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Papers by Nicholas Amponsah

In the economic world, physical capital in the form of tools, equipment and finance or cash are f... more In the economic world, physical capital in the form of tools, equipment and finance or cash are fundamental prerequisites for gainful ventures. In the same vein, social capital is a fundamental prerequisite in the social and political world, and is fundam

Africa Today, Apr 1, 2000

... Kwadwo and Mr. Adansi-Pipim, both graduate students of the Department of Political Science, U... more ... Kwadwo and Mr. Adansi-Pipim, both graduate students of the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, assisted in the data collection, as did Mr. Akwasi Addai-Boateng and Mr.Yaw Adjei-Sarkodie ... Aryeetey, E., A. Baah-Nuako, T. Duggleby, H. Hettige, and WF Steel. ...

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of perceived organizational politics (POP) an... more The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of perceived organizational politics (POP) and job security (JS) on turnover intentions (TI). The study also investigated how demographic variables like age, gender and job tenure also predict turnover intentions. Employees of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) served as the population for this study. Data was collected through the distribution of personally administered questionnaires to the respondents who were chosen by convenience non-probability sampling procedure. A total of 276 (93%) answered questionnaires were returned and used in the final analysis. The findings in this research were determined by using correlations and regression analyses. The results of the study indicated a significant positive relationship between POP and TI. There was a significant negative relationship between JS and TI. Age was significantly negatively related to TI but gender did not predict TI. Job tenure had a significant negative relationship with TI. The implications of the findings of this study are that to reduce turnover intentions, there

IMF and World Bank Sponsored Structural Adjustment Programs in Africa, 2018

Australasian Plant Pathology

Actinidia seed-borne latent virus (ASbLV, Betaflexiviridae, genus Prunevirus) was detected at hig... more Actinidia seed-borne latent virus (ASbLV, Betaflexiviridae, genus Prunevirus) was detected at high frequency in healthy seedlings grown from lines of imported seed in a New Zealand post-entry quarantine facility. To determine the route and efficiency of transmission of ASbLV in this dioecious crop species, we developed a rapid molecular protocol and identified a reliable progeny plant tissue to determine paternal and maternal transmission rates. The virus was detected at a high incidence (98%) in individual seeds, but cotyledon testing of seedlings from selected crosses confirmed staminate (male) transmission at high frequency (~ 60%), and pistillate (female) transmission at even higher frequency (~ 80%). The use of cotyledons allows non-destructive detection of ASbLV in very young seedlings that enables early screening of kiwifruit plants in nurseries to manage its spread to orchards. The high ASbLV transmission rates, whether from infected pollen or ovules, facilitate bulk testing...

New Zealand Plant Protection, 2008

Methods for producing large numbers of conidia were developed to allow investigation of the patho... more Methods for producing large numbers of conidia were developed to allow investigation of the pathogenicity of five Botryosphaeria species (B lutea B australis B obtusa B parva and B stevensii) previously isolated from symptomatic grapevines Pycnidium formation of all five species was low on five mycological media tested Further any pycnidia produced on the media contained few conidia An alternative method was developed whereby grapevine green shoots were infected with Botryosphaeria species the lesions air dried and then induced to sporulate under moist conditions Botryosphaeria australis B lutea and B stevensii produced abundant pycnidia oozing conidia within 36 h The air dried stem pieces could still produce pycnidia that oozed conidia after 3 months of storage at room temperature Botryosphaeria parva produced few pycnidia that did not release any conidia Botryosphaeria obtusa lesions were small and restricted to the inoculation point with only a few pycnidia and conidia being prod...

New Zealand Plant Protection, 2014

European canker pathogen caused by the fungus Neonectria ditissima could not be isolated when inf... more European canker pathogen caused by the fungus Neonectria ditissima could not be isolated when infected woody tissues were plated directly onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) malt extract agar (MEA) or acidified PDA (pH 45) However the alternative media water agar (WA) and apple sapamended water agar (ASAWA) were successfully used to isolate the pathogen In the preparation of ASAWA green shoots of 1yearold fresh Scilate apple were frozen overnight then allowed to thaw The tissues were then centrifuged and the sap collected to prepare the medium Neonectria ditissima could be isolated from both symptomatic and asymptomatic apple tissues on both WA and ASAWA Both media supported the production of large numbers of conidia in vitro with more conidia being produced on ASAWA than on WA The conidia produced in vitro had morphological characteristics and pathogenicity similar to those produced in the field

The mechanisms for dispersal of Botryosphaeria conidia,which can infect grapevines through wounds... more The mechanisms for dispersal of Botryosphaeria conidia,which can infect grapevines through wounds, were investigated to determine their seasonal prevalence in a New Zealand vineyard and to further develop control strategies. Airborne dispersal was investigated in April 2008 in four vineyards using Vaseline®-coated slides which were collected and replaced weekly. Inspection with a light microscope for characteristic Neofusicoccum and Diplodia conidia, distinguishable by their morphology and colour, found no conidia characteristic of the Botryosphaeriaceae although spores of other fungi were collected. Waterborne conidia were trapped by collecting rainwater that ran off the vines during May 2008–April 2009. The continuously collected rainwater suspensions were examined for characteristic conidia after every significant rainfall event. The rainwater suspensions yielded conidia of the Botryosphaeriaceae, with 59.8% of the conidia caught being Neofusicoccum spp. and 40.2% being Diplodia ...

Plant Pathology, 2011

This study investigated the ability of Neofusicoccum luteum to infect wounded shoots, trunks, pru... more This study investigated the ability of Neofusicoccum luteum to infect wounded shoots, trunks, pruned cane ends, leaf surfaces, buds, berries and roots, and its further progression into stem tissues. All tissue types were susceptible to infection except roots, with highest incidences in trunks (100%), cane ends (100%), shoots (92%) and buds (88%), indicating that in New Zealand, N. luteum is primarily a trunk and shoot pathogen. In trunks, there were no external symptoms, although N. luteum could be reisolated from 60 to 70 cm acropetally from the inoculation site after 4 months, by which time the pathogen had progressed into side shoots which became necrotic. Wounded and non-wounded buds became infected; most were killed, with basipetal progression of the pathogen into the supporting shoots. Berries wounded and inoculated at the pre-bunch closure stage were susceptible to N. luteum infection, with isolation incidence increasing over the season and peaking at harvest, when infected berries became mummified and produced pycnidia with many conidia. The pathogen was also able to progress from berries into bunch stems and supporting canes. Results from this research have indicated that N. luteum infection can occur in all aerial grapevine tissues and progress to young stem tissues where it causes wood necrosis. Growers should remove mummified berries from vineyard trash to ensure that pruning and trimming times do not coincide with rainy periods when conidia are released and dispersed. Furthermore, the susceptibility of buds to N. luteum infection indicates the need for fungicide sprays before budburst in spring.