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Effects of Educational Resources on Teaching and Learning of General Knowledge in Art at Effiduasi Senior High School, Ashanti Region
(KNUST, 2018-10) Opoku Manu Ameyaw
The education system in Ghana is steadily developing even as it is confronted with a number of defects which include inadequate educational resources in Senior High Schools owing to poor planning and improper management. The study aims to examine the effects of educational resources on the teaching and learning of General Knowledge in Art at Effiduasi Senior High School and also seek to document the types and nature of educational resources available, the effects of educational resources on students‘ academic performance as well as proposing innovative strategies to manage educational resources for the teaching and learning of GKA at Effiduasi Senior High School. The study espoused the mixed method research design and the descriptive research design with a total of 68 population including 62 (sixty-two) Form Three Visual Art students in the school offering GKA, the headmistress, Head of Department for Visual Art, and 4 (four) Visual Art teachers. The research sought to find the types and nature of physical facilities, material and human resources available at Effiduasi Senior High. The study adopted the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model in analyzing the data. The study found that the educational resources have significantly positive effects on students‘ performance at 1% level. This means that improvement in the educational resources increase students‘ academic performance. The study further revealed that students‘ level of punctuality and teacher motivation have positive while project undertaken by student has negative but all statistically insignificant relationship with students‘ academic performance. The general conclusion of this study is that educational resources are scientifically related to student academic performance and that their relations are so important that they cannot be overlooked. The study therefore recommended that regular maintenance and replacement of existing resources, teachers‘ motivation, frequent monitoring and evaluation of teachers, and student projects and good storage facilities are factors that the government and other stakeholders should ensure in order to improve performance in GKA.
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Noun-noun compounding in Esahie
(Linguistics Association of Ghana, 2023) Broohm, O. N; Marfo, C. O.; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-1962; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9786-1568
Noun-noun (N-N) compounds have been argued to constitute the commonest and most productive category of compounds cross-linguistically (cf. Downing 1977; Clark et al. 1985; Bauer 2017; Gagné & Spalding 2010; Guevara & Scalise 2009) and this fact is well-established in Kwa languages as well (cf. Akan: Appah (2013), Lɛtɛ: Akrofi Ansah (2012), Ewe: Agbadah (2017), and Dangme: Lawer (2017), Lawer & Appah (2020)). However, the subject remains to be explored as far as Esahie, which also belongs to the Kwa group of languages, is concerned. This paper, therefore, examines the form and function of N-N compounds in Esahie, from a Construction Morphology (Booij 2010) perspective. Among other things, the study reveals that subordinate compounds are predominantly right-headed, while attributive compounds are predominantly left-headed, and that the former is the most productive compounding type. Our findings on Esahie noun-noun compounds corroborate Booij’s (1992) observation that there is a strong correlation between recursion and productivity. Furthermore, we show that semantic headedness (rather formal headedness) provides the most reliable criterion for determining headedness in Esahie N-N compounds. Data is collected through documentary fieldworks conducted in Esahie-speaking communities of the Western North Region of Ghana.
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Action nominalization: a view from Esahie (Kwa)
(Walter de Gruyter, 2021-10-14) Broohm, Obed Nii; Melloni, Chiara; https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-1962; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4711-2689
The paper provides a comprehensive account of the derivation of action nominals in Esahie, a Ghanaian language of the Tano subgroup (Kwa, Niger-Congo) which has been undocumented thus far, especially as far as morphosyntactic phenomena are concerned. The aim of the research is threefold: to contribute to language documentation, to provide a systematic description and analysis of the morphosyntactic properties of Esahie action nominals, and to offer a typological assessment of these constructions. We argue that action nominalization in Esahie primarily involves a composite strategy: a morpho-syntactic operation, invariably involving affixation, and a concomitant prosodic operation in the form of a change in tonal melody. As far as the derivation of action nominals is concerned, it appears that in Esahie, tone raising is not simply a phonologically-conditioned prosodic effect, but plays a morphemic role. Further, depending on the arity of the base verb, nominalization may or may not be coupled with incorporation of the internal argument, which derives a form of synthetic compounding, as in the English truck-driving type. Based on the seminal works by Koptjevskaja-Tamm, Maria. 1993. Nominalizations. London: Routledge; Koptjevskaja-Tamm, Maria. 2006. Nominalizations. In Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, vol. 8, 652–659. Boston: Elsevier, the current work argues that Esahie belongs to the possessive-incorporating subtype of the incorporating languages.
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Watermelon Seeds as Food: Nutrient Composition, Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity
(International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences., 2016) Tabiri, Betty; Agbenorhevi, Jacob K.; Wireko-Manu, Faustina D.; Ompouma, Elsa I.; 0000-0002-8516-7656; 0000-0002-5020-6299
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.
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Total Phenol Content and Antioxidant Activity of Okra Seeds from Different Genotypes
(American Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2017) Graham, Jochebed O.; Agbenorhevi, Jacob K.; Kpodo, Fidelis M.; 0000-0002-8516-7656; 0000-0002-7949-0502
Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) is a staple vegetable in Ghana and several countries world-wide. It has potential for several uses but is mostly under-utilized in Ghana. In this study, the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of five different okra seed genotypes (Asha, Asontem, Agbagoma, Sengevi and Penkruma), subjected to different treatments, were determined. A sensory test was performed to determine the acceptability of tea made with the okra seeds. The total phenol content and free radical scavenging activity of the samples were determined by means of Folin-Ciocalteu method and DPPH assay, respectively. An affective test was used for the sensory analysis. The results indicated that undefatted samples had the highest total phenol content (34.89-39.39 mg GAE/100 g) whereas defatted samples recorded the least (27.83-30.39 mg GAE/100 g). Defatted samples had % DPPH inhibition in the range of 46.38 to 64.00%) whereas that of undefatted samples ranged 34.39-53.00%. However, for the tea infusion of the defatted samples, “Penkruma” had the highest % DPPH Inhibition 60.42±3.90%) whereas “Agbagoma”, the least (36.94±2.81%). “Agbagoma” and “Sengevi” okra seeds tea infusions had the highest total phenol content (31.56±2.28 and 31.72±3.06 mg GAE/100 g, respectively) while “Penkruma” had the least (28.17±0.31 mg GAE/100 g). About 40% of the sensory panellists liked the tea infusion and were willing to purchase if made available on the market. The remaining 60% however, disliked the infusion because of its taste and stated that they would prefer it with additives such as sweeteners and milk. However, the findings suggest that the okra seed genotypes have considerable amounts of phenols and antioxidant activity and their utilization as tea or in other diets could provide antioxidant benefits.
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Survey and evaluation of okra pectin extracted at different maturity stages
(Cogent Food & Agriculture, 2020) Agbenorhevi, Jacob K.; Kpodo, Fidelis M.; Banful, Ben K. B.; Oduro, Ibok N.; Abe-Inge, Vincent; Datsomor, Delight N.; Atongo, Juliana; Obeng, Beatrice; 0000-0002-8516-7656; 0000-0002-7949-0502; 0000-0003-2268-6122; 0000-0003-3731-2684; 0000-0002-4898-6046; 0009-0002-2835-8015
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is an economically important crop in sub-Saharan Africa. The vegetable is of major technological interest in food and medicinal applications. A survey was conducted by administering structured questionnaires (1560) in major okra-producing regions in Ghana to determine the level of okra utilization and nutritional and medicinal attributes of the crop. The okra pectin yield and intrinsic viscosity at different maturity stages were also investigated. Isolation of okra pectin from the pods at different harvest maturity was performed by aqueous extraction at pH 6.0. The intrinsic viscosity [η] of the okra pectin solutions was deter mined at 20°C using Ubbelohde capillary viscometer. The survey showed that okra is well known (96.9%) across the country among the various ethnic groups. The majority (94.7%) of the respondents use okra as food, whereas few utilized the crop as medicine (22.1%) and for other applications (9.6%). The respondents widely used okra in the form of soup (73.1%) and stew (68.7%) consumed popularly with banku (81.3%) and tuo zaafi (38.8%). The majority of respondents (65.2%) showed interest in the development of new products from okra. Highest pectin yield was obtained for intermediate matured fruits, followed by that of immature fruits and lowest for overgrown fruits. The intrinsic viscosity value, however, was highest for immature fruits. The study showed that okra is mainly used as food among various ethnic groups and that it is important to identify the most appropriate stage of development to harvest the okra fruit. This knowledge would enhance the potential of okra for specific use or functionality.
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Structure-Function Relationships in Pectin Emulsification
(Food Biophysics, 2018) Kpodo, Fidelis M.; Agbenorhevi, Jacob K.; Alba, K.; Oduro, Ibok N.; Morris, G. A.; Kontogiorgos, Vassilis; 0000-0002-7949-0502; 0000-0002-8516-7656; 0000-0003-3731-2684; 0000-0001-6016-7580
The emulsifying characteristics of pectins isolated from six different okra genotypes were investigated and their structure function relationships have been evaluated. Emulsion formation and stabilization of acidic oil-in-water emulsions (pH 2.0,φ = 0.1) were studied by means of droplet size distribution, ζ-potential measurements, viscometry, interfacial composition analysis and fluorescence microscopy. Fresh and aged emulsions differed in terms of droplet size distribution, interfacial protein and pectin concentrations (Γ) depending on the molecular properties of pectin that was used. Specifically, pectins with intermediate length of RG-I branching with molar ratio of (Ara + Gal)/Rha between 2 and 3 exhibit the optimum emulsification capacity whereas samples with the molar ratio outside this range do not favour emulsification. Additionally, low amounts of RG-I segments (HG/RG-I > 2) improve long term stability of emulsions as opposed to the samples that contain high amounts of RG-I (HG/RG-I < 2) which lead to long term instability. Protein was not found to be the controlling factor for the stability of the dispersions. The present results show that rational design of pectin should be sought before application as functional ingredient in food and/or pharmaceutical systems.