source: UCC
Regression analysis of academic performance of Potsin T. I. Ahamadiyya Secondary School students

This research is based on the results of Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) released by the West African Examinations Council in elective and core subjects of study at Potsin T. I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School from 2000 to 2003. The elective programmes of study are General Arts, Business, Home Economics and Technical subjects. The data also includes the gender and religious affiliation of candidates. The main objective of the study is to identify variables that significantly determine students’ academic performance at SSSCE. Preliminary analysis was carried on the data using frequency and percentage distribution, multiple bar and line graphs and correlation analysis. In order to establish concrete statistical evidence, multiple regression was performed on the data. The results revealed that sex and religious affiliation did not significantly explain students’ academic performance. However, elective subjects and Business and Home Economics related subjects significantly determine academic performance. In addition, the study revealed that elective subjects accounts for most of the variation in academic performance than core subjects. Students’ performance in elective subjects was better than performance in core subjects. Finally, the developed regression model was found to explain 85% of variations in students’ academic performance.

Source: UCC
Regularization of ill - conditioned linear systems

Ill-conditioned linear systems arise naturally in many applications, especially in the numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, as well as integral equations. In this dissertation, we have studied various methods for solving ill-conditioned linear systems, using the Hilbert system as a prototype. We further examined various regularization methods for obtaining meaningful approximations to such systems. Tikhonov Regularization method proved to be the method of choice for regularizing rank deficient and discrete ill-posed problems compared to the Truncated Singular Values decomposition, the Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel Preconditioner's for boundary values problems. Our results using Tikhonov method, shows that in order 1 regularization, the accuracy of the solution increases with increasing values of the regularization parameter, with optimal regularization parameter of 10°, giving an accuracy of 15 digits compared with order 2 and order 0 with 13 and 3 digits of accuracy respectively. Application of regularization to the solution of an ill-conditioned discretized Fredholm integral equation of the first kind, coupled with the LCurve method indicated that ill-conditioned linear systems can be solved using numerical regularization method. The results obtained justify that in the absence of computational errors and with proper regularization, a convergent discretization error leads to a convergent solution.

Source: UCC
Regularized and Robust Regression Methods of Linear Model with Multicollinear Predictors and Autocorrelated Errors

Multicollinearity and autocorrelation problems pose a major challenge to the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimate. The purpose of the study is to make a comparative analysis of different regularized and robust regression methods to determine the regression method that best addresses multicollinearity and autocorrelation problems in a linear model. The regularized and robust regression methods used in the study include Ridge Regression (RR), Lasso Regression, Two-Stage Ridge Regression (TR), Two-Stage Lasso Regression (TLasso), Quantile Regression (QR), Ridge Quantile Regression (RQR), Lasso Quantile Regression (LQR), Two-Stage Ridge Quantile Regression (TRQR) and Two-Stage Lasso Quantile Regression (TLQR), as remedies to OLS estimate. The data used for the study consists of simulated and two real datasets with multicollinearity and autocorrelation issues. The Mean Squared Error as the main performance criterion as well as other statistical values (such as regression coefficients, R-squared, adjusted R-squared, Root Mean Squared Error) were used for comparing the performances of the regression methods. The results indicate that the TLQR method with 0.5 quantile level is suitable for handling multicollinearity and autocorrelation problems with many predictor variables. The TR method performs better with few predictor variables. Another important observation is the effect of sample sizes on the regression methods. To effectively build a good model, one should aim at choosing the appropriate samples and predictors with corresponding right regression method for data studies which include possible multicollinearity and autocorrelation issues.

Source: UCC
Regulation of photosynthesis during the light period in CAM plants -evaluation by a gas-phase O2 electrode and a compensating infrared C02 analysis system

The CO2 dependent 02 evolution during the light period, at which the exogenous CO2 uptake was suspended, in 12 CAM plants (including pineapple (Ananas comosus)) was evaluated with a gas-phase oxygen electrode. At 5% CO2, the rate of photosynthetic 02 evolution in pineapple was saturated at 1 500 µmol m-2 s-1 PPFD and the maximum rate was 60 µmol m-2 s-1, which was 10 times those obtained at ambient CO2 conditions with the CO2 exchange system and significantly higher than the other CAM plants. At the saturated PPFD, the 02 evolution in pineapple substantially increased with increasing CO2 concentration up to 3% and decreased above 4%. However, in the other CAM plants, such increment was small. By the use of a novel compensating CO2 gas exchange system, the rate of CO2 exchange in pineapple at very high CO2 was measured and found the enhancement of CO2 uptake in both light (Phases III and IV) and dark (Phase I) periods. Based on the results obtained, possibilities of the further increases in CO2 uptake in CAM plants, especially of pineapple, are discussed in terms of stomatal functions and malate storage capacities

Source: UCC
Regulatory Capital Requirement, Institutions And Bank Stability In Sub-Saharan Africa

Regulatory capital is a current topic in the discourse on bank stability, especially within homogeneous financial systems. However, the regulatory capital-stability nexus cannot be examined in isolation from the prevailing institutional context. This study, therefore, employs a balanced panel of 25 countries from 2007 to 2017 to examine the role of regulatory capital in bank stability, highlighting the conditioning effect of institutional quality and regulatory capital type on the capital-stability nexus in sub-Saharan Africa. Using the Dynamic Panel Threshold Methodology (DPTM) developed by Seo and Shin (2016), this study also identifies the threshold effect of risk-based and non-risk-based regulatory capital on bank stability. The results indicate that while risk-based regulatory capital reduces bank stability, non-risk-based improves bank soundness, particularly in the case of the z-score. In the case of the NPL, both types of regulatory capital improve bank stability. Furthermore, the results reveal that institutional quality enforces a positive effect of both risk-based and non-risk-based regulatory capital on bank stability in the case of the z-score, but it has negative or no implications in the case of the NPL. This suggests a complementary effect in the case of the former and a substitutionary effect in the case of the latter. Finally, the results reveal the existence of a non-risk-based regulatory capital threshold level of 11-13% and a risk-based regulatory capital threshold level of 15-22%. The study thus suggests advancing institutions to minimize their negative impact on stability and the strict implementation of capital regulations that recognize regulatory types and their thresholds.

Source: UCC
Reintegration experiences of internal return migrants in the Wa Municipality, Ghana.

In Ghana, studies on returnees’ reintegration are mostly limited to international return migrants from western countries. Re-integration of internal return migrants has not attracted much research. This paper explores the reintegration experiences of internal return migrants resident in the Wa Municipality. Using the mixed method approach, the study surveyed 150 return migrants and interviewed 10 key informants. The results indicated that the main challenges associated with reintegration of returnees were frequent family demands, unemployment and low incomes. To mitigate these problems, some of the returnees had to relocate from their previous places of abode while others engaged in illegal artisanal mining activities. A chi-square statistic test indicated a significant association between returnees’ challenges of reintegration and their length of stay, age, level of education and marital status. Consequently, most of the returnees expressed their desire to re-migrate perhaps due to the difficulties they faced in their reintegration process. The study recommends that relevant stakeholders such as the district assemblies, NGOs and religious bodies should develop programmes to assist returnees with skills training and start-up capital/loans to enable them reintegrate into their communities to avoid unemployment.

Source: UCC
Reintegration of return migrants in selected communities in the Northern Region of Ghana

The main objective of the study was to examine how the socio-economic environment of home communities helped in the reintegration of return migrants in selected communities in the Northern Region of Ghana. The macro-methodological theory underlying the study was interpretivism. Mixed and multi-stage sampling techniques were used in selecting respondents in 30 communities from eight MMD Assemblies in the Northern Region of Ghana. The study used interview schedules in collecting quantitative data while FGD guides were used to gather the qualitative data. The quantitative data were analysed with the SPSS, (16) software. The qualitative data were organised into themes and analysed with the interpretivist and inductive approach and framed within the functional capabilities approach to human development. The main findings of the study were: the destination areas provided better economic opportunities while the home communities provided better social opportunities and thus, migrants were able to remit from their destination areas to support their kins at home at various intervals. Additionally, there were reciprocal support relationships between return migrants and their social networks which affected the reintegration of the return migrants. The study recommends the promotion of sustainable income-earning opportunities in the Northern Region of Ghana to help the reintegration of return migrants. Furthermore, efficient irrigation systems should be provided to support all-year round farming activities in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Source: UCC
Reiterated homogenization applied in hydrodynamic lubrication

This work is devoted to studying the combined effect that arises due to surface texture and surface roughness in hydrodynamic lubrication. n effective approach in tackling this problem is by using the theory of reiterated homogenization with three scales. In the numerical analysis of such problems, a very fine mesh is needed, suggesting some type of averaging. To this end, a general class of problems is studied that, e.g. includes the incompressible Reynolds problem in both artesian and cylindrical coordinate forms. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method several numerical results are presented that clearly show the convergence of the deterministic solutions towards the homogenized solution. Moreover, the convergence of the friction force and the load carrying capacity of the lubricant film is also addressed in this paper. In conclusion, reiterated homogenization is a feasible mathematical tool that facilitates the analysis of this type of problem

Source: UCC
Reiterated homogenization of a cavitation problem in thin films mechanics

This paper deals with the coupling of two major problems in lubrication theory: cavitation phenomena and roughness of the surfaces in relative motion: cavitation is defined as the rupture of the continuous film due to the formation of air bubbles, leading to the presence of a liquid-gas mixture. For this, the Elrod-Adams model (which is a pressure-saturation model) is classically used to describe the behavior of a viscous cavitated flow in the lubrication framework. However, in practical situations, the surfaces of the devices are rough, due to manufacturing processes which induce defaults. Thus, we study the behavior of the solution, when highly oscillating roughness effects on the rigid surfaces occur. In particular, we deal with the reiterated homogenization of this elliptic-hyperbolic problem, using periodic unfolding methods. We define a homogenized problem in the most general case, pointing out the fact that it leads to a unusual form (when compared to the initial one). We also state that, under some assumptions on the roughness patterns, the diffculties vanish, leading to a well-posed homogenized problem. A numerical simulation evidences the behavior of the solution: although the pressure tends to a smooth one, the saturation oscillations are not damped. This does not prevent from defining an equivalent homogenized saturation but only points out the anisotropic effects on the saturation function in cavitated area

Source: UCC
Relating high insecticide residues in larval breeding habitats in urban residential areas to the selection of pyrethroid resistance in anopheles gambiae s.l. (diptera: culicidae) in Akim Oda, Ghana

The main objective of this study was to assess insecticide contamination in Anopheles breeding habitats in urban residential areas and pyrethroid susceptibility status of mosquitoes found in the habitats. A larval survey was conducted in Akim Oda between July and October 2016. The larvae that were reared to adult were used for susceptibility test against four different pyrethroid insecticides (deltamethrin 0.05%, permethrin 0.75%, cyfuthrin 0.15%, and etofenprox 0.5%). Gas chromatography was used to analyze pesticide residues in water collected from the breeding habitats. High levels of permethrin and deltamethrin plus traces of several organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides were detected in the larval-breeding habitats. None of the four pyrethroid insecticides caused more than 10% mortality. Anopheles coluzzii Coetzee & Wilkerson dominated in the study area with high frequency of kdr mutation (93.5%). We report for the frst time in Ghana, high levels of pyrethroid insecticides contamination in Anopheles breeding habitats in urban residential areas where there are no major agricultural activities. The contamination is suspected to be the major cause of pyrethroid resistance in the Anopheles species. Improper disposal of old insecticide-treated net and other domestic insecticides and the use of herbicides are suspected to be the source of insecticide contamination

Source: UCC
Relation Between Childhood Abuse and Self Esteem in Adolescence

(Genişletilmiş Türkçe özet bu dosyanın sonundadır.) The aim of this study is to examine the connection between childhood abuse and self esteem in adults and reveal the potential of childhood abuse determining self esteem. Sampling of this study comprised 915 secondary school students from Konya city’s central district who were randomly selected. 583 of the sample students (%58.3) were females while 382 were males (%41.7). As a result of this study, it has been determined that there is a significant negative correlation between childhood abuse and self esteem. As a result of the regression analyses conducted separately, childhood abuse predicted significantly self-esteem, and it has been revealed that just even emotional abuse is major determinant of self-esteem. Result achieved on this issue indicates that students’ self esteem levels decrease as childhood abuse increase.

Source: UCC