Agricultural and non-agricultural settlements for drought-afflicted pastoralists in Somalia

The severe drought of 1973–1975 in Somalia had major impacts on pastoral populations, many of whom moved into specially established camps where food, water and medical assistance were provided by the government and international agencies. At the end of the drought it was decided to settle the remaining 120,000 people in six settlements, three of which were agricultural and three oriented towards fishing. This paper analyzes these settlements, with particular attention paid to agricultural systems, organization and socioeconomic characteristics. Some of the problems facing the settlements included their location, administrative structure and relative overemphasis on social services as opposed to development of production and income generating activities. It is shown that the socioeconomic viability of settlements would be enhanced if careful studies were undertaken beforehand and if a diversified development strategy were employed.     

Monitoring of microbial water quality and saprophytic bacterial genera of the Abu Dhabi coastal area,U.A.E.

Fourteen sampling sites distributed along the Abu Dhabi coast were surveyed monthly from October 1989 until September 1990 (except for the months February and April 1990), and a microbiological assessment was made. The saprophytic bacteria, salt tolerant saprophytic bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, total and faecal coliforms were determined. In general, the numbers of all determined bacterial groups were found to be correlated with each other and in most cases they fluctuated together. Furthermore, the bacterial flora of the coastal water is markedly affected by water temperature, sampling sites and sampling time. The bacterial content of most sites fluctuated maximally during August and September (late summer). The natural self-purification process of coastal water samples was clearly observed. The predominant saprophytic bacterial genera and the common coliform species which occurred in the study area were identified.     

Listriodon guptai Pilgrim, 1926 (Mammalia, Suidae) from the early Miocene of the Bugti Hills, Balochistan, Pakistan: new insights into early Listriodontinae evolution and biogeography

New dental remains of listriodont suids are described from the lower member of the early to middle Miocene Vihowa Formation of the Bugti Hills, Pakistan. The material is homogeneous in terms of morphology and dimensions and referred as a whole to Listriodon guptai Pilgrim, 1926. This species is also mentioned in coeval deposits of the Zinda Pir Dome, Pakistan, dating back to ca. 19 Ma. The early occurrence of an advanced listriodont in Pakistan constrains the age of acquisition of several characters correlated to lophodonty within Listriodontini, and raises major questions about the early history of the Old World Listriodontinae. Strong morphological similarity between Listriodon guptai and the African species Listriodon akatikubas found in the late early Miocene of Maboko (Kenya, ca. 16.5 Ma) suggests that this latter is most probably a migrant originating from Asia.     

Improving the decolorization of glycerol by adsorption using activated carbon derived from oil palm biomass

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study provides insight into the decolorization strategy for crude glycerol obtained from biodiesel production using waste cooking oil as raw...     

Experimental measurements and numerical simulations of the transport and retention of nanocrystal CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in saturated porous media: effects of pH,organic ligand,and natural organic matter

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The risks of environmental exposures of quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles are increasing, but these risks are difficult to assess because fundamental...     

Antitumor effect of copper nanoparticles on human breast and colon malignancies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Breast and colon carcinomas are two types of common cancers which lead to cancer-related deaths. Due to their cytotoxic potential against cancer...     

Urban environmental problems in cities of the Kurdistan region in Iraq

Cities in the Kurdistan region in Iraq – particularly, the capital city of Hewlair (Erbil) – are facing environmental problems such as water, air and noise pollution. Political instability, ethnic tensions, politically motivated decisions, wars and economic sanctions, consumerism, lack of sufficient funds, and tension between the federal and regional governments due to power and wealth sharing are major contributors to the environmental problems; this paper will depict and analyse these. Although these problems are causing serious health issues for the inhabitants and sometimes death, the authorities are unable to solve them. The paper sheds light on the causes and effects of the environmental problems and also draws conclusions and makes suggestions.     

Empirical Comparison of Temperature-Distribution Models for Energy and Exergy Analyses of Stratified Thermal Energy Storages

Five previously developed temperature-distribution models are compared using data from actual thermal energy storage (TES) systems, and the advantages and disadvantages of each model are identified. These models are used for evaluating the energy and exergy in a TES. Furthermore, the accuracy and simplicity of the temperature-distribution models (Linear, Stepped, Continuous-linear, Three-zone and General-linear) are compared in order to determine which model has the greatest accuracy and simplicity regarding computational effort, while providing physical understanding. After fitting the models to temperature data for 35 stratified TES samples, it was observed that some models are easy to use but relatively inaccurate, while others are relatively accurate but complicated to use. As a trade-off, the Three-zone model provides physical understanding, yields acceptable accuracy and is relatively simple to use, especially in computing the parameters needed for energy and exergy assessments of stratified TESs.     

Evaluation of DNA damage in the root cells of Allium cepa seeds growing in soil of high background radiation areas of Ramsar-Iran

Plants are unique in their ability to serve as in situ monitors for environmental genotoxins. We have used the alkaline comet assay for detecting induced DNA damage in Allium cepa to estimate the impact of high levels of natural radiation in the soils of inhabited zones of Ramsar. The average specific activity of natural radionuclides measured in the soil samples for (226)Ra was 12,766Bqkg(-1) whereas in the control soils was in the range of 34-60Bqkg(-1). A positive strong significant correlation of the DNA damage in nuclei of the root cells of A. cepa seeds germinated in the soil of high background radiation areas with (226)Ra specific activity of the soil samples was observed. The results showed high genotoxicity of radioactively contaminated soils. Also the linear increase in the DNA damage indicates that activation of repair enzymes is not triggered by exposure to radiation in HBRA.     

Short-term dynamics and long-term relationship between natural gas consumption and economic growth in Nigeria: an ARDL approach with breaks

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper investigates the short-term dynamics as well as the long-term relationship between natural gas consumption and economic growth in Nigeria,...