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Factors affecting energetic regulation of ovulation leading to birth seasonality in tropical and temperate subpopulations
Get PDFThis essay details past and current research into the area of human birth seasonality. It focuses on the contrast in the mechanisms affecting the energetic regulation of ovulation (ERO), which leads to birth seasonality between tropical and temperate subpopulations. In doing so, the seasonal nutritional conditions of females in sub-Saharan Africa and Nepal are evaluated, as well as the climatic and cultural factors that affect the hormonal balance that creates ERO. The essay finds that whereas decreased energy intake causes ERO and therefore birth seasonality in tropical agricultural/pastoral populations, it is increased energy expenditure that has the same effect in temperate agricultural/pastoral populations. Finally, current directions in the field of ERO are briefly explored as they relate to birth outcomes that remain unlinked to seasonality in industrialist populatio
Dealing with predators: Vigilance and alarm calling in primates
Get PDFPredation is considered one of the most important selective pressures on animals. Evidence of predation on primates is particularly rare; however, it is thought that it has been a major selective force for many species in the primate order. This can be seen through the occurrence and application of vigilance and alarm calling in many primate species. Studies of vigilance have shown that animals have a tendency to decrease individual vigilance as group size increases. However, it has been found that primates do not fit this model, and either maintain or increase their individual vigilance as group size increases. A likely reason for the maintenance of individual vigilance is that primates utilise this behaviour as both a form of antipredation behaviour and social monitoring; thus it largely depends on the social structure of the species and the environmental conditions of the ecosystem being occupied by a primate group. Another antipredator behaviour that occurs in primates is alarm calling, which may be to deter predators. The studies presented here show that primates have the ability to distinguish between predators, between and within predator classes and also predator hunting styles. It is believed that the development of these behaviours in the primate order shows that these animals have evolved in environments where predation is a threat. 
Reducing Palm Oil Usage
Get PDF‘Reducing Palm Oil Usage’ discusses a sustainability challenge I undertook in 2015: to reduce my consumption of palm oil. This challenge proved surprisingly difficult. The report begins with a summary of the serious environmental and social problems caused by palm oil production. It then details my experiences during the challenge, including a frank discussion of the problems I faced in changing my behaviour, and the difficulties I experienced in trying to influence others to do the same. The report uses system analysis to understand the production and consumption of palm oil as an unsustainable system. The final section outlines the general barriers to individual behavioural change, and possible ways to overcome these obstacles
Structural Violence in Latin America: Access to Contraception & Abortion
Get PDFAs the 24-hour news cycle works harder than ever before to release headline after headline expounding acts of violence that occur around the world, it is of the utmost importance to recognise that while direct bodily harm may be the easiest to understand and document, the effects of violence inflicted through structures must not be discounted. ‘Structural Violence in Latin America: Access to Contraception & Abortion’ examines structural violence through the analysis of the link between the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil in late 2015 and barriers to healthcare in Latin America, a geo-political region where religious dominance has severely restricted access to contraception and abortions
Biting the bullet: Fixing America’s quiet epidemic of gun suicid
Get PDFThis article investigates the growing issue of firearm suicide in America. Each year, firearm suicides account for roughly two-thirds of all gun deaths in the United States. Despite this, the common gun control narrative focuses on mass shootings; acts that account for less than 1 per cent of all gun murders annually. Through a quantitative analysis of data drawn from various governmental and academic sources, it will be demonstrated that current legislative approaches do not present effective solutions to gun violence, nor do they address the much larger issue of firearm suicide. Through an investigation of suicide prevention literature and relevant international case studies, this paper will argue that alternative legislative approaches exist that can save lives, and curtail America’s growing epidemic of firearm suicides
An unnecessary hindrance? A critical examination of the appropriateness of statutory limitation periods in Stolen Generations compensation claims
Get PDFThis article examines the appropriateness of statutory limitation periods in litigation by Stolen Generations. Stolen Generations are those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families by successive Australian governments throughout the twentieth century. This article argues that limitation periods should be removed for three main reasons. First, Stolen Generations often did not have the opportunity to bring actions for compensation against the government due to the nature of the harm suffered. Second, limitation periods simply delay proceedings unnecessarily, because judges will hear these cases ‘on their merits’ before deciding if a claim is statute-barred. Third, failing to remove limitation periods for Stolen Generations litigants presents a double standard when considering they have been waived for other litigants, such as British child migrants
Developing a framework for the assessment of the Australian research system
Get PDFThe aim of this research was to develop a framework for the holistic assessment of the Australian research system. Through the identification of indicators and the presentation of data from metrics that encompassed these indicators, this research presented an accurate portrayal of the performance of the Australian research system. This research was developed in response to the Boosting the Commercial Returns from Research report that was presented by the Australian Government in 2014. The current assessment tools are fragmented and do not provide a holistic approach to the evaluation of the Australian research system. Indicators are used to provide a quantifiable analysis of the research system. The indicators used in this research project were resourcing, quality, engagement, return on investment and responsiveness. These indicators had been identified by the Department of Education and other government research. Research was conducted through data mining available databases and through data requested from organisations. These data were presented against the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in order to determine how Australia was progressing internationally. The quality of Australian research is stronger than the OECD average, with Australian research receiving more citations per publication and more publications per researcher. However, Australia should improve on resourcing its research system through an increase in investment in research to remain competitive, as well as providing incentives for industry collaboration and research commercialisation. This article makes several key recommendations for improving research evaluation frameworks and data collection. The collection of sufficiently robust data will ensure that future frameworks are able to accurately assess the Australian research system
Wind suppresses calling in northern buff-cheeked crested gibbons (Nomascus annamensis)
Get PDFCommunication is multimodal, occurring through many different mediums, and enables relationships to be formed and regulated. As communication is costly to an individual, selection pressures have driven signal formats towards those that maximise the likelihood of success while still being affordable to those producing them. In vocal communication, the acoustic structures of calls and the associated behaviours ensure maximum transmission in an individual’s environment, increasing the likelihood that the signal will reach the intended receiver. Nomascus annamensis (northern buff-cheeked crested gibbon), like other gibbon species, is inconspicuous and, as a result, vocalisation surveys are the best way to assess population size and density. I used data produced from vocalisation surveys of three populations of N. annamensis in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia, to assess if wind speed, cloud cover, fog and rain the night before and the morning of surveys impacted calling probability. The findings suggest that wind speed and cloud cover significantly affect calling probability of N. annamensis. These findings are relevant for improving the accuracy of population estimates developed from vocalisation surveys
Europe’s Escape from the Biological Old Regime
Get PDFWhat makes the present day so different to the past? The world we now live in is one that has escaped from what Robert Marks called the ‘biological old regime’. The essay looks at three key case studies: expansion within the biological old regime, the escape from the biological old regime and the aftermath of the escape. Examining the ways in which the empires of Europe were increasingly forced to battle against this natural order to continue to expand in power, wealth and population and their eventual forced escape from it can reveal a lot about both the world of the past and the world we live in today
Report on the Undergraduate Awards Global Summit
Get PDFMatilda Gillis was the overall winner in the Law category of the 2015 international Undergraduate Awards for her essay ‘No Peace for Women’ and attended the Prize Ceremony and Global Summit in Dublin, Ireland. Her essay has been published in The Undergraduate Journal