Camel Anatomy; More Than Just a Hump

The one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) is capable of living in extreme, arid environments due to its numerous anatomical adaptations. Its modified features of the muscular system, integument, skeletal system, and several internal organs allow this animal to survive in such harsh environmental conditions. Many of these adaptations allow for conservation of energy and water as well as improvement of locomotion to acquire scarce resources. In this paper we will look more closely at some of these adaptations and determine their function in promoting the survival and reproduction of the one-humped camel in desert environments

View from the top

In conservation circles, Botswana is considered to be one or Africa’s success stories. The governments is stable and has a strong conservation agenda and, particularly in the north, wildlife-based tourism is thriving. Nonetheless, for respected researcher Michael Chase, alarm bells were ringing and, as the results of an intense aerial survey show, there is every reason to be worried

On Types of Certainty: from Buddhism to Islam and Beyond

Studies the threefold hierarchy of certainty, from its origins in Mahāyāna Buddhism, through Islam, to 17th century China. This tripartite scheme may be traced back to the ancient Buddhist scheme of the threefold wisdom as systematized by Vasubandhu of Gandhāra in the 4th-5th centuries CE. Following the advent of Islam in the 8th century, it was combined with Qur\u27anic notions of certainty (al-yaqīn). Initially taken up by early Islamic mystics such as Sahl al-Tustarī and al-Ḥākim al-Tirmiḏī (late 9th-early 10th centuries), the notion of yaqīn was gradually systematized into the three-level hierarchy of “knowledge or science of certainly” (ʿilm al-yaqīn), “essence” (literally “eye”) of certainty (ʿayn al-yaqīn), and “truth or reality of certainty” (ḥaqq al-yaqīn), a hierarchy that bears a distinct resemblance to the Buddhist threefold path of wisdom as discussed by Marc-Henri Deroche. Half a millennium later, this threefold hierarchy of levels of certainty, remotely inspired by Buddhism and integrated into the philosophical Sufism of Ibn ʿArabī and his Persian disciple Jāmī, this complex of ideas may have resurfaced in 17th century China

Status of wildlife populations and land degradation in Botswana’s forest reserves and Chobe district

Elephants Without Borders conducted dry (Sept. 2011) and wet (Mar. 2012) season aerial surveys of elephants and wildlife in the Chobe District of northern Botswana to provide recent information on the status of wildlife numbers and their seasonal distribution. The aerial surveys were commissioned by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) and funded largely by Forest Conservation Botswana. A small fixed wing plane was used to fly a stratified sample survey, with parallel transects over the Chobe Distinct a survey area of about 22560 km2 in extent. It included Chobe National Park (NP), Chobe Forest Reserve (FR), Kasane FR and Extension, Kazuma FR, Sibuyu FR and Maikaelelo FR, and surrounding Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the Chobe District. The principal objective of this survey was to provide relatively precise and accurate estimates of wildlife in the survey area, using a method, which could be repeated. Secondary objectives included mapping the spatial distribution of elephants and other wildlife, distribution of elephant carcasses, baobab trees and large birds. The methods used were suitable for meeting the survey objectives, repeatability and technically robust. Thus this survey provides a baseline for monitoring future trends in the numbers and spatial distribution of wildlife in Chobe. This report provides the results of these two seasonal surveys, in addition to information on the spatial distribution, and abundance of wildlife and trends of elephant numbers. Maps and tables illustrating the distribution, numbers, density and trends of wildlife species in the survey area are provided

Leadership Development And Support: The Perceived Effects Of A Dialogic Peer Coaching Program

This formative program evaluation examined the perceptions of school-based leaders in a peer dialogic group coaching and discussion program in a larger school district in Western Canada. The pilot program included 14 principals and vice-principals from 12 different elementary or high schools who participated in either a discussion or coaching format to support and develop leadership and communication skills in six biweekly meetings over three months. Qualitative inductive content analysis was used to code and theme the data that resulted from semi-structured interviews and anonymous online surveys. Four main themes emerged from the data, and these themes described key elements of the coaching and discussion program that participants found important to program success. The first themes is Setting the Stage, which alludes to preconditions participants identified as critical to program success. The second is Shared Presence, which described the ways participants showed up to coaching or group discussions and how individuals contributed to group development. The third is Living the Learning, which explores the ways that participants perceived the structures that framed growth and support and how people participated in those structures. The fourth is The Value of Partnership, which describes the effects of the program for both individuals and the school district. This study found that participants perceived numerous elements that deserve careful consideration for program improvement or continuation. The emerging model for the program was an interconnected web of elements, each deserving of attention and important to program success. Whereas the nature of a formative assessment does not provide generalizability or transferability, this study contends that leadership program developers could benefit from a deep knowledge of program elements and an open discussion of expectations and structures going into a school-based administrator leadership and communication development and support program. Key elements include the use of a robust coaching model, having an expert resource, making the program optional and ensuring that the meetings are participant-driven

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Epibenthic Deep-Sea Megafauna of the Northern Gulf of Mexico

In this study, we assessed the bioaccumulation of oil-derived and man-made pollutants in deep-sea epibenthic megafauna from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs) were measured as representatives of oil and emission related pollution. Whereas, polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) were measured as representatives of man-made industrial chemicals. Our results showed overall comparable levels for all pollutants in four separate epibenthic deep-sea megafauna, which included: Actinaria (sea anemones), Pennatulacea (sea pens), Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers), and Crinoidea (sea lilies). The analysis of PAH levels showed greater accumulation for high molecular weight compounds that are also highly lipophilic. However, the analysis of PCBs showed that the levels of two congeners (PCBs 101 and 138) were consistently higher than the rest of the PCBs measured. Our results shed light on a knowledge-gap that exists on assessing the extent to which anthropogenic pollutants may impact the deep-sea environment

International river basin management : a case study of the Okavango River Basin.

Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.This dissertation reviews the principles of International River Basin Management and their application by the governments of Angola, Botswana and Namibia. The dissertation deals with the issues popularised by governments, water planners and international agencies that the twenty-first century's conflicts will be fought over water. Increasingly this concern is being used to justify new water-supply dams and river diversion projects. This is especially so in arid Southern Africa, the focus of this dissertation, where numerous major international water transfers are underway and many more are being planned. While Namibia's growing thirst is a serious problem, the story is more complicated than just too many basin states putting their straws into one glass. The growing conflicts over the Okavango's water use raise broader questions about ownership of common resources, and equity of access to those resources. Most southern African countries depend on primary natural resources to sustain economies and their people. The environmental issues are remarkably similar in countries within the region, and the economic, social and political fortunes of the individual countries are intertwined. Furthermore, the ways in which resources are being managed are similar and thus cause for common concern. In general, the ability of countries in the region to achieve sustainable development depends not on national policies but also on the commitment of neighbours to practice sound environmental management. This is because activities in one country can easily cause impacts on a neighbour and possibly result in "downstream" opportunity costs. This case study of the Okavango River Basin, a river facing prospective developments from riparian states Angola, Botswana and Namibia, attempts to find sustainable solutions to solving international resource conflict. In addition to outlining the possible future threats to the Okavango River, this study proclaims a number of recommendations in the way of declaring alternatives to Namibia's plans to extract water from the Okavango River. One such recommendation is the encouragement of Water Demand Management as an alternative to water transfer by Namibia. This management strategy is aimed at optimising the use of available water rather than developing new or extended supplies and as a result it has a vital role to play since it contributes to sustainable development rather than over exploitation of limited natural resources. The majority of large rivers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are shared by three or more countries, and as the region's water resources come under growing development pressure, the importance of establishing effective national and regional methods and institutions for sustainably managing these resources will increase greatly. From economic, ecological and human welfare perspectives, the Okav,ango River Basin is arguably one of the most important transboundary natural resources (TBNR) in the region. Owing to the basin's remoteness and history of conflict, the Okavango was spared much of the destructive developments that rivers in the region have suffered. As a result, the relatively pristine Okavango ecosystem continues to provide significant benefits to the region much as it has done for centuries. As we approach the new millennium, however, it is clear that the health of the Okavango River Basin is threatened as riparian states increasingly turn to the Okavango to support their growing populations and economies

The Use of Drugs in Captive White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus): An Evaluation of Two Common Extra-Label Drug Uses in the Deer Breeding Industry

The white-tailed deer (WTD) breeding and hunting industry is a large and growing industry with an economic impact of over a billion dollars in Texas alone. The increasing number of deer in captive breeding facilities results in increased veterinary drug use on deer. However, drugs can act differently even among similar species so further information on drug use in deer would help managers and veterinarians make more sound decisions when using drugs in deer. Two examples of novel extra-label drug use in WTD are studied, evaluated, and explained. Tulathromycin is a macrolide antibiotic used commonly to treat livestock, including deer, with bacterial respiratory infections, often delivered subcutaneous (SQ) or intramuscular (IM). Since it is logistically difficult to put hands on a WTD, even in most captive breeding situations, a study was conducted to evaluated tulathromycin as a candidate for remote-delivery dart (RDD) in WTD. Twelve WTD were darted with CO2 powered RDD projectors to administer 2.5 mg/kg of tulathromycin IM. Blood was then collected nine times over 30 days and the serum concentration for each sample was quantified in order to determine the pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin in each deer. Overall tulathromycin was poorly absorbed, reached low mean peak concentrations, had a high bioavailability, and an extremely long elimination half-life. The results indicated that darting with tulathromycin is an unpredictable means of administration and may not reach therapeutic concentrations. Flunixin meglumine (FM), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was also evaluated for extra-label use in WTD in a case study with 72 WTD in South Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife has seen anecdotal evidence of FM effectively reducing the body temperature of hyperthermic animals during game captures. Three of the deer in the case study became severely hyperthermic and the FM was tested in conjunction with cold water enemas. With over half of the 72 deer being hyperthermic, and three severely hyperthermic, a 100% post 30-day survival is strong evidence of the effect of FM

Effects of Blue and Green Light on Plant Growth and Development at Low and High Photosynthetic Photon Flux

The optimal combination of wavelengths of light (spectral quality) for single leaf photosynthesis has been well characterized, but spectral quality is not well characterized in whole plants in long-term studies. Here we report the effects of eight light spectra at two photosynthetic photon fluxes (200 and 500 µmol m-2 s-1) on dry mass, leaf area index and net assimilation of seven species in replicate 21-day studies. The combination of treatments allowed us to separately assess the effects of blue and green light fraction among species and PPF. At a PPF of 500, increasing blue light from 11 to 28 % significantly decreased dry mass in tomato, cucumber, and pepper, but there was no significant effect on soybean, lettuce and wheat. At a PPF of 200, dry mass significantly decreased only in tomato across the blue light range. Effects on leaf area paralleled effects on dry mass in all species at both PPFs, indicating that the effects of blue light on dry mass were mediated by changes in leaf area. Contrary to predictions of net assimilation based on blue light response of single leaves, there was no evidence of decreasing net assimilation with increasing blue light. In contrast to the significant effect of blue light dry mass and leaf area, increasing green light fraction from zero to 30 % resulted in few significant differences. Contrary to several reports on significant green light effects on growth (both increases and decreases), we found no consistent effect of green light among species on growth, leaf area or net assimilation. Collectively, these results indicate significant differences among species in sensitivity to blue light and less sensitivity to green light, and that the effect of blue light on dry mass is primarily determined by changes in leaf area