65 research outputs found
Florida's Halfbeak, Hemiramphus spp., Bait Fishery
Two species of halfbeaks, ballyhoo, Hemiramphus brasiliensis, and balao, H. balao, form the basis of a relatively small but valuable bait fishery in southeastern Florida. Halfbeak landings increased rapidly in the late 1960's but are now relatively stable (about 450,000 kg or 1 million lb annually), and their ex-vessel price is about $600,000. Fishing methods, which had changed in the late 1960's when landings increased, have changed little since the 1970's. Data from a fishery-dependent survey (1988-91) show that catch rates were highest from October to February, when catches were dominated by large ballyhoo (>200 mm or 8 inches fork length (FL)); rates were lowest from May to September, when catches contained both species in more equal numbers and the size range was greater (about 150-250 mm FL) than it was for winter landings. There was little bycatch, and only flyingfishes (Exocoetidae) and needlefishes (Belonidae) occurred consistently. Comparisons of the 1988-91 data with similar data reported from 1974 indicated that halfbeak populations have remained relatively stable
Do local banks credits to private sector and domestic direct investments affect FDI inflow? (Malaysia evidence)
This study analysis the factors affecting foreign direct investment inflow in manufacturing sector in Malaysia in between 1974 to 2009, mainly focused on two determinants; domestic credit to private sector by local commercial banks and domestic direct investment. Growth Domestic product and the Trade Openness are also included in the model respectively; the results indicate that Gross Domestic Product of manufacturing, Trade openness, domestic credit to private sector and domestic direct investment significantly influenced the level of foreign direct investment inflow into Malaysia. This study manipulate the cointegration test method and Vector Auto Regression Granger causality between logarithm of foreign direct investment, domestic credit to private sector and domestic direct investment respectively which illustrates both variables are cointegrated and also Granger caused of foreign direct investment
Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Species Composition of Bycatch Collected During a Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus) Survey
We examined the variations in species composition of bycatch collected in an annual spawning-season survey of striped mullet, Mugil cephalus, in Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor, FL. Bycatch was defined as all species captured with the collection gear other than the target species, M. cephalus. Variations between habitat types, between months, and between years in the species composition of bycatch captured 1993-96 in this ongoing survey were examined using a nonparametric analysis of variance based on Bray-Curtis similarities. Mugil cephalus was the dominant species collected in both study areas, representing 16%-100% of the annual catch. Lagodon rhomboides and Arius felis were the most abundant bycatch species in Tampa Bay, and A. felis and Mugil curema were the most abundant bycatch species in Charlotte Harbor. Archosargus probatocephalus, Sciaenops ocellatus, and Cynoscion nebulosus composed the majority of the remaining bycatch species collected. Bycatch species composition was not significantly different between months, although indices of species richness (Margalef\u27s index, d), species diversity (Shannon index, H\u27 ), and evenness (Pielou\u27s index, J\u27) declined from fall to winter in each year. Species composition differed significantly between riverine and bay habitats and between habitats with and without bottom vegetation (seagrass). Samples from seagrass habitats had more L. rhomboides, A. probatocephalus, and S. ocellatus, and samples from habitats without seagrass had more A. felis. Indices of species richness, diversity, and evenness were lowest in 1996 as a result of increased catches of M. cephalus and decreased occurrence of bycatch in survey samples. The implementation of the Florida net ban in 1995 may have brought about this increased abundance of M. cephalus and concomitant decrease in the percentage of bycatch captured in survey samples in 1996
The determinants of FDI inflow in manufacturing sector of Malaysia
The role of foreign direct investment (FDI) to create competition,technology transfer, reducing unemployment and generating productive economic growth is undeniable. Therefore, policy makers and economists seek to identify the factors that affect FDI in different sectors. Accordingly, this study investigated the determinants of FDI in manufacturing sector of Malaysia over the period from 2000 to 2009. Using quarterly data, this research found a positive and significant effect of domestic credit to private sector provided by banking system and development expenditure of government on FDI.Meanwhile, the effect of the global financial recession of 2007–2008 on FDI inflow to Malaysia was positive and significant, though due to this recession reduction of the world aggregate FDI reduced the growth of FDI inflow to the manufacturing sector of Malaysia. The effect of corruption on FDI’s growth was also negative and significan
Epidemiology of oral cancer in Iran: A systematic review
Background: Oral cancer stands among the 10 top causes of cancer death in the world. Considering the role of epidemiologic information on planning and effective interventions, the present study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of oral cancer in Iran. Materials and Methods: The required information for this systematic review study was obtained from PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL,SID, Medlib, Magiran and Iranmedex databases, using key words "cancer", "oral cancer", "squamous cell carcinoma", "oral cavity carcinoma" and their Persian equivalents in combination with keywords of epidemiology, prevalence, etiology, frequency, and Iran from 1990 to 2014. From 1,065 related studies found, finally 25 were included to the study. Results: The mean age of 8,248 patients in 25 studies was 54.0±15.1 years. The male/female ratio for oral cancer was 1.91. Tongue with average percentage of 29.9 was the most involved site. Regarding microscopic grade, 65.7 of cases were grade 1. SCCs, accounting for an average of 70.0, was the most common among all types of oral cancer. In the majority of studies, smoking including cigarette, hookah, and tobacco consumption was found to be a risk factor. Conclusions: The epidemiological pattern of oral cancer in Iran is somewhat similar to that of other countries. Yet the information on hand in this field is limited and considering the role of epidemiological data we suggest conducting more accurate studies to catch data that is required for effective programs and interventions
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Ecopath-based simulation and optimization of management options for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery
Ecological and economic tradeoffs of proposed management actions were assessed using the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) and Ecospace software. The model has 70 biomass pools (e.g., detritus, primary producers, invertebrates, fish, dolphins, sea birds), including multiple age-classes of key species. After mass-balancing, the model was driven using observed fishing mortality from 13 fleets (4 recreational, 9 commercial) and foraging behavior was adjusted to fit the model to historic abundance and catch trends. The mixed trophic impacts routine identified the most influential groups (i.e., recreational private boats, small mobile epifauna and sardines-herring). Simulations extended the status quo 20 years and examined the impact of: 1) rebuilding gag grouper, 2) reducing longline effort, 3) increasing baitfish harvests and 4) alternative closed areas. Results highlighted changes in biomass through both competition and predation within the food web. Next, fishing effort was optimized to maximize a weighted four-criterion objective function (profit, jobs, stock size, ecosystem structure). Tradeoff frontiers between profits and reef fish biomass arose. Results indicated the status quo of overfished gag grouper is sub-optimal but policies being considered should move the system closer to the frontier. Sensitivity analysis on the recreational and commercial prices revealed a stable frontier. Lastly, Ecospace predicted spillover effects from marine protected areas (MPAs) that benefit key species and fleets, however, negative effects of lost fishing grounds and subsequent concentration of effort occurred. Results indicated that MPAs would need to be relatively large in order to be effective at preventing overfishing.Keywords: Modeling & Economic Theory, Fisheries Economics, Coupled Econ.‐Ecol. Models for EBFM: Exploration of Tradeoffs Between Model Complexity and ManagementKeywords: Modeling & Economic Theory, Fisheries Economics, Coupled Econ.‐Ecol. Models for EBFM: Exploration of Tradeoffs Between Model Complexity and Managemen
Clinical and Laboratory Findings in Iranian Children with Cyclic Neutropenia
Cyclic neutropenia is a rare immunodeficiency syndrome, characterized by regular periodic oscillations in the circulating neutrophil count from normal to neutropenic levels through 3 weeks period, and lasting for 3-6 days. In order to determine the clinical features of cyclic neutropenia, this study was performed.
Seven patients with cyclic neutropenia (3 males and 4 females), who experienced neutropenic periods every 3 weeks (5 with severe and 2 with moderate neutropenia), were investigated in this study. They had been referred to Iranian Primary Immunodeficiency Registry during 23 years (1980-2003).
The range of patients' ages was from 7 to 13 years (median 11 years). The median age at the onset of the disease was 12 months (1 month- 2 years) and the median age of diagnosis was 2 (1.5-5) years, with a median diagnosis delay of 1 year (2 months- 5 years). Neutropenia was associated with leukopenia (3 patients), anemia (3 patients), and thrombocytopenia (1 patient). Patients were asymptomatic in healthy phase, but during the episode of neutropenia suffered from aphthous ulcers, abscesses and overwhelming infections. The most commonly occurred manifestations were: otitis media (6 cases), oral ulcers (5 cases), abscesses (4 cases), pneumonia (3 cases), diarrhea (3 cases), oral candidiasis (3 cases), cutaneous infections (2 cases), and periodontitis (2 cases). One of these patients subsequently died because of recurrent infections.
Unusual, persistent or severe infections should be the initiating factors to search for an immune deficiency syndrome such as cyclic neutropenia, because a delay in diagnosis may result in chronic infection, irretrievable end-organ damage or even death of the patient
Molecular Identification and Phylogenetic Classification of Leishmania spp. Isolated from Human Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study
Background: In Iran, both forms of cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been reported; so the accurate species identification of the parasite(s) and the analysis of genetic diversity are necessary.
Methods: The smears were collected from lesions samples of 654 patients with CL, who attended local health centers in 12 provinces of Iran during 2013-2015. The smears were checked for the presence of amastigotes by light microscopy. DNA of 648 Leishmania isolates, amplified by targeting a partial sequence of ITS (18S rRNA–ITS1–5.8S rRNA–ITS2) gene. Twenty-five of all the amplicons were sequenced and analyzed with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using the Taq1 enzyme.
Results: All the smears were positive microscopically. The PCR-RFLP analysis revealed that 176 (27%) CL patients were infected with L. tropica and, 478 (73%) with L. major. The dominant species in all over Iran is L. major. The sequencing results of all CL patients and RFLP analysis confirmed each other. Based on our phylogenetic tree, 25 ITS DNA sequences were grouped into two clusters representing L. major and L. tropica species. Phylogenetic tree derived from the ITS sequences supports a clear divergence between L. major from the other species.
Conclusion: Discrimination of Iranian Leishmania isolates using ITS gene gives us this opportunity to detect, identify, and construct the phylogenetic relationship of Iranian isolates
Global prevalence of intestinal protozoan contamination in vegetables and fruits: A systematic review and meta-analysis
A B S T R A C T
Environmental contamination of vegetables and fruits with intestinal protozoan trophozoites, cysts and oocysts is a means of transmitting parasitic agents of public health importance. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the global prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasite contamination in vege- tables and fruits. Several databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest and Google Scholar) were searched for literature published up to August 2021. Pooled prevalence was determined using the meta-package in R (version 3.6.1). Out of 90,404 publications, 189 articles (202 datasets) met the inclusion criteria. Among these, 183 investigations documented protozoan contamination in vegetables and 20 in fruits. The pooled prevalence (95% confidence interval) was 20% (16%–24%) for vegetables and 13% (7%–21%) for fruits. The highest pooled prevalence was found in South-East Asian WHO region 37% (6%–76%). The most prevalent protozoan parasite in vegetables was Cryptosporidium spp. (11%, 7%–15%). As well, Entamoeba histolytica was the most common agent found in fruits (9%, 4%–14%). Furthermore, the unwashed samples had the highest pooled prevalence of contamination (22%, 3%–49%). Our data suggest a possible risk of protozoan infection in humans via unwashed vegetables and fruits. Accidental ingestion of protozoa occurs through consumption of contami- nated vegetables and fruits that have been improperly washed and prepared under poor sanitation. Using san- itary irrigation water, consuming properly cleaned and cooked vegetables, and practicing good hygiene can all assist to reduce the risk of protozoa infection
Keywords: Vegetables Fruits, Protozoan contamination, Public health, Food-borne, disease
Global prevalence of intestinal protozoan contamination in vegetables and fruits: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Environmental contamination of vegetables and fruits with intestinal protozoan trophozoites, cysts and oocysts is a means of transmitting parasitic agents of public health importance. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the global prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasite contamination in vegetables and fruits. Several databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest and Google Scholar) were searched for literature published up to August 2021. Pooled prevalence was determined using the meta-package in R (version 3.6.1). Out of 90,404 publications, 189 articles (202 datasets) met the inclusion criteria. Among these, 183 investigations documented protozoan contamination in vegetables and 20 in fruits. The pooled prevalence (95% confidence interval) was 20% (16%–24%) for vegetables and 13% (7%–21%) for fruits. The highest pooled prevalence was found in South-East Asian WHO region 37% (6%–76%). The most prevalent protozoan parasite in vegetables was Cryptosporidium spp. (11%, 7%–15%). As well, Entamoeba histolytica was the most common agent found in fruits (9%, 4%–14%). Furthermore, the unwashed samples had the highest pooled prevalence of contamination (22%, 3%–49%). Our data suggest a possible risk of protozoan infection in humans via unwashed vegetables and fruits. Accidental ingestion of protozoa occurs through consumption of contaminated vegetables and fruits that have been improperly washed and prepared under poor sanitation. Using sanitary irrigation water, consuming properly cleaned and cooked vegetables, and practicing good hygiene can all assist to reduce the risk of protozoa infection
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