A Survey of Growth and Development Issues of the Pacific Islands

This paper is a survey of some key variables with an international dimension and implications for growth and development policies in selected Pacific island countries. Results from a simple growth accounting exercise show that factor accumulation is the most dominant growth factor and that the contribution of total factor productivity is negligible. Therefore, increasing the investment rate to improve growth rate is a pragmatic medium-term policy option. Further, econometric analysis shows that foreign aid has a negligible effect on output and growth in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.macroeconomic analyses, economic growth, development issues, Pacific islands

Evaluation of High Impedance Surfaces for MRI RF Coil Applications ­ Simulations of RF Field and Specific Absorption Rate

This paper investigates the use of High Impedance Surfaces (HIS) to enhance the magnetic near-field within a dielectric phantom stimulated by a surface coil antenna resonating at 63.8 MHz for use in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems. Specifically, the optimization of the space between the surface of the coil and the HIS is presented here. The HIS incorporates interdigitated capacitive elements that produce an electrically small unit cell size. The magnetic field strength is shown to be improved by 42% as compared to a system which uses only an RF shield The associated Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) for the optimum design is simulated and compared to international standards. The work is aimed at 1.5T MRI applications

Quality Indices of Fluoride Concentration in Groundwater of Malkhaid Sub-basin, Gulbarga District, Karnataka

: Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in the study area., High fluoride content above permissible limit (>1.5 mg/l) are recorded at many places in groundwater samples of study area resulting in health hazards, causing dental and skeletal fluorosis. The major litho-units of study area are limestone, shales and Deccan traps. Integrated quality indices, multi-criteria decision making and sensitivity function analyses are used to analyze the groundwater samples using mathematical modelling. The geochemistry of groundwater relating major ionic constituents with fluoride using statistical analysis are carried out to understand the source and mechanism of enrichment of fluoride in groundwater. Based on multi-criteria decision making approach, the majority of the samples fall under the category of decreased quality region. Results of sensitivity function analyses indicate, waters belong to less recommended range. Saturation indices of fluoride minerals are interpreted using Chadha’s diagram. The geochemical analysis indicates the alkalis, viz., Ca2+ and Mg2+ indicated negative correlation with fluoride. This could be due to the oversaturation of carbonate minerals as inferred from saturation indices. Positive correlation between Fwith that of Na+ ions and pH is observed, which may be due to the rock dissolution processes. From the above studies it is interpreted that the mineral dissolution through rock water interaction is the major controlling process of fluoride enrichment in groundwater. Water treatment and de-fluorination at village levels are to be considered for using groundwater for drinking purpose

Nitrate pollution in groundwater: its causes and effects in central part of Suvarnamukhi River Basin, Karnataka

Groundwater is the major source of drinking water in the sub-​basins of the central part of Suvarnamukhi River Basin. Chem. anal. is carried out for 55 groundwater samples collected during pre-​monsoon and post-​monsoon seasons from five sub-​basins. The av. nitrate concn. is 65.96 and 97.17 ppm in pre-​monsoon and post-​monsoon seasons resp. According to Bureau of Indian Stds. (BIS)​, the max. desirable and permissible limit of nitrate is 45 ppm. In the study area, 25 samples (45​%) and 32 samples (58​%) in pre-​monsoon and post-​monsoon seasons are not suitable for drinking purpose with a seasonal variation of 43​%. Seven samples of post monsoon have increased NO3-​ concn. compared to pre-​monsoon season. The interrelationship of nitrate with other cations and anions suggest the most possible sources of nitrate as non-​point sources (leaching mechanism of nitrate due to extensive use of fertilizers) and to some extent point sources (cattle sheds and poultry farms, leakages from septic tanks, sewerage effluents)​. The nitrate distribution map shows anomalous zones in the central and south eastern part of the study area in both pre and post-​monsoon seasons suggesting that groundwater here is completely polluted and is unfit for drinking. The north western portion of the study area has high NO3-​ concn. during post monsoon season suggesting that the water is polluted due to application of nitrate rich fertilizers

Antibacterial Susceptibility Pattern of Uropathogenic Enterobacter Species from a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by Enterobacter species have been increased now a days. Emergence of antibiotic-resistance of these microorganisms are complicating the treatment. Since resistance rates differ from place to place, knowledge on prevailing patterns of antimicrobial resistance becomes essential. Aim and Objectives: This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Enterobacter species, an opportunistic pathogen isolated from patients with urinary tract infection at a tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods: Sixty eight strains of Enterobacter species were isolated from the culture media. Identification of the isolates was done using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization – Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) and antibacterial susceptibility testing was done using Vitex automated system. Results: We observed that, males were the most predominantly affected gender groups (57%) compared to that of females (43%). Out of 68 strains, Enterobacter cloacae (53) were identified as the most prevalent organisms followed by Enterobacter aerogenes (15). About 79% of Enterobacter species were found to be resistant to cefuroxime and 84% of the strains were found to be showing resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. One multidrug resistant strain susceptible to antibiotic colistin, was also identified. Conclusion: From our study, we can conclude that emergence of this unusually rare organism as uropathogen, which is resistant to commonly available antibiotics is alarming. Prompt starting of empirical antimicrobials based on susceptibility pattern is required to significantly reduce the mortality rate caused by these strains

The genetics of obesity and the metabolic syndrome

In this review, we discuss the genetic architecture of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, highlighting recent advances in identifying genetic variants and loci responsible for a portion of the variation in components of the metabolic syndrome, namely, adiposity traits, serum HDL and triglycerides, blood pressure, and glycemic traits. We focus particularly on recent progress from large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS), by detailing their successes and how lessons learned can pave the way for future discovery. Results from recent GWAS coalesce with earlier work suggesting numerous interconnections between obesity and the metabolic syndrome, developed through several potentially pleiotropic effects. We detail recent work by way of a case study on the cadherin 13 gene and its relation with adiponectin in the HyperGEN and the Framingham Heart Studies, and its association with obesity and the metabolic syndrome. We provide also a gene network analysis of recent variants related to obesity and metabolic syndrome discovered through genome-wide association studies, and 4 gene networks based on searching the NCBI database

Experimental study of geometric t-spanners : a running time comparison

The construction of t-spanners of a given point set has received a lot of attention, especially from a theoretical perspective. We experimentally study the performance of the most common construction algorithms for points in the Euclidean plane. In a previous paper [10] we considered the properties of the produced graphs from five common algorithms. We consider several additional algorithms and focus on the running times. This is the first time an extensive comparison has been made between the running times of construction algorithms of t-spanners

Biological Nitrification Inhibition—A Novel Strategy to Regulate Nitrification in Agricultural Systems

Human activity has had the single largest influence on the global nitrogen (N) cycle by introducing unprecedented amounts of reactive-N into ecosystems. A major portion of this reactive-N, applied as fertilizer to crops, leaks into the environment with cascading negative effects on ecosystem functions and contributes to global warming. Natural ecosystems use multiple pathways of the N-cycle to regulate the flow of this element. By contrast, the large amounts of N currently applied in agricultural systems cycle primarily through the nitrification process, a single inefficient route that allows much of the reactive-N to leak into the environment. The fact that present agricultural systems do not channel this reactive-N through alternate pathways is largely due to uncontrolled soil nitrifier activity, creating a rapid nitrifying soil environment. Regulating nitrification is therefore central to any strategy for improving nitrogen-use efficiency. Biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) is an active plant-mediated natural function, where nitrification inhibitors released from plant roots suppress soil-nitrifying activity, thereby forcing N into other pathways. This review illustrates the presence of detection methods for variation in physiological regulation of BNI-function in field crops and pasture grasses and analyzes the potential for its genetic manipulation. We present a conceptual framework utilizing a BNI-platform that integrates diverse crop science disciplines with ecological principles. Sustainable agriculture will require development of production systems that include new crop cultivars capable of controlling nitrification (i.e., high BNI-capacity) and improved agronomic practices to minimize leakage of reactive-N during the N-cycle, a critical requirement for increasing food production while avoiding environmental damage