Ballast Water Utopia and Some Environmental Protection Ideas

An environmental protection plan that would resemble a true utopia might still be distant however, employing advanced methods and innovation that will get the global community on the road to the best marine and other environmental protections should be every generation’s intent. Ballast water management as related to shipping, trade, and the marine world as a special concern of this paper has been one of the most notable innovation drivers in the maritime space in the last couple of decades in order to close doors to the dangers of introducing new aquatic invasive species in sensitive environments around the world (bio invasions). This paper aims to selectively survey some established ballast water management methods reimagined by the latest innovations reflecting on some latest developments. The world is constantly facing troubling concerns over environmental protection issues particularly related to marine and maritime related endeavors. For example, what it may mean to lose many Russian scientists that are involved in arctic research as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, especially with ship traffic and ballast water management slated to be more and more of a concern in that area as shipping channels become more open in that region

An analytical study of the regulation of South African diamond trade from 1994 to 2009 with reference to aspects of the 1996 Constitution.

Thesis (LL.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.This study forms a unique study of South African diamond laws as developed in the context of the South African constitutional dispensation. This study is therefore a contribution to legal research and academia which forms an in depth consideration of international trade practices that influence the diamond industry which is used in this study specifically as a sample market. The diamond industry in South Africa provides a relatively comparatively small but resilient source of economic activity through trade in diamond products as luxury items and items used for industrial purposes. It is therefore crucial that laws related to the regulation of this industry are comprehensively and analytically studied for the purposes of understanding South African national and international diamond trade regulatory framework. This is done with the aim of illustrating that there has been a significant shift of prevailing wisdom in the South African diamond trade industry. It is now evident that more constitutionally justifiable and internationally sound diamond trade practices have been adopted and applied. This study not only serves to benefit South Africa as a diamond producing country but it will also add required knowledge related to the international trade context particularly having regard to the fact that South Africa plays a significant role in the global economy and its diamond trading activities do not occur in a vacuum. Therefore the international trade aspect of this study lends it a dual purpose analysis of diamond regulation laws. 1 Report of Task Team Appointed by the Minister of Minerals & Energy to Analyze the Memoranda and Evidence Laid Before The Commission of Inquiry into the South African Diamond Industry, 20 December (1999). Chapter 5. This was stated in the submissions by Mr. L.A. Lincon, a director of De Beers. He stated that South Africa had 10% by volume of the world total of around 105 million carats. South African mines are no longer major producers of all desired qualities. As a result it was agreed in 1992 that rough diamonds destined for South African factories could be provided from the CSO’s (Central Selling Organization) full range of diamonds available in London from sources world-wide

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

SOUTH AFRICAN MARINE INSURANCE LAW: THE CURRENT STATE OF OUR DRAFT MARINE INSURANCE BILL AND THE EFFECT OF ITS PROMULGATION ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARINE INSURANCE INDUSTRY

In 1997 a draft proposal for a Marine Insurance Act was prepared as a new South African statute in response to a call for the development of marine insurance by legal practitioners, academics, various members of the Maritime Law Association and other members of various Marine Underwriting bodies (the draft bill was redrafted in 1997 by its main draftsman Adv Douglas Shaw QC). The draft legislation, tends to adopt the form and structure of the English Marine Insurance Act 1906 (6 Edw 7c 41), with minor differences. For instance, in keeping with the South African law on insurance, the draft Act excludes the English law concept “uberrima fides”, which has been rejected as an alien concept under South African insurance law. It is essential for legislature to review the status of the bill as marine insurance forms the oldest part of our well established maritime economy. Developments in marine insurance laws will enable South Africa to participate more meaningfully from a legislative point of view in the international arena. The draft bill is a useful tool in determining the probable future direction of the developments in South African marine insurance, however, this draft legislation has not been promulgated. It is possible to underestimate the usefulness of such a code since ten years have passed since the bill’s last re-draft. It is proposed in this article that there is a need for codified South African Marine Insurance Law and that perhaps the legislature should reopen the debate on the bill and consider it in order to hasten the process of its promulgation. Further, if such a statute is developed it must be unique to South Africa in that it must reflect a balance between the modern Roman-Dutch law as applied by our courts in marine insurance matters while useful English law concepts are also reflected for the purposes of international uniformity. However, if capturing such a dichotomy in the draft bill proves to be against international marine insurance trends, perhaps the best way forward is to promulgate the existing draft Act as is. What must be achieved in the end is that South African Marine Insurance Law must lose its legal research status of being the “Cinderella” of all insurances and have positive laws that govern it specifically in the form of a South African Marine Insurance Act

PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW / CONFLICT OF LAWS AND DIAMOND TRADE

Any researcher of South African diamond laws would find it inevitable that such research discusses the relationship between international diamond transactions and conflict of laws. This is particularly evident in cases where legal disputes have arisen pertaining to such transactions. This article will make reference to the terms “private international law” and “conflict of laws” interchangeably, although “conflict of laws” will be preferred for reasons of taste rather than logic. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the concept of conflict of laws in general and how it significantly impacts the manner in which courts will ultimately decide on the law to be applied in a matter possibly involving inter alia international diamond transactions. This demonstrates the consistent relevance of conflict of laws particularly in light of the global economy. The correct identification and understanding of conflict of laws’ principles can be stretched to accommodate all other areas of international trade. However, for the purposes of understanding how diamond trade is impacted by conflict of laws in South Africa, this paper will be limited to the legal context of diamond-relevant trade and the latest guidelines provided by our courts in relation to the choice of law in matters where conflict of laws has arisen.&nbsp

Persistence of IgE-associated allergy and allergen-specific IgE despite CD4+ T cell loss in AIDS

The infection of CD4+ cells by HIV leads to the progressive destruction of CD4+ T lymphocytes and, after a severe reduction of CD4+ cells, to AIDS. The aim of the study was to investigate whether HIV-infected patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl can suffer from symptoms of IgE-mediated allergy, produce allergen-specific IgE antibody responses and show boosts of allergen-specific IgE production. HIV-infected patients with CD4 counts ≤ 200 cells/µl suffering from AIDS and from IgE-mediated allergy were studied. Allergy was diagnosed according to case history, physical examination, skin prick testing (SPT), and serological analyses including allergen microarrays. HIV infection was confirmed serologically and the disease was staged clinically. The predominant allergic symptoms in the studied patients were acute allergic rhinitis (73%) followed by asthma (27%) due to IgE-mediated mast cell activation whereas no late phase allergic symptoms such as atopic dermatitis, a mainly T cell-mediated skin manifestation, were found in patients suffering from AIDS. According to IgE serology allergies to house dust mites and grass pollen were most common besides IgE sensitizations to various food allergens. Interestingly, pollen allergen-specific IgE antibody levels in the patients with AIDS and in additional ten IgE-sensitized patients with HIV infections and low CD4 counts appeared to be boosted by seasonal allergen exposure and were not associated with CD4 counts. Our results indicate that secondary allergen-specific IgE production and IgE-mediated allergic inflammation do not require a fully functional CD4+ T lymphocyte repertoire

Demographic, clinical and immunological characterization of ten HIV infected patients with low CD4 counts.

<p>Displayed are age, sex and ranges of CD4 counts for follow-up sera. Allergic symptoms and positive results obtained by skin prick testing and determination of allergen-specific IgE are summarized.</p><p>Abbreviations: F: female; M: male; R: rhinitis; RC: rhinoconjunctivitis; U: urticaria; AB: asthma bronchiale; AP: allergic pharyngitis; SPT: skin prick test; Der p: <i>Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus</i>; n.k.: not known;</p

Allergen-specific IgE antibody levels (kUA/L) and CD4 counts in HIV-positive patients with low CD4 counts (#14–21) for whom sequential serum samples were available.

<p>CD4 counts (right y-axes) and allergen-specific IgE levels (left y-axes) measured in serum samples obtained at different points of time (x-axes) are shown. The usual periods of the grass and tree pollen season is indicated in green and brown, respectively.</p

Allergen-specific IgE antibody levels (kUA/L) and CD4 counts in HIV-positive patients with AIDS (#8–11) and in HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts below 200/µl (#12–13).

<p>CD4 counts (right y-axes) and allergen-specific IgE levels (left y-axes) measured in serum samples obtained at different points of time (x-axes) are shown. The usual periods of the grass and tree pollen season is indicated in green and brown, respectively.</p

Integration of a menstrual health intervention in a community-based sexual and reproductive health service for young people in Zimbabwe: a qualitative acceptability study.

BACKGROUND: Despite being fundamental to the health and well-being of women, menstrual health is often overlooked as a health priority and access to menstrual health education, products, and support is limited. Consequently, many young women are unprepared for menarche and face challenges in accessing menstrual health products and support and in managing menstruation in a healthy and dignified way. In this paper, we examine the acceptability of a comprehensive menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) intervention integrated within a community-based sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service for young people aged 16-24 years in Zimbabwe called CHIEDZA. METHODS: We conducted focus group discussions, that included participatory drawings, with CHIEDZA healthcare service providers (N = 3) and with young women who had attended CHIEDZA (N = 6) between June to August 2020. Translated transcripts were read for familiarisation and thematic analysis was used to explore acceptability. We applied Sekhon's thematic framework of acceptability that looks at seven key constructs (affective attitudes, burden, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy). Data from FGDs and meeting minutes taken during the study time period were used to triangulate a comprehensive understanding of MHH intervention acceptability. RESULTS: The MHH intervention was acceptable to participants as it addressed the severe prevailing lack of access to menstrual health education, products, and support in the communities, and facilitated access to other SRH services on site. In addition to the constructs defined by Sekhon's thematic framework, acceptability was also informed by external contextual factors such as sociocultural norms and the economic environment. Providers highlighted the increased burden in their workload due to demand for MHH products, and how sociocultural beliefs around insertable menstrual products compromising virginity can negatively affect acceptability among young people and community members. CONCLUSIONS: MHH interventions are acceptable to young women in community-based settings in Zimbabwe as there is great unmet need for comprehensive MHH support. The integration of MHH in SRH services can serve as a facilitator to female engagement with SRH services. However, it is important to note that contextual external factors can affect the implementation and acceptability of integrated SRH and MHH services within communities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: Clinicaltrials.gov, Registration Number: NCT03719521 , Registration Date: October 25, 2018