Blue Biotechnology, Renewable Energy, Unconventional Resources and Products as Emerging Frontiers at Sea

Blue biotechnology, renewable energy and unconventional marine living resources are considered as emerging frontiers for enhancing ocean-based blue economy in Bangladesh. Blue biotechnology can help both fisheries and aquaculture industry by producing fish varieties that can become quicker, more beneficial, and greater with tastier flesh, by developing gene transfer technology to be used to develop the growth of fish or by using of monoclonal antibodies and DNA probes to new diagnostic strategies for pathogens. Transformation of marine bioresources (main, co-product and by-products) into food, medicine, animal feed and related bio-based items i.e. cosmetics, nutritional supplements, enzymes, agrichemicals etc could help in meet the Bangladesh future challenges for the 21st century. Given that majority of conventional living resources is facing over-exploitation, non-conventional marine living resources, specifically mollusk (squids, oyster, mussel), seaweeds, marine echinoderms, marine micro algae and others can be utilized as a source of new fishery products that could straightforwardly consumed as nutritionally balanced marine food. In terms of non-living resource, renewable energy comes from hydro power, solar, biogas and wind, however, tide and wave energy have good potential. Towards sustainable utilization of these sector-specific resources there are several challenges, such as little knowledge about their current status, limited focus by policy makers. To escape this situation, marine policy relatives must have to include the marine fisheries, mariculture, marine food, health, natural resources and industrial application. Research activities can create information to advise the policy and strategy, which thus stimulates future development by informing how the marine environment can be monitored and managed reasonably and realize its role in giving ecological facilities to the country as well as the world

Proximate chemical composition of sea grapes Caulerpa racemosa (J. Agardh, 1873) collected from a sub-tropical coast

Background: Nutritional fact study has prime importance to make the species edible and commercially viable to the consumers. Proximate chemical composition and amino acid profile were investigated to understand the nutritional value and protein quality of an edible algae Caulerpa racemosa. Methods: Samples were collected randomly by hand from the intertidal zone of the sub-tropical coastal Island St. Martin’s Island from February 2013 to May 2014. Samples were preserved using standard methods for chemical analysis. Proximate composition was determined using standard methods, Kjeldahl method for protein, Soxhlet method for crude lipid, H2SO4 (0.3 N) and NaOH (0.5 N) for dietary fibre, muffle furnace method for moisture content, ion-exchange chromatography for amino acid and statistical package used for validating the data. Results: The result of the study reveals that C. racemosa contains higher amount of proteins (19.72±0.77%), crude lipid (7.65±1.19%) and fibre (11.51±1.32%) compared to other green and brown algae. The higher concentration of aspartic acid (12.7±0.2%) and glutamic acid (9.2±0.7%) were observed in C. racemosa, while histidine (2.6±0.7%), methionine (1.4±0.4%) and tyrosine (3.8±0.2%) were the limiting amino acids. Lysine (6.6±0.2%), leusine (6.9±0.6%), glycine (6.5±0.4%), arginine (6.4±0.3%), alanine (7.6±0.6%) and threonine (6.2±0.5%) were obtained at a higher percentage of total amino acids. Conclusion: This study suggests that C. racemosa could be potentially used as a nutritious and functional food item for human consumption. Further studies on this edible species should be focused on fatty acid composition, vitamins, non-starch polysaccharide constituents, trace elements and sensory perceptions in order to depict safer and versatile utilization

Developing effective policy strategies to retain health workers in rural Bangladesh: a policy analysis

INTRODUCTION: Retention of human resources for health (HRH), particularly physicians and nurses in rural and remote areas, is a major problem in Bangladesh. We reviewed relevant policies and provisions in relation to HRH aiming to develop appropriate rural retention strategies in Bangladesh. METHODS: We conducted a document review, thorough search and review of relevant literature published from 1971 through May 2013, key informant interviews with policy elites (health policy makers, managers, researchers, etc.), and a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders and policy makers. We used the World Health Organization\u27s (WHO\u27s) guidelines as an analytical matrix to examine the rural retention policies under 4 domains, i) educational, ii) regulatory, iii) financial, and iv) professional and personal development, and 16 sub-domains. RESULTS: Over the past four decades, Bangladesh has developed and implemented a number of health-related policies and provisions concerning retention of HRH. The district quota system in admissions is in practice to improve geographical representation of the students. Students of special background including children of freedom fighters and tribal population have allocated quotas. In private medical and nursing schools, at least 5% of seats are allocated for scholarships. Medical education has a provision for clinical rotation in rural health facilities. Further, in the public sector, every newly recruited medical doctor must serve at least 2 years at the upazila level. To encourage serving in hard-to-reach areas, particularly in three Hill Tract districts of Chittagong division, the government provides an additional 33% of the basic salary, but not exceeding US$ 38 per month. This amount is not attractive enough, and such provision is absent for those working in other rural areas. Although the government has career development and promotion plans for doctors and nurses, these plans are often not clearly specified and not implemented effectively. CONCLUSION: The government is committed to address the rural retention problem as shown through the formulation and implementation of related policies and strategies. However, Bangladesh needs more effective policies and provisions designed specifically for attraction, deployment, and retention of HRH in rural areas, and the execution of these policies and provisions must be monitored and evaluated effectively

STUDY OF PROBIOTICS ON THE SEED PRODUCTION OF BLACK TIGER SHRIMP Penaeus monodon

Currently, antibiotics are widely used in shrimp hatcheries to control bacterial infections. Appearance of antibiotic resistant pathogens and restriction on the use of antibiotics have led to the development of alternatives to antibiotics in hatchery systems. In light of this, an attempt was undertaken to investigate the effects of probiotics on the larval rearing of Penaeus monodon, compared with control tanks (without probiotics). The results showed that several issues significantly improved with administering probiotics in the experimental tanks compared with the tanks without probiotics. For example, the concentration of ammonia was estimated to be 1.25 mg/L that was less than half of what was measured in the control tanks. The size variation was observed more in the control tanks than in the experimental tanks. Moreover, the muscle gut ratio of PL15 was about 85 to 92% in the probiotic treated tank and 70 to 80% in the control tank during the eight cycles of production. The fouling organisms were more in the control tank compared to the experimental tanks. The average length of PL15 was maximum when reared in the experimental tanks compared to the control tanks. The final survival rate of PL15 from the control and experimental tank was 35 and 52%, respectively. The present investigation indicated that probiotics played an important role in the growth, survival and health status of P. monodon larvae

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

PROBIOTICI U PROIZVODNJI POTOMSTVA TIGRASTE KOZICE (Penaeus monodon)

Currently, antibiotics are widely used in shrimp hatcheries to control bacterial infections. Appearance of antibiotic resistant pathogens and restriction on the use of antibiotics have led to the development of alternatives to antibiotics in hatchery systems. In light of this, an attempt was undertaken to investigate the effects of probiotics on the larval rearing of Penaeus monodon, compared with control tanks (without probiotics). The results showed that several issues significantly improved with administering probiotics in the experimental tanks compared with the tanks without probiotics. For example, the concentration of ammonia was estimated to be 1.25 mg/L that was less than half of what was measured in the control tanks. The size variation was observed more in the control tanks than in the experimental tanks. Moreover, the muscle gut ratio of PL15 was about 85 to 92% in the probiotic treated tank and 70 to 80% in the control tank during the eight cycles of production. The fouling organisms were more in the control tank compared to the experimental tanks. The average length of PL15 was maximum when reared in the experimental tanks compared to the control tanks. The final survival rate of PL15 from the control and experimental tank was 35 and 52%, respectively. The present investigation indicated that probiotics played an important role in the growth, survival and health status of P. monodon larvae.U mrijestilištima kozica trenutno je vrlo rasprostranjena upotreba antibiotika za sprečavanje bakterijskih infekcija. Pojavom otpornih patogenih svojstva antibiotika i ograničenja njihove upotrebe, razvili su se drugi načini sprečavanja infekcija patogenima u mrijestilištima. Sukladno tome je provedeno istraživanje učinkovitosti probiotika u uzgoju ličinki Penaeus monodon te su dobiveni rezultati uspoređeni s onima iz kontrolnih spremnika bez probiotika. Rezultati su pokazali znatno unapređenje nekih odrednica uzgoja u eksperimentalnim spremnicima s dodatkom probiotika (u odnosu na spremnike bez probiotika). Primjerice, koncentracija amonijaka procijenjena je na 1,25 mg/L, što je manje od polovice izmjerene vrijednosti u kontrolnim spremnicima. Veća varijacija veličine zabilježena je u kontrolnim, a manja u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Štoviše, tijekom osam faza proizvodnje, omjer crijevnih mišića PL15 bio je otprilike 85-92% u spremnicima s probioticima, a 70-80% u kontrolnim spremnicima. Obraštajnih organizama bilo je više u kontrolnim nego u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Prosječna dužina PL15 bila je maksimalna za jedinke koje su mriještene u eksperimentalnim spremnicima (u odnosu na kontrolne). Konačna stopa preživljavanja PL15 je 35% u kontrolnim i 52% u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Ovim istraživanjem dokazana je važna uloga probiotika u rastu, preživljavanju i održavanju zdravlja ličinki P. monodon

PROBIOTICI U PROIZVODNJI POTOMSTVA TIGRASTE KOZICE (Penaeus monodon)

Currently, antibiotics are widely used in shrimp hatcheries to control bacterial infections. Appearance of antibiotic resistant pathogens and restriction on the use of antibiotics have led to the development of alternatives to antibiotics in hatchery systems. In light of this, an attempt was undertaken to investigate the effects of probiotics on the larval rearing of Penaeus monodon, compared with control tanks (without probiotics). The results showed that several issues significantly improved with administering probiotics in the experimental tanks compared with the tanks without probiotics. For example, the concentration of ammonia was estimated to be 1.25 mg/L that was less than half of what was measured in the control tanks. The size variation was observed more in the control tanks than in the experimental tanks. Moreover, the muscle gut ratio of PL15 was about 85 to 92% in the probiotic treated tank and 70 to 80% in the control tank during the eight cycles of production. The fouling organisms were more in the control tank compared to the experimental tanks. The average length of PL15 was maximum when reared in the experimental tanks compared to the control tanks. The final survival rate of PL15 from the control and experimental tank was 35 and 52%, respectively. The present investigation indicated that probiotics played an important role in the growth, survival and health status of P. monodon larvae.U mrijestilištima kozica trenutno je vrlo rasprostranjena upotreba antibiotika za sprečavanje bakterijskih infekcija. Pojavom otpornih patogenih svojstva antibiotika i ograničenja njihove upotrebe, razvili su se drugi načini sprečavanja infekcija patogenima u mrijestilištima. Sukladno tome je provedeno istraživanje učinkovitosti probiotika u uzgoju ličinki Penaeus monodon te su dobiveni rezultati uspoređeni s onima iz kontrolnih spremnika bez probiotika. Rezultati su pokazali znatno unapređenje nekih odrednica uzgoja u eksperimentalnim spremnicima s dodatkom probiotika (u odnosu na spremnike bez probiotika). Primjerice, koncentracija amonijaka procijenjena je na 1,25 mg/L, što je manje od polovice izmjerene vrijednosti u kontrolnim spremnicima. Veća varijacija veličine zabilježena je u kontrolnim, a manja u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Štoviše, tijekom osam faza proizvodnje, omjer crijevnih mišića PL15 bio je otprilike 85-92% u spremnicima s probioticima, a 70-80% u kontrolnim spremnicima. Obraštajnih organizama bilo je više u kontrolnim nego u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Prosječna dužina PL15 bila je maksimalna za jedinke koje su mriještene u eksperimentalnim spremnicima (u odnosu na kontrolne). Konačna stopa preživljavanja PL15 je 35% u kontrolnim i 52% u eksperimentalnim spremnicima. Ovim istraživanjem dokazana je važna uloga probiotika u rastu, preživljavanju i održavanju zdravlja ličinki P. monodon