West African precipitation and related atmospheric circulation

Imperial Users onl

WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE OF FOREST TREES BY COOPERATE ORGANISATIONS

Payments for environmental services (PES) especially of the forests are considered a potential instrument to mitigate environment and development challenges faced in many tropical countries. The success of any PES scheme is highly dependent on reliable economic data and monetary values of the services provided by the forest trees and vegetation. Hence the relevance of this study which adopted the contingent valuation method (CVM) to derive a monetary valuation for the environmental service functions of forest trees in University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB) urban environment. Data were obtained from a multistage random sampling of 48 out of the 75 registered students’ Corporate Organisation made of Academic, Religion and Socio-cultural organisations and clubs. The results show that 77% of the respondents were willing to pay (WTP) various amounts ranging from N5 – N1000 monthly. One hundred naira (N100.00) was the modal value having recorded 38% response and closely followed by N200.00 with 30% response. The overall mean WTP value resulted into an aggregate estimate value of UNAAB urban forest trees environmental value of UNAAB urban forest trees environmental services which is N7,800 (US$1 = N140). The semi-log model of regression equation revealed respondents’ income, sources of income and years of existence as the socio-economic variables that significantly influenced WTP. It can be concluded from this study that the sampled respondent valued the environmental services of the forest especially the shade provided for them during their meetings to the extent that they are willing to contribute towards the continue existence of trees and by implication the forests in the University environment. Payment for environmental services either in form of voluntary donations or direct contribution towards forest tree plantings can be an incentive to the providers of the services be it private or government.Contingent valuation, Environmental services, Willingness to pay (WTP), Environmental Economics and Policy,

Perceptions of Healthcare Workers Toward Influenza Vaccination

Even though influenza vaccinations were provided free to all healthcare workers in the United States, healthcare workers were not 100% compliant. The non-compliance with influenza vaccinations may expose their patients, their families, and the public at large to a high-risk source of influenza infection. This study\u27s research questions included how registered nurses perceived influenza and influenza vaccination; registered nurses\u27 self-reported incidents with influenza vaccination; and factors that contributed to registered nurses\u27 non-compliance with influenza vaccination. Guided by the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the factors that contributed to the non-compliance of registered nurses with receiving the influenza vaccination. Twenty participants from a healthcare facility in Florida were interviewed using an interview guide. Audio data was transcribed to text data; text data was coded and thematically analyzed by using ATLAS.ti software. Results revealed that 70% of registered nurses were afraid of influenza vaccination, while 80% of them saw influenza vaccination as ineffective; 90% of them had bad experiences or have seen colleagues/friends who have had bad experiences after influenza vaccination. In addition, 40% of registered nurses claimed that they already had good immunity, while 20% of them declined influenza vaccination because of personal choices. Research findings from this study may be utilized to bring positive social change to society at large. The findings may be utilized to enhance existing strategies or policies or even help formulate new policies and strategies that would address the concerns of HCWs, especially registered nurses

Planning Challenges of Space Conciliation for Urban Planners: The Example of the Urban Node of Yaba, Lagos Metropolis

Environment can be defined as the sum total of the conditions within which organisms lives; it is the result of interaction between non-living (abiotic) physical and chemical and also present living (biotic) parameter (Barrow, 1995). Many of the urban environmental problems lie unsound concepts of develpoment and modernization”Park (1980). Like most of the urban centres of the developing countries, Lagos Metropolitan Area (LAMA) is characterized by rising population, unemployment, shortage of housing and infrastructural facilities. The nodal points of this urban centre which are usually areas of conflict of socio-economic activities include Oshodi, Mile 2”, Oyingbo, and Yaba (Fig. 1). The planlessness and blight that such areas exhibit have thus become a challenge to planners, who face the issue of reconciling the competing factors. Unfortunately, not mush has been done to study the characteristics of these urban nodes. Yet, the knowledge of these characteristics is significant for understanding the nodes for effective planning the areas. The present study therefore examines the characteristics of one of the nodal points, namely, Yaba bus stop. The paper also examined the planning challenges of space reconciliation for urban planners using the nodal point as a case example

An Analysis of Temporal Nature of Urban Activities in Ilorin, Nigeria

The paper analyses Spatial nature of activities of the people in Ilorin especially the length of time spent on each activity Data were collected from 500 residents of Ilorin each of whom completed a time budget diary over one week Descriptive statistics wereused to summarize the data while stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the factors responsible for the spatial fixity of respondents activities The result shows that the activities were fixed in time and three variables age income and occupation were the major determinants of the time spent on the activities The study also shows clearly that the temporal structure of activity in Ilorin is different from what obtains in Western cities where there is flexibility in the usage of tim

Emerging Challenges to Long-term Peace and Security in Mozambique

Mozambique’s transition from civil war to peace is often considered among the most successful implementations of a peace agreement in the post-Cold War era. Following the signing of the 1992 Rome General Peace Accords (GPA), the country has not experienced any large-scale recurrence of war. Instead, Mozambique has made impressive progress in economic growth, poverty reduction, improved security, regional cooperation and post-war democratisation. Mozambique has also made significant strides in the provision of primary healthcare, and steady progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Notwithstanding these stellar achievements, Mozambique still faces a large number of political, social and economic problems: poverty, unemployment, natural resource boom, increasing political exclusion and growing political tensions between Renamo and the Frelimo government, dependence on foreign aid, and low access to social and economic services and facilities. This paper unpacks these challenges and the implications for Mozambique’s long-term peace and security

Learning from Traditional Architecture: The Example of Somba

One of the primary purposes of man’s shelter is protection against adverse or undesirable climate environments, which also includes adaptability and ability to mould its material content to provide comfort. Indeed, shelter is a basic’ requirement of human existence from physical stresses imposed by the environment and climate variations provide the most common set of stresses on homeotherrns. Adedeji (2004) argued that housing issues affect the life of individuals as well as that of a nation; hence both nature and society ascribed great importance to the role it plays to bring about human comfort. All over the world, urban centres are expanding by migration and natural population increase. This is especially true of the tropical countries where the proportions of urban centres are increasing fast. The poor population of this region is pushed into the urban centres because of the lure of the city. Once in the city, they face problems of inadequate of unavailable housing and where available, these buildings (usually mid latitude European styles) do not really or meet the desired need of the people. The other poor ones left behind in the rural areas are also faced with the pressure of abandoning their traditional way of life including their architecture in preference for imported architecture and styles. In the process, because of the inferiority complex, many no longer have homes. There is also a breakdown or loss of traditional skills in traditional house design

Transition from Civil War to Peace: The Role of the United Nations and International Community in Mozambique

With the heavy involvement of the United Nations (UN) and the international community, the Rome General Peace Agreement of 1992 ended more than 16 years of civil war in Mozambique. The peace agreement and post-conflict initiatives by the international community was successful in transforming the Mozambique National Resistance (Renamo) from a rebel group into a viable political party. Key components of the United Nations and the broader international community success in negotiating peace and creating conditions for political stability and democracy in Mozambique were (a) the provision of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) before democratisation, (b) decentralization of humanitarian and relief efforts to provincial and district levels, (c) provision of financial support directly for the development of political parties, and (d) budget support to sectors relevant to peacebuilding. Though imperfect, Mozambique remains an important case study in how the UN and international community can help in post-conflict environments. Thus, the paper argues that success in peacebuilding operations depends on credible and impartial international support through the UN, as opposed to peacebuilding operations through the United States of America or Russia

P-Value and confidence intervals - facts and farces

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