The proposed research area of my master’s project is on the structure and function relationships of food-related proteins, at a fundamental and molecular level. My focus is on the plant specific insert (PSI), a saposin-like-protein in Solanum tuberosum, which has the potential to impact on both food safety and agricultural practices. Plants rely on their […]

La biodiversité des oiseaux dans deux différents milieux de la région de Oaxaca au Mexique sera examinée par un suivi des espèces présentent et de leur distribution dans les habitats. Les chants seront enregistrés, leur emplacement noté et les espèces auditivement identifiées. L’étude nous informera 1) sur l’état des habitats à l’intérieur d’un milieu protégé […]

Waste management objective is the protection of the environment and human health while encouraging resource recovery. Recycling generates income and provide many environmental benefits. Florianopolis is a growing city in one of the faster development economies in the global south (BRICS). At the same time, environmental legislation promotes a sustainable development of the city. The […]

Enormous research and commercial activities on utilization of bio-based materials to replace petroleum-based chemicals are currently taking place around world, aiming at the reduction of pollution and global warming. Among them, L-Cysteine which contains a thiol (-SH), amino (-NH2) group and carboxylic acid (-COOH) group. It is considered to be a unique building block for […]

The Brazilian mining industry is a major economic engine in Brazil and a dominant player in the extraction industry worldwide. A new Mining Code to regulate mining activity was introduced in the National Congress in 2013 and is set to be voted into legislation by the end of September, 2015. The deliberations that have been […]

This project is based on how the communities which rely on the forests of different regions within the state of Odisha, India, cope with and adapt to environmental and social challenges in relation to their daily lives and livelihoods. Using local ecological, social, and cultural knowledge, I will analyze environmental, social and policy challenges, and […]

“In Conversation with Contemporary Chinese Pure Land Buddhism: What it Means to Practice” is a study of the relationship between objects and practice in Pure Land Buddhism as told by the practitioners themselves. Interviewing scholars and practitioners of contemporary Chinese Pure Land Buddhism and visiting key sites of practice in the Shanghai area, I will […]

We will investigate how plants change leaf vein structure to adapt to environmental changes triggered by climate change. Leaf venation is important for plant nutrient transport and efficient water use. Since making veins requires considerable energy, plants regulate vein density to suit the environment, increasing vein number and connectivity with decreasing water. Different leaf forms […]

For many years, it has been a common practice adopted by educated people among East Asian countries to communicate with those who do not speak their language by writing Chinese characters. Many of these pen conversations, or bitan in Chinese, are preserved. Some of these are later compiled and published. These written documents are invaluable […]

My project intends to depict the textual evolution of the Youposai jie jing ????? (S?tra on Up?saka Precepts). This text was written as a household cultivation guidebook for Buddhist laymen, and was translated into Chinese by Dharmak?ema (Tanmochen ???in Chinese, 385–433 CE) in 426 CE during the Northern Liang Dynasty ??(397–439 CE). By studying the […]

Due to anthropogenic alterations such as forest harvesting, fragmentation and forest degradation has occurred enabling the invasion of native bamboo species which are contributing to habitat degradation and reduction of tree species in the remaining forested areas of Brazil. Currently, the primary method of monitoring forests dominated by bamboos is based on field observations. However, […]

My research project will focus around the following question: what relationships exist between religious models of the human body—primarily Buddhist and Daoist—and medical practices and beliefs? To explore this topic I will study primary and secondary materials, participate in meetings with my host university supervisor, Chen Ming with the assistance of Dr. Susan Andrews from […]