Biochemical and molecular characterization of pathogenic vibrios from hatcheries and aquaculture farms

Vibrio are important during hatchery rearing. aquaculture phase and post-harvest quality of shrimps. Vibrio spp are of concern to shrimp farmers and hatchery operators because certain species can cause Vibriosis. Vibrio species are of concern to humans because certain species cause serious diseases.With the progress in aquaculture, intensive systems used for shrimp aquaculture create an artificial environment that increases bacterial growth. To maintain the productivity of such an intensive aquaculture, high inputs of fish protein have to be employed for feeding together with high levels of water exchange and the massive use of antibiotics/ probiotics / chemicals. It seems that the combination of these conditions favours the proliferation of vibrios and enhances their virulence and disease prevalence. The risk of a microbial infection is high, mainly at larval stages. The effect and severity are related to Vibrio species and dose, water, feed, shrimp quality and aquaculture management.Consumption of seafood can occasionally result in food-bome illnesses due to the proliferation of indigenous pathogens like Vibrio.Of the l2 pathogenic Vibrio species, 8 species are known to be directly food associated. Strict quality guidelines have been laid by the importing nations, for the food products that enter their markets. The microbiological quality requirement for export of frozen shrimp products is that V.cholerae, V.parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus should be absent in 25g of the processed shrimp (Export Inspection Council of India, 1995). The mere presence of these pathogenic Vibrios is sufficient for the rejection of the exported product.The export rejections cause serious economic loss to the shrimp industry and might harm the brand image of the shrimp products from the countiy.There is a need for an independent study on the incidence of different pathogenic vibrios in shrimp aquaculture and investigate their biochemical characteristics to have a better understanding about the growth and survival of these organisms in the shrimp aquaculture niche. PCR based methods (conventional PCR, duplex PCR, multiplex-PCR and Real Time PCR) for the detection of the pathogenic Vibrios is important for rapid post-harvest quality assessment. Studies on the genetic heterogeneity among the specific pathogenic vibrio species isolated from shrimp aquaculture system provide; valuable information on the extent of genetic diversity of the pathogenic vibrios, the shrimp aquaculture system.So the present study was undertaken to study the incidence of pathogenic Vibrio spp. in Penaeus monodon shrimp hatcheries and aquaculture farms, to carry out biochemical investigations of the pathogenic Vibrio spp isolated from P. monodon hatchery and. aquaculture environments, to assess the effect of salt (NaCl) on the growth and enzymatic activities of pathogenic Vibrio spp., to study the effect of preservatives, and chemicals on the growth of pathogenic Vibrio spp. and to employ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods for the detection of pathogenic V ibrio spp.Samples of water (n=7) and post-larvae (n=7) were obtained from seven Penaeus monodon hatcheries and samples of water (n=5), sediment (n=5) and shrimp (n=5) were obtained from five P. monodon aquaculture farms located on the East Coast of lndia. The microbiological examination of water, sediment, post-larvae and shrimp samples was carried out employing standard methods and by using standard media.The higher bacterial loads were obtained in pond sediments which can be attributed to the accumulation of organic matter at the pond bottom which stimulated bacterial growth.Shrimp head. (4.78 x 105 +/- 3.0 x 104 cfu/g) had relatively higher bacterial load when compared to shrimp muscle 2.7 x 105 +/- 1.95 x 104 cfu/g). ln shrimp hatchery samples, the post-larvae (2.2 x 106 +/- 1.9 x 106 cfu/g) had higher bacterial load than water (5.6 x 103 +/- 3890 cfu/ml).The mean E.coli counts were higher in aquaculture pond sediment (204+/-13 cfu/g) and pond water (124+/-88 cfu/ml). Relatively lower Escherichia coli counts were obtained from shrimp samples (12+/-11 to 16+/-16.7 cfu/g). The presence of E.coli in aquaculture environment might have been from the source water. E.coli was not detected in hatchery waters and post-larvae.

Development of Total Quality Management System in Seafood (Freezing) Industry in Kerala

Quality related problems have become dominant in the seafood processing industry in Kerala. This has resulted in the rejection of seafood sent from India to many destinations. The latest being the total block listing of seafood companies from India from being exported to Europe and partial block listing by the US. The quality systems prevailed in the seafood industry in India were outdated and no longer in use in the developed world. According to EC Directive discussed above all the seafood factories exporting to European countries have to adopt HACCP. Based on this, EIA has now made HACCP system mandatory in all the seafood processing factories in India. This transformation from a traditional product based inspection system to a process control system requires thorough changes in the various stages of production and quality management. This study is conducted by the author with to study the status of the existing infrastructure and quality control system in the seafood industry in Kerala with reference to the recent developments in the quality concepts in international markets and study the drawbacks, if any, of the existing quality management systems in force in the seafood factories in Kerala for introducing the mandatory HACCP concept. To assess the possibilities of introducing Total Quality Management system in the seafood industry in Kerala in order to effectively adopt the HACCP concept. This is also aimed at improving the quality of the products and productivity of the industry by sustaining the world markets in the long run.

Influence of compounding and process variables on quality of condams made from natural rubber latex

Condoms are widely accepted as a contraceptive for family planning and population control. It is also accepted as the most effective barrier against sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS, the incurable disease. But presence of pinholes and low film strength of condoms make it unsuitable for the purpose. Quality improvement of condoms by reducing the pinhole formation and increasing the film strength is thus an essential requirement for population control as well as for preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Strict implementation of WHO specification of condoms further increases the rejection percentage. This causes higher rejection loss to condom manufacturers because the defects could be identified only at the final stage of processing. If the influence of various factors which cause these defects is known, manufacturers can take remedial measures to reduce the defectives so that rejection loss can be decreased and quality of condoms increased. In the present study, it was proposed to conduct experiments to improve the quality of condoms by reducing the pinhole rejection percentage and increasing the tensile properties, burst volume, and burst pressure. Ageing property improvement also was an important target among other parameters. Until a cure for AIDS is found, a high quality latex condom is the only effective device in the prevention of the spread of HIV, AIDS and STD's. Hence it is all the more necessary to have high quality condoms.

IRIS BIOMETRIC RECOGNITION SYSTEM EMPLOYING CANNY OPERATOR

Biometrics has become important in security applications. In comparison with many other biometric features, iris recognition has very high recognition accuracy because it depends on iris which is located in a place that still stable throughout human life and the probability to find two identical iris's is close to zero. The identification system consists of several stages including segmentation stage which is the most serious and critical one. The current segmentation methods still have limitation in localizing the iris due to circular shape consideration of the pupil. In this research, Daugman method is done to investigate the segmentation techniques. Eyelid detection is another step that has been included in this study as a part of segmentation stage to localize the iris accurately and remove unwanted area that might be included. The obtained iris region is encoded using haar wavelets to construct the iris code, which contains the most discriminating feature in the iris pattern. Hamming distance is used for comparison of iris templates in the recognition stage. The dataset which is used for the study is UBIRIS database. A comparative study of different edge detector operator is performed. It is observed that canny operator is best suited to extract most of the edges to generate the iris code for comparison. Recognition rate of 89% and rejection rate of 95% is achieved

Constructing a ‘moment of crisis’ and its adequate solution

The rejection of the European Constitution marks an important crystallization point for debate about the European Union (EU) and the integration process. The European Constitution was envisaged as the founding document of a renewed and enlarged European Union and thus it was rather assumed to find wide public support. Its rejection was not anticipated. The negative referenda in France and the Netherlands therefore led to a controversial debate about the more fundamental meaning and the consequences of the rejection both for the immediate state of affairs as well as for the further integration process. The rejection of the Constitution and the controversy about its correct interpretation therefore present an intriguing puzzle for political analysis. Although the treaty rejection was taken up widely in the field of European Studies, the focus of existing analyses has predominantly been on explaining why the current situation occurred. Underlying these approaches is the premise that by establishing the reasons for the rejection it is possible to derive the ‘true’ meaning of the event for the EU integration process. In my paper I rely on an alternative, discourse theoretical approach which aims to overcome the positivist perspective dominating the existing analyses. I argue that the meaning of the event ‘treaty rejection’ is not fixed or inherent to it but discursively constructed. The critical assessment of this concrete meaning-production is of high relevance as the specific meaning attributed to the treaty rejection effectively constrains the scope for supposedly ‘reasonable’ options for action, both in the concrete situation and in the further European integration process more generally. I will argue that the overall framing suggests a fundamental technocratic approach to governance from part of the Commission. Political struggle and public deliberation is no longer foreseen as the concrete solutions to the citizens’ general concerns are designed by supposedly apolitical experts. Through the communicative diffusion and the active implementation of this particular model of governance the Commission shapes the future integration process in a more substantial way than is obvious from its seemingly limited immediate problem-solving orientation of overcoming the ‘constitutional crisis’. As the European Commission is a central actor in the discourse production my analysis focuses on the specific interpretation of the situation put forward by the Commission. In order to work out the Commission’s particular take on the event I conducted a frame analysis (according to Benford/Snow) on a body of key sources produced in the context of coping with the treaty rejection.

Minimum interference routing with fast protection

One of the most effective techniques offering QoS routing is minimum interference routing. However, it is complex in terms of computation time and is not oriented toward improving the network protection level. In order to include better levels of protection, new minimum interference routing algorithms are necessary. Minimizing the failure recovery time is also a complex process involving different failure recovery phases. Some of these phases depend completely on correct routing selection, such as minimizing the failure notification time. The level of protection also involves other aspects, such as the amount of resources used. In this case shared backup techniques should be considered. Therefore, minimum interference techniques should also be modified in order to include sharing resources for protection in their objectives. These aspects are reviewed and analyzed in this article, and a new proposal combining minimum interference with fast protection using shared segment backups is introduced. Results show that our proposed method improves both minimization of the request rejection ratio and the percentage of bandwidth allocated to backup paths in networks with low and medium protection requirements

Adding QoS protection in order to enhance MPLS QoS routing

In this paper, a method for enhancing current QoS routing methods by means of QoS protection is presented. In an MPLS network, the segments (links) to be protected are predefined and an LSP request involves, apart from establishing a working path, creating a specific type of backup path (local, reverse or global). Different QoS parameters, such as network load balancing, resource optimization and minimization of LSP request rejection should be considered. QoS protection is defined as a function of QoS parameters, such as packet loss, restoration time, and resource optimization. A framework to add QoS protection to many of the current QoS routing algorithms is introduced. A backup decision module to select the most suitable protection method is formulated and different case studies are analyzed

¿Puede el mediador católico permanecer coherente con las doctrinas de su iglesia, empleando el modelo relacional simbólico? : una reflexión a partir de las divergencias y convergencias entre la doctrina matrimonial católica y el modelo relacional simbólico

Esta investigación responde a la inquietud del Mediador católico, al emplear el Modelo Relacional Simbólico, sabiendo el rechazo de la Iglesia al divorcio. La Mediación Familiar acompaña los esposos en proceso de separación. Pero ante la posición de la Iglesia, surge la pregunta: ¿Puede el mediador católico permanecer coherente con las Doctrinas de su Iglesia, empleando el Modelo Relacional Simbólico? La reflexión parte de la Palabra de Dios, desde el Antiguo Testamento, hasta los Evangelios y las cartas apostólicas, mirando las posiciones sobre la familia y el divorcio. En un segundo momento se detiene en la Doctrina Pontificia Católica al respecto en los últimos Pontífices. Se presenta luego el divorcio y las orientaciones pastorales de la Iglesia sobre el mismo. La reflexión se dirige finalmente al Modelo de Mediación y sus bondades, para compararlo en el último capítulo con las enseñanzas de la Iglesia y hallar las convergencias y divergencias. El resultado de este análisis permite a los investigadores hallar coherente la Mediación Familiar con el Modelo Relacional Simbólico con su fe.

Partial disjoint path for multi-layer protection in GMPLS networks

In this paper, different recovery methods applied at different network layers and time scales are used in order to enhance the network reliability. Each layer deploys its own fault management methods. However, current recovery methods are applied to only a specific layer. New protection schemes, based on the proposed partial disjoint path algorithm, are defined in order to avoid protection duplications in a multi-layer scenario. The new protection schemes also encompass shared segment backup computation and shared risk link group identification. A complete set of experiments proves the efficiency of the proposed methods in relation with previous ones, in terms of resources used to protect the network, the failure recovery time and the request rejection ratio

Enhanced multi-layer protection in multi-service GMPLS networks

This paper focuses on QoS routing with protection in an MPLS network over an optical layer. In this multi-layer scenario each layer deploys its own fault management methods. A partially protected optical layer is proposed and the rest of the network is protected at the MPLS layer. New protection schemes that avoid protection duplications are proposed. Moreover, this paper also introduces a new traffic classification based on the level of reliability. The failure impact is evaluated in terms of recovery time depending on the traffic class. The proposed schemes also include a novel variation of minimum interference routing and shared segment backup computation. A complete set of experiments proves that the proposed schemes are more efficient as compared to the previous ones, in terms of resources used to protect the network, failure impact and the request rejection ratio

A Gain Scheduling Model Predictive Controller for Blood Glucose Control in Type 1 Diabetes

This paper presents a control strategy for blood glucose(BG) level regulation in type 1 diabetic patients. To design the controller, model-based predictive control scheme has been applied to a newly developed diabetic patient model. The controller is provided with a feedforward loop to improve meal compensation, a gain-scheduling scheme to account for different BG levels, and an asymmetric cost function to reduce hypoglycemic risk. A simulation environment that has been approved for testing of artificial pancreas control algorithms has been used to test the controller. The simulation results show a good controller performance in fasting conditions and meal disturbance rejection, and robustness against model–patient mismatch and errors in meal estimation

La problemática de los “residuos humanos” a partir del análisis de la situación de los refugiados en la frontera entre Liberia y Sierra Leona en el periodo 2000-2003 a la luz del concepto de seguridad humana

Esta monografía está dedicada a estudiar dos conflictos que tuvieron lugar en África tal como fueron los conflictos de Liberia y Sierra Leona, los cuales se prolongaron por muchos años y se caracterizaban por el uso de la fuerza en contra de la población civil como método de terror que en términos de Mary Kaldor pueden ser caracterizados como Nuevas Guerras, y como resultado de estos temores infundados, la población civil se convierte en desplazados o refugiados a causa de la violencia, los cuales no encuentran una fácil acogida en los países o lugares en los que buscan refugio y protección y así Zygmunt Bauman los caracteriza como Residuos Humanos como sinónimo del rechazo que recibe esta población y de las condiciones poco dignas humanamente a las que se enfrentan para sobrevivir ya que parecieran no tener cabida en las sociedades de acogida.

La democracia en los países islámicos : el caso de Irán

El islam puede concebir una forma de gobierno democrático, bajo el termino de democracia de Norberto Bobbio, con valores musulmanes implícitos, también se evidencia el rechazo a la intervención de Occidente en presencia y en pensamiento. Resaltando así durante el proceso democrático Irán, su cultura y así exponer una nueva versión de lo que entiende por democracia, versión diferente a la libertad entendida por Occidente.

La hipótesis de expectativas en la curva cero cupón: un análisis por cointegración

El cumplimiento de la hipótesis de expectativas (HE) ha sido contrastado en varios países por medio de diferentes métodos. En Colombia no se ha estudiado de manera conjunta las relaciones de largo plazo entre las tasas cero cupón. El presente trabajo busca contrastar el cumplimiento de la hipótesis de expectativas estimando un modelo multivariado con corrección de errores, de acuerdo a la metodología propuesta por Hall, Anderson y Granger (1992). La significancia de la prima por liquidez en las relaciones de largo plazo y las pruebas estadísticas del modelo favorecen el contraste de la HE. Sin embargo, la existencia de dos relaciones de cointegración y el rechazo de las relaciones teóricas esperadas indican el incumplimiento de la HE en Colombia.

Morbimortalidad, función ventricular e incidencia del rechazo celular en el trasplante cardíaco en la Clínica Abood Shaio

INTRODUCCION: El trasplante cardiaco es una terapia efectiva para los pacientes con falla cardiaca terminal . Al momento no hay registros Colombianos actualizados y publicados de la morbimortalidad del trasplante cardiaco en relación a los episodios de rechazo celular. MATERIALES Y METODOS: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de mayores de 18 años trasplantados en la Clínica Shaio. Se realizaron cálculos de frecuencia, promedios y curvas de Kaplan Meier. RESULTADOS: La edad promedio fue 46,7 años +/- 13.La indicaciones fueron miocardiopatía dilatada 45%, coronaria 30%, miocarditis 9%, Chagas 9%, valvular 7%. El rechazo celular en los tres primeros años: 57%, 54% y 41% que se reduce 25% entre los tres y cinco años. Las causas de muerte fueron falla del trasplante 46%, infecciones y falla cardiaca 23%, rechazo 8%.El primer año la mortalidad fue 65%, principalmente falla del injerto. La mortalidad a 30 días 29,5%, y supervivencia del 90% al año, 64% a 5 años, 48% a 10 años y 15% a 13 años. La supervivencia media fue 8 años. La vasculopatía fue 33%. La función ventricular 53,5% +/- 12,6 el primer año; 58,4 +/- 5,4% al tercer año; 51,7 +/- 11,9 % al quinto año 46% +/- 15,8 al decimo año. DISCUSION: Se observo mayor frecuencia de rechazo celular, ocasionando mas falla cardiaca y muerte.