Council Of Ministers Research Articles

Saraiva, Cotegipe e a lei dos sexagenários

The present article aims at analyzing the illustrations of the nineteenth century illustrated press from Rio de Janeiro that approached the management of two Presidents of the Council of Ministers of the empire of Brazil. The first one, José Antônio Saraiva, a politician linked to the Liberal Party, ruled between the months of May and August of 1885. The second, his successor, João Maurício Wanderley, the Baron of Cotegipe, of the Conservative Party, holder of the position between August 1885 and March 1888. The research was carried out in two journals: O Mequetrefe and the Revista Illustrada, which approach the presidencies based on the production of humorous images and criticisms, notably about the Law of the Sexagenarians.

Tasks of Preventive Diplomacy to Prevent the Unleashing of a New World Conflict

The topic of preventive diplomacy and its tasks to prevent the outbreak of new world conflicts is very important and relevant. This is stated by the author of the article, the famous Russian (Soviet) diplomat and statesman G. L. Muradov, as Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea and a member of the Government Commission of the Russian Federation on the Aff airs of Compatriots. He emphasizes that the growth of aggressive sentiments in the countries of the collective West, acting as a united front against Russia, accusing our country of all "mortal sins" for and without reason, has reached frightening proportions.

Assessment of Groundwater Quality Using Water Quality Indices in Illegal Mining Communities: A Case Study of the Atwima-kwanwoma District and Obuasi East Metropolis, Ghana

This study investigated groundwater quality in illegal mining zones within the Atwima-Kwanwoma District and Obuasi East Metropolis of the Ashanti Region, Ghana, employing both the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) and Nemerow's Pollution Index (NPI). The analysis revealed severe contamination across multiple parameters, including heavy metals, microbial indicators, and physicochemical parameters. The CCME-WQI values for the five towns consistently indicated "Poor" water quality, ranging from 26.8 to 31.1, reflecting significant deviations from acceptable water quality standards. Notably, Town A exhibited a cyanide concentration of 11.25 mg/L, while Town B recorded lead levels at 118.73 μg/L, both far exceeding permissible limits set by health authorities. The presence of Escherichia coli further exacerbates health risks, underscoring the urgent need for improved water treatment and management practices. This study demonstrates that the integrated use of NPI and CCME-WQI provides a comprehensive assessment of groundwater quality, revealing significant environmental and public health challenges. Immediate intervention, including regulatory enforcement, sustainable mining practices, and remediation strategies, is crucial to safeguard groundwater resources. The findings contribute uniquely to the understanding of water quality dynamics in mining-affected regions and advocate for a coordinated approach to mitigate environmental degradation.

Assessments of hydrogeochemical characteristics, water quality, and health risk of groundwater of Chapi-Nawabganj District of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT A total of 60 groundwater samples were collected over three seasons, aiming to assess hydrochemical characteristics, water quality, pollution level, and health risk. The concentration of Fe, Mn, and Pb exceeded almost 100% of samples in three seasons. The groundwater was found to be highly contaminated with Cd and Cr in the pre-monsoon and Ni in the monsoon. The order of major ion and trace metal concentrations is as follows: Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+; HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > NO3− > PO43−, and Fe > Mn > Pb > Cd in three seasons. The groundwater was Ca-Mg-HCO3− type. The study suggests that the contamination sources are mostly geogenic as well as slightly anthropogenic. The water–rock interactions are the dissolution of calcite and dolomite, along with silicate weathering, which controls the hydrochemistry of the groundwater. The indices, including the Water Quality Index (WQI), and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCMEWQI), revealed that the groundwater quality in the area was moderately polluted. The Heavy Metal Pollution Index (HMPI), and human health risk assessment (HRA) illustrated that groundwater is a significant health hazard, indicating it is unsuitable for human consumption and suggesting treatment before drinking.

On the Capabilities of the IREA-CNR Airborne SAR Infrastructure

In this work, the airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) infrastructure developed at the Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA) of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) is described. This infrastructure allows IREA-CNR to plan and execute airborne SAR campaigns and to process the acquired data with a twofold aim. On one hand, the aim is to develop research activities; on the other hand, the aim is to support the emergency prevention and management activities of the Department of Civil Protection of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers, for which IREA-CNR serves as National Centre of Competence. Such infrastructure consists of a flight segment and a ground segment that include a multi-frequency airborne SAR sensor based on the Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology and operating in the X and L bands, an Information Technology (IT) platform for data storage and processing and an airborne SAR data processing chain. In this work, the technical aspects related to the flight and ground segments of the infrastructure are presented. Moreover, a discussion on the response times and characteristics of the final products that can be achieved with the infrastructure is provided with the aim of showing its capabilities to support the monitoring activities required in a possible emergency scenario. In particular, as a case study, the acquisition and subsequent interferometric processing of airborne SAR data relevant to the Stromboli volcanic area in the Sicily region, southern Italy, are presented

Right to Food and Sustainable Food Systems in Nepal: Legal Frameworks, Achievements, and Challenges

Food insecurity remains a persistent challenge in Nepal. The right to food is a fundamental human right recognized in various international conventions and national legal frameworks. The Right to Food and Food Sovereignty Regulation was drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Nepal, and approved by the Council of Ministers in March 2024. The introduction of legal frameworks to ensure food security and their effective implementation is one of the key action tracks identified in Nepal’s National Food System Transformation Pathway. However, several challenges hinder the effective implementation of this regulation, including the availability of financial resources, technical manpower, the establishment of fair price shops, and the technical capacity of the implementing agency. Additionally, policy coherence across government tiers, the interests of external development partners, and certain cultural factors pose significant obstacles to the successful implementation of the regulation's provisions. A comprehensive approach is required, combining legal reforms, economic support, and social initiatives, to transform the right to food from a theoretical concept into a tangible reality for all Nepali citizens. This paper highlights the key provisions, the development process of the regulation, the roles of key stakeholders, and the challenges in its effective implementation. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 12(3): 115-125.

The Temporal and Spatial Analysis and Assessment of Water Quality in the Tuo River (Suzhou Section) based on the CCME-WQI Method

To investigate the spatiotemporal variations and disparities in water quality within the Suzhou section of the Tuo River, as well as to identify the key pollution factors and influencing elements, this study utilized monitoring data from five water quality monitoring stations along the Tuo River in Suzhou, collected between 2020 and 2022. After analyzing the spatiotemporal variations in water quality indicators, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI) was employed to assess the river's water quality status. The study also examined the causes of water pollution and proposed appropriate pollution control measures. The research results indicate that:(1) Total Nitrogen (TN), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Permanganate Index (CODMn), and Fluoride (F) were identified as the main pollution factors, with COD and TN being the primary pollutants exceeding standard limits, with exceedance rates of 55.66% and 37.14%, respectively;(2)From 2020 to 2022, the concentrations of CODMn, COD, and TN were significantly higher during the flood season compared to the non-flood season, suggesting that non-point source pollution is the major contributor to the pollution load;(3)Temporally, the study area exhibited significant seasonal variations in water quality, with water quality being better during the non-flood season than during the flood season. Spatially, the study area showed notable spatial differences in water quality, with the S1 monitoring station recording the poorest water quality, while the S3 station exhibited the best;(4)The water quality of the Tuo River was significantly influenced by precipitation, with increased rainfall during the flood season exacerbating urban runoff, agricultural non-point source pollution, and internal pollution within the river channels.

Survival and reproduction tests using springtails reveal weathered petroleum hydrocarbon soil toxicity in boreal ecozone.

Survival and reproduction tests were conducted using two native springtail (subclass: Collembola) species to determine the toxicity of a fine-grained (< 0.005 - 0.425 mm) soil from an industrial site located in the Canadian boreal ecozone. Accidental petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) release continuously occurred at this site until 1998, resulting in a total hydrocarbon concentration of 12,800mg/kg (soil dry weight). Subfractions of the PHC-contaminated soil were characterized using Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Fractions, which are based on effective carbon numbers (nC). Fraction 2 (> nC10 to nC16) was measured at 8400mg/kg and Fraction 3 (> nC16 to nC34) at 4250mg/kg in the contaminated soil. Age-synchronized colonies of Folsomia candida and Proisotoma minuta were subject to 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% relative contamination mixtures of the PHC-contaminated and background site soil (< 100mg/kg total PHCs) for 28 and 21days, respectively. Survival and reproduction decreased significantly (Kruskal-Wallis Tests: p < 0.05, df = 4.0) in treatments of the contaminated site soil compared to the background soil. In both species, the most significant decline in survival and reproduction occurred between the 0% and 25% contaminated soil. Toxicity responses in the two springtails were ascribed to the standardized test design, short lifespans, and high fecundity in both species. This study showed that 25 + years of soil weathering has not eliminated the toxicity of fine-grained PHC-contaminated soil on two native terrestrial springtail species. Adverse effects to springtail health were attributed to exposure to soils dominated by genotoxic PHC Fraction 2 compounds and slow weathering processes due to the cold climate at the site.

The analysis of the stock of the Republican scientific-technical library

Nowadays, the investigation of the questions of the scientific management of library stocks has gained great urgency (increased in importance). The tasks of increasing the efficiency of the formation and usage of library stocks highlight the necessity for systematic research into their peculiarities and tendencies of development. This article analyzes the peculiarities and tendencies of the development of the stocks of the Republican Scientific-Technical Library of Lithuania's Scientific-Research Institute of Scientific-Technical Information and Technical-Economic Research. The multifaceted research of the stocks should enable the improvement of library processes and information-bibliography services. The research carried out allows for the following conclusions: The Republican Scientific-Technical Library, by volume of stocks, is the largest library among scientific libraries of the republic. Its stocks total 40.4 percent of the whole stock of the United Republican Information Stock (URIS). The library is the main library in URIS, which organizes the stocks of special documentation and literature. A peculiarity of the stock is that special technical documentation and literature have predominated in the stock since 1970, totaling approximately 90.1 percent of the entire stock. The basic stocks are in the Republican Scientific-Technical Library in Vilnius, which total 87.6 percent of the entire stock. The superextensive growth of the special technical documentation and literature during 1967-1970 is accounted for by the organization of the departments of patents and technical documentation (as per the decision of the Council of Ministers of Lithuania). At present, the growth of the stock has stabilized. Every year during 1975-1982, the library received an average of 850.2 thousand documents. The growth of the quantity of the stocks, completion on the whole, and the growth of the stocks of special kinds of scientific-technical literature and documentation may be defined by a mathematical curve, which shows that from a certain moment, the speed of the growth of the volume of the stocks slows down due to limited resources.

The personal presidency of Silvio Berlusconi

ABSTRACT No politician in Italy has embodied the characteristics of the Second Republic more profoundly than Silvio Berlusconi. This is not only because he served as Prime Minister on four occasions over three decades, and, along with Alcide De Gasperi, is the only leader to have completed an entire legislature. Nor is it solely due to the fact that Berlusconi’s mandates appeared to have been bestowed directly, by the people, an impression facilitated by the bipolarization of the party system he helped establish and which paved the way for the processes of Italian presidentialization. Most significantly, it is because Berlusconi adopted a personal presidency, navigating the tension between two elements. On one hand, he increasingly sought more powers for himself, showing great impatience with the perceived procedural delays of Parliament and oversight bodies; on the other hand, he never fully institutionalized a new role for the leader of the Government, leaving it inextricably tied to and dependent on his persona. This article aims to explore the role Silvio Berlusconi played as Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri (President of the Council of Ministers) and to examine his political-institutional legacy.

Assessing the Suitability of CCME WQI as a Groundwater Quality Monitoring Tool: An Environmental Ergonomics Case Analysis

This study was conducted with the aim of protecting groundwater, which plays a crucial role in ensuring food quality in the market, preserving public health, and safeguarding the ecosystem, as many regions rely on clean natural groundwater for their population’s survival. The objective of this study was to use the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME WQI) for groundwater at 12 stations in the Okhla Industrial Area, Nangloi, and Karol Bagh in the Delhi Region. CCME WQI is an effective tool for assessing groundwater quality and communicating water conditions to various users. The research methodology involved fieldwork from June to October 2020 for three different periods in the year: pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon, to observe variations in water quality and differences in various physicochemical properties of water. The CCME WQI was applied using sixteen water quality parameters, fourteen of which were physicochemical parameters and two of which were microbiological parameters. Among the physicochemical parameters were color, odor, pH, turbidity, nitrate, total hardness, iron, chloride, fluoride, total dissolved solids, calcium, magnesium, sulfate, and alkalinity, while the microbiological parameters included the total coliform and Escherichia coli counts. Based on the results obtained from the water quality index, station A9 scored between 0 and 44, indicating the lowest water quality index due to wastewater discharges and industrial contamination. The water quality at other stations also requires attention to achieve excellent ratings. The study concludes that serious measures should be taken for proper management of the area to protect the population from hazardous diseases. The research results show that stations 1, 2, and 10 were rated as excellent, station 12 as good, stations 4, 5, and 8 as moderate, stations 3, 6, and 11 as marginal, and station 9 as the poorest in terms of water quality in the year 2020 during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon periods. To improve the parameters and groundwater quality, it would be necessary to reduce the impact of industry, anthropogenic–geogenic activities, and domestic activities.

Assessment of Groundwater Quality of Hubballi City, Karnataka, India by Using Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index, Weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index and Geospatial Techniques

Assessment of Groundwater Quality of Hubballi City, Karnataka, India by Using Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index, Weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index and Geospatial Techniques

Evaluating Surface Water Quality of Euphrates River in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf, Iraq with Water Quality Index (WQI)

The present study illustrates the rapid pollution of Euphrates River, inwards Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf governance (Al-Kufa River) in Iraq, which is one of the most important rivers in the region. The river faces formidable pressure due to encroachments, discharge of untreated domestic and industrial waste, drainage water from cultivated orchards, and dumping of solid waste. This study was conducted to assess the temporary and locative organic pollution in the region. Water Quality Index (WQI) of the Al-Kufa river was determined according to the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME) method by calculating seven parameters (water temperature, DO, COD, EC, TDS, turbidity, and pH) in two sampling stations. Surface water samples were collected in a period of four months (September to December) in 2023. WQI level, correlation analysis between parameters, and Iraqi and CCME drinking water specification standards were employed to classify the surface water status. The results show that the ecological condition can be classified as marginal with WQI= 49 and poor with WQI= 42 in stations 1 and 2, respectively.

The Nordic Investment Bank: The Evolution of an International Institution

Abstract The Nordic Investment Bank (nib) is an international financial institution created in 1975 by the Nordic Council of Ministers to promote investment projects and exports in the Nordic region. In 1998, a new Agreement and Statutes replaced the previous ones and established the international character of the institution. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, nib started to provide financing to the Baltic states which in 2004 became full members under a new Agreement. The three establishing treaties have marked the evolution of nib: first, a common institution of the Nordic countries; then, an international financial institution of the Nordic countries; and, finally, a Nordic-Baltic international financial institution. In this process, a key point is to appreciate whether and to what extent nib has continuously operated as a legal entity across the succession of establishing treaties.

Assessment of the Impact of Coal Mining on Water Resources in Middelburg, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: Using Different Water Quality Indices

The objective of this study was to assess the water quality status of the surface water and groundwater resources in the Middelburg area, South Africa. The assessment was addressed using combined water quality indices, investigating selected chemical parameters over four different seasons for a period of five years from 2017 to 2021. A combination of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment water quality index and the comprehensive pollution index was used to analyze the water quality status of surface water and groundwater of the town of Middelburg, situated near coal mining activities in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The combination of the indices indicated that some surface water monitoring sites ranged between poor to fair water quality. Groundwater monitoring points also showed a poor to fair ranking. The comprehensive pollution index confirmed that some sites showed very poor water quality in the summer seasons, exceeding expected limits for the period 2017 to 2021. The principal component analysis further showed that both surface water and groundwater sites had high levels of contamination with increased chemical parameters. The results were compared against the different water quality guidelines. In an extensive monitoring program, water management systems must be properly implemented to mitigate impacts on water resources.

Educational language policy for refugee-background students in the spotlight

This article maps the differences between the European Union’s Framework of Human Rights and state-based legal mindsets (ideologies) of language policy and planning in education. Based on the analysis of the documents released by the European Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Council in the course of the constituting of multilingual perspective and taking the experience of its local implementation into account, this article examines common cross-state indicators in order to compare multilingual responsibility of public education policies for refugee-background students (RBSs). It concludes that the assessment of multilingual possibilities in education was not complete and impartial on the level of the European Union and for a selected jurisdiction – namely, Poland. Current regional legal regulations fail to equitably address the needs of RBSs, and national-based attention eliminated the question of newcomers’ rights in education. Moreover, as highlighted for current policy-making in the European Union, there is a gap between current legal intention and political views produced by EU institutions – for example, The Commission Action Plan on the Integration of Third-Country Nationals.

High Involvement Management Practices and Their Impact on Contextual Performance: An Analytical Study in the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers

The main objective of this research is to evaluate the integration management at the higher level within the General Secretariat of the Cabinet and identify its role in achieving integration in the work environment through improving relationships between different management levels, facilitating participation and expression of opinions, and enhancing organizational belonging. A statistical approach and SPSS V.25 method were used for data analysis and various measurements. Data was collected from senior managers in the General Secretariat of the Cabinet using 87 distributed questionnaires, with 81 of them collected, resulting in a response rate of 95%. Study results indicate a pattern of integration management practices at the higher level within the General Secretariat, particularly after involving employees in decision-making. These practices contribute to strengthening employees' connection to the organization, enhancing their knowledge and decision-making skills, leading to increased productivity and effectiveness. Furthermore, participation contributes to the implementation of high-level integration management by enabling employees to participate in problem-solving and decision-making, fostering collaboration, coordination, and achieving high employee performance.

Comparative evaluation of spatiotemporal variations of surface water quality using water quality indices and GIS

AbstractThere is a need for a comprehensive comparative analysis of spatiotemporal variations in surface water quality, particularly in regions facing multiple pollution sources. While previous research has explored the use of individual water quality indices (WQIs), there is limited understanding of how different WQIs perform in assessing water quality dynamics in complex environmental settings. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of three WQIs (Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and System for Evaluation of the Quality of rivers (SEQ-Eau) and a national water quality regulation in assessing water quality dynamics. The pilot study area is the Acısu Creek in Antalya City of Turkey, where agricultural practices and discharge of treated wastewater effluents impair the water quality. A year-long intensive monitoring study was conducted includig on-site measurements, analysis of numerous physicochemical and bacteriological parameters. The CCME and SEQ-Eau indices classified water quality as excellent/good at the upstream, gradually deteriorating to very poor downstream, showing a strong correlation. However, the NSF index displayed less accuracy in evaluating water quality for certain monitoring stations/sessions due to eclipsing and rigidity problems. The regulatory approach, which categorized water quality as either moderate or good for different sampling sessions/stations, was also found less accurate. The novelty of this study lies in its holistic approach to identify methodological considerations that influence the performance of WQIs. Incorporating statistical analysis, artificial intelligence or multi-criteria decision-making methods into WQIs is recommended for enhanced surface water quality assessment and management strategies.

Comparison of sediment bioavailable methods to assess the potential risk of metal(loid)s for river ecosystems

A heavily impacted river basin (Caudal River, NW Spain) by Hg and Cu mining activities, abandoned decades ago, was used to evaluate the environmental quality of their river sediments. The obtained results compared with reference values established by the US EPA and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment for river sediments, have shown that the main elements of environmental concern are arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and, to a lesser extent, copper (Cu), which reach concentrations up to 1080, 80 and 54 mg kg−1, respectively. To understand the role that river sediments play in terms of risk to ecosystem health, a comparison has been made between the total content of metal(oid)s in the sediments and the bioavailable contents of the same elements in pore water, passive DGT (Diffusive Gradients in Thin films) samplers and the sediment extractant using acetic acid. A good correlation between the As and Cu contents in the DGTs and the pore water was found, resulting in a transfer from the pore water to the DGT of at least 47 % of the Cu and more than 75 % of the As when the concentrations were low, with a deployment time of 4 days. When As and Cu concentrations were higher, their transfer was not so high (above 23.6 % for As and 19.3 % for Cu). The transfer of Hg from the pore water to the DGT was practically nil and does not seem to depend on the content of this metal. The fraction extracted with acetic acid, conventionally accepted as bioavailable, was clearly lower than that captured by DGTs for As and Cu (≤5 % and ≤8.5 % of the total amount, respectively), while it was similar for Hg (0.2 %).

Selenium bioaccumulation in Daphnia pulexvia aqueous and dietary exposure.

Pit lakes are currently being investigated as a way to store and reclaim waste materials in the Alberta Oil Sands (AOS) region, Canada. Lake Miwasin (LM) is a pilot-scale pit lake consisting of treated fine tailings overlayed with oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) blended with fresh surface water. In October 2021, the surface water contained a mean concentration of 1.33 ± 0.04µg/L dissolved selenium (Se), slightly above the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment water quality guideline for long-term protection of aquatic life (1µg Se/L). This study assessed the bioaccumulation of Se by the cladoceran Daphnia pulex under laboratory conditions through both aqueous and dietary exposure routes for comparison to field-collected specimens. In 12-day semi-static tests, lab-cultured D.pulex were exposed to water, and algae grown in media spiked with selenate. Results showed that Se bioaccumulation by lab-cultured D. pulex increased in all exposure treatments from days 5 to 12, with maximum Se concentrations of 3.08-3.47µg/g dry weight (dw) observed within the exposure range tested. Interestingly, lower Se bioaccumulation concentrations (1.26-1.58µg/g dw) were observed in the highest dissolved Se and dietary Se treatments, suggesting potential internal regulatory mechanisms. In addition, native D. pulex (LM) collected from Lake Miwasin and cultured in-house were exposed in 8-day semi-static tests to Lake Miwasin surface water and algae cultured in Lake Miwasin surface water. Selenium bioaccumulation in native D. pulex (LM) ranged from 2.00 to 2.04µg/g dw at day 8 and was not significantly different (p > 0.05) compared to Se concentrations in D. pulex collected from Lake Miwasin (2.15 ± 0.28µg/g) in summer 2022.