ghanaopendata/ghanaian-research-english huggingface dataset:
Water Scarcity in the Tamale Metropolis and the Role of the Informal Water Sector in Urban Water Supply

The study sought to assess the nature of operations of informal water supply services in the Tamale Metropolis and the effect of these services on household water access and living conditions. The case study design was adopted with the mixed research approach to gather and analyse data using questionnaires administered to households (141), informal water vendors (63), the Ghana Water Company Ltd. (GWCL) and the Metropolitan Water and Sanitation Unit of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly. The study revealed that 98 percent of households in the Metropolis face water access challenges due to inadequate coverage, intermittent water supply or lack of documentary requirement for connection to the public water supply network. Consequently, 47 percent of the households were unable to obtain the basic minimum per capita water supply (of 20 litres) required to maintain a healthy life. The poor water supply was due to high water demand from the rapidly growing urban population in the Metropolis vis-à-vis the limited capacity of the GWCL to provide adequate and regular water supply. Overall, 96 percent of the sampled households used alternative means of accessing water supply. The informal water sector was the main alternative source of water for over 69 percent of the sampled households for over a decade. The study revealed that the informal water sector eased water-related social hardships among the urban households. Water supply from vendors provided vital support for households to send their children to school and on time. Some households that hitherto depended on uncovered wells and other unclean water sources were now privy to potable water supply. Households relied on the sector due to the convenience, availability and the flexible mode of payment for water supply. The vendors sourced water mainly from the GWCL and mechanized boreholes/wells. The informal water sector was not regulated. About 98 percent of the vendors operated without any permit. Financial and technical support was not readily available to vendors. With reference to the above, it is recommended that the informal water sector be registered and integrated into the formal urban water supply system to ensure support and effective monitoring of the quality of services (especially water) supplied by the water vendors to urban households. This should be done by the GWCL in collaboration with the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly.

Source: KNUST
Water-soluble SNS cationic palladium(II) complexes and theirSuzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions in aqueous medium

Unlike their SCS analogues, SNS pincer complexes are poorly studied for their use in coupling reactions. Accordingly, a series ofwater soluble cationic Pd(II) SNS pincer complexes have been successfully synthesised and investigated in detail for their catalyticactivity in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. By using only 0.5 mol % loading of the complexes, the coupling of inactivated arylbromides and activated aryl chlorides with various boronic acids in water was achieved in excellent yields and the catalysts werefound to be reusable for three cycles without a significant loss of activity. The investigation of the mechanism of the reactionrevealed that a Pd(II) to Pd(IV) route is the more likely pathway which was further supported by computational studies.

Source: KNUST
Water Quality of Hand-Dug Wells in the Vicinity of Septic Tanks in Asante Akyem Agogo in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

This study investigated the possible contamination of dug wells in the vicinity of septic tanks in Asante Akyem Agogo, a peri-urban community in the Ashanti Region. Monthly water samples were collected from 16 hand-dug wells from January to March, 2014, for physico-chemical and bacteriological analyses. Results from the analyses indicate that the water samples were generally acidic (pH: 3.8 – 6.7), and majority of them had nitrate levels that exceeded the WHO recommended guideline limit. In terms of bacteriological quality of the water, total coliforms (1.03x105 to 2.5x106), faecal coliforms (9.0x104 to 5.8x105) and E. Coli (0 to 1.37x105) far exceeded the WHO recommended guideline limits for drinking water. All the water samples, however, showed negative results for the presence of faecal enterococci. The presence of indicator bacteria in the water samples suggests contamination by human and animal wastes, and poses potential health risks to consumers of this water, without prior treatment. Stakeholders must ensure compliance with regulations to set up groundwater supply scheme and again maintain hygienic surroundings.

Source: KNUST
Waterfront development - Kpando

The waterfronts of Ghana have generally been downplayed in terms of the built environment due to poor design and planning. There is a lot of potential in terms of tourism, both local and foreign. The design of waterfronts resorts generally seek to provide one fundamental thing and that is relaxation due to their inherent location. This thesis design, therefore, seeks to create a serene waterfront destination resort adopting both traditional and modern architectural techniques that satisfy the principles of waterfront design.

Source: KNUST
Waterfront Hotel Resort - Sakumono

The soothing, relaxing effect of water bodies cannot be substituted in any way, as many uses as one may find for water, its simple use of quenching our thirst cannot be substituted, its use and presence always has an impact on human life. Waterfront developments are a great source of income generation for any establishment because it creates means by which people utilise these to its greatest potential. The United Arab Emirates has expanded its income generation prowess to the highest level, the once growing oil boom in the country is on its way to be diminished in the next 6 years. Alternatively the country has taken up tourism as its next growing source of income for the country. Artificial islands, artificial ski resorts and sun skiing just to mention a few have been created purposely to increase tourist attraction in this growing nation. « Statistics at the Ghana Tourist Board has showed the growing number of tourist visiting the country, Ghana being the gateway to Africa shows the potential of having the greatest number of tourist visits, this proves that we can utilise tourism to the greatest level. It would be improper to neglect our water bodies, our coastal front, our sandy beaches to ruins, to leave them to pollution and contamination, would be to poison the one thing that serves to maintain our existence. The use of land by waterfronts for constructive establishments will seek to help in the prevention of such contamination and improve on the appraisal of these bodies.

Source: KNUST
Watermelon Seeds as Food: Nutrient Composition, Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seeds are often discarded while the fruit is eaten. In this study, seeds of three (3) varieties of watermelon (Charleston gray, Crimson sweet and Black diamond) were analyzed for their proximate, minerals, phytochemicals, total phenols content and antioxidant activity. The proximate analysis and phytochemicals screening were performed using standard procedures whereas minerals content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. DPPH free radical scavenging activity and Folin-ciocalteau assays were used to determine antioxidant activity and total phenol content, respectively. The results indicated that the watermelon seeds had moisture content in the range of 7.40 - 8.50%; fat, 26.50 - 27.83%; protein, 16.33 - 17.75%; fibre, 39.09 - 43.28%; ash, 2.00 - 3.00%; carbohydrate, 9.55 - 15.32% and energy value of 354.05 - 369.11 kcal/100g. The seeds also contained appreciable minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Na, K and Zn) with K (3.40-3.5 mg/100g) being the highest while Na (0.07 - 0.08 mg/100g) was the least. DPPH% inhibition varied between 59.88-94.46% inhibition with trolox equivalent of 82.59-130.29 µM/g depending on the variety. Saponins, tannins, triterpenoids glycosides and alkaloids were present in all samples. Crimson sweet seeds had the highest total phenol content (5416 mgGAE/100g), followed by Black diamond (3949 mg GAE/100g) and the least, Charleston gray (1494 mg GAE/100g). Similarly, Crimson sweet had the highest antioxidant activity, followed by Black diamond and lastly, Charleston gray. The present findings suggest watermelon seeds as considerable source of nutrients in the diet and may have health and economic benefits due to its fibre, minerals, phenolics content and antioxidant activity.

Source: KNUST
Weak and Weak Topologies

The purpose of this project is to endow E with a smallest topology such that the maps фi,I Є I are continuous. We construct a topology r on E with minimum open sets which makes { фi }iЄI, continuous, where E is a non-empty set,{Yi}iЄI a family of topological spaces and, , continuous maps that take open seUts of E into open sets in Yi. фi: E → Yi Let ωi Є Yi. Therefore when ωi are open in Yi, i Є I, the set фi -1 (ωi) constitute a family of subsets of E which are necessarily open subsets in the topology τ; and we denote this family by U = {Ui}iЄI , where Ui = фi -1 (ωi) for some i Є I. The desired topology is constructed by finding the finite intersections of members of U and then arbitrary unions.

Source: KNUST
Waterfront Resort Design (Muni Lagoon, Winneba)

Demand for tourism the world over is growing rapidly as the years go by; there is therefore the need for Ghana to catch up with this pace to help generate revenue for the country. Ghana holds great potential in the tourism industry with very interesting sites to marvel over; these include 540km of tropical white sand beaches, historical forts and castles, unique festivals and cultures, eco-tourism, etc. Ghana's waterfronts holds great possibilities to help boost the country's tourism, thus attracting both international and local tourists if proper attention is given to its development; however very little developments has been seen at these sites. This is a design thesis report which seeks to bring to light the; the state of Ghana's waterfronts, tourism and economic potential, how these can be achieved and lastly a design proposal of a waterfront resort at Muni Lagoon - Winneba.

Source: KNUST
Wealth creation and poverty reduction through agricultural activities in the Bolgatanga District: the role of NGOS

This study was geared primarily at examining the extent to which the agricultural development activities of IVIDEP (DDO) and TRAX contributed to wealth creation and poverty reduction in the Bolgatanga District. The research made use of basic PRA tools as well as the administration of semi-structured questionnaire to farmers under TRAX and IVIDEP as well as the staff of these respective organizations. Findings pointed to the fact that these activities indeed played a significant role in uplifting the living conditions of the people and decreasing their levels of deprivation and vulnerability. This is evidenced by significant increases in farm sizes and yields as a result of the appropriate farming techniques imparted to farmers through TRAX and IVIDEP. Generally, landholdings of fanners increased both at Pusu-Namongo and Zuarungu-Moshie, the average for the former was 1.2 hectares whereas that of the latter was 1.0 hectares. These improvements were accompanied by an average increase of yields per hectare of 1.45 and 1.25 bags respectively. These tremendous and sight striking improvements were largely witnessed as a result of the sustained efforts of TRAX and IVIDEP in the areas of stone bonding, establishment of bunds, ploughing along the contour, tie-ridging, non-burning of crop residue, and many other LEISA appropriate farming techniques. Food security ranked as the top-most problem facing most farm families, the field survey revealed that the hunger gap had been closed by 4 (four) months as a result of the construction of the dam at Pusu-Namoo. The farming season which is usually between mid April to October/November has now been extended by 4 months i.e. up to early March; this has therefore reduced the hunger gap from 6 months to only 2 months. Similarly, at Zuarungu-Moshie the hunger gap had been reduced from 5 to 3 months. Findings about the incomes of farmers under TRAX and IVIDEP support indicated that all the farmer were living above the minimum poverty line of US$ 155, average annual expenditures of farmers on selected items (see table 4.8) ranged from 3,360,000 Cedis to 14,500,000 Cedis for Pusu-Namongo farmers and 2,700,000 to 12,500,000 Cedis for Zuarungu-Moshie farmers. It is significant to observe here that; all the farmers were living above the mean annual household expenditure for the Upper East Region, which is 1,793,000 Cedis, and all these point to significant gains in poverty reduction in a region where 9 out of every 10 people are poor.

Source: KNUST
Weaving techniques in Colleges of Education using a variety of media.

The world at large and especially Ghanaian Society has for many years shown keen interest in woven artifacts. Although the traditional weavers have done a lot to sustain this great heritage of our motherland and the school curriculum places much emphasis on woven artifact, it is often neglected by teachers and students of Textiles and Basketry especially in the colleges of education with the excuse that tools, materials, equipment and reference books are either not available or are expensive to procure. The above stated problem necessitated this study so as to put an intervention in place to solve the problem. In doing so, the research employed qualitative methodology to solve the problem. The choice of this research method was due to the fact that it tries to simplify what it observes and focuses on phenomenon that occurs in natural settings. At the end of the study it was found that the students acquired the necessary knowledge and skills that are needed to be able to teach the subject effectively in the basic schools where they will be posted to after training. Based on the findings, it has been recommended that teachers should not rely solely on exotic materials, tools and equipment in teaching weaving. Rather they should explore local materials and use homemade tools and equipment to teach the subject.

Source: KNUST
Weight optimization of small tricycle truck with tipping mechanism

This thesis presents a weight optimization of small tricycle truck with tipping mechanism. The use of tricycle trucks for waste collection is common in many developing countries. This is because of the heavy investment needed in the purchase of heavy waste collection trucks. The operation of these tricycle trucks in Ghana was very much limited since it could only tip its content on the ground. A tipping mechanism was developed to improved the operation of the equipment. Nonetheless the addition of the tipping mechanism has increased the weight considerably. In order to reduce the weight of the Tipping Mechanism, finite element analysis was performed on the bin, linkage mechanism, power screw and nut. The exercise involved validating the design changes made in the stress analysis environment. The work flow was repeated until the weight of the designs was optimized against the design criteria. Siemens Solid Edge ST3 software package, NX Nastran (7) solver was used in the optimization process. With optimum weight/ size, the components were produced, assembled and the tricycle tested for functionality. The overall weight of the tricycle has been reduced from 143 kg to 127.6 kg which represents 11% reduction in weight. The test of the prototype results shows the torque requirement of between 20 Nm and 45 Nm to ride on a horizontal plane, an improvement over the existing tricycle (25 Nm – 60 Nm).

Source: KNUST
Web – Based Customary Lands Information System for Customary Lands in Ghana: A case study of Asokore Mampong

Land is one of man’s most important assets and its value cannot be over emphasized. Majority of land in Ghana are under the customary land classification and as such governed by the customary land law. Ready access to customary land information by its stake, plays an important role in the customary land delivery system In Ghana, most land related litigations and problems are as result of multiple sales of a particular piece of land or buying a piece of land from a false owner, haphazard development, persecution of tenant-farmers, fraud and lack of accountability. These problems bring to bear the need for Customary Land Information System, which will inform Ghanaians in their customary land related decision making. The main objective of this study is to develop a web based customary land information system for the study areas. To achieve the objective of this research, a conceptual model of a web based customary land information system was developed after reviewing customary land related literature. A prototype model of this conceptual model is developed with ArcGIS and MapGuide as the main software. The prototype is a model that makes customary land related information accessible through the World Wide Web on the internet. With the web based application developed, the aim of the customary land secretariat to publicize customary land information is further achieved even to a wider audience as the customary land information is hosted over the World Wide Web.

Source: KNUST
Well Water Quality of the Oti Community in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

The quality of water from selected hand dug wells within the Oti community, a peri urban community in the Kumasi metropolis has been studied. Monthly water samples were collected from 24 hand dug wells, and analyzed for physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters using standard methods. Results of the study show that levels of TDS, electrical conductivity, salinity, chloride, phosphate and nitrate were within the recommended World Health Organization and Ghana Water Company recommended guideline limits for drinking water. However, the water samples were mostly acidic, recording pH of 5.41-6.54. The total hardness of the water ranged from 36.13-121 mg/l, making most of them mostly soft to moderately hard. Iron concentrations were relatively high compared with WHO and GWC standards. Total coliforms, faecal coliforms and E. coli counts per 100 ml of sample ranged: 3.4×104-2.35×106, 2.3×104-9.20×105 and 3×104-4×104, respectively. The presence of these microbiological indicators in the samples indicates contamination from human and animal sources, and may pose a health risk to consumers of water from the wells.

Source: KNUST
What drives and measures public sector internal audit effectiveness?

To enhance public performance, the efficiency of the internal audit function is essential. This research offers insights into measures and drivers for effective internal audit. the survey focused on an extensive analysis of internal audit role performed by the heads of the internal audit function, the senior management of public institutions and the chairs of the audit committee within a framework of the Ghana’s public Service. The drivers and measures variables of effective internal auditing was analyzed through with Exploratory factor analysis. The study results identify a refined list internal audit efficiency measures and drivers, which complement existing knowledge and provide the basis for further research

Source: KNUST
When more is better (or worse): supply chain resilience, environmental munificence and financial performance.

The role of environmental munificence is to provide external resources to firms, serving as a supplement to the firm’s internal resources, which in turn serve as buffers and slack resources the firms utilize in times of disruptions and unforeseen events. Within the midst of these resources, supply chain in many industries, particularly in the manufacturing sector, is currently facing several environmental issues on a global scale, including natural disasters, technological turbulence, and changing consumer preferences. It is within this stream that this study examines the role of environmental munificence on the relationship between supply chain resilience and financial performance. To achieve this objective, the study adopted the quantitative research approach to empirically analyze the relationship between the study variables. Data was collected from senior managers and executives (i.e., one per firm) from manufacturing firms in Ghana that operate in diverse contexts: food and beverages, chemicals, industrial machinery, plastic and rubber, paper and packaging, textile and clothing. Hierarchical regression using SPSS was employed to examine the relationship between the variables. The results were further confirmed using Mplus (version 7.4). The results revealed that supply chain resilience positively and significantly enhances financial performance. Further, environmental munificence does not significantly moderate the relationship between supply chain resilience and financial performance. The study recommended that operations and supply chain managers should invest reasonable resources in building and maintaining resilience within and around their supply chain. In addition, operations and supply chain managers should be trained on issues of resilience building, the various forms of resilience and how to build internal capability in the form of slack resources and buffers as a form of resilience to mitigate most supply chain disruptions and greatly limit the impact of those that occur.

Source: KNUST
Why Patients Visit Dentists – A Study in all World Health Organization Regions

Objective The dimensions of oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact are the major areas where patients are impacted by oral diseases and dental interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether dental patients' reasons to visit the dentist fit the 4 OHRQoL dimensions. Methods Dentists (N = 1580) from 32 countries participated in a web-based survey. For their patients with current oral health problems, dentists were asked whether these problems were related to teeth, mouth, and jaws' function, pain, appearance, or psychosocial impact or whether they do not fit the aforementioned 4 categories. Dentists were also asked about their patients who intended to prevent future oral health problems. For both patient groups, the proportions of oral health problems falling into the 4 OHRQoL dimensions were calculated. Results For every 100 dental patients with current oral health problems, 96 had problems related to teeth, mouth, and jaws' function, pain, appearance, or psychosocial impact. For every 100 dental patients who wanted to prevent future oral health problems, 92 wanted to prevent problems related to these 4 OHRQoL dimensions. Both numbers increased to at least 98 of 100 patients when experts analyzed dentists' explanations of why some oral health problems would not fit the four dimension. For the remaining 2 of 100 patients, none of the dentist-provided explanations suggested evidence against the OHRQoL dimensions as the concepts that capture dental patients' suffering. Conclusion Oral Function, Orofacial Pain, Orofacial Appearance, and Psychosocial Impact capture dental patients' oral health problems worldwide. These 4 OHRQoL dimensions offer a psychometrically sound and practical framework for patient care and research, identifying what is important to dental patients.

Source: KNUST