scholarly journals Research priority setting by a stepped agro-ecological approach: case study for the Sahel of Burkina Faso

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-14
Author(s):  
L. Thiombiano ◽  
W. Andriesse
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Ecological Approach ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Ecological Zone ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Research Prioritization ◽  
The Impact

A model is proposed for the identification of research issues. It includes a set of criteria to weigh the relevance of identified research projects, using an agro-ecological approach by a multidisciplinary team. In this approach, emphasis is placed on the assessment of the impact of the expected results of research projects with regard to productivity and to ecological, economical, and social sustainability. The model comprises seven steps: (1) determination of the main function(s) of a selected agro-ecological zone; (2) determination of the user-needs and indigenous knowledge; (3) determination of the constraints and potentials of the agro-ecological zone; (4) review of existing scientific knowledge and technologies; (5) identification of relevant research issues and their division over strategic and applied research; (6) prioritization and selection of themes and projects; and (7) evaluation of personnel, material and funds. A case study is presented of the Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso. Illustration of the model with this degraded area where sustainability is an actual and important issue allows a discussion on the advantages and limitations of this agro-ecological approach for research prioritization.

The impact of acid hydrolysis conditions on carbohydrate determination in lignocellulosic materials: a case study with Eucalyptus globulus bark

Holzforschung ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Jorge Oliveira ◽  
Bruna Santos ◽  
Maria J. Mota ◽  
Susana R. Pereira ◽  
Pedro C. Branco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acid Hydrolysis ◽  
Eucalyptus Globulus ◽  
Industrial Processes ◽  
Lignocellulosic Materials ◽  
Optimal Conditions ◽  
Hydrolysis Conditions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Eucalyptus Bark

Abstract Lignocellulosic biomass represents a suitable feedstock for production of biofuels and bioproducts. Its chemical composition depends on many aspects (e.g. plant source, pre-processing) and it has impact on productivity of industrial bioprocesses. Numerous methodologies can be applied for biomass characterisation, with acid hydrolysis being a particularly relevant step. This study intended to assess the most suitable procedures for acid hydrolysis, taking Eucalyptus globulus bark as a case study. For that purpose, variation of temperature (90–120 °C) was evaluated over time (0–5 h), through monosaccharides and oligosaccharides contents and degradation. For glucose, the optimal conditions were 100 °C for 2.5 h, reaching a content of 48.6 wt.%. For xylose, the highest content (15.2 wt.%) was achieved at 90 °C for 2 h, or 120 °C for 0.5 h. Maximum concentrations of mannose and galactose (1.0 and 1.7 wt.%, respectively) were achieved at 90 and 100 °C (2–3.5 h) or at 120 °C (0.5–1 h). These results revealed that different hydrolysis conditions should be applied for different sugars. Using this approach, total sugar quantification in eucalyptus bark was increased by 4.3%, which would represent a 5% increase in the ethanol volume produced, considering a hypothetical bioethanol production yield. This reflects the importance of feedstock characterization on determination of economic viability of industrial processes.

scholarly journals A Control Based Mathematical Model for the Evaluation of Intervention Lines in COVID-19 Epidemic Spread: The Italian Case Study

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 890
Author(s):  
Paolo Di Giamberardino ◽  
Rita Caldarella ◽  
Daniela Iacoviello
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Equilibrium Points ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Control Actions ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Asymptomatic Subjects ◽  
The Impact

This paper addresses the problem of describing the spread of COVID-19 by a mathematical model introducing all the possible control actions as prevention (informative campaign, use of masks, social distancing, vaccination) and medication. The model adopted is similar to SEIQR, with the infected patients split into groups of asymptomatic subjects and isolated ones. This distinction is particularly important in the current pandemic, due to the fundamental the role of asymptomatic subjects in the virus diffusion. The influence of the control actions is considered in analysing the model, from the calculus of the equilibrium points to the determination of the reproduction number. This choice is motivated by the fact that the available organised data have been collected since from the end of February 2020, and almost simultaneously containment measures, increasing in typology and effectiveness, have been applied. The characteristics of COVID-19, not fully understood yet, suggest an asymmetric diffusion among countries and among categories of subjects. Referring to the Italian situation, the containment measures, as applied by the population, have been identified, showing their relation with the government's decisions; this allows the study of possible scenarios, comparing the impact of different possible choices.

scholarly journals A Quantitative Evaluation of the Multiple Narratives of the Recent Sahelian Regreening*

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimi Stith ◽  
Alessandra Giannini ◽  
John del Corral ◽  
Susana Adamo ◽  
Alex de Sherbinin
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Southern Central ◽  
Second Category ◽  
The Impact

Abstract A spatial analysis is presented that aims to synthesize the evidence for climate and social dimensions of the “regreening” of the Sahel. Using an independently constructed archival database of donor-funded interventions in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal in response to the persistence of drought in the 1970s and 1980s, the spatial distribution of these interventions is examined in relation to population density and to trends in precipitation and in greenness. Three categories of environmental change are classified: 1) regions at the northern grassland/shrubland edge of the Sahel where NDVI varies interannually with precipitation, 2) densely populated cropland regions of the Sahel where significant trends in precipitation and NDVI decouple at interannual time scales, and 3) regions at the southern savanna edge of the Sahel where NDVI variation is independent of precipitation. Examination of the spatial distribution of environmental change, number of development projects, and population density brings to the fore the second category, covering the cropland areas where population density and regreening are higher than average. While few, regions in this category coincide with emerging hotspots of regreening in northern Burkina Faso and southern central Niger known from case study literature. In examining the impact of efforts to rejuvenate the Sahelian environment and livelihoods in the aftermath of the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s against the backdrop of a varying and uncertain climate, the transition from desertification to regreening discourses is framed in the context of adaptation to climate change.

Too poor to live? A case study of vulnerability and maternal mortality in Burkina Faso

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 33-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerini T. Storeng ◽  
Seydou Drabo ◽  
Véronique Filippi
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Health Expenditure ◽  
Catastrophic Health Expenditure ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Near Miss ◽  
Individual Resilience ◽  
Maternal Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the concept of vulnerability in the context of maternal morbidity and mortality in Burkina Faso, an impoverished country in West Africa. Drawing on a longitudinal cohort study into the consequences of life-threatening or ‘near miss’ obstetric complications, we provide an in-depth case study of one woman’s experience of such morbidity and its aftermath. We follow Kalizeta’s trajectory from her near miss and the stillbirth of her child to her death from pregnancy-related hypertension after a subsequent delivery less than two years later, in order to examine the impact of severe and persistent illness and catastrophic health expenditure on her health and on her family’s everyday life. Kalizeta’s case illustrates how vulnerability in health emerges and is maintained or exacerbated over time. Even where social arrangements are supportive, structural impediments, including unaffordable and inadequate healthcare, can severely limit individual resilience to mitigate the negative social and economic consequences of ill health.

scholarly journals The Impact of Strategic Decision-Making on Enhancing Competitive Capability: Case Study of the Royal Jordanian Airlines

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Majda S. Rteimeh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

The study aimed at identifying the extent of efficiency of the strategic decision making (the determination of the problem, the gathering of the information on the problem, decision-making, the monitoring of the implementation of the decision-making, and the circulation of the realistic results of the decision) and demonstrating their impact in enhancing the competitive capability of the Royal Jordanian Airlines. This study followed the descriptive and the analytical approach relying on a questionnaire that reached a sample of 167 employees working at the various administrative levels of the company. The results of the study showed that there is a medium degree of efficiency for strategic decision-making and a medium degree of competitiveness. The results also showed a statistically significant impact for each of (gathering information about the problem of enhancing the competitive capability of the Royal Jordanian Airlines, decision-making, and circulating the realistic results of the decision) in enhancing the competitive capability of the Royal Jordanian Airlines.

scholarly journals Aggregated Risk Assessment and Survey for Risk Reduction in Oil Terminals

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12169
Author(s):  
Robertas Alzbutas ◽  
Mindaugas Vaisnoras ◽  
Inga Saruniene ◽  
Ricardas Krikstolaitis ◽  
Mindaugas Valincius ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Risk Aggregation ◽  
Risk Reduction Measures ◽  
The Impact

One of the goals of any oil terminal is to make a business while avoiding hazardous events and harmful effects for both humans and the environment. This can be achieved by creating a safe working place as well as by performing safe and acceptable activities regarding the impact on surrounding objects, including residential and industrial areas. The aim of the hazard analysis of the oil terminal is to assess the risks related to hazardous events or phenomena and to evaluate whether the assessed risks are acceptable. The hazard analysis and assessment of risk are also used for risk reduction while examining and limiting hazardous scenarios that, for instance, involve the loss-of-containment of flammable or combustible material. In this paper, the authors aim to contribute to risk research by providing a comprehensive methodology of risk assessment for oil terminals with case study results and discussion on features of the methodology, risk aggregation, its applicability for risk reduction, and industrial interests. The performed study considered the “Klaipedos Nafta AB” (an operator of the Klaipeda Oil Terminal, Lithuania) case study regarding hazardous materials that might be released from various tanks, devices, and associated pipelines. The performed quantitative risk assessment has enabled the determination of the probability regarding whether releases would ignite and, for instance, cause explosion. In the case study, the estimate of probability, i.e., the frequency, and the possible consequences of the hazardous events were evaluated, and both mitigation and risk reduction measures were also considered.

Influence of anthropogenic activity to the macronutrient loading in water and soil – Case study of industrial area

2020 ◽  
pp. 81-92
Author(s):  
Oana Romina Botoran ◽  
◽  
Mihaela Iordache ◽  
Claudia Sandru ◽  
Marius Miricioiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
The Impact

Mining activities, in combination with accelerated urbanization growth and climate change, constitutes a major challenge for creating a sustainable development. Thus, the monitoring and assessment of mining effect is mandatory in understanding the impact on the primary physico-chemical characteristics of an environment. In this context, the paper presents the evolution of micro- and macro- nutrients in water, soil and sediment from two industrial areas from Romania (Copșa Mică industrial platform and Baia Sprie mining zone), in order to assess the impact of pollutants on ecosystems. Physico-chemical (pH, NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, TN, TP), base cations (Ca, Mg, Na and K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn and Zn) have been analyzed in order to evaluate the quality of the environment. For some of the analyzed soils, the concentration of Zn, Mn and Fe exceeded the maximum permissible limits (MPL) imposed by the Romanian legislation, falling within the limit for Alert Thresholds for less sensitive soils. The correlation analysis on water quality parameters revealed that all parameters are more or less correlated with each other Person’s Correlation matrix. Overall, our results demonstrated that the knowledge of the physico-chemical regime of an environment is of great value in the determination of its productivity, usefulness and other characteristics which can facilitate further vegetation restoration and reconstruction and a sustainable development of the ecological environment in a polluted area.

Automatic Determination of Compatibility in Evolving Services

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin Becker ◽  
Jim Pruyne ◽  
Sharad Singhal ◽  
Andre Lopes ◽  
Dejan Milojicic
Keyword(s):  
Automatic Determination ◽  
Service Oriented Architectures ◽  
Loosely Coupled ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Run Time ◽  
The Impact

A major advantage of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) is composition and coordination of loosely coupled services. Because the development lifecycles of services and clients are de-coupled, multiple service versions must be maintained to support older clients. Typically versions are managed within the SOA by updating service descriptions using conventions on version numbers and namespaces. In all cases, the compatibility among services descriptions must be evaluated, which can be hard, error-prone and costly if performed manually, particularly for complex descriptions. In this paper, the authors describe a method to automatically determine when two service descriptions are backward compatible. The authors describe a case study to illustrate version compatibility information in a SOA environment and present initial performance overheads. By automatically exploring compatibility information, a) service developers can assess the impact of proposed changes; b) proper versioning requirements can be put in client implementations guaranteeing that incompatibilities will not occur during run-time; and c) messages exchanged in the SOA can be validated to ensure that only expected messages or compatible ones are exchanged.

scholarly journals The Impact of Rural Fires on the Development of Invasive Species: Analysis of a Case Study with Acacia dealbata Link. in Casal do Rei (Seia, Portugal)

Environments ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Leonel J. R. Nunes ◽  
Mauro A. M. Raposo ◽  
Catarina I. R. Meireles ◽  
Carlos J. Pinto Gomes ◽  
Nuno M. C. Almeida Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Eucalyptus Globulus ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Acacia Dealbata ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
Annual Biomass ◽  
The Impact

Biological invasions can affect ecosystems in different ways. Invasive forest species, such as Acacia dealbata Link., affect forests’ productivity, because they compete directly with native species for access to light and nutrients, contributing to the loss of biodiversity. In this study, an area occupied by A. dealbata, located in Casal do Rei (Seia, Portugal) was studied to evaluate the influence of fire in the dispersion of this species, analyzing the historical occurrence of rural fires in the region, as well as through the determination of its annual biomass production and comparing its growth with other species using satellite images. The research shows a competitive advantage for A. dealbata, even when compared to species, such as Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster, which practically disappeared from the location under study after a significant fire occurred in 2005, while A. dealbata continued to thrive.

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