Towards an alternative spatial-based management approach for estuarine fisheries in South Africa, with a case study from the Sundays Estuary

Estuaries are productive habitats and biologically important ecosystems which serve as juvenile nursery areas and feeding grounds for adults from a host of fish species. They are, however, threatened habitats, increasingly exposed to human disturbance and exploitation. The stocks of several South African estuary-dependent linefish species are now considered as either overexploited or collapsed. It is clear that their dependence on estuaries would warrant the inclusion of these ecosystems into marine reserve planning exercises. Since traditional management strategies (e.g. bag and size limit restrictions) have proven ineffective for estuarine fisheries, there is a need for alternative management measures, such as spatial and temporal restrictions, to ensure increased survival of juveniles and recovery of adult breeding populations. This thesis explored the potential for an ecosystem-based approach through the application of a rapid sustainability assessment technique, and a spatial-based management approach for an important fishery species, using conservation planning software. The Sundays Estuary, Eastern Cape, South Africa falls within the footprint of the Addo Elephant National Park, with a proposed expansion to include a marine protected area (MPA). However the estuaries resources were not considered during the planning of the proposed MPA. This study conducted an indicator-based sustainability assessment based on the principles of sustainable development. The results showed that present levels of exploitation, due to non-compliance and a lack of law enforcement are unsustainable. The sustainability of the Sundays Estuary had a low overall sustainability score of only 23.8%. With limited enforcement of estuarine fisheries regulations in South Africa, alternative management measures such as spatial regulations may provide a viable option forward. The sustainability of fishery resources depends on the comprehensive understanding of the fishery resource. Acoustic telemetry is a technique that has been widely adopted to infer habitat and area use patterns of fish species. The second component of this study made use of high resolution telemetry data collected on juvenile dusky kob Argyrosomus japonicus movements within the Sundays Estuary to conduct a scenario-based approach using Marxan conservation planning software. The best solution given by Marxan, in the form of a protected area for the conservation of juvenile A. japonicus in the Sundays Estuary was identified in the middle (starting 7km from the mouth) to the upper reaches (approximately 16km from the mouth) of the estuary, ultimately providing protection to tagged individuals for 61% of their time in the estuary. Although Marxan presented a best solution, the Sundays Estuary’s small size and shape, and minimal features used, was too simplistic to be included into a Marxan analysis. However, new methods and tools to analyse and plan spatial-based management options at this scale are currently being developed. Using the Sundays Estuary as a case study, a decision tree was then developed as a protocol to assist management address the challenges of effective estuarine management depending on the unique biological and socio-economic characteristics of individual estuaries in South Africa

Yoga As An Intervention Among College Students: Measuring Changes In Body Dissatisfaction, Disordered Eating, Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, And Experiential Avoidance

The purpose of this dissertation was to elaborate and expand research examining the incorporation of yoga in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders in addition to the amelioration of body image and related factors through a two-study design. Study One recruited participants from a Midwestern psychology subject pool. One-hundred fifty women completed Study One. Results indicated that self-compassion, mindfulness, and body appreciation were negatively related to eating disorder pathology, body mass index (BMI), and experiential avoidance. BMI, eating disorder pathology, and experiential avoidance were all positively correlated with one another. Mediational analyses indicated the self-compassion was a significant mediator between overweight preoccupation and disordered eating as well as experiential avoidance and eating disorder pathology included global EDE-Q scores, appearance evaluation, and overweight preoccupation. Study Two was a repeated measures quasi-experimental design assessing changes in self-compassion, mindfulness, body appreciation, body dissatisfaction (overweight preoccupation, appearance orientation, appearance evaluation) and eating disorder pathology associated with yoga-practice over the course of eight weeks. Participants (university students) were recruited from 8-week yoga courses meeting three times a week for 50 minutes and completed measures at Time 1 (first day of class) and Time 2 (last 2 classes â 8 weeks later). While the explanatory relationship noted in Study One was not assessed, there were significant changes over time. Participants reported improvements in self-compassion, yoga self-efficacy, and body appreciation. Additionally, participants reported less appearance orientation. Less parsimonious results were noted for body dissatisfaction and eating disorder variables. However, the results are promising and suggest that yoga may be beneficial in improving body appreciation and self-compassion which could buffer against later development of eating disorder pathology and greater body dissatisfaction

Soldiers as Victims at the ECCC: Exploring the Concept of ‘Civilian’ in Crimes against Humanity

AbstractThe inspiration for this article came from a call for amicus curiae briefs issued in April 2016 by the Office of the Co-Investigating Judges in the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). The call sought guidance on: whether, under customary international law applicable between 1975 and 1979, an attack by a state or organization against members of its own armed forces may amount to an attack directed against a civilian population for the purpose of constituting a crime against humanity under Article 5 of the ECCC Law. We argue that customary international law justifies a finding that an attack on members of the armed forces can constitute crimes against humanity. In particular, the article focuses on the importance placed on the persecution element of crimes against humanity in the post-Second World War jurisprudence, and the broad interpretation of the term ‘civilian’. The article also examines the jurisprudence of contemporary international courts, finding that in some cases the courts have interpreted the term ‘civilian’ as incorporating hors de combat. However, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Court (ICC) have moved towards a more restrictive interpretation of the term ‘civilian’, potentially excluding members of the armed forces. We argue that this move is regressive, and against the spirit in which the offence of crimes against humanity was created. The ECCC has an opportunity to counter this restrictive approach, thereby narrowing the protection gap which crimes against humanity were initially created to close.</jats:p

Ways of Being Smart in Engineering: Beliefs, Values, and Introductory Engineering Experiences

Common discourse conveys that to be an engineer, one must be “smart.” Our individual and collective beliefs about what constitutes smart behavior are shaped by our participation in the complex cultural practice of smartness. From the literature, we know that the criteria for being considered “smart” in our educational systems are biased. The emphasis on selecting and retaining only those who are deemed “smart enough” to be engineers perpetuates inequity in undergraduate engineering education. Less is known about what undergraduate students explicitly believe are the different ways of being smart in engineering or how those different ways of being a smart engineer are valued in introductory engineering classrooms. In this study, we explored the common beliefs of undergraduate engineering students regarding what it means to be smart in engineering. We also explored how the students personally valued those ways of being smart versus what they perceived as being valued in introductory engineering classrooms. Through our multi-phase, multi-method approach, we initially qualitatively characterized their beliefs into 11 different ways to be smart in engineering, based on a sample of 36 engineering students enrolled in first-year engineering courses. We then employed quantitative methods to uncover significant differences, with a 95% confidence interval, in six of the 11 ways of being smart between the values personally held by engineering students and what they perceived to be valued in their classrooms. Additionally, we qualitatively found that 1) students described grades as central to their classroom experience, 2) students described the classroom as a context where effortless achievement is associated with being smart, and 3) students described a lack of reward in the classroom for showing initiative and for considerations of social impact or helping others. As engineering educators strive to be more inclusive, it is essential to have a clear understanding and reflect on how students value different ways of being smart in engineering as well as consider how these values are embedded into teaching praxis

The Effects of Taping versus Bracing on Postural Stability of the Ankle

External ankle supports, such as athletic tape and braces, used prophylactically and postinjury, have enabled athletes to participate, when their absence would have either limited participation or possibly allowed an injury. These supports offer an extrinsic mechanical source of support for the ankle. The ankle, however, is also dependent on the proprioception system, including visual input, to maintain balance through motor involvement of regional ankle musculature. It would appear that the addition of external support would enhance the overall integrity of the ankle; however, does that support exert an influence, positive or negative, on the proprioception system at the joint? The purpose of this study was to determine the effect external support on the proprioception system via balance assessment and to determine if that effect is different when comparing athletic tape to an ankle brace. Thirty-three healthy male and female subjects (mean age 24.3 years) participated. The Balance Master 8.2, a computerized balance assessment device, was used to test and compare the effects of bracing, taping, and control on the ankle while performing the Unilateral Stance test with eyes open and closed, and the Step/Quick Turn test. Each subject randomly selected a face-down card to determine which ankle would be tested, which test they would begin with, and the order of control, tape, and a brace. There was a statistically significant difference in the Unilateral Stance with eyes closed test. There was no statistical difference between the supported conditions; however, significance was demonstrated when unsupported and supported were compared, with increased postural sway exhibited in supported conditions. There were no other statistically significant differences among the other tests and conditions. These results support previous findings in which external suppOli coincided with increased postural sway. Our study also showed that no difference in postural sway occurred between different forms of support, whether they involved an extensive contact area such as athletic tape or reduced contact area such as a low profile brace. These findings suggest that the proprioceptive system is less involved in maintaining balance when an external ankle support is applied

Prenatal maternal diet affects asthma risk in offspring

Recently, epigenetic-mediated mechanisms — which involve heritable changes in gene expression in the absence of alterations in DNA sequences — have been proposed as contributing to asthma. In this issue of the JCI, Hollingsworth and colleagues report on the effect of prenatal maternal dietary intake of methyl donors on the risk of allergic airway disease in offspring in mice and show that these effects involve epigenetic regulation (see the related article beginning on page 3462). Supplementation of the maternal diet with methyl donors was associated with greater airway allergic inflammation and IgE production in F1 and, to some extent, F2 progeny. Site-specific differences in DNA methylation and reduced transcriptional activity were detected. If these findings are confirmed, a new paradigm for asthma pathogenesis may be emerging

Validity and Reliability of Three-dimensional Imaging to Measure Limb Volume: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Approximately 30% of women treated for breast cancer will develop lymphedema, yet early identification can prevent this occurrence. It is important to accurately and efficiently measure limb volume to identify pre-clinical lymphedema. Three-dimensional (3 D) imaging is emerging as a potential method to meet the need for accuracy and efficiency. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the psychometrics of 3 D imaging to measure limb volume. Methods: A systematic search of 4 databases was conducted for articles using 3 D imaging to measure limb volume. Articles were included that compared 3 D imaging to water displacement using human subjects, from 2000 to present. Data related to relevant psychometrics (validity, reliability, responsiveness) and patient populations were extracted from each article and analyzed. Risk of bias in study design was also assessed for each article. Results: The initial search of publications included 141 articles, 27 of which were selected based on the title and abstract. Only 13 articles were selected after full text review. Evidence from a preponderance of high-quality studies demonstrates that 3 D imaging is valid and reliable. Discussion: 3 D scanning can provide an accurate and efficient alternative means of measuring limb volume in breast cancer related lymphedema when compared to the reference standard of water displacement. Limitations to immediate clinical adoption include lack of information related to diagnostic accuracy and responsiveness, as well as a uniform definition of lymphedema