The Reform and Harmonization of Commercial Laws in the East African Community

The partner states in the East African Community (EAC) have modernized their commercial laws to claim their post-colonial identity and facilitate development. While law reform and the harmonization of laws are both methods of shaping laws, the national law reform programmes in the EAC mainly aim to ensure that the laws reflect the domestic socioeconomic circumstances, in contrast to the harmonization of national commercial laws, which focuses on the attainment of economic development. This article observes that the reformed and harmonized commercial laws in the EAC are mainly legal transplants of the principles of transnational commercial law that have been adapted to meet domestic needs and aspirations

Securing Effective Regulation of the Shadow Banking System

This article examines the recent regulatory reforms of the shadow banking system and why they were necessary. Using securitisation, securities financing and money market funds as illustrations, the article concludes that the diverse and extensive new regulations on shadow banking are likely to succeed because they build upon some core principles that have been trialled elsewhere in the contemporary and wider financial regulation. While those core principles extend the boundaries of conventional banking regulation, they aim to accomplish the same objective of financial stability. Viewed in that light, the article concludes, the new regulations on shadow banking constitute an evolutionary positive step that fortifies the core principles of modern financial regulation

Are traditional institutions effective in regulating forest use and sustaining forest resources? experience from Nyumba-Nitu, Southern Highlands, Tanzania

Tanzania is among countries challenged by deforestation. Policies responsible for management of forests in the country have changed since pre-independence to-date mainly to address deforestation. The National Forest Policy of 1998 and Forest Act Cap 323 [R.E. 2002] both promoteparticipatory forest management through which traditional institutions are officially recognized. This study investigated the effectiveness of traditional institutions in forest management. The study used Nyumba-Nitu Traditional Forest Reserve (NTFR) as a case study and monitored tree and shrub species diversity and stand stocking. Generally, results reveal that traditional institutions are accepted and receive high respect by public at local level. This is because traditional institutional frameworks take care interest of local people. Access and user rights to NTFR are granted by ritual leaders. The study found that forest stocking was not statistically different between surveys carried out in 2002 and 2009. Similarly, results on forest stocking depict an inverse J-shaped curve (size class  distribution)  which is a sign of stable stand characterized by regeneration and active recruitment of trees and shrubs. This is due to regulated access and forest use. The study concludes that traditional institutions are effective in controlling forest use and sustaining forest resources.Key words: Nyumba-Nitu - traditional institutions – forest use - forest stocking - species diversit

Within and between-species competition and individual tree growth in a young jack pine-aspen stand

The competitive relationship between jack pine (Finns banksiana Lamb.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) was studied in an 8-year-old mixed stand in North Central Ontario, Canada. During the summer of 1984, a total of 298 subject trees were selected at random within the stand. Half of the study trees were jack pine, the other half aspen. From the trees neighbouring each subject tree, competitor trees were identified by means of a modified horizontal point sample centered on the subject tree. The data include a wide range of conditions with respect to both stand density and composition. Subject trees were measured for initial size (stemwood volume, stem radius at stump height and height) and the 1983 annual increment of the same size attributes. Live crown ratio at the time of sampling was also measured. The current annual increment data were analysed with respect to initial subject tree size and competitive environment by means of multiple linear regression. The objective was to investigate a hierarchy of mutually exclusive hypotheses regarding the nature of the competitive interaction between the 2 study species. The results indicate that jack pine and aspen responded differently to competition, and that the competitive effect of the jack pine component was different than that of the aspen component when both species occurred in a mixture. Specifically, the annual volume increment and annual radial increment of aspen subject trees was affected only by the aspen component of the competing stand. The annual volume increment and annual radial increment of jack pine subject trees, on the other hand, were affected by both the jack pine and aspen components of the competing stand. Although the study is of limited scope, it does provide some interesting insights into the possible dynamics of mixed stands of these important, and commonly associated, boreal species. The work also gives some indication that the competitive effect of aspen on jack pine may be sufficiently strong to warrant the consideration of silvicultural control in situations where jack pine is the crop species

Severe neurological sequelae and behaviour problems after cerebral malaria in Ugandan children

BACKGROUND: Cerebral malaria is the most severe neurological complication of falciparum malaria and a leading cause of death and neuro-disability in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to describe functional deficits and behaviour problems in children who survived cerebral malaria with severe neurological sequelae and identify patterns of brain injury. FINDINGS: Records of children attending a specialist child neurology clinic in Uganda with severe neurological sequelae following cerebral malaria between January 2007 and December 2008 were examined to describe deficits in gross motor function, speech, vision and hearing, behaviour problems or epilepsy. Deficits were classified according to the time of development and whether their distribution suggested a focal or generalized injury. Any resolution during the observation period was also documented. Thirty children with probable exposure to cerebral malaria attended the clinic. Referral information was inadequate to exclude other diagnoses in 7 children and these were excluded. In the remaining 23 patients, the commonest severe deficits were spastic motor weakness (14), loss of speech (14), hearing deficit (9), behaviour problems (11), epilepsy (12), blindness (12) and severe cognitive impairment (9). Behaviour problems included hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattentiveness as in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorders with aggressive, self injurious or destructive behaviour. Two patterns were observed; a) immediate onset deficits present on discharge and b) late onset deficits. Some deficits e.g. blindness, resolved within 6 months while others e.g. speech, showed little improvement over the 6-months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to previously described neurological and cognitive sequelae, severe behaviour problems may follow cerebral malaria in children. The observed differences in patterns of sequelae may be due to different pathogenic mechanisms, brain regions affected or extent of injury. Cerebral malaria may be used as a new model to study the pathogenesis of ADHD

Testing the generality of above-ground biomass allometry across plant functional types at the continent scale

Accurate ground-based estimation of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems is critical to quantifying the global carbon budget. Allometric models provide cost-effective methods for biomass prediction. But do such models vary with ecoregion or plant functional type? We compiled 15,054 measurements of individual tree or shrub biomass from across Australia to examine the generality of allometric models for prediction above-ground biomass. This provided a robust case study because Australia includes ecoregions ranging from arid shrublands to tropical rainforests, and has a rich history of biomass research, particularly in planted forests. Regardless of ecoregion, for five broad categories of plant functional type (shrubs; multi-stemmed trees; trees of the genus Eucalyptus and closely related genera; other trees of high wood density; and other trees of low wood density), relationships between biomass and stem diameter were generic. Simple power-law models explained 84-95% of the variation in biomass, with little improvement in model performance when other plant variables (height, bole wood density), or site characteristics (climate, age, management) were included. Predictions of stand-based biomass from allometric models of varying levels of generalisation (species-specific, plant functional type) were validated using whole-plot harvest data from 17 contrasting stands (range: 9 to 356 Mg ha(-1) ). Losses in efficiency of prediction were < 1% if generalised models were used in place of species-specific models. Furthermore, application of generalised multi-species models did not introduce significant bias in biomass prediction in 92% of the 53 species tested. Further, overall efficiency of stand-level biomass prediction was 99%, with a mean absolute prediction error of only 13%. Hence, for cost-effective prediction of biomass across a wide range of stands, we recommend use of generic allometric models based on plant functional types. Development of new species-specific models is only warranted when gains in accuracy of stand-based predictions are relatively high (e.g. high-value monocultures). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Height-diameter allometry and above ground biomass in tropical montane forests: Insights from the Albertine Rift in Africa

Tropical montane forests provide an important natural laboratory to test ecological theory. While it is well-known that some aspects of forest structure change with altitude, little is known on the effects of altitude on above ground biomass (AGB), particularly with regard to changing height-diameter allometry. To address this we investigate (1) the effects of altitude on height-diameter allometry, (2) how different height-diameter allometric models affect above ground biomass estimates; and (3) how other forest structural, taxonomic and environmental attributes affect above ground biomass using 30 permanent sample plots (1-ha; all trees ≥ 10 cm diameter measured) established between 1250 and 2600 m asl in Kahuzi Biega National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Forest structure and species composition differed with increasing altitude, with four forest types identified. Different height-diameter allometric models performed better with the different forest types, as trees got smaller with increasing altitude. Above ground biomass ranged from 168 to 290 Mg ha-1, but there were no significant differences in AGB between forests types, as tree size decreased but stem density increased with increasing altitude. Forest structure had greater effects on above ground biomass than forest diversity. Soil attributes (K and acidity, pH) also significantly affected above ground biomass. Results show how forest structural, taxonomic and environmental attributes affect above ground biomass in African tropical montane forests. They particularly highlight that the use of regional height-diameter models introduces significant biases in above ground biomass estimates, and that different height-diameter models might be preferred for different forest types, and these should be considered in future studies