MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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The Sixth Species Extinction Event by Humans
No full textThe number of species becoming extinct has drawn a significant deal of attention from scientists and non-scientists alike. This research reviews recent literature citing evidence for the impact humans have had on our planet and how our biological systems are affected in both known species of flora and fauna as well as unknown species of flora and fauna, the latter lacking documentation as well as sightings by humans. Theoretical research is derived from previous research investigating the impacts of humankind’s use of the land as well as population increases. Though there are many different definitions of what a mass extinction is and gradations of extinction intensity, a conservative approach is used to assess the seriousness of the current ongoing extinction crisis, setting the highest level of recognition for mass extinction, in extreme diversity loss associated with the Big Five extinction events (Barnosky, 2011). Understanding the relationship between extinction and functional diversity over time will be critical for making conservation work (Boyer & Jetz, 2014). If another mass extinction is allowed to progress, it would mean the end of biodiversity as we know it and would also mean that greater pressure would be placed on both humans and flora and fauna to survive in a world completely changed by the Anthropocene. Over the course of 8,000-10,000 years, humans grew in population and changed the landscape of the Earth (Foley, 2013). The research concludes that focus should be on preserving the environment and future research should be performed on the study of unknown species
Fire for Well-Being: Use of Prescribed Burning in the Northern Alberta Boreal Forest
No full textAboriginal peoples of the Northern Alberta Boreal Forest have used fire knowledge and burning practices to maintain their environment for generations. Prescribed burning is vital to Aboriginal peoples’ relationships with the environment, and was essential to their hunting and gathering subsistence. Research has been limited on Aboriginal peoples\u27 use of fire not only to manage resources but to maintain their health and well-being. The research paper suggests that burning also allowed management of these medicinal plants. Such plants growing in open clearings or near water such as streams, rivers, or lakes were fired in order to maintain and manage Aboriginal peoples’ health and well-being in the boreal forest.
Ecuador: Communicating to Bridge the Education Gap in Nutrition
No full textAfter conducting a study in May of 2014 on nutrition communication in Ecuador and how it affects consumer behaviour, researchers identified a gap between the level of education obtained by students and the knowledge of nutrition provided to them. This article uses that study to assess whether or not the communication of nutrition information can be understood with the level of nutrition education available through cultural and educational means. Researchers first gathered data using quantitative methods in a survey administered to students at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. The data was supplemented through qualitative research in a questionnaire administered in a one-on-one interview format, followed by content analysis of food labels found in Ecuadorian grocery stores. Review of all of the data showed a number of problems with the level of education provided to students on the topic of nutrition and the communication of the information available to them. The inconsistency of food labeling in Ecuador also presented an issue. Researchers’ recommendations for the sustainability of healthy living include a standardized curriculum regarding nutrition starting in primary school in order to influence a sustainable level of nutrition education, as well as a standardized and mandatory format for food labelling
Stereotypes About Men and Masculinity in Cosmopolitan Magazine: A Content Analysis of the “Ask Him Anything” Advice Column
No full textThis qualitative study explored the culture of male stereotypes in selected articles of Cosmopolitan magazine. A content analysis was conducted on the “Ask Him Anything: Love Advice From Our Guy Guru: Ky Henderson” column, which appears monthly in Cosmopolitan magazine, from January to December 2013. Twelve articles with seventy questions and answers were analyzed to find implicit and explicit statements about men and masculinity. Fifty-one statements were examined for themes, and four prominent themes emerged: (1) Men and their attitudes and behaviours towards women, (2) Sex – General attitudes and specific actions, (3) Jobs and finances, and (4) Comparisons between younger and older men. The theme of men and their attitudes and behaviors towards women held the most statements, suggesting that the readership of this magazine is expected to focus on men’s behaviours and attitudes towards them, which may put pressure on the readers to cater to these stereotyped attitudes and behaviours. Catering to presumed stereotypical attitudes and behaviours may create or reinforce unequal power structures and put strains on romantic relationships between men and women. Findings demonstrated that stereotyped statements about men and masculinity were contained within Cosmopolitan magazine. Furthermore, certain masculine traits were described as innate or biologically inherent, revealing a prevailing thought that these stereotypical traits are unchangeable in nature
Biochemical Characterization of the Kinase Activity of the DNA Repair Enzyme PNKP from C. elegans
No full textComputational Study of the Relative Stability of Tautomers of Modified RNA Nucleobases in Aqueous Media
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