Search

In Bangladesh, the topsoil of agricultural land is being used to manufacture burnt clay bricks for a long time. This is one of the major reasons for reducing the cultivable land every year. But, we have a huge amount of River Dredged Soil (RDS) available that could be used for manufacturing building materials as an alternate to the conventional bricks. In this regard, the present study has been performed to investigate various properties of RDS from the Brahmaputra River and different mixes of RDS containing different percentages of cement content. The physical properties such as specific gravity, unit weight, mean diameter, maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of RDS were determined following standard procedures. Cylindrical specimens of RDS were prepared by mixing with different amounts of cement content. All the specimens were cured for 7, 14, and 28 days before testing. Water absorption of the RDS-cement specimens after 28 days was found between 14 to 18% which is in the range of first-class burnt clay brick. It was found that the water absorption decreases with the increase in the percentages of cement content. The unconfined compressive strength was observed to increase with the increment of cement content as well as curing age. The maximum unconfined strength was recorded for the specimens containing 14% cement and the rate of strength increment was about 45% in two weeks. It means the addition of cement with RDS will definitely increase the strength. But, the maximum use of cement must be decided based on the required strength and economic consideration. The deformation at failure was found decrease with the increase in cement content. This indicates that the stiffness of the stabilized RDS would increase upon the increment of cement content. Based on the above test results, it is concluded that the dredged soil from Brahmaputra River can be stabilized with cement for making compressed earth block which would be an alternative to the burnt clay brick that uses valued agricultural soil as raw material. Progressive Agriculture 32 (1): 71-77, 2021

Background: Considering the higher efficiency of nano fertilizers than chemical ones, the current study on nano Zn was undertaken to evaluate its effects on growth, yield, uptake and economics over other Zn sources on lentil. Methods: Field experiment was carried out during rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21 at the Instructional Farm of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, India with seven treatments using different sources of Zn through foliar and soil application in randomised block design replicated thrice. Zn uptake was calculated after testing Zn concentration through wet digestion followed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer determination of collected samples. Result: Pooled result of the experiment revealed that foliar spray of nano Zn @ 20 ppm at 30 and 50 DAS (T5) resulted significantly higher plant height, LAI, dry matter accumulation, 1000 seed weight, number and dry weight of nodules plant-1, uptake of Zn, economics. This treatment produced 29.34% and 30.33% more seed and stover respectively than without Zn application.

This study has examined consumers’ acceptance, preference, and willingness to pay (WTP) for five newly developed convenient (ready-to-cook) catfish products. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluf...

The U.S. catfish aquaculture industry has undergone a continuous and alarming contraction over the last 15 years or so. The rapid increase in cheaper imports, which has coincided with the decline i...

We undertook cluster analysis in 11,003 patients who had sustained ≥ 1 fragility fracture, to find associations between fracture sites and comorbidities. We identified three distinct groups of fracture sites and four clusters of fractures and comorbidities. Knowledge of factors associated with fracture sites will aid prophylaxis in at-risk patients.Fragility fracture (FF) prevalence is increasing. Subsequent fractures lead to greater morbidity and mortality. Few data are available on the association between FF sites and comorbidities.1. Establish the most common sites of FF and clusters within patients. 2. Identify patterns of co-existing FF and associated comorbidities.We retrospectively reviewed clinical records of patients undergoing bone mineral density estimation at a district hospital in North-West England, 2004-2016, identifying those who had sustained ≥ 1 FF. Demographics, FF site(s), comorbidities, and medications were recorded. Cluster analysis was performed on fracture sites alone, and sites and comorbidities, using Jaccard similarity coefficient. Results were plotted on a dendrogram and divided into clusters.Of 28,868 patients, 11,003 had sustained ≥ 1 FF, 84.6% female, with overall mean age 67.5 years and median T-score - 1.12 SD. FF of the forearm was more frequent (n = 5045), most commonly co-existing with tibia/fibula fractures. Three FF site clusters were identified: ankle and elbow; forearm, tibia/fibula, ribs and spine; and pelvis, femur and humerus. When including comorbidities, four clusters were identified: forearm, tibia/fibula, spine, associated with family history of FF, smoking, corticosteroids and bisphosphonates; pelvis associated with hyperparathyroidism, PMR, coeliac disease and HRT; femur and humerus associated with IBD and RA; and ribs associated with alcohol and hyperthyroidism.Cluster analysis demonstrated three fracture site clusters, and four subgroups of FF sites and comorbidities. Cluster analysis is a novel method to evaluate comorbidities associated with FF sites. Knowledge of factors associated with FF sites will aid prophylaxis in at-risk patients.

To increase the demand for U.S. farm-raised catfish, five healthy, convenient ready-to-cook products were developed to expand consumers’ options beyond basic fresh or frozen fillets. Five new catfish products were produced, consisting of one hundred samples of each, including three size-types of Panko-breaded fish products (strips, center cuts of regular fillets, and center cuts from Delacata fillets) and two marinated products (sriracha and sesame-ginger). The breaded products were to be prepared by baking for convenience over traditional frying methods, while the marinated products were to be microwaved as healthy and convenient products. The nutrient content of the samples was analyzed, including protein, moisture, fat, fiber, ash, and carbohydrate, as well as minerals, amino acid, and fatty acid constituent content, with associated atherogenic index (AI) and thrombogenic index (TI), showing unique differences between the Panko-breaded and marinated products. In addition, a trend was observed showing an increase in moisture, protein, ash, and carbohydrate percentages, and a decrease in lipid content related to the volume-to-surface-area ratio, having the order of strips < standard fillets < Delacata fillets.

Aim The present study aims to assess the efficacy of different periodontal dressing materials on wound healing clinically. Materials and methods A total of 45 patients between the age group of 30-45 years, with chronic generalized periodontitis with loss of attachment of 3-6 mm, who require periodontal flap surgery, were screened to include in the study. Out of 45 subjects, 24 were males and 21 were females. The subjects were randomized into 3 groups as 15 in each. Group I: a collagen dressing, group II: light-cure dressing, and group III: non-eugenol-based dressing. The clinical parameters such as plaque index, vertical probing depth, pain, gingival index, and patient satisfaction were documented for all the three groups on the 7th and the 14th day. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to score the pain severity. The SPSS 20 software was used to analyze the data. The significance level was set at 5%. Results The mean gingival index score reduced from 1.40 ± 0.14 to 1.10 ± 0.30 in group I, from 1.48 ± 0.01 to 1.26 ± 0.22 in group II, and from 1.58 ± 0.16 to 1.33 ± 0.10 in group III. The mean plaque index score reduced from 1.48 ± 0.56 to 1.18 ± 0.40 in group I, from 1.46 ± 0.01 to 1.24 ± 0.48 in group II, and from 1.42 ± 0.12 to 1.20 ± 0.20 in group III. There was a statistical difference found in all the three groups and between the groups from the plaque and gingival index scores. The probing depth comparison shows a significant difference in group I. Patient satisfaction was almost similar in all the groups. The pain index showed the reduction in the pain severity from the 7th day to the 14th day in all the subjects from all the three groups. Conclusion It can be concluded that the periodontal wound covered with a collagen dressing material showed significant evidence to provide symptomatic relief and better healing to the patients compared to that of light-cure and non-eugenol periodontal dressing material.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is an aggressive type of primary liver cancer characterized by its highly desmoplastic stroma. Compared to the ample knowledge on cancer-associated fibroblast residing within iCCA tumor mass, little is known about the fibrotic response from the tumor-surrounding liver and its role in iCCA development. In this study, we find a significant accumulation of peritumoral myofibroblasts (pMFs) in both patient iCCA and tumors from an iCCA orthotopic allograft mouse model. Using tumor and liver spheroid coculture we show that iCCA-liver interaction induces rapid pMF accumulation at the interface. We find pMFs placed around iCCA spheroids exert a strong suppressive effect on tumor cells growth, in contrast to the pro-proliferative effect of MFs mixed within tumor spheroids. However, prolonged iCCA-pMF interaction elicits tumor cell dissemination in vitro. We find an upregulation of Vcam1 in tumor cells in the early phase of iCCA-pMF interaction both in vitro and in vivo which is downregulated when tumor cells disseminate. Blocking Vcam1 activity in iCCA allograft mouse models slows primary tumor growth but lead to increased tumor metastasis. Our data suggest that pMFs are beyond simple pro- or anti-tumorigenic in iCCA, with the ability to suppress tumor growth but elicit tumor cell dissemination.

BackgroundGiant cell arteritis-related stroke is rare, with high early mortality and major morbidity in survivors.ObjectivesTo increase the awareness of coexistence of giant cell arteritis-related stroke and rheumatoid arthritis.MethodsA case report and discussion.ResultsA 73 year-old man with seronegative elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) presented to the emergency department (ED) with a one week history of frontal headache, vomiting and dizziness. He had multiple cardiovascular comorbidities and took multiple medications, including methotrexate and sulfasalazine. He also had long-standing history of thrombocytopenia without requiring any treatment. Neurological examination performed in the ED was unremarkable. His C-reactive protein (CRP) was 69mg/L and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) 82mm/hour. Computed tomography (CT) of the brain was normal. The headache settled with analgesia. A diagnosis of probable tension-type headache, with underlying active EORA, was made.One month later, he presented to an ophthalmologist with recurrence of headache associated with visual disturbance and was diagnosed with giant cell arteritis (GCA). Both CRP (77mg/L) and ESR (85mm/hour) remained raised. Neither temporal artery biopsy nor temporal artery ultrasound were possible due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The headache and visual symptoms resolved completely a week after prednisolone 60mg daily was prescribed. In parallel, the CRP dropped to 2mg/L and ESR 16mm/hour. The patient’s glucocorticoid dose was then tapered. While on prednisolone 20mg daily, about 3 weeks later, he developed slurred speech and generalized weakness. Examination showed cerebellar signs and MRI brain showed acute cerebellar infarct. He was treated pragmatically as an atherosclerotic stroke with clopidogrel, and the steroid was rapidly tapered in view of absence of headache and normalization of inflammatory markers.Four weeks later, he was noted to have persistent confusion and unsteadiness of gait. CRP was elevated at 92mg/L. An urgent positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) scan showed inflammation in the vertebral arteries [Figure 1] and cerebellar stroke. Prednisolone 40mg daily was restarted which led to a rapid improvement in his symptoms and normalization of inflammatory markers. The glucocorticoids were tapered in a slower manner this time.Figure 1.Fused axial image of a PET-CT scan demonstrating increased uptake in the region of the left vertebral artery within the vertebral foramen.A diagnosis of GCA-related cerebellar stroke with vertebral vasculitis was made and, with glucocorticoids, the patient made a good clinical recovery. His inflammatory joints pain also improved in parallel.ConclusionStroke or transient ischemic stroke are rare complications, reported in 2.8-16% of patients with active GCA. Most studies report strokes as occurring between the onset of GCA symptoms and 4 weeks after commencement of glucocorticoids1-3.Vertebrobasilar territory is involved in 60–88% of cases of GCA-related stroke1-3. In contrast, the vertebrobasilar territory is affected only in 15-20% of atherosclerotic strokes1,2. One study reported fatal outcomes in 11 out of 40 patients (28%) with GCA-related stroke, 7 within 2-13 days of stroke2.To conclude, this case demonstrates that high-dose glucocorticoids with slower tapering were able to control GCA-related stroke due to vertebral vasculitis in patient with EORA on background methotrexate and sulfasalazine.References[1]Gonzalez-Gay MA, Vazquez-Rodriguez TR, Gomez-Acebo I, et al. Strokes at time of disease diagnosis in a series of 287 patients with biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis. Medicine. 2009;88(4):227-35.[2]de Boysson H, Liozon E, Larivière D, et al. Giant cell arteritis–related stroke: a retrospective multicenter case-control study. 2017;44(3):297-303.[3]Pariente A, Guédon A, Alamowitch S, et al. Ischemic stroke in giant-cell arteritis: French retrospective study. 2019;99:48.AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Dr Lenetta Boyce for providing the PET-CT images.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

BackgroundOpportunistic and chronic infections can arise in the context of treatment used for Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (ARDs). Although it is recognized that screening procedures and prophylactic measures must be followed, clinical practice is largely heterogeneous, with relevant recommendations not currently developed or disparately located across the literature.ObjectivesTo conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) focusing on the screening and prophylaxis of opportunistic and chronic infections in ARDs. This is preparatory work done by members of the respective EULAR task force (TF).MethodsFollowing the EULAR standardised operating procedures, we conducted an SLR with the following 5 search domains; 1) Infection: infectious agents identifed by a scoping review and expert opinion (TF members), 2) Rheumatic Diseases: all ARDs, 3) Immunosuppression: all immunosuppressives/immunomodulators used in rheumatology, 4) Screening: general and specific (e.g mantoux test) terms, 5) Prophylaxis: general and specific (e.g trimethoprim) terms. Articles were retrieved having the terms from domains 1 AND 2 AND 3, plus terms from domains 4 OR 5. Databases searched: Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane. Exclusion criteria: post-operative infections, pediatric ARDs, not ARDs (e.g septic arthritis), not concerning screening or prophylaxis, Covid-19 studies, articles concerning vaccinations and non-Εnglish literature. Quality of studies included was assessed as follows: Newcastle Ottawa scale for non-randomized controlled trials (RCTs), RoB-Cochrane tool for RCTs, AMSTAR2 for SLRs.Results5641 studies were initially retrieved (Figure 1). After title and abstract screening and removal of duplicates, 568 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Finally, 293 articles were included in the SLR. Most studies were of medium quality. Reasons for exclusion are shown in Figure 1. Results categorized as per type of microbe, are as follows: For Tuberculosis; evidence suggests that tuberculin skin test (TST) is affected by treatment with glucocorticoids and conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) and its performance is inferior to interferon gamma release assay (IGRA). Agreement between TST and IGRA is moderate to low. Conversion of TST/IGRA occurs in about 10-15% of patients treated with biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs). Various prophylactic schemes have been used for latent TB, including isoniazide for 9 months, rifampicin for 4 months, isoniazide/rifampicin for 3-4 months. For hepatitis B (HBV): there is evidence that risk of reactivation is increased in patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. These patients should be referred for HBV treatment. Patients who are positive for anti-HBcore antibodies, are at low risk for reactivation when treated with glucocorticoids, cDMARDs and bDMARDs but should be monitored periodically with liver function tests and HBV-viral load. Patients treated with rituximab display higher risk for HBV reactivation especially when anti-HBs titers are low. Risk for reactivation in hepatitis C RNA positive patients, treated with bDMARDs is low. However, all patients should be referred for antiviral treatment and monitored periodically. For pneumocystis jirovecii: prophylaxis with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (alternatively with atovaquone or pentamidine) should be considered in patients treated with prednisolone: 15-30mg/day for more than 4 weeks. Few data exist for screening and prophylaxis from viruses like EBV, CMV and Varicella Zoster Virus. Expert opinion supports the screening of rare bugs like histoplasma and trypanosoma in patients considered to be at high risk (e.g living in endemic areas).Figure 1.SLR flowchartConclusionThe risk of chronic and opportunistic infections should be considered in all patients prior to treatment with immunosuppressives/immunomodulators. Different screening and prophylaxis approaches are described in the literature, partly determined by individual patient and disease characteristics. Collaboration between different disciplines is important.AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank all members of the EULAR Task Force for the screening and prophylaxis of chronic and opportunistic infections in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

Carp polyculture emerged as a promising practice for the development of aquaculture in Bangladesh in recent years. However, the economic potentiality of carp polyculture relied on the profitability and inputs use pattern. Therefore, this study investigated the economic viability of carp polyculture farming, particularly focused on profitability, profit sensitivity, economies of scale, and liquidity. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire to gather cross-sectional data, which included 183 randomly selected carp polyculture farmers from five districts in Bangladesh. Descriptive and econometric analysis was adopted to evaluate the economic performance of the carp polyculture system. The results showed that feed was the most important production input since it accounted for a major share of operating costs (57.3%). Freshwater carp polyculture farming was generally found profitable, although the profit was considerably sensitive with the alteration of feed price and fish price. Economies of scale were evident in this study, where the farm operated in economies of scale had lower productivity but greater cost efficiency. However, some inputs were inefficiently used by the diseconomies scale of farms, which led them to loss of return even though they had higher productivity. High cash flow coverage ratio due to higher yield strategies and low debt-servicing ratios were found, indicating lower liquidity risk for carp polyculture farming. Based on the present findings, it is suggested that farmers should pay more attention to the efficient use of inputs to facilitate a greater cost efficiency, continual cash flow, and sustainable increase in fish production.

The present study aims to assess the efficacy of different periodontal dressing materials on wound healing clinically.A total of 45 patients between the age group of 30-45 years, with chronic generalized periodontitis with loss of attachment of 3-6 mm, who require periodontal flap surgery, were screened to include in the study. Out of 45 subjects, 24 were males and 21 were females. The subjects were randomized into 3 groups as 15 in each. Group I: a collagen dressing, group II: light-cure dressing, and group III: non-eugenol-based dressing. The clinical parameters such as plaque index, vertical probing depth, pain, gingival index, and patient satisfaction were documented for all the three groups on the 7th and the 14th day. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to score the pain severity. The SPSS 20 software was used to analyze the data. The significance level was set at 5%.The mean gingival index score reduced from 1.40 ± 0.14 to 1.10 ± 0.30 in group I, from 1.48 ± 0.01 to 1.26 ± 0.22 in group II, and from 1.58 ± 0.16 to 1.33 ± 0.10 in group III. The mean plaque index score reduced from 1.48 ± 0.56 to 1.18 ± 0.40 in group I, from 1.46 ± 0.01 to 1.24 ± 0.48 in group II, and from 1.42 ± 0.12 to 1.20 ± 0.20 in group III. There was a statistical difference found in all the three groups and between the groups from the plaque and gingival index scores. The probing depth comparison shows a significant difference in group I. Patient satisfaction was almost similar in all the groups. The pain index showed the reduction in the pain severity from the 7th day to the 14th day in all the subjects from all the three groups.It can be concluded that the periodontal wound covered with a collagen dressing material showed significant evidence to provide symptomatic relief and better healing to the patients compared to that of light-cure and non-eugenol periodontal dressing material.

Volatility in catfish pond bank and feed prices lead to profit uncertainty in the catfish industry. Analysis of the factors that affect those prices and development of a forecasting model would pro...

The stringency of the regulatory environment has been shown to negatively affect the growth of aquaculture. A technical efficiency analysis of baitfish/sportfish production in the United States was...

A research work based on eco-friendly management practices was undertaken at Agro-technology research field, Khulna University containing five treatments viz. Neem (Azadirachta indicia A. Juss.), Netting, Pheromone, Mahogoni (Swietenia mahagoni L.) and untreated control in RCBD with four replications aiming to evaluate their efficacy against tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera Hubner infestation. Data were taken on tomato fruit infestation (%), number of holes and number of larvae per infested fruit. All eco-friendly management practices had remarkable action against the tomato fruit borer, of which Netting claimed the highest position to protect tomato fruit borer infestation compared to other management practices whereas the highest insect infestation took place in untreated control. So, to infer, Netting is very promising and efficient tool in controlling tomato fruit borer for safe and quality tomato production.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 14(2): 161-166, December 2016

Increased understanding of trends in supermarket sales of seafood and fish has potential to assist the U.S. aquaculture industry to refine marketing strategies and target markets. This article focuses on understanding the marketing of seafood products in grocery retail stores with special emphasis on four major southern aquaculture products (catfish, shrimp, clams and crawfish). The study used store-based as well as household-based scanner data from the Nielsen Company. Results show that frozen/chilled finfish sales (in value) are increasing faster than total frozen seafood sales. Shrimp is the major type of frozen seafood sold in the United States. Among unbreaded finfish, tilapia, whiting, salmon, catfish and flounder occupied the top five ranks in terms of cumulative 5-year sales from 2005–06 to 2009–10. The share of tilapia in retail markets has risen consistently and steeply over the years. Sales performance of products in a market is correlated positively with the degree of promotional prici...

Context: Water productivity is considered as an important indicator of Agriculture productivity because of the scarcity of freshwater. More yield or output against same or less amount of water has become the global interest. Objectives: This study measures the productivity of water on the floodplain land in terms of Boro rice cultivation for two floodplain beels in Rajshahi Bangladesh. Materials & Methods: For this study, the production and market price data were collected by direct observation based on 30 samples in the year 2006-07. Results: This study found gross water productivity of rice yield as 0.47 kg m -3 in beel Mail and 0.43 kg m -3 in beel Chandpur. In monetary value, water productivity per cubic meter irrigation water were TK 5.65, TK 3.42 and TK 2.64 based on gross return, net return considering cash costs and net return considering full costs in beel Mail. In beel Chandpur these values were TK 5.19 m -3 , TK 2.87 m -3 and TK 2.14 m -3 , respectively. The usage of average irrigated water in the boro rice farms were estimated 10730.05 m -3 and 11236 m -3 with an average production of yield 4992.95 kg and 4783.20 kg in beel Mail and beel Chandpur. Statistical result shows that keeping irrigation water constant, a 1% increase of boro rice yield will increase water productivity at 0.916% in beel Mail and 0.972% in beel Chandpur. The water productivity in beel Mail was 4.65% higher than beel Chandpur due to the intervention of community based fish culture management. Conclusion: The findings of this study will help to govern and improve production by proper utilizing floodplain lands. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbs.v21i0.22526 J. bio-sci. 21: 123-136, 2013

Importance: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-Adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care. © 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Christopher Golden and colleagues calculate that declining numbers of marine fish will spell more malnutrition in many developing nations.

Capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors have played major roles in the national economy and food security of Fiji. But climate change may place substantial stress on these sectors within this archipelago. This paper assesses the potential economic impact of two important climate change adaptation strategies in Fiji, natural resource management (NRM) and aquaculture, using a market fish supply–demand model. The model undertakes a comparative analysis of alternative fisheries development scenarios for 2035 and 2050, while taking account of the impact of climate change on the fisheries sector. The modeling and scenario analyses show that promoting aquaculture can help raise aggregate fish production, consumption, and trade. However, the required increases in aquaculture could be massive. While aquaculture development alone is unlikely to meet the growing excess demand for fish in Fiji, it will be an important component in adapting to the negative effects of climate change on capture fisheries. Various NRM strategies, such as marine protected areas (MPAs) and locally managed marine areas (LMMAs), are projected to have positive impacts in Fiji, expanding the stock and catch of fish. But current efforts on various NRM strategies are too small to have any meaningful impact to reverse the declining trends of coastal fisheries catch. Efforts would need to be greatly scaled-up to achieve significant production gains.

The fisheries sectors in Vanuatu and Timor-Leste are important sources of food and income. Similar to other developing countries and those in the Pacific, they are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change more so because of their geographic location, socioeconomic conditions and political instability. Nonetheless, there are approaches to alleviate the damaging effects of climate change in the region's fisheries sector. Using economic modeling, this paper estimates the economic costs of potential climate change adaptation strategies for the fisheries sector in Vanuatu and Timor-Leste through assessment of alternative future scenarios. Strategies include aquaculture development, natural resource management through establishment and/or expansion of marine protected areas, and deployment of low-cost inshore fish aggregating devices. Modeling results demonstrate that the above innovations will enable the two countries to significantly improve coastal and freshwater fish production in the medium-term (2035) and long-term (2050). Fish consumption is projected to grow due to population and income improvements; yet considerable increases in production will augment demand. Furthermore, national-level gains are projected from these adaptation strategies through fish exports. Improved production under climate change will require significant investments from the national governments of Vanuatu and Timor-Leste and/or private sectors.

Pacific Island countries face food insecurity, limited availability of productive agricultural land, and deteriorating coastal and marine biodiversity where communities rely on these resources for food and economic sustainability. Climate change further impends these Pacific Island countries, jeopardizing land and aquatic ecosystems in addition to threatening the livelihoods and socioeconomic conditions of coastal communities. The national governments of Pacific Island countries have created a number of development policies and plans to enhance the economic conditions, safety assurance, environmental conservation and preservation and other critical requirements of the national populace. This first paper in this Special Section aims to present the economic contributions, types of fisheries and common fishing practices/gears, and the institutional set-up and the national development plans and policies related to the fisheries sector in four Pacific countries namely, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Timor-Leste. The paper discusses the common issues and the collective action surrounding the fisheries sector in these Pacific countries. The final section of the paper provides conclusions based on the findings of the four subsequent papers of this Special Section.

This paper presents a supply-and-demand model for the fisheries sector developed to assess the effect of climate change and related adaptation strategies in four Pacific coral triangle (CT) countries—Fiji, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. The modeling approach used in this paper represents climate change in terms of supply shocks, and works out its economic consequences using the microeconomic tools of supply and demand. The analysis has considered three time periods: current (represented by the average data of the three most recent available years 2006–2009), medium term (2035), and long term (2050). The study covers all fisheries and aquaculture species, grouped into six key subsectors: tuna, other oceanic finfish, coastal finfish, coastal invertebrates, freshwater finfish, and freshwater invertebrates. Results of the baseline model indicate that with rising per capita income and population, fish demand is expected to increase substantially up to 2050. In contrast to significant growth in fish demand, growth in domestic fish production is projected to be slow due to climate change and other constraints. There is a strong likelihood that many Pacific countries will become large net importers of fish under the baseline scenario (i.e., without implementing climate change adaptation strategies). Likewise, per capita consumption of domestically produced fish is projected to decline under the baseline scenario.

Fisheries resources play a major role in the national economy and to food security in Solomon Islands. Climate change is likely to have a substantial impact on fish production that can lead to a fragile food security condition in the country. This paper assesses the potential economic impact of three important climate change adaptation strategies – natural resource management (NRM), fish aggregating devices (FAD) and aquaculture – in Solomon Islands. The study used a country-specific partial equilibrium economic model with six fish sub-sectors and analyzed potential impact of alternate climate change adaptation strategies for 2035 and 2050. The modeling and scenario analyses show that total fish demand is likely to surpass domestic fish production in 2050. Without appropriate climate adaptation strategy, per capita consumption of domestically produced fish will decline, which has serious negative food security implications for the country. The economic (welfare) analysis conducted based on modeling results show that the national level net economic gains due to climate change adaptation strategies are substantial. If cost and topographic conditions permit, low-cost inshore FADs are expected to be a good mechanism for augmenting domestic supplies of tuna and similar species in Solomon Islands.

Three liverworts belonging to family Lejeuneaceae (Marchantiophyta), Cololejeunea equialbi, Colura pluridentata and Drepanolejeunea thwaitesiana var. thwaitesiana are being reported as new to Indian flora from Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The diversity and distribution of the genera Cololejeunea, Colura and Drepanolejeunea in India have been discussed.

The importance of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) in cancer clinical research was recognized in 1994 when a mutated RAS gene fragment was detected in a patient's blood sample. Up to 1% of the total circulating DNA in patients with cancer is circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) that originates from tumor cells. As ctDNA is rapidly cleared from the blood stream and can be obtained by minimally invasive methods, it can be used as a dynamic cancer biomarker for cancer early detection, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. Despite the potential for clinical use, few ctDNA assays have been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. As tools for clinical and translational research, current ctDNA assays face some challenges, and more research is needed to advance use of these assays. On September 29-30, 2016, the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis at the National Cancer Institute convened a workshop entitled "Circulating Tumor DNA Assays in Clinical Cancer Research" to garner input from industry experts, academia, and government research and regulatory agencies to understand and promote the translation of ctDNA assays to clinical research, with potential to advance to use in clinical practice. This Commentary presents the topics of the workshop covered in the presentations and points made in the discussions that followed: 1) background on ctDNA, 2) potential clinical utility of ctDNA assays, 3) assay technology, 4) assay clinical and analytical validation, and 5) industry perspectives. Additional relevant information that has come to light since the workshop has been included.

Market size requirements for catfish change periodically, and catfish farmers must adjust quickly. Data from catfish pond studies at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) were used to develop mathematical models of catfish foodfish in multiple-batch culture across a variety of management alternatives. Two different functional forms (Cobb–Douglas and a modified translog) were each developed into average and stochastic frontier models. Inefficiency terms were found to be non-significant in the frontier models, thus making the average and frontier models equivalent. In the average regression models, the modified translog form demonstrated superior statistical values as compared to the Cobb–Douglas form, but the latter resulted in lower prediction error and was validated with the Chow test when used to predict observations from commercial catfish farms. This approach appears to have merit from the perspective of its statistical properties, and represents a step towards development of a model that co...

Seafood sector can contribute to the global food supply in an important way, and provide an important source of animal protein. Based on observed regional trends in seafood production and consumption and using a global, partial-equilibrium, multi-market model, this study investigates what the global seafood market may look like in 2030. The model projects that the total fish supply will increase from 154 million tons in 2011 to 186 million tons in 2030, with aquaculture entirely responsible for the increase. The fastest aquaculture growth is expected for tilapia and shrimp, while the largest expansion is expected in India, Latin America and Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Fast-growing seafood demand in China and elsewhere represents a critical opportunity for global fisheries and aquaculture to improve their management and achieve sustainable seafood economy.

Asian ethnic fish markets in the Northeastern region of the United States of America (USA) are popular for selling live fish and seafood. A consumer survey was conducted in selected supermarkets of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania during the summer of 2009 to assess consumer preferences for live seafood species. A binary logit model was developed to study the factors influencing preferences for live and fresh fish products. Results indicated that consumer preferences for live fish species vary by ethnic group. Live fish customers visited supermarkets at least two to three times a week and spent $16 to $20 a week to purchase medium size fish (0 to .91 kg live fish, on average). Freshness and appearance (bright, free of bruises, healthy fish) were the most important attributes. Findings indicate that promotion of live fish sales should be targeted to those stores dominated by East Asian (Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) customers.

We have examined the presence of price transmission asymmetry along the value chain, and the price transmission across four main aquaculture species in Thai fish market using monthly data from January 2001 to October 2010. This is an attempt to contribute to the literature on horizontal and vertical price transmission in the seafood markets including the price transmission asymmetry in the developing countries. We did not find any evidence of asymmetric price transmission in walking catfish (except in long-run), vannamei shrimp and tilapia; however, it is evident in Thai Asian sea bass market; wholesalers exercising some market power. In general, price of one species is not found to significantly affect price of the other species at the same level of value chain.

This special issue of Aquaculture Economics and Management (UAQM) features seven articles based on the findings of a recently completed project of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the Unit...

This article centers on an FAO project that focused on price transmission in fishery and aquaculture value chains, and the research conducted via case studies in 14 developed and developing countries. A brief overview of the project with the methodology of analysis and findings for each country is summarized in this work. In addition, general policy recommendations that emerged as key themes across all value chains are discussed. Across all case studies, it was found that relative to other players in the value chain, small-scale fishers and fish farmers are receiving the smallest economic benefits for their products. Processors and retail markets were found to be receiving more of the distributional benefits of the value chain owing to their stronger bargaining power. With this finding, policy recommendations aim to safeguard the interests of small-scale fishers and fish farmers by improving their prices and margins while allowing the resource to achieve long-term sustainability from an economic, social a...

There is a general concern among policy makers that seafood prices may not be proportional along the value chains in Bangladesh. This article investigates causal and price transmission relationships between wholesale and retail prices for five fish species in Bangladesh that include: hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), rohu (Labeo rohita), catla (Catla catla), pangas (Pangasius hypophthalmus), and tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus/O. niloticus). Causal relationships between wholesale and retail prices were tested using the Granger causality test while asymmetries in price transmission were examined using the Houck and Ward approach as well as the error-correction approach. The results show that the direction of causality in prices was from retail to wholesale in many of the value chains analyzed, indicating influence of retail price on wholesale price in the Bangladesh fish sector. In general, the price transmission was found to be symmetric in the short-run while a mix of symmetric and asymmetric in the long-run. T...

Aquaculture now supplies half of the fish consumed directly by humans. We evaluate whether aquaculture, given current patterns of production and distribution, supports the needs of poor and food-insecure populations throughout the world. We begin by identifying 41 seafood-reliant nutritionally vulnerable nations (NVNs), and ask whether aquaculture meets human nutritional demand directly via domestic production or trade, or indirectly via purchase of nutritionally rich dietary substitutes. We find that a limited number of NVNs have domestically farmed seafood, and of those, only specific aquaculture approaches (e.g., freshwater) in some locations have the potential to benefit nutritionally vulnerable populations. While assessment of aquaculture's direct contribution via trade is constrained by data limitations, we find that it is unlikely to contribute substantially to human nutrition in vulnerable groups, as most exported aquaculture consists of high-value species for international markets. We also determine that subpopulations who benefit from aquaculture profits are likely not the same subpopulations who are nutritionally vulnerable, and more research is needed to understand the impacts of aquaculture income gains. Finally, we discuss the relationship of aquaculture to existing trends in capture fisheries in NVNs, and suggest strategies to create lasting solutions to nutritional security, without exacerbating existing challenges in access to food and land resources.