Editor message

Dear readers,It’s been just over a month since we first opened our doors to submissions. In that time our team has been engaging with the research community for feedback on the journal and our aspirations. One of the first questions researchers ask us is why Open Science Journal. Looks like a simple question, right? Yet it is difficult to answer just in one sentence. So, rather than one succinct sentence, let’s breakdown the most important information you need to know about who we are. Open Science Journal (OSJ) is a multidisciplinary Open Access (OA) journal, we accepts scientifically rigorous research, regardless of novelty. OSJ broad scope provides a platform to publish original research in all areas of sciences, including interdisciplinary and replication studies as well as negative results. OSJ is high quality OA online-only journal that publishes articles under a Open Access Creative Commons Attribution License. This means easy compliance with the Open Access Policy of many institutions and funders all over the world who made open access to publications mandatory. The Open Science Journal follows the highest publishing and ethical standards. We have modeled our submissions and review process on the standards, procedures by the Public Library of Science (PLOS). Right, so that’s more than one sentence, but we hope you have a better feel for what services we are providing researchers and what kind of journal we aspire to be. Igor Salak Editor in chief Open Science Journal

Influence of anthropogenic activities on the initial establishment and growth rate of introduced Senna siamea in Zomba-Malosa Forest Reserve, Malawi

The study was conducted along the Nkanya-Lusewa rivers catchment as hot spot in Zomba-Malosa Forest Reserve  in Domasi area in Malawi to determine the influence of anthropogenic activities on the growth of Senna siamea planted by the community using  integrated indigenous-technocrat model. The study focused on 28 gardens along the rivers whose owners encroached the forest reserve and willed to participate in the study. In total we planted 101 S. siamea seedlings within a distance of 10 m on either side of the study rivers and we determined tree total height, canopy height, canopy base diameter and canopy base area in February, May, August, and November in 2014 using a ruler. We found that the average tree total height and canopy height slightly decreased from February to November  from initial 34.7 cm to 31.1 cm and 16.8 cm to 12.1 cm respectively due to impact of transplanting shock and bushfires which led to loss of tree tops and some branches but those of canopy base diameter and canopy base area increased slightly following sprouting of burnt seedling stems. We further found that tree growth rates varied among the gardens due to transplanting shock, post-planting care differences, soil moisture variation, and incidence of bushfires

An Evaluation Model for Social Work with Substance Abusers

In this article, the research topic is to develop an evaluation model for social work with substance abusers. It is studied by presenting an example of how the evaluation process could be carried out in practice. The study has been implemented with the Department of Social Services and Health Care’s Centre for Recovering Substance Abusers in Finland (RSA Centre). The term “evaluation model” refers to a way of collecting client follow-up information and the way the information is used to develop social work practices. Firstly it is described, how the evaluation model was created at the RSA Centre. Secondly, some results are lifted up to show, what kind of information were used. Finally, it is discussed how the evaluation model should be developed further to support social work processes.According to the results, the social work evaluation is possible to carry out in the side of social work with substance abusers. The model helped professionals to clarify Centre's main focus in the field of social rehabilitation and social work with substance abusers. In the long term, the model could enable to gain information about social work effectiveness. Disadvantages of the model were that it took a lot of time and resources from social work, and that the direct benefits of the model may not be available until only after some time. Evaluation’s integration to the client database system should be studied more

The Butterfly Diversity in Bhilai Mahila Mahavidyalaya College Campus

In the midst of the industrial area of Bhilai steel plant, the greenery on the campus of this college provides a home for many butterflies. The diversity of butterflies was investigated within the college campus of Bhilai Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Bhilai, which lies in the Durg district of Chattisgarh State. The state enjoys a tropical climate. The survey was done from February 2015 to October 2015. This period includes the summer and monsoon months. During the survey, a total of 45 species, belonging to five families of the Order Lepidoptera, were recorded in the study area. The predominance of family Nymphalidae was noted, which comprised of 37.77% of the butterflies surveyed,  followed by Pieridae (22.22%), Papilionidae (20%), Lycaenidae (11.11%), and Hesperidae (8.88%). Among the forty-five species of butterflies investigated, 11 species come under the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972

Physicochemical analysis of Lake Enriquillo in Dominican Republic

The water level in Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic (DR) has increased by an unprecedented amount over the last decade, inundating thousands of acres of farmland and more than a dozen villages and inflicting adverse social, environmental, and economic impacts on the nation. The Lake Enriquillo Basin (LEB), located near the towns of Independencia and Bahoruco in the southwest region of the DR, is bordered to the north by the Sierra de Neyba mountain range and to the south by the Sierra de Bahoruco mountain range. Lake Enriquillo is hypersaline and endorheic, with a water level that normally fluctuates between 40–50 m below sea level (BSL). However, since 2000, both Lake Enriquillo and Lake Azuei (Sumastre) in Haiti have experienced alarming water level increases, with Lake Enriquillo’s water level rising to 17.2 m BSL This article explores the changes in some of the important physicochemical parameters—such as salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH—that have occurred in the period from 1977 to 2012. The highest salinity value occurred in 2012, at a value 103.1‰, with an average increase of 27.06‰, coinciding with the lake level of 17.2 m BSL. Changes in these parameters have caused damage to the ecosystem and the lives of people and species that inhabit the region.

Catalytic hydrothermal upgrading of pyrolysis oil

Pyrolysis oil from wood pellets was upgraded in this research by catalytic hydrotreatment in a 100 ml batch reactor. Four heterogeneous 5% metal catalysts (Ru, Ni, Rh, and Ni) were used at different hydrotreatment temperatures (250 ºC and 300 ºC). Two different set-ups were also used with formic acid and with only bio-oil. The products of the reforming using two temperature conditions were then analysed and compared. The results showed that higher temperature yielded a lot of char compared to lower temperature giving low bio-oil recovery and poor carbon yield in the bio-oil. Also higher temperature resulted into the production of more carbon dioxide gas and hydrocarbon gases. Ru catalyst appeared to be the best among all the catalysts in reducing the amount oxygen wt-% by 42.12% at 250 ºC. Ru treated bio-oil also registered the highest composition of the lightest compounds of about 88.5% compared to initial bio-oil which only had 30.6%. Elemental analyses results show that all the upgraded bio-oils displayed lower oxygen content than the raw bio-oil with increased hydrogen and carbon composition

A Review On Sub-Surface Flow Constructed Wetlands In Tropical And Sub-Tropical Countries

Water pollution is mostly caused by direct disposal of waste to the ground or river without prior treatment. Several methods had been proposed to overcome the pollution, e.g. by treating the waste prior disposal or by applying artificial wetland systems (constructed wetlands) to treat domestic wastewater. Artificial wetland systems (constructed wetlands) resembles water treatment processes in natural wetlands, that utilizes hydrophytes to symbiose with the microorganisms in the media around the rhizosphere of the plants. A good example of the plant is Cyperus alternifolius, a plant that grows rapidly in wet environments. This plant has a triangular stem, with adult stem height ranged between 0.5-1.5 m. Organic materials contained in the wastewater will be cleaved by the microorganisms into simpler compounds and will be consumed by the plants as a nutrient, while the root system of aquatic plants will produce oxygen that can be used as a source of energy or catalyst for a series of metabolic processes for heterotropic aerobic microorganism. In general, horizontal flow SSF-Constructed Wetlands (hSSF-CW) is being used continuously and applied in many tropical countries. SSF-CW is a good choice for wastewater treatment due to its low maintenance costs and simple operational