Introduction Poorly controlled postoperative pain has been known to be characterized by longer po... more Introduction Poorly controlled postoperative pain has been known to be characterized by longer post-operative care, longer hospital stays with increased readmission rates, and decreased patient satisfaction. Post-operative pain has been continuously addressed in the past three (3) to four (4) decades and has been shown that 20 to 80% of post-operative patients suffer ineffective pain management. Objective The study was aimed at assessing the factors that may predict the satisfaction of patients with early postoperative pain management following abdominal surgeries at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who had undergone abdominal surgeries between October 2019 and December 2019 at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Structured questionnaires based on the IPO-Q were used to obtain responses from the patients. Descriptive and Inferential statistical analysis were employed in analyzing the data obtaine...
This paper assesses the potential for the adaptation of UK Shoreline Management Planning to addre... more This paper assesses the potential for the adaptation of UK Shoreline Management Planning to address Ghana’s problems of coastal erosion and resultant shoreline retreat in an environmentally acceptable and sustainable way. Management strategies, past and existing, have largely focussed upon provision of hard protection at specific locations where risk levels to life and economic assets are high. There has been little commitment to the concepts of integration of management interventions with wider natural processes and longer-term sustainability. In most cases, such ‘ad hoc ’ management interventions classically tend to stabilise the shoreline at the protected section and aggravate the situation elsewhere along the shoreline (“knock-on effects”). Such problems have occurred previously on many other developed coastlines leading in recent decades to more holistic and potentially sustainable shoreline management methods (Hooke, 1999). For example, UK shoreline management planning since t...
This paper assesses some of the environmental effects of Flood protection schemes (FPS) on river ... more This paper assesses some of the environmental effects of Flood protection schemes (FPS) on river ecology in the face of climate change. The methodology includes a case study, Geographic Information System and field survey. The results show that FPS have a significant environmental effect on river systems and their ecology. Though it facilitates the reduction of flood risk, there are various negative effects, which are less recognised including, changes to the physical shape of the river, damage to the natural environment and the river ecology. The paper highlights the need to reduce the negative effects of FPS, which is currently uncertain, due to the recurrence of flooding events globally due to climate change. It is clear, therefore, a balance needs to be met between, flood protection and safeguarding the natural environment of rivers. The paper identifies ‘given water space’, catchment-wide flood risk management and softer engineering approach as sustainable FPS strategies worth ...
The drive towards public participation in many policy areas across the globe has evolved over the... more The drive towards public participation in many policy areas across the globe has evolved over the years from the top-down approaches to modern day democratic institutions. This unprecedented culture of participation started in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the field of research and development and later spread to local community engagement. The benefits of incorporating participatory approaches in urban regeneration processes have been recited elsewhere in many pieces of scholarly work. Rather than dwelling on these tired concepts of benevolence of engagement, the aim of this paper is comment on the nature of participatory approaches with a view to securing a better understanding of sustainable participation structures. The authors perceive urban regeneration projects as a form of central intervention into existing socio-spatial systems in which two forms of participatory structures are possible: where the central authorities create artificial collaborative structures which norm...
Wetlands offer a wide variety of ecosystem goods and services, such as fisheries, agriculture, to... more Wetlands offer a wide variety of ecosystem goods and services, such as fisheries, agriculture, tourism and regulatory functions that benefit human society. Despite this relevance, there is no generally accepted methodology for the economic valuation of ecosystem goods and services of wetlands. The existing methodologies for the valuation of ecosystem goods and services rely on revealed preference approach (willingness to pay and travel cost) due to lack market prices for most of the services. They do not provide actual value of ecosystem goods and services, because it is inferred from users’ opinion and willingness rather than the actual benefit or services derived from the ecosystem. In addition, they lack simple resources and tools in order to make them user-friendly for surveyors and researchers assessing ecosystem services value. This paper attempts to develop an alternative holistic approach for the valuation of ecosystem good and services. The methodology includes fieldwork, c...
Evaluation of adsorption of textile dyes by wood sawdust
Dyes are usually present in trace quantities in the treated effluents of many industries. The eff... more Dyes are usually present in trace quantities in the treated effluents of many industries. The effectiveness of adsorption for dye removal from waste waters has made it an ideal alternative to other expensive treatment methods. This study investigates sorption properties of Tectona grandis, Ceiba pentandra and Terminalia superba sawdust for the adsorption of Vat Yellow-4, Vat Red-1 and Natural dyes in water bodies. Physical parameters of the wood sawdust and textile dye such as pH and moisture content were determined. The dye removal capacities of the various wood species were also calculated. The pH of the dyes and wood sawdust ranged from 5.93 to 9.47; and 5.06 to 8.59 respectively. The moisture content (%) also ranged from 3.00 to 4.00 with an average of 3.50. The dye removal percentage (%) by Tectona grandis, Ceiba pentandra and Terminalia superba wood sawdust were respectively found to range from 18.39 to 44.46, 9.24 to 46.65 12.66 to 63.56 for the adsorption of the various dye ...
An Assessment of Vulnerability and Adaptation of Coastal Mangroves of West Africa in the Face of Climate Change
Coastal Research Library, 2018
This chapter seeks to evaluate the current status of West Africa’s mangroves. It assesses Climate... more This chapter seeks to evaluate the current status of West Africa’s mangroves. It assesses Climate Change vulnerability and adaptation options for mangroves in West Africa. West African mangroves contribute a wide range of environmental services, economic goods and social services. In spite of the important contributions of mangroves in the region, they experiencing high rate of degradation. It is estimated that the degradation and the deforestation of mangroves in the region have resulted from their uncontrolled anthropogenic exploitation due to urbanisation, population growth, salt production, industrial pollution and the cutting of mangroves for firewood. Besides the afore-mentioned anthropogenic impacts on the mangroves, the anticipated effects of climate change such as increased temperatures, sea level rise, increased intensity of storm and precipitation are likely to have the most severe impacts on mangrove ecosystems. Climate change and the anthropogenic driven variations of these environmental forces will inevitably have a profound effect on coastal zones and mangroves. The challenge of reversing the degradation of mangrove ecosystems in the face of uncontrolled exploitation and impacts of climate change seems to be a very complex problem. This assessment has identified that both the past and the present vulnerability were more controlled by anthropogenic activities than the effects of climate change, though it is expected that climate change may be the major driving force in the long-term. However, many adaptation options exist to enhance specific ecosystem services in ways that reduce negative trade-offs, but these involve changes in policies, institutional framework and better practices for exploitation, and good management strategies. The chapter concludes that West Africa should implement adaptation policy options including reducing anthropogenic impacts, maintaining coastal buffer zones, restoration of mangroves, catchment management, establishing regional monitoring and regulations and education and local participation to enhance sustainability.
Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium of Chinese CHI, 2018
How can students be motivated to actively engage learning contents? How can teachers and students... more How can students be motivated to actively engage learning contents? How can teachers and students be encouraged to discuss contents of lectures and seminars, or to exchange problems and ideas with respect to material? Audience Response Systems (ARS) enable more interactive lectures. This paper provides a brief overview and preliminary research results of Auditorium Mobile Classroom Service (AMCS), an ARS developed at TU Dresden. AMCS' functionality is based on an establish didactics concept.
Knowledge of fluvial sediment supply to the coastal sediment budget is important for the assessme... more Knowledge of fluvial sediment supply to the coastal sediment budget is important for the assessment of the impacts on coastal stability. Such knowledge is valuable for designing coastal engineering schemes and the development of shoreline management planning policies. It also facilitates understanding of the connection between rivers in the hinterland and adjoining coastal systems. Ghana's coast has many fluvial sediment sources and this paper provides the first quantitative assessments of their contributions to the coastal sediment budget. The methods use largely existing data and attempt to cover all of Ghana's significant coastal rivers. Initially work was hindered by insufficient direct measured data. However, the problem was overcome by the application of a regression approach, which provides an estimated sediment yield for non-gauged rivers based on data from gauged rivers with similar characteristics. The regression approach was effective because a regional coherence in behaviour was determined between those rivers, where direct measured data were available. The results of the assessment revealed that Ghana's coast is dissected by many south-draining rivers, stream and lagoons. These rivers, streams and lagoons supply significant amounts of sediment to coastal lowlands and therefore contribute importantly to beaches. Anthropogenic impoundment of fluvial sediment, especially the Akosombo dam on the Volta River, has reduced the total fluvial sediment input to the coast from about 71× 10 6 m 3 /a before 1964 (pre-Akosombo dam) to about 7 × 10 6 m 3 /a at present (post-Akosombo dam). This sharp reduction threatened the stability of the east coast and prompted an expensive ($83 million) defence scheme to be implemented to protect 8.4 km-long coastline at Keta. Sections of Ghana's coast are closely connected to the hinterland through the fluvial sediment input from local rivers. Therefore, development in the hinterland that alters the fluvial sediment input from those local rivers could have significant effects on the coast. There is the need, therefore, to ensure that catchment management plans and coastal management plans are integrated or interconnected.
Osmotic, osmovacuum, sonication, and osmosonication pretreatment on the infrared drying of Ginkgo seed slices: Mass transfer, mathematical modeling, drying, and rehydration kinetics and energy consumption
African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Fluvial sediment discharge to coastal area contributes to the stability of the coast. Deposition ... more Fluvial sediment discharge to coastal area contributes to the stability of the coast. Deposition of fluvial sediment discharge is an important source of beach nourishment, nutrient for aquatic ecology and habitats. However, human development and interventions on rivers in the form of dams and flood alleviation schemes tend to reduce fluvial sediment supply to the coast, thus impacting on coastal stability and geomorphology. This paper assessed the contribution of fluvial sediment discharge to coastal stability for the study area. Multi-temporal topographic data acquired in 1974 and 2005; flow data on major rivers in the study area and field observations were used. Digital Shoreline Analysis System was for computation of shoreline change rates. Applying the power regression relation, sediment discharge by rivers was computed for rivers in the study area. The study revealed that rivers in the catchment supply about 1.8 × 10 5 tonnes of sediment to the shores daily, thus supporting coastal stability. Results of shoreline change showed relatively stable beach at the mouth of rivers and lagoons due to the sediment discharge. It is recommended that policies are implemented to reduce the impact of dams and beach sand mining activities along river channels to ensure the stability of Ghana's Western coastline and the coastline of neighbouring countries.
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