Carbofuran use and abuse in Kenya: residues in soils,plants, water courses and the African white-backed vultures (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gyps africanus</Emphasis>) found dead

The increasing number of incidences of alleged wildlife poisoning with Furadan in Kenya has sparked off a strong lobby fronted by wildlife conservationists against Furadan use in the country and prompted this study. The worst-case scenario was in 2004 in Athi River, where a massive number of 187 African white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) and hyenas were found dead at a spot where poisoning was suspected to have occurred through a Furadan-laced camel carcass bait. This study was initiated by the Peregrine Fund—Africa Project, and the objective was to provide evidence for Furadan exposure, its misuse and involvement in vulture poisoning and potential impact on areas near two wildlife conservancies in two most affected districts. The study found evidence for ready availability of Furadan 5G in local veterinary retail shops and its illegal misuse by pastoralists and farmers against wildlife to protect their animals and crops. Analysis of soil, water and plants taken from the farms and water sources by high-perfomance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) found residues of carbofuran, 3-hydroxycarbofuran and 3-ketocarbofuran, indicating that Furadan was used extensively in farming causing residual environmental distribution and contamination and posing risks to small birds and mammals. Forensic analysis of residues in beaks, feet and crop content of the dead vultures as well as in a laced camel carcass bait and soil samples from one site of poisoning also showed carbofuran and its two metabolites supporting allegations of Furadan involvement in wildlife poisoning and high-mortality cases of African white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) in Kenya.     

The Palestinian water crisis

The Middle East is renowned as a water-scarce region. The severity of the problem in Palestine is not a result of climatic misfortune, however, but of regional water allocation and distribution of these resources, especially between Palestinians and Israelis. Palestinian water supplies are currently insufficient to satisfy demand, and are increasingly degraded. Projected increases in regional population and demand are high, making it urgent to come to grips with the water shortage. Any attempt at resolution should consider three related areas within a single integrated water management formula. First, attempts must be made to resolve allocation disputes, governed by principles of international water law; second, conservation and appropriate utilization of water must be emphasized; and third, supplies must be enhanced, either through water import or other means. Only if the water shortage is analysed in an integrated manner will it be possible to ensure full resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli hydropolitical dispute .     

School Principal Burnout: The concept and its components

This study attempted to identify the unique components of burnout among school principals using Facet Theory as a theory construction tool. A total of 571 elementary and secondary school principals in Israel completed a questionnaire containing items relating to their feelings about themselves, their environment and work. Data were analyzed employing Small Space Analysis (SSA). Results indicated that burnout among school principals may be presented in a two-dimensional space, incorporating: experiences (weariness or discontent), and the focus (internal or external) of those experiences. Four components of the burnout phenomenon in principals emerged in this two-dimensional space: exhaustion, self-discontent, aloofness, and deprecation.     

Experimental flammability limits and associated theoretical flame temperatures as a tool for predicting the temperature dependence of these limits

The utility and limitations of adiabatic flame temperature calculations and minimum mixture energies in predicting the temperature dependence of flammability limits are explored. The limiting flame temperatures at constant pressure (1 bar) are calculated using a standard widely-used thermodynamic computer program. The computation is based on the calculated limiting flame temperature value at the reference initial temperature and the experimental limit concentration. The values recently determined in large chambers for the lower and upper flammability limits of a variety of simple organic and inorganic gases (methane, ethylene, dimethy lether, and carbon monoxide) are used as the basis for the predictions of the limiting flame temperature concept. Such thermodynamic calculations are compared with more traditional ones based on a limiting mixture energy and a constant average heat capacity of the reactant mixture. The advantages and limitations of the methods are discussed in this paper.     

An analysis of the environmental health impact of the Barekese Dam in Kumasi, Ghana

Although dams have beneficial effects, they are also acknowledged as having serious environmental repercussions if they are not properly managed. The objective of this work was to examine the impact of the Barekese Dam in Ghana on the health status of three riparian communities downstream against a control. The environmental health status of the communities was analysed with reference to traditional endemic communicable water-related diseases in the catchment area, which were identified as malaria, urinary schistosomiasis, infectious hepatitis, diarrhoeal diseases and scabies. Case-control study was then conducted in the three phases of the dam (pre-construction, at the end of the construction and in the late operational phases) to analyse the health status of the communities as a function of the phases of the dam. The results showed that the control community consistently had a much better health status than two of the riparian communities, which were closer to the dam in all the three phases. However, it had a better health status than the third riparian community, which was farthest downstream, only in the first two phases. This community maintained a fairly constant health status retrospectively and did not appear to have been affected by the presence of the dam. On contrary, the health status of the two communities in close proximity to the dam deteriorated in the late operational phase. The study therefore showed that there was a strong association between the presence of the dam and poorer health status of the downstream communities in close proximity to it.     

A SCREENING MODEL FOR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: Techniques of optimization and simulation are merged to select the most efficient arrangement of components for regional water resources development and management. Application is made to the Elkhorn River Basin in Nebraska. The Basin extends over 7,000 square miles and includes 184 proposed reservoirs. Structure sizes, locations and operating policies are selected for optimal plans based on economic efficiency and regional development. Results indicate that substantial savings in time and costs over conventional planning techniques are effected. Agreement between model output and agency design values was noted.     

Reinvestigating the pollution haven hypothesis: the nexus between foreign direct investments and environmental quality in G-20 countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - One of the most commonly debated concerns regarding foreign direct investment inflows is the associated environmental adversities that accompany the...     

Polymers,the Light at the End of Dark Fermentation: Production of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) by a Photoheterotrophic Consortium

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this study, the photoheterotrophic consortium C4 was used to produce the copolymer [P(3HB-co-3HV)]. PHA production was enhanced by using response...     

Towards a sustainable food production: modelling the impacts of climate change on maize and soybean production in Ghana

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Ghanaian economy relies heavily on maize and soybean production. The entire maize and soybean production system is low-tech, making it extremely...