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An Assessment of Terrestrial Decapoda Diversity Across Three Ecological Zones in Mida Creek, Kenya
Get PDFMangroves make up one of the most effective natural remedies at combating climate change today. They represent great commercial interest worldwide and yet, are being degraded at an unsustainable rate. If successful mangrove conservation plans are to be implemented for our posterity, mangrove ecosystems need to be better understood at the community level. Mangrove crabs make up the most diverse and populace mangrove inhabitants. They are classified as ecosystem engineers and their potential for being used as bioindicators makes them integral to assessing mangrove health. Yet, their diversity and distribution patterns are not well understood. The aim of this study was to survey general terrestrial Decapoda diversity and distribution patterns within a mangrove forest habitat. Surveys were carried out at Mida Creek, Kenya 3*19’27 S, 39*57’49 E. Quadrat sampling was utilized across three distinct levels of zonation driven by water access and expressed by mangrove species type. One-way Anova tests yielded significant results for crab density across all three zones as well as species richness between two zones suggesting zone specific crab distribution. No correlation was found between either mangrove density or canopy cover as they pertained to crab density. Knowing crabs are tied to specific zones while not being directly influenced by mangrove species suggests other biotic or abiotic factors are at play with determining species gradients
Lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS pandemic and access to medicines for COVID-19 treatment
Get PDFThere is an imminent need to address the healthcare disparities in accessing all COVID-19 medicinal products in developing countries. While logistical issues like inadequate production facilities such as the lack of vaccines administration capacity, storage issues, gap between supply and demand as well as vaccine hesitancy can certainly play a part in impeding COVID19 medicines distribution, patent monopolies and intellectual property protection laws further exacerbated the problem, especially when vaccines were at its early stages of authorization. Historical and contemporary case studies of efforts to challenge patents on HIV AVRs treatment provide a useful lens through which we may glean insights into potential actions for challenging current and future patents on emergency and essential medicines for COVID. Currently, there is limited literature available that pinpoints the lessons learned regarding intellectual property between the HIV and COVID-19 pandemic, and they also include analysis that is out of date due to the quickly evolving situation of the availability of COVID-19 medicines. Therefore, the literature will focus on providing the background information on existing solutions to improve access to the HIV pandemic and applications of these strategies to the COVID-19 treatments by analyzing the feasibility of legal mechanisms including TRIPS flexibilities, TRIPS waiver, march-in-rights, and competing government patents. New global health initiatives brought up during the COVID-19 pandemic such as Medicine patent pool to transfer technology and knowhow and COVAX and CTAP will also be discussed
Taking the Waste out of Wastewater: Evaluation and Implementation of Sustainability Measures at Base Aérea N.°5’s Wastewater Treatment Plant
Get PDFWastewater treatment is a critical process by which the concentration of pollutants in wastewater are reduced to minimize the resulting effluent’s impact on human health and the environment. Base Aérea N.°5, an airbase located in Monte Real, Portugal, is striving to enhance their wastewater treatment methods to decrease the impact of the treated effluent on the environment. They can reduce the effluent’s impact by implementing more advanced wastewater treatment to decrease the concentration of micropollutants and pathogens in the effluent, and they can reuse the treated effluent to decrease the volume of freshwater they extract. This work seeks to evaluate the current wastewater treatment methods used at Base Aérea N.°5 and determine how advanced wastewater treatment and water reuse can be implemented. An evaluation of current wastewater treatment methods revealed that the overall effectiveness of nutrient removal is low due to the oversized nature of the treatment plant, the treatment plant’s age, and the composition of the wastewater. Chlorination is the most financially feasible tertiary treatment method that would allow the effluent to be reused for several non-potable purposes. The ability to reuse treated wastewater would decrease the annual total cost of water extraction, offsetting the cost of implementing chlorination
The Role of Public and Private Sectors: How to Promote National Cybersecurity Strategies and Critical Infrastructure Protection in Southeastern Europe
Get PDFThis paper seeks to address the important role of public and private interests in protecting critical infrastructure in Southeastern Europe, providing examples from Serbia. While the public sector does have a role in protecting critical infrastructure needs, it is the private sector which holds major oversight of the critical infrastructures of the region, therefore having an important role in maintaining their functionality and protection. The literature in this field argues for more collaboration and information sharing between the public and private sectors of the region, though the task is not as simple as it appears given the varying aspirations of each country and their approaches to critical infrastructure protection and designation. The main argument of this paper calls for tailored approaches to public and private sector cooperation in each country with some oversight from a regional agency meant for general guidance. The tailored approach provides for a more effective solution as it considers the needs of each individual country, looks at the existing situation in each country, and provides for more effective collaboration between public and private sectors. For this paper, field experts also provided an overview of the current cybersecurity situation in the region, the roles of public and private sectors, and what can be done moving forward. This information serves to explain the main argument and why the tailored approach is needed to improve the state of cyber critical infrastructure in the region in light of current and emerging threats, which are also discussed
The Multi-step Approach to Covid Prevention in the Casamance Region
Get PDFLocated in the Oussouye Department approximately 43 kilometers away from the city of Ziguinchor in the Basse Casamance region of southern Senegal is the Oussouye commune where I had the pleasure of staying for three weeks. I had learned that the inhabitants of this village were not significantly impacted by the Covid-19 virus since it became global knowledge at the start of 2020. As of March 2020, the village had only reported 69 active cases and the department saw only 8 deaths in total. I sought to figure out what could be the cause of this and through a series of small interviews, it became very apparent that the inhabitants of Oussouye have very good intuition when it comes to risk management.
I interviewed 6 members of the royal family, including the 1st queen of Oussouye and I spoke with two doctors, one from Ziguinchor and another from the hospital in the Oussouye compound. As I spent more and more time in the village, one thing became very clear. There was no Covid in Oussouye or at the very least, there was a common agreement amongst the villagers that Oussouye had been spared by the pandemic. The inhabitants of this village were able to make it through this public health crisis because they had a multi layered plan. Their plan was based on science, intuition and God.
During the first six months of the pandemic, the inhabitants of Oussouye followed government recommendations for Covid. They wore masks, washed their hands frequently and before entering others’ homes, stayed at home and avoided unnecessary travel. The villagers also relied on divine intervention to keep themselves safe. For the first 5 months, the inhabitants of Oussouye prayed, offered sacrifices and performed ceremonies so Covid would miss their home.
The villagers have a monotheistic religion with ancestral spirits at the essence of it. The bakin (pl. ukin) or sacred shrine is an intermediary between the people and God. These shrines are used to invoke the spirits to ask for protection, healing, guidance or to resolve specific issues
Harvesting the Truth about Salt Mining: An Assessment of the Factors and Demographics that Influence Women to Become Salt Miners, Katwe Uganda
Get PDFTraditional and rudimentary methods of salt mining have been used to harvest salt from Lake Katwe in Uganda for over 400 years. Even though these methods are effective in extracting salt, they are proven to be hazardous to the miners. Though not often acknowledged, the role of women in salt mining operations is significant as they make up half of the workforce in East Africa. Regardless of the health risks associated with the mining sector, the number of women involved in small-scale salt mining increases by the year. The main objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the population of women who participate in the salt mining industry at Lake Katwe in Uganda. This was accomplished by focusing on three specific objectives. The first was identifying the common demographics that are associated with women’s participation in the salt mining industry. The second was examining the factors that influence women to join the mining industry. The third was assessing the perceived benefits and disadvantages gained from working as a female salt miner at Lake Katwe.
Female miners from Lake Katwe were interviewed and asked to participate in focus group discussions so that data could be obtained. In total, there were 65 interview participants and 12 focus group discussion participants. In the interviews, questions about age, number of children, education status, marital status were included in order to get a holistic view of the women’s demographic characteristics. The other two sections, about influencing factors as well as benefits and challenges associated with mining, consist of more open-ended questions and explore a variety of womens’ opinions, behaviors, and experiences as miners. Non-probability sampling was used and more specifically, a random convenience sampling technique was implemented to select women for interviews and focus group discussions.
The findings in this study suggest that there are common trends in both their demographic characteristics as well as the factors that influence women to get involved in the mining industry initially. The demographic trends show that the majority of female miners at Lake Katwe are older women without husbands who have been working in the salt mines for most of their adult life. The majority of female miners have had minimal educational experiences; many believe that their low levels of education is the predominant factor that influences them to begin mining because they have limited other income options they qualify for. Lastly, the perceived benefits and challenges of mining were also assessed throughout this study. The female miners reported minimal benefits and a plethora of challenges associated with working in the mining industry. The main challenge female miners face is how to budget the low wages they receive, to cover the cost of necessities and the health issues associated with mining.
This study was a success in terms of gaining a better understanding of the population of women who participate in the salt mining industry at Lake Katwe, Uganda. The main conclusion from this study is that education is a prized commodity in the Katwe community that many families cannot afford. The majority of female miners have not been educated, therefore educating their children is their priority no matter the cost. Based on this, it is recommended that policy makers consider creating educational stipends that lower the cost of tuition for families that could not afford school fees then Uganda could bridge the educational gap and further its development as a country. Another conclusion drawn is that the women are fully aware of the health risks associated with prolonged work in the mining, but they participate in this field regardless of acquired physical ailments because they have no other option. Based on this, it is recommended that the women’s organization at Lake Katwe partners with a health organization or a local hospital that could donate free medical supplies. This would allow women to treat their injuries and wounds obtained while mining
Analysis of the Moroccan Government & NGOs Responses to Migrant Health Crisis
Get PDFHealthcare access in Morocco for migrants has been a topic of growing interest. With the implementation of migration reforms in response to Morocco becoming a destination for migrants, it is important to assess the effectiveness of government policies in aiding migrant health. Additionally, assessing other political actors\u27 influence in government policies is equally important. Through research of existing scholarship, I theorize that the biggest issue impacting migrant access to health is the illegalization of migrants. Without being a legal resident, let alone in asylum or a refugee, migrants cannot access public health services without the fear of deportation. Local and International NGOs currently play a large role in facilitating health care visits for migrants, but it is limited. Additionally, with the refugee determination process being under the UNHCR and not the ministry of health, the jurisdiction between national law and the UN becomes blurred. Nevertheless, both actors must collaborate to continue increasing access to healthcare services while streamlining the process of legalization in Morocco
Islam and Equality Through Symbolism
Get PDFAs a Muslim Majority Country governed by laws born out of religious doctrine, Morocco deals with issues of equality and justice that are forcefully related to and intertwined with religion. This paper looks at the intersection of religion and equality, especially in the interpretive context of society and governance. It also considers the difference in religious interpretation affecting religious use and image. Additionally, the religious notion of Tawhid is analyzed in a symbolic context to further understand how God’s nature influences the actions of humans, especially with actions pertaining to social justice and equality. Through ethnographic interview, the perspective on these topics from Moroccan Muslims are discovered
Supporting Refugees and Newcomers: A Case Study in the Essex Westford School District of Vermont
Get PDFThe ELL classroom is incredibly diverse in many ways. Not only is it possible for many different countries and multiple races to be represented, but each student comes to the classroom with experiences unique to them and what has happened in their life. Care needs to be taken that we treat them as individuals and support them, in whatever way they need, to be successful and integral parts of the community. This is especially true for refugee and newcomer students. Like other ELL students, they are faced with trying to learn class materials without a full grasp of the language they are being taught in. They are both trying to navigate their own identity and figure out where it meets with the identity of the new culture that they find themselves in. But in addition to this, refugees and newcomers may have faced traumatic experiences, whether from displacement, war, or some other event. In schools across the United States there are ELL teachers trying their best to support, advocate for, and teach ELLs and refugee students. They work as both teacher and social worker in many cases and often struggle with a lack of resources to help best serve their students and their students` families. This paper will explore some of the methodologies and resources that are being used in the field, in particular, Whole School Approach, Participatory Approach, and Restorative Justice Pedagogy. Following that there will be a breakdown of observations and interviews from a case study I conducted in the Essex Westford School District in Vermont. This case study will be primarily composed of professionals in the community who work with ELL students and their families. It will explore what methodologies and resources are currently in use and what teachers would like to have or implement beyond what they have readily available or given to them by the schools
Representation and Recommendations: Participation of People Who Use Drugs in UN-Level Policy-making
Get PDFAlthough participation in health policy-making is a popular topic in the literature and a stated priority of the United Nations, very little research has been published examining the full spectrum of participation by people who use drugs (PWUD) at the UN level. This study aims to describe and evaluate this participation through a combination of a literature review that looks at academic sources, UN publications, and publications by organizations of PWUD, and a series of interviews with representatives of organizations of PWUD who have participated in UN level policy-making.
Data collected demonstrates that there is no comprehensive system for the participation of PWUD in policy-making at the UN, although they are more integrated into spaces concerned with HIV/AIDS than any other, and that people who use drugs face a variety of logistical, discursive, and structural barriers to meaningful participation. However, organizations led by PWUD have created inroads and developed strategies to participate both as activists and technical advisors at the UN, including public appeals, event attendance, and leveraging of UN contacts. Significant structural changes are needed at the UN to fully remove barriers to participation by PWUD