Chemical Self-Enrichment of HII Regions by the Wolf-Rayet Phase of an 85 Msun star

It is clear from stellar evolution and from observations of WR stars that massive stars are releasing metal-enriched gas through their stellar winds in the Wolf-Rayet phase. Although HII region spectra serve as diagnostics to determine the present-day chemical composition of the interstellar medium, it is far from being understood to what extent the HII gas is already contaminated by chemically processed stellar wind. Therefore, we analyzed our models of radiative and wind bubbles of an isolated 85 Msun star with solar metallicity (Kr\"oger et al. 2006) with respect to the chemical enrichment of the circumstellar HII region. Plausibly, the hot stellar wind bubble (SWB) is enriched with 14N during the WN phase and even much higher with 12C and 16O during the WC phase of the star. During the short period that the 85 Msun star spends in the WC stage enriched SWB material mixes with warm HII gas of solar abundances and thus enhances the metallicity in the HII region. However, at the end of the stellar lifetime the mass ratios of the traced elements N and O in the warm ionized gas are insignificantly higher than solar, whereas an enrichment of 22 % above solar is found for C. Important issues from the presented study comprise a steeper radial gradient of C than O and a decreasing effect of self-enrichment for metal-poor galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&A Letter

Case Studies on Globalization and Money Laundering

Financial globalization has greatly improved the efficiency of capital transfers around the world, with the cost of facilitating criminal money laundering activities. Based on case studies on conditions for money laundering in the process of globalization and transformation in Europe, are discussed the challenges that a “global financial village” must confront.capital mobility, fight against capital/money laundering; payment systems, cooperation for financial stability

Impact of different Agricultural Systems and Patterns of Consumption on Greenhouse-Gas Emissions in Austria

Agricultural systems as well as consumer patterns influence the green house gas emissions. Therefore, we analysed different farming systems, consumption patterns and seasonal oriented food consumption. Whereas conventional production and the current meat oriented nutrition patterns lead to high green house gas emissions, there is a tremendous reduction potential, if products are organically produced and if there is a shift to vegetarian-based diets.. Nevertheless, there is a need for research in terms of data quality, and a differentiation of farming systems as well as nutrition patterns

Effect of plant biomass and their incorporation depth on organic wheat produc-tion in Kenya

Intensive agricultural technologies introduced in Africa some six decades ago paved the way for extensive land clearing and destruction of organic materials, development of high yielding crop varieties under monoculture and replacement of landraces. Si-multaneously, pesticides and antibiotics for use in agricultural pest and disease control were being developed and soon the face of agriculture was transformed by what was termed the Green Revolution. However, the apparent success accruing from such heavy investment was short-lived since the system would easily succumb to soil erosion, reduced soil organic matter, environmental pollution and pest and disease outbreaks. The inevitable result is the inability of land to sustain food productivity and worsening poverty. In response to these dangers, organic agriculture is considered a viable approach which meets the critical need for food security, food safety, as well as human and environmental health. The use of naturally occurring and locally available farm inputs such are plant materials, animal manures and mineral nutrient rich rock ores such as rock phosphates as plant nutrient sources are instrumental in refurbish-ing soil fertility in a sustainable and economical way. In this experiment, green ma-nures derived from Tithonia diversifolia, Dolichos lablab and Tephrosia vogelli were evaluated for their effect on the performance of organically grown wheat. These mate-rials were incorporated at different soil depths namely; 0 cm (mulch), 15 cm and 30 cm deep. Rock phosphate was used as a source of phosphorus and wheat was planted 2 weeks after incorporation. Significant yield increase (15% higher than the untreated control) was observed in the Tithonia treatment. This was attributed to the high nutri-ent concentrations and the quick release of these nutrients in the tissues of Tithonia. Shallow applications of the plant materials also gave better responses than deep application. Apparently, shallow applications are appropriate for shallow rotted crops like wheat. It was concluded that locally available plant material of high nutrient con-centrations which decompose easily to release its nutrients can complement other soil management packages for organic crops in Kenya

Recognizing and realizing the potential of organic agriculture in Kenya

Formal organic agriculture in Kenya dates back to the early eighties when the first pioneer organic training institutions were established. During the same period, a few horticultural companies started growing organic vegetables for export. Initial efforts to promote organic agriculture in Kenya were made by rural development non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith based organizations and community based organizations (CBOs). They seek to help rural farmers in addressing the issue of declining agricultural productivity (especially the degradation of soils and natural resource base), high poverty incidences, food insecurity and low incomes which pre-vented farmers from assessing high costs inputs. Currently Kenya has five major players in organic agriculture namely Kitale-based Manor House Agricultural Center, Baraka College in Molo, the Sustainable Agriculture Community Development Pro-gram in Thika, the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF), a training center on the outskirts Kenya’s capital Nairobi, and the Association for Better Land Husbandry (ABLH), headquartered in Nairobi. The organic sector is relatively small; however, it is growing very fast, led mainly by NGOs and private sector (companies growing organic produce for export). Exports of organic products have been taking place for the last two decades, mainly with vegetables and fruits produced on large scale farms. Over the years exports have developed beyond vegetables and fruits to include other prod-ucts such as essential oils, dried herbs and spices as well as products for the cos-metic and pharmaceutical industries which are more often produced by smallholders. Currently, there are five international certifiers operating in Kenya, namely: the Soil Association (SA), EcoCert International; IMO (Institute for Market Ecology); USDA’s (United States Department of Agriculture) National Organic Programme (NOP) and Bio Suisse

Potentials of Organic Farming in the Region of Marchfeld (Austria)

Marchfeld is one of the most important crop production regions in Austria. High input agriculture causes environmental problems, especially groundwater pollution by nitrate and pesticides, decline of soil fertility and ecosystem diversity. While Austria has about 8.3 % certified organic farms, Marchfeld has only 1.5 %. The presented study was carried out in order to investigate the potentials of organic farming for solving environmental problems. The main interest of this work is the present economic and social situation of organic agriculture, its environmental effects and the identification of factors that support or hamper the further increase of organic farming in this regio

Ökologischer Kreislauf Moorbad Harbach: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Agricultural Plant Production and Transportation

In 1992 the community of Moorbad Harbach (Austria), located near the border of the Czech Republic and dominated by extensive agricultural practice on small scale farms, decided to initiate activities for regional devolopment. About 40 farms (27 %) converted to organic farming, a local marketing service as well as regional food processing businesses (slaughterhouse, dairy), operating as linkages between regional agriculture and the local spa hotel were founded. The basic idea for the work presented here was to evaluate the – especially ecological – consequences of such a regional conversion. One part of this attempt of evaluation was carried out as a LCA for the agricultural production in Moorbad Harbach. The emphasis of the study was to compare plant production before and after the regional conversion to organic farming. In another step changes in transportation distances and quantities with special regard to transport of raw milk and milk products were quantified