The role of women in fish processing: handling and marketing in Kainji Lake basin

The study assessed the contribution of women in fish handling, processing and marketing in Kainji Lake basin. Structured questionnaires were administered to three fishing villages selected at random. The fishing villages were Monai, Yuna, Fakun, and New Bussa market. The study revealed that women play vital roles in fisheries activities as producers, assistants to men preservers, traders and financiers. The notable fishing activity performed by women is processing right from the moment the boats or canoes land at sites. Women assist in emptying nets, sorting gutting and cleaning the catch. In most cases their activities involved salting smoking and drying using traditional processing techniques. Women are also involved in storage and marketing of both fresh and smoked fish. In spite of these important contribution, most women in the various fishing communities are illiterates, have little or no say in decision making in areas that affects their livelihood and are regarded as inferior fedex. Culture and religion also has significant impact on their contribution in fishing activities

An investigation into the effects of electric fishing equipment on salmon and sea trout within the area of the Lancashire River Board.

The report looks at experiments into electric fishing equipment and effects on salmon and trout within the Lancashire River Board. Experiments include obtaining information on voltage gradients, ascertaining what damage to fish of the larger size groups resulted from electric fishing, determining whether or not fractures could occur in coarse fish and brown trout,similar to those occurring in salmon and sea trout, and effects low temperatures have on electrofishing techniques.

PASREG 2003: International workshop on processing and applications of superconducting (RE)BCO large grain materials

This issue of Superconductor Science and Technology is edited by Murakami, M., Cardwell, D.A., Salama, K., Krabbes, G., Habisreuther, T. and Gawalek, W. It contains 42 selected papers from the PASREG 2003 international workshop, held in Jena, Germany, 30 June - 2 July 2003. The workshop was organised by the Institut fur Physikalische Hochtechnologie, Jena, Germany and was the fourth in the series of workshops first held in Cambridge, UK, in 1997.

Estudo sobre Produção mais Limpa (P+L) aplicado a um serviço de referência de uma Instituição de Ensino e Pesquisa - Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a potencialidade de implantação da Produção Mais Limpa (P+L), através do estudo de caso em Laboratório Biomédico de Referência em uma instituição pública de ensino e pesquisa localizada no Rio de Janeiro. Esta investigação é exploratória e analítica, utilizando-se como instrumentos a revisão bibliográfica e documental, a observação direta e a entrevista com aplicação de questionários voltados aos responsáveis pela área ambiental do laboratório pesquisado. A análise foi realizada confrontando-se os dados levantados com as recomendações da metodologia de P+L, identificando-se as lacunas e oportunidades para a melhoria dos serviços e processos de trabalho. O laboratório possui instalações modernas, organização, sistemas de avaliação da matéria-prima e insumos usados, além do gerenciamento dos resíduos. Contudo, nem todos os procedimentos são validados ou estão adequados às normas. Em geral, problemas em laboratórios dizem respeito ao uso excessivo de substâncias perigosas e ao manejo inadequado de resíduos, o qual pode ser contornado com a P+L, tendo como enfoque a prevenção da poluição e a minimização na fonte geradora. A redução do consumo de materiais e insumos, além da implantação de mudanças nos processos de trabalho, podem diminuir os custos financeiros e os impactos ambientais, como foi demonstrado no estudo. Para a melhoria da gestão dos laboratórios, recomenda-se a continuidade na aquisição, manutenção de equipamentos e infraestrutura. É importante a divulgação de informações ambientais e treinamento permanente para funcionários e alunos. A Sustentabilidade Ambiental só pode ser alcançada quando for bem entendida e absorvida por todos, sendo a alta administração das instituições a maior responsável para liderar esse processo. Para estudos futuros, propõe-se melhor definição e ampliação dos indicadores para o monitoramento e aprimoramento da gestão ambiental. Complementarmente, indicam-se estudos sobre a aquisição de conceitos pelos atores sobre a P+L e como eles podem contribuir com a Sustentabilidade Ambiental e a melhoria no ambiente de trabalho. Espera-se que esta pesquisa auxilie com o aperfeiçoamento da gestão no laboratório estudado e em instituições similares que a venham implantar a P+L.

A Single-armed Manta-board as a New Diver-controlled Planing Board and Its Use for Underwater Surveys

Due to inadequacies of previous underwater towing techniques and the special needs of a recent underwater survey, a modified mania-board technique was developed. With this new technique, the diver holds on to the manta-board with one arm; consequently, the board is referred to as a single-armed manta-board (sam-board). The sam-board proved inexpensive and highly maneuverable, allowing the divers to freely collect samples or record information. Through some experimenting with the board and changing some of the variables, such as rope lengths, towing speeds, etc., a highly efficient towing method can be achieved. Preplanning and strict diving safety procedures must, however, be implemented to assure efficiency. This paper presents the materials, guidelines for board construction, equipment, and preplanning and diving safety procedures necessary for the sam-board towing operation.

Sanitation, fish handling and artisanal fish processing within fishing communities: socio-cultural influences

postive transformation of the fisheries sector in Uganda has of recent been scatted by failure to mountain fish quality and safety,akey prerequiste for retaining and gaining fish markets. The social cultural study established the extent to which social cutural practices had affected the levels and the use of sanitation facilities,fish handling facilities and artisanal fish processing techniques and the factors that influenced these practices in the fishing communities of lake victoria. This information is of significance for the purpose of advocacy and mobilization of fishers in order to improve sanitation, fish handling and artisanal fishing processing situation in the fishing communities.

Effects of subretinal implant materials on the viability, apoptosis and barrier function of cultured RPE cells

Background: Subretinal microphotodiode array (MPDA) is a type of visual prosthesis used for the implantation in the subretinal space of patients with progressive photoreceptor cell loss. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of materials for MPDA on the viability, apoptosis and barrier function of cultured pig retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells.Methods: Primary culture of pig RPE cells was performed and 24 pig eyes were used to start RPE culture. The third passage of the cultures was plated on different materials for MPDA and MPDAs. The tetrazolium dye-reduction assay (MTT) was used to determine RPE cell viability. Flow cytometry was measured to indicate the apoptosis rates of RPE cells on different materials. RPE cells were also cultured on microporous filters, and the transepithelial resistance and permeability of the experimental molecule were measured to determine the barrier function.Results: The data from all the methods indicated no significant difference between the materials groups and the control group, and the materials tested showed good biocompatibility.Conclusions: The materials for MPDA used in the present study had no direct toxicity to the RPE cells and did not release harmful soluble factors that affected the barrier function of RPE in vitro.

Multiform oxide optical materials via the versatile Pechini-type sol-gel process: Synthesis and characteristics

This feature article highlights work from the authors' laboratories on the various kinds of oxide optical materials, mainly luminescence and pigment materials with different forms (powder, core-shell structures, thin film and patterning) prepared by the Pechini-type sol-gel (PSG) process. The PSG process, which uses the common metal salts (nitrates, acetates, chlorides, etc.) as precursors and citric acid (CA) as chelating ligands of metal ions and polyhydroxy alcohol (such as ethylene glycol or poly ethylene glycol) as a cross-linking agent to form a polymeric resin on molecular level, reduces segregation of particular metal ions and ensures compositional homogeneity. This process can overcome most of the difficulties and disadvantages that frequently occur in the alkoxides based sol-gel process.

Application of simulation technologies in the analysis of granular material behaviour during transport and storage

Problems in the preservation of the quality of granular material products are complex and arise from a series of sources during transport and storage. In either designing a new plant or, more likely, analysing problems that give rise to product quality degradation in existing operations, practical measurement and simulation tools and technologies are required to support the process engineer. These technologies are required to help in both identifying the source of such problems and then designing them out. As part of a major research programme on quality in particulate manufacturing computational models have been developed for segregation in silos, degradation in pneumatic conveyors, and the development of caking during storage, which use where possible, micro-mechanical relationships to characterize the behaviour of granular materials. The objective of the work presented here is to demonstrate the use of these computational models of unit processes involved in the analysis of large-scale processes involving the handling of granular materials. This paper presents a set of simulations of a complete large-scale granular materials handling operation, involving the discharge of the materials from a silo, its transport through a dilute-phase pneumatic conveyor, and the material storage in a big bag under varying environmental temperature and humidity conditions. Conclusions are drawn on the capability of the computational models to represent key granular processes, including particle size segregation, degradation, and moisture migration caking.

Hot-melt extrusion technology and pharmaceutical application

The use of hot-melt extrusion (HME) within the pharmaceutical industry is steadily increasing, due to its proven ability to efficiently manufacture novel products. The process has been utilized readily in the plastics industry for over a century and has been used to manufacture medical devices for several decades. The development of novel drugs with poor solubility and bioavailability brought the application of HME into the realm of drug-delivery systems. This has specifically been shown in the development of drug-delivery systems of both solid dosage forms and transdermal patches. HME involves the application of heat, pressure and agitation through an extrusion channel to mix materials together, and subsequently forcing them out through a die. Twin-screw extruders are most popular in solid dosage form development as it imparts both dispersive and distributive mixing. It blends materials while also imparting high shear to break-up particles and disperse them. HME extrusion has been shown to molecularly disperse poorly soluble drugs in a polymer carrier, increasing dissolution rates and bioavailability. The most common difficulty encountered in producing such dispersions is stabilization of amorphous drugs, which prevents them from recrystallization during storage. Pharmaceutical industrial suppliers, of both materials and equipment, have increased their development of equipment and chemicals for specific use with HME. Clearly, HME has been identified as an important and significant process to further enhance drug solubility and solid-dispersion production. © 2012 Future Science Ltd.

Development and validation of the first high performance-lateral flow immunoassay (HP-LFIA) for the rapid screening of domoic acid from shellfish extracts

A lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) has been developed and fully validated to detect the primary amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) toxin, domoic acid (DA). The performance characteristics of two versions of the test were investigated using spiked and naturally contaminated shellfish (mussels, scallops, oysters, clams, and cockles). The tests provide a qualitative result, to indicate the absence or presence of DA in extracts of shellfish tissues, at concentrations that are relevant to regulatory limits. The new rapid assay (LFIA version 2) was designed to overcome the performance limitations identified in the first version of the assay. The improved test uses an electronic reader to remove the subjective nature of the generated results, and the positive cut-off for screening of DA in shellfish was increased from 10 ppm (version 1) to 17.5 ppm (version 2). A simple extraction and test procedure was employed, which required minimal equipment and materials; results were available 15 min after sample preparation. Stability of the aqueous extracts at room temperature (22 C) at four time points (up to 245 min after extraction) and across a range of DA concentrations was 100.3±1.3% and 98.8±2.4% for pre- and post-buffered extracts, respectively. The assay can be used both within laboratory settings and in remote locations. The accuracy of the new assay, to indicate negative results at or below 10 ppm DA, and positive results at or above 17.5 ppm, was 99.5% (n=216 tests). Validation data were obtained from a 2-day, randomised, blind study consisting of multiple LFIA lots (n=3), readers (n=3) and operators (n=3), carrying out multiple extractions of mussel tissue (n=3) at each concentration (0, 10, 17.5, and 20 ppm). No matrix effects were observed on the performance of the assay with different species (mussels, scallops, oysters, clams, and cockles). There was no impact on accuracy or interference from other phycotoxins, glutamic acid or glutamine with various strip incubations (8, 10, and 12 min). The accuracy of the assay, using naturally contaminated samples to indicate negative results at or below 12.5 ppm and positive results at or above 17.5 ppm, was 100%. Variability between three LFIA lots across a range of DA concentrations, expressed as coefficient of variation (% CV), was 1.1±0.4% (n=2 days) based on quantitative readings from the electronic reader. During an 8 week stability study, accuracy of the method with test strips stored at various temperatures (6, 22, 37 and 50 C) was 100%. Validation for both versions included comparisons with results obtained using reference LC-UV methods. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.