ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
“Energy Drinks” Usage among Light Industrial Workers at Suame Magazine, Kumasi: Motivators and Effects.

Usage of energy drinks has been observed to augment considerably in current years, particularly among occupations such as mining and resources, construction, agriculture and transport where male workers dominate in numbers. However, owing to the high content of caffeine, sugar and other ingredients, concerns have been raised about the perils and possible negative impact of energy drink intake on health, particularly among the youth. This study sought to determine the prevalence of energy drink usage among Light Industrial Workers at the Suame-Magazine in Ghana, some motivators as well as perceived effects. This study used a cross-sectional, quantitative research design. Semi-structured questionnaires were utilized to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, energy drink usage, motivators and perceived effects. Data was entered and analyzed using STATA 14.2, and graphically represented using Microsoft Word 2016. Categorical variables were mainly expressed as frequencies and percentages while continuous variables were expressed as means and standard deviations. Chi-square was used to test for associations. Prevalence of energy drink usage among this study population was found to be 81.1%. Increasing energy/replenishing lost energy, improving performance and tasting good were the most common motivators for energy drink consumption (75.5%, 66.3% and 60.4% respectively). Overall, insomnia was the most common (21%) perceived effect after consuming energy drink. Usage of energy drink is high among Light Industrial Workers at the SuameMagazine primarily because they are taken to address the physically demanding nature of work within this population. It is recommended that the energy drinks are taken with caution.

Source: KNUST
“Energy drinks” usage among light industrial workers at Suame-magazine, Kumasi: motivators and effects.

Usage of energy drinks has been observed to augment considerably in current years, particularly among occupations such as mining and resources, construction, agriculture and transport where male workers dominate in numbers. However, owing to the high content of caffeine, sugar and other ingredients, concerns have been raised about the perils and possible negative impact of energy drink intake on health, particularly among the youth. This study sought to determine the prevalence of energy drink usage among Light Industrial Workers at the Suame-Magazine in Ghana, some motivators as well as perceived effects. This study used a cross-sectional, quantitative research design. Semi-structured questionnaires were utilized to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, energy drink usage, motivators and perceived effects. Data was entered and analyzed using STATA 14.2, and graphically represented using Microsoft Word 2016. Categorical variables were mainly expressed as frequencies and percentages while continuous variables were expressed as means and standard deviations. Chi-square was used to test for associations. Prevalence of energy drink usage among this study population was found to be 81.1%. Increasing energy/replenishing lost energy, improving performance and tasting good were the most common motivators for energy drink consumption (75.5%, 66.3% and 60.4% respectively). Overall, insomnia was the most common (21%) perceived effect after consuming energy drink. Usage of energy drink is high among Light Industrial Workers at the Suame-Magazine primarily because they are taken to address the physically demanding nature of work within this population. It is recommended that the energy drinks are taken with caution.

Source: KNUST
Energy efficient affordable housing, Krobo Odumase, Greater Accra Region.

Housing is a basic human need and is thus addressed or confronted by people from all walks of life. In recent times, convenient or descent housing has become a prerogative of the rich and wealthy in society. This class form the minority with respect to the middle and the low income group. Governments worldwide always have housing on their development plans to address this unending need of man. The only obstacle faced is the issue of affordability. This spills out into many dimensions, from the cost of construction to its energy consumption which mainly constitute the running cost of the building. This has thus necessitated the need for a house that is inexpensive to acquire and has a low running cost, hence an energy efficient and affordable housing project. This design thesis addresses the issues involved in achieving an energy efficient affordable neighbourhood, through architectural and scientific interventions. It starts with the study of the target group and the site and the appropriate architectural intervention is employed. The issue of affordability is first tackled from the acquisition point of view which includes the cost of the building itself. Here, the judicious use of space is paramount as well as the type and qualities of the materials used. The energy efficiency which also cuts down on the running cost of the building is also first tackled with the use of passive lighting and ventilation. The physical and thermal properties of materials were also considered in selecting the most appropriate materials to best insulate or conduct heat into the building as required. A flexible mode of acquisition or payment has also been engineered to crown the whole project to make it a success.

Source: KNUST
Energy potentials of multi purpose tree species for curing tobacco in the forest-savanna transition zone of Ghana

Flue-curing of tobacco has been practiced for many years in various parts of Ghana, especially in the forest-savanna transition zone. However, very little work has been done on the suitability, availability and sustainability of fuelwood for curing tobacco. There is no documentation on the efficiency of multipurpose tree species only or in combination with palm kernel shells as source of energy for flue-curing tobacco and their effect on the cured tobacco. Though the British American Tobacco (BAT) has Tectona grandis plantation for curing tobacco, this species is currently in very high demand and is actively being processed into lumber for export and manufacture of various types of furniture. This study was undertaken to assess the suitability and energy potentials of four exotic multipurpose tree species (MPTs) Leucaena leucocephala, Senna siamea, Gmelina arborea and Tectona grandis, which were introduced by BAT towards the sustainability of fuelwood for curing tobacco in its Leaf Operational Area of the forest-savanna transition zone of Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Energy security and climate change adaptation in rural communities

Energy of all kinds stimulates the quality of rural life and is an integral part of sustainable development. In most rural areas, and especially in Sub-Sahara Africa, the dominant energy used for cooking and other domestic energy needs is wood-based biomass. With the rise of the unprecedented effects of climate change, continual dependence on the wood-base energy sources become threatened since they are affected by a slight change in the climate. The purpose of this study was to investigate into sustainable energy and climate change in rural communities. The study aimed at identifying the relationship between rural energy forms and climate change and finally, to find out a way in measuring sustainable energy amidst climate change. Cross-sectional and prospective study designs with a combination of probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used. Ninety rural households were selected from the Nzema East Municipal Area in addition to 25 industries and 10 local energy suppliers for interviews and interactions. Results from the study showed that, fuel wood and charcoal consumption was directly linked to family size with r = 0.77. Carbon emissions, calculated at a significant level of 0.05, show how rural energy was contributing to climate change. Again, current rural energy system was more likely not sustainable based on the use of the 'AAARE-ST' models. As a result, it was recommended that wood lot plantations be increased and encouraged in the short-run in order to start off-setting increasing resource depletion and also a decentralized Ministry of Energy is recommended in the long-run as well as changing rural preference from wood-based biomass to modern ones. The principal conclusion was that, though the study has revealed a number of key outcomes in sustainable rural energy and climate change, a number of research gaps still exist and the study was unable to use adequate test statistic to establish the nature of the relationship between rural energy forms and climate change.

Source: KNUST
Engineering Feasibility Study on Multi- Functional Platforms (MFPs) in Ghana

The Multi-Functional Platform (MFP) as decentralised energy infrastructure is designed to substitute for the human motive power of poor rural women and men at the bottom of the energy ladder. The MFP uses a diesel engine of the types that are widely available in rural Africa. The diesel engine used in the MFP is the Lister-type diesel engine. The research involved carrying out a market survey on MFP end-use equipment in Ghana to gather data on prices, manufacturers and suppliers of equipment. A community selected in the Northern Region of Ghana was used for the survey. The survey was to collect data to determine the feasibility of establishing an MFP in this community that can serve as a reference for establishing MFPs in similar communities in Ghana. A financial analysis to determine the internal rate of return (IRR) and payback period of the MFP was conducted and the financial implication of running the MFP on Jatropha oil was also analysed. The total investment cost for the basic MFP was US$4,306 with net annual revenue of US$7,000. The return on investment is 163% and it would take 7.4 months to payback. The investment cost for the MFP with mini-electricity was US$19,923 with net annual revenue of US$5,965. The return on investment is 27% and it would take 3.3 years to payback. With seed price of $0.28 per kg and oil price of US$1.52 per litre, the MFPs fuelled with Jatropha oil showed an increase of fuel cost from $467 to $1,381 and $2,571 to $7,602 for the basic MFP and MFP with mini-electricity grid, respectively. This reduced the return on investment for the basic MFP to 141% and increased payback time to 8.5 months. The MFP with mini-electricity grid showed a negative return on investment of -12%. In order for the people in the community to be active participants in future feasibility studies on the MFP, it was recommended that a participatory feasibility study be conducted. In addition, it was recommended to conduct a further study on the provision of water by the MFP. A financial analysis to determine the impact of surrounding villages/communities on the MFP as well as determining a fair Jatropha oil price that would make it financially viable in the MFP was also recommended.

Source: KNUST
Engineering properties of Ghanaian sandcrete blocks

Sandcrete blocks are prismatic units manufactured from lean (sand-cement) mortar mixes and are the predominant walling materials used in buildings in Ghana and other developing countries. Although the blocks are preferred to other similar walling materials such as bricks and concrete blocks due to the availability of the dominant material (sand) in the country and the ease of manufacture, the material is known to have several drawbacks: it has a low compressive strength which could be a factor for structural failure in buildings. Apart from the compressive strength, little is known about the other strength and permeation properties of the material. Thirdly, little research has been conducted into the influence of water-cement ratio which is known to wield a strong influence on the strength and permeation properties of cementitious materials. On the basis of a thorough review of the literature, a detailed experimental programme was designed and carried out in Ghana and the United Kingdom on the factors that influence the strength and permeation properties of the material using over 10 destructive, partially destructive and non-destructive test methods. Over 1500 sandcrete blocks were moulded and tested. The literature review also indicated that lack of quality control in the Ghanaian sandcrete blocks manufacturing industry account for the poor quality of the material in the country.

Source: KNUST
Engineering geological evaluation of Mfensi and Afari clay deposits for liner applications in municipal solid waste containment systems

Mfensi and Afari clay deposits in the Ashanti region of Ghana, have been the subject of considerable research works mainly for pottery, brick and tile, pozzolana, refractory productions, etc, but very little is known about their application as liner materials. This study therefore sought to evaluate the suitability of the two clay deposits as liner materials in municipal waste containment systems. Samples were collected from the sites and subjected to physical, chemical, physico-chemical, mineralogical, geotechnical as well as thermal analyses. Results of the study reveal that; physically, both clays were soft and had high water contents. Afari clay was yellowish in colour while Mfensi clay was greenish-grey in colour. The chemical compositions of the clays were analogous although their concentrations varied. The oxides of silicon, aluminum and iron together constitute about 90% and 80% in Mfensi and Afari clay respectively. The mineralogical compositions of both clays were similar and made up of quartz, kaolinite and magnetite. The cation exchange capacities of the clays were 32.33 meq/100g for Afari clay and 7.79 meq/100g for Mfensi clay. The clays were fine grained, with fines contents of approximately 64% and 88% for Afari and Mfensi clays respectively. Texturally, both clays classify as clay loam. The Atterberg limit tests gave the liquid limits and plasticity indices of both clays to be 64.78% and 40.52% for Afari clay and 42.85% and 22.43% for Mfensi clay respectively. The unconfined compressive strength of the Afari clay was 244.53KPa and that of Mfensi clay was 331.73KPa. The hydraulic conductivities of the clays were found to be of the order ×〖 10〗^(-7) cm/s. The average thermal conductivities of the clays were 0.025W/moC for Afari clay and 0.215W/moC for Mfensi clay. The use of leachate led to an increase in the plasticity indices and liquid limits of both clays with a reduction in the plastic limits. Reductions in the permeability’s of both clays were also observed when permeated with leachate. From the modeling, Afari clay had a higher flow rate and a lower breakthrough time relative to Mfensi clay. It is concluded that, Mfensi clay has a better anti-leakage behavior, higher breakthrough time and lower flow rate relative to Afari clay. Based on parametric analyses from the simulation with varying leachate head, leachate density and liner thickness, it was found that, the breakthrough times of both clays did not change when varying the leachate head while the flow rate changed with varying leachate head. Also, the breakthrough times and flow rates of the clays changed with varying liner thickness. Finally, the variation in leachate density resulted to a change in the breakthrough times for both clays and had no effect on the flow rates. From the overall study, the clays generally passed the requirement for use as liner materials in municipal solid waste landfills and hence they could be used for liner applications

Source: KNUST
English for Engineering Education: A corpus study of Lexicogrammatical contents of Engineering Textbooks

Purpose: The need for English usage for Specific Purposes (ESP) in technical institutions has recently gained prominence. Specifically, the study identifies (1) the most frequently used vocabulary (with at least 100 hits) of electrical engineering texts and (2) their collocations in context. Design/Methodology/Approach: As a corpus-based English for Academic Purposes (EAP) enquiry, the AntConc corpus analytical tool was employed to analyse the data. The data include seven undergraduate Electrical Engineering textbooks easily accessible online with renowned authorship purposively sampled. Findings: The study's results reveal key vocabulary items in the Electrical Engineering textbooks, including current, electric, voltage, field, circuit, magnetic, and power in the order of frequency from the highest. These form beneficial syntagmatic relations with themselves and other content words; current collocates most frequently with voltage, typically in ‘voltage and current’ (59 hits) against ‘current and voltage’ (23 hits) structure. Research Limitations: These results have implications for existing scholarship on Electrical Engineering education and for further research in English for Academic Purposes. Practical Implication: This study has a practical implication for developing course contents and pedagogy for English Language or Communicative Skills for Electrical Engineering students and for the teachers in teaching some of these frequently used words to broaden the vocabulary scope of the Engineering students. Social Implication: The study will help inform policy-making in technical education to address the linguistic gap by providing a framework for including English for Specific Purposes in all curricula of technical universities. Originality: This study is based on the design of needs analysis in English for specific purposes: efficiently implementing impending competency-based training (CBT) for technical education in Ghana.

Source: KNUST
Enhancement of the Nutritive Value Of Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao) Bean Shells For Use as Feed For Animals Through a Two- Stage Solid State Fermentation With Pleurotus Ostreatus and Aspergillus Niger

The animal industry is being faced with several challenges one of them is the high cost of feeding as a result of the exorbitant prices of feed ingredients. This challenge facing particularly the poultry industry is being addressed by the use of agro-industrial by-products (AIBPs) as alternative energy sources for animal feeding. However, these by-products are faced with certain limitations such as their low inclusions in animal diet especially poultry and pigs due to their high fibre content and high levels of anti-nutritional factors. One of such agro-wastes is the cocoa bean shells (CBS) produced from the cocoa processing factories and underutilized due to its high fibre content (mainly lignocellulose) and high theobromine content. The application of biotechnology by the use of fungi with GRAS status to improve its feed value for animals was therefore investigated. The dried CBS obtained from the factory was taken through a two-stage solid state fermentation. The CBS was milled into 2mm particle size, composted and pasteurized. The pasteurized substrate was then fermented with the spawn of Pleurotus ostreatus for 6 weeks followed by Aspergillus niger fermentation for seven days. The fermentation of the CBS with P. ostreatus significantly increased (p<0.05) the protein content by 25.22% and decreased (p<0.05) the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin by 49.93%, 39.99% and 34.65% respectively at the sixth week, the optimum fermentation period. The mineral content (calcium, phosphorus and potassium) of the P. ostreatus fermented CBS was also significantly enhanced (p<0.05) at the sixth week of fermentation. The P.ostreatus fermented CBS used as substrate for the second stage A. niger fermentation had its theobromine content significantly reduced (p<0.05) by 72.89% at the end of the seven days of fermentation. The degradation of the complex carbohydrates of the CBS by the fungi increased the level of soluble carbohydrates (from 35.05% to 45.30%) which resulted in a 33.64% increase in Metabolizable Energy (M.E) in the fermented product. These results make the CBS fermented with P. ostreatus and A. niger more suitable for use as feed material for animals.

Source: KNUST
Enhancing access to rural healthcare to achieve sustainable development goal 3: a case study of Telemedicine Project in Bonsaaso Millennium Village of Amansie West District

‘Ensuring healthy lives for all at all ages’ represents the third goal of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were endorsed by the UN in 2015, after the MDG era. Despite efforts to increase access to quality health care, most of the world’s population found in rural and remote areas still have challenges accessing health care. Telemedicine interventions have been identified as effective means of addressing health care access barriers, particularly geographic barriers. This study therefore sought to explain how telemedicine helps to increase access to rural health care in the Bonsaaso Millennium Village Communities of the Amansie West District of Ghana. The study was specifically aimed at: Identifying dimensions of access barriers that are tackled by telemedicine in the cluster communities; Identifying contextual factors which enhance Telemedicine Health Care delivery; Identifying problems with telemedicine mode of health care delivery and; Seeking to know how the work of Community Health Workers and Health Care Staffs at the Teleconsultation Centre help to address the health care needs of patients. The researcher used the Exploratory Case Study design and the Mixed Methodology, for the research. Sixty (60) Community Health Workers (CHWs) were engaged in questionnaire administration, while a further Five CHWs, The Manager of CHWs, and two Health Care staff at the Teleconsultation Centre were purposively sampled for key informant interviews. Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) software was used to analyse quantitative data from, and results were presented in the form of histograms and frequency tables, while the Relative Importance Index (RII) tool was used to analyse the factors that enhance Telemedicine. The Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) Miner Lite software was used to analyse transcribed interviews to identify, analyse and report patterns for development of themes. The research revealed that apart from geographical barriers to health care, the Telemedicine intervention also helps to address Financial barriers, Availability barriers, and Acceptability barriers of health care for people in the rural communities. The study also revealed that CHWs and staff at the TCC played key roles in enhancing patients’ access to Telehomecare and Teleconsultation services through regular household visits and health consultation by mobile phone communication. Some of the contextual factors identified from the research included Collaboration among health workers; Adequate health care personnel, Health ICT Education and Training for Health care personnel, Technical Quality of Communication Network Services, and A good software to v enhance data collection. Some problems identified by respondents related mainly to Network and Connectivity Problems, Alienation from Clinical Practice, Technical Problems and Communication and Information Sharing problems.

Source: KNUST