Painted Ferocity: The Social Behaviors of African Wild Dogs, Threats to Survival, and Resulting Conservation Initiatives

African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus) are an endangered species of canid from Sub-Saharan Africa. They are very social communal hunters, and are capable of chasing down prey for long stretches of time. Wild dogs benefit a savannah ecosystem by regulating the populations of their prey so that it does not become unhealthy and overgrown. Like many organisms, wild dogs are also in competition with other predators for resources, namely lions and hyenas, who are capable of stealing their kills and occasionally injuring and killing them. Due to the depletion of their wild prey, wild dogs may also prey upon farmers’ livestock, which puts the dogs at risk of being shot or poisoned by humans. Domestic dogs can also transmit deadly diseases to wild dogs, hindering their chances of survival. Conservation efforts are focused on educating local populations on the ecological importance of wild dogs as well as cooperating with local communities to implement traditional methods of livestock husbandry to reduce rates of livestock predation by wild dogs. Conservationists have also been attempting to vaccinate packs who are at risk of contracting diseases like rabies, as well as reintroducing groups of dogs to areas they once resided in the hopes of re-establishing small populations. It is crucial that these animals are protected so that future generations can learn about their behaviors and so be motivated to conserve them

Fingerless

This reflective poem about the self and being in a new area is based on the total solar eclipse (dubbed the Great American Eclipse) that occurred on August 21, 2017. It explores themes similar to those raised in discussions about the case of Charity Lamb.https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/aha_2017/1003/thumbnail.jp

A review of daily conversations and practices at home: Exploring practices that promote early literacy in Spanish-speaking homes and home-school interactions

Coming from a low-income heritage language family, like 17% of Latino families, entails important academic risk factors related to lower scores on reading tests. Considering that it is estimated that Latino students will represent 50% of the U.S. public schools’ population by 2050, their literacy learning must be supported adequately. The purpose of this literature review is to explore, from an ecocultural perspective, early literacy practices of low-income Spanish-speaking families and analyze the nature of literacy home-school interventions implemented for this group. The literature highlights non-traditional literacy practices that are strengths of the Latino families, such as a robust oral tradition focused on social cues, children’s engagement in written household chores, and the use of the Bible to pass values. Parents have mixed beliefs regarding literacy promotion: they do not feel prepared to support their children; thus, they support teachers as experts. Three types of home-school literacy interventions were found: printed material sharing; printed material exchange; family programs. As the literature posits, interventions should consider and be based on family beliefs, culture, and strengths; otherwise, effectivity and attrition are at risk. Moreover, new research should be conducted to bridge the gap regarding the role of family actors other than the mother, as well as the differences within the Latino community and immigrant generation

Did PROGRESA send drop-outs back to school?

This paper analyzes the effect of PROGRESA education grants on school enrollment. It looks at its effect on total school enrollment and in particular on school enrollment of drop-outs, i.e. those children who face a re-enrollment decision since they were not enrolled in school the year prior to the implementation of the PROGRESA program. Estimates of the impact of PROGRESA education grants on drop-outs and non-drop-outs are obtained applying difference estimation and maximum likelihood estimation of a reduced form equation for schooling decision. Differences in results between both groups of children are discussed looking at the distribution of marginal effects. PROGRESA did send drop-outs back to school. It had a larger effect on drop-outs than on non-drop-outs. However, for the particular group of girls who dropped out of school just before attending secondary school PROGRESA grants only had a minor effect. This last finding highlights the fact that determinants of the schooling decision are different for young girls and that PROGRESA grants do not provide a strong enough incentive to send them back to school.Anti-poverty program evaluation, School enrollment, Re-enrollment decision, Heterogeneous program effects, Correlated random effects model

Cambios en la calidad harinera y panadera del trigo en respuesta a la fertilización nitrogenada

La cantidad y calidad de proteína en el grano de trigo y las propiedades reológicas de la masa determinan el potencial de panificación de las harinas, mientras que la cantidad de nitrógeno que absorbe el cultivo condiciona contenidos adecuados de gluten y proteína. En este sentido, se estableció el presente trabajo con el fin de determinar el rendimiento de grano y los cambios en la calidad harinera y panadera del trigo en respuesta a la fertilización nitrogenada y estación de crecimiento. Los experimentos se llevaron a cabo en el ciclo invierno-primavera 2010 (riego) y verano-otoño 2011 (temporal) en la Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Se evaluaron 9 variedades de trigo (Salamanca S75, Saturno S86, Eneida F94, Cortazar S94, Rebecca F2000, Barcenas S2002, Tollocan F2005, Urbina S2007 y Maya S2007) bajo cuatro niveles de fertilización nitrogenada (0, 100, 200, 300 kg N ha-1) con una densidad de población de 336 semillas m-2. Se analizó tanto física como químicamente el grano de trigo, así como también se realizaron los correspondientes análisis reológicos para determinar la calidad panadera de la harina y finalmente se realizó la prueba de panificación para determinar el uso potencial del trigo para la elaboración de galletas, pan o mezclas de harina para la panificación. El genotipo, manejo agronómico, ciclo del cultivo y las condiciones ambientales influyeron sobre el rendimiento y la calidad del grano de trigo. La diferente disponibilidad de nitrógeno modificó significativamente la proteína en grano y en harina, volumen de sedimentación, alveogramas W y P/L; así mismo, se obtuvo un mayor rendimiento de grano. En el ciclo invierno-primavera se obtuvieron los mejores índices de calidad, en donde el genotipo y el ambiente tuvieron un efecto notable sobre las variables de calidad de la masa, pues a pesar que se obtuvieron valores menores de proteína en comparación con el ciclo verano-otoño, las relaciones W (fuerza de la masa)-P/L (tenacidad/elasticidad) indican que estas proteínas son de más alta calidad. Las variedades Eneida F94, Rebeca F2000 y Tollocan F2005 produjeron buena calidad panadera y mayor rendimiento de grano

Distributive concerns when replacing a pay-as-you-go system with a fully funded system

The author uses a simulation model to quantify the impact on income distribution of having a neutral social security program that is fully funded replace a progressive social security program that redistributes income toward the poor but is financed by a pay-as-you-go method. He finds that if the original pay-as-you-go system is large enough to yield an income replacement rate of at least 40 percent for the middle class and 200 percent for the poor, then the proposed change helps the poor in the long run, so long as public debt does not increase by more than 40 percent of GDP during the transition. Such a reform allows an increase in the capital stock per worker, so in the long run the poor benefit more through higher real wages than they lose because progressive redistribution has ended. In the short run, however, a compensatory program is needed because the poor lose their subsidy before receiving the long-term benefit. In most cases, the 40 percent of GDP available from the increase in public debt is enough to finance a transfer program that compensates the poor in the"short"run (the first 50 years). The author concludes that concern about the welfare of the poor is unwarranted, in both the short and long runs, if the compensatory program is implemented.Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Safety Nets and Transfers,Services&Transfers to Poor,Rural Poverty Reduction

Dignity, Human Rights, and Democracy

In order to analyze what can plausibly be said about the relationship between dignity, human rights, and democracy, I will propose a basic assumption about human dignity (I) and then formulate five theses concerning the justification of democracy (II) which will allow me to conclude (III) that only when human rights are constitutionally established and effectively implemented democracy can be theoretically and practically justified as a political means to guarantee human dignity.human dignity, justifications of democracy, human rights

Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Latin America

Distorted incentives, agricultural and trade policy reforms, national agricultural development, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, F13, F14, Q17, Q18,