A dynamic simulation model of land-use, population, and rural livelihoods in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia.

The dynamic interactions between society and land resources have to be taken into account when planning and managing natural resources. A computer model, using STELLA software, was developed through active participation of purposively selected farm households from different wealth groups, age groups and gender within a rural community and some members of Kebelle council. The aim of the modeling was to study the perceived changes in land-use, population and livelihoods over the next 30 years and to improve our understanding of the interactions among them.

Land-use and land-cover dynamics in the central rift valley of Ethiopia.

Understanding the complexity of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes and their driving forces and impacts on human and environmental security is important for the planning of natural resource management and associated decision making. This study combines and compares participatory field point sampling (pfps) and remote sensing to explore local LULC dynamics. The study was conducted in two peasant associations located in the central Ethiopian Rift Valley, which is a dry-land mixed farming area exposed to rapid deforestation.

Absorption and retention of nickel from drinking water in relation to food intake and nickel sensitivity.

Two studies were performed to examine the influence of fasting and food intake on the absorption and retention of nickel added to drinking water and to determine if nickel sensitization played any role in this regard. First, eight nonallergic male volunteers fasted overnight before being given nickel in drinking water (12 micrograms Ni/kg) and, at different time intervals, standardized 1400-kJ portions of scrambled eggs. When nickel was ingested in water 30 min or 1 h prior to the meal, peak nickel concentrations in serum occurred 1 h after the water intake, and the peak was 13-fold higher than the one seen 1 h after simultaneous intake of nickel-containing water and scrambled eggs.

[Fulminant acne].

We describe a case of a 16-year old boy, who presented with sudden onset of an extreme pustular reaction in seborrhoeic areas of the skin with accompanying general malaise such as fever and arthralgia. This picture is one of fulminant acne, which is a rare disease, for which reason diagnosis may be delayed. Permanent scarring of the skin is inevitable, but scarring may be reduced if early treatment with 13 cis-retinoid is started.

Basophil histamine release induced by anti-IgE and concanavalin A. Relation to the total plasma IgE content.

The plant lectin concanavalin A (Con A) has been shown to induce basophil histamine release by an IgE-receptor-dependent process resembling that of anti-IgE-antibodies. In this study, the concentration-response for basophil histamine release from washed blood cells was analyzed in a population of blood samples from adults with a total plasma IgE content ranging from < 5 kU/l to > 18,000 kU/l (n = 108), as well as 148 cord blood samples. The concentration-response-curves for anti-IgE in all adult blood samples were similar, despite the large variation in total plasma IgE--only the cord blood samples showed a decreased sensitivity.