The Paradox of Fragmentation in Regional Resource Management: Implications for Cumulative Effects Assessment in Alberta

Cross-jurisdictional natural resource management at global and regional scales is increasingly struggling with issues of fragmentation. Within the context of regional resource management and governance, fragmentation is a term to broadly describe the interaction of numerous jurisdictions within a region. The nature of these relationships can produce varying effects on ecosystem health when resource management issues transcend jurisdictional boundaries. The concept of fragmentation shifts between disciplines and case studies, often with a focus on the negative outcomes that fragmentation may produce. This research takes a new approach to analyzing fragmentation that aims to understand the many ways that fragmentation can occur, and the often-competing outcomes that fragmentation may produce. The approach involves constructing a consolidated framework for analyzing fragmentation. Qualitative data were examined to present examples of fragmentation from a case study within the Yellowhead ecosystem region in Western Canada. The examples support the structure of a consolidated framework for analyzing fragmentation and illustrate the types of fragmentation occurring alongside cross-jurisdictional resource management in Alberta. Cross-jurisdictional issues such as tenure allocation, species at risk management, approval acquisition and planning provide different examples of fragmentation. Analysis of the fragmentation occurring alongside these issues identified positive and negative outcomes of fragmentation. The framework was also applied for in depth examination of one cross-jurisdictional issue: cumulative effects management. Cumulative effects management is an approach to transboundary resource management currently being implemented by the Government of Alberta. Different types of fragmentation are constraining and enabling the effective implementation of cumulative effects management in the Yellowhead ecosystem in different ways, producing positive and negative effects. By constructing a consolidated framework for analyzing fragmentation, and applying it to a case study in the Yellowhead ecosystem, this research seeks to clarify the concept of fragmentation and the implications of fragmentation for achieving desired outcomes outlined natural resource management strategies

Applied utility and the auto-ethnographic short story: persuasions for, and illustrations of, writing critical social science

In some quarters it is argued that, narrative researchers might be classified as being either storyanalysts or storytellers. They go on to suggest that one feature of storytellers is that they undertake a form of analysis as the process of writing unfolds. With these sentiments in mind, in the present paper, we consider how auto-ethnographical accounts of traumatic and challenging life events might, through the analysis contained within, demonstrate value within the realm of applied pedagogy. In making our case we embrace and adapt the literary genre of storytelling, more specifically, the short story. The story presented here, ‘Travel Writer’, offers an opaque, multicontextualised and lifelong view of career transition. The present paper, in more general terms, considers the capacity of auto-ethnography and, more specifically, the short storied version of it, to engender critical reader engagement, to encourage personal reflection in others, and to act as a point of stimulus for the enactment of applied debate through the lens of critical social science. With regards to the assumptions of critical social science, the final discussion also considers how the auto-ethnographic text, as a pedagogic tool, might help others to contest and challenge the meta-narratives that, we argue, risk stagnating established thinking

Labour and value: new challenges for work and industrial relations in a post-pandemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic, a highly disruptive crisis event, significantly impacted economies, societies and organisations globally. It also brought questions of labour and its value to the fore, particularly as workers from key occupational groups sought to protect the most vulnerable individuals in society. It also triggered a mass re-evaluation of the meaning we assign to work. But to what extent has a fundamental re-evaluation of work, labour and value taken place in the aftermath of this crisis? In this introduction to the Special Issue of the 2023 AIRAANZ Conference, we examine this question, exploring new challenges facing labour and value in the aftermath of the pandemic and inviting scholarly discussion on emerging ways of valuing labour that promotes decent work and sustainability

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Supplements of Potential Concern during Breast Cancer Chemotherapy

Objective. While many Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) are unlikely to interact negatively with conventional oncology treatment, some ingestible CAM substances have biological activities that may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiation. This study surveyed women with breast cancer in order to document the extent to which women with breast cancer use these CAM substances of concern concurrently with conventional treatments. Methods. A total of 398 women completed a survey describing their use of CAM at various time points in their cancer treatment. This report focuses on a subsample of 250 women receiving chemotherapy or radiation who reported using specific one or more of several chemotherapies. Results. Of those participating, 104 (43.7%) of those receiving chemotherapy (n=238) and 45 (32.3%) of those receiving radiation (139; 58.4% of all patients) reported using one or more CAM substances that could be cause for concern when taken concurrently. Conclusion. Research is needed to understand the real risks associated with CAM and conventional polypharmacy. If risks associated with CAM conventional polypharmacy use prove to be substantial then improved systems to assure all women get advice regarding herb and supplement use during breast cancer treatment appear to be needed

Testifying in court as a victim of crime for persons with little or no functional speech : vocabulary implications

People with disabilities are at a high risk of becoming victims of crime. Individuals with little or no functional speech (LNFS) face an even higher risk. One way of reducing the risk of remaining a victim of crime is to face the alleged perpetrator in court as a witness – therefore it is important for a person with LNFS who has been a victim of crime to have the required vocabulary to testify in court. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the core and fringe legal vocabulary required by illiterate victims of crime, who have little or no functional speech, to testify in court as witnesses. A mixed-method, exploratory sequential design consisting of two distinct phases was used to address the aim of the research. The first phase was of a qualitative nature and included two different data sources, namely in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=3) and focus group discussions (n=22). The overall aim of this phase was to identify and describe core and fringe legal vocabulary and to develop a measurement instrument based on these results. Results from Phase 1 were used in Phase 2, the quantitative phase, during which the measurement instrument (a custom-designed questionnaire) was socially validated by 31 participants. The results produced six distinct vocabulary categories that represent the legal core vocabulary and 99 words that represent the legal fringe vocabulary. The findings suggested that communication boards should be individualised to the individual and the specific crime, based on both the core and fringe legal vocabulary. It is believed that the vocabulary lists developed in this study act as a valid and reliable springboard from which communication boards can be developed. Recommendations were therefore made to develop an Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) Resource Tool Kit to assist the legal justice system.http://www.sapsac.co.za/carsa.htmlam201

Habituation and decline of anti-predator behaviours in colobus monkeys in dog-dense suburban Kenya

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are an invasive species that can affect wildlife behaviour and contribute to species extinction. In Diani and Galu, southeastern Kenya, they injure or kill colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis palliatus) more than the other monkey species in the area. This study investigated how arboreal colobus in these suburban areas adjust anti-predator strategies to a dog-dense environment. From May to July 2018, we conducted focal follows on two colobus groups (Group A: 103 h; Group B: 98.5 h) with home ranges overlapping with dogs and where previous dog-colobus attacks were witnessed. Dog-colobus interactions (⩽20 m from a dog) occurred in 2% of observation hours, with 70% of interactions involving dog predatory behaviours. The primary anti-predator behaviour was vigilance during the interactions and moving away rather than fleeing. When we mapped these interactions, the high-risk areas accounted for 12 and 13% of the total home ranges, respectively. Both groups spent about half their time foraging in these high-risk areas, did not stay high in the vegetation while there, and did not socialise or rest more frequently in the low-risk areas. A 1969 study of colobus vocalisations in the same area described colobus responding to dogs with vocalisations, threat displays, and fleeing – typical anti-predator behaviours of the genus. We conclude that over 55 years of exposure and habituation to dogs in a rapidly growing suburban environment have diminished anti-predator responses. Although frequently employed anti-predator behaviours would be energetically costly, reduced expression may ultimately increase colobus vulnerability to dog predation

Identifying barriers in the South African Criminal Justice System : implications for individuals with severe communication disability

Individuals with severe communication disabilities and who are victims of crime, experience many access and opportunity barriers in the criminal justice system. The aim of this research was to identify the barriers experienced by this population in the South African Criminal Justice System as perceived by experts in the field. A qualitative research method, with 56 expert professionals in the criminal justice system divided into two different sequential data sources, was employed. The first data source included in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n=3), and these results informed the second data source, which was in the form of four focus groups (n=53).The results from both data sources (N=56) identified numerous barriers for individuals with a severe communication disability who had been victims of crime and needed access to the criminal justice system. The findings suggest that more support and resources need to be provided to individuals with severe communication disability. Additionally, disability training for all professionals working in the criminal justice system needs to be a top priority. Recommendations were made to develop an augmentative and alternative communication resource toolkit to assist these professionals, to ensure equal justice for one of the most vulnerable groups in society – those individuals with a severe communication disability who have been victims of crime.http://www.actacommercii.co.zaam2016Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

The Integrity and Yield of Genomic DNA Isolated from Whole Blood Following Long-Term Storage at -30°C.

Long-term storage of whole blood can affect the integrity of DNA if it is not done under optimal conditions. The aim of this study was to determine whether long-term storage (2-19 years) of whole blood samples at -30°C had a negative effect on the quality or quantity of genomic DNA that could be recovered at extraction. Genomic DNA was isolated from 2758 whole blood samples collected in 4 mL EDTA vacutainers from 1997 to 2012. DNA was extracted using the Qiagen® FlexiGene® DNA kit. The average storage duration at -30°C was 12 years. The quality and quantity of the isolated DNA were assessed using spectrophotometry (NanoDrop™), a fluorometric assay for double-stranded DNA (Qubit™), and agarose gel electrophoresis. The mean DNA yield per sample was found to be 114 μg from whole blood volumes that ranged from 0.5 to 4 mL. The mean A260/280 ratio and median A260/280 ratios were both 1.8. No correlation was found between the duration of storage and the total yield or the quality of DNA extracted. These data suggest that high-quality DNA can be extracted from whole blood samples that are stored at -30°C for up to 19 years