The Reproductive Season of the Highland Stoneroller, Campostoma spadiceum, Evidenced by Museum Specimens

The Highland Stoneroller (Campostoma spadiceum) was described as a distinct species in 2010. Since then, the only study specific to this species is a survey of distribution, and nothing is known about reproduction. We examined 134 lots including 315 specimens of C. spadiceum housed in the Henderson State University collection of fishes to evaluate the timing of reproductive events. We dissected individuals to reveal sex and reproductive status. Females as small as 49 mm total length were able to yolk eggs, and follicles were in development by October. Ripe eggs were present in specimens collected from January through May, but were most common in March through May. Several females had oviposited in early March, but most specimens that appeared to have spawned had done so likely in April. Nuptial tubercles appeared on males as early as January and February, but most adult males were fully tubercled from March through May

The in vitro propagation of seagrasses : halophila ovalis, ruppia megacarpa and posidonia coriacea

Seagrass communities are of high ecological and economic significance. They provide a nursery area for commercial and recreational juvenile fish and crustacea. Seagrasses also play an important role in influencing the structure and function of many estuarine and nearshore marine environments. Unfortunately, the decline of seagrasses, as a result of human impact, has increased in recent years. This decline has become a major problem throughout the world. Current methods used to restore degraded seagrass beds are limited, the most promising being transplanting material from healthy donor beds. This approach is expensive because it is labor intensive and damages the donor bed. Consequently, large scale transplanting programmes are not considered to be feasible. An alternative to using donor material may be found in the propagation of seagrasses. This has been attempted through the production of seedlings in tissue culture. Tissue culture has shown to be successful in the rapid cloning of terrestrial plants and may be applied to develop a protocol which can be utilised to restore seagrass meadows. Five clones of Halophila ovalis Hook F., (initiated from seed) and one clone of Ruppia megacarpa Mason (initiated from rhizome) were obtained from stocks at Edith Cowan University, School of Natural Sciences. Posidonia coriacea Cambridge and Kuo was initiated in tissue culture during this study. These trials were undertaken in order to develop suitable tissue culture methods to be applied to the propagation of seagrasses for future revegetation programs. The addition of sucrose to the medium resulted in increased growth and chlorophyll content of H. ovalis. There was no difference between the concentrations applied (30mM, 60mM and 120mM) with regard to growth, but between clones there were observed differences in the chlorophyll content. A comparison of one, two, four and eight week periods between subculture on basal medium showed no effect on the growth of H. ovalis, though after two weeks, cultures appeared healthier. Cultures of H. ovalis grown in buffered (10mM MES) medium showed an increase in growth and chlorophyll content between initial pH 6 and 8 compared to those grown on unbuffered medium. These results suggest that medium buffering is important for tissue culture of seagrasses. When cytokinins (5µM concentration) were added to the medium, there was no effect on growth or chlorophyll content for three H. ovalis clones or one R. megacarpa clone. Seeds with the pericarp intact were more successful in initiating P. coriacea in tissue culture than those with rhizomes and those without the pericarp. These have continued to grow over seven months, but have not produced rhizome extension as in H. ovalis or R. megacarpa. These studies have shown that the requirements for tissue culture of seagrasses may be substantially different from that of terrestrial plants, and have produced a good base line of information for the propagation of seagrasses in tissue culture

Designing a Community-based Water Harvesting System: Understanding Water Use in Endallah, Tanzania

The World Health Organization (WHO) states it is a human right to have access to sufficient, safe water within one kilometer of the home (WHO, 2015b). However, 1.6 billion people experience economic water shortage and struggle to secure water for personal and domestic use (UN-Water & FAO, 2007). In the village of Endallah, Tanzania, seasonal rainfalls, high rates of evaporation, and inadequate water harvesting infrastructure leave many of the approximately 900 households facing economic water shortage. Around 90% of villagers depend on rainfed subsistence farming; however, annual crop yields are not consistent due to sporadic rainfall. The purpose of this research was to quantify water use, access, and needs in the village of Endallah to inform the design of a sustainable, community-based water harvesting system. In January 2015, a Purdue University Global Development Team traveled to Endallah to survey 25 households on their water collection and use. The results from the 12-question survey were coded, analyzed, and interpreted. The survey showed a significant need to improve water access in Endallah. Based on the survey results, most people in Endallah spend over three hours a day collecting water for domestic use. Water needs in Endallah have not been previously quantified, so the results will be crucial to the development of an accessible, community-based water harvesting system. Ultimately, by decreasing economic water shortage, the people of Endallah will have greater access to water for domestic consumption and can move toward using water to improve livestock health and agricultural productivity

Access and Use of Records Through the Cadastre System at the Ministry of Mining Headquarters, Nairobi

The Mining Cadastre System is a tool that facilitates easy access and use of information on mining license granting process and mineral resources in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to investigate the access and use of records through Cadastre System at the Ministry of Mining headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to: examine the extent to which the features of Cadastre System capture record-keeping functionalities and facilitates access and use of records at the Ministry of Mining Headquarters, Nairobi; establish the extent to which users access and utilize the system to meet their information needs; examine the opportunities and threats associated with Cadastre System in accessing and use of records and propose measures of enhancing its use. This study was guided by the Records Continuum model by Upward (2005) and the Design and Implementation of Record-keeping System (DIRKS) model by the National Archives of Australian (2001). The research study applied descriptive survey design and used both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The target population was 152 respondents. The researcher used three sampling techniques namely; stratified sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling. The sample size was made up of 66 respondents. The study used interviews and questionnaires as methods of collecting data. The interview was used to collect data from the two Directors from Mines and Geology Directorate. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the staff of the Ministry who use the system. The pilot study was done in the Ministry of Mining Directorate at Community Area in Upper Hill Nairobi to test the data collection instruments. The researcher used 3 members of Registry Staff and tested the interview schedule with 2 Administrators to test the study. Quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 23) while discourse analysis was used for analyzing qualitative data. Data was presented in tables and pie-charts. Textual data presentation was presented through discourse analysis. The main results from the research were that; the Cadastre System helps in the management of the mineral resources in the Ministry of Mining; users use the system to access mineral information allowing smooth and efficient document transactions; Cadastre system maximized revenue collection from the mineral sector and enhanced investor confidence. However, there were regulatory challenges affecting Cadastre system processes because of the new Mining Act 2016. The System required skilled experts in record-keeping as a measure to improve the Cadastre System operations. The study concludes that the Cadastral System in the Ministry of Mining needs adequate funding to maintain its operations. Trained personnel with records management skills should be involved in the Cadastre System development and maintenance alongside the mining engineers and cadastral staff for better service delivery. Therefore, the study recommends for allocation of adequate funds in its budget to facilitate the system’s operations and involvement of adequate skilled record’s management staff to enhance Cadaster System operations alongside the mining engineers/staff possibly through departmental trainings. Cadastral system enhancement would be beneficial to policy makers, staff and investors in the ministry of Mining. Policy makers will assess the Cadastre System performance with a view of upgrading it where need be. The staff will use the system to enhance service delivery while investors will get the information they are seeking for better returns in their mining investments. There is therefore need to allocate more budget to maintenance Cadastre System and the infrastructure so as to be accessed remotely at all times. Keywords: Access and use of records, Record-keeping, Cadastre System, Mining, Information needs. DOI: 10.7176/IKM/10-2-03 Publication date: February 29th 202

Plant-Based vs. Animal-Based Diet and Their Association with Metabolic Function

Diet is a lifestyle factor that influences metabolic health. Recent studies indicate that substituting red or processed meat with whole grains may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes. PURPOSE: To investigate whether metabolic health, assessed by insulin sensitivity and abdominal adiposity, is associated with a higher animal-based and lower plant-based diet. METHODS: Intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) was measured via ultrasound in 31 normo-glycemic women (ages 20.9 ±2.4 years, BMI 28.1 ±3.5) who completed ASA24 diet recall and food frequency questionnaire. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using Matsuda Index from a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test. A diet scoring system was created for consumption of plant-based and animal-based food. Saturated fat (SFAT) was used as a marker for consumption of animal-based foods, and subjects were divided by median into High SFAT or Low SFAT groups. One-way ANOVA was used to test mean differences and correlation analyses were used to determine associations. RESULTS: ANOVA revealed a lower IAAT (2.9 ±1.1 vs. 3.4 ±1.1), higher insulin sensitivity (15.7 ±10.4 vs. 8.5 ±4.4), and higher % body fat (0.41 ±0.05 vs. 0.37 ±0.06) in the Low SFAT group compared to the High SFAT group. When controlled for age and kcal, fiber (r=0.43), protein (r=0.44), and legumes (r=0.45, p\u3c0.05 for all) had positive correlations with insulin sensitivity, while total plant foods (r=0.19) and total animal foods (r=-0.27, p=ns for all) had non-significant associations. CONCLUSION: While overall plant-based food consumption was not associated with metabolic measures, insulin sensitivity was associated with an increase in fiber consumption, supporting the benefits of a higher plant-based diet. Though overall FFQ animal-based food consumption had no significant associations with metabolic measures, the Low SFAT group was more insulin-sensitive than the High SFAT group

A Critical Investigation of the Textual Variances of the Book of Jonah

The subject for this thesis was chosen as a result of a deep interest, on the part of the writer, in the languages of the past and present. This interest has been increased while engaged in the study of the Hebrew language in the classes of Dr. T.W.Nakarai of the college of Religion at Butler University. He has made possible a comprehension of the different values and meanings of words as they have passed down through the ages, as well as a realization of the impossibility to express exactly the connoted meanings of words in a language other than that in which they were written