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A Study of Defensive Mechanisms Employed by Two Species of Nudibranchs using Toxicity and Unpalatability Analyses
No full textNudibranchs are marine invertebrates that have developed an intriguing defense mechanism, including warning coloration and the use of chemicals accumulated through their sponge diet. The goal of this study was to determine whether the strength of chemical defenses differs between dietary and accumulated secondary metabolites for two species: Glossodoris vespa and Ceratosoma brevicaudatum. First, NMR spectroscopy was used to not only identify specific compounds in the mantle (outer covering) and the viscera (gut) but also to analyze the possibility of nudibranch species transporting more toxic compounds for defensive purposes. Next, toxicity (brine shrimp) and palatability (Palaemon shrimp) assays were used to examine whether accumulated compounds differ in anti-predator activity. The results of this study show increased toxicity in the mantle compared to the viscera for both species. and while both species exhibited the possibility of selective sequestration, Glossodoris vespa hinted that nudibranchs may have other methods of chemical sequestration including chemical modification that would explain why more toxic and unpalatable compounds are found in the mantle. However, there was no significant change in unpalatability between the mantle and the viscera. Finally, comparisons between genera that have mantle dermal formations along the mantle rim (Glossodoris) and those that have mantle dermal formations concentrated in the mantle horn (Ceratosoma) show that despite varying classes of dietary chemicals and selectivity of sequestration, both species exhibited a chemical arsenal in the mantle that was more toxic than dietary metabolites, suggesting that toxicity is an important part of their defensive strategy
Welcome to the Streets: Tracing the Development of Street Art in Nepal Since 2010
Get PDFGraffiti is a process. There really is no beginning or ending to a piece. Graffiti art is practicing a design, bringing it to a wall, letting it take shape, and allowing it to interact with the environment. What makes graffiti unique, among other things, is its interaction with the environment. When international graffiti influences and local conditions drove inspired artists to bring their art to the streets, a new art form emerged in Nepal. “Local conditions” labels the forces ranging from personal drive to the history of public art in Nepal, which fuel the movement. The present study aims at tracing a history of the street art movement in Nepal from the emergence of the art form in the late early 2010’s. Using interviews with involved artists and organizers, this is a people and movement centered study. Today, street art offers a unique opportunity for communities and artists to promote social discourse on important issues and bridge the gap between artist and public spheres. How it got to this point and the different ways street art achieves (or does not achieve) its goal are brought to light in this study
Violating of Individual Privacy: Moroccan Perceptions of the Ban of VoIP Services
Get PDFOn January 6, 2016, the Moroccan telecommunications regulatory agency, the ANRT, announced a ban onVoice Over Internet Protocol(VoIP) calling services such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber. The ban triggered sweeping opposition among the Moroccan public, opening discussion of digital rights, censorship, and Internet governance. Considering liberal democratic rights in the 2011 Moroccan Constitution and a history of censorship, this study analyzes the official justification of the ANRT alongside additional explanations involving business interests and the security services. The purpose of this study is to gauge the perceptions of Moroccans on the decision of the ANRT and provide a holistic explanation. Through interviews with three professionals, this study examines alternative perceptions of the ban and compares the bases of each
Development in Alaska/British Columbia Transboundary Watersheds: A Campaign for International Joint Commission Involvement
Get PDFThis case study in policy advocacy examines a campaign based in Southeast Alaska known as “Salmon Beyond Borders.” Run by a regional coalition of environmental organizations, indigenous tribes, local municipalities, commercial and sport fishing groups, policy experts, scientists, and concerned citizens, the Salmon Beyond Borders (SBB) campaign seeks a formal referral for International Joint Commission (IJC) involvement from the U.S. Department of State and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. SBB would like the IJC to study the cumulative impacts of mining development in the region’s transboundary watersheds and offer non-binding recommendations from which the U.S. and Canada can negotiate policy implementation.
As the longest undefended border in the world, the U.S. and Canada have historically collaborated to ensure transboundary water issues are resolved under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. The transboundary region of Northwest British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, however, has never been reviewed by the IJC. With rapid, large-scale mining development now taking place in three transboundary watersheds (of the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers), Alaskans fear there is no policy mechanism in place to protect downstream resources from the potential negative impacts of B.C.’s mining development boom. Alaska’s billion-dollar commercial fishing industry and billion-dollar tourism industry rely on the clean water and intact ecosystems provided by these three transboundary rivers. With the recent Canadian deregulation of both provincial and federal environmental laws, these B.C. mining developments are expedited through the permitting process to proceed with their operations. The August 2014 tailings dam failure at B.C.’s Mount Polley mine underscored the concerns of Alaskans when millions of gallons of toxic tailings flowed into the Fraser River watershed.
As a participant observer, I have been directly involved in the work of SBB since September 2014 and have become intimately familiar with the progress of the campaign. This case study examines and evaluates the advocates, policy, political atmosphere, and strategy (i.e., tactics and messaging) of the Salmon Beyond Borders campaign. As an exploratory paper, it contributes to an evolving understanding of policy advocacy campaigns and policy creation and enforcement as it relates to transboundary externalities
Engagement and Global Learning through Philanthropy: A Youth Philanthropy Council for International Baccalaureate Students
Get PDFUnprecedented global migration and a flattened global economy have influenced the skills, knowledge, and competencies all high school youth need to be engaged participants and effective workers in the 21st century global economy (Mansilla & Jackson, 2011). Research indicates that many youth, especially those at risk for dropping out of school or from minority and low-income backgrounds, do not have adequate opportunities to develop the global competence and 21st century skills needed for engagement and success in the workforce of the 21st century (Afterschool Alliance, 2010). This paper presents a replicable global learning afterschool program model that will engage minority, at-risk, and low-income students as leaders in their local and global community. It is designed to empower students with the competencies they need to be leaders in the 21st century. Hoover High School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School located in Des Moines, IA and site of the proposed program. Hoover serves a diverse student population, with many students considered economically disadvantaged and demonstrate 2 or more risk factors for dropping out of school. The special program design focuses on theories of adolescent social-emotional development, youth empowerment, and experiential education. Participants will engage in a broad range of experiential learning activities that will connect components of the IB curriculum to real-world learning and action. Anticipated results potentially offer international education information and fresh avenues for school, community, and foundation partnerships to advance global learning opportunities for the underrepresented constituencies in education abroad programming
Youth Narratives of the Conflict in Northern Uganda
Get PDFNarratives are an essential method of communication that create windows into human experiences. Narratives are also responsible for generating the societies in which they are told, or are shaped indelibly by the societies generated by more powerful narratives. In a post-conflict environment where society has been destroyed by decades of violence, the power of narratives to influence society is heightened. Such a postconflict environment is that of northern Uganda, as it emerges from the violence of the war between the LRA and the UPDF. Due to the heightened powers of narratives, it is necessary to give attention to what those narratives portray, specifically the narratives of the youth who are in a position to shape their society around themselves. Examining the youth narratives of the war in northern Uganda allows for the extraction of major themes and issues that are present or will become present in northern Ugandan society.
This four-week long study seeks to extract key aspects within youth narratives of the war in northern Uganda in the form of narratives themes, perceptions of peace, and current issues with peace and politics dynamics in northern Uganda and Uganda as a whole. Data was collected through the process of interviewing and holding focus group discussions with the young generation in Gulu Municipality, Gulu District, Uganda. This report argues that the essential findings within youth narratives are a) the refusal of the youth to dismiss the war as senseless, b) the importance of the emphasis placed on fascination and reverence with Kony and his spiritual order, and c) the potential for perpetuated regional and ethnic tensions within Ugandan society
Deconstructing Unmade Examining the capacity of Ayurveda to address India’s mental health crisis
Get PDFThough India does not have a credible, widespread system in place to recognize and focus on issues of mental health, especially in allopathic treatments, it is imperative to evaluate the existing practices and approaches in regards to mental health alongside the impact that these approaches may have on Indian society. In contrast to Westernized systems of medicine, the traditional Indian system of Ayurveda inherently addresses issues in mental health due to the holistic approach through mind-body medicine. This study evaluates the enormous potential that exists within Ayurvedic philosophy to provide adequate, culturally congruent, treatments and care in mental health, and it seeks to critique the context in which that potential is muted within the Indian health care system
Herbs, Home Medicine, and Self-Reliance: A Study on the Current Status of Traditional Home Medicine in Idukki District, Kerala
Get PDFHome medical knowledge, or knowledge of how one’s surroundings can be used to maintain and restore health, can be an important tool for health self-sufficiency in rural places as well as for the ecological conservation of important plants and natural materials. The Indian state of Kerala has a rich heritage of traditional medicine, found in the historically inter-related forms of codified Ayurveda and folk knowledge. In Idukki district, a region of Kerala nestled in the hills of the Western Ghats, rural households engage in small-scale home-gardening and agroforestry, which in addition to providing nutritionally diverse food is a source of medicinal herbs and home remedies. This study interviewed 35 households in the village of Mankulam, Idukki District regarding their knowledge and utilization of herbs and home-remedies. A total of 80 local plants and substances were identified as being used by villagers for medicinal purposes, to cure or prevent wide varieties of ailments. Families with extensive use and knowledge of home medicine also engaged in intensive home gardening practices which integrated their food and medicine cultivation. While a basic knowledge and use of at least a few medicinal plants in the home is nearly ubiquitous, more extensive knowledge of advanced remedies and plants is still present but quickly disappearing. Though a majority of families responded that they find natural remedies to be superior to Allopathic ones, many of these are increasingly relying on Allopathic medicines. Factors found to be contributing to this paradox include changing lifestyles, the convenience factor of Allopathy, and diminishing home-cultivation of medicinal plants
The Power of Peace: A Reflection on the Shifting Methods, Strategies, and Philosophies of Peaceful Protest Within Dharamsala’s Community of Activists Post-2008
Get PDFIn the words of Chinese military philosopher, Sun Tzu, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”1 Since the renewal of the Tibetan socio-political movement within Tibet during 2008 and its eventual subdual by Chinese security forces, the community of activists operating outside of Tibet are now faced with the challenge of invigorating a refugee population stricken with complacency to join their brothers and sister up north. However, the community must accomplish this utilizing the tools of peace rather than the weapons of war and oppression. This document will serve as a reflection on the current state of the many movements-in-exile, having been completed in the most active community of all: Dharamsala. By investigating into the concrete strategic approaches to activism utilized by the multitude of NGO’s in Mcleodganj as well as unpacking the many philosophical approaches adopted by the activists, this paper will strive to give clarity to the contemporary battle for Tibet, and especially the organizations operating on its front line
The Social Institution and Inscription of Child Marriage in the Terai Region of Nepal
Get PDFMarriage is typically considered to be one of the foundations of the family unit, and family is thought to be one of the pillars of society. Because marriage is such a primary social concept, its forms and functions may be taken for granted, despite the fact that it is culturally dependent. For example, the idea that one must be in love in order to get married may be more cultural ideal than universal idea—and is thus not true of many cultures. Arranged marriages are still performed in many parts of the world, and can be means of building kinship circles and economic ties, rather than serving as declarations of cultivated, romantic love.
While the reasons for marriage may be negotiable, certain human rights regarding marriage are not. In some regions, including South Asia, marriages are often arranged between children, a status typically defined as people under the age of eighteen. In Nepal, the numbers of girls married off before they become legal adults, or before they even hit puberty are still fairly staggering, despite the practice being declared illegal since 1963, more than 50 years ago. Certain arguments in favor of child brides are that it is an important cultural practice, or that a girl is safer from sexual predators if she is married. However, the reality of premature marriages is that the girls are subject to many health issues, including psychological ones, lose prospects of education, and often times, the husbands prove to be their sexual assaulters anyway.
Further problematizing the practice is the fact that not all children are equally at risk. Girls do typically marry younger than boys, though both genders are susceptible to child marriage. If a girl is from a particular region, religion, ethnic group, or caste, her probability of being married early will also rise, often because of economic considerations of the dowry. Considering the myriad factors that influence the practice of child marriage in Nepal, as well as the proven inadequacy of the law, it is important to locate and frame the practice within the cultures in which it exists. With that said, one must question where the practice exists the most, why it exists there the most, and to what extent the practice of child marriage is a symptom of a larger dynamic of gender inequality. After spending time in the Terai, where the practice is the most common, it is my opinion that child marriage would not persist if it were not for the pervasiveness of practices such as the dowry, the unequal emphasis of marriage for women, and the practice of the daughter moving into the husband’s family’s home, all of which strengthen the existing patriarchy and prevent local girls from becoming self-determined