EFFECTS OF DREDGING ON DOWNSTREAM WATER QUALITY: EKOLE CREEK, NIGERIA

Water is essential part of ecosystem, so its quality must be ascertained for use especially in Ekole creek of Nigeria where dredging activities is heavy, hence this study examined the dredging effect on the downstream water quality of Ekole creek. Water samples were collected from four points which are; Upstream, Dredge I, Dredge II, and Downstream points. The parameters of the water quality determined showed that Turbidity and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) were higher at the Downstream point with values of 31 NTU and 1664 mg/l respectively; pH was also slightly acidic (6.61); but low in Total Dissolve Solid (TDS), Electrical Conductivity, Nitrate (NO3) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO), as compare to the Upstream. The values of the heavy metals like Pb (3.845 mg/l), Cr (0.612 mg/l) Ni (0.104 mg/l) and Cu (0.128 mg/l), at Downstream point, were above Pb (3.0605 mg/l), Cr (0.0 mg/l), Ni (0.017 mg/l) and Cu (0.102 mg/l) of the Upstream point,before the Dredging points I and II, that have correlative matrix of(Pb>Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu>Ni>Cr) and Pb>Fe>Cr>Mn>Zn>Cu>Ni Downstream point. Is discovered the Downstream water is slightly acidic, high in Turbidity and TSS, but low in TDS, EC, NO3 and DO, as against the WHO drinking-water quality, due the effect of dredging on the water quality of the Ekole Creek. It is inferred that the dredging activities have negative effects on the water quality, which can be hazardous to the health of downstream user, and distort the ecosystem; therefore the commercial dredging activities should be checked in Ekole creek.

Options for an environmental risk assessment of intentional and unintentional chemical mixtures under REACH: the status and ways forward

It is acknowledged that a variety of chemicals enter the environment and may cause joint effects. Chemicals regulated under the European Chemicals Regulation REACH are often part of formulated mixtures and during their processing and use in various products they can be jointly released via sewage treatment plants or diffuse sources, and may combine in the environment. One can differentiate between intentional mixtures, and unintentional mixtures. In contrast to other substance-oriented legislations, REACH contains no explicit requirements for an assessment of combined effects, exposures and risks of several components. Still, it requires ensuring the safe use of substances on their own, in mixtures, and in articles. The available options to address intentional as well as unintentional mixtures are presented and discussed with respect to their feasibility under REACH, considering the responsibilities, communication tasks and information availability of the different actors (registrants, downstream-user and authorities). Specific mixture assessments via component-based approaches require a comprehensive knowledge on substances properties, uses, fate and behaviour, and the composition of the mixture under consideration. This information is often not available to the responsible actor. In principle, intentional mixtures of known composition can be assessed by the downstream-user. But approaches have to be improved to ensure a transparent communication and sound mixture assessment. In contrast, unintentional mixtures appear to be better addressable via generic approaches such as a mixture allocation factor during the chemical safety assessment, although questions on the magnitude, implementation and legal mandates remain. Authorities can conduct specific mixture risk assessments in well-defined and prioritized cases, followed by subsequent regulatory measures. In order to address intentional and unintentional mixtures within the current REACH framework, legal mandates together with guidance for the different actors are needed. Furthermore, further data on mixture compositions, uses and co-exposures need to be made accessible via shared databases.

Searchlight: automated bulk RNA-seq exploration and visualisation using dynamically generated R scripts

Background Once bulk RNA-seq data has been processed, i.e. aligned and then expression and differential tables generated, there remains the essential process where the biology is explored, visualized and interpreted. Without the use of a visualisation and interpretation pipeline this step can be time consuming and laborious, and is often completed using R. Though commercial visualisation and interpretation pipelines are comprehensive, freely available pipelines are currently more limited. Results Here we demonstrate Searchlight, a freely available bulk RNA-seq visualisation and interpretation pipeline. Searchlight provides: a comprehensive statistical and visual analysis, focusing on the global, pathway and single gene levels; compatibility with most differential experimental designs irrespective of organism or experimental complexity, via three workflows; reports; and support for downstream user modification of plots via user-friendly R-scripts and a Shiny app. We show that Searchlight offers greater automation than current best tools (VIPER and BioJupies). We demonstrate in a timed re-analysis study, that alongside a standard bulk RNA-seq processing pipeline, Searchlight can be used to complete bulk RNA-seq projects up to the point of manuscript quality figures, in under 3 h. Conclusions Compared to a manual R based analysis or current best freely available pipelines (VIPER and BioJupies), Searchlight can reduce the time and effort needed to complete bulk RNA-seq projects to manuscript level. Searchlight is suitable for bioinformaticians, service providers and bench scientists. https://github.com/Searchlight2/Searchlight2.

Protectionism

This chapter considers the flip side of the case on free trade, in which trade interventions are often misguided and costly. It analyzes tariffs and quotas on imports that inefficiently redistribute income from consumers to producers. It points out how trade barriers produce a net economic loss due to the costs of consumers exceeding the benefits to producers and reduce exports that harm downstream user industries. The chapter also addresses the question of why trade protectionism is often politically attractive. It examines situations in which protection may be justified in theory, even if governments might be ineffective in trying to take advantage of those situations.

KESEDIAAN MASYARAKAT MENERIMA PEMBAYARAN JASA LINGKUNGAN AIR: KASUS DAS WAY SEMAKA KABUPATEN TANGGAMUS

ABSTRAKPembayaran jasa lingkungan (PJL) merupakan salah satu skema pemberian insentif dalam upaya mencegah kerusakan hulu Daerah Aliran Sungai (DAS) Way Semaka di Kawasan Hutan Lindung Register 19. Kerusakan hulu DAS ini menyebabkan pasokan air yang dimanfaatkan oleh pengguna air di daerah hilir terganggu. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis kesediaan masyarakat menerima (willingness to accept/WTA) atas pembayaran jasa lingkungan air. Data dianalisis secara kuantitatif terhadap 30 orang sampel responden masyarakat sekitar Hutan Lindung Register 39. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan secara acak. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa semua responden bersedia dibayar atas upaya konservasi DAS melalui penanaman dan pemeliharaan pohon dalam kawasan hutan yaitu rata-rata Rp14.000 per pohon. Hal ini didasarkan oleh pengorbanan yang dikeluarkan responden dari segi waktu, biaya dan tenaga dalam upaya konservasi tersebut. Penerapan PJL ini perlu dukungan Pemerintah dalam hal ini Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan Lindung (KPHL) Kotaagung Utara selaku pengelola di tingkat tapak agar memfasilitasi terselenggaranya mekanisme PJL hulu-hilir di sekitar kawasan hutan lindung sebagai salah satu solusi perbaikan hulu DAS Way Semaka. Kata kunci: pembayaran jasa lingkungan; DAS Way Semaka; Willingness to Accept; hutan lindung ABSTRACTPayment of environmental services (PES) is one of the mechanisms considered to be able to solve the hydrological problem in Way Semaka Watershed (DAS) which is one of the watersheds used by the downstream community for daily necessities and agricultural business. Currently, Way Semaka Watershed condition is physically damaged one of them because the protected forest area surrounding the watershed is damaged. Whereas protected forests play a very important role in regulating the water system, prevent erosion, produce oxygen and so on. This study aims to analyze the willingness to accept community (WTA) around protected forest area register 39 upstream through PES mechanism in order to restore downstream watershed condition. Samples were taken as many as 30 community respondents around the forest register 39 at random. Data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results showed that all respondents were willing to be paid for planting and maintaining trees in forest areas. The estimated average WTA value is Rp 14,000 per tree. According to the respondents, the willingness to accept this community must take into account the time, cost and energy in planting and maintaining the tree, especially the topography condition of the forest area is relatively flat. Therefore, the government in this case Protection Forest Management Unit (KPHL) Kotaagung Utara need to support the implementation of mechanisms PES in the area around the Way Semaka Watershed in order to solve the problem of hydrology and the welfare of the community around the protected forest by acting as facilitator to the downstream user community.Keywords: Payment of environmental services; protected forest area; Way Semaka Watershed; Willingness to Accept

Absorptive capacity in a two-sector neo-Schumpeterian model: a new role for innovation policy

We propose a new co-evolutionary computational two-sector approach to the design of national innovation policy that recognizes the importance of intersectoral absorptive capacity constraints in innovation linkages between sectors in an economy. We show how the innovative capacity of an upstream producer sector can be constrained by the absorptive capacity of the downstream-user sector. This suggests that the low productivity performance of modern innovation policy might in part be understood as a consequence of sectorally unbalanced knowledge evolution, where the problem lies in underinvestment in innovative capabilities in the downstream sector. Our computational two-sector model suggests an important role for innovation policy to create a balanced, sectorally targeted approach.

Facing the Consequences: Examining a Workaround Outcomes-Based Model

ABSTRACT Increasingly, organizations are adopting Enterprise Systems (ES) in an effort to increase productivity and reduce costs. Unfortunately, system-wide implementations such as these often fail to produce the outcomes desired by those that champion them. One noted reason for unsuccessful ES utilization rests in “workarounds”—the deviation or circumvention of the ES by users (employees) of the system. Our research question asks, “How do the outcomes of a workaround impact the downstream user and the system overall?” We assert that the motivation or why workarounds are employed is not as important as the outcomes these workarounds create. Using qualitative data from a longitudinal field study of a large organization in the U.S. Midwest, we categorize workarounds based on the outcomes they generate and consider the resultant effects these workaround outcomes have for the downstream user. In particular, we explore how workaround outcomes impact the effectiveness of accounting functions.