Support for building adequate capacities in the health sector at a national level is particularly needed, given that the health sector both uses mercury and is responsible for diagnosing, treating and preventing the health effects of mercury. The sector’s role in prevention is well recognized, and includes identifying the health effects and sources of exposure to mercury; setting reference le…
Mental health is more than the mere lack of mental disorders. The positive dimension of mental health is stressed in WHO’s definition of health as contained in its constitution: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Concepts of mental health include subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy…
Onion is a herbaceous bulbous plant that is cultivated for bulb production either as biannual or perennial (depending on the cultivation conditions). It is probably originated in the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Onions are among the most widely adapted vegetable crops, and they can be grown from the tropics to subarctic regions. World production is nearly 85 million tons of bulbs on so…
Tomato plants are fairly resistant to moderate drought. However, proper management is essential to assure high yield and quality. The water requirement of outdoor grown tomatoes varies between 4000 - 6000 m³/ha. In greenhouses up to 10,000 m3/ha of water are required. 70% or more of the root system are in the upper 20 cm of the soil. Therefore, a drip system equipped with a fertigation device …
Farmed shrimp is among the fastestgrowing food products in the world. In less than two decades, global production has more than tripled from about 1.2 million tons in 2000 to some 4.2 million tons in 2017. As the global population and consumer affluence grow, farm-raised shrimp is becoming an increasingly important source of protein around the world. In the US alone, the average annual consumpt…
The Regional State of the Coral Triangle (RSCT) provides benchmarks on the biophysical, governance, and socioeconomic attributes of the six Coral Triangle countries, also known as CT6—Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste—and the threats, vulnerabilities, and emerging issues in each country and in the CT6 as a collective unit. Using t…
Worldwide, around 79 million ha of rice is grown under irrigated conditions. While this is only half of the total rice area, it accounts for about 75% of the world's annual rice production. In Asia, nearly 60% of the 138 million hectares devoted to rice production annually is irrigated, where rice is often grown in monoculture with two to three crops a year depending upon water availability. Ot…
The cucumber most likely originated in India (south foot of the Himalayas), or possibly Burma, where the plant is extremely variable both vegetatively and in fruit characters. It has been in cultivation for at least 3000 years. From India the plant spread quickly to China, and it was reportedly much appreciated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Romans used highly artificial methods of growi…
Does the child’s breathing appear to be obstructed? Look at the chest wall movement, and listen to breath sounds to determine whether there is poor air movement during breathing. Stridor indicates obstruction. Is there central cyanosis? Determine whether there is bluish or purplish discoloration of the tongue and the inside of the mouth. Is the child breathing? Look and listen to determine wh…
The Maldives, a chain of 26 coral atolls to India’s southwest, is one of the smallest countries in Asia and the Pacific by population and land area. Its estimated 341,200 people are widely dispersed over 188 inhabited islands across an archipelago more than 800 kilometers long and 130 kilometers wide. The capital city, Malé, is home to one-third of the people, yet has a total land area of le…