The economics of potato crop rotations in southern Manitoba

Non-Peer ReviewedRapid expansion of the potato industry in Manitoba has led to increased potato production in Manitoba. While the introduction of potatoes into current cropping systems may provide an opportunity for producers to increase the profitability of their farming operation, development of economically and environmentally sustainable production systems is key to the long-term success of the industry. Currently, little information is available about the economic and environmental impacts of such crop rotations with respect to potato production in Canada. Recognizing the importance of sustainable production systems, in 1998, a potato crop rotation study was established at Manitoba Crop Diversification Center (MCDC) at Carberry to develop recommendations for irrigated potato management in southern Manitoba. Six crop rotations ranging from two to four years in duration, and containing potatoes in combination with oilseed, cereal and/or legume crops, were included in this study. Each phase of each rotation was present in each year making a total of 18 treatments. This paper discusses the economic return of these six different crop rotations. The data with respect to all the production practices, including storage, transport and marketing for the period of 1998 to 2001 were collected and analyzed using a computer model developed for this purpose. Econometrics View software was used to develop this model, and the model takes into account the whole system for each rotation when analyzing the data. The preliminary results suggest that, for the period of 1999 through 2000, both potato-canola and potato-oat-wheat rotations appeared to be promising rotations. However, the poor potato yield of the potato-oatwheat rotation in 2001 resulted in low average net income for that rotation. The higher net benefit of the potato-canola rotation during the time period analyzed was primarily the result of a higher proportion of the tuber yield being of marketable size, not for higher gross tuber or canola yields. It is, however, difficult to make firm conclusions at this point of time as to which rotation will be most profitable in the long term. This is mainly because of the rotation treatments have only been in place since 1998 and, as such, observed differences among rotations may be a function not only of the rotation but also of environmental conditions and management within a given year

CONSTRUCTION OF A LOW COST AIR SAMPLER AND IT'S APPLICATION IN SAMPLING VOLATILE CARBONYL COMPOUNDS

lntcrcxt is expanding in measuring. concentrations of volatile organic compounds inbuildings since it is rccogniscd that many peoples' exposure to these compounds occur inthe indoor environment. However. such data are not available in Sri Lanka primarily dueto lack 01"proper equipment for quantitation and their high maintenance cost. This paperdcxcribcx the construction of a low cost air sampler (Rs. 40()/=) using commonly availablematerials.The air sampler contains a muffler fan to pull .unhient air though a filrcrts) and/or a bed ofsorhcnt material. which are housed in a variable length pye tube. Battery poweredmuffler fan and lightweight are two of the convenient features of this air sampler thatminimisc operational and transportation difficulties to the user.Vularilc carbonyl compounds such as formaldehyde acetaldehyde and acetone arecommonly found in indoors ambient air due to the combustion sources and emissions fromsvnthcric household products. Since formaldehyde is a known carcinogen andacetaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen compound. they were selected as the modelcompounds for the evaluation of constructed sampler. A filter paper spiked with 2. 4-dinitrophcnylhydruzcnc is used to collect the airborne carbonyl compounds at a flow rate ofI.X Cill'/SCC. Filters were sonicated in methanol and extracts were separated using a C,xcolumn for qu.uuitation at lSO mm wavelength. Quanutaiion limits estimates thats.unpling of I () dm ' ambient air enables minimum quantitauon of O.S formaldehyde. 1.0acetaldehyde and 1.2 acetone accurately. The paper also reports quantified levels ofairborne carbonyls from different indoor environments.

INVESTIGATION OF SULFUR COMPOUNDS IN SELECTED STAGNANT WATER BODIES

Sulfur compounds, primarily in the form of sulfides (S2.), sulfites (50)'") andsulfates (50t) have been neglected but has a strong effect upon water quality.The dark colour sediments and strong unpleasant ordours often indicate the 52.contamination in aquatic bodies. To the best of our knowledge, no attempt hasbeen made to investigate these compounds and to asses their contribution to thedegradation of water quality. Both the bacteria and dissolved oxygen (DO) areplaying leading roles in determining the fate of 5 containing compounds inaquatic systems.In this investigation it was intended to study the possible relationships betweensulfur species and DO. Four urban stagnant water bodies effected by impropersewage disposal, industrial waste, wet and dry deposition of atmospheric 50/'were investigated along with a prawn farm and two coconut husk soaking pitsinherited with S compounds. These water bodies indicated the emission ofvolatile 5 compounds. These water bodies indicated the emission of volatile 5compounds From their characteristic rotten egg smell.Under this study 52., SO)·2 and 50t levels were monitored along with DO, pHand temperature to investigate the possible correlation method introduced byPawlak and Pawlak (1999) was employed in determination of 52. levels while allother parameters were measured by employing standard methods.Based on the results obtained, only S2. shows a significant correlation with DOunder ambient conditions. Finally, measured dissolved 52. levels were utilized todetermine the possible H25 emission levels. Calculations have shown that each ofthe water body is emitting gaseous H25 and in most cases, emission levels aregreater than the ordour thresholds accounting for the unpleasant smell near thesestagnant water bodies.*Correspondence author

Contribution of dissolved sulfates and sulfites in hydrogen sulfide emission from stagnant water bodies in Sri Lanka

Abstract Accumulation of sulfur-containing compounds and their bacterial mediated reductions have led to the emission of pungent odors from stagnant water bodies. This study is focused on the contribution of inorganic sulfur compounds in the emission of hydrogen sulfide. The measured dissolved oxygen levels have demonstrated good negative correlations with the dissolved sulfide levels implying the oxygen deficiency is the key for the reduction of sulfate ion and sulfite ion to sulfide ion. Particularly, the dissolved molar fractions of sulfide from the total dissolved sulfur compounds (sulfates, sulfites and sulfides) have a very good correlation with the dissolved oxygen for the stagnant water bodies except the artificially aerated prawn farms. For the stagnant water bodies with significant correlations, linear regressions are reported for them to be utilized in estimating one component of the regression from the measurement of the other. The measured data were further utilized to estimate the levels of hydrogen sulfide gas. The pH of the water bodies has confined much of the dissolved sulfides in the form of bisulfide ion and they can be easily escaped to the atmosphere upon acidification due to industrial discharges and/or acidic precipitations. The estimated levels of hydrogen sulfide just above the water surface were plotted for the most polluted stagnant water body in Sri Lanka for the pH range of 5-10 and temperature range of 25-35°C

ANALYSIS OF THE EMISSION TRADING POTENTIAL IN SRI LANKA FOR GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS MARKET UNDER THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

Under the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) reductionof Green House Gas (GHG) emissions become a global good with shared and differentiatedresponsibility vested with member countries. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 191)7 asthe legally hinding instrument to achieve the objectives of UNFCCC. This protocolintroduced three controversial mechanisms namely Joint Implementation (11. Article 6).Clean Development Mechanism (CDM, Article 12) and the emission trading (Article J 7) furthe establishment of markets for GHG emission reduction.Under the Annex I of UNFCCC countries are obliged to reduce their GHG by 5.2'7< fromthe total 1990 level. Global commitments under the common but di Ilcrentiatcdresponsihility principle of UNFCCC for reducing the emissions vary and depends on thecountry's level of emission. Accordingly Annex I countries were given emission reductiontargets c.g. Japan 6Lk. EU 8L.k. and US 7CJL. This issue has drawn attention or the developedcountries since it could alter their lifestyles drastically. The flexible mechanism permitsdeveloped countries to purchase GHG emission potential from developing countriesSelling GHG emission potential (although an income source) has been viewed as sellingdevelopment potential of developing countries. This puts the developing countries in adilemma in making decisions on emission trading. Therefore an in-depth knowledge onmarket potential of GHG is important.The objective of this paper is to review the flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocoli.e. 11, CDM and emission trading along with principles. modalities and procedures inrelation to Sri Lankan environmental conditions and to estimate the total GHG marketpotential for Sri Lanka if the country decides to participate in the global GHG market. Thispaper presents an economic analysis of GHG market in Sri Lanka with an attempt toinvestigate the relationship between rate of emission and economic growth. This ventureessentially creates an equity problem which is discussed using different discount rates.Data from secondary sources. in particular GHG inventories for Sri Lanka for J 1)94 & 11)1)5years arc used to estimate Sri Lankan emission trading potential. These figures will heuseful for predicting Sri Lankan contribution to the emission trading market. Sinks andSources and the sectors of emission are discussed separately in order to identify the mostimportant sectors in terms of emission trading. The paper also discusses the disadvantagesof emission trading, particularly whether this would limit our development potential andsovereignty. the major criticisms against the emission trading. Finally, this paper presentsthe relationship between GHG emission. emission trading potential and economicdevelopment under various scenarios.

Chikungunya as a cause of acute febrile illness in southern Sri Lanka

10.1371/journal.pone.0082259PLoS ONE812-POLN

Dental and prosthodontic status of an over 40 year-old population in Shandong Province, China

Contains fulltext : 97791.pdf (postprint version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: This study aims to (1) describe the dental status using DMFT for the whole dentition and the anterior, premolar and molar regions; (2) determine associations of demographic variables and socio-economic status (SES) with DMFT and tooth replacement; (3) analyze to what extent the goal as proposed by the WHO -'the retention of not less than 20 teeth throughout life' is achieved. METHODS: DMFT and tooth replacement data of 1588 subjects over 40 years from urban and rural sites in Qingdao (Shandong Province, China) were collected. Relative D, M, and F scores per dental region were calculated and compared by paired T-tests. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine relationships with age, gender, place of residence, and SES. RESULTS: Mean numbers of D and F were low (1.36 respectively 0.27) at all ages. Molars had highest chance for D and M. For the molar region every additional year of age gave significantly lower chance for D and higher chance for M (OR: 0.98 and 1.02 respectively; both p </= 0.01). Mean number of M was associated with age (approximately 1.5 in each jaw at 40 years and 6 at 80 years). Females had higher chance for D (OR: 1.34; p </= 0.05) and F (OR: 1.69; p </= 0.01), and lower chance for M (OR: 0.60; p </= 0.01). Urban and rural subjects had similar chance for D; urban subjects had approximately 5 times more chance for F (p </= 0.01). SES had no relationship with D and M, however SES low was associated with F (OR: 0.45; p </= 0.01). Replacements were significantly associated with age (all dental regions except anterior region), gender (all dental regions), place of residence (whole dentition and molar region), and SES (whole dentition and premolar and molar regions). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of subjects presented a reduced dentition. Molars were most frequently affected by D and M. D, M, F and replaced teeth were associated with the background variables, however differently for different dental regions. Above the age of 70 years, only 64% of the subjects presented 'not less than 20 natural teeth'

Snake Bite in South Asia: A Review

Snake bite is one of the most neglected public health issues in poor rural communities living in the tropics. Because of serious misreporting, the true worldwide burden of snake bite is not known. South Asia is the world's most heavily affected region, due to its high population density, widespread agricultural activities, numerous venomous snake species and lack of functional snake bite control programs. Despite increasing knowledge of snake venoms' composition and mode of action, good understanding of clinical features of envenoming and sufficient production of antivenom by Indian manufacturers, snake bite management remains unsatisfactory in this region. Field diagnostic tests for snake species identification do not exist and treatment mainly relies on the administration of antivenoms that do not cover all of the important venomous snakes of the region. Care-givers need better training and supervision, and national guidelines should be fed by evidence-based data generated by well-designed research studies. Poorly informed rural populations often apply inappropriate first-aid measures and vital time is lost before the victim is transported to a treatment centre, where cost of treatment can constitute an additional hurdle. The deficiency of snake bite management in South Asia is multi-causal and requires joint collaborative efforts from researchers, antivenom manufacturers, policy makers, public health authorities and international funders

National sentinel site surveillance for antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in South Africa, 2010 - 2012

BACKGROUND. The increasing rates of antimicrobial resistance observed in the nosocomial pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae are of major public health concern worldwide. Objectives. To describe the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of K. pneumoniae isolates from bacteraemic patients submitted by sentinel laboratories in five regions of South Africa from mid-2010 to mid-2012. Molecular methods were used to detect the most commonly found extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase resistance genes. METHODS. Thirteen academic centres serving the public healthcare sector in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo and Western Cape provinces submitted K. pneumoniae isolates from patients with bloodstream infections. Vitek 2 and MicroScan instruments were used for organism identification and susceptibility testing. Multiplex polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were used to detect blaCTX-M, blaSHV and blaTEM genes in a proportion of the ESBL isolates. All isolates exhibiting reduced susceptibility to carbapenems were PCR tested for blaKPC and blaNDM-1 resistance genes. RESULTS. Overall, 68.3% of the 2 774 isolates were ESBL-positive, showing resistance to cefotaxime, ceftazidime and cefepime. Furthermore, 46.5% of all isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 33.1% to piperacillin-tazobactam. The major ESBL genes were abundantly present in the sample analysed. Most isolates (95.5%) were susceptible to the carbapenems tested, and no isolates were positive for blaKPC or blaNDM-1. There was a trend towards a decrease in susceptibility to most antibiotics. CONCLUSION. The high proportion of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae isolates observed, and the prevalence of ESBL genes, are of great concern. Our findings represent a baseline for further surveillance in SA, and can be used for policy and treatment decisions.http://www.samj.org.zaam201