Issues of HIV/AIDS/ health among the fisher communities of Lake Albert and Kyoga

The fisheries resources of Lakes Albert and Kyoga present a high potential for economic growth, food, employment and foreign earnings. However, livelihoods appear to be compromised with the emergence and rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in the fisher communities of L. Albert and Kyoga. HIV/AIDS is considered a silent epidemic that is unique, posing a great challenge to the fisheries managers, health service providers, development planners and the resource users themselves. Fishers have high HIV prevalence, as well as AIDS-related illnesses and mortality rates. The high HIV prevalence rates among the fishing communities in Uganda is between 10-40% compared to the national rates which lie between 6% and 7%. This indicates that the national programmes have not adequately addressed the plight of the fishing communities of Lakes Albert, and Kyoga and the consequences have been devastating. Men and women living in fishing villages across the world have been found to be between five and ten times more vulnerable to the disease than other communities (Tarzan et al 2005, FAO, 2007). The present prevalence rates among the fishing communities stands at 10 to 40 % (LVFO, 2008). Meanwhile the same fishing communities are the essential labour for the Lakes’ fishery industry which is thriving nationally and internationally. That resource potentially can alleviate poverty and the HIV/AIDS threat. Fishing communities are the hidden victims of the disease, mixing patterns with the general population could act as a reservoir of infection that could spill over into the general population to drive the epidemic. On L. Albert, a quarter of the fisher folk were HIV-positive by 1992 compared to 4% in a nearby Agricultural village. Since then, there have been no targeted studies to address or monitor the prevalence rates eight years later, yet the multiplicity factor is high. HIV/AIDS can be linked to unsustainable fisheries, as the labour force available would not go to deep waters to fish, instead would fish in the shallow waters as a coping mechanism. A further effect is the loss to National and local economies and reduced nutritional security for the wider population. HIV/AIDS remains a significant challenge that has created a mosaic of complexity in the fishery sector. This needs to be addressed. It is, therefore, paramount that a comprehensive study was under taken to address this pandemic and the phenomenon of HIV/AIDS based on the study objectives. 1. To determine the trend in HIV/AIDS infection among fishing communities and the factors affecting it 2. To assess the impacts of HIV/AIDS on fish production and the implications for fisheries management.

Evaluation of Setup Procedures on Mobile Devices Based on Users’ Initial Experience

Users’ initial perceptions of their competence are key motivational factors for further use. However, initial tasks on a mobile operating system (OS) require setup procedures, which are currently largely inconsistent, do not provide users with clear, visible and immediate feedback on their actions, and require significant adjustment time for first-time users. This paper reports on a study with ten users, carried out to better understand how both prior experience and initial interaction with two touchscreen mobile interfaces (Apple iOS and Google Android) affected setup task performance and motivation. The results show that the reactions to setup on mobile interfaces appear to be partially dependent on which device was experienced first. Initial experience with lower-complexity devices improves performance on higher-complexity devices, but not vice versa. Based on these results, the paper proposes six guidelines for designers to design more intuitive and motivating user interfaces (UI) for setup procedures. The preliminary results indicate that these guidelines can contribute to the design of more inclusive mobile platforms and further work to validate these findings is proposed.

Distributed flow algorithms for scalable similarity visualization

We describe simple yet scalable and distributed algorithms for solving the maximum flow problem and its minimum cost flow variant, motivated by problems of interest in objects similarity visualization. We formulate the fundamental problem as a convex-concave saddle point problem. We then show that this problem can be efficiently solved by a first order method or by exploiting faster quasi-Newton steps. Our proposed approach costs at most O(|ε|) per iteration for a graph with |ε| edges. Further, the number of required iterations can be shown to be independent of number of edges for the first order approximation method. We present experimental results in two applications: mosaic generation and color similarity based image layouting. © 2010 IEEE.

Genetic structure of Chinese sucker population Myxocyprinus asiaticus in the Yangtze River based on mitochondrial DNA marker

The sequencing analysis of the mitochondrial DNA control region (mtCR DNA) was performed to assess the genetic divergence and population structure of the Chinese sucker Myxocyprinus asiaticus (Cypriniformes Catostomidae) using four sample lots from natural populations of the Yangtze River. The mtCR DNA sequences of approximately 920 base pairs were obtained. A total of 223 nucleotide positions were polymorphic, and these defined 39 haplotypes. Of the 39 haplotypes, 37 (90%) were not shared, and among the populations as a whole there was little sharing of haplotypes. The average haplotype diversity (0.958) and the average nucleotide diversity (0.052) indicated a higher level of genetic diversity of Chinese sucker through the river. Analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) of data revealed significant partitioning of variance (P<0.001) among populations (60.29%), and within populations (39.71%). The topology according to the neighbor joining and maximum parsimony methods showed mosaic composition of the 39 haplotypes, suggesting that the populations wore not completely divergent. The pairwise F statistic values, however, indicated that the population structuring existed to some extent among the geographic populations. There was a positive relationship between the aquatic distance and the genetic distance (Fst) among the populations (P<0.05). Based on our data, it is suggested that genetic drift, gene flow, and stochastic events are the possible factors influencing the population structure and genetic variation.

Positive selection on multiple antique allelic lineages of transferrin in the polyploid Carassius auratus

Transferrin polymorphism has been studied in the polyploid Carassius auratus by cloning and sequence analysis of cDNAs from its three subspecies C. auratus gibelio, C. auratus auratus, and C. auratus cuvieri. DNA polymorphism of extremely high extent was shown for the transferrin gene by the 248 segregation sites among coding region sequences of its alleles. The deduced amino acid sequences of the transferrin alleles showed variable theoretical physicochemical parameters, which might constitute molecular basis for their electrophoretic heterogeneity. Positive selection was inferred by the replacement/synonymous ratios larger than 1 in partial allelic lineages which was subsequently confirmed by likelihood simulation under neutral or selection models. Furthermore, the correspondent sites to these selected codons were collectively located at two planes in the crystallographic structure of rabbit transferrin, which suggested that the rapid evolution of C. auratus transferrin might correlate to its adaptation to variable environmental elements such as oxygen pressure. The minimal 26 recombination events were detected among coding sequences of C. auratus transferrin, with partial mosaic sequences and breakpoints identified by identity scanning and information site analyses. Phylogenetic analyses revealed multiple antique allelic lineages of transferrin, which was estimated to diverge fifteen to twenty MYA. All these features strongly suggested the role of balancing selection in long persistence of high transferrin polymorphism in C. auratus. Furthermore, owing to its particular evolutionary backgrounds, the silver crucian carp might possess a distinctive balancing selection mechanism.

Microstructure and strain analysis of GaN epitaxial films using in-plane grazing incidence x-ray diffraction

This paper investigates the major structural parameters, such as crystal quality and strain state of (001)-oriented GaN thin films grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition, using an in-plane grazing incidence x-ray diffraction technique. The results are analysed and compared with a complementary out-of-plane x-ray diffraction technique. The twist of the GaN mosaic structure is determined through the direct grazing incidence measurement of (100) reflection which agrees well with the result obtained by extrapolation method. The method for directly determining the in-plane lattice parameters of the GaN layers is also presented. Combined with the biaxial strain model, it derives the lattice parameters corresponding to fully relaxed GaN films. The GaN epilayers show an increasing residual compressive stress with increasing layer thickness when the two dimensional growth stage is established, reaching to a maximum level of -0.89 GPa.

Investigation of GaSb epilayer grown on vicinal GaAs(001) substrate by high resolution x-ray diffraction

GaSb epilayers grown on GaAs(001) vicinal substrate misoriented towards (111) plane were studied using high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD). The results show that GaSb epilayers exhibit positive crystallographic tilt and the distribution of 60 degrees misfit dislocations (MDs) is imbalanced. The vicinal substrate also leads to the anisotropy of the mosaic structure, i.e. the lateral coherent lengths in [1 (1) over bar0] directions are larger than those in [110] directions. Furthermore, the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the off-axis peaks varies with the inclination angle, which is a result of different dislocation densities in the {111} glide planes.

Investigation of native defects and property of bulk ZnO single crystal grown by a closed chemical vapor transport method

Hall effect, Raman scattering, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), optical absorption (OA), mass spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction have been used to study bulk ZnO single crystal grown by a closed chemical vapor transport method. The results indicate that shallow donor impurities (Ga and Al) are the dominant native defects responsible for n-type conduction of the ZnO single crystal. PL and OA results suggest that the as-grown and annealed ZnO samples with poor lattice perfection exhibit strong deep level green photoluminescence and weak ultraviolet luminescence. The deep level defect in as-grown ZnO is identified to be oxygen vacancy. After high-temperature annealing, the deep level photoluminescence is suppressed in ZnO crystal with good lattice perfection. In contrast, the photoluminescence is nearly unchanged or even enhanced in ZnO crystal with grain boundary or mosaic structure. This result indicates that a trapping effect of the defect exists at the grain boundary in ZnO single crystal. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thickness dependent dislocation, electrical and optical properties in InN films grown by MOCVD

InN thin films with different thicknesses are grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition, and the dislocations, electrical and optical properties are investigated. Based on the model of mosaic crystal, by means of X-ray diffraction skew geometry scan, the edge dislocation densities of 4.2 x 10(10) cm(-2) and 6.3 x 10(10) cm(-2) are fitted, and the decrease of twist angle and dislocation density in thicker films are observed. The carrier concentrations of 9 x 10(18) cm(-3) and 1.2 x 10(18) cm(-3) are obtained by room temperature Hall effect measurement. V-N is shown to be the origin of background carriers, and the dependence of concentration and mobility on film thickness is explained. By the analysis of S-shape temperature dependence of photoluminescence peak, the defects induced carrier localization is suggested be involved in the photoluminescence. Taking both the localization and energy band shrinkage effect into account, the localization energies of 5.05 meV and 5.58 meV for samples of different thicknesses are calculated, and the decrease of the carrier localization effect in the thicker sample can be attributed to the reduction of defects.

The growth and characterization of GaN grown on an Al2O3 coated (001)Si substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Single crystal GaN films have been grown on to an Al2O3 coated (001)Si substrate in a horizontal-type low-pressure MOVPE system. A thin Al2O3 layer is an intermediate layer for the growth of single crystal GaN on to Si although it is only an oriented polycrystal him as shown by reflection high electron diffraction. Moreover, the oxide was not yet converted to a fully single crystal film, even at the stage of high temperature for the GaN overlayer as studied by transmission electron microscopy. Double crystal X-ray diffraction showed that the linewidth of (0002) peak of the X-ray rocking curve of the 1.3 mu m sample was 54 arcmin and the films had heavy mosaic structures. A near band edge peaking at 3.4 eV at room temperature was observed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication of GaN epitaxial films on Al2O3/Si (001) substrates

Single crystal GaN films of hexagonal modification have been fabricated on Al2O3/Si (001) substrates via a low pressure metalorganic chemical deposition (LP-MOCVD) method. The full width at half-maximum of (0002) X-ray diffraction peak for the GaN film 1.1 mu m thick was 72 arcmin. and the mosaic structure of the film was the main cause of broadening to the X-ray diffraction peak. Al room temperature, the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of GaN exhibited near band edge emission peaking at 365 nm.

黄土沟壑区砂石覆盖果园土壤剖面水分分布

以黄土高原沟壑区砂石覆盖苹果园为研究对象,对600 cm范围内土壤剖面水分含量的时间分异和空间分布状况进行了研究。结果表明:600 cm土层范围内,一周年内可划分为冬季增墒期和夏季失墒期两个阶段;土壤剖面水分空间分布随土壤深度的增加呈现波动性变化且稳定性不同,土壤含水量变化幅度随土层深度增加而变小,据此可将600 cm范围内的土壤剖面划分为速变层、相对稳定层、缓变层和稳定层;土壤水分在不同层次上的分布差异,8月土壤剖面不同层次含水量差异最大,11月次之,5月再次之,1月土壤不同层次含水量差异最小。综合看来,除土壤表层因砂石覆盖水分增加外,土壤剖面含水量随土壤深度的增加而减少且趋于稳定,水分下渗能力减弱;冬季土壤含水量多且分布均匀,夏季土壤水分减少且主要集中在上层,此时土壤不同层次水分含量差异大。

定植穴对局部土壤物理性质及苹果生长的影响

为了探索陕北黄土丘陵沟壑区苹果栽植成活率低、树体生长状况差的原因,对3种定植穴土壤物理性状及苹果生长状况进行了监测研究。结果表明定植沟、大定植穴降低了0～100cm土层土壤容重和开挖到雨季的土壤水分,其中开挖到定植是土壤水分散失的主要阶段。定植沟、大定植穴提高了0～100cm土层土壤总孔隙度、非毛管孔隙度和地面塌陷深度,相对提高了雨季期间的土壤水分,提高了枝条失水量和抽条指数,造成苗木成活率降低,树体生长量和产量降低。陕北丘陵沟壑区栽植苹果不宜采用雨季后开挖定植沟、大定植穴,翌年春季定植;春季定植时应以普通定植穴为主,并边挖边栽。

分光光度法同时测定无机多组份的研究

本论文由三部分工作组成。一、金属和岩矿中砷和锑连续测定方法的研究 本文基于新银盐测砷法和铁（Ⅲ）-邻菲啰啉测锑法，利用（月+弟）吸收液不吸收胂的特点，提出并建立了砷和锑连续测定的方法。文中研究并确定了砷、锑连测时的有关条件，较详细地考察了各种因素对砷测定结果的影响以及不同溶剂和某些金属离子（尤其是Ag~+和[AuCl_4]~-）对（月+弟）吸收率的影响。试验了胂、（月+弟）吸收显色液稳定性。探讨了铁（Ⅲ）－邻菲啰林与（月+弟）的氧化还原反应。研究了砷有色溶液的稀释条件和测定锑时的微量技术的应用，解决了砷含量明显高于锑的样品的分析问题。研究了砷和锑样品的高压、常压的消解方法，确定了样品消解的适应条件。研究了多种有机胺对胂、（月+弟）、（月+必）等吸收条件，找到了分离这些氢化物的有机胺的配比，消除了这些氢化物间的相互干扰，同时，研究了其他有关共存离子对砷、锑连测的影响及消除或减轻干扰程度的方法。方法的检出限为0.05ppmAs(3S)和0.09ppmSb(3S)。本方法具有仪器设备简单，操作简便快速，灵敏度高、精密度和准确度均较好等优点。通过对河流沉积物， 岩矿和金属样品的分析，证明本方法具有很好的实用价值。二、氢化物发生－分光光度法连续测定砷和铋的研究 本文探索了硝酸银吸收液吸收（月+必）的测定铋的方法，并在新银盐法测砷和铁（Ⅲ）－邻菲啰啉法测铋的基础上，利用砷（Ⅱ）和铋离子形成氢化物时受酸度的影响各不相同，提出了连续测定砷和铋的方法，对影响方法精密度和准确度的各种因素进行了实验，确定了适宜的分析条件。先从pH > 3的柠檬酸－氨水缓冲介质中，将铋离子还原成气态（月+必）吸收液吸收，尔后，提高反应液酸度至pH ≈ 1.0，再将砷（Ⅱ）从胂的形式还原出来，用胂吸收液吸收，于各自相应波长处测定各自吸收显色液的吸光度，分别计算砷和铋的含量。为了解决含量明显高于铋的样品的分析，我们采用稀释砷有色溶液的方法和用吸光度测量放大技术测铋，同时，采用定时高压法消解各种样品，获得较好的结果。文中还研究了共存离子对铋测定的影响，提出了消除干扰的方法。方法的检出限为0.07ppmAs(3S)和0.08ppmBi(3S)。本方法集分离、富集、显色于一过程内，具有简便快速，且灵敏度高、精密度和准确度均较好的特点，应用于河流沉积物、岩矿和金属样品中砷和铋的测定，得到满意的结果。三、分光光度法同时测定无机多组份的研究－CPA矩阵法同时测定锑、锡和锗 本文改进并研究了苯基萤光酮－op体系光度法测定锡、锗和锑的显色条件；研究了适宜于锑、锡、锗三元素同时测定的光吸收性质，根据ε值差异、吸光度加合性偏差和ε－bar的相对偏差来选择适宜的计算波长。采用Apple-CP60型微机处理数据，建立了CPA矩阵法同时测定锑、锡和锗的光度分析法。通过对合成样品的测定，证明了在CPA矩阵法中，由于引入非零截距和加入与试样相近的混合标准计算p矩阵，提高了方法的准确度，并扩大了方法的适用范围。文中还研究了锑、锡和锗与干扰离子的萃取分离条件。经简单的萃取分离干扰离子，将此法应用于河流沉积物的分析，获得满意的结果，成功地解决了性质相近元素锑、锡、锗的测定问题。