Factors inhibiting economic development on Rotian Olmakongo group ranch

This paper examines socio-economic constraints to the development of a group ranch in Narok District, Rotian Olmakongo, which has been in existence for more than ten years but its progress relative to other Maasai ranches has been poor. The study considers questions regarding the members' perceptions of the costs and benefits of ranch development, access to the ranch resources, and individual and group strategies for development. The paper concludes that among the principal constraints is the inability of traditional social units to generate an organizational form which would promote the development of the group ranch. The pastoral economy is in a precarious position and is being subsided by members participation other economic activities such as charcoal burning, cultivation and off-ranch employment. Unless the organisation of the ranch can be improved such that the livestock - based economy becomes more productive the only future for the ranch is likely to be in terms of small-scale agricultural holdings

Domestic Homicide in New Brunswick: An Overview of Some Contributing Factors

This study looks at domestic homicides of women in New Brunswick from 1984 to 2005. It examines factors associated with higher homicide risk for women and reviews the criminal justice system response. The study suggests that national studies of domestic homicide are urban-centric and that rurality itself may be a risk factor.Cette étude se penche sur les homicides conjugaux de femmes au Nouveau-Brunswick entre 1984 et 2005. Elle étudies les facteurs associés aux risques d'homicides plus élevés pour les femmes et réexamine la réponse du système judicaire criminel. Cette étude suggère que les études sur l'homicide conjugal sont concentrées sur le milieu urbain et que le fait de vivre en milieu rural est en soi peut-être un facteur de risque

Introducing a Foreign Language Experience into the Elementary Curriculum: A Flex Curriculum Handbook

A handbook has been created to assist elementary educators integrating Spanish into their curriculum. Lesson plans, activities, and supplemental materials are developed based on The Standards for Foreign Language Leaming, recommended and published by the National Association of Foreign Language Teachers and are aligned to meet the Essential Academic Leaming Requirements (EALRs) adopted by The Washington State Commission on Student Leaming. Current literature and research involving the benefits of teaching foreign language to elementary children are studied

A preliminary report on group ranching in Narok district

This initial report constitutes an effort to provide background data on the technical and administrative measures involved during the implementation of group ranching in Narok District of Kenya Maasailand. As part of this report, I have outlined many of the social, political, and economic constraints impinging on ranch development and briefly examined some of the ways in which the costs and benefits of group ranch development are affecting the interests of various segments of Narok Maasai. Maasai stockowners are, of necessity, making certain adjustments in herd management practices, although these adjustments are not always consistent with the aims of ranch development planners; nor are these adjustments necessarily in the best interests of the Narok Maasai in general. Preliminary investigation shows that, rather than facilitating economic development without disenfranchising large numbers of people, group ranching, together with the introduction of wheat cropping, is stimulating feelings of insecurity among many Maasai herders that they will be eventually forced out of the pastoral economy. This report attempts to delve into the reasons underlying this insecurity by offering ethnographic data concerning inter- and intra-group ranch rivalries; inter-generational conflict; land use controversies; and points out problem areas which I intend to investigate more fully during my period of research tenure in Narok District

The University Desk Chair: Examining the Impact on Learner Comfort and Ability to Focus

A mismatch between furniture and body characteristics can cause musculoskeletal discomfort during prolonged sitting for adult learners. Sixty-seven university learners rated their perceived discomfort and ability to focus while using four common desk chairs. A desk chair with padding and a large frame was rated significantly highest in overall comfort. Participants reported significantly increased upper back pain when using a desk chair with minimal arm support. During periods of prolonged seating, desk chairs should accommodate various sized bodies and have cushioning. Upper extremity support is also recommended

The effect of FTO variation on increased osteoarthritis risk is mediated through body mass index : a mendelian randomisation study

Objective: Variation in the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene influences susceptibility to obesity. A variant in the FTO gene has been implicated in genetic risk to osteoarthritis (OA). We examined the role of the FTO polymorphism rs8044769 in risk of knee and hip OA in cases and controls incorporating body mass index (BMI) information. Methods: 5409 knee OA patients, 4355 hip OA patients and up to 5362 healthy controls from 7 independent cohorts from the UK and Australia were genotyped for rs8044769. The association of the FTO variant with OA was investigated in case/control analyses with and without BMI adjustment and in analyses matched for BMI category. A mendelian randomisation approach was employed using the FTO variant as the instrumental variable to evaluate the role of overweight on OA. Results: In the meta-analysis of all overweight (BMI≥25) samples versus normal-weight controls irrespective of OA status the association of rs8044769 with overweight is highly significant (OR[CIs] for allele G=1.14 [01.08 to 1.19], p=7.5×10−7). A significant association with knee OA is present in the analysis without BMI adjustment (OR[CIs]=1.08[1.02 to 1.14], p=0.009) but the signal fully attenuates after BMI adjustment (OR[CIs]=0.99[0.93 to 1.05], p=0.666). We observe no evidence for association in the BMI-matched meta-analyses. Using mendelian randomisation approaches we confirm the causal role of overweight on OA. Conclusions: Our data highlight the contribution of genetic risk to overweight in defining risk to OA but the association is exclusively mediated by the effect on BMI. This is consistent with what is known of the biology of the FTO gene and supports the causative role of high BMI in OA

SARS-COV-2 Testing Guidelines for Patients Admitted to MRH for Inpatient Rehabilitation

We implemented a clinical algorithmic approach with an emphasis on symptoms and risk to stratify patients into 3 groups: Acutely Ill COVID Rule Out/PUI Stable COVID Rule Out/PUI COVID OB

Distinguishing zooplankton fecal pellets as a component of the biological pump using compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids

Zooplankton contribute a major component of the vertical flux of particulate organic matter to the ocean interior by packaging consumed food and waste into large, dense fecal pellets that sink quickly. Existing methods for quantifying the contribution of fecal pellets to particulate organic matter use either visual identification or lipid biomarkers, but these methods may exclude fecal material that is not morphologically distinct, or may include zooplankton carcasses in addition to fecal pellets. Based on results from seven pairs of wild-caught zooplankton and their fecal pellets, we assess the ability of compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to chemically distinguish fecal pellets as an end-member material within particulate organic matter. Nitrogen CSIA-AA is an improvement on previous uses of bulk stable isotope ratios, which cannot distinguish between differences in baseline isotope ratios and fractionation due to metabolic processing. We suggest that the relative trophic position of zooplankton and their fecal pellets, as calculated using CSIA-AA, can provide a metric for estimating the dietary absorption efficiency of zooplankton. Using this metric, the zooplankton examined here had widely ranging dietary absorption efficiencies, where lower dietary absorption may equate to higher proportions of fecal packaging of undigested material. The nitrogen isotope ratios of threonine and alanine statistically distinguished the zooplankton fecal pellets from literature-derived examples of phytoplankton, zooplankton biomass, and microbially degraded organic matter. We suggest that δ15N values of threonine and alanine could be used in mixing models to quantify the contribution of fecal pellets to particulate organic matter