Effects of Plant Species Diversity and Biomass on Grazing Patch Selection by Semi Free-Ranging Cattle

Studies examining forage selection by large herbivores have generally focused on single herbivore-plant relationships and few studies link plant species diversity with large herbivore feeding preferences, particularly in species-rich ecosystems. A study was therefore conducted to examine how herbaceous plant biomass, species richness, diversity and evenness, together with elevation and distances to houses, agricultural fields and cattle holding-pen areas (kraals), predict cattle grazing intensity at small (0.5 x 0.5 m) and large (20 x 50 m) patches by semi free-ranging indigenous cattle in Kilombero Valley Floodplain wetland Tanzania. Results showed that cattle grazed patches with high species richness and intermediate level of biomass at a small spatial scale, suggesting that selection of small patches is a trade-off between food quality and quantity. On a larger scale, cattle grazed patches with a higher abundance of palatable plant species with high biomass, but with less plant species diversity. Moreover, grazing intensity in large patches was positively related to elevation and distance from agricultural fields. Overall, this study shows that considering both plant community properties and physiographic variables in forage selection studies facilitates a better understanding of grazing ecology of large domestic herbivores in species-rich ecosystems. Thus, maintenance of plant species richness and biomass in wetland rangelands is important to improve domestic herbivore production and conservation of biodiversity.Keywords: Domestic herbivore; Forage selection; plant-animal interaction; Rangelands; Species richnes

Los Tres Grandes - Herman Gallegos, Ernesto Galarza, Julian Samora: Rooted in Community, Guided by Friendship, Cultivating Leadership.

Los Tres Grandes, Ernesto Galarza, Herman Gallegos, and Julian Samora, fused intellectual constructs and grassroots strategies to reverse the societal dynamics they understood had marginalized Mexican Americans at both governmental and social levels. In 1968, the three scholar/activists launched the Southwest Council of La Raza (SWCLR), which four years later became the National Council of La Raza. My dissertation explores the relationship of these three men, a nexus of history and personality that launched what became the largest civil rights organization for Latinos in the United States. At a time when foundations earmarked minority support primarily for African Americans, Los Tres brought philanthropic attention (through the Ford Foundation) to Mexican American concerns. This was a groundbreaking achievement. Their relationship honored their cultural teachings as they engaged the elite world of philanthropy. They established a paradigm for Mexican Americans within the dominant culture without compromising their culture and ethnic capital. The three leaders created an organization that focused on the development of leaders and on empowering communities to overcome political and economic marginalization. How Galarza, Gallegos, and Samora used scholarship as a pivotal ingredient of social and political change has been all but lost to history. I investigate the particular strengths each man brought to this dynamic political action. The story of their productive relationship is one that needs to be brought to light for a new generation to explore and celebrate. Their story demonstrates the importance of leadership development, which is an overarching theme of this study. To tell their story, this dissertation mines the archives of the three men and uses information from the oral histories of key associates. This primary data is useful in understanding how Los Tres supported one another and created a context within which to work. They created unnamed theoretical models that echoed how they lived and how they worked. Honoring the validity of their own standpoint, their own stories, their own culture, they set the table for future scholarship that employs these groundbreaking ideas

Modeling nature-based and cultural recreation preferences in mediterranean regions as opportunities for smart tourism and diversification

The tourism and recreational o er of Mediterranean destinations involves, essentially, the promotion of mass tourism, based on the appeal of the sun and beach, and the quality of its coastal assets. Alongside the impacts of climate change, poor tourism diversification represents a threat to the resilience of the territory. Thus, heterogenization of noncoastal tourism products presents an opportunity to strengthen regional resilience to present and future challenges, hence the need to study, comparatively, the complementary preferences of tourists and residents of these regions in order to unveil their willingness to diversify their recreational experience, not only in coastal spaces, but also—and especially—in interior territories with low urban density. Consequently, this strategic option may represent a way of strengthening resilience and sustainability through diversification. In this context, a survey was conducted among 400 beach tourists and 400 residents of a case study—namely, three municipalities of the Algarve region in southern Portugal—in order to analyze their degree of preference for activities besides the sun and beach, such as nature-based and cultural tourism activities, and to probe the enhancement potential of each tourism and recreational activity through the various landscape units considered by experts, stakeholders, and tour operators. The respective degree of preference and enhancement potential were indexed to the area of each landscape unit. Subsequently, respecting the existing recreational structure and constraints, a suitability map for territory enhancement and the implementation of smart tourism practices for each tourism activity and landscape unit is presented. Results show a significant preference for noncoastal outdoor recreational activities.FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia: SFRH/BD/102328/2014; PTDC/GES-URB/31928/2017info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PENGARUH KECERDASAN EMOSIONAL DAN MOTIVASI TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN DI PT. KSO METTANA

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh Kecerdasan emosional dan Motivasi Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan. Penelitian ini menggunakan jenis penelitian kuantitatif. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner, wawancara, observasi. Populasi yang digunakan adalah seluruh pegawai yang ada di PT. KSO METTANA yang berjumlah 56 orang. Teknik pengolahan data dilakukan dengan uji validitas, uji reliabilitas, dan uji asumsi klasik (uji normalitas, uji linearitas, uji multikolinearitas, dan uji heteroskedastisitas. Pengujian hipotesis dilakukan dengan uji koefisien determinasi (Adjusted R2), Uji t (Parsial), dan Uji f (Simultan). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bawa 1.) Hasil Penelitian pada variabel kecerdasan emosional, berpengaruh kuat terhadap kinerja karyawan sebesar 0,754 atau 75,4 %. 2.) Hasil penelitian pada variabel motivasi berpengaruh sangat kuat terhadap kinerja pegawai sebesar 0,753 atau 75,3%. 3.) Hasil penelitian regresi berganda pada variabel kecerdasan emosional (X1) dan motivasi (X2) secara bersama memiliki pengaruh yang kuat terhadap kinerja karyawan (Y) sebesar 0,593 atau 59,3% dan sisanya sebesar 39, 07% di pengaruhi oleh faktor atau variabel lainnya, yang di perlukan sebagai faktor pendukung untuk peningkatan kinerja karyawan

An assessment of community participation in strategic decision-making: the case of Amothole District Municipality

The South African Constitution of 1996, as amended, provides for three spheres of Government, namely National, Provincial and Local Government. The local sphere of government is mandated to provide developmental and accountable local government and to ensure the provision of basic services to communities in a sustainable manner. The Department of Provincial and Local Government Community-Based Workbook and Guide provided that local government legislation has been put in a place to enable South Africa to constructively work towards providing basic services and improving the social and economic lives of citizens. As local government is the sphere of government where delivery takes place at community level, it is important to ensure and secure the support and participation of communities. It is critical to mention that local government faces many challenges in providing services that will contribute to developing a peaceful, stable and healthy environment. In adherence to Local Government legislation, which includes, inter alia, the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act, the local authorities are required to provide systems and processes to enable public participation processes in the affairs of the municipalities. This requirement is mandatory to ensure that citizens contribute by making input in the planning of the municipality. Amathole District Municipality adopted a Public Participation and Petitions Policy to ensure that citizens participate in the activities of the municipality. The main purpose of this study was to establish whether those structures are effective and whether the municipality, in its planning processes, considered the views and input of the communities. The study investigated the extent of community participation in municipal planning and performance and also investigated the effectiveness of ADM community participation strategies. Quantitative research methods were used to collect data for the study. The research questionnaire covered a wide range of council related activities ranging from knowledge of local government legislation relating to public participation, understanding of public participation processes by councillors, compliance of the municipality with public participation processes and related legislation and feedback to communities on the input they make to the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the Budget planning processes. The questionnaires were administered to all Councillors within the municipality to ensure that all municipal programmes were covered, and the Executive Mayor, Council Speaker who ensures that council resolutions are implemented and the Chief Whip of Council, who is responsible for the welfare of all political parties in Council. There was also the inclusion of the Chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee who is responsible for oversight and monitoring the performance of the Executive. The sample group was carefully chosen to represent a wide range of councillors who serve in the ADM Council. The positive response rate therefore provided an acceptable scientific basis for analysis and objectivity to the study

Characteristics of the Effective Online Teaching Faculty: Perspectives of Online University Administrators

The purpose of this explorative qualitative case study was to identify the characteristics online administrators reveal as existing in their most effective, and ineffective online teaching faculty (OTF). By identifying the characteristics of effective OTF, online administrators can develop practices to reduce and avoid the negative effects associated with ineffective OTF. Negative effects include increased transactional distance and student attrition. Analyzed were personal interviews of ten online administrators from eight different universities, a year of student surveys from six courses, and faculty handbooks. Interview questions sought the best approach to online facilitation, recommendations for retention of students, factors related to course facilitation that bring positive or negative results and what attributes were found in both effective and ineffective OTF. The data collected and literature reviewed revealed an Online Student Hierarchy of Needs pyramid with four progressive levels satisfied by the Facilitation, Cognitive and Social Presences\u27 of the effective OTF

Peta Kemampuan Keuangan Daerah pada Pemerintahan Kota dan Kabupaten Se-Jawa dan Bali Tahun 2004-2008: Metode Kuadran

Regional autonomy is aimed at bringing the region\u27s independence in /in!1cing the region\u27s expenditures. In its implementation, regional autonomy is still not able to realize the region\u27s independence because each region has different characteristics so that it\u27s required- a different policy. This study, aims to yap the regions Finance by independent and potential-regions, independent and less potential regions, non-independent and potential regions, and non_ independent and less potential region. Independent variables used are the growth ratio and the share ratio which is calculated using the District Revenue (PAD), Tax sharing (BHP), Non-Tax sharing (BHBP) and Total Expenditur

Achieving more cost-effective implementation of an Eastern Cape Thicket Rehabilitation project

The study was looking at achieving more cost-effective implementation of the Eastern Cape Thicket Rehabilitation Project. Project management has been identified as a key for a proper implementation of any kind of work. For project management to be effective, individual learning and development of project managers is of paramount importance. An improved communication process is vital, that clearly specifies objectives if any success will be achieved. A proper and structural way of addressing change is a need, so that no unnecessary delays are experienced. A need is there for processes to be streamlined to avoid duplications as they are unnecessary costs. Employees need to be given an opportunity to have their ideas looked at, a way of testing if they really have been empowered. The important thing is that their views must speak to the standards of the project. Reductions in costs are a must for more communities to benefit in the project. Continuous improvement is the way forward

Factors regulating arteriolar tone during microvascular growth

Growth of the arteriolar network is accompanied by progressive changes in pressure and flow, and in the metabolic environment to which the arterioles are exposed. This dissertation was carried out to investigate the extent to which mechanisms involved in local blood flow regulation may also change during this growth. We isolated gracilis muscle arterioles from weanling (age 25-26 days) and juvenile (44-66 days) rats, and studied the responsiveness of these vessels to both myogenic and endothelium-dependent stimuli. Overall arteriolar responses to the endothelium-dependent agonists acetylcholine (ACh), A23187, VEGF and simvastatin were not different between age groups. Responses of juvenile arterioles to ACh and simvastatin were significantly reduced by inhibition of nitric oxide synthase or cyclooxygenase, by the hydrogen peroxide scavenger catalase, and by potassium channel inhibition. Responses of weanling arterioles to ACh and simvastatin were unaffected by these treatments, but significantly reduced by heme oxygenase inhibition. Arteriolar growth during juvenile maturation is accompanied by an increase in myogenic responsiveness, possibly because endothelium-derived PGH2 or TXA2 assumes a role in reinforcing myogenic activity over this period. In conclusion, mediators of endothelium-dependent dilation change during growth, with carbon monoxide contributing largely to these responses in young animals, and a combination of nitric oxide, prostanoids and hydrogen peroxide contributing to these responses in older animals. These data suggest that age-dependent differences in the control of vascular tone exist and may have significant implications for the regulation of tissue perfusion

Enhancing Germination of Seeds of a Multipurpose Tree Species Combretum molle

Combretum molle R. Br. ex G. Don (Combretaceae) is a highly valued indigenous multipurpose tree species that has gained considerable attention in recent times due to its importance as a medicinal plant as well as an alternative species for wood and charcoal production. However, we lack adequate information on simple and appropriate methods that could be used to break its distinct seed dormancy to support domestication of wild populations apparently undergoing over exploitation and the negative impacts of deforestation. Eight pre-treatment methods involving complete removal of wing, complete removal of mesocarp, overnight soaking in cold water (24 °C) and partial removal of wing by scorching with fire, and their combinations were tested against the seed dormancy. Of all, the complete removal of mesocarp and overnight soaking in cold water followed with additional soaking in cold water for 24 h took the shortest imbibition (2 days) and germination (7 days) periods, highest germination value (76) and germination energy (80%). Similarly, the same treatment scored significantly (P < 0.05) higher cumulative germination of 72%. To obtain best germination traits, C. molle seeds should be pre-treated by removing the mesocarp and overnight soaking in cold water followed with additional soaking in cold water for 24 h, before sowing. These results have wide implications including supporting domestication and forest landscapes restoration in Tanzania. Keywords: Domestication; Restoration; Indigenous species; Dormancy; Lesser known species &nbsp