ASSESSING THE FISHERY AND ECOLOGY OF SHARKS IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Large scale shark population declines have been documented worldwide due to overexploitation and the lack of adequate management frameworks to conserve shark stocks. This study aimed at gaining an understanding of the national shark fishery and the trade in shark products from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Data were collected from June 2010 to October 2012 through interviews with local fishermen, market and landing site surveys, fishery independent surveys, and stomach content analysis. Interviews with local fishermen (n=126) provided information on the fishery characteristics and established that sharks were increasingly targeted due to their high value in the global fin trade industry. Fishermen confirmed that changes in species composition, abundance, and size of sharks have been ongoing for over two decades raising concerns about the sustainability of this fishery. Catch data and genetic analyses established that 30 species of sharks were found in UAE Gulf waters. Landings were dominated by six species, Carcharhinus sorrah, Rhizoprionodon acutus, Carcharhinus limbatus, Loxodon macrorhinus, Carcharhinus dussumieri, and Mustelus mosis, representing over 90% of the total catches. Most of these species were small bodied sharks while large bodied species were mostly below the size of maturation possibly suggesting recruitment overfishing. A fishery independent survey of sharks in nearshore areas also indicated a low level of abundance of sharks in waters off Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Data on the relative abundance, distribution, and various aspects of the biology of all species encountered were collected. Furthermore, a dietary study of stomach contents of R. acutus and L. macrorhinus provided information on their feeding habits suggesting that they have viii different preferences for their prey. Trade data were limited to products from the UAE and Oman, including meat and fins, and indicated that the majority of species traded were at global risk of extinction based on IUCN Red List classification. Results from the various studies undertaken suggest that these species are likely to be overexploited and that management measures will need to take into account the precautionary principle. There is an urgent need to formulate effective conservation and management plans to prevent further declines in a number of species. The data gathered can now serve as a reference to managers, fisheries scientists, and other stakeholders to prioritize future research, as well as lay foundations for the development and implementation of national management plans for the protection and conservation of sharks

Catch composition and life history characteristics of sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii) landed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Detailed information on shark and ray fisheries in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India are limited, including information on the diversity and biological characteristics of these species. We carried out fish landing surveys in South Andamans from January 2017 to May 2018, a comprehensive and cost-effective way to fill this data gap. We sampled 5,742 individuals representing 57 shark and ray species landed from six types of fishing gears. Of the 36 species of sharks and 21 species of rays landed, six species of sharks (Loxodon macrorhinus, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, Sphyrna lewini, C. albimarginatus, C. brevipinna, and Paragaleus randalli) comprised 83.35% of shark landings, while three species of rays (Pateobatis jenkinsii, Himantura leoparda and H. tutul) comprised 48.82% of ray landings, suggesting a species dominance in the catch or fishing region. We provide insights into the biology of species with extensions in maximum size for seven shark species. Additionally, we document an increase in the known ray diversity for the islands and for India with three previously unreported ray species. We found that amongst sharks, mature individuals of small-bodied species (63.48% males of total landings of species less than 1.5 m total length when mature) and immature individuals of larger species (84.79% males of total landings of species larger than 1.5 m total length when mature) were mostly landed; whereas for rays, mature individuals were predominantly landed (80.71% males of total landings) likely reflecting differences in habitat preferences along life-history stages across species and fishing gear. The largest size range in sharks was recorded in landings from pelagic longlines and gillnets. Further, the study emphasizes the overlap between critical habitats and fishing grounds, where immature sharks and gravid females were landed in large quantities which might be unsustainable in the long-term. Landings were female-biased in C. amblyrhynchos, S. lewini and P. jenkinsii, and male-biased in L. macrorhinus and H. leoparda, indicating either spatio-temporal or gear-specific sexual segregation in these species. Understanding seasonal and biological variability in the shark and ray landings over a longer study period across different fisheries will inform future conservation and fishery management measures for these species in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Low genetic diversity after a bottleneck in a population of a critically endangered migratory marine turtle species

Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), which are distributed throughout the world's oceans, have undergone drastic declines across their range, largely due to anthropogenic factors. Assessing sizes, genetic variability and structure of their populations at global and regional levels is critical to the development of conservation management strategies. Here, nuclear and mitochondrial markers were used to analyse patterns of parentage and population structure in hawksbill turtles in United Arab Emirates (UAE) waters, utilizing samples from two life stages (hatchlings and juveniles), and to compare the UAE population with neighboring populations. Weak genetic differentiation was detected between juveniles and hatchlings and between the nesting sites of Dubai and Sir Bu Nair. Parentage analysis suggested that only 53 females and 74–80 males contributed to the hatchlings from 67 nests across three nesting sites in UAE (Dubai, Sir Bu Nair, Abu Dhabi). No females were identified as nesting in more than one location. In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, single paternity was the norm (75%), whereas on Sir Bu Nair, multiple paternity was detected in the majority of nests (67%). Polygyny was also frequently detected on Sir Bu Nair (15% of the overall number of males), but not in the other nesting sites. Comparison of the UAE population with published data from other populations suggests that population structure exists both within the Gulf and between the Gulf and Indian Ocean populations, and that the UAE population has lower genetic variability than the Seychelles population. Finally, the data suggest that the UAE population, and the Gulf population overall, experienced a bottleneck/founder event. The observed overall low genetic variability, evidence of population structure in the Gulf, and strong differentiation between the Gulf and the Indian Ocean populations, raises concerns about the sustainability of this species in this near-enclosed basin. These results highlight the need for regional collaboration in the development of management measures for the long-term conservation of this Critically Endangered specie

Developing a Poverty Map for Indonesia: a Tool for Better Targeting in Poverty Reduction and Social Protection Programs Book 1: Technical Report

Experience shows that locating the target for poverty reduction and social protection programs is one of the most crucial and difficult problems in the implementation of these programs. in Indonesia – a populous country which is very large in size, and where poverty statistics are reliable only down to the provincial-urban/rural level – geographic targeting of the poor is not an easy undertaking. significant efforts to map poverty at small administrative areas in Indonesia only started in the mid 1990s. recently, an effort has been made to create a poverty map of Indonesia using a newly developed ell (elbers, lanjouw, and lanjouw) method. through a competitive grant from the ford foundation's “regional research initiative on social protection in asia”, the smeru research institute has completed the application of this poverty mapping method to all provinces in Indonesia. the final result of this work is a poverty map for the whole country, disaggregated at provincial, district, subdistrict, and village levels. this report describes the aforementioned effort to develop poverty maps of all provinces in Indonesia. overall, this report consists of four volumes, respectively: (i) technical report; (ii) results of model estimations; (iii) poverty estimates; and (iv) field verification. in addition, a cd-interactive visualizing the poverty maps is also available as an integral part of this report

TEKNOLOGI BIOPORI DALAM PENGELOLAAN SAMPAI ORGANIK DI DESA CAU BELAYU, TABANAN BALI

This community service activity (PKM) is a collaborative activity between lecturers and students that must be carried out as part of the implementation of the Tridharma of higher education. Garbage is a problem that still cannot be solved in various regions in Indonesia, especially in the village of Cau Belayu, Tabanan Regency. Effective waste management can provide a solution in overcoming floods in the rainy season, one of which is the vetiver system and biopori technology. These two systems can accelerate the absorption of water into the soil. This method of implementing community service is carried out by providing education to the community about vetiver systems and biopori technology, and after that, implementing the two programs directly on the community pages that have been deemed worthy of the two programs. Both systems provide many benefits to the community, namely reducing organic waste and fertilizing the soil, this is due to a biological process that will turn the waste into compost. The holes are made, then given organic waste which will trigger soil biotas such as worms and ants, and plant roots to create cavities in the soil. This community service activity is carried out through three stages, namely assessment of the village, implementation, and evaluation. As a result of this community service, now the people of Cau Belayu village have implemented these two technologies in people's homes even though they use simple equipment. In addition, the two systems are also implemented in the environment around the temple and the shrines in the village

INOVASI PELAYANAN PUBLIK MELALUI ALAN E-KTP UNTUK MENYIAPKAN BIROKRASI TANGGUH DI WILAYAH PENYANGGA IKN NUSANTARA

ABSTRAKArtikel ini membahas mengenai hadirnya program inovasi Antrian Online Perekaman e-KTP atau disebut ALAN e-KTP sebagai sistem pelayanan publik dalam birokrasi yang kreatif, efektif dan efisien dalam menekan terjadinya penumpukan massa di Kantor Disdukcapil Kota Balikpapan. Inovasi ini penting untuk menyiapkan Balikpapan sebagai salah satu wilayah penyangga ibu kota baru Indonesia, IKN Nusantara yang semakin hari semakin bertambah penduduknya akibat mobilitas masyarakat. Permasalahan yang sering terjadi yaitu masih banyaknya masyarakat yang belum mengetahui adanya inovasi layanan antrian online ini sehingga menjadikan program kerja individu yaitu pembuatan poster Alan e-KTP ini menjadi informasi yang sangat penting dan bermanfaat bagi masyarakat. Program ini bertujuan untuk memberikan informasi dan memberikan kemudahan bagi masyarakat yang akan melakukan perekaman e-KTP. Metode yang digunakan adalah pengabdian kepada masyarakat yang dilakukan dengan pembuatan poster dan sosialisasi yang diawali dengan pencarian informasi dan pengidentifikasian masalah. Adapun pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam kegiatan ini adalah Kelurahan Kariangau dan percetakan. Kelurahan Kariangau berperan sebagai jembatan untuk kegiatan penyerahan poster ALAN e-KTP kepada masyarakat. Adapun objek atau sasaran yang dituju penulis dalam kegiatan ini adalah masyarakat umum. Dimana, kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini telah terlaksana dengan baik dengan persentase nilai keberhasilan sekitar 85%. Hal tersebut dikarenakan pada saat penyerahan poster Alan e-KTP mendapatkan respon yang positif dari Lurah dan jajaran birokrasi kantor  kelurangan Kariangau serta seluruh  warga di Salok Baru. Kata kunci: inovasi birokrasi; pelayanan publik; e-KTP; IKN nusantara ABSTRACTThis article discusses the presence of the e-KTP Recording Online Queue innovation program or called ALAN e-KTP as a public service system within the bureaucracy that is creative, effective and efficient in suppressing mass buildup at the Disdukcapil Office of Balikpapan City. This innovation is important to prepare Balikpapan as one of the buffer zones for Indonesia's new capital city, IKN Nusantara, which is increasingly growing in population due to people's mobility. The problem that often occurs is that there are still many people who do not know about this online queue service innovation so that it makes the individual work program, namely making Alan e-KTP posters, very important and useful information for the community. This program aims to provide information and make it easy for people who will record e-KTP. The method used is community service which is carried out by making posters and outreach which begins with information seeking and problem identification. The parties involved in this activity were the Kariangau Village and the printers. The Kariangau Sub-District plays a role as a bridge for the ALAN e-KTP poster submission activities to the community. The object or target aimed at by the author in this activity is the general public. Where, this community service activity has been carried out well with a percentage of success values of around 85%. This is because at the time of submission of Alan's e-KTP poster, a positive response was received from the Lurah and the bureaucratic ranks of the Kariangau sub-district office and all residents in Salok Baru. Keywords: innovation bureaucracy; public services; e-KTP; IKN nusantar

Peripheral inflammation is associated with brain atrophy and cognitive decline linked to mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Inflammation is an important factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). An NMR measurement in plasma, glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), captures the overall level of protein production and glycosylation implicated in systemic inflammation. With its additional advantage of reducing biological variability, GlycA might be useful in monitoring the relationship between peripheral inflammation and brain changes relevant to AD. However, the associations between GlycA and these brain changes have not been fully evaluated. Here, we performed Spearman's correlation analyses to evaluate these associations cross-sectionally and determined whether GlycA can inform AD-relevant longitudinal measurements among participants in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (n = 1506), with additional linear models and stratification analyses to evaluate the influences of sex or diagnosis status and confirm findings from Spearman's correlation analyses. We found that GlycA was elevated in AD patients compared to cognitively normal participants. GlycA correlated negatively with multiple concurrent regional brain volumes in females diagnosed with late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI) or AD. Baseline GlycA level was associated with executive function decline at 3-9 year follow-up in participants diagnosed with LMCI at baseline, with similar but not identical trends observed in the future decline of memory and entorhinal cortex volume. Results here indicated that GlycA is an inflammatory biomarker relevant to AD pathogenesis and that the stage of LMCI might be relevant to inflammation-related intervention