Study of existing management in the culture based fisheries and pond culture development in two seasonal lakes in Batticaloa District

The fisheries in seasonal lakes in Batticaloa district (N=225) provide low cost fish protein, income and employment to those who are living surrounding the lakes. However, optimum utilization of the income has not been achieved due to lack of awareness of technology and management. The study was carried out to identify the present status of the fishing community engaged in fishing, in the selected fresh water seasonal lakes and the introduction of pond culture in these lakes in order to utilize the resources in sustainable manner. To develop pond culture fishery for the community, 50 members from Thanthamalai, 25 members from Addachakalu and 65 members from Kaddukaimunai fishing communities were interviewed and also delivered training in respect of development of pond culture and its management. This study also reviewed the implementation of pond culture and its management in fresh water areas. Results indicated that significant number of fisher community ( 30 to 45 0/0) in this sector showed the interest of developing pond culture with the support given by the Eastern Provincial Fisheries Ministry, Tilapia niloticus (Nile Tilapia) was used as the most suitable species to culture in ponds by the community since the marketable size of Nile tilapia could be harvested in 4 to 5 months period. This gives supplementary income for fisher community. Nearly 35 % of fisher community understood well the management of available water resources for fishery in seasonal fresh water sectors. The co-management is in practice in culture based fishery in the eastern region and the Eastern Provincial Fishery plays a major role in developing culture based fishery

Does angiotensin-1 converting enzyme genotype influence motor or cognitive development after pre-term birth?

BACKGROUND: Raised activity of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may both amplify inflammatory and free radical responses and decrease tissue metabolic efficiency and thus enhance cerebral injury in the preterm infant. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) DD genotype is associated with raised ACE and RAS activity as well as potentially adverse stimuli such as inflammation. The DD genotype has been associated with neurological impairments in the elderly, and thus may be also associated with poorer motor or cognitive development amongst children born preterm prematurely. METHODS: The association of DD genotype with developmental progress amongst 176 Caucasian children born at less than 33 weeks gestation (median birthweight 1475 g, range 645–2480 g; gestation 30 weeks, range 22–32; 108 male) was examined at 2 and 5 1/2 years of age. Measured neuro-cognitive outcomes were cranial ultrasound abnormalities, cerebral palsy, disability, Griffiths Developmental Quotient [DQ] at 2 yrs, and General Cognitive Ability [British Ability Scales-11] and motor performance [ABC Movement], both performed at 5 1/2 yrs. All outcomes were correlated with ACE genotype. RESULTS: The DD genotype was not associated with lower developmental quotients even after accounting for important social variables. CONCLUSION: These data do not support either a role for ACE in the development of cognitive or motor function in surviving infants born preterm or inhibition of ACE as a neuroprotective therapy

Quantum Confinement in Cadmium Selenide Multilayer Thin Films Using Physical Vapour Deposition Method

Nanocrystals of CdSe have been produced in SiOx matrix layer and in ZnSe heterostructure layer by thermal evaporation method. Structural studies were done by X-ray diffractometer. Quantum confinement effect of CdSe nanocrystals was analyzed from optical studies. Bulk CdSe has band-gap energy of 1.756 eV that can be shifted to larger values by reducing the crystal size to dimensions smaller than the Bohr radius of the exciton. Experimentally measured band-gap shifts with respect to the bulk value for quantum dot thin films are compared with the predictions of the effective mass approximation model (i.e., Brus model) and Quantum mechanical model. Sizes of the crystallites calculated from both models were coincident with each other. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/2779

Evaluation of a Community-wide Diabetes Prevention Program

This thesis is an evaluation of the effectiveness of a community-wide diabetes prevention program conducted in three Divisions of General Practice in Sydney, Australia. The aims were to assess whether translation of diabetes prevention programs was feasible in real-life settings and whether results achieved were comparable with those of randomised trials on which this intervention was based. Its primary goals were to assess whether the lifestyle intervention could increase participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to 210 minutes per week, reduce total fat and saturated fat consumption to 30% and 10% of total daily energy intake, increase fibre consumption to 15 g/1,000 kcal/day, and lead to 5% weight loss over one year. The background section covers the physiopathology of type 2 diabetes, its risk factors, and the available population screening tools to identify people at risk. The growing morbidity and mortality burden, the economic implications of this public health problem, and the importance and feasibility of preventing or delaying the onset by intervening in the precursor stages are then summarised. Evidence for preventability is examined through a literature review of lifestyle interventions in research settings comprising highly structured and closely monitored physical activity and dietary programs under controlled conditions. Examples of the effectiveness of translation of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) into less stringent programs in community settings such as workplaces, churches, indigenous communities and whole-of-country initiatives are presented. A systematic review and meta-analysis of effectiveness of the lifestyle approaches in routine clinical practice supplements the evidence for application of prevention principles in real-life settings. The main chapters of the thesis centre on process and impact evaluation of the semi-structured Sydney-based intervention, which recruited 1,250 participants from the mainstream Australian 29 public using general practitioner services in the study area, who were followed for 12 months. The intervention’s goals aligned with those of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Program but with less stringent entry criteria and less intensive intervention components delivered by purpose-trained lifestyle officers. The Program included an initial individual assessment and coaching session, three subsequent group sessions in the following three months, then three follow-up coaching calls at three, six and nine months. A final assessment at one year, using the same objective and self-reported measures as in the initial assessment, captured changes in body weight, physical activity and dietary habits. The process evaluation showed that it is feasible and effective to use targeted screening to identify and recruit high-risk individuals into a free-of-charge program in the general practice setting, however a quarter of participants were lost to follow-up by one year. While minor variations in aspects of the Program were required to meet local need, Program fidelity in delivering components, and self-reported adherence to diet and physical activity was high. Using a before-after study design, the impact evaluation measured 1-year changes in key Program parameters in relation to baseline. These comprised: measured weight, waist circumference, BMI, and glycaemia measurements; and self-reported dietary intake and structured physical activity, using a 3-day food record and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire, respectively. The main findings at 12 months for the 586 completers as at December 2010 were: a mean weight loss of 2.1 kg; waist circumference reduction of 2.5 cm; no significant change in glycaemia; 3% reduction of fat and saturated fat intake; 16% increase in fibre intake; and mean increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of 13.7 minutes/week. All these changes were smaller than those achieved by the RCTs in research settings, most likely due to the lower intensity and monitoring of the Sydney intervention. Weight loss and waist circumference reductions were similar for participants in 30 group session and those who received telephone-only coaching. Diabetes incidence was 1% at the end of the first year. An economic appraisal of the Program implementation completes the evaluation. A cost of A$400 per kg lost among people achieving the weight goal was estimated on Program completion, but the cost was double for the overall group that included non weight losers. The cost of achieving the physical activity goal and the dietary goals was not feasible or sustainable with resources available in routine clinical settings. The costs per outcome were similar for participants not attending group sessions, who received only telephone coaching. Hence it is worth exploring this less labour-intensive modality if a general practice based Program were to be delivered as routine preventive care. In sum, the evaluation of this community-wide diabetes prevention program showed that translation of diabetes prevention programs into routine practice, while feasible at less intensive levels than in RCTs, has a somewhat lower effect on diabetes risk reduction and it can still be a financial burden in clinical settings. However, given the potential for population-wide benefit, the effectiveness of alternative delivery modes, number and duration of program components and more targeted patient sub-groups should be investigated.The Sydney Diabetes Prevention Program was funded by New South Wales Health as part of the Australian Better Health Initiative. Financial contribution and other in-kind support were provided by the Sydney South West Area Health Service and the Australian Diabetes Council -NSW

The Engagement of China in Nigeria’s Oil Sector: Is the Transformation Positive?

Many a time, the relationship between China and Africa is stereotyped as an energy quest to sustain China’s economic growth, leading to anti-Chinese resistance narratives in Africa. Against this background, the observed presence of China in Nigeria, more specifically, warrants attention, as the strategic relationship has expanded significantly to emerge as a powerful, yet questionable, South-South alliance. We document the economic activities of China in Nigeria, through the channels of trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and aid, to frame our understanding of the content of those ties. As the engagement of China in Nigeria is skewed towards the extractive industry, this paper mainly focuses on Nigeria’s oil sector, by tracing the transforming developments and addressing the challenges of Nigeria that relates with economic, environmental and social life, with China’s commercial presence in the oil sector. With the economic dimensions of this contextual engagement, we set out a research agenda that focuses on the effectiveness of commercial activities of China in the Nigerian oil sector

Determinants of Infant Mortality in Older ASEAN Economies

Infant mortality in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been declining, yet disparities remain between the nations. This paper therefore explores the determinants of infant mortality in the older ASEAN-4 economies, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Error Correction Model framework. The key findings of the study are: First, there is evidence of long-run relationships among infant mortality, education, female fertility, income and access to healthcare. Second, the determinants of infant mortality vary between countries. Female fertility emerged as the main determinant of infant mortality in Malaysia, while access to healthcare matter for infant mortality in Indonesia, and to a lesser extent for the Philippines. The income effect is significant for reducing infant mortality in Malaysia, while female education is important for Indonesia and Thailand. Third, the speed of adjustment of infant mortality rate is comparatively low in ASEAN-4

Trade linkages and domestic market concentration: an empirical exploration for Malaysia

This paper examines the univariate relationship between global linkages of the Malaysian manufacturing sector in the form of export intensity and intra-industry trade, respectively, on inter-industry concentration. The recently developed fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) panel cointegration techniques are employed. The estimated long-run coefficients reveal that intra-industry trade contributes towards more concentrated markets. However, export intensity is not significantly associated with market dominance. This suggests that domestic market structure is directly related to industries that engage in two-way trade flows or trade overlap. The structure of trade therefore deserves further attention when analyzing market dominance in the Malaysian manufacturing sector, which is globally integrated at the production level. It would thus be viable to examine why and to what extent vertically integrated industries that simultaneously facilitate not just external markets for components or final products but also the import markets for components (inputs) pose barriers to industries that are less networked globally

Cross-border shopping: examining motivations from the perspective of Bruneian visitors in Limbang, Malaysia

A tourism generating activity that is becoming increasingly important in border-towns of Malaysia is cross-border shopping. The present study investigates the cross-border shopping behavior of Bruneian visitors in Limbang, Sarawak, Malaysia. The objective is to profile the demographic characteristics of the visitors; their spending patterns; and analyze the motivating factors for cross-border shopping. The present study makes three principal findings. First, most of the Bruneian cross-border shoppers are found to be day trippers from the lower income group. Second, the analyses reveal that the purchasing behavior of day trippers differs from that of short-term visitors. The former tends to spend more on food and beverages, whilst the latter are attracted to services in Limbang, such as entertainment outlets. Third, the three major motivating factors from the nine underlying dimensional influences of Brunei-Limbang cross-border shopping are the favourable exchange rate; the various/reliable services available; and the retail atmosphere, which are compensated for by the safe and easy access to Limbang and the low transport costs associated with the travel