C mobilisation in disturbed tropical peat swamps: old DOC can fuel the fluvial efflux of old carbon dioxide, but site recovery can occur

Southeast-Asian peat swamp forests have been significantly logged and converted to plantation. Recently, to mitigate land degradation and C losses, some areas have been left to regenerate. Understanding how such complex land use change affects greenhouse gas emissions is essential for modelling climate feedbacks and supporting land management decisions. We carried out field research in a Malaysian swamp forest and an oil palm plantation to understand how clear-felling, drainage, and illegal and authorized conversion to oil palm impacted the C cycle, and how the C cycle may change if such logging and conversion stopped. We found that both the swamp forest and the plantation emit centuries-old CO2 from their drainage systems in the managed areas, releasing sequestered C to the atmosphere. Oil palm plantations are an iconic symbol of tropical peatland degradation, but CO2 efflux from the recently-burnt, cleared swamp forest was as old as from the oil palm plantation. However, in the swamp forest site, where logging had ceased approximately 30 years ago, the age of the CO2 efflux was modern, indicating recovery of the system can occur. 14C dating of the C pool acted as a tracer of recovery as well as degradation and offers a new tool to assess efficacy of restoration management. Methane was present in many sites, and in higher concentrations in slow-flowing anoxic systems as degassing mechanisms are not strong. Methane loading in freshwaters is rarely considered, but this may be an important C pool in restored drainage channels and should be considered in C budgets and losses

KEJATUHAN PEMERINTAHAN BEN ALI MELALUI PERGOLAKAN POLITIK RAKYAT TUNISIA

This research is concern with political upheaval by Tunisian people which happened in early 2011 and became a pioneer of Arab Spring phenomenon in North Africa and Middle East regions. Tunisian political upheaval used breakthrough methods to overthrow Ben Ali�s 23 years dictatorship. The first-ever revolution against a dictator then followed by some Arab countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Yaman that resulted dictatorships overthrown. Political upheaval in Tunisia was triggered by self-immolation of a young, educated and unemployed man named Mohamed Bouazizi because he was inhumanly treated by the local authorities. His story then wide spread internationally by Tunisian youth via online media such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. This method was effective for gaining masses to come together and protest against the government. The finding of this research is that dictatorship may lose its legitimacy if the dictator failed to cover three aspects: authority, identity, and equality. Also, dictators are often enrich themselves by impoverishing their people to keep the regime last long. Under Ben Ali, human rights are violated, factual numbers are manipulated, and corruptions are grown within the regime. By people power and the help of the media, they can be overthrown

EFFECT OF URETHRAL DILATION ON ANTERIOR URETHRAL STRICTURE RECURRENCE AFTER INTERNAL URETHROTOMY IN MALES

Objective: The aim is to evaluate the effect of urethral dilation on anterior urethral stricture recurrences after direct vision internal urethrotomy (DVIU). Material & Method: Patients were classified into 2 groups after internal urethrotomy for urethral dilation or observation. All strictures included were anterior, single, and causing partial obstruction. Urethral dilation was performed using a metal sound. This procedure was performed every 1 or 2 weeks in the first and second month after operation and then once a month for 1 year or in case of voiding complaints or low flow rate (< 10 mL/s). Follow up at least until 1 year after DVIU. Results: A total of 32 cases could be reviewed, of which are 21 had urethral dilation and 11 observation only. In the urethral dilation group, we found 4 recurrences (19%) with mean time to recurrence 10,52 months. In the observation group, we found 7 recurrent cases (63,63%) with a mean time to recurrence of 8,09 months. P value is 0,02 which means urethral dilation significantly decreased the chance of stricture recurrence. By Kaplan Meier survival analysis, urethral dilation had a better and longer time to recurrence. Conclusion: In this study, regular meatal dilation is proven to prolong the time to recurrence of an anterior urethral stricture after DVIU. Keywords: Urethral dilation, anterior urethral stricture, stricture recurrence