Treatment technologies of fresh market wastewater

Fresh Market Wastewater (FMWW) is rich with high amounts of suspended solids, organic and inorganic compounds, nutrients, gases and some elements which come from fish entrails and seafood preparation sales, meat cutting, poultry slaughtering, fruits and vegetables sales. The excess of these parameters are harmful to the aquatic life since the FMWW is usually discharged into the drainage systems without any treatment or partial treatment. The FMWW technologies are developed due to some technical factors influencing the designation and construction. There are several projects of fresh market treatment technologies used on site area in small scale which could be replicated to other fresh market, and some case study have been tested in laboratory batch experiments. All the projects exhibited an efficiency to reduce critical parameters in FMWW and give positive impacts to the locals and responsible parties

(±)-Gossypol induces apoptosis and autophagy in head and neck carcinoma cell lines and inhibits the growth of transplanted salivary gland cancer cells in BALB/c mice

Racemic Gossypol [(±)-GOS], composed of both (-)-GOS and (+)-GOS, is a small BH3-mimetic polyphenol derived from cotton seeds. (±)-GOS has been employed and well tolerated by cancer patients. Head and neck carcinoma (HNC) represents one of the most fatal cancers worldwide, and a significant proportion of HNC expresses high levels of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins. In this study, we demonstrate that (±)-GOS inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis and autophagy of human pharynx, tongue, and salivary gland cancer cell lines and of mouse salivary gland cancer cells (SALTO). (±)-GOS was able to: (a) decrease the ErbB2 protein expression; (b) inhibit the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and AKT; (c) stimulate p38 and JNK1/2 protein phosphorylation. (±)-GOS administration was safe in BALB/c mice and it reduced the growth of transplanted SALTO cells in vivo and prolonged mice median survival. Our results suggest the potential role of (±)-GOS as an antitumor agent in HNC patients

A comparative analysis of the diet of the long-beaked common dolphin (<i>Delphinus capensis</i>) with three other small cetaceans from coastal Peru. Scientific Committee document SC/56/SM2, International Whaling Commission, July 2004, Sorrento, Italy

The diet of long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis, dusky dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus, Burmeister’s porpoise Phocoena spinipinnis, and bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, was determined based on 281 stomach contents collected along the Peruvian central coast and San Juan de Marcona in the period 1987-1993. Counts of otoliths, squid beaks and some other remains were used to estimate frequency of occurrence and prey percentage of composition (PC). Long-beaked common dolphins (n=117) fed mainly on fish (98.71% of preys), the remainder was composed of squids and crustaceans: Peruvian anchovies Engraulis ringens (PC= 71.14%), Vincigerria lucetia (7.89%), Lampanictus parvicauda (6.77%), Merluccius gayi (4.49%), Odontesthes regia (3.54%), Mictophum nitidulum (2.62%) and Trachurus picturatus (1.42%). Dusky dolphins (n=66) consumed E. ringens (49.8%, 16.9%), L. parvicauda (23.6%, 0.1%), T. picturatus (17.1%, 0%), Normachthys crockery (0%, 76.4%), V. lucetia (3.5%, 0.1%), and Sardinops sagax (2.8%, 0 %) off the central Peruvian coast and San Juan de Marcona, respectively. In the same areas, Burmeister’s porpoise (n=67) fed on anchovies (90.37%, 81.89%), O. regia (6.64%, 0%), Anchoa sp. (1.13%, 0%), N. crockery (0%, 8.53%) and M. gayi (0.65%, 8.4%). Bottlenose dolphins (n=22) consumed L. parvicauda (39.24%), Sphiraena sp. (13.48%), S. sagax (13.31%), Prionotus sp. (9.59%), M. gayi (7.43%), T. picturatus (4.41%) and E. ringens (4.06%). The use of the Shannon & Wiener, Levins and Czekanowski’s indexes in combination with the feeding patterns of the sampled species indicated an opportunistic feeding strategy with respect to their preys. The four cetacean species studied are predators of both pelagic and mesopelagic large schooling fish species, and demonstrate no selectivity towards prey species but towards social behaviour and habitat. An average linkage cluster analysis showed high levels of similarity in the diets of the studied cetaceans. This low diversification and a high degree of overlap in trophic niches is probably related to the high productivity of the Peruvian upwelling ecosystem

Diseases, lesions and malformations in the long-beaked common dolphin <i>Delphinus capensis</i> from the Southeast Pacific

Miscellaneous lesions of the head, skull, teeth, trunk, appendages, skin and genital tract were observed in 120 of 930 long-beaked common dolphins Delphinus capensis taken in fisheries off Peru between 1985 and 2000. Seven subsamples were defined according to the varying field sampling protocols. Forty-two dolphins showed at least 2 types of injuries or diseases affecting 1 or more organs. The majority (5 of 7) of traumas encountered were diagnosed as caused by violent, fisheries-related interactions, and the skin in 20.4% of specimens (n = 54) showed healed scars from such interactions. Prevalences of malformations and traumas of crania (n = 103) were 2.9 and 1.9%, respectively. Lytic cranial lesions were present in 31.1% of dolphins (n = 103) and accounted for 84.2% of all bone injuries. Skull damage diagnostic for Crassicauda sp. infestation was encountered in 26.5% of dolphins (n = 98) and did not differ among sex and age classes. Crassicauda sp. and tooth infections were responsible for, respectively, 78.8 and 6.1% of the lytic lesions. Adult dolphins showed a high prevalence of worn and broken teeth (35%, n = 20) as well as damaged alveoli (20%, n = 70). Prevalence of ‘paired teeth’, a congenital condition, was 9.4% (n = 32). Lesions of the head, body and appendages were present in 10 dolphins and included traumas, deformations (e.g. scoliokyphosis and brachygnathia) and chronic mastitis. Ovarian cysts suggestive of follicular cysts were observed in 1 of 24 females. Chronic orchitis affected 1 of 78 males. Of 12 dolphins 2 had vesicular lesions of the penis. Prevalence of cutaneous lesions, abnormalities and scars ranged between 1.8% (n = 56) and 48.2% (n = 27)

Essential Micro-foundations for Contemporary Business Operations: Top Management Tangible Competencies, Relationship-based Business Networks and Environmental Sustainability

Although various studies have emphasized linkages between firm competencies, networks and sustainability at organizational level, the links between top management tangible competencies (e.g., contemporary relevant quantitative-focused education such as big data analytics and data-driven applications linked with the internet of things, relevant experience and analytical business applications), relationship-based business networks (RBNs) and environmental sustainability have not been well established at micro-level, and there is a literature gap in terms of investigating these relationships. This study examines these links based on the unique data collected from 175 top management representatives (chief executive officers and managing directors) working in food import and export firms headquartered in the UK and New Zealand. Our results from structural equation modelling indicate that top management tangible competencies (TMTCs) are the key determinants for building RBNs, mediating the correlation between TMTCs and environmental sustainability. Directly, the competencies also play a vital role towards environmental practices. The findings further depict that relationship-oriented firms perform better compared to those which focus less on such networks. Consequently, our findings provide a deeper understanding of the micro-foundations of environmental sustainability based on TMTCs rooted in the resource-based view and RBNs entrenched in the social network theory. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings, and we provide suggestions for future research

Common bottlenose dolphins <i>Tursiops truncatus</i> of Pacific South America, asynoptic review of population identification data. Report of the IWC Scientific Committee Meeting SC/67A/SM/10, Bled, Slovenia, May 2017

We succinctly summarize population ID information for common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus of the Pacific coast of South America, covering four coastal range states. Phylogenetic uncertainties relate primarily to offshore vs. coastal (inshore) ecotypes and biogeographic borders between the five proposed populations (2 offshore, 3 coastal): Colombia-Ecuador Offshore stock (probably = ETP Offshore), Peru-Chile Offshore, Ecuador Coastal, Peru Coastal and an unique community (Pod-R) on the north-central coast of Chile. Main questions concern the extent of gene flow between the offshore stocks at one hand, and with -and between- the three coastal populations at the other hand. Seven cranial characters, four non-metric (separation of occipital condyles, pterygoid bone development, exostosis of periotic) and three metric (tooth width, antorbital process length, maximum width palatines), dorsal fin shape, body stockiness, mt-DNA (control region), habitat, prey composition, parasite load, behaviour and prevalence of some infectious diseases differentiate coastal from offshore forms. 'Pod-R' is the southernmost (29°15'S) and only confirmed coastal form community in Chilean waters, albeit with an offshore (falcate) dorsal fin. Bottlenose dolphins which regularly transit nearshore in the Lagos and Aysén regions (Chilean Patagonia) and occasionally enter deep fjords, present an offshore morphotype. We suggest that two other coastal areas in Chile where bottlenose dolphins have been documented over decades, one a ca. 60 km stretch of coastline centered at Valparaiso/Laguna Verde (33°10'S) in central Chile, and a 190 km coastline around the Mejillones Peninsula (23°10'S) in northern Chile, may not host coastal but offshore form animals. The continental border of the Atacama Trench off northern and northcentral Chile leaves an extremely narrow, steep shelf with nearshore deep water, locally with strong coastal upwelling and increased productivity. This habitat seems to attract oceanic cetaceans, including offshore T. truncatus, sperm whales, large balaenopterids, and other species. The southern distribution range of true coastal morphotype bottlenose dolphins in Pacific South America remains unknown but off Chile distance-to-shore may not be the reliable indicator of ecotype as it is further north in the study region

The Colombian Land Restitution Programme – Process, results and challenges, with special emphasis on women

I 2011 initierte Colombia et program for tilbakeføring av jord til mer enn 5 millioner internt fordrevne som har måttet flykte i forbindelse med den bevæpnede intern konflikten. Programmet innebærer tilbakevending av de internt fordrevne så vel som formalisereing av eiendomsrettigheter. Til tross for stor optimisme, frem til mid-2014 har bare 20.000 HA blitt tilbakeført. Denne rapporten gir en detaljert beskrivelse av selve prosessen, og diskuterer de mange utfordringene som oppstått, bl.a. hensynet til uskyldig tredjepart som i dag bruker jorden og usikkerheten blant intern fordrevne som ikke ønsker å flytte tilbake. Videre diskuteres altenativer som kan lette prosessen og mulige implikasjoner av tilbakeføringsprosessen i lys av eventuelt landreform, gitt pågående fredsforhandlingene mellom regjeringen og opprørsgeriljaen.  Tilknyttet prosjekt Women's rights to Land through restitutio

Connecting the Micro to the Macro: An Exploration of Micro-Behaviors of Individuals Who Drive CSR Initiatives at the Macro-Level

Grounded on a case study on the formation of an inter-corporate CSR initiative in which four corporations from Chennai, India collaborate, this paper explores the micro-behaviors that individual actors engage in to create CSR solutions later adopted at the macro-organizational level. Based on the findings, the paper (1) identifies five categories of micro-behaviors, namely increasing stakeholder salience by turning attention to the ethical and social responsibilities to specific stakeholder groups, emerging as a self-appointed CSR champion by assuming personal responsibility for action, creating CSR initiative prototypes by leveraging personal skills, garnering support by leveraging personal networks and amassing operational resources by organizational resources; (2) explicates the characteristics of individual approach to CSR that makes it different from, but complementary to organizational approach to CSR

From Impunity to Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Latin America: Towards an Analytical Framework

Why have some countries in Latin America over the last two decades shifted from widespread impunity for past human rights violations to the implementation of various forms of specific accountability measures, while others have not? This paper lays out an analytical and methodological framework which (1) provides a tool for documenting the shift from impunity to accountability on a country-by-country basis, and (2) provides a tool for assessing the relative achievements in accountability across countries. The empirical focus is on the timing, combination, and sequencing of four transitional justice mechanisms: truth commissions, trials, victims’ reparations, and amnesties

From Impunity to Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Latin America: Towards an Analytical Framework

Why have some countries in Latin America over the last two decades shifted from widespread impunity for past human rights violations to the implementation of various forms of specific accountability measures, while others have not? This paper lays out an analytical and methodological framework which (1) provides a tool for documenting the shift from impunity to accountability on a country-by-country basis, and (2) provides a tool for assessing the relative achievements in accountability across countries. The empirical focus is on the timing, combination, and sequencing of four transitional justice mechanisms: truth commissions, trials, victims’ reparations, and amnesties. Although close attention is paid to the specific institutional and non-institutional context in which transitional justice plays out, this analytical framework does not pretend to explain exactly why the shift from impunity to accountability has come about