Bacterial Succession during Decomposition

Undergraduate Basi

Evaluation and demographic response of the shovelnose sturgeon commercial caviar fishery in the Wabash River

Shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque) are considered one of the last commercially viable options for sturgeon roe harvest. Due to the collapse of several marine sturgeon fisheries and the Similarity of Appearances provision which protect shovelnose sturgeon in only a part of their range, the caviar fishery in the Wabash River remains an important point of supply for this lucrative natural resource. In this thesis, I presented an evaluation of the shovelnose sturgeon commercial caviar fishery in the Wabash River. More specifically, I described the demographic response of this population to continued exploitation over a 10-year period. Additionally, I presented the results of roe yield modeling and recommend new management regulations. This study highlights declines in shovelnose sturgeon population dynamics like size, condition, size and age-at-maturity, and reproductive output of females. Furthermore, I found evidence of a truncated age distribution and greater mortality rates in the population. In the second chapter of this study, I found further evidence of harvest-induced female reproductive dynamics and found that the sturgeon roe fishery is experiencing both growth and recruitment overfishing at the current minimum length limit (635-mm) and estimated levels of exploitation. These findings have highlighted the problems concerning the sustainability of this roe fishery. Changes in management regulations are suggested and future policies should remain conservative to preserve this fishery

Evaluation and demographic response of the shovelnose sturgeon commercial caviar fishery in the Wabash River

Shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque) are considered one of the last commercially viable options for sturgeon roe harvest. Due to the collapse of several marine sturgeon fisheries and the Similarity of Appearances provision which protect shovelnose sturgeon in only a part of their range, the caviar fishery in the Wabash River remains an important point of supply for this lucrative natural resource. In this thesis, I presented an evaluation of the shovelnose sturgeon commercial caviar fishery in the Wabash River. More specifically, I described the demographic response of this population to continued exploitation over a 10-year period. Additionally, I presented the results of roe yield modeling and recommend new management regulations. This study highlights declines in shovelnose sturgeon population dynamics like size, condition, size and age-at-maturity, and reproductive output of females. Furthermore, I found evidence of a truncated age distribution and greater mortality rates in the population. In the second chapter of this study, I found further evidence of harvest-induced female reproductive dynamics and found that the sturgeon roe fishery is experiencing both growth and recruitment overfishing at the current minimum length limit (635-mm) and estimated levels of exploitation. These findings have highlighted the problems concerning the sustainability of this roe fishery. Changes in management regulations are suggested and future policies should remain conservative to preserve this fishery

Analysis of ‘touch’ DNA recovered from metal substrates: an investigation into cfDNA-metal interactions and the efficacy of different collection techniques on DNA yield

While several improvements have been made in recent years to optimize the recovery of ‘touch’ DNA, relatively little research has been conducted to understand the relationship between ‘touch’ DNA and the binding affinity of that DNA to metal surfaces, specifically those with a significant copper presence. Furthermore, characterization of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and its contribution to ‘touch’ samples and those cfDNA-metal interactions from objects commonly identified at crime scenes (cartridge casings, knives, doorknobs) have been lacking. Research has identified the tendency of copper ions to intercalate with DNA helices, resulting in sample degradation among other damaging conformational changes; however, while these effects have been observed in aqueous solutions under controlled conditions, virtually no examples of this phenomenon exist out of solution. It is therefore of critical importance to first evaluate if similar interactions are taking place on copper containing surfaces once dried on the surface, as are the conditions of ‘touch’ DNA samples usually collected at a crime scene. Additionally, research pertaining to ‘touch’ DNA recovery from metals has focused on developing optimized mechanical recovery techniques to include the M-Vac® wet-vacuum DNA collection system. However, recovery remains problematic due to those approaches having been developed to retrieve as much cellular material i.e., intracellular nuclear DNA (nDNA) as possible when it has recently been suggested that circulating cfDNA comprises the majority of DNA in a ‘touch’ sample. Therefore, maximizing the amount of both cellular and cfDNA acquired from metal surfaces is critical to successful DNA profiling. To generate an optimized workflow regarding collection and extraction procedures for ‘touch’ DNA from metal surfaces, the binding effects of metal ions with cfDNA, as well as the composition of ‘touch’ DNA samples, need to be further evaluated. As such, a three-fold study was designed with the following objectives: evaluate DNA-metal interactions at the surface level using ATR-FTIR, investigate efficacy of three collection methods (wet:dry double-swabbing method, tape-lifting, M-Vac® wet-vacuum DNA collection system) in recovery of ‘touch’ DNA from metal substrates, and test a centrifugal separation method for more efficient extraction of cellular and cfDNA. This study contributes to the ongoing research concerning the efficient collection of ‘touch’ DNA at the scene and from evidentiary items and provides investigators with a framework for which to collect and process such samples from commonly encountered metals

Factors affecting the spatial distribution of oviposition sites for tandem black saddlebags dragonflies (Odonata: Libellulidae)

Oviposition site location may be affected by (1) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the offspring (e.g., resource availability, competition, predation risk) and (2) factors influencing the costs and benefits to the female (e.g., predation risk or mate ha- rassment). In cases in which both the male and female are involved in locating a site, costs and benefits may differ for each parent and the resulting oviposition site location may represent the outcome of selection pressures on one or both of them. We studied oviposi- tion behavior in the black saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata Hagen), a species in which the male and female typically remain to- gether (i.e., in tandem) while traveling among potential oviposition locations. Oviposition sites tended to be away from pond shoreline at the outer edge of the vegetation on the water’s surface. We found that tandems distributed their oviposition locations widely around the pond, and interactions with other dragonflies (typically other T. lacerata, either territorial males or tandems) led to a larger distance between consecutive oviposition locations. Interestingly, for 10% of the tandems, the female became separated from the male and oviposited solitarily multiple times. These solitary females spent significantly less time and traveled significantly smaller distances between successive oviposition sites than when in tandem. Our results indicate that while some aspects of oviposition behavior and site selection may be consistent between the male and female (e.g., the characteristics that make a site suitable), other aspects, such as the distribution of sites, may be a result of a differing benefits and costs for the two sexes, perhaps as a consequence of potential sperm competition

Evaluating Bacterial Succession and its Influence on Decomposition

Undergraduat

Parole hustle : a preliminary study on the lived experiences of females serving parole in Nelson Mandela Bay

PURPOSE : This paper aims to shift from the male offender perspective in attempts to explore the stories and lived experiences of five females on parole in Nelson Mandela Bay, as most correctional research in South Africa focuses on the male offender experience. The experiences of females are largely ignored both in terms of reform and in research, and while only a few South African studies on female criminality have emerged, little is known about the impact of incarceration and reintegration on their livelihoods. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : This paper makes use of an ethnographic approach as the narrative follows the complex realities of females on parole to include their voice, depth and experience in the debate within the parole experiences measure framework. This study made use of five individual interviews and observations, which were complemented by existing literature. FINDINGS : This paper provides insights on the experiences, vulnerabilities, challenges, fears and concerns of females on parole and the relative social costs of their incarceration. The experiences allow for a deeper understanding of the shades of their experiences of powerlessness, gender-specific sexualisation and exploitation, economic vulnerability and destitution and social alienation and exclusion which uniquely influences behavioural and emotional deficits. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS : Because the number of females on parole in Nelson Mandela Bay is few, this study could only interview five female offenders. Yet, as this study is ethnographic in nature, it offers a deep understanding of these five female offenders. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS : This research offers an insight into the social ills faced by female on parole. This work highlights the effects of incarceration are often felt by females long after their release since their experience of imprisonment affects their future prospects, damaging and debilitating. This paper suggests self-reclamation that could lead to positive reactions towards rehabilitative and reintegration. This research opens up the larger debate and does not offer tangible recommendations. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : This paper fulfils an identified need to study parole amongst female offenders.The National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences.https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/2056-3841hj2023Social Work and Criminolog

An anthropological perspective of destitute families in the Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth

It is noticeable that poverty and deprivation exists in all forms in most, if not all, societies. Poverty and destitution have led to the formation and development of rural settlements within an urban context, which is known as informal housing. An example of this is Port Elizabeth’s Walmer Township. Walmer Township is seen to be one of the poorest informal settlements within the Eastern Cape, and has common problems of unemployment, violence, substance abuse, HIV/Aids and illiteracy. These problems adversely affect the community’s living conditions and plummets the society further into a state of destitution. In a last attempt to alleviate poverty among communities, such as the Walmer Township, organizations and external agencies have stepped in to reduce the harmful effects caused by poverty. These include shelters, feeding schemes and job empowerment. However, questions as to whether these organizations actually assist those living in poverty, and how can the organizations or current policy be improved, still exist and are raised regularly today. Thus, the research attempts to investigate the social effects of poverty and how it compromises family units, in order to understand what external organizations are in place to assist these families in destitution, and to come up with recommendations with the view of improving the existing polic

Applying anthropological perspectives in criminal procedures involving murder in Port Elizabeth, 2000-2016

With the spike of annual reported murders in South Africa, the country is continuing to climb the global rank of the world’s most violent countries. In 2016 alone, there were over nineteen thousand reported murders, equalling over fifty murders per day, with the Eastern Cape holding position as the province with the highest murder rate. Studies indicate that Port Elizabeth is the hardest hit by crime, adding up to 60% of all reported crimes in the province and despite the use of a ‘catch and convict’ only approach in criminal proceedings, violence and crime are still highly prevalent. Thus, overall the situation suggests that it may be beyond law enforcement control and even though the South African Police Service have taken some progressive steps in reforming procedures, generally, these have been too little and too late, as the reforms introduced are piecemeal and crisis driven. This thesis, therefore, proposes that additional approaches may be needed to improve investigations of the most pernicious crimes. Here, the focus is on the role of culture and social life in ‘murder-scapes’ with a critical contribution of the ‘habitus’ of murder allowing for the meaningful engagement with criminal acts, policing, sentencing, imprisonment and probation. In this regard, perspectives drawn from anthropology can possibly assist law enforcement officials in their steps of investigating a murder by providing a more ethnographic, holistic and integrated narrative in all areas of a criminal proceeding. An efficacious and constructive interpretation of the different subcultures crime scene processing, profiles development, testimony documentation and participation production with the police force and task teams can assist in redirecting and reappraising current practises that prove incompetent. That is, in attempting to review the current procedures conducted by law enforcers to identify how and where anthropological and ethnographical knowledge can be applied and successfully utilised, an assessment may aid officials in better investigative practises which could have implications for wider lenses making use of action, investigation, containment, prevention and rehabilitation. By advancing a deep understanding of the issue of murder in the South African context, implications for a wider, equally modernising and equally troubled society in the global South can be inferred

Indigenous uses of wild and tended plant biodiversity maintain ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes of the Terai Plains of Nepal

BACKGROUND: Despite a rapidly accumulating evidence base quantifying ecosystem services, the role of biodiversity in the maintenance of ecosystem services in shared human-nature environments is still understudied, as is how indigenous and agriculturally dependent communities perceive, use, and manage biodiversity. The present study aims to document traditional ethnobotanical knowledge of the ecosystem service benefits derived from wild and tended plants in rice-cultivated agroecosystems, compare this to botanical surveys, and analyze the extent to which ecosystem services contribute social-ecological resilience in the Terai Plains of Nepal. METHOD: Sampling was carried out in four landscapes, 22 Village District Committees, and 40 wards in the monsoon season. Data collection was based on transects walks to collect plant specimens, structured and semi-structured interviews, and participatory fieldwork in and around home gardens, farms, and production landscapes. We asked 180 farmers to free-list vernacular names and describe use-value of wild and tended plants in rice-cultivated agroecosystems. Uses were categorized into eight broad groupings, and 61 biomedical ailment classifications. We assessed if knowledge of plant species diversity and abundance differed with regard to caste, age, and gender. RESULTS: Nepalese farmers have a deep knowledge of the use and management of the 391 vascular plant specimens identified, which provide key provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural ecosystem services. Altogether, plants belong to 76 distinct plant species from 49 phylogenetic families: 56 are used to cure 61 ailments, 27 for rituals, 25 for food, 20 for timber, 17 for fuel, 17 for fodder, 11 for soil enhancement, and eight for pesticides. Four caste groups have statistically different knowledge, and younger informants report a lower average number of useful plants. CONCLUSION: Agricultural landscapes in Nepal are reservoirs of biodiversity. The knowledge of the use of wild and tended plant species in and around these farms differs by the caste and age group of land manager. Conducting research on agroecosystems will contribute to a deeper understanding of how nature is perceived by locals, to more efficient management and conservation of the breadbasket of Nepal, and to the conservation of valuable, but disappearing traditional knowledge and practice