Copper and Zinc Pollution in Cocoa Growing Areas in a Low-income Country

The application of copper-based fungicides and inorganic fertilizers affects the integrity of the soil which can result in bioaccumulation of copper and zinc in the cocoa beans to levels that are of public health concern. Cocoa farmers over the years have applied these agrochemicals in the control of pets and disease. The concentration of copper and zinc in soils and cocoa beans in the East Akyem municipality was then determined. Soil pH was measured with a pH meter with a glass electrode using a 1:2.5 soil: water ratio whiles Walkley-black method was used to determine Organic Carbon. Copper and Zinc in the soil were extracted using Mehlich-3 Extractant. The concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (Spectra AA 220 FS model). Cocoa beans samples were acid digested and Varian AA-240FS was used to determine the concentration of Copper and Zinc. Pollution Indices was used to quantify the pollution status of the soil. The mean concentration of Cu and Zn at depth 0-15cm was generally higher than at depth 15-30cm.The concentration of Cu and Zn were higher in the cocoa farm soils than that of the control farms. Soil acidity was found to increase with decreasing Organic matter. However, the Cocoa beans were not polluted with Cu nor Zn as their concentrations were found within the permissible limits. Pollution Index analysis suggest agrochemicals to have serious impacts on the farm soil. The soil-cocoa bean correlation matrix reveals that the concentration of Cu and Zn in the cocoa beans depends on the amount in the soil. Keywords: Ghana, Cocoa, Pollution, Copper, Zinc, Agrochemical

Biostimulation of Immobilized Microbes in a Fixed-Bed Bioreactor towards Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Water Remediation Using Compost Tea and Egg Shell Powder

The need to satisfy the ever increasing petroleum demand coupled with the availability of enough crude oil reserves to meet demand for several decades to come makes petroleum contamination a globally important subject. Bioremediation has emerged as an efficient treatment option for the remediation of organic contaminants including petroleum owing to the failure of physico-chemical treatment options to address petroleum contamination. The current study targeted the application of compost tea (CT) and egg shell powder (ESP) solution at various levels as nutrient amendments/bio-stimulants for hydrocarbon-eating microbes attached to support media surfaces in a fixed-bed bioreactor system. CT and ESP were characterized to be rich in essential nutrients including N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na and C. CT and ESP application at four levels each recorded appreciable boosts in microbial numbers and TPH removal across applied levels. CT application recorded 23.49±2.20 to 29.36±0.79 % boost in TPH removal and 17.03±3.01 to 61.07±2.26 % boost in microbial mass. Boosts in TPH removal assumed the order 3200 ml 1600 ml 800 ml 400 ml. ESP application similarly recorded 27.56±2.62 to 29.57±0.90 % boost in TPH removal and 17.50±1.60 to 24.43±2.05 % boost in microbial mass. Recorded TPH removal boosts assumed the trend 20 g/l 10 g/ l 2.5 g/l 5 g/l

Value Co-creation Inside the Ridesharing Economy: Evidence from the Chinese Sharing Economy Experiencescape with Set-theoretic and SEM Applications

The study empirically examines value co-creative behaviors within the framework of ridesharing, complexity theory, and fsQCA. A total of 301, questionnaires were acquired through social media and conventional sources in the study. The questionnaires were analysed to validate our proposed hypotheses by using structural equation modelling (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), ostensibly to assess the direct (indirect) relationships, and all feasible solutions that defined Equifinality respectively. The SEM results of the study revealed that resources and experiential consumption remain the corner stone of distinct value formation; and the antecedents of commuters’ high intention to participate in ridesharing value co-creation. Furthermore, among the dimensions of experiential consumption, escapism was found to be the most influential contributor of commuters’ high intention to participate in ridesharing value co-creation. In terms of fsQCA, the results revealed seven (7) recipes of configurations (solutions) for predicting commuters’ high intention to participate in ridesharing value co-creation. Arguably, there is a chasm in literature with respect to ridesharing value co-creation. Whiles the study intends to address this chasm, the implications of the study will enhance managerial decision-making on how to combine their scarce resources to design memorable and authentic-laden services that will attract the commuting public for value co-creation. The study narrows the chasm and further deepens the stream of literature on sharing economy through its theoretical provision, and unique focus on value co-creation in the ambit of ridesharing. Keywords: Value co-creation/destruction, fsQCA, sharing economy, experience economy, memorable experience. S-D logic, complexity theory

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim: Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosys-tems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evo-lutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon se-questration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quanti-fied global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change.Location: Tropical and subtropical moist forests.Time period: Current.Major taxa studied: Palms (Arecaceae).Methods: We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co-occurring non-palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure.Results: On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly asso-ciated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long-term climate stability. Life-form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non-tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above-ground biomass, but the mag-nitude and direction of the effect require additional work.Conclusions: Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also over-whelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

Mining-induced changes in ecosystem services value and implications of their economic and relational cost in a mining landscape, Ghana

The surge in mining operations to meet the global demand for mineral resources adversely impacts ecosystem services and dependent households, but the issue barely attracts attention. This study evaluated the dynamics of mining-induced changes in the value of ecosystem services (ES) and the consequent economic and relational cost to rural households in the Ahafo region of Ghana. Face-to-face structured interviews with 200 householders were conducted in three mining communities. We determined relational values in the landscape through focus group discussion and the economic cost of the ecosystem services lost by applying replacement and contingency cost estimations. Old-growth forests, degraded forests, teak plantations, cultivated land, wetlands, and grassland were ecosystems identified in the mining landscape. The most valued ecosystem was old-growth forest, while the least was grassland. Provisioning service was the most valued ES, while supporting service was the least. Provisioning ES was rated the most impacted by the mine, whereas cultural services were the least affected. Mining activities caused a significant loss of 14 ecosystem services (including crops, livestock, capture fisheries, wild food, bush meat, biomass fuel, and freshwater) that were of priority to the communities. The affected households experienced relatively high monthly economic costs, approximating $300 per household, from the loss of priority ecosystem services. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed connections between ecosystem services valuation and the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. There was a perceived mine-adverse effect on the relational values of the people relating to cultural identity, sovereignty, symbolic value, security, subsistence and livelihood, sense of place, social cohesion, social memory, female emotional/mental health, and womanhood training opportunities. Actors in the mining industry should consider policies and management interventions that will limit ecosystem services loss, widely ascertain ecosystem benefits, and comprehensively mitigate the impact of their loss on households

Evaluation of piperonyl butoxide in enhancing the efficacy of pyrethroid insecticides against resistant Anopheles gambiae s.l. in Ghana

Abstract Background Malaria vector control methods involving the use of pyrethroids remain the strategies being used against malaria vectors in Ghana. These methods include the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying in many areas in Ghana. However, there is evidence that pyrethroid resistance is widespread in many areas in Ghana. Synergists have been shown to be useful in inhibiting the enzymes that are responsible for the development of resistance and hence enhance the insecticide susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) in many areas. The present study investigated the effect of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) on the susceptibility status of An. gambiae s.l. across some sentinel sites in Ghana. Methods Three to five day old An. gambiae s.l. reared from larvae were used in WHO susceptibility tube assays. Batches of 20–25 female adult An. gambiae s.l. were exposed simultaneously to the insecticide alone and to the PBO + insecticide. The knock down rate after 60 min and mortality at 24 h were recorded. Results Deltamethrin and permethrin resistance of An. gambiae s.l. was observed in all the sites in 2015 and 2016. The mortality after 24 h post exposure for deltamethrin ranged from 16.3% in Weija to 82.3% in Kade, whereas that for permethrin ranged from 3.8% in Gomoa Obuasi to 91.3% in Prestea. A significant increase in susceptibility to deltamethrin and less to permethrin was observed during both 2015 and 2016 years in most of the sites when An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes were pre-exposed to PBO. Conclusion Findings from this study showed that the use of PBO significantly enhanced the susceptibility of An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes in most of the sentinel sites. It is recommended that vector control strategies incorporating PBO as a synergist can be effective in killing mosquitoes in the presence of deltamethrin and permethrin resistance