Mushroom growing as a livelihood option to fishing among Lake Edward fisher communities

Fisheries activities are the main source of livelihood for the communities that live at Lake Edward fish landing sites. The landing sites include: Kazinga, Katwe, Kayanja, Kishenyi Rwenshama and Katunguru and are located within Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA). In spite of being the main source of livelihood, 74% of the respondents in a 2013 survey reported that catches for the main targeted fish species namely: Bagrus docmak (Semutundu), Oreochromis niloticus (Tilapia) and Protopterus aethiopicus (Mamba) were declining due to overfishing and catching of immature fish by the rapidly increasing population. Lake Edward Frame surveys had shown that the number of fishing crafts increased from 302 in 2008 to 330 in 2011, while the number of fishers increased from 355 to 600 during the same period. Between 2008 and 2010, catch per boat, for Bagrus docmak (Semutundu) declined from 5.25 kg to 4.04 kg and for Protopterus aethiopicus (Mamba) from 2.63 kg to 1.03kg. It has been suggested that reducing pressure on the lake should be handled using different approaches, one of which is introduction of programs for enhancing livelihood options which do not conflict with conservation of Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA). The main goal of this study was therefore to identify, prioritize and pilot livelihood options at selected landing sites of Lakes Edward and George.

Crabbing into an uncertain future: the blue swimming crab fisher in coastal town of Eastern Philippines

This research project sought to find out the socio-economic status of the small-scale fishers of the blue swimming crab (Portunuspelagicus) in Samar, considering the diminishing volume of catch of the species in the recent years. Using a blend of quantitative and qualitative methods, the study employed an interview schedule, focus group discussion (FGD) and observation in collecting data not only from the fishers but also from other sectors directly involved in the blue swimming crab industry.

Space density distribution of galaxies in the absolute magnitude - rotation velocity plane: a volume-complete Tully-Fisher relation from CALIFA stellar kinematics

We measured the distribution in absolute magnitude - circular velocity space for a well-defined sample of 199 rotating galaxies of the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey (CALIFA) using their stellar kinematics. Our aim in this analysis is to avoid subjective selection criteria and to take volume and large-scale structure factors into account. Using stellar velocity fields instead of gas emission line kinematics allows including rapidly rotating early-type galaxies. Our initial sample contains 277 galaxies with available stellar velocity fields and growth curve r-band photometry. After rejecting 51 velocity fields that could not be modelled because of the low number of bins, foreground contamination, or significant interaction, we performed Markov chain Monte Carlo modelling of the velocity fields, from which we obtained the rotation curve and kinematic parameters and their realistic uncertainties. We performed an extinction correction and calculated the circular velocity v_circ accounting for the pressure support of a given galaxy. The resulting galaxy distribution on the M-r - v(circ) plane was then modelled as a mixture of two distinct populations, allowing robust and reproducible rejection of outliers, a significant fraction of which are slow rotators. The selection effects are understood well enough that we were able to correct for the incompleteness of the sample. The 199 galaxies were weighted by volume and large-scale structure factors, which enabled us to fit a volume-corrected Tully-Fisher relation (TFR). More importantly, we also provide the volume-corrected distribution of galaxies in the M_r - v_circ plane, which can be compared with cosmological simulations. The joint distribution of the luminosity and circular velocity space densities, representative over the range of -20 > M_r > -22 mag, can place more stringent constraints on the galaxy formation and evolution scenarios than linear TFR fit parameters or the luminosity function alone.

International human resource management in the introductory HRM course

This paper explores the extent to which students in the introductory HRM course in US institutions are likely to be exposed to information on international and cross-cultural aspects of HRM. Two methods are used: (1) an analysis of international content in fifteen popular introductory HRM textbooks and (2) a survey of professors teaching introductory HRM. The vast majority of responding instructors said their classes got some exposure to international issues in HRM, and most introductory texts included some relevant content. Critiques of international boxed features and dedicated IHRM chapters are provided, and suggestions for improving the quality and depth of IHRM content in introductory textbooks are made.