Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'FARMERS’ PROTEST'

I am submitting this thesis to the Faculty of Law, the University of Ottawa in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in August 2016. The thesis examined the issue of land-grabbing through an environmental justice lens. The thesis first reviewed the concept of environmental justice and the threats that land-grabbing by powerful transnational corporations pose to subsistence communities in Africa. Additionally, this study investigated the adequacy of international guidelines to regulate against land-grabbing, including the Minimum Human Rights Principles, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure, and the Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investments. Using Cameroon as my case study, the study also examined the adequacy of Cameroon’s land tenure rules and environmental impact assessment (EIA) system to protect vulnerable communities against land-grabbing. Drawing on examples from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda, this thesis argues that subsistence communities who failed to have their customary land rights formalized or failed to adequately participate in environmental decision-making end up dispossessed of their means of surviving and thriving. There were three key findings: first, international guidelines regulating against global land-grabbing lack the binding force to coerce host states to take the necessary action to enforce the guidelines and, hence promote responsible agricultural investments. Next, the land rights of subsistence Cameroonians are not formally recognized under Cameroon`s land tenure system, making it difficult for vulnerable populations to contest these allocations or receive compensation in the event of expropriation. Thirdly, EIA follow-up in Cameroon is driven entirely by the investor: the EIA system does not encourage a joint follow-up activity initiated by all groups of stakeholders involved in EIA. Without an independent environmental oversight body that can provide expert evaluation and monitor the Cameroon government and (agricultural) corporations, there is no guarantee that proposed mitigation measures will be translated into specific actions by Herakles Farms. Based on the evaluation results, the following recommendations are made to the Cameroon Government to promote environmental justice in communities that are vulnerable to land-grabbing: (1) formalize customary land tenure, (2) promote environmental contracting; (3) encourage sustainability assessments.

This dissertation aims to provide a study on the right to food in an African context and to determine whether or not African states may effectively adopt competition law as a mechanism to protect against hunger. The study begins by examining the right to food and the obligations which flow from this right. Given that the predominant reason that people suffer from hunger is because they lack the ability to economically access adequate food, the dissertation examines the obligations of states to protect this right against abuse from non-state parties. In the framework of the food supply chain, this equates to providing protection against companies such as commodity traders and retailers that have gained a dominant position in the food market and are consequently in a position where they are able to abuse this position of power over the smaller producers and suppliers. The dissertation analyses the importance of the right to food by looking at the key role which smallholder farmers play in their communities. This is central to an African based study because smallholders make up the majority of the world’s hungry people, and it is also the foremost means through which people in Africa gain an income. The study looks at the traditional purpose of competition law and examines whether it would be an effective means to regulate the food market in order to guard against the abusive practices committed by large food companies that threaten the livelihoods of African smallholders. The dissertation concludes with an investigation into the international best practices that can be drawn from competition law regimes across the globe, in order to provide recommendations for a competition regime that is particular to an African context and which would provide the best possible protection for smallholder farmers to ensure that the right to food is upheld.
Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
gm2014
Centre for Human Rights
unrestricted

Dairy farmers in the Northeastern Unites States are paid based on the amount of fat and protein in their cows' milk, and improving fat and protein production is linked with improved financial sustainability for dairy farms. However, not all farmers are motivated to make changes to increase milk fat and protein production. Previous research has identified a positive correlation between a group of fatty acids, known as the de novo fatty acids, and the fat and protein content of bulk tank milk from commercial dairy farms. Therefore, the first objective of this research was to explore the relationship of farm management, the cow's diet, and lactation performance with de novo fatty acid content on Northeastern US dairy farms. Results from the first objective were communicated with dairy farmers; therefore, the second objective was to understand how to communicate with farmers to influence their behavior. We hypothesized that farms with high de novo fatty acids in bulk tank milk would manage and feed their cows to optimize rumen fermentation conditions. The first (Chapter 2) and second (Chapter 3) studies were methodologically very similar. Farms were categorized as either high de novo (HDN) or low de novo (LDN) based on the concentration of de novo fatty acids in their bulk tank milk for the 6 months prior to the farm visit. Farms were then visited once in March or April, 2014 (Chapter 2) or between February and April, 2015 (Chapter 3) to assess management practices and collect samples of the cows' diet. There were no differences in days in milk in Chapter 2 or Chapter 3. Yield of milk, fat, and true protein per cow were higher for HDN versus LDN farms in Chapter 2. In both chapters, HDN farms had higher milk fat and true protein content and higher de novo fatty acid yield per day. The HDN farms had lower freestall stocking density in Chapter 2 and provided more feedbunk space per cow in Chapter 3. Additionally, tiestall feeding frequency was higher for HDN than LDN farms. No differences were detected for dietary chemical composition, except ether extract was lower for HDN than LDN farms in both chapters. Chapter 4 explored how to communicate the results of Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 through eleven qualitative, semi-structured interviews and insight from the 83 farm visits. Farmers identified the cooperative, expert consultants (nutritionist, veterinarian, and agronomists), financial advisers, print publications, and other farmers as principal sources of information. However, barriers to the transfer of information included family dynamics, lack of access to high speed internet, and difficulties evaluating divergent recommendations from experts. Several farmers expressed an incorrect perception of their farms' fat and protein production compared with cooperative averages which reduced their motivation to incorporate management changes. Recommendations to overcome these barriers include integrating management team meetings and facilitating informal discussion groups between farmers. This research is correlational in nature, and future research is needed to verify a causal relationship between de novo fatty acids and milk fat and protein content. However, the results of this research can be used to help farmers increase their cows' milk fat and protein content, improve the transfer of knowledge to dairy farmers, and ultimately support the financial sustainability of dairy farms in the Northeastern US.

Els avenços en sistemes nanoparticulats capaços de proporcionar les funcionalitats necessàries a les noves nanomedicines i oferir la possibilitat de combinar la detecció no invasiva de malalties amb tractaments individualitzats estan convertint en realitat la medicina personalitzada. A més, els progressos en teranòstica estan configurant el desenvolupament de l’ administració de fàrmacs guiats per imatge que milloren l’eficiència en el tractament, visualitzant les seves biodistribucions, efectes sobre les dianes moleculars i cel·lulars específiques i els efectes terapèutics corresponents. Aquesta tesi té com a finalitat el disseny i síntesis de nano-biomaterials teranòstics dirigits a la neuroreparació en el context d’un ictus isquèmic per tal d’estimular l’angiogènesi en la zona d’afectació. Per aconseguir-ho, s’han encapsultat factors de creixement secretats per cèl·lules progenitores endotelials (EPCs-secretoma), amb potencial demostrat per induir angiogènesi, en nanocàpsules magnètiques biocompatibles i biodegradables de poli (D, L àcid co-glicòlic) (PLGA). D’altra banda, les càpsules de PLGA s’han funcionalitzat amb diversos agents de contrast permetent tant la retenció magnètica com la seva visualització in vitro o in vivo. Els principals objectius aconseguits en aquesta tesi són: 1) optimització de nanocàpsules magnètiques de PLGA per afavorir la seva retenció en la zona a tractar i l’encapsulació i alliberament controlats de proteïnes terapèutiques; 2) funcionalització modular de les nanocàpsules amb agents de contrast per: ressonància magnètica d’imatge, fluorescència a quatre longituds d’ona diferents i tomografia d’emissió de positrons i 3) noves aproximacions per millorar l’acumulació cerebral de les nanocàpsules en ratolins i augmentar-ne la càrrega del secretoma encapsulat en les mateixes.
El desarrollo de sistemas nanoparticulados capaces de proporcionar las funcionalidades necesarias a las nuevas nanomedicinas ofreciendo la posibilidad de combinar la detección no invasiva de enfermedades con tratamientos individualizados están convirtiendo en realidad la medicina personalizada. Además, los progresos en teranóstica están configurando el progreso de la administración de fármacos guiados por imagen que mejoran la eficiencia del tratamiento visualizando su biodistribución, el efecto sobre las dianas moleculares y celulares específicas y los efectos terapéuticos correspondientes. Esta tesis tiene como finalidad el diseño y la síntesis de nano-biomateriales teranósticos dirigidos a la neuroreparación en el contexto de un ictus isquémico con el objetivo de estimular la angiogénesis en la zona de afectación. Para ello, se han encapsulado factores de crecimiento secretados por las células progenitoras endoteliales (EPCs-secretoma), con demostrado potencial para inducir angiogénesis, en nanocápsulas magnéticas biocompatibles y biodegradables de poli (D, L ácido co-glicólico) (PLGA). Por otra parte, las cápsulas de PLGA se han funcionalizado con varios agentes de contraste permitiendo tanto la retención magnética como su visualización in vitro o in vivo. Los principales objetivos conseguidos en esta tesis son: 1) optimización de nanocápsulas magnéticas de PLGA para favorecer su retención en la zona a tratar y la encapsulación y liberación controlados de proteínas terapéuticas; 2) funcionalización modular de las nanocápsulas con agentes de contraste para: resonancia magnética de imagen, fluorescencia a cuatro longitudes de onda diferentes i tomografía de emisión de positrones y 3) nuevas aproximaciones para mejorar la acumulación cerebral de las nanocápsulas en ratones y aumentar la carga de secretoma encapsulado en las mismas.
Advancements in nanoparticulated systems capable of providing the necessary functionalities to new nanomedicines and offering the possibility to combine non-invasive disease detection with individualized treatments are facilitating personalized medicine to become a reality. Besides, the progress in theranostics is shaping the development of image-guided drug delivery improving the efficiency of pharmaceuticals by visualizing their biodistributions, effects on specific molecular and cellular targets, and the corresponding therapeutic effects. This thesis is devoted to engineering theranostic magnetic nano-biomaterials to address neurorepair in the context of an ischemic stroke by enhancing local angiogenesis. Growth factors secreted by endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs-secretome), with proved potential to induce angiogenesis, were encapsulated into magnetic poly(D,L lactic co glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanocapsules. Additionally, this PLGA-drug delivery system was functionalized with versatile imaging reporters allowing magnetic retention and in vitro/in vivo product tracking. The main accomplished objectives of the thesis are: 1) optimization of PLGA nanocapsules for magnetically targeted delivery and controlled encapsulation and release of proteins, 2) modular functionalization of PLGA nanocapsules with versatile imaging reporters: magnetic resonance imaging, fluorescence at four different wavelengths and positron emission tomography and 3) improved approaches to enhance mice brain accumulation of the nanocapsules and to increase EPCs-secretome loading.

Aim of this thesis was to explore the effects of suboptimal N supplies on animals of different species on production performances to achieve an effective reduction of N excretion avoiding, or limiting, the economic losses due to impairment of performance or reduced quality of products. As aside different methods of fatty acid analysis were evaluated to identify an accurate and repeatable methodology of extraction of fatty acids that prevents isomerisation of PUFA and conjugated linoleic acid. All the contributions of this thesis have been published or submitted to international peer reviewed journals. This thesis was also reviewed by foreign referees and all their suggestions were accepted and included in the present version of this thesis. The first two contributions were aimed to verify the effect of suboptimal dietary crude protein supply on growing cattle and lactating cows. In lactating cows the effect of a supplementation with rumen protected conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was also explored. The third contribute regards an experiment conducted to evaluate the effect of different fecal sample preparation procedures to determine the fatty acid profile of ruminants feces, including CLA. The fourth and the fifth contributions were aimed to evaluate the effects of reduced dietary crude protein and amino acid levels on growth performance of heavy pigs (4th contribute) and on growth performance and intramuscular lipid deposition on fast growing pigs (5th contribute). Overall, the results suggests that considerable reduction of dietary crude protein, compared to conventional standard, can be applied with small or null impairment of production response, but with a notable reduction of N excretion. Within the framework of the nitrate directive of the European Community, the strong reduction of N excretion achieved with the use of suboptimal protein supplies would result in the possibility of increasing the number of animals reared per unit of land available for manure disposal, and to reduce the feeding costs because of less use of expensive dietary protein sources. From the third contribute it resulted that fecal sample preparation method has an influence on fecal fatty acid profile, and in particular on the CLA component, stronger than that was previously evidenced in the literature that indicated the methylation as a critical step for an accurate analysis of fatty acids by gas chromatography. Analytical methods applicable on different biological substrates (feeds, feces, and animal products) are needed for a better knowledge of lipid digestion and metabolism of farm animals.
Scopo di questa tesi è stato quello di esplorare gli effetti conseguenti ad una somministrazione subottimale di proteina ad animali di diverse specie sulle performance produttive per poter ottenere una riduzione effettiva della escrezione di N ed evitare, o limitare, le perdite economiche dovute al peggioramento delle prestazioni o alla riduzione della qualità dei prodotti. Un capitolo a parte della tesi è stato di valutare diversi metodi di analisi degli acidi grassi per identificare una metodologia accurata e ripetibile di estrazione degli acidi grassi in grado di prevenire l’isomerizzazione degli acidi grassi polinsaturi in particolare dei coniugati dell’acido linoleico. Tutti i contributi presentati in questa tesi sono stati pubblicati o sottoposti riviste scientifiche internazionali. Questa tesi è stata valutata da due docenti stranieri e i loro suggerimenti sono stati accettati e inclusi nella versione finale di questa tesi. I primi due contributi sono stati finalizzati a verificare l'effetto di diete contenenti concentrazioni subottimali di proteina grezza, somministrate a bovini da carne e vacche in lattazione. Nelle vacche in lattazione è stato anche valutato l'effetto conseguente alla somministrazione di acido linoleico coniugato (CLA) rumino protetto. Il terzo contributo riguarda un esperimento condotto per valutare l' effetto di differenti procedure di preparazione dei campioni fecali per determinare il profilo degli acidi grassi, compresi i CLA, nelle feci dei ruminanti. Il quarto ed il quinto contributo sono finalizzati a valutare gli effetti della riduzione nella dieta dei livelli di proteina grezza e degli amminoacidi sulle performance di crescita dei suini pesanti (4° contributo) e sulle performance di crescita e di deposizione lipidica intramuscolare in suini selezionati per una crescita rapida e magra (5° contributo). Complessivamente, i risultati suggeriscono che una notevole riduzione del livello proteico della dieta, rispetto a standard tradizionali, può essere applicato compromettendo lievemente o per nulla la risposta produttiva, ma con una notevole riduzione di escrezione azotata. Nell'ambito della direttiva nitrati della Comunità Europea, la forte riduzione dell'escrezione di N ottenuto grazie all' impiego di diete ipoproteiche può comportare la possibilità di aumentare il numero di animali allevati per unità di superficie disponibile per lo smaltimento del letame, o di ridurre i costi di alimentazione a causa di un minor uso di costose fonti proteiche. I risultati del terzo contributo indicano che il metodo di preparazione del campione ha un'influenza sul profilo di acidi grassi delle feci, ed in particolare sulla componente dei CLA, maggiore rispetto a quella precedentemente evidenziata in letteratura che indicava la metilazione come tappa critica per un'analisi accurata degli acidi grassi mediante gascromatografia. L’individuazione di metodi di analisi applicabili a differenti substrati biologici (foraggi e alimenti, feci e prodotti di origine animale) è necessaria per migliorare le conoscenze sulla digestione dei lipidi ed il metabolismo degli animali da allevamento.

Intensive and semi-intensive aquaculture systems are dependent on nutrient input either in the form of supplemental or complete feeds. Most complete diets still include high fish meal (FM) levels (≥10%). However, as the industry attempts to reduce its reliance on FM, feeds must now be formulated with much lower levels especially for omnivorous species such as tilapia. By 2015, mean FM inclusion in tilapia diets was projected to fall below 3% and be further reduced to 1% by 2020. In the global context of competition for crops, finding suitable plant-based replacers for FM and meeting the increasing demand for seafood, lower-cost and under-utilised plant feedstuffs are now receiving greater attention. The study was divided into three distinct components – field survey, growth experiments, and life cycle assessment. Field surveys were used to contextualise the growth experiments and assess commercialisation opportunities for multi-enzyme inclusion in tilapia feeds. Two sets of digestibility and growth experiments were designed to evaluate the feasibility of using high inclusions of plant-based ingredients sourced from locally available feedstuffs in Thailand to substitute FM at low inclusion levels (0 – 5%). The research evaluated the hypothesis regarding the potential of exogenous enzymes (protease, xylanase and phytase) to minimize anti-nutritional effects on nutrient digestibility of proteins, polysaccharides and phosphorus in tilapia. The research also assessed the secondary effects of enzyme supplementation on economic efficiency and life cycle environmental impacts. Tilapia is the second most cultured finfish globally and Thailand is the sixth largest producer. Based on the findings of the field survey, feeding practices of Thai tilapia farmers were confirmed to be diverse. Feed inputs included, but were not limited to, agro-industrial by-products (e.g. rice bran, corn bran etc.) and commercial diets. Commercial diets contained 15 – 30% crude protein and lower protein livestock diets (i.e. pig ration) were often used for supplemental feeding or “fattening”. The experimental low FM diets were therefore formulated as grow-out or “fattening” diets for semi-intensive green-water systems, a prominent feature (>60%) of Thai tilapia farming. In Phase 1, the digestibility experiment assessed the digestibility and growth in tilapia fed 0%, 3% and 5% FM diets with and without xylanase (0.385 g kg-1) and phytase (0.075 g kg-1). Performance decreased significantly with declining FM levels. No differences in feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain were observed between the enzyme and control diets. Nevertheless, tilapia fed the enzyme supplemented 3% FM and control 5% FM performed similarly (P < 0.05). No enzyme-related effects were noticed for protein digestibility but phosphorus (P) digestibility improved by 9%, except at 0% FM level (P > 0.05). The enzymes had no apparent influence on nitrogen (N) retention contrary to previous studies, however, higher retention for P was observed. Villus length decreased with declining FM levels yet no improvements were seen in tilapia fed enzyme diets. In a simultaneous grow-out experiment, the six experimental diets were compared to an industry 10% FM standard. Conversion ratio was the lowest (1.66) in adult tilapia fed 10% FM diet however the enzyme supplemented 0% FM fed fish had a comparatively low FCR of 1.67. There were no significant enzyme-related effects on weight gain¸ SGR and protein efficiency. Proximal villi results were inconsistent. The cost of feed decreased with declining FM levels but increased with enzyme inclusion. Nevertheless, the economic returns per kg of whole fish produced were better using enzyme supplemented diets compared to the controls. Though the size of the effects on growth and nutrient utilisation were modest, the findings suggested that xylanase and phytase had some level of synergistic action on the targeted anti-nutrients. However, further research was required. In Phase 2, two control diets (2% FM, negative control (NC) and 10% FM, positive control (PC)) were compared with three enzyme supplemented 2% FM diets (NO-PRO, 0.385 g kg-1 xylanase and 0.075 g kg-1 phytase only; LO-PRO, xylanase + phytase + 0.2 g kg-1 protease and HI-PRO, xylanase + phytase + 0.4 g kg-1 PRO). Growth performances improved with enzyme supplementation compared to the NC (P < 0.05). Of the enzyme supplemented diets, the LO-PRO diet showed the highest improvements in weight gain (26%) and feed intake (19%), the latter comparing statistically to the 10% FM PC diet. The HI-PRO diet had the best FCR (1.88), again comparable to the PC (1.73). The NO-PRO diet had the highest protein, P, lipid and energy digestibility, suggesting no additive effect of protease on these coefficients. In terms of gut histomorphology, the LO-PRO and PC diets had the highest measurements and were statistically similar which may have explained similarities in feed intake. Compared to the NC, the HI-PRO diet produced the highest level of change in net profit due to gains in feeding efficiency however, the LO-PRO showed better improvements in terms of growth. Based on these findings, the ternary combination of protease with xylanase and phytase (LOPRO) has potential in limiting FM use for tilapia grow-out feeds, however, the economic efficiencies were still below that of a 10% FM diet. Future considerations for research should target the indigestible dietary components in order to optimise enzyme dosages and maximise the benefits of each enzymes. In conclusion, a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental impacts of low FM diets and commercial feeds associated with tilapia production in Thailand. The study showed that the low FM enzyme supplemented diets had lower impact potentials and were environmental superior to the average (10% FM) commercial standard. LCA modules are recommended for least-cost formulation programmes as an option going forward. Additionally, LCA can be used as a predictive tool to guide farmers, especially small-scale producers, on the potential impacts of feed input choices and feeding practices. This will ensure higher product quality but also demonstrate environmental responsibility on the part of aquafeed and fish producers to final seafood consumers.

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the feeding and nutrition of tropical farmed fish and shrimp, targeting its applicability to aquaculture farming. The study of the actual panorama of aquafeed quality for tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei farmed in Brazil showed that the proximate compositions between the analyzed feeds were mostly consistent with the declared values from the manufacturers, however, the feed water stability showed the opposite; the in vitro pH-stat species-specific method to determine the protein degree of hydrolysis (DH) showed to be a useful tool to evaluate feed quality; and NIRS technique can be used in many applications throughout the aquafeed industry, being an efficient tool for rapidly assessing feed quality in terms of DH. A second study evaluated the acid-insoluble ash (AIA) and chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as inert markers and feed processing method (industrial extruded vs. laboratory cold pelleted) to determine apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of dry matter and crude protein of juvenile L. vannamei. The AIA showed to be an effective natural endogenous marker for digestibility trials with L. vanammei, however, for commercial feeds attention should be paid to feed AIA level; the extruded feed showed better animal performance than the cold pelleted feed, however, ADC of both feeds were not significantly different from each other. Further, two feeding trials were conducted with juvenile cobia Rachycentron canadum: (1) feeding trial conducted within floating net cages to test the nutritional efficacy of different dietary feeding regimes ranging from the use of trashfish, in-house formulated feeds, to dry commercial extruded marine fish feed; and (2) feeding trial conducted within indoor water-recirculated tanks to test the nutritional efficiency of different potential dietary fishmeal replacers within dry in-house prepared diets. Generally, fish performance was superior in the net-cage feeding trial compared with the indoor water-recirculated tank trial; overall, the fish growth and performance of the experimental diets were very similar, showing that the alternative ingredients could be included and replace part (50%) of the fishmeal component; the results from both trials concluded that the cobia requires practices diets with high levels of crude protein and lipid, and the inclusion of alternative plant-based and terrestrial animal protein sources was possible; the quantitative essential amino acid (EAA) requirement values estimated by the protein accretion method was highly correlated to the average of each of the EAA requirement for the species of carnivorous fish reported in the literature, and could be recommended for formulation of commercial feed for cobia R. canadum. Finally, a tentative to quantify the total sulfur amino acid requirement of juvenile Florida Pompano Trachinotus carolinus, was performed using combinations of various soybean protein products in order to develop cost-effective and environmentally-friendly diets. Although there was an apparent tendency in the results, the range of methionine levels employed in this study may not have been broad enough to accurately measure the dietary concentration necessary to estimate the total sulfur amino acid requirement; in addition, high variation results among the three replicates per diet did not provide sufficiency robustness for its estimation; this study within 45 days should not have been enough to show significant differences among the treatments. Long term feeding trials would be recommended from fingerling/juvenile to market size with full nutritional and economic evaluation of results.
O objetivo dessa tese foi avaliar a alimentação e nutrição de peixes e camarões tropicais cultivados, visando a sua aplicação à aquicultura. O estudo do atual panorama da qualidade das rações para tilapia e camarão cultivados no Brasil mostrou que a maioria das composições proximais das rações analisadas foram consistentes com os valores declarados pelos fabricantes, porém, a estabilidade das na água mostrou-se o oposto; o método in vitro pH-stat com enzimas espécie-específica, para determinação do grau de hidrólise da proteína (DH), mostrou ser uma ferramenta útil para avaliar a qualidade das rações; a técnica da espectrofotometria do infravermelho próximo (NIRS) pode ser usada em várias aplicações na indústria de alimentos aquáticos, sendo uma ferramenta eficiente para avaliar rapidamente a qualidade dos alimentos em termos de DH. Um segundo estudo avaliou a cinza insolúvel em ácido (AIA) e óxido de cromo (Cr2O3) como marcadores inertes, além de métodos de processamento de alimentos (extrusado industrial vs. peletizada a frio no laboratório) para determinar o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente (ADC) da matéria seca e proteína bruta de juvenis de L. vannamei. O AIA mostrou ser um marcador endógeno natural eficaz para ensaios de digestibilidade com L. vanammei, no entanto, atenção especial deve ser dada aos níveis de AIA nas rações comerciais; a ração extrusada teve a melhor performance dos animais, porém, os valores de ADC entre as rações não foram diferentes significantemente. Além disso, dois experimentos de alimentação foram conduzidos com juvenis de beijupirá Rachycentron canadum: (1) experimento realizado em tanques-rede flutuantes para testar a eficácia nutricional de diferentes regimes alimentares, variando entre rejeito de pesca, rações preparadas em laboratório, e ração comercial extrusada; e (2) um experimento realizados em tanques com recirculação de água para testar a eficiência nutricional de diferentes potenciais substitutos de farinha de peixe, com dietas completadas preparadas em laboratório. Em geral, o desempenho dos peixes foi superior no experimento nos tanques-rede, comparado com o experimento nos tanques de recirculação de água; no geral o crescimento e performance dos peixes das dietas experimentais foram bem similares, concluindo que ingredientes alternativos podem ser incluídos e substituírem parte (50%) da farinha de peixe das rações; os resultados de ambos os estudos concluíram que o beijupirá requer dietas práticas com alto teores de proteína bruta e lipídeos, e a inclusão de fontes proteicas de origem vegetal e animal foi possível. Os valores quantitativos das exigências de amino acido essenciais (EAA) estimados pelo método de acreção de proteína na carcaça foram altamente correlacionados com as médias de exigência de cada EAA das as espécies de peixes carnívoros encontrados na literatura, e pode ser recomendado para a formulação de ração comercial para beijupirá R. canadum. Por ultimo, uma tentativa de quantificar as exigências de amino ácidos sulforosos totais para Florida Pompano Trachinotus carolinus, foi realizada utilizando combinações de vários ingredientes proteicos a base de soja, a fim de desenvolver dietas de baixo custo e ecologicamente sustentáveis. Embora houve uma tendência clara nos resultados, os intervalos dos níveis de metionina utilizados nesse estudo podem não ter sido amplos o suficiente para medir com precisão a concentração alimentar necessária para estimar a exigência dos de amino ácidos sulforosos totais; além disso, a alta variação entre as replicas não forneceu uma estimativa robusta; este estudo de 45 dias não deve ter sido suficiente para mostrar diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos.

This exemplary study will provide more information on farmers' protests in India. With the help of secondary resources, data is collected online such as journal articles, videos, and news. The study aims to conclude why Indian farmers are protesting against three farm debts, so-called Indian farmers' debts over how long the protests lasted and the supply chain disruptions caused by the Indian protests. After the Indian Parliament passed the new farm rules in September 2020, protests erupted across the country, especially in the Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh farmers' union with the slogan "Delhi Chalo" which means we are headed for Delhi. the capital of India. Indian farmers are struggling through the cold winters and hot summers on the outskirts of Delhi, protesting and insisting that the government cancel new farm debts that they feel are against farmers and favor big corporate entrepreneurs. This case study will answer why farmers are upset with the three new farm debts and their reasons for protesting against the Indian government to cancel the three farm debts. The objective of this case study is to seek reasons why Indian farmers are against three farm loans, why farmers are upset about these three farm loans, why the Indian government has introduced such types of loans, and how much the economy has lost in the SCD (supply chain disruptions). The motive is mainly to answer these questions and information shared with the people of the world and to make them aware of why Indian farmers are protesting against the Indian government about the three farm debt and its negative impact. economy and supply chain. Therefore, detailed information will be provided about the protest and a solution will be provided at the end which is likely to be a solution. The term "transport disruption" refers to a distribution halt that has a negative impact on SC performance and consumer safety. The model includes hazards and vulnerability as risk sources. The entire supply chain has been severely disrupted by disruption events such as the COVID-19 epidemic. Vulnerability referred to a system's vulnerability to the point that mitigation mechanisms are compromised. Transportation disruption risk management required decision-making at every level of the process, including risk and vulnerability assessment, risk analysis, and risk mitigation measures. Farmers' unrest has 6 produced supply chain disruptions, which will have an impact on the economy in the coming days and may threaten the current recovery from COVID-19's economic crisis. The farmers' protest, which lasted from December 2020 to November 2021, caused traffic jams and road blockades at a number of checkpoints across the northern states of Delhi NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, as well as to a lesser extent in many other areas. The already stressed supply system has been further strained as it recovers from the pandemic-induced closure. In this study, the effects of ongoing Farmer protests in response to the Farm Bills that were converted to the Farm Act last year are being investigated. The focus of the case will be on the supply chain disruptions caused by the incident. In addition, the overall impact of the event on India's economy, including GDP ramifications, will be investigated.

Bibliography : leaves 281-290.
xii, 290 leaves : maps ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anthropology, 1994?

This research explores the mechanisms through which farmers in contemporary China might stage successful environmental protests by studying the Huazhen Incident. The author argues that the Huazhen farmers' success in forcing the local government to close the heavily-polluting industrial park can be accounted for by their having successfully aligned an anti-pollution frame with an anti-corruption one, employing the formal village social organizations as mobilizing structures, and creatively developing opportunities for group participation by senior villagers. These three processes empowered Huazhen farmers and constrained the repressive power of the local state as follows: First, environmental issues in Huazhen were entangled with various other social problems. Issue entrepreneurs effectively integrated farmers' multiple grievances through bridging the anti-pollution and anti-corruption frames. Secondly, Huazhen farmers creatively used formal village social organizations as mobilizing structures. By embedding a village-wide mobilization of anti-pollution protest into the village committee election process and by employing the Society of Senior Villagers to mobilize the elderly, the Huazhen protest enjoyed the support of the majority of villagers, as well as the main force of the senior villagers necessary for a breakthrough. Thirdly, farmers in Huazhen both employed existing opportunities and developed new ones, making full use of the formalistic opportunities provided by the local government. Most importantly, the farmers in Huazhen strategically explored the group-specific opportunities of the elderly for constraining state power through the weapons of the weak. During the early stages of the protest, the power of the weak forced the local government to appeal to emotion work instead of repression in order to demobilize the protesters. While officials were doing this, the elderly were protesting with a strategic dramaturgy of moderate extremism, which served to further mobilize the farmers and garner support from the general public. Confronting the moderate but persistent protests of the elderly, the local government switched to repression. Excessive repression, however, failed to control the protests. Worse still, such repression gave farmers the moral high ground. Farmers in Huazhen utilized the protest spectacle as an alternative media and turned the protest base into a direct theatre, broadcasting their protest and sensitizing the public by making them bear witness to state oppression, thereby deconstructing the official discourse of the repression. The protest of farmers in Huazhen ultimately triggered intervention from higher-level authorities, which forced the local state to make a full concession: closing the entire industrial park.
鄧燕華.
Adviser: Lianjiang Li.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: A, page: .
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-190).
Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.
Abstracts in Chinese and English.
Deng Yanhua.

碩士
中國文化大學
中山與中國大陸研究所中國大陸組
102
With the People's Republic of China's rapid economic development, In the past few years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has experienced rising social unrest, including protests, demonstrations, picketing, and group petitioning. According to PRC official sources, “group events” from 8700 incidents in 1993 to 13,165,583 in 2011. In many group events to rural issues accounted for 80%, so China's rural areas has become a focus of social conflict flashpoints, this phenomenon is real cause for concern and further study. In this study, the typical China peasant social protest, who because of relative deprivation, cognitive dissonance, resentment and tension, etc., as a direct response to stimulation ─ “Longnan Incident”, and rational mobilization and successfully used sit-ins, marches and publicity to make rational protest “Wukan incident” as case. Information through literature research, the use of induction course of the campaign and strategy, as well as local and central government's handling of coping strategies and ways to approach. By social movement theory and two events combined to identify farmers in China's development trend of social protest, and proposed to meet the China government and farmers expect the two sides of the resolution mechanism.

Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Grain Science and Industry
Subramanyam Bhadriraju
Filter cake and Triplex are powdered by-products of aluminum sulfate and soap factories, respectively. Studies were designed to determine elemental composition of these two powders and evaluate the efficacy against stored product insect species on concrete surfaces and commodities. Elemental composition of the powders was determined using conjugated scanning electron microscopy and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. No heavy metals were found in both powders, and the dominant elements found were silicon and oxygen in the form of silicon dioxide. The efficacy of filter cake and Triplex against the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky; rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus); lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica Fabricius; red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst); saw-toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linnaeus); and Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner), was determined using a range of concentrations and exposure times. On concrete surfaces ≥ 7.5 g/m² of filter cake produced more than 99% mortality of S. zeamais and S. oryzae adults within 12–24 h, whereas more than three times the concentration of filter cake was required to achieve similar mortality of both species in Triplex treatments. At 3 g/m² of filter cake, 99% mortality S. zeamais and S. oryzae adults was achieved within 22–27 h of exposure. The corresponding exposure time at 9 g/m² of Triplex was 39 h to achieve 99% mortality of both species. For both powders, lower concentrations and exposure times were required to achieve complete suppression of progeny production, percentage of insect damaged kernels, and percentage of grain weight loss compared to the concentrations and exposure times required for 00% mortality. Filter cake treated wheat at concentrations above 0.7 g/kg produced more than 99% mortality of S. zeamais and S. oryzae adults. Similarly, filter cake concentrations above 2 g/kg on wheat produced more than 99% mortality of R. dominica, T. castaneum, and O. surinamensis adults. However, on maize ≥ 3 g/kg of filter cake concentration was required to achieve similar mortality of R. dominica, T. castaneum, and O. surinamensis. Higher concentrations of Triplex were required to achieve similar mortalities of tested species on maize and wheat. Reduction in progeny production was greater when adults were exposed to higher concentrations than lower concentrations. Complete suppression of live larvae and adult emergence of P. interpunctella was achieved after exposure of eggs for 21 and 42 d to ≥ 2 g/kg of filter cake treated maize and to ≥ 0.5 g/kg of filter cake treated wheat. Similarly, complete suppression of live larvae and adult emergence was achieved when eggs were exposed to ≥ 6 g/kg of Triplex treated maize and to 3g/kg of Triplex treated wheat. In general, our study consistently showed that filter cake was more efficacious compared to Triplex against all tested species on both surfaces and commodities. Filter cake and Triplex should be recommended for protecting grain stored by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia to discourage farmers from using dangerous chemical insecticides. However, field studies should be done using both powders against stored product insects in smallholder farmers’ traditional storages structures in Ethiopia to determine concentrations that are practical under field conditions. The effective duration of protection offered by these powders should also be investigated.

Shock protein 70 (hsp70), ubiquitin (Ub) and gill-associated virus (GAV) were chosen as bio-indicators in an attempt to determine if they could be used to predict production of Penaeus monodon on a farm. To investigate the response of these bio-indictors with respect to changes in environmental factors, an ELISA for Ub was developed and previously developed ELISAs for hsp70 and GAV were optimised. The utility of the ELISAs with respect to farm conditions, changes in the expression of hsp70 and Ub relative to health status, transportation and laboratory-induced hypoosmotic stress in cultured P. monodon was investigated. Protein expression as determined by ELISA, showed samples from the high yield pond had significantly lower optical density for hsp70 and Ub than the low yield pond (p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively). Transport (p<0.001, p<0.05) and osmotically stressed (p<0.001, p<0.001) groups showed a significantly higher response for hsp70 and Ub when compared to the control group. These results indicated that further investigations using farm data were justified. A trial was undertaken in collaboration with a commercial prawn farm who supplied all the environmental and production data for the trial period. Two investigations were undertaken using this data. The first was to investigate changes in the hsp70, Ub and GAV responses in relation to environmental factors. There were significant correlations between all factors, the greatest number were associated with hsp70 (22 significant correlation coefficients) followed by GAV (18 significant correlation coefficients) and then Ub (17 significant correlation coefficients). In general the correlations between bio-indicators were positive and the environmental factors showed mostly negative correlations with the bio-indicators. To determine the biological significance of these interactions, correlation analysis was conducted for each bio-indicator and environmental factor for all ponds daily from six days prior to sampling up to and including the day of sampling. The major environmental factors identified were pH (am) and salinity (am). Morning pH was negatively correlated to hsp70 at day of sampling and four days prior to sampling with a dramatic correlation coefficient increase at five and six days prior to sampling. A similar pattern was noted with Ub. Salinity (am) was negatively correlated to hsp70, Ub and GAV at all days. Principal component analysis was used in an attempt to better understand the underlying factors that explained the correlations and to reduce the data necessary for farmers to monitor. Five components were produced. Component one consists of four factors; days in pond, salinity (am), hsp70 and GAV. Components two to five consists of two factors in each component being temperature (am and pm) in component two, secchi (am and pm) in component three, pH (am and pm) in component and DO (am) and Ub in component five. The total cumulative variance explained by the five components was 74.3%. The next study investigated changes in the hsp70, Ub and GAV responses in relation to production factors. There were significant correlations between all factors, the greatest number were associated with hsp70 and GAV (28 significant correlation coefficients) and then Ub (10 significant correlation coefficients). In general, correlations between hsp70 and GAV and production factors were positive. Survival was the only exception with negative correlations for hsp70 and GAV. Production factors and the bio-indicators were subjected to principal component analysis. Two components were produced. Component one consisted of five factors, being days in pond, average body weight, yield, hsp70 and food conversion ratio. Component two consisted of two factors, survival and Ub. The total cumulative variance explained for the two components was 61.7%. Discriminant analysis was performed to determine 1) if the bio-indicators and environmental factors could be used to distinguish between specified production outcomes and 2) which factors contribute most to these outcomes. Production factors were separated into the mutually exclusive categories of < or > 70% survival and < or > 7 tonnes/hectare (yield). Using am data only, the number of factors required to correctly classify greater than 70% of the ponds for both survival and yield was reduced to seven and five respectively. Of these, the factors most important in distinguishing between the categories were days in pond, hsp70, salinity and to a lesser extent, dissolved oxygen. Using classification and regression tree analysis, decision trees were developed for the production factors. A maximum average body weight of 23.9 g was predicted if the minimum morning salinity can be kept below 38 ppt and the morning pH can be kept below 7.8. A minimum average body weight of 13.4 g was predicted if the minimum morning salinity was >= 38 ppt and the prawns had been in the pond for < 129.5 days. A maximum survival of 85% was predicted if the morning dissolved oxygen level can be kept at >= 4.4 ppm and the optical density of GAV is >= 0.191. A minimum survival of 50.8% was predicted if morning dissolved oxygen levels are < 4.4 ppm and the minimum evening salinity is <32.8 ppt. Food conversion ratio appears to be largely dependent on days in pond. The best food conversion ratio (1.43) was predicted if the prawns were in the pond < 113.5 days and the worst (1.8) was if the prawns had been in the pond between 113.5 and 136.5 days and the morning pH was >= 7.95. A maximum yield of 8.01 tonnes/hectare was predicted if the prawns had been in the pond for >= 166.5 days and the minimum was 3.11 tonnes/hectare at < 119 days in pond. Secchi and GAV also played a role in yield outcomes. A maximum biomass of 6650 kg/pond was predicted if morning salinity was kept below 40 ppt and the prawns were in the pond for >= 168 days and a minimum biomass of 2740 kg/pond was predicted is morning salinity was above 41.5 ppt. It is concluded that hsp70 may be a useful indicator relating to transport stress, survival and yield of P. monodon in a commercial setting. The results presented here show the successful development of statistical models based on environmental factors for the prediction of production outcomes that are both practical and interpretable at farm level. Continued investigation and development of predictive methods for production outcomes and profitability associated with prawn farms is recommended.