18 research outputs found
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Predicting glacio-hydrologic change in the headwaters of the Zongo River, Cordillera Real, Bolivia
No full textIn many partially glacierized watersheds glacier recession driven by a warming climate could lead to complex patterns of streamflow response over time, often marked with rapid increases followed by sharp declines, depending on initial glacier ice cover and rate of climate change. Capturing such “phases” of hydrologic response is critical in regions where communities rely on glacier meltwater, particularly during low flows. In this paper, we investigate glacio-hydrologic response in the headwaters of the Zongo River, Bolivia, under climate change using a distributed glacio-hydrological model over the period of 1987–2100. Model predictions are evaluated through comparisons with satellite-derived glacier extent estimates, glacier surface velocity, in situ glacier mass balance, surface energy flux, and stream discharge measurements. Historically (1987–2010) modeled glacier melt accounts for 27% of annual runoff, and 61% of dry season (JJA) runoff on average. During this period the relative glacier cover was observed to decline from 35 to 21% of the watershed. In the future, annual and dry season discharge is projected to decrease by 4% and 27% by midcentury and 25% and 57% by the end of the century, respectively, following the loss of 81% of the ice in the watershed. Modeled runoff patterns evolve through the interplay of positive and negative trends in glacier melt and increased evapotranspiration as the climate warms. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate that the selection of model surface energy balance parameters greatly influences the trajectory of hydrological change projected during the first half of the 21st century. These model results underscore the importance of coupled glacio-hydrology modeling.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The article is copyrighted by American Geophysical Union and published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. It can be found at: http://sites.agu.org/The Modern Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis meteorological data can be downloaded from the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES-DISC, http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov). Most of the glaciological and meteorological data measured in the watershed that were utilized in this study can be downloaded from the Glacioclim database (http://www-lgge.ujfgrenoble.fr/ServiceObs/). Nonpublic glaciological and meteorological data can be obtained with agreement from the Institute of Research for Development (IRD). The CMIP5 general circulation model output can be downloaded from the World Climate Research Program (WCRP, http://cmippcmdi.llnl.gov/cmip5/). The Landsat Thematic Mapper scenes can be downloaded from the United States Geological Survey (USGS, http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/). All glacio-hydrological model data presented in this manuscript are available by request through the corresponding author ([email protected]). Surface energy balance observations were provided by Jean Emmanuel Sicart ([email protected])
A change project to promote conflict resolution in order to ensure sustainable development in Africa
No full textThe article describes the idea of a change project (a new course) in higher education. The aim of the change project is to promote traditional conflict resolution mechanisms and strategies in order to ensure sustainable development in Africa. The new program will combine the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and various conflict resolution scenarios by applying the technique of design thinking. The program will involve discussions about types of conflicts in Africa, the real causes of these conflicts, mechanisms for peaceful conflict resolution (with special emphasis on the rakiré and the palaver tree) and design thinking. The author intends to implement the program at the Faculty of International Relations of the Ivan Franco National University in Lviv
Review of "Landlords and Lodgers: socio-spatial organisation in an Accra community" by D. Pellow
No full textDeborah Pellow has conducted fieldwork in the Ghanaian capital ofAccra since 1970. Landlords and Lodgers is the culmination of this research, focussing on the dominantly Muslim quarter of Sabon Zongo where the author commenced a long-term project in the early 1980s. The book contains previously published material, but Pellow’s synthesis of the data provides a more comprehensive analysis of the history, social politics and evolution of Sabon Zango’s vibrant urban space. In closely considering the genealogical foundations of the community, the book’s central aim is to describe the spatialisation of changing social relations over the past century and the ways in which cultural values and practices become manifest in the built environment
« Vérité et Justice ! » : Commémoration collective et mobilisation sociale au Burkina Faso
No full textCet article analyse les manifestations qui ont lieu le 13 décembre de chaque année au Burkina Faso en commémoration de l’assassinat en 1998 du journaliste Norbert Zongo et de trois de ses compagnons. La mobilisation suite à l’assassinat s’est transformée en mouvement intitulé « vérité et justice » qui a joué un rôle majeur pour la gauche burkinabè, malgré les tentatives d’étouffer l’affaire par le pouvoir de Blaise Compaoré. Le 13 décembre est devenu une fête alternative à la fête nationale du 11 décembre. Après l’insurrection de 2014 qui mit fin au règne du Président Blaise Compaoré, la lutte contre l’impunité a développé une nouvelle dynamique en fusionnant avec des mouvements qui luttent pour des changements sociopolitiques plus larges. L’observation participante des commémorations et des manifestations, conduite par l’auteur, apporte une analyse pour comprendre la reconfiguration de la gauche burkinabè à Ouagadougou depuis 2014. La commémoration de Norbert Zongo révèle des clivages importants au sein de la gauche, entre les anciens révolutionnaires (« les rouges ») et les jeunes de la société civile (« les insurgés »), même si, depuis quelques années, une convergence s’est formée contre l’impérialisme en général, et plus particulièrement contre la politique française.This article analyzes the demonstrations taking place on December 13 each year in Burkina Faso to commemorate the 1998 assassination of Journalist Norbert Zongo and three of his companions. At the time, the mobilization following the assassination transformed into a movement entitled “truth and justice” which played a major role for the Burkinabe leftist movement, despite attempts to cover up the affair by the regime of President Blaise Compaoré. Over the years, 13 December has become an alternative holiday to the national independence day of 11 December. After the 2014 insurrection that ended the reign of Compaoré, the fight against impunity developed a new dynamic by merging with movements fighting for broader socio-political changes. The author conducted participant observation of commemorations and manifestations that offers an analysis that aims to understand the reconfiguration of the Burkinabe leftist movements in Ouagadougou since 2014. The commemoration of Norbert Zongo reveals significant divisions within the left, between the old revolutionaries (“the reds”) and the young people from civil society (“the insurgents”), even if, in recent years, a convergence has formed against imperialism in general, and more particularly against French politics.</p
Analysis of Plasmodium falciparum diversity in natural infections by deep sequencing.
No full textMalaria elimination strategies require surveillance of the parasite population for genetic changes that demand a public health response, such as new forms of drug resistance. Here we describe methods for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation in Plasmodium falciparum by deep sequencing of parasite DNA obtained from the blood of patients with malaria, either directly or after short-term culture. Analysis of 86,158 exonic single nucleotide polymorphisms that passed genotyping quality control in 227 samples from Africa, Asia and Oceania provides genome-wide estimates of allele frequency distribution, population structure and linkage disequilibrium. By comparing the genetic diversity of individual infections with that of the local parasite population, we derive a metric of within-host diversity that is related to the level of inbreeding in the population. An open-access web application has been established for the exploration of regional differences in allele frequency and of highly differentiated loci in the P. falciparum genome
Education marginalization in sub-Saharan Africa: policies, politics, and marginality/ Obed Mfum-Mensah.
No full textIncludes bibliographical references and index."This book focuses on education policy framework for educating marginalized children in sub-Saharan Africa. It uses “marginality” as a critical discourse to highlight the complicated ways education policy making in sub-Saharan Africa have constructed and perpetuated marginality in the region since Africa’s encounters with Europe. The book is organized around two parts, each of which discusses a specific dimension of the marginality and education policy nexus. Part I focuses on theorizations of marginality and education. The theoretical framework on marginality and education outlines the definitional and conceptual backgrounds on marginality – the complicated ways policies of the Christian missionaries, colonial governments and postcolonial governments constructed and perpetuated marginality in the region. Part II focuses on addressing the issue of marginality from theory to practice. These chapters highlight the ways policies shaped the educational development, schooling processes, and educational outcomes of selected marginalized communities and groups. Attention is given to schooling in rural communities, the complexities of girls’ education in rural contexts, education of Zongo Muslim communities, violence in school in rural contexts, and education collaboration in rural traditional communities. The book argues that education policies in sub-Saharan Africa fail to address the educational needs of marginalized children because current policy frameworks ae not based on examination of colonial policies which created the existing marginality. In order to implement policies that address policy gaps and meet the educational needs of marginalized children, strong synergies are necessary between education policy makers, other education stakeholders, and marginalized communities."--Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Theorizations on marginality and education -- Introduction : marginality and education policy frameworks in sub-Saharan Africa -- Social structures and children's education in sub-Saharan Africa -- Marginality and colonial discourse in sub-Saharan Africa -- Marginality and postcolonial discourse in sub-Saharan Africa -- Marginality and education : linking policy and practice -- Schooling and marginality in a sub-Saharan African context -- Contextual nuances and girls' education -- Educational development and marginalized Zongo Muslim communities -- Decolonizing curriculum to promote learning -- Education, violence, and marginalized children -- Synergies and education collaboration : from policy to practice -- Policy reflections and education of marginalized children -- References -- Index -- About the author.1 online resourc
General study of the region of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, using a satellite multispectral scanning system. Petrologic study of metamorphic rocks in the Zongo Valley in Bolivia. Installation project of a bacteria in the Los Monos Plains. Geological study of the Ulla Ulla Charazani region
No full textThere are no author-identified significant results in this report
Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry can reliably age field caught malaria vectors (and has the potential to simultaneously also identify species and infection rate)
No full textAbstract
A method to reliably predict the age structure of malaria mosquitoes would be valuable in predicting the efficacy of vector control tools and provide important insights to inform models of malaria transmission. We have previously shown that Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry could determine the age and species of laboratory reared mosquitoes and culicine mosquitoes from a river estuary in the United Kingdom. Here we investigated the robustness of this methodology by introducing additional environmental, genetic and physiological diversity in experiments using laboratory reared and field collected Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. REIMS could reliably separate mosquitoes into 3 or 5 age groups with > 80 % accuracy using mosquitoes of mixed physiological status reared in insectaries or from larval collections reared to adults in semi-field stations in Burkina Faso. In addition, REIMS could distinguish mosquitoes that were nulliparous from those that had undergone one or two oviposition cycles with an accuracy of 87 %. In a proof of principle experiment we demonstrate that REIMS can readily distinguish between mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium berghei from non-infected. Furthermore, we show that age grading is possible using only mosquito abdomens, leaving biomass for further molecular biological experiments. Finally, we used the model generated from mixed field collections to estimate the age structure of mosquitoes collected from inside houses and were able to show a shifting age structure matching the time retained in the insectary post collections
Author response: Variation in natural exposure to anopheles mosquitoes and its effects on malaria transmission
No full textSeasonal effects of farmer-managed livestock grazing exclusions on bird communities in Burkina Faso
No full textAnthropogenic activities such as livestock grazing and deforestation are primary causes of land degradation in drylands such as the Sahel Zone of Africa, threatening the livelihoods of rural communities and biodiversity. To restore degraded habitats, measures such as farmer-managed livestock grazing exclusion, where the native vegetation is protected and can naturally regenerate, have been implemented. Yet the benefits of such measures for biodiversity remain poorly understood, especially in regions that experience strong seasonality. Here, we used passive acoustic monitoring to study how livestock grazing exclusion affects the avifauna at the community and species level across the dry and wet seasons. Focusing on an NGO-driven initiative that has implemented a large network of small-scale farmer-managed grazing exclusions in Burkina Faso, we show that species richness and occurrence probability of most bird species were higher in grazing exclusions compared to control sites. These positive effects were more pronounced during the dry season, suggesting an ecological refuge effect when resources are limited. Despite overall positive effects on birds, we found species- and guild-specific responses to grazing exclusion with species positively or negatively affected. While grazing exclusions typically had negative effects on open-habitat specialists, frugivores, insectivores, species associated with woodlands, and Afro-Palearctic migratory species were winners. Grazing exclusions, even at small scale, show a great potential to combat desertification, reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss thereby being in line with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Yet, we emphasize the need for further studies including a socioeconomic perspective to ensure durable benefits for rural communities.
© 2025 The Author(s). Ecological Applications published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America
