The Impact of Charcoal Production on Forest Degradation: a Case Study in Tete, Mozambique

Charcoal production for urban energy consumption is a main driver of forest degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. Urban growth projections for the continent suggest that the relevance of this process will increase in the coming decades. Forest degradation associated to charcoal production is difficult to monitor and commonly overlooked and underrepresented in forest cover change and carbon emission estimates. We use a multi-temporal dataset of very high-resolution remote sensing images to map kiln locations in a representative study area of tropical woodlands in central Mozambique. The resulting maps provided a characterization of the spatial extent and temporal dynamics of charcoal production. Using an indirect approach we combine kiln maps and field information on charcoal making to describe the magnitude and intensity of forest degradation linked to charcoal production, including aboveground biomass and carbon emissions. Our findings reveal that forest degradation associated to charcoal production in the study area is largely independent from deforestation driven by agricultural expansion and that its impact on forest cover change is in the same order of magnitude as deforestation. Our work illustrates the feasibility of using estimates of urban charcoal consumption to establish a link between urban energy demands and forest degradation. This kind of approach has potential to reduce uncertainties in forest cover change and carbon emission assessments in sub-Saharan Africa

Il conflitto dei valori

To estimate the prevalence, incidence and determinants of herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2) infection, and associations between HSV-2 and incident HIV infection, among women at higher risk for HIV infection in Beira, Mozambique.Between 2009 and 2012, 411 women aged 18-35 years at higher risk of HIV acquisition (defined as having had two or more sexual partners in the month prior to study enrollment) were enrolled and followed monthly for one year. At each study visit, they were counseled, interviewed, and tested for HSV-2 and HIV antibodies.The HSV-2 prevalence at baseline was 60.6% (95% CI: 55.7% -65.4%). Increasing age (aOR = 2.94, 95% CI: 1.74-4.97, P<0.001 and aOR = 3.39, 95% CI: 1.58-7.29, P = 0.002 for age groups of 21-24 and 25-35 years old respectively), lower educational level (aOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.09-3.02, P = 0.022), working full time (aOR = 8.56, 95% CI: 1.01-72.53, P = 0.049) and having practiced oral sex (aOR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.16-7.89, P = 0.024) were strongly associated with prevalent HSV-2 infection. Thirty one participants seroconverted for HSV-2 (20.5%; 95% CI: 14.4% -27.9%) and 22 for HIV during the study period. The frequency of vaginal sex with a casual partner using a condom in the last 7 days was independently associated with incident HSV-2 infection (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.05-3.47, P = 0.034). Positive HSV-2 serology at baseline was not significantly associated with risk of subsequent HIV seroconversion.Young women engaging in risky sexual behaviors in Beira had high prevalence and incidence of HSV-2 infection. Improved primary HSV-2 control strategies are urgently needed in Beira

Determinants of baseline HSV-2 prevalence among 409 women, Beira, Mozambique.

<p>OR, odds ratio; CI, Confidence intervals; PP, primary partner; CP, casual partner;</p><p>HSV-2, Herpes simplex virus type-2.</p><p>The total number of missing answers is 74.</p><p>? The following variables were also assessed for their association with prevalent HSV-2 but were not significant at the p<0.2 level in bivariable models:</p><p>Categorical variables: number of sexual partners, number of new sexual partners, oral sex with CP last month, anal sex with PP last month, anal sex with CP last month and frequency of vaginal sex with CP using condom last month.</p><p>Continuous variables: frequency of vaginal sex with PP last month, frequency of vaginal sex with CP last month, frequency of vaginal sex with PP using condom last 7 days and frequency of vaginal sex with CP using condom last 7 days.</p>b<p>Totals for the categories are not always equal to 409 because of missing data.</p>c<p>1 USD = 29.70 Meticais (Mt) as per 29/03/2013 (Millennium bim Bank).</p>d<p>Other Condoms/Copper IUD/Traditional.</p

Multivariable models of factors associated with HSV-2 incidence in high risk women in Beira, Mozambique.

<p>aOR, Adjusted Odds Ratio; *Continuous variables; R², Coefficient of Determination; AIC, Akaike Information Criterion; BIC, Bayesian Information Criterion; PP, Primary Partner; CP, Casual Partner.</p>a<p>The following variables were also assessed for their association with incident HSV-2 but were not significant at the p<0.2 level in bivariable models:</p><p>Categorical variables: education, employment status, family planning use, age at first sexual intercourse (years), number of sexual partners in the last month, number of new sexual partners in the last month, age of PP (years), ever exchanged sex, forced to have sex in the last month, PP had sex with others last 6 months, oral sex with PP in the last month, anal sex with PP in the last month, anal sex with CP in the last month, frequency of vaginal sex with PP using condom in the last month and frequency of vaginal sex with CP using condom in the last month.</p><p>Continuous variables: frequency vaginal sex with CP using condom in the last 7 days, frequency of vaginal sex with PP in the last month and frequency of vaginal sex with CP in the last month.</p

Kaplan-Meier curves for time to HIV seroconversion according to HSV-2 status at baseline.

<p>Kaplan-Meier curves for time to HIV seroconversion according to HSV-2 status at baseline.</p

Multivariable models of factors associated with HSV-2 prevalence in high risk women in Beira, Mozambique.

<p>R², Coefficient of Determination; AIC, Akaike Information Criterion; BIC, Bayesian Information Criterion;</p><p>Model I refers to the multivariable analysis of demographic/socioeconomic factors only;</p><p>Model II refers to the multivariable analysis of sexual behavior factors only, adjusted for age;</p><p>Model III refers to the multivariable analysis of both subgroups using cut off of P<0.20 in Models I and II.</p>a<p>‘Other’ Condoms/copper IUD/Traditional methods.</p

Prediction of ethanol self-administration in pre-weanling, adolescent, and young adult rats

Alcohol (ethanol) use is almost normative by late adolescence, in most western countries. It is important to identify factors that distinguish those who progress from alcohol initiation to sustained use of the drug, from those that keep a controlled pattern of drinking. The factors precipitating this transition may change across development. This study analyzed associations between behavioral endophenotypes and ethanol intake at three developmental periods. Exp. 1 measured ethanol drinking at postnatal day 18, via an intraoral infusion procedure, in male or female pre-weanling rats screened for anxiety response in the light-dark box test and for distance traveled in a novel open field. Exp. 2 measured, in juvenile/adolescent or young adult rats, the association between shelter seeking, exploratory/risk-taking behaviors, anxiety or hedonic responses, and ethanol intake. Ethanol intake in pre-weanlings was explained by distance traveled in a novel environment, whereas anxiety responses, measured in the multivariate concentric square field apparatus (MSCF), selectively predicted ethanol intake at adolescence, but not at adulthood. Those juvenile/adolescents with lower mean duration of visit to areas of the MSCF that evoke anxiogenic responses exhibited heightened ethanol intake. These findings suggest that the association between anxiety and ethanol intake may be specifically relevant during adolescence.Fil: Fernandez, Macarena Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; ArgentinaFil: Nizhnikov, Michael Edward. Southern Connecticut State University; Estados UnidosFil: García Virgolini, Rodrigo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; ArgentinaFil: Pautassi, Ricardo Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra; Argentina. Universidad de Córdoba; Españ