The impacts of public participation in area-based urban regeneration: a case study of the London Borough of Newham

MPhilPublic participation is a key part of the urban regeneration policies in Britain strongly promoted by the New Labour government. The main aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of public participation in area-based urban regeneration where poverty and multiple deprivation are prevalent. The case study area is the London Borough of Newham, a borough that benefits from many of these policy initiatives for a variety of aspects of social, economic and environmental regeneration. Following the completion of their budgeted project life, however, the outcomes of many of the regeneration initia-tives in Newham and elsewhere are not always sustainable. One of the many possible explanations for the failure of initiatives to secure a long-term improvement in the qual-ity of life of the residents is the lack of ownership by local people which is a conse-quence of non- or little public participation in the regeneration process. This often re-flects the almost non-existence of social networks among communities undergoing re-generation and the lack of empowerment of residents from the outset and throughout the lifetime of projects. The thesis argues that a good stock of social networks and well developed community empowerment will lead to a higher level of participation that could help regeneration initiatives to become more sustainable. It is based on a programme of research that used a range of mixed methods, including surveys, interviews and observation, to investigate the nature of participation in Newham regeneration settings. The findings explore the extent of participation and consider the views of a range of stakeholders on its role in the regeneration process. As well as critically evaluating current Newham regeneration initiatives in relation to the degree to which they meaningfully encourage public partici-pation, the study also sets out to develop ideal models of participation. It explores dif-ferent approaches to engaging with local people and social networks at neighbourhood level, and emphasises to the importance of evaluating regeneration in relation to its par-ticipatory goals. The thesis concludes by reiterating the importance of a meaningful public participation in the national and local policy regimes. It also sets out the signifi-cance of the research in understanding the role of participation in Britain’s area based urban regeneration strategies

Management of Turcicum leaf blight [Exserohilum turcicum (Pass.) Leonard & Suggs] of maize (Zea mays L.) through integration of host resistance and fungicide at Bako, western Ethiopia

Open Access JournalTurcicum leaf blight (TLB) (Exserohilum turcicum) is a major disease affecting maize production in western Ethiopia. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of maize varieties integrated with fungicides on epidemics of turcicum leaf blight; to determine the effect of turcicum leaf blight severity on yield and yield components of maize; and to assess the cost and benefit of using fungicides. The field experiment was conducted at Bako Agricultural Research Center in 2014 main cropping season using six maize varieties (BH-540, BH-543, BH-546, BH-660, BH-661 and AMHQ-760) integrated with foliar sprays of the systemic fungicide propiconazole (Tilt) at the rate of 350 ml ha-1 and the contact fungicide mancozeb (Dithane M-45) at 2.6 kg ha-1. The experiment was arranged in 3 × 6 factorial combinations in split plot design with three replications. A pinch of ground maize leaf infected by E. turcicum was inoculated at third-fifth leaves. Unsprayed plots were left as control or check for each variety. Disease severity was scored using 1 to 5 scale on 12 randomly-tagged plants in the central rows. Integration effects of varieties with fungicides significantly affected the grain yield and thousand kernel weight (TKW) of maize varieties. The highest (11383 kg ha-1) grain yield was obtained from propiconazole-treated hybrid maize variety BH-546. Turcicum leaf blight resulted in grain yield losses of up to 40.7% on the unsprayed plots of the susceptible variety BH-543. Percent severity index, AUDPC, incidence and disease progress rates were negatively correlated with yield components regardless of grain yield loss. The highest marginal benefit (ETB 48,801.28 ha-1) and marginal rate of return (ETB 6.33) were obtained from propiconazole-treated varieties BH-543 and BH-546, respectively. This study contributes to integrated TLB management options, and to make a valid recommendation for TLB management strategy, the study should be repeated over years and locations where TLB of maize is of major economic importance

Linearization and localization of nonconvex functionals motivated by nonlinear peridynamic models

We consider a class of nonconvex energy functionals that lies in the framework of the peridynamics model of continuum mechanics. The energy densities are functions of a nonlocal strain that describes deformation based on pairwise interaction of material points, and as such are nonconvex with respect to nonlocal deformation. We apply variational analysis to investigate the consistency of the effective behavior of these nonlocal nonconvex functionals with established classical and peridynamic models in two different regimes. In the regime of small displacement, we show the model can be effectively described by its linearization. To be precise, we rigorously derive what is commonly called the linearized bond-based peridynamic functional as a $\Gamma$-limit of nonlinear functionals. In the regime of vanishing nonlocality, the effective behavior the nonlocal nonconvex functionals is characterized by an integral representation, which is obtained via $\Gamma$-convergence with respect to the strong $L^p$ topology. We also prove various properties of the density of the localized quasiconvex functional such as frame-indifference and coercivity. We demonstrate that the density vanishes on matrices whose singular values are less than or equal to one. These results confirm that the localization, in the context of $\Gamma$-convergence, of peridynamic-type energy functionals exhibit behavior quite different from classical hyperelastic energy functionals.Comment: 30 page

Effect of graded levels of Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus palmensis) leaves supplementation on performance of yearling Menz sheep in Ethiopian Highlands

The effects of supplementation with graded levels of tagasaste (Chamaecytisus palmensis) leaves on feed intake, digestibility, and body weight gain (BWG) and carcass characteristics were studied using thirty yearling and intact male Menz sheep. The sheep were blocked into six blocks of five sheep based on their initial body weight and animals from each block were randomly assigned to five treatment groups with six replications per treatment in randomized complete block design (RBCD). Barley straw was fed ad libitum as a sole diet in treatment 1 (T1) and as a basal diet supplemented with 100, 200, 300 and 400g dried tagasaste leaf in the other treatments i.e. T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively. A 90- day growth experiment and 7- day digestibility trial were conducted. Dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and crude protein (CP) intakes increased (P0.05) among treatments, but dressing percentage on empty body weight basis have higher than on slaughter weight basis this imply that the influence of digesta. Supplementing a basal diet of barley straw with tagasaste leaves improved DM intake, BWG, digestibility of nutrients and carcass. It is concluded that 400g/d/head of tagasaste leaf can serve as a protein supplement to low quality feed during dry season for efficient performance of sheep

On the Optimal Control of a Linear Peridynamics Model

We study a non-local optimal control problem involving a linear, bond-based peridynamics model. In addition to existence and uniqueness of solutions to our problem, we investigate their behavior as the horizon parameter $\delta$, which controls the degree of nonlocality, approaches zero. We then study a finite element-based discretization of this problem, its convergence, and the so-called asymptotic compatibility as the discretization parameter $h$ and the horizon parameter $\delta$ tend to zero simultaneously.Comment: 35 page

International Germplasm Collection, Conservation, and Exchange at ICRISAT

Germplasm is the most important raw material for any crop improvement program, and yet humankind continues to be faced with the extinction of this invaluable and irreplaceable resource. One of the best descriptions of genetic resources is given by Mehra and Arora (16) who stated, "Plant genetic resources represent the sum total of diversity accumulated through years of evolution under domestication and natural selection". Genetic manipulation (3) is advancing at a fast pace and the process may be even more accelerated by the application of genetic engineering techniques. But nothing can be achieved, even by genetic engineering, unless those desirable genes are at our disposal. Jain (11) considered germplasm as part of human biological heritage without whose free exchange present-day farm productivity would not have been possible. In this regard, the International Agricultural Research Centers strategically located at regions of rich crop diversity are in a unique position to collect and conserve germplasm and make it readily available to all scientists throughout the world

Study on the seroprevalence of small ruminant brucellosis in and around Bahir Dar, North West Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was carried out from October 2008 to April 2009 to determine the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants in and around Bahir Dar, northwest Ethiopia. The sampling method used was purposive sampling technique for districts and simple random for the study animals. A total of 500 serum samples (270 from sheep and 230 from goats) were collected from extensive management system with no history of vaccination. All serum samples were initially screened by Rose-Bengal-Plate Test (RBPT) and positive reactors to RBPT (n=6) were further tested by complement fixation test (CFT) for confirmation. Accordingly, the overall prevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants was 0.4 % (2/500). Rose Bengal Plate Test detected 6 (1.2%) of the samples as seropositive. Up on further testing by CFT only 2 (0.4%) were positive which were adult goats. The seroprevalence of brucellosis was found higher in females (0.4%) than males (0%). Although seropositive animals are low in number, it was found out that animals more than 1 year of age were more affected than others. The result of the present study revealed that the seroprevalence of small ruminant brucellosis in the study area was very low. However, the existence of the disease in the study area has possible risk of spread in the future. Accordingly, elimination of positive seroreactors has been recommended to control the spread of brucellosis in these species of animals

Illness and Treatment Perceptions of Patients with Epilepsy Attending Treatment at a Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa – A Qualitative Exploration

BACKGROUND: Epilepsy can be a large economic burden in countries where appropriate treatment is not taken due to religious and psychosocial beliefs. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of patients with epilepsy attending their treatment at Tikur Anbessa SpecializedHospital about their illness and treatment.METHODS: A qualitative exploratory design with an in-depth interview was followed. Fourteen purposively selected patients were used until saturation of key emerging themes was achieved.RESULTS: The finding showed that study participants expressed perceptions towards their illness including about its cause, timeline, severity and psychosocial consequences which at times may be considered different from the biomedical version. They also expressed concerns about their treatment, reported aboutsocial and psychological issues and in certain cases dissatisfaction with their healthcare providers. Such issues may have led to delays in treatment-seeking and non-adherence to recommended treatment regimens and as well use of traditional medicine and spiritual healing. On the other hand, reasons that were reported to positively influence their treatment experiences include necessity perceptions about their medications, family support and use of spiritual healing alongside their biomedical treatment.CONCLUSION: The healthcare provision should improve to cater to these groups of patients including instituting chronic care management and appropriate health education provision