A Case Study Of The Finance Of Selected Panchayats In Ernakulam District

The objectives of the present study are to inquire into the financial aspects of the selected Panchayats in Ernakulam district; , to analyse the income and expenditure pattern of selected and ���District Panchayats'16 during 1969-70 through 1983-84; , to suggest the steps to be taken by the Panchayat for the proper utilisation of resources and for increasing the availability of resources; to suggest the additional sources of revenue for the Panchayats

The English novel in the time of Shakespeare

The rise of the English novel needs rethinking after it has been confined to the "formal realism" of Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding (Watt, 1957), to "antecedents, forerunners" (Schlauch, 1968; Klein, 1970) or to mere "prose fiction" (McKillop, 1951; Davis, Richetti, 1969; Fish, 1971; Salzman, 1985; Kroll, 1998). My paper updates a book by Jusserand under the same title (1890) by proving that the social and moral history of the long prose genre admits no strict separation of "novel" and "romance", as both concepts are intertwined in most fiction (Cuddon, Preston, 1999; Mayer, 2000). The rise of the novel, seen in its European context, mainly in France and Spain (Kirsch, 1986), and equally in England, was due to the melting of the nobility and high bourgeoisie into a "meritocracy", or to its failure, to become the new bearer of the national culture, around 1600. (Brink, 1998). My paper will concentrate on Euphues (1578), a negative romance, Euphues and His England (1580), a novel of manners, both by Lyly; Arcadia (1590-93) by Sidney, a political roman �� clef in the disguise of a Greek pastoral romance; The Unfortunate Traveller (1594) by Nashe, the first English picaresque novel, and on Jack of Newbury (1596-97) by Deloney, the first English bourgeois novel. My analysis of the central values in these novels will prove a transition from the aristocratic cardinal virtues of WISDOM, JUSTICE, COURAGE, and HONOUR to the bourgeois values of CLEVERNESS, FAIR PLAY, INDUSTRY, and VIRGINITY. A similar change took place from the Christian virtues of LOVE, FAITH, HOPE to business values like SERVICE, TRUST, and OPTIMISM. Thus, the legacy of history proves that the main concepts of the novel of manners, of political romance, of picaresque and middle-class fiction were all developed in the time of Shakespeare.

On the chemistry of superheavy elements around Z = 164

With a relativistic Hartree-Fock-Slater calculation we determined the most stable configurations of the elements of the possibly quasistable island around Z = 164. It is found that the expected noble gas at Z = 168 should not occur, but instead the element Z = 164 should have the properties of a noble gas.

The role of ligneous vegetation for livestock nutrition in the sub-Sahelian and Sudanian zones of West Africa: Potential effects of climate change

Climate change and variability in sub-Saharan West Africa is expected to have negative consequences for crop and livestock farming due to the strong dependence of these sectors on rainfall and natural resources, and the low adaptive capacity of crops farmers, agro-pastoralist and pastoralists in the region. The objective of this PhD research was to investigate the anticipated impacts of expected future climate change and variability on nutrition and grazing management of livestock in the prevailing extensive agro-pastoral and pastoral systems of the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of Burkina Faso. To achieve this, three studies were undertaken in selected village territories (100 km�� each) in the southern Sahelian (Taffogo), northern Sudanian (Nobere, Safane) and southern Sudanian (Sokouraba) zone of the country during 2009 and 2010. The choice of two villages in the northern Sudanian zone was guided by the dichotomy between intense agricultural land use and high population density near Safane, and lower agricultural land use in the tampon zone between the village of Nobere and the National Park Kabor�� Tambi of P��. Using global positioning and geographical information systems tools, the spatio-temporal variation in the use of grazing areas by cattle, sheep and goats, and in their foraging behaviour in the four villages was assessed by monitoring three herds each per species during a one-year cycle (Chapter 2). Maximum itinerary lengths (km/d) were observed in the hot dry season (March-May); they were longer for sheep (18.8) and cattle (17.4) than for goats (10.5, p<0.05). Daily total grazing time spent on pasture ranged from 6 - 11 h with cattle staying longer on pasture than small ruminants (p<0.05). Feeding time accounted for 52% - 72% of daily time on pasture, irrespective of species. Herds spent longer time on pasture and walked farther distances in the southern Sahelian than the two Sudanian zones (p<0.01), while daily feeding time was longer in the southern Sudanian than in the other two zones (p>0.05). Proportional time spent resting decreased from the rainy (June - October) to the cool (November - February) and hot dry season (p<0.05), while in parallel the proportion of walking time increased. Feeding time of all species was to a significantly high proportion spent on wooded land (tree crown cover 5-10%, or shrub cover >10%) in the southern Sahelian zone, and on forest land (tree crown cover >10%) in the two Sudanian zones, irrespective of season. It is concluded that with the expansion of cropland in the whole region, remaining islands of wooded land, including also fields fallowed for three or more years with their considerable shrub cover, are particularly valuable pasturing areas for ruminant stock. Measures must be taken that counteract the shrinking of wooded land and forests across the whole region, including also active protection and (re)establishment of drought-tolerant fodder trees. Observation of the selection behaviour of the above herds of cattle and small ruminant as far as browse species were concerned, and interviews with 75 of Fulani livestock keepers on use of browse as feed by their ruminant stock and as remedies for animal disease treatment was undertaken (Chapter 3) in order to evaluate the consequence of climate change for the contribution of browse to livestock nutrition and animal health in the extensive grazing-based livestock systems. The results indicated that grazing cattle and small ruminants do make considerable use of browse species on pasture across the studied agro-ecological zones. Goats spent more time (p<0.01) feeding on browse species than sheep and cattle, which spent a low to moderate proportion of their feeding time on browsing in any of the study sites. As far as the agro-ecological zones were concerned, the contribution of browse species to livestock nutrition was more important in the southern Sahelian and northern Sudanian zone than the southern Sudanian zone, and this contribution is higher during the cold and hot dry season than during the rainy season. A total of 75 browse species were selected on pasture year around, whereby cattle strongly preferred Afzelia africana, Pterocarpus erinaceus and Piliostigma sp., while sheep and goats primarily fed on Balanites aegyptiaca, Ziziphus mauritiana and Acacia sp. Crude protein concentration (in DM) of pods or fruits of the most important browse species selected by goats, sheep and cattle ranged from 7% to 13% for pods, and from 10% to 18% for foliage. The concentration of digestible organic matter of preferred browse species mostly ranged from 40% to 60%, and the concentrations of total phenols, condensed tannins and acid detergent lignin were low. Linear regression analyses showed that browse preference on pasture is strongly related to its contents (% of DM) of CP, ADF, NDF and OM digestibility. Interviewed livestock keepers reported that browse species are increasingly use by their grazing animals, while for animal health care use of tree- and shrub-based remedies decreased over the last two decades. It is concluded that due to climate change with expected negative impact on the productivity of the herbaceous layer of communal pastures browse fodder will gain in importance for animal nutrition. Therefore re-establishment and dissemination of locally adapted browse species preferred by ruminants is needed to increase the nutritional situation of ruminant stock in the region and contribute to species diversity and soil fertility restoration in degraded pasture areas. In Chapter 4 a combination of household surveys and participatory research approaches was used in the four villages, and additionally in the village of Zogor�� (southern Sahelian zone) and of Karangasso Vigu�� (northern Sudanian zone) to investigate pastoralists��� (n= 76) and agro-pastoralists��� (n= 83) perception of climate change, and their adaptation strategies in crop and livestock production at farm level. Across the three agro-ecological zones, the majority of the interviewees perceived an increase in maximum day temperatures and decrease of total annual rainfall over the last two decades. Perceptions of change in climate patterns were in line with meteorological data for increased temperatures while for total rainfall farmers��� views contrasted the rainfall records which showed a slight increase of precipitation. According to all interviewees climate change and variability have negative impacts on their crop and animal husbandry, and most of them already adopted some coping and adaptation strategies at farm level to secure their livelihoods and reduce negative impacts on their farming system. Although these strategies are valuable and can help crop and livestock farmers to cope with the recurrent droughts and climate variability, they are not effective against expected extreme climate events. Governmental and non-governmental organisations should develop effective policies and strategies at local, regional and national level to support farmers in their endeavours to cope with climate change phenomena; measures should be site-specific and take into account farmers��� experiences and strategies already in place.

A study on the phylogeny and the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria using a new molecular marker based on the gene amoB

L'agricultura i la industrialitzaci�� han causat un augment significatiu del nombre d'ambients rics en amoni. La pres��ncia de compostos nitrogenats redueix la qualitat de l'aigua, causant problemes de toxicitat, deteriorant el medi ambient i fins i tot afectant la salut humana. En conseq����ncia, la nitrificaci�� s'ha convertit en un proc��s global que afecta al cicle del nitrogen a la biosfera. Els bacteris oxidadors d'amoni (AOB) s��n els responsables de l'oxidaci�� de l'amoni a nitrit, i juguen un paper essencial en el cicle del nitrogen. Els primers oxidadors d'amoni foren a��llats a finals del segle XIX, per�� la lentitud del seu creixement i les dificultats per cultivar-los feren que fins als anys 80, amb els primers estudis emprant el gen 16SrDNA, no s'assol��s un coneixement complert d'aquest grup bacteri��. Actualment les bases de dades contenen multitud d'entrades amb seq����ncies corresponents a AOB. L'objectiu d'aquest treball era trobar, desenvolupar i avaluar eines ��tils i fiables per a l'estudi dels AOB en mostres ambientals. En aquest treball primer descrivim la utilitzaci�� de la hibridaci�� in situ amb fluoresc��ncia (FISH), mitjan��ant l'aplicaci�� de sondes amb diana en el 16SrRNA dels AOB. La FISH ens va permetre detectar i recomptar aquest grup bacteri��; no obstant, aquest m��tode no permetia la detecci�� de noves seq����ncies, pel que es necessitava una nova eina. Amb aquesta intenci�� vam aplicar la seq����ncia de la sonda Nso1225 en una PCR. El fet d'amplificar espec��ficament un fragment del 16SrDNA dels AOB va suposar el desenvolupament d'una nova eina molecular que permetia detectar la pres��ncia i diversitat d'aquests bacteris en ambients naturals. Malgrat tot, algunes seq����ncies pertanyents a bacteris no oxidadors d'amoni del subgrup &#946; dels proteobacteris, eren tamb�� obtingudes amb aquesta t��cnica. Aix�� mateix, un dels inconvenients de l'��s del 16SrDNA com a marcador ��s la impossibilitat de detectar simult��niament els AOB que pertanyen als subgrups &#946; i &#947; dels proteobacteris. El gen amoA, que codifica per la subunitat A de l'enzim amoni monooxigenasa (AMO), era aleshores ��mpliament utilitzat com a marcador per a la detecci�� dels AOB. En aquest treball tamb�� descrivim la utilitzaci�� d'aquest marcador en mostres procedents d'un reactor SBR. Aquest marcador ens va permetre identificar seq����ncies de AOB en la mostra, per�� la necessitat de detectar amoA mitjan��ant clonatge fa que l'��s d'aquest marcador requereixi massa temps per a la seva utilitzaci�� com a eina en estudis d'ecologia microbiana amb moltes mostres. Per altra banda, alguns autors han assenyalat l'obtenci�� de seq����ncies de no AOB en utilitzar amoA en un protocol de PCR-DGGE. Amb la finalitat d'obtenir una eina r��pida i rigorosa per detectar i identificar els AOB, vam desenvolupar un joc nou d'oligonucle��tids amb diana en el gen amoB, que codifica per a la subunitat transmembrana de l'enzim AMO. Aquest gen ha demostrat ser un bon marcador molecular pels AOB, oferint, sense tenir en compte afiliacions filogen��tiques, una elevada especificitat, sensibilitat i fiabilitat. En aquest treball tamb�� presentem una an��lisi de RT-PCR basada en la detecci�� del gen amoB per a la quantificaci�� del g��nere Nitrosococcus. El nou joc d'oligonucle��tids dissenyat permet una enumeraci�� altament espec��fica i sensible de tots els &#947;-Nitrosococcus coneguts. Finalment, vam realitzar un estudi polig��nic, comparant i avaluant els marcadors amoA, amoB i 16SrDNA, i v��rem construir un arbre filogen��tic combinat. Com a resultat concloem que amoB ��s un marcador adequat per a la detecci�� i identificaci�� dels AOB en mostres ambientals, proporcionant alhora agrupacions consistents en fer infer��ncies filogen��tiques. Per altra banda, la seq����ncia sencera del gen 16S rDNA ��s indicada com a marcador en estudis amb finalitats taxon��miques i filogen��tiques en treballar amb cultius purs de AOB.

The future of veterinarians in dairy herd health management

The future of the Veterinary Practice in Dairy Health Management has changed and will change more drastically from our point of view in the next years. The consumer���s pressure and the Media are more and more concerned about animal welfare, traceability of animal products and safety of products of animal origin. On the other hand the Farmers in Europe have to produce under strong rules (competing with other countries outside Europe), which are normally very expensive to put in practice, and the veterinarians should adapt their knowledge to the new challenges, because without their work and cooperation, dairy farming will have no future. In that sense, the old veterinary practice has to go in other ways, otherwise the Veterinarians will loose clients and the animal population in Europe will be reduced. The Dairy farmers will ask for support in other areas besides clinical: efficacy, management, welfare, profitability, nutrition, prophylaxis, economics, reproduction, environmental protection, grassland management, etc. Cattle practitioners should be able to give answers in several subjects and this sets the challenge to our profession - Veterinary preparation has to be very strong in single animal species, particularly in Dairy or beef cows. The cattle practitioner has to look beyond, but he should never forget that ���the single animal��� has to be looked at as one unit of the herd, which means that without a very good knowledge of the single animal he will be insufficiently prepared to solve herd problems, and the Herd is the sum of several animals. We all know that very often one single animal allows us to implement herd strategies and develop prophylactic programs. We are convinced that the veterinary profession, and in our case the Cattle Medicine should have the ability to evolve, otherwise the Veterinarian as we know him will miss the train in the next years.

On the dependence of boundary-layer ventilation on frontal type

Case study simulations with idealized tracers have been used to determine the relationship between the dynamics and conceptual representations of different midlatitude frontal systems and the amount, distribution, and time scale of boundary layer ventilation by these systems. The key features of ventilation by a kata��� and ana���cold frontal system are found to be quantitatively and also often qualitatively similar to the main ventilation pathways, which are the conveyor belts, cloud head, and other convection. The conveyor belts and cloud head occur within cloud, implying that they can be identified using satellite imagery. Differences in the transport by the two systems can be related to their conceptual representations and include a sensitive dependence on the diurnal cycle for the kata- but not the ana-cold frontal case.

New evidence for the antiquity of the intestinal parasite Trichuris (whipworm) in Europe

The whipworm, Trichuris trichiura L., is one of the most common human intestinal parasites worldwide, yet little is known of its origin and global spread. Archaeological records for this nematode have all been of Neolithic or later date, suggesting a possible association between the spread of pastoral farming and human acquisition of whipworm. This paper reports the discovery of eggs of the genus Trichuris in late Mesolithic deposits from south Wales, indicating that whipworm was present in Europe before the arrival of agriculture. This raises the possibility that human infection by Trichuris arose through contact with wild animals in parts of the landscape frequented by both human and animal groups.