Ataam Taikina: traditional knowledge and conservation ethics in the Yukon River Delta, Alaska

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2013This research was conducted in collaboration with rural Yup'ik residents of the Yukon River delta region of Alaska. The thesis explores traditional knowledge and conservation ethics among rural Yup'ik residents who continue to maintain active subsistence lifestyles. From the end of July through August of 2012, ethnographic field research was conducted primarily through participant observation and semi-structured interviews, documenting Yup'ik subsistence hunting and fishing practices. Research participants invited me beluga whale hunting, seal hunting, moose hunting, commercial and subsistence fishing, gathering berries, and a variety of other activities that highlights local Yup'ik environmental knowledge, practices, and ethics. Through firsthand examples of these experiences, this thesis attempts to explore what conservation means through a Yup'ik cultural lens. Documenting Yup'ik traditional knowledge offers an opportunity to shine a light on the stewardship of local people's relationship with their traditional lands. The importance of maintaining direct relationships with the natural world, eating Native foods, and passing on hunting and gathering skills to future generations help develop the narrative of my analysis. In many ways, the cultural heritage of the Yup'ik people are embodied in such practices, providing a direct link between nature and culture.Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1. Introducing key research participants -- 1.2. Outline of the thesis -- Chapter 2: Theoretical background -- 2.1. Cultural ecology -- 2.2. Human ecology -- 2.3. Western and Euro-American nature vs. culture -- 2.4. Local knowledge, traditional knowledge, and indigenous knowledge -- 2.4.1. Local knowledge -- 2.4.2. Traditional knowledge -- 2.4.3. Indigenous knowledge -- 2.5. Yup'ik worldview -- Chapter 3: Research methodology -- 3.1. Ethnographic approach -- 3.2. Why Kotlik? -- 3.3. On language -- Chapter 4: An overview of the Yukon River Delta -- 4.1. Yukon River Delta overview -- 4.2. Kotlik (Qerrullik) overview -- 4.3. The Yup'ik people of Western Alaska -- Chapter 5: Documenting Yup'ik subsistence practices -- 5.1.1. Beluga whale hunting ethnographic description -- 5.1.2. Beluga whale hunting overview -- 5.1.3. Beluga whale hunting summary -- 5.2. Seal hunting ethnographic description -- 5.2.2. An overview and description of seal hunting practices -- 5.2.2.1. Bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus nauticus) or maklak -- 5.2.2.2. Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) or nayig -- 5.2.2.3. Seal hunting methods and hunting equipment -- 5.2.3. Seal hunting summary -- 5.3.1. Gathering wild berries ethnographic description -- 5.3.2. Gathering wild berries overview -- 5.3.3. Gathering wild berries summary -- 5.4.1. Yup'ik traditional medicine overview -- 5.4.2. Wormwood (Artemisia sp.) or caiggluk -- 5.4.3. Labrador tea (Ledum decumbens) or Ayug -- 5.4.4. Willow (Salix spp.) or uqviaq -- 5.4.5. Yup'ik traditional medicine summary -- 5.5.1. Yukon fishing ethnographic description -- 5.5.2. Yukon fishing overview -- 5.5.3. Yukon fishing summary -- 5.6.1. Moose ethnographic description -- 5.6.2. Moose hunting overview -- 5.6.3. Moose hunting summary -- 5.7.1. The influence of rising beaver populations -- 5.8.1. Ethnographic description of steam bathing in Kotlik -- 5.8.2. Steam bathing overview -- 5.8.3. Steam bathing and Yup'ik ecological knowledge -- 5.8.4. Steam bathing summary -- Chapter 6: Discussion and conclusion -- 6.1. Discussion -- 6.1.1. Maintaining social connections -- 6.1.2. Training the youth -- 6.1.3. Subsistence hunting practices as reinforcing Yup'ik identity -- 6.1.4. Eating Native foods -- 6.2. Conclusion -- Table -- References -- Appendix

A Retrospective Analysis of Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites among School Children in the Palajunoj Valley of Guatemala

This study retrospectively analyzed demographic factors that may affect the prevalence of intestinal parasites among Guatemalan school children. The findings of the study showed that young age, wet season, female gender, and severe malnutrition all correlated positively with increased rates of infection. Clinical visits were performed on 10,586 school children aged 5-15 years over a four-year period (2004-2007) in the Palajunoj Valley of Guatemala, during which 5,705 viable stool samples were screened for infection with the following parasites: Ascaris lumbricoides, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Hymenolepis nana, and Blastocystis hominis. The average overall prevalences of infection for specific parasites were A. lumbricoides 17.7%, E. histolytica 16.1%, G. lamblia 10.9%, H. nana 5.4%, and B. hominis 2.8%. Statistical analysis showed significantly higher rates of infection among younger children with G. lamblia (odds ratio [OR]=0.905, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.871-0.941, p<0.0001) and E. histolytica (p=0.0006), greater prevalence of H. nana among females (OR=1.275, CI 1.010-1.609, p=0.0412), higher infection rates during the wet season for E. histolytica (p=0.0003) and H. nana (OR=0.734, CI 0.557-0.966, p=0.0275), and greater rates of infection with G. lamblia among malnourished children (for moderately malnourished children OR=1.498, CI 1.143-1.963, p<0.0001) and E. histolytica (for mildly malnourished children OR=1.243, CI 1.062-1.455, p=0.0313). The results suggest that the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among young Guatemalan children is highly dependent on the specific species of the parasite

Derivation of a clinical decision guide in the diagnosis of cervical facet joint pain

Objective To derive a clinical decision guide (CDG) to identify patients best suited for cervical diagnostic facet joint blocks. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Pain management center. Participants Consecutive patients with neck pain (N=125) referred to an interventional pain management center were approached to participate. Interventions Subjects underwent a standardized testing protocol, performed by a physiotherapist, prior to receiving diagnostic facet joint blocks. All subjects received the reference standard diagnostic facet joint block protocol, namely controlled medial branch blocks (MBBs). The physicians performing the MBBs were blinded to the local anesthetic used and findings of the clinical tests. Main Outcome Measures Multivariate regression analyses were performed in the derivation of the CDGs. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the index tests and CDGs. Results A CDG involving the findings of the manual spinal examination (MSE), palpation for segmental tenderness (PST), and extension-rotation (ER) test demonstrated a specificity of 84% (95% CI, 77-90) and a positive likelihood ratio of 4.94 (95% CI, 2.8-8.2). Sensitivity of the PST and MSE were 94% (95% CI, 90-98) and 92% (95% CI, 88-97), respectively. Negative findings on the PST were associated with a negative likelihood ratio of.08 (95% CI,.03-.24). Conclusions MSE, PST, and ER may be useful tests in identifying patients suitable for diagnostic facet joint blocks. Further research is needed to validate the CDGs prior to their routine use in clinical practice

Creating drag and lift curves from soccer trajectories

Trajectory analysis is an alternative to using wind tunnels to measure a soccer balls aerodynamic properties. It has advantages over wind tunnel testing such as being more representative of game play. However, previous work has not presented a method that produces complete, speed -dependent drag and lift coefficients. Four high-speed cameras in stereo-calibrated pairs were used to measure the spatial co-ordinates for 29 separate soccer trajectories. Those trajectories span a range of launch speeds from 9.3 m/s to 29.9 m/s. That range encompasses low-speed laminar flow of air over a soccer ball, through the drag crises where air flow is both laminar and turbulent, and up to high-speed turbulent air flow. Results from trajectory analysis were combined to give speed-dependent drag and lift coefficient curves for the entire range of speeds found in the 29 trajectories. Average root mean square error between measured and modelled trajectory was 0.028 m horizontally and 0.034 m vertically. The drag and lift crises can be observed in the plots of drag and lift coefficients respectively

Getting the most out of intensive longitudinal data: a methodological review of workload–injury studies

Objectives:To systematically identify and qualitatively review the statistical approaches used in prospective cohort studies of team sports that reported intensive longitudinal data (ILD) (>20 observations per athlete) and examined the relationship between athletic workloads and injuries. Since longitudinal research can be improved by aligning the (1) theoretical model, (2) temporal design and (3) statistical approach, we reviewed the statistical approaches used in these studies to evaluate how closely they aligned these three components. Design Methodological review. Methods After finding 6 systematic reviews and 1 consensus statement in our systematic search, we extracted 34 original prospective cohort studies of team sports that reported ILD (>20 observations per athlete) and examined the elationship between athletic workloads and injuries. Using Professor Linda Collins’ three-part framework of aligning the theoretical model, temporal design and statistical approach, we qualitatively assessed how well the statistical approaches aligned with the intensive longitudinal nature of the data, and with the underlying theoretical model. Finally, we discussed the implications of each statistical approach and provide recommendations for future research. Results Statistical methods such as correlations, t-tests and simple linear/logistic regression were commonly used. However, these methods did not adequately address the (1) themes of theoretical models underlying workloads and injury, nor the (2) temporal design challenges (ILD). Although time-to-event analyses (eg, Cox proportional hazards and frailty models) and multilevel modelling are better-suited for ILD, these were used in fewer than a 10% of the studies (n=3). Conclusions Rapidly accelerating availability of ILD is the norm in many fields of healthcare delivery and thus health research. These data present an opportunity to better address research questions, especially when appropriate statistical analyses are chosen

'Double trouble': the expansion of the Suez Canal and marine bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea

4 páginasPeer reviewe

Calcium-fortified beverage supplementation on body composition in postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND: We investigated the effects of a calcium-fortified beverage supplemented over 12 months on body composition in postmenopausal women (n = 37, age = 48–75 y). METHODS: Body composition (total-body percent fat, %Fat(TB); abdominal percent fat, %Fat(AB)) was measured with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. After baseline assessments, subjects were randomly assigned to a free-living control group (CTL) or the supplement group (1,125 mg Ca(++)/d, CAL). Dietary intake was assessed with 3-day diet records taken at baseline and 12 months (POST). Physical activity was measured using the Yale Physical Activity Survey. RESULTS: At 12 months, the dietary calcium to protein ratio in the CAL group (32.3 ± 15.6 mg/g) was greater than the CTL group (15.2 ± 7.5 mg/g). There were no differences from baseline to POST between groups for changes in body weight (CAL = 0.1 ± 3.0 kg; CTL = 0.0 ± 2.9 kg), %Fat(TB )(CAL = 0.0 ± 2.4%; CTL = 0.5 ± 5.4%), %Fat(AB )(CAL = -0.4 ± 8.7%; CTL = 0.6 ± 8.7%), or fat mass (CAL = 1.3 ± 2.6 kg; CTL = 1.3 ± 2.7 kg). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that increasing the calcium to protein ratio over two-fold by consuming a calcium-fortified beverage for 12 months did not decrease body weight, body fat, or abdominal fat composition in postmenopausal women

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Investigate Deep-Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico Following Deepwater Horizon

The pelagic Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is a complex system of dynamic physical oceanography (western boundary current, mesoscale eddies), high biological diversity, and community integration via diel vertical migration and lateral advection. Humans also heavily utilize this system, including its deep-sea components, for resource extraction, shipping, tourism, and other commercial activity. This utilization has had impacts, some with disastrous consequences. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS) occurred at a depth of ∼1500 m (Macondo wellhead), creating a persistent and toxic mixture of hydrocarbons and dispersant in the deep-pelagic (water column below 200 m depth) habitat. In order to assess the impacts of the DWHOS on this habitat, two large-scale research programs, described herein, were designed and executed. These programs, ONSAP and DEEPEND, aimed to quantitatively characterize the oceanic ecosystem of the northern GoM and to establish a time-series with which natural and anthropogenic changes could be detected. The approach was multi-disciplinary in nature and included in situ sampling, acoustic sensing, water column profiling and sampling, satellite remote sensing, AUV sensing, numerical modeling, genetic sequencing, and biogeochemical analyses. The synergy of these methodologies has provided new and unprecedented perspectives of an oceanic ecosystem with respect to composition, connectivity, drivers, and variability

Search for gravitational wave bursts in LIGO's third science run

We report on a search for gravitational wave bursts in data from the three LIGO interferometric detectors during their third science run. The search targets subsecond bursts in the frequency range 100-1100 Hz for which no waveform model is assumed, and has a sensitivity in terms of the root-sum-square (rss) strain amplitude of hrss ~ 10^{-20} / sqrt(Hz). No gravitational wave signals were detected in the 8 days of analyzed data.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Amaldi-6 conference proceedings to be published in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Quantum state preparation and macroscopic entanglement in gravitational-wave detectors

Long-baseline laser-interferometer gravitational-wave detectors are operating at a factor of 10 (in amplitude) above the standard quantum limit (SQL) within a broad frequency band. Such a low classical noise budget has already allowed the creation of a controlled 2.7 kg macroscopic oscillator with an effective eigenfrequency of 150 Hz and an occupation number of 200. This result, along with the prospect for further improvements, heralds the new possibility of experimentally probing macroscopic quantum mechanics (MQM) - quantum mechanical behavior of objects in the realm of everyday experience - using gravitational-wave detectors. In this paper, we provide the mathematical foundation for the first step of a MQM experiment: the preparation of a macroscopic test mass into a nearly minimum-Heisenberg-limited Gaussian quantum state, which is possible if the interferometer's classical noise beats the SQL in a broad frequency band. Our formalism, based on Wiener filtering, allows a straightforward conversion from the classical noise budget of a laser interferometer, in terms of noise spectra, into the strategy for quantum state preparation, and the quality of the prepared state. Using this formalism, we consider how Gaussian entanglement can be built among two macroscopic test masses, and the performance of the planned Advanced LIGO interferometers in quantum-state preparation