The impact of the small and medium enterprise support programmes on the livelihoods of micro-entrepreneurs using sustainable livelihood framework : a case study of Enterprise Mongolia Project Phase 2 by United Nations Development Programme in Mongolia : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The aim of this research is to explore the impact of Enterprise Mongolia Project EMP-2 project on the livelihoods of the Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) using Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) in the context of Mongolia. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used in order to carry out this research. The study started firstly with the review of existing literature followed by field research to explore in depth rural livelihoods and SMEs in Mongolia. The research is conducted in two phases. The first phase comprises examining the case study of Enterprise Mongolia Project 2 (EMP-2) and discusses the role of SME support programmes in poverty reduction. The second phase of the research method comprised of conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 entrepreneurs. The overall objective of the research is to identify the changes resulting from the project intervention (EMP-2) using sustainable livelihood approach and to find out the relationship between the livelihood assets and enterprise of SME owners. The researcher uses Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) to explore the human, social, financial, and physical and natural resource based assets that enable the poor to enhance their capabilities and reduce their vulnerabilities. A qualitative study is conducted by consenting the SME owners who were beneficiaries of the EMP-2. Unstructured and in-depth interviews were conducted; interviews were taped, transcribed and thematically analyzed by using NVivo 10. Data has been collected from three major regions of Mongolia which are Selenge Aimag, Khenti Aimag and Uvurkhangai Aimag. Out of 20 respondents, 8 belong to Selenge Aimag, 6 belong to Khentii Aimag and 6 belong to Uvurkhangai Aimag respectively. Results are extracted from Nvivo 10, word frequencies, word trees, results previews and qualitative model is generated with the help of Nvivo 10. Results clearly demonstrate that the EMP- 2 project provided support in terms of financial capital, human capital, physical capital, social capital and natural capital and this improves the livelihoods of the small and business entrepreneurs in Mongolia. Findings of the study also illustrates that EMP-2 project ease out the funding’s and loan processes, provide training to their workers and resolve the issues in regards to water shortage and energy shortage. The results of this study can be used by the NGO’s and other charity organizations to go in Mongolia and introduce projects like EMP to provide support to SME owners so that their livelihood can improve and poverty can be reduced or eliminated. Keyword: EMP, SMEs, Mongolia, Livelihoods, Sustainable Livelihood Framewor

Birds of the Shatan River Basin, Mongolia

AbstractIn our study we recorded 149 species of birds belonging to 97 genera and 36 families in 15 orders. These bird species compose 32% of Mongolian registered bird fauna. Of these 149 species, 54% are passeriformes. Our observation was held in three different habitats: mountains ranging with rocks and forest (88 species), river basins (45 species), and an area around human habitation, specifically train stations outside towns (16 species). Of our studied bird species, 11 are enlisted in the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as endangered, vulnerable, or near threatened species, and 144 are known as least concerned. Also 20 species are listed in Annexes I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and 15 species are listed in Annexes I and II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species

Concept of mining 1 Z vain on low horizons of shaft R7S - Dolní Rožinka

Import 05/08/2014Uranové ložisko Rožná bylo objeveno v roce 1954 a je posledním uranovým revírem v Evropské unii, kde v současné době probíhá těžba uranové rudy. Předpokládá se, že v těžbě bude pokračováno i v budoucích letech. Hlavním cílem mé bakalářské práce je navrhnout koncepci vydobytí 1Z-žíly na spodních horizontech v jižní části slepé jámy R7S v současném dobývacím poli dolu Rožná. Také nástin možnosti dobývacích metod a seznámení s geologickými podmínkami ložiska, technické parametry a použití mechanizace. Výsledky uvedené v bakalářské práci mohou byt využito k dobývání a zpracováni technické dokumentaci v ložisku Rožná. Tato práce je v souladu s báňsko-technickými podmínkami ložiska Rožná.Rožná uranium deposit was discovered in 1954 and is the last uranium mine into the European Union, which is currently being mined uranium ore. It is assumed that the production will continue in the coming years. The main objective of this paper is to propose the concept of pry-1Z vein in the lower horizons in the southern part of the pit blind R7S in the current mining pit Rožná. We also outline the possibilities of mining methods and introduction to geology bearings, performance and use of mechanization. The results presented in the thesis can be used for mining and processing technical documentation Rožná. This work is in line with mining and technical conditions Rožná.Prezenční542 - Institut hornického inženýrství a bezpečnostivelmi dobř

Hepatic Steatosis, Ischaemia/Reperfusion injury and Survival Cytokines in Spontaneous Liver Transplant Tolerance

Liver transplantation is a well-established, life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. Liver transplantation is inevitably accompanied by some degree of ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Ischaemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) can have important implications for both short and long-term transplantation outcomes. Increasing demand for donor livers has necessitated the use of “extended criteria donor” organs. Frequently, these livers are affected by steatosis. Significant steatosis of the donor liver is associated with increased susceptibility to injury during donor brain death and warm ischaemia, and increased rates of primary graft non-function. Consequently, steatosis is the most common reason for procured liver grafts to be deemed unsuitable for transplantation. Better understanding of the mechanisms involved in these processes could help enlarge the pool of available donor livers and allow safer utilization of steatotic grafts. Approximately 20% of liver transplant recipients in the clinical setting can be safely weaned off immunosuppressive medications without the expected graft rejection. As an initial trigger of immune responses, IRI is an important factor which can impede the development of operational tolerance. Spontaneous liver transplantation tolerance has been consistently associated with the deletion or clonal exhaustion of alloreactive T cells following their initial activation, thus preventing their ability to mediate graft destruction. The first part of this study examined the hypothesis that the higher propensity for liver grafts to be tolerated compared with other organs, is due to a relative insufficiency of T cell survival signals, transmitted through the cytokines, interleukin (IL)-2, 4, 7, 9, 15 and 21 and their receptors, which incorporate the common gamma chain. Transplantation of hearts or kidneys in the PVG to DA rat strain combination led to rejection of the graft. Livers transplanted in the same strain combination are tolerated without the need for immunosuppression. By examining the relative gene expression of the common gamma chain cytokines and their receptors, we found that an association exists between high expression of IL-2, IL-2Rα, IL-4 and IL-15Rα and rejection. In contrast to these, expression of IL-7Rα was significantly higher in tolerated livers than in rejecting hearts and kidneys. IL-7Rα expression is inversely related to the global levels of common gamma chain signalling, further supporting the postulate that graft-infiltrating T cells in tolerated livers have been exposed to lower concentrations of common gamma chain cytokines. The second part of this study was aimed at establishing a model of partial, warm liver IRI in the steatotic liver and characterizing some of the factors contributing to the increased susceptibility of fatty livers to IRI. This was achieved through feeding male C57BL/6J mice a 45% fat diet for 12 weeks. Lean mice and those with steatotic livers were then subjected to a moderate ischaemic insult, followed by reperfusion. HMGB1 is a critical mediator of inflammatory signalling during liver IRI. We found that HMGB1 was localised to the nucleus of hepatocytes in lean livers, whereas in steatotic livers a striking redistribution of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm had taken place. As early as 15 minutes post-reperfusion, serum levels of HMGB1 were significantly higher in the HFD-fed than in the lean mice, and the severity of ischaemic injury was considerably greater in the HFD-fed group as determined by increased serum alanine aminotransferase, more extensive liver necrosis and apoptosis, and increased synthesis and/or systemic release of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β and IL-17. The damaging effects of IRI in steatotic livers were accentuated by a reduced rate of hepatocyte regeneration. Moreover, persistently elevated IL-7 levels in the HFD mice on d1 post-reperfusion may be a means of rescuing activated alloreactive T cells if IRI is occurring in the context of an allogeneic liver transplant. IL-6 and IL-17 are also recognised contributors to the blockade of transplant tolerance induction, implying that the more intense innate immune response in steatotic liver not only engenders more severe tissue damage and poorer immediate graft function, but could oppose the development of operational tolerance in these grafts. The third part of this study examines the effect of overexpression of endogenous soluble Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (esRAGE) on the outcome of partial warm IRI in lean and fatty livers. esRAGE acts as a competitive antagonist to alarmins such as HMGB1 and reduces proinflammatory signal transduction. By administering an adenoassociated viral vector encoding esRAGE, persistent high systemic levels of esRAGE were achieved without the need for repeated intraperitoneal injections. An AAV vector encoding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) served as a control. Systemic esRAGE expression resulted in reduced serum HMGB1 and conferred protection from IRI in lean livers, but not in steatotic livers. In the esRAGE-transduced lean livers we found minimal necrosis, fewer apoptotic cells and subdued neutrophil infiltration, compared with GFP-transduced lean livers at day 1 and 3 post-reperfusion. Conversely, esRAGE expression in steatotic hepatocytes resulted in a greater incidence of frank necrosis, and hepatocyte apoptosis, associated with more intense neutrophil infiltration and increased expression of various components of inflammatory signalling pathways. In conclusion, liver-directed gene transfer of esRAGE to lean livers protects them against warm IRI. In the steatotic hepatocytes, esRAGE transduction increases susceptibility to tissue injury, possibly due to augmentation of pre-existing endoplasmic reticulum stress. An alternative approach to harnessing the potential hepatoprotective effects of AAV vector-mediated esRAGE gene transfer in the setting of hepatic steatosis could involve choosing skeletal muscle rather than liver as the site for transgene expression