Reservoir fishery resources of south-east Asia

Although the reservoir area in south-east Asia is considerable, the fish production is low in the majority of reservoirs. Although high fish production has been recorded in a number of reservoirs in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, high fish production in reservoirs has with few exceptions resulted from the introduction of typical lake species from Africa. Addition of further lake fish species especially into deeper reservoirs will probably increase present fish yields. Diversification of the lake fish fauna can be achieved by introduction of species indigenous to the region like Etroplus suratensis. In this introduction of fish species, three points may be noted with specific reference to Tilapia spp.: (a) Lakes without indigenous cyprinids show marked fluctuation in fish catch with the introduction of Tilapia, and this could be stabilised by the introduction of predators and more diverse species. (b) Lakes with a moderate diversity of fish fauna show a high stabilised production with the introduction of Tilapia, presumably because of the effect of predator pressure on excessive Tilapia breeding. (c) Lowland lakes with a rich diversity of indigenous fish species colonising lakes may not require the introduction of Tilapia. Introduction of invertebrates into reservoirs in south east-Asia has not been done deliberately so far. However, the experience in other parts of the world, notably the Soviet Union, indicates that such introductions are likely to prove beneficial and to increase fish production. The potential for a considerable increase in fish production from reservoirs exists in south-east Asia. Proper management is likely to cost less than what is required for fish culture. Rural areas are likely to benefit most from increased fish production in reservoirs, and this might be a way to provide cheap protein where it is most urgently needed.

Effect of urban climate on building integrated photovoltaics performance

It is generally recognized that BIPV (building integrated photovoltaics) has the potential to become a major source of renewable energy in the urban environment. The actual output of a PV module in the field is a function of orientation, total irradiance, spectral irradiance, wind speed, air temperature, soiling and various system-related losses. In urban areas, the attenuation of solar radiation due to air pollution is obvious, and the solar spectral content subsequently changes. The urban air temperature is higher than that in the surrounding countryside, and the wind speed in urban areas is usually less than that in rural areas. Three different models of PV power are used to investigate the effect of urban climate on PV performance. The results show that the dimming of solar radiation in the urban environment is the main reason for the decrease of PV module output using the climatic data of urban and rural sites in Mexico City for year 2003. The urban PV conversion efficiency is higher than that of the rural PV system because the PV module temperature in the urban areas is slightly lower than that in the rural areas in the case. The DC power output of PV seems to be underestimated if the spectral response of PV in the urban environment is not taken into account based on the urban hourly meteorological data of Sao Paulo for year 2004. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Making the deployment of pico-PV more sustainable along the value chain

Pico-PV is an excellent technology for bringing electric light to rural areas in the developing world and replacing kerosene lanterns and candles. However, as pico-PV is a comparatively new technology, relatively little is known about appropriate methods for sustainable product development and deployment. For this reason current dissemination methods are often ineffective and unsustainable. This research aims to help project developers deploy pico-PV technologies successfully and in a sustainable manner. To achieve this, a conceptual framework of key sustainability criteria along the value chain was developed and tested. The analysis revealed that the most important criteria for the sustainable deployment of pico-PV systems are: (a) easy and safe operation of the product; (b) that a system for product return is established; (c) the retailer understands the target market and (d) the end-user is aware of the product's existence and its benefits. This research reveals that criteria (b) and (c) are of greatest concern. In light of these findings, the authors propose to focus on the following five factors; namely: (a) raising awareness for certification and creating market reassurance; (b) introducing support mechanisms to facilitate local repair; (c) using existing supply channels and establishing in-country (dis)assembly; (d) introducing financial support mechanisms at product supply stages and; (e) undertaking marketing campaigns. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

猪场废水短程硝化反硝化-厌氧氨氧化脱氮研究

畜禽废水是农村水环境污染的主要来源之一，其处理的难点在于脱氮。传统生物脱氮法具有能耗高、需大量外加碳源等缺点，开发低成本、高效率的新型生物脱氮技术具有重要意义。 本研究将短程硝化反硝化和厌氧氨氧化两种脱氮新技术结合，让前者为后者创造去除可降解COD、降低总氮负荷、调整pH、调整氨氮和亚硝酸盐氮浓度比例等进水条件，而后者可在无需外加碳源的条件下进一步脱氮，二者结合可成为高氨氮、低C/N废水脱氮的新途径。 试验以低碳氮比猪场废水为研究对象，首先进行了短程硝化反硝化预处理研究，同时启动并运行调控厌氧氨氧化反应器，最后以经过短程硝化反硝化预处理的猪场废水为进水，进行厌氧氨氧化脱氮考察。实验表明：（1）短程硝化反硝化作为厌氧氨氧化的预处理工序是可行的。猪场废水通过短程硝化反硝化，可以达到基本去除可生化COD、部分脱氮、控制出水氨氮和亚硝酸盐氮浓度之比在1︰1左右、pH在7.5～8.0的目的， COD和总氮平均去除率分别为64.3%、49.1%,出水可达到厌氧氨氧化反应的进水要求。（2）采用模拟废水启动厌氧氨氧化反应器，经过5个月左右的运行调控，反应器启动成功并稳定运行，最高总氮去除率为87.1%，总氮容积去除率最高达到0.14kg/m3.d；整个稳定阶段，氨氮、亚硝酸盐氮、硝酸盐氮的变化量之比为1︰1.21︰0.33。（3）经过短程硝化反硝化预处理的猪场废水厌氧氨氧化脱氮效果稳定，氨氮、亚硝酸盐氮、总氮、COD的平均去除率分别为93.0%、99.4%、84.6%、18.1%，处理效果与模拟废水处理系统相比无明显变化。（4）经过短程硝化反硝化预处理后，猪场废水中残留有机物成分在厌氧氨氧化反应过程中无显著变化，主要为酯类和烷烃类物质；残留有机物对厌氧氨氧化效果无明显影响。（5）采用PCR技术进行特殊功能菌种检测，结果表明模拟废水处理系统和猪场废水处理系统的菌群中均含有厌氧氨氧化菌和好氧硝化菌；通过blast比对，厌氧氨氧化菌扩增序列与未培养的Planctomycetales菌和Candidatus Brocadia fulgida菌16S rRNA部分序列相似性分别为95％、90%。（6）MPN法菌种计数结果显示，模拟废水处理系统和猪场废水处理系统的菌群中均含有硝化细菌、亚硝化细菌和少量反硝化菌，实验条件下的微生物系统是一个厌氧氨氧化菌与好氧硝化菌、反硝化菌共存的系统。 Poultry wastewater is one of the main source of water pollution in rural areas，and nitrogen removal is the most difficult part in treating poultry wastewater. There are some disadvantages in traditional nitrogen removal, such as high energy consumption and more additional organic carbon. It is important to develop ecolomical and efficient technologyies. Shortcut nitricfication/denitrification, as a pretreatment process, was combined with Anammox in this research, so that part of total nitrogen and most degradable COD could be removed by the former, and further nitrogen removal could be implemented by the latter. The combination of the two technologies was a new approach to treat wastewater with high ammonium and low C/N. Piggery wastewater with low C/N was treated in lab-scale experiment. Firstly, shortcut nitrification/denitrification was investigated, and Anammox reactor was started up successfully at the same time. Then piggery wastewater after pretreatment was treated by Anammox. The results showed :(1) It was feasible to take nitrification/denitrification as the pretreatment process of Anammox. By using this process, part of total nitrogen and COD were removed, the ratio of ammonium and nitrite reached around 1︰1 and the pH was about 7.8, which were favorable for Anammox. The average removal percentage of COD and total nitrogen were about 64.3% and 49.1%, respectively. (2) Simulated wastewater was used to start up Anammox reactor. The reactor was started up successfully within 5 months and stable performance was achieved. The highest nitrogen removal reached 87.1% and the biggest volumetric total nitrogen removal rate reached 0.14kg/m3.d. The average ratio of ammonium, nitrite and nitrate was 1:1.21:0.33. (3)Taking the effluent of shortcut nitrification/denitrification as the influent, the nitrogen removal efficiency of Anammox was stable, and the the average removal percentage of ammonium, nitrite, total nitrogen and COD were 93.0%, 99.4% , 84.6% and 18.1%, respectively, which had little difference with that by using simulated wastewater..(4) After pretreatment, the residual organic carbon in piggery wastewater showed no obvious change during the Anammox process, and the main organic compounds were saturated hydrocarbon and ester, which had no obvious negative effect on Anammox process.(5) By PCR technology, the existence of Anammox bacteria was confirmed and the aerobic nitrifying bacteria was found to coexist as well. The result of blast showed that the identities of Anammox bacterium to part of 16S rRNA sequence of uncultured Planctomycetales bacterium and Candidatus Brocadia fulgida bacterium were 95% and 90%, respectively.（6）By MPN method, nitrite oxidizer, ammonium oxidizer and denitrification bacteria were detected in both simulated and piggery wastewater treatment system of Anammox, and the microorganism system was composed of Anammox bacteria，aerobic bacteria and denitrification bacteria together.

中国西部农村经济发展面临的挑战及对策

根据中国西部农村自然条件和社会条件 ,分析了西部农村经济发展中面临的问题 ,并提出了相应的对策 :抓住历史机遇 ,转变思想观念 ;改善基础设施 ,发挥设施功能 ;增加资金投放 ,提高投入水平 ;发展文化教育 ,加快人才培育 ;强化政府职能 ,提高管理水平

Application of rough set-based analysis to extract spatial relationship indicator rules: An example of land use in Pearl River Delta

Spatial relations, reflecting the complex association between geographical phenomena and environments, are very important in the solution of geographical issues. Different spatial relations can be expressed by indicators which are useful for the analysis of geographical issues. Urbanization, an important geographical issue, is considered in this paper. The spatial relationship indicators concerning urbanization are expressed with a decision table. Thereafter, the spatial relationship indicator rules are extracted based on the application of rough set theory. The extraction process of spatial relationship indicator rules is illustrated with data from the urban and rural areas of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, located in the Pearl River Delta. Land use vector data of 1995 and 2000 are used. The extracted spatial relationship indicator rules of 1995 are used to identify the urban and rural areas in Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao. The identification accuracy is approximately 96.3%. Similar procedures are used to extract the spatial relationship indicator rules of 2000 for the urban and rural areas in Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao. An identification accuracy of about 83.6% is obtained.

Industrial development and land use/cover change and their effects on local environment: a case study of Changshu in eastern coastal China

The interactions among industrial development, land use/cover change (LUCC), and environmental effects in Changshu in the eastern coastal China were analyzed using high-resolution Landsat TM data in 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2006, socio-economic data and water environmental quality monitoring data from research institutes and governmental departments. Three phases of industrial development in Changshu were examined (i.e., the three periods of 1990 to 1995, 1995 to 2000, and 2000 to 2006). Besides industrial development and rapid urbanization, land use/cover in Changshu had changed drastically from 1990 to 2006. This change was characterized by major replacements of farmland by urban and rural settlements, artificial ponds, forested and constructed land. Industrialization, urbanization, agricultural structure adjustment, and rural housing construction were the major socio-economic driving forces of LUCC in Changshu. In addition, the annual value of ecosystem services in Changshu decreased slightly during 1990-2000, but increased significantly during 2000-2006. Nevertheless, the local environmental quality in Changshu, especially in rural areas, has not yet been improved significantly. Thus, this paper suggests an increased attention to fully realize the role of land supply in adjustment of environment-friendly industrial structure and urban-rural spatial restructuring, and translating the land management and environmental protection policies into an optimized industrial distribution and land-use pattern.

农村留守儿童心理行为现状及其影响因素研究

To investigate the psychological and behavioral status and their influencing factors of children left behind in rural areas in China, 604 students were chosen from primary fifth grade, junior second grade and senior first grade in high schools in local villages and towns of Chongqing and Guizhou to complete some investegations. The results showed that children left behind actually had some internalizing problems including depression, state-trait anxiety, social anxiety, low self-esteem and some social problems in campus; however, they had no delinquency or aggression behaviors. Low parents’ educational level, low life standards, no-good parent-child relationship, the long years parent spent outside, the long time parent spent outside every year, the young age of child when his parent left him, the low contact frequency between parent and child when parent went out for work, all can be the influencing factors made child behave some psychological or behavioral problems. Children left behind need some appropriate psychological intervention, to improve parent-child relationship, to help release internalizing problems and amend interpersonal relationship at school. Several advices may be useful to improve psychological and behavioral problems of children left behind, which are for parents who work outside home not to work long to 10 years, or stay out for work more than 10 months per year, or left child to work when he is younger than two years old, or contact child more than one month after the last contact when work outside home, and you’d better contact child once a day. All of these could be helpful for children left behind to overcome some psychological or behavioral problems.

Rola środków Wspólnej Polityki Rolnej Unii Europejskiej w przekształceniach rolnictwa w województwie wielkopolskim

Nauk Geograficznych i Geologicznych:Geografii Społeczno-Ekonomicznej i Gospodarki Przestrzennej

The quality of diabetes care in the community: practice, policy and culture

Aim: Diabetes is an important barometer of health system performance. This chronic condition is a source of significant morbidity, premature mortality and a major contributor to health care costs. There is an increasing focus internationally, and more recently nationally, on system, practice and professional-level initiatives to promote the quality of care. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the ‘quality chasm’ around the organisation and delivery of diabetes care in general practice, to explore GPs’ attitudes to engaging in quality improvement activities and to examine efforts to improve the quality of diabetes care in Ireland from practice to policy. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. As part of a mixed methods sequential design, a postal survey of 600 GPs was conducted to assess the organization of care. This was followed by an in-depth qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 31 GPs from urban and rural areas. The qualitative methodology was also used to examine GPs’ attitudes to engaging in quality improvement. Data were analysed using a Framework approach. A 2nd observation study was used to assess the quality of care in 63 practices with a special interest in diabetes. Data on 3010 adults with Type 2 diabetes from 3 primary care initiatives were analysed and the results were benchmarked against national guidelines and standards of care in the UK. The final study was an instrumental case study of policy formulation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 members of the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) for Diabetes. Thematic analysis was applied to the data using 3 theories of the policy process as analytical tools. Results: The survey response rate was 44% (n=262). Results suggested care delivery was largely unstructured; 45% of GPs had a diabetes register (n=157), 53% reported using guidelines (n=140), 30% had formal call recall system (n=78) and 24% had none of these organizational features (n=62). Only 10% of GPs had a formal shared protocol with the local hospital specialist diabetes team (n=26). The lack of coordination between settings was identified as a major barrier to providing optimal care leading to waiting times, overburdened hospitals and avoidable duplication. The lack of remuneration for chronic disease management had a ripple effect also creating costs for patients and apathy among GPs. There was also a sense of inertia around quality improvement activities particularly at a national level. This attitude was strongly influenced by previous experiences of change in the health system. In contrast GP’s spoke positively about change at a local level which was facilitated by a practice ethos, leadership and special interest in diabetes. The 2nd quantitative study found that practices with a special interest in diabetes achieved a standard of care comparable to the UK in terms of the recording of clinical processes of care and the achievement of clinical targets; 35% of patients reached the HbA1c target of <6.5% compared to 26% in England and Wales. With regard to diabetes policy formulation, the evolving process of action and inaction was best described by the Multiple Streams Theory. Within the EAG, the formulation of recommendations was facilitated by overarching agreement on the “obvious” priorities while the details of proposals were influenced by personal preferences and local capacity. In contrast the national decision-making process was protracted and ambiguous. The lack of impetus from senior management coupled with the lack of power conferred on the EAG impeded progress. Conclusions: The findings highlight the inconsistency of diabetes care in Ireland. The main barriers to optimal diabetes management center on the organization and coordination of care at the systems level with consequences for practice, providers and patients. Quality improvement initiatives need to stimulate a sense of ownership and interest among frontline service providers to address the local sense of inertia to national change. To date quality improvement in diabetes care has been largely dependent the “special interest” of professionals. The challenge for the Irish health system is to embed this activity as part of routine practice, professional responsibility and the underlying health care culture.

Urbanization effects on welfare and income diversification strategies of peri-urban farm households in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: An empirical analysis

Urban areas in many developing countries are expanding rapidly by incorporating nearby subsistence farming communities. This has a direct effect on the consumption and production behaviours of the farm households but empirical evidence is sparse. This thesis investigated the effects of rapid urbanization and the associated policies on welfare of subsistence farm households in peri-urban areas using a panel dataset from Tigray, Ethiopia. The study revealed a number of important issues emerging with the rapid urban expansion. Firstly, private asset holdings and consumption expenditure of farm households, that have been incorporated into urban administration, has decreased. Secondly, factors that influence the farm households’ welfare and vulnerability depend on the administration they belong to, urban or rural. Gender and literacy of the household head have significant roles for the urban farm households to fall back into and/or move out of poverty. However, livestock holding and share of farm income are the most important factors for rural households. Thirdly, the study discloses that farming continues to be important source of income and income diversification is the principal strategy. Participation in nonfarm employment is less for farm households in urban than rural areas. Adult labour, size of the local market and past experience in the nonfarm sector improves the likelihood of engaging in skilled nonfarm employment opportunities. But money, given as compensation for the land taken away, is not crucial for the household to engage in better paying nonfarm employments. Production behaviour of the better-off farm households is the same, regardless of the administration they belong to. However, the urban poor participate less in nonfarm employment compared to the rural poor. These findings signify the gradual development of urban-induced poverty in peri-urban areas. In the case of labour poor households, introducing urban safety net programmes could improve asset productivity and provide further protection.

Child work and labour among orphaned and abandoned children in five low and middle income countries.

BACKGROUND: The care and protection of the estimated 143,000,000 orphaned and abandoned children (OAC) worldwide is of great importance to global policy makers and child service providers in low and middle income countries (LMICs), yet little is known about rates of child labour among OAC, what child and caregiver characteristics predict child engagement in work and labour, or when such work infers with schooling. This study examines rates and correlates of child labour among OAC and associations of child labour with schooling in a cohort of OAC in 5 LMICs. METHODS: The Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) study employed a two-stage random sampling survey methodology to identify 1480 single and double orphans and children abandoned by both parents ages 6-12 living in family settings in five LMICs: Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania. Regression models examined child and caregiver associations with: any work versus no work; and with working <21, 21-27, and 28+ hours during the past week, and child labour (UNICEF definition). RESULTS: The majority of OAC (60.7%) engaged in work during the past week, and of those who worked, 17.8% (10.5% of the total sample) worked 28 or more hours. More than one-fifth (21.9%; 13% of the total sample) met UNICEF's child labour definition. Female OAC and those in good health had increased odds of working. OAC living in rural areas, lower household wealth and caregivers not earning an income were associated with increased child labour. Child labour, but not working fewer than 28 hours per week, was associated with decreased school attendance. CONCLUSIONS: One in seven OAC in this study were reported to be engaged in child labour. Policy makers and social service providers need to pay close attention to the demands being placed on female OAC, particularly in rural areas and poor households with limited income sources. Programs to promote OAC school attendance may need to focus on the needs of families as well as the OAC.

Explanatory Model for the Use of Traditional Medicines in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Introduction: Traditional medicines are one of the most important means of achieving total health care coverage globally, and their importance in Tanzania extends beyond the impoverished rural areas. Their use remains high even in urban settings among the educated middle and upper classes. They are a critical component healthcare in Tanzania, but they also can have harmful side effects. Therefore we sought to understand the decision-making and reasoning processes by building an explanatory model for the use of traditional medicines in Tanzania.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study between December 2013 and June 2014 in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. Using purposive sampling methods, we conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews of key informants, and the qualitative data were analyzed using an inductive Framework Method. A structured survey was created, piloted, and then administered it to a random sample of adults. We reported upon the reliability and validity of the structured survey, and we used triangulation from multiple sources to synthesize the qualitative and quantitative data.

Results: A total of five FGDs composed of 59 participants and 27 in-depth interviews were conducted in total. 16 of the in-depth interviews were with self-described traditional practitioners or herbal vendors. We identified five major thematic categories that relate to the decision to use traditional medicines in Kilimanjaro: healthcare delivery, disease understanding, credibility of the traditional practices, health status, and strong cultural beliefs.

A total of 473 participants (24.1% male) completed the structured survey. The most common reasons for taking traditional medicines were that they are more affordable (14%, 12.0-16.0), failure of hospital medicines (13%, 11.1-15.0), they work better (12%, 10.7-14.4), they are easier

to obtain (11%, 9.48-13.1), they are found naturally or free (8%, 6.56-9.68), hospital medicines have too many chemical (8%, 6.33-9.40), and they have fewer side effects (8%, 6.25-9.30). The most common uses of traditional medicines were for symptomatic conditions (42%), chronic diseases (14%), reproductive problems (11%), and malaria and febrile illnesses (10%). Participants currently taking hospital medicines for chronic conditions were nearly twice as likely to report traditional medicines usage in the past year (RR 1.97, p=0.05).

Conclusions: We built broad explanatory model for the use of traditional medicines in Kilimanjaro. The use of traditional medicines is not limited to rural or low socioeconomic populations and concurrent use of traditional medicines and biomedicine is high with frequent ethnomedical doctor shopping. Our model provides a working framework for understanding the complex interactions between biomedicine and traditional medicine. Future disease management and treatment programs will benefit from this understanding, and it can lead to synergistic policies with more effective implementation.

Risk adjustment for hospital use using social security data: cross sectional small area analysis

Objectives: To identify demographic and socioeconomic determinants of need for acute hospital treatment at small area level. To establish whether there is a relation between poverty and use of inpatient services. To devise a risk adjustment formula for distributing public funds for hospital services using, as far as possible, variables that can be updated between censuses. Design: Cross sectional analysis. Spatial interactive modelling was used to quantify the proximity of the population to health service facilities. Two stage weighted least squares regression was used to model use against supply of hospital and community services and a wide range of potential needs drivers including health, socioeconomic census variables, uptake of income support and family credit, and religious denomination. Setting: Northern Ireland. Main outcome measure: Intensity of use of inpatient services. Results: After endogeneity of supply and use was taken into account, a statistical model was produced that predicted use based on five variables: income support, family credit, elderly people living alone, all ages standardised mortality ratio, and low birth weight. The main effect of the formula produced is to move resources from urban to rural areas. Conclusions: This work has produced a population risk adjustment formula for acute hospital treatment in which four of the five variables can be updated annually rather than relying on census derived data. Inclusion of the social security data makes a substantial difference to the model and to the results produced by the formula.

Are gatekeepers to renal services referring patients equitably?

Objective: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) benefit from specialist interventions to retard progression of renal failure and prevent cardiovascular events. Certain patient groups have poor access to specialist renal services when dialysis is required. This study used a population-based laboratory database to investigate access to and timeliness of referral to renal specialists relatively early in the course of the disease.

Methods: All tests for serum creatinine and haemoglobin (Hb) A1c in Northern Ireland in a two-year period (2001 and 2002) were retrieved for 345,441 adults. Of these, 16,856 patients had at least one serum creatinine level above 150 µmol/L in 2001 not deemed to be due to acute renal failure (crude prevalence 1.42%). This cohort was followed until the end of 2002 and the differences in the time to referral to a specialist were assessed using Cox's proportional hazards regression.

Results: Diabetic patients, older patients and those living in deprived areas were significantly more likely to have serum creatinine testing, compared with non-diabetic, younger and those living in more affluent areas. Delays in referral to renal specialists for patients with raised serum creatinine levels were significantly shorter among diabetic patients, women, younger individuals, those living in rural areas, those living close to renal centres and those living in deprived areas. Overall, only 19% of diabetic patients and 6% of non-diabetic patients who had CKD had seen a renal specialist within 12 months of their index creatinine test.

Conclusion: Contrary to other diseases, disadvantaged patients do not seem to be under-investigated for renal disease compared with their more affluent neighbours and are generally referred earlier for specialist assessment. However, the absolute rate of timely specialist assessment is low. Recent changes in referral criteria for CKD will result in more referrals and will have serious resource implications. Opportunities for health gain among patients with declining renal function are being missed, particularly among the old and those living furthest from specialist centres.