Striped Bass Management in Rhode Island

The management of highly migratory marine species is a difficult and complex task. No creature better represents the myriad problems faced by those attempting interstate fisheries management than the striped bass of the Atlantic coast. Their high stock levels in the late 1960s attracted unprecedented attention from commercial and sport fishermen alike. The dramatic crash of these stocks in the late 1970s, subsequent attempts at coastwide management, eventual Federal intervention and finally the rebound of the Atlantic striped bass population is an interesting case study. This paper will focus on what transpired in the State of Rhode Island during this dynamic period. Initially, it will cover background information on the natural history of the striped bass, discuss inter-jurisdictional fisheries management in general, review the actions of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and finally address the management of the striper in Rhode Island\u27s waters

Towards a Circular Plastics Economy: Policy Solutions for Closing the Loop on Plastic

Over the past 50 years, plastic has emerged as one of the most ubiquitous materials in modern society. In the form of packaging, plastic has provided us with immense convenience and utility, particularly with regards to food preservation, safety, and environmental impacts, compared to alternative materials. Against this backdrop, the combination of single-use plastic packaging and low recycling rates has led to a global plastic pollution crisis, yielding more intense public and governmental scrutiny towards plastics than ever before. Simultaneously, China’s National Sword policy, which imposes strict contamination limits on imported recyclables and outright bans many popular plastic packaging types, has catalyzed immense disruption within the recycling ecosystem. Collectively, these disruptions have sharply reduced the availability of viable end markets for recycled plastic, ultimately leaving recyclers and governments around the world with nowhere to sell their plastic recyclables. Given this confluence of events, plastic packaging stakeholders face a critical juncture in determining plastic’s role within our society. Specifically, how can we sustainably produce, consume and dispose of plastic packaging in a manner that allows us to realize the material’s vital value? In other words, how can the plastic packaging industry, policymakers, NGOs, and other involved stakeholders design and advocate for a more circular plastics economy? This research seeks to answer this question based on the hypothesis that the use of public policies that facilitate the recovery and recyclability of plastics worldwide is critical for achieving the systemic changes required for the transition to a circular economy. As such, this research examines a wide array of policy tools around the world that have been implemented to reduce plastic pollution and increase plastic recycling rates, with the goal of providing the packaging industry and other stakeholders with insights and recommendations regarding the advantages and disadvantages of different policy options.Master of ScienceSchool for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148831/1/Towards a Circular Plastics Economy - Policy Solutions for Closing the Loop on Plastics_01.pd

A qualitative investigation into knowledge, beliefs, and practices surrounding mastitis in sub-Saharan Africa: what implications for vertical transmission of HIV?

BACKGROUND: Mastitis constitutes an important risk factor in HIV vertical transmission. Very little, however, is known on how women in sub-Saharan Africa conceptualise health problems related to breastfeeding, such as mastitis, and how they act when sick. We aimed at filling this gap in knowledge, by documenting the indigenous nosography of mastitis, health seeking behaviour, and remedies for prophylaxis and treatment in rural sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: The study was conducted in the Nouna Health District, rural Burkina Faso. We employed a combination of in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions reaching both women and guérisseuers. All material was transcribed, translated, and analysed inductively, applying data and analyst triangulation. RESULTS: Respondents perceived breast problems related to lactation to be highly prevalent and described a sequence of symptoms which resembles the biomedical understanding of pathologies related to breastfeeding, ranging from breast engorgement (stasis) to inflammation (mastitis) and infection (breast abscess). The aetiology of disease, however, differed from biomedical notions as both women and guerisseurs distinguished between "natural" and "unnatural" causes of health problems related to breastfeeding. To prevent and treat such pathologies, women used a combination of traditional and biomedical therapies, depending on the perceived cause of illness. In general, however, a marked preference for traditional systems of care was observed. CONCLUSION: Health problems related to breastfeeding are perceived to be very common in rural Burkina Faso. Further epidemiological research to assess the actual prevalence of such pathologies is urgently needed to inform the design of adequate control measures, especially given the impact of mastitis on HIV vertical transmission. Our investigation into local illness concepts and health care seeking behaviour is useful to ensure that such measures be culturally sensitive. Further research into the efficacy of local customs and traditional healing methods and their effect on viral load in breast milk is also urgently needed

Asia Pacific financial markets in comparative perspective : issues and implications for the 21st century

The Asia Pacific region is a geographical appellation that many still feel with justification will be the dynamic economic arena for this century. Accepting this premise and acknowledging the importance of the role of finance in that development brings with it the imperative to gain a greater understanding of the unique financial characteristics of the region. This chapter has two major pursuits. The first goal is to provide some background on the various markets of the region. An understanding of institutional detail (size and scope) of the relevant markets affords a view that lends or detracts from the credibility of intermarket comparisons. An exposure to institutional detail also supplies information that may bear on the statistical results of the empirical analysis. The vital roles played by stock markets of pricing capital, issuing new shares, providing a liquidity-creating secondary feature, serving as a vehicle for asset transfer and providing a linkage to international capital markets are as important to emerging markets as to developed countries. However, fixed income markets are still not as well developed in emerging markets and therefore an even heavier capital sourcing burden is placed on emerging stock markets. The Asia Pacific region derivatives markets (futures and options) play their risk-transfer role in equity and fixed income areas and are integral to the scene. The second pursuit in this chapter is to provide a thumbnail sketch of each of the contributions. The summary will include the nature of the empirical work, the type of methodology or statistical technique applied, and the results. In addition the results will be viewed in light of any reinforcement or digression from a priori expectations drawn from other markets. This volume contains 19 original research papers from 36 authors who represent major academic and financial institutions around the globe.25 page(s

A Note on the equilibrium relationships between issuers in the Asia Pacific region

12 page(s

Return anomalies on the Nikkei : are they statistical illusions?

This study investigates the sensitivity of the long-term return anomaly observed on the Nikkei stock index to sample and method bias using daily data from the period 3 January 1980 to 31 October 2000. Initially, the CUSUM statistic is employed to identify sub-periods of sign shifts in the mean returns. We find that the null hypothesis of no long-term dependence is accepted for the whole sample and every sub-period using the modified rescaled range test, but not using the classical rescaled adjusted range test. We conclude that researchers may inadvertently introduce sample and method bias into their studies of the time series properties of the Nikkei unless sample period and method are considered