Application of a Multistressor Risk Framework to the Monitoring, Assessment, and Diagnosis of River Health

River health assessment and the science to support it have evolved and expanded over recent decades so that it is now a common component of water resource management throughout the world. The broad-scale application of such assessments began as audits of the current condition and trend (i.e., how condition changed over time) using general health indicators considered to be sensitive to a broad suite of anthropogenic stressors. These broad-scale audits provide an overall evaluation of the success of environmental management in protecting river health. However, water managers are increasingly interested in assessments that not only document health, but also go further by both diagnosing the causes of degradation and identifying the priorities for mitigation measures. We outline such an approach developed by the Queensland Government in Australia and provide a case study of its application. This approach identifies multiple stressors in river health within defined assessment regions, then quantifies both the likelihood of exposure to each and the impacts (consequences) to the ecosystem condition. This is done using cause-effect conceptual models that link human pressures to stressors and stressors to ecosystem responses. Specific regional information on the likelihood and consequence is derived from literature, interrogation of available data, and expert elicitation, along with associated estimates of confidence. Risk is calculated as the product of consequence and likelihood and used to rank stressors, with those posing high and moderate risks to the ecosystem condition selected for field measurement within resourcing constraints. Metrics of stressor intensity and relevant ecosystem responses are selected according to conceptual models and their operational efficacy, then applied to a spatially balanced statistical sampling design. The resulting assessments compare and combine results of the initial risk assessment with those from field samplings to give an overall picture of river health, and importantly along with the diagnosis of the stressors responsible for the degradation. Finally, recommendations are made for management priorities to restore river health or prevent further degradation. This approach has been successfully applied to many rivers in Queensland, Australia

CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL HAZARDS IN NORTHERN CANADA: INTEGRATING INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES WITH GOVERNMENT POLICY

adaptation, climate change, indigenous people, local knowledge, mitigation, natural hazards, northern Canada, policy, traditional knowledge,

Survivorship care for postmenopausal breast cancer patients in Ireland: what do women want?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the concerns of postmenopausal breast cancer patients in Ireland and inform the development of a survivorship care plan.Method: A qualitative participatory approach was used. Focus group interviews (n = 6) with 51 women were undertaken. Following analysis of the focus group discussions, two nominal group technique (NGT) (consensus workshops) involving representatives (n = 17) from each of the six focus groups were held.Results: Ten key issues were highlighted by women in the focus groups and these were prioritised at the consensus workshops. The most important issues in survivorship care planning prioritised by the women were as follows: meet the same healthcare professional at each review visit; contact number of a named person that you can contact if you have any concerns between review visits; at each review visit, have a physical examination and blood tests and explanation from health care professional outlining if follow up scans needed and if not, why not; information on signs and symptoms of recurrence; advice on diet, exercise, healthy lifestyle and advice on coping and pacing yourself; information and management of side effects of therapy-long and short term.Conclusion: Survivorship care planning for breast cancer is underdeveloped in Ireland. There is a lack of consensus regarding its provision and a lack of structured approach to its implementation. This study demonstrates the role of postmenopausal breast cancer patients' involvement in identifying their needs and reports that continuity of care was their top priority and the need for an adoption of a survivorship care plan was emphasised by participants. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.peer-reviewe

Recent evolutionary history of Chrysoperla externa (Hagen 1861) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in Brazil

This work aimed to elucidate the distribution of Chrysoperla externa haplotypes and investigate whether it exhibits structure based on genetic composition as opposed to geographic location. The genetic diversity of C. externa, analyzed by AMOVA using the COI and 16S rRNA genes as mitochondrial markers, showed significant haplotype structure arising from genetic differences that was not associated with sampling location. This was reflected in the network grouping. Bayesian inference showed that haplotype distribution may have its origins in C. externa divergence into two distinct clades, which dispersed to various locations, and their subsequent diversification. The evolutionary history of C. externa may include multiple ancestral haplotypes differentiating within the same geographic area to generate the current broad genetic diversity, so that the earlier geographical history has been erased, and now we have highlighted its more recent genetic history

Molecular Variability and Genetic Structure of Chrysodeixis includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), an Important Soybean Defoliator in Brazil

This study provides the first genetic characterization of the soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens (Walker, 1857), an important defoliating pest species of soybean crops in Brazil. Population genetic variability and the genetic structure of C. includens populations were evaluated by using ISSR markers with samples from the major soybean producing regions in Brazil in the growing seasons 2011/2012. Seven different primers were applied for population characterization of the molecular variability and genetic structure of 8 soybean looper populations from 8 states of Brazil. The seven ISSR loci generated 247 bands in 246 individuals of C. includens sampled. The expected heterozygosity (H-E) in the populations varied between 0.093 and 0.106, while the overall H-E was 0.099, indicating low genetic diversity. The analysis of molecular variance indicated that 98% of the variability was expressed among individuals within populations (F-ST = 0.021, p = 0.001). The low level of polymorphism over all populations, the high levels of gene flow, and the low genetic structure are indicatives of the exchange of genetic information between the different sampled regions. Population structuring suggests the presence of two major groups which do not correlate with their geographic sampling location in Brazil. These results may indicate recent recolonization of C. includens in Brazil or migration patterns following source-sink dynamics. Furthermore, the presence of two groups within C. includens suggests that a study on development of resistance or any other genetic-based trait needs to be evaluated on both groups, and pest management in soybean fields should be aware that differences may come to the control strategies they use