Determinants for cassava production expansion in the semi-arid zone of West Africa

The study focuses on evaluating factors that farmers consider relevant in adopting cassava production in five semi-arid zone of West African countries. The study is based on primary data randomly collected as part of collaborative study of cassava in semiarid zones of Africa (COSCASSA) village level survey from five West African countries namely: Nigeria, Ghana, Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso. This study models effects of farm, farmer and technology specific factors on the decision of semi arid farmers to adopt cassava into their farming system. By way of threshold decision models—Probit and Logit models, the estimation of each country and the pooled data adoption models reveal different adoption models for the countries considered. For each country, different variables appeared as major adoption shifters. Comparatively, the adoption models for Nigeria and whole region appear to have the highest significance variables, being seven in number. This is followed by Chad (6), Ghana (4), and Burkina Faso and Niger with three each. For the variables considered, distance to nearby urban market appears a major adoption shifter in all the country, except for Niger. This is closely followed by contact with extension, variety, pest/disease resistance and livestock feeds, which appear significant in four of the countries. Membership of cooperative societies appears as the least adoption predictor, which is only significant in Chad republic. The study therefore recognizes the importance of varietial characteristics and farmers’ characteristics in acceptance of cassava as a major root tuber crop in the semi arid region of West Africa. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Acid generation upon thermal concentration of natural water: The critical water content and the effects of ionic composition

Thermal evaporation of a variety of simulated pore waters from the region of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, produced acidic liquids and gases during the final stages of evaporation. Several simulated pore waters were prepared and then thermally distilled in order to collect and analyze fractions of the evolved vapor. In some cases, distillates collected towards the end of the distillation were highly acidic; in other cases the pH of the distillate remained comparatively unchanged during the course of the distillation. The results suggest that the pH values of the later fractions are determined by the initial composition of the water. Acid production stems from the hydrolysis of magnesium ions, especially at near dryness. Near the end of the distillation, magnesium nitrate and magnesium chloride begin to lose water of hydration, greatly accelerating their thermal decomposition to form acid. Acid formation is promoted further when precipitated calcium carbonate is removed. Specifically, calcium chloride-rich pore waters containing moderate (10–20 ppm) levels of magnesium and nitrate and low levels of bicarbonate produced mixtures of nitric and hydrochloric acid, resulting in a precipitous drop in pH to values of 1 or lower after about 95% of the original volume was distilled. Waters with either low or moderate magnesium content coupled with high levels of bicarbonate produced slightly basic fractions (pH 7–9). If calcium was present in excess of bicarbonate, waters containing moderate levels of magnesium produced acid even in the presence of bicarbonate, due to the precipitation of calcium carbonate. Other salts such as halite and anhydrite promote the segregation of acidic vapors from residual basic solids. The concomitant release of wet acid gas has implications for the integrity of the alloys under consideration for containers at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Condensed acid gases at very low pH, especially mixtures of nitric and hydrochloric acid, are capable of corroding even alloys, such as nickel-based Alloy 22, which are considered to be corrosion-resistant under milder conditions.     

湖岸缓冲带反硝化作用的研究进展

反硝化作用是湖岸缓冲带去除硝酸盐的重要途径。湖岸缓冲带是联系陆地与湖泊生态系的纽带,不仅为许多动植物提供适宜生境,而且通过反硝化作用能去除地下水中的硝酸盐,提高湖泊水质。概述不同检测反硝化速率的方法,并对比各种方法的优点与缺点。阐述反硝化作用的影响因素：厌氧环境、有机碳、湖岸坡度、缓冲带坡度、pH与温度、硝酸盐浓度。介绍反硝化速率模型的研究开发状况。最后,提出了目前国内外反硝化研究中存在的不足及发展方向。     

渗滤液污染包气带中铁的形态变化

从渗滤液场龄和包气带岩性两方面出发,研究了新、老渗滤液对亚粘土和细砂包气带环境中Fe的含量及存在形态的影响。结果表明：新、老渗滤液分别能使细砂包气带介质中除残渣态以外Fe的含量增加16.68%或降低13.82%。亚粘土比细砂作为包气带介质更能缓冲渗滤液对介质中Fe的影响程度,其受影响范围在包气带0～20 cm深度处。当亚粘土为介质的包气带被新渗滤液污染后,其表层介质中碳酸盐结合态Fe的含量会增加15倍之多,为缓冲渗滤液Fe的污染做出了巨大贡献,但这部分Fe的存在也是潜在的二次污染源,在环境pH急剧变化的情况下,它可能会引起地下水高铁污染。     

昌吉市高新技术产业开发区循环经济模式探索及研究

传统开发区内,资源的流动是一些相互不发生关系的线性物质流的叠加,出入系统的物质流远远大于内部交互的物质流,因而造成经济活动的＂高开采、低利用、高排放＂特征,即＂大量生产、大量消费和大量废弃＂[1]。而发展循环经济,是我国贯彻落实科学发展观、建设资源节约型和环境友好型社会的重大战略选择[。2]目前新型开发区产业发展,则要求按照循环经济的理念,积极探索发展循环经济之路。本文以昌吉市高新技术产业开发区为例,研究其循环经济模式,为其他开发区设计和发展提供有益的经验和建议。     

江苏沿江某化工园区有机污染调查与研究

选择沿江某典型化工园区进行有机污染调查分析,分析污染排放特征及其对长江水质影响.为了解工业园区环境污染状况、从源头控制有机毒物等提供科学依据.     

A study of climate change and anthropogenic impacts in West Africa

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: During the last decades ecological conditions in West Africa have dramatically changed. Very evident is the climate change, which has resulted in a southward shift of the climate zones, e.g. a spread of the desert (Sahara) into the Sahelian zone. After the drought period of the early 1970s and 1980s, livestock density increased resulting in an intensification of grazing pressure. This anthropogenous phenomenon leads to similar landscape changes as those caused by the climate. Only very few investigations exist on vegetation dynamics, climate changes and land use changes for the Sudanian zone. The paper presents data on changes of precipitation, of land use, of the geographical range of species, and of the composition of the flora, which have to be regarded as proofs of the sahelisation of large areas of the Sudanian zone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Area of investigation: Burkina Faso. Precipitation data analysis: precipitation data from 67 stations; time series analysis and geo-statistical spatial interpolation. Analysis of land use change: Landsat satellite MSS and ETM+ data, acquired for two different dates between 1972 and 2001 analyzed by the software ERDAS/IMAGINE version 8.6 and ArcView 3.2 with the Spatial Analyst extension. Intensive ground truthing (160 training areas). Inventory of the flora: based on the data of the Herbarium Senckenbergianum (FR) in Frankfurt, Germany, and of the herbarium of the university of Ouagadougou (OUA), Burkina Faso, as well as on various investigations on the vegetation of Burkina Faso carried out in the years 1990 to 2005 by the team of the senior author. Life form analysis of the flora: based on the inventory of permanent plots. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Precipitation: Remarkable latitudinal shift of isohyets towards the South translates to a general reduction of average rainfall in great parts of the country. The last decade (1990-1999) shows some improvement, however, the more humid conditions of the 1950's and 1960's are not yet established again. Landcover change: In the study region the extent of arable fields and young fallows increased during the last 30 years from 580 km(2) in 1972 to 2870 km(2) in 2001. This means an average land cover conversion rate of 0.9% per year for the 6 departments considered. Change of the distribution of Sahelian and Sudanian species: Several species, mentioned in older literature as strictly Sahelian, today also occur in the Sudanian zone. Parallel to the spread of former strictly Sahelian species into the Sudanian zone, some former Sahelo-Sudanian species have withdrawn from the Sahel. Changes of the life form spectra of the flora: Considering their life form spectra, the flora of heavily grazed and of protected areas in the Sudanian zone show great differences. On areas intensively grazed the percentage of therophytes is evidently higher than on protected areas. Just the opposite is true for the phanerophytes. Their percentage is higher on the protected area than on the grazed zones. At the first glance, it is obvious to link the changes in flora and vegetation with the climate changes that have occurred during the last five decades (decrease of annual precipitation). However, not only climatic conditions have changed, but also population has increased, the percentage of land intensively used for agriculture and pasturing has increased and the time for soil regeneration today is much shorter than it was some decades ago. Thus, the landscape of the Sudanian zone has become a more Sahelian character. A comparison of the flora of an intensively used area of the Sudanian zone with that of a protected area shows a remarkable change in the life form spectra. The spectrum of the intensively used area is almost identical with that of the typical Sahelian flora. This comparison shows that the anthropogenic influence plays a greater role in the sahelisation of the Sudanian zone than the climate change. CONCLUSION: Climate change and anthropogenic influence both, lead to a sahelisation of landscape and flora. Thus in many parts of the Sudanian zone of West Africa sahelisation phenomena will remain and even increase independently from the reestablishment of the more humid climate conditions of the 1950ies. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: In order to maintain some parts of the characteristic Sudanian landscape with its characteristic flora and vegetation, the number and size of protected areas should be augmented. For all protected areas it has to be ensured, that protection is reality, i.e. respected an understood by local people, not only fiction. As long as the enlargement of intensively used areas continues the sahelisation of flora, vegetation and landscape will continue too.     

沿海高速公路风险评价体系构建

沿海高速公路建设面临地质条件复杂,气象灾害多样、工程类型多等困难,针对其风险评估工作多而繁杂的实际情况,以浙江沿海疏港高速公路为工程背景,选择道路工程、桥梁工程和隧道工程为研究对象,在其中筛选提炼出软土路基区、人工海岸区、跨海湾特大桥、水底隧道等作为评价对象,分析了在沿线地质条件及气象条件下,不同评价对象在施工期和运营期可能面临的各种风险因素,选择其中的主要风险因素,构成多级评估对象,搭建了沿海高速公路风险评价的体系,并且说明了所采用的评估方法和评估流程,并介绍了所采用的风险概率和风险后果等级标准。构建沿海高速公路风险评价体系能为我国的类似工程提供了借鉴。     

Integrated coastal management: top-down vs. community-based approaches

In this paper, a dynamic model is developed in which coastal quality can be improved, restored, or maintained by two distinct user groups; this is done by identifying a context that ensures an increase (or a greater increase) in coastal quality in terms of specific features that characterise the user groups. The results demonstrate that integrated coastal management is always better than non-integrated management. Moreover, when there is a low degree of interest in maintaining the coastal use over time, only integrated community-based (CB) coastal management will increase the coastal quality. Even when the interest in maintaining the coastal use over time is high, an integrated CB approach is preferred if the willingness to pay for coastal improvements is great and the marginal inefficiency of investments in coastal improvements is low, because the coastal quality improves to a greater extent; if not, only an integrated top-down (TD) approach to coastal management will increase the coastal quality. These results suggest that developing countries should always adopt a CB approach; in contrast, developed countries should adopt a CB approach where local stakeholders attach direct values to the coastal quality, and adopt a TD approach where the general population attaches indirect (option or existence) values to coastal quality.     

非饱和土石坝渗流分析

传统的渗流分析主要考虑饱和区而忽略非饱和区内的渗流,本文基于饱和-非饱和渗流计算原理,采用有限元法考虑了非饱和区渗流的影响,并以各向同性均质坝和心墙土石坝为算例进行计算分析。算例表明,由于基质吸力产生的虹吸作用,使得浸润线上部的非饱和区内也存在着连续的水流,通过分析这种水流的特点,定性地得出其对土石坝渗流稳定性的影响。