East Area Research Articles

Модифицированные черепа эпохи ранней и средней бронзы с территории Кавказа и Ближнего Востока

The author focuses on generalization of finds of artificially deformed skulls from the area of South Caucasus and Near East as well as on characterization of types of head shaping spread among the population of the studied region and Eurasia. The finds of modified skulls of the Early — Middle Bronze Ages are not so numerous. Among archaeological sites, the following ones were identified as having the traces of head shaped skulls: Uzun Rama, Kudurlu (Azerbaijan); Yupsy cave, Abkhazia (Georgia); Velikent, Manas-Dagestan (Russian Federation); Karatash, Resuloglu, Hayaz Höyük (Turkey); Vounous (Cyprus); Shahri Sohta (Iran). On the territory of South Caucasus fronto-occipital type of artificial deformation combined with a mild low variant of circular head shaping type prevailed. The skulls from Uzun Rama, Velikent, Karatash (some exemplars), Resuloglu, Hayaz Höyük and Vounous show some similarity by the types of artificial modification. Probably, in case of Uzun Rama and Velikent we are dealing with the influence of traditions from the Near East, while in case of Yupsy cave, Manas, Kudurlu — the source of innovation was influenced by steppe tribes of the Catacomb culture. Population of Karatash, Resuloglu and Hayaz Höyük inherited the tradition of changing head form from Chalcolithic times. The same can be observed for Cyprus, where artificially deformed skulls existed in the Neolithic period. In case of Shahri Sohta it is difficult in present days to define how this custom and its followers transitioned in the South-East Iran during the Early Bronze.

Detection of genes encoding enterotoxins (SEA-D) in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from workers' nasal samples and creamy pastries of Shiraz confectioneries.

Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for the majority of food poisoning all around the world. Nasal carriers of S. aureus and foodstuffs need for handling are important sources and vehicles to transmit this pathogen to ready-to-eat foods. According to hygienic standards, confectioners should not be contaminated with S. aureus. This study aimed to detect nasal carriers and creamy pastries contaminated with enterotoxigenic S. aureus in confectioneries of Shiraz, Iran. From the confectioneries of Shiraz city, 27 places in the north, south, center, west, and east areas were selected randomly then 100 creamy pastries samples and 117 nasal swabs were collected. Bacteriological and biochemical tests were performed to isolate S. aureus. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was used to identify the virulence and enterotoxins genes of the S. aureus isolates. Agar disk diffusion was performed to find out the antibiotic resistance of the isolates. Results revealed that 16.24 and 33 percent of workers and creamy pastries were contaminated with S. aureus respectively. Also, 100%, 37%, 58%, and 6% of nasal samples harbored femA, mecA, sea, and sec genes respectively. According to the results 97%, 70%, 54.5%, and 6% of creamy pastries isolates harbored femA, mecA, sea, and sec genes respectively. No isolate carried seb and sed genes. The results also showed that 41.5% of nasals and 5.5% of creamy pastry isolates harbored both sea and sec genes. The sea was the most common enterotoxin gene observed in nasal and creamy pastries. The results of the antimicrobial resistance test showed that 68.42% of nasal and 48.48% of creamy pastry isolates were resistant to cefocxitn (FOX) respectively. Both nasal (89%) and creamy pastry (82%) isolates presented the highest resistance to penicillin (P) and the most sensitivity to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (SXT) (94%). Most of the isolates were sensitive to erythromycin (E), aztreonam (AZM), tetracycline (TE), trimethoprim (TMP), and ciprofloxacin (CP). Isolates of S. aureus harboring multi-enterotoxin genes were resistant to more antibiotics than others. The presence of enterotoxigenic S. aureus in the workers' nasal samples and creamy pastries of Shiraz confectioneries was high which is a potential public health hazard.

Mutant DHFR Prevalence and Pyrimethamine Resistance among Asymptomatic Adolescents in Kwara State

Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a leading public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and its control is seriously challenged by drug resistance. Resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is mediated by point mutations in genes encoding the target enzymes dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (pfdhps). Blood from a total of 176 subjects aged 11-19 years from Ilorin East and Irepodun Local Government areas (LGAs) was examined for mutant alleles of the Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at codon 51 and 108 respectively. Rapid Diagnostic Test kits were used for the malaria test. Of the 176 participants, 73 (41.5%) subjects tested positive for malaria parasite while 95 (54.0%) tested negative. For both N51I and S108N SNPscreening, mutant alleles were dominant over the wild type. The Iponrin community (Ilorin East LGA) recorded the highest percentage of mutant alleles 14 (33.33%) of the N51I SNP, while the Igbonla community (Irepodun LGA) had the least number of mutant alleles 8 (19.04%). On the other hand, the Alakuko community recorded the highest number of alleles 14 (31.80%) for S108N mutant while the Igbonla community (Irepodun LGA) had the least number of mutant alleles 8 (18.18%). There was widespread pyrimethamine resistance among the studied population and the malaria parasite remains persistent among the studied population. Therefore, there is a need for monitoring antimalarial drug resistance in Nigeria for prompt management of the antimalarial drug resistance menace.

Sources and cycling processes of nitrogen revealed by stable isotopes and hydrochemistry in a typical agricultural lake basin

Increased exposure to nitrate has been reported in many arid and semi-arid areas where groundwater is used as the drinking water source, presenting a major public health threat. Groundwater nitrate pollution is becoming serious due to intensive agricultural activities in the Nansi Lake Basin, Shandong Province, Northern China, through which the trunk line of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project passes. This study characterized potential nitrogen pollution sources by combined analysis of hydrochemical components and stable nitrate isotopes (δ15N–NO3-, δ18O–NO3-); the contribution of different sources was estimated using the SIAR model. The results show groundwater nitrate contamination in the Nansi Lake Basin is widespread both west (NSW) and east (NSE) of the lake. Manure and sewage (M&S), soil nitrogen (SN), and chemical fertilizer (CF) are potential NO3−-N sources in the study area, with the order of contribution being M&S (78.38%) > SN (15.02%) > CF (6.60%) in areas west of the lake and M&S (59.40%) > SN (30.38%) > CF (10.22%) in areas east of the lake, indicating the significant impact of human activities. The relationship between d-excess and δ15N–NO3- suggests irrigation practices increase soil moisture, resulting in more N from 15N-depleted soils leaching into the groundwater, increasing the contribution of SN. The predominant processes of the nitrogen cycle in the basin are different in the NSW and NSE areas. In the upper-middle reaches of the NSW area, nitrification dominates the nitrogen cycle due to aerobic conditions and elevated salinity; however, denitrification occurs in local downstream aquifers at depths ranging from 10 to 50 m. In contrast, SN plays a bigger role in the NSE, where the mineralization of soil organic nitrogen is the predominant process, followed by nitrification of M&S and CF nitrogen sources due to rapid groundwater flow in the carbonate and metamorphic rock aquifers.

Distribution, enrichment mechanisms, and health risk assessment of high-fluorine groundwater in the Yudong Plain, Henan Province, China.

The Yudong Plain is in the eastern part of Henan Province, China, where there is little rain and high evaporation. Compared to other areas in Henan Province, the groundwater fluorine content is generally high, which affects the health of residents. Based on the systematic analysis of water chemistry data of shallow and mid-depth groundwater samples in the Yudong Plain, the causes of shallow and mid-depth high-fluorine groundwater in the Yudong Plain were explored using mathematical statistics, spatial interpolation, and ion ratios. The results show that the fluorine contents of both shallow and mid-depth groundwater in the study area are high. The shallow samples had fluorine contents ranging from 0.1 to 4.89mg/L, with an exceedance rate of 48% and an average content of 1.15mg/L. The fluorine content of mid-depth samples ranged from 0.14 to 3.32mg/L, with an exceedance rate of 68% and an average content of 1.33mg/L. The shallow high-fluorine groundwater is mainly distributed in the central low-lying area, and its main hydrochemical type is HCO3-Na·Mg; the mid-depth high-fluorine groundwater is mainly distributed in strips in the north and east of the study area, and its main water chemistry type is HCO3-Na. Fluorine enrichment in shallow groundwater in the study area is controlled by rock weathering, evaporation concentration, and competitive adsorption, while leaching and dissolution of fluorine-containing minerals in sedimentary strata are the main factors influencing fluorine enrichment in mid-depth groundwater. The results of the human health risk assessment (HRA) showed that the mean non-carcinogenic hazard quotients (HQs) in shallow groundwater were 0.95, 0.64, 0.57, and 0.55 for infants, children, teenagers, and adults, respectively, while the mean non-carcinogenic HQs in mid-depth groundwater were 1.11, 0.74, 0.66, and 0.63, respectively. The study provides a scientific basis for the rational development and use of groundwater in the area and offers theoretical support for the prevention and control of groundwater pollution.

Groundwater Quality Assessment Using Multi-Criteria GIS Modeling in Drylands: A Case Study at El-Farafra Oasis, Egyptian Western Desert

The most critical issue that was the main research interest is its groundwater quality which is vital for public health concerns. Groundwater is a significant worldwide water supply for diverse communities, especially in dryland regions. Groundwater quality assessment in desert systems is largely hindered by the lack of hydrological data and the remote location of desert Oases. This study provides a preliminary understanding of the influences of climate, land usage, and population growth on the groundwater quality in El-Farafra Oasis in the Western Desert in Egypt from 2000 to now. Therefore, the study’s main objective was to determine the extent of change in temporal water quality and the factors causing it. The present study integrates chemical analyses and geospatial modeling better to assess groundwater quality in the study area. A chemical analysis of thirty-one groundwater samples from wells representing each study area was carried out during three time periods (2000, 2010, and 2022). Several chemical properties of groundwater samples gathered from wells in the research area were analyzed. Furthermore, the groundwater quality trend from 2000 to the present was identified using three approaches: Wilcox and Schoeller Diagram in Aq.QA software, interpolation in the ArcGIS software, and Ground Water Quality Index (GWQI). Moreover, the influence of changing land usage on groundwater quality was studied, and it was found that the increase in agriculture and urbanization areas is linked to groundwater quality degradation. The findings revealed that the barren area in 2000, 2010, and 2022 was 371.7, 362.0, and 343.2 km2, respectively, which indicates a substantial decrease of 6.2% within this research timeframe. In contrast, agriculture and human-made structures have expanded by 1.8%. Also, population growth has led to an increase in water consumption as the population has grown at a rate of 7.52% annually from 2000 to 2020. As the climatic condition increases from 2000 to 2022, these changes could extend to the water quality in shallow aquifers with increasing evaporation. Based on the water quality spatial model, it is found that, despite a declining tendency in the rate of precipitation and an expansion in agricultural areas and population growth, the water quality was still appropriate for human and farming consumption in large areas of the study area. The presented approach is applicable to the assessment of groundwater in desert regions in the Middle East area.

Sequence structure, sedimentary evolution and their controlling factors of the Jurassic Lianggaoshan Formation in the East Sichuan Basin, SW China

Based on the data of outcrops, seismic sections, thin sections, heavy mineral assemblages and detrital zircon U-Pb dating, the sedimentary characteristics, lake level fluctuation and provenance characteristics of the Middle Jurassic Lianggaoshan Formation (J2l) in eastern Sichuan Basin, SW China, were investigated to reveal the control of tectonic movements of the surrounding orogenic belts on the sedimentary systems. The J2l mainly developed a delta—lake sedimentary system, which contained a complete third-order sequence that was subdivided into four lake level up-down cycles (fourth-order sequence). The lake basins of cycles I and II were mainly distributed in eastern Sichuan Basin, while the lake basins of cycles III and IV migrated to central Sichuan Basin, resulting in the significant difference in sedimentary characteristics between the north and the south of eastern Sichuan Basin. The provenance analysis shows that there were three types of provenances for J2l. Specifically, the parent rocks of Type I were mainly acidic igneous rocks and from the proximal northern margin of the Yangtze Plate; the parent rocks of Type II were intermediate-acid igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks and from the central parts of the southern and northern Qinling orogenic belts; the parent rocks of Type III were mainly metamorphic rocks followed by intermediate—acid igneous rocks, and from the North Daba Mountain area. It is recognized from the changes of sedimentary system and provenance characteristics that the sedimentary evolution of J2l in eastern Sichuan Basin was controlled by the tectonic compression of the Qinling orogenic belt. In the early stage, the lake basin was restricted to the east of the study area, and Type I provenance was dominant. With the intensifying north-south compression of the Qinling orogenic belt, the lake basin expanded rapidly and migrated northward, and the supply of Type II provenance increased. In the middle and late stages, the uplift of the North Daba Mountain led to the lake basin migration and the gradual increase in the supply of Type III provenance.

In vitro activity of ceftolozane/tazobactam against Pseudomonas aeruginosa collected in the Study for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance Trends (SMART) between 2016-2019 in China.

Ceftolozane/tazobactam is an antipseudomonal cephalosporin combined with a well-established β-lactamase inhibitor which has not been approved to datein clinical practice in China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of ceftolozane/tazobactam and comparator agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa which demonstrated various resistance patterns. P. aeruginosa (n = 2,178) specimens were collected from multiple sources in seven geographic regions of China from 2016 to 2019. All isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF MS (Bruker Daltonics, MS, USA), and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobial agents including ceftolozane/tazobactam, amikacin, tobramycin, ceftazidime, cefepime, colistin, levofloxacin, aztreonam, meropenem, imipenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam were determined using the CLSI broth microdilution method (BMD). P. aeruginosa demonstrated a considerably higher rate of multidrug-resistant (57.3%), extensive drug-resistant (43.5%) and in being difficult-to-treat (16.8%). The overall susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to ceftolozane/tazobactam was 81.9%, and ceftolozane/tazobactam showed diverse activities against various resistance patterns ranging from 28.5% (difficult-to-treat resistance) to 68.9% (MDR). P. aeruginosa and various resistance patterns derived from the east (Jiangzhe) area maintained a significantly lower susceptibility to ceftolozane/tazobactam than from other areas. The susceptibility rates of P. aeruginosa isolated from diverse sources to ceftolozane/tazobactam were similar to isolates from bloodstream infections (BSI), the highest being88.6%. Compared with comparator antimicrobial agents, ceftolozane/tazobactam was more active than tested β-lactams, while being slightly less active than amikacin, which in turn demonstrated the best activity against P. aeruginosa and multiple resistant subsets. Ceftolozane/tazobactam demonstrated considerable in vitro activity against P. aeruginosa including multiple resistance patterns, indicating that it could be an optional therapeutic agent against P. aeruginosa.

Structural features and exploration targets of platform margins in Sinian Dengying Formation in Deyang—Anyue Rift, Sichuan Basin, SW China

Based on the seismic, logging, drilling and other data, the distribution, structural types and mound-shoal hydrocarbon accumulation characteristics of platform margins of the Sinian Dengying Formation in the Deyang—Anyue Rift and its periphery were analyzed. Four types of platform margins are developed in the Dengying Formation, i.e., single-stage fault-controlled platform margin, multi-stage fault-controlled platform margin, gentle slope platform margin, and overlapping platform margin. In the Gaoshiti West—Weiyuan East area, single-stage fault controlled platform margins are developed in the Deng 2 Member, which trend in nearly NEE direction and are shielded by faults and mudstones, forming fault-controlled—lithologic traps. In the Lezhi—Penglai area, independent and multi-stage fault controlled platform margins are developed in the Deng 2 Member, which trend in NE direction and are controlled by synsedimentary faults; the mound-shoal complexes are aggraded and built on the hanging walls of the faults, and they are shielded by tight intertidal belts and the Lower Cambrian source rocks in multiple directions, forming fault-controlled—lithologic and other composite traps. In the Weiyuan—Ziyang area, gentle slope platform margins are developed in the Deng 2 Member, which trend in NW direction; the mound-shoal complexes are mostly thin interbeds as continuous bands and shielded by tight intertidal belts in the updip direction, forming lithologic traps. In the Gaoshiti—Moxi—Yanting area, overlapping platform margins are developed in the Deng 2 and Deng 4 members; the mound-shoal complexes are aggraded and overlaid to create platform margin buildup with a huge thickness and sealed by tight intertidal belts and the Lower Cambrian mudstones in the updip direction, forming large-scale lithologic traps on the north slope of the Central Sichuan Paleouplift. To summarize, the mound-shoal complexes on the platform margins in the Dengying Formation in the Penglai—Zhongjiang area, Moxi North—Yanting area and Weiyuan—Ziyang area are large in scale, with estimated resources of 1.58×1012 m3, and they will be the key targets for the future exploration of the Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin.

2D and 3D Geoelectrical investigation of Hydrocarbon impacted sites in Erhoike Community, Ethiope East local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria

Hydrocarbon contamination occurs as a result of corrosion of buried pipelines, sabotage of oil and gas facilities and spills during petroleum product transportation. This study was undertaken to characterize hydrocarbon impacted sites in Erhoike community, Ethiope East local government area, Delta State, Nigeria using ten (10) transects were established in grid format to attain geoelectric data that were inverted to yield 2D resistivity structure and 3D depth slices respectively. The 2D results show that the hydrocarbon impacted zones are marked by very high resistivity values ranging from 637 ohm-m to more than 17000 ohm-m from the surface to a depth in excess of 31.9 m in places within the study area. In the same vein, the 3D result indicated that bulk of the contaminant has progressively moved to deeper depth with most of the plume found at between 25.0 – 33.7 m. The data obtained show that the site has been impacted by hydrocarbon contaminant. It also shows that the hydrocarbon moved downwardly at greater depth into the subsurface, through a porous medium - sandy layer. Finally, the study has demonstrated the effectiveness of the adopted geophysical techniques in delineating hydrocarbon contamination.

MIDDLE EOCENE IN THE ALPINE RETROFORELAND BASIN (NORTHERN ITALY): SEDIMENTARY RECORD OF A “MESO-ALPINE” ARC-TRENCH SYSTEM IN THE ALPS

The middle Eocene Cibrone Formation of Brianza (central-western Lombardy) represents an important stratigraphic record to understand a key step of the tectonic evolution of the Alpine range poorly recorded elsewhere. Quantitative petrographic analysis of turbidite arenites, well-constrained in age by the biostratigraphy of interlayered marlstones based on calcareous foraminifera and nannoplankton, allowed us to identify a possible vertical compositional trend within the Cibrone Fm. and to document the NP17 nannofossil Zone (Bartonian) in central Lombardy exposures, east of the Ternate Formation outcrop area. Variable arenite compositions are interpreted to reflect contributions from different source areas, i.e., recycled orogen, island arc, and starved continental shelf. In a paleogeographic scenario still open to different interpretations, the proposed reconstruction supports a classical plate tectonics model for arc-trench systems. The stratigraphic gap, recorded everywhere in Lombardy, between the Eocene succession and the base of the Gonfolite Lombarda Group (upper NP24 nannofossil Zone, early Chattian), corresponds to the earliest stage of continental collision, uplift and erosion that climaxed in the Neo-Alpine Phase.

Geotechnical modeling of the method for mining cobalt deposits at the Bou Azzer Mine, Morocco

Purpose. The Bou Azzer Mine encounters difficulties during cobalt mining. In order to select the optimal mining sequence with the least geotechnical stability problems, one possible variant is the cut and backfill mining method used in the Bou Azzer East area at a depth of 540 m. Methods. This paper presents a methodology for selecting a sequence of the cut and backfill mining method using 2D geotechnical numerical modeling, taking into account the morphological characteristics, geomechanical properties of the ore and the surrounding rocks. Findings. The sequences of mining with rock backfill and rock-cemented backfill show that the high principal stress (Sigma 1) is in the range of 10-153 MPa, and the safety factors are in the range of 0.63-1.89. Therefore, mining sequences with cemented backfill and under cemented backfill have a principal stress (Sigma 1) in the range of 10-112 MPa and acceptable safety factors. Originality. In this study, the bottom-up mining sequence with a cemented backfill is proposed for the case of low-quality serpentine footwall. This mining sequence aims to achieve good cobalt mine production and provides a safe environment for miners. Practical implications. In the mining industry, the choice of mining method using 2D or 3D geotechnical numerical mo-deling is important to ensure the safest and most operational mining sequence in the mine lifetime.

Moral Assessment of Violations of Marital Vows Among Christian Couples In Urhoboland

The majority of people, especially among the Urhobo, seem to view marriage as their final resort when it comes to getting over issues like loneliness, sexual tension, and social, cultural, economic, and political constraints. However, marriages built on these flimsy foundations frequently end in a string of breakdowns when faced with difficulties, which results in the breaking of marital vows. Due to the above, this work examines the morality of Christian couples in Urhoboland, Delta State, and Nigeria who break their marital vows. The inquiry made use of both analytical and phenomenological approaches. This work was evaluated using a systematic questionnaire and unstructured oral interviews. As a result, 12 churches in six local government areas were selected (Ethiopia East, Ethiopia West, Udu, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Sapele Local Government Areas). The phenomenological and analytical procedures were used due to the versatility of survey designs, which allow for a wide range of data collection techniques. The investigation in this work was done under two headings: factors responsible for violations of marriage vows and effects of marriage vow violations on couples, families, and society. This study shows a number of elements that contribute to marital vow breaches as well as the repercussions such violations have on individuals, families, and society. The participants agree that, in general, Christian married couples who divorce have a sense of autonomy and freedom from abusive marriages. This essay contends that since they broke their marital vows, both partners frequently experience severe spiritual regression.

Separation, reserve estimation and radioactivity responsibility of the economic heavy minerals of East El- Arish black sand, North Sinai, Egypt

Multi-heavy mineral separation techniques like density, magnetic, and electromagnetic techniques are followed by picking, grain counting, and mineralogical examinations conducted with an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). These techniques have been applied to several drill hole (well) composite samples representing beach sand and dunes of East El-Arish area, North Sinai, Egypt. The results explain the remarkable enrichment in total heavy minerals (THM) of beach sand (4.4%) compared to sand dunes (2.6%): this is due to the natural concentration of the currents of the Mediterranean Sea. After characterizing the heavy minerals in terms of the abundance of each mineral species, the mean values of content relative to total economic heavy minerals (TEHM) were determined as 70.03% ilmenite, 3.81% leucoxene, 3.03% magnetite, 8.7% garnet, 10.6% zircon, 3.13% rutile, 0.37% monazite, and 0.31% titanite in the sand dune samples. The total economic heavy minerals in the beach samples were 64.08% ilmenite, 1.6% leucoxene, 2.84% magnetite, 18.16% garnet, 10.4% zircon, 2.18% rutile, 0.61% monazite, and 0.13% titanite. Monazite, thorite, zircon, and apatite are the main radioactive minerals in the study area. The combination of two specific characteristics of the studied monazite (relatively high Th-U content and high frequency) makes monazite the main contributor to radioactivity of the study area.

A Qualitative Exploration on Knowledge of Community-Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses among Community Resource Persons and Primary Health Care Workers in Oyo State, Nigeria

Community-Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (C-IMCI) is a multipronged strategy developed by the World Health Organization aimed at reducing childhood mortality and morbidity through the integration of enhanced health care services, improved case management skills and healthier community practices. Community resource persons (CORPs) play an important role in the knowledge transfer of this strategy to mothers of U-5 children within their communities. This study explored the knowledge of C-IMCI among CORPs and other primary healthcare workers, as well as accessibility to training, and recommendations for the promotion of C-IMCI. Qualitative data were obtained from a larger cross-sectional study conducted in Ibadan North East and Akinyele Local Government Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-depth Interviews (IDIs) among community resource persons, community health workers and selected key health officers in two local government areas (LGAs) in Oyo State, Nigeria. Data were transcribed and analyzed thematically. There was poor knowledge of C-IMCI among the participants, the majority of respondents received C-IMCI-related information from nurses and LGA staff. Regarding training, a few respondents who received the initial training on C-IMCI had been transferred from their LGAs, monitoring was infrequent and implementation of C-IMCI was not effective in the sampled areas. Community Resource Persons and Primary Health Care workers in this study did not receive regular trainings on C-IMCI; hence their knowledge was limited in this regard. Increased access to trainings on community practices would help in bridging the existing knowledge gaps in this field.

Effects of multiple environmental factors and land use patterns on microplastic distribution in the topsoil of the Qinghai and Sichuan provinces of China

The ubiquity of microplastics (MPs) in the environment has raised wide concern; however, the distribution of MPs in the soils of remote areas at the Tibetan Plateau is poorly understood. In this study, 28 soil samples were collected from various land-use soil environments in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, and MPs were isolated from soils by density separation and organic matter oxidation. The MP abundance identified in the samples ranged from 0 to 160 items/kg soil, and the majority shapes of MPs was film. μ-Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the MP composition and showed that polyethylene was the principal polymer. Moreover, MP concentrations decrease as the elevation increases, which most likely explains for the lack of plastic wastes produced from agricultural activities at high altitude areas. Furthermore, the MP composition among different terrain conditions at the Tibetan Plateau was presented, and the flat condition may be conducive to the accumulation of MPs compared with the slope condition. Most MP inputs in the study area were in the farmland soils (mainly plastic covering), and atmospheric deposition may have an important effect on MP distribution in grassland, especially in slope grasslands. This study provides evidence of MP distribution associated with environmental factors in the east area of the Tibetan Plateau, which promote the understanding of MPs driven by land-use patterns and topographic conditions in the plateau soil environment.

Recruitment-driven fish production in two regions where fish biomass has drastically declined

Abstract Catches have remained relatively high in the Gulf of Thailand and the Bohai Sea, China, despite severe biomass declines (around 95%) evidenced by fishery-independent surveys. Such high production at very low stock sizes is not predicted by simple-surplus production theory, but can be explained by age-structured models that predict high recruitment rates even when biomass per recruit (BPR) has been drastically reduced. Recruitment rates can be reconstructed by estimating changes over time in biomass and BPR, for alternative assumptions about survey catchability, growth, and mortality rates. These reconstructions indicate that likely severe decreases in BPR, due to high fishing mortality rates, imply that total recruitment rates have likely been relatively stable over time, with catch consisting largely of new recruits making up most of the low biomass. These considerations may apply to numerous areas in east and southeast Asia where most of the catch of coastal trawlers is used to produce animal feeds, notably for aquaculture.

Genetic diversity of the mantellid frog Blommersia blommersae, and description of a new anuran species from south-eastern Madagascar

ABSTRACT A range-wide assessment of genetic variation in one mitochondrial (16S rRNA) and one nuclear-encoded (Rag-1) gene fragment of the widespread Madagascar frog Blommersia blommersae revealed the presence of up to 12 deep genetic lineages. Many of these differed by genetic distances >3% in the 16S gene. In the Ranomafana area in the southern central east of Madagascar, two mitochondrial lineages differing by 1.2–1.8% in 16S occurred in close syntopy across multiple sites. A phylogeny of representative samples based on multiple mitochondrial genes supported three main mitochondrial clades within B. blommersae, with lineages from the (i) north, (ii) north and northern central east, and (iii) southern central east, respectively. In addition, one lineage from Sainte Luce in the south-east was sister to all other species of Blommersia, and thus clearly not belonging to B. blommersae, to which it has been tentatively assigned previously. Except for the Sainte Luce population, most of the mitochondrial lineages did not show a concordant and consistent differentiation in Rag-1 and no obvious morphological differences were detected among the lineages. We therefore refrain from taxonomic conclusions for them at this time, although indications exist that the populations from the northern central east and southern central east may show certain differences in relative note duration of advertisement calls, which require further study. However, the Sainte Luce individuals were highly divergent in 16S (>10%) and Rag-1, phylogenetically isolated, and characterised by differences in colour pattern. This lineage represents the most evolutionarily divergent species of Blommersia known to date and is herein formally named and described as Blommersia dupreezi sp. nov.

Effects of sand mining on peri-urban agriculture in Ife East and Ife Central Local Government Areas, Osun State, Nigeria.

There is virtually no information on the effects of artisanal sand mining on peri-urban agriculture in Nigeria in general and Osun State in particular. This study assessed the effects of sand mining on peri-urban agriculture in Ife East and Ife Central Local Government Areas of Osun State during 2015-2019. In effect, the study sought to identify and explain the rate and extent of changes in land uses in the study area, evaluate the level of encroachment of sand mining activities into other land use classifications, and examine socioeconomic factors that determined parting of land for sand mining by landowners in the study area between 2015 and 2019. Data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect primary data from 60 landowners, 30 cultivators and 30 residents giving a total of 120 respondents using structured questionnaire. Mean ages of landowners, farmers and residents were 67.9 years, 39.6 years and 47.3 years respectively. Majority (68.3%) of landowners had no formal education, while majority (73.3%) and (90%) of farmers and residents had formal education. Majority (68.3%) of landowners were farmers while majority (66.7%) and (76.7%) of farmers and residents were employees of governments. Majority (93.3%) of landowners were males, 100% of farmers were males. Cultivated land area decreased from 48% to 23.2% (–24.8%), built-up area increased from 37.3% to 41.8% (4.5%) while sand-mined area substantially increased from 14.6% to 35% (20.4%). Parting of land for sand mining increased with increasing age, household size and primary occupation being farming while parting of land for sand mining decreased with higher level of education. It is therefore recommended that all levels of government in the country should embark on close monitoring of land use to prevent frequent occurrence of land and environmental degradation. Additionally, Land Use Act of 1978 should be reviewed by bringing all stakeholders together to deliberate on how to prevent multiple land ownership and conflicts.

Economic Contributions of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) among Rural Dwellers in Ethiope East and Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria

Non Timber Forest Products have always served as life support for many rural dwellers, especially those who live within and around the forests; this study was carried out to determine the economic contributions of NTFPs to the livelihood of rural dwellers in Ethiope East and Ukwuani Local Government Areas of Delta State. Multi-stage random techniques was applied in the selection of 100 respondents. Data were obtained via well-structured questionnaires. Obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin and benefit cost ratio. Findings revealed that there was presence, bountiful abundance of NTFPs and male dominated the collection of the NTFPs in the study area. The modal age range of the respondents was between 20-30 years. This study indicated that most of the respondents got non-timber forest products from the market and most of the respondents’ collected/exploited non-timber forest products for household use and as income generation. Similarly, the research showed that majority of NTFPs exploited/collected were sold in bundles in the area under study. Also the study showed that NTFPs exploitation among rural household was a profitable agribusiness, Market price of other products was identified to be the major constraints to NTFPs.