Building with Waste: A Creative Diversion Towards Managing Wood Pallet Waste in Hawai'i

Arch.D.Arch.D. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 201

Policy Analysis of Post-Conflict Development Frameworks for the Social Reintegration of War-Affected Children in Basilan Province, Philippines

This study examines the effectiveness of post-conflict development frameworks for the social reintegration of war-affected children in Basilan Province, Philippines. By employing a policy analysis approach, the research explores the alignment of existing policies with national and international child protection standards, identifies institutional barriers to their effective implementation, and proposes strategic recommendations for policy improvements. The study draws on case studies of government initiatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based programs, highlighting the strengths and limitations of each framework. Findings reveal significant gaps in the integration of national policies with local realities, particularly in the areas of coordination, funding, and community engagement. Furthermore, institutional barriers, such as limited resources and resistance to external interventions, hinder the successful reintegration of children affected by conflict. The research concludes that a more collaborative, community-driven approach, supported by enhanced governmental coordination and external support, is essential for effective reintegration. This study contributes to the understanding of post-conflict child welfare policy and offers actionable recommendations for improving reintegration frameworks in conflict-affected regions

Epidermolysa bullosa in Danish Hereford calves is caused by a deletion in LAMC2 gene

BACKGROUND Heritable forms of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) constitute a heterogeneous group of skin disorders of genetic aetiology that are characterised by skin and mucous membrane blistering and ulceration in response to even minor trauma. Here we report the occurrence of EB in three Danish Hereford cattle from one herd. RESULTS Two of the animals were necropsied and showed oral mucosal blistering, skin ulcerations and partly loss of horn on the claws. Lesions were histologically characterized by subepidermal blisters and ulcers. Analysis of the family tree indicated that inbreeding and the transmission of a single recessive mutation from a common ancestor could be causative. We performed whole genome sequencing of one affected calf and searched all coding DNA variants. Thereby, we detected a homozygous 2.4 kb deletion encompassing the first exon of the LAMC2 gene, encoding for laminin gamma 2 protein. This loss of function mutation completely removes the start codon of this gene and is therefore predicted to be completely disruptive. The deletion co-segregates with the EB phenotype in the family and absent in normal cattle of various breeds. Verifying the homozygous private variants present in candidate genes allowed us to quickly identify the causative mutation and contribute to the final diagnosis of junctional EB in Hereford cattle. CONCLUSIONS Our investigation confirms the known role of laminin gamma 2 in EB aetiology and shows the importance of whole genome sequencing in the analysis of rare diseases in livestock

Policy Analysis of Post-Conflict Development Frameworks for the Social Reintegration of War-Affected Children in Basilan Province, Philippines

This study examines the effectiveness of post-conflict development frameworks for the social reintegration of war-affected children in Basilan Province, Philippines. By employing a policy analysis approach, the research explores the alignment of existing policies with national and international child protection standards, identifies institutional barriers to their effective implementation, and proposes strategic recommendations for policy improvements. The study draws on case studies of government initiatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community-based programs, highlighting the strengths and limitations of each framework. Findings reveal significant gaps in the integration of national policies with local realities, particularly in the areas of coordination, funding, and community engagement. Furthermore, institutional barriers, such as limited resources and resistance to external interventions, hinder the successful reintegration of children affected by conflict. The research concludes that a more collaborative, community-driven approach, supported by enhanced governmental coordination and external support, is essential for effective reintegration. This study contributes to the understanding of post-conflict child welfare policy and offers actionable recommendations for improving reintegration frameworks in conflict-affected regions

Photoprotective energy dissipation is greater in the lower, not the upper, regions of a rice canopy: a 3D analysis.

High light intensities raise photosynthetic and plant growth rates but can cause damage to the photosynthetic machinery. The likelihood and severity of deleterious effects are minimised by a set of photoprotective mechanisms, one key process being the controlled dissipation of energy from chlorophyll within PSII known as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Although ubiquitous, the role of NPQ in plant productivity is important because it momentarily reduces the quantum efficiency of photosynthesis. Rice plants overexpressing and deficient in the gene encoding a central regulator of NPQ, the protein PsbS, were used to assess the effect of protective effectiveness of NPQ (pNPQ) at the canopy scale. Using a combination of three-dimensional reconstruction, modelling, chlorophyll fluorescence, and gas exchange, the influence of altered NPQ capacity on the distribution of pNPQ was explored. A higher phototolerance in the lower layers of a canopy was found, regardless of genotype, suggesting a mechanism for increased protection for leaves that experience relatively low light intensities interspersed with brief periods of high light. Relative to wild-type plants, psbS overexpressors have a reduced risk of photoinactivation and early growth advantage, demonstrating that manipulating photoprotective mechanisms can impact both subcellular mechanisms and whole-canopy function

A freshwater red alga Compsopogon coeruleus (Balbis) Montagne from Bucal, Calamba, Laguna, Philippines

Abstract only.Compsopogon coeruleus (Balbis) Montagne was observed for the first time along the shallow, flowing portions of the spring that occurs naturally in Bucal, Calamba, Laguna. A year-round study of some habitat conditions in the sampling site was done. These conditions included air and water temperature (mean=28.5°C), pH (mean=6.5), orthophosphate (mean=0.26 ppm), ammonia-nitrogen (mean =0.52 ppm), depth of water (mean=12 cm), speed of current (mean=0.19 m/s) and light intensity (mean=770 foot candles). This alga seems to be a good indicator of organic pollution. A description of morpho-cytological characteristics in situ and in culture is given. Better growth was observed in a defined inorganic medium using different mixing waters (distilled, tap and filtered Bucal waters) over plain mixing waters. Germination of presumptive cortical cells into uniseriate filaments and monospore germination was observed after about 10 days of incubation in all media