Community Based Fisheries Management: The Right Option

The principle behind community based fisheries management is handover of fisheries resources to community groups and they will manage the resources sustainably and equitably. The benefits of this approach are obvious -- it is pro-poor, equitable and sustainable. Handing over fisheries management to community groups secures access to fisheries resources for those people whose lives depend on them i.e. the poor fishers. This ensures a pro-poor approach supportive of the national goal of poverty alleviation. In addition to this, by making sure that the best fisheries do not forever end up with the few local elites, community managed fisheries guarantees equitable distribution of benefits from fisheries resources. The lives of some millions of people are dependent on fisheries resources and they must be allowed to enjoy the benefits from these resources. Moreover, unlike the current revenue based system of fisheries management, community managed fisheries approach is not driven by the overarching desire for profit. As a result, community groups responsible for managing fisheries resources balance the need for production with conservation which results in sustainability. A brief comparison of the approaches adopted for fisheries management (presented in the following tabular form) clearly demonstrates the advantages of community managed fisheries approach

We Left Our Keys with Our Neighbours: Memory and the Search for Meaning in Post-Partitioned India

In mainstream Indian and Pakistani nationalist master-narratives, Partition is a contested terrain. For India, it signifies independence and the end-note of a non-violent anti-colonial movement; for Pakistan, it embodies freedom from both British and Hindu domination and the creation of a homeland for Muslims. Recently, the debate in Partition historiography has moved from nationalist posturing to detailed analyses of the trauma and pain that accompanied Partition. This is usually conceived of through a distinction between ‘high politics’ and ‘subaltern’ voices. The ‘fragment’, it is contended, provides us with a perspective of the marginal, of a ‘history from below.’ My own journey to reckon with the embattled identities produced out of Partition began when my grandfather remarked that despite the fact of Partition, he would have gladly continued to work in Lahore. I was stunned. Why not, he said, don’t people work in Dubai? And wasn’t Lahore far closer than Dubai? In post-partitioned India, Lahore felt a million miles further from Dubai. His vivid memory of the desire to stay on in Lahore despite the high politicking that had resulted in Partition, despite the long years since Partition, form an unanalysed silence. This chapter uses oral history to grapple with memories and identities that evoke many such silences, gaps in Partition writing and thinking

Effect of Text-to-speech Software on Academic Achievement of Students with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder that creates serious difficulties in learning process. Being a special learning disorder, it demands special learning environment with a blend of right approach, method and technology. Text to speech software comes under the head of assistive technology that helps dyslexic children understand and assimilate structure sound and meaning of the words. Present study is an experimental study in which 20 students of 6-12 years of age range were selected and randomly distributed in experimental and control group. Experimental group was taught with text to speech software for four months while control group received no treatment and was taught by conventional method of teaching. In the beginning of the study a pretest was conducted in order to know the prevalent differences among the groups. After four months of intervention post test was conducted. Results revealed that students in experimental group performed significantly better than the control group. Text to speech software contributed to remarkable gains in the achievement of students with dyslexia

Adopting collaborative planning for redevelopment of built environment as a means for capacity building of the urban poor

The research examines opportunities for capacity building of the urban poor through redevelopment interventions in their built environment. It investigates whether community participation and collaborative planning strategies applied for built environment redevelopment could lead to capacity building of the urban poor; and how the success of these approaches could be measured. The intention is to determine whether the extent of capacity building achieved within specific projects that are hailed as successful can be effectively measured

CMS Forward Pixels Geometry Simulation

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is being built at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) to produce collisions between protons and protons at an unprecedented energy of 14 TeV. Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is one the five detectors that will be placed on the 17-mile long ring of the LHC, to record data for physics analysis from these collisions. The Forward Pixel Detector of CMS is an integral part of the Tracking system, which would play a key role in addressing the full physics potential of the collected data. This note describes the development of geometry simulation for the Forward Pixel Detecto

Identity and built environment : issues for urban poor

The aim of the research was to examine redevelopment strategies and policies attempting to elevate the identity of the urban poor by reinforcing their socio-cultural characteristics through their built environment. The study also attempted to create a dialogue between identity and built environment and questioned whether a re-designed and re-developed environment can socially empower the urban poor; and, if so, what redevelopment strategies and approaches can be adopted to re-create identity and remove stigma over urban poor? Identity is the crest in the development of both people and place and cannot be viewed as an abstract or as a subject exterior to a human. But often, questions of ‘who we are’ (self-identity) are intimately related to questions of ‘where we are’ (place-identity) (Dixon and Durrheim 2000), creating a gap between structure and agency. This thesis not only analysed this gap but also measured the impact of poverty on the urban poor prevailing over their stigmatized identity linked to their built environment.It was important to understand an individual’s meaning of self, wherein ‘self’ is not just characterised and outlined by one’s association to the community, but also by an individual’s linkage to the diverse physical-setting that describe and construct their everyday life (Proshansky 1978, cited in Hillier 2002). It was also seen that individuals mostly describe ‘who’ and ‘what’ they are in the context of an intense sentimental connection to ‘house and home’ and/or ‘neighbourhood and community’. Thus, in relation to this research, an individual’s description of the physical world is limited to home and built environment.Additionally, this study explored strategies to overcome the multifaceted issues faced by the poor specifically linked to their built environment which contributes to their stigmatised identity (Davis 2006). Thereby, this thesis compared urban poverty in developed and developing countries within the built environment framework. The purpose was to identify the common aspects of built environment in both the contexts influencing the socio-cultural characteristics as well as well-being of the urban poor. The research thus searched for some common ground, where synergies were visible for future improvement works, globally.The process of examining built environment and measuring well-being of the urban poor, involved an analysis of Phillips and Pittman’s (2003) “Triarchic Model of Poverty” and Sen’s theory on “Capability and Well-being”(1993, cited in Fukuda-Parr 2003). This analysis helped define the evaluative factors for built environment and the indicators of well-being. The usage of this analytical framework was an iterative process which further assisted in auditing the redevelopment strategies of the urban poor applied during the case studies and in identifying those methodological and rational elements of the case studies that may be responsible for significant variations in the findings.In addition to theoretical literature reviews, four literature and two field case studies were conducted for the research. The literature case studies were focused on urban renewal examples providing an initial understanding of the concepts whereas the field case studies involving observations, discussions and surveys provided crucial insights to the intensity of the issue. Additionally, participation in the project provided valuable knowledge and better understanding of life in marginalised communities, their everyday practices, and of their socio-cultural and physical boundaries. Thus contact and dialogue with the stakeholders and reflection were the key tools performed during field trips to Victoria (Australia) and Ahmedabad (India).These field works were conducted with the main objective of studying the influence of redevelopment strategies on the well-being of urban poor. These redevelopment strategies were assessed using the analytical framework to identify the key built environment aspects having the maximum impact on identity renewal. Consequently, the three key aspects of built environment intervention identified were – housing and environment, pride and participation and government responsiveness.Through the assessment of the redevelopment strategies, it was deduced that development of housing and environment can bring a sense of stability and security, but ownership and belonging could be achieved only when there were signs of people’s participation and smooth efforts of the stakeholders for a holistic development. Similarly, it was recognised that urban renewal practices are not mere efforts towards renewing the built environment of the urban poor, but are also efforts to equip the people psychologically, socially, culturally and economically for the future in their own re-developed environment. Thus, within the framework of key built environment aspects, this thesis has proposed an identity renewal model promoting participatory approaches that collaborates with and incorporates not only citizens, but also organised interests, profit and non-profit organisations, planners and local administrators in a common frame. Such an integrated approach would ensure community interests, active citizenship and public-service delivery, where communication, learning, action and community welfare would co-evolve. Therefore, a model as projected for this research adopting joint planning and participatory approaches would help liberate the urban poor, permitting them to define and develop their own values and lead to their empowerment and identity creation.This thesis has thus proposed a positive course of action for future interventions to assist professionals and practitioners in conjunction with the barriers in the process in addition to a new model looking at identity issues of urban poor linked to their built environment

The D0 Run II Detector and Physics Prospects

The D0 Detector at Fermilab is currently undergoing an extensive upgrade to participate in the Run II data taking which shall begin on March 1, 2001. The design of the detector meets the requirements of the high luminosity environment provided by the accelerator. This paper describes the upgraded detector subsystems and gives a brief outline of the physics prospects associated with the upgrade.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to Lake Louise Winter Institute, 2001: Fundamental Interactions to be published in World Scientifi

Optimization of the production of the lantibiotics mutacin 1140 in modified M9 media

Mutacin 1140, a class 1 bacteriocin, is produced by Streptococcus mutans and belongs to the type A lantibiotic family. Experiments were done to optimize production of mutacin 1140 in minimal media enabling a more cost efficient downstream purification method. The development of a small volume fermentation method enabled a rapid screen of several variables in a standard shaking incubator. This method provided a fast approach for determining components that promote mutacin 1140 production in minimal media broth. Lactose was determined to be the optimal carbon source for mutacin 1140 production. High concentrations of CaCl2 (0.3% w/v) and MgSO4 (0.77% w/v) promoted an increase in mutacin 1140 production, while ZnCl2 and FeCl3 appeared to impair production. Optimization of mutacin 1140 production in minimal media resulted in more than a 100old increase in production compared to the base medium used to begin our optimizations. The yield has been estimated by RP-HPLC to be 10 mg/L

Development of Safe and Efficacious Live Attenuated Edwardsiella Ictaluri Vaccines against Enteric Septicemia of Catfish

Edwardsiella ictaluri is the causative agent of enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), which is the most economically important disease of farm-raised channel catfish. E. ictaluri is considered a facultative intracellular pathogen like other well-known species in the Enterobacteriaceae, and it is capable of surviving inside channel catfish neutrophils and macrophages. Its ability to survive inside neutrophils and macrophages has made the development of an effective vaccine against ESC particularly challenging. The goal is to develop a safe, efficacious live attenuated ESC vaccine that is practical and economically beneficial to catfish producers. In this study, single and combination of mutations in genes encoding TCA cycle enzyme and C-1 metabolism proteins were constructed using inrame mutagenesis. The virulence, vaccine efficacy, and tissue persistence of the constructed single and combination mutants were determined in channel catfish. The constructed mutants EideltasdhC, Eideltamdh, EideltafrdA, EideltaglyA, EideltasdhCdeltamdh, EideltasdhCdeltafrdA, and EideltasdhCdeltagcvP were significantly attenuated and showed 100% protection against E. ictaluri 93-146 infection in juvenile channel catfish. However, when tested in 15-d old catfish fry, mutant EideltasdhCdeltagcvP and EideltafrdA were found to provide good protection (99% and 60%, respectively) against E. ictaluri 93-146 infection. The tissue persistence study indicated higher tissue concentration in mutants EideltasdhCdeltagcvP and EideltafrdA relative to the tissue concentration in EideltasdhC and EideltasdhCdeltafrdA mutants