Optimizing the benefits from Nigerian small and medium size reservoirs through cooperative management approach

The paper traces the different management practices adopted for Nigerian inland water bodies from the Colonial era to independence. It observes that the full potentials of these waters have never been realized over the years due to the absence of an effective management. The replacement of the traditional fisheries management by the centralized top-down approach by government after independence has not helped matters. Lately, the cooperative/community-based management approach has taken the centre stage worldwide. This has been identified to offer the most viable and equitable option towards the attainment of an optimum utilization of the fisheries resource. The entire community sensing security of tenure and enjoying some of the benefits from access control will actively take responsibility and enforcement. The paper drew experiences from some water bodies in Bangladesh, Philippines, Benin Republic and Malawi showing sound management strategy that, if adopted for our small and medium size reservoirs and other water bodies, would help optimize on an sustainable manner the benefits from those water bodies

Export potential of ornamental live fishes in Nigeria

Nigeria is blessed with an abundant variety of fish species, some of which have been exported over the years. These fish species are taken either from the wild or cultured. Large quantities of fishes and fishery products are exported from Nigeria in different forms and which have been sources of foreign exchange earnings for the Country. An estimate value of exports in the fishery sub-sector stood at approximately U.S. $48.212,070 for shrimps/sole fish/cuttlefish/crabs and over U.S.$500,000 for ornamental live fishes

Lessons from History for Transitions to a Low Carbon Economy

4 p.

The Slow Search for Solutions: Lessons from Historical Energy Transitions by Sector and Service

28 p.

Long Run Trends in Energy-Related External Costs

30 p.

Lehiaketa motor baten direkzio piparen diseinua

[EU]Hurrengo orrialdeetan aurkezten den proiektu honetan, lehiaketa motor baten direkzio piparen diseinua proposatzen da zeinak Moto Engineering Foundation fundazioak sustatutako nazioarteko Motostudent txapelketan parte hartzeko motorrera egokituta egon beharko den. Honako helburu honekin beraz, direkzio piparen diseinu egoki bat egin ahal izateko piezak sufrituko dituen karga egoerak aurreikusi beharko ditugu hauen arabera jasan beharreko tentsio egoerak aztertu ahal izateko. Piezaren tentsioen analisia aurrera eraman beharko da beraz, diseinaturiko piezaren funtzionamendu egokia ziurtatu ahal izateko. Historian zehar existitutako diseinu modelo ezberdinak eta baita gaur egunean gehien erabilitakoak ere aurkeztu eta gero, gure kasura hobekien moldatuko zaion adibidetik ekingo zaio diseinuari, aldez aurretik eskuratutako datu eta errodamenduetatik abiatuz. Horrenbestez, oinarritzat hartutako direkzio sistema modeloa eta bestelako elementuen neurriak datutzat hartuta, tija zein norabide ardatzarena esate baterako, direkzio piparen hasierako geometria definituko da. Eskuragarri ditugun analisi metodo ezberdinak aztertu eta gure kasura hobekien moldatzen dena aukeratu eta eraikitako piezari aplikatuko zaio. Lorturiko emaitzen arabera hasiera batean planteaturiko diseinua onartu edo baztertzea erabaki beharko dugu. Beraz, gure diseinua optimizatuz joateko aukera izango dugu, baldintzak eta betebeharrak egiztatuko dituen amaierako pieza diseinua lortu arte. Bukatzeko, proiektuari itxiera emango dion atala aurkeztuko da, hala nola, proiektuaren garapenean zehar lorturiko emaitzak eta ondorioak biltzen dituen atala non lorturiko direkzio piparen funtzionamendu egokia bermatzen dituzten parametroak aurkeztuko diren. Gainera, direkzio sistemaren funtsezko atala izango diren errodamenduen kalkulu eta aukeraketa bideratuko da baita ere.

Structure-Guided Design and Biophysical Characterization of Novel Anti-HIV Reagents

Despite over 30 years of effort, an HIV-1 vaccine that elicits protective antibodies still does not exist. Recent clinical studies have identified that during natural infection about 20% of the population is capable of mounting a potent and protective antibody response. Closer inspection of these individuals reveal that a subset of these antibodies, recently termed potent VRC01-like (PVL), derive exclusively from a single human germline heavy chain gene. Induced clonal expansion of the B cell encoding this gene is the first step through which PVL antibodies may be elicited. Unfortunately, naturally occurring HIV gp120s fail to bind to this germline, and as a result cannot be used as the initial prime for a vaccine regimen. We have determined the crystal structure of an important germline antibody that is a promising target for vaccine design efforts, and have set out to engineer a more likely candidate using computationally-guided rational design.

In addition to prevention efforts on the side of vaccine design, recently characterized broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies have excellent potential for use in gene therapy and passive immunotherapy. The separation distance between functional Fabs on an antibody is important due to the sparse distribution of envelop spikes on HIV compared to other viruses. We set out to build and characterize novel antibody architectures by incorporating structured linkers into the hinge region of an anti-HIV antibody b12. The goal was to observe whether these linkers increased the arm-span of the IgG dimer. When incorporated, flexible Gly4Ser repeats did not result in detectable extensions of the IgG antigen binding domains, by contrast to linkers including more rigid domains such as β2-microglobulin, Zn-α2-glycoprotein, and tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs). This study adds an additional set of linkers with varying lengths and rigidities to the available linker repertoire, which may be useful for the modification and construction of antibodies and other fusion proteins.

Toxic blue-green algae: The "problem" in perspective

The incidence of blue-green algal blooms and surface scum-formation are certainly not new phenomena. Many British and European authors have been faithfully describing the unmistakable symptoms of blue-green algal scums for over 800 years. There is no disputing that blue-green algal toxins are extremely harmful. Three quite separate categories of compound have been separated: neurotoxins; hepatotoxins and lipopolysaccharides. There is a popular association between blue-green algae and eutrophication. Certainly the main nuisance species - of Microcystis, Anabaena and Aphanizomenon are rare in oligotrophic lakes and reservoirs. Several approaches have been proposed for the control of blue-green algae. Distinction is made between methods for discharging algae already present (eg algicides; straw bales; viruses; parasitic fungi and herbivorous ciliates), and methods for averting an anticipated abundance in the future (phosphorous control, artificial circulation etc).

The occurrence of two new plankton diatom populations in the English Lake District: Aulacoseira islandica

Samples of planktonic algae from major lakes in the English Lake District have been investigated over many years as part of a long-term monitoring programme set up by the Freshwater Biological Association and continued by the Institute For Ecology. Some lakes have been sampled regularly for long periods, others less frequently or only occasionally. Windermere north and south basins, and the neighbouring lakes Blelham Tarn and Esthwaite Water, have been under observation, mostly on a weekly basis, since the programme began in 1945. During this time diatoms have played a significant role in the population dynamics of these lakes.

New Insights from Aperiodic Variability of Young Stars

Nearly all young stars are variable, with the variability traditionally divided into two classes: periodic variables and aperiodic or "irregular" variables. Periodic variables have been studied extensively, typically using periodograms, while aperiodic variables have received much less attention due to a lack of standard statistical tools. However, aperiodic variability can serve as a powerful probe of young star accretion physics and inner circumstellar disk structure. For my dissertation, I analyzed data from a large-scale, long-term survey of the nearby North America Nebula complex, using Palomar Transient Factory photometric time series collected on a nightly or every few night cadence over several years. This survey is the most thorough exploration of variability in a sample of thousands of young stars over time baselines of days to years, revealing a rich array of lightcurve shapes, amplitudes, and timescales.

I have constrained the timescale distribution of all young variables, periodic and aperiodic, on timescales from less than a day to ~100 days. I have shown that the distribution of timescales for aperiodic variables peaks at a few days, with relatively few (~15%) sources dominated by variability on tens of days or longer. My constraints on aperiodic timescale distributions are based on two new tools, magnitude- vs. time-difference (Δm-Δt) plots and peak-finding plots, for describing aperiodic lightcurves; this thesis provides simulations of their performance and presents recommendations on how to apply them to aperiodic signals in other time series data sets. In addition, I have measured the error introduced into colors or SEDs from combining photometry of variable sources taken at different epochs. These are the first quantitative results to be presented on the distributions in amplitude and time scale for young aperiodic variables, particularly those varying on timescales of weeks to months.

Modelling the dynamics of phytoplankton with the needs of the end user in mind

How to regulate phytoplankton growth in water supply reservoirs has continued to occupy managers and strategists for some fifty years or so, now, and mathematical models have always featured in their design and operational constraints. In recent years, rather more sophisticated simulation models have begun to be available and these, ideally, purport to provide the manager with improved forecasting of plankton blooms, the likely species and the sort of decision support that might permit management choices to be selected with increased confidence. This account describes the adaptation and application of one such model, PROTECH (Phytoplankton RespOnses To Environmental CHange) to the problems of plankton growth in reservoirs. This article supposes no background knowledge of the main algal types; neither does it attempt to catalogue the problems that their abundance may cause in lakes and reservoirs.

Resultados da expansão de maxila cirurgicamente assistida sem disjunção ptérigomaxilar: uma avaliação tridimensional

A expansão rápida da maxila cirurgicamente assistida tornou-se amplamente utilizada e muito aceitável no tratamento da deficiência maxilar de pacientes adolescentes e adultos. Diversas técnicas cirúrgicas foram propostas ao longo dos anos com o objetivo de solucionar este problema de forma eficiente, com estabilidade dos resultados e baixa morbidade. Controvérsias em relação ao procedimento cirúrgico persistem, principalmente relacionadas a quais osteotomias devem ser realizadas para se obter bons resultados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os resultados da expansão ortocirúrgica da maxila realizando osteotomias nas paredes laterais da maxila e na sutura palatina mediana. Foram selecionados dezessete pacientes adultos portadores de deficiência transversa maxilar, com média de idade de 24 anos e 8 meses; todos foram submetidos a exames de tomografia computadorizada convencional e moldagens maxilares previamente ao procedimento cirúrgico e após três meses, no mínimo, do término de ativação e estabilização do aparelho expansor. As medidas do pós-cirúrgico foram confrontadas com as do pré-cirúrgico e os resultados foram comparados e analisados estatisticamente. Foi obtida a expansão desejada clinicamente em todos os pacientes. No entanto, a quantidade de expansão na região de molares foi estatisticamente maior nas áreas referentes aos dentes, enquanto que os resultados obtidos referentes aos caninos se mostraram similares nas três regiões maxilares avaliadas. Quando comparadas às regiões de caninos e molares entre si, a expansão intercaninos foi maior na altura dos forames palatinos e o inverso ocorreu nas regiões de processo alveolar e dentária, nas quais a expansão intermolar foi maior.

Numerical Studies of Topological Phases

The topological phases of matter have been a major part of condensed matter physics research since the discovery of the quantum Hall effect in the 1980s. Recently, much of this research has focused on the study of systems of free fermions, such as the integer quantum Hall effect, quantum spin Hall effect, and topological insulator. Though these free fermion systems can play host to a variety of interesting phenomena, the physics of interacting topological phases is even richer. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of theoretical tools that can be used to approach interacting problems. In this thesis I will discuss progress in using two different numerical techniques to study topological phases.

Recently much research in topological phases has focused on phases made up of bosons. Unlike fermions, free bosons form a condensate and so interactions are vital if the bosons are to realize a topological phase. Since these phases are difficult to study, much of our understanding comes from exactly solvable models, such as Kitaev's toric code, as well as Levin-Wen and Walker-Wang models. We may want to study systems for which such exactly solvable models are not available. In this thesis I present a series of models which are not solvable exactly, but which can be studied in sign-free Monte Carlo simulations. The models work by binding charges to point topological defects. They can be used to realize bosonic interacting versions of the quantum Hall effect in 2D and topological insulator in 3D. Effective field theories of "integer" (non-fractionalized) versions of these phases were available in the literature, but our models also allow for the construction of fractional phases. We can measure a number of properties of the bulk and surface of these phases.

Few interacting topological phases have been realized experimentally, but there is one very important exception: the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). Though the fractional quantum Hall effect we discovered over 30 years ago, it can still produce novel phenomena. Of much recent interest is the existence of non-Abelian anyons in FQHE systems. Though it is possible to construct wave functions that realize such particles, whether these wavefunctions are the ground state is a difficult quantitative question that must be answered numerically. In this thesis I describe progress using a density-matrix renormalization group algorithm to study a bilayer system thought to host non-Abelian anyons. We find phase diagrams in terms of experimentally relevant parameters, and also find evidence for a non-Abelian phase known as the "interlayer Pfaffian".

Gestión de recursos humanos en empresas cooperativas

ESPAÑOL Desde 2008, a causa de la crisis internacional, Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa se ve obligado a emplear ciertas políticas de gestión de los recursos humanos para sobrevivir a esa situación. La finalidad de este trabajo es identificar dichas políticas y valorar si realmente ofrecen los resultados esperados, analizando minuciosamente la relación entre el absentismo laboral y el compromiso y la motivación de los trabajadores. Este estudio propone que en situaciones de recesión económica, las políticas de formación y empleo y las prestaciones cubiertas por Lagun-Aro EPSV aumentan la motivación de los empleados y en consecuencia reducen la tasa de absentismo. La investigación se fundamenta en la lectura de artículos académicos, memorias de Lagun-Aro y una detallada entrevista realizada al que fue jefe de contabilidad en Eroski durante 9 años y director administrativo y responsable de las participadas de Lagun-Aro EPSV durante 30 años. Los resultados obtenidos muestran la existencia de una relación inversa entre el compromiso y la motivación y el absentismo laboral. Además se comprueba la eficiencia de las políticas llevadas a cabo por las cooperativas de Mondragón y se destaca el principio de intercooperatividad para la efectividad de esas políticas.

Vulnerabilidades da Mulher idosa frente ao HIV/AIDS

Tratou-se de um estudo descritivo exploratório com abordagem quantitativa acerca da vulnerabilidade de mulheres com mais de 60 anos em relação ao HIV/AIDS, cujo problema foi descobrir qual o processo de vulnerabilidade auto referido por mulheres de 60 anos e mais em relação ao HIV/AIDS a partir de suas atitudes sexuais.Os objetivos foram: Descrever o processo de vulnerabilidade auto referido por mulheres com 60 anos e mais em relação ao HIV/AIDS a partir de suas atitudes sexuais. Identificar atitudes sexuais entre mulheres com mais de 60 anos e mais. Descrever o conhecimento sobre HIV/AIDS das mulheres com mais de 60 anos.Descrever o processo de vulnerabilidade auto referido por mulheres com mais de 60 anos em relação ao HIV/AIDS.O estudo foi realizado com mulheres com mais de 60 anos freqüentadoras das atividades do Projeto Longegividade da Secretária Especial de Envelhecimento Saudável e Qualidade de vida do Rio de Janeiro. O local escolhido foram espaços públicos aonde se realizavam as atividades do Projeto. A coleta de dados aconteceu no período dos meses de setembro e outubro de 2009. Em atendimento ao preconizado pela resolução 196/96, todos os sujeitos assinaram o termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido. O estudo foi submetido à apreciação do Comitê de Ética da Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro a fim obter a autorização para a divulgação do nome da Instituição aonde foi realizada a pesquisa, sob o parecer de número 84 A-2009. Participaram do estudo 256 mulheres. O questionário foi criado à partir de quatro dimensões estabelecidas. Dimensão sócio econômico e demográfica, processo de vulnerabilidade auto referido, conhecimento sobre HIV/AIDS e práticas sexuais. Os dados coletados foram organizados em bancos de dados, criados pelo pesquisador através de um sistema Gerenciador de Banco de Dados Microsoft Excel versão 2003. Foram utilizadas medidas estatísticas descritivas como freqüência absoluta e a freqüência relativa para atender aos objetivos do estudo. Concluiu-se que em nossa amostra as mulheres idosas se colocam em situação de risco, quando ao possuir vida sexual ativa não usam preservativos. Compõem um grupo bem informado acerca dos métodos de prevenção, porém a utilização do preservativo esta relacionada, a muito mais do que informação e sim a um objeto de confiança nas relações. Entendeu-se que a prevenção ao HIV/AIDS em mulheres com mais de 60 anos deveria incluir, além de estratégias de repasse de repasse de informação, estratégia de fortalecimento individual, reforço na auto estima e estimulo a autonomia de uma forma geral.