National | Jotup

In search of the world's largest freshwater fish – the wonderfully weird giants lurking in Earth's rivers

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

While we know the biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale and the largest marine fish is the whale shark, the identity of the world’s largest freshwater fish species long remained a mystery.

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While we know the biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale and the largest marine fish is the whale shark, the identity of the world’s largest freshwater fish species long remained a mystery.
Until 2022, that is, when fishers in Cambodia caught a giant freshwater stingray in the remote reaches of the Mekong River.
The discovery marked a milestone in fish biologist Zeb Hogan’s more than two-decade quest to study and protect giant freshwater fish.

Colossal catfish and gargantuan gars

Found on all continents except Antarctica, they are a wonderfully weird bunch of creatures, from colossal catfish and carp to gargantuan gars.
But freshwater vertebrate populations have declined over the past five decades at twice the rate experienced by species within terrestrial or marine ecosystems.
Megafish numbers in particular fell by a shocking 94%, according to one study of more than 200 large freshwater species.

What’s killing off the megafish

The decline of giant freshwater fish is due to human impacts, such as overfishing, dam building and climate change.
Since many of these species are slow to mature, they may never reach the age to reproduce.
So far, however, conservation efforts to protect endangered giant freshwater fish species are mostly regional.

Alligator gars and sturgeon make a comeback

But stricter fishing regulations introduced by Indigenous communities appear to have led to populations’ rebounding in many places.
Today, alligator gar populations have bounced back in rivers like the Trinity in Texas.

Protecting the giants of the Mekong

In an example of those efforts’ paying off, fishers in early 2023 caught a Mekong giant catfish weighing more than 200 pounds.
While the record stingray is big, it might not be the largest of this species of ray in the Mekong.
Research on the arapaima, for example, suggests it could grow as big, or even bigger, in places like Guyana.
It’s about learning more about these amazing creatures to figure out how to better protect them.”

Millions of Americans believe aromatherapy works – but for many doctors, it still doesn't pass the smell test

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Like today, patients would inhale or topically apply these oils, which were typically extracted from plants – from leaves to flowers to roots to bark.

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Like today, patients would inhale or topically apply these oils, which were typically extracted from plants – from leaves to flowers to roots to bark.
But not until the 1930s was this form of therapy considered to have true potential in mainstream health care.
That was when Rene Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist who coined the word aromatherapie, wrote extensively about the properties of essential oils.

Medical skepticism, public acceptance

Aromatherapy is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of any medical condition.
They also say there’s not sufficient evidence to show that it works – nor do most have any training in aromatherapy.
Conversely, public acceptance of aromatherapy has never been higher.

Studies are not convincing

In my own research, I have found that many studies on aromatherapy are flawed.
Here are just some of the problems: Exactly which essential oil was used is often not mentioned in these studies.
This is a critical distinction that may not be understood by the authors of these studies.

Potential treatments

A 2021 meta-analysis of clinical trials revealed that the essential oil bergamot can reduce anxiety in humans.
Based on this, it is reasonable to think that using bergamot via inhalation may reduce anxiety.
The Aromatic Research Quality Appraisal Taskforce was founded in 2021 and has created a checklist to assess the quality of aromatherapy studies.

Easy to use

For topical applications, essential oils do not dissolve in water, so use of a vegetable or other oil is necessary to dilute and decrease their concentration.
But before introducing essential oils into your life, you first have to find accurate information about them.

Nigeria's food insecurity: declaring a state of emergency isn't a real solution - here's what is

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 24, 2023

Data compiled by the World Economic Forum show that the average Nigerian household spends about 56% of its income on food.

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Data compiled by the World Economic Forum show that the average Nigerian household spends about 56% of its income on food.
Three other African countries that spend a high percentage of income on food are Kenya (46.7%), Cameroon (45.6%) and Algeria (42.5%).
Nigeria’s situation is so dire that President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency on food insecurity.
My view as an economist is that fixing Nigeria’s food inflation goes beyond declaring a state of emergency.

Why emergency declaration is not enough

The goal is to use them for agricultural production, housing and other socially beneficial projects.
But they won’t be useful to increase food production if the country’s young people aren’t interested in making a living through agriculture.

Learnings from India

One is India, which in the 1950s and 1960s experienced food shortages so severe that it became known as a “begging-bowl” nation.
By making food self-sufficiency its top economic and foreign policy priority in the 1960s, India jettisoned that image and became a major exporter of food.
Programmes under the Green Revolution included pro-agriculture economic policies, land reform and investment in rural infrastructure and agricultural technology.
Land reform: Land reform gave rural people access to agricultural land, supported by government-provided irrigation systems, rainwater catchments and extension officers.
Transport network: Perhaps the greatest boost to food production in India was the inexpensive and extensive transport network in the country.

No quick fixes

There are no quick and easy fixes for Nigeria’s food crisis.
It is doubtful that the mere declaration of a national emergency, with a long wish-list, will succeed in ensuring food security in Nigeria.

Massachusetts is updating its sex education guidelines for the first time in 24 years

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 24, 2023

The last time Massachusetts issued guidelines that specify expectations for what Massachusetts students learn about sex in schools was 24 years ago, when most U.S. homes were not yet internet-connected.

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The last time Massachusetts issued guidelines that specify expectations for what Massachusetts students learn about sex in schools was 24 years ago, when most U.S. homes were not yet internet-connected.
The new guidelines are part of a larger framework that addresses many aspects of health, including physical education, nutrition and hygiene.
I’m a public health researcher who focuses on sex education and healthy relationships.
I’ll provide some more detail on the Massachusetts framework below, but first it is important to understand the state of sex education in the U.S.

Sex education and pornography

Many young people in the U.S are not getting the sex education that they need.
Currently, only 38 U.S. states and the District of Columbia mandate any kind of sex education.
So where do teenagers and young adults go to get information about sex, in the absence of comprehensive sex education at school?
Massachusetts is not one of the states that mandates sex education.
Importantly, the new Massachusetts framework recognizes the prevalence of pornography, and it addresses other critical sex education topics for the modern world.

A series of online games

As researchers, we endeavored to create an online sex education module that reflected the best available evidence and feedback that we got from young people.
Our teaching materials are in the form of short, online games that students engage with on their own time, and then come back to the classroom to discuss.
One of the games has students order the effectiveness of 11 different contraceptive methods.

Reading the framework

First, the framework is evidence-based.
If it does, the new framework will be well positioned to serve as a national model.

FIFA Women’s World Cup: Professional women athletes are still fighting for equitable sponsorship

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Wednesday, July 19, 2023

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Yet, sponsorship and marketing deals with many women athletes are performative at best as women’s national soccer teams continue to fight for equitable investment from their federations.

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Yet, sponsorship and marketing deals with many women athletes are performative at best as women’s national soccer teams continue to fight for equitable investment from their federations.
Because many professional women athletes already work multiple jobs to earn a living wage, some are forced to accept unfair deals.

Losing sponsorship and labour exploitation

We also worked with average professional athletes, rather than the upmost elite who have multiple lucrative partnership deals.
These average athletes still played in the world’s top leagues, but were not as widely recognized as the top players of their sports.

Olivia’s story of losing sponsorship

In men’s soccer, players in the top three leagues will have [brand deals] whereas in women’s soccer it might only be the top players.
I’ve been fortunate because when I signed my first professional contract, I did gain a two-year deal with [a brand].
The next season I moved teams, and they pulled the sponsorship.
Olivia’s story reveals how the majority of professional women’s soccer players rarely receive sponsorship deals.
Despite moving to a higher ranked women’s club, Olivia’s sponsorship criteria was based on the equivalent men’s team, which was a tier lower.

Morgan’s story of labour exploitation

While she does not currently have a sponsor, she recently completed her first career sponsorship with a meal prep company.
I actually thought they would make me still pay, but instead they gave me a discount code to give out to other people.
Before I had a sponsorship deal, I thought you had to have a certain look.
But that’s changed; it’s more how good you are at your actual sport and how active you are on social media.
But it also reveals that women athletes are expected to perform the unpaid labour of creating digital partnership content.

Current state of women’s sports marketing

However, while previous sport sponsorship literature has focused on men athletes and mutually beneficial partnerships, it is clear that the power imbalances in women’s sport sponsorship reflect a different exploitative reality.
The state of marketing and sponsorship in women’s sport is far from equitable — even though it may be portrayed as otherwise in media coverage.

Women's World Cup will highlight how far other countries have closed the gap with US – but that isn't the only yardstick to measure growth of global game

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup begins on July 20, 2023, in Australia and New Zealand, and the U.S. enters the soccer tournament in a familiar position: favorites.

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The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup begins on July 20, 2023, in Australia and New Zealand, and the U.S. enters the soccer tournament in a familiar position: favorites.
The U.S. Women’s National Team, or USWNT, is the reigning back-to-back champion, and many pundits are expecting it to make history by securing a third successive title.
And it still possesses some of the game’s most recognizable and decorated players, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan among them.
Yet the U.S. players are not certain to win the World Cup this time around.
But having more teams challenging the U.S. is not the only yardstick for success in the women’s game.

Moving the goal posts (in the right direction)

The number of women and girls participating in the sport at all levels is increasing.
Meanwhile, more and more countries are launching professional leagues, including recent additions such as Colombia and Mexico.
Accompanying this has been increased sponsorship of women’s clubs and leagues and a growing number of lucrative sponsorship deals for top players.
But even if they do, that would not negate the strides made in the women’s game since the last World Cup in 2019.

Leveling the playing pitch (a little)

Prize money, team preparation cash and compensation to players’ clubs has increased 300% over the last World Cup, with the overall prize money standing at $152 million.
Unlike the men’s game, dozens of players taking the pitch in Australia and New Zealand are amateur or semiprofessional footballers at best.
Going into the 2023 World Cup, the USWNT remains a yardstick by which other teams can be measured.
But as their labor activism, quest for equal pay and push for better protection reveals, even at the elite level of the women’s game, battles remain both on and off the pitch.

Press release - MEPs push for better safety and quality standards for substances of human origin

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

The law applies to substances - such as blood and its components (red/white cells, plasma), tissues and cells – that are used for transfusions, therapies, transplantations or medically assisted reproduction.

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The law applies to substances - such as blood and its components (red/white cells, plasma), tissues and cells – that are used for transfusions, therapies, transplantations or medically assisted reproduction.
Voluntary and unpaid donations
MEPs insist EU countries should allow for compensation or reimbursement for losses or expenses, related to their participation in donations, to living donors.
This could be facilitated through for example, compensatory leave, tax reductions or flat rate allowances set at the national level.
MEPs also want EU countries to enforce strict rules on advertising around SoHO donations, which should prohibit any references to financial rewards.

ESMA publishes 2022 UCITS and AIFMD sanction reports

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities Directive 2009, National, NCA, Culture, Single Supervisory Mechanism, European Securities and Markets Authority, Investment company, Thema International Fund, Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive 2011, UCITS, ESMA, Cryptocurrency, Property management, EU

ESMA publishes 2022 UCITS and AIFMD sanction reports

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ESMA publishes 2022 UCITS and AIFMD sanction reports
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU securities markets regulator, today publishes its 2022 reports on the use by National Competent Authorities (NCAs) of sanctions under the Undertakings for Collective Investments in Transferable Securities (UCITS) and the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD).
Some highlights from the data
- UCITS sanctions: In 2022, 9 NCAs imposed a total of 38 penalties, compared with 61 penalties issued by 12 NCAs in 2021.
- AIFMD sanctions: In 2022, 10 NCAs issued a total amount of penalties of €2.5M, compared to €42.9M in 2021.
- 16 NCAs did not impose any sanction either under the UCITS Directive or the AIFMD during this period.

Religion shapes vaccine views – but how exactly? Our analysis looks at ideas about God and beliefs about the Bible

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 17, 2023

“I never saw that coming,” Francis Collins, a former director of the National Institutes of Health, commented in 2022.

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“I never saw that coming,” Francis Collins, a former director of the National Institutes of Health, commented in 2022.
Even today, three years after the start of the pandemic, about 1 in 5 Americans have not received a single dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.
Someone’s feelings about vaccines in general might differ from their feelings about one specific type of vaccine, for instance.
However, Christians represented the bulk of the sample, given their larger share of the American population, and so our research focuses heavily on on their views.

Bible beliefs

One part of religious life that social scientists are often interested in is people’s views of the Bible.
We found that respondents who see the Bible as either the “inspired” or “the actual word of God” were less likely to see vaccines in general – not the COVID-19 vaccine in particular – as safe and effective, compared with those who see the Bible as just a book of history and morality created by humans.
All else being equal, those who said that the Bible is the literal word of God, for instance, scored 18% higher on our measure of general vaccine skepticism than those who see the Bible as having no divine source or inspiration.

God and country

One factor could be Christian nationalism, which has been increasingly visible in the public sphere since Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency.
A 1-point increase in agreement meant someone was 17% less likely to have received or plan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Another of our studies focused on how people view God.
Our data showed that simply believing there is a God, or a higher power that supervises the world, does not make an individual less likely to have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
On the other hand, believing that God can and will actively intervene in the world does make a difference.

International African American Museum in Charleston, S.C., pays new respect to the enslaved Africans who landed on its docks

Retrieved on:

Monday, July 17, 2023

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Before Congress ended the transatlantic slave trade in 1808, the Port of Charleston was the nation’s epicenter of human trafficking.
That location of once utter degradation is now the hallowed site of the International African American Museum.
The museum’s mission is to honor the untold stories of the African American journey and, by virtue of its location and landscape design, pay reverence to the ground on which it sits.

America’s widespread historical illiteracy

In the 2022 “Nation’s Report Card,” the National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed ongoing deficiencies in eighth
grade students’ knowledge of U.S. history and civics.
Only 20% of test-takers scored proficient or above in civics, and, for American history, only 13% achieved proficiency.
In this highly politicized environment, efforts to restrict how race can be discussed in public schools have led to widespread calls from parents and politicians for the censorship of certain books on race.
These new restrictions have had an impact on public education, according to the National Council for History Education.

South Carolinians’ overlooked national impact

Exhibits show how the lives of Black people and their resistance to enslavement helped shape state, national and international affairs.
For example, South Carolina’s 1739 Stono Rebellion, in which fugitive slaves attempted to escape to Spanish Florida, precipitated conflict between Spain and Great Britain.
But few know that Shields Green, a South Carolina fugitive slave, assisted in the planning and execution of the fateful attack.

A monument to freedom

In my view, that collaboration will likely be challenging, given the efforts to sanitize the nation’s racial history and teachers’ apprehensions about teaching supposedly controversial subjects.
“This is a site of trauma,” Tonya Matthews, CEO and president of the museum, told CBS News.
That’s what makes it a site of joy, and triumph.” Indeed, the International African American museum is, by design, a monument to freedom – and an honest engagement with America’s troubled racial past.