Poor nutrition and chronic diseases among minority populations

Minority populations are more subject to chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and various cancers due to their lack of access to quality food and knowledge of adequate nutrition. Theories such as the Health Belief Model and the Social Cognitive Theory have been used throughout various studies to understand why minority populations are more likely to develop chronic diseases stemmed from poor nutrition. Components such as socioeconomic status, education, median household income, ethnicity, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors were all analyzed using the aforementioned theories to understand why minorities are disproportionately affected in regard to receiving adequate nutrition and prevention of chronic diseases. Various government policies and programs have been created to aid minority families in purchasing quality food and to promote more measures against chronic diseases. Further research in understanding why minority populations are disproportionately affected may include systemic and environmental racism, including administration of preventive healthcare resources

An investigation into the classroom related schemata of trainee teachers educated at racially segregated schools.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1997.This thesis reports on an investigation of the schemata of trainee teachers from a range of different ethnic and language groups in KwaZulu-Natal who had been educated in racially segregated school systems. Informed by the insight that schemata are the products of life experience and that they constrain linguistic choices (see Tannen 1979), it was hypothesised at the outset that different ethnic groups have some different assumptions of what constitutes appropriate classroom behaviour and that this schematic knowledge is reflected in the surface linguistic forms used by teachers and pupils in classroom discourse. These differences in schemata could have unfortunate consequences for pupils of a different ethnic group from their teacher, and, in particular, those pupils from historically disempowered groups. Data was collected using an eclectic mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. Firstly, students responded to a questionnaire which elicited responses concerning pupil and teacher roles. This was followed by interviews with selected student teachers during which they were asked to comment on those statements in the questionnaire which exhibited the greatest differences between respondents who attended schools administered by racially different educational authorities. Finally, a story recall experiment was conducted. Respondents/subjects were all trainee teachers at a multi-racial college of education. The analyses of the findings of the quantitative questionnaire revealed significant differences between subjects from different education systems. The interview data, however, revealed that the differences were less marked than the findings of the questionnaire suggested. The analyses of the recall experiment suggested that while some differences between the subjects who had attended schools administered by racially segregated authorities do exist, these are not as great as initially hypothesised. Teachers need to be made aware of the problems inherent in cross-cultural encounters, and this awareness should be extended to pupils. This awareness, together with goodwill, should ensure that pupils having different schemata from their teacher and/or other pupils in the classroom will not be disadvantaged

A formação social e política dos juristas brasileiros durante o séc. XIX : a contribuição da Academia de Direito do Largo de São Francisco

O presente trabalho tem por objeto a importância da Academia de Direito do Largo de São Francisco na formação da cultura jurídica brasileira, com foco no período imperial até a chegada da República. Com efeito, a Academia de Direito do Largo de São Francisco, desde sua fundação, retrata fielmente a história política, intelectual e cultural do Brasil, passando pelo Império como importante agente na conquista da abolição, bem como na articulação do movimento republicano. Foi, ainda, uma das grandes responsáveis pelo crescimento e desenvolvimento de São Paulo, trazendo contribuições de relevo em âmbitos tão diferentes quanto o jornalismo, a literatura, o teatro, a cultura e os costumes. A história do ensino superior no Brasil, com os primeiros cursos de Direito em São Paulo e Olinda, a vida acadêmica e a produção artística no período, o abolicionismo, a formação da República e as alterações curriculares tiveram um olhar inovador a partir do estudo.The present work entails the importance of the Law Academy of Largo de São Francisco regarding the formation of Brazilian legal culture, focusing on the Imperial period until the proclamation of the Republic. Since its foundation, the Law Academy of Largo de São Francisco portrays the political, intellectual, and cultural history of Brazil, as an important agent of abolitionism and republicanism through the Brazilian Empire. It had also a pivotal role in the growth and development of São Paulo, with relevant contributions in fields such as journalism, literature, theater, culture, and morals. The study offers an innovative perspective on the history of Higher Education in Brazil, with the first Law courses in São Paulo and Olinda, the academic life, the cultural effervescence of the period, the abolitionism, the Republic, and the curricular changes regarding the Law courses

“A torre me protege! ”: o jogo de xadrez e o mapa mental

O conturbado momento político em que passamos é oportuno para ratificar a importância de se aprender Geografia na escola, uma vez que a educação geográfica busca contribuir para a formação cidadã dos sujeitos através do desenvolvimento do pensamento geográfico e espacial. Nesse sentido, elencamos instrumentos que contribui para tal desenvolvimento, como o jogo de xadrez e o mapa mental. Ambos, separadamente, auxiliam em diversos atributos cognitivos, como o exercício de abstração, imaginação, pensamento espacial e geográfico. Contudo, o objetivo deste trabalho é sugerir o jogo de xadrez como recurso metodológico de confecção de mapas mentais com o intuito de potencializar o pensamento geográfico e espacial do sujeito elaborador do mapa. Sendo assim, analisamos um mapa mental produzido por um dos sujeitos colaboradores da pesquisa de mestrado. Discutimos o conceito de lugar a partir da circunstancialidade. A Metodologia Kozel foi elencada para auxiliar na análise do mapa mental, assim como o próprio relato do sujeito participante da pesquisa, que demonstrou uma interessante reflexão sobre o lugar elencado por ele representado, nesse caso a escola em que o mesmo estuda

Changing gender perceptions : the case of a classroom based critical literacy intervention.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.This thesis reports on a critical literacy intervention with a grade 9 class the purpose of which was to raise awareness and change attitudes and perceptions towards gender. Texts are not neutral, and critical literacy is a way of examining a wide variety of texts in order to discern the values and ideologies behind them. In this way social inequalities and injustices are revealed and the reader is empowered to change the status quo (Janks 1993, 2001, 2010; Fairclough 1989 and 1992; Comber 2001 and others). At the same time their language and thinking skills should improve. Critical literacy is not separate from literacy, but rather an approach which raises awareness and facilitates critical engagement (Stevens and Bean 2007; Woodridge 2001). However, the ability to read effectively is important for the development of critical literacy (Sanders 1994; Hall 1998). Attitudes towards gender are socially constructed and deeply acculturated. Despite gender rights being protected under the South African Constitution (1996), and social justice issues such as gender empowerment being articulated in Curriculum 2005 this is not evident in schools where hegemonic masculinity and patriarchal attitudes manifest themselves in sexual harassment, gender violence and discrimination (Bhana 2005 and 2009; Morrell et al 2009). Changing these attitudes is difficult, but critical literacy offers an approach which can empower both boys and girls. This research used a mixed methods approach as this is flexible and allows for changes as the research progresses. Both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques have been used in order to achieve triangulation and complementarity. Triangulation verifies, while comlementarity is used to enhance, clarify and elaborate on, data collected from different sources. Thus the mixed methods research leads to greater validity and reliability than a single method. The findings of this research are threefold. The first is that a critical literacy approach is difficult to implement if learners have weak reading skills. In order to engage critically with texts learners need decoding skills and fluency (Rasinski et al. 2004; Morris and Gaffney 2011) as well as a range of skills such as the ability to draw inferences, make judgments, evaluate and analyse what they are reading. This research reveals that the learners in grade 9 do not have the requisite reading ability to engage meaningfully with critical literacy. Reading comprehension tasks are inadequately completed and they are reading at a level well below their chronological ages. Furthermore, few of them come from a background where books and reading is valued, therefore few of them read for pleasure. In addition, this deficit in reading affects their ability to decode visual texts in the form of advertisements effectively. Changing attitudes to gender is challenging as these are deeply acculturated in the school and the wider society (Morrell et al 2009). In class when the message being imparted goes against embedded cultural values the boys decline to participate; in less formal situations the boys display hegemonic masculinity indicating that they have greater power and status than girls. Although Curriculum 2005 gives a special place to social justice issues and critical literacy is one of the Language, Literacy and Communication specific outcomes, the learners in grade 9A do not appear to have meaningfully engaged with it, despite being the only group to have followed Curriculum 2005 since they entered school in grade 1. The results of this research suggest that reading is central to creative thinking and problem-solving and thus needs to be addressed across all school grades, learning areas and subjects. In addition, if gender equity is to be attained, the school and the wider community need to be involved and public role models have to be seen to lead the way

The Naval Chronology of Great Britain; Or An Historical Account Of Naval And Maritime Events, From The Commencement of the War in 1803, to the End of the Year 1816: Also Particulars Of The Most Important Courts-Martial, Votes Of Parliament, Lists Of Flag-Officers In Commission, And Of Promotions For Each Year

THE NAVAL CHRONOLOGY OF GREAT BRITAIN; OR AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF NAVAL AND MARITIME EVENTS, FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE WAR IN 1803, TO THE END OF THE YEAR 1816: ALSO PARTICULARS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COURTS-MARTIAL, VOTES OF PARLIAMENT, LISTS OF FLAG-OFFICERS IN COMMISSION, AND OF PROMOTIONS FOR EACH YEAR The Naval Chronology of Great Britain; Or An Historical Account Of Naval And Maritime Events, From The Commencement of the War in 1803, to the End of the Year 1816: Also Particulars Of The Most Important Courts-Martial, Votes Of Parliament, Lists Of Flag-Officers In Commission, And Of Promotions For Each Year [...] (Vol. 1) [...] (Vol. 2.

Determinants of resource specialisation and its ecological consequences for the corallivorous filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris

All organisms are dependent upon their habitat for the resources necessary for survival and reproduction, but they vary immensely in the degree to which they are specialized on particular resources. Habitat specialists appear to evolve in environments where preferred resources are stable, however specialists are vulnerable to extinction should these resources become scarce. Given global declines in the quantity and quality of available habitats, it is critical to understand why species are specialised, and what resources they are specialized on, in order to determine their vulnerability to habitat loss. Coral reefs are home to a diverse assemblage of coral-associated organisms and of these, corallivorous fishes are among the most specialised. One such species, the harlequin filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris, is distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific in areas of high coral cover. This study investigated the ecology of O. longirostris to determine how specialised it is, the roles of prey quality and predation pressure as drivers of specialisation, and the consequences of being a coral specialist in light of increasing coral degradation.\ud \ud Most animals consume a narrower range of food resources than is potentially available in the environment. Chapter 2 examined the drivers of this prey selection by testing the consequences of prey preferences for key fitness-related parameters. While the diet of O. longirostris was dominated by the most abundant coral species, Acropora nobilis, fish appeared to preferentially feed on rarer acroporids, such as Acropora millepora. Choice experiments confirmed strong preferences for these rarer corals, suggesting diet is constrained by availability of different coral species. In a feeding experiment, reproductive pairs fed on non-preferred corals exhibited dramatic declines in condition and reproductive output compared with those fed preferred corals. These experiments suggest that fish distinguish between available corals based on their intrinsic value as prey, that reproductive success is dependent on the presence of particular coral species, and that differential loss of preferred corals could have significant consequences for population success.\ud \ud Foraging theory predicts that preferred prey should maximise energetic reward relative to the energy expended to access, capture, and consume prey. However, the relative roles of differences in the nutritive value of prey and costs associated with differences in prey accessibility are not always clear. Chapter 3 investigated within-colony feeding in O. longirostris to establish if prey accessibility determines foraging patterns. O. longirostris exhibited non-uniform patterns of foraging in the field, feeding midway along branches. On simulated corals, fish replicated this pattern when food accessibility was equal along the branch. However, when food access varied, fish consistently modified their foraging behaviour, feeding where food was most accessible. When foraging patterns were compared with coral morphology, fish preferred larger polyps and less skeletal protection. Consequently, it appears that patterns of prey selectivity are influenced by coral morphology, with fish preferring corals with structural characteristics that increase prey accessibility.\ud \ud A selective coral diet may further benefit O. longirostris by reducing predation risk. Many organisms primarily interact with their surroundings using non-visual sensory systems and may have evolved mechanisms to 'blend in' with chemical components of their habitat. One potential mechanism of camouflage is through the sequestering of dietary elements, causing a consumers odour to chemically match the odour of its prey. Chapter 4 tested for diet-induced chemical crypsis in O. longirostris by using the olfactory preferences of coral-obligate crabs to determine the effect of coral diet on fish odour. Crabs strongly preferred the odour of filefish fed their normal coral host, suggesting coral-specific dietary elements that influence odour are sequestered. In behavioural trials, predatory cod were less attracted to filefish odour presented alongside the coral it had been feeding on, suggesting reduced detectability. This evidence suggests that a close coupling between diet and habitat can form an effective antipredator strategy.\ud \ud Many animals select a habitat from the range of those available, driven by factors such as food quality or shelter availability, and these preferences may have consequences for the distribution and abundance of populations. Chapter 5 examined how the distribution and abundance of O. longirostris relates to coral architecture and diversity. The main drivers of distribution and abundance among reefs were coral species richness and availability of branching coral. Feeding territories had a higher percentage of Acropora coral than surrounding habitat. In addition, feeding territories had a higher percentage of the structurally important branching coral, A. nobilis, and the preferred prey species, A. millepora. Pair-wise choice experiments in which both structural complexity and coral tissue quality were independently manipulated showed that habitat choice was primarily based on shelter characteristics. These results suggest species-diverse coral habitats, which provide structural complexity along with nutritionally important prey, may be essential for population persistence.\ud \ud While extinctions of marine species are infrequent, local extinctions are becoming common. Yet, the role of habitat degradation and resource specialisation in explaining local extinction is still poorly understood. On coral reefs, coral bleaching is an increasingly frequent cause of coral mortality that can result in dramatic changes to coral community composition. Chapter 6 documents the local extinction of O. longirostris following a mass bleaching event. Local extinction occurred on reefs that lost all colonies of the key prey species, A. millepora, even though overall coral cover remained high. In an experimental test, fish continued to select bleached A. millepora over non-preferred species, irrespective of their condition. These results suggest that behavioural inflexibility may limit the ability of specialists to cope with even subtle changes to resource availability. This study demonstrates that O. longirostris is a highly specialised species that has evolved precise behavioural mechanisms to exploit the corals with which it associates. Its reliance on a relatively limited suite of corals leaves it highly vulnerable to climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances that threaten to reduce coral cover and abundance.\ud \ud This study also highlights how variable corals can be with regards to their value as prey and habitat. It appears that habitats that contain a specific combination of corals may be necessary for the survival and persistence of O. longirostris. When assessing the vulnerability of such highly specialised species, it is important to understand and evaluate the full range of their critical resources

Plan of 700 acres applied for to purchase by Hugh McKay [on the Manning River] [cartographic material] /

Tracing of property "sold to Thomas Beckham" on the Manning River.; "Accompanying Mr Ralfe's letter & descriptiom 20th Augt. 1835".; "M 46 666 Surv. Gen. Office".; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-f103-17; Ferguson Collection Map F 103/17