Month: April 2024

Abstract

Carbon removal is emerging as a pillar of governmental and industry commitments toward achieving Net Zero targets. Drawing from 44 focus groups in 22 countries, we map technical and societal issues that a representative sample of publics raise on five major types of carbon removal (forests, soils, direct air capture, enhanced weathering, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage), and how these translate to preferences for governance actors, mechanisms, and rationales. We assess gaps and overlaps between a global range of public perceptions and how carbon removal is currently emerging in assessment, innovation, and decision-making. In conclusion, we outline key societal expectations for informing assessment and policy: prioritize public engagement as more than acceptance research; scrutiny and regulation of industry beyond incentivizing innovation; systemic coordination across sectors, levels, and borders; and prioritize underlying causes of climate change and interrelated governance issues.

Abstract

The U.S. climate movement has undergone rapid growth in the early decades of the twenty-first century. However, there is very little publicly available research on the demographics of the U.S. climate movement, including its racial diversity. This study explores the demographics of the U.S. climate movement through a survey of 1003 climate activists in the USA, including race, age, gender, political ideology, and socioeconomic status. The study also compares the demographics of White and BIPOC climate activists and their engagement with climate actions. The results show that climate activists in the U.S. are predominantly White, female, progressive, age 50 and above, and middle class. BIPOC climate activists tend to be younger, lower socioeconomic class, less likely to contact elected officials about climate change, and less likely to discuss climate change with their friends and family. Organizations looking to diversify the climate movement can use insights from this study to better engage their target audiences.

Abstract

Background

Diabetes is a leading health disorder and is responsible for high mortality rates across the globe. Multiple treatment protocols are being applied to overcome this morbidity and mortality including plant-based traditional medicines. This study was designed to investigate the ethnomedicinal status of plant species used to treat diabetes in District Karak, Pakistan.

Materials and methods

A semi-structured survey was created to collect data about traditionally used medicinal plants for diabetes and other ailments. The convenience sampling method was applied for the selection of informants. The collected data was evaluated through quantitative tools like frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (FIC), fidelity level (FL), and use value (UV).

Results

A total of 346 local informants were selected for this research. Out of them, 135 participants were men and 211 participants were women. Overall 38 plant species belonging to 29 plant families were used to treat diabetes. The most dominant plant family was Oleaceae having 11 species. Powder form (19%) was the most recommended mode of preparation for plant-based ethnomedicines. Leaves (68%) were the most frequently used parts followed by fruit (47%). The highest RFC was recorded for Apteranthes tuberculata (0.147). The maximum FL was reported for Apteranthes tuberculata (94.4) and Zygophyllum indicum (94.11) for diabetes, skin, and wounds. Similarly, the highest UV of (1) each was found for Brassica rapa, Melia azedarach, and Calotropis procera. Based on documented data, the reported ailments were grouped into 7 categories. The ICF values range between 0.89 (diabetes) to 0.33 (Cardiovascular disorders).

Conclusion

The study includes a variety of antidiabetic medicinal plants, which are used by the locals in various herbal preparations. The species Apteranthes tuberculata has been reported to be the most frequently used medicinal plant against diabetes. Therefore, it is recommended that such plants be further investigated in-vitro and in-vivo to determine their anti-diabetic effects.

Abstract

Background

Diabetes is a leading health disorder and is responsible for high mortality rates across the globe. Multiple treatment protocols are being applied to overcome this morbidity and mortality including plant-based traditional medicines. This study was designed to investigate the ethnomedicinal status of plant species used to treat diabetes in District Karak, Pakistan.

Materials and methods

A semi-structured survey was created to collect data about traditionally used medicinal plants for diabetes and other ailments. The convenience sampling method was applied for the selection of informants. The collected data was evaluated through quantitative tools like frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (FIC), fidelity level (FL), and use value (UV).

Results

A total of 346 local informants were selected for this research. Out of them, 135 participants were men and 211 participants were women. Overall 38 plant species belonging to 29 plant families were used to treat diabetes. The most dominant plant family was Oleaceae having 11 species. Powder form (19%) was the most recommended mode of preparation for plant-based ethnomedicines. Leaves (68%) were the most frequently used parts followed by fruit (47%). The highest RFC was recorded for Apteranthes tuberculata (0.147). The maximum FL was reported for Apteranthes tuberculata (94.4) and Zygophyllum indicum (94.11) for diabetes, skin, and wounds. Similarly, the highest UV of (1) each was found for Brassica rapa, Melia azedarach, and Calotropis procera. Based on documented data, the reported ailments were grouped into 7 categories. The ICF values range between 0.89 (diabetes) to 0.33 (Cardiovascular disorders).

Conclusion

The study includes a variety of antidiabetic medicinal plants, which are used by the locals in various herbal preparations. The species Apteranthes tuberculata has been reported to be the most frequently used medicinal plant against diabetes. Therefore, it is recommended that such plants be further investigated in-vitro and in-vivo to determine their anti-diabetic effects.

Abstract

Application of chemical acaricides in the control of ticks has led to the problem of tick-acaricide control failure. To obtain an understanding of the possible risk factors involved in this tick-acaricide control failure, this study investigated tick control practices on communal farms in the north-eastern part of the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) of South Africa. A semi-structured questionnaire designed to document specific farm attributes and acaricide usage practices was administered at 94 communal farms from the Oliver Tambo District municipality of the ECP. Data collected indicated that the main acaricide chemicals used at plunge dips of inland and coastal areas were synthetic pyrethroid formulations. Most (75%) farmers claimed not to have noticed a significant reduction in numbers of actively feeding and growing ticks on cattle after several acaricide treatments. Based on the farmers’ perceptions, leading factors that could have led to tick-acaricide control failure included: weak strength of the dip solution (76%); poor structural state of dip tanks (42%); and irregular tick control (21%). The rearing of crossbreeds of local and exotic cattle breeds, perceived weak strength of the dip solution and high frequency of acaricide treatment, were statistically associated with proportions of farms reporting tick-acaricide control failure. Furthermore, approximately 50% of farms reported at least four tick control malpractices, which could have resulted in the emergence and spread of tick-acaricide control failure. Other sub-optimal tick control practices encountered included incorrect acaricide rotation, and failure to treat all cattle in a herd. This data will inform and guide the development of management strategies for tick-acaricide control failure and resistance in communal farming areas.

Abstract

Application of chemical acaricides in the control of ticks has led to the problem of tick-acaricide control failure. To obtain an understanding of the possible risk factors involved in this tick-acaricide control failure, this study investigated tick control practices on communal farms in the north-eastern part of the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) of South Africa. A semi-structured questionnaire designed to document specific farm attributes and acaricide usage practices was administered at 94 communal farms from the Oliver Tambo District municipality of the ECP. Data collected indicated that the main acaricide chemicals used at plunge dips of inland and coastal areas were synthetic pyrethroid formulations. Most (75%) farmers claimed not to have noticed a significant reduction in numbers of actively feeding and growing ticks on cattle after several acaricide treatments. Based on the farmers’ perceptions, leading factors that could have led to tick-acaricide control failure included: weak strength of the dip solution (76%); poor structural state of dip tanks (42%); and irregular tick control (21%). The rearing of crossbreeds of local and exotic cattle breeds, perceived weak strength of the dip solution and high frequency of acaricide treatment, were statistically associated with proportions of farms reporting tick-acaricide control failure. Furthermore, approximately 50% of farms reported at least four tick control malpractices, which could have resulted in the emergence and spread of tick-acaricide control failure. Other sub-optimal tick control practices encountered included incorrect acaricide rotation, and failure to treat all cattle in a herd. This data will inform and guide the development of management strategies for tick-acaricide control failure and resistance in communal farming areas.

Abstract

Taking up interconnected concerns about the hierarchies that exist within Latinidad and what I call Latina/o/x relational identity formation, this article focuses on the complexity of US Central American identity formation through an analysis of Maya Chinchilla’s and Leticia Hernández-Linares’s representation of US Central Americanness as it intersects with Chicana/o/x cultural influences. My discussion focuses on the poems “Homegirl” from Chinchilla’s poetry collection The Cha Cha Files: A Chapina Poética (2014) and “Cars That Go Boom” from Hernández-Linares's collection Razor Edges of My Tongue (2002). Through a relational and polycultural framing and in conversation with US Central American studies and cultural identity scholars, my analysis centers the agency and dynamism that characterizes US Central American relational identity formation, while simultaneously grappling with the unequal power dynamics that exist within Latinidad through an intersectional lens that centers questions of race, gender, sexuality, nation, and language.

Abstract

Australia is a multi-cultural society, with the majority of recent migrants arriving from non-English speaking Asian countries. Yet we know little about how ethnic diversity in the population is reflected in employment participation and within-family time exchange. This paper investigates how nonmarket time and labour market time vary across migrant groups from non-English speaking country backgrounds (NESCB) compared with English-speaking country background migrants and non-Indigenous Australians (ESB&AU). It uses a longitudinal instrumental variable method to deal with biases caused by endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity. We find that nonmarket time is strongly influenced by family circumstances such as having young children and partner’s circumstances (health status and life events including health shocks). The relationship of these factors with nonmarket time varies across our two major groups. For example, the relationship between a partner’s life events and partner’s health status and the other partner’s nonmarket time are significantly greater for NESCB migrant couples than for ESB&AU couples. This connects with our initial theories about the collectivist cultural backgrounds in NESCB couples in maintaining gender roles or different levels of economic security facing NESB migrants that affect how they allocate caregiving and housework time, especially when a partner becomes ill or face a life event. This paper also shows clear evidence of health selection into the labour market, and a strong trade-off between nonmarket and market time in both groups.