Climate change and adoption of sustainable land management practices in the Niger basin of Benin

Due to the important role that the agricultural sector plays in sustaining growth and reducing poverty in developing countries, the adoption of practices that have the potential to simultaneously improve agricultural productivity while minimizing environmental impacts is essential. This paper examines the determinants of farmers’ perceptions of climate change and subsequent adoption of sustainable land management practices in the Niger basin of Benin. Binary and multivariate probit models are applied in a two‐stage regression procedure to cross‐sectional data collected through a survey of 545 randomly selected farm households in 28 villages. The findings indicate that there are substitutabilities among three pairs of sustainable land management practices being used by the farmers. Climate change perception is positively related to land tenure, experience in farming, number of relatives, tractor use, and membership in farmers’ organizations, and negatively related to household size, remoteness, and plough use. Moreover, the findings reveal that the uptake of land management practices is related to assets, land tenure, education level of the household head, remoteness, social network, non‐irrigated land size, having a farm located near a river/lake/stream, tractor and plough use, being a subsistence farmer or not, and memberships in farmers’ organizations. The adoption of sustainable land management practices could be encouraged through improving access to markets, adequate roads, and technologies, as well as by promoting membership in farmers’ organizations.     

Problems of the coasts erosion in the North–Eastern Black Sea Region

The seacoasts protection does not stand standard solutions. Every part of a shore needs to be creatively approached and its hydrodynamic, lithodynamic, geological, geomorphological and other peculiarities must be thoroughly studied for each particular situation. It takes a complex scientific approach considering not only local features, but also the reaction of the whole lithodynamic system in limits of which the coast protective activity is planned with consideration of calculated hydrodynamic parameters (waves, sea level, etc.).     

Identification of calanoid copepod prey species via molecular detection of carbon fixation genes

Zooplankton and their phytoplankton prey form the basis of the marine food web, yet historically it has been difficult to discern species-specific trophic interactions. Molecular techniques provide opportunities to obtain taxonomic data where the traditional methodologies for gut content analysis lack resolution. The large subunit gene of RubisC/O, rbcL, was utilized as a molecular marker for the identification of prey species in calanoid copepods. Clone libraries were generated from DNA extracted from seawater and whole copepods during a transect cruise on the northern Gulf of Mexico shelf. Sequence data analysis provided evidence of diatoms, nanoplankton-sized chlorophytes, and cyanobacteria in DNA extracted from whole copepods. These data demonstrate that rbcL can be a useful marker for the identification of copepod phytoplankton prey. Combining the described approach with quantitative techniques such as quantitative PCR will provide opportunities for the assessment of species-specific predator–prey interactions.     

Near-miss management systems: A methodological comparison

A close relationship between near-miss events and major accidents has been demonstrated in major hazard facilities: a near-miss and an accident have often common causes. A near-miss could be defined as a hazardous condition where the event sequence could lead to an accident if it had not been interrupted. An effective Near-miss Management System (NMS) aims to quickly recognize signals from the operational fields in order to apply prevention strategies. As a standard reference model has not yet been developed, the NMS design represents a complex issue. The present paper proposes a critical comparison between two methodologies which could be applied for a near-miss event assessment: a matrix and an index based method. The purpose is to evaluate potentiality and pitfalls of their application as their global efficiency could influence the whole performance of the whole NMS design. An application in a test case of a chemical plant is proposed: results obtained have proved useful in supporting safety management in an effective design of a NMS.     

Investigation of odors in the fragrance industry

Scents form the basis for the fragrance industry and various research activities have been developed in different scientific disciplines all being linked by a common interest in odors and odor perception. In this paper, four different topics have been selected for a short discussion. Following a short overview on the history of perfumery, the first topic (Natural scents) is providing some insight into the investigation of natural scents and how this work has strongly stimulated fragrance creation as well as the quest to find new odoriferous substances for the perfumer’s palette. The second subject (Fragrance chemistry) gives a historical overview over the chemistry of fragrances and briefly describes the rational behind the synthesis and composition of new scents. Body odors and their biochemical formation concern the third topic (Body odor biochemistry) which describes our current understanding of this scientifically interesting field and how knowledge may find use to improve future deodorant products. The fourth subject (Olfactory mechanisms) deals with the biochemistry in the human nose when odorants are activating olfactory receptors and enzymes appear to rapidly metabolize the inhaled odorous stimuli. This review does not attempt to be comprehensive, but it describes selected successes in the fragrance industry and the motivation behind conducting various types of research. Ultimately, the activities are aiming to bring new ingredients onto the market and improve the quality of scented products but also to advance our understanding of the power of communication through fragrance.     

Multi-criteria risk management with the use of <Emphasis Type="Italic">DecernsMCDA</Emphasis>: methods and case studies

Emerging challenges of risk management, environmental protection, and land-use planning requires integration of stakeholder values and expert judgment. The process of decision making in situation of high uncertainty can be assisted through the use of decision support systems (DSSs). Such DSSs are often based on tools for spatial data representation (GIS) and environmental models that are integrated using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). This paper presents DecernsMCDA implementing all major types of multi-criteria methods and tools (AHP, MAUT, Outranking) under the same user interface. In addition to providing ability for testing model uncertainty associated with selection of specific MCDA algorithms, DecernsMCDA implements new algorithms for parameter uncertainty analysis based on probabilistic approaches and fuzzy sets. The paper illustrates application of DecernsMCDA for selecting remedial alternative at radiologically contaminated sites.     

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in tissues of humans, dolphins, and sharks from the United States

Concentrations of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-isomers of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) in human adipose tissue obtained in New York City, and in three marine top-level predators--bottlenose dolphin, bull shark, and Atlantic sharpnose shark--collected from coastal waters of Florida, USA. The overall mean concentrations (mean+/-SD) of TBBPA and HBCDs were 0.048+/-0.102 and 0.333+/-0.571 ng/g lipid wt in human adipose tissue samples, 1.2+/-3 and 7.38+/-18 ng/g lipid wt in bottlenose dolphin blubber, 9.5+/-12 and 77.7+/-128 ng/g lipid wt in bull shark muscle, and 0.872+/-0.5 and 54.5+/-88 ng/g lipid wt in Atlantic sharpnose shark muscle. Overall mean concentrations of HBCDs were 5-10-fold higher than mean TBBPA concentrations, in all of the samples analyzed. The highest concentrations of TBBPA and HBCDs were detected in the bull shark muscle at concentrations of 35.6 and 413 ng/g, lipid wt, respectively. Concentrations of TBBPA and HBCDs, after log-transformation, were significantly correlated with each other in human adipose tissue and bottlenose dolphin blubber, but not in bull shark muscle samples. In the human adipose tissue samples, the concentrations of HBCDs were 3-4 orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) previously reported for the same set of tissue samples. Concentrations of HBCDs in human samples from the United States were 1-5-fold lower than the concentrations reported from several European countries. HBCD concentrations in bottlenose dolphins from the United States were 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than the concentrations reported for other cetacean species from Europe. The present report is the first to determine levels of TBBPA and HBCDs in humans, bottlenose dolphins, and sharks from the United States.     

Prenatal evaluation and in utero platelet transfusion for thrombocytopenia absent radii syndrome

A fetus with absent radii in both forearms was discovered on routine ultrasound examination performed at 18 weeks of pregnancy. No other significant abnormalities were found, and no signs of haemorrhage were detected. Serial ultrasound examinations revealed no evidence of fetal internal bleeding. At 37 weeks of pregnancy, a CBC obtained by cordocentesis under ultrasound guidance confirmed the diagnosis of thrombocytopenia absent radii (TAR) syndrome. Apheresis platelets were transfused into the umbilical vein to correct the thrombocytopenia and was followed by an uncomplicated delivery. No bleeding was encountered during the remainder of the baby's neonatal course. We conclude that TAR syndrome can be readily identified prenatally on sonogram, and if severe thrombocytopenia is confirmed by cordocentesis, platelets should be transfused to diminish the risk of serious internal bleeding during and immediately after delivery.     

Effect of introducing prenatal diagnosis on the reproductive behaviour of families at risk for cystic fibrosis. A Cohort study

We studied 101 couples to determine how far their reproductive behaviour was affected by the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) on its first occurrence in the couple's progeny and by the availability of prenatal diagnosis (PD). The couples were all resident in the Veneto and Trentino regions and attending the Verona CF Centre. CF had been diagnosed in the first affected child, during the period 1 January 1980-1 July 1990, before the age of 1 year. Couples received a questionnaire regarding socio-demographic status, reproduction data, and awareness of PD. Reproductive history was divided into three phases: prior to diagnosis of CF in the first affected child; from this time until PD was made available; and after the couples had learned of PD. In phase 2 (awareness of the genetic risk but not of PD), 54 couples showed a marked decrease in reproduction, none of the few pregnancies that occurred being taken to term. When couples became aware of PD, some resumption of reproductive activity occurred and 11 per cent of the 101 couples had another child; PD was used in 65 per cent of pregnancies and the abortion rate decreased to 35 per cent. All couples who opted for PD had no children without CF.