School health partnership in service learning : a Hong Kong experience

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Comparing Electronic Monitoring and human observer collected fishery data in the tropical purse seine operating in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Electronic Monitory (EM) systems have been proven a valid tool for collecting fishery dependent data. They are being widely used in many fisheries as a complement or alternative to human observers to increase the monitoring coverage of fisheries. However, considering its wide application, following agreed minimum standard, it is important to compare the congruence between the information collected by EM and observers. We compared EM and two sets of different observer data collected on 6 trips of tuna purse seiners in the Eastern and Western and Central Pacific Ocean to analyze the similarity of fishing set type identification, estimation of tuna and bycatch catches between both monitoring systems. Overall EM was a valid tool to estimate the type of fishing set. Retained total catch of tunas by set was estimated by EM as reliable as that by both observer programs and logbook. When comparing the information by set, EM estimation of the main species, such as skipjack and bigeye and the combination of bigeye/yellowfin, was proven to be less accurate but statistically similar to the estimates made by both observers’ programs. EM tended to underestimate the retained catch of skipjack in comparison to both observers estimates and slightly overestimate bigeye and yellowfin, the overestimation being less pronounced for bigeye than for yellowfin. For bycatch species, EM is able to identify main bycatch species as observers do. However, the capability of EM to estimate the same number of bycatch items in comparison to IATTC and WCPFC observers varies greatly by species group. For sharks, which are the main bycatch issue in the FAD purse seine fishery, the overall congruence between EM and observers was high. EM and IATTC observer identified a similar overall number of individual sharks, however, WCPFC observers estimated lower number of shark individuals than the other two monitoring systems when considering all trips together.Versión del edito

Morphological and GIS-based land use Analysis: A Critical Exploration of a Rural Neighborhood

The significance of neighbourhood in hosting a group of dwellings units and possessing adequate communal facilities could not be overemphasized in the study of people and place relationships. There are two main objectives of this study: (i) to study the neighbourhood’s associated challenges through the size, growth, and land use distribution, and (ii) to investigate the perceived inhabitants’ activities pattern within the neighbourhood. The objectives are explored through a morphological and GIS-based land use analysis of a rural neighbourhood in South-west, Nigeria. The town is studied in three transformation phases, dating back to five decades using ArcGIS version 10.3. The 1st phase spanned between the year 1910 to 1959, while the 2nd and 3rd phases ran through the year 1960 to 1999, and the year 2000 to 2015 respectively. The exploration in this study is to document the diverse neighbourhood challenges, features, and prospects, which remain uninvestigated in the case study area for the past years. In conclusion, human historical and social influences play a significant role in ameliorating the challenges associated with the spatial developments of the settlements. The implication of the study becomes vital to the major stakeholders and professionals in the built environment on the significance of enhancing the sustainable communities in Nigeria

A Means to Alleviate the Bushmeat Crisis? The Feasibility of Establishing Sustainable Grasscutter Farms in Kenya

In Africa, the unsustainable, illegal hunting of wild animals for food, commonly referred to as the bushmeat crisis, causes multiple problems for ecosystems and human health. Given the lack of management of bushmeat hunting and rapidly expanding human population densities, the potential for overharvesting, driving populations of native species to local extinction, is of major concern unless effective and feasible alternatives can be developed. The farming of desirable native species offers one solution to reducing the demand for bushmeat, but farms must be economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially acceptable. This research uses Geographic Information Systems to examine the feasibility of establishing large native rodent (Thyronomys swinderianus) farms in Kenya. Given their high protein content, these rodents, commonly known as grasscutters, are a highly sought bushmeat species and have been successfully farmed in West and Central Africa. I performed an extensive literature review and consulted with grasscutter and sustainable livestock farm experts located in sub-Saharan Africa to determine physical and socio-political geographic factors most likely to constrain the development of sustainable grasscutter farms in Kenya, before using ArcGIS to map these criteria and a weighted overlay analysis to identify potentially favorable locations for establishing future farms. These maps identified three suitable geographic locations: the Western and Nyanza provinces; the Central province; and the southeastern tip of the Coastal province. The majority of Kenya reflects moderately suitable locations that are feasible for establishment as grasscutters are adaptive, low-intensity livestock, and previous studies have identified some of these moderately suitable locations as accepted livestock centers. These results are encouraging for the implementation of sustainable grasscutter farming in Kenya and the diversification of protein sources and economic development opportunities for rural dwellers. While the maps created are specific to Kenya, the methodology developed in this study is useful to global stakeholders attempting to alleviate the bushmeat crisis, combat food insecurity in a sustainable manner, and/or provide means of economic development to developing countries

Regional Hub port development : the case of Montevideo, Uruguay

This paper reflects on port development in Uruguay in an environment of trilateral interport competition. The regional characteristics of port development in terms of their geographical, functional and operational characteristics are discussed by analysing the port system’s evolution. The case of Montevideo as the success or failure of a regional hub port development strategy is analysed in detail. Particular attention is given to the evolution and impact of the liner shipping service network in defining the role of a port within a regional port system. Further, the evolution of the port of Montevideo in terms of institutional and organisational and the related strategy are described, with focus on the effect on transhipment cargo in the port. The main findings are twofold. First, port development in Montevideo been driven proactively and under a clear strategy, but still faces a number of challenges. Second, economies of scale in transport, port infrastructure and connectivity are important determinants of port development, of which the latter is principally driven by external actors, the shipping lines. The paper shows that despite strong efforts Uruguay and its principal port Montevideo are highly dependent on external factors, particularly the level of connectivity, in their strategy to develop Montevideo as a regional hub. Thus the findings are relevant in relation to the discussion of Montevideo’s development potentials as a hub on South America’s East Coast in particular and the effects of external influences on port development from in general

Prevention Practices and West Nile Virus Infection Among Ethnic Minorities, Texas

Abstract West Nile virus (WNV) is a major public health problem and the cause of nearly 25% of the world\u27s economic burden of disease. While the risk factors for developing West Nile fever and West Nile disease from WNV infection have been identified, it is not known how knowledge, attitude, behavior (KAB), access to health care (AHC), and comorbidities are associated with prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities. The aim of this study was to examine the association between KAB, AHC, comorbidities, and prevention practices of WNV infection among ethnic minorities in Texas. KAB, AHC. Comorbidities were used as independent variables and prevention practices were the dependent variables. A cross-sectional quantitative research method within the theoretical framework of the Health belief model was used. Based on sample size computations, 434 for the main study and 20 participants for the pilot study were selected using a convenience sampling method. Linear regression was used for modeling and used a summary index for the dependent variables. The pilot study was used to confirm the feasibility of the main study. Ethnic minorities who speak English and are 18 years and older were surveyed using pre and self-developed survey instruments. Findings of the analyses indicated that there were major associations between knowledge (r=.38, p \u3c .001), attitude (r=.26, p \u3c .001) and behavior (r=.34, p \u3c 001), but not for AHC and comorbidities (p\u3e0.005) The 2 major findings are that AHC and comorbidities are not associated with prevention practices of WNV infection and the current prevention practices are not appropriate for a Texas climate. These findings will allow scientific scholars to design and develop educational materials and create a more acceptable and environmentally adaptable prevention practice. The result of this dissertation may lead to targeted education programs and policy changes, which can lead to positive social change