For Better or For Worse: Gender and the Congo Basin Forests

Abstract Gender is increasingly an element of program design in international development and education. Given its inherent significance in cultures around the world, gender shapes and molds the ways in which we perceive the roles and responsibilities of men and women. This study seeks to understand the intersection of gender and natural resource management in the Central Africa region. In this region, where tradition often guides the roles men and women play both at home and in the work place, it is critical to understand the role of gender and how accounting for it in project design can both support, and unravel, the best of intentions. But what is gender and how is it understood by practitioners in Central Africa? To get to the root of this question, a survey was distributed to over 100 practitioners in the government, non-governmental and private sectors in the Central Africa region to better understand how, or if, gender is a part of their development strategy. The survey asked participants to reflect on their understanding of the concept of gender, to what degree gender is part of their national development strategy and what obstacles development practitioners face as they seek to integrate gender into their work. The responses capture a snapshot of the intersection of gender rhetoric and implementation. The conclusions drawn from these responses offer suggestions for those working at the crossroads of gender and environmental work and how to proceed when seeking to develop programs that offer localized solutions to universal gender concerns. For better or for worse, the title of this study, refers not to whether it is better or worse to consider gender while developing programs but rather to how the notion of gender is incorporated as an element of projects. Do you think there is more to uncover about how gender is perceived and understood by those working and living in the Central Africa region? I do

IR AND UV-VISIBLE SPECTRA OF IRON(II) PHTHALOCYANINE COMPLEXES WITH PHOSPHINE OR PHOSPHITE

We have prepared and studied by vibrational and electronic spectrometry of a series of ferrophthalocyanine complexes with phosphine or phosphite axial ligands [PMe3, P(OMe)3, PPh3, P(OPh)3, PPh(OMe)3 and POH(OEt)2]. With PMe3, P(OMe)3 as ligands, only hexacoordinated complexes are obtained but with PPh3, P(OPh)3 and POH(OEt)2 as ligands, the coordination number depends on the FePc:ligand ratio in the reaction mixture. In the ratio 1:1 the complexes thus formed are pentacoordinated and in the ratio 1:2 hexacoordinated complexes are obtained. In the electronic spectra of hexacoordinated complexes, two charge-transfer transition bands, one at ~375 nm and the other at ~421 nm can be observed. We attribute the band at 375 nm to charge-transfer from axial ligand to macrocycle (CT Lax ® Pc) and the band at 421 nm to charge-transfer from metal to axial ligand (CT Fe ® Lax). In the IR spectra, the position of the n FeN4 band is linked to the coordination number; in the spectra of pentacoordinated complexes, its frequency is almost the same as that in the FePc spectrum but in hexacoordinated complexes, it moves to high frequencies. (Received September 10, 2001; revised February 26, 2002) Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2002, 16(1), 73-79

Évaluation des risques de pollution en métaux lourds (Hg, Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, Zn) des eaux et des sédiments de l’estuaire du fleuve Konkouré (Rep. de Guinée)

Au cours de cette étude nous avons mesuré les paramètres physicochimiques (T°C, pH, Salinité, oxygène dissous, turbidité) in situ par un appareil multi paramètre portatif HI 9828 Hanna et les teneurs en métaux lourds (cadmium, plomb, zinc, cobalt, nickel et mercure) ont été données par spectrométrie d’absorption atomique dans les eaux et les sédiments prélevés au mois d’avril. A la basse des résultats obtenus au niveau des paramètres physico-chimiques et chimiques mesurés dans l’eau et dans les sédiments, nous avons constaté une légère diminution de la salinité en avril, le pH est proche de la neutralité avec une faible mobilité des métaux et une élévation de la teneur de l’oxygène dissous et de la turbidité au niveau des stations K15 et K16 soumises aux influences directes des eaux marines oxygénées et des rejets des eaux usées du village de l’île Bokhinènè. Les teneurs des métaux lourds à l’exception du mercure et du cadmium qui ont des concentrations plus faibles dans les eaux et dans les sédiments sont élevées au niveau des stations de l’embouchure (K15 et K16); dans l’eau suivant l’ordre [Plomb (630µg/L)) > Cobalt (604µg/L) > Nickel (472µg/L) > Zinc (189µg/L)] et dans les sédiments suivant l’ordre [ Plomb (0,712µg/g) >Cobalt (0,665µg/g) > Nickel (0,616µg/g > Zinc (0,230µg/g), ], ce qui montre l’impact direct des déchets déversés au niveau de l’île de Bokhinènè, sur la qualité physico-chimique et métallique des eaux et des sédiments de l’estuaire.Mots-clés : pollution, eaux, métaux lourds, estuaire, Konkouré, Guinée.Risk assessment of heavy metal pollution (Hg, Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, Zn) in water and sediments of the river estuary (Rep. of GUINEA)During this study we measured physicochemical parameters (T ° C, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity) in situ by a multi parameter portable HI 9828 Hanna and concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, zinc, cobalt , nickel and mercury) were given by atomic absorption spectrometry in water and sediment collected in April. On the basis of results obtained at the physico-chemical and chemical measured in water and sediments, we found a slight decrease in salinity, pH is near neutrality with a low mobility of metals and elevated levels of dissolved oxygen and turbidity at stations K15 and K16 subject to the direct influence of oxygenated marine waters and discharges of wastewater from the village of the island Bokhinènè. The contents of heavy metals except mercury and cadmium concentrations were lower in the water and sediment are high at the mouth stations (K15 and K16) in water according to the order [Lead (630µg / L))> Cobalt (604µg / L)> Nickel (472µg / L)> Zinc (189µg / L)] and sediments in the order [Lead (0.712 mg / g)> Cobalt (0.665 mg / g)> Nickel (0.616 mg / g> Zinc (0.230 mg / g)] which leads us to believe the direct impact of the waste dumped at the island Bokhinènè on physic-chemical quality metal and water and sediment of the estuary.Keywords : pollution, heavy metals, water, sediments, estuary, Konkouré, Guinea

Modular classes of Poisson-Nijenhuis Lie algebroids

The modular vector field of a Poisson-Nijenhuis Lie algebroid $A$ is defined and we prove that, in case of non-degeneracy, this vector field defines a hierarchy of bi-Hamiltonian $A$-vector fields. This hierarchy covers an integrable hierarchy on the base manifold, which may not have a Poisson-Nijenhuis structure.Comment: To appear in Letters in Mathematical Physic

The WHO five keys to safer food: A tool for food safety health promotion

Foodborne diseases continue to be significant causes of morbidity and mortality within the African Region. Many cases of foodborne disease occur due to basic errors in food preparation or handling either in food service establishments or at home. Educating food handlers, including consumers, therefore, can significantly reduce the chances of contracting food-borne illnesses and the effects of outbreaks, as well as improve public health. Food safety education programmes need to particularly target certain segments of the population who, either directly have a role in food preparation and/or have increased vulnerability to foodborne diseases. In response to the increasing need to educate food handlers, including consumers about their responsibilities for assuring the safety of food, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a health promotion campaign around five simple rules, "the five keys to safer food" to help ensure food safety during food handling and preparation. The core messages of the WHO five keys to safer food are: keep clean; separate raw and cooked; cook thoroughly; keep food at safe temperatures; and use safe water and raw materials. These messages have been adapted to different target audiences and settings such as healthy food markets; emergency situations such as prevention of outbreaks; food safety for travellers; preparation of mass gathering events; streetvended foods; training of women; and growing of safer fruits and vegetables. Educational projects targeting different types of food handlers, high-risk groups andsettings are being implemented in several countries in the African Region. This article discusses how the WHO five keys to safer food have been used as a tool for food safety education. Experiences of selected countries in the African Region in the promotion of the WHO five keys to safer food in different settings are presented. It further discusses opportunities and future perspectives in the promotion of the WHO five keys to safer food in the African Region