Lagoon livelihoods: gender and shell money in Langalanga, Solomon Islands

© 2018, The Author(s). Gender shapes livelihoods through access to resources and the distribution of benefits from economic activities. To work effectively with local people, resource management and community development initiatives should therefore be sensitive to the influence of gender on livelihoods. This paper considers gender in the context of broader social trends around livelihoods and focuses on a case study of shell money production and trade in the Langalanga Lagoon in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. We pool data from several recent research projects with historical material from secondary sources. We find that the gender division of labour in the shell money value chain has changed somewhat over time, particularly in that women are now actively involved in trading. However, this shift has created friction due to norms about what kinds of activities are suitable for women, and who should control cash incomes. Whilst shell money remains one of the most important livelihoods in Langalanga lagoon, our findings also illustrate that the shell money value chain and the income earned varies considerably from family to family, with some making a better living than others. We argue that interventions seeking to improve livelihoods in coastal communities should thus be based on an understanding of differentiation within communities, and practitioners should consider whether interventions will result in community development, or may have the impact of increasing inequality between families

The feasibility of milkfish (Chanos chanos) aquaculture in Solomon Islands

Fish is crucial to food and nutrition security in Solomon Islands, and demand is expected to increase due to a growing population. However, it is projected that current capture fisheries production will not meet this growing demand. Aquaculture has the potential to mitigate the capture fishery shortfall, and the Government of Solomon Islands is prioritizing aquaculture as a solution to meet future food and income needs. Aquaculture in Solomon Islands is still in early development. Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) is farmed for household consumption, but its prolific reproductive rate and resulting slow growth limit its potential as a commercial aquaculture species. More productive fish species that are not indigenous to Solomon Islands but are successfully farmed overseas could be introduced; however, such a decision needs to take into account the potential ecological or social impacts. For land-based pond aquaculture, the only indigenous species that has been farmed extensively elsewhere is milkfish (Chanos chanos). This report presents a feasibility assessment for milkfish farming in Solomon Islands. It synthesizes the current knowledge about milkfish farming and presents results of a 4-year study on the potential for milkfish aquaculture in Solomon Islands

An overview of burst, buckling, durability and corrosion analysis of lightweight FRP composite pipes and their applicability

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The main aim of this review article was to address the performance of filament wound fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite pipes and their critical properties, such as burst, buckling, durability and corrosion. The importance of process parameters concerning merits and demerits of the manufacturing methods was discussed for the better-quality performance. Burst analysis revealed that the winding angle of ±55° was observed to be optimum with minimum failure mechanisms, such as matrix cracking, whitening, leakage and fracture. The reduction of buckling effect was reported in case of lower hoop stress value in the hoop to axial stress ratio against axial, compression and torsion. A significant improvement in energy absorption was observed in the hybrid composite pipes with the effect of thermal treatment. However, the varying winding angle in FRP pipe fabrication was reported as an influencing factor affecting all the aforementioned properties. Almost 90% of the reviewed studies was done using E-glass/epoxy materials for the composite pipe production. By overcoming associated limitations, such as replacing synthetic materials, designing new material combinations and cost-benefit analysis, the production cost of the lightweight FRP composite pipes can be decreased for the real-time applications.Peer reviewe

Effects of medetomidine-ketamine combination anaesthesia on electrocardiographic findings, body temperature, and heart and respiratory rates in domestic pigeons

The applications of medetomidine (M) as a pre-anaesthetic and ketamine (K) as an anaesthetic agent were investigated in seven domestic pigeons in terms of the degree of anaesthesia (DA) and alterations in physiological parameters. An intramuscular (IM) injection of M (200 mug/kg) was followed by administration of K (120 mg/kg, IM) after 10 min. Body temperature (BT), respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), DA, and electrocardiogram (ECO) findings were determined before (0 min) and 10 min after the application of M, and 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after the administration of K. All pigeons had 4(th) degree anaesthesia and a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in HR was observed starting from the 10(th) min and lasting until the end of the anaeasthesia period. RR was significantly decreased at the 10(th) min of pre-anaesthesia (p < 0.01). Following K application, RR increased at the 5(th) min and stayed high until the 30(th) min, but decreased again afterwards. HR decreased dramatically during pre-anaesthesia (p < 0.01) and gradually during anaesthesia (p < 0.05). An obvious prolongation of P-R and R-R intervals was the only ECO finding. It was observed that BT constantly decreased during pre-anaesthesia and anaesthesia (p < 0.05 or p < 0.001). In conclusion, it was found that M + K combination anaesthesia caused alterations in the physiological parameters in pigeons, but they did not possess a life threatening effect. The application of M + K at these dose levels might produce a reliable and deep anaesthesia lasting 15 to 60 min

Relation of ambulatory blood pressure measurement and cognitive functions in hypertensive elderly patients

Introduction Hypertension is an important risk factor for dementia as much as the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease. Sustained hypertension is also more related to that risk. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and cognitive functions in elderly hypertensive patients without comorbid diseases which may deteriorate cognitive functions

TNF neutralization results in the delay of transplantable tumor growth and reduced MDSC accumulation.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) represent a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells that under normal conditions may differentiate into mature macrophages, granulocytes and dendritic cells. However, under pathological conditions associated with inflammation, cancer or infection such differentiation is inhibited leading to immature myeloid cell expansion. Under the influence of inflammatory cytokines, these cells become MDSC, acquire immunosuppressive phenotype and accumulate in the affected tissue, as well as in the periphery. Immune suppressive activity of MDSC is partly due to upregulation of arginase 1 (Arg1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10 and TGF-β. These suppressive factors can enhance tumor growth by repressing T-cell-mediated anti-tumor responses. TNF is a critical factor for induction, expansion and suppressive activity of MDSC. In this study we evaluated the effects of systemic TNF ablation on tumor-induced expansion of MDSC in vivo using TNF humanized (hTNF KI) mice. Both Etanercept and Infliximab treatments resulted in a delayed growth of MCA 205 fibrosarcoma in hTNF KI mice, significantly reduced tumor volume and in less accumulated MDSC in the blood three weeks after tumor cell inoculation. Thus, our study uncovers anti-tumor effects of systemic TNF ablation in vivo