Agricultural Techniques and Impacts on Biodiversity

This study aims to objectify the impact of the use of traditional agricultural techniques on biodiversity, in particular on the disappearance of plant and animal species. The data presented here come from a socio-environmental survey conducted in the central Moungo region in 2013-2014 and whose data collection was done through questionnaires, field observations and semi-structured interviews. The analysis of maps of the region at different periods (2001, 2007, and 2013) in order to understand the evolution of the vegetation cover completed our methodology. From the analysis of the data, it appears that the agricultural techniques used (slash-and-burn agriculture, plowing, regular polyculture, excessive use of pesticides) by farmers in Mélong have an impact on biodiversity in that they contribute to the decline of vegetation, soil depletion and the disappearance of certain plant and animal species. In conclusion, we believe that farmers should take their environment into account when developing their farming techniques, and thus practice sustainable agriculture

Signifikansi Desentralisasi Kehutanan Bagi Implementasi REDD+ di Kabupaten Maluku Tengah

Indonesia is one of the world's most promising countries for the implementation of policies for reduced deforestation as an element in climate change mitigation. REDD+ has been established as a recognized recipe for International cooperation and economic funds transfer for tropical forest conservation. However, the implementation of REDD+, in Indonesia and elsewhere, is slow to materialize and meets lots of skepticism. Special challenges are related to site selection and opportunity costs, tenure and land conflicts, income distribution, and adjustments to cultural contexts and respect for indigenous peoples' rights. This paper takes as a starting point some empirical studies of potential implementation of REDD+ projects in Maluku Tengah district, Indonesia. We conclude that REDD+ implementation will enhance elogical and economic benefits in the society. The paper will then discuss how forest decentralization needs to be promoted to facilitate for REDD+ implementation in Indonesia

Risk Assessment of Spent Nuclear Fuel Facilities Considering Climate Change

Natural hazards have the capability to affect technological installations, triggering multiple failures and putting the population and the surrounding environment at risk. Global climate change introduces an additional and not negligible element of uncertainty to the vulnerability quantification, threatening to intensify (both in terms of frequency and severity) the occurrence of extreme climate events. Sea level extremes and extreme coastal high waters are expected to change in the future as a result of both changes in atmospheric storminess and mean sea level rise, as well as extreme precipitation events. These trends clearly suggest a parallel increase in the risks affecting technological installations and the subsequent need for mitigation measures to enhance the reliability of existing systems and to improve the design standards of new facilities. In spite of this situation, the scientific research in this field lacks robust and reliable tools for this kind of assessment, often relying on the adoption of oversimplified models or strong assumptions, which affect the credibility of the results. The main purpose of this study is to provide a novel and general model for the evaluation of the risk of exposure of spent nuclear fuel stored in a facility subject to flood hazard, investigating the potential and limitations of Bayesian networks (BNs) in this field. The network aims to model the interaction between extreme weather conditions and the technological installation, as well as the propagation of failures within the system itself, taking into account the dependencies among the different components and the occurrence of human error. A real-world application concerning the nuclear power station of Sizewell B in East Anglia, in the United Kingdom, is extensively described, together with the models and data set used. Results are presented for three different time scenarios in which climate change projections have been adopted to estimate future risk

Robust vulnerability analysis of nuclear facilities subject to external hazards

Natural hazards have the potential to trigger complex chains of events in technological installations leading to disastrous effects for the surrounding population and environment. The threat of climate change of worsening extreme weather events exacerbates the need for new models and novel methodologies able to capture the complexity of the natural-technological interaction in intuitive frameworks suitable for an interdisciplinary field such as that of risk analysis. This study proposes a novel approach for the quantification of risk exposure of nuclear facilities subject to extreme natural events. A Bayesian Network model, initially developed for the quantification of the risk of exposure from spent nuclear material stored in facilities subject to flooding hazards, is adapted and enhanced to include in the analysis the quantification of the uncertainty affecting the output due to the imprecision of data available and the aleatory nature of the variables involved. The model is applied to the analysis of the nuclear power station of Sizewell B in East Anglia (UK), through the use of a novel computational tool. The network proposed models the direct effect of extreme weather conditions on the facility along several time scenarios considering climate change predictions as well as the indirect effects of external hazards on the internal subsystems and the occurrence of human error. The main novelty of the study consists of the fully computational integration of Bayesian Networks with advanced Structural Reliability Methods, which allows to adequately represent both aleatory and epistemic aspects of the uncertainty affecting the input through the use of probabilistic models, intervals, imprecise random variables as well as probability bounds. The uncertainty affecting the output is quantified in order to attest the significance of the results and provide a complete and effective tool for risk-informed decision making

Vulnerability of hydropower installations to climate change : preliminary study

The climate trends observed worldwide over the past few decades appear to corroborate the concerns of the scientific community about the many threats posed by global warming. Future changes of the current climate are expected to occur on different scales all around the globe, hence modifying the environmental background on the basis of which technological installations have been designed and operated. This can potentially threat the safety of the installations as well as their. The development of suitable tools aiming to predict the impact of climate change on technological installations is then essential in the wider context of climate change mitigation. Hydropower installations play often a crucial role not only as a long-term renewable resource of energy but also for flood control and water supply in the case of droughts. All these aspects highlight the increasing importance of such installations as well as their growing vulnerability to natural hazards. It is hence essential to enlarge the current understanding of the interaction mechanisms between such installations and the changing surrounding environment in order to take adequate measures for climate change adaptation and ensure the future safety and productivity of hydropower production. The current study aims to provide a novel model for the evaluation of the impact of climate change on the safety of hydropower stations. The approach adopted allows to include in the model the uncertainty inevitably associated with the input variables and to propagate such uncertainty within the analysis. The model proposed is finally applied to a realistic case-study in order to highlight its potential and limitations

Customary Payment to Achieve A Justice in The Land Disputes

The indigenous people of South Konawe highly uphold the Tolaki customary law from ancient times to the present, namely through the Kalosara media, which is considered very sacred to its existence. Land dispute resolution through customary payment has a purpose to restore disturbed conditions caused by the disputing parties. This research examines and describes the implementation of customary payments for land disputes, whether it can fulfill a sense of justice for the indigenous people of South Konawe. The research uses some secondary data through literature studies and primary data through the interview. The result indicates that the customary payment in giving a sense of justice in land disputes in South Konawe is considerably applicable. However, a comprehensive study is needed to find the justice which is aspired by the Tolaki Indigenous People in South Konawe.

PENEGAKAN HUKUM TERHADAP PENAMBANGAN EMAS TANPA PERIZINAN BERUSAHA DI KABUPATEN BOMBANA

This article discusses law enforcement against gold mining without a business license in Bombana Regency. This type of research uses empirical normative legal research, using a theoretical approach. The legal materials used are primary legal materials obtained through interviews, and secondary legal materials obtained through library studies, then analyzed qualitatively. The results show that enforcement The law against gold mining without a business license in Bombana Regency is not optimal. This is due to humanitarian considerations, in which this activity is the only livelihood that can meet the economic needs of the household members of the gold mining community without a business permit. Business permits in the gold mining sector are difficult to obtain, and it is also a consideration that law enforcement has not been carried out against community members who carry out gold mining activities without a business license in Bombana Regency.Keywords: Gold Mining, No Business Licensing, Bombana Regency. ABSTRAKArtikel ini membahas tentang penegakan hukum terhadap penambangan emas tanpa perizinan berusaha di Kabupaten Bombana. Jenis penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian hukum normatif empiris, dengan menggunakan pendekatan teori (theoretical approach. Bahan hukum yang digunakan adalah bahan hukum primer yang diperoleh melalui wawancara, dan bahan hukum sekunder yang diperoleh melalui studi kepustakaan, kemudian dianalisis secara kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa penegakan hukum terhadap penambangan emas tanpa perizinan berusaha di Kabupaten Bombana, kurang maksimal. Hal itu dikarenakan pertimbangan kemanusian, yang mana kegiatan tersebut merupakan sebuah mata pencaharian satu-satunya yang dapat memenuhi kebutuhan perekonomian rumah tangga warga masyarakat penambang emas tanpa perizinan berusaha. Selain itu, proses perizinan berusaha dibidang penambangan emas yang sulit didapatkan, juga menjadi pertimbangan belum dilakukannya suatu penegakan hukum terhadap warga masyarakat yang melakukan aktifitas penambangan emas tanpa perizinan berusaha di Kabupaten Bombana. 

Anti-Malarial Activity and Toxicological Effect of Combined Corymbia Citriodora, Maytenus Senegalensis and Warbugia Ugandensis as Used in Traditional Medicine in Kenya

Malaria is majorly caused by Plasmodium falciparum resulting in thousands of deaths every year. In Africa, it is a key contributor to the disease burden notable in the disability adjusted life years (DALYs). About 243 million individuals are at a risk of contracting the disease and a higher rate of deaths are observed in children under the age of five. Conventional drugs are available at a subsidized rate but the rising problem is the resistance of the plasmodium parasite to these drugs. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of new and alternative therapeutics for treatment of malaria. In some regions in Kenya, parts of locally available plants are harvested and used for treating malaria. It is estimated that locally, 30% of the population relies on traditional medicine for treating various ailments due to the lack of infrastructure and accessible medical facilities especially in the rural areas. Warbugia ugandensis, Maytenus senegalensis and Corymbia citriodora are amongst the plants used in herbal medicine for the treatment of malaria. However, their combinatorial antimalarial efficacy and safety is yet to be determined hence the aim of this study. The plants were harvested from their natural habitats and transported to the Centre of Traditional Medicine and Drug Research (CTMDR) at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Nairobi. Antimalarial properties of single and combined extracts were analyzed against Plasmodium berghei in vivo. Cytotoxic properties of the plants were carried out against the vero cell-lines in vitro by the MTT assay. Acute oral toxicity was conducted according to the OECD protocol. Effective concentration (ED50), cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) and median lethal dose (LD50) were derived. The result indicated that the combination of M. senegalensis: W. ugandensis (1:1) had the most antimalarial activity at ED50 of 1.05mg/kg whereas among the single plants W. ugandensis had the highest antimalarial activity (ED50 of 3.3mg/kg). The combinations of C. citriodora: M. senegalensis: W. ugandensis (1:1:1), C. citriodora: M. senegalensis: W. ugandensis (1:0.5:1) and C. citriodora: M. senegalensis: W. ugandensis (0.5:1:0.5) showed cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) of 101.47±3.17 µg/ml, 213.55±3.47 µg/ml and 575.80±31.40 µg/ml respectively. All the plants combinations showed no cytotoxic effects. The synergistic antimalarial properties of combined C. citriodora: M. senegalensis, C. citriodora: W. ugandensis and M. senegalensis: W. ugandensis were confirmed as the extracts showed SFIC indexes of 0.67, 0.83 and 0.28 respectively. All the plant extracts demonstrated LD50 above 2000 mg/kg with no adverse effects hence recognized as safe. This study confirms the safety and antimalarial activities of these plants and justify their use in herbal medicine practices. The results of this study sets the precedence for the development of an antimalarial herbal formulation that is less toxic and more affordable.Keywords: Anti-Malarial Activity, Toxicological Effect, Traditional Medicine DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-22-04 Publication date: November 30th 202

Marketing Investment Selection and Effectiveness in Growth-Oriented Private Firms: Source of Capital and Market-Based Assets as Contingencies

Despite increasing attention to the financial implications of marketing investments in marketing literature, several aspects of the topic remain underresearched. Building on theories related to marketing investment effectiveness (i.e., corporate goal attainment through marketing investments), sources of capital (used to fund the investments), and market-based assets (e.g., brand equity, customer relationships), the present thesis empirically examines the marketing investments of privately-held firms whose main corporate goal is on business growth. Specifically, the present research addresses both (1) the selection of marketing activities by such firms, and (2) the effectiveness of the selected investment in terms of attaining the business growth goal. The specific research questions are: (1a) What kind of marketing activities do privately-held growth-oriented firms select to invest their external funding in?; (1b) How do (i) the source of funding and (ii) strategic factors such as market-based assets affect the selection of marketing investments?; and (2) What configurations of marketing investments, sources of funding, and strategic factors such as market-based assets are effective in attaining the business growth goal? The research questions are examined with a sample of 200 growth-oriented private firms, merging survey data on their marketing investment selection, and objective data on their financial business performance. The findings reveal how the source of capital and market-based assets as well as other strategic factors (e.g., business-to-consumer [B2C] vs. business-to-business [B2B] profile; business model) affect the selection of marketing investments, and the effectiveness of those investments for growth. Considering the effectiveness, the study indicates, for instance, that a combination of product development (PDM) investment, mass-produced product, debt funding, and extensive stocks of market-based assets was consistently associated with high growth in B2B context, while a combination of PDM investment, customized product, other equity funding (than entrepreneur herself), and modest stocks of domestic assets and assets abroad was associated with high growth in B2C context. Taken together, the findings further advance marketing science and practice by increasing understanding of the financial implications of marketing investments and, specifically, the roles of source of capital and market-based assets in marketing investment selection and effectiveness

A computational tool for Bayesian networks enhanced with reliability methods

A computational framework for the reduction and computation of Bayesian Networks enhanced with structural reliability methods is presented. During the last decades, the inner flexibility of the Bayesian Network method, its intuitive graphical structure and the strong mathematical background have attracted increasing interest in a large variety of applications involving joint probability of complex events and dependencies. Furthermore, the fast growing availability of computational power on the one side and the implementation of robust inference algorithms on the other, have additionally promoted the success of this method. Inference in Bayesian Networks is limited to only discrete variables (with the only exception of Gaussian distributions) in case of exact algorithms, whereas approximate approach allows to handle continuous distributions but can either result computationally inefficient or have unknown rates of convergence. This work provides a valid alternative to the traditional approach without renouncing to the reliability and robustness of exact inference computation. The methodology adopted is based on the combination of Bayesian Networks with structural reliability methods and allows to integrate random and interval variables within the Bayesian Network framework in the so called Enhanced Bayesian Networks. In the following, the computational algorithms developed are described and a simple structural application is proposed in order to fully show the capability of the tool developed