Differentiation of forest vegetation across bioclimatic sector border (western part of the West Sayan Ridge)

A detailed description of the forests of the northern and southern macroslopes of western part of the West Sayan Ridge has been performed and differences in their forest vegetation have been analyzed. Along the West Sayan Ridge watershed, the important botanical and geographical boundary of the Altai-Sayan Mountains occurs. Its northern macroslope belongs to the humid bioclimatic sector; bioclimatic conditions throughout the southern macroslope vary in its different parts: the central and eastern parts are resided in the semihumid sector, while the western one is settled in the «rain shadow», where vegetation is similar to the semiarid sector one. The West Sayan background vegetation type is forest. The work is based on 120 complete geobotanical relevés made by the authors in 2019 using standard methods on test plots of 20 × 20 m. These plots had been uniformly distributed on a 300-kilometer transect crossing the northern and southern macroslopes of West Sayan’s western part. After all, 9 basic units of forest communities have been revealed, 6 of them are found to be altitudinal zone forests. These plant community positions in ecological-phytocenotic and floristic classification hierarchy have been ascertained. The altitudinal allocation and areas of altitudinal zone forests have been characterized and analyzed; the scheme of altitudinal zonation has been specified; the pictures in the text illustrate those results. In West Sayan’s western part, the northern and southern macroslopes are shown to have different altitudinal zone boundary marks and a different set of forest communities: six types of forests follow each other from north to south throughout 300 km. The significant hierarchical level of syntaxonomic differences of altitudinal zone forests on northern and southern macroslopes supports the presence of a bioclimatic barrier. In ecological-phytocenotic classification hierarchy these differences are reflected by the rank of classes of formations (deciduous, dark coniferous, and light coniferous forests substitute each other); in floristic classification hierarchy – the rank of classes (the forests of Brachypodio–Betuletea, Asaro–Abitetea, Vaccinio–Piceetea, and Rhytidio–Laricetea substitute each other from north to south).

The Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of Kerala – Status and Distribution

The odonate fauna of Kerala, their status and distribution are reviewed. Based on personal records from field work since 2010 and published literature, all the recent additions and range extensions to the region are critically analyzed and a revised checklist of odonates of Western Ghats and Kerala is provided. The current checklist of odonates of the Western Ghats stands at 207 species, including 80 endemics. A total of 181 species of Odonates, including 68 Western Ghats endemics, belonging to 87 genera under two suborders and 14 families were recorded from the geographical boundary of Kerala. The suborder Zygoptera comprises 74 species of damselflies (30 genera in seven families) and the suborder Anisoptera has 107 species (57 genera in seven families). Endemic species and those in IUCN Red List categories are enlisted. None of the odonate species from the region are protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972. A detailed discussion on odonates occurring in Kerala has been provided in the systematic part.

TRENDS OF KIDNAPPING AND HOSTAGE TAKING IN 21ST CENTURY NIGERIA: A REFLECTIVE DISCOURSE

Kidnapping and hostage taking activities have geometrically increased across the world, taking different forms. These activities for money and other reasons have contributed immensely to the state of insecurity of average Nigerian from within and outside the territory. It is on this note that this paper addresses the trends of kidnapping and hostage taking in Nigeria, its causes, implications and how best to arrest the worrisome situation. Relevant existing body of knowledge were reviewed according to the objectives of the paper. The research design for the paper was explanatory in nature where rational choice theory, routine activity theory and situational crime prevention were adopted to buttress the understanding of the subject matter. Based on the reviewed literature, it was found that the trend of kidnapping and hostage taking in the 21st century Nigeria is on the “high” side thereby needing urgent attention from all stakeholders; Nigerian government, non-governmental organisations, private bodies and all citizens. It is, therefore, recommended that increased effort to fight kidnapping and hostage taking should be made possible by the Nigerian government. This would make the risk of involving in kidnapping related activities higher than the expected benefit; to deter offenders and potential ones from committing such act. Also, capturing the geographical boundary of Nigeria with sophisticated gadget will help reduce the chances of being a victim of kidnapping. These strategies would make kidnapping unattractive to the motivated offender since the opportunity to commit such crime no longer exists.

Urban Vitality, Urban Form, and Land Use: Their Relations within a Geographical Boundary for Walkers

The aim of this study was to exmine the influence of combined urban form and land use on the vibrancy in urban areas within a geographical boundary for walkers. A geographical boundary is defined as a block group surrounded by expressways and arterials, based on findings in previous studies. Spatial regression was performed with mobile signal data representing the degree of vitality within the defined areal unit as a dependent variable, and explanatory variables measured by urban form hierarchy were used to consider both natural and built environments. The outcome helps comprehend the physical and functional forms of vibrant neighborhood environments. The result implies the importance of highly desirable features for walking- or transit-friendly neighborhoods. It also indicates the right combination of land uses needed to support the daily lives of local residents: little lost space, short blocks, well-connected streets, short distances to transit stations, and proximity to essential facilities. This study suggests a new way of defining a spatial unit for vitality analysis and shows the critical roles of both natural and built environments in activating local vitality. These findings establish the groundwork for designing better neighborhoods, especially for an area composed of local streets and collector roads.

Evaluating the gene flow from East to West among various populations of Rajasthan, India

Background: The genetic landscape of South Asia is distinctive, where there is a preponderance of social-cultural and genetic variability. Rajasthan is a state located in the north-western part of India and it has been cited as a major route of human migration since ancient times. The present study was conducted to find out the genetic affinity of Rajasthani population with the population living in its east and the west. In particular, we compared them with the population of Pakistan which shares the common geographical boundary with the Rajasthan while also having a look at their inter and intra population affinities with the population belonging to other Indian states. We investigated the genetic structure and population parameters of Rajasthani populations obtained for twenty polymorphic autosomal STR loci from 669 unrelated individuals belonging to its three population groups including Mina, Gujjar and the mixed population of Rajasthan.Results: The studied populations showed a wide range of genetic diversity and besides the genetic structure of the studied populations, it was found that the average heterozygosity value was highest among the populations of Rajasthan, possibly, because of gene flow from different directions.Conclusion: Various statistical analyses suggested that the Rajasthani populations had a higher affinity with the North Indian populations rather than with the Pakistani population.

Considering an integrated malacology approach to ecosystem assessment: a socio-ecological system analysis of the terrestrial mollusks in an atlantic rainforest area, southeastern Brazil

The invertebrate group is not considered in environmental studies. When they are remembered, the studies are vague, superficial and do not give the due importance that the group has in the ecosystem dynamics. This paper aimed at placing the terrestrial mollusks in the discussion agenda of complex socio-ecological systems and analyzed the interactions of these mollusks with the other components of the socio-ecological subsystems. The analysis was based on the theoretical-methodological framework proposed by Ostrom and discussed how terrestrial mollusks have the potential to support actions for decision-making in biodiversity conservation, public health and local economy. The framework presented four subsystems categorized as ecological, political, social and economic, with the Sooretama Biological Reserve in the Northern state of Espirito Santo as a geographical boundary. The results allow us to perceive that terrestrial mollusks have essential characteristics that reflect into ecosystem health, acting in an integrated way with the dynamics of environmental services and the equilibrium of habitats.

African Diaspora in Asia

The presence of Africans in Asia and their migration around it is one of the least-studied subjects in all of Asian history. The same is true for studies of the African diaspora, but that does not mean that African migration lacks significance in either field. Existing scholarship reveals that Africans traveled to and settled in various regions in Asia, from the Arabian Peninsula to Nagasaki. While there were free African migrants in Asia, a larger number of them arrived as slaves, transported there by both local and European traders. Conditions for the forced immigrants varied and not all of them remained permanently un-free, with some even eventually coming to obtain political power. To understand their dispersal and presence in Asia does more than simply broaden our current understanding of the African diaspora; it also enables us to understand that the African diaspora is a global phenomenon. That improved understanding can in turn break down the geographical boundary of Asian history and connect it not only to African history but to European history too. To do that, the topic requires scholars to challenge the methodological limits of current historical studies.

Exploring the Use of Social Media as Tools for Information Sharing Among Undergraduates of University of Ilorin

The emergence of social media in the 21st century has revolutionized social interaction among individuals and groups beyond physical and geographical boundary. Social media tools such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, MySpace, Skype, Messengers, etc. have affected our traditional face-to-face interaction. It has facilitated extensive communication and sharing of knowledge in the society in general and schools in particular. In the academic field, social media serves as a powerful tool for communication. This chapter, therefore, explores the use of social media for sharing information among undergraduate students.

Strategic spatial analysis of urban greenbelt plans in Mashhad city, Iran

Background Greenbelt, known as the most restrictive form of urban containment policy, is a geographical boundary around a city or urban region to prevent urban sprawl. In the present study, the urban greenbelt plans were investigated with spatial, temporal, and statistical attitudes in Mashhad city, Iran. Spatial and temporal data analyses were carried out in ENVI, and GIS programs based on satellite imageries in addition to the expert analyzes of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and QSPM (quantitative strategic planning matrix) matrixes to achieve the key strategies concerning the revitalization of a new greenbelt plan. Results Four temporal sequences of Landsat imageries were extracted for 1988, 1998, 2008, and 2018 to classify the expansion of real estates and urban sprawl. The results showed that the legal greenbelt plan failed after 10 years because the status of greenbelt in 2018 revealed nearly of occupation by sprawl expansion over than 20%. Then a new greenbelt plan was proposed around the city. Based on the lowest value of the environmental change index (ΔYi), with an average of 0.14, the proposed greenbelt plan will demonstrate an optimum efficiency in the future time intervals (2030–2050). Conclusions Therefore, expert analyzes of SWOT and QSPM matrixes were shown that the essential weakness of greenbelt planning in the Mashhad city depends on the lack of a legal mechanism to conserve the greenbelt boundaries. Therefore, the total sum score of external factor’s matrix with the value of 2.65 demonstrated that the opportunities for greenbelt planning in the study area are more effective than threats in the study area. Ultimately, six key strategies in greenbelt planning were presented to achieve a general equilibrium through future urban development.

Ascertaining the Discursive Construction of the Cosmopolitan Identity: An Analysis of Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine

This paper anatomizes Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine in the perspective of cultural assimilation and determines the extent of establishing cosmopolitan identity through discourse. The researcher uses the theoretical framework propounded by Appiah to examine the contribution and representation of literary globalization in the making of ‘universal citizen’ whose cultural and geographical boundary crossing results into the formation of post-modern fluid identities. Methodologically, this qualitative content analysis uses the joint venture of Appiah’s concept of cosmopolitanism and Fairclough’s notion of naturalization focusing on three scenarios which specify an acceptance of differences, accentuation of differences, and attempt to resolve the differences. The analysis reflects that boundary crossing by the immigrants has formed fluidity and has given exponential boost to the idea of harmony and coexistence. It also reveals that this transformation of identity owes to the discourse of the dominant culture which reshapes fundamental knowledge and values for the individuals of minorities. However, it also signifies that postmodern cosmopolitan fluidity continues to thrive.