Cambodia Report : Feeding China's Expanding Demand for Wood Pulp

After decades of war, Cambodia is one of the world's poorest nations, its economy and its political life are still suffering from the civil war that racked the country during the latter part of the 20th century. Rice and rubber were traditionally the principal exports of Cambodia, but exports fell sharply after the onset of the civil war, which put most of the rubber plantations out of operation. By the 1990s, however, rubber plantings had been undertaken as part of a national recovery program, and rubber and rice were again being exported. The fishing industry has also somehow been revived, but some food shortages continue. From this period, the largest source of export income has been timber, until the Cambodian government set up a “log export” ban in 1995. With a rather limited national environment supporting the development of an internationally competitive wood processing industry, this industry sector has not benefited from this ban. Wood material exports have continued under a limited processed form, i.e. squared logs and thick boards. Up to now, no development of any wood pulp or chipping industry has been impossible in Cambodia. Additionally, in 2002, any logging activity has been suspended for any forest companies, until the approval of their new forest concessions. Some forest companies which had old logs (harvested before 2001) were still authorized to process them. Further, in 2003, a large portion of the territory (about 24%) was declared as protected area. The industrial growth of the country is now mainly sustained by the garment and tourism sectors. But until now, inadequate transportation hampers the development of national industries, except in some “development pockets”. This poor transportation is a major impediment for the development of pulp wood plantations or pulp and chipping industries in Cambodia.forest; tropical forest; pulp; paper; economy; Cambodia; trade; network; globalisation; China

Malaysia : Feeding China's Expanding Demand for Wood Pulp

Malaysia has a total capacity pulp and paper production at over 1 million T/year. The country is a net importer of pulp, paper, and paper board, and progressively tends to decrease its dependency. However, the self-sufficiency is growing at a slow rate. All the paper mills of the country are small by the world industry standards, none producing more than 300 000 T/Year. The Malaysian government has identified this particular industry sector as one of the priority areas for investment in the second industrial master plan (IMP2). The strategy is to achieve a state of self sufficiency, to reduce import, and to encourage foreign capital inflow. The industry was one of the industries to survive the economic downturn resulting from the “Asian crisis” in 1997, as much as the softening of the economy following the September 11th, 2001 event. No paper mill was closed down or taken over by larger companies at these occasions. The paper mills survived by remaining small but efficient, while cutting the cost of production at the same time. The industry also managed to remain buoyant by focusing on niche markets at the national scale. The Malaysian pulp and paper industry is heavily dependant on imported fibre, particularly virgin pulp, and is also facing the need to find a new source of fibre to strengthen and retain the quality of secondary fibres as the use of recycled paper is growing in Malaysia. As for the other wood-based Malaysian industries, further development of integration of downstream activities is highly promoted. The utilisation of wood waste is promoted through the emphasis on R&D and technology improvements. Meanwhile, more forest plantation projects are planned to ensure a sufficient and steady source of fibre supply in the long run. Other sources of supply are non-wood materials, such as oil palm residues; Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) are also presented as alternatives to wood fibre.forest; tropical forest; pulp; paper; economy; Malaysia; trade; network; globalisation; China

Vietnam : Feeding China's Expanding Demand for Wood Pulp

Regarding the forest sector, in a context of substantial areas of denuded and bare lands (initially around 25% of Vietnam area), forestry rehabilitation and development plans have been continuously on the focus in Vietnam since the end of the war. The first projects were planned under an existing broader program, the United Nations World Food program (1975-200). These projects essentially concerned agro-forestry and demonstrations trials. Vietnam started its economic renovation policy (known as “Doi Moi”) in 1986 with a series of major economic programs and industrial development plans1. Among them, the program 327 (1993-1998) was initially planning substantial effort to rehabilitate forest degraded lands. It soon shifted to focus on forest protection in critical zones. Finally, the program 661 (1998-2010), also known as “Five million hectares reforestation program” (5MHRP), really put the emphasis on a substantial increment of the nation's forest areas. By the end of this program, the national forests are expected to cover more than 14 million hectares. The program includes both protection of existing forests and reforestation. Initially, Most of the production plantations were planned to be established with fast growing exogenous species (i.e. eucalyptus). Now, the government is promoting the development of indigenous species as much as possible.forest; tropical forest; pulp; paper; economy; Vietnam; trade; network; globalisation; China

Cambodia Report : Feeding China's Expanding Demand for Wood Pulp: A Diagnostic Assessment of Plantation Development, Fiber Supply, and Impacts on Natural Forests in China and in the South East Asia Region

32 p ISBN 979-24-4675-3After decades of war, Cambodia is one of the world's poorest nations, its economy and its political life are still suffering from the civil war that racked the country during the latter part of the 20th century. Rice and rubber were traditionally the principal exports of Cambodia, but exports fell sharply after the onset of the civil war, which put most of the rubber plantations out of operation. By the 1990s, however, rubber plantings had been undertaken as part of a national recovery program, and rubber and rice were again being exported. The fishing industry has also somehow been revived, but some food shortages continue. From this period, the largest source of export income has been timber, until the Cambodian government set up a “log export” ban in 1995. With a rather limited national environment supporting the development of an internationally competitive wood processing industry, this industry sector has not benefited from this ban. Wood material exports have continued under a limited processed form, i.e. squared logs and thick boards. Up to now, no development of any wood pulp or chipping industry has been impossible in Cambodia. Additionally, in 2002, any logging activity has been suspended for any forest companies, until the approval of their new forest concessions. Some forest companies which had old logs (harvested before 2001) were still authorized to process them. Further, in 2003, a large portion of the territory (about 24%) was declared as protected area. The industrial growth of the country is now mainly sustained by the garment and tourism sectors. But until now, inadequate transportation hampers the development of national industries, except in some “development pockets”. This poor transportation is a major impediment for the development of pulp wood plantations or pulp and chipping industries in Cambodia

Elaboration d’une méthode de suivi des objectifs et impacts de la circulaire et scénarios futurs d’évolution du dispositif prévu par ce texte (Etude de différents scénarios d'introduction d'une écoconditionnalité dans les achats publics de bois tropicaux) - Rapport de la phase 3

Au vu des résultats obtenus dans la phase 1 et 2 de l’étude, et en fonction des dispositions contenues dans la circulaire sur les achats publics de bois, l’étude des différents scénarios d’introduction d’une écoconditionnalité dans les achats publics des bois tropicaux, est poursuivie dans le but de proposer des scénarios futurs d’évolution du dispositif. Selon les termes de référence, cette partie comporte les points suivants : • identification des principales évolutions futures sur le marché des bois tropicaux (dans l’optique d’une dizaine d’années) aussi bien pour l’offre que pour la demande, • identification des principaux effets prévisibles de l’application de la circulaire, • identification des scénarios d’ajustement et d’évolution pour atteindre les objectifs fixés ou pour réorienter ces objectifs. Selon la diversité des scénarios envisagés, les analyses comparatives suivantes sont effectuées dans le but de proposer des solutions qui intégrent la faisabilité et l’efficacité : analyses avantages-inconvénients, atouts-freins, analyse des risques, étude des impacts résiduels, et champs d’activité occultée. De plus, en raison de la mise en place dans d’autres pays de l’UE de cette démarche d’écoconditionnalité, une analyse et un bilan des démarches européennes et des expériences étrangères de politiques d’écoconditionnalité dans les achats publics de bois tropicaux sont réalisées en précisant les modalités retenues et les obstacles rencontrés.bois tropicaux, France, Commerce, achats publics, écocertification

MAGEL2 and OCA2 Dual Mutation In A Case Of Prader-Willi Syndrome

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is an epigenetic disorder caused by the absence of paternal gene expression on chromosome 15q11-q13. It typically presents with hypotonia, hyperphagia, obesity, and short stature. Oculocutaneous Albinism (OCA) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hypopigmentation of the skin and hair, resulting from mutations in the OCA genes. Mutations in MAGEL2, a member of the melanoma-associated antigen gene (MAGE) protein family, often present with features of autism spectrum disorder and arthrogryposis. This case is notable for its presentation of dual OCA2 and MAGEL2 mutations, with an atypical phenotype of Prader-Willi Syndrome. We present a 9-year-old boy of Indian origin with intellectual developmental disability and remote symptomatic epilepsy. He exhibited an atypical phenotype, including fair skin, light-colored irises, microcephaly, carious misaligned teeth, kyphosis and generalized hypotonia. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a pathogenic heterozygous deletion of chromosome 15q11.2-q13.1, encompassing both MAGEL2 and OCA2 genes, diagnosed as Prader-Willi Syndrome. Any case of intellectual developmental disability, hypotonia, dysmorphic features and hypopigmentation should be evaluated for concurrent PWS locus-related genetic abnormalities, for comprehensive management of each case

Parental Perception Of Improvement In Prelinguistic Skills In Kids With Autism In Two Months Of Goal Directed Cognitive Approach

The study aimed to assess the parental perception of improvement in prelinguistic skills in children with Autism Spectrum disorder [ASD] after 1 and 2 months of Goal Directed Cognitive Approach. This was assessed by a questionnaire filled by parents of 26 consecutive ASD kids at a neurodevelopmental center. Parents were asked to rate these skills on a Likert scale of 1-5 before and after 1 month and 2 months of GDCA to check for any improvement. 69% of ASD kids were boys. Mean age at presentation was 2.6 years. The children were subjected to GDCA for an average duration of 13.7 months. Of these, 11.5% had seizures and 34.6 % had hyperactivity as a comorbidity. The average duration of sustained eye to eye contact at the time of presentation was 5.96 sec, which improved to 10.3 sec after 1 month ( p-0.0002) and further improved to 12.14 seconds at 2 months (p-0.005). Improvements in turn taking at 1 month( p-0.005) and after 2 months (p-0.002) and purposeful noises after 2 months of GDCA (p-0.003) and imitation after first month of treatment (p-0.0001) were significant. Responding and joint attention did not show any significant change with 2 months of therapy. Therefore, children with autism do improve significantly in eye contact, turn taking, imitation, purposeful noises with 2 months of GDCA. Long term follow up is required to assess responding and joint attention

To Compare the Efficacy of Oral Deflazacort, Oral Prednisolone and Inhaled Budesonide in the Treatment of Salbutamol Refractory Acute Asthma in Children

Abstract Background: A 22-month open-label randomized comparative study was conducted at tertiary care centre attached to medical college in metropolitan city in Maharashtra from Dec 2011 to Oct 2013, aiming to compare the effectiveness of three corticosteroid treatments - oral deflazacort, oral prednisolone, and inhaled budesonide in managing salbutamol-refractory asthma in children aged 1-14 years. Methods: 90 afebrile children were equally allocated to the different treatment arms. Treatment arm A received oral Deflazacort (1mg/kg/day alternate day), treatment arm B received oral prednisolone (1mg/kg/day), and treatment arm C received budesonide inhaler (100 mcg/puff twice a day) for seven days, along with salbutamol inhalations twice a day. The primary outcome measured was the change in FEV1 and PEFR as a percentage of the predicted value from baseline, and secondary outcomes included changes in FVC, wheeze frequency, VCD, and FEV1/FVC. Results: Wheeze varied across treatment arms on day 3 (A: 16.3%, B: 26.7%, C: 70.0%), day 7 (A: 10.0%, B: 0.0%, C: 10.0%), and day 28 (A: 16.7%, B: 0.0%, C: 16.7%). Mean PEFR values on days 1, 3, 7, and 28 were 140.67, 180, 202.67, 216.67 for Treatment Arm A; 141.43, 190, 203, 221 for Treatment Arm B; and 151.00, 179.33, 187.33, 202.00 for Treatment Arm C, respectively. FEV1 and FEV1/FVC scores showed no significant differences across the three treatment arms. Conclusion: In treating salbutamol-refractory asthma in children, all three medications displayed comparable efficacy, aiding clinicians in treatment selection and improving outcomes. Future research should prioritize long-term effects and safety for optimal management

Prevalence of obesity in students with specific learning disorder in a metropolitan city of India

Background: Obesity is common in urban school children. Learning disability (LD) prevalence is also growing, primarily in cities. Objective: The objective of this study is to find the prevalence of obesity in students with specific LD (SLD). Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study carried out at a tertiary care center attached to a medical college in Maharashtra, after obtaining permission from the institutional ethics committee. Consecutive 150 students with SLD between the ages of 8 and 18 years were studied over 18 months. Obesity was classified as per body mass index. Descriptive statistics and subgroup analysis were done by unpaired t-test. Results: Prevalence of obesity in students with SLD was 22.7% without genderpredisposition and family history correlation. Of total students with SLD, 44 (29.3%) had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) without any association with the obesity. Conclusions: Family history, ADHD, gender, other medical conditions, and drug history have no correlation with regard to obesity in SLD. There is a further requirement of research with large population control size