Compost and fertilizer mineralization effects on soil and harvest in parkland agroforestry systems in the south-Sudanese zone of Burkina Faso

Decomposition of, and the subsequent nutrient release from tree leaf litter as well as external inputs of nutrients are important in the traditional agroforestry parklands of West Africa. The management of nutrient resources is essential to optimize crop performance and soil fertility. To explore temporal and spatial nutrient release in such management options has been the overall objective of this study. Specifically, this thesis investigated: (i) decomposition patterns and nutrient release from litters of Faidherbia albida and Vitellaria paradoxa; (ii) limitation of microbial respiration, as a result of low nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the F. albida and V. paradoxa parklands; and (iii) the effects of applications of combined compost and urea on maize yield in the F. albida and V. paradoxa parklands. The litter of F. albida lost more mass and nutrients than litter of V. paradoxa. However, the decomposition rate of V. paradoxa increased in the presence of F. albida litter or following the application of inorganic fertilizers. Soil microbial respiration was mainly limited by P-fixation, but N was also limiting. Two microbial growth peaks were observed when excess carbon and P were present, suggesting that either two pools of N are sequentially available to microbes or that two microbial communities do exist. Respiration tests also indicated that P and N availability to microorganisms were higher under the canopy than outside it. Maize yield was similar with the addition of urea, compost, or a combination of compost and urea, if applied at an equivalent N-content. However, in the driest year, the combination of compost and urea had the greatest effect in the increase of maize yield as compared with control treatments. The maize yield under the canopies of F. albida was up to 2.3 times the yield outside the canopies, while under the canopies of V. paradoxa it was 0.6 to 0.8 times the yield outside the canopies. The yield under the canopy was relatively better in dry year. Compost-N and inorganic fertilizer-N recoveries in maize shoot biomass were low, indicating that a large proportion of maize shoot-N is derived from the soil. Also, under the canopy of F. albida, the proportion of N derived from fertilizer in maize shoot was lower compared with that outside the canopy, implying that the soil N-pool was more readily available to plants under trees. In conclusion, there is a potential to improve the decomposition rate of V. paradoxa litter by inorganic fertilizer application or by mixing it with F. albida litter. Thus, the litter of V. paradoxa can be a useful to improve soil quality, rather than being burnt as is nowadays practiced by the farmers. Application of combined compost and inorganic fertilizer offers a management option that is cheaper than only inorganic fertilizers and more manageable than only compost applications

Understanding and Operationalising Rapport Building in Police and Probation Interviews

Rapport building is effective for fostering a comfortable environment and facilitating communication between interacting parties in many professional interviewing contexts (e.g., therapy, counselling). Rapport is also recommended in forensic contexts, such as interviews between police officers and witnesses/suspects, or between probation officers and their service users. However, little research exists investigating how police and probation officers conceptualise rapport, how rapport can be operationalised for practice, or what impact rapport has on forensic interviews; research that does exist has several limitations. The current thesis aimed to address these current gaps in knowledge. Study 1 investigated the impact of clusters of verbal and non-verbal rapport behaviours (separately and combined) on mock witness memory, finding that non-verbal behaviours were highly effective towards establishing rapport and guiding memory recall, while verbal behaviours had negative or inconsequential effects. Study 2 investigated the views of UK police officers regarding rapport building when interviewing suspects, finding that officers generally regarded rapport as a positive relationship that enhanced communication and increased information gain, and they reported using several verbal and non-verbal rapport behaviours in practice – although, a minority of participants disagreed. Finally, study 3 investigated the views of probation officers regarding rapport building with service users. Again, rapport was regarded as having a positive impact on supervision and participant views were conceptualised into a general rapport-building process, but a myriad of organisational barriers hindered following this process effectively in practice. This research provides a unique insight into rapport, both by showing how forensic interviewers use rapport in practice and the challenges they face, but also by providing evidence of several rapport behaviours that can be used easily and effectively in forensic interviews. Thus, a novel contribution to the current rapport literature is made, and several key implications for Police/Probation services, as well as future research are highlighted

Length-weight relationships of commercially important marine fishes and shellfishes of the southern coast of Karnataka, India

The parameters of the length-weight relationship of the form W = aLb are presented for 51 species of commercially important marine fishes and shellfishes caught along the southern coast of Karnataka, India. Samples from commercial (trawl, purse seines, gill nets) and artisanal gears were taken during August 1999 to May 2001. The ‘b’ value ranged between 1.942 and 3.616 with a mean of 2.80, standard deviation of 0.32, and mode of 3

To the sister I never had

Poem by Zacharia Hedie

The liturgy of the Mar Thoma Syrian church of Malabar in the light of its history

This thesis is an evaluation of the Divine Liturgy of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, from a historical perspective. The Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, as it is officially known, is an Oriental Reformed Church with its head quarters at Tiruvalla in Kerala State, the south west coast of India. The Christians of Kerala are known as Syrians, owing to their descent from the immigrants of Persia and through die use of the Syrian liturgy as well. The first chapter gives the common history of the Syrian Christian community of Kerala. Owing to die change of die Western political powers that ruled India from time to time, this community has been fragmented into different Christian denominations. It ipso-facto adopted different liturgies viz. die Chaldean (East Syrian), Roman (Latin), Antiochian (West Syrian), Anglican etc. Only Antiochian liturgy comes in the scope of this study. The second chapter describes the different stages of the Antiochian connection and the distinctive features of its liturgy. Tradition and renewal are not contrary but complimentary. Tradition enables to become part of the past and renewal helps to be relevant. Negation of either results in imbalance. The touch-stone of die two is to be die Scripture. The third chapter describes the impact of the Scripture in the Syrian Reformation of the 19th century and the fourth chapter, the consequent developments in the Syrian Church. The fifth chapter gives die different stages of the liturgical revisions in die Mar Thoma Church. The sixth chapter shows that the said Reformation was an earnest endeavour of correction rather than abolition. It resulted in the revision of the Antiochian liturgy at certain points. Like die other Eastern and Oriental Churches the doctrines of the Mar Thoma Church are also embedded in its liturgy. The liturgy proves its accordance with the Scriptures and Canons